《Guardians of the Prince》 CH 1.1 The early summer sunlight weakened a bit as the day wore into evening, and a refreshing breeze started to blow. The hotel courtyard had been transformed into a forest, with light snacks and drinks set out on long thin tables in the shade of the trees. Invited guests milled about, waiting with drinks in hand for the new bride and groom to appear. The Hino family ¨C the bride¡¯s side ¨C chatted happily with one another, and I stood beside a white birch with my aunt, making conversation as we waited for them. ¡°What a nice ceremony that was. You must be relieved Koaya finally managed to get married.¡± My aunt, in full formal kimono, tilted her champagne flute, and flashed a meaningful smile at me. ¡°It might take a bit of the load off of your shoulders too, Koume, since you¡¯ve been basically acting mother? It¡¯s your turn to find happiness now. Is there anyone good on the horizon?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I mean, the youngest is still around, and a terror,¡± I answered, noncommittally. The truth was that we¡¯d lost our mother at a young age, and I still wanted to look after my youngest sister. Well, there were other reasons too, but¡­ My aunt stared at me, her eyes open a bit wider. ¡°Really? You don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get married until Nanao¡¯s bigger? But she¡¯s still¨C¡± ¡°Hey sis!¡± I heard myself being called and turned around to find my youngest sister Nanao running down the hotel hallway. She leapt down into the garden, the sleeves of her polka dot summer dress fluttering. I excused myself from my aunt¡¯s company and rushed over to Nanao. ¡°Stop running! You¡¯re not recovered yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine! It doesn¡¯t hurt at all anymore!¡± Nanao hopped up and down a bit to show me. She was in the third grade, and had sprained her ankle during gym class the other day. "" ¡°Well, alright I guess,¡± I said. ¡°You were gone long enough, was there a line in the bathroom?¡± Nanao sighed. ¡°Yeah. Oh good, I¡¯m in time for Sissy Aya to throw the bouquet!¡± She grinned. When she smiled, she looked just like our late mother. Nanao called me, the eldest daughter, ¡°Sis,¡± and the next eldest, Koaya ¡ª today¡¯s new bride ¡ª she called ¡°Sissy Aya.¡± She used to call us other cute little nicknames, but recently, she¡¯d suddenly dropped them. That wasn¡¯t all she¡¯d dropped¡­ When she¡¯d sprained her ankle, she¡¯d managed to hide it from me for a while, in an effort not to bother me. She was still young enough that she should have been good at getting babied, but after a certain incident she¡¯d suddenly started pushing herself in an attempt to become an adult. ¡°You want the bouquet? You¡¯re still in elementary school, what are you going to do with it?¡± I asked, in a deliberately bright voice, but Nanao shook her head. ¡°No, I want to watch you catch it, sis.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yeah. Sissy Aya said she was going to throw it in your direction.¡± Koaya was two years younger than me, twenty three. Wasn¡¯t there something a little off about an older sister getting the bouquet from her younger sister? ¡°You absolutely have to catch it, sis.¡± Nanao had her fists clenched, and I suddenly let a bitter smile slip. I had just gotten over the demise of a painful relationship a few months ago. Koaya and Nanao were no doubt trying to keep my spirits up. Catching the bride¡¯s bouquet means you¡¯ll have a happy marriage, after all. I was, of course, overjoyed that Koaya was getting married. She¡¯d been captivatingly beautiful in church today, pledging her future to the person she loved with the sounds of the organ in the background. But seeing her so happy like that did bring back my own bitter memories. My sister¡¯s happiness made me feel drab by comparison, and ill-at-ease in my own sorrow. Honestly, I wanted to give them my blessings without any reservations, like the cloudless blue sky we¡¯d had today, but I just couldn¡¯t. A noise went up from the crowd, and I came back to myself. When I looked up, the long-awaited bride and groom had finished changing their clothes, and had just made their appearance on the hotel¡¯s second floor balcony. Koaya was wearing an expensive cocktail dress of black lace layered on a white base. I¡¯d been there when she¡¯d chosen the dress, and the both of us had taken one look at it and said, ¡®This is the one!¡¯ It fit her personality perfectly. Maybe I¡¯m a bit partial as her big sister, but Koaya is a stylish beauty, just like our father, and chic tones suited her perfectly. Our eyes met, and she tilted her head to one side, and grinned. She looked like someone else entirely. She turned to me and stuck out her chin, like she was telling me to come to the front of the crowd. The sense of purpose in her eyes was incredible. ¡°Honestly, get up there!¡± Nanao said, pushing me forward, sassy little thing. ¡°Take the bouquet, and go find yourself a boyfriend already. Even if you have to elope!¡± She stood me in line immediately behind friends and colleagues of the bride. The bride turned around, and got herself into position. She glanced back for a moment, and I knew she was making sure I was there. ¡°I get it, I get it. I¡¯ve gotta catch the bouquet and find happiness too,¡± I said, smiling wryly. Nanao screwed a smile to her face like she was worried about something but determined to give it her all nonetheless. ¡°That¡¯s right. And then next time, I¡¯ll catch your bouquet!¡± I nodded to her with a smile of my own, and looked up to the balcony. Putting up fronts for each other¡­ I had to pull myself out of this quick. Maybe if I caught it, I really could throw off all these heavy emotions and find a new love. And then Nanao would feel better too. A bouquet of white roses flew through the air. The lace ribbon fluttered. And just as I reached out with both hands¡­ Suddenly everything went silent. Wait, what? Am I in the water? Clear ripples spread over my field of vision, like when you dive into a pool and look up at the surface of the water. Just as I thought I felt my hand touch the bouquet, something thin and hot suddenly wrapped around my left wrist. Immediately after that, the sound came back. The roaring wind¨C No wait, it was sort of like glowing water coiled into whirlpools¨C I heard the guests screaming, but only in patches. I had the sensation of my left arm being yanked hard. When I reflexively tightened my grip on the bouquet, my legs started floating. My body was caught in a whirlpool and suddenly I didn¡¯t know which way was up. I felt like I was having the longest, weirdest dream. I felt like I was drifting around in the water, and I could hear voices from a long way off, a higher pitch and a lower pitch. And then¨C ¡°Woah!¡± A shock ran up my back and I woke up. A thin blanket was wrapped around me, and I couldn¡¯t move. I rolled slightly to the right, and bumped into a wooden bed. I must have been tossing and turning in my sleep and fell onto the floor. ¡°Where¡­ am I?¡± I managed to pull my arms out of the blanket and sit up. I moved slowly. For some reason, my head felt incredibly heavy. Looking around, I was in a room about 6 tatami in size, with light-colored timber on the ceiling, the walls, and the floor. Light shone in through the curtains, illuminating a chest made of the same wood as the room. The soft light was strangely dazzling, and I squinted. This wasn¡¯t my room. I¡¯d been attending my sister¡¯s wedding, so this must be the hotel, right? Was this a hotel room? I must have collapsed and they¡¯d carried me up here, I guessed. But it was a bit shabby for a hotel room¡­ Maybe it was an outbuilding or a cottage or something? Confused, various thoughts floated through my head one after the other and then disappeared. Still sitting on the floor, I shut my eyes. Calm down, calm down. Okay, I certainly had gone to the hotel. And I¡¯d attended the ceremony at the church on the grounds there. And after that¡­ Right, Koaya threw the bouquet in the courtyard before the reception. But as I was catching the bouquet, I felt a yank, like a tuna on a fishing rod¡­ There was nothing in my memories that could serve as a reference. So in the end, what the heck happened? I looked down, crestfallen, and my own two hands came into my field of view. There were three pale green bands on my left wrist, right where I¡¯d felt something wrap around me in that moment. I held my hand out and changed the angle. They glittered when the light hit them, and they were so small I couldn¡¯t really tell, but the rows seemed to be packed with strange, thin characters, and even when I rubbed, they wouldn¡¯t come off. ¡°I can¡¯t make heads or tails of it, but for the moment, it seems like I missed the reception, at least.¡± The reception was scheduled to start in the evening, but judging by the light coming in through the window, it seemed to be morning already. My stomach gurgled. Thinking I¡¯d better get to a place where I could eat something, I put my hands on the bed and stood myself up, and this time, my eyes caught on something absurd. Sleeping quietly on the bed¡­ was a naked baby. Oh, lucky, it was a boy¡­ Wait a minute!! This time, I really did panic. Why was I sleeping with a baby!? ¡°Mmmmmom? Where is this kid¡¯s mom!?¡± "" I stood up in a hurry and caught my foot on the blanket on the floor and started to take a tumble, but I managed to stay upright by flapping around and landing both hands on the floor, after which I opened the door and ran out of it. The place I came out into was a small combined dining room and kitchen, with the same planks again on the floor and the walls and the low ceiling. There were two benches at a table made of the same material. And along the wall was a black¡­ was that a wood burning stove!? Also a small workspace and shelf, a porcelain sink, and cupboards built into the walls. I could see at a glance that no one else was here, so I rushed to yet another door and opened that one. Woah¡­ I was enveloped by calming sunlight, and a gentle breeze that smelled of greenery. I was in a large basin. The wide grasslands formed a clear bowl shape, and flowers bloomed here and there among occasional short bushes. The shallow bowl was about twenty meters in radius. The surrounding area was 360 degrees of forest, the interior of which was so dim I couldn¡¯t see into it. At the bottom of the bowl, a single giant tree thrust upwards toward the heavens. The trunk was white like a Japanese Birch, and faintly transparent, so from this angle, I could see through to the other side ¨C what a mysterious tree. At its base, a small spring gurgled, and I could see one part of the tree¡¯s roots sinking into the clear water. Stairs started beside the spring, and bent nearly back on themselves along the trunk, ascending all the way to a very thick branch. Atop that branch, on the balcony of the treehouse which was built jutting out over top of the spring, stood me. How stunned could a person get? Just then, I heard a wailing noise. Realizing it was the baby crying, I jumped. "" When I ran back into the bedroom, the baby was indeed crying on the bed, his face all crumpled. I cautiously picked him up, and he stopped crying, but I knew if any of the various calls of nature had occurred, he¡¯d start complaining again. That¡¯s right¡­ I¡¯d been taking care of Nanao since she was born, I knew how to do this. When baby needs help, you don¡¯t hesitate! Looking for mom or dad could wait! ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry,¡± I muttered unreasonably, as I hunted through every box and cupboard in the room. I discovered something that looked like a cloth diaper and some underpants, and put them on him, and that must have calmed him down because he started to fall asleep again on the bed. Aw, that¡¯s nice¡­ I¡¯d have to use this break to develop some countermeasures. There were some porcelain jars lined up alongside the baby bottles on top of the kitchen counter. When I opened them, there was a finely ground white powder inside, so I gave it a shot and took a taste, and it turned out to be powdered milk. A pulley system had been installed on the ceiling in the corner of the kitchen, with ropes and wooden buckets hung from it, and a trapdoor in the floor below. I opened the trapdoor and peeked inside, and it went straight down to the spring. If there was a whole system here to draw water, it was probably potable. And there weren¡¯t any water faucets or anything like that. I didn¡¯t know who owned this treehouse, but judging from the fact that they seemed to have prepared everything we¡¯d need, and that neither one of us had been harmed, I figured I might as well have faith in what they¡¯d left here. ¡°Nevermind that, how am I supposed to use this dumb thing!¡± Starting to get desperate, I leaned over the stove¡¯s chimney. So how was I supposed to use this thing? I mean listen, this isn¡¯t some kind of anime where some magical girl with a giant ribbon on her head sets out to use a wood burning stove instead of her broken oven. I wish I could do that. Logs and matches had been set beside the stove, along with some twigs I could use for kindling, so I set about starting a fire. Wait, there¡¯s another door, not the door you put the logs in? This isn¡¯t an anime! I tried some different things later, and realized that the other door was so you could let more air into the fire and scrape out the ashes and stuff, but at the time, I just opened whatever door felt right and started up a sort of tiny bonfire. The ventilation was the only thing I got right, but I ladled some water into a heavy iron pan, set it on the stove, and boiled it. I grabbed a mug at random from the cupboard, put some of the powdered milk in it, and poured in the hot water. I gave it a taste for myself and¡­ Yeesh that¡¯s sweet. But powdered milk does taste like that, I guess, so a strong flavor would be just about right. I looked after my own stomach for a while, and just as I was starting to wonder how baby was doing, he started screaming like he was on fire! ¡°Yes, yes, I hear you, have this!¡± The bottle was just a normal glass baby bottle. I sat down on the bench and managed awkwardly to get the baby to drink, and I was finally able to get a careful look at the child. His hair hadn¡¯t grown much yet, but it was a glittering golden or maybe bright brown color. I still hadn¡¯t seen him open his eyes yet, so I gently pulled an eyelid up ¨C ¡°Excuse me just a sec,¡± I said to him ¨C and his eyes were a beautiful¡­ deep blue. A foreign baby then, huh? His face was so cute, he could have been a baby model or something. But he was so tiny. His arms and legs, and that thin neck, he was still wobbly. He couldn¡¯t have been that old at all, how long had it even been since he was born? ¡°What happened to your mama, little prince?¡± I remembered one of my girl friends called her son ¡°Our little prince,¡± so I decided to call this baby who was gulping down his milk the same for now. We took a break, and I looked around. Dried flowers hung above the kitchen window. It was the first time I¡¯d seen anything decorative in this room, and when I looked closer, I realized they were roses. The lace ribbon around them looked familiar¡­ "" It was the bouquet Koaya had thrown! How much time had passed since my little sister¡¯s wedding anyway? Long enough for a bouquet to turn to dried flowers? Now that I looked, my hair was down to my shoulders, which was longer than I remembered it. I¡¯d been wearing a lavender party dress that day, but now I was in a long, khaki-colored cotton apron over a white cotton shirt with three-quarter-sleeves. If there¡¯d been a few more decorations in here, I¡¯d have given off some serious cottagecore vibes. I seemed to be wearing cotton underpants too, of an excessively basic shape. Had I changed my clothes? I didn¡¯t remember doing so. So, someone changed my clothes for me? I didn¡¯t remember that either. Had I developed some kind of amnesia, maybe? That was when an even more astounding idea flashed through my mind. No way, this baby? ¡°I didn¡¯t give birth, did I!?¡± No no no no! At least, I¡¯d like to believe not, but it wasn¡¯t totally impossible, was it. Depending on how much time had passed. Okay, so let¡¯s suppose that once I received the bouquet, a nice guy showed up immediately, in what would clearly be a miracle, and he was a foreigner, and then we tied the knot before anybody knew what was going on, and I got pregnant and gave birth, and after that I developed amnesia. So about ten months would have passed? While I was puzzling all that out, the prince fell asleep drinking his milk. When I gently, carefully lifted the bottle from his mouth, the prince made little sucking motions with his mouth like he was looking for a nipple, but it was just for an instant, and he went limp again without waking, and started to breathe quietly in his sleep. Oh, he fell asleep before I could burp him. I seemed to recall he¡¯d be okay without it? But I couldn¡¯t really remember. It had been nine years since I helped out with Nanao. I was a little worried, so when I put him to bed, I turned his face gently to one side, so if he did spit up any milk, it wouldn¡¯t get stuck in his throat. Alright, now that I¡¯d calmed down, I quickly tucked up the pinafore I was wearing, and the shirt too, and did a careful inspection of my stomach, since no one was around. And then I sighed in relief. The prince was a newborn no matter how you looked at him, and if I was a new mother who¡¯d just given birth, there¡¯s no way my stomach would have gone flat again like this so soon. My friends all had to go on some kind of postpartum diet or something. So then where on earth did this kid come from¡­? CH 1.2 The early summer sunlight weakened a bit as the day wore into evening, and a refreshing breeze started to blow. The hotel courtyard had been transformed into a forest, with light snacks and drinks set out on long thin tables in the shade of the trees. Invited guests milled about, waiting with drinks in hand for the new bride and groom to appear. The Hino family ¨C the bride¡¯s side ¨C chatted happily with one another, and I stood beside a white birch with my aunt, making conversation as we waited for them. ¡°What a nice ceremony that was. You must be relieved Koaya finally managed to get married.¡± My aunt, in full formal kimono, tilted her champagne flute, and flashed a meaningful smile at me. ¡°It might take a bit of the load off of your shoulders too, Koume, since you¡¯ve been basically acting mother? It¡¯s your turn to find happiness now. Is there anyone good on the horizon?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I mean, the youngest is still around, and a terror,¡± I answered, noncommittally. The truth was that we¡¯d lost our mother at a young age, and I still wanted to look after my youngest sister. Well, there were other reasons too, but¡­ My aunt stared at me, her eyes open a bit wider. ¡°Really? You don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get married until Nanao¡¯s bigger? But she¡¯s still¨C¡± ¡°Hey sis!¡± I heard myself being called and turned around to find my youngest sister Nanao running down the hotel hallway. She leapt down into the garden, the sleeves of her polka dot summer dress fluttering. I excused myself from my aunt¡¯s company and rushed over to Nanao. ¡°Stop running! You¡¯re not recovered yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine! It doesn¡¯t hurt at all anymore!¡± Nanao hopped up and down a bit to show me. She was in the third grade, and had sprained her ankle during gym class the other day. ¡°Well, alright I guess,¡± I said. ¡°You were gone long enough, was there a line in the bathroom?¡± Nanao sighed. ¡°Yeah. Oh good, I¡¯m in time for Sissy Aya to throw the bouquet!¡± She grinned. When she smiled, she looked just like our late mother. Nanao called me, the eldest daughter, ¡°Sis,¡± and the next eldest, Koaya ¡ª today¡¯s new bride ¡ª she called ¡°Sissy Aya.¡± She used to call us other cute little nicknames, but recently, she¡¯d suddenly dropped them. That wasn¡¯t all she¡¯d dropped¡­ When she¡¯d sprained her ankle, she¡¯d managed to hide it from me for a while, in an effort not to bother me. She was still young enough that she should have been good at getting babied, but after a certain incident she¡¯d suddenly started pushing herself in an attempt to become an adult. ¡°You want the bouquet? You¡¯re still in elementary school, what are you going to do with it?¡± I asked, in a deliberately bright voice, but Nanao shook her head. ¡°No, I want to watch you catch it, sis.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yeah. Sissy Aya said she was going to throw it in your direction.¡± Koaya was two years younger than me, twenty three. Wasn¡¯t there something a little off about an older sister getting the bouquet from her younger sister? ¡°You absolutely have to catch it, sis.¡± Nanao had her fists clenched, and I suddenly let a bitter smile slip. I had just gotten over the demise of a painful relationship a few months ago. Koaya and Nanao were no doubt trying to keep my spirits up. Catching the bride¡¯s bouquet means you¡¯ll have a happy marriage, after all. I was, of course, overjoyed that Koaya was getting married. She¡¯d been captivatingly beautiful in church today, pledging her future to the person she loved with the sounds of the organ in the background. But seeing her so happy like that did bring back my own bitter memories. My sister¡¯s happiness made me feel drab by comparison, and ill-at-ease in my own sorrow. Honestly, I wanted to give them my blessings without any reservations, like the cloudless blue sky we¡¯d had today, but I just couldn¡¯t. A noise went up from the crowd, and I came back to myself. When I looked up, the long-awaited bride and groom had finished changing their clothes, and had just made their appearance on the hotel¡¯s second floor balcony. Koaya was wearing an expensive cocktail dress of black lace layered on a white base. I¡¯d been there when she¡¯d chosen the dress, and the both of us had taken one look at it and said, ¡®This is the one!¡¯ It fit her personality perfectly. Maybe I¡¯m a bit partial as her big sister, but Koaya is a stylish beauty, just like our father, and chic tones suited her perfectly. Our eyes met, and she tilted her head to one side, and grinned. She looked like someone else entirely. She turned to me and stuck out her chin, like she was telling me to come to the front of the crowd. The sense of purpose in her eyes was incredible. ¡°Honestly, get up there!¡± Nanao said, pushing me forward, sassy little thing. ¡°Take the bouquet, and go find yourself a boyfriend already. Even if you have to elope!¡± She stood me in line immediately behind friends and colleagues of the bride. The bride turned around, and got herself into position. She glanced back for a moment, and I knew she was making sure I was there. ¡°I get it, I get it. I¡¯ve gotta catch the bouquet and find happiness too,¡± I said, smiling wryly. Nanao screwed a smile to her face like she was worried about something but determined to give it her all nonetheless. ¡°That¡¯s right. And then next time, I¡¯ll catch your bouquet!¡± I nodded to her with a smile of my own, and looked up to the balcony. Putting up fronts for each other¡­ I had to pull myself out of this quick. Maybe if I caught it, I really could throw off all these heavy emotions and find a new love. And then Nanao would feel better too. A bouquet of white roses flew through the air. The lace ribbon fluttered. And just as I reached out with both hands¡­ Suddenly everything went silent. Wait, what? Am I in the water? Clear ripples spread over my field of vision, like when you dive into a pool and look up at the surface of the water. Just as I thought I felt my hand touch the bouquet, something thin and hot suddenly wrapped around my left wrist. Immediately after that, the sound came back. The roaring wind¨C No wait, it was sort of like glowing water coiled into whirlpools¨C I heard the guests screaming, but only in patches. I had the sensation of my left arm being yanked hard. When I reflexively tightened my grip on the bouquet, my legs started floating. My body was caught in a whirlpool and suddenly I didn¡¯t know which way was up. I felt like I was having the longest, weirdest dream. I felt like I was drifting around in the water, and I could hear voices from a long way off, a higher pitch and a lower pitch. And then¨C ¡°Woah!¡± A shock ran up my back and I woke up. A thin blanket was wrapped around me, and I couldn¡¯t move. I rolled slightly to the right, and bumped into a wooden bed. I must have been tossing and turning in my sleep and fell onto the floor. ¡°Where¡­ am I?¡± I managed to pull my arms out of the blanket and sit up. I moved slowly. For some reason, my head felt incredibly heavy. Looking around, I was in a room about 6 tatami in size, with light-colored timber on the ceiling, the walls, and the floor. Light shone in through the curtains, illuminating a chest made of the same wood as the room. The soft light was strangely dazzling, and I squinted. This wasn¡¯t my room. I¡¯d been attending my sister¡¯s wedding, so this must be the hotel, right? Was this a hotel room? I must have collapsed and they¡¯d carried me up here, I guessed. But it was a bit shabby for a hotel room¡­ Maybe it was an outbuilding or a cottage or something? Confused, various thoughts floated through my head one after the other and then disappeared. Still sitting on the floor, I shut my eyes. Calm down, calm down. Okay, I certainly had gone to the hotel. And I¡¯d attended the ceremony at the church on the grounds there. And after that¡­ Right, Koaya threw the bouquet in the courtyard before the reception. But as I was catching the bouquet, I felt a yank, like a tuna on a fishing rod¡­ There was nothing in my memories that could serve as a reference. So in the end, what the heck happened? I looked down, crestfallen, and my own two hands came into my field of view. There were three pale green bands on my left wrist, right where I¡¯d felt something wrap around me in that moment. I held my hand out and changed the angle. They glittered when the light hit them, and they were so small I couldn¡¯t really tell, but the rows seemed to be packed with strange, thin characters, and even when I rubbed, they wouldn¡¯t come off. ¡°I can¡¯t make heads or tails of it, but for the moment, it seems like I missed the reception, at least.¡± The reception was scheduled to start in the evening, but judging by the light coming in through the window, it seemed to be morning already. My stomach gurgled. Thinking I¡¯d better get to a place where I could eat something, I put my hands on the bed and stood myself up, and this time, my eyes caught on something absurd. Sleeping quietly on the bed¡­ was a naked baby. Oh, lucky, it was a boy¡­ Wait a minute!! This time, I really did panic. Why was I sleeping with a baby!? ¡°Mmmmmom? Where is this kid¡¯s mom!?¡± I stood up in a hurry and caught my foot on the blanket on the floor and started to take a tumble, but I managed to stay upright by flapping around and landing both hands on the floor, after which I opened the door and ran out of it. The place I came out into was a small combined dining room and kitchen, with the same planks again on the floor and the walls and the low ceiling. There were two benches at a table made of the same material. And along the wall was a black¡­ was that a wood burning stove!? Also a small workspace and shelf, a porcelain sink, and cupboards built into the walls. I could see at a glance that no one else was here, so I rushed to yet another door and opened that one. Woah¡­ I was enveloped by calming sunlight, and a gentle breeze that smelled of greenery. I was in a large basin. The wide grasslands formed a clear bowl shape, and flowers bloomed here and there among occasional short bushes. The shallow bowl was about twenty meters in radius. The surrounding area was 360 degrees of forest, the interior of which was so dim I couldn¡¯t see into it. At the bottom of the bowl, a single giant tree thrust upwards toward the heavens. The trunk was white like a Japanese Birch, and faintly transparent, so from this angle, I could see through to the other side ¨C what a mysterious tree. At its base, a small spring gurgled, and I could see one part of the tree¡¯s roots sinking into the clear water. Stairs started beside the spring, and bent nearly back on themselves along the trunk, ascending all the way to a very thick branch. Atop that branch, on the balcony of the treehouse which was built jutting out over top of the spring, stood me. How stunned could a person get? Just then, I heard a wailing noise. Realizing it was the baby crying, I jumped. When I ran back into the bedroom, the baby was indeed crying on the bed, his face all crumpled. I cautiously picked him up, and he stopped crying, but I knew if any of the various calls of nature had occurred, he¡¯d start complaining again. That¡¯s right¡­ I¡¯d been taking care of Nanao since she was born, I knew how to do this. When baby needs help, you don¡¯t hesitate! Looking for mom or dad could wait! ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry,¡± I muttered unreasonably, as I hunted through every box and cupboard in the room. I discovered something that looked like a cloth diaper and some underpants, and put them on him, and that must have calmed him down because he started to fall asleep again on the bed. Aw, that¡¯s nice¡­ I¡¯d have to use this break to develop some countermeasures. There were some porcelain jars lined up alongside the baby bottles on top of the kitchen counter. When I opened them, there was a finely ground white powder inside, so I gave it a shot and took a taste, and it turned out to be powdered milk. A pulley system had been installed on the ceiling in the corner of the kitchen, with ropes and wooden buckets hung from it, and a trapdoor in the floor below. I opened the trapdoor and peeked inside, and it went straight down to the spring. If there was a whole system here to draw water, it was probably potable. And there weren¡¯t any water faucets or anything like that. I didn¡¯t know who owned this treehouse, but judging from the fact that they seemed to have prepared everything we¡¯d need, and that neither one of us had been harmed, I figured I might as well have faith in what they¡¯d left here. ¡°Nevermind that, how am I supposed to use this dumb thing!¡± Starting to get desperate, I leaned over the stove¡¯s chimney. So how was I supposed to use this thing? I mean listen, this isn¡¯t some kind of anime where some magical girl with a giant ribbon on her head sets out to use a wood burning stove instead of her broken oven. I wish I could do that. Logs and matches had been set beside the stove, along with some twigs I could use for kindling, so I set about starting a fire. Wait, there¡¯s another door, not the door you put the logs in? This isn¡¯t an anime! I tried some different things later, and realized that the other door was so you could let more air into the fire and scrape out the ashes and stuff, but at the time, I just opened whatever door felt right and started up a sort of tiny bonfire. The ventilation was the only thing I got right, but I ladled some water into a heavy iron pan, set it on the stove, and boiled it. I grabbed a mug at random from the cupboard, put some of the powdered milk in it, and poured in the hot water. I gave it a taste for myself and¡­ Yeesh that¡¯s sweet. But powdered milk does taste like that, I guess, so a strong flavor would be just about right. I looked after my own stomach for a while, and just as I was starting to wonder how baby was doing, he started screaming like he was on fire! ¡°Yes, yes, I hear you, have this!¡± The bottle was just a normal glass baby bottle. I sat down on the bench and managed awkwardly to get the baby to drink, and I was finally able to get a careful look at the child. His hair hadn¡¯t grown much yet, but it was a glittering golden or maybe bright brown color. I still hadn¡¯t seen him open his eyes yet, so I gently pulled an eyelid up ¨C ¡°Excuse me just a sec,¡± I said to him ¨C and his eyes were a beautiful¡­ deep blue. A foreign baby then, huh? His face was so cute, he could have been a baby model or something. But he was so tiny. His arms and legs, and that thin neck, he was still wobbly. He couldn¡¯t have been that old at all, how long had it even been since he was born? ¡°What happened to your mama, little prince?¡± I remembered one of my girl friends called her son ¡°Our little prince,¡± so I decided to call this baby who was gulping down his milk the same for now. We took a break, and I looked around. Dried flowers hung above the kitchen window. It was the first time I¡¯d seen anything decorative in this room, and when I looked closer, I realized they were roses. The lace ribbon around them looked familiar¡­ It was the bouquet Koaya had thrown! How much time had passed since my little sister¡¯s wedding anyway? Long enough for a bouquet to turn to dried flowers? Now that I looked, my hair was down to my shoulders, which was longer than I remembered it. I¡¯d been wearing a lavender party dress that day, but now I was in a long, khaki-colored cotton apron over a white cotton shirt with three-quarter-sleeves. If there¡¯d been a few more decorations in here, I¡¯d have given off some serious cottagecore vibes. I seemed to be wearing cotton underpants too, of an excessively basic shape. Had I changed my clothes? I didn¡¯t remember doing so. So, someone changed my clothes for me? I didn¡¯t remember that either. Had I developed some kind of amnesia, maybe? That was when an even more astounding idea flashed through my mind. No way, this baby? ¡°I didn¡¯t give birth, did I!?¡± No no no no! At least, I¡¯d like to believe not, but it wasn¡¯t totally impossible, was it. Depending on how much time had passed. Okay, so let¡¯s suppose that once I received the bouquet, a nice guy showed up immediately, in what would clearly be a miracle, and he was a foreigner, and then we tied the knot before anybody knew what was going on, and I got pregnant and gave birth, and after that I developed amnesia. So about ten months would have passed? While I was puzzling all that out, the prince fell asleep drinking his milk. When I gently, carefully lifted the bottle from his mouth, the prince made little sucking motions with his mouth like he was looking for a nipple, but it was just for an instant, and he went limp again without waking, and started to breathe quietly in his sleep. Oh, he fell asleep before I could burp him. I seemed to recall he¡¯d be okay without it? But I couldn¡¯t really remember. It had been nine years since I helped out with Nanao. "" I was a little worried, so when I put him to bed, I turned his face gently to one side, so if he did spit up any milk, it wouldn¡¯t get stuck in his throat. Alright, now that I¡¯d calmed down, I quickly tucked up the pinafore I was wearing, and the shirt too, and did a careful inspection of my stomach, since no one was around. And then I sighed in relief. The prince was a newborn no matter how you looked at him, and if I was a new mother who¡¯d just given birth, there¡¯s no way my stomach would have gone flat again like this so soon. My friends all had to go on some kind of postpartum diet or something. So then where on earth did this kid come from¡­? CH 2 Suddenly, we heard a voice. ¡°Here you are!¡± It was Mr Lahzt in his white clothes, running over to us. He was pretty fast for an indoor type. Well, maybe it was because his legs were so long? What really surprised me was that Mr Lahzt had his left sleeve rolled up. I¡¯d seen it yesterday, but there was a small ring of characters wrapped around his arm, just like there was on my left arm. Mine were only on my wrist, but Mr Lahzt¡¯s went right up to his elbow, with the letters packed in and coiled around him in multiple layers. He thrust that left arm out at me, touched a spot with the fingers of his right hand, and the line of coiled characters where he¡¯d touched uncoiled and glowed blue, and formed a circle about thirty centimeters in diameter, centered on my wrist. Woah, was this some kind of summoning circle? I don¡¯t even know how to describe it, it made a sort of mosquito coil shape, forming lines made out of glowing letters, and they were coiling around my arm in big circles. Then he did his thing again, and they uncoiled from my arm in exactly the same way and returned to their circle. Mr Lahzt touched the characters with his right-hand pointer finger again from within the summoning circle, jumping from character to character. The glowing letters broke off from their lines and flew straight towards me! I screamed and shut my eyes reflexively. Silence. I opened my eyes, looked across at the two men, looked down at my body. Nothing had happened. Mr Lahzt clicked his tongue and almost growled. ¡°I knew it, ¡®Mami¡¯ isn¡¯t your real name, is it.¡± ¡°What?¡± What gave me away? But before I had a chance to ask, a voice I didn¡¯t recognize called out. ¡°Oo! How you doing, kid?¡± A man with sparkling sky-blue eyes set into a masculine, almost flat face with a five o¡¯ clock shadow and a chestnut-brown fauxhawk came running just about as fast as Mr Lahzt had before him. He wore a black suit jacket that had a bit of sheen to it, and a buttondown in the same color as his eyes with the top three or four buttons undone to reveal his bare chest, where I could see a thin gold chain dangling. This playboy suddenly picked up the prince. ¡°Wow you got big!¡± he said, tossing the prince higher and higher. ¡°I¡¯m your uncle, you know, do you recognize me?¡± The prince froze, and his eyes flew open. Meanwhile, Mr Kahzam gently pushed me into the shadow of one of the stable¡¯s pillars and then stood in front of me. I could feel the heat from Mr Kahzam¡¯s broad shoulders on my face, and my heart instantly started beating faster. Mr Lahzt, on the other hand, separated himself from me entirely, and spoke to the man who¡¯d just appeared. ¡°My Lord Fatido¡­ I¡¯m not sure anyone¡¯s heard you¡¯re his uncle, or indeed anything else¡­¡± The playboy turned to Mr Lahzt, and put the prince down. ¡°That¡¯s true, sorry sorry!¡± So this was the second queen¡¯s younger brother Fatido, huh? I observed him surreptitiously from Mr Kahzam¡¯s shadow. They¡¯d said he was a company president, but he looked quite young, maybe in his late thirties. He had a sultry, adult sex appeal to him. "" Just as I was thinking that, Mr Kahzam changed positions a little, and I couldn¡¯t see Mr Fatido anymore. That¡¯s true, I am supposed to be hiding. But why did we have to hide me anyway? ¡°You got here quite quickly. Why don¡¯t we talk inside,¡± Mr Lahzt said, nonchalantly trying to guide Mr Fatido into the building. But the one thing that can always bring an adult¡¯s best laid plans to ruin at a moment¡¯s notice is a child. ¡°Maa-tan.¡± The prince was a little surprised at the sudden appearance of someone he didn¡¯t know, and so he came over to hug me as I lurked behind Mr Kahzam, thus revealing my presence to Mr Fatido quite plainly. Mr Fatido stopped moving, his mouth hanging open a bit, and his gaze meeting mine as I took hold of the prince. Since our eyes had met, I had to give some kind of greeting. I took a step to one side, out from behind Mr Kahzam, and nodded at him. ¡°Pleased to¨C meet you. Good afternoon. I¡¯m Mami.¡± I sounded like a bad translation from a foreign language. Mr Fatido muttered to Mr Lahzt without taking his eyes off me. ¡°Lahzt. This woman¡­ This is the one you said came from the other world? The one who was going by my nephew¡¯s nurse?¡± Uh. What? Something felt weird. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me she was¡­ I mean the way you said it, I thought she was some kind of old maid¡­¡± Wait wait, what? More quickly than I could pull away, his big hand stretched out to me and grabbed my right arm. ¡°I am Fatido Askas, Lady Mami. I am this child¡¯s uncle, on his mother¡¯s side.¡± His clear blue eyes looked at me with heat behind them. ¡°Ah, my apologies, this is no place for a conversation. Shall we retire inside? After you, please.¡± He put his arm around my waist like it was the most natural thing to do, and although he was gentle about it, he pressed me forward with some firmness, so I just kinda went along with him. Having an adult man¡¯s hand touching me, memories of my broken heart instantly stole across my mind. When I looked up at him reflexively, his eyes met mine with an enchanted look on his face, and I quickly looked back down. Oof¡­ This was going to be trouble. Without thinking, I looked behind me to make sure Mr Kahzam was still there. I sat on the sofa in the hearth room, and Mr Fatido sat himself down too, after he¡¯d offered me a seat. He wasn¡¯t right next to me, but he was across from me at a close enough distance that his hand could reach. Mr Fatido never took his eyes from me. I couldn¡¯t calm down. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll pour us some tea.¡± I stood up in a hurry and scuttled over to the temporary safe harbor of the kitchen. I was sighing and heating the water when Mr Kahzam entered. He took a glass bottle of the tea leaves from the cabinet, and glanced at me, concerned. ¡°Are you alright, Mami? Lord Fatido is¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to say it, he¡¯s a person who has trouble restraining himself around women.¡± Ah. A womanizer, I think is what you might call that. Mr Kahzam was so polite. ¡°He is absolutely sincere with everyone, but that alone has been the cause of much misery for his partners¡­¡± So in short, you fall head over heels, get in a quarrel, and it all ends in a stalemate. Immediately after, Mr Lahzt came in too, saying, ¡°I made him look after prince.¡± He took a mug from the cabinet and spoke in a low voice. ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t want you to meet.¡± Three adults in a narrow galley kitchen, whispering amongst themselves as they make tea. I don¡¯t know if I should say it felt intimate, but the sense of solidarity certainly was strong. ¡°I was thinking I¡¯d turn you into an anpy and hide you that way, since you were in the stables already, but¡­ If I don¡¯t have your real name, I can¡¯t use my arts to transform you. The Shin of your name is part of the art. It¡¯ll be the same if I ever need to help you recover from an illness or an injury.¡± Mr Lahzt fired out his words like fireworks. His tone was kind of ragged. Yikes. ¡°So tell me. What¡¯s your real name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Koume.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Koume. It¡¯s Hino Koume.¡± I finally said it. Both of them muttered my name, like they were trying to make sure of it. ¡°Kome?¡± ¡°Kome¡­¡± Um. I know it¡¯s a lot to hope for, but could you please at least stretch it out. Ko-u-me. Please? ¡°Kohme, huh. What¡¯s it mean?¡± 1 Mr Lahzt corrected his pronunciation. He was a bit awkward at it, and it was kind of cute. ¡°The ¡®ko¡¯ part means something small or cute. ¡®Ume¡¯ is the name of a type of plant in my world.¡± Mr Lahzt moaned. ¡°I can¡¯t use that.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about this ume plant, I can¡¯t make a proper Shin for it. You¡¯ll have to tell me more about it later. For the moment, at any rate, I can¡¯t put the name Kohme into any of my arts.¡± I shuddered. ¡°Please, you have to help me, even without your arts. There¡¯s nothing for it, this is just how I am. I know it¡¯s bad, but if someone else takes the initiative, I¡¯ll go along with it, and I end up getting spun around until I¡¯m totally stuck!¡± I pleaded, tears in my eyes. Now, NOW, Mr Lahzt wants to tell me he can¡¯t use my name, my own name! And I¡¯d always thought it suited me! ¡°Calm down, Mami. Or, no, Kohme. Your words are¡­¡± Mr Kahzam tried to sooth me. Oh, I¡¯d gotten so shaken I guess I¡¯d started speaking in Japanese. ¡°I don¡¯t know your exact age, but you¡¯re an adult woman, you¡¯ll figure it out somehow.¡± I know it was Mr Lahzt, but jeez that was blunt¡­ And his eyes were laughing! He had a bit of a sarcastic tongue on him, didn¡¯t he! I heaved a huge sigh, my cup still on the tray, and looked off into the distance. ¡°An adult, huh¡­ What does that even mean.¡± And then, I left the kitchen, with the two of them exchanging glances in the corner of my eye. Devil take ¡¯em both! With Mr Fatido here, we talked about me and the prince, and what the future might look like¡­ Or so I¡¯d like to say. That definitely is how the conversation started, at least. ¡°Have you decided on the child¡¯s foster parents yet, Lord Fatido?¡± Mr Lahzt asked. That¡¯s right, Lady Solamire was supposed to take over as his adopted mother under the pretext that he was actually someone else¡¯s son. ¡°Yeah. Haluria¡¯s¡­ Ah, sorry, that¡¯s his older sister,¡± Mr Fatido said, interjecting an explanation for me before continuing. ¡°We decided to ask Princess Haluria¡¯s nurse Tellner, so I¡¯m talking to Solamire about how to ask Tellner¡¯s relations to play the role of his parents. Although¡­¡± Mr Fatido, still looking at me, nodded once. ¡°At the moment, I¡¯m having a bit of an idea. I¡¯d like to think it over, so if you wouldn¡¯t mind holding tight for a bit?¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Conversation on foster parents, closed. Already? What thoughts could he have been having, looking at me? I had a bad feeling about the whole thing. Well, now we can devote ourselves to my future. ¡°You¡¯ve put in a lot of work for my nephew, I appreciate it very much. As a show of my gratitude, I¡¯d like to assure that you maintain your lifestyle here in this world. If you don¡¯t mind, and I know it¡¯s a bit fast, but how about staying at my home? It¡¯s quite the luxurious place, I¡¯ll have you know.¡± And so on. ¡°I¡¯d like to offer to show you around the kingdom some time. We¡¯ll take a nice, slow tour.¡± And so forth. Um, excuse me? This isn¡¯t about my future, this is just you mapping out the rest of my life? At any rate, I pressed right on through. ¡°I¡¯ve only just learned what¡¯s going on, and it¡¯s still all a bit chaotic, so that¡¯s not something I can really think about right now.¡± But it was anyone¡¯s guess whether Mr Fatido was really listening or not. He hardly ever took his eyes off my face, so I eventually asked, ¡°Is there something stuck to my face?¡± It was a bit of an old cliche, but it got the ¡°Don¡¯t Stare at Me¡± feeling across. His answer was full-on Romantic Poet. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve met anyone with black eyes. I didn¡¯t know anything so dark could be so clear. I could look into them forever.¡± Woah there. As I looked away, Mr Fatido¡¯s left hand entered my field of vision. He had a ring on his ring finger too¡­ Was it possible every adult in this world wore a ring on that finger? While I was escaping for a bit, Mr Fatido¡¯s beautiful rough tones continued. ¡°When I asked my sister about you, she only told me you were someone who seemed familiar with caring for children. Of course, someone like you¡­ My sister and Lahzt both were trying to hide you, I expect.¡± The prince started crying at that moment, so Mr Lahzt made excuses for me. ¡°There¡¯s a small child present, and she¡¯s still getting settled, so why don¡¯t we end it here for today.¡± So we decided to wind things up. Thank you little prince, you saved me! With a surprisingly easy, ¡°Why don¡¯t we,¡± Mr Fatido got to his feet. ¡°I know I can come on a bit strong. Women do tend to run away, and here I am still on my own,¡± he said, making his bachelor¡¯s appeal. ¡°Well, but I¡¯ve learned from my past. Let¡¯s take our time and get to know each other slowly,¡± he said with a smile. Sure. As friends. Clutching the prince, I saw Mr Fatido out into the high-ceilinged entry hall. What with everything that had happened, I let my guard down for a second, and suddenly, his face was right up close to mine. He kissed my cheek, like it was a perfectly natural thing to do. His hot breath stuck by my ear for a second, and he bid me his farewell. ¡°Until we meet again¡­¡± He looked reluctant to leave. The open double doors were closed behind him. There was a mechanical whine out front that eventually faded into the distance. He must have one of those electric cars. ¡°He still has work, he probably won¡¯t be back for a couple of days. Learned from his past indeed,¡± Mr Lahzt said, slunking away, exhausted. I stood rooted to the spot, even as Mr Kahzam gently patted my shoulder. A kiss? I¡¯m from Japan! Mr Kahzam started making dinner, so I stood beside him and helped with this meal too. The menu consisted of meat that had been cut into big chunks and leaves that were a bit sweet, sort of like cabbage, roasted together with spices, and then served with steamed potatoes. Mr Kahzam¡¯s cooking was quite delicious, but it had a kind of outdoorsman feel to it. I¡¯d have to look around for some ingredients and make something a little more Japanese, I wanted to give the three of them a taste of my country¡¯s cuisine. As we gathered in the hearth room and had dinner, I explained my name to Mr Kahzam and Mr Lahzt. ¡°The ume part of Koume is the name of a tree. It has beautiful flowers that stay hearty even in the cold, and I was born in the winter, so that¡¯s why I was given this name. They¡¯re good omens, some people use them as good luck charms around the house. And there are flower-viewing events called umemi, where people have picnics and look at the blossoms. They bear fruit too, called plums, and they¡¯re extremely good for your health. They¡¯re especially good pickled, and the dried ones are the sort of thing people have every day in my country.¡± I was very assertive. It was a bit of an exaggeration maybe, but I didn¡¯t want to hear ¡°I can¡¯t use that¡± again. The truth was, I don¡¯t think either of my parents thought particularly hard about it before they gave me this name. My mother told me once that when she was in her second trimester, she had a lot of morning sickness, and a kind of hard candy that she really liked (a certain brand¡¯s long-time best-selling product) helped her get through it, and so she put the name of the candy into her daughter¡¯s name. But that was just a bit embarrassing, so I didn¡¯t mention that part. I drew them pictures of plum blossoms, and explained the fruit as best I could, but neither Mr Lahzt nor Mr Kahzam really seemed to get it. Maybe this plant really didn¡¯t exist in this world. ¡°I¡¯ll try looking into it. But¡­ If I don¡¯t find any corresponding plant, that might be a real problem,¡± Mr Lahzt muttered, falling into thought. His expression was surprisingly severe. Didn¡¯t he say he wouldn¡¯t be able to use his arts on me without a Shin of my name? If I got sick or injured and he couldn¡¯t use his recovery skills, that would indeed be a problem. But there was still the Shu-ii, that water globe¡­ Couldn¡¯t I just recuperate in there again if I lost consciousness? It would be okay, right, if I got really sick, or really hurt, even if he couldn¡¯t use his Shiino? That night, I had a dream. It was about the day I¡¯d wandered into this world, the day of Koaya¡¯s wedding ceremony. I was in the reception hall, standing in front of the mic stand. The spotlight hit me, and it was so bright I couldn¡¯t see the other people in the hall very well. Then I remembered, I was the older sister of the new bride, wasn¡¯t I supposed to give a speech? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the standard thing to do, but we sisters lost our mother at a pretty young age, and since I was acting mom instead, the wedding coordinator had suggested a word from me. ¡°I know you¡¯re all busy, thank you for taking the time to gather here today for my sister and her husband.¡± I started my speech, looking at a piece of paper in my hand. I was supposed to be reading from it, but the paper was completely blank. What am I going to do, what am I supposed to say now? I¡¯d worked hard to write all that down, and now¡­ ¡°Ummm¡­ I¡¯d intended to raise my sisters in my mother¡¯s place, but the truth is really, I think she¡¯s the one, you know, who¡¯s saved me plenty of times.¡± Yeah yeah. That¡¯s it. Like when this overbearing coworker at my part time job wouldn¡¯t leave me alone, Koaya was the one who stepped in and told him off. ¡°She¡¯s become so reliable, but¡­ Even more than that¡­¡± Even more than that, what? ¡°Be your husband¡¯s helpmate¡± ¡­ ¡°Husband and wife should help each other¡± ¡­ I¡¯d had some kind of saying queued up for this point. ¡°Koaya¨C you should¨C help Nanao.¡± My mouth moved on its own, and words just spilled out. What was I asking of a new bride? Suddenly I realized I could see the other guests. Koaya and Nanao were seated at a single round table, in their usual street clothes. Then I realized the paper I had in my hand that was supposed to have my speech on it had been put in an envelope. It gently floated up into the air and wafted over toward Koaya and Nanao. Koaya stretched out her hand and took it. She and Nanao both took the letter out of the envelope and peered at it together¡­ Were the two of them laughing at something? I was being serious when I wrote that! Listen, Koaya, Nanao¨C ¡°Listen, I said¡­¡± I awoke to the sound of my own voice. I was, of course, on the bed in the guest room in Mr Lahzt¡¯s villa. It was starting to get bright beyond the curtains, and I could hear some tiny birds. I wiped the tears from my eyes. I mean what¡­ I think that was the first time I¡¯d really wept since I¡¯d woken up in that fairy tale basin. Well, I understood. It might be quite hard indeed to ever see Koaya and Nanao again. When I thought of making my precious little sisters sad, my chest started to hurt. If only I could send them a message, like in that dream. If I could at least make them laugh. I looked over at the innocent, sleeping face of the price beside me, and tears started spilling out of me again. Prologue (from the left) Character introductions Prince ¨C Baby whom Koume met in the other world. Koume gave him the nickname Prince. Thank you for all the different experiences, but¡­ Kahzapka ¨C Mysterious bird known as the mediator between gods and men. Koume Hino ¨C Eldest of three sisters, raised the younger two. Gets sucked into another world and decides to help raise the prince. Morio ¨C A big, mysterious animal that looks like a panda and brings Koume food and supplies. Lemonina ¨C Lahzt¡¯s teacher, preeminent researcher in the field of Shin seals. Kahzam ¨C Guard attached to the king¡¯s second queen. Calm and almost entirely unpretentious. Fatido ¨C The Second Queen¡¯s younger brother, president of a trading firm. Playboy with an animated personality. Fatido¡¯s underlings ¨C Favoritism and Heresy Lahzt ¨C Shinoce (Seal mage), also on the Second Queen¡¯s medical team. A sharp mind with an often sarcastic attitude. === Prologue ¨C Before She Awakens "" The curtains had been shut all day, and the room was dark and gloomy. ¡°Try not to make a sound, if you can help it, please¡­¡± a faint voice said, and the door opened without a noise. The curtains must have been drawn in the rest of the building too, because two shadowy figures slipped into the room without a single ray of sunlight shining in from behind them. One of the figures gasped the moment they saw what was inside. A massive, transparent globe floated in the center of the room. Ripples and whirlpools swirled along its surface. The entire sphere was made up of faintly glowing water, and floated in midair. And in the very center of the sphere floated a petite young woman. The hem of the simple dress she wore billowed out around her knees in rhythm with the currents, winding loosely around the lines of her body. The slender arms that stretched from the shoulders of her sleeveless dress were outstretched, like she was about to catch something. Black hair long enough to reach under her chin wavered and flickered, occasionally brushing her cheek, but her eyes remained closed. One of the figures softly removed their hood and let it fall down their back. Chestnut-colored hair pulled back up from her neck, blue eyes ¨C she was a beautiful, sober-looking woman, but there was a faintly haggard tone to her expression. A hushed whisper slipped from her lips. ¡°She¡¯s not dead, right? She¡¯s okay?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± answered the other, taller, shadow, in a low tone. He lowered his head slightly, but didn¡¯t take his hood down. ¡°Crossing the hollow would have left her weakened at first by the sudden change, but she¡¯s recovered now. Being in the water will let her adjust to the environment, and she¡¯s taking in nutrients.¡± ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s just like floating in your mother¡¯s womb, perhaps¡­ Like this kid.¡± Lowering her blue eyes, the woman gently placed her hand on her belly. She was clearly swelling, and it was obvious at a glance that she was carrying a life. The taller figure spoke quietly. ¡°Perhaps, we could use this woman? What do you think?¡± Her pale eyes wavered. She lifted her gaze once more, and drew in a breath. The woman in the water had opened her eyes, only barely. Her black eyes wobbled in a slow circle like she was dreaming, and her gaze met the other woman¡¯s blue eyes for a just moment¡­ and then closed again. Blue eyes stared at the woman in the water for a while, but she didn¡¯t open her eyes again, and eventually the blue eyes flashed with determination. ¡°I¡¯ll entrust the matter to her.¡± The taller figure bowed deeply. ¡°As you wish.¡± CH 2.1 The misty forest felt comfortable. Or at least, that was my first carefree thought. The letter said to follow Morio, so I¡¯d blithely followed him, but we¡¯d been walking for a good while now. I didn¡¯t know the way, so it really felt long. How much longer was this going to take? The prince was getting tired and whining for cuddles, so I picked him up, and a certain nose-twitching smell suddenly brushed past us. The wind was blowing from the direction in which we were headed, and the aroma on that breeze¡­ At last, light spilled through the gaps between the trees. There was a wide clearing¡­ We came out of the woods, and my eyes went wide. I held the prince tight. ¡°Prince¡­ It¡¯s the ocean!¡± This was the tip of a headland. The place I was standing seemed to be some sort of wide ledge, several meters up along a sheer cliff. Below us was a calm sea. The aroma I¡¯d smelled earlier was the smell of seawater. So this was an island? Or a peninsula? I could faintly see the other shore, but I still had no clue what was going on. When I turned around, I could see a large tree ¨C the giant one that had become host to the treehouse ¨C towering above the forest. There was a rainbow over it, and for a minute it looked like a scene from a children¡¯s fairy tale. Suddenly, Morio touched my left hand. The hard pads of his paws were pink with black spots, kind of charming. To be honest, I¡¯m a cat person. I couldn¡¯t take it how cute his paws were. He gently lifted my arm. I let him do it, and when my left arm was up in front of me, I could see the line of faint green letters around my wrist. This was the same tattoo I looked at every day, but suddenly it lit up and unraveled, and separated from my arm. ¡°Wha- What?¡± The unraveled characters danced in a winding spiral, like I was a rhythmic gymnast in a ribbon competition, and traced a circle on the ground. One end stayed connected to my wrist, and there was a sensation of something tugging me, and I stumbled forward into the circle. This feeling of being pulled¨C was this the same thing I felt the day of Koaya¡¯s wedding!? My world filled with a bright light, like being too close to a camera flash, and I scrunched my eyes closed. I waited until the light behind my eyelids disappeared to open them again, and found I had sunk down on top of a carpet in a large room, with the prince still in my arms. There was a huge window that reached from floor to ceiling. White curtains had been gathered at either edge, and the room was bright. One wall was taken up with a line of large bookcases. And then right in front of me was a transparent globe. It was at least three meters in diameter, and was that¡­ water? The globe was made of floating water? Something about it felt familiar¡­ Like I could almost remember a couple of human silhouettes swaying in the water. I got a bit dizzy, and looked away from the water globe, directing my eyes towards the window¡­ ¡­Where a man was changing his clothes. Or rather, he¡¯d been completely naked, and was just putting on his clothes, turned away from me and pulling up his pants. Safe. Wait, what? He stood back up, and I realized he was at least a head taller than me, with relatively thin arms, and a firm, muscular back. He was wearing a rough-textured jacket with a stand-up collar directly over that back¡­ He didn¡¯t even have a shirt on under it, that was a little sexy. No, that is not what I meant! Why am I staring at him so intently! I realized my cheeks were burning, and quickly averted my gaze. Eventually, he must have finished changing, because I heard him walk over and come to a stop near me. The prince, still in my arms, pointed a finger over my shoulder at the man. ¡°Mo-oh!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I turned back around myself, in shock. I could see the man wasn¡¯t remotely Japanese. He might have been about my age¡­ He had sharp cheekbones, and a stoic air about him. His short hair was the color of dried grass, and his eyes were a calm, dark green color. Those eyes did look familiar¡­ ¡°Morio?¡± I asked hesitantly. He silently, slowly, nodded. The crispness about his eyes softened as he smiled. Suddenly, I heard someone clear their throat. ¡°You must be quite exhausted.¡± I turned at the sound of the voice to find another man standing in front of the open double doors. He was even taller than Morio ¨C I guess it was Morio? ¨C and the word lanky fit him to a T. He was probably a little older than me. His long, bluish-grey hair was tied casually at the base of his skull, and his golden-brown eyes looked directly at me through silver-framed glasses. He was wearing a white coat, something more akin to a chef¡¯s outfit than a doctor¡¯s. ¡°Come this way for now. We¡¯ve prepared a light meal.¡± His words were polite, but something about his gestures felt a little sloppy. Follow this person and it¡¯ll all be okay? Well, I¡¯d followed him this far already. And the prince had his fingers in his mouth and was drooling all over them, so he was clearly hungry. We left the room, walked down a hall of well-polished planks, and went into the room next door. There was a stone fireplace, and a long, thin coffee table in front of an upholstered sofa. Judging by the size of the room and the length of the hallway, this had to be some kind of mansion, but it felt like the furnishings were all for practical use, rather than decoration. Actually, it made a good impression on me. The coffee table was set up with tea supplies, and plates of something that looked like muffins. ¡°Manmah!¡± The prince immediately toddled over. Ah crap, his hands must be a mess from touching every little thing as we walked through the forest. ¡°Um, we¡¯d like to wash our hands?¡± Something about the words I¡¯d just said felt uncomfortable, and I reflexively put my hand to my lips. What language had I spoken just now? ¡°Ah, hearing my words must have turned on the switch,¡± the long-haired man said. ¡°It seems we can listen and speak to one another.¡± He acted as if it was all perfectly natural. What part was I even supposed to ask about first? Besides, even as it was happening, I had the feeling that the words this man was speaking weren¡¯t Japanese either. Half in shock, I followed him into some sort of galley area that was attached to the room, and washed our hands in the ceramic sink. We returned to the other room and I took the seat I was offered on the sofa. The prince sat himself down right next to me and started in on a muffin. They¡¯d even given him some juice. He was making himself right at home. Morio ¨C I guess ¨C got down on one knee beside the prince. It was the perfect image of a knight, but the posture stretched his back muscles taught, which was quite a sight to see. Meeting other people, and suddenly being at least some distance from the prince¡­ I was a bit scared, but things seemed to be okay for the moment, so I was relieved. Even so, the fact that everyone else was a man did make me nervous. So, I caught the wedding bouquet, and came to another world to meet someone new? I mean, I wasn¡¯t bored with the guys on Earth yet. What am I even saying, how old do I think I am? Well, not that age has anything to do with it. ¡°Well then, I suppose I¡¯ll give you the general outline of things.¡± The man in the glasses had a cool, refreshing voice, and my wandering thoughts came back to reality. It had been just under six months since I¡¯d come to this world, at least by my notion of time. Finally, I was going to get an explanation. ¡°My name is Lahzt, and this man you¡¯ve been calling Morio is Kahzam.¡± Morio¨C No, Mr Kahzam nodded his hello. So, he transformed somehow into that panda-creature? Was it magic or something? ¡°Lahzt, Sir, Kahzam, Sir¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal. There are no hierarchical relationships between us.¡± So he said, but it was basically impossible for me to be that informal with people I¡¯d just met. I wasn¡¯t sure what to do, so I looked at Mr Lahzt¡­ Man, when long-legged people sit down, it really accentuates how long their legs are. Seeing his knee up so high like that really brings it home how irrationally long his legs are. ¡°What should we call you?¡± Mr Lahzt asked, and I thought about it a minute before I answered. ¡°Call me Mami, please. The little one calls me that already, Mami-chan¨C well, Maa-tan, I supposed, but¡­¡± Actually, that was just a coincidence, but oh well. I¡¯d taught the prince the name Mami, rather than my actual name, Koume. Nanao had called me Mommy-chan when she was little. So I made a spur of the moment decision. I didn¡¯t know how much these people already knew about me, but they wouldn¡¯t get anything out of me, not if I could help it. This was the era of personal data protection after all, it was only natural. There was no telling what they would do with it. I was normally a pretty easygoing person, but as an adult woman, I took this area of my life seriously. Besides, this wasn¡¯t the world I had lived in. I didn¡¯t really know if just giving someone your name was okay. I¡¯d read a certain world-famous fantasy novel a long time ago, where people usually called each other by nicknames, since if you gave someone your true name they could control you. 1 Yeah, I¡¯d better not tell them my real name¡­ At least until I could learn a little bit more about this world. ¡°Firstly, this kingdom is called Vio Rizonna,¡± Mr Lahzt continued. I listened silently. ¡°I imagine it¡¯s not on any map you would recognize. We believe you¡¯ve crossed space and time on your journey here, Mami.¡± He just said it out plain. I had vaguely imagined that to be the case, but to hear it so clearly, and so early in the conversation was something else. I¡¯d thought the prince was a foreign baby when I¡¯d first seen him, but I was the foreigner here¡­ Or rather, the other-worlder maybe¡­ ¡°Shall we talk about the child first? It¡¯s not an uncommon story¡­¡± And with that introduction, Mr Lahzt related an extremely brief tale, the contents of which are as follows: The king of Vio Rizonna had two wives. The first bore him a daughter, but wasn¡¯t blessed with any other children. The tradition in this kingdom is that a male inherits the throne, so the king then married his second wife, a young woman whom they expected would give birth to a boy. But this second wife also had but one child, also a daughter. And so, when the first wife¡¯s daughter came of age, she was married to a man from inside the royal family, and that man was named the crown prince. But just about that same time, the king¡¯s second wife became pregnant again. And so began a complicated courtly intrigue. The Crown Prince¡¯s household was terrified ¨C what would happen if the king¡¯s second wife gave birth to a boy, would he take over as crown prince? The king stepped in to repeatedly assure them that he had no intention of taking the current crown prince¡¯s position away from him, but they wouldn¡¯t listen. The king¡¯s second wife had come from an ordinary family, rather than royalty, so she didn¡¯t have many supporters. Eventually it got to the point where there were whispers she was in danger of being assassinated. And of course, even if she was able to safely give birth, the child¡¯s life would be in danger. In fact, the villains had even gone so far as to put in their own candidate up for the new baby¡¯s nursemaid, and even after careful screening, she¡¯d managed to get her name on a shortlist, so when she was discovered, the candidate search had to start over from scratch right before the baby was due. The second wife never had any such ambitions. She¡¯d always been in the first wife¡¯s camp, and felt that the throne rightfully belonged to the daughter¡¯s husband, but the king¡¯s first wife refused to believe her. If the second wife¡¯s child was safely born and grew up healthy, he wouldn¡¯t have any need of the throne, and yet everyone was still afraid of him. As the second wife grew nearer and nearer to giving birth, she started to feel driven into a corner. ¡°I think you¡¯ve realized this already, but the child the king¡¯s second wife gave birth to is this child, the one you call Prince,¡± Mr Lahzt said. Perhaps surprised to suddenly find all the adults eyes on him, the prince moved those deep blue eyes from one to the other of us, the remnants of the muffin still stuck to his face, and suddenly grinned. ¡°Yum!¡± ¡°So, he really is a prince then,¡± I muttered, and the other two shifted their gaze to me, questioning looks on both their faces. I explained that the word ¡®prince¡¯ meant just what he¡¯d turned out to be¨C ¡®the son of a king.¡¯ Both of them were of course surprised. I explained that I really hadn¡¯t had any idea that he was actually of royal blood, and that in my country the word didn¡¯t necessarily have to refer to someone of the king¡¯s family, it just implied that the boy in question was of noble birth, and that doting parents often adopted it as a term of address for their sons. They indicated they understood, but they still seemed confused. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to change the subject, but while all this was going on, I¡¯d been researching an epidemic.¡± Mr Lahzt was gradually losing his crisp way of speaking as the explanations went on. Ah, I thought, this is where I get mixed up in it. ¡°I was searching for a medicine that would be effective against a disease that affects some of our livestock. We used to extract a certain ingredient from a flower that grows here, and it was effective, but it¡¯s become less so lately. So, I put out some investigatory threads, using those flowers as an intermediary.¡± ¡°Investigatory threads?¡± ¡°Right. These.¡± Mr Lahzt held up the back of his left hand and put it in front of me. He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a line of letters wrapped around his wrist like a tattoo. Their color was a little stronger than the ones on my arm. His muscles lit up with the letters, and when he flexed them, something that reminded me of a blood vessel ran up the back of his hand. It continued out into the open air, and kept going. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I looked around. The tip of the glowing thread was melting away in the open air, the fact that I couldn¡¯t see where they ended made it feel like the threads were somehow spreading out over the whole wide area. So Mr Lahzt was some kind of physician? Or a mage? A scholar? He certainly did project a professorial air. The glasses suited him perfectly, and he did seem like he¡¯d be the popular brainiac type if he¡¯d lived in my world. Maybe he was a married man, that would make him even cooler. ¡°It appears that while I was looking for a more effective flower, my threads found a flower in the world where you live. Your world and this one must be near one another, spatially speaking.¡± I had indeed finally come into the story, so I leaned forward a little. Mr Lazzt then leaned back a little. ¡°Maa-tan!¡± The prince must not have liked how engrossed I was in the conversation, because he tugged on my hand. ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re talking about something really important. Go play with Morio for a while?¡± I passed the prince off to Morio. Well, to Mr Kahzam¡­ I just automatically thought of him as Morio. Well, it was fine, this conversation was more important right now. Mr Kahzam turned his attention to the prince without any hesitation, and the two of them started playing with the cloth ball I¡¯d made in the tree house. Mr Lahzt cleared his throat and then dove back in. ¡°All this is to say, that when I pulled my thread back to get that flower, you ended up coming with it, since the bouquet was in your hands.¡± He was after the flower!? The bouquet from my sister¡¯s wedding? And I just happened to get stuck in the net when he reeled it in? I mean, I certainly did recall gripping that bouquet quite tightly. It was important to me. ¡°Some cut flowers huh¡­ You couldn¡¯t just take some out of the ground somewhere?¡± It didn¡¯t really matter either way, but maybe because it was the first real question I¡¯d asked, Mr Lahzt gave me a proper answer anyway. ¡°Analyzing the cut flowers should serve my purpose. And besides, you were¡­ engaged in some sort of ceremony, weren¡¯t you? The flowers were being used as part of that? My abilities are easier to use under ceremonial circumstances.¡± ¡°Is that right¡­¡± I mostly felt weak, but somewhere in a corner of my heart, I was kind of relieved too. Thank god it hadn¡¯t been my sister. Koaya had just gotten married, she was on her way to being properly happy, if she¡¯d been yanked into another world, alone, as a literal hanger-on to a bouquet, that would just be too much. And thank god it hadn¡¯t been Nanao! An elementary school student getting sucked into a whole other world and made to care for a baby for six months by herself, that would have been beyond harsh. Honestly, I¡¯m glad it was me. To be thinking along those lines, to find a little bit of happiness inside one giant unhappiness, I really am a bit of a Pollyanna. I wondered if it really was alright to be so optimistic, but Mr Lahzt kept talking. ¡°You were weak from your journey through space and time, and you remained unconscious for a while. So I put you in the Shu-ii that you saw in the other room. So you could adjust to this world through the water in that globe. It was through that process that the local language¡­ shall we say, moved into your head.¡± Mr Lahzt was choosing his words carefully. ¡°So in short, I learned them in my sleep, these words,¡± I summarized. So I did have the general gist of this language. I¡¯d seen the term occasionally in newspaper adverts, hymnopedia, and had always wondered if it could really work. Of course, when someone said they learned something in their sleep in my world, they usually meant something a little different. The equipment, if I could call it that, in this world was seriously advanced¡­ What had he called that globe of water, a Shu-ii? Wait, though. How had I read the letters in that note? I felt like if it was even remotely possible to learn kanji in your sleep, I would have seen something about it in Japan of all places, but I never had. I¡¯d have to ask next time. ¡°Getting back to the topic at hand, though¡­ This child.¡± Mr Lahzt lifted his hand a bit, and casually pointed at the prince. Mm? Was that a ring on Mr Lahzt¡¯s left ring finger? Oh, I hadn¡¯t noticed before, but Mr Kahzam had one too. Were they both married? Wait wait, this was a totally other world. They were bound to have different customs. ¡°His Highness and his second wife consulted me before the birth, and I recommended you as the child¡¯s nurse, in order to protect him.¡± My attention snapped back to the conversation. ¡°Nurse? Like a wetnurse, like someone who offers their breasts to the baby?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, absolutely not.¡± Silence. A little bit of awkward silence. Although, hold on. There had been milk at the tree house, of course they weren¡¯t looking for a wetnurse, what was I just blurting out the word breasts for¡­ I cleared my throat. ¡°Ah, you mean as in, someone to raise the child, in place of the mother, yes. But, uh, why me?¡± ¡°For one thing, you¡¯re a completely separate third party, with no connection to the fight over the succession. There¡¯s really no one in this world who doesn¡¯t have some stake in it.¡± Maybe because I¡¯d asked so directly, Mr Lahzt answered me unreservedly, adjusting his glasses. ¡°So then, why wouldn¡¯t you have explained the whole situation before¡­ Ah¡­¡± The reason suddenly came to mind, and I had to agree. ¡°If you made the whole explanation beforehand, maybe I would have insisted it had nothing to do with me and I didn¡¯t want to get wrapped up in it, so you threw us together without any explanation at all, and encouraged me to take care of him out of some maternal instinct, is that it?¡± Mr Lahzt lifted an eyebrow slightly, and nodded. ¡°Thank you for coming to that conclusion so quickly. We don¡¯t have anyone else, so if you had refused it would have caused us some trouble,¡± he said, and for the first time, looked away. ¡°Even if it was an accident, I was the one who brought you here, and against your will too. And then I proceeded to take advantage of you, and coerce you into the task without a shred of explanation. I do truly apologize.¡± He bowed his head a little. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯ll forgive me, but I am honestly sorry.¡± I heaved a single massive sigh. ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s fine already, I guess.¡± Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam both looked at me with their eyes wide. ¡°Well¨C I mean, not forgiving you isn¡¯t really going to solve anything. Holding a grudge against someone is just pointless anyway. And I didn¡¯t really think of it as forced labor to begin with. So, I forgive you already.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a rather long view of the situation.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± An adult woman goes through all kinds of things. Bearing grudges against people, and having grudges born against them. That was precisely why having feelings for someone and then hating myself for it was just¡­ Unpleasant memories swam to the surface of my mind, and I rushed to move the conversation forward. ¡°Is it possible to get me back to my original world?¡± ¡°There are no previous examples of this happening, so I honestly don¡¯t know. Of course, I have been looking for a way.¡± Mr Lahzt didn¡¯t sugar coat his words. He spoke very plainly, and maybe a little coldly. Maybe that was just his personality though, I guess. He¡¯d apologized properly, so I knew he was sincere. Still though, he really didn¡¯t know? Of course, considering the circumstances surrounding my coming here at all, the possibilities didn¡¯t look great. I bit my lip, and sure enough, Mr Lahzt said the same thing I¡¯d been thinking. ¡°The one thing for sure is that we can¡¯t use the same method that brought you here.¡± ¡°You reeled me in easily enough.¡± That was a bit nasty of me. Mr Lahzt swallowed hard. Forgive me this much, at least. At any rate, with no one in my world to reel me back, there was no way I could get home by the same method. And there was always the possibility I¡¯d lose consciousness again if I crossed space and time. At this rate, I might never get home, I thought, and the instant I did, I felt a tight pain in my chest. I kept it in check and got back to the conversation. ¡°You said this was one reason, so was there some other reason to make me his nurse?¡± I asked. Mr Lahzt continued. ¡°The other reason lies in where you¡¯ve been living. It¡¯s called the Garden of Stars, and it¡¯s said that it overflows with spiritual energy, that it lends power to living creatures.¡± ¡°Power?¡± ¡°Yeah. For example, the power to speed up a being¡¯s growth. If a child goes there, like this one did, they develop more quickly than normal.¡± Ah, okay. So not every baby in this world develops so quickly then. ¡°Not long after the king¡¯s second wife gave birth, we declared that the child had been stillborn, and he was secretly moved to the Garden of Stars. With you as his nurse, of course. And so, we hoped that if he lived there for a while, he would develop quickly, and when he eventually returned¡­¡± ¡°Even if anybody did get suspicious and wonder if you¡¯d just hidden the prince away somewhere, they¡¯d see how much bigger he was than he was supposed to be and figure it couldn¡¯t be him.¡± After all, in Japan anyway, it wasn¡¯t until a kid was maybe six months old that you finally started him on baby food. Mr Lahzt once again raised an eyebrow in response to my words, and nodded. ¡°But if anyone knew that he¡¯d been raised in a place where he would develop quickly, wouldn¡¯t they just be suspicious anyway? Once they guessed that he¡¯d been taken to the Garden of Stars and raised there?¡± I countered. If the prince was to remain safe, clearly he would have to stay here. ¡°Certainly anyone with any intelligence knows about that place. But adults of this world aren¡¯t allowed in there. When they try to enter, they¡¯re repelled.¡± ¡°Wait, but I went in there. How did you know someone from another world would be able to get in?¡± ¡°The fact that I was able to reel you in¡­ or rather, summon you? At any rate, it was because of the Garden of Stars.¡± What was with that question mark? He didn¡¯t need to go out of his way to use such spectacular words. ¡°I thought you just said you wouldn¡¯t be able to go in there.¡± ¡°Not in human form, no. What¡¯s why¡­ Like Kahzam, he turned into a different kind of creature and was able to travel there. The Garden also amplifies certain powers, such as my investigatory threads. I was granted permission to enter the Garden of Stars, to use it to search for the flowers I mentioned.¡± It tarnished my idea of him as an intelligent pretty boy a bit, but I suddenly had this image of Mr Lahzt walking around as a massive panda-thing, like Morio. With the glasses still on, of course. I could feel the corners of my lips turning up, and hurriedly took a sip of tea to cover myself. Ahem. ¡°Once the child gets to a certain age, and starts speaking human language, that would discount any lingering suspicions of his being raised by people who¡¯d transformed into animals to get into the Garden of Stars. So, we waited until he¡¯d started speaking to bring you out of the Garden.¡± Wow, they¡¯d even considered extended scenarios like that, huh. How meticulous. There certainly were stories of kids raised by wolves, even in my world. The prince couldn¡¯t say anything except people¡¯s names yet, but as long as it was just the two of us, he was learning nothing but Japanese. You might say it was exquisite timing. Mr Lahzt continued. ¡°He¡¯ll be treated as an adopted child, without any place in the line of succession, but still, we¡¯ve made it this far, so I¡¯m hoping we¡¯ll be able to return him to his mother¡¯s side before too much longer.¡± The instant I heard those words, my chest started to hurt. It was true, though. Eventually, the prince would be going home to his true mother. Seeing how quiet I suddenly was, Mr Lahzt sort of sighed. ¡°That¡¯s enough for now, you must be exhausted. I¡¯m sure you have more questions, but we¡¯ll stop here for the moment. For now, I¡¯m just glad we made it in time.¡± Made it in time? While the question still rang in my head, Mr Lahzt took an envelope from the seam of his jacket and offered it to me. ¡°From the king¡¯s second wife, Lady Solamire. Her Highness isn¡¯t able to meet with you right away, so she entrusted me with this letter. She repeatedly asked me to convey her appreciation, and her gratitude for meeting with us directly.¡± I meekly accepted the envelope, opened it, and took out the letter. The letters there looked like an assemblage of hieroglyphs. But just by looking at them, a series of images spread out in my mind. First, the sensation of a burst of gratitude. And then a mist of apology. The heartbreak and torture of the moment she¡¯d had to hand the prince off to someone else immediately after giving birth to him. Her joy when she¡¯d learned through Mr Lahzt that Mr Kahzam was watching over the prince as he developed, that her son was doing fine. Her impatience in wanting to meet the price as soon as possible. And then, again, layer upon layer of her gratitude towards me. When I came back to myself, I realized I was crying. I noticed that Mr Kahzam, who was supposed to be playing with the prince, had stiffened up, and I quickly wiped my tears, embarrassed. Mr Lahzt spoke quietly. ¡°You should rest a little. If there¡¯s anything you¡¯d like to know right away, I can tell you, but¡­¡± Hm. There was just one thing I¡¯d always wondered when we were in the tree house, but I figured there wasn¡¯t much I could do about it at the time. Balling my hands in my lap, I screwed up my courage and asked. ¡°Um¡­ What happened to our kitchen waste?¡± ¡°Your what?¡± ¡°When we were staying in the treehouse, our kitchen waste. I figured I could use it as compost at first, so I went a little ways into the forest and dug a hole and buried it, but was that alright? I¡¯m just kind of worried, since that turns out to be some kind of sacred place. I just didn¡¯t know what else to do with it¡­ I didn¡¯t want to put it down the toilet and clog it up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that was fine.¡± I sagged with relief. Thank goodness! CH 2.2 Mr Lahzt led the prince and I upstairs, to a guest room on the second floor where we would both stay. Mr Kahzam followed, too. ¡°This is my family¡¯s villa,¡± Mr Lahzt said, as he opened a heavy-looking wooden door. I figured that was the case. After all, the way there was nothing but the minimum necessary furnishings matched his personality. ¡°Normally there¡¯s a groundskeeper, but at the moment, it¡¯s just you, me, and Kahzam. I know it¡¯s not much, and I do apologize, but I hope you¡¯ll be able to rest here for today. Feel free to go wherever you¡¯d like within the building, except for the room with the Shu-ii.¡± ¡°I know your clothes and things are still in the Garden of Stars,¡± Mr Kahzam said, hanging back, but finally opening his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll go get them immediately, please don¡¯t worry.¡± I nodded. ¡°Thank you. If you could, uh¡­ bring the bouquet too. It¡¯s important to me¡­¡± Mr Kahzam responded with a nod, as if to say he understood. As soon as we got to the bedroom, I was overcome with exhaustion. The instant the door shut, the prince and I both collapsed onto the simple bed and tried to get to sleep. My body was plenty tired, and somehow so was my mouth. Maybe suddenly switching languages was using different muscles than I was used to. There was a familiar color on top of the side table. My lavender dress had been folded and set down there, with my accessories on top of it. I shifted in bed and caught sight of my favorite bordeaux ankle-strap pumps too. All the things I¡¯d been wearing the day of the wedding. One of my earrings was missing, it must have flown off from the impact of crossing space and time. After all, that impact had knocked me unconscious. I¡¯d been holding a clutch too, but that was gone as well. What had happened after the bouquet and I disappeared? The wedding reception was an important celebration, did they manage to still have it? Or maybe the flow of time was different here, and only a few seconds had passed on the other side. I hoped it was true. Otherwise, I¡¯d been missing for six months. I wondered if anybody had shed any tears for me, and my chest started to hurt. My time at the treehouse had been such a balm to me, and my heart hadn¡¯t been nearly this conflicted. I quickly turned my thoughts to that giant, mysterious tree, hoping to calm myself. I had known as soon as I¡¯d seen that transparent trunk that I was no longer in my own world. A different world, huh¡­ Indeed, I was in a different world. Whatever was going to happen next, I had to get a grip on what was going on right now. It had been six months, any period when I might have been able to lie to myself that this was all a dream was long since past. I had read stories where someone wandered into another world, but they always had young girls or boys as the protagonist, kids who grew up during their various experiences in those worlds, kids who had a mission they had to complete in that other world, and who then completed it. But I wasn¡¯t young any more. At twenty five, I was clearly an adult. Well, I was less confident that I could claim to be mentally mature, but still. If I had any mission here¡­ it was one I¡¯d already completed. My coming here had been an accident, but perhaps raising a child I¡¯d found in a forest was a mission only I could complete. Today, the day I¡¯d learned what was really going on, was also the day my mission ended. That really is true, isn¡¯t it. I wondered if what they¡¯d told me was really the truth. Like, were they just trying to get rid of me? Now that I knew their secret, they couldn¡¯t let me live, kind of thing? If that was true, maybe they were going to kill me. After all, they¡¯d declared the prince stillborn and ran off with him. This was playing out like some kind of historical drama. But the Crown Prince¡¯s faction had seemed the only bloodthirsty one. Mr Lahzt seemed sincere in his sense of responsibility, and Mr Kahzam¡­ Well, he was Morio. But it was Lady Solamire¡¯s letter more than anything that had warmed my heart. Those pictograms really worked their magic, they transmitted her feelings directly. I wanted to introduce the prince to Lady Solamire as quick as we could. My problems could come after that. I would consider my options after the prince¡¯s troubles were taken care of. I kissed his forehead gently as he slept there beside me. Letting go of him¡­ I was going to be very lonesome¡­ The following morning, I woke up early, still following our treehouse routine. The morning air here was a bit cooler than it had been there. I got up quietly and changed my clothes, but the prince must have noticed anyway, because he woke up too. ¡°Goo moo,¡± he said, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Good morning, little prince. Shall we wash our faces?¡± The prince curled himself around me, and we headed over to the sink that was hidden behind a screen in one corner of the room. ¡°Wow, that Garden of Stars really is something¡­¡± I peered at myself in the mirror. I¡¯d caught my first glance at myself in a mirror in a long while last night when I¡¯d borrowed their bath, but there really was something a little different about my face after all. My hair was glossy, my skin was bright ¨C the energy of the Garden of Stars had apparently had some effect on me. The prince had met his milestones early, but since I¡¯d already met all mine as an adult, I selfishly imagined that the power must have worked in other ways. Of course my lifestyle in that treehouse had been pretty healthy, too. After that nap yesterday, I¡¯d taken my first bath in six months (in a claw foot tub!), and then they¡¯d delivered a stew that Mr Kahzam had apparently made to our room, and the prince and I had our fill of it. They¡¯d supplied a fruit wine too, but I only drank about half of it. It had been a long time since I had any alcohol, and I got a little tipsy, and before I knew it, I¡¯d woken up in bed next to the prince in the morning. Thank god I hadn¡¯t let the two men in the building see me like that, but I did seem to have let an infant see me like that. A very chipper prince and I took our dinner dishes downstairs. Making my way from my memories of yesterday, we headed for the interior hallway, and found the kitchen. I hadn¡¯t been able to look closely yesterday with all the chaos, so I took another look around. A wooden countertop with a tiled water basin, a portable gas hotplate¨C Wait, was that an electric hotplate? With this retro atmosphere, the whole place definitely felt more ¡®field galley¡¯ than ¡®kitchen¡¯ though. As we were washing our dishes, I heard quiet footsteps, and Mr Kahzam came in. He was quite dapper in a simple unbleached shirt, and pants of what looked like un-dyed denim. ¡°Oh, good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± The corner¡¯s of Mr Kahzam¡¯s mouth turned up ever so slightly in a smile, and he pointed to a spot next to me. ¡°I put your things from the treehouse over there.¡± ¡°Wow, that was fast! Thank you very much.¡± He¡¯d put a cloth bag apparently packed with our things on the table in the room with the fireplace, which was connected through the galley. And on top of that was my dried bouquet. I put my hand gently on the bouquet, and breathed a sigh of relief. I felt like as long as I had it, I still had some connection to my sisters. When I looked back over, Mr Kahzam had taken some vegetables from a wooden box in one corner of the galley, and the prince was standing beside him and peering over at him. I left the bouquet and went back to the galley too. ¡°If you¡¯re making breakfast, I can help. I¡¯m assuming I need to wash that and peel it?¡± I stuck my hand out, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, Mr Kahzam set the vegetable in my hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± I stood next to him and we started cooking. I suddenly realized what an incredibly long time it had been since I made a meal with anyone. "" As I¡¯d gathered yesterday, Mr Kahzam didn¡¯t seem to be the type to strike up conversations on his own. But he did ask a few things, like what the prince liked to eat, and whenever I asked him something, he answered easily. Breakfast had a simple soup-and-bread, ham-and-cheese feel. Mr Kahzam put some kind of brown beans in the pan, and boiled them with something that looked like milk. I wondered what it might be, and when I tried it, it was sort of like coffee with milk. Drinking this bean broth seemed to be part of the morning routine here. It smelled great. ¡°Mr Lahzt isn¡¯t joining us?¡± I asked, when breakfast was complete. ¡°I did call for him. Dr Lahzt isn¡¯t very good with mornings,¡± he said, heading out of the kitchen. So Mr Lahzt wasn¡¯t a morning person, huh, that was kind of cute¡­ And Mr Kahzam seemed to know him pretty well. They must be close, huh. That morning, making breakfast with Mr Kahzam, seeing Mr Lahzt¡¯s sleepy face, was the first time I¡¯d felt close to any adults in this world. We chatted about various things while we ate breakfast. After yesterday¡¯s conversation, I wondered if Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam were close to the king¡¯s second wife, and it turned out that was indeed the case. Mr Lahzt was one of her attending physicians, and Mr Kahzam was one of her personal guards. They were both also apparently distantly related to her. Each of them gained the trust of the King through their previous work and so he¡¯d asked them to protect his second wife and their children. Watching Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam talk, they did indeed seem to be close. They didn¡¯t talk a lot, in fact they really didn¡¯t say many words at all, but a certain familiarity between the two of them came through nonetheless. Mr Lahzt seemed to be the higher ranking person, indeed Mr Kahzam called him Dr Lahzt, but maybe because they were cousins, they seemed to be at ease with one another in a way that went beyond the framework of their titles or the task at hand. The only other people who knew of this matter were the midwife, the prince¡¯s older sister, and the second queen¡¯s younger brother. Oh, and me of course. ¡°Her Highness¡¯s younger brother is called Lord Fatido. He¡¯s a private citizen, and president of a trading firm,¡± Mr Lahzt told me. Queen Solamire¡¯s younger brother Fatido¡­ Their names sounded like a musical scale. ¡°Lady Solamire has to stay put, thanks to the situation, so Lord Fatido will be visiting us in her stead. When he arrives, we¡¯ll discuss prince¡¯s future and yours. 1 Except¡­¡± Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam exchanged a glance. ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to meet with him, Mami,¡± Mr Kahzam said. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you¡¯d like, let me know, and I¡¯ll do whatever I can to arrange it. You¡¯ve lost so much being brought here, and you did such a fantastic job. You have the right to expect to be rewarded.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Could I really accept a reward though? The idea didn¡¯t please me so much as make me sad. It felt like I was being told that my job was over and the matter didn¡¯t have anything further to do with me, that I shouldn¡¯t concern myself with it any longer. I was starting to get depressed, and when Mr Lahzt made a point of reiterating the idea, ¡°At any rate, we¡¯ll let you know when Lord Fatido arrives, so you should stay in your room,¡± I only gave a perfunctory answer. ¡°Understood.¡± Alright, I thought, it¡¯s time to change the subject, so let¡¯s ask. So, as I was wiping food off the prince¡¯s mouth, I asked them. ¡°So¡­ That letter yesterday, that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen letters like that. How was it I could read them?¡± Mr Lahzt got a surprised expression on his face. ¡°Oh that¡¯s right, in your world, you can¡¯t read the characters unless you learn them, right?¡± Uh, yes? What was he talking about? He told me that those characters were ideographs that could transmit detailed images when looked at, that even children could easily read them. I guess when I¡¯d thought they looked like hieroglyphics, my impression hadn¡¯t been too far from the truth. He said they were called Shin. Mr Lahzt wrote down the word Shin for me, using the Shin themselves. From the image I got, they might be called something like ¡®Star Heart Seals¡¯ in my world. He wrote down the name of that globe of water too, the Shu-ii, and the image I got there was ¡®water shrine.¡¯ When I asked how something so convenient could exist, he told me that they weren¡¯t invented by man, but rather handed down from God. He told me this world was called Gaduelyon, and that the name of the god who¡¯d handed down these letters was called Gaduos. I had heard of the idea that words had a power when they came out of your mouth. In Japan we called it kotodama, the soul of language, but here it seemed, the actual power of their god resided in the characters. Except that in this case, it was extremely difficult for humans to write these Shin seals, and so the royal family had that skill drilled into them from a young age, and there were even some scholars who did nothing but research them their whole lives. That was the impression I got, at least. And some strange things that had happened since I¡¯d come here turned out to be things Mr Lahzt had done, using a technique he called the art of Shiino, where he pulled power from those Shin seals. Apparently, anyone who could use these techniques was called a Shiinoce, and there weren¡¯t very many of them. Mr Kahzam said he couldn¡¯t do it. Mr Lahzt was both a Shiinoce and a physician, which they told me was even more unusual. Mr Kahzam¡¯s transformation into an animal, and his coming and going in the Garden of Stars, turned out to be thanks to Mr Lahzt¡¯s Shiino skills. My own transfer into this world was also thanks to Shiino, of course, and the pale green letters that remained on my hand were especially rare Shin used in those arts. ¡°The fact that the seals were projected onto your hand was outside of my calculations, Mami¡­ I chalk it up to the special circumstances of the event, I guess,¡± Mr Lahzt said, almost as if he was talking to himself. He seemed to have a lot of things running around in his head. Besides the Shin, there was also a phonetic script called Ren, Human Connection Seals, which sort of looked like kanji too, and apparently those were what the general population used to read and write. Mr Lahzt wrote some of those down for me too, but it was all Greek to me, and I couldn¡¯t read a word of it. They seemed to be a fairly simple collection of vowels and consonants, so I figured I could learn it somehow. I hadn¡¯t studied anything in a long while, but¡­ Nope, I¡¯d just have to learn them! For right now at least, I had to be able to live as a member of the general population of this world! ¡°Can you write names in Shin, too?¡± I asked, and Mr Kahzam kindly wrote his name down for me in large letters. So it seemed that anyone could at least be taught their own names in Shin. So what was the prince¡¯s name in Shin? I asked the question, a bit nervous, but they said small children didn¡¯t have them. Apparently, people were given Shin names by God when they got to a certain age. I would have to wait until then to see it, huh¡­ It was disappointing somehow. The two characters of Mr Kahzam¡¯s name, by the way, gave me an image of gazing out across a wide swath of land from somewhere high up, like a bird flying in the sky, and then the feeling of blowing wind. So this is what the name Kahzam meant then, huh? "" ¡°What a wonderful name¡­ Ah, sorry, I¡¯ve just been calling you Morio this whole time.¡± Mr Kahzam¡¯s eyes narrowed with a smile. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to apologize for. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t introduce myself.¡± Mr Kahzam seemed a generous, modest person. I got the impression he was casually trying to put me at ease. Just then, Mr Lahzt suddenly asked me, ¡°What does ¡®Mami¡¯ mean?¡± Ah. ¡± ¡®Ma¡¯ means¡­ like, truth, or something true, and ¡®mi¡¯ means beautiful,¡± I answered, haltingly. I¡¯d been calling myself that this whole time, but it¡¯d been a total lie. It was hard to come clean now though, like, Oops, sorry, my real name isn¡¯t Mami at all. But honestly, it was fine to have a different name for this world, right? I wasn¡¯t inconveniencing anyone, after all. Mr Lahzt wrote some Shin seals on his paper. ¡°Like this¡­ maybe?¡± he said, showing it to me. The characters transmitted an extravagant kind of beauty, not only in form but in substance too. ¡°That¡¯s the general feeling, yeah.¡± I nodded firmly. Mr Lahzt looked back and forth between the characters and me, and said, idly, ¡°It¡¯s totally different from the impression you give, huh.¡± For a moment, I was flustered. But wait a minute. Didn¡¯t he just say something kind of rude? ¡°Exactly how am I not beautiful?¡± I got irritated and made out like I was trying not to quake with anger, and Mr Lahzt quickly backtracked. ¡°Uh, no, that¡¯s not¨C¡± Mr Kahzam covered his mouth and laughed. After breakfast, Mr Lahzt had work to do, so he retreated into the room where the Shu-ii was located. I didn¡¯t have anything special to do, so after tidying up breakfast, the prince and I went outside. Just outside the hearth room was a garden. It seemed to have been formed by removing grass and trees from among what had already been growing there, rather than planting entirely new trees or flowers, and it continued at one end into a comfortable little grove. I couldn¡¯t see any other houses nearby. I did occasionally see birds or small animals around. Looking at the villa from the outside, the outer walls were made of stone, but I could see a sort of repeating pattern of deliberately exposed log pillars, and it looked like a TV version of a European country house. There were even exposed wooden roof beams on the interior. Just looking at them made me feel a little better somehow. One side of the building was two stories, but because the land was sloped, the other side was three stories. The land opened up on that end, and the third floor wall had a large windmill attached to it, which was slowly turning in the breeze. Wind power seemed to be the main source of energy around here, I could see a few of them built in the area. How eco-friendly. Mr Kahzam was primarily a bodyguard, so he was usually by our side. He seemed to pay close attention to our needs. He occasionally would tell us he was going to have a look around the grounds, and let us wander wherever we¡¯d like, but when he showed up again, I was always relieved somehow. He was Morio, after all. As I was playing with the prince, I asked Mr Kahzam what kind of place Vio Rizonna was. Apparently it was an island nation, just like Japan. And ruled by a king, like England. He said it was a constitutional monarchy, where the king¡¯s duties were relatively formal. He said originally, this land had belonged to another kingdom that was located across the sea. It had been a little while since they¡¯d gained independence, but as a still-emerging nation, they still followed many of the traditions of their original country, which said that only sons could inherit the throne. But now that the battle over the succession was dragging on, nobody knew what was going to happen. I was relieved to hear that there weren¡¯t any customs where women were second-class citizens or anything like that. The land had yet to recover, and vegetables and things didn¡¯t grow in much abundance, so they had to import them. They were trying to expand their livestock and dairy farming instead. Speaking of, the food that Mr Kahzam had brought us in the treehouse, as well as all the meals we¡¯d had since we came here, and been meat and dairy heavy. And since it was an island nation, they apparently had a thriving fishing industry too. The whole thing with Shino arts had surprised me, but I felt like the culture and food habits here weren¡¯t too different from my world. Only a few details were odd, like the calendar. And there wasn¡¯t a digital item to be found. In that way, it felt a little old-fashioned. It was like these two worlds were identical twins raised in different places. They were exactly alike in appearance and on certain fundamental points, but because they¡¯d been raised differently, their personalities were entirely different. Mr Kahzam had questions for me too. ¡°Mami, can I ask you something? What does the name Morio mean?¡± ¡°Oh, um, mori means ¡®the woods,¡¯ like a place where a lot of trees grow. The o part is a masculine ending, it just means ¡®a man.¡¯ A fair number of men in my country have an o at the end of their names. So, like, a male animal who appeared from the woods¡­¡± Ah. Crap. Now he knew not only that I¡¯d thought of him as an animal, but that I¡¯d confirmed he was a male animal as well. I got a bit flustered, and looked over at Mr Kahzam like I was peering in on him through a keyhole. The gentle expression he¡¯d had until a minute ago had been replaced by an entirely blank look. ¡°It¨C it is a strange kind of name¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± I apologized quietly, but Mr Kahzam¡¯s expression softened again, like he¡¯d only been surprised. ¡°Ah, no, I was just thinking¡­ I apologize. I think the name suits me quite well. Since my eyes are the color of trees.¡± I nodded in relief. ¡°That¡¯s true! That is true, actually, they¡¯re a very striking color, leaves a strong impression.¡± Mr Kahzam¡¯s eyes narrowed a bit as he looked at me. ¡°Thank you very much. Your color is very pretty, Mami¡­ Black, that¡¯s rare.¡± ¡°Is it? Oh wait, people could tell just from that, that I¡¯m not from this world?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, there are a few races from other countries where you occasionally find black hair and eyes. Certainly to find both in the same person is unusual, but not overly so.¡± Okay, good. A foreigner with unusual eye and hair color was at least somewhere to start in this country. Even though I¡¯d learned the language of this country in my sleep, I wasn¡¯t very familiar with actually uttering the sounds, so I was worried I was far more garbled and clumsy with it than Mr Kahzam or Mr Lahzt, but that might sound natural for a foreigner. Wait. I hadn¡¯t met any women since I¡¯d come here, but what were their fashions like, like hairstyles and stuff? My hair currently stretched to below my shoulders, but maybe that wasn¡¯t that long around here¡­? What was I going to do if I was outrageously different from everybody else! ¡°Hey¨C uh, Mr Kahzam, what kind of feeling do you get, when you look at me?¡± I hung a step back, and twirled around for Mr Kahzam. ¡°Uh¡­ What, kind of feeling?¡± Mr Kahzam¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise for some reason, and then he hid his mouth with that big right hand of his. Was he turning red a little, around the eyes maybe? ¡°Yeah, like¡­ Mm, it makes you feel a little better to look at me?¡± ¡°What?¡± Makes him feel better? ¡°Mm, like, you don¡¯t feel like anything¡¯s particularly weird about me? Compared to the women of this world.¡± ¡°Oh, ah.¡± Mr Kahzam nodded multiple times like he was in a panic. ¡°Compared to the women of this world, right. Yeah. No, you¡¯re fine, yes.¡± ¡°Okay, good. I don¡¯t want to stand out too much¡­¡± ¡°Ah, no, of course. I understand. Um, I should go get lunch ready.¡± Mr Kahzam headed off towards the villa apparently in kind of a hurry, so I called the prince and followed after, saying, ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll help,¡± but¡­ Why was he in such a panic? That was weird. Mr Kahzam and I made these kind of sandwich things for lunch. Mr Lahzt flew in, gulped them down, and flew back to his room again. Things might get busy with the prince from here on out, he said, and he wanted to complete his trial medication while we were still here ¨C using the bouquet of roses, the whole reason I¡¯d ended up here in the first place. Well, we pretty much had to let him finish it, given all that. After lunch, Mr Kahzam took us to a stable that was on the grounds. The animal housed in the weathered but sturdy-looking wooden building was called an anpy. It looked a bit like an impala from my world, with a big long neck like a horse, and it had two slightly curved horns. People here used to ride these as transportation all the time, any time they wanted to go out, he said, until not too long ago. I wondered if there weren¡¯t any cars, and he told me there were, but not many people in the general population owned one yet, and the cost of maintenance on the electric automatic ones was still too much for the average person. Hearing him talk about it, I thought this world really did take a different route for its cultural expansion. It felt like, the world I had lived in had expanded at a good clip, and had to find solutions to problems that arose along the way ¨C how to resurrect lost nature, for instance ¨C but people in this place had taken it slowly, expanding, but being careful not to create problems in the first place. It didn¡¯t seem like they¡¯d had any major world wars so far, and maybe that was thanks to the fact that they lived side by side with nature. As I was mulling it over, Mr Kahzam was showing the prince the finer points of caring for the anpy. The prince was extremely excited, and watching him feed the anpy some grass was so cute it made me want to scream. Speaking of, what was the animal Mr Kahzam had turned into? I asked him, and he said it was a rare animal called a ponga. He¡¯d been so cute like that, I wish I could have admired him more. No no, I mean, it was still Mr Kahzam though. ¡°Dr Lahzt transformed me into the ponga. I had to be something big so I could still carry the bags, but we didn¡¯t want to frighten you, so we thought the ponga would be cute enough,¡± Mr Kahzam told me, and I laughed without meaning to. Mr Lahzt had a bit of a chilly air about him, but inside he was really nice, huh. CH 2.3 Suddenly, we heard a voice. ¡°Here you are!¡± It was Mr Lahzt in his white clothes, running over to us. He was pretty fast for an indoor type. Well, maybe it was because his legs were so long? What really surprised me was that Mr Lahzt had his left sleeve rolled up. I¡¯d seen it yesterday, but there was a small ring of characters wrapped around his arm, just like there was on my left arm. Mine were only on my wrist, but Mr Lahzt¡¯s went right up to his elbow, with the letters packed in and coiled around him in multiple layers. He thrust that left arm out at me, touched a spot with the fingers of his right hand, and the line of coiled characters where he¡¯d touched uncoiled and glowed blue, and formed a circle about thirty centimeters in diameter, centered on my wrist. Woah, was this some kind of summoning circle? I don¡¯t even know how to describe it, it made a sort of mosquito coil shape, forming lines made out of glowing letters, and they were coiling around my arm in big circles. Then he did his thing again, and they uncoiled from my arm in exactly the same way and returned to their circle. Mr Lahzt touched the characters with his right-hand pointer finger again from within the summoning circle, jumping from character to character. The glowing letters broke off from their lines and flew straight towards me! I screamed and shut my eyes reflexively. Silence. I opened my eyes, looked across at the two men, looked down at my body. Nothing had happened. Mr Lahzt clicked his tongue and almost growled. ¡°I knew it, ¡®Mami¡¯ isn¡¯t your real name, is it.¡± ¡°What?¡± What gave me away? But before I had a chance to ask, a voice I didn¡¯t recognize called out. ¡°Oo! How you doing, kid?¡± A man with sparkling sky-blue eyes set into a masculine, almost flat face with a five o¡¯ clock shadow and a chestnut-brown fauxhawk came running just about as fast as Mr Lahzt had before him. He wore a black suit jacket that had a bit of sheen to it, and a buttondown in the same color as his eyes with the top three or four buttons undone to reveal his bare chest, where I could see a thin gold chain dangling. This playboy suddenly picked up the prince. ¡°Wow you got big!¡± he said, tossing the prince higher and higher. ¡°I¡¯m your uncle, you know, do you recognize me?¡± The prince froze, and his eyes flew open. Meanwhile, Mr Kahzam gently pushed me into the shadow of one of the stable¡¯s pillars and then stood in front of me. I could feel the heat from Mr Kahzam¡¯s broad shoulders on my face, and my heart instantly started beating faster. Mr Lahzt, on the other hand, separated himself from me entirely, and spoke to the man who¡¯d just appeared. ¡°My Lord Fatido¡­ I¡¯m not sure anyone¡¯s heard you¡¯re his uncle, or indeed anything else¡­¡± The playboy turned to Mr Lahzt, and put the prince down. ¡°That¡¯s true, sorry sorry!¡± So this was the second queen¡¯s younger brother Fatido, huh? I observed him surreptitiously from Mr Kahzam¡¯s shadow. They¡¯d said he was a company president, but he looked quite young, maybe in his late thirties. He had a sultry, adult sex appeal to him. Just as I was thinking that, Mr Kahzam changed positions a little, and I couldn¡¯t see Mr Fatido anymore. That¡¯s true, I am supposed to be hiding. But why did we have to hide me anyway? ¡°You got here quite quickly. Why don¡¯t we talk inside,¡± Mr Lahzt said, nonchalantly trying to guide Mr Fatido into the building. But the one thing that can always bring an adult¡¯s best laid plans to ruin at a moment¡¯s notice is a child. ¡°Maa-tan.¡± The prince was a little surprised at the sudden appearance of someone he didn¡¯t know, and so he came over to hug me as I lurked behind Mr Kahzam, thus revealing my presence to Mr Fatido quite plainly. Mr Fatido stopped moving, his mouth hanging open a bit, and his gaze meeting mine as I took hold of the prince. Since our eyes had met, I had to give some kind of greeting. I took a step to one side, out from behind Mr Kahzam, and nodded at him. ¡°Pleased to¨C meet you. Good afternoon. I¡¯m Mami.¡± I sounded like a bad translation from a foreign language. Mr Fatido muttered to Mr Lahzt without taking his eyes off me. ¡°Lahzt. This woman¡­ This is the one you said came from the other world? The one who was going by my nephew¡¯s nurse?¡± Uh. What? Something felt weird. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me she was¡­ I mean the way you said it, I thought she was some kind of old maid¡­¡± Wait wait, what? More quickly than I could pull away, his big hand stretched out to me and grabbed my right arm. ¡°I am Fatido Askas, Lady Mami. I am this child¡¯s uncle, on his mother¡¯s side.¡± His clear blue eyes looked at me with heat behind them. ¡°Ah, my apologies, this is no place for a conversation. Shall we retire inside? After you, please.¡± He put his arm around my waist like it was the most natural thing to do, and although he was gentle about it, he pressed me forward with some firmness, so I just kinda went along with him. Having an adult man¡¯s hand touching me, memories of my broken heart instantly stole across my mind. When I looked up at him reflexively, his eyes met mine with an enchanted look on his face, and I quickly looked back down. Oof¡­ This was going to be trouble. Without thinking, I looked behind me to make sure Mr Kahzam was still there. I sat on the sofa in the hearth room, and Mr Fatido sat himself down too, after he¡¯d offered me a seat. He wasn¡¯t right next to me, but he was across from me at a close enough distance that his hand could reach. Mr Fatido never took his eyes from me. I couldn¡¯t calm down. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll pour us some tea.¡± I stood up in a hurry and scuttled over to the temporary safe harbor of the kitchen. I was sighing and heating the water when Mr Kahzam entered. He took a glass bottle of the tea leaves from the cabinet, and glanced at me, concerned. ¡°Are you alright, Mami? Lord Fatido is¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to say it, he¡¯s a person who has trouble restraining himself around women.¡± Ah. A womanizer, I think is what you might call that. Mr Kahzam was so polite. ¡°He is absolutely sincere with everyone, but that alone has been the cause of much misery for his partners¡­¡± So in short, you fall head over heels, get in a quarrel, and it all ends in a stalemate. Immediately after, Mr Lahzt came in too, saying, ¡°I made him look after prince.¡± He took a mug from the cabinet and spoke in a low voice. ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t want you to meet.¡± Three adults in a narrow galley kitchen, whispering amongst themselves as they make tea. I don¡¯t know if I should say it felt intimate, but the sense of solidarity certainly was strong. ¡°I was thinking I¡¯d turn you into an anpy and hide you that way, since you were in the stables already, but¡­ If I don¡¯t have your real name, I can¡¯t use my arts to transform you. The Shin of your name is part of the art. It¡¯ll be the same if I ever need to help you recover from an illness or an injury.¡± Mr Lahzt fired out his words like fireworks. His tone was kind of ragged. Yikes. ¡°So tell me. What¡¯s your real name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Koume.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Koume. It¡¯s Hino Koume.¡± I finally said it. Both of them muttered my name, like they were trying to make sure of it. "" ¡°Kome?¡± ¡°Kome¡­¡± Um. I know it¡¯s a lot to hope for, but could you please at least stretch it out. Ko-u-me. Please? ¡°Kohme, huh. What¡¯s it mean?¡± 1 Mr Lahzt corrected his pronunciation. He was a bit awkward at it, and it was kind of cute. ¡°The ¡®ko¡¯ part means something small or cute. ¡®Ume¡¯ is the name of a type of plant in my world.¡± Mr Lahzt moaned. ¡°I can¡¯t use that.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about this ume plant, I can¡¯t make a proper Shin for it. You¡¯ll have to tell me more about it later. For the moment, at any rate, I can¡¯t put the name Kohme into any of my arts.¡± I shuddered. ¡°Please, you have to help me, even without your arts. There¡¯s nothing for it, this is just how I am. I know it¡¯s bad, but if someone else takes the initiative, I¡¯ll go along with it, and I end up getting spun around until I¡¯m totally stuck!¡± I pleaded, tears in my eyes. Now, NOW, Mr Lahzt wants to tell me he can¡¯t use my name, my own name! And I¡¯d always thought it suited me! ¡°Calm down, Mami. Or, no, Kohme. Your words are¡­¡± Mr Kahzam tried to sooth me. Oh, I¡¯d gotten so shaken I guess I¡¯d started speaking in Japanese. ¡°I don¡¯t know your exact age, but you¡¯re an adult woman, you¡¯ll figure it out somehow.¡± I know it was Mr Lahzt, but jeez that was blunt¡­ And his eyes were laughing! He had a bit of a sarcastic tongue on him, didn¡¯t he! I heaved a huge sigh, my cup still on the tray, and looked off into the distance. ¡°An adult, huh¡­ What does that even mean.¡± And then, I left the kitchen, with the two of them exchanging glances in the corner of my eye. Devil take ¡¯em both! With Mr Fatido here, we talked about me and the prince, and what the future might look like¡­ Or so I¡¯d like to say. That definitely is how the conversation started, at least. ¡°Have you decided on the child¡¯s foster parents yet, Lord Fatido?¡± Mr Lahzt asked. That¡¯s right, Lady Solamire was supposed to take over as his adopted mother under the pretext that he was actually someone else¡¯s son. ¡°Yeah. Haluria¡¯s¡­ Ah, sorry, that¡¯s his older sister,¡± Mr Fatido said, interjecting an explanation for me before continuing. ¡°We decided to ask Princess Haluria¡¯s nurse Tellner, so I¡¯m talking to Solamire about how to ask Tellner¡¯s relations to play the role of his parents. Although¡­¡± Mr Fatido, still looking at me, nodded once. ¡°At the moment, I¡¯m having a bit of an idea. I¡¯d like to think it over, so if you wouldn¡¯t mind holding tight for a bit?¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Conversation on foster parents, closed. Already? What thoughts could he have been having, looking at me? I had a bad feeling about the whole thing. Well, now we can devote ourselves to my future. ¡°You¡¯ve put in a lot of work for my nephew, I appreciate it very much. As a show of my gratitude, I¡¯d like to assure that you maintain your lifestyle here in this world. If you don¡¯t mind, and I know it¡¯s a bit fast, but how about staying at my home? It¡¯s quite the luxurious place, I¡¯ll have you know.¡± And so on. ¡°I¡¯d like to offer to show you around the kingdom some time. We¡¯ll take a nice, slow tour.¡± And so forth. Um, excuse me? This isn¡¯t about my future, this is just you mapping out the rest of my life? At any rate, I pressed right on through. ¡°I¡¯ve only just learned what¡¯s going on, and it¡¯s still all a bit chaotic, so that¡¯s not something I can really think about right now.¡± But it was anyone¡¯s guess whether Mr Fatido was really listening or not. He hardly ever took his eyes off my face, so I eventually asked, ¡°Is there something stuck to my face?¡± It was a bit of an old cliche, but it got the ¡°Don¡¯t Stare at Me¡± feeling across. His answer was full-on Romantic Poet. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve met anyone with black eyes. I didn¡¯t know anything so dark could be so clear. I could look into them forever.¡± Woah there. As I looked away, Mr Fatido¡¯s left hand entered my field of vision. He had a ring on his ring finger too¡­ Was it possible every adult in this world wore a ring on that finger? While I was escaping for a bit, Mr Fatido¡¯s beautiful rough tones continued. ¡°When I asked my sister about you, she only told me you were someone who seemed familiar with caring for children. Of course, someone like you¡­ My sister and Lahzt both were trying to hide you, I expect.¡± The prince started crying at that moment, so Mr Lahzt made excuses for me. ¡°There¡¯s a small child present, and she¡¯s still getting settled, so why don¡¯t we end it here for today.¡± So we decided to wind things up. Thank you little prince, you saved me! With a surprisingly easy, ¡°Why don¡¯t we,¡± Mr Fatido got to his feet. ¡°I know I can come on a bit strong. Women do tend to run away, and here I am still on my own,¡± he said, making his bachelor¡¯s appeal. ¡°Well, but I¡¯ve learned from my past. Let¡¯s take our time and get to know each other slowly,¡± he said with a smile. Sure. As friends. Clutching the prince, I saw Mr Fatido out into the high-ceilinged entry hall. What with everything that had happened, I let my guard down for a second, and suddenly, his face was right up close to mine. He kissed my cheek, like it was a perfectly natural thing to do. His hot breath stuck by my ear for a second, and he bid me his farewell. ¡°Until we meet again¡­¡± He looked reluctant to leave. The open double doors were closed behind him. There was a mechanical whine out front that eventually faded into the distance. He must have one of those electric cars. ¡°He still has work, he probably won¡¯t be back for a couple of days. Learned from his past indeed,¡± Mr Lahzt said, slunking away, exhausted. I stood rooted to the spot, even as Mr Kahzam gently patted my shoulder. A kiss? I¡¯m from Japan! Mr Kahzam started making dinner, so I stood beside him and helped with this meal too. The menu consisted of meat that had been cut into big chunks and leaves that were a bit sweet, sort of like cabbage, roasted together with spices, and then served with steamed potatoes. Mr Kahzam¡¯s cooking was quite delicious, but it had a kind of outdoorsman feel to it. I¡¯d have to look around for some ingredients and make something a little more Japanese, I wanted to give the three of them a taste of my country¡¯s cuisine. As we gathered in the hearth room and had dinner, I explained my name to Mr Kahzam and Mr Lahzt. ¡°The ume part of Koume is the name of a tree. It has beautiful flowers that stay hearty even in the cold, and I was born in the winter, so that¡¯s why I was given this name. They¡¯re good omens, some people use them as good luck charms around the house. And there are flower-viewing events called umemi, where people have picnics and look at the blossoms. They bear fruit too, called plums, and they¡¯re extremely good for your health. They¡¯re especially good pickled, and the dried ones are the sort of thing people have every day in my country.¡± I was very assertive. It was a bit of an exaggeration maybe, but I didn¡¯t want to hear ¡°I can¡¯t use that¡± again. The truth was, I don¡¯t think either of my parents thought particularly hard about it before they gave me this name. My mother told me once that when she was in her second trimester, she had a lot of morning sickness, and a kind of hard candy that she really liked (a certain brand¡¯s long-time best-selling product) helped her get through it, and so she put the name of the candy into her daughter¡¯s name. But that was just a bit embarrassing, so I didn¡¯t mention that part. I drew them pictures of plum blossoms, and explained the fruit as best I could, but neither Mr Lahzt nor Mr Kahzam really seemed to get it. Maybe this plant really didn¡¯t exist in this world. ¡°I¡¯ll try looking into it. But¡­ If I don¡¯t find any corresponding plant, that might be a real problem,¡± Mr Lahzt muttered, falling into thought. His expression was surprisingly severe. Didn¡¯t he say he wouldn¡¯t be able to use his arts on me without a Shin of my name? If I got sick or injured and he couldn¡¯t use his recovery skills, that would indeed be a problem. But there was still the Shu-ii, that water globe¡­ Couldn¡¯t I just recuperate in there again if I lost consciousness? It would be okay, right, if I got really sick, or really hurt, even if he couldn¡¯t use his Shiino? That night, I had a dream. It was about the day I¡¯d wandered into this world, the day of Koaya¡¯s wedding ceremony. I was in the reception hall, standing in front of the mic stand. The spotlight hit me, and it was so bright I couldn¡¯t see the other people in the hall very well. Then I remembered, I was the older sister of the new bride, wasn¡¯t I supposed to give a speech? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the standard thing to do, but we sisters lost our mother at a pretty young age, and since I was acting mom instead, the wedding coordinator had suggested a word from me. ¡°I know you¡¯re all busy, thank you for taking the time to gather here today for my sister and her husband.¡± I started my speech, looking at a piece of paper in my hand. I was supposed to be reading from it, but the paper was completely blank. What am I going to do, what am I supposed to say now? I¡¯d worked hard to write all that down, and now¡­ ¡°Ummm¡­ I¡¯d intended to raise my sisters in my mother¡¯s place, but the truth is really, I think she¡¯s the one, you know, who¡¯s saved me plenty of times.¡± Yeah yeah. That¡¯s it. Like when this overbearing coworker at my part time job wouldn¡¯t leave me alone, Koaya was the one who stepped in and told him off. ¡°She¡¯s become so reliable, but¡­ Even more than that¡­¡± Even more than that, what? ¡°Be your husband¡¯s helpmate¡± ¡­ ¡°Husband and wife should help each other¡± ¡­ I¡¯d had some kind of saying queued up for this point. ¡°Koaya¨C you should¨C help Nanao.¡± My mouth moved on its own, and words just spilled out. What was I asking of a new bride? Suddenly I realized I could see the other guests. Koaya and Nanao were seated at a single round table, in their usual street clothes. Then I realized the paper I had in my hand that was supposed to have my speech on it had been put in an envelope. It gently floated up into the air and wafted over toward Koaya and Nanao. Koaya stretched out her hand and took it. She and Nanao both took the letter out of the envelope and peered at it together¡­ Were the two of them laughing at something? I was being serious when I wrote that! Listen, Koaya, Nanao¨C ¡°Listen, I said¡­¡± I awoke to the sound of my own voice. I was, of course, on the bed in the guest room in Mr Lahzt¡¯s villa. It was starting to get bright beyond the curtains, and I could hear some tiny birds. I wiped the tears from my eyes. I mean what¡­ I think that was the first time I¡¯d really wept since I¡¯d woken up in that fairy tale basin. Well, I understood. It might be quite hard indeed to ever see Koaya and Nanao again. When I thought of making my precious little sisters sad, my chest started to hurt. If only I could send them a message, like in that dream. If I could at least make them laugh. I looked over at the innocent, sleeping face of the price beside me, and tears started spilling out of me again. CH 2.4 That day, we spent the morning in the garden, just as we had the day before, and after lunch was the prince¡¯s nap time. I set him down on a big cushion in the hearth room on the first floor, and let him sleep there. The way babies sleep is so cute, isn¡¯t it, with their hands up like they¡¯re cheering, and little tootsies out like a crab. Once the prince went home to Lady Solamire, I wouldn¡¯t get to see this cute sleeping face anymore. Just as I was gently patting the prince¡¯s golden hair, Mr Lahzt, in his white robe, popped his face in. ¡°He¡¯s asleep huh? Good timing, you have a minute?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I left the prince with Mr Kahzam for a moment, and followed Mr Lahzt into the room with the Shu-ii. The curtains were drawn today, and the room was only dimly lit. ¡°I said before, right, that the shock of crossing space and time had you unconscious for a while. It was my intention to leave prince to you after you¡¯d sufficiently recovered, but I¡¯d like to examine your progress since then. It¡¯s my responsibility after all, I¡¯m the one who called you here.¡± Oh that¡¯s right, Mr Lahzt was part of the second queen¡¯s team of personal physicians, wasn¡¯t he. He looked after members of the royal family, he had to be excellent. There was a writing desk in one corner of the room, with a mountain of books and papers piled up on it. Mr Lahzt sat down in the armchair there, so I took a seat in the chair in front of it, and he started the examination right from the top. He asked if I had any symptoms at the moment, and what was my medical history, and questions like that, all of which I answered. Maybe it was because of all the romantic notions flying around yesterday when Mr Fatido came to visit, but I realized that at some point, I¡¯d started to feel much less reserved around Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam. Mr Lahzt took my left hand and inspected it closely. His long fingers traced my wrist, and just as I was starting to ruminate on it, the characters that wrapped around my wrist unwound into the summoning circle like they had the other day. "" ¡°Oh¡­ From when I came here. Is this a Shiino art, used to move across time and space?¡± ¡°Right. It¡¯s called a Circle Art, but right here, the part of it that I used when I transferred you into this world, seems to have ended up transcribed onto you. I was wondering if I should just erase it, since we probably don¡¯t need it, but it¡¯ll hurt a bit, so I¡¯d been putting it off. Shall I erase it now?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use them myself?¡± I stared at the circle of green letters slowly rotating around me. Wait, this letter, I think I understand what it means¡­ Like, to go back to your starting point, maybe¡­ I recklessly poked at the character, and the unwound letters wrapped back around my wrist. ¡°Woah, I can!¡± Mr Lahzt¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°You felt some resonance with the seals?¡± ¡°Uh, yes? I thought, one of the characters meant, like, to go back to the beginning? So I thought, Go back, and just touched it.¡± ¡°You might have the makings of a Shiinoce too, Koume, that would be a surprise. Although, given the fact that you can understand the Shin, maybe that should have tipped us off.¡± ¡°Really? Amazing! You don¡¯t have to erase them then, right?¡± The color was quite pretty, and it looked like a bracelet, they¡¯d be fine where they were. Then I had a sudden thought. ¡°Speaking of, Mr Lahzt, will your job be okay without you? Not the epidemic, I mean, the second queen.¡± Was it really okay for him to spend all his time here and never go to work? He smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m on extended leave.¡± What a coincidence, I thought, for a bunch of people close to the second queen to take such clearly bizarre actions, weren¡¯t people going to realize they were planning something? And then I realized. ¡°No way, they pinned the responsibility on you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re sharp. Yes, to be frank, I¡¯m technically under house arrest. When the second queen gave birth, there was only me and the midwife there, so as it happens¡­¡± Of course. When the second queen gave birth, he would have been on duty, just like any other night. Since he was part of the plan to conceal the prince. And because it was a stillbirth, he had to take responsibility for that. They had to keep the story up to the end. ¡°I¡¯m taking contract work these days, things I can do from home. It¡¯ll be a little while longer before I can make a complete comeback.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even do anything wrong, Mr Lahzt.¡± I looked down, and Mr Lahzt chuckled a little. ¡°To be honest, I appreciate the down time. I was always so busy. My wages¡¯ve been cut, but Lady Solamire has been kind enough to pay me out of her own pocket, so actually I¡¯m making a net profit. Kahzam too, I wrote him a medical certification beforehand, so he¡¯s supposedly out on medical leave right now, down with a very difficult to treat illness. And we prepared an old age pension for the midwife. She was quite pleased actually, moved out to the countryside.¡± I mirrored Mr Lahzt¡¯s smile. Disgrace is something that hounds a person, so it was possible this affair might even affect his future promotions. Surely he was well aware of that, even though he was talking like this. ¡°Oh, also,¡± Mr Lahzt said, writing something down on a piece of paper in his hand. ¡°Just for the record, it was that old woman who looked after you in the beginning. Changed your clothes and things.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± When I hadn¡¯t been conscious? I had wondered if Mr Lahzt or Mr Kahzam¡­? Thank god. But that relief was fleeting. ¡°Alright, take your clothes off.¡± ¡°Excuse me!?¡± My voice cracked. What¨C What!? ¡°Change into this. You can leave your underthings on.¡± I was totally at a loss for words, but Mr Lahzt just handed me some blue clothing and went into the other room for a bit. This¨C This was a shock, I thought, after all this, I¡¯m going to have to show Mr Lahzt my naked body? The blue clothes turned out to be a sleeveless, straight-lined dress, of an extremely thin cloth. It did up with buttons at the shoulders. This was definitely a piece of clothing to have a medical exam in. I quickly put on the gown, folded the clothes I took off, and put them on the sofa in the corner of the room. I called out, and Mr Lahzt came back in. ¡°Alright then, stand over there for me.¡± He had me stand on a rug that was in between the sofa and the floating Shu-ii. I was a little nervous about what was going to happen. ¡°Close your eyes, and then stay there for a while.¡± I did as I was told, and felt something like warm water suddenly envelope my whole body. I tried to breathe in, and that warmth continued all the way into my lungs. ¡°Open your eyes.¡± When I opened them¡­ ¡°Woah¨C¡± Bubbles rose up from my mouth, dispersed, and disappeared. I was inside the Shu-ii. The surprise snatched the rug out from under me¡­ Woah woah woah, that¡¯s not just an expression, my feet are literally floating! ¡°It¡¯s okay. Relax your muscles.¡± Hearing Mr Lahzt¡¯s quiet tones, I finally calmed down. I even managed to breathe normally. I gently bobbed in a prone position in the center of the Shu-ii. On the other side of the water, Mr Lahzt put the fingertips of his right hand lightly on his glasses, rolled his sleeve up like he¡¯d done yesterday, and then reached his left hand towards me. The fingers of his right hand touched one of the engraved Shin, and the whole line of seals unwound from his arm and floated up into the air, taking up their positions centered on his wrist ¨C the Circle Art. He touched his fingers to a number of the seals, and they left the Circle, leaping into the Shu-ii where I was, and then melting away. I noticed they were coming alongside me now, some of them floating up to me like little individual bubbles. Mr Lahzt slowly walked around the Shu-ii, like he was checking on the seals. Was this how medical examinations worked here? Hm, without all those blood draws, and barium swallows, and x-rays and stuff, this was kinda nice actually, peaceful. Just float around in some warm water, like a beauty treatment. I was starting to get sleepy. As I was nodding off, I heard a knock. It came to me through the water, so it sounded kind of far away. Mr Lahzt lifted an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± he said to me, and left the room for a minute. I could hear Mr Kahzam muttering through the open door. I couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying. ¡°What? It¡¯s barely the next day.¡± Just when I thought I heard Mr Lahzt¡¯s voice, the door shut, and the room went silent. I started to nod off again¡­ ¡°Mo-oh!¡± I faintly heard the prince¡¯s shrill cry. He¡¯d woken up from his nap. But in this situation, Mr Kahzam would have to look after him, I guess. And then came another, farther distant voice. ¡°I¡¯m here again, my little lord!¡± I awoke with a start. Mr Fatido was back? The very next day! What was that about having learned from his past!? What was I supposed to do now, what would he say this time, if he saw me with these thin clothes on like this, what would he make me do? I turned around inside the Shu-ii, and started the breaststroke. I must have looked like a real idiot from the outside. I turned diagonally, and swam on, somehow managed to get one hand out of the Shu-ii, and grabbed hold of the long fibers of the rug. As I was pulling myself along, I heard eager footsteps, and my whole person tumbled out of the Shu-ii. As I fell, the Shin around my body disappeared. Wiping off the water that had splashed onto me, I got to my feet immediately and took a few steps, looking around for somewhere I could hide, when a light popped on at my feet. The circle of light was made up of a row of seals, which floated up to rest on top of the rug. At the same time, the seals engraved on my left arm lit up too. Hey, those are the ones from when I came from the Garden of Stars! It felt like something was tugging on my left hand, and just as I put the palm of my hand on the floor, my whole field of vision went white¨C ¨CNext thing I knew, I was atop a sheer precipice. A great wide ocean spread out in front of me, and behind me was a forest¨C I was just outside the Garden of Stars, on that one ledge. No way, I teleported! ¡°Ugh¡­ That¡¯s cold!¡± My clothes were soaked through, and the ocean breezes blew right through me. I wanted to go back, but I also wanted to avoid knocking heads with Mr Fatido, especially in this condition. On the other hand though, I was going to catch a cold like this. Without hesitation, I started for the treehouse. If I didn¡¯t at least move my body, I¡¯d freeze. If I could make it to the basin, I could get warm, and I know they¡¯d said they¡¯d picked up our stuff, but the stove was probably still there at least. Two days ago, when Mori¨C Mr Kahzam had brought me out here to this precipice from the Garden of Stars, he¡¯d cut a path through the bushes to make a little trail, but it seemed to have mysteriously disappeared. Even without it though, I was able to head straight into the forest without getting lost. I could almost hear the host tree calling to me. My feet were bare, so I chose my path carefully and kept going. I felt like I had been walking forever, but I knew basically how far it was, so I had to be getting close. Another half an hour, and I could see a light from the other side. ¡°Woah¡­ What is this¡­?¡± Standing at the edge of the basin, my eyes opened wide in surprise. The basin had been just one giant field when we left, but now it was a lake. Had the spring overflowed? Some plants that looked a lot like ferns were waving in the water. ¡°It does accelerate the growth of living things¡­ Amazing.¡± It had changed so much in just two days. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s a treehouse. You can¡¯t build anything directly on the ground¡­¡± Whoever¡¯d built the treehouse had even put the bathrooms high up, they must have known this basin would become a lake. Maybe it had been built for some other purpose, besides being a place for the prince and I to live. The lake was about knee-high at its deepest. I tucked my dress up and got into the water, cutting my way through the ferns to get to the treehouse. If it had been like this when I¡¯d lived here, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to go outside and play ball with the prince. I finally reached the stairs, and got into the treehouse. The table, the bench, and the stove of course, were still there, but other than that, it was pretty much empty. It did make me a little sad to see it like that. At any rate, I took off my soaked dress and hung it on the chair, and then opened the stove door in just my long camisole. Just then I heard a noise, bam bam bam bam, and jerked my head up. Footsteps. Someone running up the stairs at full speed! Just as I whirled around, the door opened. It was a familiar panda-creature. With dark green eyes. ¡°What, Morio¨C I mean, Mr Kahzam!?¡± Wait, I¡¯m still in my underclothes! Mr Kahzam (Morio) closed the distance between us in a single breath and hugged me tight. Japanese flew out of my mouth in a panicked rush. ¡°Wait wait wait, stop stop stop, you¡¯re not even in human¨C¡± He adjusted his grip to pick me up princess style, and I was cut off as my head got pressed into his shoulder. My face was buried in his soft fur. Mr Kahzam grabbed my dress off the chair, and stepped out onto the balcony, still carrying my pale-faced self with him. And then he jumped. I clung to Mr Kahzam¡¯s neck. He landed on the side of the basin, and the shock of it reverberated through my body. Water splashed up every time his hind legs brushed the surface of the pond. Mr Kahzam rushed up the side of the basin without pausing for breath, and leapt into the forest a little bit out from the path towards the precipice. He smoothly hoisted us up to the tree tops and stayed there, putting his left hand to my mouth, and a right-hand finger ¨C a panda finger, but still ¨C to his mouth to indicate I should stay quiet. I nodded, my heart making the loudest noise I could hear anyway, and Mr Kahzam gently removed his hand from my mouth. I had no idea what was going on, but eventually I started to hear a kind of rustling noise from the direction of the cliffs ¨C there was a giant red monkey standing there. There were three of them. The first monkey (his ears looked like wings) pointed at the treehouse, and then turned to the monkey at the back and I watched him make a gesture like he was about to say, ¡°Come on!¡± Seeing that, I wondered if they might be transformed humans too. I never imagined there¡¯d be other people here. Now that I thought about it, though, I finally understood. It would be dangerous if I was discovered! If they saw any human shapes here, they might figure out that a child had been raised here. And if someone from the crown prince¡¯s faction learned of it¡­ When I looked at Mr Kahzam, he nodded. His gaze suddenly dropped a little and stopped¡­ and then quickly looked the other way. Ah, I was still in my underclothes¡­ My body shape was basically a rectangle, not even good enough to invite praise such as, ¡°You would look great in a kimono.¡± 1 An employee at an undergarment store had once managed the situation by telling me the chest was a manufactured thing anyway. But still, that just made this even more embarrassing. I quickly hid my chest with my hands. Mr Kahzam, trying not to look in my direction, peered over at the treehouse. The three monkeys climbed the stairs, entered the treehouse for a minute, and then immediately left again. They then entered the lake and started slicing into the water with sickles in their hands. After they¡¯d cut a certain amount, they gathered it and tied it into bundles. They were pretty good at it. So, they came to cut down these plants? Or did they have some use for those leaves? Mr Kahzam confirmed that the monkeys were absorbed in their work, and then started moving, quietly crossing from branch to branch, still holding on to me. Once we¡¯d gotten quite a distance from the basin, we got onto the animal trail those monkeys had made and headed out of the forest at a swift pace. ¡°Thank you for coming to get me, Mr Kahzam,¡± I said, burying my face in the fur around his neck, and Mr Kahzam nodded. He was so warm. I wasn¡¯t going to catch any cold like this. The treehouse gradually faded into the distance. As I watched the animal trail behind us over Mr Kahzam¡¯s shoulder, I started to feel anxious, like I wanted to go back there, like I didn¡¯t want to get any further away. ¡°Hey, Mr. Kahzam.¡± I pressed my forehead against his shoulder. ¡°My being able to go into the Garden of Stars, that¡¯s because my existence in this world is ambiguous, isn¡¯t it. You can¡¯t even write my name in Shin. Kids can go in there because they¡¯re not fixed people yet, it¡¯s the same, isn¡¯t it.¡± Mr. Kahzam glanced at me. ¡°I just thought, I was feeling uneasy somehow. Like, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any way to get me back to my original world right now, so I want to get back to the life I had here as quickly as I can.¡± I would give it my all, so that I could. I kept repeating it to myself, but that uneasiness didn¡¯t go away. We teleported again, and returned to the room with the Shu-ii in it. Mr Kahzam lowered me to the floor, put his hand on my shoulder, and turned me around so I was facing away from him. I instantly felt a quiet electric thrill from behind me, and I could see that the ponga hand that had been on my shoulder had turned into a human hand. Ah, Mr Kahzam had turned back to his human form¡­ Wait, isn¡¯t he still naked!? ¡°Is, uh, Mr Fatido still here?¡± I put my best, ¡°I¡¯ll just look the other way for a bit¡± tone into it, and asked Mr Kahzam my question with my back still to him. His answer came among the sounds of rustling cloth. ¡°Probably. He said there was something he wanted to talk to you about, Kohme.¡± And we¡¯d already kept Mr Fatido waiting about an hour and a half. Even Mr Fatido wasn¡¯t likely to come stomping into this particular room, and he hadn¡¯t seemed in any big rush. But still, we¡¯d have to get changed and go see him. Mr Kahzam led me quietly up to the second floor, where I went into my room and changed into my camisole, which hadn¡¯t completely dried. My hair was almost dry though. When I went back into the hall, Mr. Kahzam was waiting. ¡°We told Lord Fatido that you¡¯d gone out on a walk by yourself, Ma¨C Kohme, and that I¡¯d go fetch you. We¡¯ll go out through the back door, and then circle around to come in through the front entrance.¡± And so as he said, we snuck around to the back entrance and went outside. Cutting between the trees, we walked a short distance from the villa. ¡°Before, what were those creatures cutting the grass?¡± I asked as we walked through the underbrush, and Mr Kahzam answered me briefly. ¡°Those were Shin researchers. That grass has special qualities, so they take it home with them and use it as the raw materials for paper. You can¡¯t keep the seals in storage very long without it. So once a year, every year, they head to the Garden of Stars during this season. The grass grows dramatically longer in those winds.¡± ¡°I see. Now that I think of it, Mr Lahzt did say something like ¡®Just in time,¡¯ didn¡¯t he. That must have been what he was talking about?¡± ¡°Yes. Even if prince was delayed in learning to speak, we had to get you out of there by yesterday at the absolute latest.¡± I nodded. Still though, it really had grown. The prince¡¯s growth was nothing by comparison. Maybe plants grow faster than humans? ¡°So, that treehouse wasn¡¯t built for the prince then¡­?¡± ¡°Right, it¡¯s a rest spot, the researchers use it when they come to cut the grass.¡± That made sense. I imagined them sitting on the treehouse bench, drinking tea, and laughed before I could stop myself. We came back in through the entrance and headed for the hearth room to find Mr Fatido, along with Mr Lahzt and the prince. The prince instantly jumped up and came over to me, and then looked at me questioningly. Did he smell the secret on me? Mr Lahzt looked over at me and nodded slightly. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you safe,¡± Mr Fatido said, standing up and coming over to me. I lowered my head before he could try to grab my hands this time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m a bit unsteady¡­ And I¡¯ve made you wait so long.¡± ¡°No no, you must be tired. The truth is, I¡¯m here because I wanted to speak with you about some plans I¡¯ve thought up,¡± Mr Fatido said, offering me a seat on the sofa. Ah, when he said he¡¯d thought of something upon seeing my face? About the prince¡¯s adoptive parents? ¡°I was thinking of a story something along these lines. A beautiful woman named Mami, comes from a far off country to a certain place. One day, by chance, she meets me, and we become close. By and by, she falls pregnant.¡± Full throttle, right from the word go, huh. ¡°She¡¯s so humble. ¡®Lord Fatido, you¡¯re the king¡¯s younger brother-in-law, someone like me could never be your equal!¡¯ She holds back tears, conceals her pregnancy from me, and gives birth to our child in secret. But I can¡¯t forget her, and in the end, I go searching for her, and I learn that I have a son.¡± Mr Fatido turned to the prince and me and spread his arms wide. ¡°Oh my, this child looks a bit like my older sister, Solamire. She just lost a child, perhaps he can become her foster son. My sister will surely help me raise him, if I come to her with this child. And the child¡¯s nurse would earn a place in the palace too, right by my side as his guardian. That way she can stay by my side forever, we won¡¯t have to worry about anything so silly as social status! She¡¯ll cry tears of joy, and we¡¯ll live happily ever after.¡± There it was, Planning My Future For Me, the sequel. So, wait. If we really made all this reality¡­ ¡°In other words, we¡¯d claim she was the prince¡¯s real mother, and she would continue to raise him?¡± Mr Lahzt asked in my place. Mr Fatido nodded strongly. ¡°I thought of it yesterday, watching Mami with the kid. Good idea, right?¡± I was so upset I was trembling, but I understood how compelling the fairy tale was. No one in the Crown Prince¡¯s faction who was familiar with Mr Fatido would be suspicious. They¡¯d just think, Yup, that¡¯s Fatido for you. And if the prince was supposed to be Solamire¡¯s nephew, that would explain why they looked alike. And with this plan, it would put me into the picture as a known quantity, and give me a job, namely the prince¡¯s nurse. It had merit. I had been wondering if I might end up living somewhere far away, with no connection to the prince at all. That part, at least, was very attractive. But didn¡¯t it also mean everyone would think of me as Mr Fatido¡¯s wife? Or maybe his lover? Eeeh¡­ That was distasteful. But it was hard to object to a plan so perfect. ¡°How about it, Mami?¡± ¡°I, hmm¡­ I mean, uh.¡± While I blushed under Mr Fatido¡¯s flattery, Mr Lahzt spoke. ¡°Pardon me, but I do have a question.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that?¡± Mr Fatido said, clearly in charge of the situation. ¡°If we carry out this little fairy tale, the general outline entails you delivering yourself to the royal palace with wife and son in tow. Lady Solamire is already hard pressed, what with herself and all her relatives in danger. Given the current situation, I imagine that any such behavior will give rise to a new wave of suspicion within the Crown Prince¡¯s faction. You don¡¯t think it might be best to not?¡± I almost started clapping on pure reflex. That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Mr Fatido groaned, and Mr Kahzam took the opportunity to break his silence and add something in his customary understated way. ¡°If we said that we¡¯d been searching for a child who looks like Lady Solamire to become her foster child, it might be best for a blood relation not so close to Her Highness as you are Lord Fatido to be the proxy parent. I mean, someone who doesn¡¯t have the same political clout that you do, sir.¡± Of course! That would be better than someone who¡¯s a complete third party, like me. And they would still be some relation, so it would make total sense for the prince to look like Lady Solamire. ¡°And so one of you will take over as father, is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± Mr Fatido said, a bit pouty. That was true, though, Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam were distant relatives not only of the shape-note siblings, but of the prince too. ¡°Well if Mr Lahzt or Mr Kahzam were the parents, no one else would have to be let in on the secret,¡± I blurted out, and Mr Fatido¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°You would be okay with that, Mami!? Which of these two would be your husband!?¡± ¡°Excuse me!?¡± Oh crap, that was right! This was a story in which I was the prince¡¯s real mom, wasn¡¯t it!? I¡¯d have to play husband and wife with whomever was the dad! Reflexively, I looked at Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam, and the instant my gaze met theirs, both of them jerked their gazes to the floor. What exactly did that mean? Mr Fatido continued. ¡°If Mami¡¯s going to play the mother, that pretty much cuts down on who we can ask to play the father. Even if we want to say the father¡¯s died, we have to think about his background.¡± ¡°Well let¡¯s think about it first then! There¡¯s got to be someone who¡¯s a distant relation, who¡¯s conveniently deceased, and who isn¡¯t totally rotten, to play the father.¡± Man, worse and worse things just keep flying out of my mouth. ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s not what I mean. Listen, I¡¯m fine, I don¡¯t need to play the mother. We should just do whatever¡¯s best for the prince. That¡¯s right, didn¡¯t you say something about the prince¡¯s older sister¡¯s maid in the beginning? Wasn¡¯t the plan to have one of her relatives be the proxy parents? Maybe we should just stick to that, yeah?¡± I was clenching my fists. ¡°Well,¡± Mr Fatido said, ¡°if we use her as a proxy parent, we¡¯ll need someone else to be the nurse. The nurse we¡¯d decided on before the kid was born was rejected in the end, right before the birth. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard the story?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. She tried to injure the prince, I think?¡± ¡°Indeed. Afterwards, we decided to announce that the child had been stillborn, but the idea that my sister wanted to adopt spread through the palace immediately afterwards. Tellner, Haluria¡¯s nurse, would end up trying to serve in both roles at the same time if she were to become the adopted child¡¯s nurse as well. But if you were thinking you¡¯d like to be the kid¡¯s nurse¡­¡± Mr Fatido said to me, but I was completely lost. That¡¯s right¡­ There already was a proper nurse, this Tellner. She¡¯d raised the prince¡¯s older sister, surely everyone in the palace already trusted her. I¡¯d been suddenly dragged into this world, but to be honest, I did want to be the prince¡¯s nurse¡­ But it just seemed so¡­ Not realizing my hesitancy, Mr Fatido continued. ¡°If we were to take that route, we¡¯d have to think seriously about Mami¡¯s background.¡± For a moment at least, Mr Fatido was unusually silent. And then, stroking his chin, he looked directly at me. ¡°Please forgive me for getting so bluntly to the matter at hand. Nurses are normally women with children. Do you have any children, Mami? I¡¯ve heard how you cared for prince, so you do seem to know something about child rearing¡­¡± ¡°Lord Fatido,¡± Mr Kahzam said in a restraining tone. Oh, right¡­ I¡¯d never talked about my own life, of course he was worried about whether I¡¯d ever cared for any children in my original world. I¡¯d been cautious thus far, but even my real name had been revealed already, at least to Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam. I felt like it might be okay to tell these people my story¡­ maybe. I made the decision, and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I haven¡¯t talked about that at all. I have younger sisters, two of them.¡± With my sisters¡¯ faces floating through my head, I explained. ¡°The youngest is sixteen years younger than me, but our mother died quite young, and I¡¯ve been acting as her mother instead, since she was a baby. So, I do have a little bit of child rearing experience.¡± Nanao¡­ I wondered how she was doing. She must be worried¡­ She probably cried. Koaya was with her, but Koaya must be worried too. My heart started to hurt again. ¡°Ah, of course, a much younger sister, no wonder you seem so familiar with children,¡± Mr Fatido said, nodding. I muffled the pain in my heart and replied. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s nine now.¡± ¡°Nine? Wait, you¡¯re sixteen years older, Mami, you must be twenty five!?¡± ¡°Uh, that¡¯s right?¡± What was he so surprised about? And Mr Kahzam was awfully quiet. ¡°I assumed you were about twenty or so,¡± Mr Fatido said, and I understood why they all looked so surprised. Asian women do tend to look young. Mr Lahzt muttered to himself. ¡°Twenty five¡­ So the age my Shu-ii determined was just¡­ I¡¯ll have to adjust it¡­¡± ¡°Wait, did the Shu-ii think I was older or younger than twenty five!? Actually, don¡¯t tell me!¡± Mr Lahzt grinned. Jeez, I thought a doctor was supposed to protect their patient¡¯s privacy! ¡°If she¡¯s your younger sister, she must be a cute little girl. She¡¯s in school?¡± I nodded at Mr Fatido, who seemed relaxed. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I said. Wow, I thought, this is surprisingly easy to talk about. And then Mr Fatido once again blundered easily onto a personal subject. ¡°So then, are you married?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m single.¡± Instantly, the atmosphere got awkward, but I smiled through it. My family consisted of myself, Koaya, Nanao, and my father, who was in securities and hardly ever home. My mother¡¯s health started to fail after she gave birth to Nanao when she was forty, and she passed away several years after that from an unrelated illness. I was the eldest at sixteen, and I wanted to put my mom at ease while she was sick in bed, so I fought hard to help out with Nanao. ¡°There are people who get married and have kids at sixteen. I can take Mom¡¯s place!¡± I cared for Nanao with everything I had. It wasn¡¯t quite as simple as I¡¯d declared, but I gave it my all. Even when I was covered in sweat and tears, I didn¡¯t quit. Then my mother died just when I should have been going out to look for a job, or maybe going to cram school, and instead I ended up just sort of waffling, and I spent all my time looking after Nanao. After she started elementary school, I started working part-time at a bookstore. Just about the time I started to think that maybe I¡¯d become a fully fledged member of society, that maybe I¡¯d become a proper adult, one of the frequent customers at the bookstore approached and confessed to me, and we started dating. It was my first time really dating a man. He worked at the same company as my father, although he had a completely different personality, and I felt safe around him, and so I devoted myself to him, pampered him. Every day was fresh and new, and I felt like feelings that had long slept within me were being shaken awake. A little while passed like that, and Koaya, who¡¯d gone to a junior college and then started working, started talking about getting married. Koaya and her husband could live with us, so I was relieved, I felt like I was someone she could rely on. Father was as much a workaholic as he¡¯d ever been, and despite the fact that he had a young daughter, his company had transferred him overseas, alone, and so we ended up a household full of women. Of course there were occasional problems, but we got on. Right around that time, I thought to myself, Maybe I¡¯ll get married right after Koaya, and Koaya joked about it too, but¡­ During the wedding ceremony, Nanao kept looking at me, worried, and I think in the end, she did feel a bit depressed. It turned out Nanao had been watching. She¡¯d seen the exact moment when I¡¯d had my heart broken. CH 2.5 When I came back to myself, I realized all the men in the room were staring at me with concerned looks on their faces. ¡°Ah, sorry, what were we talking about?¡± Reaching up to wipe my brow like I was trying to smooth out the wrinkles that had formed between my eyebrows, I deliberately changed my mood. ¡°Oh right, my background, wasn¡¯t it? I mean we can¡¯t really just come out and say I came from another world¡­ can we?¡± When Lady Solamire had entrusted me with the prince, the situation had changed. If it was known that I was from another world, that I lacked all the basic knowledge people of this world had, there was no way anyone would make me nurse to a child of the royal family, even an adopted one. Even if we tried to pass me off as merely a foreigner, that was still risky. We couldn¡¯t change everything that was strange about me. And besides¡­ I thought, glancing at Mr Lahzt. Realizing I was looking at him, Mr Lahzt raised an eyebrow just a bit. If it became public knowledge that Mr Lahzt had summoned someone from another world, there¡¯d be all kinds of problems. And he was already under house arrest¡­ The prince had gotten thoroughly bored during our long discussion, and started to make his escape, a picture book that Mr Fatido had given him in his clutches. Wah, sorry! He made quite the fuss, so we ended up putting off our conclusion once again. We hadn¡¯t even moved an inch with the plan to have Lady Solamire adopt the prince. Seriously, I am so sorry! Today, Mr Fatido ate his fill at dinner, chatted with me while he played with the prince, and then went home. No one in the building was inclined to say anything like, ¡°It¡¯s already pretty late, why don¡¯t you just stay here tonight.¡± It got to be the prince¡¯s bed time, but when we started up the stairs together, Mr Lahzt called to me. ¡°After, would you come have a drink in the hearth room for a bit? There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to talk to you about. Kahzam¡¯ll be there, too.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡± Being alone late at night with a man made me kind of nervous, but if Mr Kahzam was there too, it¡¯d be fine. But what was it they wanted to talk about? The prince was already sleepy, so he nodded off immediately, and I went back to the kitchen. If we were going to have a drink, I should make a snack. Wouldn¡¯t want anyone to have to carry anyone else upstairs. The national preference seemed to be for mountains of dairy products. First, a salad of vegetables and thinly shaved cheese. And then¡­ I opened the fridge (There really was one here! Amazing!) to have a look, but all that was in there was pickled fish eggs? Like, cod roe? Maybe if I mixed it with some cream cheese and slapped it on a cracker, that could work. High in calories, but that was fine occasionally. Alright then. I loaded my snacks onto a tray, and headed for the hearth room, where I found Mr Kahzam setting out glasses and a pitcher of fruit wine on the table. He looked over at me and smiled, and he must have been fresh out of the bath, because his hair was still a little wet. I could see his attractive collarbone through his lightweight V-neck knit shirt. Oh lord, I almost forgot with everything that had happened, he¡¯d seen me in my underclothes, and carried me like a princess just this afternoon. I was well on my way to being flustered, when Mr Lahzt came in. He seemed to be just out of the bath too. Wow, it was my first time seeing him without the white robes. He was wearing the most ordinary button down shirt, but his hair wasn¡¯t tied back, and it totally changed the feeling he gave off. It¡¯s because he¡¯s just having a few drinks at home! It was a totally different dimension from having drinks out!! It was a nice feeling, actually, like, ¡®Now that the kids have gone to bed, it¡¯s adult time,¡¯ but I was suddenly all too aware of the ¡®adult time¡¯ part. I hadn¡¯t been out of the bath very long myself, and I realized my hair was still wet too. ¡°We didn¡¯t get to finish this afternoon, Kohme,¡± Mr Lahzt said, handing me a glass. Wait, what? What did we do? ¡°Our medical exam got interrupted.¡± Oh, right, that. Our conversation with Mr Fatido had been so intense, I¡¯d completely forgotten. ¡°The road to the Garden of Stars hadn¡¯t completely disappeared. The Circle Art on your arm seems to have responded to it.¡± ¡°It was my fault too, for leaving the Shu-ii. And thank you, for realizing it so quickly and sending Mr Kahzam after me¡­ Too much later, and they would have stumbled right over me.¡± It had truly been a thoughtless move on my part. ¡°At any rate¡­ So much happened today, you must be very tired,¡± Mr Kahzam said, quite formally, and the three of us raised our glasses and chinked them together. It was kind of cute somehow, and all three of us laughed a little. ¡°Kohme, please don¡¯t worry about the whole proxy parent business from earlier,¡± Mr Kahzam said, immediately changing the subject. His tone was forceful, like he really meant something else. ¡°No one¡¯s going to ignore what you want and stand a fake husband up next to you like this is some sort of stage play.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mori¨C Mr Kahzam. If I don¡¯t like something, I¡¯ll say so, it¡¯s okay.¡± I smiled at him. After all, Mr Fatido was actually a nice person too. He was someone of power and status, and I was just some woman who wandered in from another world. He could have just forced me to go along with whatever he said. But instead he listened attentively to my opinion, whenever I was firm on it. ¡°I mean, generally speaking, it¡¯s going to be people like Mr Fatido who would want to play husband to someone from another world like me anyway, you know.¡± What about me did he find so attractive anyway? He was a bit odd¡­ Just as I was thinking it, Mr Lahzt tilted his glass and said, almost to himself, ¡°I think there are plenty of men who¡¯d want to play your husband, Kohme.¡± ¡°Aw, thank you. I have nothing to give you in return for such flattery but snacks.¡± I parried his lip service. But I confess, being praised like that did make the drinks go down quite nicely. ¡°I¡­ talked to Lord Fatido, before,¡± Mr Lahzt said, broaching the subject once again. ¡°Your situation is so chaotic, Kohme, are you sure you¡¯d like to be the prince¡¯s nurse, with everything else going on?¡± What I¡¯d decided was that I wanted to stay by the prince¡¯s side. His adorable face as he slept on the second floor floated through my mind. If I could watch over him as he grew even further¡­ But, it was just my personal wish, so there wasn¡¯t anything to do about it. I shrugged lightly, and answered kind of evasively. ¡°I think Mr Fatido would certainly like it if I became the prince¡¯s nurse. Didn¡¯t he say he wanted to keep track of everyone who was in on the secret?¡± Mr Lahzt smiled bitterly. ¡°You¡¯re sharp, as usual,¡± he said. ¡°Of course there is that too, but I¡¯ve no doubt his primary objective lies elsewhere. But that¡¯s not what I asked. I¡¯d like to hear your feelings, Kohme. What would you like to do from here on out?¡± I took a drink of fruit wine and swallowed hard. Words flowed smoothly from my lips. ¡°If I can, I¡¯d like to be his nurse. It seems like the prince is bound for a complicated upbringing, huh? So I¡¯d like to be there for him, to keep that away from him, as much as I can. I think I¡¯d like to protect him.¡± When the prince learned the secret of his birth one day, he might be hurt, distressed. But if I could be there¡­ Maybe I could at least listen to his story. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to tell you, then.¡± Mr Lahzt set his glass down, and looked me straight in the eye. ¡°Once the prince¡¯s adoption procedures are complete, he¡¯s going to be raised in one of the more minor royal palaces outside the city. The way things are right now, Kohme, you won¡¯t be able to set foot in that palace.¡± I won¡¯t be able to get in? Confused, I asked, ¡°I was the only one who could enter the Garden of Stars¡­ But now I can¡¯t enter the palace? Why not?¡± ¡°Lord Fatido got this idea of making you the nurse without knowing your name is Kohme¡­ You remember I said we might not be able to write your name in Shin?¡± Mr Lahzt extended his right ring finger and removed his wide ring. I could see two seals engraved like tattoos in small letters on his ring finger. I got an image of a person who had a strong will to pursue knowledge. I immediately understood¡­ This was Mr Lahzt¡¯s name. The ring was to prevent his name being thoughtlessly exposed. ¡°Your Shin name becomes a form of personal identification. Without one, you won¡¯t be able to get into any public facilities, or into buildings connected to the royal family.¡± I kept my mouth shut, and stared at one of the legs of the coffee table. Nevermind nurse. I might not be able to live any kind of normal life in this world like this. ¡°So first, we absolutely have to figure out some way to get you a name seal,¡± Mr Lahzt continued talking, but to be perfectly honest, I was starting to wonder if there was even the slightest possibility of my becoming the prince¡¯s nurse. For one thing, wasn¡¯t there already a nurse? And they were someone who had experience as the princess¡¯s nurse. Even if they did manage to somehow squeeze me in, as foreign as I seemed, it would still be tricky, and we had plenty of problems before we even got to that point. ¡°I see¡­ Well, we can put my problems second or third. Please, let¡¯s consider the prince most important, okay.¡± I chugged down the rest of my drink. I drank it all down, ignoring the burning sensation in my throat, and then when it was empty, I plastered a smile on my face. ¡°After all, it¡¯s just me, we can hide me away somewhere by myself! I¡¯ll take in laundry or something. Oh maybe that won¡¯t work? It would be amazing if I could live in that treehouse. That could be my reward for raising the prince, you could give me just that one thing, right? Just let me go shopping every once in a while for meals. I mean, I would have to hide when it was time to cut down those plants, but still.¡± "" I selfishly poured myself a refill. It tasted like wine, but more intense. Meh, whatever. ¡°I would get kinda lonely though, so you two should come visit me every once in a while. These days, Mr Fatido would even pay me a visit, I¡¯ll bet.¡± ¡°Kohme.¡± Mr Kahzam started to say something, but I kept chattering like I hadn¡¯t heard him. ¡°Oo, you can make everybody a ponga when we get together. That would be great. Like a harem!¡± I started laughing, while I was still talking. I emptied this glass in one go. ¡°Man at this rate, my poor lonely bones are gonna be buried in this world, huh. And here I always thought I was going to end up some cute, wrinkled little old lady, and finally get to be really popular with everybody. Steal every heart at the old folks home.¡± Maybe even having plans for my old age was dumb. ¡°Oh, hey, I¡¯ll let you in on one more secret, right now. Do you know why I told you my name was Mami? You want to know, don¡¯t you?¡± A little snigger slipped out of me. Mr Kahzam and Mr Lahzt exchanged a brief glance, and nodded hesitantly. ¡°In one of the other countries on my world, ¡®Mommy¡¯ means ¡®mother.¡¯ So my little sister started calling me Mommy-chan when I was taking care of her instead of our mom.¡± Nanao had been hesitant to call me ¡®sister¡¯ when we were around her friends and their mothers. She¡¯d learned about ¡®Mommy¡¯ from watching English language television programs, and so she¡¯d started calling me Mommy-chan as a joke, and it had stuck. Well, that¡¯s how it had started at least. But it might have also been a way for Nanao to deal with some of her grief. Yeah, so, in other words, there was something I was trying to say, wasn¡¯t there? Oh yeah. ¡°Yeah, so in other words! Mr Kahzam, and Mr Lahzt, and Mr Fatido too, you¡¯ve all been calling me ¡®Mommy¡¯ ¡®Mommy¡¯ this whole time! It was hilarious!¡± I fell onto the sofa cushion and just laughed. I started crying¡­ I mean, I was laughing so hard I was crying. ¡°Kohme.¡± When I looked up at that gentle voice, Mr Kahzam was down on one knee beside the sofa. He was like a knight waiting upon a princess. ¡°So, the name Mami reminded you of your younger sister.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah, true. She used to call me that when she was little¡­¡± My tears were spilling down my cheeks in rhythm with the nodding of my head. ¡°But all of a sudden¡­ She stopped.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± He wasn¡¯t just trying to keep the conversation going, he wasn¡¯t just trying to make me get to the point, Mr Kahzam was really listening to me. I was drunk and my head was spinning, and so I confided in him. ¡°There was this guy I was going out with. But¡­ Some stuff happened, and eventually it turned out he was seeing some other girl¡­ And I couldn¡¯t tell her anything about it¡­¡± Why was I telling him my secret though! I scolded myself, as Nanao¡¯s crying face floated through my mind. ¡°I think she thought I couldn¡¯t talk to her about it because she was just a kid. She started acting like she was a big adult after that¡­ She even stopped calling me Mommy-chan.¡± I couldn¡¯t broach the subject without giving the whole game away, and so I just let it drop. She¡¯d asked me once why I wasn¡¯t angrier about it, but I couldn¡¯t give her any reason. I didn¡¯t want her to know how dull and unwanted I was. How was I supposed to be worthy of being the prince¡¯s nurse? I was getting so sleepy. I couldn¡¯t, if I fell asleep right now, I¡¯d definitely end up dreaming about¡­ It was so cold that day it was hard to believe it was already April. The elementary school was on spring break, so Nanao and I went out to see a movie together. We¡¯d finished watching it and were leaving the movie theater, when Nanao spoke. ¡°Isn¡¯t your boyfriend¡¯s company near here, Mommy-chan? I wanna see what kind of place he works at.¡± Come to think of it, I hadn¡¯t even been all the way to his company before. ¡°Sure,¡± I said, and we started walking. He worked at a famous real estate company, so I knew which building it was on sight. We looked around the place, oo-ing and ah-ing over how big it was and how nice it was, like a couple of country bumpkins, and just as we were starting to head back and think about what we wanted for lunch, I spotted him walking back into work. He was hand in hand with a woman in a business suit. They weren¡¯t just holding hands either, their fingers were intertwined ¨C like lovers. The two of them parted in front of the building and waved their goodbyes. He disappeared into the building, and she walked towards Nanao and me. Her hair was in pretty curls, and her make up was very mature. She looked quite sharp in her pant suit. As she passed us by, a pink key chain swayed from where it was attached to the strap of the bag on her shoulder. ¡°Baby on board¡± the letters said. It was a maternity key chain, the one the city governments give you when you register for their maternal health programs. I must have sat there in shock for a while. When I realized it, Nanao was pulling me by the hand up the stairs of the train station. Nanao¡­ She was sobbing. She didn¡¯t let go of me, even after we got home, and she was still crying, and so was I. Poor Koaya was so shocked when she got home. I¡¯m sorry, Nanao, I decided not to fall in love anymore, but you still ended up hurt alongside me, because of me. As I apologized silently, the scenery gradually faded into a quiet mist. And then the world sunk into darkness. What am I supposed to do? If I don¡¯t get back to Japan, I can¡¯t be there for Nanao and Koaya. But if I do go back, I¡¯ll have to leave the prince behind. Although, even if I do give it my all here, the prince doesn¡¯t really need me. I¡¯ll only end up living in hiding somewhere, alone. ¡°Nanao¡­¡± I muttered, and felt someone¡¯s gentle hands quietly tuck me into bed. CH 3.1 ¡°Kohme, I¡¯d like you to meet with a mentor of mine.¡± Mr Lahzt said this to me as I sat down at the breakfast table the morning after I¡¯d literally drunk myself unconscious. Not really knowing what he was talking about, I handed the prince some bread, and looked over at Mr Lahzt, urging him to continue. ¡°She¡¯s the foremost researcher in the field of Shin. She might be able to help us find a solution to the problem with your name. Maybe after you meet with her, you can think about your future.¡± Mr Kahzam nodded. ¡°I know her too, she¡¯s a very friendly, warmhearted person.¡± I thought about it for a minute. Some part of me wondered if, after last night, I wasn¡¯t unfit to be the prince¡¯s nurse after all, but¡­ No matter what happened to me, I was still going to have to live here in this world. Besides, Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam were both worried about me. I had to face this head on. ¡°But should anyone else really be finding out about me?¡± I asked, and Mr Lahzt glanced up at me, combing his hair up out of his face. ¡°Eh¡­ To be honest, I think she might already know. She¡¯d be the only one, though. She must have at least noticed the traces of my Shiino, with us going in and out of the Garden of Stars so many times.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of a problem?¡± ¡°The truth is, using the arts to transport people across time and space is basically forbidden by law except for government purposes.¡± Wait, so Mr Lahzt turning Mr Kahzam into Morio and teleporting him in to bring me supplies all those times¡­ That was against the law? ¡°It¡¯s pretty much forbidden in principle to even enter the Garden of Stars for several months prior to the grass cutting. So that the grass can actually grow. Which is precisely why I knew we could hide you and prince there.¡± ¡°Well, okay, but how did your mentor find out about me then!?¡± I was worried, but Mr Lahzt looked away and his mood got dark. ¡°I¡¯ve been fined¡­ and I got five points¡­ It¡¯s kind of a problem, too many more and it¡¯ll be suspended¡­¡± ¡°You have a license!?¡± I was from Japan, a nation of laws, so this felt much more real to me than the Crown Prince¡¯s faction had ever been. Wait though, when he said too many more and he¡¯d be suspended, that meant he¡¯d had other infractions, before now? Was Mr Lahzt some kind of ne¡¯er do well? ¡°I mean, it¡¯s just a license, but it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t use the seals without it. I just won¡¯t be able to use any official facilities, and my research funds¡¯ll be cut.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s not a problem!?¡± ¡°Well, even if we are found out, Lady Solamire would probably pull some strings for me.¡± Mr Lahzt calmly took a drink from his mug. Okay¡­ So I felt a little better, I guess. His breaking the law this time was under mitigating circumstances, after all. But still. ¡°But when I go to meet your mentor, Mr Lahzt, we do it without teleporting!¡± This was definitely personal business, so we weren¡¯t going to use the arts. I could ride the anpy, maybe. Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam both softened their expressions. ¡°Alright then. Well, we¡¯ll have to start preparing right away then, Mom.¡± Mr Lahzt grinned. And thus it was decided we were going. And also, oh yeah. I¡¯d confessed the real reason for ¡®Mami¡¯ in a drunken fit last night. I¡¯d been secretly enjoying it, but when he said it now, I felt a bit attacked somehow. ¡°Oh, ah, but the prince is much more important than me¡­¡± I started to say, but then I heard a faint whine through the open window. That was the sound of an electric car. Mr Fatido was early. ¡°We¡¯ll be away for a while, so we¡¯ll have to tell Lord Fatido about your name, Kohme. Is that alright?¡± Mr Kahzam asked. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mind,¡± I answered, but then again, there was a reason I¡¯d not told Mr Fatido my real name in the first place, wasn¡¯t there. I didn¡¯t want him to get a hold of any of my weaknesses. Big sigh. As soon as he saw me, Mr Fatido¡¯s whole face lit up with a smile. ¡°Mami!¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful again today!¡± Mr Lahzt and I burst out laughing at the same time. Even Mr Kahzam turned the other way, his shoulders shaking with laughter. ¡°Huh?¡± Mr Fatido stared at us in complete bewilderment, poor guy, so I sat down in the hearth room and immediately told him my real name. And apologized for excluding him the day before. Mr Fatido slapped his forehead and broke into a broad smile. ¡± ¡®Mommy¡¯ huh? I never suspected a thing!¡± he said, grinning. ¡°I¡¯ll have to get you back for that one.¡± Would he now! I trembled to think of what he might do to me, and Mr Lahzt sighed lightly. ¡°Do you mind if we get down to business?¡± ¡°Lahzt¡¯s mentor, that must be Lemonina. So you¡¯re going to meet with the Shiinium?¡± Mr Fatido had listened to our story, and crossed his arms. Shiinium? 1 And their name was Lemonina¡­ From the sound of the name, maybe they were a woman. 2 ¡°It¡¯s about half a day¡¯s journey, one way. And you probably ought to stay overnight once you¡¯re there, one night at least. Are you taking prince with you?¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s better for him if he stays with Kohme. And since he¡¯s a child, we¡¯ll have to think about colds and things like that, so I should probably come too.¡± As Mr Fatido and Mr Lahzt went back and forth, Mr Kahzam interrupted. ¡°And if Dr Lahzt, and Kohme and prince are all going, I¡¯ll be going as well, as their bodyguard.¡± ¡°Understood. In that case, a car would be a lot easier. I can make some arrangements, if you don¡¯t mind waiting.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, sir.¡± The conversation chugged along, and Mr Lahzt said his thanks. Mr Kahzam bowed his head too and said thank you, and even the prince imitated them, dipping his head forward. Mr Fatido smiled at me. ¡°Kohme, I¡¯ll be awaiting a favorable response.¡± Seeing that grin, I felt like I owed him an apology for something. ¡°Um, please. Our highest priority is this boy and Lady Solamire, right? Returning the one to the other? I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll end up waiting quite a while on my account.¡± ¡°I know. But, if we don¡¯t figure out your name, you can¡¯t go with prince anyway, right?¡± Mr Fatido seemed confused. ¡°But, I mean, I know it¡¯s a little late to say this, but back in my original world, I was just an ordinary citizen, I don¡¯t know that I¡¯m really fit to be a prince¡¯s nurse, so¡­¡± I screwed up my courage and said out loud what was on my mind, but in the end, my mouth froze up, and I looked at the floor. That was when Mr Kahzam spoke. ¡°Kohme. I¡¯m sure you feel like it¡¯s only been a few short days since you met us, Lord Fatido, and Dr Lahzt, and myself. But we¡¯ve been watching you this whole time, while you were taking care of prince.¡± I looked back up, surprised, and Mr Kahzam was watching me gently, and smiling. ¡°I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t say this very well, but¡­ Prince seems very happy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve only heard about things second-hand from Lahzt and Kahzam.¡± This time it was Mr Fatido who turned his earnest gaze directly on me. ¡°But we all know how much happiness you¡¯ve given this kid. Do you really think we¡¯re the kind of men who would just silently watch the two of you get pulled apart? We¡¯re all ¨C all of us ¨C comrades, protecting prince.¡± I got all flustered, and stared at the floor again. The prince jumped onto my knee and looked up at me, concerned. My mind had been full of junk like, I¡¯m just a pawn to be moved across the board, and once I¡¯ve served my function, I¡¯ll be pulled away from the prince, or even, I¡¯m not good enough to be his nurse, I¡¯m just trying to secure myself a place in this world, using the prince as an excuse. But maybe I¡¯d been overthinking the entire thing. These people were all worried about me, their hearts hurt for me, as a comrade. And besides, it wasn¡¯t like they were completely ignoring the prince¡¯s feelings. If the prince needed me, I was going to stay by his side as long as I could. In summary, they were right! I wasn¡¯t going to be separated from the prince on my own account, at least! I hadn¡¯t been apart from him more than two hours since we¡¯d met, so if we were separated any longer than that I knew I¡¯d keep thinking of him, keep worrying about him forever. Seriously, what a little criminal he was. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry. Thank you¡­¡± These three men were so trustworthy, like knights who were protecting my heart too. I picked up the prince and hugged him, and¡­ started crying again. We packed up the room we¡¯d been staying in. The prince was pretty excited, and ran around the room, fussing at everything. He kept grabbing our carefully folded clothes and tossing them around the room. ¡°Alright, put those in here, will you.¡± I opened the travel bag Mr Kahzam had gotten for me, and showed it to the prince, and he shoved the clothes in joyfully, his navy blue eyes sparkling, and then ran off in search of some other trophy. I took the opportunity to quickly refold the clothes. I looked around the room to make sure we hadn¡¯t forgotten anything, my eye catching on my lavender party dress, still on the bedside table. It¡¯s what I¡¯d worn to Koaya¡¯s wedding. In other words, it was an important dress that I¡¯d been wearing when I came to this world. I picked it up, and wavered a little. When I¡¯d left the treehouse, I never imagined I might never return¡­ This time, the plan was that we¡¯d come back here after meeting with Mr Lahzt¡¯s mentor, but who knew what might happen. Yeah, let me take this, it¡¯s important to me. And my single earring too, given to me by Mr Lahzt after the other one had been lost. Maybe it was because of my time in the Garden of Stars, but my piercings had completely closed up. The bouquet of dried flowers, of course, didn¡¯t go in the bag. They were definitely coming with me in the car. I wanted to take care of them. My sisters had been thinking of me when they gave them to me. The following day, the car Mr Fatido had arranged arrived. Well, what he¡¯d arranged was for him to arrive first, and his subordinates to bring the car around later. They were the president¡¯s subordinates, so I assumed that meant they were his secretaries, right? So some sharp young person was going to show up then? Or at least, that¡¯s the image I made up in my head, but it is not what actually appeared. ¡°Mr Fatido, sir! Thanks for all your hard work, man!¡± ¡°Mr Fatido, sir! We brought the car, yo!¡± One young man with a pink crew cut, and another with a bandana on his bald head stood in the entryway in clothes that looked like work coveralls with the sleeves cut off. They each had Shin tattooed on their thick upper biceps, but¡­ I tried to read the letters, and if I wasn¡¯t mistaken, one said Favoritism and the other said Heresy. I really hoped it wasn¡¯t some kind of weird trend in this world. 3 "" And what was more, Mr Fatido¡¯s answer was, ¡°Yeah, thanks guys, great job. You head back first, yeah?¡± Eeeh!? That was totally different from his usual tone! My eyes flew open. ¡°Yessir! You take care of our president, sister!¡± They bowed to me, like two giants bending over, and I couldn¡¯t do anything but nod and squeak out a ¡°Yes.¡± I silently watched the two of them as they headed back on a giant anpy that Mr Favoritism had been riding. So ¡®sister,¡¯ that was me? ¡°So then, princess, shall I show you my vehicle?¡± Mr Fatido returned to his usual tone as if nothing had happened, and put his hand on my back in the traditional escort pose, grinning. This guy¡¯s older sister is the king¡¯s second wife? I wondered what kind of person Lady Solamire was, and why she¡¯d been selected as the second queen. I¡¯d heard from Mr Kahzam that the king had chosen her himself, but¡­ It was something I¡¯d recently become quite worried about. One way or another, we made it to the following morning, and set off with Mr Kahzam at the wheel. What Mr Fatido had prepared for us was some kind of RV. It definitely made things a lot easier for me in taking care of the prince, and it was so large that he wasn¡¯t likely to get bored. It was my first time in an RV, and I confess I was a little excited. It had a sofa with a table, and even a little kitchen, and apparently, you could store the table away and stretch the sofa out to use it as a bed. The design was a little retro to my eyes, but it still had a nice atmosphere to it. The prince was overjoyed, and ran around investigating every part of the wood-grained cabin. When I peeked in on Mr Kahzam in the drivers seat, it turned out that driving in this world was fundamentally the same as in mine. Well after all, the human form was the same, and so was the basic machinery of the car, so it made sense for things to be laid out the same. The road sloped down gently, with sparse forest on either side. We¡¯d been driving for a while, when suddenly the view opened up, and we came into a grassy clearing. The prince and I were both glued to the window. The gentle hills rolled like surging waves, and extended all the way to a green mountain in the distance. Animals were munching on the grass, and flocks of birds flew across the sky. We¡¯d seen a lot of birds when we were in the treehouse too¡­ Just as I thought it, I spotted some kind of carrier pigeon, but it wasn¡¯t really a pigeon. Over here, this orange bird was called a postey, the same type that carried the tube with Lady Solamire¡¯s letter in it. Mr Lahzt had used the posteys to exchange letters with his mentor before we left, and it seemed his request for an interview had been granted. ¡°People and animals get along really well over here, don¡¯t they?¡± I said to Mr Lahzt, amazed, and he nodded. ¡°Our relationship with animals goes back to the time of legend in this world. That¡¯s different from your world, I believe, Kohme?¡± ¡°What kind of legends? I¡¯d love to know,¡± I begged. A place¡¯s legends are the roots of that place. I felt like maybe if I could hear one, I might be able to understand this world better. Mr Lahzt took something white and rectangular from his luggage. He popped it open, and set it up at an angle on the table. There was some kind of folded up mirror inside, which reflected the interior of the car. ¡°So we can hold prince¡¯s interest, too. Watch it while I tell the story,¡± Mr Lahzt said, and the prince must have understood, because he parked himself in front of it. The mirror part of whatever this thing was started glowing, and some Shin flashed across it¡­ Oh, what was this image? A man was standing there, his body emitting some kind of white light, glowing from the inside. ¡°This world is called Gaduelyon, and it was created by the god Gaduos. Shin were created in order to transmit his will to humans. The Shin were entrusted to the animals originally, who were in turn sent out to human beings,¡± Mr Lahzt began. The floating seals were changing moment to moment, and now they showed images of different animals. This was a device that projected Shin. ¡°And so, humans came to respect animals as the messengers of God.¡± God, animals, and the next image was¡­ Oh! I let out a noise at the familiar image. ¡°That mysterious tree, in the Garden of Stars!¡± ¡°There are actually several locations around the world known as Gardens of Stars, all said to be places where God transmitted their will to the animals. That¡¯s why no human can enter.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ So God didn¡¯t give the seals directly to mankind, the animals acted as intermediaries.¡± ¡°Exactly. And in the beginning¡­¡± Mr Lahzt unraveled the letters wrapped around his left hand and made the Circle Art ¨C apparently this was called unfolding them ¨C and a bunch of the seals flew off from there. They gently wafted about, glowing faintly, and eventually melted away. ¡°The animals showed the seals to only a portion of humanity. They didn¡¯t leave behind any records or documents of any kind. The humans could only accept them, they weren¡¯t good enough to fully master them. Eventually, human beings petitioned God, asking that they be able to use the seals as well.¡± I could see an image of human beings pleading with animals. ¡°God set down terms. As long as humans learned the will of the animals who¡¯d been sent to them, and respected them, humans would be permitted to use Shin. And so, humans went through a lot of trouble to work out the shapes of the first Shin from letters they¡¯d long been only able to look at, and changed themselves into animals and learned their will, and appeared in the Garden of Stars.¡± There was an image of humans unfolding the Circle Art. A Shin appeared with the image of a giant bird taking off. Something about it¡­ Somehow it seemed like I¡¯d seen this before. ¡°God bore witness to human determination, and gave us the Shin¡­ That¡¯s the story.¡± "" God was granting a seal to that phoenix-looking bird¡­ ¡°Incidentally, the first man to change into an animal was named Lahzu. They say that because the Art wasn¡¯t yet complete, he wasn¡¯t ever able to turn back into a human, and lived his whole life as a bird. It was the fact that he was brave enough to risk it in order to earn the seals that impressed God, and that¡¯s why they gave us Shin.¡± Wow¡­ That Lahzu was a real hero. In the image, the seal that must have indicated this Lahzu person, and the seal that indicated the huge bird, lined up next to one another. Wait, ¡®Lahzu¡¯? Just then, the prince, who had been staring at the seals intently, turned to Mr Lahzt and pointed at him. ¡°Ahz,¡± he said. ¡°Wait, What?¡± ¡°Ahz!¡± The prince looked back to the seals and then back at Mr Lahzt. Oh. ¡°Ahz is Mr Lahzt? Is your name taken from Lahzu, Mr Lahzt? What a wonderful name!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah,¡± Mr Lahzt muttered, and adjusted his glasses. Oh-ho, was he a bit shy about it? Heheh. ¡°Now that we mention it, Kahzam¡¯s name is like that too.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Prince figured it out.¡± I looked over, and the prince was staring at the bird seal that floated above the projection equipment and muttering, ¡°Mo-oh,¡± to himself. We could hear Mr Kahzam chuckling from the driver¡¯s seat, so Mr Lahzt explained. ¡°When Lahzu changed forms, the bird he turned into was called Kahzapka. He was a mediator between humans and God.¡± So Mr Kahzam was named after the bird, huh. Wow¡­ That was really nice¡­ Well, ¡®Koume¡¯ was a perfectly nice name to have too though, right? Still though, they said Shin could be read by anyone, even children¡­ And the prince had indeed been able to read them. So if they could learn things this way from the time they were little, did that mean kids from this world would develop their mental faculties a lot faster than kids from my world? Aaaah, but maybe that meant they¡¯d grow out of that cute age a lot faster too! Man, I¡¯d have to enjoy it while I could! I suddenly grabbed the prince and rubbed my cheek against his. He hated it, and squealed. CH 3.2 As we got closer to the mountains we¡¯d seen in the distance, I spotted a town at the foot of them. ¡°That¡¯s the town of Tau Lato,¡± Mr Kahzam explained. A cobblestone road started just after a stone bridge over a river, and we took that into town. ¡°Wow¡­ Pretty.¡± I stared out the window alongside the prince at the rows of buildings. The leaves of the trees along the sidewalks on either side rustled, swaying in a refreshing breeze. Large, two storey houses stood in neat rows. All the walls were a beige kind of white, giving the place a bright feeling. Gardening must have been a flourishing pastime here, because flowers burst into bloom in every garden and there was an abundance of superbly positioned trees. Every person who walked past seemed to brighten at the sight of all the greenery. There were no walls or fences, so surely the planters must have known everybody would be able to see their handiwork. A little further on, the road widened and there were more shops, and more people walking along the streets too. The car could hardly move forward there were so many of them, and occasionally people sauntered past us on anpy. We came out into a wide, circular plaza with large flower beds, and Mr Kahzam parked the car in one corner. The children must not have seen too many cars, because they all crowded around to ogle it. They all had various different hair and eye colors. ¡°Let¡¯s get out for a bit and take a break,¡± Mr Lahzt said, looking in my direction. ¡°Although, first¡­ Stick out your left hand.¡± As I wondered what this was about, Mr Lahzt took a simple silver ring out of his pocket. What? He looked like he was about to put it on my ring finger. What? What? Without thinking, I pulled my hand back. Mr Lahzt¡¯s eyes opened a little wider. ¡°All adults here have a ring on this finger, I just thought it might be best if you didn¡¯t stand out¡­¡± ¡°Oh yeah, true! Uh, do you mind if I put it on myself though?¡± I accepted it from him, totally flustered, and put the wide band on my left ring finger. Come to think of it, why was this exactly the right size? ¡°Is¡­ something wrong?¡± Mr Lahzt was suspicious, so I shook my head and grinned. ¡°No, nothing.¡± Aah¡­ That was bad for the heart. The entire company got out of the vehicle. As soon as the prince saw the kids in the plaza, he tottled off towards them, obviously thinking they were friends. Mr Lahzt pulled him back, seeing me glancing around, and said, ¡°Wanna to see the town?¡± ¡°Is that alright?¡± I asked back, with unintentional anticipation. Mr Lahzt smiled a little and looked at Mr Kahzam. ¡°Kahzam must be exhausted too. And he¡¯s a bodyguard, so he¡¯ll go with you and you can both get a change of scenery. I¡¯ll make sure prince doesn¡¯t wander off.¡± ¡°Is that alright?¡± I asked again, looking between the two of them. Mr Kahzam smiled. ¡°I need to purchase a few things too, so let¡¯s go.¡± He put on a large newsboy cap and pulled the brim down low over his face. It looked like some kind of disguise¡­ Oh that¡¯s right, he was supposed to be undergoing medical treatment right now, so if he met anyone he knew, the whole plan would be exposed. ¡°Okay then, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± I left the bag with all the prince¡¯s stuff in it to Mr Lahzt. I¡¯d stuffed a bunch of things inside, diapers (it turned out they even had paper diapers here! They weren¡¯t the most effective things, but they were really convenient for trips!), and also some sweets, and towels, things like that. Mr Lahzt seemed a bit miserable. ¡°Ah, diapers,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ll, uh, give it a shot.¡± His eyebrows scrunched together, and I laughed without meaning to. We headed off, and when I looked back, Mr Lahzt seemed to be following behind the prince, who was on his way to his new friends again. The prince was always surrounded by adults, it¡¯d be nice for him to play with little kids for a while. We walked through Tau Lato, my first town in another world. I was an alien here, hiding the fact that I didn¡¯t have any seals on my finger, and I felt like I shouldn¡¯t call too much attention to myself, and so I walked as close as Mr Kahzam as was practical, but¡­ I really was excited, and caught myself sneaking looks in every direction. Pulling the brim of his hat a bit lower, Mr Kahzam whispered, ¡°We are a bit suspicious, aren¡¯t we.¡± ¡°Indeed we are¡­¡± Be normal. Be normal. All the shops had their doors and windows flung open, and they all felt welcoming. Lots of people were busily coming and going. The sign boards were written in both Shin and the phonetic Ren script, so I understood immediately what each store was selling. Clothes, shoes, a bread store inside a dry goods store¡­ They were all places I was familiar with. Well, this was a different world, but the towns were full of the same people, so it was only natural, I guess. ¡°Oh, maybe we should find something for Mr Lahzt¡¯s mentor? As a thank you gift?¡± I suggested. It was a defining custom of my original world, but if we were going to go to the house of our betters to consult with them, I thought we ought to bring some expression of gratitude, no matter the world. Mr Kahzam smiled and nodded. ¡°Dr Lahzt asked me to buy something. There are some sweets Dr Lemonina especially likes.¡± And so, we headed to a candy store. Mr Kahzam seemed to know the place, and walked with a confident step. I could tell, though, that he was matching my speed. Looking at the people on the street, it seemed to be a culture where women wore mostly skirts. I didn¡¯t see any of the women in pants. And they didn¡¯t seem to wear too many patterns either¡­ Simple shirts with skirts, and for decoration, scarves and shoes with embroidery on them, that was the impression I got. There were even a few people like me with apron-style dresses on¡­ ¡°Was there anything you wanted, Kohme?¡± Mr Kahzam asked me as we were walking. I answered immediately. ¡°I¡¯ve got everything I need for the moment.¡± Lady Solamire and the midwife had gotten me everything I needed, as a woman. I¡¯d been staring into basically every store, but what I was really looking for was a toy, or clothes for the prince, anything prince-related. Not that I had any money, so I wouldn¡¯t have been able to buy anything anyway. Mr Kahzam stuttered. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ Um, ah. If there¡¯s anything you haven¡¯t seen before, or anything like that, you¡¯re quite welcome to buy it. You don¡¯t have to worry about paying.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, aren¡¯t you on temporary leave?¡± I said, putting my hands on my hips. I was never someone who enjoyed letting other people treat me. I was even less inclined to it with Mr Kahzam, and I was already relying on him so much. He did seem kind of dejected though, somehow. Alright alright, I guess he had his pride as a man to consider. ¡°Mm, how about sweets then!¡± I said. I could handle some sweets. ¡°Whatever these things are that Dr Lemonina likes so much, I¡¯d like to try them too.¡± There was a moss green cloth on the table, which was set up in the shade of a graceful tree. Mr Kahzam was sitting relaxed on the other side of the table from me, looking over at me. The server lined up a dainty white tea cup and plate in front of me, with something that looked like a fruit tart on the plate. We were eating on the terrace at an open air cafe. This¡­ This was more than I¡¯d expected. I thought we¡¯d buy some kind of baked treat, and then take it home with us. Well, Mr Kahzam was only having tea, I guess. But this was an awful lot like a date. True, Mr Kahzam was always by my side, but this was the first time we¡¯d been alone together like this! Once I was on this train of thought, a date I¡¯d had with my old lover passed through my head, and I started to get upset. Oh my lord! That¡¯s in the past already! Go away! ¡°Thank you for the food!¡± I rushed the fork to my mouth. ¡°Mm¡­ This is delicious.¡± It had a gentle sweetness to it, and I broke into a smile on pure reflex. There was some kind of boiled fruit, like a yellow cherry, inside the tart, but once in the mouth it had a kind of honey lemon flavor, it was amazingly good. Mr Kahzam looked at me tenderly. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve never eaten a meal together before, but this time¡­ It feels kind of different,¡± he said. ¡°Have we?¡± ¡°You invited me to eat with you all the time in the Garden of Stars, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Oh. Oh yeah¡­¡± I was always giving Morio something to eat, or having him try stuff. I spoke in Japanese, but we got the general meaning across with hand gestures. ¡°I was so pleased to have you eat something I¡¯d made¡­ Even more so when I got to eat something you¡¯d made.¡± Mr Kahzam¡¯s eyes roamed everywhere, especially towards the end of his sentence, that was unusual¡­ And was he blushing? Wait¡­ I was blushing too. Don¡¯t say stuff like that to me, it¡¯s sounds like what a couple that¡¯d just started living together would say to each other! ¡°Well, feeding you was just my way of trying to get you to stay in the Garden of Stars, you know.¡± Why would I say something so embarrassing? I hurriedly tried to cover for myself, and even Mr Kahzam looked away again. ¡°I thought it would be nice if I could stay too,¡± he said, ¡°but I didn¡¯t have any way of telling you I was a human back then, so¡­¡± ¡°Ah, yeah, yes, that¡¯s true!¡± ¡°I kind of wanted to hear you sing more, too.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Wait, singing!?¡± Aaaaaah! I¡¯d sung a couple of different things to the prince, he must have heard me! It was all golden oldies type stuff, and anime songs, and folk songs, and like, Koume Originals. I didn¡¯t even know what to say anymore, so I demolished that tart like it was the last one in the store, and then waited around while the store employees put Dr Lemonina¡¯s treats in a gift box. ¡°So, uh, that was really good! Thank you, Mr Kahzam! Shall we, uh, head back?¡± I got to my feet, unable to calm down, and stumbled against the chair. Mr Kahzam immediately stuck out a big hand to help me. I grabbed on right away, but then I got so embarrassed, I pulled my hand back instantly, and apologized without even looking him in the face. We chatted off and on, and went straight back to the plaza¡­ Hm? Was that someone crying? The prince had scraped his forehead and was wailing, clinging to Mr Lahzt¡¯s neck. Oh my, he must have taken a tumble. Mr Lahzt noticed us and turned around to face us, saying something to the prince, obviously trying to soothe him, but his little face was all scrunched up, and he seemed inconsolable. I rushed over, calling out, ¡°Little prince,¡± and the prince lifted his bright red face up and stretched out his hand to me, still bawling. I took him from Mr Lahzt, who looked relieved, but I was the one feeling relieved at having come back to my normal daily life. ¡°Sorry¡­ He was clinging to me, and I couldn¡¯t use any Shiino.¡± ¡°What? The prince doesn¡¯t have a Shin name yet, can you still heal him with your arts?¡± ¡°Healing no, disinfecting yes.¡± Oh, so it was different if it wasn¡¯t altering the prince¡¯s body. But now the prince was clinging to me so tight that we couldn¡¯t even show Mr Lahzt his wound. ¡°It¡¯s alright, little prince. That must¡¯ve hurt, huh? Maa-tan¡¯ll eat all that pain right up, nom nom nom!¡± I made like I was gnawing on the prince¡¯s forehead, and his crying got a little quieter. I gnawed louder, and the prince started laughing and crying at the same time. Which reminded me of something my own mom had said to me. When a parent said to a child, ¡°Pain, pain, fly away!¡± 1 a small amount of the pain did indeed fly away. That was a bit of magic that really did exist. So there was some bit of magic I could offer the prince, even without Shin, I thought, watching Mr Lahzt use his arts. When we were ready to set off, Mr Lahzt offered to take over driving, but Mr Kahzam said he was fine and politely refused, and took his place in the driver¡¯s seat again. We crossed the bridge again, and left the town of Tau Lato. The road immediately curved in between mountains. The prince had cried himself out and was sleeping in my arms, and it was somehow quiet inside the cabin. I reached out one hand and opened the projection device with the folded mirror from before. Reading in cars usually made me carsick, but I could definitely look at this thing. Books, huh¡­ I love reading. I like it so much, I used to spend hours at the library. That was why, when Nanao started going to elementary school, and I thought it was about time I found a job, I knew what I wanted to do right away. Maybe it was a bit unimaginative, but I became a bookseller ¨C an employee at a bookstore. One cold day after I¡¯d been working there a little while, when work was over and I¡¯d changed out of my uniform, I thought I¡¯d like to buy myself a book before I went home. I was in the bookstore with my coat on, and had just selected a book, when someone spoke to me. ¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t you one of the regular employees here?¡± they said. That was him¡­ I¡¯d come to a whole other world, and the memories of the different scenes of my life were still piling on top of one another. Even bright, colorful scenes turned dark and somber. I sighed, and Mr Lahzt, who¡¯d been staring silently out the window, looked over at me. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°You and Mr Kahzam are single, right?¡± They must be, if we¡¯d been talking about having one of them play my husband. Well, I only realized it after I spoke though. ¡°That¡¯s abrupt,¡± Mr Lahzt said, surprised. I set the sleeping prince down on the sofa. ¡°It¡¯s just, I¡¯ve talked about my sisters, and about how I¡¯m single, but I realized I don¡¯t know anything about you all.¡± ¡°That is true, now that you mention it,¡± Mr Lahzt said, nodding. ¡°Lahzt Jegart, twenty seven years of age, single, Shiinoce. Both my parents were Shin researchers, and I don¡¯t have any siblings. Pleased to meet you.¡± ¡°Wow you¡¯re young! You¡¯re so composed, I thought you were a lot older. That¡¯s some gap.¡± Mr Lahzt laughed at my surprise. I had a bad feeling about something. ¡°You don¡¯t exactly feel like a fully adult woman yourself, Kohme. You¡¯re a lot younger than I thought you were.¡± That wasn¡¯t even praise, was it. ¡°You seem flustered by Lord Fatido¡¯s advances.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°Romantic relationships don¡¯t seem to be any different in this world than in yours. So I imagine you¡¯re not used to it, Kohme? Not used to various things.¡± ¡°You¨C Don¡¯t be rude!¡± I didn¡¯t mean for the conversation to go in this direction! Dug my own grave. ¡°Bullseye? You¡¯re red all the way to your ears.¡± ¡°I¨C Well what about you then, you don¡¯t seem to have a girlfriend? You said you were a workaholic didn¡¯t you? You seem the type where your relationship just fades away even when you do manage to snag someone.¡± Ah, his eyes glided to one side, bullseye for me! This guy¡¯s definitely the type to get a girlfriend and then neglect her! ¡°Ah, um, I¡¯m single as well¡­ Kahzam Saegis, twenty four.¡± Gentle Mr Kahzam was trying to regain control of the situation, and interrupted the conversation while still driving, but it only ended up getting me more agitated, and I ruthlessly slashed out at him. ¡°Are you the type to fade out too, Mr Kahzam?¡± He coughed. No way, a critical hit!? Mm¡­ Mr Kahzam was an exceedingly wonderful person, but I imagined that because he was passionate about his job, in addition to being taciturn, that even girls who liked him wouldn¡¯t approach him. Well, that was just my imagination, but it seemed to fit a little too well. Sorry to be bullying people younger than me. ¡°So, Kohme, is there¡­ Ah, nevermind.¡± Mr Lahzt started to say something, but quickly stopped himself. Was he about to ask me if I had a lover? I mean, I didn¡¯t right now, but even if I had, I couldn¡¯t meet them¡­ Maybe he¡¯d realized that and cut himself off. Mr Lahzt was definitely aware of the wrongs he¡¯d done me. ¡°A pair of star-crossed lovers, ripped apart, one in one world and the other in another? There¡¯s no one like that,¡± I said, having a deliberate bit of fun at his expense. Mr Lahzt almost choked for a second, but then glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. ¡°Really? You¡¯re not just keeping quiet about it out of regard for my feelings?¡± ¡°There really isn¡¯t anybody. There was, but we broke up not too long before I came here.¡± I plowed on without waiting for his reaction. ¡°But I do anticipate being happy again before too much longer. So you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°You anticipate being happy?¡± ¡°The bouquet I was carrying when I came here, the person who gets it during the ceremony is supposed to be the one who gets married next.¡± ¡°Oh I see.¡± I explained the tradition, but Mr Lahzt didn¡¯t seem to know what to say. Mr Kahzam asked a question from the driver¡¯s seat, his tone hesitant. ¡°Kohme, that¡­ that bouquet, who gave it to you?¡± ¡°Mm? My younger sister, the middle one.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. That¡¯s okay then.¡± Was it? What on earth, did they think I was still hiding something from them? I looked out the window, a bit unhappy, and reflexively let out a shout. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s gorgeous!¡± We¡¯d gotten about halfway up the mountain, and come out into a place with the most amazing view. We came to a sort of observation point where the shoulder widened, and parked the car and decided to take a break. The prince woke up and had his engines at full throttle all of a sudden. He tottled off and started down the pull-out stairs, so I rushed over to lend him my hand. He must have slept well. The prince¡¯s hand in mine, I took in the magnificent view, enjoying the cool breeze. A mountain range rolled like an ocean into the distance, and a green forest spread out in front of it, with a river shining silver through the breaks. Looking a little closer to us, I could see a small town in the forest. I assumed that was where we were headed next. Turning around to look in the other direction, there was a castle nestled in its surroundings, far in the distance. The castle had been built atop a hill, and wasn¡¯t very tall, but it stretched out to the sides, and its ivory walls were gentle on the eyes as it melted into the scenery. The several spires on its triangular roof were cute too. A small lake glittered near the base of the castle, along with what I assumed to be a fruit tree orchard, with small trees lined up in perfect rows. There were a few differently sized buildings dotting the surroundings, and one small village or town maybe. And then there was an enclosed pasture outside of that, with a herd of some domesticated animals eating the grass. ¡°That whole tract of land around there is the Shiz Cagna, where prince will probably be living,¡± Mr Lahzt said, and I gasped. That¡­ I knew it, I was out of place after all¡­ When we headed back down to the van again, I felt two hands plop down on each shoulder from behind me. Mr Lahzt¡¯s was strong, and on the other side, Mr Kahzam¡¯s was gentle. I realized I must have had a pitiful expression on my face, and I sucked in a big breath of air. Whatever would happen would happen, there was no point in thinking too much! ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch!¡± I was famished, actually. We¡¯d made sandwiches in Mr Lahzt¡¯s villa, so it was time for a picnic as we took in the beautiful scenery! After we finished our meal, we got back into the RV and wound our way down the mountain. Eventually, we came across a town full of log houses all in a row. This was the town I¡¯d seen from the lookout spot earlier. The town looked like it had been cut into a part of the forest, and they must have gotten plenty of travelers, because there were lots of supply stores and places to stay, and also a roost and watering hole for posteys ready to carry letters, and even stables for anpy. ¡°Oo, a footbath!¡± Under a little gazebo by the side of the road, I spotted a mini pool filled with steaming hot water, and so the prince and I went up to it and started removing our shoes. Mr Kahzam stopped us. ¡°Kohme, that¡¯s for the anpy to rest their feet in. It¡¯s ¡®dame¡¯ for humans.¡± ¡°Ah! Was that Japanese you spoke just now? You spoke a word from my country!¡± I was shocked, but Mr Kahzam smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you talking to prince,¡± he said, ¡°and I remembered a few words.¡± But¡­ Oh right, I¡¯d raised the prince in the treehouse with Japanese only, so Morio would have gotten used to hearing it. Even after we came to Mr Lahzt¡¯s vacation house, I thought the prince might get a bit confused if I suddenly switched languages, so I mixed in a few local words in with a lot of Japanese. Even Mr Lahzt seemed to have learned quite a few. ¡°I¡¯ve picked up a bit myself,¡± he said. ¡± ¡®Oide¡¯ for ¡®come here¡¯, ¡®kocchi¡¯ for ¡®this way,¡¯ and stuff like ¡®dakko¡¯ and ¡®chuu¡¯ for hugs and kisses.¡± He counted them off on his fingers. Well, he was a scholar after all, he could memorize things easily. He¡¯d only been living with the prince a few days. ¡°Oh,¡± he added, ¡°and also ¡®unchi¡¯ and ¡®oshikko¡¯ for poo and pee.¡± Although, I felt like maybe he needn¡¯t have remembered those. CH 4.1 The broad sky started to stain with the sunset, and the silhouettes of small birds sailed across it. We continued along a road that cut in between the mountains, turning the sky into a beautiful gradient backdrop, with the forest spreading out towards us. An outcropping of thick stone buildings stuck its head out, like an island floating above the forest. That was the Shin research town where Mr Lahzt¡¯s mentor, the Shiinium lived. We parked the camper in a giant empty plaza just in front of the buildings and got out. Apparently, we were walking from here. I went down the pull-out stairs first and looked around. There weren¡¯t very many people here right now, but there were plenty of signs of life. It was getting dark and hard to see, but this forest felt like it had a long history, and every single tree seemed like a philosopher standing deep in thought. I turned around to take the prince¡¯s hand, and let out a reflexive shout. ¡°Oh my, who is that cute little guy?¡± The prince was standing at the top of the stairs, with a weasel-ish, ferret sort of creature clutched tight in both hands. This combo is the greatest! I wish I could get a picture of the two of them! I picked up the prince and set him on the ground. ¡°How did he get in the car? Mommy-chan wants to hold him too! ¡®Cho-dai¡¯ .¡± ¡°Kay.¡± I put my hands out and spoke in Japanese, and the prince passed him right over to me. The adorable thing obediently padded over to me. ¡°Oo! What a good boy!¡± I shouted, and without thinking, rubbed him against my cheek. The ferret stiffened. It was at that point that Mr Lahzt got down behind me, carrying the luggage. ¡°That¡¯s Kahzam,¡± he said. ¡­ What. Whattt!? I yanked him away from my face and stared hard. His eyes were a dark green. ¡°He was able to disappear into the crowds before, but there¡¯s a high likelihood we¡¯ll run into someone who knows him here. So I figured it¡¯d be best to transform him. It¡¯s an animal called a timp. They¡¯re small and known to be ferocious, so he can still guard us in secret,¡± Mr Lahzt said calmly. Well, no¡­ His eyes were definitely smiling. How embarrassing, tell me all that before I hug him and rub him all over my face! ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Mr Kahzam,¡± I apologized, and handed him back to the prince. The prince hugged him with all his strength, and Mr Kahzam twisted himself out of the death grip and fled, rushing up my arm to ride on my shoulder. His whiskers tickled against my cheek. He was so cute! Like, Morio, Timp Form, GO! So he could transform into all kinds of different animals then, huh? Transforming him into Kahzapka would be pretty amazing, but maybe that was going a bit too far. After all, it was kind of unreasonable to just turn yourself into the messenger of a god at will. The reseach center was surrounded by trees so tall that I had to look up to see their tops. How many hundreds of years old were they? Coming up to stand in front of them, I reflexively gasped, and stared admiringly at the buildings. The stones were tightly fitted, with arches in rounded triangle shapes. Past those, a round tower made of mossy stone soared into the sky. It felt long and slender, but at its base, it was about as big around as the Colosseum in Rome. Come to think of it, this was the first time I¡¯d seen a building this large in this world. How did they do this in a forest in the middle of the mountains? I wondered, and was informed that it was built from ruins that existed here long before the Vio Rizonnians came over from the continent. People even came from far away to do research on it, apparently. We climbed several flights of stone stairs, and went in through an opening with no door. A globe floated there. It had to be a representation of this world, Gaduelyon, but¡­ It looked like a miniature blue planet, more than double the size of the Shu-ii, and it was wafting above a giant basin at the center of a flagstone hall. Shin would occasionally float to the surface of the planet like little white bubbles, and as they left the planet¡¯s surface, they were sucked into the surrounding walls, pulling a glowing tail behind them. Looking carefully, I could see the wall had seals carved into its surface. The wall rose towards the sky, and it was only when I looked up so far my neck started to hurt that I could see the lapis-colored sky turning to night. There was no roof, so birds were coming and going as they pleased. Window openings had been left open occasionally as the wall went along, and small squirrel-like animals were camped out in some of them. I was wondering at it all, when a creature like a small bear came in through the same door we¡¯d just come in through and started drinking the water out of a basin. There were humans there too, of course, young and old, men and women, all wearing navy blue robes, climbing ladders to read the characters on the wall and record them on pieces of paper. There was another entrance further in, and when we passed through the arch there, we came into a wide, round plaza of flagstones that was lit up with street lamps. This was large too, so big you could probably play soccer in it. There were a few stone buildings around the perimeter, with some newer-looking ones among them. As Mr Lahzt explained, this was an important center of research on the Shin, and was a base for the Shiinium. Apparently, the entire city was also called Shiinium. Researchers and royal family members stayed here and studied here, there were occasionally open public lectures, and you could join academic societies and the like, almost like a university. Mr Lahzt led us to one of the newer-looking buildings, and we went in. It turned out to be lodging facilities. It looked like a perfectly normal business hotel on the inside, with cream-colored walls and a glossy floor that reflected the lights. The rooms where we were staying were on the second floor, right next to each other, and connected by a door. We¡¯d be sleeping separately, but they were right there if anything happened, so we could feel safe. I mean, I didn¡¯t think anything would really happen, no one had any reason to make an attempt on the prince¡¯s life any more, but still. The outer room was large, with a table and sofa in addition to the bed. Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam would be using this one, and the interior room, which had just a bed, was the one the prince and I would be using. Mr Kahzam had changed from his timp form back to being a human, and just as all of us were taking a break in the larger room, there was a sudden rapping sound. I turned around, and there was an orange bird at the window, a postey, hovering there in mid-air and knocking on the window glass. Mr Lahzt opened the window and the postey flew easily in and landed on his shoulder. He took the letter from the tube attached to the bird¡¯s leg, and the postey flew right back out again through the window. I asked if the postey could follow a person¡¯s Shin name, but it turned out that actually they carried their letters to a location, the person¡¯s address. Mr Lahzt looked over the letter. ¡°It¡¯s from my mentor,¡± he said. ¡°She said she¡¯ll come here, tomorrow morning.¡± Honestly, us going to see her would have been the more usual thing, but without a Shin to act as identification, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get into the building where Dr Lemonina was doing her research. So since I couldn¡¯t go there, she had to come here. Mr Lahzt must have told her something about me. So I needn¡¯t be nervous. Surely we¡¯d be able to sort out this thing with my name. As I was working out this whole thought process, Mr Lahzt wrote a response to Lemonina, and then went over to the still-open window and whistled through his fingers. A postey immediately flew in again, and perched on Mr Lahzt¡¯s hand. He put the letter in the tube, and the little bird flew off again, eager to get to work. Ah, so that¡¯s how you call a postey. I surreptitiously tried it for myself, attempting to whistle between my own fingers. The only sound I managed to make was a pathetic huffing noise. ¡ª Which was when I realized Mr Kahzam was chuckling, with his hand over his mouth, trying to hide it. Yeah yeah, go ahead and laugh. I¡¯m going to practice, and I¡¯ll be whistling in no time! The first floor of the hotel was a large dining hall, and we went there for our evening meal. It looked like a school cafeteria, or an employee lunch room, and had a simple, clean air to it, without much decoration at all. A fair number of animals had come in as well, and Mr Kahzam, in timp form, hung back in the shadows under the table. He¡¯d have to eat later, in the room, I guess. The menu was chiefly vegetarian, with steamed vegetables at the core of most dishes. I wondered if it would be enough for the army of men I was traveling with, but that¡¯s what was on the menu, so that¡¯s what we were eating. The prince was a little excited to be in a new and unfamiliar place, and the second he¡¯d had enough to eat, he got down from his chair and started running around. And then he tried to head for the little garden just outside the dining hall. Mr Kahzam trotted off after him. Heheh, nice. Mr Lahzt and I were eating the rest of our meal, watching Mr Kahzam and the prince in the garden through the window, when suddenly Mr Lahzt¡¯s hand stopped. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I turned around to see where Mr Lahzt was looking¡­ Who was that? A tall man with very short dark grey hair, dark grey eyes, and dark brown skin had just come into the dining hall. He was wearing a black jacket with a stand-up collar, black slacks, black shoes¡­ He was wearing nothing but black. Another person in a navy blue robe came in behind him. The two of them glanced over at us, and Mr Lahzt lifted his hand silently. The two of them came over to us. The person wearing the robe took their hood down. Oh¡­ just the same! The second person also had dark grey eyes and brown skin. And his face was just the same too. These two must be twins. Their eyes were long and thin, with pupils that seemed too small by about a third, with small mouths and narrow chins. They looked just like each other, but the one in the robe had longer hair and was a little bit thinner, while the one all in black had a thicker neck and looked like he worked out. The one in the robe brushed his hair up off his neck and opened his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lahzt.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to see you here. Idine, Endie.¡± Something about that greeting was awfully cold. But, uh, which one was Idine, and which one was Endie? The man in the robe looked at me, and then looked back at Mr Lahzt with a bit of a smile on his face. He nodded lightly, so I nodded back, but¡­ The smile on his lips wasn¡¯t reaching his eyes. He was a little scary. Mr All-In-Black on the other hand, had no expression whatsoever, and was intensely silent. That was plenty scary on its own. ¡°You must be here to see Dr Lemonina. You want to settle down with this woman, you¡¯ve come to let your mentor know?¡± Eh. Wait a minute, what did you just say, Mr Robe? Mr Lahzt¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change a bit, and he answered indifferently. ¡°No. I just came to consult with the doctor about something. She¡¯s here to visit her too.¡± He spoke deliberately, obscuring the relationship between us. That was probably best. ¡°I see. Well, you¡¯ve had a tough time lately, haven¡¯t you. That certainly was a sad incident,¡± the man in the robe said just as indifferently, flashing a smile around the corners of his mouth. He must have meant Lady Solamire¡¯s stillbirth (which hadn¡¯t really happened, but he didn¡¯t know that). Not that he really seemed to think it was too sad. But maybe that was just me getting the wrong impression? ¡°What about you two?¡± Mr Lahzt asked, and the man in the robe shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Accompanying our boss. The East had been quite docile lately, we thought we¡¯d pay some friends a visit and stretch our wings a while.¡± As I was still puzzling over what he was talking about, he lifted a hand and said, ¡°Later then,¡± and he and the one in all black headed off to order their meals at the counter together. We finished our meals and got up from the table. ¡°Who were those two?¡± I asked, as we left the dining hall and headed down the hall. Mr Lahzt¡¯s expression grew unpleasant. ¡°You have just met some very bad characters. They¡¯re with the Crown Prince¡¯s faction.¡± My heart nearly stopped. So in other words, those two people were some of the guys who¡¯d once tried to make an attempt on the prince¡¯s life? ¡°They have the same jobs as Kahzam and me. Idine is on the Crown Prince¡¯s medical team, and Endie¡¯s a bodyguard.¡± Going by their physiques, the one in the robe must have been Idine, and the one in all black must have been Endie. But, the Crown Prince¡¯s faction¡­? ¡°Did they just say they were here with their boss?¡± ¡°Yeah. Probably traveling incognito, and decided to stop here for a while.¡± Mr Lahzt nodded. Woah, the crown prince of the country was somewhere in this research center, right now? As we talked, Mr Kahzam-as-timp and the prince came in together ¨COr more like, Mr Kahzam cleverly led the prince in, letting him chase him, and we all returned to our rooms together. ¡°I feel I should explain a little about the East that Idine mentioned,¡± Mr Lahzt said, taking a seat on the sofa and crossing his long legs. ¡°The Crown Prince¡¯s faction and the Second Queen¡¯s faction have been arguing since long before this incident, but the whole thing just poured oil on the fire, and there¡¯s another faction that¡¯s trying to use the disagreement to make a tidy profit.¡± Mr Kahzam had returned to his human form too, behind a screen, and joined the conversation after he put his clothes back on. ¡°The House of Mezzeq is a family of nobles that has territory to the east of the royal capital, so we often just call them the East.¡± So there were people like that here too¡­ I guess in any world, there are bound to be people attempting to profit off others¡¯ hard work. ¡°Is the prince okay? They¡¯re not going to make another attempt on him, are they?¡± I asked, a little uneasy, as I watched the prince jump on the bed. Mr Lahzt shook his head. ¡°He¡¯ll be an adopted son, so he won¡¯t have any place in the line of succession. They won¡¯t have any reason to try and harm him. For now, the Crown Prince¡¯s faction and the Second Queen¡¯s faction have a kind of truce going, at least in public, and the East seems to have quieted down for a while. The Crown Prince has been holed up in the castle for forever, but he seems to be confident enough to sneak out for personal matters. They¡¯re just looking for problems to wave in our faces.¡± ¡°We have our own information network too,¡± Mr Kahzam said, ¡°so you don¡¯t have to worry, you¡¯re both safe.¡± He shot Mr Lahzt a wry smile. ¡°He didn¡¯t lash out at you again, did he?¡± Mr Lahzt shrugged. ¡°Not really.¡± Now that he mentioned it¡­ ¡°Are you and Mr Idine competing for something?¡± I asked. Mr Lahzt grimaced. ¡°We were always trying to best each other in one thing or another when we were in school, but ever since I was hired into my current job, he just kicks up dirt at me whenever he gets the chance. He¡¯s such a nasty piece of work.¡± That sounded like rivals to me. Ho-hoh. Still though. Imagine if it had been Idine looking for that medicine for the epidemic. If it had been Idine who pulled me into another world. If I¡¯d been guarded by the Crown Prince¡¯s faction. If I¡¯d been with them, I might have only met Mr Lahzt, Mr Kahzam, and Mr Fatido today. What kind of impression would I have had of them? It made me feel a little strange to think about it. Oh yeah, I almost forgot the best part. They had hot springs here! We¡¯d come all this way, so I took the prince with me. They even rented out bathing clothes there, which sort of looked like white bath towels that wrapped around your body and buttoned at the chest. They had both indoor and outdoor facilities, and thick white clouds wafted over both. The outdoor baths were surrounded by stone walls, with small animals hanging out on top. Just as I was starting to wonder why they were staring so intently at me, a few of them got in the water. The prince and I watched the steam climb into the night air. We could see so many stars. The sky had been perfectly clear in the Garden of Stars, and at Mr Lahzt¡¯s villa too. Not that I was familiar with any of these constellations, but¡­ Maybe small children were rare around here, because I could hear people chatting. ¡°I wonder how old he is,¡± and ¡°How cute!¡± I was worried that if I answered strangely, people would figure out I was from another world. I started getting nervous, so we left early. CH 4.2 (warning, this chapter contains non-consensual molestation. if that sort of thing affects you, you might want to skip the section that starts ¡°Eventually, I¡¯d have to go back to the room.¡±) ¡ª The prince must have been exhausted from his first real trip, because when we got back to our room, he tottered over to the bed himself, and fell asleep instantly. I watched him sleep for a while, but eventually stood up and headed into the adjacent room. I knocked and then opened the door, and called out to Mr Kahzam, who was in his human form, and Mr Lahzt, who was reading a book. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to head back to the baths for a while. I didn¡¯t really get to relax much before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of late, you alright by yourself?¡± Mr Lahzt asked, closing his book. Beside him, Mr Kahzam of course looked concerned. He must have washed up in the room¡¯s bathroom since he couldn¡¯t go to the baths, his hair was wet. ¡°The baths aren¡¯t far, and I won¡¯t stay long. Look after the prince for me, please.¡± I left for the baths alone. I exited the hotel without going to the baths, and turned my feet toward the Shiinium. When I passed through the arch and entered the tower, the miniature planet and the basin were glowing a pale blue, still bright enough to read the seals that had been carved all over the walls. The sky above felt even wider than it had during the day. Shin still floated up from the mini planet, and were sucked into the walls like shooting stars. There were still a few people in robes around, who seemed to be doing research. I sat down on one of the stone steps that connected to the one arch, and sighed. My left hand was on my knee, and I touched the ring on my ring finger there. Tomorrow I would meet with Lemonina, consult with her, possibly even find a way to put a name from this world onto my hand. I wondered if I would end up entirely a local. The prince was very very precious to me, and if it was my coming here that had saved him, then I was glad. Being next to him and protecting him were important roles I played in my life right now, and I hadn¡¯t been lying about how I felt when I¡¯d said that I¡¯d like to be his nurse if I could. But¡­ I¡¯d been yanked into this world without notice, cut off from every connection with anyone from my original world, from Koaya, from Nanao, and I hadn¡¯t even been able to say goodbye. It hurt. My body had come to this world, but fragments of my heart were still in my original world, left behind with the family I loved. Whenever I started to have these thoughts with the prince was asleep right next to me, I was seized with something that felt like guilt, so I wanted to be by myself for a little, to think about the world I¡¯d come from. Just as I was thinking of Nanao, I suddenly noticed something, and looked around at the Shiinium. I got to my feet, and went over to the ladder next to the entrance. I noticed a Shin a little ways up the wall, and climbed the ladder a few rungs to get closer. A little gasp flew out of my mouth. This single seal represented something that meant a name to me. ¡°Nanao.¡± I remembered when Nanao was born. I¡¯d been surprised to learn I was going to have a sister sixteen years younger than me, but Koaya and I waited eagerly for the birth together. Our father was hardly ever home because of work, but Mom did love him very much, and did everything she could to ensure the baby would be born safely despite her being relatively old for an expectant mother. But when the time actually came, there were problems, and Mom was confined to bed. Koaya and I worked hard to take care of the baby in her place. One day she looked at us and said, ¡°You big sisters have been such a help, and everyone else too. Thank goodness.¡± That suddenly made me think, and so I did some investigating. There was a network of people protecting my little sister, there had to be a name that meant something like that. And so I found the word ¡°Nanao,¡± which meant a bundle of strings or cords. A name that represented my wish that this bundle of connected people, tied together, would protect my little sister. Everyone in my family liked it, and so I ended up the one to name my little sister. And now, right before my eyes, was a Shin representing that same meaning, carved into a wall. ¡°Excuse me, miss? Did you find a seal that caught your eye?¡± Someone called out suddenly and surprised me, but when I turned around, clinging to a ladder below me was a gentle-looking old man in a robe. He was going cleanly bald, his bare head reflecting the blue light, but he had cultivated an abundant beard instead. ¡°You can write them down. Maybe they have some role to play.¡± This tiny old man handed me a single sheet of high-grade paper, so thin you could almost see through it. Was this the paper they made from cutting the grass in the Garden of Stars? I thanked him and accepted it, and the old man smiled and went back to his own work. I snuck a glance out of the corner of my eye, and saw the old man press the palm of his hand to the wall and then gently release it, and then press his hand against the paper. Is that how you put an image on this paper? I put the palm of my hand on the seal of Nanao¡¯s name, just like I¡¯d seen the old man do. After a few seconds, my palm got warm, and when I took it off the wall and looked at it, the seal glowed faintly on my palm. I pressed my hand to the paper as the old man had done, and the seal appeared on the paper. I thought I saw it glow for a second, but the light immediately faded, and I realized the character was fixed to the paper. I folded it in half, and slipped it carefully into my pocket. I wouldn¡¯t let this paper off my person. It didn¡¯t really settle anything, but I felt like my emotions had been somehow clarified. Eventually, I¡¯d have to go back to the room. I went back into the flagstone plaza that glowed with streetlamps, and turned towards the hotel on the road that ran along the circumference. There was hardly anybody else on the street, but many of the buildings that encircled the plaza still had their lights on. People must be up late doing research. Suddenly a thin shadow jutted out towards my feet. I halted in surprise. It was a black cat with a long tail. How cute! There really were a lot of animals in this city! ¡°Well good evening,¡± I greeted the cat, and the cat rubbed up against my leg. His glossy black fur was nice and smooth against my bare feet. The cat immediately stepped away from me again, and headed into a grove of trees a little further on. My eyes followed him, and¨C huh? I could see a figure in the grove, like something snagged in the trees. Long fabric¡­ A robe? Someone must have forgotten it, I guessed. Or it blew away in the wind maybe? I should take it to the reception desk at the hotel. With that thought, I entered the dark grove. As soon as I did, the black cat from before walked just in front of me, like he was trying to lead me somewhere¡­ and then disappeared on the other side of the robe that was caught in the tree. Now at this point, I really should have remembered. In this world, people can transform into animals. As I reached out to grab the robe, I suddenly felt a warmth inside it. By the time I realized it, his dark grey eyes were right in front of me. ¡°Hey. You came, I¡¯m glad.¡± This person encased in the robe was the man we¡¯d met in the dining hall earlier, Idine. His eyes were the same color as the black cat¡¯s. This man had changed into the black cat. ¡°Ah¡­ Good evening.¡± I greeted him casually, with no clue of the danger I was in. ¡°Come a little closer.¡± He suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me further into the grove. His eyes glowed in the blackness. ¡°Uh¡­?¡± ¡°Shh. You don¡¯t want people to notice, do you?¡± What? What did that mean? Okay, so he really had been hiding in here, but¡­ In the end, we only walked a small distance, still hand in hand. I turned back a little, but I could only faintly see the lights from the plaza. He gripped me suddenly by both shoulders, and just as I realized I was face to face with Idine, I felt the bark of a tree on my back. He was pressing me into a tree? A chill came over me. ¡°You smell nice.¡± Idine slowly¡­ buried his face in the nape of my neck, and inhaled. With his brown skin and his navy blue robe, he looked like just another patch of darkness, and I started to feel like I was being held prisoner by the night. It was at that point that I finally realized the situation I was in. If it had been light out, Idine probably would have been able to see the blood drain from my face. I knew humans could turn into animals, and I had followed a black cat into a deserted area¡­ But did that make this guy¡¯s invitation suddenly okay!? What was I going to do? What was I going to do. I could feel my pulse pounding all over my body. As I just stood there in shock, both of Idine¡¯s hands were roaming my back and hips, like he was trying to make sure what shape my body was. If I suddenly resisted, that would be clearly unnatural, right? I mean, I couldn¡¯t really say, ¡°I came from another world, so I feel like, once an animal, always an animal. So sorry!¡± And that didn¡¯t even take into consideration the fact that he was from the Crown Prince¡¯s faction. I couldn¡¯t let him suspect me. If I responded badly, Mr Lahzt might end up in real trouble. A million thoughts swam round and round in my head. Was making no response like this the most suspicious? It was, wasn¡¯t it. I was an adult woman, currently free, so what was the problem? A one night stand was perfectly fine. Maybe I should just give up and go for it? Yeah, sorry, that was constitutionally impossible for me! I mean, with a guy I¡¯d just met this afternoon! And anyway, I didn¡¯t have much previous experience, I only had one ex-boyfriend! That was right, Mr Lahzt had even said that romantic relationships were the same in both worlds. It would normally be fine to refuse, I knew that. There were even ways to refuse an offer at first accepted. We¡¯re adults. So if I knew all that, why was this so hard! Help me, Koaya! While I was in full panic mode internally, Idine whispered in my ear. ¡°You¡¯re with Lahzt, aren¡¯t you. Going out with him?¡± ¡°No¡­ We¡¯re not¡­ I mean¡­¡± I don¡¯t know how to answer. But Idine¡¯s hands were still moving, and I couldn¡¯t think straight. This guy was awful! Well, no, it wasn¡¯t really his fault, he was just inviting me. After all, I thoughtlessly said okay. ¨CJeez, why was I still trying to defend this guy in my head at a time like this? ¡°It¡¯s cute, the way you talk. You from the continent? Tell me all about yourself.¡± His chilly hands slid up my chest. As I was still overthinking everything, he started in on my buttons. I hunched over in surprise, and I ended up allowing even this invasion by his hands. Idine was touching my body. He giggled. Hey, oi. Why are you giggling touching me there? I take it all back, this guy really is the worst! He must have some kind of complex. Well I knew now why Mr Lahzt had said he was nasty. That¡¯s right, Mr Lahzt¡­ Maybe he¡¯d notice it! I was desperate now. I straightened myself up, lifted my chin, and squeezed out some words as I put my hands behind me. ¡°No.. this isn¡¯t¡­¡± I bit my lip. Shit, stop trembling, damn lip. My right hand searched around for my left hand behind my back, so Idine wouldn¡¯t be able to see it in the space between us. I remembered Mr Lahzt saying that only Lemonina would notice when he used the teleportation arts. The letters wrapped around my left hand were the remains of the arts Mr Lahzt had used, so maybe Mr Lahzt would notice if I used them. I concentrated on my left hand, and traced the characters with my fumbling fingers. Instantly, I felt the Circle Art start to engage¡­ And then immediately return to their coil around my wrist. Wait, it wouldn¡¯t work like this? Admittedly, all I¡¯d done so far was to re-coil the unfolded circle, so there wasn¡¯t much to do about that, but¡­ Anything was fine, just do something! Idine gave another short laugh, and suddenly lifted his face. ¡°The way you don¡¯t like it is cute too.¡± Something damp and soft hit against my skin. Every minute felt so awfully long. Eugh. Don¡¯t, don¡¯t go any further! My brains were totally overloaded and I froze up. I scrunched my eyes shut. ¡°Kohme!¡± I berated my stiffened body, and when I somehow managed to look in that direction, Mr Lahzt was standing there gasping for breath. ¡°Let her go, Idine.¡± Behind his restrained tone, I felt an urge to violence. It was the first time I¡¯d heard Mr Lahzt sound like that. Idine rearranged us both so he could embrace me from behind. ¡°Why should I? Don¡¯t get in our way. She came on her own, you know.¡± That is technically true, I¡¯m sorry! But still, help me! I was about to cry. ¡°We just had a little argument. Let¡¯s make up, Kohme.¡± Mr Lahzt¡¯s tone changed into something quite gentle, and he quietly offered me his hand. ¡°Come here.¡± Realizing Mr Lahzt was putting on an act, I wanted to recite some great lines too, but I couldn¡¯t think of any. At any rate, I had to apologize properly. Twisting myself within Idine¡¯s arms, I looked up and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Idine¡¯s eyes opened a bit wider¡­ and then he gave a huff of a laugh, and relaxed his grip on me. ¡°Well, she apologized, I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do. Until next time, Kome.¡± Excuse me¡­ Will you please not condense my name. If you can manage it. When Idine was a few steps away, Mr Lahzt suddenly rushed up to me and wrapped his arms around me, and my face slammed into his chest. Ah, ow. ¡°Don¡¯t hang out in a place like this with a girl in tow, Lahzt.¡± Idine flashed a cynical smile and then melted right into the night. Oh yeah, Idine¡­ The fact that he¡¯d just changed into a human from a cat¡­ He was naked under that robe¡­ I mean, whatever, just¡­ Mr Lahzt immediately righted my disheveled clothing. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± he asked, and I silently shook my head. And then I rubbed my forehead against his chest¡­ Like a child. Someone at twenty five years of age should already be plenty adult, but god what a mess I was. Really, seriously miserable. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Kahzam¡¯s worried. I left him to take care of prince.¡± ¡°Not mad, then?¡± I asked, not looking at Mr Lahzt¡¯s face. ¡°Prince wouldn¡¯t leave him alone¡­ as a timp.¡± ¡°That would do it.¡± Mr Lahzt sighed a little, and then asked me a question. ¡°What about you, Kohme, aren¡¯t you mad?¡± What? I lifted my face. Mr Lahzt was making a pained expression. ¡°The reason you ended up in such a dangerous situation is because you don¡¯t know things that are common knowledge over here. That guy probably had his eye on you because you were with me. It¡¯s not your fault. And I know you¡¯ve been keeping things to yourself, for my sake, for the prince¡¯s sake, right? You¡¯re not mad at me?¡± Aw, Mr Lahzt¡­ So I guess it wasn¡¯t enough just to forgive him, huh. Maybe Mr Lahzt wouldn¡¯t be convinced unless I scolded him right here and now. But I¡¯d never scolded a grown man, I didn¡¯t know what to say. I looked up and managed to put a smile on my lips and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s call it even, shall we?¡± That instant, Mr Lahzt hugged me tight. Okay, so he would let me call it even. I let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m just glad it was you that reeled me in¡­ and not Idine.¡± ¡°Kohme¡­ Shit, just to hear you say it¡­¡± Mr Lahzt¡¯s arms went stiff, and his breath seemed to catch. Did I, uh, did I say something bad? ¡°Even beyond that, I don¡¯t want to ever be the cause of you having a horrible experience. No matter where your heart ends up, I think¡­ I¡¯d like to protect it,¡± Mr Lahzt said, and planted a kiss on my ear. My face went full red right there, and my head started spinning. That was definitely totally a love confession or something¡­ ¡°My heart¡­ you say¡­¡± With absolutely no clue how I was supposed to respond, I just parroted his words. Mr Lahzt blew out a shaky breath, and carefully let me go. And then, he sort of looked away. ¡°I just mean¡­ No matter what road you choose, I¡¯ll use whatever strength I possess to help you, is what I meant.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­ I¡¯ll be counting on you then.¡± Mr Lahzt was one of very few Shiinoce physicians in this world, being able to rely on him in the future actually did make me feel better. Mr Lahzt took my left hand, and went back to speaking in his regular tone of voice. ¡°Good thing these were still here, huh.¡± ¡°Good thing you told me about them¡­ A memento of your arts.¡± ¡°A memento of me, huh,¡± Mr Lahzt said, walking hand in hand with me. ¡°Leave them there forever.¡± The instant we entered the bright room, relief washed over me, and my legs gave out. Mr Kahzam rushed over to me at incredible speed, and he and Mr Lahzt supported me so I didn¡¯t fall to the floor completely. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really fine!¡± I sort of panicked, and the two of them sat me down on the sofa. Mr Kahzam knelt down in front of me, so those dark green eyes were the same height as mine. ¡°May I ask, what happened?¡± Oh yeah. I¡¯d have to confess. I almost shrugged, and told him too, about how an adorable fluffy black cat turned out to be Idine. Now that I looked back, I¡¯d been overly naive. I¡¯d wanted to be alone so much, I ended up acting like some tourist wandering the shops. ¡°But Mr Lahzt came to save me, so I don¡¯t think I revealed anything. And I¡¯m okay. Idine probably just thought I¡¯d had some lover¡¯s spat with Mr Lahzt, and that if I had an affair with Idine in the heat of the moment, Mr Lahzt would show up and try to reconcile.¡± Mr Kahzam listened to my story, and exchanged a surreptitious glance with Mr Lahzt, who was standing beside the sofa. Mr Lahzt looked away awkwardly. What was that? That weird mood. Mr Kahzam sighed briefly. ¡°At any rate,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not hurt. I¡¯ve been negligent, too. I¡¯m your bodyguard, I shouldn¡¯t have let you out alone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¨C You have to protect the prince. Besides, it¡¯s my own fault, I told you I was going to the baths. I won¡¯t be walking around on my own anymore.¡± Mr Kahzam smiled at my flustered apology. ¡°It¡¯s not just prince. Let me stay by your side, please. So I can protect you entirely.¡± Something about those words made my heart skip a beat, and it was all I could do just to nod. Tonight had been nothing but heart-stopping moments. After a bit of a breather, I finally went into the room where the prince was sleeping, changed into my nightgown, and got into bed. I pressed my cheek to the prince¡¯s warm hand, and he rolled over towards me, snuggled right up to me. I could feel his tiny sleeping breaths on my cheek, and finally felt calm. I was suddenly exhausted, and fell asleep before I breathed out again. CH 4.3 The following morning. Mr Lahzt, the prince, and I went to the dining hall, made quick work of our breakfast of bread and ham, and then returned to our rooms. Mr Kahzam had his meal, too, in the room, and then we all waited for Lemonina together. I got tea supplies together, and made some tea. Suddenly, Mr Kahzam stood up, turning his shoulders a bit as he went to the center of the room, and faced the door. ¡°Stay back, Kohme, alright?¡± What, what was going on? Mr Kahzam spread his feet about shoulder width apart¡­ What the, is this what you call combat-ready? There was a knock, rap rap. ¡°Come in.¡± Mr Lahzt responded, and then got down into a corner of the room, carrying the prince in his arms. The door popped open, and a small-framed person who carried themselves with plenty of grace flew into the room. Who was¡­ A woman!? ¡°Haa¨C!!¡± She let out a spirited yell and thrust a short stick out at Mr Kahzam. It looked like she was about to stab him in the throat, and I reflexively let out a scream. There was a metallic noise, and another stick appeared in Mr Kahzam¡¯s right hand. He just barely avoided the woman¡¯s attack with a slight movement, and then lowered his stance a bit. His stick slid back upwards, and landed a hit on the inside of the woman¡¯s right elbow. She¡¯d poured all her strength into that arm, and it collapsed inward, and she almost lost her balance, like when you take somebody¡¯s knees out from behind, but the elbow version. Mr Kahzam pressed his advantage, and pinned the woman to the floor without too much trouble. ¡°Ah, jeez, I yield, I can¡¯t win!¡± She jumped up, and sat cross-legged on the floor. She had gold-colored hair, cut in a very short bob, lively linen-colored irises, and a gentle curve to her eyes. She was an attractive, middle-aged woman. Unusually for a woman around here, she wore boots under bell-bottom pants, and a jacket that looked a bit like riding wear. ¡°Dr Lemonina, sorry it¡¯s been so long.¡± Mr Kahzam offered his hand, to help pull her up. The woman¨C Dr Lemonina, grinned and got to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m no match for you after all, Sir Kahzam. I¡¯ll have to have some more lessons.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be happy to.¡± Mr Lahzt put the prince down, and started to speak, kind of timidly. ¡°Professor¡­ I¡¯m so sorry to call you out to a place like this¨C¡± ¡°You are about to entirely lose your license. You physically cannot just sit down and behave yourself, can you.¡± Yikes. This¨C This was Lemonina!? ¡°Kahzam is my short staff instructor. I¡¯m such a nerd for weapons. I wanna try everything.¡± Lemonina ¨C Doctor Lemonina Ruista ¨C sat on the sofa with a tea cup and started chatting away like nothing had happened. She was apparently in the topmost of three official ranks at this Shin research institute. She even had a voice in politics. All in all, a pretty amazing person. The officials were called Guiding Stars, and each rank was the First Star, the Second Star, and so on, and seemed to be roughly equivalent to University President, Professor, and Associate Professor in my world. Mr Lahzt apparently held a license as a Second Star. Lemonina and Kahzam both seemed to have contracted their staves from earlier and clipped them to their belts. They were like a policeman¡¯s billy club. ¡°Maybe you should learn a bit of self defense too? Women are bound to encounter a bit of trouble.¡± ¡°That certainly is true,¡± I answered without a shred of deceit, as I cut up the tart she¡¯d brought. And it wasn¡¯t just last night either. Even in my original world, there were bits of trouble, molesters and the like. Nevermind that this was a totally other world where I barely knew left from right. Maybe I should learn a few things to protect myself. Mr Kahzam had said he was a bodyguard, but he didn¡¯t ever seem to have any guns or swords on him, so I¡¯d been wondering how exactly he¡¯d handle it when the time came. Turned out, he¡¯d been hiding that short staff on him the whole time. I was surprised, but he was kind of cool, wasn¡¯t he? When I glanced over at him, he was sitting so quietly, it was like all the action a minute ago had been a lie. Our eyes met and he smiled at me, and I got all discombobulated. I had a guy this strong protecting me, huh. Lemonina dug into the tart with a grin, and jumped right in with the questions. ¡°So, Lahzt, you brought the kid and the girl, what¡¯s this important consultation all about? You¡¯ve been in and out of the Garden of Stars without even a word to me, and sneaking around doing something, now you gonna tell me the kid is yours?¡± I panicked, and started with a self-introduction. ¡°Ah, pleased to meet you, my name is Hino Koume. Please call me Koume. We¡¯ve come to consult with you, Professor Lemonina, about some problems I have.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell it, Kohme.¡± Mr Lahzt stopped me. ¡°Professor¡­ She¡¯s fallen into quite the complicated situation, and it¡¯s my fault.¡± Lemonina listened to the tale of how I¡¯d come here and cared for the prince, and then she turned a chilly eye on Mr Lahzt. ¡°You abducted her, from another world? Not only that, you kept her in confinement, and forced her to care for a child? You¡­ How far have you fallen?¡± ¡°I¨C Professor¡­ I have absolutely no¡­¡± ¡°No¡­ Uh¡­ Ma¡¯am¡­¡± Sitting beside Mr Lahzt as he endured a storm of fervent scolding, I got flustered. Even the prince, who was clinging to my knee, jumped. Mr Kahzam, on the other hand, was perfectly calm. Perhaps he was used to this situation? ¡°Oh my, in front of the little one too, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Chatty once again, Lemonina turned to the prince and smiled. That smile had a strangely outsized impact. ¡°But even when he was my student, he was a habitual criminal, breaking rules and regulations since way back. It¡¯s forbidden to use the Shin to teleport outside of public business, but he would just use it on whoever he wanted, and he would tell us, oh but my friend was going to be late for his Shiino technique exam. Or just break into the Garden of Stars whenever he felt like it, oh but I was conducting this really interesting experiment. He has always just done whatever he wanted. I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve had to clean up his shit.¡± Lemonina rattled off all his offenses, glanced at Mr Lahzt, who kept trying to interrupt ¨C ¡°Ah¡± and ¡°Oh¡± ¨C and then leaned over towards the prince. ¡°You¡¯re so cute though, I always wanted a kid like you, you know. Listen, that stuff you¡¯re eating looks real good, can I have one?¡± The plate in front of the prince contained a sort of puffed egg snack that we¡¯d made at Mr Lahzt¡¯s villa and taken with us. It turned out this world had starch made from potatoes too. In other words, it was just regular old potato starch, and it made me remember the way my mom had taught me to make these, so we gave it a try. They¡¯d become the prince¡¯s favorite. ¡°Kay¡­¡± The prince timidly put one puff on Lemonina¡¯s outstretched hand. ¡°Thank you. Oo, these are good! Kind of a gentle, nostalgic flavor, huh.¡± And then she turned a gentle eye to me. ¡°You, Kohme, wasn¡¯t it? Why don¡¯t you become my daughter?¡± What? ¡°You don¡¯t have any relatives here, right? So for now, you can become my adopted daughter, and make me some of these snacks every once in a while.¡± Lemonina grinned, and Mr Lahzt sent her a sidelong glance. ¡°And then the two of us can pick on Lahzt together.¡± Even Mr Kahzam finally gave a short sigh. Mr Lahzt looked miserable. ¡°I¨C Professor, given the circumstances, please forgive me. Besides, she¡¯s twenty five, that¡¯s a bit old to be adopting someone.¡± ¡°Oh hush. Wait, what, twenty five!? I figured you must be around twenty. That¡¯s even better, you become my daughter, and teach me the secret to staying so young!¡± Looking any younger than people around here was just genetics, I didn¡¯t think I could teach that. ¡°Well, setting that aside for now, I am truly sorry, Kohme. My idiot pupil has done something unthinkable to you. To be honest, it wouldn¡¯t be out of line to throw him in jail this very instant. But circumstances being what they are, we can¡¯t make any kind of public announcement, and without him around, prince will just be in even more trouble.¡± Lemonina glared again at Mr Lahzt. His tall frame had become quite small, and I reflexively patted him on the back. Seeing that, Lemonina smiled. ¡°More than anything else, you¡¯ve forgiven him, huh? I assume there aren¡¯t any punishments you¡¯d like us to mete out?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± I nodded firmly. Mr Lahzt lifted his face and looked at me. His pretty, golden brown eyes were like amber. I smiled into those eyes. Mr Lahzt was always conscious of his crimes against me, and I knew he was always careful of me. That was enough. Besides, when I thought about the fact that Mr Lahzt might still be able to get me out of this situation, I started to feel extremely anxious. I wanted to be with him. Lemonina patted my knee. ¡°I understand. Alright then, that¡¯s enough talking for now. It doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m writing off what you did, though, you understand that Lahzt? Kohme might forgive you, but I haven¡¯t. I¡¯ll be xxx you right in the xxx and making you xxx later.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡­¡± Mr Lahzt was sweating buckets. I couldn¡¯t really make out some of those words just now, why was that? If they weren¡¯t included in the vocabulary I learned while I was asleep, they must be distinctly terrifying. Yeah, I wasn¡¯t going to stick my nose into that. But still, maybe it was exactly because of his previous misbehavior that Mr Lahzt was able to think up this plan to raise the prince in the Garden of Stars in order to protect him. And I didn¡¯t know if there wasn¡¯t some good in that. Lemonina sat down next to me, took my ring off, and then took my hand in hers and stared hard at it. ¡°There really isn¡¯t any seal, huh? People here get a seal on this finger, usually when they turn ten. In other words, the name they have from the time they¡¯re born until they get their new one is a temporary name, their childhood name. When they get the seal, they think about their new name and pick a reading to go with the seal, and they register that with the government.¡± So it seemed that one Shin could be read many different ways. So then, you could just pick whatever name you liked? Childhood names, new names you got when you were ten, it was a bit like Japanese people in olden times, changing their names when they reached maturity. ¡°A seal with a similar feeling to your childhood name mysteriously appears on your finger. The name a person¡¯s been accustomed to does represent something about that person, after all. May I?¡± Lemonina rolled up my left sleeve, and saw the faint green letters engraved around my arm. She took my left hand, deploying her Circle Art, and when she touched the seals on her own arm with her right hand, my left ring finger heated up instantly. But that was it. Nothing else happened. Lemonina put my sleeve back and murmured to herself. ¡°Really did stay blank, huh. I thought maybe we could try putting some appropriate seal there, but no. The name Kohme definitely represents something about you, as you have been in your life so far. Any other name just won¡¯t fit.¡± Lemonina put her finger to her chin and lapsed into thought. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s gotta be this, this ¡®ume¡¯ you called it? I wish I could see the actual fruit. If we were familiar with that fruit here in this world, I think a Shin for ¡®ume¡¯ might be born.¡± ¡°Born?¡± ¡°Yeah. So, sometimes a creature is birthed that never existed before, or one suddenly mutates or something. Or maybe someone thinks up a completely new idea that¡¯s never been thought of before. When that happens, a new Shin is born. I¡¯ve never been there to see it in person, but it does happen. A little while later, after a new seal is engraved on the walls of the Shiinium, someone sees it, and that¡¯s how we know it was born,¡± Lemonina said. So Shin continued to be born with modern advancements. That must have been what that light coming off like shooting stars from the miniature in the Shiinium was. So that meant God still bestowed seals even now. The people of this world must feel a lot closer to their god than anyone in my world did. Lemonina¡¯s flaxen-colored eyes sparkled. ¡°This is a rare opportunity. I want to see the moment a Shin for the fruit called a ¡®plum¡¯ is born. Let¡¯s give it a shot, let¡¯s order up a ¡®plum¡¯ from your world.¡± Like ordering one of those high-grade dried plums off the internet? Mr Lahzt gasped. ¡°But Professor, last time I tried, there was an accident¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not gonna step in it like you did,¡± Lemonina said sharply. Mr Lahzt coughed. ¡°Although¡­ We could at least start the investigation with the image of a ¡®plum¡¯ that Kohme herself has, but there¡¯s a pretty small chance that alone would do the trick properly. If only we had a clue, it wouldn¡¯t have to be a big one¡­¡± ¡°What kind of clue would you need?¡± Mr Kahzam asked. ¡°Hm¡­ Maybe a similar kind of fruit, something like that might work.¡± Like when Mr Lahzt had pulled the bouquet of roses (with me attached) by using a flower from his world? ¡°Oh!¡± The instant I realized it, I let out a shout. ¡°We have one, a fruit that¡¯s a cousin to the plum! The bouquet I was holding!¡± The plum was a member of the rose family. Koaya¡¯s bouquet was white roses. And I had brought that bouquet here, the dried flowers! Preparations began immediately. Mr Lahzt and I went to the Shiinium, and put to paper any seal that could be associated with a plum ¨C the smell, the color, even the general feel. And then, Lemonina engraved several seals, including the ones Mr Lahzt and I had found, on her left arm. This was to extract the image of a plum that was within me. Lemonina¡¯s Circle Arts erased one part of the Circle Arts that Mr Lahzt had originally put on my arm, and added in a different seal its place. When the seals were set, it was quite hot, and a little painful, but nothing any more than I¡¯d experienced before. A flu shot hurt more than that. Mr Kahzam watched worriedly over the whole thing, but he seemed calm enough to spare me a smile. And thus, we drew a spiral of tiny characters about five times around on my left arm. Our plan to summon (?) a plum was put into action after the prince went to sleep. ¡°Uh¡­ Right here?¡± We were in the larger room that Mr Kahzam and Mr Lahzt were using. We¡¯d shifted the table and sofa to give ourselves more room. If we could summon a plum right here¡­ Would we get a tree? A whole plum tree, teleported from my world? Extracted from the soil, bare roots and everything? What season was it in Japan right now anyway? What if there were hairy caterpillars on the tree, would those be an invasive species here? I really didn¡¯t have the slightest idea what to expect. ¡°But if we did it out in the open, who knows what¡¯ll happen,¡± Lemonina said easily. ¡°It¡¯s fine here, we¡¯ll just have to clean up afterwards.¡± What a broadminded person. I stretched my left hand out in front of me holding the bouquet and stood up, and then Mr Lahzt and Lemonina stood up and went to either side of my hand. When Lemonina moved her hands, the Circle Arts on all three of us expanded at the same time. Lemonina¡¯s right hand plucked at the seals in the Circle Arts like she was playing a piano. Mm, sorry Mr Lahzt, but now that I see this¡­ She¡¯s on a whole other level. The light of the search threads floated up like blood vessels onto the backs of our hands, and just as I wondered if they were going to leap up into the air again and make those little waves in front of me, they disentangled themselves and whooshed into a wide formation. ¡°Alright, concentrate¡­ Bring to mind an image of the plum that you know.¡± Nervous, I put one hand to my chest, and tried to remember. The plum tree in the garden at mom and dad¡¯s house. The flowers blooming even in the middle of winter. My mom and grandma talking about the origin of my name. Memories of making plum syrup with my grandma, putting it in rock candy and drizzling it on plums. Getting assigned homework in elementary school to investigate our names, and going to the library to research it. The plum tree that grew along the road I always took to school, and the crowd of White Eye birds cawing there. Showing Nanao the plum blossoms at a plum-blossom viewing when she was in kindergarten, and her awkwardly praising my name. Lemonina¡¯s right hand moved, and I felt something tangle around the tip of a thread I couldn¡¯t see. At the same time, I had the sensation of my strength being sucked out through my left arm. I started to feel like I didn¡¯t quite know where my body was¡­ I regathered my courage. The power that flowed from Lemonina and Mr Lahzt¡¯s Circle Arts passed through me into the searching threads. As I became aware of that flow, I could sense the tips of the threads, and where they were going. It felt like I was swimming upstream. There was some resistance, just like when you¡¯re reeling in a fish. This continued for a while, and just when my strength was about to give out, whatever it was that had been tangled in the thread was tugged gently through. On reflex, I put my right hand out in front of me. Plop. A single yellow fruit dropped into my palm. It was soft, and smelled sweet. ¡°Oh¡­ A plum¡­¡± At the same time, the bouquet of dried flowers that I¡¯d been holding in my left hand suddenly changed. Before I could stop it, the bouquet crumbled into tiny pieces and melted into the air, leaving only the lace ribbon that had been wrapped around it in my hand. When the Circle Arts returned to their original places, the light dimmed, and the room regained its original form. We all took a huge breath at the same time, and plopped down on the sofa. ¡°I was hoping we could get an entire tree,¡± Lemonina said, wiping the sweat off her brow. ¡°But I guess that¡¯s not possible. It¡¯s not so simple as just yanking it across the border between worlds, huh.¡± ¡°Kohme.¡± I was still staring at the ribbon, a bit shocked, and Mr Kahzam must have been worried about me, because he called to me, and came over from the corner of the room where he¡¯d been to get down on one knee beside the sofa. ¡°Are you alright? That bouquet was important¡­¡± I smiled and nodded. ¡°Looks like it carried out its final purpose, huh?¡± Mr Lahzt saw what I had in my hand, and started talking to Lemonina. ¡°So this is a plum fruit, then¡­ There¡¯s no sense of a Shin, is there.¡± ¡°True¡­ Well, probably stands to reason that Gaduos wouldn¡¯t bestow a seal for the fruit of a flower that grows from a seed that¡¯s never been cultivated on this planet.¡± ¡°All we can do is try. Kohme, we should extract a seed from that fruit and plant it.¡± Hearing that, I gave a little sigh and muttered to myself. ¡°Peach and chestnuts three years, persimmons eight, yuzu a stupid ten, plums a sour thirteen.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a saying in my world.¡± I flashed a bitter smile. ¡°It means that things never go smoothly. It¡¯ll be a long time until the tree bears any plums.¡± It really wasn¡¯t going to work after all¡­ I was disappointed. By the time it bore fruit, I¡¯d be forty. Even if a new seal was born and we could make a name for me, by the time it happened, the prince would be plenty old enough not to need a nurse anymore. Just then, Mr Lahzt spoke. ¡°Kohme. We can plant it there.¡± ¡°What? Oh!¡± I gasped. ¡°The Garden of Stars! It¡¯ll grow super quick if we plant it there!¡± When I instinctively turned to Mr Kahzam, he was smiling too, and nodded at me. ¡°We should take it easy today, we¡¯ll go tomorrow.¡± ¡°Hold up, you lot.¡± Lemonina crossed her arms. ¡°Could you not discuss that stuff right in front of me?¡± Ah. Right. Teleportation for personal reasons was against the law. I started to get flustered, but Lemonina flashed a grin like she was plotting something. ¡°On the other hand, if I tag along, I¡¯ll definitely get to see the birth of a seal. I¡¯ll come tomorrow too.¡± ¡°Pro¨C Professor!?¡± ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Mr Lahzt¡¯s eyes were wide as eggs, and I joyfully expressed my appreciation. If we were found out, Lemonina might end up having to take responsibility for the whole thing. She really was a generous person after all. I pressed the plum and the ribbon that had been left behind in my hand gently to my chest. The bouquet Koaya and Nanao had given to me had been a help to me even as dried flowers. Thank you. I slipped the ribbon carefully into my dress pocket. CH 4.4 We decided to stay one more night, so we went down for dinner that evening with Lemonina. We did not meet Idine and Endie. I was kind of relieved. ¡°Honestly, it might be better to get proper permission to enter the Garden of Stars, but even the application for it requires a seal name. If we¡¯re going to have to sneak Kohme in anyway, we might as well proceed with the whole plan in secret.¡± I was growing to quite like her laid back attitude. I was happy that the first woman I¡¯d met in this world had turned out to be Lemonina. She was frank and openhearted, a little like Koaya, and I felt very comfortable talking to her. She pulled me aside with a grin, and said to the male contingent, ¡°You guys vacate your chairs for a while, we have lady stuff to discuss.¡± We ordered some drinks and decamped to a corner of the dining hall. It felt like a sleep over. Mr Kahzam, in his timp form, hung out (kept guard?) around the dining hall entrance, and Mr Lahzt took advantage of the moment to break away with the prince to the baths. ¡°We can drink as much as we want over here,¡± Lemonina said, and recommended a cocktail with fresh herbs in it. It had a refreshing taste, and suited my image of Lemonina perfectly. ¡°All those incompetent men around, it must be hard for you to bring stuff up. You doing alright?¡± I suddenly teared up at her words. All alone, in an utterly unfamiliar world, I was lonely, so lonely. Mr Kahzam and Mr Lahzt were always with me, but I was the only woman, and there are plenty of things you can¡¯t do in front of men you¡¯re only semi-acquainted with (Mr Fatido was out of the question). Lemonina must have experienced a certain number of things too, as a woman, and so she was the only one who could talk to me so affectionately like this. Thinking about what was to come next was making me very tense, but it suddenly felt like something inside me had eased up a bit. And so I ended up dumping my entire history on Lemonina. Raising Nanao in Mom¡¯s place, Koaya¡¯s wedding¡­ even about my broken heart. ¡°Yikes, going to a wedding right after you¡¯ve had your heart broken, that¡¯s tough, huh.¡± Lemonina tipped the glass she had in one hand. I smiled bitterly. ¡°Yeah, both my little sisters were all kinds of worried about me.¡± ¡°The youngest, she¡¯s still little, right? Worried about her big sister¡¯s romance, what a reliable young woman.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ But still, it¡¯s all a bit pointless, maybe¡­¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Lemonina tilted her head slightly. ¡°His¨C That¡­ woman¡­ I went to talk to him the day after I saw him with her. We met at a coffee shop. He said yeah she was pregnant with his kid, and so they were going to get married.¡± I wrapped my hands around my glass. The ice had melted completely. ¡°I¡­ I really did get pissed off. He was trying to play both sides, of course I was angry. I chewed him out¡­ I asked him ¡®If I¡¯d have gotten pregnant, you¡¯d have chosen me?¡¯ ¡± The instant the words had come out of my mouth, I¡¯d been horrified¡­ with myself. ¡°It was horrid. What was I saying, did I think I was going to exploit a pregnancy, a baby? How did I have the right to criticize him, with such ugly thoughts running around in my head? Once I realized that, the words wouldn¡¯t come out anymore. He apologized in the end, but I just stayed quiet. And that was the end of it. He said, ¡®Take care,¡¯ and left.¡± The entire relationship had ended with one short conversation. He was probably relieved it hadn¡¯t gotten any more complicated than that. ¡°I left the coffee shop pretty quickly too. And right outside was Nanao¡­ my youngest sister. She was worried about me, she¡¯d been waiting outside. The conversation had ended so quickly, it made her mad¡­ She got angry in my place. ¡®What are you talking about?¡¯ she asked me, ¡®Why aren¡¯t you angrier!?¡¯ ¡± I set my glass down and then set both elbows on the table to prop my chin up. ¡°But what was I supposed to say? Her older sister, the person raising her in place of her mother, is the sort of person to exploit a child. She¡¯s the one person I hoped would never find out.¡± I¡¯d been shaking, and only able to give vague responses. And that in turn gave Nanao a shock. ¡°She¡¯s the type to think that her older sisters are hiding things from her because she¡¯s too young. She stopped calling me Mommy-chan after that, and she wouldn¡¯t let me spoil her too much. In fact she said to me once, ¡®I¡¯m already grown up, so you hurry up and find a new boyfriend.¡¯ ¡± ¡°What a good kid. She¡¯s really sweet.¡± Lemonina narrowed her eyes in a smile. She was right, I was very proud of Nanao. I smiled too, a bit embarrassed, and then continued. ¡°I had to get back on my feet fast, I had to show my sisters I was okay. That way they¡¯d feel better, and maybe stop trying so hard, and everybody could be back in high spirits, like normal. But I was still moping around¡­ And I ended up in this unimaginable situation before anything got resolved.¡± Nanao could live with Koaya and her new husband, so that made me feel a little better, at least. But even that wasn¡¯t totally alright, I was worried that Nanao might try to smooth over Koaya¡¯s sometimes overly straightforward personality. Her husband was a thoughtful, caring person, so maybe she could talk to him about things, but¡­ As my thoughts ran towards Japan, Lemonina looked carefully at me. ¡°I believe that when you think hard about someone, those thoughts reach them, in some form anyway, no matter how far away they are. Like that bouquet that contained your sisters¡¯ thoughts for you, it ended up helping you, right? So you should absolutely grab at whatever chance you have for happiness, Kohme, even if it has to be in this world. It¡¯ll definitely get through to your sisters.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I felt a smile naturally blossom on my face. ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t resolve our current question though. We still haven¡¯t decided what to do about you and prince¡¯s lineage,¡± Lemonina said, her arms crossed. ¡°The way I figure it, if we had you living with prince in the other castle, you¡¯d end up mired in so many lies about his origins, all our dirty laundry would end up exposed. Prince has no choice but to lie about his identity, there¡¯s not much we can do about that, but I think as far as you¡¯re concerned, Kohme, it would be best to tell as few lies as possible.¡± That was certainly true. I was just an ordinary citizen, I was sure it would be difficult to live the rest of my life keeping up the performance. I knew it¡­ It really wasn¡¯t going to be possible for me to become his nurse, was it. I had just started to think like that again, when Lemonina spoke. ¡°Listen, it¡¯s just a thought, but¡­ Before, I said you could become my daughter, right? Of course, I wasn¡¯t entirely kidding, but how about something not too far off?¡± I looked up like, ¡®what?¡¯ and Lemonina winked her long lashes at me. Wow, that look had my heart racing. Lemonina must have been quite the heart-breaker when she was younger. And probably these days too, I guessed. The following morning, we put our luggage in order and vacated the hotel early. That wasn¡¯t just because we were going to trespass into the Garden of Stars with Lemonina, but also because of course it was going to be impossible to open the magical lines of transportation inside the research city. We were to meet Lemonina at a point a little ways from the city, and we¡¯d open the lines there. While Mr Lahzt was settling our accounts, Mr Kahzam, in timp form, grabbed the RV keys and slid out the door. It seemed he intended to take the car around closer to the hotel. ¡°Don¡¯t go too far, Kohme,¡± Mr Lahzt said, still paying. The prince was pulling my hand, wanting to go outside. ¡°We¡¯ll just be right outside,¡± I said, and waited for him on the porch just outside the entryway. But Mr Kahzam¡­ Didn¡¯t he have to turn back into a human in order to open the car door? Well, he could get back to his original form, at least, without Mr Lahzt, so that should be okay, but¡­ He would be, you know, naked, right? The courtyard where the RV was parked wasn¡¯t especially popular, and he could put some clothes on the minute he got inside, but for a minute there, he¡¯d be full monty, wouldn¡¯t he? He¡¯s been changed into an animal so many times, he must have gotten used to it, I thought, and ended up unintentionally imagining the transformation scene. Stop stop stop, I¡¯ve got to think about something else and get this image out of my mind! While I was writhing in mental agony, the prince was happily chatting away in his own little language, and he now let go of my hand and started down off the entryway porch. He¡¯d spotted an animal that looked like a squirrel on the path that continued along the building and behind the forest, and was trying to take off after it. ¡°Wait, little prince!¡± I rushed after him and grabbed him. Memories of a black cat surfaced in my mind. What was I going to do if that squirrel turned out to be a bad person? ¡°Nooo!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to get in the car in a minute.¡± When I picked the prince up, the squirrel looked over at us, and suddenly its tail stood straight up and it fled into the forest. ¡°What?¡± I turned around, wondering if there was something behind me. And so there was ¨C a large shape wearing black clothes. I slowly moved my eyes up, and met dark grey eyes. Idine? No, Endie. Yeah. Endie put both hands on my shoulders, lightly though, without any particular force. His hands were more solidly built than Idine¡¯s. I startled reflexively, still holding the prince. ¡°Ah, um¡­¡± How many R-rated things were going to happen this morning? ¡°Kohme!¡± Mr Lahzt came up behind Endie. It was going to be alright. Endie opened his mouth for the first time. He asked his question in a low tone. ¡°I want you to tell me your name.¡± ¡°Uh, what?¡± Um¡­ I didn¡¯t really think it was true, but was he trying to flirt with me? "" I glanced in Mr Lahzt¡¯s direction and then answered timidly. ¡°My name is Koume¡­¡± ¡°And this kid?¡± His next question flew from his mouth immediately. I felt like I was on the receiving end of a police interrogation, and tensed up. That¡¯s right, Endie was a guard in the royal palace. Maybe it was one of his duties to check up on where people said they came from. Mr Lahzt came up beside me, apparently still not having really decided whether it was a good thing to keep the secret or not, and said, ¡°We¡¯re considering introducing this child to the royal couple, for Lady Solamire to adopt. She¡¯s been helping us with him.¡± Endie¡¯s eyebrows raised ever so slightly. Then there was another voice. ¡°Morning Lahzt, Kohme. Sorry to sneak up on you when you¡¯re just about to head home.¡± Idine approached us. Mr Lahzt scowled faintly at him, but didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Well, it was Endie¡¯s idea. But I figured if you¡¯re Lahzt¡¯s girl, we¡¯d probably meet again, so I said I wanted to drop in and say hi.¡± ¡°Thanks for, uh, making the trip,¡± I said, flinching as he closed the distance between us, and glancing at Endie for some reason. As I did, Idine raised his left hand and suddenly took off his ring. ¡°I was a little worried, you know, since we parted in that particular style the other day. I¡¯ll show you proof of my sincerity, so you know I¡¯m not a bad guy.¡± The Shin that appeared from under his ring looked like, how do I say it, standing above someone and guiding them. So that was Idine¡¯s name¡­ For some reason, Mr Lahzt¡¯s face had gotten real stiff. Idine said, ¡°You show me yours too, Kohme, if that¡¯s alright?¡± Is¡­ Is that really where the conversation was going? Still holding the prince, I felt my face go stiff too. I didn¡¯t have any time to think about what I was going to do though, because Endie suddenly grabbed my left hand. I quickly balled my hand into a fist so he couldn¡¯t take my ring off, as I readjusted my grip on the prince, whom I was now holding with only my right hand. I held on tight, so I wouldn¡¯t drop him. Mr Lahzt took a step forward. ¡°Stop it, Endie.¡± ¡°Oh well, pardon me.¡± As he replaced his own ring, even Idine scolded him. ¡°I only wanted to see the name of Lahzt¡¯s woman. The woman who came to meet Professor Lemonina,¡± Endie said disinterestedly. The fact that his tone of voice hadn¡¯t changed a bit was terrifying. If I hesitated any further to show my name and he got suspicious¡­ What was I going to do? Mr Lahzt had just put his hand on Endie¡¯s arm and started to say something, when someone broke in. ¡°How dare you call her Lahzt¡¯s woman.¡± A suave male voice echoed through the trees. ¡°Hasido!¡± The prince let out a relaxed shout. ¡°Ah, prince, you finally learned my name!¡± The prince, riding a white stallion¡­ No no, it was a pimp, riding an anpy. Mr Fatido! He spread the hem of his jacket, and, setting spry foot down on the ground, approached at a brisk pace. ¡°The second queen¡¯s¡­¡± Idine faltered, and Endie clicked his tongue, and suddenly tried to shift my ring by force. Ow- ow ow! Suddenly Mr Lahzt spoke. ¡°Prince, ¡®banzai¡¯ !¡± The prince, whom I was still holding with just one arm, shouted out something ¨C ¡°Nya!¡± ¨C and flung both hands up in the air, grinning. His hands smacked right into Endie¡¯s face. Endie instantly stopped moving, and I twisted my body during that gap and wrenched my hand free. ¡°Kohme, come here.¡± Mr Fatido was waiting for me, and so I ran over to him, clutching the prince. ¡°Mr Fatido!¡± Ah, this might be the first time I¡¯ve ever been so glad to see his face! ¡°You kept your promise to me. Thank you.¡± Mr Fatido pulled me tight like he was going to hug me round the shoulders, and a smile on his features. Promise? I don¡¯t remember any promise? Mr Fatido turned to Idine and Endie. ¡°I¡¯ve met you two before, at the royal palace? Thank you for serving my sister so well.¡± The two of them silently bowed their heads. Mr Fatido kept right on blabbering. ¡°This woman is quite precious to me. If I could, I¡¯d lock her away where no one else¡¯s eyes could touch her. She¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t she? Her name is beautiful too, I¡¯d prefer no man but me ever saw her seal. Well, my desire to monopolize her is a bit much. But she does let me get away with it.¡± Mr Fatido took my left hand, and kissed my ring, looking me directly in the eye. I forced a smile. Mr Lahzt¡¯s expression had turned quite sour, so I secretly exchanged glances with him. Figure it out! Me being involved with Mr Fatido was just one big web of lies. ¡°You were headed home now, weren¡¯t you? I¡¯d accompany you, but it seems I¡¯ve got a proper vehicle just come for me. Sorry about that.¡± Mr Fatido said his goodbyes to Idine and Endie. The RV appeared just then from the forest, and parked a short distance away. Mr Fatido, his arm still around my shoulder, steered me towards the anpy he¡¯d ridden in on, took something that looked like a paper tag out from around his neck, and held it aloft in front of the anpy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Good job.¡± The anpy didn¡¯t make a noise, but just returned the way it had come. Had he rented it from somewhere? I was just thinking what a clever beast it must be to go home on its own, when Mr Fatido showed me the tag. There was a Shin engraved on it, denoting the idea of returning to where one had come from. Ah, so the anpy had obeyed that. Of course, animals could read the seals too. Setting that aside though, this situation was a bit delicate¡­ I mean, how must this look to Idine and Endie? Cheating with Idine while going out with Mr Lahzt? And Mr Fatido too? I really got around. Looking behind us as Mr Fatido and I walked off, I saw that Endie had already turned around and left. He must be stunned. And then Idine turned to Mr Lahzt, ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever felt sorry for you,¡± I heard him say. He always just blurted out whatever he wanted. There was a complete set of Princely Guardians in that RV as it headed out. ¡°What brought you here, Mr Fatido?¡± I asked, the prince jiggling on my knee. ¡°Hasiido! Hasiido!¡± The prince had apparently gotten quite fond of him. No surprise, his time with Mr Fatido had been spent playing around and getting tossed into the air. ¡°All my work in this area got done nice and quick! I actually finished it end of day yesterday, but I figured I¡¯d come round to see if the timing had worked out. And here you were in some kind of trouble. Well, I am glad though, it seems I¡¯ve got to stay right beside you after all, Kohme.¡± Mr Fatido burst out laughing. Mr Lahzt gave him the side-eye, a sour look on his face. ¡°So you really did your work huh¡­ By force¡­¡± This time it was Mr Fatido¡¯s turn to side-eye Mr Lahzt with a scowl. ¡°What was that, Lahzt? Oh that¡¯s right, tell me about what happened the other day. Exactly when did Kohme become yours?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t! Our conversation just happened to turn that way. Back me up, Mr Kahzam.¡± I turned desperately to Mr Kahzam, but¨C There was a threatening atmosphere coming from the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°I¡¯m done with being an invalid. I¡¯m done with being an animal, too. None of that crap protected Kohme or prince.¡± His low growl got one of Mr Fatido¡¯s eyebrows up in interest. ¡°Oh? Kahzam¡¯s been getting quietly pissed off over there. So something did happen then.¡± ¡°Morii¡­ Good boy, good boy.¡± The prince had gotten down from my knee and gone over to stand behind the driver¡¯s seat and pat Mr Kahzam on the head. For some reason, Mr Kahzam apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Sit down, little prince, that¡¯s dangerous.¡± As I was getting the prince to sit down, I took the opportunity to casually extract myself from Mr Fatido¡¯s arm, which was still wrapped around my shoulder. His eyes went wide and he started to pull me back. ¡°Kohme!? What is this hickey on the back of your neck!?¡± ¡°What? No way, Indie must have put it there, I didn¡¯t even realize.¡± I slapped my hand to my neck in a panic. When the heck had he put that there!? ¡°Idi¨C From before!? Are you getting it on with every single one of them!¡± ¡°Excuse me, but we¡¯ll be turning around for a moment. Back to the hotel for that bastard who treated Kohme like this.¡± Mr Kahzam suddenly put on the breaks and started to turn the RV around. ¡°Woah woah, Mr Kahzam, calm down! I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m really fine!¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t pull out your weapon while you¡¯re still driving! Listen, I can already see the hill where we¡¯re supposed to meet with Professor Lemonina, it¡¯s right there ahead of us!¡± Mr Lahzt and I desperately tried to stop Mr Kahzam. Several minutes later, we were once again standing in the Garden of Stars. Only myself and the prince were in human form, Mr Lahzt, Mr Kahzam, and even Mr Fatido had changed to pongas. The Ponga Harem of my dreams¡­ Bwahahah. It had been several days since I¡¯d visited the Garden of Stars, and the grass cutting seemed to be entirely over. Even the water that had collected so quickly had pulled back, and it had gone back to what it looked like when the prince and I had lived here. The huge tree, with its awe-inspiring pure white trunk, the treehouse, which already made me feel nostalgic, the droplets falling into the clear spring. Wildflowers were blooming in patches across the base, and I could see small animals looking our way from the shadow of the tree trunk. Now that I¡¯d heard the legend, it looked completely different to me. I¡¯d lived here, in such a sacred place, me. A single bird feather came to rest at my feet. I looked up to see¡­ something that sort of looked like a female peacock? It had a fully brown body, decorative feathers above its head, and a short little tail. And those flax-colored eyes¡­ It was Lemonina. She saw me, and winked with those long lashes. Taking that for our go sign, I dug a hole in the basin using the shovel that the RV was equipped with. I dropped the plum that had come off the tree into the hole, and buried it again. The prince helped, filling up a small watering can, and pouring it out over the buried fruit. Then we headed down to a place a little ways away, and looked over it with everyone else. I¡¯d been playing with the prince while we waited, just about ten minutes, when a bud popped its head out of the ground. ¡°Wow¡­ It really did sprout.¡± I was excited. The power of this place was incredible. Another ten minutes, and the first leaf unfurled. A slender trunk stretched upwards, and the leaves multiplied. Little by little, the plum tree was growing up. It took a few hours for it to get as far as a flower blooming. In the meantime, the prince was clambering all over the pongas and chasing them, and playing around, but after a while he tuckered out and sat down, and started to pluck wildflowers. The pongas came over to join him and help out. A retinue of three ponga knights, now that was pretty funny. I watched them, smiling, and after a while, the prince came in my direction, ¡°Ko-e!¡± Everyone called me Kohme so it seemed the prince was trying to call me that too. ¡°Kay,¡± he said, offering me an attractive flower. ¡°For me?¡± ¡°Have.¡± I thanked him, and looked between the flower, the prince, and the pongas. This¡­ Was this what was created in place of the ruined bouquet? ¡°Thank you! It smells nice,¡± I said, thanking him with a smile, and tied it with the lace ribbon I¡¯d taken as a memento from the bouquet and had been keeping in my pocket. I showed it to the prince and everyone, ¡°All done.¡± The prince, and all three pongas too, looked quite satisfied. What a lucky person I am, I thought. After a while, the prince got bored. He took a nap, got up again¡­ Time passed in that way, and eventually the first bud of the plum tree opened. The flower was a pale, pale red color. This particular color existed too, outside of the white plum and red plum varieties you usually see. Speaking of, I¡¯d heard decorative plum trees were actually a different species from plums that bore the fruit. The flower opened gently, and a number of birds from the forest came over and started flying around it and landing on the branches. They must have been attracted by the scent. The prince, staring at the plum tree, approached happily as he saw the birds playing. We all smiled and watched over the scene. When the prince touched the plum tree, I noticed my vision get a little blurry, and I rubbed my eyes. What¡­? The prince, he was getting blurry¡­ Was there some fog? The prince turned back to us, and the fog moved at the same time. There was some barely visible, transparent human form. I opened my eyes wide. That¡¯s a boy in his late teens. His golden hair rustled with his movement, and from under the shadow of his bangs, clear blue eyes looked in my direction. A firm jaw line, pale lips. Those lips formed a smile. I felt like an arrow had landed in my chest, and I forgot to breathe. How beautiful¡­ The boy¡¯s smile was so gentle. By the time I noticed it, the boy had disappeared, and the little prince had let go of the tree and was running back towards me. ¡°That was¡­ No way, that just now was the prince?¡± I squatted down and caught the prince. Golden hair and blue eyes¡­ The same as that boy just now. The power that had caused the plum tree to grow so fast, had it also shown me what the prince would look like grown up? This kid was destined to become such an amazing young man!? I let out a squee. The prince was gonna be a knock-out! ¡°Koume?¡± ¡°Eep!¡± My cheeks started to feel warm. The prince had said my name, and quite properly too!? His pronunciation was perfect! The effect of being raised with Japanese! But I mean, I started to wonder whether that future young man would call me Koume, and I just¡­ I mean¡­ What was I gonna do!? My face went bright red and my brains started boiling, and all three pongas came rushing over, pressing me to say something and pulling my hand, and making little moaning noises. The peacock was staring at me with a flummoxed look in her eye. What? It¡¯s okay to just imagine it! Eventually it came to be twilight, and at last a plump, blue fruit was born. As we watched, it ripened and turned yellow. Suddenly the plum tree started to glow¡­ Just as I was wondering if what I was seeing was real, a single large bird landed on the tree. It was pure white, and enveloped in a haze, like its entire body was burning with white flame. I knew immediately what this bird was. I had seen its Shin in the legends Mr Lahzt had taught me ¨C this was God¡¯s messenger bird, Kahzapka. He looked around, his movements slow and at ease, adjusting his chest feathers with his beak. In the meantime, the blue plums that surrounded him stained yellow and red one by one. It was like they were lamps being turned on. I was enchanted, staring at the scene, when Kahzapka slowly leapt up into the sky, letting out a squawk. After he opened his beak, a white light came spilling out¡­ The light traced a line in a mysterious form, and danced above the plum tree. A seal? ¡°Ah!¡± The ring finger of my left hand got warm, and I hurriedly slipped off the ring. A Shin was floating above my finger. What I¡¯d imagined when I¡¯d summoned the plum here, that was the seal¡¯s image. A flower blooming even in the middle of winter, something small but brave, that was the image I got. The feeling like after I¡¯d witnessed the grass-cutting, that uneasy sense that my own existence was in doubt, passed, and I felt like my feet had finally touched the ground. My chest felt so full in that moment. But suddenly I got zapped, like my whole body had a weak current running through it. My body felt like the wind, flowing somewhere, getting tossed around until I couldn¡¯t tell what was up or down, left or right. The air pressure was so high I couldn¡¯t even reach my hand out, and I hunched myself into a ball and shut my eyes tight, still clutching the bouquet the prince had given me to my chest. This sensation, I remembered it. This was the same wind as when I came to this world, it had to be. Suddenly the wind subsided, and I felt myself gently floating, so I carefully opened my eyes. It was dark, I could hardly see anything. I looked down, and I was half see-through, and glowing. Just like that great tree in the Garden of Stars. My eyes got used to things, and I looked around again. I was in a room roughly six tatami in size. Morning light was streaming lazily in through the curtains, and I could see what was going on inside. Hardwood floors, a study desk, a few stuffed animals lined up on bookshelves, which were packed with books and comics and illustrated reference volumes. And a polka dotted comforter on the bed, covering someone underneath it. This was Nanao¡¯s room. I tried opening my mouth to call out, but my voice wouldn¡¯t work. When I tried to stretch my hand out, my body floated around on its own and I moved to a point above the bed. Nanao was sleeping, her face so innocent. Her shoulder length hair was a bit curly, she looked like Mom. I started to feel like I was going to cry, and just when I pressed my hand to my mouth reflexively, there was a knock. The sound was oddly distant, it sounded like when I was ensconced in the Shu-ii. Nana, it¡¯s morning. About time to get up. Just as I realized it was Koaya¡¯s voice, the wind slowly began to swirl around my body again. I could feel myself being pulled somewhere. Was I headed back to Gaduelyon? I had to tell Nanao. I was safe, I was fine. So Nanao should be happy too. But how could I do it? I saw Nanao open her eyes a little. Just at that moment, something white right next to me¨C ¨CEverything went fuzzy and then from total blinding white, everything went dark. I must have lost consciousness instantly. When I lifted my heavy eyelids, I could see clouds lingering faintly in the sky, stained by the setting sun. I lifted my head up a little, and saw a grove of green trees that started just nearby, their leaves swaying in a breeze that smelled of salt water. I was laid out, it seemed, atop the sheer cliffs outside the Garden of Stars. Everything was still fuzzy, and my hair was a mess from the winds off the ocean, but I realized I was wrapped up in something warm, and moved my head a little more. Right by my head was a shape like the white heat haze of Kahzapka. Ah¡­ I get it. I¡¯d earned a name, become a person of this world, I couldn¡¯t enter the Garden of Stars in human form any more. I¡¯d been expelled. But in that instant, Kahzapka had let me see Nanao. Mr Lahzt and Lemonina would realize what had happened right away, and they¡¯d all come for me soon. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I whispered to Kahzapka, and closed my eyes, feeling warm tears running down my cheek. CH 5.1 What I saw when I next opened my eyes was a pale brown stucco ceiling. I gasped and sat up, and found I was in a room I¡¯d never seen before. There was a charming polished wooden floor, a chest out of a rattan type of material, and high-quality scrollwork-patterned curtains. It was a room with a feminine sort of design. The idea that there were still places around here I didn¡¯t know about, despite how many times I¡¯d looked around, made my heart start thumping with uneasiness, but just then, the door handle, which glittered against the heavy wooden dark grey door, moved. ¡°Kohme, you¡¯re awake.¡± It was Lemonina who came in. Thank god, it seemed I hadn¡¯t been thrown into the other world quite yet¡­ This was Gaduelyon, the prince¡¯s world. I was so relieved, from the bottom of my heart. ¡°I was sleeping?¡± ¡°You were indeed. It¡¯s been almost an entire day. I¡¯m glad, I was starting to worry.¡± Lemonina sat down on a stool beside the bed, and touched my forehead, the back of my neck, my arms, all with an expression that was both sad and joyful. ¡°You seem alright. You disappeared so suddenly from the Garden of Stars, I figured you must have earned your name and been expelled, so we went back to the cliffs and found you collapsed. You were enveloped in a faint light, it was very odd.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I think somehow I went back to Japan with Kahzapka for a peek.¡± I explained briefly about meeting my little sister. ¡°Oh wow! That¡¯s great!¡± Lemonina was overjoyed, and continued her explanation. ¡°Other than the fact that you were glowing, it looked like you were just sleeping, so we thought we¡¯d at least get you here. This is my room in the research city. Since now you can come in too.¡± As she said it, I gasped and looked at the finger of my left hand. When I slipped off my ring, there was a Shin, proof that Gaduos had accepted me. This was my name¡­ It felt more beautiful than any gemstone. ¡°So, Kohme¡­¡± When I lifted my head at Lemonina¡¯s voice, I noticed that her expression, which hadn¡¯t changed since she¡¯d come in the room, was now draped in gloom. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± My chest was suddenly wrapped tight with uneasiness too. Now that I thought about it, I didn¡¯t hear the prince. And what about Mr Kahzam and Mr Lahzt? And shouldn¡¯t Mr Fatido be rushing in here at a time like this? ¡°Lemonina, where¡¯s the prince?¡± I asked, struck with a rush of bad feeling. ¡°He¡¯s gone on ahead¡­ to the castle.¡± What? I opened my mouth, but couldn¡¯t get my voice to come out. My prince, my precious little prince, wasn¡¯t by my side anymore¡­? ¡°Let me tell you what happened while you were out,¡± Lemonina began, her expression still stiff. ¡°You met the Crown Prince¡¯s ministers, right? I believe they¡¯re called Idine and Endie. They told their story to the Crown Prince¡­ What they know of it, anyway. That prince might be adopted by Lady Solamire, that we were headed to the Shiinium. Given all that, the Crown Prince said that when he was ready to head back to the royal castle, he¡¯d take prince back with him.¡± ¡°Wha- Why?¡± ¡°The child¡¯s going to be joining the royal family, and he said it wouldn¡¯t do to let him go unaccompanied at a time like this. If the next step for him is to meet Lady Solamire face to face, then he¡¯d be safest if he travels with the Crown Prince and his retinue, so maybe he should go with them. That was the idea anyway.¡± Ah. I bit my lip. The prince did have a bodyguard in Mr Kahzam, but since he had to be in animal form, he couldn¡¯t make his true identity clear. Looking at it from the Crown Prince¡¯s point of view, it would have been hard to believe that the prince had sufficient protection. Mr Lahzt and Mr Fatido were there, but of course they weren¡¯t professional bodyguards. I didn¡¯t really know what kind of person the Crown Prince was, but if I had been in his position, I would have thought the same. Lemonina had more difficult news. ¡°You¡¯ve heard about the person who was selected during Lady Solamire¡¯s pregnancy to be nursemaid to the child who was going to be born?¡± ¡°Yes. She was nursemaid to Princess Haluria, right, Tellner¡­¡± ¡°Exactly. The Crown Prince seems to think it only natural that she care for prince.¡± So that too, huh¡­ It was true though. Anyone would normally think like that. ¡°But it¡¯s alright, Kohme. It would¡¯ve been awkward if you fell asleep for months, but you woke up right away. When we told the Crown Prince that there was a woman who¡¯d been taking care of prince thus far, he said he¡¯d let you have a proper interview at the castle.¡± ¡°Lemonina¡­ But I¡­ I mean, me? Instead of that wetnurse?¡± My desire to rush back to the prince¡¯s side as quickly as I could conflicted with my lack of self-confidence, and I had no clue which way to turn. Lemonina took my hand gently. ¡°Kohme, you have a little sister, don¡¯t you, one you¡¯re very proud of?¡± I looked up with a gasp. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to raise prince first-hand, the way you raised Nanao to be such a good kid? That other nurse will be just fine, so you should think only of yourself and prince.¡± That was true. Why was it I kept getting distracted? The important thing was the prince¡¯s heart. I immediately swung my feet out of the bed. I was a little wobbly, but my shoes were right there, so I put them on, and made an announcement. ¡°I¡¯m going after him. The prince will be nervous being in a different environment so suddenly. I might not be able to do it like a professional, but the prince is precious to me, I won¡¯t lose on that front. Besides¡­¡± I distracted myself from the stinging sensation in my nose with a deep breath, and looked at Lemonina. ¡°I came to this world all alone, and the prince gave me hope. We¡¯re connected, we¡¯re bound together, and I believe that I should be the one to look after him as he grows up.¡± My sisters and I had been separated into two different worlds, but that didn¡¯t mean we weren¡¯t sisters anymore. Koaya and Nanao lived within me now, and they would surely support me from now on. And now the prince and I were building that kind of relationship. ¡°Good. You seem resolved, Kohme. I wonder if that¡¯s because you went back to the other world.¡± Lemonina flashed a smile, and stood up, still gripping my hand. ¡°Alright, Kohme will be prince¡¯s nurse, and we¡¯re going to go make that happen. Lahzt and Lord Fatido went with prince. Kahzam¡¯s situation is a little different, but he should be able to re-assume his duties and lend a hand. We¡¯ll go after him too!¡± Miss Lemonina first wrote a letter to the person in charge of palace personnel recommending me as wetnurse. Then Mr Lahzt wrote a letter too, confirming that I wasn¡¯t a threat, and both letters were sent separately by postey. After that, we ¡°borrowed¡± a car from the Shiinium, and were rather¡­ Well, we made a mad dash to the royal capital, Rizontia, thanks to some heroic driving. The car didn¡¯t go fast by the standards of my world, but even so, we left before lunch, and were able to make it to Rizontia in a few hours. We passed between two huge towers with slowly turning windmills on them, and when we got onto the main road, three- and four-storey buildings were lined up on either side of the street. The only tall building in the city seemed to be the castle. They must have been worried about the view. There were footpaths too, paved with some kind of tile, with big crowds coming and going, and they looked well taken care of, like someone was cleaning them properly, and regularly. The streetlamps and postey-filled trees were also properly maintained, and the whole city felt a lot like Tau Lato. The castle¡¯s soft grey outer walls towered above the street, shining in the rays of the sun, which had just begun to sink. We parked the car in the corner of the plaza outside the castle¡¯s entry gate, and crossed a footbridge that spanned a moat. The main gate, which was visible on the other side, was made of stone and about three times my height, and I was left utterly speechless. The castle itself was still far in the distance. This was the royal castle ¨C the world the prince belonged in. I¡¯d already earned my Shin name, so if I stepped forward, I would be able to enter, even into a place as grand as this, but if I wasn¡¯t with Lemonina, I probably would have been too nervous and out of place to think about it. But I went in, walking forward, aiming for the open double doors visible beyond the footbridge. Suddenly, Lemonina stopped me. ¡°Something about this isn¡¯t right.¡± I looked around, and when I glanced back at Lemonina, she pointed to the sky. ¡°Look. That¡¯s an unusually high number of posteys.¡± Beyond the castle walls, I could see a fair amount of birds coming and going between the spires of the castle. Normally, they¡¯d be flying at top speed toward their letter¡¯s intended recipient, but at the moment they seemed troubled, perching temporarily or just flying in circles. ¡°There¡¯s too many of them, and they seem out of sorts. Must be a big crowd of people all trying to communicate with one another at the same time. Something is afoot. Kohme?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The letters Lahzt and I sent to the personnel director might not have arrived. I¡¯ll go and ask them directly, so would you mind waiting in the car? If something has happened at the castle, and we suddenly show up with you in tow¡­¡± ¡°Oh, yes of course. I understand.¡± I nodded. I looked like a foreigner in this country. And it was my first time here, too. Even if everybody knew Lemonina¡¯s face, she couldn¡¯t just go waltzing into the castle with someone like me on her arm when something was going on in there. I stood tall so no one would find me suspicious, and headed back down the road we¡¯d come. I went back towards the plaza from the drawbridge and turned around, and could see Lemonina going in through the main gates, only one door of which was open now. I made it back to the corner of the plaza, where several cars were parked, and then realized something with a start. Cars weren¡¯t a very popular method of conveyance in this world, so there were only a very few types. What¡¯s more, the car we¡¯d borrowed (stolen?) from the Shiinium was an official black color. And because of where we were, several other cars there were an official black too. Long story short, I had absolutely no clue which car was ours. I didn¡¯t have any choice but to wait someplace where I could see the plaza until Lemonina came back. But if I just stood here I¡¯d definitely be suspicious¡­ Okay, how about if I make a circuit of the castle, like a country bumpkin come to see the capital? I readjusted my shoulder bag, which still had all the prince¡¯s stuff in it, and sauntered off so I didn¡¯t look too dodgy. I¡¯d been walking around for about fifteen minutes when it happened. ¡°I haven¡¯t even made a half circuit yet, huh¡­ At this rate, maybe I should just head back to the car?¡± I paused to take a look at the stone outer wall, which seemed to go on forever, and the moat that stretched out in front of it, and then the scenery that lay beyond that. There were a few places you could see into the castle through the iron fence, but what I could see seemed to be a section attached to their back lawn. The place where the royal family actually lived was protected by a stout wall, so you couldn¡¯t see in there at all. The outer wall had Shin carved into it every so often, but they seemed to have deliberately used characters with one stroke missing, and they didn¡¯t transmit any meaning. I hazarded a guess that it must have something to do with castle security. The prince¡­ He must be somewhere around here, right? Was he crying? I looked up at the castle, and then turned on my heel, biting my lip. I started back along the road I¡¯d come, thinking about the prince, and after a minute I realized I could hear hooves approaching behind me. When I turned, a giant anpy was cutting in around me, kicking up a cloud of dust. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Looking down at me from the saddle with a severe glint in his eye was Endie, the Crown Prince¡¯s guard, whom I¡¯d met in the Shiinium. "" His clothes were the same, black, top and bottom. He held the reins in his left hand, along with some kind of long spear. Endie jumped down from the anpy in a single motion, and suddenly grabbed my left arm and yanked me close. I was too surprised even to let out a yelp, and he pried open my fingers and slipped my ring off. ¡°Ow¡­¡± ¡°Huh. So it did say Kohme,¡± Endie muttered, double checking my seal but not letting go of my arm. ¡°Did you lure that kid out to you?¡± ¡°What?¡± I forgot about the pain and looked up at Endie. Lure the prince out? When? Just now!? ¡°The prince? Are you serious, the prince is gone!?¡± All those posteys flying above the castle¡­ People were sending each other notes back and forth, searching for the prince? My stomach sank so hard I started to feel a bit ill, and the back of my head went cold. I reflexively grabbed Endie¡¯s sleeve and asked again. ¡°Tell me, please, is he missing? I thought he went with you because you were going to protect him? What happened?¡± ¡°You realize you¡¯re the prime suspect at the moment. If you¡¯re working for the East, you could be stirring up trouble by making off with that kid and pinning the crime on us.¡± ¡°What? I mean¡­¡± ¡°After all, the Crown Prince¡¯s faction is the one most likely to cause harm to any child of the second queen,¡± Endie said, flashing a bit of a sarcastic smile. The East¡­ Was he saying they were trying to instigate a conflict between the Crown Prince¡¯s faction and Solamire¡¯s faction for their own benefit? I forgot their name, but¡­ I was still confused, but Endie pressed me further. ¡°Essentially, you thought you¡¯d come here with Dr Lemonina and Lahzt, and we¡¯d believe you were Lord Fatido¡¯s woman? You¡¯ve gotten close to all of them, one after the other, what are you planning? Let¡¯s go, I¡¯m taking you in for questioning.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¨C Wait¨C!¡± Terrified, I couldn¡¯t put up much resistance, and I let myself be dragged over to the anpy. He got on first, and then started to forcibly hoist me up into the saddle. Just then, I heard more hooves. Endie looked up ¨C what was I going to do, someone had come to help him? I was starting to panic when a sharp voice reached my ears. ¡°Kohme!¡± Suddenly I was lifted off my feet, and I lost all sense of balance. I stifled a scream, clinging to whatever was in reach. A sturdy chest, clad in black, and strong arms to support me. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Mr. Kahzam?¡± I was on top of an anpy, Mr Kahzam¡¯s arms around me. Endie and Mr Kahzam were dressed the same, a black military uniform with a black hat ¨C it must be a guards uniform ¨C and he was carrying a long spear himself along with the reins in his left hand. The spear didn¡¯t have any blade or point at the tip, just glittering silver ornaments on both ends of the stick, but I guessed it was still a weapon. Suddenly Endie shouted a short command to his anpy, and turned towards us. He closed the distance in an instant. Mr Kahzam¡¯s body tensed under his uniform. Just as I was anticipating the shock of their lances colliding and how it would reverberate through my body, Mr Kahzam fixed one end of his spear under his arm and swept Endie¡¯s lance aside, knocking the tip of it into the ground. Endie immediately spun his anpy around by the neck, facing Mr Kahzam from a different direction. ¡°I¡¯m going to put Kohme down!¡± Mr Kahzam got down from the anpy, still carrying me in his arms. ¡°I¡¯m putting her down! Endie, wait!¡± he said, standing protectively with his back to me, and immediately set up his lance. He¡¯d barely gotten himself in place when Endie let out a roar from above us and attacked with his lance. Mr Kahzam moved his own lance to the side and used it to take the hit, keeping it tight up under his arm. Deliberately riding the momentum from his attack, Endie hopped down from his anpy and came back for his next attack without even taking a breath. Mr Kahzam tried to keep himself between me and Endie at all times¨C wait, was I dead weight in this fight? What was I supposed to do? I was so anxious I couldn¡¯t do anything but watch. ¡°Listen to me! This woman is a candidate to be the boy¡¯s nanny,¡± Mr Kahzam called out to Endie, holding his spear out in a straight line. Endie shot a ferocious look at me. He positioned himself opposite Mr Kahzam, pointing his lance directly at us. ¡°So what?¡± Another blow. Mr Kahzam dodged it, and swept his spear in a big, low arch, sweeping at Endie¡¯s feet. Endie jumped back, and a small gap opened up between the two of them. ¡°That¡¯s not enough of a reason to clear her of suspicion.¡± Their spears met again, two, three times, cutting through the wind with great roars. Mr Kahzam dragged Endie¡¯s spear down with his own, pinning it to the ground, and called out to him again, even as Endie struggled to get his spear loose. ¡°We need her if we¡¯re going to find him. Stand down.¡± In the battle of weapons, and of words too, Mr Kahzam didn¡¯t back down even one step, he protected me the whole time. And just at that moment¡­ ¡°That¡¯s right! And she¡¯s my daughter!¡± Another voice, and the sound of more hooves. Lemonina came up to us on an anpy. Wow, she looked cool riding that thing¡­ Not that this was the time to be staring. When I looked back at Endie, he¡¯d clicked his tongue and was jumping back up into the saddle. He pointed his spear at Mr Kahzam again, but I couldn¡¯t feel the same edge as before. ¡°Lemonina, where¡¯s the prince?¡± I rushed over, and Lemonina nodded, pulling on her reins and bringing her anpy to a stop. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard all the details myself yet. We¡¯ll have Lahzt explain. Endie, wasn¡¯t it? If you really want to know if Kohme¡¯s the culprit, you can come along too.¡± With those words, Mr Kahzam slowly lowered his spear. A moment later, Endie silently followed suit. CH 5.2 Endie seemed to have come from the castle¡¯s back gate, and it was closer from here than the front gate, so we all turned in that direction. There was a guard station immediately inside the gate, where they checked our Shin, and I went into the castle with Lemonina and the others. Lemonina, it seemed, came and went in parts of the castle a lot because of her work, and she strode forward at the head of our party like she knew where she was going. I followed at a half trot, alongside Mr Kahzam. Endie brought up the rear. This must have been the area where the guards spent their time, because we passed by a load of people in black uniforms. We went down a long corridor, and eventually came out onto a scene of walls and pillars in vibrant colors ¨C we must have been close to the heart of the castle, right? Lahzt came to meet us at the corridor that connected to the main palace. ¡°Mr Lahzt!¡± ¡°Kohme! Are you hurt?¡± Mr Lahzt ran over and after touching my wrists and the back of my neck the way Lemonina had, gave a light sigh. ¡°You seem alright. I¡¯m so sorry we left you behind.¡± ¡°No, I heard what happened.¡± I shook my head. Lemonina seemed a bit suspicious about something though. ¡°The guards let Kohme into the castle pretty easily, considering all the chaos around here,¡± she muttered. Mr Lahzt answered. ¡°Lord Fatido has apparently been laying some groundwork through Lady Solamire.¡± Even as I felt a rush of gratitude for Mr Fatido, I impatiently asked Mr Lahzt without any further preamble. ¡°What about the prince? They said he¡¯s gone¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Mr Lahzt nodded and glanced quickly around, guiding us all into the closest room. There was a sectional and a few other pieces of furniture. This must have been what they called a drawing room. ¡°When we arrived, prince was given to Lady Tellner ¨C to Princess Haluria¡¯s nurse for a while,¡± Mr Lahzt began, apparently too pressed to even take a seat on the sofa. ¡°We filled out the paperwork for Kahzam¡¯s reinstatement so he could guard prince, and then I went to meet the personnel supervisor to tell him about Kohme. But somewhere in that time, prince went missing. There were some study materials on Shin in the nurse¡¯s room, and it looks like prince did touch them.¡± He touched study materials about the seals? ¡°Lady Tellner said she saw the light of someone invoking a Shiino. Prince must have turned into an animal and run away. Probably so he could go find Kohme.¡± The prince transformed himself!? Mm¡­ That was possible though. The prince was the first child to be raised in the Garden of Stars, protected by the animals and by the god Gaduos, and he¡¯d seen the arts Mr Lahzt used to transform Mr Kahzam. It was no wonder he¡¯d done something so record-breaking. Making a derisive noise through his nose and turning around, Endie flashed a sarcastic smile from his place leaning against the wall near the door. ¡°He can transform already, huh, at that age? He really is a viable adoption candidate, isn¡¯t he.¡± Endie has been looking for the prince, he must have known, but he didn¡¯t trust us. Which was why he was putting suspicion on me. I didn¡¯t have any proof, so maybe there wasn¡¯t anything I could do about it, but still. ¡°It¡¯ll be dark before long though, right? Where did he go?¡± My head was stuffed with impatience. The prince was already small, if he¡¯d turned into an animal, it would be a simple matter for him to get out of the castle. Where had he gone? Was he hurt? He had to be getting hungry, right? And more than anything, he was looking for me, all alone and probably in tears. ¡°Prince is small, and he doesn¡¯t have a name seal, so we can¡¯t follow him with Shiino.¡± Mr Lahzt bit his lip in regret. Just then, Mr Kahzam opened his mouth. ¡°Kohme. You might be able to look for him.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked back, flustered. ¡°I don¡¯t have a clue where he could be.¡± Mr Kahzam put a hand on my shoulder, to calm me down. ¡°We pulled that plum from your world based on your image, didn¡¯t we? You spent time with prince in the Garden of Stars, you know him best, you should be able to do the same with him.¡± Mr Kahzam believed in me ¨C and I had faith in Mr Kahzam. ¡°I was just about to say the same myself!¡± Lemonina got to her feet, clenching her fists. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Kohme!¡± Between the front gate and the main palace was an extensive garden. In the center of that was a round building, about thirty meters in diameter, like a miniature version of the Shiinium. There were a lot of royalty and scholars who used the Shiinium on a daily basis. Apparently, this was a so-called Shin Library for those people. Once we got inside, there was a small, shallow bowl in the center of the building, and something like a hanging lantern made of stone in the middle of that, and above that hung a large, blue planet, like some kind of balance ball. And then every inch of the surrounding walls was carved with seals. The building itself looked like an ancient ruin, and apparently the same seals were carved here in response to those at the larger Shiinium. We fixed our expressions and went in, and the few people inside looked up at us in surprise. Sorry for the disturbance. After that, I concentrated on looking for the prince¡¯s image, and was able to find a seal as if it had called for me. The prince¡¯s unguarded smile, his goofy mischief. His intense curiosity, the way he worried about me when I messed something up and clung to me with those small hands. And his voice, calling my name. They all flashed across my mind one after the other, and I looked for a seal that was close to my image of the prince. Mr Kahzam had watched over us as Morio, and he helped too with some appropriate advice. Lemonina pressed her hand against the seal I found to duplicate it, but when I touched a few of the characters in the Circle Art to expand it, the seal glowed only dimly, shrunk back down again, and carved itself back into my left arm. The seals engraved on my arm stood one next to the other, wrapped around my arm like a bracelet. Something was missing. There were a couple of seals that acted as the clasps of the bracelet, connecting the circle end to end, and it didn¡¯t feel like they were calling to me. My mind filled with thoughts of the prince, and my tears spilled, and the world got blurry. I didn¡¯t have time to cry. I wiped my tears, trying to pull myself together, when suddenly I gasped. Birds were landing on the windows that dotted the building, and on the rim of the ceiling, where I could see the sky. I could hear their wings, one, and then another one, little by little, their numbers increased. ¡°Birds¡­¡± Lemonina looked around too. Next to Endie, who was standing near the entrance like he was guarding it, stood Idine in his ever-present robe. He looked around as well. ¡°That¡¯s unusual. Don¡¯t see many birds around here,¡± he muttered, and glanced at me. I almost gave a shout, but clamped my mouth shut in a hurry. Speaking of, I had spotted colorful birds sometimes in the Garden of Stars. I wondered if maybe these birds had come from the Garden of Stars, maybe they knew our secret. ¡°When we were there¡­¡± Mr Kahzam muttered, looking around, and I looked up at him from where I was standing beside him. ¡°Prince and I were by ourselves. I had brought you some things, and you carried it upstairs, Kohme¡­¡± Mr Kahzam looked at me. Oh, when we were in the Garden of Stars¡­ Mr Kahzam was talking about one of his trips there as Morio. When he said ¡®up¡¯ he meant the treehouse. ¡°Prince tugged on one of my hands. He held my hand, like, to get me to go upstairs with him.¡± Mr Kahzam leaned over gently so his mouth was right by my ear and whispered to me so other people couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°My hand, when I was Morio. Normally, people aren¡¯t inclined to walk hand in hand with animals, are they? I think that was the point at which prince realized I was actually a human.¡± Mr Kahzam was trying to tell me something, a little clumsily, but still ¨C I was filled with the conviction that I should be able to understand. The prince had the power to see things that weren¡¯t obvious. To the point that he¡¯d recognized the Shin for transforming someone into an animal and had ended up using it on himself¡­ ¡°Lemonina, there¡­ That seal!¡± I spotted one that meant something like ¡®clever¡¯ or ¡®discerning,¡¯ words you might use to describe the prince¡¯s mysterious intuition, and pointed to it. Lemonina engraved that on my arm. It acted like a keystone, and connected all the other seals. It became a bridge to the prince. I touched the seal to expand the Circle, and when the Circle Art gently spread out, the birds that had gathered there all flapped their wings at once. The interior of the building was filled with the sound of flapping wings. I felt like they were telling me, let¡¯s go. ¡°Kohme.¡± Mr Kahzam called me and headed outside, where there was an anpy waiting right there. He hopped up onto the anpy, and reached his hand out to me. I grabbed it and he pulled me up into the saddle. When my point of view got higher, I could see a figure in a dress in the passageway that led to the castle¡¯s main palace, accompanied by several attendants. She had chestnut hair, and she was far enough away that I couldn¡¯t really tell her expression, but our eyes met¡­ The instant they did, she nodded. Just as I realized this was Solamire, this was the prince¡¯s mother, Mr Kahzam let out a short yell. The anpy took off running for the front gate with a neigh. Endie got on his own anpy and followed after us. The birds all flew into the sky, and flocked towards the sunset. The anpy Mr Kahzam and I were riding raced through the castle¡¯s downtown in a single breath, and flew towards the town¡¯s outer reaches. It turned off the main road immediately and passed into the forest. The wind rippled over a grassy meadow that seemed to stretch on forever and turned the windmills that were standing immediately outside of town. The colors of the sunset glittered on a river in the distance. With the Circle Art still expanded, I clung desperately to the anpy saddle. Mr Kahzam noticed it immediately, and wrapped his arms around me from where he was sitting behind me. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Kohme, you keep your mind on prince. I absolutely will not let you fall.¡± I nodded, and put my thoughts on the prince. The birds soared around us, before and behind, and on both sides. Just as I realized the power of the Circle Art was headed in the same direction as the birds, a beam of light gushed out of the Circle Art and guided us forward. Eventually, we caught sight of a small fountain surrounded by several trees and bushes. Branches stretched out over the fountain, sort of like in the Garden of Stars. Right here, I thought, and the very instant I did, the light that had been projecting from the Circle Art cut off, and it collapsed around my arm again. Mr Kahzam stopped the anpy by the fountain. I loosened my grip from where I¡¯d been clinging to the saddle, and looked around. I could see the birds that had followed us here all quietly alighting on the surrounding tree branches. There were several small animals on the roots of a particularly large tree, looking up at the leaves. I followed their gaze and spotted some golden tufts on top of a branch. Cowering there was a timp ¨C a single, small timp with golden fur. I borrowed Mr Kahzam¡¯s hand and got down from the anpy, and approached quietly so as not to scare him. The surrounding animals quickly gave way for me like they knew. ¡°Prince.¡± The instant I called out softly, the timp¡¯s little body jumped. Beautiful dark blue eyes looked at me. Yeah, that was the prince. ¡°It¡¯s me, little prince,¡± I called again, and the timp started to shift around like he was trying to get down in a hurry. Almost instantly, one of the timp¡¯s forelegs missed the branch. ¡°Ah!¡± I could see his little body falling so clearly, like it was in slow motion. Plop ¨C a splash of water. Prince! I jumped into the fountain right there. I didn¡¯t have time to think about how deep it was. Fortunately, the water didn¡¯t even come up to my waist, but it felt like a terribly long time until I reached the drowning golden mass in front of me. Just as he was sinking, I finally scooped him up and held him close. ¡°Prince¡­!¡± When I checked his face, the timp had transformed into a naked little boy. The prince looked surprised for a second, but instantly burst into tears, and I hugged him, gentle but tight. Somehow, I felt like he¡¯d gotten a bit bigger again. Well, he had been to the Garden of Stars again. He looked like he was past two years old now. I absolutely wouldn¡¯t miss him growing up any more. ¡°Prince, my little prince, are you okay? I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t with you. You must have been surprised, huh.¡± He sobbed and hiccuped. ¡°Kome, waaah!¡± Yeah yeah, it¡¯s fine, the prince can call me Kome or indeed anything else. I was crying too, and stuck our cheeks together, patting his head again and again. ¡°Kohme.¡± Mr Kahzam¡¯s voice brought me back to myself. Still holding the prince, I went over to the edge of the fountain, and let him pull us out. Mr Kahzam patted the prince¡¯s cheek and brushed his damp bangs out of his face, apparently feeling relieved too. Just then, Mr Kahzam glanced back at Endie, who was behind us, and stared at him silently. ¡°Hm,¡± Endie said through his nose, his scowl not slipping. It seemed like he was consenting to something, but what? I was still carrying the shoulder bag with the prince¡¯s stuff in it, so I got it down from the saddle and pulled out a towel, and dried the prince off and changed his clothes. He had a few scratches on his arms and legs, but otherwise he seemed okay. After that, I showed him one of those egg puffs, and he must have been pretty hungry, because he stopped crying immediately and shoved it in his mouth like he was transfixed, still in my arms. Back to the usual, thank god. ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll be with you every day, okay. I¡¯ll be wherever you call home,¡± I promised, as the prince finished eating and clung to me again. My coming to this other world was something quite extraordinary, but I¡¯d become a staple in the prince¡¯s life as someone from this world ¨C it was a bit of a strange feeling, but you really could think of it like that. Mr Kahzam took off his jacket, and wrapped it around my soaked lower body, and put me up on the anpy. On our way back to the castle, Endie followed in silence. The prince had tuckered himself out crying and fell asleep, and his still-damp cheek reflected the remnants of the sunset. CH 5.3 I was tuckered out myself, and my memories of that night through till the morning are vague, but when the prince and I woke up the next morning, we were on a bed in a guest room in the castle. Lemonina was staying in the same room, and we were both happy the other was safe. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been busy, but the curtain¡¯s only just rising on this stage,¡± Lemonina said, and winked. Finally, we were going to meet the palace personnel supervisor. After breakfast, Lemonina and I met them in the drawing room, with the prince in tow. Mr Tsuguru, the personnel interviewer, who¡¯s troubled look seemed to be his default expression, was a thin man who, somewhere in his fifties. The navy blue robe he was wearing had golden threads embroidered in it. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Mr Tsuguru.¡± It seemed Lemonina and this person were old research buddies. ¡°Lemonina, this is the child you want to put up as a candidate to be adopted by Lady Solamire? Explain what¡¯s going on, please, from the beginning?¡± Mr Tsuguru asked, looking at the prince, who was enthusiastically scaling the back of the sofa. ¡°It¡¯s an embarrassing story, but,¡± Lemonina said, looking down, her eyes heavy with sorrow. Ah, she¡¯d already stepped into her role. ¡°Actually¡­ I had a child when I was young.¡± ¡°What!¡± Mr Tsuguru was taken aback. ¡°When¨C when you were young!?¡± ¡°Right after I graduated.¡± ¡°I¨C who was your partner, Azan? Or, Zahks? Wait, was it Yudil!?¡± Jeez, okay. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that. No matter which one of them was the father, every man among them is a black-hearted moron, and I don¡¯t know how much use my current social status would be if any of them found out this child existed. I¡¯m sorry for getting my grandchild wrapped up in all this too.¡± Lemonina shook her head. Was it possible she had terrible luck with men? ¡°I¨C you¨C grandchild!? You even have a grandchild!? No, I¡¯m¨C sorry¡­ Please, continue.¡± Mr Tsuguru took a quick drink of his tea, choking. ¡°I do, but hear the whole story. My child was a boy, but I didn¡¯t want the father to know, and I had work I wanted to do¡­ I¡¯m embarrassed to say, but I left him with a family that lived further inland, on the continent. He grew up fast and became an adult, and eventually got married to a certain woman. That woman is Kohme, here.¡± I silently bowed my head. Oh man, don¡¯t laugh, don¡¯t laugh. ¡°I already think of Kohme as my daughter, and I thought the two of them were happily married, but¡­ The truth is, my son¡¯s been causing trouble. Well, it¡¯s not just my duty, as a mother who abdicated my own child-rearing duties, but¡­ At any rate, my son is a serial adulterer. It seems Kohme¡¯s had an extremely hard time of it.¡± Lemonina touched my shoulder lightly. Oh yes, thank you, I¡¯m okay, stiff upper lip and all that. ¡°And so in the end, my son got one of his mistresses pregnant, and in the course of time, she gave birth¡­ He ended up running off with that other woman and abandoning the child they¡¯d had together. Despite the circumstances, Kohme took custody of the child and has been raising him¡­ This is that boy, the one called prince!¡± Yup. This was the tale Lemonina had dreamt up. She¡¯d asked me if I wanted to be her daughter, but when she¡¯d said ¡®something not too far off¡¯ I hadn¡¯t understood what she meant. In short, she¡¯d been thinking of me as her daughter-in-law ¨C the woman who would be married to her son. I was now only someone who¡¯d taken in the child created between my ex-husband and his extra-marital lover. Even if I ended up living at the other palace, at Shiz Cagna, I wouldn¡¯t have to cover everything up. And if I did end up talking about my two sisters, Koaya and Nanao, I could do so naturally. When we¡¯d talked about it in the dining hall in the Shin research city, Lemonina had dreamed up this scenario where she¡¯d thoroughly disparage her fictitious son (my ex-lover) and this mistress. We¡¯d gotten some alcohol in us by that point and I¡¯d ended up on the floor I was laughing so hard. Mr Kahzam-as-timp had been quite surprised when he came upon us. Maybe it was a little mean, doing something like this so suddenly. But just imagine, Nanao and the prince could¡¯ve been raised in the same household for a while. Thinking of the two of them playing together made me so happy I wanted to cry. What a wonderful idea! Rough memories were being overwritten by new stories. Ah, coming to this world had saved me. I felt the same tender affection I¡¯d had when I saw the bouquet in the Garden of Stars. Lemonina¡¯s performance continued. ¡°Kohme¡¯s raised him this far, but she wanted to consult with me, of course, and so she came all this way to meet me. Just about the time she made it here, I heard about Lady Solamire¡­ I wanted Her Highness to adopt him, for her sake, and the sadness she must feel on losing her own child.¡± You can¡¯t tell in her eyes that Lemonina¡¯s lying!? I stared at Mr Tsuguru, wondering how he couldn¡¯t know. ¡°If Lady Solamire does end up raising him, it would erase his lineage. Please, I thought you might help me. Perhaps you could give this child your recommendation?¡± How many bloodlines would the prince have to conceal? ¡°And also, with all this being as it is, Kohme¡¯s ended up on her own, and she¡¯s looking for a job. I was wondering if she might be made his wetnurse, so she could continue to help raise him. He¡¯s quite fond of Kohme, and Kohme¡¯s been a great help to me¡­ I give you my assurance on her identity. Of course, I¡¯m not from Vio Rizonna, I won¡¯t be able to act as prince¡¯s tutor, but¡­¡± Lemonina had even thought of that. After all, I had in fact been taking care of the prince since he was born, I knew what he liked, what he didn¡¯t like, what his favorite foods were, everything. And the prince was indeed fond of me. Given that, it would be weirder to think of my lineage and the prince¡¯s lineage as separate. Thinking of us as a set was better. She¡¯d obviously given the plan some deep thought. But in this scenario, Lemonina and the prince were now connected by blood. And that was the sole remaining proof of the lie. It wasn¡¯t so simple to find out whether people were related by blood here, but apparently it was possible if both parties had Shin names. When the prince got bigger and his name came to the fore on his left ring finger, someone might do a detailed examination, and the fact that they weren¡¯t related by blood would be exposed. Lemonina had answered my concerns without blinking an eyelash. ¡°I¡¯ll just act like I had no idea. ¡®You mean this isn¡¯t my grandchild!? My son¡¯s mistress tricked us all!?¡¯ ¡± In other words, we¡¯d pretend this mistress had an affair with yet another man, and the child of that affair was the prince. Wow, what a mess. ¡°Anyway, by that time, prince will have been raised in the royal household for how many years? He isn¡¯t really in the line of succession, so he won¡¯t be thrown out. And His Highness and Lady Solamire can protect him.¡± Seeing Lemonina wink, and I¡¯d finally been able to calm down. ¡°I¨C I understand the circumstances. I¡¯ll discuss the matter with His Highness and Lady Solamire, and they¡¯ll consider it privately. Being Lemonina¡¯s grandchild, I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be an issue. I¡¯ll try and put in a good word for you as well, Miss Kohme.¡± Mr Tsuguru seemed somehow dizzied by the situation, and went home with that promise. When the door closed, Lemonina and I both heaved a big sigh as if the door closing had been a sign between us ¨C and then, we looked at each other and giggles slipped out of us. ¡°Sorry, prince, you¡¯ve got a weirdo for a dad now,¡± Lemonina said, and the prince looked blankly up at her. It was barely afternoon when it was decided that the prince would have a face-to-face meeting with the royal couple. At the request of the royal couple themselves. It wasn¡¯t an official audience, so apparently it would take place in a drawing room used by the royal household, rather than some grand space like the audience chambers. I left the guest room under the guidance of a maid, and I headed towards the main palace for the first time. Yesterday had been such a kerfuffle, and even when I¡¯d returned with the prince we¡¯d come in through the back gate and gone straight to the guest room. A vast garden was visible from the passageway, and as we entered the main palace¡¯s hall I caught a glimpse of a fountain¡¯s glittering spray out of the corner of my eye. An extravagantly massive spiral staircase rose up from within the main palace. With a sense of awe, I looked up unconsciously, and a decorative ceiling painted with all kinds of different animals looked down on me from far above. We headed up the spiral staircase just a little, and strode purposefully down a long hallway on the second floor. Of course this hallway would be pretty plain, I thought to myself, but then I noticed that there were subtle carvings on each of the pillars. The corridor itself was a work of art. And the drawing room we were being led to¡­ This is a drawing room? She didn¡¯t bring me to an art gallery by mistake? A chandelier hung heavy, and multiple portraits and landscapes hung on the walls. Even the windowsill and the sofa arms were exquisitely crafted. I took a seat on the sofa, but I couldn¡¯t calm down. Please, little prince, do not get too rowdy. They had a lot of expensive looking vases and stuff in here. Eventually there was a knock, and the double doors opened. ¡°His Majesty the King, and his Second Queen, Lady Solamire.¡± The quintessential elderly butler came in and made an announcement, and then bowed neatly and stepped to one side. We stood up and waited. The first person to come into the room was His Highness. I¡¯d heard he was fifty-five years old. If a lion became a human being, maybe this is the kind of feeling they¡¯d give off, huh? His golden ringlets of hair, and beard of the same color were enough to make anyone think it. And his very gentle expression. His eyes were the orange of a sunset, and he wasn¡¯t fat, but his frame was sturdy, and he had a certain dignified presence. Unexpectedly, he was wearing a suit. As king, I thought he would dress more resplendently. And the next person who came in¡­ I had seen for just an instant the previous day, the person I¡¯d always wanted to meet, Lady Solamire. She was a tall woman, and the lightly-ornamented, ocean-blue, mermaid-line dress she wore suited her well. Her thick, chestnut-colored hair was done up, and she turned her big blue eyes towards me. I¡¯d heard she was two years older than Mr Fatido, which would make her thirty-eight, but she looked very young, and beautiful. Ah¡­ The prince looked just like her. Her face was smiling gently, but her eyes were already tearing up, and her fists clutched her handkerchief so tightly her knuckles were white. Oh, true. There were still a lot of servants and their peering eyes. She couldn¡¯t just let herself go and be overjoyed at her reunion with the prince. Then another person came in after them, a plump woman who looked about in her forties, and quietly stood in the back behind the royal couple. She was wearing a navy blue pinafore-style dress and a white apron, and had a white piece of cloth on her head. I felt like her attire and her attitude was different from a regular maid, but I had no idea who she was. After only a moment¡¯s glance at the people who¡¯d come in, Lemonina and I bowed our heads and waited. The prince looked up at us confused, and then gave a short little bow himself. ¡°Lift your faces. You grace us with your presence frequently, Doctor Lemonina Ruista,¡± His Majesty¡¯s baritone resounded. ¡°It¡¯s been too long, Your Majesty, Lady Solamire.¡± Lemonina lifted her head and flashed a smile. ¡°And these are your relatives Prince, and Kohme¡­ correct?¡± "" ¡°Very pleased to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Koume Hino. This is the prince.¡± I barely managed to recite the greeting I¡¯d rehearsed, and gently touched the prince¡¯s back. The prince spoke quietly. ¡°G¡¯Afternoon.¡± His Majesty chuckled, and replied, ¡°Good Afternoon. I¡¯m your¡­ No, I am the king of this country, Ishdir Alraga Rizonna.¡± I think he was about to say he was the prince¡¯s father. But the prince was going to be treated as an adopted child within the royal family, His Highness¡¯s wish could never be fulfilled. Until the prince was old enough to protect the secret too, the truth would have to be kept from him. I wondered what effect it would all have on the prince¡¯s heart in the future. But I¡¯ll be with you, little prince! His Majesty turned to Lady Solamire. ¡°Solamire?¡± Lady Solamire took a step forward, and bent down a little to meet the prince eye to eye. ¡°Good afternoon, prince. Thank you¡­ for coming today.¡± And then she looked up at me without changing position, and her voice shook. She seemed afraid. ¡°Kohme¡­ Thank you.¡± I couldn¡¯t hold back the trembling in my own voice, but I did want to say the same thing to Lady Solamire. To the person who¡¯d entrusted me with the prince. ¡°Thank you. Very much.¡± Hearing me, Lady Solamire¡¯s eyes widened, and she smiled, her face flooded with relief. It probably sounded a bit odd to the servants listening to our conversation. Lady Solamire looked back to the prince, and gently reached out a hand to stroke his cheek. ¡°So cute. Can I pick you up?¡± The prince looked confused, but he let her pick him up, and Lady Solamire closed her eyes and snuggled her cheek to the prince¡¯s hair, and didn¡¯t move for a little while. How nice. They were finally able to meet. How nice. Nanao and Koaya quietly floated through my mind. At that moment, I heard a voice from beside me. ¡°Miss Kohme.¡± I turned around to see the woman who¡¯d been standing behind the royal couple. At her urging, she and I went over to the window and turned to each other. The woman seemed a bit troubled, but she smiled gently. There were kind wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. ¡°I am the person who is set to be employed as His Highness Prince¡¯s wetnurse.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± My chest thumped. Tellner¡­ Originally wetnurse to the prince¡¯s older sister Princess Haluria. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to apologize for letting His Highness get lost¡­¡± ¡°Please, you don¡¯t need to apologize to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you either, for finding him. I¡¯m forever grateful.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± I was at a loss for words. I thought it would be the royal couple to have the last word on who would be the prince¡¯s wetnurse, but this woman seemed to think the job was already hers. I might be stealing her job, what was I supposed to say? Just then, Tellner gently approached and whispered to me. ¡°It was quite the proper Incident, with all that happened yesterday. It¡¯s been decided that I¡¯ll have to be kept out of sight for a while.¡± When I looked up, surprised, there was a smile around Tellner¡¯s eyes. ¡°But actually, Princess Haluria is getting married soon. Maybe by the time the princess is blessed with her own child, I¡¯ll be in a position to come back.¡± So in other words¡­ When Princess Haluria had a child, Tellner was going to help them, or rather, that¡¯s what she hoped to be able to do, is that what she was saying? ¡°So I was hoping you¡¯d be able to help me out with His Highness Prince,¡± Tellner said. I was a little shocked, and I replied in a panic. ¡°Yes, of course! I don¡¯t have much experience, but I¡¯ll give it my all!¡± I don¡¯t have much experience? 1 What was I, getting married? Afterwards, Mr Fatido appeared a bit late, and seemed hesitant, at least at first. Mr Fatido shot me a quick wink, and then said, exaggeratedly, ¡°Ah, Your Highness, my dear sister, have you found a child to adopt? He seems a healthy young man. I am called Fatido.¡± Or something like that anyway. The prince was practically oozing question marks. ¡°Hashiido?¡± he said. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve learned my name already. What a clever boy, isn¡¯t he, Solamire!¡± Have mercy, I was already having enough trouble not bursting into laughter. And then His Highness and Lady Solamire¡¯s first child, Princess Haluria ¨C the prince¡¯s older sister ¨C came around. Princess Haluria was fifteen years old. She looked like Lady Solamire as well, but her hair was wonderful curls, just like her father. The pastel green, knee-length dress she had on suited her well. She seemed to be aware of the fact that the prince was her brother by blood, and she rushed up to the prince as she came into the room. ¡°How cute! My name is Haluria. I¡¯m your¡­ I¡¯m gonna be your big sister, how about that!¡± she said, grabbing a toy she¡¯d brought with her from an attendant. ¡°Let¡¯s go play!¡± The prince happily tottled over to the princess and the two of them started playing, warming up to each other almost instantly. After that, Mr Tsuguru came around, and Lemonina and I answered his formal questions, with His Highness and Lady Solamire interjecting every so often, and then the meeting was over. That evening, I was called to Lady Solamire¡¯s private room by myself for another interview for the nurse position. A female guard patted me down, and then a lady-in-waiting led me to a room, which was quite elegant in cream tones. There weren¡¯t any paintings or vases here, but every piece of furniture seemed like a work of art. I hesitated even to step on the carpet. Lady Solamire was standing near a window, and offered me the sofa as she approached. One of her attendants immediately brought us tea, and prepared it for us on the table. Lady Solamire sat down, a frown on her face. ¡°We have many things to discuss today. If we require anything, I¡¯ll ring the bell, so would you please wait outside,¡± she said to the attendants. The door closed behind them leaving the two of us alone in the room. The second we were alone, tears spilled from Lady Solamire¡¯s eyes in big drops. ¡°Your Hi¨C Lady Solamire¡­¡± I reflexively got up from the sofa and went around the table to kneel beside Lady Solamire. I wanted to hold her trembling hands, but I wasn¡¯t at all sure if it was okay to just touch her, so my own hand waved around. It was Lady Solamire who grabbed my hand instead. ¡°Kohme, thank you. And also¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry. I¡­¡± Lady Solamire moved to get down on her knees too, but I rather impolitely tried to stop her, and started chatting with a smile on my face. ¡°There are so many things I want to talk to you about, Your Highness. You absolutely have to hear some of this¡­ I¡¯ve always always wanted to tell you!¡± Finally, I could talk about all the trouble of raising a kid! ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve raised girls then, just like me.¡± ¡°Girls and boys are so different, even when they¡¯re little, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I was so surprised when I hugged him earlier, Haluria had such a different frame when she was little.¡± ¡°I know right! Girls are so fluffy, boys are kind of, more sturdy somehow.¡± What was supposed to be an interview for a wetnurse position turned instead into some kind of neighborhood mom convention. Along the way, Lady Solamire seemed to calm down, and let out a yell. ¡°Oh wait! Fatido hasn¡¯t been bugging you, has he Kohme? I told Kahzam and Lahzt not to let that idiot ever meet you, but every single one of those guys is so useless.¡± It finally hit home that Solamire really was Fatido¡¯s older sister. CH 5.4 Lady Solamire very thoughtfully arranged it so that dinner was only those of us who had protected the prince. I had been running around like a chicken with my head cut off the entire day, so I first availed myself of a hot bath and put my attire in order. And thank god I¡¯d brought my important bags with me. It was just dinner with friends, but it was technically a meal in a castle, so I had to wear my lavender dress! Lemonina lent me some makeup. Lady Solamire offered us clothing for the prince too, the first time he¡¯d worn anything formal, and he really did look like a little prince. The white button down and black slacks with suspenders suited him perfectly. Well, I¡¯m sure the prince would look good in bloomers and white tights, but maybe I¡¯m biased. The room the royal family used as a small dining room was the most simply decorated of all the ones I¡¯d seen so far, but it was still plenty luxurious. A chandelier shone on tapestries with scenes from legends that hung from the walls, and tall chairs lined up around a table with a pure white tablecloth over it. Beautiful maids carried in trolleys with our meal on them, and we were told that if we needed anything we could ring the small bells, that their attention was entirely ours. ¡°Well¡­¡± When the door closed, I looked around at everyone¡¯s face and tried to break the ice. ¡°Really, thank you all for your help. Thanks to you all, it seems I¡¯ll be able to stay with the prince from now on. I¡¯ll never be able to thank you enough, but you¡¯ve all been such a great help in protecting the prince. Honestly¡­ Thank you.¡± I bowed my head. Mr Fatido got to his feet¡­ followed swiftly by Lemonina, Mr Lahzt, and Mr Kahzam, who all raised their glasses. I rushed to grab mine too. Mr Fatido beamed. ¡°This is the result we¡¯ve all been working towards. Thank you, Kohme, for all your hard work.¡± Lemonina winked. ¡°I¡¯m glad to have met such an adorable young woman.¡± ¡°No apology would suffice, but I do want to thank you. Very much.¡± Mr Lahzt flashed a smile, looking a bit troubled. Mr Kahzam just looked bashful. ¡°It feels strange to think about the fact that Kohme wasn¡¯t here until this happened¡­ I can¡¯t say it right, but¡­¡± There was something welling up in my chest, and I smiled without saying a word. Everyone turned to me and held their glasses up in a toast to me. I followed suit. The prince grinned. ¡°Con-gats!¡± It was the first time since I¡¯d come here that I had fresh fish. A nourishing soup flooded through my entire exhausted body. ¡°Kohme. I¡¯ll have to go back to work tomorrow, but if you have any trouble, contact me, I¡¯ll come running, wherever you are,¡± Mr Fatido said. Oh yeah, the president of the company couldn¡¯t just abandon it. ¡°You too, Lemonina, I¡¯m sure you have actual work to get to?¡± I apologized hastily. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for all this.¡± Lemonina let out a laugh. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll just give my students some extra homework. And there¡¯s a lot of it I can pass off to Lahzt.¡± Mr Lahzt looked up in horror. And speaking of which, that thing at the Shiinium¡­ ¡°We¡¯ve got to get prepared for some field work. You and I will be leaving for the Shiinium tomorrow, together.¡± ¡°I¨C Ugh, yes ma¡¯am.¡± Heheh, his face was so stiff. Good luck, Mr Lahzt. ¡°And you¡¯ll be going back to being Lady Solamire¡¯s bodyguard, right, Mr Kahzam?¡± I asked, and Mr Kahzam smiled. "" ¡°Yes. I do sometimes leave the castle with Lady Solamire, and I¡¯ll be busy for a little while, but usually I live in the guards¡¯ barracks, so I¡¯ll be close.¡± Barracks, huh¡­ So I can¡¯t just casually drop by for a visit, can I. After the meal was over and tea had been brewed with supplies from another trolley, I broached another subject. ¡°I have something I¡¯d like to tell you as well.¡± Everyone looked up. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been informed that my younger sisters are safe¡­ Well, I think. When I was given a name by Gaduos and lost consciousness¡­¡± I told them about when I¡¯d been shot back to Japan the instant I¡¯d earned a name. I¡¯d floated beside Nanao in her room, as some kind of formless ghost, and my body had felt like it was being pulled toward Gaduelyon and I panicked. How could I convey a message to Nanao? At that moment, a white light swirled right next to me and formed a shape. A figure like the shimmer of heat ¨C Kahzapka. He¡¯d rubbed his head against my apron, and then shoved his beak into the pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. It was the paper with the transcription of the seal of Nanao¡¯s name. Oh, I thought, and reached my hand out to touch the paper with my left hand. Suddenly the area around the ring on my left hand glowed, and in the area underneath where Nanao¡¯s name had been written on the paper, other characters rose to the surface. The Shin of my name! Nanao cracked her eyes open when Koaya called to her from outside the room. I hurriedly tucked the paper with my name on it into the bouquet of flowers, and tossed it towards Nanao. The bouquet fell right beside her head. I heard the door to her room open. Nanao sat up in bed with a gasp, and Koaya froze the second she stepped foot in the room. The instant their eyes met, the world went a brilliant white¨C ¨CAnd I was back on top of that sheer cliff. By the time I finished speaking, Lemonina was crying. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so glad, Kohme¡­ That¡¯s wonderful. I¡¯m sure your sisters got the message¡­ That you¡¯re safe and happy.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± My face broke into a broad smile and I nodded. I had fulfilled my promise to throw the bouquet to Nanao after all. Koaya must have noticed the ribbon around the bouquet, right, and my name? ¡°I¡¯ve been wavering about a lot of things, but I think now I can truly devote myself to being a good nanny. I¡¯m going to give it my all in this world!¡± Everyone looked at me and nodded, smiling. I didn¡¯t meet the king¡¯s first wife, who was staggeringly elegant, or the queen¡¯s daughter and her husband the Crown Prince until later on, and only once. We had a bit of a history between us, so I was quite nervous, but none of them had any interest in me or the prince, so the whole thing ended with hello. The Crown Prince was twenty-nine. My first impression was that he felt more like a cold-hearted industrialist than a member of the royal family. I left it to the Princess to interact with that half of the castle, and just stood quietly to one side for the whole meeting. I happened to ask Tellner, and apparently he was the type who preferred to settle things through discussion rather than confrontation. Maybe it was just my imagination, but perhaps the man himself hadn¡¯t really wanted all this uproar over the position of Crown Prince. Sometimes it¡¯s everyone around you that kicks up the fuss. Even taking the prince back to the castle with him when we¡¯d met at the Shiinium, if that really had been because he was worried about the prince¡­ I hoped for the prince¡¯s sake that he really was such a thoughtful person. A few days later, the process of having the royal couple formally adopt the prince, who was privately considered a relative of Lemonina¡¯s, was completed. It seemed his name was to remain Prince. Calling the prince Prince felt a little strange somehow, but Lady Solamire said, ¡°It¡¯s the name you gave him, Kohme!¡± so I figured it¡¯d be alright once I got used to it. Mr Fatido and Lemonina returned to their work, promising to meet again, and Mr Lahzt headed out on his research trip. Even Mr Kahzam went back to work, and I didn¡¯t see him. I got to play with the prince sometimes in the garden, or have tea with King Ishdir and Lady Solamire, but almost all my time outside of that was spent studying. I was given lectures by members of the palace staff with basic information about the royal family and the building that served as their second palace. Even the way I spoke had to be corrected a little¡­ Yikes. Technically speaking, a wetnurse also acted as a tutor to the young prince in this world, but because I was supposed to be from further inland, where the literacy rate was lower, I wouldn¡¯t have to play that role myself. But my work had been highly regarded when the prince went missing, and no one had objected to my staying with him as a wetnurse. Apparently they were putting in for someone else to be the tutor. As the days passed in that manner, I realized I was unconsciously searching. For my companions. I knew that no matter how much I looked there was no point. Mr Fatido and Mr Lahzt weren¡¯t even here. And as for Mr Kahzam, he was supposed to be on castle grounds, but I never spotted him even once, and I started to get lonely. And then eventually, it was formally decided that the prince and I would head for Shiz Cagna. The night before we were supposed to start for the palace, after I put the prince to bed, I went next door to the living room, and turned on the table lamp. I opened a piece of stationary that had been left in the room for me, and picked up a pen. To one side was a Ren, a sort of dictionary of people¡¯s Shin addresses I had borrowed from Lemonina. I¡¯d decided to write a letter to Mr Kahzam. He was close by within the royal palace, so I wanted to at least send him a note before we left. But during the daytime I was so busy with my wetnurse education that I never had the time, and now we were practically already gone and I still hadn¡¯t sent him anything. Fortunately, I remembered the seal for Mr Kahzam¡¯s name, so if I wrote a letter, the posteys would be able to take it to him. When I thought of writing his Shin, it came to mind quite easily, and I¡¯d practiced the names of people around me a lot, and had somehow managed to learn how to write them down. I always had been good at the really hard kanji. The truth is, I want to meet up and chat. I want to see you¡­ I felt like my thoughts must be showing on my face, and I reflexively covered my face with both hands. No one was around, but it was still weird! I took a deep breath and got myself back together again, and then picked up the pen once more. Mr Kahzam always looked after the prince and I with such gentleness. He believed in the bond between the prince and I. He¡¯d protected me wholly. I wanted to let him know how reassuring he¡¯d been to me. I¡¯d learned about the Ren seals in my wetnurse training, but it was incredibly hard to express the depth of my feelings right now. Well¡­ the sounds and meanings were already in my head, so the only thing left really was to form the characters. After agonizing over what to write, and then rewriting it god knows how many times, the only things I ended up actually putting down was ¡°Thank you,¡± and Vio Rizonna¡¯s most bog-standard collection of characters: ¡°With all my heart.¡± I opened the window and went out onto the terrace, where a small copse of trees that had been planted for privacy were loitering around. I went down into the garden and out between the trees, where a garden stretched out behind the royal castle. The flowers had closed their petals and were resting in the dark of the night, and a beautiful night sky adorned with stars kept watch over them. I whistled as I¡¯d been practicing, and a postey immediately descended from the starry sky. He perched on my left hand and I removed the lid of the letter tube attached to his leg, and put in my letter, rolled into a thin tube. ¡°To Mr Kahzam, please,¡± I asked the bird, still feeling a bit lonely, and released it into the sky. I wondered what Mr Kahzam was doing just then. Maybe he was on the night watch. Maybe he was looking up at this starry sky from somewhere. But just at that moment, the postey I¡¯d sent off suddenly changed course and flew back down to the garden. ¡°What?¡± What was going on? I wondered, and stepped towards him, but then came to a halt. A figure was approaching from the other side. The postey was perched on the man¡¯s shoulder. The uniformed figure of Mr Kahzam floated into view, illuminated by the garden lights. He wasn¡¯t carrying that long spear today, only a short pole of some kind, hanging from a holster at his hip. ¡°Mr Kahzam¡­¡± ¡°Kohme¡­¡± My name spilled out of his mouth and echoed like some kind of premonition. Suddenly I could hear my heart pounding. Mr Kahzam pulled my letter from the postey¡¯s tube. It¡¯s work now done, the postey let out a caw and took flight, disappearing into the night after tracing a satisfied circle around us. ¡°I¡¯m, uh, leaving tomorrow, so I thought I¡¯d drop you a note¡­ Although since we¡¯ve met now, the letter¡¯s sort of pointless I guess.¡± I started to reach out, but before I could, Mr Kahzam unfurled my letter and I reflexively looked to the ground. Those awkward characters, in front of his eyes? Ugh. My cheeks got hot. I peeked up at him to see how he was taking it, and Mr Kahzam folded the letter with a little smile and put it in his breast pocket. ¡°I¡­ I wanted to see you too. After work today, I thought it might be too late already, but I figured you must be staying around here somewhere, and¡­ I was just wandering around, wondering if I should send a postey from here.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I let slip a laugh. ¡°Are you feeling a little lost too, Mr Kahzam?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t usually come over here¡­¡± Mumbling Mr Kahzam was kind of cute. Ah, I wonder if the prince is alright¡­ I worried belatedly, and Mr Kahzam seemed to know. ¡°Maybe we could talk a little, in the room next to the prince¡¯s?¡± he said, gently pressing on my back. ¡°Security¡¯s not going to wonder about you?¡± I said, noticing a silhouette with a long pole making their rounds in the garden, and Mr Kahzam showed another little smile. ¡°Security is all my coworkers, they know I¡¯m here.¡± We walked through the grove, and went back all the way to the garden just outside the room where the prince was sleeping, and sat down next to each other on the terrace. The night air was clear and quiet. There wasn¡¯t any distance between us at all, and I felt like everything I¡¯d been thinking and everything I¡¯d been feeling was being transmitted without any filter. ¡°Your work, must be busy, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Although I don¡¯t know if you can really call it work. While I was away, my colleagues were giving it their all, so now I have to go around with them to make up for my part¡­ Drinking, and drinking, and drinking.¡± ¡°Pfft-¡± I burst out, and quickly pressed my hand over my mouth. It was the first time I¡¯d heard about Mr Kahzam¡¯s private life, it was kind of refreshing. Mr Kahzam smiled a bit too, before his expression changed. ¡°In the next personnel shuffle, I was thinking about trying for service at Shiz Cagna. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be any time soon, but¡­ I¡¯d like to protect you and Prince in the future too.¡± I stared back into Mr Kahzam¡¯s dark green eyes. ¡°I¡¯d be overjoyed if you could serve at Shiz Cagna, Mr Kahzam. But please don¡¯t push yourself too much. I¡¯m fine.¡± I smiled, wanting to put him at ease, but Mr Kahzam¡¯s eyebrows came together a bit. ¡°You won¡¯t¡­ forget me, in all that time? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll end up thinking about Nanao, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true, I suppose¡­ I¡¯m sure Nanao will be on my mind forever,¡± I answered, and the very next instant Mr Kahzam pulled us close. Suddenly, strong arms drew my waist near, and Mr Kahzam was hugging me. My chest was throbbing so hard it was about to explode, and I was sure Mr Kahzam could feel it. Probably he was just comforting me, since I was thinking about my sisters, but¡­ I was overjoyed. Maybe it was okay to let him spoil me a bit¡­? When I gently tried to put my arm around Mr Kahzam¡¯s back, he spoke in a hushed voice. ¡°Please forget about him already, this Nanao person.¡± ¡°What?¡± I looked up at him, startled, but Mr Kahzam had his arm around me so tight I couldn¡¯t move. Why would he say something like that? Mr Kahzam put even more power into his arms, and lowered his head, pressing his cheek against mine. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I know you said you¡¯ve already broken up, and I know you¡¯re in this world now Kohme, but I think you still have feelings for that guy¡­ I feel like if I don¡¯t do this, you¡¯ll end up going somewhere far away. The truth is, I don¡¯t want to let you go to Shiz Cagna.¡± What now? ¡°Wait, wait a minute, Mr Kahzam!¡± I tapped Mr Kahzam on the back and succeeded in getting him to loosen his arms. I looked up into Mr Kahzam¡¯s face and said, ¡°Nanao is my youngest sister¡¯s name though?¡± ¡°What!?¡± Silence. It was the first time I¡¯d seen Mr Kahzam dumbfounded. ¡°I¨C That¡¯s¨C I guess now that I think about it, I¡¯ve been talking about ¡®My little sisters this¡¯ and ¡®My little sisters that¡¯ but I guess I never did actually mention their names. But how did you get the idea that Nanao was a man?¡± It felt like we were talking entirely past each other. Mr Kahzam¡¯s eyes wandered a bit. ¡°Uh, um¡­ When we first brought you to the Garden of Stars, you, um. You were kind of delirious, and you mumbled the name¡­¡± So sometime between when I first came to this world, and the first time I woke up. Okay, so? ¡°And then later, at Lahzt¡¯s villa, when you told me about the name Morio, you said the o part was something people put at the end of mens¡¯ names, so I thought, you must have been calling out the name of the person you love¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I finally got it. If he were a Japanese person, he would have been able to tell it was a woman¡¯s name from the nana part, even if it did have an o at the end of it, but that was something only a Japanese person would know! So he was under the mistaken impression that I was still thinking of the lover I¡¯d broken it off with, that was why he¡¯d asked in the RV about who¡¯d given me the bouquet. I started to say something, but held my tongue, and my eyes met Mr Kahzam¡¯s as he made a gesture like he was wiping sweat from his brow. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry¡­?¡± ¡°My apologies¡­¡± We apologized to each other, and then we both felt weird and started giggling. The laughter subsided, and silence fell for another little while. Mr Kahzam¡¯s brusque hands moved suddenly, touched my cheek, and then combed through my hair. His fingers traced down the nape of my neck, and I unconsciously drew closer, sighing. His voice was heated. ¡°In that case, I don¡¯t have to worry about it any more.¡± I looked up, surprised, and Mr Kahzam¡¯s dark green eyes were right next to me. I gave a small nod, and hung my head again without a word. Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it any more. And now¡­ And now? The hand that had been creeping into my hair got a little stronger. His face got closer, like he was peering in at me. Our lips touched, just barely. Just once, and we separated. I was pulled in by that gaze that was asking for something more, and looked up, just a little. Mr Kahzam smiled, overjoyed, and then pulled me to that broad chest and hugged me tight, like I was precious to him. Our lips pressed close once more¡­ ¡°Moy-oh?¡± "" Gah! I popped my body away from Mr Kahzam¡¯s and turned around to find the prince standing in the terrace doorway rubbing his eyes. ¡°Oh, little prince, you woke up, huh?¡± Wow, my face was hot! My voice even cracked somewhere around ¡®you¡¯. Mr Kahzam was red around the eyes too, and he covered his mouth with one hand like he didn¡¯t want anybody to see. ¡°Mm¡­¡± The prince came over to me, and forced his way onto my lap. And then he grabbed onto my clothes and fell right back asleep, muttering to himself. Mr Kahzam and I looked at each other and reflexively burst into laughter again. And so, the following day, the prince and I set off for the palace at Shiz Cagna, accompanied by Princess Haluria¡­ I became nanny to His Highness and Lady Solamire¡¯s adopted son Prince ¨C later formally given the name, Ojes Ildes Rizonna. 1 CH 6 ¡°Lady Nanny. ¡­Lady Kohme.¡± There was a voice from the other side of the door. Pulling my body out to make an appearance from under my writing desk, I replied. ¡°Oh yes, come in! Ow¨C¡± I hit my head. ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked Taval, his old face clouded with worry, as he opened the door to my private chambers. His magnificent white hair was pulled back into a bun, and he looked wild somehow, like a ronin from a historical play. He was in charge of Shiz Cagna, and actually wore perfectly orthodox suits. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just looking for something¡­ Oh, it¡¯s about tomorrow¡¯s dinner party, right? I¡¯ll come right down.¡± I quickly checked myself in the full-length mirror in the corner of the room, and put a bonnet on my head. It was a little white bonnet that tied at the chin, part of the maid and nanny uniform. The nanny one had a bit of a colorful pattern. After that I had a navy blue pinafore-style dress over a white blouse, and a white apron. Mr Taval and I strode down the hallways, headed towards the kitchens. The King and Lady Solamire were coming for a stay starting tomorrow, so we were having a meeting with the head chef. It had been two months since I¡¯d come to stay at Shiz Cagna. The work of a nanny was totally different from what I¡¯d imagined. In Japan they were almost like housewives, as far as I knew, doing housework and child-rearing duties, but here it was totally different. I was the one who looked after the prince¡¯s meals, but professional chefs actually made them. I was the one who helped the prince change his clothes, but the ones who washed them were the maids. And of course, the prince and I didn¡¯t just strip down and get into the bath together anymore. I washed myself separately while the prince was bathing. I was uneasy about that at first, somehow. If you¡¯re wondering what on earth the nurse actually did, it turned out I was some kind of supervisor, over the chef and the maids! The post of wetnurse bore responsibility for everything related to the prince in Lady Solamire¡¯s place, and it was the number two position at Shiz Cagna. Appalling! Except, it¡¯s not like they could employ a random member of the general public, so I got a lot of help from Mr Taval and his wife, who were actually in charge. Until the prince and I came, this second palace was used as a holiday villa for the royal couple, or a reception hall where guests from foreign countries would stay, but it was all run by Mr Taval and his wife. One part of the palace was open to the public too, as a museum, where they exhibited treasures and paintings that told the story of the royal family¡¯s history, and the Tavals were in charge of that too. They were already incredibly old, but they were amazingly powerful. And then, the people of the village who lived down the hill from the palace got in the habit of calling it The Prince¡¯s Palace. I was overjoyed that they¡¯d welcomed us so kindly. Winter was approaching in Vio Rizonna. The first snow had finally fallen yesterday. And then this morning, when I had looked out from the hallway over the beautifully manicured garden, the snow had left a faint, beautiful layer of decoration over the greenery. Through the trees that ringed the garden, a small lake and an orchard were visible. The cold air stung my skin, but today looked like it was going to be clear skies. ¡°What was it you were looking for? Maybe I could help you with something.¡± Mr Taval asked, so I answered with a bitter smile. ¡°Ah, it was just¡­ It was a letter I wrote to my younger sisters.¡± I¡¯d written letters addressed to Nanao and Koaya, and now I carried them around with me always. Recently, the prince had begun to study Shin, and so we¡¯d been learning together, and writing letters. After all, Kahzapka could cross space and time right, so he could go to Japan probably. Maybe I was asking too much, but maybe I¡¯d have the opportunity to give my letters to Nanao and Koaya somehow. I wanted to cling to that possibility, no matter how small. Maybe Nanao¡¯s Shin name had actually reached her. I¡¯d put it in the bouquet that I¡¯d tossed to her that day. So as long as I wrote the addressee¡¯s seal properly, maybe I could write the body of the letter in Japanese¡­? So with that in mind, I wrote letters both ways, with and without Japanese in them. And now I couldn¡¯t find either one of them. I really wondered where they had gotten to. Had the prince maybe hidden them somewhere? ¡°So this is where you go off to.¡± A guard with dark green eyes had rushed over from the garden. I stopped short with a smile on my face. ¡°Mr Kahzam!¡± He greeted Mr Taval and I, lifting his hat a bit. He was wearing the standard guards¡¯ uniform, with a tall black stand-up collar. Jeez, I was seriously surprised. Mr Kahzam had barely waited a few days before chasing after us, after the prince and I had first come to Shiz Cagna. He¡¯d come to say hello to me in the prince¡¯s room after taking up his new post, and according to him, ¡°Lady Solamire kindly praised me for my part in resolving the recent incidents, and¡­ She asked me if there was any specific thing I wanted, so I blurted out that I¡¯d been hoping to work at Shiz Cagna. I got so busy with the transfer, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t let you know.¡± But¡­ Was it okay to suddenly ditch Lady Solamire like this? I started to get worried. ¡°What did Lady Solamire say?¡± I asked, and Mr Kahzam looked away a little. ¡± ¡®Oh, so it¡¯s like that is it? Give it your best,¡¯ were, I believe, her exact words.¡± And then those dark green eyes looked at me again and smiled. Waaah! I remembered the kiss that night for a moment. My brain was slowly getting used to my new job, but the poor thing had been giving its all, and it was over capacity in an instant. ¡°Did¨C Did she, now! But surely, Lady Solamire would feel better if you were by the prince¡¯s side, Mr Kahzam, right!¡± I changed the subject, my voice unconsciously shrill, but Mr Kahzam looked at me and smiled like he was amused after all. While I was remembering all that, Mr Kahzam spoke, a bit of a worried look on his face. ¡°We just got word from the front gate, Lord Fatido is¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Mr Fatido had contacted me to let me know he was arriving this evening. Just as I thought that, an incredibly energetic, large figure came down the hall towards us. ¡°Ah¨C Mr Fatido¡­¡± ¡°I wanted to see you. I¡¯m a bit early, but I flew.¡± Mr Fatido wrapped his hands around my left hand, and kissed my ring. Actually, Mr Fatido had made a ring for me, out of my single red stone earring. The way he glammed it up as he¡¯d gone to slip it onto my left ring finger was such a production. I¡¯d intercepted him, and put it on myself, but still. Seeing Mr Fatido¡¯s ardent greetings, Mr Taval said, ¡°Shall I step out?¡± and started to move, so I grabbed his shirttail in a panic and pulled him to a stop. ¡°No. Please stay. Please.¡± But Mr Fatido kept right on talking, paying it no mind whatsoever. ¡°I was extremely glad to get an invitation from my sister, Kohme. For your birthday celebration, work means nothing.¡± ¡°What?¡± My birthday celebration? Just as I was thinking that, a cute, shrill little voice shouted from behind me. ¡°No telling!¡± The prince came running, his face totally red. And then behind him, Lauren, one of his attendants, came following him in a panic. I¡¯d heard Lemonina was supposed to be coming tomorrow too, and I thought it was going to be nice to see everybody after such a long time, but was it possible they were throwing me a surprise birthday party? I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d ever said the actual date, but I did remember saying I was born in the winter. Even Mr Taval was grinning. He knew something. ¡± ¡®Cause there¡¯s nothing, right Koume!¡±1 The prince tugged on my apron and looked up at me. The prince had just been shown off to the public recently, and he was getting bigger and bigger every day. We had massaged the numbers a bit to hide his identity, and told people he was three, but to look at him, he really did seem like he was three years old, outside and in. Kids in this world grew up fast. I smiled and answered. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what? Nobody¡¯s told me anything. Did you finish your Shin studies?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Prince catches on quite quickly. Makes my life difficult, actually.¡± Coming up behind Lauren as he spoke was Mr Lahzt. He¡¯d now become the prince¡¯s tutor. Mr Lahzt had gone on his trip (field work?) on Lemonina¡¯s orders, and had taken up the post as the prince¡¯s tutor a month ago. He came back looking thin and haggard from whatever he¡¯d been made to do on that trip, and it did surprise me, but he was back to his old self now, and teaching the prince all kinds of things. He also worked as the prince¡¯s personal physician. ¡°Getting their money¡¯s worth out of me, aren¡¯t they?¡± he grumbled. ¡°You didn¡¯t teach him the teleportation, I¡¯m assuming?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t but¡­ It¡¯s just a matter of time before he starts outpacing the textbooks,¡± Mr Lahzt and I looked at the prince, and we both sighed. In fact, just a few days ago, the prince had happened upon a teleportation art in one of Mr Lahzt¡¯s books, and had teleported himself to the Garden of Stars. Indeed, now that the prince looked entirely like a three-year-old, he might not be able to go there again. It was a spell a child wouldn¡¯t normally be able to use so easily, but when I thought about the fact that he¡¯d turned himself into an animal, I realized the prince must be a bit special. Something about that place seemed to resonate with him. At any rate, Shiz Cagna had been an utter disaster that day until we¡¯d gotten ahold of Mr Lahzt, who¡¯d been out of the office. If he started to be able to come and go as he pleased¡­ That would mean trouble. Every time he went, he¡¯d end up getting a little bigger. ¡°Mm, I have something to take care of in the kitchens at the moment. Lauren, can I ask you to get Professor Lahzt and Lord Fatido some tea please? Perhaps you¡¯d like to have a snack with them, little prince?¡± There were a lot of eyes on us, so I spoke to the prince using polite language. The prince was used to it. ¡°Yeah! Hasido, Lahz, le¡¯s go!¡± He pulled both of them along by the hand. Just then, something moved in the corner of my vision, and shadow instantly covered us. Mr Kahzam reflexively moved, coming directly to our side. Just as I realized I could hear the flapping of bird wings, a single bird landed right in front of me. A figure like a white shimmer of heat¡­ It was Kahzapka, the messenger of the gods, the one I had wanted to meet. I promptly put both hands out in front of me. A folded up piece of paper light dropped into my hands. Kahzapka let out a caw, and immediately leapt into the sky again, and disappeared as though he¡¯d melted into the sunlight. ¡°This paper¡­?¡± This was high quality paper that was created to last a long time. When I opened it, the seal that was Nanao¡¯s name was topmost, with my own name below that. It was the page I¡¯d put into the bouquet. But other characters had been added to the paper. The seal of Nanao¡¯s name and the seal of my name had been written over and over again, lined up next to one another. It reminded me of the prince¡¯s exercise book¡­ It felt like whoever had written this had been practicing new characters repeatedly. When I saw a tiny Shin at the top right, my hand flew to my mouth. It was Nanao! Nanao had gotten the bouquet and the letter. She must have been so confused to see just her name written in some characters she didn¡¯t recognize. But she couldn¡¯t do anything else with it, so she just started trying to memorize them. Her own name, and her big sister¡¯s name. ¡°It¡¯s Nanao¡­ But how? Why would Kahzapka go and get this from where Nanao is¡­?¡± I said to myself, excited and unable to take my eyes off the letter. And then I realized something. Wait¡­ the missing letter! ¡°Prince! When you went to the Garden of Stars the other day, did you take the letter I wrote with you!?¡± I was really loud, so the prince jumped, probably thinking he was about to be scolded, but he nodded obediently. ¡°Yeah. ¡®Cause¡­ It¡¯s letter to Nana, right¡­¡± The prince had met with Kahzapka in the Garden of Stars and handed over my letter! Kahzapka had delivered it for me, to where Nanao was in the other world. And then when he¡¯d come back to this world, he¡¯d brought this letter back with him. ¡°Prince! Thank you! I love you!¡± I was so overcome with emotion, I grabbed the prince in a big hug and kissed his cheek. There couldn¡¯t be a better birthday present than this! Seeing the prince wriggling, embarrassed, Mr Taval seemed confused. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve lost, somehow,¡± Mr Lahzt muttered, ¡°and I imagine it won¡¯t be the last time.¡± Mr Fatido shrugged. ¡°We can¡¯t lose focus though. So, Your Highness, I think there are snacks.¡± Mr Kahzam took the prince from me and gently set him down. The prince grinned, laughing, and took off running down the hall ahead of us. That smile was more dear to me than anything. £ª¡¡£ª¡¡£ª Dear Nanao, Koaya, Are you well? I¡¯ll never be able to contact you, and I¡¯m so sorry for that. I¡¯m in a country right now which is not Japan. Well, to say it properly, I¡¯m in a whole different world from you. I think the story is pretty unbelievable, but you¡¯ll believe me, right Nanao, after you got the bouquet from me that day? I¡¯m sure Koaya would say it smells fishy, but there was a job that only I could do, and so I got called into this world quite suddenly. That job was being nanny to a little boy. His early life has been full of adventure¡­ But I¡¯m going to pour all the love I¡¯ve known from my time with you two into raising him. And also¡­ Maybe it¡¯s the bouquet¡¯s blessing, but I¡¯ve had a lot of fateful encounters. The truth is, I wish I could meet you two again and tell you everything, make you my most important confidantes, but¡­ I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to contact you again. Somehow, please, stay well. From Koume CH 7 One day before we¡¯d truly entered winter, on a calm Indian summer day. A big garden stretched from the front gates to the entrance at Shiz Cagna, but there was also a private lawn in front of the prince¡¯s chambers. The weather was great, so his attendant Lauren and I prepared lunch on the lawn. ¡°Lord Prince, could you come help us please? Let¡¯s pull this over there, please.¡± ¡°Yup! Here we go!¡± The prince loitered around, helping Lauren spread out a rug in the lawn. ¡°Okay? I¡¯ll bring it over then!¡± I said, and started carrying over the plates from the wagon that we¡¯d carted onto the terrace to the rug. There were going to be a lot of people today, so there were a decent number of dishes. It had been three months since I started living in the separate palace. During the time I spent at Mr Lahzt¡¯s villa, Mr Kahzam had always made the meals for us, and I was usually the one to help him, so I had been thinking that I wanted everyone to try my food as a feast. That¡¯s why I¡¯d invited everyone here today. Unfortunately, Lemonina couldn¡¯t make it, but everyone else was here. After breakfast, I borrowed the palace kitchen, and made the food myself while Lauren looked after the prince. As for ingredients I would have used in my original world¡­ Well, but there was no miso or soy sauce here. They did have something like rice, but it wasn¡¯t at all sticky, so I couldn¡¯t form it into sushi or nigiri. It was quite difficult to bring out any Japanese flavor in my food, and I was a little lost as to what to make, but after I remembered the bento I used to see all the time in Japan, I easily decided on my menu. Vio Rizonna did have a history of picnics, but it had more of a European Lunch Box feel, like sandwiches in a basket, rather than anything that you might call a bento. I located a deepish, multi-tier, rectangular plate, and stuffed my dishes in there. I packed Lauren¡¯s portion separately, and wrapped it in a large handkerchief. When she was done with preparations, she gladly accepted it. ¡°Thanks for this. Take your time!¡± she said, and left with the bento in hand and a smile on her face. I hope it suited her tastes. ¡°Kohme, are we supposed to eat with these?¡± The cutlery case in Mr Lahzt¡¯s hands contained chopsticks I¡¯d asked the gardener to make for me out of a tree branch. ¡°We are. I¡¯m going to teach you how to use them,¡± I said, removing the cloth from the plates. ¡°That¡¯s beautiful!¡± Mr Kahzam was off duty starting at noon, and was in civilian clothes, a formal jacket with a stand-up collar. He muttered the praise like he had spoken involuntarily, and stared fixedly at the bento. I laughed. ¡°Japanese bento are particular about color, there are even things called ¡®Chara-bento.¡¯ ¡± I¡¯d filled up the gaps between the side dishes with vegetables cut into the shape of flowers, and wraps with layers of ham and thin omelette fashioned to look like birds, complete with beak and eyes in boiled eggs. Things like this were considered particular to Japanese culture, even in my world. It had to be pretty rare too. The prince stepped onto the rug with an overjoyed, ¡°Bird eggs!¡± ¡°Take off your shoes, little prince,¡± I said, and the prince rushed to remove his shoes. Mr Fatido followed the prince¡¯s example enthusiastically, as always. ¡°This is amazing, is it really alright to eat it?¡± ¡°Of course, please, help yourself!¡± I handed out the chopsticks to everyone and showed them how to use them, and Mr Lahzt and Mr Fatido got the hang of them immediately and started loading their plates with side dishes. Unexpectedly, Mr Kahzam was struggling with it, so I put some of the dishes on Mr Kahzam¡¯s plate for him. As long as they were within reach, he¡¯d figure out how to eat them one way or the next. ¡°These are rolled scrambled eggs with dashi, they have a fish broth in them. This one is fried with white fish and tartar sauce. Ah, the tartar sauce is made with minced sweet pickles.¡± I explained them all one by one. My grandmother taught me the basics of pickling out in the countryside, so even after I came here, I was able to make them through a lot of trial and error. ¡°Please try the vegetable tempura with some salt. And some spices, if you¡¯d like. And then this one is a little stretchy, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll like it. Its potato rounds made from potato starch mixed into mashed potatoes and then roasted in butter. I think it might be a little off.¡± I was nervous about what I was going to do if it didn¡¯t suit their palates, but I was relieved to hear them let out noises of approval after every dish. The prince was joyously chowing down, and seemed especially delighted by things with toothpicks through them. He was even trying to eat the toothpicks. It really brought me back. I used to give it my all with bento back in Japan. Especially with Nanao¡¯s bento. Unlike meals normally eaten at home, bento were things that were often seen by other people, since they were eaten outside. Mom was already gone by the time Nanao started kindergarten, so Koaya and I really tried hard to make bento that she could boast about to her friends. After all, she¡¯d never be able to eat a lunch her mom made for her. A few days before field trips or sports days, we have a Bento Planning Meeting, and decide on the menu. ¡°Kohme?¡± I came back to myself with a gasp to find Mr Kahzam looking over at me, his hand frozen. ¡°Uh, yes? Does it suit your taste?¡± I asked back. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s incredibly delicious,¡± he said, smiling at me. Good. In that case, maybe he¡¯d like to try a little something else. I chuckled to myself. As the meal went on, I brought out another plate and removed the cloth from on top of it. ¡°Alright then, how about this one?¡± I said, utterly casual. I¡¯d arranged a fried and then sliced up dish on the plate. ¡°These are my favorite.¡± ¡°Really? Well then, I¡¯ll try one right now.¡± The line of men in front of me each plucked one off the plate without any hesitation, and carried them to their mouths. Silence descended. ¡°Pfft¨C I¡¯m so sorry!¡± I burst into laughter and looked around at everyone¡¯s face, and then immediately got to pouring them warm cups of tea. ¡°Geh, Kohme, this¨C¡± Mr Fatido gulped down the tea, and then peered down at his half-eaten morsel. Something red was sandwiched in between slices of meat. ¡°These really are my favorite. It¡¯s shredded plum between chicken tenderloin, which is then fried. That thing in the middle is pickled dried plum. Umeboshi.¡± ¡± ¡®Umeboshi¡¯? The ume part is the same as your name?¡± Mr Kahzam said, to which I nodded. The plum tree that had grown in the Garden of Stars couldn¡¯t just be left there, so it had been secretly transplanted by Mr Kahzam to the palace where Lady Solamire lived. That had happened while I was still in training at the main castle. A lot of fruits had grown on that tree, so Lady Solamire had kindly picked them and had them delivered to me with a note. ¡°These are edible, I believe?¡± So I¡¯d gotten the ingredients from the royal kitchens and prepared them and taken them with me to Shiz Cagna. ¡°And so when they were finished, they became this.¡± I showed some pickled plums I¡¯d put in a little bowl, like I was on a cooking show, and everyone¡¯s lips puckered at the exact same time, and I burst out laughing again. Now that they knew the taste, just looking at a pickled plum was enough to set their mouths watering, huh. ¡°They¡¯re incredibly sour, aren¡¯t they! Even in my world, people in other countries always seem surprised.¡± I wiped tears from my eyes, still smiling. Oh my god, everyone¡¯s faces! I¡¯d deliberately made them especially sour. ¡°Jeez Kohme¡­ You should take care of the next big feast here at Shiz Cagna.¡± ¡°Maybe the head chef could teach you a thing or two?¡± "" Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam nodded at each other. Yikes. ¡°Wah, I¡¯m sorry! I have something else, please forgive me.¡± I brought over a glass pitcher from the terrace. It had plum syrup mixed with water in it. I had pickled the yellow plums, but the blue ones I¡¯d made into this syrup. ¡°This is made from plums too, but it¡¯s sweet. I promise.¡± I poured them each a glass, and nodded for them to go ahead, and everyone brought their glasses to their lips with a lot of hesitation. ¡°Oh¡­ It¡¯s true. This is sweet,¡± Mr Lahzt muttered. ¡°It¡¯s a nice thing to drink when you¡¯re feeling exhausted. Well, it¡¯s the citric acid that really does the work.¡± ¡°Citric acid? Tell me a little more about that,¡± Mr Lahzt said, his eyes getting that researcher look. ¡°Oh, uh¡­ I don¡¯t really know any details. Sorry.¡± The character for plum was in my own name, it would have been nice if I knew a little more about them¡­ Just then, Mr Kahzam finished off his glass, and looked at me with a little sigh. And then he said, ¡°I do prefer the sweet little plum after all.¡±1 For an instant, a strange silence fell over us. I looked away, my cheeks going bright red, and Mr Kahzam rephrased himself in a mad panic. ¡°Oh no no, that¡¯s not what I meant! Just that the sweet plums are the better ones. Better than the pickled ones before. Uh, can I have a second helping please?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, seconds, of course, yes.¡± I rushed to pick up the pitcher. I¡¯d heard another meaning altogether! Seeing my feverish haste, Mr Fatido glanced at us out of the corner of his eye. ¡°So something did happen. You¡¯ve been acting awfully suspicious lately.¡± Mr Kahzam choked a bit. ¡°Oh no no, what are you talking about, Mr Fatido?¡± I sputtered. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m just gonna finish these off.¡± Trying to smooth things over, I looked down at the plate of fried plum and chicken, but¨C They were gone? Suddenly shifting my gaze to one side, the prince was just chomping into one. I thought he was awfully quiet! ¡°Prince!? Wait, are you okay?¡± I peered over at him anxiously, but he just grinned. ¡°Yummy! More!¡± ¡°What? Prince, you¡¯re good with pickled plums! What a connoisseur! Somehow that makes me happy.¡± I patted the prince¡¯s head, and he looked back at me in puzzlement. Mr Lahzt picked up his chopsticks with a sullen expression. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lose to my own student. Kohme, hit me with another one of those.¡± ¡°What, please don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± I started laughing again without meaning to, and Mr Fatido flashed a bold smile. ¡°Hmpf, adults have other ways of winning. Kohme, you make even pickled plums delicious, and if there¡¯s anything you need, I can find it, thanks to my job, so I¡¯ll get it for you. For your sake, anything becomes easy.¡± ¡°Oh, well I would be overjoyed to have something like shiso¡­ 2 Well, but I¡¯m not sure what you mean about winning or losing.¡± Men¡­ I was thinking to myself, a little exasperated, when Mr Kahzam muttered weakly to himself. ¡°I¡¯m just gonna practice using these ¡®chop sticks¡¯ for now¡­¡± And somehow or another everything on every plate had vanished, so I supposed all was well that ended well. Yes indeed! CH 8 author¡¯s note: this was written in commemoration of collaboration on other works The ground at last stopped rumbling, and after a while I finally, slowly, lifted my head. The dust was still dancing, and I breathed in a bit of it and had a coughing fit. Suddenly, a sharp pain ran up my body from below my knees. (Thoughtless¡­) With a low moan, I disparaged myself internally. This summer, a rare large storm had come to Vio Rizonna. The ground here was plainly loose, and yet I¡¯d carelessly gone right up to this mountain, neglecting basic emergency management tenants. I was at an archaeological site, slightly to the west of the Shiinium. Every time I came to the Shiinium, I would drop by here, it was somewhere I could relax and rest. I could feel time stretching back to ancient history, and my savage heart calmed down. The Crown Prince was on a study trip, and was staying near here for a little while, and I¡¯d finally managed to make it here on my first half day off¡­ And now this. I twisted my upper body, trying to ignore the pain, and was able to confirm that a stone pillar had collapsed under the weight of the sediment and was now firmly atop both my legs. I could only barely feel them, so perhaps the fact that they were apparently entirely crushed was a small mercy. However, I couldn¡¯t move at all¡­ What was I supposed to do now? A pulsating pain rose all the way to my brain. Sweat broke out on my forehead. Just at that moment, I heard hooves in the distance. I returned my creaking upper body to its original position. A single anpy appeared from the shadows of the mountain forest. Riding it was a lone woman. She sucked in a breath and quickly dismounted the anpy¡­ Or more accurately, she dangled from the anpy¡¯s neck, and then let go and dropped down. It seemed to be the best she could manage. She somehow hit the ground safely, and came rushing over. Her face was familiar. She was nanny to His Highness, Prince Ouji. Her name was¡­ What was it again? My twin brother Idine seemed quite interested in her, but she was definitely Lahzt¡¯s girl, wasn¡¯t she? Or wait, actually, she was Lord Fatido¡¯s, wasn¡¯t she? Either way, I didn¡¯t care. ¡°Oh no, Mr Endie!?¡± She apparently remembered my name. She dropped to her knees beside me, and her face went pale when she saw my legs, and without any unnecessary banter, she took out a small notebook. ¡°I¡¯ll call for help from the Shiinium.¡± ¡°Idine¡¯ll come¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She wrote smoothly. ¡°Idine¡¯s Shin¡­¡± ¡°I remember it.¡± She finished her memo, muttering something I didn¡¯t understand about being able to write ¡®bara¡¯ and ¡®yuutsu.¡¯ 1 She whistled for a postey, and put the memo in the tube on its leg, and then the small orange bird shot into the sky like a bullet. She shrugged off the shawl she had around her shoulders in place of a cloak, and then folded it and put it under my head. And then she rolled up her left sleeve. A familiar string of characters was etched like a tattoo on her arm. I hadn¡¯t heard His Highness¡¯s nanny was a Shiinoce¡­ She took in a quiet breath, and then expanded her Circle Art. A circle of green-glowing characters appeared around her arm, and slowly rotated. She held her hand over my body, and a warm feeling gently permeated my body. It was a healing art. It felt pretty clumsy to me, since I was familiar with Idine¡¯s healing arts, but even so, my pain got significantly better. ¡°Do nannies use healing arts now?¡± Somehow, I¡¯d gotten quite good at speaking frankly. ¡°I¡¯m Koume. And I just learned this recently. I met a very good teacher.¡± She ¨C Kohme, that¡¯s right ¨C held her arm up with a serious expression on her face. Just chatting seemed to have jostled her concentration. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything but lessen your pain, but¡­¡± ¡°I appreciate it,¡± I answered shortly, and then stayed silent so as not to disturb her. She kept her hand over me, staring fixedly at my legs. Her small but plump lips opened slightly, and she focused, breathing slowly. She was small in every facet, but her black eyes were large, and declared her strong will. When we¡¯d met previously, she¡¯d looked less reliable¡­ Even so, these healing arts were leagues different from Idine¡¯s. Idine¡¯s technique felt like he was blowing away your pain with a massive wind, but this woman¡¯s arts were more like a plant sucking up water from the earth. It felt like something was soaking into me. Eventually, she heaved a big sigh and lowered her arm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that¡¯s all I can do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s plenty.¡± We chatted, and I was distracted from the pain. She was going to keep me company until Idine arrived with help. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I was on an errand for Professor Lemonina, and I saw the mountain had collapsed, and I wondered if anyone was up here. What about you, Mr Endie, why are you here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my hobby.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Visiting historical ruins.¡± She muttered something incomprehensible again ¨C Oh, a mystery hunter! ¨C and flashed a grin. "" ¡°I like that too, visiting ruins.¡± She was calm and relaxed, without any ulterior motives. Unlike me, she was living her life without any major hindrances, such as not being able to speak to people. Well. Speaking of things you couldn¡¯t say. Remembering something, I said, ¡°I once told you to show me your name, I believe.¡± Kohme¡¯s eyes went slightly wider. Her cheeks stiffened, just a little. And after a moment¡¯s thought, she put her right hand softly on her left, and removed the ring from her ring finger. Under it was a Shin name. When I saw the seals, I got the impression of a small white flower with a sweet scent. Kohme smiled. ¡°I was very rude that time. I apologize.¡± I think the rude one was me actually, but okay. However, certainly now, I felt I¡¯d been sidestepped. Intuition maybe? I tried to show her my seal, as a courtesy, but I couldn¡¯t move my upper body very well. I lifted my left arm a little at the elbow and pointed it toward Kohme. She hesitantly took my hand. Cool, slender fingers slipped off my ring. The friction, and her gaze, stimulated my nerves. She took in the meaning of my seal. ¡°A person standing tall, even in the midst of a storm¡­¡± She muttered a thank you, and returned my ring immediately to its original position, and then gently lowered my arm. A sweet scent, like Kohme¡¯s name, faintly wafted from the shawl I was using as a pillow. Which reminded me that it had been quite a while since I¡¯d used any woman¡¯s lap for a pillow. Glancing sideways, I stared at her knees, which were wrapped in her apron and touching the ground. A hissing sound cut through the wind, and a postey landed on that knee. ¡°Ah, from Mr Idine¡­ What is this?¡± She opened the letter, and then apologized to me, and ran her eyes over the note. Pick you up!? Seriously, you came on the pretext of work again¡­ Overprotective much? It¡¯s out of the question right now. Make It Back On Your Own. She scribbled a new note and the postey flew off again. ¡ª Who the hell¡¯s he talking about, huh? Hmph. I was getting a little queasy, and shut my eyes. Eventually I heard many hooves approaching. When I opened my eyes, I saw Idine at the front. After that, a little while passed, and my legs healed, and rehabilitation ended, and I returned to work at the Royal Palace. One day, I heard that His Highness Ouji had come to the castle for the first time in a long while. I headed for the wing where His Highness spent his leisure time. I had just turned the corner in the hallway, when I bumped into the very person I was looking for. ¡°Oh, Mr Endie! You look like you¡¯re back to full health.¡± She seemed to be carrying some kind of sheet in her arms, and looked up at me, her face lighting up. Kohme was tiny. Today, she was standing, so it felt kind of excessive. I thought back. The other day at the Shiinium, there had been a symposium on medical treatment, and Idine had participated in it. I was idling around the dorms at the royal palace, just getting to catch my breath before the end of my rehabilitation, when a note arrived. If you¡¯re free, come pick me up. I reluctantly took out a car on Idine¡¯s message, and went to the meeting hall. Idine was right outside the hall, and was chatting with some female soldiers who¡¯d come from another planet on cultural exchange. Eventually, he finished his chat and came over to me. ¡°That¡¯s culture shock, huh. They even have healing arts too¡­¡± He seemed to find it interesting. When I turned around, the soldiers were rushing over to Lahzt and just starting up a conversation with him, but¡­ I spotted Kohme¡¯s black eyes. Kohme was supposedly born and raised on this planet, but her features looked a lot like those women¡¯s when I looked closely. And her unconventional healing arts¡­ There must be some way of investigating the origins of those female soldiers. But I decided to leave it be. Exposing a grown woman¡¯s secrets was just boorish. Although I certainly was intrigued. ¡°Do you have a moment right now?¡± I asked bluntly, and Kohme seemed confused. ¡°Oh, ah, I was just taking this to the laundry, but¡­ What is it?¡± she asked back, without really answering. ¡°Who taught you to ride an anpy?¡± ¡°Mr Kahzam, but uh¡­¡± That guy? A man with dark green eyes who couldn¡¯t best me at martial arts no matter how he tried. ¡°I¡¯m the better equestrian.¡± ¡°Are you?¡± I took the sheets from Kohme¡¯s hand, and asked a passing maid to take them to the laundry. And then I took Kohme¡¯s arm and started walking. ¡°Where¨C are we going?¡± ¡°The riding grounds. I¡¯m going to teach you to ride a bit better.¡± ¡°Oh? I¨C That¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t have much time to practice anyway.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll come with you to practice. As thanks for the ruins. Since I am in your debt.¡± Internally, I asked myself, Oh is that all? and when a smile unconsciously played at the corners of my mouth, I could see that Kohme was startled. ¡°Scary! I¡¯m fine! Thank you though!¡± "" ¡°If you don¡¯t walk, I¡¯m going to carry you.¡± I readjusted my grip on her slender arm, and carefully started turning back down the hall. From beside me came that soft, sweet scent. [I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m still doing this Endie Edition ¨C end] CH 9 I was at the royal palace, enshrined in Rizontia, the capital of the kingdom of Vio Rizonna. A martial arts tournament was being held in the plaza in front of the main palace building. There¡¯s a huge number of people participating, and many of them were skilled enough to be famous not only among the palace guards of course, but also with the general public. Gradually, each division progressed to the quarterfinals. It was at about that point in the tournament that the royal family, as well as other august personages, would come to view the bouts. In Japan, I guess it might be considered the tenranjiai.1 I took the prince to the VIP seats, and was just retracing my steps because Lady Solamire had asked me to do something for her afterwards. I headed down the hallway that connected the main palace to the western wing. It had become Lady Solamire¡¯s residence, and it was where I slept when I stayed with the prince in the royal palace, so I was on my way back there. The palace interior was full of people chatting, all civic officials and military officers, and so even though they were just walking down the hallways, I felt like the people I passed by were going faster than usual. The pathway was slightly elevated, so I could see the guards¡¯ training grounds, and when I glanced down for a moment, I felt the corners of my mouth start to smile. Mr Kahzam was there. He must have been waiting his turn to take the stage. Mr Kahzam was standing under a sunshade beside the training grounds. Several other guards were seated on a bench, tending to their weapons, and he seemed to be talking with them. Every so often, I saw a smile. That¡¯s right, Mr Kahzam had served in the royal palace before he met me ¨C in other words, until just before the prince was born. He must have known lots of people here. Mr Kahzam lifted his head all of a sudden, and I quickly headed down the hall and into the western wing. Didn¡¯t mean to interrupt your conversation! Everyone must have been off to see the tournament, because there was hardly anyone there, and it was very quiet. Well, I had some free time before I had to bring the prince back, what was I going to do with myself? I came to a stop for a minute, thinking it over. Then I headed for the end of the corridor and leaned against the stone fence there, gazing out at the fountain in the gardens. How strong was Mr Kahzam, in the end? I wondered if he might even win the championship. Suddenly a shadow jumped over the banister and landed right beside me. It was the very person I¡¯d just been thinking of, so I unconsciously let out a yelp. ¡°Wah- Mr Kahzam!?¡± ¡°Kohme. You¡¯re mean, just leaving without saying anything to me.¡± He took off his hat as if to show that he was on break now. His short hair, the color of dried grass, was flattened, but even so, my younger lover always looked about two or three years younger than he actually was. ¡°But what about your turn on stage, Mr Kahzam?¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m not in the tournament, I never was.¡± ¡°Liar!? Didn¡¯t you have an application form at Shiz Cagna?¡± ¡°I was looking after it for a colleague. He was having some trouble with it.¡± ¡°Well¨C but you¡¯ve been here since this morning, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I know some of the people participating, I came to see them.¡± Seriously, jeez¡­ We¡¯d both been so busy lately, we¡¯d hardly been able to meet, even though both of us were now stationed at Shiz Cagna. I had no idea of any of this. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you competing though? It¡¯s you, surely you¡¯d rank pretty high,¡± I said, and Mr Kahzam¡¯s expression softened, and he took a seat on the stone fence. ¡°If you rank high in the martial arts tournament, you get preferentially assigned to the King¡¯s personal guard. I doubt His Highness Ouji or Lady Solamire would be too happy if I ended up having to join them, so¡­¡± He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye a little. ¡°Or maybe you want me to join the King¡¯s guard?¡± Why¨C Why would he even ask¡­? Of course I didn¡¯t. I looked away, a little bashful, and shook my head, staring at Mr Kahzam¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But Kohme, if you thought I was in the tournament, why would you go back to the western wing instead of coming to see me?¡± ¡°Well I¡­¡± It became increasingly difficult for me to meet Mr Kahzam¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¨C I had something I had to do right away!¡± ¡°Like stare at the fountain?¡± Oof. ¡°Because¡­¡± I confessed in a mumble. ¡°If you win¡­ you get a kiss, right?¡± I¡¯d heard that the winner of the tournament, in addition to a prize or a medal or something, would get the blessing of a kiss from ¡°Miss Something-or-other.¡± Of course, it had to be on the forehead or something, right? Kissing was like a form of greeting over here, I¡¯d learned that a long time ago. And I was supposed to be an adult, wasn¡¯t I? But listen, Mr Kahzam was going to get a peck on the cheek from some buxom, vivacious girl ten years younger than me, and I just didn¡¯t need to see that! ¡°Jeez, listen.¡± Mr Kahzam¡¯s hands reached out and tugged my hips close. He pulled me between his legs where he was sitting on the fence, and our eyes ended up at the same level. ¡°No one was going to be especially overjoyed even if I did participate, right? So I didn¡¯t participate.¡± ¡°I¨C I understand.¡± Seeing me nod repeatedly, Mr Kahzam smiled like he was quite happy indeed. ¡°Kohme, are you jealous? Cute¡­¡± ¡°Ngh¨C¡± A soft, gentle kiss¡­ I realized it was the first time in a long while. The inside of my chest got tight. Wait, but¡­ When our lips separated, I whispered in a sneaky, serious tone. ¡°I mean, other people don¡¯t know why you prefer to stay with the prince, right, Mr Kahzam? If someone asks why you¡¯re not participating, what are you going to say?¡± ¡°I just decided not to?¡± Mr Kahzam started to answer, but another shadow jumped the banister. ¡°Kahzam Saegis!¡± said someone I didn¡¯t know, spitefully. Mr Kahzam quickly turned round, his back to me, but he spoke like normal. ¡°Gilley? How was the third-place match?¡± ¡°Decided in my favor, of course.¡± Mr Kahzam said his congratulations, and then twisted his expression a little and whispered to me, his eyes never leaving the other man. ¡°This guy was my roommate when I was on Lady Solamire¡¯s detail.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re talking to me!¡± This guy, Mr Gilley, was still wearing his gear from the tournament, and thrust his blade ¨C with a flattened edge for use in the tournament ¨C at Mr Kahzam. ¡°I figured you wouldn¡¯t be in it this year either, so I asked around! They said you didn¡¯t participate because you didn¡¯t want to leave some woman who lives in Shiz Cagna!?¡± Whattt!? People were really saying that!? ¡°Yeah.¡± And don¡¯t just admit it, Mr Kahzam! ¡°I¡¯m gonna beat you into shape, you sex-obsessed moron. Get into the garden!¡± Alongside Mr Gilley¡¯s voice, something long and heavy flew at us. I yelped without thinking, but Mr Kahzam¡¯s powerful arms caught it. It was another sword. ¡°A dual!¡± ¡°Not much choice, huh,¡± Mr Kahzam said with a light sigh, and then gently pushed me into the shadow of the pillar and handed me his hat. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve been alone with you, too¡­ I¡¯ll take care of this quick, so wait for me, please.¡± Okay, he was confident¡­ His opponent was ranked third in swordsmanship, wasn¡¯t he? Although, somehow, I had a hunch Mr Kahzam could beat him. Once I had that thought, I smiled at Mr Kahzam, pouring my feelings into it. ¡°Okay. And once you win, I¡¯ll give you the blessing of my kiss.¡± I wasn¡¯t vivacious or busty, but oh well! Mr Kahzam¡¯s eyes went a little wide, and he looked away, pursing his lips a little. Did I¨C Did I overdo it? ¡°At any rate¡­¡± Mr Kahzam said, putting a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Stay here in the shadows please, Kohme. I¡¯m the type that prefers to keep my treasures hidden.¡± And then, putting a hand on the fence and hopping into the garden, he headed into the wide open space where Mr Gilley was waiting. As the two of them locked swords, they seemed to be evenly matched, but when they smashed into each other and then leapt back, it was Mr Kahzam who stepped forward again first. With a metallic clang, Mr Gilley lost his sword and I knew the battle had been decided. In the shadows of the pillar, I finally was able to breathe. Aarg, even if he wasn¡¯t getting a kiss from Miss Whoever, I still wouldn¡¯t have been able to watch Mr Kahzam in a bout. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to breathe. Mr Kahzam approached Mr Gilley, and the two shook hands. And then they brought their foreheads close¡­ Exchanging some secrets? In the end, Mr Gilley handed something small to Mr Kahzam, cursing him the whole time, and then stalked off, holding both swords. ¡°Kohme.¡± "" Mr Kahzam came back, and was of course a little out of breath. I thought I should tell him congratulations before anything else, but he tugged on my hand. ¡°Let¡¯s hide,¡± he said, and started off. ¡°Hide? What for?¡± ¡°Gilley said the first- and second-place guys would both come looking for me too. We can¡¯t have them interrupting us further.¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked, and Mr Kahzam showed me something hanging off his finger ¨C a key? ¡°Gilley¡¯s girlfriend is a maid in the western wing. I heard there was a room the two of them sneak off to, so I borrowed the key instead of extracting a forfeit.¡± And then he flashed a smile I might have even called ferocious. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve won, you¡¯ll give me something, won¡¯t you? Such as, yourself.¡± ¡°A¨C the blessing of a kiss, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to be enough to satisfy me.¡± It seemed this swordsman, still rough from battle, had decided to hunt me down next. [The Swordsman¡¯s Blessing ¨C end] CH 10 ¡°Why don¡¯t we go out in style occasionally?¡± I had a little something in mind, so I sent Kohme a letter inviting her out. She replied in the affirmative, without a hint of suspicion. I drove out to Shiz Cagna pick her up, and she met me with her usual smile. She was wearing a dress I¡¯d never seen her in before. It was white, or maybe a very light blue, with one large navy blue flower embroidered around her waist just under her chest, and she had a certain captivating air about her. I complimented her, enraptured. ¡°Lemonina went with me to choose something, and we found this,¡± she said, lightly pinching the skirt. ¡°The flower¡¯s very Chinese, it¡¯s wonderful¡­ Ah, that¡¯s a culture from the country next to my homeland.¡± She was staring hard at me. ¡°Incredibly beautiful. Please don¡¯t leave my side, we don¡¯t need other men setting their sights on you.¡± I wrapped my arm lightly around her shoulders and prompted her into the car, and Kohme let out a single small sigh. For an instant, I wondered if I¡¯d missed something, but I was so busy thinking about taking her to where we were going, my concerns disappeared like a light dusting of snow. ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó ¡°Uh, here?¡± We were in front of one of the high-class hotels battling for first place in the capital. Kohme saw the information board standing at the entrance and came to a halt. ¡± ¡®Class Reunion.¡¯ Mr Fatido?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a reunion for my college class. It¡¯s alright to bring family, or lovers, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°I¨C I¡¯m good. I don¡¯t really think I¡¯d belong there.¡± Kohme retreated. ¡°Actually, a lot of guys in my class have been asking if I haven¡¯t calmed down a bit recently. Let me introduce you around. Show your face just for a minute, please?¡± This was my scheme. I knew she was bad with public attention. But when I gently took her hand, she pulled it back with surprising speed. ¡°No. A class reunion, absolutely not.¡± ¡°Ko¨C Kohme? You hate it that much?¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s all people you¡¯re close to, right Mr Fatido? If you ever made a promise with anyone, this is the sort of place something like that would be most likely to happen, wouldn¡¯t it? Kohme backed up further, leaving me bewildered. ¡°You go ahead and join them, Mr Fatido. I¡¯ll go have a cup of tea somewhere, so let¡¯s meet back up afterwards,¡± she said, trying to change direction. I hadn¡¯t imagined she¡¯d reject me so strongly, and totally panicked. ¡°No, I can¡¯t leave you by yourself.¡± I reached out. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± She dodged me. Just at that moment, I heard a voice from behind me. ¡°Hey, Fatido! Long time no see!¡± Kohme and I turned around at the same time. There was a beautiful woman with platinum hair, wearing a sedate black dress. She was holding a little girl who was maybe a year or two old to her chest. This was Ellya, a classmate of mine, and my lover back in my college days. ¡°Wow what a beautiful person,¡± Kohme muttered, looking down. Oh¨C Oh. She didn¡¯t want to come here because she hated the idea of being bewitched by the ghosts of my past. Did she think it likely she¡¯d meet my ex-lovers? So to put it bluntly, that was jealousy? The instant the shoe dropped, I almost started to feel good, in a calculating, self-interested kind of way. She didn¡¯t have to worry, since I would be introducing Kohme to this woman and everyone else too. As my beloved. But I had some unexpected cold water splashed in that direction. Ellya waved the girl at me, grinning. ¡°Look, Lunya, this is your father!¡± ¡°Wha-!¡± I was at a loss for words, and in my hand, Kohme¡¯s hand went stiff. Even Ellya seemed surprised by her leaving. ¡°What? What¡¯s that? ¡®Baka?¡¯ ¡± She stared at me with a blank look. ¡°That girl actually likes you?¡± ¡°What does that¨C¡± ¡°Listen¨C You have to go after her¨C¡± ¡°What the¨C¡± Still confused, I chased after Kohme, but she¡¯d run straight into the women¡¯s restroom. Ellya followed her in, and then came right back out. ¡°She¡¯s locked herself in a private stall. Uh, sorry. I thought for sure you were pressuring another girl into something, so I thought saying something like that would help her get out of it.¡± All the tension leaked out of me. Certainly I had tried to make Kohme stay when she¡¯d been trying to get away, but¡­ Maybe this was just the fruits of my own labor. Me getting knocked down by my own past. Kohme had to have known right away that Ellya¡¯s words were lies. It had been several years since Kohme and I realized our feelings were mutual. In all the time, the bonds between us had never gotten so slack as to cause her suspicion that I might have had a child with another woman. Absolutely not. Surely not. Probably not. Except that the wounds from her past hadn¡¯t healed enough that she could shake off stories like the one before as joke. She was trying to avoid any event that would end up touching that wound, and here was I¡­ ¡°Ellya. Kohme is a woman. I can¡¯t tell you any details, but she¡¯s been hurt terribly by circumstances a lot like this before, so it was truly¡­ awkward.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying, are you serious?¡± Ellya¡¯s expression stiffened, as she saw me bite my lip. She stared at me like she was putting me under observation. I stared back, and her expression turned earnest. ¡°Sorry, it isn¡¯t a lie is it,¡± she muttered. ¡°There¡¯s a totally different air about you¡­ You really are honestly thinking about her, aren¡¯t you?¡± And then she said, ¡°The dress she¡¯s wearing, did you choose that?¡± ¡°No¡­ She did.¡± Why were we talking about the dress at this stage? ¡°Oh¨C Woah.¡± My hand flew to my mouth without my thinking. It was true, the flower embroidered on Kohme¡¯s dress was the same rich blue color as my eyes. That must have been what Kohme had wanted me to notice when I picked her up! Me, of all people! I tried to fly into that private space where the woman I loved was, not caring what anyone else may think, but Ellya desperately held me back. ¡°Wait! There are other customers in there, you can¡¯t go in there! I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ll tell her the truth properly.¡± And so I waited anxiously, listening to fragments of their voices coming from inside the bathroom. Ellya seemed to be telling Kohme everything. But eventually I couldn¡¯t wait anymore, and I shouted into them, still standing outside. ¡°Kohme! I¡¯m in love with you! Come out, please!¡± I was shouting as loud as I could, and so she quickly emerged, along with Ellya. Her face was bright red, so much so that the red around her eyes from where she¡¯d been crying was hardly noticeable. I hugged her as tight as I could so she couldn¡¯t run away again, not caring who saw us. ¡°Haven¡¯t changed on that point though,¡± Ellya muttered, suppressing a grin, and then left, taking her daughter with her, leaving only Kohme and I, alone and embracing each other in front of the bathroom. Other customers went out of their way to avoid us. ¡°Kohme.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t trust you, I just¡­¡± Kohme leaned her head on my chest, and I rushed to interrupt her. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. I understand. It¡¯s my own immorality that invited such a situation. You can call me baka all you want.¡± Kohme twirled the string of her bag around her fingers for a long while, but eventually lifted her head and smiled. ¡°Somehow, I just ended up feeling so down about everything. And as usual, you¡¯ve blown all that away, Mr Fatido, and I¡¯m happy again.¡± Hearing that, I scooped her up into my arms. I whispered to her as she got flustered. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± We went straight to the front desk of our hotel without any further ado, and as I took the room key from the man at reception, her eyes went wide as saucers. ¡°Just like this!? You are baka after all, Mr Fatido!¡± she shouted, hitting me with her fists repeatedly. But after we got into the room, that baka soon took on a sweeter tone. ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó ¡°You went through all the trouble of choosing those clothes with me in mind, and I just took them right off you again,¡± I whispered, wrapping my arms around her soft body, and then she lifted her head from my chest and giggled. ¡°Did Miss Ellya tell you?¡± ¡°Embarrassingly enough. I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t even notice,¡± I reluctantly admitted. ¡°She¡¯s a very nice person. She frantically explained to me that the thing about the child was a lie.¡± ¡°She¡¯s got a husband she¡¯s madly in love with. He¡¯s in the real estate business or something.¡± ¡°Yeah. And she asked me if there was anything else I wanted to know and she¡¯d tell me, so I had her tell me your Shin name.¡± ¡°Geh¨C¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say, and got to see Kohme giggle again. What an adult she was. She had the inherent generosity to laugh and accept everything, even my past. ¡°I didn¡¯t end up hating anyone, I¡¯m glad,¡± she muttered, afraid of just the feeling of hating someone. That fear was the ripple of her past spreading into the present. ¡°Not hating anyone is fine, but if you started liking someone, that just wouldn¡¯t do.¡± I deliberately scowled. She was too good, even the Crown Prince¡¯s twins said she was a nice person, and they usually ignored everyone. Kohme laughed. ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen you not at your best, I believe. I even got away from you.¡± ¡°Please forget about that. Please,¡± I said in a rush, and Kohme let out a laugh and sat up. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s about time I got back to Shiz Cagna.¡± Admiring her figure in that dress once more, I wondered what would have happened if I let her go home to everyone at Shiz Cagna, not to mention back home to Ouji, with that tear-stained face, and I shivered at the thought. [Ripples from the Past ¨C End] CH 11 I managed to slide off the anpy¡¯s back, and then dropped my luggage in a heap and sent the anpy back to town. I stood in front of a small, ivy-entwined gate. An ivory castle sat enshrined in the front garden on the other side. This was Shiz Cagna, the second palace ¨C it had been a month since Ouji and Kohme had come here. Finally, I could take up my new position. I was to be Ouji¡¯s personal tutor¡­ And his personal physician as well. I¡¯d sent word in advance, so I didn¡¯t have any problems getting in. In the drawing room, I spoke with Lord Taval, the man in charge of the castle, and his wife Mirette. After confirming the conditions of my employment, they said to me, ¡°I believe you are acquainted with Lord Ouji and his lady nurse, correct Doctor?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you have a lot to talk about, take your time,¡± Mrs Taval added, and they took their leave. They were an amiable pair, like someone¡¯s grandparents. Eventually there were thudding footsteps and the door opened, and Ouji burst in first. ¡°Lahz¡¯!¡± He leapt at me, and I involuntarily staggered back a step. He¡¯d gotten even bigger in the time I hadn¡¯t seen him. ¡°Welcome back!¡± he said, and I felt unexpectedly touched. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m home.¡± ¡°Mr Lahzt!¡± And then¡­ that nostalgic, sweet voice. Kohme was standing there, flashing a smile at me, wearing an apron and a white bonnet. ¡°Kohme¡­¡± My voice came out all hoarse. That look suited her¡­ almost dangerously well. ¡°Oh my god, what happened? You look starved.¡± Kohme rushed over to me and looked me up and down, apparently startled. ¡°Oh, well¡­ You know¡­ She did say field work, right? We were in a jungle¡­ and I got sick¡­ A lot happened.¡± My eyes wandered around the room. ¡°It¡¯s okay, if it¡¯s hard, you don¡¯t have to say it.¡± Kohme consoled me, and sat me down on the sofa. We¡¯d finally met again after all this time, was it alright not to stand on ceremony? I made Kohme sit down next to me, a little forcefully, and held her to my chest. That soft body, that nostalgic scent. Kohme¡¯s arms wrapped around my back. She hugged me so gently I was a little surprised. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, you did your best,¡± she whispered. You¡¯ve got it all wrong. I¡¯m not clinging to you. As nanny, she was almost always with the prince. I wanted to spend time with Kohme leisurely, on her days off. With that thought in mind, I asked Kohme when her next day off was, but she tilted her head. ¡°Day off? Um¡­ Do I get those?¡± ¡°Wait a minute. Are you telling me you¡¯ve been working since you got here without a day off? Those are some harsh working conditions.¡± ¡°But, a nanny is a substitute mom, right? And we only just came here, so I thought I should stay with the prince until he gets used to things at least¡­ Besides, I¡¯m still in my probation period, so I can¡¯t really complain if I don¡¯t get any vacation days.¡± ¡°What? Probation?¡± Kohme looked at me blankly. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m nanny to a prince, aren¡¯t I? So, there¡¯s a period where people make sure I¡¯m right for the job.¡± I had the chance to talk to Lord Taval, so I asked him about it. ¡°Oh my, Lady Nanny thinks she¡¯s still a provisional hire, even now? She¡¯s long since been formally recognized.¡± ¡°So, how should I put this, there was a period like that?¡± ¡°Mm¡­ At any rate, she does cut a kind of youthful figure, doesn¡¯t she? There are plenty of people who wonder if she¡¯s really a good fit for the nanny position, even here at Shiz Cagna.¡± Lord Taval smiled bitterly. ¡°Well, one among us certainly is testing Kohme out, in his own way.¡± The person testing out Kohme was the head chef, Lord Gaen, 57 years of age. ¡°Just let her make a meal once. That should be enough,¡± I suggested to Lord Taval. He was a bit concerned, and told me he¡¯d sit in on the meal himself when the time came. And then one day, Lord Gaen suddenly called Kohme into the kitchen and told her, ¡°I¡¯m sure His Highness would occasionally like to eat something you¡¯ve made, as he used to do. Why don¡¯t you make us some lunch today.¡± ¡°What, is that alright? The prince¡­ I haven¡¯t made His Highness¡¯s meals in forever! Well, I¡¯ll borrow your kitchen then,¡± Kohme said, and got joyously to work making the food. And in no time at all: ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done!¡± What she brought out, heaped on a plate, was hoppe (pilaf). The hoppe had been formed to look like a bird, and a small national flag was standing atop it. Why was there a flag on the hoppe? That didn¡¯t make any sense. Lord Gaen and Lord Taval both took their seats at the lunch table, and the prince devoured the hoppe Kohme had made, twirling the flag around in his fingers, overjoyed. Seeing it, Lord Gaen got down on one knee, looking crestfallen. ¡°The shape of a bird, representing the fact that affection for animals is a fundamental principle of this country¡­ And more than that, it¡¯s a meal that nurtures patriotism in the prince, with our national flag on it¡­ It¡¯s¨C It¡¯s beautiful!¡± And then he revealed something to Kohme in a flustered rush. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just testing you.¡± ¡°What!? So this was like an employment examination!?¡± After that, Lord Gaen seemed to acknowledge Kohme¡¯s skills, and once Lord Gaen recognized her¡­ Well, it caught on and others started to recognize her as well. But there were a couple of guys who thought the whole thing was funny, and apparently conned Kohme into showing them parts of her foreign culture. Kohme misunderstood it as a continuation of the employment exam¡­ and so on and so forth until the present day. ¡°What, is that true?! I thought for sure I was being tested on so many things because it was still my probationary period¡­ So then I¡¯m officially the prince¡¯s nanny!¡± When I went to tell Kohme the truth as she was playing with the prince in the garden, and when she heard, Kohme put a hand to her chest. ¡°The prince does seem comfortable here now¡­ So, if I put in an application ahead of time, I should be able to take a little time off, right? Lady Mirette can look after the prince for a bit.¡± The prince¡¯s maid Lauren had been serving tea and overheard us. ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve been asking her to please take some time off, but it is Lady Kohme after all. Lady Mirette and I will give it our best for a day! We¡¯ll figure it out!¡± Lauren was only seventeen years old, but with youth on her side, she could keep up with the prince¡¯s bounding power, so she was a reliable maid. ¡°Oh? Well then, maybe a whole day off next time¡­?¡± Kohme muttered, apparently a bit happy, and I invited her out without delay. ¡°In that case, would you care to take a look around town? I haven¡¯t seen it yet either, so let¡¯s go see it next time we get the chance.¡± Kohme nodded, smiling. Yes! I clenched my fist under the table. ¡°Your Highness! You have to tell me if you¡¯re going to climb trees, I¡¯m coming with you!¡± Lauren ran towards the prince, her fluffy, dark brown hair swaying, so I took the opportunity to ask Kohme for something else. I was standing beside the table, and Kohme was looking over toward the prince, and I tugged lightly on her hand. Kohme looked up at me, surprised, and I whispered, ¡°You made hoppe for the prince, right? It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had your cooking, Kohme, I¡¯d like to eat it again. That dish with the flag on it looked good.¡± ¡°Oh¨C¡± What? Was she pulling back? Why? ¡°Well¡­ Then maybe it¡¯d be better if no one could see us, so¡­ Next time we¡¯re alone together¡­¡± She was saying something so happy to me, so why on earth did I think I¡¯d made some kind of mistake? Then one day, Kohme summoned me to the kitchen while there was no one there, and treated me to some of her cooking with a little national flag attached, and I finally learned the meaning of the word o-ko-sama ranchi. 1 I¡¯d been giving so much thought to the problem of how to remove that hint of ¡®Lahzt is so cute¡¯ from the smile Kohme always turned on me, but I had no choice but to admit, ¡°This is delicious¡­¡± CH 12 Tong, Clang, Tong, Clang, Tong Tong. I¡¯d just finished driving in a nail, and picked up the next nail, when I stopped and looked down. From atop a tree where I was, I could see the orchards that had been built on the side of a hill near Shiz Cagna. Dr Lahzt was pointing at the orchard and teaching the prince about something. A little further on, Kohme, the nanny, and Lauren, the maid, were both looking over the two of them, chatting about something and laughing. The orchard was now in the full bloom of flower season. Bunches of small white flowers were opening, and Kohme seemed so happy, smiling under those flowers. I was relieved, and got back to my work. When the prince and Kohme first came here, I used to check on them when I was on duty, and then also when I wasn¡¯t. Even though I wondered if I was being a little overprotective. But I needn¡¯t have worried, the prince was quick to adapt, and he was soon accustomed to his new home. And although Kohme was worried about whether she would be a good fit for the nanny position at first, she too adapted to her surroundings right away. There just was something about her I couldn¡¯t leave alone. One day, I caught sight of her by herself in the garden. A conspicuously thick tree grew in the middle of the garden, where it could be seen from the prince¡¯s room, and she was looking up at that tree. "" Suddenly realizing what Kohme was thinking, I drew near and started talking to her. ¡°Now that¡¯s a tree you could build a treehouse on, isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°Wah¨C You surprised me. Mr Kahzam, you always seem to know what I¡¯m thinking, don¡¯t you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Morio, after all.¡± I still had the special memories of what happened when we were all in the Garden of Stars, me and the prince and Kohme. ¡°How about you suggest it to Lady Solamire? I¡¯m sure she¡¯d give you permission to build a treehouse up there. And the prince would love it,¡± I said. Kohme gave it some thought, her head tilted a bit to one side, and then she smiled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll have to pass. He¡¯s Lady Solamire¡¯s son now¡­¡± I wanted to know what Kohme was thinking, so I stared hard at that expression and thought about what her words meant. And then I understood. The treehouse had been Kohme and Ouji¡¯s home, a place that had nothing to do with Lady Solamire. Kohme was worried that as the prince¡¯s real mother, Lady Solamire might feel alienated if the prince were to make the treehouse into a playground here at Shiz Cagna. I really do like her so much, she¡¯s so sweet. Just being with her makes me happy. So after that, the prince teleported to the Garden of Stars and there was a big commotion. I contacted Dr Lahzt, who was out of the office, and he was able to go meet the prince so the whole thing ended without incident, but it was possible it would happen again. The prince had become a member of the royal family, he couldn¡¯t avoid studying the Shin seals, so the fact that he had an interest in teleportation arts was a real problem. Of course the prince was likely teleporting so often because he had a certain nostalgia for the Garden of Stars. Given all that, perhaps it would be better to build a treehouse at Shiz Cagna, to prevent him from popping off to the Garden of Stars whenever he felt like it. Maybe the prince would settle down. I once again consulted with Kohme, and also with Dr Lahzt, and was able to suggest the treehouse to Lady Solamire. Lady Solamire graciously gave her approval. ¡°Oo, a boy¡¯s only secret base!¡± A specialist architect was dispatched to Shiz Cagna on Lord Taval¡¯s introduction, and the location of the treehouse was fixed in a certain tree. It was a secret, of course, that the prince had been raised in the Garden of Stars, so we told people the prince had heard stories of the Garden of Stars from Dr Lahzt and had started wanting a treehouse. While I was watching its design, I developed an interest in treehouse construction. I asked the architect some questions, and he let me help out with a few things. The major sections, such as the foundations and pillars and such, I left to the pros of course, but even I could be of some assistance with the small things. I had nothing special to do on my days off except take long horseback rides, and having tried out construction I found it interesting, so whenever I had some free time, I grabbed a hammer. ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó The nearly complete treehouse ¨C Shiz Cagna Edition ¨C was smaller than the one in the Garden of Stars, of course. It really did have that Secret Base feel. But we used the same wood, and it had a balcony, albeit a tiny one, and I thought the atmosphere was similar. The architect said that as long as it was properly maintained, it would last ten years. We were going to make a ladder, but then I thought it might build the prince¡¯s strength if he could climb a rope up into it¡­ I don¡¯t mean to be discourteous, but I really was thinking like a father. ¡°Mooh!¡± At some point, the prince came up under the tree and looked up at me. ¡°Done yet? Ouji is coming too!¡± ¡°Wait just a little longer, please! Only a little, you can come in the day after tomorrow.¡± Tomorrow, the architect had said he was going to do the final check. Once that was done, the prince could at last come inside. That evening, during the prince¡¯s bath time, I invited Kohme to the garden. I set a ladder up against the treehouse and settled it in place. ¡°Wait, are we going in the treehouse? I thought that was the day after tomorrow?¡± Kohme looked confused. ¡°The final check is the only thing that¡¯s left. The foundation, the walls, the roof, everything¡¯s already in place, so there¡¯s no problem. The nanny has to take a look too, in preparation for tomorrow,¡± I said, and although I was being serious, the truth was¡­ I wanted to show Kohme first. I went up the ladder first, and offered a hand to Kohme, who was coming up behind me. Surprisingly (rudely) Kohme hoisted herself up onto the balcony, and looked around the treehouse with a smile she couldn¡¯t hide. ¡°Nice view¡­ It¡¯s really high up, isn¡¯t it.¡± The balcony faced out away from the palace. Shiz Cagna was atop a hill, so you could see quite far, looking through the trees in the garden. The sunset was sparkling, dying the town at the foot of the hill and the windmills an orange color. Kohme opened the door and went inside the little house, and then stuck her head out the window. The window raised and lowered and there was a shutter that could be propped up with a pole. Since this treehouse would be exposed to wind and rain, unlike the one in the Garden of Stars, the shutters could be closed when there was a storm, so the interior wouldn¡¯t get damaged. ¡°It¡¯s amazing, really nice. I think the prince will love it.¡± She seemed a little excited, and I followed her inside. With two adults in here, and then maybe later a small table and chairs, it would start to feel pretty crowded. Standing next to Kohme, I gazed at the scenery outside with her. If we pulled up the ladder, no one would even know we were in here. Just for a moment, I considered something outrageous. What was I thinking¡­ This was a treehouse built so the prince could relax. As I was busy pushing these thoughts away, I lost focus. ¡°This must have been a lot of work. Thank you Mr Kahzam!¡± Kohme¡¯s hand touched my shoulder, and something soft brushed my cheek¡­ By the time I realized I¡¯d been kissed on the cheek, Kohme was already getting down from her tiptoes. She seemed triumphant somehow. ¡°I¡¯m making myself at home here too, aren¡¯t I?¡± This woman, this was why I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off her. I abruptly put the shutter down on the window that faced Shiz Cagna. I slammed it harder than I meant to, and the window closed with a loud bang. Kohme¡¯s shoulders jumped in surprise. ¡°Now they can¡¯t see us from the palace,¡± Kohme said. I didn¡¯t answer for a minute. And then, ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re alone.¡± Kohme watched me in silence. I held her to my chest, with a little more force than I had last night. Kohme didn¡¯t resist at all, just stood there, stock still. She wasn¡¯t making any response, so I got worried and loosened my grip. Looking into her face, Kohme lifted her gaze, although not her face, and giggled. ¡°Look here. Morio would never do anything I didn¡¯t like.¡± Busted. ¡°Kohme. That¡¯s not¨C¡± ¡°Yeah, when I¡¯m alone with any other man, that sort of greeting is off limits¡­ I believe? I¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± True. There were plenty of men here at Shiz Cagna. Even Lord Fatido could come here. I got the feeling Kohme wasn¡¯t quite as world-weary as she could be, and it worried me. Wouldn¡¯t her naivet¨¦ bring some strange trouble her way? She¡¯d come to this world all alone, and she¡¯d finally found somewhere she belonged. I will absolutely protect her. ¡°Look, the sun¡¯s setting.¡± I turned Kohme towards the window, keeping my arms around her, and then lightly rested my cheek on her shoulder, with my arms folded around her stomach. The sunset slowly melted below the horizon. The wind blew into the treehouse, and Kohme¡¯s hair tickled my cheek. Staying perfectly still, just like that, Kohme faced the front and stammered out, ¡°So¡­ I¡¯ll be getting dark soon, I guess.¡± ¡°Indeed it will.¡± ¡°So¡­ Oh yeah, uh, where is your hometown, Mr Kahzam?¡± She seemed to be trying to hide her embarrassment, but I was so overjoyed that she wanted to know more about me that I squeezed her tight. CH 13 That night, Shiz Cagna had an uncharacteristically cheerful air to it. The prince¡¯s sister ¨C my niece, Princess Haluria ¨C was officially engaged, and while the party they were holding that day to announce it was at the royal palace, the invited guests were all staying the night at Shiz Cagna. His Majesty the King and Princess Haluria received the guests at the royal palace, and then my older sister Solamire was there to greet them at Shiz Cagna. The guests had stuffed themselves during the day and were now enjoying a banquet and drinks at Shiz Cagna. The sound of people chatting, and laughing, and clinking their glasses together filled the hall. All the extra maids they¡¯d hired slid between people, collecting glasses and offering drinks. The prince was holding my sister¡¯s hand, keeping her company as they greeted the guests, but as time went on, he was getting bored. It¡¯s a struggle when you¡¯re young. ¡°A prince¡¯s problems start young, don¡¯t they,¡± Kohme muttered, looking at the clock. She must have been thinking the same thing I was. And it seemed the prince¡¯s bedtime was a little ways off. Glasses in hand, Kohme and I went to stand on the terrace, which was open to the garden. Naturally, she wasn¡¯t wearing her apron today, she had on a simple, knee-length dress. The glossy blue suited her perfectly. ¡°He¡¯ll probably be dragged out for all kinds of ceremonial occasions in the future too,¡± I said, admiring Kohme¡¯s appearance. She nodded with a wry smile, and then suddenly looked at me. ¡°Um, Mr Fatido, not to change the subject, but¡­ When someone here dies, what do they say happens?¡± ¡°They¡¯re reborn at Gaduos¡¯s side,¡± I replied. ¡°Where that is, no one really knows, but¡­¡± Kohme nodded, her gaze turning back to the prince again. ¡°Is that so¡­ Some people in my world think like that too.¡± I felt like Kohme wasn¡¯t looking at the prince so much as another place in another world, so I made a suggestion. ¡°Shall we head out into the garden?¡± A number of guests were enjoying a stroll in the elegantly lit lawn. Guards melted casually into the shadows of trees and buildings. Kahzam must have been there somewhere too, but he¡¯d be too busy with work tonight to come over. And the prince¡¯s tutor and physician Lahzt was unnecessary in a place like this. Heheheh. ¡°Are you laughing at something?¡± Kohme said, looking at me and tilting her head a bit. ¡°Oh, no. Oh, you were looking at me though, huh. Is there something on your mind?¡± I asked her back, and sat her down on a bench that had a view of the hall, and then took my own seat next to her. ¡°Talk to me, Kohme,¡± I said, looking to spoil her, and Kohme hurriedly averted her gaze as she answered. ¡°Just, I was just wondering, if I died, you know, where would I be reborn? In this world, or in my original world? Gaduos already gave me a name, so I guess it¡¯ll probably be here, huh¡­¡± Was that what she¡¯d been thinking about? I started to open my mouth, and scooted closer to Kohme, when she suddenly stood up. ¡°Oh, no no no, you were about to say something very romantic right now, weren¡¯t you, Mr Fatido? Dangerous, very dangerous¡­¡± What was dangerous? I didn¡¯t care, I grabbed Kohme¡¯s left hand and turned her towards me. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine Gaduos or the god of your world would pull a parent and child apart in the afterlife.¡± Kohme¡¯s eyes went a bit wider. ¡°Somehow, you always seem to know what I¡¯m thinking.¡± ¡°Of course I can figure out that much. You want to be reborn at Nanao¡¯s side, don¡¯t you?¡± Kohme nodded meekly, and flopped down on the bench beside me. ¡°I¡¯ll be there by your side in the next world, whichever world it is, so give birth to Nanao then please, as my child.¡± ¡°Woah, there it is.¡± There was what? ¡°Although I¡¯d like you to eventually give birth to some cousins for the prince first, in this world.¡± ¡°Wha¨C! Stop, stop, this conversation is getting way off track.¡± Kohme stood up again and tried to run away. This time I stood up too and chased after her. ¡°It¡¯s not getting off track, it¡¯s nice to think about, isn¡¯t it? The prince¡¯s cousins?¡± ¡°I¨C What would happen if I could go home, go back over there!? The poor kid!¡± ¡°Wait, is that a possibility? I mean, if that did happen, I¡¯d follow you, of course. Me and any children too.¡± ¡°You, Mr Fatido, in Japan!? It¡¯d be an absolute war with my little sister.¡± Kohme finally burst out laughing, and a flood of contentment washed over me. Ah, I got to see Kohme laugh today too¡­ CH 14 I was looking over some documents for my job with the prince beside me, diligently going over his lessons, when I heard Mr Lahzt¡¯s voice. ¡°The Public Royals Campaign?¡± I lifted my face, to see Mr Lahzt flipping through the documents I¡¯d finished reading and set aside on the desk. This was the study Mr Lahzt used as a schoolroom for the prince¡¯s lessons. Mr Lahzt was here quite a bit of the time, so it had sort of become Mr Lahzt¡¯s private room as well. He did have a separate room of his own, but still. ¡°Yeah, it starts next month. It¡¯s a campaign to let the public know more about the royal family,¡± I explained. ¡°They¡¯re putting together guided tours of places in the royal palace that aren¡¯t usually open to the public, and having ordinary folks take part in some of the guards¡¯ training exercises, and there¡¯s going to be a garden party where they¡¯ll serve some of the royal family¡¯s secret recipes, stuff like that. We¡¯re even thinking about having a few events at Shiz Cagna.¡± The prince had been the center of Shiz Cagna ever since he¡¯d come here. The people of the town under the palace¡¯s auspices, the town that spread under the hill on which Shiz Cagna was built, were proud of him, and some of them had even taken to calling it The Prince¡¯s Castle. I absolutely wanted to invite some of them in. I¡¯d been overwhelmed with work when I¡¯d first started my job here, but they¡¯d given me a lot of space to get used to things. A whole year had passed since then. It was now perfectly routine to wake up in the morning, loosely tie up all my hair, which had grown quite long, and put on the brimless bonnet that was part of the nanny uniform. I wanted to actively participate in this event, and make it fun. The person in charge, Mr Taval, was going to put on a public lecture in the museum that was inside Shiz Cagna, and the chef, Mr Gaen, seemed to be dreaming up something delicious. "" I consulted with Lady Solamire, and thought it would be nice if there could be some kind of exchange between the prince and the common folk, but¡­ ¡°Oh, Professor Lemonina did say she was participating in something, this must¡¯ve been what she was talking about?¡± ¡°Ms Lemonina, really?¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s responsible for one of the public lectures in the museum. Lord Fatido said he would absolutely be here too.¡± ¡°Wow, seems like it¡¯s going to be busy.¡± As we were talking, the prince offered his writing assignment to Mr Lahzt and said, ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± Ooh, little prince, good job writing those Ren (the phonetic script) so well! I remember the first time he¡¯d written my name for me, it was so moving. As for me, I could remember the Ren, but I wasn¡¯t that great at writing them. I learned the words of this world in my sleep when I¡¯d first come here, but it was taking some time to get the seals themselves into my brain. The prince and I were both taking a crash course. ¡°You wrote that well. Alright then, let¡¯s call it a day.¡± Heheh, Mr Lahzt still didn¡¯t seem to be used to using polite language when he was speaking with the prince. Well, me neither. "" ¡°Thank you, Dr Lahzt. I¡¯m gonna go play in the garden, Koume!¡± We all left the study, and the prince immediately hopped into the garden. He seemed to always want to be on the move. The maid Lauren rushed after him. ¡°Lord Ouji, may I get you something to drink?¡± She¡¯s prepared a tea set on the terrace, so I figured I¡¯d pour it today, and tied my apron strings. Mr Kahzam, the guard, showed his face right then. He was wearing the same black-collared uniform as always. He had a document in his hand, the same as me. ¡°Kohme, and Dr Lahzt, good. I need a word.¡± Did he look a little bothered¡­? ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I was looking over the guest list for the event next month just now, and¡­¡± Security was Mr Kahzam¡¯s job, after all. It seemed he¡¯d been checking out the guests before they even arrived. With that in mind, I peered over at the list, and looked at the spot Mr Kahzam was pointing. Woah, that was Mr Idine¡¯s name. That guy was coming? He was down for the museum¡¯s public lectures. ¡°Mr Idine is quite studious, isn¡¯t he,¡± I said, and Mr Kahzam and Mr Lahzt both glanced at me. ¡°That¡¯s a rather optimistic way of putting it.¡± ¡°Indeed it is. What are you going to do if he tries something again?¡± ¡°What? Nothing like that¡¯ll happen. I¡¯ll be so busy he won¡¯t be able to get close to me anyway, so it¡¯ll be fine, right?¡± I¡¯d probably be with the prince pretty much all day that day, so even if I was unlucky enough to run across Mr Idine, it¡¯d only be in passing. And anyway, it was only that I¡¯d been careless with my Shin. Although, Mr Kahzam and Mr Lahzt were clearly wary. ¡°You¡¯re very sweet in that way, Kohme. The problem is with him, not you. He can find a chink in our armor at a moment¡¯s notice.¡± ¡°This won¡¯t be his first time here, and he can use Shiino. Who knows what he¡¯ll do.¡± Jeez, don¡¯t say such scary things, you guys¡­ I started to get worried, and Mr Kahzam put a hand on my shoulder to calm me down. ¡°Of course I¡¯ll be keeping an eye out all day too. Honestly, I¡¯d like to stick close to you the whole time, but I have work, so I won¡¯t be able to do that. Please be careful, Kohme. Dr Lahzt, isn¡¯t there some kind of precautionary measure you can take?¡± ¡°Not really, but¡­¡± Mr Lahzt sank into thought for a while, and then lifted his face and spoke to me. ¡°Kohme. Maybe we can put a Shin on your arm, for emergencies? So you can transform and escape.¡± What!? I was finally going to get all fluffy and soft too!? ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó And then the day finally came, part of the Public Royals Campaign, Shiz Cagna Public Admissions Day. Huge numbers of people from the surrounding area visited, starting first thing in the morning, and it was as lively in Shiz Cagna as a festival. The public admissions period was two days long. The first day, today, the museum visitor¡¯s tour (led by the curator, Mr Taval), and Shiz Cagna interior tour (led by the curator¡¯s wife, housekeeper and head maid Mrs Mirette) each ran once in the morning and once in the afternoon. There were public training exercises and martial arts instructions from the guards, and even a mini concert given by a band employed by Shiz Cagna. The dining room was kept open and light meals and snacks were provided. The prince was accompanied by me and a guard (in turns), and he popped his head in at each of the various events. Every time he greeted anyone who was participating, all the young girls lost their heads and let out a squeal. Man, it was like he was a pop idol. I figured we¡¯d head to the prince¡¯s private rooms to have lunch, and when we started down the hallway, there was a cheer from the garden. ¡°Oh, Professor ¡®Nina and Morio are fighting.¡± ¡°What? A fight!?¡± I was surprised, and when I saw the prince pointing, Ms Lemonina and Mr Kahzam were battling in earnest. Visitors and even other guards had surrounded them, letting out cheers and urging them on. Some of the visitors noticed us and raised their voices ¨C ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the prince and his nanny!¡± ¨C but¡­ I never heard of any event like this being scheduled!! They were both carrying weird weapons. They were some sort of nun-chuck, like Bruce Lee or something. They were like the batons the guards normally carried, except instead of two sections, they had three. Oh, was it possible Professor Lemonina, weapon nerd, had brought these with her? Pardon me, dearest mother-in-law, but¡­ Did you have permission to bring those here? The two of them flew apart temporarily. Lemonina was panting for breath, but obviously fired up. ¡°This prey not to your tastes, Professor Kahzam?¡± ¡°Professor Lemonina¡­ Where on earth did you find these things.¡± Mr Kahzam kept his composure, but was a bit exasperated. ¡°In some old reference books. I had an acquaintance reconstruct them for me. Come on, Kohme¡¯s watching, you know, you don¡¯t wanna lose, do you?¡± ¡°Shit¨C Here I come!¡± The two of them struck against each other again. I thought Lemonina was going to swing one side of her weapon around in a circle, but she deliberately hit it against the ground, making the movable portion of it leap up, and it flew at Mr Kahzam. Mr Kahzam circled his own weapon around his body too, and brought it up from an unexpected direction. It did look like fun. Jeez¡­ Both of them were completely loving it. ¡°Fo gor it! Fo gor it!¡±1 Little prince. You do not need to cheer them on. ¡°Koume, I¡¯m gonna fight too! Just like Morio!¡± You do not need to! CH 15 Mr Kahzam had work too, so it was decided he could let the battle be. ¡°Ho ho ho, a narrow escape from death for you, eh Kahzam!¡± Lemonina¡­ Leave the villainous parting remarks alone and come with me please. We decided to have Ms Lemonina join us for lunch in the prince¡¯s room. ¡°All the guests seemed to think it was some kind of martial arts show, so they started gathering around us. Ah, that was fun! I gave Kahzam his weapon and started without any warning, and I still couldn¡¯t get in a single hit. As usual.¡± ¡°I was definitely surprised by the sudden fighting the first time I met you.¡± ¡°Yeah I bet.¡± As we ate, we told each other about what had been happening in our lives recently. We were pretty deep inside Shiz Cagna here, so we could talk quietly. I¡¯d been exchanging letters with Ms Lemonina, but we hadn¡¯t met since she¡¯d come to the royal palace, so I was really overjoyed to be able to see her face to face. We finished our meal, and the prince went out via the terrace and ran off towards his treehouse. I followed him, chatting with Ms Lemonina, watching the prince as he climbed the ladder. The prince and Ms Lemonina and I had absolutely no blood connection, but it was still cute to think of us as three generations of a family. Ms Lemonina suddenly took my left arm and peered at the seals there. "" ¡°I asked Lahzt. He said you practiced transforming with the arts?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I did! It¡¯s still hard though.¡± I faked a swoon. ¡°I couldn¡¯t quite make it work and it defeated me.¡± It was the first time I¡¯d focused on using the arts, and it was difficult. The Shin on my arm had been carved by Mr Lahzt, getting the wrong seal was impossible, so I hadn¡¯t been concerned about the actual transformation, but had to imagine it properly, and I hadn¡¯t been able to fix the image in my head. After all, I didn¡¯t know much about the animals of this world. Eventually, in the end, I was able to transform into the sort of ferret-y weasel animal that Mr Kahzam had transformed into before. It was called a timp. ¡°I chose to turn into a timp because it¡¯s small and nimble, so I could hide easily, and also because it¡¯s a very ferocious animal.¡± When I learned the art from Mr Lahzt, Mr Kahzam was there too and taught me about it. Speaking of which, I saw on the news once in Japan¡­ Weasels or martens or something were killing a special protected species of stork. It surprised me that they would prey on birds so much bigger than they were. ¡°You too, Kohme, if you think you¡¯re in danger, don¡¯t hesitate to use those claws.¡± Oof¡­ I guess I could. ¡°Besides, in the end, you¡¯re still a human, so you wouldn¡¯t be able to muster the full strength of a timp anyway. Remember that, and don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± Mr Kahzam was someone who made his living from fighting, so he could move his body far better than me, since I hardly even exercised, and his muscles were far more flexible than mine. I didn¡¯t even move around that much. Plus, it was specifically because he was familiar with transforming into a ponga (panda) or a timp beforehand, that he could protect the prince and I even in animal form. And even if I did transform into a timp, there was a limited number of things I could do. In the event something did happen to me, it might be better to leave transformation as a last resort. ¡°That¡¯s true, I think it¡¯s just as Kahzam said. Even so though, This Idine character may not be a criminal, but you should still be extremely vigilant.¡± Lemonina smiled bitterly. ¡°Yeah, true,¡± I agreed, heaving a sigh. ¡°It just goes to show you how treasured you are. Although, you¡¯re a big girl, and with three guys hanging off you, so you should be able to make short work of a guy like that, huh.¡± That¡­ She may have been overestimating me there. The prince was exhausted and went down for a nap, so I headed out, leaving the guard posted in front of the room. Lemonina said she had to prepare for tomorrow, so we parted ways, and I went around to the kitchen and the laundry room and the delivery entrance, and then headed towards Shiz Cagna¡¯s backyard, as I¡¯d taken to calling it. A melody played on string instruments rode on the breeze from the distance and was carried to me. The orchestra concert must have begun. Before I even turned the hall corner, I could see a flag waving. A crowd was gathering. ¡°Alright, next, I think we should try going behind the curtains, to see the Shiz Cagna that normally no one sees.¡± It was Mr Taval¡¯s wife Mirette. She was a gentle old lady, who never seemed to run out of smiles, and she was extremely popular. She looked exactly like a tour guide, with all the guests gathered to one side of the flag, and it suited her. Let me not get in her way. ¡°What?¡± Among the guests on the tour was a face I recognized. I nonchalantly went around to the back of the crowd. ¡°Good afternoon, Mr Tsuguru.¡± This older man with the constantly troubled expression worked in personnel at the royal castle. He was the one who¡¯d recommended me as nanny. He turned around, surprised, and then tried to hide in the corner, putting a finger to his mouth. ¡°Shhh!¡± ¡°I just wanted to thank you for all your help back then. What is it you¡¯re doing here?¡± I asked, and he answered stealthily. ¡°I¡¯m blending in with the tour group, conducting an impromptu performance review. Please keep it a secret.¡± Wow, really! ¡°Oh wait, so you¡¯ve already assessed me?¡± The agent nodded, and gave me a thumbs up, his expression unchanged, and then snuck back into the tour group. So, that was a seal of approval, was it? All well and good then, but, like¡­ Can I have a raise or something? Oh yeah, speaking of paychecks! Before I first got to Shiz Cagna, as a reward for the the work I¡¯d already done ¨C in other words the six months I¡¯d spent raising the prince by myself after waking up in that treehouse ¨C Lady Solamire told me she was going to make a new bank account for me. Turned out there were bank-like institutions over here too, and I could use the Shin on my left finger as a PIN to make deposits and withdrawals. They¡¯d apparently thought to transfer some money to me when they first explained everything to me at Mr Lahzt¡¯s villa, but explaining the situation to me and then just saying, ¡°Okay so, here¡¯s some money,¡± felt kind of bad. So it seemed they¡¯d postponed it. Later, when I looked at my account, my eyes nearly glowed. That was too many digits. I mean, I guess it was a settlement payment, in a way, but¡­ what the heck was I supposed to use this for? Retirement? And so, I became an incredibly rich nanny. ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó The following day, there were public lectures with Ms Lemonina in the museum, starting first thing in the morning. It was a lecture by the foremost Shin researcher, so people came from the royal palace and even other towns hoping to get a seat, and the hall was a chaotic semi-circle of bodies. I took the prince along, and headed for the hall around the time of the final lecture. The prince was holding a large bouquet. ¡°Alright, little prince, how did we say we¡¯re going to give these to the professor?¡± I checked behind the curtain, and the prince had a stiff expression on his face. ¡°Thank you very much for your talk!¡± ¡°Alright, great! I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Ms Lemonina¡¯s lecture ended, and the guests burst into applause. The prince walked onto the stage, his gait a little stiff, gave Ms Lemonina the bouquet and said his planned lines, and then leaned over and gave her a kiss. Yeah, good job, perfect! Ms Lemonina seemed happy too. It was by doing stuff like this that the prince would get used to playing a part in front of big crowds of people. Eventually, Mr Lemonina waved and left the stage, and headed out of the hall through the guest seats. The guests got up too, in threes and fives, and started exiting after her. Just then, a soft light glowed at the back of the hall. Something white was passing by the doors people were leaving through. I gasped and shouted to the guard standing in the back. ¡°Take the prince and Lemonina to the waiting room please!¡± And then I half-ran backstage and leapt outside through the back door. As I was searching the back garden, a soft breeze kicked up, and a white bird landed. Speak of the devil, it was Kahzapka, the gods¡¯ messenger bird. Kahzapka landed on the branch of a small tree in the garden, and dropped a letter from his beak, which I caught in both hands. Kahzapka looked like he was waiting for something¡­ It was an utterly familiar series of events. Today, we were at about eye level, and we were so close that if I took a single step forward, we¡¯d be able to rub cheeks. I quickly put my hand in my skirt pocket. I always carried a letter to Nanao with me, and added to it a little bit at a time. I took out the letter and gently offered it. ¡°Um¡­ Thank you for always doing this. If there¡¯s anything I can do in return, please let me know,¡± I whispered, and Kahzapka replied with a sort of cooing deep in his throat, and then immediately spread his wings. There was another gust of wind, and that white shape flew up through the grove and melted into the clouds. CH 16 How nice it would be if I could fly to her, like Kahzapka. Even after his white, glowing form disappeared, I could picture him soaring into the sky. One day when I was practicing transformation, Mr Lahzt said, ¡°Since you¡¯ll notice it someday anyway, there¡¯s something I should tell you beforehand. I thought there might be a method of turning into Kahzapka and taking you back to your homeworld, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t figure it out.¡± Oh! I¡¯d never even thought of that until now! That¡¯s right though, Kahzapka can go to where Nanao is¡­ But why didn¡¯t it work? Mr Lahzt looked away, and said, ¡°Even if I did change into Kahzapka, I couldn¡¯t just use his powers. I thought I might be able to do something, at least, so I gave it a shot, but¡­ Sorry, Kohme.¡± I¡¯d replied with a smile. ¡°I see. Well, that¡¯s just how it is, right. If every Shiinoce could use the power of the gods¡¯ messengers however they wanted, Shiinoce would be the strongest in the world.¡± Mr Lahzt¡­ he said he¡¯d transformed and tried using the powers, but wasn¡¯t that kind of dangerous? He¡¯d still been searching for a way to get me home, huh. Next time, I¡¯d be the one to rub his shoulders. Surely he wouldn¡¯t mind. ¡°Alright then!¡± I looked at the envelope in my hand. A letter from Nanao! This was wonderful! I pressed the pink envelope tight to my chest like I was hugging Nanao herself. Ah, I wanted to read it right this instant! But the prince might come looking for me, and I wanted to take my time reading it, so I really should do that later. Arg! The horrors of unfinished tasks! I calmed my racing heartbeat with a deep breath, and put the letter in my pocket. And then, I started back towards the hall through the back door, when¨C ¡°Mm-hm!¡± I heard a strange voice. My face bumped into something that smelled nice. ¡°Oops,¡± said a voice from someone taller than me. We grabbed each other, to keep ourselves from falling. It was Mr Idine. ¡°Kohme, it¡¯s been a long time, huh.¡± Looking through his dark grey hair, his eyes of the same color narrowed a bit. He was wearing a jacket today. ¡°Ah¡­ Mr Idine. Sorry!¡± I let go of him in a hurry, but both his hands stayed on my arms. ¡°Apologizing again.¡± He laughed faintly. Again¡­ Jeez, why would he bring that up?! ¡°Um¡­ You were attending Professor Lemonina¡¯s public lecture?¡± I asked, trying to change the subject, and Mr Idine nodded. ¡°I was very kindly given a front row seat. You were looking at me earlier, I believe, Kohme?¡± Uh, not at all? I was focused on the prince, I forgot Mr Idine was even there. ¡°Then you went outside, and it was my turn to follow you.¡± Wait a minute. That¡¯s all it takes to make you think I¡¯ve invited you!? That¡¯s assuming a bit too much goodwill. And the whole foundation is built on a misunderstanding to begin with! I started to tell him he was mistaken, clearly this time, when Mr Idine asked me a question. ¡°Is anyone here right now?¡± Ah. No way, he hadn¡¯t seen me exchanging letters with Kahzapka? What was I supposed to say if he asked me what I was doing¡­? I spoke hastily. ¡°There were a lot of stagehands around, so¡­ (I thought there might be somebody back here!). Why don¡¯t we get back to the hall¡­ (and forget about everything that¡¯s happened here!)¡± I switched to Mr Idine¡¯s other side and removed his arm, and returned to the hall through the back door. As I ducked under the curtain, which was lowered over the stage, the last of the guests was just leaving through the hall door. The noise of the crowd was growing distant, and the hall was falling silent. Thanks to that, Mr Idine seemed to have interpreted my line from earlier in the best possible light, once again. In other words, ¡®There were a lot of stagehands around, so¡­ (if we¡¯re seen it¡¯ll be embarrassing). Why don¡¯t we get back to the hall¡­ (there won¡¯t be anyone there and we can be alone),¡¯ that sort of situation. ¡°Oh what¡­? There¡¯s no one here anymore, huh, guess we should get going too.¡± ¡°Indeed we should,¡± Mr Idine replied, closing the distance between us. Why are you so close!? I stepped back, and immediately bumped up against a wall. ¡°Mr Idine, uh, I¡¯m going to go¨C¡± ¡°Kohme. I¡¯m glad to have been able to see you on my visit to Shiz Cagna. I like you.¡± !? Usually, just being compelled into a relationship is enough to make someone run away immediately. In point of fact, I was prepared to run away right now. But I hadn¡¯t expected anything like this, and for an instant, I was thrown into confusion. Just now, was that a love confession!? No, he¡¯d said it with the same tone as if he¡¯d been talking about his love for curry. Mr Idine immediately put both hands near my face. ¡°I heard that you became Lord Ouji¡¯s nanny, and that Lahzt was by your side as ever, and they said Lord Fatido visits all the time, and I¡¯ve heard some rumors about a guard too. Kohme, are you dating anyone right now? Somehow, I got so jealous.¡± Calm down, me. It¡¯s not like last time. Even as a confession, and even with the various misunderstandings, I can probably just face him normally. And I am at work right now. I looked Mr Idine right in the eye. Okay, tell him properly. ¡°Seeing someone right now is¨C¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer right away.¡± You don¡¯t have to interrupt me though! Did you hear me talking!? He touched my cheek and my shoulders jumped in surprise, and I looked down. ¡°We¡¯re both adults, aren¡¯t we? Setting aside the issue of whether you¡¯re really dating anyone for now¡­ You do seem to be with someone, somehow. That¡¯s¡­ Maybe I was, right now. "" I felt a little sting of guilt. I was actually aware that there were people who seemed to be attracted to me, but I never said anything, and just stayed friends with them. I hadn¡¯t the slightest idea what I was supposed to do, but¡­ ¡°That¡¯s fine by me. Somehow.¡± Mr Idine¡¯s tone was gentle, like he was just humoring me. But wait. How close was he going to stick to me? If that really was a confession, I wanted to face him honestly, but like this¡­ When I looked up for a peek at Mr Idine, and noticed a wild light in his eyes. His body was suddenly pressed tight against mine, and his breath was on my cheek. I hurried to twist myself out of his grip. ¡°I can only be your friend,¡± I said ¡°That¡¯s fine too. And it works out well for you too, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡­Works out well? ¡°For you to have a friend in the royal palace.¡± In other words, he was saying it would benefit me to have an informant in the crown prince¡¯s camp? And conversely, Mr Idine could say he had a friend at Shiz Cagna, namely me. Ugh, I knew it, this person thinks of everything in those terms. This wasn¡¯t a confession. I swung my face up to meet his and glared at Mr Idine, putting some force into it. I also put some force into my voice. ¡°I don¡¯t make friends based on profits and losses.¡± And then, I beat on Mr Idine¡¯s arms. ¡°You are a guest at Shiz Cagna today, Mr Idine. So since I¡¯ll be treating you politely, shall we go have tea over there?¡± Mr Idine looked dumbfounded for an instant, and looked away. ¡°Just do things at your own pace, don¡¯t you¡­?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No wait, I¡¯m being dragged into it myself here.¡± Mr Idine seemed to shake something off. He turned towards me again, and grinned. ¡°I¡¯d prefer a different kind of hospitality.¡± CH 17 He was too close for me to run away. I managed to turn my face away, but I felt his lips right on my ear. It was a hot and damp sensation. ¡°No¨C!?¡± Just as I realized I was suddenly changing direction, I ended up on my back. I was pinned down on top of an angled lectern that had been slid out of the way into the shadow of the curtain. The hard plank hit my back. I felt the bonnet slip from my head, and I started to panic. Sorry, but this is my limit! I had a low limit to begin with! I immediately crossed my arms in front of my face and touched the seal on my left arm. Pop! My Circle Art glowed and expanded. I turned into a timp! The contours of my body dissolved, and my senses got kind of fuzzy. A moment later, I was on top of the lectern, poking my transformed timp head out of my nanny uniform. Out of the corner of my eye, thin whiskers twitched. Now! I have to run! The second I started to jump down, Mr Idine grabbed me and hugged me, wrapping me up in his clothes. Waaah! I¡¯m all tangled up! Mr Idine looked so huge and scary. My hand, with the fluffy fur growing on it, looked so small and unreliable. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is, hm. How about I take you with me to my guest room then. That way no one will see you, Kohme, and you won¡¯t get embarrassed.¡± Ack! Still just interpreting things however suits you! I was flailing. ¡°Hm? It¡¯s not like that? Is it possible you want to do it in this form? Maybe I should transform too? It¡¯s an unusual interest, but.¡± This guy was a little too optimistic!! Aaand MUNCH! I bit Mr Idine¡¯s finger, with some force. But I got flustered by the taste of iron slowly spreading in my mouth, and immediately let him go. Mr Idine grinned. ¡°Oo, not scary.¡± What are you, Nausicaa!? The sound of footsteps echoed in the hall. I whirled towards the entrance, and a small, golden haired figure met my eyes. Mr Idine stopped moving. Prince! The prince turned back around and shouted to someone on the other side of the door ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t come in here!¡± ¨C and then strode down towards me through the guest seating. He climbed the stairs on the side of the stage. Mr Idine buried his face in the fur on my back and whispered. ¡°Too bad¡­ Until next time.¡± And then he put me down on the stage and stepped back, nodding lightly in the prince¡¯s direction. The prince came straight up to me, and when I stretched out on my tiptoes, he plucked me off the stage and wrapped me up in his clothes. He whirled around and headed for the exit, without even a glance in Mr Idine¡¯s direction. (Uh, prince¡­) When I looked up into his royal blue eyes, I could immediately see the tension there. Even more than when he¡¯d given the bouquet to Ms Lemonina earlier. When I looked over the prince¡¯s shoulder towards the stage, Mr Idine had disappeared. He must have gone out the back door. Outside the hall, guards were waiting. ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room,¡± the prince declared, and quickly walked off. The guard looked at me with a confused expression on his face, but he acknowledged the declaration and came along. Slowly, the meaning of what had just happened sunk into my heart. This kid, when had he become so attentive? If he¡¯d made a big fuss when he rescued me, it would have become a major incident. Somebody like Mr Idine had the ear of the Crown Prince¡¯s faction, and our relationship with them was fragile to begin with, it might have given rise to a whole new cycle of discord. But the prince had completely ignored Mr Idine, almost like he didn¡¯t exist at all. Well, my condolences to Mr Idine for being ignored by such a small child, but oh well. When the prince arrived in his room, he stopped the guard outside the door. ¡°Wait here a minute.¡± Then he headed for the door to the bedroom in the back. That was my bedroom. The prince was already sleeping through the night by himself, but I needed to be able to check on him, or rush over if anything happened, so we had adjoining rooms. The prince gently lowered me onto the bed. I quickly crawled under the sheets and touched my left hand and undid the transformation. I poked my head out, wrapping my naked body in the sheets, and the prince instantly jumped at me. ¡°Little prince¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Thank you.¡± I hugged him tight, and the prince wrapped himself around me. ¡°Koume, you can¡¯t do that! You have to stay with me! Dr Lahzt and Morio both said so!¡± he said in a muffled voice. Both of them had told the prince, ¡°You should stay with Koume.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry. But you really helped me out there, and all without making a fuss. You¡¯re amazing, little prince,¡± I said, stroking the prince¡¯s silky hair, and he finally lifted his head, grinning. ¡°Fatido told me. When a man and a woman are hugging tight, you shouldn¡¯t kick up a fuss, ¡¯cause it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Oi. What was Mr Fatido teaching him? ¡°But you¡¯re mine, Koume, so I had to get you out of there. Without making a fuss, but still.¡± The prince kissed me on the cheek, and nuzzled his face on my shoulder. How cute, but¡­ I was totally nude, this was a bit embarrassing. I got dressed again, and the prince and I headed to the waiting room where Mr Lemonina was. The waiting room was just a small reception room, and Mr Fatido was there too. ¡°Kohme! I have finally arrived!¡± Mr Fatido got to his feet, smiling, and against my better judgment, I stared back with a strange look on my face. ¡°¡­ What is it, Kohme? You have something to tell me?¡± ¡°¡­ Good afternoon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it!? Wait, Ouji, something happened!?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell him, prince.¡± Not knowing what to do, I got desperate. ¡°Mr Fatido,¡± I said, ¡°You came all this way, maybe you could lend me some assistance? There¡¯s still one last event to go!¡± CH 18 The venue for the last event was a field on the outskirts of the palace grounds. The place was packed with children from town. This was the only one of the public events I had experience with, that game beloved by children everywhere, Digging for Sweet Potatoes! People here ate a kind of non-sweet potato-related tuber all the time, but there had to be a sweet variant too, right? When I¡¯d asked Mr Gaen about it, he¡¯d said, ¡°Oh, so they¡¯re popular not just around here, but in foreign countries too, huh.¡± And so I¡¯d asked Mr Fatido in his capacity as president of a trading firm, to obtain some seedlings for me. I¡¯d worked hard, alongside the gardener. The sweet potato that resulted wasn¡¯t purple like the ones in Satsuma, the skin and the contents were both closer to salmon pink, but the flavor was really similar. The kids were all cheering and screaming, their voices soaking up into the blue sky. Mr Fatido and I went around to the various groups, lending a hand to lift the soil a little and make it easier for the kids to dig. The prince was in that crowd too. He was covered in mud all the way up to his face, digging up sweet potatoes, and grinning from ear to ear. This was the first event that had brought together a large crowd of kids his age like this, after all. The other kids were a little shy at first, but somewhere along the way, they started running around comparing potato size with the prince like they¡¯d all been friends from way back. Kids sure do get to be close quick, huh. Some of the kids from town did help out with their own gardens at home, but this was the first time they¡¯d seen sweet potatoes this shape and color, and they were all obsessed. Of course, whatever potatoes they dug up, they could take home, and I¡¯d written down some recipes to hand out (with editing by Mr Gaen). It was stuff like a lemon simmer,1 and candied sweet potatoes. If the people in town liked these sweet potatoes, maybe they could work together with Shiz Cagna to cultivate them, and think up an original recipe, maybe the town would become famous for it. ¡°Woah, huge! Look at this!¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing, sir!¡± Mr Fatido was surrounded by children and seemed to be enjoying himself. Should we have a baked potato contest next year?! And thus the public events at Shiz Cagna came to a close after a roaring success. ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó That evening, a modest closing party was held in the dining hall. Most of the leftovers had been handed out to the guests, so it was just a few snacks and some drinks, but after all that hard work, the alcohol was delicious! It was an extremely tight circle of back-stage helpers at the party, but Mr Lemonina had snuck her way in, and even Mr Fatido had cleaned the cakes of mud off himself in time to attend. The prince was so incredibly tired, and fell asleep almost instantly. Even at dinner, his eyes were already half closed. ¡°Thank you so much, Mr Fatido. You must be exhausted.¡± Mr Fatido had been sampling the drinks, and was in a good mood. ¡°I was hunched over so much my hips are kinda sore¡­ Nah, I¡¯m fine though. What about you, Kohme, you have to be tired. Shall we trade messages later on?¡± ¡°Kohme. Did you transform before?¡± A voice cut through Mr Fatido¡¯s suspicious suggestion. I turned around, startled, and found Mr Lahzt. Mr Kahzam had shown up at some point too. That¡¯s right, when I used my magic, Mr Lahzt would have known about it. ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah, well¡­¡± I had to tell him what had happened. But let¡¯s just keep Mr Idine¡¯s perverted statements under wraps. For Mr Idine¡¯s honor, if for no other reason. Mr Kahzam listened to my story and got wrinkles between his eyebrows. ¡°I knew it, that guy is a threat.¡± ¡°That hickey-obsessed bastard! Kohme, you¡¯re alright this time, right?¡± Mr Fatido¡¯s face got real close, and he stared at the area around my neck. I pulled back, a little embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s forgiven¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do about it anyway.¡± Mr Lahzt put a hand to his chin. ¡°I am headed to the royal palace on business after this. We may well run into each other again, I¡¯d like to put an end to it now, and with one swift blow, if I can.¡± That would be nice. Oh, well¡­ ¡°I think I have a good idea. The prince came to rescue me, so let¡¯s borrow his help again!¡± Ms Lemonina saw me suppressing a smile and her eyes got a bit wider. ¡°Jeez, Kohme, you¡¯ve got a wicked mind.¡± Well being constantly stuck in these situations is pretty mortifying, you know! ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó And so, a little while later, one day at the royal palace. Idine and Endie were having breakfast in the dining hall, when Lady Solamire, Second Queen to King Ishdir, appeared. Perhaps because Lady Solamire was from a commoner family, she didn¡¯t mind coming to such a frank and open place just as she was. Gesturing for people who¡¯d stood up to take their seats again, she struck up a conversation with Idine, who bowed respectfully to her. "" ¡°You¡¯re Idine, I believe? There was something in my luggage from Shiz Cagna that someone wanted to give you.¡± ¡°Uh¡­?¡± ¡°You saw Ouji the other day at the public events? He must have liked you.¡± Idine accepted the rolled up paper from Her Highness, although he was deeply suspicious. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll continue to get along with my son.¡± The queen smiled at him and left. He unrolled the paper, wondering what the hell was going on. It was a crayon drawing of Idine¡¯s face. It was just a circle with eyes and a mouth, but you could tell it was Idine (or possibly his twin Endie) by the color of his skin and hair. In the corner was an awkward signature, ¡°Ouji.¡± Idine was smiling in the picture, but his hand (there was no body, only a limb growing directly out of his face) seemed to be holding an animal. ¡°Is that a timp?¡± Endie said, peeking in from the side. ¡°It really hates you, huh?¡± ¡°Heh, hehehe¡­¡± Idine let slip a snicker. It was unusual, and Endie tugged on him a bit. ¡°This is a threatening letter¡­ The prince really got me there.¡± Don¡¯t get close to Koume if you don¡¯t want Lady Solamire to know why the prince remembers you, that was the warning hidden in this innocent child¡¯s drawing. ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó After the closing party, I finally got to read the letter from Nanao. It was a daily report, written like a diary. All about school, and her club activities, and her friends, and even some stuff about Koaya and her husband. I read it over and over until I practically memorized it. Still though, Kahzapka was ferrying letters back and forth more often than I¡¯d realized. He may have been messenger to the gods, but he was surprisingly relaxed. With that in mind, I read the final bit of her letter, where she¡¯d written, ¡°That white bird is a very nice person! Petting him feels so nice, and when I offered him some Kappa Ebisen, he ate them!¡± 2 She¡¯d tamed the messenger of the gods! What a frightening kid you are, Nanao¡­! But was that why Kahzapka went to the other world so much? ¡­ Ah-ha. Well, I was glad he was enjoying himself. When I told them the story, Mr Kahzam, Mr Lahzt, and Mr Fatido all said the same thing at the same time. ¡°She¡¯s definitely Kohme¡¯s daughter.¡± The End CH 19 [A Different Nanny than Before] A finger traced softly on my skin. How many years had it been? ¡°Mm¡­¡± Should I try it¡­ on my own? But how would I even do that? I could really feel it too, wherever my arm was touched. My body¡­ was different from before. Completely different from back in those days¡­ I can¡¯t let any man see me when I¡¯m like this¡­ ¡°Maatan.¡± Crap, the prince¡¯d seen me. Well, maybe it¡¯s okay if it¡¯s him. But look at this upper arm! Making all those round trips between the toilet and the treehouse to throw out our waste water had gotten my arms so chunky. I figured I¡¯d have to do some serious workouts if I was gonna balance the rest of me out with these arms. How many years had it even been since I¡¯d gone to the gym or done any training? Ow! Ow ow ow ow, the muscle pain when I touch it¡­ Plus there¡¯s no way I could do that again the day after next! [Inexperienced Nanny] Fatido: You do have some experience, don¡¯t you? Koume: Ah, a little, but¡­ It¡¯s been a long time¡­ F: It¡¯s fine, look. K: This is impossible, it¡¯s my first time with something so big¡­ Ah¨C F: That¡¯s tight¡­ Let¡¯s try it again¡­ K: Mm¡­ It¡¯s rubbing¡­ Ah- crap! * krrrk * K: I scraped the curb! I¡¯m so sorryyy! F: Hahahah, it¡¯s fine, that¡¯s not too bad. K: Jeez, I told you it was impossible, I can¡¯t park an RV this big! I¡¯ve pretty much only ever driven compacts! F: No no, it was incredibly exciting. K: What is that supposed to mean!? F: Oh nothing, don¡¯t worry about it. Anyway, if the back is too hard, shall we try it again from the front? K: Are you a demon! [Long time no see Nanny ¨C plus alpha] From the other side of the door, I could hear Kohme and Dr Lahzt¡¯s voices. Even as I thought I should leave, I inadvertently overheard them. ¡°Hey, do this for me, please.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, so it¡¯ll probably hurt a little, but¡­ I¡¯m nervous¡­¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be gentle.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be alright if it¡¯s you, Mr Lahzt.¡± Knock knock knock! By the time I realized it, I¡¯d already knocked on the door. ¡°Come in. Oh, Mr Kahzam.¡± ¡°Kohme¡­ uh? What is that?¡± ¡°Oh, this piercing¡­ Well, it¡¯s a type of decoration that you stab through your ear. I thought I¡¯d like to be able to put them in both sides, not just the one, but my hole closed back up¡­ If I did it myself, it¡¯d probably end up getting infected, so I figured I should have a physician do it. I¡¯m glad Mr Lahzt was here.¡± ¡°Doctor¡­¡± ¡°Yeah what? (grin grin)¡± ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó ¡°Ah¨C You can¡¯t just rub it like that¡­ You¡¯ll hurt it¡­¡± Knock knock knock! *open* ¡°Didn¡¯t even wait this time!¡± ¡°Dr Lahzt, Kohme¨C What are you doing now?¡± ¡°Oh, Mr Kahzam, look look! The prince has started helping out with the cooking lately! A veggie salt rub. You just put it in a bag and shake it around, but still¡­ Everything turned to crumbs for some reason, but it is tasty.¡± ¡°Ouji helped out!¡± ¡°What is Dr Lahzt doing here? ¡­ Shall we go?¡± ¡°Oo he¡¯s mad! Kahzam over there getting quietly pissed. (grin grin)¡± [Wait just a minute! Mr Idine] When I was staying at the royal palace, before I¡¯d gone to Shiz Cagna, I bumped into someone coming down the hall. ¡°Go¨C good afternoon.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Kohme. Sorry about the other day¡­ I wasn¡¯t able to offer you any help.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Is that boy alright? That¡¯s your child, right, with Lord Fatido?¡± ¡°¡­ No?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, you don¡¯t have to hide it from me¡­ but when Lady Solamire and His Highness adopt that child, if they get suspicious and send in a blood test it¡¯ll be politically awkward huh. Maybe you could pretend this is Lahzt¡¯s kid, then?¡± ¡°Wait just a minute please.¡± ¡°Lahzt isn¡¯t taking advantage of you on that point? If you really want to keep your secret, then be my woman.¡± ¡°How far do the wings of your imagination spread!?¡± CH 20 [side Lahzt] To the south of Vio Rizonna¡¯s royal capital is a vast forest, which has become a private royal estate. Every year in autumn, a royally-sponsored hunt is held here. Well, we call it that, no one actually uses weapons to hunt animals, it¡¯s a learning experience, all about the study of wild animals that people didn¡¯t normally come into contact with, and features talks on our role in protecting them. Kohme taught me the term ¡°Autumn Leaf Hunting,¡± and you might say that¡¯s a similar sense of the term hunting. The prince was participating this year too for the first time, and traveled from Shiz Cagna, with several of us accompanying him. I came with him too, just in case a one in a million scenario did happen. Several tents of various sizes had been erected on a meadow that stretched out in the forest, and a garden party was in swing in front of those, and then in the middle of that was the prince. If I had to say, the main purpose of the prince being here was to give him a chance to interact with other children of nobility of the same age. There was a big crowd of little ones, and they were all running around shouting and making a fuss, with Kohme and I watching over them from a little bit away. She was wearing a white blouse and navy blue pinafore dress under an apron and cap-style bonnet. Kohme, always in nanny mode, was comparing the children to the faces of their mothers, mumbling at the memo book in her hands. No doubt she was matching names to faces. She¡¯d been referencing a yearbook of nobles just yesterday. Her black hair fell gently across her cheek, and half hid her face as she looked up to gaze at me. I reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear. ¡°Sss! Wha¨C What was that!?¡± Jumping up and pressing a hand to her ear, Kohme turned to me. "" What was that Sss about? The first part of surprise maybe? When I grinned without answering, she pretended to sulk about it and dropped her eyes to her memo book once more. She was dyed a very pretty color though, from the nape of her neck up to her cheeks. I readjusted my silver-framed glasses with my middle finger, and stealthily grinned in the shadow of my hand. Lord Fatido, who¡¯d been greeting King Ishdir in the center-most tent, came over to us. ¡°Hey, Kohme! It¡¯s been forever, I¡¯m so glad to see you!¡± It¡¯s been forever. I was pretty sure it¡¯d only been a few days since his last visit, but okay. ¡°Oh, Lahzt, you came too, huh?¡± Indeed I did. I greeted him back, indignant. ¡°Oh by the way, Kohme,¡± he continued, ¡°the one greeting His Highness right now is the Crown Princess¡¯s nanny. And next to her is the Crown Prince¡¯s nanny. She¡¯s already retired, but they invited her today.¡± ¡°Amazing. It¡¯s like a Nanny Convention, huh?¡± Kohme watched the elderly women greeting His Highness a little nervously. Lord Fatido taught her about a few nobles in various tents. Of course, he¡¯d had a lot of interaction with these people through his older sister, who was the king¡¯s second queen, so he knew them well. Kohme probably found the whole thing quite helpful. Awkwardly interrupting them, I excused myself and left to wander into the forest. The leaves were starting to fall, and red and yellow colors carpeted the ground at my feet. As I walked, each step made a crunchy noise. From the gaps in the underbrush and treetops, small animals poked their heads out and then disappeared. Sorry for interrupting your day. Eventually, it was about time for the tea party for the children to start. I returned to the tent where the second queen was resting with some other people from Shiz Cagna. Lord Fatido came back there too, the prince with him. ¡°What happened to Kohme?¡± ¡°She left the prince with us and headed towards the stables,¡± Kahzam said, standing guard in front of the tent. ¡°The stables?¡± Apparently a well-dressed man who seemed to be a guest had come to her, saying the anpy he¡¯d rode in on was injured, but the royal Shiinoce had admitted that he was a bit busy to attend to it, and he¡¯d wondered if maybe they couldn¡¯t leave the treatment to a Shiinoce who¡¯d only recently come themselves. Kohme had mentioned that if it was only a light injury, she could fix it, and the man had agreed, and had taken her to the stables with him. A temporary stable had been erected just outside the forest, that must have been where they went. ¡°I think I¡¯ll go too, just for a bit,¡± I told Kahzam, and headed for the stables. If things got out too much for Kohme to handle, no doubt it would be my turn. However, when I arrived at the stable and asked the stable hand, there was no wounded anpy, and never had been. So then where did Kohme go? [side Idine] ¡°Idine. Take a look at this.¡± His Royal Highness the Crown Prince called me over, an unusually questioning expression on his normally stiff face. I accepted the letter he offered me. There was no Shin on it, so it didn¡¯t seem to have been delivered via postey. ¡°Apparently, it was stuffed in my anpy¡¯s saddle.¡± ¡°Your saddle?¡± I opened the letter. ¡°We¡¯ve taken custody of your precious nanny. If you want her safely returned, release Comrade Kikage.¡± ¡°A ransom note, then,¡± I said, scooting closer to His Highness and lowering my voice. Kikage was the leader of a vigilante group in a city called Animos that had been terrorizing the citizens of the nearby town. He¡¯d recently been arrested by the authorities, and was awaiting trial. Among all the towns under His Highness¡¯s direct control, Animos was the one with the deepest connection to him. "" His Highness let slip a rare sigh, and looked behind himself. I followed his gaze, and realized wrinkles had formed between my eyebrows. The Crown Prince¡¯s nanny (retired, currently aged 60) was having a friendly chat with His Majesty the King¡¯s first wife. ¡°She¡¯s safe then. Your Lady Nanny.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible they¡¯ve kidnapped someone else by mistake. Why don¡¯t you investigate, but secretly¨C¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± I unintentionally cut him off, and ended up turning around to face the Second Queen¡¯s tent. It¡¯d been weighing on my mind for a while now. I¡¯d lost track of her. And then Lahzt had come running back, and started talking to Kahzam and Lord Fatido about something. Prince Ouji was looking up at the three of them with an uneasy expression on his face. ¡°¡­ Her?¡± ¡°¡­ I think so.¡± I nearly clicked my tongue. ¡°The letter only said ¡®Your Highness¡¯s precious nanny.¡¯ Did they mistake the Crown Prince for Prince Ouji, and as a result they mistook the nanny¡­?¡± "" The Crown Prince lowered his voice at my suggestion. ¡°This thing with Kikage is my problem. Go rescue Ouji¡¯s nanny, as quickly as you can. Take Endie with you, and whoever else you need too.¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± I left immediately. It reminded me of that night with Kohme at the Shiinium. And that pale hand that had played with me when I transformed into a cat (pewey). I sharpened my senses as I analyzed the profile of any criminal who¡¯d take her away. Okay, she wasn¡¯t my lover, but she wasn¡¯t yours either, at least. I felt something like regret, something I couldn¡¯t express using simple words. Exchanging looks with my younger twin brother Endie, I removed myself to a place away from the tents. Endie immediately came over, and I explained the situation. ¡°I understand,¡± Endie replied shortly. ¡°You remember Kohme¡¯s face?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Of course he does? Hm¡­ It¡¯s rare that he remembers a woman¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re saying we should make sure the Second Queen¡¯s faction doesn¡¯t find out?¡± Endie asked, and I glanced to one side. ¡°I¡¯d like to, if we can, but¡­¡± ¡°You were the first person who came to mind when Kohme disappeared.¡± There was a voice from behind me, and I turned. Kahzam was standing there with a grim look on his face. The air around him was like a finely honed knife blade. ¡°You seem to know all about it. Perhaps we could share information.¡± Endie and I looked at each other, and I put up both hands with a bitter smile on my face. [side Lahzt] I never thought the day would come when I¡¯d be cooperating with these two. Kahzam and I, and then Idine and Endie, were spurring our anpys down the main road. This was the street where witnesses had spotted an anpy running past with a large piece of luggage on its back. If Kohme was in that luggage¡­ The nearest town was Lagulay. Did they intend to lose themselves in the crowds? ¡°Well, you can probably kidnap an elderly person without them putting up a lot of resistance, but I¡¯m not sure that entirely explains it. The Crown Prince¡¯s nanny is very important to him, she¡¯s probably worth plenty as a hostage.¡± Idine had been running his mouth for a while now. Maybe he was the type to organize his thoughts as he talked, but he didn¡¯t often fumble his words. ¡°Even so, Kohme¡¯s age and appearance is completely different, there¡¯s a limit to how mistaken you can be. This kidnapping is very strange.¡± I interjected. ¡°If they wanted to kidnap the Crown Prince¡¯s nanny, they didn¡¯t have to do it today. She¡¯s retired now, and she lives by herself, as a regular citizen, they could kidnap her whenever they wanted. But if they were going to kidnap Kohme from the beginning, today was a good chance, when she¡¯s outside of Shiz Cagna.¡± Idine looked over at me. ¡°Aiming for Kohme from the beginning¡­? But if they want Kikage released, there¡¯s no point in having a hostage with no value to the Crown Prince¡­¡± The look in his eyes was surprisingly serious. So even this guy was worried about Kohme, huh¡­ Not that I was entirely pleased to know it. There was a high probability the perpetrator had been among the guests. Investigation of the guest list had started immediately, and Lord Fatido was in charge of that. He¡¯d gotten down to business, spitting out a frankly amazing string of expletives, and talking about how he couldn¡¯t believe Kohme had been kidnapped while he was right by her side. If anyone was going to notice something, it was him. When I looked up, Kahzam and Endie had gotten quite far ahead of us. Neither one of them had said a word since we¡¯d left the woods. Guess they were concentrating. I adjusted my grip on the reins. How much more trouble was I going to cause Kohme? Wait for me, I¡¯ll find you! Lagulay was a town with a lot of pedestrian traffic, so we got off our anpys and tugged them forward by the reins. If the criminal could blend in with the guests of a hunting party, there was a ninety percent chance he was a noble. We circled around towards the upper-class residential area. We¡¯d taken a copy of the guest list with us, but there were a lot of nobles in this city. If the criminal started to suspect us while we were still blindly searching, Kohme would be in danger. There had to be a way to narrow it down. ¡°Shit¡­ the fact that the criminal knows Kohme can use Shin is such a pain.¡± I bit my lip. The criminal had walked right up to Kohme and kidnapped her during a gap when I wasn¡¯t with her, but they¡¯d probably first tried to kidnap her in the forest, when she¡¯d gone out looking for me. But thanks to that man¡¯s conversation with her, they¡¯d realized that Kohme could use Shin. She must have had her arms restrained even now, to prevent her from using them. If she could have used them, I¡¯d be able to find out where she was. ¡°Should we separate into two groups?¡± Endie muttered gently. ¡°Split up, why? I thought you said you have nothing to hide.¡± Kahzam¡¯s voice was low. Endie responded with a chilly gaze. It was true though, Idine and Endie were following the criminal on the orders of the Crown Prince. If their interests didn¡¯t align with ours, there was a possibility that they¡¯d do something disadvantageous to Kohme¡­ Oh but wait. When I looked up, my eyes met Idine¡¯s. This guy, he was thinking the same thing, huh. CH 21 [side Idine] Lahzt¡¯s eyes told me he¡¯d realized the same thing I had. Not half bad. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is, huh. If the criminal is a noble, there¡¯s a possibility they know all about the discord between the Crown Prince¡¯s faction and the Second Queen¡¯s faction.¡± ¡°Yeah. In other words, their goal isn¡¯t to liberate Kikage.¡± As I spoke, a small orange-colored bird circled around Lahzt, and landed on his anpy¡¯s head. A postey delivery. Lahzt took the letter from the tube on the postey¡¯s leg, and ran his eyes over it. ¡°It¡¯s from Lord Fatido. He¡¯s uncovered a couple of suspicious characters on the guest list, and it seems he¡¯s come to the same conclusion.¡± He offered the letter to me, and I took it. The name of a suspect that had surfaced from the guest list was written there. I couldn¡¯t stop an utterly evil smile from flashing across my face. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t we ignore all these trivial details. No need to go through all the trouble of negotiating.¡± Lahzt nodded. ¡°Yeah. Handing down judgment on the criminal comes only after you rescue the princess.¡± Beside me, Endie flung off his overcoat, and Kahzam¡¯s joints snapped as he cracked them. ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó Behind the mansion, traders and anpys pulling carts were coming and going busily through the back gates. The gatekeeper was checking their permits, and almost universally denying them entry. Shiino were originally used to assist with certain mechanical forces. With Lahzt and I using the Arts, and Endie and Kahzam utilized their practiced strength, the raid was easy. Lightly hopping over the wall in an area out of the public gaze, and sending a guard who was on patrol to sleep, we broke the lock on a side staff entrance without a sound and slipped in. A number of doors with numbers one them lined either side of a dim pathway. They seemed to be storerooms. Lahzt had brought a postey with a letter on which was written the seal of Kohme¡¯s name, and we let it fly. The postey landed directly at a certain point down the hall, and tottled over to hop up and down in front of one of the doors. It started to knock on the door with its beak, but Kahzam quietly stopped it. So this is the door, huh. The lock wasn¡¯t giving. We kicked it in with one blow, and spotted black hair in between stacks of wooden crates and jute bags. It was Kohme. She was sitting with her arms tied behind her and a blindfold over her eyes. Beside her, a well-built man wearing an expensive suit that didn¡¯t fit him turned around, opened his eyes wide and said something, apparently without thinking. ¡°That was fast¨C¡± Bit careless, aren¡¯t you? I mean, okay, a few hours had passed since the actual kidnapping, but still. [side Lahzt] ¡°Kohme¨C¡± A few people spoke at the same time, as we opened the door, and she popped her head up, her eyes still covered. Her forehead was swollen and red¡­ They¡¯d done something to her? The worry and bloodlust that had been oozing from Kahzam and Endie had finally calmed down when they spotted Kohme alive, but I felt it all fire up again beside me in an instant. Not that I was any different! Idine and I expanded our Circle Arts simultaneously. It turned into a brawl with a bunch of nobodies who happened to be in there too. I mean, maybe these jackasses weren¡¯t just somebody¡¯s underlings, but compared to Kahzam and Endie, there was no other word to describe them with. Kahzam¡¯s bare hands were decisive, and then Endie¡¯s elbow strikes got into the act, and their opponents were reduced to rolling around and moaning on the floor. Shiino wasn¡¯t very useful for offense, but it could be used for defense and protection. Idine and I devoted ourselves to support roles. To be honest, I wanted to wallop directly them with my own fists. And these small fry seemed to just be playing for time. A guy in a suit stood up and started dragging Kohme off ¨C Don¡¯t you touch her, you bastard! ¨C hoisting her over his shoulder like a sack and retreating further into the storeroom. A rectangle was cut into the interior wall and collapsed towards the outside. It formed its own loading ramp. Was that an exit? But the instant the man tried to leave, something swung at him from above, and struck him right in the temple. The man held his head and staggered back, where Endie flew towards him and caught Kohme before she could hit the ground. A man wearing a hat and work overalls popped his face in from the loading entrance. In his hand was a stick used to attach luggage to anpys. ¡°Lord Fatido!? What are you doing here?¡± Kahzam rushed over, and Lord Fatido in his overalls waved an ID hanging around his neck. ¡°I got in the normal way. I did some investigating, and it turned out we¡¯d had dealings with them before.¡± And then, completely ignoring the man Kahzam now had restrained and groaning, he announced sarcastically, ¡°Guess we¡¯ll be putting an end to our business relationship with them.¡± Endie set Kohme down and we undid the ropes around her arms and took off the blindfold. She did seem a little exhausted, but she flashed us her usual smile. ¡°Thank you, everyone!¡± ¡°Here, Kohme.¡± I gently touched her forehead, and smiled when she pulled a bit of a grimace. ¡°Ah, I resisted a bit, and sorta headbutted one of them.¡± Unexpectedly brave wasn¡¯t she, for a nanny. ¡°But why¡­ What is this¡­¡± she asked, looking all five of us in the face in turn. ¡°You don¡¯t know? Did you really doubt us, once all of us acted together?¡± Idine smiled. Jerk, what the hell is that sweet smile¡­ Show her the black grin you had on your face a few minutes ago, why don¡¯t you. I healed Kohme¡¯s forehead with my arts, and smiled wryly. ¡°The criminals didn¡¯t expect it either. That the five of us would end up working together.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty well known that the Crown Prince¡¯s faction doesn¡¯t think much of the Second Queen¡¯s faction. With that in the background, they abducted you and demanded the release of an extremist leader. Apparently they mistook you for the Crown Prince¡¯s nanny somehow, and that¡¯s why they kidnapped you,¡± I explained briefly, and then asked Kohme, ¡°So, what do you think the Crown Prince¡¯s faction would normally do? Would they actually release a criminal for Ouji¡¯s nanny?¡± [side Idine] ¡°¡­ I think¡­ they wouldn¡¯t¡­ right?¡± I gently took her arm, and checked out the marks left from where she¡¯d been bound. She did have some scratches. She didn¡¯t offer any resistance, and I continued with the explanation. ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s an extremist group that¡¯s been laying waste to areas under the Crown Prince¡¯s control. So we don¡¯t release him, and if we can, we keep the incident under wraps. And once the Second Queen¡¯s faction learns of it, when they rummaged around behind the scenes?¡± ¡°Oh. They¡¯d think the Crown Prince was abandoning the hostage to her fate, and the relationship between the two factions would get really bad¡­?¡± Kohme really seemed to be thinking hard about it, and Endie started speaking. ¡°Who profits most from the relationship between our factions going sour?¡± Kohme now looked at Endie. What was going on with these two¡­ It kinda felt like some kind of intimate atmosphere had sprung up between them, but what the heck had happened between them? ¡°Hm, some influential noble? Whoever¡¯s next in line, after the Crown Prince and Ouji?¡± Lord Fatido nodded. ¡°There was just such an influential noble among the guests at the hunting party, someone who went home before the event was over. This man.¡± He lightly poked the guy passed out at his feet with his toes. The man moaned, and Kohme pulled back for a moment. Kahzam gently cuddled her from behind. Hmph. Lahzt continued. ¡°Well, he was working for his own gain, getting our two camps to snarl at each other like that. But it was kidnapping Kohme that was their big mistake.¡± ¡°Wait, me?¡± Kohme looked around at us. The way she rolled her eyes was cute, and I let out a laugh without meaning to. ¡°Exactly. If it¡¯s to rescue Kohme, we don¡¯t mind teaming up with people who would normally be our rivals! They never expected that, did they?¡± ¡°You say all that pretty easy,¡± Lahzt said, a bit dumbfounded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean we have to keep up the charming conversation. Instead, let me dispense with this criminal¡¯s punishment right here.¡± I exchanged glances with Endie, and grinned. Kohme let out a shout. ¡°Oh no, the prince! He must be worried, I¡¯ve gotta go see him, quick.¡± Ah jeez, her head is already full of that boy with the complicated upbringing. ¡°Oh, Ouji would make the sixth guy who adores Kohme, wouldn¡¯t he? Well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll play a role in any future incidents.¡± Lord Fatido¡¯s words were more profound than they sounded. More than he likely realized. Maybe this wouldn¡¯t be the end of it. The criminal had inadvertently mistaken her for the Crown Prince¡¯s nanny and kidnapped His Highness Ouji¡¯s nanny, and then realized their mistake along the way and just dropped her in the forest with the blindfold still over her eyes. Kohme hadn¡¯t even seen the criminals. Endie and I had located and rescued her, but the next incident might not be so clear cut, is what he was saying. After he made that clear, despite himself, the whole party thought the same thing, and all of us, no matter which side we supported, breathed in the sweet nectar of a troubling incident coming to a close. How obnoxious. Well, we did capture the man in the end, so we could get some firm information out of him, and consign the principal offender to the darkness in secret. That kind of work wasn¡¯t necessarily in my character, but the crime of laying hands on Kohme was a heavy one. [side Lahzt] ¡°Koume!¡± When we got back to the tent, Ouji ran straight to Kohme and flew into her arms. ¡°Ouji, I¡¯m so sorry! I¡¯m safe now.¡± Kohme crouched down and hugged him, stroking his silky golden hair. Of course the maid Lauren rushed over too, and Kohme explained that she just got mixed up in a fight with some strange people but that she was fine now, it was okay. To sum up a kidnapping as ¡®getting mixed up¡¯ in something, this woman was so strong. Even the wound on her forehead was almost invisible thanks to my arts, so probably no one would know the difference. Kahzam, Lord Fatido, and I looked on at the scene, finally feeling calm. Suddenly, there was a commotion on the other side of us, and I turned around. The Crown Prince, accompanied by Idine and Endie, was walking towards us. Kohme gently separated herself from the prince, set him down, and waited. ¡°Ouji. It¡¯s been a long time.¡± His Highness came to a stop and spoke to Ouji without bending down. Ouji bowed politely, showing his respects toward a senior royal. ¡°You seem to be studying hard, doing your best.¡± The way His Highness spoke, it was obvious he was just being polite. But His Highness hardly ever spoke to Ouji at all, and the fact that he¡¯d struck up a conversation now? Surely he had realized something after this latest incident. That the antagonism between their factions left gaps that could be taken advantage of. So he¡¯d struck up a conversation with Ouji so they could be seen talking¡­ That was the impression I got, anyway. Ouji grinned and responded. ¡°Yep, I am doing my best! Once I grow up, I¡¯m gonna be a big help to you, big brother!¡± His Highness heard that, and the corners of his mouth lifted just slightly. ¡°Is that right. I look forward to it. Now, you¡¯ll have to excuse me.¡± He left and didn¡¯t look back. Idine and Endie glanced in our direction, and then followed him. Lord Fatido came up to Ouji, and ruffled his hair. ¡°Good job, Ouji.¡± Ouji seemed a little confused, but Kohme ruffled his hair too, and he grinned happily. If Kohme could continue to raise such a gentle child, just as she was doing, incidents like this one that used the discord between the factions, would be a thing of the past. I was sure of it. And I think Ouji would protect those who were important to him. ¡°Alright, shall we head home?¡± she said, holding Ouji¡¯s hand. ¡°To Shiz Cagna.¡± [Six men and a nanny ¨C end] CH 22 Once upon a time in a far away land, lived a beautiful young woman. Her father treated her mother badly and then disappeared one day, and so the girl ended up living alone with her mother. Even so, her mother was gentle and kind, and the girl was happy to live with her. But suddenly one day, her mother disappeared as well. As the girl searched for her, a single large bird appeared. It was a very beautiful bird, with a shape like the white heat haze of the sun. That bird was carrying a letter. It was from the girl¡¯s mother. Her mother had been caught up in something unavoidable, and had been taken to a far away country, where there was a job she had to do. The bird had come all the way from the country where her mother now lived. The loneliness of not having her beloved mother with her was such that it couldn¡¯t be buried and ignored. But the girl spent her days being consoled by the kindness of her relatives and the letters from her mother. In particular, the pure white bird that carried her mother¡¯s letters from that far off land became a good friend to the girl, someone who always listened. She told him everything, and they even occasionally ate meals together, or fell asleep together. Months and years passed, and the girl turned sixteen. That night her relatives threw her a party, and the white bird brought a letter, like always. She was overjoyed and fell asleep reading the letter, the white bird beside her. That night, the girl had a dream. In an empty space, overflowing with light, she was standing stark naked. That pure white bird floated in mid-air in front of her. A voice echoed from somewhere. ¡°Daughter. I have been waiting until you grew older.¡± The light got stronger, and the white bird lost his shape, like he was melting into the light. It was dazzling and she shut her eyes, unable to keep them open. She felt like her body was being enveloped in a whirlpool of warm light¡­ Suddenly she realized she was standing on her floor, alone. For a moment she wondered if it had all been a mirage, just a dream after all, but something rose up from deep in her throat, and she turned her head to the floor. A white ball about the size of the tip of her thumb plopped down into her palm. It wasn¡¯t a full sphere, it looked sort of like an egg. The white bird, beside her, gently put his forehead against her. ¡°This egg, born in the space between you and I, is something that will connect our worlds, mine and yours.¡± It was the same voice she¡¯d heard before. ¡°Entrust it to the woman connected to you by blood, the one who is still in this world.¡± The girl was overcome with surprise, but she took the white bird along to meet her aunt, her mother¡¯s younger sister. Her aunt listened to the story, and without responding, slowly took the small egg and put it in her mouth. There was a gulping noise. The egg then lived in the body of the girl¡¯s aunt. A strong light shone from the white bird once more. ¡°When you wish to return to this world, this will become your support.¡± When the girl heard that, she grinned at her aunt, and spoke. ¨CThank you. I have to go. The girl¡¯s aunt told her to stay safe, before the white bird and the girl both melted into the light, their forms disappearing. Finally, one day after the moon had waxed and waned many times, the white bird appeared, carrying a letter addressed to the girl¡¯s aunt. The letter was from the daughter. It described how she was living happily with her mother. Her aunt was delighted, and entrusted a letter of her own to the white bird. In that letter was a picture of the aunt and her husband, and their newborn baby. [Beautiful daughter and white bird ¨C end] CH 23 I knew from the beginning that it was what they call a Trip to Another World. ¡°Yiiii!?¡± Thud! I could feel myself falling, could feel my stomach dropping, and I instantly passed out. ¨CNanao I had a hunch someone was calling my name, and I opened my eyes. I was laying face down on someone¡¯s chest. They were wearing a black uniform, with the sleeve of the white yukata I was wearing laid on top of it. I timidly lifted my gaze. There was an emblem like the face of a lion on their stand-up collar. Lifting my gaze further, my jaw dropped. It was a young man with deep blue eyes, probably only a little younger than me. He had an attractive jaw line, a perfect nose, and really nicely shaped lips. He said something, a surprised look on his face. ¡°¡÷¡÷? ¡ù¡ð¡î¡Á?¡± I couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying. It didn¡¯t seem to be English. The young man had a hat firmly on his head that looked like an old-fashioned student cap. I couldn¡¯t see the color of his hair, but at any rate, he was undisputedly, amazingly attractive. ¡°Wow, a prince¡­¡± I muttered unconsciously. The young man burst into a smile. And then he pointed to himself and said, ¡°Otto! Otto!¡± ¡°What? Why was he saying ¡°Husband?¡± 1 What¨C No way, was this one of those stories where a girl gets whisked away to another world and meets a fantasy prince? Like, she falls onto the prince, and gets told she¡¯s going to be his wife! Holy cow, now that I notice it, aren¡¯t we on a bed!? I climbed off him at mach speed, and scooted away from him until my back hit the wall. The bright yellow obi that was wrapped around me got stuck between my back and the wall, and was smooshed. Wait, Kahzapka¡¯s not here! He just dropped me off here and then disappeared!? I thought for sure he was gonna take me to where Mommy-chan was!? It was at that point that the rest of the room finally came into my field of vision. For a prince¡¯s room, it was a little simple¡­ Wooden planks on the walls and floor, I even recognized an iron stove on a dirt floor. I could see a stable right next door through the window, and what looked like a meadow beyond that. Mm, a farmer prince? He sat down with his feet hanging off the bed, and grinned at me. His stand-up collar jacket with the cuffs a little long felt like a student uniform, and his pants and shoes were black. Maybe he wasn¡¯t so much a prince as a knight. The young man stood up with a refined motion. He approached and opened what seemed to be the front door, and then turned back to me and waved lightly. It felt like, come on outside. I approached him nervously and stepped out the door. The door opened in the opposite direction from the stables, and in front of me was a little path pushing its way through the grass. I followed the path with my eyes, and gradually there were more and more houses, and past that it became a full on city. It seemed this was the outskirts of a town. And then beyond the city there was a hill, and on top of the hill was a small, beautiful castle. The ivory walls were gentle on the eyes, and there were several triangular spires. As I stared at it, fascinated, I heard something that sounded like the whinnying of a horse. When I turned around, the prince from a minute ago was pulling an animal that looked like a goat crossed with an impala by the reins, just leaving from the stables. He straddled the animal in a single motion. He really was fascinating, and he pointed in front of him, looking at me. What? Was he telling me to ride in front of him? Why? When I hesitated, he pointed at the castle, and said, ¡°Mommy, there.¡± Em¡­ embarrassing¡­ I headed into town, swaying on the back of the goat-like animal, along with the young man. Since I was wearing a yukata, he pulled me up and turned me sideways to side down. Yukata in another world, yikes am I gonna stand out¡­ Although just as I was thinking it, I noticed that every single person walking down the street was wearing really eccentric stuff. Some of them had wings and animal ears attached to their clothes or bodies, some had added balloons or ribbons, and there were even some people in masks. The streets were strung up with electric lights, and it looked like some kind of festival. This was some kind of coincidence. I was wearing the yukata because I¡¯d been on my way to a festival myself. My aunt Koaya (Sissy Aya) had bought it for me for my sixteenth birthday, and I was thinking I¡¯d run some errands and then unveil it at Sissy Aya¡¯s place¡­ Well, a few things had happened, and I¡¯d ended up on this strange journey. With all these thoughts running around in my head, I tugged on the sleeve of my bellflower-patterned yukata. The castle¡¯s entrance was a set of smart-looking, ivy-covered silver gates. In front of the gates was a person who seemed to be a soldier, dressed exactly like the young man. That must be a soldier¡¯s uniform. So, this young man was a soldier too? While he was talking to the man at the gate about something, I looked around a little. Just then, atop the gate post, was a familiar, large white bird. It was Kahzapka. ¡°Kahz! Jeez, where have you been?¡± I suddenly shouted, quite loudly, and the young man and the soldier both looked at me in surprise. The young man looked up at the gatepost, and made a face like, Ah, but the soldier just looked back from me to the gatepost with a confused look on his face. Apparently he couldn¡¯t see him. Kahzapka flapped his large wings, and flew down into my arms. Pretty light for his size, ain¡¯t he. ¡°This girl is ¨C¡®s daughter.¡± All of a sudden, I could understand some of the words the young man was saying to the soldier. I looked at my arms, and Kahzapka looked back up at me. Ah, it was all thanks to him then? ¡°Here¡¯s her Shin.¡± The young man yanked my left hand out and showed it to the soldier. At some point, a strange character had been carved onto the ring finger of my left hand. Oh¡­ That¡¯s my name. I knew at a glance. And just like that, we entered the castle. Apparently that character from before was like ID papers. As we walked down a neatly manicured path, I glanced at the young man, and he grinned at me. He had a bit of a strange air to him¡­ He looked sort of like Kahzapka, like, I don¡¯t know how to put it, he smelled the same? "" We crossed several corridors, and had come pretty far into the castle. Our footsteps echoed off the high ceilings. The double doors at the end of the hall were open, and I could hear several people talking inside. The young man stopped in front of the room. ¡°This is gonna be some kinda surprise,¡± he mumbled, and winked at me. ¡°Wait here for a minute.¡± And then he went in by himself. I exchanged looks with Kahzapka, who was still in my arms. ¡°Welcome home. That looks nice, suits you.¡± There was a calm, quiet male voice, to which the young man responded. ¡°Thanks. I didn¡¯t have any trouble finding it.¡± ¡°Is that alright, to lend him your uniform, just because you¡¯re off duty? Are guards allowed to do that?¡± A subdued male voice spoke this time, and sounded like he was making fun a little bit. ¡°A guard¡¯s job is to protect the prince, so if it¡¯s useful to the prince then it¡¯s fine, right?¡± Another voice. This one was laughing too, but it sounded clear and refreshing. The young man¡¯s voice responded. ¡°I thought if I could pretend to be a guard, I could go on festival dates with Koume and not have all the townsfolk sticking their noses in all the time, but¡­ The truth is, actually, I ended up meeting someone else by surprise, so I took her home with me. Where is Koume?¡± I heard Mommy-chan¡¯s name and my heartbeat got louder, but I also hadn¡¯t missed that one simple word. This young man said¡­ date!? He popped his head out from the door. ¡°Nana, she¡¯ll be right¨C oh, she¡¯s here.¡± I followed his gaze and turned around to see a human figure coming to a stop down the hallway. Looking back at me, her eyes got wide, and she pressed both hands to her mouth. ¡°Nanao¡­..!¡± I gently set Kahzapka down, and then turned directly toward the figure and ran. ¡°Mommy-chan!!¡± I leapt directly at the chest of the mother I hadn¡¯t seen in years. We¡¯d been exchanging letters forever, so I knew how things were in this world. But the truth was, I didn¡¯t care about any of that stuff. I wanted to see Mommy-chan smile, I wanted to show her mine. That had been my first wish. But now that we¡¯d finally met again, the both of us were sobbing and crying so much we couldn¡¯t smile. So then. After all the tension of coming to a place I didn¡¯t know, I recovered more quickly even than Mommy-chan, and then asked about the army of guys she seemed to have around her. ¡°Prince Ouji, is it possible Nanao doesn¡¯t know about Your Highness?¡± ¡°What? But when we met she looked right at me and said Ouji though! And I spoke to her in proper Japanese too. Nana¡¯s Otto.¡± ¡°¡­ I believe you meant ¡®otouto.¡¯ ¡± 2 ¡°What? So then what¡¯s ¡®otto¡¯ mean, professor?¡± ¡°In a married couple, it¡¯s the man.¡± ¡°Oh, right. So like, I¡¯m Nana¡¯s ¡®otouto¡¯ but I¡¯m going to be Koume¡¯s ¡®otto,¡¯ right?¡± ¡°Awfully determined, aren¡¯t you.¡± Mommy-chan. Seems there were a few things you decided not to tell me, huh? But Mommy-chan was still sniffling, with her forehead attached to my shoulder, so I decided I¡¯d sternly cross examine her later. [Daughter and bird, and mysterious young man ¨C fin] author¡¯s note: Which is all to say that, in addition to being a continuation of, [Beautiful Daughter and White Bird], this is a continuation of [Parallel Prince]. CH 24 [First Day ¨C Noon] I was staring at the face of a sleeping young man. This feeling, was this deja vu? Like, hadn¡¯t I been in this situation before somewhere? A little boy was sleeping in my arms, a baby baby, who hadn¡¯t even been born that long ago. No, I didn¡¯t give birth to him. And it wasn¡¯t like time had rewound to when I was raising the prince in the Garden of Stars. In fact I was currently in the prince¡¯s living room in Shiz Cagna. The prince was already old enough to be going to school, and he was next to me, peering at the baby¡¯s face with keen interest. Mr Kahzam was standing by the entrance ¨C in human form of course, in his guards uniform ¨C with an alert posture, and Mr Lahzt was in his white coat on the terrace, leaning against the wall. ¡°So Mr Idine, Mr Endie, please explain what all this is about,¡± I asked quietly, sitting down on the sofa, still holding the baby, with the two dark-skinned men sitting in front of me. They had brought this baby with them. ¡°Why have you brought the Crown Prince and his wife¡¯s child to Shiz Cagna?¡± Adding what I knew of our own circumstances to Mr Idine¡¯s story, this is the general idea I got. Just the other day, the Crown Prince and his wife had been blessed with a baby boy. From the prince¡¯s (Ouji¡¯s) perspective, he was Ouji¡¯s nephew, and legitimate heir to the kingdom to Vio Rizonna. The Crown Prince and Princess were of course delighted, and the whole kingdom had been in a festival mood. But not even a month had passed since he was born before there was an incident. The Crown Prince and his family lived in what was called The White Wing Palace, which itself was situated inside the royal palace, and yet a poison had been discovered in the room closest to the child¡¯s. It was actually a poisonous plant, in other words, still in leaf form, but it had been stuffed in a bag and stuck behind a picture frame, so it was clearly hidden on purpose, hence it was a problem. It was thought that someone hid it there deliberately, or possibly stuffed it there as part of a hand-off. The plant itself wasn¡¯t actually that toxic, and it was apparently even something that normally grew in the royal herb garden. It wasn¡¯t life threatening for an adult. But that wasn¡¯t the case if an infant ingested it. It was possible that someone had been making an attempt on the baby, and so they¡¯d begun an investigation of everyone connected with the White Wing Palace. It was thorough, from the baby¡¯s nanny, to the merchants that came and went, to even the nobles who¡¯d visited to congratulate them. But they didn¡¯t know who had hidden the leaves. Because no one was clearly innocent, there was no one they could entrust with the baby¡¯s care, and his mother, the Crown Princess, and even ended up in bed, ill from all the stress. And so, His Royal Highness had consulted with Mr Idine. ¡°Until we know exactly what happened, I¡¯d like to hide my son.¡± ¡°So¨C So wait, why me!?¡± I asked, readjusting my grip on the baby. Actually, I¡¯d tried to put him to sleep in the prince¡¯s bed a little while before, but this baby was what we call a Hold or Cry type, and the instant you put him down he started wailing. As long as I kept him in my arms, he didn¡¯t shed a tear, so I gave up on the idea of putting him to bed. ¡°No one will ever find him here. I mean, the Crown Prince¡­¡± Mr Idine glanced at Ouji and cut himself off. In other words, relations between the Second Queen and The Crown Prince were known to be bad, so no one would ever imagine that the Crown Prince would leave his own child with us. ¡°And it¡¯s Shiz Cagna, security doesn¡¯t miss anything here,¡± Mr Endie said in a low town, glancing in Mr Kahzam¡¯s direction. Mr Kahzam didn¡¯t say anything, but his eyes had a sharp glint to them. ¡°People didn¡¯t suspect you though, Mr Idine?¡± I asked, a little mean-spiritedly, but Mr Idine answered matter-of-factly. ¡°They did. A Shiinoce can¡¯t hide in a place like that. Although there are all kinds of ways of concealing myself so that I wouldn¡¯t be discovered.¡± ¡°Are¡­ there now?¡± ¡°And I have paid for medicines like that out of my own pocket before. But I wouldn¡¯t need to bother hiding myself, I¡¯m in a position to be able to use them immediately.¡± Uh, scary. Let¡¯s not delve too deep on that one. Behind me, Mr Lahzt quietly snorted. ¡°What about Mr Endie?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m the one who discovered it. Found it and reported it up the chain.¡± A short response. Of course. ¡°But if people are going to doubt you, I guess they can go right ahead. The fact that the Crown Prince entrusted his son to the two of you proves he had confidence in you. Pretty amazing,¡± I said admiringly, and the twins stared at me, hard. Silence. What? But¨C I mean, in mysteries, it¡¯s standard procedure to doubt the first one to discover the crime, isn¡¯t it? I did say something kind of weird though, huh. ¡°Well, I understand the situation. Given all that, I think I would like to keep him under my custody for a while,¡± I said, throwing glances at Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam. The both of them had been dead silent for a while now, but there was no reason to refuse. We¡¯d protected the prince by any means and had come this far, after all. And anyway, the truth was that Mr and Mrs Taval (the people in charge of Shiz Cagna) had taken one look at Mr Idine and company bringing a baby of important birth to us, and had started preparing in secret. I got the feeling it was par for the course to accept royal children at Shiz Cagna. Of course, I hadn¡¯t had any intention of refusing, right from the start, even though I was the one who was going to be taking care of him. This seemed like it was about to get complicated, and they needed someone, right? It did seem that Idine and company were bringing this baby here in secret, to a certain extent. ¡°Have they given him a name yet?¡± I didn¡¯t know the baby¡¯s childhood name yet, but they probably had already decided on one. When I asked about it, Mr Idine answered. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been announced yet, but he is called Lord Waka.¡± ¡°Pfft-¡± I unintentionally burst out laughing, and the baby squirmed and frowned a little, his eyes still shut. Sorry, sorry, didn¡¯t mean to startle. Oh right, in this language, ¡®waka¡¯ meant something like ¡®treasure¡¯ didn¡¯t it. But Ouji was Lord Prince, and now little Waka here was literally Young Master. Or maybe we could call him Young Prince instead. Or Young Lord, or even Young Gentleman might be good too. 1 I cleared my throat a few times and plastered a smile on my face, and the army of men in the room stared at me in confusion. ¡°Ah, so then, what¡¯s your next task, Mr Idine?¡± I asked. ¡°Well I can¡¯t leave Lord Waka¡¯s side. I¡¯ll be imposing on you here at Shiz Cagna for a while.¡± ¡°What?¡± I seemed to be the only one who hadn¡¯t assumed that would happen, and I heard Mr Kahzam and Mr Lahzt heave tiny sighs. CH 25 [First Day ¨C Night] Young Master was a colic demon. From just after the prince went to bed clear until midnight he would cry off and on for three solid hours. You bet I was wiped out! ¡°Haaah¡­ Finally settled down, did you?¡± I was wandering down the moonlit halls of Shiz Cagna at night. In my arms, the young master was finally nodding off. But whenever I tried to put him to bed, or even sit down, he¡¯d start crying again, hence. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Mr Lahzt asked, with the sense that he couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say. He was walking beside me, just as quiet. And when we turned around a little, Mr Endie was standing against a pillar at the other end of the hall. Mr Idine and Mr Endie didn¡¯t seem to be able to pull themselves away from Young Master, of course, and the two of them had taken to sticking by his side in turns like this. They¡¯d insisted that only me and these guys could handle it, and even Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam had stayed by my side in turns. It probably was a help though. The Young Master seemed to get restless if it was too quiet, so being able to talk to someone quietly like this was perfect. ¡°If not for the circumstances, taking a midnight stroll with you like this would be quite the beautiful scene, huh.¡± Mr Lahzt cracked a light joke. I laughed a little and turned around, beginning the stroll down the hallway in the other direction again. Mr Endie followed us the whole time with his stare. We walked all the way over to where Mr Endie was, and I asked, ¡°Was the Young Master like this in the royal palace too?¡± Mr Endie nodded. ¡°Lord Waka¡¯s nanny still has to do this same thing, even at night, so the security measures at the White Wing Palace were altered to accommodate it.¡± Unlike when the child sleeps in their room all the time, the whole policy would have to be changed, I guess. That made sense. ¡°That nanny ended up one of the suspects herself, right¡­¡± I muttered. If she wasn¡¯t really the culprit, it would have been really sad. She¡¯d been putting us lot of work caring for Young Master, and now he¡¯d been dropped off with some people he¡¯d never even seen before. I hoped it¡¯d be resolved quickly. ¡°What kind of person is she, Young Master¡¯s nanny?¡± I asked. ¡°She¡¯s of noble birth,¡± Mr Endie told me, ¡°and she became nanny after giving birth to two of her own children. Those children are five and one, apparently, and they were all being raised together in the royal palace as foster brothers.¡± Because her two children were still small, she¡¯d probably still be lactating, right. But that was nice, huh, foster siblings. I was a little jealous of them, growing up together¡­ As we were chatting, it turned a little past midnight, and the Young Master seemed to have finally settled down. When I put him down in the crib, he obediently stayed asleep. Ow ow ow ow, my neck, and shoulders, and arms. If you¡¯re not careful, you can get tendonitis like this. Mr Lahzt sat me down on the couch without a word and then rolled up his sleeve and expanded his Circle Art. He was going to do a healing technique on me. Mr Lahzt¡¯s hands gently touched here and there on my body. Something warm flowed into me, and it felt really nice¡­ When I came to, it was already morning. I was asleep on the couch, my head on the chest of Mr Lahzt, who was laying under me. Wait, chest! Waaah! I jumped into a standing position, but Mr Lahzt stayed asleep. Good thing he didn¡¯t wake up, I didn¡¯t want him seeing my face this red! I looked around in a panic, and spotted Mr Endie silently scowling at me. Ah. Sorry, just making a fuss over here by myself¡­ [Second day ¨C night] My days and nights were perfectly reversed. The Young Master was quite the formidable task. He went to sleep for me in the daytime just fine, so I took the opportunity to rest too, and then at night I was fully devoted to him. He¡¯d finally pass out around dawn, so we¡¯d finally flop into bed together, and before I knew it, it was morning again. The prince took notice, and would tell the maid Lauren and the others not to wake me up, and he was even leaving for school with his bodyguard now¡­ Mm, sorry prince, I didn¡¯t even get to say good morning. When he got back from school, we¡¯d chat over a snack together, but I think he was trying to restrain himself, and if he needed something, he¡¯d go to Lauren instead of me. When I said good night to the prince when it was time for bed, he replied with the saddest ¡®Good night,¡¯ it was just too much¡­ Looking at it from the prince¡¯s perspective, it must have felt like the Young Master had taken me away from him. ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó And again, night came. This guest room was relatively close to the prince¡¯s private chambers. It was temporarily the Young Master¡¯s room. ¡°How¡¯s the investigation proceeding?¡± I asked Mr Idine. I¡¯d finished giving the Young Master his milk, and was patting him on the back as I leaned him against my shoulder and held his head steady. With a full tummy, the Young Master obediently belched and seemed a little drowsy, but he wouldn¡¯t be like this more than an hour. ¡°It¡¯s a bit soon for results,¡± Mr Idine said, heartlessly. But he did reach out and take the baby instead. Mr Kahzam watched the situation in silence. Yes I know, but it wasn¡¯t like a guard could hold a baby. You wouldn¡¯t be able to respond instantly if anything happened. ¡°Not really hot or even heavy, but just feels profound, huh.¡± He was holding the baby in a perfunctory way, and muttering his impressions with a perfunctory feeling too. ¡°What¡¯s so good about a baby?¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s so good¨C¡± How the heck was I supposed to answer a question like that? But, I got close to Mr Idine, and gently lifted the Young Master¡¯s leg close to his chest. ¡°Something like this maybe?¡± I showed the tiny little soles of his feet to Mr Idine. Or maybe it¡¯s not the soles of their feet, but like, their tiny little nails too? Just looking at those teensy little parts of him was enough to make someone like me happy. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand feelings like that. Even when people talk about the brilliance of life or such things, It just makes me bored. It¡¯s probably best if I don¡¯t have any children of my own,¡± is what Mr Idine said. #? i¡¯m feeling this man pretty hard rn. ?# So I said one more thing. ¡°Ah, well, it can be fun to think about what happens after you die.¡± ¡°¡­ You say some unexpected things, don¡¯t you. I figured you¡¯d be lecturing me on the splendors of being alive.¡± Even if I did, you¡¯d just be bored anyway. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all the same anyway, either one. I wouldn¡¯t mind if life continued even after I died, I guess that¡¯s the kind of feeling I get looking at babies.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Mr Idine let slip a thoughtful tone, and looked at me as I peered in on the young master. ¡°Kohme, would you try bearing my child?¡± ¡°Whattt!?¡± ¡°No, I just thought it would be nice if you had my child, and then thought about death while looking at that child.¡± ¡°What the hell is that!? Sadism!? Masochism!?¡± Young Master started wailing. ¡°Aah, he¡¯s crying, and hey, Mr Kahzam, don¡¯t you get your back up either!¡± Mr Kahzam only glowered. The baby cried louder. Oh lord. So I¡¯d be on the Round Trip Hallway Endurance Race again this evening then, huh. Well, at any rate, I still had no idea what would push Mr Idine¡¯s buttons. [Third day ¨C night] The hallway at night. Tonight again I was wandering around with the young master in my arms, but I ground to a halt in surprise. In the moonlight, accompanied by Mr Kahzam, who was supposed to have switched out with Mr Endie a little while ago, stood the prince in his nightclothes. ¡°Are you okay, Koume?¡± he asked, trudging up to me. ¡°I¡¯m okay, what¡¯s going on? Can¡¯t sleep?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I got worried about you. If you stay up all night, ghosts will come.¡± I let slip a chuckle. I did remember telling him that ghosts and monsters showed up in places where there were kids who weren¡¯t sleeping through the night properly, and made the kids join the monsters¡¯ group. ¡°I¡¯m fine, ghosts don¡¯t like the light. And also, Professor Lahzt or Mr Idine are always with me at night, so even if a ghost did show up, they¡¯d blast ¡¯em with their Shiino,¡± I said, and Mr Lahzt beside me nodded, and the prince finally relaxed. But he said he wanted to stay with me for a bit, so we headed for the courtyard and sat next to each other on a bench. The Young Master¡­ Well, he was a little fussy, but he didn¡¯t cry, so that was good. After a while, the prince leaned against me and started to nod off. Ah, I¡¯m sleepy too¡­ Every single day like this, of course I am¡­ ¡°You can exterminate ghosts with light in your world, Kohme?¡± Mr Kahzam was standing behind me, and leaned over a little to whisper in my ear. Something in his voice made me even more sleepy. I answered back in a sort of daze. ¡°It doesn¡¯t do that here?¡± ¡°No, we have something far more eerie, I think. Controlling poison with poison, that kind of thing.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Poison again, huh. ¡°That¡¯s right, at the villa, Mr Fatido¡­¡± I started to say, but then clamped my mouth shut. It was a story from before the prince had been adopted by the king and his wife, and I almost carelessly blurted it out. Mr Idine and Mr Endie both were right here. I had to be careful of what I couldn¡¯t say. But, when the prince and I were living at Mr Lahzt¡¯s villa, Mr Fatido had brought a picture book one day. How nostalgic. Well, it definitely had been there in that picture book. A story about how to exterminate ghosts. That was the story with the line in it from just now, controlling poison with poison. It was a popular picture book in Vio Rizonna. The ghosts in that story weren¡¯t weak to light, but to a certain grass. In Japanese terms, it was sort of like holly at setsubun. The shape of the grass, the nice color, the pleasant smell, ghosts hated it all¡­ Like, a charm of leaves? Day and night reversed¡­. Foster brothers. My eyes flew open. My drowsiness flew away. ¡°Hey, the person who hid that poisonous plant, could it have been¡­¡± ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó [Author¡¯s Challenge for Readers] All the clues you need have been revealed. Try to guess who hid the poisonous plants and why. CH 26 [Fourth Day ¨C daytime] ¡°If my picture book was of help to you, Kohme, I¡¯m overjoyed.¡± Mr Fatido, who¡¯d come to Shiz Cagna for a visit, smiled, and planted a kiss on my cheek, as I had the Young Master in my arms. ¡°Mm, like this, it feels like I¡¯m a newly-wed with my wife and kid,¡± he said. ¡°Please don¡¯t say such embarrassing things¡­ Besides, the Young Master¡¯s being returned to the royal palace already.¡± I got flustered, and Mr Fatido grinned. Honestly, come on. ¡°So, in the end, what happened with the incident at the White Wing Palace?¡± ¡°In short, the one who stuck the poison grass to the back of the picture frame was one of the Young Master¡¯s nanny¡¯s other children,¡± I explained. ¡°The Young Master cries so much at night that the nanny¡¯s been living the same lifestyle I have lately, with her days and nights reversed. And just like me, she was wandering around with him in her arms, walking up and down the halls outside the children¡¯s rooms in the middle of the night. So her five year old got worried. He thought his mom was going to get attacked by ghosts.¡± I gazed at the prince, who was drinking his juice on the sofa. ¡°Poor kid was trying to think of something to protect their mother from ghosts, and so they hit on the idea of secretly putting an amulet made of leaves in the areas their mom frequented. So, they snuck into the royal herb garden, and took some leaves that looked good, and hid them behind the picture frame so they wouldn¡¯t get thrown out by mistake.¡± Mr Fatido groaned. ¡°And because it was poisonous, everybody thought someone was making an attempt on Lord Waka¡¯s life. And things got out of hand, and the child couldn¡¯t come out and explain what happened¡­¡± I nodded, and added, ¡°It seems the Crown Prince has decided to overlook it this time.¡± ¡°Ah, good. After all, the child did it because he was thinking of his mother.¡± Mr Fatido smiled. I approached Mr Endie, and offered him the Young Master. ¡°Alright, return him to his family and his nanny as quick as you can.¡± Mr Endie took the Young Master, and the corners of his mouth lifted just slightly. ¡°You¡¯ve helped us again, Kohme. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re rewarded.¡± I shook my head from side to side and took a step back. ¡°Nooo thank you, that is just fine! Seriously, don¡¯t worry about it!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be shy.¡± Mr Idine gave me a sideways glance. ¡°What the heck is with this conversation? At any rate, Kohme, thank you. Think about what I said, alright?¡± ¡°What¨C what what that you said?¡± The three of them returned home to the royal palace, and Shiz Cagna went back to being the Prince¡¯s Palace once more. I took a leisurely nap with the prince, who was stuck quite close to me for a while after that. And then that night, when I was perfectly wide awake and not sleepy at all (the rhythm of life, I guess¡­) I invited Mr Kahzam and Mr Lahzt over and we had a congratulatory drinking party. Seriously though, thank god that¡¯s over! [Six men and a nanny ¨C plus one ¨C end] CH 27 It was a couple of months after the prince started going to school. There was an illness going around town, and the school ended up shutting down for a few days. It wasn¡¯t a life-threatening illness, but it did give you a high fever and stomach pains, so it was apparently quite the ordeal if it came for you. Thankfully, the prince didn¡¯t get it, and he was just as lively as ever. All thanks to Mr Lahzt, who as his attending physician, had put precautions in place within Shiz Cagna when the illness first started going around. ¡°Even at Ouji¡¯s school, there¡¯s no reason for it to be too widespread. But if the prince gets it, it¡¯ll be a big deal, so just in case, I think.¡± We were chatting about things in the prince¡¯s living room with Mr Lahzt, who¡¯d come to explain the details. The prince himself had been doing some origami I¡¯d taught him for a little bit now, but he was starting to complain. ¡°This isn¡¯t any fun¡­¡± He looked out the window, looking bored. He really did like school after all, didn¡¯t he. If the weather was nice, he could¡¯ve gone to play in the garden, but it was rainy. It¡¯d been like this for a few days now, too. ¡°Hmmm, there¡¯s gotta be something fun we can do indoors, something that stays on the grounds of Shiz Cagna. Something different from our usual.¡± I racked my brains. ¡°Oh, here we go. Maybe something like, ¡®My First Errand¡¯ would be good!¡± ¡°Errand?¡± Mr Lahzt parroted back. ¡°Like, for example, we ask the prince to go fetch us three sweets from Chef Gaen in the kitchen. Go directly to the kitchens without any detours, complete the task successfully, and come back without crushing them or dropping them or anything¡­ It gives the prince a sense of responsibility, and we adults can watch over him from a hidden location, it¡¯s a very exciting event!¡± I explained proudly, but what was this? Mr Lahzt had a strange expression on his face. Mr Kahzam, who¡¯d been standing guard at the door, laughed softly. ¡°What? Mr Kahzam.¡± ¡°No¡­ I think it sounds like fun. This Prince¡¯s Errand.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± I panicked. That¡¯s right! Ouji is a prince! I was proposing to have a prince run errands for me! ¡°Nevermind, forget everything I just said!¡± I waved both hands back and forth in front of me. ¡°If it¡¯ll foster a sense of responsibility though, I think it¡¯s a good idea,¡± Mr Kahzam said, smiling as he stood at attention. Ah, jeez, and I brought it up while you¡¯re working too, I¡¯m sorry. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll definitely surprise Chef Gaen. ¡®What are you making His Highness do!¡¯ I can hear him now.¡± Mr Lahzt grinned. I know, right? ¡°But I do think it¡¯ll be good for him to come into contact with the people who work in the palace. And direct contact with the prince will encourage the people who work here too.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true¡­¡± Then a light bulb went off. ¡°Okay then, maybe we should do a treasure hunt!¡± I explained the idea, getting misty-eyed about when I was a kid, and then again over when Nanao was a kid, and Mr Lahzt nodded. ¡°Hmmm¡­ That might be good for learning his letters too. So, in other words, if you make it to the end, there¡¯s a treasure waiting for you.¡± ¡°Exactly. The treasure can be anything nice, but it¡¯s usually some kind of candy or sweet.¡± And then Mr Lahzt grinned again. ¡°There¡¯s one treasure that the prince likes the best, you know.¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s that?¡± I asked back, and Mr Lahzt stared at me without saying a word. I gasped and pointed to the tip of my own nose. ¡°¡­ Me!?¡± The following morning. Instead of me going to wake up the prince first thing like usual (although it was usually the prince who woke up first), the maid Lauren went to wake up the prince. The prince, of course, asked about it. ¡°Where¡¯s Koume?¡± Lauren put up a bit of an act. ¡°Hm¡­ She doesn¡¯t seem to be around anywhere.¡± The prince went into the nanny¡¯s bedroom, which was connected to his own. There wasn¡¯t so much as a peach pit in there. But on the bed was a single large piece of paper, with a Ren seal written on it. ¡°Koume¡¯s in the laundry room.¡± The prince, who had just learned the Ren seals, managed to read this one and reported it to Lauren. He must have been confused. Lauren guided him. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go to the laundry room shall we?¡± When they got to the laundry room at the back of the palace, the women were busily working in a room where echoes of water rose above the steam. The prince suddenly coming to ask a question must have caused quite the stir. ¡°Good Morning. ls Koume here?¡± the Prince asked, and the older woman who was in charge there grinned and offered him a letter. ¡°I have a letter for you.¡± When the prince opened the letter and again put his all into reading the Ren there. ¡°Koume is in the greenhouse,¡± it read. When they went to the greenhouse, which was connected to Shiz Cagna by a passageway, the gardener was caring for the flowers. He was moving heavy bags of fertilizer, and making his pruning scissors ring. ¡°Good Morning. ls Koume here?¡± And again, the gardener smiled at his young guest, and offered him a letter. ¡°I have a letter for you.¡± "" And in this way, the prince searched for me, getting a peek at how everyone at Shiz Cagna spent their workday, and getting in some practice reading Ren seals. This was today¡¯s Treasure Hunt. Being able to study and interact with people and all of that, it was a good way to eat up some free time, huh. I¡¯d spoken with everybody at the palace yesterday, and they¡¯d graciously agreed to cooperate. I snuck over to the handrail along the walkway that was above the banquet hall, and peeked in on Lauren and the prince, who¡¯d come to see a court lady polishing the silver in the china room. Good good, they seemed to be getting around alright. I figured they¡¯d be getting to the bell tower that was the end goal before too much longer, and turned on my heel. I was just about to turn the corner in the hallway, when I almost bumped into someone. ¡°Oh, sorr¨C Wait, what?¡± I looked up at the man in surprise. ¡°When did you get here?¡± I said, and the man flashed a conspiratorial grin. ¡°I heard you were doing something fun today. But are we really going to let Ouji have the treasure that easily?¡± And then he grabbed my arm. When the prince and Lauren climbed the stairs to the bell tower, I had my arms pinned to my side by a man wearing a festival mask, and we were standing with our backs to the tower window. The wind made the masked man¡¯s cape flutter. ¡°Koume!?¡± The prince looked at us with a surprised expression, and the masked man let out a loud laugh. ¡°Bwahahah! So you¡¯ve made it this far, have you! But if you don¡¯t solve the riddle I have for you, I won¡¯t give you Kohme back!¡± ¡°What? Nobody said anything about this¡­¡± Lauren seemed perplexed herself. Come on now, don¡¯t take it seriously. Mr Lahzt and Mr Kahzam came up the stairs from behind them, and both stared at us, dumbfounded. ¡°So then, my riddle!¡± The masked man suddenly posed his question. ¡°Ishdir, King of Vio Rizonna, has a special nickname for his second wife, Solamire. What is it!?¡± The prince gave an immediate reply. ¡°It¡¯s Sora.¡± ¡°What¨C How do you know that?!¡± The man stumbled exaggeratedly. Good grief, seriously? That question was way too easy. ¡°You leave me no choice. I shall return the princess to the prince.¡± The man released me. I rushed over to the prince. ¡°Oh prince, you saved me!¡± "" ¡°Koume! I found you!¡± The prince came over to hug me with a big smile. And then he looked at the man, a bit nervous. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s your Uncle Fatido,¡± I told him, and the man who¡¯d taken off his mask and cape, Mr Fatido, grinned. ¡°Hey, Ouji! Wasn¡¯t that fun?¡± There was the briefest moment of silence. Mr Fatido seemed a bit taken aback. ¡°What? It wasn¡¯t fun?¡± ¡°¡­ It was fun!¡± Ahahah, that was some pause there. The prince was always putting other people¡¯s feelings first. ¡°Alright then, next time we should have something a little more realistic,¡± Mr Fatido said, and laughed. ¡°If your capture of the princess is too much like an actual kidnapper,¡± Mr Lahzt sharply pointed out, ¡°Kahzam will punish you before you have a chance to pose any riddle. And he¡¯ll do so with my Shiino to back him up.¡± Mr Kahzam nodded from behind him, and the metal fitting of his weapon clinked together. Yeah well, sorry, but I¡¯m a little past my prime to be playing the role of princess anyway. Well, it¡¯s just pretend anyway, right, pretend! ¡°Koume, I¡¯m hungry!¡± ¡°Mm, yeah, it is getting to be lunch time, isn¡¯t it.¡± We came down from the tower, waving to the men on bell tower duty as we passed them one their way up the stairs. Eventually, the clear sound of the bell echoed out over Shiz Cagna, peacefully wrapped in a light rain. [Treasure Hunt ¨C end] CH 28 I opened the curtains, and the gentle morning light streamed in through the window. It felt slightly warm on my cheek. Spring was approaching. I went to the full length mirror in front of me, and gave myself a once over. A white blouse with a navy blue pinafore-style dress, and a white apron. The lace-brimmed bonnet on my head was a little twisted, so I adjusted it. ¡°Perfect.¡± I nodded, and left my room. I walked a little bit down the hall, and exited into the outer passageway, where I could see the garden. I stepped out into the sunlight, and took a deep breath as I stretched. Ah, the wind was warmer than before. Spring really was coming around. Thirty spring breezes, wasn¡¯t it? I read it in a textbook somewhere, in a Chinese poem. The person who composed the poem wanted to go to a certain place so badly they couldn¡¯t stand it, but they couldn¡¯t go for some reason. As the poet kept yearning, the spring breeze blew thirty times ¨C in other words, thirty years had passed. I felt like I was on that kind of timescale. I¡¯d long since stopped being confused about living with the prince in Gaduelyon. But how many springs had passed since I¡¯d left Japan¡­ Once I got thinking like that, my mood did start to drop a little. Then one night a couple of days later¡­ After the prince went to bed, I headed to the small drawing room to go over the next day¡¯s schedule. ¡°Uh, an exorcism ceremony!?¡± I was surprised, and repeated my question to Mr Taval, who was sitting in front of me. ¡°That¡¯s a big grandiose, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mr Taval was in charge of Shiz Cagna, and he was wearing a suit with his white hair tied back into a bun as usual. He explained the situation with wrinkles around the corner of his eyes from a smile. ¡°When spring comes, and things get warm, people¡¯s hearts get excited, evil things can creep in. This is an event to drive such things away. There weren¡¯t any such events in your home town, Lady Nanny?¡± Ah. Maybe, like Setsubun1? Hmmm¡­ ¡°Now that you mention it, we did have something similar¡­ Like, driving away bad things, and calling forth blessings.¡± ¡°Precisely. Around here, each block holds their own event, but we have one at Shiz Cagna every year as well. The guards defeat a person who plays the role of an evil spirit, and they drop them down a hole.¡± ¡°A hole?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a very large one. It¡¯s not much bigger around than a person, and only deep enough to go just above the knees. The person playing the evil spirit takes off their costume and climbs out of the hole, and we burn the costume in that hole and then bury the hole. So the spirits can return to the earth.¡± I see. Of course. ¡°The spring breeze has started blowing, so I¡¯ve been thinking I¡¯d like to hold this event before too much longer, but I¡¯m not sure when would be good.¡± ¡°Hm, alright.¡± Mr Taval and I arranged all the details, like the schedule for the evil spirit exorcism and who was going to play the evil spirit, keeping in mind any lucky days for us and the prince¡¯s schedule and stuff. It was my first time with this event, so it was kind of fun. Maybe it¡¯ll exorcise my depression too! A few days later. The sun went down, and the exorcism started right away. Ms Millet, the head of the maids, had prepared the evil spirit costume over the winter, and the guards took turns as to who would be chasing the evil spirit, so those roles were immediately decided. As for the hole, the gardener decided on the day in question where it should be, and he dug it right up. I guess it wasn¡¯t that formal of a ceremony. It started at the carriage porch in front of the entryway. They¡¯d lit bonfires in place of electric lights today, but the light only covered the immediate area, so the trees and shrubberies further in sunk into darkness. People who worked at Shiz Cagna, or lived here, were lined up here and there on the stone pavers, and along the little path into the garden. Of course, the prince was watching the situation very confused. With everyone watching, the person playing the evil spirit staggered off at a run, chased by three guards carrying spears. One of the three guards was Mr Kahzam. Since he¡¯d been transferred out of the royal castle, he was still a newbie here at Shiz Cagna, so it seemed he¡¯d been immediately slotted into the role. The mask on the evil spirit¡¯s head covered their face completely. It was made of animal skin with Shin written on the forehead and cheeks. They were wearing a hairy cloak sort of like a straw raincoat. Overall, they gave a rounded silhouette. Standing in front of the hole that had been dug in the corner of the garden, the person playing the evil spirit turned around. The three guards stuck out each of their spears in turn, and the spirit avoided each one in the order. Finally, Mr Kahzam, who was at the head of the trio, pretended to bring his weapon down in a big arc, and after lightly imitating a hit on the evil spirit¡¯s head, he stabbed forward like he was going to press the tip of his spear into the evil spirit¡¯s chest. The person playing the evil spirit fell into the hole onto their bum. The whole was filled with mulch, so even if they really fell, they wouldn¡¯t get hurt. At this point, the person playing the evil spirit took off the animal skin mask and the straw raincoat. And then, leaving the costume behind, they borrowed one of the guard¡¯s hands and escaped from the hole. Taking the hand Mr Kahzam had stretched out, the person playing the evil spirit climbed out of the hole. There was applause from the crowd. ¡°Thank you, Mr Kahzam,¡± I said, letting my hair down from where it had been pinned up. ¡°Ko- Kohme!?¡± "" Mr Kahzam¡¯s dark green eyes flew open, and I could tell he was dumbfounded. The costume was burned, and the gardener filled the hole back in. That concluded the ceremony, and everyone went into the entry hall. The prince went to take a bath with the maid Lauren, and the people who still had work to do immediately scattered around Shiz Cagna. Mr Lahzt kept remembering the night¡¯s events and couldn¡¯t stop laughing, and Mr Kahzam glared at him resentfully. ¡°You knew, didn¡¯t you Dr Lahzt!? That Kohme was playing the evil spirit.¡± He laughed. ¡°I¡¯m the one who recommended her for the role. You never even suspected I did you, Kahzam.¡± ¡°No, but you told me yourself that the young man who¡¯s the gardener¡¯s apprentice was playing the evil spirit!?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, his parents live in town. He¡¯s probably playing the evil spirit on his block right about now. Really though, did you not suspect Kohme at all?¡± ¡°I did think¡­. The evil spirit was kind of petite¡­ Guh¨C ¡± Mr Kahzam mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, looking back at me. I was wearing a blouse and riding (anpy riding) pants, which were a little dirty around the bum, so I put on a cape meant for outdoor wear, and took a seat on a sofa in one corner of the entry hall. I¡¯d been wearing the costume without the cape a little while ago. ¡°Kahzam was so surprised, oh my god¨C¡± Mr Lahzt burst out laughing, and Mr Kahzam glared at him. ¡°Doctor¨C¡± he started, but Mr Lahzt fled, muttering about, ¡°Well well, isn¡¯t it time for me to go to work.¡± It was now just me and Mr Kahzam in the entry hall. ¡°They said anybody could do it, so I gave it a try. I¡¯ve been in kind of a heavy mood lately, so I thought I¡¯d try and blow it away. Um¡­. Was it bad?¡± I looked up at Mr Kahzam, puzzled. Mr Kahzam got very serious, and suddenly knelt down in front of me. ¡°Kohme, please. Don¡¯t put yourself in a position where I¡¯ll be attacking you. I thought my heart was going to stop.¡± ¡°But¨C I mean, attack? It¡¯s just an imitation, isn¡¯t it¨C¡± I plastered a smile on my face, but Mr Kahzam¡¯s reply came rapid fire. ¡°Even if it is! Pointing a spear at you, Kohme¡­ And even thrusting it at you. Is there any guard who¡¯d act like that towards a noblewoman, even as a joke?¡± Noblewoman, what¡­ I thought, but Mr Kahzam was deadly serious. To me, it had felt like playing the role of the demon at Setsubun ¨C actually, in the Hino household, Koaya or I would play the demon and Nanao would throw beans at us ¨C but it seemed it hadn¡¯t been like that at all for Mr Kahzam. Mr Kahzam¡¯s unusually strong tone felt more like he was on the verge of tears rather than he was angry. ¡°I¡¯m¨C I¡¯m sorry,¡± I apologized quietly, and the wrinkles between his eyebrows disappeared like he was surprised. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m just taking it out on you. I¡¯m kind of frustrated. I mean jeez, it was you the whole time, and I didn¡¯t notice anything.¡± Mr Kahzam slowly got off his knees, and flopped down next to me with a sigh. Then he glanced up at me, his head still down. ¡°Is there¡­ anything that¡¯s been bothering you?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said your mood¡¯s been heavy.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I shook my head, flustered. ¡°It¡¯s really not a big deal. I just thought, wow it¡¯s really spring, and I got kind of lonely. But honestly, I¡¯ve felt a lot better lately.¡± I continued, hesitatingly. ¡°You cast out all the gloom, so I think I¡¯m happy, you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer to cast out your gloom without using a spear, maybe a bit¡­ of a gentler method¡­¡± ¡°Like a spring breeze?¡± I said, and Mr Kahzam finally turned towards me, and nodded, smiling. I was relieved too, and smiled back at him. Mr Kahzam was the person who could always give me peace of mind, and even with the spear pointed at me, I¡¯d felt perfectly safe. But if I told him that, he¡¯d probably tell me, ¡®Even that¡¯s no good!¡¯ so I kept quiet. I¡¯d left Japan and come ten thousand miles to this place. Spring¡¯s coming was to let us know that time had passed. And here, a gentle spring breeze was blowing. [Spring Breeze, Ten Thousand Miles ¨C end] CH 29 I had a dream. It was from after we¡¯d taken the prince and Kohme out of the Garden of Stars and hid them away in my villa. I left my bedroom in the villa, squinting through my still sleep-hazy eyes. I grabbed hold of the railing, carefully descended the stairs, and when I got into the kitchen, Kohme was washing the dishes. ¡°Where¡¯s Kahzam?¡± ¡°Oh, you surprised me. Good morning, Mr Lahzt,¡± Kohme answered, turning around and smiling at me. I was usually a late riser. ¡°I asked Mr Kahzam to take the prince for a walk. Shall I reheat some of this breakfast soup¡­?¡± She started to ask, and then looked in my direction for several silent seconds, before making an ah-ha sound. ¡°I thought there was something different about you, Mr Lahzt, you¡¯re not wearing your glasses!¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t find them.¡± I cracked my neck and sighed, irritated. At this distance, I could see the position of Kohme¡¯s eyes, nose, and mouth, but I couldn¡¯t tell what her actual expression was. ¡°That¡¯s usually when you find them on top of your head, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kohme said, laughing. ¡°Did something happen last night?¡± ¡°Yeah. I fell asleep last night reading some documents on the sofa, and then I finally moved to the bed about dawn¡­ I think I took them off at some point and set them down somewhere, but I looked around and I couldn¡¯t find them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look for them! Since you wouldn¡¯t be able to see them, probably.¡± Kohme dried her hands with a towel, and immediately left the kitchen and started up the stairs. I followed behind her. Kohme stopped for a minute in front of my bedroom. ¡°I¡¯m going in,¡± she said, excusing herself, and opened the door. Then she went over to the sofa. ¡°You fell asleep here on the sofa¡­¡± she muttered, looking in the gap between the sofa cushions and peering underneath the sofa. ¡°Not there, huh. Well, then you moved to the bed.¡± She approached the pillow at the end of my bunk. Then, she moved the pillow and looked around the lamp on the side table, and even crouched down and stuck her hand in the gap between the bunk and the side table. ¡°Oookay.¡± Apparently not finding it, Kohme stood up and looked around the room. And then, she suddenly went over to the foot of my bunk. The top-most cover was crumpled up at the foot. Kohme turned them over. ¡°Ah-ha!¡± She turned around, the silver framed glasses that were a part of my face in her hands. ¡°When you were going to sleep, you came over to your bed and put your glasses on the foot of your bed, and then you turned the covers down, I believe? And so your glasses got buried in your covers, that has to be it.¡± ¡°Sorry, thank you.¡± I put my glasses on, and all at once my vision cleared. In front of me, Kohme was flashing a smile. ¡°Not at all! Well then, Mr Lahzt, shall we eat something?¡± She left the bedroom first, and I followed, relieved that the world was back to normal. I was a wreck without glasses¡­ Oh. In my bedroom. Kohme and I, alone. It really had happened, huh. I could¡¯ve leveraged my poor vision. ¡°Kohme is still Kohme though, good grief¡­¡± I muttered as I went down the stairs, and Kohme had looked up at me. ¡°Did you say something?¡± Just popping in and out of a man¡¯s bedroom like it was nothing. ¡°Be a little aware, will ya!¡± ¡­. I awoke to the sound of my own voice, in my bedroom at Shiz Cagna. ¡°Good grief.¡± I sat up, grouchy, brushed my bangs out of my face, and shoved the comforter back. What a nostalgic dream, but¡­ Back then, I¡¯d had a few mean thoughts, like, Hrm, I wonder what would happen if Kahzam witnessed Kohme coming out of my bedroom. Although, probably she¡¯d just say something like, ¡°Welcome back, Mr Kahzam,¡± and he¡¯d instantly know nothing was going on, but still. With a wry smile, I reached over to the side table¨C ¨CAs I moved from my bedroom to my private rooms, and then into the hallway, I crossed paths with someone coming from the other end at a slow trot. ¡°Oh, Professor Lahzt, good morning!¡± Kohme called me that sometimes at Shiz Cagna, while she was in her nanny uniform. Of course, it was because I was retained as Ouji¡¯s¨C His Highness¡¯s personal tutor. Ouji sometimes had his lessons in my private chambers, but it was unusual for Kohme to come here by herself. She tilted her lace bonnet-covered head at me. ¡°Oh, no glasses today?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t find them,¡± I said, extremely sullen. It wasn¡¯t a lie, they really were missing again. It unfortunately wasn¡¯t just some device to pull Kohme into my bedroom. ¡°Again, huh.¡± Kohme seemed to remember that time at my villa as well, and laughed, and then glanced at the door to my rooms. ¡°Well¡­ Shall I have a look, then?¡± She seemed a little hesitant. Oh? She¡¯s more conscious of me than when we stayed at the villa¡­? ¡°Yeah, sorry, but would you mind?¡± I opened the door and stepped aside to let Kohme come in. She let her eyes roam, and then turned around to check the way she¡¯d come. Was she wary of someone seeing her? It made me want to lure her in even deeper. I reached out to her¨C ¡°Koume, found you!!¡± said an enthusiastic voice. It was Ouji, tottling down the hall behind us. ¡°Eh, you found me¡­¡± Kohme said, and caught Ouji as he launched himself at her. They seemed to have been playing some form of hide and seek. Wait, so that was why Kohme had been all nervous in the hallway? Because a ¡®demon¡¯ was chasing her. Kohme changed her tone. ¡°Hey, Sir Ouji, let¡¯s have a little competition.¡± ¡°Competition?¡± ¡°Professor Lahzt has lost his glasses. Let¡¯s see which one of us can find them in his room first!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Ouji answered immediately. ¡°Alright, aaand go!¡± Kohme clapped her hands, and the two of them rushed happily into my rooms. ¡­.. Well, this was probably fine. I mean, it was fine, but¡­ Yeah. Grieving for my personal life, which was not even remotely sexy, I leaned against the door frame and waited for that moment. That moment when my glasses would be found, and the smiles of two people who were important to me would pop clearly into focus. [Clarity of Vision ¨C end]