Chapter Text
“Good morning.” Mafuyu’s expressionless face, surprisingly close to mine as I was just waking up, startled me a little. As I, sleepy, rubbed my eye, her whispery voice seemed a bit rougher than usual, and her round, cat-like dark eyes looked slightly surprised.
“Ah, good morning,” I replied, still rubbing my eye.
As I got up, I noticed the warm aroma of freshly baked bread wafting from the kitchen and a soft ray of sunlight fighting its way through my curtains into my room.
After breakfast, Miss Mochizuki prepared cloth bags filled with some fruit and bread for Mizuki, who still hadn’t returned from her morning training by the time she left for the church.
While we waited for her, I had the chance to show them some of my creative process, and they helped me choose a theme for my next project. Ena seemed very excited despite her constant yawns. Her half-closed eyes sparkled like a child’s in a toy store as she forced herself to keep them open. I assumed, like me, she wasn’t used to waking up so early.
“Guess who finally arrived.”
After about half an hour, the pink-haired girl appeared, riding in the carriage they had abandoned the night before, much to the princess’s delight. She rewarded her good work with headpats and a warm smile before offering her the bento Miss Mochizuki had prepared.
When this sudden visit came to an end, the girls said their goodbyes warmly. Mafuyu, before boarding the carriage, performed a bow similar to the one she made that first morning she left me at my house: so elegant and graceful yet with that serious face that almost looked angry.
I couldn’t help but blush slightly at the memory of this scene as I waved the carriage goodbye, watching it slowly disappear from my view among the trees.
♠♠♠♠
The next day, I couldn’t get this fleeting encounter out of my head. The house felt strangely empty, and the usual peace that embraced every morning had transformed into a sharp and cold silence that kept me from concentrating. I wanted to start a new project but couldn’t even conceive an idea to begin with, so I decided to go out and buy materials.
On my way through the city, I passed by the crowded crossing teeming with people where we had met that time. I couldn’t help but think of her again as I stared at my feet, recalling our miraculous reunion that day.
Suddenly, my distracted head bumped into a taller, dark figure standing amidst the crowd. Her blank, puzzled face turned downward, and her dark eyes widened slightly when they met mine.
“Ah, sorry, I…”
“Kanade?”
♠♠♠♠
We ended up sharing the bento Miss Mochizuki had packed in my bag, sitting on a bench outside the church. The wind tousled her tied-up hair, making it dance like the brown leaves falling around her. The morning sun shone on her pale skin, making her squint as she gazed thoughtfully toward the temple.
“You guys can’t go inside there either, can you?” The shining armor of the guards at the door seemed to reflect in her eyes.
“Well, Miss Mochizuki is a maid, and her mother is a caretaker at the orphanage, so they allow her to enter the courtyard to help.”
“I see... Maybe she could help me.”
“Hmm?” I tilted my head, not fully understanding what she meant.
“I’ve been investigating... about Miku. I think I have a theory.” I raised my eyebrows, intrigued to hear more. “She was some kind of forest spirit bound to the café where there is nothing. Something there was her summoning object. If that’s the case, maybe I could…”
To be honest, I had imagined that possibility since the moment I met her. But upon hearing the word “spirit,” my hands involuntarily trembled, and a chill ran down my spine.
“Your face is blue,” she said with her usual deadpan tone that irritated me slightly. “Kanade, are you afraid of spirits?”
“N-no.”
I couldn’t say another word. After a long pause, during which she seemed to analyze every inch of my face for what felt like endless, uncomfortable minutes, she proceeded to take my hand with a confidence that seemed to surprise even herself.
I stopped trembling, and my face regained more color than I would have liked to admit. I asked her to continue her argument.
“I don’t think Miku is scary.”
I nodded in agreement while staring at my hand, still trapped in hers, resting on my knee.
“The information I found in the capital about spirits was in pages torn out or carefully cut. I assumed that after the magical revolution, this kind of material was also taken to Ai’s library, so I came.”
I remembered the stories my father told me about his youth during the magical revolution: the discovery of magical stones and the fact that certain individuals, regardless of their origin, could activate them. It caused a wave of social hysteria.
“If the Goddess decrees the reign of the Shinonome family above all others, then why does she bestow her power equally upon both commoners and nobles?” This was a carefully eradicated conclusion, suppressed over the years through various censorship operations in which the church played a crucial role.
Unlike neighboring kingdoms, such as the Otori clan, which chose to ban any form of paranormal research outright, the crown decided to promote its advancement through various experiments. These experiments led to the implementation of extremely strict regulations over any discoveries or information, apart from the five “permissible forms of alchemy” considered essential for Asahina’s economic and military growth. These quickly became indispensable to society.
Thanks to this growth, alchemical mines required increasing amounts of labor. To address this, the Congress of Bishops implemented a series of regulations to boost population growth, including severe restrictions on the female population, who were not even allowed near temples before producing offspring.
During this time, a “heresy hunt” was also carried out, during which any information deemed blasphemous was confiscated. Libraries, museums, and even cemeteries were raided, and their contents taken to Ai’s library in the grand temple of the Asahina clan. Information about creatures, events, or supernatural objects could only be accessed after passing through the monks' scrutiny.
“I don’t know if she’ll be able to access anything like that, but I’ll ask Miss Mochizuki if she can help somehow.”
“Thank you.” I felt her dark eyes soften slightly as she said this. She seemed about to say more but was interrupted by a big yawn. I felt her grip on my hand weaken a bit.
“Was it a long journey?” I asked, somewhat worried. Every time we met, her dark circles seemed more prominent.
“It would’ve been shorter on horseback, but I didn’t want to make noise,” she replied, rubbing an eye tiredly.
“W-what?! You walked here from the capital?!” In my shock, I unconsciously squeezed her hand so tightly that she seemed startled.
“Um... yes.” Her usual impassive face surprised me even more. How many hours had she been walking? How was she still standing? Why had she fled so discreetly, to the point of crossing the entire forest on foot in the middle of the night? Was she okay?
♠♠♠♠
Somehow, I ended up taking her back to my house so she could at least nap. Luckily for us, Miss Mochizuki was there, kneading what appeared to be bread with dried fruits. She explained that she had returned early because her mother had caught a cold and she didn’t want to risk infecting her.
We took the opportunity to ask her about the heretical archives. As expected, no nurse or caretaker from the orphanage had access to such information. Still, she offered to do her best to help in such a committed way that I was sure even Mafuyu’s heart skipped a beat.
She didn’t even flinch when hearing about forest spirits but nearly had a heart attack upon discovering we hadn’t finished the bento she had prepared for us.
That was Miss Mochizuki—the kind of person who couldn’t help but care for those around her. At first, I thought this attitude was directed only toward me, but over time, I realized it was simply her personality. The more I thought about it, the further this marriage felt from my idea of ‘romantic love.’
After forcing Mafuyu to have a snack, take a bath, and nap, around noon, I decided to confront Miss Mochizuki about this, alone, in the kitchen.
“Fufu, isn’t it rare to see you outside your room? Are you hungry?”
“Ah, no, I’m fine. Actually, I’d like to talk to you.”
“Eh? Talk? Isn’t that even rarer?” She gave me a warm smile, inviting me to continue.
“Miss Mochizuki, I…”
She blinked twice and tilted her head curiously. Even though I couldn’t lift my gaze, I knew she was giving me those curious puppy-dog eyes as she looked down at me.
“Uh... I…” For some reason, I felt my cheeks flush.
“Maybe need romantic advice?”
“W-what?! H-how…” I lifted my head, my eyes wide as plates and my cheeks burning even more.
She let out a soft giggle, delicately covering her mouth.
“N-no, well, I don’t know, actually… uh…” I mustered all the courage within me to articulate, “I’d like to know your opinion on this.”
“This? Mafuyu?”
I shook my head firmly. What did Mafuyu have to do with this conversation?
“Ah, then… marriage?” I nodded in affirmation.
“Romance in general,” I said, pointing to the design of the Goddess ‘Ai’ on her apron because the word ‘romance’ begins with that symbol.
“Well… it must feel nice, right? Sorry, I can’t say from personal experience, but…” She tilted her head, seeming somewhat apologetic.
“That’s fine, i guess me neither.”
“Miss Yoisaki, you’re not like m—” She was interrupted by some noise at the front door that made us turn our faces towards that direction.