The Best Pillow
Captaaaaain...
No. Not a chance. Get back to the training grounds.
No, that's not it... Just hear me out...
My old pillow was ruined not long ago...
I tried fixing it, but it's just not the same.
It's so uncomfortable!
I couldn't sleep a wink last night because of it... *Yawn*
You couldn't sleep a wink?
No... It was the most humiliating moment of my life.
My best trait was being able to fall asleep in under three seconds anywhere, anytime...
...Is that really a trait worth having?
Which brings me to this...
I'm going to make a new one!
The perfect pillow!
...You're making it yourself?
Yup! Pillows made by other people just don't work for me.
I've gotta make one myself.
That's going to need a lot of materials... Do you have any money?
That's your job, Captain.
Me?
Of course. You're the Journey Captain.
And it's your responsibility to help your Journey members focus on their training, right?
...Technically true, but—
Great! Since you agree, there's no problem.
I'll make you one too, Captain! A super fluffy one!
...
All right, time to start the design!
The most important part of design is direction. And to define direction, you need a vision.
Once the vision is clear, all the little details fall into place.
If only she focused half as much during training...
No, even a quarter would be nice...
...Next is height.
Height is a core component of any pillow.
If it's too low, your neck muscles contract. If it's too high, they over-relax.
To find the perfect height, we need your body measurements.
I already know mine, so I just need to measure your neck.
Let's see... Where's the tape measure...
...
I can't find it.
Well, we're probably the same size. Let's just match it.
But you just said it was a core component!
Next up, the outer fabric.
Texture's key if you want a good night's sleep.
Some people like scratchy fabric, but I think they're heretics.
The best pillow fabric has to be cottony soft, like a cloud.
And my opinion...?
After that, we need stuffing, fragrance, and dye.
Do you like herbal scents? It's great when the aroma seeps up from the pillow.
So Serpang, Toto, and I spent the entire day wandering through shops.
And finally...
Done...!
This is it! My hand-crafted perfect pillow!
I call it the Serpang Dream Nightmare Mk. II!
It sounded like something only demons from hell would sleep on.
Not that I'd say that out loud to her. That would make things tiresome.
All right, time for a test run!
Hmm...
Well?
...Not good enough.
That's weird. I didn't forget anything...
What's it missing?
Ah...!
Coo?
Toto, come here a sec.
Toto tilted his head as he got closer... And Serpang yanked out a handful of his feathers.
Squawk?!
Thanks, Toto. With these, it's complete.
Time for a final test... Mmm...
Zzz...
Coooo...! Coo!
There, there, Toto.
Ehehe...
I knew it... Nothing's fluffier than Toto's feathers...
This really is... the perfect pillow...
Mm... Zzz...
It happened later, but ever since I used Serpang's handmade pillow, I haven't been able to sleep on regular ones.
…How frustrating.