by Shouji Gatou
“Hmm...” Seiya seemed to have grasped what Moffle was getting at. The reason he was still scowling was probably because he was running various scenarios in his brain.
Moffle knew him well enough by now. The boy always took everything seriously— Even if your proposal seemed like common sense, he’d still run all the angles. He never let his guard down, and he never missed a trick. The same was true right now.
“All right,” Seiya agreed. “...But what about the time spent moving from room to room, and the initial rules explanation? Right now, they’re the elements that take up the most time.”
“We can probably shorten those with small changes, fumo. Explanations of how the weapons work are longer than they need to be, in the name of atmosphere.”
“I see. Good thinking.”
“All together, we can probably cut wait times to 70%, fumo. We’ll gather the cast together tonight and try it out.”
“Good. ...No, wait.” Seiya said thoughtfully as he gazed at the documents.
“Is there another problem, fumo?”
“It’s a good plan,” Seiya told him. “But... won’t your core users object to the change?”
“Now you’re worried about that?” Moffle exploded. “You’re the one who told me to do it, fumo!”
“Well... yes, but...” Seiya trailed off. Of course, he must have always known that he was asking something difficult. This was just a momentary surfacing of the uncertainty he’d been feeling.
“The core users will be angry, fumo,” Moffle said calmly. “But I’ll deal with that myself. You just keep watching the park’s bigger picture, all right? Like you’ve been doing, fumo.”
“R-Right...”
“If there are no problems on your end, then I’ll make the changes immediately, fumo. I’ll rewrite the House of Sweets program and test it out tonight. But the Mogutes will need overtime, fumo. Can you make sure they’re paid?”
“Sure. I’ll mention it to Ashe.”
“Moffu. Then we can unveil the renovation next weekend. We’ll see what the wait times are like on Saturday and Sunday, then adjust as necessary, fumo.”
“......”
“Is that okay, fumo?”
Of course, Kanie Seiya wasn’t going to object.
The next day, they held their overnight tests. Things went smoothly, improving turnover exactly as Moffle’s proposal had suggested.
The next Saturday, they implemented the changes in Moffle’s House of Sweets. Moffle heard almost no complaints from guests that morning. Almost no complaints— The regular high scorers seemed a little testy about it. When taking souvenir photos at the end, he overheard a few stage-whispers about how some didn’t like factoring speed into their score. Fortunately, things didn’t go any further than that.
The aberration occurred during one of his evening appearances. That boy—Seno Koji—had come by to play. As usual, Moffle joined the guests In the final stage room, with the battle against the Naughty Mouse Overlord. At this point, Koji seemed unhappy. He aimed precisely, moved like he knew the game inside and out, and did extremely well... yet his expression remained mournful. After the battle, they filtered out into the photo room. Chujo Shiina was about to take a picture. But Koji interrupted, “Don’t bother.”
The other guests stared in confusion, but he ignored them and barged up to Moffle. “What the hell was that? Did you make the enemies weaker? And what’s with the time limit crap? So nothing we do means anything now?!”
“Moffu...” That was all he could say in response. This was one of his normal appearances— He couldn’t just start jabbering away in front of the guests, so he had no way to explain himself. Even in an attraction like this, Moffle was still the Fairy of Sweets.
“This is a joke!” Koji fumed. “Did you water down the whole thing to appeal to casuals?”
“Moffu...”
“Yeah, fine, I get it! Screw the people who’ve been there for you the whole time! You get a little popular and you’re done with us, huh?!”
“Um, excuse me... other customers are waiting...” Shiina interrupted. She shyly gestured to the exit.
“Yeah, I bet that’s it! And I... I don’t want to stay at this stupid attraction anymore, anyway!”
“S-Sir...”
Koji-kun shoved Shiina aside and started walking towards the exit. He stopped in the doorway and turned back around.
Moffle knew exactly what he was going to say next. Here it comes. Brace yourself—
“I’m never coming back, you asshole!” Koji announced.
Moffle had known it was coming, but the words were still hard to hear. It felt like he’d been punched in the face with brass knuckles.
The exit door slammed shut. That was the last he’d see of Koji-kun, who would probably never come back again. But that was inevitable; there was no point in fighting it.
The other guests watched anxiously as Moffle just stood there. And then, as casually as he could, he shrugged. “Moffu...?” He invoked the perfect tone, as if to say, “What a weirdo, fumo.” His timing was perfect, and the guests burst into laughter.
“We’re... We’re sorry about all that,” Shiina apologized on his behalf. “Anyway, souvenir photos with Moffle! Everybody line up and smile! What do those naughty mice like to eat? That’s right...”
“Cheeeeese!” The guests smiled all together. The souvenir photo-taking went on without issue, after that. Moffle waved his paw to the guests as they filed out.
“Um... Moffle-san?” Once everyone was gone and the room had gone quiet, Shiina spoke up, timidly. “Are you all right?”
“...Chujo. You did a fine job covering for me there, fumo.”
“Th-Thank you...”
“Ah... this kind of thing happens. We just deal with it, fumo. Don’t worry so much.”
“...Okay.”
“Now, send in the next group, fumo.”
“Roger that.” Shiina turned to the intercom and said, “Send in guest group B.” The cast member at the entrance responded, “Got it.”
That’s right; just outside were customers who had waited more than an hour in the heat. He didn’t have a moment to spare on self-pity.
But despite telling himself that, for the rest of that day, Moffle’s performance lacked just a bit of its usual luster. He made a few mistakes in his performance in the House of Sweets and his juggling at Entrance Square, and he flubbed a few things during the stage show, too.
Backstage, he ran into Tiramii, who said, “I ran into Nyathan! He said you went out last night with Takami-chan! I can’t believe you’d go behind my back!”
Even there, Moffle’s reply was a half-hearted one. “It was Nyathan, fumo. Don’t believe that guy.”
“Mii! But, but...”
“Shut up, fumo. Just leave me alone.”
“Mii...” Tiramii walked away dejectedly.
Chujo Shiina looked at him in concern, but he just told her, “Don’t worry about it. Just do what you usually do, fumo.” So they kept up their work, and at last, it was time for the day’s goodbyes in Entrance Square.
A family on their way out called out and ran up to Moffle. “Wah! It’s Moffle!”
“Oh, could we get a picture?!”
It was a boy of about four years old with his parents. Moffle pasted on a smile, gave a “Moffu!” and took a photo with the family.
“This is our first time in this park!” said the father, who looked to be about 30 years old. He looked like the kind of man who had a very stuffy job—a banker, maybe—who tried hard to live it up on his days off.
“I was surprised by how crowded it was, but we had so much fun!” the mother said. She looked to be around the same age as the father. She was a plain-looking woman, dressed unremarkably. But she wore a headband adorned with Moffle’s ears, and she was smiling very happily. “Especially the House of Sweets! Wasn’t that fun?!”
“Yeah, it was fun!”
“Wasn’t it thrilling?!”
The family talked
and talked. Their comments seemed completely heartfelt and sincere. Their voices were so boundlessly cheerful that they seemed almost vapid.
“Mof... fu.” He had no words. He had never been so grateful for the rule that forbade him from saying anything but “Moffu” on stage. The family was cheerfully praising the House of Sweets, an attraction that Moffle himself wasn’t happy with.
“We’ll definitely be back! Do your best, Moffle-chan!” the mother said.
“Hopefully it’ll be a little less crowded next time... haha.” the father said with an awkward smile.
“Moffle, bye-bye!” the little boy said with a wave.
When Koji-kun said “casuals,” he was probably referring to people like them. But could one really weigh the happiness of regulars against theirs?
“Moffu...” Moffle waved to the family of three as they walked out the gate. He waved as hard as he could. He waved until the three of them were out of sight.
Come back again, my treasured guests, he thought. I’ll be waiting. I’ll be waiting and waiting. Thank you for coming, fumo. Moffle closed his eyes and bowed his head as if to implore the boy who would never come back.
“Moffle-san, the next guest is here for you,” Chujo Shiina whispered to him. Moffle nodded and went on to deal with the next guest.
Be happy. Be cheerful, he reminded himself. Don’t let them see the worries of the people of the world of dreams. Then in a loud, high voice, Moffle shouted out, “Moffu!”
Night Parade (Trial Run)
Latifah Fleuranza, first princess of Maple Land, did not spend all day in the rooftop garden communing with birds and drinking tea. She had refused to have attendants, so she did most of the housework herself. She made breakfast, cleaned her room, and made her own bed with ease. On days when she was in better health, she would clean and tend the garden. She’d even bring out her stepladder and prune branches in the trees—at this, she was better than most gardeners.
Her blindness was an inconvenience, but she had excellent senses of hearing and smell (and of course, taste!), and she knew the castle like the back of her hand. On top of that, Latifah was a resident of a magical realm, and she was also of royal blood. This granted her a sort of magical sixth sense that let her perceive deeper truths about the things around her. For instance, when choosing her clothing in the morning, she couldn’t really see the colors for herself. Yet somehow, she knew when she was holding a white silk dress. It was a bit like instinct, but far more accurate.
She had a knack for identifying deception, as well. Latifah could immediately tell when there was filler mixed into the minced meat she used for making her special croquettes. She wouldn’t fall for faked sell-by dates or production regions, and she was especially sensitive to toxicity. Merchant scams were no match for Latifah Fleuranza.
And so, all in all, she had no real issues getting about her day. After tending the garden, she would have a light lunch; she might invite Isuzu and Moffle over, and other cast members might stop by, as well.
In the afternoon, she would practice her music. Lately she’d been very engaged with the piano, though her performances there were rather questionable. She wasn’t tone deaf by any means, but her hands were so small that she found most songs difficult to play well (although in that regard, it was an eternal mystery as to how Macaron played as well as he did with mere hooves...). At any rate, she was unlikely to ever play for the park guests.
Then, sometimes, she would talk on the phone with the owner of Saigo-tei Croquettes, her own personal cooking instructor. That day, they were discussing the issue of mass production.
Lately, sales of the park’s croquettes had been surging. With more and more guests visiting, it was only natural that demand for its most famous treat would go through the roof. They used to sell few enough that a single girl could make them all, but that no longer applied— Even when she worked as hard as they could, they always ran out during the lunch rush.
Kanie Seiya would tell her, “Don’t push yourself too hard. It’s best if they stay rare anyway,” but Latifah felt an obligation to her guests. What kind of hostess would she be to the people who came all the way to the park if they couldn’t enjoy the food that was their pride and joy?
Even so, making croquettes in large numbers made quality control extremely difficult. It was hard enough for a professional restaurant, but such techniques were completely unknown to Latifah. She came away from the discussion with her instructor that day with the conclusion that, given her skill and stamina and the facilities available at Maple Castle, there was no way to increase her output without a drop in quality.
She thanked him politely, hung up the phone, then sank into depression. Everyone else was working so hard, yet she was contributing nothing. Of course, she knew that sulking wouldn’t help. She was the park’s leader, and projecting an aura of negativity was the worst thing she could do.
All right! she told herself. Then let us prepare for tomorrow! She changed into her kappogi, a full-body work apron; she used to make croquettes in her princess dress with a regular apron on top, but these days, she didn’t have time for such “elegance.” Revving herself up as much as she could, Latifah headed for the Maple Castle kitchen, where Nick, the head of the food division, was just bringing in the ingredients.
Nick was a cast member who had a cartoon hunk of meat for a head. She’d heard that he’d come from the magical realm of Cookingdom. Latifah had been worried that he might serve pieces of his head to his guests, but Nick’s response was “Don’t worry, niku. I only do that as a party trick, niku.” They were peeling potatoes in the kitchen when Kanie Seiya arrived.
“Kanie-sama,” Latifah greeted him.
“Hey,” he replied. “I went up to the garden and you weren’t there... So this is where you were, huh?”
“Yes. I am working diligently to make croquettes.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he told her. “Just don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
“Of course.” Latifah smiled brightly.
“Ah... right,” Seiya agreed. “I’m counting on you too, okay, Nick?”
“Got it, niku. I won’t tell anyone about you crushing on Latifah-sama in her kappogi, niku.”
“Sh-Shut up!”
“Niku-niku-niku,” the meat-man laughed. “Should I leave you two alone, niku?”
“N-No... Keep on doing what you’re doing,” Seiya told him. “The business I’m here on isn’t exactly top secret.”
“You got it, niku.” Nick resumed peeling his potatoes.
She could hear the sound of Seiya flipping through documents. Clearly, he must be here on some work-related purpose.
“Now, how may I help you, Kanie-sama?” she asked.
“Well, ah... I’ve been looking through the new proposals that the cast submitted earlier. I’ve more or less narrowed down the candidates, and I wanted to get your opinion on them.”
“New proposals?” she questioned.
“Yeah. Most of them were pretty ridiculous... but a few seemed usable, at least.”
“I see... Do continue.” Latifah straightened up. This was her chance to really show responsibility as the park’s manager. If she was going to feel useless constantly, she could at least appear stately once in a while!
“A-Are you okay?” Seiya asked.
“Ah?”
“Um... the knife? It might be dangerous to do this while you’re holding it.”
“Ah.” She had put her hands on her lap while still holding the peeling knife and the potato. It had likely looked a bit dangerous. “F-Forgive me...” She quickly laid the knife and potato on the table. “All right... n-now, the new proposals?”
“Right,” Seiya continued. “One’s for a new exhibition hall. We can sell discounted brand overstock, do cross-promotions with regional specialties... things like that.”
“Ahh...”
“We’ll be aiming at local housewives. It seems like a pretty solid plan to me... I think it’d make a good addition
to Etceteland.”
“Y-Yes...” Latifah thought it over carefully. “Forgive me for being critical... But are such places not quite common? In department stores and trade centers and the like...”
“Hm. True enough,” he agreed.
“I wonder how the children who come to see Unc—ah, Moffle-san and the others—might feel about such a sight,” she mused seriously. “It might feel out of place.”
“Hmm.”
“If you will allow me a moment to speak freely, I believe that those who come to this park do so to experience something extraordinary. The sight of a mere discount store amidst all the wonder...”
“Yeah, that probably would ruin it,” Seiya agreed.
“Yes... O-Of course, it would surely prove profitable as well. Perhaps I should not be so quick to criticize...”
“No, you’re right,” Seiya said warmly. “I was thinking the same thing. It’s a relief that you share my opinion... I’ll knock that proposal off the list.”
“W-Will you?” Seiya seemed willing to breeze past it, but Latifah was uncertain. A member of her cast had submitted this proposal; he (or she) must have worked very hard on its submission. And then she, with her ‘voice of authority,’ had simply brushed it aside...
“What’s wrong?” Seiya asked.
“Ah, nothing...”
“Oh? Well, let’s go over the next one...” She heard again the sound of Seiya flipping through documents.
“Ah,” he said. “No, we can’t do this one...”
“...?” Latifah waited for him to continue.
“It’s the bunny hunt proposal,” he explained, “but it’s out.”
“Ahh...”
“It’s a Tiramii idea, so it’s pretty gross. I don’t know how it got mixed in with the others. I was sure I’d thrown it out, but...”
“Oh, but I do wish to hear it... What kind of proposal is this ‘bunny hunt’?” Latifah pressed him curiously.
Seiya just groaned. “Look, it doesn’t matter...”
“But...”
“Forget about it! Next one.” Forcing an end to the subject, Seiya went back to flipping through his documents, muttering all the while. “Huh? ...These are all off. Some weird sex parlor, a war movie thing... Ah, here’s a decent one. Here.”
