As I screamed internally, the letter in front of me began curling up bit by bit.

“What’s happening?”

Then it formed into a small ball, and with a pop—

“…Huh?”

“Hello. I’m your guide. Can you tell me your name?”

“…W-what!?”

Wait a minute. How did the letter turn into an animal?

Could this be magic?

Or did I die and revive in a world where magic exists?

I have no idea what’s going on, but what is happening!?

“I’ll ask again, what’s your name?”

“M-My name is Mei.”

“Mei-chan, huh? That’s a nice name. As for my name… oh, I don’t have one yet. After all, I was just born. Hehe.”

This is surreal. A ferret is talking.

I think it’s a ferret because of its small face and long body, but…

Aren’t ferrets usually a bit bigger? This one is only about 15 centimeters tall and pure white, so it’s more like…

“An ermine…?”

“Got it! My name is Ermine now. Mei, nice to meet you from now on.”

Oh no no no no.

It’s stuck with the name Ermine!

“Oh, no. ‘Ermine’ is the name of a type of animal, not a name.”

“Is that so? But since there are no ermine animals in this world, I guess it just became my name. So, my name is Ermine. Nice to meet you!”

The pure white Ermine smiled happily. As it extended a tiny hand toward me, I grasped it for a handshake.

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”

I ended up shaking hands, but… it’s still an ermine.

Hmm…

“By the way, are you good at alchemy, Mei?”

“Alchemy? What’s that?”

“Oh, starting from there, huh?… I wonder if everything will be okay. Can you really become the successor of the miniature garden? Well, you wouldn’t have been called here if you didn’t have the talent for it, so I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Ermine folded its short arms and nodded repeatedly, then began explaining.

“Alchemy is when you combine materials and put them into an alchemy cauldron to create something entirely different. At first, you can only make simple things, but as you keep crafting, you’ll be able to create all kinds of things.”

Then, it handed me a book with a blue cover.

“Take a look at this.”

As I flipped through the pages, I saw lists of alchemy materials and their combinations.

Hmm, let’s see…

≪How to Make Potions≫

Potions are for healing wounds, right? Even I know that much.

So, how do you make one?

≪Combine Heal Grass and Water≫

Oh, it’s simpler than I thought. I can probably make a potion right away.

“This is the alchemy cauldron.”

Ermine said as it pulled out a cauldron, black with gold patterns, from thin air, just like the book.

…Where exactly did it pull all of this from? It’s a mystery.

“Oh, right. Before we start alchemy, we need a table. Mei, do you prefer fancy, monochrome, or natural?”

Wait. Does that mean you’re going to pull out a table for me?

Out of those three options, I think a natural-looking table would be best.

“Natural.”

“Okay!”

With a light response, Ermine once again pulled something out of thin air.

I thought it would be a table, but it wasn’t just that. One after another, beds, chairs, a kitchen, and other furniture and equipment essential for living began to fill the room.

Before I knew it, a one-room space with natural furnishings was complete.

“This room is modeled after your world’s. Do you like it?”

I couldn’t help but sigh at how beautiful it was, like something out of a magazine.

“It’s wonderful…”

“Glad you like it. Now, shall we head outside? I’ll show you around the miniature garden.”

“…!”

When Ermine turned around, I noticed white wings on its back.

S-so cute!

I want to fluff the base of its wings!

Or rather, I want to fluff its entire body!

Unaware of my selfish desires, Ermine flapped its adorable wings and flew cutely toward the door.

I followed after it and took a step outside.