148 - Children's Spring Flower Festival 2
At first, Leonardo welcomed me with a smile as I came delivering gifts in my butterfly costume, but by the fourth round trip, his smile was a bit strained. If anyone should be making a more strained face than Leonardo, it is me.
"...Why is there this much this year?"
"The watchman who heard Teo propose the competition accepted the gifts out of consideration, deshu."
Since going back and forth multiple times was getting tough, I asked them not to accept any more beyond this. Just going back and forth between the fortress and the knight residential area entrance, I ended up handling a number of gifts that would probably make an ordinary child feel hollow. If delivering gifts to the fortress could become an event for orphans and children from poor families, it might help fill their stomachs a little.
...Well, even so, it would probably be hard to pull off due to security issues.
The reason the children are allowed into Grenore Fortress today is because I am here, it is a small group, and the Black Knights recognize Elke and the others as my friends. If the number increased, or if they were children completely unknown to the Black Knight watchmen or gatekeepers, there is no way the same thing could be done. Even we are being treated as getting special permission to go "secretly."
"Let us ban it next year."
"Please do not do that, deshu."
It was an extreme but surefire way to eliminate gifts, but I immediately rejected it. I am currently suffering from the gift deliveries myself, but after hearing about the plight of the other Black Knights, it is better to reject Leonardo's proposal. Black Knights who are dragged along by workaholic Leonardo and end up only ever working, missing opportunities for encounters and delaying their marriage prospects, that seemed rather pitiful.
To Leonardo, who looked puzzled at having his kind suggestion rejected, I conveyed what I had heard from the fortress and watchmen Black Knights. Leonardo apparently never imagined that his own fault was causing the fortress Black Knights' marriage prospects to be delayed. He promised to think of improvements while holding his head in his hands.
"...Leo, you also got a lot of gifts, but is there not anyone you would want to try dating, deshu?"
"Unfortunately, what comes to me are mostly like thank-you letters, you know?"
When I looked through the letters he handed me saying "see for yourself," they were indeed all innocuous content like "thanks to the Black Knights' security we can live in peace" or "thank you for strengthening the patrols." Far from seeming like text aimed at developing into romance.
...But if they were really just thank-you letters, I do not think they would specifically target the Spring Flower Festival, right?
If anything, these feel like letters with a plan, starting with harmless topics to first become acquaintances, then step by step trying to work their way in as lovers. I can feel a seriousness and persistent determination that Kaya did not have.
"There are some that seem to show affection, but I do not know anything about the senders."
Leonardo's hope is that, as a basic prerequisite, the person must get along with me. I suggested Hermine as someone who gets along with me, but he lightly brushed it off saying that is impossible since she dislikes him. Even though Hermine received flowers from Menhiriya's daughter, it seems nothing is budding between her and Leonardo.
"If it were Hermine-sensei, I would be thrilled to have her as my big sister, deshu..."
When I pouted and said "Sho disappointed, deshu," Leonardo patted my head. He said he will be just my big brother for a while, so I do not need to worry about him.
Around the time the surroundings began to be dyed in sunset colors, the love matchmaker (Cupid) competition also came to an end. Teo and the others returned triumphantly, but they quickly realized their defeat from the mountain of candy spilling out of our bags. As for me, I feel like a competition with Black Knight participation is cheating, so I want to consider it a draw.
"That is cheating!"
"I think sho too, deshu."
After honestly telling them that we just went back and forth between the fortress and the knight residential area, we divided the mountain of candy among everyone. If considered as payment for labor, it was ours, but due to guilt over it being nothing but cheating, and since Elke and Petrona are children from wealthy families, they were not that attached to the candy.
"So how many times did you all end up helping, nyo?"
Since the competition was no longer valid, at least I would listen to their bragging about their results. While asking about the state of the city, I heard their results, Mirshe had five times, the most, Nils and Lusio three times each, and Teo only once, it seemed.
"It cannot be helped! Spring Flower Festival letter deliveries are almost all done on the first day!"
"Is that sho, nyo?"
If that is the case, why did he propose the competition today? I thought that, but I did not point it out, instead turning my gaze to Nils to ask for his opinion.
"...That is right. Since everyone waits for the Spring Flower Festival to give gifts to the opposite sex they are interested in, the first day is definitely the busiest."
Incidentally, when it comes to factors for being asked to be a love matchmaker, appearance also has an influence. Anyone would prefer a single flower carried by a well-groomed child with clean language over a gift carried by a foul-mouthed, grimy child. This is the reason why Mirshe became the matchmaker the most among Teo's group. The mother who I have heard tends to treat Mirshe coldly must have had reasons around this for preparing a costume for Mirshe too on the Spring Flower Festival only. Between the still ill-mannered Teo and the well-disciplined Nils and the others, Nils and the others would be chosen. Between the well-groomed Nils group and the cute little girl Mirshe, Mirshe would be chosen. They acted separately this time, but if it were between Mirshe and Elke, Elke would probably be preferred due to her cleanliness.
...Huh? Even if we competed normally, maybe we would have won?
Or perhaps because adult Kalisa was not counted in the numbers, it would have been a fair match at three versus four? Either way, the competition was voided the moment we took on the gifts for the Black Knights at the fortress, so thinking about it is pointless.
...At any rate, I understand Teo's reason for saying "this year I was able to help the most."
Since Leonardo admonished him, the effect of studying seriously at Menhishumi Church must be showing. Compared to when he used to suddenly pull girls' hair, Teo has calmed down a bit. For someone who knows how Teo used to be, he is probably at a level where they would think it is okay to entrust him with being a matchmaker.
...If he also cleans himself up, maybe he will be able to be a matchmaker even more next year.
As I was secretly thinking this, in the corner of my vision, I saw Lusio, who was supposed to be putting the shared candy into Mirshe's bag, gently insert a single flower into Mirshe's hair. Mirshe did not seem to notice, but he also lightly touched her hair.
...Oho?
Could a small flower of love be blooming in an unexpected place? As my curiosity was piqued and I watched over Lusio and Mirshe, Lusio soon noticed my gaze, turned back, and hurriedly looked away with a pretend-innocent face.
This is short today because it is the part I could not finish writing yesterday.
Typos and errors will be addressed another day. I have corrected the ones I found.