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4 入学式から早くも半月が過ぎた。 その間のフラグ折りはことごとく成功した。 まだ油断はできないが、この調子で地道に頑張っていこうと思う。 私は調子に乗らない。入学式の蓮見事件の二の舞は起こさない。私は学習する女だ。 あの事件はまずかった。 私はセカコイの主要キャラと接触する気は全くない。いや、ライバルキャラとは是非お友達になりたいけれども。 主要キャラと接触して、私という存在が王子の耳に入ることは防ぎたい。私に興味を持たれたくない。 だと言うのに。 あろうことか、王子の親友と接触してしまった。 王子に次いで接触したくない男なのに! しかも、私の令嬢にあるまじき姿まで見られている。まことに遺憾だ。 いや、私が悪いんですけどね? まぁ、彼に関しては恋愛方面の心配がないのが救いだ。 セカコイの設定では、彼はライバルキャラに惚れている。 しかし、ライバルキャラが王子を好きなのも知っているうえに、この時点では許嫁でもあるので、彼はライバルキャラの幸せを願って、彼女にアドバイスや激励をして彼女を応援している。 私にとってはとても共感できるキャラだ。 前世では、もうおまえライバルキャラ貰っちゃえよ!なんて思っていたが、今はそれは困る。ライバルキャラは王子とくっついて貰いたいのだ。 そこまで彼の設定を思い出してふと思いつく。 彼に協力して貰うのはどうだろう? 遠目から見た限りだと、蓮見は漫画の設定通り、ライバルキャラが好きみたいだ。 うん、いいかも。 いや待て待て待て。 蓮見は王子に一番近い存在だ。彼に協力をしてもらうということは、王子に近づくという事でもある。 それは危険だ。危険大だ。 それに私は入学式の怨みを忘れていない。いや、私が悪いんですけどね? 以上の判断から蓮見に協力してもらうという手段は却下だ。 とりあえず、私はこのままフラグ折りに専念しつつ、王子とライバルキャラの様子を眺めていよう。 「凛花さん?」 「えっ?あ、ごめんなさい。ちょっとぼーっとしてたみたいで......それで、なんの話だったかしら」 「遠足の話ですわ」 「ああ、そうでしたわね。遠足......」 「このメンバーで一緒の班になりたいわ」 「そうね、楽しそう」 きゃっきゃっと遠足について話し合う彼女たちは私のお友達だ。 彼女たちは編入組である私に真っ先に声を掛けてくれて、私をグループに迎えいれてくれた天使級に良い子たちだ。 好奇心旺盛でおっとりしている彼女たちとのおしゃべりは楽しい。 そしてここが重要なのだが、私の令嬢らしからぬ行動をうっかり見られた時も、彼女たちはまぁ、と言うだけで眉を顰めることはなかったのだ。 最近では、凛花さんらしいわ、と言って笑ってくれる。本当に良い子たちだ。 だだ、彼女たちはみんな王子と蓮見に憧れていて、ミーハーなところがある彼女たちはことあるごとに彼らを見に行く。 その時の私は王子たちの視界に入らないように必死に気配を消している。 それが難点と言えば難点だが、彼女たちは見るだけで満足しているようなのであまり問題はない。 私が空気になればいいだけだ。 「遠足ってどこに行くのでしたっけ?」 「確か......博物館じゃなかったかしら」 「なんでもそこの博物館の近くの植物園がとても素敵らしいわ」 「まあ、行ってみたいわ!」 「そんなところを東條様と周れたら......素敵」 あー......なんかそんなイベントありましたね。 うん、次のイベントはコレか。 漫画だと植物園でうっかり王子と会っちゃうんだよね......でも植物園行きたいな。でも王子と会うのは避けたいし......。 「ね、凛花さんも植物園行きましょうね?」 「ええ、もちろんよ」 私はニッコリ笑顔で即答してた。 おいおい、王子と会っちゃうんだよ?いいの私? でも植物園行ってみたいんだよ。折角のお誘いなんだし、断ったら失礼だよ。 と、私VS私の言い合いが脳内で繰り広げられたが、勝ったのは植物園に行きたい私だった。 まあ、今までもさんざん王子を避けてきたし、大丈夫でしょ、と楽天的な私も囁いている。 大丈夫、なんとかなるさ。

I'm The Heroine, But I Want To Hand That Role Over Chapter 4 Half a month has pa.s.sed after the entrance ceremony. With the flags in that period succeeding altogether. I still can't let my guard down, but I think it's good to steadily persist like this. I shouldn't get ahead of myself. I won't let the Hasumi incident happen a second time. I'm a girl who learns from my errors. That was an unpleasant incident. I totally have no intention of getting in touch with the main characters of Sekakoi. Iya, I would really like to become friends with the rival character, though. I want to avoid making my existence enter the prince's ears by being in contact with a main character. Although that's what I said. I came in contact with the prince's best friend. Even though I don't want to be in contact with the guy who ranked next to the prince! Moreover, he saw my unbecoming appearance of a young lady. Truly regretful. Iya, that was my bad though? Maa, it's a relief that I don't have to worry about love in his case. He is in love with the rival character in Sekakoi setting. However, even though he already knows that the rival character is in love with the prince and at that point of time he had a fiance; he wished for the rival character's happiness. He helped her by giving advices and encouragements. It's a character that I can really sympathize with. In my previous life, I would have already gave him the rival character! But even if I think so, that would be troublesome. Because I want the rival character to get on with the prince. I was recalling his setting when it struck me. How about getting him to cooperate with me? As it could be seen from afar, it seemed that Hasumi likes the Rival character as in the setting of the manga. Uhm, it may work. No, wait, wait, wait. Hasumi was the person closest to the prince. Having his cooperation means getting closer to the prince. That's dangerous. Really dangerous. Besides, I still haven't gotten over my resentment. Well, that was my fault, though? From the conclusion above, the Hasumi cooperating measure is rejected. For the time being, while I'll continue to pay attention to the flags, I'll look at the situation of the prince and the rival character. "Rinksan?" "Huh? Ah, sorry. It seems like I was in a bit of a daze.....So, what was you were saying?" "We were talking about the trip" "Oh, so it was about that. The trip......" "I want the group to be formed with these members" "Right, it looks like it would be fun" These girls who were going kya kyaa in discussing about the trip are my friends. They are angelic children that since my admission in the cla.s.s, straight out called out to me and let me enter their group. Chatting with girls full of enthusiasm and curiosity is fun. And the important thing here is that when my young miss act carelessly slips, well, I can say they don't knit their eyebrows in indignation. Nowadays, they'd just laugh it off with a 'It's something Rinka would do'. They are truly good children. However, they all admire the prince and Hasumi, with each of them following their idol and going to see them. And at those moments, I desperately erase my presence and tried to not enter his field of vision. To say it's a fault then it is, but they seem plenty satisfied with just looking at them, so it's not too much of a bother. I just need to become air. "Where are we going for the trip?" "Certainly.....I wonder if we aren't going to the museum?" "In any case it seems like the botanical garden near the museum is very beautiful" "Oh my, I'd love to go!" "If Tojo-sama was in such a place......so dreamy" .......there was an event such as that. Un, so the next event is that? In the manga I will inadvertently encounter the prince there, huh......but I want to go. Still, I want to avoid meeting him...... "Ne, Rinksan will come to the botanical garden too, right?" "Yes, of course" I immediately replied with a sweet smile. Oi oi, you'll meet the prince you know? Is this okay Rinka? But I really want to go to the botanical garden. They even invited me, it would be rude to turn them down. So, the battle with me X me unfolded in my brain, however the one that won was the me who wanted to go to the garden in the end. Well, I've been severely avoiding the prince, 'I should be fine, right?' whispered an optimistic me. It's okay, I'll manage it somehow.

43 今年もやって参りました、遠足の時期です。 今年は去年よりグレードアップを......したのかはよくわからないが、今年の遠足の場所は水族館だ。 水族館の他にも小さい遊園地やスポーツ施設が入っているところで、みんな今からそわそわしている。 今年は班行動などはなく、目的地に着いたら自由行動でいいそうなので、お友達とどこを見ようかと盛り上がっている時に、私にお呼びだしがかかる。 なんだよ、私は遠足の話で忙しいのに。 私を呼び出したのは、王子だった。 ......うん、ずいぶん積極的だね、王子。ハハッ。 私は内心で乾いた笑みを浮かべた。 王子と対面を果たしてから、王子になにかと話しかけられることが増えた。 それに比例して蓮見と一緒に行動することが多くなった。 なんだか最近、私は背中が痛い。周囲の視線が私の背中を突き抜くのだ。 「神楽木さん、今度の遠足、一緒に回らない?」 予想通りの言葉だったが、なんて返事をするかまでは考えていなかった。 いや、普通に断ればいいのだろうが、諦めてくれるかなあ。 「畏れ多いですわ。東條様のファンに嫉妬をされてしまいそうです」 遠回しに断ってみたが、どうだろう。 そうだね、それじゃあ......と諦めてくれ。 「別にずっとじゃなくていいんだ。15分か30分くらいでいいんだよ。だめ、かな?」 ね、粘る。 うーん、断りづらいな......。 いや、ここは、キッパリ断らないと! 「だめよ」 私が断ろうとした時、凛とした声が響く。 びっくりした。私の心の声が漏れたのかと思った。 「え?」 「ごきげんよう、凛花さん、昴」 私が振り向くと、にこやかに微笑む美咲様がいた。 え?美咲様? 美咲様に王子と2人きりで話しているとこ見られちゃった!? 「お話の途中でごめんなさいね。でも、昴だめよ。抜け駆けはよくないわ」 「美咲は、神楽木さんと知り合いだったの?」 「知り合いではなくて、友達よ。ねぇ、凛花さん?」 「は、はい!」 「ふふ。そういうことなの。わかったかしら、昴?」 「あ、ああ......でも、抜け駆けって?」 「あなた、凛花さんと遠足を回ろうとしていたでしょう?私だって、凛花さんと一緒に回りたいのよ。昴だけずるいわ」 「そういうこと......」 王子は苦笑した。 王子と話をしている美咲様は可憐だなあ。 可愛いなあ。こんな近くで観察できて幸せだ。 私が夢うつつに話を聞いていると、美咲様は私と王子に笑顔を向けた。 その笑顔にドキッとしたのは内緒だ。 「だから、みんなで一緒に回りましょう?もちろん、奏祐も呼んで。ね、良いでしょう、凛花さん?」 「......ええ......もちろんです......」 私は深く考えずに頷いた。 頷いてからハッとする。 今、美咲様、みんなで一緒に回るって言った? え?私、この豪華メンバーに混じっちゃっていいの? でも今さら断りづらいし......。 「うふふ。遠足が楽しみね、凛花さん」 にこにこと笑う美咲様を見たら、断る気なんてしなくなった。 私も美咲様につられてにこにことして頷く。 王子と蓮見はどうでもいいけど、堂々と美咲様といられるのは嬉しいな。 にこにこ笑い合っている私たちを見て、王子は困ったような表情を浮かべていた。 やってきました、遠足の日です。 私は今、バスに乗っています。 景色を楽しみつつ、目的地である水族館に思いを馳せています。 しかし、ここで疑問がひとつ。 「なぜ、蓮見様が隣に座っているのですか」 「なにか問題でも?」 「問題しかないと思いますが......誰か私と席を......」 私は周りをぐるりと見回すが、みんなから一斉に目をそらされた。 どうやら私は孤立無援の状態に陥ったらしい。 いつの間に。 「......嫌なの?」 「嫌というか......周りの目が恐いというか......」 「誰も見てないだろ」 「......そうでしょうか?」 さっきから視線を感じるのは私の被害妄想なのでしょうか。 まあ、いいや。席変わってもらえなそうだし。 私は頭を切り替えて、目的地に着いたあとのことを考える。 「蓮見様、先にどこを回りましょうか?」 「別に俺はどこでもいいけど、スポーツ施設を先に行った方がいいんじゃない?」 「スポーツ......ですか。あの、蓮見様。誠に残念なことに、私、スポーツは苦手なんですの」 「ふぅん。それで?」 「だからスポーツ施設以外をゆっくり回りたいなあ、なんて思うのですが」 「......美咲と昴が納得してくれるなら、俺は構わないよ。たぶん、昴はスポーツ施設に行きたいって言うと思うけど」 うん、諦めよう。私は3人が仲良くスポーツしてるのを観察してよう。そうしよう。 私はどうにも王子の押しに弱いのだ。 私は嫌なときは、きちんと嫌だと言えるタイプだ。 なのに、どうしてか、王子にだけはノーと言いづらい。なんでだろう。 私の携帯がピロリンと音を鳴らす。 携帯を開くと、美咲様からメールが届いていた。 『入り口で待ち合わせね。 奏祐と一緒に待ってて』 私は『わかりました』と返事をし、蓮見にもメールの内容を伝えておく。 私は返信し終わったあと、王子に遠足を一緒に回ろうと誘われた日のことを思い出した。 あのあと、私は美咲様にお茶に誘われた。 美咲様とお茶をするときは、いつも話が弾むのに、その日は違った。 気まずい沈黙が私たちを包む。 なにか話さなきゃ、と私は焦るが、頭が上手く回らず、なにも思いつかない。 そして、唐突に美咲様がぽつりと話し出した。 『凛花さん、昴と会ってしまったのね......』 『はい......申し訳ありません』 『なぜ謝るの?会ってしまったのは、偶然なのでしょう?』 『そうなのですが......』 私はなんて言えばいいのかわからず、唇を噛む。 言えない。王子が私に恋をしてしまったから謝っただなんて、美咲様には言えない。 『なんとなくだけれど......こうなるってわかっていたの。昴が、凛花さんに惹かれるって』 『だって凛花さんは、奏祐と私のお気に入りなのよ。昴が気に入らないわけがないって、わかってたの。凛花さんに会えば、昴は凛花さんに惹かれてしまうって......』 『............』 私は下を向く。 なんて、なんて美咲様に言えばいいの。 ごめんなさい? 違う。それは私の言うべきことじゃない。 『......私、負けないわ』 美咲様の力強い声に私は顔を上げた。 美咲様はまっすぐ私を見つめていた。 『私は、諦めない。だって、昴が好きなんだもの。諦められないわ。まだ、昴の片思いなんですもの。私が諦める必要はないでしょう?見ていて、凛花さん。絶対、昴を振り向かせてみせるわ』 美咲様はそう言って不敵に微笑む。 とても、格好いい。 絶対、私に対して複雑な気持ちを抱えているはずなのに、それをおくびにも出さない。 そんな美咲様の姿に私は憧れた。 『美咲さん......。はい、見ています。美咲さんの頑張りを』 『ありがとう。......ねえ、凛花さん。もし......もし、凛花さんが昴を好きになってしまったら......その時は隠さないで私に言って?すぐにはできないかもしれないけれど、私、絶対祝福するわ。おめでとうって、言うわ。私ね、凛花さんのことが大好きなの。だから、凛花さんが幸せなら、おめでとうって言いたいの......』 美咲様の目がにじむ。 私は美咲様の言葉に、私の目もにじんだ。 ......嬉しい。そんな風に思ってくれていたなんて。 辛いのは美咲様なのに、私に気を遣ってくれている。 美咲様の優しさが、嬉しくて切ない。 『美咲さん......わかりました。私、好きな人ができたら、一番に美咲さんに伝えますわ。その相手が誰であっても』 『ええ』 『美咲さん、私も美咲さんが大好きですわ。だから、美咲さんの想いが叶ったときは、盛大にお祝いをさせてください』 『......ふふ。ありがとう』 私たちは目に涙を浮かべながら笑い合った。 美咲様は、強い。私も美咲様みたいに強くなりたい。

43 That time of year had already arrived: it's time for the trip. This year's outing ranked-up from last years'......maybe? I don't really understand; but, this year's outing was to the aquarium. Because, at the aquarium, there's also a small amus.e.m.e.nt park and sports' facility, everyone was already fidgeting with excitement. This year, we don't need to go with only our group, and it's fine to take action alone if you had a destination, and at the moment I was getting excited with my friends on where to go, I was called. What is it, I am busy talking about the trip right now. The person that called me was the prince. ......un, aren't you active, prince. Haha. Mentally, a dry smile was on my lips. Since we met, the things the prince talked to me about increased. In proportion to that, the times I moved together with Hasumi became many. Somehow, recently, my back started to hurt; because it's being pierced by the surrounding eyes. "Kaguragi-san, shall we go together at this year's outing?" Those were the words I expected, but why didn't I think of a reply to give? Well, I guess that rejecting normally would be good, I wonder if he'll give up though. "I'm afraid that I'd make Tojo-sama's fans jealous." I tried to refuse in an indirect way, how about this? 'You're right, then......' and so he'd give up. "It's fine even if we don't spend time together all day. It's okay if it's about 15 to 30 minutes, you know? Is it still no good?" So, so sticky. U-n, it's gotten difficult rejecting him..... No, if I don't clearly refuse him now! "It's no good." When I was about to refuse, a dignified voice resounded. That surprised me. I thought that the voice in my heart leaked out. "Eh?" "Gokigen'yo, Rinksan, Subaru." When I turned around, I saw Miku-sama smiling. Eh? Miku-sama? Miku-sama saw me talking alone with the prince!? "I'm sorry for interrupting in the middle of your conversation. But, it's no good Subaru. Stealing a march on someone." "Were you acquaintanced with Kaguragi-san, Miku?" "We aren't acquaintances, but friends. Right, Rinksan?" "Y-yes!" "Fufu. So things are like this. Do you understand now, Subaru?" "Ah, yeah......but, stealing a march?" "You wanted to go around with Rinksan on the trip, right? I too want to go with her. Subaru being the only one is unfair." "Such a thing......" The prince smiled bitterly. Miku-sama is lovely while talking to the prince. So cute. I'm happy I can observe her do this up close. I listened to the conversation while half dreaming; facing me and the prince, Miku-sama smiled. It's a secret that her smile made my heart beat. "That's why, let's go around on the trip together, okay? Of course, we'll call Sousuke too. How about it, Rinksan?" ".......yes......of course......." I nodded without thinking deeply into it. After I nodded I was taken aback. Just now, did Miku-sama say, 'let's go around all together?' Huh? Is it fine if I join the splendor members? But, it's difficult to refuse this time..... "Ufufu. I'm looking forward to the trip, Rinksan." Seeing the happy smile on Miku-sama, my will to refuse disappeared. Influenced by Miku-sama, I also smiled happily and nodded. I don't care about the prince nor Hasumi, but I am happy to be able to boldly pa.s.s time with Miku-sama. Looking at as laughing delightfully, the prince had a troubled expression floating on his face. The day of the trip finally came. Right now, I am on the bus. While enjoying the view, my thoughts ran on our destination the aquarium. However, here a question arose. "Why is Hasumi-sama sat next to me?" "Do you have a problem with it?" "I don't think there's a problem, but......is there someone that wants to change seats......?" When I looked around, everyone simultaneously looked away from me. It looks like I fell into a helpless, isolated situation. Since when? "......do you dislike it?" "More than disliking it......the surroundings eyes are scary, I say....." "No one is looking." "......is that so?" So, the gazes I felt before was just me being paranoid? Well, whatever. No one seemed to want to change seats with me. I wrapped my mind, I should be thinking about what to do after we arrived at our destination. "Hasumi-sama, where should we go first?" "I'm fine with any place, but how about going to the sports' facility first?" "Sports......mh. Meh, Hasumi-sama. It's really regrettable; but, I am no good at sports. "Heh. Is that so?" "That's why, I want to go around anywhere besides the sports' facility." "........If Miku and Subaru are okay with it, I don't really mind. But, I think that Subaru will say that he wants to go." Un, let's give up. I shall just observe the three of them getting along at the sports' facility. Let's do so. In either case, I am weak against the prince's pressure. When I find something unpleasant, I am the type to clearly say so. Even so, why do I find it difficult to say, 'No,' to the prince? I wonder why? From my mobile phone a *pirorin* sound rang. When I opened my phone, an email from Miku-sama arrived. {Let's meet at the gate. Wait together with Sousuke.} I replied with {Understood.} , and reported the contents of the email to Hasumi. After replying, I recalled the day the prince invited me to go around with him on the trip. After that, I was invited for some tea by Miku-sama. Usually, the conversations between us would spring up immediately when we had tea together, but that day was different. We were wrapped in unpleasant silence. Inpatient, I thought that I must say something; however, my head wasn't functioning well and I couldn't think about anything. And then, Miku-sama suddenly sighed and began to talk. {Rinksan, you ended up meeting Subaru, didn't you......} {Yes......I'm truly sorry} {Why are you apologising? You ended up meeting Subaru accidentally, right?} {It's true, but......} I didn't know what to say, and bit my lips. I can't tell her. I can't tell Miku-sama something like, 'the prince has fallen in love with me,' that's why I am apologising. {Somehow.......I knew that things would turn out like this. That Subaru would be attracted to Rinksan.} {I mean, both Sousuke and I really like Rinksan. So, I knew that it was impossible for Subaru to not like you too. If Subaru were to meet Rinksan, he would feel attracted.....} {............} I looked down. What, what should I say to Miku-sama? I'm sorry? That's wrong. That's not something I should say. {......I, won't lose.} I raised my face toward Miku-sama strong words. Miku-sama stared straight at me. {I won't give up. Because I like Subaru, I cannot give up. Subaru still has unrequited love. I have no reason to give up, right? So look at me, Rinksan; I'll definitely show you how I'll make Subaru turn to look at me.} Miku-sama said that with a bold smile. She's so cool. She definitely had complex feelings towards me; but, she didn't give up. I felt admiration for Miku-sama at that. {Miku-sama..... Yes, I'll look at you. As you'll do your best.} {Thank you. ......hey, Rinksan. If......if, Rinksan were to fall in love with Subaru....... don't hide it and tell me, okay? I might not be able to do it immediately; but, I will definitely support you. I'll say, congratulations to you. Because, I really like Rinksan. That's why, I want to congratulate you if you're happy.......} Miku-sama's eyes blurred. At Miku-sama's words, my eyes blurred too. .......I'm so happy. To think that she was having such thoughts. Even though she is the one that is having it tough, she still cares about me. Miku-sama's kindness makes me feel painfully happy. {Miku-san.....I understand. If I were to find someone I like, the first person I'll tell it to will be Miku-san. Whoever that person is. } {Yes.} { Miku-san, I too really like Miku-san. That's why, when Miku-san's wish comes true, I'll celebrate it grandly with you } { .......fufu. Thank you.} While our eyes were full of tears, we laughed. Miku-sama is a strong person. I want to become strong like Miku-sama.

7 蓮見に遭遇した次の日、私は大人しく家にいることにした。 また下手に出掛けて王子や蓮見に遭遇したくない。 でも、おかしいな。 漫画では凛花が休日に出掛けて王子に遭遇する話なんてなかったはずだ。 凛花と弟が買い物に出掛ける話はあったが、そこで王子とは遭遇していない。 展開が変わってきている?私が避け続けた成果だろうか? 「うーん......わかんない......」 考えてもわかるわけがない。 とまだ出会ってない時点で漫画とはズレがあるのだ。 それがどういう風な展開になるのかはわからないが、とにかく私は王子を避けれるだけ避け続けるだけだ。 とりあえず、今週の授業の復習と来週の予習でもしよう。 私はきちんと予習復習をする人だ。真面目なのだ。 私は机に向かい、ノートを開いた。 月曜日は憂鬱だ。 昨日の休みの気分がまだ残っている月曜日の朝は特に憂鬱だ。 そして私はかつてない程に憂鬱だった。 学校サボろうかと真剣に悩むくらいに憂鬱だった。 だがしかし私は真面目なので学校をサボれなかった。真面目が憎い。 なぜ私がこんなに憂鬱なのかと言うと、今日は蓮見と会議の約束をしている日だ。 先日の百貨店での蓮見との会話を思い出すと憂鬱になるのに、その本人と会議をしなくてはならないのだ。学校もサボりたくなる。 はあ、とため息をつきながら登校する。 車から降りて教室に向かっている最中に、周りがざわざわしだして、みんな窓を覗いている。 どうしたんだろうか。 私はお友達を発見したので、どうしたのか聞いてみることにした。 「おはようございます。どうなさったの?みんなして窓を覗いて」 「あ、おはようございます、凛花さん。今、東條様が登校なさって......それだけならいつもと変わらないのですが、今日は美咲様と一緒に登校されたのですわ」 「まあ、東條様と美咲様が?」 なんだと!?どこだその素敵イベントが起こっている場所は!? 私は内心の興奮を押さえつつ、何気なく窓を覗く。 窓からはちょうど王子と美咲様が二人並んで校舎に入ってくるところだった。 絵に描いたようにお似合いな二人に私はうっとりとした。 ああ、素敵。二人が素敵すぎて憂鬱がどっかに行ってしまったわ。 そう思っているのは私だけじゃなかったようで、あちこちで「素敵」「お似合いの二人だわ」と言った声が聞こえる。 そうだろう、そうだろう。 だって私イチオシの二人だからね! 二人の様子を眺めて満足した私が二人から目をそらした先にいたのは、蓮見だった。 蓮見はいつもと変わらない表情で二人を見ていた。 だけど、その瞳は複雑な感情が揺れ動いているようで、私はなんだか切なくなった。 蓮見は二人から目線をそらすと、私に気づくことなく背を向けて立ち去った。 そうだ、蓮見は美咲様のことが好きなのだ。 でも美咲様は王子が好きで。 二人のことを想って身を引いて、でもやっぱり諦められなくて苦しくて。 誰にも相談できずに彼は苦しんでいる。 辛いのに、それを表に出すことはできない。 私にとってはただの鬼畜腹黒クソ野郎だが、蓮見は基本的に優しい人なのだ。 自分の想いを美咲様に伝えることもできたのに、自分の気持ちは美咲様にとって負担になると、王子に迷惑が掛かると思って、自分の気持ちに蓋をした。 蓮見は、強い人だ。 私は彼にとって部外者だ。 だからこそ、彼の心を軽くすることができるかもしれない。 誰にも言えなかったことを、なんの関係もない私になら言えるかもしれない。 ハッキリ言って私は彼が苦手だ。でも、嫌いでもないのだ。 彼の力になってあげよう。 なにも力になれないかもしれないけど、話くらいは聞いてあげることができる。 苦しんでいる人がいたら救いの手を差しのべる。 それは人として当たり前のことだと思うから。 蓮見から連絡があった指定された場所に私は向かった。 携帯を握りしめ、ひとつひとつ目印を確認していく。 そしてついたのは、小さな喫茶店だった。 素朴でほっとする内装。 とてもじゃないがお金持ちのお坊っちゃんが来るような場所に見えない。私は好きだけど。 「いらっしゃいませ」 出迎えてくれたのは優しそうなおじいさんだった。 たぶん、店主だろう。 おじいさんは私を見てにっこり笑うと「どうぞこちらへ」と席へ案内してくれた。 一番奥の席に案内された。案内された席はちょうど入り口から見えにくい位置にあって尚且つこちらからは入り口がばっちり見えるようになっていた。 先に席に座っていた人に私はにっこり微笑んで、令嬢らしく挨拶をした。 「ごきげんよう、蓮見様。お待たせしてしまいましたか?」 「いや。そんなに待ってない」 蓮見は目で座るようにと私に指示をする。 私はそれに従い、向かい合わせに座った。 私は彼の力になれるのだろうか?

7 The day after I met with Hasumi, I decided to obediently stay at home. I don't want to encounter the prince nor Hasumi again by imprudently going out. But, it's strange. I'm sure there wasn't a story where Rinka encountered the prince on her holiday in the manga. There was a story about Rinka and her little brother going out shopping, but they didn't come across the prince. Is the development of the story changing? Is it the result of me continuing to avoid him? "U-n......I don't understand......" I won't know even if I think about it. When the prince, the hero, and I, the heroine, hadn't met yet at this point, there is a gap in the manga. So, I don't know how it will develop but, in any case I just have to continue avoiding him. For the time being, let's review this week lessons and prepare for the next. I'm someone that seriously reviews lessons. Because I'm diligent. I faced the desk, and opened my notebook. Monday is a depressing day. You still have the feeling of holiday from the day before, so a Monday's morning is particularly depressing. And I am depressed in a way I was never before. Depressed, 'Shall I skip school?' I seriously considered. But I wasn't able to skip because I am diligent. I hate seriousness. Why am I this depressed? The reason is that today is the day I'll have a meeting with Hasumi. I become depressed by just recalling the conversation that unfolded the other day at the department store, and now I have to meet the person in question. This makes me want to skip school. Haa, while sighing I arrived at school. When I descended from the car and was in the midst of heading towards my cla.s.sroom, the surroundings become noisy, with everyone peeking over the windows. I wonder what's wrong. Singling out a friend, I asked what was wrong. "Good morning. What's happening? Everyone is looking at the window." "Ah, good morning, Rinksan. Right now Tojo-sama came to school.....that, well, that isn't different from usual but, today he came together with Miku-sama." "My, Tojo-sama came with Miku-sama?" What!? Where's the place that this event occurred!? While pinning down the excitement I was feeling inside, I casually peeped over the window. Just when I looked, the prince and Miku-sama were entering side by side the school building together. I was enthralled by their well matched figures that looked to be from a picture. Aah, fantastic. They are so fantastic that my depression went off somewhere. And it look like it wasn't so just for me, as I could hear 'so dreamy' and 'they match each other so well' here and there. That's right, that's right. I mean, they are the two I highly recommend you know! Satisfied from looking at those two's situation, I turned my eyes from them and going ahead I saw Hasumi. Hasumi was looking at the two with his usual unchanging expression. However, those eyes appeared to be shaking with complex emotions, and I somehow felt suffocating. Hasumi diverted his eyes from them, and without noticing me turned his back and walked away. Right, Hasumi likes Miku-sama. But Miku-sama likes the prince. For their sakes he pulled back, however as he also couldn't give up, he suffered. Without being able to consult with anyone, he was suffering. Even though it's tough, he can't show it on the surface. For me he is only a f.u.c.king black bellied b.a.s.t.a.r.d but, Hasumi is fundamentally a kind person. Although he could tell Miku-sama about his feelings, but thinking that his feelings would only be a burden, and didn't want to trouble the prince, he put a lid on his feelings. Hasumi, is a strong person. For him I am an outsider. For this reason, I might be able to lighten his heart. The thing he couldn't tell anyone, he might be able to say it to someone without any relation, like me. Honestly speaking, I'm not good at dealing with him, but I don't hate him. Let's give him some support. I might not be able to help him with anything, however, I can at least lend him a ear. If you see a person suffering you should help him out. As a person, it's a matter of course, I think. I headed to the designated place Hasumi told me. Tightly gripping my cell phone, I checking signs one by one. And I finally found a small tea house. I felt relieved at the simple interior design. I can't see it as a place a rich young master would come to. I like it though. "Welcome." The person that came to greet me was a gentle-looking oji-san. Probably, the shopkeeper. When the oji-san saw me, smiling he said 'This way, please' and guided me to my seat. I was guided to the seats in the innermost part. The seat was hard to see from the entrance, while here you could see the entrance perfectly. I smiled at the person that was sat before me, and did a greeting befitting of a young lady. "Gokigen'yo, Hasumi-sama. Have I kept you waiting?" "No. I haven't waited much." Hasumi instructed me to sit with his eyes. I obeyed and sat facing him. I wonder if I can be of any help to him?

17 美咲様のデートの日、私は蓮見を呼び出した。駅前の時計の前という、定番の場所に。 今日の私のファッションは完璧だ。 白い胸元が少し大胆に開いた膝上丈のタイトなワンピースにヒールの高いサンダル。上着のデニム生地のジャケットは胸下で縛っておく。 つばの広い帽子に、薄い色のサングラスを胸にさせば完璧だ。どこからどう見てもセレブだ。 母に頼んで濃い目の化粧までしてもらった。普段よりも大人っぽく見えるだろう。 ただ、胸元の開いたワンピースは、私が普通に着るには胸がさみしい気がしたので、あちこちから肉を寄せて集め、なんとか見れるようになった。 このワンピースは母からの借り物だ。母はダイナマイトボディの持ち主なのだ。私もあと数年すればああなれるに違いないと信じている。 セレブに成り済ました私が出掛けようとすると弟が不安そうな顔で「姉さんなにする気?」と聞いてきた。 私は「大丈夫よ、ちょっと出掛けてくるだけだから」と安心させるように言った。 それでも弟は不安なようで「オレも着いていく」と言い出した。 確か弟は今から出かける用事があったはずだ。用事をすっぽかすのは良くない。弟への信頼感が下がってしまう。それはだめだ。 私は大丈夫だからと弟に言い聞かせるが、それでも弟は頑として着いていくと言う。 最終的には母に叱られて渋々諦めたようだ。 私は心配しないで、と弟に言って家を出た。 駅前に到着した。 待ち合わせの5分前にたどり着けた。 蓮見は来ているだろうかと遠目で探す。蓮見はすぐに見つかった。 白いシャツを羽織り、中に無地の黒いTシャツを着て、黒いパンツをはいただけのシンプルな格好なのに、蓮見は目立った。 無駄にイケメン過ぎるのだ。携帯を持って立っているだけで人目につく。今も彼は注目の的となっている。 あれは、だめだ。今日の目的は人目についたらまずいのだ。 私はUターンして、駅ビルに入る。 急ぎ足で駅ビルを巡り、今日の彼の格好に合いそうなサングラスと帽子を見繕う。 すぐに使うからと値札等は取ってもらい、私は胸元に引っ掻けたサングラスを装着して足早に蓮見の元へ向かう。 約束の時間から15分は過ぎている。急がないと。 遠巻きに蓮見を眺める人たちを掻き分け、私は堂々と蓮見の前に立つ。 「ごきげんよう、蓮見様。お待たせさせてしまい申し訳ありません」 「......神楽木?」 「はい」 「今日はいつもとは感じが違うから、誰かわからなかった」 蓮見は上から下までまじまじと私を見て言った。 一瞬、胸のところで目線が止まったような気がするのは気のせいだろうか。 「そのように意識して支度をしてきましたの」 「なぜ?」 「それはもちろん、私とわからないようにするためですわ」 今日は高めのヒールを履いているので、蓮見と目線が近い。それでも蓮見の方が少し目線が上だが。 私は先ほど買った帽子とサングラスを取りだし、失礼します、と一応断りをいれて蓮見に帽子とサングラスをつけた。 すると蓮見が少し非難するような顔をする。 私は構わず「どこかお店に入りましょう」と言って蓮見の腕を掴む。 そして適当な喫茶店に入って席に着いた。 「一体、なんなの?君はなにをしたいの?」 蓮見は少し苛立ったように言った。 それはそうだろう。なんの説明もなく呼び出して、いきなり帽子とサングラスをつけられたあげくにほぼ強制的に店に連れて来られたのだから。 私はゆっくりと、蓮見を刺激しないように言う。 「蓮見様が目立って仕方がないので、軽い変装をさせて頂いたのですわ」 「なんのために?」 「それはもちろん、美咲様のためです。今日は美咲様と東條様が一緒に映画を観に行くことになってます。それをこっそりと見守るのです」 「......ふーん。それは、君の考え?」 「まさか。いえ、正直に言えばお2人を影からこっそり見守りたいという想いも確かにありますわ。でも、折角のお2人のデートにそんな無粋な真似はしません。これは美咲様から頼まれたことなのです」 すべて本当のことだ。 私が美咲様に『デート、頑張ってください』とメールを送ったら『心配だからこっそり見守ってほしい。できれば奏祐と一緒に』という返信がきたのだ。 「そう。なら、いい」 「蓮見様は辛いかもしれませんが......これも美咲様から頼まれたことなのですわ。蓮見様と一緒に見守ってほしい、と」 「美咲が?......なにを考えているんだか......まぁいい。で、これからどうする?」 「もうすぐ美咲様たちの待ち合わせの時間なのですわ。ここから美咲様たちの姿が見えるはずなのですが......」 私はそう言って窓の外を指す。 ちょうどこの店から私たちが待ち合わせた時計の前が見えるのだ。窓際の席限定だが、開店とほぼ同時刻に蓮見と待ち合わせをしたので、窓際の席に頼めば座らせて貰えるだろうと踏んでいたのだ。それが当たったみたいだ。良かった。 「ああ、来たみたいですわね」 「そうみたいだね」 先に待ち合わせ場所に来たのは美咲様だった。 お嬢様らしい上品な服装はやはり美咲様によく似合っていた。さすが生まれながらのお嬢様だ。 次いで王子も現れた。彼もお坊っちゃんらしい上品な服装だ。こちらもよく似合っている。 どこからどう見てもお似合いの2人だ。私は思わず顔がにやける。 「さあ、行きますわよ、蓮見様」 「......やれやれ。今日は君に付き合ってあげるよ」 私が意気込んで立ち上がると、蓮見は肩をすくめて立ち上がる。 そしてしっかりとサングラスと帽子を装着してくれた。 私もしっかり帽子とサングラスをつける。 店を出ると、美咲様たちがちょうど移動し始めたところだった。 私たちも美咲様たちの後を追おうとした時、後ろの方から声が掛けられた。 「見つけた......姉さん!」 「......悠斗?あなた、用事はどうしたの?」 振り向けばそこには肩で息をしている弟の姿があった。 「終わらせた。それより、姉さん。これはどういうこと?どうして蓮見さんと一緒にいるんだよ」 弟はきっと睨んできた。それも私にとっては可愛く見えてしまうのだが、困った。 弟になんて説明しよう? 私は予想外の弟の登場に頭を抱えた。

17 On the day Miku-sama's date, I called Hasumi; in a cla.s.sic place like in front of the station's clock. My fas.h.i.+on today is perfect. I wore a tight one piece white dress above the knee, a bit revealing on the chest that looked a bit bold, and high heel sandals. With a denim jacket tied around my hips. A broad hat, and with light coloured sungla.s.ses hung on my chest, I am perfect. I look like a celebrity no matter how you look at it. I asked my mother to put dark makeup on my eyes. Like this, I look more adult-like, right? It's just that, how I normally wore the wide cleavage of the one piece dress made me feel desolate, so I gathered my meats here and there, and now I feel like they could be seen somehow. This dress is something I borrowed from my mother. My Mother has a dynamite like body. I believe that after a few years, I'll have it too without a doubt. When I departed while posing like a celebrity, my little brother asked with an anxious face, 'Neesan what are you up to?' I said, 'It's alright, I'm only going out for a bit,' to rea.s.sure him. Even so, my little brother was anxious and said, 'I'll come too.' If I'm not mistaken, he had some tasks to do and was going to go out now. It's no good to neglect your duties. I feel my faith in him going down. That's no good. I tried to persuade him that I'll be fine, but he still obstinately said that he'll follow me. But in the end he reluctantly gave up after getting scolded by mother. 'Don't worry about me', I said to him and left the house. I arrived in front of the station. I got here 5 minutes before the meeting. Has Hasumi arrived? I searched in the distance. And found him immediately. Even when he wears something simple like a white s.h.i.+rt, with a black t-s.h.i.+rt inside, and black pants, Hasumi stands out. He is too pointlessly handsome. Just by standing there, with his phone in hands, he attracts the public's gaze. He's the center of attention, even now. That's no good. For today's objective, it's bad if we are conspicuous. I made a U turn and entered the station building. I went around the station's building with a fast pace, I have to choose sungla.s.ses and hat that will fit him. Since I will use them immediately, I asked the price tags to be removed, I equipped the sungla.s.ses on my chest and went to Hasumi's location with quick steps. 15 minutes pa.s.sed since the promised time. I have to hurry. Pus.h.i.+ng my way through the people in the surroundings that were looking at Hasumi, I grandly arrived in front of Hasumi. "Gokigen'yo, Hasumi-sama. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting." ".......Kaguragi?" "Yes." "Today you feel different from usual, so I didn't recognize you." Hasumi unblinkingly looked at me from head to toe. It must be just an impression that I felt like, for an instant, his eyes stopped at my chest, right? "I prepared myself to look like this." "Why?" "That, of course, is to not be recognized." Today, I am wearing high heels, so our gaze is closer. But even like this, Hasumi's eyes are still a bit higher than mine. I took out the hat and sungla.s.ses I bought earlier, 'Excuse me,' and put them on him without further notice. When I did that, Hasumi's face looked to be blaming me a bit. Without minding it, I seized his arm and said, 'Let's enter a shop.' And then we entered a suitable coffee shop and took seats. "What on earth is with you? What do you want to do?" Said a slightly irritated Hasumi. Well that's right. I summoned him without giving any explanation, made him wear a hat and sungla.s.ses without any warning, and lastly took him to a coffee shop almost forcefully. I have to explain it slowly and in a way that wouldn't provoke him. "It can't be helped because Hasumi-sama stands out, so I wanted to apply a light disguise." "For what purpose?" "That is, of course, for Miku-sama's sake. Today Miku-sama and Tojo-sama will go see a movie together. So we will secretly watch over them." "......hmm. Is this an idea of yours?" "No way. No, honestly speaking, I did certainly think of wanting to watch over those two from the shadows However, since it's their long awaited date I wouldn't do such a distasteful thing. This was asked by Miku-sama." It's all true. When I emailed Miku-sama with, {Good luck on your date} she replied, {I'm worried, I want you to secretly watch over us. If possible, together with Sousuke} . "If so, then it's okay." "It might be hard for Hasumi-sama but.....this is what Miku-sama asked. That she wanted Hasumi-sama to watch over too." "Miku did? ......what is she thinking......well fine. So, what are we going to do from now on?" "It's almost the time for Miku-sama's appointment. We should be able to see their figures from here but......." As I said this, I pointed out the window. From this shop, we could perfectly see the clock of our arranged meeting. The seats near the windows are limited but I had reserved seats by the window as the meeting with Hasumi was almost at the same time as the opening of the shop. I seem to have been right. Good. "Aah, looks like they came." "Seems like it." The first one to come to the place was Miku-sama. As I thought Miku-sama really suits those elegant, ojou-sama like, clothes. As expected of a true born ojou-sama. Secondly the prince appeared. He too wore an elegant, obocchan like, clothes. Those suit him too. No matter from which perspective, those two suit each other. Without thinking, my face broke into a smile. "Now, let's go, Hasumi-sama." ".....good grief. I will go with you today." I stood up, full of fighting spirit, while Hasumi stood up, shrugging his shoulders. And then properly put the sungla.s.ses and hat on. I too properly placed them on. Just when we left the shop, Miku-sama and the prince began to move. At the moment we were about to follow them, a voice called out to us from behind. "I found you......neesan!" "......Yuto? What about your duties?" The person that I found by looking over my shoulder, was my little brother that was trying to catch his breath. "I finished. More importantly, neesan. What does this mean? Why are you together with Hasumi-san?" My little brother was glaring severely. But that too ended up looking cute to me, I'm stumped. How should I explain to him? I held my head at the unexpected appearance of my little brother.

39 あのあと、私は迎えに来てくれた弟と一緒に家に戻った。 時間も遅かったので、翌日、医師に診て貰ったところ、蓮見の推察通りに捻挫だった。 心配した父と弟に冬休みの間は大人しくしているように、と念を押されたので、私は宿題を終わらせることにした。 宿題を終わらせることに専念したせいで、3日もかからず終わらせてしまい、やることがなくなった。 困ったなぁ、と思っていたところで、冬休みに家に帰ってきていた菜緒からメールが届き、お見舞いに来てくれることになった。 その日は菜緒とずっと話をしていたお陰であっという間に時間が過ぎた。 菜緒に暇でしょうがないと愚痴ったからなのか、その日からお見舞いに1日交代で来てくれるようになった。 菜緒、美咲様、朝斐さんのローテーションだ。 朝斐さんから聞いたのか、飛鳥からもお見舞いの品が届いた。お茶菓子セットだ。 気を遣ってくれるのはありがたいが、みんな予定とか大丈夫なのだろうか。 そう訊ねるとみんな揃って大丈夫だと言う。 本当にいいのかな......。 大晦日の日、その日は誰もお見舞いにこなかった。 腫れもひき、歩けるようになった私は、部屋の片付けに勤しむ。 しかし、すぐに弟に見つかってしまい、お説教をされた私は渋々ベットに戻る。最近の弟はオカンのようだ。 暇だ。なにをしよう。お嬢様らしく詩集でも読む? しかし残念ながら私は詩集を読むと10分も経たずに寝てしまうという呪いにかかっている。 どうしよう、と悩んでいると、使用人さんが笑顔で綺麗な花束を持ってやって来た。 「お嬢様、お見舞いの花束とお菓子が届きました」 「まあ、どなたから?」 「ふふ......お嬢様もすみにおけませんね。とても格好いい男性が持ってきて下さったようですよ。蓮見奏祐様というお方です」 「蓮見様が?まあ......」 「綺麗な花束ですね、お嬢様?」 「ええ、そうね。今度お会いした時にお礼を言わないと......」 私は使用人さんが持ってきてくれた花束を見て微笑む。花束の中にポピーを見つけた。 ポピーの花言葉は『休息』だ。早く良くなれという、蓮見なりのメッセージなのだろう。 蓮見らしい。心がほっかりとした。 年が変わって冬休みも終わり、今日から3学期だ。 足も完治し、私は意気揚々と学校に向かう。 私が怪我をしたと聞いたらしいお友達に心配されたが、もう平気だと言うと、良かった、とみんな喜んでくれた。 生徒会メンバーの皆さんにも同じように心配してくれた。 大した怪我じゃないのに心配してもらえて、私は幸せ者だと噛み締める。 蓮見と飛鳥にお見舞いの品のお礼を言うと、治って良かったと2人して言ってくれた。 君たちは私の良い 3学期が始まったと思っていたらもう3学期が終わろうとしている。 1月から3月にかけて時間が経つのが早いと言うが、それはどうやら本当らしい。 気付いたら卒業式だ。私は3年の先輩方とあまり接点がなくてあまり実感がわかない。 しかし生徒会のメンバーであるので、卒業式の準備に忙しかった。コサージュを作ったり、花を用意したり。 卒業証書を受け取り、胸を張って卒業する先輩方は輝いて見えた。 私も2年後にはあんな風に卒業できるのだろうか。 卒業式が終わると今度は入学式の準備に追われる。 コサージュを作ったり花を用意したり。 弟も4月から桜丘学園に通う。聞いたところによると、首席で合格したらしい。さすが私の弟だ。 私は弟のために一生懸命コサージュを作る。 「君、コサージュ作り以外にも仕事しなよ......」 蓮見の呆れた声がしたような気がしたが、私はそれでも一生懸命にコサージュを作る。 決して、コサージュ作りはまってしまったとか、そんなことはないのだ。 とうとう入学式の日が訪れた。 私は弟よりも早く家を出て、入学式の最終チェックに取りかかる。 私は弟の制服姿を見ていない。入学式の時までお楽しみに取っておこうと思ったのだ。 弟の制服姿を想像し、頬が緩む。 「神楽木...... 不気味だぞ......?」 「放っておきなよ。きっと大好きな弟が入学してきて嬉しくてしょうがないだけだろうから」 全くもってその通りなのだが、なぜだろう。 入学式が始まった。私は弟の制服姿に頬が緩むのを止められない。 背筋を真っ直ぐ伸ばし座っている弟が、とても立派に見える。弟の姿を見て感動していた私に、蓮見がボソリと呟く。 「居眠りしていた姉とは大違い......」 私は無言で蓮見の足を踏みつけた。 入学式が終わると、午後から始業式が始まる。 生徒が登校してくる前に入学式の片付けを終わらせなければならない。 生徒会メンバーと先生方で協力して片付ける。 片付けが終わったところで昼食をとり、始業式の段取りを確認する。 私たちが段取りの確認をしている間に生徒が続々と登校し、靴箱の前に貼られているクラスの発表を見る。 私たちも自分のクラスの確認をしに行く。 まあ、わかってるけどね......もしかしたら変わってるかもしれないし。 の望みを持って挑んだクラス分け発表だが、結果は惨敗。漫画通りだった。 「ほう......蓮見と神楽木は同じクラスか」 そう。2年では蓮見とクラスが一緒なのだ。 きっとこれまで以上に王子を避けるのが難しくなる。 蓮見と王子は仲が良い。学校でも一緒にいることが多い。そんな奴と一緒のクラスなのだ。避ける難易度が前年の比ではない。 青ざめる私を見て、蓮見は面白そうに笑って言った。 「ふぅん......今年1年は退屈しなさそうだね?」 楽しんでるな、コイツ。さっき足踏んだのを根に持ってるんだろうか。 私は蓮見と一緒のクラスになってから、常に緊張感を保って学園生活を送っている。 休み時間は特に気を付けねばならない。 奴がやって来るからだ。 「奏祐、英和辞典貸して欲しいんだけど」 ほら、やって来た。私は素早く机の下に隠れる。 一緒に話をしていたお友達は最初こそ驚いて「どうなさったの」と聞いてきたが私が「なんでもありませんのオホホホ」と誤魔化し続けていると何も言わずに苦笑するだけになった。 察しの良い子たちでなによりです。 そんな生活を続けて1ヶ月が経った。 だいぶ隠れるのにも慣れて、私は調子に乗っていた。 このまま行けば、今年中はなんとかなるかも、なんて思っていた。 私は蓮見に頼んだお菓子を受け取りに、待ち合わせ場所として定番になった中庭に向かった。 今日のお菓子はシュークリームだ。シューを作るのにさすがの蓮見も手間取ったらしいが、やっと上手くできたらしい。 私はルンルン気分で中庭に行き、蓮見からシュークリームを受けとる。 生徒会活動の時にみんなで食べるのが良いだろうと思ったが、その分は取っといてあると言うので遠慮なく食べることにした。 シューはサクッとしていて、クリームはバニラの香りがして、美味しい。 私は「美味しいです」と蓮見に伝えようと顔をあげた。 何故か蓮見は私の後ろを凝視していた。 私が恐る恐る後ろを振り向くと、そこにいたのは――― 「やぁ、奏祐。こんなところで何をしているの?彼女は、誰?」 「昴......」 王子こと、東絛昴、その人だった。

39 After that, I returned home with my little brother who came to pick me up. Because it was already late; I went to see a doctor the next day, and like Hasumi guessed: it was a sprain. My worried father and little brother told me to stay put during winter vacation; so as to not put pressure on my foot, I decided to do my homework. Because I devoted myself to doing my homework, it only took me three days to finish and ended up having nothing to do. I'm stumped, I had thought, so I mailed Nao who had returned home for winter vacation, and she came to visit the injured me. Thanks to Nao, who talked through all the day, time pa.s.sed in the blink of an eye. Perhaps because she had nothing to do like she complained, from that day on, she came to visit me every other day. With a rotation of Nao, Miku-sama, and Asahi-san. Maybe he heard it from Asahi-san, because Asuka came to visit me too. Gifting me with a set of tea pastries. I'm happy that they all tried to cheer me up, but is everyone schedule really okay? When I asked that, everyone uniformly said: "It's alright." I wonder if it's really alright..... On New Year's Eve, no one came to visit me. The swelling having faded, I decided to clean my room. However, I was immediately found out by my little brother, and he preached to me until I reluctantly returned to bed. Recently, my little brother was like a mom. I'm free. What should I do? Should I read a poetry anthology, like a proper ojou-sama? However, unfortunately I am under a curse that makes me fall asleep after just 10 minutes of reading a poetry anthology. When I was troubled as to what to do, a servant came in with a smiling face holding a bouquet of pretty flowers. "Ojou-sama, a bouquet and pastries arrived as a get well gift." "My, from who?" "Fufu......Ojou-sama already knows, I think. It was a really cool guy that came to deliver these, you know. It was Hasumi Sousuke-sama." "Hasumi-sama? My....." "Aren't these some really pretty flowers, Ojou-sama?" "Yes, they are. I must thank him when I see him....." I smiled seeing the bouquet that the servant brought. Among the flowers I found some Poppies. Poppies in the language of flowers is {Rest} . It's Hasumi's way to convey "Get better soon." It's really like him. I felt relieved. The year changed and winter vacation was over, from today on the 3rd semester has started. My foot recovered completely and I headed to school in high spirits. My friends, who seemed to have heard that I got injured, were worried; and when I said that I am already fine, they all got happy and said, thank G.o.d. Everyone in the student council was worried too. I reflected, I'm really a fortunate person, as they worried for me when it was just a small injury. When I thanked Hasumi and Asuka for their get-well gifts, they both said that it's really good that I recovered. You guys are my good sweet foo...friends! Just when I thought that the 3rd semester had begun, the 3rd semester had ended. They say that the months from January to March pa.s.s quickly, and it seems like it's true. Before I noticed, it was time for the graduation ceremony. I didn't interact much with the 3rd years' so I didn't really get attached to them. However, because I am a member of the student council, I was busy preparing for the graduation ceremony. Making corsages and preparing flowers. I saw the senpais who accepted the graduation deed, and sticking out their chest as they graduated, as if they were sparkling. Two years after, will I graduate in the same way as them? Now that the graduation ceremony had ended, I had to catch up on the preparation for the entrance ceremony. I prepared the corsages and flowers. My little brother will attend Sakuragaoka academy from April. According to what I heard, he pa.s.sed as the top student. As expected of my little brother. For the sake of my little brother I made corsages with the best of my abilities. "You, do other works beside that will you....." I feel like I heard Hasumi's exasperated voice, but even so I continued to wholly dedicate myself in making corsages. There is no such thing as me that stops making corsages. And finally, the entrance ceremony day came. I left home earlier than my little brother to do the last check for the entrance ceremony preparations. I didn't see my brother in his new school uniform. I thought to leave that pleasure for the time of the entrance ceremony. My cheeks loosened when I tried to imagine my little brother in the uniform. "Kuguragi.....you're being creepy you know......?" "Leave her alone. I'm sure that she is just so happy that the little brother she loves so much is going to attend this school that she can't help it" He couldn't be more right; but, I wonder why I feel frustrated that he guessed it right. The entrance ceremony began. My cheeks loosened when I thought about my little brother in his uniform. My little brother, that sat there with his spine straight, was handsome in my eyes. Hasumi quietly muttered to me, who was deeply moved after seeing my brother in uniform. "There's a great difference when compared to her dozing off......." I silently trampled on Hasumi's foot. When the entrance ceremony finished, the afternoon opening ceremony will began. The students that arrived earlier must clean up once the entrance ceremony is over. The student council members and the teachers cooperated to tidy up. After tidying up we ate lunch, and confirmed the programme for the opening ceremony. In the time we were checking the programme, the students arrived one after another, and they looked at the announcement of their cla.s.s that was in front of the short locker. We went to look to see which cla.s.s we were in too. Well, I know.......we might have changed cla.s.s. I had a sliver of hope to challenge the announcement of the cla.s.s but, the result was an overwhelming defeat. It was exactly like in the manga. "Hoo......Hasumi and Kaguragi are in the same cla.s.s." That's right. In this second year, I'll be in the cla.s.s with Hasumi. With this, I'm sure that avoiding the prince will become more difficult. Hasumi and the Prince are good friends. There are many times that they can be seen together at school. And I am in the same cla.s.s as this fellow. The difficulty of avoiding him won't be the same as last year. Hasumi looking amused at me who had turned pale, said. "Hmm......seems like I won't get bored this year?" This fellow sure is enjoying himself. He must still hold a grudge because I stepped on his foot earlier. If I'll be in a cla.s.s together with Hasumi, I'll live my school life with an ever present feeling of tension. And I have to be especially careful at break time. Because he will come over. "Sousuke, can you lend me your English dictionary please" Look, he came. I quickly hid under my desk. At first, the friends I was talking with was surprised and asked "what's wrong?" but I only responded "nothing at all, ohohoho." Considerate children really are the best. A month pa.s.sed as I continued conducting such a lifestyle. I greatly became accustomed to hiding, and got ahead of myself. So I thought, that if I continue like this, I might be able to get over this year. I went to the courtyard that I usually meet Hasumi in to receive the sweet I asked him to make. Today's sweet is a cream puff. Though it seems like it took him time to make the cream, he was finally able to make it skillfully. I went to the courtyard in an euphoric mood, and received Hasumi's cream puff. I think it's good eating with everyone when we do student council activities, but I still decided to eat this without hesitation. The puff was crispy and the cream had a vanilla flavour, it's delicious. When I raised my face to tell him, "It's delicious." For some reason, Hasumi was staring behind me When I timidly turned around, over there was------ "Yaa, Sousuke. What are you doing at such a place? Who is she?" "Subaru......" That person was the prince, Tojo Subaru.

オレにはひとつ違いの姉がいる。 姉はちょっと......いや、かなり変わっている。 行動が奇抜なのだ。 気分がいいと変な歌を歌い出したり、調子のいいときには変な振り付けまでつけている。 夜中に歌ったり踊り出すのは勘弁してほしい。うっかり見てしまった時には恐怖で眠れなくなる。 そんな姉だが、近頃おかしい。 いや、おかしいのは元からかもしれないが、いつも元気な姉が最近はため息ばかりついている。 桜丘学園の話を聞いた時からだろうか。 母はオレたちに桜丘学園に通ってほしいみたいだが、姉は行きたくないらしい。 なんでだろう。何かあるんだろうか。 結局、姉は母の“一生のお願い”に勝てず、桜丘学園に入学することになった。 桜丘学園は入試試験のレベルが高い。姉はろくに勉強をしてないくせに受かった。正直、その頭が羨ましい。 春休みに入ってから姉はよく頭を抱えて唸っていた。 「どうすればこのフラグを折れるんだろう......?」 オレには意味がわからなかった。 入学式が終わってから、姉は急にいきいきとしだした。 前日までの姉の様子はいったいなんだったのだろう......? 姉については、考えるだけ無駄なのかもしれない。 ちょっと心配して損した。 ある日、いきなり姉に連れ出された。 憂さ晴らしに買い物に行きたいらしい。 オレは荷物要員か? 姉は楽しそうに買い物をしている。 真剣な表情で悩んでいる物は選んでやった。姉は嬉しそうにオレの撰んだ方を買う。 そんな姉の様子に、オレはちょっといい気分になった。 重そうな姉の荷物を持ってやると、姉は笑顔で「ありがと」と言った。 結局オレは荷物を全部持ってやった。 買い物が終わったあと、姉が突然慌てた様子でどこかに行ってしまった。 なんなんだ?と思っていると声を掛けられた。 東條さんと蓮見さんだった。 彼らとは父の付き合いでたまに会うことがある。 そういえば、彼らは姉と同じ学校に通っているんじゃなかっただろうか。 姉が逃げたのは彼らが原因か? いや、まさか。彼らは男のオレから見ても格好いいのだ。そんな相手を避けるわけがない。......普通は。 .........そうだった。姉は変わり者だった。何らかの理由で彼らを避けているのかもしれない。 そんな事を考えていたら姉の話題になった。 彼らの前であまり姉の話をしたくない。 なのでどんなに気恥ずかしくても、しれっとした顔をして姉のことを聞かれないようにした。 それで東條さんは引いてくれたが、珍しく蓮見さんが食いついた。 蓮見さんは姉と顔見知りだったのか? 蓮見さんはちょっと話した後、どこかに行ってしまった。 東條さんに蓮見さんはどうしたのかと聞くと、トイレに行ったというありきたりな答えが帰ってきた。 蓮見さんはここを離れる前にどこかを見ていた気がする。 やがて蓮見さんが戻ってきて東條さんと一緒に去っていった。 オレは人知れず息を吐いた。 やはり東條さんたちと話すのは緊張する。 その時、姉が帰ってきた。少しよろよろしていた。 なにがあったんだろう......。 不意に姉が抱きついてきた。突然のことに手に持っていた荷物を少し落としてしまった。 姉はいつになく疲れているようだ。 背中をぽんぽんと叩く。お疲れ様の意味を込めて。 しばらく経っても姉が離れない。 オレは姉を呼んでみたが返事は無し。 よく見ると姉は抱きついた体勢のまま眠っていた。 まじかよ。オレ、両手に荷物持ってるんだけど。 その上姉さんまで運ばないといけないのか? オレはちょっと泣きそうになった。 結局、姉を強引に起こした。 起きて姉が言った最初のひとことは「てんどん......」だった。 天丼って......。食べたいの?食べたいのか姉さん。 こんなオレの姉だが、オレにとっては自慢の優しい姉なのである。 まあ、たまにはこうして姉の気晴らしに付き合ってあげるのも、悪くない。 ----- 入学式に、変な女を見掛けた。 他の女は新入生代表としてステージに上がった昴に魅入っているのに、その女だけは違った。 ちょうど彼女は俺の斜め前に座っていて、俺からは彼女の様子がよく見えた。 俯いているな、と思っていたら、頭が時折かくんと揺れている。 もしかして、寝てるのか?昴が話してるのに? どの女も昴が話し出せばうっとりとして昴の話を聞くのに。 昴の話が終わっても彼女が目覚める気配はない。 入学式に爆睡する女を初めて見た。 彼女が起きたのは閉会する直前だった。 周りをきょろきょろ確認し、密かに口許を拭う彼女は他の女とは違う気がした。 父に絶対に遅れるなと厳命されていたパーティーは、入学式の後すぐに開かれる。 こんな日に限って、だらだらとくだらない話が続くのだ。 担任は話好きなようだ。おかげで長引いた。 俺は少しイライラしながら急いで荷物をまとめて教室を出る。 その途中で何人かに話し掛けられたが、急いでるからと話を拒否した。 ああ、もう、時間がない。 俺は腕時計を確認する。 少しの間、前方への意識をそらした瞬間に誰かにぶつかった。俺は慌てて、誰かの手を掴んだ。 「ごめん、大丈夫か?」 手を掴んだ人物を見て、俺は息をのむ。 その人物は滅多にお目にかかれないほどに美しい容姿をしていた。 どこかで見たことのある顔だ。どこだったか。 一瞬考えて出てきたのは、彼女にそっくりな顔立ちの少年と、入学式で見た変な女だ。 ――入学式で爆睡してた女か! 容姿が良いだけに、その行動が物凄く残念に思う。 その気持ちがうっかり声に出ていた。 「ああ。入学式の最中に爆睡してたやつか」 彼女は一瞬固まったが、すぐに戻った。 「............なんのことですの?身に覚えがありませんわ?」 白々しく言った彼女をからかいたくなり、よだれと言ってみたら物の見事に反応した。面白い。 もっと彼女の反応が見たいが時間がない。 俺は彼女に断りをいれて立ち去ろうとした。 そこでふと、思い付いたことを言ってみようと彼女を振り返った。 彼女は怪訝そうな顔で俺を見た。 「入学式のことは黙っていてやる。さっき、鼻歌を歌いながらスキップをしていたことも、な?」 後半はこうしてたら面白いな、と思うことを言っただけだった。実際にやってるわけがない、と。 しかし、予想に反して彼女はぎょっとした顔をした。 ......まさか、本当に鼻歌を歌いながらスキップしてたのか? 本当に、彼女は面白い。 そんな彼女と次に話せたのは遠足の時だった。 昴と美咲が植物園を周ると言って植物園に向かった。 俺も誘われたが断った。二人きりにしてあげたかったのだ。 しかし、やっぱり気になって、後を追って見ると、昴と美咲をじっと見ている影を見つけて近づいた。 ......彼女だった。 正直、俺はこの時ガッカリした。 彼女は昴に興味がない、他の女とは違うと思っていたのに結局は他の女と変わらなかった。 その苛立ちもあってか、彼女に掛けた声は冷え冷えしていた。 彼女は俺を見て驚いた顔をした。 だが、すぐに険しい顔をして俺を睨む。 なんなんだ?なんで俺は睨まれている? 戸惑っていると「しっ!隠れて!」と彼女に勢いよく押し倒された。 俺は彼女に馬乗りされている。 ......なにがどうなってる?なんなんだ、この状況は? しばらくして、彼女は安心したように息を吐いて、俺を見下ろす。 と、不思議そうに俺を見て首を傾げた。 俺はたまらず、彼女を軽く睨んだ。 「......ねえ、君、誘ってんの?そういうの、嫌いじゃないけど」 彼女の容姿はいいのだ。 俺だって男だ。見目のよい女に押し倒されれば、そういう風に思いたくなる。 彼女は狼狽したように、顔を青ざめながら俺から慌ててどいた。 俺はため息を吐きたくなった。 普通、顔を赤くするところじゃないか、ここは? それとも俺ってそんなに怖いイメージあんの? そんな不満を押し殺し、どうしてここにいたのかを彼女に問えば、昴と美咲を見ていたと彼女は語った。 彼女は昴と美咲の二人に憧れているらしい。 昴が好きなんじゃないのかという質問を全力で否定した。 なんだ、結局俺の思い込みだったんじゃないか。 じゃあ、さっきまでの態度はただの八つ当たりってことになる。 なんてことだ。それじゃあ俺は、ただの恥ずかしい奴じゃないか。 その気恥ずかしさをごまかすようになにか言おうとして出てきたのは、なんで名前を知っているのかというバカみたいな質問だった。 もっと違う質問はなかったのか、俺。 彼女は、何を言ってるんだ、と言う顔をしつつも、丁寧に答えてくれた。 その流れで彼女の名前を知ることができた。 神楽木という苗字と彼女の顔を見て、俺は入学式の時に思い出した顔が浮かぶ。 神楽木......彼女は悠斗の姉だったのか。 そう言えば悠斗にはひとつ違いの姉がいると聞いたことがある。 悠斗は父と付き合いのある人の息子だ。 とても優秀で将来有望な少年だ。昴が彼を気に入っていた。 彼女は昴に恋愛感情を抱いていないようだし、あの悠斗の姉だ。悠斗の姉なら、俺の望みを叶えるのを手伝って貰ってもいいかもしれない。 そう考えた俺は彼女の弱味をちらつかせて、手伝って貰う約束を取り付けた。 彼女が手伝うことに対して出した条件はただひとつ。“昴に近づかない”ことだった。 そんなことを考えていた矢先、昴から買い物に付き合ってほしいと頼まれた。 特に予定もなかったので、俺は付き合うことにした。 なんの買い物かと訊ねると「美咲の誕生日プレゼント」と返ってきた。 「奏祐も買ったらどう?」と言われたが、俺は買う気はない。美咲の誕生日プレゼントは花と決まってるのだ。 手元に長く置けない、生花をプレゼントする。 枯れた花を見れば、実らないこの想いを実感できるから。 いろいろ見て回り、昴はようやく納得した物を買えたようだ。 昴は満足げな顔をしている。 何を買ったのかは知らないが、アクセサリーの売っている店で買っていたので、アクセサリーであることは確かだ。 その帰り道、悠斗と会った。 たくさんの買い物袋を持っていた。 昴がからかい交じりに「彼女と買い物でもしてた?」などと聞いていたが、悠斗は真面目な顔で「いえ、姉の付き添いです」と答えた。 姉の付き添い。ということは彼女も近くにいるんだろうか。 そう思って悠斗に聞いてみると、忘れ物を取りに行った、という答えが返ってきた。 念のため辺りを見てみると彼女らしき人を発見した。 俺は昴に断ってその場を離れ、彼女らしき人物に背後から近づく。 彼女は俺たちの死角にいたつもりなのだろうが、わずかに角度が悪い。俺のいた場所からは彼女の姿が見えた。 なぜ隠れているのかと聞いてみれば、物陰にいると気分が落ち着くというとんちんかんな答えが返ってきた。 ......本当に彼女は良家のお嬢さんなんだろうか。いろいろ規格外だ。 彼女は昴を避けている様子だったので、その理由も聞いてみたがのらりくらりとかわされた。 まあ、いい。今日がだめでもまた次がある。 月曜日、俺はいつもより機嫌が良かった。 そのせいか、いつもより早く学校に着いてしまった。 彼女と話すのが俺はどうやら楽しみみたいだ。 彼女は面白い。きっと俺が思いつきもしないことをしてくれるだろう。それが楽しみだ。 自分の席で授業の準備をしていると、なにやら廊下が騒がしい。 気になったので、廊下に出て窓を覗く。 そこには仲の良さそうに寄り添い歩く昴と美咲の姿があった。 二人の姿に胸がざわめく。 わかってたはずだ。こんな場面を何回も見てきたはずだ。なのに、二人のそんな姿を見るたびに胸がざわつく。 胸が、痛い。 あんな二人の姿なんか見たくない。見たくないのに目が離せない。 さっきまでの機嫌の良さが嘘のようにどこかに行ってしまった。 彼女との待ち合わせの場所に、俺は一足早く訪れた。 ここに来るのは久し振りだ。 「いっらっしゃいませ。......おや、奏祐坊っちゃんではありませんか。お久し振りでございます」 「ああ、久し振り。いつもの場所は空いてる?」 「ええ、空いておりますよ」 「じゃあ、そこへ案内して。......あぁ、もう一人来るから、桜丘学園の制服を着た人が来たら俺の所に案内してほしい」 「畏まりました。その方は、お嬢様ですか?」 「まぁね」 頷くと店主は食えない笑みを浮かべた。 その笑みに、なぜか無性に腹が立った。 彼女は15分ほど遅れて来た。 目で座るように促すと彼女は優雅に座った。 その仕草だけなら立派なお嬢様だ。 中身が違っているのが残念だが。 彼女と話していると、話す気がなかったことまで話してしまう。 なぜか彼女に美咲への気持ちを言ってしまった。 なぜ言ってしまったのかはよくわからない。 だけど、誰かに聞いて貰いたかったのも確かで、彼女に話して幾らか気が楽になった気がした。 ただ聞いて貰うだけで良かったのに、彼女は俺に気持ちを否定するな、と言った。 真摯にそう言う彼女に、いつもあった胸のつかえがとれた気がした。 なんとか自分の中の気持ちに整理をつけ、今度は彼女の昴を避けている理由を聞いた。 彼女は言い渋ったが、最終的には教えてくれた。 本当に信じられない話だ。 ―――彼女が少女漫画のヒロインなんて、ねぇ。 容姿はともかく、中身が合ってないと思う。 『美咲様の幸せを願う会』の会長にしてあげるなんてわけのわからないことを言い出すヒロインがいるか。しかも自分のライバルの幸せを願うとか、ないだろ。 彼女の話を受け入れられたわけじゃないが、彼女は真剣そのものの顔で言っているので話を合わせておこう。 まあ、そのことはともかく、当分の活動方針を決めた。 その中で俺は彼女に美咲の相談役になって貰うことを思い付いた。 彼女ならその斬新な行動で美咲を助けてくれるだろう。そう思って言ったのだが。 それを聞いた彼女は言葉通り、泣いて喜んだ。しかも号泣である。 そこまで喜ぶことか?どれだけ美咲のこと好きなんだろう......。 変な方向に張り切りそうな彼女の様子に、俺は人選を間違えたかも、と本気で後悔しかかった。 まぁ、さっきのお礼と思えばいいか。 いまだに泣いている彼女に引きつつ、俺はハンカチを差し出してやった。 .........頼むから俺のハンカチで鼻をかむなよ......。 そう思ったと同時にちーん、と音がした。

I have an older sister with a one year difference. My sister is a bit.....no, quite strange. Her behaviour is eccentric. When she feels good she sings strange tunes, and when she's in an especially good mood, she adds strange dances. I wish she'd spare me her singing and dancing in the middle of the night. When I caressly end up seeing it, I can't fall asleep from the fear. And that older sister nowadays is strange. No, she might have been strange since the beginning, but my always energetic sister had recently begun sighing all the time. It should have started since she heard of Sakuragaoka Academy. It appears like our mother wants us to go to Sakuragaoka Academy, but it looks like my sister doesn't want to go. I wonder why. Is there's a problem in that place? In the end, my sister's "wish of a lifetime" couldn't win mother over, and thus she came to attend Sakuragaoka Academy. Sakuragaoka Academy entrance exam level is high. And even though my sister didn't study much, she pa.s.sed. Honestly, I'm envious of that head of hers. When she was on her spring vacation, my sister frequently held her head and groaned. "How can I break this flag......?" I didn't understand the meaning of that. When the entrance ceremony was over, she swiftly got lively. I wonder what on earth was with her the other day.....? It might be pointless just thinking about my older sister. I just got a bit lost in worrying. A certain day, I was abruptly taken out by my older sister. It seemed like she wanted to go shopping to distract herself. Am I her luggage carrier? My sister looks to be having fun shopping. She was troubled in choosing things to buy with a serious expression. She happily bought the one I selected. With my sister being like this, my mood turned a bit better too. When I carried my sister's luggage that looked heavy, she said 'Thank you' with a smile. In the end, I carried all the luggage. After we finished shopping, my sister suddenly panicked and disappeared somewhere. What's with that? When I thought that, a voice called out to me. It was Tojo-san and Hasumi-san. They are father's acquaintances that I occasionally meet. Now that I think about it, don't they go to the same school as my sister'? Are they the cause of my sister's escape? No, no way. They are cool even from my perspective as a guy. You wouldn't have a reason to avoid such peoples......normally. ..........right. My sister is an eccentric. She might be avoiding them for one reason or another. While I was thinking so, my sister becomes the topic. I don't really want to talk about sister in front of them. So no matter how embarra.s.sed I was, I put on a nonchalant expression and diverted the conversation about her. I was able to fade Tojo-san's interest, however, Hasumi-san unexpectedly persisted. Does Hasumi-san know my sister? After speaking with us for a while Hasumi-san went off somewhere. When Tojo-san asked Hasumi-san 'what's wrong?', he returned it with 'I went to the toilet'. I have the feeling that before Hasumi-san left, he looked somewhere. Hasumi-san returned before long, and left together with Tojo-san. I breathed out without anyone knowing. As I thought, talking to them makes me nervous. At that moment, my sister came back. Slightly unsteady on her feet. I wonder if something happened....... Suddenly, my sister hugged me. It was so abrupt that I ended up dropping some of the luggage. Seems like she got tired. I patted her back with a ponpon. To convey the meaning of 'You worked hard'. We stayed like that for a while as my sister didn't want to separate. I tried calling out to her, but there was no response. If I looked closely, my sister that was hugging me, was sleeping in that position. Are you serious. I even have luggage in both hands. Furthermore, do I have to carry neesan too? I almost felt like crying. In the end, I forcibly woke my sister up. The first thing my sister said after waking up was "Tendon....." Tendon...... You want to eat it? Do you want to eat it, neesan? My sister is like this but, she is the kind sister I am proud of. Well, occasionally going out with my older sister like this to distract myself, isn't bad. ----- I saw a strange woman at the entrance ceremony. When the other girls were looking up at the stage, at the new student rappresentative Subaru, only that girl wasn't. She was just sitting to the side in front of me, so I could see her quite well. She's looking down, or so I thought but, her head would sway from time to time. Is she perhaps sleeping? Subaru's speech made her fall asleep? No matter which woman, when Subaru began to speak they would listen to him with rapt attention. Even when Subaru's speech finished, there was no sign of her waking. It's the first time I ever saw a woman fast asleep at an entrance ceremony. She woke up just before the end of the ceremony. I felt like she was different from other girls when, after restlessly checking her surroundings, she secretly wiped her mouth. Father strictly ordered me to not be late for the party that would began immediately after the entrance ceremony. To be restricted on such a day, those endless and worthless conversations continue. It seems like the homeroom teacher loves those talks. Because of that, it was dragged on. While a bit irritated, I hurriedly put my bag in order and left the cla.s.sroom. A lot of people tried to talk to me on the way but, as I was in a hurry, I rejected them. Ah, mou, I have no more time. I checked my wrist.w.a.tch. At the moment I turned my eyes away from in front of me, I collided with someone. In a rush I grabbed that person's hand. "Sorry, are you okay?" Looking at the person I grabbed, I swallowed a breath. That person had a seldom seen beautiful appearance. That was a face I've already seen somewhere. I wonder where it was. What came to my mind after thinking for a moment was that, she looked just like a boy I know and that she was the strange woman I saw at the entrance ceremony. ----Isn't she the girl that was fast asleep at the entrance ceremony! I think that action was truly regrettable, as she had such a good appearance. And that feeling inadvertently escaped from my mouth. "Aah. You're the fellow that fell asleep in the middle of the entrance ceremony." In an instant she stiffened, but immediately recovered. "............What are you talking about? I have no recollection?" I felt like teasing her for the transparent lie she said, and when I said 'drool' to test her, she gave me a splendid reaction. Interesting. I want to see her react more, but I have no time. I excused myself and left. And then, suddenly, I wanted to say something that came to my mind and turned my head towards her. She looked at me with a puzzled expression. "I'll keep silent about the thing at the entrance ceremony. And the fact that earlier, you were humming while skipping too, huh?" The second half of what I've said was because it would've been interesting if she really had, I simply said what I thought. It's not like she really did, and so I thought she would make a face that said 'what are you talking about?'. However, opposite to my expectations, she made a startled face. ......don't tell me, was she really humming and skipping? Really, this girl is interesting. The next time I was able to talk to her was the day of the school trip. Subaru and Miku said they would visit the botanical gardens. I was also invited but I refused. I wanted the two of them to stay alone. However, I felt worried in the end, and when following them later, I saw a shadow staring motionlessly at Subaru and Miku, and approached. ......it was her. To be honest, I felt disappointed at that moment. I thought she didn't have any interest in Subaru and that she was different from the other girls, but in the end she isn't any different. Irritated, I called out to her with a cold voice. When she looked at me, she appeared surprised. But, then immediately glared at me with a stern expression. What is it? Why am I being glared at? When I was still perplexed, she impetuously pushed me down with a "Shh! Hide!" I'm being rode by her. .....what's going on? What's with this situation? After a while, looking relieved, she breathed out and looked down at me. And then, looking at me with curiosity, she tilted her head. I couldn't endure it, and lightly glared at her. "......hey, are you inviting me? Though, I don't dislike it." Her appearance is good. Your thoughts would turn to that too, if a good looking girl were to push you down. Afterall, even I am a man. Her face looked confused, then paled as she moved back in a panic. I wanted to sigh. Normally, isn't this the moment where you should turn red here? Or do you have such a scary image of me? While stifling such complaints I asked her 'why were you here?' and she responded that she was looking at Subaru and Miku. It appears like she admires the two of them. When I asked her 'don't you like Subaru?' she denied with all herself. What's this, in the end it's like I thought. Then, her att.i.tude earlier was just an outburst of anger. What a thing. Then am I not just an embarra.s.sing fellow? What came out of my mouth to cover that embarra.s.sment was, a stupid question like, 'why do you know our names?' Me, was there no other question to ask? While making a face as if saying 'What is he saying?' she politely answered. In that way I learned her name. As I repeated the surname Kaguragi while looking at her, her face when at the entrance ceremony came to my mind. Kaguragi......is she Yuto's older sister? Now that I think about it, I heard that Yuto has a sister a year older than him. Yuto is the son of an acquaintance of my father's. He is a young boy whose future prospects look brilliant. Subaru likes him. It seems like she doesn't hold romantic feelings toward Subaru, she's that Yuto's sister after all. Since it's like this, it might be good to receive her help to make my wish come true. Thinking so, by using her weakness to threaten her, I got her to promise to help me. The condition for her help was only one, "not going near Subaru". It seemed to be the real reason but, I felt like it wasn't just that. And as I was thinking about it, I was asked by Subaru to accompany him shopping. Since I had no plans, I decided to go with him. When I asked 'what do you want to buy?' he responded 'Miku's birthday present'. When he asked 'How about you buy it now too Sousuke?' I didn't feel like doing it. I decided that Miku's birthday present will be flowers. Those won't last for a long time at home, so I'll gift her a flower arrangement. If I see those withered flowers, I can feel how these feelings won't bear fruit. After seeing various things at different places, Subaru finally bought something he found agreeable. Subaru had a satisfied expression. I don't know what he bought but, since he bought it in a store where they sell accessories, it is certain that it is an accessory. On the way to return, we found Yuto. He had a lot of shopping bag on his hands. When Subaru teasingly asked him "Have you gone shopping with your girlfriend?" Yuto responded him with a serious face "No, today I'm escorting aneue shopping." Older sister's escort. If so, I wonder if she is nearby. Thinking this, I tried to ask Yuto, and he said that she went to retrieve something she forgot. Just to be sure, I looked around me and detected someone that looked like her. I excused myself and left that place, and approached the person that looked like her from behind. I wonder if she went to our blind spot on purpose but, the angle was a bit bad. I could see her figure from where I was. When I asked her why are you hiding, an absurd answer like being under shelter like this calms her down. ........is she really the ojou-san of a good family? She's out of the norms. She seemed to be avoiding Subaru and so I asked her for the reason, but she evasively dodged it. Well, fine. Today is no good, but there will be a next time. Monday, I was in a better mood than usual. Because of that, I went to school earlier than I usually do. It seems like I am looking forward to our conversation. She is interesting. She'll surely do something out of my expectations, right? I can't wait for that. When I was preparing the things for the lesson at my seat, the corridor got noisy for some reason. Curious, I went at the corridor and looked at the window. Over there was Subaru and Miku's figures, walking side by side, looking to be getting along. My heart stirred at the sight of the two of them. I should have understood. I should have watched this scene a number of times already. Even so, each time I see them like this my chest become noisy. My chest, hurts. I don't want to see them like this. Even when I don't want to, I can't avert my eyes. The good mood of earlier went off somewhere like it was a lie. I hurriedly left to the place of our appointment. It's been a while since I've come here. "Welcome. ......Oya, isn't this young master Sousuke? Long time no see." "Yes, it's been a while. Is the usual seat vacant?" "Yes, it is." "Then lead me there. ......Ah, someone else will arrive later, if someone wearing the uniform of Sakuragaoka Academy arrives, I would like you to guide that person here." "I understand. Is that person an Ojou-sama?" "Well, yes." The shopkeeper nodded with a teasing smile. For some reason, that smile made me feel quite irritated. She arrived 15 minutes late. When I urged her to sit with my eyes, she sat with elegance. From that gesture only, she would be a fine Ojou-sama. It's a pity that she differs inside. When speaking to her, I ended up saying things I didn't want to. For some reason I told her about my feelings toward Miku. I don't really understand why I ended up telling her. But, it's certain that I wanted someone to hear me, and I didn't know when but it started to feel easier to talk to her. I would've been glad just having her listen to me, but she said that I shouldn't deny my feelings. I felt like the heavy ma.s.s that had always been there, was lifted from my chest by her earnest words. Somehow managing to organize my emotions, this time it was her turn to say the reason she avoided Subaru. At first she hesitated but in the end she told me. It's truly an unbelievable story. ------that she is the heroine of a shoujo manga, I mean. Regardless of her appearance, the content doesn't match. Is there a heroine that would say something incomprehensible like, 'I confer you the position of president of "Wis.h.i.+ng Miku-sama Happiness' fan club"'? Moreover, to wish for the happiness of her rival? No right. It's not like I didn't accept her story, the seriousness of her face matched her words. Well, in any case, I decided on our present plan of action. In the middle of that I thought of having her help Miku by giving advice. I'm sure that if it's her, she can help Miku with her original actions. When she heard my words, she cried from happiness. Furthermore, she wailed. Is that something that should make you so happy you cry? Just how much do you like Miku...... As she got in high spirits from a strange direction, I may have made the wrong decision, I regretted. Maa, shall I consider the grat.i.tude of earlier? I handed out my handkerchief to the still crying girl. .........I beg you, please don't blow your nose on my handkerchief....... At the exact moment I thought that, I heard a sound.

12 「それで、どこに向かっているのですか?」 「昴が行きたいと言っていたスイーツの店だよ」 蓮見は疲れたように言った。 なんでも、結局美咲様はゴーイングマイウェイで引くことを知らない王子に負けて、スイーツを食べに行くことにしたらしい。 私より、王子を取ったのだ。 そのことにショックを受けたが、好きな人から強引にでも誘われたらクラリとしちゃうのが乙女心だろう。 だから、泣かない。私は泣かない。 「美咲たちと離れた場所を取っておいた。当初の予定とは違うけど、昴が満足して帰ってからそこで会おうってことになった。美咲は君に申し訳ないって謝ってたよ」 美咲様......! 美咲様は、私のこともちゃんと考えてくださっていたのだ。 今度は別の意味で泣きそうだ。 考えようによっては、美咲様と王子のイチャイチャぶりを眺めるいい機会ではないか。 美咲様たちのイチャイチャぶりを眺められて、美咲様とお話ができる。私にとっては一石二鳥だ。 そこまで考えて、はっとして蓮見を見る。 蓮見は、辛くないのだろうか。 楽しそうな美咲様たちの様子を見て大丈夫なのだろうか。 そんな風に私が考えているのを見抜いたのか、蓮見は苦笑した。 「平気。覚悟はできてるから」 「......あまり無理しないでくださいね?私が蓮見様の分までしっかりお二人を見守りますから」 「どうせ俺が見ててもしっかり見守るんでしょ」 もちろんですとも。 私はしっかり頷くと、蓮見は小さく笑った。 連れて来られたお店は、とてもお洒落な今風なお店だった。 テラス席もあって、たくさんのカップルで賑わっていた。 たくさんのカップルの姿にスイーツを食べる前に胸焼けがしてきた。 決して僻んでるわけではないのだ。 さりげなくエスコートをしてくれる蓮見に、こいつもしかして女慣れしてる?なんて勘繰りながら私たちは店内に入った。 美咲様たちはどこにいるんだろう。美咲様はともかく王子には見つかりたくない。 蓮見は店員さんに何か言うと、迷いなく店内を進んで行く。 店内を進んでいる間、女性からの目線が痛かった。 うっかり忘れていたが、蓮見はイケメンなのだ。 そんなイケメンに注目が集まらないわけがない。失念していた。 ......ここに桜丘学園の生徒はいないよね? 万が一、誰かが私と蓮見が一緒にこの店に入ったことを見られたら、すぐさま噂になるだろう。 それは避けたい。うっかりそんな噂が父や母の耳に入って勘違いされても困るし。 私と蓮見の間には、恋愛のれの字もない。清い関係なのだ。友達以下ただの顔見知り以上なのだ。 蓮見が奥の席に座ったので、私も蓮見と向かい合わせで座る。 店員さんがお冷やとおしぼりを持ってきてくれた。 私はおしぼりで手を拭いたあと、鞄から鏡を取り出して身だしなみチェックをした。 少し乱れていた髪をを手で軽く整えた。よし、これでいつでも美咲様にお会いできる。 その様子を見ていたらしい蓮見がぼそりと「一応女なんだな......」と呟いていたので、私はすまし顔で足を踏んでやった。 高さ5センチ程度だが、ヒール攻撃は痛いだろう。 案の定、蓮見の顔が痛みに歪んだ。 乙女を侮辱した報いだ。ざまぁみろ。 「美咲様たちはどちらにいらっしゃるのですか?」 「美咲たちはテラス席にいる。ほら、あそこ」 私は蓮見の指差した方を見てみると、そこには楽しそうにしている美咲様の姿があった。 私服姿も大変素敵です、美咲様。 良家のお嬢様らしい、清楚な淡い水色のワンピースに身を包んだ美咲様は、輝いて見えた。 きっと好きな人と二人きりだから余計に嬉しいんだろうなぁ。 私まで自然と笑顔になってしまう。 「何か頼む?」 蓮見はメニューを開いていた。 私は名残惜しくも美咲様から蓮見に視線を戻す。 「おすすめは、日替わりのタルトらしいよ」 「他には何があります?」 私は興味津々でメニューを覗こうとする。 蓮見は私に見やすいようにメニューを見せてくれた。 わあ、ここもケーキの種類が豊富だ。 特にタルトが多い。タルトに力を注いでいるお店なのだろう。 他にもパフェとかプリンとか、ぜんざいやあんみつといった和菓子もある。 どうしよう、目移りしてしまう。 前のお店でケーキ食べなくて良かった。あの時、ケーキを無意識に頼まなくて良かった。グッジョブ私! 私は真剣な表情でメニューとにらめっこをした。 幾つか候補を選び、その中から更に2つまで絞っていく。 いつまで経っても決まらない私に焦れたのか、蓮見が私に問いかけてきた。 「なにで悩んでるの?」 「日替わりタルトにしようか、シフォンケーキにしようか迷っているのです」 「2つ頼めば?」 「2つも入りません」 1人か家でだったらワンホール食べれるが、さすがの私も外ではそんなことはしない。 外聞が悪いからね! 蓮見ははぁ、とため息をつくと、店員さんを呼んだ。 蓮見に呼ばれた店員さんは少し顔を赤くしながら、注文を取りにやって来た。 「ご、ご注文をお伺いしますっ」 「日替わりタルトとシフォンケーキを1つずつと、コーヒーを。君は飲み物はどうする?」 「え?私はアイスミルクティーを」 「日替わりタルトを1つ、シフォンケーキを1つ、ドリンクはコーヒーとアイスミルクティーでよろしいでしょうか?」 「ああ」 「畏まりました。お持ちするまで、少々お待ちください」 店員さんはぎこちなく去っていく。 蓮見の注文を取るのに緊張したのだろう。 まあ、顔だけはいいし。性格はともかく。 注文を蓮見がしてから、沈黙が私たちを支配した。 きまずい。早く届け。 そんな私の願いもむなしく、なかなか頼んだ物は届かない。 蓮見の方を盗み見ると、彼は頬杖をついてどこかを見ていた。 それがまた憂いを帯びていて様になっている。 少し長めの前髪が目にかかっていて煩わしそうだ。 そうして蓮見を観察してると、蓮見と目があった。 「......なに?」 「いえ、なんでもありません」 そしてまた沈黙が支配する。 私はチラッと蓮見を見た。 蓮見の姿なんてどうでも良かったから気にしていなかったが、改めて彼の姿を観察すると、制服より大人っぽく見える。 黒いジャケットは七分袖で、紅いVネックのTシャツからのぞく鎖骨に色気を感じる。 私が鎖骨に注目してるのに気づいたのか、蓮見は怪訝そうに私を見る。 「さっきからなに。言いたいことがあるなら言いなよ」 「なんでもないならなんでさっきから俺をこそこそ見てるわけ?」 「そ、それは......」 鎖骨を見てました、なんて言えない。 変態みたいじゃないか。 いや、それよりも頭おかしいんじゃないかと思われるようなこと言いましたけど。 「蓮見様の私服姿が見慣れなくて、つい見てしまいました。気分を悪くしてしまったのならごめんなさい」 「ああ......なるほど」 私は無難なことを言ってみた。 いや、本当のことだし。私、嘘はついてません。 蓮見も納得してくれたようだ。 私はほっと息をつく。 蓮見はにやりと笑って言った。 「俺に見惚れた?」 私は飲もうとしていたお冷やを危うく吹き出すところだった。危ない。 かわりに、むせた。 ゴホゴホッと咳き込む私を蓮見は楽しそうに見ている。 ようやく落ち着いた私は、涙目できっと蓮見を睨んだ。 「ご冗談を。そんなこと、あるわけないじゃないですか」 「それは残念だな」 少しも残念そうじゃなく、蓮見はにこにこして言った。 あれか。足を踏んだ復讐か?この腹黒め! 私がそう心の中で罵ったとき、頼んだケーキが運ばれてきた。 「本日の日替わりタルト、ブルーベリーのタルトとシフォンケーキです」 そう言って並べられたケーキはどっちも美味しそうだった。 ブルーベリーがふんだんに乗っているタルトと、生クリームがたっぷりついたシフォンケーキ。 どっちも食べたい......!どっちにしよう。 というか、蓮見はどっちを食べるんだろう? 悩んでいる間に飲み物も並べられ、店員さんは伝票を置いて去っていった。 蓮見はブルーベリータルトを迷いなく取った。 私は思わず物欲しげな目をしてしまう。 蓮見はブルーベリータルトをフォークで器用に二等分にした。 そして続いてシフォンケーキも二等分にする。 私はぼんやりと蓮見の行動を見ていると、蓮見は二等分にしたのをそれぞれのお皿に乗せ替えて、私に差し出した。 「両方食べたいんでしょ」 「え......?あ、でも......いいんですか?」 「俺は別にすごく食べたい物はなかったし、いいんじゃない。これならどっちも食べられるだろ」 蓮見はコーヒーを飲みながら言った。 私はそんな蓮見を戸惑いながら見て、ケーキを食べる。 ......美味しい。どっちも一口ずつ食べたけど、どっちも美味しかった。なんだか、優しい味がする。 「......ありがとうございます。とても美味しいですわ」 「そう。なら良かったね」 そう言って優しく蓮見は微笑んだ。 やめて。そんな顔で笑わないで。 私は悔しくなった。 さっきまで、心の中で罵っていたのに。 認めない。優しく微笑んだ蓮見に見惚れたなんて。 これはケーキにつられただけ。思いがけず優しくしてもらったから。そうに決まってるんだから。 だから、この胸のドキドキも、絶対に認めない。

12 "So, where are we going?" "To the sweet's shop that Subaru said he wanted to go to." Hasumi said, looking tired. In the end, it seems like Miku-sama lost and was pulled by the I'm going my way prince that didn't understand, and went to eat sweets. She picked the prince over me. I sustained damage from the shock, however, having the person you like invite you out overbearingly, is a maiden's dream, right? Therefore, I won't cry. I will not cry. "I left their place. It's different from how we planned it at first but, it has become that you'll meet there after Subaru is satisfied and goes home. Miku sends her apologies, she says that she's really sorry." Miku-sama.......! Miku-sama properly thought about me. This time I feel like crying for a different reason. Thinking about it, isn't this a good chance to see Miku-sama and the prince flirting with each other? To being able to look at them flirting, and talking to Miku-sama. For me it's like killing two birds with one stone. Thinking that, I looked at the taken aback Hasumi. Isn't it hard for Hasumi? Will he be fine looking at those two having fun? Like this, appearing to have seen through my thoughts, Hasumi smiled wryly. "I'm fine. I'm prepared for that." "......please don't overdo it okay? I will do Hasumi-sama's part too and properly watch over the two." "From how I see it, you would do it regardless of my presence." That goes without saying. When I nodded vigorously, Hasumi gave a small laugh. The store I was brought to was very stylish and modern. There were seats on the terrace too, crowded by many couples. In front of so many couples eating I felt a heartburn oncoming. It's not like I'm never jealous. I was being nonchalantly escorted by Hasumi, is this fellow perhaps used to women? While I was having this suspicion we entered the store. I wonder where those two are? Either way I don't want to be found out by Miku-sama and the prince. Hasumi said something to a shop a.s.sistant and advanced inside without hesitation. When we entered into the shop, the glares from the other women hurt. I inadvertently forgot but, Hasumi is an ikemen. There's no way that such an ikemen wouldn't attract attention. I forgot. .....There aren't any students from Sakuragaoka Academy here, right? If by any chance someone saw me entering this shop with Hasumi, it would immediately became a rumor, right? I'd rather avoid that. I'll be troubled if such a rumor were to carelessly enter my father and mother's ears, making them misunderstand. There's no place for love between me and Hasumi. It's a clear relations.h.i.+p. Below being friends, no more than just knowing each other's faces. Because Hasumi sat on the inner seat, I sat opposite him. The shop a.s.sistant came to deliver us cold water and wet towels. After wiping my hands with the wet towel, I took out a mirror from my bag and checked my appearance. I lightly adjusted my slightly disheveled hair with my hand. Good, like this I can met Miku-sama at any time. Hasumi seeing that, said in a subdued murmur, 'She's roughly a girl too......' so, with a composed expression I stepped on his foot. They are only 5 cm high, but I bet that a heel attack still hurts. Sure enough, Hasumi's face warped in pain. That's the punishment for insulting a maiden. Serves you right! "Where might the two of them be?" "They are seated on the terrace. See, over there." When I looked at the place Hasumi pointed out, I saw the figure of Miku-sama, who looked to be enjoying herself. You're truly lovely in your normal clothes, Miku-sama. Appearing to be an ojou-sama from a good family, Miku-sama, who was wearing a neat and clean light-blue one piece dress, looked to be sparkling. It must be because she's alone with the person she likes that she looks so happy, right? I ended up smiling spontaneously at that. "Do you want to order anything?" Hasumi opened the menu. I reluctantly parted my eyes from Miku-sama to return to Hasumi. "The daily special tart is recommended, it seems." "Is there anything else?" Pushed by curiosity I peeked at the menu. Hasumi showed me the menu in a way easy for me to see. Wah, there are a lot of cake varieties. In particular, there are many tarts. This must be a shop whose power consist of tarts. There are things like parfait and and pudding, and j.a.panese pastries, like zenzai and anmitsu, too. What to do, I'll get distracted this way. I'm glad I didn't eat the cakes at the previous store. I'm glad that, at that time, I didn't unconsciously order it. Good job me! I glared at the menu with a serious expression. Choosing from several sweets, I narrowed down the number to two. Perhaps getting impatient because I couldn't decide after a long time pa.s.sed, Hasumi asked me. "What are you troubled with?" "I'm lost on whether to choose the daily special tart, or chiffon cake." "Why not order both?" "I can't eat two" If I was alone at home I could eat one whole cake but, even I won't do such a thing outside. My reputation could turn bad you know! Hasumi sighed with a 'haa' and called the shop a.s.sistant. The shop a.s.sistant that got called over, while a bit red faced, came to take the order. "W-would you like to o-order?" "A daily special tart and piece of chiffon cake, and coffee. What about your drink?" "Eh? I'll have an ice milk tea." "One daily special tart, one piece of chiffon cake, and the drinks are a coffee and ice milk tea, is it?" "Yes." "Understood. Please wait for a moment for the orders." The shop a.s.sistant clumsily left. She must have been nervous in taking Hasumi's order, right? Well, his face is good. Regardless of his personality. After Hasumi ordered, silence reigned over us. This is awkward. Deliver us the food fast. My prayer was ineffective because the things we requested still didn't arrive. When I stole a glance at Hasumi, he was looking somewhere while resting his chin in one hand. And that gave him a trace of sorrow. The slightly long bangs that covered his eyes seemed to trouble him. Then feeling observed, he turned his eyes to meet mine. "......what?" "No, nothing." And then silence reigned again. I glanced at Hasumi. Since whatever he wear suits him I didn't care but, when I observed him again, he looks more adult-like that with the uniform. He wore a three-quarter sleeve black jacket, and from the collarbone, I could peek at from the red V neck s.h.i.+rt, I could feel his s.e.x appeal. Perhaps noticing me observing his collarbone, Hasumi looked at me suspiciously. "What is it? If you have something to ask, then do it." "If there's nothing, then why have you been sneaking glances at me today?" "W-well, that's......" I was looking at your collarbone, I can't say this. Won't I look like a pervert? No, more than that, I think he'll question if my head has gone funny. "I'm not accustomed to seeing Hasumi-sama in normal clothing, so I ended up staring. I'm sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable." "Ah.....I see." I tried to say a safe phrase. No I mean, it's true. I'm not lying. Hasumi looked convinced too. I breathed out a sigh of relief. Hasumi laughed with a broad grin and said. "Were you fascinated by me?" I was about to spit out the cold water I was drinking. That was a close call. Instead of that, I choked. Hasumi looked to be having fun, looking at me going 'goho goho' in a violent fit of coughing. Finally calming down, I glared at Hasumi with tears in my eyes. "You jest. Isn't something like that impossible?" "That's a pity." Not one bit regretful, Hasumi was broadly smiling. Was it for that. The revenge for stepping on your foot? You d.a.m.n black belly! When I was about to speak out what was on my mind, the cakes we ordered arrived. "Today's daily special tart, blueberry tart and chiffon cake." Both presented cakes looked to be delicious. The tart had plenty of blueberries on it, while the chiffon cake was full of fresh cream. I want to eat them both.....! Which should I choose? No before that, which one will Hasumi eat? While I was deciding the shop a.s.sistant gave us our drinks and left a voucher. Hasumi took the blueberry tart without hesitation. Without thinking I looked at him with a 'I wanted that' gaze. Hasumi skillfully divided the blueberry tart in two with his fork. And then divided the chiffon cake in two too. While I was s.p.a.cing out at looking at Hasumi's actions, he took one piece of each of the sweets, and put then on another plate and then held them out to me. "You wanted to eat both right?" "Eh......? Ah, but......is this okay?" "I didn't have something I really wanted to eat, so isn't this fine? You can eat both like this." Hasumi said while drinking his coffee. While I was looking at Hasumi in a bewildered state, I ate a cake. ......delicious. I ate one bite of each cake, but both were delicious. Somehow, it has a gentle taste. "......Thank you very much. It's really delicious." "Is that so. Then that's good." As he said that, Hasumi gently smiled. Stop it. Don't smile with such a face. I got frustrated. Even though I was cursing at him just a moment ago. I will not admit it. Not to something like 'I got charmed by the gentle smile of Hasumi.' I was only attracted by the cake. Since he unexpectedly gave it to me kindly. It must be like this. That's why, this throbbing in my chest, I will never acknowledge it.

僕の親友である蓮見奏祐はなんでもできる奴だ。 奏祐に出会う5歳まで、僕はなんでもそつなくこなすことができ、周りから天才だと言われて有頂天になっていた。 そんな僕の前に現れた、もう一人の天才。 何をやるにも実力は拮抗していて、僕としては正直面白くない。 奏祐は冷めた目付きで僕を見る。 周りからライバルだともてはやされても、奏祐の目に映る僕は、周りにいる人を見るのと変わらない。 僕はそれが悔しくて、奏祐と張り合うようになった。 一生懸命頑張って奏祐に勝っても、奏祐の見る目は変わらない。 どうしたら、変えられる? そんなことを考えて奏祐と張り合っているうちに、奏祐の僕を見る目が変わってきた。 「俺と張り合って疲れないの?」 ある日、奏祐が僕にそう言ってきた。 疲れるなんて思ったこともなかった僕はパチリとまばたきをした。 「なんで?奏祐と張り合うの、楽しいよ?」 同じくらいの実力をもつ奏祐と張り合うのは楽しかった。 奏祐は僕を見て驚いた顔をして、俯く。 「変な奴......」 俯いた奏祐の耳が赤い。どうやら奏祐は照れているようだ。 奏祐のその様子に僕はにんまりとする。 これで僕は周りの人間と同じじゃなくなった。 僕は奏祐に認められたのだ。 それから僕と奏祐が互いに親友と呼べるようになるのに時間は掛からなかった。 僕の許嫁である美咲と3人で一緒に遊ぶことが多くなった。僕たちはどこに行くにも3人一緒だった。 さすがに小学部の高学年になると美咲と3人で遊ぶことはなくなったが、それでも僕たちの関係は変わらないと思っていた。 最初に違和感を感じたのは中学に上がってから。 なんとなく奏祐との壁を感じるようになった。 態度は変わらない。でもなにか壁を感じる。 その壁を特に感じるのが、美咲と一緒にいるときだと僕は気付いた。 美咲を見る奏祐の目。それが今までとは違うことに気付いた。奏祐は、美咲に惹かれている。 そして美咲は、僕に惚れている。 そのことに気づいても、僕はどうすることもできなかった。いや違う。何もしなかった。 今の3人の心地よい関係を壊したくなかったのだ。 だから僕は、2人の気持ちに気づかぬフリをして、2人に接した。 僕は卑怯だ。卑怯な人間だ。でも、僕が動く気にはなれなかった。 高校に上がり、しばらく経ってから、奏祐が変わった。 少し前までの奏祐は何をしてもどうでもよさそうで、適当な女の子の誘いに乗ったりして、正直見ていられなかった。その原因が僕にあるのだとしても。 そんな奏祐が、高等部に上がり、変わったのだ。 表情がいきいきとして、毎日楽しそうだ。美咲への想いも吹っ切れたのか、今ではすっかり壁を感じなくなった。 とても良いことだ。何が奏祐を変えたのかはわからないが、奏祐を変えてくれたきっかけに感謝したい。 最近、美咲と奏祐が僕に内緒でアレコレ話している姿が目につくようになった。 話に入れて貰おうとしても、なんでもないと言って話に入れてくれない。 仲間はずれにされた気分だ。ちょっと拗ねてもいいだろうか。 そう2人に言うと、困った顔をされたので、拗ねるのはやめておく。 でも、やっぱり少し寂しい。 文化祭のあと、奏祐が女の子と一緒に乗馬をしていた、という噂を聞いた。 その女の子がとんでもなく可愛い子らしい。僕は顔は見たことはないが、名前はよく知っている。 神楽木凛花。学年でも1、2を争う才女で、僕の可愛がっている後輩、悠斗君の姉だ。 悠斗君はシスコンで、よく姉の自慢話をする。 そんな悠斗君の姉と奏祐は知り合いだったのか? 奏祐に問い詰めたがはぐらかされてしまった。 でもどうやら奏祐は悠斗君の姉に惚れているみたいだ。親友として、その恋を応援しようではないか。 僕はさっそく奏祐のおじさんに、今度のクリスマスパーティーに彼女を誘ったらどうかと提案してみた。 ノリノリで話に乗ってくれたおじさんは、早速、神楽木さんの父に頼んだそうだ。二つ返事で了承してくれたらしい。 僕もそのパーティーに出席するので、そのパーティーで彼女に会えるのが楽しみだ。どんな子だろうか。 パーティーの当日、僕はそれっぽい人物を探したが、結局見つからなかった。 あとで聞いた話によると、彼女は奏祐にどこかに連れて行かれたあと、帰ったらしい。 奏祐、なにをしたんだ。 奏祐にそのことを問い詰めると、奏祐は珍しく目を泳がせて、彼女に怪我をさせてしまった、と言った。 お見舞いに行ったのか、と聞くと奏祐ははっとしたように僕を見た。 行ってないのか。僕はお見舞いに行くようにと奏祐に釘をさしといた。 2年になった。 奏祐はクラス替えで彼女と一緒のクラスになった。 僕はなにかと理由をつけて奏祐のクラスを訪ねるが、彼女らしき姿を一回も見たことがない。 どうしてだろうか。 まさか、避けられている? いや、会ったこともない人に避けられる理由はない。きっとたまたまなのだろう。 僕はそう思い込むことにした。 2年になって1ヶ月が過ぎた。 昼休み、僕は奏祐に用事があって、奏祐を探しに中庭にやって来た。 奏祐が中庭の一角で昼寝をしていることは知っている。今日は天気も良いし、きっと昼寝をしているのだろう。 僕は奏祐が昼寝をしていそうな場所をしらみ潰しに探す。 奏祐は1人ではなかった。女の子と一緒にいるようだ。 確かにこの場所なら逢瀬にピッタリだろう。 仕方ない、用事はあとにしようと思い、僕は奏祐たちに背を向けようとした。 そのときに奏祐の顔が視界の隅に写り、僕は足を止めた。 奏祐が、見たこともない、優しい顔で微笑んでいたのだ。 奏祐と12年間一緒にいる僕でも見たことのない表情。 奏祐にそんな顔をさせた彼女の顔が見たくて、僕はこっそり彼女の顔が見える位置に移動した。 彼女はとても可愛いらしい顔をしていた。 柔らかそうな、肩甲骨くらいまで伸びた緩やかな巻き毛。形の整った細い眉毛に、くるんとカールした長い睫毛。大きな瞳はきらきらと輝いていて、小ぶりな唇はふっくらとしたピンク色。 まさに美少女といった容姿をした彼女の姿を見た僕は、雷に打たれたような衝撃が全身に走った。 気付いたら僕は奏祐たちに近づいていた。 僕の姿を発見した奏祐が、僕を凝視する。 僕は余裕の笑みを浮かべ、奏祐に声をかける。 「やぁ、奏祐。こんなところでなにしているの?彼女は、誰?」 「昴......」 奏祐は呆然としたように僕の姿を名を呼ぶ。 彼女がその声に反応して僕の方を振り向く。 目を大きく見開き、僕を凝視した。 僕は彼女の瞳に僕が写っていることに優越感を感じ、そして直感した。 彼女は僕の運命だ。 僕を見つめる奏祐を見て、僕は不敵に笑う。 ごめん、奏祐。君を応援したかったけど、どうやらできそうにない。 僕は彼女に視線を戻すと、にっこりと笑う。 「ねぇ。君の名前を教えて?」 僕はその日、親友の好きな人に、恋をした。

My best friend Hasumi is someone that can do anything. Until I met Hasumi when I was 5, I could do anything easily without miss, and became ecstatic when the people around me said I was a genius. And before such a me, appeared another genius. He had abilities that could rival mine, and I honestly didn't find it fun. Sousuke looked at me coldly. How Sousuke looked at me was perceived as rivalry and so people looks didn't change. That fact vexed me so I began to compete with him. From when I did my best and won over Sousuke, his eyes didn't change. What should I do to change it? While thinking such a thing and competing with him, the way he looked at me changed. "Aren't you tired of competing with me?" One day, Sousuke said. I, who never thought about it as being tiring, quickly blinked my eyes. "Why? Competing with Sousuke is fun, you know?" It was fun competing with Sousuke, who had about the same level of capability as me. Sousuke looked surprised at me, then casted his eyes down. "What a weird guy......." Sousuke, who looked down, had his ears dyed red. Apparently he is shy. Seeing Sousuke in that state made me smile complacently. With this, I wasn't considered the same as the surrounding people. I got acknowledged by Sousuke. From then on, it didn't take much time before we called each other 'best friends.' With my fiance, Miku, the time us 3 spent together were many. No matter where, we were always together. But, as one would expect, with the different elementary school cla.s.ses, Miku couldn't come to play with us; however, I still thought that our relations.h.i.+p wouldn't change. The first bad sign I felt was in middle school. I somehow came to feel a wall around Sousuke. His att.i.tude didn't change. But I somehow felt a wall. I noticed that the wall could be especially felt when Miku was together with us. Miku's way of looking at Sousuke. I perceived that they were different from how they were till now. Sousuke is attracted to Miku. And Miku is in love with me. Even when I was aware of that, I couldn't do anything. No that's wrong. I didn't do anything. I didn't want to break the comfortable relations.h.i.+p we had. That's why I continued to interact with them, pretending to not have noticed their feelings. I'm a coward. A cowardish person. But I didn't felt like changing. Once we got to high school, some time pa.s.sed and Sousuke changed. Until a while ago, Sousuke would do well no matter what; and, I honestly didn't want to see him being invited by some random girls. Even if the cause was me. Such a Sousuke, once we entered high school, had changed. His expression became lively, and it looked like he had fun every day. Did he break through his affections towards Miku? I couldn't feel the wall at all. It's truly a good thing. I don't know what changed him back, but I'm really grateful to the impetus that made it happen. Recently, what entered my eyes was the figure of Miku and Sousuke; secretly talking about something in a roundabout way. Even when I tried to insert myself, they just said, "It's nothing," and didn't tell me anything. I felt excluded. Is it fine if I sulk a bit? When I told them this, they made a troubled face so I stopped being peevish. But, I still felt a bit lonely. After the culture festival, I heard there was a rumour that said: Sousuke rode a horse with a girl. That girl was incredibly cute, I heard. I never saw her, but I know her name. Kaguragi Rinka. A talented girl that competed for 1st and 2nd place too; the sister of Yuto, the kohai I feel is cute. Yuto-kun is a siscon who often boasts about his older sister. Was Yuto's older sister acquaintanced with Sousuke? When I questioned Sosuke, he evaded it. However, it looks like Sousuke fell in love with Yuto's older sister. As his best friend, shouldn't I support his love? Without further ado, I went to Sousuke's old man and told him: "How about inviting her to this Christmas party?". As we talked in high spirits, ojisan asked Kaguragi-san's father at once. It seems like they both agreed. I will also attend that party, so I looked forward to meeting her. I wonder what type of person she is? On that day, I searched for someone that could be her, but in the end couldn't find her. According to what I heard later, it seemed like, after being taken somewhere by Sousuke , she returned home. Sousuke, what did you do? When I questioned him about that, Sousuke's eyes unusually swimmed about, and said, "I made her injure herself." "Shall I go visit her?" When Sousuke heard that, he looked at me as if taken aback. 'Aren't you going?' I nailed him, as if I wanted to go. We've become second year students. With the cla.s.s changes, Sousuke was put in cla.s.s with her. I tried whatever pretext to visit Sousuke's cla.s.s, but I never saw a person that could be her, not even once. I wonder why? Don't tell me, I'm being avoided? No, there's no reason to avoid a person you haven't met. It's surely just a coincidence. I convinced myself so. One month pa.s.sed since we became second year students. During lunch break, I needed Sousuke for something and searched for him in the courtyard. I knew that he would often nap in a corner of the courtyard. Today had good weather, so he was surely there. I looked over for a place that Sousuke would likely go to nap, and then I finally found Sousuke, and called out to him. Sousuke wasn't alone. It appeared like he was with a girl. Certainly, this place is perfect for a secret date. It can't be helped, thinking that I'll ask him later, I started to turn my back on them. In that moment, Sousuke's face entered into the corner of my eyes, and I stopped my feet. Sousuke was smiling with an expression I had never seen before. It was an expression I had never seen before in 12 years of friends.h.i.+p. I wanted to see the face of the girl that could make Sousuke form such an expression; so, I moved to secretly see her face. The girl was making a really cute expression. Her hair, that stretched down to her shoulders in a loose curl, looked soft. With well shaped, thin eyebrows and long eyelashes curled up. Her big eyes were sparkling, and her little mouth was plump and of a pink colour. I, who saw the appearance of the truly beautiful girl, received a shock as if a thunder struck me and I ran over. Before I realized it, I had approached them. Sousuke found my presence and stared at me. With a placid smile floating on my face, I called out to Sousuke. "Hey, Sousuke. What are you doing in such a place? Who is she?" "Subaru......." Sousuke called out my name, looking dumbfounded. The girl reacted to his voice and turned around. Opening her her eyes wide, she stared at me. When I was reflected within her eyes; I felt a sense of superiority, and I had a hunch. She is my fated person. I looked at Sousuke, who stared at me, and I daringly laughed. Sorry, Sousuke. I wanted to support you, but it seems like I won't be able to do so anymore. When I turned my eyes on her again, I sweetly smiled. "Hey. Can you tell me your name?" That day, I fell in love with the person my best friend liked.

56 ここは、校門です。 もう一度言います。ここは、校門なのです。 更にもう一言加えるなら、放課後の校門です。 つまり、なにが言いたいかって言うと、目立つから違うところに移動しようよ、と言いたいわけです。 下校中の生徒の皆さんが興味深げに見てますよ。 そんな私の気持ちを知ってか知らずか、彼女は微笑んだ顔を保ったまま、私に言う。 「神楽木凛花さん、でしたよね?」 「ええ。そうですが、私に何かご用でしょうか?」 録に会話したこともない人を校門で待ち伏せてまで話したいことって、なんだろう。 私、お約束なアレしか思い付かないんだけど。 「改めまして、私は橘姫樺と申します。奏祐様の、婚約者です」 奏祐様の、という部分にやけに力を込めて彼女は言った。 うん。それは、わかったから、その婚約者さんが私に何のご用でしょうか。 「私、来年からこちらに通う予定なんですの。だけど、その前に貴女に釘をさしに来ました」 「釘を......?」 なんかやっぱり、お約束な雰囲気だな。 ここは空気読んでわからないフリをしておこう。 なんとなくだけど、その方がいい気がする。 「奏祐様に、近づかないでください。ちょっと奏祐様に良くされているからと、いい気にならないで!」 「いい気になんて、なってませんわ」 むしろ困ってるんですが。 「私、知ってますのよ。貴女、去年の文化祭で奏祐様と一緒に乗馬をされたんでしょう?乗馬くらい、私も奏祐様と一緒にしたことがありますわ」 「はあ、そうなんですの......」 「奏祐様がいるから生徒会に入ったのでしょう?」 「わかってるんですのよ。貴女、奏祐様が好きなんでしょう?」 「でも、私、貴女なんかに負けませんわ!奏祐様は渡しません!」 あのぉ、なにか勘違いをされているのではなくって? 私、蓮見様が好きなわけではなくってよ。 ねぇ、聞いてます? 私がそう言っているのに、彼女は聞く耳を持たず、私を思いっきり睨み付けて去って行った。 人の話を、聞け! ああもう、なんでこんなに人の話を聞いてくれない人たちばかりなの。 私は変な疲れを感じつつ、帰宅をした。 私は制服から着替えたあと、そのままベットにどさりと後ろから倒れこんだ。 疲れた。最後のアレのせいで。 私は黒い巻き毛の彼女の姿を脳裏に思い浮かべた。 橘さんって、年下だったんだ。 今日の橘さんの服装は、桜丘学園の中等部の制服だった。 高等部とデザイン自体はそんなに変わりないのだが、中等部の制服はワンピースタイプなのだ。 因みに男子生徒の制服は白い詰め襟だ。密かに弟に着てもらいたかった衣装だ。 来年から通う、と言っていたということは、今は中3。 あぁ、来年から面倒くさくなりそうだな......。 誤解が解ければいいのだが、話を聞いてくれそうにもないので、誤解を解くのは諦めよう。 少なくとも今年は関わることは少ないはず。 そう信じよう。 取り敢えず、つばき屋のプリンでも食べてリフレッシュしよう! 期間限定のプリンがやっと手に入ったのだ。 私はそう思ってプリンを出してもらうように使用人さんに頼む。 すると、使用人さんは申し訳なさそうな顔をして言った。 「申し訳ありません。先ほど、悠斗様がお召し上がりになったので、もうプリンは残っておりません」 な、なんだって......? プリン楽しみにしてたのに......! 悠斗のばかぁ!! 私はその日、弟に爪が割れる呪いをかけた。 「姉さん、おはよう」 「おはよう、悠斗」 私が支度をすませて朝食を食べていると、弟がやって来た。 弟は浮かない顔をして席に着く。 「どうしたの?元気がないようだけれど......」 「実は、昨日、突然爪が割れたんだ......」 「まあ」 「1つだけならあることだけど、全部の爪が割れて......ちょっと不吉だよね」 「そうね......そういうことって、あるのね」 私はなに食わぬ顔で味噌汁をすする。 出汁が美味しいなぁ。やっぱり朝は白いご飯と味噌汁に限るわぁ。 お祓いに行って来ようかなぁ、とぼやく弟に、私はきっとたまたまよ、と言う。 お祓いは、厄年の時に行けばいいのだ。 ああ、今日はいい日になりそう。 そう思っていたのに、私は朝、階段を登る時に躓いて派手に転んだ。 周りの人たちが心配して声を掛けてくれる。 私は笑顔でありがとう、大丈夫、と言う裏で、心の中を転がり回る。 恥ずかしい!階段で転ぶとか! スカートの中は見られなかったようだが、それでも人がたくさんいる中で転ぶとか、恥ずかしすぎる。 仮にスカートの中を誰かに見られていたら、きっと私は学校にしばらく来れなくなっただろう。 今日は、クマさん柄なのだ。なにがかは察してほしい。 遠くで弟が呆れた顔をしているのを発見し、私は居たたまれなくなった。 人を呪わば穴二つ。 故人の言っていたことは、やはり正しかった。

56 This is the school gate. I will say it again. This. Is. The school gate. And if I were to add more context: I'm at the school gate after the dismissal of cla.s.ses. In short; if you want to say something to me, do it in a place less conspicuous! Is what I would like to tell her. The students that were going home seemed to be deeply interested. Knowing, or maybe not knowing, my feelings, with the same smile she said. "You called yourself Kaguragi Rinksan, right?" "Yes. That's right, but... do you have any business with me?" What would a person, who you never ever exchanged words with, want from ambus.h.i.+ng you at the school gate, I wonder? Other than that convention, I cannot think of anything else. "I'll introduce myself again, I'm called Tachibana Himeka. I'm Sousuke-sama's fiance." The part of "Sousuke-sama's" was said with a lot of force. Okay. I understood that; so, what business does that fiance have with me? "From next year onwards, I plan to attend this school. But before that, I decided to come here to give a warning to the other misses." "Give a warning......?" There really was the atmosphere of that convention. I shall read the air and pretend to not have understood. It's only a hunch; but, I feel like it's better like this. "I would like you to not approach Sousuke-sama. Don't get conceited just because Sousuke-sama treated you a little well!" "Conceited or the like, I wasn't." Rather, I'm troubled. "I know. Miss, you rode a horse together with Sousuke-sama, right? Something of that level, I did it too!" "Haa, is that so......" "You entered the student council because of Sousuke-sama, right?" "I understand, you know. Miss, you like Sousuke-sama, right?" "But--I--won't lose to you! I won't hand Sousuke-sama to you!" Ehm, aren't you misunderstanding something? I'm not in love with Hasumi-sama, you know? Hey, are you listening? Even though I was saying this; without hearing it, she glared at me with all herself and then left. Listen to what people say! Aah mou, why am I surrounded by people that won't listen to what others have to say? While feeling strangely tired, I went home. After changing out of my uniform, I collapsed on my bed with a *thud* and remained like this. So tired. It's because of that Tachibansan. I recalled her black ringlets. Tachibansan was younger. What she was wearing today was Sakuragaoka academy's middle school uniform. The design of the high school uniform in itself doesn't change much; but, the middle school uniform is a one piece type. By the way, the boy's uniform has a white stand-up collar. It was something I secretly wanted my little brother to wear. Since she said that she'd come next year, this meant that she was in her last year of middle school now. Aah--looks like next year will be a pain..... It would be good to solve this misunderstanding, but it looks like she won't listen to me, so I should give up on solving it, I guess. At least she shouldn't affect me much this year. Let's believe that. For the time being, let's refresh myself with the pudding from Tsubaki store! I was able to get on my hands the time limited pudding. Thinking so, I asked the servant to bring it. At that, the servant made an apologetic face and said. "I'm really sorry. Just a while ago, Yuto-sama ate it and there is no more left." Wwhat did you say.....? I was looking forward to it so much.....! Stupid Yutooo!! That day, I put a curse on my little brother to have his nails split. "Nee-san, Good morning." "Good morning, Yuto." My little brother came out while I was eating breakfast I'd prepared. He took a seat with an uncheerful expression. "What's up? You don't look so good......" "Actually, my nails suddenly split yesterday......" "Oh my." "If it was just one, that would be normal, but they all split.....it's a bit ominous, right?" "Right.... These kinds of things happen, mh." I made a face as if it wasn't my business and sipped on the miso soup. The das.h.i.+ is really delicious. As expected, white rice and miso soup are the best in the morning. To my little brother that grumbled, 'I wonder if I should go see an exorcist,' I answered, 'I'm sure it's just a coincidence'. You should go to the exorcist only in your unlucky year. Aah, it looked like this would be a good day. Even though I thought so, I stumbled and loudly fell down the stairs this morning. The surrounding people called out to me, worried. With a smile, I said: 'thanks, I'm fine,' but in my mind, I rolled down again. It's so embarra.s.sing! Something like falling down the stairs! It seemed like no one saw under my skirt; but still, falling down when there are so many people nearby, it's too embarra.s.sing! If someone really did see under my skirt, I wouldn't be able to come to school for a while... Today, I'm wearing k.u.msan. You can guess the rest... Discovering my little brother from afar that looked at me shocked, I wasn't able to remain there a second longer. If you curse someone, the curse will rebound onto you. I guess this old saying was right.

5 やってきました、遠足の日! 班はお友達グループと一緒の班分けになった。 遠足楽しみ! バスの中で友達ときゃっきゃっ騒いで、博物館内では静かにはしゃいだ。 友達と一緒に遠足に行くというのは、どんなところであれテンションが上がるものだ。 博物館の中庭でお友達と楽しくお弁当を食べていると、私の視界の端に見覚えのある人物が映った。 その人物は一人で植物園の方に向かっているようだ。 気になった私は友達に断って、その人物を追う。 私の勘が告げている。美味しいシーンが見れると! 私が追っている人物は、私の大好きなライバルキャラである、 いつもはお友達と一緒にいることの多い彼女が一人で植物園に向かった。 これは、あれだろ。王子との逢い引きだろ。 そんな重要なイベント見逃すわけにはいかない! 二人の、いや、美咲様の幸せを願う会のメンバーとして! ちなみに美咲様の幸せを願う会のメンバーは二人のみだ。私と、蓮見。随時メンバーは募集中である。あなたも二人を陰からこっそり見守りませんか。 いや、そんなことよりも今は目の前のイベントである。 私はストーカーよろしくこそこそと美咲様の後に続き、植物園内に入った。 しばらく進んだところで、予想通りの人物が待っていた。 「昴!ごめんね、待ったでしょう?」 「いや、僕もさっき来たばかりだから」 気にしない、と軽く美咲様のあたまをつつく王子。 それに嬉しそうに微笑む美咲様。 そんな二人を陰からこっそり見守る私。 嗚呼、なんて幸せな光景でしょう。鼻血が出ないか、それだけが心配である。制服白いから汚れたら目立つんだよね。 二人が何か話しているのを屈みながら、植木に隠れてニヤニヤして眺めていた私に冷たい声が掛けられた。 「君、なにしてんの?」 ハッと振り返ると私の背後には蓮見が冷たい目をして私を見ていた。 私の隠れている植木はそんなに背が高くない。私の身長と変わらないくらいだ。 蓮見は背が高いので、植木よりも頭1つ分くらい飛び出ている。 「しっ!隠れて!」 私は蓮見をとっさに押さえつけた。 またおまえか!いいとこなんだぞ!邪魔すんなよ!と私の怒りを込めて思いっきり押し倒した。 「あれ......?」 「どうしたの?」 「いや、今、奏祐の姿を見掛けた気がしたんだけど、気のせいだったみたいだ。奥に行ってみようか、美咲」 「え、ええ」 私は王子たちが奥に行ったのを確認して、ふぅ、と息を吐いた。 危なかった。危うくバレるところだった。 まったく、美咲様の幸せを願う会メンバーとしての自覚が蓮見には足りないのだ。 バレたら折角のデートを台無しにしてしまうではないか。 ぷんぷん怒りながら私は蓮見を見下ろす。 ん?見下ろす?蓮見は私より背が高いのに、なんで私は蓮見を見下ろしてるんだ? 「......ねえ、君、誘ってんの?そういうの、嫌いじゃないけど」 蓮見は私を上目遣いで睨む。 うおお、色っぽい!男なのに、色気が!! 私は慌ててたせいで、蓮見の上に馬乗り状態で乗っていた。これじゃあ、私が誘ってるように見えるよね。誘ってないけどな! 私は顔を青ざめながら、慌てて蓮見の上からどく。 こんなの誰かに見られたらまずい。 私の評判は勿論、神楽木家の評判も落ちてしまう。 やばい、どうしよう。 頭が真っ白になってなにも思いつかない。 とりあえず、謝んなきゃ! 「ご、ごめんなさい。わざとじゃないの......ただ私は」 「昴と美咲の様子を眺めてどうする気なの?君、前から昴を熱心に見てたよね?」 二人の邪魔をするなら容赦しねえぞオーラを蓮見は出している。 ちょっと待って! 誰が誰を熱心に見てたって!? 「誤解ですわ!私は東條様なんか熱心に眺めてません!」 「じゃあどうして二人の様子を見てたの?」 「それは......」 どうする、なんて答える私!? ええい、ままよ!どうにでもなれ! 「私、東條様と美咲様が許嫁だと聞いて、とてもお似合いな二人だと憧れてますの。先ほど美咲様が一人でこちらに向かっているのを見掛けたので、もしかしたら、と思って後をつけたのです。いけないことだとはわかってますわ。でも、どうしても気になって......。そうしたら案の定、幸せそうなお二人を見れて、胸がいっぱいになっていましたの......」 幸せをお裾分けして貰っていたのですわ、とちょっと涙ぐみながら言う。 嘘はついてない。全部本当のことだ。 そんな私を蓮見は胡散臭げに見ている。 む。失礼な!美咲様の幸せを願う気持ちは本物だぞ! 「......君は昴が好きなんじゃないの?」 「私が、おう......東條様を?まさか。話したこともありませんし、私は東條様のお名前を知っているだけですもの、好きになるなんて、ありえませんわ」 「......本当に?」 「ええ。私、嘘はついてません」 私は真っ直ぐ蓮見の顔を見て頷いた。 「わかった、信じよう」 「ありがとうございます、蓮見様......!」 どうやら信じて貰えたようだ。良かった。 ほっと胸を撫で下ろしていると、蓮見が不審そうに私を見ていた。 なんだ。私なんかおかしなことをしたか? 「そういえば、君、なんで俺たちの名前知ってるの?」 はあ?なに今さら言ってんだこいつ。 「なんでもなにも......東條様をはじめ、美咲様と蓮見様は有名でしてよ?東條様は新入生代表でしたし、東條様と蓮見様の名前を聞かない日はありません」 「そうか......それもそうか。ところで、君、名前は?」 「私の名前、ですか......」 言いたくない。でもこれで言わないと不審がられる。 折角信じて貰えたのだから、この信用を無くすわけにはいかない。信用第一! 「神楽木凛花と申します」 「神楽木......ね。覚えた」 名前覚えられちゃったよ......これなんのフラグだ? そうだ、ここで凛花は王子に名前を聞かれるんだった。ちょっと興奮し過ぎて忘れてたよ、そんなイベントがあることを。 実際に名乗ったのは王子に、じゃなくて蓮見に、だったけど。 「君、入学式の時に寝てた子だったよね?」 忘れかけていた古傷を抉られた。 私が顔を強張らせたのを肯定ととったらしい蓮見はにやりと笑った。 「どうやら俺は、君の知られたくない場面を見たようだね?」 「......そのようですわね」 私は苦虫を100匹くらい噛み潰した気持ちで答えた。 「それを言いふらされたくなかったら、俺に協力してよ」 「協力、ですか?」 私は知らず知らずにジリジリと後ろに下がっていたようで、壁に背中が当たった。 なんだろう、この追い詰められてる感じ。 私、もしかして脅されてます? 「そう。俺は昴と美咲がこのまま上手くいってほしいと思っている。だから、それに協力してほしい」 してくれるよね? と笑顔で蓮見が迫ってくる。リアル壁ドンだ。ときめく方じゃなくて脅されている方の。 まじで脅されてた......こ、こわいよぉ。 勿論、王子と美咲様がくっつくのは私の一番望んでいることだ。むしろ望んで協力したい。 だけど、蓮見に協力して大丈夫なのだろうか? 王子に私という存在を知らせることにならないだろうか? 「協力するのはいいのですが......私が変に東條様に近付いたりしたら美咲様に不審がられてしまいますし、東條様に憧れている方たちにも反感を買ってしまいます。ですから、陰でこっそり協力する程度のことなら、協力致します」 「もちろん、それで構わない。じゃあ、よろしく頼むね」 「は、はい......あの、それと、学校で私に話し掛けるのも控えて下さい。蓮見様に憧れている方もたくさんいらっしゃるので」 「わかった。とりあえず、携帯の番号を交換しようか」 わかった、わかったから、壁ドン態勢やめてくれ。 怖いから。 今、人がいなくて良かったと心底思った。 「あら、凛花さん、遅かったですね?」 「ええ......ちょっと怖い犬に襲われそうになって......ちょっと休んでから戻ってきましたの」 「まぁ!大丈夫ですか?バスに戻ります?」 「大丈夫ですわ。でも、そうね、私は先にバスに戻って休むので、皆さんは植物園に行ってらして。私なら大丈夫ですから」 「そうですか......?」 私は大丈夫だからと友達を植物園に送り出し、私は一人バスに戻る。 自分の座席に座ったとたん、どっと疲れが押し寄せた。 どうしてこうなった。私、なにを間違えた? その時、携帯がピロリンと音を鳴らす。 『月曜日、作戦会議をする。場所は追って連絡するので、忘れないように』 からのメールだった。 私の都合は?私の都合聞いてくれないの? 本当に、なんでこんなことになったんだろう......?

5 The day of the trip finally came! I was teamed together with my friends. I'm looking forward to the trip! While in the bus my friends were noisily going kya kyaa, at the museum they were quietly frolicing. Going on a trip with your friends is something that would make your excitement go up no matter the place. When I was happily eating my bento in the museum's courtyard with my friends, a familiar person entered my vision. It appears that person is heading towards the botanical gardens alone. Curious, I excused myself from my friends and chased after that person. My sixth sense is telling me I will see a delicious scene! The person I am pursuing is my beloved rival character, Minase Miku-sama. She usually is accompanied by her friends, but this time she's going alone to the botanical gardens. This must be that, right? A rendezvous with the prince, right? I absolutely can't miss such an important event! I wish happiness for both, no, for Miku-sama's happiness as a member of her fan club. By the way, Miku-sama's 'Wis.h.i.+ng Happiness' fan club has only two members, Hasumi and I. We recruit new members at any time. Won't you stealthily watch over the two of them with us too? No, more importantly, there's an event unfolding in front of me. I entered the garden after Miku-sama, stealthily following her like the perfect stalker. At the place we soon arrived at, the person I expected was waiting. "Subaru! Sorry, did I keep you waiting?" "No, I just arrived a while ago." Don't mind it, said the prince whilst lightly stroking Miku-sama's head. Miku-sama smiled happily from that. And I, stealthily watching them from the shade. Ah, it's such a blessed sight. I am only worried about whether I'll have a nosebleed. Since the uniform is white, it would be conspicuous if stained. Leaning over, the two of them were talking about something. While I was hidden behind the garden shrubs, grinning at the sight, a cold voice spoke. "You, what are you doing?" Taken aback, I looked over my shoulder and found Hasumi staring at me with chilly eyes. The plants I am hiding behind aren't that tall. They are just about my height. Because Hasumi is tall, his head protrudes over the garden shrubs. "Shh! Hide!" I instantly pinned Hasumi down. You again! It was at such a good part too! Don't get in my way! Like that, with my wrath and all my strength included, I pushed him down. "Are......?" "What's wrong?" "No, I feel like I saw Sousuke's figure right now, but it seem like it was just my imagination. Shall we go look inside, Miku?" "Oh, yes." Confirming they went inside, I breathe out with fuu. That was a close call. I was almost found out. Really, it seem like Hasumi has not enough self-awareness as a Miku-sama's 'Wis.h.i.+ng Happiness' fan club member. If we were exposed, wouldn't we have spoiled the long awaited date? While feeling angry I looked down at Hasumi. Nh? Look down? Hasumi is taller than me, why would I be looking down at him? ".......hey, are you inviting me? Though, I don't dislike it." Hasumi stared up at me. Uoo, hot! Even though he is a man he has such s.e.x appeal!!" Because I was in a rush I mounted on Hasumi in a horse riding position. It really looks like I am inviting him, right? I am not though! My face paled and I got off from above Hasumi. It would be bad if someone saw us like this. Not only my reputation, but the reputation of the Kaguragi household would drop too. c.r.a.p, what should I do? My head turned white and couldn't think of anything. For the time being, I must apologize! "S-sorry. It wasn't on purpose.......I was just." "What are you doing, looking at Subaru and Miku's state? You, since before you've been zealously looking at Subaru right?" Hasumi emanated an aura of if you are going to get in their way, I won't be merciful. Wait a moment! Who was zealously looking at who!? "This is a misunderstanding! I wasn't zealously looking at Tojo-sama!" "Then why were you looking at the situation between them?" "That's......" What do I do, what do I answer, me!? Well, whatever! Whatever happens will happen! "I heard that Tojo-sama and Miku-sama were engaged and thinking that they really suit each other, admired them. Earlier I saw Miku-sama going here alone, I thought perhaps she's going to meet with Tojo-sama, and followed her. I know that I shouldn't have done it. But, I just couldn't help being curious...... and then, when I saw the two of them looking so happy, my chest was filled with warmth........" It was as if they were sharing their happiness, and that made me tear up a bit. There's no lie. Everything is true. Hasumi looked at such a me with suspicion. Whoa. That's rude! My feelings on wis.h.i.+ng for Miku-sama's happiness are genuine! ".......didn't you like Subaru?" "Me, towards.....Tojo-sama? No way. I have never talked to him, and only know his name, I really don't like him you know" ".......really?" "Yes. I'm not lying." I looked straight at Hasumi's face and nodded. "I understand, I'll believe you." "Thank you very much, Hasumi-sama.........!" Seems like he believed me. Thank G.o.d. When I softly caressed my chest in relief, Hasumi looked at me with doubt. What is it? Did I perhaps do something strange? "By the way, how do you know our names?" Haa? The h.e.l.l is this fellow saying now. "In one way or another.......starting from Tojo-sama, Miku-sama and Hasumi-sama are famous you know? Tojo-sama was even the new student representative, there isn't a day I don't hear Tojo-sama and Hasumi-sama's names." "I see......so it's like this. By the way, what's your name?" "My name, mh....." I don't want to say it. However if I don't say it he'll get suspicious. Since I finally got him to believe me with such pains, I cannot lose this trust. Trust is first! "My name is Kaguragi Rinka." "Kaguragi......right. I'll remember it." He learned my name......What's this flag? Right, this place is where the prince heard Rinka's name. I was a little too excited and forgot there was such an event. Actually, the prince did hear my name from Hasumi. "The girl that slept during the entrance ceremony speech is you, right?" He gouged up an old scar I was trying to forget. My stiffened face seemed to affirm it because Hasumi laughed with a broad grin. "It appears like I've seen a scene you don't want to be known?" ".......seems like it, right?" I responded feeling like I've chewed 100 bitter bugs. "If you don't want a rumor to spread about then cooperate with me." "Cooperate you say?" It seems like I unconsciously backed up slowly, my back touched the wall, I wonder, what's this feeling of being cornered. Am I perhaps being threatened? "So. I wish that the thing between Subaru and Miku will proceed well like this. That's why, I would like your cooperation." You will, huh? Smiled Hasumi as he drew near. It's a real kabedon. Not the throbbing kind but threatening. I'm seriously being threatened......s-scary. Of course, my greatest desire is for the prince and Miku-sama to stay together. Rather, I do want to cooperate. But, is it really ok to collaborate with Hasumi? Will he keep my existence a secret from the prince? "It's fine for me but......if I get suspiciously close to Tojo-sama, I fear Miku-sama will be distrusting and I will attract hostility from the people that admire Tojo-sama. So, if it's just on the degree of secret cooperation, I will do it." "Of course, I don't mind that. Well then, I'm counting on you." "Y-yes....ehm, please refrain from talking to me at school. There are a lot of people that admire Hasumi-sama too." "I understand. Let's exchange phone numbers for now." You understand? If you really understand would you stop the kabedon please. It's scary. I'm glad that there were no other people here. "Ara, Rinksan, you're late?" "Err......I was attacked by a dog, it was a little scary......so I had a short rest before returning." "Oh my! Are you okay? Shall we return to the bus?" "I'm fine. But, yeah, I will go ahead of you to the bus first and rest. You girls can continue to the botanical gardens without me, I'll be fine by myself." "Is that so......?" Saying I am fine, I sent my friends back to the botanical gardens, and I went back to the bus alone. Right when I sat down, I felt fatigue descend upon me. Why did this happen? Have I made some kind of mistake? At that moment the pirorin sound of a mobile phone rang. {On Monday we will have a strategy meeting. I'll contact you later with more details, make sure you don't forget.} It was an e-mail from the black bellied b.a.s.t.a.r.d. What of my plans? You're not going to ask about my plans? Really, why did this happen......?

8 蓮見は寛いだ様子で座っている。 それがまた様になっていて、さすが本物のお坊っちゃんだと感心する。 「何か頼みなよ。おすすめは紅茶かコーヒー」 「では紅茶を頂きます。ここにはよく来られるんですか?」 「たまに。ここの店主は元々うちにいた人で、昔から世話になっているんだ」 困った。そういえば私、蓮見との共通の話題を持っていなかった。 どうしよう、なに話そう? 「君、悠斗のお姉さんなんだって?」 私が話題を探していると、蓮見の方から話題をふってきた。 そのことにホッとしつつ、私は答えた。 「ええ。弟がお世話になっているみたいですわね?」 「いや、悠斗は優秀だから俺がわざわざ世話をする必要はなかった」 「まあ、そうなんですか?弟は蓮見様にお世話になったと言っておりましたけれど」 弟を誉められて私は内心テンションが上がる。 よくわかってるじゃないか蓮見。 そうだとも、私の弟はすごく優秀なんだよ! 「俺よりも昴の方が世話してたと思うけど」 「そうなのですか、そう、東條様に......」 王子の名前に私のテンションが下がる。 王子にはお礼を言えないな......言う機会を作る気もないけど。 でも可愛い弟がお世話になっているのだ......よし、ここは心の中でお礼を言おう。 ありがとう、これからも弟と仲良くしてやってください。私とは関わらなくて結構なので。 「君はどうして昴を避けるの?」 「別に避けては......」 「顔を合わせないようにするのを避けると言うんだけど、知ってる?」 ぐっ。コイツ私を馬鹿にしてるな? 私は馬鹿はバカでも勉強はできるお馬鹿なのだ。 「それくらい知ってます」 「じゃあ、なんで避けてるわけ?」 「顔を合わせたくないからですわ」 「だからその理由を聞いてるんだけど」 「あなたに教える必要が?」 「必要はないけど、興味はある。だって、珍しいだろ。昴を避ける女なんて」 私は蓮見の質問をのらりくらりと返す。 教えられるわけないでしょう。私には前世の記憶があってこの世界は少女漫画の世界で私はヒロインで王子と結ばれるのを回避したいから王子を避けてるなんて、言えない。言えるわけない。 「世の中に女性はたくさんいるんですもの、東條様を避ける女性だって私の他にもいますわ、きっと」 「......理由を言う気はないと?」 「私の理由を知りたいのなら、あなたの理由も教えてほしいですわ」 「俺の理由?」 「ええ。どうしてわざわざ東條様と美咲様をくっつけようとされるのですか?お二人はこのままいけば婚約してご結婚なさるでしょう」 理由は知ってる。でもそれは漫画での知識で、実際に蓮見に聞いたことじゃない。 私は蓮見の言葉で理由を聞きたいのだ。 「......確かにそうだ。でもそれは“確定”じゃない」 「“確定”じゃないと駄目なんですか?」 「......そう、“確定”じゃないと“駄目”なんだ」 「どうして?」 普段の私ならこれ以上突っ込まない。でも私はあえて食い下がった。 そうしないと私の一番聞きたいことが聞けないから。 「それは......」 蓮見は言いかけて。口を閉じる。 私は彼が言い出すまで待つ。そう決めた。 「お待たせ致しました、コーヒーと紅茶です」 沈黙が支配し始めた時、空気を読んだかのようなタイミングで店主が現れた。 優雅な手付きでコーヒーを蓮見の前に置き、紅茶はその場で淹れてくれた。 コーヒーと紅茶の良い香りが漂う。 私と蓮見は早速、紅茶とコーヒーを頂いた。 美味しい。 今まで飲んだ紅茶の中で一番美味しい。 淹れ方もあるのだろうが、たぶん茶葉だ。数種類の茶葉がブレンドされているのだろう。私好みの味だ。 と、すっかり舌の肥えた私は推測した。 「とても美味しい......」 「ありがとうございます、お嬢様。お嬢様のお口に合ったようでなりよりにございます」 おじいさんは嬉しそうに笑い、優雅に一礼して戻って行った。 「懐かしいな......」 蓮見は目を細めて柔らかく笑って言った。 「父に話しづらいことを言う時に、いつもこうして飲み物を淹れてくれたんだ。少しでもリラックスをできるように、と」 「まぁ。素敵な思い出ですね」 「ああ。あの人には本当にお世話になりっぱなしだ」 そう言ってどこかに一瞬目を向け、腹を括ったように蓮見は真っ直ぐに私を見た。 「さっきの続きだけど、“確定”じゃないと“駄目”なのは、俺が、諦めたいからなんだ」 「なにを、諦めたいのですか」 「美咲を、諦めたいんだ。俺は、美咲のことが好きだ。だから、美咲を諦めたい」 真剣な眼差しを向けられ、私は胸が高鳴るのを感じた。 この高鳴りはやっと望み通りの言葉を聞けたからなのか、それとも......――― 「美咲は昴の事が好きなんだ。昴も美咲のことを恋愛ではないけど、大切にしてる。二人が両想いになればすべてが丸く収まる。俺のこの気持ちは、要らないんだ」 少し辛そうに蓮見は言った。 蓮見は自分の気持ちは要らないと今まで思ってきたのだろうか。 そんなの悲しすぎる。だって、蓮見の気持ちは悪いことじゃないのに。 「......自分の気持ちを否定するのは良くないですわ。美咲様と東條様と3人で過ごした楽しい思い出も、美咲様たちに幸せになってほしいと思っている気持ちも、全部合わせて美咲様への想いでしょう?それを要らないというのは違うのではありませんか?あなたの気持ちは要らないものではないわ」 私も蓮見から目をそらさずに言う。 蓮見は驚いたように目を見開き、ふいっと目線をそらした。 「......まさか君の口からそんな台詞が聞けるとはね」 「............どういう意味です?」 人が折角励ましてやってるのに! なんて失礼な奴なんだ! 私が一人でプリプリ怒っていると、蓮見にしては珍しく気まずそうな顔をして言った。 「.........ありがとう」 私はきょとん、として、思わず彼の顔を見た。 よく見ると彼の顔と耳がほんのり赤い。 やだ、蓮見も可愛いとこあるじゃないか。 とにかく、珍しいものを見れた。

8 Hasumi sat in a relaxed state. He still could appear like this, as expected of a true young master I admired. "You can order something. I recommend tea or coffee." "Then I'll have tea. Do you come here often?" "Occasionally. The shopkeeper here was originally someone from my house, he looked after me when I was younger." I'm stumped. Now that I think about it, me and Hasumi have no common topics. What to do, what shall we talk about? "Say, you are Yuto's nee-san, right?" When I was still looking for a topic, Hasumi came up with something first. While feeling relieved at that, I responded. "Yes. It seem like my little brother had been in your care?" "No, since Yuto is excellent there was no need for me to expressively look after him." "Maa, is it really like this? My brother has said that Hasumi-sama had taken care of him though." Tension rose inside me at having my little brother praised. You seem to have got it nicely Hasumi. Even so, my little brother is amazingly excellent! "I think it was more Subaru that looked after him than me though." "Is that so, I see, it was Tojo-sama......" My tension dropped at the mention of the prince's name. I can't say thanks to the prince though......and I don't even feel like making a chance either. But he has been taking care of my cute little brother...fine, I'll thank him, here in my mind. Thank you, please continue to get along with my brother. I don't want to get involved so I'm fine like this. "Why are you avoiding Subaru?" "I'm not really avoiding......" "Not meeting him face to face is called avoiding, you know?" Guh. Is this fellow treating me like an idiot? For being an idiot, I am an idiot, but I am an idiot that does well in studies. "I know that." "Then, what's the reason for you to avoid him?" "I simply don't want to meet him." "That's why I'm asking you for the reason." "Do you need to know?" "I don't really need it, but I'm interested. I mean, that's unusual right. A woman that avoids Subaru." I returned Hasumi's question. It's not like I can tell him, right? I can't say that I have my previous life's memories, this is a shoujo manga's world and, because I am the heroine, I don't want to be tied to the prince, so I am avoiding him. It's not like I don't want to say it though. "There are many women in society, so there must surely be other women that avoid Tojo-sama." ".....without any reasons?" "If you want to know my reason, then I wish to hear yours too." "My reason?" "Yes. Why do you want those two to stay together? If things go on like this, they will get engaged and then marry." I know why. But that's just knowledge from the manga, I didn't actually hear it from Hasumi. I want to hear it from Hasumi's mouth. "......it certainly is like you said. But that still isn't 'definite.'" "Is it no good unless it's 'definite?'" ".......yes, it's 'no good' unless it's 'definite.'" "Why?" The usual me wouldn't have asked. But I persisted. If I don't do so, I won't be able to hear what I want to hear the most. "That's....." Said Hasumi. Then he closed his mouth. I decided that I'll wait until he says it. "I've kept you waiting, here is the coffee and tea." When silence started to rule, as if reading the mood, the shopkeeper appeared. He put coffee in front of Hasumi with elegance, and brewed my tea on the spot. The pleasant scent of coffee and tea reached me. Hasumi and I quickly sip our drinks. Delicious. It's the most delicious tea I've drunk till now. It probably is from the technique he used to brew it, perhaps because of the tea leaves too. He blended a variety of tea leaves in it, right? This flavor is to my liking. So, guessed my tongue after tasting it. "It's really delicious....." "Thank you very much, ojou-sama. I'm most thankful that it appears to be of your taste." Oji-san laughed looking happy, after bowing elegantly he went back. "That's nostalgic....." Said Hasumi, narrowing his eyes and softly laughing. "When it was hard to speak to my father, he always came to deliver us drinks. Making us relax a bit." "My, that's a wonderful memory." "Aah. That person really did look after me." He said and, in an instant, he looked straight to my eyes. "To continue the talk from earlier, the reason that it's 'no good' unless It's 'definite,' is because I want to give up." "What is the thing you want to give up?" "I want to give up on Miku. I like Miku. That's why I want to give up on her" At being faced with his serious look, I felt my chest throbbing. Is this violent throbbing from finally hearing what I wanted? Or is that......------ "Miku is in love with Subaru. What Subaru feels towards her isn't love, but he treasures her. If both of them feel affection towards each other, everything will be settled. I don't need those feelings." Hasumi, a bit harshly, said. I wonder if Hasumi thought that he didn't need his emotions till now. That's just too sad. I mean, Hasumi's feelings aren't bad. "......It's not good to deny your own emotions. Miku-sama and Tojo-sama, the fun memories the three of you pa.s.sed with each other too, the feeling of wanting them to be happy too, are all thoughts to match Miku-sama, right? Isn't it wrong to say that you don't need them? Your feelings aren't something to be thrown away." I said to Hasumi without diverting my eyes. Hasumi's eyes opened wide from the surprise, and then averted them. "......I didn't expect to hear that from your mouth of all people." "............what do you mean?" Even though someone is trying to encourage you through your pains! What a rude fellow! While I was fuming with anger by myself, Hasumi made a rare awkward face, and said. ".........thank you." Blankly, without thinking, I stared at his face. If I looked closely, I could see his face and ears were slightly red. Yada, doesn't Hasumi have a cute part too? In any case, I saw something rare.

なんとか無事に入学式を乗り切った私は、気分上々で教室に向かった。 桜丘学園は小学部から大学部まであるエスカレーター式の学校だ。 そのため、小学部からの繰り上がり組が大多数だ。ちなみに王子とライバルキャラも小学部からである。 それゆえに、クラスではもうグループが出来上がっていて、編入組は肩身せまい思いをする。 しかし今の私にはそんなことは些細なことである。 なぜなら私は今、機嫌がいいから! グループの中にどうやって入るかなんて些細な問題だ。そんなものなんとかなるに決まっている。 仮にぼっちになったらなったで、私は心ゆくまで王子とライバルキャラを見守るまでだ。 ......さみしくなんかない。ええ、さみしくなんてありませんとも。 まあ、できればライバルキャラのグループの下の下くらいに入りたい。眺め易いから。とにかく今は次のフラグを折ることに専念しよう。 1年ではセカコイの主要キャラとはクラスは一緒にならないので、クラスは安心だ。クラスでフラグが立つ心配はほぼない。 クラスのメンバーの自己紹介をぼんやりと聞いて、自分の自己紹介は適当に言っておく。 そして入学式の1日が終了する。 うん、これからが本番だけどね。 入学式のあと王子と凛花は出会い頭にぶつかる、と言うシーンがあるのだ。 そこで入学式の時に目が合っていれば、王子の方から君とはさっき目があったね、運命的だね、なんて言われてしまうのだ。 なんて恥ずかしい台詞だろうか。それを普通に言える王子はなんて恥ずかしい奴なんだろうか。少女漫画のイケメンだから許されるが。 そんなこと言われたら、私なら引く。どんなイケメンだろうが、リアルに言われたらドン引きする。 そんな羞恥プレイを避けるために、入学式に彼と目が合わないように気を付けた。 結果は良好。きっと羞恥プレイは避けることができたはずだ。 出会い頭にぶつかるのを避ければいいのでは、とも考えたが、漫画の補正みたいな力で無理やり出会い頭でぶつかるはめになる可能性もあるため、目を合わせないようにするのが確実だと判断した。 目を合わせないようにするのは私の意志の力でなんとかなりそうだし。 でも、王子と直接会うのはできれば避けたい。 一目惚れされても困るのだ。少女漫画のヒロインたる私は美少女なのである。そういう可能性もゼロじゃない。と言うか、漫画だと一目惚れだったような気がする。 私の方は一目惚れという可能性はないけど、向こうはわからない。 と言うわけで、私は王子とぶつかる予定の場所を避けて帰ることにした。 本当は王子が帰ったのを確認してから下校すればよいのだろうが、今日は用事がある。 私の入学祝いに家族でディナーをするのだ。フランス料理だ。 そのディナーのための支度をしなければならないから早く帰ってくるように、と母から仰せつかっている。 母の命には逆らってはならないのが神楽木家の掟だ。破ったらなんて、考えたくもない。 私はフランス料理、と頭の中で唱えながら歩く。 曲がり角は慎重に進んだ。どれも呆気なくクリア。 そのことに更に調子に乗った私は誰も見ていないことをいいことに、スキップをして鼻歌まで歌いながら進む。 「ふん、ふふん、ふーん♪」 ご機嫌な私は横から急いでこちらに向かってきていた人影に気づかなかった。 突然ドンと衝撃が走り、私は後ろに弾け飛ばされそうになる。 寸前のところで、目の前から延びてきた手に引っ張られて、尻餅をつくという醜態をさらさずに済んだ。 ん?ちょっと待って。 この状況、なんか見覚えがあるんですけど? 「ごめん、大丈夫か?」 上の方から聞こえたのは想像したのとは違う声だった。 良かった、フラグ折り損なったのかと思った。 私はほっとしつつ、目の前にいる人物を見て息をのむ。 彼は王子とは正反対のイケメンだ。 王子が柔らかくて温かいイメージなら、彼は冷たくて硬質なイメージだ。 そんな彼を私は知っていた。彼はセカコイの主要人物だ。 王子の親友、 作中で王子と彼を太陽と月に例えられていたが、まさにそのイメージにぴったりな二人である。 私は、彼の情報を思い出しつつ、良いとこのお嬢様っぽく答える。猫かぶりは得意だ。 「ええ、大丈夫ですわ」 ちょっとはにかんでみた。どうだ、私のお嬢様っぷりは! 「君は............?ああ」 彼は私の顔を見てちょっと考えて込む仕草をしたあと笑った。 「入学式の最中に爆睡してたやつか」 「............なんのことですの?身に覚えがありませんわ?」 答えるのにたっぷり間を置いてしまった。 なんで知ってるんだ?!見てたのか!?見てたとしか考えられないけど! 「よだれ」 ハッとして私は思わず口元を拭う。 ってちがう!これじゃあ認めたと同じじゃないか! 「......君、面白いな。とにかく、怪我はないな?」 「ええ、なんともありません」 面白い?どこが! と突っ込みたいのを理性で押さえつけた。 私はお嬢様、私はお嬢様なのだ。 「なら、良かった。急いでるのでこれで」 「ええ、ごきげんよう」 私から遠ざかりかけてた彼が不意に振り返り、意地の悪そうな笑みを浮かべて言った。 「入学式のことは黙っていてやる。さっき、鼻歌歌いながらスキップしてたことも、な?」 そうして今度こそ彼は去っていった。 .........なんなの、あの男! 結局私、羞恥プレイじゃないか! しかも自分のことだけに、なお恥ずかしいぞ。 これが少女漫画の補正なのか......いや、そうであってくれ。 でないと私、恥ずかしくて死ねる。

While somehow managing to get through the entrance ceremony, I head to my cla.s.sroom in superb mood. Sakuragaoka Academy was an escalator system school which ranged from elementary school to university. For that reason, there was a great increase in number in the elementary school division. By the way, the prince and the rival character were from the elementary school division. Because of that, the groups in this cla.s.s were already formed, making the newly admitted students be in the minority group. However that's a trivial thing for the current me. Because I'm in a good mood right now! How to get in a group was a trivial problem. That kind of thing would settle itself in a way or another. If my status as a temporary loner would remain, then let it be. I am content with just watching over the prince and the rival character. ......It's not like I'd be lonely. Yes, I would certainly not feel lonely. Maa, if possible, I would like to enter the group of the rival character as the underling of the underling. Because it would be easy to look at them. Anyway, I shall devote myself to break the next flag now. Since in the first year I was not in the same cla.s.s as the princ.i.p.al characters, I felt safe in cla.s.s. And I had almost no worries about raising flags in cla.s.s. I absentmindedly listened to the self-introduction of the members of the cla.s.s and half-heartedly self-introduced myself. And the first day for the new student ended. Un, this is the crucial moment, though. It's the kind of scene where the prince and Rinka would come across each other and b.u.mp their head after the entrance ceremony. And then by having their eyes matched during the entrance ceremony speech, the prince would end up saying 'Our eyes have met earlier, it must be fate'. What embarra.s.sing lines, right? How embarra.s.sing is this prince fellow for being able to say that normally? Is this pardoned because he is the ikemen of a shoujo manga? If such a thing was told to me, I would've pulled back. No matter how much of an ikemen he is, I would draw back if someone said that in real life. I tried not to look at him in the eye during the entrance ceremony for the sake of avoiding such an embarra.s.sing play. The result was satisfactory. I should have warded off that embarra.s.sing scenario. It's fine if I just avoid b.u.mping each other heads, or so I thought, but in case there is a manga correction force that forcibly make me follow the clas.h.i.+ng panel, then not matching eyes with him was a sound decision. I would somehow manage not to look at him in the eye with the force of my determination. But still, if possible I preferred not to meet the prince directly. It would be a problem if he were to fall in love at first sight. To be worthy to be a shoujo manga heroine, I am a beauty. The said possibility wasn't zero. Or rather, I felt like he would fell in love like that in the manga. There's no way I'd fall in love at first sight, but I don't know if it's the same for the other party. So, I decided to avoid the place where there is planned the clas.h.i.+ng and go back. Actually it would be good to check if the prince had returned home but I have things to do today. I'd have dinner with my family to celebrate my entrance to school. With french cuisine. I have to return home quickly for the preparation of the dinner that have to be done, or so I was commanded by my mother. It's a law in the Kaguragi household that said to never go against mother. If that was violated, I don't want to think of the consequences. I walked while chanting, French cuisine, inside my head. I advanced on the turning corner with prudence. Every way is disappointingly clear. I Advanced while skipping and humming a tune as I didn't see anyone, I got ahead of myself. "Fun, fufun, fu-n " The me who was in a good mood, didn't notice the figure of a person that was coming this way in a hurry. With an abrupt bang impact, I was about to fall on my back. A hand stretched out in front of my eyes, right when I was about to fall, something was pulling me and sparing me from the disgraceful thing of falling on my bottom. Nh? Wait a moment. This situation is kind of familiar? "I'm sorry, are you alright?" The voice I heard was different from the one I expected. Thanks G.o.d, I thought I failed breaking the flag. I felt relieved and took a deep breath looking at the person in front of me. He was the exact opposite ikemen of the prince. If the prince has a gentle and warm image, then he has a cold and stiff one instead. I know him. He is a main character of Sekakoi. The prince's best friend, Hasumi Sousuke. In the story, he was ill.u.s.trated as the moon while the prince was the sun. However, that image really describe them. While I recalled his information, I gave him a good ojou-sama styled answer. Feigning innocence is my specialty. "Yes, I'm fine" Looking a bit bashful. Now, how is my ojou-sama style! "You are............? Aah" After looking at my face for a while, as he thought of something, he laughed. "The fellow that fell asleep in the middle of the entrance ceremony" "..........What are you talking about? I have no recollection?" Even though I answered, it was with plenty of pause. How do you know?! Where were you looking!? I can only think of this possibility!" "Drool" Taken aback, I wiped my mouth without thinking. W-wait! Isn't this like I admitted it! "......You, you are interesting. Anyway, you're not injured right?" "Yes, nothing wrong" Interesting? Where exactly!" Or so I wanted to reply, but my reason suppressed it. I'm an Ojou-san, I am an Ojou-sama. "Good. I'm in a hurry so.." "Yes, gokigen'yo" After going far from me, he suddenly turned his head, and with an evil smile floating on his lips, he said. "I'll keep silent about the thing at the entrance ceremony. And, the fact that earlier you were humming while skipping too, huh?" And this time, he truly left. ........What's the problem with that guy! Haven't I entered an embarra.s.sing scenario! Moreover it was only me who got greater embarra.s.sment. Is this the correction of the shoujo manga? ......Iya, please let it be this. If not, I'll die from embarra.s.sment.

文化祭当日、文化祭は賑わっていた。 桜丘学園では完全チケット制で、チケットを持っていないと入場できないことになっている。 桜丘学園には大手企業の子息・令嬢が大勢通っているため、その関係者が多く押し寄せる。 辺りを見渡せば、見たことのある顔をちらほら見掛ける。たまに俺に挨拶をしてくる人もいる。俺は失礼のないように挨拶を返し、見回りを再開する。 「君も大変だな」 俺と一緒に見回りをしている飛鳥が言った。 なにが楽しくて男と2人きりで文化祭を見回らなきゃならないのだろうと思わなくもないが、仕事なので仕方がない。 「まあ......これくらい普通だろ」 「いや、普通ではないと思うが......」 「なんというか......さすが蓮見だな」 飛鳥はそう言って苦笑した。男の俺から見ても飛鳥は格好良いと思う。昴とは違った意味で、だ。 ―――あいつも、こういう奴がタイプなんだろうか? いやいや、そんなこと考えるだけ無駄だ。 でも確かあいつの好みって、顔が整っていてすらりとしているけどちゃんと筋肉がついている奴だったか。 飛鳥もそれに当てはまるんじゃないだろうか。 いやいや、だから、考えるな俺。 俺がそんな葛藤をしていると、飛鳥がふいに足を止め、どこか一点を見つめた。 「どうかした?」 「いや、あちらが騒がしいなと思ってな......」 「確かに。行ってみようか?」 「ああ、そうしよう」 俺と飛鳥は騒ぎのする方へ向かう。 なんとなく騒ぎの原因に心当たりがあるが、どうか外れるように俺は願う。 そして、騒ぎの中心にいたのは、予想通りの人物だった。 「きゃあああ!東條様素敵ぃいいぃい!!」 「ねえ、あそこにいる方はどなた?」 「あれは、神楽木家の悠斗様よ。ほら、1年に神楽木さんがいるでしょう?あの方の弟よ」 「まあ、そうなの。弟さん、素敵ねぇ......」 「東條様と悠斗様......とても絵になるお二人だわ......」 俺はため息をつきそうになるのを堪えた。 予想通り、騒ぎの原因は昴だった。昴だけじゃなく悠斗も騒ぎの発端になっているようだ。 昴と悠斗は馬術部の乗馬体験をしていた。昴は白馬に、悠斗は葦毛の馬に跨がっていた。確かにこれは絵になる。 しかしどうして2人で乗馬しているのだろう?悠斗、姉はどうした。 辺りを見渡せば、彼女が離れた場所で憤怒の表情を浮かべて睨んでいた。弟との時間を取られたのが悔しいのだろう。取り返したくても相手が昴では目の前に飛び出せないため、睨むことしかできないというところか。 「やぁ、奏祐じゃないか」 「蓮見さん、お久しぶりです」 俺に気付いた2人が馬に乗ったまま、俺に近づいてくる。 俺と飛鳥の存在に気付いた女子たちがまた騒ぐが、慣れている俺には気にならない。だが、飛鳥は違うようで、困ったようにしている。 「昴、悠斗。楽しんでるみたいだな」 「当たり前だろう。折角の文化祭なんだし、楽しまなきゃ損だろ?」 「まあ、そうだね」 「奏祐もどう?あ、飛鳥君も一緒か。乗馬、楽しいよ。2人とも一緒にやらないか?」 「悪いけど、俺たち見回り中だから、またあとでね」 「すまない、東條」 「あ、そっか。生徒会だっけ?大変だね」 昴が同情したように言った時、澄んだ声が昴の名を呼ぶ。 「昴!」 「ああ、美咲」 美咲が小走りで昴のところに近寄る。 昴は馬を降りた。 「ごめんなさい、待ったかしら......」 「いいや。ちょうど悠斗君が近くにいて、付き合ってくれたから、平気だよ」 「まあ、そうなの?昴に付き合ってくれて、ありがとう、悠斗くん」 「いえ。オレも良い気分転換になりました」 「じゃあ、馬を返してくるよ。ちょっと待ってて」 昴と悠斗が馬を返しに戻ると、美咲は俺たちを見てにっこり笑った。そして手に持っていたお菓子が入っていると思われる包みを俺たちに差し出す。 「2人とも、見回りお疲れ様。これ、さっき買ったの。良かったら食べてね?」 「ありがとう、助かるよ、美咲」 「ありがとう」 すぐに昴と悠斗が戻ってきて、昴と美咲は去っていき、悠斗も姉の所へ行くと言って去っていった。 チラリとさっき彼女がいた方を見れば、彼女はちゃんと美咲と昴を目で追っていたようで、俺と目が合うと小さく親指を立てた。 彼女は相変わらずだ。俺は頬を緩める。そんな彼女も可愛いく見えるのだから、恋は盲目とはよく言ったものだ。 って違う。俺はまだ完全に認めたわけではない。 「蓮見?俺たちも行くぞ?」 「あ、ああ」 俺は雑念を振り払うように飛鳥に続いた。 見回りをしている最中、然り気無く、前の見回りの様子を飛鳥に聞く。 普通に見回って終わったそうだ。それを聞いて安心する。 やがて飛鳥との見回りも終わり、俺たちは解散した。次は1時間後だ。それまで人気のないところで休んでいよう。 そう考えた俺は人気のない所を探し、ブラブラする。 途中でうるさい女たちに捕まりそうになったがなんとか逃げ切った。 中庭に出た俺は人気のないところを探す。この学園の中庭は広く、出店も出ているが使っているのは中庭の一部のみだ。 だから、きっと人目につかない場所があるはずだ。 俺は出店のあるエリアを抜け、人気のないところを探して歩く。 結局、いつも彼女と待ち合わせをする場所で休むことにした。 俺は木の影に座り目をつむる。このまま、少しの間だけ眠ろう。 「......みさま......蓮見様、起きてください、蓮見様!」 誰かに揺さぶられて俺は目を覚ます。 ゆっくりと瞼を開けば、困ったような顔をしている彼女の顔が近くにあった。 「.........神楽木?」 俺の意識が一気に覚醒した。 ちょっと、顔が近くないか?この間あんなことされたばっかりなのに、危機感なさすぎないか?それとも俺は信用されてるってことなんだろうか? 俺は感情が表に出にくい。それで不都合を招くこともあるが、この時ばかりは感情の出にくい自分の顔に感謝する。こんな混乱している心情が顔に出たら堪らない。 そんな俺の気持ちなんて知らずに、彼女はほっとしたように俺を見ていた。 「目が覚めまして?もう、見回りの時間ですわ。早く行きましょう」 「............」 「蓮見様?どこか具合が悪いのですか?」 気持ちを落ち着かせるために黙り込んだ俺を心配した彼女が俺の額に触れる。 白く長い、きれいな手。俺はぼんやりとその手を見つめた。 「熱はないようですね......具合が悪いのなら、私1人で見回りをしますので、蓮見様は休んでいてください」 「あ、いや。大丈夫。別に体調は悪くない。少しぼんやりしていただけなんだ」 彼女は小さく首を傾げて、俺の額に当てていた手を離す。俺は無意識にその手を掴んだ。 「蓮見様?」 「あ......ごめん」 俺は慌てて手を離す。なにしてるんだろう、俺は。 「やっぱり、少しおかしいですわ。休んでいた方が......」 「大丈夫。行こう」 俺は心配した彼女の言葉をはね除けて立ち上がる。 彼女はまだ心配そうにしていたが、何も言わなかった。 そして俺たちは歩き出した。 見回りをしている間、俺たちは無言だった。 いつもはお喋りな彼女も今日は無口だ。 ......気まずい。いつもどうやって彼女と話していたんだろう、俺は。 昨日、俺と彼女が一緒に見回りをすると彼女から聞いたらしい美咲に電話で「折角2人きりで文化祭を回れるのだから、良い雰囲気になったら告白をするように」と言われたが、とてもじゃないがそんなの無理だ。「ストレートにぶつからないと、鈍感な凛花さんには伝わらないわ」と言われても、無理なものは無理なのだ。 「蓮見様」 「なに」 内心の焦りを全く出さずに俺は振り返って彼女を見る。 「少し、ここで待っていてくれませんか」 「なんで?」 「ちょっと、行きたいところができたので......」 「......わかった。いいよ、行ってきなよ」 「ありがとうございます。すぐ戻ります」 彼女はそういうと制服のスカートをなびかせてどこかに走っていった。 そんなに急がなくてもいいのに。 俺はのんびり心を落ち着かせながら彼女を待つことにした。 彼女は10分くらいで戻ってきた。手になにかを抱えて。 「お待たせ致しました。さあ、見回りを再開しましょう」 「あ、ああ......その荷物はなんなの?」 「あ、これですか?これはマフィンとクッキーです。家庭部で販売している物なんですよ」 「ああ、そう......」 それを買いに行っていたのか。 彼女らしいと言えば彼女らしい行動だ。 「はい、これは蓮見様の分ですわ」 「は?なんで......」 「甘い物を食べると元気になれますから。今日の蓮見様はなんだか元気ないように見えたので......迷惑でした?」 「いや......貰うよ。ありがとう」 俺のために買いに行ってくれたのか。 その事実に俺の胸がポカポカと温かくなる。 彼女が買ってきてくれたマフィンを一口食べてみる。彼女が買ってきてくれたマフィンは、とても甘かった。 それからは彼女はよく喋った。 美咲と昴が文化祭を一緒に回るのを見れて幸せだとか、悠斗が格好よく乗馬してる姿に感動したとか。 あとは、あそこのクラスのあれが美味しかったとかあの催しは素敵だったとか。 イタズラな顔をして、一緒にお化け屋敷に行きませんかと言われた時は思わず頷きそうになったが、理性で断った。彼女に情けない姿は見せたくない。今更過ぎるかもしれないが。 彼女も俺が断ると思っていたのだろう。クスクス笑いながら「残念ですわ」と言った。そんな彼女が可愛い過ぎて俺は彼女の顔をまともに見れなかった。 これはもう、認めるしかない。 確かに俺は彼女に惹かれていると―――

On the day of the culture festival, the school was crowded with people. Sakuragaoka academy had a ticket system, if you didn't have a ticket you would be denied access. For the sake of the many sons and daughters of big companies in Sakuragaoka academy, many people were involved in it. If I looked around, I could see faces I knew here and there. Occasionally there were people that would greet me. I returned the greeting so as to not be discourteous, and resumed patrolling. "You have it tough too." Asuka, who was patrolling with me, said. What's fun about being alone with another guy at a culture festival and patrolling? I didn't plan this, but it's work so it can't be helped. "Well.....this much should be normal." "No, I don't think it's normal......." "What to say......as expected of Hasumi." Asuka smiled wryly whilst saying that. Even from the point of view of a guy like me, I think that Asuka is cool. In a different way from Subaru. ------that girl, is her type someone like him? No no, thinking about this is useless. But certainly, her type was: a good-looking face, but with proper muscles, guy, right? Doesn't that apply to Asuka then? No no, that's why, don't think about it, me. While I was having such conflicts, Asuka suddenly stopped and stared off towards something. "Is something wrong?" "No, but, I think that it's noisy over there......" "Certainly. Shall we go look?" "Yes, let's do it." Asuka and I went towards the ruckus. I had a hunch about the person behind the fuss; however, I hoped to have made a mistake. And then, at the centre of the noise was the person I expected. "Kyaa! Tojo-sama is wonderfuUuUulll!!" "Hey, what about the person over there?" "That's Yuto-sama from the Kaguragi household. Come on, there's a Kaguragi-san in the first year, right? That's her younger brother." "Well, that's right. The younger brother is wonderful right......." "Tojo-sama and Yuto-sama......really look like they came out from a picture......." I endured the sigh that was about to escape from me. As I expected, Subaru was the cause of the uproar. But it looks like it wasn't just him, but Yuto too. Subaru and Yuto were riding on a horse in the equestrian club. Subaru on a white horse while Yuto was on a grey one, this certainly looks like it would be straight from a picture. But why are the two of them horse riding? Yuto, what about your sister? If you were to look in the vicinity, you would see Kaguragi glaring with an angry expression in a far away place. She was probably vexed by the fact that her time with her little brother was stolen, right? And because the other party is Subaru, she can't suddenly appear in front of him to take him back, so she can only glare at him, is it? "Yo, isn't that Sousuke?" "Long time no see, Hasumi-san." The two that noticed me, approached while still on their horses. The girls that noticed Asuka and I began to make noise again but, as I am used to it, I didn't concern myself. However, it was different for Asuka, as he appeared troubled. "Subaru, Yuto. It looks like both of you are having fun." "Obviously. It's the culture festival, if I don't have fun, it would be a loss, right?" "Well, you're right." "How about you? Ah, you're with Asukkun? Horse riding is fun. How about you two ride one as well?" "Sorry, but we are in the middle of patrolling, so another time." "Sorry, Tojo." "Ah, I see. For the student council? Must be difficult." When Subaru said so, sympathetically, a clear voice called out his name. "Subaru!" "Ah, Miku." Miku trotted over and approached Subaru. Subaru descended from the horse. "I'm sorry, did I make you wait, I wonder....." "No. Yuto-kun was just nearby, so I hung out with him, so it's okay." "My, is that so? Thank you for staying with Subaru, Yuto-kun." "No. It was a good diversion for me as well." "Well then, I'm going to return my horse. Wait a little bit." As Subaru and Yuto went to return the horses, Miku looking at us and laughed. And then gave us some sweets presented in bundles. "Thanks for the hard work in patrolling, you two. I brought this a little while ago. If you like it, how about eating it?" "Thank you, you're of help Miku." "Thank you." Subaru and Yuto returned soon, then Subaru and Miku left. Yuto did too after saying that he would go to over to his sister. I glanced over to the place she was before, and she appeared to be properly chasing Miku and Subaru's figures with her eyes, and when our eyes met, she gave me a small thumbs up. She is the same as usual. My cheeks loosened. To see that action as cute, the saying 'love is blind' was well said. Wait that's not it. I still haven't fully accepted it. "Hasumi? Shall we go too?" "Ah, yeah." I followed Asuka as if to shake off my muddled thoughts. In the middle of patrolling, while looking in front of me, I casually listened to Asuka. It seems we were able to finish patrolling without trouble. Hearing that relieved me. Before long Asuka finished his patrolling time, so we separated. The next patrol is in an hour. Until then, I'll go rest in a place without people. Thinking so, I began aimlessly searching for a place. In that way, I almost got caught by some annoying girls, but I somehow managed to escape. In the courtyard I searched for an uncrowded spot. This academy courtyard is big; the food stalls that are outside only use a part of it. That's why, there must be a place were people's eyes don't reach. I went out of the area for the food stalls and walked, still searching for a good place. In the end, I decided to go rest in the place I usually meet with her. I sat under the shade of a tree and closed my eyes. In the meantime, I should sleep a bit. ".......mi-sama......Hasumi-sama, wake up please, Hasumi-sama!" Shaken by someone, I sobered up. Slowly opening my eyes, I found her face near mine with a troubled expression. ".........Kaguragi?" My consciousness awoke at once. Wait, isn't your face too close? Just the previous time you've been done such a thing, isn't your sense of danger too lacking? Or is it that you trust me? My emotions hardly show on my face. And that invites negative circ.u.mstances sometimes, but right now, I'm grateful or this face that hardly show emotions. It would be unbearable to me if such chaotic feelings showed on my face. Not knowing my feelings she looked at me, seeming relieved. "Have you finally woke up? It's already time for patrolling. Let's hurry up and go." "............" "Hasumi-sama? Do you feel unwell somewhere?" Worried, she touched my forehead with her hand when I stayed silent for the sake of calming down my emotions. White and long fingers. A pretty hand. I absent mindedly stared. "It doesn't seem like you have a fever......if you feel unwell, then I'll go patrol by myself, so Hasumi-sama can rest." "Ah, no. I'm fine. My condition isn't really bad. I just s.p.a.ced out a bit." She tilted her head a little, and released the hand on my forehead. Unconsciously, I grabbed that hand. "Hasumi-sama?" "Ah.....sorry." Fl.u.s.tered, I released her. What on earth am I doing? "Still, you look a bit strange. It would be better if you rest....." "I'm okay. Let's go." I pushed aside her worried words and stood up. She still looked worried, but didn't say anything. Then we began to walk. Im the middle of patrolling we remained in silence. The usually talkative her today is taciturn. ......awkward. How do I talk to her usually? Yesterday, Miku, appearing to have heard that we would be patrolling together from her, called me saying, "since with so much trouble you'll be able to go around with her at the culture festival, you should confess to her when the atmosphere turns good," or so I was told, but it's truly impossible. "If you don't hit her straight, it won't reach the thick headed Rinksan, you know?" even when she said this, something impossible is impossible. "Hasumi-sama." "What." Without letting one bit of my inner impatience out I turned my head and looked at her. "Could you wait here for a bit?" "Why?" "I would like to go somewhere for a bit if I may......" "......alright. It's okay, you can go." "Thank you very much. I'll return immediately." Saying that, she ran off somewhere with her skirt fluttering. It would have been okay even if she didn't hurry that much. I decided to wait for her while taking it easy and relaxing. She came back about 10 minutes later. With her hands holding something. "Sorry I made you wait. Now, let's resume patrolling." "Ah, yeah......what's with that package?" "Ah, you mean this? This is a m.u.f.fin package. These are things that the home economics club is selling." "Ah, I see......" Did you go to buy it? If I were to say that it's something she'd do, then it is. "Here, this is Hasumi-sama's portion." "Wa? Why......" "You'll feel better if you eat sweet things. Today, Hasumi-sama somehow doesn't look well......or am I being a bother?" "No......I'll take it. Thank you." Did you go buy it for me? That fact spreaded warmth in my heart. I took a bite of the m.u.f.fin she went to buy. The m.u.f.fin she bought tasted very sweet. From then on she was quite talkative. Like, how she was happy to see Miku and Subaru together at the culture festival, or like how she was moved at Yuto's cool figure while riding a horse. And also how there was something delicious in that cla.s.s, and said event was wonderful. Then, she asked me to go with her to a haunted house with a mischievous face, I almost nodded without thinking, but my reason caught me and I refused. I didn't want to show her my uncool appearance. Though that might already be too late. She probably knew I'd refuse. As she said, "what a pity," while chuckling. She was so cute doing so that I couldn't look straight at her. With this, I can only admit it. That, I'm certainly attracted to her------

46 私たちは観覧車の前に来た。 これにも乗ることになったが、この観覧車の定員は大人2人まで。 私たちはじゃんけんでペアを決めた結果、私は王子と一緒に乗ることになった。 ......正直嫌な予感がする。 私は乗る前にチラリと美咲様を見た。美咲様の表情は複雑そうだったが、私を見ると微笑んでくれた。 美咲様のためにも、王子には早々に私を諦めてもらわねばならない。 決着をつけてやる。 私はそんな決意を胸に観覧車に乗り込む。 私が思うに、王子が私に惚れてしまったのは、漫画の補正だと思う。 だって、あんなに美人な幼馴染みがいるのに、私に一目惚れなんてするはずがない。 私は楽しそうに景色を眺める王子をじっと見る。 そんな私の視線に気づいたのか、王子は私に顔を向けて微笑む。 「どうかした、神楽木さん?」 「いえ、なんでもありません」 「あ、もしかして、高い所が苦手だった?」 「いいえ。高い所は平気です」 「じゃあ、なんで僕の顔を見てたの?」 なんでもない、と言おうとして、私の脳裏に漫画のイベントシーンがふと浮かぶ。 そうだ。最近色々ありすぎて、自分のことに精一杯で漫画のイベントのことをころりと忘れていた。 漫画と状況が少々違うが、漫画に凛花と王子が一緒に観覧車に乗る、というイベントがあった。 前世で私は正直このイベントに興味がなく、さらりとしか読んでなかったのが災いしたようで、そんなイベントがあること自体を忘れていた。 えっと......このイベント、なにが起こるんだっけ? そうだ、確か......。 思い出したと同時にガタンと音がして観覧車が止まった。 そう、漫画でも途中で観覧車が止まった。 私は絶望的な気持ちになった。 あんなに1年間頑張って避けても、王子に出会ってしまったとたん、漫画のイベントが起こる。 私は、漫画の力には、勝てないのだろうか。 「故障......?」 王子は訝しげに辺りを見渡す。 他の乗客も戸惑っているようだ。 こんなところも、漫画通りだ。 「大丈夫。きっとすぐ動くよ」 私が不安な顔をしていると勘違いした王子が励ますように言った。 「......ええ。そうですね......」 「......神楽木さん?なんでそんな顔してるの?泣きそうだよ?」 泣きそう?私が? そうかもしれない。だって、漫画通りに進んでいくから。 何も答えず黙り込む私に王子は苦笑した。 「......神楽木さんって、変わってるよね」 「そうですか......?あまり自覚はないのですけれど」 「君は、僕を避けてるよね?どうして?」 「私、東條様を避けてなんかいませんわ」 「嘘だね」 「嘘なんかじゃありません」 本当は避けてたけど、本人に避けてたなんて言えない。 仮に言えたとしてもどうしてと聞かれたら答えられない。なら最初から避けてないと言った方がいい。 「見た目によらず、強情だね。ふふ、面白い」 私はちっとも面白くない。 「そういうの、嫌いじゃないよ。ねえ、神楽木さん」 気付いたら王子が近い。 いつの間にこんなに近寄っていたのだろう。 ここはゴンドラの中だ。私に逃げ場はない。 「東條様......」 「僕、わりと本気みたいだ。本気で君に惹かれてる」 「東條様には、美咲さんがいるでしょう?」 「......美咲を幸せにすることは、僕にはできない」 「なぜですか?」 「美咲はね、水無瀬家の跡取りだ。僕と美咲の母親が仲良くて、結婚をさせたがっているけど、僕は水無瀬家の婿にはなれないし、東條家と水無瀬家を纏める自信が、僕にはない。そんな僕が美咲を幸せにできるとは思えない」 いつもは明るく笑う王子が、今は暗い笑みを浮かべている。 知らなかった。王子には、王子なりの葛藤があって、それで悩んでいたなんて。 これはきっと、蓮見にも打ち明けられない悩みなのだろう。親友だから、ライバルだからこそ、言いたくない悩み。 王子が悩んでいるのは、わかった。でも。 「だから、どうしたと言うんですか?なぜ東條様が美咲さんの幸せを決めるんですか?美咲さんが幸せに思うかどうかなんて、美咲さんが決めることです。あなたが決めることではありませんわ」 「............耳に痛いね」 王子は苦笑した。 「東條様が私に寄せる想いは、ただの逃げです。逃げる前に、美咲さんとちゃんと話をしてください。2人で、ちゃんと答えを出してください」 私はキッと王子を睨み付けるように見た。 美咲様は、王子が好きなのだ。 王子が美咲様の好意に気付いているのかは知らないが、幸せにできないからと勝手に諦められてるなんて、美咲様が可哀想だ。 王子は戸惑ったように私を見る。 そんなこと考えたこともなかった、という顔だ。 私は安心させるように微笑んだ。 「......大丈夫です。美咲さんは強い方ですわ。ちゃんと受け止めてくれます」 私は美咲様の器のデカさは世界一だと思ってる。 一人で悩まないで、ちゃんと美咲さんに相談すれば、2人が納得できる答えが出せるはずだ。 王子は柔らかい笑みを浮かべて、頷く。 その顔はなんだか赤い。 暑いのかな?でも冷房効いてるし......。 「ちゃんと美咲に話してみるよ。僕の気持ちを」 「はい、頑張ってください」 王子は清々しい笑顔を浮かべた。 その時、ガタン、と観覧車が動き出した。 「やっと動き出しましたわね」 「そうだね」 私はほっと息を吐く。 漫画ではここで凛花と王子がキスをするシーンが入っていたのだ。 確かそのタイミングは観覧車が再び動き出す前。 つまり、今回はキスを回避できたわけだ。 私、漫画の力に勝った!?やったね!今まで頑張った甲斐があったよ! ちょっと前まで絶望的な気分だったのもころりと忘れた私は心の中で万歳をする。 私が喜んでいる傍らで、なんだか王子の顔は冴えない。 ちょっと戸惑っているような顔をしている。 「......なんか、奏祐が惚れた理由がわかったかも......」 外の景色を眺めてポツリと呟いた王子の一言は、すぐ後ろのゴンドラに乗ってる美咲様に手を振ることに夢中になった私の耳には届かず、どこかに消えていった。

46 We arrived in front of the ferris wheel. We decided to ride this too; however, the rooms only had a capacity of two people. And so, the results for deciding the pairs, with rock paper scissors, was that the prince and I will get on it together. ........honestly, I have a bad feeling. Before getting on it, I glanced at Miku-sama, her expression looked complicated but when she looked at me, she smiled. I must make the prince give up on me quickly, for Miku-sama's sake too. I'll settle this once for all. I boarded the ferris wheel with that determination. To me, the prince fell in love with me because of the manga's correction. Because there's no way he'd fall for me when he has such a beauty as a childhood friend. I stared motionless at the prince who was enjoying the scenery. Probably noticing my gaze, the prince turned to me and smiled. "Is something the matter, Kaguragi-san?" "No, there's nothing at all." "Ah, perhaps, you are poor with high places?" "No. I'm fine with high places." "Then, why were you looking at my face?" Saying "no reason," suddenly a scene in the event of the manga floated in my mind. That's right. Recently, a lot of things had happened, and I ended up easily forgetting about the events of the manga. Although it's a bit different from the situation in the manga, there was an event where Rinka and the prince boarded a ferris wheel together. In my previous life, I honestly had no interest in this event, having had given it only a quick look doomed me now, and I forgot the fact that there was such an event in itself. Ehm.....what happened in this event? Ah yes, if I remember correctly....... At the same time I recalled it, a *gatan* sound was heard and the ferris wheel stopped. Yes, even in the manga, the ferris wheel stopped in the middle. I felt desperation a.s.saulting me. Even when I did all that to avoid the prince in the first year, as soon as I met the prince, voilla, a manga event occurred. I wonder, can't I win over the power of the manga? "A malfunction.......?" The prince, doubtful, looked around. The other pa.s.sengers looked perplexed too. Even that, was exactly like in the manga. "It's all right. I'm sure it will move soon." When I made an anxious face, the prince misunderstood and tried to encourage me. ".......yeah. You're right." "......Kaguragi-san? Why are you making such a face? You look like you're about to cry?" About to cry? Me? Might be so. Because it's advancing exactly like in the manga. I remained silent without saying anything, so the prince smiled bitterly. "......Kaguragi-san is... a strange person, mh." "Really......? I don't feel so myself though." "You've been avoiding me right? Why?" "I'm not avoiding Tojo-sama." "That's a lie." "It is not." In reality, I am; but I can't say that to him. Even if I said yes, if he asked me why, I wouldn't be able to respond. So it's better to say right from the beginning that I'm not avoiding him. "You're more obstinate than your appearance suggests, mh. Fufu, interesting." I'm not one bit interesting. "I don't hate that. Hey, Kaguragi-san." Before I noticed, the prince hot close. I wonder, when did he come that close? We are inside a gondola; I have no place to run off to. "Tojo-sama......" "Looks like I'm relatively serious. I'm really attracted to you." "For Tojo-sama, there's Miku-san, right?" ".......I can't make Miku happy." "Why's that?" "Miku is the Minase household heir. My mother and Miku are friends so they want us to marry but I cannot become the groom of the Minase household; something like the confidence to write the Tojo and Minase household, I don't have it. I don't think that such a me can make Miku happy." The always cheerfully smiling prince is now making a dispirited smile. I didn't know that the prince had his own conflict, and that he was troubled over them. This was surely a problem that he couldn't open his heart about, even to Hasumi. Because he is his best friend, because he is his rival, he didn't want to tell him. I understand what he is worried about. However... "So, what do you want to say? Why would Tojo-sama be the one to decide Miku-san's happiness? Something like whether she would be happy or not, it's Miku-san who decides that. Not something for you to determine." "................this hurts my ears." The prince laughed bitterly. "You thinking of approaching me, is simply running away. Before running away you should properly talk with Miku-san. Please, do have a real talk with only the two of you, alone." I surely looked as if I was glaring at the prince. Miku-sama is in love with the prince. I don't know if the prince has noticed Miku-sama's love; but for him to give up and decide on his own accord that he can't make her happy, I feel bad for Miku-sama. The prince looked at me as if bewildered. His face was saying, I never considered such a thing I smiled as if to make him relieved. "......it's alright. Miku-san is a strong person. She'll be able to accept it." Miku-sama's compa.s.sion is the biggest in the world. If you properly consult Miku-sama and don't worry alone, I'm sure that the two of you will be able to find a solution. The prince tenderly smiled and then nodded. His face was somewhat red. Are you hot? But the air-conditioner is functioning...... "I'll try to have a proper talk with Miku. About my feelings." "Yes, do your best." The prince made a refreshed smile. At that time we heard a *gatan* and the ferris wheel began to move again. "It finally moved." "Yeah." I breathed out a sigh of relief. In the manga there was a scene where Rinka and the prince kissed. Certainly, it would have been before the ferris wheel moved again. In other words, I was able to avoid this time's kiss. Have I won against the manga's power!? I did it! It was worth persisting so much! I, who had easily forgotten about the despair I was feeling just a while ago, cried out banzai in my mind. The happy me couldn't see the prince's face. Who was making a little confused face. "......somehow, I might have understood the reason Sousuke fell in love....." I, who was waving my hands to the gondola that was immediately behind us, where Miku-sama was, didn't hear a word of what the prince muttered by himself while looking at the scenery.

41 「君の名前を、教えて?」 いつも遠くから聞く声とは違う、甘い声。 微笑みながら私を見つめる王子の目に熱を感じる。 ―――逃げたい。 私は王子から逃げたい、と心から思った。 「昴、彼女が困ってる」 すっと私の前に出て、私を背後に隠すように蓮見が立つ。 蓮見の背後に隠れるかたちになって、私は安堵の息を漏らす。 「僕に彼女を紹介してくれないの?あぁ、そういえば僕の自己紹介がまだだったね。僕は東條昴」 「......知っていますわ。東條様は有名ですもの」 蓮見の背後に隠れたことにより、少しだけ平静を取り戻した私は、蓮見の背中から出る。 「初めまして、東條様。私は神楽木凛花と申します。弟が、お世話になっているそうですね?」 いつも弟をありがとうございます、と頭を下げる。 王子は嬉しそうに私を見た。 「悠斗君は優秀だからね。いらないお世話だとは思うんだけど、ついつい世話を焼いてしまうんだよ」 「ふふ、弟は東條様に感謝してましたわ」 「本当に?嬉しいな」 そろそろ私のにわかお嬢様の仮面がとれそうだ。 私は隣に立つ蓮見に然り気無く目配せをしてみる。 前は通じなかったのが少々不安だが、蓮見ならきっとわかってくれるはずだ。いや、わかってくれないと困る。 「昴、俺に用があったんじゃないの?」 アイコンタクトは通じたようだ。良かった。 「ああ、そうだった。この前のことなんだけど......」 蓮見と王子が私にはよくわからない話をしだす。 これは、ここから逃げ出すチャンスなのではないだろうか。 いや、このチャンスを逃したら昼休みが終わるまで逃げられないだろう。 よし、逃げよう。 私は父より受け継ぎしアルカイックスマイルを浮かべた。 「お二人の邪魔をしてはいけませんし、私はこれで失礼しますわ」 ごきげんよう、と言って颯爽とその場を立ち去ろうとした私の腕を王子が掴む。 げぇっ。 「待って」 「なんでしょうか」 私はアルカイックスマイルを崩さず、王子を見る。 これ疲れるんだよ。早く立ち去らせてよ。 「もっと君のことを知りたいな。また、一緒に話をしてくれる?」 王子のその一言に私の笑顔がひきつる。 リアルでこんな台詞を聞けるとは思わなかった......! しかし、私はお嬢様なのだ。 今まで培ってきたお嬢様スキルを活かし、私はなんとか笑顔を保ったまま、心とは正反対の言葉を口にする。 「......私でよろしければ、喜んで」 王子は私の返事に満足そうに笑った。 蓮見に目を向けると、蓮見の目が不安そうに揺れていた。 私を心配してくれている? 私は大丈夫という意味を込めて蓮見に微笑み、優雅に一礼をしてその場をあとにした。 今日は早めに生徒会の仕事を切り上げ、蓮見と以前待ち合わせをした喫茶店に向かった。 あのあと、蓮見からメールが届き、喫茶店に来るようにと書かれていた。 きっと昼休みのことだ。心配してくれているのだろう。 私は蓮見の優しさに温かい気持ちになった。 喫茶店に着くと、以前と同じように店主さんが出迎えてくれて、前と同じ席に通された。 蓮見はまだ来ていなかった。 なんでも今日はちょっとした用事があるとかで、生徒会の仕事も休んだのだ。 前日までに今日の分の仕事を終わらせているのだから、蓮見の有能さには舌を巻く。 そんなわけで、来るのは少し遅れるかもしれないと事前に聞いていた私は早速飲み物を頼むことにした。 ついでに前から目をつけていたケーキも食べよう。 今日はショートケーキな気分だ。ショートケーキを食べよう。 私は店主さんを呼び、紅茶とショートケーキを注文した。 待っている間、私は昼休みにあったことを思い返す。 ずっと避け続けるのは不可能だとわかっていた。 いずれは王子と顔を合わせることになると覚悟をしていた。 でも、顔を会わせることになるのは『いずれ』で『今日』ではないと思っていた。 蓮見といつも待ち合わせをしている中庭のあの場所で誰かと遭遇したことは今までなかったし、蓮見以外の人があそこにいるのを見たことがなかった。 だから、油断した。あそこは安全だと。 とんだ勘違いだ。あそこは蓮見だけが使える場所ではない。生徒なら誰でも使える場所だ。 それなのに、私はあそこを蓮見の専用スペースだと思い込んでいたのだ。 その思い込みが、今日の出会いを生んだ。 私は下唇を噛む。 これから、どうしたらいいのだろう。 王子のあの声、あの視線。あれは今までにない“熱”が込められていた。 ―――王子はきっと、私に恋した。 漫画の通りに。 拒絶すればいいのだろうか。でも、それで王子がすんなり諦めてくれるかどうかはわからない。 いや、王子がどうしようと、本当はどうだっていい。 一番恐いのは、私が漫画通りに“王子に恋をしてしまうこと”だ。 それが本当に私の意志によるものならいい。でも、それが漫画によって無理やりにねじ曲げられたものだったら? そうなったら、“私”の意志はどうなるの? わからない。 ただ、私はちゃんとこの世界で生きているのだ。私は漫画のキャラクターじゃない。私は“私”だ。 私は、自分の意志で“神楽木凛花”として生きたい。 よくわからない力によって、自分の意志を変えられるのは、いやだ。 恋をするなら、“私”として恋をしたい。 セカコイの もし、私が“私”として恋をすることができたなら、それはどんな人だろう? 私がそんなことを考えていると、店主さんが優しい笑みを浮かべて紅茶とケーキを持ってきてくれた。 私はお礼を言って受け取る。 紅茶の匂いを鼻から吸い込み、まずは砂糖をいれずに飲む。 あれ。今日の紅茶は、砂糖を入れなくても甘い。 「お嬢様が何かお悩みなようでしたので、紅茶に蜂蜜を入れてお出しした方がリラックスできるかと思ったのですが、いかがでしたでしょうか?」 「とても美味しいです。なんだかほっとしましたわ」 「それはよろしゅうございました。......お嬢様のお悩みとは、恋のお悩みでしょうか?」 「......ええ、そうなんです。恋をすると、私が私じゃなくなるようで、恐いのです」 「......そうですか。ですが、それが恋というものでございましょう」 「それが、恋?」 「私くらい年寄りになりますと、恋というのはとても輝いて見えるようになるのです。例えそれが破滅に向かうものであっても、恋をしている人の目は美しい」 店主さんは私を優しく見つめる。 「恋をする過程で変わっていくこともありましょう。ですが、変わらないものもあるはずです。お嬢様はまだ恋というものが未経験だとお見受けします。お嬢様、恋というものを恐がらないでください。恋は素晴らしいものでございますよ。伊達に年を取った年寄りの言うことですが、それだけは胸を張って言うことができます」 「恋は素晴らしいもの......」 「おやおや。年を取ると話が長くなるのがいけない。お嬢様、最後に1つだけよろしいですか」 「ええ。なんでしょうか」 「きっと、お嬢様の恋のお相手はすぐ近くにいらっしゃると思いますよ。これは、年寄りの勘ですがね」 それでは、どうぞごゆっくり。 そう言って店主さんは店の奥に入っていった。 「......恋、か......」 私は店主さんに言われたことを胸に刻みこむ。 店主さんのお陰で、心が軽くなった。 私はまだ恋を知らない。 これからどうなるのか、わからない。 わからないことばかりだけど、私はきちんと王子に向き合う必要があるのだと、店主さんとの会話で感じた。 今まで逃げてきた。王子からも恋からも。 これからは、逃げない。 きちんと向き合って、決めたい。 私がこの先に進むべき道を。 私はケーキを一口食べる。 クリームの甘さが胸に染みた。

41 "Can you tell me your name?" Different from the voice I usually hear from afar, it's sweet. I could feel the heat in the prince's eyes that stared at me as he.smiled. ------I want to run away. I want to run away from the prince from the bottom of my heart. "Subaru, you're troubling her." Hasumi quickly stepped in front of me as if to hide me. Hiding completely behind his back, I breathed out a sigh of relief. "Won't you introduce her to me? Aah, right, I still haven't introduced myself. I am Tojo Subaru." "......I know. Tojo-sama is a famous person." Having regained a bit of calm thanks to hiding behind Hasumi, I come forth and gave an ojou-sama like smile next to Hasumi. "Nice to meet you, Tojo-sama. My name is Kaguragi Rinka. It seems like my little brother has been in your care, right?" 'Thank you for always caring for my little brother,' I said and bowed my head. The prince looked at me as if he was happy. "That's because Yuto is extraordinary. I think that my care is not needed, but I always end up unintentionally wanting to do it." "Fufu, my little brother feels grateful to you, you know?" "Really? That makes me happy." My improvised ojou-sama mask is going to come off soon. I tried to convey it to Hasumi who stood next to me. I am a bit anxious that it didn't reach him, but I'm sure that, if it's Hasumi, he'll surely get it. No, I mean, I'll be troubled if he doesn't. "Subaru, didn't you have something to ask me?" It seems like the eye contact functioned. Thank G.o.d. "Ah, yeah. It's something that happened before this....." Hasumi and the prince began to talk about something I don't really understand. Isn't this my chance to escape from here? Well, if I don't escape now, I won't be able to get away until lunch break is over, right? Okay, let's escape. My lips floated with the archaic smile I inherited from my father. "Since I shouldn't interrupt you two, I'll excuse myself now." When I was saying "gokigen'yo" and trying to quickly leave that place, my arm was seized by the prince. Geh. "Wait." "Is there something?" Without destroying my archaic smile, I looked at the prince. This is tiring you know. Let me go back quickly please. "I would like to get to know you better. Can we talk again another time?" With only those words from the prince, my smiling face twitched. I never thought I'd hear such lines in real life......! However, I am an ojou-sama. Making use of the skill of an ojou-sama I had cultivated till now, I was somehow able to maintain my smile and force out words that my mind truly abhorred. ".......if you are fine with me, I'll be happy to comply." The prince laughed looking satisfied at my response. When I turned my eyes to look at Hasumi, I saw that his eyes were swaying with anxiety. Is he worried for me? I smiled at him to convey that I was alright, then I elegantly bowed and left that place behind. Today we finished our student council work earlier, and I went to the tea shop I once went to with Hasumi. After the incident earlier, I got an email from Hasumi that said to go to tea shop later. It must be about what happened at lunch break. He's probably worried. I felt a warm feeling inside me thanks to Hasumi's kindness. When I arrived at the tea shop, the shopkeeper greeted me in the same way, and guided me to the same seat as last time. Hasumi still hadn't arrived. He took a leave from the student council saying that he had something to do today. I am astonished towards Hasumi's capableness, as he is finis.h.i.+ng yesterday's work too. For that reason, I who was informed about this beforehand, ordered a drink at once. Since I am at it, let's eat the cake I had my eyes on last time. Today, I feel like eating a shortcake. So let's eat it. I called the shopkeeper, and ordered black tea and shortcake. In the time I waited, I began to think of what happened at lunch break. I understand that I can't avoid that forever. I had resolved myself to meet the prince at some future time. But, I thought that I would meet him {at some future time} and not {today} . I never encountered anyone else in the courtyard I always met with Hasumi until now, and never saw anyone other than Hasumi there. That's why I lowered my guard. Thinking that place was safe. It was a terrible misunderstanding. That's not a place only exclusive to Hasumi. Any student can use that place. Even when it's like this, I was under the impression that it was Hasumi exclusive s.p.a.ce. That impression gave birth to today's encounter. I bit my lower lip. What should I do from now on? That voice and gaze from the prince. That had a never seen "heat." ------the prince, had surely fallen in love with me. Exactly like in the manga. Would it be okay if I rejected him? But, I don't know whether the prince would give up or not. Well, I really don't know what to do about the prince. The thing I am most scared about is that if I'll, "end up falling in love with the prince," like in the manga. If that is truly because of my own will, it's fine. However, what if that is the manga's forceful twist? If so then, what will happen to "my" will? I don't know. However, I am really living here in this world. I'm not the character from the manga. I am "myself". I want to live as "Kaguragi Rinka" with my own will. I don't want to change due to some unknown force. If I'll fall in love, "I" want to do so. Not as the main character heroine of Sekakoi. If, by any chance "I" will fall in love with someone, what kind of person would he be? When I was thinking of such things, the shopkeeper came to bring me tea and cake with a gentle smile floating on his lips. I took them and said thanks. I inhaled the smell of the black tea from my nose, first, I should put in some sugar to drink it with. Are. Today's tea is sweet even without sugar. "Ojou-sama looked to be troubled over something, so I thought that, by putting a bit of honey in, it would relax you, is it to your taste?" "It's truly delicious. Somehow I feel calmer." "I'm glad to hear this......is ojou-sama's trouble perhaps related to love?" ".......yes, that's right. I'm scared, that if I were to fall in love, I wouldn't be myself anymore." ".......is that so. However, let's say that is love." "That is... love?" " An old person such as me would see love as something that sparkles. Even if it is something that is going to ruin him, the enamored person would see it as beautiful." The shopkeeper looked at me gently. "You may change in the process of falling in love. However, there will always be things that won't change. Ojou-sama, please do not be scared of the thing called love. Love is a really wonderful thing. It may just be something an old person says to put on airs, but that is still something I can say proudly." "Love is a wonderful thing....." "Oya oya. That won't do, when you get older, the story you tell becomes longer. Ojou-sama, can you listen to one last thing?" "Yes. What is it?" "I'm sure that ojou-sama's love interest will come soon. That's an old person's hunch." Well then, enjoy yourself please. Having said that, the shopkeeper entered the back of his store. ".......love, eh....." I carved what the shopkeeper said in my heart. Thanks to him, my mind has become lighter. I still don't know about love. I don't know what will happen from now on. There are a bunch of things that I don't understand, but I distinctly felt that I must properly face the prince thanks to the conversation with the shopkeeper. Till now I've only escaped. From both the prince and love. From now on I won't run away. I decided to face things properly. On this road I want to advance on. I took a bite of the cake. The sweetness of the cream permeated my heart.

9 デレてる蓮見を見てしまった。 貴重だ。心のカメラに収めておこう、と思いつつ、照れているらしい蓮見に、私は余裕たっぷりの笑みで言う。 「どういたしまして」 蓮見はしばらく気まずそうな表情をしていたが、わりとすぐに立ち直った。 「俺はちゃんと理由を言った。だから次は君の番だ。君の理由は何?」 立ち直らなくてもよかったのに。 と内心舌打ちをしつつ、私は考える。 どうしようか。ここは正直に私もカミングアウトするべきだろうか。 蓮見の告白は、きっと蓮見にとってはすごく勇気のいるものだっただろう。 それを言ってくれたのだ、他人同然な私に。 だから私も、それ相応の誠意を見せるべきだ。 だけど、本当に言っても大丈夫なの? 蓮見は影響力のある人だ。そんな人に、普通は信じて貰えないようなことを言っても大丈夫なのだろうか。 私1人なら、頭がおかしいと思われてもいい。 私はじっと蓮見を見つめる。 彼は私の視線をまっすぐに受け止めた。 蓮見は私の評判を落とすような事を言う人ではないと思う。 だから、私の“理由”を話して信じて貰えなければそれまでだ。 「......私の理由は、きっと蓮見様にとって信じられないものですわ。それでも知りたいですか?」 「信じるか信じないかは聞いてから判断する」 「わかりました。実は......―――」 私は王子を避けている理由を包み隠さず話した。 私の話を聞いている間、蓮見の表情は変わらなかった。 「......確かに、信じられない話だ」 「そうだと思いますわ」 「ここが少女漫画の世界で君がヒロイン、ね......」 ヒロイン、と言うあたりで蓮見は残念な子を見るような目をした。 む。なんだ。私がヒロインなことになんか文句あるのか。喧嘩なら買うぞ。いくらだ!? 私の頭の中でゴングが鳴る。 「でも、君が昴を避けている理由はわかった」 頭の中でファインディングポーズを取っていた私は、あっさりと蓮見に降参された気持ちになった。 「......信じてくれますの?」 「君が嘘を言っているようには見えなかった。まあ、君が漫画のヒロインって言うのは信じきれないけど」 君がねぇ、と残念そうに蓮見は言った。 どこが信じられないって?私のどこが? 「君がヒロインらしいかどうかはさておき、ここが漫画の世界なら、昴は君に一目惚れするんでしょ。でも君は全力で避けてるからまだ昴は君に惚れてない」 ヒロインらしいかはさておき!? 置くな!私は充分ヒロインらしいでしょ! 私は内心異議を唱えるが、口には出さない。 私は空気の読める子なのだ。.........たぶん。 「ええ、その通りです。私は東條様に一目惚れされるつもりはまったくありませんの。私は、漫画で大好きだった美咲様に幸せになって貰いたいんです」 「......そう。なら、俺たちは同志だ」 「ええ。蓮見様を『美咲様の幸せを願う会』の会長に任命して差し上げますわ」 「なにその会?」 ちなみに私は名誉会員です。 「とにかく、私は東條様と会うわけにはいきません。なので影からのサポートはしますが、直接動くのは蓮見様にお任せします」 「わかってる」 「では、当面の活動方針を決めましょう」 私たちは当面の活動方針について話し合う。 とりあえずは、二人が参加するイベントでは出来るだけ二人きりになれるようにすることに決めた。 まあ、それくらいしかないよね。 あとは美咲様にもっと積極的にアプローチしてもらわないと。 「美咲からのアプローチ、か......美咲はどうも俺にそういう話をし辛いみたいなんだ」 「そうですか......蓮見様は幼なじみとはいえ、異性ですものね。美咲様も言いづらいのでしょう」 男と女じゃ話しやすさが違うもんね。 やっぱり恋の話は女子の方がいいよね。 「そういうものなのか......じゃあ、君が美咲の相談相手になってくれればいい」 「......あら?私、耳がおかしくなってしまったのかしら......よく聞こえなかったのでもう一度お願いします」 「だから、君が美咲の相談相手になってあげたらいい」 「............私が、美咲様の相談相手に......?」 「そう。美咲に昴には君のことを内緒にしてほしいと頼もう。念のためにね」 「..................」 「ねえ、聞いてる?」 おお、神よ。私は初めてあなたに感謝します。 まさか、こんなにも早く美咲様とお話することが叶うだなんて......! ああ、なんてこと......! 嬉しすぎて私、舞い上がりそう......!! あ、涙が......。 「......何で泣いてるわけ?」 「嬉しすぎて......憧れの美咲様とお話できるなんて、天にも昇る気持ちですわ......!」 「泣くほど嬉しいの......?」 蓮見が引いているのも目には入らないほど、私は興奮していた。 「私、がんばりますわ!頑張って美咲様にアドバイスをして、東條様を骨抜きにしてやります!」 「............俺、人選間違えたかも......」 蓮見の後悔した声なんて聞こえてません。 ああ、美咲様とお話できる日が楽しみ。 今日学校サボらなくて良かった。真面目で良かった。 美咲様とお話する日は、蓮見が美咲様の予定を聞いてくれるそうだ。 さすが、美咲様の幸せを願う会の会長だ。 ふと蓮見が思い出したように言った。 「ちょっと気になったんだけど」 「なんでしょう?」 「前世で君は俺のことどう思ってた?」 「かなり好きなキャラでしたわ」 「今は?」 「今は......」 なんて答えようか。 はっきり言って私の蓮見に対する気持ちは複雑だ。 ああ、いや、この気持ちを一言で簡単にまとめるとこれがぴったりだ。 私はにっこり笑って言った。 「今は『大キライ』ですわ」 きっぱりと言い切った私に蓮見は一瞬驚いて、すぐにおかしそうに笑い出した。 「ははっ......!女に『大キライ』って初めて言われた......。やっぱ、君、おもしろいよ」 「それは、どうもありがとうございます」 「改めて、これからよろしく、神楽木」 「あまりよろしくしたくありませんが、こちらこそ、よろしくお願い致しますわ、蓮見様」 私と蓮見は握手を交わした。 こうして『美咲様の幸せを願う会』が発足したのであった。

9 I ended up seeing an embarra.s.sed Hasumi. Precious. While thinking 'let's store it in my mind's camera,' to the embarra.s.sed Hasumi I said with a full smile. "You are welcome." Hasumi had an awkward expression for a little while, but recovered relatively fast. "I properly told you my reason. So, it's your turn now. What's your motive?" It would've been fine if you hadn't recovered. While internally clicking my tongue, I began to think. What should I do? Should I honestly come out? I'm sure that Hasumi had needed an incredible amount of courage to confess that. And he said that to an outsider like me. That's why I should show sincerity fit for the occasion. But is it really fine to say it? Hasumi is an influential person. I wonder if it's safe to say something that he wouldn't usually believe. It's fine if I alone think that my head is going funny. However, I don't want to stain the reputation of my family, the Kaguragi household; I don't want to trouble them. I motionlessly stared at Hasumi. And he directly took my gaze. I think Hasumi isn't the type of person that would say things to drop my reputation. That's why, if he won't believe in my "reason," then that's all there is to it. "......my reason, is something that Hasumi-sama would probably not believe. Even so, do you want to know?" "Whether to believe or not, I'll judge after listening." "I understand. Actually......------" I explained the reason I've been avoiding the prince without concealing anything. While listening to my story, Hasumi's expression didn't change. ".......certainly, it's a story hard to believe." "I think so." "This is a shoujo manga where you are the heroine, riiight......" When Hasumi said heroine, he looked at me as if seeing a disappointing child. Huh. What. Do you have any problem with the fact that I am the heroine? If you want to fight then bring it on! Anytime! Inside my head a gong resounded. "But, I understand the motive for why you avoided Subaru." The me inside my head, that was doing poses, quickly surrendered to Hasumi. "......you believe me?" "It didn't appear like you were lying. Well though, I can't believe you are the heroine of a manga." "You know, you are a bit..." said Hasumi looking disappointed. What's the point you can't believe? What's the part in me you can't believe? "Let's put aside whether you look like a heroine. If this is the world of the manga, then Subaru would fall in love with you on sight, right? However, you've been avoiding him with everything you've got, so Subaru still hasn't fallen in love." Put aside wherever I look like an heroine!? Don't put it aside! I look plenty like a heroine, right!? The objection in my head, didn't leave my mouth. I am a child that can read the mood.........probably. "Yes, that's right. I absolutely have no intention of making Tojo-sama fall in love with me at first sight. I would like the Miku-sama, that I really liked in the manga, to be happy." "......got it. Then we are the same." "Yes. I confer unto Hasumi-sama, the position of { Wis.h.i.+ng Miku-sama Happiness' fan club} president." "What's that club?" Incidentally, I am an honourary member. "Anyway, I cannot meet Tojo-sama. That's why I'll support from the shadows, I entrust the direct work to Hasumi-sama." "I know." "Then let's decide our current plan of action." Let us discuss of our current plan of action. For the time being, we had decided to let those two be alone in the last event we partic.i.p.ated in. Well, we can only do this much. Afterwards, we need Miku-sama to use a more forward approach. "Miku's approach, mh? ......it seems like something hard for me to talk about with Miku." "Is that so......Hasumi-sama is her childhood friend, but of the opposite s.e.x. It would be hard for Miku-sama too." The things that are easy to say between girls and boys differ. As expected, love talks are good between girls. "So it's like this......then, it's fine if you become Miku's counselor." ".......ara? I wonder if my ears have gone strange.......I didn't hear you, can you please repeat that?" "I said, it's fine if you become Miku's counselor." ".............me, Miku-sama's counselor.......?" "That's right. I will ask Miku to keep a secret about you. Just for a.s.surance." ".................." "Hey, are you listening?" Oh, G.o.d. For the first time, I'm grateful towards you. No way, for my desire to talk with Miku-sama to come true this fast......! Aah, such a thing......! I'm so happy that I feel like I'm soaring......!! Ah, the tears...... "......why are you crying?" "I'm too happy......to think I'll be able to talk to the Miku-sama I admired, I feel like rising up to heaven.......!" "You're happy enough to cry.......?" I was so excited that Hasumi backing away didn't enter my eyes. "I'll do my best! I'll give my all in giving advice to Miku-sama, let's make a stew out of Tojo-sama!" "...........I may have made the wrong decision......." Something like Hasumi's regretful voice, I can't hear any of it. Ah, I look forward to the day I'll chat with Miku-sama. I'm glad I didn't skip school today. Seriously glad. I'll hear about Miku-sama's schedule from Hasumi for the day I'll go to talk to her. As expected of the president of the of the 'Wis.h.i.+ng Miku-sama Happiness' fan club'. Suddenly, Hasumi recalled something and said. "There is something that bothers me a bit." "About what?" "What did you think of me in your previous life?" "You were a character I quite liked." "And now?" "And now......" What do I answer? Honestly speaking, my feelings towards Hasumi are complex. Ah, no, there is an exact word that simply summarizes what I feel. I laughed. "And now, I {Really Hate} you. Hasumi was surprised for a moment at my plain declaration, and then immediately laughed as if it was funny. "Hahah......! This is the first time a girl has told me {I really hate you} ........as I thought, you are interesting." "My, thank you very much" "Once again, let's get along from now on, Kaguragi." "I don't really want to but, let's get along, Hasumi-sama." I shook hands with Hasumi. Like this, {Wis.h.i.+ng Miku-sama Happiness' fan club} was established.

55 私がどこで彼女を見掛けたんだったかなぁ、とモヤモヤしていると、蓮見は驚いた顔で目の前の美少女を見つめた。 親しいのかな? 「奏祐様、こんなところで会うだなんて、奇遇ですね。私、とても嬉しいですわ!」 「あぁ、本当にね」 「奏祐様は買い物ですか?」 「そう。もうすぐ美咲の誕生日だから」 「ああ。美咲様の」 私は完全に空気と化した。 この美少女さんは蓮見のことが好きみたいだ。 その表情も目線も恋をしている人特有の熱がある。 声音もとても甘いし。 蓮見は彼女の好意に気づいているのかなぁ。 「......ところで、そちらの方は奏祐様とどういったご関係ですの?」 「ああ。彼女は俺のクラスメイトなんだ」 「初めてまして。神楽木凛花と申します」 私は空気から人へと戻ることができたようだ。 自己紹介をさせて貰うことができた。 でも美少女さん、敵意丸出しで私を睨み付けるのやめてくれませんかね? 迫力あるから心臓に悪いよ......。 「神楽木、彼女は俺の幼馴」 「婚、約者......?」 あれ。蓮見に婚約者なんて居たっけ? でも美少女......橘さんは自信たっぷりな表情で言った。 「ええ、そうなんですの」 「......婚約者 「まあ。そんなつれないことをおっしゃらないで」 橘さんはあざとい表情を浮かべた。 蓮見はそんな橘さんを困ったような顔をして見つめる。 仲良いな。 それはそうだよね。婚約者なんだし。仲が良くても不思議はない。 折角、婚約者と会えたんだし、私は退散した方がいいよね。 お茶を奢るのはまたの機会にさせてもらおう。 「ふふ。とても仲が宜しいようで。私はお邪魔でしょうから、これで失礼しますわ」 ごきげんよう、と私は一礼をするとくるりと回れ右をして2人に背を向けて歩き出す。 なんだかモヤモヤする。なんだろう、これ。 蓮見ってあんなに可愛い婚約者がいたんだな。 漫画ではそんな設定なかったはずだけど。 ん?漫画......? 私が何か閃きそうになったとき、私の腕を誰かがきつく握った。 「蓮見様......」 私は振り向いたすぐそこに、蓮見の整った顔があることに動揺した。 「待ってって、何度も言ったのに」 「申し訳ありません。聞こえませんでした。痛いので、腕、離してください」 「あ、ごめん」 蓮見は慌てて手を離す。 私は蓮見に捕まれた腕をさする。馬鹿力め。 「橘さんはどうされたのですか?婚約者なのでしょう?」 「姫樺は、なんか用事があるみたいで、さっき別れた。それに、姫樺は婚約者じゃないよ。婚約者候補だ」 「そう。たくさんいる、俺の婚約者候補の一人で、俺の幼馴染みで従妹でもある」 「そうだったんですか......」 橘さんが婚約者じゃないと聞いて、ほっとしてしまった自分に私は戸惑った。 あれ?なんでほっとしてるの、私? 動揺した私は誤魔化すように口を開く。 「とても可愛らしい方でしたわね。蓮見様と並んだところはとてもお似合いでしたわ」 「......君が、それを言うの?」 蓮見が低く小さな声で呟いた。 私は聞き取れず、蓮見に聞き返すと蓮見はなんでもないと首を振った。 「......でも、正直に言いますと、橘さんが蓮見様の婚約者ではないと知って、ほっとしましたわ」 「......え?」 「だって、蓮見様に婚約者が居られたら、こうして蓮見様と一緒にいることに罪悪感を感じますもの。それに、婚約者のいらっしゃる方にお菓子をねだることもできませんし......」 私は自分で口にして、その内容に納得した。 そうだ。蓮見に婚約者がいたら、気軽にお菓子を作って貰うわけにはいかない。婚約者の方にいらぬ誤解をしてもらっては困るのだ。 だから、蓮見に婚約者がいなくてほっとしたのだ。 うん、納得だ。 「......あぁ、そっちか......まあ、そうだよね......」 蓮見はぶつぶつとなにか呟いている。 私が首を傾げていると、蓮見は苦笑を浮かべ、どこか甘い物を食べに入ろうか、と言った。 私はもちろん頷く。甘い物!スイーツ! 私たちは適当なお店に入り、甘味を堪能した。 そして私はなんとか奢ることに成功した。蓮見は不満そうだったが、私は満足だ。 今日の借りは返したぞ。 そして美咲様の誕生日の日。その日は平日だったので、放課後に美咲様と待ち合わせをして、プレゼントを渡す。 生徒会はおやすみです。今日は奇跡的になにも仕事がなかったのだ。 「お誕生日、おめでとうございます、美咲さん」 「まあ......わざわざありがとう」 美咲様は嬉しそうにプレゼントを受け取ってくれた。 気に入ってもらえるといいな。 私は美咲様にこのプレゼントを蓮見と一緒に買いに行ったと伝えた。 そこで蓮見の婚約者を名乗る美少女に会ったことを告げると、美咲様が珍しく眉をしかめた。 「姫樺さんに、会ったの......」 「ええ、そうなんです。やはり、お知り合いですか?」 「えぇ......あまり話したことはないのだけど......。凛花さん、彼女になにかされなかった?」 「はい。あ、でもすごく睨まれました。彼女、蓮見様に好意を寄せているのですね」 「ああ......やっぱり。そうなの。彼女、奏祐が大好きなの。私もよく睨まれたわ」 美咲様は困ったように肩をすくめた。 美咲様は睨まれる以外にも色々と嫌がらせをされたようだ。 それを「倍にして返してあげたけれど」と言う美咲様は転んでもただで起き上がるタイプではないようだ。 さすが漫画のライバルキャラ。笑顔が黒いです。そんなところも好きだけど! でも、恐くて、どう仕返したのかは聞けなかった。 知らなくていいこともあるよね。うん。 そして私は美咲様に、「姫樺さんには気を付けるように」と言われた。 気を付けるもなにも、もう会うこともないと思うけどなあ。 と思っていたら、彼女の襲撃に遭った。 「お待ちしておりましたわ」 そう言ってにっこり笑う彼女に、私は嫌な予感しか感じなかった。

55 As I wondered where could I have seen her, Hasumi stared at the bishoujo with a surprised face. Are they acquaintances? "I never thought I'd meet Sousuke-sama in such a place, what an unexpected meeting. I'm truly happy!" "Yeah, truly." "Is Sousuke-sama shopping?" "Yeah. Because it's Miku's birthday soon." "Aah. Miku-sama's..." I completely became air. This bishoujo-san seems to like Hasumi. She has the unique heat of someone in love, in both her expression and her eyes. Her voice was incredibly sweet too. I wonder if Hasumi noticed her feelings. ".......incidentally, what relations.h.i.+p does Sousuke-sama has with this person?" "Aah. She is a cla.s.smate." "Nice to meet you. I'm called Kaguragi Rinka." It seemed like I was able to return from air to human. I introduced myself. Still, bishoujo-san, can you stop glaring at me with bare hostility, please? It has a certain force, so it's bad for my heart, you know...... "Kaguragi, she is my childhood friend." "Fian-ce.....?" Are. Did Hasumi have something like a fiance? But the bishoujo......Tachibansan said with an expression full of confidence. "Yes, that's right." ".......fiance candidate....you mean." "Well. That's saying it in such a cold way." A sly expression appeared on Tachibansan's face. At that, Hasumi stared at her with an expression that appeared to be troubled. They sure get along. Well that's only natural. They are engaged. It's not strange for them to get along. Since he met his fiance in this occasion, it would be better for me to leave, right? I will treat him to tea another time. "Fufu. You really seem to have a good relations.h.i.+p. Since I would be too much, I will excuse myself now." Saying "gokigen'yo" I bowed and, turning around, I walked to the right with my back facing the two. Somehow I feel gloomy. I wonder why. Hasumi had such a cute fiance. Though in the manga there shouldn't have been such a setting. Nh? Manga.....? When something was about to come to mind, my arm was grasped forcefully by someone. "Hasumi-sama....." When I turned, I felt shaken in having found Hasumi's well-arranged face so near. "I told you to wait so many times already." "I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. It hurts, so my arm, release it, please." "Ah, sorry." Fl.u.s.tered he released his hand. I stroked the arm Hasumi grabbed. You d.a.m.n guy with too much force. "What about Tachibansan? She is your fiance right?" "Himeka seems to have some tasks, she left a while ago. Besides, Himeka isn't my fiance. She is a fiance candidate." "Yes. There are many of them, there's my childhood friend and cousin too." "Is that so....." I felt bewildered at myself that felt relieved in hearing that Tachibansan wasn't his fiance. Are? Why did I feel relieved? Feeling disturbed I opened my mouth to deceive him. "She really is a lovely person. When she was next to you, you two looked really good together." "......you're really saying this?" Muttered Hasumi in a low voice. I didn't catch what he said and, when I asked him, he shook his head and said: "it's nothing". "......but, honestly speaking, I feel relieved that Tachibansan isn't Hasumi-sama's fiance." "......huh?" "I mean, if Hasumi-sama had a fiance I would feel guilty when staying together with you. Moreover, I couldn't demand sweets from someone that has a fiance......" I felt convinced by what my own mouth said. That's right. If Hasumi had a fiance I couldn't ask him to make sweets so light heartedly. I would be stumped if the misunderstanding about him having a fiance remained. That's why I felt relieved that he doesn't have a fiance. Yeah, I'm convinced now. "......aah, it's that, mh......well, you're right......." Hasumi grumbled something. When I tilted my head, Hasumi smiled bitterly and said: 'shall we go somewhere to eat something sweet?' I nodded, of course. Sweet things! Sweets! We went to a suitable shop and satisfied ourselves. And in one way or another, I was able to treat him. Hasumi looked disgruntled, but I am satisfied. I was able to return today's debt. And then, on the day of Miku-sama's birthday, that was on a weekday, I met with Miku-sama after the dismissal of cla.s.ses and handed over my gift. The student council was on suspension. There was no work today, miraculously. "Happy birthday, Miku-sama." "My......thank you for especially coming to me." Miku-sama accepted my present looking really happy. I hope she likes it. I told her that I bought this gift with Hasumi. And that in that place I met a bishoujo that claimed to be Hasumi's fiance, at that Miku-sama unusually knitted her brows. "So you've met Himeksan....." "Yes. Is she also an acquaintance of yours?" "Yes.....I don't talk much with her though....... Rinksan, has she done anything to you?" "Yes. Oh, but she gave me a terrible glare. She seem to like Hasumi-sama, right?" "Aah.....as I thought. She really likes Sousuke. I've been glared at quite frequently, too." Miku-sama shrugged her shoulders as if stumped. It looked like she did various other hara.s.sments other than glaring as well. And at that, "I returned the favour twice back though..." Miku-sama appeared to be the type that if she fell down, she wouldn't just rise back. As expected of the manga's rival character. Her smile was dark. I liked that too though! But, because I was scared, I didn't ask how she returned the favour. There are also things that are better left unknown. Yeah. And then I was told by Miku-sama to "be careful of Himeksan." I think there is nothing to be careful about, since I think we won't meet again. Or so I thought, until was attacked by her. "I've been waiting for you." She said while sweetly smiling, and other than a bad premonition, I didn't feel anything else.

19 私は半強制的にホラー映画を蓮見に観せることに成功した。 映画は、本当に怖かった。あちこちで悲鳴か上がった。 私も怖すぎて弟に抱きつこうとしたが、目を輝かして映画を真剣に見ている弟が怖かったので、悲鳴をあげるだけに止めた。 しかし、映画が佳境に入るに従って怖さが増していく。とうとう我慢できなくなった私は蓮見に抱きついた。 蓮見は固まっていた。怖すぎてフリーズしてしまったのだろうか。もはやただの人形に成り果てている蓮見に私は遠慮なく抱きついた。 映画が終わってすぐ、私たちは外に出た。 私は恐怖のあまり涙目だ。弟は機嫌が良さそうだ。 蓮見は.........そっとしておいてあげよう。 ごめん、蓮見。私が悪かった。ネットの評判は伊達じゃなかったのだ。 「姉さん、あれ、東條さんたちじゃない?」 「本当だわ。あとを追いましょう」 私と弟は美咲様たちを追うために歩き出そうとするが、蓮見は固まったままだ。 私は蓮見の手を握って蓮見を引っ張るように歩き出す。 まったく、手間のかかる。まあ、私が悪いのだが。 そんな私たちを弟は複雑そうに見ていた。 美咲様たちはこのあとショッピングをするようだ。 百貨店に入っていく。 あ、まずい。エレベーターに乗られたら何階に行くのかわからなくなってしまう。 一緒のエレベーターに乗るわけにはいかないし。 どうしよう。 私が困っているのを見かねた悠斗が「オレが東條さんたちと一緒にエレベーターに乗って、何階で降りたか確かめるよ」と言ってくれた。 助かる。頼もしい弟を持ってお姉ちゃんは幸せだよ。 私と蓮見は弟の連絡を椅子に座って待つことにした。 蓮見はいまだに復活していないようだ。 私は近くの自販機でお茶を買って、蓮見に渡す。 「......なに?」 「お詫びです。無理をさせてしまって、申し訳ありませんでしたわ」 「............べつに」 蓮見はお茶を受け取ると蓋を開けて飲む。 私は黙ってそれを見つめる。 「ふぅ......そういえば、悠斗は?」 「弟は美咲様たちのあとを追って貰ってますわ。エレベーターに一緒に乗るわけにはいきませんので」 「そう」 私と蓮見は沈黙する。 なにをするわけでもなく、ぼんやりと座って連絡を待つ。 私はふと隣を見ると蓮見の顔色が悪くなっていることに気づいた。 「蓮見様?顔色が悪いようですが、大丈夫ですか?」 「あぁ......なんとか」 「なんとかって感じじゃありませんけれど......横になったらどうですか?」 「こんなところで?」 今私たちが座っている場所は目立たないところとはいえ、人が通らないわけではない。 それにクッション性もよくないので寝心地もよくないだろう。 「膝枕をしてあげてもいいですわよ?」 私は冗談めかして言った。 蓮見も「遠慮しておく」としばらく頑張っていたが 「ごめん......ちょっとこのままでいさせて」 かすれた声で蓮見は言う。 よほど具合が悪いのだろう。やっぱりホラー映画がまずかったのだろうか。 いつになく弱々しい蓮見が可哀想に思えて、蓮見の頭を私の膝に乗せた。 「あまり寝心地はよくないかもしれませんが......少し眠ってください」 ホラー映画を無理矢理観せた私のせいだ。 恥ずかしいが、我慢しよう。 「ごめん」 蓮見は弱々しく言うと目を閉じた。 やがて規則正しい寝息が聞こえる。 私は蓮見の髪を優しく撫でた。 この間も思ったけれど、蓮見の髪は触り心地がいい。ずっと撫でていたくなる。 早く蓮見の具合が良くなりますように。 出来れば私の足が痺れる前に良くなってくれ。 「姉さん、東條さんたちは......蓮見さん、どうかしたの?」 「ホラー映画でね、気分が悪くなってしまったみたい。今はそっとしておいてあげて?」 「............もう、姉さんは、甘すぎる」 「なんのこと?」 「わかんないならいい」 「悠斗?」 弟はそれっきりムッツリと黙りこんでしまった。 なにを怒っているのだろう?今日の弟は怒りっぽい。 私は美咲様に、美咲様のデートの日にあったことを報告した。 美咲様は楽しいデートができたようだ。ショッピングのあとはレストランでディナーをして帰ったらしい。そのレストランは王子が選んでくれたらしく、海辺の近くの夜景が綺麗なところだったそうだ。 美咲様が楽しめたようで何よりです。 私たちはあのあと、結局蓮見の具合があまりよくならなかったので帰ったのだ。 弟は自分のせいだ、と青い顔をして蓮見に謝っていたが、蓮見は「悠斗は悪くない」と弟を責めなかった。 そうだとも、蓮見がホラー映画を苦手だとわかっていて無理やり観せたのは私なのだ。私が悪い。 私が本気で落ち込んでいるのを見て蓮見はポンポンと頭を撫でた。まるで気にするなと言うように。 「本当に、蓮見様には申し訳ないことをしましたわ......」 「うーん......でも、奏祐にとっては怪我の功名になったんじゃないかしら」 「怪我の功名ですか?」 「ええ。......ふふ。悠斗君の苦労がわかる気がするわ」 「は、はあ......」 美咲様は楽しそうに笑っている。 美咲様が楽しそうなのは結構だが、弟の苦労って一体なんだろう?

19 I succeeded in forcing Hasumi watch the horror movie. The movie was truly scary. Screams were raised here and there. I was scared too, so I hugged my little brother, however my brother that was seriously looking at the movie with sparkling eyes was frightening, so I at least stopped screaming. However, as the film entered its climax, the dreadfulness increased. When I finally couldn't endure it anymore I hugged Hasumi. Hasumi was stiffened. Had he frozen from being too scared? Hasumi that now was just a doll, hugged me without reserve. We went outside as soon as the movie ended. I was teary eyed from the scare. My little brother looked to be in a good mood. Hasumi was.......quietly vomiting. I'm sorry, Hasumi. This is my fault. This wasn't famous on the net just for show. "Neesan, aren't those, Tojo-san and Minase-san?" "Yes. Let's follow after them." My brother and me began walking to chase them but Hasumi remained stiff as he was. I grasped Hasumi's hand and pulled him to walk. Really, he takes so much labour. Well, it's my fault though. My brother looked at us with complex expression. Seems like those two will go shopping after this. They entered the department store. Ah, that's bad. We won't know which floor they'll be on if they take the elevator. And we cannot ride the elevator together. What should we do. Yuto that saw I was looking troubled said, "I'll enter the elevator with them and see which floor they'll get off." I am saved. Having a reliable little brother is the happiness of an onee-chan. Hasumi and I decided to sit and wait for my brother's call. Hasumi still looks like he hasn't recovered. I bought tea from a nearby vending machine and handed it to him. "......what?" "It's my apology. I'm really sorry for making you do the impossible." "..............not really." Hasumi took the tea and lifted the lid to have a sip. I silently looked at him. "Huh......right, where's Yuto?" "My brother chased after those two. Since we can't ride the elevator with them." "Is that so." Hasumi and I remained silent. We didn't do anything and just sat there s.p.a.cing out waiting for the call. When I casually glanced at Hasumi, who was next to me, I noticed his complexion worsening. "Hasumi-sama? Your complexion looks bad, are you okay?" "Yes......somehow." "Even if you say somehow, you don't look like it.......how about lying down?" "In such a place?" Even though the place where we are sitting isn't conspicuous, it's not like people don't pa.s.s through here. Moreover there are no cus.h.i.+ons, so it wouldn't be comfortable to lie here. "I'm fine to give you a lap pillow, you know?" I said jokingly. Hasumi said, "I'll refrain myself," and tried to persist for a while, but before long he looked like he couldn't put up with it anymore and leaned on me. "Sorry.......just for a bit, let me remain like this." Hasumi said with a hoa.r.s.e voice. He seems to feel really bad. As I thought, is the horror movie the cause? Thinking that the unusually weak Hasumi was pitiful, I placed Hasumi's head on my lap. "It may not be too comfortable, but.....please try to sleep a bit." It's my fault because I forced him to watch the horror movie. It's embarra.s.sing, but I should endure it. "Sorry." Hasumi weakly closed his eyes. Soon I could hear his regular breathing. I gently stroked Hasumi's hair. I thought this previously too, his hair feels good to touch. It makes you want to continue petting them. I hope that Hasumi will get well soon. If possible, before my legs become numb. "Neesan, those two are......what's up with Hasumi-san?" "It seems like he feels sick because of the horror movie. Let's leave him be for a bit, okay?" ".............mou, neesan, you're too sweet." "About what?" "It's fine if you don't understand." "Yuto?" My little brother sank into silence with a sullen look. What is he angry about? Today's brother always looks mad. I reported to Miku-sama what happened on the day of her date. It seems like Miku-sama had an enjoyable date. After shopping they went to a restaurant for dinner, before going home. The restaurant chosen by the prince, seemed to be a pretty one, with a good view that was close to the sea. I'm glad more than anything else that Miku-sama enjoyed herself. In the end, we returned home after that because Hasumi's complexion wasn't good. My little brother thinking that was his fault, apologized to Hasumi with a blue face, but Hasumi didn't blame him and said, "It's not Yuto's fault." Even so, it was me that forced him to watch the horror movie, even when I understood that he was weak to that. It's my bad. Looking at me, who was seriously depressed, Hasumi stroked my head with a ponpon. Seeming to mean not to mind it. "Really, I'm sorry for what I did to Hasumi-sama......" "Well......but, wasn't that a fortunate accident for Sousuke?" "A fortunate accident?" "Yes. ......fufu. I feel like I understand Yuto's hards.h.i.+ps." "W-what....." Miku-sama laughed as if she was having fun. I'm glad that Miku-sama is having fun but, what about my brother's hards.h.i.+ps?

47 観覧車に乗ったあと、私たちはメイン施設である水族館にやってきた。 水族館はなかなか広く、いくつかのエリアにわかれているみたいだ。 まず最初に足を踏み入れた先にいたのはイルカたちだった。 大きな水槽をすいすい泳ぐイルカを私は目で追う。 可愛いなぁ......。 ちょっと進んだ先ではベルーガが出迎えてくれた。 ちょうど私たちの正面にいて、くるりと水槽の中を回ってくれた。 すごい癒される。イルカ可愛い。 そうだ。ベルーガのぬいぐるみを買って帰ろう。 私の部屋にベルーガを飾るのだ。毎日癒されるはずだ。 イルカに癒された私たちはゆっくりと水族館を回る。 不細工な深海魚にきれいな熱帯魚。 私たちがよく食べる魚に、ヘンテコな姿をした海の生き物。 いろんな種類の海の生物たちに気をとられていると、いつの間にか美咲様と王子と蓮見の姿が消えている。 あれ?もしかして......迷子になっちゃった? まさか。高校生にもなって迷子だなんてそんなバカな......! 私はふらふらと辺りを探して見るが、3人の姿は見つからない。 どこ行っちゃったんだろう......携帯で連絡を......あれ。電源切れてる。 これはまずいと思いながらも、携帯という連絡手段がない私はどうすることもできない。 とにかく進んでみよう。出口で待ってくれてるかもしれないし。 そう考えた私は海の生物を観賞しつつ、奥に進む。 奥に進んでいくと、クラゲ専用の展示ルームを発見した。 私はその部屋を覗いてみることにした。 クラゲって見ている分には綺麗だし。 部屋に入ってみたが、中には人が1人もいない。 クラゲ綺麗なのに、人気ないのかなぁ。 私は気にせずクラゲを観賞する。 ふわふわと水槽を漂うクラゲはきれいだ。 レースみたいにひらひらを触手を漂わせている様は幻想的だ。 私はうっとりとクラゲに魅入っていると、突然腕を掴まれた。 「やっと見つけた......!」 「蓮見様......?」 「君を探してたんだ。携帯に連絡をしても繋がらないし、どこに行ってたの?」 「あ......ごめんなさい。携帯、電源が切れていたみたいで......」 「......そんなことだろうとは思っていたけど」 蓮見は呆れたような、ほっとしたような表情を浮かべて、私の腕から手を離した。 そして水槽を見る。 「綺麗だね......クラゲってこんなに綺麗だったんだ」 「ええ」 私たちは黙って水槽の中のクラゲを見つめる。 ふわりと傘を広げて泳ぐクラゲは優雅だ。 見ていて飽きない。 「......ねえ、観覧車で、昴となにかあったの?」 ふいに蓮見が声を掛けてきた。 私はクラゲに向けていた顔を蓮見に向ける。 「少し、お話をしただけですわ」 「それにしては、昴の様子が......」 蓮見はそう言って考え込むように黙った。 確かにゴンドラから降りてからの王子の様子はおかしかった。 心ここにあらずといった様子なのだ。 「美咲様と話すことで悩んでいるのかしら......」 「美咲と話すことって?」 私は蓮見に観覧車での王子との会話を話した。 蓮見は私の話を聞くと驚いたように目を見開いた。 「美咲を幸せにできないって......昴がそんなことを?」 「ええ。だから、美咲様の幸せを決めつけないで、と言いましたの。ちゃんと美咲様と話し合うように、と」 「でも......少し言い過ぎたかもしれません。私への気持ちを逃げだなんて言ってしまって......」 「...............」 「私も逃げてばかりなのに、そんなこと言う資格、ありませんよね......」 「......でも、君は今日ちゃんと昴と向き合った」 「向き合えたのでしょうか......」 「避け続けてた時よりは向き合えてると思うけど」 「......そう、ですね。そうですよね......」 私は蓮見の言葉を噛み締める。 私は、少しは前に進んだのだろうか。 「なんとかイベントも回避できたし......」 「イベント?」 蓮見は耳聡く私がぼそりと呟いた言葉を拾った。 私は漫画のイベントのことを教えた。 そしたら、蓮見は真剣な表情で私の両腕を掴み、聞いてきた。 「昴とキス、したの?」 「まさか。なんとか回避できましたわ」 「蓮見様?」 蓮見ははっとしたように私の腕を離し、なんでもないと言った。 心配してくれたのかな? 「恋って、難しいですね。パズルみたいにうまくピースが合わないことも、あるんですね」 「私もいつか、恋をするのかな......」 私はぼそりと呟く。 私が恋する人は、きちんとピースがうまくはまる人だろうか?それとも合わない人? 私は、ふと、王子は蓮見が私のことを好きだと勘違いしている、ということを思い出した。 「蓮見様」 「なに?」 「あの......東條様の誤解を解かなくてよろしいのですか?」 「誤解?」 「東條様は、蓮見様が私を好きだと誤解してます。その誤解を解かなくてもいいのですか?」 「ああ......あれね。......いいよ、解かなくても」 「え?いいんですか?」 私は目を見開く。 誤解を解くのが面倒くさいんだろうか?いや解かない方が面倒くさいと思うけど。 「俺は逃げてるって、いつか君に言ったよね?」 蓮見は唐突に話を変えた。 私は突然話題が変わったことに戸惑いながらも頷く。 「君を見てて思ったんだ。逃げるのをやめようって」 蓮見は真剣な顔を私に向けた。 「だから、もうやめた。俺はもう逃げない。―――昴からも、君からも」 とくん、と大きく胸が高鳴る。 「蓮見様......」 いけない。これ以上聞いちゃだめだ。 私の本能がそう告げる。 だけど私はその場から動けなかった。 蓮見の眼差しから、目がそらせない。 「.........え?」 今、蓮見はなんて言った? 私は蓮見の言ったことが信じられずに、蓮見をまじまじと見たが、蓮見が冗談を言っている気配はない。 嘘でしょう。お願い、「嘘だよ」って言って。 前みたいに「本気にした?」って意地悪く笑って。 そんな私の願いは通じず、ただ、蓮見は真剣な顔をして、私に囁いた。 「ちゃんと俺を見て。漫画の登場人物じゃない、君の目の前にいる俺を見て」 「蓮見様......あの、私は」 「今は、返事はいい」 咄嗟に何かを言おうとした私に、蓮見が柔らかく微笑む。 「君がなんとも思ってないのは知ってる。だから、今は返事は要らない。でも、覚えていて。 掠れた声で私に囁く蓮見を、私はただ呆然と見つめることしかできなった。 そんな私を見て、蓮見は挑戦的に笑い、私の手を取って歩き出す。 「そろそろ、行こう。美咲も昴も心配してる」 どくんどくんと心臓の音が響く。 私は蓮見に手を引かれるまま、歩いた。 そのあとのことは、よく覚えていない。 気づいたら私は自分の部屋にいて、制服のままベットに寝転がっていた。 制服がシワになってしまう。早く脱がなくちゃ。 そう思うのに体は動かない。 私は両手で顔を覆った。 現実感がない。ふわふわした感覚がする。 これは夢なのだろうか? でも、夢ならどうして、蓮見と繋いだ手の温もりが残っているの。 ―――私、これからどうすればいいの。 もう、頭がおかしくなりそう。

47 After the ferris wheel, we finally went to the main facility: The Aquarium. The aquarium building was really big; it looked like it was divided into various branches. The first place we went was where the dolphins were. My eyes chased after those big fishes that swam smoothly in the water tank. It was so cute...... Proceeding a bit further, we met a beluga whale. We were just in front of it and we saw it turn in the water tank. I'm being wonderfully healed. The dolphins are cute. Right. I should buy a beluga stuffed toy. I want to decorate my room with beluga whales; so that I would be healed every day. Healed by the dolphins, we went slowly looked around. In the homely deep water, there were some pretty tropical fish. Compared to the fish we usually eat, there were a lot of strange fish here. Being attracted by the various and varieties of fish, before I noticed, the figure of Miku-sama, the prince, and Hasumi disappeared. Are? Have I perhaps....... become a lost child? No way. Such a thing as becoming a lost child in high school couldn't possibly be.....! With unsteady feet, I looked around for them but I couldn't find them. I wonder, where did they go.....? I should contact them with my phone......are, the battery is dead. Even while thinking that this was bad, I had no means to contact them and couldn't do anything. Let's advance for the time being. They might be waiting for me at the entrance. I who thought so, advanced while looking at the creatures of the sea. As I was walking ahead, I discovered the room exclusive to jellyfish. I decided to go peek in that room. The jellyfish are really pretty. I went inside but no one was there. Even though jellyfish were pretty, they may not be popular? I began observing the jellyfish without worrying. The jellyfish that were floating in a fluffy manner in the water tank were beautiful. As their tentacles fluttered, it gave the illusion that they were hanging in the air. While I was looking at the jellyfish, as if fascinated, my arm was suddenly grabbed. "I finally found you......!" "Hasumi-sama.....?" "I was looking for you. Even when I called your phone, it wouldn't connect; where did you run off to?" "Ah......I'm sorry. It seems like my phone is out of battery......" "........I did think that might have been the case." Hasumi made an expression as if he was exasperated and relieved, and released my arm. Then, looked at the aquarium. "It's beautiful......were jellyfish always this beautiful." "Yes." We silently watched the jellyfish inside the aquarium. The jellyfish elegantly swam, as though softly spreading an umbrella. I don't feel tired of looking at them. ".....hey, did something happen with Subaru at the ferris wheel?" Suddenly, Hasumi spoke. I turned my face away from the jellyfish and faced Hasumi. "We just talked a bit." "Even so, Subaru looks....." Saying that, Hasumi shut up as if pondering over something. Certainly, when the prince descended from the gondola, he looked a bit strange. It looked as if he had something in mind. "I wonder if he is troubled about the things he wants to say to Miku-sama......." "The things he wants to say to Miku?" I told Hasumi about the conversation I had on the ferris wheel with the prince. Hasumi opened his eyes wide in surprise as he listened to me. "He can't make Miku happy......Subaru said such a thing?" "Yes. That's why I told him to not decide Miku-sama's happiness; and to have a proper talk with Miku-sama." "But......I might have said too much. I ended up telling him that he was directing his feelings towards me to escape......" "..............." "I, too, have been only running away; so, I don't have the qualification to say such a thing....." ".....but, you properly faced Subaru today." "Have I faced him I wonder......" "I think it's better than when you continued to avoid him." ".....is that so. No, it must be so......" I thoroughly reflected upon Hasumi's words. I wonder if I made some progress? "I somehow managed to avoid the event too....." "Event?" Hasumi's ears picked up the words I, distractedly, muttered. I told him about the manga's event. As I did that, Hasumi grabbed both my arms with a serious expression, and said: "Have you been kissed by Subaru?" "No way! I somehow managed to avoid that." "Hasumi-sama?" Hasumi released my arms, looking relieved, and said: "it's nothing." Was he worried for me? "Love is difficult, isn't it? There are times where the pieces won't fit, mh." "I wonder if I'll fall in love someday....." I distractedly muttered. I wonder if the person I'd fall in love with would be a piece that would fit perfectly? Or maybe someone that wouldn't match...? Suddenly, I recalled that the prince misunderstood and thought that Hasumi liked me. "Hasumi-sama." "What?" "Ehm.....is it okay if I don't solve Tojo-sama's misunderstanding?" "Misunderstanding?" "Tojo-sama thinks that Hasumi-sama likes me. Is it okay if I don't correct that misunderstanding?" "Ahh.....about that.......it's fine with me even if it's not corrected." "Eh? Is it really fine?" I opened my eyes wide. Isn't not correcting that misunderstanding a bother? I thought that it would be a pain if I were in his shoes though. "I once told you that I've been running away, right?" Hasumi abruptly changed the topic. While perplexed at the sudden change of topic, I nodded. "While looking at you, I thought: That I should stop running away." Hasumi looked at me with a serious face. "That's why, I'll stop. I won't run away anymore.------from Subaru, and... from you too." kyun, my heart throbbed in my chest. "Hasumi-sama....." No good. I mustn't hear more. My instinct told me that. However, I couldn't move from the spot. I couldn't look away from Hasumi's eyes. ".............eh?" Right now, what did Hasumi say? Without believing what Hasumi said, I stared unblinkingly at him; but there was no sign of him saying that it was a joke. It's a lie right. Please, say: "It's a lie." Like you did previously, when you said: "did you think I was serious?" with a teasing smile. Without granting my wish, Hasumi just looked at me with a serious face and whispered. "Look at me properly. Not as the main character of a manga. Look at the me who is in front of your eyes." "Hasumi-sama......that... I..." "It's fine if you don't give me an answer right now." Hasumi softly smiled at me, who was trying to say something. "I know that you never thought of me that way. That's why, I don't want an answer right now. But, remember. ----------because I'll make you look at me." I couldn't do anything but stare at Hasumi that grazed me with his whispered voice. Looking at such a me, Hasumi attempted to laugh, then took my hand and began to walk. "We should go now. Miku and Subaru are also worried." Tun-tutun the sound of my heart resounded. I walked, with my hand still in Hasumi's hand. After that I don't have much recollection. Before I realized, I was in my room and laid on my bed with my uniform still on. The uniform would get wrinkled... I must quickly take it off. Though I thought so, my body wouldn't move. I covered my face with both hands. This doesn't feel real. I feel a fluffy feeling within me. I wonder if this is a dream? But, if it's a dream, then why does the warmth from Hasumi's hand remain? ------I, what should I do from now on? Mou, my head felt like it was going funny.

24 使用人さんが切り分けてくれたケーキが並ぶ。 蓮見が作ってくれたのは、ショートケーキみたいだ。 苺だけじゃなく、フルーツがたくさん挟まれている。美味しそうだ。 ケーキ以外にも蓮見はお菓子を色々作ってくれたようで、クッキーやらマドレーヌやらマカロンが並ぶ。 菜緒が持ってきてくれたのは、ゼリーだった。 綺麗なグラデーションのゼリーだ。 ピンクと黄色と緑の3種類の色で、それぞれ味も違うようだ。 ゼリー以外にも羊羮を持ってきてくれた。 洋菓子も美味しいけど、たまには和菓子の素朴な甘さもいいよね。餡子美味しい。 冷たいゼリーと羊羮は今の時期にぴったりだ。 私が用意したのは、プリンだ。 またか、と思われるかもしれないが、プリンはプリンでも今日のプリンはひと味違う。 普通のプリンも用意したが、マンゴープリンとかチョコプリンとか、生クリームがたっぷり乗ったプリンとか、焼きプリンも用意した。 今はかぼちゃの時期じゃないため手にいれるのが大変だったが、幸いにも準備期間を長く取れたのでよかった。 プリンの他にシュークリームアイスも用意した。 毎日1個は必ず食べている。 みんなで持ち合わせたお菓子を並べると、とてもすごいことになった。 まあ、ちょっとボリュームあるかなって思うけど、甘い物は別腹って言うし、大丈夫だよね。 最悪、弟を連れてこよう、うん決めた。 私たちはお菓子を食べながらおしゃべりを始める。 女子会のスタートだ。 1人女子じゃない奴も混じっているが、女子力高いから大丈夫だろう。私は気にしないことにした。 「このケーキ、とっても美味しいわ。さすが凛花が誉めていただけはある」 「それほどでも~」 「あんたは、誉めてない」 「え」 「ふふ、凛花さんと菜緒は仲良しね。私たちも他所から見ればこう見えてるのかしら。ねぇ、奏祐?」 「さあ?そう見えてるんじゃない」 蓮見はさっきから私のイチオシであるかぼちゃプリンに夢中だ。 プリンに夢中になるがあまりに美咲様への対応が雑になっている。 気持ちはわかるが、美咲様の対応はもっと丁寧にしてくれ。 蓮見はかぼちゃプリンを食べ終わるとじっと私を見てきた。 なんだね、言いたいことがあるなら口で言いたまえ。 「このプリン......」 「秘密です」 「まだなにも言ってないけど」 「言わなくてもわかります。このプリンのお店は教えません」 「......けちだな」 「なんとでも仰ってくださいな」 この店のプリンは数量限定で、手に入れるのが大変なのだ。 ライバルは沢山いる。むやみにライバルを増やしたくない。 よって蓮見には教えない。ごめんあそばせ。 「............」 蓮見は名残惜しそうにプリンの容器を見つめる。 ふん、そんな顔したって教えてやらないのだ。 蓮見はしばらくプリンの容器を見つめたあと、なにか覚悟を決めたように顔をあげた。 「神楽木」 「なんでしょう」 「何が食べたい?」 「はい?」 「俺が君の食べたいお菓子を作る。君が食べたいと言ったら必ず作ると約束する」 「.........!!だから、どうしろと?」 「このプリンの店を教えてほしい」 蓮見はじっと真剣な目で私を見る。 私は好きなお菓子をいつでも蓮見に作って貰える権利に、ぐらぐらと心を揺らされている。 このプリンは中々手に入らない。蓮見のお菓子も滅多に食べられない。 どちらを取るべきなのか。どうする私!? 「.........いつでも作ってくださるんですよね?」 「すぐに作れない時もあるかもしれないけど、頼まれた物は絶対作ると約束する」 「......わかりました。あとで、お店の名前を教えますわ。約束は絶対に守ってくださいね?」 こうして私はプリンのお店のライバルを増やすかわりに、蓮見にお菓子を作って貰える権利を手に入れたのであった。 「ぷぷっ......し、真剣に話している内容がプリンのお店って......!」 「笑ったら悪いわ......ふふっ」 「そう言いながら美咲だって笑ってるじゃない......!フフ、でもお菓子でこんな......!あははっ」 「ふふふっ」 隣で笑っている声が聞こえる気がするが、私と蓮見は聞こえてないふりをした。

24 The cake the servant cut up was served. It looks like what Hasumi baked was a shortcake. Not only with strawberries, but with a lot of other fruits interposed. Looks tasty. In addition, Hasumi made various sweets other than the cake; cookies, madeleine, and macarons are lined up here. What Nao brought was jelly. It was a jelly that had a beautiful color graduation. It had 3 types of color; pink, yellow, and green, with each having different flavors. Other than jelly, she brought yokan too. Western sweets are delicious, but occasionally having j.a.panese sweets, with their sweet simplicity, is good too. The anko is delicious. The cold jelly with the yokan at this time is perfect. What I prepared is pudding. You might think 'again?' But, even though pudding is still pudding, today's pudding has a unique taste different from other puddings. I also prepared normal pudding, but mango pudding, choco pudding, pudding with a lot of fresh cream, and baked pudding are here too. It's been hard getting my hands on it, because right now is not the season for pumpkin; however, I was fortunately able to get it after a long period of time. Besides the pudding, I prepared cream puffs. Every day, I'll eat one without fail. It was really incredible to have the sweets everyone brought, lined up here. Well, I think that the volume is a bit too much, but it is said that you have a separate stomach for sweets, so it should be fine, right? In the worst case, I decided to tell my little brother to come. While eating the pastries we began chatting. The start was the girls power. It's not a girls only party since that fellow joined, but since the girl power is high, it should be okay. I decided not to mind it. "This cake is truly delicious. As expected of something Rinka praised." "Even so~" "I'm not praising you." "Eh." "Fufu, Rinksan and Nao really get along, right? I wonder if we look like this too from other people's perspectives. Right, Sousuke?" "I wonder? Don't we look like this?" Since earlier Hasumi has been engrossed in the pumpkin pudding I recommended. He was so engrossed in the pudding, that his interaction with Miku-sama had become rough. I understand your feelings but please be more courteous when interacting with Miku-sama. After he finished eating the pumpkin pudding, Hasumi stared fixedly at me. What is it? If you want to say something, than do it. "This pudding....." "It's a secret." "I still haven't said anything though." "I understand even if you don't say it. I won't tell you the name of the shop." "......stingy." "I won't tell you no matter what you say." This shop produces a limited quant.i.ty, so getting my hands on them is hard. I have many rivals. I don't want to unnecessarily increase them. Therefore, I won't tell Hasumi. Let me apologize. "............" Hasumi regretfully stared at the pudding container. Humph, even if you make such a face, I won't tell you. After staring at the pudding container for a while, looking like he prepared a decision, Hasumi raised his face. "Kaguragi." "What?" "What do you want to eat?" "Huh?" "I'll make the sweets you want to eat. I promise that I'll make what you say you want to eat without fail." ".......!! And, for what?" "I want you to tell me the name of this pudding shop." Hasumi stared at me with a serious look. I'll have the right to get Hasumi to make sweets I like wherever I want, my mind shook from indecisiveness. I rarely get a hold of this pudding. And I almost never see Hasumi's sweets. Which should I choose? What should I do!? ".........You'll make them at any time, right?" "I might have times where I won't be able to make them immediately, but I promise that I'll absolutely make what you ask." ".......I understand. Later, I'll tell you the name of the shop. You will absolutely keep your promise, okay?" Thus, in exchange of increasing the pudding shop rivals, I got the right to make Hasumi bake sweets for me. "Pupuh......T-the content of their serious conversation, is about a pudding shop name......!" "Laughing is bad you know......fufuh." "While you are saying this, aren't you laughing too, Miku.....!? Fufu, but for sweets, they were so..... .! Ahaha." "Fufufuh." I feel like I heard voices near me, but Hasumi and I pretended not to hear them.

37 パーティー会場の中に足を踏み入れると、あまりの人の多さにくらくらした。 これで堅苦しくないパーティーなのですか......私にはこれに慣れるのは無理じゃないかと思います、お母様。 パーティーは立食形式で、あちらこちらで談笑している声がする。 私、場違いではないでしょうか。一応良家のお嬢さん教育は受けていますが、中身は庶民ですよ。ジャンクフードもスナック菓子も大好きですよ。駄菓子最高。 私が現実逃避をしている間にも父たちはぐんぐん進んでいく。待って、はぐれちゃう。 私は慣れないヒールで必死に歩いて父からはぐれないようにする。 やがて父の歩みが止まり、父の視線の先にいたのは、ダンディなおじ様だった。 父は優男だが、この人はダンディだ。若い頃はモテモテだっただろう。いや、今でも十分モテそうだが。 「やあ、神楽木さん」 「この度はご招待いただき、ありがとうございます」 「いやいや、こちらこそ来てくれて嬉しいよ。そちらの可愛らしいお嬢さんが君の自慢の娘さんかな?」 「ええ。そうなんです。これが私の自慢の娘の凛花です」 「初めまして。この度はご招待いただき、ありがとうございます。凛花と申します」 父よ、ちょっとは謙遜してくれ。そう思いながらも私は優雅に見えるように挨拶をする。 ダンディなおじ様はにっこりと笑った。 「なるほど、君が自慢したくなるのもわかるな。初めまして、凛花さん。私は蓮見聡一郎、奏祐の父親だ。息子がお世話になっているそうだね」 ああ、やっぱりこの人が蓮見のお父さんなのか。 目元は似ているが、全体的には似ていない。蓮見は母親似なのだろう。 「いいえ。私の方がお世話になっているくらいで......」 蓮見の話題に私は気持ちが沈んでいく。 そんな私の心境などお構い無しに大人たちは話を続ける。 私は微笑んでるだけで精一杯だった。早くここから立ち去りたい。 「父さん」 聞き覚えのある声に、私の肩がびくりと跳ねあがる。 恐る恐る声のした方を振り向くと、そこには私が今一番会いたくない相手、蓮見がいた。 「奏祐。どうした」 「実は......」 蓮見父と蓮見が何かを話しだす。 私は蓮見の顔が見ていられなくて俯いた。 少しの間、親子の会話が続き、蓮見父は申し訳なさそうに呼ばれているので席を外すと言った。 父は愛想よく頷く。 蓮見父は思い出したかのように蓮見に言った。 「奏祐。凛花さんのお相手、頼んだぞ」 「は?」 蓮見は私がいることに初めて気づいたように、目を丸くした。 「失礼のないようにな。では、神楽木さん、凛花さん、私はこれで。ゆっくり楽しんで」 「お気遣いありがとうございます」 蓮見父が立ち去ると、父もにこにこと笑って挨拶があるからと私を置いてどこかに行ってしまった。 待って!置いてかないでぇ!! この状況どうしろって言うんだ。 えぇっと、とにかく挨拶! 噛まずに言えた。偉いぞ私! 本当は今にも震えそうなくらい緊張しているが、私はその緊張をどうにか押さえ込む。 「ああ......」 「..................」 どうしよう、会話が続かない。 ここはトイレと言って逃げるか。うん。そうしよう。 いつになく逃げ腰な私は蓮見に断りを入れようと顔をあげると、蓮見と目が合った。 まるでメデューサに遭遇してしまったかのように私は固まった。 しばらく蓮見と見つめ合う。何故か目がそらせない。石化の呪いにかかったようだ。 「なんでここにいるの」 目を先にそらしたのは蓮見だった。 目がそらされたのと同時に私の石化も解かれる。 「ご招待を受けたからですけれど」 声が震えそう。私は腹に力を込め、お腹から声を出す。 私たちはいつの間にか周りから注目を浴びていた。 あちらこちらからひそひそと話す声が聞こえる。 なにこれ、気持ち悪い。 人に注目されることに慣れてない私は気分が悪くなる。 「......こっちに来て」 私は蓮見に腕を引かれ、蓮見に続くように歩くはめになった。 私と蓮見では歩幅が違う。だから歩く早さも違う。 私は蓮見についていくのに必死になった。小走りにならないと蓮見のペースに追い付けない。 蓮見と一緒に歩いても歩幅なんて気にしなかった。蓮見が私に合わせてくれていたのだと今更気づく。 蓮見に連れてこられたのは、パーティー会場の外にある落ち着いた雰囲気の庭園だった。普段はカップルや夫婦がいそうなのに、今は誰もいない。 蓮見は庭園の真ん中あたりまで歩くと、乱暴に私の腕を離した。 その時に足に嫌な痛みが走る。バランスを取ろうとして挫いてしまったのだろう。 「なにが目的なの?」 「目的?」 「俺に近づいて、なにをする気?」 「私は、蓮見様と仲直りがしたいだけです」 「仲直り?仲直りもなにも、俺たちは仲直りができるくらい仲良しな関係だったけ?」 私は蓮見の言葉に、想像以上にショックを受けた。 蓮見とはなんだかんだいって仲良くやれてると思っていた。蓮見の皮肉も冷静なツッコミも嫌いじゃなかった。 蓮見のこと、友達だと思っていた。 ―――それも、私1人の思い込みだったの?

37 When I stepped into the party's hall, I got dizzy from the overwhelming number of people. You said that this was an informal party....... I think it's impossible for me to get used to this dear mother. The party was in a buffet style, with many people chatting here and there. Am I not out of place? I did receive the training of a proper ojou-sama, but my personality was still that of a commoner. I love junk foods, snacks, and sweets, you know? Cheap sweets are the best. In the moment I tried to escape reality, my father still steadily advanced. Wait, I'm gonna lose sight of you. I desperately walked on with the heels I'm not used to, so as to not be separated from father. Before long, father stopped walking, his gaze moving towards a dandy oji-sama. Father is a man with a gentle manners, but this man is a dandy. He must have been popular with women when they were young. Well, he still looks like he'd be popular right now. "Hey, Kaguragi-san." "Thank you for inviting me today." "No no, I'm glad you came. Is that lovely ojou-san the daughter you boast of?" "Yes. That's right. This is the daughter I'm proud of, Rinka." "Nice to meet you. Thank you for inviting me today. My name is Rinka." Father dear, please show some modesty. While thinking this, I elegantly greeted him. The dandy oji-sama laughed. "I see, now I understand why you would want to boast about her. Nice to meet you, Rinksan. I'm Hasumi Soichiro, Sousuke's father. It seems like my son has been in your care." Ah, as expected this person is Hasumi's father. Their eyes resemble each other but on a whole they don't look similar. Hasumi resemble his mother probably. "No. It's more I that has been taken care of......." At the mention of Hasumi's my mood sinked. Without minding my mental state, the adults continued their talk. I gave my all just to maintain my smile. I want to leave this place quickly. "Father." Surprised, my shoulders jumped up at the sound of this voice. Timidly turning my face towards the voice, I found the person I wanted to see the least right now, Hasumi. "Sousuke. What is it?" "Actually......" Hasumi's father and Hasumi talked about something. I couldn't bear to look at Hasumi's face and so changed my head down. The parent-child conversation continued for a while, and in the end Hasumi's father left his seat, looking apologetic, because he got called away for something. My father nodded with cordiality. Hasumi's father looked as though he just recalled something, and said: "Sousuke. I'll leave you to accompany Rinksan." "Ha?" Hasumi's eyes rounded as if he just realized that I was there. "Make sure to not be rude okay. Well then, Kaguragi-san, Rinksan, I'll go now. Have fun." "Thank you for your consideration." When Hasumi's father left, my father, while smiling, said he'll go greet other people, leaving me here. Wait! Don't leave me alone!! What to do in this kind of situation? E-ehm, for the time being I should greet him! I said it without gnawing on the words. Good job me! In reality, I'm so nervous that I am about to tremble, but I somehow managed to restrain that nervousness. "Oh......" ".................." What to do, the conversation doesn't keep up. Shall I say that I have to go to the toilet and then run away? Let's do that. Prepared to flee, when I raised my face to excuse myself, I met Hasumi's eyes. I solidified, as if I encountered medusa. For a short while, I stared at Hasumi. For some reason, I couldn't avert my eyes. It seemed like I was under a petrification curse. "Why are you here." The first one to turn his eyes away was Hasumi. At the same time that happened, my petrification was solved. "Because I received an invitation." My voice seemed like it was about to tremble. I mustered my resolve and responded with the air coming from my stomach. Before long, we got showered in the surrounding people attention. I can hear whispering voices here and there. What's this, it feels so unpleasant. My mood turned even worse as I wasn't used to be at the centre of attention. ".......come here." Pulled by Hasumi's hand, I followed after him. The length of our strides were different. That's why, even our walking speed differs too. I became desperate to keep up with Hasumi. Hasumi didn't concern himself with his stride. But only now did he notice and match our pace. Hasumi dragged me outside the party hall, to a garden that had a calm atmosphere. Usually, it would be full of couples and married couples but right now, there was no one around. Hasumi walked to the centre of the garden and then roughly released my arm. At that moment, an unpleasant pain run through my foot. Losing my balance it seems like I twisted it. "What's your purpose?" "Purpose?" "What do you want to get by getting close to me?" "I just want to make up with Hasumi-sama." "Make up? Making up or whatever, were we close enough to have to make up?" At his words, I got more shocked than I expected. I thought that we somehow got along with each other. I didn't hate Hasumi's cynicism and cool-headed retorts. I thought that we were friends. ------even so, was I the only one to think that?

よく晴れた青空に、満開の桜。 まるで天が私の入学を祝ってくれているかのよう――― なんて、少女漫画のヒロインっぽく思って現実逃避してました。 いよいよ、私はヒーローとライバルキャラと対面するのだ。対面する気なんてないけどね!遠くから確認するだけだけどね! 私は母に連れられて、澄んだ青空とは正反対のどんよりとした気持ちで今日から通う桜丘学園の門をくぐった。 真新しい制服も今の私にとっては気分のあがるものではない。むしろこれが現実なのかと、絶望感を誘うものでしかない。 まあ、もちろん、少女漫画のヒロインが着る制服なので、デザインはとても可愛い。 白いブレザーに、水色のリボン。スカートは白地に水色のチェックが入っている。全体的に白でまとめられたデザインだ。 男子の制服もデザインは女子と大して変わらない。 一度は制服デートをしてみたいな、と密かに思っていたりする。 いや、しませんけどね?凛花みたいになる予定ないし。 これから待ち構えるヒーローとのフラグをどう折ろうか悩んでいるのを緊張していると勘違いした母が、「大丈夫よ、だって貴女は私の娘だもの」と言うのを聞き流しつつ、私は頭の中で『世界は恋で溢れている』の設定を振り返った。 『世界は恋で溢れている』、通称セカコイはお金持ち学校に高等部から入学したヒロインとヒーローのラブストーリーだ。 まず、ヒロインとヒーローが出逢うのは入学式。 つまり、今日だ。今日、私はヒーローと顔を合わせることになる。 確か、私の記憶が正しければ、ヒーローは入学式で新入生代表の言葉を言うはずだ。 まず、そこで1つ目のフラグが待ち構えている。 それを全力回避しなければ。 などと必死に考えている間にいつの間にか入学式が始まっていた。 アレー?私どうやってここまで来たんだろう......記憶にない。 ハッ。もしや、これはセカコイワールドの設定の力なのか!? そんな力なんかに負けてたまるかあぁ! と、気合いを入れたところでタイミングよくヒーローの名前が呼ばれた。 「新入生代表、 穏やかな、しかしよく響く声が講堂に響いた。 壇上に向かって歩く彼に、息をのむ音があちこちから聞こえた。 それはそうだろう。彼はとてつもないイケメンなのだから。少女漫画のヒーローだしね。 さらさらとした髪に、涼やかな目。口元はつねに笑みを浮かべ、まさに王子さまのような容姿。 セカコイ読者は彼を王子と呼ぶ。私も心の中では王子と読んでいる。 彼が壇上に上がるまでをぼんやりと、ああこんなシーンあったなぁと見ていた。 次はどんなシーンだっけ、と脳内で漫画を開いて、顔から血の気がすっと失せていった。 そうだ。ここで王子と凛花の目が合ってしまうのだ。それが次の王子とのイベントに生きてくる。 奴と目を合わせないようにしないと! よし、下でも向いてるか。 私はそっと王子から顔を反らし、下を向く。 すると段々と眠くなってきた。 昨日は入学式の対策を考えてあまり寝てなかったからなあ。 なんて思っているうちに私は眠ってしまい、気付いたら閉式の言葉になっていた。 やば。よだれたらして寝てた。誰かに見られて......ないようだ。良かった。 こっそりよだれを拭いつつ、入学式のフラグを1つ折ることができたので小さくガッツポーズをする。 よし、この調子で次もがんばろう。 次は王子との直接対決だ。負けない。

Cherries in full bloom at a clear blue sky. It's like the heavens are celebrating my entry to this school---- -- My, exactly like how the heroine from a shoujo manga would appear, I thought, while escaping from reality. Finally, I'll meet the hero and rival characters. But I don't feel like meeting them, though! I will only see them from afar, ne! In contrast to the clear blue sky, my feelings were heavy in being driven to Sakuragaoka Academy's gate which I will attend starting from today while being dragged by my mother. My brand-new uniform couldn't raise my spirit as of now. Rather 'is this reality?' this is only something that invite despair. Maa, of course, the Heroine of a shoujo manga would wear the uniform. The design was very cute, though. A white blazer, a light blue ribbon. The skirt plaid in light blue color with a white background. It's a design that put the color white at the center. The guys' uniform design didn't differ much from the girls'. I would like to experience a date while wearing uniforms once, or so I secretly thought. Iya, I won't though, right? I don't plan to be like Rinka. While I was worrying and being nervous about how to break the flags and watch out for the hero, my mother misunderstood me when she said{You'll be fine, after all you're the daughter of a lady like me} . While I wasn't listening, inside my head I was turning over the setting of {The World Is Overflowing With Love} . {The World Is Overflowing With Love} a.k.a. Sekakoi, was a love story about the heroine and the hero that entered a rich high cla.s.s school. First of all, the heroine encountered the hero at the entrance ceremony. In other world, today. Today, I will face the hero. If I remember correctly, the hero would give a speech as the representative of the new students. To start with, the first flag will lie in wait there. I have to avoid that at any cost. While I was desperately thinking about this, the entrance ceremony has begun. Are-? How did I made it here.......I have no memory. Don't tell me, this is the influence of Sekakoi World's setting!? As if I will be defeated by such a forceee! So, just when my fighting spirit was ignited, the hero name's was called out. "New students Representative, Tojo Subaru" A gentle, yet imposing voice resounded in the auditorium. As he walked toward the platform, here and there you could hear various sound of people swallowing their breaths. Well that's only natural. He is an unbelievable ikemen. After all, he is the hero of a shoujo manga. With smooth hair and clear eyes and with a smile that always floating on his lips, exactly the picturesque appearance of a Prince-sama. The Sekakoi readers called him Prince. I read him as Prince in my mind too. I looked dumbly at him when he went up on stage and thought 'Aah such a scene to behold'. What kind of scene would be next already, and when I opened the manga in my head, blood drained from my face. That's right. This is where the Prince's and Rinka's eyes ended up staring at each other. That's where the next event of the Prince would come. I must not meet eye-to-eye with that fellow! Alright, shall I look down? I softly bowed my head, facing downward. And then, I gradually become sleepy. It's because yesterday I was trying to think about school entrance's counter plan and hadn't slept much. As I was thinking that, I ended up sleeping, and when I noticed, it was already the end of the ceremony speech. c.r.a.p. I was drooling in my sleep. Did someone saw me.....seems not. Thank G.o.d. While stealthily wiping ny drool, I was able to break the school entrance's first flag so I made a small guts pose. Good, I'll do my best to continue like this. Next is a direct confrontation with the Prince. I won't lose.

35 生徒会室にお菓子が出されるようになって少し時間が経った。 最近、飛鳥にじっと見つめられることが多い。 飛鳥に目を向けるとそらされる。なんなんだもう。 ......あれ?漫画でこんなシーンがあったような......? もしかして。もしかしてだけど。 そんな事を考えていた時、飛鳥が意を決したような顔をして私に近づく。 現在、生徒会室には私と飛鳥しかいない。他のメンバーはそれぞれの仕事で席を立っている。 「神楽木」 「なんでしょう?」 私は微笑みを浮かべながら飛鳥を見る。 が、内心では大変混乱していた。 うん、まさかとは思うけど。でもここ漫画の世界だし?うん、だから、そうなのかな。 でも飛鳥は私にとってただの頼れる生徒会メンバーでしかない。 だから、そういうのはちょっと......。 「君に、ずっと言いたかったことがある」 まじか。やっぱり、そうなの? 私の内心の混乱はピークに達しようとしていた。 しかし、表面上ではそんなことを微塵にも出さずに、不思議そうに首を傾げてみせる。 そう、私は女優。私は女優なのよ!にかわだけど! 「言いたかったこと?」 「ああ、実は、俺は君に......」 ああ、やめて、やめて飛鳥! その先は言わないで!! 私はあなたのこと、ただの生徒会メンバーとしか思ってないの! 「君に......ずっとこれを食べて貰いたいと思っていたんだが、食べてくれるだろうか?」 ............はい? 「まあ、綺麗な和菓子......どうしたんですか?」 「実はこれ、俺が作ったんだ」 そう言って飛鳥は照れくさそうに笑う。 なんでも、飛鳥の実家は老舗の和菓子屋さんで、飛鳥はその跡取りなんだそうだ。 現在和菓子作りの修行中らしく、今日飛鳥が取り出したのは店の商品を飛鳥が一人で作ったものらしい。第三者の意見が聞きたい、とのことだ。 何故2人きりの時に?と尋ねると反対した手前、自分でお菓子を持ってくるのは恥ずかしかったそうだ。左様ですか。 「神楽木はいつも美味しそうにお菓子を食べているだろう?でもいつも持ってくるのは洋菓子ばかりだ。だから、神楽木に和菓子の魅力を知って貰いたくてだな......」 なんかもう、1人で勘違いしてた私が恥ずかしいじゃないか。そこ、照れてるんじゃない。一番恥ずかしいのは告白されると勘違いした私だからな! ああ、あつい。もう、勘違いさせるなよ......。 いやだってね、勘違いしちゃうでしょ?まさか和菓子食べて貰いたくて見られてたなんてこれぽっちも思いませんでしたよ! 「とにかく、食べてみてくれないか?無理にとは言わないが......」 ええい!自棄だ! 私はパクリと菊の形をしたお茶菓子を食べる。 食べた瞬間、餡子の上品な甘さが口の中に広がる。餡子って食べたあと喉に残るような感覚がいつもするけど、飛鳥が作ったこのお茶菓子にはその感覚がしない。これなら何個でも食べれそう。 私、和菓子より洋菓子派だったけど、和菓子派になっちゃいそう。それくらい、美味しかった。 「どうだろうか......?」 「とても美味しいですわ。私が食べた和菓子の中で一番美味しいです」 「そうか......良かった。また作ってきてもいいか?」 「勿論ですわ!今度は、皆さんの分も作ってきてくださいね。きっと皆さん喜んで食べてくれますわ」 「......わかった。今度は人数分作ってくる」 「楽しみにしていますね」 私がにっこり微笑んで飛鳥を見たとき、蓮見が帰ってきた。 蓮見は私と飛鳥を一瞥すると、私と飛鳥の間にわって入ってきて、何故か飛鳥を冷たい目で見た。 「なにしてたの、2人っきりで」 「別になにもしてないが?神楽木と少し話していただけだ」 「ふぅん......なんの話?俺にも聞かせてよ」 「いや......それはその......」 飛鳥は自作の和菓子を私に食べて貰っていたとは言いづらいのか、飛鳥らしくもなく口ごもる。 私は見ていられなくなって、蓮見の腕を掴む。 「本当になんでもない、ただの雑談をしていただけなんです。蓮見様が何を気に入らないのかわかりませんが、飛鳥くんに変に突っかかるのは止めてください」 「.........庇うんだ?」 「はい?」 「飛鳥を、庇うんだ?」 「蓮見様......?」 私を見る蓮見の目が、冷たい。今までこんな目で見られたことなんてなかった。 知らなかった。蓮見がこんな目で人を見ることができるなんて。 蓮見がまるで汚い物でも触るように私の手を振り払う。 そんな蓮見の行動に、私は自分でも驚くほど動揺した。 「蓮見様......あの」 「君の話は聞きたくない。悪いけど、今日はもう帰る」 「あ、ああ......お疲れ様」 蓮見は私を拒絶すると、自分の分の仕事をまとめて鞄に詰め、生徒会室を去る。 私はただ呆然と蓮見が去るのを眺めるしかなかった。 飛鳥が、申し訳なさそうな顔をして私に謝る。 「すまない。俺がはっきり言わないばかりに......蓮見に誤解されてしまったかもしれない」 「いいえ。飛鳥くんは、悪くないわ......」 私は声が震えそうになるのを必死に堪え、無理やり笑顔を作る。 「きっと、すぐに仲直りできる。蓮見様はわからず屋ではないもの......話せばきっと......」 「神楽木......」 飛鳥に言い聞かせるためではなく、自分に言い聞かせるために私は言った。 大丈夫。ちょっとすれ違っただけ。すぐに仲直りできる。 私は手足の震えが止まるように、そう何度も自分に言い聞かせて、自分の席に戻る。 「ほら、飛鳥くんもこれを終わらせないと帰れませんわよ?」 「あ、ああ。そうだな......」 私は気持ちを振り切るように目の前の作業に集中した。 しかし、それに反して足の震えは一向に収まらなかった。 すぐに仲直りできると思っていた。 しかし、蓮見と仲直りができないまま、2学期が終わり、冬休みに入ってしまった。 私、どうしたらいいのだろう。 美咲様にも飛鳥にも心配されたが、大丈夫だと意地を張った結果がこれだ。 これが漫画のヒロインだとか、笑える。 漫画の凛花だったら、周りに甘えてすぐに仲直りできただろう。 私は生まれて初めて、

35 Quite some time had pa.s.sed since the day we begun to freely take out sweets in the student council room. Recently, Asuka has been staring at me motionlessly. When we lock eyes, he turns away. What's up? .......eh? It seems like there was such a scene in the manga......? Maybe. But only maybe. When I was thinking so, Asuka approached me with the resolute face of someone that had made a decision. Currently, it's only the two of us in the student council room. The other members had left their seats to do various tasks. "Kaguragi." "What is it?" I asked Asuka with a smile. However, confusion reigned inside me. Un, but, it may be that... this is the world of a manga after all. Un, that's why it may be that. However, to me, Asuka is only a dependable student council member. That's why, that's a bit...... "There's something I always wanted to tell you." Seriously. It's that, after all? My inner turmoil reached its peak. However, on the surface, I didn't let it out one bit and tilted my head in wonder. That's right, I'm an actress, I am an actress! Only on the surface though... "Something you wanted to tell me?" "Yes, in reality I......" Aah, stop it, stop it Asuka! Don't say the rest!! I can only think of you as a student council member! "I've always......wanted to ask if you'd like to eat this, but would you like to?" ................pardon? "Well, it's a pretty j.a.panese pastry......what about it?" "Actually, I made it." Asuka said, shyly laughing. I heard that Asuka's family ran a well-established j.a.panese sweets shop, and Asuka is apparently the heir. It seems like he is presently in the middle of training, and the sweets he brought out today were his home's commodity that he personally made; and so, he wanted to hear the opinion of a third party. Why ask me when we were alone? When I asked, he replied that he felt embarra.s.sed by bringing sweets himself. Indeed. "Kaguragi always eat sweets looking as if they are really delicious, you know? But it's always western sweets. That's why, I wanted to appeal j.a.panese sweets to Kaguragi......." Somehow, isn't it embarra.s.sing that I was misunderstanding it all by myself? There, don't get shy. Because the most embarra.s.sed one is me, who thought that they were being confessed to! Ah, it's hot. Don't be deceived anymore..... I mean, you understand, right? You would have misunderstood too, right? I would never have thought that he wanted to see me eat some j.a.panese pastry! "At any rate, would you like to try some? Though, I don't want to force you......" That's right! It's self-abandonment! I bit on a chrysanthemum shaped tea pastry. At the moment I ate it, the refined sweetness of the red bean paste spread inside my mouth. Usually, I would feel the red bean paste remaining in my throat; however, the pastry that Asuka made didn't leave that sensation. With this, I feel like I can continue eating a number of them. I am more on the western sweets' faction but I feel like turning to the j.a.panese sweets' faction. It was delicious to that point. "How is it.....?" "It's really delicious. It's the most delicious j.a.panese pastry I've ever eaten." "I see......I'm glad. Should I make them again?" "Of course! Next time, please make everyone's portion too. I'm sure everyone would happily eat them." ".......okay. I'll make more then." "I look forward to it." At the moment I smiled at Asuka, Hasumi returned. After glancing at Asuka and I, then at the s.p.a.ce dividing us; for some reason he looked at Asuka with cold eyes. "What were you two doing here, alone..." "We weren't doing anything in particular? I was just talking a little to Kaguragi." "Hmm......what were you talking about? Let me hear it too." "No.....well that's......." Does Asuka find it difficult to say that he gave me his handmade sweets? It's not like Asuka to falter. I couldn't continue to look and grabbed Hasumi's arm. "It's really nothing, just small talks. I don't know what displeased you, but would like you to stop putting strange charges on Asukkun." "........covering him?" "What?" "You're covering for Asuka?" "Hasumi-sama.......?" The eyes Hasumi used to look at me are cold. Till now, he never looked at me with such eyes. I didn't know. To think, that Hasumi could look at a person with such eyes. Hasumi shook off my hand, as if something dirty touched him. I, myself, felt shaken by his action. "Hasumi-sama.....ehm." "I don't want to listen to you. Sorry, but I'll return home." "Ah, oh......thanks for the hard work." After rejecting me, he gathered his sheet work and stuffed them in his bag, leaving the student council room. I couldn't do anything but look at him leaving, dumbfounded. Asuka apologized to me looking really sorry. "I'm sorry. It's all because I didn't say it clearly......and so Hasumi may have misunderstood." "No. It's not Asukkun's fault......." I frankly tried to endure the trembling in my voice and forced a smile. "We'll surely make up quickly. Hasumi-sama is an understanding person......if we talk, then surely......." "Kaguragi......." I didn't say that to persuade Asuka, but to persuade myself. It's all right. It was just a little misunderstanding. We'll make up immediately. I warned myself to stop trembling and returned to my seat. "Come on, Asukkun too, if you don't finish this, you won't be able to return home, you know?" "Ah, oh. Yeah....." I looked in front of me and concentrated on my work to shake off any thoughts. However, the tremor of my legs didn't stop at all. I thought that we would reconcile immediately. But we didn't, and like that the second semester ended and entered winter vacation. What should I do? Miku-sama and Asuka were worried; but, I said obstinately said that it was all right, and this was the result. It's laughable, the fact that this is a manga's heroine. If it was the Rinka of the manga, she would have behaved spoiled and immediately reconciled. For the first time in this life, I felt envious of Rinka [The Heroine].

51 弟 姉と同じ桜丘学園に無事に入学をすることができてから、早くも一月が過ぎようとしている。 姉はときどき、オレのクラスへやって来る。 姉が来てくれること自体はいいのだが、クラスの男共の視線が気にくわない。 姉は確かに容姿は整っている。可愛らしい美少女といった感じだ。 そんな姉の見た目に騙されて「悠斗のお姉さん美人だね」なんて言ってくる奴には無言で制裁を加える。 見た目は上等でも中身が残念なのが姉なのだ。 見た目に騙されるな、と声に出して叫びたい。 そんな姉の様子が、最近おかしい。 姉がおかしくなったのと同時に、姉がよく東條さんと蓮見さんと一緒にいるところを見かけるようになった。 彼らが原因なのだろうか。 元気のない姉は見ていていられない。 姉を困らせるのなら、例えお世話になった人だろうが容赦はしない。 シスコンだとよく言われるが、それがどうした。 オレにとって姉は守るべき存在で、そんじょそこらの男にくれてやれるような存在ではないのだ。 そう、従兄の朝斐兄さんに言うと、兄さんは苦笑して「おまえたち姉弟は本当にお互いが大好きだなぁ」と言った。 ある日、姉が靴箱のところで、東條さんと蓮見さんに挟まれているのを発見した。 姉に声を掛けると、姉はオレの顔を見てほっとした顔をした。 姉に事情を聞くと、大方予想通りの展開になっているようだ。 あの、東條さんと蓮見さんが、姉に惚れているようだ。 そして姉はそのことに気づいてない。 いや、普通、気づくだろ。目の前で火花散らしてるのだから。 どうしてこうなった、とつっこみたい。 いや、蓮見さんに関しては前々からそうじゃないかとは思っていた。 まさか、東條さんまでもが姉にやられるとは。 油断した。 これじゃあ、なんのために桜丘学園に入学したのかわからないではないか。 姉に変な虫がつかないよう、監視するためにオレは入学したのだ。 父からも厳命されていることだ。 父は姉のことを目に入れても痛くないくらい可愛がっている。 そんな父は、姉を半端な人間にくれてやる気はないと、オレに監視をするように言ってきた。 まあ、蓮見さんや東條さんなら、父のお眼鏡には適うかもしれないが、オレは認めない。 姉にはいつも笑っていてほしいのだ。 姉がきちんと幸せになれると、オレが確信できない限りオレは認めない。 ―――釘をささないと。 姉を手に入れたいのなら、オレを認めさせろ。 そう、あの2人に釘をささねば。 遠足から帰ってきたあと、姉が部屋に引き籠った。 遠足から帰ってきてすぐも様子がおかしかったし、これは異常事態だ。 そう思ったオレは姉に付き添おうとしたが、大丈夫だからと拒否された。 初めてだった。初めて、姉がオレを拒否したのだ。 オレは思いもよらず、動揺した。 少しして落ち着いたオレは部屋で静かに待機することにした。 姉になにかあったらすぐに駆け付けられるように。 しばらくして、姉の部屋から叫び声が聞こえた。 オレは慌てて姉の部屋に駆け込む。 姉の部屋に入ると、姉は青ざめた顔をして、オレを見た。 なんだ。どうしたんだ?体調が悪いのか?それとも変な物でも見たんだろうか? オレは心配して姉に駆け寄ると、姉は震えた声で呟いた。 「悠斗......私、鈍感なの......」 .........なんだって? 何を今さら言っているんだろう、この人は。 「は?あ、うん......そうだね」 オレが頷くと、姉はショックを受けたように、オレを見る。 え?オレなんて言えば良かったの? 否定した方が良かった? でも姉さんの鈍感ぶりを否定することは、とてもオレにはできないよ......。 姉は少しの間だけ考えるように俯き、すぐに顔を上げて、決意を固めた目でオレを見た。 「あのね......私、鈍感をやめるわ」 「はぁ?」 鈍感やめるって......どうやってやめる気なんだ? 「鈍感をやめて、察しの良い女になるの......!」 いやいや、無理だろ。どう考えても。 オレの呟きは姉の耳には入らなかったようで、姉は拳を握りしめて決意を固めている。 ......どうやら姉は大丈夫そうだ。 心配して損した。 体育祭が近づいてきた。 体育祭で出る種目を決める話し合いをぼんやり聞いていたオレはふと、思い付いた。 体育祭の混合リレーでは、毎年東條さんと蓮見さんがアンカーを務めるという。そして2人のどちらかが優勝するのだ。 それに番狂わせを起こしたら? オレがアンカーで走って、番狂わせを起こせば、2人にオレもいるとアピールできるんじゃないだろうか。 オレは、走るのが得意だ。短距離走には自信がある。 いけるかもしれない。 そう考えたオレは、真っ先にリレーに立候補をした。 リレーの練習をこなし、迎えた本番。 体調はばっちりだし、体の調子もいい。 これなら良いタイムが出せそうだと思っていた時、オレはよく知る3人組を見かけた。 こっそり影から覗き様子を見ると、見間違いなんかじゃなく、その3人は姉と東條さんと蓮見さんだった。 嫌な予感がしたオレは聞き耳を立てることにした。 「僕...優勝......ら.........付き合ってよ」 会話は途切れ途切れでよく聞こえなかったが、「付き合って」というワードだけはしっかり聞こえた。 優勝したら付き合う?あの、姉が? そんなことさせてたまるか! 東條さんは優勝する自信があるのだろう。 いいじゃないか。その役、オレがぶんどって絶対に優勝してやる!姉は渡さない。 オレは決意を新たにした。 オレは、見事に優勝をした。自己ベストを出せたと思う。 それでもギリギリだったが、なんとか東條さんと蓮見さんに勝ったのだ。 オレは唖然とした顔でオレを見る2人に、姉との仲の良さをアピールするように姉を抱き締める。 姉はオレが優勝したのをとても喜んでくれた。 そして、オレの頬にキスをした。 その場面を見た2人の顔が不愉快そうに歪む。 オレは内心ざまぁみろ、と思った。 姉にちょっかいを出すから悪いのだ。 オレは2人を見て、にっこりと笑う。 父譲りの、黒い笑顔で。 「姉に手を出すなら、オレが相手になりますよ?」 オレたちの間に火花が散る。 オレはあなたたちを認めてない。 だから、あなたたちに、姉は渡さない。

51 little brother A month pa.s.sed quickly since I was able to safely get into Sakuragaoka Academy, the same school as my older sister. My older sister sometimes came to my cla.s.s. The fact that she came in itself was good; but, I don't like the looks of the fellow guys in my cla.s.s. Sister certainly has a good appearance. She gave the feeling of a lovely beauty. The people tricked by her outward appearance would say things like, "Yuto's nee-san is a beauty, eh," and I silently added punishment to them. Sister has a first-cla.s.s beauty, but a regrettable content. 'Don't be deceived by her appearance,' I wanted to scream. And that sister of mine had been acting strange recently. At the same time my sister had become strange, I often caught sight of her being together with Tojo-san and Hasumi-san. Are they the cause I wonder? I cannot watch my sister looking dispirited. If you are troubling my sister, I won't pardon you even in the case that you are a person who took care of me. I'm often told that I'm a siscon, but what about it. For me, sister is someone to protect, and not to give to any run of the mill guy. When I told this to my older cousin, Asahi-san, nii-san said, "You siblings really like each other," with a bitter smile. One day, I found my older sister sandwiched between Tojo-san and Hasumi-san at the shoe lockers. When I was about to call out to her, she looked at me and made a relieved face. When I heard what happened from sister, it appeared to have almost turned into what I thought. It seemed like Tojo-san and Hasumi-san fell in love with her. And older sister hadn't noticed that. No, usually, you would notice. Because they are scattering light in front of you. 'Why did things turn out like this,' I wanted to retort. No, in Hasumi-san's case, I thought so already long ago. By no means did I think that Tojo-san would be done in by sister too. I let my guard down. With this, can't you understand the reason why I enrolled in Sakuragaoka Academy? It was to guard and not let strange insects get attached to her, that I entered this school. I was strictly ordered so by father as well. Sister in the eyes of my father is cute to a painful extent. And such a father is unwilling to give sister to a half-baked person, so he ordered me to guard her. Well, Tojo-san and Hasumi-san might match father's sight, but as for me, they don't. I want older sister to always be smiling. If I am not convinced that sister is really happy, I won't accept it. ------if I don't give them a warning. If you want my sister's hand, then you have to make me acknowledge you. Yes, I must warn these two. After the trip, older sister holed herself in her room. Immediately after she returned from the trip, she became strange, this is an abnormal situation. Thinking so, I wanted to attend to my sister, but I was rejected with an, "I'm okay". It was the first time. For the first time, sister rejected me. I felt disturbed, more than I thought I would. Having calmed down a bit, I decided to stay silently on alert in my room. So that I could immediately run over to my sister if she needed anything. After some time pa.s.sed, I heard the scream of my sister. Fl.u.s.tered, I rushed in her room. When I entered her room, sister looked at me with a pale face. What's up. Has something happened? Do you feel bad? Or did you see something strange? Worried, I rushed to her and, with a quivering voice, she muttered. "Yuto....I- am I dense......" ...........what did she just say? What is this person saying at such a late time? "Huh? Ah, un.......yeah." I nodded, my older sister looked at me as if she received a shock. Eh? What should I have said? Should I have denied it? However, I really cannot deny her denseness....... Sister hung her head down as if thinking about something, and then immediately raised her face again, looking at me as if she had made a decision. "Yuto......I will stop being dense." "Huh?" Stop being dense you say......how are going to do that? "Stop being dense, and become a considerate woman.....!" No no, that's impossible right. No matter how you look at it. It looked like what I muttered didn't enter her ears, sister held her fist and hardened her resolve. ........it seems like sister is fine. I lost by worrying over nothing. The athletics festival is approaching. As I was listening to what events I would partic.i.p.ate in, I suddenly thought of something. In the mixed relay of the athletic festival, Tojo-san and Hasumi-san play the role of the anchor every year. And victory would be decided between these two. And what if an unexpected result came up? If I ran as the anchor, and gave an unexpected result, wouldn't I be able to appeal to these two that I am here as well? I am fast at running. And I have confidence in a short distance sprint. It may go well. Thinking so, I was the first to candidate for the relay. I handed the practice of the relay easily, and faced the day of the games. Both my physical condition and body are top notch. When I was thinking that I'm sure to reach a good time, I came to see three people I knew. I went to look at them in secret, and I wasn't wrong, those three were my sister, Tojo-san and Hasumi-san. Feeling a bad presentiment, I strained my ears to listen to their conversation. "If I....win.....t............go out with me." I couldn't hear very well, just broken sentences, but just the words, "go out with me," I properly heard that. If he wins they'll go out? With that older sister of mine? As if I'll let such a thing happen! Tojo-san is sure to win, probably. Isn't this nice. I'll absolutely win this war! I won't hand my sister over. Newfound determination lit within me. I magnificently won the relay. I think I gave my best. Even so, I did it just in the last moment, and somehow managed to win over Tojo-san and Hasumi-san. As if to appeal that I and her are on really good terms to the two that looked at me dumbfounded, I hugged sister closer to me. My older sister was very happy that I won. And then she kissed my cheek. At that scene those two people's faces warped in displeasure. Inside me I thought, "serves you right". You were the bad ones for making pa.s.ses on my sister. After looking at these two, I sweetly smiled. The characteristic black smile of my father. "If you lay a hand on my sister, I'll become your enemy, okay?" Sparks scattered between us. I didn't acknowledge you. That's why... I won't hand my older sister to you.

13 私は大人しくケーキを食べた。 なんでだろう。胸が苦しい。胸焼けだろうか? テラス席のカップルたちに当てられたのだろうか。 うんきっとそうだ。そうに違いない。 私は無理矢理自分を納得させた。 ミルクティーを飲んで心を落ち着かせる。 そしてゆっくりと顔をあげて蓮見を見る。 うん、大丈夫。さっきみたいにならない。 やっぱりカップルに当てられたんだ。 蓮見は優雅にケーキを食べていた。 蓮見ってケーキ食べるんだなあ、とぼんやりと見ていたら、蓮見にむっとしたように睨まれた。 なんで!? 「俺がケーキ食べてるのって、そんなに変?」 「変、ではないですけれど......あんまりイメージはありませんね」 「そう......好きなんだけどな、ケーキ......」 ちょっとしょんぼりとして蓮見は言った。 そうか、ケーキ好きなのか......。別にそんな情報いらないけど。 『美咲様の幸せを願う会』はケーキ好きが集うようだ。まあ、2人しかいないんだけどね。 「あぁ、美咲たち、帰るみたいだね」 蓮見に言われて私ははっと美咲様たちの方を見る。 すると確かに2人は帰り支度をしていた。 もうすぐ、美咲様に会える。 私は急に緊張しだした。 「私、大丈夫かしら......美咲様の前で変なことしないかしら......」 「君は大抵おかしいから、大丈夫じゃない?」 蓮見の励ましてる風を装った罵りを私は華麗にスルーした。 とりあえず落ち着こう。私はミルクティーで喉を潤す。 うん、ちょっと落ち着いた気がする。 しばらくして、王子は立ち去っていった。 そして、私はついに美咲様とご対面を果たす。 「遅くなってごめんなさい、奏祐。それと、初めまして、神楽木凛花さん。水無瀬美咲です」 ああ、憧れの美咲様が目の前で微笑んでいる。 凛とした佇まい、気品溢れる姿。 私はうっとりと心の中で美咲様を見つめ、表情ではにっこりと令嬢っぽく微笑んだ。 「初めまして、神楽木凛花と申します。水無瀬さんにお会いできて、嬉しいわ。水無瀬さんは私の憧れですの」 「まぁ、ありがとう。私も神楽木さんの噂は聞いていてよ。テストで奏祐に迫るくらいの点数だったのですってね。すごいわ」 「いえ、そんな......あれはまぐれですの」 ああ、私は憧れの美咲様とお話をしている。 これ、夢じゃないよね?私の妄想が生み出した幻覚じゃないよね!? 私はこっそりと自分の手の甲をつねった。 ......痛い。これは現実なのね! やった......!私の念願が叶った!! ありがとう神様!私、生きてて良かった! 私は心の中で神への感謝を述べる。 「昴は満足してた?」 「ええ。ケーキを10個も食べていったわ。見ているこっちが胸焼けしそうだった」 「......あのバカ......」 蓮見は呆れたようにため息をついた。 王子って甘党だっけ?あれ、辛い物が好きだった気がするんだけど......。 「明日には胃がって騒ぐんだろうな......なんですぐ胃がもたれるってわかっててケーキなんて食べようとするんだか......」 「昴は甘い物が好きなんだもの。好きな物を食べられないって辛いことよ」 「確かにそうなんだろうけど......まあ、明日は休みだからいいか......」 諦めたように蓮見は言った。 2人の会話の意味がわからない。 王子って甘い物好きなのに食べれないの? 私がぽかんとした顔をしているのに気付いた美咲様が説明してくれた。 「昴はね、甘い物が大好きなの。だけど、なぜかケーキを食べると胃もたれしてしまうから普段は食べないようにしているのだけど......たまに我慢できなくなっちゃうみたい」 「ケーキを食べるたびに、胃が痛いって大騒ぎするんだよ......迷惑してるんだけど」 本当に迷惑そうに蓮見が言う。そんな蓮見の様子に美咲様も苦笑している。 仲が良いんだなあ、この3人。 私にも幼馴染みが2人いるけど、周りから見ればこんな風に見えてるのかな。 私と美咲様の顔合わせは終始和やかだった。 しばらく楽しく美咲様と談笑し、ふと気付いたように美咲様は腕時計を見た。 「まぁ。もうこんな時間なのね。ごめんなさい、私、このあと用事があるの」 「そうですか......残念です。水無瀬さんともっとおしゃべりしていたかったですわ」 「私もよ。今度、またゆっくりお話しましょう?」 「約束ね。それでは、失礼するわ。奏祐、神楽木さんをしっかり送ってさしあげてね」 ごきげんよう、と言って優雅に美咲様は帰られた。 私はぽけーっと美咲様の姿を見つめて、美咲様の姿が見えなくなるまで見続けた。 夢のような時間だった。また今度お話する約束までしてしまった。ああ、夢みたい。でも、これは紛れもない現実なのだ。 私が幸せに浸っていると、蓮見が呆れたように言った。 「君、馬鹿みたいな顔してるよ」 馬鹿みたいな顔で悪うございましたね。 まったく、せっかく人が幸せな気分に浸ってたのに、水を指すようなことを言わないでほしい。 私が怒っているのにまったく気にした様子もなく、蓮見は帰ろうか、と伝票を持って席を立った。 そしてそのままレジに向かって歩き出したので、私も慌てて彼の後を追った。 会計の時に私もお金を払おうとしたが、蓮見に止められた。 奢ってもらうなんて、借りを作ったみたいで嫌なのに。 私は渋々、お礼を言った。 「これは、美咲の相談相手になってくれるお礼だから。美咲も君と話していて楽しそうだったし、前払金だと思って」 「美咲様とお話できるだけで私は嬉しいので、前払金なんて要りませんわ」 「俺の気持ちの問題だから。君は黙って受け取ってくれればいい」 「左様ですか」 蓮見が奢ると言って聞かないので私は渋々だが、奢られてあげることにした。 店の外に出ると、オレンジ色に空が染まっていた。 私は思わず空を見上げて、きれい、と呟いた。 青からオレンジへ、オレンジから赤へ、赤から紺色へのきれいなグラデーション。 太陽が地平線の彼方へ沈みかけている、ほんの一時しか見れない色合い。私は夕焼けを見るのが好きだ。色んな色が混ざり合って綺麗だから。 会計を済ませた蓮見も外に出てきた。 私が空を見上げていたのを見てか、蓮見も上を向いた。 蓮見は眩しそうに目を細めて、綺麗だな、と呟いた。 私たちは少しの間、夕焼けを眺めていた。 そしてふと、私は思い出す。 「蓮見様、ハンカチありがとうごさいました」 前に蓮見に借りたハンカチを私は鞄から取り出し、蓮見に差し出す。きれいに洗濯をして、私自らアイロンをかけた。 蓮見は一瞬怪訝そうな顔をしたが、すぐに思い出したらしく、ああ、と言って受け取った。 「別に返してくれなくても良かったのに」 「いいえ、お借りしたものはきちんと返さなければ。それに、きちんとお礼も言いたかったですし」 私は蓮見と向かい合った。 そして今度は渋々じゃなく、心から感謝の気持ちを込めて言う。 蓮見は不思議そうな顔をした。 「変な女......」 蓮見の顔がちょっと赤く見えたのは、夕日のせいに違いない。 スイーツ屋さんの帰り道のタクシーで、私と蓮見は静かに乗っていた。 蓮見はどこか遠くを見つめて、なにか考えているようだった。 「......お2人の姿を見るのは、やっぱり辛いですか?」 「......まあ、ね。覚悟は出来てたつもりだったけど、いつも2人を見るとだめなんだ」 いつになく落ち込んでいる様子の蓮見に、私は身を乗り出して、頭を撫でた。 「なに?」 「落ち込んでいるようなので、慰めて差し上げているのですわ」 「.........俺、子どもじゃないし、頭撫でられても嬉しくない」 ちょっとふて腐れたように言う蓮見の姿に、弟の姿がかぶって見えて、笑った。 「なに笑ってんの」 「いいえ、別になにも」 そう言いつつも私の顔から笑みは消えない。 そんな私に、蓮見は余計にふて腐れたようだ。 その様子が年下の男の子みたく見えて、私は貴重なものが見れたと、余計に笑みが深まった。 「ただいま」 「姉さん、お帰り。どこに行ってたの?」 「んーちょっとケーキを食べに、ね」 「ふーん......姉さん、嬉しそうだね?なんか良いことあった?」 「ふふ......まあね」 私は上機嫌に笑った。 そんな私を弟は怪しそうに見た。 「なにがあったの?」 「ないしょ。面白いものが見れたのよ」 「面白いもの?」 弟は首を傾げる。 私はどんなに弟に頼まれても教える気はなかった。 蓮見のプライドのために。

13 I quietly ate my cake. I wonder why my chest hurts. Is this heartburn? I wonder if I was. .h.i.t by the couples at the terrace. Un, it must be like this. Without doubt. I forcibly convinced myself. Drinking the milk tea, my heart calmed down. Then, I slowly raised my face to look at Hasumi. Um, it's all good. It doesn't feel like before. I must have been hit by the couples. Hasumi was elegantly eating his cake. Hasumi can eat cakes hmm, I absentmindedly stared at him, a sullen looking Hasumi glared back at me. Why!? "Is it so strange that I'm eating cake?" "It's not that it's strange but.....the image doesn't match." "Is that so..... I like cakes, though......" Hasumi said, a bit downhearted. Is that so... he like cakes....... Though it's not like I wanted such an information. It appears like the {Wis.h.i.+ng Miku-sama happiness' fan club} is an a.s.sembly of cake lovers. Well, it's not like there are other people apart from us, right? "Ah, seems like they are returning home." When Hasumi mentioned it, taken aback, I looked at them. They certainly looked to be preparing to go back. Soon, I'll be able to meet Miku-sama. I suddenly began to feel nervous. "Will I be okay I wonder.....will I do something weird in front of Miku-sama....." "You are weird most the time though, won't you be fine?" Hasumi, by pretending to encourage me, splendidly insulted me. For now, I should calm down. I moistened my throat with some milk tea. Un, I feel like I've calmed down a bit. After a while, the prince left. And then, I finally carried out my meeting with Miku-sama. "I'm sorry for being late, Sousuke, and nice to meet you Kaguragi Rinksan. I'm Minase Miku." Aah, the Miku-sama I admire is smiling in front of me. A dignified appearance, a figure overflowing with elegance. I stared at Miku-sama to my heart content, and sweetly smiled back like a young lady. "Nice to meet you, I'm called Kaguragi Rinka. I'm delighted to be able to meet Minase-san. Minase-san is someone I greatly admire." "My, thank you. I heard the rumors about Kaguragi-san you know. Your test scores were almost the same as Sousuke's. That's amazing." "No, such a thing......that was by chance." Ah, I'm talking to the Miku-sama I admire. This isn't a dream right? This isn't a hallucination created from my delusions, right!? I secretly pinched the back of my hand. .....it hurt. This is reality! I did it.....! My wish come true!! Thank you G.o.d! I'm glad I'm alive! I expressed my grat.i.tude to G.o.d in my mind. "Was Subaru satisfied?" "Yes. He ate 10 serves of cake, you know. Just by watching him I felt like I was having a heartburn." ".....that idiot....." As if amazed, Hasumi sighed. Was the prince a sweet tooth? Aree, I seem to remember he liked spicy things though..... "I'm sure that his stomach will hurt tomorrow......why did he suddenly feel like his stomach could hold the cakes....." "Subaru likes sweets things. It's hard for him too, to not be able to eat the things he likes." "It certainly is as you say but.....well, since tomorrow is a holiday I guess it's okay......" Hasumi said, looking like he's given up. I don't understand the meaning of their exchange. The prince can't eat sweet things, even though he likes them? I made an absent minded expression. Miku-sama that noticed it, explained to me. "You know, Subaru likes sweets things. However, for some reason he can't digest it easily when he eats cake, so he usually avoids eating them but.....it seems like once in a while he can't endure it." "At the times that he eats cake, he makes a ruckus and says that his stomach hurts......He is annoying." Hasumi said it like it was a real bother. Looking at the state of such a Hasumi, Miku-sama also smiled bitterly. These three really get along. I too have two childhood friends, I wonder if we look like this from the surroundings. My meeting with Miku-sama was harmonious from beginning to end. I had an enjoyable chat with her for awhile, and suddenly Miku-sama raised her arm and looked at the watch as if realizing something. "Oh my. It's already this late. I'm sorry, I have something to do after this." "Is that so......that's a pity. I wanted to chat some more with Minase-san." "Me too. Let's talk more slowly next time?" "It's a promise then. Well then, I'll excuse myself. Sousuke, be sure to send Kaguragi-san off." Saying 'Gokigen'yo' Miku-sama's returned home. I continued to follow Miku-sama's figure until I couldn't see her anymore. It was a dreamlike moment. We promised to talk more next time. Ah, it's like a dream. But this is reality without a doubt. When I was immersed in happiness, Hasumi as if amazed said. "You're making an idiotic face." Sorry for having an idiotic face ne. Really, I wish he wouldn't douse me with cold water just when I was immersed in my happy feelings. And even though I was angry, Hasumi said, 'shall we go?' with an unconcerned att.i.tude, and taking the bill, he stood up. And went toward the register like that, so I tried to follow him in a panic. I tried to pay the bill this time but was stopped by Hasumi. To be given a treat like this, I don't want to, because it looks like I'll owe him. I unwillingly thanked him. "That's to thank you for being Miku's counsel. Miku looked to be having fun talking with you, think of it as an advanced payment." "I am happy just getting to talk to Miku-sama, I don't need advanced payment." "It's a matter of my feelings. You should be silent and accept it." "Is that so?" Hasumi didn't listen and so I reluctantly accepted his treat. When we left the store, the sky was dyed an orange colour. So beautiful, I muttered while gazing at the sky without thinking. It was a beautiful gradient of colour, from blue it turned orange, from orange it dyed to red, and from red it became a deep blue. The sun in the distance was setting down on the horizon, with a hue that I wouldn't be able to see in just a moment. I love seeing the sunset, because it's pretty when various colours are mixed. Hasumi, that finished paying the bill, came out. Perhaps seeing that I had looked up, Hasumi raised his face to look above too. As if looking at something dazzling, narrowing his eyes he muttered, 'so beautiful.' For a while, we gazed at the sunset. And suddenly, I remembered. "Hasumi-sama, thank you for the handkerchief." I took out the handkerchief, that Hasumi lent me previously, from my bag and presented it to him. I completely washed and ironed it myself. Hasumi made a puzzled expression for a moment but then looking to have suddenly recalled it, he said 'aah' and accepted it. "You really didn't need to give it back." "No, borrowed things should be properly returned." I faced Hasumi. This time, not reluctantly, I put my heart into expressing my grat.i.tude. Hasumi made a marvellous face. "Weird girl......" The reason as to why Hasumi's face looked a bit red is, without a doubt, because of the setting sun. On the way back from the sweets shop, we got in a taxi in silence. Hasumi was staring off into the distance, looking as though he was thinking of something. "......looking at the two of them together, is it tough after all?" ".......well, yes. I always think I'm prepared, but when I see them it's no good." I leaned my body forward and gently caressed the head of Hasumi that suddenly looked sad. "What?" "You looked down, so I'm comforting you." "...........I'm not a kid, I don't get happy by having my head stroked." The figure of Hasumi who said that a bit sulkily, overlapped with my brother's, I laughed. "What are you laughing at?" "No, nothing really." While saying that, the smile on my face didn't disappear. At such a me, Hasumi become even more sulky. In that state, he looked like a junior, and thinking 'I've seen a precious thing', my smile deepened further. "I'm home." "Neesan, welcome home. Where have you been?" "N-h, to eat some cakes, yes." "Hmm......neesan, you look happy? Did something good happen?" "fufu....well yes." In a good mood, I laughed. My little brother looked suspiciously at me. "What happened?" "It's a secret. I saw something interesting." "Something interesting?" My little brother tilted his head. I didn't feel like telling him, no matter how many times he asked. For the sake of Hasumi's pride.

15 あのあと蓮見を捕まえることが出来なかった私は、提出期限日である月曜日にインタビューをするはめになった。 私は深呼吸をして蓮見のクラスに向かう。 今は昼休みだ。昼休みの間中に何がなんでも蓮見にインタビューに答えて貰わねばならない。 私は昼食のお弁当をしっかり抱えてインタビューに挑む。 「あの......申し訳ないのですが、蓮見様をお呼びしてくださいませんか」 私は入口付近にいた男子生徒に声をかけて、蓮見を呼んで貰うように頼んだ。 彼は快く引き受けてくれた。よかった。蓮見が近寄りがた過ぎて拒否されるかと思った。 蓮見はすぐにやって来て、私を見ると珍しそうな顔をした。 別に来たくて来たわけじゃない。仕事で仕方なく来ただけなのだ。 私は心の中でそう言い訳をした。 「なんの用?」 「体育祭のインタビューをしに参りましたの。今、お時間よろしいですか?」 「インタビュー......ね。わかった。ここじゃ騒がしいし、移動しようか」 「はい」 私は大人しく頷き、蓮見のあとに続いた。 げ。注目されてる。 「で、なんだっけ?」 蓮見は中庭の目立たない木の影に座り込んだ。 私もそれに習い、ハンカチを敷いて座る。 ついでにお弁当も広げる。腹が減っては戦ができぬのだ。 「インタビューです。体育祭のMVPにはインタビューを取るのが毎年恒例になってますの」 「ああ......そう言えばそうだった。で、何に答えればいいわけ?」 「あ、はい。ええっと......」 私はポケットから紙を取り出す。インタビューする内容が書かれているのだ。 いちいち言ってメモを取るのは面倒くさいな。 私は紙とペンを蓮見に差し出し、この質問についての答えを書くようにお願いした。 蓮見も面倒くさいやり取りをするのが億劫だったようで、文句も言わずに紙とペンを受け取って書き込んでいく。 私はその間にお弁当を食べることにした。この煮物うまい。 私がお弁当を食べ終わった頃、蓮見もちょうど終わったようで、はい、と紙とペンを返す。 私はそれを受け取り、内容を確認する。 うん、ばっちりだ。このまま先生に提出しよう。 「ご協力、ありがとうございました」 私がお礼を言うと、蓮見は別に、と答えた。 そしてそのまま木にもたれかかり、寝るから時間になったら起こして、と言って眠ってしまった。 あまりにも突然の行動に私は唖然として、本当に眠ってしまったのか確かめる。 ......本当に眠っているようだ。 なんだか腹が立ったので、私は蓮見の寝顔をガン見することにした。 ムカつくくらい整った寝顔だ。だが、寝ていると普段より幼く見える。 私はなんとなく、蓮見の髪を撫でてみた。 蓮見の寝顔が一瞬柔らかくなったような気がした。 美咲様との顔合わせ以来、私は美咲様と連絡を取り合っている。 学校では美咲様の周りが怖すぎて近づけないが、内緒で美咲様と連絡を取っているという優越感が、私を天狗にさせた。 ちょっと勇気を出して美咲様にごきげんよう、と挨拶をしてみた。美咲様はにこりと笑ってごきげんよう、と返してくれた。今日も美咲様は天使だ。 しかし、美咲様の周りがいけない。こわい。 私が挨拶をしただけで、すごい目で睨んでくる。 あなたごときが、なにをわたくしたちの美咲様に話かけているの。身の程をわきまえなさい。 そう目で言ってくるのだ。あまりの眼力に私の中の天狗もすっかりなりを潜めてしまう。 しょんぼりとしていると、蓮見が現れた。 元気のない様子の私に「どうしたの?いつもみたいな元気がないと、別人みたいだね」と言った。 蓮見はいつもいつも一言余分なのだ。 しかし私はいつもみたく言い返す元気もなく、適当にええ、と頷いた。それくらい、美咲様の周りの眼力攻撃はすごかった。 そんな私をつまらなそうに蓮見は見る。 「本当にどうしちゃったの、君」 「美咲様の周りの方たちの眼力がすごくて、負けてしまったのです......私の方が美咲様を好きなのに、悔しいですわ......!」 「.........君がいつも通りということはよくわかった」 心なしか、蓮見が可哀想な子を見るような目で私を見ている気がする。 いや、気のせいだ。私は可哀想な子なんかじゃないし。 そんなやりとりをしている時、美咲様からメールが届いた。 『今度の休みに私の家に来ませんか』 え、美咲様の家に行けるの? いいんだろうか、私が行っちゃっても。 いいんだよね?だって誘われちゃったんだし?えへへ。 私は即行『是非お伺いしたいです』と返す。 急にニヤニヤしながら携帯を操作する私に、蓮見は引いていた。 気にしない。蓮見なんか気にしないのだ。 「......元気出たみたいだね......?」 「ええ!ご心配をおかけしました」 「いや別に心配はしてないけど」 そこは嘘でも心配したって言ってよ。同志でしょ! 私たちは誰かに見られる前に退散した。 休みの日、私は美咲様の家に遊びに行った。 緊張する。門前払いとかされたらどうしよう。 私は手に持ったお土産を握り締める。 母に美咲様の家に遊びに行くと告げたら持たされたのだ。 その前にどうやって美咲様と仲良くなったのかと問い詰められたが、私は蓮見の名前は出さずに適当に答えた。 母は一応、納得はしてくれた。たぶん、信じてはくれてない。 覚悟を決めてインターフォンを押して名乗る。 するとすぐに扉が開き、美咲様が現れた。 「いらっしゃい、神楽木さん」 「お邪魔致します」 私はへこりと美咲様に頭を下げ、つまらないものですが、とお土産を渡す。 母が選んだお土産はプリンだ。ここのプリン、ほっぺが落ちそうなくらい美味しいのだ。 美咲様は笑顔で受け取り、ありがとう、お茶と一緒にお出しするわ、と言った。 やった。ここのプリンは私の大好物なのだ。 私は美咲様に連れられ、美咲様の部屋に案内された。 美咲様のお部屋は、女の子らしい、可愛らしいお部屋だった。うん、美咲様にぴったりだ。 ちょっとしてお茶が運ばれた。もちろん、プリンも一緒に。 私達はしばらく他愛のないお喋りを楽しむ。 喋りすぎた私は喉を潤すためにお茶に手を伸ばす。 そして一口含んだ時、美咲様が爆弾発言をした。 「神楽木さんは、奏祐のことが好きなの?」 ..................はい?

15 After that, I couldn't catch Hasumi and thus, was in a really difficult situation where I had to interview him on the day of the deadline, Monday. Taking a deep breath, I faced Hasumi's cla.s.s. Right now is lunch break. In the middle of this lunch break, I must interview Hasumi at any cost and have him answer the questions. I firmly grasped my lunch bento to challenge the interview. "Ehm......excuse me, may you call Hasumi-sama?" I asked a student near the entrance if he could call out Hasumi. He agreed to do it. Thank G.o.d. I thought that I'd be refused because Hasumi is difficult to approach. Hasumi arrived immediately and looked at me with a curious expression. It's not like I came because I wanted to. I couldn't help it because it was work. I said in my mind as an excuse. "What did you come for?" "I came to interview you for the sport festival. Do you have time now?" "Interview......mh. Alright. It's too noisy here, shall we move to somewhere else?" "Yes." I quietly nodded and followed after Hasumi. Geh. I'm getting attention. "So, what is it?" Hasumi sat down in the shade of an inconspicuous tree in the courtyard. Following his example I spread a handkerchief and sat too. And while I was at it, I opened my bento. One cannot go to war when hungry. "It's for the interview. It's an established practice to take an interview of the MVP of the sport festival." "Aah......now that you say it, that's right. So, what should I answer?" "Ah, yes. Let me see......" I took out a paper from my pocket. The interview's details are written on it. It really is a pain to take a memo of what he says every single time. I presented the paper and a pen to Hasumi, and asked him to respond to these questions. It looks like it was a pain to argue back and forth for Hasumi too, since he took the paper and without complaining he began to write. In the meantime I decided to eat my bento. This boiled food is delicious. When I finished eating my lunch, Hasumi just finished as well, yay, and returned the questionnaire to me. I accepted them and checked the contents. Un, perfect. Let's submit it to sensei as it is. "Thank you very much for your cooperation." When I gave him my thanks, Hasumi didn't really respond. And leaning on the tree like that, "wake me up when it's time," he closed his eyes and said. Dumbfounded by the unexpected action, I checked if he really fell asleep. ......it really looked like he is sleeping. Somehow p.i.s.sed, I decided to stare at his sleeping face. He has a well arranged face, so much that it makes people irritated. But he looks younger than usual when he is like this. For some reason I caressed Hasumi's hair. I feel like Hasumi's face softened for an instant. I've been in contact with Miku-sama ever since our meeting. At school I can't approach Miku-sama because her surroundings are too scary, but the sense of superiority I feel because I secretly communicate with her, made me become a tengu. When I summoned a bit of courage and greeted Miku-sama with a 'Gokigen'yo', Miku-sama laughed and returned my greeting. Today too Miku-sama is an angel. However, I can't go near Miku-sama. It's scary. I just greeted her, and I've been terribly glared at. Why is someone like you trying to talk to our Miku-sama? Know your position. Is what their eyes said. The over observant tengu inside me throughly went into hiding. While I was feeling downhearted, Hasumi appeared. Saying to the downhearted me, "What's up? You don't look in good spirits as per your usual, it's like you're someone else." Hasumi, always, always, says an unnecessary word. But, I wasn't feeling good enough to talk back, so I said a halfhearted 'yes', and nodded. That was how terrible the glare attack of Miku-sama's perimeter was. Hasumi stared at such an uninterested me. "What happened to you really." "The glare from Miku-sama's surroundings was so terrible that I ended up losing......even though I like Miku-sama more, it's so frustrating.....!" "........I understand now, you are as per normal." Somehow, I feel like Hasumi looked at me with eyes that someone would use to look at a pitiful child. No, it must be just my imagination. It's not like I am a pitiful child. While we were talking back and forth like this, I received an email from Miku-sama. {Would you like to come to my house this weekend?} Eh, I can go to Miku-sama's house? Is it okay for me to go? It's okay, right? I mean, I was even invited? Ehehe. There, I immediately replied,{I'd love to come.} When I suddenly grinned while fiddling with my phone, Hasumi drew back. I shall not mind it. I don't care for the likes of Hasumi. "......You seem in good spirits......?" "Yes! I'm sorry for worrying you." "No, well, it's not like I was worried." You should've said that you are, even if it's a lie. We're comrades, right! We dispersed before someone caught sight of us. On the weekend, I went to Miku-sama's home. I'm nervous. What should I do if I were asked to pay at the entrance. I grasped tightly to the present I was holding in my hands. When I told my mother that I was going to Miku-sama's house, I was questioned. And when I was pressed on about how I got to be friend with Miku-sama, I was able to give an appropriate answer without giving out Hasumi's name. Mother gave her consent. But probably didn't believe me. After resolving myself I pushed the b.u.t.ton of the intercom. When I did that the door immediately opened and Miku-sama appeared. "Welcome, Kaguragi-san." "Excuse me for the intrusion." I bowed my head to Miku-sama and saying, 'It's not anything special but...' and handed over the present. That's the pudding that my mother choose as a present. The pudding there is on the level of cheek slackening deliciousness. Miku-sama smiled and took it, saying, 'Thank you, I shall serve it together with tea.' Yay. The pudding here is my favorite. Guided by Miku-sama, I was brought to her room. Miku-sama's room was girly, really lovely. Un, it really matched Miku-sama. After a bit, the tea was brought over. Together with the pudding of course. For a while we enjoyed talking about silly things. To moisten my throat from talking too much, I drank a long mouthful of tea. And when my mouth was still full, Miku-sama dropped a bomb. "Does Kaguragi-san have feelings towards Sousuke?" ....................excuse me?

30 親友 「俺と、恋人になってみる?」 なに言ってんの、俺? 自分で自分の言ったことが信じられない。 この俺が、女を口説くだなんて。 いや、これは彼女をからかっているだけだ。そうだとも。 でも、この衝動はなんなのだろうか?間近に迫った彼女の唇に触れてみたい、というこの気持ちは? あともう少し、あともう少しで彼女の唇に触れられる――― あと数センチ、というところで俺は我に返った。何してるんだ、俺! 彼女を見れば、彼女は俺を凝視して固まっていた。 普通の女なら少しは嬉しそうにするのに、彼女は少しも嬉しそうじゃない。俺のことなんか眼中にないのだろう。 そう考えた時、ずきり、と胸が痛んだ。なんだ、この痛みは。 俺は胸の痛みを無視して、意地の悪い笑みを浮かべ、彼女から顔を離す。その時に彼女の唇を名残惜しく思ったりなんてしていない。していないのだ。 「冗談だよ。本気にした?」 俺がそう言うと、彼女は顔を真っ赤にして怒った。 そんな彼女が可愛く見えてしまう俺はどうかしている。 なんだか彼女を見ていられなくなって、立ち去ろうとした時、彼女の言葉を思い出した。 『私、生徒会に入ることになりましたの』 『朝斐さんに食事に誘われたのですわ』 聞いた時はなんとも思わなかったが、今になって胸がモヤモヤしてきた。なんなんだ、これ。 そして気付いたら俺は彼女に言っていた。 「あぁ、そうそう。俺も生徒会に入ることになってるから」 なに言ってんの、俺?生徒会なんて面倒くさいものお断りだろ? 「なんですって......?」 彼女が驚いたように俺を見る。なぜだか、その様子に満足感した俺はにっこりと笑う。 「よろしくね」 呆然と俺を見る彼女に気を良くした俺はそのまま立ち去ったあと生徒会顧問の所へ行き、生徒会に入ると言うと泣いて喜ばれて、少しウザかった。 彼女が一緒なら、生徒会も悪くないかもしれない。なぜかそんな風に思ったのだ。 「奏祐、少しよろしいかしら?」 にっこりと笑顔を武装した美咲に俺は呼び止められた。 特に用事も無かった俺は頷いたが、なにか嫌な予感がする。今日の美咲の笑顔は完璧過ぎて少し怖く感じた。 美咲と2人きりになると、美咲は笑顔のまま、俺に言った。 「聞いたわよ、奏祐。凛花さんに、あなた、とんでもないことをしたそうね?」 美咲になにを言ったんだ、彼女は。 美咲は彼女を好いている。 もしかしたら、俺よりも彼女の方が好きなんじゃないんだろうか。 「恋人になってみる?なんて言って、キスまで迫ったんですってね?あらやだ。私の幼馴染みはいつから狼になったのかしら?」 「.........あれは、その......」 美咲が恐い。笑顔なのに恐い。 俺が言い訳をしようとすると「言い訳なんて聞きたくなくってよ」とピシャリと言われた。言い訳も許されないようだ。 「あなたは乙女心を踏みにじったのよ。それがどれほど罪深いか......わかってるわよね?」 「......ご、ごめん......」 「私に謝ってどうするの。謝る相手は私ではないでしょう。凛花さんに土下座でもすることね」 美咲の言い方がいつになくキツい。普段はおっとりしている美咲だが、怒ると恐い。容赦なく心を抉るようなことを言うのだ。 笑いながら心を抉る言葉を放つ美咲はまるで氷の花のようだ。悪役がよく似合う。 「......ふぅ。いくら嫉妬したからって急に迫るのはよくないわ。凛花さん相手にはじっくりといかなくては」 「は......?嫉妬?」 誰が誰に嫉妬したと言うのだろう。 俺がおうむ返しに聞き返すと、美咲は何を言ってるのというような冷たい目で俺を見た。 「相模様に嫉妬したのでしょう?」 「なんで、俺が」 「凛花さんと仲が良いからではなくって?」 「だから、なんで俺が神楽木と相模さんが仲良くしてると嫉妬しなきゃならない?」 今度こそ美咲は呆れた顔をした。 なんなんだよ。 「だって、奏祐は凛花さんが好きなのでしょう?」 「―――――は?」 俺は美咲の言っていることが理解できない。いや、理解するのを拒む。 俺が、この俺が、あんな変な女を好きだって? 「そんな馬鹿な......そんなことあるわけないだろ」 「あら。奏祐は好きでもない女の子に無理矢理キスをするような人だったかしら?」 「............」 そんなことは、ないと思いたい。 向こうから迫ってきたのならともかく、俺からキスを迫るようなことはない。断じてない。 しかしそうなると、俺はあいつのことが好きということになるわけで......。 「......嘘...だろ......?」 「まぁ、自覚なかったの?呆れた......」 俺はらしくもなく、顔が赤くなるのを自覚した。 そんな俺を美咲は楽しそうに見ている。他人事だと思って。 片手で顔を押さえる。ちょっと落ち着こう、俺。 きっとなにかの間違いだ。あんな変な女を俺が好きになるわけがない。 色々葛藤している俺に、美咲は涼しい声で言う。 「とにかく、早めに凛花さんに謝ることね。奏祐の愛情込めて作ったお菓子を持っていけばきっと許してくれるわ」 美咲、からかってるな? 後日、美咲のアドバイス通りに作った菓子を持って彼女に謝った。 どうしてだろう。前まで意識していなかったのに、彼女が可愛く見える。重傷だ。 美咲の言った通りだった。信じられないことに、いや、今でも信じたくはないが、俺は彼女が好きらしい。 これまで無意識にしてきたことを思い出して、顔が青ざめる。どうしよう。俺、彼女に結構酷いこと言ってる......。 そんな俺を見て同情したらしい彼女は、俺を許してくれた。 「犬に嘗められそうになったとでも思っておきますわ。私は気にしてませんので、蓮見様もお気になさらぬよう」 犬......俺は犬と同列なのか。少しは気にしてくれ。 俺は彼女にバレないようにこっそり肩を落とした。 もう少し彼女に優しく接しよう――― そう思っていたのに、彼女を前にするとダメだった。 生徒会の仕事を彼女と手伝うことになって、さりげなく彼女を気遣おうと思っていたのに、一緒に仕事をしていた飛鳥に先を越される。 それに彼女も嬉しそうにいちいちお礼を言うのだ。 正直、俺の心境としては面白くない。 飛鳥より一歩リードしようと然り気無く張り合っているうちに1日はあっという間に終わった。 なにやってるんだろうか、俺は。 明日の文化祭の見回りこそは、彼女を完璧に気遣ってみせる。そう決意を固めた。

30. Best friend (Hasumi's pov) "Shall I try being your lover?" What am I saying? I cannot believe what I said myself. This me, is making a pa.s.s on a girl. No, this is simply poking fun at her. Must be so. But, what's with this desire? This feeling of wanting to draw near and touch her lips? Just a little bit, just a little bit and I'll be able to touch her lips------ Just a few centimetres apart, and then I came back to myself. What am I doing! Looking at her, she stiffened at my stare. Even though a normal girl would have looked a bit happy, she doesn't look one bit happy. Is it that she doesn't consider me? When I thought so, *wack*, my heart felt pain. What's with this pain? I ignored the pain in my chest, donned a teasing smile, and parted from her face. At that time, I did not think it was regrettable to separate from her lips. I really didn't. "I'm kidding. You thought I was serious?" When I said that, her face turned bright red and got angry. I wonder, why did I think such a side of her was cute. For some reason I couldn't bear to look at her, when I was about to leave, I recalled her words. { Actually, I'll be joining the student council } {I was invited out to eat by Asahi-san } At that moment I didn't think much, but now I'm feeling gloomy. What's this. And before I realised, I was telling her. "Aah, right. I'll join the student council too." What am I saying? Haven't I already rejected the student council because it was a bother? "What......?" Surprised, she looked at me. For some reason, I, who was satisfied by her reaction, smiled. "Let's get along." I left in a good mood, while she looked dumbfounded, after that I went to the place where the adviser for the student council was, he cried from happiness when I told him I'll join, and that was a bit annoying. If it's with her, the student council might not be that bad. For some reason, I thought so. "Sousuke, may I take a bit of your time?" Armed with a sweet smile, Miku stopped me. I didn't have anything particular to do and so I nodded, but I have a bad feeling. Today's smile of hers was just so perfect that I felt slightly scared. When the two of us were alone, smiling as she was, Miku said. "I heard of it, Sousuke. It seems like you did something outrageous to Rinksan, am I right?" What did she say to Miku? Miku is fond of her. Perhaps, she might like Miku more than me? "'Shall I try being your lover?' You said and you pressed her as if you were going to kiss, was it? Oh, no. I wonder, when did my childhood friend become a wolf?" "..........that was......." Miku is scary. Even though she is smiling, she is scary. Just when I was about to give an excuse, I was slapped by her, "I don't want to hear your excuses." It seems like excuses won't be allowed. "You trampled under your foot a maiden's heart, you know?! You do understand......how much of a sin that is, right?" ".......s-sorry......" "What's the use in apologising to me? The person you should apologise to isn't me, right? You should go dogeza to Rinksan." Before I noticed, Miku's way of speaking had become severe. Usually she is gentle, but when she is angry, she's scary. Saying things that gouge at your heart without mercy. Miku that, while laughing, said those things that gouged at your heart was quite like an ice flower. Matching the image of a villain. ".......fuh. No matter how jealous you felt, it's not good drawing near like that. With someone like Rinksan, you must move carefully." "Eh......? Jealous?" Who is jealous of who? When I asked back, Miku looked at me with cold eyes as if she was saying, 'what are you saying'. "You were jealous of Sagami-sama, right?" "Why would I?" "Because he is close to Rinksan?" "That's why I'm asking, why should I be jealous if Kaguragi and Sagami-san were close?" This time was Miku that had a shocked face. What's up? "I mean, Sousuke likes Rinksan right?" "----------eh?" I can't understand Miku's words. No, I refuse to understand. Me, this me, like that weird girl? "Such a foolish.......such a thing is impossible." "Oh my. Was Sousuke the type of person to force a kiss on a girl he doesn't like, I wonder?" "............" I would like to think that I am not. Except the other party drawing near, I wouldn't draw near to kiss instead. Absolutely. But if things come to this, then that will mean that I like her....... "......it's a lie...right......?" "Well, you weren't aware? I'm shocked......" It wasn't like me;, becoming overly aware of myself, my face went red. Miku looked at such a me as though she was having fun. She must think that it's someone else's problem. I held my face with one hand. Get a hold of yourself, me. There must be a mistake. There's no way I'll come to like a weird girl like her. To I, who was conflicted by various things, Miku said with a refres.h.i.+ng voice. "Anyway, you should apologise to Rinksan early okay. If you bring her sweets made with love, I'm sure she'll forgive you." Miku, you're teasing me right? The next day, as per Miku's advice I went to apologise to her with sweets in tow. I wonder why. Even though before I wasn't conscious of it, now I think she is cute. I'm really sick. It was like Miku said. The thing that I couldn't believe, no, even now I still don't want to believe it, it seems like, I like her. I recalled the things I did unconsciously and my face paled. What to do. I did say some quite horrible things to her........ Looking sympathetic at such a me, she forgave me. "I'll think of it as if I was licked by a dog. I don't mind, so Hasumi-sama doesn't need to mind it too." Dog.....am I on the same level of a dog? Mind it a bit, please. To not be exposed by her I secretly dropped my shoulders. Let's try to treat her more nicely------ Even though I thought so, when she is in front of me it's no use. I decided to help her with the work at the student council, I thought to casually care for her, but I was surpa.s.sed by Asuka that worked together with us. Moreover she would happily say thanks for every little thing. Honestly, it wasn't good for my mental state. One day, I finished in the blink of an eye while I was competing with Asuka in being even 1 step ahead. I wonder what am I doing? During tomorrow's culture festival patrolling, I'll show her my care for sure. I hardened my resolve.

33 文化祭が無事に終わり、その半月後、形ばかりの生徒会選挙が行われ、見事に朝斐さんが生徒会長に当選した。生徒会には興味ない人たちばかりなので、立候補すれば大抵当選する。 新しい生徒会執行部の発足は1ヶ月後だが、前生徒会の皆さんは受験に忙しく、現在は新生徒会執行部メンバーで細かい仕事を担っている。 とは言っても特にイベントはないのでそんなに忙しくはない。 忙しくはないのになぜか毎日放課後に集まっている。解せぬ。 「神楽木、そっちは終わったか?」 「ええ、終わりました」 「朝斐さん、ここなんですが......」 「どれどれ......あぁ、それな。それは......」 淡々と仕事を進める私たち。2年の先輩方は完全に沈黙して仕事をしている。 固い、固いよ。こういう雰囲気嫌いじゃないけど、毎日こうだと肩凝る。 わいわいとまではいかずとも、もっと和やかに談笑しながら仕事をするものだと思ってた。私の思い込みだったようだ。 「じゃあ、お先に」 「あ、お疲れ様でした」 先輩方は自分の担当分の仕事が終わるとすぐに帰宅してしまう。私としては1年間一緒に仕事をするのだから、先輩方と仲良くなりたい。 しかしそれすら許されず先輩方は帰宅してしまう。 勿論、わからないことは聞けば丁寧に教えてくれるのだが、壁を感じる。どうしたらいいかなぁ。 「あ、やっべ。もうこんな時間か......オレ、これから用事があるから帰るわ。おまえたちはどうする?」 「もう少しで終わりそうなので、残ります」 「私も」 「......俺も」 「そっか。あんまり、遅くならないようにな?鍵だけは頼む。じゃ、お先」 「わかりました。お疲れ様でした」 「お疲れ様でした」 「早く帰......お疲れ様でした」 「凛花、ちゃんと聞こえてるからな」 朝斐さんは私を睨むと足早に去っていった。 またもや私たちに重い沈黙が訪れる。 室内に響くのはペンの音だけ。 私は自分の分の仕事を終わらせ、ペンを置く。疲れた、甘い物が食べたい。 「それだ!!!」 突然叫んだ私を蓮見は不審そうに、飛鳥は驚いたように見る。 「......突然なに?」 「驚いたぞ......急に大声を出すな」 「ごめんなさい......つい」 内心では舌を出してテヘペロっ☆とするが、実際にはやらない。何故なら私はお嬢様だから。 「私、先輩方と仲良くなる秘策を思い付いたのです」 「仲良くなる......秘策?」 「ええ。ほら、先輩方とはなにかこう......壁みたいなものを感じませんか?」 「そう?俺は気にしてないけど」 「蓮見様が鈍感なだけでは?」 「ふぅん......?言うようになったね?」 蓮見が冷たい笑みを浮かべる。 ひぃっ。すみません、調子乗りました! 飛鳥はそんな私たちのやり取りを見て苦笑する。 「先輩たちから壁を感じるのは、君たちに遠慮してかもしれないな」 「私たちに......遠慮?」 「なんで先輩たちが俺たちに遠慮するわけ?」 「......君たちは、知らないのか?」 「なんのことでしょう?」 「いや、俺も少し前に聞いた話なんだが......君たち、見回りの最中に乗馬をしたそうだな?」 私はびくりとして、思わず蓮見を睨む。 だから言ったじゃないですか、という抗議の意味を込めて。 蓮見は私の視線を受け止めて、そ知らぬ顔で飛鳥を見た。 「それが、なにか問題でも?」 いや、大いに問題でしょうが!仕事中に遊ぶやつがあるか! と私は内心突っ込むが、口には出さない。私のハートはチキンの形をしているから。 「別に咎めているわけじゃないんだ。まあ、来年はやめてほしいが。過ぎたことを言ってもしょうがない」 飛鳥は苦笑したままそう言った。飛鳥は真面目で正義感も強い。だからてっきり怒られると思っていた私は拍子抜けした。以外と融通が利くな。 それは蓮見も同じだったようで、表情自体は変わっていないが、目が戸惑ったように揺れていた。 なんか最近、蓮見の表情を読み取るスキルが向上している気がする。そんなスキルいらないのに。 私は飛鳥の言葉に完全にフリーズした。 頭が真っ白でなにも思いつかない。 蓮見も驚いたように目を見開いている。 それはそうだよね。蓮見も迷惑だよね。美咲様に勘違いされちゃうしね。 そうだとも。蓮見が好きなのは美咲様なのだ。だから私と蓮見が付き合うことなんてありえない。 なのに、なにを勘違いしているのだ。 私は頭に一気に血が上るのを感じる。 ガタン、と勢いよく私は立ち上がり、目の前の机を思いっきり叩く。めっちゃ痛い。 「ありえませんわ!私と蓮見様が付き合うなんて、天と地がひっくり返ってもありえません!」 「そうなのか?」 飛鳥は私の勢いに引いたように答えた。 私は「ありえませんよね!?」と蓮見を見て言うと、蓮見も私の勢いに引いたのか「あ、ああ......」と呆然としたように答えた。 しかし飛鳥はまだ納得できないようで、腕を組んで眉間に皺を寄せいる。 「しかし、こうして生徒会活動を通して君たちを見ているが、とても仲が良いように感じたが......」 「気のせいです。私たちの関係は顔見知り以上友達未満なのです」 「......とてもそうは見えないが」 「では、ただの友達で」 「わかった、それで納得しよう」 蓮見は頭を抱えて俯いている。 あれ。友達もだめだった?そんなに嫌だった? 「......勝手に納得しないでくんない......っていうか友達未満だったのか俺......」 蓮見がぶつぶつ何かを言っているが私たちの耳には入らない。 安心してくれ、蓮見。君の疑惑は私が晴らしてあげよう! だからそれまでは私の友達ってことにしておいてね?

33 The culture festival safely ended half a month later. The selection for the student council members, that was just for appearance, was performed, with Asahi-san being magnificently elected as president. This place was full of people that weren't interested in the student council; so, if you nominate yourself, you'll usually be elected. The new student council members would start with one month of training; however, everyone in the student council was busy with exams; so presently, the new members were being tasked with small tasks for learning. Even if I say this, since we don't have any particular event, we were not that busy. Even though we weren't busy for some reason, we gathered in the club room every day, for reasons I fail to understand. "Kaguragi, have you finished with that?" "Yes, I have." "Asahi-san, about this point......" "Let me see......aah, that. That is......" We advanced our tasks dispa.s.sionately. While the senpai from 2nd year did their work completely in silence. It's stiff, really stiff. I don't hate this type of atmosphere but my shoulders will freeze if it's like this every day. Of course, not on the level of being noisy but, I thought we would do our tasks while harmoniously chatting with each other. Looks like I had the wrong impression. "Well then, I'll leave first." "Ah, good job." When the senpai finished doing their task they immediately headed home. Because we'll be working together for 1 year, I want to get along with them. However, the senpais would return home without fail. Of course, if I ask them something I don't know, he'll courteously teach me but, I can feel a wall. What should I do, I wonder? "Ah, c.r.a.p. It's already this late......I have things to do now, so I'll go. What about you guys?" "I'll finish in a bit, so I'll remain." "Me too." ".......me too." "I see. Don't stay here too late, okay? I'll leave the key to you. Then, I'm off." "Understood. Thanks for the hard work." "Thanks for the hard work." "Scram alre.....thanks for the hard work." "Rinka, I can hear you, you know." Asahi-san hurriedly left while glaring at me. Heavy silence descended upon us again. Only the sound of pens resounded in the room. Finis.h.i.+ng my task, I put down my pen. When I'm tired I want to eat sweet things. "That's it!!!" I suddenly shouted, Hasumi looked strangely at me and Asuka looked surprised. "......what's up so suddenly?" "You surprised me......you abruptly raised your voice." "Sorry.......it was unintentional." Mentally, I stuck out my tongue and did a 'tehepero,' but actually didn't do it. Because I am an ojou-sama "I thought out a secret plan to get along with the senpais." "A secret plan......to get along?" "Yes. Come on, don't you feel like.....there is something like a wall between us and the senpais?" "Really? I don't mind it though." "Isn't that just because Hasumi-sama is insensitive?" "Hmm.......? Seems like you've got things to say, mh?" Hasumi looked at me with a cold smile. Hiii. I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself! Looking at our exchange, Asuka wryly smiled. "It may make no difference to you guys, even if you sensed the senpais man's wall." "Make no difference......to us?" "Why would the senpai make difference to us?" "......you guys, don't know?" "About what?" "I did hear this previously but.......it seems like you went horse riding in the middle of patrolling?" Surprised by that, I glared at Hasumi without thinking. Haven't I said it? That's why, think more about the meaning of my protest. Hasumi took in my look and then looked at Asuka with a nonchalant face. "Is there a problem with that?" No, isn't that a big problem! Because there were fellows that were playing in the middle of work! So I retorted in my mind, but, my mouth didn't. Because my heart has a chicken shape. "I'm not really finding fault with you. Well, I'd like it if you didn't do it next year though. There's no meaning in talking about something that already pa.s.sed." Asuka said with the same wry smile. Asuka's sense of justice is really strong. That's why I thought that he'd get angry. He is unexpectedly flexible. And that seemed to be the same for Hasumi, though his expression in itself didn't change, his eyes shook with perplexity. Somehow, I felt like my skill in reading Hasumi's facial expressions raised recently. Even though I don't want such a skill. I completely froze at Asuka's words. My head went blank and I couldn't think anything. Hasumi too widened his eyes, looking surprised. Well, that's right. It's a bother to Hasumi, right. Since Miku-sama would misunderstand, right. Moreover, Hasumi likes Miku-sama. That's why it's impossible for me to be dating Hasumi. And yet, they are misunderstanding. I felt the blood rus.h.i.+ng all to my head at once. *b.u.mp*, I stood up with force, and struck the desk in front of me with force too. It really hurts. "We are not! Even if the sky and earth overturned, it would be impossible for Hasumi and I to be dating!" "Is that so?" Asuka answered, taken aback by my might. When I looked at Hasumi and said: "It's impossible, right!?" Hasumi who was perhaps taken aback by my force too, answered "Y-yeah......" with a dumbfounded look. However, Asuka still didn't look convinced, as he crossed his arms and wrinkled his brows. "But, when I see you two doing club activities for the student council, you two look to have a good relations.h.i.+p......" "It's just your imagination. Our relations.h.i.+p is of knowing each other face and being less than friends." "......I really don't see it this way though." "Then, we are just friends." "Okay, I'll try to accept it like so." Hasumi hung his head, while holding it with his hand. Oh my. Is being friends no good? Does he hate it that much? ".......can't you not accept it at your own discretion.......or rather, I was even less than a friend......." What Hasumi was grumbling, went unheard by our ears. Don't worry, Hasumi. I shall dispel your misgivings! So until then let's make it like we are friends okay?

28 今日は美咲様との定期的に行っているお茶の日だ。 夏休み中はお互いに都合がつかずに会えなかったので、今日は久しぶりに美咲様と会う。 学校でも会ってはいるのだが、美咲様の周りが怖すぎて話なんてとてもできない。私のハートはチキンの形をしているのだ。 今日の待ち合わせはお洒落なカフェだ。パフェが美味しいらしい。 私たちはさっそくパフェを頼む。 美咲様はいちごのパフェ、私はチョコレートのパフェだ。 パフェが来るまでの間、私は美咲様の報告を受けた。 「まぁ、夏休みは屋形船を貸し切って東條様と花火を眺められたのですか」 「そうなの。船の上で見る花火はまた格別だったわ」 ごめんなさい、美咲様。それ、私の思い描いていた花火大会デートではありません......。 私が思い描いていたのは、普通の高校生がやるようなやつなのだ。女の子は頑張って浴衣着て、出店を見て回って、花火を一緒に見て、良い雰囲気になって、下駄の鼻緒が切れて男の子にしょうがないなと言われながらおんぶをされちゃう甘酸っぱい青春デートを思い描いていたのだ。やっぱりお金持ちのご子息とご令嬢ともなると感覚が違うのか。お金持ち舐めてた。 でも、まあ、いいか。美咲様嬉しそうだし。美咲様が楽しかったならそれでいい。 美咲様は花火大会以外のイベントには行けなかったようだ。王子と都合がなかなか合わなかったようだ。残念だ。 しかし、美咲様。もうすぐ文化祭があるのですよ!ここでは王子と一緒に見て回って周りを牽制しましょう! と私が言うと美咲様は恥ずかしそうにしながらも、そうね、と頷いてくれた。 私が早めに約束を取り付けるように、と言ったところでパフェがきた。 うおお......意外とボリュームあるな......。私は平気だけど、美咲様は大丈夫かな。 ちらりと美咲様を見ると、美咲様は目を輝かせてパフェを食べようとしていた。 ......うん。大丈夫そうだな、これは。 私も美咲様に続いて食べる。 美味しい!もっと甘いかと思っていてたけど、ビターチョコレートを使っているようで、チョコの苦味とバニラの甘さがミックスされてちょうど良い甘さになっている。いやもう、幸せだ。 私と美咲様はパフェを堪能し、お腹いっぱいになった。 パフェを食べ終わったあとは、今度は美咲様に私の話を聞いてもらう。もちろん、菜緒と朝斐さんが付き合っていた件だ。 私があの日のエピソードを一通り話し終えると、美咲様は目を丸くしていた。 「そうなの......菜緒と相模様が......お似合いの2人ね」 「......そうですね。悔しいけど、お似合いだと思いますわ」 「あらあら。凛花さんったら、菜緒を取られたと妬いているのかしら」 「......はい」 「ふふっ。凛花さん、かわいいわ」 「えっ!?いえ、そんなことありませんわ」 美咲様に可愛いと言われて私はとても動揺した。頭の中で美咲様の、凛花さんかわいいわ、がこだまのように繰り返し再生される。 これでしばらく私は生きていける。 「それにしても、生徒会に誘われるなんて凄いわ、凛花さん」 王子も誘われたのか......!危なかった。王子が断ってくれて助かった。 「奏祐も一回断ったそうだけど、やっぱり引き受けることにしたらしいわ」 私は蓮見の名前に挙動不審になる。 あの日以来、私は蓮見を避けている。蓮見を目の前にすると平常心ではいられなくなるのだ。 蓮見を見るとぶん殴りたい衝動にかられる。私は根に持つ方ではないはずなのだが、あの日のことはどうも許しがたい。乙女心を踏みにじりやがって。 「奏祐となにかあったの?」 「ナ、ナニモアリマセンヨ......?」 首を傾げて訊ねる美咲様は、とても可愛らしい。だがその魅力に屈するわけにはいかないのだ。負けるな私。 「凛花さん、なにがあったの?教えて?」 ごめんなさい、美咲様相手に私が黙っていられるわけがなかった。 私はぼそぼそとあの日あったことを話す。 私の話を聞いていた美咲様の顔色が変わっていく。あの、美咲様?こわい顔になってますよ? 私の話を聞き終えた美咲様は、にっこりと美しいがこわい笑顔を浮かべた。 「あの、美咲さん......?」 「安心なさって、凛花さん。私が奏祐によぉく、言い聞かせておくから、ね?」 「ふふ......必ず奏祐を謝らせるわ。この私の名に懸けて」 いや、そんなことで名前を懸けてくださらなくて結構ですよ? その後日、青い顔をした蓮見が私のところにロールケーキを持ってやって来た。 「すまなかった」と悲壮感を漂わせて謝る蓮見が段々可哀想に思えてきたので、私は許してあげることにした。 それにしても、蓮見をこんなにした美咲様って一体......。 美咲様は一体蓮見になにをしたんだろう?知りたいけど知るのがこわい......。 とにかく、こんな状態になった蓮見を見て私は誓った。 ―――美咲様だけは絶対怒らせない、と。

28 Today is one of the fixed days I have tea with Miku-sama. During summer vacation, we both had circ.u.mstances that wouldn't let us meet each other, so today, I meet Miku-sama for the first time in a while. Though I see her at school, Miku-sama's surrounding people are so scary that I really can't talk to her. My heart has a chicken's shape. Our meeting today is in a stylish cafe. Where it seems like the parfaits are delicious. So we ordered a parfait at once. Miku-sama, a strawberry parfait, while me, a chocolate parfait. In the time before parfaits arrived, I received Miku-sama's report. "Well, were you able to charter in a pleasure boat and go see the fireworks with Tojo-sama over summer vacation?" "Yes. The fireworks I saw above the s.h.i.+p were even more exceptional." I'm sorry, Miku-sama. That isn't the firework festival date I pictured..... What I pictured was what a normal high school student would do. The girl doing her best in wearing a yukata, visiting food stalls, looking at fireworks together, and then, with the mood turning good, the sandal strap of a geta snapping and then the boy, while saying, "It can't be helped," carries her on his back, I imagined this bittersweet adolescent date. Is the perception of sons and daughters of rich people different? I underestimated rich people. Well, it's fine, I think. Miku-sama looks happy. If she enjoyed herself then all is good. It appears that, except for the firework festival event, she didn't go anywhere else. The prince's schedule seemed to not match. It's a pity. However, Miku-sama, soon there will be the culture festival, you know!? There, you should go with the prince to look at the surroundings! And when I said this, Miku-sama, while looking shy, nodded and said, "You're right." The parfait arrived while I made her arrange things early. Uoo.....it's more bigger than I expected....... I'm alright, but will Miku-sama be okay I wonder. I secretly looked at Miku-sama when, with sparkling eyes, she began to eat her parfait. .....Un. Looks like it's okay. Following Miku-sama's example, I ate too. It's delicious! I thought it would be sweeter but it seems like they used bitter chocolate, with the bitter taste of the chocolate and the sweetness of the vanilla, they achieved the right taste of sweetness. Iya mou, this is heaven. Miku-sama and I, satisfied by the parfait, were full now. After finis.h.i.+ng eating, I made Miku-sama listen to me instead. Of course, about the matter of Nao and Asahi-san going out. When I finished narrating that episode from start to finish, Miku-sama's eyes become round. "So, it's like this......Nao and Sagami-sama are........they look good together." "........yeah. I'm vexed, but I think they match." "My my. Is RinkSan jealous because Nao got taken away from you?" "........yes." "Fufuh. Rinksan you're cute." "Eh!? No, I'm not." I got really disturbed by being called cute by Miku-sama. Inside my head Miku-sama's, "Rinksan you're cute," repeated with a echo effect. With this, I can continue to live on for a while. "Even so, Rinksan, it's incredible, you were invited to join the student council." "So the prince had been invited too......! That was close. The refusal of the prince saved me." "It appears Sousuke refused at first too, but still decided to undertake the role in the end." My behaviour become strange at the mention of Hasumi's name. Since that day, I've been avoiding Hasumi. When Hasumi is in front of me, my presence of mind isn't there. When I look at him, I have the impulse to beat him. I am not a person that holds grudges but I really find it hard to forgive what he did that day. Stepping on a maid's heart like that. "Did something happen with Sousuke?" "N-nothing at all.......?" Miku-sama, who asked while tilting her head, was truly cute. But I cannot succ.u.mb to her charm. Me, don't lose! "Rinksan, what happened? Tell me please?" I'm sorry, Miku-sama isn't an opponent I can bear to not tell. I whispered to her what happened that day. Miku-sama's face changed colour while listening to my story. Ehm, Miku-sama? Your face is turning scary, you know? After I finished talking, a sweet and beautiful, but scary, smile floated on her face. "Ehm, Miku-san......?" "Don't worry Rinksan. I will properly tell Sousuke off, alright?" "Fufu......I'll make him apologise for sure. I stake my name on this." No, I believe you, even if you don't stake something like your name, you know? After that day Hasumi, with a blue face, came to me holding a roll cake. Hasumi who apologized with an, 'I'm sorry,' and a tragic feeling drifting about, made me think he was more and more pitiful, so I decided to forgive him. Nevertheless, to reduce Hasumi in such a state, what has Miku-sama...... What exactly did Miku-sama say to Hasumi? I want to know, but I'm scared to know as well....... In any case, looking at the state Hasumi was in, I vowed. ------to never ever make Miku-sama angry.

53 もうすぐ美咲様の誕生日だ。 大好きな美咲様のため、私は美咲様にぴったりなプレゼントをしたいと思う。 いろいろ美咲様には迷惑をかけているし、そのお詫びを含めて、なにかプレゼントしたい。 でも、何がいいかなぁ。 「......さすがにそれは俺では答えられないな。そういうのは自分で考えるものだろう」 「ですよねえ......」 さすがの飛鳥でもこの難問には答えられないようだ。 まあ、当たり前だよね。 でも本当に困った。私はプレゼントやお土産を即決して買えない優柔不断な人間なのだ。 うーん......弟に買い物付き合って貰おうかな。 うん、それがいい。そうしよう。 そう私が結論づけた時、タイミングよく弟がやってきた。 弟が生徒会室に来るなんて珍しいな。どうしたんだろう。 「あら、悠斗、どうしたの?」 「彼が君の弟か?似ているな」 「ええ、そうなんです。悠斗、こちらは飛鳥冬磨くんよ。よく私の相談に乗って貰っているの」 「初めまして。姉がいつもお世話になっています」 悠斗がきれいなお辞儀をする。 そのお辞儀の美しさに私はにっこりとする。 完璧なお辞儀だわ。さすがは私の弟。 「ああ、初めまして。しっかりした弟だな」 「ふふ。でしょう?それで、何の用かしら?」 弟を誉められて上機嫌な私は、弟が私に用があって来たのだと信じて疑わない。 「いや、姉さんじゃなくて。朝斐兄さんはどこ?」 「朝斐...さん......?」 え?私に用じゃなかったの? 密かにショックを受けている私を差し置いて、飛鳥が答えた。 「相模さんなら、もう少ししたらここに来ると思うぞ。それまでここで待っているといい」 「ありがとうございます。では、遠慮なく」 弟は当然のように私の隣に座った。 あ、そこ蓮見の席......。 私がそう注意しようとしたとき、蓮見が入ってきた。 蓮見は一瞬固まり、すぐに涼しい顔をして弟に言う。 「そこ、俺の席なんだけど」 「ああ、そうでしたか。すみません。でも困ったな......オレの座るところがないから、姉さんと一緒に座ってもいい?」 「え?いいけど、椅子ならそこに......」 「ありがとう、姉さん」 弟はどこかで見たことのあるような笑顔を浮かべて、私の椅子に半分腰かける。 そんな弟を蓮見が凍えそうな目で見た。 「悠斗。そこに椅子があるから、その椅子を持ってきたら?それだと神楽木が仕事をしづらい」 「それは蓮見さんが決めることじゃないでしょう。ねえ、姉さん。オレ、姉さんと一緒に座っていたら邪魔?」 少し瞳を揺らし、不安そうに私を見る弟に、私の心はいっきに弟に傾く。 「邪魔なんかじゃ、ないわ」 気づいたらそう口にしていた。私は弟に弱すぎる。わかっていてもそれを直す気にはなれないのだ。 弟は嬉しそうににこっと笑ってありがとうと言う。 その隣で舌打ちが聞こえた。 弟と蓮見の間に見えない火花が散る。 ......これって私のせい? そう思って飛鳥を見ると、飛鳥は神妙な顔をして頷いた。 まじか。私のせいか。 これは、あれだろうか。少女漫画とかでよくある台詞、『やめて、私のために争わないで!』を言うところなのだろうか。 やめておこう。痛い人みたいだ。 「ねえ、悠斗。今度の休みに買い物に行きたいのだけど、付き合ってくれない?」 「あ......ごめん、姉さん。オレ、今度の休みは朝斐兄さんと約束してるんだ......」 「そうだったの。それじゃあ、仕方ないわね」 「買い物に行きたいの?」 私と弟との会話に、蓮見が乱入してくる。 「ええ。もうすぐ美咲さんのお誕生日でしょう?プレゼントを買いに行きたいのです」 「ちょうど良かった。俺も買いに行こうと思っていたから、一緒にどう?」 「蓮見様と一緒に、ですか......」 それは、どうなんだろうか? 蓮見と美咲様は幼馴染みだし、蓮見は美咲様の好みをよく熟知しているだろうから、プレゼント選びの良いアドバイザーになるだろう。 でも、蓮見と2人で買い物してるところを見られたらまずいんじゃないだろうか。 ただでさえ、周りの目が厳しくなってきてるのに。 「嫌なの?」 「嫌というわけでは......」 言ってしまってから、私は慌てて手で口を塞ぐ。 嫌って言えば良かったのに。私の口は正直だ。 プレゼントのアドバイスをしてもらえることが思いの外私の中で重大だったらしい。 「じゃあ、今度の土曜日に行こうか」 蓮見は嬉しそうに言う。 蓮見の嬉しそうな顔なんて初めて見たかも......。そんなに買い物行きたかったんだろうか。 私の隣で弟が不満そうな顔を、飛鳥が呆れた顔をして私を見ていた。 うん、わかってる。わかってますよ。 口は災いのもとって、こういうことか。 私は1つ賢くなった。賢くなったかわりに、私は蓮見と買い物をすることになった。なぜだ。 土曜日がやって来た。蓮見との買い物の日だ。私は真面目なので、ドタキャンも無視もできない。 蓮見と買い物だし、適当な服でいいか、とクローゼットを開いたところで、私はふと思い出す。 蓮見って、なに着てもかっこいいんだよね......。 悔しいことに、蓮見はジャージを着ていても格好良く見えるのだ。本当に美形って得だ。 そんな蓮見と一緒に買い物をするのだ。 適当なもっさい服を着ていったら、周りから嘲笑をかうんじゃないだろうか。 それは私のプライドが許さない。 私は母から常々ファッションには気を使いなさいと言われている。 周りから見ても恥ずかしくない格好をしなさい、という教えは私の中に根づいている。 私は気合いを入れ直し、真剣にクローゼットを吟味する。 よし、決めた。 私は選んだ服を手に取り、着替えをした。 そして姿見の前に立って、チェックをする。 白いフリルのついた半袖ブラウスに黒い花柄のキュロット。二の腕が気になるのでクリーム色の薄手の七分袖のカーディガンも羽織っておく。 シンプルながらも可愛い。これなら蓮見と一緒にいても笑われることはないだろう。 よし。完璧だ。 私は白い革の小さめの肩掛けバックに財布とポーチと携帯を入れて、手には細めの腕時計をし、最後にカンカン帽を被った。 準備はばっちり。 さあ、気合いを入れて買い物にレッツゴーだ!

53 Soon it will be Miku-sama's birthday. For the sake of the Miku-sama that I love, I want to give her the perfect present. I've been causing various troubles for Miku-sama, so I want to include an apology to her. But, I wonder what would be good? "......as one would expect, I can't answer you. That kind of thing is something you should think of for yourself." "Right....." I see, even Asuka doesn't know the answer to this problem. Well, it's only natural. But I'm really troubled. I'm the type of person that is constantly indecisive when buying presents and souvenirs. Hmmm......I wonder if I should ask my little brother to go shopping with me? Un, that sound good. Let's do so. At the moment I arrived at this conclusion, my little brother arrived with great timing. It's really unusual to see my little brother coming to the student council. I wonder if something happened. "Ara, Yuto, what's up?" "Is he your little brother? You resemble each other." "Yes, that's right. Yuto, this is Asuka Toumkun. He often gives me consultation." "Nice to meet you. My sister has been in your care." Yuto gave a beautiful bow. The beauty of that bow made me grin. That was a perfect bow. As expected of my little brother. "Oh, nice to meet you. He really is a level-headed little brother." "Fufu. Right? So, what do you need?" In a super good mood from having my little brother praised, I didn't doubt that my little brother had come for some tasks. "No, not with nee-san. Where is Asahi-san?" "Asahi....san......?" Eh? You didn't need me? Disregarding the secretly shocked me, Asuka answered. "I think that Sagani-san will be here in a bit. Until then it's okay if you wait here." "Thank you very much. Then I will take your offer." My little brother sat beside me as if it was a matter of course. Ah, that's Hasumi's seat..... When I tried to caution him, Hasumi arrived. Hasumi stiffened for an instant, but then immediately returned with a cool face and said to my brother. "That's my seat you know." "Oh, is that so? I'm sorry. But I'm stumped......I don't have a place to sit, so is it okay if I sit with my older sister?" "Eh? It's fine but, there is a chair over...." "Thank you, nee-san." My little brother smiled in a way that I saw somewhere before, and sat on half of my chair. Hasumi looked at him with freezing eyes. "Yuto. Since there is a chair over there, how about bringing it over? It will be hard for Kaguragi to work if not." "That's not something for Hasumi-san to decide, right? Hey, nee-san. Am I a bother if I sit with nee-san?" Looking at my brother eyes that shook a bit with anxiousness, my heart immediately gave in to him. "You aren't bothering me." Before I noticed, those words left my mouth. I'm too weak against my little brother. And even if I know this I don't feel like fixing it. My brother smiled happily and said thanks. I heard someone clicking his tongue nearby. An invisible spark flew between my little brother and Hasumi. .......is this my fault? When I thought so I looked at Asuka, and he faithfully nodded at me. Really. This is my fault? Is this, that? The right time to use the often used phrase{Stop, don't compete for me!} in shoujo manga? Let's put this aside. I would look like a pain of a person. "Hey, Yuto. I want to go shopping this weekend, can you come with me?" "Ah.....sorry, nee-san. This weekend I already have previous arrangement with Asahi-san......" "Is that so. Then it can't be helped." "You want to go shopping?" Hasumi barged in my brother and I's conversation. "Yes. Miku-san's birthday will come soon right? I wanted to go look for a present." "Me too. I just thought of going too, how about going together?" "With Hasumi-sama......" Will that be okay? Since Hasumi and Miku-sama are childhood friends, Hasumi should be familiar with Miku-sama's taste, and would be a good adviser in choosing a present, right? But, wouldn't it be bad if I were to be seen shopping with Hasumi? Moreover, I feel like the surrounding people's eyes look at me coldly already. "You don't want to?" "it's not like I don't want....." Fl.u.s.tered I stopped what my mouth was about to say. Even though it was okay to say, I didn't want to. My mouth is honest. It seems like having someone giving me advice with the present surprisingly weighted in me. "Then, let's go this Sat.u.r.day." Hasumi said looking happy. This might be the first time I saw Hasumi being happy...... Did he want to go shopping that much? My brother next to me had a displeased face, while Asuka looked at me an exasperated expression. Un, I understand. I understood you know. Opening your mouth without thinking brings calamity, right? For once, I've become wise. But in exchange for that, it turned out that I have to go shopping with Hasumi. Why is that. Sat.u.r.day arrived. The day I have to go shopping with Hasumi. Because I'm an honest person I couldn't bring myself to cancel the appointment at the last minute. When I opened my closet to look for suitable clothes to go shop with Hasumi, I suddenly remembered. Hasumi looks cool no matter what he wears, right...... It's frustrating, but he would look cool even if he wore a jersey. That's the true advantage of beauty. And I will go shopping with a person like that. If I were to wear unsuitably unfas.h.i.+onable clothes, wouldn't I be scorned by the surrounding people? My pride wouldn't allow that. I've always been told to be careful about fas.h.i.+on by my mother. Her teachings about not wearing things that would embarra.s.s yourself in public, was rooted in me. I readjusted my fighting spirit and carefully examined my closet. Good, I decided. I took the clothes in and changed. And then checked in front of the mirror A white short sleeved blouse with frills and black culottes with a flower pattern. Because the exposed arms bothered me, I put on a thin three-quarter sleeves cream coloured cardigan. While simple, it's cute. I won't be laughed at with this, even if I were to be with Hasumi, right. Good. I'm perfect. I put my purse, pouch and cellphone in a small white leather shoulder bag and, as accessories, wore a watch and a boater hat. The preparation were complete. Now, with my fighting spirit ignited, let's go shopping!

27 ティラミスが食べたい。 そう蓮見にメールをして数日後、蓮見は約束通りにティラミスを作ってきてくれた。 昼休みに中庭の人気のない、目立たない場所に待ち合わせをした。 「はい、これ」 「ありがとうございます、蓮見様」 蓮見に手渡された小さな箱を触れると冷たかった。冷蔵庫に今まで入れてあったみたいに。 その事を聞くと食堂の冷蔵庫を借りたと言う。どうやら食堂の人は蓮見に買収されているようだ。蓮見の手際のよさが怖い。 「じゃあ、俺はこれで」 「お待ちになって」 私はがしっと蓮見の腕を掴む。蓮見は嫌そうに私を見た。 「......なに?」 「私の話を聞いてください」 「なんで俺が君の話を聞かなくちゃならないの」 「お願いします。蓮見様くらいしか話せる人がいないんです」 「嫌だね。他をあたってよ」 取りつく島もなく蓮見は私を振り払う。それでも私はめげずにとっておきの物を取り出す。 「そうですか......せっかくつばき屋の最新作のプリンを手に入れましたのに......蓮見様に話を聞いてくださったらお礼にお渡ししようと思っていたけれど......聞いてくれないのならしょうがないわ......私が食べてしまいましょう」 つばき屋とは、私が大好きなプリンのお店の名前で、蓮見に教えてあげたお店でもある。 これでどうだ!私の話、聞くよね? 「待て」 立ち去ろうとした私を蓮見は予想通りに呼び止める。私はにやりとしそうなのを堪えて振り向く。 蓮見は大変苦悩を浮かべた様子だった。それでも彼はプリンをとるのだ。私の読み通り。 「......話を聞こう」 「ありがとうございます、蓮見様。お茶もありますの。如何です?」 「貰っておく」 私と蓮見は近くにあったベンチに座る。 そして私は持ってきていたプリンを渡す。家庭科室の冷蔵庫を借りて冷やしておいた。 「つばき屋の最新作、抹茶プリンですわ」 「抹茶プリンか......」 蓮見は抹茶プリンを受け取り、一口食べる。これも大変お気に召したようだ。顔がにやついているぞ。 「それで?こんな物を用意してまで聞いてほしいこととは?」 プリンを完食した蓮見にお茶を渡しつつ私は答える。 「実は私、生徒会に入ることになりましたの」 意を決して言った私に蓮見はどうでもよさそうに相づちをうつ。 ちょっとは反応してくれ......。 「まぁ、そこまではいいのです。ただ、来期の生徒会長が私の従兄でして」 「来期の生徒会長......っていうと、あぁ、朝斐さんか」 「そうなんです。私、昔からあの方が苦手で......いや、まあそれもいいんです。とにかく私が生徒会に入ることになったのがキッカケだと思うのですが、朝斐さんに食事に誘われたのですわ」 「......2人きりで?」 「いえ、弟も一緒でした」 「ふーん......?」 なんだ、なんで少し不機嫌になったんだ?さっきまでプリン食べてご機嫌だったくせに。 蓮見の様子に首を傾げつつ、私は気にせず話の続きをした。 「その食事でとんでもないことが発覚したのです」 「とんでもないこと?」 「ええ。朝斐さんに......彼女が出来ていたのですわ」 「......それで?」 「私、もうショックで......その彼女というのが、菜緒だったんです」 「君の親友だっていう?」 「はい。私、そんな報告聞いてませんのに。私が知らなくて弟が知ってるって、おかしくありません?」 「まぁ、確かに......。それで君は、朝斐さんが大月さんと付き合ってることがショックだった、ってこと?」 「そうなんです......」 あれぇ?なんか段々蓮見の機嫌が悪くなってる。なんで?なにか気に障るようなこと言った? 「ふぅん......君、朝斐さんが好きなの?」 凄い低い声で蓮見は言った。 私は蓮見が低い声で言ったことよりもその内容に気をとられた。 「まさか!私はあの方が苦手なんです。弟を私から取り上げるので。あ、私が朝斐さんのこと好きだからショックを受けたと思いました?それならその懸念は杞憂です。あの人は私の好みから外れてますので」 「ふぅん。君の好みのタイプって?」 「そうですね......顔は整っている方がいいです。あと、すらりとしてるけど、ちゃんと筋肉がついている方が好きですわ」 はっ。なんか話の筋から外れてないか? なに話を脱線させてるんだ、蓮見め! 「私の好みはともかく!親友が、恋人ができたのに報告してくれないってどう思います?」 「蓮見様で言うなら東條様に恋人ができたのに報告してくれなかったら、悲しくありませんか?」 「......そうだな。寂しい気はする」 「そうですよね!?よかった。蓮見様なら私の気持ちわかってくれると思っていましたわ!」 あれ。機嫌が直ってる?蓮見の機嫌が悪くなるスイッチがわからない。 「......正直、少し羨ましいですわ、菜緒が。朝斐さんはあれで頼りになる人ですし。菜緒に朝斐さんのことを問い詰めた時、照れくさそうにしながらも、菜緒、とても幸せそうでした」 「問い詰めたんだ......」 蓮見のツッコミは聞こえなかったことにする。私、なにも聞こえてません。本当デスヨ? 「幸せそうな菜緒を祝福する気持ちは本当ですけれど、少しだけ、妬んでしまったんです......私、親友として失格ですわ」 「......そんなことないんじゃないの。君は聖人ってわけでも賢者でもないんだし、誰かを妬むというのは人間として普通のことだと思う」 「そうでしょうか......」 「そうだよ。君の気持ちはわかるつもりだ。俺も少し前まで、昴を妬んでいたから」 「蓮見様......」 蓮見は手に持ったコップを見つめていた。 ゆらゆらと揺れるお茶に蓮見の顔が映っている。 「そのうち心から祝福できるよ。妬む理由がなくなればね」 「妬む理由......?」 「そう。君は、親友に恋人ができて、それが羨ましいんだろ?じゃあ、君も恋人を作ればいいんじゃない」 「は......?作ろうと思ってできるものじゃないでしょう?」 「......それじゃあ、俺となってみる?」 「はい?」 蓮見の方を見ると思いがけず近い距離に蓮見の整った顔があった。 ち、近い!近いよ!私、男の人の免疫ないんだって!こんな近い距離で男の人の顔を見たことあるの、父と弟と幼馴染みと朝斐さんくらいしかないし!後半2人に関しては子供の頃だけだし! 私の心臓がバクバクと音を立てる。 「あ、あの......蓮見様......?」 「俺と、恋人になってみようか?」 蓮見の顔が鼻に触れそうな距離まで近づく。私は動揺して固まっていた。 え、なにこの状況。漫画じゃこんな展開なかったのに......! ああ、でもそうか。私が全力で王子を避け続けてるから、話自体が変わってきてる。漫画の 固まっている私を見て、蓮見はクスッと笑った。 は? 「冗談だよ。本気にした?」 「~~~......っ!!蓮見様!!」 悔しくて私は顔を真っ赤にして蓮見を睨みつけた。 やっていいことと悪いことがあるってこいつは知っているんだろうか?ああ、もう、私に心労かけさせないでほしい。 そんな私を蓮見は一瞬困ったように見たが、すぐに意地の悪い笑顔を浮かべた。 「あぁ、そうそう。俺も生徒会入ることになってるから」 そう言うと蓮見は立ち去った。 よろしくされたくないわ!!もう、なんなのあいつ! 私も立ち上がろうとしたが、足腰にまったく力が入らない。 え、なにこれ。まさか、腰抜けた!? 蓮見のせいだ。蓮見が、あんなことをするから......! 無性に甘い物が食べたくなった私は蓮見に貰ったティラミスを食べた。 ティラミスは、悔しいくらい美味しかった。

27 I want to eat tiramisu. I emailed this to Hasumi and after a few days, he promised to make me tiramisu. We met in an unpopular and inconspicuous courtyard during break. "Here, this." "Thank you very much, Hasumi-sama." The small box that Hasumi handed over to me was cold to the touch. Looks like it's a cooler that maintained the sweet cold till now. When I asked him about it, he said he had borrowed it from the cafeteria. Looks like the person at the cafeteria was corrupted by him. Hasumi's skills are scary. "Then, with this, I'm off." "Please wait." I firmly seized Hasumi's arm. He looked at me with a disagreeable look. ".....what?" "Please listen to my story." "Why am I obliged to listen to your story?" "Please. There's no one other than Hasumi-sama that I can talk to about this." "No way. Try someone else." With no hesitation, he shook me off. But even so, without being discouraged, I took out what I had in reserve. "Is that so......even though I was able to get my hands on the new pudding from Tsubaki's store......I planned to give this to Hasumi-sama for listening to me, but.......since you won't listen to me, then there's nothing to do......I shall eat it." The Tsubaki store, is the name of the store my favourite pudding comes from, also the one I told Hasumi about. How about now! You will listen to me, right? "Wait." I, who was about to leave, was stopped by him, as I expected. I resisted my urge to grin and looked over my shoulder. Hasumi was in an extremely distressed state. Even so, he took the pudding. Just as I predicted. "......I'll listen to what you have to say." "Thank you very much, Hasumi-sama. I also have tea. Would you like some?" "I'll accept it" I sat on a bench near Hasumi. And pa.s.sed him the pudding I brought. And let the things in the cooler that I borrowed cool off. "It's the latest work of the Tsubaki store, matcha pudding." "Matcha pudding....." Hasumi accepted the pudding and took a mouthful. And it looked like it was really to his tastes. His face had a broad grin. "Well then? To even prepare such a thing in advance, what is the thing you want me to hear?" I answered while pa.s.sing him tea, after he had finished eating the pudding. "Actually, I'll be joining the student council." Having said that, Hasumi didn't look like he was going to give much of a response. Give me a bit of reaction...... "Well, till there is still okay. It's just that, the next term student council president, is my cousin." "Next term student council president......in other words, aah, Asahi-san, is it?" "That's right. Since childhood I never was good at handling him......well, that's fine too. Anyway, I think that making me join the student council was an excuse, as I was invited out to eat by Asahi-san." ".....the two of you alone?" "No, there was my brother too." "Huh.....?" What's up, why has your mood soured a bit? Even though, just earlier you were all happily eating the pudding. While looking at Hasumi with my head tilted, I continued to speak without concern. "At that meal, something unbelievable come to light." "An unbelievable thing?" "Yes. Asahi-san......got a girlfriend." "......and so?" "I, I was shocked.....because, that girlfriend was Nao." "Your best friend?" "Yes. I wasn't told such news. I didn't know it while my brother did, isn't such a thing strange?" "Well, certainly..... So, in other words, you were shocked by the fact that Asahi-san and Otsuki-san are dating?" "That's right......" Aree? Somehow Hasumi's mood is gradually worsening. Why? Have I said something that affected him? "Huh.....you, do you like Asahi-San?" Hasumi said in an incredibly low voice. I was more affected by the content of what he said in that low volume. "By no means! I am no good at handling that person. And he is taking my brother away from me. Ah, have you thought that I got shocked because I liked Asahi-san? If so then I'll tell you that it's a needless worry. He is not my type." "Hhm. What's your type then?" "Right.....It would be good if he has a good looking face. And then, I'd like it if he has a slender and well-proportioned body, but with still with proper muscles." Ha. Somehow the talk was derailed? Why are you derailing the conversation, d.a.m.n Hasumi! "Leaving my type of man aside! My best friend has gotten a boyfriend but hadn't told me, what do you think about this?" "In Hasumi-sama's case, if Tojo-sama got a lover and didn't tell you about it, wouldn't you feel sad?" "......yeah. I'll feel lonely." "Right!? I'm glad. I did think that if it was Hasumi-sama, you would understand my feelings!" Are. His good mood is back? I don't understand the switch for Hasumi's bad mood. "......Honestly, I'm a bit jealous of Nao. Asahi-san is a dependable person. When I asked her a question about Asahi-san, while being shy, she looked really happy." "Asked her a question......" I decided to make it as if I didn't hear Hasumi's retort. I didn't hear anything. It's the truth too, you know? "My feelings of wanting to bless the happy looking Nao were real but, I felt a bit jealous too......I, failed as her best friend." ".......isn't that not true. You are neither a saint nor a sage, I think that anyone in the world would feel jealous." "Is that so......" "Yeah. I do understand your feelings. Since just some time ago, I was jealous of Subaru." "Hasumi-sama....." Hasumi stared at the gla.s.s in his hand. His face reflected in the slowly swaying tea. "I can bless them sincerely, you know. That is, if the reason for my jealousy disappeared." "The reason of your jealousy......?" "Yeah. You are jealous because your best friend got a boyfriend, right? Then, isn't it fine if you get a lover too." "Wa......? That's not something you get by just wanting it, right? ".......then, why don't you try with me?" "Excuse me?" I was looking at Hasumi's good looking face at an unthinkable close distance. C-close! You're too close! I don't have immunity toward men! Apart from my father, brother, childhood friend and Asahi-san I never saw a man's face at such a close distance! Moreover the last two were only at the time we were children! My heart was beating fast. "E-ehm.....Hasumi-sama......?" "Shall I try being your lover?" Hasumi approached me at a distance were our noses almost touched. Agitated I stiffened. Eh, what's with this situation. There was no such development in the manga.....! Ah, but that's right. I've been avoiding the prince with all my power, so the story has changed. I might started to separate from the story of the manga Hasumi chuckled seeing the stiffened me. Wha? "I'm kidding. You thought I was serious?" "~~~......h!! HASUMI-SAMA!!" Vexed, my face turned bright red and I glared at him. Does this fellow know that there are good and bad things you shouldn't do? Aah, mou, I wish he wouldn't give me a stroke. Hasumi looked at such a me with a troubled look for a moment; however, he immediately replaced it with a teasing smile. "Aah, right. I'll join the student council too." Having said that, Hasumi left. I don't want to get along!! Mou, what's with that fellow! I tried to stand up and leave too, but my legs had no strength in them. Eh, what's this. Don't tell me my legs went weak!? It's his fault. It's because he did such a thing..... ! I, who suddenly really wanted to eat sweets, ate the tiramisu Hasumi gave me. The tiramisu was delicious to a frustrating level.

44 バスが目的地に到着し、私と蓮見は入り口に一緒に向かう。 入り口には、王子が一足早く来ていて、私たちを見つけると笑顔で手を振ってきた。 私はひきつり笑いで会釈をし、蓮見に至ってはノーリアクションだ。 それもそうだ。 王子の周りは女の子で溢れている。 「東條様ぁ、私たちと一緒に回りましょうよぉ」 「私たちと一緒に回りましょう~」 「えぇ~!」 近づきたくな......近寄りがたい雰囲気である。 ここで私が近づいて王子と一緒に回ると知られたらすごい目で睨まれそうだ。 王子のファンこわい。 私は思わず蓮見の背後に隠れた。 「......なにしてんの」 「東條様のファンの方がこわくて......」 「あぁ......気持ちはわかる」 蓮見は同情してくれたようで、私が背後にいても何も言わなくなった。 王子はファンをなんとか宥めてこちらへやって来る。 ひぃ~!ファンの人たち睨んでるよぉ!! 「あれ。神楽木さん、そんなところに隠れてどうしたの?」 「......なんでもありませんわ」 察してくれ。 あなたのファンがこわいんですって。私に話しかけないで睨まれるから! 私が王子ファンの視線に怯えていると、美咲様が小走りでやって来た。 美咲様がやって来るとファンの睨みも緩む。さすが美咲様。王子のファンにも認められていらっしゃる。 「しょうがないですわ。美咲さんの乗ってらしたバスが一番出発点するのが遅かったのですから」 「そうだよ、美咲。美咲のせいじゃない」 私と王子がすかさず美咲様をフォローする。 蓮見も気にするなと言うように、美咲様の肩を軽く叩く。 そんな私たちに美咲様も安堵の笑みを浮かべた。 そして、豪華メンバーによる遠足が始まった。 「まずは、スポーツ施設に行こう」 王子は爽やかに笑って言った。 蓮見の言った通りだ。さすが幼馴染み。よくわかってる。 私が抵抗する間もなく私たちはスポーツ施設に入った。 よし、もう諦めよう。諦めて見学しよう。 スポーツ施設内では、いろんなスポーツが楽しめるらしい。 テニス、バドミントン、アーチェリー、バスケなどなど、かなりの数のスポーツ名が書かれている。 王子は蓮見を見た。 「バスケね......たまには、いいか」 「よし、決まりだね!美咲と神楽木さんはどうする?」 「私は見学させて頂きますわ」 「凛花さんが見学するなら、私も見学するわ」 「わかった。じゃあ、行こうか、奏祐」 王子が蓮見を連れてバスケのスペースに入っていく。今はちょうど誰も使っていないようだ。 私と美咲様は隅の方で見学をすることにした。 「負けないからね、奏祐」 「ああ、もちろん」 2人はじゃんけんをし、どうやら王子が勝ったようだ。 ますば王子がオフェンスをやるみたいだ。 ゲームを始める前に2人はブレザーを脱ぎ、私たちに預けていく。 そしてコートの中心に立ち、2人は向き合った。 王子がダムダムとドリブルをしだす。 そして、一瞬だった。王子は一瞬で蓮見を抜き、綺麗なレイアップシュートを決めた。 さすがの蓮見もそれには驚いた顔をした。 「まずは2点。奏祐、10点先取だからね?」 「......わかってる。次は俺の番」 今度は蓮見がオフェンスのようだ。 蓮見はドリブルをし、足下を確認すると、その場でシュートを放つ。 「な......!?」 今度は王子が驚く番だった。 蓮見は初っぱなからスリーポイントシュートをしたのだ。 そしてボールはきれいにゴールをくぐる。 「これで3点だ」 「......さすが奏祐。おもしろいじゃないか......!」 そして2人の高レベルな試合が繰り広げられる。 すごいなあ、よく、あんなに動けるな。 私が感心して2人を見ていると、いつの間にか隣にいた美咲様の姿が消えていた。 あ、あれ?美咲様どこ? 私がきょろきょろと回りを見ると、ボールなどが置いてある倉庫から美咲様が笑顔で手を振っていた。 なぜそんなところに。 私も美咲様のところへ移動する。 美咲様は笑顔で手に持っているものを私に見せて「これ、やらない?」と可愛らしく言うので、私はにっこり笑顔で「やります」と答えた。 王子と蓮見の試合が終わった。 結果は僅差で王子が勝ったらしい。2人とも額に汗を浮かべながら私たちのところへやって来た。 「ああ。ギリギリで勝ててよかったよ」 「あとちょっとで勝てたんだけどな......」 「ふふ。いい勝負だったわ」 「本当に。とても素晴らしい試合でしたわ!」 私は笑顔で2人を讃える。 2人は私の方を見て、なにか言おうとして、固まった。 「か、神楽木さん......?」 「君、なにしてるの......?」 「フラフープをしているだけですが?」 「あ、うん......それはわかるんだけど、なんでフラフープをしているわけ?」 「ちょっと体を動かしたくなりまして」 さきほど美咲様に勧められたものは、フラフープだったのだ。なんでこんなところにあるのかは謎だが。 私は運動はできないが、フラフープは得意なのだ。 今は3つ同時に回している。 5つもできそうだな......でもやめておこう。 王子と蓮見の視線が痛い。 「本当に神楽木さんって面白いね......」 なんだか呆れたような響きがある気がするけど、気のせいですよね?

44 When the bus arrived at the destination, Hasumi and I went to the gate. At the gate was the prince who had arrived a little earlier; when he saw us, he waved his hand and smiled. My face cramped a smile and I nodded, while Hasumi had no reaction. Well that's understandable. The area surrounding the prince was overflowing with girls. "Tojo-samaa, come on let's go around togethe~er." "Come with us to visit around~." "Eeh~!" I don't want to approach......the more I go near, the more the atmosphere is difficult. If I were to draw near now and let people know that we'd go around together, I'd be glared at terribly. The prince's fans were scary. Without thinking, I hid behind Hasumi's back. "......the heck are you doing." "I'm too scared of Tojo-sama's fans......" "Aah......I understand your feelings." It seemed like Hasumi sympathized with me, as he didn't say any more, even when I hid behind him. The prince somehow soothed his fans and came toward us. Hiii~! The fans are glaring at mee!! "Are. Kaguragi-san, why are you hiding in such a place?" ".......it's nothing." Take a guess please. Your fans are being scary. Don't talk to me or they will hate me! As I was being frightened by the prince's fans, Miku-sama trotted over. When Miku came the fans' glares loosened. As expected of Miku-sama. Even the prince's fans recognized her. "It can't be helped. Miku-san's bus was the last one to depart; so, it's only natural that you arrived late." "That's right, Miku. It's not your fault." The prince and I followed her without a moments delay. Hasumi too said, 'don't mind it' and lightly patted her shoulder. At such, Miku-sama smiled back. And so, the outing with the splendid members began. "First, let's go to the sports' facility." The prince said with a refres.h.i.+ng smile. It's like Hasumi said. As expected of a childhood friend. You really understand him. Without having the time to protest, we entered the sports' facility. Fine, I'll give up now. I'll give that up and start my field observation instead. It seems like you can enjoy various sports here. Tennis, badminton, archery, baseball, and more; a considerable number of sports names are written here. The prince looked at Hasumi. "basketball, mh......occasionally, it's good." "Okay, then it's settled! What will Miku and Kaguragi-san do?" "I'll spectate." "If Rinksan is going to watch then I'll do so too." "I understand. Then, let's go, Sousuke." The prince dragged Hasumi to the basketball camp. It seemed like no one was using it right now. Miku-sama and I decided to sit in the corner to watch. "I won't lose, Sousuke." "Yeah, of course." The two played rock, paper, scissors, and it seemed like it's the prince win. And it looked like the prince will attack first. Before the start of the game, they took off their blazers and gave it to us. And now, standing at the centre of the camp, they faced each other. The prince dribbled producing a *damdam* sound. And then, it was just in an instant. The prince surpa.s.sed Hasumi in a moment and did a lay-up shot. And that surprised Hasumi too. "First 2 point. Sousuke, shall we do a 10 point game?" ".....fine. Next is my turn." This time is Hasumi's time to be on the offense. Hasumi dribbled, and then after checking his feet, he shot on the spot "N.......!?" This time it was the prince's turn to be surprised. Hasumi aimed to shoot a three pointer at the very beginning. The ball made a beautiful arc, arriving at the basket. "With this it's 3 points." "......as expected of Sousuke. Isn't this turning interesting.....!" And so their high level match unfolded. Incredible, I'm impressed that they can move like that. While I was watching these two in admiration, before I noticed it, Miku-sama, who was seated next to me, disappeared. are? Where did Miku-sama go? When I looked around me restless, I saw Miku-sama at the storehouse where the b.a.l.l.s were placed, waving at me. Why are you in such a place? I went to where Miku-sama was. Miku-sama, smiling, showed me what she had in her hands and said, "do you want to play this?" In a really cute manner, so I replied, "Yes." with a smile. The prince and Hasumi's match was over. The result: the prince had won by a narrow margin. The two of them, who were sweating, looked to be from out of a picture, and came to us. "Ah. I'm glad I managed to win." "With just a bit, I would have won......" "Fufu. It was a good match." "Truly. It was a really great match!" I praised the two and smiled. When those two looked at me, they stiffened as if they wanted to say something. "Kkaguragi-san.....?" "You, what are you doing......?" "I'm only doing hula hoop though?" "Ah, yeah.....I can see that but, the question is: why are you doing hula hoop?" "I felt like moving my body a bit." What was recommended by Miku-sama earlier was Hula hooping. Why such a thing was here is a mystery though. I suck at sports, but hula hoop is my speciality. I'm rotating 3 at the same time right now. I feel like I'd be able to do it with 5 as well......but I'll refrain. The prince and Hasumi's eyes hurts. "Kaguragi-san is truly interesting ne......" Somehow, I felt like it reverberated in a shocked manner; but, it must be my imagination, right?

49 失敗した。完全に失敗した。 なんで失敗したのかよくわからないが、とにかく失敗した。 なんで結局蓮見の気持ちを再確認することになったの。まさか、蓮見が引いてくれないとは思わなかった。 私は頭を抱えて、ベットの上を転がる。 どうしよう。どうしたらいいんだろう。 なにも問題解決してない。 こうなったら。 「よし。寝よう」 逃げないという決意をどこか遠くに投げ捨てた私は夢の世界に逃げたのだった。 朝、目が覚めてたら問題がすべて解決していた――― なんてことはもちろんなく。 私は憂鬱な気持ちで登校した。 できれば蓮見の顔を見ずに過ごしたいが、同じクラスなのでそれも叶わない。 体育の授業だけは男女別なので、蓮見の姿を見ずに済む、と思ったのに、体育の授業は自習になり、私はお友逹に付き合って、男子の体育を見学することになった。 体育は隣のクラスと共同で、隣のクラスには王子がいる。 男子はサッカーをやっているようで、今、ちょうど蓮見のチームと王子のチームが試合をしていた。 互角の争いをしているようで、たいへん盛り上がっている。 お友達が「蓮見様、すてき」とか「東條様かっこいい」と言っているのに適当な相槌をうちつつ、私は試合の様子をぼんやりと眺めていた。 気づけば私は蓮見を目で追っていた。 いつも無表情なのに、やっぱり蓮見も男の子だったのか、とても真剣ないきいきとした表情をしてサッカーをしている。 試合が終わり、チームメイトとなにか話していた蓮見がふいにこちらを向き、私と目が合った。 私は慌てて視線をそらすと、蓮見も何事もなかったかのようにチームメイトと話し出す。 私はそれに安堵の息を吐く。 ふいに隣から黄色い悲鳴があがり、私はそちらを向いた。 向いた先には王子が汗を拭きながら、笑顔でこちらに近づいてきた。 誰に用事だろう?私はキョロキョロと辺りを見渡すが、王子と親しくしているような人物は見当たらない。 もしかして、王子が用があるのって、私? 嫌な予感は当たるもので、王子は私の前に立った。 「神楽木さん、ちょっといいかな?」 よくないです。お帰りください。 そう思ったが、言えるはずもなく、私は渋々頷く。 王子にこっちに来てと言われてついていく時、あちらこちらから鋭い視線を感じた。 うう、視線が、痛い......。 私は人気のないところまで王子に連れられて来た。 王子は私に振り返り「美咲と話したよ」と言った。 ああ、あのことの報告か。 報連相は大事なことだけど、別に報告なんてしてくれなくても良かったのに。 「美咲に怒られたよ。『私の幸せを勝手に決めつけないで』ってね。君に言われた通りだった」 「そうですか」 「僕は美咲を大切に思ってる。でも美咲を大切に想う僕のこの気持ちは、妹に対して思う気持ちと似ていると思うんだ。一晩考えて、そう結論ついた」 「......そう、なのですか」 「それも美咲に言った。そしたら、知っていたって笑ってた。美咲には、僕の気持ちがお見通しだったみたいなんだ」 恥ずかしいけどね、と王子は苦笑した。 私も美咲様らしいと思って、つい、頬が緩む。 「美咲に言われたんだ。『私は絶対昴を振り向かせてみせるから、覚悟してなさい』って。僕の幼馴染みは僕より男前だったよ......」 「まぁ。美咲さんが?」 王子は情けない表情をして言った。 なんて男前!素敵。さすが美咲様である。 「ねえ、僕が、観覧車で言ったこと、覚えてる?」 「観覧車で言ったこと......?」 なんだろう。色々話をし過ぎてどれのことか、さっぱりわからない。 「わりと君に本気で惚れているって言ったこと」 「あぁ、アレですか......」 うっかり忘れてました。すみません。 そのあとの話の方が私にとってはインパクトが強かったのだ。 「あの日、一晩じっくり自分の気持ちと向き合ってみて、やっぱり同じ結論に至った」 あ、なんか、話の流れがまずい。 そういう空気を感じ取った私は急いでなにか言って王子の話の続きを遮ろうとするが、こういう時に限ってなにも思い浮かばない。 「やっぱり僕は君に惹かれてるみたいなんだ。君が僕のこと、苦手だと感じていることはなんとなくわかってる。だけど、僕にチャンスをほしい」 「チャンス......?」 「卒業するまでに君を振り向かせられなかったら、僕は君を諦める。でも、もし君が僕に好意を持ってくれたなら、僕と付き合ってほしいんだ」 「......美咲さんは?美咲さんは、どうされるのですか?」 「美咲も、了承済みだよ。卒業まで、というのは、美咲との約束の期間でもある。僕と美咲には婚約の話があるけど、美咲が僕を振り向かせられなかったらその話はなかったことにする。そうやって、美咲から言ってきたんだ。だから、僕も美咲と同じ期間で君を振り向かせる。これはね、僕と美咲の、初めての勝負なんだよ」 王子はイタズラを仕掛けた子どものような笑みを浮かべた。 これは、美咲様と王子の勝負。 なら、私が口を挟むべきではない。 「......わかりました。ですが、私は全力で美咲さんを応援しますわ。それでもよろしいですか?」 「もちろん。むしろ、燃えるね」 王子は挑戦的に笑う。 「ちょっと奏祐に先を越されちゃったけど、これで僕も同じ土俵だ」 「......ちょっと待ってください。なぜ、東條様が蓮見様の気持ちをご存じなのですか?」 ていうか、告白したことも知ってる風だよね? 私、まだ誰にも言ってないよ?なんで王子が知ってるの? 「......?見てればわかるでしょ?」 な、なんだと......!? 見ててもわかんなかった私はやっぱり鈍感なのか! よし、決めた。私の当面の目標は『脱・鈍感』だ。 目を見開いて固まった私を王子は面白そうに見る。 「神楽木さんって、やっぱり面白いね」 面白いって言われても、嬉しくありませんからね? しかしどうやら、私はますます これが漫画の力なのか? いや、まだ負けない。誰にも惚れるものか! 漫画の通りになんか、なってあげないのだ。

49 It was a failure. A total failure. I don't really understand what I failed; but at any rate, it was a failure. Why did I end up re-confirming Hasumi's feelings? I didn't think that Hasumi wouldn't listen to me. I held my head and rolled in my bed. What to do... what would be okay to do? I didn't solve a single problem. If it comes to this. "Fine. Let's sleep." I threw the decision of not running away somewhere far away and escaped to the world of dreams. When I woke up in the morning, every problem was settled------ Of course such a thing didn't happen. I went to school feeling depressed. If possible, I would like to pa.s.s the day without seeing Hasumi, but since we are in the same cla.s.s, this would never come true. Only in the PE cla.s.s would boys and girls will be separated, and so I thought that I would finally be able to not see Hasumi; but, it turned out that we would do self-study in PE. And, as I was with my friends, we went to look at the guys in PE cla.s.s. PE cla.s.ses were done together with the cla.s.s near us, and in that cla.s.s there's the prince. It appeared like the boys were playing football, and right now Hasumi and the prince's team were have a match together. It seemed like they were having an equal match and getting really excited. While my friends said things like, "Hasumi-sama is wonderful," or, "Tojo-sama is so cool," I looked at the match absentmindedly. Without realizing it, my eyes chased after Hasumi. As one would expect, Hasumi is a guy too? Because his usual expressionless face was now lively while playing soccer; somehow he looks like he is having fun when competing with the prince. After the match ended, Hasumi spoke with a teammate about something and suddenly looked this way, and met my eyes. I averted my eyes in a hurry, and Hasumi, as if nothing happened, turned to speak to his teammate again. At that I breathed out in relief. Suddenly, a high-pitched shriek rose and I turned my face towards it. There was the prince, who, while wiping his sweat, approached with a smile. He has business with someone right? I restlessly looked around me; but I couldn't find a person who the prince was close with. Don't tell me... the person that the prince had business with... is me? My bad presentiment proved to be true, because the prince stopped in front of me. "Kaguragi-san, is it a good moment right now?" It isn't. Please go back. I thought, but I couldn't say it and reluctantly nodded. When I was told to follow him, I felt sharp gazes here and there. Wuuu, those eyes, it hurts...... I was taken to an inconspicuous place. The prince turned his head to me and said: "I talked with Miku." Aah, you wanted to report that? Reporting is important; but, it would have been fine even if you didn't report it to me though. "Miku got angry. And said, {Don't decide my happiness at your own convenience} . Exactly as you said." "I see." "I think that Miku is important to me. But this feeling of mine seems more like that of a little sister. After thinking overnight, I reached this conclusion." "......is- is that so..." "And I told so to Miku too. And then she laughed as if she knew. It seemed like Miku expected it." It was embarra.s.sing though, said the prince while smiling wryly. I, too, thought that it's just like Miku-sama, and my cheeks unintentionally loosened. "Miku said to me. {I will make Subaru turn to look at me no matter what, so prepare yourself} . My childhood friend is more manly than me....." "My. Miku-san?" Said the prince with a miserable expression. Such manliness! Lovely. As expected of Miku-sama. "Hey, do you remember what I said in the ferris wheel?" "What you said in the ferris wheel........?" I wonder about what. Too many conversations have pa.s.sed and I had no idea. "That I fell for you relatively seriously." "Aah, about that....." I inadvertently forgot. I'm sorry. The impact of the conversation after that got on me stronger. "That day, I thought about it overnight and, as I expected, I arrived at the same decision." Ah, somehow, the flow of the conversation feels dangerous. Feeling such an atmosphere, I thought that I should say something quickly to interrupt what the prince wanted to say; but, at times like this where I have a short time limit, I can't think of anything. "I think I am attracted to you. I somehow understood that you don't feel comfortable towards me. Even so, I want you to give me a chance." "A chance.....?" "If I am unable to make you fall for me by graduation, then I will give up. But if you, by chance, like me... I want you to go out with me." "......what about Miku-san? What do you intend to do about Miku-san?" "Miku acknowledged this too, you know? The thing about 'by graduation,' was the period I promised Miku. There's the thing about our engagement too, but we'll annul it if she doesn't manage to make me fall for her. Is what Miku said. That's why... I want to make you turn to look at me in that same period of time. You know, this is Miku and I's first compet.i.tion." The prince made a teasing smile, as if he was a child that got challenged. This is a match between Miku-sama and the prince. Then, I shouldn't interfere. "......I understand. However, I'll be cheering for Miku-san with everything I have. Are you okay with that? "Of course. Rather, this fires me up." The prince laughed in defiance. "I went a bit later than Sousuke, but now we are in the same arena." "......wait. Why is Tojo-sama aware of Hasumi-sama's feelings?" More than that, he knows of the confession, right? I still didn't tell anyone though? Why does the prince know? ".......? You'd understand by just looking though? W-what.......! I, who didn't understand it by just looking, am a dense person after all! Okay, I have decided. My current objective is:{to exit from denseness} . The prince looked interested at I who stiffened with my eyes wide open. "Kaguragi-san is interesting as I thought." I am not happy even if you say that I am interesting, you know? However, it seemed like I am steadily advancing on the same path as Rinka [heroine]. Is this the force of the manga? No, I still haven't lost. As if I'd fall for anyone! I won't let things go the same way as the manga.

22 私はよくわからない敗北感を味わいつつ、お菓子をポリポリ食べ進める。 お茶が無くなればすぐに淹れてくれ、お菓子を食べたいなと視線を向ければなにも言わなくてもお菓子を取ってくれる。 なに、この致れり尽くせりな状況。 しかも尽くしてくれるのがメイドな美咲様と執事な蓮見ってなんてVIP待遇なんでしょう。VIP過ぎてこわい。 私と弟が、美咲様たちとのおしゃべりを楽しみつつお菓子を食べていると、あっという間に時間が過ぎていって、お菓子はとうとう空になった。 お菓子、とても美味しかった。ぜひまた食べたい。 頼めば作って貰えるだろうか、とチラッチラッと蓮見を見ていたら目が合った。 目で「またお菓子を作ってください」と訴えてみるが、残念ながら伝わっていないようだ。なに見てんだという目で見られてしまった。ちぇっ。 そしてその日はお開きになった。 メイドの格好と執事の格好をしたまま、美咲様たちは見送りをしてくれた。 いいんだろうか、その格好で外に出ても。 「今日はびっくりしたね、悠斗」 「あ、あぁ......なんか、すごい濃い1日だった」 「ふふっ、そうね。でも、楽しかったわ」 「......そうだね、姉さん」 明日からまた受験勉強頑張らなきゃ、と言う弟の頭を私は撫でた。 そうしたら、やめろ、と本気で嫌がられて凹んだ。 いいじゃないか、頭くらい撫でても。 それから、私は平和な日々を過ごした。 王子に 期末試験があった。私は目立ちたくないと思いながらもテストに手を抜くことができず、結果は1つ順位を下げ、3位になった。 1位は変わらず蓮見で、2位が王子だ。 そして4位には飛鳥の名前があった。うん、さすが未来の生徒会長だ。 期末試験が終われば夏休みに入る。 待ってました、夏休み! 夏休み、なにをしようかな、と計画を頭の中で立てていると携帯が鳴った。 メールだ。誰からだろう。 送り主の名前を見て、そしてメールを読んだところで、私の夏休みの最初の予定が決まった。 私は返信を返し、すぐに出掛ける準備をして、家を出た。 目指すのは最寄り駅だ。 私は目当ての人物をキョロキョロと探す。 改札口で目当ての人物を発見した私はその人物に向かって手を振る。 相手も私に気付いたようで、一瞬目を見開くと、駆け足で私の方に近づいてきた。 「凛花!」 私たちは抱き合う。 そして互いに顔を見合わせて笑い合った。 「凛花、久し振り!わざわざ来てくれたの?」 「うん、久し振り。ちょうどなにしようか計画を立ててたとこだったの。菜緒が帰ってくるって聞いたらいても立ってもいられなくて来ちゃった」 「さすが、凛花だわ。この行動派!」 「いたい、痛いって」 つんつんと私の頬を突いてくる菜緒に私は苦笑した。 彼女は、私の幼馴染みで親友の 中学までは同じ学校だったのだが、彼女は看護師にたなりたいと、高校からは看護科のある全寮制の学校に入ったのだ。 GWの時は彼女は帰って来なかったので、会うのは実に4ヶ月ぶりである。 「元気だった?学校はどう?大変?」 「元気、元気。学校は楽しいよ、楽しすぎてGW帰ってくるの忘れちゃった」 「なら、良かった」 「私より、凛花の方は?どうなの、学校は?」 「それを菜緒に聞いて貰いたくて会いに来たの!ねえ、聞いてよ菜緒~」 「はいはい、聞くから。先に荷物置きに帰らせてね」 「うん。あ、荷物持つよ」 「お嬢様に荷物持たせられません。非力なんだから、無理しないの」 「はい、すみません......」 菜緒はお姉さん気質だ。ひとりっ子だけど、お姉さん気質だ。大らかでしっかり者な菜緒は私の姉貴分と言っても過言ではない。 だから私はついつい菜緒に甘えてしまう。 菜緒はうちの近くのマンションに暮らしている。 菜緒の家は一般家庭だが、菜緒のお母様とうちの母が大の仲良しで、ちょうど同じくらいに妊娠した母たちが、生まれてくる子が男の子と女の子だったら将来結婚させましょうね、なんて言っちゃうくらいに仲が良い。 そんな母たちの影響もあって、私たちは家族ぐるみのお付き合いをしている。 私は菜緒の家にお邪魔した。 菜緒のお母様が「いらっしゃい、凛花ちゃん」とにこにこと出迎えてくれた。 菜緒が寮に移って以来、寂しそうだった菜緒のお母様も菜緒が帰ってきて嬉しいみたいだ。いつにも増してにこにこしている。 そんな菜緒のお母様の様子に私までにこにこしてしまう。 私たちは菜緒の部屋に入った。 私は菜緒が荷物を部屋の隅に置いて、荷物を片付けているのをぼんやり見つめていると、菜緒のお母様がお茶とお菓子を持ってきてくれた。 私はお礼を言って荷物を片付けている菜緒の変わりに受け取った。 それからちょっとして荷物の片付けが一通り終わったらしい菜緒が、改めて自分の部屋を見て、やっぱり我が家はいいわ、と呟いた。 そして菜緒のお母様が持ってきてくれたお茶を飲む。 「それで?学校はどうなの、凛花?」 「うん、実は......」 私は入学式から今までに起こったことを菜緒に話す。 菜緒は私に前世の記憶があることを知っている。そしてこの世界が私が前世で読んだ少女漫画の世界に似ていることも。 最初はやっぱり信じてくれなかったが、何回も何回も説明して、セカコイの登場人物が実際に存在していることを知って、やっと信じてくれた。菜緒は .........自分で言って悲しくなった。 「ふーん......なるほどね......」 「大変だったのよ......!」 「そう言ってるわりには楽しそうだけどね?」 「そう......?」 「うん。で、凛花は蓮見が好きなの?」 ぶはっと私は飲みかけのお茶を吹きだしそうになった。 最近お茶を吹き出しそうになることが多い気がするのは、気のせいじゃないはず。 むせる私に菜緒が「ちょっと大丈夫?」と言って背中を擦ってくれた。 「なんでそうなるの!?」 復活した私が菜緒に食って掛かる。 「いや、話を聞いてなんとなく?」 「なんとなくって......私は蓮見様のことなんても思って............」 ないことは、ない。 実は私は蓮見にまたお菓子を作ってもらいたいと思っている。できれば今度はケーキを。 私のパティシエになってほしいのだ。蓮見のお菓子は私の好みの味なのだ。 「いや、私のパティシエになってくれないかな、とは思っているけど、恋愛感情は一切ないわ」 私と蓮見の関係は顔見知り以上友達未満です。 「そう?まぁ、凛花がそう言うならそうなんだろうけど......私も会ってみたいな」 「誰に?」 「その蓮見っていう人と美咲様に。あ、あとできれば王子?にも会いたいかな」 「東條様、ね。蓮見様はどうかわからないけど......美咲様なら会ってくれると思うわ。東條様に関しては難しいと思う」 「じゃあ、その美咲様にまず合わせてよ。女子会しましょ?」 「女子会......!すてき。早速美咲様に連絡してみるね!」 美咲様にメールをすると、2つ返事で返ってきた。 こうして、急遽、真夏の女子会が開催されることになった。 女子会、楽しみだなあ。

22 While I was tasting a sense of defeat that I couldn't comprehend, I continued to eat pastries. As soon as my tea finished, it was replenished and when my eyes moved towards a pastry that I wanted to eat, that will be given to me without needing me to say it. What's with this situation, where I am being served? Moreover, the ones that are serving me are a maid Miku-sama and a butler Hasumi, what a VIP treatment, right? It's so VIP that it's scary. While my brother and I were talking to them and eating sweets, time pa.s.sed in the blink of an eye and the pastries were finally finished. The sweets were truly delicious. I'd like to eat them again. I wonder if he'll make them if I asked So, when I repeatedly glanced at him, our eyes met. I tried to appeal to him with eyes that said, 'please make sweets again,' but unfortunately, it seems like it didn't reach him. And I was glared with eyes that were saying, 'what are you looking at.' Tch. And that day came to a close. With the outfit of a maid and a butler, they saw us off. Are you really okay, going out like that? "Today was really a surprise, don't you think so, Yuto?" "Ah, yes....somehow, it turned out to be a terribly intense day." "Fufu, you are right. But it was fun." "......yes, neesan." "Tomorrow, I must also do my best studying for the entrance exam," said my little brother as I caressed his head. And when I did that, I was denied with a, "stop it," he seriously looks to hate it. Isn't it fine? Let me at least stroke your head. From then on, I had peaceful days. Without encountering the prince, nor turmoils, too. I had my final exams. While thinking that I didn't want to stand out, I still couldn't make my hand slip, even when I wanted to, and as a result, I dropped by 1 rank, becoming 3rd. Hasumi was 1st, same as last time, while in 2nd place was the prince. And in 4th place was Asuka's name. Un, as expected from the future student council president. Once the final exam was over, there was summer break. I was waiting for you, summer vacation! What shall I do, I wonder... so, when I was sorting my plans in my head my phone rang. An email? I wonder who from? After looking at the sender's name and reading the mail, I decided on my first plan for summer break. I replied, and immediately prepared to go out, then left home. Aiming for the nearest station. I restlessly looked around for the person I was searching for. Detecting that person at the ticket gate point, I faced her and waved with my hand. The other party seemed to have noticed me, as she widened her eyes for an instant, and approached me by running. "Rinka!" We hugged each other. And then laughed while looking at one another. "Rinka, long time no see! Did you specially come here?" "Un, it's been a while. I was just thinking about what to do. When I found out that Nao would return home, I couldn't stand still and came." "As expected of Rinka. So active!" "It hurts, I'm saying it hurts." I smiled bitterly at Nao, who was aloofly pinching my cheek. She is my childhood friend, and best friend, Otsuki Nao. Until middle school, we were in the same school but then she said that she wanted to become a nurse, and entered a school with a nurse department with a dormitory system. At the golden week she didn't return so it's been like, 4 months since I last saw her. "How have you been? How was the school? Difficult?" "I've been well, I've been well. School was fun you know, so fun that I forgot to return for golden week." "Then that's good." "More than me, how are you? What about your school?" "I came here because I wanted Nao to listen to me! Nee Nao, listen here~." "Yes, yes, I'll listen. But, let me put down my luggage first." "Un. Ah, I'll carry them." "I cannot make an ojou-sama carry luggage. You are powerless, so don't overdo it." "Yes, I'm sorry......" Nao has an oneesan's temperament. She is an only child, but has an oneesan temperament. It's not an exaggeration to say that she is an oneesan, just as much as me, with her serene and firm character. That's how I end up acting spoiled with her unconsciously. Nao lives in the apartment near my house. Nao's family is a common household, but Nao's mother and mine are really close friends, they got pregnant almost at the same time and, 'if the children to be born are a boy and a girl, let's make them marry in the future,' was what they said, showing how much they got along. With the influence of such mothers, we a.s.sociated with each other as though we were family. I intruded at Nao's home. Nao's mother came to greet me with a, 'welcome Rinkchan,' while smiling. Since Nao moved to her school's dormitory, her mother had been lonely but now that Nao returned, she looks happy. She smiles more than usual. Looking at her mother's state, I ended up being all smiley too. We entered Nao's room. I put Nao's luggage in a corner, when I absentmindedly stared at her the putting her luggage in order, Nao's mother came in bringing tea and pastries. We said thanks and received it instead of Nao that was still tidying up. When it seemed like she had roughly finished sorting out things, looking at her room once again, she said, 'as expected one own house is the best.' And then drank the tea her mother brought. "So? How is school, Rinka?" "Un, in reality......" I told Nao about what happened since the entrance ceremony. Nao knows that I have the memories of my previous life. And that this world resembles the world of a shoujo manga I read. Well at the beginning, as one would expect, she didn't believe me, I explained times over and over, and now, knowing that the personage Tojo, from Sekakoi, truly existed, she finally believed me. Nao is a realist that looks at the facts. Different from a flower garden head, like me. ...........saying it myself makes me depressed. "Hmmm......I see....." "It's been hard, you know.....!" "Even so, you seem to have had fun, right?" "Really.....?" "Un. So, does Rinka like Hasumi?" Taken aback, I almost spouted the tea I was drinking. Recently, I feel like there are many times where I had almost spat out my tea, it mustn't be just an impression. "Wait are you okay?" Nao asked, while stroking the back of the choking me. "Why is that!?" Revived, I asked back. "Iya, I just, somehow felt that through the story?" "Somehow you say......that I feel that towards Hasumi-sama......." There's no such thing, of course. Actually, I would like Hasumi to make sweets again. If possible, cake this time. I want him to become my patissier. Hasumi's sweets are just to my tastes. "Iya, I wonder if he can't become my patissier, I do think this, but there is no romantic feeling attached." The relations.h.i.+p between Hasumi and I is on the level of knowing each other faces and being less than friends. "Really? Well, if Rinka says so, then it must be like this, but......I would like to meet them." "Who?" "That Hasumi person, and Miku-sama. Ah, and then the prince if possible? I would like to meet them." "Tojo-sama, ne. I don't know about Hasumi-sama but.....I think if it's Miku-sama, then it's possible. While I think it would be difficult about Tojo-sama." "Then, let me meet that Miku-sama first. Let's make a girls party?" "Girls party.....! Wonderful. I'll go contact Miku-sama now!" When I emailed Miku-sama, she replied with 2 messages. In this fas.h.i.+on, we hurriedly planned a girls party. I'm looking forward to this girls party.

20 ライバル令嬢 私には最近新しいお友逹ができた。 彼女は少し、変わっている。 嫉妬したくなるくらい美人 なのに、言動が変わっているせいでその美人さが霞んでいる。実に残念だけれど、それが彼女の魅力だと私は理解している。 彼女は私をすごく慕ってくれている。同い年なのに、時折妹のように思えて、可愛い。 彼女は私の幼馴染みである奏祐と仲が良い。 最近壁ができているような気がしていた奏祐とも、彼女のお陰で昔みたいに話すことができるようになった。彼女には本当に感謝している。 しかし、最近奏祐と2人で話す時、必ず彼女の話になるのはどういうことだろうか。 いや、わかっている。奏祐は彼女に惹かれているのだろう。わかっている。ただ、ちょっと寂しいだけで。 この気持ちは大好きな兄を取られてしまう妹の気持ちに近いと思う。同い年だけれど奏祐はしっかりしていて、そんな彼を私は兄のように思っている。 私は奏祐の気持ちを応援したい。 奏祐にそんなことを言っても否定されるのはわかっているので、私はこっそり応援をすることに決めた。 まずは彼女とデートをする機会を作る。 私は昴と映画を観に行く約束をしたあと、彼女にメールをする。 まずは昴と映画を観に行く約束をしたことを報告して、そのあと、さりげなく、遠回しに、奏祐とデートをするように伝える。 彼女はこれがデートだとはこれっぽっちも考えないのだろうが、彼女はそれでいい。奏祐が意識させればいいだけだ。 私は2人のデートが上手くいきますように、と祈った。 結果として、2人はデートらしいデートはできなかったようだ。彼女の弟君がついてきたのだ。 なんでも彼女はその時、とても大胆な格好をしていたらしい。そんな姉を弟君は心配したみたいだ。 噂通りの姉想いな弟君に私は頬が緩む。 そんな弟君の心配を彼女はまったく理解していないようで、私は弟君に少し同情した。 私は奏祐にもその日のことを聞いてみた。 すると奏祐は思い出したくないと言う。 ホラー映画を観て気分を悪くしたのが相当堪えているようだ。 普段はあまり見れない奏祐の子供っぽい姿に私は思わず笑いがこぼれる。 笑っている私を奏祐は睨む。 「笑わないでよ」 「ふふ......ごめんなさい。でも、良いこともあったんじゃなくて?」 「良いこと?」 「凛花さんに膝枕して貰ったのでしょう?災い転じて福と成す、ね?」 「......なんのことかわからないな」 奏祐は素直に認めない。その様子がとても子供っぽく感じる。 いつもは兄のようなのに、彼女が絡んだ途端、奏祐は子供っぽくなるのだ。 本当に、彼女という存在は面白い。 奏祐は、器用なようで不器用だ。 なんでもそつなくこなすのに、感情面になると不器用になる。 優しすぎるから遠慮をしてしまう。自分の気持ちを二の次にしてしまう。 奏祐が私に好意を抱いていることは、なんとなくわかっていた。でも私はそれに気付かないふりをした。 それを奏祐が望んでいると思ったから。 いや、本当は、違う。私は奏祐から逃げたのだ。 今のこの関係を壊してしまうのが怖かった。だって、私は奏祐の気持ちに応えられないから。 私が好きなのは昴だから。 私は奏祐の優しさに甘えて、奏祐を傷つけた。 私はズルい女だ。 奏祐を傷つけているくせに、奏祐に避けられると寂しいと思ってしまう。自業自得のくせに。 だけど、そんな奏祐が彼女に出会って変わった。 最近の奏祐はとても楽しそうだ。特に、彼女と話しているときは。 この間、奏祐と彼女が話しているところを見かけた。 その時、滅多に見れない楽しそうな奏祐の姿が見れた。 私はそんな奏祐の姿に頬が緩む。よかった、と思う。 彼女は気づいているだろうか?奏祐が彼女の前で見せる表情が特別なことを。 きっと彼女のことだから気づいてないだろう。奏祐もきっと自分の気持ちに気づいていない。 そんな2人を見守ることが最近の私の楽しみだ。 ある日、奏祐が珍しく私に話があると言ってきた。 話ってなに、と聞くと奏祐は少し言いにくそうにしている。 いつも言いたいことはハッキリと言うのに、珍しい。 「お礼がしたいんだけど、なにがいいと思う?」 「なんのお礼?だれにお礼をしたいのかしら」 「だから......この前の、映画の時のお礼、だよ」 私はなんのお礼か大体見当はついていたけれど、ちょっと意地悪をしてみたくなって聞いてみると、奏祐は言いずらそうに言った。 予想通りの回答に私はにっこりと笑った。 気持ち的には「よくできました」と言ってあげたい。 「凛花さんにお礼をしたいのね?」 「......ああ。正確には、神楽木姉弟に、だけど」 「まぁ、そうなの」 「で、なにがいいと思う?」 「そうねぇ......なんでもいいのではないかしら」 「美咲......真剣に答えてよ」 真剣に答えたつもりなのだけど。 奏祐はそう思ってくれなかったようで、恐い顔で睨んできた。 「あら、失礼ね。私は真剣に答えているわ。心を込めたお礼なら、凛花さんならなんでも喜んでくれるはずよ」 「......なんか、気味悪がられそうな気がするんだけど」 「......それは、奏祐の日頃の行いのせいね。自業自得だわ」 「.........美咲」 「あら、そんな怖い顔しないで、奏祐」 「もともとこういう顔なんだけど」 「ふふふ......」 「わかっちゃった?」 「だてに美咲の幼馴染みを12年もやってない」 「そうね」 私が奏祐をからかう日が来るなんて。いつもは私がからかわれていたのに。 これも彼女のお陰か。本当に彼女はすごい。 「1つ良いことを教えてあげましょうか」 「なに?」 「凛花さんは、ケーキが大好きなのですって。美味しいケーキ屋さんに連れていってあげればとても喜ぶと思うわ」 「美味しいケーキ屋......なるほど、わかった」 奏祐もケーキが好きだ。 美味しいケーキ屋さんの情報はたくさん持っているだろう。 「ありがとう、美咲。助かった」 「どういたしまして」 ふふっと私は笑う。奏祐も優しく微笑む。 そして微笑んだまま、奏祐は言った。 「俺、美咲のことが好きだった」 「......知ってたわ」 私は奏祐の告白に微笑みを浮かべる。 奏祐は私の返事に一瞬目を見開いたが、そうか、と言ってまた微笑む。 「『だった』ということは、今は『違う』ってことよね?」 「まぁ......そうなる、かな」 「そう......ありがとう、奏祐。私を好きになってくれて」 「美咲......」 「これからも、私の幼馴染みでいてくれる?」 「もちろん。俺は、美咲の幸せを願っている」 まあ、あいつには叶わないかもしれないけど、と奏祐は苦笑した。 「こうして美咲に俺の気持ちを言えたのも、あいつのお陰だ。本人の前では言えないけど、あいつには感謝してる」 「ふふ。本当に素直じゃないわ、奏祐は」 「......うるさい」 「......そうだな」 そこで私は1つ、思いついた。 周りの子たちが話していたこと。 あれをやれば、彼女は喜んでくれるんじゃないだろうか。 「――ねえ、奏祐。1つ提案があるのだけれど」 私は奏祐に思い付いたことを言ってみる。 奏祐は少し考えて、やってみよう、と言ってくれた。 その日から、私と奏祐は準備を始めたのだった。 すべては、凛花さんに喜んで貰うために。

20 Rival young miss Recently, I've made a new friend. She is a bit strange. Even though she is a beauty on the level of making people jealous, because of her strange speech and conduct, that beauty gets overshadowed. It's truly a pity, but I know that is her charm. She really does look up to me. Even though we are of the same age, sometimes I do think "cute" as if she was my younger sister. She is on good terms with my childhood friend, Sousuke. Sousuke, who looked like he had retreated into a sh.e.l.l recently, thanks to her, I was able to talk to him again like in the past. I'm really grateful to her. However, when we have a chat between the two of us, I wonder how we end up talking about her without fail? No, I know. Sousuke is attracted to her, right? I know. Nevertheless, I feel a bit lonely. I think it's close to what a little sister would feel in having her big brother stolen. We are of the same age but Sousuke is more mature, so I think of him as a big brother. I want to support Sousuke's feelings. Because I know that if I were to say such things to Sousuke, he would deny it, I decided to secretly support him. First thing's first, I should create an opportunity were he can go to a date with her. After arranging an appointment to go watch a movie with Subaru, I emailed her. First of all, I reported to her that I arranged to watch the movie with Subaru, and after that, in a nonchalant and roundabout way, I told her to have a date with Sousuke. She probably hasn't even thought for a moment that this is a date, but that's fine. It's okay if Sousuke is the one conscious of it. Please, let those two's date go well, I prayed. In the end, they didn't have something that resembled a date. Her little brother followed her. I was told that, at that moment she wore something really bold. It seemed like her little brother was worried about such a big sister. My cheeks loosened at the affection the little brother felt toward the sister, as in the rumors. It seems like she completely didn't understand the worries of her brother, and I sympathized with him a bit. I asked about what happened that day to Sousuke, too. As I did that, he said that he didn't want to remember. It looked like he had to considerably bear with the bad feelings provoked from watching the horror movie. A smile escaped from me seeing the childish part of Sousuke I don't often come to see. The me, who was laughing, was glared at by him. "Don't laugh." "Fufu.....sorry. But, didn't good things happen too?" "Good things?" "You got a lap pillow from Rinksan, didn't you? In turn of a calamity, you achieved good fortune, right?" ".......I don't understand what you are talking about." Sousuke wouldn't honestly admit it. And that felt truly childish. Even though he is usually like an older brother, when it involves her, Sousuke becomes childish. Truly, she, as a person, is interesting. Sousuke is clever, in an unskillful way. Even though he easily handles every situation without slip-up, he becomes clumsy when it comes to the emotional aspect. He ends up refraining himself because he is too kind. And puts his feelings as second. I somehow knew that Sousuke felt affection towards me. But, I pretended not to notice. Because I thought that it was what Sousuke wanted. No, in reality, that's different. I was running away from him. I was afraid of breaking the relations.h.i.+p we had now. Because I couldn't return his feelings. Because, I like Subaru. By depending on Sousuke's kindness, I hurt him. I'm a sly woman. Even when I was hurting him, I ended up thinking that I would be lonely if he avoided me. I was only suffering from my own actions. However, such a Sousuke changed upon meeting her. He recently looks to be having fun. Especially when he is talking to her. The other day, I happened to see him talking to her. There, I saw the rarely seen appearance of him enjoying himself. Looking at such a him, my cheeks loosened. Thank G.o.d, I thought. Does she notice? The expressions he shows in front of her are special. Surely, because it's her, he didn't notice. Sousuke surely hasn't noticed his feelings. Watching over those two has become my hobby recently. One day, Sousuke unusually said he had something to talk to me about. Something to talk to me about, when I said that I'm listening, he looked like he was having a hard time saying it. This is rare, he usually straight out says what he wants. "I would like to thank her, but what would be good?" "What thanks? I wonder, who do you want to thank?" "That's why.......last time's, the thanks for the movie, I mean." I had a rough idea about what he wanted to thank her for, but then I tried to be a bit mean, he responded as if he was having a hard time. I sweetly smiled at the answer I expected. I feel like saying, 'Good job,' to him. "You want to thank Rinksan, don't you?" "......aah. More precisely, to the Kaguragi siblings, though." "Well, that's right." "So, what do you think would be good?" "Mh right.....won't anything be good?" "Miku......please answer seriously." I intended to answer seriously, though. Sousuke didn't seem to think so, and glared at me with a scary face. "My, that was rude. I am seriously answering, you know? If it's a heartfelt gift, then I'm sure that Rinksan would gladly receive it." "......somehow, I have a feeling she would feel bad about this though." "......that's, because of your daily behaviour. You reap what you sow." "..........Miku." "My, don't make such a scary face, Sousuke." "I originally had this kind of face though." "Fufufu......." "You just realised?" "I haven't been your childhood friend of 12 years for nothing." "Right." To think that a day came where I get to tease him. Usually, it's always me that is being made fun of. Is this thanks to her? She really is amazing. "Shall I tell you a good thing?" "What?" "Rinksan truly loves cakes. I think she'll be really happy if you took her to a delicious cake shop." "Delicious cake shop......I see, I understand." Sousuke loves cakes too. He must have plenty of information about delicious cake shops. "Thank you, Miku. You were of help." "You are welcome." I laughed with a, fufu. Sousuke gently smiled too. And while still smiling he said. "I liked you, Miku." "......I knew it." I smiled at his confession. For an instant Sousuke's eyes opened wide, but then he said, 'is that so,' and smiled again. "{Liked,} in other words, right now it's, {different,} right?" "Well.....it might be so." "Well.....thank you, Sousuke. For liking me." "Miku......" "Will you continue being my friend?" "Of course. I wish for Miku's happiness." Well, it might not come true with her, said Sousuke with wry smile. "It's thanks to her that I could say my feeling to you like this. I wouldn't tell this to the person herself but, I'm grateful to her." "Fufu. Sousuke is really not honest." "......shut up." "......you're right." And then an idea stuck me. It was about a thing the girls around me talked about. If we do that, won't she be delighted? "----hey, Sousuke. I have a proposal." I tried explaining what I came up with. After thinking for a bit Sousuke said, "Let's give it a try." From that day we began the preparations. Everything was for the sake of making Rinksan happy.

38 私は蓮見に言われたことがショックで、なにを言っていいのかわからなくなった。 「............」 「黙ってないで、なにか言ったらどう?」 「わたし......」 「無理やり、言わせてあげようか?」 「蓮見様......?」 蓮見が私に近づく。私はとっさに逃げようと後ろに下がろうと足を動かすが、先ほど捻った足が痛み逃げれない。 あっという間に蓮見に距離を詰められ、蓮見の綺麗な整った顔が間近に迫る。 蓮見の瞳がゆらゆらと揺らめく。こんな状況だけど、私は蓮見の瞳が綺麗だと思った。 「なんで、拒否しないの、君は」 蓮見の顔が苦しそうに歪む。そんな蓮見に私は微笑んでみせた。 「蓮見様は、酷い事をするような方ではありませんもの」 「......なんで君は......」 「まだ蓮見様と知り合って半年しか経ってませんが、蓮見様が優しい人だということくらい、知ってます。蓮見様が作るお菓子はとても優しい味がしますもの」 「............と思ったのに......」 「蓮見様?」 蓮見は何かを呟いたが私は聞き取れず、聞き返すが蓮見は言ってくれなかった。 私は聞き返すのを諦めることにする。 蓮見は少し考え込んで、口を開く。 「ねえ、君はあの日、飛鳥となんの話をしていたの?」 「あぁ......あの日、私は飛鳥くんと......」 蓮見は痛みを堪えるように視線を下に向ける。 「和菓子の話をしていました」 「ーーーは?和菓子?」 「ええ。飛鳥くんのお家は和菓子屋さんで、飛鳥くんも和菓子を作るのですって。だからその和菓子を食べて意見を聞かせてほしいと......蓮見様?どうかされました?」 蓮見様は片手で顔を覆って座り込んだ。 どうしたんだろう。急に具合が悪くなったとか? 「......なんだ、ただの俺の勘違いじゃないか......勘違いで八つ当たりとか......俺最低......」 座り込んで何かをぶつぶつ呟いている蓮見が心配になって、私も座り込もうとするが、捻った足が痛んでバランスを崩す。 「ひゃっ」 私は倒れると思って目をつむって痛みに備えたが、いっこうに痛みは訪れない。私が恐る恐る目を開けると、私は蓮見に抱き止められていた。 「大丈夫?」 「へ、平気です。ありがとうございます」 私は慌てて退こうとするが、足が痛くて動けない。 やばい。倒れた時に余計に悪くしたようだ。 「足、どうかしたの?」 「いえあの......ちょっと捻っただけですのでご心配なく」 「大丈夫なようには見えないけど......」 「本当に大したことありませんから」 「......じゃあ、歩ける?」 「..................アハッ?」 秘技笑って誤魔化す。私の必殺技が炸裂した。 しかし蓮見には効果がなかったようで、ただ呆れた顔をされた。 「大したことあるだろ......どう考えても」 「......はい、すみません」 「はぁ......しょうがないな。ここじゃ暗いし、別のところに移動しようか。しっかり、掴まって」 「え?」 私は蓮見に抱えられた。横抱き、つまり、お姫様だっこである。 「あ、あの、蓮見様......」 「......重くないですか......?」 「そう?軽い方なんじゃない」 「......その......ありがとうございます」 私は蓮見に抱えられて、蓮見って以外と筋肉ついてるんだなぁ、と思った。 抱えられてて不安じゃない。むしろしっかりとした安定感がある。 私は肩の力を抜き、蓮見に寄りかかる。当たり前だけど蓮見の匂いがする。 「蓮見様」 「仲直り、して頂けますか?私、自分で思ってる以上に蓮見様のこと......」 「俺のこと......?」 蓮見の目が何かを期待するように揺れる。 そんな目を見つめながら私は言う。 「良いお友達だと思ってるみたいなんですの」 「........................そう。お友達、ね......」 「はい」 私はにっこり笑顔で頷くと、蓮見は苦笑した。 「うん、まあ、君だからね......仕方ないか」 「?」 「今回は、全面的に俺が悪かった。君に八つ当たりしてた。これからも前と同じように接してほしい」 「はい......!もちろんですわ」 私が頷くと蓮見も微笑む。ずっとそんな顔をしてればいいのに、と私は思った。蓮見の微笑んだ顔が私は好きだ。 蓮見に抱えられて私はどこかの部屋のソファにそっと下ろされた。 蓮見は部屋の何処かから救急箱を持ってきて、足を見せるように、と言う。 私が大人しく捻った方の足を見せる。 蓮見は慎重な手付きで私の足を触り、患部を見る。 熱を持っているようで、ひんやりとした蓮見の手が心地よく感じた。 「腫れてる......たぶん、捻挫だろうけど、念のため医師に診て貰った方がいい。応急措置だけしたいけど......」 「ああ、ストッキング......えっと、脱ぐので目を閉じててもらっても良いですか?」 「あ、ああ」 蓮見は少し顔を赤くして私に背を向けた。私はできるだけ早くストッキングを脱ぐ。 脱いだストッキングは鞄に仕舞い、蓮見にもういいですよ、と声を掛ける。 蓮見は振り向くと早速応急措置を施してくれた。 慣れた手つきで包帯を巻いていく蓮見に、本当に蓮見はなんでもできるなあ、と感心した。 「ありがとうございます、蓮見様」 「いや......俺のせいだし、これくらい当然だろ」 蓮見って意外と照れ屋さんだ。 私の両親に声を掛けてくる、と蓮見は部屋を出ていこうとする前に、何かを思い出したかのように私の方を振り向く。 「言い忘れてたけど......そのドレス、似合ってるよ」 そう言い残して蓮見は足早に去っていく。 部屋に残された私は、呆然とドアを見つめる。 きっと私、顔が真っ赤になっている。 不意打ちなんてずるい。 私はソファに置いてあったクッションに顔を押し付けて、顔の熱を冷ました。

38 Shocked by what he said; I didn't know what to say. "............" "Don't just stay silent, how about saying something?" "I......" "Shall I force you to say it?" "Hasumi-sama......?" Hasumi approached me. To escape, I tried to step back; however, when I moved the foot I twisted earlier, the pain wouldn't let me escape. In an instant, Hasumi reduced the distance between us, and his good looking face neared. Hasumi's eyes were flickering. I am in such a situation, but I still thought that his eyes were pretty. "Why didn't you step back?" Hasumi's face distorted as if in pain. At that, I showed him a smile. "Hasumi-sama isn't the type of person that would do something bad." "......why do you....." "I've only got to know you for less than a year, but I know that Hasumi-sama is a kind person. The sweets that Hasumi-sama makes have a gentle taste." "..............even when I thought to......." "Hasumi-sama?" Without catching what he muttered, I asked him again, but he didn't tell me. I gave up on asking. Hasumi brooded for a bit and then opened his mouth. "Hey, that day, what did you talk with Asuka about?" "Aah......that day, we talked about......" Hasumi looked down as if enduring pain. "j.a.panese sweets." "---ha? j.a.panese sweets?" "Yeah. Asukkun's household has a j.a.panese confectionary shop, and Asukkun makes sweets too. So he wanted me to eat some and tell him my opinion.......Hasumi-sama? Is something wrong?" Hasumi-sama covered his face with his hand and sat down. I wonder what happened. Does he suddenly feel bad? "......what, was that just my misunderstanding......I misunderstood and got angry......I'm the worst......" I got concerned over Hasumi who sat down and began to grumble about something, so I tried to sit too, but my sprained foot hurt so much that it destroyed my balance. "Hyaa." Thinking that I'd fall down, I closed my eyes and prepared myself for the impact, but the pain didn't arrive. When I timidly opened my eyes, I found myself in Hasumi's arms. "Are you okay?" "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you very much." Fl.u.s.tered, I tried to step back but my foot hurt and I couldn't move. c.r.a.p. It looks like when I fell it got aggravated. "What happened to your foot?" "No, ehm......I twisted it a little, you don't need to worry." "You don't seem fine though......" "It's really not a big deal." "......then, try walking?" ".........................aha?" Secret technique, laugh to cover up. My ultimate skill bursted through. However, it seemed like it didn't have effect on Hasumi, as he only looked at me with an exasperated face. "It's grave right.......no matter how you look at it." "...... yes, I'm sorry." "Hah.....it can't be helped. It's dark here so let's move to another place. Hold on to me tightly." "Eh?" I got carried by Hasumi. Carried in his arms, in other words, a princess carry. "E-ehm, Hasumi-sama......" ".......Am I not heavy.......?" "Really? Aren't you on the light side?" "......that......thank you very much." Held by Hasumi, I thought, "Hasumi unexpectedly has muscles." I didn't feel anxious in his arms. Rather, he gave me a sense of stability. I held onto him tightly, leaning against his shoulder. It was natural, but I smelt Hasumi's smell. "Hasumi-sama." "Can we reconcile? It seems like, towards Hasumi-sama, I.........." "Towards me, you......?" Hasumi's eyes shook as if he was expecting something. While staring at such eyes I said. "Feel like you are a better friend than I originally thought." "...........................I see. A friend, right....." "Yes." When I happily smiled and nodded Hasumi smiled bitterly. "Un, well, since it's you.......it can't be helped." "?" "This time was totally my bad. I vented my anger on you. I'd like to have the same relations.h.i.+p we had before from now on." "Yes......! Of course." When I nodded, Hasumi also smiled. It would be good if he always kept this face, or so I thought. I like Hasumi's smiling face. Hasumi carried me to a room somewhere and softly placed me on a sofa. Hasumi took out a first aid kit from somewhere in the room and said, "let me look at your foot." I obediently showed him my sprained foot. Hasumi cautiously touched my foot with his hands, looking at the affected part. As if I had a fever, I felt good when Hasumi's cold hands touched me. "It's swollen..... it's probably a sprain, but it would be better to let a doctor see it. I can only do the first aid measure, but......." "Ah, the stocking......ahem, can you close your eyes so I can take it off?" "Ah, yeah." Hasumi turned a bit red and then turned his back. I tried to take the stocking off as fast as I could. I put the stocking inside my bag and told Hasumi that I finished. Hasumi turned around and gave me first aid treatment at once. To Hasumi, who bandaged me as if accustomed to it, I thought, 'Hasumi really can do anything' and admired him. "Thank you very much, Hasumi-sama." "No......it's my fault, so this much is only natural." Hasumi is a very shy person unexpectedly. Before Hasumi left to go call my parents, as if remembering something, he turned to look over his shoulder. "I forgot to say it but..... that dress really look good on you." Hasumi left quickly after saying that. Left alone in the rooms I stared at the door. Surely, my face turned bright red. Such a surprise attack is sly. I pressed my face against a cus.h.i.+on in the sofa, and cooled the myself down.

58 美咲様の別荘に到着したのは、お昼過ぎだった。 部屋は美咲様と菜緒と一緒の部屋で、夜はたくさんおしゃべりしましょうね、と笑い合う。 荷物を整理したあと、遅めのランチをとった。 そのあと、海に行こうということになって、私たちは部屋に戻る。 そこで私は、ごねた。 「凛花、観念して着替えなさい」 「いやよ!」 菜緒が仁王立ちをして私を睨む。 菜緒も美咲様ももう水着に着替え終えていて、2人は困ったように顔を見合わせた。 2人はとてもスタイルが良い。 締まるところは締まっていて、出るところはちゃんと出ている。 「凛花......」 「だって......東條様と蓮見様が来るだなんて知らなかったのだもの......知ってたらあんな水着にしなかったのに......」 「大丈夫よ。あれ、すごく似合ってたから」 「......ほんとうに?」 「なぁに、私が信じられないの?」 からかうような口調で言う菜緒に、私は静かに首を横に振る。 うん、菜緒を信じよう。 私だって、海で遊びたいのだ。 王子と蓮見は魚だと思うことにしよう。そうすれば恥ずかしくない。 私は水着を掴むと、着替えるために別室に行った。 そして着替え終わって出てきた私を、菜緒と美咲様は笑顔で出迎えて「とっても似合ってる」と言ってくれた。 それでも恥ずかしい私は持ってきた太股まである長めのパーカーをしっかり着込んだ。 そんな私を見て、美咲様と菜緒は顔を見合わせて笑った。 海に行くともうすでに、3人は着替え終えて談笑していた。 3人とも、しっかりと引き締まった体をしている。 弟もだ。弟も大きくなったのだなぁ、と私は感慨深く思った。 「昴、奏祐、悠斗君、お待たせ」 美咲様が笑顔で3人に近付く。 美咲様は白いビキニの水着だ。本当に白いだけで、飾りはほとんどない。だからこそ、美咲様のスタイルの良さが際立つ。 菜緒は黒と白のストライプのビキニに、ショートパンツを合わせた格好だ。これがまた菜緒によく似合っている。 そして私は、今年の流行りの花のビキニを買った。まあ、それだけならいいのだが、そのビキニ、パンツが紐タイプになっているのだ。 女の子同士だからいいよね、と軽い気持ちで買ったのが仇になった。 紐、ほどけたらどうしよう。 「揃ったね。僕と奏祐は、ジェットスキーの免許を持ってるんだ。ジェットに乗らない?」 「楽しそうね」 みんな乗り気だ。確かに楽しそうではある。 でも私は泳げないのだ。 だから、私は待っていると言おうとしたのに、なぜか乗ることになっていた。 トーイングするらしい。私はいつの間にかボートに乗せられていた。 気づいたらライフジャケットも装着してた。本当にいつの間に。 なんか弟に着せられた気がするけど、弟に着せてもらうとか、ね? だって私、16歳ですよ?16歳なのに弟に着せてもらうとか、ねぇ? ハハ、情けない姉でごめんね......。 ジェットの運転は王子が担当する。 ところでそのジェットどこから持ってきたのだろうと思っていると、なんと王子の所有物で自宅から持ってきたらしい。用意のよろしいことで。 王子がジェットを操縦する。 けっこう速い。私はボートに必死に掴まる。 しかし私以外のみんなは余裕な表情で楽しんでいた。 なんだ、その余裕。 そう思って気を抜いた瞬間、私はボードから投げ出された。 バシャンと衝撃を受けたあと、しょっぱい海水が少し口の中に入る。私は慌てて水上に上がる。 ボードから弟と蓮見が私を引き上げてくれた。 た、助かったぁ......。 しかしパーカーが早くもびしょ濡れだ。 あぁ......諦めて脱がなきゃ......。 少ししょんぼりとしていると弟が顔を覗いてきた。 「姉さん、大丈夫?」 「大丈夫よ」 パーカーがぐしょ濡れになった以外は。 他のみんなも「大丈夫?」と心配してくれた。 王子もジェットからこちらを心配そうに見ている。 私は大丈夫という意味を込めて、王子に手を振った。 王子も私の気持ちが伝わったらしく、安心するように微笑んだ。 そうしたやり取りをし終えたあと、私はのろのろとパーカーを脱ぐ。 さようなら私の防波堤......。 パーカーを脱いで絞る。 びしょびしょのままでいるわけにはいかない。 ある程度絞れたところで私はパーカーをたたむ。 ふと顔を上げると蓮見と目があった。 そして蓮見はふいっと目をそらす。その顔は少し赤い気がする。 「蓮見さん、厭らしい目で姉を見ないでもらえませんか」 「......厭らしい目で見てない」 「いいえ、見てました」 「見てない」 その後も見てた、見てない、と二人の言い合いは平行線だ。 菜緒は呆れた顔をし、美咲様は楽しそうに笑っている。 王子がゆっくりとジェットを操縦して、陸地に戻るまでその言い合いは続いた。 止めるべきなのだろうか? いや、めんどくさいからやめておこう。 ジェットから降りて、パーカーを脱いだ私を見て、王子は爽やかな笑顔で言った。 「その水着、似合ってるよ」 「あ、ありがとうございます......」 私は顔が赤くなるのを自覚する。 弟も蓮見も私の方を見ようとしないから、実は似合ってないんじゃないかと、不安に思っていたのだ。 だから、王子に似合ってると言って貰えてほっとした。 弟と蓮見がはっとしたように私たちを見た。 それから少しだけ悔しそうに王子を見て、王子はドヤ顔で二人を見返した。 会話なしで通じ合えるくらい、弟と王子たちは仲良くなれたのか。 最近言い合いをしている場面ばかり見ていたから、少し心配だったのだが、それも杞憂だったようだ。 良かった。 それからは、定番の浜辺でビーチバレーをしたり、海で泳いだりして遊んだ。 ビーチバレーで私は、レシーブをしようとして、顔面レシーブをするという醜態をさらしてしまった。 弟と菜緒は呆れた顔をして、美咲様は心配そうにしてくれ、王子は目を見開いて驚き、蓮見にいたっては肩を震わせて笑っていた。 ......穴があったら、埋まりたい。 自分の運動神経の無さに絶望を覚えた。 私は少し赤くなった鼻を押さえて、まだ笑っている蓮見を睨む。 そして近くに転がっていたボールを思いっきり投げつけた。 しかし、さっと避けられてしまう。 大人しく当てられるっていう可愛らしさを見せてくれればいいのに。 誠に遺憾である。

58 We arrived at Miku-sama's holiday house in the afternoon. The room I'm staying in was with Nao and Miku-sama, "so let's talk a lot at night," we said while laughing. After sorting out our luggage we had a late lunch. And after that, we went back to our room to change because we wanted to go to the sea And there, I made things difficult. "Rinka, just change already!" "Don't wanna!" Nao stood glaring at me like a guardian of the Deva king. Nao and Miku-sama had already finished changing when they exchanged troubled looks. Their figures were really good. The things that should be tightened were tight and that which should stick out were properly sticking out. "Rinka......." "I mean......I didn't know that Tojo-sama and Hasumi-sama were coming......if I knew that, I wouldn't have brought that swimsuit......" "It's all right. That swimsuit really looks good on you." "......really?" "What, you don't believe me?" I shook my head at what Nao had said in a teasing tone. Yeah, let's believe Nao. I want to go play at sea, too, after all. Let's think of the prince and Hasumi as fish. If I do that, I won't feel embarra.s.sed. I grabbed the swimsuit and went into a separate room to change. And then, after I came out, Nao and Miku-sama said: "it really suits you," with a smile. Even so, still embarra.s.sed, I wore an extra parka that reached under my b.u.t.t. Seeing me like that, Miku-sama and Nao exchanged looks and then laughed. When we arrived at the beach, the other 3 had already changed and were having a friendly chat. All three of them had properly trained bodies. My little brother too. He has really grown up, I thought with deep emotions. "Subaru, Sousuke, Yuto-kun; sorry for making you wait." Miku-sama approached the three of them with a smile. Miku-sama wore a white bikini. It really was only white, with almost no decorations. That's how Miku-sama's figure stood out even more. Nao wore a black and white striped bikini, with matching shorts. And that looked really good on Nao. And this year, following the fas.h.i.+on trends, I bought a flower patterned bikini. Well, if it was just that then it would have been fine, but the problem was that the lower part was a string type. I bought it with light feeling; thinking that, since we were between fellow girls, it would have been okay, but it has become my foe. What if the string came undone? "We're all gathered now. Sousuke and I both have a jet skiing license. So how about boarding the jet?" "That looks fun." Everyone was interested. That certainly looked fun. But... I can't swim. But even when I said that I would just wait for them, for some reason it was decided that I'd board it. It looked like they would be towing. Before I knew it, I was helped on board. Before I noticed, I was equipped with a life jacket. Really, when did all this happen? I have the feeling that my little brother put some clothes on me, so it was him? I mean, I'm 16 years old, you know? Even though I'm 16 years old, I had my little brother put clothes on me, okay? Mother, I'm sorry for being such a pathetic older sister...... The prince was the person in charge of operating the jet. As I was thinking, "where did that jet come from," it seemed like it was something the prince brought from his house. You sure made your preparations, mh. The prince activated the jet. I desperately held onto the boat. However, except for me, everyone else was composed and enjoying themselves. What's with that composure. Thinking that, at the moment I relaxed a bit, I was thrown from the board. After receiving an impact with a *bashan* sound, a bit of the salty sea water entered my mouth. Fl.u.s.tered, I tried to move up. My little brother and Hasumi pulled me onto board. Y-you saved me...... However the parka was completely wet. Aah......I have to give up and take it off. A bit depressed, my little brother peeked at me. "Nee-san, are you okay?" "I'm fine." Except for the wet parka. Everyone was worried and asked me if I was all right. The prince looked worriedly from the jet too. To say that I was okay I waved at him. Seeming to have caught the message, the prince smiled as though in relief. After that exchange, I slowly took the parka off. Goodbye, my breakwater...... After taking it off, I squeezed it. It cannot remain wet as it is. After squeezing the parka to a certain degree, I folded it. Incidentally, when I raised my face, Hasumi was looking at me. And then Hasumi immediately averted his eyes. I feel like his face is a bit red. "Hasumi-san, won't you stop looking at my older sister with disagreeable eyes?" "......I wasn't looking like that." "No, you definitely were." "I wasn't." After that, these two quarrelled back and forth with, "you were watching," and, "I wasn't." Nao looked on with an amazed expression, while Miku-sama looked to be having fun. The prince slowly manipulated the jet; and that quarrel continued till we returned back to land. Should I stop them? No, since It's a pain, I won't. The prince descending from the jet saw me without the parka and smiled refres.h.i.+ngly, then said. "It looks good on you, that swimsuit." "T-thank you very much......" I knew that my face had become red. When my little brother and Hasumi looked, they didn't have any reaction; so, I felt anxious that maybe it didn't look good. That's why I felt relieved when the prince said it suited me. My little brother and Hasumi looked at us as if taken aback. From then they looked at the prince as though a bit vexed, the prince looked at them with a triumphant look. Was it that they and the prince got along so well that they can communicate without talking? With the recent quarrel that took place, I was a bit worried; but it looked like that was a needless fear. I'm glad. From then on, we played beach volleyball as the standard game of the beach and swam. At beach volleyball I decided to receive, and ended up exposing the shameful sight of myself receiving the ball with my face. My little brother and Nao had shocked expressions, Miku-sama was worried for me, the prince widened his eyes, surprised, and Hasumi laughed with his shoulders quivering. .......if there were a hole, I would want to bury myself in it. I despaired remembering my own motor skills. I held my nose that had become slightly red, and glared at the still laughing Hasumi. And threw the ball that had rolled near me with all my strength at him. However, he swiftly avoided it. It would have been good if he were to show me the lovely sight of him getting hit. It's truly regrettable.

14 もうすぐ体育祭だ。 桜丘学園にも体育祭がある。 私は運動は残念すぎるくらいできないので、あまりクラスの足を引っ張らない玉入れに参加する。 あとはクラス全員でやる大縄跳びと綱引きのみだ。 競技にはあまり参加しないかわりに、実行委員を引き受けた。 実行委員は体育祭の本番前からいろいろな雑用で忙しい。打ち合わせだとか、競技の名簿の作成だとか、当日の役割分担を決めたりだとか。 実行委員のメンバーに知っている顔を見かけたが、私は知らんぷりをした。 仕事に追われているうちにあっという間に本番の日を迎えた。 私の当日の役割分担は、記録係だ。 言われた通りに記録用紙に書き込んでいく、簡単だが重要な役目だ。私は間違えないよう、正確にかつ迅速に書き込んでいく。 書き終わった記録用紙を渡しに本部テントに行く。そこでなぜか私は点数の計算を任された。なぜだ。 私は目立たないように本部の裏側の木陰で電卓を片手に計算をする。私はうんうん唸りながら点数を書き込む。 なんだか不審な目で周りから見られている気がする。 いやでも気にしないのだ。私は目立ちたくないのだ。 そうしてひっそりと計算を続けていると、蓮見が通りかかった。 電卓を片手に頭を抱えている私を一瞥すると、フッと笑ってそのまま通り過ぎた。 なんなんだ、あいつ。いちいち腹立つな。 私の役目がすべて終わり、最後はクラス別の選抜リレーだ。 これが毎年1番盛り上がるらしい。 運動音痴な私には関係のない競技だが、興味はある。 お友達と一緒にリレーを見守る。 選抜リレーは男女混合のリレーだ。 だが、男子の番は偶数、女子の番は奇数の順番と決まっている。 男子ばっかの順番に女子が混ざったら、それは女子の方が不利だからね。公平に、とのことらしい。 今年の選抜リレーの注目選手は、王子と蓮見らしい。 彼らは中学部時代からアンカーで1、2を争い、大変白熱したバトルを繰り広げていたみたいだ。 いや、王子はともかく蓮見にそんな一面があるとは思えないんだけど。 選抜リレーが始まる。選抜リレーでは、陸上部の顧問が放送係からマイクを奪い、実況解説をし始めた。教師がなにやってんだ。どんだけ力入れてるんだ。 そんな実況なんてまったく聞かずに、私達はリレーを見守る。 私のクラスも大分健闘しているようだ。その調子でがんばれ。 みんながリレーを見守る中、1年生の間では王子と蓮見がどちらが勝つかで盛り上がっている。 1年女子の間では王子派と蓮見派で小さいバトルが勃発していた。 「今年も絶対東條様が勝つわ」 「なにをおっしゃっているの。今年は蓮見様が勝つに決まってるでしょう」 「まぁ、貴女、見る目がないんじゃなくて?」 「貴女こそ、目が悪いんじゃなくて?病院に行った方がいいんじゃないかしら」 女同士の争い怖い。巻き込まれないように私はさっと避難した。 正直、私はどっちが勝ってくれても構わない。 私には関係のないことだから。 関係の......ない? あれ?なんか私、忘れている気がする......なんだろう。 なにか重要なことがあったような......? 私が悩んでいる間に、リレーはアンカーにバトンが回った。 今のところ、王子と蓮見のクラスが同列1位だ。 王子と蓮見にほぼ同時にバトンが渡された。 と、思ったが、蓮見のクラスの子が蓮見にバトンを渡すのを失敗したようで、バトンを落としてしまった。 バトンを落とした子は遠目に見てもわかるくらい動揺していた。 バトンを拾っている間に、蓮見はどんどん抜かされ、5位まで落ちた。 蓮見は冷静な顔で、励ますようにバトンを落としてしまった子の肩を叩き、走り出す。 そこから速かった。 蓮見はぐんぐん抜かしていき、とうとう王子に追い付いた。 アンカーは走る距離が他の選手よりも長い。だからこそ追い付けたのだろう。 ゴールまであと50メートルくらい。 私はどきどきして2人の勝負の行方を見守った。 勝負に勝ったのは、蓮見だった。 本当に全力で走ったのだろう。いつも余裕ぶっこいているのに、今は息を乱して座り込んでいる。 そんな蓮見にバトンを落としてしまった子が近づいていった。たぶん、謝っているのだろう。蓮見は首を横に振っている。気にするな、と言うことだろう。サービスで笑顔まで見せたっぽい。バトンを落としてしまった子の首から上が真っ赤になっている。 ああ、蓮見信者はこうして増えていくのか。騙されるな、そいつが良いのは顔だけで性格は悪いぞ。 そんな蓮見に王子が近づいていって、手を差し出した。 蓮見もその手を取り、立ち上がった。 2人はなにか喋っているようだ。 たぶん、次は負けないとかそんな内容だろう。 あちらこちらから拍手の音が聞こえ、次第にグラウンド全体で拍手の嵐が沸き起こった。 周りを見れば、王子派も蓮見派も手を取り合い泣いている。ついさっきまで喧嘩してたのに。2人が仲良くしているのに感動したんだろうか。信者心理はよくわからない。 しかし、本当に選抜リレーは白熱していた。 私までうっかり真剣に魅入ってしまった。 うん、王子も蓮見も頑張ったよ。 私もみんなに混ざってひっそりと拍手を送った。 こうして無事に体育祭が終わった。 漫画では体育祭にあまり触れなかったから、どんな結果になるのかわからなかった分楽しめた。 表彰式が行われ、今年の総合優勝は王子のクラスだった。クラス代表で王子が優勝旗を受け取った。それがまた腹立たしいくらい似合うのだ。もうさすがとしか言いようがない。 最後に今年の体育祭で1番活躍した生徒、MVPとして、やっぱりというか、蓮見が表彰された。 そりゃあね、リレーであれだけ目立てばね......。 蓮見は大して嬉しそうでもなく、いつも通りの無愛想で賞状を受け取った。 あー、終わった。あとは片付けをして帰るだけだ。 私は自分の片付け担当の場所に行き片付けを手伝う。 そうしている間にも、なにかを忘れているような気がしてならなかったが、気のせいと思うことにした。だって、思い出せないから。 片付けも終わり、さて帰ろうと回れ右をしたとき、知った顔と遭遇してしまった。 「神楽木」 「飛鳥くん......なにかしら」 は漫画の中で生徒会長になる予定のキャラクターだ。 真面目で紳士。爽やかでイケメン。王子とは違ったカリスマ性を持つ人物として漫画では描かれていた。王子は女子に人気が高い印象だが、飛鳥は男女共に慕われている印象が強い。 そんな彼も残念なことに、凛花に惚れてしまう。そして王子の当て馬役となる しかし、飛鳥は王子と違って凛花に一目惚れするわけじゃなく、凛花と接触するうちに凛花を好きになってしまう設定なので、彼は絶対に会っちゃいけない人物でないのが救いだ。 私に惚れさせなきゃいいのだ。飛鳥が凛花を好きになったのは、凛花の弱い面を見て守ってあげたいと思うようになったから。私と凛花は性格が違うし、私は凛花と違って人に弱いところを見られるのがきらいだ。だから、きっと大丈夫だろう。 大丈夫だとは思うが念には念を、ということであまり接触しないようにしてきた。 しかしまさか体育祭の実行委員で一緒になるとは思わなかった。 「忘れてないか?君はMVPのインタビューを聞く係になっていただろう?インタビューはしてきたのか?」 私はうっかり表情に出してしまった。 そんな私の顔を見て飛鳥は苦笑した。 「やっぱりな。君はしっかりしていそうで、抜けている」 「ごめんなさい。期限はいつまででしたかしら」 「来週の月曜日までだ。それまでには聞いておいてくれよ」 「わかりました」 私はしっかりうなずくと、飛鳥は頼んだぞ、と言って立ち去った。 ああ、なんか忘れているような気がしたのはこれか。 選抜リレーで1位だったクラスのアンカーが大抵MVPに選ばれると聞いていたのだ。 よかった、蓮見が勝って。王子だったら、私、どうしてたんだろ......?なんでこんな係引き受けちゃったんだろう、私。 しかし、蓮見はちゃんとインタビュー答えてくれるかなあ。 ちょっと不安である。

14 There will be the sport festival very soon. Sakuragaoka academy has a sport festival too. Since I'm not really good at sports, I'll only partic.i.p.ate in the ball tossing game to not be a dead weight on my cla.s.s. And then just do the skipping rope and tug of war that everyone in cla.s.s has to partic.i.p.ate in. In exchange for not partic.i.p.ating much on the games, I've become an executive committee member. The executive committee members are really busy with various tasks before the sport festival. Like meeting, writing the names of the people registered in games, or like, deciding on everyone's duties for that day. I did catch sight of faces in the executive committee that I know, but I feigned ignorance. While being chased by work, in an instant, the crucial day came. My role in this day was being the person in charge of recording the scores. I had to say out the records written on the papers, a simple but important duty. By punctually and quickly writing them, I avoided making mistakes. After finis.h.i.+ng writing the records I headed to the headquarters tent. And here, for some reason I was entrusted to do the point calculations. I wonder why. I calculated with one hand on the calculator on the other side of the headquarters, under the shade of a tree, to not stand out. While groaning 'un un' I filled in the total scores on the papers. Somehow I feel like the surrounding is looking at me with dull eyes. Well I don't care. I don't want to stand out. And then, when I was quietly doing the calculations, Hasumi happen to pa.s.s by. When he looked at me with one hand on the calculator and the other holding my head, he 'pff' laughed and pa.s.sed through like that. What's with that fellow? He p.i.s.ses me off every single time. Finished with all my duties, last is the cla.s.s selection relay. It seems like this is the most exciting game every year. It's a game that has nothing to do with a non-athletic person like me but I'm interested. I'll watch the relay with my friends. The selection relay is a mixed one with both guys and girls. However, it was decided that the guys will be before the girls. If you mixed the guys with the girls, that would be disadvantageous for the girls. It was for fairness sake. It seems like the players selected for the relay are the prince and Hasumi. They were anchors that competed with each other for the 1st and 2nd places since middle school, and it looks like they unfolded an incandescent battle. Iyaa, setting the prince aside, I never thought Hasumi would have such an aspect. When the selection relay started. The track and field advisor stole the mic from the broadcasting member, and began to do a live commentary. What on earth is this teacher doing. Just how much vigor are you putting in? As if we didn't hear him, we all looked at the relay. It seems like my cla.s.s is really fighting bravely. Continue like this. When everyone was watching over the relay, people in the first years were excited about 'who will win between the prince and Hasumi?'. A small battle broke out, in the first years, between the prince faction and Hasumi faction. "This year Tojo-sama will surely win." "What might you be talking about? It's obvious that this year Hasumi-sama will win." "Oh my, do you not have eyes?" "Aren't yours the ones that have gone bad? I wonder if it's not better for you to go to the hospital." Disputes between women are scary. I quickly evacuated to not get involved. Honestly, whoever wins, it doesn't change anything for me. Because it's unrelated to me. Un......related? Are? Somehow, I feel like I am forgetting something......I wonder what? I feel like it was something important.....? While I was worrying over this, the relay moved to the anchor over the baton. Right now, the prince's and Hasumi's cla.s.s where 1st. The baton was handed to them almost at the same time. Or so I thought, but it looks like the guy in Hasumi's cla.s.s failed to pa.s.s it to him, and ended up dropping it. I could see, even at this distance, that the guy that dropped the baton was trembling. In the time it took for Hasumi to pick up the baton, he got overtaken and fell to the 5th position. Hasumi with a calm face, patted the shoulder of the guy that dropped the baton as if encouraging him, and ran. From there on it was fast. Hasumi steadily overtook the others and finally caught up with the prince. Anchors have to run a longer distance than the other runners. That must be how he was able to catch up to him. The goal was about 50 metres ahead. I watched the fight of those two contestants with throbbing. The one that won the game was Hasumi. He must have ran with all his strength. Even though he usually takes it easy, right now he's sitting and was trying to catch his breath. Looking at such a Hasumi, the guy that dropped the baton approached him. Probably, he wanted to apologize. Hasumi shook his head. He should have said 'don't mind it'. And showed him his service smile. That guy, from the neck up, become bright red. Aah, are Hasumi's believers going to increase? Don't be deceived, the only good thing about him is his face, his personality is bad you know. Looking at Hasumi like this, the prince got near and presented his hand. Hasumi took his hand and stood up. It appears like the two of them are saying something. Probably, along the lines of 'I won't lose next time'. I could hear the sound of applause here and there, a storm of clapping hands was aroused on the whole sports grounds, in each department. In the perimeter, you could see the prince faction and the Hasumi faction holding each others hands and crying. Even when just a moment ago they were quarrelling. Are they moved because those two look like they are getting along? I can't quite understand the mentality of a believer. However, it was truly an incandescent selection relay. I inadvertently ended up seriously looking at it. Un, both the prince and Hasumi did good. I too, mixed within the crowd, silently clapped my hand. Like this, the sports festival safely ended. In the manga the sports festival wasn't really mentioned, I enjoyed this part where I didn't know the result. The awarding ceremony was held, and the prince's cla.s.s won this year. The cla.s.s representative, the prince, received the flag of champions.h.i.+p. And that again, it irritatingly matched him well. I have no more words to say but 'as expected'. And on the conclusion of this years sports festival, the student that played an active role, as MVP, should I say 'as expected?' Hasumi was awarded. Well you know that, just the relay was conspicuous...... Hasumi didn't really look to be happy and received it with his usual unsociable expression. Ah-, it ended. Now I only have to clean up and then I can go home. I cleaned up the place I was a.s.signed to and helped tidying other places too. And doing this, I was thinking that I might have forgot something, but then I decided that it was just an impression. I mean, I can't remember Finished cleaning up, when I was turning on the right to return, I ended up encountering a face I know. "Kaguragi." "Asukkun......what is it?" This person, Asuka Touma is a character expected to become the student council president in the manga. He is serious and a gentleman. A refres.h.i.+ng type of ikemen. He was drawn with a different kind of charisma beside the prince in the manga. The prince has a high impression with the girls but, Asuka impression on both guys and girls is high. Such a person unfortunately fall in love with Rinka. And he is a poor guy burdened by the fate of battling the prince as a stalking horse. However, different from the prince, he doesn't fall for Rinka at first sight, since he has the setting of coming to like her while being in contact with her, the fact that he isn't a character I have to absolutely avoid is a relief. It's okay as long as I don't make him fall for me. The reason Asuka fell for Rinka is, because he comes to want to protect Rinka's weak side. But my personality is different from Rinka's, and I hate other people seeing my weak points. That's why, I'll surely be okay. But even when I think I'll be alright, just to be sure, I avoided making too much contact with him. However, by no means did I think that we would become executive committee members together. "Have you forgotten? You are the person in charge of interviewing the MVP right? Have you interviewed them?" I inadvertently showed my surprise on my face. Looking at such an expression, Asuka smiled wryly. "Ah, just as I thought. You looked to be doing fine but then was careless." "I'm sorry. When is the deadline?" "Next Monday. You'll have to have done it by then, you know." "I understand." I nodded vigorously and excusing myself from Asuka, I left. Aah, what I seemed to have forgot was this, mh? I heard that the anchors that got 1st place in the cla.s.s selection relay are mostly chosen as MVP Thank G.o.d, Hasumi won. What would I have done if it was the prince.....? Why have I been appointed this personality, me. But I wonder if Hasumi will properly respond to the interview questions. I feel a bit uneasy.

42 私がケーキを食べ終わった頃、蓮見がやって来た。 珍しく慌てた様子で、少し息も乱している。 いつもはきっちり着ている制服を着崩した蓮見はいつもと違って色っぽい。 ボタンの外したYシャツから覗く鎖骨に目がいってしまう私は変態なのだろうか。私は別に鎖骨フェチじゃないはずなのだが。 「ごめん、遅くなって」 「いいえ。考えを纏める良い時間になりました」 私はなるべく鎖骨を見ないようにして言う。 蓮見は私の目の前に座ると、店主さんが持ってきてくれたお冷やを飲んだ。 あっという間にお冷やがなくなった。そんなに急いで来たんだろうか。急がなくてもよかったのに。 「何を考えてたの?」 「東條様のことです」 「昴、か......考えは纏まった?」 「ええ。私、逃げるのをやめますわ」 私は蓮見の目をしっかりと見て、キッパリと言った。 この決意は固いのだとわかってもらうために。 「私は恋というものから、逃げていたのです。私が東條様に恋をしてしまったら、私は漫画の 「......ああ、そう言えば......君、漫画のヒロインなんだっけ......」 蓮見は一瞬私から目をそらし、ぼそりと言った。 聞こえてますから!! 忘れてたんかい!私、結構勇気を振り絞って言ったことだったのに!! いや、それはどうでもいい。よくはないが、とりあえず置いておこう。 「もう昴を避けるのをやめるってこと?」 蓮見が気を取り直して、私の目を見る。 私も蓮見の目を見て、頷く。 蓮見は私と目が合うと戸惑ったように瞳を揺らし、目をそらした。 「......そう。もう決めたんだね」 「はい」 「君は、強いな」 「強い、ですか?」 「ああ。君は強いよ。俺は、いつも逃げてばかりだ」 「蓮見様......」 「美咲の時もそう。結局2人のためって言いながら、2人から逃げてただけだった。その方が楽だったから」 「違います。いえ、そうなのかもしれません。でも、蓮見様は逃げてたわけではありません。辛くても2人をずっと見守ってらしたでしょう?それのどこが楽なのですか?」 「......君はそう思うかもしれない。でも俺は逃げてるんだ。今も、ね」 今も、と言う時に蓮見と一瞬だけ目が合い、どきりと心臓が跳び跳ねた。 なに、これ。私は落ち着こうと思い、すっかり冷めてしまった紅茶を口に含む。 「美咲様から、ですか?」 私は少し考えたあと、蓮見に聞く。 いや、それしか考えつかないし。 「いや。美咲はもういいんだ。今は心から美咲を応援してる」 「え?......じゃあ、今は誰から逃げているのですか?」 「......わかんない?」 上目遣いで蓮見が私を見る。 前も思ったけど、蓮見の上目遣いってすごく色っぽい。なんだか、どきどきしてくる。 やっと変な胸の高鳴りが収まったのに。 「わかりません」 蓮見と視線が絡み合う。 心臓の音がうるさい。なんで私、こんなにどきどきしているの? 私の胸の高鳴りがピークに達しようとしたとき、蓮見がふいに目をそらした。 それが少し残念だと思ってしまった自分に戸惑う。 私、本当にどうしちゃったのだろう。 なんか、変だ。 「いずれ、話すよ」 蓮見がぽつりと呟いた一言を私は聞き逃しそうになる。 危ない。しっかりしなくちゃ。 「話してくださる時まで、お待ちしますね」 私は動揺を抑えて、なんとか微笑んだ。 翌日、登校するときに偶然、蓮見と会った。 登校の時に会うことはいつもないのに、珍しいこともあるものだ。 私はきちんと挨拶をする。挨拶は大事だからね! 「おはようございます、蓮見様」 「おはよう」 私たちが和やかに挨拶を交わしている時にそいつは爽やかに登場した。 「おはよう、神楽木さん。......と、奏祐」 「......おはよう、昴」 私は反射的に隠れようとして、蓮見と目が合う。 そして小声で蓮見に言われた。 「逃げるのをやめるんじゃなかったの?」 「いえそのこれは......1年間で鍛え上げられた条件反射といいますか......」 「二人でなに話してるの?僕も混ぜてほしいな」 私がもにょもにょ言い訳をしていると、王子が間に入ってきて、びくっと私の肩があげる。 「いっいえ、なんでもありません。お、おはようございます、東條様」 「おはよう。僕に言えないこと?まさか、僕の悪口とか......」 「そんなまさか......東條様の悪口なんて言えませんわ」 「ええ、当たり前です」 私は真顔で頷く。 王子の悪口なんて言ったら王子のファンたちに闇討ちされちゃうよ......私はまだ生きていたいのだ。 「ハハッ。神楽木さんって面白いね」 「はあ......そうでしょうか?」 「うん。奏祐が気に入るわけだよ」 王子はそう言って挑戦的な目を蓮見に向けた。 なぜそこで蓮見の名前が出るんだろう。 もしかして、王子は蓮見が私のことを好きだと勘違いしてるのだろうか。 誤解を解かなくては!と私が話し出そうとすると、王子が話し出した。 「奏祐とは勝ち負けを交互に繰り返してるけど......今回だけは絶対に負けないから」 「......望むところだ。俺も負けない」 王子と蓮見の間で火花が散る。 あ、やばい。これ私、口挟めないや。 というか、王子に誤解されているけど、蓮見はいいのだろうか? 「姉さん、どうしたの、この状況」 私の後ろからひょっこりと弟が顔を出す。 弟を見て少し安堵した私は、困ったように笑う。 「それが、よくわからないの。東條様が突然負けないと蓮見様に言い出して......」 「ああ......なるほどね......状況は理解したよ。......これは、ちゃんと釘をささないとね......」 ふふ、と弟が王子と蓮見の2人を見て微笑む。 えっと......私の見間違えでしょうか? 弟の微笑みがとても黒く感じたのは。 私は今、心から思う。 誰か、この状況なんとかして。

42 When I finished eating the cake, Hasumi finally arrived. In an unusual disorganized state, he was trying to catch his breath. Different from his usual perfectly worn uniform, Hasumi has a different s.e.x appeal now. I wonder if I've become a pervert; because my eyes ended up going to his exposed collarbone which could be seen from the Y s.h.i.+rt that could be seen from unfastened b.u.t.ton of his s.h.i.+rt? I shouldn't have a collarbone fetish though. "Sorry I got here late." "No. It was time well spent organizing my thoughts." I try to avoid looking at his collarbone as much as possible. When Hasumi sat in front of me, he drank the cold water the shopkeeper brought. The cold water was gone in no time. Had he come in such a hurry? It would have been fine to not hurry though. "What were you thinking about?" "About Tojo-sama." "About Subaru, you say.......have you put your thoughts in order?" "Yes. I'll stop running away." Firmly looking at Hasumi's eyes, I said flatly. To make him understand that it was a hard decision for me. "I was running away from the thing called love. I thought that, if I were to fall in love, I would become the manga's main character heroine, I was scared to not be myself anymore. However, exactly because I'm scared, nothing will be solved by running away. That's why, I'll stop running away." ".......ah, now that you say it......you were the heroine of a manga, mh......." For a moment, Hasumi averted his eyes and whispered that. I can hear you!! So you'd forgotten! Even though it took me a lot of courage to say it! No, that doesn't matter. It's not good, but I'll put this aside for now. "So, you said that you'll stop avoiding Subaru?" Hasumi got a grip on himself and looked at me. Looking at him too, I nodded. When our eyes met, Hasumi's eyes shook as if bewildered, and then he turned his eyes away. ".....I see. You've already decided then." "Yes." "You're... a strong person." "Strong, you say?" "Yeah. You are a strong person. While I always run away." "Hasumi-sama......." "Like that time with Miku. While saying that I was doing it for their sake, in the end I was only running away. Because that way it was easier." "That's wrong. No, it may have been so. However, it wasn't like Hasumi-sama was running away. Even though it was tough, you continued to watch over them, right? So which part of that was easy?" "......you may think so. But I was running away. Even now." The instant he said that, his eyes met mine and my startled heart skipped a beat. What's this? Wanting to calm down, I drank a mouthful of the tea that had already gone cold. "From Miku-sama?" After thinking for a bit, I asked Hasumi. No, I can only think of that. "No. Now I'm fine about Miku. Now I support her from the bottom of my heart." "Eh?......then, from whom are you running away from now?" "......you don't get it?" Hasumi looked at me with upturned eyes. I did think so before too; but, Hasumi's upturned eyes have a tremendous s.e.x appeal. It somehow made my heart pound. Just when my heart finally had calmed down too. "I don't get it." Hasumi's eyes become entangled. The sound of my heart is loud. Why am I feeling such palpitations? When the violent throbbing of my chest was reaching its peak, Hasumi suddenly averted his eyes. I who ended up thinking that it was a pity, was perplexed at myself for that thought. I wonder what happened to me? Somehow, I feel strange. "I will tell you, someday." I almost missed the words Hasumi muttered in a sigh. That was dangerous. I must get a grip on myself. "I'll wait for when you're ready to tell me then." I held down my agitation and somehow managed to smile. The next day, I met Hasumi by chance while I was going to school. We had never met while going to school, so it's rare. I'll properly greet him, because greetings are important, you know! "Good morning, Hasumi-sama." "Morning." When we were exchanging mild greetings, that person freshly made his appearance. "Morning, Kaguragi-san. .....and, Sousuke." "......morning, Subaru." When I was going to hide as a conditional reflex, I met eyes with Hasumi. And Hasumi told me in a low voice. "Didn't you say that you would stop running away?" "No, that, this is......what you would call a conditional reflex that I had trained for over a year......" "What are you two talking about? Let me partic.i.p.ate too." When I was about to fumble an excuse, the prince cut in the s.p.a.ce between us and suddenly put his hand on my shoulder. "N-nothing, it's nothing. G-good morning, Tojo-sama." "Morning. Is it something you can't tell me? Don't tell me, it's something bad about me......" "It's no such thing......I wouldn't talk badly about Tojo-sama." "Yes, obviously." I nodded with a serious face. If I were to badmouth the prince, the prince's fans would attack me under the cover of darkness.......and I still want to live. "Haha. Kaguragi-san is interesting." "Ha......is that so?" "Un. Sousuke feels the same too, you know." The prince, as he said so, turned his eyes to Hasumi. Why did Hasumi's name come out there? Did the prince perhaps misunderstand that Hasumi likes me? I must solve this misunderstanding! But, when I tried to speak, the prince continued. "I've lost and won repeatedly against Sousuke, but.....I absolutely won't lose this time." ".....as you wish. I won't lose too." A spark scattered between the prince and Hasumi. Ah, c.r.a.p. I can't open my mouth like this. More importantly, is Hasumi okay being misunderstood by the prince? "Neesan, what's with this situation." My little brother's face suddenly appeared behind me. Feeling a bit relieved in seeing him, I laughed as if troubled. "I don't really understand that. Tojo-sama suddenly said "I won't lose" to Hasumi-sama......" "Aah......I see.....I understand the situation. ......as for this, if I don't give them a proper warning....." Fufu, said my little brother while looking at them with a smile. Ehm.....is it just my imagination? I feel like my little brother's smile is incredibly dark. Now, from the bottom of my heart, I thought. Someone, please, do something about this situation.

16 私は思わぬ美咲様からの一言に、口に含んだお茶を吹き出しそうになったが、気力で堪えた。 ちょっと待って。なにをどうしたらそんな解釈が生まれるのですか美咲様。 「あら、違ったかしら......?」 「違います。私は蓮見様のことをなんとも思っておりません」 恋愛のれの字もないんです。彼とは顔見知り以上友達未満な関係なんです。 「そうなの......残念だわ」 美咲様が本当に残念そうに言った。 期待に応えられなくてごめんなさい。でも彼を好きになる予定は今後一切ないんですの、ごめんあそばせ。おほほほほ。 私は変なテンションで心の中で答える。 「どうして、私が蓮見様のことをその......す、好きだと思ったんですか?」 蓮見のことが好き、と言うのが嫌すぎて噛んでしまった。 美咲様の前なのに、恥ずかしい。 畜生。蓮見め。と私は心の中でここにはいない蓮見に八つ当たりをする。 「そうねぇ......女の勘、かしら。でも、外れてしまったみたいね」 ふふ、とおかしそうに美咲様は笑う。 「最近ね、奏祐が楽しそうなの」 「蓮見様が、ですか?」 私にはとても楽しそうには見えないが。 「昴も言ってたわ、最近の奏祐は楽しそうだって。きっと、神楽木さんのお陰ね」 「私?」 「そう。この間、3人で一緒にケーキを食べた時、奏祐がとてもいきいきしていていつもより楽しそうだったわ。私といても、奏祐少しも楽しそうじゃないんだもの......だからあの時、すごく嬉しかったの」 蓮見......!美咲様に誤解されてるぞ!? ああ、報われない蓮見に涙が零れそうだ......。 「......もしかしたら奏祐は私のこと......ううん、気のせいね」 「水無瀬さん......」 美咲様は気付いているのか......蓮見の気持ちに。 でも知らない顔をしているのだ。蓮見が望んでないし、きっと美咲様も知らない顔をしていた方が楽だから。 「ちょっと前までずっと浮かない顔をしていたけれど、最近はなにか吹っ切れたみたいにスッキリした顔をしているの」 「そうですか......」 「奏祐は、あなたの話をする時、すごくいきいきとした顔をして楽しそうなのよ。女の子の話なんてするような人じゃないのに」 「...............」 それって、私、女の子扱いされてない証拠じゃないだろうか。 “女の子”だと思われてないから、話すのだ。そんな気がしてならないが、気づかないふりをしよう。 その方が私のためになる気がする。 いや、だって、女の子扱いされてないとか、悲しいじゃないか。だって私、ちゃんと女の子だし。女の子してるし。 「ふふ......あなたは本当におもしろいわ。奏祐の言っていた通りの人ね」 「はあ......そうですか」 「神楽木さん......いえ、凛花さんとお呼びしてもいいかしら」 「ええ、もちろんですわ」 「ありがとう。私のことも美咲と呼んでほしいわ」 「え。いいんですか?」 「もちろんよ」 美咲様はにっこりと笑った。 内心、ぐっと拳を握って喜んだ。 美咲様に、名前呼びの許可を頂いてしまった!すごく嬉しい! 「凛花さんは、昴が苦手なんですって?」 私が心の中で、拳を振り上げ小躍りをしていると、美咲様がふいに王子の話を振ってきた。 「ええ......実はそうなんです」 私は申し訳なさそうな表情を作りつつ答えた。 「ですので、出来れば東條様に私のことを話さないで欲しいのです。東條様に興味を持たれても困るので......」 「わかってるわ。凛花さんのことを昴に話す気はないから安心なさって。ふふ、秘密の友達みたいね」 私は100%本音を美咲様に言う。失礼かとは思ったが、美咲様にはあまり嘘をつきたくないのだ。 気を悪くされるかと思ったが、美咲はそんな様子もなく、柔らかく微笑んでいた。 私はそんな美咲様の様子にホッとしつつ、秘密の友達という響きに酔いしれそうになる。 いけない。調子に乗ってはだめだ。私が調子に乗るとろくな目に遭わない。 「たぶん気づいているとは思うけれど......私は、昴が好きなの。でも、昴は私を“女”として意識してくれないの......やっぱり幼馴染みだから、異性として認識してもらえないのかしら......」 少し顔を赤くして言う美咲様は、とても可愛らしかった。 私が男なら惚れたね、絶対。 なんでこんなに素敵な幼馴染みがすぐ傍にいるのに好きにならないんだ、王子は。もったいない。 「そうですね......やっぱり幼い頃からずっと一緒にいると異性として意識し辛いのかもしれません」 私は生真面目な顔で言った。美咲様はそれにちょっと落ち込んだように言う。 私は美咲様を励ますように、明るい声を出す。 「ですので、意識させてあげれば良いのですわ」 「どうやって?」 「もうすぐ夏ですね」 「え?ええ......そうね」 「知っていますか、夏にはカップルが生まれやすいイベントがたくさんあることを」 私はにやり、と笑った。 きっと悪どい顔になっているだろう。 「夏祭り、花火大会、プールにバーベキュー、肝試し。夏は吊り橋効果が期待できるイベントが目白押しですのよ」 「まぁ、そんなにイベントあるのね」 「そうなのです。ところで、美咲様と東條様は二人きりでお出掛けをされたことはありますか?」 「......無いわ」 「では、夏のイベントの前の予行練習として、東條様をデートに誘ってみてはいかがですか」 「でも......私から誘っていいのかしら」 「いいのです。今の時代の流れは肉食系女子ですし。なにか観たい映画があるなら、その映画を観に行きたいから付き合って、と言えば簡単にお誘いできますよ」 「なるほど......」 私の考えに美咲様は真剣な表情で頷く。 私も生真面目な顔で頷き返す。 そしてプリンを手に取り、甘味を補充する。 頭を使った後にはやっぱ甘い物だね。疲れた脳に甘味が染み渡る気がする。 美咲様もつられるようにプリンを一口食べた。 プリンを口に含むと、美咲様はたちまち笑顔になった。 プリン、気に入って頂けたようですね? それから私達は細かいデートの打ち合わせをし、日にちを決めたあとは、美咲様のクローゼットを開いてファッションショーを開催した。 テーマは夏のデートだ。 ちょっと気が早いかもしれないけれど、いくつか着ていく服の組み合わせを決めておけば前日や当日に焦らずに済む。 あれをこうして、いや、やっぱりこっちで、なんて話しているうちに時間はあっと言う間に過ぎていった。 また一段と美咲様と仲良くなれた気がする。 今日はとても充実した幸せな1日だった。

16 The words I didn't think I'd hear from Miku-sama almost made me spurt out my tea, but I endured with all my willpower. Wait a second. What and how was such an interpretation born, Miku-sama? "Oh my, am I wrong.......?" "That's wrong. I don't feel anything towards Hasumi-sama." I don't feel even a fraction of love. Our relations.h.i.+p is just on the level of knowing each other faces and being less than friends. "Is that so......That's a pity." Said Miku-sama looking really regretful. I'm sorry for not giving the answer that met your expectations. But I don't have the plan to fall in love with him even in the future, so let me decline. Ohohohoho. I replied to her in my mind with a strange tension. "Why did you think that I, I......li-like Hasumi-sama?" I hate to say the word like so much that I ended up fumbling on it. I'm even in front of Miku-sama, so embarra.s.sing. d.a.m.n it. d.a.m.n Hasumi. And here inside my mind where there isn't Hasumi, I had an outburst of anger. "Well......a woman's intuition, perhaps. But it looks like I was off the mark." , Miku-sama laughed as if she found it funny. "You know, recently Sousuke looks like he is having fun." "Hasumi-sama is?" To me it didn't look like he was having so much fun though. "Subaru said this too, that 'Sousuke seems to be having fun recently'. It surely is thanks to Kaguragi-san." "Me?" "Yes. During all this time, when the three of us eat cakes, Sousuke was very lively and looked to be having more fun than usual. Even to me, he isn't a person that looks like he would enjoy it......That's why at that time, I was really happy." Hasumi......! You are being misunderstood by Miku-sama you know!? Aah, I feel like tears will fall for the unrequited Hasumi....... ".......don't tell me Sousuke towards me feels.....un, must be my imagination." "Minase-san......." Miku-sama has noticed.....about Hasumi's feelings. But now, I know a side of him I didn't before. Though Hasumi doesn't wish for it, he must be more at ease too in showing Miku-sama a side of him she doesn't know of. "Since before he always had that uncheerful face, but recently he has had a refreshed expression, as though he was freed from something." "Is that so......." "When Sousuke talks about you, he makes a really lively face and looks to be enjoying himself. And he isn't even the type of person that would talk about girls." "..............." Well, isn't that the evidence that he isn't treating me as a girl? Because he isn't thinking of me as a "girl", that's why he talk. I don't have that impression but, let's pretend I didn't notice. I feel like that's better for me. No, I mean, isn't it sad to not be treated like a girl? I mean, I'm a proper girl. I know I'm a girl. "Fufu.....you really are interesting. You are like Sousuke described." "Haa.....is that so." "Kaguragi-san.....no, is it fine if I call you Rinksan?" "Yes, of course." "Thank you. I would like you'd call me Miku too." "Eh. Is it okay?" "Of course." Miku-sama smiled sweetly. Inside me I made a gut pose from the happiness. I received Miku-sama's permission to call her by name! I'm so happy! "Rinksan doesn't feel good towards Subaru?" When I had my hand raised overhead and was dancing from joy inside, Miku-sama suddenly turned over to talk about the prince. "Yes......actually, it's like this." I responded with an apologetic expression. "That's why, if possible I would like you to not talk about me to Tojo-sama. I'll be troubled if he were to get interested in me." "I understand. Don't worry I won't tell Subaru about Rinksan. Fufu, it's like I'm having a secret friend." I was 100 percent honest to Miku-sama. I thought it rude, but I really don't want to lie to Miku-sama. I thought she'd think badly of me but Miku-sama didn't, and just softly smiled. While feeling relieved by that I got intoxicated by the echo of the word 'secret friend'. No good. Getting ahead of myself is bad. When I do I always meet bad experiences. "You probably already know but......I am in love with Subaru. However, Subaru won't consider me as a 'woman'......I think it's because we're childhood friends, I wonder if he'll ever consider me as a member of the opposite s.e.x......" Miku-sama, that had become red, was very lovely. If I was a man, I would have fallen for her, absolutely. Prince, ah, why won't you fall in love with such a lovely childhood friend that is so near you. Wasteful. "Right.....it might be difficult to see you as someone of the opposite s.e.x because you are childhood friends that have been always together." I said that with a serious face. At that Miku-sama become a bit depressed. To encourage Miku-sama I showed a bright voice. "That's why it will be good if he'll become conscious of you." "How?" "Soon it will be summer." "Eh? Yes.....That's right." "Don't you know? There are a lot of easy events in summer were couples are born." I maliciously laughed. I must have had a villainous face right now. "Summer festival, firework festival, pool and barbecue, test of courage, etc. Summer is a jostling of events that can create a suspension bridge effect." "Well, there are so many events, right..." "That's right. By the way, has Miku-sama and Tojo-sama ever gone out just the two of you?" "......never." "Then, before the summer events, why not invite Tojo-sama out for a date to practice?" "But......is it okay if I am the one to invite him?" "It's fine. This era is overflowing with carnivorous women. If you have a movie you want to see then say, 'there's a movie I want to go watch, so accompany me,' and you'll be able to easily invite him." "I see......." Miku-sama nodded with a serious expression at my idea. I too, returned her nod with a serious face. And then I took the pudding and replenished myself with sweetness. After using one's head, you absolutely need sweets things, right? I feel like my brain was soaked in sweetness. As if she was dragged in, Miku-sama took a mouthful of pudding too. When she had a mouthful of pudding, Miku-sama smiled at once. It seems like the pudding is to her taste? And then, we did a small preparatory meeting for the date, after deciding the day, opening Miku-sama's closet we held a fas.h.i.+on show. The theme is 'Summer date'. It might be a bit too early, but we should decide on several clothes combinations now so that we wouldn't need to hurry the day before the date. 'This should be like this, no, as expected better than the other,' while having such conversations, the time pa.s.sed in the blink of an eye. I feel like I get along with Miku-sama even more. Today was a really fulfilling and happy day.

48 遠足の翌日、私は学校が休みなのをいいことに、部屋に引き籠もった。 弟がとても心配そうな顔をしていたが、私は大丈夫だからと、弟を遠ざけた。 とにかく今は1人で考えたい。1人にさせて欲しかった。 遠足の時の事を思い出すと、胸がきゅぅっとする。 私は、蓮見に告白されたのだ。あの蓮見に。 告白されて、正直、戸惑った。 だって、蓮見は私にとってはただの友達で、恋愛対象じゃなかったのだ。私は蓮見が好きなのは、美咲様だと思い込んでいたのだ。 なんで私なのだろう? 私、蓮見の前では変な行動ばかり取っていたのに。 好かれる要素なんてなかったはずだ。 なのに、どうして? ちがう。そんなことを考えても無駄だ。私は蓮見ではないのだから、なぜ好きになったのかなんてわかるはずがない。 ただ、私は蓮見に告白されて、戸惑いの方が強かったけれど、でも、嬉しいとも、感じたのだ。 だって蓮見は、私の表面だけを見て好きになったわけではないと思うから。 そもそも、私は蓮見を異性としてあまり意識していなかったと思う。 まあ、確かにときめいたりもしたが、それはアイドルを見ているような、好きなキャラクターの行動に胸がときめいているような感覚で、蓮見を異性だと意識はしていなかった。 ―――ちゃんと俺を見て。漫画の登場人物じゃなくて、目の前にいる俺を見て。 そう言った蓮見の言葉が脳裏に過る。 この台詞を聞いたとき、私は心臓を撃ち抜かれたような痛みを感じた。 蓮見は、私の気持ちを、見抜いていた。 私は頭のどこかで、蓮見のことを“ に出てきた人たちを、よく知ろうと、見ようとしなかった。 知ってるから、わかっているからと、今私の周りにいる人達をちゃんと知ろうとしなかった。 私は、私の周りにいる人達を、“現実”にいる人として、見ていなかったのだ。 私、なんて最低なんだろう。 友達だと言いながら、ちゃんとその友達を見ていなかっただなんて。 「私、本当にバカだ......」 声に出すと、その重みに胸がずんとする。 逃げるのをやめる、なんて言っておきながら、私は無意識に逃げていたのだ。 ここは現実の世界じゃない、漫画の世界なんだと。 認めないといけない。 ここは“現実”なのだと。 漫画と違うことだって、たくさんあるのだ。 私は1つずつ、私の周りにいる人達を思い出す。 王子とはまだそんなに親しいわけではないからよくわからないけど、漫画みたいにただキラキラしている人じゃないことはわかった。 美咲様は、漫画では凛としていて、カッコいいイメージが強かったけど、以外とお茶目で、とても可愛らしい面もある。私は漫画の美咲様より、美咲様が好きだ。 飛鳥は、漫画では生真面目で堅物なイメージで、まあ、実際そうだったんだけど、ちゃんと融通もきく、しっかりした人だった。あまり漫画とのブレは感じないが、彼が和菓子作りが得意だというのは、漫画では描かれていなかった。 朝斐さんは、漫画ではすごく頼れるお兄さんだったのに、現実は彼女とののろけ話ばかりするガッカリさんだ。殴りたくなるレベルでうざい。漫画では彼女はいなかった。 弟は、漫画ではただの姉思いの弟だった。今でもそうだけど、なんだか最近の弟は、黒くなってきた気がする。ここが漫画と違うところだろうか。 蓮見は、漫画では美咲様を影から応援する、優しい人だった。その優しさ故に、 実際は、皮肉屋で、照れ屋で、普段は優しさなんてなにも感じないけど、大事な時は気遣ってくれる人だ。 ホラーが苦手で、お菓子作りが上手。 どの人も、漫画では描かれてなかったことを、私はたくさん知っている。 私は、ちゃんと現実として、受け止められる。 私は、みんな大好きだ。面倒くさいと感じることもあるけれど、それでも私はみんな好きだ。 ―――俺は、君のことが好きなんだ。 ふいに、蓮見の言葉が再生される。 ちょっと待って。 凛花は、王子に迫られて、飛鳥に告白されて、王子と飛鳥の間をフラフラして、どっちつかずな行動を卒業間際まで続けた。 凛花は王子に迫られつつも、王子から直接好きだと言われてないから、王子が自分の事を好きだと確信できなくて、すれ違って、そのたびに飛鳥に優しくされて、心を揺さぶられるのだ。 ―――私、東條様と飛鳥くん、どっちが好きなの? なんて自問しちゃう女の子なのだ。 いや、私は別に王子のことなんてなんとも思ってないし、蓮見はただの友達だ。菓子友だ。 でも、心境はともかく、状況は似てる。 と同じ道を歩んでしまっていたのだ。 私って、鈍感なのだろうか。これがヒロインの宿命か。 いや、でも今思い返せば、蓮見が私を好意を抱いているような行動はあった気がする。 ただ、私はその時、蓮見は美咲様が好きだと思い込んでいたから、少し違和感を感じつつも気のせいだと思っていたのだ。 と同じじゃないか! 「まじかぁ!!!」 私は思わず思い切り叫んだ。 すると弟が隣の部屋からどたばたと駆けつけた。 「姉さんどうしたの!?」 勢いよくドアを開けた弟を、私は真っ青な顔をして見つめる。 「悠斗......私、鈍感なの......」 「は?あ、うん......そうだね」 私に駆け寄った弟が、戸惑った顔で頷く。 私は弟が頷いたのを見て、やっぱりそうだったんだ、とショックを受けた。 「あのね......私、鈍感をやめるわ」 「はぁ?」 「鈍感をやめて、察しの良い女になるの......!」 「.........無理だろ」 私は弟が呟いた一言を聞き逃したことに気付かず、拳を握りしめて言った。 「私、がんばるわ。悠斗、応援してね......!」 「......うん。がんばれ。オレはもうなにも言わない......」 心配して損したとがっくり肩を落とす弟に気付かず、私は決意を固める。 まずは蓮見にきちんと私の気持ちを伝えるのだ。 私はさっそく月曜日に行動を起こした。 生徒会活動のあと、蓮見と2人きりで話す機会を作ってもらった。 放課後の誰もいない生徒会室で、私と蓮見は向かい合った。 「話ってなに」 「遠足の時の話です。私、きちんと蓮見様に私の気持ちを伝えたくて」 「返事は要らないって、言ったよね?」 私は真剣な顔で、蓮見の目をまっすぐ見て、言った。 蓮見はただ、私の顔を見つめて、諦めたように頷く。 「私、蓮見様のこと、友達として好きですわ。でも恋愛対象として見たことはありませんの」 「......知っている。だから、諦めてほしいって?」 私は静かに頷く。 すると、蓮見の目に昏い火が灯った。 「俺は諦めない。言ったでしょ、逃げるのはやめるって」 ダンっと、蓮見の手が壁に当たる。 2度目の壁ドンだ。 でも、どうしてだろう。今はなぜか、胸が苦しい。 「俺は、君を振り向かせるって決めたんだ。例え君に好きな人ができても、諦める気はない」 「......どうしてそこまで私を......?」 「......俺も、君みたいな変な子に惹かれるなんて、思ってなかったよ。でも、気づいたら惹かれてた」 変な子って言ったよ。それって好きな人に言う台詞か? 「このまま、君を奪ってしまいたいくらいには、好きだよ」 蓮見は私の耳元て囁く。 ぞわりとして、私は顔が赤くなるのを感じた。 知らない。こんな蓮見、私は知らない。 私が知っている蓮見はいつも無表情で、皮肉ばかり言っていて......。 「俺の本気、伝わった?」 蓮見が私の顔を覗きこむ。 私はそんな蓮見の顔を直視できなくて、視線をそらして頷くだけで精一杯だった。 どうやら、私の周りにいる人たちは、まだまだ私の知らない一面があるようだ。 とにかく、私は今日、蓮見に負けたのだと思った。 蓮見が勝ち誇った笑みを浮かべているから。

48 The day after the outing was a day of resting, and I holed myself up in my room. My little brother made a really worried face; but I said that I was okay and kept my distance from him. At any rate, I want to be alone to think right now. I wanted to be left alone. When I recall the day of the trip, my heart goes Kyun. I was confessed to, by Hasumi. By that Hasumi. Honestly, I was bewildered at being confessed to. Because, I mean, Hasumi to me is just a friend, not a romance target. The thought that I like Hasumi was instilled in me by Miku-sama. I wonder, why me? In front of Hasumi, I practically only do weird things. There must have not been even a single likeable thing. Even so, why? That's wrong. It's futile to think about such a thing. I am not Hasumi, so there's no way I could understand why he likes me. It's just that, being confessed to by him made me strongly confused; but, I also felt happy at the same time. Because, I think that he didn't come to like me just from my outside appearance. In the first place, I realize that I don't have much consciousness of him as a person of the opposite s.e.x. Well, he certainly made my heart throb; but I saw him like an idol, a character's behaviour that I like that made my heart throb, I wasn't conscious of him as a member of the opposite s.e.x. ------Look at me properly. Not as a main character of a manga, look at the me that is in front of your eyes. These words that Hasumi said came to my mind. When I heard these words my heart felt pain as if it was pierced through. Hasumi saw through me. Somewhere in my head, I was seeing Hasumi as a main character of the manga [Sekakoi]. Because I arrived in a manga [Sakakoi], I didn't try to know the people in it. Because I knew and understood it, I never tried to know the people around me. Because, I didn't see the people around me as "real". How disgusting I am? While saying that I am their friend, I wasn't properly looking at them. "I truly am stupid....." When I said that, my heart continued to feel it's weight. Even when I said that I'd stop running away, I still continued to do it unconsciously. That this isn't the real world, but the world of a manga. I can't continue to not admit it. This place is "reality". There are many things that are different from the manga. I remembered each and every person around me. I'm not really that close with the prince, so I don't know him well; but, I understand that he isn't just a sparkling guy like in the manga. Miku-sama, is dignified and her cool image is strong; but, she unexpectedly has a playful side. I like this Miku-sama more than the Miku-sama from the manga. Asuka, had a really serious and stubborn image in the manga; well, he is really like this, but he'd properly hear you out and is a level-headed person. I didn't really feel like his image of the manga blurred but, in the manga, it wasn't depicted that he was good at making j.a.panese sweets. And even though Asahi-san was described as an Oniisan that you could really rely on; in reality, he is a person that would only speak about his girlfriend and is a mr. disappointment. He is annoying to the level of wanting to beat him. And in the manga he didn't have a girlfriend. My little brother in the manga was just a little brother that always think about his older sister. It's like this even now; but, somehow, I feel like he has blackened recently. I wonder if this differs from the manga? Hasumi, in the manga was a kind person that helped Miku-sama from the shadows. Because of that, there were moments where he was cold to Rinka [heroine]; but, he was a person that felt worried about Rinka [heroine] too. Actually, he is sarcastic, shy, and usually you wouldn't sense any kindness from him; but at important moments he's a guy that would be concerned about you. He's bad with horror and skillful at making sweets. I know many things that weren't depicted in the manga. I should properly accept this as reality. I really like everyone. Sometimes I think that they are a pain; but even so, I really like them. ------I, like you. Suddenly, Hasumi's words replayed in my head. Wait a moment. The prince pressed closer to Rinka, then she got confessed to by Asuka, tottered between the prince and Asuka, and continued to act vague until graduation. While Rinka was close with the prince, he never confessed because he wasn't sure about his feelings, missing each other's, and in the meantime Rinka got shaken by the kindness Asuka showed her. ------I, who do I like between Tojo-sama and Asukkun? Was what that girl asked herself. No, I don't think anything in particular about the prince, and Hasumi is just a friend. A sweets pal. But, my thoughts apart, the situation is similar. Without being aware I walked in the same path of Rinka [heroine]. Am I that dense? Is this a heroine's fate? No, if I think back, I feel like Hasumi had acted as if he felt good will toward me before. It's just that, at that time, I set in my heart that Hasumi liked Miku-sama; so even when I had that presentiment, I brushed it off as it just being my imagination. Am I not the same as that Rinka [heroine] that I hate?! "You, seriously!!!" I shouted loudly without thinking. At that, my little brother from the room beside mine rushed in quickly. "Neesan, what happened!?" My little brother opened my door with force and looked at my ghastly pale face. "Yuto....am, am I dense......?" "Ha? Ah, un ......yes. " My little brother that had rushed over, nodded with a perplexed face. Seeing my brother nodding, I received a shock, so it really is like this. "Yuto.....I- will stop being dense." "Huh?" "I will stop being dense and become a considerate woman......" "..........that's impossible." Failing to hear what my little brother muttered, tightening my fist I said: "I'll do my best. Yuto, support me okay.....!" "......yeah. Do your best. I won't say any more......" Without noticing my anxious little brother that dropped his shoulders, I hardened my resolve. First, I need to properly tell Hasumi about my feelings. Without further ado, I took action on Monday. After the student council activities, I had an opportunity to talk with Hasumi alone. In the room of the student council, after the end of cla.s.ses, I faced Hasumi. "What did you want to talk about?" "About what you said at the Trip. I wanted to properly tell Hasumi-sama of my feelings." "I did say that I didn't need an answer, right?" I said, looking straight at Hasumi's eyes with a serious face. Hasumi just looked at me and then nodded as though giving up. "I only like Hasumi-sama as a friend. But I never saw you as a love interest." "......I know. That's why you want me to give up?" I quietly nodded. At that, a dark light lit in Hasumi's eyes. "I won't give up. I told you, right? That I wouldn't run away." With a *dan*, Hasumi's hand hit the wall. This is my second kabedon. However, I wonder why? For some reason my heart feels pain. "I decided that I'll make you turn to look at me. Even if you were to find someone you like, I don't feel like giving up." ".......why would you so far for me......?" "......I, too, never thought that I would get attracted to a weirdo like you. But before I noticed it, I was." He said that I am a weirdo. Is that something to say to the person you like? "Right now, I like you to the degree of wanting to steal you." Hasumi whispered in my ear. I distinctly felt my face going bright red. I don't know. I don't know such a Hasumi. The Hasumi that I know is always expressionless and says cynic things...... "Did you get that I am serious?" Hasumi peeked at my face. I wasn't able to look at Hasumi directly--just nodding my head with averted eyes used everything I had. It seemed like the people around me still don't know some part of me. At any rate, I think that I lost to Hasumi today. A triumphant smile is on Hasumi's face.

21 私と弟は美咲様の家に招かれた。 私と弟は例のごとく母に持たされたお土産を手に美咲様の家を訪れた。 今回は美咲様の家の使用人さんが出迎えてくれた。 私たちは使用人さんに案内された部屋に入り、座るように言われた椅子に座る。 椅子は2つしか用意されていない。あれ?美咲様の分が足りない。 私と弟は顔を見合わせる。 使用人に聞こうと思ったが、使用人さんはサッと部屋から出ていってしまった。 残された私と弟が首を傾げていると、トントン、とノックの音がした。 そして入ってきたのは―――― 「いらっしゃいませ、ようこそ、お茶会へ」 ティーセットを手に持った美咲様だった。 いや、ティーセットを手に持っているだけならいいのだ。問題は美咲様の服装だ。 「み、美咲さん......?その格好は、どうなさったの?」 「ふふ。似合っているかしら?」 美咲様が着ているのは、いわゆる、メイド服というやつだ。 白と黒を基調にした装飾の少ない膝上丈のエプロンドレスだ。ヴィクトリアンメイド風だろう。きちんとホワイトブリムまで着けて髪もきっちりとまとめてある。 こんなメイドさんのいるメイド喫茶があったら私は毎日メイド喫茶に通う。絶対通う。そしてオムライスにお絵かきをして貰うのだ。できればツーショット写真も撮ってもらいたい。 「姉さん、現実に戻ってこい」 たちって、どういうこと? 私が首を傾げそうになったとき、タイミングよくノックがされる。 私たちは自然とドアに視線が集まる。 「......失礼します」 そう言って入ってきたのは、蓮見だった。 「ははは、は、す、み......さま......?」 私と弟は蓮見の姿に動揺した。 何故なら蓮見は、執事の格好をしていたから。 しかもいつもは下ろしている前髪をきっちり上げている。 そしてまた、執事の格好がとんでもなく似合うのだ。 まさに有能な執事、といった様である。 クールな外見を活かす姿だ。彼がいる執事喫茶はきっと行列になる。そして蓮見ばかりに指名が集まり、同僚から嫉妬と羨望の眼差しを向けられるに違いない。 しかし、なんてことだ。ここに、天使メイドと有能執事が揃っている。そうか、ここが天国か。 2人揃って並んでいる姿は眼福である。写真撮りたい。 ありがとう、コスプレを生んだ人。 「姉さん......気持ちはわかるけど、戻ってきて」 あまりの衝撃に私はまたしても妄想の世界に旅立ってしまったようだ。 弟が一緒で良かった。弟がいなければ私は一生妄想の世界から帰ってこれなかっただろう。 「お2人共......どうしてそのような格好をされているのですか?」 「ちょっとした、お礼よ」 「お礼?」 私はなにか美咲様たちにお礼をされるようなことをしただろうか?逆ならあるが、お礼をしてもらえるようなことをした記憶はない。 「心当たりがないって顔をしているわね。あなたに心当たりはないかもしれないけれど、私たちにはあるのよ。だから、今日は私たちに精一杯おもてなしをさせて頂戴ね?」 「はあ......わかりました」 「悠斗君は、受験勉強を一生懸命頑張っていると凛花さんから聞いているわ。だから、今日は骨休めに私たちに付き合ってほしいの。あなたは来年、私たちの後輩になる子だもの、今のうちから交流しても損はないと思わないかしら?」 「まあ、確かに......そうですね」 「それに、凛花さん自慢の弟を見てみたかった、というのもあるの」 「美咲さん......!」 私と弟は2人揃って照れた。 いや、事実だけどね。やっぱり本人の目の前で言われるのは恥ずかしいじゃないか。 「さあ、お茶会を始めましょう」 美咲様は楽しそうに、紅茶を淹れ出す。 蓮見も美咲様に倣い、紅茶を淹れ出した。 私の紅茶を蓮見が、弟の紅茶を美咲様が淹れる。 「お召し上がりくださいませ、ご主人様」 私と弟は飲みかけていた紅茶を吹き出しそうになった。 ゲホゲホとむせる私たち姉弟の背中を、美咲様は心配そうに、蓮見はいつも通りの無表情で擦ってくれた。 「み、美咲さん?」 「なんでしょうか、お嬢様?」 美咲様は楽しそうだ。美咲様が楽しそうでなにより、といつもなら思えるが、今日は無理だ。 「こういうことをどこで知ったのですか?」 「周りのお友達が話しているのを聞いたのよ。流行ってるんですってね」 誰だ、美咲様に要らん知識を与えた奴は。私が天罰をくだしてやる。 メイドの格好をして、普通にお茶を淹れてくれるだけなら、まあいい。 でも、ご主人様呼びはだめだ。アウトだ。私の気持ち的に。 美咲様は私の憧れなのだ。憧れの人にご主人様と言われて喜ぶのは、そういう世界の人だけだ。 私は、無理だ。そういう世界に足を突っ込む気はない。 「美咲さん......ご主人様って言うのはやめてもらえないでしょうか......」 「どうして?なにか、おかしかったかしら......」 おかしいです。大いにおかしいです。美咲様が言って良い言葉じゃありません。 とは、落ち込んでいる様子の美咲様には言えない。 「おかしいと言いますか......違和感を感じると言いますか......弟も衝撃のあまり固まってしまいましたわ......私たちの心の安寧のためにも、ご主人様はやめてくださいお願いしますご主人様以外なら大丈夫ですので!」 「そう......?残念だわ......」 残念そうにしながらも、美咲様は諦めてくれたようだ。よかった。 美咲様のご主人様呼びを止めている間に、蓮見は小さいワゴンを持ってきていた。 いつの間に。蓮見がいなくなったのに気付かなかったぞ、私は。さすが有能執事だ。 どもが揃えたケーキでございます。お嬢様、お好きな物を遠慮なくお申し付けください」 聞き慣れない蓮見の丁寧な口調に、今度は私がフリーズした。 え?この目の前にいる人、だれ? え?蓮見?これ、蓮見なの?まじか。 固まっている私を見て、蓮見はため息をついた。実に不満そうだ。 しかし、私に石化の魔法をかけたのは君なんだぞ。 「私のお勧めは、こちらのアップルパイでございます。お嬢様、もし決まらないようでしたら、是非こちらをお召し上がりくださいませ」 「え、じゃ、じゃあそれを頂きます......」 私が辛うじてそう答えると、蓮見はにっこりと笑顔を浮かべた。今まで1度もそんな笑顔見たことないんですけど、もしかして、これ営業スマイルか? そこまで執事になりきるか!? 蓮見は切り分けてあったアップルパイを1切れ皿に乗せて、私の前に置いた。 その動作がいちいち優雅で、本物の執事のようだった。 本当に、蓮見ってなんでもできるな、と私は半ば感心して、取って貰ったアップルパイを一口食べた。 「美味しい......!」 思わず私は笑顔を浮かべる。 蓮見がお勧めと言ったアップルパイは、今まで食べたアップルパイの中で1番美味しかった。 パイ生地のパリパリとした食感と苦味、林檎のフィリングの甘味と酸味が絶妙に合わさって、本当に美味しい。これならホールで......いや、いけない。ここは余所の家なのだ。我が家ではない。だからホール食いはだめだ。はしたないと母に叱られる。 「良かった」 笑顔でアップルパイを食べている私を見て、蓮見は微笑みを浮かべて安心したように言った。 「このアップルパイ、とても美味しいです。どこのアップルパイなんですか?家でも食べたいですわ」 蓮見は少し困ったように口ごもる。 どうしたのだろう。蓮見らしくない。 そんな蓮見を見た美咲様がくすくすと笑っている。 笑っている美咲様を蓮見は軽く睨む。 うん、仲良いな。仲良きことは良いことかな。 「これは......その......俺が作ったんだよ......」 やっと口を開いた蓮見から聞いた衝撃の事実。 なんですと......これを蓮見が作った......だと? 私はうっかり、ぽかん、と口を開いて蓮見を見た。 すかさず横から「口閉じて」と叱責を受けるが、私はそれどころじゃなかった。 だって、このアップルパイを蓮見が作っただなんて信じられるか?答えは否だ。 本当ならプロ顔負けの腕前だ。すぐにパティシエになって店を開けるレベルだ。 私は弟に無理矢理口を閉ざされるのも気にせずじっと蓮見を見続けた。ちょっと息苦しい。 蓮見は居心地悪そうにしている。 そんな蓮見の様子に、私はまじか、と心の中で絶叫した。 「このワゴンに並んでいる物は全部奏祐が作ったのよ」 美咲様は未だに笑いが収まらないようで、笑いながら言った。 え?これ全部、蓮見が作ったの? 弟もびっくりしたように蓮見を見ていた。驚いたせいか、私の口を閉ざしていた手が離れた。よし、これで口から息ができる。 私はすかさず蓮見にワゴンに並んでいる物を1つずつ取ってもらうように頼む。 ワゴンに乗っていたお菓子は、クッキー、フィナンシェ、マフィン、パウンドケーキ、アップルパイの5種類である。 私は先に食べたアップルパイ以外も食べる。 ......どれも美味しい。 どうしよう、なんか蓮見の方が私より女子力高い気がする。いつもハンカチ持ってるし。 なんなんだ、この敗北感は。

21 My brother and I were invited to Miku-sama's home. As per custom, we came to Miku-sama's house with a present chosen by our mother in our hands. This time, it was her housekeeper that came to greet us. We were guided by the servant to a room and told to sit. There were only 2 chairs available. Huh? Miku-sama's chair is missing. My brother and I looked at each other. I thought of asking the servant, but they had quickly left the room. Left behind, we t.i.tled our heads, ton ton, we heard knocking on the door. And the person that came was--------- "Welcome, welcome to the tea party." Miku-sama with a tea set in her hands. If she just had the tea set, then it would've been fine. The problem is her clothes. "Mi-miku-san......? What's with these clothes?" "Fufu. Does it suit me?" What Miku-sama was wearing is the so called maid uniform. A knee length ap.r.o.n dress with a white and black colour base, and a few ornaments. Victorian maid style. A white brim was precisely fixed on her hair. If such a maid was in a maid cafe, I would go there everyday. Definitely go there,and then make her draw on my omurice, and if possible, take a photo with her. "Neesan, come back to reality." What does she mean by, "we?" When I was about to tilt my head, a knock sounded at the right time. Our eyes naturally moved to the door. "......pardon my intrusion." The person that said so, and entered, was Hasumi. "Hhhha, su, mi......sama......?" At Hasumi's appearance, my brother and I made a commotion. Because, Hasumi was wearing a butler suit. Moreover, the bangs that were usually down, were neatly combed back. And then again, the butler uniform unbelievably suited him. He really looked like a capable butler. He had cool appearance. If he were to work in a maid cafe, I'm sure that people would line up, only Hasumi's name would spread, and there's no mistake that he would receive jealousy and envy from his co-workers. However, what a thing. An angelic maid and a capable butler are gathered here. I see, this must be paradise. When they are next to each other like this, they are a sight for sore eyes. I want to take a photo. Thank you, person that gave birth to cosplay. "Neesan......I understand your feelings, but come back." It seems like the shock was too much and I went on a trip to the world of delusions again. I'm glad I'm with my little brother. If it weren't for him, I would remain in the world of delusions and never come back. "You two.....why are you dressed like that?" "To thank you a little." "Thank us?" Have I done something to be thanked for by Miku-sama? If it was the other way around, then yes, but I have no memories of doing something deserving of thanks. "You're making a face that says you are clueless. You might not know, but we do. So, let us entertain you today, okay?" "Ha......okay." "Yuto, I heard that, you are giving your all to study for the entrance exam, from Rinksan. That's why, I'd like you to relax and stay with us. Next year, you'll become our kohai, don't you think there's no disadvantage to interacting with us now?" "Well, indeed.... You're right" "Besides that, I wanted to see the little brother Rinksan is proud of." "Miku-san......!" The two of us became shy. Iya, it's true but, I feel embarra.s.sed having the person himself hear it in front of me. "Now, let's begin our tea party." Miku-sama looking to be having fun, made tea. Hasumi, imitating Miku-sama, brewed tea too. Hasumi brewed my tea, while Miku-sama did my brother's. "Bon appet.i.t, master." When we were about to drink, we almost spat out the tea. Miku-sama looked worriedly at us siblings, who were choking with a, gehogeho, while Hasumi, with his usual expressionless face, stroked our backs. "Mi-miku-san?" "What is it, ojou-sama?" Miku-sama looked to be having fun. Usually, I would think that the most important thing is for Miku-sama to be happy, but today that is impossible. "Where did you hear of such a thing?" "I heard of this from my friends. It's quite popular it seems." Who, who's the fellow that gave Miku-sama needless knowledge? I'll give that person divine punishment. If she just were to serve us tea with a maid outfit, it would still be okay. However, saying master is no good. It's out. For my feelings. Miku-sama is the person I admire. Only people within that world, would feel happy in being called master. It's impossible for me. And I don't feel like stepping in that world. "Miku-san.....would you please stop saying master......" "Why? Did I do something weird....." It's strange. Very strange. It's not something good that Miku-sama should say. Though, I can't say this to the actually depressed Miku-sama. "I wouldn't say it's weird.....but, I feel a sense of incompatibility.......my little brother stiffened from the shock......so, for the peace of our minds, please don't say master, besides that, everything is alright!" "Really.....? What a pity......" Even when looking regretful, she gave up. Thank G.o.d. In the meantime, we stopped Miku-sama from saying master, Hasumi transported a small wagon. Before anyone noticed. I didn't notice Hasumi who wasn't here. As expected from a capable butler. "These are the cakes I personally selected. Ojou-sama, choose the ones you prefer without hesitation." This time, I was the one to freeze because of the polite tone I'm not accustomed to hearing from Hasumi. Eh? Who is this person in front of me? Eh? Hasumi? This is Hasumi? Are you serious? Looking at the stiffened me, Hasumi sighed. Looking really dissatisfied. However, the person that put a petrification spell on me is you, you know? "My recommendation is this apple pie. Ojou-sama, if you don't know what to choose, then please, have a taste of this." "Yes, then, then I'd like that......" As I barely managed to respond to him, a sweet smile floated on his face. I've never ever seen him make this smile, but is this perhaps, his business smile? You can be a butler to this point!? Hasumi cut up a piece of apple pie and placed it on a plate, before putting it in front of me. Every action looked elegant, like a real butler. Truly, Hasumi really can do anything, I thought internally, as I put in my mouth, a mouthful of apple pie. "Delicious......!" In spite of myself, I smiled. The apple pie Hasumi recommended ranked 1st in deliciousness within all the ones I've eaten. The texture of the pie was crispy and slightly bitter, the sweet and sour apple filling exquisitely complimented it, really delicious. If it's like this, I'll have the whole......no, no, I can't. This is someone else's house. Not mine. That's why I can't eat the whole cake. I'll be scolded for being improper by mother. "I'm glad." Hasumi said with a relieved smile, while watching me eat the apple pie. "This apple pie is very delicious. Which store sells it? I would love to eat it at home too." Hasumi hesitated, looking to be troubled. What is it? It's not like the usual Hasumi. Seeing such a Hasumi, Miku-sama chuckled. Hasumi lightly glared at Miku-sama, who was smiling. Un, they sure get along. It must be good to get along so well. "This.....that......I was the one that made it..." Hasumi finally opened his mouth and spouted such a shocking thing. What......Hasumi made this.......you say? I inadvertently stared at Hasumi with an open mouth. Without a moment's delay, I received a, "close your mouth," reprimand from the person in front of me, but I still didn't do it. I mean, would you believe that Hasumi was the one to make this apple pie? The answer is, of course not. If it's true, then he has the ability to make professionals ashamed. It's on the level of being able to immediately open a pastry shop. I didn't pay mind to my brother that forcibly closed my mouth, and continued to stare at Hasumi. It's a bit difficult to breath. Hasumi looked to be feeling uncomfortable. At the state of Hasumi, I exclaimed, "are you serious," in my mind. "All the things on this wagon were made by Sousuke, you know." Miku-sama said, seeming to still not have finished laughing. Eh? This all was made by Hasumi? My little brother, also surprised, looked at Hasumi. Because he was surprised, the hand that keep my mouth shut separated from me. Good, now I can breath through my mouth. Without a moment's delay, I asked Hasumi to give me a piece of each of the sweets on the wagon. In the wagon were a variety of pastries, cookies, financiers, m.u.f.fins, pound cakes, and apple pies. I'll eat the sweets I still haven't eaten before the apple pie. .......Each and every one is delicious. What to do, I feel like Hasumi has more girl power than me. He always has a handkerchief with him too. What's with this sense of defeat I'm feeling.

54 蓮見との待ち合わせ場所に着いた。 まだ蓮見は来ていないようだ。 私は帽子の位置を調整する。 今日は日差しが強い。帽子だけじゃなく日焼け止めも塗るべきだった。失敗したなあ。 私がぼんやりと待っていると、女の子たちのヒソヒソ話があちこちから聞こえ出す。 ああ、やっと登場か。 「ごめん、待った?」 定番の台詞を口にした蓮見を私は睨み付ける。 「遅いですわ。日焼けするかと思いました」 「......日焼け?クリーム塗ってないの?」 「塗るのを忘れたんです!さぁ、早く行きましょう。私が日焼けする前に」 「あ、うん......」 私がスタスタ歩き出すと、蓮見もそれに続く。 私たちの目的地は百貨店だ。いつか蓮見と遭遇したあの百貨店だ。 小物を中心に見て回りたい。 美咲様にぴったりの小物をプレゼントしたいのだ。 私は蓮見の前を歩いていたのに、足の長い蓮見があっという間に隣に並んでしまう。 私は負けじと歩くペースをあげてまた蓮見の前に出る。 蓮見も歩幅を変えて私の隣に並び、呆れた口調で言う。 「なに張り合ってるの?怒ってる?」 「張り合ってないし、怒ってもいません」 「じゃあ、なんで俺の前を歩くの?」 「......そういう気分だから、でしょうか?」 「俺が聞いたんだけど......」 蓮見が顔をしかめる。 本当は、なんとなく、蓮見の隣を歩くことに抵抗を感じたのだ。 なんとなくだけど、気まずい。 気まずさから、私は会話を絞り出す。 「蓮見様は、美咲様になにをプレゼントされるんですか?」 「ああ......そうだな」 蓮見は少し考えて答えた。 「日常的に使えそうな物にしようと思う」 「そうなんですか。私もですわ」 「被らないように気を付けないとね」 「ええ、そうですね。ちなみに、去年はなにをプレゼントされたのですか?」 「去年は、花束をプレゼントしたんだ」 「まあ、花束を」 あれ?なんかこの話どっかで聞いたことあるな。 どこだったけ?えーと......そうだ。 蓮見は毎年、美咲様の誕生日に花束を贈っていると。生花は枯れて残らないから、と。 蓮見つらい。なんて思ったなあ。そういえば。 でも、今年はちゃんと残る物をプレゼントするのか。 美咲様のことを吹っ切れたという証なのか。 たぶん、そうなんだろうな。 なら、この買い物は蓮見にとっては記念すべき第一歩だ。 「......なに。その目は」 「いえ。蓮見様も成長したなあ、と......」 「なんで上から目線なの」 「うふふ」 「......気持ち悪い目で見ないでよ」 気持ち悪いなんて失礼な! 私は純粋に蓮見の成長を微笑ましく思っただけなのに。 蓮見は居心地悪そうに目線を漂わせた。 百貨店についた私たちはさっそく小物を取り扱うお店を中心に見て回った。 うーん、なにがいいかなぁ。 アロマとか?あ、このアロマレコードってやつ可愛い。あ、こっちの置くのとかもいいな。 でもアロマとか、好き嫌い別れるよね......。 美咲様、どういう匂いが好きかな。 私はさっそく蓮見に相談すると、蓮見が匂いを嗅ぎ、これがいいと思うよ、とアドバイスをしてくれた。 よし、じゃあ、これにしよう! あ、このタオルも可愛いな。密かに色違いで買ってしまおう。 ピンクが美咲様、水色が菜緒、それでオレンジが私。 私はピンクのタオルと蓮見が選んだアロマの置物を購入して、ラッピングも頼む。 店員さん、可愛くよろしくお願いします! 私がにっこり笑ってラッピングを頼むと、店員さんに「彼氏かっこいいね」と言われた。 か、彼氏!?違いますからぁ! 私があわあわしていると「彼氏とデートなんでしょう?羨ましいな」とにこにことして言われた。 か、彼氏じゃありません!それにデートでもないんです! 私が全力で否定すると、店員さんは「そうなの?」と言いつつ温かい目で私を見る。 居たたまれなくなった私は、ラッピングの番号を貰ってすぐ逃げた。 蓮見は顔を赤くして戻ってきた私を不思議そうに見た。 私は蓮見の顔を直視できずに俯く。 「どうしたの?調子悪くなった?」 「な、なんでもありません......」 「顔が赤いけど......熱があるんじゃない?」 「平気です!ちょっと、熱いだけなんです!」 「空調効いてるのに?」 蓮見は納得できてないようだ。 私は話をそらすべく、違う話題を振る。 「蓮見様はプレゼント決まりましたか?」 「ああ。これはどうかなって」 蓮見が手に取ったのは、ハンドクリームだ。 試供品を使ってみると、とてもいい匂いがして、すぅっと肌に馴染んだ。 つけたあともベタベタしないし、これいいかも。 「いいんじゃないでしょうか。女子には嬉しいと思います」 「じゃあ、これにしようかな」 蓮見はハンドクリームのセットを手に取り、会計を済ませたあと、私と同じようにラッピングを頼んだ。 そうしたらさっきの店員さんが「彼女と一緒に渡した方がいいですか」と、トンデモ発言をしてくれた。 蓮見は一瞬私の方を振り返ったあと、いつもの無表情になり、「一緒でいいです」と答えた。 彼女って否定しろよ! ほら、否定しないから、店員さんが微笑ましい顔をして私を見てる! お店を出るまでの間、正直私は生きた心地がしなかった。 プレゼントを買ったあと、どこかでお茶をしようという話になった。 買い物に付き合って貰ったし、そのお礼を含めてお茶くらい私が出さなきゃ。 いつも奢ってもらってばかりで悪いし。 2人でプレゼントを開けた時の美咲様の反応について話をしていると、目の前に小さい影が飛び出した。 「奏祐様!」 小さい影は蓮見に近づく。 艶やかな黒髪は、まるで中世ヨーロッパの貴婦人みたいな巻き毛で、大きなつり目の下は泣き黒子に、形のよい小さな唇。 まさに、美少女だ。美少女が満面の笑みを浮かべて蓮見に声をかけた。 あれ?私、この子どこかで見たことある気がする......どこでだっけ?思い出せない。 私はもどかしい思いで、蓮見と彼女をじっと見つめた。

54 I arrived at the appointed place. It looked like Hasumi still hadn't arrived. I adjusted my hat in place. The sunlight is strong today. I shouldn't have put just the hat on but sunscreen too. What a blunder. As I waited, I absent-mindedly heard the talks of other girls wishes here and there. Aah, has he finally arrived? "Sorry, did I make you wait long?" I scowled at Hasumi that said the standard line. "You're late. I thought I would get sunburnt." "......sunburnt? You didn't put on sunscreen?" "I forgot to put it on! Now, let's hurry. Before I get sunburnt." "Ah, yeah......" When I walked briskly ahead, Hasumi followed suit. Our destination was the department store. The department store I once ran into Hasumi. I want to look around for accessories. I want to gift Miku-sama an accessory that suited her. Even though I was walking ahead of him, Hasumi came up next to me in no time thanks to his long legs. Not willing to lose, I sped up my pace to be ahead of Hasumi. Hasumi did the same and came up next to me again, and said with an exasperated tone. "Why are you competing with me? Are you angry?" "I'm not competing; and I am not angry." "Then, why are you walking ahead of me?" ".......because I feel like it?" "I would like to hear why though......" Hasumi knitted his brows. In reality, it's because I vaguely felt resistance to walking beside him. It's just vague, but awkward. And because it's awkward, I try to squeeze in a conversation. "What will Hasumi-sama gift Miku-sama?" "Aah.....right." Hasumi answered after thinking for a bit. "I thought to give her something she could use on a daily basis." "I see. Me too." "We should be careful to not gift similar things." "Yes, you're right. By the way, what did you give her last year?" "Last year, I gifted her a bouquet of flowers." "My, a bouquet." Are? I felt like I had heard about this somewhere already. Where was it again? Hmm......ah right. If I remember correctly, it was my brother that said, Hasumi would gift Miku-sama flowers for her birthday every year. And that, as fresh flowers would wither; they wouldn't remain. And then thought. It's painful, Hasumi. But, this year you intend to give her something that would properly remain? Is this the proof that he broke through Miku-sama? That might be it. Then, this time's shopping is the first step to commemorate that for Hasumi. "......what. What's with that look." "Well. I was thinking that Hasumi-sama has grown up....." "Why are you looking down at me then?" "Ufufu." ".......it's disgusting, don't look at me." It's rude to say that it's disgusting! I was just genuinely smiling thinking about Hasumi's growth. Hasumi looking uncomfortable made his gaze wander about. Having arrived at the department store, we immediately went in the centre of accessories. Hmm, I wonder what would be suitable. Something like perfumes? Oh, this perfume is cute. Oh, this one might be good too. But perfume, mh? But I don't know if she'd like it or not....... I wonder what smells Miku-sama likes. When consulted Hasumi, without delay, sniffed the perfume and advised me that this was good. Okay then, I'll go with this! Ah, this towel is cute too. I ended up secretly buying some in various colours. Pink for Miku-sama, light blue for Nao, and orange for me. I bought the pink towel and the perfume that Hasumi chose, asking for them to be wrapped. Shop a.s.sistant-san, a cute wrapping please! When I smilingly asked the shop a.s.sistant to wrap it, I was told: "your boyfriend is cool." Bo-boyfriend!? You're wrong! While I was all fl.u.s.tered, I was told: "are you on a date with your boyfriend? I'm so jealous," with a grin. He is not my bo-boyfriend! And we aren't on a date! When I tried to deny it with all myself the shop a.s.sistant said, "is that so?" While looking at me with a warm gaze. Not able to resist any longer, I ran away as soon as I got the number for the wrapping. Hasumi looked at me with curiosity when I came back with a red face. I hung my head down without being able to look at Hasumi's face directly. "What's up? Do you feel unwell?" "I-it's nothing......." "Your face is red though......do you perhaps have a fever?" "I'm fine! I just feel a bit hot!" "Even when there's air conditioning?" Hasumi didn't look convinced. I must distract him with another topic. "Has Hasumi-sama decided on a present?" "Yeah. How about this?" What Hasumi picked up was a hand cream. When I used the free sample, it had a really good smell and my skin absorbed it smoothly. After using it, it didn't feel sticky, this might be good. "Isn't this good? I think girls would be happy with this." "Then, shall I go with this?" Hasumi took a set of hand cream; and, after paying for it, he went to have it wrapped like me. And as he did that, the shop a.s.sistant from before uttered an unbelievable, "is it fine if I give it to your girlfriend together with her items?" After turning his head to look at me for a moment, he answered, "it's okay," with his usual expressionless face. Deny the girlfriend part will you! Look, the shop a.s.sistant is looking at me with a heartwarming smile because you didn't deny it! Honestly, until we exited the shop I didn't feel alive. After we bought the presents, we decided to go somewhere for some tea. I should at least offer some tea as thanks for accompanying me for shopping. It's bad to be the one that is always receiving things. When we were talking about what reaction Miku-sama would have when opening our presents, a small silhouette jumped in front of us. "Sousuke-sama!" The small silhouette approached Hasumi. She had glossy black hair, curled like a lady from medieval Europe, with a mole under her big slanted eyes, she had a small, well shaped lips. A true bishoujo. The bishoujo called out to Hasumi with a smile plastered on her whole face. Are? I feel like I've seen this child somewhere........where was it...? I can't recall. As I couldn't catch up to my thoughts, I stared at those two.

6 結局、楽しみにしていた植物園を周ることはできなかった。 蓮見のせいだ。恨んでやる。 植物園を見て周ったお友達いわく、とても素敵だったと。まるで外国に行ったみたいだったと、嬉しそうに教えてくれた。 蓮見を呪いたくなった。 遠足は金曜日に行われたので次の日は休みだ。 私は憂さ晴らしに弟を連れて買い物に出掛けることにした。 私の弟は私の1つ下で、容姿は私に似た可愛い子だ。 前世の私は一人っ子だったので、弟か妹が欲しかったのだ。 だから、前世の記憶を思い出してからはとても弟を可愛がった。記憶を思い出す前も可愛がっていたけれど。 最近の弟は反抗的だが、誰もが通る道なので、私は気にせず弟を可愛がっている。うざがられるが、そんなの関係ない。私は弟が大好きなのだ。ブラコンと言っても過言ではない。 今日だって文句を言いつつも買い物に付き合ってくれる。本当に可愛い弟だ。 「姉さん今日はどこ行くの?」 「そうねぇ......百貨店にでも行ってみましょうか」 「オレ、今年受験生なんだけど?」 は優秀だもの。1日くらい勉強しなくても平気よ」 「......あっそ」 そう言うと弟はそっぽを向いた。 そんな様子でさえ可愛いと思ってしまう私は重度なブラコンに違いない。 私は弟を連れ回し、あちこちをふらふらして買い物を楽しんだ。両手いっぱいに荷物を持つ私に、弟が「仕方ないな」と呆れたように言いつつも私の荷物を持ってくれた。紳士だ。さすが私の弟! 服を選ぶ時も「どっちにしようかなぁ」なんて呟いていると「こっちの方がいいんじゃない」と投げやりにアドバイスをしてくれたりした。 お姉ちゃん知ってるよ。投げやりに言うのも照れ隠しなんだって。 私はすっかり満足して、ご機嫌になった。 欲しい物は全部買えたし、久しぶりに姉弟の交流もできた。 付き合ってくれた弟に、何かお礼をしなければならないな。私のお小遣い範囲でなら好きな物を買ってあげようじゃないか! そう思って財布の中身を覗いたらすっからかんだった。 私は少なくない金額のお小遣いを貰っている。しかし前世ではただの庶民だったゆえに、あまり大きな金額の買い物は出来ずにお小遣いは貯まっていく一方だった。 服なんかは母が頻繁に買ってくれるのであまり自分のお小遣いで買い物をすることはなかった。 そんな私が憂さ晴らしに買い物をした結果、貯めに貯めたお小遣いを使い果たしてしまったのだ。 まじか。お金持ちがだんだん板についてきちゃってるよ私。 「ごめんね、悠斗......お礼になんか買ってあげようと思ったけど、お小遣い使い果たしちゃったみたい......」 「はぁ。......また今度買ってくれればいいよ」 じゃあそろそろ帰ろうか、と弟に言おうとした時、私は見てはいけないものを見てしまった。 なんで気づいた私!いや、よく気づいたと褒めるべきか!? 突然ある一定方向を見て固まった私に、弟が訝しげに呼ぶ。 「姉さん?」 「......ごめん、悠斗。私、忘れ物しちゃったみたい。取りに行ってくる」 「じゃあオレも......」 「一人で大丈夫。荷物いっぱいで大変でしょう?すぐに戻るからちょっと待ってて」 「は?あ、姉さん!」 私は弟が呼び止めるのも構わず全力でその場から逃げる。 そして弟がいる場所からちょうど死角になる位置まで行くと物陰に隠れた。 物陰からこっそり弟のいる場所を様子見る。 「......あれ?君は悠斗君、だったかな?」 「今日はどうしたの?もしかして、彼女と買い物でもしてた?」 弟に話し掛けてきたのは、王子だ。ついでに憎き蓮見の野郎までいやがる。 王子と蓮見と弟は顔見知りらしい。それはそうか。あの子は私と違ってよくパーティーなんかに出ているからね。父の跡継ぎとして。 私?私はそんな堅苦しいのが昔から苦手だったのでパーティーなんかには滅多に出席しませんでしたよ。父は私には甘いのだ。 漫画でも王子や蓮見とは初対面だったし、凛花はもともとパーティーとかが苦手なのだろう。 「いえ、今日は姉の買い物の付き添いです」 「お姉さん?ああ、君の自慢のお姉さんだったかな?」 「はい、そうです」 結構恥ずかしいこと言われてるのに弟はしれっとした顔で肯定した。 これが社交術というやつなのか。私には体得できそうもないスキルだ。 「その君の姉はどこに?」 「忘れ物をしたらしく、今取りに行ってます。直に戻ってくると思いますが」 さっきまで黙っていた蓮見が姉と言うワードを聞いたとたん、興味を示したように質問した。 ん?なんだか一瞬蓮見と目が合った気がしたけど、それは気のせいだよね?気のせいに決まってる。 弟が王子たちに絡まれているのを見て、私があそこから早々に逃げて正解だった、と胸を撫で下ろす。 あのまま私があそこにいたら王子と 弟には大手財閥の御曹司の相手を押し付けてしまって申し訳なく思うが、これも社会勉強だ。がんばれ、弟よ。お姉ちゃんは応援してる。 「また君は......もしかしてとは思ったけど、本当にこんなところにいるとはね」 涼やかな皮肉気な声が後ろから聞こえた。 弟の方を見ればいつの間にか蓮見の姿はなくなっていた。 やはり目が合ったのは気のせいじゃなかったか。がっくり。 私は強張る顔に無理矢理笑みを作って、令嬢らしく優雅な挨拶をする。 「ごきげんよう、蓮見様。こんな所で会うなんて奇遇ですわね」 「本当にね。で、君はなんでこんな所に隠れてたわけ?」 「まぁ、隠れてませんわ。こうやって物陰にいると気分が落ち着くんですの。ですから私のことはお気になさらずに」 ホホホ、と笑ってみせる。 しかし蓮見は疑わしげな目を向けている。 私、決して貴方を避けてなんていませんの。昨日のことなんて、恨んでませんの。オホホホ。 「君、本当にいいとこのご令嬢?」 「どういう意味です?」 「普通の令嬢なら昴と近づくチャンスがあるなら近づくだろ?でも、君はむしろ昴を避けてる」 ぎくり。なんて鋭いんだコイツ。 だが、王子を避けてる理由なんて言えるわけがない。言ったら頭おかしい奴だと思われるに決まってる。 「私が東條様を避けてる?蓮見様の考え過ぎです」 「ふーん......しらを切る気なんだ?」 「なんのことでしょう。意味がわかりませんわ」 「......今日はいいにしてあげる。昴をあまり待たせるわけにはいかないし。ああ、月曜日の会議、忘れないでね」 「わかっております」 それじゃあね、と薄く笑って蓮見は弟の方に戻り、王子を連れて立ち去った。 折角買い物で気晴らしをしたのに、これではプラマイゼロではないか! 私はよろよろと弟の所に戻った。 「姉さん今までなにして......姉さん?」 「ちょっと姉さん......人前で抱きつかないでよ。恥ずかしいだろ......」 「うん、じゃなくてさぁ......しょうがないなぁ」 弟が優しく私の背中をポンポンと叩く。 ごめん、ちょっと疲れた心を補充させてね?

6 In the end, I couldn't enjoy visiting the botanical gardens. It's Hasumi's fault. I'm holding a grudge. According to my friends, that visited the botanical gardens, it was really lovely. They happily told me that it was like going to a foreign country. I wanted to curse Hasumi. The outing was on Friday and the next day was for resting. I decided to go out shopping with my little brother to distract myself. My little brother, that was a year younger than me, is a cute child that looks like me. Because I was an only child in my previous life, I always wanted a little brother or sister. That's why, when the memories of my previous self returned I felt like my little brother was really cute. He was cute even before I recalled them though. Recently he has become rebellious but since that's a phase everyone goes through, I called him cute without concerning over it. He felt I was annoying, but this doesn't matter. Because I love my little brother. Calling me a bro-con isn't an exaggeration. Today too, even while continuing to complain, he still came shopping with me. He is really a cute little brother. "Nee-san, where are we going today?" "Right......shall we go to the department stores?" "This year, I'm a student preparing for exam though?" "It will be alright, after all Yuto is better than everyone else. You'll be fine even if you don't study for a day." ".......is that so" Said my brother whilst turning his face on the other side. I must have a serious brother complex to think that even such an action is cute. I took my little brother around and had fun tottering here and there to shop. And while saying 'It can't be helped' in an amazed tone, my little brother took all the luggage my hands were full of. What a gentleman, as expected of my little brother! And even when I was choosing clothes and muttering 'I wonder which I should choose?' he'll casually advise me saying 'Isn't that one good?' Your onee-chan knows. Knows that the casual way you said it is to hide your embarra.s.sment. Completely satisfied, I've turned in a good mood. I've bought all the things I wanted and had some sibling time after a while. I shall thank my little brother for keeping me company. Let's buy him anything he fancy with what my pocket money permit! Thinking so, I peeked at my purse only to find out that I was broke. I don't receive a small amount of allowance. However because in my previous life I was just a common person, I can't bring myself to spend a large amount of money and used only one quarter of the money I acc.u.mulated. I don't really buy things like clothes with my allowance, because my mother would frequently go buy them herself. Such a me ended up ama.s.sing and acc.u.mulating allowance to use, so this resulted in distracting myself with shopping. Seriously, I feel like I am gradually becoming richer and richer. "I'm sorry, Yuto.....I thought of buying you something to thank you, but it seems like I've run out of money......" "Haa. ......It's fine if we go buy something next time." When my little brother said 'well, shall we return?' I ended up seeing something I shouldn't have. Me, why did you notice it! No, or should I praise myself for noticing!? My brother called out to me, suspicious of why I abruptly stiffened by looking in a certain direction. "Nee-san?" "......sorry, Yuto. I, I seem to have forgot something. I'm going to get it." "Then I will come t....." "I'll be fine by myself. Being full of luggage is burdensome right? Wait a moment I'll be back soon." "Wa? Ah, nee-san!" I didn't concern myself over my brother's call and escaped from that place with everything I've got. And then hid behind a shelter in the blind spot of my little brother. Stealthily watching the place where he was. "......are? Isn't that Yuto-kun?" "What did you do today? Perhaps, going shopping with your girlfriend?" The person that was talking to my brother is the prince. Incidentally, there was that hateful Hasumi b.a.s.t.a.r.d too. Seems like the prince, Hasumi and my little brother know each other. Well that's to be expected. As father's heir, that child goes to things like parties frequently, unlike me. Me? I didn't like such ceremonious things since I was young, and seldom went to parties. Father is sweet on me. In the manga too, Rinka first met the prince and Hasumi at school, and originally didn't like parties. "No, today I'm escorting aneue to shopping." "Onee-san? Aah, the onee-san you are so proud of?" "Yes, that's right" Even though they said something quite embarra.s.sing to him, my little brother responded nonchalantly. Is this a social life technique? Seem like a skill that I can't comprehend. "And where is that older sister of yours?" "She appears to have forgotten something, and just went to pick it up. I think she'll come right back." When Hasumi, that had been silent since the beginning, heard the word older sister, looking interested he asked a question. Nh? Somehow I feel like Hasumi and my eyes met for an instant though, that is just my imagination, right? It must be my imagination for sure. Seeing my brother getting involved with them, I stroked my chest. It was the correct decision to escape from that place early on. If I had remained there, I would have encountered the prince. And that is something I have to absolutely avoid. I'm really sorry for pus.h.i.+ng the sons of the major financial companies to my brother, but this for studying society too. Do your best, my little brother. Onee-chan is cheering for you. "It's you again.....I did think that it may have been you but, you really were in such a place, right?" I heard a clear and sarcastic voice behind me. When I looked at my brother's place again, I don't know since when, but Hasumi's figure had disappeared. As expected, it wasn't just my imagination that we met eyes? I'm dejected. I forcibly put a smile on my stiffened face, and elegantly greeted him like a young lady. "Gokigen'yo, Hasumi-sama. It's such a coincidence to meet you here" "It truly is. So, why were you hiding in such a place?" "Maa, I'm not hiding, being under shelter like this calms me down. That's why you don't need to pay me any mind." Hohoho, and I smiled. However, Hasumi suspicious eyes faced me. I would never do something like avoiding you. I am absolutely not holding a grudge toward you for yesterday's matter. "You, are you really a proper young miss?" "What do you mean?" "Ordinary young misses if they have the chance to get close to Subaru then they will approach right? However, you avoid Subaru instead." Gikuri. How sharp is this fellow. But, it's not like I can tell him the reason as to why I'm avoiding the prince. It's obvious that he would think that I'm someone that is funny in the head if I told him. "I am avoiding Tojo-sama? Hasumi-sama is thinking to much into it" "F~un.....are you going to feign ignorance?" "What are you talking about? I don't understand." "......I'll let you off today. I can't make Subaru wait for too long. Ah, our meeting on Monday, be sure to not forget." "I know." 'Well then', said Hasumi whilst lightly laughing, and going back towards my little brother's direction, he took the prince and left. Even though I planned to relax by go shopping, this will make things the same as always, won't it! I returned to my brother with unsteady feet. "Nee-san what had you been doing till.......nee-san?" "Wait a moment nee-san......don't hug me in public....." "It's not 'un' you know.......well it can't be helped" My little brother kindly patted my back with a pon pon. Sorry, just let me replenish my heart for a bit okay?

25 楽しい女子会はあっという間に時間が過ぎてお開きになった。持ち寄ったお菓子は食べきれなかったので、受験勉強に励んでいる弟に陣中見舞いとしてあげようと思う。 女子会が終わるとあっという間に夏休みが終わった。 夏休みの最後の週に菜緒が寮に戻ってしまって寂しかったけど、また休みに入ったら帰ってくると約束してくれたので、私は泣く泣く菜緒を見送った。 2学期が始まって半月が経った頃、私は先生に呼び出された。 まあ、呼び出された理由はなんとなく想像がついている。 「神楽木さん、生徒会に入ってみないか?」 「生徒会......ですか」 ああ、やっぱり。 セカコイで、凛花は1年で生徒会に誘われるという話があった。私は成績優秀だし、生活態度も良好だ。 そんな私に生徒会入りの話があるのは、まあわかる。だが、私はできれば目立ちたくないのだ。生徒会なんて入ったら目立ってしまうではないか。 私が断りの体勢に入ろうとすると、教師が泣きついてきた。 「頼むよ、神楽木さん!君くらいしか他に生徒会に入ってくれそうな人はいないんだ......」 「先生......あの、申し訳ないのですが、私には......」 「いいじゃねぇか、入れば」 私と先生の会話に割って入ってきた声に、私と先生は振り向く。 そこには長身でがっしりとした、スポーツマンらしい外見をした男の人が立っていた。ワイルド系なイケメンである。整っているというよりも、漢らしいと言う方が合っている風貌の持ち主だ。 私はその人物に見覚えがあった。 「生徒会入れよ、凛花。楽しいぞ?」 「え、ええ......朝斐さんは私の従兄なんです」 「そうなんだ。ならいいじゃないか。相模くんは来期の生徒会長だよ。従兄がいるなら心強いよね?だから生徒会に入ろう。ねっ?」 ねっ?っていい歳したオジサンに言われてもなんとも思わないんですけど。むしろ気持ち悪いんですけど。 私は困ったように朝斐さんを見ると、彼はにっと笑った。あぁ、だめだ。この人がこの顔を浮かべた時は私の味方になってくれた試しがないのだ。 「オレがいるのに、なんで生徒会に入るのを躊躇うんだよ、凛花?」 「え、いや......私には荷が重いというか......」 「おまえ、そんなこと思うような奴じゃねぇだろ?お兄様の命令だ。凛花、生徒会に入れ」 「うっ......」 私はこの従兄が苦手だ。 俺様でゴーイングマイウェイな従兄に昔から逆らえないのだ。 先生からの期待の眼差しと、従兄からのプレッシャーに負けた私は首を縦に振ってしまった。 ま、負けた......あぁ、私の平穏な学園生活が......。 私はがっくりと肩を落とすと、従兄が私の肩に手を置き、にっこりと笑顔で言った。 「これからよろしくな、凛花?楽しくなりそうだなぁ」 全然、楽しそうじゃない。 私はただ、従兄を力なく睨むことしかできなかった。 生徒会執行部に入ることが決まったのはいいが、まだ引き継ぎをする時期でもないし文化祭も近いということで、しばらくは生徒会に関わらなくても大丈夫だと言われた。 よし、しばらくはあの従兄と関わらなくてすむ。そのしばらくがいつまでなのかはわからないが、今のうちに従兄に振り回されない平和な学園生活をエンジョイしよう。 そう思ったのに。 「凛花、ちょっと今から付き合え」 なんであんたがここにいるー!! 今まで関わってこなかったくせに、なんで今になって接触してくるんだ!? 「嫌です」 す、凄んでも負けないんだから......! 負けるな私。平穏な放課後を過ごすために! 「私だって都合というものが......」 「おかしいなぁ、一応伯母さんに電話したけど、凛花の予定は特にないって言ってたけどなぁ?」 なに情報漏らしてんだ母めー!私がこの従兄苦手だって知ってるくせに! 嫌がらせですか!?嫌がらせなんですか!? 「ほら、悠斗も待たせてんだ、早く行くぞ」 結局私の都合は無視か!この俺様め! しかし弟という人質を取られた私は素直に従うほかない。 渋々と私は平穏な放課後にさよならをした。 という人は、実はセカコイの登場人物だ。 セカコイで凛花は彼を兄のように慕っていた。凛花が生徒会に入ることを決めた理由もこの従兄の影響が大きい。 セカコイでの彼はみんなの兄貴分で、男子生徒から慕われているという設定だった。だから私もセカコイを読んでいた当初はこんな兄がほしい~!なんて思っていたが、実物は漫画となにか違っていた。 一番の違いは俺様なところだろう。なんでも俺が一番。俺の意見を押し通す。漫画ではそんな描写はなかったのに。私の理想の兄像がガタガタと崩れ落ちた。 一度認めた相手はとことん信じるし、必要があればすすんで守る。とても頼りになる存在だ。 だから私は苦手だと思いながらも、嫌いになれない。朝斐さんはとても人間味のある人なのだ。 そんな朝斐さんを弟も慕っている。もしかしたら私以上に。私が朝斐さんを苦手だと思う原因は、弟を朝斐さんに取られるかもしれないという恐怖からきているのかもしれない。 今だってそうだ。 「朝斐兄さん!久しぶり!!」 「おぉ、悠斗。久しぶりだな。ちっと背ぇ伸びたか?」 「わかる?」 「わかるわかる。目線が前と違うからな」 そう言って朝斐さんはくしゃくしゃと弟の頭を撫でる。弟は朝斐さんに頭を撫でられて嬉しそうだ。私の時は嫌がったのに。 別に拗ねてないし僻んでもないし悔しくもない。いいんだ、私が悠斗の姉であることには変わりないんだから。涙なんか出ていない。 「...............」 私には見せない子供っぽい表情で朝斐さんに話しかけている弟を見て私は改めて思った。 やっぱり私は朝斐さんが苦手だ。 私より弟と兄弟らしいなんて、許せない。 「姉さん?なに拗ねてんの?」 「べつに」 「凛花は本当に悠斗が好きだなぁ。おまえ、昔からオレと悠斗が話してると拗ねてたもんな」 「そんなことないです」 つーんとそっぽを向く私に弟と朝斐さんが苦笑する。 そしてグリグリと2人して私の頭を撫でた。 「ぎゃっ。ちょ、ちょっと2人ともやめて......!髪がボサボサになるでしょう!」 「あーあ、凛花は本当にかわいいなぁ。バカな子ほど可愛いっておまえのためにある言葉だよ」 「うん、姉さんかわいい」 「だ、だから~......やめてって!」 2人とも誉めてるつもりだろうが、それ、誉めてないからな! それでも単純な私のご機嫌は直った。 いや、本当に私って単純......。 すっかり朝斐さんと弟の術中にはまった私であった。

25 The fun girls party came to a close in no time. We weren't able to finish all the sweets we brought, so I thought of giving them to my little brother, who was zealously studying for the entrance exam. Once the girls party ended, the summer break pa.s.sed by in the blink of an eye. I am sad that Nao had to go back to the dormitory on the last week of summer vacation, but she promised that once she has a break she'll return, I saw her off while weeping. When the second semester began after half a month pa.s.sed, I got summoned by the teacher. Well, I more or less can imagine the reason for the call. "Kaguragi-san, how about entering the student council?" "The student council?" Ah, as I thought. In Sekakoi, Rinka was invited to the student council in her first year. My grades are excellent and my daily conduct is favourable too. I can understand why there would be a suggestion to make me enter the student council. However, if possible, I don't want to stand out. If I enter the student council, won't I be conspicuous? When I was about to refuse, the teacher clung to me in tears. "I beg you, Kaguragi-san! There's no one other than you that looks like they'd join the student council... " "Sensei.....ehm, I'm truly sorry, but I....." "Isn't it fine if you join?" Sensei and I turned to look at the person that entered our conversation. Over there was a tall figure that stood firm, looking like a sports man. A wild type of ikemen. More than well-arranged features, you'd say that he looks manly. I recognize this person. "Enter the student council, Rinka. It's fun you know?" "Y-yes......Asahi-san is my cousin." "Is that so. Then isn't it fine? Sagami-kun will be the student council president next term, you know. You'll feel rea.s.sured in having your cousin there, right? So enter the student council. Neh?" Neh? You say, I wouldn't think of anything of that if it was an oji-san with some years on him. But, in this case, I feel disgusted instead. Seeing me troubled, Asahi-san grinned. Ah, no good. When this person makes this expression, there's no way to make him my ally. "Even when I am here, why are you hesitating on entering the student council, Rinka?" "Eh, iya......it's a responsibility too heavy for me....." "You, you're not really the type of person to think like this, right? It's an order from your onii-sama. Rinka, join the student council." "Ugh....." I'm poor at handling this cousin. Since long ago, I haven't able to go against this "I'm going my way" oresama cousin. With the expectant look of Sensei, and the pressure from my cousin, I ended up losing and nodding my head. Well, I lost......aah, my peaceful school life..... When I dropped my shoulders, crestfallen, my cousin put a hand on my shoulder and said. whilst smiling sweetly. "Best regards from now on, Rinka? It looks like it will be fun." It doesn't look fun, not one bit. Other than feebly glaring at my cousin I couldn't do anything else. My forced entering into the student council was decided; however, it was still not the time to inherit the position, and the culture festival was nearing, so I was told that it's okay to not get involved with the student council. Good, I won't have to deal with that cousin for a while. I don't know how much that 'a while' is, but I shall go enjoy my peaceful school life while I'm still not being abused by my cousin. Even though I thought so "Rinka, come with me for a bit." Why are you here-!! Till now you haven't been bothering me, so why did you decide to get in contact now!? "I don't want to." I won't be defeated even under threat.......! Me, don't lose. For the sake of pa.s.sing tranquil days! "I too have things to do......" "So strange, I called aunt for confirmation and she said that you don't have any particular plans?" What are you leaking my information you mother--! Even though you know that I am poor at handling this cousin! Is this hara.s.sment!? Do you want to hara.s.s me!? "Come on, Yuto is waiting, hurry up and come." In the end aren't you ignoring my plans! This oresama! However, as my little brother was taken hostage, I obediently followed. I unwillingly bid goodbye to my tranquil days. The man Sagami Asahi, is actually a character in Sekakoi. The Rinka in Sekakoi adored him as an older brother. This cousin had big influence on as to why Rinka decided to enter the student council. The him in Sekakoi was like everyone's big brother, with the setting of being dearly adored by the guy students. That's why, when I first read Sekakoi my reaction was, 'I want a big brother like him~!' Or so I thought but, the actual person somehow differed from the manga. The first difference would be the oresama part. No matter what, I am the best. I push through my way. There was no such depiction in the manga. The image of my ideal big brother crumbled down. He'll place trust in a person he has recognized, and if you need help, he'll come to protect you. A really reliable person. So, even though I am not good at handling him, I can't come to hate him. Asahi-san is really a people person. My little brother greatly admires such an Asahi-san. Probably more than me. The cause of me being no good to him might be because I fear I'll have my little brother taken away. Even now I fear so. "Asahi-san! Long time no see!!" "Oh, Yuto. It's been a while. Have you grown a bit taller?" "You can tell?" "I can, I can. Since I need to look slightly higher now." Asahi-san said whilst disheveling my little brother's hair with his stroking. My little brother looked happy having Asahi-san caress his head. Even though he hated it when I did it. It's not like I am sulking, nor am I jealous, nor do I feel bitter either. It's okay, this won't change the fact that I am Yuto's older sister. Something like tears, those aren't pouring out from my eyes. "..............." Looking at the childish expression my brother was showing while talking to Asahi-san, I thought once again. As expected, I feel no good toward Asahi-san. Having a more sibling like relations.h.i.+p with my little brother than me, unforgivable. "Neesan? What are you pouting for?" "Nothing." "Rinka really loves Yuto. You, since childhood, would sulk when Yuto and I were talking." "There's no such thing." My little brother and Asahi-san smiled wryly at me, who angrily turned my face the other way. And then they both came over to stroke my head "Gyah. W-wait you two, stop it....! My hair will become messy!" "Aah, Rinka is truly cute. The phrase, "cute like an idiot child," was made just for you." "Un, neesan is cute." "T-that's why I'm saying......stop it!" You two might have intended to praise me, but that isn't a praise, you know! Even so, the humor of the simpleton me was restored. Iya, I'm really a simpleton..... I totally fell for Asahi-san and my little brother's trick.

50 蓮見と王子から告白されて、2人と一緒にいることが多くなった。いや、私は全力で逃げようとしているのだが、最終的に捕まるのだ。 その分、周りからの目が厳しくなった気がする。 2人は、イケメンなのだ。東條派、蓮見派という派閥ができるくらい、人気なのだ。 今は表立ってなにかされることはないが、それも時間の問題かもしれない。 そんな悩みを抱えつつ、中間テストの日が近づいてきた。 いくら悩みがあろうと、手は抜かない。 去年は蓮見がずっと1位をキープし続けていた。 目立ちたくないからあまり上位に入りたくなかった去年とは違い、今年はもう目立ってしまっているので、堂々と1位を狙おうと思う。 生徒会活動の前に私が勉強をしていると、飛鳥が生徒会室に入ってきた。 飛鳥は私が勉強している姿に目を丸くした。 「珍しいな、君がここで勉強するなんて」 「今年はテスト順位で1位を狙おうと思いますの。飛鳥くんも一緒に狙いませんか?」 目指せ打倒蓮見だ。 「そうだな。それくらいの気概を持っていないとな」 「ええ。目指せ、打倒蓮見!ですわ」 「俺がなんだって?」 突然涼やかな声が乱入してきて、私はびくりと肩を揺らす。 振り返れば魔王みたいなダークな笑みを浮かべた蓮見が入り口で立っていた。 私はその姿に冷や汗がたれる。 「は、蓮見様......」 「打倒蓮見って聞こえたんだけど?」 「それはその......」 「神楽木はテストで1位を目指してるらしいぞ」 飛鳥ぁ!裏切ったなぁ!! 「ふーん......1位ね。まあ、頑張りなよ」 蓮見は余裕の笑みを浮かべ、自分の席に座った。 くそう......!あいつ、絶対無理だと思ってるな......。 見てろ。私の本気を見せてやる! 私はその日から怒濤の勢いで勉強をした。 そして中間テストの順位発表の日。結果は――― 「う、嘘でしょ......」 私の結果は、2位だった。 1位は当然のごとく蓮見だ。 あと1点。あと1点で蓮見と並んだのに。 あんなに必死に勉強したのに、なぜ勝てない。 スペックの違いか!?そんなの認めない! 飛鳥が励ますように私の肩を叩く。 私はただ、目の前の結果に呆然とすることしかできない。 そこに蓮見がやって来て、結果を一瞥すると、私を見て胡散臭......清々しい笑みを浮かべた。 「惜しかったね?次は1位をとれるといいね」 ......この野郎。いつか絶対、ギャフンと言わせてやる! 中間テストが終わると、今度は体育祭がやってくる。 中間テストが終わったあと、生徒会は体育祭の運営に関する細かい仕事が入り、忙しくなった。 とは、言ってもほとんど体育祭の実行委員会で段取りを決めるため、そんなに大変な仕事はない。 ちょっと確認したりするだけだ。 開会式や閉会式の進行は生徒会で行うので、その打ち合わせをする。 それ以外は実行委員会にお任せだ。 もっと忙しいのかなぁと思っていたけど、わりと余裕はあった。 そして迎えた体育祭当日。 しかしそれも午前中だけで、午後からはゆっくりできる。 午前中で私の出る競技は終わってしまったので、午後からはクラスの応援に専念する。 ちなみに今年の私の参加競技は二人三脚と大玉転がしだ。大玉転がしは大玉が迷走して大変だった。 今年はクラスに蓮見がいるので、私のクラスは体育祭にかなり熱を入れている。 総合優勝を狙っているらしい。うん、がんばれ。 午後の競技が始まる前にお昼だ。 近くにいる子に弟の居場所を訊ねていると、弟が走って私の方にやって来た。 「姉さん」 「悠斗。ちょうど良かった、探してたの。お弁当、食べましょう?」 「あ、うん」 弟は少し恥ずかしそうにはにかむ。 可愛いな。さすが私の弟だ。 弟が周りのお友達からなにか言われていたが、弟がひと睨みすると静かになった。 ......うん、なんだかお姉ちゃんは、君の将来が心配になってきたよ。お父様みたくなりそうだ。 私と弟が仲良くお弁当を食べていると、みんななぜか暖かい笑顔を浮かべて去っていく。 なんだろ。まあ、気にしてもしょうがないか。 「悠斗、これ食べる?」 「......姉さん、ちょっと恥ずかしいんだけど......」 「まあ。なにを言うの。ただの姉と弟のスキンシップじゃない。恥ずかしがる必要はないわ」 「いや......この歳で食べさせてもらうのはさすがに恥ずかしいよ......」 え?聞こえないなぁ。 だって、こういう時じゃないと、できないではないか。 弟にお弁当を食べさせて、何が悪い。 周りの目なんて気にしませんとも。 ブラコンなのは自覚してるから今さら気にしないもんね! 私はホクホク顔で弟と別れ、自分のクラスの応援をする体勢に入る。 順調に点数を稼いでいるようだ。この調子なら本当に優勝できるかもしれない。 そして迎えた一番大盛り上がりをする、混合リレー。 うちのクラスは当然のごとく、アンカーは蓮見だ。 隣のクラスのアンカーはもちろん王子である。 私は遠くで見守ることにする。しかしリレーの始まる前にお手洗いに行っておこう。 リレーが終わったらすぐに閉会式になる。閉会式は長いのだ。途中でトイレに行きたくなったら困る。 私がトイレから出て、少し歩いたところで王子と蓮見に遭遇した。げぇっ。 「蓮見様、リレーで優勝すれば私たちのクラスが総合優勝できますので、絶対優勝してくださいね」 私はにっこりと笑顔を作って蓮見に話し掛ける。 激励くらいはするべきだと思ったのだ。だって同じクラスの仲間なのだから。 しかし私はすぐに立ち去る体勢をとるのを忘れない。 「ああ。任せて」 蓮見は力強く頷いた。これなら大丈夫そうだ。 「僕には?頑張ってって言ってくれないの?」 「東條様はクラスが違うので」 私は笑顔を保ったまま、王子に言う。 なぜ私が違うクラスの人を応援しなければならないのだ。 「え~。僕と神楽木さんの仲でしょ?」 「それはいったい、どんな仲でしょうか?」 「質問に質問で返すのはずるいよ」 「申シ訳アリマセン」 面倒臭くなってきた私は棒読みで答える。 え?どこに笑える要素がありました? 「あー、楽しい。あ、そうだ。僕が優勝したらお茶に付き合ってよ」 「なぜ私が?」 「奏祐と僕がお茶してもご褒美になんないでしょ?」 「......ある一部の方にはご褒美になるかと思いますが......」 そう、2人があらぬ仲だと想像して楽しんでる方たちとかね。 「僕にとってはご褒美にならないから。それに楽しみがある方が頑張れるでしょ?」 「......そうかもしれませんが、それとこれとは別」 「あ、もう行かないと。じゃあ、神楽木さん、お茶楽しみにしてるからね」 そう言って王子は走り去っていく。 ちょっと待って!私、お茶に付き合うなんて一言も言ってないよ!?なに勝手に決めてるの!! 人の話を聞け! 「......蓮見様」 「わかってる。優勝すればいいんだろ?」 「絶対ですよ!優勝したら、つばき屋のプリンをご馳走しますわ」 「......君じゃないし、食べ物じゃやる気でないよ」 蓮見は呆れたような顔をして言った。 食べ物じゃやる気でない?じゃあ、なにすればいいの? 「では、なにをすればいいですか?」 「そうだな......1回だけ、俺の言うことを聞いてくれればいいよ」 「......変なこと以外なら」 「それでいいよ。じゃあ、俺も行ってくる。応援、よろしく」 「ええ。頑張ってください」 蓮見は柔らかい笑顔を浮かべ、走り去った。 私はその後ろ姿を見送る。 私たちの様子をこっそり見ていた人影があったことに、私は気づくことはなかった。 そしてリレーが始まる。 私は、どきどきしている。あまり良い意味じゃなく。 お願い!どうか蓮見が勝って! 私は胸の前で手を組みながら必死に蓮見の優勝を祈り、リレーを見守る。 バトンはアンカーに渡った。 今のところ、蓮見と王子が同率1位だ。 私は神にも祈る気持ちで見守った。 そして優勝をしたのは――― 「なっ......!」 「嘘だろ......?」 私は目を見開いて、優勝者を見つめた。 そう、優勝したのは。 「悠斗~~!!」 私は思わず弟に駆け寄り飛び付いた。 「わっ。姉さん、驚かさないでよ......」 弟はしっかりと私を受け止めて、呆れた声をする。 そう、リレーで優勝したのは、王子でも蓮見でもなく、弟だったのだ。 「すごい!さすが私の弟だわ!すごく格好良かったよ!」 私は弟に抱きついたまま、笑顔で話しかける。 弟は照れくさそうにしていた。 「悠斗、優勝おめでとう!」 私は興奮したテンションのまま、弟の頬にちゅっとキスをした。 「ちょっ、姉さん。みんな見てるんだけど......」 弟は少し顔を赤らめて、眉をしかめて言う。 しかし、興奮している私はどこ吹く風だった。 弟は困ったように私を見たあと、呆然と私と弟を見つめる王子と蓮見を見つけ、にっこりと笑って言った。 「残念でしたね?東條さん、蓮見さん」 「悠斗君......」 「言っておきますけど、姉にちょっかいを出すなら、容赦しません」 そして弟はそれはもう、いい笑顔で言い放った。 「姉に手を出すなら、オレが相手になりますよ?」

50 Since Hasumi and the prince confessed to me, the time I spent with those two increased. Well, I'm trying to run away with all my power, but in the end, I would always get caught. And at that part, I felt like the surroundings eyes had become colder. These two were ikemen. They were so popular that they had a Tojo and Hasumi faction. Now that I am in public I haven't done anything, but that may just be a matter of time. While carrying such troubles, the day of mid-term test approached. No matter how much I worry, my hands were tied. Last year Hasumi continued to keep first place. Unlike last year, when I didn't want to be on top so as to not stand out, this year I'll fairly aim for first place, since I already stand out. When I was studying before the student council activities began, Asuka entered the student council room. Asuka's eyes rounded at the sight of me studying. "It's really unusual to see you studying here." "I thought of aiming for first place this year. Does Asukkun want to aim for that together?" I aim to overthrow Hasumi. "Right. We should have such spirit." "Yes. I aim to overthrow Hasumi, you know!" "What about me?" A clear voice trespa.s.sed abruptly, my shoulders shook from surprise. When I turned my head over my shoulder, a dark smile resembling that of a demon king appeared on Hasumi who was at the entrance. At that figure, cold sweat began to pour from me. "Wa, Hasumi-sama......." "I heard, 'I want to overthrow Hasumi,' though?" "That is......" "It seem like Kaguragi is aiming for first place in the test." Asukaa! You betrayed mee!! "Huh......first place, eh? Well, do your best." Hasumi smiled with ease and sat on his seat. d.a.m.n.....! That fellow is thinking that it's absolutely impossible...... Just look. I'll show you the result of when I am serious! From that day, I studied like I was surfing waves. And then, on the day of the ranking announcement. The result was------ "I-it's a lie right......" In the end, I was second. First place was Hasumi, as if it was a matter of course. Just one place. Just one place and I would have surpa.s.sed Hasumi. Why can't I win when I studied so desperately. Is it that our specs were different!? I won't accept that! Asuka patted my shoulder as if to cheer me up. I couldn't help but only stare at the result that was in front of me, dumbfounded. And then, Hasumi finally came, glanced at the results, looked at me dubiously......and refres.h.i.+ngly smiled. "What a pity, mh? It would be good if you were able to take first place next time." ......this b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Someday, I'll leave you speechless! After the mid-term tests, the athletics festival is next. After the end of the tests, the student council was busy concerning the management of the athletics festival with small tasks. But, even if I say this, since it was the executive committee members that do most of the work, we weren't actually that busy. We just needed to check on them. Because the student council will do the opening and closing ceremony, we were having a meeting. Besides that, everything was entrusted to the executive committee members. I thought that we would be more busy but we took care of it with relative ease. And on the day of the athletics festival, I went to receive the various guests and helped the committee members pa.s.sing the day quite busily. However, that was only through the morning; in the afternoon, I'd be able to take it easy. The games I were in finished in the morning, so in the afternoon I could go cheer for my cla.s.s. By the way, the games I partic.i.p.ated in this year were the three legged race and otama roll. In otama roll, the ball was so large that it was straying from the path, it was really hard. Because there's Hasumi this year, my cla.s.s is considerably excited about the athletics festival. It seemed like they were aiming for a complete victory. Un, do your best. At lunch, before the start of the afternoon games, holding two lunch boxes, I headed towards where the first years were. When I asked a nearby child where my brother was, my little brother came running towards me. "Nee-san." "Yuto. I was just searching for you. Shall we go eat our lunches? "Ah, yes." My little brother looked a bit shy and bashful. So cute. As expected from my little brother. My brother was told something from his friends nearby, but he glared at them and everything became quiet. ........un, somehow your onee-chan is worried about your future. It looked like I'd become like father. As I was merrily eating my lunch with my little brother, for some reason, everyone looked at us with warm smiles I wonder what's up? Well, even if it bothered me, I couldn't do anything, I guess? "Yuto, do you want to eat this?" "......nee-san, this is a bit embarra.s.sing though......" "My. What are you saying. Isn't this just skins.h.i.+p between a sister and brother? There's no need to be embarra.s.sed." "No.....being spoon feed at this age would be embarra.s.sing, you know....." Eh? I cannot hear you. I mean, if not on occasions like these, I wouldn't be able to do it. What's wrong with making my little brother eat lunch? I certainly don't mind the eyes of the surrounding people. Because I already know that I am a brocon, I wouldn't mind it this late in time! I parted with my little brother while chuckling to myself and went to cheer for my cla.s.s. It seemed like they earned a lot of points. If they continued like this, we might really have a complete victory. And then the most exciting game that everyone was looking forward to, the mixed relay. In my cla.s.s, as if it was a matter of course, the anchor was Hasumi. The neighbouring cla.s.s's anchor was of course the prince. I decided that I'd watch it from afar. However, before the relay started I went to wash my hands. Immediately after the relay, there would be the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony was long. So I'd be troubled if I had to go in the middle of it. I walked out from the toilet and, after walking for a while, I spotted the prince and Hasumi. Geh. "Hasumi-sama, if the victory of the relay went to us, we would achieve a complete victory; so please, absolutely win this." I smiled and tried to talk to Hasumi. I thought I should kind of encourage him. Since we are comrades of the same cla.s.s. But I still hadn't forgot to take the right posture to leave. "Aah. Leave it to me." Hasumi nodded strongly. If it's like this then it will be alright. "And me? You're not going to encourage me?" "Yes, after all Tojo-sama cla.s.s is different." I said to the prince with my unchanging smile. Why must I cheer for someone that isn't even in my cla.s.s, mh. "Eh~. Aren't we in a good relations.h.i.+p?" "What kind of good relations.h.i.+p is that, I wonder?" "It's unfair to respond a question to a question." "I'm very sorry." As it had become a pain, I monotonously responded. Eh? Which part of that was funny? "Ah-, so funny. Oh, right. If I win, go out with me for some tea." "Why me?" "It wouldn't feel like a reward if Sousuke and I went out for tea together, right?" "......I think that one section of people would see it as reward though....." Yes, like the people that enjoy imagining these two being in a good relations.h.i.+p, mh. "For me, it wouldn't be a reward. Besides, there are other people that would look forward to it, right?" "......that may be so... but, this and that are different things." "Ah, I have to go now. Then, I'll look forward to tea with you, Kaguragi-san." Saying so, the prince ran off. Wait a moment! I never said anything about the tea, you know!? The h.e.l.l are you deciding on your own!! Listen to what people say! ".......Hasumi-sama." "I know. I just have to win right?" "Absolutely! If you win I'll treat you to Tsubaki's shop pudding." "......I'm not you, I wouldn't get motivated by food." Hasumi said with an exasperated face. You wouldn't get motivated with food? Then, what should I do? "Then, what should I do?" "Mhh......you'll have to listen to one request of mine." ".......except for weird things." "That's fine. Then, I'll go now. I'll leave the cheering to you." "Yes. Do your best." On Hasumi's face floated a soft smile, then he ran away. I saw off his back figure. I didn't notice that there was a person who was secretly watching us. And then the relay began. My heart throbbed. Not in a good way. Please! Hasumi win! I watched the relay while holding my hands in front of my chest, desperately praying for Hasumi's victory. The baton went to the anchors. As of now, Hasumi and the prince were both in first place. I looked on while praying to the G.o.ds. And the one who won was------ "Nh.....!" "No way.....?" I opened my eyes, and stared at the victor. Yeah, the victor was... "Yuto~~!!" Without thinking, I rushed over to my little brother and jumped at him. "Wah. Nee-san, don't surprise me......" My little brother firmly caught me, and said in an exasperated voice. That's right, the victor of the relay was neither the prince nor Hasumi, but my little brother. "Amazing! As expected from my little brother! You were incredibly cool, you know!" Hugging him as I was, I talked with a big smile on my face. My little brother looked to be super shy. "Yuto, congratulations on winning!" With the tension of my excitement, I kissed my brother cheek with *chu*. "Wai-, nee-san. Everyone is looking......." My little brother's face reddened a bit and said with knitted brows. However, to I, who was excited, it was like the blowing wind. My little brother, after looking at me a bit troubled, found the prince and Hasumi staring at us dumbfounded and, laughing, he said. "It's such a pity right? Tojo-san, Hasumi-san." "Yuto-kun......." "I'll say this just to be clear; if you make a pa.s.s at my sister, I won't show you mercy." Yuto declared with a fine smile. "If you lay your hand on my sister, I'll become your enemy, okay?"

26 朝斐さんに連れてこられたのはイタリアンのお店だ。夕飯を奢ってくれるらしい。ラッキー! 私はメニューを見て、なにを食べようかな~と考える。さっきまでの拗ねていた私はどこか消えてしまったようだ。さようなら、過去の私。 しかし、ご飯でご機嫌が良くなるなんて、私はなんて現金なのだろう。自分に正直なのはいいことだと自分に言い聞かせておく。 「兄さん、話ってなんなの?」 「あぁ......実はな、もうすぐ誕生日なんだよ」 「何言ってるんですか。朝斐さんの誕生日は1月でしょう」 「いや、オレじゃなくて......菜緒の誕生日だよ」 「は?菜緒?」 なんで菜緒の誕生日をあんたが気にするんだ。 私が不審そうに見てると、弟と朝斐さんは顔を見合わせた。なんなの? 「なんだ?凛花は聞いてないのか?」 「なにを」 「マジか......あいつ、なんで言わねぇんだよ」 朝斐さんが頭を抱えだした。それを弟が同情した目で見つめる。 だから、いったい、なんなんだ!? 「姉さん、本当に菜緒姉から聞いてないの?」 「だから、なにを?」 「菜緒姉と朝斐さん、付き合ってるんだよ」 な、なんだと!? 「き、聞いてない!そんなこと聞いてない!菜緒何も言ってなかったし!」 なんでそんな重要なこと言ってくれないの。私たち親友じゃなかったのか?家に帰ったら電話で菜緒に問いつめなければ。 菜緒と朝斐さんが付き合っているというショッキングな知らせに私は動揺が隠せない。 「菜緒に手ぇ出すなんて100年早いわ!顔洗って出直せ!このクソ 「ちょっ、姉さん落ち着いて」 「り、凛花......怖ぇよ......」 よくも私の菜緒に手を出したな!その趣味は認めるがあんたは認めん! 「ああもう......姉さんがご乱心しちゃったよ......早く料理来ないかな」 「す、すまん、悠斗......」 「うぅ......なんで言ってくれないの、菜緒ぉ......」 「な、泣くな凛花。きっとあいつ、恥ずかしかったんだよ」 「うわっ。やめろ、凛花!殴るな!」 「姉さん、ここ店の中だから......」 一通り暴れ終わって落ち着いた私は真顔で朝斐さんを見る。あー、暴れたらスッキリした。良いとこのお嬢様としてはどうかと思うことをしたけど気にしない。 私を必死に止めてた弟と朝斐さんはぐったりしている。 「オレもう帰りたい......」 「言うな、オレも同じだから」 「で、菜緒の誕生日がどうしたんですか、朝斐さん」 泣き言を言う弟と朝斐さんを無視し、私は素知らぬ顔で最初の話題に戻った。 朝斐さんは慌てたように姿勢を正すと、私たちに向き合った。 「そう、菜緒の誕生日にプレゼントを贈ろうと思うんだけどな......オレは今まで女にプレゼントを贈ったことがないから、なにをあげればいいのかサッパリわかんねぇんだ」 「私に毎年プレゼントくれるじゃないの......」 「凛花はオレの中じゃ、女じゃないからな」 ちょっと失礼じゃないの、それ。 「それに凛花の喜びそうな物はよく知ってるしなぁ。凛花には菓子をあげれば間違いない」 「...............」 その通り過ぎて反論できない。弟よ、笑うな。悲しくなってくるじゃないか。 「なぁ、菜緒に何をあげたらいいと思う?」 「菜緒姉に直接聞けば?」 「聞いたらアクセサリー以外ならなんでもいいって言われたんだよ......」 「なんでアクセサリー以外?」 「『重い』んだとよ......それにつけることもないからいらないって言われたんだ」 「......菜緒姉らしいね」 「だろ?」 菜緒は装飾品をゴテゴテするのを好まない。 装飾品は腕時計だけで十分、とよく言っている。 とは言ってもネックレスはたまにしている。 「姉さんも菜緒姉に誕生日プレゼント贈るんでしょ?なにあげるの?」 「私は可愛い文房具をあげるつもり。菜緒は実用できる物が好きだから。朝斐さんはマグカップとかでいいんじゃないですか?」 「マグカップか......それなら確かに使えるな」 朝斐さんは納得したように頷く。そんな朝斐さんに気分を良くした私は更に菜緒の情報をあげる。 「あとは菜緒は花も好きだから、花を一緒にあげると喜ぶと思うわ」 「花、なぁ......花言葉とか気にしないといけないんだろ?」 「当たり前です。きちんと自分で調べてくださいね」 「うーん......だよなぁ」 「......花と言えば」 弟がふと思い出したように呟いた。 「前に聞いたんだけど、蓮見さん、美咲さんの誕生日プレゼントは毎年花束を贈ってるんだって」 「あの奏祐がなあ」 どうやら朝斐さんは蓮見さんと顔見知りらしい。 それはそうか。こんな言葉遣いをしているが、朝斐さんも御曹司なのだ。だからパーティーでよく一緒になるのかもしれない。 それよりも、蓮見は毎年美咲様に花束を贈ってるのか。意外とロマンチストだな。 「その理由が、花束はいずれ枯れて残らないから、なんだって......」 私たちは気まずい雰囲気に包まれる。 蓮見......つらい。理由が、とてもつらい。 「......え、えぇっと、小さいドライフラワーをあげたらどうでしょう?小さい物なら部屋に飾れるし.........枯れないし」 「そ、そうだな。うん、マグカップとドライフラワーにするわ」 「それがいいと思うわ」 そこでタイミングよく料理が運ばれてきた。 蓮見のつらい話を聞かされたせいで、美味しいはずの料理の味がよくわからなかった。 その夜、私は早速菜緒に電話をした。 『だから、ごめんって。言おうと思ってたんだけどさ、凛花の従兄と付き合ってるって言い辛くて......』 「ふーん、そうなんだー」 『怒んないでよ......それに、恥ずかしかったし』 「私、菜緒が朝斐さんみたいなのがタイプだって知らなかった」 『......私も知らなかったわよ......』 『なに?』 「あんな従兄だけど、よろしくね?なにかあったら私にすぐに言ってね?朝斐さんをぶん殴りに飛んでくから」 『......うん。ありがとう、凛花。その時はよろしく』 「......良かったね、彼氏ができて」 その彼氏があの従兄だというのが複雑だけど。 それでも彼氏が出来た親友のために、私は目一杯の気持ちを込めて祝福をしよう。 「おめでとう、菜緒」

26 The place Asahi-san brought me to was an Italian restaurant. It looks like he'll treat us to dinner. Lucky-! Looking at the menu, I thought, 'What should I eat I wonder~.' It seems like the sulking me a while ago has disappeared somewhere. Goodbye me from the past. However, I'm such a calculating person, to restore my mood with a meal, right? I should be honest and warn myself. "Nii-san, what did you want to talk about?" "Aah.......someone's birthday is happening soon." "What are you saying. Asahi-san's birthday is the 1st of January, right?" "Iya, not mine.....it's Nao's." "Ha? Nao?" Why would you care about Nao's birthday?" When I looked suspiciously at him, my brother and Asahi-san exchanged a glance. What's up? "What? Rinka wasn't told?" "About what." "Are you serious.....that person, I wonder why she didn't tell you." Asahi-san held his head. At that my brother looked at him with sympathy. That's why I'm asking, what the h.e.l.l is going on!? "Neesan, you really didn't hear it from Nao-ane?" "That's why I'm asking you, what's happening?" "Nao-ane and Asahi-san are dating." W-what!? "I-I haven't heard of it! I haven't heard of such a thing! Nao didn't tell me anything!" Why she didn't tell me such an important thing. Weren't we best friends? I must call Nao once I get home. I didn't hide my disturbance over the shocking news that Nao and Asahi-san are dating. "You are 100 years too early to get your hands on Nao! Wash your face off and come out again! You f*cking cousin brother!" "Wai-, neesan calm down." "Ri-Rinka......you're scary......" How could you dare to get your hands on my Nao, mh! I'll recognise that sin, but I won't recognise you! "Ah, mou......see, neesan has become crazy......I hope the food will come quick." "So-sorry, Yuto....." "U-huu.....why you didn't tell me, Naoo......" "D-don't cry Rinka. I'm sure that she was just embarra.s.sed." "Uwaah. Stop it, Rinka! Don't hit me!" "Neesan, we are in a restaurant so......" When I finished rampaging, calming down, I looked at Asahi-san with a serious look. Ah- I feel better after beating him. It probably wasn't a good thing to do as an ojou-sama but I do not mind it. My little brother and Asahi-san, that desperately tried to stop my rampage, were completely exhausted. "I want to return home....." "Don't say it, because I feel the same." "So, what's up with Nao's birthday, Asahi-san." I ignored the complaints of my brother and Asahi-san, and returned to the first topic. Asahi-san readjusted his fl.u.s.tered att.i.tude, and we faced each other. "And so, I thought of giving Nao a present on her birthday but......I've never given a present to a girl until now so, I'm completely clueless on what would be good to give." "Don't you give me a present every year......" "Because Rinka in my mind isn't a girl." Wait, isn't that rude. "Moreover, I know the things that would make Rinka happy. I wouldn't fail in giving you sweets.' "..............." I cannot rebut. Oi little brother, don't laugh. Won't I become more sorrowful? "Hey, what do you think would be good to give Nao?" "Wouldn't it be fine to directly ask Nao-ane?" "When I asked, she said that anything is fine, except for accessories......" "Why except accessories?" "It's {heavy } she said.....and that she wouldn't wear it, so she doesn't need it." "......It's so like Nao-ane." "Right?" Nao doesn't like heavy ornaments on her. She frequently says that a wrist.w.a.tch on her is enough. Even so, she occasionally wears a necklace. "Neesan will get a present for Nao-ane's birthday, right? What will you give her?" "I intend to give her cute stationary. Since Nao likes practical things she can use. Isn't it okay if Asahi-san gives her a mug, cup, or something like that?" "A mug, hm?.....she would certainly use that." Asahi-san, looking convinced, nodded his head. Knowing perfectly well the feelings of this Asahi-san, I gave him even more information about Nao. "And then, since Nao likes flowers, I think she'll be happy if you give it to her together with flowers." "Flowers, hm.....Won't she mind the language of the flower?" "That is, of course. Do research it yourself." "Unh.....right." ".....speaking of flowers..." Muttered my little brother, looking like he recalled something. "I heard of this before, Hasumi-san gets a bouquet of flowers every year for Miku-san's birthday." "It cannot be that Sousuke..." It looks like Asahi-san is acquaintanced with Hasumi-san. That's right. Even if he talks like this, Asahi-san is still the son of a distinguished family. That might be how they got to know each other in parties. More importantly, Hasumi gives a bouquet of flowers to Miku-sama every year? He is unexpectedly romantic. "The reason is that the bouquet of flowers will eventually wither....." An awkward atmosphere descended upon us. Hasumi.......it's painful. The reason, is really painful. "......e, ehmm, how about giving her some small dried flowers? If it's something small then she can use it to decorate her room.....and it won't wither." "T-that's right. I'll go with a mug and dried flowers." "I think that's good." There, the food was delivered with good timing. Because I was informed about Hasumi's painful story, I couldn't get the taste of the food that should have been delicious. That night, I promptly made a call to Nao. {That's why I'm saying I'm sorry. I thought of telling you but, saying, 'Rinka I'm dating your cousin,' was kind of difficult...} "Hmmm, is that so-" {Don't get angry.....besides, I was embarra.s.sed.} "I didn't know that Nao's type was Asahi-san." {.......I, too, didn't know, you know......} (Tn: yeah...I didn't too) {What?} "Well my cousin is like that but, take care of him? If something happens, tell me immediately, okay? I will knock Asahi-san flyng." {.......un. Thank you, Rinka. When that time comes, I'll leave it to you.} "......good for you, you got a boyfriend." The fact that, that boyfriend is that cousin complicates things though. Even so, for the sake of my best friend that got a boyfriend, I shall bless her with happiness with all my heart. "Congratulations, Nao."

45 スポーツ施設を出た私たちは、少し早めの昼食をとったあと、ぶらぶらと歩いていた。 たわいのない話をして歩いていると、小動物とのふれあいコーナーという看板が目に入った。 気になったので行きたいと提案すると、美咲様は笑顔で乗ってくれたが、あとの2人の顔はイマイチだった。 私と美咲様は王子と蓮見を置いて、ふれあいコーナーに行くことにした。 ふれあいコーナーでは、定番のウサギと、カピバラがいた。アルパカもいたが、私の目はカピバラに釘付けになった。 私は恐る恐る近づき、カピバラを撫でる。 つぶらな瞳で私をきょとんと見つめるカピバラに私はメロメロになった。可愛い。お持ち帰りしたい。 美咲様もウサギやアルパカに触れあい、慈悲深い笑みを浮かべていた。まるで女神のような美咲様の姿に私は倒れそうになる。 天国だ。天国はここにあったのか......! 私は理性を総動員させ、なんとかふれあいコーナーから離れた。 名残惜しげに何回も振り返ってしまったのは仕方ない。あそこは癒しの空間なのだ。オアシスなのだ。 美咲様と可愛かったですね、と和やかに会話をしていると、キャーという悲鳴が聞こえてきた。 辺りを見ると、どうやら遊園地の方に入っていたらしく、近くにジェットコースターがあるようだ。 それを知った王子が乗りたいと言い出し、美咲様も乗りたいと言うので私は仕方なくジェットコースターに乗ることになった。 ジェットコースターの先頭に乗せられそうになったが、私は全力で断り、2番目の席に座る。 先頭の席にはジェットコースターが好きらしい王子と美咲様が座り、私の隣には涼しい顔をした蓮見が座った。 こんな状況でなければ、目の前に座っている2人の観察をするのだが、今の私にそんな余裕はとてもなかった。 「ぎゃああああ!!こわいムリもうやめてぇええぇえええ!!」 私はお嬢様の嗜みも忘れて、絶叫した。 私はガクガクする膝に鞭を打ち、よろよろとジェットコースターから降りる。 肩を震わせて笑いを堪えている蓮見の手を借りてなんとか立つことができた。くそう......。 私はジェットコースターが苦手なのだ。 両手を上げてキャーと笑える人の気持ちがわからない。 私は安全装置に必死にしがみつき、ギャアと絶叫するか、これ落ちたらどうなるかなと現実逃避をするか、目をつむるかしかできない。笑うなんて余裕が私にはないのだ。 じゃあなんで乗ったのか、と突っ込まれたら、空気を読んでみました、と答える。私は空気を読める子なのだ。たぶん。 苦手なだけで酔うわけでもないし、目をつむっていれば大丈夫だと思ったのだ。 甘かった。どれくらい甘かったかと言うと、チョコレートケーキにたっぷりの生クリームを塗って砂糖と蜂蜜と黒糖をぶっかけたくらい、甘かった。 目をつむる間もなくジェットコースターは進んでいった。気付いたら、ジェットコースターが下に落ちていった。 蓮見は笑いが収まらないようで、未だにうつむき、肩を震わせている。 僅かに笑い声も漏れている。 もういっそ笑いを堪えずに大笑いしてくれ。 我慢されてる方がつらい。恥ずかしい。 なんとか膝の震えが収まった私は、まだ笑っている蓮見を置いて出た。 もう蓮見なんて知らない! 私が怒っている気配を察したのか、蓮見は私を追いかけて、ごめんと謝った。 まだ声震えてるじゃないか。そんなに面白かったか?! 私は余計にむくれる。 段々と笑いの発作が収まってきた蓮見が真剣に謝ってきた。しょうがない、許してやろう。 まあ、私が蓮見の立場でもきっと爆笑しただろうし。 ジェットコースターの外に行くと、先に降りてた美咲様たちが待ってくれていた。 美咲様は私に「大丈夫?」と言ってくれた。美咲様は優しい。どっかの誰かさんとは大違いだ。 王子は「すごい悲鳴だったね。ジェットコースター苦手なのに無理に乗せてしまってごめん」と謝ってくれた。 王子への好感度がちょっぴりあがった。ちょっとだけ。 しかしよく見ると王子の目が笑っていたので、王子の好感度が下がった。くそう、王子め。 ご機嫌斜めな私に蓮見と王子がソフトクリームを買ってきてくれた。 私はバニラのソフトクリームをむくれたまま受け取り、無言で食べる。 冷たくて美味しい。最近は気温が上がってきて午後になると暑いくらいなので、冷たいアイスが余計に美味しく感じる。私の頬が緩む。 「本当に機嫌直ってる......」 「だから言っただろ。甘い物で機嫌直るって」 「ふふ。そこが凛花さんの可愛いところよね」 ......聞こえてますからね?特に男子2人、あとで覚えてろ! まあ、事実なんですけれども......。 そのあと、遊園地の定番アトラクションに乗って回った。 なんと蓮見もおばけやしきに入ったのだ。 4人で一緒に入ったのだが、正直あんまり怖くなかった。 しかし、蓮見のビビり具合が面白かったので入ったかいはあったと思う。 私たち3人はニヤニヤして蓮見を見る。 蓮見は恥ずかしそうにそっぽを向いた。

45 After leaving the sports facility, we had an early lunch and then lazily loitered around. As we walked and idly chatted, I saw a sign in a corner that said "touch small animals." Interested; when I suggested to go, Miku-sama agreed with a smile, while the two faces left behind weren't good. Miku-sama and I left the prince and Hasumi and decided to go to that petting zoo. In the petting zoo, there were standard rabbits and capybaras. There were alpacas too; however, my eyes were rooted on the capybaras. I timidly approached a capybara and caressed it. The capybara that stared at me in puzzlement with its round eyes made me fall in love with it. Cute. I want to take it home. Miku-sama went to brush the rabbits and alpacas, with a deep compa.s.sionate smile floating on her face. At the figure of Miku-sama, who looked like a G.o.ddess, I felt like falling. This is heaven. To think heaven was in such a place.....! I summoned my reason and somehow managed to separate from that place. Reluctant to part, I couldn't help turning my head a number of times. That's a healing s.p.a.ce. An oasis. When Miku-sama gently conversed saying, "It was cute, don't you think so too?" A voice screaming "kyaa" was heard. When I looked around, I saw that, in the amus.e.m.e.nt park, there was a roller coaster nearby. Seeing that, the prince said he wanted to get on that; Miku-sama said so too, so I couldn't help but get on the jet coaster as well. They said that I could sit in the first seat of the roller coaster, but I refused will all myself, and sat in the second row. In the first row sat: The prince and Miku-sama, who seemed to like roller coasters; while next to me sat Hasumi with a cool face. If I wasn't in such a situation, I would have observed those two that sat together in front of me; but unfortunately, I didn't have the composure to do such a thing. "Gyaaaa!! Scary, impossible, please stoOOoOOOP!!" I already forgot about the common sense of an ojou-sama and screamed. With my trembling body I struck my knees, descending from the roller coaster with unsteady feet. By borrowing the hand of Hasumi, who had his shoulders trembling trying to contain his laughter, I somehow managed to stand up. d.a.m.n...... I'm no good with roller coasters. I can't understand the feelings of the people that raise both hands and laugh with a "kyaa." I can only desperately grab on the security belt and scream, "gyaa," and then thought: "what if this were to come off," and then I tried to escape reality with my eyes closed. Laughing? I don't have the composure to do that. If I were asked, "then why did you get on?" I would say that I was reading the mood. I'm a child who can read the mood. Probably. I'm not even the type that would get sick for something I'm poor at, so I thought that I would be okay if I just closed my eyes. I was naive. If I were to say to what degree then, about a chocolate cake full of raw cream, sugar, honey and brown sugar being splashed on a person face, that was how naive I was being. When I closed my eyes, the roller coaster soon advanced and before I knew it, the roller coaster was falling. Hasumi's laughter seemed like it wouldn't lessen, even now his head is hanging down with his shoulders quivering His laughter is even leaking a little. He couldn't bear it anymore and finally burst into laughter. It was tough for him to control himself. I'm ashamed. My knees stopped trembling, so I left the still laughing Hasumi behind. I don't know Hasumi anymore! Maybe because I showed some sign of anger, Hasumi chased after me and apologized saying that he's sorry. Isn't your voice still trembling. Was it so funny?! I was really offended. His laughter gradually settled and Hasumi came to seriously apologize. It can't be helped, I'll forgive you this once. Well, if I was in Hasumi's place, I would have roared in laughter too. Outside the roller coasters, Miku-sama and the prince were waiting for us. Miku-sama asked me, "Are you okay?" Miku-sama is kind. Really different from a certain someone. The prince said, "I heard you screaming terribly. I'm sorry for forcing you to get on the jet coaster even though you're no good with it," and apologized to me. The favourable impression of the prince raised a little with that. Only a little. However, if you looked at him closely, the prince's eyes were laughing, so my favourable impression of him sank down. b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you d.a.m.ned prince! Because I was in a foul mood, Hasumi and the prince bought me some ice cream. I received a vanilla ice cream and, still angry, ate it in silence. It's cold and delicious. Because recently the temperature had risen, once it's afternoon it would become hot, that's why a cold ice cream feels so delicious. My cheeks loosened. "That really restored her mood......" "That's why I told you: sweet things would restore her mood." "Fufu. That's Rinksan's cute part." ......I can hear you, you know? Especially you two guys, I'll remember this! Well, that's a fact though...... After that, we went around the standard attractions: Merry go round, coffee cups, haunted house. Gosh, even Hasumi went in the haunted house. We entered all together; honestly, it wasn't scary. However, Hasumi's nervous state was interesting, I thought it was the effect of entering the house. Us three looked at Hasumi with broad grins. Seemingly embarra.s.sed, Hasumi turned his face away.

23 女子会は我が家で開かれることになった。 それぞれがおすすめのお菓子を持ち寄って食べ合うという趣旨だ。 色々予定が合わず、女子会の開催が夏休みが半分も過ぎた頃になってしまったが、それでもなんとか開催することができた。 私はお茶会用に、テーブルクロスを敷いたり、花を飾ってみたりと忙しい。 ああ、お茶の準備もしなくちゃ。 お茶は自分で淹れるより、使用人さんが淹れてくれた方が美味しいので、使用人さんに頼む。 バタバタと支度をしていると、菜緒がやって来た。 もうそんな時間なのか。 菜緒は大きめの紙袋を使用人さんに渡していた。 何を持ってきたの、と訊ねると、ないしょ、と言われた。何を持ってきたんだろう。菜緒が選ぶお菓子には外れがないので楽しみだ。 菜緒をお茶会の部屋に案内してすぐに美咲様もやって来た。美咲様は手ぶらだった。 美咲様が申し訳なさそうに言う。 「ごめんなさい、お菓子は間に合わなかったみたいで、あとで届くことになっているの」 「まあ、そうなんですか?美咲様の用意されたお菓子、楽しみにしてますね」 「ええ。味は保証できるわ。楽しみにしていて」 そんな会話をしつつ、美咲様を部屋に案内する。 菜緒と美咲様の初顔合わせだ。私がきちんと紹介しなくては!私は気合いをいれる。 「美咲さん、こちらが私の幼馴染みの大月菜緒ですわ」 「初めまして、大月菜緒です」 「菜緒、こちらが水無瀬美咲さんよ」 「初めまして、水無瀬美咲と申します」 菜緒と美咲様は握手をする。 うん、うまくいったようだ。良かった。 私はほっとして椅子に座るように2人を促そうとしたが、椅子の脚に引っ掛かって転びそうになる。 なんとか背もたれをつかんで転ぶのを回避する。 2人は驚いたように見ていたが、私が転ぶのを回避した姿が可笑しかったのか、笑いだした。 「あははっ。凛花おもしろいっ......!」 「まぁ......ふふっ......さすが凛花さんだわ」 さすがってどういうことですか、美咲様。 私はちょっと拗ねたように2人を睨む。 それがまた可笑しかったようで、更に2人は笑いだした。 もう、なんなんだ......。 それから2人はすぐに意気投合した。 主に私の話で。 「凛花ったら、ちょっと?いや、結構変わってるでしょ?迷惑してない?」 「それも凛花さんの魅力だわ。だから、平気よ」 「そう、ならいいんだけど。......それにしても、凛花の変わっているところが魅力って言える水無瀬さんってすごいわ」 「ふふか。どうか、美咲って呼んで頂戴」 「じゃあ遠慮なく。美咲も私のことに菜緒って呼んでね?」 「わかったわ、菜緒」 ちょっとお2人さん、私の存在忘れてませんか。 私は盛り上がる2人を尻目に1人寂しくお茶を飲む。 2人が仲良くなれたようで何よりです。......べ、別に寂しくなんかないんだからね! 私が少し拗ねていると、使用人さんが私を呼ぶ。 「お嬢様、少しよろしいですか」 「ええ、なにかしら」 「水無瀬様にお客様がいらっしゃいました」 「美咲さんに、お客様?」 誰だろう。そういえば美咲様はあとでお菓子が届くことになっていると言っていた。 そのお菓子が届いたのかもしれない。 私は盛り上がる2人の会話に入り込むことにした。 別に置いてきぼりにされた嫌がらせとか、そんなことはない。 「盛り上がっている中、すみません。美咲さんにお客様がお見えになっているそうですわ」 「まあ。やっと届いたのね。申し訳ないのだけれど、その人をここまで連れてきて貰えないかしら」 「ここに、ですか?」 「ええ」 「わかりました。では、そのように致しますわ」 「お願いね」 「はい。私は少し席を外しますね」 私はそう言って席を立ち、使用人さんにお願いしてそのお客様のもとへ向かう。 お客様が待っているという部屋にたどり着くと私はノックして、部屋に入る。 「失礼致しますわ」 私は軽く礼をして、そのお客様を見る。 「美咲さんに頼まれてあなた......を......え?」 私は台詞の途中で固まった。 だって、そこにいたのは。 「蓮見様......?どうしてここに?」 「......美咲に頼まれたんだよ」 「美咲さんに?なにを?」 「お菓子を持ってくるようにって言われて、渡された紙に書いてあった住所に来たんだけど、君の家だったとはね。表札を見て驚いたよ」 ちょっと待って。理解が追いつかない。 つまり、蓮見は美咲様に頼まれて我が家にお菓子を届けに来た、と。つまりそういうこと? 「え、えぇっと......お久しぶりですね、蓮見様」 「ああ、終業式以来だね」 「夏休みはどこかに行かれましたか」 「父について、ヨーロッパの方に行ってきたくらいかな」 「まあ、ヨーロッパですか」 「ああ。ところで、なんでこんなにお菓子が必要なの?結構な数を頼まれたんだけど」 「今、女子会をしているのです。ああ、そうだわ。美咲様に蓮見様を連れてくるように、と言われているんですの。案内しますので、付いて来て下さい」 「は?なんで俺が......」 「さあ......ただ、美咲様に頼まれていますので」 さあ、こちらです、と有無を言わせず蓮見を案内する。 美咲様の言うことは私の中では絶対なのだ。 私は蓮見が持ってきたと思われるお菓子の箱を持とうとすると「俺が持つから」と蓮見に取り上げられた。 他にも紙袋があったので、それを持とうとするとそれも蓮見に取り上げられる。 持たせてくれそうにないので、私は諦めて蓮見を案内することにした。 部屋に戻ると相変わらず菜緒と美咲様が楽しそうに話していた。ちょっとジェラシーを感じる。 私は大袈裟に咳払いをする。 呆れたような目で私を見る蓮見なんて気にしないのだ。 「美咲さん、お客様をお連れしましたわ」 「まあ。ありがとう、凛花さん。そして、ご苦労様、奏祐。こんなにたくさん作ってくれてありがとう」 作ってくれて? ということはまさか......。 「このお菓子、全部蓮見様が作ったんですか?」 「あ、うん、まあ......。美咲にどうしてもって頼まれて」 「ふふ。凛花さん、前に仰っていたでしょう?奏祐の作るケーキが食べてみたいって。だから、頼んで作ってもらったのよ」 「蓮見様のケーキ......!その箱がそうなんですか!?」 「今すぐ食べましょう!」 私の勢いに蓮見が引いている。 私は構わず使用人さんを呼び、ケーキを切り分けるように頼む。 ケーキを作るように頼んでくれた美咲様に感謝だ。 「あのぉ......もしかしてそこにいるのが?」 あ、菜緒は蓮見と初対面だった。 「ええ。こちらが美咲さんの幼馴染みの蓮見奏祐様よ。蓮見様、こちらが私の幼馴染みの大月菜緒ですの」 「いつも凛花がお世話になっているそうで」 「まあ、世話をしてやってないこともない、かな」 なにを偉そうに。世話しているのは私の方だ! 私は蓮見に世話をされた覚えはない!......たぶん。 菜緒も美咲様も笑ってないで否定してくれ。 とりあえず、私は立ちっぱなしの蓮見から荷物を受け取った。 受け取った荷物は使用人さんに頼んでお皿に並べてもらうことにした。菜緒のお菓子と一緒に。 「とりあえず、蓮見様もお座りになってください。お茶をお出ししますわ」 蓮見は遠慮したそうだったが、私は有無を言わさず座らせる。 だって、お客様にお茶を出すのは、当然のことでしょう?

23 The girl party was decided to be held at my house. Intending to gather and recommend pastries to one another. Our schedules didn't match so the girls party ended up being set for the second half of summer break, even so we were able to hold it. I was busy spreading a cloth on the table and decorating with flowers. Ah, I should prepare the tea now. Since the tea brewed by the servant is more delicious than mine, I asked him. While I was noisily preparing, Nao arrived. Is it already time? Nao handed a big paper bag to the servant. When I asked, 'What did you bring?' I was told, 'It's a secret.' I wonder what she brought. Nao never failed at choosing pastries so I'm looking forward to it. As soon as I guided Nao to the room of the tea party, Miku-sama also arrived. Miku-sama was empty handed. Miku-sama looking sorry said, "I'm sorry, it looks like the sweets I requested didn't make it in time, they will arrive later." "My, is that so? I'm looking forward to Miku-sama's sweets." "Yes. I can guarantee the taste. Look forward to it." While we were having such a conversation, I guided her to the room. It's the first meeting between Nao and Miku-sama. I must introduce then properly! I raised up my fighting spirit. "Miku-san, this is my childhood friend Otsuki Nao." "Nice to meet you, I'm Otsuki Nao." "Nao, this is Minase Miku-san." "Nice to meet you, I'm called Minase Miku." Nao and Miku-sama shook hands. Un, it went well. I'm glad. Feeling relieved, I was about to sit on the chair to urge the two to do the same when my foot was caught in the chair and I was about to fall down. I somehow managed to avoid that by seizing the back of the chair. The two of them looked on surprised, perhaps my figure falling down but ultimately avoiding it was strange, because they laughed. "Ahaha. Rinka you're amusing.....!" "Maa.....fufuh......as expected of Rinksan." What does 'as expected' mean, Miku-sama? Pouting a bit I glared at them. And that seemed to be strange again, because the two of them laughed even more. Mou, what's this..... From then on, they got along really well. Mainly talking about me. "Rinka is a bit? No, quite weird, right? Is she causing trouble?" "That is Rinksan's charm. So it's okay." "If so, then it's fine but...... even so, Minase-san is incredible to say that Rinka's strange points are charming." "Fufu. I wonder, please, call me Miku." "Then I won't hold back. Miku too, call me Nao, okay?" "Sure, Nao." Wait you two, aren't you forgetting about me? Giving a side glance at the excited girls, lonely, I drank my tea. I'm glad they are getting along......i-it's not like I'm lonely or anything, okay!? When I was sulking a bit, the servant called me. "Ojou-sama, is it fine to call you now?" "Yes, what is it?" "Minase-sama's guest came." "Miku-san's guest?" I wonder who it is. Now that I think about it, Miku-sama said that her sweets would arrive later. It might be that the sweets arrived. I decided to cut in the excited duo's conversation. It's not like I am hara.s.sing them because they left me behind, no it's really not like this. "I'm sorry to interrupt while you're so engrossed in your conversation. It seems like Miku-san's guest has arrived." "My. He finally arrived. I'm sorry, but could you bring that person here?" "Here you said?" "Yes." "I understand. Then, I'll do so." "Thank you." "Yes. I'll bring one more chair." After saying that, I stood and asked the servant to lead me to the guest. When I arrived at the room where the guest was waiting, I knocked and then entered the room. "Excuse me." Lightly bowing my head, I looked at that person. "Miku-san asked me to......oh.....eh?" I stopped in the middle of my speech. Because, the person here is... "Hasumi-sama......? Why are you here?" "......I was asked to come, by Miku." "By Miku-san? For what?" "I was told to bring the sweets, and come to the address she wrote on the paper, but it's your home, right? I was surprised when I saw the nameplate." Wait a moment. My thoughts can't catch up. In other words, Hasumi was asked by Miku-sama to deliver these sweets. Is this what happened? "Eh, ehm.....It's been a while, Hasumi-sama." "Aah, since the closing ceremony, right?" "Did you go somewhere during summer break?" "I followed my father and went to Europe." "My, Europe?" "Ah. By the way, why do you need so many sweets? I was asked for quite an amount." "We are having a girls party right now. Ah, right. I was asked by Miku-sama to bring Hasumi-sama in. I'll guide you, so, please, follow me." "Wa? Why I......" "I wonder..... I was just asked by Miku-sama." Now, this way, I said, guiding him without letting him say yes or no. What Miku-sama says is absolute to me. When I tried carrying the box of pastries Hasumi held, he said, 'I'll carry it,' and confiscated it. There was also a paper bag, and as I tried to carry that, Hasumi confiscated that too. It didn't look like he would let me carry them, so I gave up and guided Hasumi. When I returned to the room, like before, Nao and Miku-sama were chatting, looking to be having fun. I feel a bit jealous. I cleared my throat in an exaggerated way. I don't care about the likes of Hasumi, who looked at me, shocked. "Miku-sama, I brought your guest." "My. Thank you, Rinksan. And, good job, Sousuke. Thank you for making us so many sweets." Making us? This means that...... "These sweets, were all made by Hasumi-sama?" "Ah, yeah, well..... Miku said that she wanted them no matter what." "Fufu. You've said this previously right, Rinksan? That you wanted to eat Sousuke's cakes. That's why, I asked him to make them, you know." "Hasumi-sama's cake.....! That's what that box is!?" "Let's eat it right this instant!" I forcefully pulled Hasumi. Without a care, I called the servant and asked him to cut the cake. I'm grateful to Miku-sama for asking him to make cakes. "Ahem.....sorry who might that person be?" Ah, this is the first time Nao's meeting Hasumi. "Yes. This is Miku-san's childhood friend, Hasumi Sousuke-sama. Hasumi-sama, this is my childhood friend, Otsuki Nao." "It look like Rinka has always been in your care." "Well, I haven't been looking after her though." What's with that arrogance!? I'm the one that has been looking after you! I have no recollection of being cared for by Hasumi! .....probably. Nao and Miku-sama, don't laugh and come deny it! For the time being, I've received Hasumi's bags. And then asked the servant to plate the sweets. "First thing's first, Hasumi-sama should sit too. I'll serve you some tea." Hasumi looked like he wanted to refuse it, but I made him sit without letting him say a word of consent or refusal. I mean, it's natural serving tea to a guest, right?

52 最近、疑問に思うことがある。 私は王子と蓮見に告白された。 そう、告白されたのだ。 あれから確かに2人はよく私に話しかけてくる。 私はそれを、いかに華麗にスルーし、いかにはやく立ち去るかを考えつつ、躱そうと努力している。 王子は、私の気を惹こうとしているのがわかる。 会話の隅々から伝わる。 だけど、蓮見は告白する前と態度がまったく変わらないのだ。 相変わらず皮肉ばかりだし、人を馬鹿にしてくる。 こいつ、本当に私のこと好きなの? と、常々、疑問に思うのだ。それとも、あの時の蓮見は偽者だったのだろうか? 「どう思います?飛鳥くん」 飛鳥はお茶を飲みながら苦笑する。 飛鳥にはお茶がよく似合う。 王子や蓮見は洋風なイメージだが、飛鳥は和風だ。浴衣や甚平が似合いそう。 やはり和菓子屋に生まれるとそういうのが似合うようになるのだろうか。 ちなみに今は飛鳥の新作和菓子の試食会を実施中です。 青柳という、青い大福みたいな見た目のお菓子だ。 ひんやりとしていて、美味しい。 もっちりしたお餅と、しっとり甘いこし餡。 うまい。もう1個。 私はもう1個青柳を手に取り食べる。 そして渋いお茶を飲む。至福のひとときだ。 「蓮見は、蓮見なりに気を遣ってるんじゃないか?君が気まずくならないように」 「そうでしょうか......でも、それでは私の心証よくなりませんよね?本末転倒では?」 飛鳥は困ったような顔をする。 最近、私は飛鳥に相談に乗ってもらうことが増えた。 さすが次期生徒会長なだけはあって、親身に相談に乗ってくれるし、そのアドバイスは的確だ。 飛鳥は私の良い相談相手になっている。 もちろん、好かれても困るので、前々からちくちくと「私を好きにならないで下さいね」と釘をさしてる。 すると飛鳥は毎回、真顔で答えるのだ。「それは絶対ない」と。 どういう意味だろうか? いや、好かれても困るんですけどね? 「神楽木は、蓮見にどうして欲しいんだ?」 「どうして欲しい......と言われましても......」 「今の蓮見の態度に不満があるのだろう?だから俺にこうして話をしている。違うか?」 「不満......と言いますか、態度があまりにも変わらなすぎて、あの日のアレは夢だったんじゃないかと不安になってきますの」 「つまり、だ」 飛鳥は真剣な顔をして、湯飲みを置きながら言った。 「神楽木は、蓮見にちゃんと好意を行動で示して欲しいってことだろう?」 「―――はい?」 え?そうなっちゃう? でも、そうなるのかなぁ。 別に今の蓮見の態度が嫌なわけではないのだ。 今のままの方が気楽だし、できればずっとこのままでいたい。 でもずっとこのままでいたら、蓮見が告白してくれたことを無かったことにしてしまう気がする。 蓮見の告白をなかったことにしたいわけじゃない。 きちんと気持ちを込めて言ってくれたのだ。無かったことにはできない。例え私に応える気がなくても。 「神楽木は色々考え過ぎなんじゃないか。蓮見が君のことを本当に好きなら、それなりに考えて行動するだろう。君は受け身でいいんだ。蓮見のことは気にするな。それではまるで期待しているようだぞ」 「......期待している......そんな風に見えますか」 「少なくとも、俺の目には」 期待なんてしていない。 でもそういう風に周りからは見えるのだとしたら、気を付けなければならない。 受け身でいい、か。 確かに私は色々考えすぎなのかもしれない。 「さすが飛鳥くんね。いいアドバイスをありがとう」 「......俺もまさか女子に恋愛相談をされるとは思わなかったぞ......」 「仕方ないじゃありませんか。周りの友達にそんなこと相談したら大変なことになりそうですし、気軽に相談できそうなのは飛鳥くんくらいしか思いつきませんでしたの」 「そうだろうとは思ってたさ」 本当に助かった。幾分かスッキリした気がする。 やっぱり次期生徒会長は頼りになるな。 「飛鳥くん、将来はカウンセラーになったらいかがですか?」 「......誉め言葉として受け取っておく」 誉め言葉ですよ? それから私は、受け身でいることを心がけた。 蓮見ににこやかに挨拶をし、すぐに逃げる。 話し掛けられたらにこやかに対応し、すばやく立ち去る。 どうだ、私の受け身! 「それは受け身ではなく、逃げ腰だ」 今日の試食は団子だ。餡子がたっぷり乗った串団子だ。 しかし、ただの串団子ではない。 お茶が練り込まれたお茶団子なのだ。 お茶の風味と餡子の甘さを同時に味わえる優れ物である。 しかし、お茶は必須だ。喉に詰まったら困る。 「神楽木、なにもしようとするな。普通にしてればいいんだ」 「はあ......普通に、ですか」 「そうだ。いつもみたいに言い争いをしてればいいんだ」 言い争いなんてしてるつもりないけどなあ。 普通の会話ですよ? 「......なにしてるの?また試食会?」 「は、蓮見様......なんてタイミング......」 「俺が来たらまずかったわけ?」 蓮見の声音が低くなる。コワッ! 「ぜ、全然まずくないぞ。良かったら蓮見も食べてくれないか?」 「頂く」 そう言って蓮見は私の隣に座る。 そして私の手に持っていた団子をパクリと食べた。 私は蓮見の行動に唖然とした。 だって、まだお皿の上にたくさんあるのに。 なんでわざわざ私の団子を食べちゃうの!食べかけなのに! ......ん?食べ、かけ? 「ご馳走さま。美味しかったよ」 私はがたん、と音を立てて椅子ごと後ずさる。 飛鳥を見ると、飛鳥も目を見開いて蓮見を見ていた。 私は我に返って蓮見を睨む。 「な、なにを......!」 「最近、俺のこと避けてたでしょ?その罰」 「罰ですって......?」 「そう。それに、態度に出した方がいいんでしょ?」 私はすぐさま飛鳥を見ると、飛鳥は不自然に目をそらした。 裏切ったな、飛鳥め......! あとで足が吊る呪いをかけてやる......! 憤怒の形相で飛鳥を睨む私を蓮見は楽しそうに見る。 「お望みなら本気で口説いてあげようか?」 「え、遠慮しますわ!」 「遠慮しなくてもいいのに」 こいつ、私をからかって遊んでるな? 私は初心なんだぞ!自慢じゃないけど、今までなぜか男っ気なかったんだからな! ああもう!普段は態度変わらないのに、たまにこうされると本当に困る! 言い合う私たちを黙って見ていた飛鳥が呆れた声で呟いた。 「そういうのは2人きりの時にやってくれ......先輩方が入りにくそうだぞ」 私がハッと扉の方を見ると、ニヤニヤと笑っている朝斐さんを筆頭に、先輩方が扉で立ち止まっていた。 みんな揃ってにやにやしてる気がするが、これはきっと私の被害妄想に違いない。 「仲良いなぁ、おまえら」 「仲良くありません!」 からかう朝斐さんに私は全力で否定する。 ああ、顔があつい。 そもそもの原因の蓮見を見ると、奴は涼しい顔をしていた。 私ばっかり慌ててバカみたいじゃないか! 私は恥ずかしさのあまり、机に顔を伏せる。 飛鳥がぼそりと呟いた。 「......神楽木も蓮見も、どっちもどっちもだな......」

52 Recently, I would think about many problems. I've been confessed to by the prince and Hasumi. Yeah, I've been confessed to. Since then, they tried to accoste me often. And no matter how I magnificently ignore them, or how fast I think of leaving and escaping with all my strength; yeah, presently, even though I use all my strength, I don't seem to be able to run off. I understand that the prince is attracted to me. He conveyed it in every conversation. However, Hasumi's att.i.tude didn't change from before his confession. He was sarcastic like always, making a fool out of people. This fellow, was he really in love with me? These were the questions I would think about. Or maybe, the Hasumi of that time was an impostor? "What do you think about it? Asukkun." Asuka smiled wryly while drinking tea. Tea really suits Asuka. The prince and Hasumi have a western type of image, but Asuka had j.a.panese type. He seemed like he'd look good in a yukata and jinbei. Does it suit him because he was born in a household that had a j.a.panese sweets shop after all? By the way, I am in the middle of a 'sampling of his latest work' meeting. The pastry is called Aoyagi, it's a sweet that look like a blue daif.u.ku. It's a bit cold, and is delicious. The sticky texture of the mochi with the mellow taste of the bean paste. Delicious. Give me another. I took another Aoyagi and ate it. And then I drank a bit of the bitter tea. I reached paradise at once. "Aren't you already used to how he is? You shouldn't feel bothered." "Is that so......but, my impression of him won't turn good though? It's plummeting down instead?" Asuka made a troubled face. Recently, the times I ask Asuka for advice increased. As expected of someone that would become the next council president, he kindly gave consultation, and his advice was on point. Asuka had become my good consultation partner. Of course, since I would be troubled if I was liked by him, I've been p.r.i.c.king warnings like "don't come to like me please". When I do this he would answer me, "That's absolutely impossible," with a serious look. I wonder, what does he mean? Well, I'll be troubled if he were to like me, right? "What does Kaguragi want Hasumi to do in particular?" "Even if you ask me.....what I want him to do........" "You feel dissatisfied with Hasumi's att.i.tude now, right? That's why you wanted to talk about it with me. Am I wrong?" "Rather than......dissatisfied, his att.i.tude didn't really change, so I would feel insecure and ask myself if the things that happened that day were a dream." "In short." Asuka put down his tea cup and said with a serious face. "Kaguragi wants Hasumi to properly do things that shows his 'like' towards you, right?" "------what?" Huh? Really? But that might be the case. It's not like I don't like Hasumi's att.i.tude of now. I am more at ease as he is right now, and want him to remain like this if possible. But if everything remains as it is, I feel like Hasumi's confession would turn out as if it never happened. And it's not like I want his confession to become as if it didn't happen. He told me about his feelings clearly. I can't let it be as if it never happened. Even in the case I couldn't respond to his feelings. "Isn't Kaguragi thinking about it too much? If Hasumi really likes you, then he would think about actions to suit that right. It's okay for you to be pa.s.sive. Don't mind Hasumi. Because that looks like you are having expectations, you know." "......as if I am having expectations......does it really look like this?" "At least, in my eyes." I'm not having expectations. But if the people in the surrounding sees it like this, then I must be more careful. He said that it's fine if I am pa.s.sive? Certainly, I might have been thinking too much. "As one would expect from Asukkun. Thank you for the good advice." "......I too never thought that I would be asked for consultation about love from a girl you know......." "That couldn't be helped right? If I were to ask such consultation from my friends it would become a very big deal, and I couldn't think of anyone that I could ask for consultation with easily apart from Asukkun." "Now, I thought that that might have been so." He really was of help. I feel somewhat refreshed too. As I thought, the next council president is really reliable. "Asukkun, how about becoming a counselor in the future?" "......I'll try to think of that as a compliment." It really was a compliment though? From then on, I tried to keep it in mind to be pa.s.sive. When Hasumi greets me with a smile, I immediately ran away. When he tried to talk to me I'd smile in response and promptly leave. How do you find my pa.s.sivity, eh! "That's not pa.s.siveness, but being ready to flee." Today's food samples were dango. It's a dango full of bean paste on a skewer. However, it's not just a dango on a skewer. It was a dango kneaded with tea inside. It's an extraordinary product as I taste the tea and red bean paste's sweetness at the same time. However, the tea is indispensable. Because it would be troublesome if the dango were to be blocked in your throat. "Kaguragi, don't try to do anything. It's okay to just behave normally." "Ah.....normally you say?" "Yes. It's fine if you quarrel with him as usual." I don't intend to quarrel with him though. Those are just normal conversations though? "......what are you doing? Another sampling meeting?" "Wa, Hasumi-sama......what timing......" "You mean that my arrival is inopportune?" Hasumi's voice lowered. Scary! "It's, it's not at all inopportune. If you want, do you want to eat too?" "Okay." Saying that Hasumi sat beside me. And then bit on the dango I had in my hand. I was dumbfounded by Hasumi's action. I mean! There are still so many dangos on the plate. Why did he expressively come to eat mine! It was even half-eaten! .......nh? Half... eaten? "Thanks for the meal. It was delicious." Backing off, I made *bang* sound when standing from my chair. When I looked at Asuka, he was staring at Hasumi with wide open eyes too, I returned a glare to Hasumi. "Wha, what are you.......!" "Recently, you've been avoiding me, right? That's your punishment." "Punishment......?" "Yes. Moreover, I should show my intentions, right?" When I immediately turned to look at Asuka, he averted his eyes in an unnatural way. You betrayed me didn't you, d.a.m.n Asuka......! I'll put a curse to sweep you off your feet later.....! Hasumi looked at the angered look I used to glare at Asuka as if enjoying himself. "If you wish, shall I seriously make advances on you?" "I, I'll refrain myself!" "It's fine even if you don't though." This fellow is enjoying himself in teasing me, isn't he? That's my real intention, you know! I'm not saying this to boast but, I never had a chivalrous spirit till now for some reason. Ah mou! Even if his att.i.tude didn't change from his usual self, I'm troubled if he does this sometimes! Silently looking at us quarreling, Asuka muttered with an exasperated voice. "Do this when you are alone please......it's difficult for the senpais to enter, you know." Taken aback, I looked at the door and first saw Asahi-san grinning, and the other senpais standing still at the door. I feel like everyone here is grinning, but that's unmistakingly my paranoia. "You really get along, don't you?" "We don't get along at all!" I refuted Asahi-san's teasing with all my being. Ah, my face is hot. When I looked at Hasumi, who was the cause of all this in the first place, that fellow had cool expression. Doesn't this look like I, who was fl.u.s.tered, was the idiot! I was too embarra.s.sed and looked at the desk. Asuka quietly whispered. ".....both Kaguragi and Hasumi, whichever is......"

34 放課後の生徒会室。1年生の生徒会メンバーに沈黙が降り注ぐ。 1人は頭を抱えて俯き、1人は腕を組んで難しい顔をしている。 そして私は、痛みに悶えていた。 思いっきり机を叩いたせいで、手が痛い。とにかく、飛鳥の誤解を解かなくては、と必死になりすぎた。 これが自業自得というやつか。 「つまり、先輩方は私と蓮見様が付き合っていると勘違いしているため、私と蓮見様に声を掛けるのを遠慮していると、そういうことでよろしいかしら」 なんとか手の痛みから立ち直った私が飛鳥に改めて確認すると、飛鳥は真面目な顔で頷く。 なるほど......つまるところの原因は。 「蓮見様のせいですわね」 「......は?俺?」 「そうでしょう。蓮見様が一緒に馬に乗らなければこんなことには......」 私が恨みがましく言うと、蓮見は冷たく笑って呟く。 うぐっ!た、確かに初めての乗馬体験を楽しんでましたけれども! 私は視線をさ迷わせて、口をモゴモゴする。 反論の言葉が思いつかない。 飛鳥は私たちのやり取りを見て、呆れたように言う。 「......俺が思うに、君たちが文化祭で乗馬してなくてもこうなったと思うぞ?」 「何故ですか?」 「まあ、わからないならいい」 飛鳥の言っている意味がわからず、ハテナマークが頭の中でたくさん飛び交った。 そんな様子の私を蓮見はじっと見たあと不意に顔をそらし、飛鳥はただ苦笑を浮かべている。 なんだか蓮見が切なそうな顔をしていた気がしたが......気のせいだったようだ。今はいつもと変わらない無表情だ。 「それで、君の言う秘策とは?」 飛鳥は話題をそらすように私に質問をする。 私はそれににっこり笑顔で答える。 「先輩方に甘い物を差し入れしようと思いますの。どうでしょう?」 私はドヤ顔をした。 ね、いいアイデアだと思いません? 先輩方と話すきっかけができて、尚且つ美味しい。まさに一石二鳥。 差し入れした本人も食べる気満々ですが、なにか? そんな私とは裏腹に、蓮見は頭が痛そうに、飛鳥は難しい顔をした。 な、なんだろう。いいアイデアだと思うんだけどな。 「神楽木」 「お菓子の持ち込みは校則で禁止されていることを知っているか?」 「......あ、そういえばそうだったような......」 「それに俺たちは生徒会執行部だ。桜丘学園生の手本にならなければならない存在だ。そんな俺たちが校則を破ってもいいと思うのか?」 「い、いいえ。思いません」 なんだろう。私、先生にお説教をされてる心境なんですが......。 うん、私が悪いよね。わかってますよ、ええ。 「よって、その案は却下だ」 「そ、そんなぁ......!朝斐さんがよくお菓子を貰ってたって言ってたからいいと思ったのに......!」 「......そんなにお菓子が食べたいの?」 蓮見の呆れ声なんて聞こえてません。 「相模さんがそんなことを?」 「え、ええ......3年の先輩方がよく持ってきてくれたと......」 「......とりあえず、相模さんにそのあたりのことを確認してみよう。とりあえず、2人とも仕事は終わったな?」 「終わってる」 「今日のところは解散にしてまた明日、考えよう」 「わかりましたわ」 そうしてその日は解散になった。 翌日、朝斐さんに確認したところ、生徒会は遅くまで作業していることが多いため、夜食として学校も黙認しているそうだ。ただし持ち込めるのは生徒会室内のみ。 つまり、私の差し入れ作戦はやっても問題ないということで。私はにっこりとした。 飛鳥はそれでも気難しい顔をしていたが、私がなんとか説得し、渋々だが飛鳥の了承を得た。 その際に顧問の先生にも報告するように、と言われ顧問のところへ事情を説明しにいくと「ああ、そんなこと報告しなくても誰も文句言わないよ~。食べたいときに好きなだけ食べて~。それが忙しい生徒会における唯一のメリットだからね~」とのことだった。 おいおい、唯一のメリットとか言っちゃっていいのか。あんた教師だろう、と思わなくもなかったが、先生の言質もとれたのでこれからは気にせずお菓子を持ち込もうと思う。 やった!これで放課後の楽しみが出来る! 私はさっそく蓮見にお菓子作りの依頼をした。 蓮見は「なんで俺が」と言いつつも作ってくれるようだ。 作戦の決行は来週。来週、私と蓮見の疑惑を晴らし、先輩方と仲良くするのだ。 上手くいきますように、と心の中で祈った。 結論として、私の作戦は大成功だった。 ある程度時間が経ったあと、私たち1年生でお茶とお菓子を出した。 先輩方は戸惑っていたが、私が笑顔でごり押ししお菓子を食べて貰うとみんな美味しいと誉めてくださった。 その際に、私と蓮見の関係の誤解を解くことも忘れない。 私が全力で否定したのが良かったのか、先輩方は誤解だとわかってくれたようだ。 男の先輩と朝斐さんは蓮見に近寄り、肩にポンと手を置いて何やら蓮見を励ます言葉を掛けている。 蓮見は先輩の手前、その手を振り払うことはしなかったが、心底嫌そうな顔をしていた。 女の先輩も「蓮見くんも大変ねぇ」と面白がっていた。 すみません、話の流れが私には見えないんですが。 とにもかくにも、私たち生徒会メンバーの仲はこの日を境にぐんと良くなった。 やっぱ甘い物って最高で最強だ。 甘味で世界を救える日が来るかもしれない。 いや。さすがにそれはないか。

34 In the student council room, after cla.s.s ended. The silence between the first year student council members continued. One hanged his head and held it with his hand, another crossed his arms with a difficult expression on his face. While I, was agonizing over the pain. My hand hurts because I struck the desk with force. Anyway, I've become quite frantic in solving the misunderstanding with Asuka. Is this what people call 'suffering from the consequences'? "In other words, it resulted in the senpai misunderstanding and thinking that Hasumi-sama and I are dating, so he didn't call out to us because of tactfulness, is what is happening?" When I somehow recovered from the pain in my hand, I confirmed with Asuka again, he nodded with a serious face. I see......so the cause of all this. "It's Hasumi-sama's fault, mh." "......ha? Me?" "That's right. If I didn't ride the horse with Hasumi-sama, such a thing wouldn't have......" When I was approaching him, Hasumi coldly laughed and muttered. Ugh! C-certainly, I did enjoy my first horse riding experience, but still! My gaze roamed about and I chewed on my lips. I couldn't find the words to object. Looking at our exchange, Asuka, seeming amazed, said. "......in my opinion, it would have turned out like this even if you didn't ride a horse together, you know?" "Why's that?" "Well, it's fine even if you don't understand." Without understanding the meaning of Asuka's words, many question mark's flew about from me. Hasumi stared motionlessly at me, who was in that state, and then suddenly turned his face away, Asuka simply smiled wryly. Somehow I feel like Hasumi had a pained face but.....it seems like it's just my imagination. Right now, he has his usual expressionless face. "So, what is your secret plan?" Asuka asked me to divert the topic. At that, smiling, I answered. "I thought of gifting the senpais some sweets. How about it?" I made a triumphant face. Hey, don't you think it's a good idea? I'll get a chance to talk to the senpais, plus it's delicious. Truly one stone, two birds. So what if the person herself that gifts it has the full intention of eating it? Contrary to me, Hasumi looked to have a headache, and Asuka made a difficult face. W-what is it. I think it's a good idea though. "Kaguragi." "Do you know that, according to school rules, it's prohibited to bring sweets to school?" ".......Ah, now that you mention it, yeah.....' "Moreover, we are the student council; we enforce discipline. We are people that cannot not be the models for the students of Sakuragaoka academy. Do you think it would be good for such figures to break the school rules?" "N-no. I don't think so." I wonder why. My mental state right now is that of a student being preached at by a teacher........ Yes, I was bad. I understand, yes. "Therefore, that proposal is rejected." "N-no way......! Since Asahi-san often brings pastries, I thought it would be okay.......!" "......Do you want to eat sweets that badly?" Something like Hasumi's shocked voice, I can't hear it. "Sagami-san does such a thing?" "Huh, yes......the third year senpais bring them quite often......" "........for now, let's check that with Sagami-san. As of now, have you two finished your tasks?" "I finished." "We'll dismiss for today and think about it again tomorrow." "I understand." And so we were dismissed for the day. The next day, we asked about that with Asahi-san, and it seemed like, for the sake of the student council members that often work till late, the school gives tacit consent to late night snacks. Provided that it's only within the student council room. In other words, there is no problem with my plan of providing refreshments. I grinned. However, even with that, Asuka had an awkward face, so I somehow persuaded him, and, even if reluctantly, I got Asuka's acknowledgement. On that occasion, I went to report it to the sensei who is the adviser, and I was told, "Ah, no one is going to complain even if you don't report such a thing, you know~. When you want to eat, eat as much as you like~. Because that is the only merit for the busy student council, don't you think~". Oioi, is it fine for you to say something like, 'The only merit'? You're a teacher right, though I didn't regard you as one; so, now that I got sensei commitment, I will bring in pastries without worrying from now on. Hooray! Now I can enjoy myself once cla.s.ses end! I went to request Hasumi to make sweets at once. Even while he said, "Why, me?" It seems like he will make them. We'll carry out the plan next week. Next week, we'll dispel the misunderstandings about Hasumi and I, and then get along with the senpais. 'Make it that everything will go well', I prayed in my heart. In the end, my plan was a great success. After some time pa.s.sed, we first years brought out tea and sweets. The senpais looked perplexed, but when I pushed through the sweets, everyone praised their deliciousness. On that occasion, I didn't forget to solve the misunderstanding of the relations.h.i.+p between Hasumi and I. Perhaps because I denied it with all myself, the senpais understood that it was a misunderstanding and laughed. A senpai guy and Asahi-san approached Hasumi, and with a *pon*, putting a hand on his shoulder and told him some encouraging words. Hasumi didn't shake off the senpai's hand; however, he had a face like he detested it from the bottom of his heart. A senpai girl also said, "Hasumi has it hard too," that felt quite interesting. I'm sorry, I cannot see the flow of the conversation. In any case, us student council members got along from that day on. As expected, sweet things are the best and strongest. The day where sweetness will save the world may be near. Well. That may be too much.

18 私の前に仁王立ちをしている弟を見て、怒っている弟もかわいいな、なんて思って現実逃避をした。 いや、意味のないことだってわかってますよ?でも本当に可愛いんだから仕方ないじゃないか。 「ちょっと姉さん、聞いてる?」 「ちゃんと聞いてるわ」 私の思考は現実に引き戻された。 しかし現実に戻ると弟にこの状況を説明しないといけないという難問が襲いかかってくる。 私はちらりと隣にいる蓮見を見てみるが、彼は我関せずといった顔をしているような気がする。実際はサングラスをかけているせいでよくわからないが。 「そんな格好して、なんで蓮見さんと会ってるんだよ。姉さんたちは、どういう関係なの?」 「これには複雑な事情があるのよ」 「どんな事情だよ」 「それは......」 私が弟の質問にしどろもどろに答えていると、蓮見が呆れたような顔をして、私を見る。いや、本当に呆れたような顔をしているのかはわからないが。 サングラスをかけると表情がわからないのが難点だな。 「どうでもいいけど、いいの?」 「なにが?」 「見失うよ?」 「あっ」 気付けば美咲様たちの姿が遠い。今にも見失いそうだ。 私は弟に顔を向ける。 「ごめんね、悠斗。急がないといけないの。あとできちんと説明するから。急ぎましょう、蓮見様」 「姉さん!!」 私は蓮見の腕をひき、歩き出す。 弟はそれを見てムッとしたような顔を浮かべた。 そして私の腕を引っ張る。 「悠斗?」 「オレも着いていく」 「でも......」 「姉さんがなんて言おうが、オレも着いてくから」 私は困ったように蓮見を見る。 蓮見は肩をすくめた。 「いいんじゃない、着いてきても」 「そうですか......蓮見様がいいなら、私は構いませんが」 私はいまだに怒っている様子の弟を見て、苦笑する。 なにを怒っているのかわからないが、私のために怒ってくれてることはわかる。 「いいわ、悠斗も着いてきて。歩きながら説明するから。......説明するより見せた方が早いかしら」 弟が頷いたのを見て、私は歩き出す。 美咲様たちを見失うわけにはいかないのだ。 少し早足で歩くと、履き慣れないヒールの高いサンダルのせいで転けそうになって、蓮見と弟に同時に支えられる。 「本当に君は抜けてるな」 「しっかりしてよ姉さん。危ないだろ」 「はい、すみません......」 何故か2人に怒られる私。解せぬ。 その後、私たちはなんとか美咲様たちに追い付くことができた。 美咲様たちの後ろをつけつつ、私は弟にこんな格好をしている理由と蓮見と一緒にいる理由を説明する。蓮見が美咲様のことが好き、ということは言わなかった。私が言うことじゃないしね。 その際に『美咲様の幸せを願う会』の説明もきちんとした。 弟は私の説明を聞くと、可哀想な人を見る目で私を見た。なぜだ。 「つまり、こうして東條さんたちの後をつけているのは、美咲さんの頼みだから、ってことだよね」 「そうなの。わかってくれた?」 「うん、まあ、一応。ただ、姉さんがその格好をしている意味がわかんないんだけど」 「それは俺も思った」 弟と蓮見に揃って私の変装の意味を問われる。 よくぞ、聞いてくれた。私のこの変装の意味を。 「そんなの、決まってるじゃない。―――雰囲気作り、よ」 「2人の後を尾行するなんて、探偵みたいじゃない?私、推理小説とかにある探偵が変装をして調査するって言うのに憧れてたの」 「............それが、理由?」 弟は呆気に取られたような顔をして言った。 もちろんだとも。なにか問題でも? 「もちろん、それが大きな理由の1つだけれど、他にも理由はあるわ。普段私が着ないような格好をすれば、パッと見ただけでは私とわからないでしょう?私と蓮見様が休日に一緒に街を歩いていたのを学校の誰かに見られて、変な噂を立てられても困るもの。それも理由の1つね」 「なるほど......ちゃんと君も考えてたんだな」 ちゃんと考えてって、失礼な。私はいつもちゃんと考えて行動を......してない時も多々あった。反省しよう。 私が密かに反省をしていると、弟が怪しむように言う。 「理由は本当にそれだけ?」 さすが、私の弟だ。私のことをよくわかってる。 私は笑顔で答えた。 「いいえ。最大の理由は、私がこの格好をしてみたかったから、よ」 蓮見からは哀れみの視線を感じる。なぜだ。 それから私たちは美咲様たちが映画館に入ったのを見送って、美咲様たちが映画を見ている間どうしようか、という話になった。 「一緒に映画を観てもいいのですが......それだと美咲様たちが映画を観終わったあと、美咲様たちを見失ってしまう可能性がありますし、仮に同じ映画を観るとしても、美咲様たちと座席が近かったらバレてしまいますわ」 「確かに......どうしようか」 私と蓮見が真剣に話している横で弟はじーっと映画のポスターを見ていた。 そして唐突に私を呼ぶ。 「姉さん......」 「どうしたの、悠斗?」 「オレ、これ観たい」 そう言って弟が指差したポスターを見る。 ホラー映画だ。なんでも世界が発狂したとか、そんな恐ろしい文句を唱っている映画だ。ネットでもこれはアカン、漏らしそうになった、心臓が悪い人は絶対観てはいけない、と話題になっている映画だ。 弟はきらきらと目を輝かして私を見つめる。 弟はホラー映画が大好きなのだ。私もホラー映画は嫌いじゃない。怖いし心臓はバクバクするけど、嫌いではないのだ。 目を輝かして私を見る弟は可愛い。可愛い弟の願いなのだ。叶えないわけにはいかないではないか。 「いいわ、これを観」 「だめだ」 間髪いれずにすぐ隣から拒否される。 「いいではありませんか。ホラー映画、観ましょう?美咲様たちを待つ間、特にすることもありませんし」 「映画を観てて、美咲たちを見失ったら困る」 「映画が終わったらすぐ出れば大丈夫ですわ」 蓮見に拒絶され、弟は少し落ち込んでいる。 いつになく頑なに拒絶する蓮見に、私は内心にやりとする。 ははーん。 「......もしかして、蓮見様はホラー映画が苦手なんですか?」 「.........!そんなことは......」 図星なようだ。やったね、蓮見の弱点見つけた。 チャンスだ。今までの仕返しをしてやる! 「では、ホラー映画を観ても大丈夫ですわね?」 「......いや、美咲たちを見失うといけないし、俺は向こうの店で時間を潰すから。だから2人で......」 「蓮見様?」 「......なに」 「男らしくありませんわ。悠斗、チケットを3枚買ってきて。早くしないと始まってしまうわ」 「......!わかった、すぐ買ってくる!」 悠斗は目を輝かせてチケットを買いに走る。 弟を止めようとした蓮見の腕を私はしっかりと掴んでおく。 「神楽木......!」 「苦手ではないのでしょう?なにか、問題がありまして?さあ、私たちは飲み物を買いにいきましょう」 「......あとで覚えておきなよ......?」 蓮見が怖い顔でなにか言ってるが、私には聞こえません。 ですので、覚えておくことはできませんの。 ごめんあそばせ、蓮見様。

18 I looked at my little brother imposingly standing in front of me, and thought, 'My little brother is cute when angry,' to escape reality. Iya, I understand that it's meaningless, you know? But I can't help it because he truly is cute. "Hey neesan, are you listening?" "I'm properly listening." My mind was brought back to reality. But as I returned to reality, my mind was swooped down by the problem of having to explain the situation to my brother. I glanced at Hasumi next to me but I felt like he was making an unconcerned face. But actually, I don't really understand because of the sungla.s.ses on him. "With that appearance, why are you meeting with Hasumi-san? What kind of relations.h.i.+p do you two have?" "This is a complicated situation, you know." "What kind of situation?" "That's......" When I was all fl.u.s.tered in answering my brother's question, Hasumi looked at me with a shocked face. No, in reality I don't know if that's a shocked expression. The fault lies in the sungla.s.ses that makes it hard to grasp his expression. "I don't really care but, is it fine?" "What is?" "We're losing sight of them?" "Ah." Without noticing, Miku-sama's figure had become distant. Even now it look like I'll lose sight of them. I turned to look at my little brother. "Sorry, Yuto. I have to hurry. I'll properly explain to you later. Let's make haste, Hasumi-sama." "Neesan!!" I pulled Hasumi's arm, and walked. Looking at us, my brother's face turned sullen. And then he pulled my arm. "Yuto?" "I'll come too." "But......" "No matter what neesan says, I'll come too." Troubled, I looked at Hasumi. Hasumi shrugged his shoulders. "Isn't it fine, even if he follows." "Is that so......if it's fine for Hasumi-sama, then I don't mind too." I smiled bitterly, looking at my still angry little brother. I don't understand why he is angry, but I know that he got angry for my sake. "Fine, then Yuto can come too. I'll explain it to you while we walk.......rather than explaining, it might be faster showing you instead." Seeing my brother nodding, I began to walk. We cannot lose sight of them. When I tried walking faster, and almost fell because of the high heels of the sandals I wasn't used to wearing, Hasumi and my little brother supported me at the same time. "You really are careless." "Hold on to me neesan. It's dangerous." "Yes, I'm sorry......." For some reason these two are angry at me. I don't understand. After that, we somehow caught up with them. While following behind Miku-sama, I explained to my brother the reason for my outfit and the reason why I am together with Hasumi. Though, I didn't tell him that Hasumi likes Miku-sama. It's not something I should say. On this occasion I properly explained about the, {Wis.h.i.+ng Miku-sama happiness' fan club} . As my brother was listening to me he looked at me with the eyes of someone looking at a pitiful child. Why is that? "In other words, you are following behind them because Miku-san asked you to, right?" "That's right. Did you understand?" "Un, well, more or less. It's just that I still can't understand the meaning behind your outfit." "I'm of the same opinion." My brother and hasumi questioned the meaning of my disguise. Fine, I'll tell you. The significance of my appearance. "Isn't this obvious ---to create the right mood, heh." "Tailing those two like this, doesn't it look like we are detectives? I always admired things like detectives disguise in mystery novels. "................that is the reason?" Said my brother, with a taken aback expression. That, of course. Any problem with this? "Certainly, that's one of the big reasons but there are other reasons too. If I wear something I usually don't, you wouldn't get that it's me at first glance, right? I'll be troubled if someone from school were to see me and Hasumi walking in town together on a holiday, and circulate strange rumors. That's one reason." "I see........you did think about it properly." I do think, how rude. About my actions, I always properly think.....there were times where I didn't. I'll reflect on it. When I was secretly reflecting on them, my little brother, suspicious, said. "Is this truly the only reason?" As expected of my little brother. You understand me well. I responded with a smile. "No. The main reason is that I wanted to try this outfit." I feel a pitying look from Hasumi. Why is that? And then we entered the cinema after those two, it turned into a, 'What shall we do during the time they are watching the movie?' Talk. "It's fine if we go watch a movie too, but......there's the possibility of losing sight of Miku-sama but if we go watch the same movie, we could be exposed if our seats are near them." "That's true.....what shall we do?" While Hasumi and I were having a serious conversation, next to me my little brother was staring at the poster for a movie. And suddenly called out to me. "Neesan......" "What is it, Yuto?" "I want to watch that." He said while pointing at the poster. It was an horror movie. It was the type of film that sang something like, 'Everything in the world has gone insane,' that was spoken about on the net, it was advised that people with a bad heart shouldn't watch this. My brother was looking at me with s.h.i.+ning, sparkling eyes. My brother really likes horror movies. I, too, don't hate them. They are scary and makes my heart race, but I don't hate them. My brother, that looks at me with sparkling eyes, is cute. It's a request from my cute brother. How could I not fulfill it? "Fine, let's watch that." "No way." In a flash, I heard a rejection come from next to me. "Isn't it fine? Why not watch this movie? We have nothing to do while waiting for the two of them." "It would be troubling if we lose sight of them while we are watching the movie." "We will be fine if we leave as soon as the film is over." At Hasumi's refusal, my little brother become a bit depressed. In my mind I wanted to kill Hasumi who has suddenly become stubborn. Uh-hu. "......don't tell me perhaps, Hasumi-sama is weak to horror movies?" ".........! Such a thing......" Looks like I hit the mark. Finally, I found Hasumi's weak point. It's my chance. I have to retaliate for all the things he has done so far. "Then, it's fine to watch a horror movie, right?" "......well, we can't lose sight of Miku, I'll kill time in the shop over there so, the two of you can......." "Hasumi-sama?" ".......what." "It's not manly. Yuto, go buy 3 tickets. If you don't hurry, it will began." "......! Understood, I'll immediately buy go buy them!" Yuto went to buy them with sparkling eyes. I firmly grasped Hasumi's arm that tried to stop my little brother. "Kaguragi......!" "You are not weak to it, right? Do you have some issues? Now, we should go buy the drinks." ".......you better keep this in mind for later........?" Hasumi is saying something with a scary face, but I can't hear him. So, I have nothing to keep in mind. Sorry to interrupt you, Hasumi-sama.

29 もうすぐ文化祭だ。しかし文化祭といっても1年生ではほとんどなにも出来ない。1年生がやれるのはクラス展示のみと決まっていて、参加も自由だ。よってほとんどのクラスが参加しない。私のクラスもそうだ。 なので私は気楽に文化祭を楽しもうと思っていた。うん、思っていたんだけどね......。 「頼むよ、神楽木さん~!先生を助けてくれよ~」 「オレからも頼むわ。もう凛花くらいしか頼める奴いねぇんだよ」 またおまえらか! この生徒会コンビめ! 文化祭前日の準備の間、やることのない私は図書室で勉強をしていようと1人で行動していた。お友達は部活と委員会の準備に出掛けている。 2年、3年はクラスの準備で手が離せない人が多いため、部活や委員会では1年生が中心に準備をするのだ。 私がやっていた体育祭の実行委員は体育祭の時のみ活動する委員会なので、部活にも入っていない私は暇だ。 そう、暇なんだけどさぁ......。 「私、まだ生徒会に入ってませんよね?なのに何故私が生徒会の仕事を手伝わないといけないんでしょうか」 「他のメンバーがインフルエンザに罹ったんだよ......」 「インフル......エンザ?」 この時期に? 「そうそう。今年は流行が早いみたいだね~。どっかの学校ではもう学級閉鎖になっているところもあるみたいだよ?」 「そうなのですか......大変ですね」 「そう、大変なんだよ~。だからね、神楽木さん」 先生は、にやりと嫌な笑みを浮かべる。 私はその笑みにぞわっと鳥肌がたった。 「生徒会の手伝い、してくれるよね?」 「断るんだ?それじゃあ、しょうがないなあ」 諦めてくれたと安心したのも束の間、先生は人を食ったような笑みを浮かべて言った。 「しょうがない。じゃあ、今日から生徒会の引き継ぎに入って」 「引き継ぎのついでに生徒会の手伝いをするように。わかった?」 「わ か っ た ?」 私は先生の迫力に負けた。そんな私に朝斐さんが、ドンマイ、と言うように肩に手を置いた。 そんな朝斐さんを恨み混じりに睨みつけ、私はしぶしぶ生徒会の仕事を手伝うことにした。 朝斐さんに連れられて、私は生徒会室に足を踏み入れる。これで私の平穏な学園生活とお別れだ。さようなら、私の平穏......。 生徒会室に入ると、そこには何故か蓮見が優雅に足を組んで座っていた。何故貴様がここにいる。ああそういえば生徒会に入るって言ってたか。 蓮見の反対側には飛鳥の姿もあった。未来の生徒会長だから、飛鳥が生徒会に入ることは予想済みだ。彼は生真面目そうに紙を読んでいた。 「おぉ、揃ってんな、1年の生徒会メンバー」 蓮見は無表情に、飛鳥は朝斐さんを見てお辞儀をする。うん、性格がよく現れてるな。 朝斐さんに座るように指示されたので、私は蓮見と飛鳥の間の席に腰かける。 朝斐さんと一緒にやって来た私を見て、蓮見はぼそりと呟いた。 私は知らん顔をして正面を見た。知らん顔の私を蓮見はムッとしたように見る。 飛鳥は私たちのやり取りを少し吃驚したように見た。驚くもなにも、無視しただけですが。 「蓮見に話しかけられて無視する女子がいるとは......」 ボソボソ飛鳥がなにか言っているが、それも私は知らんふりした。 女子だからって誰もが蓮見に良い顔するとは思うなよ。 「今からやる仕事を説明するぞ?いいか、おまえら」 「どうぞ」 「早く言ってください」 飛鳥、蓮見、私の順で答える。ここでも性格の差が出てるな、面白い。 そんな私たちの返事を面白そうな顔をして聞いた朝斐さんは、仕事の説明をし始める。 仕事の内容は細々した雑用だった。これくらいなら、なんて思った私が馬鹿だった。その雑用の量が多いのだ。 蓮見も飛鳥も手際よく仕事を終わらせていくのに、次から次へと仕事がやってくる。私たちはあちこち走り回って必死に雑用を片付けていく。お昼もお弁当を食べながら仕事をした。お弁当は朝斐さんが食べやすいサンドイッチを用意してくれた。気の利く男だ。蓮見も飛鳥も学食派らしく、素直にお弁当を受け取っていた。私も今日は学食の予定だったので有り難くお弁当を受けとる。このカツサンドうまい。 すべての雑用が終わったのは、日が沈んだあとだった。さすがに蓮見も飛鳥も疲れた顔をしている。私はぐったりだ。自慢ではないが、私の体力は少ないのだ。 朝斐さんは私たちより忙しくしていたのに、何故疲れていない。体力バカなのだろうか。 考えてたことが顔に出てたのか、朝斐に頭を叩かれる。い、痛い。 蓮見は呆れたような目で、飛鳥は少し笑って「大丈夫か?」と言ってくれた。紳士だ。蓮見も飛鳥を見習うといい。 明日の仕事は見回りのみで良いそうだ。 決められた時間にペアで見回りをしてほしい、と言われた。 3人で見回る時間と、ペアを決めていく。最初は私と飛鳥で見回って、次の時間が蓮見と飛鳥、最後に私と蓮見で見回る段取りになった。 それ以外は自由にしていいとのことなので、私は思いっきり文化祭で食べ歩きをしようと思う。 食べ歩きをするの、楽しみだなあ。

29 Soon, there will be the culture festival. However, even if it's a culture festival, the first years almost don't do anything. It was settled that the first years will only do a cla.s.s exhibition, with the partic.i.p.ation being of your choice. Because of that, most cla.s.ses won't partic.i.p.ate. My cla.s.s decided such too. So, I thought I could enjoy the culture festival with peace of mind. Yes, I thought so but..... "I beg you, Kaguragi-san~! Save your sensei please~." "I ask this of you too. We really have no one to ask, other than Rinka." It's you guys again! You d.a.m.n student council combi! The day before the culture festival, in the interval of the preparations, I, that didn't have anything to do, thought of going to the library by myself. My friends were out for club activities and committee members meetings. For the sake of the second and third years that had their hands full with the preparations, the club activities and committee member meetings were mainly arranged by the first years. At the time of the sports festival, I was an executive committee member and only did activities in the committee member meetings; so, since I didn't enter a club I was free. That's right, I'm free however...... "I still haven't entered the student council right? So why do I have to help with student council work?" "The other member got an influenza......." "Influ......enza?" At this time? "Yes, yes. It seems like this year's epidemic was early~. Some schools cancelled cla.s.ses because of it, you know?" "Is that so......it's terrible." "That's right, it's terrible~. That's why, Kaguragi-san." Sensei said with an unpleasant broad grin. Gooseb.u.mps raised from me at that smile. "You will help the student council, right?" "You refuse? If so, then it can't be helped." The relief brought by his giving up, was but just a moment, because with a smile that looked as if he ate a person, sensei said. "It can't be helped. Then, from today you'll have inherited your position in the student council." "In the event that you inherit the position and join, you'll have to help the student council. Understand?" "U n d e r s t a n d?" I lost to sensei's intensity. At such a me, Asahi-san said, "don't mind it," and patted my shoulder. I glared at Asahi-san with mixed resentment, and reluctantly decided to help with the work in the student council. Guided by Asahi-san, I stepped into the student council room. With this, I have to part with my tranquil school life. Good bye, my peace...... When I entered the student council room, Hasumi was there, elegantly seated with crossed legs for some reason. You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, why are you here. Ah, now that I think about it, didn't he say he would enter the student council? Beside Hasumi was also Asuka. Since he is the future student council president, I did predict that he would join. He was reading a paper looking really serious. "Ooh, the first year student council members have all gathered." Hasumi, expressionless, looked at Asuka and Asahi-san and bowed in greeting. Un, your character is really showing. Since I was instructed by Asahi-san to sit, I sat in the seat between Hasumi and Asuka. Seeing how I came together with Asahi-san, Hasumi muttered in a subdued tone. I looked in front of me as if I didn't know him. Hasumi looked offended at that. Asuka looked at a bit surprised at our exchange. There's nothing surprising, I just ignored him. "There's a girl that would ignore Hasumi as he tries to accost her......" Asuka whispered something, but at that too, I pretended to not hear. Don't think that just because I'm a girl, I'll want to give Hasumi face. "I'm going to explain your work, alright? Guys." "Go ahead." "Hurry up and say it please." Asuka, Hasumi, and I answered in that order. Interestingly, even here our personalities are showing, mh. Asahi-san hearing our response made an interested face, and began explaining our work. The details of the work we had to do were all odd jobs. With this degree, I think, I was a fool. The quant.i.ty of these odd jobs was large. Even when Hasumi and Asuka skillfully finished their work, the tasks came in one after another. We ran around here and there, frantically trying to settle our odd jobs. At lunch break too, we ate a bento while doing work. For the bento, Asahi-san prepared something easy to eat, like sandwiches. He is an attentive man. Hasumi and Asuka, that seem to be in the school cafeteria faction, obediently accepted the bento. Today, I planned to go to the cafeteria too, so I gratefully received it. This cutlet sandwich is delicious. We finished all of our miscellaneous tasks after the sun set down. As expected even Hasumi and Asuka have tired faces. I was completely exhausted. I'm not saying this to boast, but I don't lack physical strength. Even though Asahi-san was busier than us, why doesn't he look tired? Does he have a ridiculous amount of physical strength? Perhaps what I was thinking showed on my face, Asahi-san beat my head. P-painful. Hasumi with shocked eyes, and Asuka while slightly laughing said, "are you alright?" Gentlemen. It would be good if he followed after their example. It seems like tomorrow's work will only be patrolling. 'I'd like it if you decided the pair in the meantime,' so we were told. We decided our patrolling times and the pairs. We programmed that first it will be me and Asuka, the second patrolling pair will be Hasumi and Asuka and last it will be Hasumi and I. Apart from that, we are free; so, I thought of trying the food at the various restaurants with all I've got at the culture festival. The food at the various restaurants, I'm looking forward to that.

36 「クリスマスパーティー......ですか?」 私は戸惑った顔で両親を見つめた。 父は優しい顔立ちの美形で、さすがヒロインの父だと感心するくらいイケメンだ。 常に微笑みを浮かべている父は、その表情に反してやることは冷徹。うちの会社をここまで大きくすることができたのは父の手によるところが大きい。 そんな父だが、妻に弱く娘には甘いという欠点がある。弟に対しては跡取りという期待もあるのか、何かと厳しい。 今、父は普段の微笑みではなく、それはもうご機嫌が良さそうに笑顔を浮かべている。 「ああ。蓮見さんから直々に凛花も是非にと言われてね。嬉しくってつい了解してしまったよ」 「凛花、あなた、蓮見さんの息子さんと仲が良いのですってね?文化祭で一緒に乗馬をしたそうじゃない。なんで教えてくれなかったの?」 母は面白そうな顔をして私を見つめる。 私の母は、とんでもない美人だ。少しキツい印象を与えるが、それすらも母の魅力を引き立たせる要因になっている。抜群のスタイルに、切れ長の目。左目の下には泣きほくろがあって、色っぽい。大胆な服装を好む母は私の憧れの女性だ。とても高校生の娘と中学生の息子がいるようには見えない。 私はどちらかというと父似なので、母とはあまり似ていないのが悔しい。私は母みたいな美人になりたいのだ。 「あの......それは......」 「ふふ。わかってるわ。凛花もそういう年頃なのよね?」 いえ、違います。あなたたちに言うと面倒くさいことになるのが目に見えていたので言わなかっただけです。 なんて、母には絶対言えない。そんな恐ろしいことを言う勇気なんて私にはない。 「お父様、文化祭の話はどこでお聞きになったのですか?」 「蓮見さんから聞いたな。蓮見さんは知り合いが奏祐君がどこかのお嬢さんと乗馬をしていたと話してくれたと言っていたかな」 「......そうですか」 迂闊だった。 文化祭は生徒の関係者が集う、一種の社交の場なのだ。あんな目立つところで蓮見と一緒に乗馬をしていれば、大人たちの間で噂になってもおかしくはない。ただでさえ、蓮見には人目が集まりやすいのに。 そんな簡単なことにさえ今まで頭が回らなかった自分の迂闊さが憎い。 「いやあ、それにしても凛花と奏祐君が仲良しだったとは。奏祐君はイケメンだし優秀だし、凛花と並んでも遜色ない。凛花の婿にぴったりだ」 「あなた、気が早いわ」 「......そんな関係では、ありません」 両親がきょとんとした顔で私を見る。 私は両親の視線に耐えきれず、下を向く。 「私と蓮見様は、そんな関係ではないんです」 「凛花?」 「............クリスマスパーティー、断れませんか」 「それは、難しいな。なにか断りたい理由でもあるのかい?」 「私はそういう場に慣れてませんし、ご迷惑をお掛けするんじゃないかと」 「凛花、あなたもそろそろパーティーに出て、そういう場に慣れないといけないわ。今度のパーティーもそう堅苦しいものではないし、あなたにとってちょうどいい機会になるのではないかしら」 「......そうですね。わかりました」 「明日にでもドレスを見に行きましょう。ふふ、どんなドレスがいいかしら」 「凛花は可愛いからなんでも似合うよ」 「そうね」 両親が楽しそうに会話をする影で、私はこっそり唇を噛んだ。 私、蓮見様にどんな顔して会えばいいの。 そんな私を弟が心配そうに覗きこむ。 「姉さん、大丈夫?」 「平気よ。悠斗はパーティー行けないのよね?」 「あ。うん。塾があるから......」 「そう、残念ね」 私はどこまで意地っ張りなんだろう。 家族にでさえ、満足に甘えられない。 私、そんなに意地っ張りじゃないはずなのに。 そしてとうとうクリスマスパーティーの日がやって来た。 気が進まないが、使用人さんたちの手によってどんどん支度が進んでいく。 長い時間をかけてようやく支度が終わり、私はそっと息を吐く。 今回の私の衣装は母がコーディネートしてくれた。 淡いピンクゴールドのふんわりとしたドレス。後ろに大きめのリボンがついていて可愛らしい。前のウエスト部分にはコサージュがついていて、可愛らしいお嬢さん、という感じだ。 ベアトップなので肩がスースーするが、ショールを羽織るので我慢しよう。 私より一足早く支度を終えた母が私の様子を見に来て、私の姿を見ると満足そうに目を細めた。 母は相変わらずセクシーだ。母の豊かな胸と私の貧相な胸を見比べて私はため息をつく。 いや、数年後には私もきっと......!私はまだ諦めない。 「さあ、行きましょう、凛花」 「......はい、お母様」 私は母に連れられて部屋を出る。玄関で私と母を待っていた父と、見送りに来てくれた弟が私を見る。 そんなに見つめないでくれない。恥ずかしいんですが。 「凛花はいつも可愛いが今日はまた一段と可愛いね!」 「すごく似合ってるよ、姉さん」 「ありがとう、お父様、悠斗」 私は微笑んでお礼を言う。 そんな私に弟は何か言いたそうな顔をする。 どうしたの、と聞こうとすると、もう行きましょうと母に急かされ、結局聞けずに家を出た。 私は気になって後ろを振り向くが、もうそこには弟の姿はなかった。 私はとうとうパーティー会場にたどり着いてしまった。 招待された身としては主催者である蓮見たちに挨拶しないわけにはいかないが、気まずい。 挨拶だけ乗り切ってあとは適当に時間を潰して気分が悪くなったとでも言って早めに帰ろう。うん、そうしよう。 私は覚悟を決めて、父たちの後に従った。

36 "Christmas party....... you say?" I stared at my parents with a perplexed face. Father was a beauty with gentle features, he is an ikemen, as one would expect from the father of the heroine. In contrast to his ever-floating smile, father's way of doing things was cold-headed. The reason our company was able to grow so large was largely due to my father. Such a father; however, has faults, such as being weak to his wife and sweet to his daughter. Maybe because he had expectations of my little brother; as the heir, he was quite strict to him. Right now, father doesn't have his ever-floating smile, but a smile derived from a good mood. "Ah. I was told by Hasumi-san that he would like to have Rinka partic.i.p.ate. Happy about that, I just agreed." "Rinka, you get along with Hasumi-san's son, right? You seem to have gone horse riding together at the culture festival, too. Why didn't you tell me?" My mother stared at me with an interested face. My mother is an earth shattering beauty. She gives off a stern impression; but that, too, became an active charm of hers. Distinctive style, long slit eyes. Under her left eye there's a beauty mole, making her look erotic. My mother, that likes to wear bold garments, is the woman I admire. You really wouldn't be able to tell that she has a daughter in high school and a son in middle school. Between them, I resemble father more, and the fact that I don't really resemble my mother makes me frustrated. I want to be a beauty like mother. "Ehm.....that's......" "Fufu. I understand. Rinka is at that age, right?" No, you're wrong. It's just that, facing you guys to tell you something like this was so troublesome that I didn't want to tell you. I would absolutely never tell mother this. I don't have the courage to say such a dreadful thing. "Father, where did you hear the thing about the culture festival?" "I heard it from Hasumi-san. Hasumi-san said that Sousuke-kun rode a horse together with an ojou-san." "......is that so." I was careless. The culture festival is a place where various people gather and socialize. If I ride with Hasumi in such a conspicuous place, it's not strange that rumours would circulate between adults. As if this wasn't enough, Hasumi easily attracts people's eyes already. I hate my carelessness, as such a simple thing didn't even cross my mind. "Well, even so, Rinka and Sousuke-kun are friends, right? Sousuke-kun is both handsome and excellent, and wouldn't look inferior if he stood next to Rinka. He's the perfect match for Rinka's husband." "You're fast in changing mood." ".......we have no such relations.h.i.+p." My parents stared at me with blank faces. I couldn't bear their gazes, I looked down. "Hasumi-sama and I, have no such relations.h.i.+p." "Rinka?" "..............can't you refuse the invite for the Christmas party?" "That'd be difficult. Is there a reason as to why you don't want to go?" "I'm not used to such places, and I think I would be a bother." "Rinka, you should make appearances in parties soon; therefore, you cannot not get used to such places. And this party isn't formal; so, isn't this just a perfect opportunity for you?" "......I see. I understand." "Let's look for a dress tomorrow. Fufu, I wonder what dress will do." "Because Rinka is cute, anything will suit her." "Right." In the presence of my parents, who were happily talking, I secretly bit my lips. What kind of face would be good for when I see Hasumi? My little brother peered at me worried. "Neesan, are you okay?" "I'm fine. Yuto can't go to the party, right?" "Ah. Yeah. Since I have cram school......." "I see, that's a pity." I wonder how obstinate I am. Even with my family, I can't get enough of acting spoiled. I shouldn't be so obstinate though. And, at last, the day of the Christmas party came. My mood didn't improve, but I was getting ready with the help of the servants. After a long time pa.s.sed, the preparations were finally over, I softly breathed out. This times' outfit was coordinated by my mother. It was a light pink gold fluffy dress. The ribbon attached at my back was lovely. The part on the waist was a corset, it gave off a cute 'ojousan' feeling. Because it's a bare top, my shoulders are cold, but I have to bear with it by putting a shawl on. Having finished preparing earlier than me, my mother came to look at me, and when she did her eyes narrowed in satisfaction. My mother is s.e.xy as always. Comparing her abundant chest and my poor-looking chest, I sighed. No, after a few years mine will surely.......! I still haven't gave up. "Now, let's go, Rinka." ".......yes, mother." I left the room pulled by mother. The entryway we went to had father and my little brother there to see us off. Can you not stare at me like this? It's embarra.s.sing. "Rinka has always been cute, but today she is even more cute!" "It looks really great on you, nee-san." "Thank you, father, Yuto." Smiling, I thanked them. My little brother made a face as though he wanted to say something to me. When I asked him, "what is it?" Mother said, "let's go already," rus.h.i.+ng us, and in the end I left home without hearing him. Concerned, I turned back; however, my brother was no longer there. I finally arrived at the party hall. I must go greet the Hasumis that organised this party, since I was invited, awkward. After greeting them, I'll kill time as I see fit and then return home early when the mood becomes poor. Un, let's do this. I renewed my resolve and followed father.

57 私はカレンダーを凝視する。 今は6月。この間梅雨入りしたばかりで、じめじめと蒸し暑い日が続いている。 制服が、冬服から夏服に変わった。 制服の生地も冬服より夏服の方が薄いため、スカートの裾が光に当たると少し透ける。 夏だなぁ。 夏服に変わって早くも半月が経過している。 あと少ししたら期末テストだ。 前回は惜しくも1位を逃したが、今回こそは1位に輝いてみせる! 私は前回よりも早めにテスト勉強を開始した。 前にテレビで見たことがある。 夜勉強をするよりも朝起きて勉強した方が頭に残りやすいと。 私はいつもより1時間早く起きることに決めた。 朝早く起きるのは苦ではない。 あ、嘘です。私、早起きは苦手です。 でも1位になりたいのだ。 だから私は今日も早起きをする。 打倒蓮見を合言葉に、今日も私は勉強に勤しむ。 迎えた期末テストの日。 私はペンを走らせる。どの教科も私の手が止まることは1度もなかった。 朝の勉強の成果だろうか。 私は余った時間いっぱいまで見直しを続けた。 今回こそは、今回こそはいける。 見ていろ蓮見め!今回は私が「惜しかったですわね?」とドヤ顔で言ってやるのだ! ドキドキのテストの順位発表の日、私は祈るような気持ちで貼り付けられた順位の紙を見上げた。 私は、目を大きく見開く。 1位 東條 昴 2位 神楽木 凛花 2位 蓮見 奏祐 な、なんてことだ......。思わぬ刺客が......! そうだ。去年こそ王子は蓮見に勝つことはなかったが、同率1位は何回かあったのだ。 だから、王子がここで1位になっても不思議はないわけで。 くそう......王子め。 しかし、かなり本気で勉強したのに、今回も蓮見に勝つことはできなかった。 なぜだ。あんなに頑張って同点って、どういうことなの。 「惜しかったですわね?オホホホ」とドヤ顔で高笑いできる日はいつになるのだろうか。 いや、次こそは、必ず勝ってやる......! 私が密かに闘志を燃やしていると、王子と蓮見がやって来た。君たち仲良いな! 王子は順位発表を一瞥すると、ニヤリと笑って蓮見に言った。 「今回は僕の勝ちだね?惜しかったね、奏祐?」 それ、私の言いたかった台詞! ドヤ顔で言うな!私が二番煎じになってしまうではないか! くそう、王子め......! 「......今まで勝ったことなかったくせに」 意外と負けず嫌いな蓮見がポツリと呟く。 王子は爽やかな笑顔を浮かべて、蓮見の肩を叩く。 「負け惜しみは言わない。約束通り、ケーキ作ってね?」 .........あれ。もしかして、蓮見にケーキ作って貰いたくてテスト頑張ったのか、王子は? でもケーキ食べると胃もたれするんじゃ......? 蓮見は苦虫を噛み潰したような顔をして、本当に渋々といった顔をして頷いた。 蓮見、大変そう。 哀れな蓮見に幸あれ。 期末テストが終わればすぐに夏休みだ。 今年は生徒会活動があるため、何回か学校に行かないといけないが、やっぱり夏休みはうきうきする。 夏休みには、美咲様と泊まりでお出掛けする約束をした。 私と美咲様と菜緒の3人で、美咲様の家の別荘にお邪魔するのだ。 なんでもきれいな海が近くにある所らしく、海で遊びましょうね、と美咲様は微笑んだ。 ああ、楽しみだなぁ。 菜緒が帰ってきたら一緒に水着を買いにいく約束をしてある。 早く夏休みにならないかなぁ。 本日は、菜緒と美咲様とのお出掛けの日です。 私は浮かれに浮かれまくっていた。 前日はそわそわしてよく眠れなかった。小学生か。 私はキャリーバックに着替えと荷物を詰め込み、忘れ物がない確認する。 先日菜緒と一緒に買った水着もちゃんといれた。 日焼け止めクリームも、もちろんいれた。 よし、忘れ物はなさそうだ。 私はキャリーバックを閉じる。 時間だ。そろそろ美咲様の家に向かわねば。 私は母に挨拶をして、しばらく会えなくなる弟にも挨拶をしようと弟の姿を探すが見当たらない。 聞けば弟はもう出掛けてしまったらしい。 いってきますって言いたかったのになぁ。 薄情な弟だ。ちぇっ。 車に乗り込み、美咲様の家に向かう間も、私の頭の中は今日やることで頭がいっぱいだった。 あぁ、本当に楽しみ。早く現地に行きたいな。 美咲様の家に到着し、私は車から降りると、何故かボストンバッグを手に持った蓮見がいた。 なぜここにいる。 そう思ったのは蓮見も同じだったようで、私を見て目を見開いていた。 「なんで君がここにいるの」 「それは私の台詞ですわ」 私はお互いに顔を見合わせる。 「俺は昴に呼ばれて......」 「私は美咲さんに......」 あれ?もしかして。もしかしてだけど。 「あら、2人ともいらっしゃい」 私たちは同時に声のした方を振り返る。 そこにはにこにことしている美咲様と、王子の姿があった。 「やあ、2人とも。良い天気になって良かったね」 「昴?これはいったいどういう......」 「あれ?言ってなかった?美咲たちと一緒の旅行だって」 「なにそれ。聞いてない......」 私も聞いてないんですが。美咲様これはいったいどういうことでしょう? 美咲様を見ると、相変わらず美咲様はにこにこと笑っている。 その笑顔を見て私は確信した。 美咲様、確信犯ですね? 蓮見も同じ結論に達したようで、眉間に皺を寄せて王子を睨んでいる。 美咲様と王子の後ろから、ひょっこりと、菜緒と弟が顔を覗かせた。 2人は申し訳なさそうな顔をして私を見ていた。 2人とも、知ってたの......!? 弟よ、なぜ言ってくれなかったのだ。 お姉ちゃん、ちょっと寂しいぞ。 そうか、弟が家にいなかったのは、弟も一緒に旅行に行くから。 私より先に家に出たのは、私に直前まで知らせないように、王子から言われていたからだろう。 あれ?私、なんか嵌められた? 混乱している私をよそに、美咲様と王子はにこにこと笑って言った。 「とても楽しい旅行になりそうね?」 「そうだね、美咲」 ......似た者同士なお二人で、なによりです。

57 I stared at the calendar. It was now June. We had just entered the rainy season; giving us damp and humid days. I changed from the winter uniform to the summer one. The summer uniform was made to be thinner than the winter one, and the hem of the skirt was a bit transparent when the light hit it. It's summer. Half a month had pa.s.sed since the uniforms had changed. And soon there were the final tests. Last time I didn't reach first place regrettably; but this time, for sure, I will s.h.i.+ne in first place! I started studying earlier than last time. I saw this on television before. That things in the morning will stick in your head easier than things at night. So I decided to wake up an hour earlier in the morning. It's not hard to wake up earlier. Oh, that's a lie. I don't like waking up early. But, I want to be in first place. That's why--I will wake up early today. My motto will be "overthrowing Hasumi"; so today, I'll work hard studying. Welcoming the day of the final tests. I made my pen run. No matter which subject, my hand didn't stop once. Is this the result of morning studying, I wonder? In the remaining time I focused on reviewing. This time for sure, this time for sure, it will go well. Just look you d.a.m.n Hasumi! This time I'll be the one that will say "What a pity, mh?" With a triumphant look. On the throbbing day the test rankings were announced, I looked up at the affixed paper as if I was praying. And then my eyes widened. 1st place: Tojo Subaru 2nd place: Kaguragi Rinka 2nd place: Hasumi Sousuke How could this....... I never thought of that possibility.......! Yeah. I'm sure that last year, the prince had never won over Hasumi; but he was ranked first at the same time too. For this reason, it's not strange that he'd get first place here. d.a.m.n you......prince. Still, even though I had studied really seriously, I couldn't beat Hasumi this time as well. Why...? I did so much and just tied, what does this mean...? I wonder when will the day come that I can say "What a pity, mh? Ohohoho" with a loud laugh and triumphant look. No, next time for sure, I'll win......! When I was secretly burning with fighting spirit, the prince and Hasumi arrived. You guys sure get along! As the prince looked at the announcement he laughed with a broad grin and said to Hasumi. "This time it's my win, mh? What a pity, mh? Sousuke?" That's the line I wanted to say! Don't say it with triumphant face! Isn't that the second thing I wanted to do too! d.a.m.n you, prince.....! "......you're saying this even though you had never won before." Hasumi, that unexpectedly hated to lose, muttered to himself. The prince patted Hasumi's shoulder with a refres.h.i.+ng smile. "Don't be so unwilling to admit defeat. Make me some cake as promised, okay?" ..........are. Did the prince try hard because he wanted Hasumi to make him cake, perchance? But won't he get an upset stomach if he eats cake......? Hasumi made a face as if he chewed on something sour, and nodded with a truly reluctant expression. Looks like Hasumi has it hard. I wished good luck to the poor Hasumi. After the final tests summer vacation immediately starts. I had to go to school a number of times for the student council activities this year, but now I can enjoy the summer vacation light-heartedly. During summer break I'll be staying with Miku-sama. Miku-sama, Nao and I, will intrude at Miku-sama's holiday mansion. And since we'll be near the sea, let's play over there, said Miku-sama with a smile. Ahh, I'm looking forward to it. When Nao comes back, we promised to go buy a swimsuit together. I want summer vacation to come faster. Today, is the day that Nao, Miku-sama, and I depart. I was in a super merry mood. The day before I was so restless that I couldn't sleep. Am I an elementary school kid? I crammed my luggage and change of clothes in my carry back, checking if there was anything I forgot. I properly packed the swimsuit I bought with Nao yesterday. Of course, I put in the sunscreen too. Good, it seems like I didn't forget anything. I closed my carry back. It's time. I should head to Miku-sama's house soon. Because I won't be seeing mother for a while, I went to greet her; and then when I wanted to greet my little brother too, I couldn't find him. When I asked, I was told he already went out. Even though I wanted to say: "I'm off." What a heartless little brother. Tch. Inside the car that was going to Miku-sama's house, my head was full of the things I would do today. Ahh, I'm really looking forward to it. I want to go there quickly. When I arrived at Miku-sama's house, and descended from the car; for some reason Hasumi was standing there with a Boston bag in hand. Why are you here? As I thought that, Hasumi's eyes, like mine, widened from seeing me. "Why are you here?" "That's my line." We looked at each other. "I was called here by Subaru......" "I, by Miku-san......." Are? By any chance. But just maybe. "Oh my, welcome you guys." We turned towards the voice at the same time. Over there was a smiling Miku-sama and the prince. "Yo, to both of you. Thanks G.o.d we have good weather, mh?" "Subaru? What on earth does this....." "Are? I didn't tell you? That we're having a trip with Miku." "What's that. I never heard of this......" I didn't hear of this either. What does this mean, Miku-sama? When I looked at her she was laughing as usual. After seeing that smile I got the confirmation Miku-sama, you are the perpetrator right? Hasumi, seeming to have reached the same conclusion, glared at the prince with furrowed brows. From Miku-sama and the prince's back, I suddenly saw the figure of Nao and my little brother. These two looked at me with apologetic faces. You both knew.........!? Little brother dear, why didn't you tell me? Onee-chan, feels a bit sad, you know? I see, so the reason why my little brother wasn't at home was because we were going to travel together. And leaving before me was to not give it up beforehand, it must be the prince that told him to do so, right? Are? Somehow, wasn't I done in? While I was in confusion, Miku-sama and the prince said with smiles. "It looks like it will be a really fun trip, right?" "I think so too, Miku." ........I couldn't be happier that two similar people match so well.

世界の狭間 「っは!ここはどこ?」 美湖が目を覚ますと、辺り一面が真っ白の世界だった。何一つない、ただただ白しかない世界。そんな中に、美湖はただ一人でたたずんでいる状態だった。 「あれ、僕確か、矢岬さんにおなかを刺されて...。あれ、傷がない。」 美湖は、刺されたわき腹を確認するが、傷がふさがっている。制服にも穴は開いていなかった。 そう言うと、光の球は消えてしまった。 「...騒がないでください。こちらにも、準備というものがあるんですから。」 そう言って、光の中から現れたのは、一人の女性だった。しかし、ただの女性とは言えない。絶世の美女という言葉さえ、彼女を表すにはふさわしくないほど、美しい女性がそこにいた。 「初めまして、従 美湖さん。私は、世界『ストライド』を管理する女神―デュナミス―です。以後、お見知りおきを。」 現れた女性、女神―デュナミス―は、美湖に対してあいさつをするが、当の美湖は、いきなり美しすぎる女性が現れたせいで、思考がフリーズしてしまったようだ。しかし、デュナミスはそれに気づかず、 と、美湖の顔を覗き込む形で、あと5cmくらいまで顔を近づけた。それがいけなかった。

The World After Death "...Haa... Where is this?" Miko woke up in a place that she didn't know. In that place there is only whiteness as far as can be seen. "Certainly, I've stabbed by Akiho and should be dead right?" Miko checked her abdomen to confirm, but there is no trace of being stabbed. When she looked at her surrounding, in front of her, appeared a person whom hidden by dazzling light. After optimization is finished, that person is gone in a blink of eye. "Please be quiet. We also need to have preparation here." No, there is no world could described her appearance. What was there was peerless beautiful girl. Beautiful girl that will make anyone speechless. Miko who saw such figure was stiffen. "Wait, stop it. Don't you know who am I? I'm the G.o.ddess you now! Let me go!" That beautiful girl called herself the G.o.ddess. But that words gave more fuel to Miko's rampage. Miko's rampage was unstoppable. The G.o.ddess who no longer could stand it, hit Miko with a cane that she held.

髪飾りの納品 ルッツが作った簪部分と花の部分を縫い合わせて、完成した髪飾りに、ほぅ、と自画自賛の溜息を吐く。 「衣装に使われている素材や雰囲気から考えても、フリーダにはトゥーリの髪飾りより絶対こっちが似合うと思わない?」 「似合うとか似合わないって言うのは、オレ、わかんねぇよ」 「うーん、それも勉強しなきゃね。ベンノさんが扱っている商品って、貴族向けの物が増えているみたいだから」 苦手なことからはやはり目を逸らしたいのか、ルッツの視線がふらりと虚空をさまよう。 「あ~、マイン。できたやつ、どうする?」 「一度ベンノさんに見せてから、ギルド長に納品した方がいいと思うんだよね。今からベンノさんのところに行ってみる?」 完成した髪飾りを小さな籠に入れて、上からウチの中ではまだ比較的綺麗なハンカチを被せて、他の人からは見えないようにした。 「マインが籠を持てよ。オレ、そのバッグ持ってやるから」 石板、石筆に発注書セットが入ったバッグは、わたしにとって結構重いので助かる。素直に感謝してルッツにトートバッグを渡し、わたしは小さな籠を手に持った。 マルクがわたし達の姿を見つけて声をかけてくれる。 「髪飾りが完成したんです。ギルド長に納品する前に、ベンノさんに一度見せておいた方がいいかなと思ったんですけど......」 いきなり背後からベンノの声がかかって、ひゃっと小さく飛び上がる。 振り返ると、貴族のところへ行っていたのだろうか、隙なくきっちりと豪華な服に身を包んだベンノが立っていた。 マルクに軽く頷き、ベンノが奥の部屋へと向かったので、わたし達もその後をついていく。 「それで、出来上がった髪飾りはどこだ?」 「......マイン、お前、2つ目を値引きする必要はなかったぞ」 「え? これでも結構ぼったくりだと思ってるんですけど......材料費が糸だけでしたから、利益が小銀貨3枚くらいにはなるでしょう?」 「物の価値をよく勉強しろ。お前が持ち込んだ物は全て贅沢品だ。高級な贅沢品がどれくらいの値段で扱われているのか知らないと、市場を混乱させることになる」 「......すみません」 自分の感覚とこの世界の物価が噛み合っていないことはよくわかっているし、ベンノが市場の混乱を防ぐための防波堤になってくれていることも理解できた。 ......それにしても、贅沢品か。簡易ちゃんリンシャンにしても、紙にしても、髪飾りにしても、当たり前に周りにある物だったからねぇ。 本で読んだ中世の世界にはほとんどないと頭ではわかっていても、感覚ではそうもいかない。無ければ、何かで代用できないか、自分で作れないか、どうしても考えてしまう。 「ベンノさん、これをギルド長に納品したいんですけど、どうしたらいいですか? ギルド長に会えるように約束を取り付けたいんです」 発注書セットを取り出して、板にギルド長との面会予約と書き、名前と用件を書きこむ。 「これをギルド3階の受付に渡せばいい。面会の時間が決まれば、ギルド職員が店に面会時間を書きこんだこの板を返してくれる」 「じゃあ、帰りに出しに行こうか?」 「......あ~、待て。二人だけで行ったら、その場で餌食だ。俺が一緒に行く」 受付に予約票を持っていくだけに大袈裟な、と思うんだけど。 商業ギルドに行って、今回は自分のカードを出して、上の階へと向かう。 「少々お待ちください」 「へ!?」 「マインとルッツと名乗る者が来たら、通すように言われています」 本当にギルド室に通された。部屋に来るよう言われて、右往左往するわたし達にベンノが「それ見たことか」と呟く。 おぉう、ベンノさん、大正解! ベンノさんがついてきてくれてよかったよぉ。 ギルド長の部屋に通され、ギルド長がちょっと嫌な顔をしながら、ベンノも一緒に迎え入れてくれた。 「髪飾りができたので、持って来ました」 持っていた小さい籠を出して、ハンカチを退けて、そのままずいっとギルド長の前へと押し出した。ベンノからOKをもらったのだから大丈夫だとは思うが、心臓がバクバクするのは止められない。 ギルド長は籠の中を覗きこんで、髪飾りを一つ取り出すと、眉を寄せて検分する。クッと眉を上げて、わたしを見た。 「......これは、前に見せてもらった物とずいぶん違うようだが?」 「一応値段に合わせた特別仕様なんです。もしかして、前に見せた物の方が良かったでしょうか? フリーダさんとお話をして、髪型や衣装に合うように作ったつもりなんですけど......」 気に入られなかったか、と顔を青くするわたしにギルド長は慌てたように首を振った。 「いや、ここまで素晴らしい物になると思っていなかったので、驚いただけだ。確かにフリーダによく似合うだろう」 「そうですか。よかったです」 お断りされたわけではないと胸を撫で下ろしたわたしに、ギルド長が目をギラリと光らせた。 「マイン、用件は終わったな。帰るぞ」 ギルド長に最後まで言わせず、ベンノがわたしとルッツの腕をつかんで立ち上がる。用件が終わったので、このままお暇でも良いかな、とおとなしくベンノについていこうとすると、ギルド長が必死に引き留めてきた。 「いや、待て。せっかくなので、直接フリーダに渡してやってほしい。女の子の友達ができたことをとても喜んでいたぞ。フリーダに同じ年頃の友人ができるなんて、わしは初めて聞いて、感動している」 ほへー、フリーダは初めての友達できたんだ。それはめでたいね。 「......お前、友達になったのか?」 「え!? わたし!?......えーと、どうなんでしょう?」 一方的に気に入られたことはわかっているが、これを友達というのは違うと思う。でも、孫娘に友人ができたことをこれほど喜んでいるギルド長の前でハッキリと否定はしにくい。 「いつ遊びに来てくれてもいいようにお菓子を作って待っているはずだ」 「......お菓子?」 つい反応してしまったわたしの額を、ベンノがビシッと指で弾く。隙を見せるな、ということだとはわかるが、甘い誘惑に反応してしまうのは止められない。 「よし、わしがフリーダのところへ連れて行ってやろう」 フリーダを抱き上げることもあるのか、ギルド長は軽々とわたしを抱き上げて、部屋を出る。 何だか行くことに決定しているようだが、ギルド長の家は城壁の間近で、ベンノの店よりウチから遠くなる。正直、行ってしまうと、家に帰るだけの体力が残らないと思う。 「......ギルド長、わたし、体力ないから、今日はこれ以上歩けないんです」 「別に歩く必要はない。馬車を使うからな」 「馬車!?」 大通りを行き交う行商人や農民は荷馬車や荷車を使っているけれど、わたし達の生活圏では、荷車さえ一家に一つあればいいというもので、使えるのは大人だけだ。 当たり前だが、ゴムのタイヤなどないので、荷物を乗せると大人でも引くのに相当力がいる。子供が使えるようなものではない。というより、子供は一家に一台あるかないかの大事な荷車なんて使わせてもらえない。移動手段は自分の足。そういうものだった。 しかも、馬は高い。ロバは比較的雑食だが、馬は食料にする草が高いので、維持費がとんでもないらしい。 くぅ、お金持ちめ。 ギルド長の金持ち具合をひがんでいるうちに、商業ギルドの一階についていて、ギルド長の馬車に乗せられていた。 馬車なんて初めてだ。 去年の冬支度の頃に荷車には乗せられたことがあるけれど、動物が引く乗り物に乗るのは初めてだ。ルッツと二人できょろきょろしているとギルド長に苦笑された。 「ほぅ。マインは馬車が初めてか?」 「門や大通りを通っているのを見たことはありますけど、わたしやルッツの周りで持っている人なんていませんから」 本来は大人二人乗りの馬車なので、かなり狭い。きちんとした座席に大人二人が座り、わたしとルッツは荷物を置くための台のような場所に申し訳程度にお尻を置いているだけだ。わたしとルッツが子供だから何とか乗れているだけで、きゅうきゅうだ。 「......窮屈だな。ベンノ、下りろ」 しばらくベンノとギルド長が睨みあっていたが、結局、きつきつのまま馬車はゆっくりと動きだした。 「うわわわわっ!」 揺れがひどくて、とてもじっと座ってなんていられない。ルッツは乗り降りするための取っ手にしがみついていて無事だが、わたしは捕まるところもないので、ガクンガタンと揺れるたびに椅子から飛びそうになる。 見かねたベンノが膝の上に座らせて、お腹に腕を回して、飛ばないように押さえてくれた。それでも、揺れればお尻が浮きそうになるし、ちょっと油断すればわたしの頭がベンノの顎にダメージを与えそうになる。 「フリーダ、マインが髪飾りを持ってきてくれたぞ」 ふんわりとした桜色の髪を揺らして、フリーダがやんわり穏やかそうな笑顔を浮かべてやってくる。 「フリーダ嬢、はじめまして。ベンノです。マインからお話を伺っています」 「まぁ、どんな風にマインが話してくれたのかしら?」 穏やかでにこやかな挨拶なのに、寒気がするよぅ。 わたしもルッツも商人同士の目に見えない争いにはまだ加われない。いつかあんな風に微笑みながら火花を散らし合うような真似ができるようになるんだろうか。 「わかりました、おじい様」 ギルド長はそう言うと、ベンノを連れてギルド長の部屋へと向かい、わたしとルッツは前回と同じように応接室に通された。 「女の子は甘い物が好きだから、いつ遊びに来てくれてもいいように準備しているのよ。マイン、暇があったら遊びに来てね」 わたしが超絶笑顔で答えると、ルッツにテーブルの下で手を抓られた。 あぁ、そうだ。甘い誘惑に負けちゃダメだった。負けちゃダメ。負けちゃ......くんくん、幸せ~。 薄いピザ生地の上に蜂蜜漬けのナッツを置いて焼いてあるように見えるお菓子が切り分けられた。 「さぁ、マインもルッツも召し上がれ」 はむはむ。たっぷりの蜂蜜が甘くて美味しい。なんて贅沢なお菓子。ここは天国ですか? 日本で食べたナッツのタルトを思い出しながら、ひとしきり食べて満足した。やっぱり甘い物を食べると幸せな気分になる。 「ごちそうさまでした。とても美味しかったです」 「そんな風に喜んでもらえると嬉しいわ。料理人にも伝えておくわね」 わぁお、料理人ですってよ、奥さん。 「では、髪飾りを見せていただいてもよろしいかしら?」 「はい。あ、その前に、余った糸、お返ししますね」 「これが、フリーダさんの......」 「マイン、わたくし達はお友達なのだから、フリーダと呼んでくださいな」 可憐で可愛い幼女に、にこやかな笑顔でそう言われて、「友達じゃないよね?」なんて言えるわけがない。しどろもどろになりながら、逃げ道を探す。 「え? でも、お客様だから......」 ニッコリと笑ったフリーダが、髪飾りの入った籠を自分の手前に引き寄せる。代わりに、わたしとルッツの間に小銀貨を6枚並べた。 「商品も受け取りましたし、お金も払いましたもの。これで心置きなくお友達になれるわね」 考えようによっては、外見詐欺の変わったお友達なのだから、わたしが多少変でも問題ないかもしれない。前向きに喜ぼう。 名前はフリーダと呼び捨てで、言葉もちょっと崩した方がいいかな? 「えーと、じゃあ、フリーダ。髪飾りを見てもらっていい?」 「もちろん、見せていただくわ」 そっとフリーダが指でつまんで、ハンカチを退ける。 「まぁ! なんて素敵! わたくしは冬の洗礼式だから、式の頃には雪が降り始めて、髪飾りにする花や木の実もないでしょう? 春や夏に洗礼式をする子がとても羨ましかったの。植物が枯れていく冬に色鮮やかな花や緑の葉っぱを身にまとうことができるなんて、本当に嬉しいわ」 「喜んでもらえてよかった」 そういえば、トゥーリも飾りにはその辺りの花を使う、と最初は言っていた。だったら、冬の方が、髪飾りは売れるかもしれない。 「付けてみて。フリーダの髪にどんな風に合うのか、知りたいの」 「どう付けていいのかわかりませんの。マインが付けてくださる?」 やっぱりバラで正解だったね。 「可愛いよ、フリーダ。まるで花の妖精みたい」 「褒めすぎですわ。おじい様みたいですわよ」 「褒めすぎじゃないよ。可愛いし、似合うもん。ルッツもそう思うよね?」 「あぁ。飾りだけ見た時はそこまで似合うと思わなかった。マインがフリーダに似合うように作っただけのことはある。すげぇ可愛いと思うぞ」 少し頬を赤らめて、頬を膨らませるフリーダは、明らかに褒められ慣れていない。兄弟や友達がいないことがすぐにわかる反応だ。 この世界、家族間や友人間で褒め言葉がかなり頻繁に行き交うのだ。わたしもトゥーリを褒めちぎるし、トゥーリもわたしを褒めてくれる。ルッツだって何かやった時には褒めてくれるし、わたしも褒める言葉を口にできるようになってきた。 「それにしても、糸でこんな立体的な花ができるなんて......」 そっと髪飾りを抜いたフリーダは、ベンノやギルド長がしていたようにまじまじと目を凝らして検分し始めた。目が完全に商人の物になっている。 「そんなに難しくはないんだよ。わたしでもできるんだから」 「......作り方を見出したということが、とても大事なのよ、マイン」 「え?」 「上流貴族の奥さまやお嬢様は、隙間なく刺繍がされた色鮮やかなヴェールをまとうことがあるし、魔術で時を留めた本当の花を飾りにすることもあるわ。でも、これのように形のある飾りを付けたことはないの」 贅沢品を使う貴族が魔術を使うから、こういう飾りが発達しなかったのではないだろうか。 「刺繍をあしらった布は、この家にもたくさんあるけれど、立体化されたものはないのよ。糸だけで作られたこの立体的な赤い花は、とても画期的なの」 そこまで言われて、初めてわかった。ベンノが半額にする必要はなかったと言った意味が。これはいわゆる新技術に等しいのだ。完全に悪目立ちしている気がする。 もしかして、わたし、結構まずいことしちゃった? さぁっと血の気が引いていくわたしの手をフリーダがぎゅっと握った。 「マインは意外と知らないことも多いのね? だったら、わたくしが色々な事を教えてあげるわ。だから、今度はお仕事じゃなく、お喋りに来てほしいの。たっぷり甘いお菓子お準備しておくから、女の子同士のお喋りを楽しみましょうよ」 うっ、危ない。うっかり女の子同士のお喋りに同意してしまうところだった。 うっかり同意してしまうと、ルッツもベンノも排除される危険性がある。何と答えればいいのかわからなくて言葉に詰まったわたしの代わりに、ルッツが口を開く。 「これからは忙しいから、残念だけど、あまり遊びに来る余裕はないな」 ニコリと笑ったまま、フリーダはそう言ったけれど、わたしの外出なんて、基本的にルッツ次第だ。 「マインはオレがいない状態で外出するのを、家族にさえ止められているんだ。オレがいないで、マインがここに来ることはない」 「......あぁ、そうでしたわね。でしたら、仕方ありませんわ。ルッツも一緒にいらっしゃい」 身食いという病気持ちだったからだろう。フリーダはすぐにわたしの状況を理解したように頷いた。 「だから、忙しいんだって」 「忙しいというのは?」 「冬支度が本格的に始まるんだ。冬を乗り切るために家族総出で準備するんだから、お喋りのために出かける余裕なんて、本当にないんだよ。それに、雪が降り始めたら、外には出られなくなるだろう?」 そう、お金で全ての薪が買えるフリーダの家と違って、大量の薪を準備したり、ろうそくを準備したり、冬支度はとても大変だ。 「......春まで無理ということですか」 「春になれば、フリーダが見習いになっているでしょう? 大丈夫?」 「それは大丈夫ですわ。見習いの仕事は毎日あるわけではありませんもの。春になったらお菓子をたっぷり準備するから、遊びにいらして」 うん、と大きく頷きながら、わたしはルッツを見た。 「そういえば、ルッツは甘い物にあんまり反応しなかったね? いつもなら、食べ物にはすぐに飛びつくのに、なんで?」 「ベンノの旦那によく見てろって言われたし、マインが作るパルゥケーキや料理の方がおいしいからな。たまのお菓子より、いつもの料理だ。マインを取りこまれる方が困る」 いつもお腹を空かせているルッツには、たまに食べる甘いお菓子より、普段の食生活の充実の方が重要らしい。だったら、また新しいレシピを持って、ルッツの家に行った方が良いかもしれない。 「あら? パルゥケーキなんて、初めて聞くわね。マインが作ったお菓子なら、わたくしも食べてみたいわ」 さすがにこんな家のお嬢様に、鳥の餌にされているパルゥの搾りかすを使ったお菓子なんて出せない。じいちゃんが青筋立てて怒るだろうし、栄養管理しているはずの料理人さんがひっくり返ると思う。 「ルッツは良くて、わたくしはダメだとおっしゃるの?」 悲しげに眉を寄せられると、苛めているみたいで、こちらが慌てるけれど、パルゥケーキはお嬢様に出せるものではない。 「材料が材料だから......フリーダみたいなお嬢様には出せないんだよ」 「ルッツばかりずるいですわ」 「......えーと、じゃあ、今度、春になったら、この家の材料で一緒にお菓子作りしようか? ここの料理人さんにも手伝ってもらって。それなら、材料の心配をする必要もないし、作れる人もいるし、家族の方も安心でしょ? どう?」 「まぁ、素敵! 約束ですわよ」 一緒にお菓子作りすることで決着がついた時、ドアがノックされてギルド長とベンノが入ってきた。 「はい。あの、ベンノさん。このお金......」 フリーダからもらった報酬は小銀貨6枚、大金だ。正直、自分で持っているのは怖い。ベンノに差し出して預かってもらおうとしたら、ベンノはギルド長に声をかけた。 「悪いが、少し応接室を借りていいか? 帰る前に精算を終わらせてしまいたい」 「あぁ、無理を言って連れてきたのは、こちらだ。使ってくれ」 応接室から、ギルド長とフリーダが出ていくのを待って、ベンノが小銀貨を受け取り、テーブルの上に並べ始めた。 「材料費と手数料を引いた小銀貨3枚が、お前達の取り分だ。2個目を半額になんてしなかったら、小銀貨があと2枚は手に入ったのにな」 「......これで十分ですよ。髪飾り一つでこれ以上儲けたら、次の安売りする髪飾りを作るのが嫌になります」 わたしの言葉にフンとベンノが鼻を鳴らし、財布を取り出した。 「金はどうする? 全部持って帰るか?」 「小銀貨1枚は商業ギルドに預けて、大銅貨5枚を持ち帰ります」 そう言うのがわかっていたように、ベンノはギルドカードと大銅貨を取り出した。 「ギルド長が馬車で商業ギルドまで送ってくれると言っている。乗って行け」 「ベンノさんは?」 「店まで歩く。あの馬車は狭いからな。明日の午後、店に来い。糸が届く予定だ。値段も決めないといけないからな」 ギルド長と何の話し合いをしたのだろうか。ベンノの警戒心が、先程までとは違ってかなり薄れているようだった。

Hairpin Delivery Once I finish attaching the pin parts of the hairpins that Lutz made to the parts that I had made, I can't help but breathe a little sigh of self-satisfaction at our accomplishment. The hairpins we made for Freida came out absolutely gorgeous, far more than I was expecting. Each one has four miniature red roses arranged on it, surrounded by a spray of tiny flowers, styled in the image of baby's-breath, with the shape of green leaves poking out here and there from behind. "When you think about what her dress is made of and her general atmosphere, don't you think that this suits her a lot better than Tory's would?" "I have zero idea what you mean when you keep asking if something suits or doesn't suit someone," he says, shaking his head. I cross my arms, deep in thought. "Hmmm," I say, "that's something you're going to need to learn too, since it looks like Mister Benno is starting to carry a lot more things that are marketed to the n.o.bility." Lutz lets his eyes wander off to the distance, perhaps because he doesn't really want to look at something he's bad at. "Heyyy, Maine. Now that we're done, what do we do?" "I think that we should show it to Mister Benno first, and then deliver it to the guild leader. How about we try heading to Mister Benno's shop now?" The finished hairpins have been placed in a small box, the top of which is covered by the nicest handkerchief in my house so that n.o.body can see what's inside. "Maine, you hold the box. I'll carry that bag for you." With my slate, slate pencils, and ordering set in my tote bag, it's gotten reasonably heavy, by my standards. Grateful, I quietly hand it over to Lutz, and receive the small box in exchange. "Ah," says Mark when he sees us arrive, "what brings the two of you here today?" "We've completed the hairpins. I thought that it would be a good idea if, before we delivered it to the guild leader, we showed it to Mister Benno first, maybe..." "Oh? Show me," says Benno, unexpectedly, from right behind me. Startled, I jump slightly in place. When I turn around, I see that he's standing behind me, dressed impeccably in magnificent clothes, perhaps having just come back from visiting the n.o.bility. We follow him as he heads into his room, deeper in the shop. "So, then," he says as he sits down at the table, "where are these completed hairpins?" "...Maine, you... did not need to charge half price for the second one of these." "Um? I still think that we're ma.s.sively overcharging even after that... since the only real materials cost is the thread, we're making about three small silver coins worth of profit, right?" "You're going to have to learn how much things are worth. Every single thing you've brought to me has been a luxury good. If you don't know how to correctly price high-quality luxury items like these, you'll throw the market into absolute chaos." "...I'm sorry." I'm well aware of how my own intuition does not mesh at all with how goods are priced in this world, so I can very much appreciate how Benno has had to become a breakwater against the tide of chaos I might bring to the town's market. I already knew that clothing and decoration were high-priced goods, but since I don't have the strength to walk around the town from store to store to do any research, I don't have a sense for what kinds and qualities of things are being sold for what prices. On top of that, given my age and my bearing, I'd likely be refused entry to any shops that dealt in those kinds of high-priced goods. ...Even still, luxury goods, huh? Simple shampoo, paper, and hairpins all used to be obvious stuff I'd find all around me, after all. I know, in my head, that the Middle Ages I read about in my books didn't have any of these things, but in my heart I still don't accept it. If something doesn't exist, I keep searching for ways that I could find some sort of subst.i.tute or make it for myself. "Mister Benno," I say, "I'd like to deliver this to the guild leader; what would be the best way to do so? I think I'd like to make an appointment to meet with him." He takes out an ordering set, writes out a request to meet with the guild leader, then fills in our names and the purpose for the meeting. "Now you can deliver this to the third floor of the guild. When they decide on a time for the appointment, a staff member will fill in the details here, then deliver it back to the shop." "So, should we deliver it on our way home?" "...Ahhh, wait. If it's just the two of you, you'll be easy prey in that place. I'll come along too." He might be exaggerating the danger of just delivering a meeting request, I think. We go to the merchant's guild and ascend to the third floor, Lutz and I using our own cards this time. After delivering the request card to the service counter, Lutz and I turn to head home, happy about a job well done, when the receptionist calls out to us. "Please wait one moment." "Um?!" "I've been instructed that, if two people named Maine and Lutz were to arrive, that I show them in immediately." Sure enough, we're being let through. As I stumble about in fl.u.s.tered confusion, Benno glances down at me and murmurs, "do you see now?" Whoa, Mister Benno, you were absolutely correct! I'm so glad he came along with us. The guild leader shows us in when we arrive at his office, although his expression is a little less than agreeable when Benno comes in along with us. "We've finished the hairpins, and have brought them here for you." I take out the small box I brought with me, remove the handkerchief, and hold it out, as far as I can, towards the guild leader. Since Benno has already given his OK, I think everything will be fine, but I still can't stop my heart from pounding. The guild leader peers into the box, then picks out one of the hairpins. He frowns as he inspects it closely, then looks over at me, eyebrows raised. "...This is very different than the one you showed me last time, is it not?" "I took extra care to ensure that the product was worth the price you were paying for it. Was the item you saw previously perhaps more to your liking? I had thought to make hairpins that would fit Miss Freida's hairstyle and clothing better, after speaking with her, but..." As my face goes pale, wondering if he's unhappy with it, the guild leader hurriedly shakes his head. "No, no, I'm merely surprised; I hadn't expected such an excellent product. I think they really will suit Freida quite well." "Ah, really? That's good to hear." As I rea.s.sure myself that there's no way he could possibly reject it, the guild leader's eyes suddenly gleam. "Maine, it looks like we're done here. We're leaving." Before the guild leader could even finish his sentence, Benno seizes Lutz's and my arms and stands up. I contemplate if it's best for us to leave now, since our business here is done, and quietly follow along behind him. Frantically, the guild leader blocks our path. "No, wait. Now that this is finally ready, I'd like you to deliver it to Freida yourself. I'm so happy that she's made friends with another girl. When I hear that she made a friend the same age as her, I was overjoyed!" Oh ho, Freida's made a friend? What a joyous occasion! "You've... become her friend?" "Um! Me?! ...Ummm, I, I wonder?" I knew that she had been quite pleased with me, although it was rather one-sided, but I wouldn't really call this a friends.h.i.+p. However, it would be very difficult for me to deny it out loud in front of the guild leader, who is so obviously overjoyed that his granddaughter has made a friend. "I hear that she'll be having sweets ready so that you can come over to play any time you'd like." "...Sweets?" Benno flicks my forehead for letting that reaction slip. I know that I shouldn't be showing any weakness, but I couldn't stop my self as soon as the topic of sweet things came up. "Good! How about I take you to her right now?" The guild leader picks me up effortlessly, perhaps like he may have picked up Freida before, and brings me out of the room. Benno and Lutz stare, wide-eyed, as I'm abducted literally right from in front of them, then frantically chase after us. It seems that it's already been decided that we're going, but the guild leader's house is close to the castle walls, even further from my house than Benno's shop is. To be perfectly honest, if I go, I don't think I would have enough energy for me to return home. "...Sir," I say, "I'm not very strong at all, and I don't think I can walk any farther today." "There's no real need to walk. We'll be taking my carriage." "Carriage?!" I hadn't really thought of those as something I could ride on. I've seen traders and farmers using wagons and carts, of both the horse- and hand-drawn varieties, along the main streets, but in my sphere of existence, each family is likely to have just one hand-drawn cart, and only adults are able to use them. This goes without saying, but things like rubber tires do not exist here, so when a cart is loaded with baggage, even an adult has to put quite a lot of effort into pulling it. It's not at all the kind of thing that a child could use. On top of that, a child would most certainly not be allowed to use such an important item of which the family only has one. We must use our own two feet to get around. That's that. Even more, horses are expensive. Donkeys are comparatively omnivorous, but since the hay that horses eat is expensive, even the maintenance costs are unattainably exorbitant. Tch. Rich people. As I stew in my envy of the guild leader's wealthy status, he brings me down to the first floor of the Merchant's Guild building, and puts me up into his carriage. Lutz and Benno, having come to their senses, catch up to us, getting onto the carriage as well, and all four of us get ready to depart, heading towards Freida's place to make the delivery. This is my first time in a horse-drawn carriage. I've been on a hand-drawn cart before, during last year's winter preparations, but this is my first time riding something that's pulled by an animal. Lutz and I look around constantly, and the guild leader smiles wryly at us. "Heh. Maine, is this your first time riding a carriage?" "I've seen them going through the gates and driving on the roads, but neither Lutz nor I have anyone in our families that own one." This is a vehicle that was intended to pull two adults, so it's rather crowded. The two adults fit exactly on the seats, so Lutz and I are stuck, with apologies, on our b.u.t.ts on the shelf in the back, where luggage is supposed to go. Since we're children, we're somehow able to fit, but it's rather dangerous. "...It's cramped in here. Benno, get out." Benno and the guild leader glare at each other for a little while, but eventually, the carriage starts slowly moving forward. "Whoaaoaooaaa!!" The cart jostles violently as it moves, making it impossible for me to stay still on my seat. Lutz has found safety by clinging desperately to the railing that's intended to help people get on and off, but I have nothing to grab onto. With every b.u.mp of the road, it seems like I'm about to fly entirely out of my seat. Benno sits me on his lap, one arm around my stomach, pinning me tightly so that I won't fly away. Even still, each shake of the cart sends me almost floating off my b.u.t.t, and if I'm not careful, the top of my head might slam into Benno's jaw. I knew that a cart without any suspension would be a b.u.mpy ride, but I had no idea it was going to be this awful. "Freida," calls the guild leader, "Maine's brought your hair ornaments!" Her cherry-blossom hair swaying airly behind her, Freida greets us with a gentle smile on her face. "Madam Freida, it is nice to meet you. My name is Benno. I've heard much about you from Maine." "Well, I wonder what kind of things she might have said?" They're so politely greeting each other, yet this sends s.h.i.+vers down my spine. Lutz grabs my hand tightly, trembling as we listen to the two of them introduce themselves. I quickly glance over at him, and see that he's gone pale. Neither of us are at all ready to join in the invisible battle between fellow merchants that's happening right now. I wonder if the two of us will actually be able to someday send sparks flying with a smile like that? "Yes, grandfather." As the guild leader leads Benno to his own room, Freida leads Lutz and I to a similar sitting room as last time. Meanwhile, sweet drinks and sweet snacks have been brought out, and an entrancingly sweet smell drifts from the table. "Girls love sweet things, so I have some prepared so that you can come by to play any time! Maine, whenever you're free, please come to play." Lutz pinches my hand under the table. Argh, that's right. I cannot let myself succ.u.mb to sweet temptation. I mustn't succ.u.mb, I mustn't s... sniff, sniff, ah, bliss~! Honey-soaked nuts have been layered on top of a thin pizza dough, baked, sliced, and set out for me. "Come! Maine, Lutz, please enjoy!" Nom, nom. The ample honey makes it deliciously sweet. What a luxurious confection. Is this heaven? For a while, I just let myself eat my fill, recalling memories of nut tarts I had in j.a.pan. Sweet things really do bring happiness. "Thank you very much. It was quite delicious." "I'm very happy you thought so. I'll be sure to convey that to the chef." Wow, madam, you have a chef. So, she said she had prepared sweets for us, but her chef prepared them for us, and all she did was bring them out. What a stratified society. "Now then," she says, "would you perhaps like to show me the hairpins, now?" "Certainly. Ah, before that, let me return the remaining thread." "Miss Freida, here are--" "Maine, the two of us are friends! Please, just call me Freida." When such a lovely, cute little girl says something like that with such a dazzling smile, there's no way I can just say "we aren't friends, though?". Fl.u.s.tered, I fumble about for a way out. "Um? But, you're a customer..." Smiling broadly, Freida takes the box containing her hairpins from me, and in exchange, places a stack of six small silver coins in front of Lutz and I. "I have received my order and paid the bill. Now there's nothing in the way of our friends.h.i.+p!" With all avenues of escape closed, and in a situation where I can't just say no, I defeatedly nod my head in acceptance. Depending on how you think about it, she's a friend whose appearance does not match her personality at all, so it won't be a problem if I'm a little weird myself. Let's take this as a good thing. If she's fine with me just calling her "Freida", I wonder if I can speak a little more casually? "Umm, then, Freida. Would you like to take a look at the hairpins?" "Of course! Don't mind if I do." Freida gently pinches the handkerchief between two fingers, then pulls it away. When she takes one of the hairpins out of the box, her eyes grow wide. "Well! How magnificent! Since my baptism is in the winter, snow will have started falling by the time the ceremony comes around, so there won't be any flowers or berries to use as hair ornaments, you know? I've been terribly envious of the children whose ceremonies were in the spring and summer. In a season where all the plants are withered, being able to clad myself in brilliant flowers and green leaves makes me so happy!" "I'm glad to hear that." Now that I think of it, Tory had initially said that her hair decorations were going to be flowers that she could pick nearby. In that case, these hairpins should sell very well during the winter. "Try putting them on," I say. "I want to see how they look in your hair." "I don't quite know how to do that. Maine, might I trouble you to?" Roses were definitely the right choice. "You're very cute, Freida! Like a fairy of the flowers." "You flatter me too much!" she says, daintily covering her mouth as she bashfully giggles. "You're just like my grandfather." "It's not flattery! It's a really cute look, and it suits you. Lutz, you think so too, right?" "Yeah. When I was just looking at the pins, I didn't think that they were going to fit you so well. Maine made these to just to match you. You're super cute." Freida, whose face is growing red and whose cheeks are growing puffy, is clearly not used to being praised like this. I can instantly see from her reaction that she really doesn't have any siblings or friends. In this world, it's common for friends and family to be constantly praising each other. I've been extolling Tory's virtues, and she's been praising me in return. Lutz praises me whenever I do something, and I've started to grow accustomed to praising others as well. It was startling to me at first, to the point where I'd shy away from it, but lately I've been able to go along with this kind of constant lip service. "Even so," she says, "to be able to build such solid shapes out of thread..." Freida has extracted the hairpins from her head and has started studying them in careful detail, like Benno and the guild leader had done before. Her eyes have completely become like those of a merchant. "It's not all that difficult," I say. "Even I can do it!" "...The discovery of this construction method is a very big deal, Maine." "Huh?" "The wives and daughters of the upper n.o.bility are fond of wearing brightly-colored veils of unblemished embroidery. They also wear decorations made of real flowers that have been frozen in time via magic. However, n.o.body has any ornaments with shape like this." The n.o.bility who use ornaments like this use magic to do so, so perhaps decorations like this were never actually developed? As I hum thoughtfully to myself, Freida continues to explain the magnificence of these decorations. "There is so much fabric in this house with so much embroidery, but not a single piece of it has this kind of shape. To be able to make a solid object with nothing but thread is completely groundbreaking!" When she says it like that, I finally get it. This is why Benno said there was no need to sell the second pin at half price. This is, essentially, a new technology. I suddenly feel extremely conspicuous. Have I, perhaps, done something really, really terrible? I can feel my face going pale. Freida reaches out grabs my hands tightly. "Maine, you know a lot of unexpected, unknown things, right? If so, I have a lot of things I can teach you too. So, next time, I want you to just come and chat, not to work! I'll have plenty of sweets prepared for you, so let's have a nice long chat, with just us girls!" Argh, that was close. I almost carelessly agreed to have a nice, long, girls-only chat. If I'd let that slip, then I'd run the risk of having both Lutz and Benno completely excluded. I'm at a loss for words, with no idea how to actually answer the question, so Lutz steps up in my place. "We're going to be very busy from now on, so unfortunately we don't have much time to come over and play." She may say that, but my ability to go out is fundamentally dependent on Lutz. "Maine's family doesn't let her go out if I'm not going to be there with her. So, if I'm not here too, Maine won't be able to come." "...Ah, that's right. There's no helping it, then. Lutz, you are welcome to come as well." Is it because she had this devouring disease as well? Freida immediately understood my situation, then nodded in agreement. Lutz, however, isn't nodding. He stands unwavering in his denial. "Like I said earlier, we're busy." "Busy with what?" "We're starting to get serious about winter preparations. The entire family needs to work together to prepare ourselves for the winter, so there really isn't any free time for us to come and chat. Also, once snow starts falling, we won't be able to go outside, right?" That's right, unlike Freida, whose family can just buy all the firewood they need, preparing the huge quant.i.ty of firewood and making all of the candles we need is extremely difficult. It seems like even Freida knows how difficult winter preparations are, so she just slumps her shoulders, not pressuring us any more. "...So we can't see each other until the spring?" "Aren't you going to be doing your apprentices.h.i.+p in the springtime? Is that going to be alright?" "That'll be just fine. It's not like my apprentices.h.i.+p will have me working every day of the week. I'll have plenty of sweets prepared come springtime, so please do come by to play!" I give Freida a big nod, then look over at Lutz. "Now that I think about it, Lutz, you didn't react much to the sweets, did you? You usually leap right onto whatever food's in front of you, so why?" "Master Benno told me to keep a good eye on you, and also the parucakes and the other things you make are way tastier. I like food I can always eat more than occasional sweets. I'd be in trouble if you got taken away." It seems that Lutz, who is always hungry, considers maintaining the richness of his current eating habits far more important than eating the occasional sweet. If that's the case, then I should head to his place with some more new recipes, I think. "Oh my, I haven't heard of parucakes before. I would be very interested in trying food you've made as well, Maine." I couldn't possibly feed confections made from squeezed-out paru fruit, which would usually be considered bird food, to the pampered daughter of a family like this. Her grandfather would get so angry veins would pop out on his head, and the chef who probably manages their nutritional requirements would go berserk. "You're saying that Lutz is good enough to eat your food, but I'm not?" she says, teasingly, wearing the saddest frown. I may be increasingly fl.u.s.tered, but there's still no way I can bring parucakes in front of a rich girl. Lutz chimes in. "The ingredients are... not something we could feed a young lady like yourself." "Lutz, you're so mean!" "...Umm, so, how about next time, when it's spring, we make something together with the ingredients you have here? Your chef could help us too. If that's the case, we don't need to worry about the ingredients, and there will be people to help us, and your family can have a little more peace of mind? How about it?" "Well, that's marvelous! That's settled, then." As soon as we decide on making sweets together, a knock comes at the door shortly before the guild leader and Benno enter. "Yes, sir," I reply. "Umm, Mister Benno. Could you..." The six small silver coins that Freida gave us in remuneration are quite a lot of money. To be frank, I'm too scared to carry it myself. As I hold it out for him to look after, he glances at the guild leader. "Sorry, but do you mind if I borrow your parlor for a moment? I'd like to settle up with these two before we head home." "Ahh, you wouldn't be here if I hadn't dragged you all out. Please, be my guest." Benno waits until the guild leader and Freida have left the room, then takes the coins from me and lines them up on the table. "The materials cost and my commission comes out to three small silver coins; the remaining three are yours. If you hadn't charged half price for the second one, you'd have earned two more." "...This is enough. If I'd sold these hairpins for any more, I'd feel bad about making the ones we'll sell more cheaply." Benno snorts, pulling out his coinpurse. "What do you want to do with the money? Are you going to bring it all home with you?" "I'd like to deposit one silver at the guild, and bring five large copper coins home with me." As if he already knew what we were going to say, Benno has already pulled out his guild card and a handful of copper coins. With a touch of our cards, our accounts are settled. I wrap my five copper coins in my handkerchief and place them in my tote bag. "The guild leader said he'd bring you back to the guildhall in his carriage. Go with him." "What about you, Mister Benno?" "I'll walk. That carriage is pretty small. Come to the store tomorrow afternoon. Your thread should have arrived by then. We have to decide on a price as well." What could Benno have been discussing with the guild leader, I wonder? He seems far less exceptionally wary than he did before.

「まず、こうして下に失敗作の紙を敷くでしょ。その上に版木を置くの。次に水を付けた刷毛で紙をうっすら湿らせておいて、版木にも水を含ませる。それから、ペタペタとインクを塗ってね。こうやって刷毛の毛先で刷りこむようにして、インクが均等になるように気を付けてね」 「この時にね、ローラーが欲しいんだよ。ゴロゴロザーッと均等に塗ってしまいたいんだけど、今回はないから、諦めて。それで、インクが塗れたら、上からこうしてそっと紙を置いて、あて紙をして、この『馬連』でくるくる回すみたいに擦って、インクをしっかりと付けるんだよ。満遍なく均等な力で擦ってね」 「これで、ゆっくり剥がして、乾かしたらできあがり」 「......やり方はわかった。明日、早速やるだろ?」 ......よーし、最大の難関は越えた。あとは版画だ。 「マイン様、ずいぶんと機嫌が良さそうですね」 「神官長のお手伝いも無事に終わって、これから、工房で絵本作りですもの」 「お待たせしました。早速、刷り始めましょう。さぁ、ルッツ。やってちょうだい」 馬連が止まって、あて紙が退けられて、ルッツの指が紙の端にかかる。わくわくしながら見守る中、そっと丁寧に剥がしていく。ぺらりとめくられた紙には思っていた通りにインクが付いていて、わたしが知っている木版画ができあがっていた。 「うわぁ、絵になってる!」 刷れた紙を壁際の棚の上に置いて、ルッツは道具を片付け始める。微妙だと思った物をいくつも刷っても意味がない。 ......うーん、ヴィルマの絵だったら、銅版画の方が似合いそうだけど......。 「絵がない本を絵本って言うのか?」 「......でもさ、初めての絵本は、可愛い弟妹に贈る初めてのプレゼントだって言ってなかったか?」

"First lay paper underneath and place engraved board on it. Then apply the oily pigment lightly to the paper with the tip of the brush like this, making sure to brush evenly." "The roller is used in this step. Although I really want to spread the pigment evenly with a roller, it is not available right now, so I can only give up. After brus.h.i.+ng the pigment, lightly place the paper on the board, and then press with baren, so that the pigment can be printed on the paper. Be sure to press all corners with the same force." "After pressing, slowly tear off the paper, dry it and you are done." "I know what to do. Let's try it out tomorrow." Good. I got through the worst. Next is to make prints! "Master Maine, you are in a good mood." "Because I am done with the official duties, I'm going to the workshop to make picture books." "Sorry to keep you waiting. So, let's start printing right away. Lutz, give it a try!" Lutz put baren down and pinched the edges of the paper with his fingers. With my excited gaze, Lutz tore the paper carefully and slowly. Under my expectant gaze, lutz tore the paper carefully and slowly. As I expected, the paper was printed with black pigment, just like the prints I was familiar with.. "Wow, it's a picture! It's black, but there are white lines on it!" Lutz put the print on a shelf near the wall and began to pack his tools. After all, even I felt weird, there was no point in continuing. Hmm... the paintings of Wilma seemed to be more suitable for making etchings... "I don't insist on ill.u.s.trations, that's ok. But can a book without pictures be called a picture book?" "But didn't you say that the first picture book was the first gift you would give to your cute brother and sister?"

晴れ着の完成と髪飾り 熱を出して二日後、やっと熱が下がった。 晴れ着のお直しもなかなかリスクが高い。この分ではお直しが終わる頃にもう一度熱を出しそうだ。そんなことを考えながら、わたしはベッドから下りて母の姿を探した。 台所の竈の前にテーブルを寄せて、母とトゥーリがせっせと手仕事をしている姿があった。どうやら、わたしが熱を出していた間、晴れ着のお直しはできないので、手仕事に精を出していたらしい。 「あら、マイン。熱は下がったの?」 「じゃあ、今日はお直しの続きをしようかしら?」 母は少しばかり名残惜しそうに手仕事を片付けて、晴れ着を広げ始める。 「父さんは? 朝番?」 「昼番だけれど、雪が深いからもう出たわ」 兵士は大通りの雪かきにも駆り出される。雪かきのために特別手当のようなお金がもらえるらしいが、割に合わない重労働だ、と父がよくお酒を飲みながらぼやいている。 「さぁ、マイン。晴れ着を着てちょうだい」 ピッと広げられた半袖の薄い生地を見て、わたしはひくっと頬を引きつらせる。母が言うままに着ていたら、竈の前に立っていてもまた熱を出しそうだ。 「母さん、一枚でもいいから、長袖のシャツを着てていい?」 「いいよ。夏までに大きくなるから」 母は頬に手を当てて、ものすごく怪訝そうに眉を寄せながら首を傾げた。色々と思い返すように視線を巡らせた後、溜息を吐く。 「......それは難しいんじゃない?」 せめて、期待してる、くらいは言って欲しかったよ、母さん! また熱を出したくはないので、わたしは長袖のシャツを着た上から晴れ着を着て、お直しをする許可をもぎ取った。 「一番サイズが合わないのは肩ね。これはどうするの?」 母の言うとおり、トゥーリの晴れ着を着て一番ずるずるでみっともないのは肩の部分だ。なので、肩幅部分を全てぎゅっと寄せてまとめてしまう。すると、肩にドレープが寄ったオフショルダーのドレスのようになる。 「これじゃあ肩が出ちゃうわよ?」 「切れ端が残っているわ。肩紐にするだけなら十分でしょ」 母がごそごそと布入れから、切れ端を持ってきた。切れ端を紐のように丸めた後、肩紐として縫いつけた。肩の出そうなずるずるワンピースが、キャミソールのような肩紐が付いたオフショルダーのようなデザインのワンピースになった。 「あぁ、これなら肩が落ちないわね」 母は満足そうに頷いた後、眉を寄せて、服の脇を指差した。 「マイン、いくら何でもこの脇の布がみっともないわ。これはどうするの?」 肩の生地をぎゅっとまとめたことで、波打つ生地が脇の方に集まっている。わたしはその部分を摘まんで、首を傾げた。 「そうかな? じゃあ、こうやって、ちゃんとひだにして縫えばどう? 手間はかかるけど、可愛くなるでしょ?」 みっともないと言われた布を丁寧に等間隔で折って、胸元から脇に向かってタックを3つほど作って見せた。いちいち縫うのは面倒だろうけれど、余った布はなくなるし、胸元が装飾的になる。 母がチクチクと縫い始めたタックを見つめて、トゥーリが羨ましそうに溜息を吐いた。 確かにひらひらした部分がたくさんあるので、豪華に見える。けれど、それはトゥーリとわたしの体格が違いすぎるせいだ。普通の姉妹なら、こんなお直しは必要ないので、母に手間をかけて申し訳ないと思ってしまう。 「......トゥーリとは大きさが違いすぎるからね。でも、作り直すのが大変だから、こんなお直しをしてるだけだよ。元々この晴れ着はトゥーリのために作られたものでしょ? 新しい服はいつもトゥーリの。わたしはトゥーリのお下がりばっかりだよ?」 「あ、そっか」 新しい服が着られないのは下に生まれた者の宿命だ。普段着は上のトゥーリもご近所から回ってきた服がほとんどで、滅多に新しい服なんて着られないのだけれど。 「母さんが縫ってるうちに、髪飾りでも作ろうかな」 タックを縫い終わるまでの時間で、わたしは自分の髪飾りを作ることにした。せっかく作るのだから、既製品とは少し違うものを作りたい。 「母さん、自分用の髪飾り作りたいから、ウチの糸使っていい?」 「ありがと」 去年は髪飾りを作るということが理解されなかったので、糸をもらうのも苦労したが、今年は何をするのかわかっているので、拒否されずにもらうことができた。 「確か、こんな感じ......」 記憶を引っ張り出しながら、細いかぎ針でスズランのような丸みを帯びた形の小花を編んでいく。 「せっかく作るのにフリーダちゃんみたいな飾りにしないの? 豪華で綺麗だったのに」 バラの形の花を気に入っていたトゥーリが、スズランのような小花を指先で転がしながら、唇を尖らせる。 「糸の品質が違うから、同じようにはならないと思うんだよね」 フリーダのために作った緻密で艶のある赤いバラを思い出して、わたしは軽く溜息を吐いた。同じように作っても、あれほどのバラにはならないだろう。 そう思っていたら、トゥーリがぐっとかぎ針を握った。 「ありがと、トゥーリ。じゃあ、この糸でフリーダに作った大きい方の花を、もうちょっと大きく作ってくれる?」 トゥーリの気持ちが嬉しくて、わたしはバラの部分をトゥーリにお願いすることにした。大きくて目立つバラの部分はわたしより上手なトゥーリに任せた方が、綺麗に仕上がるに違いない。 「トゥーリ、作り方は覚えてる?」 「マインじゃあるまいし、ちゃんと覚えてるよ。任せて」 ......覚えの悪い妹でごめんなさい。 トゥーリにバラの花作りを任せて、わたしはせっせと小花を作っていく。わたしがせっせと作ってもそれほど速くはないので、3個作り終わる頃には母がタックを縫い終わっていた。 「マイン、晴れ着を着てみてちょうだい」 「母さん、サッシュを取って。付けてみる」 幅広の青いサッシュをぎゅぎゅっと締めれば、スカート部分がバルーンのようにふわりとした広がりを持った。 「縫っている間はそれほど思わなかったけど、こうして見るとすごく可愛いわ」 「わたしが可愛いから?」 「あとは裾だけね。そのままでも形は可愛いのだけれど、長すぎるわ」 トゥーリの膝丈ワンピースはわたしの足首丈になる。 「そうね。ちょうど良いと思うわ」 裾は4カ所ほどを膝丈になるようにつまんで上げると、まるでバルーンカーテンのようなドレープができる。 糸で縫いつけた後、糸が目立たないように髪飾りと同じ小花で飾った。そして、裾にされていた刺繍が綺麗に見えるようにドレープを整えれば、晴れ着は完成だ。 「お金持ちのお嬢様みたいな晴れ着になったわね」 胸元にタックが入り、袖はひらひらと波打っていて、裾はバルーン状のドレープになっている。布をたっぷりと使った装飾的な晴れ着は、どこからどう見ても貧民の晴れ着ではない。 「......もしかして、縫い直しした方がよかった?」 「予想以上に手間がかからなかったから、わたしは楽だったけれど......これ、かなり目立つわよ?」 母の言葉を耳にしたトゥーリが軽く肩を竦めて、作り途中の髪飾りを指差した。 「そんなの今更じゃない? 髪飾りだって目立つんだから、大して変わらないよ」 編み込みをして、周りの人が誰も付けていない髪飾りをしていただけのトゥーリでさえ、フリーダの目に留まるくらい目立っていたのだ。 注目された方が髪飾りの宣伝にもなるとフリーダだって言っていた。もういっそ開き直ることにした。 「せっかく出来たし、可愛いし、注目されても良いよ。これで行く!」 それに、麗乃の高校時代に文化祭で強制的に着せられたふりふりのミニ丈メイド服に比べたら、断然おとなしいデザインだし、膝丈まであるのだから恥ずかしくもない。 「マインがそれでいいなら、構わないわ。それで、髪飾りはどんなものにするの?」 「トゥーリがこの大きい花を作ってくれているから、わたしはあと10個以上こういう小花を作るの」 フフッと笑いながら、母が裁縫箱からかぎ針を取り出した。 「ありがと。じゃあ、お祝いに青の糸と水色の糸ももらっていい? 小花3つずつ作れる分くらい」 3人で作ると速い。大きな白いバラの花が3個、青い小花が3個、水色の小花が3個、白い小花が15個。一日のうちにパーツが全て揃った。 「これはどうやって、飾るの?」 「できてからのお楽しみ。こっそり作るから見ないで」 ニッと笑ってそんなことを言ってみても、作る場所なんて一つしかないのだから、丸見えだ。 家に入る前に一応雪を払い落してきたようだが、まだ少し残っている。それをトゥーリと二人でパタパタ払いながら、わたしは父に尋ねた。 「父さん、わたしの洗礼式用の簪ってできてる?」 「あぁ、ちょっと待ってろ」 得意そうに笑った父が物置から、丁寧に削られて磨かれた簪を持ってきてくれた。手間暇かけて磨かれていたことがわかる滑らかな手触りに、口元が自然と綻んでいく。 「これでどうだ?」 「すごく綺麗。するするしてて、引っ掛かりが一つもないよ。父さん、ありがとう」 父が作ってくれた簪の穴に、白いバラの花を3つ縫いつけた小さな布を縫い付けた。そして、その布に針を通して、下に垂れて揺れる藤の花のように小花を等間隔で結びながら連ねていく。 バラの花に一番近い小花は青、その次は水色、そして、生成りの白が5個連なる。ちょっとしたグラデーションで小花が7個ずつ連なった飾りが3本揺れる形になった。 「わぁ、この揺れるの、すごく可愛い! マイン、付けてみて」 「せっかくだから、晴れ着も着てみせてくれ。父さんだけ見ていないぞ」 家族に押されて、わたしは晴れ着に着替えた。そして、今の簪の横に、洗礼式用の飾りを挿しこんだ。 「おぉ、マイン。すごいな! みんな、どこかのお嬢様だと思うに違いない。この間見たフリーダちゃんの衣装より、ずっと手が込んでいて可愛いぞ。トゥーリのお下がりが大きすぎて、直したとは思えない出来だ。さすがエーファ」 わたしを褒めながら、妻の裁縫の腕を褒めちぎるという器用な事をしながら、父は感心したようにわたしの晴れ着を眺める。 いちゃいちゃとしか表現できない二人のやり取りを目の前で繰り広げられるのが、精神的にきつい。麗乃時代からリア充になったことがないわたしに、リア充の姿を見せつけるのは止めて欲しい。 ここから逃げ出したいんだけど、どうしたらいい? 置いてきぼりをくらった気分になったわたしを現実に戻してくれたのは、後ろの髪飾りに注目していて、わたしの視界に入っていなかったトゥーリだった。 「そう?」 さすが、トゥーリ。わたしの天使。 助けの声に従って、わたしは両親にくるりと背を向ける。イチャイチャする二人の姿が視界から消えただけで、ホッとした。 「作ってる時は飾りが大きすぎないかな? って、思ってたけど、こうして付けてみるとそうでもないね」 そんな話をしているだけでも、夏の薄い晴れ着では寒くて身震いが止まらない。全身に鳥肌が立って、背筋が嫌な感じにぞくぞくし始めた。 「ふぇっ......くしゅん!」 わたしのくしゃみに驚いて、母が父を押し退けるようにして、わたしの方へとやってくる。 「マイン、晴れ着はもういいから、早く着替えて寝なさい。また熱が出るわよ」 「ふぁ......くしょん! 母さん、ちょっと遅かったみたい。背筋は寒さにぞくぞくしているのに、首筋がちょっと熱くなってきちゃった」 慌ててパジャマに着替えさせられ、ベッドに放り込まれたけれど、熱が確実に上がっていくのがわかる。

Finis.h.i.+ng My Dress and Hairpins After two days, my fever broke. Getting my new dress altered might be very risky. If things keep going like this, I'm going to get sick again before we can actually finish fitting it. Contemplating this, I get out of bed, and go looking for my mother. The kitchen table has been pulled close to the stove, and sitting at it are my mother and Tuuli, diligently working on their handiwork. It seems that since they couldn't work on my dress while I was sick, they've instead been working hard on these instead. "Oh, Maine," says my mother. "Are you feeling better?" "So, how about we get back to working on your dress?" She tidies up her handiwork, looking just a little regretful, and starts bringing out the dress. "Where's Daddy? Morning watch?" "He's on the day watch, but since it's snowing so hard he left already." Soldiers are used to shovel the main roads. While they are given extra money as special compensation for their work, my father constantly grumbles (when he's drinking) about how the pay doesn't come close to covering the back-breaking manual labor. "Now then, Maine," she says, unfolding my dress and holding it out for me. "Put this on, please." I look at it, with its short sleeves and thin fabric, and my face twitches. If I do as she says, then even if I'm standing right in front of the stove I'm going to catch another fever. "Mommy, could I keep a long-sleeve s.h.i.+rt on? Just one's okay." "That's okay. I'll get bigger by summertime." My mother puts a hand to her face as she tilts her head to the side, an extremely dubious expression on her face. She looks me over, as if considering her options, then lets out a sigh. "...That would be nice, wouldn't it?" At least say something like "I know you will," Mother! I, not wanting my fever to come back again, put on a long-sleeved s.h.i.+rt, then put my dress on over that, before surrendering myself to the alterations process. "So," I say, "the biggest size difference is in the shoulders. How about this?" Just like my mother said, when I put on Tuuli's dress the shoulders are so loose that it's unsightly. So, I've tightly gathered up the extra width, draping it around my shoulders and making it into an off-the-shoulder dress. "It'll fall off your shoulders like that, you know?" "We have some sc.r.a.ps left. It should be enough for shoulder straps, if that's all we need." My mother rummages about in her cloth bin, then brings back some sc.r.a.ps. She rolls them up into cords, then sews them on as straps. With that, a dress that was so loose that it might fall off my shoulders has turned into an off-the-shoulder dress, designed with straps like a camisole. "Ahh, it won't fall off like this." My mother gives a satisfied nod. Then, she scowls, pointing at my side. "Maine, no matter how I look at it, that's unsightly. What should we do?" With the cloth drawn tight around my shoulders, all the loose material has gathered under my armpits. I pinch at it, my head tilted to the side. "Oh, is it? Then, how about we sew some proper pleats into it? It would take some time, but it would make it cute, right?" I tuck the so-called unsightly cloth away into neat folds, demonstrating how to pull it back from my chest and towards my sides in three tacks. This kind of delicate sewing is very tedious, but it would get rid of the extra fabric and add decoration around my chest. "You're lucky, Maine," says Tuuli, as she watches my mother sewing tacks into the dress. "That's going to be such a gorgeous dress." She sighs enviously. Sure, the dress is going to have a lot of loose fluttery bits and is going to look kind of extravagant, but that's only due to the difference between our physiques. For the average younger sister, this kind of heavy alteration that takes up a ton of her mother's time isn't needed. "...It's because our sizes are so different," I say. "But starting from scratch is even more work, so this kind of alteration is all we can do. This dress was originally made for you, you know? You get all the new clothes. All I get are your hand-me-downs, you know?" "Ah, right..." It is the fate of those poor children born later than their siblings to never wear new clothing. (Even Tuuli, though, gets a lot of her clothes from the neighbors, so she doesn't get to wear brand-new things very often, but still.) "While Mommy's sewing, I guess I should work on my hairpin, too." Since it'll be some time before my mother is done sewing in the tacks, I get to work on sewing my own hairpin. Since I'm finally starting work on it after all this time, I want to make something a little different than the ones we're making to sell. "Mommy, since I'm making a hairpin for myself, can I use our thread?" "Thanks!" Last year, n.o.body really knew what I was talking about when I wanted to make hairpins, so getting thread was a difficult process, but this year they know what I actually want to do, so I was able to get my hands on some without a fight. Filled with a fresh appreciation of the importance of mutual understanding, I pick up some un-dyed thread. "I think it went like... this..." I pick up my needles and, digging through my memories, start knitting a round flower, like a lily-of-the-valley. Tuuli, having finished up a hairpin of her own, comes to check out what I'm working on. "You're finally getting to work on your own hairpin, don't you want it to look like Freida's? Those were so wonderful, too..." Tuuli, who had been quite taken with the roses we made for Freida, rolls the lily-of-the-valley between her fingertips, lips tapered in a frown. "I'm using a different quality of thread, so I don't think it would turn out the same." I remember the intricate, glossy red roses we made for Freida, then sigh lightly. Even if I were to use the same pattern, they wouldn't turn out the same in the end. As I ponder this, Tuuli grips her needles firmly. "If it's okay that they're not the same, then I'll make them! You made a hairpin for me, so I want to make a hairpin for you too." "Thanks, Tuuli. So, could you please make a flower like one of the big ones we made for Freida, except could you use this thread and make it a bit bigger?" Tuuli is delighted when I ask her to make the rose part of the hairpin. Since that rose is the largest, most eye-catching part, leaving it to Tuuli, who is more skilled than I, would make a much prettier result. "Tuuli, do you remember how to make it?" "I don't have a problem with remembering things. Leave it to me!" ...I'm sorry you have such a forgetful little sister. Having left Tuuli to work on the rose, I start diligently working on the smaller flowers. No matter how hard I'm working, though, my rate of output isn't very quick, so by the time I've finished my third flower my mother has finished sewing in the tacks. "Maine, come try this on." "Mommy, could you get the sash? I want to try it on." I tighten the wide sash around my waist, causing the skirt to gently flare out, almost like a balloon. "I wasn't too sure about this while I was still sewing, but now that I can see it on you, it's really cute." "Because I'm good." She grabs me by the shoulders and spins me around. "Next is the hem. It's still cute as it is, but it's much too long." The dress, knee-length on Tuuli, comes down to my ankles. I have no idea who decided this, but around here girls under ten years of age wear knee-length skirts. Incidentally, there don't seem to be any miniskirts here, although if I had to say, since one- and two-year-olds have such short legs, knee-length on them is kind of like a mini-skirt. "Hmm, that actually sounds perfect." If we bring it up to knee-length in four places, we can make it look like a balloon curtain. After we sew everything into place, we use miniature flowers like the ones on my new hairpin to conceal the extra st.i.tching. Then, after arranging the folds of the skirt so that the embroidery on the hem is visible, my new dress is complete. "That looks like a rich girl's dress." The dress has been pleated, given loose, fluttery sleeves, and puffed out like a balloon. This dress, which uses plenty of cloth for purely decorative purpose, is clearly not a poor girl's dress, no matter how you look at it. All we wanted to do was take the unfas.h.i.+onably loose bits and hide them away with some clever sewing, but instead we wound up with a design that would be rare even in upper-cla.s.s households. This is a dress that it quite clearly beyond our family's station. "...Maybe we should have just remade it?" "If I had the time to do that, then I really would like to, but... this is, hm, really conspicuous, you know?" Tuuli, having overheard us, shrugs lightly, pointing at the half-finished hairpin she was working on. "It's too late for that, right? Just the hairpin alone is really conspicuous already, so it's not like it can get worse." Amongst all the other girls, who merely had things woven into their hair, Tuuli and her hairpin had stood out from the crowd enough to catch Freida's eyes. Since I've already decided that I'm going to be wearing a brand new hairpin, I'm going to be extremely conspicuous anyway, so wearing a showy dress isn't going to get me any more attention than I already will. Freida had even said that drawing attention to myself would turn me into a walking advertis.e.m.e.nt for my hairpins. So, I stiffen my resolve even more. "We worked so hard already, and it's cute, and I don't care if I stand out. I'm going like this!" My very health was the sacrifice necessary to create this dress. Plus, unlike the miniskirt-length maid dress I was forced to wear at my high-school cultural festival1, this is a very reserved sort of design, so since it's only knee-length there's no need for me to be embarra.s.sed by it at all. "Well, Maine, if you say so, then that's fine with me. Now, what are you doing for your hairpin?" "Since Tuuli's working on this big flower for me, I'm making at least ten more little flowers like these." Chuckling to herself, my mother takes out her crocheting needles from her sewing box. "Thanks, Mommy. So, if it's a gift, then can we use the blue and the light blue thread too? Enough for three flowers each." We all get to our tiny, detailed task of making the hairpin. The three of us make short work of it. We end up with three large, white roses, three small blue flowers, three small light-blue flowers, and fifteen small white flowers. In the span of a single day, we've finished all of the parts. "How are you going to decorate this?" asks my mother. "You'll see in a bit!" I say, with a grin. "I'm going to make this part myself. Don't look!" Even though I said that, though, there isn't a single place in this house that I can actually work without being seen. The two of them pretend not to look, but I'm fully aware that they keep surrept.i.tiously glancing over at me, full of curious questions but, since they are of course not looking at me, keeping their mouths shut. It's actually kind of funny. It seems like he'd tried to brush the snow off of himself before coming in, but he still tracked a bit of it on. While Tuuli and I quickly work to sweep it up, I glance up at my father. "Daddy, did you finish the hairpin for my baptismal ceremony?" "Sure, wait just a bit!" My father smiles proudly as he brings out from the storeroom out a long pin that has been carefully carved straight and polished. When I realize just how much effort it must have taken to smooth this down so perfectly, my jaw drops. "What do you think?" "It's beautiful. It moves so smoothly through my hair, and doesn't get caught in anything at all. Daddy, thank you!" I take the small sc.r.a.p of cloth that I've attached the three large white flowers to and sew it through the hole at the end of the pin. Then, I run my needle through that cloth, and start threading the small flowers onto it in cl.u.s.ters with small gaps between each flower, so that they can hang down, swaying freely, like a spray of wisteria. From the roses, the closest of the small flowers are the three blue ones, then the three light blue ones, and then five of the white ones. To add gradation, I add the remaining seven flowers in two more strands, giving it three in total. I'd made this based on the image of a pin that I'd worn with my yukata back in my Urano days, but this has turned out even better than I'd expected. This is definitely a pin to wear on an excellent day. "Whoa, that's so cute, the way it sways like that!" enthuses Tuuli. "Try it on, Maine!" "That's right," adds my mother. "I'd like to see you in it too, and not over a long-sleeved s.h.i.+rt like before. Let's see you wear it properly." Pressured by my family, I change into my new dress. Then, I slide my new hairpin into my hair, next to the chopstick I'm still wearing. "Whoa, Maine," says my father. "This is amazing! Everyone's going to think you're some kind of princess. The way you look right now is way more elaborate and way cuter than you looked when you were wearing Freida's outfit. You'd never be able to tell just by looking at you that this was Tuuli's dress, just modified to fit you. Now that's my Eva!" My father praises me while also extolling the virtues of his wife's superior sewing skills, looking very moved. My mother smiles wryly at him, though, and finds a way to object. The two of them are lost entirely in their own world, now. Watching the two of them banter back and forth, flirting, is actually kind of painful to watch. I never actually had much of this kind of social interaction in my Urano days, so watching it unfold before my eyes is something I definitely want to not have to do. I want to escape, but how? As I start drifting away into feelings that I've been completely left behind, Tuuli, who had been standing behind me and looking closely at my hairpin, steps back into my field of view, snapping me out of it. "Oh, really?" Perfect, Tuuli. You're my angel. Latching onto her life-saving voice, I turn around so that I don't have to see my parents. Once their flirty expressions have disappeared from my field of view, I let out a little sigh of relief. "When we were working I was thinking to myself, 'wow, isn't this going to be too big?', but now that you're wearing it, it's no problem at all." We've only been talking for a few minutes, but already my thin summer dress is doing nothing to stop me from s.h.i.+vering in the winter's fierce cold. Gooseb.u.mps stand up along my entire body, and an unpleasant chill starts racing down my spine. "A... achoo!" Startled by my sneeze, my mother pushes my father aside and comes over to me. "Maine, we've seen enough of your dress already, go get changed and get to bed at once. You'll get feverish again!" "Ah... achoo! Mommy, I think you were a little late. My spine feels all cold and s.h.i.+very, and my neck is starting to feel a little warm..." I am very quickly changed into my pajamas and hustled towards bed, but I'm already certain that my fever's begun to rise again. I crawl into my p.r.i.c.kly straw bed, then let out a long sigh.

新しい生活 ダンッ! ダンッ! と何かを床や台に叩きつけているような音と共に、わたしが寝ている場所がぐらんぐらんと揺れた。振動するたびに、まるで頭を殴られているように頭が痛み、わたしは小さく呻きながら眉をきつく寄せた。 うるさい......。マジうるさい。 その迷惑な騒音と揺れはすぐに終わるものではないようで、一定のリズムで続いてて、とても寝ていられない。 ぐわんぐわんと頭に響いてくる振動に意識が覚醒したわたしは耳を塞いで騒音をやり過ごそうとした。 「うっ......」 現状把握には眼鏡が必要だ。わたしは目を閉じたまま、いつだって枕元に置いてあった眼鏡を探した。身体中がじんわりと痺れているようで、手の動きは鈍い。 「......何の音?」 熱のせいでかすれているはずなのに、高くて幼い声がわたしの口から出た。どう考えても聞き慣れた自分の声ではない。 「え?」 目に入ったのは、元はおそらく白かったのだろうが、煤けて黒く汚れた天井と何本も組み合わされた黒っぽい太い柱と巨大な蜘蛛の巣。 「ちょっと、待って......」 わたしの記憶の最後にあるのは大量の本に押しつぶされたことだが、何とか救出されたというわけでもないようだ。少なくとも、こんな薄汚れた布に患者を寝かせる不潔な病院は、わたしの知る限り、日本には存在しない。 「本、ないし......」 ドアが空いたままの出入り口があった。いつの間にか、頭に響く騒音はなくなっていたが、誰かがいて、バタバタと足音を立てて歩きまわり、何かしている音が聞こえている。 「マイン、大丈夫? 全然目覚めないから心配したのよ」 「......母さん?」 ゆっくりと頭を撫でて顔を覗きこんでくる女性は自分の母親だと、マインというのが自分の名前だと、流れ込んできた記憶が訴えてくる。 「気分はどう? 頭が痛そうね」 自分の額に向かって伸びてくる指先が、黄色や緑で斑に染まっている。この母親は染色を仕事にしているのだろうか。日本で見た藍染職人の指先がこんな感じに染まっていたことを思い出した。 「......まだ、頭痛い。寝たい」 「そう、ゆっくり休みなさい」 ぎゅうぎゅうにベッドが並べられた寝室らしき部屋を出ていく母親を待って考える。 「間違いなく......死んだ、んだよね?」 ふと脳裏に浮かんだのはわたし自身の母親の姿。もう会えない母に心の中で謝罪する。 「どっちでもいいよね。これからマインとして生きていかなきゃいけないのは変わらないんだし......」 ならば、覚えている限りのマインの記憶から周囲の状況を少しでも理解しないと、いきなり家族に不審がられてしまう。 「うわぁ、ちょっと、これ、どうするよ......」 幼いマインの視線から見た記憶から確信を持てたのは、4人家族で、先程の女性が母親であること。姉、トゥーリがいること。マインの父親は兵士のような職業についていること。 この家も一軒家ではないようで、一番間近にあるレンガのような石造りの壁の向こうからは階段を上るような足音とお隣さんらしき人の声が聞こえてくる。もしかしたら、集合住宅のようなところだろうか。 ねぇ、転生ってさ、普通お貴族様みたいな......生活に不自由しないところに生まれない? あまりの環境に思わず溜息を吐いた。前世は日本でごく普通の一般家庭だったのに、ずいぶんと生活力に差がある。 「ハァ、本読みたい。読んだら熱が下がる気がする」 どんなに劣悪な環境でも、本があれば我慢できる。わたしは軽く頭に指を当てて、記憶の中で本を探す。一体家の中のどこに本棚があるのだろうか。 「トゥーリ、お願い」 可愛い妹のおねだりに、トゥーリはきょとんとした顔で首を傾げた。 「何って......えーと、『絵』や『字』が『書かれた』もので......」 「マイン、何言ってるかわからないよ? ちゃんとしゃべって?」 「だから、『本』!『絵本』がほしいの」 どうやらマインの記憶にない言葉は日本語の発音になってしまうようだ。 「あぁ、もう!『翻訳機能、仕事しろぉっ』!」 「怒ってない。頭が痛いだけ」 言葉が通じないことをトゥーリのような子供に八つ当たりするのはさすがにおとなげなさすぎる。もうしちゃったけど。 まずは、人の声に耳を澄まして、少しでも多くの言葉を覚えることに全力を尽くさなければならない。幼い子供であるマインの柔軟な脳味噌に、大学卒業した22歳のわたしの理性と知性が加われば、言葉を覚えるのは簡単......だったら、いいけれど。 相手を心配しているように見せかけて、自分にとっては嫌なことから逃げる。大人ならではのテクニックでわたしはトゥーリの汚い手で触られることを回避した。 「そうだね。気を付ける」 わたしが心置きなく本を読むためにも、自分とその周囲は健康でなければならないのだ。貧乏っぽいのだから、病気になっても医者になんてかかれない気がするし、この環境の生活レベルから想像する医療行為にもお世話になりたくない。 「トゥーリ、夕飯の支度を手伝ってちょうだい」 「ただいま」 ガッシャガッシャと金属の擦れる音をさせながら、父が帰宅する頃には夕飯の準備はできたようだ。

A New Life Bang! Bang! A sound like someone striking the floor or a table rattles me awake, as wherever I was sleeping starts to wobble back and forth. With every oscillation, a shot of pain blasts through my skull like I was being punched in the head, and I let out a small moan. Shut up... please... shut up... The irritating noises and vibrations didn't stop, continuing at a steady rhythm, not letting me sleep at all. I'm kept awake, painfully aware of the vibrations reverberating within my spinning head. I plug my ears, hoping it will go away. Moving around feels strange, like my body isn't doing exactly what I tell it to. All of my joints are sore, and I feel feverish all throughout my body, like I'd come down with the flu. "Ugh..." I need my gla.s.ses if I want to figure out what's going on. With my eyes screwed shut, I feel around for the gla.s.ses I always keep near my pillow. My entire body feels a little bit numb, and my arm's movements are sluggish. As I squirm, something beneath me rustles with a sound like gra.s.s or paper. "...what's making that sound?" The voice that comes out of my mouth sounds too high, almost childlike. It might because I'm ill, but it's not at all the voice I'm used to hearing. Even though I want to do nothing more than sleep off this fever, I can't just ignore this many abnormalities around me. I slowly open my eyes. My field of vision is warped, thanks to this extremely high fever. I don't know if it's the tears in my eyes helping me see in place of my gla.s.ses, but everything is much clearer than it usually is. "Eh?" The first thing I notice is a ceiling that, while it may have originally been white, has been stained black with soot. Some number of thick, black beams hold it up, across which a spider has build an enormous web. This is absolutely nothing like any room I remember. "W... wait a second..." My most recent memory is being crushed under the weight of countless books, and I don't remember getting rescued at all. At the very least, I don't think any hospital in j.a.pan would put a patient on top of a sheet this dirty. Timidly, I try to raise my hand over my head so that I can see it, and what I see is the small, slender hand of a child. I live a lifestyle where I was shut indoors with my books all day, so the untanned and almost unhealthy skin was no surprise, but at twenty-two years of age my hands were, of course, those of an adult. Completely different from these small, malnourished-looking hands before me now. These small, child-like hands that I can open and close at will. As I move around, my body does not feel at all like I'm used to it feeling. At this shocking realization, my mouth goes dry. "There's no... books..." The only door in this room swings open. In an instant, the pounding noise reverberating through my head goes away, only to be replaced by the sound of footsteps as somebody outside bustles about. I really have no idea what's happening. Based on the beams across the ceiling, the state of the walls, and the kinds of furniture in this room, I feel like this is something out of European history. There's nothing around me to indicate modern civilization. Is this an extremely backwards country, or have I somehow slipped through time and wound up in the past? If only I knew; if I did, I'd have a lot easier time figuring out my next move. "Maine, are you all right? You didn't wake up for the longest time! I was starting to get worried." "...Mom?" A few memories bubble to the surface. The woman who came to check on me and is now gently stroking my head is my mother, and my name is Maine. I don't know how I suddenly started to understand what she was saying; this deluge of information has left my mind in shambles. Honestly, I wish this could have waited until I was feeling a little better. Sure, I wished that I could be reincarnate so that I could keep reading, and sure, it looks like I have, in fact, been reincarnated, but it's not like I'm just going to meekly accept that this woman in front of me is suddenly my mother. "How are you feeling? It looks like you have a headache," she says. The fingers of the hand she places on my forehead are stained with green and yellow spots. Does her job involve working with dye? I remember that workers back in j.a.pan that worked with indigo dye had similar stains on their hands. I don't want to let this so-called mother, who I simultaneously know nothing about yet somehow remember, touch me, so I flinch away from her outstretched hand, bury myself in the stinking bed, and screw my eyes shut. "...My head... still hurts. I wanna sleep," I say. "Oh, rest well." As my mother left this bed-filled room, I started to think deeply. Between the dizziness from my fever and the disarray in my head, there's no way I could just quietly get back to sleep. "I'm not mistaken... I died, didn't I?" Unbidden, an image of my own mother floats to the surface of my mind, and I silently apologize that I'll never see her again. She'll probably be furious, screaming "how many times did I tell you that you had too many books?!" while choking back tears of grief. I raise a sluggish arm and wipe a tear from my eye. "It doesn't matter, either way. I'm going to have to live as Maine from now on, there's no way I can change it..." Since that's the case, I need to sift through Maine's memories to learn more about the situation I'm in; otherwise, my family might start to get suspicious. However, no matter how hard I think, Maine's memories are those of a little girl with still-developing language skills, and there's a lot that her parents said that she didn't really understand. She didn't know they meant! She's missing a lot of useful words from her vocabulary, so most of what she remembers is cryptic and ambiguous. "Whoa, no... what should I do?" From Maine's childish little memories, I've figured out what I do know. Her family consists of four people. Her mother is the woman who was just in here. She has an older sister, Tory. Her father has a job that's something like a soldier. On top of that, this house doesn't seem to be stand-alone. The wall closest to me is made of some kind of brick, and through it I can hear footsteps climbing up and down stairs and the voices of people who I presume are our neighbors. Perhaps this is some kind of housing complex or apartment building? So, about this reincarnation business... aren't I supposed to be reborn as some kind of n.o.bility, so that I don't have to worry about living a difficult life? I breathe a heavy sigh at the rest of my conditions. I may have had a perfectly ordinary lifestyle back in j.a.pan, but that was ma.s.sively different to what I'm facing now. I don't know what era or what country I've been born into now, but j.a.pan was a nice place to live, overflowing with wonderful things. Comfortable fabrics, soft beds, books, books, more books... "Aaah, I want to read a book. Reading always helps my fevers go down." No matter how dire my circ.u.mstances, I'll be able to endure it as long as I have books. I place a finger to my temple and concentrate, searching through my memory for books. Where in this house could the bookshelves be? "Tory, please!" Tory looks blankly at me, her adorable little sister, with her head tilted to one side. "Huh? What's a 'book'?" "Wh... uhh, it's a thing where 'words' and 'pictures' have been 'written down'..." "Maine, what are you talking about? I didn't understand, what did you say?" "I told you, a 'book'! I want a 'picture book'!" It seems like I might have accidentally used j.a.panese words in place of words that Maine doesn't know. No matter how hard I try to explain it to Tory, she just stands there with her head c.o.c.ked to one side and a dumbfounded expression on her face. Even if I were to just say "get me a book" in j.a.panese, there's no way she would understand. I have to dig up this vocabulary, and fast. "Ugh, fine! 'Translation function, engaaaaage!'" I yell. "I'm not mad! I just have a headache." Getting mad at Tory for not understanding me would be an extremely childish thing to do. ...I did, though. First off, I need to start focusing everything I've got to listening carefully to what people around me are saying and, little by little, start to memorize all of the words I hear. Between Maine's young, flexible brain and my own 22 year old college graduate's intuition, memorizing vocabulary should be easy... in theory. At the very least, if I think back on what I went through when I was learning other languages so that I could read foreign books, it wasn't unmanageably difficult. The zeal and love with which I dedicated myself to my books was enough to drive other people away. "I'm still sick, won't you get sick too?" I ask. Although I'm pretending to show concern for my sister, I'm really just trying to stop her from doing something disgusting. I really don't want Tory to touch me with those filthy hands, so I'm employing this adult technique to avoid it. "Oh, I guess so. Take care!" If I'm going to be able to read to my heart's content, I need to first make sure that I'm healthy and that my environment is sanitary. This family is way too poor, so if I get sick n.o.body will be able to call a doctor. Even if they did, from the looks of this place I can't imagine they'd be any good, so I definitely don't want to have to be in their care. Mother calls from another room. "Tory, come help me with dinner!" "Yes, mother," says Tory, and runs away with a pitter-patter. "I'm home!" I hear clanging sounds, like metal plates rubbing against each other. My father has returned home, just in time for dinner. Maine is still too feverishly sick to eat, so I gradually drift off to the sounds of the happy family meal in the other room. As my mind slips into the dark, there's only one thought on my mind.

神官長との密談 子供達を助けたいと決めたものの、帰宅中のわたしにできる事はほとんどない。ルッツやフランと話し合い、今日はとりあえず、「命大事に」を合言葉に、こっそり動くことにした。 あそこにいる子供達がどれだけ消化できるかわからなかったので、スープの上澄みにパンをちぎって入れてふやかしたパン粥を作って、ギルに裏口から差し入れてもらうことにする。 「ギルが一番気にかけていましたから、率先して動いてくれるはずです」 「オレの服を一つ、ギルにやるから汚れ仕事に使えって言ってやれ」 今日できるのは、これだけだが、今夜のうちにあの子達が飢えて死ぬことはないだろう、と思えるだけで少し気が軽くなった。 「マイン様、神殿長は孤児を救うことに難色を示す可能性が高いので、デリアには十分お気を付けください」 「......神官長はいいの?」 神殿長だけではなく、神官長もかなり難色を示すと思うが、それについてフランはどう思っているのか。 「神官長には私からお話しておきます。孤児院の処置や神官巫女に対する扱いに、歯痒い思いをしていたのは神官長も同じですから」 「デリアの言葉を聞いていらっしゃいましたか? 神殿長の方が強いのですよ。そして、神官長は揚げ足を取られぬように、本音を深く隠してしまわれますから、大変わかりにくいですが、今の神殿に苛立ちを感じておられます」 「......わたしには全然わからないけど」 あの話し合いのどこを聞けば、神官長が苛立ちを感じているのがわかるのだろうか。フランは心の声も聞きとれるというのだろうか。 わけがわからず頭を捻っていると、ルッツが軽く肩を竦めた。 「マインには通じてないって、神官長に報告がいるな」 「そのようです。貴族特有の婉曲さをマイン様も勉強しなければなりませんね」 できが悪い子を見る、生温かい二人の視線がとても痛かったです。 数日の間、ギルにこっそり差し入れをしてもらいながら、わたしはフランと二人で神官長にどう報告すれば要求が通りやすいか話し合った。ルッツの意見も聞いたし、マイン工房の話になるので、「また面倒な事を」と嫌な顔をするベンノも巻き込んだ。 わたしとしては一刻も早く神官長から許可を取りつけて、孤児院の改革に挑みたかったのだが、「この考え無し!」とベンノに怒られた。 「一直線にぶつかるな! 貴族相手の時は回り道で面倒に思えても、事前準備と根回しが必須だ! むしろ、それで全てが決まる。いきなり行っても会ってくれるかどうかさえ定かではないんだぞ」 「ベンノ様のおっしゃるとおりでございます。マイン様はいつも決めたらすぐに行動されますが、本来、重要な話がある場合は、事前にある程度の情報や要求を伝え、面会の予約を取ります。貴族と話し合うのに、性急さは不要。できるだけ時間を取って、自分に有利なように水面下で準備しておくものでございます」 孤児達の様子に驚いて神官長に直訴した事も、「どうしても」とわたしが何度も頼んだから場を整えたけれど、本来はマナー違反だとフランには諭された。神官長側の受け入れ準備や情報の伝達がうまく行えないと言う。 「今回は丁度良い機会でござますね。マイン様、貴族への面会予約や根回しなどをよく見て、覚えてくださいませ。これからは必要になります」 色々話し合った結果として、まず、わたしが孤児院の院長に就任して、マイン工房の資産を使って、工房整備という名の改革をすることにした。 洗礼前の子供達を洗って、孤児院の徹底掃除。それから、男子棟の地階を工房にして、料理にも紙作りにも使えるように、竈の設置や道具の運び入れをする。 孤児院にいる人を班分けをして、紙作り兼森の採集班、孤児院の家事班、神殿のお仕事班に分けて、一月ほどはローテーションを組ませて、全て経験させる。その後は希望を聞いて、班分けのし直し。職業選択の自由だ。 必要になる服や道具を洗い出し、ベンノを通して買い付けも行わなければならない。 まいどありがとうございます。 「マイン工房孤児院支店の最終目的は何だ?」 「孤児院の生活費の確保です。神の恵みで不足する分を自分達で稼いで、必要分の食料を買えるようになればいいと思ってます」 「食料だけでいいのか?」 「生活に最低限必要なものはだいたい神殿から与えられているので、食費分の利益が出ればそれでいいと思います」 ベンノの質問に答えていると、ルッツが紙の値段と食料に必要な値段を書き出して計算し始めた。 「......食費だけなら意外と簡単に達成できそうだな」 ルッツは金がないなら、森で採ってくればいいと言ったけれど、孤児院の規模を考えると、あんまり森から大量に長期間採集するわけにもいかない。工房としてお金を稼げるようになるとわかっていれば、軌道に乗るまでの食費は工房の費用から出せる。 「マインが金を出すんだったら、採集を覚えさせる意味はないんじゃないか?」 「紙を作るついでに、森での採集を覚えて欲しいだけ。知っていれば、飢えて死ぬ前に何か食べられるようになるでしょ? 知らないとわたしみたいに毒キノコ採っちゃうかもしれないし」 「マインは毒キノコ率が高かったからな......」 フランはある程度話がまとまったところで神官長に裏からこっそり手を回し、非公式とはいえ、孤児院の院長就任とマイン工房孤児院支店に関する了承を取りつけてくれた。そのうえで、わたしと公的に話をする予約も取りつけてくれた。 正式に面会を求める時は数日前に書面でお願いしなければならないようで、わたしはその書式を教えられ、お手紙を書いた。 ......貴族、めんどくさ。 神官長から招待状が届いた頃には、ギルの暗躍のお陰で子供達の体調が良くなってきていた。食欲が出て、スープ以外にも固形食が少し食べられるようになり、少しずつ動きが活発になってきたと報告を受けた。糞尿だらけの部屋の掃除している間に、彼らを丸洗いしても大丈夫そうな健康状態になってきたようだ。 神官長に指定された3の鐘が鳴った後、わたしはフランと共に神官長の部屋へと足を運んだ。わたしの部屋では、ギルやルッツがいつでも動き出せるように準備している。 「神官長、お時間を頂いてありがとう存じます」 「君か。......こちらに来なさい」 すでに人払いされていたようで、神官長の部屋にはアルノーしかいなかった。いつものように執務机へと向かおうとしたら、反対側にあるベッドの方へと神官長が足を進める。 「君との話はここで行う」 まるで指紋認識でもさせるように神官長が扉に手をかざした途端、青白く輝く魔法陣が浮かび上がり、神官長の中指にはめられている指輪の宝石が赤く光った。指輪の赤の光が魔法陣を一巡りすることで光がおさまる。 「ここには側仕えも入れない。マイン、来なさい」 カチャと扉を開けて、アルノーもフランもつれずに神官長が部屋の中に入って行く。わたしは暗い部屋を見て、一瞬不安になってフランを振り返った。フランは小さく頷くことで、わたしを促した。 わたしが中に入って扉が閉まった瞬間、真っ暗だった部屋に窓が出現して、眩しい光が入りこんでくる。まるでシャッターが開くように窓が出現した。 目元を押さえ、目が慣れるまで待っていると、神官長がごそごそと動いている音がする。ゆっくりと目を開けると、真っ暗だった部屋がまるで大学の研究室のような部屋になっていた。 机や棚の上には巻物や羊皮紙の資料が散乱し、本が数冊積み上げられている。見たことがない器具だけれど、何となく理科の実験道具のようなものが棚に並んでいた。部屋の隅には休憩用だろうか、長椅子があり、そこにも資料が散乱していた。 側仕えによってきっちりと片付けられている、いつもの部屋とは違う、神官長の完全なるプライベートスペースだった。 「ここは一定以上の魔力がないと入れないようにしてある。今の神殿には君以外に入れる者はいないだろう。密談にはちょうど良い」 「すごい隠し部屋ですねぇ。魔術の結晶って感じで......」 神官長は長椅子の上に積み上がっている資料をザッと退けながら、わたしを見た。 「......君の部屋にもあるだろう?」 ベッドの天幕なんて退けたことがなかったし、ベッドも枠があるだけで布団ははいっていない。倒れた時のことも考えて、布団くらいは入れておいた方が良いかもしれない。 「扉に魔力登録をしなければならないから、君には使えないだろうが」 「魔力登録?」 「そんなことはどうでもよろしい。本題に入ろう。そこに座りなさい」 話を打ち切って、神官長は物を退けたばかりの長椅子を指差した。自分は机のところにある椅子を持ち出して、座る。 ......これは、お説教? ここ数日、フランに叱られ続けているわたしは、本日の用件を悟った。もしかして、ここを使うのは、側仕えには見せない方が良いレベルで説教されるからだろうか。フランに助けを求めても、この部屋は二人だけで、助けてくれる人なんていない。 「あ、ああ、あの、神官長。どうしてここで話をするのでしょうか?」 「君に貴族的で婉曲な言い回しを求めても無駄だというフランの進言を受けたからだ」 じろりと神官長がわたしを睨む。無表情でちょっと冷たい印象を与えるタイプの顔なので、眉間に皺を刻んで不機嫌な顔をされると非常に怖い。雷を落とすベンノとは違って、足元からどんどん凍って行くような冷気を発する怒り方だ。 「実際、君は先日もかなり重要な事や際どいことを何も考えずに口にしていたではないか。あの場には用事があって訪れていた神殿長の側仕えがいたのだが、気付いていたか?」 「神殿長の側仕えがいる場で、神殿長の行いを非難するなど、よくあんなことを......と、こちらの命が縮むような会話だった事も、理解できていないようだな?」 「......も、申し訳ありません」 わたしはわかってくれない神官長に少しでもわかってもらおうと思っていたが、神殿長のやり方を非難するだけものになっていて、神官長も側仕えも、その場にいる人はみんな肝を冷やしていた、ということらしい。 「せめて、青色神官の顔と名前、それから、その側仕えの顔くらいは覚えなさい。警戒しなければならない相手のことを知らずにどうする? 君は迂闊すぎる」 呆れ果てた神官長の顔は、ベンノが見せる顔に似ている。わたしはどこに行っても叱られる立場にあるようだ。 「......ベンノさんにも考え無しとよく言われています」 「そういえば、警戒心がないとも、騙されても懲りないとも言っていたな。ベンノの意見には全面的に賛同する。青の巫女見習いとして貴族側に立つのだから、君は貴族のやり方を学び、覚えなければならない」 「はい」 神官長の意見は完全にわたしの立場を心配してのものだった。フランが言っていたように、本音が隠れすぎていてわからなかったけれど、神官長は神殿長からわたしを守ってくれているらしい。 「君にはこちらの隠れた意図を汲み取る気がないし、どの意見も真っ直ぐすぎて隠す気がないようだが、これは貴族社会では命取りになる。あんな風にひやひやしながら話をするのは真っ平だ。こちらの意図が通じているかどうかも全くわからないので、他に聞かれたくない話を君とする時は、ここを使うのが最善だと判断した」 「本当に申し訳ございませんでした」 神官長が本音を言わなければ、わたしに通じないので、ここで話をすることになったようだ。お手数おかけしますが、腹を割って話せるのは助かります。 「フランから連絡があったが、君は孤児院の院長になると決めたようだな? あの時は責任を持てないと言っていたようだが、本当に大丈夫なのか?」 わたしの内心まで探るような強い光を持った瞳に真っ直ぐ覗きこまれて、わたしは背筋を伸ばす。助けると決意だけは固めた。やる気だけでも伝えたくて、真っ直ぐに目を見返した。 「正直言うと、責任を持つのはまだ怖いです。でも、あのままにしておけないので、助けられるなら助けたいと思います」 「ふむ。君に覚悟があるなら、構わない」 「非公式ながらフランを通じて、了承の返事を与えてあるはずだが?」 「それは、聞いてましたけど、前の話し合いの時とずいぶん違うのでビックリして......」 「婉曲にすると伝わらないのだから、仕方あるまい」 何度目かわからないが謝っていると、神官長は数枚の紙を持ってきた。それに軽く目を通した後、わたしに目を向けた。 「フランから一通り聞いたが、要領を得ない。フランも完全には理解できていないようだ。商人独特の言い回しや暗黙の了解で話が進むと言っていたからな。孤児院の院長に就任して、一体何をするつもりか、説明しなさい」 わたしはみんなと打ち合わせた内容を説明する。 「孤児院をマイン工房にします。まずは、工員となる子供達の栄養状況の改善と工房である孤児院の大掃除をして、仕事道具を設置します。それから、栄養状態を改善するために、自分達で料理できるようになってもらう予定です。スープだけでも自分達で作れるようになれば、神の恵みと合わせて、栄養状態がかなり改善できると思うのです」 「なるほど。この孤児院全員を側仕えにすると言うのは何だ?」 「......わたくしの側仕えなら、お使いとして神殿の外に出せるので」 「それだけの理由なら止めておきなさい。他に青色が入ってきた時に側仕えにする人材がなくなるし、全てを囲ってしまったら不用意な対立を生む。院長のお使いとして外に出せばいいだろう」 「わかりました」 子供達を神殿から出すことができるなら、別に側仕えにする必要はないのだ。わたしは頷いて、了解する。 「子供達の栄養状態が整ったらどうする?」 「植物紙を作ってもらいます。以前はわたくしとルッツだけで作っていたので、やり方を教えれば、子供でもできるはずです」 「植物紙か......」 ちらりと神官長が机に積まれている紙の束を見遣る。そういえば、ベンノが贈った物で、神官長が一番喜んでいたのは植物紙だった。 「横流しはしませんし、マイン工房で作られたものはギルベルタ商会が売るという契約魔術がすでに結ばれているので、取り上げる事はできませんよ」 「商人らしい良い判断だ。たとえ見つかっても、神殿長に取り上げられることがないなら良い。紙を売ってどうするんだ?」 「商品を売って、足りない分の食料を自分達で買えるようになってもらいます。そうすれば、わたくしが食費を持つ必要がなくなりますし、青の神官や巫女の増減で飢えるという事はなくなるはずです」 「基本的に他に対して無関心な君がそれをする理由は? 何の得もなく、面倒を抱え込みはしないだろう?」 そこが一番大事なところだ、と神官長が視線を強めてわたしを見つめる。わたしもじっとりとした目で神官長を見返した。 「わたくしが心置きなく読書するために決まっているじゃないですか」 「壁を隔てた向こうで子供が飢え死にするってわかっていたら、気になって仕方ないんです。本に没頭しているうちは良くても、読むのを止めた瞬間にあの光景が蘇ってきて、罪悪感や気持ち悪さに耐えきれなくなるんです」 「つまり、読書の障害排除のためだけに、孤児院の院長となり、工房を運営するということか?」 「君は......予想以上の馬鹿者だ」 「よく言われます」 「......もういい。期間は? 許可を与えて、どのくらいで軌道に乗る予定だ?」 ベンノとフランが計画に穴がないか、商人側と貴族側の目で何度も確認したので、問題ないはずだ。一番の不安要素がわたしだと明言されたことは記憶に新しい。 「よろしい。許可しよう」 「ありがとうございます。フランは神官長なら、きちんと話を通せばわかってくれる、って言っていました。ベンノさんも神官にしてはイイ目をしているから、相談するなら神官長にしろ、って。......どうして神官長は他の神官と違うんですか?」 これは間違いなく外で聞いたら叱られる質問だろうな、と思いながら尋ねると、案の定、神官長に「この部屋以外では聞いてくれるな」と溜息混じりに言われた。 「詳しく話すつもりはないが、君と同じく、私もここの神殿で育ったものではない。貴族社会で育ち、理由があって神殿に入っている。だからこそ、神殿長のやり方が鼻につくこともあるが、今対立するのはあまり得策ではない。君もこれ以上怒りを買わないように気を付けなさい」 「......孤児院の運営って、怒りを買いませんか?」 孤児が自分達で稼ぐなんて、今までのやり方に真っ向から対立する。わたしが恐る恐る尋ねると、「何を今更」と鼻で笑われた。 「一応、私が押しつけたという体裁は取るつもりだが、あまり派手な事をしてくれるな。君の場合、我々とは常識が違いすぎて一体何をするか、見当がつかない。何をするにも私に報告するように。それから、フランの言う事をよく聞くように。いいな?」 神官長に何度も「報・連・相」の念押しをされた後、わたしは神官長の隠し部屋を出て、フランと一緒に自分の部屋に帰る。 「マイン、どうだった?」 「いっぱい怒られた。貴族らしさを真剣に学べって。考え無しで迂闊って......」 「それって、孤児院の院長はダメだったってことか?」 「ううん、院長にはなったよ。マイン工房は大丈夫。でも、わたしって、どこに行っても怒られるんだなぁって......」 ポンポンと軽くわたしの頭を叩き、ルッツは小さく笑った。 孤児院の改革に取り掛かる前に、わたしにはしなければならないことがもう一つ残っている。 いくら隠しておこうと思っても、他の側仕えがうろうろし、ベンノやルッツが出入りして、孤児院でわいわいしていれば、デリアが気付かないはずがない。けれど、工房の仕事が軌道に乗るまでは、神殿長に邪魔されたくはないのだ。 デリアも助けられるなら助ければいい、と言っていたので、孤児達を助ける事自体には賛成してくれると思う。さすがに、助ける準備が整ってきた今の状況で、死んでしまった方が良いとは言わないだろう。 視線を合わせ、わたしはデリアに正直に頼むことにした。神殿長の側仕えに会ったことも報告してくれるデリアには、婉曲なやり方よりも、真っ直ぐにお願いした方が良いと思ったからだ。 「あのね、デリア。わたくし、洗礼前の子達を助けるつもりでいます。だから、神殿長に邪魔されたくないの。デリアにはしばらく黙っていて欲しいと思っています。デリアも助けられるなら、あの子達を助けたいって思っていますよね? お願いできないかしら?」 しばらくの沈黙の後、デリアはギュッと目を閉じて、思い出したものを振り切るように頭を振った。 「......あたし、孤児院に行きたくないです。思い出したくないし、係わりたくないの」 「えぇ、知ってるわ。だから、デリアはここで料理人の見張りをしていてくれればいいの。ちょっとだけ見ない振りをしていてほしいだけ。お願いできる?」 食材の管理や料理人の監視は絶対に必要なので、誰かが必ず部屋に残っていなければならない。孤児院に行きたくないデリアにその仕事を任せれば、デリア自身は孤児院に向かう必要はない。 「いいわ、黙っててあげます。でも、これはマイン様のためじゃなくて、子供達のためなんだから。あたしがほだされたとは思わないでちょうだい」 ちょっとだけホッとしたような顔を、つーんと横に向けながら、デリアは一応黙っていてくれるという約束をしてくれた。胸を撫で下ろして、わたしもデリアに約束する。 「ありがとう、デリア。絶対に助けてきますね」 「べ、別にあたしは頼んでないです。でも、やる以上、失敗したら許さないんだから」 態度はつんけんしているけど、どうやらデリアにも期待されていると考えていいよね?

Private Talk with the Head Priest There is nothing much I can do with my resolve to help the orphans while I'm at home . I had a discussion with Lutz and Fran, then after agreeing "life is precious", we started our secret work . Since I have no idea what, if anything, the kids over there are able to safely digest at this point, we decided that we'll be soaking crumbled bread in soup to make a bread porridge, and Gil will bring it to them via the secret entrance . "Gil was the most interested in this," Fran says, "so I believe he should be willing to take the initiative . " "If Gil's doing it," adds Lutz, "then tell him I can lend him a set of clothes so he can do that kind of dirty work . " That's all we could do today, but it's only because I can tell myself that none of those kids are going to starve to death literally tonight that I'm able to relax a little bit . I let my face slacken, breathing a sigh of relief, but Fran's face remains tense as he looks at me . "Sister Maine, it is very likely that the temple master will disapprove of your plan to save the orphans, so please be very wary of Delia," he says . "...You think the head priest will be okay with it?" I thought that it wasn't just the temple master who disapproved, but the head priest as well, but I wonder what Fran thinks? "Allow me to convey the Father's thoughts . You are most a.s.suredly not alone in being chagrined by the state of the orphanage and the treatment of the priests and priestesses there . " "Were you not listening to what Delia was saying? The temple master has more power than the head priest does . In addition, the Father keeps his true intentions deeply concealed so that the temple master cannot nitpick his every move, which makes him very difficult to read, but I feel that he is indeed irritated at the current state of the temple . " "...I had no idea at all . " Where in that conversation had the head priest conveyed his irritation? Is Fran just able to hear his inner thoughts as well as the words he's saying? As I wrack my brain, trying and failing to understand, Lutz just shrugs his shoulders . "You should probably tell the head priest that Maine didn't get his meaning," he tells Fran . "As you say . And it will be very necessary, Sister, for you to learn the particular euphemisms that the n.o.bility cloaks their words in . " The way that they look at me with their tepid eyes, like I'm a helpless little child, really hurts . Over the next few days, as Gil secretly sneaks food in, Fran and I discuss the easiest way to convey our requests to the head priest . We ask Lutz's opinion as well, and since this involves Maine's Workshop, Benno gets involved as well, grumbling about how he's being dragged into another pain in the a.s.s . I originally wanted to get permission from the head priest as soon as possible and get my orphanage improvement plans started by force, but Benno got angry again, yelling about what a thoughtless little girl I am . "Don't just force your way through! When you're dealing with the n.o.bility, no matter how much you hate all the extra effort to take a roundabout path, you absolutely have to lay all the groundwork first! Rather, you need to have everything decided in advance . If you just suddenly show up, you can't even be sure if they'll talk to you to begin with!" "It is exactly as Master Benno says," adds Fran . "I know that you typically begin to act the moment you decide on your goals, but when you need to have a conversation, you must first in advance convey to them the relevant information and your requests and then request the meeting . In a meeting with the n.o.bility, you cannot be hasty . You must take as much time as you need to quietly make your preparations and ensure that the outcome will be advantageous for you . " When I, in my shock over seeing the state of the orphanage, when I kept begging the head priest for help, asking "isn't there something you can do?", I was committing a grave breach of manners, Fran tells me . The head priest was unable to make the proper preparations to meet with me, nor had he been able to gather any relevant information . "This time is an excellent opportunity for learning, Sister Maine . Please watch carefully as we arrange this meeting and make the necessary preparations, and then make sure to learn from the experience . This will be important to know going forward . " After all of our various discussions, we determine that, to start, I'll be taking on the role of orphanage director, then use my funds from Maine's Workshop to reform the orphanage under the pretext of establis.h.i.+ng a workshop in it . We'll bathe the orphans and thoroughly clean out the orphanage . From there, we'll set up the workshop in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the boys' dormitory, then in order to both cook and make paper, we'll install stoves and bring in the necessary tools . We'll divide the people living in the orphanage into teams--the forest gathering and paper-making team, the orphanage housework team, and the temple work team--and then rotate them through each one in one-month intervals until they have experienced everything . Then, we'll ask everyone their preference and a.s.sign them to that team . They'll be able to freely chose what they want to do . As we discover the kinds of clothing and tools we'll be needing, we'll have to go through Benno to acquire them . In order to acquire the funds we need to do that, I asked Lutz and Ralph to make wooden clothes hangers . Specifically, the kind of clothes hangers I'm familiar with, build to mimic the roundness of human shoulders . "These will keep clothes looking nicer than the cross-shaped hangars I saw at the used clothing store," I told Benno, and with glimmering eyes he immediately pounced on it . Thank you, come again . "What is the ultimate goal of the orphanage branch of Maine's Workshop?" Benno asks, looking at me . I know that if I can't answer him now, he'll get mad at me for being thoughtless again . "To make sure the orphanage can cover its living expenses . When the G.o.ds' blessings are insufficient, I think it would be good for them to be able to earn the money they need in order to buy enough food to make up for it . " "Just food?" "The temple generally provides the bare necessities of what they need to live, so I think it'll be fine if they're able to earn enough to pay for food . " As I answer Benno's question, Lutz starts working through the calculations for the price of the paper and the cost of the necessary amount of food . "...If it's just food, then it's way easier to make that happen that I thought . " Lutz had originally said that if the orphans didn't have money, then they could gather food in the forest, but when you think of how large the orphanage actually is, there's no way that they'd be able to sustainably gather all that they need . But, if you consider that they'd be able to earn enough money through the workshop, then if things go according to plan they'll be able to feed themselves out of the workshop's funds . "If you're providing funds," says Benno, "is there any point to having them learn how to gather food?" "I just want them to learn how while they're out there making paper . If they know, and if they're starving to death, then they'll be able to eat something, right? If they don't know any better, then they might pick poisonous mushrooms like I used to . " "You did pick a ton of poison mushrooms, didn't you..." says Lutz . Fran, meanwhile, worked in the shadows to convey as much of the information he could to the head priest, and get his informal approval to my plan to become the orphanage's director and establish a branch of my workshop . On top of that, he arranged a meeting with the head priest to have a formal discussion about it . It looks like formally requesting a meeting must take place several days in advance, so Fran teaches me how to format that particular letter, and I write it out . ...Man, n.o.bles are a pain in the b.u.t.t . By the time the head priest's written invitation arrives, the orphans are much healthier due to Gil's secret efforts . He tells me that they've started gaining an appet.i.te, and have moved on from eating only soup to being able to eat a little bit of solid food, and they're starting to get a little more lively . It sounds like they're getting to the point where they're healthy enough to be scrubbed all the way clean while their absolutely filthy rooms are cleaned out . The head priest had told me to meet him after third bell, so when it chimes, I walk together with Fran to his chambers . Back in my rooms, Gil and Lutz are on standby, with ready so that they can leap into motion at any time . "Father," I say, "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me . " "Ah, Maine . ...Come this way . " It seems that the head priest has already had people clear out, since there's n.o.body else in his room apart from Arnaud . As I start walking to his work desk, as I usually do, he stands up and starts walking towards his bed . "We'll have our conversation in here," he says . The head priest holds his hand out before the door, as if presenting it to a fingerprint scanner . In that moment, a glimmering blue-white magic circle springs into existence, and from the gem on the ring on his right finger a bright red light s.h.i.+nes forth . The light traces the edge of the circle once, then dims . "No attendants can pa.s.s through this door . Come here, Maine . " The door clacks as he pushes it open, then he walks through, with neither Arnaud nor Fran following behind . When I see the dark room beyond, I'm momentarily filled with anxiety, and I glance back over my shoulder at Fran . He gives me a slight nod, urging me forward . As soon as I pa.s.s through the door and close it behind me, leaving the room in pitch darkness, windows suddenly appear, flooding the room with light, just as if shutters had opened, revealing the windows beyond . As I squint, s.h.i.+elding my eyes and waiting for them to adjust, I hear the head priest bustling about the room . I slowly open my eyes, and see that the formerly pitch-black room has revealed itself to be something that distinctly reminds me of a university professor's office . Every table and shelf is covered in piles of scrolls, sheafs of parchment, and stacks of several books . On racks I can see rows of tools that I've never seen before that somehow look like some kind of scientific equipment . In the corner, I see a couch that looks like it's supposed to be for relaxing, but there's yet more piles of doc.u.ments scattered across it . With no attendants allowed in here to keep everything neatly in its place, this room looks nothing like the head priest's other rooms, but instead very much like his own private s.p.a.ce . "You cannot enter this room unless you possess a certain amount of mana . I think you might be the only priest currently living at the temple besides myself who's ever been in here . This is a perfect place for a conversation . " "This is a really cool secret room! It's, like, super magical..." The head priest looks over at me as he shoves the stacks of papers on the couch aside . "...Your room should have something like this, shouldn't it?" My bed doesn't have a canopy on it . All I have is the frame, without even a mattress on it . Thinking back on the time I collapsed though, it might be a good idea for me to get some sort of bedding on there . "Your mana needs to be registered with the door, so you may not be able to use it . " "Registered how?" "That's not important at the moment . Let's discuss what we are here for . Sit over there, please . " The head priest forcibly changes the topic, indicating the spot that he'd just cleared on the couch for me . He pulls his desk chair over for himself to sit on . When I look up at him, his face isn't guarded and expressionless like Fran's . His brow is furrowed, looking displeased . ...Is he about to spoil me? I've been on the receiving end of several lectures from Fran over the last few days, so I think I can guess what's about to happen today . I wonder if he perhaps picked this particular place so that he can lecture me to a level that he can't do in front of the attendants? Even if I want Fran to come save me, there's n.o.body in here but the two of us, n.o.body will be coming to my aid . "Uh, umm, so, Father . Why might you have brought me here?" "I heard from Fran that you won't understand me if I were to use the roundabout phrasing that we n.o.blemen typically use," he replies . He looks pointedly down at me . Since he is normally the type to keep his face cool and expressionless, seeing his brow furrowed in displeasure is actually very scary . Unlike Benno, whose scoldings echo like thunder, the head priest's anger is cold, slowly freezing me from the feet up . "Similarly," he says, "the other day, you thoughtlessly said some very important and very dangerous things very bluntly . Had you noticed that there were several of the Reverend's attendants there in my room, working?" "In a place full of the Reverend's attendants, you criticized the Reverend's actions, and then you..." he takes a slow breath . "In other words, you put my life at risk with that conversation . You had no awareness of this fact, did you?" "...I'm, I'm very sorry . " I thought that what I'd been doing was trying to get the head priest to understand the situation, but what I'd actually been doing is criticizing how the temple master runs things . Everyone there, from the head priest to the attendants, must have been frozen solid with terror . "At the very least, you will learn the names and faces of the other blue-robed clergy, as well as the faces of their attendants . If you lack awareness of what is happening around you, what might your enemies be doing without your knowing? You are far too careless . " His flabbergasted expression looks a lot like Benno's . It looks like, no matter where I go, I'll get scolded . "...Mister Benno calls me thoughtless a lot," I say . "Come to think of it, he did say you lacked wariness and didn't learn your lesson no matter how many times you are deceived . I agree wholeheartedly with his opinion . As a blue-robed priestess, you will be working alongside the n.o.bility, so you must learn and understand how n.o.bles interact . " "Yes, Father . " The head priest seems to be concerned entirely about my position . Just like Fran had said, his true motives had been so concealed that I hadn't been able to read them, but it seems like he's been protecting from the temple master . "You have no sense that would allow you to uncover the meaning hidden within my words, and no matter what your opinion may be you express it nakedly, yet in n.o.ble society this can be quite literally fatal . You must not, by any means, speak with such fright as you did . As I am incapable of determining whether or not I am successfully communicating my intentions to you, I have judged it best to use this room whenever I need to have a discussion with you that I do not wish for others to hear . " "I truly am very sorry, Father . " Since the head priest is unable to tell me what he truly means without saying it frankly, it seems like he's decided to have our conversations here . I know it's a huge bother, but I'm relieved to be able to talk openly with him . "I heard this from Fran," he says, "but it seems you have decided that you will become the orphanage's director, then? You had said that you felt no sense of responsibility for that situation; will you truly be able to do this?" He studies me closely, his coldly gleaming eyes seeming to stare directly into my heart . I straighten up, solidifying my desire to help . I look right back at him, trying to convey my determination . "To be honest, the concept of taking responsibility is still terrifying . However, things there cannot stay as they are, so if I am able to help, I want to do it . " "Hm . If you're resolved to do it, then I don't mind . " "I already told Fran this informally, so you should have already received my approval, haven't you?" "I did hear that, but that was so different from what I'd heard from you during our last conversation that I was pretty shocked..." "Since I spoke circuitously, you didn't understand, so something like that was inevitable . " As I apologize for what must have been the thousandth time, the head priest picks up a few sheets of paper . He skims over them briefly, then looks back up at me . "I heard the general details from Fran, but I wasn't able to understand them . I believe this may be because Fran did not have a complete understanding himself . He said that your conversations contained a lot of language and unspoken understanding peculiar to merchants . Please, explain to me just what you plan to do once you've become the orphanage's director . " I start to explain the plan that everyone's come up with . "I will establish Maine's Workshop within the orphanage . My first priority is to improve the dietary conditions of the children who will serve as my workers, as well as thoroughly clean the orphanage that they will be operating out of . I will then install the tools and equipment necessary for their work . From there, in order to improve their diet, I plan to enable them to cook their own meals . If they are able to make soup for themselves, then when they add that to the G.o.ds' blessings, they will be able to dramatically improve their nutrition . " "I see," he says, glancing at me . "And what did he mean by you taking everyone in the orphanage as your attendant?" "...If they are my attendants, then I'll be able to send them on errands outside the temple . " "If that's the only reason, then give up on that . If, for instance, another blue-robe joins the temple and there are no capable individuals left in the orphanage to become their attendants, than your having acquired all of them will inadvertently cause strife . If you're the director, then it should be fine if you were to send them outside on errands . " "Understood . " If I can bring the children out of the temple, then there's no particular reason for me to make them my attendants . I nod to show my understanding . "When you have their diets under control, then what?" "I plan to have them make plant-based paper for me . Originally, I was capable of making this with only myself and Lutz, so once the children are taught the proper method, even they should be able to make it . " "Plant-based paper, you say..." His eyes flick briefly to the stack of paper on his desk . Come to think of it, out of all of the gifts that Benno had brought him, he had been most interested in the paper . "To prevent, say, sale of stolen goods," I say, "I have already signed a magical contract ensuring that all products produced by Maine's Workshop will be sold through the Gilberta Company, so confiscating this paper will not be possible . " "Excellent judgement, very merchant-like . So, for instance, even if the Reverend were to find out about this, he would not be able to abscond with it . Very good . Then, when you sell the paper, what next?" "Once they sell the product, they will be able to buy enough food to fill their needs . If they do so, then I will not need to bring them food directly, and they will not risk starvation depending on the number of blue-robed priests and priestesses . " "Why would someone as ordinarily apathetic to others as you go so far as to do this, even though you stand to gain nothing from this highly difficult task?" The intensity in his eyes tells me that this is the most important question he wanted to ask . I look back at him evenly . "It would be so that I could protect my ability to read without worry, would it not?" "Knowing that I am separated by a single wall from children who are starving to death, I cannot help but be upset . Although I'm fine while I am immersed in a book, the moment I stop reading I remember that awful scene . The guilt and the disgust are too much to bear . " "So, in other words, it is for the sole purpose of removing obstacles in the way of your reading that you are taking on the role of orphanage director and establis.h.i.+ng your workshop?" "You are, beyond all expectations, a colossal idiot . " "So I am often told," I reply mildly . "...Fine . What is your timeframe? How long do you estimate this will take now that you've been given permission?" He murmurs to himself about how thorough my preparations are this time . Both Benno and Fran looked carefully over the plan more times than I could count, making sure it was airtight from both a merchant's and a n.o.ble's standpoint, so there should be no problems here at all . Their statement that the weakest link in the plan was me is still fresh in my mind . "Very well . I'll approve your plan . " "Thank you very much," I reply . "Fran had told me that if I explained everything thoroughly, you in particular would be sure to understand . Mister Benno thinks highly of you as well, saying that you have excellent eyes for a priest, and told me that if I had to have a discussion with anyone at the temple, then it should be with you . ...If I may ask, why are you so different compared to the other priests?" If anyone else had heard me ask this, they'd probably scold me to no end, and sure enough, as soon as I do, he sighs and says that I shouldn't ask things like that outside of this room . "I don't intend on going into the precise details, but much like you, I was not raised here in the temple . I was raised instead in n.o.ble society, then joined the temple for certain reasons . That's all the more why I am so irritated with the Reverend's way of doing things, but as things are right now there is no real benefit in standing up to him . I would ask you to take care not to provoke any more of his anger than you already have . " "...Will my management of the orphanage not provoke his anger?" If the orphans are able to earn a wage for themselves, that would fly in the face of the way things have been done until now . When I nervously ask my question, he snorts, asking why I'm only worried about this now . "For now, I intend on making it appear that I am forcing this role on you, but you should take care not to do anything too ostentatious . In your particular case, your idea of common knowledge is so different from the rest of ours that I quite frankly have no idea what you might get up to . No matter what you want to do, tell me first . Also, pay very close attention to what Fran tells you . Am I clear?" After he reminds me, over and over, to report to, contact, and consult with him, I leave his secret room and, with Fran, head back to my rooms . "Maine, how did it go?" asks Lutz . "He was really mad at me . He told me I need to be serious about studying how n.o.bles work . He called me thoughtless and careless, too..." "So, uh, does that mean that we can't work on the orphanage?" "No, no, I'm the director now . We're okay to set up the workshop . But, seriously, no matter where I go, someone always gets mad at me..." "Well, that's just because you're you," laughs Lutz, patting me on the head . Before we can get our plan fully started, there's one last thing that remains for me to do: I need to talk to Delia . Her job is to report information to the temple master, and I want to bribe her into secrecy . No matter how well I think I'm hiding things from her, my other two attendants have been wandering about, and Benno and Lutz have been constantly coming and going . If the orphanage suddenly starts getting more lively, then it would be impossible for her not to notice what's happening . However, until the workshop is actually on track to being profitable, I don't want the temple master interfering . Since Delia had said that if I was able to help the orphans, then I should, I think that she will at least agree with the actual idea of me helping the orphans . I'd expect that since we've made all of the preparations necessary to help them, she's probably not going to say she'd rather let them die . I decided to look her straight in the eye and tell her honestly . Since Delia also tells me when she meets with the temple master's other attendants, I think it's better to ask her for her help directly, rather than beating around the bush . "So, Delia . I'm planning on doing something to help the orphans who haven't been baptized, and I don't want the temple master to interfere with that . I would like you to keep quiet about this for now . This is what you can do to help the orphans, and I think that helping them is something you want to do . Can I ask you to do this for me, perhaps?" Delia is silent for a long time, but then she squeezes her eyes shut, shaking her head like she's trying to clear it of something she's remembered . "...I don't want to go to the orphanage . I don't want to remember anything about it, and I don't want to have anything to do with it . " "Yes, I know that . That's why I think you should stay here and keep an eye on the cooks . All I want you to do is look the other way, just a little . Can you do that?" Keeping track of the ingredients and monitoring the cooks is an absolutely essential task, so someone absolutely needs to be left in my rooms . If I leave that task to Delia, who doesn't want to go to the orphanage, then there's no need for Delia herself to face it at all . For a moment, she looks slightly relieved, but then she turns her head away haughtily . "Fine then, I'll stay quiet . But let's be clear: I'm not doing this for your sake . I'm doing it for the orphans . Don't think that you've moved me by your kindness . " I'm very relieved to hear her promise to keep quiet, and I promise her something in return . "Thank you, Delia . I'm definitely going to save them . " "I, I'm not particularly asking you for anything! But no matter what you're doing, if you mess this up, I'm never going to forgive you . " She's acting very p.r.i.c.kly, but is it wrong for me to think that she's somehow hopeful about this?

チラチラと雪がちらつく天気だったけれど、雪が積もる前に回復の報告とお礼に行かなければ、家から出られなくなってしまう。 「ベンノの旦那、マインがギルド長から何かふっかけられていないか、引き抜きに合って困ってないか、すっげぇ心配してたぞ」 「あ~、もしかして、心の中で何度も助けを求めたから、通じたのかな?」 フリーダの家族に囲まれた時、わたしは心の中で何度かベンノに助けを求めた。変な電波でも出ていたのだろうか。 うーん、と首を傾げていると、ルッツが不満そうな顔でわたしを睨んだ。 「......オレには?」 「オレに助けは求めなかったのか?」 むすぅっとした顔のルッツを見て、何とも言えないくすぐったい笑いが込み上げてくる。 鳩が豆鉄砲を食らったような顔になったルッツに、わたしは声を立てて笑う。 「ルッツは、動きすぎで熱出すぞって、フリーダに言ってくれたでしょ? おかげでゆっくり寝られたし、夕食の席に着くこともなかったから、引き抜きの話も聞かずに済んだし、すごく助かったんだよ」 「へへ、そっか」 得意そうに笑ったルッツが、わたしと繋いだ手に少し力を入れた後、半歩前に出る。わたしに当たる風が少なくなって、顔に当たる雪が減ったような気がした。 「あぁ、マイン。元気になったようで何よりです」 ベンノの店の中は活気に満ちて温かい。店に入ってホッと息を吐いたわたし達を見つけて、マルクが早足で近付いてきた。 ベンノの店を見回して、そんな感じのことを呟いたら、マルクがニッコリと笑った。 「この店は冬が売り時ですから」 「そうなんですか?」 冬は吹雪の日が増えて動けない日が多くなるので、引きこもってなるべくお金を使わないように生活するものだと思っていたが、違うらしい。 「雪に閉ざされて暇になる貴族の方々は、暇が潰れて、目先が変わる物のためならば、意外と財布の紐が緩むのです」 「なるほど、娯楽用品かぁ......」 ゲーム機なんて作れないけれど、トランプ、カルタ、花札、すごろくなど、遊び慣れたカードゲームが頭の中を回る。余裕があれば作ってみても良いかもしれない。 ルッツがくいっと袖をつかんだ。 「......紙があった方がいいものなんだけどね」 カードゲームも薄い板ならできるかもしれない。でも、木をカードのようになるべく同じ大きさや厚さで、薄く切るには技術がいる。 薄い板作りって、ルッツにできるかな? それに、わたしはまだこの世界で絵具を見たことがない。染料があるのだから、あるところにはあるのだろうけれど、トランプなどの色付けがウチの中ではできそうにない。 オセロや将棋なら、板とインクで自分達でも何とかなるかもしれないけど。遊ぶ種類の多さはトランプが一番なんだよね。 う~ん、と唸っている間に奥の部屋へ案内されていて、ベンノから間近で顔を覗きこまれていた。 「マイン、回復したんだよな?」 「ぅあ!? は、はい。ご心配おかけしました」 目を瞬きながらそう言っても、ベンノは疑わしそうに眉を寄せるだけで、わたしの顔をじろじろ見るのを止めてくれない。 「ベンノの旦那、大丈夫だ。マインは何か考えていただけで体調が悪くなったわけじゃないから」 ルッツの言葉にやっと納得したのか、ベンノがパッとわたしから手を離す。暖炉のそばにあるテーブルにわたし達を座らせながら、ハァ、とベンノは深い息を吐き出した。 「あのじじいが孫のために集めた物だからって、結構しつこくうだうだ言っていたから、魔術具を本当に使ってくれるかどうかは賭けだと思っていたが......」 「借金のかた......。まぁ、そうだな。だが、金は渡してあっただろう?」 ニヤッと得意そうに笑ったベンノに頷きながら、わたしはギルド長達が裏で色々罠を張っていた事実を暴露する。 「はい。ベンノさんには魔術具の値段を小金貨一枚と大銀貨2枚と伝えたって言ってましたけど、実際は小金貨2枚と大銀貨8枚だったみたいで......」 「あんのくそじじい!」 ガシガシとベンノが悔しそうに頭を掻いて怒鳴る。 「わたしが持っているお金でギリギリ足りて、ホッとしました。フリーダとギルド長は足りると思わなかったみたいで、驚いてましたよ」 わたしがそう付け足すと、ベンノは一瞬呆気にとられた後、「そういえば、情報料上げたな」と呟き、ニヤッと笑った。 「ヤツらに一泡吹かせたならそれでいい。だが、あの一族には気を抜くな。お前みたいに危機感の薄いぼへっとしたヤツはすぐに食われるぞ」 危機感の薄いぼへっとしたわたしがやらかしてしまったかもしれない失敗についても、ベンノに報告しておいた方が良いだろう。そうは思っていても、叱られるのを少しでも後に回したくて、言い方がついつい遠まわしになるのは止められない。 「えーと、ベンノさん。質問があるんですけど、この辺りではお菓子って、どんなものが普及しているんですか?」 じろりとわたしを見る赤褐色の目にビクッとしながら、わたしは言い訳も加えて、説明をした。 「その、わたしの周りでは甘い物なんて滅多になくて、蜂蜜とか果物とか、冬のパルゥくらいなんですよ」 「......それで、ですね、ベンノさん。つかぬ事をお伺いいたしますが、フリーダの家には砂糖があったんですけど、それって珍しいものですか?」 料理に使うための砂糖がウチにないことから考えても、普及しているのは富豪層くらいだとは思っている。 もちろん、そんなわたしの願望の詰まった答えが返ってくるはずがない。 「この辺りではまだ珍しいな。外国から最近輸入され始めて、王都辺りや貴族の間ではかなり人気が高いって......お前、まさか、また何かしでかしたのか!?」 すでに色々しでかした前科があるので、ベンノはすぐに気が付いたようで、眉をグッと上げた。 「その、『カトルカール』ってお菓子を作ったら、食いつかれたみたいで......」 「あぁ、あれか。すっげぇうまかった。しっとりしてて、口の中ではとろけるようで、初めて食べる甘い味の......って、マイン!」 貴族階級に砂糖自体は普及し始めているが、まだお菓子文化というほどは色々なお菓子がないらしい。カトルカールはシンプルでオーソドックスなケーキだが、間違いなくやりすぎた。 二人から睨まれて、さすがにまずいことをしてしまったことを実感する。 「お前はどうして肉食獣の前でそう無防備に茂みから頭を出すんだ!? あっという間に食われるに決まってるだろうが!」 カトルカールでここまで激昂されるのだから、スポンジケーキでショートケーキなんて作らなくてよかったと自分をこっそり慰める。秤や薪オーブンに不安があったせいだが、結果的にはセーフだ。 「だって、フリーダとはお菓子を作る約束していたし、自分にできるお礼が何かないかなって思ってて......」 「お礼なんて、金を払ったんだから十分だ!」 ベンノの言葉がフリーダの言葉といちいち重なる。ここの商人にとっては、対価を払っているので、それ以上は不要だったらしい。 「うぅ、フリーダにもそう言われました」 「またか!? 商談相手に言われてどうするんだ? 負けてもいい相手かどうかはよく見極めろって前にも言っただろう!?」 のおおぉぉぉ! わたし、学習能力なし。でも、命の恩人にできるだけのお礼をしたいと思うのは普通じゃないの? 「一応命の恩人だしって思って......」 それを言われると言葉に詰まる。結果としてお金を持っていたから、命を助けてもらったとしか考えていない。けれど、これでお金が足りなくて強制的にベンノの店からギルド長の店に所属が変わっていたら、もっと心境は複雑だっただろう。 「ったく、向こうはお前が身食いだから、時間的にもたいしたことはできないだろうと高をくくって、放置してくれているんだ。ヤツらが本気になれば、お前なんて気が付く前に所属が変わっているはずだ。わざわざ捕まりに行くようなことをするな」 なるほど、と少しだけ納得した。色々と罠を張る割に引き抜きは緩いな、と思っていた。 「今頃わかったのか。危機感がないにも程がある。......それで、そのお菓子は出来た現物を渡しただけか?」 ベンノの質問の意図がわからなくて、わたしは首を傾げながら、みんなで一緒に作った話をした。 「いえ、わたしにお菓子作りなんて腕力使うことできるわけないので、フリーダの家の料理人さんに作り方を教えながら、作っていただきました。真っ白の小麦粉がたくさんあって、砂糖もあって、薪オーブンが自分の家にあるんですよ。すごいですよね」 「あぁ、すごい、すごい。つまり、レシピは丸々向こうが握ったわけか......」 頭を抱えるベンノの姿に、かなり不安になってきた。お礼に作っただけのお菓子がここまで波紋を広げることになるとは全く考えていなかったのだ。 「うっ、何かまずかったですか?」 「貴族相手に売れそうなもんを無償でやるなんて、馬鹿だろう?」 何が貴族に売れて、何が庶民的なのか、正直わたしにはわからない。ただ、ケーキのレシピはお金になることがわかった。今度から気を付けよう。 「うぅ......。だったら、こっちも料理人に作らせて売ればいいじゃないですか。まだ向こうだって売りだしたわけじゃないし......」 「砂糖の入手がまだ難しいんだ」 先に売ってしまえばいい、と提案してみれば、ベンノはハッキリと嫌な顔をした。 「じゃあ、諦めるしかないですね。砂糖とオーブンをうまく扱える料理人がいたら、『カトルカール』のレシピは無料でベンノさんにも公開しますよ」 「......その言い方を聞けば、他にもありそうだな」 ベンノはすぐに気付いてわたしを見たが、砂糖がなければどうしようもないレシピばかりだ。公開しても意味がない。 「......善処します」 もっともな言葉にわたしはしょぼんとしおれた。善意でやったことをお金で計算されるのは、どうにも慣れないけれど、それが商人の世界だというなら、慣れるしかない。 「報告はそれで終わりか?」 「いえ、これはかなり私的な報告なんですけど、わたし、冬の間は基本的に外に出ないので、春になるまでお店に来ることはないですが、心配しないでください」 何しろここには、目の前でわたしが倒れたことで過保護になっているマルクとベンノがいるのだ。わたしが店に来なくても店の運営には何の問題もないだろうが、また体調のことで心配させるのも悪いので、先に宣言しておくことは必須だろう。 「外に出ないとは?」 どうやら、ベンノは冬の間はほぼ門に行くと考えていたらしいが、それは違う。そんな暴挙をウチの家族が見逃してくれるわけがない。 「えーと、吹雪じゃない天気で、わたしの体調が良くて、父の仕事が朝番か昼番の時って条件付きなので、冬の間に10回も行けないと思ってます」 「それは、わたしも常々不安に思っているんですけど」 ものすごく不安そうにベンノが聞いてきたが、むしろ、聞きたいのはこちらだ。わたしにできる仕事があるのだろうか。 「仕事の仕方は追々考えた方が良さそうだな。それで、冬の間の手仕事の納品はどうする? 春の洗礼式に向けて、多少品物があると店としては助かるんだが」 当初は春になったら全て納品すると言っていたが、それでは春の洗礼式に間に合わないらしい。冬の洗礼式に向けて大急ぎで作った分もほとんど売れて在庫がないらしい。 「オレが天気を見て持ってきます。晴れた朝はパルゥ採りだから、店に来るのは曇りの日かな?」 「あぁ、パルゥか。懐かしいな。パルゥジュースは、子供の御馳走だからな」 フッとベンノが懐かしそうに笑った。ベンノも昔はパルゥ採りに行ったのだろう。戦利品をコリンナと分けるベンノを想像してわたしが少し笑うと、隣のルッツもパルゥ採りに思いを馳せて、にへっと笑った。 「オレ、今年も絶対にパルゥケーキを食べるんだ」 「......パルゥケーキ? 何だ、それは?」 わたしはパルゥケーキのレシピが流出した時のことを考えて、たらりと冷や汗が流れるのを止められなかった。 「あ~、ルッツ。そのレシピは秘密にしておいた方が良いよ? パルゥが手に入らなくなるから」 パルゥの搾りかすは人間が食べるものではない。動物の餌だ。そう思われているから、ルッツの家では卵と引き換えにたくさん手に入れることができる。 「そっか。オレ達だけの楽しみだからな」 ベンノの店を出て帰途に就く頃には、通りの端に少しずつ雪が積もり始めていた。外に出ることもできなくなる本格的な冬の到来を見せつけられて、わたしは軽く溜息を吐く。 「お外に出られない日が始まりそうだね」 家の雰囲気が良くない、と母親のカルラおばさんが言っていたくらいだ。当人であるルッツはもっと険悪な雰囲気を感じているに違いない。家に籠らなければならない冬は、ルッツにとって辛い季節だろう。 「ねぇ、ルッツ。2~3日に一度は勉強道具と仕上がった簪部分を持って、ウチにおいでよ」 わたしがルッツに提供できるのは、ほんのちょっとの息を抜く時間だけだ。毎日では余計に家族の風当たりが強くなりそうだし、理由がなければルッツもウチに来にくいので、簪が少しできたくらいを見計らうのが良さそうだ。 わたしの提案に、ルッツはほんの少し顔を綻ばせた。 吹雪の日が増えて、通りを歩く人が減っていく。人々は寒さをしのぐために、外に出ることを控えて、家の中で過ごすことになる。 父は兵士で門に詰めるので、冬だからと言って仕事が休みにならないのは去年と一緒だ。吹雪の日でも仕事があり、家にいることは少ない。 ウチの中ではトゥーリが暇を見つけてはせっせと髪飾りを作っている。確実にお金になることを知っているので、去年の籠作りより真剣だ。 「去年のトゥーリの晴れ着をお直しするんじゃダメなの?」 トゥーリは一年でまた背が伸びた。もう夏に着ていた晴れ着が少しきついはずだ。だったら、ほとんど袖を通していない晴れ着をお直しした方が、手間もかからないのではないだろうか。 「トゥーリとマインじゃ大きさが違い過ぎて、お直しも大変なのよ」 母は困ったようにそう言って苦笑した。普通は晴れ着なんて、何度も作るものではない。姉妹なら特に着回すのが普通だ。 竈の前で着てみたものの、肩も脇もずるずるだし、膝丈のワンピースは足首までの長さになっている。 「うーん......。でも、この裾なんて、こうやって摘まんで丈を誤魔化せば、ひだもできて可愛いと思うよ? 摘まんで縫うところにこんな感じの小花を飾るのはどう?」 「マイン、それってお直しじゃないよ。すごく豪華になっちゃう」 サイズが完全に違う場合、糸を全部解いて、わたしのサイズに布を断って、縫い直すことをお直しと言うらしい。ちょこちょこ摘まんで飾りで誤魔化せばいいんじゃない、と言うわたしの考え方は異端なようだ。 これはもう余計な事を言わない方が良いパターンに違いない。 余分な布が使えるのは、生活に余裕がある者だけだ。ひだのある服なんて基本的には金持ちしか着ないし、余計な飾りを付けることもできない。 そう思って、口を噤んだのに母が妙にやる気になってしまった。ガシッとわたしの両肩をつかんで、ニッコリと笑う。 「......マインの言うとおりやってみましょう。ダメなら普通にお直しすればいいもの。ね?」

The day after I breathed a sigh of relief upon coming home, I head to Benno's shop, accompanied by Lutz. Although the first sprinkle of snowflakes has started to fall, it's imperative that I both inform Benno about my recovery and give him my thanks before the snow really starts to pile up, so I'm forced to leave my house. "Master Benno's been wondering if you'd been pressured into something, or if you'd been recruited out from under him. He's been really worried about you." "Ahh, I kept praying for him to come save me, I wonder if he heard me?" When I was trapped in Freida's house, I'd silently called for him, over and over, to come and save me. Maybe he picked it up on some strange wavelength? As I hum thoughtfully to myself, head tilted to the side in contemplation, Lutz scowls at me with a somewhat dissatisfied expression. "...What about me?" "Didn't you pray for me to come save you too?" When I look at Lutz's wounded expression, I just want to leap forward and tickle him without saying anything. Thinking about that makes me smirk, entirely unintentionally, and Lutz starts pouting even harder. Lutz freezes, startled, like a deer in the headlights, and I can't help but laugh out loud. "Lutz, didn't you tell Freida that I'd get a fever if I was too active? Thanks to that, I got to sleep soundly, so I didn't have to sit through dinner, which meant I didn't have to listen to another sales pitch and feel bad about it... you really saved me!" "Heh heh, oh really?" Lutz smiles proudly, gripping my hand a little tighter, then moves a half-step ahead of me. Maybe he thinks that if he can block a little bit of the wind that's. .h.i.tting me, there won't be as much snow falling on my head. "Ah, Maine," replies Mark. "I am overjoyed to see that you're well again." The inside of Benno's shop is both lively and warm. When Mark saw the two of us enter the shop, breathing little sighs of relief, he quickly came over to greet us. It seems to me that, even though the snow has started to fall, the number of people coming and going hasn't decreased a bit, even though I'm hearing that some workshops have already closed down for the winter. I murmur this to myself, looking around the store, and Mark smiles down at me. "That's because this shop still sells things during the winter," he says. "Oh, is that so?" I reply. Since the days during which the snowstorms make it impossible to move around only increase as the winter goes on, I'd thought that people here lived in such a way that would make it impossible to spend money. It seems that I was wrong. "When the n.o.blemen are shut indoors by the snow, they have a lot of free time to spend. Their purse strings slacken a surprising amount for the sake of finding things to stave off their boredom." "Ah, I see, entertainment, huh..." I can't make a game console, but things like trumps, karuta, hanafuda, sugoroku, and other familiar card games start bouncing around in my head. If I have the spare time to do so, maybe it would be a good idea to try making something like that. Lutz tugs firmly on my sleeve. "Did you just think of something?" "Something that would really be better if we had paper." It's possible that I could make card games work with very thin, wooden cards. However, that would require the skill to slice wood very thinly, as well as cut them to approximately the same thickness and size. It would be relatively simple to accomplish if I were to get someone skilled in woodworking to do it for me, but since we're operating under the premise of "I'll think of it and Lutz will make it", I at least don't want to make these until after our baptismal ceremony. I wonder if Lutz actually can make thin sheets? Besides, I have yet to actually see any evidence of paints in this world. Since I know dyes exist, it's not unreasonable to think that paints might too, but there's nothing in my house that could possibly be used to paint playing cards. For something like Oth.e.l.lo or shogi, though, we might be able to make it work with just ink and a board. When it comes to the most ways to play with something, though, playing cards are number one. While I mumble to myself, deep in thought, I'm led into the office, where Benno abruptly leans in close to look at me. "Maine, you're all better now, right?" "Whoa?! Y... yes," I say, blinking quickly. "I'm sorry for making you worry." Even with my rea.s.surances, Benno still looks at me with deep suspicion, and won't stop scrutinizing my face. "Master Benno," says Lutz, "she's fine. She was just thinking about something, there's nothing wrong with her health." Perhaps Lutz's words finally convinced him, as he suddenly turns away, walking to a table over by the fireplace. He sits down, letting out an enormous, heavy sigh. "Those magic tools were something that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d had gathered up, and he said he had to be extremely persistent in order to get that many of them, so I had to gamble on whether or not he'd actually let you use one of them, but..." "Debt... well, that's to be expected. But, it looks like you had the money?" He grins a wide, triumphant grin. I nod at him, laying out the facts of the trap that the guild master and Freida had laid out for me. "Yes, sir. For the use of the magic tool, the guild master quoted the price to you as one small gold and two large silver coins, but the actual cost was two small gold and eight large silver coins, so--" "That's, that's terrifying!" I tremble, gooseb.u.mps covering my arms. Benno looks at me in amazement. "I just barely had enough money to cover it, which was a relief. It looked like the two of them were not expecting me to have the necessary funds, and were quite shocked." As I continue explaining, Benno is momentarily taken aback, then murmurs to himself, "that's right, I did increase her information fee..." He smiles broadly. "Well, if it gave those two a shock then that's alright with me. However, be careful around those two. If you keep hanging around them like you do with your complete lack of a sense of danger, they'll gobble you right up." I, with my complete lack of a sense of danger, had made what I'm pretty sure was a pretty grievous mistake, but I think it should be best to tell Benno about it. However, as I start thinking about that, I find myself wanting to delay the scolding that's inevitably coming, and can't stop myself from picking the most roundabout way to broach the subject. "Umm, Mister Benno. I have a question. What kind of sweets are common around here?" I flinch as he glances at me with his reddish-brown eyes, and start adding to my explanation. "Well, sweet things are rare at my home, and are just things like honey and fruits, and then paru during the winter." "...So, y-yes. Mister Benno. This is a little off-topic, but Freida had sugar at her house. Is that particularly unusual?" Considering that there's no sugar for use in cooking around my house, I think that it would likely be something that would have only spread amongst the upper cla.s.ses. Even still, I want to ask someone who knows things about its distribution, if possible, hopefully be told that it's something that's actually pretty common for the majority of the town and it's just that my family is too poor to buy it, or something like that. Of course, there's no chance that the answer will actually match my fervent desire. "Hm, it's rather unusual around here. It's only recently started to be imported from foreign countries, and it's gathered quite a lot of popularity in the royal capital and amongst the n.o.bility, but... wait. You. Did you do something again?!" Seeing as how I'm already guilty of so many things, Benno almost immediately notices my scheme. His eyebrows go straight up. "Um, I made a kind of sweet called 'pound cake', and they seemed to really latch onto it..." "Oh, that!" says Lutz. "That was super tasty. It was really moist, and it melted in my mouth, and it was the first time I had something sweet like... wait, Maine!" Although sugar has started circulating amongst the n.o.bility, it seems that there aren't enough kinds of sweets being made to consider this place as having anything of a pastry cuisine. A pound cake is a very simple, orthodox cake, but there's no mistake: I overdid it. The two of them glare at me, and I am, as expected, filled with the sense that I've done something terrible. "Why in the world would you, confronted by carnivorous animals, stick your head out of the bushes like that?! Isn't it obvious that you'd be devoured in an instant!" If pound cake has gotten him so enraged, then I can take some small comfort in having not instead made sponge cake or shortcake. Sure, that's because I was nervous about the scales and that wood-fired stove, but, ultimately, that saved me. "I mean," I say, "I'd promised Freida that I'd make sweets with her, and I was trying to think of a way that I could show her my thanks--" "If you wanted to thank her, your money is good enough!" What Benno is saying lines up nearly with what Freida had said to me earlier. To merchants here, once you've completed your transaction, anything beyond that is unnecessary. "Urgh, Freida said that to me too." "Again?! What do you do when the person you're negotiating tells you these things? Didn't I already tell you to make sure if your opponent is actually okay losing?" Noooooo! I have no learning ability at all. Although, isn't it only natural to want to give thanks to someone who just saved your life? "I just wanted to thank her for saving my life..." I'm at a loss for words after that. I can't deny that, in the end, since I had the money, they saved my life. However, if I hadn't had enough, and I'd been forcefully pulled away from Benno's shop to work at the guild master's, I'm sure my feelings would have been more complicated. "...Seriously, since you have the devouring, they can't really bank on having you for any real length of time, so they've been going easy on you. If they were serious, you'd have been acquired long before you even noticed it. Don't do anything to explicitly get yourself caught." Ah, I see, I think I understand a little more clearly now. I'd been thinking that these traps they were spreading out to try to recruit me were a little too easy. It seems that they've only just been poking at me, since I'm someone who'll either get crushed by the devouring or have to enter into a contract with a n.o.bleman. "You finally got it? Looks like there's a limit to your lack of fear. ...So, you just delivered them this dessert?" I tilt my head to the side, not really understanding the meaning of his question, then explain how Freida and I made it together. "No, I don't have the physical strength in order to be able to make sweets, so I explained the process to Freida's household chef and she helped us make it. They had a lot of white flour, and sugar, and even a wood oven in their house, it was amazing!" "Yes, amazing, amazing! So, in other words, you gave them the entire recipe..." Benno has his head in his hands, a sight that makes me rather anxious. I had no idea whatsoever that a cake I made just to show my thanks could make such enormous waves. "Er, did I do something wrong?" "You gave away something that could be sold to the n.o.bility for free. You're an idiot, aren't you?" To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what gets sold to the n.o.bility and what goes to the working cla.s.s. I get that a cake recipe is something that's worth some money, though. I should be more careful in the future. "Urgh... So if that's the case, then would it be okay if I taught a chef here how to make it so we can sell it here too? There's no way they could have started selling it by now..." "Acquiring sugar is still difficult." Benno gives me a clearly disgusted look when I suggest that everything might be okay if we could get it to market first. Giving me that look doesn't help the problem, though. Acquiring sugar isn't my domain. That's Benno's job, the man who does business far and wide. "Well, I guess I'd better give up for now, then. If you can find a cook with easy access to sugar and an oven, I'll give you the recipe to 'pound cake' for free!" "...From the way you're talking, it sounds like there's more." Benno, having caught on immediately, looks at me, but all I've got are recipes that you can't make work without any sugar. Even if I were to tell him, there wouldn't be any meaning to it. I, having recently been taught how recipes for sweets could be quite valuable, puff up my chest and turn my head away towards the door. "...I'll do my best," I say, slumping dejectedly. I am not at all used to having things I've done out of good will turned into raw calculation, but since this is what the world of merchants is like, I have no choice but to get used to it. "Is that all you had to tell me?" "Ah, no. This is much more personal information, but I'm unable to leave my house in the winter, and I won't be able to come to the shop until spring. Please don't worry about me." Benno and Mark, who've become overprotective after I collapsed right in front of them, are both here. Although I'm sure that even if I didn't come to the shop there wouldn't be any problems with managing the store, but it would be bad for me to make them worry about my health again, so I think I need to make this statement. "Unable to leave your house, you say?" It seems that Benno somehow got the idea that I'd be going to the gates frequently during the winter, but that's not quite right. There's no way my family would let me do something that reckless. "Ummm, only on clear days, when my health is good, and my father is working either the morning or the day s.h.i.+ft. I don't think that'll be more than ten times over the course of the winter." "That's something I worry about every day," I reply. Benno, deeply concerned, may have asked me that question, but I'm really the one with questions for him. Is there work that I can actually do? "Well, it's good that you're thinking about it so hard. So then, how are you planning to deliver your winter handiwork? As the spring baptismal ceremony starts coming around, it would be a big help to have some stock here at the shop." We'd previously discussed delivering our merchandise in full when spring came around, but it seems like that won't be in time for the spring baptismal ceremony. It also appears that he doesn't have much stock left from what we rushed to create for the winter ceremony. Lutz cheerfully raises his hand. "I can bring them," he says, "depending on the weather. Clear days are for picking paru, so I can come to the shop on cloudy days, I guess?" "Ahh, paru, huh... I miss it. Paru juice is such a treat for children." Benno smiles wistfully. Perhaps even Benno used to go picking paru back in the day? I smirk, suddenly imagining Benno splitting his spoils of war with Corinna. Lutz, sitting next to me, thinks about gathering paru for a moment, then gets a sly grin. "I'm definitely going to eat parucakes this year too," he says. "...Parucakes?" says Benno, dubiously. "What might those be?" I start thinking of what the world would be like if the recipe for parucakes got out, then suddenly break into a cold sweat. "Ahh, Lutz. How about we keep that recipe a secret, alright? Otherwise we won't be able to get any paru anymore." The dried-up pomace left over after squeezing all the juice out of a paru isn't something that humans can eat. It's animal food. People, believing that, bring those rinds to Lutz's family, trading lots of it in exchange for fresh eggs. However, if word of its usefulness were to spread, then paru pomace would likely be very valuable. In that case, I'd have caused a huge ha.s.sle for everyone expecting to be able to use it to feed their livestock. "Okay. It'll just be ours to enjoy, then!" When it comes time to head home from Benno's, snow has started to pile up, bit by bit, on the sides of the road. I look upon the signs that a full-blown can't-leave-the-house winter has finally started, and breathe a small sigh. "Looks like the days I can't go outside have started, huh." Lutz nods slightly, looking down at the snow acc.u.mulating on the road. Karla, his mother, had told me that the mood around the house wasn't great. Lutz, the reason behind it, must be feeling that pressure even more. Winter, when everyone's locked inside their homes, must be an especially harsh season for him. "Hey, Lutz. Come over to my house every few days, okay? Bring your studying stuff and any pins you've got finished." The only thing I can offer him is a little room to breathe. Since it looks like Lutz's family treats him harshly every day, and he can't leave his house without good reason, it seems like it would be good for him to use his discretion about how many pins he should bring at a time. Lutz's expression opens up a little at my suggestion. "Yeah, I'll do that," he says. "Thanks." As the days of snowstorms continue, fewer and fewer people walk the roads. To endure the bitter cold, people refrain from going outdoors, pa.s.sing the time away inside their homes. Since my father's a soldier at the gates, even though it's wintertime he can't take a vacation from work, just like last year. Even during snowstorms he still has to work, so it's rare for him to be home. At home, Tuuli works diligently on making hairpins whenever she has time. Since she knows for sure that this will bring in money, she works even more seriously at this than she did with weaving baskets last year. My mother, still showing interest in our winter handiwork, has to put making clothes for the family her higher priority. Since my baptismal ceremony is this year, she said, making me a good dress is her first task. "Altering Tuuli's dress from last year won't work, now, will it?" Tuuli, over the last year, grew even more. By summer, her dress had already started getting a bit tight. As such, she'd barely worn it. Altering it to fit me, though, wouldn't actually save all that much labor, it seems? "Your sizes are way too different, so altering this would be a huge task!" My mother, troubled, smiles wryly as she says this. Ordinarily, nice dresses aren't something you have to make a lot of. If there's sisters in the family, it's especially common for there to be hand-me-downs. However, Tuuli and I are very different sizes. When Tuuli was just turning seven in time for her baptism, she already looked like she was about eight or nine. I, however, still look like I'm four or five. Wearing the same clothing as her is, frankly, impossible. When I try it on, standing in the light of the stove, it drapes loosely off my shoulders and down my sides, the knee-length skirt hanging around my ankles. "Hmm..." I say. "Although, if we take the hem and take it in like this we could hide the length, and then if we pleat it like this it would be cute, I think, wouldn't it? Then how about we decorate the areas around the st.i.tches with little flowers?" "Maine, that's not just alteration," laughs Tuuli as I stand there holding my hem in a pleat. "That sounds really extravagant!" It seems like they're saying that since our sizes are so different, they're going to alter the dress by undoing all the st.i.tching, cutting it down to my size, and resew it entirely. It seems my suggestion of hemming it up to hide the actual length of it is practically heresy. I'm pretty sure this is the part where I'd rather not get scolded for doing something unnecessary. The only people who can use extra cloth like this are the kinds of people with lifestyles where they can afford it. n.o.body who isn't rich wears clothing with pleats in it, nor can they afford to add too many decorations, either. That's why Tuuli's dress had been made exactly to her size. Even if we're only adding pleats to make it fit me, it'll still wind up standing out a lot. My mother, who has kept her mouth shut during this, seems to have come alive with a strange eagerness. She grabs me firmly by the shoulders, smiling broadly. "...Let's try doing it like you say, Maine. If it doesn't work, we can always do it the regular way. Right?"

「マイン様、側仕えは主の部屋に居を移すものでございます。孤児院に居続けることはできません。どのように神官長を説得するおつもりですか?」 孤児院を出た途端、フランから厳しい声がかかった。 「今、子供達の様子を見てくれる灰色巫女がいませんから、孤児院の院長であるわたくしの側仕えに孤児院の様子を見ていてもらうだけです。夜中に突然熱を出す子供もいますもの」 「......全く何も考えていないわけではなかったのですね。少々安心いたしました」 面会までの間、わたしは精力的に働いた。 ギルに頼んで、絵本を作るために厚めの紙をマイン工房で漉いてもらい、ルッツを通して購入する約束をする。 それと同時に、孤児院で母の寝物語を朗読して、どれが絵本にしやすいか、子供受けが良いのか、反応を見てみた。しかし、寝物語を聞いた子供達は出てくる単語に対して「何、それ?」と疑問の連続で、話を楽しむには至らず、ヴィルマには街の暮らしがわからないので、絵にはできないと言われてしまった。常識や生活の差は思ったよりも大きいようだ。 さらに、どうやら神殿には動物の擬人化という概念もないようで、七匹のこやぎや桃太郎の話をしても、「どのようにして動物と話をするのでしょうか?」と聞かれてしまっては、わたしが知っている童話を絵本にしてもらうことも難しい。 ヴィルマには聖典関係の絵を描いてもらうのが一番のようだ。 ......やっぱり初めての弟妹に贈る、初めての絵本だし、わたしが絵も描こうかな? 助手をするエラが「大丈夫。そのうち慣れるから」と、自分の来た道を思い返しているような表情で言っていた。 そして、面会日当日。午後は約束があるので、図書室に行くこともできず、部屋でフランと一緒に神官長を出迎える作法や好みのお茶について復習して過ごしていた。 すると、約束よりかなり早い時間にドアの外でベルが鳴った。側仕えが持っているベルで、部屋の中にいる者に来訪を知らせるものだ。 「神官長の使いですね」 「音や鳴らし方に違いがございます」 フランはそう言って、一階へと降りて行く。多忙そうな神官長なので、もしかしたら、面会時間の変更でもあるのだろうか。 わたしが上から身を乗り出すようにして下を見下ろすと、厨房から出てきたデリアがドアへ向かって早足で歩いて行くのが見えた。来客の取り次ぎは見習いの仕事だ。 デリアがドアに向かって何事かやり取りをした後、ドアを開ける。大きな箱を持った灰色神官が次々に入ってきた。 「神官長からの贈り物でございます。どちらに運びましょう?」 「二階へ。主の部屋へお願いいたしますわ」 デリアの声と共にフランが先導して、荷物が運び込まれてくる。わたしは慌てて執務机に戻って、お嬢様然とした笑顔を張り付けた。 「失礼いたします、マイン様」 アルノーが挨拶に来て、灰色神官達がデリアとフランの指示の元、荷物を置いて行く。アルノーはどこか懐かしそうに目を細めて、ぐるりと部屋を見回した。 「......マイン様はそのまま使っておられるのですね」 「え?」 「いいえ、お気になさらず。......大きい箱が3個、小さい箱が2個。確かにお運びいたしました。では、失礼いたします」 「ありがとう存じます、と神官長にお伝えくださいませ」 見送っていたフランが扉を閉めると同時に早足で二階へ上がってきた。 「すぐに開封しましょう。神官長のいらっしゃる時間になってしまいます。デリア、工房へ行ってギルを呼んできてください」 「かしこまりました。もー! 贈り物なら来訪直前でなくてもよろしいのに」 デリアが駆け出していくと、慌てたようにフランが開封し始める。すぐにデリアとギルが戻ってきて、フランの手伝いをして、箱を開けた。 ......わぁーお。楽器がないとお断りしたら、楽器がやってきたでござる。 「ねぇ、フラン。神官長から何か聞いていたのかしら?」 さすがにこれだけ大量の贈り物があると、感謝より先に困惑がくる。特に、寝具なんて他人にプレゼントされたことがないので、戸惑いの方が大きい。フランにとっても戸惑いの方が大きいのか、困ったように眉を寄せた。 「神官長が、ここで生活しないとはいえ、虚弱でよく倒れるのに寝台の準備さえまともにできていないとは何事か、と反省室で倒れた時に憤慨されていましたが、まさか寝具が贈られてくるとは......」 わたしも、これだけ神殿でもボテボテ倒れていたら、布団は必要だなと思っていたが、まさか神官長に贈られるとは予想外だ。 「でも、すごく良いお布団ですよね?」 ギルとデリアが寝台に入れて整えてくれた寝具に近寄って、わたしは手でまふまふと触ってみる。 神官長が選んだ寝具は、ウチで使っているような藁の詰まった布団ではなく、フリーダの家の客室に準備されていたような上等なお布団だった。さらりとした肌触りの良いシーツに、上掛けは刺繍がたくさん入った上等なものだ。 こんな物をぽんと贈るのが貴族では当たり前なのか、もしかしたら神官長に立て替えてもらっただけで後から請求されるのか、わたしにはわからない。 「......フラン、これは後でかかった料金をお支払いした方が良いものかしら?」 「いえ、おそらくマイン様を反省室に入れて、倒れさせてしまったことに対するお詫びの品なので、お礼に留めておくのがよろしいかと」 「お礼......。今回はどの神様に感謝すればいいかしら?」 お礼の挨拶に、また新しい神様の名前を覚えなければならないのだろうか、といい加減うんざりした気分で尋ねると、ぐっとフランが笑いを堪えるような顔で、口元を押さえた。 「今回は神様ではなく、神官長に感謝してくださいませ」 「あぁ、そうよね。神様は関係ないですわね」 フランの口添えに神官長が、ふーむ、と言いながら顎を撫でる。 そのために神殿へ入ってからも通いにしている。神殿長相手に暴走させた魔力から、家族との関係をある程度把握しているはずの神官長が「間違いなく」と言い切ったせいで、じわりと不安が忍び寄ってきた。

Miss Maine, the attendants should move to their Masters' house . They can't live in the orphanage . How do you persuade the Head Priest?" As soon as we leave the orphanage, Fran asks sincerely . "Now, there is no gray-robed priestess in the orphanage to take care of the children . So as the orphanage director, I will suggest that my attendant stay there and take care of them . There used to be children who suddenly have a fever in the midnight . " " . . . I didn't think about this at all . Thus I feel a little relieved," says Fran . I have been working energetically until the meeting day . I ask Gil to get some thick sheets of paper for Maine's Workshop for making picture books, and I promise to buy it through Lutz . On the other hand, I read mother's bedtime tales at the orphanage and observe children's response, in order to find out whether they are able to understand the tales or not . However, after hearing the tales, the children do not enjoy them and ask a number of questions, like "What's that?" Wilma does not know the life in my city, so she says she is not able to represent it in the painting . The difference between common sense and life seems to be bigger than I thought . Furthermore, people in the temple seem to have no concept of personalized animals . Even when I tell them about the Seven Kids and Momotaro tales, they ask, "How can animals talk?" Thus, it is difficult to make the storybook that I heard before to be a picture book . It seems better to have Wilma draw the Scripture-related pictures . . . . After all, it is the first picture book for my first brother or sister, maybe I should draw some pictures, too . Ella, an a.s.sistant, says, "It's Okay . You will get used to it after a few days," seeming to be thinking over own experience before . Soon, the meeting day comes . The appointment is in the afternoon, so I cannot go to the library . Instead, I stay at home . Fran and I are practicing how to greet the Head Priest and make his favorite tea . Then the bell rings, much earlier than the appointed time . That's the bell held by the attendants . They ring it to tell people in the room that someone comes . "It's the Head Priest's a.s.sistants . " "The bell sounds different . " As Fran is speaking, he gets down to the ground floor . Because the Head Priest is busy with too many affairs, maybe he wants to change the visit time . As I lean out from upstairs, looking down, I saw Delia coming out of the kitchen and walking fast towards the door . The reception of visitors is the apprentice's job . After Delia confirms the visitors and their purpose, she opens the door . The gray-robed priests carrying big boxes come in one after another . "These are gifts from the Head Priest . Where shall we put them?" "To the second floor . Please put them into the master's room . " While Delia is speaking, Fran leads the way and they carry the packages to the second floor . I hurry back to the desk and put on a pretty smile as a lady . "Excuse me, Miss Maine . " Arnaud comes to greet me . Under the direction of Delia and Fran, the grey-robed priests leave the luggages in my room . Arnaud narrows his eyes, and looks around the room nostalgically . " . . . Miss Maine has kept everything at the same state . " "Huh?" "No, never mind . . . . 3 big boxes, 2 small boxes . Ok, confirmed . See you, then . " "Thank you . Please say thanks to the Head Priest for me . " As soon as Fran says good-bye and closes the door, he quickly comes up to the second floor . "Let's open it now . The Head Priest will come soon . Delia, please go to the workshop and call Gil . " "Ok! Well, gifts shouldn't be sent just before a personal visit . " As Delia rushes out, Fran hurries to open the cases . Soon, Delia and Gil come back and join in . . . . Wow . I refused his advice by the reason of no musical instrument, and then the instruments are sent here . "Yeah, Fran . Did the Head Priest say anything to you?" Indeed, rather than grat.i.tude, I feel more puzzled about so many gifts . In particular, I have never received bedclothes, so I'm pretty confused . Fran seems to be so confused as well, that he frowns . "When you fainted in the introspection room, the Head Priest was very angry, because you are so weak that you often fall down in a faint but have not gotten your bed prepared . Though the Head Priest does not live here, he knows all about this . Maybe he presents you with the bedclothes for this . . . " I did faint in the temple several times, so I also think I need to prepare the bedclothes, but I didn't expect I will receive the bedclothes from the Head Priest . "But it's a really good, isn't it?" After Gil and Delia make the bed, I approach it and touch it with my hands . The futon selected by the Head Priest is different from mine, which is filled with straw . This is a superior product, like the one prepared in the guest room of Frieda's house . It's luxurious, with a lot of embroidery in its pleasant texture . I don't know if it's normal for the n.o.bles to present such gifts . Maybe the Head Priest just lends it to me, and will charge me for it later . "Fran, maybe it's better to pay for that later, right?" "No, maybe it's an apology for putting you in the introspection room where you fell down in a faint . So it's better to keep it . " "Apology . . . Which G.o.d should I thank this time?" I ask Fran wearily whether I have to learn a new G.o.d's name again for the gifts . He covers his mouth with his hands, looks as if enduring a frantic laugh . "Just thank the Head Priest instead of G.o.d this time . " "Oh, yes . It's the Head Priest who gives me the gifts . " As soon as Fran says good-bye and closes the door, he quickly comes up to the second floor I did faint in the temple several times, so I also think I need to prepare the bedclothes, but I didn't expect I will receive the bedclothes from the Head Priest

ギルド長の孫娘 次の日、3の鐘が鳴る前に中央広場へと到着し、ルッツと一緒にフリーダを待った。そういえば、フリーダの髪の色とか、雰囲気とか、目印になりそうなものを何も聞いていない。 「どうしようか、ルッツ?」 「わかるって。マインの簪って特殊だし、すぐそこにじいさんがいるんだから、聞けばすぐにわかるだろ?」 中央広場に面した商業ギルドの建物を指差してルッツが肩を竦めた。 「ねぇ、ルッツ。昨日、どうだった? ウチはね......」 昨日、わたしとルッツは紙をベンノに売って、初めてお金を持って帰った。 「ルッツは? 商人になること、認めてもらえそう?」 ルッツはわたしと紙を作り上げたことで、ベンノからは見習いになることを認められた。けれど、家族はどうだったのだろうか。ルッツの熱意を認めてもらえたのだろうか。 「......微妙。金を稼いだことは喜んでもらえたけど、商人はまだだな。親父なんて、マインと一緒に紙を作って、売ったって言ったら、紙を作る職人になれって言ったんだ。職人ならいいって」 「ルッツのお父さんは、どうしても職人にしたいみたいだね」 自分達が物作りをしていることを誇りに思うのはわかるけれど、ルッツの希望とは違うから、落とし所を見つけるのは難しそうだ。 「でも、オレは職人になりたいんじゃなくて、ベンノの旦那みたいにこの街を出るような商売をしてみたいんだよ。マインだって紙だけを作りたいんじゃないよな?」 「うん。わたしはこの後、紙を量産できるようになったら、紙作りは他の人に任せて、本を作る方に行きたい。本が増えないと本屋さんもできないし、図書館なんて夢のまた夢だからね」 本を増やすには、紙の量産ができるだけではダメだ。印刷技術が絶対に必要になる。メモ用紙を数枚重ねただけの本を作って喜んでいるようではダメだ。 ......まだまだ先は長いなぁ。 「オレ、マインと一緒に本屋をするんなら、いいぞ。昨日さ、商業ギルドに書棚があるのを見て思ったんだけど、本を欲しがるのって、字が読める金持ちだろ?」 字が読めなくて当たり前のこの街の平民が本を欲しがるわけがない。本? 何それ? おいしいの? って、普通に言われそうだ。 「だったら、本屋なら色んな街の貴族に売りに行けるんじゃないか? ほら、地図であった隣の領主のところとかさ」 本を買う人達の客層を考えれば、確かにそうなるかもしれない。 無言で地図を見下ろしながら、自分の望みをしっかりと形作っていたルッツに感心していると、小さな足音がわたしの前で止まった。 「あなたが、マインさん?」 「へ!? あ、はい! そうです。フリーダさんですか?」 ニッコリと笑ったフリーダはツインテールにされた桜色の髪がふんわりとしていて、茶色の瞳が穏やかに笑みを浮かべている、可憐で可愛い幼女だった。 でも、どこからどう見ても、ギルド長に似ているように見えない。ギルド長に似ているなんて、ただの噂だったようだ。ベンノの杞憂でよかった。 「あなたがマインのお伴? 女の子だけでよかったのに......」 確かに、女同士のお話というのも心惹かれるけれど、そういうのは仲良しで気が置けない間柄に限る。今日の行き先はギルド長の家だ。とても一人で行く気になんてなれない。 フリーダの言い方にカチンときた顔をしているルッツの手を握って、わたしはニッコリと笑った。 「わたし、体力なくて、よく倒れるので、ルッツがいないと外出できないんです。ベンノさんのお店にもルッツが一緒じゃないと入店禁止だから、ルッツがダメなら......」 帰ります、と言う前に、フリーダに言葉をかぶせられる。 「誰かが見ていないと危険なほど、よく倒れるなんて......マイン、あなた、もしかして、身食い?」 「はい?......身食い?」 耳慣れない言葉に思わず首を傾げた。フリーダもそっと頬に手を当てて、わたしと反対方向に首を傾げる。 「言葉がわからないかしら?......そうね、身体の中に熱いものがあって、自分の意思と関係なく動くことがない?」 「あります! この病気のこと、知っているんですか!?」 誰も知らなかった病気の情報が思わぬところから出てきた。わたしとルッツが身を乗り出して答えを待っていると、フリーダは少し困ったように笑う。 「......わたくしも、そうだったの。だから、まだ身体が小さいでしょう?」 わたしが小柄で成長しないのも、気を抜くとちょっとしたことで倒れるのも、その身食いという病気のせいらしい。少し小柄なフリーダと2~3歳も年齢を間違われる自分の体を見比べて、ハッとする。 「どうしたら、治るんですか!?」 さっきのフリーダの言葉は過去形だった。つまり、治ったということだ。ルッツと顔を見合わせた後、わたしは食らいつくようにフリーダに問いかけた。 「......お金がかかるの、すごく」 「ぅあ、絶望的......」 ギルド長をしているような商家のお嬢様が「すごくお金がかかる」と言うのだ。ウチの経済力では絶望的だ。 「でも、あなたはとても元気そうに見えるわ。やりたいことや目標に向かって全力を費やしているうちは大丈夫よ。その代わり、心が折れたり、目標を見失ったりした時に反動がくるから気を付けて」 なるほど。森に行きたいと目標を定めたり、紙を作ると決めて活動したりしているから、ここ最近は元気なのか。木簡を諦めた時は死にかけたもんね。 ん? それって、まるで泳いでないと死んじゃう回遊魚みたいじゃない? むーん、と唸りながら、初めて知った情報を頭の中で整理する。 かなり大きく、ベンノの店よりも城壁寄りだ。城壁寄りなんて言葉は相応しくない。城壁のすぐ隣って感じで、神殿が間近に見える最高級の位置だ。 「わたくしね、洗礼式の行進を見るのが大好きで、いつも見ていたの。夏の洗礼式では髪飾りがとても目立って見えていたのよ」 家がここなら、わざわざ外に出なくても、神殿に入って行く行列がよく見えるに違いない。 「初めて見る飾りだったから、おじい様にも聞いてみたのだけれど、情報は集まらないし、秋の洗礼式で広まっているわけでもなかったし、不思議で......」 「ちょっと手間がかかるので、まとまった時間が取れる冬の手仕事じゃないと、作れないんです」 ウチの母が申しておりました、と心の中で付け加える。 「そうだったの......」 「売れれば、来年の春からはこの飾りが洗礼式の女の子を飾ることになるはずです」 「まぁ! じゃあ、冬の洗礼式でつけるのはわたくしだけなのね? 楽しみだわ」 顔を輝かせるフリーダを見て、ベンノが言っていた「売り出し前の誰もつけていない冬の洗礼式で付ける特別扱い」はかなりプレミア感があることに気付いた。 プレミアが付いたら、ぼったくりにはならないのかな? ならなかったらいいなぁ。 フリーダの家と店がある建物は、全て従業員に貸していて、関係者以外は住んでいないらしい。その二階の家へと通されて、ぎょっとした。 「お嬢様、どうぞ」 応接室に通された後、下働きをしている女性が飲み物を出してくれる。 「あぁ、ありがとう。これはね、コルデの果汁に蜜を加えて煮詰めて作ったコルデ液を水で薄めていただく飲み物なの。甘くておいしいわよ」 コルデという実が木苺によく似ているので、木苺ジュースのような物だろう。そう思いながら口を付けたら、予想以上に甘かった。 「甘~い。おいしいね、ルッツ」 「本当だ。甘くてうまい!」 「気に入ってもらえてよかったわ。......それはそうと、どうしてウチに来ることになったの?」 フリーダが小首を傾げた。ギルド長は一体何と説明したのだろうか。よくわからないけれど、こちらからも説明した方が良いだろう。 「実は、昨日、フリーダさんの洗礼式にこの飾りを作ってほしいとギルド長から依頼があったんです」 わたしが見本として持ってきたトゥーリの髪飾りをトートバッグから取り出すと、フリーダがそれを見て小さく頷く。 「それは知っているわ。でも、おじい様なら勝手に選んで作ってしまうと思っていたの」 さすが、孫だね。大正解。 「えーと、そういう言葉も出たんですけど、やっぱり本人の好みの色や当日の衣装に合わせて作った方が喜ばれると思って、希望を聞きたいとお願いしたんです」 フリーダの髪の色は桜色、つまり、淡いピンクだ。トゥーリの髪の色である青緑に合わせた飾りでは、どうにも似合わない。 「そう、おじい様にしては気が利いていると思ったけれど、あなたが止めてくれたのね?」 「そういうわけなので、もしよかったら、当日の衣装を見せてください。刺繍に使っている色も見たいんです」 明言を避けて、話題をさりげなくギルド長から逸らしたつもりだったけれど、お見通しと言わんばかりにフリーダはくすくすと笑った。 ......上級の教育をされている子って、こんな風にみんな大人びているのかな? 仕草や言動がわたしより大人に見える。少なくとも、一緒に森へ行っていた子供達とは全く違う存在だ。 「少し待っていて。衣装を持ってくるわね」 「ルッツ、大丈夫?」 「オレ、会話には交じれないからな。どんな服にどんな色が似合うかなんてわからないし、あんな気取った言葉で話せねぇよ」 わたしもフリーダと話している時は、無意識に丁寧語になっているし、粗相をしないか緊張してしまっているので、ルッツの言葉には大きく頷いた。 「ん。働くようになったら、気取った言葉も覚えた方が良いだろうけど、今日は希望を聞くのはわたしがやるよ。じっと黙っているのも大変だと思うけど、一人は心細いから、一緒にいてね」 「お待たせしました。これが衣装よ」 「わぁ、素敵!」 フリーダが洗礼式に着るための衣装を持ってきてくれた。白が基調ということだけは、夏のトゥーリと変わらないけれど、生地の厚みが違う。具体的に言うと、フリーダの衣装には毛皮がもふもふしている部分があり、見るからに暖かそうだ。 何枚も何枚も重ね着して、もこもこになる自分の冬装束を思い浮かべて、わたしはうーんと唸った。 「フリーダさん、この色は好きですか?」 「えぇ。だから、刺繍してもらっているのだけれど?」 白の中に赤系の刺繍がされているのを見つけて、フリーダの髪と見比べる。これなら、服にも髪にもよく似合いそうだ。 「この刺繍に使った糸ってまだ余ってますか?」 「あると思うけれど、どうするの?」 「同じ色の花があると、まとまりが良いんです。少し頂いてよろしいですか? 同じ色の糸を探してみます」 「これだけで足りるかしら?」 もう一つ服の刺繍ができそうな量がある糸の固まりを手にフリーダが戻ってきた。 「十分ですけど......」 深い赤の糸の固まりをポンと手渡されてしまい、わたしは途方にくれる。 ここで原料までもらってしまったら、ぼったくりに拍車がかかるんですけど、どうしたらいいですか!? でも、さすがに「ベンノさんがふっかけているので、原料分値引きします」なんて、わたしには言えない。ベンノとふっかけられたギルド長の関係がこれ以上ややこしいことになるのは、困る。 「当日の髪型はどんな感じにする予定ですか?」 「今日と同じだけれど?」 確認して良かった。ついでに、ギルド長の先走りを止められてよかった。ギルド長の言うとおり作っていたら、あまり似合わない上に、片方分しかない髪飾りをもらってフリーダが困り果てていただろう。 「......今日と同じなら、飾りが2つ必要ですよね?」 「......そうね」 2つ作れば多少はぼったくりも緩和できると、安心していると、フリーダが指を顎に当てて、少しばかり真面目な顔をする。 「金額を倍、払わなくてはいけないわね」 原価がほとんどなくなってしまった状態で、ぼったくり料金を2つ分もらうなんて、わたしにはできない。胃が痛くなる。 「でも、そういうわけにはいかないわ。その金額で作るとお約束したんですもの。きちんと2つ分の料金を払います」 「そんな! 材料を頂いたのに、2つ分なんて......」 払う、必要ないで、わたしとフリーダがエンドレスの言い合いに発展し始めた時、今までずっと黙っていたルッツがポリポリと頭を掻きながら、提案した。 「だったら、2つ目は半額にすれば?」 「原料をもらってるから、マインは値引きしたい。フリーダは後々ギルド長とベンノの旦那の間で面倒が起こらないように2つ分払いたい。間をとって、2つ目は半額にしようぜ」 「ルッツ、天才! それでいいですか、フリーダさん?」 ルッツが提案した落とし所に、わたしは一も二もなく飛びつく。 「わたくしは構わないけれど......お金は取れる時に、取れるところから、取れるだけ、取っておくものよ?」 可憐で可愛らしい見かけに似合わない言葉が飛び出してきた。フリーダは間違いなく商人の娘で、ギルド長の孫娘だったようだ。 「......それって、商人の心得ですか? ベンノさんも同じことを言っていたような......」 「あら? 商売はそういうモノでしょう?」 「限度ってものがあるというか、物には適正価格があるというか......。まぁ、落とし所が見つかって良かったです」 くすりとフリーダが笑う。でも、それは嘲笑などではなく、とても友好的で、自然な笑顔に見えた。 言い争って友情が芽生えたというほどでもないけれど、ちょっと垣根が取り払われたような、妙な連帯感が生まれたような、そんな感じだ。 さっさとお暇しようかと思ったけれど、コルデ水のおかわりが運ばれてくると、帰る気満々だったルッツの視線がコルデ水で固定された。わたしも甘味を楽しみたくて、誘惑されるまま、少しばかりの雑談タイムへと流れていく。 「そう、森で木の実を拾ったり、薪を拾ったりするの。まるで毎日がピクニックね」 薪拾いは生活がかかっているので、そんな悠長なものではないんですけどね。むしろ、薪を拾いに行く必要もないフリーダの生活の方が気になるんですけど。 「フリーダさんは、普段どんなことをしているんですか? この辺りの子供達は森に行きませんよね?」 「わたくしが一番好きなのは......ふふっ」 「お金を数えることかしら?」 え? 空耳? 気のせい? 耳がおかしくなったのだろうか? 「あら、少し違うわね。ごめんなさい」 あまりにも予想外な回答に面食らっていると、フリーダが可愛らしくふるふると頭を振って、自分の発言を訂正する。 「数えるだけじゃなくて、貯めることも好きなの。袋の中にずっしりとした重みを感じるとすごく嬉しくなるし、お金がチャリチャリと擦れて鳴る音って、素敵でしょ?」 「......は、はぁ、そうかもしれませんね。わたしも貯金箱の重みが増えるのが嬉しかったです」 何とかその言葉を搾り出した後、わたしは軽く目を閉じた。 ......幻聴じゃなかったんだ。趣味の話なんて振ったの、誰だよ? わたしだよ! わたしのバカバカ! 「まぁ! わたくしの趣味がわかるの!?」 肯定されたことに気をよくしたのか、フリーダはいかにお金が好きなのかを語り始めた。 「わたくし、幼い頃から、金貨のきらめきが一番好きで、おじい様が月に一度収支を計算するところにご一緒して、金貨を数えるのが一番の楽しみでしたの」 銅貨も銀貨もすっ飛ばして、金貨ですか。このお金持ちめ! わたしがひがんでいる間にも、フリーダの熱の入った語りは続く。うっとりとしたように目を潤ませて、頬を上気させて、それは、それは、楽しそうに、金勘定と商売の拡大について熱弁をふるう。 「最近では、どうすればこのお金が増えるのか考えたり、売れそうな商品を見つけたりするのも心が踊るんです」 ......どうしよう。すごく変な子だ。可愛いのに、残念すぎる。 「ねぇ、マイン」 「はい、何でしょう?」 半ば意識を飛ばしていたわたしは、ハッとして姿勢を正すのと、フリーダがきらきらと輝く目で、わたしの手をとって、ぎゅっと握るのは、ほぼ同時だった。 「わたくし、あなたのこと、とても気に入ったわ」 「ありがとうございます?」 語尾が不自然に上がってしまったのは見逃して欲しい。自分でもどこが気に入られたのか、全くわからない。 わたしがどんな反応をするよりも速く、ルッツが即座に却下した。 「あら、だって、ベンノの店よりもウチの方が大きいし、長いこと商売をしているんだから、条件はいいでしょう? まだ、洗礼式が終わって正式に見習いとなったわけでないのだから、ウチの見習いになることもできるもの。それに、わたくしはマインに聞いているの。あなたに聞いているわけではないわ」 あれ? この展開、確か昨日も......? 「お誘いはありがたいんですけど、ベンノさんに返しきれない恩があるので......」 お断りします、と続ける前に、フリーダがニッコリと笑って、台詞をかぶせてきた。 「あら、そんなの、わたくしが代わりに返してさしあげるわ」 断ったつもりなのに、断れていない。 確かにギルド長とそっくりだよ! 口調が違うだけで言ってることは丸々一緒だ! 笑顔を崩さないで、次々と店を変わるメリットを上げてくるフリーダにあわあわしていると、ルッツの機嫌が急下降していく。 「マイン、昨日と同じようにハッキリと答えてやれ」 「お、おお、お断りします!」 あんまりハッキリ断るのも子供を泣かせそうで怖いと思っていたが、断ってもフリーダは目を丸くしただけだった。 蛇に睨まれた蛙の心境というか、逃げ道を塞がれた気分というか、ぶわりと冷や汗が浮かび上がってくる。 いくらぼったくってもいいから、ベンノさん、助けてー!

The Guild Leader's Granddaughter The next day, before the third bell has chimed, Lutz and I wait in the central plaza for Freida to arrive. Now that I think about it, though, I actually haven't heard at all about Freida's hair color, mannerisms, eye color, or anything else of that nature. "What do we do, Lutz?" "She will. Your hairpin is super unique, and plus her grandfather is right in there so if she goes to ask him, she'll be able to pick us out right away, right?" Lutz, shrugging, points to the Merchant's Guild building that overlooks the central plaza. As he says, Freida could probably identify us immediately. "Hey, Lutz. How did it go at your place yesterday? My folks were..." Yesterday, Lutz and I sold our paper to Benno, then returned home with our first earnings. At my house, my entire family's eyes all went wide upon seeing the money, and when I told them the story about how Lutz and I had worked to make paper, they praised me, saying things like "amazing!" and "you must have worked hard!". Then, after I added my first-ever pay to our living budget, we bought a fair amount of a precious luxury item during the winter preparation days: honey. "How about you, Lutz? Are they happier with you becoming a trader now?" Lutz, working with me, successfully finished our-making project, and was accepted by Benno to be an apprentice as his shop. What, though, would his family think, I wonder? Would they approve of his enthusiasm? Lutz shrugs, smiling bitterly. "It went... questionably. They were overjoyed about the money, but they're still not sold on the idea of me being a merchant. My dad was all, 'you said you made paper with Maine and sold it, so why not be a craftsman and make paper?' He'd said he'd happier if I was just a craftsman." "Your dad really wants you to be a craftsman, huh." I understand how someone can take great pride in making things for a living, but Lutz's dreams are very different. It's hard to find a middle ground. "But I don't want to be a craftsman. I want to be a merchant like Benno, able to leave the city. Maine, you didn't just want to make paper, right?" "Right. My next step is to figure out how to ma.s.s-produce it. Then, I want hand off the actual production duties to someone else and work towards making books. If there aren't more books in the world, I can't own a bookstore, and my dream of being a librarian is always going to be a dream." If I want books to proliferate, then just ma.s.s-producing paper isn't going to be enough. A printing technique is also absolutely necessary. I can't let myself be satisfied with books made out of loose stacks of memo paper. ...The road ahead is still very long. "If I could run a bookstore with you, Maine, that would be great! Yesterday, when I saw those bookshelves at the Merchant's Guild, I started thinking, who's going to want books? People who can read, so rich people, right?" The commoners in this town can't really read, so of course there's no way they're going to want to buy books. 'Books? What're those? They tasty?' they'd say. "So, if we're selling books, then we're going to want to go and sell them to the n.o.bility of a lot of different towns, right? Like maybe the lord of the next town over, like we saw on the map." When I consider the types of customers that might be buying books, he's making a fair amount of sense. As I idly admire Lutz for how he solidified his own goals while silently staring at that map, I hear the patter of small footsteps coming up to me and stopping. "Pardon me, but are you Maine?" "Um?! Uh, yes!! I'm Maine. You must be Freida?" Her cherry-blossom hair is done up in pigtails, and her light brown eyes show a hint of a gentle smile; a sweet and adorable little girl. I don't know if it's because of good breeding or very rigorous home discipline, but her actions and manner of speech are more grown-up than I was expecting, in contrast to how small she is for her age. I can't say much about the person herself, but she gives off an unbalanced first impression. However, no matter how hard I look, I can't see a trace of the guild leader in her. Maybe it was just a rumor that she resembles her grandfather the guild master? I'm glad Benno was worried for nothing. She looks over at Lutz. "Are you Maine's friend? I was looking forward to it just being us girls..." Her cheeks puff out in just a hint of a pout. Certainly, talking with another girl my age does have some appeal, but that's usually restricted to only when the other girl is a close friend. Today, our destination if the guild leader's house. I have no desire at all to go there by myself. In response, I immediately grab on to Lutz's hand, smiling at him. "I'm not really strong, and I faint a lot, so if I don't have Lutz here with me I can't really go outside. Even if I go to Mister Benno's shop, if Lutz doesn't come with me, they won't let me in. So, if Lutz can't come today..." Before I can get the words 'I'll have to go home' out of my mouth, Frieda suddenly bursts into a question. "It's dangerous if n.o.body's watching you, and you faint a lot... Maine, do you perhaps have... the devouring?" "Huh? ...Devouring?" Unconsciously, I tip my head to the side, hearing this unfamiliar term. Frieda has her head tilted in the opposite direction, her hands held lightly to her cheeks. "Do you not know the word? ...How do I say this, is there something hot deep inside you that moves around against your will?" "There is!! That sickness, do you know about it?!" Information about this disease, which n.o.body so far has known anything about, has suddenly appeared from a completely unexpected source. Both Lutz and I lean forward eagerly, waiting for her reply, but she gives a slightly troubled smile. "...I had it as well. That's why my body is still so small, you see?" It seems like both my small stature and the fact that I collapse if I lose lose focus even slightly are caused by this "devouring" illness. When I compare myself to Freida, who also looks like she could be two or three years younger than she really is, I'm suddenly taken aback. "Is... is there a cure?!" She just used the past tense. In other words. She's cured. After I briefly exchanged a glance with Lutz, the question leapt hungrily out of my mouth. Freida lowers her eyebrows apologetically and answers in a low, sighing voice. "...It's expensive. Really expensive." "Whoa, it's hopeless, then..." For the granddaughter of a successful merchant who serves as the leader of a guild to say something is "really expensive", then there isn't the slightest hope that my family will be able to purchase it. I hang my head low, dejectedly, and Freida pats me gently on the shoulder. "But you seem so healthy, Maine! As long as you keep your eye set on a goal and work towards it with all your might, you'll be fine. Be careful, though, because if your will falters or you lose sight of your goal, then you'll face the backlash." I see. It's because I had my mind set first on going to the forest, and then now on making paper, that I've been so healthy lately? When I gave up on my last objective I did come close to death, huh. Huh? Isn't this like those migratory fish that literally die if they stop swimming? I groan quietly to myself as I carefully file this new information away inside my head. My sickness is called the devouring. Today, I finally learned its name. Also, I learned a method to manage it. In order to stay healthy, I need to be constantly moving towards a goal. The house that Freida leads us to has a shop on its ground floor, much like others in the area. It's considerably large, and far closer to the castle walls than Benno's is. In fact, it might not even be accurate to describe the building as "close" to the walls. It is right next to them, and has the best view of the temple that one could possibly get. "I really love watching the parade to the baptismal ceremonies, you know, and I watch them every single time. During this summer's parade, I saw that hairpin. It stood out so much for me." If her house is here, then she'd be able to have an excellent view of the entire procession as it enters the temple without even having to leave her front door. "Since it was the first time I'd seen anything like it, I asked my grandfather if he had any information about it, but he wasn't able to find anything out about it. Then, in the fall ceremony, when I saw that they hadn't spread around, I thought it was very mysterious..." "These do require some time to make," I say, "so unfortunately I really can't make them unless it's the middle of the winter, when I have a lot of time on my hands." Or so my mother insists, I add, in my head. "Is that what happened..." "If I can sell them, then you should be able to see many girls wearing ornaments like these come next spring's ceremonies." "Well! So, that means that I'll be the only girl wearing one this winter, right? I'm looking forward to this!" When I see her face light up, I remember how Benno had said "sell it as a special service by the winter's baptismal ceremony, before it's even gone to market, so his granddaughter can wear something n.o.body else is." I see now that this would be like a special premium product. It may be premium, but still, is it okay to rip them off like this? I'd really prefer not... The building that Freida's home and her grandfather's shop is in seems to have been rented out entirely to the store's employees. Not a single person who doesn't have any connection to the store lives in this building, it seems. "Refreshments, young lady?" After being brought to the drawing room, the woman working as a servant here brings something to drink. This red liquid is served not in the wooden cups I'm used to seeing, but in metal ones. "Ah, thank you," Freida replies. "This," she says to me, "is a beverage made by adding water to a syrup made by adding water to colde juice. It is very sweet!" Colde berries are very much like raspberries, so I perhaps this is something like raspberry juice. As I ponder, I raise the cup to my lips, and find that it's much sweeter than I expected. It's so rare for me to taste sweet things, and I belatedly realize that my careful expression has disintegrated into a genuine smile. "So sweet! Lutz, this is delicious!" "It really is! Sweet and tasty!" "I'm so glad you enjoy it! ...Now then, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Freida tilts her head very slightly to the side as she asks her question, and I wonder just what the guild leader actually told her. Since I have no way to actually tell, perhaps giving her a full explanation myself would be the best idea? "To be frank, yesterday, your grandfather commissioned me to make you a hair ornament that you could wear to your baptismal ceremony." I take Tory's hairpin, which I'd brought as an example, from my tote bag. Freida glances at it, then nods slightly. "That much I had heard. However, I'd have expected my grandfather to just arbitrarily decide on something like that without any input, though." As expected of a grandchild. She is absolutely correct. Her grandfather had been running wild and ordered this hairpin entirely on his own, intending for it to be a total surprise. "Ummm... he did say something to that extent, but I personally thought that you'd be far happier with a hairpin that was not only your favorite color but also matched your clothing as well, so I asked him if I could meet with you to discuss what you would truly want." Freida's hair is the color of cherry blossoms. In other words, it's a light pink. A hair ornament that was made to match Tory's blue-green hair would absolutely not fit her hair color. An image starts to form in my mind; perhaps reddish flowers, or maybe even white ones, set in contrast to green leaves to pull everything together. "Ah, I thought that was a little too unusually thoughtful for my grandfather, but it seems you were the one who reined him in?" "Anyhow, if it's alright with you, could you please show me the clothing that you're going to wear to the ceremony? I'd like to look at the colors that were used in the embroidery." I had intended to dodge that particular topic and turn the conversation away from the subject of the guild leader, but Freida, perceiving this, chuckles softly to herself. ...Are all the children who have had such high-cla.s.s training so mature? Both her actions and her manner of speaking are maybe even more adult than mine. At the very least, she's a very different person from the other kids that I go to the forest with. "Wait just a minute," she says. "I'll go get my dress for you." "Are you doing okay, Lutz?" "I couldn't really join in the conversation. I dunno anything about how clothes and colors match up, and I can't really make myself talk that fancy, you know." When Freida and I were talking, I'd unintentionally started talking in a much more polite manner. Since I had also been very concerned about accidentally saying something out of place, I nod emphatically in agreement. "Yeah. When you start working, you're going to need to know how to talk fancy like that, but you can let me do that talking today when we're asking her what she wants. Staying totally silent like that is probably really hard, but I'd be very worried if I didn't have you here, so please stay with me!" "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. This is the dress I'll be wearing." "Whoa, amazing!" Freida has brought out the dress that she's planning on wearing to her baptismal ceremony. Like Tory's, white serves as the foundation for the garment, but unlike Tory's, the material is far thicker. To be specific, Freida's dress has parts of it that are fluffy, like fur, and it looks very warm. Suddenly reminded of the countless, countless layers I have to wear during the winter, puffing me up like a ball, I groan quietly to myself. During the summer ceremonies, everyone wears thin fabrics, so what's important isn't just the money you have to spend, but also the skill with which the garment is put together. For the winter ceremonies, though, one's purchasing power makes a much bigger difference, it seems. "Freida, do you like this color?" "I do. That's why I had my dress embroidered in it, you know?" Having discovered embroidery done in a reddish thread amongst the white of her dress, I compare it to the color of her hair. If I use this color, I should be able to match both her dress and her hair. "Do you by any chance have any of this embroidery thread left over?" I ask. "I do, I think; what do you need it for?" "I think that, for consistency's sake, I should make the flowers the same color. May I ask you for a little bit of it? I can try to find a thread that's the same color." "Will this be enough, I wonder?" Freida returns with a ball of thread so large that she could probably have her dress fully embroidered a second time. "That's... certainly enough, but..." She places the bundle of deep red thread in my arms, leaving me at a loss for words. If she's giving me all of the raw materials, then we're really overcharging her! What should I do now?! Although, I can't really say anything like "since the price Benno quoted included sourcing the raw materials, I'll give you a discount." The relations.h.i.+p between Benno and the guild leader he's overcharging is complicated enough, which is troubling. Plus, in my head, I can hear him admonis.h.i.+ng me, saying "whenever and wherever you can take money, just take it, it's something to be taken." "How were you planning on styling your hair on the day of the ceremony?" I ask. "Just like it is now, I think...?" Since Freida has her hair in pigtails, she'll need two hairpins. I'm glad I thought to ask. Better yet, I'm glad I stopped the guild leader from being too rash. If I'd done as he'd asked, not only would the hairpin not suit her, but she'd only have a pin for one side of her hair, which would have been problematic indeed. "...If you'll be wearing it like you are today, you'll need two hairpins, won't you?" "...Ah. You're right." Freida seems just as taken aback as I am. I'm slightly relieved though; if I have to make two hairpins, then this will be somewhat less of a huge rip-off. Freida thoughtfully taps on her chin, a slightly serious expression on her face. "I'm going to have to pay double for this, I think." Since the production cost has been driven down to basically nothing, there is literally no way I could possibly accept double the excessive amount that we're already charging. The thought of it hurts my stomach. "No, but you can't possibly say that," she replies. "You agreed to make one hairpin for that amount of money. If you make two, then I'll pay you for two." "I couldn't! You're providing the raw materials, so for two..." As Freida and I start to endlessly dither back and forth, with her insisting she'll pay and me insisting she doesn't have to, Lutz, who has been quiet this whole time, suddenly reaches up to noisily scratch his head. "So," he proposes, "how about charging half-price for the second one?" "Maine, since you got the materials, you want to give a discount. Freida, since you don't want to cause any trouble between Benno and the guild leader, you want to pay full price for two. How about you meet in the middle, and pay half?" "Lutz, you're a genius!" I exclaim. "Freida, how does that sound?" I jump on Lutz's proposed compromise, to which I can't find any objections. I eagerly turn to look at Freida, but her incomprehensible expression doesn't seem to tell me that she's satisfied with that. "I'm... fine with that, I guess, but... whenever and wherever you can earn money, you should take it, right? It's something that's there to be taken." This girl has just spouted words that do not at all match her sweet and adorable appearance. Freida is, without a doubt, a merchant's daughter, and the grandchild of the guild leader. "...Is that a merchant's wisdom?" I ask. "Benno said the same thing..." "Hm?" she says, looking slightly doubtful. "Isn't that just how commerce works?" "There are limits to that, like, there are fair prices for things, and... ah, well, I'm just happy we found a compromise." "The two are pretty unusual!" she says, smiling slightly. This, however, is no hidden sneer, but a friendly, genuine smile. We certainly haven't formed a bond through resolving this disagreement, but I think we've worked a little bit to clear the s.p.a.ce between us. It feels like there's a little bit of solidarity, here. This wasn't exactly a negotiation to be proud of, but all of the details of the hairpins have been worked out. I'd thought that we'd immediately head home after that, but by now refills for our colde juice have arrived, and Lutz's eyes, which had been full of silent desire to immediately leave, are now firmly glued to his cup. I myself also want to stay a little while long and savor this sweet flavor, so we spend a bit of time chatting idly. "Ah, so you go to the forest to pick fruits and gather firewood. That sounds like you're going on a picnic every day!" Gathering firewood is pretty essential to maintaining our lifestyles, so it's actually not as leisurely of an activity as she's making it out to be. Rather, I'm actually more interested in how Freida lives, since she has no need to go out to the forest in order to forage for firewood. "Freida, what do you usually do during the day? Kids in this part of the town don't go to the forest, do they?" "Oh, what I like to do is... heh heh..." "Counting money, I'd say?" Huh? Did I mishear? Was that my imagination? Did my ears go funny for a second? I can't imagine that a thought like that would have come out of this sweet, adorable little girl's mouth. "Ah, that's not quite right. My apologies." I'm taken aback by that unexpectedly strange answer, but Freida gently shakes her head and moves to revise her earlier statement. She just misspoke, it seems, I think to myself, putting a relieved hand on my chest. But only for a moment. "It's not just counting it, I like saving it. Feeling the heavy weight of a sack full of gold is so delightful, and hearing coins clink against each other is the most wonderful thing! Don't you agree?" "...Ah... yes... that might be right. I also like it when my savings box starts to get heavy." After squeezing those words out, I quietly close my eyes. ...That wasn't a hallucination. Now who's making stuff up about her hobbies? Me! I am! I'm an enormous idiot! She's the kind of girl who looks like she should be into making candy or embroidering things, so for her hobby to be money... I hadn't even the slightest clue. "Ah! You know what I mean?!" Perhaps because someone agreed with her opinion, or perhaps because she just loves money that much, she starts getting fired up. "So, when I was very young, the thing I loved the most was the glittering of gold coins, so when my grandfather did his monthly accounting, I sat with him, and I really enjoyed helping him count his gold." Did she just skip entirely over copper and silver, and go straight to gold? This d.a.m.n rich girl! Even as I grow increasingly envious, Freida keeps pa.s.sionately rambling on. She gets entranced by gold, she says excitedly, to the point that her eyes grow foggy and her cheeks grow hot, etc., etc., and she things that financial calculations and growing a business looks very fun. "And, lately, I've been thinking about what I can do to start making more money, so when I find new products that I might be able to sell my heart starts jumping with joy!" ...What do I do? This girl is strange. She's cute, but far too unfortunate. "Hey, Maine." "Y-yes, what is it?" By this point, about half of my consciousness has wandered entirely elsewhere, so when she addresses I suddenly sit straight back up, snapping back to attention. Freida's eyes are glittering brightly, and at the same time she grabs my hands tightly. "I'm really pleased with you, you know." "Thank you very much?" My voice unconsciously pitches unnaturally up at the end of my statement. I have no clue whatsoever about why she could possibly be pleased with me. As I tilt my head doubtfully to the side, Freida draws unabashedly close, a blush crossing her adorably sweet face as she continues to speak. "She can't!" replies Lutz immediately, before I can even react. "Oh my! Well, my family's shop is much larger than Benno's, and we've been selling things for a lot longer than he has, so this is a good deal for her, isn't it? So, since there's no way you're officially employed as apprentices since you still haven't been baptized yet, so she can still come do her apprentices.h.i.+p at my family's shop! Also, I'm asking Maine. That question wasn't directed at you at all." Huh? Didn't something like this happen... yesterday...? "I'm thankful for the offer," I say, "but I owe a lot to Mister Benno..." Before I can finish my sentence with "so I must refuse", Freida suddenly smiles even more widely, interrupting me. "Aha! If that's the case, then I'll pay him back for you." I'm trying to refuse, but she's not letting me. Those weren't just rumors. Benno wasn't just overexaggerating his fears. She is exactly like the guild leader! Her manner of speaking might be a little different, but she is saying the exact same things! Her smile not fading in the slightest, she starts rambling off all of the benefits of working at her family's shop. Lutz is suddenly looking very unhappy. "Maine, answer her clearly, like you did yesterday." "I, I, I must refuse!!" Ordinarily, I'd think that being rejected so clearly would cause a child to start crying, but Freida's eyes merely go wide for a brief moment. Then, her fighting spirit reignites, and her eyes gleam brightly again. What now? I feel like I'm a rat cornered by a snake, with no place to escape, and a cold sweat breaks out over my forehead. Benno! I don't care how much you overcharge anymore, just please, save meee!

閑話 変になった妹 わたしは、トゥーリ。6歳。 マインは夜のお空のような真っ直ぐの紺色の髪に、お月様みたいな金色の目をしている。姉のわたしから見ても、すごく可愛い。 いつも病気ばかりして、熱を出しているので、ご飯があまり食べられず、なかなか大きくならない。あんまり外に出られないから、肌は真っ白だ。 マインはついこの間もすごい熱を出した。もしかしたら、死ぬんじゃないかって思うくらい高熱が続いて、家族みんなで心配していた。マインは三日くらいご飯も食べられなくて、水も飲めなくなるくらい衰弱した。 もしかしたら、その熱でマインはちょっと頭がおかしくなったのかもしれない。 熱のせいか、よくわからない言葉を発しては、いきなり怒りだしたり、いつもはちゃんと言うことを聞くのに、お皿を洗いに行っている間にベッドから抜け出したり、わけもわからず泣きだしたまま、丸一日泣き続けたり......。 その時は、まだ熱があって苦しいのかな? と思っていたんだけど、マインは熱が下がったらもっと変になってしまった。 だって、身体が気持ち悪いから、拭いて欲しいって言うの。 何を言っても、マインは毎日身体を拭くことにこだわる。いつの間にか、寝室の一角がマインのための湯浴みスペースになっていた。 そして、何故か、手伝うだけのわたしのことまで拭こうとする。わたしが「別にいいよ」って言っても、布で顔をごしごしする。「トゥーリは外に行くから、わたしより汚れてるよ」って言って。 確かにマインを拭いた後は綺麗なお湯が、わたしの後には濁って汚れてしまった。自分についた汚れをまじまじと見せつけられると、ちょっと嫌な気分になる。 また結いだそうとしては何度か失敗して、脹れっ面になったマインはいきなりおもちゃ籠の中をごそごそと漁り始めた。その中から、父さんが木を削って作ってくれて、母さんが服を作ってくれた人形――わたしの宝物――を持ってきた。 「トゥーリ。これ、折っていい?」 「それ、人形の足だよ! マイン、ひどい!」 人形の足を平然と「折る」なんて言える妹が怖い。ひどすぎる。 「トゥーリ、こういう棒が欲しいの。どうしたらいい?」 マインが欲しいのは人形の足じゃなくて、木の棒だった。それなら、薪用に集めた木をちょっと削ればわたしにだって作れる。人形を壊される前に、ナイフで削って細めの棒を作ってあげた。 「ありがとう、トゥーリ」 マインはすごい笑顔で受け取ったその棒をいきなり自分の頭に刺した。 「マイン!?」 ぎょっとしたわたしの前で、マインは突き刺したように見えた木の棒に髪をくるくると巻いて、グッとねじる。何をどうしたのか棒一本で髪が結い上がった。 「これならいい?」 それから、マインはいつも木の棒で髪を結うようになった。前から見たら頭に棒が刺さっているみたいだけど、本人は満足そう。 そうそう、今日は母さんが仕事を休んでくれたので、久し振りにみんなと森に行くことができた。 「これ! これ、ちょうだい!」 マインが目を輝かせて、籠の中からメリヤの実を取りだした。こんな風にマインが何かを欲しがることは少ないので、ちょっとならいいよ、と2つだけ実を渡してあげた。 天使みたいな笑顔でメリヤに頬ずりしながら、マインは物置に入っていき、うきうきとした様子で戻ってきた。 「マイン、どうし......」 わたしが声をかけた瞬間、マインはいきなりメリヤ目がけてハンマーを振りおろす。 「トゥーリ、トゥーリ。どうやって油取るの? 教えて?」 母さんがぷりぷり怒っているから、マインはこっそりとわたしのところへ聞きに来る。 油を絞るための道具も布も全部物置にあるので、わたしはマインと一緒に物置へと行って教えてあげることにする。 「......台所の木の台は油とか汁が染み込んじゃうから、そのまま使っちゃダメ。こっちの金属の台を置いてから使うの。最初にちゃんと布を広げて。この中に実を入れて、包まないと飛び散るんだよ」 メリヤは実が食べられるから、普通は食べた後の種から油を絞る。でも、マインは実の油もいるから、と言って譲らない。 マインは嬉々として、ハンマーを振りおろしているけど、狙いは甘いし、力はないし、へっぴり腰なので、実がつぶれても種はちっとも潰れていない。 「マイン、それじゃダメだよ。種、潰れてないよ?」 「うっ......トゥーリィ~......」 父さんならハンマーなんて使わなくても、圧搾用の重りを使えるから結構楽に潰れる。この重りが使えるようになれば、男の子は一人前の力仕事を任されるようになる。重くて使えないわたし達は、ハンマーでちょっとずつ潰すしかないんだけど。 「うわぁ! トゥーリ、すごい!」 ポタポタと小さな器に搾れていく油を見て、大喜びするマインは可愛い。けど、わたしの腕はすごく痛い。 病弱で小柄だから、本当の年よりずっと小さく見えて忘れがちだけど、マインはもう5歳だ。7歳になれば、神殿で洗礼式を受けて、見習いとして仕事を始めなければならない。 そうでなくても、来年にはわたしが7歳になる。見習いを始めたら、家のお手伝いの半分以上はマインがすることになるのに、道具のありかも使い方もわからないなんて、大丈夫なのだろうか。 体調を見ながら、どんどんお手伝いをさせていかないと、今のマインを雇ってくれるようなところはないだろう。 「ちょっとだよ?」 マインは取れた油に、籠から出されている薬草の匂いを真剣な顔で嗅いで選びながら、いくつか入れていた。 うわぁ......完全に香りが移る前に、夕飯に使ったほうがいいよね? 早速メリヤの油を夕飯に使おうとしたら、マインが必死の形相で阻止してきた。 「トゥーリッ! ダメッ! 何するの!?」 「早く食べなきゃ使えなくなっちゃうでしょ? この薬草、匂いが移りすぎると食べられなくなるんだよ?」 「食べちゃダメなの!」 わたしが何て言っても、マインはただ首を振って、油の入った器を隠そうとする。困って母さんに目を向けると、母さんも怒ってくれた。 「マイン! それはトゥーリが採ってきたものでしょ! 我儘言わないで!」 「我儘じゃないっ! トゥーリがくれたんだから!」 母さんがいくら怒っても聞きやしない。 ジャブジャブと浸かっている部分を洗って、頭に手で何度もかける。納得するまで繰り返した後、ギュッギュッと髪を絞りながら、マインは布で頭を拭いていく。 「......何、これ?」 「ん~と、『簡易ちゃんリンシャン』」 「え?」 いきなりマインが綺麗になったのを間近で見たので、使ってみたくなった。 躊躇いなく三つ編みを解くと、マインがしていたように桶の中に髪を入れて洗う。マインも手を入れてきて、小さな手で届きにくいところを何度も洗ってくれた。 「これくらいで大丈夫だと思うよ?」 布で何度も拭いて櫛を入れたら、マインと同じように、わたしの髪もつるつるになった。いつだってふわふわもさもさして、櫛が通らなかったわたしの髪がしっとりうねうねだ。 「すごい綺麗になったね。トゥーリ、いい匂い」 そう言って、何故かマインがすごく嬉しそうにわたしの髪に櫛を入れている。

Gossip: My sister's gotten weird. My name's Tory. I'm six years old. I have a little sister, Maine. She's five. Maine has straight, dark blue hair, like the color of the night sky, and golden eyes that s.h.i.+ne like the moon. I think she's really adorable, but I am her older sister. She's always really sick and always has a fever, so she doesn't eat much, so she hasn't grown very much. She also can't go outside very much, so her skin is pale white. She's really adorable, but I can't play with her very much, which is a little disappointing. The other kids get to play with their brothers and sisters, and I get kinda jealous. The other day, Maine had a really bad fever. It was so bad that everyone in the family was worried, wondering if she would live or die. For three days, she didn't eat anything, and she even got so weak that she couldn't drink any water. The fever might have made her a little strange in the head. When she was sick, she started using words I didn't really understand and getting really mad all of a sudden. She always used to do what she was told, but when I went to go wash the dishes, she snuck out of bed and I found her crying and I don't know why. She spent the whole day crying... I though that maybe Maine was still suffering because of her fever, but when her fever went down, she got even weirder. Seriously, she started saying that her body felt gross and that she wanted to wipe herself off. When we boil water to cook our food, she asks if she could have some warm water for a bath. Every day! Every day, she obsesses over making sure she washes herself off. Before I knew it, one of the corners of the bedroom had turned into her bathing s.p.a.ce. Then, for some reason, she decided that I should start was.h.i.+ng myself as well when I was helping her. "Sure, why not," I said, and started scrubbing my face. "You go outside a lot," she said, "so you get dirtier than me." When I washed myself off, the water that Maine had left clean got really dirty and muddy. When I stared at all of the dirt that had been on me, I started feeling a little bit gross. Maine, though, was beaming. "If there's two of us, it's not a waste, right?" she said. After that, she suddenly started wearing her hair up. Her hair is really straight, so no matter how tightly we tie it back, it unties itself and comes down immediately, so we haven't really been tying it back. After trying and failing to tie it back several times, Maine started to sulk. Suddenly, she got up and started rummaging around in our toy basket. She pulled out a doll that Dad had whittled out of wood and Mom had made clothes for... my most precious possession! "Tory, can I break this off?" she asked. "That's my doll's leg! Maine, that's awful!!" It was terrifying that my little sister could so calmly ask to break off my doll's leg. It was too cruel. When I got mad, she hung her head and mumbled "sorry". Sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair, pus.h.i.+ng her bangs back. Seeing a five-year-old do something so strangely sensual made my breath stop for a moment. "Tory, if I wanted a stick like this, what should I do?" What Maine really wanted wasn't my doll's leg, it was a wooden rod. So, I got a stick from the kindling pile. Instead of letting her break my doll, I used a knife to whittle the stick down into a little rod. She had a lot of requests, like "make this part a little skinnier" or "could you round the ends off to make them less sharp", but eventually she was satisfied. "Thanks, Tory!" With a big smile, Maine took the rod from me, then suddenly jammed it through her own head. "Maine?!" I yelled, startled. Maine started to turn the rod, which she had actually stuck through her hair, winding her hair tightly around it. Somehow, she put all of her hair up, with just that one little rod. I was surprised how firmly it stayed in place. It was like the magic the n.o.bility uses! However, her hairstyle looked very adult. "Is this okay?" she asks. After that, Maine started to always wear her hair up like that. She looks like she has a stick through her head if you look at her from the front, but she seems happy with it. A little while later, Mom was able to take a day off from work, and I was finally able to go out into the forest with everyone else. I gathered a lot of firewood, and was also able to find a lot of forest mushrooms, as well as some herbs that we can use to season the meat. We need to be preparing for the winter, so all of the kids are working hard to gather things. "Aha, this! Can I have this!" With gleaming eyes, she pulls a melia fruit out of my basket. Maine doesn't ask for things very often, so I thought it would be okay to give her two of them. "Thanks, Tory!" she says, beaming like an angel. She runs off into the storage room, then comes back out, looking like everything in the world is absolutely perfect. "Maine, why are y..." As soon as I started to speak, Maine suddenly swung a hammer and, with a thud, smashed the melia. It splits apart with a squish, and the juice inside splatters all over my face. "Tory, Tory," she asked, "How do you make oil? Teach me?" Since Mom was in such a huff, Maine stealthily made her way over to me to ask her question. Her sneaking was completely visible. Look, Mom's watching us right now. All of the tools we need to make oil are in the storage room, so I get a cloth and take Maine in there with me. "...A wooden table like the one in the kitchen is just going to soak up the oils and juices, so we can't use that one. The metal table like here is better. First thing we need to do is spread a cloth out on the table. Then, we need to wrap the fruit in a cloth like this so that the pieces don't fly everywhere." Melia fruit are edible, so we usually get the oil out of the seeds after we've finished eating. Maine, however, was very insistent that there's oil in the fruit, too. She brought the hammer down with glee, over and over, but her aim wasn't very good, she wasn't very strong, and her posture was all wrong. She smashed up the fruit pretty well, but she wasn't able to smash any of the seeds. To make things worse, when we were done smas.h.i.+ng up the seeds, we would need to wring the cloth out, and Maine doesn't have nearly enough strength to do that. "Maine, that's not working. You're not smas.h.i.+ng the seeds, you know?" "Ooh... ...Toooryyyyy..." If Dad were doing this, he wouldn't be using a hammer. He'd get something really heavy to put on top of it and press the oil out of it without doing a whole lot of work. Boys are expected to do manual labor as they grow up, so they can lift heavy weights like that. I can't, though, so I had to smash those seeds one by one with a hammer. "Whoa! Tory, you're amazing!" The oil drips into a small dish as I wring out the cloth. As Maine watches, the look of pure joy on her face is extremely adorable. My arms, however, extremely hurt. Maine has a weak const.i.tution and is much shorter than other kids her age, so it's easy to forget that she's already five. When she turns seven, she'll be baptized at the temple, and she'll have to find someplace to start an apprentices.h.i.+p. Not only that, but next year I'm going to be turning seven. I'm going to start my apprentices.h.i.+p, so Maine's going to have to be able to do half of the housework by then. She doesn't even know where the tools go or how to clean them right now, so I don't know if she's going to be okay. We're going to keep an eye on her health, but we have to gradually start making her help out with the housework. Otherwise, Maine as she is right now isn't really going to be able to find work. Mom's going to have to stop pampering her, and I, her big sister, am going to have to teach her everything she needs to know. "Just a little?" With a serious face, Maine went through the herbs she took from my basket, sniffing them each and adding a few of them to her oil. She's probably trying to change the scent of it, but some of the herbs she's using are used to keep bugs away, and they'll make it too smelly to eat. Whoa... shouldn't I get this into our food before that finishes happening? I immediately started to try to add the melia oil to the pot, but Maine cut me off with a frantic expression. "Tory, no! What are you doing?!" "If we don't eat this soon," I said, "we won't be able to use it at all! These herbs are going to change the flavor so much that we're not going to be able to eat it, you know?" "No, don't eat it!" No matter what I said, Maine just kept shaking her head and trying to hide the bowl the oil was in. Eventually, Mom got bothered enough that she looked over at what we were doing, and she started getting angry as well. "Maine!" she yelled. "Those are things that Tory went and gathered! Don't be selfis.h.!.+" "I'm not selfis.h.!.+ Tory gave these to me!" No matter how mad Mom got, Maine still wouldn't listen. When even the two of us couldn't make her change her mind, we finally gave up, and Maine went off to wash herself off as usual. I couldn't understand what Maine was doing, even when she tried to tell me. Lately, this has been happening more and more. As I watched, dumbfounded, Maine soaked her hair in the bucket and started to wash it. She splashed the part soaking in the water around, then started repeatedly scrubbing at the top of her head. When she seemed satisfied, she tightly wrung out all of the excess water out of her hair, then used a cloth to start drying it. When she was finished, she combed it out straight. "...What... is this?" I ask. "Ummm, a "simple 2-in-1 shampoo"."1 "Huh?" After seeing how beautiful Maine had suddenly become, I kind of wanted to try it. I wanted to try being that beautiful. Hesitantly, I undid my braid, then lowered my hair into the bucket and washed it like Maine had done. Maine helped too, and her tiny hands helped to wash the parts I missed. "I think it's good now?" After drying it a bunch and combing it out, my hair was as glossy as Maine's. Although it had always been really poofy and frizzy and impossible to comb out, now it was gentle and wavy. It's almost like magic. "You're so beautiful!" says Maine. "Tory, you smell nice." She seems pleased, for some reason, as she combs out my hair. I was delighted that I'd become so beautiful... but, how did Maine learn how to do this?

早速作ってみた 夕飯を終えるとすぐに、父は朝番なので寝てしまう。父の睡眠を邪魔しないように、台所で静かに作業ができる手仕事は、自分達が寝るまでの時間潰しにもピッタリだ。 父が寝室へ行って、寝る準備を始めたので、わたしはトゥーリと母に冬の手仕事の話を切りだした。 「今日ね、フリーダに作った髪飾りが評判良くて、欲しいって人がいるから、冬の手仕事を前倒しにできないかってベンノさんに相談されたの。トゥーリの髪飾りと同じやつが欲しいんだって」 「......できなくはないけど」 母とトゥーリは一度顔を見合わせた後、疑わしそうに眉を寄せた。できなくはないけれど、冬の手仕事を前倒しにするのは手間がかかりすぎる、と顔に書いてある。 「少しだけど前金を預かって来たから、一つ出来たら、ちゃんと料金払うね」 次の瞬間、母とトゥーリがガタリと立ち上がって、少しでも明るい竈の側に二人がテーブルを寄せた。 「え? あれ?」 わたしは、間抜けにも椅子に座ったまま取り残されて呆然とするしかない。 「マイン、参考にする見本はどこ?」 「え? トゥーリに返したけど?」 わたしの言葉に反応したトゥーリがササッと動いて、自分の木箱から髪飾りを出してくる。 トゥーリが髪飾りを探してごそごそと動く音に「何だ? どうした?」と父の声が聞こえてきたが、「何でもないわ。おやすみなさい、ギュンター」と母の声が台所から飛んだ。 わたしがテーブルのところに自分の椅子を移動させて、よいせっと座り直した時には、すっかり手仕事の準備は整っていた。 「マイン、何色で作ればいいの?」 糸の籠の中を漁りながら母が尋ねてきたけれど、指定された色はない。トゥーリの髪飾りとデザインを揃えろと言われているだけだ。 「お客様の髪の色や好きな色がわからないから、色違いでたくさん作ってほしいって言われてるの。トゥーリの髪飾りと同じになるように三色選んで、花の数も同じで作って」 「わかったわ。白と黄色と赤でどう?」 「可愛くて良いね」 わたしの答えを聞くと同時に母は猛然と編み始めた。トゥーリの髪飾りを編んでいたので、作り方も知っているから、速い、速い。わたしが作ると一つにだいたい15分くらいかかる小花を5分ほどで編み上げるのだ。 「色々あると選べて嬉しいもんね? わたしは白と黄色と青にしようかな? 自分の髪飾りと一緒の色。マインは何色にするの?」 たくさんある色の中から、好みの色を選り分けて、うふふっ、とトゥーリが笑う。わたしが作った髪飾りをとても気に入ってくれているようで、わたしも嬉しい。 「わたしはピンクと赤と緑にしようかな。緑の小花が葉っぱみたいになって可愛いと思うんだよね」 「うん。可愛い。......ねぇねぇ、マイン。どうやって作るの?」 わき目もふらず編んでいる母には聞けないと思ったらしいトゥーリが、ガタガタとわたしの隣に椅子を寄せてきた。見本になっている髪飾りはトゥーリのために作っていたので、トゥーリは作っていないのだ。 「そんなに難しくないよ。こうやって、こうやって......」 トゥーリに編み方を見せながら、小さな花の作り方を教えると、フリーダのバラよりよほど簡単なので、トゥーリはすぐに作れるようになってしまった。 「わかった。ありがとね」 ガタガタと椅子を元の位置に戻すと、トゥーリも静かにもくもくと編み始める。 おおぅ、さすが、裁縫美人。 母もトゥーリも手の動きがわたしとは比べ物にならないくらい速い。あっという間にできていく。 普通の冬の手仕事なら、雪に閉じ込められて、暇で、暇で、仕方ない時にするので、和やかにお喋りしながらするものだ。しかし、今夜はテーブルの上に並んだ現金のせいで、お喋りが口から出ることなく、二人とも一心不乱に編んでいる。 「できた! この後はどうするの?」 喜色に輝くトゥーリの声にハッとして顔を上げると、トゥーリの前には12個の小花が並んでいた。 「トゥーリ、速いね。すごいよ。えーと、この後は端切れに縫い付けて......って、あ、端切れ! 原価計算に入ってない!」 「手仕事の材料なんて、自分で準備するのがほとんどなんだから、ウチにあるのを使えばいいわよ」 母はすでにウチにある端切れで、小花を縫い付けて、ちゃんと髪飾りの形に仕上げていた。 「......後でベンノさんに料金請求するか、布を請求するかどっちかするよ」 「これ一つに中銅貨2枚ももらえるのだから、そこまでしなくていいわよ」 ......え? 普段やってる手仕事って、どれだけひどいの。 冬から本格的に始まる手仕事では、端切れの原価も入れて計算し直してもらおうと心に決めると、トゥーリが物置から取ってきた端切れを一つ手に取った。 「母さんが作ってるから参考にして、同じ色の花が固まらないように縫い付けていってね。あまり下の布が見えないように縫い付けていくと、小花が集まって花束っぽく見えるから」 トゥーリが作り始めた髪飾りが完成したところで、今日は終わりにして寝ることにする。 「じゃあ、今日の支払いをしまーす」 「わぁい!」 わたしは二人に中銅貨を2枚ずつ支払って、できた飾りはわたしの木箱に片付ける。 「じゃあ、二人とも寝なさい」 「母さんは?」 「この中途半端なものを仕上げてから寝るわ」 八割方終わっている髪飾りを指差して母が困ったように笑う。 なのに、なんで朝起きたら、テーブルの上に仕上がった髪飾りが2個も置かれているんだろう?......夜なべしたね、母さん。名残惜しい気分で寝たトゥーリが怒ってるよ。 「母さんだけ夜中にこっそりやるなんてずるいっ!」 「ごめんね、トゥーリ。気を付けるわ。さぁ、お仕事に行っておいで」 ぷくぅっと膨れるトゥーリに母が謝りながら、仕事に行くように促す。納得できていないような表情のまま、トゥーリは「帰ってきたら、わたしだっていっぱい作るんだから」と言って飛び出していく。 「忘れないように母さんが仕事へ行く前にお金を渡しておくね。それから、今日もベンノさんのところに行ってくる。ルッツの簪と合わせて髪飾りを完成させて、お金もらって来なきゃ二人に渡せないから」 「わかったわ。気を付けていってらっしゃい。ベンノさんによろしくね」 中銅貨を財布に片付けた母は、笑顔で「今夜も頑張るわ」と張り切って出かけていった。 「おはよう、ルッツ。ねぇ、簪部分って、できてる分ある?」 「一応5つ作ったけど?」 「それ、全部持ってきて。わたし、針と糸を持って行くから。蒸している間に完成させて、ベンノさんのところに売りに行かなきゃダメなの」 昨夜のうちに4つはできちゃったんだ、と呟くと、ルッツが目を見開いた。 「ちょ、速すぎないか!? あの花って、作るのが大変で時間がかかるって......」 「......わかった。簪部分だけ持ってくればいいか? 他にいる物は?」 今日、ルッツが絶対に忘れてはいけない物は一つだけだ。 「バターは? 準備できてる?」 「聞き間違いじゃなかったのか......。取ってくるよ。戸締りして下に向かっててくれ」 どうやら準備していなかったらしい。危うくじゃがバターを食べ損ねるところだった。 「寒いねぇ」 人の気配がない倉庫はキンキンに冷えていて、外の方が太陽の光がある分暖かいと感じるほど寒い。倉庫の中には火を使えるような場所はないので、倉庫前で鐘一つ分ほどトロンベを蒸して、黒皮を剥く作業をすることになる。 荷物を倉庫に置いて外に出ると、ルッツは石を積み上げて、鍋の準備をしていた。 「ルッツ。蒸し器、もう一段いるみたい」 「持ってくる」 前に作った時は試作品だったので、それほど多く蒸す必要なかったが、今回はここにある素材を全部蒸してしまわなければならない。最初から二段で蒸せるように蒸し器は準備してあったので、ルッツに倉庫からもう一つを持ってきてもらう。 「もう鍋を置いていいか?」 「うん、木を並べるのはすぐに終わるよ」 そして、持ってきた芋も火が通りやすいようにナイフで十字に切り込みを入れて、一緒に並べて蓋をした。これで20分くらい蒸せば、おいしいじゃがバター――正確にはじゃがではないけれど――が食べられるはずだ。 鍋の前で火にあたりながら、わたしは小花を作り始めた。わたしが髪飾りの小花を作るのに、大体15分くらいかかるので、片付ける時間も考えると、じゃがバターの待ち時間に丁度いい。 「ルッツは倉庫に残ってる竹で細い竹ぐし作っててね。先を尖らせたヤツ」 「は? なんで?」 「なんでって、『じゃがバター』ができたか確認するのにいるから」 「え? マイン、お前、何やってんの?」 「蒸し器使うなら食べたいなって......ルッツはいらない?」 「食うに決まってるだろ! ジャガバターって食い物かよ!?」 あぁ、そうか。じゃがバターじゃ通じなかったんだ。 蒸し器の中に食べ物があるとわかった途端、ルッツが張り切って竹ぐしを作りだした。 「なぁ、マイン。そのジャガバターってうまいのか?」 「わたしは結構好きだよ。ルッツも多分食べ慣れた味だと思うけど?」 鍋が大きいので湯気が出始めるまでに予想以上に時間がかかったので、わたしは2個の小花を作り上げることでだいたいの時間を計った。 「いいよ、ルッツ。蓋、開けて!」 ラルフが作った何かの失敗作を台にして立ち、できたての竹ぐしを右手に構え、左手には菜箸をつかんで、わたしはルッツが蓋を開けるのを待つ。 「マイン、顔をあんまり近付けるなよ!」 ルッツが蓋を開くと同時に、ぶわっと白い湯気が一気に飛び出してきた。熱くて白い湯気をやり過ごして、視界が開けると、トロンベの中に少し黄色が濃くなった芋が湯気を立てている。 「ルッツ、お皿がいる!」 「そんなもん、ここにあるか!」 「そこの平たい板でいいから取って。それから、バターの準備がいるよ」 「飾り作るより先に準備しておけよ!」 「ぬぅ、面目ない」 芋を菜箸で取り出して板の上に乗せると、すぐ蒸し器に蓋をしてもらう。 がんがんテンションの上がっていくわたしとは対照的に、ルッツのテンションは蒸し器から出てきた芋を見た瞬間から、だだ下がりだ。 「......なんだ、カルフェ芋かよ。マインの料理だから期待したのに」 食べ慣れすぎてガッカリらしい。 「うんうん。確かにカルフェ芋をバターで絡める料理なんて、いっぱいあるもんね? ルッツはいらないってことでいい?」 「......食うよ」 むぅっと脹れっ面のルッツは放置しておいて、わたしは上の方だけペロッと皮をめくると、手を火傷しないようにエプロンで包んで、芋を持つ。そのまま、湯気がほこほこと立っている芋に大きく口を開けて噛みついた。 外の冷気で表面だけが程良く冷めているが、中は熱くて、ほろほろと口の中で解けていく。トロンベと一緒に蒸したせいで、まるで燻製のように木の香りがついていて、それがバターの風味に合わさって、家では食べることができない味になっている。 ん~、と頬を押さえて、美味しさに身悶えていると、ルッツが横で溜息混じりの白い息を吐きながら、カルフェ芋にかじりついた。 「......うまいっ! なんでだ!? 家で湯がいた芋と全然味が違う!」 「蒸したからだよ。蒸すと栄養も旨みもぎゅうっと閉じ込めるからね。今回はトロンベと一緒に蒸したから、まるで燻製みたいな香りまでついて、すごく贅沢な気分になれるよね」 ほくほくうまうまカルフェ芋を食べながら、わたしは昨夜の飾りを作っていた時のことをルッツに話した。 「......そんな感じで、昨日の夜は母さんもトゥーリもすごかったよ。今夜もやる気満々なの。1個も仕上げられなかったわたしの役に立たなさを改めて実感したね」 「威張るなよ」 「ルッツは? どうだったの?」 カルフェ芋を全部食べ終わったルッツは、名残惜しそうに指をなめた後、渋い顔をして頭を振った。 「みんな、オレのやってることに興味なんて全くなさそうで、手伝ってくれないかって、言っても知らんぷりされた」 「そっか。じゃあ、今日はルッツの家に魔法をかけに行こうか?」 「魔法?」 「そ。ベンノさんのところでお金を受け取ったら、ルッツの家に行くから楽しみにしてて」 食べ終わったので、ルッツに井戸から水を汲んでもらい、手を洗って口をすすぐ。 「えーと、今日出来上がった髪飾りが4つ。昨日、ベンノさんに1つ分前払いしてもらったから、今日もらえる報酬は3つ分で、髪飾りの報酬は1つ中銅貨11枚です。さて、いくらもらえるでしょうか?」 計算機を前に問題を出すとルッツが真剣な顔で、指を使い始めた。 「33枚だ!」 「はい、正解。よくできました! じゃあ、ルッツが作らなければならない簪は20個です。昨日5個作りました。あと何個作ればいいでしょう?」 やはり、繰り上がりや繰り下がりがある計算は、計算機を使ってもすぐにはできないようで、ルッツが困り果てている。一桁の足し算が暗算で反射的にできるようにならなければ、計算機を使うにも時間がかかるので、計算機は一度置いておいて、石板に数字を書いて、足し算の練習から始めることにした。 「これだけは覚えてね。言われたらすぐに答えが返せるように覚えなきゃダメだよ」 に張った井戸水の中に、わたしが菜箸で一つ一つ摘まんでトロンベを入れていく。ざっと冷水にくぐらせたら、ルッツが取り上げて横の板に置いていく。川の流水ではないので、盥の水はすぐに温くなってしまう。 「水が温くなってきた。ちょっと待て」 ルッツが井戸から水を汲んで盥の水を張り直すまで、わたしは座りこんで黒皮を剥きながら待つ。水が入ったら、またトロンベを取り出す。その繰り返しだ。 「終わったぁ!」 「よし、片付けも終わった!」 熱い黒皮を剥いでいたので、黒皮を干した後もまだ指先が熱さでヒリヒリしている。冷たい空気が心地良いほどだ。 「......あ?」 何かに絶望したわけでもない。何かを不安に感じているわけでもない。 「何だよ、これ? いきなり熱が上がったぞ!? マイン、大丈夫か!? 聞こえてるか!?」 きつく握られた手に集中して、何度もしてきたように熱を何とか抑え込もうとした。 さっさと戻って! ちろちろと出てこようとする熱の全てを中心に押し込むのに、今までで一番時間がかかった気がする。 熱が引いた後には口も利きたくないほどの疲労感がどっと押し寄せてきた。力が抜けて立っていられなくなって、その場に座り込むと、手を繋いだままだったルッツも引っ張られるように隣にしゃがみこんだ。 「え? 熱が下がった? 何だよ、これ? おい! マイン、大丈夫なのか!?」 「......身食いだよ。フリーダが前に言ってたでしょ?」 「ちょっと待てよ。だって、体調が悪くなる時の前兆が全然なかったぞ?」 「急に来るんだよ。今までは結構激しい感情に左右されてたんだけど、最近は大したことがない感情の揺れにも反応するようになってきちゃって......あぁ、ビックリした」 本当はビックリしたなんて、簡単な言葉で済ませられるような衝撃ではなかったけれど、今にも泣きそうな顔で、未だにわたしの手を握っているルッツを少しでも安心させてあげたくて、わたしは目を細めて唇の端を上げる。 「それ、何とかならないのか?」 「......フリーダが言ってたでしょ? すごくお金がかかるって。ベンノさんも同じこと言ってた」 さっとルッツの顔から血の気が引いて、蒼白になっていく。 「そういうわけだから、ちょっとでも稼ぐためにベンノさんのお店に行こうか?」 これ以上威力が大きくなられると正直きついよ、という本音は胸に秘めて、わたしは笑ってみせる。 「店まで背負ってやる。......オレにはそれくらいしかできないから」 「それくらいしかって、ルッツはわたしに色んなことしてくれてるよ?」 「いいから、早くしろよ!」 知らないふりで背中に寄りかかってみたものの、ルッツの肩から前に出しているわたしの腕にポツポツと滴が落ちてくる。 まいったなぁ、と心底思う。 本だけに視線を向けて生きてきた麗乃時代に、こんな風に泣いてくれる友達なんていなかった。なんて声をかければ正解なのか、あんなに本を読んできたのに、わからない。 優しすぎるんだよ、ルッツは。

We Made It At Once As soon as we finish with dinner, my father heads immediately for bed, since he has to work the dawn s.h.i.+ft tomorrow. In order to make sure we don't disturb him while he's trying to sleep, the rest of us relocate to the kitchen, where we can quietly busy ourselves with whatever work we can do, quietly, to kill time before we need to go to bed as well. Now that my father's gone into the bedroom and started getting himself ready for bed, I jump right onto the topic of winter handiwork. "So, today, Mister Benno told me that the hairpins we made for Freida were getting really famous, and there's a lot of people wanting to buy them, so he wanted to know if we could maybe get some of our winter handiwork done early. He says he wants more like Tory's hairpin." "...Well, it's not like we can't, but..." Tory and my mother exchange a glance, then frown doubtfully at me. The rest of that sentence is clearly written on their faces: it's not like they can't, but it would be way too much work to accelerate production enough. Their reaction is exactly what I expected, so I go fetch my tote bag and pull out the proof: two medium-copper coins, which jingle as I set them down on the table. "It's just a little bit, but I was able to get him to let me hold onto some money in advance, so if you can get one done, I can pay you for it!" In the next instant, the two of them abruptly stand up, their chairs clattering behind them, and move to the part of the table closest to the stove, where it's just a little bit brighter. "Uh? What?" I've suddenly been left behind, sitting dumfounded in my chair like an empty-headed fool. Meanwhile, Tory has dug out enough slender needles for the three of us, and my mother has disappeared into the storeroom to fetch the basket full of thread. I'm a little overwhelmed by how perfectly in sync the two of them are, but I hop down from my chair and pull it over to the table. As it clatters along the floor behind me, my mother calls out to me. "Maine, do you have a sample we can base this off of?" "Um? It's just like Tory's, I think?" Reacting instantly to my words, Tory immediately spins around and heads to get her hairpin out of her wooden storage box. Thanks to her rustling about in the bedroom as she searches for her hairpin, I can hear my father groggily speak up. "Nothing's wrong, Gunther," replies my mother, calling to him from the kitchen. "Good night!" By the time I've gotten my chair over the table and climbed up onto it, the preparations for our handiwork have been completed. "Maine," asks my mother, "what colors should we use?" She rummages around within the basket of threads, but I haven't actually told her what colors to use yet. All I've said so far is that the design needs to be like Tory's hairpin. "We don't know what the customers' hair color or favorite colors are, so Mister Benno told me that he wants ones with lots of different colors. Let's do these like Tory's and pick three colors, and make the same number of flowers." "Got it. How about white, yellow, and red?" "I think that'll be cute!" The instant the words leave my mouth, my mother starts knitting ferociously. Since she helped make Tory's hairpin last winter, she already knows how to do it, and now she's working so very, very quickly. In the approximately fifteen minutes it takes me to knit one flower, she's churned out five. Soon, we've knitted four of each and turned it into a little bouquet. "He'll be happy if there's a bunch of different ones to choose from, right? Maybe I should do white, yellow, and blue...? The same colors as mine. Maine, what are you gonna pick?" Tory giggles happily to herself as she digs through the many different colors, picking out three that she likes. She seems very pleased with the hairpin that I'd made for her last year, which makes me happy as well. "I think I'll do pink, red, and green. The green flowers are going to look like little leaves, which I think will be really cute." "Yeah! Really cute. ...Hey, hey, Maine, how do you make these?" Tory, probably thinking that she'd better not disturb our mother as she single-mindedly weaves away, scoots her chair next to me, it clattering against the wooden floor. Since the hairpin that we're using as an example had been made for Tory's sake, she hadn't had any part in making it. "Oh, it's not really that hard. So, you loop it like this, and then you thread it through like this..." I explain to Tory how to weave these tiny flowers, demonstrating as I went. Since these are much simpler than the roses we made for Freida, Tory picked up on it immediately. "Got it! Thanks, Maine." She clatteringly drags her chair back to its original position, then starts quietly, steadily knitting. After a while, once I've finished my third flower, I glance up at the rest of the table, and am overwhelmed by the sheer difference in quant.i.ty. My mother has already finished enough little flower to make an entire hairpin, and Tory has six flowers rolling around in front of her. Whoa, now these are some sewing beauties. Both my mother and Tory move their hands so quickly that my own movements can't even compare. They can do these in practically the blink of an eye. I may be the one who brought this arts-and-crafts stuff here, but now I'm being outstripped in both speed of production and quality of product. I decide that, at the very least, whatever I make is not going to be obviously inferior to what they make when compared, and I start moving my needles again. Ordinarily, winter handiwork is done while we're trapped inside by the snow and left with far, far too much time on our hands. It's something that we do because there's nothing else to do, and we idly chat with each other while doing it. Tonight, however, thanks the gleam of the coins lined up on the table, the two of them are focusing their entire effort on knitting as quickly as they can, with not a single word coming out of their mouths. "Alright, done! Now what, Maine?" I look up, startled by Tory's sparklingly enthusiastic voice, and see that she has twelve flowers lined up in front of her. "Whoa, Tory, that was fast! You're really amazing. Ummm, after this, we sew them onto a bit of cloth... wait, argh, cloth! I didn't account for cloth!" "Usually," my mother says, "we provide our own materials for winter handiwork, so it's okay if you use whatever sc.r.a.ps we have lying around here." My mother has already retrieved a sc.r.a.p of cloth and sewn her little flowers onto it, turning it into something that looks like a proper hairpin. "...When I go see Mister Benno to collect the money for these, I'll put in a request for some cloth, too." "He's already paying us two whole medium copper coins for each of these, so there's no need to go that far." ...What? Man, how unfair is ordinary winter handiwork? Even as I was deciding for myself that I'd have added cloth to my calculations by the time winter rolls around and we get started in earnest, Tory has already brought a basket full of sc.r.a.p cloth out of the storage room. "Look at the one Mommy's finished as an example. Sew the flowers on, but don't put too many of the same color close together. If you sew everything together so that you can't see the cloth beneath, then it'll really look like a little bouquet of flowers." By the time Tory finishes putting together her second hairpin, it's almost about time to pack everything away for the evening. Ultimately, I was able to complete about half of the flowers for one hairpin, Tory made an entire pin herself, and my mother's eighty percent along the way towards making her second. "Now then, here is today's pa~ay!" "Woohoo!" I hand the two of them two coins each, and put the two finished hairpins in my box for later. "Alright now," says my mother, "you two go to bed." "What about you, Mom?" asks Tory. "I'll just finish up this half-complete one here, first." She points at the eighty-percent completed hairpin in front of her with a grim smile. At her speed, she'll be done in no time flat. Tory and I quietly head for bed, taking care not to wake our father in the process. I wonder, though; why is it that by the time we wake up there are two finished hairpins sitting on top of the table? ...You pulled an all-nighter, mother. Tory didn't want to go to bed last night, so now she's gonna be mad. "Moooom, no fair! Why'd you get to stay up late?" "Sorry, Tory. Now, it's time for you to go to work! Take care, take care." Tory sulks furiously as my mother apologetically ushers her out the door. With an extremely disagreeable expression, she runs off, yelling "as soon as I get home I'm going to make lots, okay?" Once she's gone, my mother hands me the two completed bouquets, and I give her four coins in return. "Here's the money, so that I don't forget by the time you get home from work. I'm going to be going to Mister Benno's shop again today. I've gotta go get the pin parts for these from Lutz, get them finished up, and get paid, otherwise I can't get the rest of the money for you and Tory." "Alright. Take care of yourself today, Maine! And say h.e.l.lo to Mister Benno for me." My mother tucks the coins into her coin purse, then starts heading out the door. "Let's work hard tonight, too!" she says with a broad smile as she waves goodbye. She shuts the door behind her firmly, and I hear the clack of the lock as she turns it. I keep smilingly waving goodbye until I hear her footsteps fade away, then let out an exhausted sigh. "Good morning, Lutz! Hey, about those pins, did you finish any?" "I got five done so far...?" "Bring all of them with us. I'm bringing my needles and thread too. We can finish these up while we're steaming. We have to sell these to Mister Benno tonight." When I mumble that we wound up finis.h.i.+ng four of them last night, Lutz's eyes go wide. "Wh... That's way too fast, though?! I thought you said those flowers were super hard to make and took a crazy long time..." "...Got it. You just need me to bring the pins, right? Anything else?" There is one more thing that Lutz absolutely cannot forget to bring today. "What about the b.u.t.ter? Did you get any?" "So I didn't hear you wrong, huh... I'll go get some. Wait downstairs for me after you lock up, okay?" It seems that, somehow, he hasn't prepared any. That was a close call, I nearly missed out on being able to eat steamed, b.u.t.tered potatoes. I wave as Lutz deftly runs down the stairs, gather up the things I'd prepared, and head outside. "Man, it's cold..." There's no sign of anyone else around our warehouse, which is piercingly cold, overpowering the warmth of the clear sunlight s.h.i.+ning down. Since there's no hearth inside the warehouse that we can light a fire in, we get set up right in front of the warehouse so that we can steam the tronbay and strip off the bark. After we put our bags inside, Lutz piles up some rocks to make a stove and sets the pot on top of it while I line up pieces of tronbay inside our steamer. In no time flat, though, the steamer fills up completely. "Lutz, looks like we're going to need another steamer." "I'll go get it." Previously, all we were doing was working on prototypes, so we never really needed to steam that much wood at once. However, this time, we need to steam all of the raw material that we have on hand. Since we'd had another steamer ready from the start so we could steam two layers at once, Lutz kindly goes to retrieve it for me. "These okay to put on the pot yet?" "Yeah, I'm just about finished getting this wood stacked up in it." While Lutz gets the steamers situated on top of the pot, I stack up the rest of the tronbay. Then, I take the two kalfe roots I brought with me and make a cross-shaped cut on each of them with my knife so that the heat can get into them better, then I line them up in the steamer with the wood. Once these steam for about twenty minutes, I'll finally be able to eat delicious, b.u.t.tery, steamed potatoes (although they're not actually potatoes). Sitting in front of the pot, close to the fire, I get back to work on making tiny flowers. Since it takes me about fifteen minutes to make each flower, by the time I'm finished up, plus the time it'll take to get everything squared away, the tubers should be just about finished. "Lutz, could you get some of the leftover bamboo in the warehouse and make me a couple long sticks? Pointy ones, pointier than the ones you made last time." "Huh? Why?" "Why, you ask? I need them to check to see if the 'b.u.t.tered potatoes' are done." "Um? Hey, Maine, what are you up to?" "Oh, I just wanna eat some food you need a steamer to make... do you not want any, Lutz?" "If it's food then I want it! You mean 'b.u.t.tah'd poh-tay-toes' are food?!" Ah, that's right, I must not have explained what b.u.t.tered potatoes are. Although, there's already cooking here involving sauteing tubers in b.u.t.ter, so they should be something he could be eating regularly. Now that he knows that there's food in the steamer too, Lutz cheerfully makes me a pair of bamboo skewers. "Hey, Maine. These 'b.u.t.tah'd poh-tay-toes', are they tasty?" "I really like them, myself. I think it's something you've probably already tasted before, though?" Since it takes far longer for the pot to actually come to a boil than I originally expected, I wait until I've finished two flowers, instead of just one, then check on the status of the tubers. "Alright, Lutz. Get that lid off!" Standing on top of Ralph's failed something-or-other, I brandish the skewers tightly in my right hand while gripping my cooking chopsticks in my left, waiting for Lutz to take the lid off the steamer. "Maine don't stick your face too close!" As soon as Lutz removes the lid, a huge burst of steam leaps out of the steamer. As soon as the scalding vapor clears away and I can see inside, I see the two tubers resting on top of the tronbay, tinted a vibrant golden brown. With my right hand, I carefully insert the skewers into each of the tubers. They come back out easily without the potatoes breaking apart, so I think they're done pretty well. I swap the chopsticks in my left hand with the skewers in my right, and get them ready. "Lutz, I need a plate!" "You think this place has any?!" "That board over there's fine, bring that over! Then get the b.u.t.ter ready." "Maybe you should have done this instead of making decorations!" "Ngh, you're right..." I say, ashamed. As soon as I lift both of the tubers out of the steamer and set them down on the board, I have Lutz immediately put the lid back on the steamer. I hop down from my makes.h.i.+ft step stool, then immediately widen the cross-shaped cuts on each of them and shove b.u.t.ter inside. The b.u.t.ter melts into the soft flesh of the tubers immediately, and the scent it gives off is irresistible. I've been getting more and more excited as these get closer and closer to completion. Lutz, on the other hand, merely looked disappointed as soon as he saw what I took out of the steamer. "...Hey, those are just kalfe roots. I had really high hopes, since it's your cooking..." It seems that he's disappointed that this is something he's eaten before. Kalfe roots are a very common crop in the nearby areas, so they're an ingredient that shows up on everyone's dining tables very frequently. I wonder if he's tired of them? I can see how he'd be disappointed; this is extremely simple cooking. I didn't even peel them first. "Right, right! These are just kalfe roots cooked with b.u.t.ter, and you've eaten lots of these before, right? So you don't need to eat one, do you?" "...I'll eat it." I ignore Lutz as he grumbles to himself, quickly peeling the skin off the very top of the tuber. I wrap my hand in my ap.r.o.n so that it doesn't get scalded, and pick it up. I bring the steaming potato up to my mouth, open wide, and take an enormous bite. The surface of the tuber had cooled down quickly thanks to the frigid air, but the insides are piping hot as they melt within my mouth. Since they were steamed with the tronbay, they taste faintly of wood, like they were smoked. This flavor has intertwined with the savoriness of the b.u.t.ter, making a flavor that's nothing like anything I could find at home. "Mmm...," I say, squirming in pleasure at the taste. Lutz, next to me, simply lets out a sigh, breath white in the cold air, then takes a bite of his own tuber. Immediately, his eyes fly wide open, and he stares in shock at the tuber. He looks back and forth between me and his food, looking like I'd tricked him somehow. Tilting his head in confusion, he takes another bite. "...This is good! What is this?! This tastes totally different from the boiled kalfe root we eat at home!" "It's because they're steamed. All the nutrients and flavor are locked in there by the steam. Today, since we steamed them with the tronbay too, it picked up the flavor of that too, like if we smoked it, so it has a really luxurious sort of taste." While we gleefully dig into our kalfe roots, I tell Lutz about what what happened last night while we were working on the hairpins. "...So, yeah, Tory and Mommy were really amazing last night. They're really fired up about tonight, too. I couldn't even get one done, though, so I got reminded about how useless I really am, hah." "Don't get too proud." "How about you, Lutz? How'd it go?" Lutz, who's finished his entire kalfe root already, sadly licks the last remnants from his fingers, then shakes his head grimly. "n.o.body seemed to have any interest in anything I was doing, so even when I asked them for help, they all just pretended to ignore me." "I see. Well, how about I come to your house today and cast my magic spell?" "Magic spell?" "Yup! Once we get our money from Mister Benno, I'll go home with you, so look forward to it!" Now that we're done eating, I ask Lutz to draw some water from the well, then wash my hands and rinse out my mouth. Then, I take out the calculator that I'd brought and set it in front of Lutz. "Ummm, so, today, we have four completed hairpins to sell." Since we're discussing business, I make sure to speak clearly and politely for Lutz. "Yesterday, Mister Benno paid us for one in advance, so today we will be paid for three. Each hairpin earns us eleven medium copper coins. Now then, how much money will we make today?" As I explain the problem, Lutz listens with a serious expression, moving his fingers across the beads of the calculator. "Thirty-three!" "Correct! Well done, Lutz! Next, we've already established that you need to make twenty total pins. Yesterday, you made five. How many do you have left to make?" As I thought, Lutz gets frustrated when doing calculations that involve carrying or borrowing numbers, even when he has a calculator to help him, because they can't be done immediately. If he can't learn how to do single-digit calculations automatically in his head, these things will take a while even if he has a calculator, so for now I take away the calculator, write a bunch of numbers on my slate, and have him start working on practicing addition. "Let's just work on memorizing this," I say, speaking casually again. "You gotta get fast enough at this that you can answer immediately when asked something." One by one, I use my chopsticks to place the steamed sticks of tronbay into the tub full of water from the well. They hiss with steam as I push them down into the water, then Lutz takes them out and puts them onto a nearby board. Since this isn't flowing river water, the water in the tub quickly warms up. "The water's getting pretty warm," says Lutz. "One sec." While I wait for Lutz to draw fresh water from the well to refill the tub, I sit down and start working on stripping bark from each stick. Once the tub is full, I go back to soaking new sticks. This repeats for some time. After all of the wood has been removed from the steamer, I steadily keep working on stripping bark while the wood is still warm, and Lutz cleans up the pot and steamer. Finally, we hang the strips of bark from nails in the warehouse to dry, and our work for the day is complete. "Woohoo, all done!" "Alright, cleanup's all done too!" Since I'd been stripping hot bark for so long, even after hanging everything out to dry my fingers are still p.r.i.c.kling with heat. The cool air feels really nice on them right now. I take in a deep breath, filling my lungs with the cool, crisp air. "...Huh?" I'm not despairing over anything. I'm not anxious about anything. All I feel right now is the relief and sense of freedom you feel after finis.h.i.+ng a difficult task. "What the...? You're burning up?! Maine, are you alright? Can you hear me?!" I focus on my tightly-squeezed hand, struggling to shut down the fever as I've done so many times before. Even though I've been imagining building a strong wall around my inner core to keep it shut in, this time a fragment of it managed to penetrate straight through. Get back in there! I manage to force the last embers of it back down into the depths of my heart, but I think this time is the longest it's ever taken me. Immediately after my fever goes away, I'm suddenly weighed down by fatigue so heavy that I don't even want to move my mouth to speak. I don't really have the strength to stand anymore, so I sit down on the spot. Lutz, still holding tightly to my hand, is pulled along, crouching beside me. "Huh? Your fever... went down? What the h.e.l.l is this? Hey! Maine! Are you okay?!" "...That was... the devouring. You know, the thing Frieda was talking about?" "Wait, hang on. You're saying that there's no sign at all that you're suddenly about to get really sick?" "It comes really quickly. Until now, it's only happened when I'm feeling really strong emotions, but lately even the tiniest flicker of emotion seems to let it out... man, that startled me." I really was startled, but I picked such an ordinary word to finish that off with to try to lessen the raw shock of it all. Lutz, though, still looks like he's almost about to cry, still clutching my hand tightly. Trying to give him at least a little peace of mind, I smile broadly up at him. "Is there... anything you can do?" "...Frieda told us already, didn't she? It takes a huge amount of money. Mister Benno said the same thing." The blood instantly drains from his face, leaving him white as a sheet. "And, since that's that, shall we go to Mister Benno's shop now so that we can earn a little money?" I show him a happy smile, hiding the honest fact that putting in any large amount of physical effort would be intensely difficult. Lutz clenches his teeth tightly, then lets go of my hand and spins around so that his back is facing me. "I'll carry you to the shop. ...It's all I can do, after all." "It's all you can do? Don't you already do a lot for me, though?" "Argh, just get on!" I hear a quaver in his voice as he's urging me on. I pretend not to hear it, though, and lean against his back, draping my arms over his shoulders. Man, I'm beat, I think to myself. Back when I was Urano, living life without ever looking up from my books, I'd never had a friend who'd cry for me like this. I don't know if saying anything now is the right thing to do here. I've read about it in books, but I'm still not sure at all. Lutz, you're too kind. No matter how useless I am, you stay with me. I'm not even the real Maine, and you know that, but you've forgiven me.

フリーダと身食いの話 熱の中に呑みこまれ、端からゆっくりと食われていくような感覚は以前と同じで覚えのあるものだ。前と同じように意識をなるべく集中させて、わたしは何とか熱を退けようと抗ってみる。 わたし、本をまだ作ってないんだって! 以前に抜け出た時のやり方を思い出しながら、熱を中心に集めようともがいてみるが、以前と違って熱量が多すぎる。 もうホント邪魔! 退いてよ! このまま死ぬ気なんてないんだから! えいえいっ! と強気に自分の周りの熱を振り払っていると、突然ある方向に熱がぐわっと吸い取られ始めた。まるで掃除機のCMで大量のゴミがグオォォッと吸われて行くように、周囲の身食いの熱がなくなっていく。 あれ? 掃除機、壊れた? 何となくわたしが調子に乗って熱を送りこんだせいで、掃除機が壊れてしまったような気がする。 ......もしかして、まずいことしちゃった? どうしよう? 一気に減った熱がふよふよと漂う中で、わたしはしばらく途方にくれた。もちろん、現状を教えてくれる人もいなければ、自分以外の存在があるわけでもない。 助かったみたいだし、後で考えよう。 せっかく熱量が減ったのだから、さっさと片付けてしまおう。先程と違って、半分ほどに減ったように感じる身食いの熱を中心に押し込んで行く。 どこよ、ここ? まず、薄暗い。日が暮れかけているのかと最初は思ったけれど、暗いのはわたしの頭の方だけで、足の方からはほんのりと光が入ってきている。 お姫様のようなひらひらしたレースではなく、完全に人目を避けるための厚みある布で覆われている天蓋ベッドだ。こんなに布を使えるのはお金持ちに決まっている。 もしや、今度こそテンプレのお貴族様に転生した!? ベッドの素材もわたしのベッドとは全然違う。いつも寝ている藁ではなく、柔らかな素材の上に温かい毛織物のシーツと厚みのある温かい布団が被せられている。肌触りは良いし、すごく寝心地がいい。 麗乃時代はスプリングの利いたベッドで羽毛布団や柔らかい高級毛布を使っていたが、一年の生活でかなり記憶は塗り替えられたようだ。ゴロンと身体を横にしても、うごうごと頭を動かしても、枕や布団がカサコソ言わないし、シーツの下から藁が飛び出して、チクチクしないのが、不思議にさえ感じている。 藁布団もあったかいんだよ。慣れれば、ノミやダニに食われても寝られるようになるもん。慣れればね。 ......転生じゃなかったね。だったら、尚更ここどこ? わたしは自分が意識を失う前のことを何とか思い出そうと、記憶を探る。そういえば、意識を失う前、確かベンノがギルド長に連絡するように言っていたはずだ。 「......あ~、もしかして、ギルド長の家かな?」 身食いの熱を何とかする魔術具を持っているという話だったし、ここはギルド長の家で間違いないだろう。お金持ち具合にも納得できる。 「すみません、誰かいませんか?」 身体がだるくて起きたくないけれど、現状把握はした方がいい。ベッドの端に寝転がったまま、のっそりと手を伸ばして垂れ下がっているカーテンのような布をちょっと引っ張る。 わけがわからないまま動くこともできず、布団にくるまって待っていると、身体が温かくなってきて、睡魔がやってくる。 「マイン、目が覚めたのね?」 ふわりとカーテンが揺れると、薄い桜色のツインテールが覗き、火の灯ったろうそくを持って天蓋の中に入ってきた。 「......あ? フリーダ?」 「えぇ、そうよ。ご自分の状況はどれほど覚えているのかしら?」 フリーダはろうそくを台に置き、ベッドサイドの椅子に腰を下ろす。話をする雰囲気を感じて、わたしも身体を起こそうとしたら、フリーダが押しとどめた。 「今回の熱は身体には相当負担だったはずよ。そのままいた方がいいわ」 「ありがと。でも、話をするのに寝転がっていると眠ってしまいそうだから......」 わたしが身体を起こしてベッドに座ると、フリーダは苦笑しながら「無理をしてはダメよ」と言った。 「えーと、自分の状況だったよね? わたし、ベンノさんのお店にいる時に身食いが噴きだして呑みこまれたところまでは覚えてる。......多すぎて一人ではどうしようもなかった身食いの熱がどこかに吸い取られていったんだけど、もしかして、フリーダが何とかしてくれたの?」 あんな風に急激に熱がなくなるなんて今まではなかった。おそらく、ベンノが言っていた魔術具を使ってくれたのだと思うが、そうすると高価な魔術具をわたしが壊したということにならないだろうか。 ザッと血の気が引いていくわたしとは正反対に、フリーダはやんわりとした笑顔で何度か頷いた。 「ほとんど正解ね。壊れかけ寸前の魔術具に詰め込めるだけ詰め込んだの。魔術具は壊れたけれど、マインの身食いの熱はかなり減ったと思うわ。どう?」 「うん、すごく楽になった。でも、魔術具って高いって......」 真っ青で尋ねると、フリーダはとても楽しそうなイイ笑顔で値段を提示してくれた。 「えぇ。先程壊れた物が小金貨2枚と大銀貨8枚なの。ベンノさんはマインが支払うと言っていたけれど、本当に支払えるのかしら?」 ベンノがリンシャンの追加情報に値段を付けた時、ベンノはこの魔術具の値段を知っていたとしか思えない。そうでなければ、あまりにもピッタリすぎる。 あれ? でも、最初は小金貨2枚って情報料つけてたよね? それじゃあ、足りなかったんじゃ......。 ベンノの言葉に多少の齟齬を感じながら、わたしはフリーダに向かって頷いた。 「......支払えます」 「本当に持っていたなんて......マインをもらい損ねちゃったわ」 軽く目を見張って驚いたフリーダが、少し不満そうに頬を膨らませる。 「お金が払えなかった時はマインをわたくしの店に登録させるって話だったのよ。おじい様はベンノさんに魔術具のお値段を小金貨一枚と大銀貨2枚と伝えたって言っていたから、先回りしていても絶対に足りないと思ったのに。わたくしよりベンノさんの方が一枚上手ね」 小金貨2枚をお断りしたわたし、グッジョブ! そして、情報料をギリギリまで上げたベンノさん、マジ英断でした! ホッと胸を撫で下ろすわたしに、フリーダは少し唇を尖らせる。 「先程の魔術具は、例えるなら、カップから零れそうになった水を吸い上げただけのこと。カップの中の水がなくなったわけではないし、成長するにつれてまた水の量は増えていくの。わかるかしら?」 一年前より半年前。半年前より一月前。一月前より今。どんどん扱いにくくなっていた身食いの熱は、魔術具に吸い取ってもらった今は落ち着いている。かなり減ったけれど、これからまた増えていくのは、自分が一番よく知っている。 「困ったことに、器が大きくなる速度より、水が増える速度の方が速いのよ。だから、多分、またいっぱいになるまで、あと一年くらいしかもたないと思うわ」 同じ身食いだからだろう、フリーダの言葉が正しいことは実感としてわかる。わたしが頷くと、フリーダは意識的に感情を排除したような無表情で淡々と言った。 「だから、マイン。よく考えて選びなさい。貴族に飼い殺されても生きるか。家族と共に生活をして、このまま朽ちるか」 「え?」 「魔術具は基本的に貴族が所有しているものなの。わたしの身食いを知ったおじい様がお金に任せて、貴族にとっては価値のない壊れかけの魔術具を買い漁ったから、我が家にはまだいくつか魔術具があるけれど、他を探しても、もうないと思うわ」 「ええぇぇぇっ!? 価値がない壊れかけが小金貨2枚と大銀貨8枚ってこと!?」 わたしが大きく目を見開くと、フリーダは何度か目を瞬いた後、ゆるく首を傾げた。 「命の値段だと思えば、それほど高いわけでもないでしょう? きちんと作動する魔術具は大金貨が必要になるもの。身食いの平民は生きていきたければ、貴族のためだけに働く契約をして、魔術具を買い、その借金を返すために飼い殺されるしかないのよ」 それが当然のこと、というように説明するフリーダの姿から、フリーダ自身も何度も何度も同じ説明を受けてきたのではないかと思い至った。 「......もしかして、フリーダも?」 貴族と契約して魔術具を買ったのか、と尋ねると、フリーダは花が開くような笑顔で頷いた。 「えぇ。わたくしはすでに貴族と契約しているの。15の成人まではここで過ごすことを許されているわ。成人式が終わった後は、貴族の愛妾となることが決まっているのよ」 「はぁ!? あ、あああ、愛妾!? 愛妾って意味がわかって言ってる!?」 可憐で可愛い幼女の口から出てくる言葉とは信じられず、口をパクパクさせると、フリーダが逆に驚いたようにわたしを見た。 「......その反応、マインは愛妾がどういう存在がご存じなのね?」 6~7歳の子供が普通知っている言葉ではない。しかも、意味がわかっていて、そんなものになると決まっているなんて平然と言うのが、あり得ない。 「第二夫人や第三夫人になるお話もあったのですけれど、正式な妻になってしまうと相続権や妻同士の優先順位などが煩わしいんですって。特に、我が家は下級貴族よりお金があるから、無用な軋轢を生む可能性が高いとおじい様がおっしゃっていたわ」 「ひいいぃぃぃっ! ギルド長! 子供になんてことを言うの!?」 思わず叫ぶと、フリーダは少し表情を厳しくしてわたしを見た。 「マイン、他人事ではないわ。生きていくことを選べば、貴族の世界で生きていくことになるの。うまく立ち回らなければ、魔術具があっても別の理由で殺されることも少なくないわ。自分の身を守るためには情報は大事なの。隠されたら、自分自身が危険なのよ?」 「ごめんなさい。考えなしはわたしでした」 相変わらず平和ボケした日本人思考が抜けていないようだ。安穏と生きられたぬるま湯のような世界とここは別の世界だ。 「気にしないで。わたくしの場合はかなり特殊なの。おじい様がギルド長で、貴族の方々とも広く商いをしているでしょう? 繋がりが欲しい方も、援助を乞うてくる方もいて、自分や家族にとって条件の良いところを選ぶことができたんですもの」 「条件って......?」 なんとなく流れで首を傾げて問いかけると、よくぞ聞いてくれました! というような顔でフリーダが口を開く。 「わたくし、貴族街にお店を持てるの。旦那様のお屋敷に一室を賜わったり、離れを賜ったりするのではなく、自分のお店を持てるのよ。出店料も生活費も我が家持ちだけれど、貴族街に支店が持てるのと同じだし、身食いということで諦めていた商いができるようになるし、わたくし、とても楽しみなの」 輝く将来が楽しみで仕方ないと全身で表現されて、わたしの方が戸惑った。 「......そう、なんだ。フリーダは好きな人と結婚とか、考えないの?」 そういえば、結婚相手は父親が決めるんだ。完全に家と家のお付き合いなんだ。 「だから、貴族街に拠点を持てるということで家族は満足しているし、売り上げの3割を旦那様に納めることになるけれど、自分のお店が持てるし、旦那さまと物理的に距離を取ることで面倒事からも遠ざかることできそうだし、わたくしにとっては良い条件なのよ」 そんな可愛らしい笑顔で愛妾になる将来を語られると、常識が違うとわかっていてもわたしは複雑です。 「でも、マインには貴族にとっての利点がないでしょう? わたくしの愛妾などと言われる立場さえ羨ましいと思うような生活になるかもしれないの。よく考えて、ご自分が少しでも後悔しない生き方をしてくださいな」 あぁ、そうか。わたしも同じ身食いだから、生きるためには貴族の庇護が必要なんだ。 貴族に飼い殺しにされるか、家族と一緒にいて死ぬか。 「ありがとう。どうするか、考えてみる。詳しい話が聞けて良かった」 「えぇ、マインの周りには詳しい人はいないでしょう? 身食いのことで悩むことがあれば、相談してくださいな。本当の意味で分かり合えるのは、わたくし達だけだと思うから」 身食いは滅多にない病気だから、知っている人も少ない。相談できる相手がいるのは、本当に心強いことだった。 「お世話になりました。わたし、帰らなきゃ」 どんどん部屋が暗くなっていくのがわかる。日が暮れていく時間なのだろう。早く帰らなければ、家族が心配する。 「ご家族は今日も先程までいらしていたのよ」 「今日もって、わたし、意識失ってどれくらいたってるの?」 日付が変わっているとは予想外すぎた。わたしが目を剥くとフリーダは頬に手を当てて、少し首を傾げる。 「昨日のお昼前に運び込まれて、今日はもう日が暮れるわ。かなり消耗していたようで、熱が下がってから意識が覚めるまでにずいぶんと時間がかかったみたい。意識が戻っても様子見で明後日の洗礼式までお預かりすることになってるわ」 わたしの知らないところで、色々なやり取りがあったようだ。報告された家族の様子を考えただけで、胃が痛くなる。 「明日の朝にはルッツも来るでしょうし、ご家族もいらっしゃると思うわ。もう一度目を閉じて、休んだ方がいいわよ」

Discussing the Devouring With Freida Engulfed by this fever, I remember that this sensation of being slowly eaten away from the outside in is just like it was before. Just like before, I focus my willpower as best as I can, struggling to somehow push back the fever. I haven't even made any books yet! Remembering how I dealt with it the last time it slipped out, I try to wrestle it back into my inner core, but, unlike the last time, it burns far too hot to do so. Although I push and I push, it refuses to budge a single inch. You're in my way! Get back! There's no way I'm going to die like this! As I flail stubbornly at the fever weighing down on me, suddenly, it starts to be pulled away in some direction. Just like a mound of dirt in a vacuum cleaner commercial, the fever surrounding me is sucked away with a roar. Huh? Did the vacuum cleaner... break? I suddenly realize that maybe I was the one to break it, having gotten carried away at cramming things into it. ...Did I just do something awful? What do I do now? I drift lazily about in the much-reduced clouds of fever for a while, completely confused. Of course, there's n.o.body around me at all, let alone anyone I can actually ask for an explanation. It looks like I've been saved, so let's think about the rest of it later. Now that the raw heat of the fever has finally gone down, I immediately work to put it away. There's only about half of it remaining, so, unlike before, I can gather it up in my core and seal it away without any particular difficulty. I cram it away into the depths of my heart like shoving old cardboard boxes into a closet and shut the door tightly behind it. Basking in the triumph of finally finis.h.i.+ng this job, I feel my consciousness gradually start floating to the surface. Where am I? First off, it's dark. My first thought is that it's because the sun's gone down, but on closer examination it's more that the area around my head is dark. There's a little more light down by my feet. So, once I take another look around to confirm what I'm seeing, I now understand that the ceiling, or, rather, the thick green cloth that covers most of my field of view, hangs down around the entire bed. The part of it at my feet has a separation running along it, looking like it could be opened like a curtain. This cloth is not the fluttery lace canopy around a fairy-tale princess's bed, but a thick, heavy canopy designed to completely block out vision. Only rich people can afford to use cloth like this. Wait, maybe, did I get reincarnated as a n.o.ble this time?! The bed itself is completely different from my own. Unlike the straw mattress I usually sleep on, warm woolen sheets have been filled with something soft and cozy, like a thick, warm futon1. The texture is excellent, and it feels like it would be amazing to sleep in. Back in my Urano days, I had a spring mattress with a quilted top and some very high-quality blankets, but this last year has completely reconfigured my views of what a bed feels like. As I'm lying here, the mattress isn't rustling beneath me, nor is the pillow beneath my head as I'm looking around. There is no straw poking itchily at me through the sheets, either. This feels rather strange. Straw mattresses can be warm, too. Once you get used to them, you can even sleep through being bitten by the ticks and the mites. Yep, once you get used to them. Oooh, it's been so long since I've been on a mattress this good. I just want to sleep a little longer like this. ...So I haven't reincarnated again, then. So, really, where am I? I dig through my memories, trying to remember what happened to me right before I lost consciousness. Now that I'm thinking about it, I do remember Benno saying something about contacting the guild leader, I think. "...Ah, so, maybe this is the guild leader's house?" I think I remember hearing that the guild leader had a magic tool that could do something about the devouring, so this is almost certainly the guild leader's house. The level of wealth here supports that theory, too. "Excuse me," I call out, "is anyone there?" My body is still so heavy that I really don't want to get up, but I should get a good grasp of the situation. From the edge of the bed, I slowly reach out my hand, pulling slightly on the hanging, curtain-like cloth. Soon, an unfamiliar person slips through the curtain, perhaps having heard my voice. Although I have no idea what's going on, I still can't move. I wrap myself in the blanket, and as I grow warmer, my eyelids start to droop. "Maine, are you awake?" The curtains part, revealing a girl with pink pigtails. She steps inside the canopy, bringing a lit candle with her. "...Oh? Freida?" "Yes, it is I. How much of what happened to you might you remember, I wonder?" She sets the candle on the nightstand and seats herself on the chair next to the bedside. Since it seems we're about to have a conversation, I start trying to sit up as well, but Freida reaches out to stop me. "The fever this time took quite a toll on your body. I don't mind if you lie down." "Thanks, Freida. Although, if I'm lying down like this while we're talking, I think I might fall asleep, so..." I move my body, pus.h.i.+ng myself up into a sitting position. Freida, with a wry smile, reminds me not to overdo it. "Ummm, what happened to me, huh? Well, I only really remember as much as when I was in Mister Benno's shop, then the devouring came up and swallowed me. ...Then I remember that there was way too much of it for me to deal with by myself, but it got sucked away somewhere, so... Freida, did you do something to help?" I've never experienced anything like that fever vanis.h.i.+ng the way that it did. I think that what probably happened was that someone used a magic tool, like Benno said... and then while that was happening I broke the extremely expensive tool. The blood instantly drains from my face. In contrast, though, Freida gently nods her head. "That's essentially correct. We crammed as much of it as we could fit inside a magic tool that was just about to break. It broke partway through, but I think your devouring fever must be very much lessened. How do you feel?" "Yeah, much better. Although, I heard magic tools are really expensive..." Although my face is ghastly pale, Freida smiles again, looking amused as she tells me just how much it costs. "That's right. The one that broke just now was two small gold coins and eight large silver. Mister Benno said that you would pay for it, but, can you really, I wonder?" I can't help but think that Benno, when buying that additional information about rinsham from me, already knew how much this was going to cost. It would be a little bit too conveniently exact, if that wasn't the case. ...Huh? Didn't he open up his bid at two small gold coins, not three? If I hadn't made him go higher, then... Feeling a little weird about that inconsistency, I nod towards Freida. "...I can pay." "You really do have that much, huh... I underestimated you, Maine!" Freida's eyes momentarily s.h.i.+ne with amazement, but then she starts to sulk a little, her cheeks puffing out. "If you couldn't pay, he was saying that you'd sign up to work at my shop. Grandfather said that he'd told Mister Benno that the tool would cost one small gold and two large silver coins, so I thought you definitely wouldn't have enough. It seems that Mister Benno is one step ahead of me!" Good job, me, turning down that two-gold offer! Also, Benno, excellent call on raising your offer at the last minute! Working at the kind of shop that would try to trap people by misrepresenting the price of life-saving magical tools would give me ulcers! As I breathe a sign of relief, Freida looks at me, her lips pointed. "What that magic tool did... to use a metaphor, if you had a cup that was overflowing with water, it siphoned off some of the excess. There's still water left in the cup, and as you keep growing, it's only going to keep filling back up. Do you understand, I wonder?" There was more half a year ago than a year ago, more last month than half a year ago, and more just now than last month. The devouring fever steadily became harder and harder to handle, and it's only become manageable now thanks to the magic tool absorbing some of it. There's a lot less of it now, but it's only going to start building back up again. I'm more than well aware of this fact. "The troubling part is that the rate at which the cup fills is faster than the rate at which it grows bigger. So, you probably don't have any more than a year before it fills up again, I think." Since Freida has the same devouring I do, I know that she's telling the truth, and I nod my understanding. Freida makes a visible effort to put all the emotion from her face, and speaks with forced indifference. "So, Maine. You need to choose. Will you enslave yourself to a n.o.bleman, or live with your family until you rot away?" "Huh?" "Magic tools are, fundamentally, the possessions of n.o.ble families. My grandfather knew about my devouring and spent a lot of money to buy nearly-broken magical tools that the n.o.bility consider worthless, so my family now has a few, but I think that even if you were to look very hard, there wouldn't be any more out there." "Whaaaaaat?! A broken, worthless thing is two small gold and two large silver?!" My eyes go completely wide with shock. Freida stares at me for a moment, blinking a few times, then slowly tilts her head to the side. "That's a small price to pay for your own life, is it not? A properly-functioning magic tool is something you buy with large gold coins. If a commoner with the devouring wants to live, they need to make a contract with a n.o.bleman to work solely for their sake, buy the tool, and then work for the rest of their lives to pay off that debt." Freida looks at me like this is the most obvious thing in the world as she explains it to me, and I realize that this must be an explanation that she herself has been told many, many times. "...Freida, does that mean that you..." When I ask her if she's also going to enter in a contract with a n.o.bleman to buy a magic tool, she suddenly smiles brightly, like a flower blooming. "That's right," she says, nodding. "I've already made a contract with a n.o.bleman. He'll let me continue living here until I'm 15, when I'm an adult. Then, when my coming-of-age ceremony is complete, we've agreed that I'll become his concubine." "What?! H, h-hi-his, concubine?! Do you know what that word you're saying means?!" I cannot possibly believe that a word like that could have come out of the mouth of a sweet, adorable little girl like Freida. My mouth flaps open and closed, speechless, but Freida, strangely, looks at me in astonishment. "...From that reaction, Maine, you know what a concubine is?""I mean, a concubine... a concubine..." This is not a word that a six- or seven-year old child should know. On top of that, not only does she know what it means, she is perfectly okay with knowing that she'll become one. This can't be happening. "There was talk about being his second or third wife, but they said that if I were to be his official wife then things like the line of succession and the order of precedence amongst his other wives would become quite complicated. In particular, since our family has more money than many lower-ranked n.o.ble families, the chances are quite high that me marrying a n.o.bleman might cause quite a lot of unnecessary strife. That's what my grandfather told me." "Eeeeeeek?! Guild leader!" I unintentionally shout out loud. "What are you saying around kids?!" Freida's facial expression hardens, and she looks at me sternly. "Maine, don't think that this is not your problem too. If you choose to live, then you will have to live in the world of the n.o.bility. Unless you're skilled at social maneuvering, even if you gain a magic tool there are still many other reasons you could be killed. Information is key if you want to protect yourself. If he'd hidden that from me, I would have been in danger, you know?" "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." As usual, I'd let my stupidly peaceful j.a.panese thought process slip, and it seems like she didn't miss it at all. This is not the lukewarm world I had so peacefully lived in. "Don't worry about it. My particular case is rather unusual. My grandfather is the guild leader, and very many members of the n.o.bility do business with him, you know? There are those who wish to develop closer ties to my family, and there are those who seek our help, so we were able to select conditions that were the most favorable to both myself and my family." "When you say conditions, you mean...?" Somehow swept along, I tilt my head curiously to the side and ask my question. Freida gives me a look that seems to praise me for actually following along, then opens her mouth to reply. "I'll be able to get a shop in the n.o.bles' quarter. This won't just be me being given the first floor of my patron's residence or a detached room on the property, I'd get my very own shop. The startup fees and living expenses would be provided by my family, but this will be the same thing as establis.h.i.+ng a branch of our store in the n.o.bles' quarter directly. We'll be able to start up the kind of trade we had to abandon due to the devouring. I'm really looking forward to it!" Freida smiles brightly, her eyes glittering. Her entire posture conveys just how much she's looking forward to her gleaming future. I, however, am confused. "I... see. Have you thought at all about marrying someone you love, instead?" Argh, my common sense is really a lack of common sense in this world. Now that she mentions it, one's spouse really is decided by one's father. It's a relations.h.i.+p between two families. "So, my family will be able to establish a permanent location in the n.o.bles' quarter, and even though my patron will take thirty percent of my sales I'll be owning my own shop, and since I'll have some physical distance between myself and my patron I'll be able to escape the more troubling things, so I think these are quite favorable conditions for me." Watching Freida talk about becoming a concubine while wearing such a dazzlingly cute smile, I am once again reminded of just how much my own intuition differs from that of this world. My feelings right now are complex. "Although, Maine," she continues, "you don't seem to have anything to offer a n.o.bleman, do you? I thought you'd be quite envious of my situation when I told you about me becoming a concubine. Think about it, Maine, and try to live a life that you won't come to regret." Ahh, I see. Since I have the devouring as well, if I want to live, I'll need to find the patronage of a n.o.bleman, too. So, what she's telling me is that before the next time I'm overwhelmed by the devouring I should think about what I plan to do with myself in the future. Do I plan on forever indebting myself to a n.o.bleman, or do I die surrounded by my family? "Thanks, Freida. I'll think about what I should do. I'm glad you told me all of this." "Certainly; you don't have anyone else in your life that could tell you of these things, correct? If you're ever worried about the devouring, please come talk to me. We're the only ones who can really understand each other about what's happening to us." Since the devouring is such a rare disease, it's similarly rare to find someone who knows about it. It's extremely rea.s.suring to know that there's someone I can talk to about it. "I'm grateful for the offer, thank you," I reply. "I should probably go home now." I've realized that the room is gradually growing darker and darker. The sun will probably be setting soon, I think. I need to return home as soon as I can, or my family will be worried about me. Since our conversation is finished, I move to get down from the bed, but Freida pushes me back down. "They were here again earlier today." "Again...? How long was I unconscious?" I was not expecting it to be a totally different day. As my eyes go wide, Freida puts a hand to her cheek, tilting her head thoughtfully to the side. "You were carried here shortly before lunch yesterday, and today the sun is already setting. It seems that you're still very exhausted, and it seems like it took you a very long time to wake up even after your fever went down. Even though your fever's already gone down, it's been decided that you'll stay here, just to make sure you're okay, until after the baptismal ceremony the day after tomorrow." It looks like a lot of things happened without me knowing about them. Even just thinking about what my family must have felt when they were told what happened to me makes my stomach ache. "Lutz, I believe, will be coming here tomorrow morning, and I think your family might come along too. So it is okay to close your eyes again and rest for now, Maine."

隣に立つ神官長が挨拶するのを聞いている間、わたしは手の中の小さな魔術具を見つめていた。特定の相手にしか声が通じなくなる盗聴防止用の魔術具で、本日の会談においてはわたしの声が神官長以外の人には聞こえないようにするために使われている。 要は、余計な事を言わずに黙って見ていろ、という神官長の指示である。ルッツのフォローをしたいと訴えたら、「私が らかにしなければならないのは、ここに集う当事者の思惑や意思だ。第三者が口を挟むと混乱する。特に、君は中立ではなく、ルッツの味方だと公言している。邪魔だ」と、言われた。 いつもの回りくどさはどこに行ったのか、とツッコミを入れたいレベルだ。 わたしが会談の場に同席する条件がこの魔術具を握っていることだったので、今日のわたしはお人形のように座っていることしかできない。腹立たしいことに、ベンノもマルクも神官長の意見に賛成した。 席はテーブルを真ん中に、椅子が四角に設置されている。わたしと神官長が入室して一番奥の位置に座り、ルッツがわたし達の正面、そして、左右にルッツの両親とベンノとマルクという位置取りだ。 挨拶と簡単な自己紹介が終わると、最初はルッツの主張について神官長が述べる。これはルッツから神官長が直接聞いたもので、わたしも知らなかった家庭での出来事がまとめられていた。 「......以上がルッツの訴えだ。ルッツ、これで間違いはないか?」 小さく震える拳をきつく握って、ルッツは口を開いた。 「どんなに頑張っても、オレは認めてもらえないんだ。オレの望みはことごとく父さんに反対されて......」 「甘ったれるな!」 ルッツの父ディードおじさんが膝の上で拳をきつく握り締めて、ルッツを一喝した。 突然の大音声にビクッとして、わたしの身体が椅子の上でぴょこんと浮く。普段、職人達を相手に指示を出していることで、慣れているのだろう。神官長の部屋どころか、貴族区域に響き渡りそうな野太い大声に、わたしの心臓が縮みあがった。 怖いっ! すごいびびったから! 心臓に悪いから! だが、心臓が縮みあがったのはわたしだけではなかったようだ。その場にいたみんなが顔を強張らせて、一斉にディードおじさんを見た。 わたしはベンノからよく雷を落とされているが、外で常に張り上げているディードおじさんの迫力と声量は段違いだった。 「頑張った? 認めてもらえない? 甘ったれたことを言うな」 いかつい肩をグッと動かし、身を乗り出すようにしてルッツに顔を向けると、ギョロリとした迫力ある目でルッツを睨む。怒声でなくても声が大きいし、低くて野太いので傍で聞いているだけでも十分に怖い。 全員の前で怒鳴られて青ざめたルッツが、泣きそうなところを必死に奥歯を噛みしめて堪えているのが、正面から見ればわかった。声を掛けたくてもかけられないもどかしさに、わたしも唇を噛みしめていると、わたしの隣に座っていた神官長が立ち上がる。 ディードおじさんの野太い大声とは違う、低くてもよく通る声が静かに問いかけた。 「ディード、貴方は甘ったれるな、と言ったが、それはどういう意味だ? それを説明しなさい」 「ハァ? 甘ったれるな、と言った意味? ルッツは甘ったれたことを言っているだろう?」 ディードおじさんはわけがわからないと言うように、腕を組んで首を傾けた。おじさんの中では、一言で済むはずのことをほじくり返されて困惑しているような顔になった。 「頑張ったが認められないことが悔しいと訴えるルッツに、甘ったれるなと、貴方は言ったが、どの辺りが甘えているのか、私には理解できない。職人や下町の常識には疎いからな。私にわかるように説明しなさい」 「あぁ、アンタにはわからんか。......説明、説明......難しいな」 ルッツ相手なら、なんでわからないんだ、と済ませてしまえても、貴族相手には済ませられない。基本的に短い命令文句で仕事も済んでしまうのだろう。ディードおじさんは眉を寄せて言葉を探す。 「親の反対を押し切って、就いた職業だ。頑張るのは当たり前。洗礼式を終えてまだ季節さえ変わっていないのに、認めるも何もあるか? 後ろ盾も何もない仕事を選んで突っ込んでいったのは、そこのバカ息子だ。血反吐吐くほど努力しても、一人前にさえなれるかどうかわからんのに、何を言ってるんだ、という意味だが......今度はわかるか?」 「あぁ、理解できた。そういう視点で見ると、甘ったれている、になるな。ルッツ、君にも理解できたか?」 ディードおじさんの指摘にルッツがグッと言葉を呑んで、悔しそうに歯を食いしばって、俯く。逆に、ディードおじさんは自分の主張を理解してもらえたことに、少しばかり安堵の色を見せた。 貴族という神官長の地位を完全に利用した会合だが、こうして詳しく聞きだしてみると、おじさんの言葉にはきちんと意味があったことがわかる。ルッツの言葉を聞いただけではわからなかったことだ。 「ルッツ、反論はないのか? ディードの意見が正しいと認めてしまって良いということか?」 神官長が静かな口調で促すと、ルッツはゆっくりと顔を上げて、両親を見た。 「オレは成果を認めてほしいなんて言ってない。せめて......。せめて、商人見習いになることを認めてくれたっていいだろう!?」 「......俺は勝手にしろ、と言っただろうが」 意味がわからないとばかりに。眉間の皺を深くして目を細めたディードおじさんが、ガシガシと頭を掻いた後、くいっと顎を上げてルッツを見た。その様子からは、未だに反対しているようには見えない。 「勝手にって......え? それって......?」 混乱したようにルッツが首を傾げると、カルラおばさんが溜息混じりに解説してくれる。 「父さんは父さんなりに認めてたってことだよ」 「ちょ、母さん!? 知ってたんなら、教えてくれよ!」 「アタシだって、この人の言葉を聞いたのは、今日が初めてだから知るわけないよ」 カルラおばさんが肩を竦めて首を振った。親子間、兄弟間だけではなく、夫婦間でも言葉が足りないらしい。「言葉にしなきゃわかるかよ......」とルッツは力が抜けたようにガックリと項垂れたが、わたしはルッツの意見に賛成だ。 「ディード、それはルッツが商人見習いとして働くこと自体には異議がないということで良いか?」 神官長の質問にディードおじさんは、いちいち聞くなと言わんばかりの面倒くさそうな顔で頷いた。 「俺は商人が好きなわけじゃないし、何を好き好んでなるのか全くわからんが、親の反対を振り切って男が一度選んだ仕事なら、住み込み見習いだろうが、何だろうが、根性でやりきればいい。泣き事をぬかして、孤児院に逃げ込むな。みっともねぇ」 わたしは思わず「おじさん、違う! それ、わたしのせいだから! ルッツは逃げてなんてないから!」と叫んだけれど、誰にも聞こえなかったようだ。こちらを向こうとする人が誰もいない。 唯一聞こえるはずの神官長を見てみれば、手首に鎖で魔術具を引っ掛けているだけで、握っていない。最初からわたしの声なんて聞く気ゼロだったらしい。ひどい。 「孤児院に逃げ込むって、それはマインが......」 わたしと同じように反論しかけたルッツが慌てたように口を噤む。むぐぐっと一度唇を引き結んだ後、グッと顔を上げて、おじさんを睨んだ。 「だったら、どうして仕事で余所の街に行くのに許可してくれねぇんだよ!?」 今回、ルッツが家を出ることになった直接の原因は外に出るための許可が出ないことだった。街の外に出ることを目標に商人見習いになったルッツにとって一番耐えがたいことだったが、それも一言で切り捨てられる。 「考えればわかるだろうが!」 ディードおじさんが怒鳴るが、わからないからルッツは家出したのだ。やれやれ、と肩を竦めた神官長がまた口を出した。 「わからないので、理由を述べなさい」 「......またかよ」 げんなりとした顔でおじさんは、あ~、と唸る。こういうのは苦手だと言いながら、眉を寄せて口を開いた。 「ルッツが商人になるのと、街を出るのは完全に別問題だろうが。街の外は危険だ。凶暴な獣もいるし、盗賊もいる。子供を連れて行くようなところじゃねぇ」 「そのとおり! 危険すぎるよ」 ディードおじさんとカルラおばさんの言葉にわたしはハッとした。わたしは近くの森に行くくらいしか街から出たことがないので、全く実感などなかったけれど、街の外は危険でいっぱいらしい。 ここでは子供達だけで門を出て森へ採集に行くのが当たり前だ。街の中と同じように出て行っていたので、街の外が普通の親なら反対して当然の危険なところだとは思わなかった。 それに、この街にはルッツが話を聞けるくらい普通に吟遊詩人や旅商人がいて、東門の方にある宿屋には旅の人が出入りしている。だから、旅をするのが大変だと言っても、徒歩だったり、馬や馬車を使ったりで交通の便が悪いくらいの認識でしかなかった。 おまけに、いちばん身近な大人になるベンノが別の街に工房を作ると言って、余所の街に行って帰ってきたのを目の当たりにしていたから、大した危険を感じていなかった。 ......わたし、まだここの常識が全然わかってないんだなぁ。 そろそろ二年になるけれど、知らないことばかりだ。わたしが溜息を吐く横で、神官長は軽く眉を寄せて首を傾げた。 「全く危険がないというわけではないだろうが、ベンノが向かう先は東門を出て、馬車で半日も行けば着くところだ。徒歩ならともかく、馬車ならば心配いらないだろう?」 「必要ない」 ディードおじさんはハッキリとそう言いきる。ルッツはカッとしたように顔を紅潮させて、おじさんを睨んだ。 「仕事だって言ってんだろ!」 「落ち着きなさい、ルッツ。ディード、必要ないと言うのはどういうことだ?」 手でルッツを制止し、神官長はディードおじさんに説明を促す。さすがにおじさんも神官長に問われることを予想していたらしく、視線をベンノとマルクに向けた。 「そこの男は余所に工房を作るのに、ルッツを連れて行きたいと言ったんだ」 「あのな、たった3年契約のダルアの、しかも、見習いに何の勉強が必要だと言うんだ?」 ダルア契約した見習いは日本で言うと3年契約の見習いアルバイトのようなものだ。基本的にさせるのは単純作業で基礎を叩きこむのがメインだ。店や工房ができあがった後、オープン作業に駆り出されることはあっても、出店のための契約や工事に携わることはない。 必要ない仕事のために危険な街の外に行く必要はないと言うディードおじさんの意見は、筋が通っている。 わたしと神官長が揃ってベンノに視線を向けると、ベンノは軽く溜息を吐いて、ディードおじさんを見た。 「ですから、先日もお話させていただいたように、私は、今後の店の展望とルッツの能力を考えた結果、ルッツを跡取りとして教育したいと考えています。余所の街での工房開設を見せるのもその一環であるし、そのための養子縁組を望んでいるのです」 「フン、話にならんな」 ディードおじさんはベンノの申し出をぴしゃりと撥ね退けた。そう言った後、周りを見回して、「これも理由が必要か?」と呟く。 神官長は「もちろんだ」と答え、申し出を断られたベンノも、ディードおじさんを見据えて頷いた。 「理由があるならぜひともお伺いしたいです。失礼ながら、商売をしているわけでもない貴方ではルッツの後ろ盾にはなれない。養子縁組は店だけではなく、ルッツにとっても利になる契約のはずですから」 ベンノの言葉にディードおじさんは軽く一度目を伏せる。その後、ギョロリとした目をベンノに向けた。 「アンタ、子供がおらんだろう?」 「......ですから、後継ぎとしてルッツを考えているのですが?」 子供がいないことが断る理由になるのか、と訝しげにベンノが眉を寄せる。ベンノの場合、子供がいないから養子縁組を考えているのだ。 しかし、ディードおじさんは「そういう意味ではない」と言った後、ゆっくりと息を吐いた。 「アンタの言うとおり、俺ではルッツの後ろ盾にはなれんし、アンタがルッツの能力を買ってくれるのはありがたいとは思う」 言葉を探すように視線を彷徨わせた後、ルッツとベンノを交互に見た。 「アンタは経営者としては立派だろうし、商売人としても有能だろうよ。ルッツのことで面倒をかけても、それに付き合うだけの度量も寛大さもある。だが、親にはなれん」 ベンノのことを罵るわけでも不当な評価をしているわけでもなかった。それでも、駄目だと言う。「親にはなれん」と言う意味がわからない。 「ベンノが親になれないというのはどういう意味か、説明しなさい。何か悪い評判でもあるとでも言うのか?」 神官長の言葉にディードおじさんは、う~ん、と唸った。「悪い評判があれば楽なんだが」と言いながら、息を吐いて、真っ直ぐにベンノを見る。 「いくら仕事の評判が良くても、養子にする理由の一番に店の利益を上げるようなヤツが親にはなれん。親になるというのは利益で考えることじゃない。違うか?」 ベンノがハッとしたように軽く目を見張った後、苦い笑みを浮かべた。 「なるほど。おっしゃるとおり、確かに、私にとって最優先するのは店の利益だ」 ルッツを確保することが、店にとって、ベンノにとって一番利益になるから養子縁組を考えた。もちろん、ルッツの性格や有能さもそこには加味されているだろうけれど、店を継がせるための後継ぎだから、利益が最優先だ。 商人ならば当たり前の姿勢だが、それが親の姿勢ではないと糾弾されれば、ベンノには反論できないに違いない。 「養子縁組を拒否された理由はわかりました。だが、私は真剣にルッツの将来性を買っています。養子縁組ではなく、ダプラ契約なら、頷いて頂けるのでしょうか?」 ダルアがアルバイトや契約社員なら、ダプラは店を任される幹部候補生のような扱いだ。店からの保障も待遇も仕事内容も全く変わってくる。 「ずいぶんと気が早いとは思うが?」 「気が早いとはどういう意味だ?」 神官長の言葉に、ディードおじさんは面倒そうな表情を隠そうともせずに肩を竦めた。 「普通はダルア契約で仕事する様子を数年間見た後で、ダプラとして契約するかどうか考えるもんだ。洗礼式から季節も変わってないような見習いだぞ、ルッツは」 ディードおじさんが難色を示すと、ベンノは意外そうに眉を上げた。 「洗礼式からは季節も変わってませんが、私がルッツと係わるようになってからは一年ほどたっていますが?」 「えぇ。見習い一人を抱え込むのは店側に負担となるのはご存知でしょう? 縁も義理もないルッツを当初は採る予定がなかった。私はルッツを見習いにするに当たって、すぐには達成できないような課題を与えました。しかし、ルッツは私の予想以上の結果を残しました」 「ほぉ......」 初めて聞いたと言わんばかりの顔でディードおじさんがベンノの話を聞いている。 わたしの記憶が確かならば、あの頃は紙を作る職人にならなっても良いとおじさんが言っていたはずだ。もしかしたら、紙を何のために作っていたかということは聞いていなかったのだろうか。ルッツが言っていなかったのだろうか。 「ルッツには商人の家で育っていない不足分を必死に埋める努力も、忍耐力もあります。余所に取られる前に手元に置いておきたいと考えていますし、真剣に教育するなら、なるべく早くしなければならないのです。努力は買っていますが、ルッツには基礎がないので」 「......いくら力になってやりたくても俺では商売人の後ろ盾にはなれん。いずれ店を任されるほど立場を見込まれているなら、その契約はルッツのためになるだろう」 「では、商業ギルドで早速手続きいたしましょう」 マルクがニコリと笑って言い添えると、ディードおじさんはものすごく嫌そうに顔をしかめた。 「これだから商人は......」 「......父さん」 ルッツの口から小さな呟きが漏れた。 切り上げ口調で言葉を断ち切っていた父親の言葉の意味を知って、自分にかけられていた愛情を知って、感極まったのだろう。ディードおじさんとよく似た色合いの翡翠のような目から、ほたりほたりと涙を落とす。 「ルッツ! 謝れ!」 日に焼けてわかりにくいが、多分赤くなっている顔で、突然そう叫んだ。 「......ディード、それではわからない」 「お前の勝手な誤解で暴走したせいで、これだけの人数を振り回したんだ。誠心誠意謝れ!」 ディードおじさんの言葉がぐさっと胸を突いた。これだけの人数を振り回したのは、ルッツではなく、むしろ、わたしだ。 「す、すみませんでした!」 声が届かないまま、わたしはルッツと一緒に謝った。ルッツの両親はルッツを見ているが、神官長とベンノとマルクの視線はわたしの方を向いている。 「ほれ、帰るぞ、バカ息子」 ルッツが駆け寄っていくと、ディードおじさんがゴンと一発ルッツの頭にゲンコツを落とす。殴られて「いてぇ」と言って涙を拭いながらも、ルッツはちょっと嬉しそうにおじさんの隣に並んだ。 「俺も言葉が足りなかったようだ。......その、助かった」 ディードおじさんは照れくさそうな顔で神官長にそう言った後、くるりと背を向けて部屋を出た。カルラおばさんがルッツの手を取って、手を繋いで歩いていく。 「旦那様、私達も商業ギルドへ参りましょう」 「神官長、本日は誠にありがとうございました。お陰さまで、無事に解決したようです」 たらたらと長い口上と共に、ベンノは退室の挨拶をして部屋を出て行った。ルッツ達を追いかけて、商業ギルドでダプラ契約をするのだろう。 ベンノとマルクが退室してしまうと、部屋に残されたのはわたしと神官長だけになり、灰色神官が椅子の片付けなどをするために出入りし始めた。 「必ず全ての言い分を詳らかにするように。片方の言い分だけ聞いていたのでは見方が歪む」 わたしが声にならない声を発して頷くと、神官長は鎖で繋がっていた魔術具を手の平に握りこんだ。 「あの家族が壊れなくて良かったな」 「え?」 突然の言葉にわたしが目を瞬かせて見上げると、神官長は「君が言ったことだろう?」とあまり感情を感じさせない無表情の中、少し嫌そうに眉を寄せる。 「家族と和解させて、ルッツを家に戻す。それが君にとって最良の結末だったのだろう?」 神官長の言葉に、わたしはルッツの嬉しそうな泣き顔を思い出した。家族に理解されないと歯を食いしばっていたルッツが嬉し涙を流しながら、おじさんとおばさんと一緒に帰っていった姿に、わたしも目の奥が熱くなってくる。 「うん、よかった。......ホントによかった......」 誰も彼も言葉が少なすぎるせいで、こじれにこじれていただけで、家族として、親子としての情がなかったわけではない。ルッツが家族の元に戻れてよかった。 「泣き止みなさい。......これでは私が泣かせたようではないか」 灰色神官がチラチラと様子を伺ってくる視線に気付いた神官長が苦い顔になる。 「これは、嬉し涙だからいいんです」 「まったく君は......」 わたしが青の衣の袖で涙を拭こうとすると、神官長はものすごく困った顔でハンカチを貸してくれた。 ハンカチには名前が刺繍されていて、わたしは神官長の名前がフェルディナンドということを知った。

While the Head Priest gave his greetings next to me, I observed the small magic tool in my hand. The magic tool prevents eavesdropping by only allowing designated people to hear the speaker's voice. In today's meeting it will be used to make sure that my voice can only be heard by the Head Priest. In short, the Head Priest's wants me to stay silent and avoid saying anything unnecessary. When I complained that I want to back up Lutz I was told, "I have to learn the intentions and motives of the related parties in detail. If an outsider interjects, it will only lead to confusion. Especially as you are Lutz' ally and therefore biased. Your comments would only be bothersome." His rebuke was so direct that I nearly replied "What happened to your usual roundabout way of speaking?" The condition for me to attend today's meeting was that I hold the magic tool, so all I can do is sit still like a doll. To my irritation, Benno and Mark agreed with the Head Priest's opinion. The chairs are arranged around a square table in the middle of the room. The Head Priest and I take the seats furthest from the door. Lutz sits across from us with Benno and Mark sitting on the right and Lutz' parents on the left side. After the greetings and simple introductions, the Head Priest plainly states Lutz' case. As the Head Priest directly asked Lutz about it, other incidents at his home even I didn't know about were revealed. "... These are Lutz' grievances. Is everything correct, Lutz?" Tightly grasping his slightly trembling fists, Lutz says, "No matter how hard I work, I can't get their approval. My wishes are completely rejected by dad..." (Lutz) "Don't be so naive!" Lutz' father, Uncle Dido, roars at Lutz, tightly grasping his knees. The abrupt yell made me jump in my seat. Usually he gives instructions to the workers and thus he's probably accustomed to speaking in such a loud voice. Startled, my heart freezes at his deep loud voice that seems to not only reverberate through the Head Priest's room, but also the n.o.ble's area. Scary! I got really frightened! That's bad for my heart! However, it looks like it wasn't just me who had their heart frozen. The faces of everyone present stiffen and they all look at Uncle Dido simultaneously. I have often experienced Benno's wrath, but it's remarkably different in volume and intensity to that of Uncle Dido who's always raising his voice outside. "Worked hard? Can't get our approval? Don't say such naive things." He suddenly hunches forward with a grim expression, turning his face towards Lutz. He glares at Lutz with fierce uncompromising expression. Even though there isn't anger in his words, his deep, gruff voice is terrifying even when heard from the sidelines. Lutz, pale from being yelled at in front of everyone, has his teeth clenched desperately, looking like he's about to burst into tears. I grit my teeth as well, unable to even call out to him. The Head Priest stands up from his place beside me. In sharp contrast to Uncle Dido's throaty, loud voice, he calmly asks in a firm, low voice, "Dido, you told him to not be naive, but what do you mean by that? Explain yourself." "What? Me telling him to not be naive? Isn't it obvious from what he's saying?" Uncle Dido folds his arms and tilts his head incomprehensibly. He visibly pa.r.s.es the comment repeatedly in his head. "You said "Don't be naive" to Lutz who's claiming in frustration that he can't get any recognition although he's doing his best, but I'm not able to grasp how he's acting naively. Is it because the common sense of the lower city and the craftsmen is estranged? Explain it to me in a way that I can understand." "Oh, so you don't understand? ... Explain, explain... how annoying." He can't just shut down the discussion by asking "Why don't you understand?", like he could if it were just Lutz rather than a n.o.ble. He probably does his work with the same short, gruff demeanor. Uncle Dido frowns and pauses, looking for the right words. "It's a job he took while fighting us. Obviously he has to work hard. The season hasn't even changed since his baptismal ceremony, is there even anything to acknowledge? The one who idiotically jumped into a job without having a single backer was my stupid son there. Even if he tries till he coughs blood, he doesn't even know if he can continue this job into adulthood...you get it now? "Yes, I believe I understand. From your perspective, Lutz's actions may indeed appear to be naive. Lutz, were you able to understand as well?" Lutz swallows down his words after hearing what Uncle Dido had to say, grits his teeth with a mortified expression, and casts his eyes down. On the other hand, Uncle Dido looks relieved that the Head Priest understands his stance. Even though this was originally a meeting to make use of the Head Priest's social status as a n.o.ble, when I listen properly to the details, I realise that Uncle Dido has some good points. It's just that I didn't know as I only listened to what Lutz was saying. "Lutz, you have no objection? May I take this to mean that you acknowledge Dido's opinion as correct?" At the Head Priest's gentle urging, Lutz slowly lifts his head to gaze at his parents. "I'm not saying that I want them to recognise my accomplishments. It would be... It would be fine if they at least approved of me becoming a merchant apprentice, no!?" "... I did tell you to have it your way though, didn't I?" As if he doesn't understand, Uncle Dido squints, deepening his forehead wrinkles. But, after roughly scratching his head, he quickly raises his chin and looks at Lutz. The long held stubbornness has vanished from his gaze. "My way... eh? That means...?" Lutz tilts his head to the side in confusion, and Aunt Karla explains with a sigh. "It means that your father has accepted it in his own way." "Wai-, mum!? If you knew, why didn't you tell me!?" "It's the first time I've heard these words as well. There's no way I could possibly have known before." Aunt Karla shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders. It seems the lack of communication between child and parent as well as between siblings, also afflicts the married couple. "How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me...," Lutz hangs his head crestfallen as if he had lost all strength, and I agree with Lutz' opinion. "Dido, does this mean you accept Lutz working as merchant apprentice?" Due to the Head Priest's question, Uncle Dido nods with an annoyed expression as if telling the Head Priest to not ask him about each and every single thing. "It doesn't mean I like merchants, and I don't get why he wants to be one, but if he still wants it despite no matter what we say, it's fine so long as he goes at it with guts. He can be a live-in apprentice or whatever else. But, taking refuge at the orphanage to escape, there's no way that I'll acknowledge that." With a disapproving air of finality, Uncle Dido straightens again and crosses his arms. I reflexively shout "Uncle, it's not like that! It's all because of me! It's not because of Lutz not having the courage to continue this lifestyle or anything like that!", but nothing elicits a reaction from anyone in the room. When I glance back at the Head Priest, who should be the only person who can hear me, I see the magic tool dangling uselessly from his wrist. It appears he never had any intention of listening to my voice from the very start. How cruel. "Taking refuge in the orphanage, that was Maine..." Lutz, who had begun the same protest as I did, cuts himself off quickly and snaps his mouth shut. Pursing his lips, he suddenly raises his head defiantly and glares at Uncle. "If that's the case, why aren't you giving me permission to go outside the city for work!?" The direct cause for Lutz leaving his home this time was due to him being unable to get permission to go outside the city. For Lutz, who became a merchant apprentice with the goal of leaving the city, that was the most difficult to accept, but even that is cut down with a brief reb.u.t.tal. "You'd understand if you bothered to think about it for a second, wouldn't you?!" Uncle Dido shouts, but Lutz ran away from home because he clearly doesn't understand. The Head Priest calms them down with a "Now, now" and interrupts the conversation once again. "Tell us the reason since we don't understand." "... Again!?" Uncle lets out a weary groan. Frowning and muttering under his breath that he's bad at this kind of thing, he explains, "Lutz becoming a merchant apprentice and him leaving the city are two totally different things, aren't they? It's dangerous outside the city. There's vicious animals, and also thieves. You don't take a child out there." "He's right! It's far too dangerous!" I'm taken aback by their words. Since I never left the city except for going to the nearby forest, I never actually experienced it myself, but it seems outside the city is full of dangers. In this place it's natural for just the children to leave through the gate and go collecting things in the forest. Given that they left in the same manner all over the city, I didn't think that the outside would be a dangerous place that causes normal parents to object. Besides, at least according to Lutz' stories, there are troubadours and peddlers in this city, and travellers are freely coming and going at the inns located in the direction of the eastern gate. Therefore, although one might say that it's difficult to travel, I thought it was just because travelling was inconvenient since travellers use horses and carriages, or walk. On top of that, since Benno, the adult closest to me, has said that he has set up a workshop in a different city and is the very example of someone going outside the city and coming back, I didn't get the impression that it's very dangerous. ... I guess I still don't get the common sense around here at all. Although it's been close to two years now, there are so many things I don't know. Seeing me sigh beside him, the Head Priest frowns slightly and tilts his head to the side. "It's not like I'm saying that it's completely safe, but Benno's workshop can be reached in a half day with a carriage after leaving the eastern gate. It would be different if it was by foot, but there's no need to worry if it's with a carriage, is there?" "It's unnecessary," Uncle Dido immediately rebuffs. Lutz' face flushes, flaring in anger, and he glares at uncle, screaming, "I said that it was for work, didn't I??!?" "Calm down, Lutz. Dido, what do you mean when you say that it's unnecessary?" The Head Priest restrains Lutz with a hand and prompts Uncle Dido to explain himself. Even Uncle expected this question from the Head Priest. He turns to look towards Benno and Mark. "Because that man there said he wants to take Lutz out because he built a workshop outside the city." "Now you listen here, are you telling me that that's necessary, in any field, for an apprentice? Moreover one who only has a three-year Dalua contract?" If you put it into j.a.panese terms, a Dalua apprentice is like a contracted apprentice who works for three years. They're mostly contracted to do simple tasks, while they learn the basics. Even if they are later recruited to a new store or workshop after it is built, they are never involved in the actual construction or contracting of branch stores. Because I knew that it had been Lutz' dream to go outside the city, I thought that it was great for his dream to come true. However, if you consider it normally, this isn't the work of a Dalua. It's the work of Dapla and heirs. It's not a work Lutz should be doing. Uncle Dido's belief that there's no need to make the dangerous trip outside the city for the sake of unnecessary work makes sense. The Head Priest and I together turn our looks at Benno, who sighs lightly and looks at Uncle Dido. "That's why I requested the privilege of talking to you the other day. After careful consideration of Lutz's abilities and the future of the store, I would like to train Lutz as my heir. Involving him in the establishment of the workshop outside the city is a part of this. It's also why I wish to adopt him" "Humph, that's out of the question." Uncle Dido flatly brushes Benno's request aside. He looks back at the Head Priest and mutters, "Do I have to give a reason for this as well?" The Head Priest answers "Of course," and Benno, who was turned down, nods while staring at Uncle Dido. "If there's a reason, I'd like to ask for it by all means. I say this with all due respect, but you, who has likely never traded before, won't be able to become Lutz' backer. The adoption should be an agreement that should turn into an advantage, not only for the store, but also for Lutz." At Benno's breakdown of the situation, Uncle Dido slightly lowers his eyes for a moment and then looks at Benno firmly in the eyes. "You, you don't have any children, do you?" "... That's why I have decided on Lutz as my heir?" "Is the fact that I have no children a reason to turn me down?" Benno frowns doubtfully. From the start, Benno intended to adopt an heir as he has no children. However, Uncle Dido replies with "That's not what I mean", before breathing out slowly. "Like you said, I can't become Lutz' backer and I'm glad you value Lutz' abilities." His gaze wandering as he looks for the right words, Uncle Dido alternated between looking at Benno and Lutz. "You are probably a great storekeeper and a capable merchant. You're also obviously kind and generous since you put up with all this trouble from Lutz. But you wouldn't become his parent." It's not like he cursed at Benno or gave him an unfair a.s.sessment. And yet, he still say that it's no good. I don't understand what "But you wouldn't become his parent." means. "What do you mean when you say that Benno wouldn't become his parent? Explain it. Are you saying that there are some unsavory rumors about him?" Uncle Dido groans at the Head Priest's question. "It would be easier if there were bad rumors about him," he sighs, and looks directly at Benno. "No matter how great your work reputation might be, you won't be able to become a parent because the biggest reason to adopt him is to raise the store's profits. Being a parent isn't about profit. Or am I wrong?" His eyes widening slightly, obviously taken aback, Benno smiles bitterly. "I see. It's just as you say. Certainly for me the store's profit takes the highest priority." He wanted to adopt Lutz because securing him would be best for Benno and for the store. Of course he likely took Lutz' character and ability into account, but since he would be an heir for the sake of having him succeed the store, the profit would be the highest priority. It's a justified approach for a merchant, but it means that Benno can't say a word in his own defense when he's accused of not having the att.i.tude of a parent. "I understand the reason why you rejected the adoption now. But, I truly value Lutz' future prospects highly. Would I be able to get your consent if it wasn't an adoption but a Dapla contract?" If Dalua are part-timers and contract employees, Dapla are treated like inexperienced management candidates who will be entrusted with the store. The securities, salary and work details will also change completely. "Isn't that way too fast?" "What do you mean when you call it fast?" At the Head Priest's interjection, Uncle Dido shrugs his shoulders, not even trying to hide his annoyance. "You usually consider whether to offer a Dapla contract or not after having observed the work of a Dalua contractor for several years. The season hasn't even changed yet since his baptismal ceremony and the start of his apprentices.h.i.+p. " Hearing Uncle Dido's objection, Benno raises his eyebrows in surprise. "The season hasn't yet changed since his baptismal ceremony, but Lutz has been working for me for around a year now, though?" "Indeed. You are probably aware that each added apprentice becomes a burden for a store, right? At first I didn't plan to take in Lutz, to whom I have neither any relation nor any debt of grat.i.tude. For his trial period, I gave him a task that would be impossible to achieve right away. Yet, Lutz delivered results that went beyond my expectations." "Hoo..." Uncle Dido listens to Benno as if he's hearing about this for the first time. If my memory serves, Uncle said that it's fine for him to become a paper craftsman at that time. I wonder, did he maybe not ask why we were producing paper? Or did Lutz not tell him? "Lutz hasn't been raised in a merchant family, and yet he puts great efforts toward covering his shortcomings and also possesses fort.i.tude. I want to have him nearby so he can observe before taking him outside. That has to happen as fast as possible if I'm to train him seriously. After all Lutz lacks the basics, even though I value his endeavours." "... No matter how much I want to help him, my backing is useless to a merchant. If you think he'll end up managing the store at some point, that contract will probably help him. " "Let's head to the trade guild and finish the formalities at once then." Marks adds with a smile, causing Uncle Dido to grimace while looking very reluctant. "This is the reason why merchants..." "... Dad." The word gently escapes Lutz' mouth. Well aware of the meaning behind his father's cut-off words, Lutz is probably overcome with emotion after experiencing the full force of the love directed at him. His tears glisten as they drop from those jade eyes that resemble Uncle Dido's so much. Aunt Karla sobs quietly as well, but Uncle Dido, caught in-between them, averts his eyes from both of them uncomfortably and scratches his head. As he was not one to willingly discuss these things, he seemed to be embarra.s.sed and emotional. "Lutz! Apologize!" Uncle Dido suddenly yells, his face red, though it's hard to tell if it's due to emotion or because he's heavily sunburned. "... Dido, he won't understand with just that." "You got this many people involved because of your reckless behaviour and selfish misunderstanding. Apologize with all your heart!" Uncle Dido's words pierce my heart. The one who got this many people involved is not Lutz, but rather me. "I-I'm sorry!" My voice still doesn't reach anyone, but I apologize together with Lutz. Lutz' parents watch Lutz, but the Head Priest's, Benno's and Mark's gazes are turned my way. "Hey, we are going back, stupid son!" Once Lutz rushes over, Uncle Dido's fist lands on Lutz' head with a thump. Even while wiping away his tears and saying "Ouch" after being hit, Lutz looks happy as he stands next to Uncle. "My words were apparently lacking as well. ... Umm, you were a big help." After Uncle Dido says that to the Head Priest with an awkward expression, he turns around and leaves the room. Aunt Karla takes Lutz' hand and walks out with him. Master, we should also go to the trade guild." "Head Priest, I'm truly thankful for today. We were able to find a satisfactory conclusion thanks to your timely a.s.sistance." After an unnecessarily long speech, Benno finally excuses himself. He's probably chasing after Lutz and his parents to finalise the Dapla contract at the trade guild. Once Benno and Mark leave the room, only the Head Priest and I are left in the room. Grey-robed priests start to come and go in order to put away the chairs and such. "Make sure to always get a full account on all viewpoints. Listening to only one side will distort your way of understanding." Seeing me nod and soundlessly reply, the Head Priest grasps the magic tool still hanging from his wrist. "It's a good thing for that family to not break apart, right?" "Eh?" When I blink up at him after hearing that sudden remark, the Head Priest elaborates, "You said it yourself, didn't you?" Still appearing fairly stoic, he frowns as if he's slightly displeased. "Having Lutz reconcile with his family so that he goes back home was the best possible outcome for you, right?" Due to the Head Priest's words, I recall Lutz' delighted, tear-stained face. That image of a Lutz crying tears of joy as he goes home with Uncle and Aunty after the all the misunderstandings he's endured this whole time, makes my eyes burn with tears as well. "Yeah, it's wonderful... really wonderful..." It's not like there wasn't any affection between parent and child, but things just kept s...o...b..lling due to the lack of communication. It's great that Lutz was able to return to his family. "Stop crying. ... Doesn't this look as if I made you cry?" He glances at the grey-robed priests, who are silently watching the situation as they wait, and reveals a bitter expression. "These are tears of happiness, so it's fine." "Good grief, you are..." Seeing me try to wipe my tears with the sleeve of my blue robe, the Head Priest lends me a handkerchief with a very uncomfortable expression. From the name embroidered on the handkerchief, I learned that the Head Priest's name is Ferdinand.

子供達が歓声を上げてヴィルマに群がり、自分達がどんな仕事をしているか、どんなことができるようになったか、口々に説明し始める。 子供バリアで灰色神官が近付く隙など全くない。そして、ヴィルマを守ろうと決意したわたしの出番もない。 「これから先の作業には道具が必要になりますから、今日はここまでですわ。皆様、お疲れさまでした」 今日は早速家に帰って製本作業の続きだ。わたしは自分で確保した一部をバッグに入れる。ルッツには工房から表紙にするための透かしが入った紙を一枚持ってきてもらった。 バッグから表紙にする紙を取り出し、テーブルに置きながらトゥーリに尋ねると、トゥーリは少し首を傾げた。 「針と糸で縫うから、多分、わたしよりトゥーリの方が上手にできると思う」 「そっか。......じゃあ、手伝うから、わたしにも本をちょうだい。わたしも字を覚えたいの」 ちょっと恥ずかしそうにトゥーリがそう言った。わたしやルッツが書字板や石板に書いている様子やコリンナが注文時にメモを取っている姿を見て、トゥーリも字を覚えたくなったらしい。 わたしはごそごそと父の工具セットの中から製本に必要な道具を探しだしてきて、テーブルに並べていく。物差しと千枚通しとトンカチと板だ。 「ルッツ、ここに穴を開けてほしいの。千枚通しを真っ直ぐに立てて、トンカチで叩いたら真っ直ぐの穴が開くから」 わたしは物差しで測って、今度は表紙が汚れないように、千枚通しを押しつけて、印を付ける。わたしの力では穴が開かないところがちょっと悲しい。 ルッツがトンカチを持って、コンコンと穴を開けていく。トゥーリは穴が開いたら糸を通すとわかっているようで、針に糸を通し始めた。 「二番目の穴の裏から表に針を出して、ぐるっと背を回ってもう一度裏から表に糸を通して......そうそう。それで、トゥーリの人差指の長さ分くらい糸を残して、本を開いてページの中心に残った糸を一度引きだして、ページの間に押し込んで見えないようにするの」 「針でもうちょっと押し込んで。そう、いい感じ。残り糸の処理が終わったら、三番目の穴の表から裏に針を出して、ぐるっと背を回って、もう一度表から裏に糸を通してね」 しゅるしゅると糸を通しながら、トゥーリが呟く。穴が開いているところに順番に通していくだけなので、順番だけ忘れなければ、綴じる事自体は難しくない。緩まないように丁寧に綴じていけばいいだけだ。 「これで、天まで糸を回したら、次は裏表紙を上にして、最後の糸の始末だよ。こうやって、こっちからここへ針を通して結わくの」 「この糸は強く引っ張って、よく結んだ後、針を二番目の穴に通して、結び目を穴に落とすんだよ。こうすれば簡単に解けないから」 「これで、糸を切ったら......本の、できあがり」 「マイン、切れよ」 「でも、まだたった一冊だ。もっともっと作るんだろ? 読んでも、読んでも、終わらないくらい、いっぱいの本を作るんだ。な、マイン?」 ルッツの翡翠の瞳はもう次の目標を見据えている。わたしも自分の野望を達成するために、次々と挑戦を続けていかなくてはならない。

"If you want to continue at home, I'll go and help. It's better to see you do it than to hear you explain it." The gelatin wasn't ready yet, and I didn't have anything to replace it. Therefore, I intended to make the children's edition of the Scripture into a thread-bound book. "Tools are needed for the next step, so let's call it a day. Go and rest." I just wanted to go home early and continue binding. I put my share in my bag and asked Lutz to go back to the workshop and get a piece of flower paper for the cover. I asked, taking the flower paper from my bag to be the cover and placing it on the table.Turi tilted her head. "Because it's needlework, I think you would do a better job than I would." "I see. I'll help you. Will you give me a copy of this book? I want to learn to write, too." Turi said shyly. She must have been inspired by seeing how Lutz and I wrote on the board and how Corinna took notes while taking orders. Her request was a piece of cake. I could even be her governess for her sake. I rummaged in my father's toolbox and took out the tools for binding books, such as the ruler, the awl, the hammer and the board. "Lutz, punch where I marked. Stand up the awl and hammer it down, and the hole will be made straight. " Instead of using a soot pencil, I used an awl to make four dents so as not to stain the cover. But I didn't have the strength to punch, which made me a little sad. Lutz took the hammer and began to punch. Perhaps antic.i.p.ating the imminent needlework, Turi had made preparations in advance. "Thread through the second hole from the back, around the back of the book, and through the back again... yes, yes, that's it.Next, leave a thread about the length of your index finger, open the book, pull it in, and hide it between the pages." "Push the thread in a little more with the needle. Yes, that's great. After you've finished with the rest of the thread, run a new thread through the third hole from the front, around the back of the book, and through the front again." Turi threaded with great speed, muttering, "I can't believe it's so easy." All she had to do was run the threads through the holes in order, and as long as the order was not wrong, the threading itself was not difficult, she just had to be careful not to let the threads loose. "When you get the thread around the top of the book, turn the book over to the back, and it's the last step.Cross the thread like this, and it will tie itself." "Then pull hard on the thread, tie it tight, run it through the second hole and pull the knot into the hole so it won't come loose easily." "The only thing left is to cut the thread..." "Cut it off, Maine." "But there's only one. You want more than you can read. Do you, Maine?" Lutz's emerald eyes were fixed on the next target. In order to achieve our ambition, we must continue to challenge one after another. I wiped my tears away and grinned.

入れない楽園 わたしが灰色の神官によって連れていかれたのは、貧民でも利用できる救護室ではなく、明らかに宿泊室だった。それも、ちゃんとした内装の綺麗な部屋で、門にある待合室から考えても貴族に紹介されるような金持ちや商人に対する部屋だと思われる。 原因はこの衣装だろうな......。 衣装にどれだけの布を使えるか、刺繍に色や糸を揃えられるかで、おおよその家庭の収入具合が判断できる。 でも......わざわざ貧乏人ですなんて訂正する必要ないよね? 勝手に判断したのは神官だし、手の平を返されたら、どんな扱いになるか想像できないもん。馬鹿正直に全部喋る必要はないってことでいいよね? 「失礼」 眉を寄せて考えていると、灰色の神官によって、わたしはそっと長椅子に座らされた。 へ!? あまりにも自然で当たり前のような対応にぎょっとする。フリーダの家でユッテがあれこれと世話を焼いてくれた時のようだ。灰色の神官は明らかに人の世話をすることに慣れている。 「ぅあ、あの、本当に、大丈夫ですから」 「神の前で嘘はよくない。ここは神殿だ」 嘘じゃないのに......。 ベッドに寝かされ、丁寧に布団をかけられた。その後、神官は髪飾りをベッドサイドに置いて、ベッドの前に靴を並べる。神官というより、まるで熟練の側仕えのようで、違和感が大きい。 「休んでいるんだ。後で様子を見に来る」 「......はい」 まだ身体にあまり力が入らないのは事実なので、ベッドで寝転がったまま回復を待つ。 倒れた原因を家族に聞かれるに決まっているが、笑いすぎて倒れたとは言えない。心配してくれたルッツも怒るに違いない。そう思った瞬間、グ○コで寄ってきたルッツの姿を思い出して、ププッと笑いが零れた。 少しゴロゴロしていると、身体の力が戻ってきた。手を握ったり、開いたりして握力の確認をしてみる。 さて、どうしよう? ちょっとお花を摘みに行きたくなってきた。 ベッドのすぐそばにおまるはあるけれど、水場がわからないのにやってしまうと後始末に困る。多分ここに泊るような人は、従者連れなので自分で後始末なんてしないのだろうけれど、わたしには従者なんていない。 のそりと起き上がり、手足を軽く振ってみる。いきなり倒れるほどではなさそうだ。ベッドサイドに置かれていた簪で髪をまとめた。フリーダの家ではベッドサイドに人を呼ぶためのベルが置かれていたが、ここにはない。 緊急事態だし、人を探しに行こう。 人が見つかるまで一体どれくらい時間がかかるかわからないので、切羽詰まる前に行動しておきたい。 柱や壁に彫刻やレリーフがあっても、基本的には全て白い石造りの廊下が続いている。コツコツと歩く足音が壁に反響して大きく聞こえているが、自分以外の足音もしなければ、人の気配も全くない。ひとまず、洗礼式が行われていた場所に戻ろうと歩き始める。 ......あれ? 曲がるところを間違えた、かな? 白い神殿内なのに、ところどころに色彩が見えてきた。彫刻や石像が少しずつ洗練されて豪華になってきているのは、もう気のせいではない。貴族が出入りする辺りに入りこんでしまったようだ。 ザッと血の気が引いていく。貴族に見つかったら、尋問され、ひどく面倒な展開になるとしか思えない。 まずい。早く戻らなきゃ! わたしはくるりと踵を返して、びくびくしながら早足で来た道を戻り始めた。できるだけ早く貴族ゾーンから抜け出したい。道を間違わずに戻れるように、特徴のある目印を指差し確認しながら歩く。 この彫刻は見たでしょ? あの布も見覚えがあるし......。 宿泊室に戻るための曲がり角を探しているとカツカツという規則正しい足音が近付いてくるのが聞こえた。貴族ゾーンから抜け出した後だったら、諸手を挙げて歓迎したけれど、今は見つかりたくなくて、回避したい。 「誰!? ここで何をしているの!?」 厳しい声をかけてきたのは、髪をきちんと結いあげている女性の神官だった。仕事ができそうなキリッとした顔つきで、でも、どことなく色気のある秘書のような雰囲気の持ち主だ。 貴族ではないことに安堵の息を吐いて、わたしは即座に貴族ゾーンに踏み込んだことを詫びた。 「ごめんなさい。洗礼式で倒れて、お部屋を借りていたマインと申します。従者もなく、人を呼ぶベルもなかったので、人を探していたんです。迷ってしまったようで、気付いたらここに......」 じっとわたしを上から下まで見ていた彼女は仕方なさそうに溜息を吐いた。頬に片手を当てて、物憂げに息を吐いているだけなのに、妙に目が離せない。 「こちらの用件を済ませたら、洗礼式のあった礼拝室まで送るわ。少し待てる?」 「はい、お世話になります」 わずかに目を細めた神官がカツカツと靴の音を響かせながら歩いて行く。わたしは小走りになりながらついて行くが、長距離移動されると倒れそうだ。 「ここで少し待っていて。用件を済ませてくるから」 しかし、彼女が移動したのは部屋一つ分くらいの距離だったお陰で、倒れずに済んだのは幸いだった。 「は、はひ......」 ぜぇぜぇと荒い息を吐きながらわたしが頷くと、神官は少し心配そうに眉を寄せてわたしを一瞥した後、ギッと扉を押して入っていった。 「っ!?......もしかして、図書室?」 それほど広くはない部屋だが、壁際にずらりと本棚が並んでいる。パッと見た範囲では紙や木札が詰め込まれた棚の方がほとんどだけれど、鍵付きで、中に何が入っているのかわからない棚もあり、貴重な本が納められているのだろうと推測できた。 部屋の中央には本が読みやすいように、天板が斜めになっている閲覧用の長机が向かい合わせに2つ設置されていた。大学の講義室にあったような感じの長く繋がっている机と椅子で、5人くらいが並んで座れそうな長さがあった。 そして、机の上部からは、ほぼ等間隔に頑丈で重そうな鎖が垂れていて、ぶ厚い本が鎖に繋がれて6冊並んでいる。 「......『チェインドライブラリー』だ」 外国の歴史ある図書館に行くのは麗乃時代の夢だった。外国ではなく、異世界の神殿図書室だが、これも夢が叶ったと思っても良いだろうか。外国の図書室、鍵付きの本棚、チェインドライブラリー、どれも本で読んで、図書館の歴史に触れた麗乃が実際に見てみたくて仕方がなかったものだ。 自分の胸元を押さえている指先が震えている。心臓が早鐘を打って、全身にすごい勢いで血が巡っていくのがわかる。ずっとずっと望んでいたものが目の前に存在するという奇跡を目の当たりにして、次から次へと熱い涙が溢れてきた。 「は、初めて見た......」 チェインドライブラリーも初めてだが、図書室が作られるほどの本も、この世界に来て初めて見た。それほど大きい部屋ではないが、一冊の本も見つけられない生活が続いていたわたしにとっては、幸せの宝庫だ。 まさに、この図書室こそ神が作り給いし楽園。わたしの神はここにいる! 「神に祈りを! 神に感謝を!」 図書室、それも、チェインドライブラリーを発見したわたしは感動のまま、グ○コのポーズをとり、その後、土下座して、神に感謝を捧げた。ちょっとふらふらしたけれど、わたしの感激と感謝は伝わっていると信じたい。 服でゴシゴシ顔と手を拭いて、汚れていないか、何度も確認する。 「失礼しま......ぶべっ!?」 開かなかった自動扉に激突したような感じで、顔面を強打した。かなり勢い良くぶつかったせいか、目の前がチカチカ点滅している。 わたしはその場に座り込み、片手で顔を押さえながら、もう片手で入口辺りを探ってみた。ある一定以上奥には手が進まない。やはり、目には見えない壁があった。テシテシと叩いてみたが、開く気配はない。 「え? な、なんで?」 女性の神官は普通に入っていった。どうしてわたしだけが拒まれるのかわからない。すぅっと目の前が暗くなっていくような気がして、わたしは力いっぱい透明の壁を叩く。見えない壁はびくともしなかった。 楽園が目の前にあるのに入れない。これだけの本が見えているのに触ることもできない。 「やだ、入れて! わたしも入れてよぉ!」 貴族くらいしか持っていないくらい本は高価で希少だ。洗礼式で子供を黙らせるために魔術具を使っていたくらいだ。貴重な本を守るための仕掛けくらいあっても不思議ではない。 「読みたいよぉ......」 用件を終えたのか、いくつかの資料らしき紙の束を抱えて先程の女性神官が出てきた。床に座り込んで透明の壁に寄りかかる形で号泣するわたしを見下ろして、彼女はじりっと一歩後退りした。 「......何を、しているの?」 「うえええぇぇぇぇっ......なんで、なんで、わたしは入れないんですか?」 ペシペシと透明の壁を叩きながら質問すると、彼女は図書室を振り返って、「あぁ」と小さく呟いた。 「貴重な本があるから、利用できるのは神殿関係者だけなのよ」 彼女の言葉にパァッと脳内に希望の光が差し込んできた。神殿関係者しか利用できないなら、神殿関係者になればいい。神はまだわたしを見放していなかった。 「質問です。どうしたら、神殿関係者になれますか?」 「......一番簡単なのは、神殿の巫女見習いになることじゃない?」 どうやら、女性の場合は神官ではなく、巫女と言うらしい。ならば、目の前の彼女は成人しているので、女性神官ではなく、巫女だ。 「じゃあ、わたし、神殿の巫女見習いになります! どうしたらなれるんですか?」 「神官長か神殿長の許しがあればなれるわよ。さぁ、礼拝室に行きましょう」 話を打ち切ろうとした巫女にわたしはふるふると頭を振った。 「神殿長はどちらにいらっしゃいますか?」 「洗礼式で神殿長のやることは終わったから、今はお部屋にいらっしゃるけれど......今から行くの?」 彼女がドン引きしているのは見ればわかるが、貴重な情報提供者を逃すわけにはいかない。 「はい! このまま帰れません!」 「......一応神殿長に伺ってみるわ」 わたしの不退転の意思を汲み取ってくれたのか、衣装から判断して対応を決めたのか、わからないが、仕方なさそうに溜息を吐いて、彼女はわたしを神殿長の部屋へと連れて行ってくれた。 わたしはどうやら結構奥の方まで迷い込んでいたようで、神殿長の部屋はすぐ近くにあり、許可が取れるまで豪華なドアの前で待つことになった。 「神殿長、巫女見習いの希望者がいるのですが......」 「希望者?」 少し開いたままのドアから、神殿長と女性神官のやり取りが聞きとれた。就職面接のような緊張感がみなぎってきて、わたしはドアの陰でピッと姿勢を正し、手早く身嗜みの確認をする。服の一箇所が乾いた涙と鼻水でちょっとカピカピしている。 「はい、本日の洗礼式に来ていた子のようです」 「ふぅむ、一応会ってみるか」 スマートにすっと入室したかったけれど、予想以上にドアが重くて動かなかった。仕方がないので、重いドアに全体重をかけてぐっと押しながら、隙間に身体を滑り込ませるようにして入室する。 神殿長の部屋はフリーダの部屋とよく似た作りの部屋だった。ドアから比較的近い中央にテーブルと椅子があり、応接スペースになっている。ドアから一番遠い部屋の隅には重厚な天蓋のついたベッドがあり、反対側の隅には仕事をするスペースがある。 「名前は?」 「マインです。神殿長、お願いします。わたし、巫女見習いになりたいんです。どうか許可をください」 両手を胸の前で組んでお願いすると、神殿長は少し面白がるような笑みを見せて、ペンを置いた。 「ここに図書室があるからです」 わたしが答えると、神殿長は予想外の答えだったのか、わずかに目を見張った。 「......図書室? 字が読めるのか?」 「はい、わからない単語は多いですけれど。本を読めば、知っている単語は増えていきます。だから、命の続く限り、ここにある本を読み尽くしたいと思っています」 神殿長はこめかみを押さえて溜息を吐いた。わざとらしいほどに肩を落として、首を振った。 「君は何か勘違いをしているようだ。神殿は、神に祈る場所。神官も巫女も神に仕えるものだ」 「その通りです。わかっています。神殿長が今日の洗礼式で読んでくださったあの分厚い聖典は神々について書かれたものですよね? わたしにとって聖典は神そのものなんです。神についての全てを読み尽くしたい。わたし、神の全てを知りたいんです」 「君は聖典原理主義者か?」 少し悩んだけれど、一緒に洗礼式を受けた子供達がそんな言葉を知っているとも思えない。余計な事は口に出さずに、よくわからない時は流しておくのが一番だ。 「初めて聞く言葉なので、意味が良くわからないのですが、聖典を読みたい、神のことを知りたいと思う心には一片の曇りもありません。火の神の加護を受けるわたしの情熱を信じてください。巫女見習いになり、ここにある本を全て読み尽くして神を知りたいと思うわたしの祈りと願いは、神殿長には通じませんか?」 畳みかけるように訴えると少しばかり引き気味の神殿長はわたしを上から下まで見て、ふぅむ、と何度か頷いた。 「君の情熱はわかった。希望すれば、確かに神殿巫女見習いになれなくはない」 「本当ですか?」 「だが、君のような家庭の子供が神殿に入りたいと願うならば、その情熱に応じた寄付が必要になる。君はいくら寄付が必要か知っているのか?」 お金を持っていそうな衣装だから、足元を見てふっかけてやろう。神殿に入りたいなら相応の金を出せ、ということだろう。 「寄付の相場は知りませんけど......わたしが自由にできる範囲で、大金貨1枚までは出せます」 神殿長が唾を飛ばしながら素っ頓狂な声を上げた。巫女も口元に手を当てて、目を丸くしている。二人の反応に、どうやら高額過ぎる金額を提示したことがわかった。 「あれ? 高すぎました? でも、最高金額ですから、それ以上は出せませんよ?」 神殿長と女性神官が顔を見合わせた後、取り繕うようにゲフンゲフンと咳払いをして、真剣な眼差しでわたしを見据えた。 「あ~、君のような情熱の持ち主が巫女見習いになりたいと願うのは神殿側としては実に素晴らしく喜ばしいことだと思うが、洗礼式ということはすでに仕事が決まっているだろう? どこかに所属しているのではないか?」 確かに、勤め先が決まっていたら、いきなり巫女見習いにはなれないだろう。だが、在宅予定のわたしに勤め先などない。 「一応商業ギルドに、仮登録してますけど、仕事は決まってません。身体が弱いので、在宅で仕事をする予定でした」 「在宅? 商家の娘か? 巫女見習いになるにはどこかに所属していては無理だ。商業ギルドを脱退し、巫女見習いになればいいが、親は何と言っている?」 「親にはこれから相談しますけど......」 わたしはそこで一度言葉を切った。商業ギルドについては即答できない。物を売買するには加入が必須だったはずだ。 「商業ギルドの脱退なんてできるのかな? 今まで貯めたお金やこれから先作る商品ってどうなるんだろう?」 考えをまとめようと思った独り言を聞き咎めるように神殿長が目を見張った。 「今まで貯めたお金? 商品? 親の仕事を手伝っているのではないのか?」 「違います」 神殿に入るための自己アピールのチャンスだ。わたしは面接の注意事項を思い出しながら、今まで自分が頑張ってきたことと、そこで得られたものを語った。約一分で。 「......ふぅむ、家事手伝いでの仮登録ではないなら、脱退するより、そのままの状態で見習いになれるよう、ギルド長と交渉してみた方が良いかもしれんな」 バッチリ手応えはあったようで、感心したように神殿長が笑みを浮かべた。 「わたし、まずは、親に相談してみます」 「あぁ、親に反対されたり、悩みがあったりした時はすぐに相談に来なさい。本が読みたいなら、この部屋に来なさい。図書室には入れないが、ここにある聖典を読ませてあげることはできる」 「本当ですか!? やったぁ! 神に祈りを!」 バッとグ○コのポーズをとった瞬間、ぐらりと身体が傾いだのがわかった。すぅっと血の気が引いていく。 しまった。興奮しすぎた。 ルッツがいなかったので、わたしの興奮と暴走を止めてくれる人がいなかった。 「何だ!? どうした!?」 目の前で倒れて動かなくなったわたしに、神殿長が驚愕したように目を見開いて、椅子を蹴倒すような勢いで立ち上がった。 首を傾げるようにそう言った巫女に神殿長が目を吊り上げる。 起き上がれないまま、わたしは二人に謝った。 「すみません、興奮しすぎました。動けないので、もうしばらくお待ちください」

Forbidden Paradise The room the gray-robed priest brings me to is not the sort of room that would be used to give aid to poor people. No, this room is for lodging. On top of that, based on how clean it is and how much care has been put into the interior design, if I were to compare it to the waiting rooms at the gate then it would definitely remind me more of the room set aside for the rich, the merchants, and those bearing letters of referral from the n.o.bility. I wonder if it's because of this dress... Based on how much cloth is used in a garment, and how lavishly and colorfully it's been embroidered, it's possible to roughly guess how much money its wearer's household makes. Compared to my normal clothing, today's dress is unusually fluffy and frilly. Its embroidery isn't just limited to the hems, and tiny lace flowers have been sewn onto it. It's extravagant. My hairpin is a custom design too, so at first glance, I think I probably look like I was rich enough to be on Freida's level. But... I don't need to expressly point out that I'm actually from a poor family, do I? The priest is the one who arbitrarily decided this, and if he were to change his mind then I have no idea what kind of treatment I'd actually get. Aren't I always being told not to be so naively honest about everything? "Pardon me." As I frown, thinking to myself, they gray-robed priest gently sits me down on a couch. I feel like I'm about to fall over, so I reach for the armrest to steady myself. At about that time, the priest gently removes my hairpin and, with careful movements, removes my shoes as well. Uh?! I'm shocked by how spontaneously and naturally this treatment is coming. This reminds me of how in Freida's house Jutte was constantly stepping in to a.s.sist with nearly everything. This gray-robed priest is clearly accustomed to taking care of people. My eyes grow wider and I completely forget to even try to politely decline as he stands up, gets a bed ready, and carries me like a princess over to it. "...Ah, um, I'm really doing fine!" "It isn't good to lie before the G.o.ds. You're in a temple, you know." It's not a lie, though... He lays me down on the bed, then politely covers me with the blanket. Then, he places my hairpin at the bedside, and arranges my shoes at the foot of the bed. Instead of a priest, this man seems to be an incredibly skilled personal attendant. This is making me more than a little uncomfortable. "Rest here," he says. "I'll check in on you later." "...Okay." The priest leaves the room, closing the door behind him with a clack. It's true that I can't really move my body with any real power behind it, so I'll wait here for now, recovering my strength. My family will undoubtedly want to know why I collapsed, but I can't actually tell them that it's because I was laughing too hard. Lutz, who'd been so worried, would definitely get mad if he heard that, too. As soon as I think that, the image of Lutz doing the Gl#co flashes through my mind, and I snort with laughter. I lay there idly for a while, and my strength comes back. I clench and unclench my fist to make sure of it. Now then, what to do? I vaguely need to go powder my nose.1 There's a chamber pot right next to the bed, but since I don't know where to get water, cleaning up my mess afterwards would be problematic. The kinds of people who usually stay here probably bring servants with them so they don't have to deal with that themselves, but I don't have anything like that. There's also no way I can ask that priest, who I just met, to clean up after me. At the very least, I want to find someone to ask where I can get water, then find a way to sneakily take care of my own business. I slowly pull myself upright, and experimentally wave my arms and legs. It looks like I'm better to the point that I'm not going to suddenly pa.s.s out again. I use my hairpin, left at my bedside, to do up my hair. At Freida's house, there was a bell at the bedside to call for someone, but there isn't one here. This is a state of emergency. Let's go search for someone. I have no idea how long it will actually take to find someone, so I'd rather get started on this before things get really desperate. I climb down off of the bed, put on my shoes, and slip out of the room. Even though the walls are occasionally decorated with pillars, carvings, and reliefs, the corridors that stretch on ahead of me are made primarily out of white stone. The clicking of my shoes against the stone echoes off of the smooth walls, but I can't hear anyone else's footsteps, nor do I see any other trace of human presence. For now, I'll start heading back towards the place where the baptismal ceremony was being held. ...Hm? Did I take a wrong turn somewhere? Despite how white the temple is, I'm starting to see splashes of color here and there. The carvings and statues have gradually become more refined and elegant, to the point where I'm sure I'm not imagining how extravagant they've become. I think I've gotten myself close to where the n.o.bility come and go. The blood instantly drains from my face. If a n.o.ble spots me, I'll get interrogated, and things will get really, really difficult for me. Not good. I need to turn around, right now! I spin on my heels, then, almost trembling in fear, quickly walk back the way I came. I want to get out of the n.o.bles' zone as fast as I can. To make sure I don't get lost on my way back, I try to find recognizable landmarks as I walk. I've seen that carving before, right? And I remember that cloth there, too... As I search for the turn that'll take me back to the lodging room, I hear the click of another person's footsteps drawing closer. If I had already managed to make it out of the n.o.ble's zone, I'd be whole-heartedly thrilled about this, but right now I don't want to be seen. I need to hide. If it's a priest, then that's probably fine, but I'm scared of it being a n.o.ble. I frantically look around, but there's nowhere I can hide in this hallway. I stand out plainly, and am spotted right away. "Who's there?! What are you doing here?!" The strict voice comes from a priestess, whose hair is done up very neatly. Her appearance is very neat and businesslike, but for some reason she also gives off the impression of being a s.e.xy private secretary. The priestly robes she wears are the same gray color as those of the priest who had carried me in, although the design is different. Whether that's because priests and priestesses dress differently or because there are special ceremonial robes, I don't know. Come to think of it, there weren't any priestesses at the ceremony, were there? I breathe a sigh of relief that this woman isn't a n.o.ble, then immediately start apologizing for stepping into the n.o.bles' zone. "I'm very sorry, ma'am. My name is Maine. I collapsed in the middle of the baptismal ceremony and was lent a room to rest in. I don't have an attendant with me, and there was no bell to call for anyone, so I went to see if I could find someone. I unfortunately got lost, and when I noticed that, I'd found myself here..." The woman stares at me, looking me over from head to toe, then sighs resignedly. She taps her cheek, inhaling a long, weary breath, but doesn't take her eyes off me. "I have business that I'm in the middle of, but afterwards I'll show you to the hall of wors.h.i.+p where the baptismal ceremony is being held. Do you mind waiting a little?" "Yes, ma'am, thank you very much." The priestess, her eyes slightly narrowed, sets off, the clacking of her brisk footsteps echoing through the halls. I follow along at a half jog, trying to keep up. If we have too far to go, I'm probably going to pa.s.s out. "Wait here, please. I need to finish my business here." However, thanks to the fact that this priestess only needed to go about another room down, I happily manage to not collapse along the way. "Hah, haahhh..." I nod, sucking in air as I try to catch my breath. The priestess looks down at me with a slightly worried frown, then pushes the door open with a creak. I put my hand on the wall to steady myself, then look through the door into which the priestess had casually pa.s.sed through. When I see what's inside, my breath stops entirely. "...?! Is... that... a library?" It's not a particularly large room, but the walls are lined with bookshelves. With a quick glance, what I can see on them are mostly stacks of papers and wooden boards, but there are shelves hidden behind closed, locked cabinet doors, and I can easily imagine that that's where the valuable books are kept. In the center of the room sit two long desks facing each other, their surfaces tilted up at a diagonal as if to make reading easier. The length reminds me of the long, connected desks in university lecture halls. They look long enough that five people could sit side by side at them. Also, attached to the desks at rough intervals are six thick, st.u.r.dy chains. The ends of each of these is fastened to six ma.s.sive books, which are lined up on the desks. "...It's a 'chained library'..." Visiting historical libraries in foreign countries had been one of my dreams when I was Urano. Sure, this is an alternate universe and not a foreign country, and this is a temple's library, but even still, can I count this as a dream come true? A foreign library, locked bookshelves, books chained to tables, books that you could feel the history of the library through, no matter which you read... this is something that I could have never practically managed to see back then. The hand I put on my chest to calm myself down quivers. My heart is pounding like an alarm, and I can feel how powerfully the blood is rus.h.i.+ng through my veins. The things I've wanted for so very, very long are miraculously right before my eyes... eyes from which hot tears of joy are falling, one after another. "I've... I've never seen this before..." This is my first chained library, but, more importantly, this is the first time since I came to this world that I've seen enough books in one place for a room to be properly called a library at all. It's not all that large of a room, but to me, having lived my life without having ever found a single book, this is a veritable treasury of happiness. Perhaps this library is a paradise made by the G.o.ds themselves. My G.o.d is here for me! "We pray to the G.o.ds! We give thanks to the G.o.ds!" When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Deeply moved by finding this library, no, this chained library, I make the Gl#co pose, then drop into a dogeza, lifting my thanks to the heavens. I'm a little wobbly when I do it, but I hope that both my emotions and my grat.i.tude were properly conveyed. I quickly scrub my face and hands on my clothing, checking over and over to make sure they're not the slightest bit dirty. After verifying that my hands are spotless, I turn to follow the priestess, and with a triumphant stride, step forth into this glorious paradise. "Pardon my intrusMPH?!" My face smacks into something, like I'd just walked into a sliding door that hadn't yet opened. Since I'd slammed into it so forcefully, stars dance before my eyes. I sit there on the ground, rubbing my head with one hand. With my other hand, I reach out towards the door. After a certain point, I can't move my hand any further. It seems that there really is some kind of invisible wall there. I try hitting it a couple of times, but there's no sign of it opening. "Huh? Wh... why?" The priestess had walked in normally with no issue. I have no idea why only I would be rejected like this. The world before my eyes grows a little darker, and I start pounding on the invisible wall. It doesn't budge an inch. Paradise is before my very eyes, yet I cannot enter. I can see so many books right in front of me, yet I cannot touch them. Is it okay for such a cruel torture to exist? To come so far and then be denied? You a.s.shole G.o.ds! Give me back my grat.i.tude! "Nooo, let me in!! Let me in tooo!" Books are so valuable that, practically, only the n.o.bility have access to them. The temple used a magical tool to quiet children down during the baptismal ceremony, so it's not unreasonable to think there's some gimmick protecting these precious books. I know that, but this is just too much. Caught in the grip of this despair at being able to see, but not enter this room, I collapse in an undignified heap, unable to even wipe away the tears spilling from my face. "I just want to read..." The priestess, finished with her business, exits the room carrying a bundle of papers that look like some sort of doc.u.ments. She looks down on me as I sit on the floor, leaning against the invisible wall, and crying my eyes out, and takes a startled step back. "What are... you doing...?" "Waaaaaah!! Why, why can't I go in?" I smash my fists weakly into the invisible wall, the priestess looks back behind her, into the library room. "Ah," she says. "There's very valuable books in there, so only people authorized by the temple are able to enter." Her words give me a sudden flash of hope. If only people authorized by the temple are able to enter, then I should get that authorization. The G.o.ds have not abandoned me yet. I quickly rub the tears and snot from my face, then shoot my hand straight up into the air. "Question! How might I become authorized by the temple?" "...The simplest way would be to become a sister-in-training, wouldn't it?" It seems that women members of the clergy are called "sisters" instead of "priestess". So, since this woman in front of me is an adult, it would be more accurate to call her a nun. "Then, I'll become a sister-in-training! How do I do that?" "You'd need to talk to the head priest or the temple master. Now then, let's go to the hall of wors.h.i.+p." She looks like she thinks the conversation's finished, but I shake my head vigorously. "Where might the temple master be?" "His part in the baptismal ceremony is over by now, so he'll most likely be in his chambers, but... you want to go now?" She's quite clearly trying to push me away, but I'm not going to let this source of valuable information out of my grasp. "Yes, ma'am! I can't go home until I do!" "...Let's go ask the temple master, then." I don't know if it's because she understands my deep conviction or if it's because she's judging how to treat me based on my clothing, but she sighs resignedly, then brings me to the temple master's chambers. It seems like I managed to get entirely lost inside the temple, because the temple master's chambers are very close by. I'm left outside a magnificent wooden door as the nun gets permission to enter. Looking around, I see all sorts of expensive-looking ornaments and paintings. The higher-ups of this religion must be very rich. "Father Bosewanz2, there's an applicant to become a sister-in-waiting here to see you..." "An applicant?" Through the crack left in the door, I hear the temple master and the priestess conversing. Tension wells up in me at the realization that this is about to be a job interview. Making sure I'm hidden behind the door, I quickly check to make sure my appearance is in order. The one spot on my dress that had gotten wet from tears and snot has dried, although it's a bit stiff. "Yes, a girl who came here for today's baptismal ceremony." "Hmm, perhaps I should meet her." I try to enter the room quickly and professionally, but the door is far heavier than I thought it was going to be. With no other choice, I throw my weight behind it, pus.h.i.+ng the door open with all my strength, and then slip through the gap as soon as it's big enough. The temple master's chambers very much resemble Freida's room. In the center of the room, close to the door, there is something of a reception area, with a table and a few chairs in the center. On the very far wall of the room is a bed with a thick canopy, and in the opposite corner there's a place for doing work. The works.p.a.ce has a thick desk and two bookshelves. On a display shelf sit thirty-centimeter-tall statues of the G.o.ds, the scriptures I saw a little while ago during the ceremony, and candles, arranged symmetrically so that the scriptures are in the center. "Your name?" "Maine, sir," I say. I clasp my hands in front of my chest. "If at all possible, I would like to become a sister-in-training here. I would very much appreciate your consideration." The temple master gives me a slightly amused smile, then puts down his pen. "Well then, Maine. Why don't I start by asking you why you think you'd want to become a sister-in-training?" "Because there's a library here, sir." The temple master's eyes widen slightly, perhaps because my answer was so completely unexpected. "...The library? You can read?" "Yes, sir, although there's a lot of difficult words I still don't know. If I can read a book, I'll learn more words. That's why, for as long as I live, I'd like to thoroughly read all of the books here." The temple master rubs at his forehead, sighing. His shoulders drop so much that it looks almost forced, and he shakes his head. "I think you might be misunderstanding something. A temple is where one prays to the G.o.ds. The priests and nuns here are servants of the G.o.ds." "Of course," I reply. "I'm well aware of that. But, wasn't that thick book of scriptures you read to us at today's ceremony written about the G.o.ds? To me, those scriptures are as the G.o.ds themselves. I wish to read everything about the G.o.ds. I would like to learn everything about the G.o.ds, sir." "Are you a scriptural fundamentalist?" A sharp gleam enters the temple master's eyes. I have no idea whether or not I should say yes or no to that question. It's a little troubling, but I can't imagine that that's a phrase any of the other kids I attended the baptismal ceremony with would have known. Rather than risk saying anything unnecessary, I think it would be best if I just tell him that I don't know. "I've never heard those words before, so I don't know what they mean, but there isn't a shred of doubt in my heart: I want to read the scriptures and learn about the G.o.ds. Please, believe in the pa.s.sion that the G.o.d of fire has blessed me with. I truly hope and pray that I can become a sister-in-training, read all of the books here, and learn about the G.o.ds. How can I convince you of this?" He looks a little taken aback when I press him for an answer, but he looks me up and down, hums contemplatively to himself, and then nods. "I'm already convinced of your pa.s.sion. If that is indeed your wish, then you certainly should become a sister-in-training." "Really?!" "However, if a child of a family such as yours wishes to join the church, they must make a donation that matches that level of pa.s.sion. Do you know how much that is?" It appears that, since my clothing implies I have a lot of money, this man is going to try to take advantage of me. "If you want to join, pay up," he seems to be saying. I'm already fully aware that a religion such as this can't be exclusively made of nice ideals. All he's asking is that, if I want to join, how much money can I comfortably offer him in exchange? "I don't know what the actual price of a donation is, but... if I think about the amount of money I have available to me, I could spend up to one large gold coin." The priestess, as well, claps her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. Judging by their reactions, I'm fairly confident that I presented them with an excessively huge sum of money. "Huh? Is that too much? But, that's just the absolute maximum, so I can pay less, you know?" The temple master exchanges a look with the priestess, then clears his throat, as if to smooth over that outburst. He leans forward, looking at me seriously. "Ahh... well, although I am overjoyed that a girl such as yourself burns with enough pa.s.sion that she'd be willing to go that far to join our temple as a sister-in-training, by the time the baptismal ceremony comes around, you have already decided where you'd like to work, correct? Aren't you already a member of something else?" Of course, if I were to already have a place of employment picked out, suddenly becoming a sister-in-training wouldn't be feasible. However, I'd been planning on working out of my home, so I don't actually have a workplace to leave. "I'm already provisionally registered with the merchants' guild, but I don't yet have a job. My body is very frail, so I was planning on working from home." "Working from home? A daughter of merchants? If you were to become a sister-in-training, you'd have to sever any links you have with other organizations. What would your parents say if you were to withdraw from the merchants' guild and become a sister-in-training?" "I'll have to talk this over with my parents, but..." I trail off. I can't immediately answer about the merchants' guild. I'm probably going to need to still be in it if I'm going to continue buying and selling things. "I wonder if I can even withdraw from the merchants' guild at all? What would happen to all of the money I've made so far, and all of the products I'm going to be developing in the future?" As I wonder aloud, trying to gather my thoughts, the temple master, overhearing, widens his eyes a bit, looking like he has a question to ask. "The money you've made? The products? Are you not just helping out with your parents' work?" "No, sir." This is my chance to show how uniquely appealing it would be for me to join the temple. Recalling the list of important things to cover in a job interview, I explain to him all of the things I've tried so hard to do, and all of the ways I've learned from my experiences. In brief. "...Hm," he says, "if you're not registered with the guild so that you could help with your parents' business, then perhaps instead of having you withdraw your registration, you could simply join us here. I might need to consult with the guild master, though." He smiles at me admiringly, as if that's exactly the answer he needed to hear. If he could talk with the higher-ups in the merchants' guild for me, that would be a huge lifesaver. I thank him politely, entrusting the negotiations with the guild master to him. "First, I do need to consult my parents," I say. "Well, if your parents object or if there are any other issues, then please come talk with me right away. If what you're after is reading books, then please, come here, to this room. You wouldn't be able to enter the library, but I would be happy to let you read the scriptures I have here." "Really?! Thank you so much! Prayers to the G.o.ds!" The instant I leap up into the Gl#co pose, I can feel my body start to lazily tilt to the side, and all the blood starts to drain from my face. I overdid it again, didn't I. Since Lutz isn't here, there's n.o.body to stop me from getting overexcited or running around recklessly. It seems like I, having paid no attention at all to my own behavior, have pushed my body past its maximum limit, and it's rebelling my cutting me off from all of my strength. "What's wrong?! What happened?!" The temple master's eyes are wide with alarm as he watches me collapse and go still before his very eyes. He stands up with enough force to knock his chair back. The nun, dumbfounded, stares at me, and then murmurs to herself in a quiet voice. "What?" says the temple chief, looking up at her. Stuck here on the ground, I apologize to the two of them. "I'm sorry, but I got a little overexcited. I can't move at all right now, but please, just give me a minute.

トゥーリは偉大な姉だった。 まず、わたしには水が運べなかった。井戸から汲めないのだ。力がなさすぎて。 わたし、使えない。 お昼の準備をするから、竈に火をつけてと言われた。 しかし、火がつけられない。宿泊訓練で使ったのはチャッカマンだった。火打石を使った経験はない。トゥーリがやっているのを見よう見まねでやってみた。 「うひゃっ!?」 勢いよく石と石を打ち合わせたら、当たり前だが、火花が散った。目の前でチカッと光った火花にビックリして思わず石を取り落とした。まるで花火みたいで火傷しそうと思ったら、その後は、怖くて勢いよく打ちつけることができなくなった。 わたし、マジ使えない。 料理の手伝いならできる。そう思ったが、出来なかった。 初めてのお仕事から帰ってきたトゥーリが、どんよりと凹んでいるわたしに声をかけた。凹むわたしの代わりに母が苦笑しながら、答える。 「え? 今更?」 「......色々やってみたけど、全然できなかった」 「まぁ、現状がわかったなら、努力すればいいんじゃない?」 「それに、お掃除だけはマインが一番だよ」 ほうきで掃いて、雑巾で拭くだけなら、経験があるし、それほど力がなくても何とかなる。気合入れ過ぎると熱出るけど。 どうせ転生するなら、もっと丈夫な体がよかった。せめて、足手まといにならないくらいの。 「ははは、マイン。役立たずって、お前、そんなことを気にしていたのか?」 「まぁ、そうだが......。父さんはもともとマインに期待はしてないからなぁ」 「え?」 あれ? なんか笑顔で意外とひどいこと言われてない? 「父さんの言うとおりだと思うけど、このままじゃどこもマインを雇ってくれないよ? だって、マインは何にもできないじゃない」 トゥーリの言葉に父がふるりと首を振った。 「え? マインに何の仕事ができるの?」 トゥーリと母が不思議そうに首を傾げるけれど、わたしはどうして不思議そうにするのか、理解できない。 今までだって、門で何をしているのか話をしたことがあるのに聞いていなかったってこと? それとも、本当だと思ってなかったってこと? 「何の仕事って、書類仕事だ。今でも門に行ったら、一応オットーの手伝いしてるんだよ。......半分以上は字を教えてもらってるけどな」 「えぇ!? いつも休憩だけするために門に行ってたわけじゃないんだ?」 トゥーリ、なんでそんなにビックリしてるの? それに、母さん、ひどい。 「マインは特に計算仕事に関する評価は高いんだ。マインに希望がなければ洗礼式の後は門で働けばいい。マインだって父さんと一緒に働きたいよな?」 「え? やだ。だって、わたし、『本屋』か『司書』になるから」 わたしの将来の予定に、門番の書類仕事をするために父と出勤するという項目は、残念ながら皆無だ。 「本を売る人......だから、商人? うーん、商人って柄でもないんだけど、本に係わる仕事をする」 「まぁ、よくわからんが、やりたいことができたならいい。とりあえず、できることからやればいい。半年前のマインは森まで歩けなかった。外に出るのも嫌がってた。今は自分で行って帰ってこられるんだからな」 「......うん」 今日は薪を頑張って拾っておいで、と言われて、トゥーリも一緒に籠を背負って家を出た。 虚弱すぎるこの身体が憎い。 森に着いて、息が整ってきたら、薪を拾い始めた。わたしは落ちているのを探して拾うだけだが、トゥーリは枝ぶりを見て、鉈のような刃物で切れる。コンコン、スパーン! って! 「トゥーリはすごいなぁ」 我ながら危なっかしくて、木簡を作ろうにもナイフがろくに使えないんですけど! へっぴり腰で鉛筆を削ったことしかないのに、こんなナイフをうまく扱えるわけがない。本当に木簡が作れるのだろうか。 試しに、拾った枝の中でも細い枝をちょっと削ってみた。 わたしはうきうきしながら拾ってきた木を、ナイフで平らに削っていく。同じくらいの長さに揃えて切った細長い木切れをたくさん作り始めた。それを紐で結んでいけば、立派な木簡だ。メモ用紙代わりにはなるだろう。 古代中国&ご先祖様、素晴らしい知恵をありがとう。 枝を拾って削ればいいので、ちまちまと繊維を編んだパピルスもどきや土から掘り出す粘土板に比べると労力もそれほどではない。 これはいい。 手元にある木をシュッシュッと少しずつ削って、書くための面をなるべく平らにする。スパーンと一発で削れるような力と技があればいいけれど、無い物ねだりしても仕方ない。 「......え? なんで、これが粘土板の代わりってわかったの?」 「だって、マイン、すっげぇ楽しそうじゃん?」 「え? 楽しそう?」 「今にも木に頬ずりしそうな顔してる。粘土板の時も粘土見てうっとりしてただろ?」 え? 今にも頬ずりしそうな顔で、一人シャコシャコ木を削ってるってこと? それって変人っぽくない? ......うひぃっ! 無自覚って最悪! 恥ずかしい! 予想外の指摘をされた恥ずかしさに、心の中だけでわたしがのたうっていると、ルッツはわたしが削った木簡をしげしげと観察する。 「で、何作ってるんだ?」 「モッカン? 今度はこれに字を書くのか?」 「そう。だから、いっぱいいるの。わたしの力じゃ板みたいに大きいのは作れないから」 わたしは再度ナイフを構えて、枝を削り始める。 「旅商人の話、聞いてみたくてさ......」 ルッツが周りの目をはばかり、小さい声でぽそぽそと付け加える様子は前にも見たことがあった。あの時、ルッツは将来、旅商人や吟遊詩人のようにこの街を出て、色々な場所に行ってみたいと言っていたはずだ。 人目を気にしたり、声をひそめたりするのだから、この世界で旅商人や吟遊詩人はあまり褒められない職業なのだろうか。よくわからない。 「忙しそうな人だけど、一応聞いてみるよ。断られたらごめんね」 「それでもいい」 ホッとしたように息を吐いたルッツは重荷を下ろしたような顔をしている。今まで誰にも相談できなかったのが、何となく伝わってきた。 その後は何となく会話が少ないまま、二人でせこせこ木簡を作る。ルッツはやはりトゥーリと同じような鉈のようなものを持っていて、太めの枝から何枚かの大きな木簡を作ってくれた。 門で使ってるインク、分けてもらったり、譲ってもらったりできるかな? インクは基本的に紙と一緒に使うものだから、その辺りの店には売っていない。 できれば、オットーに以後の給料を石筆ではなく、インクにしてもらえないか交渉してみよう。ついでに、ルッツのお願いも伝えておこう。 明日は門だ。 トゥーリがお仕事に行く日は、お目付役がいないので、わたしも門でお勉強だ。最近は日常で使う単語も増えてきたので、とても楽しい。 そういえば、今日からトゥーリ達と同期の兵士見習いが三人入ってきた。 「オットーさん、質問があるんですけど、いいですか?」 「旅商人って、どうやってなるんですか?」 「ハァ!? マインちゃん、旅商人になりたいのか!? え? ちょっと待って! それって、もしかして俺のせいか? 班長に殺される!」 大きく目を見開いて、オットーが机に身を乗り出すようにして、素っ頓狂な声を上げた。 「いえ、わたしじゃなくて、友達が」 「なんだ。じゃあ、止めた方がいいって教えてやって」 「あ、やっぱり?」 オットーの簡潔な返事から、旅商人というのは、反対される職業らしいことが確定した。 どう説明したら伝えやすいか考えながら、わたしは口を開いた。 「えーと、その子が話をする時に人目をはばかったり、声を潜めたりしていたから、なりたいって言ったら反対される職業なのかな、と思ってたんです」 「それに、旅商人って、ずっと移動する生活でしょ? ここで何を仕入れて、こっちには何を卸すって考えながら、広い地域を行ったり来たりするんでしょ? 定住とは生活が根本から違うだろうし、親から子へ伝えられるコネとか、お得意さんだってあるだろうし、街の子供がなりたいと思っていきなりなれるものじゃないのかなって......」 その地への定住が決まっている農民の子供が、自由に土地を動きまわる遊牧民に憧れるようなものだと思う。生活の基本が全く違うし、自分の中の常識が全く通じない中で生活して、仕事をするのは予想以上に厳しい。 良かれと思ってやったことが裏目に出ることが日常で、どうしてそれが裏目になるのかわからない。何もしないのが正解に思えるけれど、何もしなくても責められる。 まぁ、わたしは引きこもるにも本がないとどうしようもないから、仕方なく外に出てるけど。 「......そこまでわかってるなら、言ってあげれば?」 「うーん、同じように街に住んでるわたしが言うより、オットーさんが現実を教えてあげた方が素直に聞ける気がして。それに、父さんが言ってたけど、オットーさんは商業ギルドに多少繋がりがあるんでしょ? 旅商人は無理でも、商人見習いになれば買い付けで街を出るくらいならできるようになるんじゃないかなと思ったの」 家族にとっては未知の世界となる放浪の旅に出るのではなく、定住する地を持ちながら、仕事で出張なら、家族だってそれほど反対はしないと思う。 「ふぅん、なるほどね。わざわざ口利きをするってことは、その子はマインちゃんのお気に入りかい?」 「お気に入りっていうよりは、ルッツには常にお世話になってるから、返せる時に恩返ししないと恩ばかりが積み重なっちゃって大変なんです」 「マインちゃんがお世話になってるってことは、あの金髪の坊やかな?」 森の帰りにへろへろになっているわたしのペースメーカーをしているルッツは、門で父さんにその日の行動を報告してお小遣いをもらっているので、オットーも見たことがあるのだろう。 「そうです。でも、新人教育が増えて、オットーさん、忙しそうだし、無理なら......」 「今が一番暇な季節だから、この季節ならいいよ。次の休日でどうだい?」 「ありがとう、オットーさん!」 それにしても、雑務がこれだけある今の季節が一番暇ということは、わたしに手伝いを頼んできた会計報告&予算編成の時期の仕事量はどれだけだろうか。わたしもお手伝いが決まっているだけに、考えたくないことだ。 「あ! もう一つ聞きたいことがあるんですけど、このインクって、少し譲ってもらうこと、できますか?」 眉を寄せたオットーが蓋を閉めたインク壺を指でトントンと叩いた。ガラスの向こうの黒い液体がわずか揺れるのを見ながら、わたしは大きく頷く。 「お給料、石筆じゃなくて、今度からインクにすることってできませんか?」 「三年ただ働き。前借り不可」 さらっと言われたことが理解できなくて、思わず目を瞬いた。聞き間違いであってほしいが、オットーは真剣な目で指折り何かを数え始める。 「お手伝いから見習いになれば、給与が変わるけど、今のお手伝いじゃあ、予算の時の特別給料も含めて三年分くらいかな?」 「三年!?......高ッ!」 「ここでも貴族相手の書類の時しか基本的に使わないだろ? 子供のおもちゃにはできない値段だ」 つまり、今のわたしには全然手が届かないってことですね。了解です。 ......だったら、木簡には何を使って書けばいいんだろう?

Tory was seriously amazing as an older sister. First of all, I can't fetch water. I can't even pull it up from the well! I lack the necessary strength. On top of that, even though I can only draw up a little to begin with, hauling it up the stairs is extremely difficult as well. If I wanted to get a single bucket's worth of water up to my home, I need to make five trips. Our household, however, doesn't need just one bucket of water. I need to fill up our entire jug. When my mother helps me fetch the water, she manages to fill the jug in about the same amount of time it takes me to fill just one bucket. I'm useless. When it comes time to start preparing lunch, I need to light the fire in the stove. When I was still in school, we went on cla.s.s camping trips, so I know how to stack logs for making a fire. You stack the fat fuel logs with the slender, easier-to-burn kindling in a way that air can easily pa.s.s through, then use some sort of tinder, like dry gra.s.s, that catches sparks and burns hot and quick. That, I can do. However, I can't actually light the fire. When I went camping, we had lighters. Here, we have flint, which I have no idea how to use at all. I watched Tory do it once, then later tried to mimic what she did. "Wha-?!" When I struck the two chunks of flint against each other as hard as I could, sparks flew out, as could be expected. The flash of glittering sparks right before my eyes caused me to flinch back in shock, dropping both stones to the floor. Ever since then, I've been afraid that those sparks might burn me like the sparks from fireworks, so I haven't been able to muster up the courage to strike them together hard enough to spark. Eventually, my mother wound up doing it. I'm really useless. If it's helping out with cooking prep work, I can do at least that... or so I thought. However, the kitchen knife is so heavy that I have to use both hands to lift it. Plus, when I look at the trussed-up birds we need to prepare, I freeze up. All I can really do is chop up the ingredients that I can use a smaller knife on and provide recipe ideas. There's very little else I can actually do in the kitchen. I'm so short that I can't even stir things around in a frying pan, even if I'm given a stool to stand on. My mother really does praise me on my recipes, but my lackl.u.s.ter contributions only serve to make me increasingly depressed. Tory arrives home from her first day at work to find me sitting in the corner, a dull, depressed look on my face. "What's wrong, Maine?" she asks. "Huh? Now?" "...I tried to do so many different things, but I couldn't do any of them at all," I mumble. "Well, we know what your condition is," says my mother rea.s.suringly, "so as long as you're trying your best it'll be alright, right?" "Also, there's n.o.body better at cleaning than Maine!" I have some experience pus.h.i.+ng a broom and wiping things down; those are things that I can manage to do even if I only barely have the strength to do it. If I put too much power into it, though, my fever comes back immediately. Also, my constant cleaning efforts are not done because I want to help the family out. I'm doing it because I absolutely cannot stand living in such a filthy environment. It's for my own sake, not my family's. When I somehow got reincarnated, I really would have preferred a much more robust physique. At least, robust enough to not be a hindrance. "Ahaha, Maine," laughs my father, "are you bothered that much by being useless?" "Well, even if that's the case... I never really had any high hopes to begin with." "Uh?" Huh? Why is he saying something so unexpectedly cruel? Why is he smiling? Tory is the one to shrug her shoulders at that. "I think what you're saying is right," she says, "but at this rate n.o.body's ever going to hire her, right? She can't do anything at all." My father shakes his head. "Not at all, she can work at the gate!" "Huh? What can she do there?" Tory and my mother both look at my father in bewilderment. Why they're bewildered, I have no idea. Have they just been not paying any attention at all when I've been telling them what I do all day at the gate? Or did they just not believe me at all? "What can she do? Paperwork, of course! Even now, when she goes to the gate she does some work as Otto's little a.s.sistant. ...More than half the time, he's teaching her how to write, though." "Really?! I thought she was just going there to take breaks!" Tory, why are you acting so surprise? Also, mother, that's mean! Their excessively honest reactions feel like a stab in the gut. "She's especially suited for work that involves a lot of calculations. If she wanted, after her baptism she could work at the gates officially. How about it, Maine? Want to come work with your daddy?" "Huh? Nuh-uh. I'm going to run a 'bookstore' or be a 'librarian'." Unfortunately, I have zero ambition to follow my father to work every day in order to do the gatekeepers' paperwork. However, this is a world that hasn't yet seen bookstores or libraries, so of course everyone looks at me doubtfully, not understanding what I said at all. "Someone who sells books... so, a merchant, I guess? Hmmm, maybe being a merchant isn't quite right for me, but I'm going to do a job that involves a lot of books." "Well, I don't really get what you're saying, but I think that it's great if you can do the things you want to do. For now, doing the things you can do is just fine. Half a year ago, you couldn't walk to the forest at all. You could barely even go outside! Now, you can go in and out of the house as much as you want on your own." "...Yeah." Today, I was told that I needed to go out and do my best to gather some firewood, so I strapped a wicker basket to my back and went with Tory off to the forest. It's true that I can indeed walk all the way to the forest, just like my family said, but by the time I get there, I need to take a long rest, and if I'm not very careful about how much I move around I might need to spend the entire next day in bed. I really hate this feeble body. When we got to the forest, I took a break to catch my breath, then I got up and started to help search for firewood. All I'm doing is looking around for branches that have fallen off already, but Tory actively searches for low-hanging branches, then hacks at them with a knife that's like a small machete. They break off with a creak and a snap! "Wow, Tory really is amazing..." I say aloud, once again impressed by Tory's raw competency. "I've got to keep working hard too, doing whatever I can." Even if I decide to brave the dangers and try making mokkan anyway, I still don't know how to use a knife, though! When I can't do more than timidly sc.r.a.pe wood off a pencil, there's no way I'd be able to wield a knife like this with any amount of skill. Will I really be able to make mokkan? As an experiment, I dig through my pile of gathered branches until I find a thin branch, then I try to shave a layer off of it. It's difficult to manage with my tiny, weak hands, but I peel off a sizable strip of bark, revealing the color of the wood inside. I can simultaneously practice using my knife and make mokkan as well, killing two birds with one stone. With glee, I start pulling out the pieces of wood that I had gathered, whittling them until they're long, narrow, straight, and flat, then cut them to the same length and lay them out next to each other. Once I tie these together with a thin cord, I'll be able to roll them up like a scroll, and they'll really be mokkan. I think I can turn these into something about the size of a page from a memo pad. Ancient civilizations, ancestors, thank you for your magnificent wisdom. Mother, father, thank you for this magnificent knife. It is thanks to you that I can make these mokkan. Since the raw materials for these are just pieces of wood that I can pick up from the ground, this involves far less labor than carefully extracting gra.s.s fibers to make papyrus or doing the back-breaking excavation work needed to get the clay to make tablets. Excellent. At my level of skill, I need to whittle away bit by bit to get each stick planed flat enough that I can write on it. It would be amazing if I could slice it all off in a single, powerful stroke, but there's really no point in wis.h.i.+ng for the moon. I steadily whittle away at each stick, piling more and more finished mokkan next to me. With my hands as they are now, all I can whittle are fine, slender sticks. If I want to be able to actually write a book, the number of these things I'll need is not trivial at all. "...Huh? Why do you think I'm making these to replace my tablets?" "Because you looked like you were having so much fun, right?" "Huh? I looked like I was having fun?" "Yeah, you looked like you wanted to rub your face all over those sticks. It was the same kind of expression you had when you saw all the clay for the first time, you know?" Huh? I was sitting alone, whittling, with an expression that looked like I wanted to bury my face in a pile of wood? ...Wouldn't that make me look really strange? ...Yiiikes! I didn't realize that at all! That's extremely embarra.s.sing! The embarra.s.sment of having that so unexpectedly pointed out to me makes my insides squirm, but Lutz is very focused on examining my handiwork. "So, what are you making?" "'Moe-kahn'? Are you going to be writing on these too?" "Yeah, which is why I need a lot of them. I'm not very strong, so I can't make them any bigger than this." I pick up my knife again and start whittling away. Lutz sits down next to me and grabs a somewhat larger stick of his own. He glances around the forest clearing nervously, then leans in close to whisper in to me quietly. "I want to hear what it's like to be a peddler..." A while ago, he shared with me his dreams of becoming a peddler or a minstrel, traveling from town to town and seeing the world. Based on the fact that he was so cautious about checking to see if anyone was around and the fact that he kept his voice so low, I wonder if this world looks down on peddlers and minstrels? I don't really know. My personal opinion, lacking any grounding in this world's common sense, is definitely not worth as much to Lutz as what I could get from Otto if I asked him about it. "He's a very busy man, but I'll try asking him. He might refuse, though, sorry." "That's okay," he replies. He breathes a sudden sigh of relief, looking like someone who has just set down a very heavy burden. He's finally found someone to talk to about something that he couldn't share with anyone. We don't talk very much after that, and just quietly sit making mokkan. It looks like Lutz carries a large, wide-bladed knife like Tory's, so he's able to easily turn relatively thick branches into several wide boards each. I take those and use my own knife to clean up the writing surfaces until both sides are flawless. I wonder if I'll be able to get someone to give me some of the ink that we use at the gate? Fundamentally, ink is something that is used with paper, so it's not the kind of thing that you can ordinarily find in stores around here. Now that I think about it, the ink at the gate is locked up as carefully as the parchment is. It might not just be paper that's expensive, but ink as well. Hopefully, I'll be able to convince Otto to stop paying my salary in slate pencils and to switch over to paying me ink. And, while I'm at it, I'll be able to convey Lutz's request. The next day, I go to the gates. It's a day where Tory has work and is thus not available to supervise me, so I head to the gates to study. Lately, the number of words I've been learning that are actually usable day-to-day has been increasing, which makes me very happy. Starting today, we have three new apprentice soldiers; Tory's contemporaries. Otto has to teach them how to read, write, and do math, so he's suddenly very busy. After he finishes with training the new recruits, he immediately returns to the duty room and does all of the normal day-to-day work he has to do. "Mister Otto, I've got a question I want to ask, is now okay?" "How do you become a peddler?" "Huh?! Maine, you want to become a peddler?! Huh? Wait a minute! Is this my fault? Squad Leader's going to murder me!" With huge, panicked eyes, Otto hunches forward over the desk, muttering hysterically. I'm shocked by this sudden display, and quickly wave my hands to try to dispel his fears. "No, no, it's not for me, it's for a friend." "Ah! Well then, you should tell them that they shouldn't try." "Oh, it really is like that?" Based on his terse response, it would seem like peddling is indeed an objectionable profession. "What do you mean by 'like that'?" he says, his eyes narrowing. I briefly contemplate how to phrase things in an easy-to-convey manner, then open my mouth to speak. "Ummm, when my friend asked me about it, he made sure that n.o.body was around, and he was whispering, so I thought that maybe people thought it wasn't a good job to do." "Also, peddlers are always traveling, right? They're always going here and there, thinking about what they need to buy in one place and what they need to sell in another, right? Settling down is a completely different lifestyle, where you can have familial bonds and even repeat customers, so it's not the kind of thing that you'd think a kid who lives in a town would suddenly think that they'd want to do..." That kind of free-wandering nomadic lifestyle seems like the kind of thing that the children of farmers, who are expected to settle down, would be drawn to. Life is so fundamentally different here, to the point where my own common knowledge doesn't connect with it at all. Working seems to be far more strict of a thing than I was expecting. Every day, I do things that completely backfire, and I often have no idea of why they could have possibly done so. You'd think that at some point the correct answer to be to do nothing, but even if I did nothing I'd still wind up being criticized. There's no manual for the ma.s.s of unwritten rules that govern daily life here. I, the woman who has no idea what the correct thing to do is in this unexpected alternate reality and just wants to shut herself inside forever, do truly understand the barriers of common sense. Well, if I were to lock myself inside, I wouldn't have any books, so I wouldn't have anything to do, so I basically have to go outside anyway. "...Well, if you know that much, why didn't you tell him?" "Hmm, well, I think that it would be better if he heard it from you, Otto. I've been living in a town all my life, but you've got a lot of experience, so I think he'd listen to you. Also, my daddy said that you have some connections with the merchant guild, right? If my friend can't become a peddler, then maybe he could do his apprentices.h.i.+p under a shopkeeper instead. I was thinking that maybe he could still leave the town from time to time to go buy things." As far as Lutz's family goes, I think they'd be much more comfortable if his travels were to known parts of the world on official business, rather than aimlessly wandering through distant lands. "Ahhh, I see what's happening here!" he says, the corners of his mouth quirking up in a sly grin. "Since you're making all this effort to be the middleman here, this kid must be your favorite, right?" "It's not that he's my favorite," I say off-handedly, "it's that he's always helping me out, so I feel like I should return the favor before the debts start stacking up too high." "The kid who's helping you, is that the blond one?" Otto must have seen us one on of the times that Lutz, serving as my pacemaker, came through the gate, dragging my exhausted self back from the forest, stopping briefly to deliver a report to my father in exchange for a little bit of pocket money. "That's right. I know that you're super busy with the newcomers, though, so if you can't do it..." "This is actually the least-busy season in the entire year, so this is a great time. How about during the next holiday?" "Thanks, Mister Otto!" Although, if this is supposed to be the least busy season, how much work am I going to actually have when it's time for me to help out with the treasurer's report and the budget compilations? I've already agreed to help, though, so that's not something I want to thinking about. "Ah! Mister Otto, I've got one more thing I want to ask: could I please have a little bit of this ink, if you can?" "You mean this ink?" he says, frowning as he taps the closed lid of the inkwell with one finger. The black liquid within sloshes slightly. I nod vigorously. "Could you maybe pay me in ink instead of slate pencils from now on?" "That's three years' wages, and I'm not giving you an advance." His instantaneous reply leaves me dumbfounded, my eyes wide with shock. I want to believe that I absolutely must have misheard him, but his expression is very serious as he starts to explain. "After you move from a.s.sistant to apprentice, your wages are going to change, but right now, even including the bonus you'll get from helping with the budget, it'll take you three years, I think." "Three years?! ...That's expensive!" "Even here, we only ever use it for the official paperwork that the n.o.bility gives us, right? It's far too pricey of a thing for a child to play with." In other words, this is absolutely not a thing that I will be able to obtain for myself. Understood. ...If that's the case, what should I use to write on my mokkan? Even if I have the boards, they're useless if I can't write on them, right?

神殿は全く顔を合わせないし、特に何もされていないので記憶の隅に追いやられていたが、神殿長は貴族達に愚痴を垂れて回っていたらしい。 まずい。非常にまずい状況だと思う。 わたしが平民である以上、いくら反論したいと思ったところで反論が許されるはずがないし、神殿長は自分に都合が良いように話を膨らませたり、多少歪曲させたりしているに違いない。 「何だ、フェルディナンド様がいなければ、その生意気な口も動かせないのか?」 役目を終えるまで、身分は関係ない、とダームエルがシキコーザからわたしを守るように背に庇ってくれる。 「黙れ、ダームエル! 身分を弁えろ! 俺に命令するな!」 ......怖い。 「フラン!」 わたしが思わずフランに駆け寄ろうとすると、シキコーザにガシッと髪を掴まれた。ブチブチと何本かの髪が抜ける音がして、側頭部が引きつる。 「教えてやろう、平民。こういう時はお前が側仕えの非礼を詫びるんだ」 シキコーザはそう怒鳴りながら、左の手甲の石に手を当てて、淡く光るタクトを取り出した。タクトをくるくる回しながら、シキコーザが「メッサー」と呟くと、細長い棒のようだったタクトが小ぶりなナイフへと形を変える。 自分に向かって突きつけられている刃物にゴクリと喉が鳴った。背中を冷たい汗が流れ、心臓が不自然なほど早く鼓動を打つ。恐怖に腰が抜けて、立ち上がることもできないまま、わたしは刃のきらめきを見つめる。 「シキコーザ、それは駄目です! 彼女は護衛対象で、儀式を行う巫女見習いではないですか!」 「うるさい! 目が見えなくても儀式には何の支障もないだろうが!」 「神官長!」 シキコーザを何とかしてくれそうな保護者の姿を見つけて、わたしはすぐさま助けを求めて立ち上がった。 「マイン様、今布を......」 ハッとしたようにフランが腰につけていたウェストポーチのようなカバンへと手を突っ込む。怪我をした時の準備があるらしい。ウチの側仕えは本当に優秀だ。 ダームエルが祈りの文句を唱え始めた。それはわたしが儀式で捧げる祈りの文句によく似ている。神様を称え、加護を願う祈りの文句だ。つまり、暗記するために練習するのが必要なくらい長い。 ......怖い! 巨大トロンベのクレーターに倒れ込み、根に生気を吸われて朽ちていった大木の姿が脳裏を過った。 ......怖い! 怖い! トロンベに絡め取られる恐怖に涙が浮かんでくる。手を振って、トロンベを追い払おうとしても、血が飛んだ場所から次から次へと芽吹き始める始末だ。

As I had not seen him at the temple lately, nor had he taken any action against me, I had long since forgotten him, but as things stand today, he had been complaining to the aristocrats about me. ... I was in pretty bad shape. As a commoner, I had no position or right to refute Skicossa, even if I wished to. And there was no doubt that the Temple Chief had distorted the facts for his own benefit. Such malicious gossip was an invisible sword to me in the company of the all-aristocrat Order. "Don't you dare open your arrogant mouth without Lord Ferdinand?" Status was not as important as duty! Damuel held me back from Skicossa. By doing so, however, he only made Skicossa more exasperated. "Shut up! Remember who you are! How dare you order me?" ... It was terrible. I felt my blood go cold. "Fran!" I wanted to run to Fran, but Skicossa grabbed me by the hair. I felt a spasm in my scalp and then heard the sound of several hairs being pulled out. "Pleb, I'll teach you the rules. At such times you must apologize for your attendant's rudeness." With this thunderous roar, Skicossa turned the gem embedded in his armour glove into a wand. He raised his wand and muttered a short spell, the wand turning into a knife, its cold light looming over the sharp point. I couldn't help swallowing at the sight of the knife. I kept breaking out in a cold sweat, my frantic beating heart seeming to burst out of my chest. My legs were weak with fear and I could only stare at the knife. "Skicossa, no! She's still under our guard, and she's the priestess about to perform the ceremony!" "Get out of my way! She's only going to lose her eyes. What's that got to do with the ceremony?" "Head Priest!" As soon as I saw my guardian, who presumably had the power to stop Skicossa, I stood up and asked for help. But at the same moment that I stood up, Skicossa called "Lord Ferdinand," and hastily withdrew his hand with the knife. In an instant there was burning pain on the back of my left hand. "Master Maine, I'll dress your wound." At once Fran opened the bag hanging on his waist. He even had emergency supplies in case of injury. My attendant was excellent beyond comparison. Damuel began to recite a prayer. It was very similar to the prayer I was going to say at the ceremony, which was to praise the G.o.ds and ask for blessings. In other words, his prayer, like mine, was long enough to be memorized over and over again. ... How terrible! My teeth were chattering. Oh, that fallen tree. Tronbay turned it into a "mummified corpse". That terrible scene flashed through my mind. How terrible... How terrible! My tears welled up at last. Even if I waved my arms to try to drive Tronbay away, it would only make my blood splash and induce more shoots.

「おはようございます。体調はいかがですか?」 「一応熱はないみたいだけど、絶好調とは言えないから、今日は家族が迎えに来るまでおとなしくしておきます」 クスリと彼女が笑った。 「昨日の夕食の席は大騒ぎでしたわ。デザートに出たお菓子をお嬢様とマインさんが作ったという話になって、ご家族皆様がマインさんに会いたがっていらっしゃいましたよ。ぜひ、ウチの店で働いて欲しいっておっしゃられて、盛り上がってらっしゃいました」 いやいや、おねえさん。笑い事じゃないよ? ウチの店で働けば将来安泰ですよ、なんて言い出した彼女まで、囲い込みの手先に見えてしまい、少しばかり警戒してしまう。 「あの、ずいぶん部屋の外が騒がしいけれど......」 「今は早目の朝食を終えたお嬢様が身支度中ですから。マインさんも着替えたら食堂へ案内いたしますね」 「あの、大変恐縮ですが、朝食をこの部屋に運んでもらうことってできませんか? 本調子じゃないから、たくさんはいらないし、初対面の人と食べるのって緊張するんです。ご飯が喉を通らなくなるので......」 夕飯抜きなので、正直お腹は空いている。しかし、フリーダとギルド長を見ただけでも推測できるアクの強そうなご家族に囲まれて朝食なんて、考えただけで胃が痛い。 「ふふっ、わかりました。ここへ運びましょう」 彼女はわたしにフリーダのお古の服を渡して着替えさせた後、部屋を出ていった。 ギルド長とフリーダに目を付けられているのはわかっていた。でも、家族にまで目を付けられるって何? カトルカールが原因? 頭を抱えて悶絶していると、朝食を持った彼女が戻ってきた足音がした。即座に立ちあがって、何事もなかったような顔で、彼女を迎える。 「では、ごゆっくりどうぞ」 昨日の朝食で完全に好みを把握されているようで、白パンにジャムと蜂蜜が添えられ、甘い果物のジュースがついていた。スープはやや少なめだが、ベーコンエッグはしっかりと一人前乗っている。 この観察眼では、あっという間に弱点も洗いだされそうだ。 朝御飯が終わったら、家族が迎えに来るまで体調不良を理由に部屋に引きこもっていた方が良い気がする。ギルド長とフリーダだけでも十分脅威なのに、その家族なんて、とても一人で相手できない。切実にベンノとルッツを召喚したい。 この後の対処法について考えながら、一人でゆっくりと朝食を食べているとユッテが部屋に飛び込んできた。 「おはようございます、マインさん。体調はいかがですか?」 体調うかがいにしてはずいぶん慌ただしい。必要なこと以外にはあまり口を聞かないイメージがあったので、パンを落としそうになりながら馬鹿正直に答えた。 「熱はないよ?」 「......いいですけど、朝御飯の後でいいですか?」 髪飾りのつけ方はわたしが作った物なので、アフターサービスの範囲内だろう。やりすぎだったり、変な目を付けられたりするようなことにはならないはずだ。 「お嬢様、マインさんをお連れしました」 「入ってちょうだい」 フリーダの部屋はドアに近いところに衝立があった。その衝立をくるりと回れば客間と同じような作りで、部屋の一角に天蓋の付いたベッドがあり、ベッドの反対側にライティングデスクと思われる棚があった。 「おはよう、マイン。体調はよくなった?」 「おはよう、フリーダ。熱は出てないけど、絶好調ではないと思う」 「わたくしも同じ髪型にしていただいてもよろしくて?」 トゥーリの髪型は両サイドから中央に向かって編み込みをしたハーフアップの髪型だった。フリーダに似合わないわけではないが、せっかく2つ髪飾りを作ったのだし、ツインテールが可愛いので、わたしとしてはツインテールにしてほしい。 「うーん、飾りを2つ作ったんだから、全く同じ髪型じゃなくて、2つにしようよ。編み込みはしてあげるから、ね?」 目をぎらつかせるユッテに櫛でフリーダの髪を半分に分けてもらって、右側の耳の上くらいまで編み込みの仕方を説明しながら編んでいった。 「ここからすくって、これと併せて、こう捻って編む」 「ここからすくって、こちらと併せて、こうですか?」 左側はユッテがわたしのやり方を見ながら、編み始めた。やはり手慣れた人は上手だ。 「やり方さえ覚えたら、両側ともユッテが結った方が良いと思う。わたしの手、小さいから髪をまとめにくいの」 「確かに、マインさんほど手が小さいと大変そうですね。では、わたしが編みこんでしまいますね」 一度指が覚えてしまうと、ユッテはすいすいと編んでいく。触り慣れている髪だからだろう、変なボコボコもない。櫛で綺麗に分けられているので、わたしが結ったトゥーリの時と違って、分け目もスッキリしている。 「これで、もう少し練習時間があればよかったのですけれど......」 編み上がったフリーダの頭を見て、心底悔しそうにユッテが呟いた。 「ユッテはね、本当は昨日の夜のうちにマインに相談して、一晩中練習するつもりだったんですって」 「あぁ、わたしが疲れて早々に寝ちゃったから......ごめんね」 虚弱なせいで迷惑をかけてしまったか、とわたしが謝ると、ユッテはぶるぶると首を振った。 「とんでもございません。それは体調ですから仕方ありませんわ。ただ、もっと早く知っていれば、お嬢様をさらに飾り立てることができたのに、と」 なるほど。ユッテの趣味はフリーダを飾り立てることか。等身大のお人形みたいに可愛いもんね。わかるわ。わたしもつい髪飾りに熱を込めちゃったし。 そして、耳の上で編み終えて、ユッテがくくった紐の上から、力作の髪飾りを挿しこんで、落ちないようにする。 深い赤のミニバラが4つ配置されているので、前から見ても、横から見ても、後ろから見ても、バラの花が1つは見える。淡いピンクの髪の上に白いかすみ草をイメージした小花が白いレースのように見え、バラの赤を際立たせている。ところどころから見える葉っぱの緑がイイ感じのアクセントになっていた。 「うん、予想以上! フリーダにピッタリだね」 身支度を手伝っていた下働きの女性が褒めていると、ユッテはフリーダの前に今日の衣装を持ってきた。 フリーダが立ち上がると、下働きの女性によって椅子がさっと退けられる。即座にみんなが着替えをさせるための態勢に変化し、わたしは慌ててその場を飛びのいた。 長年の経験がないと、これ、うまくいかないわ。着替えをさせる方はもちろん、させられる方にも経験がなければ、スムーズにいかないって。わたしだったら、腕の上げ下ろしで見えない位置にいる誰かを叩きそうだもん。 「マイン、よかったら、この部屋から洗礼式の行進を見てみない? わたくしが外を眺められるように、ここの窓は外がよく見えるようになっているの」 わたしに宛がわれた客室のガラスは波打っていたが、フリーダの部屋の窓は外の景色がよく見える真っ直ぐなガラスだった。 わたしが窓とフリーダに視線を往復させると、フリーダがニッコリと笑った。 「えぇ、もちろん。一人が不安ならユッテも付けますわ」 部屋の主が留守中に部屋にいるというのが少しばかり居心地悪いと思っていたので、フリーダの提案は渡りに船だった。 「それは助かるかも」 パァッと顔を輝かせたユッテは、多分この窓からでもいいから、お嬢様であるフリーダの晴れ姿が見たくて仕方ないのだろう。フリーダがわたしに付けておくと宣言すれば、堂々とここから見ることができる。 「ありがとう、フリーダ。ここから見てるね」 そんな話をしているうちに、ブーツを履く作業まで終わっていたようだ。フリーダの足元に屈んでいた女性達がザッと立ち上がって一歩後ろに引いた。 「お嬢様、できました」 「おかしなところはないかしら?」 「お嬢様、ご家族の皆様をお連れしました」 褒めちぎっていると、フリーダの準備が終わったことを知らされた家族がここに集うらしい。衝立の向こうから一番に入ってきたのは、ギルド長だった。 「おぉ、フリーダ! これは素晴らしい。この冬の洗礼式にこれほど見事な花をまとうとは、まるで天の使いか、春をもたらす芽吹きの女神のようだ。実に可愛らしい。さすがわしの孫!」 「あぁ、とてもいい。お前の嬉しそうな笑顔には何よりの価値がある」 ギルド長がある程度褒めちぎるのを待っていたように、フリーダの家族が次々と部屋に入ってきた。 「僕が知っている女の子の中で一番可愛い」 少し年が離れているのだろう、10代前半くらいの少年二人がフリーダを褒めちぎる。 ......あれ? 前にフリーダは褒められ慣れていないと思ったんだけど、おにいちゃん達は普通に褒めてるよね? 首を傾げるわたしの前で、フリーダは褒められているとは思えないような困った顔で兄達を見上げた。 「......お兄様方、どうしてここに?」 「聞きましたけれど、今までその言葉が実現したことがなかったので、本当にいると思っていませんでした」 うわぁ、兄弟に約束を守ってもらえたことがなかったんだ。そりゃ、不安にもなるし、褒め言葉も上っ面だと思いこむよ。 兄達もフリーダの不信感に気付いたのか、顔を真っ青にして色々と言い訳を始める。そんな子供達を見下ろしながら、実にマイペースな夫婦がフリーダの髪飾りに注目する。 「すごいな。この髪飾り」 「えぇ、わたくしも欲しいですわ。なんて見事なんでしょう」 カオスな家族関係を見ていると、わたしの目の前にずずいっと屈みこんだギルド長の顔が近付いてきた。 しまった! わたし、今日はこの家族と顔を合わせないように、部屋に引きこもる予定だった! 「よくやってくれた。礼を言うぞ、マイン。わしが贈った物を身につけて、あそこまで嬉しそうなフリーダは初めてだ。お前の言った通り、驚く顔より喜ぶ顔の方が何倍も価値がある」 「わ、わたしも頑張りましたから、喜んでもらえて嬉しいです」 ひいいぃぃぃっ! 助けて、ベンノさーん! 「この感動を分かち合える相手にはなかなか巡り合えない。今度からフリーダに贈り物をする時はマインに相談することにしよう。時にマイン、聞きたいことがあるのだが......うぐっ!?」 ぐいっとギルド長が退けられて、助かったと一瞬喜んだが、それはほんの束の間のことだった。ギルド長の代わりにたくさんの顔が一斉に寄ってきた。 「君がマインちゃんか。フリーダや父から話は聞いていたよ」 「はい、あの......」 フリーダの父にきちんと挨拶をしようと思ったら、くるりと別方向に身体を向けられて、瞬きしている間に正面にはフリーダの母がいた。 「フリーダと仲良くしてくれてありがとう。ここ数日、とても楽しそうで、笑顔が増えたの。母としてお礼を言いたいわ」 「こ、こちらこそ......」 お礼を言おうと思ったら、兄達二人がグイッと顔を寄せてくる。 お願い! 返事する隙間くらい与えてください! って、顔近い! 顔近い! 声に出せないくらいのパニック状態で、目を白黒させながら固まっているわたしを兄達は遠慮なく突いたり、頭を撫でまわしたりする。 「へぇ、これがマインか。話ばかりは聞いていたけど、本当にいたのか。作り話じゃなかったんだな」 「もう何日もいたはずなのに、初めてみるんだもんな? マイン、口がパクパクしてるぞ?」 本当にいたのかって、わたしは遭遇率の低いレアモンスターか!? 珍獣か!? 「お兄様方、そろそろ時間でしょう? 下に行きましょう。マインを離してあげて」 もみくちゃにされるわたしに救いの手を差し伸べてくれたのは、フリーダだった。今日は本当に女神に見える。 「そうそう。遅れちゃ大変だし、早く行った方が良いですよ?」 わたしがじりじりと後退していると、兄の一人が右腕をガシッとつかむ。もう一人が即座に左手をつかんだ。 「マインも一緒に行こうよ。フリーダの洗礼式を祝ってやって」 「我が家の客だし、一緒に行っても問題ないよ」 「そうそう、お祝いは人数がいた方が楽しいからな」 捕獲されたわたしは、両脇を抱えられながら、ぶるぶると首を振ったが、強引な家族は断り文句を聞いていない。 これは血!? ギルド長の一族は人の話を聞かない遺伝子でも持ってるの!? わたしの心中などお構いなしで微笑ましげに周りが見守る中、フリーダだけが溜息を吐いて、兄達を諫めてくれた。 「お兄様方、構いすぎたら体調を崩すと、わたくしの時も叱られたのでしょう? 同じ身食いのマインにも構いすぎないで。ご家族が午後には迎えに来るのに、熱を出したり、倒れたりしたら困るもの」 「マインはまだ体調が良くはないから、この部屋の窓から洗礼式を見ることになっているの。外には出られないのよ。本当はマインだって外に出たいのに......」 身食いのせいで、いつ倒れるかわからなくて外に出ることができず、窓から羨ましそうに外を見ていた昔のフリーダを思い出したらしい。兄達は急にしんみりとした雰囲気になって、つかんでいた腕を離してくれた。 「さぁ、みなさま。そろそろ鐘が鳴りますわ。外でお嬢様のお披露目をしなければ」 ユッテの言葉にフリーダを取り囲むようにして、わらわらと外に出ていく家族をわたしは台風が去っていくのを見つめる気分で見送った。 「マインさん、大丈夫ですか? 悪い方達ではないのですが、少し押しが強いところがありますから」 少しじゃないよ。 ユッテへのツッコミは心の中に納めておいて、わたしは窓辺へと近付いた。 よく晴れているが、時折チラチラと雪が舞うという天気で、わたしの吐息で曇るガラスを見れば、外がものすごく寒いことがよくわかる。 窓の向こうでは、外に出たフリーダがご近所さんに絶賛されていて、女王様のように目立っていた。家族に周りを囲まれて、今までで一番嬉しそうな顔をしている。 こうして上から見ていると、飾りを付けている子が少ない中、わたしが作った髪飾りは非常に目立って見えた。 トゥーリも目立って見えたんだろうな。トゥーリは可愛いからきっとみんなが噂したんだろうな。 フリーダの洗礼式を見下ろしながら、頭に浮かぶのは何故かトゥーリの洗礼式のことばかりだった。 「マインさん、顔色が優れませんが、どうしました?」 「家族と一緒で嬉しそうなフリーダを見てると、わたしも家族に会いたくなっちゃったみたい。午後には迎えに来てくれるのにね」 お昼の鐘が鳴るのを待ち構えていたように、家族が迎えに来てくれた。いつもはちょっと暑苦しい父の愛情が心に染み入ってくる。 「マイン、寂しかっただろう? 父さんは寂しかったぞ」 「ちょっとね。ちょっとだけ、寂しかった」 フリーダの家族に昼食を一緒にどうかと誘われたが、「これ以上お世話になるわけにはいかない」と母が固辞し、「久し振りに母さんが作ったご飯が食べたい」とわたしがねだったことが決定打となって、強く引きとめられることもなく家に帰ることができた。 「わたしもご馳走が食べたかったのにぃ......」 あぁ、いつの間にか、わたしのウチってここになっていたんだなぁ。 そんな自分の中の変化に驚いたフリーダの家での滞在だった。

"Good morning," she says. "How are you feeling?" "It seems like my fever has gone down," I reply, "but I can't say that I'm fully recovered, so today I'd like to rest quietly until my family comes to pick me up." She chuckles wryly. "There was quite a stir at dinner yesterday! When the dessert came out and the young mistress told the table that she and you had made it, the entire family wanted to meet you. They were quite excited, saying that they absolutely want you to work in our shop." Wait, wait, lady, this isn't a laughing matter, you know? Did I somehow manage to narrowly save myself from certain death by going to sleep when I did? Should I just hide away in here for the rest of the day? As soon as she said "your future is secure if you work at our shop", I realized that even she was trying to get her hands on me, putting me on my guard. I look over at the door. "Ummm," I say, trying to change the subject, "it really is noisy out there, isn't it..." "Ahh," she replies, her smile widening. "The young mistress has finished breakfast already and is in the middle of getting dressed. Miss Maine, when you get dressed yourself, I'll guide you to the dining room." "Um, I'm really sorry to bother you like this, but might you be able to bring me my breakfast in this room? I'm still not fully recovered, so I don't need very much, and I'm nervous about meeting people for the first time. I'll lose my appet.i.te, so..." To be honest, since I skipped dinner, I'm actually pretty hungry. However, having met Freida and the guild leader, I can guess that the rest of the family is just as diabolical. Just thinking about being surrounded by those people while trying to eat my breakfast makes my stomach ache. I don't think I'd be able to get anything down. "Heh heh," she chuckles, "Understood, miss. I'll bring your breakfast here." After the servant girl brings out and helps me change into some of Freida's old clothes, she leaves the room. As soon as I'm alone, I collapse to the ground, head clutched in my hands. Oh c.r.a.p. Something weird is happening. I knew that the guild leader and Freida had their eyes set on me, but why does the rest of the family want me now, too? Is it because of the pound cake? But, they have sugar here, so they have sweet things, right? There was that one sweet they brought out for me before, that pizza-like thing baked with nuts and drizzled with honey, right? This really isn't something I actually want to think about, but if sugar has only just started appearing on the market, then the art of making sweets might not be well-developed yet... that can't be what's happening, right? As I lay there, head still in my hands, I hear the footsteps of the servant girl coming back with my breakfast. I quickly stand up and, with a careful nothing's-going-on-here expression, go to greet her. "Please enjoy your meal," she says. It looks like they figured out my tastes exactly after yesterday's breakfast. There's white bread with jam and honey, paired with juice from some sort of sweet fruit. There's not as much soup, but there's a proper full portion of bacon and eggs for me. Under these keenly observing eyes, it feels like my weak points will be found out in an instant. I feel like, once breakfast is finished, I should stay hidden in this room, claiming to still not be feeling well, until my family comes to pick me up. The guild leader and Freida are menacing enough as it is; I can't face an entire family like that myself. I desperately wish that I could summon Benno and Lutz. As I slowly eat my breakfast by myself, thinking about how I'm going to deal with what comes after this, Jutte bursts into the room. "Good morning, Maine. How are you feeling this morning?" She's very hurried for someone coming in to ask me how I'm doing. I get the impression that I should keep my answer to just the bare facts, so I put down my bread and give her a foolishly honest answer. "My fever's gone down, you know?" "...Sure, but can I finish my breakfast first, please?" I can probably count showing her how to use them as warranty service for a product I've made. I'm probably not doing this because I'm being too eager too help, or because Jutte's staring at me strangely. "Mistress Freida, I've brought Maine to see you." "Please, come in!" In Freida's room, near the door, is a standing part.i.tion. If it were to be turned around, it could be used to section off the room into something like a parlor, so in one corner there is a canopy bed, and opposite that is a set of shelves that reminds me of a writing desk. In the middle of the room is a small table with a few chairs set around it. The curtains on the windows and the canopy are all done in girlish reds and pinks, but there are no dolls or accessories anywhere in the otherwise simple room. "Good morning, Maine. You feeling better?" "Morning, Freida. My fever's gone down, but I'm still not totally better yet, I think." "Do you think you could give me the same style, please?" Tuuli's hairstyle involved bringing both sides of her hair together in the center and braiding them together in a half-up style. That kind of style wouldn't suit Freida, but since I went through all that trouble for making two hairpins, and since pigtails are cute, I think the best style for her would be twintails. "Hmmm, well, since I made two hairpins, instead of doing exactly the same thing, let's do it in two parts. I'm going to braid it, okay?" I use a comb to separate Freida's hair into halves, then start braiding one half of it together over her right ear, explaining what I'm doing to Jutte as I go. "Gather it up from here, then match it to this, and then twist it like this to make the plait." "Gather it up from here, then I match it to this, and... like this?" Jutte takes the left side and, carefully observing what I'm doing, starts to braid. As expected of someone used to working with her hands, she's very skilled. Since my hands are small, though, and since I am by no means handy, no matter what I try to do the braids keep slipping out of my fingers and coming loose. Tuuli's hair is naturally wavy, so even if a braid is a little bit sloppy and a bit too loose here and there, that in and of itself just adds to the overall grand impression, but the quality of Freida's hair means that any such mistakes would just immediately stand out. "Since you picked it up so quickly," I tell Jutte, "I think it would be best for you to do both sides. My hands are small, so it's hard for me to gather up all the hair." "It certainly does seem like it would be difficult to try this with hands as small as yours. Very well, I'll braid the other side as well." Having already learned how after the first braid, Jutte sets to work, smoothly braiding the other side. Perhaps it's because she's working with hair she's used to the feel of, but she leaves no holes or gaps as she works. Because Freida's hair was so cleanly divided by the comb, it's parted very neatly, unlike when I'd done Tuuli's hair. "I'd be much happier if I'd had just a bit more time to practice, but..." Jutte mutters fretfully to herself as she looks at Freida's done-up hair. My eyes go wide as I notice how intensely she's reacting, and Freida chuckles wryly, with a troubled expression. "You know," she says to me, "Jutte said that she really wanted to talk with you yesterday evening so that she could spend all night practicing." "Ahh, and then I got tired and went to bed early, so... I'm sorry!" As I try to apologize for having caused her trouble by my feebleness, Jutte quickly shakes her head. "Don't worry about it at all. It's your condition, you couldn't help it. I was just thinking... if I had known how to do this earlier, I could have done the young mistress up even more prettily." Oh my, I see. Her hobby is dressing up Freida, is it? She is as cute as a life-sized doll. I understand perfectly! I, too, got fired up over making her hairpins. Next, when Jutte finishes with the braids over Freida's ears, I carefully insert my masterpiece hairpins through the string binding them together and arrange them so they won't fall off. Since there are four deep red miniature roses, no matter if you look at her from the front, the side, or the back, you can always see at least one flower. The way the spray of white baby's-breath is set against her light pink hair makes the tiny flowers look like white lace, making the red of the roses stand out even more. The green leaves that peek out here and there accentuate everything very nicely. "Yep," I say, "even better than I thought! These match you perfectly, Freida." "You look quite adorable, Miss Freida," says the servant girl who had helped me get dressed earlier, while Jutte brings over the garments that Freida will be wearing today. Freida stands up, and the servant girl takes the chair away. Immediately, every person in the room transitions into clothes-changing mode, and I hurriedly get out of the way. Freida raises one arm, onto which a sleeve is quickly placed; when she raises the other, it's also sleeved much the saem way. Several people b.u.t.ton down the b.u.t.tons and tie up the strings, as Freida gets dressed without doing anything but standing there. I let out an amazed breath, watching the kind of princess-like dressing scene you'd only see in books or movies. If it weren't for everyone's many years of experience, this wouldn't be going anywhere near as well. Not only do the servants need to know how to dress her, but Freida also needs to know how to be dressed, otherwise things wouldn't go smoothly at all. If I were in the middle of that, me trying to raise and lower my arms would just end up with me hitting someone I can't see, I think. "Maine, if you'd like, do you want to try watching the procession from this room? The windows in here were made specially to let me see outside better." The windows of the guest room I had been in had wavy gla.s.s in them, but the gla.s.s in the windows here, in Freida's room, the gla.s.s is perfectly flat, making it easy to look at the scenery outside. It wouldn't be any exaggeration to say that watching the ceremonial procession through the windows here as it advances towards the temple would be like having a prime box seat. I glance back and forth between Freida and the windows. She smiles broadly at me. "Yes, of course! If you're afraid to be here by yourself I can have Jutte stay with you." I would indeed be uncomfortable staying in someone's room while they were away, so Freida's suggestion is most welcome. "That would be really helpful, thanks." Jutte's face immediately lights up, probably from hearing that she can watch from this window. It can't be helped that she'd want to watch her mistress Freida go out in her finest clothes, and if Freida has her stay with me, she'll be able to see her in all her glory. "Thanks, Freida," I say. "I'll watch from here." It seems like all of the dressing-up work, down to the boots, was finished while we were talking. The two servants who were crouched in front of her feet smoothly stand up and take a step back. "Miss Freida, we're all finished." "And nothing's out of place, I wonder?" she replies. "Miss Freida," says a servant, "I've brought your family to see you." It seems that as we were praising her, the rest of her family had been told that she was done getting ready and had come here to see. The first person to step out from around the screen is the guild leader. "Oh, Freida! You look magnificent. Wearing such beautiful flowers during the winter's baptismal ceremonies, you look like an angel... no, a G.o.ddess of the blooming spring! You are truly lovely. As expected of my granddaughter!" A broad grin splits the guild leader's face. "They really do. Your delighted smile is worth more than anything in the world." The rest of the family starts to enter, one by one, as if they had been waiting for the guild leader to get enough praise in before interrupting. "Out of all the girls I know... you're the cutest!" Two young boys, about the same age--probably about ten or ten and a half years old--start to praise Freida. ...Huh? A little while ago I was thinking that maybe Freida wasn't used to being praised like this, but these two boys seem to be acting like giving her compliments is no big deal, hm? I tilt my head questioningly to the side as Freida looks up at her older brothers with a troubled expression, like she couldn't believe that she was being praised. "...Why are the both of you here?" "I'd heard, but until now I've never seen anything come from words like that, so I didn't think you'd really be here this time." ...Wow, so these brothers don't keep their promises. With that kind of uncertainty, she might be convinced that their compliments were just empty words too. The brothers, perhaps because they noticed Freida's distrust, instantly grow pale and start coming up with various excuses. While they do that, a married couple wanders over, completely ignoring the situation and overlooking the two children. "Amazing, those hairpins." "Yes, I want some for myself! How splendid they are." As I watch the chaotic family gathering unfold, suddenly, the guild leader leans down, thrusting his face in front of me. c.r.a.p! I'd been planning to lock myself in my room so that I wouldn't have to meet these people! "You've done so well. I must thank you, Maine. This is the first time I've ever seen Freida so happy with something I've bought for her to wear. Just like you said, her delighted face is worth so, so much more than her surprise." "I... I'm very glad you're pleased, I put a lot of effort into it." Eeeeeek! Save meeee, Bennooo!! "There aren't many other people around here who understand these feelings. From now on, when I buy a gift for Freida, I'll consult with you first! Incidentally, Maine, there's one thing I wanted to ask you about... guh?!" With a jerk, the guild leader is pushed away. For a moment, I'm grateful for my rescue, but it really is only for the briefest moment. The guild leader is suddenly replaced by many faces, crowding in to see me all at once. "You must be little Maine, aren't you? I've heard so much about you from Father and Freida." "Yes, umm--" As I start to try to properly introduce myself to Freida's father, I'm spun around to face someone else. I blink quickly to reorient myself, and see Freida's mother in front of me. "Thanks for making friends with Freida. She's been having so much fun lately and is smiling a lot more. As her mother, I'm really quite grateful!" "Th... the pleasure is all m--" As I start to try to express my own grat.i.tude, her two older brothers shove themselves in front of me. I beg of you! Just give me a second to get a response out! ...Ack, too close! Your face is too close! I'm panicked to the point where my voice doesn't come out at all. I freeze up, my eyes darting back and forth uselessly. The brothers, without any reservation, poke at me and pat my head. "Huhhh, so this is Maine? I'd only heard stories, but she really does exist, huh. I guess she's not made up after all." "She's supposedly been here for a few days, but this is the first we're seeing her, isn't it? Maine, your mouth's just flapping, you know?" "She really does exist," he says, like I'm some kind of rare monster with a low sp.a.w.n rate, or some mythical beast?! "You two, isn't it about time to go? Let's head downstairs. Give Maine a little s.p.a.ce." The one who reached out to save me from being crushed was Freida. Today, she really is a G.o.ddess. "Yes, yes," I say, slowly trying to back away. "It would be really bad if you were late, so it would be best for you to get going, you know?" One of the brothers firmly grabs my right arm, and the other catches my left hand. "Let's go together, Maine. Come celebrate Freida's baptism with us." "You're a guest of the family, it shouldn't be a problem if you come out with us." "Right, right! Celebrations are more fun when there's lots of people, after all." I, both arms firmly captured, shake my head frantically, but this overbearingly pushy family doesn't hear a word of my complaints. Is this genetic?! Does the guild leader's family have a doesn't-listen-to-people gene?! Out of all of the people here smilingly watching on as my wishes are completely ignored, Freida is the only one who sighs and scolds her brothers. "You two, if she gets sick again because you push her around too much, I'll get scolded too, you know? Maine has the same devouring fever I do, please don't make her do too much. Her family's coming to get her this afternoon, but if her fever comes back or she faints then that'll be a problem." "She's still not feeling well, so we've decided that she's going to stay in this room and watch the ceremony from the windows here instead. She can't go outside. I'm sure she wants to go outside, but..." It seems that she's evoking images of herself, not able to go outside because n.o.body knows when she might collapse from the devouring, enviously watching the world pa.s.s by her window. Her older brothers instantly look much more serious, and they let go of my arms. "Now, everyone," says Jutte. "The bell is about to ring. The young mistress must go outside to make her debut." At her word, the rest of the family gathers up around Freida, then quickly bustles off, leaving me with the impression that I just watched the pa.s.sing of a hurricane. It looks like it really was the right decision to not have breakfast with them. If they kept firing questions off at me with that much force, jerking me around like that, I'd definitely pa.s.s out for days afterward. "Miss Maine," asks Jutte, "are you feeling alright? They aren't bad people, but they can sometimes come on a little strong." That wasn't a little! I keep my retort to myself, and instead move over to the window. Despite the fact that there's a fire burning in the hearth, it's still chilly near the window. Jutte brings me a shawl, which I wrap around myself, and I look down out of the window. It's very sunny outside, but the occasional glitter of a falling snowflake and the fog my breath leaves on the windowpane shows just how bitterly cold it is outside. Across from the window, I can see that Freida has already left the house and is now being admired by the neighbors, standing out like a queen amongst peasants. Surrounded by her family, she wears the happiest smile she's ever had. From where I watch, amongst the few decorations that the children are wearing, the hairpins I made stand out conspicuously. I understand now just how Freida could have noticed Tuuli's hairpins from her window here. Tuuli must have stood out just like this, huh. She was so cute that everyone must have been talking about her, huh. As I look down at Freida's baptismal ceremony, all I can think about it Tuuli's ceremony, how my father had a meeting he really didn't want to go to, how my mother looked as she smiled, wearing her only good dress, and so on, and so on. Somehow, I really want to see my family again. "Miss Maine," says Jutte, "you look a little pale, is something wrong?" "When I see how happy Freida is down there with her family, I think about how I want to be with my family too. They're not coming until the afternoon, though..." As soon as the noonday bell rings, my family arrives to pick me up, as if they were lying in wait outside. My father's affection, as overbearing as it ordinarily is, warms my heart. "Maine, were you lonely? Daddy was so lonely!" "A little, yeah. I was a little bit lonely." Freida's family invited us to have lunch with them, but my mother politely told them that she couldn't possibly ask them to do more than they already had, and I struck the decisive blow by nagging her about wanting to eat her home cooking after so long, so we wound up going home without any significant resistance. "Aww, but I wanted to have a big feast too..." whines Tuuli, puffing out her cheeks. Ahh, at some point, I started calling this place home, huh... It was a stay at Freida's house that made me surprised by the change in my own heart.

デリアの仕事 「もー! あんたのせいで、あたしが神殿長の部屋を追い出されたのよ! どうしてくれるのっ!」 そう叫びながら、デリアが憤然とした様子で階段を駆け上がってくる。どこから走ってきたのか知らないが、深紅の髪を振り乱し、ぜいぜいと息を切らせながら、デリアがわたしの前に立った。ここ数日は厨房整備のために忙しい日を過ごしていたので、ものすごく久し振りに顔を見たような気がする。 「あんたのせいよ! 勝手に部屋を賜わったくせに、あたしに何にも言わないから、神殿長に能無し扱いされたじゃない! もー!」 部屋をもらったのは着替える場所が欲しかっただけだったし、神官長からちゃんともらったから勝手に部屋を分捕ったわけでもないし、デリアがいつもどこかに行ってしまうから連絡なんてできるわけないし、神殿長に無能扱いされたところでわたしには何の関係もないと思う。 「あたしをここに置きなさいよ。側仕えだから当然でしょ?」 「身分をわきまえろ!」 あ、と思った時には止める間もなく、ゴン! とベンノの拳骨が落ちた。デリアは何が起こったのかわからないような顔で、頭を押さえて辺りを見回す。 「デリア、お客様の前で、その態度は良くないわ。叱られて当たり前でしょう?」 「な、なんであんたにそんなこと言われなきゃいけないのよ!?」 目を細めたベンノが拳を見せると、デリアがぐっと口を噤んだ。ルッツに殴られた事を思い出したのか、ギルも一緒にビクッとする。 「マイン、与えられた仕事が満足にできないヤツは必要ない。やる気がないヤツを雇っておくのは金の無駄だ。即刻切り捨てろ」 不機嫌に吐き捨てたベンノの言葉は、ギルに向かってルッツが言った言葉と一緒で、ルッツがいかにベンノの影響を受けているのかよくわかった。 「あの、フラン。わたくしにはデリアの置かれた状況がよくわからないのだけれど、部屋を追い出されたということは、神殿長に切られたということかしら?」 わたしの言葉が核心を突いてしまったのか、デリアは今にも泣きそうなほど目に涙をいっぱい溜めて、わたしを睨んで、掠れた声で反論した。 「......まだ切られてないもん」 「切られたと断言することはできませんが......」 デリアが光明を見つけたようにフランの言葉に顔を輝かせた。しかし、フランは表情を変えることなく、デリアに現実を突きつけていく。 「マイン様が部屋を賜った事を知らず、部屋の場所がわからないためマイン様に仕えることもできず、神殿長にとって必要な情報を全く持ち帰ることができなかったデリアが不興を被ったとしても、何の不思議もございません」 「......え?」 真面目なフランは、側仕えとしての仕事をしていないばかりか、仮にも主であるわたしを困らせるだけのデリアに相当腹を立てているようだ。表情が変わらないのが、逆に怒りの深さを感じさせる。 「デリアがマイン様に付けられたのは、同じ年頃の少女ならば、マイン様と仲良くして情報をたくさん手に入れることができるのではないか、という神殿長の思惑があったと伺っております。ここまでわかりやすく敵意を剥き出しにし、マイン様に警戒されているデリアが神殿長にとって期待外れである事は間違いないでしょう」 「そ、そんな......」 部屋まで追い出されるなんて、神殿長に切られた線が濃厚になってきた、と思った次の瞬間、デリアはフランに媚びるような笑みを見せた。 「でもでも、あたしはここの側仕えだし、巫女見習いに女の側仕えがいないなんてあり得ないもの。そうよね?」 次の居場所を確保するために、主であるわたしではなく、側仕えの中で一番発言力がある成人のフランをターゲットにするところがあざとい。 感情を表情に出すことが少ないフランが嫌悪感を剥き出しにしてデリアを睨んだ後、フッと冷たい笑みを浮かべた。 「マイン様はここで生活していらっしゃるわけではないので、身の回りの世話がほとんど必要ありません。この数日、デリアがいなくても全く問題なかったことが、それを証明しております。それに、どうしても必要であれば、孤児院から新しい側仕えを選ぶことが可能でございます」 神官長に付けられた側仕えだから、デリアを外すことはできないと考えていたが、新しく増やすことはできるようだ。わたしが「それはいい考えですわね」とフランに賛同すると、ギュッと唇を噛みしめて、デリアがほたほたと涙を零し始めた。 「......あたしを追い出すの?」 その綺麗過ぎる涙を見て、デリアは本当に男に可愛がられるためにしか生きてきてないんだと理解した。自分が不利な状態になれば、甘えてすがって、涙を見せる。見上げる角度まで完璧だ。幼くても女を武器にすることを知っている。可愛いことを自覚しているって、すごい。麗乃時代にわたしがやったら「気持ち悪い」と足蹴にされかねない技だ。 わたしを今まで散々罵っておきながら、いきなり哀れな雰囲気を出されて、救援を求められても、困る。本音を言えば苛立つけれど、泣いている幼女を追い出すのもかなり鬼畜ではないのか。何とも言えないやりにくさを感じて、重い空気が漂う。 「追い出すも何も、最初からデリアは数に入ってないから心配するな」 「な、ななっ!?」 「ここでは仕事をしないヤツには部屋もないし、ご飯も食べちゃダメなんだ。働かざる者食うべからずって言うんだぜ! なぁ、マイン様?」 空気を読んでいないのか、むしろ、読んだのか、わからないが、よくやってくれた。後でいっぱい褒めてやらなければならない。「体力なくて働けないお前が言うな」と呟くベンノは無視だ。無視。 「ギルは頑張ってお仕事したから、お部屋もあるし、お腹いっぱい食べたんですもの。自分のお仕事もしない子にわたくしが与えるものは何もないの」 「わかったわ。仕事をすればいいのね?」 デリアはそう言うと、ベンノの膝にするりと滑らかな動きで座って、にっこりと笑いながら身体を寄せた。 「え? そんな、まさか......」 今までのデリアの仕事は、神殿長の愛人となっている側仕えの身の回りの世話と次代の愛人となるために美と教養を磨くこと。そして、神殿長に客が来た時は甘えて笑顔を振りまくことだったらしい。 「わたくしの側仕えには全く必要ないですわね」 「そ、掃除と洗濯はできるわ。神殿長の衣を整える仕事もあったし、この部屋だってちゃんと整えられるもの」 そう言いながら、ギュッとわたしの袖を掴む手に力が籠った。今まで自分がしてきたことが他では通用しないと知ったことで、自分の中の価値観が揺らいでいるのだと思う。媚びた笑顔でもなく、綺麗な嘘泣きでもなく、戸惑ったようにデリアは顔を強張らせて、周りを見回し始めた。しかし、可愛いデリアを助けてあげようとする者はこの場にいない。 部屋を追い出されたデリアが困っているのは本当なのだろう。どうしようか、と助けを求めて、わたしはフランを見上げた。 「反省室で一晩反省すればよいのではないですか? マイン様に不敬を働いたことは事実ですから」 「反省はするわ。これからは、きちんとする。だから......追い出さないで。いらないって言わないで」 うぅ~っ、と泣くのを堪えながらデリアが必死の顔で言い募る。胸を突く切実な響きにわたしが軽く目を見張って周りを見ると、フランとギルもまるで自分がいらないと言われたように痛そうな顔になっていた。 ギルは日常的に反省室に入れられていた問題児だった。フランは神官長付きから外された時に、自分が必要とされていないと思って、傷つき苦しんだ。多分、その記憶が蘇っている。 「フラン。わたくしはデリアがお仕事を真面目にしてくれれば、それでいいのだけれど」 少しホッとしたようにフランが息を吐いた後、厳しい顔になってデリアに言った。 「ここで受け入れてほしければ、まず、言葉遣いを改めるように。マイン様を主と考えられないような側仕えは必要ない」 デリアが仕事をすると宣言してくれたことで、泣いている幼女を追い出さずに済んだ。わたしは胸を撫で下ろしながら、デリアに尋ねる。 「それで、デリアはどんなお仕事ができるの?」 「この部屋を青色巫女の部屋として整えます。最初はここ!」 デリアがビシッと指差したのは、わたしが二階の物置だと思っていた場所だった。実は、お風呂場兼トイレとして使う場所だったらしい。それらしい道具がなかったので、全く気付かなかった。 「数日の間、時間があったのというのに、道具も準備できていないというのはどういうことですの? お風呂はともかく、トイレはどうしていたんですか?」 「え? 一階にあるから、そこで道具借りて、自分で片付けて......」 「何ですって!? 信じられない! もー! 一階って、側仕えの、しかも、殿方が使うところじゃありませんか。恥を知りなさい!」 言葉遣いが多少変わっても、態度はあんまり変わってない気がするのは、わたしの気のせいでしょうか。 デリアは風呂、トイレの道具に加えて、鏡台や執務机がないと、この部屋に足りない物を次々と指摘し始めた。食事も書き物も全部中央の丸テーブルで済ませているのだが、青色巫女としては失格らしい。 「ベンノさん、お願い」 「任せておけ。......これだけ不足しているんだったら、確かに、巫女の生活を知っている側仕えも必要だな。それに、あの調子で怒られたら、マインももうちょっと貴族の娘らしくなるだろ?」 そして、デリアは二階の水瓶に水を運び始めた。ここに水を運んでおかないと洗顔や手洗い、トイレの片付けにも困るらしい。か弱いお姫様系かと思えば、愛人目指して熱心に仕事をしていたようなので、デリアは水を運ぶ腕力も体力もやる気もしっかりあった。 「二階に水さえ準備していないなんて、もー!」 デリアが口やかましく独り言に近い文句を言いながら仕事を始めたのを見届けて、フランは厨房へと戻り、ギルは一階の掃除を始めた。 「そういえば、先日、神官長に儀式用の青い衣を作るようにと命じられたのですけれど、儀式用って何か特別なのでしょうか?」 「神殿外の者の目に留まる、いわば、晴れ着のようなものなので、見栄えを考えても、普段使いの衣とは全く違うものになります。縁取りの刺繍やそれぞれの家の紋章が......」 途中で言葉を止めて、ハッとしたようにベンノがわたしを見た。 「マイン、お前が儀式に出るのはいつだ? 貴族の儀式用なんてどれだけ日数がかかるか、わからんぞ」 いきなり崩れた言葉遣いから、相当焦っているのがわかる。確かに、機械でパパーッと仕立てられるわけがないので、時間は必須だろう。 「見習いだから多くないとは言われたけど、いつ、どんな儀式があるか、わかりません。フランなら知ってるかな? フラ......ふがっ!?」 フランを呼ぼうとしたら、ベンノに口を塞がれ、視線でベルを示された。そうだった。人を呼ぶにはベルを使うんだ。 「わたくし、神官長から儀式用の衣を仕立てるように言われているのだけれど、その儀式がいつあるのか、フランは御存じかしら?」 「秋に騎士団の要請があれば、それが一番近い儀式になると思われます」 「秋か。一から仕立てるとなると厳しいな......」 貴族の晴れ着を仕立てるとなれば、糸から選ぶのが当然らしい。眉をひそめるベンノに、フランは視線を壁際にある木箱へと向けた。 「儀式用の衣を仕立てるのは、ベンノ様に頂いた布を使うのはいかがでしょうか? とても品が良いので、染めればそのまま使用できると思われます」 「......マインには紋章がないが、それは?」 「工房の紋章のようなものはないのでしょうか?」 「これから作ります!」 ベンノに採寸され、儀式用の衣のデザインをベンノとフランが話し合う間、わたしは一人でニヨニヨと自分の工房の紋章を考えていた。 「マイン様、料理人が我々の夕飯分も作り終わったと申しております」 「そう。では、片付けが終わっているか、よく確認してもらっていいかしら?」 わたしの指示を受けて、厨房のチェックと明日の予定について話をしたフランが料理人を見送った。 「今日はわたくしも帰ります。二人とも着替えてきてちょうだい」 ギルとフランがそそくさと各自の部屋へ着替えに行く。近いうちにルッツがベンノと一緒に仕事で別の街に行くので、側仕えが送り迎えできるように、ただいま練習中なのだ。 わたしも帰宅準備のために青の衣を脱ぐ。帯を解こうとしたら、デリアが憤怒の表情でわたしの前に仁王立ちした。 「見ての通り、着替えですけれど?」 あぁ、一人で脱ぐのはダメだったか、と思いながら、帯からそっと手を離す。お願いしますと腕を上げて、手伝ってくれるのを待とうとしたら、デリアが目を三角にした。 下に服を着ているし、青の衣を脱ぐだけでそんな怒られ方をすると思っていなかったわたしは首を竦める。 「ご、ごめんなさい? でも、この青いのを脱ぐだけで......」 「自ら脱ぐという行為は狙った殿方を誘惑する時だけ! 他に見せるなんて女の価値が下がります。それくらい知らないとこれから困りますよ。もー!」 どうしよう。怒られポイントがずれてる気がする。でも、何か真剣に怒っているようなので、指摘しにくい。 「ベンノ様、ホールでお待ちくださいませ。幼いとはいえ、女性の着替えを見るのはご遠慮ください」 笑いを堪えるように口元を押さえながら、ベンノが下に降りていく。完全に一階に行ったのを確認した後、デリアがわたしの帯を解き、衣を脱がせてくれる。 「何、その服......?」 「マイン様からのご褒美だ」 「ずるいわよ! 平等じゃないわ!」 「これは仕事のご褒美さ。仕事もしてないヤツはもらえねぇよ」 「ここの掃除。一人で頑張って掃除したから、ご褒美貰ったんだ。へへん、いいだろう?」 「別に悔しくなんてないわよ!」 「下でみんながお待ちですわよ。早く行って差し上げたら?」 「え?」 デリアは目玉が零れ落ちそうな程目を見開いて、わたしを見た。 「あたし、一言もいらないなんて言ってないわ」 わたしはクローゼットに一つだけ残っている布の包みを取り出して、デリアに渡す。触れようとした手を一度引っ込めて、デリアはわたしをちらりと見た。 「......いいんですか?」 「これからも仕事、頑張ってくれるんでしょう?」 「あたしがいないと何もわかっていないんですもの。仕方がないでしょう」 真っ赤な顔で、つーん、と視線を逸らしたデリアは、乱暴な仕草で包みを抱えて、側仕えの部屋へと駆けこんでいった。 「デリアが着替えているから、もう少し待ってちょうだい」 焦れた様子のギルに声を返しながら、わたしはデリアの部屋のドアを見つめた。着替えるだけにしてはずいぶんと時間がかかっている。いつまでたっても出てこない。 「デリア、まだ?」 ドアを開けると、服を着たデリアが満面の笑顔で、何か歌いながらくるくる回っていた。目が合った瞬間、デリアはスカートの部分をギュッと握って、ふるふると震える。耳まで真っ赤に染めて、わたしを睨んだ。 「か、勝手に開けるんじゃないわよ! もー!」

Delia's Job "Seriously! Thanks to you, I've been kicked out of the temple master's rooms! Why would you do that?!" Delia, burning with rage, storms up the stairs. I don't know if she ran to get here or what, but her dark crimson hair is in disarray, and her breath comes in ragged pants as she comes to a stop in front of me. These past few days have been so ma.s.sively busy with getting the kitchen in order that it feels like it's been a very long time since I last saw her. "It's all your fault! You went and got yourself a room, but I didn't say anything about it, so the Reverend thinks I'm incompetent! Ugh, seriously!" All I wanted a room for was just to have a place to get changed. I didn't just take it by myself; the head priest properly gave it to me. I had no idea where Delia had gone off to, and had no way to contact her. I fail to see how the temple master's impression of Delia's incompetence is even remotely my fault. "Let me stay here, of course. I'm your attendant, so it's only right, isn't it?" "Mind your place!" thunders Benno. Before I even have time to react, he slams his fist down onto Delia's head. Delia clutches her head, looking around as if she has no idea what's going on. "Delia," I chide, "that's not the kind of behavior you should be displaying in front of my guest. It's only natural that you should be scolded, is it not?" "W... why would I need you to tell me that?!" Delia instantly shuts her mouth tight. Gil flinches, too, perhaps remembering his earlier beating at Lutz's hands. "Maine," says Benno, "You don't have any use for someone who doesn't get the work she's a.s.signed done to satisfaction. Keeping someone who doesn't have any motivation on the payroll is a waste of your money. Get rid of her." The words that Benno disdainfully spits mirrors what Lutz had told Gil. It's obvious to see what kind of effect Benno's had on him. "Ah, Fran," I say. "I am not entirely certain of the details behind Delia's a.s.signment to me, but if she is saying that she was kicked out of the temple master's rooms, does that mean he has cut ties with her?" My words seem to strike a mark. Delia's eyes fill with tears as she glares at me, almost on the verge of crying. "...He hasn't cut me out yet," she says, her voice cracking. Fran speaks up. "I would not say that the Reverend has cut ties with her, but..." Delia's face s.h.i.+nes with renewed hope. Fran's expression, however, does not change. He continues to speak, laying out the harsh reality. "Delia did not know that you were given rooms," he explains to me, "and without knowledge of those rooms' whereabouts could not work for you. As such, she was incapable of delivering necessary information about your activities to him. I do not find it at all mysterious as to why she would bear his displeasure." "...Huh?" Delia's eyes open wide with disbelief, but Fran pays her no attention, looking supremely disinterested as he continues talking. It seems that Fran, an earnest and hardworking person, takes great offense to Delia, who not only fails to do her duty as my attendant, but also actively sought to make trouble for me. His expression may be placid, but I can feel the anger burning beneath it. "The temple master a.s.signed her to you was because of the expectation that you would easily bond with a girl your age, putting her in a situation where she could gather a large amount of valuable information for him. As she has instead displayed such naked hostility to you, causing you to remain highly vigilant around her, I can only imagine how much of a disappointment she may be to him." "Th... that's..." Delia's face falls. The thought occurs to me that the fact that she got kicked out of the temple master's rooms only underscores the possibility that she's getting cut off, but as soon as the thought enters my mind, Delia puts on a fawning smile, looking up at Fran. "Hey, hey, y'know, I could be a good attendant here. It's not right for an apprentice priestess to not have any female attendants. Right?" Her ploy to guarantee her next lodgings did not involve asking me, her master, but instead cunningly went straight to targeting Fran, the most influential of my attendants. Fran, who typically doesn't show his emotions on his face, glares at her with naked disgust. He snorts coldly. "As Sister Maine does not live here, she largely does not require any a.s.sistance with her everyday necessities. Despite the fact that you were not here over these past few days, we encountered no problems at all. I would consider that to be proof of how little additional a.s.sistance she needs. Furthermore, even if she were to somehow require such a.s.sistance, it is entirely possible for her to select a new attendant from the orphanage." I'd thought that since Delia was a.s.signed to me by the head priest I wouldn't be able to get rid of her, but it seems like I might be able to add someone new to my staff. "What an excellent idea," I say, approvingly, to Fran, which causes Delia to bite her lip, tears starting to drip from her eyes. "...You're kicking me out?" When I look at those excessively pretty tears, I can instantly tell that Delia lives solely for the purpose of making men fall for her. Now that she's in a disadvantageous position, she clings sweetly to Fran, showing us her tears. Everything down to the angle at which she's looking up at us is perfect. Even though she's still very young, she knows exactly what kind of weapons women can bring to bear. It's really amazing to see what someone can do when they're fully aware of how cute they are. If I were to have tried to use that kind of technique back in my Urano days, they probably would have said "ugh, creepy," and kicked me away. Since until now she's been nothing but extremely hostile to me, her suddenly putting on this pitiable air and begging me for help really puts me on the spot. To be honest, I'm really irritated at her right now, but actually kicking out a crying little girl seems too brutish. So, this oppressive atmosphere lingers, leaving me keenly aware of how bad I am at not being able to say anything. "Don't worry about kicking her out or whatever. She wasn't ever one of us in the first place." "Wh... w, wha?!" "Someone who doesn't actually work here doesn't get a room, and of course they can't eat here, either. 'He who does not work, neither shall he eat!' Isn't that right, Sister Maine?" Gil puffs out his chest, proud at remembering the phrase.1 I'm not sure if he just failed to read the room or if he did and just didn't care, but either way he did a good job. I'd better make sure to praise him lots later. Next to me, Benno mutters, "You're not strong enough to do any work either. You don't get to say that." but I ignore him. Pointedly. "Since Gil works hard at his job," I say, "he has a room, and he can eat until his belly is full. I have nothing to offer a girl who does not do her work." "Alright, then. So then I just need to work, then?" As she says this, she smoothly slides into Benno's lap, smiling sweetly as she draws herself close to him. I blink, dumbfounded, having no idea what in the world is happening right now. Benno looks supremely disgusted, his face twitching as he waves his hands. "Huh? That's, you mean..." It seems that, until now, Delia's job has been to take care of the daily necessities of the attendants who've already become the temple master's mistresses while polis.h.i.+ng her beauty and her education for the sake of being part of the next generation of mistresses. It also looks like she's supposed to lavish the temple master's visitors with sweet smiles. "I have no need for such attendants," I say, matter-of-factly. "I... I can clean and do laundry, too. I helped get the Reverend's clothes ready for him, and I can definitely keep this room clean, too." She grabs my sleeve tightly in her fist. I think that, faced with the fact that none of the things she's ever done so far apply here at all, her own sense of values might be shaking. She isn't smiling flirtatiously. Her eyes aren't full of tears. Her face is frozen in a look of bewilderment as she starts looking desperately around the room. However, there's n.o.body in this room who has any desire to save cute little Dalia from her plight. It's probably true that Delia is in real trouble now that she's been kicked out of the temple master's rooms, I think. I look up at Fran, hoping for some a.s.sistance in figuring out what to do. "Perhaps a night spent in the reflection room would be sufficient?" he says. "She has, in fact, showed great disrespect to you." "I'll reflect on my actions! I'm going to do everything just right from now on. So... please don't kick me out. Please don't say you don't need me!" Delia looks desperately up at me as she pleads, whimpering like she can barely contain herself from bursting into tears. Her shockingly serious plea makes my eyes widen, and both Fran and Gil are making pained faces, as if they themselves had been told that they weren't needed. Gil was a problem child who spent nearly every day in the reflection room, and when Fran was sent away from the head priest's side, he was left feeling wounded, like he was no longer necessary. The two of them are probably remembering how they felt back then. "Fran," I say. "If Delia performs her duties in earnest, then I believe everything shall be fine." After giving the tiniest sigh of relief, Fran turns to Delia, his expression growing stern. "If you wish to work here, then first, correct your manner of speech. I have no use for an attendant who does not think of Sister Maine as her master." And so, with her declaration that she will start working, we wrap up this predicament without me having to banish a crying little girl from my room. Composing myself, I turn to ask her a question. "Now then, what kinds of work can you do?" "I can put this room in order as befitting a blue-robed priestess such as yourself. Starting with this!" She points dramatically at a room that I'd a.s.sumed was the storage room for the second floor. It seems that in actuality it's supposed to be a bathroom, with a tub and a toilet. There's nothing in there now, so I hadn't realized it at all. "You've had plenty of time over the last few days; why is it that you haven't acquired any equipment? Leaving the bathtub aside, what have you been doing when you need to use the restroom?" "Huh? There's one downstairs, so I use those, and then I clean up after myself..." "What?! I don't believe it! Seriously! You go to the first floor? You use the attendants' toilet? And worse, you say that you use the mens' restroom? Have you no shame!" Even though she's being a bit more polite in speech, I feel like her att.i.tude hasn't changed all that much. Is it just my imagination? Delia goes through the room, identifying item after item that this room is missing. Not only do I not have a bathtub and a toilet, but I'm also missing a dresser as well as a writing desk. Apparently, using the same round table in the center of the room for both eating and writing makes me a failure of a blue-robed priestess. Even though I try to tell her that I'm not planning on taking any baths here, she insists that I someday might, and that I should make sure for my own sake that I make sure that I can do so on the second floor. "Can you help me get these, Mister Benno?" I ask. "Leave it to me. ...If you were missing all of this, then it looks like having an attendant that knows about how priestesses live might actually be necessary. Besides, if you keep making her mad like that, maybe you'll be able to become a bit more n.o.ble yourself, huh?" Next, Delia starts carrying water up to fill the jug on the second floor. It seems that if n.o.body brings any water upstairs, then was.h.i.+ng one's face and hands is difficult, as is cleaning up after using the restroom. I'd been thinking she was the frail princess type, but since she's apparently been working zealously to make sure she could be a mistress, she's got more than enough arm strength, stamina, and sheer grit to carry water. "n.o.body even bothered getting any water to the second floor. Seriously!" Delia keeps up a bitter monologue as she works, complaining about everything around her. After Fran makes sure that she's actually started working, he returns to the kitchens, and Gil starts working on cleaning the first floor. I, meanwhile, reach for the dessert that's been sitting untouched on the table. As I chew, I strike up a conversation with Benno. "Come to think of it, the other day, the head priest ordered me to have a set of ceremonial robes made, but what's special about ceremonial robes?" "They're meant to catch the attention of people outside the temple. Essentially, you should think of them as your nicest clothes. So, if we were to just think about appearances, they are totally different from what you might usually wind up wearing. The embroidery on the hems has your family crest sewn into it, and..." He freezes halfway through his sentence, looking straight at me in shock. "Maine. When's the ceremony you need this for? I have no idea how long it's going to take to make something suitable for n.o.ble ceremonies." From the way the politeness immediately drops from his tone, I can tell just how hurried he is. There are, of course, no sewing machines here, so there's no way you can just throw together a garment. It seems they take a lot of time to make. "He said that since I'm an apprentice I don't need to go to a lot of them, but I don't know when or what kind of ceremonies they're going to be. Fran would probably know, right?" I turn to the stairwell. "Hey, Frmmph?!" As soon as I start calling out for Fran, Benno covers my mouth, pointing sternly at the bell. Ah, that's right. You use a bell to call people. I ring the bell, and moments later Fran comes upstairs. "I was recently informed by the head priest that I must have ceremonial robes tailor-made for me, yet I do not know when those ceremonies may take place. Would you happen to know, perhaps?" "If the order of knights requests for one this fall, then I believe that would be the closest one to today." "Fall, huh..." says Benno. "Making something from scratch by then is going to be rough..." If we're making fancy clothes befitting a n.o.ble, then it's obvious that everything must be carefully considered, starting from the thread used. Fran, seeing Benno's scowl, glances over at the wooden box along the far wall. "Master Benno," he says, "might I suggest that you use the fabric that you gave Sister Maine to make her ceremonial robes? It is of very excellent quality, so once dyed I believe it would be more than suitable for the purpose." "...She doesn't have a family crest. What do we do about that?" "Does her workshop have a something similar crest?" "I'll make one right now!" I say. As Benno takes my measurements, discussing the requirements for the design of my ceremonial robes, I gleefully start thinking up ideas for my workshop's crest. My first idea is a book, a pen, and ink, but Fran and Benno both reject it, saying that it's too plain, and help me correct it. Ultimately, we wind up with a design incorporating the trees used in making paper and the flowers from the hairpins, a crest designed to leave a strong impression. Fran, nodding in satisfaction, says that it is an enormous success at conveying the gorgeousness befitting a woman, and so it's decided. "Sister Maine, the cooks say that they have finished preparing our dinner for today." "Is that so? Well then, could you please ensure that they have properly tidied up the kitchen once they are finished, perhaps?" At my direction, Fran checks over the kitchen and confirms the plans for tomorrow with the cooks before seeing them off. "I shall head home for today," I say. "You two, please get changed." Gil and Fran each hurry off to their individual rooms. Since Lutz and Benno have business coming up soon that they need to go to another part of town for, right now it's a good time for my attendants to practice dropping me off at home. I start taking off my blue robes, getting myself ready to go home. When I start untying the sash, though, Delia stands in front of me in an imposing stance, her face twisted in anger. "Getting changed, as you can see?" Ah, I remember, I'm not supposed to get changed by myself. I let go of my sash and raise my arms, ready for Delia to help me to get changed. As I wait, though, her eyes only narrow more. I'm already wearing clothes underneath this, so I didn't think that this would be anything to get so angry about. I lean back away from her. "I'm... I'm sorry? But, I'm just taking off the robes..." "Taking off your own clothing before a gentleman is something you only do when you want to tempt them! Letting others see you only lessens your worth as a woman. If you don't know things like that, you're going to be in major trouble in the future. Seriously!" What do I do now? I think she might be angry about the wrong thing, here, but she's being so serious that I don't think I can actually point it out. "Master Benno," says Delia, "please wait in the hall. Although she may still be very young, please refrain from watching a girl change." Benno, trying hard to suppress a laugh, makes his way downstairs. After verifying that he has made it all the way to the first floor, Delia unties my sash, then takes off my robe. As expected of someone who says they've been taking after the daily needs of the other gray-robed priestesses, she quickly folds up the robes and puts them away, then fixes my hairpin, which had come slightly loose. "What... are you wearing...?" "A reward from Sister Maine," says Gil. Even just from the sound of his boastful voice, I can imagine just how puffed out his chest must be. "That's mean! That's not equal!" "This is a reward for doing work," he says. "People who don't do work don't get given anything, you know." "Cleaning," he replies. "I worked really hard all by myself to clean this place out, so this is my reward. Heh heh, it's nice, isn't it?" "I'm not actually jealous or anything!" "Everyone's waiting for you down there. Shouldn't you be going?" "Huh?" Delia's eyes fly open wide enough that I think her eyeb.a.l.l.s might fall out. "I didn't say a single word of the sort." I pull the last remaining bundle of cloth from inside the closet and hand it to Delia. She hesitantly reaches out, as if to touch it, then glances up at me. "...I can really have this?" "You're going to work hard at your job from now on, aren't you?" "I have no idea what you might do wrong if I'm not around, so I guess I have no choice, do I?" Delia huffs, looking away, her face bright red. She roughly grabs the bundle from me and, clutching it to her chest, runs off to the attendant's room. "Delia's getting changed right now, so please wait a little longer," I reply. I look over at the door to Delia's room. She's taking far longer than I would have thought for just getting changed. It's been a while, and she hasn't come out. "Delia, are you still changing?" I crack open the door and see Delia, already done changing, humming something to herself with a huge smile on her face as she twirls around. The instant our eyes meet, she stops, clutching her skirt and trembling visibly. Her entire face, up to her ears, turns bright red, and she glares fiercely at me. "D... don't just open my door like that! Seriously!"

街中探索 昨日は泣いて泣いて泣きまくった。ご飯だと言われても、両親の布団を床に落としたことで怒られても、大した反応ができずに泣き続けた。 朝食の時の家族からは何となく腫れものに触るような扱いだったけれど。 「熱は下がったわね」 母が洗い物を終えたばかりの冷たい手でわたしのおでこに触れる。ついでに、腫れた目の辺りを押さえてくれる。 「ねぇ、マインが元気なら、今日は一緒に買い物行こうか?」 「え? 母さん、お仕事は? わたし、熱下がったのに、仕事休んでいいの?」 確か、『染物の仕事は今が一番忙しいから、マインが高熱出しても仕事に行かなきゃいけない』って、言ってなかったっけ? そんなんでいいの、社会人? 首を傾げるわたしを見て、母が悲しそうに目を伏せた。 「トゥーリもマインの看病ばかりじゃなくて、少しくらい外に行かせてあげないと可哀想だし、昨日はあんたが泣きやまなくてトゥーリが困り果ててたし、マインが寂しがって泣いてるんじゃないかって言ってたから、周りの人達に無理言って休ませてもらったのよ」 その言葉に、うひぃっと息を飲んだ。精神年齢22歳が人目もはばからず、一日泣き続けるなんて、穴を掘って埋まりたい醜態だ。冷静になってしまうと、自分のやったことがあまりにも恥ずかしい。 「ご、ごめん、なさい」 「マインが謝ることじゃないでしょ。病気の時は心細いものだからね」 母は優しく頭を撫でながらそう慰めてくれたが、優しい分、罪悪感に押しつぶされそうだ。 ごめんなさい。本がないことに絶望して泣いたけど、母さんがいなくて寂しいとか思ったことありませんでした。そんなに心配かけて世話かけてるのに、トゥーリがさっさと出かけてくれないと本が探せない、なんて考えてました。ホントごめんなさい。 「トゥーリはみんなと一緒に近くの森へ行くけど、病み上がりのマインはまだ無理だからね。母さんと買い物に行こうか?」 「うん!」 「あら、急に元気になったじゃない」 やっぱり母さんといられるのが嬉しいのね、なんて母が嬉しそうに笑っている。 わたしも母に向けてにっこりと笑顔を送っておく。 トゥーリが満面の笑みを浮かべて、ドアから寝室を覗きこんできた。今日は母が休みなので、トゥーリもわたしの子守りから解放されるのだ。 「みんなと一緒に行くんだよ。気を付けてね」 トゥーリは大きな籠を背負って、弾むような足取りで駆けていく。まるで遊びに行くように楽しそうな雰囲気だが、これもれっきとしたお手伝い。薪拾いだ。ついでに、木の実や茸も探してくるらしい。安くて美味しい食卓になるかどうかは、トゥーリにかかっている。 頑張れ、トゥーリ! わたしの食生活に彩りを! ないない尽くしの世界にはどうやら学校もないようで、子供達はみんな手伝いか仕事をしている。少なくともわたしの見聞きした記憶の中には学校に相当するものがない。トゥーリより少し年かさの子供は、仕事の見習いを始めるのだ。 初めてパジャマ以外の服を着た。相変わらずお下がりでぼろぼろだが、生地は厚めの服を何枚か重ね着させられる。外はどうやら寒いらしい。 寒ッ! 臭ッ! 石造りの建物なせいか、建物自体から冷たい空気が放出されている感じで、何重にもきこんだ服にも冷たい空気が染み込んでくる。 ヒートテックとか、フリースとか、ホッカイロが切実に欲しいんですけど。 同じ建物なのに、何、この格差? むぅっと眉を寄せていると、やっと外に出られた。一応数えてみたら、7階建ての5階が家だった。 「ぜぇ、ぜぇ......。母さん、息、苦しい。ちょっと待って」 今だって、既に息が切れている。体力のないわたしは目的地にたどり着く前にぶっ倒れそうだった。 「まだ家を出たところなのに、大丈夫?」 せめて、本屋の位置だけでも確認したい。深呼吸をして呼吸を整えながら、わたしは周囲を見回した。 「母さんは洗濯した?」 「えぇ、もう終わってるわ」 どの服も薄汚れて見えるけど、一応洗濯はしているらしい。もしかしたら、洗剤の品質が悪いのかもしれない。石鹸の加工でも考えてみようか。 うわぁ、外国の街並みだ。 見慣れない街並みが目の前に広がり、荷馬車やロバのような動物がカッポカッポと石畳を行き交っていて、広い道路の両脇には店が並んでいた。 「母さん、どのお店に行くの?」 「まぁ、マイン。何を言っているの? わたし達が行くのは市場よ? お店にはほとんど用がないもの」 どうやら建物の一階にきちんと構えられている店は基本的にそこそこお金を持っている人が入るためのもので、貧しい庶民には用がなく、日常の買い物は市場の立つ日にするらしい。 ......ということは、本屋はこういう建物の一階に並んでいるってことかな? 本屋を探して辺りを見回すと、目印になりそうな一際大きい建物が目に入った。白っぽい石造りで、シンプルなのに威厳があるというか、目立って立派な建物だ。 「あ、お城?」 「あっちは神殿よ? マインも7つになれば、洗礼式で行くことになるわ」 あー、神殿。神殿ねぇ。宗教が強制とか嫌だなぁ。自分からはなるべく近付かないようにしようっと。 日本人の感覚で、何となく宗教には距離を置きたくなってしまう。それを口にすることが、この世界で受け入れられることかどうかもわからないので、口を引き結んだまま、神殿の奥にある壁に視線を向けた。 「母さん、あの壁は?」 「城壁よ。中には領主様のいらっしゃるお城やお貴族様のお屋敷なんかがあるわ。まぁ、わたし達にはあまり関係ないところね」 「ふぅん」 お城というよりは、高い石の壁しか見えなくて監獄っぽい。守りを固めたらあんな感じになるんだろうか。西洋風のお城って、何となく豪奢なものだと思ってたよ。あぁ、でも、砦として使っていた頃の西洋のお城ってあんな感じだったっけ。 「じゃあ、あっちの壁は?」 「あれは外壁。街を守る壁よ。この道を真っ直ぐ行ったところにある門で、父さんが仕事をしているでしょ?」 「......父さんが?」 マインの記憶から兵士の仕事をしているのは知っていたが、門番だったのか。それは知らなかった。 「マイン、市場に行きましょう。いいものがなくなってしまうわ」 市場へ向かいながら、本屋を探して一生懸命に辺りを見回してみるが、道の両側にある店の看板は基本的にイラストだ。看板は木の板に絵だったり、金属で絵が刻まれたものだったり、とにかく字らしき記号が見当たらない。 「マイン、人が多いから、母さんから離れちゃダメよ」 自分の予想に愕然としながら足を動かしているうちに、いつの間にか市場に到着していた。 思わず顔をほころばせて、近くにある果物屋を覗きこんだわたしは、思わぬ物を見つけてグイッと母のスカートを引っ張る。 「母さん、あれ! 何か『書いて』ある!」 商品の上に何やら記号が書かれた板が刺さっている。わたしには読めないけれど、数字か文字が、この世界にもちゃんと存在していた。 「あぁ、値段よ。いくらで買えるかわかるようになっているのよ」 「なんて書いてあるの!?」 よしよし、頑張れ! わたしのシナプス回路! 「じゃあ、これは30リオン?」 「こんなにすぐに覚えてしまうなんてすごいわ、マイン」 数字らしき記号が10種類だから、計算方法も10進法で間違いないっぽい。2進法とか60進法とかじゃなくてよかった。数字に当たる記号だけ覚えたら計算も問題なくできそうだ。

Town Exploration Yesterday, I cried, and cried, and cried. When my parents called me for dinner, and even when they got mad at me for getting their bedding so dirty, the only reaction I could muster was more weeping. This morning, my eyes are hot and puffy from crying too much, and my head is pounding. However, my fever has gone away completely, and my body no longer feels sluggish and heavy. All that crying seems to have cleared away my foul mood as well. After breakfast with my family, my mother fussed over my puffy face. "Ah, your fever's gone." With hands still cold from was.h.i.+ng up, she feels my forehead, then rubs at the corners of my eyes. The coolness of her touch feels amazing. "Say, Maine," says my mother, "now that you're well, would you like to help with the shopping today?" "Huh? Mommy, what about work? My fever's gone now, so is it okay for you to not go to work?" Didn't she say something earlier, like... "Work at the dyer's shop is unbelievably busy right now, so even though Maine has a fever, I can't take any time off"? She's a working woman! Is this okay? She looks at me, with my head c.o.c.ked curiously to one side, then looks down sadly. "Tory has been taking care of almost all of your nursing, and I thought it was such a shame that I wasn't letting her go outside even a little... but yesterday, you were crying and crying, and Tory got so concerned. She said that she thought you might have started crying because you were so lonely, so she went around and begged our neighbors to help me take some time off." At those words, my breath caught in my throat. I, a woman with the mental maturity of a twenty-two-year-old, spent an entire day crying, without even bothering to think of what anyone around me would think. I'm so ashamed that I want to go dig a hole and bury myself in it. Now that I've finally calmed down, what I did seems so unbelievably embarra.s.sing. "I'm... I'm... sorry..." I stammer. "You don't need to apologize, Maine. Being sick makes everyone feel a little helpless." My mother gently strokes my head to comfort me. Her gentleness only makes my feelings of guilt crash down on me even harder. I'm so sorry. I was crying out of despair from realizing that there were no books, not at all because I was lonely because you were gone. Going looking for books as soon as Tory left the house... I don't know what I was thinking. I'm truly, truly sorry. "Tory's going with everyone to the forest nearby," says my mother, "but I don't want you to push yourself when you've only just gotten better. How about coming with me and doing some shopping?" "Yeah!" I reply. "Oh! You cheered up quickly." My mother smiles happily at me, probably thinking that I'm overjoyed to spend some time with her. I grin back at her. "It's gonna be fun!" "Mom, I'm heading out," says Tory, peeking into the bedroom with a huge smile on her face. Since our mother has the day off today, Tory, who would ordinarily be stuck watching me, has the day off as well. "Alright, go meet up with everyone. Take care out there!" says our mother. Tory slings a big wicker basket over her back like a backpack, then takes off with a spring in her step. She's acting like she's going to go play with her friends, but in reality this is yet another ch.o.r.e. She's gathering firewood! While she's at it, she'll also be looking out for nuts, berries, and mushrooms to bring back with her. Whether our next few meals will be tasty or bland depends entirely on Tory. You can do it, Tory! Spice up my life! Children in this world seem to be put to work helping out with the ch.o.r.es very early in this world. It seems like there aren't any schools in this world, in addition to everything else that's missing. At the very least, I didn't see anything that looked like a school at all when I was digging through my memories. Tory's starting to grow up a little bit, so it looks like she's starting to work as an apprentice. This will be my first time leaving this building since I became Maine! The first time I've worn clothing that wasn't just pajamas, too. These clothes are worn-out hand-me-downs as well, but they're a little thicker, and I've been bundled up in countless layers. I'm so fluffy that it's hard to move! It would seem that it's cold outside. Cold! Stinky!!! The buildings are all made of stone, and it feels like their walls are sucking what little heat there is out of the air. Despite all of the clothes that I'm bundled in, the frigid air seeps through immediately, chilling me to the bone. I'd give anything for some Heat-Tech, or some fleece, or even one of those chemical warmer things. While I'm wis.h.i.+ng, I want a face mask, too! Something to block this stench and stop me from getting sick again. This is the same building... why's there such a difference? My face may be screwed up against the cold and stench, but I'm finally outside. By my estimation, I think our house is on the fifth floor of this seven-story building. Honestly, with my tiny body, weak const.i.tution, and general lack of strength, even just going outside is heavy labor by itself. I guess it's only natural that most of Maine's memories are of being indoors. "Haaahh, haaahhhh... Mommy, I can't... breathe... Slow down!" We've only just started, and already I'm completely out of breath. I'm so weak that I have no idea if I'll even be able to drag myself to our destination without collapsing in the street. "We've only just left the house! Are you okay?" At the very least, I want to figure out where the bookstore is. As I take some time to catch my breath, I take a look around my surroundings. Right outside our apartment building is something like a small plaza, centered on a public water well. The area immediately around the well has been paved with stone, and it's full of old ladies chatting while they scrub away at their laundry. This must be the place where Tory goes to do the dishes, and where that big water jug gets filled up every morning. "Mommy, did you do the laundry?" I ask. "I did! It's all done already." These clothes still look a little dirty, but they've apparently been washed. Perhaps the detergent here isn't very good... I'm going to have to think about making some soap, too. Whoa, the streets of a foreign country... The unfamiliar townscape stretches out before me. Pack animals, vaguely like horses or donkeys, clop along the cobbled roads, pa.s.sing the merchants' stalls that fill both sides of the streets. "Mommy," I ask, "What store are we going to?" "Hmm, Maine, what are you saying? We're going to the town market, you know? We don't usually go to the shops." It seems like the neatly-kept shops set up in the first floor of these buildings are usually frequented by people who actually have money, and lowly commoners like us usually don't have any need to go there. Instead, the daily shopping seems to be done at the town's market. ...So, does that mean that the bookstore is going to be a shop in one of these buildings, then? As I look around, searching for any sign of a bookstore, I catch sight of an impressively large building, which looks like a local landmark. It's simply built, but its off-white stone walls radiate majesty and draw the eye to it. "Oh, a castle?" I ask, pointing at the building. "That's the temple, you know? When you're seven, you'll be going there to get baptized." Ah, a church. A church, hmm. I really dislike the obligations of religion. I'd really rather not get anywhere near there, if I can help it. Thanks to my modern j.a.panese sensibilities, I want to keep my distance from religion. I'm not sure how acceptable that's going to be in this world, though, so I bite back my objections. Instead, I turn my attention to the walls I see beyond the temple. "Mommy, what about those walls?" "Those are castle ramparts," she says. "The lord of the land makes his home in there, as do the rest of the n.o.bility. We don't really have much business there, though." "Hmmm..." I can't see anything besides tall, stone walls, so from here it looks less like a castle and more like a prison. Maybe they're built like that so that they're fortified against outside attack? For some reason, when I think of European-style castles, I imagine them to be really luxurious. Ah, although, I guess it does kind of look like a castle that also needed to be a fortress. "So, what's that wall?" "That's the outer wall. It protects this district from the outside world. If you keep going straight along this road, you'll find a gate going outside. Your dad's probably working there right now." "...Daddy?" From Maine's memories, I know that my father is some kind of soldier, but I didn't know he was a gate guard. More importantly, though, the lord's castle is built like a fortress and surrounded both by ramparts and the outer walls. Based on that, I wonder if I should be thinking of this place as a city? Judging by the size of the walls surrounding this district and the stampede of people that fills this street, this doesn't seem to be a fairly large district, but I'm comparing it to, say, Tokyo or Yokohama, and I don't know how valid that comparison really is. "Maine, let's get going," says my mother. "If we don't get to the market soon, all the good things will be gone!" As we walk, I keep my eyes peeled, constantly on the lookout for any sign of a bookstore. Strangely enough, I notice that the signs advertising the shops that line the streets are all ill.u.s.trated. There's wooden signs with images painted on them, and metal signs with graphics engraved or beaten into them, but I have yet to see a single thing that looks like a written word. These signs are all designed so that even someone like me, who can't read at all, can understand them easily, which has made searching for a bookstore really easy, but... I suddenly have a terrifying thought. "Maine, there's lots of people out here. Don't fall behind!" says my mother, chidingly. I'm barely conscious of the movement of my feet as I struggle to hold back my terror, so we arrive at the market before I know it. The chattering of a crowd unexpectedly a.s.saults my ears, and I lift my head to see a bustling square, packed with carts, stalls, and people milling about. It kind of reminds me of the crowds you'd see at festivals back in j.a.pan, and for a second I feel strangely nostalgic. Suddenly, I spot something at a nearby fruit stand that I had given up all hope of seeing. My eyes go wide and I start grinning uncontrollably, and I tug on my mother's skirt to get her attention. "Mommy, look! There's something 'written' there!!" Wooden signs have been fixed to each basket of merchandise, and written upon them are some sort of glyphs. I can't read them, so I don't know if they're numbers or letters, but one thing's for sure: writing does indeed exist here. Just from seeing this one thing, blood rushes to my face, and I'm keenly aware of how hungry I've been for writing. "Oh, that's the price. That's there so that you know how much you'll need to pay if you buy it." "But it's written!!" I exclaim. All right, all right! Come on, my synapses!! "So, is this one thirty lions?" I ask. "That's amazing, Maine, you picked that up so quickly!" There are ten numerals, so it looks like the counting system is in base 10. I'm really glad it's not in base 2, or base 60, or anything else like that. Now that I know what symbols are attached to which numbers, performing calculations should be a piece of cake.

石板Get! 冬支度で何より大事なのは食料だ。 「さぁ、今日は農村だ! 準備はいいか?」 いいわけがない。 何を言っているんだ、と眠い目を擦りながら、わたしは父を睨んだが、母とトゥーリは「もちろんよ」と笑顔で大きく頷いていた。 「そういえば、マインが熱の時に決まったから、聞いてなかったのかもしれないわね」 ポンと手を打った母の言葉に、父もトゥーリも納得してしまったが、わたしは家族内で仲間外れにされているようで、ちょっとばかり面白くない。 「とにかく温かくしていないとダメよ。マインは去年も熱を出したんだから!」 ......それにしても、農村に何しに行くんだろう? 最初は体力づくりも兼ねて自分の足で歩くつもりだったが、あまりに遅いあたしの速度に頭を抱えた父がわたしを荷車にペイッと乗せたのだ。 父が前で荷車を引木、母とトゥーリは荷車を後ろから押していく。何と言うか、自分のお荷物具合が際立って、ちょっと切ない気分になった。 「ねぇ、母さん。なんで農村なの?」 「街にはたくさんの煙が出る燻製小屋がないでしょ? だから、一番近い農村で小屋を借りるのよ」 「燻製作り? そういえば、この間、市場でお肉いっぱい買ったもんね」 塩漬けにしたり、湯がいたりして、処理していたような気がするけれど、まだ残っていたってこと? もしかして、結構痛んでない? 大丈夫なの? 指折り日数を数えて、どんどん不安になっていくわたしに、母は呆れたような目を向けた。 「何言ってるの? 今日は豚肉加工の日よ。農村で豚を二頭買って、みんなで手分けして作って、分け合うんじゃない」 「え?」 「ぶ、ぶぶぶ、豚肉加工の日って何!?」 「ご近所さんで集まって、豚を解体して、塩漬けや燻製、ポットミート、ベーコン、ソーセージなんかを作る日よ。マインだって、去年......そういえば、荷台で熱出してたわね」 できることなら、今年も熱を出したかった。そうしたら、少なくとも目にすることは避けられたかもしれないのに。 「母さん、この間、市場でお肉買ってたじゃない......」 「たったあれだけで足りるわけないでしょ? みんなで加工しても足りない分を買い足した程度よ?」 大量に買い込んだと思っていたのに、足りない分の買い足し程度の量だったとは思わなかった。冬支度に必要な肉というのが、一体どれだけの量になるのか見当もつかない。 豚の解体に行くのが避けられないようで、憂鬱な気分になってきたわたしと違って、トゥーリは荷車を押しながらも満面の笑顔だ。 「お手伝いの途中で味見したり、できたてのソーセージが夕飯になったり、楽しみもいっぱいあるんだよ。マインは初めてのお手伝いだけど、みんなでわいわいするのって、ちょっとしたお祭りみたいなの。今年は一緒にできるから楽しみだね」 「みんなって?」 「ご近所で一緒にやらなきゃ誰とするの? 豚の解体は大仕事なんだから、大人が10人はいないとできないでしょ?」 ぅあぁ、ご近所さんかぁ......。 マインの記憶は曖昧なものも多いから、向こうが知っていてもわたしが知らない人がたくさんいるに違いない。 「......行きたくない」 「何言っているの? 行かなきゃ冬のソーセージもベーコンもないのよ?」 冬の食料がなくなるのだから、わたしが嫌だと言っても許されるわけがない。行かなかったら冬の食料がないなら、どんなに嫌でもわたしだって参加するしかない。 わたしが陰鬱な気分で溜息を吐いていると、荷車は外壁の南門を通過しようとしていた。 「おはようございます。あれ? 班長、遅くないですか? もうとっくにみんな門をくぐって行きましたよ?」 子供好きそうな門番のにいさんに手を振られて、わたしも振り返す。何事にも愛想は必要だ。 わたしがマインになってから、街から出るのは初めてだ。 街の中はせまい中にひしめき合っているような状態なのに、門を一歩外に出ると、街道と呼ばれるちょっと太めの道から少し引っ込むようにして、10~15軒くらいの集落がぽつぽつと見えるだけだ。 そして、空気が良い。 「マイン、口を閉じないと舌を噛むぞ」 「へっ!?」 父の忠告の直後、ガクンと大きく荷車が揺れて、荷車の揺れが街の中よりずっとひどくなった。街道が石畳ではなくなり、土が丸出しになった道になったせいだ。 晴れたら、ぼこぼこのがたがたで、雨が降ったら、ぐっちゃぐっちゃのでろんでろんになる道なんて最悪だ! アスファルト見習え! 口を開けることもできず心の中で悪口雑言を並べ、わたしは振り落とされないように荷車の縁にがっちりとしがみついた。 「そろそろ着くからな」 目的地の農村は門を出て15分くらいのところだった。農村の入り口にさしかかると、人がたくさんいるざわめきが伝わってくる。 豚の解体は基本的に男の仕事だ。100キロ以上あるような豚を押さえつけたり、紐で縛って釣り上げたり、何をするにも力が必要だからだ。 農村にたどり着いた時には、先に解体が始められようとしているところだった。解体作業に参加できなければ、当然肉は当たらない。 「まずい! もう始まるぞ!」 「大変! トゥーリ、走るわよ!」 「うん!」 三人とも慌てて荷車から手を離して、荷車の中からぶ厚い素材で作られて、表面に蝋を塗り込んであるエプロンを引っ掴んだ。 母を追いかけることもできたけれど、これだけの集団の中で、何をどうすればいいのか全くわからないのは不安で仕方ない。毎年恒例の行事ということは、暗黙の了解という常識が存在するのだ。せめて、マニュアルが欲しい。 何をするにも足手まといであることを自覚しているわたしは、誰かに呼ばれるまで荷車の番をすることにした。 しかし、父が荷物を放置したここは、豚が解体される広場の真ん前だった。少し距離はあるけれど、追いまわされ、悲痛な声で叫びながら逃げようともがく豚が丸見えだ。 木の杭にロープが括りつけられていて、そのロープのもう片方は豚の右後ろ足と繋がっている。杭の回りをぐるぐる回るように逃げる豚を男達が押さえつけようと必死になっている。 ......母さんが怖い。 その後、数人がかりで準備されていた木に豚を逆さ吊りにした。逆さにされた豚から搾り切れてなかった血がじわりとにじんで滴り落ちる。 本格的な解体が始まるのだろう。厚みのある大きな解体用ナイフを手にした男の人が豚の腹にナイフを当てた。 でも、何故だろうか。何となく見覚えのある光景に酷似していたような気がして仕方ない。 何だったっけ? 喉元まで出かかっているのに、出てこない。多分、マインの記憶ではない。麗乃の記憶の方だ。日本でも似たようなものを見たはずだ。 わかった! 茨城の港近くの市場で見たアンコウの吊るし切りに似てたんだ! そう考えれば、豚の解体もマグロの解体ショーと似たようなもので、新鮮でなければ食べられない物があること、みんながきゃあきゃあと楽しそうにその様子を眺めている心境も理解できた。 まぁ、理解できただけで、精神的には全くついていけないけど。 ......そういえば、ここどこ? やっと現状把握に思考が回ってきた時、わたしが落ちた音が響いたのか、兵士が一人、顔を覗かせた。 「オットーさん?」 覚えのある顔に安心して、ホッと息を吐く。オットーさんがいる石造りの建物ということは、門の待合室か宿直室に違いない。場所もわかったことで、現状がわからなかった不安がすぅっと消えていった。 この世界の貴重な文明人で、わたしに字を教えてくれる先生(予定)ですから。 わたしが敬礼のマネをして、トントンと胸を叩いてそう言うと、オットーが苦笑しながら頭を撫でてきた。そのまま、現状の説明をしてくれる。 「班長が血相を変えて、連れてきたんだよ。荷車の中で倒れていたんだって。やることが終わったらすぐに迎えに来るって」 豚の解体にどれくらいの時間がかかるのか知らないが、解体の後で加工もするのだから、すぐに終わるものではないだろう。 ......そういえば、トゥーリはできたてが夕飯に出てくると言ってたっけ。 自分が持っている情報から、しばらくこの待合室で待つことになるとわかった。 「どうした、マインちゃん? お父さんやお母さんがいなくて寂しい?」 「......ううん、時間潰しどうしようかな? って」 首を振って、ついつい本音を口にしてしまったわたしをオットーはまじまじと見つめた後、「そういえば、見た目ほど幼くないって言ってたな」と呟いた。 「ちょうどいいや、マインちゃん。これ、時間潰しにならないか?」 「わぁ! 石板!」 オットーさんが差し出したのは石板だった。今日は絶対に門を通る日だから、手渡そうと思って、仕事場に持ってきてくれていたらしい。 「オレは門のところに立たなきゃいけないから、練習でもしていてね」 オットーはそう言って、石板の上の方にマインの名前を書いて、石筆と布を置いて、部屋を出ていった。 石板はA4くらいのサイズのミニ黒板と説明すればいいだろうか。木枠の中に黒くて薄い石がはめ込まれている。石板は両面になっていて、裏と表の両方に書くことが出来るようで、片面には字の練習のための基準線が引かれていた。 そして、石筆は石板に書くための道具で、触ってみると固くてひんやりとした石の素材だけれど、見た目は完全にちょっと細長い白チョークだ。 ちょっと薄汚れている布は消しゴムの代わりだろう。抱きしめただけで、オットーが書いてくれた字が少し薄くなってしまったから。 「うわぁ、すごいドキドキする」 机の上に石板を置いて、石筆を手に取った。 ゆっくりと息を吸って、吐いて、石板の左側に置いてあった布で擦って消して、もう一度書いてみた。 先程よりはマシに書けた。 自分の名前を書いては消して書いては消して......。 「今日もまだ熱が下がってないんだから、マインはベッドでいなさい。出ちゃダメよ!」 両親が家を出入りする足音は慌ただしく、二人で日持ちする根菜を冬支度部屋に詰め込んでいる。 「ごめんね、トゥーリ」 「そんな約束してないでしょ!」 そりゃ、約束はしてないけどさ。 家族みんなが冬支度にバタバタしている間、わたしはベッドでゴロゴロしながらオットーにもらった石板で名前の練習をしたり、日本語の文章を綴ったりして遊んでいた。 やっぱり保存できる本が欲しいなぁ。

Slate: Acquired! The most important part of preparing for the winter is stockpiling food. Unlike j.a.pan, there aren't any supermarkets around here that stay open all year round. The winter weather closes down the town markets, and there aren't very many vegetables that can really be gathered outside. So, if you don't want to starve to death, procuring enough food in advance is indispensable. "Now, then," my father cheerfully boomed, "today we're going to the farming village! Is everyone ready?" There's no excuse for doing that. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, wondering what on Earth he's talking about. I scowled at him, but both my mother and Tory are beaming happily. What do I do? All I can do is follow along with the conversation. "Come to think of it, Maine," said my mother, clapping her hands together, "you were out sick while we were talking about this earlier, so you might not have heard." My father and Tory nodded in consent. Once again, I'd been left out of a family discussion. I wasn't the slightest bit amused. I tried to glare sullenly at them, but they'd already started quickly moving around as they got ready to leave. "Anyhow, make sure you dress very warmly, Maine!" she said as she gathered boxes. "You got really sick last year!" ...Nevertheless, why are we going to a farming village, anyway? I had hoped to walk on my own power in order to work on building up some more strength, but my father, frustrated by how slow I was, picked me up and put me in the cart. Now, I'm riding amidst a variety of barrels, empty bottles, piles of cloth, bundles of cord, bags of salt, and all of the other things it seems like we need in order to go visit a farming village. I don't have a whole lot of s.p.a.ce up here, so I make myself as small as I can and settle down. Up front, my father is yoked to the cart, pulling it forward while my mother and Tory push it from behind. It's becoming really obvious that I'm just extra weight on this trip, which is a little bit depressing. "Hey, Mommy," I say, "Why're we going to a village?" "There's not many places where we can go in the city to smoke our meat, you know?" she says. "So, we're going to the nearest village and borrowing one of their smoke huts." "Smoking meat? Oh yeah, we did go buy a lot of meat the other day." We already salted it, brined it, and did all sorts of other things to preserve that meat, but there's still more stuff to do? Is this process maybe a little too painful? Is the meat still okay? As I count off the days since we bought the meat on my fingers, I grow more and more anxious. My mother looks over at me, shocked. "What are you talking about? Today's pig-slaughtering day, you know. We're going to buy two pigs, then help everyone out to spread out the work, and then we'll all share the results." "Uh?" "P... P-p-p... pig-slaughtering day?!" "It's a day where we go meet up with our neighbors, slaughter and butcher a few pigs, salt and smoke the meat, and make things like bacon, pot roasts, and sausage. Maine... oh, right, last year you stayed in the cart because you were so feverish." If at all possible, I would like to get a fever this year too. If I can do that, then at the very least I might be able to s.h.i.+eld my eyes from that grim display. "Mommy, didn't we buy a ton of meat at the market the other day...?" "There's no way that much meat would last the entire winter, you know? We bought that to supplement the meat we're going to get from slaughtering pigs today, since you know that won't be enough by itself either, right?" I thought we had bought a huge amount of meat, but I hadn't even considered the possibility that what we bought was just to supplement our stocks. I have no idea whatsoever as to how much meat is truly required when preparing for the winter. It looks like can't save myself from being dragged to pig-slaughtering day, so a wave of depression sweeps through my heart. In contrast, Tory is wearing her biggest smile while she pushes the cart onward. "This is going to be fun!" she says. "We're going to get to help out, and then we'll get to eat freshly-made sausage. This is your first time helping, but when you get caught up in the noise and excitement everyone's making, it feels kinda like a mini festival! I'm excited that you're helping out this year!" "'Everyone'?" I ask, tilting my head to the side in confusion. My mother shoots me a look, as if asking me why I'm asking such obvious questions. "The rest of the neighbors, right? Slaughtering a pig is a big task, so it's not really easy to do it with less than ten adults, you know?" Whoa, the neighbors, huh... There's a lot of spots in Maine's memories that are really fuzzy, so there's no doubt that there will be a lot of people there who will know me even though I have no idea who they are. Far more troublesome, however, is what we've come to do today: slaughtering and butchering a pig. Just remembering the grisly spectacle at the market the other day sends chills down my spine. "...I don't wanna go," I say. "What are you saying?" asks my mother. "If we don't go, we're not going to have any sausage or bacon for the winter, you know?" It seems like I'm not allowed to complain, since we don't have enough food for the winter otherwise. If we don't go, we'll starve, so no matter how much I complain, I'll still be forced to cooperate. As my mood grows gloomier and gloomier, our cart reaches the southern gate of the city walls. "Good morning," says a soldier, one of my father's subordinates, standing guard at the gate. "Oh? Sir, are you running late? Everyone else already left the gates a long time ago." The young-looking guard smiles and waves at me as we go past, and I make myself wave back. Being friendly is important. This is my first time leaving the city since becoming Maine, so when the cart rumbles out of the short tunnel the gate is set into, I let out an astonished gasp. To be honest, I hadn't even thought that the environments inside and outside the city walls could be so different. First of all, there aren't any houses. The streets within the city are always so crowded and claustrophobic, but this road widens into a broad highway as it leaves the gates. Off in the distance, I can see a village, with about ten to fifteen buildings that just look like dots on the horizon. Also, the air is fantastic. As we leave, the acc.u.mulated stench of human filth dissipates into nothingness, leaving only sweet, clean air in its place. There are no walls here to trap in foul air. "Maine, close your mouth before you bite off your tongue," warns my father. "Eh?!" Immediately after my father gives his warning, the cart lurches hard to the side, then starts to bounce and jostle even worse than it was doing so before. We've left the cobblestone roads of the city behind us, and the road ahead is packed, unpaved dirt. The luggage shakes around as if it might pop out of the cart, but, luckily, the ropes tied around it keep it in place. I, however, have no such security. On a sunny day, you'd have to clatter over hard, uneven packed clay. On a rainy day, you'd have to slog through mushy, soggy mud. These roads are the worst! Pour some asphalt! Unable to escape through my tightly-closed mouth, my objections bounce around in my head wildly. I cling, desperately, to the side of the cart, trying my hardest not to fall out. "We're almost there," says my father. Fifteen minutes after we left the city gates, we've arrived at the entrance to the farming village. The village is bustling, with countless people moving about. Butchering pigs is primarily a man's work. Holding down a hundred-kilogram pig, trussing it up, and hoisting it all requires a good deal of strength. Meanwhile, the women handle setting up the smoking huts, getting huge amounts of water ready for boiling, making sure all of the tools and salt are ready, and doing other general prep work. It looks like the slaughter had actually started just before we finally arrived. Of course, if you're not there to help, you don't get any meat. "Oh no," exclaims my father, "they've already started!" "That's not good!" says my mother. "Tory, hurry!" "Yeah!" The three of them let go of the cart, then pull out ap.r.o.ns made from some sort of thick, heavy material that looks like it's been heavily covered with wax. My mother and Tory run towards the smoking huts, where quite a few women have already gathered, putting on their ap.r.o.ns as they ran. My father ties his ap.r.o.n on securely, grabs the spear he uses for work out of the back of the wagon, then dashes towards the town square. In the blink of an eye, my family abandoned me before I had any time to react. I might still be able to run after my mother, but I have no idea what I'd be supposed to do in such a huge crowd, so it's only natural that I'm apprehensive about that idea. Since this is a yearly event, it looks like everyone already knows what they need to do from common knowledge. Give me the instruction manual, please... Since I'd just get in the way if I tried to help, I'll stay here and watch over the cart until someone calls for me. I sit down amongst the rest of the abandoned luggage, staring off into s.p.a.ce, convincing myself that what I'm doing is an important task. However, the spot where my father chose to leave his luggage is in full view of the village square, where they're doing the slaughtering. There's a little bit of distance between me and the square, but I can clearly hear the agonized squeals of one of the pigs and plainly see as it frantically tries to escape. A rope has been tied to a wooden stake set firmly in the ground. The other end of the rope has already been tied around the pig's right hindleg. The men chase it around and around the stake, desperately trying to catch and hold it down. I see a flash of familiar pink hair amongst the crowd; Ralph and Lutz are undoubtedly in there. ...My mother's pretty scary. Then, the pig was brought over to a specially prepared tree and strung up, upside down, from a st.u.r.dy branch. All of the blood that hadn't been completely drained from the body starts to drip down. Now, it's time for the real butchering to begin. A man steps forward, wielding a thick, heavy butcher's knife, and vertically slits the pig's belly open. It's strange, though. I can't shake the feeling that I'd seen something like this before. What would it have been? Something where something got hung up, then carved apart... It feels like it's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't quite make the connection. I don't think this is one of Maine's memories, I think this is one of mine. I think I saw something similar to this in j.a.pan... Oh, got it! I was at a fish market near the harbor in Ibaraki, and I watched them hang up an enormous goosefish and slice it apart! I remember it clearly now. Now that I think about it, there are some similarities between slaughtering a pig and the live fish cleaning show. There are some things that really can only be eaten when they're really fresh, and I can understand how everyone seemed to find it such a fun sight to see.2 Well, I can understand it in theory, but I don't personally find it all that fun. For one thing, a tuna fish don't scream sorrowfully when you kill them, and the blood doesn't drip thickly out of it. Urgh, I really don't feel well... ...So, where am I? As I try to figure out where exactly as I am, a soldier peers into the room, drawn by the thud I made when I fell down. "Mister Otto?" I sigh in relief, seeing a familiar face. If Otto is here in this stone building, then this must be either one of the waiting rooms or the night duty room at the city gates. Now that I know where I am, my anxiety gradually starts to dissipate. "I didn't forget!" This man, after all, is one of the precious few cultured people in this world, and the man who is going to (hopefully) teach me how to read and write. I give my best imitation salute, tapping my chest with my fist. Otto smiles wryly, ruffles my hair in response, and starts to explain my present situation. "The captain brought you here a little while ago, looking really embarra.s.sed. Apparently, you collapsed in your wagon. He said he'll come by to pick you up as soon as he's done with what he needs to do in the village." I don't know how long it takes to butcher a pig, but even after it's butchered there's a lot of processing work that needs to be done, so I don't think it's the kind of thing that's going to be over quickly. ...Now that I think about, Tory said that there was going to be dinner made with really fresh meat, didn't she? It seems like I might be waiting here for quite some time. I'd brought the materials for my fake papyrus with me in the cart, since I didn't know if I was going to be waiting around for a while in the village. Unfortunately, I don't have any of it with me now. "What's wrong, Maine?" asks Otto, "Are you lonely because your mom and dad aren't here?" "...No," I say, shaking my head. "I'm just wondering what I should do while I wait?" I accidentally let slip my true motives. Otto stares at me for a little bit, then mutters something about remembering that I look a couple years younger than I really am. "I've got just the thing, Maine," he says, retrieving something from nearby. "How about we kill some time with this?" "Whoa! A slate!" Otto hands me the slate. He must have known that I'd definitely come through the gates today, so he would have brought it with him to give to me. He's cultured, he's considerate, he's kind, he's too amazing!! "I have to stand guard at the gate today," he says, writing Maine's name at the top of the slate, "so how about you practice with this?" He hands me a slate pencil and a cloth, then leaves the room. I see him off with a huge wave and a brilliant smile, clutching the slate tightly to my chest. As he closes the door behind him, I look down at the slate. It's probably best to describe it as a kind of mini-blackboard, about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. It's a thin plate of dark stone, surrounded by a simple wooden frame. Both the back and the front can be written on, and on one side, thin lines have been painted to help you practice writing straight. The slate pencil is a tool for writing on the slate. It's cool to the touch, hard, and seems to be made out of some kind of stone, but it looks to me like a long, slender piece of chalk. This slightly dirty cloth seems to be what I'll use instead of an eraser. The letters Otto wrote at the top of the slate have gotten a little smudged, after I held the slate against my s.h.i.+rt a little while ago. "Whoa, my heart's racing!" I set the slate on top of the desk, and pick up the chalk. As soon as I grip it like I would a pencil, my heart starts pounding in my ears. I force myself to take deep, slow breaths, then use the cloth to gently wipe off the left side of the board. I carefully write out another line, and this time it's much better than before. I write my name, and erase it, and write it, and erase it... When I get tired of that, I switch to writing all of the haiku and tanka poetry I can remember in j.a.panese, and erase it, and write it, and erase it... "Your temperature still hasn't gone down, so stay in bed," admonishes Tory. "Don't get up again!" My parents are rus.h.i.+ng in and out of the house, carrying in loads of vegetables and cramming them into the winter preparation room. In the kitchen, Tory has been boiling down the fruits that she collected from the forest and making jam. For the first time since coming to this world, I'm smelling sweet things, and the way it permeates the house makes me a little bit happier. "I'm sorry, Tory," I say. "I don't make promises like that!" That is, she doesn't make promises. What even is a promise, anyway? While the family clatters about, finalizing the preparations for the coming winter, I'm stuck lazing about in my bed, scribbling on the slate that Otto gave me. I practice writing my name, writing whatever sentences in j.a.panese that come to mind, and so on. I really do want a book that I can record things in permanently. If I'm this happy from just being able to write, I'll be even happier if I'm able to read book!

ロジーナの言葉にわたしは頷いた。フランも神官長や神殿長の部屋を想定して意見を述べてくれるようにお願いする。 「......はい」 ぐわっと目を見開いたベンノが「阿呆! 却下だ。どれだけ金をかけるつもりだ!?」言いたいのを、辛うじて呑み込んだような顔でわたしを睨んだ。 「開店が春以降になるなら、タペストリーよりカーペットを重視した方がよろしいのではないかしら? 貴族の部屋にはカーペットが必ず敷かれていて、足音やワゴンの音を消しています」 テーブルの数、椅子の数、予備を置いていくスペースについて、どんどんと話が進んでいく。 「貴族の食事という雰囲気を出したいなら、テーブルクロスではなく、ナプキンを使うのはいかがでしょう?」 「個人個人で手を拭くために、テーブルクロスを小さく切った物だと考えて頂ければよろしいかと存じます。最近、貴族の間ではテーブルクロスではなく、ナプキンを使うようになってまいりましたので、参考までに」 フランの言葉にわたしはパァッと顔が輝いていくのがわかった。 「フラン、その意見は素晴らしいわ」 「マイン様?」 ふぅむ、とベンノは何か考えるように顎を撫で、わたしはロジーナにそっと肩を叩かれて、口を閉じるように示された。 「基本的にはマイン様の厨房で使い慣れている道具と同じ物を準備してもらうことにしています」 「調理道具は同じ種類の物を揃えるので、問題はないと存じますが、大きさだけはよく考えて注文してくださいね。忙しくてすぐに洗えない時のために、小さめの調理道具は複数準備しておいた方が良い物もございます」 フランに囁くように意見を述べると、フーゴは目から鱗が落ちたような顔をした。マルクがいつの間にか作っていたらしい書字板にメモしているのが見える。 「食材は新鮮であることと味の良い物を提供してくれるところを3つほど確保した方がよろしくてよ。それから、薪はオーブンを使うことになると大量に必要になるでしょう? 余所の街から仕入れることも視野に入れて、早目に確保を始めてくださいませ」 店の中で忌憚なく意見交換をするためだ。 書字板を開いて、わたしは気になったことをベンノに質問する。 時間がかかっても仕方ないと、ベンノは言うが、わたしはその言葉にものすごく引っ掛かるものを感じた。 「えーと、もしかして、一つの工房に頼んでいるんですか?」 「......普通は専属の工房に頼むだろう?」 複雑な彫刻を依頼しているのに、腰壁だけではなくて、扉や窓枠もって、明らかにオーバーワークだ。 「それは納品が遅れても仕方ないでしょう。いくつかの木工工房に分けて注文すればいいじゃないですか。一つの工房に頼んでいたら、完成するのは一体いつになるんです?」 「だが、これまでの付き合いもあるからな......」 「レストランを作るにあたって、専属契約していないなら、別に問題ないでしょう? 腰壁はここ、内扉の装飾や窓枠の装飾はあそこ、飾り棚や家具はそこというように割り振らないといつまでたっても完成しないと思うんですけど」 「色々な工房と繋がりを作るのも悪くないと思いますけれど、一つの工房に任せるのが一般的だと言うなら、商人の世界のことはベンノさんにお任せします。......ただ、木の素材とデザインを細かく指示すれば、職人なら普通に仕上げてくれると思いますよ?」 ベンノが木札に何やら書きこんでいるうちに、わたしは次の項目に視線を移した。 「食器はどうするのですか? 貴族の食器に木の器はあまり使われませんけれど?」 安い食堂なら手づかみが当たり前だし、最近は少しずつ減ってきたけれど、食器の共有も珍しくはない。ただ、貴族は違うらしい。 「マイン様の意見は比較的有効だと思われます。貴族でも招く主賓とそれ以外でお皿を変えることもございますから。ただ......」 「ないなら、貴族の習慣を広げればいいじゃないですか。店にも準備はしておくけれど、最初の試食会の招待状には貴族の習慣としてカトラリーとコップを持参してもらう旨を書けばどうですか? 富豪なら自慢の食器を持っていそうだし、自慢したくて新しく準備する人もいるかもしれませんよ。ベンノさんは自慢の食器ってないんですか?」 「じゃあ、貴族の習慣を取り入れたらいかがです? その後も基本的に持参してもらうようにすれば、店で準備するカトラリーはそれ程多く必要ないと思うんですよ。高価な食器をお客様に盗まれる心配も減りますし」 「あぁ、そういえば......以前に支払いの踏み倒しや盗難防止の策を思いついたと言っていたな? 説明してくれ」 わたしはグッと胸を張って答えた。 「それは、ですね。『一見さんお断り』です」

The opinions not only from the perspective of n.o.bles, but also of servers are given. Mr. Benno and I make notes of their opinions on the writing board. "Maybe that's all..." Suddenly, Mr. Benno widens his eyes, as if saying "Foolis.h.!.+ I oppose. How much do you want to pay?!" But he restrains himself from saying it, just staring at me. "Since the restaurant will open in spring, maybe it's better to think more about carpet than tapestry. The n.o.bles do have carpet in their room, to absorb noises." The conversation about the number of tables, the number of chairs, and the spare s.p.a.ce goes on. "If you want to create an atmosphere of n.o.ble dinner, why not use a napkin instead of a tablecloth?" "Each customer can use it to wipe hands. You can see them as small pieces of the tablecloth. Recently, n.o.bles begin to use napkins instead of tablecloths. Just for reference." According to Fran's words, I can feel my face s.h.i.+ning brightly. "Fran, that's great." "Miss Maine?" Mr. Benno strokes his chin as if thinking of something. Rosina pats me on the shoulder and gives me the tip to shut up. "Basically, I will prepare the same tools as those used in Miss Maine's kitchen," Hugo answers. Though I can hear it, Fran repeats it again and ask for my opinion. "Cooking utensils are the same kind, so I don't think that there is any problem. But please consider the size and number before placing an order. If time is not enough for immediate was.h.i.+ng, we'd better prepare multiple small cooking utensils." When I am speaking to Fran in a low voice, Hugo looks as if he is suddenly enlightened. Mark is making notes on the writing board that he made at some time. "It's better to have three suppliers who can provide fresh cooking ingredients of high quality. A lot of firewood will be needed when we use the oven. We have to look for the suppliers of firewood not only nearby, but on other blocks, in order to guarantee the supply of firewood, as early as possible." We can talk in the Gilberta Company frankly. I open the writing board, and ask Mr. Benno about what I care about. Mr. Benno says it takes time. Something in his words bothers me. "Hmm, perhaps, you trust this matter to only one workshop, right?" "... Usually we order goods from a special workshop." It's ok to trust a special workshop to finish complicated carvings. However, making the retaining wall, the door and the window frame is obviously a heavy workload for this shop. "Then we have no other choice but to wait. Wouldn't it be better to order goods from different workshops? If you order all goods from one workshop only, when will the work be completed?" "But we have cooperated with the shop for so many years..." "You don't conclude an exclusive contract with the shop to build a restaurant, right? So there is no other problem. You can order the retaining wall from one workshop, the decorations on the inner door and the window frame from other one, the shelves or furniture from others. I don't think it will be completed if we don't do it in this way." "I don't think it is bad to cooperate with multiple workshops. However, as it is common to work with one workshop, we just leave the business to Mr. Benno. ... Only one thing. Do you think that any craftsman will finish the job if you specify the wood and design of the item in detail?" While Mr. Benno is writing something on the board, I glance at the next item. "What about dishes? The n.o.bles rarely use wooden tableware." In a cheap cafeteria, it is natural for customer to eat with their hands. Although less and less people eat in this way recently, and sharing of dishes is not uncommon. However, n.o.bles are different." "Miss Maine's opinion sounds good. n.o.bles may arrange different plates for the invited guests of honor and other ordinary guests, but..." "If they don't, why not copy the n.o.ble's habits? After the preparation for the cafeteria is completed, we can write in the invitation for the first tasting to ask the guests to bring the cutlery and cup as it's a n.o.ble habit. A millionaire may have his own proud tableware. And there may be someone who will buy some new ones in order to boast. Mr. Benno, do you have your satisfying tableware?" "Well then, how about bringing in the custom of the n.o.bles? If the customers basically bring their cutlery with them, we won't need to prepare so many in our cafeteria. Neither do we have to worry our expensive tableware will be stolen by customers. "Well, for that matter... ...you said that you had come up with a plan to prevent theft and hehaviors of reneging on the bill before, right? Please tell me some details." I answer with complete confidence. "That's right. The plan is 'no strangers allowed'."

閑話 娘は犯罪者予備軍!? 俺はギュンター。 ウチの娘、頑張り屋だろう? ついでに、マインはすごく頭が良い......らしい。というのも、俺はどう頭がいいのかわからないからだ。 何だ、それ? オットーに言われたことの半分くらいしかわからなかったが、結論としては、ウチの子はオットーもビックリするほど賢い。 さすが、マイン。俺の娘。 「班長、ぼーっと外を見てないで、仕事してください」 「おぉ」 「マインちゃんにがっかりされますよ?」 「オットー、お前......言ってはならんことを!」 「じゃあ、さっさと仕事してください。帰ってくるのは夕方でしょう?」 腹の立つことに、この生意気なオットーのことをマインは「先生」と呼んで、慕っている。 昼過ぎ。当然まだ帰ってこない。わかっている。 ちょっと日が傾いてきた。まだ帰ってこない。そろそろだろうか。 少しずつ街から出ていく人が多くなってくる。まだか? 遅すぎる! 早目に帰ってくるんじゃなかったのか、トゥーリ! もしかして、マインが途中で倒れてしまったか!? 途中で倒れたマインと途方にくれるトゥーリの姿が脳裏に思い浮かんで、居ても立ってもいられなくなってきた。 「オットー、ちょっと様子を見てくる......」 「仕事ほっぽり出す気ですか!?......あ、あれ! トゥーリちゃんじゃないですか!?」 「どこだ!?」 俺より背の高いオットーが背伸びして、列の後ろの方を見た。 「今、門前に並んでいる人達の最後尾に着きました。さっさと行列を捌きましょう」 「よしきた!」 トゥーリ達を街に入れるため、俺は精力的に動いて、人を捌いて行く。先程と違って、どんどん人が流れて、トゥーリ達が見えた。 まさに今、最後尾に並ぼうとする姿が、な! しかし、トゥーリの周囲にマインの姿がない。責任感の強いトゥーリが放ってきたとは思えず、何度も辺りを見回すがやはり姿はない。 「トゥーリ、マインは!?」 「ルッツと後から来てる。多分、閉門ギリギリくらいだと思う」 トゥーリも後ろを振り返るが、すぐに見える範囲に二人の姿はない。閉門ギリギリになりそうだということは、早目に切り上げなかったということだ。 「トゥーリ、一体何が......」 「色々あったの。詳しい話は後でいい? ちょっと遅くなったから、母さん達が心配してるかも。みんなを早く帰らせなくちゃ」 突っ込んで聞きたかったが、トゥーリは質問に答えず、会話を打ち切って、歩き始める。一緒に歩く子供達も疲れきったような様子で街に入っていく。 「何かあったんだろうか? オットー、お前、どう思う?」 「本当に何かあったら、助けを求めてますよ」 オットーは何でもなさそうに言うが、いつもはわざわざ聞かなくても溌剌とした表情で今日会ったことを簡単に話してくれるトゥーリが、質問してもすぐに答えようとしないんだぞ? あまりの心配に苛々が募って、門の前を行ったり来たりしていると、本当に閉門ギリギリの時間にマインはルッツに寄りかかるようにして、青い顔で姿を現した。 「マイン!」 「......父さん、ごめん」 聞きとれるかどうか、それくらいの声で一言謝ると、マインは俺の腕の中に倒れこんできた。 「ルッツ!? 何がどうなってる!? 今のごめんは何だ?」 「あ~......多分、マインが計画的に約束を破ったことじゃないかな? 今日はいきなり穴掘りだすし、ネンドバン作りだすし、フェイ達に泣いて怒って、むちゃくちゃ興奮してたから......三日ぐらいは寝込むと思う」 ルッツがこめかみを押さえるようにして、並べていく事柄に、ぎょぎょっと目を見開いた。 「止めなかったのか!?」 「あのさ、オレもトゥーリも止めなかったと思う?」 「あぁ、いや、悪かった」 「トゥーリのこと、怒らないでやって。頑張ってたから。あ、マインのことは怒ってもいいと思う。オレも怒った。......適当に流されたけど」 「じゃあ、マインをよろしく。オレも急いで帰るから」 「あぁ、マインを見てくれて助かった。ありがとう」 赤い顔でふぅふぅ言っているマインを宿直室のベンチに寝かせておく。ここも何となくマインの定位置になっている。 なるべく早く仕事を終わらせると、マインを抱えて家へ帰った。 「おかえりなさい、ギュンター。マインは倒れたんでしょ?」 門で倒れることを予想していたらしいエーファが、手早くマインの服を脱がせて着替えさせ、ベッドに寝かせる。 「それで、今日は何があった? ルッツから軽く話は聞いたが、トゥーリからも聞きたい」 ビクッとトゥーリが震えて、怯えたような表情で俺の様子を伺う。真面目で責任感が強いトゥーリは何でも完璧にしようとするので、失敗や叱られることを極端に恐れているところがある。 「トゥーリのことは怒らないでほしいとルッツに言われている。頑張っていたと聞いた。代わりに、マインのことは怒ってもいいと思うと言われたが、一体何があった?」 怒らないと言われたことで、強張っていたトゥーリの表情がゆっくりと和らいでいく。そして、言葉を探すように少し視線をさまよわせた後、ゆっくりと口を開いた。 「実は、わたしもそれほどよくは知らないの。森に着いた時には、マインがいつも通り疲れていて、石に座って休み始めたから、わたしもルッツも採集に行ったの。わたし、いつもより早く切り上げるから、急いで集めなきゃって、思ってて......」 マインが何か作って、フェイが壊して、怒って泣いた? 「よくわからない。ネンドバンって聞こえたけど......。それをみんなで作り直してて、遅くなったの」 「つまり、マインは森では何もしないという約束を破ったわけか?」 「え?......あ......多分」 森で何もしない約束を破って、勝手に何か作って、それを壊されて、作り直すことに全員が巻き込まれて、帰りが遅くなって、倒れて熱を出した、と。 「マインはもう森へは行かせないことにしよう」 「えぇ!? それはダメッ! マインが怒るよ!?」 マインが怒ることは関係ない。怒っているのはあんなに約束したのに、破られた俺の方だ。 「ダメじゃない。約束を守れない子は森へは行けないんだ」 子供だけで行動するときのルールや親が安心して外に出すための約束を破るようでは、危なすぎて、子供だけで行動させることはできないのだから。 俺がマインと話をするために寝室に入ろうとしたら、トゥーリが腕にしがみつくようにしてついてきた。俺を止めようと必死だ。 熱が高くなってきたのか、赤い顔をして、目を潤ませながら、はくはくと苦しそうに何度か口を開く。 「......父さん、あと一回だけ。......『粘土板』作る」 しかし、その口から出たのは、俺が望んでいた反省でも謝罪でもなく、要求だった。どうやら、まだ森で何か作るつもりでいる。 「何を言っているんだ!? 絶対に駄目だ!」 「......じゃあ、トゥーリ。家でやるから......」 「わ、わかった。持って帰ってくるよ」 ちょっと待て、トゥーリ。何故当たり前のように受け入れる!? そう宣言した途端、マインの目がスッと細められて、ものすごく冷たい無表情になった。何かのスイッチが入ったのか、ガラリと雰囲気が変わる。 マインの金色の瞳にまるで油膜が張ったように複雑な色が見える気がした。 静かなのに、恐ろしく重圧のあるマインの声にぞっとする。自分の娘とは思えない威圧感に思わず一歩後ずさった。 「あ、当たり前だ!」 ふっと俺に興味を失ったように、マインが一度目を伏せた。 「じゃあ......フェイ達をあの時の粘土板みたいにしなきゃね。ふふ......」 金の瞳を複雑な色に揺らめかせながら、酷薄な笑みを浮かべているマインにぞくりと背筋が震えた。 「......マイン、お前、何を考えてる?」 「ん~?......フェイ達も森へ行けなくなるように......どうしよう?......『トラウマ級恐怖』......『番町皿屋敷』?......いっそ、『貞子系』?」 熱に浮かされてうわごとでも言うように言葉は途切れ途切れだが、頭はいつも通り動いているのか、ぽつぽつとマインの口から言葉が出てくる。 俺のマインがこんなに怖いわけがない。 「......フェイはどこから出てきた? 全く関係ないだろう?」 少しばかり異様な空気に呑まれてしまったが、マインがちゃんと理解してくれるなら、それでいい。頭がいい子なんだから、自分がしたことはよくわかっているはずだ。 「そうか、反省するなら......」 「全力で、泣かす......じゃあ、寝るから」 「マイン、ちょっと待て! 全然通じてないぞ! どうしてそうなる!?」 どこをどう理解したら、「全力で泣かす」なんて言葉が出てくるんだ!? 「うるさい。......出てって」 娘達は二人して俺を寝室から追い出すという結論に達したようで、俺はトゥーリに腕を引っ張られて台所へと戻ることになった。 「トゥーリ、あれはマインだよな?」 「多分、一番怒ったマイン。目が変に光って怖いの。ネンドバンをフェイ達が壊して、マインが泣いて怒ってた時も変だった。みんなも怖いって言ってた」 「ネンドバン作り直し始めたらマインの機嫌が直ったから、途中で止めて帰ろうって、なかなか言えなくて......」 あの迫力なら、仕方がない。 「閉門ギリギリになりそうだから、わたし、マインに泣きながらお願いしたの。ルッツが手伝うから、次で完成させようって言ったら、やっと手を止めてくれて。みんなで手伝おうって約束して帰ってきたの」 何とか次の約束することでマインの怒りを逸らして帰ってきたのに、俺が森に行くことを禁止したから、トゥーリは慌てて止めたのか。トゥーリの行動原理が理解できた。 「父さん、あと一回だけ森へ行っていい? わたし、マインのあの怒りがフェイ達に向かうのが怖い。フェイ達をネンドバンみたいにするって何するの?」 そもそもネンドバンがわからない。一体何だ? 「トゥーリ、どうしたら、マインを止められるんだ?」 「わからないよ。......ルッツに聞いてみて。森でもマインを止めてくれたのはルッツだったもん」 次の日、俺は森に出かけるルッツを門のところで引き留めて、マインの言葉の意味を聞いてみることにした。トゥーリが過剰に怖がるだけで、実は大したことがないかもしれないからだ。 しかし、俺のわずかな希望をルッツは軽い口調であっさりバカーンと打ち砕く。 「あ~、それは......フェイ達に全力で八つ当たりに決まりだな。目が虹色みたいになったマインは止められないから」 「ちょっと隙を見つけたら食らいつく魔獣みたいに、自分のやりたいことをやり遂げるんだ。絶対に目的達成するんだぜ、マインは。どんな手段を使っても、どんなに時間がかかっても」 それより、なんでルッツが誇らしげなんだ? マインは俺の娘だぞ? 「ネンドバンだって、そうさ。森に行きたかったのも、三月もかけて森に行くための体力つけたのも、ネンドバンを作りたかったからだって、言ってた。だから、やるって決めたことをマインは絶対に諦めないと思う」 「......ネンドバンはそんなに大事な物だったのか......」 マインともう一度話し合おうと決めたところで、ルッツが更なる爆弾を落とした。 「あ~、それにしても、せっかく完成したネンドバンを壊されて、作り直しは時間切れで、帰ってきたら熱出してぶっ倒れて、森に行くのは禁止されて、粘土を持ち帰るのも禁止されて......。全部の怒りがフェイ達に向くのか。フェイ達、生きていたらいいな」 「怖いことを言うな! ウチの娘を犯罪者にする気か!?」 全力で泣かすとは言っていたが、殺すとは言っていなかった。大丈夫だ! 「え? だって、そうしたの、ギュンターおじさんじゃねぇ?」 「は? 俺?」 「ネンドバンも、森に行くのも、禁止したのはおじさんだろ? マインの全力って、オレ、怖いもん。応援はしても邪魔はしない。禁止とか無理、無理」 「あ~、ルッツ。真面目な質問だが、どうしたら、マインの怒りを押さえることができる?」 「そんなの、マインの目の前に粘土積み上げりゃいいじゃん。絶対にネンドバン完成させることだけで頭がいっぱいになるから」 ルッツとの話し合いの結果、俺は街の安全を守るため、娘を犯罪者にしないため、不承不承熱の下がったマインに森行きの許可を出した。 すると、許可をもらったマインは不満そうに頬を膨らませて、こう言った。 「......せっかく色々計画考えたのにぃ......もったいなくない?」 「もったいなくないっ! そんな計画はすぐに捨てるんだ!」 熱にうなされてたくせに、すでにフェイ達をぐっちゃぐっちゃにする計画が立ってたらしい。 全てが片付いて、ホッと安堵の息を吐いた後、ハッと俺は気が付いた。 あれ? 当初の約束破った反省はどこに行った?

Ascendance of a Bookworm - 018Gossip: Is my daughter a potential criminal?! My name is Gunther. I'm the lucky husband of my beautiful wife Eva and the proud father of my two adorable daughters, Tory and Maine. She's amazing, right? My daughter's a real go-getter! Don't you agree? On top of that, she's very, very bright... I think. I can't really say for sure, honestly. It's just that, Otto has always insisted that an a.s.sistant would only drag him down whenever I've brought the idea up to him, but when Maine came along, he got very excited and immediately asked if she could be his a.s.sistant, so she must be very smart. What the h.e.l.l? I didn't understand half of what Otto was telling me, but it's easy to see that my daughter is so amazingly smart that she surprised even Otto. That's my Maine! My amazing little girl. She truly is blessed by the G.o.ds. "Sir," says Otto again, "we need you to do your job. Please stop staring off into s.p.a.ce." "Oh." "Are you thinking that Maine isn't going to make it?" "Otto, you... don't say anything unnecessary!" "Then, sir, please do your job. She'll be back in the evening, right, sir?" I'm still annoyed that Maine actually looks up to this impertinent man and calls him "teacher". Well, I know for a fact that she respects me even more. Heh heh heh. After all, when I made her some knitting needles and helped her with the pin for Tory's hair ornaments, she declared that I was the best father in the world! She was definitely not lying. The afternoon. It's obvious that they won't have come back by now. I know that. The sun is starting to dip a little bit towards the horizon, but they still haven't come back. It should be soon, right? The trickle of people leaving the city for the day has turned into a rush. Still no sign of her? They're so slow! You said you would bring everyone back early, Tory! Oh no, did Maine collapse on the way back?! An image suddenly rushes into my mind. Maine, collapsed on the side of the road, unable to move. Tory, panicking, with no idea what to do. A feeling that I absolutely have to do something seizes hold of me. "Otto, watch over things here..." "Sir! Are you abandoning your post?! ...O, over there! Isn't that Tory over there?!" "Where!!" Otto stands on tiptoes to see over the crowd. He's taller than I am, so he can see all the way back to the end of the line. "She's right outside the gate, standing at the very end of the line with everyone else. Let's get move the line as quickly as possible, sir." "Alright, they're here!" I move quickly, processing the queue of people waiting to get into the city at lightning speed so that I can get Tory and her friends in as soon as I can. Unlike just a few moments ago, people flow smoothly through the checkpoint, and very soon I can see Tory in the crowd. This certainly doesn't look like she was at the end of the line! d.a.m.n you, Otto! You tricked me! However, I can't see Maine anywhere nearby. I can't believe that Tory, with her strong sense of responsibility, would just abandon her sister like that, but no matter how hard I look I can't see Maine anywhere. "Tory, where's Maine?!" "Lutz stayed behind, they're still on their way. They should be back right before the gate closes, I think." I immediately look off into the distance, but I can't see Maine or Lutz anywhere. If they're only going to barely make it back in time for the gate to close, then they can't have left the forest early at all. "Tory, what happened out--" She interrupts me before I can finish the question. "A bunch of things. I'll tell you about it later, okay? We're late, so all our moms are going to be worried, too. I want to get everyone home as soon as possible." Abruptly cutting the conversation short, she starts walking off. The rest of the children follow her into the city, looking incredibly worn out. "What could have happened out there? Hey, Otto, what do you think?" "If it was anything serious, they would have asked for help, sir." He may be talking like nothing could have possibly happened, but if Tory just blows off my questions and can't even give me a simple answer about what happened, I'm going to have questions, you know? I'm going to get worried, you know? Maine! What in the h.e.l.l happened out there! I grow more and more restless as the day drags on. Sure enough, right before we start preparing to close the gates, Lutz finally appears, Maine leaning heavily on him, face blue. "Maine!" "...Daddy... sorry." Before I can ask anything, Maine mumbles out a single word of apology, then collapses into my arms. I help Lutz get remove the wicker box (with nothing but a shovel in it) from her back, then pick her up. "Lutz! What happened out there? Why's she apologizing?" "Ahh... um, probably, because she made a promise that she didn't mean to keep, I guess? She suddenly started digging a big hole when I had my back turned, then she spent a bunch of time making 'cley tab-luts', then she got super mad at Fey and the others, and then got really worked up... She's probably going to be sick for three days." Lutz rubs his temples in frustration as he tells me everything that happened. My eyes go wide with shock. "And you didn't stop her?!" I snap. He looks up at me, resentfully. "Mister, do you really think that me and Tory didn't try?" "Ah... no, sorry." "Don't get mad at Tory, she really tried her best. Ah, you can probably get mad at Maine, though. I'm mad at her too. ...Well," he says, looking at Maine as she lies limp in my arms, "not really, anymore." "Take care of Maine, okay?" he says. "I got to catch up with Fey and go home too." "Yeah, will do. Thanks for keeping an eye on her for me." As Lutz runs off, I bring Maine into the night duty room and gently lay her down on the bench. Her face is bright red now, and her breathing comes in short, ragged gasps. This bench will have to be a good enough place to rest for now. I finish up my work as quickly as I possibly can, then carry Maine all the way home. "Welcome home, Gunther," says Eva. "Did Maine collapse again?" From her complete lack of surprise, it seems like she expected that this was going to happen. Swiftly, she gets Maine changed out of her outdoor clothes and gets her tucked into bed. I sit down with Tory in the kitchen, hoping to hear her side of the story. "What happened out there today, Tory?" I ask. "I heard a little about it from Lutz, but I want you to tell me about it too." Tory flinches in her chair, a frightened expression on her face as she hears that I already know about what happened. For someone like Tory with such a powerful sense of responsibility, being scolded for a major mistake is one of the most terrifying things out there. To put her mind at ease, I reiterate what Lutz told me. "Lutz told me that he didn't want me to get angry at you. I heard that you did your best out there. He also said that I should really be getting mad at Maine, so, could you tell me what happened?" Now that I've told her that I'm not mad, Tory's look of terror starts to gradually fade away. Her eyes flicker back and forth as she tries to get the words together in her head, then she slowly opens her mouth to speak. "To be honest, I really don't know all that much. When we made it to the forest, Maine was about as tired as she usually is, so she sat down on a rock to take a break. Me and Lutz went off to do our gathering. I wanted to finish up quickly, so I thought that I had to hurry, and..." She trails off, worry building on her face again. ...I don't get it. Maine was making something, and Fey broke it, so then she threw a tantrum? "I don't know, exactly. I think I heard her call it a 'cley tab-lut', but... Everyone stopped to help her make them again, so that's why we were so late." "So, what you're saying is that Maine broke her promise to do nothing but rest once she got to the forest?" "Huh... um... probably..." Maine didn't keep her promise to sit still and arbitrarily went off to make something. That thing got broken, so she got everyone else caught up in making it again, so they spent too long out there before coming back, so she collapsed, so now her fever's back. There are limits to how much of a bother someone can be, even if they're Maine. "I'm not going to let her go to the forest again," I say. "What?! No! She'll be so mad!" For some reason, Tory with me disagrees vigorously. It doesn't matter if Maine gets angry, though. I'm the one who should be angry, since she made a promise to me and then broke it. "It's only fair. I can't let a girl who doesn't keep her promises go off to the forest." I'm going to have to be very strict with her. I can't let her go out only with other kids if she's going to ignore all the rules for doing so and break the promises she makes for her parents' peace of mind. It's too dangerous. I stand up and start heading towards the bedroom so that I can have a talk with Maine herself, but Tory grabs onto my arm and won't let go. She seems desperate to stop me. I feel bad for her, since she's just trying to look out for her little sister, but I absolutely have to have a talk with Maine. Maine looks up at me as I enter the bedroom, although I don't know if she heard me. Her face is red with fever and her eyes are watery, but she still opens her mouth to speak, though it looks quite painful. "...Daddy, just one more time. ...I'm making 'clay tablets'." However, what came out of her mouth was not at all what I expected. She isn't apologizing, she isn't reflecting on what she has done, she's making demands! For some reason, she still wants to go to the forest and keep making something or other. For an instant, I lose my temper. "What are you thinking?!" I roar. "Absolutely not!" "...Hey, Tory. ...I'll make them at home, so..." "G... got it! I'll bring them home with me next time." Wait a minute, Tory. Why are you just accepting this like it's the obvious next step?! Maine, what the h.e.l.l do you think you're going to be doing in my house?! Also, are you just ignoring how angry I am?! As soon as the words leave my mouth, Maine's eyes narrow to slits, her expression growing unbelievably cold. Like the flip of a switch, the atmosphere in the room suddenly goes icy. A strange s.h.i.+mmer of color, like the surface of an oil slick, dances across the gold of her eyes, but it must just be my imagination. "...Are you serious, Daddy?" she says, quietly, and the incredible pressure of her words sends a s.h.i.+ver down my spine. I take a step back, unintentionally, shocked by the raw intimidation that my own daughter is putting out. "Ab... absolutely serious!" Maine looks away, like she's suddenly lost all interest in me. "Well then... I'm just going to have to do to Fey what he did to my 'tablets', then... heh heh..." A cruel smile spreads across her face, that strange color still s.h.i.+mmering in her eyes. I s.h.i.+ver, again. I feel like I'm drowning in this strange atmosphere, and my breath catches in my throat. "...Maine," I say again, "what are you thinking about?" "Hm~mm? ...Well, I was thinking of how I was going to make it so that Fey can't go to the forest either. ...How, indeed?... ...'Psychological trauma'?... ...So, 'Bancho Sarayas.h.i.+ki'_1, then?.... ...Oh, or maybe _'The Ring'?" Her words are broken and nonsensical, delirious from her fever, but her head keeps moving and she keeps mumbling things out, bit by bit. I can't really hear it very well, but it almost sounds like there's a dark, gloomy echo underneath her words. It must be my imagination. Her voice must be a little cracked from the fever. My little daughter can't be this scary. "...Why are you talking about Fey, now?" I ask. "He doesn't have anything to do with this." I might have gotten a little swept away in the strangeness of the moment, but if Maine understands what I was saying, then everything's okay. She's very bright, so I'm sure she understands what she did wrong. "Ah, okay, if you're reflecting on your actions, then--" "I will make them cry. ...Well, I'm going to sleep." "Maine, wait! You didn't understand at all! Why did you just say that?!" If she really understood me, then where the h.e.l.l did "I will make them cry" come from?! Makewho cry?! Me?! I don't understand her at all! You're nearly bringing me to tears, Maine! "You're noisy. ...Get out." Tory pulls hard on my arm, dragging me back into the kitchen. I've been ejected from my own bedroom by my two daughters. "Tory, that was Maine in there, right?" "I think that was Angriest Maine. Her eyes were sparkling kind of weirdly. When Fey broke her 'cley tab-luts', she got so mad that she started crying, and the same thing happened. Everyone said it was really scary." "She only started to cheer up when we were helping her fix things, so when it was time to go, I couldn't make myself say it..." If she was putting out that much pressure, I don't blame her. Right now, even I really just want to leave her alone. "When it looked like we'd just barely make it back to the gates before they closed, I begged her to go. Lutz helped, and when he said we'd definitely finish it next time, we finally got her to stop working. Then everyone promised to help her finish it next time, and she said that she'd come back with us." I understand now what Tory was getting at when she tried to stop me just a little while ago. If she had only managed to calm Maine down by telling her that they'd finish up next time, then of course she wouldn't want me to go in there and tell her that she can never go back. "Dad, can you let her go just one more time? I think that Fey and the others are really scared of what's going to happen if she gets mad again. Didn't she say that she was going to do to Fey what he did to her 'cleh tab-luts'?" I still don't understand what a 'cleh tab-lut' is. What the h.e.l.l kind of thing is it? "Tory, what can we do to stop her?" "I don't know. Try asking Lutz. He was the one who got her to calm down when we were in the forest." The next day, I pull Lutz to the side as he pa.s.ses through the gates on his way to the forest and ask him what Maine could have meant. Tory was probably just scared and blew things out of proportion, it's probably not actually that big of a deal, right? However, Lutz smashes my tiny bit of hope with a cheerful answer. "A~ah," he says, in a light tone of voice, "she got super mad at Fey and the others, after all. You absolutely can't stop her when her eyes get like that, you know." "If she finds even the tiniest chance, she latches onto it like a magic beast. She'll get whatever she wants to get done, done. She's the kind of girl who absolutely finishes her goals. No matter what she has to do, no matter how long it takes." His eyes glimmer with pride and his chest is puffed up, and he talks like he's enthusing about how awesome Maine is. But, wait a bit, think about this for a second. If a person like that decided that they wanted to hurt someone, that would make them a supremely dangerous individual, right? And why is Lutz acting so proud of her? She's my daughter, you know? "Like, say, these 'cley tab-luts'. She wanted to go to the forest, so she spent three whole months getting strong enough to get there. She said all of that was so she could make those 'cley tab-lut' things. So, I think that she's definitely the kind of person who'll never give up on what they've set their mind to." "...Those 'cley tab-luts' were that important to her, huh..." I had no idea that she'd put that much effort into making those things. It looks like it's not such a simple thing to just ban her from finis.h.i.+ng them. Just when I decide that I should probably talk to her about it again, Lutz drops another bombsh.e.l.l. "A~ah, you know, after she finally made her 'cley tab-luts' only to see them smashed in front of her, and then running out of time before she could finish remaking them, and then getting sick and collapsing on her way back, and then being told that she can't go back to the forest and that she can't have any clay in the house either... She's going to blame it all on Fey, for stepping on them in the first place. I really hope they come out of this alive." "Don't say something so terrifying! Are you saying I've raised a criminal?!" She said she was going to make them cry, not kill them. It's okay!! ...At least, that's what I want to tell myself. "Eh? Well, maybe you really did, Mister Gunther?" "Huh? I did?" "Well, you banned her from going to the forest and making her 'cley tab-luts', right? Me, I'm terrified of what might happen if she goes at it with all of her might. I wouldn't dare try to help or hinder her, and I'd never, ever tell her she couldn't do something." "Hey, Lutz," I say. "This is a completely honest question: how would you stop Maine from being so angry, if you were in my shoes?" "Hmmm, I think that I'd find a lot of clay and pile it up in front of her. She seems absolutely fixated on nothing but her 'cley tab-luts'." Now that Lutz has described the situation to me, I know what I have to do. In order to preserve the safety of this town and keep my youngest daughter from a life of crime, I'm going to, begrudgingly, have to let her go back to the forest. When I tell her this, though, she looks very dissatisfied, puffing out her cheeks in frustration. "...And I'd come up with all of these really good plaaans... and it would be a waste to just let them go, right?" "Not at all!! Throw whatever schemes you're plotting out of your head right this very instant!" It seems like she dreamed up some sort of plans to squash Fey flat while caught in her feverish nightmares. I don't know if it's because she's a little too smart, or just far too angry, but I feel like this was a very close call. I breathe a sigh of relief, having put everything back in order, then suddenly gasp as I come to a realization. Huh? Didn't all this start because she needed to think twice about breaking promises?

わたしがマインじゃないとわかったら、どうなる? マインを返せとか、お前のせいでマインがいなくなったとか、混乱と怒りと恐怖の混じった罵詈雑言を浴びせられるのは確実だろう。 家から追い出されるくらいならまだしも、最悪の場合、ここが魔女狩りをしているような宗教の世界の場合、悪魔憑きなんて思われて、拷問の末、殺されるかもしれない。 本で読んだ魔女狩りの数々の拷問描写が脳内に浮かんで、ぞっとした。 ......痛いのは嫌だ。怖いのも嫌だ。 追い出されるのも、拷問も嫌だけれど、その前に自分の熱に食われてしまえば、熱に浮かされるだけの苦しさで死ねる。死のうと思えば、わたしは誰にも邪魔されることなく、簡単に命を投げ出せる術を持っている。 短絡的だが、拷問よりは熱に浮かされて食われる方がよほど楽だ。そう考えたら、ちょっと呼吸が楽になった。 それに、よくよく考えてみれば、熱に呑みこまれないように、この世界に踏みとどまったのは、ルッツに謝るためだった。ルッツとの約束を守らなければ、と思って、熱から逃げ出して来たのだ。 ルッツには謝ったし、オットーと引き合わせて約束は果たしたし、一応、心残りが消えたとも言える。 紙ができるまでは何とかなるだろうし、死のうと思えばいつでも死ねる。 そう腹をくくったら、かなり気が楽になった。結論らしい結論ではないけれど、自分の中で折り合いがついた。 いつ死ぬ時が来てもいいように、後悔しなくていいように、紙作りに全力を尽くすしかない。 腹をくくったなんて、言ってみても、ルッツに会うことに全く抵抗がないわけではない。 「わかった。わたしはベンノさんのところに行くよ。簀の発注書、出さなきゃいけないし、荷物が届く場所も相談しないとダメだから」 「......一人で行くのか?」 「うん。そうだけど?」 ルッツが一緒に行けないなら、一人で行くしかないし、今日も大人とのやり取りが主だから、身近な人はいない方が、わたしにとって都合がいい。 「......一人で行けるのか?」 「大丈夫だよ」 グッと拳を握りしめると、ルッツは何か言いたそうな顔になった。それでも、何も言わず、「じゃあな」と言って、森に向かって行った。 ベンノの店には一回行っている。オットーの家も合わせれば二回だ。一人で行くくらい何でもない。 そう言って手を差し出すマルクにわたしはバッグから出した発注書セットを手渡す。書き込みが終わった発注書とインクとメジャーだ。 「この発注書なんですけど、昨日も言っていたように、できれば作ってくれる方に直接お話したいんです。お話できる日を決めてもらっていいですか?」 「材木屋は午前中の方が時間に余裕があるので、今から行きましょうか?」 「お店、忙しそうですけど、大丈夫ですか?」 次々と入ってくる客をさばいている従業員のみなさんを見回すと、マルクはオットーと同じような少しばかり黒いオーラを放つ笑顔で言い切った。 「私一人が少し席を外したところで、泣き言を言うような教育はしていません」 今にも泣きそうな顔をしている従業員はいますけど? 「それに、旦那さまにも言われた通り、貴女の依頼は特殊ですから。他に任せず私が対応するのが適当だと判断しました。お気になさらず」 「えーと、では、お世話になります」 目的地である材木屋は市場がある西門の方にあるらしい。川が近いので、大きな物は西門から運搬されてくるから、西門に近い場所に店を構えるのが材木屋にとっては便利なのだそうだ。 「ベンノさんにお願いしたいことがあったんですけど、忙しそうならマルクさんから伝えてもらってもいいですか?」 「何でしょうか?」 まず、中央広場に向かって大通りをポテポテと歩きながら、店で話せなかった用件を話し始めた。 「発注した荷物を置いておく倉庫というか、作業場も貸していただきたいんです」 欲しい物を次々と発注したのは良いけれど、置き場所がない。 まさか作業場がないと思っていなかったようで、マルクは目を瞬いた。 「ウチとルッツの家に道具は分けて置いて、森の川辺や井戸の周りに道具や材料を持ち寄って作業するつもりだったんですけど......」 当初は鍋を借りるつもりだったし、家の中や森にある物で何とか代用できないか考えるつもりだった。灰も母達に拝み倒してもらうつもりだったし、木も森で切ってすぐに使うつもりだった。 注文してしまうと代用品を考える手間は省けるが、荷物が一気に増えるし、その日に使うものばかりではないので、一旦置いておく場所が必要になる。 「分散して置くにしても限度があるし、作業がしにくいんですよね。屋根のある作業場を貸してもらえるなら、それに越したことはないので、ダメでもともとと思って、相談してみました。これも初期投資に入りますか?」 わたしがそう言うと、マルクはこめかみを押さえて、信じられないと呟いた。 「今までは大人の協力者がいなかったので」 簡易ちゃんリンシャンの作り方と引き換えに得られたベンノという協力者は最大限利用させていただく。この機会を逃したら、二度と紙を作ることなんてできそうにないのだから、こちらも遠慮なんてしていられない。 「ふむ、倉庫に関しては、私からも交渉してみましょう」 「ありがとうございます。マルクさんが味方になってくれたら、絶対に倉庫を貸してもらえる気がします」 前回のやり取りを見ていても、マルクはベンノの右腕とか、懐刀とか、そういう関係の人だと思う。見るからにセバスチャンだし。 「倉庫に何か条件はありますか?」 「えーと、森に行って作業することが多いので、南門に近いほど嬉しいです。後は発注した荷物を置いておける屋根のある場所なら、それで十分です」 「わかりました。......あぁ、そろそろ見えますよ。あの材木屋です」 マルクがそう言って前方を指差したが、わたしの身長では見えない。ぴょんこぴょんこ飛び跳ねてみても見えない。 「じゃあ、急ぎましょう」 気が付いたら、全く知らない場所にいた。 ベッドが厚手の布で覆われているお陰で、藁布団のチクチクがほとんどしなくて寝心地がいいベッド。シンプルだが、天井まで掃除が行き届いている部屋には全く見覚えがなかった。 「......ここ、どこ?」 起き上がって周りを見回すと、同じ部屋で針仕事をしているコリンナの姿があった。わたしの声が聞こえたようで、手を止めて駆け寄ってくる。 「マインちゃん、気が付いたのね? 突然倒れたと言って、ベンノ兄さんが運び込んできた時にはビックリしたわ。前にオットーから門まで来たら昼まで動けないって聞いたことがあったから、疲れからきた熱じゃないかと思って、寝かせておくことにしたんだけど」 「お、お世話おかけいたしました。本当に申し訳ないです」 「あのぅ、コリンナさん。か、家族に内緒ってできませんか?」 「マインちゃん?」 ルッツを盾に、何とか家族の怒りから逃れられないか、交渉してみたが、コリンナはにっこりと女神のような綺麗な微笑みを浮かべてこう言った。 「のおおぉぉ......」 盛大に叱られる予想に打ちのめされていると、ベンノに連絡がついたようで、ドカドカという大きな足音と共にベンノが部屋に入ってきた。 赤褐色の鋭い瞳がじろりとわたしを睨み、低い声で呼びかける。 「ふぁいっ!」 「俺の寿命が縮んだぞ」 ベンノの剣幕に寿命が縮んだわたしは、条件反射のように、ベッドの上でまたしても額を布団に擦りつけた。 「大変申し訳ありませんでした」 「......なんだ、それは?」 「わたしの中で一番誠意を示す謝罪方法、『土下座』です」 ベンノはボスッとベッドに腰掛けて、ぐしゃぐしゃとミルクティーのような色合いの髪を掻き回す。 「オットーから一応身体が弱いとは聞いていたが、ここまでとは思わなかったな」 「わたしもです」 ルッツがいない間に何とかしようと欲張りすぎた。このくらいなら大丈夫と無意識に考えた基準が昔の自分だった。マインの身体でこなしたら、倒れても当然だ。 「やる気だけではどうにもできない問題でした」 「今後は坊主と一緒に来るように。一人での行動は認めん」 「......はい」 「今日はもう帰れ。心配しまくっているマルクをつける」 「えぇっ!? そんなの申し訳なさすぎます。マルクさんに『土下座』でお詫びしたら一人で帰りますからっ!」 ベンノの言葉に大きく目を見開いて、わたしはバタバタと手を振って辞退する。これ以上、マルクに迷惑をかけるようなことはできない。 「一人での行動は認めんと言ったのが、聞こえなかったのか?」 「......聞こえてました。わかりました。マルクさんに怒られながら帰ります。えーと、でも、せっかくベンノさんに会えたから『簡易ちゃんリンシャン』の作り方を......」 今日、ここに来た目的を果たしてしまおうと口を開いたら、恐ろしい形相をしたベンノに、ぐわしっと頭を片手で鷲掴みにされた。 「今日は帰れ、と言っただろう!」 頭を掴まれて、大きな声で怒鳴られて、びくぅっと身体が震えた。反射的にぶわっと涙が飛び出した目でベンノを見上げながら、脳味噌の片隅では至極どうでもいい感想が浮かんだ。 「今後、坊主を連れずに一人での入店は禁止だ! 記憶力があるなら、きっちり覚えろ!」 「覚えた! 覚えました! いたたたたたっ!」 その後、歩いて帰るか、マルクが抱いて帰るかで、少しばかりの問答があったけれど、「わたしの心臓を止めたくなければ、おとなしくしていてください」とマルクに優しく脅され、「先程の謝罪は口先だけですか?」と駄目押しされれば、わたしが勝てるはずなんてなかった。 無駄な抵抗は諦めて、マルクに抱き上げられたまま、家まで運ばれる。 「そんなわけで、みんなに迷惑かけて怒られたので、今日は一緒に行ってください」 熱が下がった翌日、わたしはルッツに事情説明をして、ベンノの店に同行してくれるようにお願いする。 「ハァ~......だから、言ったろ? マイン一人で行けるのかって。全然大丈夫じゃなかったじゃないか」 「あ、あれって、そういう意味だったんだ? もう道は覚えてるから大丈夫って、思ってて......ルッツ?」 「ハハハハハハ......どこをどう考えたら、そんな意味になるんだよ? マインの心配は体力だけに決まってるだろ!?」 「こんなにすぐにぶっ倒れるようじゃあ、マインにはオレが付いてないとダメだな」 「うん。ルッツがいなかったら、入店禁止ってベンノさんに言われた」 「ハハハ......入店禁止って、お前」 わたしはルッツの言葉に悩んで睡眠不足になったり、顔を合わせづらいと思ったりしてたのに、なんでルッツはいつも通りなの!? 「さぁ、マイン。脹れっ面してないで、行こうぜ」 いつも以上にご機嫌でお兄さん風を吹かせるルッツと並んで、わたしはベンノの店に向かって歩き始める。 「ルッツはあの日、森で何を採集したの?」 「薪と竹。竹を削って、どういうものがいるか、職人に見せるってマインが言っただろ?」 「そういえば、そうだった。忘れてた」 口で説明したり、石板に描いたりしてもわからなかった時のために、現物を用意するつもりだったのに、すっかり忘れていた。 「おいおい、しっかりしろよ」 「わたしの代わりにルッツがしっかりしているから大丈夫だよ」 メモ用紙もないところで全てを覚えていられるわけがない。わたしはメモ魔だった。何でもかんでも忘れないように手帳にメモしていた。メモすれば忘れても大丈夫だったので、手帳に頼り切っていたわたしには、大した記憶力が備わっていない気がする。 二人で覚えていれば忘れることは少なくなるよ、とわたしがルッツに言えば、ルッツは泣きそうに顔を歪めた。 「......オレさ、マインが文字を書いて、計算もできて、大人とわけのわからない話もできるのを見て、悔しかったんだ」 「オレなんか必要ないんじゃないか。あの店でオレが役に立つことなんてないんじゃないかって思ってた」 洗礼前の子供にいきなり役立てなんて、店の誰も言わないだろう。ルッツが自分の名前を書けて、真面目に勉強に取り組んだことで、かなり評価は上がっていた。 わたしと比べる必要はないよ、と慰めようとしたら、ルッツが今度は小さく笑いながら顔を上げた。 「でもさ、マインはすぐにぶっ倒れるし、頭は良いのに抜けてるし、腕力ないし、ちっこいし、よく考えたら出来ないことの方が多いんだよな。オレがいなかったら入店禁止とか......」 「ひどい、ルッツ! わたしだって、たまには役に立つよ!」 あまりの言い様に抗議したら、何故かルッツはお腹を抱えて笑い始めた。 不機嫌そうなベンノからの命令にルッツは目を瞬いて、自分を指差した。 「......マインのお守はオレにしかできない?」 「そうだ。お前以外にこんな無茶な嬢ちゃんの面倒みられるヤツがいるか? 家族以外で今までいたか?」 「この店にいると思うか?」 ベンノの言葉にルッツは即座に首を振った。顔が輝いて、薄い緑の瞳が何だか誇らしげに見えるのは気のせいではないと思う。 ぬぅ、誇らしげなルッツのほっぺをぐにぐにしてやりたい。 「さて、坊主に聞きたい。今日、この嬢ちゃんは南門まで歩けそうか?」 「歩く速さに気を付ければ大丈夫だ。南門なら家も近くになるから、気持ち悪くなってもすぐに帰れる」 いつものことだが、わたしの体調を家族やルッツの方が詳しく知っていることが情けない。少しずつ鍛えているつもりだが、どうにもスタミナが伸びないのだ。 子供ってぐんぐん成長するはずなんだけどな。 鍛えても成長率が良くない自分の体を見下ろしていると、ベンノが机の上のベルを一振りする。 「え? どこに行くんですか? 材木屋は西門ですよね?」 南門に向かわなくてはならないような用件はなかったはずだ。わたしが目を瞬くと、ベンノは軽く肩を竦めた。 「マルクから話は聞いた。南門に近い倉庫をお前達に貸してやる」 「いいんですか? ありがとうございます」 「嬢ちゃんのためじゃない。坊主のためだ。嬢ちゃんの面倒を見ながら、道具も運ばなきゃならんなんて、大変すぎるからな」 「えぇ!? わたしだって、ちゃんと運びますよ!? ちょっと腕力だってついてきたんですから」 わたしが自分の腕を叩いて主張したら、三人が異口同音に反論した。 「余計なことしなくていいから、おとなしくしてろ」 「力を使うことはオレがするから、倒れるようなことはするな」 「運ばなくていいので、体調管理をしてくださいね」 わたしはトゥーリと約束しているんだ。出来ることからやっていく。出来ることを増やしていくって。自分のことは自分でするし、今はできなくてもできるように頑張るんだ。 「マイン、その顔......ちゃんと聞いてるふりして、言うこと聞く気ないだろ?」 何故バレたし!? この日以降、ルッツは「マイン係」として、ベンノの店で重宝されるようになった。

What would he say if he knew I really wasn't Maine? "Give Maine back," he would scream, "it's your fault she's gone!", mixing his confusion, his anger, his fear into a deluge of verbal abuse. And if he tells my family about it, then I'd suddenly have nowhere to belong. I'd be driven from my home or even, in the worst case, subjected to this world's equivalent of a witch hunt. Their religion may tell them that I've been possessed by a demon, so they'll torture, maim, and kill me. I s.h.i.+ver as all of the things I've read about witch hunts and the tortures they involve flicker through my head. ...I hate painful things. I hate scary things. If it looked like I was going to be tortured, I think I'd want to die instead. Getting driven out or getting tortured would both be terrible, but before that happens, I could just let myself be swallowed up by my fever. The only pain there would be whatever would seep through the feverish delirium as I died. I have a simple way to throw away my life at a single though without anyone being able to say otherwise. It's hasty, but being carried away by fever sounds way more comfortable than being tortured. When I think about it like that, I can breathe just a little bit easier. On top of that, now that I'm thinking about it, what made me fight back against the fever and struggle to remain in this world was the fact that I'd made a promise to Lutz. I told myself that I had a promise to keep, and drove my fever away. I apologized to him, then introduced him to Otto, so I think I can tentatively say that I no longer have any regrets. After meeting with Benno and seeing that making paper is almost in my grasp, I realized that I wanted to make paper, and wanted to make books, but I don't actually have any particular attachment to anything else in this world. If I can somehow manage to keep things together until we successfully make some paper, then I can die whenever I want. Now that I've prepared myself for that, I feel much more at ease. It's not the most conclusive conclusion I've come up with, but it's the best compromise I've come up with. I don't particularly care when it's time for me to die, but if I want to die without any regrets at all, I need to focus all of my efforts into making paper. I may have said that I've prepared myself for the worst, but that doesn't mean that I have no reluctance at all to meet with Lutz again. The next morning, I meet him outside, just a little bit nervous. "Got it," I reply. "I'm going to Benno's shop today. I need to place the order for the paper mat, and I'm going to need to talk with him about where our supplies are going to be delivered." "...You're going by yourself?" "Yeah, I think so...?" If Lutz can't come with me, then I've got no choice to go alone today. Plus, since today's primary order of business will be to dealing with adults, then it's very convenient if n.o.body I'm particularly close to is there today. "...You're able to go by yourself?" "Oh, I'm all right." Lutz clenches his fist tightly, looking like he wants to say something. However, he heads off to the forest without saying anything but "see you". I've been to Benno's shop once. Twice, if you include when I went to Otto's home. Going there by myself shouldn't be any trouble at all. Carrying my slate, slate pencils, and set of material forms with me in my tote bag, I set off for Benno's shop. I pull out the set of order forms from my bag and place them in his outstretched hand, along with the ink and measuring tape he lent me. "I've filled out these orders, but as I mentioned yesterday, if possible I'd like to explain how I'd like them to be made. Would it be possible for us to decide on the best day to do so now?" "The lumber dealer will be more free during the morning. How about we head there now?" "Is that okay?" I ask. "The shop's so busy, though." Mark looks around the room at the other employees as they deal with customer after customer streaming through the shop. His mouth turns up into a smile, much like Otto's, emanating a hint of a black aura. "The employees here are very well trained; I'm sure n.o.body would shed a tear if I were to step out for a moment." There are a few of them that look like they're on the verge of tears already, though? "Also," he continues, "as Master Benno told me, your requests are a special case. I do not have anything else I need to be doing at the moment, so he has determined that I am well-suited to a.s.sist you in this. Please, do not worry about me." "Ummm, then, thank you for helping!" Mark and I head out from the shop. It seems that the lumberyard we're heading to is near the west gate, where the town market is. Since the west gate is close to the river, most large goods are brought in through there. It's probably a very convenient place for a lumber dealer to set up his shop. "I had some things that I was hoping to ask Mister Benno, but since it seems that he's busy, may I ask you instead, Mister Mark?" "What is it?" As we walk along the main road towards the central plaza, I start to ask about the things I wasn't able to while we were in the store. "I was hoping that you could lend us a storehouse or workshop that we could use to store the materials we've ordered." It's all well and good that we can place order after order for whatever we need, but we have no place to put any of it. Mark blinks. "Where had you been planning to work before?" he asks, as if he hadn't even considered the possibility that we didn't already have a workshop. "We were planning on splitting storing the tools between our two houses, and then we were going to bring everything either to the well or to the river in the forest to work..." Originally, when we were planning on borrowing a pot from our families, we figured that we could essentially find subst.i.tutes for whatever we needed either in our houses or in the forest. We were thinking that we'd be able to beg our mothers for the ashes we'd need, and in the forest we'd be able to cut and then immediately use any wood we'd need. If we don't have to subst.i.tute things, we save a lot of time and effort, but the sheer amount of baggage we'll have immediately increases. We'll also have a lot more raw material to store, beyond just what we'd be using in a single day. However, neither Lutz's home nor mine has very much extra s.p.a.ce in it, so I don't think that either of our families would let us store a bunch of stuff not actually necessary for daily life in there. "There's a limit to what we can store between the two of us," I explain, "and it's difficult to work like that. It would be best if we could borrow a workshop, so I thought I should ask you about it, since there's nothing to lose. Wouldn't you say this is also part of your initial investment?" As I talk, Mark rubs his temples, muttering about how unbelievable this is. "We haven't had the support of any adults so far," I remind him. There's only so much that children can do without the cooperation of adults. Now that I've traded my simple shampoo for Benno's support, I fully intend to use it to its maximum potential. If I let this opportunity slip, I don't think I'll have a second chance to try to make paper, so I can't let things like restraint or discretion hold me back. "Hmm, I'll see what I can do to secure a storehouse for you." "Thank you very much. With you on our side, Mister Mark, I have a feeling we'll definitely be able to get a storehouse for sure." Based on what I saw last time, I think Mark might be something like Benno's second-in-command or right-hand man. (Because he looks so butler-y.) If Mark is the one doing the negotiating, there's no problem at all. He'll definitely be able to get us a storehouse. "Do you have any special requirements for the storehouse?" "Ummm, since there are a lot of things that we're going to need to go to the forest to do, it would be nice if it could be near the south gate. Besides that, as long as it has a roof and can hold the things we're ordering, anything is good." "I understand. ...Ah, there they are. That lumberyard over there." He points at something ahead of him, but at my height, I can't see anything. I try hopping up and down, but I still can't see over the crowds. I grab his hand and quicken my pace. "Right, let's hurry!" When I come to, I'm in a completely unfamiliar room. Thanks to the thick covers of the bed I'm in, there's no p.r.i.c.kling from the straw mattress beneath me. It's a very nice, comfortable bed. The ceiling is simple, but it's been carefully kept clean. I don't recognize it at all. "...Where, am I?" I sit up in bed and look around. Nearby, I see Corinna, working on some needlework. When she hears my voice, she stops working and immediately runs over to me. "Maine, you're awake? Benno came in carrying you, saying that you'd suddenly collapsed in the street. I was so surprised! I heard from Otto that you used to not even be able to walk to even walk to the gate in the morning without having to rest until noon, so since you didn't have a fever I thought you must just be tired and I let you sleep here for a while." "Th... thank you very much for your care, ma'am! I am very sorry for the inconvenience!" "Ummm, Miss Corinna. C... can you please keep this a secret from my family?" "Maine...?" I try to use Lutz as a s.h.i.+eld to negotiate an escape from my family's wrath, but Corinna only smiles, a smile so sweetly radiant that it's almost like that of a G.o.ddess. "Noooooo......" As I'm a.s.saulted by expectations of how awful my scolding is going to be, loud footsteps approach before Benno bursts into the room. His reddish-brown eyes narrow sharply as he glares at me. "Little girl," he says, in a low voice. "Fwah!!" "You took some years off my life, there." It feels like my lifespan is being eroded away by his threatening glare. All my conditioning takes over, and bow down, pressing my forehead into the mattress. "I am extremely sorry and beg your forgiveness!" "...What are you doing?" "This is a 'dogeza', how I show that my apology is of the utmost sincerity!" He sits down next to me on the bed, ruffling his milk tea-colored hair as he scratches his head. "I'd heard a bit from Otto about how frail you were, but I had no idea it was this bad." "Neither did I," I reply. I got greedy, thinking that I could somehow manage to get by without Lutz there. When I decided that I'd be fine if I was only doing this much, I was unconsciously judging things based on my old body. Since I'm in Maine's body now, it's only natural that I'd collapse. "The problem was that I thought I could do anything, as long as I had the drive to do it." "Well, okay," he mutters to himself, turning to look at me. "From now on, only come here with that kid. I won't approve if you go out alone again." "...Yes, sir." "Go home for today. Mark's worried about you, so take him with you." My eyes go wide. "Umm?! That's too much for me to ask. I need to apologize to him and then I can go home by myself!" I wave my hands frantically, trying to refuse. I couldn't possibly impose on Mark any more than I have already. However, Benno's face goes tight, and he glares at me with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Didn't I just say I don't approve of you going out alone? Did you hear me the first time?" "...Yes, I did. I understand. I'll go home with Mark, even if it upsets him. Ummm, but, since I've finally managed to see you, I'd like to tell you about how to make my 'simple'--" As I open my mouth to try and explain my main reason for coming here today, Benno grabs my head in one hand, a terrible look on his face. "I, told, you, to go home!" As he yells at me, my head firmly in his grip, I tremble in fear. Tears well up in my eyes on reflex as I look up at him, but in the recesses of my mind, a dispa.s.sionate thought comes to life. Ah, I see. This is what truly being yelled at is like. "From now on, you are prohibited from entering my shop without that boy with you! If your memory works at all, remember this!" "I got it! I'll remember! Ow! Owowowowow!!" After that, I had a bit of a discussion with Mark about whether I could walk home or whether he'd carry me, but he first said, kindly, "I don't want my heart to stop like that again, so please come along quietly," then, when I tried to insist on walking, he asked, "did your apology just now mean nothing?" and I decided there was no way I would win. Giving up my futile resistance, I allowed Mark to pick me up, and was carried home. When we got to my home, my family saw me being carried by Mark and extracted a report of my actions for the day from him and, as I expected, they got angry. In the middle of their enormous lecture, my fever flared up with full force, and I was stuck in bed for two more days. "So, basically, since I was such a hindrance and made everyone so mad, please come with me to the shop today." The day after my fever subsided, I explain my circ.u.mstances to Lutz, and ask if he'd accompany me to the shop. He stares at me, completely stunned, then lets out a huge, huge sigh. "Haaahhh~... Didn't I tell you? I asked if you really could make it there, and you said it was okay. That wasn't okay at all, was it?" "Is... is, uh, is that what you meant? I was thinking you were asking if I remembered how to get there... Lutz?!" "Ahahaha! What kind of crazy world do you live in that you'd think that's what I meant? I'm always thinking about your health, aren't I?!" "If you're collapsing like that, you really shouldn't go there without me," he says. "Yeah. Mister Benno actually banned me from entering his shop if I don't have you there too." "Ahahaha! You got banned?!" I'd stayed up so late, worrying so much about what he'd said, and I thought that seeing him again was going to be so difficult, so why is he acting like he always does?! "Hey, Maine. Stop sulking, let's get out of here." Just like always, Lutz starts acting like my big brother, pulling me along as we start walking towards Benno's shop. "Lutz, what did you get when you went to the forest the other day?" "Firewood and some bamboo. Didn't you say that you wanted to whittle some bamboo down into something so that you could show it to some craftsmen?" "Now that you say it, I did. I forgot!" After Mark wasn't able to understand what I was talking about, no matter how I described it or how many diagrams I drew on my slate, we'd decided that Lutz and I should come up with a physical example. I'd completely forgotten. "Hey, hey, keep it together!" "Lutz, you're here to keep it together for me, so everything's just fine." In a world without notebooks, there's no way I can remember literally everything. I'm a notebook fiend. I used to always carry a notebook with me, and write down literally everything so that I wouldn't forget it. If I took good enough notes, it wouldn't matter if I couldn't remember something, so I guess I became so reliant on always having my notes on hand that my memory might actually have been pretty bad. As I tell him that we're not going to forget anything if we've got each other, Lutz suddenly looks like he's almost about to cry. "...Um, Maine, when I saw that you're so good at writing, and that you can do all that math, and that you can talk with the adults about all those things I don't understand, I got really sad." "I started thinking, what am I really good for? Like, maybe I'm not going to be any help in that shop at all." There's no way that anyone in that shop would expect a kid who hasn't even been baptized to be immediately useful. Lutz can already write his name, and he studied very hard, so I'm sure they think highly of him. It seems like he didn't notice that at all, and was only depressing himself by comparing himself to me. As I console him, telling him that there's no need to compare himself to me so much, he looks up at me, smiling just a little bit. "But hey, Maine, you collapse a lot, and even though you're really smart you forget things, and you're not strong at all, and you're really tiny, and now that I think about it there's a lot of things that you actually can't do. Like, you're even banned from going to that shop without me there too..." "That's so mean! There's some things I can do, you know!" As I protest the way he's describing me, for whatever reason he clutches his stomach, nearly falling over as he's laughing so hard. He calms down after a while, then puts his hand on my head, ruffling my hair. Lutz blinks as Benno, displeased, delivers his orders. He points at himself, doubtfully. "...I'm the only one who can take care of her?" "That's right. Besides you and her family, is there anyone that actually looks after this unreasonable girl? Know anyone?" "How about anyone in this shop?" Lutz immediately shakes his head at each of Benno's questions. I think it might not be just my imagination that his face is practically s.h.i.+ning and there's a hint of a proud gleam in his pale green eyes. Nngh, I want to grab those proud cheeks and stretch them out. "Well then, kid, I've got a few questions for you. Today, can this girl walk out to the south gate?" "If we're watching our pace, then yeah. Since the south gate is near where we live, if she starts feeling bad we can also just go home." This is an everyday thing, but as both Lutz and my family well know, my physical condition is downright deplorable. I've been working to gradually train myself up, but no matter how I try I just can't get my stamina to increase. Even though, as a kid, I should be steadily growing up. Benno looks down at me, the girl whose growth rate is terrible even though she's been training hard, then picks up the bell on top of his desk and rings it once. The door opens with a click, and Mark enters. "Huh?" I ask. "Where are we going? I thought the lumberyard was near the west gate?" I didn't think we had any business that required us to head towards the south gates. I blink, uncertainly, as Benno shrugs his shoulders. "Mark told me about your request for a storehouse. I'll lend you one that's down by the south gates." "Really? Thank you very much!" "This isn't for your sake, it's for the boy's. It'd be very difficult for him if he has to lug all of the tools everywhere while also looking after you." "Whaaat?! I can carry things too, you know! I've gotten a little bit stronger, lately." As I try to a.s.sert my own strength, all three of them simultaneously open their mouths in reb.u.t.tal. "You shouldn't do anything rash, kid, just go along with it." "I'm the one who does the lifting, so don't do anything that'll make you sick again." "Since you won't have to carry anything, please look after your health." I, however, refuse. I'm not just going to go along with it. I promised Tory. I'm going to do the things that I can do, and I'm going to increase that number. I'm going to do my own things by my own strength, and I'm going to work hard until I can do the things that I can't do right now. "Maine, that face... you were just pretending to listen, weren't you?" How did that slip out?! From that day on, Lutz had a very important role in Benno's shop: "Maine Duty".

「フラン、工房へ行って灰色神官を三人、それから、ヴィルマ以外の側仕えを呼んできてくださる?」 「マイン様はどうなさるのですか?」 「図書室で神官長から預かった目録に目を通して、分類について考えておきます」 図書室に入ると、フランが机までの間にある資料を重ねて道を作ってくれた。わたしを座らせて、神官長から借り受けた目録の木札二枚を置くと、足早に図書室を出ていく。 フランの背中を見送った後、わたしは誰もいなくなった図書室の中で神官長の目録に目を通し始めた。本人がわかればそれで良いという感じで書かれた木札には、細かい字でぎっちりと書き連ねられている。 「どれどれ? 神官長が神殿に持ちこんだもの......って、多いっ!?」 その量は非常に多く、鎖に繋がれた本の半分と本棚の資料一段分以上が神官長の私物になるくらいの量があった。 ......神官長って、何者!? とりあえず、目が眩むようなお金持ちであることだけは、よくわかった。以前、事情があって神殿に入ったと言っていたが、実家はよほど上流でお金があるようだ。そうでなければ、一つ購入するにも大金貨が何枚も必要になるような本を5冊も神殿に持ちこめるはずがない。 表紙が皮張りで、金や宝石をあしらっているような本は、普通私物ではなく、家宝になると思う。それを神官長は5冊も私物として神殿に持ち込み、こうして鎖につないで公開してくれているのだ。それがわかっただけで、わたしの神官長への好感度がぐぐんと上がる。 「こんなに本を持ちこんで見せてくれるなんて、神官長が良い人すぎる......」 わたしは目録を見て、大体の分類番号を振った後、分類番号の割合から、本棚の分類番号を考えようと思っていたが、突然壁にぶつかった。 「......魔術に関する資料って、どこに分類したらいいんだろう?」 困ったことに日本十進分類法に、魔術という項目はない。しかし、貴族しか扱えない分野のためか、研究が必要な分野なのか、神官長の私物の中では魔術に関する資料が一番多い。 わたしは書字板に日本十進分類法を書き出してみる。 0 総記 (図書館、図書、百科事典、一般論文集、逐次刊行物、団体、ジャーナリズム、叢書) 1 哲学 (哲学、心理学、倫理学、宗教) 2 歴史 (歴史、伝記、地理) 3 社会科学 (政治、法律、経済、統計、社会、教育、風俗習慣、国防) 4 自然科学 (数学、理学、医学) 5 技術 (工学、工業、家政学) 6 産業 (農林水産業、商業、運輸、通信) 7 芸術 (美術、音楽、演劇、スポーツ、諸芸、娯楽) 8 言語 9 文学 魔術具を作ることを考えれば、5の技術だろうか。それとも、ここでは4の数学や理学と同じ扱いにした方が良いのだろうか。分類法を導入するにしても、常識が違えばなかなか難しい。 「とりあえず、資料を見てから考えよう。あの中にあるんだろうし......」 わたしは床に散乱した資料の数々を見つめて、ニヨッと顔が笑うのを押さえられなかった。 だって、魔術だよ? 初めて見る本物の魔術だよ? どんなことが書かれているのか、想像するだけで胸が高鳴ってときめくじゃない? 魔術に関する物以外は、普通に分類できそうなので、皆が到着したら、まずは資料を重ねて、足場を作ってもらう。その後、本棚に第一次区分の分類番号を振って、ざっと目を通した資料を第一次区分で棚に並べる。今日のうちにそこまで終わらせたい。 「もー! これは一体何ですの!?」 聞き慣れた叫び声に扉の方を見ると、デリアが目を吊り上げて怒っていた。わたしの部屋を綺麗に保つことを仕事にしているデリアは、散らかしたら怒る。そんなデリアにとって、図書室の惨状は許しがたいものに違いない。 「すげぇな、これ。誰がやったか知らないけど、マイン様を相手に命知らずなヤツ......」 本に向けるわたしの想いを知っているギルの言葉にフランがそっと胃の辺りを押さえた。 「フラン、どうしたの? お腹でも痛いのかしら?」 「......犯人の末路を考えると、少し」 まさかフランが胃を痛めるほど犯人の末路を心配しているとは思わなかった。わたしは頬に手を当てて、「困ったわ」と首を傾げる。 「フランの胃が痛くなるのでしたら、血祭りは中止した方が良いかしら? 敵に対する見せしめと味方の士気を上げられる上に、主としての威厳を見せつける良い機会かと思ったのですけれど」 「ちょ、マイン様! それ、味方の士気上がらねぇから! 恐怖に凍りつくって!」 わたしの言葉に側仕えを初め、灰色神官達が顔を引きつらせてザッと一斉に後ずさった。フランだけはわたしの眼前までやってきて跪き、わたしの両手を取って懇願し始めた。 「ぜひ、中止してください。すでにマイン様は十分な威圧感をお持ちです」 あまりに真剣な目でフランが言うので、血祭りは中止することにした。血祭りより、図書室のお片付けの方が楽しいので、問題はない。 「では、血祭りはひとまず中止して、今日はここを片付けます。まず、手順を説明しますね。決して、資料を踏まないように気を付けて、紙の資料と木札の資料に分けて、こちらの机に積み上げていってください。まずは本棚に向かって道を作るように資料を片付けてくださいね」 「はい」 「積まれた資料はフランとわたくしで分類していくので、言った番号の棚に資料を並べてください。左の本棚の一番上が0、二段目から1、一番下の段は空けておいてくださいね。右の本棚が上から二つが2で、その下が3です。それ以外の資料については最後に片付けます。棚に並べる資料の順序は問いません。番号だけ間違えないように気を付けてください。では、始めましょう」 床に散らばる資料を集め出したけれど、フランだけはわたしの隣に腰を下ろす。他の者とは違う仕事を割り振られたフランは、困惑したように目を瞬かせた。 「これ! マイン十進分類表です。これを見て、資料がどの番号か決めてください。迷ったら声をかけてくれれば答えます」 わたしはフランに書字板を渡して、分類方法の説明をした。 「ロジーナ、本棚までの道ができたら、これを1の棚に入れてちょうだい」 「かしこまりました、マイン様」 予想はしていたことだが、神殿の資料なので、どうしても1哲学の割合が大きい。2歴史や3社会科学も比較的多い。特に目を引くのは、各農村での収穫量や供物の量が記された統計資料だ。しかし、昔の物ばかりで最近のものが全く見当たらない。 「デリア、巻物に紙が挟まっています! 気を付けて」 「あたしが巻いてる時に勝手に入ってこないでよ、もー!」 指摘された恥ずかしさか、紙を取り除いて、巻物をコロコロしながらデリアが怒鳴った。そんなデリアの周囲に散らばる紙を、ロジーナがくすくすと笑いながら拾って回る。 「ヨハンに頼んでみようかしら?」 「マイン様?」 「いえ、何でもありません。ロジーナ、この木札をあの灰色神官に渡してちょうだい。これで羊皮紙を押さえるように言ってあげて」 図書室中がめちゃくちゃになっているように見えたけれど、神殿長と神官長、二人の鍵がなければ開かない貴重本が入った棚は開いていなかったし、鎖に繋がれた本に傷を付けたり乱暴に扱ったりしたような跡もみられなかった。本当に資料を散らかしただけの嫌がらせだ。 机の上に紙も木札もなくなったことが不思議で、わたしは首を傾げた。 「はい。予想外に早く片付きました。この分類は手早く片付けられて良いです」 フランが安心したように笑って立ち上がったので、わたしも立ち上がってぐるりと辺りを見回した。本当に床に散らかっていた資料は全て棚の中に収まっている。 「マイン様、どうかなさいましたか?」 フランの声にハッと我に帰ると、側仕えと灰色神官が並んでわたしの言葉を待っていた。仕事が終わったことをハッキリと告げて、解散させなくてはならない。 「皆様の協力で図書室は片付きました。ありがとう。助かりました」 フランが神官長に図書室の鍵を返しに行くと言ったので、わたしも一緒に神官長の部屋へ行くことにする。魔術関係の資料に関して、話を聞きたい。 「本日の結果を報告して、この目録もお返ししなくてはならないでしょう? それに、お伺いしたいこともできましたから」 「お伺いしたいこととは何でしょうか?」 「この目録に書かれている資料が見当たりませんでした。どこか別の場所で保管されているのではあれば問題ありませんけれど、紛失しているなら大変な事でしょう?」 フランがざっと青ざめた。もし、魔術関係の資料ばかりがごっそりと誰かに奪われていた場合、図書室の片付けをしたわたしが一番疑われる対象になる。貴重本の棚にも鎖で繋がれた本にも被害はなかったので、そこまで悪辣な事をしていないと思いたいが、確認はしておいた方が良い。 「一日に何度も君の顔を見たくはないのだが......」 目録を返したいと理由を述べて入室するや否や、ハァ、と疲れた溜息を神官長が吐きだした。わたしだって神官長の顔が見たくて来ているわけじゃないよ、と心の中で反論しながら、笑顔で目録についての礼を述べる。 「神官長、目録を貸していただけて大変助かりました」 「図書室の片付けは終わったのか?」 予想以上に早かったな、と神官長が呟く。当たり前だ。貴重な資料をあのまま放置するなんてできるわけがない。

"Fran, go to the workshop and bring the three gray-robed priests and the attendants other than Wilma." "What are you going to do, Master Maine?" "I will stay in the library and read the catalog that the Head Priest lent me, and then think about how to sort the files." Entering the library, Fran first picked up the files at the door and cleared the way for me. He put down the catalogue and hurried out of the library after I had sat down. After seeing Fran go, I looked at the catalogue of the Head Priest. It was filled with tiny words, scrawled in such a way as to say to the others, "as long as the Head Priest himself can understand it." "What books did the Head Priest bring into the temple... wow, so many?!" The number of books brought into the temple by the Head Priest was considerable, so to speak, the personal belongings of him occupied more than one bookshelf in the library. ... Head Priest, who were you?! The only certainty was that he was unbelievably rich. I had heard him say that he entered the temple for some reason, but it seemed that he came from a wealthy upper-cla.s.s family. How else could he bring into the temple five books that were very valuable? Usually, books with leather covers and gold and precious stones were not personal but were considered heirlooms. However, the fact that the Head Priest brought five books into the temple for all to read increased my opinion of him. "It's really nice to bring so many books in for everyone to read..." After I roughly a.s.signed the cla.s.sification code according to the catalog, I began to think about which bookshelf should correspond to which cla.s.sification code, but then I suddenly encountered a problem. "Which category should files about magic fall into?" This was nerve-racking because there was no magic in the Nippon Decimal Cla.s.sification. But I didn't know if it's because it was an area that only the aristocrats could explore, or an area that needed to be studied, but in the personal files of the Head Priest, magic was the most relevant. I wrote down the j.a.panese cla.s.sification system on the board. 0 Collection (Library, encyclopedias, general papers, journals, groups, news, series) 1 Philosophy (Philosophy, psychology, ethics, religion) 2 History (History, biography, geography) 3 Social Sciences (Politics, law, economy, statistics, society, education, customs, national defense) 4 Natural Sciences (Mathematics, science, medicine) 5 Technology (Engineering, industry, home economics) 6 Industries (Agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, commerce, transportation, communications) 7 Arts (Art, music, drama, sport, entertainment) 8 Languages 9 Literature Considering the making of magic tools, could I see it as a technique? Or was the magic here closer to mathematics and science? Although I wanted to use the Nippon Decimal Cla.s.sification, it was difficult because of the differences in common sense. "Anyway, I'll read the files first. They should be here..." I looked at the scattered things on the floor, the corners of my mouth turned up. It was magic! I was about to see real magic for the first time! Just by imagining it, my heart was pounding. In addition to the magic-related files, everything else should be cla.s.sified in the usual way, so when the attendants and the gray-robed priests arrive, I would let them move the files to the table to clear the s.p.a.ce for walking. Then, I would mark the cla.s.sification code of the first-level category on the shelves, and then ask the attendants to put the files I had pa.s.sed into the corresponding shelf. I hoped that at least this stage could be completed today, and later I would slowly work out a catalog and subdivide the files. At present, it seemed that I could not directly follow the second-level cla.s.sification method of the Nippon Decimal Cla.s.sification, and it must be greatly adjusted. "My G.o.d! What happened?!" Hearing the familiar yell, I looked at the door and saw Delia's face bristling with anger. Her job was to keep my room tidy, so she got angry whenever it got messy. Surely the misery of the library was too much for her. Behind Delia, there were other attendants and three gray-robed priests, all of whom were silent at the sight of the library. "Wow, that's too bad. I don't know who did it, but it was Master Maine he offended. It seems that man really didn't care for his life." Gil knew very well how much I valued books, and when I heard him say this, I saw Fran was rubbing his stomach. "Fran, what's the matter? Do you have a stomachache?" "I just thought about what the culprit is going to face..." I couldn't believe Fran was so worried about the fate of the culprit that his stomach ached. I put my hand to my cheek, c.o.c.ked my head, and said: "That's a bother. If Fran is so worried about him, wouldn't it be better to stop the Blood Sacrifice? I thought it would be a good chance to give the enemies a warning, boost our morale and show my majesty as the master." "Wait, Master Maine! You won't boost our morale this way! We'll be too scared to move!" When I had finished speaking, not only the attendants, but also the gray-robed priests, drew back stiffly in unison, and only Fran came up to me, knelt down, took my hands, and begged very earnestly: "Master Maine, please do stop. You look very majestic to me." I decided to forget about the Blood Sacrifice because of the earnestness in Fran's pleading eyes. Rather than holding a Blood Sacrifice, it is more enjoyable to tidy up the library. "First of all, please be careful not to step on the files. You can stack them on this table separately by parchment and board. Besides, please clear a way for us to walk to the bookshelves." "Yes," they all answered. With a slight nod, I continued to explain the work ahead. "After all the files are picked up, Fran and I will cla.s.sify and number them, so please put them on the corresponding bookshelf later. The top shelf of the left bookshelf is 0 and the middle one is 1. Please leave the bottom one empty. The top two shelves of the right bookshelf are 2, and the bottom one is 3. The other files will be sorted out last. When placing the files on the bookshelves, please do not care about the order, just be careful not to put them in the wrong shelf." Everyone began to gather up the scattered files. Only Fran sat down beside me. He blinked in confusion at being a.s.signed a different job than the others. "That's what it means! This is the Maine Decimal Cla.s.sification Table. Please refer to this table to decide which shelf the files should be placed in. If you are not sure, you can ask me and I will tell you." I handed the writing board to Fran to show him how to sort the files. Meanwhile, the parchment and boards piled on the table grew taller and taller. Fran and I quickly looked at the files at hand and cla.s.sified them by code. "Rosina, if there's a way to the bookshelf, please put these in shelf one." "Yes, Master Maine." Because these were files that were in the temple, there's a lot of philosophical stuff. There were also a lot of files in history and social science. What impressed me most was the recording of the statistics on the amount of harvest and supply in each village. But they were all old, not recent. I hadn't seen any language or literature files. "Delia, you've got parchment in your scroll! Be careful." "What a nuisance! Don't come running in while I'm rolling the scrolls!" Perhaps embarra.s.sed by what I said, Delia roared while rolling the scrolls. Rosina giggled and picked up the parchment scattered around her. The scrolls had a fixed placement area, so I didn't sort them. When the scrolls were put away, the floor of the library was finally exposed. "Why don't I ask John?" "Master Maine?" "No, nothing. Rosina, take this board to that priest. Tell him he can hold the parchment with it." Although the library was in a mess, the cabinet containing valuable books, which needed the keys of the Temple Chief and the Head Priest, remained intact, and chained books showed no signs of being treated rudely. It seemed that the culprit really messed up the files just to get me into trouble. It wasn't long before the parchment and boards were back on the shelves, and my eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, it was quicker than I thought. It's a nice system to help with quick sorting." Fran smiled rea.s.suringly. I got up and looked around the library, glad to see that the scattered files had really been put back on the bookshelves. But the shelf where I expected to put the files of the Head Priest was empty. All the files had been sorted, but there were no magic-related files in the catalogue of the Head Priest. "What's the matter, Master Maine?" The call of Fran brought me back to my senses, and I found that the attendants and the gray-robed priests were standing in a row, waiting for my instructions. I had to tell them the work was done and dismiss them. "Thanks to your help for finis.h.i.+ng this quickly. Thank you." Fran was returning the key to the library to the Head Priest, so I decided to go with him. For magic-related files, I had some questions to ask the Head Priest. "I want to report the results and return the catalogue to the Head Priest, and I have something to ask him." "What do you want to ask?" "It's just that I didn't see these files in the catalog at all. If they were kept somewhere else, that would be fine, but if they were lost, wouldn't it be serious?" Fran turned pale. If someone had taken all the magic-related files, then I, who was responsible for tiding up the library, would be the prime suspect. But after all, the cabinet with the valuable books and the chained books were spared, so I didn't think the culprit was so malicious, but I would confirm it for insurance. "I hate to see you so many times a day..." As soon as I entered the Head Priest's Office, the Head Priest gave me a dirty look. "I don't come here to see you either, okay?" I retorted in my heart, but thanked him with a smile on my face. "Head Priest, thank you very much for the catalogue you lent me." "You're done already? Faster than I thought." The Head Priest muttered. Of course! Such valuable files could not be left unattended.

オットー相談室 外に出るとあまりにも積もっている雪に唖然とする。冬の間は基本的に引きこもりなので、わたしが外に出ることはほとんどない。自分の身長より高く積もっている雪を見ると、どうしてもポカーンとしてしまう。 「父さんは大通りの雪かきもするんだっけ?」 「お貴族様の馬車が通れるようにな」 「......こんな雪の中を移動しなくても良いのにね」 これだけ雪が積もっているのだから、大通りを行き交う人は少ないとわたしは思っていたが、足早に行く人々が予想以上に多かった。 「こんなに雪が積もっているのに、外へ出てる人が多いんだね」 「たまの吹雪が止んだ時間帯だからだろう? 吹雪いている時はさすがに少ないぞ」 そんな会話をしているうちにチラチラと雪が降り始めたので、父はやや急ぎ足になった。 「降り始めた。急ぐぞ、マイン。しっかりつかまれ!」 「ふきゃあ! 落ちるぅ!」 わぁわぁ騒いでいるうちに門に着いた。パタパタと雪を払いあった後、早速宿直室に向かう。 「オットー、待望の助手を連れてきたぞ。暖炉の前を空けろ」 「班長、ありがとうございます! 待っていたよ、マインちゃん」 ざざっと机の上の資料を片付けながら、オットーはわたしが仕事をする分のスペースを空けてくれる。ものすごい笑顔で歓迎されたことから考えても、かなり仕事が積み上がっているに違いない。 まず、この山を片付けないと相談どころではないようだ。ドンと積まれた資料を見て、わたしは石筆を構えた。 しばらく、黙々と計算を続ける。オットーが計算機を弾く音とわたしが石筆を動かす音だけが響いていた。 コンコンとノックの音が響いた後、若い兵士が入ってきた。 「失礼します。オットーさんに質問がありまして......」 計算機と資料から目を離さず、オットーがわたしを指名した。 「え? わたしですか? ちょっと待ってください。この計算だけ......」 わたしは筆算を終えると、答えの確認をした印を付けて、顔を上げた。 「これ、お願いします」 「何ですか?......あぁ、貴族の紹介状ですね。今って士長はいますか?」 「いえ、今日は夜番だったと......」 「じゃあ、部長の印章をもらって、早目に城壁へ向かえるように手配してください。この雪の中の長旅だったら、普段は温厚なお貴族様でも気が立っている可能性があるので、処理は迅速に」 計算する手を休めずにオットーが言った。わたしも石筆を動かしながら答える。 「対処の仕方は同じですからね」 門の仕事はお役所仕事だ。基本的な対処方法は同じだ。一度マニュアルを覚えれば、よほどの例外でない限りは対応できる。 しばらく計算していると少し疲れてきた。計算確認の出来た分をまとめて、ん~っと大きく背中を伸ばしていると、オットーもきりが付いたようで資料をまとめ始めた。 「さすがに疲れたな。一度休憩しようか?」 オットーが食堂から熱いお茶をもらってきてくれた。それを少しずつ飲みながら、わたしはオットーに相談し始めた。 「......と、そういう話をしている時に母が言ったんです。マインの面倒を見ながら、仕事ができるほど見習いという立場は甘くない。マインの面倒を見ることに気を取られて仕事が中途半端になるわよって」 母の言葉にオットーは当たり前だと言う顔で頷いた。 「その通りだろう? 半人前以下の見習いが他人の面倒を見ながら......なんて、中途半端になるだけだ。ルッツが本気で商人を目指すなら、マインちゃんの面倒なんて見ていられないはずだ」 どうしようかな、と考えていると、オットーが静かな目でわたしをじっと見ながら聞いてきた。 「なぁ、マインちゃん。君は本気で商人になるつもりなのか?」 「今のところ、その予定です。商品になりそうな物がいくつか思い浮かんでいるので......」 商業ギルドに属していないと売買ができないので、わたしが商売に係わっていくことだけは決定事項だ。 「商品の売買はともかく、ベンノの店に入るのは止めておいた方が良いよ」 一応わたしの見習いはベンノが決定したことだ。今、わたしは仕事をすることに関して不安を感じているけれど、オットーがベンノの店は止めろと言う理由が知りたい。 「どうしてですか?」 「あの店は急成長している店だ。誰も彼も躍起になって仕事をしている。激務すぎて、マインちゃんの体力でできると思えない」 軽く肩を竦めて述べられた理由は、わたしが不安に思っていることで、先日、ベンノからも指摘されたことだった。 「......実はベンノさんにも言われました。本当に仕事ができるのかって」 「計算ばかりしたり、書類の確認ばかりしたりする仕事もあるけれど、商人の仕事は納期もあるからいつ体調を崩すかわからない子には任せにくい」 「確かにそうですね」 ベンノはわたしが持っている情報をいかに商品化するか、利益を得るかということを考えて、わたしを他の店にやりたくないと思っていることはわかる。けれど、実際に店で働く事を考えると、わたしの体力、腕力の無さは致命的だ。 毎日仕事に来られるかどうかがわからないくらい健康状態に不安がある社員なんて、日本でも雇ってもらえないと思う。わたしが経営者でも、そんな社員はいらない。 「本来なら子供に言うようなことじゃない厳しい意見になると思うけど、聞きたいかい?」 オットーが少しばかり首を傾げてわたしの反応をじっと窺う。オットーに相談したのはわたしに過保護に接する人からは出てこない客観的な意見が欲しかったからだ。 「お願いします」 「マインちゃんが店に入らない方が良いと思う一番の理由はね、人間関係だ。店の中の人間関係がめちゃくちゃになる。入って来たばかりの見習いが体調を崩して休んでばかり、体力的に楽な仕事ばかりでは、どう考えても他の人の不満が溜まるだろう?」 「......はい」 体力的に問題があるとは言っても、そんな贔屓を目の当たりにするのは面白くないし、すぐには表に出なくても間違いなく問題になる。 「店に莫大な利益をもたらすと分かりきっているマインちゃんと、ただの見習いを同額で雇えるわけがないだろう?」 「給料自体は同じで、商品の利益を別枠で頂くことになると思いますけど」 職の安定のために紙の利益はもらわない契約にしてあるが、その後に出す商品についてはきっちり利益を取るつもりだ。無料で全ての情報を渡すつもりなんてない。 「別枠で利益を渡すにしても、入ったばかりの見習いが勤続十数年のベテランより下手したら給料が高くなるんだ。正直面倒なことになると思う」 「ぅああぁぁ」 お金が係わると確かに人間関係はこじれやすい。オットーの指摘はもっともだ。そして、人間関係が崩れると、店自体が立ち行かなくなる可能性も高くなる。店を作るのは結局人だ。 「確かに、どういう方向から考えても、わたし、店にいない方が良いですね」 オットーの意見はいちいちもっともで、反論の余地がない。わたしが見習いとしてベンノの店に入ることはもめごとの種にしかならない気がしてきた。 「あとさ、俺にはもう一つ懸念があるんだけど」 「オットーさん、知っていたんですか?」 わたしがぎょっと目を見開くと、オットーは軽く頭を振って否定する。 「いや、俺は知らなかったけど、もしかしたらって話はベンノから聞いてた。はっきりわかったのはコリンナが、身食いって病気知ってる? って聞いてきたから」 「コリンナさんが?」 「この間、珍しく取り乱したベンノがそんなことを言っていたらしい。身食いの症状が出て、店で倒れて死にかけたんだって? あの数日間は班長の取り乱しようもひどかったんだ。コリンナの話と班長の態度で、身食いで倒れたのが君だと判断した」 「......その節はご心配とご迷惑をおかけしました」 予想以上に広範囲に話が広がっているようだ。ベンノの店で倒れてギルド長の家に運ばれたのだから、かなり目立ったことに違いはないだろう。 「班長は治ったと思っているみたいだけど、ベンノの話では身食いって治らないらしいね?」 魔術具で身食いの熱を減らしてくれたけれど、これはまた増えていくものだ。フリーダからもまた溢れそうになるまでに一年ほどだと言われている。 「いいえ、まだです。治ったと喜んでいる家族には言いにくくて......」 魔術具の値段や命の期限など言いにくいことが満載で、身食いについてはそれとなく話題を逸らし続けているのが現状だ。わたしも身体の中の変な熱が勝手に増えて、溢れると死ぬくらいしかわかっていないので、詳しい話がしにくいというのもある。 「ちゃんと報告した方が良い。班長は治ったと思っているから、仕事に就いても大丈夫だと考えていると思う。現状認識をきちんとした上で、仕事についても相談した方が良い。適当に行動すると、色々なところに迷惑をかける結果になる」 今まで思いついたまま、行当りばったりで行動して周囲に迷惑をかけてきたわたしとしては、オットーの言葉を粛々と受けるしかない。 「それからさ、生きるために魔術具が必要で、貴族に渡りを付けたいなら、マインちゃんはギルド長の店に行った方が良い。ベンノの店は大きいけど、まだ新興だ。ベンノがいくら頑張っても、歴史と伝統っていうのは重いし、そう簡単にひっくり返るようなものじゃない」 「それはそうですけど......」 「ベンノの店じゃなければ困るようなことがある?」 「ベンノさんのお店じゃないと困ることはないんですけど、わたしが苦手なんです。ギルド長の押しの強さや商人としてのやり方が」 強引なのは商人として必要な素質なのかもしれないが、命がかかっている魔術具の値段を安く言って、騙そうとするような行動がどうしても好きになれない。感謝はしているが、お近付きにはなりたくないのだ。 「そんなのベンノだって同じだろ?」 「うーん、ベンノさんも強引なところはあるし、お金にがめついし、すぐに人のことを試そうとするんですけど、わたしの悪いところに気付かせて、成長させようとしてくれているのがわかるんですよ」 「それに、わたし、貴族に飼い殺しにされながら生きたいかどうか、まだ決心できていないんです」 やっと家族と一緒に生活していたいって思い始めたところで、どういう扱いされるかわからない貴族に飼い殺されても生きたいとは考えられないのだ。 「まずは、マインちゃんが自分の生き方を決めなきゃ話にならないな。貴族との繋がりを求めて店に入るんじゃないんだったら、尚更、店に入る以外の選択肢を考えた方が良い。俺は正直なところ、マインちゃんが考えて、ルッツが作るなら、権利や利益の取り決めだけをきっちりすれば、マインちゃんが店に入る必要はないと思っている」 オットーの言葉にわたしは大きく頷いた。確かに、一緒に行動して働くことしか考えていなかったが、わたしにできることが考えることだけなら、店に入る必要はないかもしれない。 「そうだなぁ。家の中で自分の体調に合わせてできる手紙や書類の代筆みたいな仕事をしながら、商品の開発だけするのはどうだい? 商品はベンノに売りつけて、体調が良い時にここの仕事を手伝うような、今までの生活と変わらない仕事形態にした方が、身体のためには良いと思うよ」 「......考えてみます」 わたしの身体のためには現状維持が一番でしょうけど、その胡散臭い笑顔の意味が非常に気になります。 「まぁ、ご家族とよく話し合うことだね」 「そうします」 「じゃあ、休憩はおしまい。続きやろうか」 オットーによってコップを片付けられたわたしは、石板を取り出してカツカツと筆算で計算間違いがないか確認していく。 家族と話......かぁ。寿命があと一年だなんて知ったら、父さんが発狂しそうで怖いんだよね。 「マイン、帰るぞ」 交代を終えた父が宿直室に迎えに来てくれた時には計算のしすぎで、頭がくらくらしていた。目を閉じていても数字が頭に次々浮かんでくる。 「助かったよ、マインちゃん」 ずっと計算機を使っていたオットーは実に元気で、計算だけをする事務仕事でもわたしには無理かもしれないと思わざるを得ない。 「父さん、寒くない?」 少し吹雪いている帰り道、父はわたしを抱き上げたうえでコートを着ているので、わたしは温かいが、父はすごく寒いのではないかと思う。 しかし、父は笑顔で首を振るだけだ。 「......父さん、話があるの。わたしの病気のことで」 その言葉だけで、父の笑顔も足取りも凍りついた。口元を引き締めて、普段見たことがない真面目な顔でわたしをじっと覗きこむ。 「家に帰ってから聞こう。母さんも交えてな」 何を予感したのか、わたしを逃がすまいとするように、ぎゅっとわたしを抱き上げている父の腕に力がこもった。

Otto's Consultation Room When I step outside, I am dumbfounded by just how much snow has acc.u.mulated. During the winter, I'm essentially just a shut-in, so I've almost never really been outside like this before. So, when I look up at the snow, piled higher than I am tall, I can't help but stare blankly in awe. Through the alleys leading to the main streets, a narrow pathway has been shoveled out, allowing travelers to somehow manage to make their way forward, but the mounds of snow alongside the path look terrifyingly close to crumbling down on top of us. "Daddy, are you going to be shoveling snow on the main street today?" "The n.o.blemen have to be able to drive their carts," he agrees. "...In this snow, I'd think I'd rather stay inside." With this much snow on the ground, I thought there wouldn't be that many people out and about, but there are quite a few more people hurrying about their business than I expected. "There's a lot of snow out here, but there's still so many people outside," I say. "It's one of those rare days when the snow isn't falling, isn't it? When it is, there's about as few people out as you'd expect." As he says this, though, a sprinkling of snow starts fluttering down from the sky, prompting my father to pick up the pace. "It's starting to snow. Let's hurry, Maine. Hold on tight!" "Aaah!! I'm gonna faaall!!" We arrive at the gate, clamoring the whole way. After taking a moment to roughly brush off the snow clinging to us, we quickly head towards the night duty room. After a light knock on the door, we push it open. A desk has been set up near the fireplace, atop which a veritable mountain of paperwork has been stacked, behind which is Otto, working on calculations. "Otto, your long-awaited a.s.sistant has arrived!" says my father. "Make room by the fire." "Squad leader, thank you very much! I've been waiting for you, Maine." The doc.u.ments atop the desk rustle as Otto tidies them up, making s.p.a.ce for me to work at. Judging by the absolutely enormous smile he's giving me as he welcomes me, it looks like the work has piled quite high, too. I pull my slate and slate pencils from my tote bag, then haul myself up onto the slightly too-tall chair. Well, it looks like I won't be able to have my discussion until this mountain of paperwork is first straightened out. I look at the pile of doc.u.ments that had been set heavily on the table in front of me, and pick up my pencil. For a while, we work in silence. The only sounds that filled the room were the quick snap of beads from Otto's calculator and the scratching of my pencil against my slate. A knock at the door cuts through the silence, and a young soldier steps into the room. "Excuse me. I have a question for Otto..." Otto doesn't even look up as he volunteers me, his eyes glued to his doc.u.ments and his calculator. "Huh? Me? Oh, um, wait one moment, please, let me just finish this line..." I finish working out the calculation, mark the answer off as verified, then look up. The young soldier looks at Otto, who is flicking the beads on his calculator around with frankly terrifying intensity, then at me, then sighs, holding out a roll of parchment. "Please help me with this." "What is it? ...Ahhh, a n.o.ble's introductory letter. Is the Private First-Cla.s.s on duty?" "No, he has the night s.h.i.+ft today..." "Then, get the chief's stamp and make immediate arrangements for them to head towards the castle walls. Since it's been a long journey through all this snow, even the gentlest n.o.ble might be on edge, so be as quick as you can." "You've gotten good at that," remarks Otto, taking a brief break from his calculations to rest his hands. My pencil keeps moving as I reply. "They're all dealt with the same way, after all." The work done at the gates is pure bureaucratic red tape. Fundamentally, the response to every situation is the same. Once you've read through the manual once, you can deal with everything that isn't completely out of the ordinary. After calculating for another long while, I've gotten a little tired. I tidy up the pile of calculations I've verified, then lean back, stretching my arms wide. Otto, as well, seems to have found a stopping point, and starts gathering up his doc.u.ments. "Man, I'm tired," he says. "Shall we take a break?" Otto brings in some hot tea from the mess. As we slowly sip at it, I start asking him for advice. "...and then, there's what my mother said to Lutz when we were talking. She said that if he was always looking after me, then he wouldn't be doing enough work to really be pulling his weight as an apprentice. If he was keeping his attention on me, he'd leave the job half-finished." Otto gives me a look as if my mother's words were the most obvious thing in the world. "Isn't that obvious? If he's only doing half of his work while looking after someone else... of course it would wind up half-finished. If Lutz is really aiming to become a merchant, he can't afford to spend his time looking after you, I think." As I sit there, wondering what I should do next, Otto looks down at me with gentle eyes. "Hey, Maine. Are you serious about becoming a merchant?" "That's my plan for now, yes. I've been thinking of a few things I might be able to commoditize..." My decision is based on the fact that you can't buy or sell things without the approval of the Merchant's Guild. "Leaving commerce aside, I think it would be better if you didn't work at Benno's." It's already been decided that my apprentices.h.i.+p would be under Benno. I've lately been feeling anxious about my actual work, but I'd like to know why Otto is telling me that I shouldn't work for Benno. "Why do you say that?" "That store's growing quickly. Every single person there is working earnestly. It'll be exhausting work, and I don't think your body can take it." The reason he gives me as he lightly shrugs his shoulders is the same reason I've been feeling anxious, and the same thing that I heard from Benno the other day. "...Mister Benno actually asked me the same thing, whether or not I could really do the work." "There's work to be done that just involves doing calculations and validating doc.u.ments, but even a merchant's job has deadlines, so it's hard to entrust that kind of work to a girl who could collapse at any moment." "That's true, isn't it." I know full well that Benno has been thinking about how the information in my head could be turned into new goods or otherwise profited from, which is why he doesn't want me to go to any other shop. However, when you think about my ability to actually work in a shop, my lack of strength and stamina is a fatal flaw. Hiring an employee whose health makes her actual attendance rate constantly uncertain would be a hard decision to make, even in j.a.pan. If I were in charge, I wouldn't want that kind of employee. "My other opinion is the kind of harsh thing you don't really say around children, do you still want to know what it is?" I tilt my head slightly to the side in thought, and Otto studies my reaction closely. The ultimate reason I came here was so that I could get an honest, objective opinion from someone like Otto, who doesn't feel like they have to handle me with care. Under the table, I clench my fists, steeling myself for whatever answer I'm about to get, then slowly nod. "Please." "The number one reason I think you shouldn't go to work for Benno is, frankly, human relations. You're going to wreck the social dynamic of the shop. If a brand new apprentice is, thanks to her poor health, constantly taking time off from work and, when she's actually there, only doing physically undemanding work, wouldn't all of the other employees feel more and more upset as time went on?" "...Right." Even if it's made clear that the problem is my health, there will almost certainly be problems with the people who see that kind of favoritism, even if they aren't immediately apparent. I'd been working so frantically to make sure Lutz secured his apprentices.h.i.+p that I hadn't actually considered what things would look like after I'd actually started my own. Otto sighs. "You're already bringing in a huge amount of profit to the store, Maine. There's no way the other apprentices will be making as much as you are, right?" "My base pay would be the same. I thought I'd just be getting my share of the profits added as a special case..." Although Lutz and I have waived our profits for making paper in order to secure our employment, I've been planning on holding tight to the profits on any goods we come up with after that. I have no intention of handing over all of my secrets for free. "Even if it's a special case, you're still going to be a brand new apprentice earning more money than the ten year veterans at the store. I really think that'll be a huge problem." "Ohh..." Human relations certainly are very quick to strain when money's involved. What Otto is pointing out is completely correct. On top of that, if human relations collapses, then there's a high probability that the shop itself might go down too. A shop, ultimately, is made of people. "It really does look like I shouldn't work at the shop, no matter how you think about it." Every one of Otto's points is correct, and I have no reb.u.t.tal for any of them. I'm starting to feel like all I would do at Benno's shop is sow the seeds of discord amongst his employees. "And then, there's one more thing I"m worried about." "Mister Otto, you knew about it?!" My eyes open wide, but Otto starts lightly shaking his head in denial. "Ah, no, I didn't. I learned about it after Benno brought it up as a possibility. The other day, Corinna came to me and asked, 'do you know anything about this disease called the devouring?'" "Miss Corinna did?" "A little while ago, Benno was unusually out of sorts, it seemed, and he said something about it to her. Something about how the devouring's symptoms had suddenly manifested, and someone nearly died in his shop? Around then, the squad leader started acting extremely out-of-sorts, too. Between his behavior and what Corinna said, I pieced together that you must have been the one to collapse from the devouring." "...I'm sorry to have worried everyone so much." It looks like the story had spread far and wide. I'd collapsed in Benno's shop and gotten carried to the guild master's house. In hindsight, that must have been extremely conspicuous. "The squad leader said you'd been cured, but... from what I've heard from Benno, it's incurable, isn't it?" The magical implement might have staved off the devouring for the time being, but even now I can feel it building back up again. Freida, as well, had told me that it's going to build back up to overflowing again in less than a year. "No, not yet," I reply. "My family's so happy now that they think I've been cured, so telling them that I haven't been is..." Talking about the devouring would involve discussing a lot of extremely painful subjects, like how much magical implements cost or how much longer my life will actually be, so when the subject comes up I've been dodging around it as obliquely as I can. I don't know much about it myself, other than "there's a strange fever that keeps building up inside me on its own and if it overflows then I die", so it's really just difficult to talk about in general. "You should tell them. Your father thinks you've been cured, so he probably thinks that you'll be just fine going to work. Once you've made sure to take care of the things you need to take care of today, then we can start talking about your job prospects for tomorrow. If you're just going with whatever works in the moment, you're going to cause a lot of trouble for a lot of people." Since I've recently realized myself that I have a tendency to charge ahead without regard for how much trouble I'm causing others, I have no choice but to meekly agree with Otto's rebuke. "So, for the future, since you'll need magical implements to live, if you want to meet with the n.o.bility then you should go to the guild master's shop, I think. Benno's shop is big, but it's still very new. No matter how hard he tries, history and tradition carry a lot of weight. That's not the kind of thing you can get past so easily." "That may be true, but..." "Is there some sort of problem with you not working at Benno's?" "It's not that I wouldn't be working at Benno's, it's that I don't like the guild master. He's pushy, and the way he runs his business is..." Being overbearing might be a necessary quality for a merchant, but I can't stand that he tried to deceive me by quoting a too-low price for a life-saving magical implement. I'm certainly thankful, but I have no intention of making his acquaintance. "Benno's the same, isn't he?" "Hmmm, Mister Benno's pushy, and he's greedy when it comes to money, and he's the kind of person who tests other people the moment he meets them, but I can tell he's picked up on a lot of my flaws and is helping me try to grow past them." "Also, I haven't decided yet if I want to live the rest of my life stuck uselessly under a n.o.bleman's thumb." Now that I've finally started to think that I actually want to keep living with my family, I'm finding it difficult to imagine wanting to live as a n.o.bleman's pet, especially when I don't know what kind of treatment I would wind up facing. Like Freida, said, my choices are to either rot away surrounded by my family or to live out my life in a n.o.ble's captivity. If I had to make that choice right now, I think I'd choose my family. "Well," says Otto, "if you haven't decided what you want to do with your life then there's not a lot to talk about. If you're not going to work for a shop for the sake of building connections with the n.o.bility, then I think even more that you should think about your other options besides working at a shop. Honestly, from where I'm standing, if you and Lutz do the "Maine thinks it up and Lutz makes it" thing and make sure to keep control of the profits and the rights, there's no need for you to actually work for a shop, I think." I give him a big nod. I certainly haven't been thinking about anything but working alongside Lutz, but if thinking is the only thing I can really do, then there's no real need for me to work for a shop in order to do that. "Let me see... perhaps you could have a job that lets you work from home and keep a close eye on your health, like transcribing letters or copying paperwork, while also just focusing on developing new products? You could force your products onto Benno, and then when your health is good you can come help me with my work here. Your life wouldn't be much different than it is right now, which I think would be great for your health in the long run!" "...I'll think about it." Maintaining the status quo might indeed be best for my body, but I'm incredibly wary of the intent behind that suspicious-looking smile. "Well, this is something you'll have to talk about with your family first." "I'll do that." "Now then, break time's over. Let's get back to it, shall we?" Otto clears away our cups, and I put my slate back out in front of me. My pencil clacks against its surface as I go back to working out the numbers, making sure there's no mistakes in Otto's calculations. Talking with my family, huh... I'm scared that if my father knew that I only had a year left to live that he'd go insane with grief. "Maine, let's go home." By the time my father, finished with his s.h.i.+ft, comes to the night duty room to pick me up, I've done far too many calculations. By this point, I'm dizzy. When I close my eyes, all I can see are numbers floating through my brain. "You've been a big help, Maine," says Otto as we leave. Otto, who's been flicking beads around on his calculator this whole time, is still very energetic. I'm starting to think that clerical work involving nothing but calculations might be utterly impossible for me. "Daddy, aren't you cold?" Snow lightly falls from the sky as we walk home. My father has wrapped me in his coat as he holds me in his arms, but while I'm nice and warm, I can't help but think that he must be freezing. He just smiles and shakes his head, though. "I'm not cold if I've got you, Maine. I'm actually really warm!" "...Daddy, I've got something to tell you. About my sickness." With just those words, my father stops walking, his face rigid. His mouth tightens, and he looks down at me very seriously. He casts his eyes away for a moment, then starts walking again, more quickly this time, hurrying as if he's trying to run away from something. "Let's talk about it when we get home. Your mother will want to hear about it too." I can't tell what he's thinking about, but my fathers arm's tighten around me, holding me closer to him, as if he's never going to let me go.

油性絵具 黒 「父さん、お願い」 「何だ?」 熱が下がらず、でろんとベッドに寝ているわたしのところへ水を持ってきてくれた父に手を合わせてお願いする。家に余っている、手に握れるくらいの大きさの木に、煤鉛筆で鏡文字を書いて、判子にできるように彫ってもらった。 「何するんだ、これ?」 「んふふ~、インクの確認に使うんだよ」 「......ハァ。熱が引かなきゃ、仕上がっても見せんからな」 父に頼んでから二日たった。やっと熱が下がったものの、ルッツと家族の間で、工房に行かせたら絶対に興奮するからもう少し様子を見た方が良いか、どうせ興奮して熱を出すのは確定だから行かせる方が良いか、で議論がなされた。 「あ、わたしは......」 「マインは、どうせ行きたいとしか言わないんだから、黙ってて!」 っぽいものができた。版画を作る時には必要でしょう。 馬連ができあがる頃には結論が出たようで、本日は様子見で明日から神殿に行っても良いということになった。 わたしのやる気はみなぎっている。父が作ってくれた判子と石鹸と汚れて捨てても良い中古服を準備して、いざ出陣である。 ルッツも新しい物を作るのは楽しみなようで、心なしかうきうきしている。 「なぁ、マイン。どうやって作るんだ? お前は手を出せないんだろ? 先に説明してくれないか?」 青色巫女見習いが工房で実践するのはダメだと言われている。わたしは頷いてルッツに説明し始めた。 「絵具を作る時は少量ずつね。その方が綺麗に混ざるから。はじめに、煤を大理石の台の上に置くでしょ? そうしたら、指先で真ん中にくぼみを作って、そこに亜麻仁油をちょっと入れて、パテヘラで混ぜていくの。油は少なめで、本当に足りなかったら一滴ずつ混ぜていく感じで増やしてね。パテヘラで全体的に混ぜ合わさったら、練り棒でひたすら混ぜるんだよ」 手で煤の量や油の量を示しながら説明すると、ルッツがわずかに眉を寄せた。 「......ひたすらってどのくらいだよ?」 「顔料によって違うから、何とも言えない。わたしが昔作った時には20分......えーと、スープ鍋の水がぐらぐら沸くくらいの時間でできたけど、違う顔料を使っていた人は、スープができ上がっても、まだ仕上がらなかったってくらいの違いがあるから」 艶が出るくらいまでひたすら練っていくのだ。気合と根性があってもかなり疲れる。料理にかかる時間で教えると、ルッツが驚いたように目を見開いた。 「......そんなの、作れたのか? マインが?」 「前は丈夫で元気が取り柄だったもん。本さえ読んでいれば元気な子って、よく言われてたの。『学校』の図書室へは『皆勤賞』だったんだから」 「今は丈夫から程遠いけどな」 ルッツの言葉に大きく頷く。こんな体でなければ、できることはもっといっぱいあったはずなのに、と思わざるを得ない。 「じゃあ、オレは工房に行くから」 「何を作るか存じませんが、工房へ行くよりも、フェシュピールの練習が先でございますよ、マイン様」 「でも、ロジーナ」 「楽器は毎日の練習が非常に大事なのです。マイン様はすでに5日も休んでいらっしゃいます。勘を取り戻すために、いつもの倍以上、練習が必要なくらいでございますよ。......5日分で5倍でしょうか?」 5倍の練習というところで、ロジーナの目が楽しそうに輝き始めた。 本気だ。 ロジーナなら、本気で5倍の練習をさせるに違いない。わたしが一日中本を読んでいるのが全く苦にならない、むしろ、楽しめるのと同じように、ロジーナは音楽があれば生きていける人だ。 わたしは即座に首をぶるぶると振った。 「いえっ! いつも通りでお願いいたします。真面目に頑張りますからっ!」 「では、どうぞ」 ロジーナはニコリと笑って、小さいほうのフェシュピールを差し出した。わたしはそれを受け取って、構える。復習ということで、第一課題を弾いてみたが、ロジーナの言うとおり、熱で寝ていたうちに大してうまくなかった腕が落ちていた。 これでは第二課題へ進むことができない。わたしは冷や汗をかく思いで、3の鐘が鳴るまでは真面目に練習した。 「よく集中できておられましたよ」 3の鐘が鳴ると、ロジーナが微笑んでそう褒めてくれた。美人に褒められるのは無条件に嬉しい。 「午前中は神官長のお手伝いでございます。マイン様がしばらく熱を出していたことで、神官長の執務も滞っておりますし、心配もされておられました。一緒に行きましょう」 フランには一歩も引く気はないようだ。しばらく休んでしまったことで心配をかけたのも事実だろう。 「午後からでしたら、何も言いません。お供いたします」 フランに「お昼までに処理するように」と木札をテーブルに積み上げられた、計算の苦手なロジーナの意見に反論することができず、わたしはかくりと項垂れる。 「ロジーナの意見が正しいですわね。わかりました。神官長のところへ参ります......」 「あぁ、やっと回復したようだな。こちらに来なさい」 顔を合わせると同時に、わたしは神官長から盗聴防止の魔術具を渡される。それを握りこむと神官長の声が聞こえてきた。 「今年はずいぶんと早い時期に孤児院にいる灰色神官が総出で、暖炉や煙突の掃除をしていったようだが、一体君は何を企んでいる?」 「企むだなんて人聞きの悪いことはおっしゃらないでくださいませ。植物紙に合うインクを作ろうと思っただけです。灰色神官達はその原料として煤を集めてくれていたのです」 わたしが理由を話すと、軽く頭を押さえて神官長が溜息を吐いた。 「なるほど。工房に必要な事だということは理解した。ただし、あまり派手なことをして、神殿長の怒りを買わぬよう、心に留めておきなさい」 最近顔も見てないからうっかり忘れていたが、そういえば、神殿長という面倒くさい人がいたのだった。わたしが何をしても神殿長の怒りを買いそうだと思うのは、わたしだけだろうか。 神官長のお手伝いと昼食を終えた後、やっとインク作りに取り掛かることができた。ルッツはわたしが午前中拘束されることを予測していたようで、紙作りの指揮を取ってくれていたらしい。 「5日も休めば、やることが色々溜まってるに決まってるだろ? 頭冷やすためにもマインには必要なことだ」 工房にはみんなが集めてくれた煤やベンノが購入してくれた亜麻仁油、ルッツが購入してくれた石灰、3組ずつ揃った道具などがきっちり並べて置かれていた。 「皆様が協力して、煤を集めてくださったと伺いました。とても嬉しく思っております。本日はインク作りをしてみたいと考えています。これはとても力が必要なお仕事になるので、成人している灰色神官以外は、いつも通り紙作りに専念してくださいませ」 みんなへの感謝と仕事の振り分けをして、インク作りの開始だ。 一番手はルッツだ。説明したことをしっかり覚えていたらしいルッツは大理石の台の上に煤を置いて、真ん中を指でくぼませて少しだけ油を垂らす。それをパテヘラで満遍なく練り始める。

128: Black Oily Pigment (113.1) "Dad, please!" "What's up?" The fever was not gone, and I lay on the bed with my hands folded, begging my father who brought me water. I wrote some mirrored letters on the cut surface of the wood that I could just hold and asked him to carve a seal. "What are you going to do?" "Oh, test the oily pigments." "... Okay, but even if I'm done, I won't show you until you're healed." Two days later, I was finally able to get out of bed, but Lutz and my family began to discuss whether I could go out. Some people thought that if I went to the workshop today, I would be too excited, so it was better to observe my physical condition; some people thought that I would be excited to have a fever again anyway, it was better to let me go out. "Um ... I think ..." "Don't talk! You will definitely say you want to go out!" Great, baren was ready, and it should be useful for printmaking. When the baren was done, my family also came to the conclusion that my physical condition still needed to be observed today, and I would be allowed to go to the temple tomorrow. Today I was full of energy! Bringing the seal my father made for me, soap, and old clothes that could be discarded directly after getting dirty, I was ready to go out. Lutz also seemed to be looking forward to making something new. I don't know if it was an illusion, but his eyes seemed to be sparkling. "Tell me what to do. You can't do it yourself, right? Can you explain it to me first?" Since the blue-robed trainee priestess could not actually work in the workshop, I began explaining the steps to Lutz. "Don't be anxious when making the pigments, you need to batch a small amount so that you can mix more evenly. First, pour the soot on the marble table, then make a groove in the center with your fingertips, drip a bit of linseed oil into it, and stir with a spatula. If the oil is not enough, just drip one drop at a time. When the soot is stirred well, keep grinding with a grinding rod." As I explained, I measured the amount of soot and oil by hands, but Lutz frowned. "... you said to 'keep grinding', how long does it last?" "I'm not sure, it depends on the pigments. It took me twenty minutes before... well... it was about the same time as boiling the water in the soup pot. But people who grinded different pigments were not able to complete the work within this time. I think this is the difference." The pigments needed to be ground until it shone, e ven those who are motivated and patient would feel tired. After I compared grinding time to cooking time, Lutz's eyes widened in surprise. "... You really did it in the past?" "Because my previous strength was healthy and lively. People used to say that I was an energetic girl as long as I had a book. I even got the 'Library Attendance Award' because I went to the library every day." " But now there is no trace of health." I nodded hard. I couldn't help feeling again, if this body was not so weak, I could do more. "Then I'll go to the workshop first. Maine, take your time." "Master Maine, I don't know what you're going to make, but you should practice fespiel before going to the workshop." "But Rogina..." "For playing the fespiel, the most important thing is to practice every day. You have been resting for five days, in order to get the feel back, you should practice more than usual. Since you've had five days off, how about a fivefold increase in practice?" With these words, Rogina's blue eyes lit up with delight. She was serious. Rogina really wanted to increase my practice amount fivefold. Just as I could enjoy reading books all day, Rogina was the kind of person who could survive with music. I shook my head in a hurry. "No! Please let me practice as usual! I will try my best!" "So, let's begin." Rogina smiled and handed me the fespiel. I took it and started playing the first etude as a review. But as Rogina said, since I hadn't practice for five days, my fespiel skill, which was not great in the first place, had deteriorated further. Now I couldn't start practicing the second etude at all! I broke out in a cold sweat and practiced hard until the third bell. " You were very focused in practice today." After the third bell rang, Rogina praised me with a smile. Being praised by a beauty was always a joy. OK, this time I must go to the workshop! I just came up with this idea, Fran appeared and I was stopped again. "Master Maine, you have been ill for several days, so the official duties of the Head Priest are stagnant. Besides, he is worried about you. Let's go to him together." Fran apparently would not budge. I was absent for five days, the Head Priest would definitely worry about me, but I really wanted to go to the workshop. If only I could leave the Head Priest's official duties out of the clouds, I just wanted to make oily pigments. "If you want to go to the workshop this afternoon, I will not stop you." In front of Rogina, who was not good at calculations, there were a stack of bills that Fran had ordered to be calculated before noon, so I could not refute her advice, but bowed my head in dismay. It's too difficult for me to smile in this circ.u.mstance. Although I thought so, I still suppressed my bad mood and forced a stiff smile. "Rogina was right. I see. I'll go to the Head Priest's Office..." "Ah, you finally recovered! Maine, come here." When the Head Priest saw me, he immediately handed over the magic tool to prevent eavesdropping. I held it in my palm and heard the voice of the Head Priest. "The grey-robed priests of the orphanage were all dispatched a few days ago. They cleaned the stove and chimney earlier than in previous years. What are you up to?" "Please don't worry. I won't do anything out of line. I just want to make pigments suitable for writing on plant-made paper. They just helped me collect the soot, because that's what makes pigments." After listening to my reason, the Head Priest sighed with his hand against his forehead. " I understand you're trying to make pigments. But be aware not to offend the Temple Chief by making too much noise." I hadn't seen anyone recently, so I forgot it completely, but there was indeed a troublesome figure here, the Temple Chief. But it seemed that no matter what I do, he would feel offended. Was I the only one who felt so? After helping the Head Priest finish his official duties and lunch, I was finally able to head to the workshop. Lutz seemed to have expected that I would be stuck all morning, so he was directing everyone to make paper. " You have been absent for five days, so you must have a lot of mess to clean up. You're so excited about making pigments, you just need these daily tasks to calm you down." Neatly placed in the workshop were the soot collected by everyone, the linseed oil purchased by Benno, the lime purchased by Lutz, and three sets of tools. "I heard that everyone helped collect soot, thank you very much. Today I plan to make pigments, but this job requires strength. So, with the exception of the adult grey-robed priests, everyone else can concentrate on making paper as usual." After expressing thanks and a.s.signing tasks, we started making oily pigments. Lutz took the lead. He must have memorized the steps I explained. He poured the soot on the marble table, made a groove in the center with his fingertips, dripped a bit of oil into it, and then started to stir with a spatula. With the memory of making oily pigments, I didn't think I would fail. Just because the materials are not so particular, the quality of the pigments may not be very good.

昼食を終えたら、早速孤児院の掃除に取り掛かることになった。ただし、掃除するのは孤児院にいる人達だ。 今は灰色神官が余り気味で、数年前までは午前中の早くに洗濯し、午後から掃除していたスケジュールが、今では午前中にほとんど終わってしまっているらしい。午後なら、予定のない神官達がたくさんいるだろうということで、午後からの大掃除が決行されることになった。 大掃除の名目は、青色巫女見習いであるわたしが院長就任の挨拶に出向くので見苦しくないように、というものだ。名目があった方が普段はしない孤児院の掃除という大仕事を孤児院の面々が受け入れやすいらしい。 今回の大掃除の目的は孤児院を綺麗にすることはもちろんだが、「仕事を頑張れば、報酬がもらえる」ということを知ってもらうことだ。そのために掃除した者を労うためのスープを料理人に作ってもらっているし、率先して掃除してくれた上位30名にはじゃがバターならぬ、カルフェバターをプレゼントする予定になっている。 孤児院の掃除は、暖かい時間に子供達を洗う係、洗礼前の子供達がいた女子棟の地階を掃除する係、女子棟の他の部分を掃除する係、男子棟の地階を掃除して、工房の道具を搬入する係、男子棟のその他を掃除する係に分けて、作業してもらう。 わたしやベンノがそう提案したところ、フランやギルにはものすごく驚かれた。神殿の下働きの仕事は、洗濯と掃除とお祈りなので、午前中は全員で洗濯、全員でお祈り、というように、基本的に全員が同じ作業をするらしく、班分けをしてそれぞれ動く事はないと言う。 掃除する範囲が広範囲であることと、工房の整備では力仕事もあるので、適任者に振り分けた方が早く終わると説得して、今回は班分けを行うことにした。 「班分けしても、ちゃんと言うこと聞いて、掃除してくれるのかしら?」 「大丈夫だって。フランは神官長の側仕えとして、孤児院のヤツらに認識されているからな」 孤児院にいる灰色神官や見習いからすれば、神官長の信頼厚いフランはかなり上位の存在になる。フランが指揮をとれば、孤児達は多少の不満を抱えつつも動いてくれるだろう、とギルが説明してくれる。 「言っても聞かない子が少数ですけれど......います」 フランがそう言いながら、ギルをちらりと見た。指摘されたギルはすいっと視線を逸らす。今は真面目にお仕事してくれているギルは、以前かなりの問題児で監督役の灰色神官をとても困らせていたらしい。 ギルとフランは巡回して、掃除がきちんとできているか、誰が頑張っているか、掃除せずに逃げ出したか、チェックして掃除の進度と合わせて報告してくれることになっている。 「マインは留守番な。どっかで倒れられたら困るから」 行きたいと言うより先に、ルッツからのストップが出た。うぐっ、と言葉に詰まるわたしを、ギルが呆れたような目で見る。 「あのさ、マイン様。青色巫女見習いを迎え入れるための掃除だから、掃除が終わるまでは孤児院に入られたら困るんだけど」 「そうだったね......」 フランがいないので図書室にも行けないわたしはハァと溜息を吐いた。そんなわたしの前にフランは慈愛に満ちた笑みを浮かべて、一枚の紙をそっと置いた。フランの几帳面さがよく出た字でびっしりと書き込まれた紙だ。 「マイン様には覚えることがたくさんございます。まず、本日の夕方、孤児院に赴き、就任の挨拶をする以上、こちらの挨拶文を全て暗記しておいて頂きたい。特に神々の名前を間違えないように気を付けてください」 カンニングもできるように紙に書いてもらったのだが、基本的には暗記しなければならないらしい。つらつらと書かれた文を見て、軽く溜息を吐く。そんなわたしを見て、フランはにこりと笑ったまま、次々と木札を取り出す。 「時間があれば、この部屋に準備されているお茶とミルクの産地や種類をこちらに控えておりますので、覚えておいてください。これはマイン様が好まれる組み合わせ。これはベンノ様、これがルッツ様、これが神官長の分になっております」 「え? え?」 「よくいらっしゃる方の好みは覚えておくものです」 神官長は来ないと思うけど、とは言えなかった。一緒に仕事をする上司の好みは覚えておいた方が良いかもしれない、と何となく思ったからだ。 ルッツは大笑いするのを必死で堪えながら、グッと親指を立てた。 「よかったな、マイン。読む物がいっぱいあって」 「読むのは好きだけど、覚えるのは苦手なんだよ......」 「マイン様が一番懸念されていた洗礼前の子供達の丸洗いですが、準備してあった石鹸とタオルで温かい時間帯に無事洗い終わりました。今は中古の安い服を着て、シーツの中に新しい干し草を詰め込む作業をしております」 安いところで買ったので継ぎ接ぎだらけだが、洗濯はされているシーツと農家から買ってきた干し草で自分達の布団を作っているようだ。 「病気の子やぐったりしている子はいない?」 「えぇ、問題ありません。しばらくの間、ギルが食事を運んでいたおかげでしょう。ギルはまるで救世主のように子供達に慕われていますよ。ギルがマイン様の命令だったと言っていたので、おそらくマイン様も」 そう言われると何だか面映ゆい。あの子達が少しでも元気になれたならよかったと心底思う。 「子供達を洗う係だった巫女や巫女見習いは数人だけ布団作りに置いて、残りは掃除の手伝いに振り分け直しました。では、また巡回に行ってまいります」 「ありがとう、フラン。よろしくお願いします」 フランは軽く頷くと、また孤児院の方へと戻って行く。 「マイン、男子棟の地階の掃除が終わったから、これからマイン工房の道具を搬入するな」 「わかった。よろしくね、ルッツ」 「あいつら、すげぇ。掃除し慣れてる。めっちゃ速かったぞ」 ルッツが行ったと思ったら、すぐにフランが戻ってきて、ギルから聞いた名前をガリガリと木札に書き足して、また足早に出て行った。 みんなが忙しい中、わたしは数日前に届いたばかりの執務机で、フランの字と睨めっこしていた。神様の名前が長い。しかも、人数が多い。いっそ、親しみやすい愛称を付けるのはどうだろう、と神官長に提案したい。 わたしが阿呆な事を考えている間に、掃除は順調に終わっているようだ。 「マイン様、男子棟の掃除は全て終わりました」 「ギルもお疲れ様。あとは女子棟ね?」 「そう。でも、女子棟は食堂以外の場所に男は入っちゃダメだからなぁ」 「じゃあ、食堂でスープが飲めるように準備を始めてくれるかしら?」 「なぁ、マイン。工房の設置も完了したし、カルフェ芋を蒸し始めたんだけど、いいか?」 「いいか......って、もう始めちゃったんでしょ? ギルが食堂の準備を始めてくれたから、ちょうどいい頃合いになるんじゃない?」 「ちょ、ここのヤツら、カルフェも見たことねぇって。料理された物しか知らねぇって言ってんだけど。並べて蒸すだけなのに、興味津々の神官や見習いに囲まれて覗きこまれていて、やりにくいったらねぇよ」 「......あぁ、神の恵みしか知らないし、この孤児院では料理なんてしないからね。材料見たことがなくても仕方ないかも?」 そういえば、日本でもスーパーに売っている人参はわかっても畑の人参は見たことがないから、畑の葉っぱを見てもわからない子供がたくさんいるって何かの雑誌に載っていた。情報伝達手段がたくさんある日本でさえ、そうだったのだから、今の生活では自分の経験したこと以外は全く知らなくても不思議ではない。 「じゃあ、バターの挟み方も教えてやるか」 「女子棟は予想通り洗礼前の子供達がいた地階の掃除が難航していて、現在は女子棟を掃除していた者達が総出で取りかかっています。間もなく終わるでしょう。それから、男子棟と違って、女子棟は今人数が少ないので、洗礼前の子供も一階の小部屋に上げることになりました。今、干し草の詰まった布団や着替えを運びこんでいます」 フランの報告にホッと安堵の息を吐く。子供達の寝床も決まったようで、何よりだ。 「マイン様、挨拶文の暗記は終わりましたか?」 「......一応は。でも、やはり不安だから、この紙を持って行っても良いでしょう?」 「えぇ。では、準備が整い次第、呼びに参ります。デリア、マイン様の支度を頼む」 フランが下に降りて行くと、デリアが髪を整えにやってきた。鏡台の前に座らされ、するりと簪を抜かれる。櫛を持ったデリアが悲しそうな苦しそうな表情で鏡越しにじっと見つめてきた。 「......助かったんですか?」 「えぇ、自分達の布団を作るのに干し草を詰める元気があるくらいですって」 「そう」 助けられたと報告したのに、デリアの顔は晴れない。苦い物を呑みこんだように、眉を寄せて視線を逸らす。 「......デリア、浮かない顔ですよ? 嬉しくなかった?」 「嬉しいけど、悔しい。なんで......あたしの時は助けてくれなかったのよ」 「まだいなかったから、それはさすがに無茶......」 「わかってるわよ! わかってるけど......」 洗礼前のデリアがどれだけ辛い思いを我慢してきたか、どれだけ助けてほしいと願っていたかがわかって、胸が痛くなった。 「デリアの時には間に合わなかったけれど、今度デリアが困ったら、助けるから。ちゃんと助けるから......泣かないで」 「泣いてないっ!」 「ご、ごめ......」 「側仕えに謝らないっ!」 ......でも、わたし、デリアちゃんはちょっと理不尽だと思います。 初めて孤児院の院長として挨拶するハレの場ということで、髪飾りは洗礼式の時に使った藤の花のような簪を使うことにした。 「珍しい飾りですね」 「洗礼式用に作った簪なの。最近、ギルベルタ商会で売り出しているのよ」 「......作った? ご自分で?」 「手伝ってもらったけれど、自分でも作れるわ。材料があれば」 「材料......」 獲物を見つけた肉食獣のような目で簪を見つめるデリアに髪を梳いてもらって、自分で簪を挿した。デリアはまだ簪を扱えないので、仕方ない。 「マイン様、スープを運んだり、配ったりするのを手伝ってくれる神官達です」 「助かります。ありがとう」 「いいえ、こちらこそありがたく存じます。最近は神の恵みが少なかったもので、みな喜ぶでしょう」 「あら、これは神の恵みではなく、わたくしからのご褒美ですわ」 「え? ご褒美?」 意味がわからないというように目を瞬く神官に、ニッコリと笑って話を終える。 わたしはフランに抱き上げられた状態で、回廊をぐるりと回って孤児院の前へと到着した。大回りするので、意外と距離があり、ワゴンを押す神官がわたしの速度には合わせていられないというのが理由だ。 扉の前でわたしは下ろされ、髪の乱れや服の乱れがないか、フランが確認して軽く整える。それを確認した灰色神官がギッと扉を開け、よく通る声で中の人達に呼びかけた。 「みな、高く亭亭たる大空を司る、最高神 広く浩浩たる大地を司る、五柱の大神の加護を受け、新しく孤児院の院長となられた巫女がいらっしゃいました」 扉を開けたそこが孤児院の食堂だった。扉を開けた瞬間に見えるのが、ずらりと並んだ長いテーブルであるということに少し驚いたけれど、毎回、神の恵みを運ばなければならないし、食堂のみ男子が入っても良いという点を考えても、合理的だとは思う。 食堂にはずらりと灰色の服が並んで座っていたが、紹介の声に合わせて全員が一斉に立ち上がり、こちらを向いた。視線の多さと値踏みするような視線もあり、俯いて視線を避けてしまいたくなった次の瞬間。 突然の集団グ○コに俯くどころか、思わず凝視してしまうことになった。 「マイン様、こちらへ」 胸を張って絶対に俯かない。笑顔で余裕のある振りをする。注意事項はベンノと一緒に寄付金を納める時に言われたものと同じだ。 フランは「どうしようもなかったら、魔力で軽く威圧するといいと思われます。嫌でも立場の差がわかりますから」とニッコリと笑った。妙な恐れられ方をするのは嫌なので、魔力を使わずに終われたらいいと思っている。 挨拶文は何とか覚えたけれど、こんな大勢の前で話すのは、麗乃の小学校時代に何かの賞に入った読書感想文を全校生徒の前で読まされるという恥辱行事や卒論の発表くらいしか経験がない。 大勢の視線を向けられたわたしは、緊張に震えながらゆっくりと呼吸し、そろりと揺れる飾りに触れた。家族みんなで作った簪があれば、少しは心強い気がする。 「みなさん、はじめまして。火の神 ライデンシャフトの威光輝く良き日、神官長より院長の任を命じられましたマインと申します。わたくしの願いを快く聞き入れ、歓迎頂きましたこと、心より嬉しく存じます」 歓迎に関する感謝と今後の抱負を飾られた綺麗な言葉で述べて、最後は神への祈りと感謝で締める。 「高く亭亭たる大空を司る、最高神 広く浩浩たる大地を司る、五柱の大神 水の女神 フリュートレーネ 火の神 ライデンシャフト 風の女神 シュツェーリア 土の女神 ゲドゥルリーヒ 命の神 エーヴィリーベに祈りと感謝を捧げましょう」 フランが書いてくれた挨拶文は、この神殿内では定型の挨拶だったようだ。わたしの言葉に反応して、ざっと灰色神官達が構えた。 神殿に来てから、フランや神官長に必ず一度は祈りの練習をさせられているので、さすがに祈りのポーズもちょっとだけ慣れてきた。まだ上手にできないけれど、それでも、バランスを崩して転ぶという事はなくなってきた。今日の祈りは我ながら上出来だと思う。 そして、わたしにとって一番の難関だった挨拶を終えたら、ご褒美の配布だ。 「今日はわたくしのために孤児院をとても綺麗に清めてくださいましたね。ご褒美を持ってまいりました。フラン、頑張ってくださったみなさんに配って差し上げて」 フランが木札を取り出して、掃除をしなかった者の名前を読み上げると、スープを配るのを手伝ってくれる灰色神官が名前を呼ばれた者を避けてスープを配って歩く。 給食の配膳みたいだ、と思いながら見ていると、配られなかったギルと同じ年頃の少年が怒りで顔を真っ赤にしてわたしを睨んだ。 「ずるい! 平等じゃない! 神の恵みは平等だと決まっている! 平民はそんなことも......」 「えぇ、神の恵みは平等ですわ」 まさか反論されるとは思っていなかったのか、少年は怒りを忘れ、呆然とした顔でわたしを見つめる。 「......ご、ご褒美?」 「そう、ご褒美ですわ。次回はお仕事を頑張ってちょうだい。それから、特に頑張ってくださった方にはこちらもございます。名前を呼ばれた方はお皿を持って前にいらして」 フランが名前を読み上げると、周りを見回しながら恐る恐るという様子で、神官や巫女が皿を持って出てくる。そのお皿に灰色神官の一人がカルフェバターを一つずつ乗せていく。 「一番に子供達のところへ走って行って洗ってくださったと聞いたわ。ありがとう」 「とても手早く掃除なさるのですって? ルッツが褒めていたわ」 「重たい荷物を率先して運んでくださったのでしょう? お疲れ様」 フランとギルが選んだ基準を教えてくれたので、全てメモしてあるのを読み上げただけだが、みんなが感極まったような顔をして、わたしを見た。まるで、初めて褒めてあげた時のギルみたいな顔をしている子もいる。 それと同時に、自分が家族に恵まれている事を深く実感した。ちょっとした事ができるようになっただけで大袈裟に褒めてくれる家族の姿が思い浮かぶ。 わたしが家族にしてもらってきたように、今度はわたしが院長として、みんなの良いところ探しをして褒めてやらなければならない気がした。 「これからも頑張ってくださいね。さぁ、どうぞ召し上がれ」 わたしはマイン工房で初めての料理をするみんなを視察した。青色巫女として見るだけなら構わないが、手を出す事は厳禁だとフランに言われている。 何だか視線を感じるなぁ、と思って振り返ると、昨日、食べられなかった少年がちらちらとこちらを見ながら、率先して作っている姿があった。

After finis.h.i.+ng lunch, we immediately get to work on cleaning up the orphanage . However, it's the orphans actually doing the work . Historically, the general work schedule has been that laundry is done early in the morning and the other cleaning is done in the afternoon, but since at the moment there's a surplus of gray-robed priests, everything is generally finished during the morning . So, during the afternoons, there's likely to be a large number of priests without anything to really do, which is why we've decided to kick off our great cleaning plans now . The officially-stated reason for this cleanup is to ensure that when I, a blue-robed apprentice priestess, come to visit the orphanage as part of my inauguration as its director, I do not see anything unsightly . It seems like using an excuse like this for forcing everyone to do such an enormous, unusual task is likely to make it easy for everyone in the orphanage to accept . The main objective of this major cleanup operation is, of course, to clean up the orphanage, but I'm also using this as an opportunity to teach the orphans that if they work hard, they'll get a reward . In order to that, I'm having the cooks make soup that I can give to the people cleaning as thanks for their hard work, and in order to reward the people who take the most initiative I'm planning on giving out b.u.t.tered potatoes--or, more accurately, b.u.t.tered kalfe--to the thirty of them who stand out the most . The work to clean out the orphanage can be divided into was.h.i.+ng the children while it's still warm out, cleaning out the bas.e.m.e.nt of the girls' dormitory where the unbaptized children are staying, cleaning the other floors of the girls' dormitory, cleaning out the bas.e.m.e.nt of the boys' dormitory and installing the workshop equipment there, and cleaning up the other floors of the boys' dormitory . I'll be having everyone split into teams and take on different aspects of the work When Benno and I had suggested this, Fran and Gil both reacted with utter shock . They explained that the servant work at the temple consisted of laundry, cleaning, and prayer . In the morning, they said, everyone washes the laundry, then everyone prays . Essentially, everyone does the same work at the same time . n.o.body's ever really split up to work on different things before, it seems After we explained that there's a wide range of things that need to be done, and that things like carrying in the workshop equipment are very physically demanding, they agreed to actually split up the work this time . "I wonder, even if we split them into groups and clearly explain things to them, will they really do their work?" I ask . "It'll be fine," says Gil, "because everyone in the orphanage knows that Fran's the head priest's attendant . " According to Gil, the gray-robed priests and apprentices of the orphanage recognize Fran, who is deeply trusted by the head priest himself, as very much their superior . If he's the one giving directions, then just about everyone will follow them, even though some of them might grumble about it . "There will... still be a few children who do not listen to what they are told," says Fran, glancing briefly at Gil Gil averts his gaze . Although he's a pretty hard worker now, it wasn't too long ago that he was a real problem child that the other gray-robed priests had to constantly fight to keep under control Gil and Fran will be making the rounds, making sure that the cleaning is going well, finding out who is working hard and who is running away without doing anything, and checking in with me to report on the overall progress . Lutz will be supervising the cleaning of the bas.e.m.e.nt of the boys' dorm, since that's the future site of Maine's Workshop, and helping to bring in the equipment . After that, he'll make the b.u.t.tered kalfe there in the bas.e.m.e.nt . Delia will be keeping an eye on the cooks and cleaning the first floor of my rooms "I'll be going--". "You're staying here," Lutz says . "It'll be a big problem if you collapse somewhere . ". Before I can finish saying that I want to go too, Lutz stops me . As I groan, at a loss for words, Gil looks at me in astonishment "So, Sister Maine . Since all this cleaning is happening so that a blue-robed priestess can come to visit, wouldn't it be a problem if you were to show up before it was actually done?" "I guess you're right..." Since Fran won't be with me, I can't go to the library, either, so I let out a big sigh . Fran, looking at me with a fond smile, places a single sheet of paper in front of me . It's covered with his neat handwriting, each precisely-formed letter reflecting his meticulous personality "There are many things that you must learn, Sister Maine . Firstly, when you go to the orphanage this evening and give your inaugural address, I would like for you to have learned this greeting entirely by heart . Please pay close attention in particular to the names of the G.o.ds so that you do not say them incorrectly . ". He also wrote me a cheat sheet, but it looks like I really should have as much of this memorized as possible . I look over the carefully-written sentences, then sigh . Fran, seeing this, smiles broadly, then starts placing a series of wooden boards on my desk, one by one "If you have the time, I would like for you to memorize this list of the teas and milks that have been brought here for your rooms, as well as where they originated . This is the pairing that you like . This is Master Benno's, this is Master Lutz's, and this is the Father's preferred pairing . " "Huh? What?" I say, flabbergasted . "It is essential to memorize the tastes of those who come visit frequently," he says . I decide not to mention that the head priest doesn't actually come here . It's probably a good idea to learn what my boss, who I work alongside, likes to drink . Lutz, trying desperately to suppress a burst of laughter, gives me a big thumbs up . "This is great, Maine! Look at all the stuff you get to read!" "I like reading, yeah, but... I'm really bad at memorizing..." "Although the thorough bathing of the youngest children was the task you were most concerned about," he says, "we were able to use the soap and towels we prepared to finish bathing them while it was still warm enough out . They are currently being dressed in cheap, second-hand clothes, and fresh straw is being packed into sheets . " The sheets were bought cheaply, so they're patched together, but right now the children are in the process of filling clean sheets with straw we bought from a local farmer to make their own bedding . "There aren't any sick or unresponsive children, are there?" I ask . "No, they are all fine . I believe this is perhaps the result of Gil having brought them food these past few days . Those children have become to adore Gil as a messiah, it seems, and as he has been saying that this at your orders, you are likely so adored as well . " Being told that to my face is actually pretty embarra.s.sing, but I'm happy to hear that those kids have gotten a little healthier . "A handful of the priestesses and apprentices who were a.s.signed to wash the children are helping stuff the bedding, and the rest of them have been rea.s.signed to help with the rest of the cleaning . Now then, I must make my rounds again . " "Thank you, Fran . I'll leave it to you . " Fran gives me a slight bow, then heads back to the orphanage again . Shortly afterward, Lutz returns . "Maine, we're done cleaning up the bas.e.m.e.nt in the boys' dorms . We're going to start installing the workshop equipment now . " "Got it . Thanks, Lutz!" "Man, though, those guys are amazing," he says over his shoulder as he takes off . "They're really used to cleaning . They're crazy fast at it!" As soon as Lutz is gone, Fran comes back again to write down a list of names he heard from Gil, then quickly heads off again . While everyone else is so busy, I just sit at the work desk that had arrived for me just a few days ago, staring at Fran's handwriting . Man, these G.o.ds have some long names . And there's so many of them too . I kind of want to ask the head priest if I could come up with some nice, friendly nicknames for them . Since Delia is supposed to be keeping an eye on the kitchen while she's cleaning, the kitchen door has been left open, and the delicious scent of the soup I'll be giving out as a reward drifts through the air . As I sit there, thinking about stupid things, the cleaning comes to an end . "Sister Maine," says Gil, "the boys' dorm is all cleaned out . " "Thanks for all the help, Gil! So it's just the girls' dorm left now, right?" "Right . But boys can't enter the girls' dormitory except for the dining hall . " "So, can you get started on getting the dining hall ready for the soup, then?" "Hey, Maine . We're all done setting up the workshop, so we've started steaming the kalfe . Sound good?" "Sound good...? Wait, you've already started though, right?" I chuckle . "Well, good timing either way . Gil just went to get the dining hall set up . " Lutz leans in closer, lowering his voice . "Uh, so those kids are saying that they've never even seen a kalfe before . They've only ever seen cooked food . Even though all I'm basically doing is just steaming them, they're all super curious . They've been crowding around me to watch . It's been pretty hard to actually do anything . " "...Ahh, right, they've only ever seen the G.o.ds' blessings, so they've never done any actual cooking in the orphanage . It's natural for them to be curious if they've never seen raw ingredients before, I guess?" Come to think of it, I read in some magazine somewhere that even in j.a.pan there's plenty of kids who only know what carrots look like because they've bought them in a supermarket and have never actually seen them growing, so when they see fields full of leaves they don't actually understand what they're looking at . If something like that can happen in a country like j.a.pan where all kinds of information is so readily available, then it's not strange at all that people here wouldn't know much of anything outside of what they experienced in their everyday lives . "So, how about I go teach them how to b.u.t.ter them?" "As expected, cleaning the bas.e.m.e.nt of the girls' dormitory, where the youngest children were living, has been a very difficult task . Currently, everyone who had been a.s.signed to cleaning the girls' dormitory is a.s.sisting . It should be done shortly . Additionally, unlike the boys' dormitory, there are not very many people living in the girls' dormitory at the moment, so the unbaptized children have been given use of some of the small rooms on the first floor as well . Presently, the straw-stuffed bedding and changes of clothing are being brought in . " I breathe a sigh of relief, hearing that report . Making sure that those children had a place to sleep is very important . "Have you memorized your greeting, Sister?" "...More-or-less . But, just to be safe, can I bring this paper with me?" "Certainly . Now then, please call for me when you are ready to leave . Delia, please tend to Sister Maine's preparations . " As Fran heads downstairs, Delia comes up to help me get my hair in order . She sits me down in front of the dresser and slides my hairpin out . As she picks up the comb, she looks at me in the mirror, her face a mix of pain and sorrow . "...Did you save them?" "I did," I reply . "It seems they're now healthy enough to be able to stuff their own bedding with straw . " "Ah . " Even though I just told her I'd been able to help them, her expression doesn't lighten at all . She averts her eyes, lips pursed as if she's swallowed something bitter . "...Delia, why are you looking so sad? Aren't you happy?" "I am, but... it's just frustrating . Why... why didn't you save me back then?" "I wasn't even here yet, so I couldn't have--" "I know that!" she yells . It looks like she couldn't stop herself, even though she knows she's just venting her anger on me . "I know that, but..." Her pale blue eyes fill with tears that look like they might spill over at any moment . It hurts me to imagine how many painful memories she must have had to endure before her baptism, and how many times she must have wished to be saved . "I wasn't there in time to help you back then, but I'll try to be there for you next time . I'll really be there for you, so... don't cry . " "I'm not crying!!" she yells, scrubbing roughly at her eyes . "S, sorr--" "Don't apologize to your attendant!" ...I think the poor girl might be just a bit unreasonable, though . Since it sounds like my inauguration as orphanage director is something of a public occasion, we've decided that I'll be wearing the same hairpin that I did for my baptismal ceremony, the one with wisteria flowers . "This is an unusual ornament," says Delia . "It's the hairpin that I made for my baptismal ceremony . The Gilberta Company is starting to sell them . " "...You made this? By yourself?" "I had some help, but yes, I can make things like that . If I have the materials, of course . " "The materials..." she says, her eyes fixated on the hairpin as if she's a predator locked onto her prey . After she finishes combing out my hair, I put my hairpin in . Delia doesn't know how to do it yet, so I have to do it myself . "These are the priests who will be a.s.sisting in carrying in and serving the soup," he says . "Ah, excellent . Thank you," I say to them . "No," one replies, "it is we who should be thanking you . The G.o.ds' blessings have been very spare as of late, so everyone will be very grateful for this . " "Oh, but this is not the G.o.ds' blessings . This is a reward from me . " "Huh? A reward?" He blinks, as if unsure what I actually mean . I just smile at him, ending the conversation . Fran holds me in his arms, and we make our way around the building, heading along the walkways until we reach the front door of the orphanage . Since we're taking the long way around, it's actually a surprisingly long walk . If I'd been on foot, the priests wouldn't have been able to match my walking speed . He lets me down before the orphanage's door, then makes sure that neither my hair nor my clothing has gotten disheveled . A priest, seeing that everything's in order, pulls the door open with a creak, then in a clear, carrying voice, calls out to everyone inside . "Everyone, by the blessings of the highest of all G.o.ds who rule over all in the high, lofty skies and those of the five G.o.ds who rule over all in the wide, vast earth, the priestess who has become the new orphanage director has arrived . " On the other side of the door is the dining hall . At first, I'm a little surprised that what I see through the front door are the rows of long tables that fill the room, but when I think about how the G.o.ds' blessings must be carried in by hand, and that the boys only enter this building for the sake of going to the dining hall, it seems pretty reasonable . Seated along the tables were rows of gray-robed people, but as soon as the priest called out his introduction they all stood up in unison, turning to face me . I feel the pressure of everyone staring at me, appraisingly, and I have to fight the urge to look away and to s.h.i.+eld myself from their gazes . When everyone, as a group, suddenly snaps into the Gl#co pose, I don't just fail to look away, but I find myself just staring "This way, Sister," says Fran I must stand proudly and never avert my gaze . My smile should show as much calm as I can manage . The basics of it are the same as when I'd come with Benno to deliver my donation to the temple . Fran had told me that if it absolutely comes to it, I should feel free to release a bit of my mana to lightly coerce them . That will make them understand the difference in our statures, he said, with a smile . I really don't want them to be weirdly terrified of me, though, so I hope that I can get out of this without having to use my mana at all . I've somehow managed to memorize my greeting, but the only experience I have speaking in front of a crowd like this was during Urano days, back when I had to present my bachelor's thesis, or even way back in elementary school when I'd won some kind of award for my book report and nearly died of embarra.s.sment while having to read it out loud to the entire student body . As everyone in the crowd stares at me, I force myself to take a slow breath, still s.h.i.+vering with tension . When I do, I feel the flowers hanging from my hairpin gently sway behind me . Reminded that I have the hairpin that my whole family made for me, I find myself relaxing, just a little bit . "It is a pleasure to meet all of you on this day that so s.h.i.+nes with the blessing of the G.o.d of fire, Leidenschaft . My name is Maine . I have been entrusted with the duty of being the director of this orphanage . I am grateful, from the bottom of my heart, that you have so willingly listened to my wishes today and given me such warm welcome . " Now that I've expressed my thanks for the welcome and stated my reason for being here in such pretty, ornate words, I need to tie it all back together by reciting the names of the G.o.ds . "Let us now lift our prayers and grat.i.tude to the highest of all G.o.ds, who rule over all in the high, lofty skies, and to the five G.o.ds who rule over all in the wide, vast earth: the G.o.ddess of water, Fruhtrane, the G.o.d of fire, Leidenschaft, the G.o.ddess of wind, Schutzaria, and the G.o.d of life, Ewigeliebe . " It seems like the remarks Fran had written out for me are some kind of standardized speech in the temple . In response to my words, the priests all immediately a.s.sume the prayer pose Ever since coming to the temple, I've had to practice my prayers with Fran and the head priest, so I've gotten just a little bit better at the prayer pose . I'm still not actually good at it, but even still, my balance is good enough now that I'm not risking falling over . Todays prayer was, if I do say so myself, excellent work Next, now that my speech is done and I've gotten over the part that I was nervous about the most, it's time to pa.s.s out the rewards . "You have done such an excellent job today in cleaning the orphanage for my sake . I brought you a reward . Fran, if you will, please have it served to everyone who worked hard today . " Fran takes out a wooden slip and reads off the names of the people who didn't help with the cleaning . As he does so, the priests who are helping pa.s.s out the soup walk around, serving it to everyone except for the people whose names were called . As I look on, reminded of food being served at a school cafeteria, a young boy, about as old as Gil, who hadn't gotten any soup turns to glare at me, his face bright red . "You're mean! This isn't equal!" he yells, sounding just like Gil did at the start . "The G.o.ds' blessings are given equally to everyone! Even a commoner like you should--" "Indeed," I reply, "the G.o.ds' blessings are given equally . " The boy stares dumbly at me, his anger forgotten, as if he'd been completely caught off guard by my reb.u.t.tal . "...A, a reward?" "That's right, a reward . Please, try to work hard next time . Now, I have something more for those of you who worked exceptionally hard for me . When your name is called, please bring your plate to the front of the room . " At that, a gray-robed priest opens the lid of the steamer that contains the b.u.t.tered kalfe Lutz made . The smell of b.u.t.ter wafts gently out into the room . As Fran begins reading off names, priests and priestesses start walking hesitantly forward holding their plates, looking fearfully around the room . One by one, the b.u.t.tered kalfe are placed onto each priest's plate . "I heard you were the quickest to run to get the children and help wash them . I very much appreciate it . " "You're very fast at cleaning, I hear? Lutz had great praise for you . " "You took the initiative to carry some of the heaviest things, didn't you? Thank you for your hard work . " All I'm doing is reading off of the notes I made when Fran and Gil explained the reasons for their selections to me, but all of them are looking at me like they're overwhelmed with emotion . Some of them are even making the same face that Gil did the first time I praised him . I'm suddenly deeply aware of how blessed I am to have the family I do . Memories of how tremendously they praised me whenever I was able to do even just a little bit more than before float through my head . Just like how my family did for me, I think that as the director I'm going to need to look hard for everyone's strong points and make sure to praise them for it . "Please continue to keep up the good work . Now, please, enjoy your food . " I quietly observe how the first batch of cooking that Maine's Workshop has ever done is going . Fran has instructed me that, as a blue-robed priestess, it's okay for me to be here as long as all I'm doing is watching . Under no circ.u.mstances am I allowed to help I vaguely feel like there's someone's eyes on me . When I turn to look, I see that the boy who hadn't eaten yesterday keeps glancing over at me as he makes sure to take the initiative as he works . I'm pleased to see him so fiercely a.s.serting himself, so when I give out slices of fruit as a reward, I make sure he gets a slightly bigger piece

ルッツがぎょっと目を見張ったとおり、わたしが投げたタウの実は土の部分に届かず、ギリギリ石畳の隅に叩きつけられ、パン! パパパン! と弾けた。 赤い実が割れた瞬間、小さい種が辺りに広く飛び散って、いきなり何本もの芽がむくむくっと顔を出し始める。土の部分に飛んだ種は芽を出し始めたが、石畳の上に落ちたものは急速に枯れて行き、発芽した物はあっという間に足首辺りまで成長してきた。 「うわっ!」 「わわっ!?」 「これはすぐに成長する。膝くらいになったら次々と刈っていくんだ!」 腰が引けている孤児達に指示を出しながら、ルッツがにょきにょきと成長していくトロンベをきつい眼差しで見据える。 「フラン、マインを回収して後ろの方で待機!」 ルッツの指示と同時にわたしはフランに抱き上げられて戦線離脱だ。刃物を全く持っていないわたしにできることはみんなの応援くらいだ。 「みんな、頑張れー!」 ルッツは鉈のような刃物を握って、一番奥の方へと飛び散った物を刈りに走った。ルッツに続いて走り、一番にトロンベを刈ったのはギルだ。 ギルが持っている刃物がブチッという音と共に、細い枝を切る。無造作な切り方でも枝が簡単に切り落とせたことと、切られた枝がそれ以上は成長しない様子を見た孤児院の子供達が一斉にトロンベに切りかかった。 「マイン様、これは何でしょうか?」 フランから神官長にどれだけ情報が流れるだろうか。これはもしかしたら、お説教フラグだろうか。大騒ぎではなく、神殿の外ではよくあることとして何とか誤魔化せないかな、と必死で頭を回転させる。 「高級紙の材料です。これでいつもの紙よりずっと高価な物ができますね」 嘘は言っていない。でも、フランが聞きたい答えではないはずだ。フランが何か言いたげに口を開くと同時にギルの声が響いた。 「そこまで成長するとナイフじゃ無理だ。退け! オレがやる!」 わたしがバッと振り返ると、ギルがナイフを持った女の子を下がらせて、自分達の太股辺りの高さに伸びた枝を刃物でザンザンと切り落としているのが見えた。嬉々として森に行っているギルの成長が目に見える。 ガッツポーズしたギルがこちらを向いて、ニカッと得意そうな笑みを見せた。これは後で褒めろ、というアピールだな、と理解して、軽く頷いておいた。 「......もう残ってないな?」 「どうする、ルッツ? これ、いくつか置いておいて、また成長させる?」 せっかくの高級素材が比較的安全に刈れるのだから、この機会を逃すのはもったいない、とわたしが提案すると、ルッツは頭を横に振った。 「あと一つか二つ分だけ刈ったら、あとは予定通り投げ合いっこにしようぜ。土から離したタウの実はカラカラに干からびて枯れるし、まだ森を探せばあるだろうから、取りに行けばいい」 「みんな、悪いけれど、もうちょっと刈ってもらっても良いかしら? これで作った紙はとても高級なものになるの。孤児院に回せる費用が増やせるわ」 「マイン様、費用が増えたらどうなるんですか?」 お金に関しては全くと言っていいほど、知識がない子供達が不思議そうな顔をする。彼らにとって生活に必要な物は全て神の恵みだ。 「費用が増えたら、自分達で作れるご飯が増えます。それから、冬の薪が孤児院のために買えるようになります」 「よし、やろう!」 孤児院の薪の割り当てはそれほど多くなく、暖炉があるのが女子棟は食堂だけで、男子棟は大部屋一つだけ。そして、薪が切れたら、石造りの建物は一気に冷たくなるので、日中も団子のように固まっているようになるらしい。 金銭的に切り詰めなければならない環境で、冬の食料と暖房は切実な課題である。 子供達がやる気になったので、そのあと3個分のトロンベを刈り取った。トロンベの枝だけで籠がいっぱいになったし、なるべく早く皮に加工しなければならないので、トロンベ狩りは終了となった。 「じゃあ、残りのタウの実をぶつけ合って遊ぶか?」 ルッツの提案に、意欲的にトロンベを刈っていた子供達が目を瞬いて首を傾げる。 「えぇ? 残りも全部紙にしなくて良いの?」 「ぶつけて遊んでなくなったら、また拾いに行けばいいさ。今日みたいに」 何回もトロンベが芽を出したせいで、雑草が枯れて掘り返されたようにぼこぼこになった土をある程度均し、ちょっと浮いた石畳を上から踏みつけて元通りにした。 「この辺り、雑草が完全になくなっているけれど、それはどうしようもないよね?」 「そうだな。でも、この季節ならすぐに草なんて生えてくるさ」 「......除草の手間が省けたと前向きに考えるようにいたしましょう」 星結びの儀式が終わったところだし、こんな裏側を見に来るような青色神官はいないので、特に問題はないだろうと結論付けた。 「オレはタウの投げ合いを仕切ってやるから、マインは着替えて来い。顔色が悪い。そろそろ熱が出るぞ」 「うん、確かに身体がだるくなってきたかも。寒気がする」 「デリアが風呂を準備しているはずですから、すぐに身体を温めましょう」 フランがそう言ってわたしを抱き上げた。スタスタと歩くフランの肩越しにタウの投げ合いを始めた子供達の様子が見えた。二手に分かれて、きゃあきゃあと歓声を上げながら、タウの実を投げ合っている姿は、下町の子供達と全く変わらない。孤児院にもう少し娯楽を取りこんであげたいと思う。 「もー! 何をしてるんですの!? 孤児と遊んで体調を崩すなんて、青色巫女のすることではありませんわよ!」 でろんとフランにもたれかかって部屋に戻ると、目を三角にしたデリアがいた。風呂場までフランに連れて行ってもらった後は、フランを追い出したデリアが生乾きの服を剥ぎ取って、準備されていた湯船の中へ放り込まれる。 少し温めだったお湯に熱いお湯を足してもらって、丁度良い温度に調節してもらった。「ずいぶん熱いお湯がお好みなのですね」とデリアが小さく呟いた後、キッとわたしを睨む。 「身体が冷え切っているから熱いお湯が欲しくなるんですわ! 身体が弱いなら、水遊びなんてするものではありません。それくらいご存じでしょうに! もー!」 「......デリア、ちょっと静かにして。せっかくいいお湯なんだから」 温かいお湯で全身を温められる環境にホッと息を吐く。 「あたしが準備したんだから当然ですわ」 「えぇ、デリアの言うとおり。デリアのお陰でとても心地良いわ。ありがとう」 わたしは未だに井戸で水を汲むことができないので、一人でお風呂を準備するなんてできないのだ。 「言われたことをしただけですもの。ギルじゃあるまいし、仕事に感謝の言葉なんて......」 ブツブツ言っているが、照れているだけだとわかっている。 クスと小さく笑いを漏らした後は、肩までお湯につかって、わたしはトロンベの事を考えた。 以前はほとんど発芽寸前だったせいだろうか、それとも、わたしが魔力や身食いに関する知識が全くなかったせいで意識されなかったのか、魔力の流れはほとんど感じなかった。 今回はハッキリとタウの実に向かって魔力が流れて行くのを感じた。水風船状態のタウの実を発芽させるには、奉納で小魔石2~3個分くらいの魔力が必要だと思う。 身食いが持っている魔力の量にもよるが、タウの実を使えば、身食いで死ぬ子供は減ると思う。まず、身食いという病気が周知されることが大事だし、必ずトロンベが発生するので、刈りとれるだけの人数が周囲にいることが必要な条件になる。 ただ、ルッツが言っていたことが事実ならば、タウの実は保存できないようだ。土から離すと春なら半日ほどで水がなくなってカラカラになり、水分たっぷりになった夏の実でも一日二日でカラカラに乾燥してしまうらしい。石畳に落ちた種が発芽することなく急速に枯れてしまったように。 トロンベが育っていくのと同じように土の上に置いておけば、いきなり枯れはしないと思うが、風や雨でどこかに流されて、秋に突然街中でトロンベが発生するのも怖い。 「......とりあえずベンノさんに報告かな?」 春から秋の初めまではトロンベを自分の意思で採集可能になったことを報告して、トロンベに関する情報収集と身食いに対するタウの実の使い方の情報拡散をお願いしてみよう。 思考が一段落したので、ざっとお風呂から上がった。次の瞬間、頭がくらりとした。熱が出たのか、のぼせたのかわからない。 頭を押さえてその場にペタンと座り込むと、デリアが悲鳴を上げかけた口を押さえて、手早くわたしの全身を拭い始めた。ところどころ拭いきれてないままにブラウスとスカートを着せると、バタバタとフランを呼びに行く。 「マイン様!」 「......あ~、寝台に布団入れなきゃダメだったね。板の上でいいから寝かせて」 「デリア、ルッツを呼んできて。フランは外に出られるように着替えてくれるかしら? 早目に帰った方が良さそう......」 「かしこまりました」 子供達と一緒にタウの投げ合いをしていたルッツは当然ぐしょ濡れなので、わたしはフランに抱き上げられて帰宅した。 「ずぶ濡れになったお祭りは楽しかったの?」 「......うん。ビックリすることがいっぱいあったけど、孤児院の子達もみんな笑ってた。よかったよ」 ルッツや家族の見立ては正しく、わたしは結局熱を出して三日間寝込んだ。見舞いに来てくれるルッツにタウの実やトロンベについての報告をベンノに頼むと、「詳しいことを話し合いたいから、熱が下がったら神殿に行く前に店に来い」という返事が返ってきた。 「ベンノさん、おはようございます」 「また面倒を起こしやがったな」 「......め、面倒って、いつどこに出るのかわからなかったトロンベの出現するのを待つことなく、採れるようになったんですよ? 最初から人数を揃えておけば、簡単に全部刈りとれるから安全だし、褒められることじゃないですか?」 「それに関しては、確かに。タウの実がトロンベの種だと判明して、トロンベが安定供給できるようになるのは喜ばしい。だが、付随してくる面倒の方が多いだろう?」 「そうなんですか?」 付随してくる面倒に関して、全く思考が向いていなかったわたしに、ベンノは「やっぱり考え無しか」と呟くと、わたしの隣に立っていたルッツに視線を向ける。 「ルッツ、悪いが、マインの到着が遅れることを神殿に知らせてきてくれ。その後は呼ぶまでマルクについていろ。お説教には時間がかかるからな」 「はい、旦那様」 ルッツが苦笑して、「頑張れよ、マイン」と慰めにもならない激励の言葉を残して退室していく。 味方がいなくなった部屋の中、ベンノがトントンと軽く指先で机の上を叩いた。 「ルッツから聞いた。タウの実が魔力を吸い取って一気に成長してトロンベになったと。間違いはないか?」 「魔術具の代わりにはなりそうか?」 冬の間、タウの実が手に入らないことが不安要素だけれど、わたしの場合、タウの実が20個くらいあれば、次の春まで魔力が溢れて死ぬことはないと思う。身体が成長すれば魔力量も増えるらしいので、成人する頃にはいくつくらい必要になるかわからない。 「......なると思います。だから......」 「それ、絶対に漏らすな」 「え?」 厳しい表情でベンノが言った。身食いを助けるために、タウの実の使うことについて情報の拡散をお願いしていたわたしは、ベンノの言葉が信じられなくて、大きく目を見張った。 「魔力の管理は貴族の管轄だ。森で簡単に拾える実が高価な魔術具の代わりになると知れば、貴族社会や神殿の在り方がひっくり返る恐れがある。変な伝わり方をしたら、多分、お前が潰される」 「......でも、黙っていたら、平民の身食いはずっと助からないままですよ?」 せっかくお金をかけなくても、助かる方法が見つかったのに、知らせることができなければ助かる者も助からない。 「あぁ、そうだな。だが、身食いの子供をどうやって選別する? 俺にはわからないが、身食い同士なら、傍から見てわかるのか?」 ふるりと頭を振った。わたしが会ったことがある身食いはフリーダだけだが、見ただけでフリーダが身食いだとか、魔力を持っているなんてわからなかった。誰が身食いかわからなければ助けられるはずもない。 「生まれた子供全員にその実を握らせて、魔力を持っているかどうか識別することは可能かもしれない。だが、魔力持ちだとわかった時点で貴族に取り上げられるだろう。判別と同時に取り上げられると分かれば、誰が識別させようとする? 少なくともお前の家族は連れて行かないだろう?」 ぐっと言葉に詰まった。家族と離れたくないわたしは魔術具に頼らないで延命する術が欲しいと思っていた。それは貴族を避けるためだ。大々的に識別すれば、それは貴族の知るところになるだろう。それでは意味がない。 そして、大々的に周知するのでなければ、身食いに関することもタウの実で助かることに関しても情報が伝わるわけがない。 「生まれてすぐの子供を大々的に集めるのでなければ、熱を出した子供を連れて来いというのか? 身食いならばタウの実で治るが、他の病気なら、残念でした、と追い返すのか? そんな判別をしていたら、逆に妙な病気をもらうし、治せなかった親からは無駄な憎しみを買う」 あの子の病気は簡単に治したのに、どうしてウチの子は、と言われるのは目に見えている。わたしは自分では考えられなかったベンノの予想図にギュッと拳を握った。 「それに、貴族を頼らず身食いが成長することで、周囲が困ることになる可能性は全くないのか? 大きな魔力を持って、知識なく育った身食いが正しく魔力を扱うことができるのか? 魔術具を買うことができない貴族の子供を預かって魔力を集めることで、神具を動かしていた神殿の在り様はどう変わる? 魔力を独占している貴族社会自体が揺らぐことにはならないのか?」 「......わかりません」 立て続けに並べられたどの疑問にもわたしは明確な答えを返すことはできなかった。社会情勢、政治の仕組み、この世界における魔力の扱いさえ、わたしは知らない。 「どれだけいるのかわからない身食いを助けるためとしては、あまりにも余波が大きすぎる。とりあえず、今はお前が神殿から追い出されたり、魔術具を命の盾として脅されたりする状況になったりしても、こっそり生きていける手段を得たと思って、黙っていろ。事が大きくなりすぎている。少なくとも俺の手には負えん」 ベンノの手に負えないことが、わたしの手に負えるわけがない。中央での粛清が終わって、貴族の大規模な配置変換が終わって、貴族が少ないながらも情勢が落ち着いてきた矢先に混乱を撒き散らしたいのか、と問われれば、答えはノーだ。そんな面倒な事はしたくない。 「森でトロンベを採るくらいなら、今までと同じだから誤魔化しも効くだろうが、身食いの判別や延命については黙っていた方が良いと俺は思う」 「......はい」 わかっていても助けられるはずの命が助けられないことに、不満が残る。わたしの表情に不満がハッキリと出ていたのだろう、ベンノが困ったように肩を竦めた。 「そんな顔をするな。......お前の目に映る範囲内に身食いがいて、こっそり助けられるなら助ければいい。それを貴族に感付かれるなと言っているだけだ。お前は貴族社会に宣戦布告できるのか? 本を作った時の顧客は基本的に貴族だぞ?」 ベンノの言葉の最後にわたしはちょっとだけ笑った。笑ったことで、ほんの少し気分が浮上した。苦しんでいる身食いが目の前にいれば、助ける。見えないところまでは関知しない。今までどおりのスタンスで行けばいい。 「せめて、一般市民が気軽に本を読めるようになるくらい識字率が上がってからじゃないと宣戦布告なんてできませんね。そんな面倒なこと、する気もないですけど」 せっかく神殿にいるのだ。いずれ孤児院を利用して、寺子屋ならぬ神殿教室を開催するつもりだ。手始めに孤児達への教育をする過程で、灰色神官を教師役に育てあげる。そして、わたしにわかる範囲で印刷技術を開発して、聖典を元にした教科書を作る。聖典を印刷して布教するのであれば、神官長も文句は言わないはずだ。 「どうです、完璧でしょう?」 「お前の計画だから穴だらけだとは思うが、それはいい。......なぁ、マイン。お前、本以外の事に頭を使えないのか?」 本以外の事に使ったことがないので、使えるかどうかわからないというのが一番正しいけれど、と付け加えたら、ベンノは「残念すぎる」と、深い、深い溜息を吐いた。 失礼な! とむくれるわたしに「事実だ」と笑っていたベンノがスッと表情を変える。真剣な表情で、心もち声を潜めるのは、真面目な話がある時だ。 「トロンベをなるべく独占できるようにタウの実については黙秘ということでいいな?」 「はい」 「では、先日渡した課題一覧の最後の項目について、お前の意見が聞きたい」 ......あぁ、そのためにルッツを使いに出したのか。 お説教のためと言いながら、ルッツを外に出した意図がわかって、わたしはコクリと唾を呑みながら、ベンノを見つめた。

Lutz watched in dismay as the Tau fruit struck the stone path, just short of the soil. There was a loud series of popping noises, almost like popcorn kernels bursting in a pan. The seeds burst from the red fruit and covered the ground with a writhing ma.s.s of sprouts. Those that reached the soil took root, while those that fell short withered rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the sprouts had already grown ankle high. "Eep!" "Wah wah!?" "These things grow fast." said Lutz, "As soon as they reach our knees, we'll harvest them one by one." Lutz directed the wary orphans, while keeping a determined eye on the quickly growing Tronbay. "Fran, take Maine and stand back!" At Lutz' instruction, Fran carried me to a safe distance. Unable to even hold a blade, I could only give encouragement. "Everybody, do your best~!" Lutz ran to the furthest saplings and began harvesting the Tronbay with a hatchet-like tool. Gil, who was running just behind Lutz, had started cutting first. Gil's blade makes a cracking noise as he cuts down a thin branch-like sapling. The Tronbay, felled by his wild slashes stops growing as it falls to the ground. The children, having watched how simple it was for Gil, join in on culling the growing Tronbay. "Sister Maine, what is going on?" Depending on what Fran tells the Head Priest, I could end up with another mind-numbing lecture. I wrack my brain for a good way to convince him that this was a normal occurance outside the temple, and not a big deal. "We can use what we harvest here to make high-quality paper. It's a rare ingredient so you should know that this is a great opportunity for us. " While it was technically the truth, Fran's question remained unanswered. As he began to speak again, Fran was interrupted. "The saplings have grown too thick;" Gil shouted "knives can't cut through them anymore. Fall back, I'll handle the rest." I quickly face Gil as he grabs a girl, easily pulling her away from the plants, and energetically slashes at the now waist-high saplings. It's clear that Gil, who had spent many a joyful day working in the forest, had grown strong. Gil proudly struck a triumphant pose and gave me a broad smile. He looked at me expectantly; "Praise me afterwards" he seemed to appeal. I nodded slightly. "Are there any left?" Lutz asked. "What do you think Lutz?" I asked "Should we do this a few more times? This is a good chance to gather such precious material in relative safety. It'd be a shame to waste this opportunity." Lutz gave his head a tilted shake and said, "Let's do it one or two more times, then we can start throwing Tau fruit at each other. It looks like the seeds that didn't land in the soil have withered away, but we should be able to find more in the forest." "Would everyone be willing to do this a few more times?" asked Maine. "I would greatly appreciate it. We can make a high quality paper with the harvested Tronbay. This will allow me to increase the budget for the orphanage." "Sister Maine, how will it help if the budget increases?" These children have no understanding of money. For them, everything is provided as G.o.d's Blessing. I could try to explain that, in society, everything requires money. That, as orphans, they would be unable to cover their own living expenses, not to mention the soup they enjoy so much. Though I doubt that I could make them understand. "If the budget increases, the meals you can make for yourselves will increase. We would also be able to buy more winter firewood for the orphanage." "Alright, let's do it!" Firewood is precious, as the orphanage is given very little. The orphanage has only two fireplaces, one in the mess hall on the girls' side and another in a large room on the boys' side. The stone building retains heat poorly and rapidly cools as soon the fireplaces burn out. The orphans spend many days and nights of winter huddled together like penguins. In an environment with scarce resources, wintertime food and heating is a critical concern. With the suddenly eager children, we were able to harvest Tronbay three more times. The baskets were full of Tronbay branches alone. Since we have to process them into rind as fast as possible, we ended the Tronbay gathering at this point. "Well then, I guess we can throw the remaining Tau fruit at each other?" The children, who are still full of motivation to harvest Tronbay, blink at Lutz in confusion. "Eeh? Isn't it fine to turn all of the rest into paper as well?" "Nah, it will be fine to go out again to pick them once we run out. Just like today." The repeated Tronbay harvest had left the grounds full of gouged-out holes and littered with dead weeds. Everyone works to clean up by filling in the holes, smoothing the dirt, and stomping down any loose paving stones. "The weeds around here are completely gone, but it can't be helped, right?" "I guess so. However, in this season things like gra.s.s will grow back quickly." "... Let's just say that it saved us the ha.s.sle of weeding." The Ritual of the Star Union had finished and no blue-robed priest would visit this backyard. I concluded that there would likely be no particular problem with that. "Maine, you're looking pale and feverish. Go change clothes. I'll handle the Tau fruit match." "Yeah, I think you're right. I'm feeling sluggish and cold." Fran carries me in his arms and says "Delia should have prepared the bath by now, so your body will probably warm up quickly." As Fran whisks me away, I peer back over his shoulder. The orphans were split into two groups throwing Tau fruit at each other. Their joyous shouts and squeals are no different than those of the lower-city children. I think I'd like to bring a bit more fun to the orphanage. "Geeze! What do you think you're doing!?" Delia stares daggers at me and continues, "Destroying your health by playing around in the orphanage is not proper behavior for a blue-robed priestess!" Delia was upset at my worn-out appearance as we return to my rooms. She has Fran carry me into the bathroom and then chases him out. After stripping me of my damp clothes, she places me into the bath that she had prepared earlier. Delia keeps adding hot water to the bath until she is satisfied with the temperature. I quietly mumble "You really like the bath to be hot, don't you?" Delia's glare hardens "The bath has to be hot because your body is chilled to the bone. As weak as you are, you shouldn't be out playing in the water. Don't you at least understand that much? Geeze!" "... Delia, be quiet for a bit. After all it's such a nice bath at long last." A grateful sigh of relief leaves my mouth as the hot bath warms my body. "That's only natural since it was prepared by me." "Yes, it's just as you say, Delia. It's very comfortable, thanks to you. Thank you." Given that I'm unable to draw water from a well to this very day, I'm incapable of preparing a bath by myself. "I just did what I was told to do. I'm not like Gil. Something like grat.i.tude for all my hard work..." Despite her quiet grumbling, I know that she's simply bashful. Giggling quietly, I submerge my shoulders and think about Tronbay. Was I unaware of it last time because it was almost on the verge of sprouting or because I had absolutely no knowledge about my mana and the Devouring? I didn't feel the flow of mana at all the first time. This time I clearly sensed mana flowing into the Tau fruit. I think it takes around 2 or 3 small magic stones worth of mana to cause an engorged Tau fruit to bud. It depends on the amount of mana currently possessed by those with the Devouring, but I believe that we could reduce the number of children dying from the Devouring if we use Tau fruit. If we make the Devouring well-known, we can let the people disperse their mana with Tau fruit. Maine's Workshop could then accept the offcuts right? That was my overly optimistic calculation. However, if what Lutz said is true, then the Tau fruit can't be preserved. If they are separated from the soil in the spring, the water in them will vanish within half a day. Even in the summer the fruit will only last a couple of days before drying up, just like the seeds that missed the soil today. I don't think they will wither as quickly if I place them on a soil similar to where Tronbay grows, but I'm scared that they will be washed away by wind and rain causing Tronbay to sprout in the middle of the city come autumn. "... I suppose I will report to Mister Benno for starters?" I will report that we can now collect Tronbay as we like from spring to the beginning of autumn. I will also ask him to spread the information on Tau fruit and the Devouring, and to gather information regarding Tronbay. With my thoughts concluded, I step out of the bath and am hit by a wave of dizziness. I don't know if it was due to the fever or not. I grab my head as I crumble to the ground with a thud. Delia covers her mouth and stifles a scream. She quickly works to dry me off and dress me in a blouse and skirt, frantically calling for Fran as she finishes. "Sister Maine!" "... Oh, don't worry about there not being a mattress on the bed. You can put me down, I will be fine with laying on top of the base board." "Delia, go and call Lutz. Fran, can I have you change clothes so that you can go outside? It looks like it would be best for me to go home early today..." "Certainly." Since Lutz took part in the Tau throwing match together with the children, he was naturally sopping wet, so Fran carried me home. "Did you enjoy the festival that put you in this sorry state?" "... Yeah, there were plenty of things that startled me, but all of the orphans were smiling. That was nice." Just as my family and Lutz thought, I develop a fever and am bedridden for three days. I ask Lutz, who has come to make a sick visit, to report to Benno about the Tronbay and Tau fruit. Later Lutz relays the following answer from Benno: "I want to talk about the details so when your fever has subsided, come to my store before going to the temple." "Good morning, Mister Benno." "You caused trouble again Maine, didn't you?" Benno asked, glaring at me with his reddish brown eyes. Flinching, I try to respond "... T-Trouble, you say; didn't I manage to find a reliable way to gather Tronbay which we thought was too unpredictable to use as a material? If you can prepare a number of people in advance, it will be safe since we can harvest it easily, so shouldn't you praise me?" "As for that, you are certainly right. Confirming that the Tau fruit is the seed of Tronbay is a joyous matter as it will allow us to safely gather Tronbay. However, there are many troubles connected to that, right?" "Is that so?" Seeing my blank expression, Benno mutters "So you haven't thought about it at all, have you?" and turns to Lutz, who was standing next to me. "Sorry Lutz, but please inform the Head Priest that Maine's arrival will be delayed. After that stay with Mark until I call you. This lecture is going to take a while." "Yes, sir." Lutz smiles bitterly, leaving behind a half-hearted encouragement: "Do your best, Maine". In a room that lacked any allies for me, Benno is lightly tapping on top of the table. "I heard from Lutz: The Tau fruit suddenly absorbed your mana, grew in one go and turned into Tronbay. Is that right?" "Does it look like it could be a replacement for magic tools?" The fact that Tau fruit cannot be obtained during winter is worrying, but if I use around 20 Tau fruit, I probably won't die of mana overflow until the following spring. Since it seems that mana capacity grows with the body, I don't know around how many will be necessary once I become an adult. "... I believe it will. Therefore..." "This must absolutely never become known." Benno interrupts sternly. "Huh?" I had intended him to spread information regarding the usage of Tau fruit for the very sake of saving those suffering from the Devouring, so my eyes widen in disbelief at Benno's response. "The management of mana is under the jurisdiction of the n.o.bles. If they learn that a fruit that can be easily picked up in the forest can replace expensive magic tools, the current state of affairs in n.o.ble society and in the temple will be upended. If it's pa.s.sed on in a weird way, you will probably get crushed." "... But, if we stay silent, commoners with the Devouring will remain a lost cause, won't they? Although I found a precious method of saving them, one that doesn't even cost any money, those who can be saved won't be saved if they don't know!" "Yes, that's correct. However, how can you tell if children have the Devouring? Is there a way fellow Devouring sufferers can recognise each other?" I shake my head. The only person with the Devouring I've met is Frieda, but I couldn't tell Frieda possessed mana or had the Devouring by just looking. There's no way for me to save anyone if I don't know whether they have the Devouring or not. "It might be possible to identify at birth whether children possess mana or not by having them hold that fruit, but the moment it's known they possess mana, they will likely be taken away by the n.o.bles. What parent would try to identify them if they know they will be taken away as soon as they are found out? At least in your case, you couldn't take your family along, right?" I am suddenly at a loss for words. Not wanting to be separated from my family, I thought I needed a means to stay alive without having to rely on magic tools. That was for the sake of avoiding the n.o.bles. If we identify those with the Devouring on a grand scale, the n.o.bles will likely learn of me, and it will all have been for nothing. And there's no way that the information to save people from the Devouring through the Tau fruit will circulate if it's not spread on a grand scale. "Would you instead have any and all fever-p.r.o.ne children brought to you? Are you going to turn them away, saying that If it was the Devouring, it would be healed with Tau fruit, but since it's a different sickness then tough luck? If you did that, you would just receive those with strange diseases instead, and pointlessly invite the hatred of their parents if you couldn't cure them." It's clear that I would be told, "Even though you easily healed the sickness of that child, why won't you do the same for our child?" I clench my fists at the scene Benno predicted. I hadn't thought that far ahead. "Besides, is there absolutely no chance that they won't become a problem growing up with the Devouring without having to rely on the n.o.bles? Will they be able to handle the mana of the Devouring correctly if they grow up without any knowledge? How will the temple operate its ritual articles if they can't look after the children of n.o.bles who can't afford magic tools? Won't it turn into something that shakes the foundation of the n.o.ble society itself?" "... I don't know." I am unable to answer any of the problems he rattled off. I don't know about the social situation, the structure of politics and even the treatment of mana in this world. "As for the advantage in saving those with the Devouring, you don't even know how many are afflicted, and the aftermath could be disastrous. Say nothing for now, and just be grateful that you have obtained a means to secretly stay alive even if you are expelled from the temple or if it turns into a situation where you are threatened by being denied magic tools. The situation would get out of hand quickly. At the very least, I won't be able to handle it." There's no way that I can handle something that Benno can't. If I'm asked whether I want to sow confusion, just when the state of affairs has calmed down after the purge and ma.s.s appointments in the central government and with the current lack of n.o.bles, the answer is no. I don't want to do something as troublesome as that. "If it's just picking up Tronbay in the forest, it's probably possible to use that as a deception, since that is what we've been doing so far. But I believe it would be best to stay silent regarding life extension and identification of those with the Devouring." "... Okay." I'm still not happy at all that I cannot save the lives that I should be able to save, even if I understand it logically. My dissatisfaction likely showed on my face clearly. Benno shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Don't put on such a face. ... It's fine if you secretly help those whom you happen to find. I'm just telling you to not let the n.o.bles suspect anything. Can you declare war against n.o.ble society? The customers for your books will be n.o.bles, right?" I laughed at Benno's last words. It cheered me up a bit. If there's someone suffering from the Devouring in front of me, I will save them. Places that I can't see are none of my business. It's best if I just keep that mindset. "At the very least I won't be able to declare a war until I have raised the literacy rate to the level that ordinary citizens will be able to freely read books. Though it's still unthinkable for me to do such troublesome thing." Once I develop what I remember of printing techniques...I continue, "Then, I can create textbooks based on the Scriptures. If I propagate the Scriptures, even the Temple Master shouldn't have any complaints." I conclude by asking Benno, "How about that? It's perfect, isn't it?" "Since it's your plan, I imagine it will be full of holes, but that's fine. ... Say, Maine, can't you use your head for anything else but books?" "Well, given that I have never used it for anything besides books, it's more like I don't know whether I can use it or not though", I add. Benno laughs and says, "It's the truth" then changes his expression all of a sudden. With a serious expression and a somewhat lowered volume he starts a serious topic. "That means you have to keep silent about the Tau fruit so that we can monopolize the Tronbay as long as possible, is that clear?" "Yes." "Well then, I'd like to hear your opinion about the last entry on the problem list I handed you the other day." ... Ah, is that why he sent Lutz away on an errand? Realizing that Lutz had been sent away so Benno could ask about this in private, I widen my eyes and gulp.

神官長への献本とシンデレラ わたしは神殿の自室に着くと、青の衣に着替えるためにまず二階に上がる。すると、デリアがすでに青の衣を準備して待っていてくれて、着替えを手伝ってくれるのだ。一人で勝手に着替えたら、デリアに「もー!」と怒られるので、いつも通り腕を曲げたり、伸ばしたり、デリアの動きに合わせなければならない。 「予想以上に素敵でしたわ」 「え? 何?」 「もー! 一番に読ませて頂いた絵本ですわよ! 感想が聞きたいと、マイン様が言っていたではありませんか!」 「あ、絵本の話ね。何の話か一瞬わからなかっただけです。デリアの感想が聞けて嬉しいわ。......きちんと最後まで読めたのね? ずいぶん字が読めるようになっているんじゃない?」 デリアは一人で勉強しているのでギルより進度が遅かったはずだ。全部読めるとは思っていなかった。 「......ギルに少し教えてもらったのです。カルタも見せてもらって」 「マイン様、お話はそれくらいにして、フェシュピールの練習をいたしましょう。時間がございません」 「ロジーナ、どうしたの? 顔がちょっと強張っているけれど?」 「神官長から、面会時に第二課題を披露するように、と返事が来ております」 ロジーナの言葉に、あぁ、とわたしは納得した。神官長の前でお披露目しなければならないなら、ロジーナの緊張もわかる。 「では、頑張って練習しなければなりませんね。神官長の指定はいつですか?」 「昼食後でございます」 「......ねぇ、ロジーナ。いつの、昼食後かしら?」 手紙を預かってきたフランが言うには、神官長も近くの農村で行われる収穫祭に向かわなければならなくなったらしい。しばらく時間が取れなくなるため、出発前に面会を終わらせたいようだ。手早く処理してくれるのは嬉しいけれど、いきなりフェシュピールのお披露目まで付けられると、心臓の準備ができない。 「慌てるのは優雅ではございません、マイン様。決して神官長に悟られないようにお気を付けくださいませ」 3の鐘まで必死に練習して、その後、神官長のお手伝いを平然とした顔でこなす。急なお披露目でも慌ててませんよ、という無言のアピールをして、昼食を手早く済ませると、出発時間ギリギリまでロジーナと特訓する。 自作の歌は、映画の主題歌だったラブソングは止めて、無難な学校唱歌に変更した。直訳ならともかく、適当な替え歌を作るのが難しすぎた。毎回、ちょっとずつ歌詞が変わったり、気が付いたら英語の歌詞を口ずさんでいたりするので、ロジーナに呆れられてしまったのだ。 「落ち着いて弾けば大丈夫ですわよ。あたしよりは上手なんですもの」 「ありがとう、デリア。頑張ってきますね」 デリアの激励を受けて、わたしは子供用聖典やシンデレラの文章を持ったフランと小さい方のフェシュピールを持ったロジーナと一緒に神官長の部屋に向かった。 「では、あれからどのくらい上達したか、聴かせてもらおう」 課題曲に続けて、学校唱歌「大きな栗の木の下で」を歌う。栗ではなく、胡桃のような木の実の名前を入れて、違和感がないようにしてある。 受け取った楽譜に目を通して、次の課題曲がちょっと難しいことにげんなりしながらも、無事に切りぬけられたことにホッと胸を撫で下ろす。 「ロジーナ、これを」 ロジーナにフェシュピールを手渡し、わたしはアルノーが入れてくれたお茶に手を伸ばした。緊張の時間を切り抜けた後のお茶はとてもおいしく感じる。 「それで、君の用件は子供用の聖典ができたという話だったな?」 わたしがフランに視線を向けると、フランは軽く頷いてスッと神官長に絵本を差し出した。神官長は差し出された本を見て、眉を寄せながら手に取る。 「これが本だと? この表紙は何だ?」 隠し部屋にいる時と違って、神官長の表情がほとんど変わらないのでわかりにくいけれど、口調が咎めるようなものになっている。何故、表紙を見ただけでそんな尖った声を出されるのか、わからなくて、わたしは首を傾げた。 「何と言われましても、紙ですけれど?」 「それは見ればわかる。何故、紙の間に花が入っているんだ?」 「え? 入れたからです」 「それもわかる。どうして入れたのか、聞いているんだ」 苛立たしげに神官長の声がどんどん尖ってくる。どうしてそんなに機嫌が急降下しているのか、全くわからない。ベンノは貴族の令嬢に受けそうだと喜んでくれたけれど、紙の間に花を漉くのは禁じられているのだろうか。 「どうしてって、花が入っている方が可愛いと思ったからです。何か問題がありましたか?」 理解不能だと言いたそうに、むむっと眉を寄せた神官長が立ち上がって、寝台の奥の隠し部屋へと向かい始めた。わたしも神官長のことが理解不能で、同じようにむむっと眉を寄せながら、神官長の後を追う。 「マイン様、これを」 慌てた様子のフランがわたしにシンデレラの文章を書いた紙を差し出してきた。わたしは「ありがとう」と受け取ると、神官長が開けているドアをくぐった。 相変わらず雑然とした隠し部屋に入って、わたしはいつもの長椅子に向かう。長椅子を占領している資料を退けようとして、これが魔術の資料かもしれないと思い出した。 「こら、見てはならないと言ったはずだ」 「申し訳ございません。......それで、何のお話でした?」 「どのようにすれば、紙の間に花が挟めるのか、と聞いてるのだ。工房独自の秘密というなら、無理には聞かぬが、紙の間に花が挟まっているなどおかしいだろう?」 「おかしくないですよ? 紙を漉く過程で、パラパラと入れればできます」 「......パラパラだと?」 簀桁の上で花を散らすように指をひらひらさせながら説明したけれど、神官長には全く通じなかったようだ。 「えーと、植物紙と羊皮紙は作り方が根本から違うので、どうしても気になるなら、今度工房まで見学に来てください」 「そうだな。君の説明ではさっぱりわからぬ」 「本というのは芸術品だ。表紙が皮張りで、宝石や金があしらわれていて、絵には色がふんだんに使われていて、鮮やかで美しいものでなければならぬ。この本では芸術的な価値が低いぞ。せっかく良い絵なのだから、色を付けなさい。もったいない」 美しい字を書く者に本文を書かせ、芸術家や絵の工房に挿絵を頼み、皮の職人に表紙を作らせるのが、神官長にとっての本らしい。図書室に置かれていた本を思い出して、わたしはふるふると頭を振る。

Chapter 144: The Book to the Head Priest and Cinderella (121.1)Translator: Rebeka When I got to the Dean's Office in the temple, I had to change into my blue robe, but I couldn't do it myself. Dalia would growl at me angrily if I changed on my own. Whether I bend or straighten my arm, I had to match her movements. At the beginning we had no understanding. Changing clothes was like a fight, which made me think I'd better do it myself. But now I was naturally in her service. "I am a little like a n.o.ble daughter." I thought as I waited for her to comb my hair, but she was distracted, and then suddenly murmured, "It's better than I thought." "What?" "I mean the picture book you want me to be the first to read! Didn't you say you wanted to hear my thoughts?" "Ah, so that's what you said. I just didn't get what you were saying. I'm glad you're willing to share your thoughts. Have you read the whole book? You seem to have picked up a lot of words." Dalia had been studying alone and at a slower pace than Gil. To be honest, I didn't expect her to finish it so soon. "... I asked Gil to teach me some words and how to play Karuta." "Master Maine, there is no time for you to chat now. Please hurry up and practice the fespiel." "What's the matter, Rosina? You look nervous." "I have received a letter from the Head Priest, in which he asks you to perform the second etude at your meeting." When I heard Rosina say that, I understood immediately. No wonder she was so nervous. Anyone would be nervous at such news. "Well, I'll have to practice. When did he specify?" "After lunch." "... Which day's lunch, Rosina?" Fran told Rosina that the Head Priest had to go to the Harvest Festival in a nearby village and would not be back for a long time, so he wanted to meet me before he left. While I was glad he was willing to take care of my affairs as soon as possible, his request was too much of a surprise. "Grace, Master Maine, is in deliberation. Be careful not to betray your inner confusion to the Head Priest." I practiced ferociously until the third bell, then calmly a.s.sisted the Head Priest with his duties until the fourth bell, just like I didn't think performing in front of him was a big deal. During my stay in the Head Priest's Office, I had been quietly testifying to him that I was methodical in spite of his sudden request on me to perform. I then had a frantic lunch and practiced until the last second of my break. I wish someone would compliment me on my efforts behind the scenes. I gave up the love songs in the movie for the regular school songs. The lyrics of love songs were difficult to translate or adapt, so I sang them differently every time, and sometimes I slipped out of English, which made Rosina worry a lot. "It will be all right if you keep calm, for you are a better player than I am." "Thank you, Dalia. I'll try." Encouraged by Dalia, my confidence soared. I went with Fran and Rosina to the Head Priest's Office. The children's Edition of the Scripture and the first draft of Cinderella were held by Fran, while the fespiel was held by Rosina. "Sorry to be so sudden. Let me hear how much you've improved since then." From deep inside my ears came the sound of pounding heart. I plucked the strings and performed an etude and a school song one after another. When I performed the school song, I didn't use the chestnut in the lyrics, but changed it to a local nut so that it didn't sound out of place. The Head Priest nodded with satisfaction, praising my performance as "very good". I looked at the score handed to me by the Head Priest and found that the next etude was a little difficult. I couldn't help but feel exhausted, but also relieved that I had made it through. "Rosina, hold this for me, please." I handed Rosina the fespiel and reached for Arnaud's tea. After the trial, I felt that the tea tasted especially good today. The Head Priest, on the contrary, had been listening to me while drinking his tea, and was putting his teacups back on the table. "So you asked for a meeting because the Children's Edition of the Scripture was ready?" I looked at Fran. Fran bowed his head and quickly handed the picture book to the Head Priest. The Head Priest stared at it and tapped his temple with his fingertips. "You call it a book? What's with this cover?" Unlike in the secret room, his expression barely changed, making it difficult for me to read his emotions, but there was a clear note of reproach in his voice. Why did he make such a shrill voice just because he saw the cover? "It's just paper. Why?" "I know that. What I want to ask is why there are flowers in the paper?" "Huh? Because we put flowers in it." "I know that too. I mean, why did you put flowers in it?" The more impatient the Head Priest became, and the more severe his tone became, for there was no answer he wanted to hear; but I had no idea why his mood had suddenly taken such a turn. When Seeing this cover, Benno was very happy and thought that it would be very popular among the n.o.ble daughters. Did the aristocrats forbid flowers in the paper? "Er... because I think it's cute. What's wrong with that?" The Head Priest shook his head as if unable to understand me. He got up and went to the secret room at the back. I couldn't understand his reaction either, so I followed him to my feet. "Don't forget this, Master Maine." Fran hurried over to me the paper on which the Cinderella was written. After Thanking him, I went through the door the Head Priest opened. Stepping into the permanently cluttered secret room, I walked to my usual bench. I was about to push away the files that occupied the bench when it occurred to me that they might be those related to magic. "Maine, I said you couldn't." "I beg your pardon... what would you like to ask?" "I'm asking you, how on earth do you have to make paper with flowers in it? I wouldn't force you to answer, if it's a feat of the workshop, but it's very unusual to have flowers in the paper, isn't it?" "Unusual? You add petals to the materials and you make the paper like this." "... Add petals?" I moved my finger and made the motion of sprinkling the petals into the papermaking machine, but the Head Priest didn't seem to understand. It occurred to me that the only "paper" he had ever seen was basically parchment. If he only knew how to make parchment, he really couldn't understand how to make flower-paper. "Well... Plant-paper is made in a completely different way from parchment, so if you're curious, please visit the workshop sometime." "All right. I don't understand your instructions at all." "A book is a work of art. It should be covered in leather, decorated with precious stones and gold, and painted in lots of colour. The whole book should be bright and beautiful. From an artistic point of view, this book is of little value. The ill.u.s.trations are so good that they should have been coloured. What a waste." Let the calligrapher write, let the painter draw, and let the craftsman make the cover, so as to make the book in his mind. I had only to think back to the books in the library to see what he is thinking at once.

閑話 カトルカールの試食会 俺はベンノ。 街に店を構えている者の中でも一定以上の税を納めることができる大店のオーナーばかりが集められた会議の最後に、ギルド長であるくそじじいが出席者全員の顔を見回して口を開いた。 「議題は以上かな? では、大会議室で新しく売り出す予定のお菓子の試食会を開催している。時間があれば立ち寄ってくれ。連れている従者の分も用意してあると言っていたぞ」 本当に、あの阿呆は次から次へと! 市場を揺るがすような物を持ってきやがって! マインがあまり注目されないように骨を折っているこっちの苦労も知らずに、あの考え無しが! 自分の店の目玉商品となるものは、普通独占したいので、今まではこんな風に売りだし前の商品を周知することなどなかった。 「カトルカールの試食会にようこそ。気に入ったカトルカールを選んで、箱の中にこの木札を入れてください」 大会議室に入ったところで、頭を同じ布で覆った少年少女が数人並んでいて、入って来た客に小さな木札を3つずつ渡していた。 「一番気に入った物に3つ入れても良いし、3種類選んでもらってもいいです」 俺は渡された木札を手の平に握りながら、ぐるりと部屋を見回す。会議室の中を歩き回る者が同じ布を頭に付けているので、開催側の人間をすぐに識別することができた。 「これがカトルカールか」 机が5列も並んでいて、それぞれの列ごとに種類の違うカトルカールが並べられているのが見える。一口サイズに切り分けられたカトルカールだが、俺の予想と違って種類が多かった。 「あ、ベンノさんだ!」 「マイン、お前はここで何をしているんだ?」 「いたたっ! お手伝いですよ?」 この恰好を見てわかりません? と首を傾げたマインの頭を覆っている布をグイッと剥ぎ取る。 「今すぐ着替えろ。これから入ってくる商人達にお前の姿を印象付けるな。何のために俺が紙を作り、髪飾りを作ったお前の存在を隠していると思っているんだ? こっちの店でも矢面に立つか? 派手に宣伝してやろうか?」 「ぅあぅ......。すぐに着替えてきます。ルッツ、ここにいてね」 俺が剥ぎ取った布を返すと、マインは早足で大会議場を出ていく。それを見て、俺は軽く息を吐いた。 なるべくマインは目立たない方が良い。後ろ盾がない子供が目立っても、碌な結果にはならない。父親が死んで、成人したばかりの自分が店を継いだ時でさえ、若輩者と侮られ、数々の苦い思いをしたのだから、洗礼式を終えたばかりの子供なんて食い物にされるだけだ。 「旦那様は......マインには厳しいんですね」 「ルッツ、マインを守る気があるなら覚えておけ。商人としての後ろ盾もなければ、神殿で後見してくれる貴族も決まっていないマインは宙ぶらりんで非常に危うい存在なんだ」 延命のことを考えても、これから先の貴族との繋がりを考えても、現時点では神殿に入った方がマインのためではある。だが、これから先、数年後も同じ状況が続くとは思えないのが頭の痛いところだ。 「え? でも、旦那様が後見なんじゃ......?」 「一応表面的にはマイン工房の責任者をしている関係で、俺が保護者扱いになるが、その関係は薄い。せめて、お前と同じ見習いにできれば、もっとやりようがあったが、すでに神殿入りを決めてしまった以上、俺の手が届く範囲はそう広くない。今までと違って、お前の目も届きにくくなるんだ。変な目立ち方はしない方が良い」 商人の子供と違って、生活の全てに違いがあるルッツは商人としては足りないところが多い。他の見習いとの差を何とか埋めようとルッツはいつも必死だ。じっとマルクや俺を見ては、少しでも多くのものを盗もうとしているのがよくわかる。 ルッツの向上心の強さを俺は結構気に入っている。 「ルッツ、お前はこのカトルカールをどう思う? 商品としてだ」 「......貴族にも間違いなく売れると思います。多分すごく歓迎される」 「根拠は? お前は貴族が何を好むか、普段どういうものを食べているか知らないだろう?」 俺が突っ込んで質問したけれど、ルッツは特に悩んだ様子もなく、答えを出した。 「えーと、ギルド長は貴族街に入ることになるフリーダのために、生活の全てにできるだけ貴族のものを取り入れているって、マインから聞きました。料理人も貴族の家で働いていた人を引きぬいてきたらしいです。だから、フリーダやその料理人が自信を持って売ろうとするなら、売れると思います」 ギルド長の家のことについて、俺はあまり知らなかった。ギルド長が家に金をかけているのは知っていたが、生活にできるだけ貴族のものを取り入れているとは知らなかった。思わぬ情報に軽く目を見張る。子供同士の繋がりから来る情報も侮れないようだ。 「ただいま、ルッツ」 ウチの見習い服に着替えたマインが戻ってくる。これで、俺がマインとルッツを連れていてもそれほど不思議ではないだろう。 「旦那様、これが何も入っていないカトルカールなんです。オレが初めて食べたのはこれでした」 ルッツが一番右端のカトルカールを指差してそう言った。以前に食べた味を思い出しているのか、今にもよだれを垂らさんばかりの顔をして、ルッツは期待に満ちた目で切り分けられたカトルカールを見ている。 「イルゼさんは研究熱心だからね、あの時よりすごくおいしくなってるよ。このテーブルはフェリジーネ入り。そこのテーブルは蜂蜜が混ざってるやつで、あっちは胡桃入り。向こうは最新作のお茶の葉入りなんです。さぁ、食べてみてください」 まるで自分の手柄のように胸を張って説明するマインが何となく面白くなくて、フンと軽く鼻を鳴らしながら見下ろした。 「この種類の多さはお前がボロボロ情報を零した結果じゃないのか?」 「うっ......。さ、砂糖と引き換えだから、無駄に零したわけじゃないもん」 こいつはどうやら情報と引き換えにちゃっかりと自分用の砂糖を手に入れていたらしい。商人らしくなったと褒めてやるべきか、あっちに有利な情報を回すなと拳骨をくれてやるべきか悩むところだ。 「それに、わたしが教えたのは、このフェリジーネとお茶の葉だけですよ。それだって、配分は全部イルゼさんが研究した成果だから、わたしだけが原因ってわけでもないんです」 「ベンノさんも食べてみてください。おいしいですよ」 ひょいっと口に入れて味わうマインを見て、ルッツもテーブルの上に手を伸ばす。周囲で驚きの声が上がっているので、おいしいことは間違いないだろう。俺もカトルカールを口に入れた。 何だ、これは!? 指で摘まんだ時から分かっていたが、ふわりとしていて、口の中でほろほろと溶けていくような柔らかさだ。見た目はパンのように見えたが、パンはこんなに柔らかくない。スープにつけて食べるのが基本だ。 そして、今までに食べたことがない甘みに、驚愕する。甘くて味がしっかりしているが、蜂蜜漬けを食べた時のような凝縮された甘みでもなく、果物を食べる時の甘みとも全く違う優しい甘さが口全体に広がっていく。甘さとバターの混ざった匂いも食欲を刺激してもっと食べたいと思わせるものだった。 「おいしいですか?」 褒め言葉を期待しているのか、金色の目を輝かせてマインが見上げてくる。素直に褒めるのは何だか癪で、マインを無視して俺はフェリジーネ入りのカトルカールに手を伸ばした。 「イルゼさん、すごいでしょ?」 余所の料理人を絶賛するマインを避けて、テーブルを移動すると、蜂蜜が混ざっているカトルカールを口に入れた。 「甘いけど、それほどくどくないでしょ?」 次は胡桃入りだ。胡桃入りのパンに似ていて、一番見慣れている見た目だった。しかし、食感は普段食べているパンとは全く違う。生地が柔らかすぎて、胡桃の固さが浮いて感じられた。柔らかい生地がすぐに口の中から消えていき、胡桃だけが口に残る。慣れれば、この歯ごたえが良いのかもしれないが、俺はあまり好きではない。 「ねぇ、ベンノさん。答えてくださいよ」 「黙れ。うるさい」 お茶の葉入りというところで一瞬躊躇したが、口に入れてみると非常に香りが高かった。胡桃と違って中に入っている葉が完全にすり潰されていて、口当たりも全く気にならない。確かにお茶の味がするけれど、甘いお菓子で、不思議な感じだ。甘みが強いわけでもないのにおいしい。この中で一番男性受けはすると思った。少なくとも、俺は一番気に入った。 「ベンノさんはどれに木札入れますか?」 ここに並べられたカトルカールは、どれもこれもぎょっとするほど美味だった。これは間違いなく貴族階級に広がるだろう。誰もが欲しがる味だ。追従を許さないほど、今までのお菓子とは差がある。 「おい、マイン」 「何ですか?」 「どうしてこんなレシピをギルド長に渡した?」 貴族社会に切り込むためには、大きな武器になるだろうレシピだ。俺が欲しかった。 「渡したのはイルゼさんですけど......」 「あのくそじじいの店で売られるなら、一緒だ」 カトルカールであのくそ爺はまた貴族への影響力を強めるに違いない。俺の苛立ちに気付いたらしいマインが困ったように眉を寄せた。 「ベンノさんって、ギルド長に対してすごく態度良くないですよね? どうしてですか?」 そういえば、マインには話したことがなかったな、と思いつつ、思い返すのも不愉快な過去のあれこれが頭をよぎる。 「成長中のウチの店はずっと目の敵にされていたんだが、あのくそじじい、父が死んだ直後に母を後添えにして店を吸収しようとしやがった」 商売のために叔父の店へと向かった父は、金目当ての盗賊に襲われて死んだ。街の近くでの犯行だったため、遺体だけは帰ってきたが、傷だらけの惨い状態で、母はしばらく寝込んだ。 「へ? そ、それはギルド長の後添えってことですか?」 「あぁ。母が断ったら、一つ一つは小さい嫌がらせをこれでもかとしてきて......これは今でも続いているな。ギルドで申請してもなかなか通らなかったり、難癖をつけられたりするだろう?」 「あぁ~......」 何度か巻き添えを食らっているマインとルッツは顔をしかめた。俺だけではなく、俺の周りにも迷惑を撒き散らすくそじじいなのだ。 「恋人が死んだ直後に満面の笑顔で自分の娘を斡旋してきたり、成人前の妹達に俺より年上の息子を宛がおうとしたりするような相手に、お前は態度良くできるのか?」 商売に関して言えば、とんでもない無理難題も色々あったが、マインを相手にそんな苦労自慢をしても意味がない。あのくそじじいが人としておかしいということだけ伝わればいい。 「......えーと、見ようによっては、ギルベルタ商会がすごく評価されてるってことですよね? ギルド長が強引で粘着質で面倒なのは否定しませんけど」 苦しい逃げ方だが、マインも多少はギルド長の面倒さがわかっているらしい。 「それで、何故そんな厄介なギルド長にレシピを渡した?」 「何故って言われても......前にも言った通り、フリーダとお菓子作りをする約束をしていたから一緒に作っただけなんですよ」 「だが、契約したんだろう?」 「一年だけの独占契約ですよ? そんなに目くじら立てるほどのものですか?」 期間を定めたというのはマインにしてはなかなかよく考えたと思うが、それが本当に守られるのかが不安だ。あの孫娘に丸めこまれてずるずると独占状態が続くのではないだろうか。 「......本当に一年後に公開するのか?」 「はい。お菓子なんて独占するものじゃないし、色んな人に作ってほしいですから」 マインは一年間の独占権でレシピを売ったと言っているが、砂糖が手に入らない以上、しばらくはギルド長の店での独占状態になるだろう。 「なぁ、マイン。お前、他にもレシピを知っていると言ったな? 他の物はウチに売る気はないか?」 「......今のベンノさんには売っても意味がないですよ? ベンノさんには砂糖と料理人が足りないんです」 「どういう意味だ?」 「わたしが知っているお菓子のレシピはだいたい砂糖を使うんです。それに、一番大事なのは腕の良い料理人です。貴族の家で働いたことがあるくらいの腕の持ち主じゃなきゃ、わたしがレシピを教えたところですぐさま再現できないんですよ」 「貴族の館......?」 「オーブンが自在に使えることが必須条件なんです。パン工房以外にオーブンってないみたいだし、あまり普及してないんですよね?」 個人的にオーブンを持っているような家はほとんどない。よほどの金持ちで、食道楽でもなければ、そんなものは必要ないからだ。つまり、ギルド長の家にはオーブンがあり、それを自在に使える料理人がいるということだ。 「あら、ベンノさんが全てを揃える前に、わたくしがマインのレシピを全部買い取りますわ。ウチの料理人は新しいレシピに目がないんですもの」 クスクスと笑う幼い声に思わず振り返ると、春の花のような髪を両耳の上で結ったギルド長の孫娘がそこにいた。 「ごきげんよう、ベンノさん。ごきげんよう、ルッツ」 俺を見上げてくる挑戦的な目があのくそじじいとそっくりだ。くそじじいが消えたら、少しは勝算が出てくるかと思っていたが、この孫娘は侮れない。マインにあの手この手で近付く辺り、金に関する嗅覚はじじい並みだ。 こっちが警戒している対象だというのに、マインはへらっとした笑顔で軽く手を振って親しげに話しかける。仲が良さそうな様子に少なくない焦りを感じてしまう。 「フリーダ。どう、試食会は?」 「マインのお陰で盛況ですわ。みんなカトルカールを褒めてくださるの。一年後にはレシピを公開すると言っているので、レシピの公開を心待ちにしている方も少なくないですわね」 警戒心が足りないと何度言えばわかるんだ、この馬鹿者! マインは何度となく俺にも騙されているが、不満そうに頬を膨らませる程度で済ませてしまう。どんな反応をするのか、きちんと気付けるのか、試しているこちらが心配になるくらい、警戒心がない。マインはきっと警戒心というものをどこかに落としてきたに違いない。 それでも、傍から見て、同じ年くらいの少女が友達同士で楽しげに語らっているのを邪魔するような大人げない対応は取れない。言質を取られたり、変に絡まれたりしないように会話が聞こえる範囲でルッツと二人で睨みを効かせておくしかない。 「なぁ、ルッツ。アイツはなんで命のかかった状況で騙されて、まだ笑顔で付き合いできるんだ?」 「......マインの考えることがオレにわかるはずがない。それに、オレはフリーダがあまり好きじゃないから」 マインに近付くな、とルッツの顔にはわかりやすく書いてある。緑の目に宿る独占欲は一番大事な友達に対するものなのか、すでに恋愛感情まで達しているのか、微妙なところだ。 「これから先も苦労しそうだな、ルッツ」 「へ?」 「マインを捕まえておくのは簡単じゃないってことだ」 ぐしゃぐしゃと頭を撫で回しながら、ルッツをそんな言葉で激励すると、ルッツは緑の目に強い光をきらめかせて、ゆっくりと頷いた。 「マイン、味はどうだい?」 そう言いながら、ずいぶんと親しげな様子で恰幅の良い女性がマインと孫娘に近付いてきた。全身から甘い香りを放っていて、頭には試食会関係者が付けている布を付けている。 「もちろん、すごくおいしいですよ。さっき食べたけど、お茶のカトルカールもすごくおいしくなってました。さすがイルゼさん」 マインに褒められて、相好を崩しているこの女性が、どうやらギルド長の家で働く料理人で、このカトルカールを作った人物らしい。 「そっちがベンノさんかい?」 「あぁ、そうだが?」 ギルド長の料理人に名指しで声をかけられる意味がわからない。マインがまた何かしでかしたのだろうか。眉を寄せる俺を、イルゼが上から下まで見る。 「......ふぅん」 その相手を見定めるような目はギルド長と似ているようで、俺は思わず目を細めた。孫娘を相手に本気を出すのは大人げないと思って、無意識にセーブしていたが、相手が大人ならば、遠慮はいらないだろう。 「マインの知識を縛り付けて独占しているのはアンタなんだろ?」 「はぁ? 別に独占などしていないが? 現にカトルカールのレシピがそちらに流れているだろう?」 できる物なら独占しておきたいが、マインはおとなしく独占させてくれない。縛り付けてと言うが、ポロッと零した程度の情報で市場がひっくり返るのだから、マインの知識は小出しにするくらいでちょうどいい。 「だいたい、マインに関する面倒事は全部こっちが引き受けているのに、おいしいところだけを掻っ攫っていくのはそっちだろう?」 マイン自身を守るために色々なところから情報を集めたり、ルッツとの繋がりを強固にするために契約魔術を使ったり、マインの存在を隠すために植物紙協会を設立したり、他にも色々と裏で暗躍している。考え無しのマインに苦労させられているのは、ギルド長ではなく、俺だ。 むぅと唇を尖らせているマインの額を、俺はピシッと指で弾いた。 「......契約魔術を2回ですって?」 マインと孫娘がぽかーんと口を開けて、同じ表情で俺を見上げてくる。間抜け面を見下ろして肩を竦めた。 「ったく、人の苦労も知らず......」 「アンタの苦労はどうでもいい。マインは再現できそうだと認めた相手にしかレシピを渡さないって言ってたからね。他の物はともかく、料理のレシピはアタシがもらうよ」 料理人にまで宣戦布告された。どうやらあのくそじじいの関係者と俺はことごとく対立関係になるらしい。 「誰が渡すか」 いつまでもカトルカールをギルド長に独占させてたまるか。独占契約が切れる一年以内に砂糖を手に入れて、腕の良い料理人を探してやる。砂糖に関しては少し疎遠になっている親戚筋をたどっていけば、多少の無茶で何とかなるはずだ。 頭の中で目まぐるしく計算しながらイルゼと睨みあっていると、マインが不安そうな顔でちょいちょいと俺の袖を引っ張った。 「ベンノさん、ベンノさん。料理人を探すのって、すごく大変なんですよ? 貴族に頼める伝手がなかったら無理ですよ」 「伝手なんか必要じゃない。必要なのは向上心とオーブンの扱いなんだろ?」 貴族の館で働けるくらいの腕が必要で、オーブンの扱いに慣れればいい。絶対に貴族の館で働いたことがなければならないわけではない。 「マイン、本がなければ自分で作ればいいとお前は言ったな? だったら、料理人がいなかったら?」 「......自分で育てればいいんじゃない?」 設備を整え、この街で腕の良い料理人を探して、お菓子だけに特化させた料理人を育てればいい。 「......やってやろうじゃねぇか」

Interlude: Pound Cake Tasting Party My name's Benno. I'm the owner of the Gilberta Company. I'm twenty-nine, and a bachelor. After a long meeting at the merchants' guild, attended by every shopkeeper who not only owns a store in the city, but owns a big enough one that they have to pay more than the minimum tax, the old a.s.shole that runs the guild looks around the room at each and every one of us before speaking. "That's it for today, hm? Well then, I'm holding an exhibition in the large conference room for a new kind of dessert that I'm planning on selling soon. Feel free to stop by if you've got the time. I've made sure to have some ready for any attendants you've brought along as well, of course." That absolute idiot just won't stop! She just keeps yanking out product after product after market-destabilizing product! And she doesn't even realize just how much work I have to put in to prevent everything from falling apart! That thoughtless little...! Because one typically wants to have a monopoly on their shop's signature merchandise, people have avoided throwing events like this to widely reveal their new products before they make it to market. If they wanted to build interest in a product before it reached shelves, they'd try to impress people by advertising whatever amazing inventor actually made the thing. That way, another shopkeeper couldn't just immediately copy the new product before it went up for sale. "Welcome to the pound cake sampling party. Please, select the kinds of cake that most suit you, then place these tokens in the corresponding box." When we enter the conference room, a few young boys and girls, wearing cloths over their faces, are lined up, handing three wooden slips to each of the guests as they walk in. "You may vote for your favorite three times if you choose, or you may split your votes across three different varieties of cake." I palm my stack of tokens as I glance around the room. All of the people already circulating through the room have the same cloths draped over their faces, making it easy to immediately tell who's staffing the party and who's a guest. Not many guests have made it here yet, and those that have are still warily looking around the room, so n.o.body has yet to start reaching for any cake. "So, this is pound cake, huh..." On tables in the center of the room, pieces of cake have been neatly arranged, each table containing a different variety of cake. The cake's been cut into bite-sized pieces, but there's more varieties of it than I'd been expecting. "Oh, Mister Benno!" "Maine, what do you think you're doing here?" "Ow ow ow! I'm just helping out, okay?" As she rubs her head, asking if it wasn't obvious based on what she's wearing, I reach out and yank off the cloth covering her face. "Go get changed, now. I don't want any of the merchants that are about to come strolling in here to learn what you look like. Why do you think I'm trying to keep the existence of the paper-inventing, hairpin-making little girl a secret, hm? Are you trying to bring everything down on my shop? Is this some sort of flashy self-promotion, perhaps?" "Nrgh... I'll go get changed. Lutz, stay here, okay?" I return her cloth to her, and she quickly heads out of the conference room. Watching her leave, I let out a small sigh. Maine's unusually clever for a girl her age, and picks up on things very quickly. She knows quite a bit that she ordinarily wouldn't. Despite that, though, she is terrible at paying attention to her surroundings. This is probably pretty normal for a kid, but it's really obvious how little she thinks about how much she stands out and how completely unconcerned she is about how dangerous that might be. As much as possible, it's best that she doesn't stand out at all. If a kid without any serious backing stands out too much, it doesn't turn out well for them at all. For example, my father died and I inherited his shop just about when I came of age. Everyone looked down on me for being inexperienced, and all sorts of awful things happened as a result of that. A kid fresh out of her baptismal ceremony would just be meat to them. "You are... quite strict with her, sir." "Lutz, if you want to protect that girl, remember this: without the backing of a merchant, Maine, who doesn't even have a n.o.ble guardian at the temple yet, is in an extremely precarious position." When I think of how joining the temple will prolong Maine's life, as well as how it'll let her form new relations.h.i.+ps with the n.o.bility, it's clearly the right decision for her. However, even trying to imagine what might happen if she keeps going on like she has for the last couple of years gives me an amazingly piercing headache. "Huh, but, aren't you her guardian...?" "Technically, I am the responsible party for Maine's Workshop, which allows me to be treated as something like her patron, but that's a pretty flimsy connection. If I'd been able to make her my apprentice like I did with you, I'd have more I can do, but it's already been decided that she's joining the temple, and my arms don't yet reach quite that far. Unlike how things are now, even you are going to have a hard time keeping an eye on her. It's best that she doesn't do anything to stand out." Lutz's upbringing, which was so completely different from a merchant's kid's, left him pretty lacking in a lot of areas when it comes to being a merchant. He's been frantically trying to cover up all of the ways he's different from the other apprentices. I'm very well aware that he's been studying both me and Mark intently, copying even the tiniest little things from us. Kid's got ambition. I like that a lot. "Lutz, what do you think of pound cake? As a commodity." "...I think it would undoubtedly sell quite well among the n.o.bility. It'll probably get a really good reception." "And what are you basing that on? I'm pretty sure you don't know anything about what the n.o.bles' tastes are like or what they usually eat, do you?" I'd tried to cut deep with that question, but Lutz seems particularly unperturbed as he quickly answers. "Umm, I heard from Maine that since Freida is going to be living in the n.o.bles' quarter, the guild master did everything he could to collect things that the n.o.bility use in their daily lives. This seems to include their cook, who he hired away from a n.o.bleman. That's why I think that if Freida and that cook are both confident that it'll sell, then it'll sell." I actually hadn't heard much about the guild master's house. I know that he'd put a lot of money into it, but I didn't know that he'd gathered things to mimic the n.o.bles' daily lives. My eyes widen a little in amazement at this information. Looks like I can't underestimate the value of the information that kids might share between themselves. "Lutz, I'm back!" Maine returns, wearing the apprentice's clothes for my shop. Now, if anyone looks at the three of us, n.o.body will think anything's odd at all. "Master Benno," says Lutz, pointing at the cake on the far right table, "this is the pound cake with nothing else added to it. This is the kind that I tried before." He looks like he's about to start drooling, maybe because he's thinking about what it tasted like last time. His eyes are basically glued to the line of cake, glimmering with raw expectation. "Miss Ilse is really enthusiastic about self-improvement, so she's made it way better than last time. And then also, the cake on this table has ferigine added to it. This table's cake has honey in it, and that one has walnuts. The one over there is the latest invention, and it's got tea leaves added to it. Please, try some!" She's puffed out her chest proudly, as if all of this was her own achievement. I snort, looking down at her, somehow entirely unamused. "And this is because you just told them about all of these varieties, didn't you?" "Urgh... I, I traded sugar for these, so I wasn't just giving them ideas for free." It seems like she somehow managed to trade that information for some sugar for her own personal use. I'm caught between wanting to praise her shrewdness for actually being a little merchant-like and wanting to smack her on the head for giving them such incredibly valuable information. "Also, the only ones I told them about were this ferigine one and the tea leaf one. Most of this is because of Miss Ilse's research, so it's not like I came up with all of this." "You should try this, Mister Benno. It's good!" She pops the piece of cake in her mouth and savors the taste. Lutz reaches for his own slice, too. Based on the astonished voices that I'm hearing, it's pretty obvious that it's actually good. I take a bite as well. What is this?! I could tell from the moment I picked it up that it's soft and fluffy, and when I put it in my mouth it crumbles and almost melts away. It looks like bread at first glance, but no bread I've ever seen has been this tender. Bread is something you dip in soup to eat. I'm also shocked at how I've never tasted sweetness like this before. It's very sweet, but unlike things that have been soaked in honey, it's not a concentrated, cloying sweetness, nor is it anything like the sweetness of a fruit, but instead a gentle sweetness that spreads all throughout my mouth. That sweetness, mixed with the savory taste of b.u.t.ter, stimulates my appet.i.te and leaves me wanting more. "It's tasty, right?" Maine looks up at me, eyes glimmering, probably looking for some sort of praise. Honest praise like that just kinda annoys me, so I ignore her, reaching for a piece of the ferigine cake. It's as light and tender as the first piece, but the aroma of ferigine fills my mouth as well. The taste is refres.h.i.+ng, and it goes down easily. Just by adding a little bit of flavor to it, my impression has changed dramatically. I glance up, looking at the other tables. "Miss Ilse is really great, isn't she?" I brush off Maine as she talks about how great someone else's cook is, and move to the next table. I pick up a piece of the honey-laden cake and pop it into my mouth. Unlike the other pieces I've eaten so far, this cake is a bit heavier, and the sweetness is much more concentrated. It's a more familiar taste, and this feels like it's the sweetest cake out of all of the ones I've eaten so far. This'll probably be the one that's most popular with kids, who tend to put sweetness above all else. "It's sweet, but it's not too heavy, right?" The next is the one with walnuts. It's the most familiar-looking cake of the bunch, since it resembles bread with walnuts in it. However, the texture is entirely unlike the bread that I normally eat. The cake itself is far lighter, giving the impression that the firm nuts are floating in it. The tender cake quickly melts away in my mouth, leaving only the nuts behind. I think this kind of mouth feel would probably be good if I got used to it, but I don't really like it all that much. "Hey, Mister Benno. Answer me, please?" "Shut up. You're too loud." I hush Maine, who's been circling restlessly and chirping incessantly at me like the noisiest baby bird, and move on to the final table. The fact that I'm told it has tea leaves in it gives me momentary pause, but when I hesitantly take a bite, the flavor of it really hits me. Unlike the walnuts, the leaves have been thoroughly ground up, so I don't notice them at all. It definitely tastes like tea, but also like a sweet dessert, which is something entirely new to me. The sweetness isn't as strong, but it's still delicious. This, I think, is going to be the most popular with men. At least, it's my favorite. "Which are you going to vote for, Mister Benno?" Every single one of these cakes is an eye-poppingly fantastic delicacy. These are, without a doubt, going to spread like wildfire amongst the n.o.bility. This is the kind of taste that everyone will crave. It would not be an empty exaggeration to say that there's a huge difference between these and the desserts already on the market. "Hey, Maine." "What is it, sir?" "Why'd you give this recipe to the guild master?" For someone trying to break into n.o.ble society, this recipe would have been a ma.s.sive weapon in my a.r.s.enal. I would have wanted this. When I glare down at Maine, though, she just blinks, tilting her head to the side. "But I gave it to Miss Ilse, though..." "That old b.a.s.t.a.r.d's the one selling it. Same thing either way." This pound cake is only going to strengthen that s.h.i.+tty old man's clout amongst the n.o.bles. Maine frowns, concernedly, looking like she's maybe picked up on my frustration. "Mister Benno, you always seem to have a really bad relations.h.i.+p with the guild master, don't you? Why's that?" It suddenly occurs to me that I might not have actually told her that story, but as I think about that, fragments of unpleasant memories flash across my mind. "When I was growing up, he always had it out for my family's shop, but when my dad died, that utter a.s.shole tried to get my mom to be his second wife so he could absorb the shop too." One day, when my father had gone out travelling to my uncle's shop to do some business, he was attacked by a thief, who wanted his money, and was killed in the process. Since he was still near the city when this happened, they were able to recover his corpse, but it was cut up so badly that my mother locked herself away for a while after she saw it. And then that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d just gleefully waltzed right in on her in the midst of her grief. "Huh? Th... the guild master wanted her to be his second wife?" "Yeah. She refused, of course, and then after that he started doing one little thing after another to hara.s.s us. It's still going on now! Remember how much trouble we had getting you registered with the guild? How he tried to find any excuse to reject your application?" "A~ahh..." Maine and Lutz both grimace, remembering the times when they'd gotten tangled up in this mess. That s.h.i.+tty old man doesn't just hurt me, he goes after everyone around me, too. "Now, if you had to constantly deal with the kind of person who'd come up to you right when your lover dies and, with a big smile on his face, introduce you to his daughter, or, worse, constantly try to p.a.w.n off his sons, who are much older than me, on your little sisters who haven't even come of age yet, do you think you'd be able to maintain a nice, friendly relations.h.i.+p?" If I were to talk about business too, I'd have all sorts of stories about the unreasonable demands he's piled on me, but Maine won't get much meaning out of those kinds of war stories. It's good enough to just make sure she knows how terrible of a person that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d is. "...Ummm, I guess, depending on your point of view, that means that the Gilberta Company is really highly-valued, isn't it? I'm not saying that the guild master isn't causing you trouble with how pushy he's being, though." She avoided replying directly, but it seems that she basically understands how troublesome that guild master is. "So," I say, "why did you give that troublesome guild leader your recipe?" "I mean, if you really want to know... all I wanted to really wanted to do was make sweets with Freida, like I'd promised her." "But then you made a contract, didn't you?" "It's just a one-year exclusivity agreement, you know? Is that really something to get so mad at me about?" Putting a time restriction on that contract was remarkably well thought-out for one of Maine's deals, but I'm not at all a.s.sured that she'll be able to enforce that. I wonder if Freida's going to be able to coax her into extending the monopoly deadline indefinitely? "...So you're really going to open the recipe to the public after one year?" "Yes, sir. I don't want sweets to be monopolized. I want lots of people to be making them!" Even if she's saying that she only sold them monopoly rights to the recipe for one year, though, if n.o.body can actually get their hands on sugar, then the guild master's shop is probably still going to effectively have a monopoly on it. I've got a bad feeling that, even though I don't want to be left behind more than I already have, there's so many more ways they can pull further ahead. "Say, you mentioned that you know other recipes, didn't you? You sure you don't want to sell those to me?" "...Even if I did sell them to you, you wouldn't be able to do anything with them, right? You don't have any sugar or any cooks." "What do you mean?" "All of the recipes for sweets that I know require sugar. But, more importantly, the most important thing I need is a really good cook. If they're not as skilled as someone who's worked in a n.o.ble house, then even if I told them what the recipe is, they wouldn't immediately be able to recreate it." "Why a n.o.ble house...?" "Because they need to be able to use an oven whenever they want. I don't think that there's ovens anywhere except bakeries, so they're not really spreading, are they?" There aren't very many households that have their own personal ovens. Generally, unless you're very rich or a gourmand, there's no real need for one. So, in other words, the guild master's house has an oven, and they also have someone who is capable of using it well. "Oh my," snickers a child from behind me, "it looks like I might be able to buy all of Maine's recipes before you can even get all of your things together. Our cook, after all, is always hungry for new recipes." I turn to look, and see the guild master's daughter, with hair the color of spring flowers gathered into bunches over each of her ears. "Good afternoon, Mister Benno. Good afternoon, Lutz." The way her eyes are so full of challenge when she looks up at me is exactly like that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I kept trying to tell myself that if that s.h.i.+tty old man disappeared one day, my life would get a little easier, but I can't underestimate this girl. She's got the same nose for money her grandfather does, the way she's been getting so close to Maine. Despite the fact that Maine has been increasingly vigilant against me, when she sees Freida, she smiles widely and waves at her, greeting her in a friendly way. I can't help but be a little irritated at just how well they're getting along. "Freida! How's the party going?" "Spectacularly, thanks to your help. Everyone is loving the pound cake. And, since you've been talking about releasing the recipe in a year's time, there's no small number of people looking forward to that as well!" How many times do I have to tell this idiot to be more careful until she gets it! I've managed to trick her a few times, but every single time she unhappily puffs out her cheeks and then still follows through. She doesn't watch out for the kinds of expressions people are making, how much attention they're paying, or even whether or not they're testing her. She lacks so much wariness that I'm actually concerned. I'm convinced that the concept of wariness just fell out of her head at some point and she never bothered to go looking for it. Even still, as an adult watching from the sidelines, there's no way that I can intrude on two little girls having a friendly chat with each other. Unless she makes some sort of promise or gets caught up in something strange, the only thing I can do is stand here with Lutz, glaring at the two of them. "Lutz," I say. "How can that girl be so friendly with someone who used the fact that she was on her deathbed to swindle her?" "...I don't think I know how she thinks most of the time. Also, I don't really like Freida all that much." It's plainly written on his face how much he wants Freida to stay away from Maine. It's a difficult to tell if the desire to monopolize her that I can see in his green eyes is because she's his most important friend, or if this has already blossomed into romance. Either way, when I see how much Lutz cares for Maine, I can't help but remember bittersweet memories of my lover from years ago that I'd put aside when she'd died, which leaves me with an itchy, uncomfortable feeling. "You're in for a rough ride, Lutz," I say. "Huh?" "Keeping hold of Maine isn't going to be an easy task at all." I rustle his hair as I encourage him. He looks up at me, green eyes gleaming, and nods slowly. "Maine, how's everything tasting?" A st.u.r.dily-built woman approaches, greeting Maine as if she knows her from somewhere. A sweet smell rolls off of her body, and she has a cloth covering her face to show that she's part of the staff. Lutz and I look at her, on our guards, wondering who she is. Maine, on the other hand, smiles broadly, running over to her. "It's amazingly delicious, of course!" says Maine. "I'd tried a little before, but you've made a lot of improvements to the cake with the tea in it! I knew you could do it." It seems that this woman is the cook who works at the guild master's house and the person who made this pound cake. I size her up, as any merchant would, studying the cook who was poised to make the guild master a lot of money. She looks back at me. "Ah, you're Mister Benno, then?" "Yeah, I am, and?" I don't really understand why the guild master's cook would be calling to me. Did Maine do something again? As I scowl, Ilse looks me up and down. "...Hmm." The look in her eyes when she studies me, like she's trying to figure out who she's up against, reminds me a lot of the guild master. I narrow my eyes. If I'm going up against a young girl like Freida, her immaturity might cause me to unconsciously hold back, but against an adult, I need exercise no such restraint. "Ah, so you're the one who's trying to tie Maine up and hog all of her knowledge to herself, are you?" "Hm? Well, some job I'm doing, then. You're the one with her pound cake recipe, aren't you?" It's true that I'd like to monopolize whatever information I can, but Maine refuses to just sit there and let me do it. Ilse describes it as tying her up, but even the stuff that accidentally falls out of Maine's mouth has the potential to throw the market into chaos, so, honestly, being careful about parceling out what she knows is for the best. "I'm generally the one who has to pick up after this kid," I say, "but you've managed to s.n.a.t.c.h up whatever tasty things she thinks up, haven't you?" For Maine's sake, I've gathered all sorts of information, arranged for contract magic in order to strengthen her connection with Lutz, formed a papermaker's a.s.sociation to hide her ident.i.ty, and done so many other things in the shadows. That thoughtless girl isn't causing the guild master any trouble at all. No, that all falls on me. I flick her forehead. "The money I saved on the rinsham by ripping you off went straight into those two magical contracts, you know?" "...Two magical contracts?" says Freida. The two girls look up at me with the same foolish expression, their mouths hanging open in shock. I shrug. "Seriously, you don't even know what I go through..." "I don't particularly care what you're going through," says the cook. "Maine's said that she's only going to hand her recipes over to people that she thinks can actually make them. You can do whatever you want with whatever else she's got, but her recipes are mine." This is a declaration of war. It seems like even that old geezer's staff have it out for me. "Hand them over, huh?" As if I'd let the guild master keep a monopoly on pound cake forever! Over the next year, before that monopoly agreement expires, I need to find a good cook. I can probably get a lead on sugar if I lean on some of my distant relatives, so it'll take some doing but I'll probably manage to get my hands on some of that. As I continue to glare at Ilse, countless calculations flying about in my head, Maine tugs urgently on my sleeve, a worried expression on her face. "Mister Benno, Mister Benno! It'll be really hard to find a cook, you know? If you don't have an intermediary you can use to get in touch with the n.o.bility, then it'll be kinda impossible." "Why would I need an intermediary? All I'm looking for is someone who can use an oven and is into self-improvement, right?" All that the whole needing someone good enough to work in a n.o.ble house thing boils down to is that I need someone who can get good at using an oven. It's not like I actually need someone who's actually, literally worked in a n.o.ble house themselves. "Maine," I say, "you know how you keep saying that since there's no books you're going to make them yourself? So, what would you do if you didn't have a cook?" "I'd... train one myself?" I'll get the facilities ready, find a good cook from somewhere in this city, and then train them up and get them specialized specifically in making pastries. "...Let's give this a shot, hm?"

巫女のお仕事 「これで誓いの儀式は終了だ」 「じゃあ、図書室に......」 「待ちなさい。話はまだ終わっていない」 神官長に促されて、わたしは祭壇前から執務机の前に移動した。フランが椅子を準備してくれたので、座る。 「ありがとう、フラン」 一瞬驚いたような顔をしたフランが、軽く眉を寄せた。もしかしたら、お礼を言うのもダメだったのだろうか。今度フリーダにでも貴族らしい振る舞いについて聞きに行った方がよさそうだ。 「話を始めても良いか?」 「はい、お願いします」 何の報告書か知らないけれど、神官長の机の端にはいくつもの木札や羊皮紙が積み重ねられている。神官長はそのうちのいくつかに目を通しながら、ちらりとわたしを見た。 わかっていても、面と向かって言われると背筋がひやりと冷える。巫女見習いと言いだした時は、あと半年くらいの命だから、図書室の本さえ読めればそれでいいと考えていた。 けれど、神殿には魔術具があった。青の巫女見習いになることで延命が可能になり、神殿との付き合いが期間限定のものではなくなってしまった。今までのような捨て鉢ではなく、もっと色々考えなくてはならないようだ。 「今は本当に青色神官の人数が少なくて、魔力を持っている者が必要だから、無視くらいで済むだろうが、数年して、貴族が神殿に増えてくるとどうなるかはわからない。それは予め告げておく」 膝の上でギュッと拳を握って、唇を噛む。わたしが貴族に対して何かヘマをした場合、家族にも迷惑がかかってしまう。ここで無事に過ごせるだけの情報が欲しい。 「特に神殿長は誓いの式さえ拒む有様だ。他の青色神官も面識はないようだし、平民である君に対する感情が良いとは言えない。そのため、君の指導役は私が引き受けることになった」 身分はないのに魔力とお金だけ持っているわたしの存在は、貴族の特権意識を踏みにじるに等しいのだから、良い感情を持たれているはずがない。わかっている。けれど、貴族は良い感情を持たないと言う割には、神官長はずいぶん親身に忠告してくれていると思う。 「神官長は不快ではないんですか? その、わたしが......」 「私は優秀な人間は評価する。特に今は神官や巫女の数が減ったことで、私に執務が集中している。書類仕事が得意な君が進んで手伝ってくれるとわかっているのに、疎むわけがないだろう?」 フッと笑った腹黒笑顔に、ひくっと頬が引きつった。書類仕事が得意という発言が出たということは、前に言っていた調査が終わって、わたしに関する色々な情報が、すでに神官長には渡っているということだ。 「精一杯頑張りますけど、神殿におけるわたしの仕事って何ですか? やるべきことがあれば、教えてください」 「あぁ。君の仕事は、まず、私の助手として書類仕事だ。これが一番重要だな。午前中はここで書類仕事をしてもらう。次にお祈りと奉納。特に巫女として、お祈りはできるようになってもらわなければ困る」 「お祈りはわかりますが、奉納って何ですか?」 「神具に魔力を込めることだ。フラン、盾を」 フランが小さく頷いて、直径50~60センチくらいの盾を手に戻ってきた。金で作られているらしい円形の盾は、神具と称されるのに相応しく、複雑な文様が彫りこまれ、ところどころに青の模様がついている。 真ん中には手の平くらいの大きさで、中が燃えているようにゆらゆらと揺らめいて輝く黄色の宝石が埋め込まれている。そして、盾の周囲を縁取るようにビー玉くらいの大きさの同じような宝石がずらりと並んでいた。ただ、周囲の小さい宝石は半分ほどが黄色で、半分ほどが水晶のように透明のものだった。 「この中央の魔石に触れなさい。自分の魔力を送りこむことを思い浮かべて......」 宝石ではなく、魔石らしい。とってもファンタジーな物にドキドキしながら、わたしが右手でそっと触れると、盾全体がぼぅっと金色に光った。それと同時に複雑な模様と見たこともない文字のような記号の羅列が薄い緑の光となって、手首ほどの位置に浮かび上がる。 うわぁ、魔法陣っぽい! すごい、すごい! 好奇心に駆られて、光る記号を見つめていると、体内の熱が掃除機で吸われていくような感触がした。身食いで死にそうだった時にフリーダが魔術具を使ってくれた時と同じ感覚だ。 せっかくなので、普段は自分の中にある魔力を閉じ込めておくための蓋を意識的に開けてみた。熱い身食いの熱がぶわっと中心から飛び出して、一気に手の平へと向かって流れていき、勢い良く吸い取られていく。 ......これは壊れないよね? フリーダの魔術具を壊したことを思い出したわたしは、ちょっと怖くなって、思わず手を引いた。そして、少し減った魔力をまた中心に封じ込める。 魔力を放出したのは、ほんの少しの時間だったけれど、身体に負担をかける魔力が一気に減った。身体にかかっていた重石がなくなったように、身軽になった気がする。 「ふむ。小魔石7つ分か」 神官長の声に盾を見てみると、盾の周囲を飾っている小さい魔石の黄色が多くなっていた。魔力で満たされると色が変わる仕様らしい。どのくらい魔力が残っているのか一目でわかる。 ......なんか、充電器になった気分。 魔力を放出していた自分の右手を握ったり閉じたりしてみる。本当に身食いの熱って魔力なんだなぁ、とか、明確な出口があったことで魔力の流れが意外とよくわかったなぁ、とか、考えていると、神官長が心配そうにわたしを覗きこんできた。 「マイン、身体に負担は?」 「えーと、何だかすっきりして、身体が軽くなった感じです」 「......そうか。負担にならない程度で奉納するように」 神具に魔力を充電するのが奉納か。これは比較的楽な仕事だ。 「それから、最後の仕事は、聖典を読んで内容を覚えることだ」 ぼそっと低く小さく付け加えられた神官長の言葉に、わたしの耳がぴぴっと反応した。読んで覚えると言いましたね? 記憶力に自信はないけど、読むだけなら任せてほしい。 「やります! すぐに図書室に行って!」 ガタッと立ち上がって、バッと手を挙げて、わたしが神官長にやる気をアピールしてみた。しかし、神官長はこちらを見ることなく、別の紙を手にとって目を通し始める。 「その前に寄付金の話に移りたい。座りなさい」 お金の話は大事だ。特にわたしが払うと宣言した寄付金は高額なので、わたしも寄付金のことは気になっていた。主に払い方とか、寄付金の行方とか。 「君は大金貨1枚を寄付すると言ったが......」 「えーと、払えと言われたら、払えますけど、毎月小金貨1枚ずつ支払うような分割払いってできますか?」 「寄付金はこちらが指定するものではないから、できないわけではないが、その理由は?」 さすがに、ベンノの言ったままは言えない。濁した言葉でも意図は伝わったようで、神官長はわたしの言葉を聞いた後、しばらく考え込んで息を吐いた。 「寄付金は5割が神殿の維持費として使われ、残りは青色神官に分配される。神官に配られる金額には、地位によって多少の差がある。財政を預かる者の意見としては、最初は小金貨5枚で、残りを毎月小金貨一枚にした方が良い」 「その金額は何故ですか?」 わたしが首を傾げると、神殿長はまとまった羊皮紙の束をわたしの前に差し出してきた。目を通してみると、それは帳簿の一部だった。ぎょっとするわたしに神官長は書類を指差した。 「神殿の収入は大まかに分けて、領主から与えられる奉納金と儀式の際のお布施、それから、青色神官の実家が負担する支援金がある。つまり、青色神官の減少は収入の減少に直結する。商人に分かりやすく言うなら、今の神殿は赤字経営だ。それから、神殿長は搾りとれと叫んでいたので、機嫌を取るためにもまとまった金額があると助かる」 ずいぶん内情をぶっちゃけられた気がするけれど、神殿が赤字経営なんて、わたしが聞いても良い内容だったんだろうか。 「えーと、神官長。それって、わたしに言っちゃって良い内容なんですか?」 「数日後には君が携わる仕事になるから、今教えたところで問題なかろう」 書類の手伝いというのは、オットーのところでやった計算だけを手伝わされるわけではなく、かなり突っ込んだことまでやらされるらしい。 「......わかりました。お金はどうやって渡したらいいですか? 大金はいつもギルドカードでやりとりしているんですけど、神官長はギルドカードなんて持ってませんよね?」 「君が持ってくればいいだけだろう?」 神官長は簡単にそう言ってくれるが、わたしの場合、大金はカードでのやり取りばかりで、自分の手では金貨を持ったことがない。わたしみたいな子供が大金を持って、商業ギルドから神殿まで歩くなんて怖すぎる。 「大金に慣れている神官長には簡単な事でも、わたしが持ち運ぶには、大金すぎて怖いですよ」 「ハァ、一体何のための側仕えだと思っている?」 はい? 側仕え? 神殿長の言葉に思わず背後に並んで控えている側仕えを見回して、わたしは首を傾げた。あの人選ミスな側仕えに大金を預けるなんて、できるわけがない。 「他の人を挟んで、もし、渡した、もらってないって話になったら嫌じゃないですか。小金貨5枚なんて、預けるのも預かるのも怖いですよ」 「......君は側仕えを信用していないのか?」 不思議そうな顔で神官長に言われて、わたしも不思議な気分になった。貴族というのは、初対面の態度の良くない他人を信用して、小金貨5枚が渡せるのだろうか。それとも、何か裏切らないような契約魔術のような物を結んでいるのだろうか。 「側仕えって言っても、何の強制力もない、初対面の他人ですよね? いきなり大金を預けるほど信用なんてできませんよ、普通」 それも、友好的な態度が欠片もない相手だよ? 無理、無理。ここの側仕えに比べたら、まだギルド長の方が信用できるって。 わたしがお金に関して信用できる大人は限られている。ベンノかマルクについて来てもらうことはできるだろうか。神官長は貴族なので、繋がりができることを考えれば、ベンノも断りはしないだろう。断らないでくれたら嬉しい。 「大金持つのに慣れていて、わたしが信用できる大人について来てもらいたいので、神殿にその人をいれる許可を頂けませんか?」 「それは誰だ?」 「商業上のわたしの後見役をしてくださっているギルベルタ商会のベンノさんです」 「......ふむ、いいだろう」 ルッツが迎えに来てくれたら、一度お店によって相談しよう。ついでに、側仕えの使い方も知らないか聞いてみたい。従業員の使い方と共通するところはないだろうか。 考え込むわたしの前で、神官長は帳簿を閉じて、アルノーに渡した。 「今日、話しておくことは以上だ。マイン、何か質問は?」 「はい! 4の鐘の後、ルッツが迎えに来るまで図書室で本を読みたいのですが、わたし、図書室に入れますか? ぜひ、聖典を読んで覚える仕事がしたいです!」 「ルッツと言うと、君の体調管理をしている少年だったな。これからは、側仕えに体調管理をさせるように」 わたしはもう一度側仕えを見る。ガシガシと頭を掻いていて明らかにやる気のなさそうなギルと、ぼーっと窓の外を見ているデリアと、わたしを通り越して神官長を見ているフラン。どう考えても、わたしの体調管理ができるようになるとは思えない。 「側仕えが管理できるようになるまでは、ルッツを同行するように家族に言われてるんです。ルッツにも負担が大きいですから、早くできるようになって欲しいとわたしも思ってますよ。頑張ってくれたらいいですね。......それで、図書室に行っても良いですか?」 「あぁ。フラン、案内してやれ」 神官長の言葉に軽く手を交差させて、フランが微かに笑みを浮かべて頷く。誇らしげな顔つきはわたしが見ていたものとは全く違うもので、フランの主が誰であるかを如実に示していた。 まぁ、でも、神官長付きの灰色神官だったら、まだ安全だろう。神官長に心酔してそうだし、問題行動を起こすことはなさそうだ。そんな評価を下しながら、わたしはフランの後ろを飛び跳ねるようにして歩く。 何はともあれ、図書室~! これはお仕事なの! わたしのお仕事! 浮かれて足取り軽く歩くわたしの後ろから、デリアとギルが付いてきていた。神官長の部屋から少し離れたところで、ギルがケッと悪態を吐いた。 「図書室なんかに行きたがるなんて、バカじゃねぇの」 カチーン! 本の偉大さも知らないバカはお前だ! くるりと振り返って、わたしが力一杯ギルを睨むと、ギルは鼻の頭に皺を刻んで臨戦態勢に入った。 「何だよ、その目。お前なんか貴族でも何でもないただの平民だろ? オレ達と大して変わらないのに青の衣なんて着て偉そうにしやがって。俺はお前なんか主とは思わないからな。絶対に命令なんて従わねぇし、目一杯困らせてやるからな」 ギルがわたしを主と思わないのと同じように、わたしもギルを側仕えだとは思えないし、今のわたしには躾のなってないガキを躾けるだけの体力も気力も愛情もないのだ。故に、流す。 「そう、わかった。お互い様だね」 「......っ!? わかったって何だよ!? バカにしてんのか!?」 ガーッと怒鳴り始めたギルに背を向けて、わたしは歩き始める。 「本当にバカにしてるわよね」 「デリア?」 表面上の笑顔さえも消し去って、デリアはフンと鼻を鳴らす。男に媚びるタイプだと思っていたので、他の側仕えがいる間は本性を出さないだろうと思っていたのに、あっさり出したことにビックリした。 どうやら、デリアへの評価を変えなければいけないようだ。もしかしたら、男に媚びる八方美人タイプではなかったのかもしれない。それとも、狙った相手以外には媚びない肉食系ハンタータイプ? わたしがデリアを見つめていると、深紅の髪をバサッと掻き上げて、高慢な少女漫画のキャラクターのようにツンと顎を上げた。8歳という幼さで、それなりに様になっているところが怖い。 「あぁ、もー! せっかく神殿長付きの見習いになれたのに、よりによって、あたしの魅力が通じない女に回されるなんて。しかも、鈍臭そうな貧民の子供なんでしょ? ホント最悪よね」 デリアは神殿長の回し者らしい。友好的ではないわけだ。 いきなりの暴露に首を傾げてつつ、これ幸いと交代を申し出たら、デリアはやや吊り気味の目を更に吊り上げて、怒りだした。 「もー! あんた、ホントにバカね。交代なんてしないわよ。何言ってんの!?」 「神殿長から直々にあんたを困らせるように頼まれたのよ? 交代なんてことになったら、あたしの能力が疑われるでしょ!」 言葉は通じるのに、お互い話が通じないようだ。全く理解できない。神殿長から直々に嫌がらせを頼まれたと宣言する人間を近付けるわけがない。さっさと交代させるに限る。 そこまで考えて、はたと気が付いた。デリアを排除しても、神殿長側から代わりの側仕えが来るだけに違いない。隠し事が上手いタイプよりは、わかりやすく自己顕示してくれるデリアの方がわたしにとって安全かもしれない。 考え込むわたしにデリアがビシッと人差指を突きつけてきた。 「青の衣なんて着ていたって、あんたなんか怖くないわよ! あたしは神殿長に認めてもらって、そのうち愛人になるんだから!」 わたしが聞き間違えたのか、それとも、ここ最近は幼女の愛人契約が流行っているのだろうか。フリーダの口から聞いた時の衝撃を同時に思い出し、神殿長の年を考えて気持ち悪くなった。 「......あの、愛人って、威張ること?」 「そうよ、愛人なのよ? 愛人は女が一番望む地位じゃない。あんた、そんなことも知らないの? まぁ、あたしくらい可愛くないと望んでも無駄だけどね」 「え? 一番望むのが愛人なの?」 これは明らかに常識が違う。少なくとも、フリーダは愛人という立場がどういうものか、わたしと同じような意味合いで理解していた。少なくとも、誇らしそうに胸を張って、威張って、それを目指すとは言っていなかった。 感覚が違うことをすぐに受け入れられないわたしをバカにするように、ギルがニヤニヤ嫌な笑顔で笑いながら肩を竦める。 「当たり前だろ? 青色神官の愛人になったら、灰色神官を逆に使える立場になるんだぜ? 神殿長の愛人なら他の神官もうるさくないだろうし、女は得だよな。......それにしても、お前、ホント頭大丈夫か? こんな常識、なんで知らないんだよ?」 無知だと蔑まれても、怒りがちっとも湧いてこない。むしろ、孤児院の女の子にとっては一番の出世が権力者の愛人だなんて、そんなこと知りたくなかった。 「ギル、言葉が過ぎる!」 頭を抱えたわたしを見て、フランが声を上げた。しかし、ギルはちっとも悪びれることなく、へへん、とわたしを嘲る。 「そいつが物知らずなのが悪いんだよ。誰でも知ってることだぞ?」 「......マイン様、先程神官長もおっしゃったでしょう。態度がすぎる時は諫めるように、と」 「そうだね。ところで、図書室はまだ?」 神官長に心酔していて、多分わたしに仕えるのは嬉しくないフランに、神殿長の愛人を目指して、嫌がらせをするつもり満々のデリアと、最初から仕える気も言うことを聞く気もないとわたしをバカにしているギル。 こんな側仕えと何とか上手くやっていく方法を考えるより、本を読めることを考えた方がよっぽどいい。 「神官長に報告しますよ」 溜息を吐いたフランが一つの扉を開けて、中に入っていく。 「うわぁ!」 完全に中へと入った瞬間、空気が明らかに変わった。 等間隔に作られた窓からはさんさんと日が差し込んで明るく、丁度窓の明かりが取れる場所に大学にあるような長机が置かれていた。天板が斜めになっている書見台には上を鎖で繋がれた本が数冊立てかけられて、読んでほしいとわたしに訴えかけてくる。 「これが聖典です」 フランに促され、わたしは鎖に繋がれた聖典を読むために、皮で装丁された表紙にそっと触れた。そして、小口が開かないように止められている皮のベルトを外す。 あぁ、一体いつぶりの本だろう。 表紙を開くと、ジャラリと重たい鎖の音がシンとした図書室に響いた。少し黄ばんでいるように見えるページをめくる指先が震える。 「おい、昼だぞ。昼食の時間だ」 久し振りの至福の時間に浸っているというのに、邪魔者が現れた。声だけなら耳に入ることもないけれど、わざわざわたしの肩を揺さぶられたら、さすがに現実に戻らざるをえない。 「ギル、図書室は私語厳禁。静かにできないなら、出てってくれる? わたし、本を読むから」 「ハァ!? 昼食だぞ!?」 ギルがぎょっとしたように叫ぶが、わたしにとっては、昼ご飯と本なんて比べる対象にもなりはしない。本を読んでいられたら、二日くらいは食べなくても空腹なんて感じずにいられる。 「わたし、主じゃないみたいだし、ギルがここにいる必要ないよ? 勝手に食べてきていいから、出てって」 「お前......」 人が親切に自由を与えてあげているのに、ギルはぎょっとしたように目を見開いて、まだ何か言おうとした。 理性が切れる前に、意識的に魔力の蓋を開いて、全身に魔力を行き渡らせる。先程の奉納で何となく掴んだ魔力の放出を早速使ってみた。 うん、静かになった。 魔力を中心に押し込めて、わたしはまた文字列を追っていく。

A Priestess's Duties "The Rite of Vows is now finished." "So, which way's the libr--" "Hold on. We have more to discuss." At the head priest's urging, I relocate from before the altar to where his work desk is. Fran brings a chair over for me, and I sit down. "Thanks, Fran," I say. Could even just thanking my attendants be a bad thing, too? The next time I see Freida, I think I'm going to ask her about what n.o.ble-like behavior would look like. "Shall we begin?" asks the head priest. "Yes, please," I reply. He looks over a set of wooden slips and pieces of parchment that he has arranged on his desk. They look like they might contain some sort of written reports. As he scans them, his eyes occasionally flick over to me. Then, as if he were a teacher lecturing a student, he begins to speak. I knew this already, but being told this directly to my face causes s.h.i.+vers to run down my spine. Back when I declared that I wanted to be an apprentice priestess, I thought I had only half a year left to live, so I'd figured that none of the conditions mattered as long as I could get to read the books in the library. However, the temple has magical tools. Becoming a blue-robed apprentice priestess has allowed me to lengthen my lifespan, but now there is no strict limit on how long I will be a.s.sociating with the temple. I can't approach things here with the same sort of desperate mindset that I'd had before. I have a lot of things I need to carefully consider. "As of now," he continues, "we have few blue-robed priests here. As we need people who possess mana, the matter of your origins will be overlooked for now, but in a few years, the number of n.o.blemen here will once again rise. I don't know what will happen to you at that point. When I do have some idea, I will let you know in advance of it occurring." I bite my lip, clenching my fists in my lap. If I make any sort of blunder with respect to the n.o.bility, then it won't just affect me, but my family would be caught up in it too. All I want is information that I can use to make sure everything here goes smoothly. "In particular, Reverend Bosewanz feels so strongly about this that he refused to partic.i.p.ate in your Rite of Vows. As you are not even acquainted with any of the other blue-robed priests, it cannot be said that any of them hold you in any good regard. As such, the task of providing you with guidance falls upon me." I possess mana and money, but no social standing whatsoever. n.o.bles, who are very used to their special privileges, could see my presence here as effectively trampling on their rights. I don't think any of them would be happy about that. I know that. However, even though the head priest is emphasizing that no n.o.bleman would have good feelings about me, the warning he's giving me is extremely polite. "Father, aren't you uncomfortable about this? About, um, me..." "I believe you are a person of great value, especially in light of our current situation. As the number of blue-robed priests and priestesses has declined, the official duties of the temple have all become concentrated on me. There is no way that I could refuse the freely-offered a.s.sistance of someone who is as good at paperwork as you, no?" As he laughs heartily, I freeze for a moment. For him to be able to say that I'm good at paperwork, that means that the investigation he mentioned earlier is already complete, and a lot of information about me has already found its way to him. This is a world where the concept of personal information security doesn't exist in the slightest. If a n.o.bleman such as the head priest were to ask, I'm sure that anyone and everyone would fall over themselves to tell him everything he wanted to hear about. Just how much about me does he know? This is terrifying. "I'll do my very best," I say, "but what are my duties here at the temple? If there's anything I need to be doing, please tell me." "Yes. Your duties are, for one, helping me with the paperwork. This is your most important task. I will have you spend every morning working here. Next are prayers and dedications. As a priestess in particular, it will be most troublesome for you if you cannot make yourself able to perform your prayers." "I know what prayers are, but what are dedications?" "Supplying the votive tools with your mana. Fran, the s.h.i.+eld." Fran nods slightly, then retrieves a s.h.i.+eld. The s.h.i.+eld is round, somewhere between fifty and sixty centimeters in diameter, and made of something that looks like gold. Just like something called a votive tool should be, it's covered in intricate designs, with patterns in blue here and there. In the center of the s.h.i.+eld is a large, yellow gemstone, about the side of my hand, glimmering in such a way that it looks like there's a flame gently burning inside of it. A border of similar, but smaller stones, about the size of marbles, line the edge of the s.h.i.+eld. Only half of the stones are yellow, however. The rest of them are clear, like crystal. "Please touch the central magic stone. Then, imagine sending the mana within you out towards it..." It looks like these aren't gemstones, but magic stones. My heart pounds excitedly as I reach my right hand out towards the extremely fantasy-setting-like s.h.i.+eld. When my hand touches the gem, the entire s.h.i.+eld lights up with a brilliant golden glow. At the same time, complex designs and symbols the like of which I'd never seen before form out of emerald light, lifting off of the s.h.i.+eld until they're about at the height of my wrist. Aaah! It's like a magic circle! This is amazing!! As I succ.u.mb to my curiosity, staring at the gleaming symbols, I feel a strange sensation inside me, like there's a vacuum cleaner sucking away at the fever that's burning inside my body. It's the same feeling that I felt back when I was about to die of the devouring and Freida used a magical tool to save me. I reach deep inside me for the mana I've been keeping tightly bottled up inside me for so long, then, tentatively, loosen the seal. The burning fever of the devouring rushes out of my heart, and instantly starts streaming toward my hand, where it's sucked away into the stone. As the pleasant feeling of having this unwanted fever sucked out of my heart washes over me, I'm suddenly hit with a thought. ...This isn't going to break, is it? I suddenly remember how the magic tool Freida lent me had broken, and get a little scared that it might happen again. I unconsciously pull back my hand, sealing the mana, which has decreased by a little bit, back inside my heart. Releasing my mana took only a moment, but in even that amount of time, I can feel just how much of the burden it was putting on my body has decreased. My body feels so light, like a heavy stone that's been weighing me down has suddenly lifted. "Hmm," murmurs the head priest, "seven small stones..." When I hear that, I look over at the s.h.i.+eld. I see that more of the stones decorating the edge of the s.h.i.+eld are yellow now. It looks like they change color when they're full of mana. That way, you can tell how much mana is left in the s.h.i.+eld at a glance. ...Why do I feel like I've become a battery charger? I hesitantly close the hand I'd used to channel my mana as variety of thoughts drift through my head. I guess the devouring fever really is mana, I think. And it was surprisingly easy to send my mana out as soon as there was a clear exit for it, too... "Was that too much stress on your body?" "Ummm, it actually felt sort of refres.h.i.+ng. I feel like my body's gotten lighter." "...Is that so? Then, you will be performing as many dedications as you can without putting any undue stress on your body." Charging votive tools is called dedication, is it? This seems like some fairly easy work. It looks like the hardest part of my duties as a priestess will be praying. Standing on one leg is already considerably difficult for me with my body as it is right now. On top of that, I'm not able to have my hands out to the side for balance. I'm going to need to stretch them up at an angle, which is even harder. There's probably strict guidance on the proper angles I'll need to be holding my arms at and for how long I'll need to maintain the pose, too. "Your final task is to read the scriptures and memorize their contents." He says it offhandedly, in a small, quiet tone, but my ears pick up his words with perfect clarity. He said read and memorize, didn't he? I don't really have that much confidence in my memory, but if there's reading involved then I'll gladly take on the task. "I'll do it! I'll go to the library right now!" I stand up quickly, my chair clattering behind me, and I raise my clenched fist, trying to show him just how enthusiastic I am. He, however, isn't looking at me. Instead, he's picked up another piece of parchment and is looking it over. "Before that, I'd like to talk about the matter of your donation. Please, be seated." Money is a very important topic, all the more so because of how much money I declared I'd be willing to donate. I've been particularly concerned about this, mostly about how I'd pay it, and what it would go to. "I believe you said you would pay a sum of one large gold coin..." "Ummm," I say, "I did say I would pay it, and I can pay it, but could I perhaps pay it over time at the rate of one small gold coin per month?" "I am not the one to specify donations, so it is not as if you cannot defer payment, but what is your reasoning?" I really can't say it as plainly as the way Benno said it. But even though I'd prevaricated so much, it seems like the head priest has figured out what I meant. He slowly inhales, pondering my words. "Fifty percent of our donations go to maintenance of the temple, and the remaining money is divided amongst the blue-robed priests. The money allocated to the priests is divided based on relative social standing. Speaking as the person who manages the temple's finances, I think that it would be best for you to donated five small gold coins up front, with the remainder paid in monthly increments of one small gold coin." "Why that amount?" I ask, tilting my head. The head priest picks up a stack of bound parchment and holds it out for me. When I look over it, I'm startled to see that it's part of a ledger. The head priest points at the top sheet, running down the list. "In broad terms, our temple's primary income comes from the offerings given to us by the lord of the land as well as the alms we collect at our ceremonies. Beyond that, the families of the blue-robed priests give money to the temple to support them. In other words, as the number of blue-robed priests has declined, so has our income. To put things in terms a merchant can understand, we are running at a deficit. Furthermore, the temple master has instructed me to wring as much money out of you as possible, so it would help me out if I could secure a large enough payment to curry favor with him." I have a feeling he might be a little too forthcoming telling me about the state of affairs, but is it really okay for me to hear about how the temple's running in the red? "Ummm, Father Ferdinand, is it... really okay to be telling me this information?" "In a few days, this is going to be your job, so I don't see any problem with telling you about this now." It looks like helping with the paperwork isn't going to be just helping with calculations like I was doing with Otto. I'm going to be plunged straight into the middle of things. "...I understand. How should I get the money to you? I usually use my guild card to transfer money, but you probably don't have one, do you?" "Can't you simply bring the money here?" That's easy for him to say, but I've only ever done my dealings with the guild card. I've never actually held a gold coin in my own hands. The thought of a child like me carrying a huge sum of money all the way from the guild to the temple is far too terrifying. I'm such a timid person that even when I was collecting my commission on my winder handiwork, I had to have Mark carry it for me. "It may be simple for you, since you're used to large amounts of money, but to me that's a terrifying amount of money to be carrying." He sighs. "What do you think you have attendants for?" Huh? Attendants? I glance back over my shoulder at the attendants standing quietly behind me, then tilt my head. There's no way that I could trust any of those failures of personnel selection with large amounts of money. If Fran's still listening to the head priest's orders, then there's a chance he'll listen to me, but Delia and Gil already hate me, so using one of them is a pretty scary thought. Given their att.i.tudes to me so far, I don't think I can depend on any one of my attendants. "I don't want to get anyone else involved. What if I give it to them, and then you say you never received it? I don't care if I'm the one carrying it or someone else is, it's still terrifying." "...You have no trust in your attendants?" he says, looking as if he's finding this concept strange. I can't help but think this whole thing is strange myself. Are n.o.bles really able to meet someone for the first time, notice their terrible reactions to them, and then immediately trust them with five small gold coins? Or, do they maybe have some sort of magical contract set up so that their servants can never betray them? When I think back on our introduction, I can't remember anything contract-like involved. Magic contracts involve bleeding, so I'm pretty sure I would have noticed. "Even if you call them my attendants, these are still people who I've just met, over whom I have no binding authority, right? I'd ordinarily never be able to suddenly trust someone like that well enough that I'd let them carry huge amounts of money for me." On top of that, these people aren't even showing a tiny sliver of friendliness, you know? Absolutely no way. If I had to choose who to trust between these attendants and the guild master, I'd definitely pick the guild master. There are very few adults I'd trust with a large amount of money. I wonder if I could get Benno or Mark to bring it? The head priest is a n.o.bleman, so if I frame this to Benno as an opportunity to make a connection, I don't think he would refuse. I'd be really happy if he didn't, at least. "If I were to have an adult that I trust, who is used to handling large amounts of money, come with me to deliver it, might I be able to have that person come with me into the temple?" "Who is this person?" "The man who has effectively been my guardian in matters of commerce: the proprietor of the Gilberta Company, Mister Benno." "...Hm, alright." When Lutz comes to pick me up, I should stop by the shop to discuss this with Benno. While I'm there, I might as well try to ask him if he might know how I go about making use of attendants. Maybe there's some similarities between how you make use of attendants and how you make use of an employee. As I contemplate, the head priest closes the ledger and hands it to Arnaud. "That's all I had to say to you today. Do you have any questions, Maine?" "Yes! I'd really like to read the books in the library until Lutz comes to pick me up at the library, but can I really enter the library? I definitely want to do my job and memorize the scriptures!" "By Lutz, you mean the boy who manages your physical condition? You should work to ensure that your attendants will be able to manages your condition as well." I'd asked about whether or not I could enter the library, but he turned the conversation to managing my condition. I once again look back at my attendants. There's Gil, who's scratching his head, very obviously completely unmotivated. There's Delia, currently staring vacantly out the window. And finally, there's Fran, who's looking right past me to watch the head priest. I can't see any of them ever actually being able to manage my condition. "My family has told me that Lutz should continue to accompany me until my attendants are capable of managing my health. I know that this is a large burden on him, so I too really want this to happen quickly. If we all try hard, I'm sure it'll happen. ...So, can I go to the library now?" "Yes. Fran, show her the way." At the head priests command, Fran crosses his hands in front of his chest, a faint smile drifting across his face as he nods. The proud look on his face is completely different to the expression he'd been wearing when he was looking at me. It's easy to see who Fran's master truly is. Well, you know, if he's the gray-robed priest that the head priest specifically a.s.signed to me, then he's probably pretty safe. He seems to adore the head priest, so he probably won't be doing anything particularly problematic. Whatever else is happening, I'm going to the library! This is work! This is my job! As I bounce lightly along, Delia and Gil follow behind me. After we're out of earshot of the head priest's room, though, Gil clicks his tongue. "Why would anyone ever want to go to the library," he spits. "Are you some kind of idiot?" Sparks fly through my head. You're the idiot for not recognizing the magnificence of books! I stop in place, spinning on my heel, then give him the hardest glare I can muster. Gil looks ready for battle, his face scrunched up so hard that his nose is wrinkling. "What's that look for?" he says. "You're not even a n.o.ble. You're just a commoner, aren't you? You're not even different from the rest of us, but you get a nice set of blue robes and you think you get to look all self-important. You're not my master. I'm absolutely never going to do anything you tell me, and I'm going to do my absolute best to get on your nerves." Just like he's saying he doesn't think of me as his master, I can't possibly think of him as my attendant. As I am right now, I don't possess the strength, willpower, or affection to teach this rude little brat and manners. So, I'll ignore him. "Ah, I see. Same here." "...Huh? You see what?! You think I'm an idiot or something?!" He starts to yell angrily, and I turn my back on him, continuing to walk. Moments later, I hear a young girl's high voice from behind me. "You really are an idiot." "Delia?" She snorts disdainfully, every trace of her fake smile vanis.h.i.+ng from her face. I'd thought that she was the type that liked to flatter the boys, so I'd been expecting that she'd never actually show her true colors as long as the other attendants were around, so seeing her change so quickly leaves me a little shocked. It looks like I have to change my estimation of her. Maybe she's not actually the kind of person who fawns all over men and pretends to be everyone's friend. Is she maybe more of a carnivorous hunter-type, who only actually flirts with the target she's set her eyes on? As I watch, she flips her crimson hair, looking exactly as aloof and arrogant as any antagonist in a shoujo manga. The fact that she can pull that look off at eight years old is actually pretty scary. "Argh, seriously! I'd finally managed to become an apprentice under Reverend Bosewanz, but then who in the world does he rea.s.sign me to but a girl who isn't even receptive to my charm? And a stupid, penniless child at that? This is the worst." It seems she was a.s.signed to me by the temple master. There's no way she'd be friendly. Even still, didn't she just declare out loud that she's a spy? Did the temple master tell her to do that too? Even though I'd delivered what I thought would be good news, she only sticks her nose even higher in the air as she starts to lose her temper. "Seriously! You are absolutely an idiot. As if you could replace me. What do you think you're saying!" "Reverend Bosewanz himself personally asked me to make trouble for you! If I'm replaced, then that's just going to make him doubt my abilities!" I can hear what she's saying, but I am absolutely not following her logic. I don't understand this at all. There is no way that I'd want to be anywhere near someone who so openly declares that she was personally asked by the temple master to hara.s.s me. I would like nothing more than to replace her immediately. As I think that, though, I come to a sudden realization. Even if I can get rid of Delia, then the temple master is only going to have a different attendant a.s.signed to me. I'd much rather have someone so conspicuously easy to read as Delia than someone who is actually good at skulking around. It would be a lot safer for me. Delia interrupts my train of though by thrusting her finger in my face. "Even if you're wearing a blue robe, I'm not afraid of you! I'm absolutely going to be recognized by Reverend Bosewanz, and then I'm going to be his mistress!" Did I mishear her? Or maybe is it popular among little girls to dream of making a contract and being someone's mistress? I feel an echo of the same shock I felt when I heard Freida say the same thing. Then, I suddenly remember just how old the temple master is, and revulsion creeps over me. The temple master being a pervert who's into little girls is completely and utterly beyond my expectations. Based on the gray-robed priestess I'd seen before, I thought he'd be more into the secretarial type, but I see my eyes have betrayed me. "...Uh, is being a mistress something to be proud of?" "Of course! Being a mistress is the highest position a girl could hope for. What, you don't know that? Well, I guess if you're not as cute as me then it's pointless even if you wanted it." "Huh? Is being a mistress really the best thing you could hope for?" This doesn't line up with any of my common sense at all. At least, when I was talking with Freida about the concept of mistresses, she seemed to be on the same page as me when it came to the nuances of the idea. At the very least, she wasn't saying that it was something you'd puff out your chest and swagger around over like this. As I stand there, trying and failing to immediately reconcile these two viewpoints, Gil gives me the most unpleasant grin, shrugging his shoulders mockingly. "Isn't it obvious? If you become a blue-robed priest's mistress, then you get to boss around the other gray-robed priests, right? And if you get to be the temple master's priestess, then none of the other gray-robed priests can ever bother you. That's the best thing for a girl. ...But yeah, are you sure your head's on straight? Why don't you know something so obvious?" Even though he's sneering at my ignorance, I don't feel the slightest stirring of anger. Rather, I just didn't know that a girl in the orphanage would think that the best thing they could hope for would be to become the mistress of someone influential. The idea of becoming a mistress being the best thing that could happen to a girl is just something that isn't common knowledge among anyone I've come in contact with. These people, however, have lived their lives in the temple, and that's common knowledge here. I've lived a different life than the other people here, so no matter what I say, I don't think I'll be able to make them able to understand. "Gil, be silent!" yells Fran, looking at his wits' end. Gil, however, doesn't look the slightest bit cowed. Instead, he laughs scoffingly at me. "Oh, no, this is all her fault for not knowing it. It's something everyone knows, right?" "...Miss Maine, please recall what Father Ferdinand told you earlier, about rebuking an attendant if their behavior is out of line." "Ah, that's right. Incidentally, is this the library?" I don't even care the slightest bit anymore. Rebuking Gil and Delia is something that I don't have any interest in spending the time or energy on. Fran adores the head priest and most likely isn't happy about being forced to work for me. Delia wants to be the temple master's mistress and plans to get in my way as much as possible. Gil, the moment we met, announced that he had no intention of serving me, and thinks I'm an idiot for ignoring him. Instead of spending my time figuring out how I could possibly handle attendants like these, I think I'd much, much rather read a book. "I will inform the head priest of this," says Fran. Fran sighs, then pushes a door open, heading inside. When I see the paradise waiting for me beyond the door, my heart starts to pound. I'm a little nervous that I might still be barred from entry, so I reach a trembling arm out and start slowly walking forward, feeling the air ahead of me for any invisible walls. Unlike before, nothing holds me back, and I'm able to enter the library. "Aaah!!" The moment I step fully into the room, the atmosphere instantly changes. I tremble with emotion as I inhale deeply, savoring the unique scent of a dusty archive filled with old tomes. The smell is different from the archives that I know, perhaps because parchment is so prevalent, and perhaps because of how many wooden boards there are here. I wonder if there's a difference in quality of the ink here? Despite the differences, the smell of ink and old paper makes me so nostalgic and so happy that my eyes grow hot. Equally-s.p.a.ced windows allow shafts of sunlight to spill into the room, and a long reading table, like one might see at a university, is placed so that it perfectly catches the light. Atop a slanted bookrest sit several books, each chained to a spot above it. As I try to figure out which to read, Fran indicates one in particular. "These are the scriptures," he says. At his urging, I reach for the tome of scriptures bound by chain, gently touching the surface of its leather binding. Then, I unfasten the small belt along its fore-edge that prevents it from opening. In the next moment, the fore-edge expands, the cover opening a little on its own. This is a perfectly natural thing for a book made of parchment, which absorbs moisture, to do. To me, however, it feels like the book itself wants to be read. Ahh, how long has it been since I've last touched a book? When I open the front cover, the chains jangle, the sound filling the interior fo the library. The pages are slightly yellowed with age, and my fingers tremble as I reach out to turn them. My eyes trace over the words, written in someone's slightly quirky handwriting, and I begin to read. "Hey, it's noon. It's time for lunch." It has been so long since I've been able to immerse myself in such bliss, but a nuisance has appeared to take me out of it. If he'd just said something it wouldn't have even reached my ears, but since he's actually shaking my arm, I have no choice but to bring myself back to reality. "Gil, no talking in the library. If you can't be silent, then please leave. I'm in the middle of reading." "Huh?!" he shouts, startled. "It's lunch time!" To me, though, there isn't even any point comparing eating lunch to reading a book. If I have a book to read, I can go two days without even feeling the slightest bit hungry. "Well, since it seems like I'm not your master, then there's no point in you being here, is there? You can go eat whenever you want, so get out." "You--" I'd tried be nice to him and give him his freedom, but he just stares wide-eyed at me, getting ready to say something else. Rather than let things continue until I lose my cool, I deliberately loosen the cap on my mana and let it diffuse throughout my body, then immediately release the power that I'd somehow held onto after the dedication. In the next instant, Fran grabs Gil and Delia by the scruff of their necks and frantically runs out of the room. Ah, and now it's quiet again. I lock my mana back up in the depths of my heart, and I continue to flow through sentence after sentence. Not a single person came by to bother me, all the way until the fourth bell rang and Lutz came to pick me up.

既得権益と会合の結果 わたしが安定を望んだ契約魔術のせいで、人死になんてでませんように。 ベンノの言葉はわたしにとって恐怖だった。ルッツと自分の職業上の安定が欲しかっただけで、誰かに危害をもたらしたかったわけではない。 「そんなに心配しなくても大丈夫だって。旦那が何とかしてくれるさ」 何が怖いって、何も知らない人を巻き込むのが怖い。 本当は家の中で引きこもっていたかったけれど、「じっとしていたら、変な事を考えそうだ」というルッツに半ば無理やり外に引っ張り出された。紙を作ったり、森に行ったりしながら、ベンノからの連絡を待っていることしかできない現状がもどかしい。 に漉けた紙を重ねた後、わたしはルッツを振りかえる。 「契約魔術を知らない人にも効力があるってところ」 「なんで? 魔術なんだから不思議じゃないだろ?」 「魔術だから不思議じゃないってところが、わたしにとっては変だよ。だいたい、基本的な技術とか、ありふれた商品に契約魔術がかかっていたら、あっちこっちで被害が出るでしょ? 遠くの街で契約魔術が使われていても、こっちには全然わからないわけだし......」 「まぁ、確かにそうだな」 わたしは紙を漉きながら考える。契約魔術に特許権のようなシステムが組み込まれるとしたら、特許庁のように管理する場所があるはずだ。この商品にはこういう契約魔術が付いてるよ、とみんなに知らせなければ、危険すぎる。 「わたし達が知らないだけで、契約魔術にも範囲や条件があると思うんだよね。それに、そんな危険な魔術ならもっと厳しく取り締まりとかありそうじゃない?」 「遠回しに色々言っているけど、結局、マインは何が不安なんだ?」 「不安って......」 ルッツの言葉に思わず手が止まった。ルッツが横からわたしの簀桁を取り上げて、続きを漉き始めた。 「マインが自分の気持ちを誤魔化したい時は、早口になるんだ」 「......契約魔術を知らない人が危険に巻き込まれるのが怖い。ベンノさんの冗談か嘘だって思いたい。今は誰も危ない目に遭ってないよね? わたし達を怖がらせようとしただけだよね?......そう思いたい」 「まぁ、旦那の冗談だったらいいけど、何のために? 旦那がオレ達を騙して一体何の得があるんだよ?」 「うっ......。い、今までだって、いっぱい騙されてきたもん。またベンノさんに誤魔化されたり、隠し事をされたり、試されたりしてるような気がする」 わたし達を遠ざけて、何かするつもりなんじゃ......と言いかけたところで、背後から聞き覚えのある声が聞こえた。 「あれ? ベンノって意外とマインちゃんに信用されてないんじゃないか?」 誰もいないと思っていた倉庫の中で、背後から声が聞こえたことに驚いて、わたしとルッツがバッと振り返る。 「オットーさん!?」 「どうしてここに!?」 軽く片方の眉を上げて、おどけたような顔をした私服のオットーがひらひらと手を振っていた。 「ベンノからの伝言を持ってきたに決まってるだろ?」 「伝言!?」 確かにベンノからはオットーを通じて連絡すると言われていたが、門を通りかかった時にでもそっと連絡されるのかと思っていた。こんな風に倉庫にやってくるとは思っていなかった。 「やっと終わったってさ」 そんな簡単な伝言では何もわからない。少ない情報の中で胃をキリキリさせていたわたしはオットーに情報を求めて飛びついた。 「何が終わったんですか!? どう終わったんですか!?」 「それはもう、色々大変だったみたいだよ」 「色々って何があったんですか!?」 オットーは軽く肩を竦めるだけで、答えらしい答えをくれることはなかった。本当に知らないのか、知っているのに知らないふりをしているのか、全くわからない。 「ベンノは説明してなかったのか?」 「ほとんど聞いてません。契約魔術を知らない人が勝手に紙を作って売ったら大変なことになる。製法を伏せるためにも羊皮紙協会との話が終わるまで店に出てくるなってことだけです」 わたしがベンノから聞いたことを説明すると、オットーは軽く顎を撫でた。 「ふーん、一応必要最小限は聞かされているんじゃないか」 「契約魔術のせいで、知らない誰かに被害はなかったですか? それが一番心配で......」 「そうならないように、製法を伏せたんだろう? 被害は全く出てない。それ以上はベンノに直接聞いた方が良いだろうね。作業が一段落したら、一緒に行くかい?」 「はい!」 被害者はいなかったという言葉に胸のつかえが取れた。一気に身体が軽くなった気分で、わたしはせっせと紙を漉き始める。 「これで紙が作れるの? これ、何?」 「企業秘密です」 興味深そうに紙漉きを見ては色々と質問してくるオットーに少しも答えず、作業を続ける。 「俺とマインちゃんの仲だし、教えてくれてもいいじゃないか」 「ほいほい喋ったらベンノさんに怒られるんです。ね、ルッツ?」 「マインは考え無しだって、よく言われてるからな。ちゃんと口は閉じておいた方が良いんだ」 「ハハハ......。考え無しに喋っているんだ? 青筋を立てて怒るベンノが目に浮かぶな」 「青筋っていうよりは、呆れ果ててるって感じの表情が多いですけどね」 道具の片付けを終わらせた後、三人でベンノの店に向かう。路地を抜けて通りに出るより早くオットーがこめかみを押さえながら、わたしを見下ろした。 「......いつもこんな速さで歩いているのか?」 「......そうですけど?」 「ぅわぁ、すごいな、ルッツ。ちょっと尊敬する。俺には耐えられない。......というわけで、ちょっと失礼」 ベンノの店に着くと、マルクが出迎えてくれた。 「マイン、ルッツ、こんにちは。それから、この度は何から何までお世話になりました、オットー様」 「たまにはいいんだよ。面白かったし。ベンノ、奥にいる?」 頭を下げるマルクに軽く返して、オットーはさっさと奥に入っていく。片手でわたしを抱き上げたまま、もう片手で奥の部屋のドアを開けた。 「ベンノ、水の女神の到着だよ」 意味不明のことを言いながら、オットーが部屋に入った瞬間、ベンノから殺気を含んだ実に迫力のある眼光が飛ばされる。 「黙れ、オットー。コリンナと離縁させられたいのか?」 コリンナの父親代わりであるベンノには離縁させる権限があるらしい。オットーは婿同然だと言っていたし、一族の長のような立場なのだろう。 ベンノの眼光と低い声に本気成分がかなり含まれていると判断したのはわたしだけではなかったらしい。コリンナを世界の中心に据えているオットーは慌てて弁明し始めた。 「ぅわぁっ! 嘘だって! ちょっとした冗談じゃないか!」 「笑えない冗談は冗談じゃないんだ」 じゃれついているのか本気なのか判別しにくい表情で、ベンノがギリギリとオットーの頭を締め付け始める。オットーに落とされそうで怖いので、止めて欲しい。 「ベンノさん、なんかご機嫌斜めですね?」 「こいつのせいだ」 じろりとベンノがオットーを睨むが、オットーは気にした様子も見せずにわたしをそっと床に下ろしてくれた。 「ベンノって、意外と信用されてなかったよ。マインちゃんがぶーぶー文句言ってたぜ。またベンノさんに誤魔化されたり、隠し事をされてたり、試されたりしてるような気がするって」 ベンノが怒っているのがわかるような気がする。絶対にオットーが余計な一言を言ったのだ。相手が怒ることを解って言っているに違いない。 「オットーさんは余計なこと言わないで!」 オットーの言葉を聞いたベンノが気を悪くするかと思って、わたしはそっとベンノの様子を伺う。しかし、気分を害した様子はなく、ベンノはわたしを見て、疲れたように溜息を吐いた。 「ハァ......。マインは勘が良いのか? それとも、疑い深いのか? 性格が悪いのか? せっかく俺がわざわざ面倒事から遠ざけてやったんだから、おとなしくてしていればいいのに......」 「でも、他人の言葉を鵜呑みにしないっていうのは商人として大事だから、言葉や行動の裏を読もうとするのは正解だろ?」 「まぁ、いい。質問には答えてやろう。座れ」 いつものテーブルに向かって席に着くと、わたしは開口一番、気になっていたことをベンノに尋ねた。 「契約魔術って、本当に関係のない人も巻き込むんですか?」 「内容によっては巻き込むこともある。今回は下手したら巻き込む可能性があった。そう説明したはずだが?」 確かに、そう言われた。説明はされたけれど、納得できなかったのだ。 「でも、基本的な技術とか、ありふれた商品や技術に契約魔術がかかっていたら、あっちこっちで被害が出るでしょ? 外国で契約魔術が使われていても、こっちには全然わからないわけだし......何か効力を発する条件とか、範囲があるんじゃないですか? あと、契約魔術を管理しているようなところとか......」 わたしが考えたことを述べると、ベンノは軽く目を見張った後、頷いた。 「あぁ、契約魔術が効くのは、基本的に契約を交わした街だけだ。街の中で起こった小規模な魔術が街を囲む外壁に張り巡らされた魔術結界を通り抜けることはない」 「魔術結界!? 何ですか、それ!?」 初めて聞くファンタジーな設定に胸が弾んで、思わず身を乗り出して質問したけれど、じろりとベンノに睨まれてしまった。 「街の基礎だが、今はどうでもいいことだ。今回のことに関する質問と説明は終了でいいのか?」 「あぁ、ダメです! 契約魔術って、本当に知らない人にも影響があるなら、すごく危険なものじゃないですか。そんなものをほいほい使えるなんておかしいじゃないですか」 不愉快そうにベンノが眉を片方だけ上げて、わたしを睨んだ。 「契約魔術はほいほい使えるようなものじゃない。必要な魔術具は認められた商人にしか与えられない上に、目玉が飛び出るほど高価だ。それに、お前も考えたように、契約者以外にも影響を及ぼす契約魔術は必ず領主様への報告が必要になる。報告なしに被害が出たら、罰されるのはこっちだ」 「え? じゃあ......」 報告を忘れていて、被害が出そうになって慌てていたのか、と思った瞬間、ベンノが軽くデコピンした。 「勘違いするなよ。領主様にはとっくに報告済みだ」 わたしが額を押さえて唸っていると、ベンノはフンと鼻を鳴らして、勝ち誇ったように唇の端を上げた。 「領主様に報告した時に、新しい商品に関する契約魔術として商業ギルドにも報告と登録をしておくように言われた」 「......ということは、商業ギルドにも報告はしたんですよね?」 「もちろん行ったさ。契約魔術の報告と登録。それから、協会の新規立ち上げの許可を取りにな」 協会の新規立ち上げって何ですか? 何するつもりですか? もしかして、ものすごく余計な事をしようとしてませんか? あまりにも予想外な言葉に、わたしは軽く目を見張って首を傾げる。そんなわたしを見て、ベンノは腹が立つようなしたり顔で得意そうに胸を張った。 「植物紙は一大事業になりそうな商品だろう? だから、羊皮紙協会のように植物紙協会を作って、他の街にも事業を広げていくことにした」 「......初耳ですけど?」 ひくっと顔を引きつらせたわたしに、ベンノは当たり前だと頷いた。 「今初めて言ったからな」 「ちょ、ちょっと待ってください。それって、既得権益に正面から喧嘩売ってるじゃないですか!? 話し合いなんて穏便に終わるわけがないですよ!」 なんでここまで強気でGO!GO!できるのか、全くわからない。根回しとか、譲り合いとか、落とし所がどこにも見当たらない。 「穏便に終わらなかったのは、俺のせいじゃない。あのくそじじいのせいだ」 うぅ~と唸ってベンノを睨むと、ベンノの隣に座っているオットーが腹を抱えて笑い始めた。どこに笑いのツボがあったのか、わからないので、ベンノと二人で一瞥しただけで放置する。 「責任転嫁でもない。登録するために商業ギルドへ行ったんだが、契約魔術を結んだ時点では現物がないので、登録不可能だと言われてな。試作品ができた時点で、登録に行ったんだ」 「はぁ」 「だが、俺が新しい協会を作るということが気に入らないギルド長がうだうだ言いやがって、申請したのに最終的な処理が季節を越えても終わってなかったらしい」 そういえば、自分達の仮登録にもギルド長が口出ししていた。髪飾りの取引がしたいギルド長が仕方なさそうに仮登録の許可をくれたけれど、かなり渋々だった記憶がある。 「わたし達の仮登録の時もそうでしたけど、ギルド長の私的な理由で登録を引きのばしたり、却下したりできるんですか?」 「一応もっともらしい理由がつけられる。仮登録の時は俺の血縁ではないことが理由だっただろう? 今回はすでに羊皮紙という紙があるから、植物紙の協会を新たに作る必要が感じられないそうだ」 心底嫌そうなベンノの顔に、二人が顔を合わせていた時の雰囲気が脳裏に蘇ってきた。険悪で、始終揚げ足の取り合いをしていたような気がする。 「何か二人のやり取りが想像できました」 「秋に申請済みだったから、まさか登録されていないなんて考えずに今回紙を売ったんだ。確かに俺の注意も足りなかったが、これは責任転嫁か?」 じろりと睨まれて、わたしは慌てて首を振った。 「えーと、商業ギルドの怠慢だと思います」 「そうだ。登録されていない紙を売ったことで、羊皮紙協会が文句を付けてきたんだ。くそじじいも自分の所業を棚に上げて、最初から向こうの肩を持ちやがって......」 どうやら、ベンノの敵は既存権益の羊皮紙協会ではなくて、ギルド長だったらしい。 「商業ギルドに登録するように領主様から言われていたのに、契約魔術の登録が終わっていない状態で、知らない人に被害が出た場合、どうなると思う?」 登録するように言われていたのにやっていないのは、かなり心証が悪いだろうし、重罪になると思う。 「領主様からすごく怒られると思います」 「あぁ、契約魔術に必要な魔術具は取り上げられるし、以後、貴族との取引は制限されるし、領主様から契約者に対して罰が与えられる。そうなったら、くそじじいに絶好のネタを与えることになるからな。登録が終わるまでは紙の製法を知られるわけにはいかなかったんだ」 ギルド長に対する警戒だったとすれば、厳重さにも頷ける。 「だが、面倒すぎる大人の駆け引きにお前達を巻き込むわけにはいかんだろう? 何より、マインは周囲への影響を深く考えずに、顔見知りで命の恩人だから、と大した警戒もせずにぺらぺらと重要な情報を喋りそうだからな」 「えぇ!? わたし、そんなに信用ないんですか!?」 「今までの積み重ねだ。自分の所業を思い返せ」 ギルド長の家でやらかしたあれこれを思い出して、わたしは言葉に詰まった。確かに、ベンノの立場で考えれば、何をしでかすかわからないわたしは、隔離しておくのが一番だ。 「だいたいの背景はわかりました。それで、羊皮紙協会との会合は大変だったんですか?」 「そっちは根回しだけしておけば、大したことない。面倒なのは、あのくそじじいだけだ」 やっぱりギルド長がラスボスか。まさか既得権益がベンノにとって雑魚だったとは。 おとなしく話を聞いていたオットーがニヤニヤ笑いながら、口を開いた。 「俺も連れ出されて、その会合に行ったんだけど、羊皮紙協会は妥協案で最終的に合意したよ」 「あぁ......」 ベンノの言葉に自分が提案したことを思い出して、ポンと手を打った。これで妥協してくれたということは、一応羊皮紙の領分を守りながら、広く紙を普及させることができるということだ。 やっと紙の心配をせずに本が作れるようになるんだ。 ベンノが工房を作って大量生産が始まれば、紙の心配がなくなりそうだ。次はインクと印刷について考えなければ、と思考を飛ばしているわたしの前では、オットーも何やら楽しそうだ。 「それで、今まで譲ることがなかったベンノの気を変えたのは誰だ!? とうとう水の女神がベンノにも現れたかって噂になったんだよ」 会合の小難しい話から横道にそれたことで、雰囲気が柔らかくなったのか、ルッツが口を開いた。 「雪を溶かす春の先触れ。長い冬に終わりをもたらす女神だよ」 オットーの言葉にわたしはふっと我に返った。そういえば、ここの神話は全く知らない。新春の挨拶に神が出てくるくらいなのだから、生活の中に潜んでいるのかもしれない。 「別っていうか......雪を溶かす水の女神や芽吹きの女神や春に関係する女神を全部まとめて春の女神って言うんだよ?」 多神教というだけで、少し馴染めそうな気がするのはわたしだけだろうか。少なくとも麗乃時代から馴染みのない一神教を強要する世界ではないようだ。洗礼式に対する緊張が少し解けた。 きょとんとした顔でオットーがそう言った。せっかく色々話してくれたのに、「へぇ」の一言では確かに失礼だったかもしれない。 「え? えーと......女神様についてわかって嬉しいです。今度ぜひ他の神様の話もお願いします」 「そういう意味じゃなくて、ベンノの......」 「オットー、追い出されたいのか?」 何となくわたしの察しが悪かったのが原因だったような気がするが、ベンノの怒った顔を見る限りでは、わからなくて正解という感じがひしひしとする。 「そういえば、なんでオットーさんが会合に参加したんですか?」 コリンナと別れさせると言いだしたベンノを止めるために、わたしはオットーに助け船を出してみた。 「植物紙協会が動き始めたら、手伝ってもらうつもりだからだ」 「え? それって、オットーさんが商人になるってことですか!?」 コリンナとの結婚のために商人の道を諦めたオットーが再び商人になれる日がやってきたということだろうか。 「いや、オットーはあくまで兵士。それ以外の時にこき使うだけだ」 「ええぇぇ!? ひどくないですか!?」 兵士の仕事が終わってから、ベンノに商人としてこき使われるなんて、さすがに可哀想だ。声を上げたわたしの横でルッツも頷いている。 「コリンナのために家賃分働くのは当然だ。なぁ、オットー?」 「家賃分以上働かされていると思うけど?」 黒い笑顔で睨みあう二人の視界にわたしとルッツは入っていない。 「ベンノさん、続きが聞きたいです。ギルド長とは結局どうなったんですか?」 「妥協点を出すことで、羊皮紙協会が植物紙協会の設立に合意したんだから、渋々ギルド長も認めたさ」 オットーの横やりが入ったけれど、これは多分オットーが正しいと思う。なるほど、と頷いたわたしとルッツを見て、ベンノがチッと舌打ちした。 「きっちり揃えた書類の数々、羊皮紙協会との和解、被害者も何も出ずに済んだのに、このまま登録を長引かせるのは、商業ギルドの怠慢だ」 「あぁ、それはそうだねぇ。でも、耄碌して書類が読めなくなっているなら、引退を考えた方が良いんじゃないか? とか、なんだったら俺が代わってやろうか? っていうのは、必要ない言葉だったと思うよ?」 「そういうことを言うから! 生意気だと目を付けられて、面倒なことになるんですよ! ギルド長、怒ってたでしょう?」 「顔を真っ赤にして怒ってたよ。人の顔ってあそこまで赤くなるんだね」 ベンノも「あれは見ものだった」なんて言って、オットーと頷き合っている。 「あんなくそじじいい、いくらでも怒らせておけばいい。今回はアイツの嫌がらせで、しなくて良い苦労をしたんだからな」 今回のことで、ギルド長とベンノの間の溝はさらに深く、そして、広くなったようだ。 「とにかく、今度こそ登録完了が確認できた。これからは紙をがっつり作って売る。まずは、この街の工房を決めないとな」 ややこしい問題が解決したので、紙を量産する工房を決めたいとベンノが言い始めた。 「夏の洗礼式に合わせて工房での大量生産を始める」 オットーが不思議そうに首を傾げた。 「綿密な利益計算の結果、洗礼式が終わってルッツが見習いになった後の方が良いと判断した。二人に払う金が必要なくなる。それに、どうせ工房を決めて、道具を作らせて、原料を確保して、作り方を学んで、と準備していたら、洗礼式の頃になる」 わたし達も道具の確保が大変だった。大量生産するための大きな道具をいくつも準備するのは時間がかかるに違いない。 「そういうわけで、マインとルッツ。工房を決めるための参考に、紙の作り方を洗いざらい吐いてもらうぞ」

Result of the Meetings with the Vested Interests Thanks to the magical contract I signed, wis.h.i.+ng for a stable future, people might start dying. Benno's words have me terrified. There's no way I would have wanted to put other people in harms way just so that Lutz and I could secure our future employment. Trembling and s.h.i.+vering, I walk home with Lutz. There's a pit in my stomach, like I'd swallowed a chunk of lead, and it churns within me. "You don't have to worry so much," says Lutz. "It'll be okay. Master Benno's taking care of it." If you were to ask me what's so scary, it's dragging completely unknowing outsiders into this. What I really want to do is lock myself in my house, but Lutz practically drags me out of the house, telling me that staring blankly at the wall made me look like I was thinking some strange thoughts. We keep working on making paper and keep going to the forest, but apart from that the only thing we can do is wait to hear back from Benno. However, even after a few days, no matter how many times we've pa.s.sed through the gates on our way to and from the forest, we haven't heard a single thing from Otto. I haven't heard anyone talking about any mysterious deaths, either. Everything seems to be basically the same as it always has been. "What is?" replies Lutz, furrowing his eyebrows. He peels a fresh, wet sheet of paper off of the bamboo mat and spreads it out on the paper bed. "The fact that contract magic can affect people who don't know about it," I remind him. "Why?" he replies, in a casual tone of voice. "It's magic, isn't it supposed to be mysterious?" He finishes laying down his sheet of paper, and I start working on mine. "I think it's kinda weird that magic is supposed to be mysterious. Or, rather, what if someone writes contract magic about some basic technique or some wide-spread commodity? Wouldn't there be fallout from that everywhere? And if it was used in a faraway city, then there's no way we'd ever hear about it in this city, too..." "Huh, I guess you're right." I continue thinking about it as I spread pulp over my paper mat. If contract magic were used as some kind of patent enforcement system, then that means there would need to be some kind of patent office controlling it. It would be dangerous to the public if n.o.body knew whether or not a particular product was protected by contract magic. "And, because we don't know about it, I'm thinking that there have to be limits to the range or the effects of contract magic. Besides, wouldn't there be much stricter protection in place around the use of such a dangerous kind of magic?" "You're kind of talking in circles around it, but, really, you're anxious, aren't you?" "Anxious..." I unintentionally freeze up when he says that. Lutz, sitting next to me, takes the bamboo mat from me and keeps working. "When you're trying to hide what you're really feeling from yourself, you always start talking a lot," he says. He lifts his chin a tiny bit, then urges me on, saying, "if you keep it all down I won't understand any of it, so just spit it all out already." "...I'm scared that people who don't know about our magic contract might get put into danger. I want to think that Mister Benno was joking or even lying to us. Like, n.o.body's in danger right now, right? He just wanted to scare us, right? ...That's what I want to be thinking." "Well, if he is joking, what's the point? What does he get out of deceiving us?" "Urgh... I, I mean, before now he's deceived us a lot. I'm thinking that maybe he's trying to cheat us, or maybe he's keeping secrets, or maybe this is some kind of test." As I wonder aloud why Benno could be trying to keep us away, I suddenly hear a very familiar voice come from behind me. "Hm? You mean to tell me you don't trust Benno, Maine?" Having thought that there was n.o.body else in the workshop but the two of us, Lutz and I instantly snap our heads around to see who we had just heard. "Mister Otto?!" "Why're you here?!" Otto waves at us, eyebrows raised in an expression of mild surprise. He's dressed in civilian clothes. "I'm here to deliver a message from Benno, remember?" "A message?!" Certainly, Benno had said that he'd contact us through Otto, but I'd thought that would have involved flagging us down when we pa.s.sed through the gates. I certainly didn't think he'd just show up at our storehouse like this. "It's finally done, he said." Such a simple message doesn't tell me anything. I, who suffered through a constantly churning stomach as the result of a lack of information, immediately jump on him, pressing for details. "What's finally done? How'd it get done?!" "It seems there were some difficulties with it." "Some difficulties? What happened?!" Otto merely shrugs, refusing to give any sort of answer that actually answered anything. I have no idea if he actually doesn't know what's happening or if he's merely pretending not to. "Benno didn't explain anything to you?" he asks. "He didn't tell me much. I know that if people who don't know about our magic contract make or sell paper on their own then something bad will happen, and that he doesn't want us to come around the shop until he's done with his negotiations with the parchment makers' a.s.sociation, since he wants to keep our manufacturing methods hidden. That's all." As I explain what little Benno had told me, Otto gently strokes his chin. "Hmm, so he's told you the barest minimum amount for now, hasn't he?" "Our contract hasn't done any damage to any unknown people, has it? That's the thing I'm most worried about..." "He kept your manufacturing methods hidden so that wouldn't happen, didn't he? There really hasn't been any damage. Anything more than that you should probably ask Benno about. When you get to a good stopping point, how about we go there together?" "Okay!" Hearing that n.o.body's been hurt takes an enormous weight off my chest. With my body suddenly feeling much lighter, I diligently go back to spreading pulp over the paper frame. "Ah, so is this how you make paper? What's this thing here?" "A trade secret." Even though Otto seems very interested in how paper actually gets made, I refuse to answer any of his many questions as I continue my work. "We've got a great working relations.h.i.+p, Maine. It's alright to tell me about this stuff, isn't it?" "Mister Benno will get mad at me if I start carelessly telling you everything. Right, Lutz?" "Right, because you never think, you always just start talking. You should probably keep your mouth shut." "Ahaha...," chuckles Otto. "Talking without thinking? I can imagine how thick the vein popping out of his forehead gets when that happens." "Oh, his veins don't pop out that often. He usually just gets really, really shocked." After we tidy up our tools, the three of us head towards Benno's shop. As we walk through the alleys, Otto, faster than we are, pulls ahead. He stops, then looks down at me, rubbing his temples. "...Do you usually walk this slowly?" "...Yes...?" "Whoa, you're amazing, Lutz. You're way more patient than I am. I respect that! ...Anyhow, pardon me." When we arrive at Benno's shop, Mark comes out to greet us. "Maine, Lutz, good afternoon. Master Otto, you have my deepest grat.i.tude for everything you have done for us." He bows to Otto. "It wasn't a big deal," replies Otto, offhandedly. "It was actually pretty fun! Is Benno in?" He immediately heads inside. Still holding me in one hand, he uses his other hand to push open the door to the back room. "Benno, the water G.o.ddess has arrived!" The instant Otto enters, saying something strange, Benno immediately shoots him a glare, a bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes. The sheer intensity of Benno's glare is such that I, still carried in Otto's arms, am hit by the shockwave. "Shut up, Otto. You don't want Corinna to divorce you, do you?" It seems that Benno, as Corinna's subst.i.tute father, might have the authority to force the two of them to get a divorce. Otto's basically his son-in-law, then, so it seems Benno's something like the head of the family. I'm not the only one who puts Benno's sharp glare and his low growl together and realizes how serious he really is. Otto, who's built his entire life revolving around Corinna, frantically starts apologizing. "Whoa! No way! That was a little joke, you know?!" "It's not a joke if it's not actually funny." Benno, wearing an expression such that I can't quite tell if he's joking or serious, starts reaching out as if to crush Otto's skull. I, suddenly scared of being dropped, would like this to stop. "Mister Benno, what seems to have you in such a bad mood?" "It's this a.s.shole's fault." Although Benno scowls at him, Otto doesn't seem to act like he cares that much as he sets me down on the floor. "Benno," he says, "looks like Maine doesn't trust you! I caught her grumbling about you a little while ago. She was worried you might be deceiving her, keeping secrets from her, or even testing her, she said." I'm pretty sure he knows exactly how angry Benno is. He's absolutely saying something unnecessary right now. I have no doubt that he's saying these things because Benno's mad. "Mister Otto," I object, "don't say that!" I'm positive that Otto's words will only make Benno's mood worse, so I worriedly look over to see how Benno's reacting. However, instead of seeming any angrier, Benno just looks down at me, then lets out an exhausted sigh. "Haahhh... are you getting too perceptive? Or maybe just too doubtful? Or maybe you just have a bad personality? I've been doing all of this hard, pain-in-the-a.s.s work for you, and all I needed you to do was to just stay away and be quiet, and still..." "But," interjects Otto, "not just blindly swallowing whatever someone tells you is a very important skill for a merchant to have, so trying to figure out the real meaning behind their words and actions is the right thing to do!" "Well, whatever," says Benno. "I'll answer your questions. Sit." We sit down at our usual table, facing each other and, with the very first words out of my mouth, I ask Benno about the thing that I'm most worried about. "Can contract magic really affect uninvolved people?" "Based on what's written in it, yeah, it's happened before. This time, if we're not careful, it could happen again. I explained this to you already, right?" Certainly, he had said that. He'd explained it, but I just hadn't accepted it. "But, if it were used for some basic craft, or some product or technique that's already wide-spread, wouldn't there be all sorts of damage everywhere? If someone were to write a magic contract in some far-off country, then we'd have no way of knowing about it at all... there's got to be some sort of limit on its effects, or a maximum range, isn't there? Also, shouldn't there be some sort of control on the use of magic contracts, or something like that..." Benno nods, looking slightly amazed as I lay out my thoughts. "Yeah, magic contracts only really work in the city they were signed in. Small-scale magics that happen inside the city can't make it out of the magical barrier built into the walls around it." "Magical barrier?! Whoa, what's that?!" The mention of a previously-unheard fantasy setting term sets my heart alight, and I instinctively lean forward and start asking for more information, but all I earn is another glare from Benno. "It's the foundation of a town, but that doesn't matter right now. So, are we all done with questions and explanations for today?" "Ahh, no, wait! So if contract magic can affect people who don't know about it, then that's really dangerous, isn't it? It's weird to just be able to casually use it for whatever, isn't it?" Benno raises one eyebrow, looking a little uncomfortable, and stares at me. "No, you can't just 'casually use it for whatever'. The magical tools you need for it are given only to specifically approved merchants, and they're so expensive your eyes would pop out of your head if I told you. And also, like you thought, contracts that can affect people besides the signatories absolutely must be declared to the lord of the land. If any damage were to happen without us declaring it, then we'd be the ones who get punished." "Huh? Then..." The instant I start to panic about forgetting to declare the contract and damage happening, Benno flicks my forehead. "Don't misunderstand. I told the lord of the land about this a long time ago." He guessed what I was going to say before I could even open my mouth. As I groan, rubbing my forehead, Benno snorts, the corners of his mouth turning up in a triumphant grin. "And, when I declared the contract, I was told that I needed to inform the merchant's guild that I had signed a magical contract relating to a new commodity, and register it with them." "...So in other words, you declared it to the guild as well?" "Of course I went! I declared it and registered it. Then, I went to get approval to start a new trade a.s.sociation." Start a new trade a.s.sociation? What does he plan to do? Isn't he doing something incredibly over-the-top? Hearing those unexpected words, my eyes widen in surprise and I tilt my head to one side. Seeing this, Benno puffs up his chest, looking extremely self-satisfied. "Plant-based paper is something that could turn into an enormous enterprise, right? So, I went to start a papermakers' a.s.sociation, like the parchment makers' a.s.sociation, so I can spread my business wide, even to other cities." "...This is news to me, though?" Stunned, my face freezes. Benno nods emphatically. "It's the first time I'm telling you." "W... wait a minute. So that means, you were planning on competing with the parchment makers right from the beginning weren't you?! You never wanted to have a peaceful talk with them at all!" Why he'd race straight towards such a stubborn conclusion, I have no idea. I can't see any room for laying any groundwork, making concessions, or finding any points of compromise anywhere in there. "It's not my fault that it didn't end nice and quietly. It's that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d's fault." As Benno glares at me, growling, Otto, sitting next to him, starts laughing uproariously, clutching his sides. I have no idea just how that got set off, but Benno and I just glance at him, mutually deciding to leave him alone. "I'm not s.h.i.+fting the blame. I went to the merchant's guild to get everything declared, but because I didn't have any of the actual product on hand when the contract was signed, I was told that I couldn't actually register it. So, when the prototype was finished, I went again to go register it." "Ah..." "But, the guild master decided he didn't like the idea of me registering a new trade a.s.sociation, so he gave me this long-winded speech, and then even though I got my application in, it seems like it's still not done being processed, even though the seasons have already changed entirely." Come to think of it, back when Lutz and I went to get our temporary registrations, the guild master interfered with that too. He eventually allowed us to be registered, since he wanted to be able to do business with me for a hairpin, but I remember him being extremely reluctant about that. "That happened before, when Lutz and I needed temporary registrations, but could the guild master hold back your registration or reject it for totally personal reasons?" "If he could come up with some plausible pretext for it. Remember, when we got you registered, his reason was that you weren't my blood relatives, right? This time, he said he felt like the parchment makers' a.s.sociation already was a paper organization, so there wasn't a need to make another a.s.sociation solely for plant-based paper." Judging by the deeply unpleasant expression on Benno's face, he must be reliving the mood he'd been in during his meeting with the guild master. I feel like it must have been a dangerous struggle, with the guild master constantly finding fault with him. "I can imagine how that discussion went," I say. "I'd filed my application back in the autumn, so I started selling paper now thinking that there's no way I still wouldn't actually be registered. It's obvious that I wasn't cautious enough, but do you really think I'm s.h.i.+fting the blame here?" He glares at me, and I frantically shake my head. "Ummm, no, I think it's the guild master's fault for procrastinating." "That's right. So, when I sold paper without that registration, then the parchment makers' guild went to lodge a complaint. But that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d played it totally innocent, and then he even started by siding entirely with the other guys..." It's looking more and more like Benno's rival isn't actually the parchment makers' a.s.sociation. It's the guild master. "So, the magic contract still isn't done being registered, even though the lord of the land himself told me to go do it. If something bad were to happen to some unknown person because of that, then what do you think would happen?" Failing to register after being explicitly told to would either leave an extremely bad impression or be treated as an outright felony, I think. "I think the lord of the land would get very angry," I say. "Yeah. He'd confiscate my tools for making magical contracts, and then, he'd restrict all of my dealings with the n.o.bility, and then he'd punish all of the signatories. If that happens, I think that would probably be that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d's best possible outcome! So, until registration finished, there was no way we could let anyone know about how your paper-making methodology worked." Now that I know how vigilant Benno's trying to be against the guild master, I can understand how strict he was being. "However, there's no way I could get the two of you tangled up in the enormous pain in the a.s.s that is a negotiation between adults, right? Especially you, Maine, since you don't pay any attention to your actual surroundings, and then just because some acquaintance saves your life, you just start carelessly blathering on about all sorts of sensitive information." "Whaaat?! You trust me that little?!" "There's an abundance of evidence. Reflect on your own actions a little." Reminded of the various things I'd wound up doing at the guild master's house, I can't come up with any retort. Certainly, from Benno's standpoint, he has no idea what I might wind up doing, so keeping me isolated is the best course of action. "I think I understand the gist of it," I say. "So, were the negotiations with the parchment makers' a.s.sociation very difficult?" "That was all just making the necessary arrangements, so that wasn't particularly difficult. No, the only bothersome part of that was dealing with that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d." The guild master really is the last boss, huh? I never thought that Benno would be treating the parchment makers as trash mobs. This is a development I hadn't even considered, back when I was making paper with a huge knot in my stomach. Otto, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, grins broadly, then opens his mouth to speak. "I was taken along to that meeting. We worked out an agreement on a compromise plan." "Ahh..." Benno's words reminds me of the fact that I'd suggested it to begin with, and I clap my hands. With that compromise, we'd be able to distribute paper far and wide while preserving, for now, the parchment makers' market territory. This is a big step forward for my book-making project, isn't it? As paper becomes more widespread, the price will drop, and just through that alone books will become way easier to make. It looks like I finally don't have to worry about paper anymore when it comes to making books. Once Benno establishes a workshop for ma.s.s production, all my paper-related worries will disappear. My next issue will be finding ink, and then printing... and as my thoughts take off into the clouds, even Otto looks like he's somehow enjoying himself. "And now everyone's shocked! Who's this guy, and what did he do with that totally uncompromising Benno we know?! So now there's this rumor going around that the water G.o.ddess came to visit him." "The water G.o.ddess?" asks Lutz, speaking up now that the conversation has digressed from the troublesome tales of the meeting and the mood of the room has softened somewhat. "The springtime herald of the melting snow," explains Otto. "The G.o.ddess who brings an end to the long winter." Otto's words snap me back to my senses. Now that I think about it, I really don't know any of the mythology of this world at all. I already found one mention of a G.o.d in the new year's greeting, so it's likely that there's more of them hiding around in day-to-day life around here. "Different, hmm... well, the G.o.ddess of melted snow, the G.o.ddess of new buds, and all of the other spring-related G.o.ddesses are all called G.o.ddesses of spring, you know?" Is it just me, or does calling it "polytheism" make it sound a little more relatable? At least, this doesn't look like a world where I'd be forced into the same kind of monotheism that I was kind of coerced into in my Urano days. I'm feeling a little less anxious about my baptism, now. "...That's it?" says Otto, looking blankly at me. It seems that, after he took the effort to explain all of that to me, responding with a single "huh..." might have been a little rude. "Hm? Oh, umm... I'm happy to know a little more about the G.o.ddesses now. I'll be sure to ask you more about the G.o.ds next time!" "Oh, that's not what I meant, O wa--" "Otto, do you want to be kicked out?" growls Benno, giving him an extremely irritated look. I have a feeling that my incorrect guess might have somehow been the cause, but I can't really tell how just from seeing Benno's angry expression, and I'm still pretty sure I was correct. "Mister Benno, now that I think about it, why did you bring Mister Otto to the meeting?" I toss Otto a lifeline in order to stop Benno from talking about how he was going to kick him out of the family, and it seems like I successfully manage to s.h.i.+ft Benno's attention to me. He quickly lets go of Otto and turns to me. Otto gives me an extremely thankful look. "When the paper makers' a.s.sociation gets off of the ground, I plan to have him help me with it." "Oh? Wait, then, you mean Mister Otto will get to be a merchant?!" Has the day come where Otto, who had abandoned the life of a merchant so that he could marry Corinna, could finally become one again? As I think that happy thought, though, Benno shakes his head at me. "No, Otto'll be a soldier til the bitter end. I'm just using him in his free time." "Whaaaat?! That's really mean, isn't it?!" To have to work all day as a soldier, and then be used by Benno as a merchant when his soldier's work is done, that really is a pitiable state to be in. Lutz, sitting next to me, nods in agreement. However, Benno just snorts, then looks at Otto with a cruel grin. "Oh, it's only natural that he work to pay me his share of the rent. For Corinna's sake. Right, Otto?" "I think I'd be earning a little more than just rent money, though?" The two of them stare at each other with dark smiles, now completely ignoring me and Lutz. I have no idea how long it'll take for them to be finished with this staring contest, so I tap lightly on the table. "Mister Benno, I've got a follow-up question. What eventually happened with the guild master?" "Since we found some common ground, the parchment makers' a.s.sociation agreed to the creation of a paper makers' a.s.sociation, so the guild leader reluctantly approved of it too." Otto's phrasing is probably a little more accurate, I think. Lutz and I nod in understanding. Seeing this, Benno clucks his tongue at us. "I've filled out every necessary form exactly, I've negotiated everything with the parchment makers' a.s.sociation, and I've done so with n.o.body getting injured. The fact that everything's being dragged out so long, even with all that, is entirely because the guild master is dragging his feet." "Yeah, that's about right," says Otto. "But, maybe, you might not have needed to say things like 'if you're so senile that you can't read paperwork anymore then you should just retire already' or 'how about you just let me do it if you are so d.a.m.ned inclined'? Just a thought." "It's because you say things like that!" I say. "If you're being that... brazen, then of course things are going to get difficult! You made the guild master mad, didn't you?" "Oh, his face was bright red, he was so mad." says Otto. "I didn't think a person's face could even get that red!" Otto is talking like this is somehow kinda funny, but this is absolutely not a laughing matter. Benno adds, "that was a sight to see," and Otto nods emphatically. "I don't care how much I p.i.s.s off that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d. This time, thanks to all of his pestering, not p.i.s.sing him off would have been even harder." It seems like the gulf between Benno and the guild master has grown even wider and deeper thanks to these events. "Anyhow, this time for sure I've confirmed that our registration is complete. Now, it's time to put everything into making and selling some paper. First off, I've got to decide on a workshop in the city." Now that the complicated problems have been solved, Benno starts talking about how he'd like to decide on a workshop for putting paper into production. "I'd like to get ma.s.s production going at a workshop shortly after this summer's baptismal ceremonies are complete." "Why?" asks Otto, tilting his head curiously. "After doing a lot of profit calculations, I've come to the conclusion that it's best to get started after Lutz is baptized and starts his apprentices.h.i.+p here. At that point, I don't need to pay these two anymore. Plus, by the time I find a workshop, have the equipment made, procure the raw materials, and have the staff learn the manufacturing technique, it'll be around that time anyway." It had been hard for Lutz and I to secure our own tools as well. It's only natural that getting however many large-scale tools he'd need for ma.s.s production would be incredibly difficult. "In any event, Maine, Lutz. I'll be consulting with you on picking out a workshop, and you'll tell me everything you know about the manufacturing process."

川原まで歩いてから、わたしは背負っていた籠のふちに引っかけるようにして、黒皮を干していく。その間に、ルッツは鍋の準備を始めた。石を組んだ竈に水を入れた鍋を置いてから、薪を拾いに行く。 「いいか、マイン。絶対に鍋の側を離れるなよ」 「もうわかったって!」 鍋も灰もここではすぐには手に入らない大事な物で、金銭価値がある。それに、ここまで作ってきた白皮も盗られたら困る物なので、わたしみたいな役立たずでも荷物番は絶対に必要なのだ。 最近ちょっと採集に力を入れ始めて、うろうろとするようになったわたしは、ルッツに何度も釘を刺される羽目になっていた。 「わかったって言いながら、マインは興味がある物を見つけたら、すぐにふらふら行っちゃうからな」 「ルッツが戻ってくるまでここにいるから、早く行ってきて」 わたしが森に入り始めた頃、重たいので籠を置いて、奥に入っていこうとしたら、トゥーリとルッツにものすごく怒られた。日本と違って、自分の荷物を置いて、目の届かないところへ行くなんて、絶対にしてはならないことなのだ。 「沸いてきたか?」 「うん、そろそろいいと思う」 ぐつぐつと沸いてきたお湯に灰と白皮を入れると、かき混ぜる物が必要になった。しかし、そんなものは準備してきていない。 のあぁぁ、また足りないものを発見しちゃった。 いかに自分の想像力が貧困なのか、よくわかる結果に落ち込みつつ、何かないかな、と周りを見回す。 「ルッツ、鍋を混ぜるために同じくらい長さの棒を二つ作ってほしいの。木は皮が剥がれて混ざりそうだから、できれば、竹だったら嬉しい。この近くにあったよね?」 「竹で棒を作るんだな? わかった」 ルッツに竹を割って、削って即席で作ってもらった菜箸で、わたしは鍋の中を掻き回す。 「......そんな棒でよく混ぜれるな」 「ぅえっ!? あ、あぁ、うん。器用でしょ?」 和食がないこの世界には当然箸も存在しない。箸を持てる人も、まずいない。鍋を掻き混ぜるために、当たり前のように菜箸を作ってもらったり、握り箸でもなく、普通に箸を持てたりする幼女なんているはずがない。 うわぁ、なんかルッツが微妙な顔をしている。 なるべく普通の顔を装って、白皮を煮込み続けてからしばらくたつと、微かに鐘が響いてきた。そろそろ時間的にはいいはずだ。 煮込んだ白皮を川にさらして、灰を流す。それと同時に天日に当てる。天日に当てると皮が白くなるそうだ。この世界の植物にも当てはまるかどうかは知らないが、ひとまず記憶を頼りにやっていくしかない。 「このまま、また丸一日置いておくね」 綺麗な白い紙を作るために、白皮は川でまたもや丸一日放置だ。ルッツは鍋を洗った後、わたしと交代で採集をする。 わたしもちょっとだけ毒物採集の割合が下がった。この調子で覚えていこう。 次の日は白皮の取り入れが紙に関するメイン作業だ。 「明日からは倉庫で作業だからね」 「そうか。じゃあ、今日の採集はしっかりしておかないとダメだな」 ルッツに選別してもらった食べられる茸と、ルッツに採ってもらった実り始めたメリヤの実をいくつか、それから、煮詰めてジャムにするためのクランをたっぷり採集した。 「なぁ、マイン。トロロって、こんなもんか?」 「......うーん、多分。粘りは出てるから大丈夫だと思うけど、正直よくわからないんだよね。繊維を混ぜる時の粘りで考えてみるよ」 繊維の塵取りが終わったら、繊維をバンバン叩いていく。樫のような堅い角棒で、白皮の繊維が綿のようになるほど叩きまくる。材木屋で買った角材を手で持つ部分だけ削って、手を傷めないように、家から持ち出した雑巾をぐるぐると巻いた角棒で、ルッツがバンバン叩く。 今回は試作品で繊維の量自体が少ないから、時間はそれほどかからなかったけれど、量をこなすようになると、大変だろう。 たたきほぐされた繊維をたらいの中に入れ、トロロを加えた後、水を少しずつ入れながら粘りを調節していく。 ......確か、牛乳パックの再生紙の時に糊を入れた後はこんな感じだった、と思う。 職人でもないわたしに感覚で調節なんて出来るわけがないけれど、何とか記憶を引っ張り出して、紙が漉けそうな そりゃ、確かに、曖昧なところも多いし、実際やってみたら足りない道具も多いけど、それは経験がなかったせいだもん。 全く信用されていないことに少しばかりムッとしながら、わたしは幼女のぽっこりお腹をグッと反らした。 「......いつ、どこで?」 眉を寄せたルッツの尖った声に、一瞬、心臓が凍った。 「っ!?......お、おおお、乙女の秘密っ! 探っちゃダメだよ!」 ぅわあああああぁぁぁぁ! わたしのバカバカ! 何言っちゃってんの!? ルッツの視線がじとってしてる。こっち見てるよ。ああぁぁぁぁ! 最大級の自爆!? そんな心の絶叫は愛想笑いで誤魔化しつつ、簀桁を船水に入れていく。指が少し震えているが、見ないふりだ。 「なんで、そうやって動かすんだ?」 「それはね、動かすことで、均等な厚みの紙になるからだよ。あとは、紙の厚さや種類によって、この作業を数回くり返せばいいの」 「ふーん、したことあるから、わかるのか?」 じっと探るようなルッツの目がわたしの表情の変化を見逃すまいと突き刺さってくる。こういう時にどう答えれば誤魔化せるのかわからない。 「あ、あのね、ルッツ。今回はこの作業の回数を変えて、紙の厚みがどう変わるかも試してみたいと思ってるんだけど、いい?」 突然の話題転換に何か思うところがあったのか、手元と顔に何度も行き来するルッツの視線が更に厳しくなったことを感じながら、わたしは紙を漉いていく。 紙床 「やってみる」 ルッツがもう一つの簀を桁に挟んで準備し、紙を漉き始めた。葉書サイズで小さいので、ある程度簀を動かしてやれば、ちゃんと均一になる。 まぁ、多い分にはいいか。 「今回は少ないけど、多くても少なくても、一日分の紙を紙床に重ねて丸一日ほど自然に水を切るの」 「ゆっくりと重石で圧力をかけて、さらに水をしぼるんだよ。丸一日重石を置いたままの状態にしておけばいいから。そうしたら、トロロのねばりけが完全になくなるんだって」 「へぇ......。よく知ってるな。やったことがあるんだっけ?」 自分がまいた種なので、どうしようもないことはよくわかっているけれど、このままの状態が続くのも、正直居心地悪い。 次の日、今回は忘れずに板を持って行って、黒皮の外皮を剥がした。 「......素材が違うから、難しいね」 「あぁ、そうだな」 ボロボロになった繊維が今の自分達の関係のようで、溜息を隠せない。 「これで白皮を乾燥させたら、しばらく保存できるよ」 「ん。なぁ......」 「......いや、今はいいや。紙ができたら言う」 わたしがマインではないとルッツは気付いていて、糾弾しようとしている。だって、ルッツはあの自爆から、わたしのことを「マイン」と呼ばなくなった。 紙が出来上がったら、一体どんな風に詰られるのだろうか。何と罵られるのだろうか。 いくら何でも、ここまで言うなんて、ルッツ、ひどいっ! 妄想でも泣くよ! 泣いちゃうよ! 次の日は、倉庫で作業だ。まず、前日に作った白皮をわたしとルッツの籠に引っかけて外に出す。 「......お前、忘れてるもの、多すぎだぞ」 じろりとルッツに睨まれたけれど、最近想像上のルッツに罵詈雑言を吐かれ続けているわたしとしては、この程度ではびくともしない。軽く肩を竦めて、受け流す。 「次に作る時までに、ルッツが忘れずに準備してね。......そんなことより、これを天日で乾かしたら完成だよ。天日にさらすことで白さが増すんだって」 ルッツが外に板を持ちだして、日に当たる場所で壁に立てかける。その後、ルッツは井戸で紙床を洗うと、紙が張り付けられた板と並べて干した。 よく晴れた青い空の下、白い紙が並んで貼りついている光景はコントラストが美しく、これが本になるのか、と考えただけで満足の息が漏れてくる。 「夕方までには乾くよ。乾いたら破れないように丁寧に剥がして出来上がりだからね」 紙の出来上がりを目前にして、ほんの少しでもルッツと向き合う時間を先延ばしにしたいと思ったわたしの心境を感じとったのか、ルッツが苛立ちを顔に出した。 「もう、出来たも同然だろ?」 「......まぁ、そうだけど......」

After we walk to the riverbank, I set down the basket I was carrying on my back, then hang strips of bark from its edges to dry. While I do so, Lutz starts preparing the pot. He fills it with water, sets it on top of our stone stove, then starts heading off to find firewood. "Listen up, Maine. Do not, under any circ.u.mstance, leave this pot." "I get it already!" The pot and the ashes are both very important and very difficult to acquire, so they're worth quite a lot of money. On top of that, we'll be in big trouble if the bark we've processed so far gets stolen as well. So, even someone as useless as me can come in handy once in a while, watching the stuff. I've been putting more effort into gathering lately, wandering around more and more, so Lutz has been incessantly hammering in his point. "You say that you get it, but every time you see something interesting, you immediately stagger off to look at it!" "I'll stay right here until you get back, so just go already!" When I first started coming to the forest, I used to set down my basket as soon as I arrived, because it was so heavy. Whenever I tried leaving it behind as I went deeper into the forest, though, Lutz and Tory would get amazingly angry at me. Unlike in j.a.pan, it seems like in this world you'd never, ever wander off and leave any of your things unattended. For this reason, all the kids who go to the forest always have their baskets and boxes worn on their backs, and they don't ever gather more than they can carry. "Is it boiling yet?" "Yeah, just about, I think." To the bubbling pot, I add the strips of inner bark and the ash, then realize that I need something to stir the pot with. However, we don't have anything like that prepared. Nooo... yet another thing I didn't think we'd need. I slump down dejectedly, suddenly aware of just how lacking my imagination is, then start looking around for something we might be able to use. "Lutz, could you please make me a couple of long straight sticks, about the same length, that I could use to stir the pot? I think wood would peel apart and get mixed in, so it would be great if you could use bamboo. There's probably some nearby, right?" "Sticks made out of bamboo? Got it." Lutz skillfully cuts a length of bamboo and whittles it into two long cooking chopsticks for me. Using those, I start stirring the pot. As I marvel at how much better he's gotten at carving bamboo, maybe from when he made all those bamboo strips, Lutz murmurs something to himself. "...You're really great at stirring things with those, huh." "Um?! Y-y-yes! They're super handy, aren't they?" I force a smile onto my face, covering my sudden panic, as a cold sweat runs down my spine. This world doesn't have Asian cooking, so of course it doesn't have any chopsticks, so of course it wouldn't have any people in it who are able to use chopsticks. There probably doesn't exist a single normal little girl on this planet who would look at a pot that needs to be stirred, ask someone to make some chopsticks for her, wield them both in one hand correctly, then stir away like it's the most normal thing in the world. Whoa, Lutz has a kind of doubtful expression on his face. It must be just my imagination. Just my imagination. Just my imagination, right? I try to keep my face as normal as I can as I continue stirring the boiling bark. After a while, I hear the faint chiming of the town bell, signaling that it's probably about time to move on. We put the stewed bark in the river, simultaneously was.h.i.+ng out the ash and exposing it to the sunlight. The more it's exposed to the sun, the lighter it should be bleached. I don't know exactly how the plants of this world behave, though, so I'm having to make a.s.sumptions based on what I remember from Earth. "Now we leave it like this for another day," I say. To make sure our paper will be as white as we can get it, we'll leave the bark in the river for another full day. After Lutz finishes was.h.i.+ng up the pot, we take turns going out to do our gathering work. I manage to reduce the total percentage of poisonous mushrooms by a just a little bit. I'll need to keep at it like this. The next day, our main paper-related task is just retrieving the bleached white bark from the river. Essentially, we're just going about our gathering business as usual, then when we're just about ready to head back we'll stop by the river and collect the bark. To do that, instead of bringing the pot with us today we've borrowed a bucket from home, but that's all we need for today. "Work's going to be mostly at the warehouse starting tomorrow, after all," I say. "Ah, okay. So, we have to make sure we get all of our gathering done today, then." I wind up with a sizable amount of things, including edible mushrooms that Lutz helped me select, several nearly-ripe melia fruit that Lutz helped me pick, and some cran that I hope to boil down into jam. While we work, I sample a few things for myself. These fruit are far, far more sour than anything I used to eat in j.a.pan, but since this world lacks sweet things so dearly, you could think of these as delicious. "Hey, Maine. This the kinda goop you were looking for?" "...Hmmm, I think so? Since it's sticky, I think that's good, but honestly I don't know exactly what we need. Try thinking about what it's going to be like when we're mixing the fibers in with it." After I'm done removing all of the junk from the fibers, we start pounding them out. Using a squared timber made of a hard, oak-like wood, we need smash away at the pile of bark until it's as soft as cotton. In order to make the stick comfortable to hold, we whittle the corners off of one side of it, then wrap some cloth that we borrowed from home around that side. Then, Lutz starts pounding away at it. This is Lutz's job. If I were to try it, given how little strength I have, all I'd do is get in the way. This time, since we're just working on a prototype, we don't really need very many fibers so this doesn't take a tremendous amount of time, but when we're looking to start increasing the quant.i.ty, it looks like this might be really tough. We put the beaten, softened fibers in the tub, add the binder, then add water a little bit at a time so that we can regulate the stickiness of the mixture. Ordinarily, the next step would involve using a kind of large comb called a mase to churn this all together. For now, though, since we're working with such small quant.i.ties, I have Lutz make two more sets of cooking chopsticks, then I hold them together like I was about to use them to whip up a custard, and mix the fibers up that way. ...If I remember right, when I made recycled paper out of an old milk carton that one time, the mixture felt kind of like this... Since I am nothing even remotely like a craftsman, I don't have any real sense for regulating the mixture, so I try my best to recreate how I remember the paper slurry I worked with back then felt. Finally, I take that slurry and spread it onto the bamboo mat in the paper frame. Well, certainly, there have been a lot of parts in this process that have been really vague, and there have been a lot of tools that I didn't know we needed until we actually needed them, but all of those problems were because I lacked any actual practical experience. Although I'm a little bitter about how little confidence Lutz has in me, I still stand up straight, suck in my baby gut, and look him dead on. "...When?" he says, frowning. "Where?" The sudden sharpness in his voice makes my heart freeze. "Guh?! ...A, a, aaaaa, a maiden has her secrets!! Don't pry!!" Aaaaaaaaaaagh! I'm an idiot! I'm such an idiot! What am I saying?! He's staring now! He's staring at me! Aaaaaagh! Did I just wreck everything for myself?! I try desperately to hide the screams of terror in my heart behind a pleasant smile as I transfer some of the pulp into the paper frame. My fingers tremble slightly as I work, but not so much that it can be seen. I scoop some pulp into the frame, then shake it around, letting it spread out over the surface of the mat. "Why're you moving it like that?" "Oh, this? By shaking it around, you can make sure it spreads out evenly so the paper will be the same thickness for the whole sheet. After this, depending on the kind of paper and how thick we want it, we might repeat this step a few more times." "Hmmm, you've done this before, so you know a lot about it, huh?" Lutz's frigid stare drills into me, scrutinizing every tiny detail of my facial expression. No matter what I say, I don't think I'll be able to weasel my way through an answer to that remark. Instead, all I can do is keep quietly working, then abruptly change the subject. "Uh, um, Lutz. I was thinking that we should change up how many times we're doing this step for each sheet so that we can test out different thicknesses for the paper, what do you think?" Perhaps he thought something was up with my spontaneous topic switch, because his eyes grow even colder as he continuously glances between the work that I'm doing and the expression on my face. As he stares, I keep spreading pulp out over the frame. "When you're transferring paper over to the bed, you don't want there to be any s.p.a.ce between the new sheet and any sheets that you've already made, so you need to be careful like this about where you put everything down, starting from the first one." "Let me try." Lutz sets the mat back into the frame, then starts spreading pulp out himself. Since we're only making small, postcard-sized sheets, it doesn't take much movement to spread the pulp evenly across the surface of the mat. We take turns making sheets, working mostly in silence. Although I'd tried to prepare enough white bark to make only a few sheets of paper, by the time we're finished, we have a full ten, showing just how off my calculations really were. Well, making too much isn't actually a bad thing. "We haven't made very many sheets today, but no matter if we're making a a lot or a little, we'll take this one day's worth of paper and leave it here on the paper bed for a whole day so the water can naturally run off it." "Then we slowly start adding weight on top so that we squeeze the rest of the water out of it. We'll put the stone weight on top of it and leave it alone for a day. If we do that, all of the leftover stickiness from the binding agent should go away." "Hmm...! You know your stuff. Have you maybe done this before?" These are seeds that I have sown myself, so I'm well aware that there's nothing more that I can do now, but as long as things continue like this, there's no way I'll ind any comfort. The next day, we go to the forest to work on stripping off the outer bark from our next set of materials, making sure not to forget to bring a board to work on this time. This time, the work is far, far more difficult than it was with the tronbay. The fibers are left in tatters as I pa.s.s my knife through them. This isn't only due to my own incompetence, though, even Lutz seems to be having a hard time. Tronbay fibers worked so well, but the difficulty of working with this material makes me wonder if we even can make paper out of it. "...This material's different, so it's way harder, huh." "Yeah, it really is." I can't help but let out a sigh as I compare the tattered fibers to our current relations.h.i.+p. "We can let the inner bark dry like it is, so let's stop for now." "Mm. Hey, uh..." "...Nah, maybe later. I'll tell you when we've made some paper." Lutz closes his mouth and doesn't say anything more, and I give him a small nod. Inside, I've already prepared myself for the worst. Lutz has noticed that I am not, in fact, Maine, and he's going to blame me for it. After all, ever since that enormous mistake, he's never called me "Maine" even once. When we finish making paper, I wonder just what kind of yelling I'm going to get? Or maybe is it going to be abuse? Thanks to my overactive imagination, the Lutz in my mind starts screaming worse and worse insults and abuse at me. In my imagination, my heart feels hollow, and I hang my head. How could you say all that, Lutz! You're so mean! Even though you're a figment of my imagination, you're making me cry! I'm crying! The next day, we work at the warehouse. First, we hang the inner bark we worked on along the edge of my basket so that it can dry in the sun, and set it outside. Next, we lift the stone weight from the paper bed, then carefully peel off each sheet of paper and stick them to another board. "...Wow, you forget way too much stuff." Lutz shoots me a brief glare, but thanks to all of the hideous abuse my imaginary Lutz has been constantly showering me with, something at this level doesn't even faze me. I shrug my shoulders a bit, brus.h.i.+ng off the insult. "Well, make sure you don't forget anything either, next time we do this. ...That aside, though, once we let these dry in the sun, they'll be all done. The longer we let them stay in the sun, they brighter white they'll get, too." Lutz carries the board outside and leans it against a wall so that the sun can hit it. After that, he washes off the paper bed in with water from the well, then sets it next to the board with the paper on it so that it can dry as well. The bright gleam of the white paper lined up to dry under the perfectly clear, blue sky creates a beautiful contrast. I let out a sigh of satisfaction, wondering if this is the paper that I'll be able to make into a book. "Let's let it dry until evening. When it's dry, we'll need to peel it off carefully so that it doesn't rip, then it'll be totally finished." With the paper so close to being complete, I want to put off having to face Lutz just a little while longer. Perhaps he senses this in my expression, because irritation suddenly flashes across his face. "Hey, it's basically done, right?" "...Well, yeah, but..."

トゥーリはまだ雪がたくさん残っているし、足場が悪くて、歩きにくいし、採集できる物も多くはないと言っていた。でも、わたしには採集できる物が多いか少ないかは大した問題ではないのだ。 欲しい物は粘土質の土なのだから、掘ればある。 「マインは歩けないから無理だよ」 トゥーリの返事は以前と全く変わらない。相変わらずわたしへの信頼はないが、ここで諦めたら試合終了だ。 「ちょっとは体力ついたもん。行けなかったら、門で待ってるから。お願い」 トゥーリは渋ったが、毎日ラジオ体操をしたり、食べ物にできるだけ気を使ったり、皿を洗うトゥーリについて井戸まで行ったり、わたしなりに体力の増強に努めてきたのだ。そろそろ行けると思う。 「......父さんがいいって言ったらね」 「父さん、わたしも森に行っていい? あんまり熱も出さなくなったでしょ?」 「そうだなぁ......」 冬の間、健康にはかなり気を使ったので、熱を出して倒れたのは、なんとたったの5回だった。 あ、多くないよ? めっちゃ減ったからね。 あまり熱を出さなかったことで、まともなご飯が食べられる回数が増えた。すると、当然のことだが、栄養状態がマシになって身体もちょっと大きくなった。まだまだわたしの年齢の平均には届かないけれど、多分、体力も増えているはずだ。 「どうしても無理なら、門で休憩するから。ね? ね?」 「慣れれば何とかなるよ。3歳でも森に連れて行ってもらっている子がいるんでしょ? だったら、わたしに行けないはずがないもん」 「あ~、まぁ、確かにいるが......その3歳は家におとなしくいられない暴れん坊だから、外に出すんだぞ?」 「......つまり、わたしが暴れたら出してくれるってこと?」 「暴れる必要はない。馬鹿なことを考えるな」 何が何でも父から許可を取りつけないと、春になったので、じきに母の仕事も始まってしまう。そうすると、またゲルダばあちゃんのところへ預けられることになるだろう。 「父さん、体力がないから心配してくれてるんだよね? どうしたら森に行ってもいい? どうしたら、父さんは大丈夫だって思える?」 父が軽く目を閉じて、考える。 「......しばらく門まで通いなさい」 「門まで? しばらくってどれくらい?」 「一人で門まで歩けるようになるまでだ。みんなに遅れず歩けるようになれば、森に行ってもいい」 やはり、そう簡単に森に出してはくれないようだ。わたしの野望の粘土板が少し遠のいたような気がする。 ちぇ、森に行きたかったなぁ。わたしの粘土板......。 森には行けないけれど、少なくともゲルダばあちゃんのところに行く必要はなくなるのだから、この辺りが落とし所だろう。 「......わかった。父さんの言う通りにするよ」 わたしが一応納得して頷くと、父が安堵したように表情を和らげた。もしかして、納得しなかったら、わたしが暴れ出すとでも思ったのだろうか。 「ねぇ、父さん。門まで歩くって、門まで行ったり来たりするってこと?」 「いや、オットーに字を教えてもらうといい」 「マインは身体が弱いだろう? だが、頭が良いとオットーが言っていた。仕事を探すなら、頭を使う仕事が向いている、と。文字を覚えさせて、少しでも体力的に楽な仕事につけろ、と」 脳筋で親馬鹿の父に対して、そんな説得をしてくれるなんて、オットーが素敵過ぎて、涙がちょちょ切れそうだ。 「マインは手先が器用だから、そういう仕事をすればいいと思っていたが、頭を使う仕事の方が実入りは良いし、身体への負担は少ないらしい」 「頭を使う仕事って? どんなの?」 この世界の頭脳労働がわたしには全く思い浮かばない。体力がなくてもできる頭脳労働なんてあるのだろうか。 「そうだな。役所や貴族に出す書類を代わりに作る代筆屋なら、体調の良い時だけに家でできると言っていたな」 代わりに書類を書くということは、行政書士みたいなものだろうか。あれなら、確かに資格さえあれば、一応家でできる仕事だったと思う。資格を取ったことがないからよく知らないけど。 「オットーは兵士だが、元は旅商人だ。商業ギルドとの繋がりが今もある。父さんや母さんが紹介できる仕事はあまりマインに向かないから、オットーとの繋がりは大事にした方がいい」 ......オットーさんにヤキモチ焼いていた、おとなげない父さんがすごく良い父親に見えるんだけど! 「ありがとう、父さん。わたし、頑張るよ」 「トゥーリ、協力してくれるか?」 「......マインには無理だよ」 ふるふると首を横に振った。妹のお願いは結構何でも聞いてくれるトゥーリが森に連れていくことだけは絶対に首を縦に振らない。 「わかっている。だが、森まで行けるようにならないと困るのはマインだ」 「それはそうだけど......でも、邪魔なんだもん......」 「そうだ。今のままではみんなの邪魔だ」 トゥーリだけじゃなくて、父までハッキリと邪魔だと言いきった。自分でわかっていても、目の前で断言されるとさすがに傷つく。 「少なくとも同じスピードで歩けるようにならないと、森まで一緒に行動できないから、まずは門まで通うんだ。門まで歩けるようになるまでは父さんがマインと一緒に行く。だから、マインが門まで歩けるようになったら、トゥーリにも協力してほしい」 責任感の強いトゥーリは大きく頷いたけれど、わたしはちょっと肩を落とす。家族の中で認識されている自分の体力評価は相変わらず底辺を這っているようだ。 そうか。わたしって、門まで歩くこともできないと思われているんだ。最近は井戸のところまで行っても、それほど息切れしなくなったのにな。 次の日、日が少し高くなってきた午前中、わたしは父と一緒に門へ向かうことになった。わたしが門に行くのは父が昼番の時だけだ。 わたしが門まで歩けるようになるまでは、昼番の父と一緒に門まで歩いて、体調によっては森帰りのトゥーリ達と帰るか、父の仕事が終わるまで待って一緒に帰るか、どちらかにするらしい。 「無理しすぎないようね。父さんはマインのこと、よく見ててね」 「あぁ、わかっている。行くぞ、マイン」 「まだ、へい......き......」 ここでリタイアしたら、一生森に行かせてもらえないかもしれない。 「全然大丈夫そうじゃないぞ。......よっと」 無理! 死にそう! 「ねぇ、父さん。わたし、オットーさんに字を教えてもらうことになったけど、そんなことに時間取られて平気なの? オットーさんの仕事は?」 オットーにも門番としての仕事があるはずだ。わたしへ字を教えることは、どう考えても兵士としての仕事ではないと思う。 「オットーの仕事は字を教えることだ。新入りにな」 「新入り?」 「春の洗礼を終えた見習いが5人ほどいる。そいつらに字を教えるのはオットーの仕事だ」 兵士は一応字の読み書きを求められる。人の名前や役職名が読み書きできなければ、門番として立つことができないからだ。 「わたしも一緒に教えてもらうってこと?」 「まぁ、そうだな。だが、立場的にはお前は兵士見習いではなく、オットーの助手だ」 「助手?」 こんな子供を助手扱いにできるのだろうか。自分で言うのもなんだが、見た目年齢が3歳くらいの幼女だ。助手なんて言われても、誰も納得しないと思う。 「マイン。お前、オットーの仕事を手伝ったんだろう?」 「会計報告と予算なら......でも、計算だけだよ?」 オットーの仕事を手伝ったのは一度だけだ。恥を忍んで頼まれたことだったので、口外しない方がいいか、と判断して、父には報告しなかった。けれど、オットーは叱られるかもしれないのに、報告したようだ。 「あぁ。あの仕事をオットーただ一人に任せるのは負担が大きいと以前から言われていたが、手伝える奴がいなくてな。オットーがお前に字を教えて助手にしたいと言い出したんだ」 字を教えてもらうことはわたしから報酬にしたけれど、助手にしたいって気持ちも冗談じゃなくて本気だったんだ。 「オットー個人の助手として雇われたようなもんだが、洗礼前の子供に仕事をさせてはいけない。だから、字を教えるという名目で、門に通わせることにした。給料は石筆。体調が悪い時は休み。予算的にもこれ以上優しい助手はいないとオットーが力説していたな」 どうやら、オットーに字を習いつつ、書類仕事を手伝うというのが、わたしに求められているらしい。来年の予算シーズンへの布石か。 「マインちゃん、そろそろ始めるけど、大丈夫かい?」 「はい」 訓練室の一角に木のテーブルと椅子があり、5人の男の子が座っていた。父が言っていた兵士見習いだろう。 「マインちゃんはここの班長の娘で、書類仕事を手伝ってもらっている。今回は文字を覚えたいということで、参加することになった。余計なちょっかいを出さないように」 わたしのことをそんな風に紹介して、オットー先生の授業が始まった。 「基本文字はこれで全部だ」 全部で35種類ある文字のうち、今日は5つを発音しながら、石板に書いていく。いくつかの文字は、以前に少し教えてもらっていたので、それほど苦もなく覚えられた。 「......マインちゃんは本当に覚えるのが早いな」 「わたしは、身体を動かすより、こういうのが好きだから」 きっとこの世界の子供と違って、勉強することに慣れているし、私自身が勉強することに全く抵抗がないことも覚えが良いことに繋がると思う。好きこそものの上手なれ、というやつだ。 「オットーさん、そろそろ文字の勉強は終わりにした方がいいですよ」 体感時間から考えると多分30分くらいだが、男の子達にとっては、じっと座って書くという作業が苦痛なのだろう。さっきからもぞもぞ身体を動かし始めた。飽きてきた証拠だ。 「初めて石筆を持った人に長時間の集中は無理ですから。ちょっと文字を練習したら、次は計算をやらせる。街の見取り図を書かせる。兵士の心得を教える。運動も挟む。そんな感じで一日に色々なことを少しずつ体験させた方が身に付きますよ」 彼らの年齢的にも小学生の時間割を参考にした方がいい。一日中、国語でひらがなだけを延々と教えられるなんて、日本の小学生でも耐えられないだろう。座ることに慣れていない世界の子供なら尚更だ。 「次は計算にしましょう。数を数えるところから」 買い物に行くこともあるので、10くらいまでの数は全員数えられた。ただ、ちょっと怪しい子もいるので、声に出して数えながら、0から5までの数字を石板に書いていく。 「マインちゃん、あんなに甘いやり方じゃあ、なかなか覚えないって」 「ん~? でも、苦手意識を持つと、余計に時間がかかるから、一回に教えるのはあれくらいの量で充分だよ。わたしと比べちゃダメだからね」 「あ......そうか」 どうやら無意識にわたしと比べていたことに気付いたようで、オットーがポリポリと頬を掻いた。 「それに、復習して覚えてなかったら、次は覚えるまで帰れないんだよ? 自分の責任だからね。そんなに甘くないよ?」 苦い笑いを浮かべたオットーに合わせて、一緒に笑いながら、わたしはそっと息を吐く。 新人教育のお手伝いもするなんて聞いてないし、あの子達がいたら、わたしの勉強が進まないんだよね。 宿直室に戻ると、オットーは残りの時間をわたしの個人授業にしてくれた。 「じゃあ、マインちゃんは文字を覚えたみたいだし、単語を覚えようか。よく使う言葉から教えていくよ」 こうして、オットー先生の個人授業で単語を覚えていくことになったのだが、教えてくれる単語が全て備品や門番の仕事に関するものばかりだった。どうやら本気で書類作成を手伝わせるつもりらしい。 だって、最初に教えてくれた単語が『人物照会』『貴族』『紹介状』『嘆願書』だよ? 日常では全く使わないんだけど? せめて、備品項目から始めてくれれば、干し草や食料品、武器や防具の名前が覚えられたのに......。 カツカツと石板に文字を綴っていると、父がわたしを呼びに来た。閉門より少し前になったので、トゥーリ達が森から帰ってきたらしい。 「マイン、帰ろう」 採集のための籠を背負い、道具や採集物や色々持っている数人の子供達がトートバッグ1つだけ持ったわたしをじろじろと見る。 「トゥーリの妹? 初めて見た」 薄汚れた子供達の不躾な視線に思わずトゥーリの後ろに隠れると、トゥーリが苦笑した。 「マインが外に出るのが珍しいから仕方ないよ」 どうやら、地域のイベントごとにも顔を出せることが少なかったマインは、子供達の間でレアモンスターのような扱いをされているらしい。 「マインも一緒に帰るのか?」 「ルッツ!」 知っている顔があったことに心底ホッとして、わたしはラルフの顔も探してみた。しかし、体格が良くて赤い髪の目立つラルフの姿がない。 「あれ? 今日はラルフいないの? 病気?」 「ラルフはこの春で7歳になったから、今日は仕事なんだ」 「へぇ......」 ラルフって、まだ7歳だったんだ。一応年はマインの記憶で知っていたけど、良い体格してるし、面倒見良いし、8歳か9歳くらいだと勝手に思ってたよ。 「みんな、慌てちゃダメだよ!」 「大丈夫か、マイン?」 わたしも頑張って歩いているつもりだが、どんどん集団に引き離されていく。子供達は容赦ない。遅いわたしを待ってはくれない。 「みんな、速い......」 トゥーリは洗礼前の子供達の集団では最年長になるので、妹よりもみんなの面倒を優先にした。 「わかった。マイン、ゆっくり歩け。途中でへばっても、今日は俺も荷物があるから背負ってやれない」 「マインは門で何してたんだ?」 「字を教えてもらってた」 「まだ自分の名前くらいしか満足に書けないよ。これから練習するの」 「すげぇ、マイン。自分の名前が書けるなんて!」 あれ? 尊敬が完全に定着したっぽい? まさか名前が書けるだけで尊敬されるとは思わなかった。 小学一年生レベルって、思ってたけど、この世界では尊敬レベルなんだ......。 書類作成の手伝いができるというのが、どのくらい貴重なことかちょっと理解できた。オットーさんが周りの兵士より先にわたしを育てる気になるはずだ。 「ぜぇ......ぜぇ......」 わたしにとって、文字を覚えることは簡単でも、体力を付けるのは難しい。 案の定、熱を出して2日ほど寝込んだ。 「だから、無理はするなって言ったでしょ!」 父と門まで出かけて、半分ほど歩いた後は父に抱えられて移動。昼から文字の練習と計算の手伝い。帰りはみんなと歩いて、すぐに引き離されて、息も絶え絶えになって、ルッツに心配される。家に帰ったら、また寝込む。 一月ほどそんな状態を繰り返していたが、体力はちゃんと向上してきた。 初めて5日続けて門に行けた時には、家族で盛大に祝った。 「やったね、マイン。初めてお休みせずに全部行けたね」 「ずいぶんと体力が付いたな、父さんは嬉しいぞ!」 「もうそろそろ森へ行けそうね」 家族にせっかく祝ってもらったが、その後、熱を出して、2日寝込んだ。思ったほどうまくはいかないみたいだ。 門に通い始めて三月がたった頃、ようやく森に行く許可がもらえた。ちらほらと夏の気配が見え始める春の終わりのことだった。

Tory said that there's still a lot of snow left, walking is difficult due to treacherous footing, and there's not very much out there to gather right now. However, I don't particularly care if there's a lot of stuff to gather or there's nothing at all. What I'm after is slimy, clay-like earth, which means excavation. If I can just get to the forest, I've already won. "No way, you can't even walk that far." Her answer hasn't changed at all. If she's going to keep having this little confidence in me, I'm facing total defeat here. "I've gotten a little stronger! If I can't go with you, I can wait for you at the gates! Pleeease!" Tory hesitates. I've been doing radio calisthenics every day, eating as much as I can, and going out with Tory when she goes downstairs to the well to wash the dishes. I've worked hard to boost my strength, and I think I'm just about ready. "...If Dad says it's okay," she says. "Daddy, can I go to the forest? I haven't gotten sick in a while!" "Hmmm, that is true..." During the winter, I took extra good care of my health, and the rate at which my fevers spiked went down. I only got five of them! Ah, that's not a lot, you know? That's way lower than it once was. My family even kept admiring how much healthier I was, saying "whoa, amazing" and so on. Since my fevers didn't come very often, I was able to keep a lot more food down. As a result, naturally, my nutritional intake was way better, and I've even grown a bit! Most likely, my physical strength has increased as well. "If I can't make it for some reason, I can rest at the gates with you! Well? Well?" "Once I get used to it, I'll make it through! There's three-year-olds that go to the forest, right? So it's not impossible that I could do it!" "Ahh, well... sure, there are, but they're the kinds of kids that get into trouble when they're left alone at home, so they have to get brought along." "...So, if I get in trouble, I'll get to go?" "No need to do that," he scolds. "Don't be stupid." If I can't somehow secure my father's permission, then when springtime comes around and my mother goes back to work, I'm going to be left once again in the care of old lady Gerda. That would be very hard on my mental state. Absolutely no way. I don't want to have to look after all the other children left with her. "Daddy, are you worried about me because I'm not very strong? How can I make you think that it's okay if I go out to the forest?" My father closes his eyes, deep in thought. I wait breathlessly for his reply. "...For now, just come with me to the gate." "Only to the gate? How long is 'for now'?" "Until you can walk all the way to the gate without help. Once you can walk without slowing everyone down, you'll be okay to head into the forest." As I expected, it isn't quite so easy to get permission to go out to the forest. It feels like the clay tablets I've staked my ambitions on are getting further and further away. Working to build my strength by walking to and from my father's workplace at the gate is probably the biggest compromise the completely unreliable me can squeeze out. Tch, I really wanted to go, too. My tablets... I can't go to the forest, but at the very least this plan means that I don't have to stay with old lady Gerda. This is an acceptable compromise. "...Okay. I'll do what you said!" I say, nodding once in agreement. My father suddenly looks relieved, all the tension draining from his face. Did he really think I wasn't going to agree, and that I'd start running amok? "Hey, Daddy. When you said you wanted me to walk to the gate, do you mean just going back and forth?" "Nah, I'll have Otto teach you some more of the alphabet," he says. "Eh?! ...Really?" "Maine, you're pretty weak, but Otto says you're very smart. He says that you'd be very suited to a job that required you to use your brain, when it comes time to find you one, so if you learn your letters now, you can find a job that's a little easier on your body." Otto convinced my muscle-brained, excessively doting father of that? He really is wonderful. I'm getting a little misty-eyed. I did not at all expect that I'd get official fatherly approval for Otto to teach me how to write. "You're good with your hands, so I was thinking that you could find a job using those, but there's a lot more money, and a lot less strain on your body, in jobs that require thinking." "Jobs that require thinking? Like what?" It never actually occurred to me that there might be jobs in this world that relied on brainpower. It seems that there are jobs where the labor is mental, not physical, huh? "Let me see... You could work as an amanuensis, copying out official doc.u.ments for government officials and aristocrats. I heard that if you do that, you can bring your work home with you if you get sick." Being paid to write out doc.u.ments sounds kind of like a notary public, huh. If it's like that, and I had the right qualifications, then I probably could bring work home if I needed to. I'm not really sure, though, because I don't have any qualifications. "Otto is a soldier now, but he was originally a peddler, and he still has ties with the commerce guild. The kinds of jobs that your mother and I could refer you to wouldn't really suit you, I don't think, so you should be grateful for Otto's connections." ...My jealous, immature father is suddenly looking like a fine example of parenthood! "Thanks, Daddy. I'll try my hardest!" "Tory, will you help out?" "...She can't do it," she says, shaking her head. Tory is refusing to listen to a single word of her little sister's wish to come along to the forest. She shakes her head vigorously, all the way back and forth. Not trying to dismiss her concerns, my father nods slowly in comprehension. "I understand, but, Maine's going to be in trouble if she never gets strong enough to go to the forest." "I guess so, but... she'll get in the way..." "That's right. Right now, she'll just be a hindrance." Both Tory and my father quite plainly said I am a hindrance. I already know that myself, but hearing them affirm it right in front of me like is still a blow to my pride. "If she can at least get to the point where she can keep up with you, then even if she can't go all the way to the forest, she'll come with you as far as the gate. Until she can make it to the gate herself, I'll be the one to go with her, but when she's ready I hope you'll cooperate too." "...Okay, I'll try." Tory, the burden of responsibility weighing down on her, nods her head in agreement. My shoulders, however, still slump. It seems that my family's estimation of my strength is still the lowest it could possibly be. I see... they still don't think I'll be able to walk all the way to the gate, even though I've been going all the way up and down those stairs to get to the water well lately without being out of breath at all... The next day, as the sun climbs high in the sky, my father and I set out for the gates. I only follow along with him when he has the day s.h.i.+ft. Guard duty operates on a three-s.h.i.+ft system. The morning s.h.i.+ft lasts from when the gates are opened in the morning, until about noon, the day s.h.i.+ft then goes until the gates are closed in the evening, and the night watch guards the gates from when they are closed in the evening until when they are opened once again the next morning. Until I can walk all the way to the gates by myself, I accompany my father to the gates on his day s.h.i.+ft, then I either go back with Tory if I'm feeling up for it at the time or I wait for my father to finish his duties and go home with him. "Make sure Maine doesn't overdo it," says my mother to my father. "Keep a close eye on her!" "Ahhh, of course," he replies. "Let's go, Maine!" "I'm... still... fine...!" If I give up here, they'll never let me go to the forest. My unrelenting obsession forces me to say I'm fine, but my physical condition is anything but fine right now. My body is heavy, and I'd like nothing more than to just sit down right here. "You're not fine at all! ...Up we go!" Impossible! This will kill me! My family's absolutely correct. There's no way I can make it to the forest. "Hey, Daddy. You said Otto's going to be teaching me how to write, but that takes a lot of time, right? Is that okay? What about his other work?" I'm pretty sure Otto has gatekeeping duties, and I'm pretty sure that teaching me the alphabet is not one of the usual duties of a soldier. "Otto's job actually is teaching people how to write. We have new recruits coming in." "New recruits?" "After the springtime baptism, we get about five new apprentice soldiers. It's Otto's job to teach them how to read and write." It's a good thing for a soldier to be able to read and write. If you can't write down the names and t.i.tles of the people who pa.s.s through the gate, then you can't be a gatekeeper. "Am I going to be learning with them?" "Yeah, that's the plan. But, you're not there as a new recruit, you're there because you're Otto's a.s.sistant." "a.s.sistant?" Can a kid like me really be an a.s.sistant like that? This might just be me talking, but I look like I'm three years old. I don't think anyone would believe for a second that I really was Otto's a.s.sistant. "Maine, you helped Otto with his work before, right?" "Yeah, with the financial reports and the budget... but those were just calculations." I only helped Otto out that one time. Since he looked so ashamed to have asked me for that favor, I felt like I shouldn't tell anyone about it, not even my father. Otto, however, seems to have told him, even though that might have gotten him in trouble. "Ahh... I might have put too big of a burden on Otto when I asked him to do all of that work, all by himself, with n.o.body to help him. He suggested that you might be interested in helping him, in exchange for learning how to read and write." Although I'd decided that being taught the alphabet was my reward, I actually wasn't joking when I said I wanted to be Otto's a.s.sistant. "You're going to basically be Otto's personal a.s.sistant, but it's not allowed for kids who haven't been baptized yet to have a job. So, we're going to say that he's really teaching you how to write, which is why you're coming to see him at the gates. Your salary will be in slate pencils, and you'll have time off whenever you're not feeling well. Otto wanted to emphasize that this isn't easy work, you'll be helping him with budgets and more." Apparently, Otto specifically asked for me so that I can learn how to write and help him out with the paperwork. Is he thinking ahead to next year's budget season? On top of that, by going through his superiors, he was able to get my slate pencil salary officially approved from the budget instead of having to pay me out-of-pocket. As expected of a merchant! It feels like he's working to maximize his own profits. "Maine," calls Otto, "We're about to start, are you ready?" "Yes!" I grab my tote bag and head from the night room to the training room. In one corner, a wooden table and chairs have been set up. Five boys sit there, probably the apprentice soldiers my father was talking about. "This is Maine, the squad leader's daughter. She helps out with some of the paperwork here. She wants to learn how to write, so she'll be joining us today. Don't make a big deal out of this." After giving me that kind of introduction, Otto begins his lessons. He writes out what appears to be the fundamental letters of the alphabet. Well, I haven't memorized all of these, so it can't be helped that this is the first step. "These are all of the letters of the alphabet." Today, we're practicing five out of the thirty-five letters of the alphabet, writing them out on our slates while repeating their p.r.o.nunciations. Since I was already taught a little bit about some of these letters, memorizing these takes little effort at all. "...Maine, you really do learn things quickly," says Otto. "I really like doing things like this, more than I like doing things physically," I reply. Unlike the ordinary children of this world, I am already very much accustomed to studying. I also have no problem at all with studying on my own, and my memory is very good. Basically, this is something that I both like and am very good at. Placing me next to these rank beginners, clumsily sweeping their poorly-gripped pencils in amateurish strokes, makes them look even more pitiful by comparison. "Mister Otto," I say, "I think we should move on to the next thing soon." It feels like it's only been about thirty minutes, but it looks like the boys think that sitting still and practicing writing is torturous. They've started fidgeting in their seats, proof that they've already had enough. "It's hard for someone who's just picked up a slate for the first time to focus on one thing for so long. We've practiced writing, now we should do some math, then draw maps of the area around the town, then learn the things soldiers need to know. We should take breaks every once in a while to move around. If we experience a little bit of a lot of different things during the day, we'll master them a lot better." It's probably best to think of these children as elementary schoolers. In j.a.pan, we'd never sit down an elementary school student and force them to write _hiragana_1 over and over for an entire day. They wouldn't be able to handle it, and the boys of this world, who aren't accustomed to sitting still at all, would fare far worse. "Let's work on calculations next," I say. "How about we start with counting?" Since everyone's been shopping before, they all know how to count up to about ten. However, there's a few kids that don't quite seem to get it, so we spend some time writing out the numerals from zero to five while reading them aloud. Again, the boys all start to fidget in their chairs after a while, so I wrap up the lesson and send them away to work on their physical fitness. "Maine, you're being too soft," he says. "They'll never learn that way." "Nuh-uh. If we know that learning is hard for them, and that it'll take extra time, then it's okay if we only teach them that much at once. Don't compare them all to me!" "Ah... right..." Otto scratches at his face, his stubble crackling under his fingertips. It seems like he's realized that he might have been subconsciously comparing the other children to me. "On top of that, if we go over it next time and they haven't memorized it, they won't get to go home until they do, right? So now it's a matter of personal duty. That's not soft at all, you know?" A grim smile crosses Otto's face. I smile back at him, and breathe a soft sigh. I never asked about helping out with teaching the new recruits as well, but if kids like that are my cla.s.smates, my own studies will get nowhere. Otto comes back into the night duty room, then spends the remaining time with me doing private tutoring. He teaches me how to write certain vocabulary words, then I practice them. While I'm busy, he works on his paperwork. "Well, Maine, it looks like you've got the alphabet memorized, so let's get you started on some vocabulary. I'll teach you some of the most common words." Mr. Otto does in fact teach me vocabulary words, but a lot of the words he's teaching me have to do with equipment or gatekeeping duties. It really does look like he has his sights set on making me help him write up official doc.u.ments. If he can make me more useful, then he's probably going to draft me into helping out with all of the paperwork come next year's budget season. Some of the first words he taught me were "character reference", "n.o.bleman", "letter of introduction", and "pet.i.tion", you know? How are these "the most common words"? At the very least, if we started by learning the names of goods, I could learn words like "hay" or "foodstuffs", and the names of kinds of weapons and armor... My pencil clacks against the slate as I continue to spell out words. Suddenly, my father's voice cuts through the room. It's almost time for the gates to close, and it seems like Tory and her friends have just returned from the forest. I put my slate back in my tote bag and run outside to meet everyone. "Let's head home, Maine." There are a few other children with Tory. They all have bags and boxes strapped to their backs, packed full of their tools and the things that they've gathered. A couple of them give me strange looks, eyeing my single tote bag suspiciously. "Is that Tory's little sister? I've never seen her before." I hide behind Tory, s.h.i.+elding myself from the impolite stares of these filthy children. "Maine doesn't come outside very much," says Tory, chuckling wryly, "so it's only natural you wouldn't have met her." It seems like the fact that I never show my face at any of the big local events is causing these kids to treat me like they just saw a rare monster sp.a.w.n. Tory tries to rea.s.sure me that they're just curious and not trying to tease me, but their stares still hurt. "Maine, you're going back with us?" asks a familiar voice. "Lutz!!" Inwardly, I breathe a huge sigh of relief, seeing Lutz's familiar face in the group. I look around, trying to find Ralph, but there's no sign of his red hair and strong build anywhere. "Huh? Is Ralph not with you today? Is he okay?" "Ralph turned seven this spring, so he's working today." "Ahhh..." Ralph was only seven? That's what Maine's memories seemed to say, but since he was so strong and so caring, I thought he had to actually be at least eight or nine. Huh? Is it just me, or did Lutz grow a bunch over the winter? It looks like this world still obeys the laws of heredity. "Hey, everyone, don't rus.h.!.+" "You doing okay, Maine?" I was planning on powering through and keeping up with them, but no matter how hard I tried the group started steadily pulling ahead. Children are merciless. There's no way they were going to wait up for me. "Everyone, you're going too fast..." says Lutz. Tory is the oldest of this group of unbaptized children, so she needs to look out for everyone in the group, not just her little sister. "Got it," says Lutz. "Maine, take your time. I've got a lot of things I'm carrying today, so I won't be able to carry you too if you get tired halfway through." "What were you at the gate for, Maine?" he asks. "I was studying the alphabet," I reply. "The alphabet? You can write?!" "I can't really write anything but my name very well. I'm still practicing." "Whoa, Maine! You can write your name?!" Huh? Did that somehow make him respect me more? I never would have thought that just being able to write your name would be so impressive. Although, now that I'm actually thinking about it, if the village elder is the only person in an entire village of peasants who can read and write, then it really is comparatively amazing that my father can write down other people's names. I consider that first-grade level skill, but in this world, it's really worthy of respect... I suddenly realize how precious being able to help out with paperwork is. It did seem like Otto was more interested in my upbringing than the other soldiers. If I decided that it was good enough for me to just be able to write other people's names, there's no way he'd be able to teach me how to write up official doc.u.ments. "Hahh...... hahh......" In my case, learning how to write is the easy part. Building up my strength is what's painful. Lutz helps me along the entire rest of the way, but by the time I make it back home, I'm so exhausted that I can't even speak. As expected, I'm immediately stricken with another fever, lasting two whole days. "That's why I said not to push yourself too hard!" huffs my mother, but I seem to have actually gotten a little stronger. Ordinarily, I'd be out of action for five days, but this time I was actually ready to head back out on the third day. After a while, I settled into a routine. I'd walk with my dad towards the gate, although I got tired about halfway through, requiring him to carry me the rest of the way. I spent the day practicing how to write and helping Otto with calculations. When the children came back from the forest, I went along with them, but would immediately lose my breath and fall behind, causing Lutz to hang back with me, worried. Then, after I got home, then I'd be out for another few days. This lasted for over a month, but then I definitely started to get stronger. I started with one day of going out and three days of rest, but then I got it down to two days, and then I started only resting every other day. At that point, I was still going very slowly, but I was somehow managing to make it all the way to the gate on my own. After that, I started going two, even three days in a row, still only taking a day off in between. When I first made it to the gates five days in a row, my family was thrilled. "You did it, Maine! That's the first time you've made it all the way without a break," said Tory. "You've really gotten stronger. I'm so proud of you!" said my father. "You should be about ready to head to the forest," said my mother. Right after my family finally praised me, I was immediately hit with another fever, taking me out for another two whole days. It seems like things didn't work quite as well as I planned. Three months after I started going back and forth between the gates, I'm finally given permission to head into the forest. Here and there, I can see glimpses of summertime. It seems that spring is at its end.

フリーダとケーキ作り 次の日の朝、初めてベッドから出て部屋を見た。 おおぉぉ、ホテルみたい。 8畳ほどの部屋の一角が天蓋付きのベッドで、それ以外には丸いテーブルと椅子が3脚と暖炉があるだけのシンプルな部屋だ。 そして、ドア近くの椅子のところには、すでに下働きの女性が待ち構えていた。 「おはようございます。こちらで顔を洗ってください。着替えたら、食堂に案内いたします」 きびきびと顔を洗うためのお湯が準備されて、清潔な布を渡される。至れり尽くせりに、ちょっとびくびくしてしまう。 「こちらに着替えてください。失礼とは存じますが、貴女の服で家の中を動かれるのは差しさわりがありますので」 「わかりました」 彼女によって取り出された服はフリーダのお古だそうだ。久しく着ていない継ぎ接ぎのない綺麗な服にわたしの心が躍る。 食堂へと連れていかれると、すでにフリーダとギルド長がわたしを待っていた。お世話になりっぱなしなのに、まだギルド長にはお礼を言っていない。 「おはようございます、ギルド長。この度は大変お世話になりました」 フリーダは足早に近づいて来て、わたしの額や首筋をぺたぺたと触る。少し冷たい手にわたしがひゃっと身を竦めたが、お構いなしだ。 「おはよう、マイン。熱は完全に下がっているみたいね?」 「おはよう、フリーダ。絶好調だよ。すごくすっきりしてる」 熱の確認をしていたのか。フリーダの突然の行動の理由がわかって、わたしはへにゃっと笑った。フリーダも嬉しそうに笑い返してくれて、一緒に食卓へと向かっているとギルド長が、フンと鼻を鳴らした。 「元気になったようで何よりだが、魔術具の援助はこれっきりだ。フリーダに何かあった時のために置いておきたいからな」 「ギルド長の言うことは間違ってないよ。フリーダのために集められた物だもん。ギルド長、貴重な魔術具を譲っていただいてありがとうございました」 ギルド長としてのコネやお金を最大限駆使して、手に入れた貴重な物だ。お金を払うとはいえ、譲ってもらえたのは幸運以外の何物でもない。 「マイン、この後はどうするか、よく考えろ」 「では、マインのご家族に目が覚めた報告をしなければね。使者を立てるのだけれど、何か伝えることはある?」 使者という言葉に一瞬ぎょっとしたが、ギルド長が直接ウチに向かう方があり得ない。使いを出す方が普通だ。 「あの、フリーダへのお礼にしたいから、『簡易ちゃんリンシャン』を持ってきて欲しいって伝えてもらえると嬉しいんですけど」 ウチではまだ簡易ちゃんリンシャンと言っているが、一度ですぐに覚えられる名前ではないようだ。伝言を覚えようとする使者の顔がひくっと歪んだ。 「カンイチャン......? あの、失礼ですが、もう一度伺ってもよろしいですか?」 使者を見送ると、ギルド長が顎を撫でながらわたしを見ていることに気が付いた。何やら嫌な予感のする笑みは前にも見たことがある気がする。 「マインは面白い物を色々持ってそうだな」 「えぇ、魔術具と交換に引き取ろうと思っていたのに、思惑が外れてがっかりだわ」 ベンノもルッツもいない状況で、この二人に囲まれるのは怖い。いつの間にか呑みこまれていそうだ。 「魔術具のお金! 先に払っちゃいます」 なんだかんだとふっかけられて、値段を釣り上げられたら困るので、わたしは即座にギルド長とギルドカードを合わせて、支払いを終わらせる。 「本当に持っておったとは......ベンノめ」 悔しそうにギルド長が呻いた。ギルド長が張り巡らせていた網をどうやらベンノは潜り抜けたらしい。 ベンノさん、グッジョブ! 「マイン、たっぷり食べてね」 「マインはどこでマナーを学んだ?」 「特に学んでませんけど?」 マナー本を読み漁って、ファミレスで実践していたけれど、正式に習ったことはないので、嘘は言っていない。 飛び込んできた父を押しのけるようにして、母が割り込んできた。 「目が覚めたのね。よかったわ。ベンノさんのお店で倒れて、フリーダさんのお宅に運ばれたとルッツから聞いた時には心臓が止まるかと思ったのよ」 「心配かけてごめんね。同じ病気のフリーダじゃなきゃわからないことがあったんだよ」 小金貨2枚と大銀貨8枚もかかるような魔術具を使ってもらったなんて、正直に言ったら、卒倒するに違いない。 「フリーダさん、本当にありがとうございました」 「母さん、お礼の『簡易ちゃんリンシャン』持ってきてくれた?」 お金以外でお礼にできる物が、これしか思い浮かばなかったが、フリーダは明日が洗礼式なので、ピカピカに磨き上げるにはちょうどいいタイミングだと思う。 「えぇ。こんなものがお礼になるかどうか、わからないけれど。トゥーリ」 「本当に感謝している。ルッツからはかなり危険な状態だったと聞いた。ウチの娘を助けてくれて本当にありがとう。マイン、元気そうなら今日はもうウチに帰ってくるか?」 父の目が早く帰って来い、と訴えている。家族に心配をかけているので、わたしとしては帰れるものなら帰りたいけれど、フリーダが笑顔で立ちはだかった。 「いえ、それは昨日もお話したとおり、様子を見るためにも洗礼式の日までマインはこちらでお預かりいたします。容体が急変しては困りますもの」 母がフリーダに向かって、腰をかがめる。 挨拶か、と思って、よく見ようとわたしが一歩乗り出すと、トゥーリがガシッとわたしの頬を両手で包みこんだ。 「わたし達はお仕事に行くけど、マインはいつもみたいな我儘言っちゃダメよ」 「わかってるよ、トゥーリ。洗礼式の日になったら迎えに来てね。お仕事、頑張って」 急がなくちゃ、と慌ただしく出ていく家族とほぼ入れ違いで、今度はルッツがやってきた。 「目が覚めたんだってな。熱は? ホントに下がったのか?」 朝、フリーダがしていたように、ぺたぺたとわたしの額や首筋に触って、熱の有無を確認し始める。外からやってきたルッツの手はフリーダと比べ物にならないくらい冷たくて、わたしは悲鳴を上げた。 「ちょっと、ルッツ! 手、冷たい!」 「......大丈夫なのは、一年くらいだろ?」 身食いの話も魔術具の話も知っているルッツは、まだ喜べないと言わんばかりに唇を尖らせる。しかし、約一年の猶予ができたことが重要なのだ。 「うん。......その間に色々考えたり、何か良い方法がないか探したりしてみるよ。まずは本を作らなきゃね」 「マインはそればっかりだ。じゃあ、オレ、ベンノの旦那にも知らせてくるな。午後から顔を見に来ようかって、昨日言ってたから」 ベンノの名前が出た途端、フリーダの表情がムッとしたものになった。今までは一歩下がった状態で、わたしとルッツの会話を聞いていたのに、間に割って入ってくる。 「まぁ、午後は困るわ。わたくし達、午後からお菓子を作るお約束があるのよ。ね、マイン?」 何となく、今フリーダとベンノを会わせるのはあまり良くない気がする。一番わたしが被害に遭いそうというか、わたしを挟んで睨みあいそうで板挟みになる未来が目に見えるというか、とにかく、嫌な予感しかしない。 「ねぇ、ルッツ。悪いけど、ベンノさんにはまたお店に顔を出しに行きますって、言っておいて」 「いいけど......何作るんだ? 新作?」 ルッツとしては、ベンノのことよりフリーダと約束しているお菓子作りの方が気になるようだ。 「何を作るかは料理人の人ともお話しないと決められないよ」 「あら、マインが決めるのではなくて?」 そして、料理人が協力的な人なら、ちょっと手間がかかるようなお菓子もいいけれど、面倒だと考える人なら、少しでも簡単に終わるものにしたい。 「でも、ルッツには作ったのでしょう?」 わたしの説明に納得できないように、フリーダが唇を尖らせた。生活レベルが似ていて、持っている道具も大差ないルッツの家と素材一つとっても雲泥の差があるフリーダの家を一緒に考えられるはずがない。 「わたしは作り方を教えるだけ。ルッツの家で、ルッツの家の材料を使って、ルッツ達が頑張って作るの。ね、ルッツ?」 「夕方にはできるから、味見する分くらいは取っておいてあげるよ?」 「マジか!? 楽しみにしてるからな」 フリーダはルッツに対抗意識を燃やしているようで、ルッツが出ていったドアを睨んだ後、可愛らしく頬を膨らませて不満顔でわたしを見た。 「マインはルッツに甘すぎるわ」 「そんなことないよ。むしろ、逆。ルッツがわたしに甘すぎるの」 わたしの言葉に、フリーダはさらにムッとした顔になった。正直、フリーダがどうして不機嫌になるのかわからない。 「だって、わたくしの一番のお友達はマインなのに、マインの一番のお友達がわたくしではないなんて、悔しいもの」 何、この可愛い生き物。 「じゃあ、ルッツとはできない女の子同士の遊びをするってことで、機嫌直さない?」 「女の子同士の遊び?」 わたしはトゥーリと一緒にきゃあきゃあ言いながら、楽しめるものを思い浮かべていく。 そこには朝食の後片付けを終えたばかりの少しふくよかな女性がいた。年の頃はウチの母親と変わらなそうで、雰囲気はルッツの母親のカルラおばさんに似ている。 「イルゼ、イルゼ。今日のお菓子のことだけれど......」 「えーと、基本的には小麦粉、バター、砂糖、卵があるかどうかですね。ウチで作るには砂糖なんてないので、ジャムを使ったり、蜂蜜を使ったりするんですけど、ここにはあるのかどうか伺いたくて......」 材料と道具の有無でお菓子作りは大きく変わる。ルッツの家で作れるお菓子がパンケーキ系とフレンチトーストに限定されるのは、ちゃんと理由があるのだ。 「砂糖はあるよ」 「あるよ。そこに見えているだろう?」 イルゼが少し身体をずらすと、大きな薪オーブンが見えた。 「うわぁ! これなら、『ケーキ』も焼けそう」 お菓子のレシピが次々と浮かんでくる。もちろん、いくつか分量を覚えているレシピだってある。 あれ? でもさ、レシピ覚えてても、ここの重さ表記がグラムなわけがないじゃん。どうするよ? お菓子を作ることだけに思考が飛んでいたので、すっかり忘れていたが、お菓子を作るには材料と道具だけがあってもダメだ。分量をきっちりと量らなければ、失敗する。 ルッツの家で作ったパルゥケーキはお好み焼きのような感覚で作ったので、膨れ方や厚みが毎回違っていた。量があればそれで満足できる男の子が相手だったから、何とかなったが、本格的に作るなら正確な分量は必須だ。 何かなかったっけ? 正確なグラム表記じゃなくても作れそうなお菓子。 グラムがわからなくても作れそうなお菓子を思い浮かべていたわたしは、フランスのお菓子の本の中で一つピッタリの物を思い出した。 「えーと、『カトルカール』というお菓子を作ろうと思ってます」 カトルカールはフランス語で4分の4のことだ。小麦粉、 卵、バター、砂糖を同量ずつ配合するケーキだ。カトルカールなら、同量ずつだから重さの単位がわからなくても、秤で同じずつ量れば作れる。 「聞いたことがないね。どんなお菓子だい?」 「本気でそんなものを作るつもりかい?」 「......無理なら別の物にしますよ?」 お菓子を作る時間に合わせて、薪オーブンの準備をしてもらう約束をして、わたし達は台所から撤退した。 「おや、お嬢様。ずいぶん気合の入った格好だね」 「えぇ。わたくしも作るのですもの」 残念ながらケーキ型はなかったので、小型の鉄鍋を型として使うことにして、作り始めることにした。 「じゃあ、作り方の説明してもらおうか。一通りの流れがわからなきゃ作れないからね」 「どうやって、人肌にするんだい?」 「あの、これより大きいボウルにお湯を入れて、つけて温めるんです」 ガスコンロと違って、すぐにお湯は沸かない。当たり前のことだが、こちらで本格的なお菓子作りをしていないので、どうしても、そういう細かいところに気付けない。 「卵と砂糖を泡立てるのが一番重要なんです。もったりするまで泡立てて、ふるった小麦粉を入れて、切るように混ぜます。そして、溶かしたバターを入れて、これも泡立てた卵をなるべく壊さないようにさっくりと混ぜ合わせるんです」 「ケーキを取り出しやすくするためだよ」 鉄鍋にバターを塗って、小麦粉を薄くはたいておく。ケーキ型もなければ、紙なんてないので仕方ない。 周りに飛び散らないように気を付けて、ふるいにかけていく。3回ほどふるって、たっぷり空気を含ませておくのが重要だ。 「まぁ、黄色かった卵がずいぶん白くなって、量が増えてきたわ」 ガシャガシャと泡立てるイルゼの手元を羨ましそうにフリーダが見つめている。混ぜたがっているのが一目瞭然なので、イルゼが笑いながらボウルと泡立て器をフリーダに渡した。 「やってみるかい?」 嬉しそうにガシャガシャ回し始めたけれど、フリーダはすぐにリタイアした。ハンドミキサーを使わないケーキ作りは腕力勝負なのだ。 「まったく。どっちのお嬢様も力がないねぇ」 苦笑しながら、イルゼが代わってくれた。同じ要領でバターも入れて、混ぜてもらう。 「型に流し込んだら、こうやってトントンって落として、空気抜きをします」 鉄の型は重いので、イルゼ任せだ。イルゼも最初からわたし達にできるとは思っていないようで、わたしが説明する通りにやってくれる。 「これで、オーブンで焼いたら出来上がりです」 薪オーブンの使い方はよくわからないので、イルゼに任せておくのが一番だろう。 「もう焼けたかしら?」 「まだだよ」 あ、そういえば、ここって竹ぐしなかったよね?

Making Cakes With Freida The next morning, I leave the bed for the first time and get a look at the rest of the room. Whoooa, it's like a hotel. The room is over four meters long on each side. In one corner sits the canopy bed, but there's also a round table, three chairs, and a fireplace. In addition to the simple furnis.h.i.+ngs, though, the floor is covered in a thick carpet and curtains are swaying in a window whose gla.s.s has a rippling, undulating design, as if to stop people outside from looking in. It may be a simple room, but it is very obviously one that a lot of money was spent on. Also, near a chair by the door, there is already a servant woman waiting for me. "Good morning. Please, wash your face here. When you are dressed, I will lead you to the dining room." She briskly prepares a bowl of hot water for me to wash my face in and hands me a clean cloth. I'm a little nervous at being treated so graciously. "Please, change into these close. This may be rude of me to say, ma'am, but it would be troublesome for you to be seen in this house in your own attire." "I understand." The clothes that she produces look like Freida's old clothes. At the sight of them, however, my heart jumps for joy, seeing that they aren't extremely worn and constantly patched together like mine are. I quickly comb out my hair as well and do it up with my hairpin. The servant looks at my hairpin curiously, but doesn't say a thing. With that, my preparations are complete. I'm led to the dining room, where Freida and the guild leader are already waiting for me. I realize that I haven't yet thanked the guild leader for helping me out. "Good morning, guild leader. I am very grateful for all of your a.s.sistance." The guild leader nods slightly in reply. Freida quickly rushes over to me, then pats me on my forehead and the nape of my neck. I flinch when I feel her slightly cool hands on my skin, but she doesn't seem to care. "Good morning, Maine! It looks like your fever's gone totally away, doesn't it?" "Good morning, Freida. I doing great! I'm feeling very refreshed." Ah, was she feeling my temperature? Now that I actually understand the reason behind her sudden action, I give her a cheerful smile. She smiles happily back at me, and we both turn towards the dining table. The guild leader harrumphs. "It's good to see that you're doing well, but this is all the help you're going to get with the magic tools. I bought these so that they'd be ready if something happens to Frieda, after all." "It's just like he says, Freida," I say to her. "They're things he collected for your sake." I turn to the guild leader. "Sir, I am deeply grateful that you sold me such a valuable magic tool. Thank you." It was an extremely precious thing that he'd had to use his connections and money to their maximum extent to acquire. Even though I'll be paying him back financially, it was amazingly good fortune that he sold it to me in the first place. "Maine," he says, "think hard about what you'll be doing after this." "Now then, we should send word to your family that you're awake. I'll send a messenger; is there anything you'd like to tell them?" I'm a little startled when he mentions sending a messenger, but I realize that there's no way that the guild leader would walk to my house himself. Sending a messenger is only normal for him. He calls over a young man, who confirms with me where my house is. "Umm," I say, "Could you ask them if they could bring some 'simple shampoo and conditioner' with them as a thank-you gift for Freida, please?" We still call it simple shampoo and conditioner at my house, but it really doesn't seem to the the kind of name that you can immediately remember after hearing it just once. The messenger's face is strained as he tries hard to remember exactly what my message is. "Sim-pull sham...? Um, I'm terribly sorry, but might I ask you to repeat that for me?" As I see the messenger off, I notice that the guild leader is looking at me intently, stroking his chin. For some reason, I suddenly feel like he'd had a disturbing sort of smile on his face as he was watching me just a moment ago. "You certainly do have some interesting things, Maine," he remarks. "That's right, Grandpa," says Freida. "I thought for sure we'd get her in exchange for that magic tool, but now I'm really disappointed we didn't." With neither Benno nor Lutz here, the thought of getting cornered by these two is terrifying. They'd swallow me whole in the blink of an eye. "The money for the magic tool!" I exclaim. "Let me pay you for that." I'd be in trouble if I got overcharged for some reason or another, or if the price suddenly raised on me, so I immediately touch my guild card to the guild leader's, completing the transaction. "You really did have that much... Benno," he grumbles, vexed. Somehow, Benno managed to dodge his way through the net the guild leader had laid out to snare him. Good job, Mister Benno! "Maine, please eat as much as you like." "Maine, who taught you your manners?" "I wasn't really taught, I don't think?" I'm not technically lying: I'd dug out books on manners and gone to family restaurants to practice them, but I was never actually formally taught manners. The guild leader, however, only frowns more deeply, looking at me with naked curiosity written all over his face. I, however, don't pay him any mind as I finish my breakfast. If I let it bother me, I lose. "Maine!" says my father, leaping into the room with outstretched arms. My mother shoves him aside. "Whargh?!" "You're awake!" she says. "I'm so glad. When Lutz told me that you'd collapsed in Mister Benno's store and had to be carried to Miss Freida's home, I thought my heart was going to stop." "I'm sorry to make you worry," I reply. "Freida has the same sickness I do, so she knows a lot of things about it that I didn't." There is no way I could tell her outright that I just spent two small gold and eight large silver coins to use a magic tool. She's faint on the spot. "Miss Freida," she says, "thank you so very much." "Mommy," I say, "did you bring the 'simple shampoo and conditioner' to thank Freida with?" I couldn't really think of anything else to thank her with besides money, but since her baptismal ceremony is tomorrow, I think this is excellent timing for making her hair sparklingly clean. "We did. I don't know whether or not something like this is a good thank-you, though. Tory?" "We really are very grateful," says my father. "Lutz told us that Maine was in a very serious condition. Thank you very much for saving my daughter." He turns to me. "Maine, you seem to be doing better; will you come home today?" His eyes convey that he wants me to return home immediately. Since my family is already worried, I personally want to return home as soon as it looks like I can, but Freida stands in my way, smiling. "No, as we discussed earlier, Maine will be staying here until the day of the baptismal ceremonies so that we can keep an eye on her condition. I would be deeply troubled if she suddenly got worse." "We're sorry for the trouble," says my mother, turning to face Freida and bending slightly at the waist, "but please take care of Maine." As I wonder if this is some sort of greeting, I lean a little bit closer to get a better look, but Tory reaches out with both hands and grabs me firmly by the cheeks. "We're going to work now. Make sure you don't act up like you usually do, okay?" "Alright, Tory. Come pick me up on baptism day! Good luck at work!" My family rushes out, looking like they're in a bit of a hurry, pa.s.sing Lutz, who is just arriving, on their way out. "You're awake! How's your fever? Has it really gone down?" Just like Freida had done this morning, Lutz pats my forehead and the nape of my neck, checking my temperature. Since he just came in from outside, though, his hands are freezing cold compared to Freida's, and I let out a yelp. "Wait, Lutz! Your hands are cold!" "...You'll be okay for about a year, right?" Lutz's lips are pursed, silently saying that we can't celebrate just yet. However, the fact that we put this off another year is itself momentous. "Yeah. ...I'll use that time to think about a lot of things, and try looking to see if there really isn't something we can do about it. First off, I have to make a book." "That's all you ever think about! Well, I'm going to go tell Master Benno that you're awake. He said yesterday that he'd come to check in on you later this afternoon." When Benno's name comes up, Freida suddenly scowls. She'd taken a step back at some point, but now that she's heard that she steps forward to muscle her way in. "Oh dear, this afternoon would be a problem. Maine and I promised each other that we'd spend the afternoon making sweets! Isn't that right, Maine?" Somehow, I get the feeling that it wouldn't be that good an idea to let Benno and Freida meet. I can't help but get an awful premonition that I'd wind up awkwardly sitting between the two of them as they glare at each other, caught between a rock and a hard place. "So, Lutz, I'm sorry, but if you say you're going to Mister Benno's shop, could you tell him that as well?" "Yeah, sure... but what are you making? Something new?" Lutz, of course, finds the talk of my promise to make sweets with Freida far more interesting than whatever he has to do with Benno. I shake my head, chuckling. "I can't decide on what we're making until I've talked with the person who does the cooking here." "Oh my," says Freida, "you haven't decided yet?" Until I know what kinds of ingredients and tools I can use, I can't really come up with any solid ideas about what we'll make. Also, if the cook is a cooperative sort of person, we'd be able to make something that might take a while to do so. If they're only just putting up with us, though, I'd prefer to make something a little simpler. "You could make things with Lutz, though, right?" Freida purses her lips, looking as if she doesn't understand my explanation. Since Lutz's lifestyle is similar to mine, the tools and ingredients that he has at his house aren't going to be vastly different from those at mine, but since Freida's house is so vastly different, I can't really even compare the two of them together at all. "I only really tell people how to cook. At Lutz's house, I use his family's ingredients, and he and his brothers help out a lot. Right, Lutz?" "I think we'll be done this evening, so I think we can save a bit for you to sample, you know?" "Seriously?! I'm looking forward to it!" Freida seems to be burning with some sort of sense of rivalry with Lutz, and after she scowlingly watches him walk out the door, she turns to me, cheeks puffed out in the most adorable sulk. "You're too nice to him." "Oh, no, not at all. It's the opposite. He's way too nice to me." At those words, Freida only sulks even harder. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea why she might possibly be doing this. "Well, you're my number one best friend, but I'm not your number one best friend, and that's not okay!" What an adorable creature. I want to mush up her little cheeks. "Well, would it make you feel better if we did all the girls-only things I can't do with Lutz, then?" "Girls-only things?" I start thinking about all the things I enjoy chattering with Tory while doing. Freida's hobby is money. Playing with dolls like a normal girl is probably outside her norm. That might still be fun, but apart from that, there's not whole lot of things we could do to spend time playing. Freida grabs my hand and pulls me along towards the kitchen. There, I see a slightly chubby older woman who looks to have just finished tidying up after breakfast. She looks to be around the same age as my mother, and her demeanor seems to be much like Lutz's mother, Auntie Carla's. "Ilse, Ilse," says Freida. "About the sweets we're going to be making today..." "Ummm, basically, flour, b.u.t.ter, sugar, and eggs. We don't have sugar at my house, so we use jam or honey, but if I might ask, do you have any here?" Depending on your tools and ingredients, there's a huge difference in the kinds of sweets that you can make. There's a very good reason behind the fact that all I've been able to make at Lutz's house has been pancakes and french toast. "Yes, we have sugar." "We do. Do you see it over there?" Ilse s.h.i.+fts slightly to one side, and I can see a large wood-fired oven behind her. My heart quickly fills with ever-increasing expectation. I clasp my hands tightly together in front of my chest, looking eagerly up at Ilse. "Woohoo! We can bake a 'cake'!" Recipe after recipe bubbles up through my brain. Of course, these are recipes that I know the various ingredient quant.i.ties for. Huh? But... even though I remember the recipes, I don't actually know how to translate grams into this world's units of weight. What do I do now?2 Since I've been focusing so hard on the thought of making sweets, this completely slipped my mind, but you need more than just ingredients and tools to make sweets. If you don't get the amounts of each ingredient just right, it'll end up a failure. When I was making parucakes at Lutz's house, I did it all by intuition, which meant that the puffiness and thickness varied every time. Since my audience was boys who didn't actually care about anything except quant.i.ty, I managed to pull it off, but if I want to make something in earnest, I need precise measurements. Isn't there anything I can do? Some sort of sweet that I can make without being able to measure things in grams... I try to recall any recipes that I can make without knowing the measurements, and come up with something that fits exactly from a book I read on French cuisine. "Ummm, I think we should make a kind of sweet called a 'pound cake'." Pound cake, or quatre-quarts in French, is a cake made with equal quant.i.ties of flour, eggs, b.u.t.ter, and sugar. If we make pound cake, then it doesn't actually matter what the actual weight of the ingredients are. All we have to do is measure the same amount on the scale. "I haven't heard of it," says Ilse. "What kind of sweet is that?" "You really want to make something like that?" "...If that's not okay then we can make something else?" When the time we promised to start cooking comes around, we head to the kitchen, where Ilse is there. She looks down at us, a mirthful twinkle in her eye. "Oh my, young lady," she says to Freida. "You look quite fired up!" "That's right. I will be helping make it as well!" Unfortunately, we don't have a cake pan, so instead we find a small iron pot to use instead. Then, we get to work. "So, how about you start by explaining how to make this?" asks Ilse. "If I don't understand the process from start to finish I won't be able to make it." "How should we warm up the eggs?" "Ah, a water bath. Then, before we measure the ingredients, we need to heat up the water first." Unlike with a gas stove, we can't actually boil water immediately. This is really obvious, but since I haven't seriously made a cake before, there are absolutely going to be trivial details that I just won't notice. "Whipping the eggs and sugar together is the most important part. Once they're whipped until they stand, then we slowly cut in sifted flour. Then, we add melted b.u.t.ter, but very carefully to avoid ruining the eggs." "It's so that we can make sure it's easy to take the cake out of the pan." We smear b.u.t.ter all around the inside of the pot, then lightly dust it with flour. Since we have neither a cake pan nor anything to use as parchment paper, we don't have a choice. We start sifting the flour, taking care not to send it flying everywhere. We sift it three times in total, since it's really important that it be full of air. "Oh my," says Freida, "the eggs were yellow, but now they're white, and they've grown quite a bit in size." As Ilse whips the eggs, her whisk clattering against the bowl, Freida looks at her with some sort of envy. It's really obvious that she wants to help with the whipping, so Ilse laughingly offers the bowl and the whisk to her. "Want to try?" She happily starts whipping the eggs, but very quickly hands the bowl back. Without a hand mixer, making a cake is a very strenuous process. "Good grief," she laughs. "Neither of you two young ladies has any strength." Smiling, she switches with me. We add the b.u.t.ter to the dough in much the same way, then mix it together. Freida brings the pot we're using as our cake pan over, then looks on with gleaming eyes. "While we're pouring it in, we need to hit the pan like this so that we don't have any bubbles." Since the pot is so heavy, I leave it to Ilse. Ever since the start of this process it seems that she didn't think Freida and I could actually do this, so she helpfully follows along with my instructions. "Now, once it bakes in the oven, it'll be all finished." Since I don't really know how to use a wood-fired oven, I think leaving that to Ilse is the best idea. When she opens the oven, a blast of heat roars out. She quickly puts the cake batter inside, then closes the door with a clank. "Is it done yet, I wonder?" "Not yet," I reply. Ah, now that I think about it, there aren't any bamboo skewers in this world, are there? How the heck am I going to check to see if it's done?

「では、発注書の書き方を教えます」 「よろしくお願いします」 マルクはわたしとルッツを見比べた後、ルッツに声をかけた。 「ルッツ、字は書けますか?」 「......オレ、自分の名前しか書けない」 粘土板を作っている時にわたしが教えた名前の書き方をルッツはしっかりと覚えていたらしい。しかし、ここで使われるのは自分の名前だけではないだろうと、困ったように顔を伏せる。 「自分の名前が書けるのですか? 商人の子ではないと聞いていたのですが......驚きました。契約には問題ありません。ですが、文字は見習いになれば全員が覚えることです。マインが発注書を書く間に基本文字の練習をしましょう」 商人の子ではないルッツが自分の名前を書けるとは思っていなかったようで、契約までに覚えさせる予定になっていたようだ。 「マイン、貴女は書けますか?」 「わからない単語があるかもしれませんが、単語を教えてもらえれば書けます」 「よろしい」 全く何も書いていない板と、文字がすでに書かれた板だ。お手本だろう。わからない単語もあるが、7割方読める。 「これが発注書という文字です」 「うぅ、石筆と違って書きにくいですね」 褒められているので、調子に乗って頑張る。 「......マイン、鍋とありますが、大きさは?」 「えーと......ウチの二番目に大きいくらいの鍋がいいかなって思っていたんだけど......」 うん、そうだよね。ウチの鍋なんて言われてもわからないよね? 「深さは?」 「ルッツ、どれくらい?」 「もちろんです」 「それと、今日、帰ってから長さを測らないと発注できない物もあるので、メジャーを借りてもいいですか?」 すでに作ってしまった桁の長さを測らなければ、簀が作れない。 「メジャーも発注しておきましょう。これから必要になるでしょう」 試作品を作る段階では葉書くらいのサイズで、木の種類や混ぜる割合など色々と試すつもりだが、最善が決まったら、もっと大きい紙を作る。 マルクからメジャーを借りて、測り方を教えてもらいながら、発注書を書いていく。 蒸し器、鍋、角材、灰、たらい、簀桁、紙床、重石、平たい板。そして、原料、トロロ。 できるだけ早く紙作りを始めたいので、全てを書こうと思ったが、鍋が来ないと蒸し器の大きさはわからない。そうすると蒸し器を作るのに必要となる木の大きさもわからない。 角材はこれくらいで、こうやって使って、とマルクに説明して、大きさや重さを決めていく。灰も一度紙を作ってみなければ、必要な量がわからない。ひとまず小さい袋一つ分を注文してみる。 「あぁ、難しい。簀に関しては、すでにできている桁を持っていって、直接職人さんと話したいです」 「そうですね。この簀というものについては、その方がいいかもしれません。石板に描かれた図を見ても、よく理解できないので」 マルクもお手上げだった簀以外の物については、何とか発注書を書くことができた。 わたしが発注書と格闘している間、ルッツも頑張って字を練習していた。座って長時間書くことには慣れていないはずなのに、ビックリするほど長い集中力を見せた。 しかし、集中しすぎたのか、どことなくルッツが無表情になっているのが気になる。 「では、時間もあるようなので、次は計算も覚えましょう。ここでは計算機を使って、計算します」 少しの休憩をはさんだ後、ルッツは計算機の使い方を教えてもらうことになった。 「マインは計算をするのでしょう? 旦那様からそう伺っていますが?」 「わたし、実は、計算機が使えないんです」 「では、どうのように計算をするのですか?」 「石板を使ってます」 石筆で筆算をして、マルクに出された計算問題を解いていく。 「計算機が使えれば、『筆算』を覚える必要はないですよ?」 「計算機がない時には必要です。それに、計算機の使い方は知っていますが、どうしてその数字が出てくるかは知りませんでした。実に興味深い」 小学生向けの算数講座でマルクが満足している姿を見ると不思議な感じがする。 こういうのって、下手に広げない方がいいんだっけ? 知識の共有はした方がいいと個人的には思うけれど、それがここの常識と噛み合うのかがわからない。もしかしたら、余計な事をしてしまったかもしれない。 「そろそろ旦那様が戻られる時刻です。契約魔術の準備をしますね」 初めて聞いたファンタジーっぽい言葉に胸が高鳴るのを止めることができない。 「魔力は知っての通り、貴族だけが持つ力です」 「......貴族だけ?」 「えぇ、そうです。普段は目にしませんから、我々にはよくわからない力ですけれど」 魔法がある世界にドキドキわくわくした気分は一瞬で打ち砕かれた。 貴族だけが持つ力って、何それ。 「契約魔術はもともと横暴な貴族に対して拘束力を持たせるための物でした。そのため、魔力のこもった特殊なインクと紙が必要になります。これで契約すると魔力による縛りができます。強力で契約者の同意なしに解約できない契約になります」 「へぇ、便利ですね」 魔力で縛られて、勝手に破棄できない契約は違反やずるを考えない場合はとても役に立つと思う。 「便利ですが、紙やインクが魔術具でとても高価で珍しいので、よほどの利益が見込める契約でなければ使われません」 どうやら、簡易ちゃんリンシャンにはよほどの利益が見込まれているらしい。 確かに、日常で使う消耗品は強い。なくなったら、次が必要になるし、一度つやつやさらさらの髪を知ってしまえば、無かった時代に戻れる女性は少ない。特にお金があって、見栄えを気にする貴族女性なら尚更だ。 ......もしかして、安売りしすぎたかな? 一瞬頭の中をそんな考えが過ったが、欲張ったら碌なことにならない。 「発注書は書き終わったか?」 「今書ける分は書けました」 わたしが積み重なった板を示すと、ベンノが「ずいぶんあるな」と呟いた。 「最初から自分の名前は書けたので、それ以外の勉強に時間を費やしていました。彼はなかなか覚えがいいです」 マルクに褒められても、ルッツは何かを考えているような顔で小さく頷いただけだった。 「マルクからも説明があったと思うが、これが契約魔術に使われる契約用紙と特殊なインクだ。貴族の御用達と認められた商人だけに与えられるものだ」 ベンノが取り出したのは、変わったデザインのインク壺だった。中身は一見普通のインクに見えるが、全く違うものらしい。 「......そんな高価そうで、希少なもの、使って大丈夫なんですか?」 「契約の価値があると思わなければ使わないから気にするな」 ......気にするなって言われても、気になるよ。 ベンノはインク壺にペンをつけて、すらすらと契約内容を書いていく。インクが黒ではなく青いインクだ。書き慣れた流暢な字が書かれていく様子をじっと見つめる。 《マインは簡易ちゃんリンシャンに関する権利を全てベンノに譲ること。 代わりに、洗礼式までの間、マインとルッツが作る紙の制作にかかる費用は全てベンノが出すこと。 紙を作る相手を決める権利をマインが、紙を売る権利をルッツが持つこと。 しかし、値段や利益に関する権利は二人とも有しないこと》 そんなことが書かれている契約書をマインは端から端までよく読んだ。 あぁ、早く紙を作って、本が作りたいなぁ。 「......何か問題があったか?」 ベンノの怪訝そうな声にハッと我に返った。ベンノの訝しげな目とルッツの呆れたような目がわたしに向かっている。何となくルッツにはインクの匂いにうっとりしていたのがバレている気がする。 「へわっ!? だ、大丈夫です! 話しあった通りのことが書かれているので、これで問題ないです」 やっぱり板じゃなくて、紙に書く感覚はいいなぁ。 「はい、ルッツ」 唇を引き結んだルッツが緊張したようにペンを受け取って、インクをつけて名前を書く。 「じゃあ......」 「ひゃあっ!? ベンノさん!?」 こんな怖い魔法、嫌っ! 「じゃあ、次は......」 ベンノのナイフと指から滴る赤い滴に怖気づいて血の気が引いているわたしを見て、ルッツが溜息と共にナイフを取り出した。 「手ぇ出せ、マイン」 「うひぃっ!」 思わず自分の手を後ろに引っ込める。 「どうせ、自分でできないんだろ?」 「そ、そうだけど......」 自分で自分の指に傷をつけるのも怖いけれど、誰かにしてもらうのも怖い。 「契約するって決めたのは誰だ?」 覚悟を決めて、ぎゅっと目を閉じたまま、恐る恐る手を前に出すと、ルッツがわたしの左手の小指をスッと切った。ジンと熱くて痛い感覚と共に血がにじんで滴ってくる。 「ぅうっ......えいっ」 泣きそうになりながら、親指に血をつけて自分の名前のところにぐっと押しつけると、ベンノと同じようにインクの色が変わった。 どうして躊躇いもなく切れるの!? 怖くないの!? ルッツが手を離すと同時にインクの部分が光って、燃えるようにインクの部分から穴が開いて広がっていき、契約用紙そのものが消えていく。 常識外の契約方法に呆然としながら、わたしは契約書が消えてしまうのを見ていたが、はたと我に返った。 「これで契約は完了だ。契約違反の度合いによっては命に係わるから、違反するなよ」 「違反しなきゃいいんだよ。でも、これで嬢ちゃんが望んだ保障は得られたぞ?」 「......ありがとうございます。お世話になりました」 結局、契約書に控えなんてものはなかった。 契約魔術を終えてベンノの店を出ると、かなり日が傾いていて、赤みを帯びた金色の太陽がゆっくりと沈んでいくのが見える。 「思ったより遅くなったね。急いで帰ろう」 周囲の人達も忙しなく帰宅しているようで、心もち足早に歩いているように見える。そんな人々の波に乗って、夕暮れの街の中をわたしはルッツと並んで歩く。 「今日は疲れたよね?」 書き足さなければならない発注書がいくつかあるけれど、今日、わたしが一生懸命に書いた発注書が処理されて、材料が届いたら、紙作りに専念できる。 「後は紙だけ作れば、安泰だねぇ、ルッツ」 「......ん」 喧騒に掻き消されて聞こえないくらい隣を歩くルッツの口がひどく重い。 夕日に照らされ、金髪が眩しいほどに赤く染まって見えるのに、ほんの少し見上げる位置にあるルッツの顔が影になって見えない。 「ねぇ、ルッツ。どうしたの?」 問いかけても、ルッツは何も答えない。 「待って、ルッツ」 中央広場で足を止めたルッツがくるりと横を向いた。 「お前さ......マインだよな?」 喉の奥がヒュッと鳴った。心臓を鷲掴みにされたようで、一瞬、身体中の血が止まったように感じた。 「マインなら......なんで、あんな話ができるんだ?」 「あんな話?」 「今日の旦那さんとの話だよ。オレには半分もわからなかった。オレの知らないことを、大人と対等に話せるマインなんて......変だ」 わたしは何もわからない風を装って、こてりと首を傾げた。 「それって......ルッツには、わたしがマイン以外に見えるってこと?」 「......悪い。変な事言った。......大人と対等に話すマインに、ちょっと、ビックリしたんだ」 ルッツは何とか笑みらしきものを顔に浮かべて、歩き始めた。 ルッツと一緒にしてきたのは、粘土を掘ったり、木を削ったりした程度だ。目的はともかく、していることは子供でもできること、子供がしてもおかしくないことばかりだった。 だが、今日はベンノの良いように振り回されないように、自分とルッツの位置を確保するために、頑張ってしまった。頑張りすぎてしまった。 ルッツがそれを知ったらどう思うんだろう? マインじゃないわたしをどうするんだろう? ルッツの顔が見えない夕暮れの帰り道、わたしにはルッツの隣に並んで帰ることができなくなった。

"Now then, I shall teach you how to write a materials order." "Thank you very much," I reply. Mark glances back and forth between the two of us, comparing us. "Lutz, are you able to write?" "...I can just write my name." It seems that Lutz has held on to the name-writing lesson I taught him back when we were making clay tablets. However, the writing we'll need to do here isn't just limited to one's own name, so he turns away to hide an embarra.s.sed expression. Mark nods once, with a thoughtful hum, then picks up the slate and places it neatly in front of Lutz. "You say that you are able to write your name? I had heard that you were not the children of merchants, so... you've surprised me. You'll have no problems with the contract. However, if you were to work as an apprentice here, you would be expected to know how to write every letter. While Maine and I work on preparing the materials order, why don't we have you practice writing some basic letters?" It seems that Mark had thought Lutz, having not come from a merchant family, wouldn't be able to write his own name, and had planned on having him learn how so that he could sign the contract. Changing his plans, he writes five or so letters on top of the slate, and has Lutz start practicing those. I wonder if he's in charge of teaching the apprentices how to write? He seems very used to this teaching method. "Maine, are you able to write?" "There are definitely words that I won't know, but if you can teach me those, I'll be able to write them." "Very well." Mark places two boards in front of me, one with nothing written on it at all, and one that already has some things on it. Some sort of copybook, perhaps. There are a few words I don't understand, but I can read about seventy percents of it. "This reads 'order for goods'," he says, indicating the words at the very top. He also teaches me about the general format of the doc.u.ment. Once he shows me the words for "ordering proprietor", "goods requested", and "quant.i.ty requested", the rest of it is not particularly difficult. "Urgh," I say, "this is so different from writing on a slate." Being praised like that lifts my spirits, and I press on. As my pen slides crisply across the board, Mark looks over my shoulder at what I'm ordering, frowning slightly. "...Maine, we can purchase a pot, but how big do you need it to be?" "Ummm... I think one the same size as the second-biggest one we have at my house would be okay, but..." Right, I see. There's no way he'd know what I meant when I'd talk about my family's pots, right? However, I have no idea how to express the size of the pot I want. I don't think they use centimeters here, so how should I explain it? "And its depth?" he asks. "Lutz, how deep is it?" "Of course," he replies. "Also, after we leave today, we won't be able to place any more orders since we don't have any way to make measurements ourselves. Could you lend us a measuring tape?" If we can't measure the frame that we've already built, we can't make the paper mat. "Let us order a tape measure for you as well. It seems like you'll be needing one now." When we're making trial runs in order to determine things like the types of wood we'll need and the mixing ratios we'll be using, we'll be making postcard-sized sheets. However, when we've managed to perfect it, we'll be making much larger sheets. When we do, we will, of course, need larger tools. A measuring device is necessary. Mark lends me a measuring tape. As he explains how to use it, I start working on writing out the order. Steamer, pot, squared timber, ashes, tub, paper frame, drying bed, weights, flat board. Also, raw wood and sunset hibiscus sap. Since I want to start making paper as soon as I can, I want to list out absolutely everything right now, but until we actually get our pot, I don't know how big the steamer will need to be. And, if we don't know how big the steamer will be, we don't know how large the wood we'll need the wood to be, either. I describe the squared timber to Mark and explain how it's used, and we decide how large and heavy it will need to be. For the ashes, we don't know how much we'll need until we actually try making paper, so for now we order a small bag of it. For the rest of what we need, I wrack my brain madly, trying to figure out how best to explain it. "Aaargh, this is hard. For the paper mat, I actually want to bring the frame we've already made directly to the craftsman and talk with him myself." "I agree," replies Mark. "I'm not entirely certain what would would serve well as this paper mat that you describe. Even after looking at this diagram you've drawn for me, I still don't quite understand it." Aside from the paper mat, which made even Mark give up, we somehow manage to get everything else written into out into an order. As I've been grappling with this supply order, Lutz has been valiantly practicing his letters. I'm actually shocked to see that, even though I'm fairly certain he's not used to sitting down and working for long periods like this, he's showing an amazing ability to concentrate. This is very different from the apprentice soldiers that came to study at the gates. It's only natural, though: of course you'll be able to concentrate harder on something you think is important to you. However, Lutz's facial expression is completely blank. I wonder if he's been pus.h.i.+ng himself too hard? "Now then, since we still have some time remaining, how about you learn how to calculate? Here, we add our sums using calculators like this." After taking a brief break, Mark starts instructing Lutz in how to use a calculator. Since I don't how to use calculators in this world either, I sit next to him, watching and listening as well. As I mentally compare this simple device with an abacus, Mark briefly pauses his explanation and looks at me, head c.o.c.ked slightly to one side in curiosity. "Maine, aren't you already able to do calculations? I have heard as much from the master." "Oh, I, don't actually use a calculator." "Then, how do you perform your calculations?" "I do them on my slate." On my slate, I start working out by hand the calculations Mark gives me. He calls my ability to work out large out large sums unbelievable, so, somehow, I wind up teaching him a little bit about how to do complex calculations by hand. "If you have a calculator," he says, "you wouldn't need to know how to 'work things out by hand', as you call it, correct?" "There are times when you don't have a calculator, and it's useful then. Also, though I can see how you use a calculator, I don't actually know how it produces those numbers. It's very interesting to me." I marvel at Mark, who seems completely mystified by an arithmetic lesson usually reserved for elementary school students. The things I think of as completely obvious aren't completely obvious at all. Once again, I'm struck by how awesome j.a.pan's public education system is. Maybe it would be a good idea to not spread around this kind of thing too much? In my view, sharing knowledge is a good thing, but I don't know if that meshes well with how things are commonly done in this world. Perhaps I've gone a little bit overboard, this time. "It's almost time for the master to return. I'll start making arrangements for the contract magic." I can't stop my heart from pounding when I hear those words, the first fantasy-sounding thing I've heard since coming here. I had never even considered that a world as filthy and unpleasant as this one could possibly contain something as fantastical as magic. He chuckles at me. "Magic, as you know, is something that only the n.o.bility possess." "...Only the n.o.bility?" "Yes, that's right. Since it's so rare for people like us to see, it's not something that we understand very well." In an instant, my joy at having found myself in a fantasy world is smashed to bits. Only the n.o.bility have magic? What the h.e.l.l. They're not just keeping books from me, but magic too? Those d.a.m.n aristocrats. "Contract magic was originally created as a way to keep the more violent n.o.blemen in check. To perform it, you need a special ink and paper. If you write and execute a contract with those, then you'll be bound to the terms of the contract by magic. It's a powerful way to ensure that neither party breaks the terms of their agreement." "Huhhh, that really is convenient." A contract, guaranteed by magic, that can't just be torn up and ignored seems very useful indeed. "It's convenient, but the paper and ink are magic tools, and are thus both very rare and very expensive, so it isn't used except for the most profitable contracts." I see. Somehow, it seems that Benno sees a tremendous amount of profit in my simple shampoo. Certainly, consumable products have that kind of power. If you run out of them, then you'll need to get more. I can't imagine a woman out there who would ever let their supply run out once they got used to having glossy, silky hair. This is doubly true for those women with money, like the n.o.blewomen who put so much effort into their appearances. ...Did I perhaps sell this for too cheaply? As soon as that thought flashes through my head, I remember that it's not good to be too greedy. What Lutz and I need are security, stability, and a firm financial footing. I should focus on securing that. "Are you finished with the materials order?" "We've written up what we can for now." I indicate the pile of boards that we've acc.u.mulated behind me. "That's a lot," he murmurs. There's still stuff we need to measure, Benno, so there'll be even more soon. We're counting on you. Mark proudly places his hand on his chest as he answers. "He was already able to write his name when we began, so ever since then he has been devoted to learning how to write beyond that. This young man has an excellent memory." Even though Mark is praising him, Lutz only manages a small nod of acknowledgement, as if there's something big on his mind. He's spent a full half of a day studying, so it's likely that he's quite tired by now. Doing something you're not used to is very exhausting, after all. "Mark must have explained this by now, but for this contract magic we use a paper specifically used for contracts and a special kind of ink. This is something that only merchants who've been approved to work with the n.o.bility can use." Benno takes out a small ink bottle with a peculiar design. At a glance, it looks like it contains regular ink, but it seems like it must be something completely different. As I watch him intently, Benno neatly spreads the blank contract out on the table in front of him. "...Is it okay for you to be using that? It looks very rare and expensive." "I wouldn't be using it if I didn't think this was a very important contract. Don't worry about it." ...If you tell me not to worry about it, I'll worry about it. Benno dips a pen into the inkwell, then smoothly begins to write out the terms of the contract. The ink is actually not black, but a rich blue. As Benno fills the page with neat, practiced handwriting, I follow along closely. Maine agrees to transfer all rights to her Simple Shampoo to Benno. In exchange, Benno agrees to a.s.sume all costs of the paper-making enterprise to be undertaken by Maine and Lutz, until the date of their baptismal ceremony. Maine will retain all rights relating to the manufacturing of the paper, and Lutz will retain all rights to the sale of the paper. However, they will retain neither the right set the sales price of the paper, nor the right determine their profits. Maine carefully reads the contents of the contract from end to end, verifying that nothing strange has been written. This, however, is only a pretense. In reality, I'm taking this time to deeply inhale the intoxicating scent of fresh ink on paper. Aaah, I want to make paper, then make books, so badly... "...Is there some sort of problem?" asks Benno, incredulously. With a sigh, I come back to my senses. I turn to face a suspicious Benno and an amazed Lutz. I think Lutz might have realized that I was captivated by the smell of the ink. "Wha?! Ev... everything looks fine! You've written things out just like we talked about them, so there's no problems." Writing on paper feels far better than those boards, after all... "Your turn, Lutz." Lips pressed together in concentration, Lutz takes the pen from me, dips the pen in the inkwell, and writes his name below mine. The blockiness of his handwriting betrays how unused to writing he is, but he still writes his name clearly and legibly. "Now then..." "Aaah! Mister Benno?!" This is some scary magic, yikes! "Right, and next is..." Benno looks over at me. I'm paralyzed with fear, staring at the bright red drop of blood that lingers on Benno's knife. Lutz looks over at me, sighs, then takes out his own knife. "Give me your hand, Maine..." "Eek!" I shove my hands behind my back without thinking about it at all. "Maine, you can't do it yourself, right?" "Th... that's right, but..." Cutting open my own finger is scary, but having someone else do it is scary too. I really hate pain. "Whose idea was it to make this contract?" he says, patiently. Steeling myself, I close my eyes tightly, then timidly extend my hands. Quickly, Lutz deftly slices open the tip of my left pinky. Blood starts to trickle down my finger, accompanied by a sharp, hot, stinging pain. "Nnngh... guh!" Trying very hard not to cry, I smear some blood on my thumb, then press it firmly onto the contract, where I've signed it. Just like Benno's, the ink immediately turns pitch black. While Mark stops the bleeding and wraps a small cloth around my pinky, Lutz unhesitatingly cuts open his own finger and leaves his own b.l.o.o.d.y seal on the contract. How can he do that without even flinching?! Isn't that scary?! As soon as Lutz's hand leaves the paper, the ink of the contract s.h.i.+nes with a brilliant light, as if it's burning. Spreading from the ink itself, a hole opens up in s.p.a.ce, then snaps shut, taking the entire sheet of parchment with it. Even though I saw it happen right in front of my very own eyes, I can't help but think it's exactly like some CG you'd find in a movie. As I marvel over this strange new way of signing a contract, I suddenly notice that the contract has completely disappeared, and snap back to my senses. "And, with that, the contract is complete. Violating is is a deadly matter, so don't do it, okay?" He looks down at me with a broad, amused smile. "Well, if you don't violate it, you'll do just fine. But, this is the kind of guarantee you wanted, isn't it?" "...Thank you very much," I say. "I'm very grateful." In the end, I didn't get a copy for myself. With the contract magic complete, Lutz and I leave Benno's shop. By now, the sun is quite low in the sky, and I watch it slowly sink towards the horizon, its golden hue gradually dimming to red. Lutz and I walk back the way we came, through streets that seem so different in the evening glow. "It's later than I thought," I say. "Let's get home quickly." The people around us seem to be in a hurry to get home as well, walking with a bit of extra speed. As we're carried along by the wave of traffic, I turn to Lutz. "Today was super exhausting, huh?" There's still more material orders for us to write up, but, the orders that I spent so much time filling out today are going to be processed, we'll get our materials, and we'll be able to devote ourselves solely to making paper. On top of that, the contract magic means that Lutz and I have guaranteed our rights. When we finish perfecting our paper, we won't get abruptly fired from the shop. "Now, we just need to make this paper, then we're totally secure, Lutz!" "...Mm." Lutz's tongue is so heavy that I can barely hear his response before it disappears amongst the noise of the crowd. Usually, we talk a lot as we walk, to distract from the fact that I'm so slow. I wonder why his responses are so dull right now. I look over at Lutz as he walks beside me. His blond hair glows a brilliant red in the evening sun. As I look up at him, though, I can't really make out the expression on his face through the shadow that falls across it. "Hey, Lutz. What's wrong?" Even though I ask, Lutz doesn't reply. He opens his mouth a little, looking like he almost wants to say something, but he immediately snaps it tightly shut. He hangs his head a little, as if he's brooding over something. Like that, we walk in silence for a while. "Wait, Lutz." We stop in the central plaza, and Lutz immediately turns to look away from me. He presses his lips tightly together, then turns to look at me. His face, half-shrouded in shadow from the evening sun, is deadly serious. Looking like he's gathered all of his resolve, he opens his mouth, and speaks in a cracked voice. "You... you're Maine, right?" My breath catches in my throat. In an instant, all the blood in my body turns ice cold, and a heavy weight clamps down on my heart. The sounds of the bustling plaza fade away, replaced by a deafening ringing in my ears, pounding with each rush of blood through my veins. "If you're really Maine, then... how could you talk like that?" "Like how?" "Like how you talked to the shopkeeper today. I didn't even understand half of it. Hearing Maine talk about things I don't know anything about, and keeping up with an adult... it's strange." I force down the p.r.i.c.kling in my throat. I tilt my head way over to the side doubtfully, pretending like I have absolutely no idea what he's talking about it. "Well, um... Lutz, do I look like I'm not Maine?" "...My bad. That was a weird thing to say. ...I was just a little surprised to see you talking like an adult." Lutz manages to put something like a smile on his face, then starts walking again. What I've done with Lutz has basically just been making clay tablets and carving wood. Even if my motives were strange, that's still something a child could actually do, so my doing so wouldn't be particularly suspicious. However, today I showed off a speaking ability as good as Benno's, and fought very hard to secure a position for me and Lutz. I fought too hard. I'm sure that Lutz didn't see in me today a trace of the weak, frail Maine that he has to protect from everything. What would Lutz think if he knew this? What should I, who am not Maine, do now? As we return home, Lutz's face is hidden in the shadows of twilight. I can't bring myself to walk at his side.

近所の男の子 本がなければ、自分で作ればいい。 そう結論を出したところで、わたしの気分は前向きになったけれど、困ったことに家の中には紙自体が存在しない。それはおうち探索をした時に確認済みだ。 日本だったらルーズリーフに書き綴るなり、ノートに書くなり、コピー用紙に書いてホッチキスで綴じるなりすれば、あっという間に完成するのに、ここでは問題が山積みだ。 家の中に紙が存在しないので、本を作るためには紙探しから始めなければならない。 「だから、『紙』......あ!」 三つ編みを揺らして首を傾げるトゥーリの姿には覚えがある。わたしの言葉が日本語で理解できなかった時の顔だ。 まずい。ここの言葉で『紙』を何て言えばいいのかわからない。 「......知らない、よね?」 「ごめんね。わからないみたい。面白い言葉だね」 「あーっ! 父さんったら、忘れてる!」 台所からトゥーリの声が響いた。のっそりと動いて、台所へ行ってみると、トゥーリが何やら包みを持っていた。 確か、今朝、父が寝起きのぼへーっとした顔で「今日の仕事に使うから出しておいて」と、朝の忙しい時間に言いだして、「なんでもっと早く言わないのよ!?」と母の機嫌をとげとげ状態にした物だ。 「トゥーリ、きっと母さん、怒るよね?」 「マインもそう思う?」 この世界の人なのか、この家族限定なのか、わからないけれど、感情を非常にストレートに出すのだ。笑う時は馬鹿みたいに大笑いするし、怒る時は烈火のごとく怒る。つまり、怒り爆発させた母はマジ怖い。 「トゥーリ、これ、父さんに届けた方がいいよね?」 「......うーん、でも、マイン一人にするのは......」 ちょっとお皿を洗いに行ったら、勝手に寝室を抜け出して、大泣き。母と一緒に市場まで買い物に行ったら、気を失ってぶっ倒れる。 「父さんもないと困るよね?」 「......マイン、門まで歩ける?」 何枚も服を着ると言っても、決してオシャレのためではない。完全に防寒のためだ。 ちなみに、わたしが持っている服は肌着2枚、毛織物のワンピース2枚、毛糸のセーターが1枚。毛糸の股引みたいなの2枚。毛糸の靴下2枚。持っている服を全部着込むのだ。 「でも、全部着ないと、どれも継ぎ接ぎが当たっている服だから、どこから風が吹きこんでくるかわからないでしょ? 特に、マインは風邪を引きやすいから、ちゃんと着なきゃダメ」 母は問答無用で着せられたれど、トゥーリなら懐柔できるかな? と思ったが、責任感の強いトゥーリは、わたしの体調が悪化しそうな格好では外に出せないと譲らない。 それにしても、石畳って歩きにくいなぁ......。 でこぼこしていて、よく気を付けて歩かないと、足を引っ掛けてすぐに転びそうだ。手を繋いでくれているトゥーリに周りのことは任せて、わたしは自分の足元だけを見て歩くことにした。 やや遠いところから響いてきた男の子の声にわたしは顔を上げた。 背負子と弓を持った男の子が三人、駆け寄ってきた。赤、金、ピンクの頭がカラフルでついつい頭に注目してしまう。 もともとはちゃんと染めてあっただろう服も、土や食べ物の染みで斑模様の薄い灰色のような色になっていて、お下がりを着回しているのか、継ぎ接ぎだらけだ。 「あ、ラルフ! ルッツとフェイも一緒ね!」 トゥーリが親しげなので、マイン自身とも多少係わりがあるかもしれない。ちょっとこめかみに力を入れるようにして、わたしはマインの記憶を探った。 あ、やっぱりいた。へぇ、ご近所さんか。 トゥーリと同じ年のラルフ。ラルフが赤毛で一番体格がいい。子供達のまとめ役。みんなのおにいちゃんって感じの雰囲気だ。 フェイもトゥーリと同い年。ピンク頭で、悪戯好きそうな悪ガキの顔をしている。病弱なマインに対する力加減がわからないのか、あまり近付いてこないので、記憶は少なめ。 ラルフの弟が金髪で、わたしと同じ年のルッツ。マインに対しておにいちゃんぶった言動をしているのが、背伸びしたい男の子って感じで可愛い。 三人はトゥーリが森に行く時によく一緒に行っているメンバーで、どうやらマインも一緒に森に連れて行ってもらったことがあるようだ。ほんの数回のお出かけが他の記憶に比べてはっきりと記憶に残っている。 わたしが記憶を探る方に意識を向けている間に、トゥーリは弾んだ様子でラルフと言葉を交わしていた。 「父さんが忘れ物したから、門まで届けに行くの。ラルフ達は森?」 「そう。門まで一緒に行こうぜ」 「うん!」 でもね、熱が下がって数日たったし、そろそろ、お出かけしても大丈夫だと思うんだ。具体的には、紙を売っている店を探しに行くとか、ね。 ラルフ達が一緒になった途端、今までわたしのスピードに合わせてくれていたのに、いきなりトゥーリの歩くペースが上がった。 「......なぁ、マイン。オレ、背負ってやろうか?」 ルッツ、なんていい子! マインの記憶によると、ルッツはいつもラルフやフェイに格下扱いされているので、同じ年とはいえ、病弱で小柄なマインに対してはおにいちゃんぶった言動をする。体力がなくて、すぐにへろへろになるマインを庇ってくれたり、荷物を持ってくれたり、なかなか紳士で将来有望な少年だ。 おまけに、ルッツの金髪は、わたしにとってはピンクや緑より見慣れた色なので、精神的にも安心できる。 「マイン、また熱出してたんだろ? 辛そうだし、背負ってやるよ」 ルッツの心意気は嬉しい。ホントだよ? でも、わたしより大きいとはいえ、同じ年のルッツに背負ってもらうのは、悪いし、潰れないか心配だ。 わたしがどうしようかな、と悩んでいると、軽く溜息を吐いたラルフが荷物を下ろしながら、口を開いた。 「ルッツが背負うんじゃ、いつまでたっても森に着かないって。オレがマインを背負うよ。お前はオレの弓を持て。フェイは背負子な」 「ラルフ兄......」 ルッツが不満そうにラルフを睨んでいる。もしかしたら、手柄を横取りされたような気分になったのかもしれない。 「ルッツが一番に心配してくれたの。優しいね。ありがとう、ルッツ。嬉しかったよ」 ルッツは自分が心配したことを認められたことで満足したのか、照れたように笑って、おとなしくラルフの弓を手に取った。 子供のこういう優しい部分はよく褒めて伸ばしておかなくちゃね。ほら、精神的な大人として。 「うん、ありがと、ラルフ」 トゥーリよりちょっと大きいラルフの背中に、ていっと寄りかかって体重をかける。幼女に恥じらいなんて必要ない。断じてない。 わたしを背負ったラルフがしっかりとした足取りで、歩き始めた。30~40センチ視界が高くなれば、ずいぶん景色が変わって見えた。具体的には、足元の石しか見えていなかったのが、ちゃんと街並みが見えるようになった。 細い路地から少し流れ出てくる汚物とか、大通りを行き交うロバが糞を垂れ流しながら通り過ぎていくのとか......。 べ、別に、汚物が見たくて見たわけじゃないからね! 照れているっぽい表情と言葉から察するに、困っているトゥーリを助けたい。トゥーリに感謝されたいってことですか? ほほぉ、ラルフ少年。狙いはウチのトゥーリですか? わたしがちょっと日本での苛立つ思い出に意識を飛ばしている間に、ラルフとトゥーリの幼馴染ラブはトゥーリを中心にした逆ハーレム物語に変化していた。 「ホントだ。いい匂い」 そう言いながら、フェイとルッツもトゥーリの三つ編みに顔を近付けて、匂いを嗅いでいる。 「髪もすごい艶々だ」 むっふっふ。そうだろう。そうだろう。 驚いた顔をしている逆ハーメンバーの称賛に満足して、ラルフの背中でわたしは何度も頷く。 わたしの努力の効果がもう出ているらしい。 ちなみに、ラルフ達はちょっと臭い。この辺りでは普通の匂いだから、多少慣れてきたけど、臭いモノは臭い。ラルフには背負ってもらっている立場だから、口には出さないけど、臭いよ。 みんなまとめて石鹸で洗ってやりたくなる。ウチにあるのが掃除や洗濯に使うための臭い動物性石鹸ばっかりで、身体洗えるようないい匂いの植物性石鹸がないのが残念だけど。 ぼへーと思考を飛ばしていたら、ルッツがくいっとわたしの髪を引っ張った。トゥーリにしていたように、くんと匂いを嗅ぐ。 色の薄い緑の目がわたしを見つめたまま、無邪気に細められる。 やばい! ルッツ、色素補正持ってる! 金髪緑眼ってだけでイケメン補正がかかって見える! ひやああああああっ! 相手は幼児なのに照れるっ! 何の意図もないってわかってるのに、この構図は照れるっ! お願い、止めて! いい年して、そんなことされた経験ないから、対処に困るのっ! 心の中でもんどりうって固まっているのは、わたしだけだ。他のみんなはすでに森で採れる物や、あとどれくらいで初雪かなんて話をしている。

Neighborhood Boys Since I don't have any books, I'll make some myself. Ever since I decided on that particular course of action, my mood has improved drastically, and I've been way more forward-thinking. Trouble is, there isn't a single sc.r.a.p of paper in this house. This is something I know from my earlier home explorations. So, I need to go and buy paper, but I have no idea where I'd find it. Trouble is, this town doesn't have any convenience stores, hardware stores, supermarkets, or stationery shops. If I were in j.a.pan, I'd be done in an instant. I'd write everything out on loose-leaf in a binder, or in a notebook, or on stapled-together printer paper. Here, though, there's no end to my problems. There isn't any paper in the house, so I'm going to need to start searching for some if I want to have any chance of making a book. My mother went to work this morning, so right now at home there's just Tory and me. Of course, this means there's only one person around to interrogate. "'Paper'! Where do I go to... oh!" Tory looks at me quizzically, her braided hair swinging as she tilts her head to one side. This is the face of someone who doesn't understand the j.a.panese word I just used. Not good. I don't know how to say "paper" in this language. Argh! I really should have asked the old guy at the general store what it was called! "...you wouldn't know, huh?" "Sorry, Maine," says Tory, "I guess I don't. That's a funny word, though." "Ah!" exclaims Tory, from the kitchen. "Dad forgot this!" I make my way over to the kitchen, where Tory is holding a bundle. Sure enough, this looks like the thing from this morning, where our father had suddenly said "I need that thing for work, can you get it out for me" and our mother had gotten mad and shot back "why didn't you ask me earlier", then she frantically tore apart the storage room looking for it. Thinking about how mad she would be if she were to find out that our father had then forgotten that thing sends s.h.i.+vers down my spine. "Tory, Mommy's going to be mad, right?" "You think so too, Maine?" I don't know if it's this family or this world, but people here are very forthright about their emotions. When they laugh, it's with a booming voice and an idiotic grin, and when they're mad, they burn like a raging fire. In other words, my mother's explosive anger is terrifying. "Tory, should we take this to Daddy?" I ask. "...Ummm, well, leaving you alone is, uh..." When she had stepped outside for just a moment to wash the dishes, I snuck out of the bedroom and then cried my eyes out. When I had gone outshopping with our mother, I fainted and collapsed in a heap. My family's estimation of me is probably sc.r.a.ping rock bottom, so Tory probably isn't going to let me out of her sight. "If Daddy doesn't have this he'll be in trouble, right?" "...Maine, are you able to walk all the way to the gates?" Package in hand, we depart, bundled up in our countless layers of clothing. Although we may be wearing many layers, we are not at all fas.h.i.+onable in the slightest. This is entirely for protection from the cold. By the way, my selection of clothing includes two pairs of underwear, two woolen one-piece dresses, one knitted woolen sweater, two pairs of knit pants that are kind of like long johns, and two pairs of socks, also knitted out of wool. I am wearing every single piece of it. "If we don't wear it all, though, the wind's going to break in through the patches and seams, you know? You catch cold super easily too, so you definitely have to wear everything." There had been no arguing with my mother when she made me do this, but I briefly entertained the notion that maybe I'd be able to push back against Tory. She, however, was adamant that I dress appropriately to keep myself healthy. I surrendered to her strong sense of responsibility and put everything on. Thanks to that, it's very hard to move right now. Even so, walking on cobblestones is haaaard... They're extremely uneven, so if you aren't paying too much attention to where you step, your foot will get caught and you'll fall on your face. I hold onto Tory's hand, letting her do the navigating while I concentrate on putting my feet in the right place. From a little ways away, a boy's voice rings out. "Oh hey, it's Tory! What are you up to?" I raise my head. Three boys, wearing wooden backpacks and carrying bows, come running up to us. With red, blond, and pink hair, the trio is certainly eye-catchingly colorful. Their clothing might have originally been dyed, but years of dirt and food stains have made them a mottled gray. They seem like hand-me-downs, covered in patches. It's not that different than what I'm wearing, so their standard of living is probably the same as ours. "Ah, Ralph! And Lutz and Fey too!" Since Tory seems so friendly with these three, it's likely that Maine has some sort of connection to them as well. I scrunch up my forehead in concentration, digging through Maine's memories. Ah, yep, there it is. Oh, they're the neighborhood kids. Ralph, same age as Tory. He's redheaded and is the strongest. The leader of the kids, gives off an atmosphere as if he's everyone's big brother. Fey, also the same age as Tory. Pink-haired, with the kind of mischievous face you'd see on the worst kind of prankster. He and Maine never got very close, maybe because of the differences in their const.i.tution, so she doesn't have very many memories of him. Lutz, Ralph's younger brother and the same age as me. He tries to act like he's my older brother, but he comes across like a cute little boy that wants to grow up. The three of them seem to be part of Tory's usual party when she heads off to the forest, and it seems like they sometimes brought Maine along with them. The memories of those few outings seem much clearer than Maine's other memories. While my focus was turned inward as I dug through my memory, Tory had struck up a lively conversation with Ralph. "My dad forgot something, so we're going to the gates to bring it to him," she says. "You guys going to the forest?" "Yeah. Wanna go to the gate together?" "Sure!" When I see how her face lights up as she talks to Ralph, I realize how much trouble I'm putting her through every day. Of course heading off to the forest with your friends is way more fun than babysitting, isn't it? I'm sorry for being such a drag of a little sister. Although, my fever has been down for a few days, so it should be okay for me to start going out again. Specifically, to go out and find a store that will sell me some paper. When the other kids had just joined up with us, they'd started going at my speed, but Tory suddenly sped up. Since we're holding hands, I'm pulled along with her. Quickly, my feet get tangled together. "...Hey, Maine. Want to ride on my pack?" Lutz, you're such a good kid! According to Maine's memories, Ralph and Fey are always acting like they're better than Lutz, so even though he's the same age as Maine, he tries to act like her older brother, especially because she's so small and weak. Whenever she started getting too exhausted, he'd take her pack so she could keep going. What a gentleman! On top of that, his blond hair is a color that I'm actually used to seeing, unlike pink or green, which is comforting. "Maine, are you getting another fever? If it's getting too hard, I can carry you." Lutz seems so happy. Seriously, he does! However, even though he's bigger than me, we're still the same age, so having him carry me on his back might be kind of bad... As I worry about what I should do, Ralph sighs a little, then puts down his backpack. "Lutz," he says, "if you're carrying her, it'll take us forever to get to the forest. I'll carry Maine. Lutz, you take my bow, Fey, you take my backpack." "Ralph..." Lutz scowls resentfully at Ralph. He must feel like his good deed was just s.n.a.t.c.hed away from him. I grab his hand tightly. "You were the first to help me, Lutz," I say, smiling broadly. "You're so kind. Thanks! You made me happy." Being praised for noticing me seems to be enough for Lutz. He smiles shyly, and takes Ralph's bow without complaint. If you praise a child for being kind, they'll keep that kindness with them as they grow up. I'm speaking, of course, from my adult perspective. "Okay! Thanks, Ralph," I reply. Ralph is just a little bit bigger than Tory. I lean my weight against his back. There's no need here for the shyness of a little girl. No need at all. With me riding securely on his back, Ralph starts walking at a steady pace. My field of view is about thirty to forty centimeters higher than it usually is, and the world looks so different from up here. Or, more precisely, I don't have to keep my eyes on the ground to avoid tripping, so I can actually look around freely. On top of that, Ralph doesn't have to slow down to match my usual pace, so the scenery is flowing by at a steady rate. Another thing I shouldn't be comparing to j.a.pan is the scenery. Thin streams of filth ooze out from the narrow alleys, and the pack mules that wander up and down the main street are walking through piles of their own s.h.i.+t... It's... it's not like I've been specifically staring at the filth! This is just the kind of spectacle that you'd never see in j.a.pan, so I was a little surprised, so of course my eyes were drawn to it! I can sympathize with the shy expression on Tory's troubled face, and I want to help her out. Aren't you supposed to be thanking her right now? ...Oh ho! Ralph's just a boy! Perhaps he's interested in Tory? He's trying to use me to get into her heart. I don't particularly mind, though. Alright, let's make this puppy love happen! While I was distracted by my irritating memories of j.a.pan, Ralph and Tory's puppy love has blossomed into a proper reverse harem, with Tory in the middle. "Oh, yeah! It does smell good!" Fey and Lutz have also moved in on Tory, smelling her braided hair. They're all about the same age, so this is definitely a reverse harem. "Whoa, your hair is super glossy!" Eh heh heh. That's right, that's right! Satisfied with the surprised reactions of the reverse harem's members, I nod approvingly from my vantage point on Ralph's back. I've keeping a potpourri of dried flowers in our clothing box, boiling water at dinner time so that Tory and I can give ourselves sponge baths, was.h.i.+ng our hair with herb oils and carefully brus.h.i.+ng it out, and, bit by bit, bringing up the level of hygiene in our house. It looks like my efforts are finally starting to pay off! Incidentally, Ralph and co. are a little bit on the smelly side. Everything around here stinks, so I've somewhat gotten used to it, but things that stink still stink. Although I'd never say it out loud, from my position on Ralph's back, I can definitely say that he stinks. I really want to make everyone start was.h.i.+ng with soap. The only soap kept at home is a foul-smelling animal-based soap that's used for cleaning and doing laundry. n.o.body has any nice-smelling vegetable-based soaps to wash themselves with, which is terrible. As I s.p.a.ced out, lost in my own thoughts, Lutz suddenly tugs on my hair, sniffing it like he did to Tory's. "Maine, you smell good too! I can see your face really well with your hair up like that too, you look really cute." He gazes innocently at me with his pale green eyes. Not good! Lutz, your color scheme is too good! Blond hair and green eyes, that's the recipe for a really hot dude! Noooooooo! My opponent is a child, why am I suddenly so shy?! I know he has zero intentions, but the framing of this scene is just too awkward! Please, stop! I should be old enough to know better, but I have no experience with these things! I can't cope!! I'm the only one here who's trying to keep their heart from doing backflips. Everyone else is already talking about the things they're going to find in the forest or when they think the first snowfall of the season will come. Ignoring how I'm about to faint, Lutz is bragging about how much better he's gotten at shooting his bow lately. Unlike Tory, who's shyly thanking everyone for their help, I can barely say a word. My heart is pounding again.

「北用の服?」 トゥーリの言葉にわたしは頷いた。ここ最近、家でいる時は寝込んでいることが多いので、普段着は正直それほど必要なくなっている。神殿やギルベルタ商会などに行くことが多くなっているので、それに合わせた冬服が必要になる。 「しばらくはこんな感じの絵本をいくつか作るつもりです。文字を切り抜くのが大変なので、文章は短めにしておきたいんです。それに、ウチの絵師は描けるものが限られているんですよ。神殿から外に出たことがない箱入り娘なので、一般的な物が全く描けないんです」 「生活環境の違いなので、どうしようもないですからね。ヴィルマにはヴィルマに向いた絵を描いてもらうのが一番です。そういう素材のお話を考えればいいんです。神様のお話だって、たくさんあるんですから」 「だが、神様の話ばかりというのもな......」 正直簡単に成功するとは思えない。植物紙の失敗作が大量にできて、蝋の配合を考えるところで試行錯誤を繰り返して、薄く塗ることがなかなかできずに疲労困憊するに違いない。だが、完成すれば、文字を書く要領で文章が彫れるので、とても楽になるはずだ。 ベンノが首を傾げる。ルッツも同じように首を傾げた。 「鍛冶工房のヨハンが確保できれば、活字作りはそれほど難しくないんです。でも、活版印刷は圧搾機を扱うくらいの力仕事になるんですよ。孤児院の子供達にはちょっときついです」 「ハァ!? 売らないのか!? マイン、お前は一体何を考えているんだ!?」 孤児院の冬の手仕事が広く売れたら取り返せるかな、と考えていたわたしにベンノの雷が落ちた。ビクッと肩を震わせながら、わたしは何度か目を瞬く。 「お前の考えることが理解できん」 「......だいたい、この絵本は街の子供達にどれだけ受け入れられるか、わからないんですよね? それって、今までは神殿でお話を聞いただけで、あんまり浸透していないことが原因だと思うんです。それくらいなら、大衆受けしそうな新しい絵本を作って、売りに出しますよ。その方が良いですって」 教科書を取り上げられるくらいなら、これから売れそうな新作絵本を作った方がマシだ。 「新しい絵本だと?」 ベンノもルッツもものすごく驚いたような顔をしているが、そんなに考えなくても、お話のストックはいくらでもある。ただ、ヴィルマが描ける絵に合わせると、数が減るだけだ。 「お姫様系のお話なら、貴族のお姫様に仕えていたヴィルマも描けると思うんだよね。粗筋を書いたら、神官長に見てもらって、絵本にしようと思ってる」 シンデレラを元にした絵本ならできると思う。クリスティーネ様をモデルにお姫様姿を描いてもらえば、それらしくなるはずだ。王子様は......どうなるかわからないけれど、星祭りの時には側仕え全員が自分の主と一緒に貴族街に行っていたはずだし、多分大丈夫だろう。 「これはお世話になった方への献本なので、お金は必要ないんですけれど......」 「トロンベの利益が全部吹っ飛ぶくらいの覚悟はできてます」 マイン工房孤児院支店は、孤児院の子供達が自立した生活を送れるように作ったものだ。彼らが働いた人件費に当たるお金と、工房の利益として取ってあるお金のほとんどは、孤児院のために使っても問題ない。 「わかった。揃えてやろう。その代り、男はこき使うぞ? こっちは人手が足りないからな」 「わかりました。......それから、儀式用の衣装ってどうなってますか? コリンナさんに確認して欲しいんですけど」 ベンノは立ち上がって執務机に向かうと、ベルを鳴らして女性の下働きを呼んだ。コリンナの予定を尋ねて、わたしがいることを伝えるように言う。階段を往復した女性は、コリンナの準備ができるまで少し待ってほしいと言い、また上に戻っていった。 今までに見た時とは違って、コリンナはお腹を締め付けない、ゆったりとした服を着ていた。そのせいだろうか、ちょっとお腹が大きくなっているように見えた。順調そうで何よりだ。 「コリンナさん、生地は長めにとって、揚げて頂けると助かります」 わたしが腰の辺りの生地を摘まみ上げて折りこむと、コリンナはこてりと首を傾げた。 着物ならば、子供用を仕立てる時に成長しても使えるように腰揚げや肩揚げをしておく。けれど、ここでは着られなくなった服は売って、次を買うというスタイルで、あまり長く着ることに関しては重点を置いていないようだ。 「作りがシンプルな儀式用の衣装にそれほど流行があるとも思えませんし、長く着られることを重視して、作ってください」 コリンナは納得したように頷いた。 「では、マインちゃんが知っている仕立て方を教えてくれるかしら? どんな風に折りこめば外から見て綺麗か、知っている?」 その後は、どのくらい揚げの幅をとるか、どのように仕立てるかを話し合い、仮縫いを終えた。 ......あ! 仮縫いが終わったって言ったら、トゥーリに泣かれるかな?

"Like your baptism dress? But the ceremonial dress does not need to have extra pleats, does it? " "At that time, we just changed Turi's old clothes to my size, but the method is very similar. Because once the cloth is cut, it can't be lengthened. I don't want to add pleats to the dress, but to fold the cloth in like this at the waist, shoulders and cuffs." "I would like to make more picture books like this. I want the articles to be as short as possible because engraving takes a lot of time. Also, my ill.u.s.trator is limited in what she can draw. She is a girl who has never set foot outside the temple or seen the outside world, so she can't draw anything everyday." "It's due to living conditions and there's nothing we can do about it. So it would be better for Vilma to draw what she is good at. Myths fit her well, and there are plenty of them anyway." "But if all books are about myths..." To be honest, it would not be easy. I was afraid that we would make a lot of failed paper, plus the proportion of wax was not easy to grasp, if not to succeed, we would be exhausted in the end. However, once the wax paper was made, engraving would be as simple as writing, which would save a lot of effort. Benno tilted his head wonderingly, and Lutz did the same. "I don't think it would be difficult to make movable type, so long as Johann from the forge could be commissioned. But it is a heavy labour equivalent to operating a compressor, and the children would certainly not be able to do it." "What?! Don't you sell them?! Maine, what are you thinking?!" If the handiwork the orphanage had made for the winter sell well, it will make up for it -- just as I was thinking this, Benno gave a sudden snarl that made my shoulders shake. "I can't understand what you're thinking. Totally." "We don't know yet how popular this picture book will be in the city, because so far everyone has only heard myths in the temple, which have not penetrated into daily life. It would be better to make new picture books that are more popular with people in the city and sell them as merchandise." Rather than lose my textbooks, I would make some new picture books that might sell better. "You mean new picture books?" Benno and Lutz looked surprised. But I didn't need to think too much. There were a lot of stories in stock that could be made into picture books. Just for the sake of Wilma, their numbers would be drastically reduced. "If it's a fairy tale about a princess, I think Wilma would be able to draw it. After all, she has served a n.o.ble daughter. I'm going to write the outline first and ask the Head Priest to read it before I make it into a picture book." I thought a picture book based on Cinderella should work. Let Vilma draw the princess from the model of Miss Christine, and the figure would be at least eighty percent like. As for the prince's image, Wilma should be able to figure out how to draw it, as the attendants had been to the aristocratic quarter with their masters at the Star Festival. "It's a gift book to say thank you to the people who have taken care of us so far, so you don't have to pay..." "I have made up my mind that all the money I earned from Tronbay-paper will be spent." The purpose of the workshop was to enable the children in the orphanage to live independently. It was only natural that the money earned by the hard work of the orphans should be used in the orphanage. "Okay, I'll get everything ready for you. But instead, I'll use your manpower, because we're understaffed." "I see. And how is my ceremonial dress coming along?" As soon as I had finished my last question, Benno went to his desk and rang the bell for the maid to ask if Corinna was at home. Unlike in the past, Corinna now wore loose clothes that did not tie up at the waist. Her belly seemed to be getting a little bigger, probably because of her clothes. Great, she and her baby were fine. "Mrs. Corinna, please don't cut it exactly to my present size. You can hide some extra cloth in the seams or make pleats. In this way, when I grow up, I can modify this dress and continue to wear it." I pinched the cloth at the waist and folded it inward, but Corinna turned her head in confusion. In j.a.pan, when making children's kimonos, people always hide some extra cloth around the waist and shoulders for the growth of children. However, the custom here was to sell clothes and buy new ones when they outgrow them, which annoyed me. "And there's probably no fas.h.i.+on for a simple ceremonial dress, so please focus on how long I can wear it." Corinna nodded, as if she understood. "Maine, can you tell me what you know? How can I do this without compromising the beauty of the dress?" So Corinna and I had a long discussion about how much cloth to hide and how to sew. Then my fitting was over. ... Ah! Would Turi cry if I told her the fitting was over?

失敗の原因と改善策 ベンノに抱き上げられて、簡易ちゃんリンシャンの工房へと向かう途中、少しばかり言いにくそうにベンノが口を開いた。 「なぁ、マイン。あの髪を洗う液のことだが......」 「はい?『簡易ちゃんリンシャン』がどうかしました?」 「長くて言いにくい。もっと別の言い方はないのか?」 確かに、音の響きだけで意味が全くわからないベンノを初めとしたこの世界の人にとっては、長く感じられるのだろう。 「あ~、トゥーリにちょっとふざけて言ったのが、定着しちゃっただけで、別に変えちゃっても問題ないですよ?」 「......そうなのか?」 ずっと痒かった頭がスッキリした上に、バサバサだった髪がサラサラになって浮かれていたわたしが、適当に言ったのが始まりだ。特に思い入れはない。 「はい。好きな名前を付けちゃってください」 「しかし、そう言われると、なかなか困るな」 新しい物に名前を付けるのはかなりセンスがいると思う。少しでも助けになるように、と思って、わたしはヒントを出すつもりで、言葉を重ねた。 「商品名になっちゃいますからね。言いやすくて、わかりやすいのに変えちゃえばいいと思います。洗髪液とか、汚れ落としよりは、艶を出すとか、綺麗になるとか、癒されるとか、そんな意味の言葉の方が響きはいいでしょう?」 「うむ......むぅ......」 わたしが言葉を連ねるたびに、ベンノの表情がだんだん険しく難しいものになっていく。もしかしたら、ヒントというよりはプレッシャーを与えただけの結果になってしまったのだろうか。 眉間に深い皺を刻んで考え込むベンノに、ルッツは軽く肩を竦めた。 「オレはずっと言ってきたから、別にカンイチャンリンシャンでもいいと思うけど?」 「マイン、これを他の言い方で、何か、ないか?」 適当な言葉が見当たらないのか、ベンノが助けを求めるようにこっちを向いた。 「ん~? 『リンスインシャンプー』くらいしか思い浮かびませんけど?」 「......リンとシャンは必要なのか?」 「いえ、別に、ベンノさんが付ける分には全く......」 ベンノはしばらくブツブツと言っていたが、しっくりくる名前がなかったのか、頭の中では簡易ちゃんリンシャンで固定していたのか、わたしが出した第二候補の響きから決めたのか、リンシャンで決まった。 え? そんなんでホントにいいの? ベンノは中央広場を西側に曲がって、歩いていく。油を絞る工房なのだから、職人通りにあると思っていたわたしは、目を瞬いた。 「工房って西側にもあるんですか? 職人通りにあると思ってました」 「もともと食品加工の工房だからな。物の行き来が多くて、市が立つ西門に近い方が都合はいいんだ」 「メリルの実も食用ですもんね。最近は専らリンシャンに使ってたけど......」 最初は米のとぎ汁もないし、海藻もないし、どうしたものかと思っていた。思い出せる限り洗髪に関して記憶を探って、ナチュラル生活だか、自然派生活だか、そんな感じの雑誌に載っていた自然素材で作る美容液の記事を思い出した。 記事の中に植物性オイルに粉状の塩やオレンジの皮を粉末状態にしたものをスクラブとして入れて、洗髪するというのがあった。他には卵の白身をツノが立つほど泡立ててパックにするとか、梅干しと日本酒で作る手作り化粧水とか、色々あったが、子供のツルプルお肌には必要ない。差し迫って必要だったのが、シャンプー素材だった。 ......油を取るまでが大変だったけど。 台所をうろうろして、油の取れそうな素材を探し、食卓に出たメリルがアボカドっぽいものだったので、これなら油が取れそうだと考えたのだが、当時はメリルの名前もわからないし、自分で採りにも行けないし、頭は痒いし、大変だった。 トゥーリ、ありがとう! ベンノに連れていかれた工房は広い倉庫のようなところだった。 食品加工の工房と聞いていた通り、雑多な臭いが混じっている。 わたしがベンノに下ろしてもらって、親方の到着を待っていると、奥の方から、工員に声をかけられた少し小太りのおじさんがお腹を揺らしながら出てくるのが見えた。 一目で食べ物関係の親方とわかるような感じだ。食べることが心底好きそうな体型に見える。日本なら小太りという程度だが、食糧事情があまり豊かではないこの街でこの体型はかなり太めに入るだろう。 「ベンノの旦那、わざわざ足を運んでくださってありがとうございます。......この子らは?」 「リンシャンを最初に作った本人だ。他言無用で頼む」 ベンノが目に力を込めてそう言うと、親方はコクコクと無言で何度か頷いた。 「それで、改善はしたのか?」 「いえ、道具を変えてみたり、作る者を変えてみたり、色々としてみたのですが、だんだん遠ざかっている気がします」 進展がないという報告を聞いて苛立ちを隠せていないベンノに睨まれて、困り果てている表情の親方を見ていると、まるで自分まで一緒に叱られているような気分になってしまう。 「あの、作っているところを実際に見せてもらっていいですか?」 「あぁ。......何か気付いたことがあったら、教えてくれると助かる。工房で作った物は何故か汚れがあまり落ちないんだ」 「これで、油ができる。ここまでは一緒だろう?」 油を絞る工程には何の問題もないように見えた。ルッツも「間違う要素なんてないよな」と呟いているので、パッと見た限りでは、問題はなさそうだ。 「わたし達は圧搾用の重りが使えないからハンマーで潰しているんです。でも、それくらいの違いで、失敗に結び付くとは思えないんですよね」 「あぁ、子供の力ではハンマーでないと無理だろうな」 次はハンマーでしてみるか、と呟いている親方に、わたしは頼んだ。 「その油。今搾れた油、ちょっと見せてもらっていいですか?」 「あ、わかった」 油を見た途端、わたしには原因がわかってしまった。 わたしの言葉にベンノがじろりと親方を睨んだ。親方はぎょっとしたように目を見開いて、両腕をバタバタさせながら必死で言い募る。 「布!? 新しい事業だし、かなりいいのを使ってるぞ!」 今度は親方ばかりではなく、ベンノも目を剥いてわたしを見た。 「わたし達の家の布って目が粗いんですよ。服見たらわかるように、お金ないですから。こんなに細かい目の搾り布を使ってないので、わたし達が搾ると、潰された実の繊維や小さい小さい粉みたいな種の欠片が結構いっぱい油の中に混じるんです」 トゥーリやルッツが搾る油は澄み切った緑ではなく、白っぽく濁っていた。 「その濁りが『スクラブ』効果を......あ、髪を洗う時の汚れを落とすのに必要なものになるんです」 本来なら、工房で作られているような、澄みきって綺麗な植物油に粉末状態に潰した塩やナッツ、乾燥させた柑橘系の皮などを入れて、スクラブにする。 ベンノも原因がわかって、ホッとしたのか、表情がかなり和らいだ。指先で搾り布を摘まんで、肩を竦める。 「まさか布が原因だったとはな。いい物を使ったからこその失敗だったとは......。俺は薬草の混ぜ方に何か秘密があるのかと思ってたぜ」 「薬草は基本的に匂い付けですね」 そう言うと、親方がハァと大きな溜息を吐いた。安心したような、困ったような表情でポソリと零す。 「荒い布が必要なら、今まで絞った分は使えねぇな」 「え? 使えますよ? 使わないなんてもったいない」 できることなら、不純物のない上質のオイルはわたしが使ってみたいと思う品質だ。スクラブさえ入れれば、わたしが作ったリンシャンよりよほど品質の良い物ができる。 「今搾っている油に、『スクラブ』を入れればいいんですよ。素材を厳選すれば、わたしが作った物よりよほど上質になります」 「へぇ......。嬢ちゃん、ずいぶん物知りだな?」 感心したように親方が目を瞬いたと同時にベンノの目が獲物を見つけたようにギラリと輝いた。 あああぁぁぁ! わたしのバカバカ! 学習能力がないの!? ひくひくと引きつる口元を何とか引き上げて、わたしは笑顔を張り付けた。 平常心、平常心、まだ何もバレてない大丈夫。 「粗い粒だと洗っている時に頭の皮膚を痛める可能性があるので、気を付けてくださいね」 ニッコリと笑って、すすすっとその場を去ろうとしたが、獰猛な笑みを浮かべたベンノにガッチリと押さえられた。 「他にも色々知ってそうだな?」 知っているけれど、これ以上余計なことを言うわけにはいかない。これから先、わたしがここで平穏に生きていくのに、変な疑惑を持たれたら困る。どうにかベンノの追及を逃れなければならない。 ベンノの眼力に負けないように踏ん張って、冷や汗で背中をしっとりさせたまま、わたしは精一杯虚勢を張って笑った。 「ここから先は有料です。情報料が必要なんです。ただでは喋りません」 「いくらだ?」 くいっと顎を上げて、ベンノがニヤリと笑ったまま値段を示せというけれど、いくら出されてもこれ以上の情報を出すつもりはない。 バクンバクンと唸る心臓を押さえながら、わたしは必死で頭を回転させる。 「......このままでも売り物になるのに、それ以上のための情報をベンノさんはいくらで買うつもりですか?」 ベンノの赤褐色の瞳が獰猛に光っているし、さっさと降参してしまいたい心境だけれど、今は絶対に引くことができない。何を喋っても、明らかにおかしいと睨まれることがわかっているのに、これ以上喋れない。 わたしと睨みあう視線を外さないまま、ベンノが親方に声をかけた。 「商談用の部屋を借りていいか?」 「あ、あぁ、どうぞ」 親方の返事を聞くと同時に、わたしはベンノにガシッと担ぎあげられ、商談用の部屋に拉致される。 「わわわわっ!?」 「マイン!?」 「話をするだけだ! 誰も近付くな!」 ベンノの一喝にルッツがビクッとして、その場に止まる。親方も蒼白になってコクコクと頷く。 他人様の商談用の部屋を占領したベンノはわたしを椅子の上に座らせ、その正面に自分が座った。 「小金貨2枚、出す。改良方法、改善方法、他に代用できる植物、思い当たることは全部喋れ」 改善や改良に小金貨2枚も出すなんて、リンシャンにどれだけの利益を見込んでいるのだろうか。 「......ベンノさん、リンシャンを一体いくらで売るつもりですか?」 「マインには関係ないことだ」 「だったら、わたしも、作製できる情報は教えたんですから、それ以上は関係ないですよね?」 「小金貨3枚。それ以上は出せん」 テーブルについたわたしの手をガシッと掴んだベンノが、悔しそうな表情で、さらに値段を上げた。 「受け取って貯めておけ。お前の身食いを何とかできるのは金だけだ」 お断りします、と言おうとしたら、ベンノにぎろりと睨まれた。今にも歯噛みしそうな顔で、低い声で小さく囁かれた言葉に驚いて、わたしは大きく目を見開く。 「......ベンノさん、身食いのこと、知っていたんですか?」 「もしかしたら、とは思っていたが、この間、くそじじいにハッキリと言われたからな」 ベンノが言うくそじじいはギルド長のことだ。ギルド長に何を言われたのだろうか。フリーダの髪飾りを納品した後、ギルド長に対する警戒心が薄れていたことに何か関係があるのだろうか。 先程とは違った妙な焦りが心に渦巻き、立ち上がりかけた中途半端な体勢から力が抜けて、すとんと椅子にお尻が落ちた。 わたしが座り直したように見えたようで、ベンノはテーブルの上に伏せるように身を低くし、わたしに顔を近付ける。そして、わたしだけに聞かせるような低くて小さい声で話し始めた。ぼそぼそと囁かれる声なのに、妙にハッキリと鼓膜に刺さってくる。 「あそこの孫娘はお前と同じ身食いだったが、金と貴族へのコネがあったから助かったんだ。お前は持っている情報を売ってでも、金を貯めて、来るべき日に備えろ」 自分の命と、情報を渡して気味悪がられる危険性を秤に乗せれば、呆気ないほど簡単に結論が出た。 まだ死にたくない。 やっと紙が作れるようになった。 お金があれば生きていけるなら、わたしはまだ生きていたい。 「......わかりました。小金貨3枚で手を打ちます」 そして、ギルドカードを合わせた後、わたしのトートバッグを取り上げて、勝手に発注書セットを取り出す。 「ちょ、わたしの荷物!」 「これは、ウチの備品だ」 「それはそうですけど、せめて、一言断ってくださいよ!」 全くすまなく思っていなさそうな口調でそう言って、ベンノはインクとペンを持って、発注書用の板をまるでメモ帳のように構えた。 「では、教えてもらおうか。まずは、失敗作と思われた油を売れるようにする方法だ」 「汚れを落とすための『スクラブ』を入れればいいんです。『スクラブ』にできるものは色々ありますけど、多分一番手軽なのは塩だと思います。塩を粉になるくらいにすり潰して入れると汚れ落としと消臭に効果があるんです」 「塩だと?」 わたしが読んだ記事の中で、一番簡単そうなのが、植物性のオイルと粉末状態にした塩を混ぜるものだった。 「......それから、カラカラに乾燥させた『柑橘系』じゃなくて、えーと、フェリジーネの皮を粉状にすり潰して入れると、何も入れないよりは匂いも汚れ落ちもよくなります」 「フェリジーネの皮、な。他にもあるのか?」 ベンノはガリガリと書きながら、わたしに視線を向ける。 「他ですか?『ナッツ』......あ~、ヌーストを粉々にして混ぜてもいいですね。どれもこれもウチではもったいなくてできなかったんですけど。」 「できなかったことを知っている?......マイン、お前は何者だ?」 「秘密です。これは小金貨なんかじゃ売れませんからね」 自分に理解できない者を見るベンノの胡乱な目に、心臓がうるさく音を立てる。こんな目でずっと見られて、平然としていられるほど、わたしは強くない。 わたしは笑顔を張り付けたまま、自分の立ち位置を決めるための賭けに出た。 「わたしみたいな子供、気味が悪いから、お払い箱にしちゃいますか?」 「一応、それくらいの覚悟をして、情報提供したんですよ?」 ベンノは俯いてガシガシと自分の髪を掻きむしり、ハァ~、と大きく息を吐いた。何度かゆるく首を振って、顔を上げる。 「いや、利益になる以上、他に奪われないように、なるべく囲い込むことを考えるさ。俺は商人だからな」 そう言って、ガタリと立ち上がったベンノが、ぐしゃぐしゃとわたしの頭を撫でた。今までと変わらない仕草を見せることで、現状維持という結論をベンノが出したことが伝わってくる。

The Source of the Failure and the Plan To Fix It The three of us make our way towards the workshop where they're making simple shampoo, with me being held in Benno's arms. Along the way, Benno asks me a question that seems to be a just a little difficult for him to verbalize. "Hey, Maine. About that hair-was.h.i.+ng liquid..." "Yes? What about the 'simple all-in-one shampoo and conditioner'?" "That name's too long and hard to say. Is there something else we can call it?" It certainly is a long name for this world, especially when the people here, like Benno, don't actually understand the meaning of the underlying j.a.panese and know it only by sound. So, in other words, he's asking for a name for this new commodity that would be easier for his n.o.ble clientele to p.r.o.nounce. I blink, surprised, then nod at him with a smile. "Ohhh, I just called it that on a whim when Tory wanted to know what it was, and it stuck, so I don't particularly care what we call it?" "...Is that so?" At the time, I was so happy that my head was no longer so itchy and that my hair had gone from rustlingly dry to silky smooth that I just called it whatever came to mind. I didn't really put any thought into it. "Yes, sir. Please feel free to call it whatever you'd like." "You say that, but that just creates new problems..." Benno frowns, eyebrows drawn together, as he thinks. Naming an entirely new product requires really good instinct, I think. Thinking that he might need a little help, I keep speaking, hoping to give him a little hint. "We should probably think of this like a brand name. I think it would be best if it were something easy to say and easy to understand. Perhaps instead of finding words that describe what it does, like "hair-was.h.i.+ng liquid" or "cleanser", should we describe the results, like how it makes hair glossy and silky?" "Hmmm... hmmm..." As I list off ideas, Benno's expression grows even more and more grim. I wonder if, instead of giving hints, I was stressing him out? Benno's eyebrows are deeply furrowed, but Lutz just shrugs lightly. "Since I've been saying 'sim-pull ah-rin-won sham-pooh und kun-dishner' all this time, I think it's probably fine?" "Maine," says Benno, "Is there... anything... else you'd call it?" Having perhaps completely failed to come up with any suitable words, Benno looks down at me, seeking help. Since I've been referring to it as "simple all-in-one shampoo and conditioner" this entire time, I can't just arbitrarily come up with some other name for it when prompted. There are similar j.a.panese words I can use, but that's not going to change the fact that n.o.body in this world will understand what they mean. "Ummm? I can't really think of anything, besides something like 'rinse-in shampoo'...?" "...So 'rin', 'sham', and 'poo' are necessary, huh?" "No, um, not really, but I think whatever you come up with would be much..." Benno mumbles to himself for a while, but in the end, maybe because he couldn't come up with a name that worked, or maybe because "simple all-in-one shampoo and conditioner" is already fixed in his head, or maybe he even just made a decision based on my second suggestion, he decides on just calling it "rinsham". Uh... is that going to be okay? When we pa.s.s through the central square, Benno turns to walk towards the west. I blink in surprise; I would have thought that, since this is a workshop for pressing oil, it would be on the streets where the other craftsmen are. "Are there workshops on the west side as well? I thought it would be where the other craftsmen work." "There's workshops that handle more foodstuffs over there. They have a lot of things coming and going, so being close to the west gate is ideal for them." "Ah, right, melil fruit is a foodstuff. I've only really been using it to make rinsham, lately..." When I had been at my wits' end with how constantly my head was itching and desperately wanting to wash it, I hadn't considered even for a moment that the simple shampoo I was making would have become a commodity. At the start, I was just thinking about what I could actually use, seeing as how I neither had any seaweed nor could use water after was.h.i.+ng rice with it. I searched through my memory for everything I knew about shampoo, recalling various magazines about things like natural lifestyles and naturism, trying to remember everything I could about using natural ingredients in beauty products. From my memories, I remembered that you could make a shampoo by using plant-based oils coupled with salt or powdered orange peel to use as a scrub. I also remembered that you could make a facial by whipping egg whites until they're firm, a lotion out of dried plums and sake, and a whole lot of other things, but I didn't really need either of those things for a child's soft skin. The pressing necessity was finding raw materials for a shampoo. ...Although getting the oil was tremendously difficult. I'd wandered around the kitchen, searching for things that might contain oils, and discovered the somewhat avocado-like melil that had been put out on the kitchen table. I thought that it might have oil in it, but I didn't at the time know what it was actually called, so I couldn't go and get more of it, and my head was itchy, so everything was terrible. Since curing my itchy scalp was such a pressing necessity, I constantly begged Tory to go get me more of them, not knowing in the slightest how difficult gathering things from the forest actually was. Thanks to that, my scalp was soothed, and, having brought gloss and silkiness back to my hair, I could focus in earnest on building a more hygienic lifestyle for myself. Tory, thank you! The workshop that Benno brings me to is something like a large warehouse. Just as I had heard about workshops that did a lot of work with foodstuffs, various smells drifted through the air, mingling together. Various workbenches were lined up throughout the workshop, with different benches seemingly set up for different tasks. Along the walls, shelves are set up for storing tools, with all sorts of different implements visible on them. The workman, panicking, lets out a strangled "yes!" and runs off. Benno sets me down, and we wait for the master of the workshop to arrive. Shortly, a slightly plump older man, having been called by the workman from earlier, emerges from further back, his belly swaying as he walks. At first glance, he's very much a man in charge of someplace that makes food. He has the physique of a man who, from the bottom of his heart, loves to eat. If this were j.a.pan, he'd only be thought of as a little fat, but in this city where food is not overly abundant, a belly like that is considered to be quite fat indeed. "Master Benno, thank you so much for walking all the way out here. ...May I ask who these children are?" "These are the kids that originally figured out how to make rinsham. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone." Benno's eyes sharpen dangerously as he speaks. The workshop master rapidly nods many times in agreement. "So," says Benno, "have you fixed the problem?" "No; we've changed the tools we're using, changed the people making it, and a whole bunch of other things, but I have a feeling that we're starting to get pretty far off the mark." Benno can't conceal his irritation that no progress was being made. When I see how greatly embarra.s.sed the workshop master is, I suddenly feel like I'm somehow being scolded along with him. I tug on his sleeve. "Umm, would it be possible for me to see how you're making this?" "Sure. ...If you notice anything wrong, it'd be a huge help if you could teach me about it. For some reason, the stuff we're making here doesn't actually seem to clean anything." "This is how we make the oil. You with me so far?" There isn't a single problem I can see with their oil-extracting process. Lutz mumbles that there's no room for error there, so there doesn't seem to be any mistakes, at a glance, with this step of the process. "The two of us couldn't use a weight to press the oil," I say, "so we had to use a hammer. However, I don't think a difference like that would be enough to cause this kind of error." "Ahh, a kid wouldn't be strong enough for that, so they'd need to use a hammer, huh." As the warehouse master mumbles about perhaps trying a hammer next, I make a request. "That oil. Would it be alright if I take a look at the oil you extracted just now?" "Ah! Got it." The instant I see the oil, I realize what's wrong. On one hand, I'm happy that the problem is so simple, but on the other hand, it's for such a depressing reason that I almost want to cry. When I say this, Benno shoots a glare at the warehouse master, whose eyes go wide in shock. Grabbing the cloth in both hands, he brandishes it frantically, flapping it around. "The cloth?! This is a brand new operation, so we used the best cloth we could get!" Now it's not just the warehouse master who's staring at me in shop, but Benno as well. Shrugging, I set the bowl of oil down on the table. "The fabric that the two of us have at our homes is all very coa.r.s.e. I'm sure you can see from our clothing, but we don't have a lot of money. Since we don't have a finely-woven cloth like this, the oil that we make has a lot of plant fibers and tiny fragments of the seeds mixed in with it." The oil that Tory and Lutz press isn't a clear green like this, but whitish and cloudy. The reason is simple. The cloth we're using is so rough that it can't even compare to the one they're using at this workshop. Also, in order to avoid any waste, we press every last drop we can get out of the fruit, and we wring every last drop out of the cloth without caring too much about any impurities. "Those fragments work as a 'scrub'... ah, I mean, they are necessary for removing any impurities as you're was.h.i.+ng your hair." Essentially, you can take a pure oil like they've made at this workshop and add ground salt, nuts, and dried citrus peel in order to make a scrub. However, in our case, the oil itself already worked just fine as a scrub. To make things worse, my lifestyle isn't one where I can talk about adding more things to it. The best I could do was mix the large quant.i.ty of herbs I gathered from the forest in to it to make it smell better. Benno, having understood the source of the problem, lets out a sigh of relief. He picks up the squeezing cloth with his fingertips, then shrugs. "Never would have thought it was the cloth. For something to fail just because we're using a high quality thing... I'd thought that there was some sort of trick to mixing the herbs in." "The herbs are basically just there for the scent." The warehouse master breathes an enormous sigh of relief. With an expression that's somewhere between relieved and troubled, he whispers to himself. "If we need a rougher cloth, the stuff we've pressed so far is useless, huh..." "Um?" I say. "You can use it, you know? It would be a waste if you didn't." If I could, a pure, high-quality oil like this would actually be what I'd want to use. If you added a scrub to this, then you'd wind up with a product of much higher quality than the rinsham that I was making. "All you need to do is add a 'scrub' to the oil you've got so far. If you pick your ingredients carefully, you could make something much higher quality than what I made." "Oh," says the warehouse master, impressed. "Young lady, you're quite knowledgeable, aren't you?" As the warehouse master looks at me praisingly, I notice that Benno's eyes are suddenly gleaming with a terrifying light, like he's just spotted fresh prey. Aaaaaargh! I'm a colossal idiot! Am I even capable of learning?! The corners of my mouth twitch slowly into place as I try to paste a smile onto my face. Calm down, calm down, I still haven't leaked anything, everything's just fine. "If you add anything rough to the mixture, there's a chance it could injure someone's scalp when they're was.h.i.+ng, so please be careful about that." Smiling, I try to make a quick escape, but Benno clamps down hard on my shoulder, a ferocious grin on his face. "It looks like you know about quite a lot of other things, don't you?" I do know a lot more, but I cannot let myself say anything else lest something slip out. From now on, I want to live a calm, tranquil life here, so Benno having strange suspicions about me would be very problematic. Somehow, I have to escape from Benno's interrogation. Although my back grows cold with sweat, I refuse to be dominated by the force of Benno's gaze. I brace my legs, put on my best smile, and bluff as hard as I ever have. "I'll have to charge for anything more. I'll need an information fee. That's all I'll say for now." "How much?" Benno smiles broadly, raising his chin a bit, telling me to name my price, but no matter how much he might offer I have no intent on telling him any more. However, if I say that out loud, then negotiations would be over immediately. Right now, I need to figure out how to get Benno to withdraw. My heart pounding furiously in my ears, I frantically shake my head. "...You have a product you can sell already; if you want more, how much are you willing to spend to purchase that information?" I smile sweetly at him, and we lock eyes for a little while. The sheer ferocity in his reddish-brown eyes makes me instinctively want to back down, but there is no way I can give in. I know that no matter what I say, people look at me funny, but I can't say anything more right now. Benno breaks eye contact, calling out to the warehouse master. "Can we borrow your negotiation room?" "Y... yeah, go right ahead." The instant the warehouse master replies, Benno grabs hold of me tightly, picks me up, and literally abducts me towards the negotiation room. "Aaaaaah?!" "Maine?!" "We're just going to talk! n.o.body come in!" Lutz staggers as Benno roars, freezing in place. The workshop master nods rapidly in agreement as well. Benno, having forcefully taken over someone else's negotiation room, sits me down on a chair, then sits facing me. After staring at me for a little while, he opens his mouth. "I'll pay two small gold coins. Tell me about any improvements, changes, alternate plants, absolutely everything that you can think of. All of it." If he's willing to pay two small gold coins for improvements and changes, I have to wonder just how much he's estimating that he'll be able to sell rinsham for. If it's a luxury good like Freida's hairpins, is he planning on ma.s.sively overpricing that too when he sells it to his n.o.ble counterparts? "...Mister Benno, just how much are you planning on selling rinsham for?" "That's none of your business," he scoffs. "But I'm trying to sell you information about how to manufacture it, so it is literally my business, isn't it?" "Three small gold coins. Not a copper more." Benno firmly grabs my hands as soon as I put them on the table, and with a pained expression, raises his price. The eyeball-popping sum of money makes my heart waver, but if he's unwilling to raise the price any further then negotiations are obviously over. For the sake of my peaceful future, I need to dodge any further investigation. "Take it and save it. The only thing that can help with the devouring is money." Just as I was about to decline, Benno suddenly stares at me intently, clenching his jaw and speaking in almost a whisper. My eyes go wide in astonishment. "...Mister Benno, do you know about... the devouring?" "I thought there was a chance, so the other day I had that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d tell me everything he knew." When Benno says "that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d", he means the guild leader. I wonder what the guild leader told him? Does this have anything to do with the fact that he was a lot less wary around him after we delivered Freida's hairpins? With a different sort of impatience than before coiling around my heart, the strength leaves my body. Having been halfway out of my seat, my b.u.t.t lands hard on the wooden chair. Seeing that I've sat back down, Benno leans low over the table, bringing his face close to mine, then starts speaking in a voice so low that only I can hear. Strangely, despite the fact that he's whispering, his voice strikes my eardrum with perfect clarity. "His granddaughter had the devouring too, same as you, but between his money and his connections to the n.o.bility, she was saved. Sell me the information you have and save the money so that you'll be ready when the day comes." When comparing my own life to the risk of being found to be disturbing after giving up this information, the conclusion comes far too quickly. I still don't want to die. I finally made some paper. I've finally managed to create an environment where I can make a book this winter, though it'll be made out of failed sc.r.a.ps. I've gotten used to this lifestyle, and I've started getting along really well with my family. I've started to discover ways that I can be even just a little useful, despite being so useless all around. If having enough money means I can live, then I want to live. "...Understood," I say, looking up at him. "Three small gold coins it is." He nods slightly, releasing my hands. Then, after we touch our guild cards together, he arbitrarily grabs my tote bag and yanks out my ordering set. "Hey, that's my bag!" "And these are my things." "I mean, you're right, but please at least excuse yourself first!" Taking pen and ink in hand, he gets an order form ready to use as a notepad. "Well then, how about you start telling me? Let's start with how you think we can sell the failing oil from before." "You need to add some sort of 'scrub' in order to loosen the dirt. There are a lot of different things you could use as a 'scrub', but I think the best thing to use would be salt. If you grind salt into a fine enough powder, it will not only clean off any dirt but should also serve as a deodorant." "Salt, you say?" In my memories of what I'd read, the simplest solution would be to take a vegetable oil, then mix it with finely-powdered salt. Benno's eyes widen, perhaps because he wasn't very familiar with salt and was a little surprised. "...Then, if you add dried 'citrus', I mean, ummm, feriginne peel, ground up very fine, then it'll clean and smell much better than if you didn't add anything else." "Feriginne peel, okay. Anything else?" He glances up at me, pen still clacking on the board as he writes. "Anything else? Mixing in tiny pieces of 'nuts' ...argh, nust would be good, I think. I haven't been able to do any of these, though, my family really doesn't want me to waste anything," I say, with a small laugh. "You haven't done any of these, but you still know them? ...Maine, who are you?" "That's a secret. Small gold coins won't buy that." Benno twists his mouth, looking like he swallowed a bug. Sitting in front of him is a person he doesn't himself understand. Under his suspicious gaze, my heart suddenly starts pounding again. The longer this goes on, the less composed I become. I'm not strong at all. I paste a smile onto my face, then make a gamble that could overturn everything I've worked for. "You'd fire a creepy kid like me, wouldn't you?" "I was ready for something like this, giving you that information, you know?" Benno looks down at the table, noisily scratching at his head, then lets out an enormous sigh. He shakes his head back and forth slowly, then looks up at me. "No, if I thought I could make money off of her, I wouldn't want her getting s.n.a.t.c.hed up by someone else, so I'd keep her locked up as tightly as I could. I'm a merchant, after all." Having noisily stood up, he reaches out and gently ruffles my hair, like he always does. With that familiar action, he tells me that we're maintaining the status quo. After I breathe a long sigh of relief, I shove his hand, which was still ruffling my hair, away, and stick my tongue out at him.

オットー宅へのお招き オットー宅へのお招きは、オットーを通して正式にコリンナから招待状が届いた。薄い板に文字が書かれている物だった。 「さすがにわたし一人では答えられないです。母さんに聞いてみないと......」 いくら何でも洗礼前の子供に招待状を出すなんておかしいだろう。普通は親宛てに出す物ではないのか。出欠の確認は親にしなければならないのだから。 「まともに字を読めるのが、一家で君だけじゃないか。それに、この招待は断れないよ。もし、断ったら、君の母親とお姉さんは仕事を干される可能性もあるからね」 「え!? ど、どういうことですか!?」 コリンナは実家が裕福な商会で、本人が有能なため、裁縫ギルドのお偉いさんらしい。 身分社会、怖い。お断りはできないんだね、うん。 これが、コリンナの招待ではなく、オットーからの招待なら、父の権限で断ることが可能らしい。なかなか難しい。 「それに、この機会に招待状の勉強もしようと思ったのさ」 オットーと一緒に招待状を見ながら、招待状とその返事の書き方を勉強した。 「コリンナ様からの招待状ですって!? え? マインが!? 何故!?」 「オットーさんから聞いて、『簡易ちゃんリンシャン』を使ってみたくなったんだって」 「断るなんてとんでもないわ! 粗相のないようにするのよ!」 どうやら、招待状というより、召喚命令に近いものらしい。 母はそこから慌ててわたしのエプロンを新調し始めた。コリンナのところに行くのに、いつもの服では失礼にあたるらしい。 「いいなぁ、マインだけ......。作ったのはわたしなのに」 「トゥーリも一緒に行っていい、母さん?」 「ダメよ! お招きもないのに」 中央広場の噴水の近くでオットーがすでに待っていて、わたしは父からオットーに引き渡される。 「班長、心配しなくても責任を持ってお預かりします。じゃあ、行こうか、マインちゃん」 「うん。いってきます、父さん」 「オットーさん、兵士なのに、城壁の近くに住んでるの?」 「コリンナの実家の上に部屋が準備されたんだよ。可愛い妹を手放したがらない義理兄がここに住め、って言ってね」 「ハァ、なるほど......」 そういえば、オットーは婿養子のようなものだと聞いた気がする。確かに、嫁の実家の援助がなければ、下っ端兵士の給料でこんなところには住めないだろう。 「ここの3階だ」 「3階!?」 ......よく結婚を許されたね。びっくりだ。旅商人と商会のお嬢様では、かなり身分違いな気がするんだけれど、この世界ではどうなんだろう? 「ただいま、コリンナ。マインちゃんを連れて来たよ」 「いらっしゃい、マインちゃん。よく来てくれたわね。わたしはコリンナ。オットーの妻です」 初めて見るコリンナは、ビックリするほど可愛らしくて、愛らしい女性だった。 それなのに、巨乳。出るところがグッと出て、腰回りはキュッとくびれている。 応接室に通され、わたしは壁にかかったパッチワークのタペストリーや飾られたコリンナの作品に、ハァ、と軽く息を吐いた。 ただ、それでも、裕福な商人の家として想像していたより、はるかに質素だった。円いテーブルも椅子も、何か彫られたり、艶々に磨かれたりしている家具ではなく、木目がそのままのシンプルなものだ。 確か、北欧の方の家具がシンプルなのも、飽きずに長く使うためだから、冬は雪に閉ざされるこの辺りも、そういう意図で家具を作っているのかもしれない。 「わざわざ来てくれてありがとう。髪を綺麗にしてくれるって聞いて、とても楽しみにしていたのよ」 ハーブティを入れながら、かけてくれる優しい声からもコリンナは育ち良いお嬢様という雰囲気がにじみ出ていて、おっとりとした雰囲気が庇護欲をそそる癒し系だ。 「おそれいります。わたしもオットーさんからコリンナさんのお話を聞いて、会えるのをとても楽しみにしていたんです。綺麗で可愛いだけじゃなくて、この部屋のセンスも、並べられた服も聞いていた以上でした」 「......本当に躾の行き届いたお嬢さんね。それに、聞いていた通りの綺麗な髪。わたしもこんな風になれるかしら?」 商品価値をより高く見せるために、昨日の夜、簡易ちゃんリンシャンを使い始めたら、母とトゥーリの二人がかりで磨かれたのだ。今日のわたしはいつも以上につるつるだ。 「早速、綺麗にしますか?」 トートバッグから壺を出すと、コリンナが顔を輝かせた。 「髪を洗いたいので、水浴びができる準備が必要なんです。桶に水と、髪を拭くための布をお願いできますか?」 「水浴びだって?」 コリンナではなく、オットーが目を剥いて、声をひっくり返して驚いた。 「......洗うのは髪だけですよ、オットーさん。えーと、オットーさんが準備している間に、コリンナさんは濡れても良い服に着替えてください」 「......なんだ、服は着たままか」 子供のルッツじゃあるまいし、さすがに、妙齢の女性に脱げなんて言いません。......っていうか、なんで、ガッカリしたような声出すんですか? 力仕事は男の仕事とばかりにオットーに動いてもらい、水浴びの準備をしてもらう。 「......これか。これをどうするんだ?」 興味津々の目でオットーが壺を振ったり、中を覗きこんだり、匂いを嗅いだりする。 「男の人は駄目です。準備が終わったら、オットーさんは別の部屋で待っててください」 「はぁ? 俺は夫だぞ?」 「夫なら尚更、綺麗になった妻だけ見て、褒めちぎればいいんです。オシャレの過程を見るなんて野暮なことしないでください」 「そうね、オットーは別の部屋で待っていてちょうだい」 コリンナと二人がかりで、居座る気満々だったオットーを寝室から追い出した。 「これ、『簡易ちゃんリンシャン』って言うんですけど、桶にこれくらいの水を入れて、このくらい入れてください」 「これに髪を浸して洗っていきます。髪、解いてもらっていいですか?」 コリンナが解いた髪を恐る恐るといった風に桶につけていく。どうやら、前に水浴びをしてからそれほど時間がたっていないのか、コリンナの髪は予想していたほど汚れていない。 「この辺りは特に念入りに洗ってくださいね」 「......人に洗ってもらうのって、気持ちいいのね。初めて知ったわ」 「オットーさんなら、頼めば洗ってくれると思いますよ?」 むしろ、頼まなくても手を出しそうな気がする。 「あら、オシャレの過程を見せるのは野暮じゃないの?」 「......目の前で二人の世界に入られたら困ると思っただけです」 「まぁ! ふふっ、こんな幼い子にまでそんな風に言われるなんて、オットーは普段一体どんなことを言っているのかしら?」 いつも洗いっこしているトゥーリより大きいので洗いにくいが、コリンナさんの満足具合でオットーから貰える釘の数が変わってくるに違いない。 「......ねぇ、マインちゃん。一つ聞いても良いかしら?」 コリンナの声が少し硬く聞こえて、思わずわたしは身構えた。 「オットーは門でどんな風?」 「......え?」 簡易ちゃんリンシャンの作り方でも聞かれるのか、と身構えてしまったわたしには、予想外の質問で、すぐには理解できなかった。 「わたしのせいで商人の仕事を諦めることになったから、気になって......」 「気にする必要ありませんよ。門で存分に商人しています」 忙しいと言いつつ、決算期の仕事を全部一人で抱え込んだり、備品を納品にくる商人とやり合ったり、門番の仕事を最大限生かして情報収集したり、オットーの行動原理は商人のものだ。 「え?......門で、商人しているの?」 「はい。特に、納品に来た業者とやりあったり、注文する時に値切ったりしている時は、とても商人らしい黒い笑顔で生き生きしてます」 「ふふっ、マインちゃんにはオットーが商人に見えるの。そう、そうなの。......心のつかえがとれたような気がするわ」 ルッツの金髪を洗った時も思ったけど、綺麗で羨ましい。こんな髪がよかったなぁ。 「櫛はできれば、木製の物を使ってください。使えば使うほど、木が液を吸収して、艶が出やすくなりますから」 「わかったわ。......本当にすごく綺麗になるのね」 「コリンナさんは元々の色が綺麗だし、お手入れされていたようなので、ほんの少しで見違えるほど艶が出ましたね。5~7日に一度くらいこれで洗うといいですよ」 「これ、頂いてしまってもいいの? そんな、悪いわ。何か代わりに......」 「大丈夫です。オットーさんから対価として釘をもらうことになっているんです」 「......釘? え? 値切られていない? 大丈夫なの?」 多少値切られていても、作り方を教えたわけではないし、欲しかった釘は手に入るし、これから先にコリンナが簡易ちゃんリンシャンの追加を欲しがるたびに、別の物を要求するつもりなので、特に問題はない。 「あの、マインちゃん。服が少し濡れてしまったから、着替えたいの。オットーと待っていてもらっていいかしら?」 コリンナが着替えるというので、わたしが寝室を出ようとドアを開ければ、オットーが部屋の前で飢えた熊が餌の出現を待つように、うろうろとしながら待っていた。 「コリンナ!?」 まだ完全に乾ききっていない、しっとりとした濡れ髪が、濡れた服の上をするりと滑り、恥ずかしそうな言動が妙な色気を感じさせる。 「こんな状態を見せちゃってごめんなさい。急いで着替えるから」 「んふふ、コリンナさん、すごく綺麗になったと思いませんか? クリーム色の髪が宝石みたいに輝いて......」 「っ! コリンナ!」 「着替え中ですって!」 動きだしたかと思えば、いきなり部屋に突進しようとするオットーを慌てて止める。 しばらくの沈黙の後、くるりと振り返ったオットーが、恐ろしいほど綺麗な笑顔でわたしの肩をガシッとつかむ。 「......マインちゃん、急用を思い出さないか?」 惚れ直した妻といちゃいちゃしたいので、さっさと帰れということですね。わかります。 「頂ける釘の数によっては思い出すかもしれません」 オットーは釘の袋とわたしを見比べて、眉を吊り上げる。商人としての計算と妻への愛が天秤に乗って揺れているのが、目に見えるようだ。 「......」 「全部もらったら、父さんにもうまく言い訳できる気がします」 予想以上にたくさんの釘が手に入ったので、まぁ、いいけど。後は勝手にしてください。 釘の入った袋を抱えて、わたしは一人でえっちらおっちら歩きだした。 ダメだ。休憩がいる。 このままでは家までたどり着けない。中央広場の噴水のところで、一度座って休憩することにした。 腕が痛い。 プラプラと手を振ったり、揉んだりしていると、どこかからの帰りらしいルッツが、すたすたと目の前を横切っていくのが見えた。 「あれ? ルッツ? どうしたの?」 「マイン!? マインこそ、こんなところで何をしているんだ? え? 一人!?」 わたしの行動範囲は基本的に門と森だ。最短距離しか歩かないので、中央広場を通ることはない。そして、いつどこでぶっ倒れるかわからないわたしが、一人で行動していることにルッツが目を剥いた。 「ん? わたしはオットーさんのところからの帰り。こんなに釘が手に入ったんだよ。重いし、結構遠いから休憩中だったの」 「持ってやるから貸せ。なんでちゃんと送ってもらわないんだよ?」 ぶつぶつと文句を言いつつ、ルッツが釘の袋を持ってくれる。わたしが腕を痛める重さの袋も、ルッツには大した重さではないらしい。 「ありがと、ルッツ」 ルッツと一緒に歩いて家に帰りながら、今日あったことを報告する。 和紙を作るならトロロアオイを使うけれど、こちらでねばねばした液というと、エディルの実か、スラーモ虫の体液が一番に浮かぶらしい。 う、うぅ、虫の体液よりは、エディルの実がいいなぁ。季節を通してとれるのは虫だろうけど。 スラーモ虫から体液をとることを考えたくなくて、頭をプルプルと振った後、話を変えた。 「釘が手に入ったし、これで蒸し器が作れるね」 「ん? 大きさはどうするんだ? 鍋に合わせるって言ってなかったか? 鍋はおばさんが使っても良いって言ったのか?」 木を蒸すための蒸し器は、最初はそれほど大きくなくても良いが、できれば鍋に大きさを合わせたい。 「......言ってない。むしろ、食べ物以外入れないで! って怒られたことならある」 干物を入れようとしただけで怒った母が、木を蒸したり、煮たりする紙作りのためになんて、鍋を貸してくれるはずがない。 「ダメじゃん」 「ダメなんだよ。......どうしよう?」 「さすがにオレ、鍋は作れねぇからな」 鍋は高い。ものすごく高い。 を作ろうか。それなら、大体のサイズを決めてるから、作れるよ」 「......作れるやつから作るしかないよな」 思ったよりたくさんの釘を手に入れたし、トロロの原料になりそうな物も一応見つかったし、とりあえず一歩前進......だよね?

Ascendance of a Bookworm - 028The Invitation To Otto's Residence The invitation to Otto's residence is a formal invitation from Corinna, delivered to me through Otto. It's a thin board on which words have been written. "This really isn't something I should respond to by myself," I tell him. "If I don't ask my mother first..." It is probably very strange for a child such as myself who hasn't yet been through their baptismal ceremony to receive a written invitation like this. Wouldn't this ordinarily be something addressed to one's parents? That would mean that my parents would be the people who'd decide if I would actually attend. Otto raises his eyebrows slightly at my remarks, then shakes his head. "Out of your entire family, aren't you the only one who can really read? On top of that, this isn't something you can refuse. If you did, there's a chance that your mother and your sister would suddenly see their work dry up, after all." "What?! Wh... what are you saying?!" Corinna's parents run a successful company, and she herself is quite skilled, so she must be a fairly influential member of the tailor's guild. Based on the various explanations I've been given, if Tory's seamstress apprentices.h.i.+p is like being a part-timer, and my mother's work at the dyery is like being a line manager, then Corinna can be thought of as being an executive. Hierarchical societies are scary. I can't turn this one down. Got it. This, though, isn't an invitation from Corinna, but one from Otto, so my father might be able to reject it using his own authority. This is very complicated. "Besides," says Otto, "I thought that now would be a great chance to study written invitations, too." With Otto's help, I look over the invitation, learning about both invitations themselves and how to reply to them. "Did you just say a written invitation from Madam Corinna?! What? Seriously?! Why?!" "She heard about my 'simple shampoo' from Otto, and wants to try it for herself." "Turning it down would be unthinkable! We have to be polite!" Somehow, this seems less like an invitation, and more like an official summons. After that, my mother frantically starts making me a brand-new ap.r.o.n. It seems that going to Corinna's dressed in my usual clothes would not be proper. As she works, she warns me about every breach of etiquette she can think of, so that I won't accidentally be impolite. All I had planned to do was teach Corinna how to use my shampoo, but it's somehow turned into this huge uproar. "You're so lucky, Maine... You're going by yourself, even though I'm the one who made it..." "Mommy, can Tory go with me too?" "Absolutely not! She doesn't have an invitation." When we arrive, Otto is already waiting near the fountain. My father promptly turns me over to him. "Squad Leader," says Otto, "Don't worry, I'll take proper care of her. Now, Maine, shall we?" "Yep. See you later, Daddy!" "Mister Otto, you live near the castle walls, even though you're a soldier?" "I live in an apartment above Corinna's parents' home. Her older brother couldn't bear to let go of his adorable little sister, so he told her to live there." "Huh, I see..." Now that he mentions it, I think I remember hearing that it's almost like he married into her family. Certainly, without the financial support of his wife's family, he wouldn't be able to afford living in such a place on a low-ranking soldier's wages. He told me that he'd used up all his life's savings to purchase his citizens.h.i.+p, so perhaps was everyone connected to his wife extremely concerned about how penniless they were immediately after getting married? "It's on the third floor here," says Otto. "The third?!" ...I wonder how he was even allowed to marry her. This is surprising! A trader and a rich young woman surely have very different social stature, I think, so how did something like this happen in this world? "I'm home, Corinna! I've brought Maine with me." "Welcome, Maine. I've been waiting to meet you. My name is Corinna. I'm Otto's wife." This is my first time seeing Corinna, and I'm startled by how pretty and lovely of a woman she is. Her hair is a pale cream, as if the light of the moon had gathered in it. She has is gently gathered behind her, accentuating her slender neck. Her eyes are a silvery gray as well. Her whole color scheme is very light, making her seem almost ephemeral. In contrast, her b.o.o.bs are huge. Everything she's got that sticks out sticks way out, and her waist is very narrow. As I'm lead into the parlor, I let out an appreciative breath as I see the patchwork tapestries, Corinna's handiwork, that decorate the walls. This is my first time since coming to this world that I've seen a house with anything ornamental in it. This is probably the room she uses to meet with potential clients, so it's filled with both a large quant.i.ty of clothes as well as these decorations made from the fabric remnants. The colors throughout the room are put together with a good eye, giving the room a relaxing atmosphere. However, even in the house of a wealthy merchant, there are still more subtle concessions to frugality than I would have otherwise thought. The round table and chairs in the center of the room are neither finely engraved nor gleamingly polished, but are a simple, unornamented wooden design, with the wood left as is. If I remember correctly, the furniture of Northern Europe tended to be simple. Also, because people are often shut inside for long periods of time during the winter, perhaps the furniture is designed such that it's possible to use it for long periods of time without getting tired of it. "Thank you for coming all this way," says Corinna. "I've been very much looking forward to this ever since I heard you were coming to work on my hair." As Corinna pours us some herb tea, the gentle voice she directs at me oozes the feeling of a well-raised daughter of a rich family. Her calm demeanor is one that could stir up a desire to protect her from harm. "I'm very flattered. I've heard so many things about you from Mister Otto as well, so I've also been looking forward to meeting you. He'd told me how beautiful and adorable you are, but the way you've decorated this room and the quality of the clothes you have laid out is beyond what I had heard." "...You really are a very well-disciplined young lady. And, your hair is just as pretty as I had heard. I wonder, will my hair become like this as well?" Enraptured, Corinna gently strokes my hair. Last night, in order to make sure the value of this shampoo as a commodity was plainly visible, both my mother and Tory worked hard to make my hair practically s.h.i.+ne. Today, my hair is even more glossy than it usually is. "Shall we begin immediately?" I ask. As I pull the small jar from my tote bag, Corinna's face lights up with excitement. She's absolutely adorable when she's expressing herself so openly. I can definitely see why Otto dotes on her so much. "I would like to wash your hair, so I'll need to make the necessary preparations for bathing. If it isn't too much to ask, may I bother you for a bucket full of water and a cloth for was.h.i.+ng?" "Bathing, you say?" Otto, not Corinna, shouts out in astonishment, his eyes going wide. "...I'm only going to be was.h.i.+ng her hair, Mister Otto. Umm, Miss Corinna, while Mister Otto is getting things ready, would you please change into clothing that is okay to get wet?" "...Oh, she's going to be wearing clothes, huh." Corinna isn't just a child like Lutz, so it's only obvious that I'm not going to tell a woman such as herself to strip down. ...Wait a minute, why are you talking like you're hugely disappointed? Otto stands up to get everything ready for bathing, saying that physical labor is the man's job. He spreads out a cloth in the bedroom and brings in some water, then sets a small washcloth next to my jar of shampoo. "...This is it, huh. What do you do with this?" Otto, with keenly interested eyes, picks up the jar, shakes it a bit, peeks inside, and takes a sniff. I'm suddenly keenly aware that if he were to stick around while I'm working on Corinna's hair, he'll try to help out with everything, keep opening his mouth, and otherwise constantly b.u.t.t in on the two of us, making the whole process extremely bothersome. "This isn't for men to see," I say. "If you're done with setting up, Mister Otto, please wait in another room." "What? I'm her husband!" "If you're the husband, then it's even better for you to wait outside. When we're finished, you can look at how beautiful your wife has become and shower her with compliments. Please don't do something as un-gentlemanly as watching a woman pretty herself up." "That's right," says Corinna. "Otto, please do wait in another room." The two of us join forces and drive Otto, who still clearly wants to stay, out of the bedroom. I can hear his footsteps through the door as he wanders aimlessly around outside, but I ignore him, pouring some of the contents of the little jar into the was.h.i.+ng bucket. "This is called a 'simple all-in-one shampoo'. To use it, you first fill up a bucket with about this much water, then pour about this much 'shampoo' into it." "Next, we'll drench your hair in the bucket, and wash it. Could I ask you to untie your hair, please?" Corinna loosens her hair, and I timidly lower it into the bucket. Somehow, it's not as dirty as I thought it would be; perhaps it hasn't been that long since she last bathed. In order to make sure her scalp is thoroughly cleaned, I pour water over her head over and over as I wash. "Please make sure you make extra effort to clean this part," I explain as I work. "...Letting someone else wash my hair feels really nice. I never knew that before." "I think that Otto would be happy to do it for you if you asked, you know?" Or, rather, I'm pretty sure he'd try to jump in even if she didn't ask. "Oh? But didn't you say that it was ungentlemanly for him to watch?" "...I just thought that it would be a problem for him to be bothering the two of us, that's all." "My! Heh heh, I wonder what in the world Otto has been saying around you for such a young girl as yourself to say things like that?" It's harder for me to wash Corinna's hair than it is for me to wash Tory's, since Corinna is so much bigger. I know without a doubt, however, that Otto is going to base the number of nails he gives me on how satisfied she is with my handiwork. I work diligently, to the very best of my ability. "...Maine, do you mind if I ask you something?" I hear a hint of sharpness in her voice, and I'm suddenly put on edge. "What's Otto like, at the gate?" "...Huh?" I was totally preparing myself to deflect a question about how to make my simple shampoo. Her question caught me completely off-guard, and what she was asking didn't immediately register in my mind. I tilt my head to the side in confusion. Corinna frowns. "He gave up on his career as a trader all because of me," she murmurs. "Sometimes I worry..." "There's no need to worry," I say. "Even working at the gates he's still very much a trader." He handles all of the accounting work by himself, even though it's so busy. He haggles with traders over the prices of goods and furnis.h.i.+ngs. He uses his position at the gate to its fullest to gather useful information. Truly, his guiding principles are that of a trader. "Really? ...He's a trader, at the gate?" "Yes, he is. For example, when merchants come to deliver things to the gates, the wicked smile on his face while he drives down the price of the order is very trader-like." "Heh heh, so you can see the trader in him. Yes... yes, of course. It's a big weight off my chest to hear that." Just like when I was was.h.i.+ng Lutz's golden-blonde hair, I'm envious of how pretty Corinna's hair looks. It would be great if my hair looked like that, wouldn't it... "If you can, please use a wooden comb when you comb out your hair. As you continue to use it, the wood of the comb will absorb moisture from your hair, and will make it s.h.i.+ne even brighter." "Alright. ...It's really become quite beautiful, hasn't it," she murmurs appreciatively as she runs her fingers through her hair. "The color of your hair was already very nice, so all you need to do is maintain it to bring out its natural beauty. I recommend that you wash it like this every five to seven days." "Are you really alright with giving me this? I feel rather bad, not giving you anything in return..." "That's alright. Mister Otto is already paying me for it, in nails." "...Nails? Huh? Isn't he getting the better end of the bargain? Are you alright with that?" Even though he might be profiting more right now, I haven't given up the recipe for how to make my shampoo, I'm getting my hands on the nails that I wanted to get, and since I know that Corinna is going to want more shampoo in the future, I'll be able to get more things I want in the future, too. There's really no problem here. "Um, Maine. My clothes have gotten a bit wet, so I'd like to change. Would you mind waiting with Otto in the other room?" I leave the bedroom so that Corinna can change her clothes in peace. As I open the door to leave, though, I see Otto, loitering by the bedroom door like a hungry bear waiting for his food to appear. "Corinna?!" he exclaims. Her hair still hasn't completely dried, so it slips along her damp clothes as she peeks around the corner. Her shy demeanor radiates a certain kind of appeal. "I'm sorry to let you see me like this," she says. "I'll get changed right away." "Eh heh heh, hasn't Corinna become even more beautiful than before? Her creamy hair is s.h.i.+ning like a jewel..." "Ngh! Corinna!" "She's still changing!!" Otto unthinkingly starts charging towards the bedroom door, and I hurriedly try to block him. Of course, with my strength, I can't do anything to stop him. The only one who can stop his rampage now is Corinna. As soon as he hears her gentle voice, he suddenly stops moving, like his batteries got yanked out. After a brief moment of silence, he turns to me. He gives me a beautiful, terriblesmile as he firmly squeezes my shoulder. "...Maine, didn't you have something important you needed to go do?" I get it. I want to make out with my wife, so get the h.e.l.l out of here, he's saying. I glance over at the bag sitting on the kitchen table. "I might remember something, depending on the number of nails I get," I say, smiling sweetly. He looks at the bag of nails, then back at me. In his eyes, I can see a battle raging between his cool, calculating trader's senses and his burning love for his wife. "..." "If you give me all of them, I might even give my father a good excuse for why I'm going home alone." ...Go get 'em, tiger! Well, I acquired even more nails than I was hoping for, so, whatever. Please, do whatever it is you're going to do! Gripping the bag full of nails tightly in both arms, I struggle my way down the street, all alone. Nails are heavy. A single one is pretty light, but when you pile them up like this, they're heavy as h.e.l.l. Even after just walking a little bit, my arms are already trembling. It's no use. I need a break. At this rate, I'm not going to be able to stumble all the way home. I manage to make it to the fountain in the central plaza, then sit down to take a break. My arms hurt. As I shake out my trembling hands, then rub them together, Lutz comes into view, on his way home from somewhere. He walks past me, briskly. "Oh? Lutz, what're you doing here?" "Maine?! What are you doing here? Uh... all by yourself?!" Fundamentally, my usual area of action is confined to my home, the gates, and the forest. Since I only ever take the shortest possible distance anywhere, I'm never out here in the central plaza. On top of that, since I have a habit of unexpectedly collapsing at any time, anywhere, it's unheard of for me to be anywhere by myself. Lutz's eyes go wide. "Hm? I'm on my way back from Mister Otto's place. I was able to get all these nails from him. They're really heavy, and it's really far, so I'm taking a break." "Argh," he grumbles, "I'll carry those for you. Man, why didn't he make sure bring you back safely?" As he mumbles under his breath, he picks up the bag full of nails. I may have found that bag so heavy that it physically hurt me to carry it, but Lutz lifts is up like it isn't even that big of a deal. "Thanks a lot, Lutz." As the two of us walk back home, we tell each other about everything that happened today. While I was exchanging my shampoo for these nails, it looks like Lutz was asking around, checking with people who know a lot about the forest or know a lot about handling lumber to see if there might be any kinds of wood that would be easy to make paper with, or any plants that might be a reasonable subst.i.tute for sunset hibiscus. When making was.h.i.+, you traditionally use sunset hibiscus as a binding agent, but here, if you're looking for a sticky liquid, it seems that your best bet is either edil fruit or the bodily fluids of a slarmo bug. Ur... urgh. I'd much, much prefer to use edil fruits than squeezing out an insect's fluids. Bugs, though, might be more resilient to the changing of the seasons... I shake my head to clear out the unwanted thoughts of juicing bugs, then change the topic of conversation. "Now that we've got nails, we can start working on the steamer." "Hm? How big are we going to be making it? Didn't you say you wanted it to match the pot we'll be using? Did you get your mom to say we can use yours?" Our steaming basket doesn't need to be very large at the moment, since we're just starting out, but if we can I'd really like to match it up with the pot we'd be using. However, both of our families use their pots only for cooking. Even if we ask to borrow one, it's unlikely they'll lend it to us. "...No, I didn't. Actually, one time she got really mad at me and told me not to use the pot for anything that wasn't food." If my mother won't even let me cook dried fish, I don't think she'd lend me a pot so that I can steam or boil any wood to make paper. "That's no good," he says. "It really isn't. ...So what do we do?" "Well, it's not like I can make one myself..." Pots are expensive. Extremely expensive. They're always in use, even when they're in need of repair. This isn't the kind of thing that we can easily get our hands on just because we want one. Manufacturing one out of metal would also be very difficult. "That's right, isn't it... maybe we should make the paper frame first. We already know how big it'll be, so we can start on that now." "...I guess we have to build what we know we can build, yeah." We got even more nails than I'd hoped for, and we've tentatively identified some materials we can use as a subst.i.tute for sunset hibiscus sap... so that's a step forward, at least... right?

古代エジプト人に敗北 冬支度が終わるか終らないかという頃に、雪がちらつき始めた。本格的な冬の到来だ。 雪が降り始めると、吹雪になることが多いので、防寒のために板戸はきっちりと閉める。その上からちょっと厚めの布を張ったり、隙間に詰めたりして、少しでも隙間風を防ぐのだ。 「......うぅ、暗い」 「吹雪だから仕方ないね」 なんと、締めきった家の中の明かりは暖炉とキャンドルだけだ。昼間なのに窓を完全に締めきった電気一つない暗い部屋というのが、わたしにとっては初めてだ。 「ねぇ、母さん。どこのおうちも、こんなに暗いの?」 「そうねぇ、ちょっとお金持ちになると、ランプをいくつも持っているらしいけど、ウチには一つしかないからね」 「え? じゃあ、そのランプ、使おうよ」 照明器具があるなら使わなきゃ、と主張したわたしに、母が溜息を吐きながら首を横に振った。 そういえば、麗乃だった時の母も「節約、節約」と言いながら、色々工夫していた。 色々工夫していた母を見習って、この部屋も少し明るくなるようにできないだろうか。 「マイン、何してるの?」 三面鏡とか合わせ鏡みたいにしたら、ちょっとでも明るいかもしれないと考えて、父が昔の戦時に使ったという金属の籠手を磨いてろうそくの側に並べてみた。 「マイン、止めて」 「手元が見にくいわ」 二人から即座に却下された。 「うぅ、失敗かぁ。他に何か『鏡』代わりに使えそうなもの......」 「余計なことはしないでちょうだい」 母からきっぱりとした拒絶を食らったので、光の反射で明るくしよう作戦は諦める。 「ここにこうして糸巻きを置いて、まずは縦糸の準備よ。糸をこうして通して......」 服作りは秋の間に染めた糸を使って、まず、布を織るところから始まる。布を織って、服を縫って、刺繍をする。ついでに、買ってきた羊毛から、来年の分の糸も紡いでおく。 「そうよ、そんな感じ。トゥーリは覚えが良いわね。マインもやってみる? 裁縫上手にならないと美人とは言われないわよ」 「え? 美人?」 「そうよ、家族の服を作るということは、余所からの見栄えと実用のどちらをとっても大事なことでしょ? 美人の条件は裁縫と料理よ」 あ~、わたし、絶対に美人になれないね。 「ん~、また今度」 トゥーリが織り機のところから声をかけてくるが、機織りをしたいなんて思えない。 「じゃあ、母さん。わたしの晴れ着、作って。わたしも籠作りするから」 「えぇ、母さんに任せなさい。とびきり素敵なの、作ってあげるわ」 洗礼式は同じ季節に7歳になる子供が一斉に晴れ着で神殿に集まるので、どんな衣装が準備できるかは母の腕の見せ所。母にとっては一種の発表会ではなかろうか。 笑顔で楽しそうに母が準備し始めた縦糸は先程までトゥーリの練習に使っていた糸よりずっと細く見える。 これは布を作るにも時間がかかりそうだな、と思っていると、母が苦笑した。 「トゥーリが洗礼式は夏だからね。薄い生地じゃないと暑くて困るでしょ?」 「そうだけど、多少調節できるから大丈夫よ。何より大変なのはマインとトゥーリの背が違いすぎて、お下がりにできないところかしらね。お直しするのも大変なのよ。来年、どうしようかしら?」 ......それは大変だね。頑張れ、母さん。 パッと見た感じ、細いけれど、羊毛からできた糸より少し硬そうな糸を使って、母が布を織り始めると、トゥーリは売り物にするための籠を編み始める。 金も技術も年齢も足りないわたしは、根気と根気と根気で勝負するしかない。 うわぁ、細かすぎて、目がしぱしぱする。 「ねぇ、マイン。何してるの?」 「ん? 『パピルスもどき』作ってる」 トゥーリはもう一度わたしの顔と手元を交互に見比べて、首を傾げた。言葉も聞き取れなかったし、見ても理解できなかったと、トゥーリの顔に書いてある。 1センチ角にもなってないし、本当にパピルスもどきになるか、作ってるわたしにもわからないんだもん。 母が布を織りながら、指先だけをちょっとずつ動かしてパピルスもどきを作るわたしを見て、眉を寄せる。 「マイン、遊ぶ暇があるなら、トゥーリと籠を作りなさい」 「ん。暇になったら作るから、声かけないで」 わたしは遊んでいるわけでもないし、暇なわけでもない。むしろ、マインとしてここで生活を始めてから、一番忙しくて余裕がないくらいだ。 「マイン、ホントに何してるの?」 「だから、『パピルスもどき』だって」 トゥーリの質問に優しく答える心の余裕もなく、少しきつめの口調で切り上げ、一心不乱にちまちまちまちま......。 「ねぇ、マイン。あんまり大きくなってないよ?」 「わかってるよ!」 トゥーリの指摘が図星で、八つ当たりしようとは思っていなかったが、いらっとした気分がそのまま口をついて出た。 次の日からは、根気だ、根気だと自分に言い聞かせながら、繊維に向き合う。トゥーリに何を言われても気にしたら負けだ。 「それ、何になるの?」 「......」 うぅ、もうこのまま続行だ! 修正してたら心が折れるわ! パピルスもどきが、ようやくメッセージカードサイズになったかな、というレベルで挫折だ。 「ぅうううぅぅぅっ......失敗した。わたしのパピルス計画ぅ」 「うるさいわよ、マイン! そんな草で遊ぶなら籠を編みなさい!」 「何言っているのかよくわからないけど、失敗したんでしょ? もういいから、籠にしなさい!」 母があんまり怒るので、籠を編むことにした。細い細い繊維を編んでいくパピルスもどきより、籠の方がよほど簡単だ。 「トゥーリ、母さんがあぁ言ってるから、わたしも籠編むよ。材料ちょうだい」 「やり方教えてあげるよ」 がさごそと材料を寄せてきて、トゥーリが笑顔でそう言ったが、わたしは素材を手に取りながら、きっぱりと首を振った。 「ううん、知ってるからいい」 「すごいわね、マイン。こんな才能があるなんて。将来は細工見習いになればいいんじゃない?」 「えぇ? それはちょっと......」 基本的に足手まといなマインの意外な才能(?)に、母が目を輝かせて喜んでいるが、そんなものになるつもりはない。 わたしの作った籠と自分で作った籠を見比べて、出来の違いにトゥーリがしょげているのが目に入った。 「トゥーリ、気にしない方がいいよ。きつく編むことと、模様が入れれるようになれば大丈夫」 だって、この違いって、経験の差だから。 お姉ちゃんとしてのプライドをめちゃめちゃ傷つけたみたいだ。トゥーリにライバル視されるより、完全に庇護下にいる方が楽なのに、失敗した。 「あ~、え~っと......そう! ゲルダばあちゃんに預けられてた時に教えてもらったの。トゥーリが森に行ってる時にずっとしてから、ちょっと上手なだけだよ。トゥーリはわたしが籠を作ってる時に、他のことをやってるから他のことが上手でしょ?」 子供の機嫌を取るなんて、ほとんどしたことがないので、軽くパニック状態だ。自分では機嫌を直してもらおうと一生懸命に説明しているつもりだけれど、正直、自分でも何を言っているのかわからない。 どこに納得したのかわからないけれど、自分よりも上手なことに理由があったことで、少し安心したようだ。 「じゃあ、冬の間にいっぱい作って、マインより上手になるからね」 「うん。頑張れ、トゥーリ」 トゥーリの機嫌が直ったことに、ホッと息を吐いた。 「あ、トゥーリ。ここで一回力を入れて、目を揃えると綺麗に見えるよ」 籠が上手にできても、わたしは空しいだけなんだよね。わたしが欲しいのは本だもん。 トゥーリの籠編みを横で見て、コツを教えながら、わたしは失敗作のパピルスもどきを見つめる。 メソポタミア文明、万歳! 確か、戦争や火事なんかで焼けて、結果的に残った粘土板があったはずだ。粘土板を作って、文字を刻んで、竈で焼くなら、できるかもしれない。

Defeated by Ancient Egypt About when I wasn't sure whether we were done or not with our preparations, winter flitted into the streets, and real, honest snow began to fall. During the winter, the entire neighborhood is locked in by the snow, so we're typically confined in our houses except on unusually clear days. As the snow kept falling, it frequently turned into a full-blown snowstorm, forcing us to keep the doors and shutters tightly closed, with thick clothes stuffed into the crevices to try to s.h.i.+eld us from the drafts just a little more. "...Uuuugh, it's dark," I whine. "We're in a snowstorm," says Tory, "there's nothing we can do about that." The only sources of light in this locked-down apartment are a handful of candles and our stove. It may be daytime, but with our windows sealed so tightly not a single ray of sunlight can get in. This is my first time being in such a gloomy room without a single electric light to brighten it. Even when a hurricane knocked out my power, I had flashlights and the light on my cell phone for illumination, and they got my power restored very quickly. Trapped inside a gloomy room such as this, will I have no choice but to become gloomy myself? "Hey, Mommy, is everyone's house dark like this?" I ask. "Hmm," she says, "If someone has a little money, they can have quite a few lamps lighting up their homes. We only have one, though." "Oh? Let's light ours, then!" My mother sighs and shakes her head at me as I try to insist that lighting equipment is meant to be used. "We want to be careful with our oil, so we should avoid using it whenever we can. If it stays this cold and if the winter drags on, we'll run out of candles eventually, and that would be a big problem, you know?" There's no counterargument to the way she talks about frugality. Come to think of it, my own mother in j.a.pan was always talking about scrimping and saving and coming up with elaborate ways to spend as little as possible. To save electricity, she'd unplug the TV when it wasn't in use, although she'd then fall asleep with it on all the time. She'd brush her teeth the barest minimum of water to save on the water bill, yet she'd leave the faucet running constantly while was.h.i.+ng the dishes... I wonder what she would do to lighten up this room, if she were in this situation. "I wonder if this will make the room just a little bit brighter..." "Maine, what are you doing?" asks my mother. I've grabbed one of my father's old metal gauntlets from his old wartime days, polished them up a bit, and placed it next to a candle, trying to use its metal surface like a mirror to maybe make it seem a little brighter. "Maine, stop that," says my father. "I can't see what I'm doing," says Tory. Two people rejected me at the same time! Unfortunately, these gauntlets aren't straight pieces of metal, and you can't really say that they're anywhere close to being s.h.i.+ny. They caught the flickering candlelight with a strange, irregular reflection, glimmering harshly in our eyes and making it even more difficult to see what we were doing. "Ahh, it didn't work... I wonder if there's anything else I can use as a"mirror"..." "Please don't do unnecessary things," says my mother. After being quite clearly asked to stop, I give up on my plans to brighten the room using reflections. It's not like I'm trying to read right now, but I still sigh, lamenting the poor visibility, and go huddle by the warmth of the stove. "First, put the spool of thread here, then we prepare the warp. Run the thread straight through, like this..." Making clothing starts by first weaving cloth out of the thread that our mother dyed during the autumn. You weave the cloth, then you sew the clothing, then you embroider it. Next year, we're going to spin the thread too out of wool that we'll buy during the spring. The only thing that we actually purchased in this entire process was the raw materials. It doesn't look like you can just buy new clothing at a store, and fabric doesn't seem to be the kind of thing that commoners can afford. "That's right, just like that. You're a fast learner, Tory! Maine, do you want to try? If you don't learn how to sew, you'll never be called beautiful, you know?" "Huh? Beautiful?" "That's right! When it comes to making clothing for your family, it's important that they either look good to others or are very practical, you know? If you want to be beautiful, you need to know how to cook and sew." Ahhh, then I shall never be beautiful. ...Wait, those conditions sound about right for being a good wife, but they've got nothing to do with being beautiful, right? "No, maybe next time." She may have been at the loom, but I don't think she wants to become a weaver. Tory seems to be more interested in becoming a seamstress's apprentice, so she wants our mother to teach her how to do needlework. I, however, am very small, so my hands aren't big enough, and, above all, I want nothing to do with any of that, so trying to teach me is entirely pointless. "Okay, Mom, I'm going to go work on weaving baskets. Make me some good clothes!" "Of course, leave it to me. They'll be the most stunning clothes you've ever seen." My mother, confident in her abilities as a seamstress, works with enthusiasm. Every season, all of the children who recently turned seven years old gather at the church for their baptism ceremonies, wearing their nicest clothes. It's the perfect opportunity for a mother to display their skill in preparing the perfect outfit for their child. Perhaps she's thinking of this as some sort of public presentation? Smiling to herself, she selects a new thread to use as the warp, one that's much thinner than the one Tory had been practicing with. "This really is a fine thread," she says, smiling wryly as she thinks about how much time it will take to weave it into cloth. "Tory's baptism is in the summer, so she'll be too hot if I use too think of a fabric, right?" "It's still winter, though," I say, "Won't Tory have gotten bigger by summertime?" "That's true, but I'll be able to make adjustments so they'll still fit just fine. What I'm more worried about is how small you are compared to your sister! I don't know if Tory's hand-me-downs will fit you for next year. I wonder what we're going to have to do then?" That is definitely something to worry about. Good luck, Mother. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, my mother had selected a slender thread that seemed a little more st.u.r.dy than one made of wool and started weaving, and Tory has already started working on weaving the baskets she hopes to sell in the springtime. My eyes are starting to adjust, just a little bit, to how gloomy this room is, so it's time for me to take the first step towards my ambitions and start working on making my pseudo-papyrus. I may lack money, technology, and experience, but I shall fight on with my determination, my determination, and my determination! Whoa, these are too tiny, I'm really straining my eyes. Ah! I messed up! "Hey, Maine," she says, "whatcha doing?" "Hm? I'm making 'pseudo-papyrus'." Tory takes another look at my handiwork, then tilts her head to the side with a puzzled look. It's clear by the expression on her face that she didn't understand anything I just said, nor can she figure out what it is I'm trying to do. Yeah, it would be hard to figure out just from watching, huh? I haven't even managed to get one square centimeter together, so even I wouldn't be able to tell that this was going to turn into a pseudo-papyrus. My mother glances over while she weaves her cloth, frowning at the tiny little motions I'm making with my fingers as I'm making my pseudo-papyrus. "Maine," she scolds, "if you have time to play around, go help Tory with her basket-weaving." "Okay. When I've got some free time, I'll go help her, so please don't raise your voice." I'm absolutely not playing around here, so I absolutely don't have any free time. In fact, this is the busiest I've ever been ever since I was reborn as Maine. "Maine, really, what are you doing?" asks Tory. "I just said, I'm making 'pseudo-papyrus'!" I don't have enough patience left to answer her nicely, so my response comes out a little bit curt as I put all of my attention into weaving things tightly tightly tightly tightly... It's not like I hate doing such fine work, and I'm doing something I actually want to do. I've got no choice but to persevere and keep powering through this. "Hey, Maine," says Tory. "That's not going to be very big when you're done, you know?" "I know!!" I snap. I wasn't really intending to lash out like that, but Tory's observation hit a real sore spot and caused the words to fly out of my mouth before I could think about them. It's already been almost a day, but it's only about as big as my fingertip. I'm very aware of this fact. The next day, I sit myself back down in front of my fibers, reminding myself of my determination, my determination. I'm absolutely not going to let Tory get under my skin today. "Hey," she says, "what happened to that?" "......" I'm not going to let her bug me. I'm not going to let her bug me. What?! It got all loose! Grr! I must still press on, even like this, even if my heart is breaking as I'm forced to make my repairs! Trying to make this postcard-sized papyrus also let me get a feel how the poorly final product would have turned out. The center of the sheet would have been tightly woven, but it would get looser and looser the closer you got to the edges, until it was full of tiny holes. There was no way I'd be able to actually write anything on the entire page. "UuuuUUUUUUuuuuugh... I failed... my papyrus plan failed..." "Be quiet, Maine!" says my mother. "Stop playing with that gra.s.s and go make some baskets!" "I don't have any idea what you've been talking about, but you failed, didn't you? That's enough of that, work on the baskets!" My mother's getting a little angry, so I'll go work on the baskets. After all that time weaving the tiny fibers together for my pseudo-papyrus, basket-weaving will be much simpler. "Tory, Mommy... told me to come help you. Gimme some materials." "Sure," she says, smiling. "Let me show you how to do it." With a rustle, she gathers up some materials to hand to me. As I take them, I shake my head distinctly. "No thanks, I already know how." "Amazing, Maine!" says my mother. "I didn't know you were so talented at this. Perhaps you should be a craftswoman's apprentice in the future, hm?" "Eh? That's, um..." My mother's eyes are twinkling with pleasure to see her basically good-for-nothing child display this sort of talent (?). I don't, however, have any plans to become a craftswoman. I have already decided that I am either going to be a librarian or work at a bookstore. Libraries and bookstores don't really exist in a world without books, though, so those jobs don't really exist either, but that's just one small problem. Tory compares the basket she made with the one that I did, a dejected look on her face as she sees the difference in quality. "Tory," I say, "don't worry. If you weave it really tightly and use a pattern like this one, it'll turn out okay!" Because, really, the difference here is actually a difference of experience. I used to take the advertising inserts out of newspapers, roll them up, and use them as raw materials to make little junk-art boxes in my spare time. I never would have thought that it would ever come in handy, though. Uh oh. I've made a mess of her pride as an older sister. Even though it's much easier for me if Tory treats me like her protege than her rival, I still messed it up. "Um, uhhhh... oh!! Old lady Gerda taught me how to do it when I was left at her place. I'm always doing it over there when you're in the forest, so I guess I'm getting pretty good. But when I'm making baskets, you're doing other things, so you're good at a lot of things that I'm not, right?" I have never had to cheer up a crying child before, so I'm in a little bit of a panic right now. I'm trying very hard to explain things to her, hoping to cheer her up myself, but, honestly, I don't really even know what I'm talking about. I don't know how much of that story she's bought, but she cheered up a little bit when I reminded her that there's things she's better at than I am. "Right!" she says, "I'm going to make a lot of them this winter, and I'm going to get better than you!" "Okay! Do your best, Tory!" I breathe a sigh of relief now that Tory's mood has swung back around. Living like this is hard enough already, and doing so without Tory's help would be even worse. If she always just told me to do it myself, I'd be in serious trouble. I am very glad that I got her to cheer back up. "Ah, Tory! If you use pull a little bit harder here, you can straighten things out and make it look a lot neater." I may be good at basket weaving, but I'm still so empty inside. All I really want is a book. I'm sitting next to Tory as she weaves her basket and explaining some of the tricks. I keep staring at my failed pseudo-papyrus, though. Papyrus isn't going to work, so what is my next step going to be? Through the winter, as I help Tory make baskets, I contemplate my future options. Inventors of cuneiform! Bakers of clay tablets! Three cheers for Mesopotamian civilization! Sure, they were ravaged by war and by fire, but their clay tablets survived. I'll make clay tablets, carve my writing into them, and bake them in the stove. This can work! Plus, since I'll be kneading clay to form it into these tablets, I can easily pa.s.s it off to the adults as just a child playing with clay.

フリーダの髪飾り フリーダの家を出て、わたしとルッツは帰途に就く。 「おや、やっと商談がお済みですか?」 「マルクさん?」 ベンノの店の前を通り過ぎようとしたら、マルクに呼び止められた。 「旦那様がやきもきしていらっしゃるので、予定では明日でしたが、今、報告いただいてよろしいですか?」 「......はい」 勝手に2個目を半額にしてしまったことを、どう責められるだろうと考えただけで胃がキリキリするので、さっさと報告を終わらせてしまいたい。 「旦那様、マインとルッツを通してもよろしいですか?」 開かれたドアの向こうにはさっさと来いと言わんばかりに机をタンタン叩くベンノの姿があった。 「......マイン、どうだった? あのじじいの孫娘は」 「えーと、とても可愛らしい、噂に違わないお嬢様でした」 「取り繕った報告は良い。どう思った?」 せっかくオブラートに包んで表現したのに、ベンノはパタパタと手を振って、本音で話せと言いだした。 「正直、外見と中身が違いすぎて、ビックリしました。でも、単にお金が大好きというだけではなく、洗礼前から身近にいるギルド長をよく観察して、お金を増やしたり、事業の拡大を狙ったりしているなんて、商売人としてはすごい才能だと思います」 「お前がすごいと思うのか......」 ベンノがガシガシと頭を掻いて、ハァ、と溜息を吐いた。 「えーと、何て言うか......可愛いけど、変わった子だったよね、ルッツ?」 万感の思いを込めて言うと、ルッツは軽く眉を上げて、お前が言うなと言いたそうな顔でわたしを見下ろしてくる。 「ルッツ、お前はどう思った?」 「昨日のギルド長と同じようにマインを勧誘してきたから、油断できないヤツだと思った。それから、オレは......マインと似てると思った」 「えぇ!? どこが!?」 心外すぎる! 衝撃的な言葉にわたしが噛みついて説明を求めると、ルッツは軽く肩を竦めて答えた。 「あいつがお金について語っている時と、本について語っている時のマインが同じ顔してる。二人とも自分が好きな事にしか目が向いていないところと、さっきマインが言ってたように、可愛い顔して、中身が変なところがそっくりだ」 あ、そうか。わたし、今、そこそこ可愛い外見なんだ。 家の中に鏡がなかったので、自分の容姿なんて桶の水に映った歪んだ影くらいしか見たことがなかったし、面と向かって褒めてくれるのは初対面の人と親馬鹿な父親ばかりだったので、ただのお世辞と社交辞令だと思っていた。 ただの本好きじゃなくて、むしろ、変人というのは、昔から散々言われていたので自覚もあるし、特に何とも思わないけれど、前は外見が別に可愛くなかった。見るからにオタクっぽい、図書室を根城にしてそうな外見だったので、ギャップがあるなんて言われたことがなかった。 わたしは、姉妹で似ていると仮定して、トゥーリのような外見の幼女がこの辺りには存在しない本を求めて、奇行とも思えるような大奮闘している様子を思い浮かべて、その残念さに項垂れた。 「......ごめんなさい。ちょっと反省する」 凹むわたしの前で、ニヤニヤとやりとりを聞いていたベンノがトントンと指先で机を叩いた。 「それで? 商談はまとまったのか?」 「えーと、フリーダさんの髪は2つに結っていたので、飾りも2つ作ることになりました」 「ふーん、利益は二倍か」 ベンノの言葉に心臓がビクッと縮みあがる。報告しないわけにいかないが、報告したら絶対に怒られる。 「何だ?」 ベンノの赤褐色の目が、ぎろりとわたしを見た。 「お嬢様に材料になる糸をもらったマインが、そのままの値段で2つ作るって言いだして......」 「ルッツ!?」 「金額は決まっているから、2つ分きっちり払うって、お嬢様が言い張って......」 「......ほぉ?」 「いつまでたっても決着がつかなそうだったから、オレが口を出して、2つ目を半額にすることで合意した」 簡潔で的確なルッツの報告にベンノは眉を上げて、わたしを見た。 「マイン、お前、阿呆か? 聞いてなかったのか? 覚えていなかったのか?」 「うっ、覚えていたから、材料もらっても一つ目は値引きしなかったんですよ。でも、半額で合意した時、フリーダさんにも、お金は取れる時に、取れるところから、取れるだけ、取っておくものって、言われました」 「商談相手に言われてどうするんだ?」 商談相手に指摘されるのは、確かにちょっと情けないな、とわたしも思ったけれど、ぼったくりすぎはわたしの胃に優しくない。 「でも、利益の上乗せにも限度があるっていうか、適正価格に反しているというか、胃が痛いので、これ以上は勘弁してください」 「商人が金をとって胃を痛めてどうする? まったく......。まぁ、お前の利益が減るだけだ。2つ目の料金をきっちり取ってきたのなら、それでいい。変な噂が流れて、ここで買えば2つ目は無料なんて、ごり押ししてくる客がいないわけでもないからな。負けてもいい相手かどうかはよく見極めろ」 そんな客の存在までは全く思い至らなかった。 「うっ、そこまでは考えてませんでした。すみません。それで、これがフリーダさんからお預かりした糸なんですけど、これに釣り合うレベルの白い糸が欲しいんです。長さはえーと......」 わたしはトートバッグの中からメジャーを取り出し、自分の指先から指先まで伸ばす。 「これくらい......100フェリくらいの長さでお願いします」 「わかった。明日、マルクと一緒に糸問屋に行って来い。ついでに、冬の手仕事用の糸も仕入れてくればいい」 顔が可愛くて、面倒見が良くて、優しくて、最近料理の腕も上がってきた料理上手(予定)で、針子仕事もしている裁縫美人(予定)なトゥーリを見て、胸にじわりと感動的なものが込み上げてくる。 「トゥーリ~!」 「どうしたの、マイン? 嫌な事でもされたの?」 「トゥーリは天使だよ。わたしの癒し。トゥーリは最高のお姉ちゃんなのに、わたしは病気持ちで役立たずってだけじゃなかったんだよ。今日、ルッツに言われて、外見詐欺の変な妹だったって、気付いた。ごめんね、トゥーリ」 「マイン、料理の邪魔だよ。荷物を置いたら手伝って」 トートバッグを置いて、トゥーリのお手伝いをする。 焦げ付かないように鍋を混ぜながら、今日あったことをトゥーリに報告する。 「それでね、その子はフリーダって言うんだけど、とっても可愛い子なのに、趣味がお金でね。一番好きなのは金貨を数えることなんだって」 「金貨!? そんなの見たことがないわ。数えられるだけあるなんてすごいお金持ちね」 トゥーリはフリーダの変な趣味というより、金貨の量に意識が飛んだようだ。この辺りでは金貨なんて、一生かかっても見ることがないと思われるので、インパクトが大きいのはわかる。 「家もすごかったよ。飾りや布もいっぱいあって、とってもきれいだった。あ、それで、フリーダが教えてくれたんだけど、わたしの病気の名前は身食いって言うんだって」 「......聞いたことないね」 トゥーリも知らない病名だったようで、首を傾げた。知っている人が滅多にいないので、仕方ない。 「とても珍しい病気みたい。オットーさんやベンノさんも知らないって言ってたから。フリーダが知っていたのは、フリーダも身食いだったからなの。でも、治すにはすごくお金がかかるって、言ってた。あんなお金持ちがすごくお金がかかるって言うんだから......」 「ウチでは無理だね」 トゥーリはあっさりとわたしと同じ結論に行きついた。考えるまでもない。熱で倒れても医者を呼べない経済状況ではどうなるものでもないだろう。 「......うん。でもね、悪くならないようにするにはどうすればいいか教えてくれたよ」 「そうなの?」 「目的や目標を持って、全力で頑張っている時は大丈夫なんだって」 「そうなんだ。マインは好きなようにやってるから、最近は元気なんだね。前はトゥーリばっかり好きなことができてずるいって泣いてたのに......」 そういえば、熱が出るたびによく泣いてトゥーリを困らせてたマインの記憶も多かった。 「落ち込まないで。元気になってよかったって思ってるからね。それで、髪飾りはどうだったの?」 「フリーダの好きな色も聞いたし、衣装の刺繍に使った糸ももらってきたよ。それで、作るつもりなの。フリーダは髪を2つに結うから、2つ飾りがいるんだよ」 母は飾られているタペストリーやクッションに一番興味があるようで、父は応接室の棚に並んでいた酒の銘柄に関心を示していた。トゥーリはフリーダの着ている物や持ち物が気になるようで、質問は専らフリーダの持ち物についてだった。 思った以上に盛り上がった夕飯の後、わたしは母を捕まえて、糸用のかぎ針を返してほしいと頼んだ。 「何するの?」 「髪飾りを作るの。昨日言ったでしょ? フリーダが欲しがってるって。今日、ちゃんと注文取ってきたんだよ。衣装の刺繍に使った糸も、これで作ってほしいって言われて、預かってきたの」 「その糸、見せてちょうだい」 裁縫上手で染色を仕事にしている母は、持ち帰ったフリーダの糸に興味津々な様子を隠そうともしない。裁縫箱を取り出して、かぎ針を取り出すと、さぁ、急いで取ってきて、と催促する。 針子見習いをしているトゥーリも、お金持ちのお嬢様の衣装に使う糸には興味があるようで、いそいそと覗きに来た。 「こんなに深い赤に染めようと思ったら、すごく手間がかかるのよ」 「やっぱり良い糸を使っているんだね」 うっとりとした様子で糸を摘まむ二人の前で、わたしは早速かぎ針を構えた。 「髪飾りね、珍しいから、結構高い値段で買ってくれるんだって。だから、頑張って作るの」 「わたしの髪飾りと同じ感じ?」 トゥーリの時は糸の節約を一番に考えて、残っている数色の糸で小花をできるだけ作ったが、フリーダから預かってきた赤い糸はたっぷりとある。 「もっとお花を大きくするの。糸もたっぷりあるから」 イメージは赤いミニバラ数輪とかすみ草のブーケだ。お金持ちのお嬢様と言ったら、一番にバラが思い浮かぶ貧困な想像力でごめんなさい。 「わぁ、可愛い!」 トゥーリから褒めてもらったので、調子に乗ってもう一つ編み始めようとした時、お酒を飲みながら様子を見ていた父が、うずうずしながらわたしの手元を見ている母に問いかけた。 「なぁ、エーファ。そんなに気になるんだったら、もう一つ、かぎ針作ってやろうか?」 「父さん、わたしも欲しいから2つね!」 感激した母に抱きつかれ、可愛いトゥーリのおねだりも加わって、父はご機嫌で、木を削り始めた。一度わたしの分のかぎ針を作ったことがあるので、比較的短時間で細いかぎ針を作っていく。 先にできたかぎ針をトゥーリが握って、一緒に編み始めた。針子見習いに行くようになって、器用さがレベルアップしているらしいトゥーリはちょっと教えれば、すいすいと編めるようになった。ぶっちゃけ、わたしよりも速い。 母は食い入るようにわたしの手元を見ていたせいか、作ってもらったかぎ針を満面の笑みで握りしめると、わたしが教えるまでもなく、猛然と編み始めた。 「マイン、父さんがこの簪部分を作ってやろうか?」 取られると一緒に作るからフリーダのところにも一緒にお邪魔するという大義名分がなくなる。そして、自分が作っていないのに、お金だけ受け取るようなルッツではないので、ずっと一緒に行動してもらっているのに、ルッツだけ無報酬になってしまう。 「気持ちだけもらっておく。それはルッツの仕事だから、取らないで」 「ルッツ、ルッツって、マインは最近父さんに冷たいんじゃないか?」 解りやすく父が拗ねる。家族に対する愛情過多で、オットーやルッツといると妙なヤキモチを妬いてくるので、時々面倒くさい。 「どうせ簪を作るんだったら、父さんは他の子の簪じゃなくて、わたしの洗礼式用の簪を作ってくれないかな? わたしも洗礼式には飾りを付けるつもりだから、先に穴をあけたのが欲しいんだけど......」 「なんだ、マイン。他の子の分は作らないでほしいのか? ヤキモチか?」 「赤い花はこれくらいあればいいよ。今作っているので、最後ね」 同じようなバラをいくつか作るのだが、3人で作るとあっという間に出来上がる。特に母、速い。一番遅いのが注文をとってきたわたしだ。 「えぇ? もう終わり?」 よほど楽しく編んでいたのか、不満そうにトゥーリが唇を尖らせたけれど、わたしはバラの形を作りながら、軽く肩を竦める。 「他人から預かった糸を無駄遣いするわけにいかないでしょ?」 「あ、そうだね。こんな綺麗な糸、無駄に使えないよね」 しょんぼりとしながら、トゥーリは納得して、かぎ針を片付け始めた。 「あとはベンノさんに頼んである白い糸で小さい花をたくさん作るの。白い糸もこの赤に釣り合う糸だから、良い糸だと思うよ。明日持って帰ってくるから、トゥーリが良かったら、白い花を手伝ってね」 「楽しみにしてる」 ......うーん、トゥーリのこの調子なら、冬の手仕事は籠作りじゃなくて、髪飾りを一緒に作った方がいいかも? 次の日、マルクとルッツとわたしの三人で糸問屋へ仕入れに出かけた。前に簀を作る時に職人と一緒に訪れた店だ。 「おや、前にシュピンネの糸を買って行ったお客さんじゃないか? また必要かい?」 「えぇ、それは後日、職人と一緒にまた注文します。本日は別の糸が欲しくて伺ったのです」 マルクの言葉から、春までに職人に簀を作ってもらうと言っていたベンノの言葉を思い出した。 ......メモ帳が欲しい。擦れたら消えちゃう石板じゃなくて、メモ帳が欲しい。 「今日は何がいるんだい?」 「あの、これと同じ感じの白い糸が欲しいんです」 わたしがトートバッグからフリーダの糸を取り出すと、店主はまじまじと見て、小さく唸った。 「かなりの高級品だな。合わせて使っておかしくない糸は、この辺りだ」 二つの糸を取り出して、わたしの前に置いてくれる。 「これを100フェリと、そこの緑も100フェリください。あとは、一番安い糸でいいので、たくさんの色が欲しいんです。それは200フェリずつお願いします」 フリーダのための糸と冬の手仕事のための糸は別の発注書が必要だ。 「こっちの手仕事用の糸は準備に時間がかかるから、準備ができてから店に運ぶのでいいかい?」 わたしはすぐに使う高級な白い糸だけをバッグに入れて、店を出た。糸問屋からは家が近いので、マルクとは糸問屋の前で解散して、家に帰ることにする。 「え? じゃあ、もう髪飾りできるのか? まだ日があるからゆっくりやるって言ってただろ?」 「うん、明日か明後日には仕上がると思う。母さんとトゥーリまでやりたがって、わたしより上手くて速いから、あっという間にできたの。わたしだけだったら、もっと時間がかかってたよ」 当初の予測では、昼間は森に行ったり、店に行ったりしなければならないので、夕飯から寝るまでの時間を使って、7~10日くらいかけて作るつもりだった。 「わかった。オレも簪の部分、すぐに作る」 「うん、お願い。仲間に入りたい父さんが作りたがってたから......」 「マジかよ......」 仕事を取られそうなルッツが、溜息と一緒に項垂れる。 「......でも、仕事をウチの家族に取られて、どうしようって思ってるけど、本当はどうしようじゃないんだよね? 作業は他の人に任せて、物の売買をするのが商人なんだから。ベンノさんなんて何も作ってないけど、わたし達の作った物の手数料で儲けてるでしょ?」 作らなければお金がもらえないのではない。物を移動させることでお金を生み出すのが商人だ。まだわたし達の意識は職人に近いのだ。 「今回はわたしとルッツが一緒に作るって、ギルド長やベンノさんに言っちゃったし、急に意識を変えるのも難しいけど、一緒に商人の仕事について、もっと勉強しようね」 家に糸を持ちかえると、案の定、わたしがするはずだった仕事は、母とトゥーリに取られてしまった。 わたしが小花を1つ作る間に、トゥーリは2つ、母さんは4つも作るんだもん。あっという間に終わっちゃったよ。緑の糸で葉っぱのような飾りも作ろうとしたけど、ほとんどが二人の手によって作られちゃったし、わたし、今回もいまいち役立たず。 ......結論。わたし、やっぱり裁縫美人は無理っぽい。

Ascendance of a Bookworm - 040Freida's Hairpins Lutz and I leave Freida's house, commencing our journey home. She just saw us off with a smile, but why do I feel like I'm fleeing for my life? All we did was eat sweets and chat a little, but why am I more exhausted than when I go to the forest? "Ah, have you finished your negot.i.tions?" "Mister Mark?" As we pa.s.s Benno's shop on our way home, Mark calls out to us. We'd previously been told that we should come by the shop tomorrow afternoon to deliver our report, so we were planning on heading home for the day, but Mark waves to us, smilingly beckoning us inside. "I know that we had planned to discuss this tomorrow," he says, "but since Master Benno is rather nervous at the moment, would you perhaps be willing to discuss the outcome of today's negotiations right now?" "...Yes, I would." My stomach churns a little as I think about how much I might get scolded for arbitrarily charging half price for a second pin, but I do really want to finish this as quickly as possible. "Master Benno," says Mark, opening the door. "May Maine and Lutz enter?" Benno sits behind his desk, tapping his finger impatiently on its surface as if to tell us to get in there immediately. "...Maine, what'd you think? Of that old man's granddaughter." "Ummm, she seemed like very cute young lady, like the rumors said." "Alright, so she's well-groomed. What did you think?" I tried hard to be politely indirect about my description, but Benno waves his hand dismissively, telling me to get to the heart of the matter. "To be honest," I reply, "her appearance and her personality are so different that I was a little shocked. She's not just a girl who loves money, though; she's been close to the guild leader, observing him, since well before her baptism. She's thinking about how to grow her capital, how to expand her business ventures, and so on. I think she has amazing talent for being a merchant." "You think she's amazing, hmm..." Benno roughly scratches his head, then breathes a heavy sigh. "Umm," I say, "how should I put this... she's cute, but very... strange. Right, Lutz?" When I cram all those thoughts about my impression of her into that one sentence, Lutz raises his eyebrows, then looks down at me with a face that screams "like you're one to talk." Benno, looking very interested, quirks up the edges of his mouth, then asks Lutz the same question. "Lutz, what did you think?" "She tried to recruit Maine just like the guild leader did yesterday, so I think that she's not someone you can let your guard down around. Also, I think that... she's kinda like Maine." "Whaaat?! How?!" That's way too unthinkable! As I practically lunge forward, demanding an explanation for his shocking words, Lutz merely shrugs his shoulders. "When that girl talked about money," he says, "she looked like you do when you're talking about books. Both of you act like you don't have eyes for anything other than the thing you like, so it's just like you said earlier: cute face, but weird inside." Ah, I see. Right now, apparently, I look pretty cute. There are no mirrors in my house, so I had tried to look at my reflection in a bucket of water, but all I could see was a warped, blurry shadow. The only people who have called me cute to my face were either people I've only just met or my excessively doting father, so I thought it was just polite flattery. For as long as I can remember, I've been used to people calling me not just your average bookworm, but a weirdo. It doesn't really matter much to me, but I wasn't particularly cute at all. If you had looked at me, you'd have seen just the kind of nerdy girl who holed herself up in the library all the time. n.o.body had ever said that I looked any different than they thought I should. I imagine a girl who resembles her siblings, so one who looks like a younger version of Tory, who also chases after nonexistent books, so an eccentric, strangely-behaving one. As I think about that dramatic clash of images, I hang my head in defeat. "...I'm sorry. I have something to think about now." Benno, who has been watching our exchange with a smirk, starts tapping his finger on his desk again. "Then what? Did you finish your negotiations?" "Umm, Miss Freida wears her hair in two braids, so it turns out that I'll be making two hairpins." "Hmm! So we'll make double the profit." My heart skips a beat when he says that. There's no way I can't tell him about this, but if I tell him, he'll absolutely get mad at me. "What?" Benno stares pointedly at me with his reddish-brown eyes. My breath catches in my throat with a squeak, and I stammer, stalling for time, as I try to come up with some kind of explanations. Benno turns his sharp gaze from me to Lutz. The instant Benno opens his mouth, Lutz starts talking. "Miss Freida provided Maine with the thread that she'll be using for the raw materials, so Maine said that she'd make the second one for no extra charge..." "Lutz?!" I cry, panicked. "Miss Freida," continued Lutz, "insisted that the price had already been established, so she'd pay full price for the second one..." "...Oh?" "It didn't seem like they'd ever agree on anything, so I spoke up, and we came to an agreement that Miss Freida would pay half price for the second hairpin." After Lutz delivers his precise, succinct report, Benno raises his eyebrows, then turns to look at me. "Maine... are you an idiot? Have you heard a word I've said? Or did you just forget everything?" "I... I remembered! So even when I got the materials, I didn't try to lower the price at all for the first one. But then, after we agreed on half-price for the second, Freida said 'whenever and wherever you can take money you should take it, because it's something that's there to be taken', like you do." "The person you were negotiating with told you that?" Benno rubs his forehead, an amazed look on his face, then shakes his head. Even I had thought it was kind of pitiful that my opponent would remind me of that, but the thought of overcharging her that much made my stomach churn. "But I was thinking that maybe there's a limit to how much I should be profiting, or maybe I was way past asking for a fair price, so my stomach started hurting... please forgive me." "What kind of merchant gets a stomachache when earning money? Seriously... Well, that's just money out of your pocket. I'm charging the same handling fee for both of them, so I don't care either way. If strange rumors start to spread about how you can get a second hairpin for free if you buy one, then you're definitely going to get pushy customers coming in to demand it. Make sure you pay attention to what customers you can afford to lose." I hadn't realized that customers like that could possibly exist. I hang my head even lower, the awareness of my lack of basic knowledge being hammered like nails into my skull. "Ngh, I hadn't thought that far ahead. I'm sorry. Then, here is the thread that Freida lent me to use as materials. I'm going to want some white thread that matches this one. I'm going to need, ummm..." I pull the measuring tape out of my tote bag, then stretch it from fingertip to fingertip. "About this long... I'll need a piece that's about 100 feli long, please." "Got it. Tomorrow, come back here so that you can go to the thread warehouse with Mark. While you're at it, you should pick up the thread you'll need for your winter work." She, on cooking duty for today, looks up from the pot she's stirring and smiles at me. She has a cute face, she's very helpful, she's kind, she's been getting better at cooking so she's a (future) excellent cook, and since she's working as a seamstress she's a (future) sewing beauty. When I see her, emotion suddenly wells up in my heart. "Toryyy~!" I cry, running up and clinging to her tightly. She looks down at me, frowning a little. "What's wrong, Maine, did something happen?" "Tory, you're an angel! You heal me. You're the best older sister in the world, but I'm not even just sick and useless all the time. Lutz told me today that I'm way weirder than I look, so I only just noticed. I'm so sorry, Tory!" After a little while, she points over to the bedroom. "Maine, I can't cook like this. Go put your stuff away, okay?" I put my tote bag away, then come back to help Tory in the kitchen. Even though people keep saying over and over that I'm so small, I have grown a little bit, so now I can actually stir a pot safely, if I'm standing on a chair. While I carefully stir the pot so that nothing burns, I tell Tory all about my day. "Okay, so, the girl I met is called Freida, and she's really cute, but her hobby is money. She said her favorite thing to do is count gold coins." "Gold coins?! I haven't even seen those! She must be super rich to have enough of those to count." Tory seems to have jumped straight to the quant.i.ty of gold coins, missing Freida's weird interests entirely. Around here, I think it might not be uncommon for someone to spend their entire life without seeing a single gold coin, so I know just how big of an impact that might have. "Her house is amazing too. There's decorations and cloth everywhere, and it's very pretty. Oh! And then Freida told me that the sickness I have is called the devouring." "...Huh, I've never heard of that." Tory tilts her head to the side doubtfully when she hears about that previously-unknown disease. It can't be helped; it seems like there's very few people who actually know about it, after all. "It's a really rare disease. Mister Otto and Mister Benno even said that they didn't know about it. She knew about it because she used to have it too! But she also said that it took a lot of money to cure her. And if a girl that rich says that it took a lot of money..." "...then there's no way we can afford it." Tory immediately comes to the same conclusion that I had. She didn't even need to think about it. With our economic status, where we can't even call a doctor when someone collapses with a fever, there's no way we can make that happen, no matter what we do. "...Yeah. But she told me about what I can do to make sure it doesn't get any worse!" "Oh?" "If I have a goal or a target in mind, and I'm always working really hard on making it there, then I'll be fine, she says." "Ah! That makes sense. You've been kinda doing whatever you like lately, so you've been much healthier. Before, you always used to cry about how only I could do things that I liked..." Now that she mentions it, Maine's memories are full of times when she was feverish, crying a lot, and bothering Tory. Now that she's made that comparison to the past out loud, though, I think she had to have noticed something strange had happened, right? "Don't feel bad. I think it's great that you're feeling so much better. So! How about the hairpin?" "I asked her about what her favorite color was, and she gave me some of the thread that her dress is embroidered with. I'm going make the pins out of it. And since she has her hair in two braids, she needs two pins." My mother seemed most interested in hearing about all of the decorative tapestries and cus.h.i.+ons they had, and my father was more interested in the brands of liquor they had lined up on the shelves. Tory was curious about the things that Freida wore and the kinds of things she owned, so her questions were all about Freida's belongings. After a much more exciting dinner than I thought we'd have, I pull my mother aside and ask her if she could give back my embroidery needles. "What are you going to do?" she asks. "I'm going to make some hairpins. I told you yesterday, right? They're what Freida wants me to make. Today I went to find out exactly what she wanted to order. I also told her that I wanted to make it out of the same thread that her dress was embroidered with, so she lent me some." "Could you show me that thread, please?" My mother, the skilled seamstress who works as a dyer, could not, of course, hide her great interest in the thread I'd brought home from Freida. She tells me that she'll get her sewing kit and take out the embroidery needles, so I should immediately go and fetch the thread. I pull the thread out of my tote bag. The instant I set it on the table, my mother picks it up, staring at it very closely. Tory, who is apprenticing as a seamstress, is also interested in the kind of thread that the daughter of a rich family has embroidered on her dresses, so she excitedly comes in to sneak a peek. "Dying a thread this deeply red takes a lot of work, you know." "It really is a high quality thread!" While the two of them are entranced by the bundle of thread they hold, I sit down at the table in front of them and get my embroidering needles ready. "Since hairpins like this are super rare, we're going to sell it at a really high price. So, I'm going to try my hardest on this!" "Is it going to be like mine?" asks Tory. When I was making Tory's pin, my first priority had been making economical use of the thread we had, so I was only really able to make it out of tiny flowers made out of the colors of thread we had left over. This time, though, I have quite a lot of the red thread that Freida lent me. Also, since we're charging as much as we are, I'm going to try to make it somewhat more elaborate than Tory's. For me, I need to put in a good faith effort. "The flowers are going to be bigger," I say. "since I've got so much more thread." My mental image is a bouquet, with a ring of miniature red roses set against green gra.s.ses. If I'm talking about a rich girl, the only thing my terrible imagination can come up with is, regrettably, roses. Roses, however, are very gorgeous flowers, and it'll be a very showy piece. "Whoa, cute!" Happy because Tory praised me, I immediately get started on the second flower. My dad, drinking some liquor, looks over to see what's happening, then turns to my mother, who's been watching me this whole time and acting like she's itching to jump in. "Say, Eva. If you're so interested in doing that, would you like me to make you another set of needles?" "Dad," says Tory, "I want some too, so make two sets please!" Emboldened by my mother's grateful embrace and Tory's begging, my father, in high spirits, gets some wood and starts whittling. Since he's already made a set of these for me, it takes him a relatively short amount of time to craft each slender needle. Tory grabs the first completed set, then starts knitting along with me. Since she's been going to apprentice as a seamstress, it seems like her skills have been leveling up; after thinking about it for a few moments, she starts knitting fluidly. To be honest, she's faster than I am. My mother has been hungrily watching me work, so when she receives her freshly-made needles she smiles brilliantly at my father, then tears into the work with a fierceness I never thought was possible. "Maine," says my father, "do you want your Daddy to make the pin part for you?" says my father eagerly. His hands are idle, now that he's finished carving the needles. I feel bad for him, because he just wants to help his daughter with her work, but that part is Lutz's job. If it were to be taken away from him, then since we'd no longer be making it together, there'd no longer be any justification for him having come along with me to Freida's place and intruding on our meeting. Also, Lutz isn't the kind of person who would accept money for doing nothing, so if he doesn't actually help make the pins, despite the fact that he's always been there with me as I go around, he'll be the only one who doesn't make any money from this. "You can be emotional support! Carving is Lutz's job, please don't take it from him." "It's always Lutz, Lutz, Lutz. Maine, why are being so cold to your Daddy lately?" My father, ever easy to read, sulks. He has way too much love for his family, so he gets strangely jealous about Otto and Lutz, to the point where sometimes it just gets annoying. I breathe a sigh, then shake my head. "If you want to make a hairpin, why don't you not make pins for the other kids, but make one for my baptism? I'm planning on wearing a hairpin, so I kind of want something like before, with a hole in it..." "Oho, what's this, Maine? You don't want me to make them for the other kids, because you'd get jealous?" "I think we should be good on the red flowers now. Let's finish up the ones that we're doing now." I needed to make several roses like the first, but with three people working on it, it's done in a flash. My mother is particularly fast. I, the one who is actually being paid to do this, am the by far the slowest. "Whaaat? Done already?" Tory pouts in dissatisfaction, perhaps because she found the knitting far more enjoyable than expected, but I merely shrug my shoulders as I finish forming the last of the roses into shape. Originally, my plan had been to have the left and right hairpins each have three miniature roses, but by the time I noticed how quickly they were getting made we had enough for four on each side. Given the size of each of them, we really don't need any more than this. "It wouldn't be right for us to waste any of the thread that someone else lent to us, right?" "Ah, that's right. We shouldn't use such a pretty thread on something useless." Downhearted, Tory quietly agrees, then starts putting away her needles. "The next step is to make a lot of little flowers out of the white thread that I've asked Mister Benno for. I think white thread would match this red very well, so I think it would be a good thread to use. When I bring it back with me tomorrow, Tory, if it's okay with you, you can help me with the white flowers too." "Sounds like fun!" ...Hmmm, if Tory's like this, I wonder if it would be okay for her to skip making baskets for her winter work and help me make hair ornaments instead? The next day, Mark, Lutz, and I head out to the thread warehouse so that we can stock up on supplies. It's the same shop that the craftsman we hired to make the paper mat took us to previously. The shopkeeper immediately stands up when he sees us, perhaps because we'd made such a big impression last time after buying the highest-quality spinne silk from him. "Ah, if it isn't the folks who bought spinne silk a while ago! Are you here to buy some more?" "Yes," replies Mark, "we'll be coming back another day with our craftsman to make another purchase. Today, though, we're here to inquire about a different kind of thread." Mark's words remind me of what Benno said earlier, that he'd have the craftsman make another paper mat for us by springtime. My head has lately been full of thoughts about Freida's hairpins and my winter handiwork, but I can't let myself forget about any of the preparations that need to be done in order for us to make paper come spring. ...I want a notebook. I don't want this slate, which gets erased whenever anything gets rubbed against it. I really want a notebook. "What can I help you with today?" "Umm," I say, "I'm looking for a white thread that would match this one." I pull Freida's thread from my tote bag and hand it to the shopkeeper. He stares at it closely, then hums thoughtfully. "This is a very high-quality thread. What I've got that wouldn't strange next to it would be... these ones." He pulls out two kinds of thread and sets them down in front of me, then places the red thread next to them. After I spend some time looking back and forth between them to compare, I pick up the one that makes the red pop out a little more, then hand it to the shopkeeper. "Could I please get 100 feli of this thread, and 100 feli of that green you have there. Also, I'd like many different colors of the cheapest thread you have. I'd like 200 feli of each of those, please." I need to separate the thread for Freida's hairpins and the thread for my winter handiwork into two separate orders. I take out the order form set (the blank wooden order forms, the tape measure, the ink, and a wooden pen) that I always keep in my totebag. When I've finished describing the orders to the shopkeeper, I write them out immediately, my wooden pen clacking against the wood of the order forms. "These threads for your winter work will take some time for me to prepare, so how about I deliver these to your shop once I'm done with them?" I put the high-quality white thread that I'll be immediately using in my tote bag, then head out of the shop. Since the thread warehouse is close to Lutz and my houses, we split off from Mark in front of the thread warehouse and head back home. As we head home, I tell Lutz about how we were already able to finish the red part of the pins last night, and his eyes go wide. "Huh? Then, you're already ready to finish off the pins? Didn't you say that we had some time left, so you'd take your time on it?" "Yeah, I think it'll be ready tomorrow or the day after. Mommy and Tory really want to help, and they're way better and faster than me, so they did it in no time at all. If it were just me, it would have taken a lot longer." My initial estimate of seven to ten days was based on me having to go to either the forest or the shop during the day, and working on the hairpins between dinner and bedtime. I hadn't even considered the possibility that I might somehow finish everything off in just a single day. "Got it. I'll get started on my pin part immediately." "Yes, please! My dad really wants to join in and help make it, so..." "Man, seriously..." Lutz, seeing his work being almost stolen from him, hangs his head, sighing. "Although... I've been thinking about what we'd do if my family takes all the work from us, but that's not quite right, is it? Merchants are people who let other people do the work making things so that they can buy and sell them. Mister Benno doesn't make anything himself, but he's still earning a commission off of the things we're making, right?" Lutz looks up at me, taken aback. It is not the case that we can't earn any money if we don't actually make anything. Merchants are people who can bring forth money by just moving goods from one place to another. We're still thinking too much like craftsmen. "This time, we already told the guild leader and Mister Benno that we were going to be making these pins together, so even though it's going to be difficult to change how we think so quickly, the two of us need to study really hard together how to work like a merchant." When I bring the thread home, the work that I had originally planned on doing was, just as I thought, s.n.a.t.c.hed away from me by Tory and my mother. In the time it took me to make a single small flower, Tory made two, and my mother made four. In the blink of an eye, we were finished. Next, I was got ready to start making little leaf decorations out of the green thread, but the two of them wound up making the vast majority of them. Once again, I find myself pretty d.a.m.n useless. ...Conclusion: It is impossible for me to become a sewing beauty. Opening my path towards being a merchant's apprentice was definitely the correct one.

ルッツの教育計画 ベッドの中でゴロゴロしているうちに、ルッツの予測通り熱が上がってきた。疲れから来る熱で、微熱くらいなので身体全体がだるいだけだ。食われそうになる身食いの熱とは違うので、おとなしくしていたらそのうち治るだろう。 そう思って3日がたった。 ......あああぁぁぁ、暇。 今日は豚の解体日だ。去年と違って、今年は一人で留守番させる程度の信用は得られているようで、朝早くに家族は出かけていった。 シーンとしている部屋の中、動こうと思えば動けるけれど、熱が長引くだけだとわかっているので、ベッドでおとなしくしているしかない。でも、話をする相手もいないので、暇で、暇で、仕方ない。 本があればなぁ......。 失敗作の紙を結構大量に持って帰ってきたが、まだ手つかずで、わたしの服が入っている木箱の底に丁寧に重ねて詰めこんであるだけだ。試作品が出来上がった後、忙しかったというのもあるし、第一作目となる本は気合を入れて作りたいというのもある。 何より、失敗作の紙なので、品質はバラバラ、大きさもバラバラだ。ほぼ成功に近い紙もあれば、完全に失敗でビリビリボロボロの破片のような紙もある。向こうが見えそうなくらい薄くて、触るのが怖い紙もあれば、力を入れ過ぎると割れそうな堅い紙もある。 張り付ける時によれてしまっただけというほぼ成功の紙はまだ使いやすいけれど、乾かした後で剥がすのに失敗して大きな穴が開いた紙は、わたしがもうちょっとナイフを上手に使えるようにならないと、使える部分だけを切りだすのが意外と難しい。刃が細くて小さいカッターみたいに扱いやすくて鋭い切れ味の刃物が欲しい。 そんな紙で本を作るためには、じっくりと向かい合う時間が必要だと思う。今年の冬はとても充実した時間が持てそうだ。 ......あ! そういえば、本はないけど、ベンノさんの板があったね。 熱を出す前に「帰ったら目を通しておけ」とベンノに言われた板があることを思い出した。ベッドで寝転がったまま、これを読むくらいなら大丈夫だろう。 わたしはもそりと起き上がって、自分の服が入っている木箱の蓋を開けると、A4サイズくらいの大きめの板をトートバッグの中から取り出した。 「......これ、新人教育の課程表だ」 新しく入った見習いに最低限これだけのことを教えると決められた内容がそこに載っていた。書かれている内容を大まかに分けるとだいたいこんなところだ。 身なりを整え、挨拶ができること。 「うーん、冬の間に二人で勉強できるのは、文字と計算と金勘定かなぁ。下の項目は新人教育の間に、みんなが覚えていくことだから、後回しでもいいと思うんだけど......」 独り言を零しながら、わたしは冬の勉強計画を立てていく。 さて、ルッツは基本文字と数字をどれだけ覚えているだろうか。教えてもらっても、使わなければ忘れるものだ。それを確認して、忘れたところをもう一度教える。 ぶっちゃけ、わたしも仕事関係の単語しかあまり知らないんだよね。ここって、辞書ないし、文字を教えてくれたのは、予算のためにわたしを鍛えたかったオットーと商人のベンノとマルクだから、仕事に関する単語は結構覚えたと思う。でも、一般名詞や動詞がわからない。 「計算機の使い方は、足し算と引き算ならわかるけど、掛け算と割り算のやり方はマルクさんにでも聞いてみないとわからないなぁ......」 「ルッツには小学校の1~3年くらいの算数を教えたいんだけど、教科書も問題集もなしじゃあ、教えるのは大変かもねぇ。優先順位としては、数の数え方と大きい数をお金に換算できるようにするのが一番で、一桁の足し算と引き算を徹底させる。それから、掛け算と割り算の概念だけでも......って、冬の間だけじゃ無理か」 さすがに、数字だけに内容を絞るにしても、3年かけてやることを、冬の間に全部やるなんて無理だ。 ハァ、と溜息を吐くと、身体の奥で熱がうごめいた気がした。出てこようと圧力をかけてくるような感触に、わたしはこめかみ辺りに力を入れて、歯を食いしばる。 出てくるな、お呼びじゃないの。 きつく蓋をするイメージで押し込めて、ふぅ、と息を吐く。 「一番の問題はこれだよ。身なりを整え、挨拶ができること。身なりを整えるってどの程度なのか、商人独特の挨拶や言い回しがあるかどうかは、わたし達じゃわからないもん」 働くための服を買わなければならないのは、ベンノの店や商業ギルドの3階で働く人達を見ていればわかる。 「ただいま。起きたのね? 熱はどう?」 「......多分、下がった」 起きた時にずいぶんとすっきりしていたので、熱は下がったはずだ。明日は多分様子見のために、一日家の中で過ごすことになるだろうけれど、明後日には動けるようになるだろう。 次の日、森に行く予定だったらしいルッツが、籠を背負った出かける格好のままでお見舞いに来てくれた。熱が下がっているのに、ベッドの中でいなければならない日なので、わたしとしてはほんの少しの時間でも話相手ができたことがすごく嬉しい。 「よぉ、マイン。熱が下がったんだって? さっきトゥーリと下で会った時にそう言っていたんだ」 「うん、昨日の夜に下がったの。今日一日は様子見で、明日は動けそうだよ」 「そっか。久し振りに熱が長引いたから、心配したぞ」 しばらく何日も続く熱を出していなかったので、家族にもルッツにもかなり心配をかけたようだ。 「マインは今年も豚肉加工に参加できなかったな」 「あ~、この季節は仕方ないね」 肉屋や鳥肉の解体には多少慣れてきたけれど、まだ家族のように「よし、やるぜ。一年に一度の楽しみだ」なんて思えるほど、参加したいとは思えない。熱で寝込んでいる間に終わってラッキーと思ってしまったくらいだ。 「わたし、昨日はベンノさんが貸してくれた板を見て、勉強計画を立ててたの。明日はベンノさんのところに行って、この板を返すのと、計算機を買えないか相談したいんだけど」 「......そういえば、何の板だったんだ?」 ルッツはベンノに借りた板の存在を思い出したように手を打って、身を乗り出す。完全に話を聞く体勢だ。 「見習い教育に関するものだった。ルッツは文字や数字ってどのくらい覚えてる?」 「教えてもらった分は全部覚えてるけど?」 当たり前のように小首を傾げながら、ルッツが答えたけれど、まさか全部覚えているとは思っていなかったわたしはぎょぎょっと目を見開いた。 「え? ホントに!? 普段使わないのに、忘れてないの!?」 「......オレ、そういうの、教えてもらえることって滅多にないから、せっかく覚えたことは忘れたくなくて、地面や壁に指で書いたり、石板を買ってからは石板に練習したりしてる」 「ルッツ、すごい!」 ルッツは予想以上の努力家だった。いや、教育を受けるのが当たり前、欲しい情報はいくらでも手に入るのが当たり前だったわたしの考え方が甘すぎるのか。 「すごくねぇ。大きい数字も全部読めるマインの方がすげぇよ」 「じゃあ、大きい数字の読み方を教えるよ。石板取って」 一、十、百、千、万......と大きくなっていく単位を教える。百の位までは、市場でも使うので、簡単に読めるけれど、そのあとがわからなかったらしい。 「さて、問題です。78,946,215なら、どう読むでしょう?」 「えーと、一、十、百、千、万、十万、百万、千万だから......」 かなり真剣な顔で取り組むルッツは、あっという間に千万の位まで読めるようになった。集中力の差か、記憶力の差か、どちらだろうか。予想以上にルッツのスペックが高い。冬の勉強でかなり力を付けそうだ。 これで頭も良かったら、わたし、ルッツに勝てる要素が全くなくなっちゃうよ? 内心ちょっぴり落ち込んでいると、水を汲んで上がってきたトゥーリがルッツの姿を見つけて、大きな声を上げた。 「あれ、ルッツ!? 森に行くんじゃなかったの? みんな、出発しちゃったよ!?」 「うわっ! 悪い、マイン。オレ、行くから。教えてくれてありがとうな」 ルッツが慌てて立ち上がって、走り出す。ルッツの走るスピードなら、門に着くまでにみんなに追いつけるはずだ。 次の日、家族からも外出の許可が出たので、ベンノに余裕ができる午後からルッツと一緒にベンノの店に向かった。 「あれ? まだお昼休みみたい」 「中央広場まで戻って、座って待つか? ずっと立ってるの、辛いだろ?」 「そうだね。今日は座れるところがあった方がいいかな」 二人で時間潰しの相談をしていると、番人には完全に顔を覚えられていたようで、手招きされた。 「旦那様に通していいか、伺ってくる。ここで少し待っていてくれないか?」 「マイン、熱は下がったのか?」 仕事をしていたらしいベンノがインクを置いて立ち上がった。 「はい。この板、返しに来ました。それで、質問があるんですけど、いいですか?」 「あぁ、いいぞ。俺からも話があるが、先にお前達の話を聞こう」 ベンノがいつものテーブルに着くように手で示しながら、質問を促した。 「この板、ありがとうございました。おかげで冬の勉強計画がある程度形になりました」 「えーと、読んでいて、疑問に思ったことがあるんです。身なりを整え、挨拶ができることが必要なのはわかるんですけど、身なりを整えるってどの程度なんですか? あと、商人独特の挨拶や言い回しがあるかどうかが、わたし達じゃわからないんです」 「とりあえず、お前達は南門に近い平民なのに、薄汚れた印象が全くないから、必要なのは働くための服や靴だけだ。小銀貨10枚ほどあれば、最低限は揃うから、今から金を貯めておけば、夏までには何とかなるだろう」 「小銀貨10枚......。マインの真似して、貯めててよかった」 ルッツが呆然とした顔で呟く。母が糸を紡いで、服を作るものだったルッツにとっては、小銀貨10枚の服や靴が最低限と言われれば、衝撃だろう。 周囲に使う人がいなければ、丁寧な言葉を習得することは難しい。わたしは今、自分達の周りにいる人の中で、一番ルッツの参考になりそうな人を考えてみる。 「丁寧語はマルクさんの言葉遣いを参考にするといいよ」 「......う~、何かむず痒い感じがするんだよな」 でも、それができるようにならなければ、客の前には立てない。特にベンノの店はこれからどんどん貴族相手に商売を広げていこうとしている店だ。上に上がっていこうとすれば、身なり、言葉、作法を覚えていかなければならない。 「大丈夫。やってみればできるよ。ベンノさんだって、普段はこういう喋り方だけど、お客様相手にはきちんとしているんだから、ルッツも相手を見て切り替えられるようになればいいの」 ギルド長を相手にしても、ベンノが丁寧な言葉を喋っているところなんて見たことはないが、やろうと思えば簡単に切り替えられるはずだ。そうでなければ、商人なんて務まらない。 「......そういえば、そうだな。マインは普通に喋ってるからあまり気にしてなかった」 「だから、ルッツも仕事中だけ使う言葉として、マルクさんの言葉遣いを覚えてみたらどう? 最初は、です、とか、ます、を使うところから始めると......いいと思います」 「違うよ! そうします、って言うの」 「ぶはっ! ははははは!」 わたしとルッツのやり取りを目の前で見ていたベンノが豪快に噴きだして、テーブルを叩きながら笑いだした。目尻に涙を浮かべて、お腹を抱えて、馬鹿笑いしている。 「ぶふっ、冬の間にどれだけ底上げができるかは知らんが、まぁ、頑張ってみろ」 笑いを堪え切れていないベンノを軽く睨んでみても全く効果はない。絶対にビックリするくらい底上げしてやるんだ、と強い決意と共に拳を握る。 「底上げのために計算機が欲しいんです。こればかりは練習しないと身に付きませんから」 マルクなど、頭と指が同時に動いているように計算機が使える。そこまでのレベルには到達できないだろうが、そろばんだって練習が大事だ。 「計算機か......。ウチの店の中古でよければ、大銅貨6枚で売ってもいいぞ? 二人で一つの計算機を使うのでいいのか?」 「はい、お願いします」 ベンノとギルドカードを合わせて、わたしとルッツそれぞれから大銅貨3枚分ずつ引いてもらい、計算機を譲ってもらった。 「これで計算の勉強ができるね、ルッツ」 「他に聞くことや言うことはないか?」 「あ、春までに契約書サイズの 「発注書だけ書いておけ。もうマルクがわかっているから、マルクに行かせる」 「え? でも......」 発注は責任を持って自分でやらなければ、どんなトラブルが起こるかわからない、と色々なところに発注に行った時にマルクが言っていた。任せてしまうのはダメだろう。 促されたので、わたしはトートバッグから発注書セットを取り出す。発注書にする木札がもうあと1つしかない。 「ベンノさん、この発注用の木札がなくなりそうなんですけど......」 「あぁ、ずいぶん注文したからな。追加を渡しておこう」 「わぁ! ついでにインクもそろそろ切れそうなんです」 発注書を大量に書いたし、試作品を作るにはインクでの試し書きが必須だったので、かなり使った。 「......金を取りたいところだが、まぁ、いい。初期投資の方に入れておいてやる」 その言葉でハッとする。オットーは、インクは高いから、子供が使うような物ではないと言っていた。でも、具体的な値段を聞いたことはない。 「つかぬ事をお伺いしますが、お金を取られたら、インクって、おいくらですか?」 「ぅひっ!?」 今のわたしとルッツの貯金をかき集めても買えない! 「大事に使えよ」 「は、はい。もちろんです!」 自分の本作りのためにインクが欲しいなと思ったけれど、買うのは諦めよう。残っている煤鉛筆を使うのが一番だ。 ガリガリと発注書を書いていく。もう手慣れたものだ。木のペン先はすぐに丸くなってしまうので、ルッツに削って尖らせてもらい、ベンノに平均的な契約書を出してもらって、メジャーでサイズを測り、簀桁の発注書を書きあげた。 ベンノはわたしが書いた発注書を見て、軽く眉を上げる。 「不備も誤字脱字も全くないな。これはマルクに回しておく。......マイン、簀桁ができなくて、紙が作れなくて困るのは俺も同じだ。責任持って作るから、心配そうな顔をするな」 ベンノが責任を持つと言ってくれたのだから、安心して待っていよう。わたしはゆっくりと息を吐いて、発注書セットを片付ける。 「......これでお前達の話は終わりか?」 わたしが大きく頷くと、ベンノがスッと背筋を伸ばして、表情を引き締めた。商売に関係する話になることを察して、わたしとルッツも姿勢を正す。 「では、こちらの話をしたい。マイン、お前が教えてくれた髪を洗う液のことだ」 簡易ちゃんリンシャンの作り方は、紙の試作品を作っている途中で、鍵の貸し借りの時に教えたはずだ。わたしは契約魔術で完全に権利を放棄しているのに、今更何の話があるのか全くわからない。首を傾げると、ベンノが困ったような顔で口を開いた。 「お前が使う油はメリルが一番良いと言ったから、この季節まで待っていたんだが......」 「あれ? もうそろそろメリルの季節って終わりですよね? まだ作ってなかったんですか?」 メリルの季節はもうそろそろ終わりだ。ウチでもメリルはたくさん採って、すでに簡易ちゃんリンシャンになっている。利益を追求するベンノのことだから、もうとっくに作って、大量に売りさばいているものだと思っていた。 「いや、収穫されたものを集めて、ある工房で作らせているんだが、お前の言った通りに作っても、同じ物にならないという話が先日上がってきていてな。何か思い当たる原因がないか?」 ベンノの言葉に思わず眉を寄せた。基本的に潰して、搾って、香りを付けるだけだ。失敗するような箇所が見当たらない。 「......同じにならないって言われても、あれを作るのって、そんなに難しい過程なんてなかったよな?」 材料さえあれば、改善案はいくつかあるけれど、あんなに簡単なものを失敗する理由なんてわからない。トゥーリが作っても、ルッツが作っても、ちゃんと同じような物ができた。 「本当はお前の姿を出したくなかったのだが、あの液が完成しなければ、契約魔術に反することになる。悪いが一緒に工房まで来てもらっていいか?」 契約魔術は確か破った罰則がひどく厳しくて、最悪の場合、死ぬこともあったはずだ。我が身可愛さにすぐさま返事をすると、ルッツがわたしの腕をつかんだ。 「マイン、今日は止めておいた方が良いと思うぞ。熱が下がったばかりで、まだ本調子じゃないだろ?」 ルッツの言葉は正しいが、この季節は本調子になれることが少ない。少し油断したら、いつ熱が出てもおかしくない季節だ。熱がないのは元気だと判断しなければ、いつまでたっても行動できない。 「でも、本調子なんていつまで待てばいいかわからないし、ぼんやりしてると雪が降り始めちゃうから、熱がないうちに行った方がいいよ?」 「それはそうだけど、でもさ......」 心配するルッツの頭をポンポンとベンノが安心させるように、軽く叩く。 「......それなら、まぁ、大丈夫かな?」 失敗原因って、言われても、今まで失敗なんてしたことないもんね。 ちゃんとわかるかなぁ?

Lutz's Education Plan While I idly laze about in my bed, my fever returns, just like Lutz predicted. This fever, brought on by exhaustion, is mild, so all that happens is that my whole body feels heavy. Since this isn't the all-consuming fever of the devouring, I should be able to cure it with plenty of quiet bed rest. That, at least, has been what I've been thinking over the past three days. Although I'm getting increasingly irritated about my unbroken fever, I get scolded whenever I try to leave my bed on my own, so even though I'm sluggish from oversleeping I can't do anything but stay in bed. ...Aaaaaargh, so bored. Today is pig-slaughtering day. Unlike last year, I've managed to gain enough of my family's confidence that they're letting me stay here and watch the house by myself, so the headed out for that early in the morning. They made a sandwich for my lunch and filled everyone's cups with water and left them in the bedroom for me so that I would neither get too hungry nor get too thirsty without any way to deal with it. In this dead-silent bedroom, I technically could move around if I wanted to, but I know that all that would do for me is make my fever linger even longer, so I don't have any choice but to stay quietly in bed. However, with n.o.body to even talk to, there's no helping it: I am so, so bored. If only I had a book... I have a tremendous quant.i.ty of failed prototype paper with me, but I still haven't used it. All it's been doing since I've brought it home has been sitting in the box at the foot of my bed, neatly stacked to one side, gathering dust. Ever since we successfully finished our prototype, I've simultaneously been really busy and really fired up about wanting to make my first book. Above all, though, since these are failed prototypes, both the material quality and sizes are all over the place. While I do have some paper that's almost successful, I also have pieces that are such total failures that are badly ripped or crumbling to pieces. There's paper that's so thin that it's nearly see-through, to the point where I'm almost scared to touch it, and paper that we reinforced so much that it looks brittle enough to break. Out of the pieces that were almost perfect, the ones that got twisted when we tried to paste them up to dry out are still probably the easiest to use. If I were more skilled with my knife, I might be able to use the sheets that dried successfully but we couldn't remove without ripping big holes in them, but cutting out only the pieces of the page that are actually usable proved to be surprisingly difficult. I really want a tiny, slender blade with a very sharp cutting edge, like a hobby knife. That would be much easier to cut with. I think that if I wanted to make a book with this paper it would take a considerable amount of time. This winter I'll have a lot of extremely productive free time, it seems. ...Ah! Now that I think about it, even if I don't have a book, I have the board that Mister Benno gave me. I remember that, before my fever flared up, Benno told me that I should look this over when I returned home. I think that I'll probably be fine if I read it while lying in bed. I get up unsteadily, open the box that I keep my clothes in, and retrieve the approximately A4-sized board from my tote bag. Flopping back down on the bed, I start to read. "This is... the outline of a training course for new employees." It contains a listing of the minimum amount of knowledge that it's been decided that newly-entering apprentices should be taught. To break the contents down into broad categories, apprentices will need to know: How to look after their appearance and give proper greetings.How to write all of the fundamental letters and numbers.How to use a calculator.How to perform monetary exchanges to a certain degree.The list of commodities in which the shop trades.The names of the merchants that a.s.sociate with the shop. "Hmmm, the things the two of us can study ourselves are... writing, math, and monetary exchanges, I think. Everything below that is probably going to be taught to all of the new employees during training, so I think we can put it off for now..." As I monologue, mumbling, I start making study plans for the winter. First off, I wonder how many of the fundamental letters and numbers Lutz remembers? I taught them to him a while ago, but they're the kind of things that you tend to forget if you don't use. I'll need to verify what he's forgotten, then teach those to him again. Instead of practice sentences, I wonder how well it would work if I had him write out order forms, formal introductions, and so on? They're full of vocabulary words that he'll need for work, so I don't think there's much harm there. To be perfectly honest, I actually don't know how to write many words that aren't strictly work-related. Here, there's no dictionary, and the words that have been taught to me were either drilled into me by Otto so that I could help him with the budget or are merchant-related ones taught to me by Benno or Mark. I think I've got a solid grasp on my work-related vocabulary. However, I don't know how to write any common nouns or verbs. "As for using calculators, I know how to add and subtract, but I've never asked Mark about how to do multiplication or division on them so I don't know that yet, hmmm..." "I really want to teach Lutz first- through third-grade arithmetic, but I don't have either textbooks or workbooks, so teaching him is going to be really tough. Since I have to prioritize, I think the counting system and doing large monetary conversions is probably the biggest priority, and then getting him to do addition and subtraction, at least in the ones digit. Then, we can move on to the general concepts of multiplication and division... wait, can we actually do this over the winter?" Drilling in how to work with numbers takes three years, so of course doing all of it over the course of a single winter is impossible. As I let out a heavy sigh, I notice that my fever is wriggling around inside me, a pressure building up like it's about to burst open. I press my fingertips into my temples, gritting my teeth. I don't actually scream "don't come out," though. Imagining tightly s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g on a lid, I shut it back away, then breathe a sigh of relief. It hadn't been for very long, but fighting against the devouring has actually made me hungry. I reach over and pick up the sandwich my family had left for me. I take a big bite then, while I chew noisily, start thinking about personal appearance and greetings. "Now this is the biggest problem: looking after our appearance and giving proper greetings. Neither of us really know to what extent a merchant needs to prepare their appearance, or what kind of greetings and phrases are unique to merchants, if any..." I have some idea of what the work clothes, which we will have to buy, are like, having seen the various employees at both Benno's shop and the Merchant's Guild. I have no idea how much any of that would actually cost, so I'll need to verify that with Benno later. "Oh, h.e.l.lo, Maine! Did we wake you? How are you feeling?" "...Better, I think." Now that I'm awake, I actually feel very refreshed, so I think my fever's gone down. Tomorrow, I'll still be staying at home so we can wait and see, but the day after tomorrow I think I'll be able to move around again. The next day, Lutz, with a basket strapped to his back, stops by to pay me a visit on his way to the forest. Although my fever's gone down, today's another day in which I shouldn't be leaving my bed, so I'm extremely happy to have someone to talk to, even if it's only for a little bit. "Hey, Maine! I heard you're feeling better? Tory told me a little while ago, when she met me downstairs." "Yeah, since last night. I'm staying home all day today to make sure, but tomorrow I think I'll be able to go out." "Oh, okay! It's been a long time since you've been sick for so long, I was worried." It seems that both Lutz and my family have been very worried, since I haven't had a fever that's lasted this long in quite some time. "You missed helping prepare the pork this year, too." "Ahhh, it just can't be helped, this time of year." I've slowly become more-or-less used to going to the butcher's and seeing chickens get sliced up, but there's no way I can go along with the rest of the family thinking that I'm going to enjoy this once-per-year experience. I still can't even make myself want to partic.i.p.ate. I actually caught myself thinking that I was so lucky that it came and went while I was still stuck in bed with a fever. "Yesterday," I say, "I looked over the board that Mister Benno left us and put together an education plan for us. Tomorrow, I'd like to go to Mister Benno's shop, return this board, and ask him if I could buy a calculator, maybe..." "...Oh, that's right, what's on that board, anyway?" Lutz claps his hands together, apparently having only just remembered that the board even existed, and leans forward curiously. He looks like he's ready to listen to every word. "It's related to the education apprentices get. Lutz, how much of your letters and numbers do you think you remember?" "All the ones you taught me...?" he says, tilting his head doubtfully at me like the answer was obvious. Startled, I open my eyes wide. I didn't expect in the slightest that he'd completely remember everything. "What? Really?! You don't usually use them, but you haven't forgotten any?!" "...Well, you know, it's so rare for someone to be able to teach me things, so once I finally learned how to write, I didn't want to forget, so I kept writing on the ground or the wall with my finger, and then after I bought my slate I've been practicing on that ever since." "Lutz, that's amazing!" Lutz is an even harder worker than I thought. Wait, no; I've still been thinking that it's only natural that people get educated, and that it's easy to get any information you want whenever you want it. I wonder if this is too naive? I've never actually thought about not wanting to learn knowledge that I'd finally received. After all, if I ever forgot it, I could just get a book and read about it again. If I just remembered what kind of books I can find things in, then I could easily obtain, on demand, any information that I wanted. I've never had a need to memorize the entire contents of it before. "Nah, I'm not amazing at all. You're the amazing one, being able to read really large numbers like you can." "Then, I can teach you how to read big numbers too! Pick up that slate." I teach him about the ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, and ever-larger digits. The town marketplace uses three-digit numbers, so he can read those easily, but it seems he doesn't understand numbers larger than that. Holding the slate in place, I run through the digits until Lutz starts counting along with me. After reading them aloud many times, I write up a series of suitably large numbers on the slate. "Alright, question one. How do you read 78,946,215?" "Ummm, one, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million, so..." Lutz tackles each problem earnestly and, in no time at all, starts to be able to read numbers up to the ten millions. I wonder what's higher, his memory or his concentration skills? Lutz's specs are way higher than I thought they'd be. We'll be able to put a ton of effort into studying this winter. If he's this smart... there's not actually a single thing I can actually beat him in, is there? As I start feeling a little sorry for myself, Tory comes back up from downstairs, bringing a bucket of water from the well with her. When she sees Lutz, she shouts in surprise. "What the... Lutz?! Weren't you supposed to go to the forest? Everyone else left already, you know?!" "Yikes! Sorry, Maine. I gotta go! Thanks for teaching me!" Panicking, Lutz shoots to his feet, then dashes out the door. At that speed, he should be able to catch up to everyone else well before they even reach the gate. The next day, my family grants me permission to leave the house, so Lutz and I head out to Benno's shop in the afternoon, when he has the free time to meet with us. However, when we arrive, the entrance is closed, and a single guard stands quietly outside. "Huh?" I say. "I guess it's still lunchtime..." "Want to go back to the central square and sit down for a bit? Standing around the whole time would be really hard, right?" "Yeah, you're right. Finding someplace to sit down sounds like a really good idea right now." As the two of us discuss how we're going to kill the time, the guard beckons to us, as if he's completely recognized our faces. "I'll go ask the master if it's okay to let you two in. Would please you wait here for a moment?" "Maine, are you feeling better now?" Benno, who seems to have been in the middle of some work, sets aside his pen and ink and stands to greet us. "Yes, sir. I've come to return this board to you. I also have some questions I'd like to ask, is that okay?" "Sure, go ahead. I've got some things I'd like to talk with you about too, but you two go first." Benno gestures to the table we usually sit at, and prompts me to begin. "Thank you very much for lending me this," I say. "Thanks to it, I was able to form some ideas about a plan for studying during the winter." "Ummm, as I was reading it, a few questions occurred to me. I understand that taking care of our appearance and giving proper greetings is necessary, but to what degree do we need to take care of our appearance? Also, if merchants have any specific greetings or phrases, unfortunately neither of us actually know them." "To start with, although you two are commoners living near the south gate, you aren't grungy at all, so all you need to worry about is your work clothes. You can get the minimum for about ten small silver coins, so if you start saving now, then by the summer you could probably afford it." "Ten small silver coins...," mumbles Lutz, dumbfounded. "I'm so glad I copied Maine and saved some away..." To Lutz, whose mother spins thread and makes all of the clothes for her family, the concept of spending ten small silver coins on clothing and shoes comes as an enormous shock. I'm shocked as well, but clothing here is not something you get off the shelf. It's all made to order, so I thought that the price was going to be something around those lines. It's definitely very expensive, but it's still something that we could buy if we work very hard come springtime to earn money making paper. Lutz, having been singled out, is at a loss for words. Picking up how to speak politely is really difficult if n.o.body around him does it either. I try to think about who the best person for him to imitate would be, out of all the people we know. "You could use Mister Mark as a reference for speaking politely." "...Urrrgh, it makes me really kinda... itchy, though." I can sympathize with the unstable sort of feeling of being suddenly told to change one's manner of speech to something that's entirely unlike yourself. However, if he's unable to do so, he won't be able to stand out in the front of the shop. This is doubly true in Benno's shop, which is rapidly growing its base of n.o.ble clientele. If we want to climb to the top, we absolutely need to learn how to manage our appearance, our speech, and our manners. "That's okay," I rea.s.sure him. "You can do it if you try! You know how Benno usually talks one way, then in front of customers he's suddenly speaking very politely? It would be great if you could do the same thing when you're dealing with customers, too." Even though I've never actually seen Benno switch to a more polite manner of speech, even when talking to the guild leader, I'm certain that if he thought he had to, he could do it in a heartbeat. Otherwise, he'd be a terrible fit for a merchant. "Now that you say that... nah, I guess not. You talk normally to me, so I guess I never really noticed." "So, for the words you're going to be using just at work, why don't you try practicing how Mister Mark speaks? Start with things like addressing people as 'sir' and 'ma'am' and using 'please' and 'thank you' more often... I believe that would best, wouldn't you agree?" "Argh, no! I'm a girl, say 'ma'am'!" "Snrk! Gaahahahaha!" Benno, having watched our exchange, erupts in a belly-bursting laugh, slapping the table uproariously, wiping tears from his eyes and clutching his sides. "Ahaha... well, I have no idea how far you two can get over the winter, but keep at it, kids." He shows no sign of calming down, so I peer at him in mild disapproval, though it doesn't seem to do much. I clench my fist tightly, resolving that we're going to make so much progress this winter that he'll be shocked. This jogs my memory, and I remember the favor I wanted to ask of him. "I'd like a calculator so that I can work on learning how to use it. If I can't practice, I won't be able to really master it." Mark is capable of using his calculator very quickly, flicking beads around with his fingers while simultaneously thinking of the next steps. I probably won't be able to get quite as good as him, but for things like abacuses, practice is very important. "A calculator, hmm... If a secondhand one from my shop is alright with you, I can sell it for six large copper coins. How does that sound? Can the two of you share one?" "Yes sir, thank you very much." Lutz and I tap our guild cards together with Benno's, agreeing to pay him three coins each. He then gives us our new calculator. "We'll be able to study math with this, Lutz." "Did you have anything else you wanted to ask?" says Benno. "Ah, I'll need to order a new contract sheet-sized paper frame before springtime, if that's not too much trouble..." "Just fill out an order form. Mark already knows what you're looking for, he can go handle it." "Huh? But..." When we'd been going around to various places to place our orders, Mark had told us that if we weren't there ourselves to describe what we wanted, there's no telling what kind of trouble we might get ourselves into. I don't think leaving it all to him is the best idea. Urged onwards, I draw my ordering set out of my tote bag. By now, I'm down to a single board that I can use for ordering. "Mister Benno, it seems that I'm running out of boards for order forms..." "Yeah, you've done a lot of ordering, haven't you. I'll get you some more." "Whoa! I've almost run out of ink, too!" Not only have I written a lot of orders, but when we were working on our prototypes, it was necessary for me to use even more ink in order to test how easy it was to write on the paper. I've used quite a lot of it by now. When I say that, Benno's face tightens sharply. "...I want to charge you for this, but... well, whatever. I'll call this part of my initial investment." I'm a little shocked by this. Otto had said that ink was very expensive and thus not a child's plaything. However, I'd never heard how much it actually cost. Timidly, I ask, "If you'll pardon the digression, might I ask how much a bottle of ink would cost?" "Eek?!" Lutz and I couldn't afford it even if we sc.r.a.ped together everything we've saved so far! "Use it carefully," he warns me. "Y... yes, sir. Of course!" I'd been thinking that I wanted some ink of my own to use for my book-making project, but I think I'll have to give up on trying to buy it. Using my leftover soot pencils is probably my best bet. My pen scratches at the surface of the board as I write out my order. I'm very used to this by now. The tip of the pen quickly dulls, but Lutz immediately sharpens it again for me. I ask Benno to get an average-sized contract for me, use my tape measure to determine its size, and finish writing out the rest of the order. Benno looks over my completed form, then nods slightly. "No mistakes or spelling errors at all. I'll get this over to Mark. ...Maine, if you don't get that paper frame and can't make any paper, I'll be in just as much trouble as you. Don't worry about it, I'll make sure it's done right." I'm relieved to hear Benno say that he'll take responsibility for making sure it'll be made correctly. Breathing out slowly, I tidy up my ordering set. "...Is that all you wanted to talk about, you two?" Benno sits up straight, his expression going serious. Guessing that this is going to be a discussion about some sort of transaction, Lutz and I straighten up as well. "Well then, I've got something I'd like to ask as well. Maine, it's about the hair-was.h.i.+ng liquid you taught me how to make." I'd explained how to make it quite a ways back, when we were still in the middle of prototyping our paper, on one of the days where we were borrowing the key for the warehouse. I should have already told him everything. Since I've already relinquished all of my rights to it thanks to the contract magic, I have no idea whatsoever about what he could possibly have to ask after all this time. As I study him curiously, my head tilted to the side, his expression grows increasingly troubled as he opens his mouth to speak. "You told me that melil oil is best oil to use, so I've been gathering it until now, but..." "Huh? Shouldn't melil be almost out of season? Have you not made anything yet?" Lutz and I exchange glances. Melil should be about out of season. The two of us had gathered a lot of it already and made it all into simple shampoo. I would have thought that Benno, who is constantly seeking profit, would have started production a long time ago and would have sold a large quant.i.ty of it since then. "Well, I'd acquired a large crop of them, and had a workshop start making it, but the other day they came to me and said that it wasn't coming out right, even if they made it exactly the way you said. Can you think of any reason that might be?" I frown as I think about what he said. Fundamentally, the entire procedure boils down to just smas.h.i.+ng, then pressing, then mixing in scents. I can't think of any place in the process that could actually go wrong. I tilt my head to the side in confusion, as does Lutz, who has helped me make shampoo countless times. "...Even if they're saying it's not turning out right, if you're making simple shampoo, then... it's not a very difficult process, is it?" I have a ton of ideas on how to make it better, if I only had the ingredients, but in its current simple form, I can't think of a reason why it would ever fail. It always turned out the same no matter if it was me, Tory, or Lutz who was making it. "I really didn't want to bring you out, but if we don't manage to complete this, then this will turn into something the contract magic would have to deal with. Sorry, but could you come with me to the workshop?" If I recall correctly, the penalties for violating a magical contract are very severe. In the worst case, they could even mean death. As soon as I cutely chirp out my immediate response, though, Lutz grabs hold of my arm. "Maine, I think you should probably stop for today. Your fever's only barely just gone back down, and you're not all the way back to normal, right?" Lutz is correct, but in this season there's not going to be a whole lot of time where I'm actually at peak health. This is definitely a season where my fever could flare up at any point, if I'm even just a little bit unprepared. If just not having a fever doesn't count as being healthy, then I'd never be able to leave my house for anything. "But I don't know how long it'll take me to get totally healthy again, and if we let this go for too long then the snow is going to start falling, so we should go now, while my fever's down, right?" "Well, you're not wrong, but..." Benno pats Lutz's worried head rea.s.suringly. "Don't worry too much, Lutz. I'll carry her, so we won't be making her walk. Not like I can stand walking that slowly, anyway." "...Well, in that case, I guess it's okay, huh?" He asked me about what could have caused the failure, but I've never actually seen this fail before. I wonder if he really understood me?

本、入手不可能 「じゃあ、後はお肉ね。そろそろたくさん買って、塩漬けや燻製にしておかなくちゃ」 野菜や果物を買い終えた母が市場の奥の方へと入っていく。肉を売っているのは外壁に近い辺りに並んでいるらしい。 「なんでたくさん買うの?」 「冬支度しなくちゃいけないでしょ? この時期は、どの農家でも冬が越せるだけの家畜を残して、他を潰すから、一年で一番肉がたくさん売られる時期なのよ。動物達も冬籠りに向けて栄養を付けるから、脂の乗った美味しい肉が手に入るわ」 「......えーと、冬って、市場もなくなるものなの?」 「当たり前でしょ? 冬に採れる野菜なんてほとんどないじゃない。市場が開かれる回数はぐっと減るわよ」 考えてみれば当たり前だけれど、全く思いつかなかった。 「......冬支度なんて、したことないよ」 「何か言った?」 「ううん」 自宅で保存食作りかぁ。あの狭い家のどこに保存するんだろう? 物置だってそれほど広くないよね? 「......く、臭い」 「肉の匂いよ」 肉屋が近付くにつれて、異臭が強くなってくる。鼻を押さえながら歩くわたしの一歩前では当たり前のような顔で母が歩いていた。 肉ってこんなに臭かったっけ? うぅ、なんか嫌な予感がする。 鼻を押さえて口で息をしていても、口からはいりこんでくる空気が臭くて涙目になる頃、肉屋が立ち並ぶところにたどり着いた。 「ひぎゃあああぁぁぁ!」 「どうしたの、マイン!?」 正直、完全に解体されて、下手したら一口サイズに切れているパック入りの肉しか見たことがなかったわたしには、この世界の肉屋は刺激が強すぎた。 その時、豚が悲鳴を上げながら解体されるところが目に飛び込んできた。周囲には、楽しそうな笑顔の人々が集まっていて、豚が殺されるのを今か今かと待っている。 なんでみんなそんなに楽しそうなの? 小さく悲鳴を上げて、わたしは豚に最後の一撃が加わるより先に、その場で気絶した。 何かが口の中に流れ込んできた。 酒ですか!? いたいけな幼児に、どぎつい酒飲ませた馬鹿はどこのどいつでございましょうか!? 急性アルコール中毒になったらどうしてくれる!? くわっと目を開けると酒瓶を抱えた母親の姿があった。 「マイン、気が付いた? よかった。気付けが利いたのね」 「こほっ!......母さん?」 幼児にこんな強い酒飲ませるな! それも、ただでさえ病弱なのに、高熱で死にかけてやっと熱が下がったばっかりの病み上がり幼児だよ!? 殺す気!? 馬鹿なの!? 死ぬの!? 「さぁ、マイン。気が付いたなら、お肉を買いに行くわよ」 思わず首をぶるぶると振った。さっきの光景が完全に脳裏に焼き付いている。しばらくは夢に見そうな光景で、思いだすだけで鳥肌が立つのに、そんなところに行きたくない。 「......えぇっと、まだ気持ち悪くて......ここで座ってる。母さん、行ってきて」 「え? でも......」 渋る母を横目に、わたしはくるりと振り向いて、店のおばさんに頼みこむ。母に力づくで連行される前に、居場所の確保だ。 「あの、おばさん、ここで待たせてください。迷惑かけないように、じっと座ってます」 「小さいのにしっかりしたお嬢ちゃんだねぇ。酒も買ってもらってるし、いいよ。早く買い物を終わらせておいで。気持ち悪いと言ってる子供を連れ回して、また倒れたら大変だろ?」 おそらく母が気付け用の酒を買ったのだろう、お酒の屋台のおばさんが、カラカラと笑いながら軽く請け負ってくれる。 さっき口に入れられた強いアルコールが身体の中でぐるぐるしているような気がする。今、動き回るのは危険だ。たとえ急性アルコール中毒で倒れても、誰も原因に気付いてくれない、という意味で。 座り込んだまま、二つの店の商品をぼんやりと眺めていると、酒屋の方は丁度新しい果実酒が入荷される季節のようで、小さい樽に買っていく客が次々と現れる。それに対して、雑貨屋の方は客足も鈍い。 この世界の雑貨屋って一体何を売ってるんだろう? 雑貨屋に並ぶ商品を見てみると、大半がどうやって使うのか、わからないものだ。目の前にごちゃごちゃと並んでいる品物を指差して、おじさんに聞いてみる。 「嬢ちゃんはまだ使ったことがないか? 布を織る時に使うものじゃな。これは狩りに使う仕掛けじゃ」 客がいなくて暇らしいおじさんは、わたしが指差す一つ一つに答えをくれる。この街では日用品に数えられる品物はわたしが知らないものばかりだ。マインの記憶を探ってみても、あまり興味がなかったのか覚えは薄い。 へぇ、と感心しながら商品を眺めていると、ごちゃごちゃと並んだ雑貨の隅の方に、たった一冊だが、きっちりと装丁された分厚くて大きな背表紙が見えた。 本じゃない!? あれ、もしかして、本じゃない!? 本らしきを装丁を見つけた瞬間、ぱぁっと視界が薔薇色に染まっていく。どんよりと暗い雨雲が一気に払われたように、心が一気に明るく晴れ渡った。 「あぁ、本じゃよ」 やったー! とうとう見つけた! あったよ、本! たった一冊だけど、あった! 「おじさん、本を売ってるお店ってどこにあるか知ってる?」 「店? 店などないよ」 「......え? なんで? ここに売ってるのに?」 「本は著者から借りて書き写すもので、高価すぎてそうそう売り物になどならないからなぁ。これも、借金が返せなくなったお貴族様の質草で、まだ売り物じゃない。まぁ、もうじき売り物になるだろうが、こんなものを買いたいと思うのはお貴族様くらいじゃな」 お貴族様めっ! 異世界転生のテンプレ通り、貴族に生まれていれば、本が読めたのにっ! なんでわたし平民なのっ!? 軽くお貴族様に殺意が湧いた。生まれた時から本に囲まれているなんて恵まれ過ぎだ。どうしてくれよう。 「嬢ちゃんは本を見たのは初めてかい?」 おじさんの言葉に、わたしは本から目を離さず、何度も頷いた。 「買えないのはわかりきっているから、せめて、あの本、触らせてください。頬ずりしたい。せめて、くんかくんかして、インクの匂いだけでも満喫したいんですっ!」 と、誠心誠意お願いしたが、シーンと痛いほどの沈黙が満ちるだけで、何の返事も返ってこない。 「な、何を言っているのか、理解できんが......。嬢ちゃんに触らせるのは危険じゃな」 もう一度頼みこもうとしたところに、時間切れの声がかかった。 「マイン、お待たせ。行くわよ」 「母さん」 急いで誤解を解かなければ、せっかく肉屋へ行くことから匿ってくれて、本について教えてくれたのに、恩を仇で返すことになる。 「この辺が気持ち悪いの。母さん、さっき何飲ませたの? 起きてからずっと変なの」 「......あぁ、気付けの酒が利きすぎたのかもしれないねぇ。家に帰ったら水を飲んでおとなしくしてれば大丈夫よ」 母は納得したように頷くが、子供に酒を飲ませたことには何も思っていないらしい。グイッと手を引いて、わたしに帰るように促すだけだ。 「座らせてくれてありがとう」 お礼は忘れずにしないと精神的に落ち着かない。わたしの記憶から頭を下げる習慣はなかったようなので、ひとまず笑顔を振りまいておいた。 「マイン、まだ気持ち悪い?」 「......うん」 言葉少なに母と手を繋いでポテポテと家に向かって歩いて行く。帰宅途中の通りの店にも、やはり本屋は存在しない。 一日二日ご飯を抜いたところで、本さえあれば満足していた本狂いの麗乃に本なしの生活をしろというのは酷だと神様は思わなかったのだろうか。 せめて、貴族に転生できていれば......。くぅっ! 平民に転生なんて......神様、わたし、何か悪いことしましたか? 親に本が買える貴族になりたいなんて言っても、夢見る子供の可愛い呟きとして軽く流されるだろう。この家族に生まれたくなかったなんて言えない。 あまりにひどい環境に打ちひしがれるが、泣いていても本が手に入ることはないとさすがに学習した。本屋が存在しないのに、手に入るわけがない。 手に入らないなら、どうする? 自分で作るしかないでしょ? 本当は、この世界の本が欲しけれど贅沢は言えない。手っ取り早く自分の要求を叶えるため、こちらの文字を覚えるのはちょっと後回しにして、まだ覚えている日本語で本を作ろう。

Books: Impossible to acquire. "Now then, last on the list is meat. We're going to get a lot of it, and then we're going to need to salt it, or maybe smoke it..." My mother, finished with buying our fruits and vegetables, heads towards the center of the market. There, it seems like the meat sellers are lined up against the outer wall. "Why are we buying so much?" I ask. "We have to prepare for winter, you know?" replies my mother. "Around this time of year, the farmers all have to bring their livestock in for the year. Anything that won't make it through the winter gets butchered, so this time of the year is when the most meat is sold. The animals have also been eating a lot to prepare for winter, so their meat is very fatty and delicious." "...Umm, in the winter, does the market go away too?" "Of course it does, you know? There aren't very many vegetables gathered during the winter, so the market isn't open very often." Now that I think about it, it's obvious, but the thought hadn't occurred to me at all. In j.a.pan, before greenhouse cultivation became commonplace, vegetables were sold seasonally, and before distribution methods were developed, they were all grown locally. You can keep food fresh for long periods of time with freezers or refrigerators, but before those things existed, you needed to actually preserve the food in your house. "...I've never actually prepared for winter," I mumble. "Did you say something?" asks my mother. "Nuh-uh." Preserving food at home, huh... Where in that tiny apartment are we going to preserve anything? That storage room isn't nearly big enough, right? Man, I'm glad that I'm a such a little girl; I'm so small that I'd only get in the way if I tried to help, so I'm not going to be scolded when I don't. "...Erk, it stinks!" "That's the smell of meat!" The stench grows unbearable as we approach the butchers. I pinch my nose to stop the smell, but my mother keeps walking forward, looking like this was nothing out of the ordinary. Meat's supposed to smell like this? Ughhh, I've got a bad feeling about this... Even though my nose is plugged, the air is so foul that the very taste of it makes my eyes water as I finally arrive at the row of butchers' shops. On the counters, aside from the bacon and ham I expected, legs of meat are lined up, still attached to the feet and recognizable as animal parts. Inside the shop, dead animals, drained of blood, swing from the rafters. Bunnies and birds line the shelves, their eyes wide open and their tongues lolling out of their mouths. "Gyaaaaaaah!!" I scream. "What's wrong, Maine?!" To be honest, for someone like me, who's only ever seen raw meat after it's already been completely disa.s.sembled, cut up into little pieces, and put in packs, the butchers' shops of this world are a little too over-stimulating. All the hairs on my body stand on end, tears stream down my face, and I screw my eyes shut to block out the awful sight. The single glimpse I caught, though, remains fixated with my mind, and won't go away no matter how much I want to forget it. My mother shakes me side to side. At that instant, a pig screams as its dissection begins, and my eyes snap open. Smiling people have gathered around me, watching and waiting eagerly as an animal is murdered right in front of them. Why do you look like this is fun, people? Why are you smiling so much?! Stop it! Stop it stop it! This is terrifying!! The pig squeals out one final time as the knife rams home. My own small cry joins it, and I faint on the spot. Something's being poured into my mouth. It's a harsh, astringent,extremely stimulating liquid that smells like strong alcohol. Since I'm not quite awake enough to drink it properly, it flows straight down my windpipe. I leap to my feet, my eyes wide open, and start an enormous coughing fit. Is this actual alcohol?! What unbelievable idiot would dare force such a powerful spirit down the throat of such a helpless and innocent young child?! What would you do if I'd gotten alcohol poisoning?! My mother is next to me, holding a bottle of alcohol. "Maine, are you awake? Ahh, that's a relief, I'm so glad that I could wake you up." "Cough! ...Mommy?!" Don't shove such a strong alcohol down the throat of a small child!! And especially do not do so to a child who not only has a weak const.i.tution, but has also just finally recovered from a fever so high that you thought she would die!! Are you trying to kill me?! Are you an idiot?! Do you want me to die?! "Alright then, Maine. Now that you're awake, let's go back and get that meat." A shudder ripples through me. That horrifying spectacle has already been seared into my memory. It flashes before my eyes like a daydream, and just the memory of it gives me gooseb.u.mps. I do not want to go back there. This woman, she used strong alcohol to revive a young girl, and now she's taking the girl who literally just fainted at the sight of the butcher and dragging her back to the butcher... could it be that she's a brute? "...Ummmm, I still don't feel good," I say. "I'm gonna stay here. Mommy, go ahead!" "Eh? But..." I give my hesitant mother a sidelong glance, then spin in place to face the lady running the shop. I need to secure my position before she drags me away. "Excuse me, but could you let me wait here?" I say to the shopkeep. "I'm not going to be any trouble, I'll just sit right here." "Oh, you're very level-headed for such a little girl," she replies, with a dry, crackling laugh. "Your mother did just buy some liquor, so I'll let you stay for a bit. It would be awful if I kicked out a little girl who wasn't feeling well and she had another accident, right? Take care of your shopping, ma'am, I'll watch her for you." It seems that this woman is the proprietor of this liquor stall, from where my mother just bought the alcohol she used to revive me. The old man from the general store next door seems to have taken pity on me as well, and he waves me over. He motions me to a spot behind and between the two stalls and helps me sit down. It feels like the liquor that was poured down my throat is churning around inside me. Right now, moving around too much would be dangerous. If, for instance, I were to collapse from acute alcohol poisoning, n.o.body else would be able to figure out why. While sitting down, I idly look over the contents of the two shops. The liquor stand seems to have received a new s.h.i.+pment of cider, just in time for its most popular season, and customers come one right after the other to buy little casks of it. The general store, on the other hand, doesn't have nearly as many customers. Just what does a general store sell in this world? I look over the various goods that are lined up for sale, but for the most part I have no idea what I'm looking at. "Oh, have you not used one of these before, little missy? This is what you use when you're weavin' cloth. Oh, and this one's used for huntin'." Since he doesn't have any customers at the moment, the old man gladly explains what each thing does as I point at it in succession. There's so much stuff here that's used in daily life around here that I just don't know anything about. I dig through Maine's memories, but she either wasn't very interested in these things or she never really learned about them. As I look around the items jumbled on the shelves in admiration, I notice something in the far corner. It may be just a single volume, but I definitely see the spine of some ma.s.sive, bulky tome. It's the kind of binding that I'd usually only see behind a gla.s.s case in a library, with a leather cover and fine gold caps on each of the corners. It's so huge that I don't think I'd be able to even hold it. ...That's a book! That, don't tell me, that's a book, right?! The instant I laid eyes on the spine of that book, color blasted back into my world. The heavy clouds that had weighed down on my mind were instantly driven away, and my very spirit was brightened in a moment. "Ahh, that's a book!" Yessss! I finally found one! Books, they exist! It might just only be one, but they exist! "Hey, mister, where can I find a store that sells books?" "A store for books? There's no store like that." He gives me a what-the-h.e.l.l-is-this-kid-talking-about look, and my excitement drops down a couple of notches. There's books, so why are there no bookstores? "...Huh? Why? You're selling one here." "Books are only made when people transcribe them from the author's original work, so they're far too rare and valuable to just sell on the market. Even this one here ain't actually for sale, it's bein' held as collateral for someone in the aristocracy. Well, if he don't come back soon, I guess I'll have to sell it, but the buyer'll probably be another aristocrat." Aristocrats!! If I were actually following the reborn-into-a-parallel-universe trope, I would have been born into the n.o.bility! I would be able to read! Why am I just a commoner?! Thoughts of slaughtering the aristocracy flash through my mind. They're surrounded by books from the minute they're born. What have they done to deserve such a blessing? "Little missy, is this the first book you've ever seen?" I tear my eyes away from the book, nodding vigorously in reply to the old man's question. Yes, this is the first book I've ever seen in this world. On top of that, they're not usually for sale, and there's no bookstores, and there's a very good chance that such a chance encounter may never ever happen again. ...and, so!! "It may be obvious that I cannot buy that book, but, at least, let me touch it! Let me rub my face against it! At the very least, let me sniff it, let me breathe in the scent of its ink! Just that would be enough!!" ...The silence that filled the air after my heartfelt request was almost to painful to bear, yet the shopkeeper gave no reply. Timidly, I raise my head to look up at him. For some reason, he looks like he's swallowed a bug, or maybe like he's spotted some unbelievably disgusting pervert. Shock and disgust play across his face as he looks down at me. "I... don't know if I'm really understandin' what you mean, but... I think it might be dangerous for me to let you touch that." I start to reiterate my pa.s.sionate request, but my time is apparently up. "Maine, I'm done!" says my mother. "Let's head home." "Mommy..." I jump between them and shake my head vigorously. "N... nothing! Nothing!" If I don't clear this misunderstanding up immediately, then I'd be just heaping more problems on the kind old man who let me take shelter in his shop and taught me about books. That's no way to return a favor. "I don't feel too good. Mommy, what did you make me drink? I've been feeling really funny since I woke up." "......Ahhh, maybe the liquor I used to wake you up was a little too effective. Let's get you home, get you some water, and get you a nice quiet place to rest. You'll be all right." My mother nods her head in understanding, but it doesn't look like she's thinking at all about whether or not it was a bad idea to have given alcohol to a child in the first place. She takes my hand, and with a tug starts pulling me back towards home. I look behind me as I walk away, and smile my biggest smile at the two shopkeepers. "Thanks for letting me sit down!" I didn't bow, like I'm accustomed to, but not because I'm emotionally compromised. Rather, I don't remember actually seeing anyone bowing their heads, so I don't think that's the custom here. For now, I'll just keep smiling. A great smile is indispensable when dealing with other people, and from the way they're smiling and waving back, it looks like my guess was correct. "Maine, are you still feeling bad?" asks my mother. "...Yeah." We don't say very much as we trudge home, hand in hand. I look at the shops along our route home, and, of course, there aren't any bookstores. My goal for today of coercing my mother into getting me a children's book and maybe learning a few letters has ended in complete failure. Even though this city is home to the lord of the land, even though we are surrounded by such spectacular walls, there's no bookstore here. If books truly aren't for sale, even here, then there might not be a bookstore anywhere in the world. I'm in despair. I had never thought that G.o.d could be so cruel as to force me, Urano Motosu, the book enthusiast who could go a day or two without eating as long as she had a book to read, to live a life bereft of books. At least, why wasn't I born a n.o.blewoman... Sniff! To reincarnate me as a peasant... G.o.d... what did I do to earn this hatred? Even if I say that I want my parents to become n.o.bility so that they can buy me books, those are just childish fantasies. I'd never say that I don't want to have been born into this family. Really, though, I want to be an aristocrat. If I can't be an aristocrat, I at least want enough money to be able to buy all the books out of a disgraced aristocrat's estate. I may be stuck in this awful environment, but I know for a fact that no matter how hard I cry, it's not going to get me a book. If there aren't any bookstores, I can't buy a book. So, how am I going to get one? I'm just going to have to make them myself, aren't I? Really, what I truly want are books from this world, but that's an unreasonable luxury. In order to fulfill my most urgent desires, I'm going to have to put off learning how to read the language here. Instead, I'll make books in j.a.panese, which I already know.