158 - Teo's Birthday
"Why would you pull a girl's hair!?"
Bertrand seemed intent on reprimanding Teo like this. He started by asking for the reason, but his voice was so loud that Teo was completely cowering.
...Still, what a difference from my guardian (Leonardo).
Leonardo apparently did the same thing when he was a child, so he cannot scold Teo, and even though his little sister (me) was the victim, he just gave a troubled wry smile. He did not clearly scold Teo for doing something bad like Bertrand did.
...Bertrand-sama, so cool!
I watched reassuringly, thinking how reliable he was, but Teo, trembling under Bertrand's glare, pointed at me. When Teo looked away from Bertrand, he seemed somewhat relieved and recovered a bit of his usual energy.
"Because she is the one who is unfair!"
"Huh? Me?"
I blinked, not understanding what he was pointing at. Had I done something unfair enough for Teo to pull my hair?
"Did you do something dishonest to this boy?"
Bertrand's gaze dropped to me, and my body shivered. His attitude of scolding Teo without mercy was cool, but when I thought about it being directed at me, it was frightening.
"It is a false accusation! I do not know anything!"
I claimed I was the victim who suddenly had her hair pulled and had no idea what he meant. Rather, I wanted an explanation of what Teo was angry about and why he pulled my hair.
"I will know right away if you are lying."
"I am not lying! I really do not know."
Feeling like looking away would be losing, I glared back at Bertrand. I had not done anything wrong. I had nothing to be guilty about, so I did not need to look away.
After glaring at each other with "hmmph" expressions for a while, Bertrand accepted my claim. Having stared each other down without backing an inch, I felt a strange sense of solidarity had formed. He turned his gaze to Teo, demanding further explanation, and our timing was perfectly in sync.
...Huh? Mirshe-chan?
While Bertrand and I were glaring at each other, Mirshe had gone over to Teo. She was pulling at his clothes from behind, trying to stop him somehow.
"...Boy, what do you mean by this young lady being unfair? From what I can see, she does not seem to be lying."
"Because she! On Mirshe's birthday, she gave her clothes!"
...Huh?
Giving Mirshe clothes as a birthday present was the reason Teo was angry? I could not think of any reason that would warrant getting angry over that.
Bertrand seemed to feel the same way. He raised one eyebrow in puzzlement and looked between me and Teo.
"Who is Mirshe?"
"Teo's little sister."
I indicated Mirshe, who was currently trying to silence Teo and pull him away from the scene. Bertrand seemed somewhat impressed that this was the same girl who had bravely stepped forward earlier.
"And about giving her clothes on her birthday?"
"They were hand-me-downs, but I gave her clothes I wore last year."
"Your clothes, young lady, would be..."
He hesitated a little, probably because of the difference between my clothes and Mirshe's. He must have realized that between me, wearing well-tailored young lady's clothes, and Mirshe, wearing patched clothes, handing down clothes might cause problems.
"I thought about it carefully. They are clothes that Leo and the others prepared for me before I came to the city of Grenore, so they are not frilly like my current clothes."
It was a simple dress that would probably look fine on Mirshe, aside from not having patches. I had not intended to give her something so unsuitable.
So what was the problem? As Bertrand and I both turned our gazes back to Teo, he finally revealed the root of his anger.
"You give stuff only to Mirshe, but you never gave me anything!"
Teo pointed at me accusingly, but being told I never gave him anything left me perplexed. I gave Mirshe clothes as a birthday present. Why would I need to give Teo a present on Mirshe's birthday?
...I do not get the reason.
I did not understand the reasoning, but Teo's reason for being angry was simple. He was complaining that it was unfair that only Mirshe got a present.
"Um... do you want to wear girls' clothes, Teo?"
"Like hell I would, you idiot!"
"Then what? On Mirshe's birthday, giving Mirshe a present is natural, but giving a present to Teo too would be weird, right."
For starters, why had he assumed he would get a present as a matter of course, and why was he getting angry because he did not get one? Teo's anger was so unreasonable that I could not understand it at all.
...Huh? But then, something is weird?
Mirshe's birthday was a little while ago, back in spring. It is strange for Teo to be angry about it now. Besides, up until we went home, Teo kept glancing at me with a smug face, as if trying to show something.
"...Could it be, Teo, is today your birthday?"
He might think that since I gave a present on Mirshe's birthday, he should get one on his too. Honestly, I would say there is no such obligation, but if I had known in advance, I would have thought of something.
My guess was probably correct. Teo puffed out his cheeks when I pointed it out.
"Teo, if you want your birthday celebrated, you have to tell me your birthday in advance."
You cannot celebrate what you do not know, I pointed out, stating the obvious. The reason I knew Mirshe's birthday was because we had had that conversation before. Today was the first I had heard of Teo's birthday.
...Also, you need a certain level of likability to want to celebrate someone's birthday.
With recent Teo, if I had known, I might have baked some pancakes, but since he pulled my hair today, the meager goodwill I had has been completely destroyed. I do not think I will feel like it until next year.
...And as it turns out, I really was just the victim of a false accusation.
You cannot celebrate what you do not know, and it is not like I was favoring only Mirshe. There was never any valid reason for Teo to pull my hair.
"...Then, boy, first apologize to this young lady."
"Why should I..."
"You were not listening?"
To Teo, who stubbornly refused to admit his fault despite clearly being in the wrong, Bertrand's voice, which had once calmed down, grew angry again. Bertrand grabbed Teo's head and started shaking it up and down. This might be what it looks like to literally "pound something into someone's head."
...Scary! It is scary to watch! If Bertrand-sama was serious, Teo's head would get crushed!
Bertrand explained the situation and the misunderstanding, shaking Teo's head with each phrase break. The "scolding" continued until Teo nodded in understanding.
...Rather than a scolding, this is practically torture.
I felt a little sorry for Teo, but I decided not to stop it. If I butted in carelessly, the fire might spread to me too. I waved over Mirshe, who was fluttering around Teo trying to stop Bertrand somehow, and hugged her to calm her down.
In the end, a full thirty minutes passed before Teo said, "I was wrong," and apologized to me. On the verge of tears, Teo bowed to me while checking Bertrand's expression.
It was clearly written on his face that he was reluctant, but with Teo's apology, the situation calmed down for now. With Bertrand's anger subsided, the gatekeepers returned to their posts. They had originally come to stop the Black Dog, but Oscar had been very quiet since Bertrand arrived. It was as if him biting Teo had been some kind of dream, and now he was docilely at Bertrand's side.
"...Ah, fine. Then I will celebrate for you."
I was not the only one wondering who was celebrating what. Even Teo himself, who had been throwing a tantrum about wanting to be celebrated, blinked in confusion at being told he would be celebrated.
"Bertrand-sama, you are going to celebrate Teo?"
When I called him 'Bertrand-sama,' I heard Nils's confused voice. He must have been calling him Bertrand by name until now, but it seemed it had finally registered.
"Is not 'Teo' the boy Oscar bit?"
"That is right. Teo is the one Oscar bit."
What Bertrand meant by "Oscar bit" was not about today. It was from before Bertrand came to the city of Grenore. As far as I know, Teo was the only boy bitten by the Black Dog.
"Today Oscar just punished a mischievous brat who pulls girls' hair, but I do not know about the previous incident."
Bertrand said it was convenient since he had been thinking of going to greet them anyway. He said he had been worried because Leonardo had already covered the medical expenses, and with so much time having passed, coming to apologize now might just trouble Teo's family.
...With that mother, she would probably gleefully demand money though.
It might be an unkind thing to think about someone else's mother, but I was bothered that Mirshe had only worn the clothes I gave her once. The size should have been fine, and even if they were hand-me-downs, they did not have patches. It was possible that mother had sold them to a secondhand shop.
"Well then, Teo. What do you want? Want to go eat something tasty?"
"Something tasty..."
Hearing "tasty," Teo was hooked, easy to read. His face lit up with great interest, but he began to hesitate, showing some caution since Bertrand was an unfamiliar adult. Seeing Teo like that, Bertrand turned back to us.
"How about the young ladies come too? Teo would surely feel more at ease with familiar faces than being taken by a stranger."
Bertrand offered to treat all the children present, but aside from Teo and Nils, everyone was reluctant. Only Teo was the type to be lured by food, and Nils was more interested in Bertrand himself than food.
...Getting to talk with Bertrand-sama is appealing though.
Honestly, I wanted to join, but since my ride had not come yet, I could not go out of my way without permission. Even though it was later than usual because of Teo and the Black Dog causing trouble, I realized my ride still had not arrived and looked beyond the main gate from within the Menhishumi Church grounds.
...Huh? Kalisa?
I spotted Kalisa trotting toward us and tilted my head. Usually, Bart handled the pick-ups and drop-offs at Menhishumi Church. It was rare for Kalisa to come, and it was also unusual for the pick-up to come later than the end of class.
...Did something happen at the residence?
Maybe I should go home early after all. I thought so, but it seemed the opposite was true. When Kalisa saw me and Bertrand figured out she was my ride, he invited us to go out, and Kalisa agreed even before I did. It was unusual for Kalisa to decide on an action without checking my wishes.
"Did something happen at the residence?"
Following the group as we started moving, I asked Kalisa quietly. Kalisa showed a slight hesitation, then told me that a stray dog had gotten into the residence and everyone was out catching it.
"A stray dog? In that case, it does seem better to kill time outside before going home."
Elke and Petrona offered to guide us since it was within the city. These two had apparently scouted out shops in the city to invite me on detours before, and even though they were supposed to be young ladies, they knew small shops in alleyways. Teo was overwhelmed by the many food names they listed, unable to choose.
...And Bertrand-sama never said he would only buy one thing anyway.
He was the kind of person who would offer to treat all the accompanying children. If he could not choose, he might have bought several things.
...Or maybe everyone could share a little bit.
The method I sometimes used with Mirshe. By sharing with Mirshe, we could eat more types of food.
"Well then, let us do it this way."
When we reached the plaza where the central street and main street intersected, Bertrand sat down on a bench. Perhaps he was a little tired of the noisy voices of the children discussing things among themselves.
Bertrand told us to hold out our hands one by one, and we obediently extended them. A large copper coin was placed in each hand.
...100 Shivil is way too much for a child's allowance.
Compared to the first allowance Leonardo gave me, it was within reason, but still it was too much to give to children he had just met. It seemed I was not the only one surprised. Everyone except Teo looked at each other.
"With that, buy what you like and gather back here."
He suggested we all eat together in the plaza with what we bought, and everyone split up.
...Ah, Bertrand-sama is giving Kalisa an allowance too.
Kalisa was trying to decline, but Bertrand placed a large copper coin in her hand. Maybe from Bertrand's perspective, Kalisa was also included among the "children."
...Is Bertrand-sama a good person?
His dog was a troublesome fierce dog though. Maybe he was a big-hearted person who could lump even Kalisa together with the children.
...And as expected, you are following me, Oscar.
Mirshe had been dragged off by Teo early on, so I was with Kalisa as usual. Kalisa holding my hand, and a black dog following a little behind us.
...Is it okay that you are not with Bertrand-sama?
I thought so, but I was also confident that Oscar was basically protecting me. I did not need to be scared forever.
Trying not to think about the Black Dog, I visited a few shops. It was about buying food and gathering together, but our stomachs had limits. I should avoid honestly buying sweets worth the full amount given.
...This is supposed to be Teo's birthday present, right?
Since the other kids would probably buy things they could eat right away, I bought two bottles of candy so Teo could take them home. If he was the kind of older brother who would give one to Mirshe, I would think about preparing a present for Teo next year.
...If he keeps them all to himself, no present next year.
When I returned to the plaza, Bertrand was back first. He seemed to have bought juice, which would be too heavy for children to carry.
"Ah, let me return the change."
"It is pocket money. Just keep it."
"Huh? But..."
Troubled by money I had no right to receive, I exchanged looks with Kalisa. Refusing might upset Bertrand, but accepting was too much. As I was worrying about what to do, Teo returned carrying armfuls of Coral-grilled chicken skewers. Apparently Teo had unhesitatingly bought as many grilled chicken skewers as he could with the money entrusted to him.
"Gramps! I bought a ton!"
"Oh, you bought quite a lot!"
Teo, who should have been reduced to tears by Bertrand at Menhishumi Church earlier, was already starting to warm up to him. Bertrand also seemed to like Teo's unreservedness. He roughly rubbed Teo's head.
...Is this like a male bonding thing?
Unfortunately, it was a world I did not think I could understand. Someone as naturally shy as me could never honestly accept pocket money from an adult I had met yesterday or today, let alone spend it all in one go.
...Bertrand-sama likes bold children, I see.
At least Nils would not be included in that category. Nils, who had calculated and bought only what he could eat like me, tried to return the change to Bertrand just like me, but was pushed back with "children should not be so reserved."
We waited for everyone to gather and formally celebrated Teo's birthday. The cream pastries Petrona bought were delicious, and the flowers and candied fruits Elke chose were tasty too. The birthday party, which had been decided on the spur of the moment, turned out to be very enjoyable. When Teo puffed out his chest and said we were the same age from today, I retorted that I would be older again as soon as summer came, which I thought was pretty mean of me. I might have let him have his moment at least today.
As we parted, Teo ended up taking the candy bottles since he could not finish them either, and I secretly watched him. Teo glared at the two bottles, then handed one to Mirshe. Though it was the opened one with less candy left.
It seemed that next year, I would be giving Teo a birthday present too.
[Author's Note]
I tried to touch on the outcome of Mirshe's birthday, but somehow it became a story about Teo's birthday instead. About how Bertrand's character keeps deviating from my original plans... orz
I will fix typos and misspellings later. I have found and corrected some typos and misspellings.