New chapter of Plant Magic Lord is out! (2/3 chapters)

 

 

Uniform

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

I and Stella were diligently progressing with the design of the uniform. We spread a large sheet of paper on the table and began writing various things on it. Incidentally, Dia, Marcosias, and Wood had gone to the bath. Therefore, we were concentrating, just the two of us.

“Thin, short sleeves… easy to move in…” (Elt)

Repeating my words, Stella nodded with a thoughtful “hmm, hmm.”

“Ease of movement is important. Especially in Noball, the arms move a lot.” (Elt)

“That is exactly right. Leave room around the arms, and…” (Stella)

Stella rotated her left arm in circles.

“Freedom of both arms is important… Will it be somewhat close to the clothing of adventurers? Since it will have no pockets or decorations.” (Stella)

“Noble and merchant clothing has a lot of that…” (Elt)

Noble clothing, for appearance’s sake, and merchant clothing, for practicality’s sake, tended to have various extras. But uniforms do not have that.

Ease of movement comes first, and they are not intended to be used for anything other than baseball.

“And, the basic design is the same for both men and women.” (Elt)

“Oh-ho…” (Stella)

Stella nodded as if a little surprised. This was as expected. Clothing in this world was divided between men and women. Until the modern era, clothing had been divided by gender. However, uniforms are basically unisex.

Though the sizes differ, this point is important. The problem is whether this might cause rejection.

When I glanced at Stella, the sparkle in her eyes had not diminished in the least.

“So, it is to make Noball be played without distinction of gender…!” (Stella)

“W-well, yeah. I’m glad you understand.” (Elt)

“Yes, it is a splendid idea…! Indeed, both men and women should play Noball!” (Stella)

“O-oh…” (Elt)

Well, this part seemed fine. But the next is the main point.

“And there’s one more thing…” (Elt)

A characteristic of baseball uniforms is, naturally, that they do not distinguish social status. For players’ uniforms, the only difference is the back number. Family or achievements are irrelevant. Aside from variations for home and away, or limited editions, those are changed per team. Individual changes are not permitted. This is very important. It is a hundred-year tradition, the core of the uniform. But in this world, it is undoubtedly a heretical idea. Even if I say “unified,” Stella is probably imagining something different in her mind.

“Whether noble or commoner, regardless of status, the design must not be changed. Everyone, except for the back number, must have the same design. The same team, the same design. This is the iron rule. Even for nobles, all unnecessary decorations are rejected.” (Elt)

“…!” (Stella)

Stella looked surprised and glanced around. Of course, this was the living room of my house, so no one else was here. Dia and the others were at the bath. Our family tended to take rather long baths. Stella and I also liked to bathe at leisure. That disposition had been passed down. But from her reaction, I became certain. Indeed, the “unifying clothing” we were talking about was on a different level between Stella and me. She probably hadn’t expected it to this extent.

“A-are you serious…?” (Stella

“…Yeah.” (Elt)

Yeah, this was the kind of reaction I expected.

Even for the armor issued to knights, it probably was not this standardized. Even in the Black Dragon Knight Order, the designs varied somewhat from person to person. But baseball uniforms require far greater uniformity than that. This is non-negotiable. If I compromise here, it will not be for the sake of baseball, no, Noball.

“Please understand. For the sake of Noball, this must be done.” (Elt)

“You do understand what you are saying, correct…? This is outrageous. To make clothing completely the same regardless of social status…” (Stella)

“Yes, but this is something I will not yield on.” (Elt)

“I see…” (Stella)

Saying that, Stella closed her eyes.

Then, she opened them wide.

“S-Stella?” (Elt)

“For the sake of Noball, as if existing order does not exist… You have such resolve.” (Stella)

“O-oh…” (Elt)

Isn’t that quite an exaggerated way of putting it? Or was that a normal way of speaking in her time?

Stella quietly, but with increased pressure, questioned me.

“This is a revolution, is it not?” (Stella)

“…No.” (Elt)

It’s not that extreme. Uniformity of clothing is only within baseball.

“Rather, it is the natural course of things…” (Elt)

*Zuzui.*

Stella leaned closer to my face.

The flame in her eyes… I thought it had turned white. Flames are hotter when white. I remembered hearing such a story.

“There will likely be backlash… but I believe the reason lies with Elt-sama.” (Stella)

“Y-yeah.” (Elt)

“For the spread of Noball, I will assist you to the best of my ability.” (Stella)

“T-thank you…” (Elt)

Yeah. For now, I suppose this is fine. I’ll just take it as fine.

After that, we wrote down the position and size of the back number. This went smoothly. Since it was a practical part.

“The issue is the front, huh…” (Elt)

“Yes. We will need letters or pictures here…” (Stella)

For pro teams, the upper chest usually has the team name. And the cuffs have the logo mark. However, supporter uniforms are not limited to this. They can be much more flashy and unique. Since it is the first, flashy might be fine. Uniforms change frequently anyway.

“For now, we want it friendly and with impact.” (Elt)

“A cockatrice, perhaps?” (Stella)

“…That is one option.” (Elt)

“It is a cockatrice, right?” (Stella)

*Rustle*

We had prepared many sheets of paper. On one sheet, Stella briskly ran her brush. What emerged was the upper half of a deformed cockatrice.

“S-so good…” (Elt)

Anaria had been good too, but Stella was no less. Incidentally, this cockatrice was raising its right wing, as if greeting.

*Ohapiyo!*

Dia often did that too.

“I can draw cockatrices well…!” (Stella)

“Reassuring…” (Elt)

And the pressure was intense. A cockatrice, no matter what.

“All right, let’s make it a cockatrice.” (Elt)

“Thank you…!” (Stella)

Well, I couldn’t think of anything better anyway. If we are starting from this village, it is better to make the cockatrice the motif.

“However, monopolizing the cockatrice feels wrong. For when more teams are made, I feel like we need one more.” (Stella)

She’s already worrying about motif duplication! But her concern is valid. For a popular motif, we want to add a little twist to make it unique. If we add something alongside the cockatrice…

“…Healberry, perhaps?” (Elt)

“Nice! That is fitting for this village!” (Stella)

On another sheet, Stella quickly sketched a Healberry.

This one was drawn quite realistically. Its touch was quite different from the cockatrice.

“Hmm… I somehow end up drawing actual objects as they are.” (Stella)

“But isn’t that fine?” (Elt)

“Hmm…!” (Stella)

It seemed she was not satisfied herself. However, I could see the light. Noball, cockatrice, the flavor of this village. It should meet all of these. At this pace, we should make it in time somehow.

 

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