185 - Harvest Festival and the Wemishuvara Contest 1
Since Mirshe would not be able to play together this year, we discussed not going around the Harvest Festival as kids. But Mirshe herself, once classes at the Menhishumi Church ended, said that gathering with this group might be the last time, and stopped us from restraining ourselves about the Harvest Festival. She said she would be working at the Three Crows Tavern so she could not play with us, but she wanted us all to enjoy the festival. She even joked that she would be happy if we dropped by her place as customers, so we decided to accept Mirshe's kindness. If we stopped going around together because someone was missing, then with Teo gone, we would never be able to gather as friends for life.
After breakfast, I sat down next to Leonardo, who was relaxing on the lounge chair as usual. I turned my black cat wallet upside down and checked the contents. There was still a bit to spare. With this much, eating and drinking at the Harvest Festival for one day should be fine.
...I spent quite a bit on embroidery thread, but this is enough to play today.
As I counted the copper coins one by one, a strangely fidgety atmosphere drifted from beside me. Thinking something was odd, I turned my face toward Leonardo, and he was looking at me with somehow expectant eyes.
"...What is it?"
"Well, do you have enough festival allowance? You've been spending quite a bit lately, haven't you?"
...I was just counting to see if I had enough, you know?
I thought about it for a moment, wondering what he wanted to say. What came to mind first was that maybe he wanted to go around the festival together.
"Leonyaldo-san, do you want to go to the festival together too?"
"Tina would have more fun with the other children. I'll pass on that, as an adult."
...Guess that wasn't it.
He didn't make any obvious disappointed gestures, but I could tell from the atmosphere. The fidgety air hadn't changed, but Leonardo's expression was still one he could show in public.
...I know he's expecting something, but...?
I don't know what he's expecting.
...Going to the festival, something to look forward to?
If it were me, I'd look forward to souvenirs. I sincerely hope for the Three Crows Tavern's festival-exclusive menu.
...Ah, if I'm buying souvenirs for Tabitha and the others staying home, this allowance won't be enough, will it?
The Three Crows Tavern's menu, which uses imported seasonings, is a bit pricey by commoner standards. It's not something a commoner child could eat very often. In my case, since my guardian is Leonardo, I can eat it like a snack normally, but it's a luxury item that an ordinary commoner child would save up their allowance to buy. With the allowance in my black cat, I probably couldn't buy souvenirs for everyone at the residence.
"Leonyaldo-san, please give me some festival allowance."
"That's rare, Tina begging me for allowance."
When I asked him to give me allowance, Leonardo's expression softened. Just a few seconds ago he'd been putting on a somewhat sharp face, but now his features were slack and loose. It was a face I really could not say "This man is the Commander of the Grenore Knights" about.
...Ah? Could this be it? What Leonyaldo-san was fidgeting about?
I hadn't said it with certainty, but it seemed Leonardo wanted me to beg him for allowance. Maybe when I sat next to him and started counting the contents of my black cat, he thought I was about to ask him for some.
...I wasn't counting with the intention of begging, you know?
How much do you want? I'll give you as much allowance as you want, gold coins or silver coins, Leonardo said, in a good mood. I thought I'd warned him once about giving too much gold to a child, but maybe it had slipped his mind. He was the same slightly troublesome brother as always. Still, I decided to gratefully accept his offer today. The Three Crows Tavern's festival-exclusive menu really is only available that day. If I miss today, I'd have to wait until next year to eat it again. I thought it was too much allowance for a child, but I decided to accept Leonardo's kindness.
"If I were to buy the Three Crows Tavern's exclusive menu for Leonyaldo-san, Hermine-sensei, Tabitha, Bart, Jasper, Sieg-sama, the Silver-White Knights, and the gatekeepers, my allowance really would not be enough."
"...Allowance for souvenirs, huh."
That's not what allowance means, Leonardo said, dropping his shoulders as he handed silver coins to Kalisa. Once he understood the purpose, he must have decided it was better to entrust them to Kalisa, an adult, rather than give them to me as allowance.
"I still have plenty of allowance for buying sweets and such from the stalls."
"Tina is good at managing her allowance."
As a big brother, it is a little lonely, Leonardo sighed. Is it really that disappointing? I wondered, thinking back, but I feel like today was the first time I had ever begged him for allowance. He always gave me allowance without me asking, and lately I had the gold coin Alf gave me, so I covered the embroidery thread costs with that.
...Should I have begged him for the embroidery thread money too?
If he wanted to spoil me as a big brother, maybe he would have been happier if I asked. For me, the main purpose was mischief, and since I planned to eventually make it a birthday present for Leonardo, I thought it would be wrong to have Leonardo pay for it, so I used my own allowance. That is all.
"Leonyaldo-san, will you not come around the festival with us after all?"
If I took him to the festival, I thought I could easily find some small thing to beg for. So I invited him again, but Leonardo's answer did not change.
"This might be the last year you can go around the Harvest Festival with your current friends, so I will pass this year."
Let us go together next year, he continued, and I hung my black cat wallet around my neck as I answered, "It is a promise." While all this was happening, the meeting time was approaching.
The entrance to the knights' residential district had become our meeting place. At the entrance at meeting time were Nils, Elke, and Petrona. Unfortunately, Lusio was not participating this year. At the Menhishumi Church, he hinted for me to invite Mirshe, but when Mirshe decided not to attend because she had work, Lusio also declared he would not participate.
...I really cannot tell at all whether he is worried about Mirshe-chan as a brother, or if it is a romantic concern.
Elke and Petrona were also split on this. Elke, who was very interested in love, thought it was Lusio's first love, while Petrona thought he was just worried about Mirshe now that her brother Teo was gone. So I asked Nils once what he thought, but he gently scolded me. He said that kind of talk was between the two of them, and it would be cruel for those around to make a fuss out of it.
...Well, that is true. It is not something for others to make a fuss about with baseless speculation.
At least, I would hate it if the same thing were done to me. So I decided not to point out Lusio's concern for Mirshe. Whether it was love or a brotherly feeling, it was still goodwill and consideration toward Mirshe. I wanted to avoid unnecessary prying that might create strange friction between them.
...Just like Leonyaldo-san said, even if we say we will gather next year, someone will probably be missing.
Now then, where should we go first, I thought, watching Nils and the others as they began discussing. At the very least, Kalisa, who was currently by my side as my nursemaid, would probably be replaced by Salisa next year. I heard that Petrona would start helping with her family business little by little from winter after the autumn classes ended, and Nils was like an attendant assigned to make sure I had no trouble at the Menhishumi Church. Once I stopped going to the Menhishumi Church, I would probably have almost no chance to see him.
...Or, maybe I will see Nils every year at the Recollection Festival?
Since I had work as the Spirit's Favored Child, it seemed I would see him at least once a year. Still, I thought we would not meet as often as we did now. And we would gradually grow apart.
...When I think about it, childhood friends can easily drift apart, huh.
Even if we lived in the same city, I did not feel like we could easily make opportunities to meet. Elke and Petrona, whose families were merchants, might still find chances, but with Mirshe, I would probably lose touch completely.
...I do not like that. We finally became such good friends.
Petrona's voice pulled me out of my slightly sinking thoughts. It was the same question as last year, "where should we go first?" But I was grateful she interrupted my thoughts.
"This year, let us go wherever Tina-chan wants to go first."
"...The only thing I absolutely want is to buy the Three Crows Tavern's pan-fried treats, so I will leave the rest to everyone and just follow along."
I felt like I said something similar last year, but the one thing at the festival I absolutely could not compromise on was the festival-exclusive sweets sold at the Three Crows Tavern. Aside from that, there was no place I absolutely had to see or stop by.
"Then shall we go see the Wemishuvara Contest in the plaza?"
"When you say Wemishuvara Contest..."
It had the name of the harvest goddess Wemishuvara attached to it, but essentially it was a beauty contest. I wondered if they were deciding Miss Grenore or something, but the woman who won this contest would play the role of the goddess of justice Itsurateru in the summer Recollection Festival play. Just from the name, it seemed the most beautiful woman in the city of Grenore was chosen, so Petrona, who was interested in fashion, was probably interested too.
"I hear Petrona's cousin is entering this year."
"I see. So you are cheering for your cousin."
From Elke's explanation, I learned that Petrona's goal was not the contest itself but to support her cousin. If that was the case, I, who had no purpose other than food, had no intention of objecting. We decided to head toward the plaza where the Wemishuvara Contest was being held while looking at the stalls and booths.
In the center of the plaza, a stage had been set up just like during the Recollection Festival. Behind it were several tents, and I could see people who seemed to be organizers and related personnel going in and out. Since the winner of this event would become the goddess Itsurateru for the following year, the event was hosted by the Menhishumi Church. The faces of the guards protecting the area around the tents were all ones I had seen at the Menhishumi Church.
"Big sis, I have come to cheer for you!"
Calling out like that, Petrona went into the tent marked "contestant waiting room." Comparing Nils, who held back saying he could not enter a women's waiting room, and Elke, who followed Petrona into the tent, I decided to wait outside the tent too. I thought it would be a pity to leave Nils, a boy, waiting alone.
"...I finally found you!!"
As I was casting cold glances at the fan-shaped stage and the men lined up to fill the front rows, I heard a voice from the side. I could tell it was directed this way, but I also knew it was not directed at me. Wondering who was speaking to whom, I turned my face toward the voice out of mild curiosity, and a thin man was breathing heavily, staring at Kalisa.
"Is this an acquaintance of yours, Kalisa?"
"...No."
Shaking her head, Kalisa seemed slightly frightened. Kalisa, who would surprisingly bravely stand up to anyone who directed hostility toward me, was basically as shy as I was. She was weak against goodwill and interest directed at herself.
"Ah, I was... looking for... looking for you! The black-haired girl's attendant maid...!"
The man grabbed Kalisa's shoulders and pressed in on her with bloodshot eyes. I wondered what he was going to say, but what came out of his mouth was an invitation to enter the beauty contest.
"Th-this... would you... appear in this Wemishuvara Contest...?"
"I decline."
Kalisa mercilessly cut off the invitation delivered in breathless gasps. It was such a sudden proposition that even if it were not Kalisa, I thought it could not be helped that she would refuse.
Time's up. I could not get to where I planned.
I will fix typos and misspellings another day. I have corrected any typos and misspellings I found.