11 - During the Journey
Please consider dialogue with extensive katakana usage as Japanese pronunciation.
On horseback for travel, I shift uncomfortably. Under normal circumstances, I would want to be excited about riding a horse for the first time in my life, including my previous one, but Leonardo's arms are firmly on either side of me to keep me from falling. My parents in this life were very physically affectionate, and kisses on the cheek and forehead were daily occurrences I had grown completely accustomed to, but Leonardo is a young man who is not family. When it comes to being in close contact with a member of the opposite sex around my age, it is bound to make anyone nervous. However much I may look like a little girl on the outside, inside I consider myself a woman with a personality that once reached adulthood. It cannot be helped that I am restless. As I wriggle my bottom around, Leonardo asks, "Need to pee?" I properly answered "I do not," but we had just arrived at a rest stop along the highway, so he stopped the horse, and it turned into a toilet break anyway.
...I said I did not need to.
"Go do what you need to do," Leonardo said with a wry smile as he lifted me off the horse. I glared at him once and waved my hand. What kind of thing is that to say to a girl? Then I headed into the woods. It was not that I actually needed to pee, but since it was a break, I figured I might as well get it over with.
When I washed my hands at the rest stop's water basin and returned, Leonardo had distanced himself from the other knights just in case and was preparing a light meal for two. I wondered if it was okay to use the wagon's supplies without permission, but apparently it was fine since they were no longer needed. They had unpacked and eaten dinner last night too. They had brought portable rations for the journey, but with an extra mouth to feed in me, and perishables among the supplies, they had started using the cargo.
...Dried meat we sometimes had at home too, but ham I have never seen before. So ham exists in this world too, huh.
Using dried bread as a plate, I was handed ham and vegetable soup. I could not help but say "What a feast," and an extra slice of ham was added. I had not meant to angle for more, but maybe it came across as a hint. Feeling apologetic, I decided to eat the rest of the meal in silence.
After the meal, as I was helping clean up, the red-haired knight introduced as Jean-Jacques approached. He had a bit of a harsh look in his eyes, hard to approach.
...Rather than harsh eyes, everyone except Alf-san is somewhat intimidating-looking, are they not. I wonder if "having an intimidating face" is part of the knight order's recruitment requirements.
That said, everyone except one person was "scary-faced but kind-hearted." Yes, except one.
"Hey, squirt. It is Lord Jean-Jacques. Say it."
Jean-Jacques puffed out his chest with an arrogant attitude. Annoying as it was, I put on my pseudo-mask and responded. If I unknowingly carried the disease, it would be disastrous, so now Leonardo had also joined the pseudo-mask club. If it is droplet transmission, it should help somewhat. At the very least, it should prevent infecting the knights traveling with us.
"...Jean-Chack-shama."
I tried saying "Jean-Jacques-sama" in a muffled voice through the mask, but the result was the same as always.
"It is Jacques, Jean-Jacques! Why can you not say it right?!"
He spoke loudly, practically showering the words down from above my head. He grinned gleefully as if having fun, so he probably did not mean any harm, but it just looked like he was enjoying tormenting the weak. Maybe from his perspective, he thought he was just playing with a small child. But from the receiving end, it felt like nothing but intimidation, and I hated it.
...Marcel Number Two.
I gave him that name and tossed him into my mental "people I do not want to get close to" folder. I do not want to actively get involved with him. That said, if Jean-Jacques is a knight, then now that I am being taken in by Leonardo the knight, there may be contact with him in the future. Thinking about what lies ahead, I could not just brush him off, so I endured and dealt with Jean-Jacques.
"Jean-Chack-shama."
"It is sama, sa-ma! Knights get -sama! That is basic, is it not?!"
"Jean-Jacques, mendokusai."
"Huh?"
I accidentally let my true feelings slip in Japanese, and hurriedly covered my mouth. He should not have understood the meaning, but he probably caught the vibe that he was being made fun of. Jean-Jacques raised one eyebrow and glared threateningly.
"Leonyaldo-san, knights get -shama, yes?"
Crap, I realized I might have angered a troublesome person, but right now I am a little girl. There is no problem even if I do not read the mood much. I pretended not to notice Jean-Jacques's aura of displeasure and evacuated to Leonardo's side. Leonardo, who had been putting used dishes into a sturdy bag tied to the horse's saddle, looked back and forth between my face and Jean-Jacques, showing a slightly thoughtful expression.
"Knights in white armor, you need to add -sama for them. The White Knights are nobles."
He explained, and I looked at Leonardo and the others anew. The shapes were all slightly different, but they wore black armor.
"Leonyaldo-san, armor, black."
"We Black Knights are mostly of commoner origin. So you do not need to force yourself to add -sama."
He added, as if in passing, that he would prefer "Big Brother Leo" over being called Leonardo-sama, so I met that with silence. I cannot even pronounce Leonardo's name correctly. Adding something like "Big Brother" on top of that, there is no way I could pronounce it correctly.
"Even for Black Knights, normally it is amazing just for a commoner to become a knight, so commoners often add -sama to both kinds of knights."
When Alf supplemented and joined the conversation, Jean-Jacques puffed out his chest as if his earlier displeasure had blown away somewhere.
"We Black Knights are different from those decorative White Knights, we are an elite force!!"
"...Elite...?"
I stared intently at Jean-Jacques, who was leaning back with his chest out, broadcasting "I am awesome." He did not look like the word "elite" suited him at all.
...So, let me get this straight. White Knights are nobles and require -sama but are decorative. Black Knights do not require -sama but it is already amazing just to become one, so commoners call them with -sama. Is that right?
And also, that they are amazing because they are an elite force. I should remember that too, I suppose. Though looking at Jean-Jacques puffing his chest like a child right in front of me, he really does not seem like an elite soldier.
"...Leonyaldo-shama?"
Understanding that it was probably better to add "-sama" just in case, I looked up at Leonardo, who had become my guardian. I tried adding "-sama," but adding "-sama" to Leonardo's name, which I already could not pronounce correctly, was high difficulty. If I was just saying "-sama" on its own I could pronounce it, but attaching "-sama" to Leonardo's name inevitably came out as "-shama."
"Seems like -san is easier for you to say, Tina."
Pat pat. Leonardo's hand, not encased in a gauntlet today, stroked my head. Whether he had taken a liking to the soft texture of a child's hair, or whether he was just the physically affectionate type like my parents, Leonardo found reasons to pat my head frequently. It was the kind of high-difficulty physical contact that the media spreads rumors about as "heart-pounding moves for girls," while girls' honest opinion declares that "unless the person has extremely high favorability, even a handsome guy gets the death penalty." Maybe because I am a little girl now, or maybe because I know he has no ulterior motives, having Leonardo pat my head is not actually unpleasant.
...Also, the fact that they are not dirty is a plus.
Unlike the villagers, the knights do not stink even when they are upwind. Alf, for that matter, even smells faintly nice, like he is wearing perfume or something. My body never reflexively tried to dodge when a hand reached out to pat my head.
"...Leonyaldo-shama, Leonyaldo-shama, Leonaryuldo-shama..."
"Tina, you do not have to force yourself to add -sama, okay? The original form is vanishing."
I tried practicing "Leonardo-sama" for a while after that, but in the end I bit my tongue, so I gave up. It seemed I still could not graduate from "Leonyaldo" for the time being.
"Personally, I would prefer Big Brother or Brother."
"Leonyaldo Big Bruther."
Since it was his own wish, I tried saying it, but again I could not pronounce it correctly. And it was worse than "Leonyaldo-shama."
"...Leonyaldo-san."
This was the way I could most correctly say Leonardo's name right now.
"Leo-san is fine too."
...Ah, he simplified it to something easier.
Leonardo's suggestion was certainly easy and appealing, but I do not want to be unable to even correctly say the name of the person who will be taking care of me from now on. Giving up from the start feels like it goes against basic human courtesy.
"Leonyaldo-san."
Half out of stubbornness, I tried saying "Leonardo-san." When I still could not pronounce it correctly, Leonardo's shoulders drooped slightly.
"We are going to be family, so you could loosen up a bit more and call me..."
"No."
"!?"
When I refused, unable to give up on pronouncing it correctly, Leonardo's expression clearly froze. He had a smile plastered on his face, but his eyes were not smiling at all.
...Huh? Did I make him mad? Was that rude after all? But I think it is also rude not to say someone's name properly...?
As I was bewildered by what to do about Leonardo, whose eyes had died, Alf crouched down to meet my gaze.
"...Tina, do you not want Leonardo to be your big brother?"
"Eh? That is what you thought?"
You took it that way? I looked back and forth between Leonardo and Alf's faces in surprise. From my perspective, it was just that I did not want to take the easy way out with a convenient nickname until I could say it properly.
"Thash wrong. I am happy that Leonyaldo-san becomes Big Bruther."
I tripped over my words a fair bit. Not just a fair bit. But I did not mind. It was definitely better to clear up clumsy misunderstandings as quickly as possible.
"Whad I wanna shay ish, I jush wanna be able to call family namesh properly!!"
...I tripped all over my words, but I said it properly. I conveyed what I was thinking.
Satisfied that I had gotten it all out despite tripping over my words, I puffed out my chest. I am still not good at talking, so I added some body language too. It is a calculatedly cute gesture, but since I am a little girl now, it is allowed... I want to think.
"...You can talk quite a bit, huh."
Good girl, good girl. Alf's hand reached out, then stopped. He must have remembered, just as he was about to pat my head, that I might be carrying the disease. After letting his hand drift for a moment, he lowered it back to its original position.
"But you trip all over your words."
This was Jean-Jacques, his face plainly floating with the intent to tease, peering into my face. His grinning face irritated me, so I wanted to retaliate somehow, but I held back.
...Because right now I am overwhelmingly disadvantaged in physique.
Once we are sure I am not carrying the disease, maybe I will at least bite his finger. As I was grinding my back teeth with such violent thoughts, Leonardo's hand hesitantly came to rest on my head.
"...Tina, you are okay with me being your brother?"
"No problem," I said.
After all, he is a precious person who says he will take care of me, a total burden. I should say I am more than welcome, really.
...And he seems like a good person.
However, there was something that concerned me in return.
"Leonyaldo-san, me, as a little sister, is that okay?"
I have no intention of interfering with Leonardo's work as a working adult, but supporting a minor will certainly bring changes compared to his life up until now. I do not know to what extent Leonardo intends to look after me, but it is not just a matter of providing bed and meals.
"Having family is more than welcome."
Leonardo scooped me up and kissed my forehead. It was so unexpected that a strange noise like "Nyo!?" came out of my mouth. As I hurriedly covered my forehead with both hands, Leonardo laughed happily.
...Even though your expression was dead just a moment ago.
For now, it seems Leonardo is the physically affectionate type. In that case, I should return the physical affection with interest.
...Little girl or not, suddenly kissing a maiden is unforgivable.
If it happens again, I will pretend to be startled and smack his nose with my fist. I secretly swore that in my heart.
[Author's Note]
I started writing an explanation of this country's knight system and it got a bit long, so I will stop here for now. In this country, anyone with the aptitude can become a knight even if they are a commoner. It does not mean "noble's soldier." Though there are also knights who are literally noble's soldiers. Those are the White Knights.
"Decorative and never go to the battlefield so their armor never gets damaged." That is also what White Knight means.
Knights in other countries are probably different, I imagine.