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“Thanks for your purchase.”
With those words the customer left the store.
I never would have thought that I would end up in such a position but after working for a few weeks here,I didn’t mind it anymore. Where you might ask? In a flower store.
Saying that the backdoor suddenly opened, revealing an old woman.
“Oh Pipi you’re still here? I thought Albert would take over in the afternoon?”
“It seems like he is not here yet.”
“That good for nothing grandson..., coming and leaving whenever he feels like. You should have told me, I thought you had something to do today.”
“It’s alright Miss Rhoslyn, I’m pretty sure they don’t mind me arriving a little late. I owe you so much for accepting me after everything that happened.”
“I told you already don’t mention it, I didn’t think too much of that old hierarchy anyway.”
After the revolution, my family didn’t have an easy start. We had to find a new home in a new environment under completely different circumstances as before. And while looking for a way to make money for my family I have met Miss Rhoslyn here who hired me in her little flower store without any hesitation. I really couldn’t thank her enough for her kindness.
“Well in that case I will be on my way.”
“Yes, have a good day with your friends.”
“Thank you, I definitely will!”
With that I make my way towards my friend’s home for a tea party. I’m pretty sure Loretta is there already and is waiting with them for me. Even after losing our noble status we didn’t stop having our regular tea parties. The only difference being that Claire now has her own house in which she lives without her father, Mr Dole. Why without him you ask, well that’s because- oh I can see the house already.
The house itself is more on the smaller side compared to most houses known in the kingdom but even owning your own house was something unusual since it is so expensive for normal common- I mean citizen.
“Ah.”
“Hmm? Oh good day Miss Barlier.”
“I told you already to call me Pipi.”
“If you say so.”
The person greeting me was surprisingly not Claire but her partner, Rei Taylor. While it still confuses me how it came to Claire accepting her proposal, I don’t wanna stand in Claire’s happiness so I started to get used to her.
“Are you out to water the flowers?”
“That too but I was mostly waiting for your arrival.”
Why would she of all people wait for me? She probably didn’t know my name until recently.
“Well thank you for welcoming me. Is Loretta here as well?”
“Miss Cugletto has arrived not too long ago.”
“I told you alre- nevermind. Thank you for telling me.”
As I make my way towards the door I realize that she looks like she is waiting for something to happen. Well I’m probably imagining it.
As I open the door I see that the light is still out.
“Oh can you turn on the light? The switch is to your right.”
“Oh right hold on.”
As I look for the switch to activate the lamp-
“””Happy Pipi Day!”””
“Wha-”
I got surprised by Loretta, Claire and her two little kids with the now bigger water slime. What did they say? Pipi Day?
“What is-”
“Happy Pipi Day.”
“You as well?!”
Even the com- Rei said this. What are they even talking about?
It looks like they prepared a little more than just tea and cookies. There were a lot of fancy sweets that I have never seen before. I wonder in which store they found them.
“Happy Pipi Day..? What is this day you are all speak of?”
“Apparently it is a special day celebrated where Rei comes from.”
“But I thought she was fro-”
“Anyway we made some cake so take a seat!”
“Oh- okay.”
Saying so I joined the other four at the desk while Rei moved to the kitchen.
“Claire, Loretta, I never heard of a day called like me.”
“Rei said they celebrate it where she is from.”
“So why are we celebrating it then?”
“Rei really wanted to do this so we had no reason to stop her.”
I don’t remember Rei particularly caring for me or Loretta, so hearing that sounds a little strange to me. Well they shouldn’t have a reason to lie so I’ll trust their word.
“Mama Claire can we have some cake now?”
“I can’t wait any longer!”
“Now now, Mommy Rei is preparing it so wait just a little longer will you?”
“”...okay.””
So that was the reason she went into the kitchen even though everything was already on the table. Not that I think about it, it also looks like they didn’t eat or drink anything yet...well except for the kids.
“Everything alright Pipi?”
“Huh?”
“You’re spacing out over there.”
“Oh sorry, I guess I’m still processing everything.”
“I can understand that. We had a similar reaction when Rei suddenly brought up that topic.”
“... Excuse me for a minute.”
“Don’t worry, the kitchen is down the hall to the left.”
With that I moved towards the kitchen. Looking back to our first year at the Royal Academy, I was mostly hostile towards her… Well, she wasn’t very pleasant towards me either so I guess we are even. But even then...I never really apologized to her for my actions back then.
“Oh, is something wrong?”
Looks like she heard me coming.
“Oh I just wanted to see how the house looks, that’s all.”
Why am I lying right now?! I could have just said that I wanted to ask her something.
“But you’re not here for the first time so you should know how the house looks by now.”
“...you are right…”
“...?”
Having a questioned look on her face she went back to finishing the decorations on the cake. The cake was not very big but it looks like there was chocolate in it by the looks of it. But how could this be?! I knew they had some money from the time before the revolution left but this should be way over their budget.
“I would serve the cake now so you can go back to the rest.”
“No wait!”
Right as she said so, I panicked.
“I actually wanted to ask you something…”
“Ask away.”
As always she used a much more casual language. Well not that I minded it anymore.
“What is this all about?”
“Oh you mean Pipi Day?”
“Yes, I have never heard of such a day before so did you just make it up by yourself?”
“Hmmm this is difficult to explain… I can definitely say that I didn’t make it up myself.”
“So it is made up!”
“Now now, wait a second.”
“...okay.”
Even if she made it up, it wasn’t like I would become mad over that. I was just curious as to why a day named after me existed.
“Where I come from, people just made that day up by themselves. The fact that it sounds like your name is just coincidence.”
“...that’s it?”
“That’s it.”
I was a fool for expecting something grander but hearing that makes a bit more sense at least.
“But even then, there wasn’t a reason to celebrate such a day, so why?”
“Why you ask, to be completely honest I just wanna make Claire happy by being nice to her best friends. Oh you can take that whichever way you want of course. But also there is nothing wrong in celebrating with others, is there?”
“...no you are right about that.”
“See? So don’t worry about it too much and just enjoy your usual Tea time with some extras today.”
“...okay, I will do that.”
With that she turns back towards the cake which basically just needs to get carried over to the dining room.
As I made my way back to the others, I stopped at the door.
“...by the way... thank you and I’m sorry...for everything so far… in the past.”
“Huh what, did you say something?
“!... No you are just imagining things.”
I can’t possibly say it again so I go out of the room.
Just before the door closes-
“Don’t worry about it.”
I thought I imagined it at first but there was no way that my musician ears would miss that.
I think I can see how Claire was able to accept her back then.
“Well, time to go back to the others and have a nice tea party!”
~The End~