471 - Side Story Leonardo's Perspective Me and Tina 1
Ever since returning to the city of Grenore, Tina has been quite settled.
During the winter there were still many unstable aspects, but after spring came and she started growing Enomena, I think she has gotten much closer to the Tina of before.
As I thought, the act of growing plants must be good for Tina's emotional education.
Even though she still cannot stop occasionally calling the Enomena pots "Kalisa" despite my warnings, she is largely the Tina of before.
Perhaps she has also remembered the ladylike education she had nearly forgotten, as lately she has begun to correct her manner of speech again.
...If only she could go outside as well.
Tina was never really the type to go out much.
As things stand, she herself does not feel much inconvenience, so this will probably continue for a while.
If there is something she absolutely needs to go outside for, Tina will stubbornly insist even if she has to carry her washbasin under her arm, but ordinarily there is no need to force it that far.
By the time the Enomena flowers bloom, I wonder if Tina's fear of going outside might resolve itself quite naturally.
Lately I have been thinking this way.
Unlike before, Tina, who now has exercise built into her daily life to regain her strength, still has somewhat slender limbs, but she is gradually regaining the roundness of a child.
Perhaps helped by her youth, Tina's recovery is progressing smoothly.
That Tina has recently started wearing accessories.
It was only a small change, just occasionally wearing earrings, but a change is a change.
It seemed my little sister (Tina) had finally started to become conscious of adorning herself.
Thinking that as her big brother I had to encourage my little sister who had taken her first step toward adulthood (ladyhood), I praised the adorableness of Tina wearing earrings, but Tina blushed and got angry.
She said it was not because she was conscious of being a lady or an adult.
She just decided to try using them since she received so many as gifts.
According to Salisa's interpretation, the original motivation was indeed to get used to accessories, but it seems Tina feels embarrassed as if she is reaching a little beyond herself.
Her actual age has reached sixteen, but Tina's appearance is young, around eleven or twelve.
She is self-conscious about wearing earrings when she looks like that.
...So she has the desire to wear accessories, but she is embarrassed about being seen as reaching too far, and she would rather not be pointed out for wearing earrings, huh.
I sometimes think this, but Tina really does have incredibly complex and strange thought processes.
What the correct response is changes each time, so I cannot just adjust appropriately.
That is only natural, but I need to properly face Tina and find the right answer.
...The fact that she has been wearing her hair to hide her ears since then is probably to hide the earrings from me.
That is a very Tina-like action, fitting for her strangely shy nature.
She wants to wear earrings, but she is embarrassed by me praising her excessively, so she does not want to be noticed.
When she comes near me, she fidgets and seems conscious of her ears, which is very adorable, but I made a point not to mention the earrings.
Once Tina stops fidgeting and gets used to the earrings, I can praise her then.
...I hear that normally, you are supposed to notice even small fashion choices and praise them, though.
Whether because my little sister is a reincarnator by birth or because of her original nature, she has a somewhat peculiar personality, so general theories are not helpful.
That said, when she wants to be praised, Tina also makes requests herself, so that makes it easy to understand in its own way.
When she shows me newly tailored clothes, for example, she picks up her skirt, spins around on the spot, and asks with an adorable smile, "Does it suit me?"
My little sister is cute.
When I respond with all my might to Tina's extreme cuteness, I can tell Tina pulls back with a slightly annoyed look, but that face is also adorable.
My little sister is cute no matter what expression she makes.
Three hundred sixty-five days a year, twenty-four hours a day, she is always maximally cute.
When I think that someday some other man will take away such a cute little sister, I will not be satisfied unless I punch his face at least three times.
Since he will be taking my cute little sister from me, he should naturally be prepared for at least that much.
If he is not, then die.
Or rather, I will kill him.
I cannot entrust my cute little sister to a man without resolve.
...Speaking of which, earrings.
If Tina is interested, it might be a good idea to call a jeweler and buy her some.
Tina is not the type to want things for herself, so I want to buy her things she would like while she is in the mood.
What Tina tends to want are things for her hobbies, like embroidery thread and fabric, but since she started saying she would make Bertrand's embroidery picture, she has been paying for thread and fabric from her own purse.
As a big brother who wants his little sister to make cute requests of him, the fact that she earns too much is also a problem.
Even without receiving an allowance from me, Tina already earns more than enough on her own.
...Even when I invite Tina to make new clothes, she never takes me up on it.
Partly because she has not grown much, Tina can still comfortably wear clothes from three years ago.
Since she wears clothes she likes even after fixing them up a bit, as a big brother who wants to buy everything for his little sister, it is rather lonely.
So then I asked Mirshe and Salisa what they wanted, but perhaps influenced by their mistress Tina, neither of them wanted much.
When I asked Mirshe if I could give her a reward for working hard, she refused, saying she already gets plenty of snacks shared with her by Tina.
So I told Salisa directly that I want to spend money for my little sister's sake, but my little sister will not ask her big brother for anything, so I want to reward Salisa who works hard for my sister's sake.
Salisa made a very fed-up face and asked for a new pot.
The women in our household seem to have too little desire for material things, which is a problem.
In the flow of things, I also asked Tabitha what she wanted, and she mentioned a somewhat rare type of bulb.
Probably for the purpose of giving it to Bart.
Having come this far, I asked Bart what he wanted too, and he wanted a warm lap blanket, which seems intended for Tabitha as well.
Since it worked out that way, I arranged for them to be sent under each other's names as the gift giver.
...But Rannvald-sama asked for something strange, did he not?
Since I asked even the servants what they wanted, I asked the same of Rannvald, who currently works as a servant at the Fortress Lord's Residence.
Even though he has only recently started working at the Fortress Lord's Residence, I thought it would not be right to exclude him.
And when asked by me what he wanted, Rannvald, for some reason, wanted to know my real (old) name.
...Would anyone besides spirits even want my name?
Regarding my real name, I received advice from the Divine King not to use it.
I communicated this to Rannvald and avoided giving a clear answer, but it really is a strange matter.
My name should not have anything to do with Rannvald.
...Teo's father, huh.
It really is a strange connection, I think.
Shortly after I became a Silver-White Knight, I caught Christoph's eye, and there is no doubt it was because of this face.
Rannvald and I had similarities to the point where you could say there was a resemblance without being wrong.
The age at which Rannvald died of illness and the age at which I became a Silver-White Knight are close.
If his dead younger brother were alive and healthy, he might have looked like this.
That is what Christoph must have thought as he watched over me.
And Rannvald, who left the castle under the guise of dying of illness, came to the city of Grenore for some reason.
When I heard he was Teo's father, Rannvald's interest in me made a little more sense.
He must think that I, who resemble him in the face, might be something like what his son (Teo) would look like if he grew up.
As for Teo's features, his black hair and black eyes match mine.
If Rannvald had heard about Teo's appearance somewhere, he might overlap me and Teo based on that as well.
...That said, I wish he would stop comparing me and Teo for everything.
Rannvald seems to hear stories about Teo from Tina sometimes.
And after that, Tina sometimes comes to ask me about it.
Whether I have been to this place with a girl I had a first love with, whether I have bought and eaten food from stalls together.
When I ask back whether I have ever told her that much about my childhood, Tina always says this.
Rannvald, who heard about Teo from Tina, said that from Teo's perspective, I might have similar memories.
It seems Tina found it amusing to check whether similar stories really come up for me, who she has heard was a similar kind of child to Teo.
...Well, it is true that I did buy and eat food from stalls with that girl and go around the Harvest Festival, though.
If you look at Tina and Teo's memories from Teo's perspective, I do indeed have similar memories.
But this is not anything special.
A child's range of activities is limited, and memorable experiences like going around a festival are things everyone has.
The overlap between my memories and Teo's actions as told by Tina is not entirely impossible.
...Speaking of Teo and me.
On the day of river play when Tina and Teo parted on bad terms, I played with Teo a lot.
I was keeping Teo company as he played in the river, and at that time, when Teo brushed back the hair sticking to his face, I noticed two round scars on his forehead.
I remember briefly thinking that he had scars in the same place as me.
Teo's scars were probably made by the Black Dog (Oscar).
My scars are from when I was almost fed to wolves.
The reasons are different, but the scars are in similar places and of a similar nature.
...I will keep quiet about it to Rannvald-sama.
Rannvald tends to confuse me and Teo in various ways.
It is better not to mention that we have similar scars in the same place on our bodies.
I called a jeweler to the Fortress Lord's Residence to coincide with my vacation.
After brief greetings, as the merchant began laying out his wares, I used Salisa to call Tina.
Tina came to the reception room, and comparing the array of accessories spread on the table with my face, she quickly seemed to understand the reason she had been called.
"As for accessories, I have already received plenty from various people for my birthday, so I have enough, you know?"
"I do not like that you have more than what I gave you."
"Please do not get fired up with strange competitive spirits."
At Tina, who made an exasperated face as if to say "what a troublesome brother," the jeweler's expression softened.
He must have found it heartwarming that Tina, though hesitant, was willing to humor her brother's (my) wishes.
"You can pick whichever one you like."
"Even if you say that..."
Obediently sitting down beside me as I beckoned, Tina looked over the accessories the jeweler was laying out.
Just looked over, mind you.
She was not staring at them with any particular enthusiasm, so her hesitation was probably still stronger.
"Then, this one."
"...That is a surprising choice for you, Tina."
"Is it?"
"This one," Tina said, quite obviously picking at random, but what she chose was the most expensive earring among those laid out.
For Tina, who tends to decline gifts of all kinds, this was an impossible choice.
"For future reference, could you tell me what part you liked about it?"
"Umm..."
When I said "for future reference," Tina's eyes clearly started darting around.
As I thought, she really just picked it at random.
She had the face of someone struggling to come up with a specific feature to explain.
"...I liked that it is smooth and does not have any stones on it."
"In other words, you chose it because you thought it looked the cheapest, right?"
"...Th-that is not true at all."
Perhaps feeling guilty about having chosen so randomly, Tina would not meet my eyes.
As she continued in a flat tone, saying "What a lovely earring, I want this one," the jeweler wore a wry smile.
He must have been holding back a laugh in front of the customers.
"Tina, you should still have some with stones too.
Since you avoid them, your eye is not trained."
"My, eye?"
Thinking the conversation had veered off course, Tina's gaze returned to me.
I did not intend to mention her random choice any further, but there was something I needed to teach Tina.
"If you truly wanted this earring, Tina, I would buy it for you.
But if you asked me to buy ten more of the same, I would have to say no.
Why do you think?"
"Because buying ten of the same thing would be wasteful?"
"That is part of it, but mainly in terms of the price."
"Ehh!?"
At the word price, Tina's shoulders flinched.
She was so surprised that her gaze darted rapidly between my face and the earring.
"Wh-why is the price high? It is silver, with no decorative frills, a sleek and simple design..."
Today too, the cat slipped out of her ladylike disguise, but Tina flustering and panicking is adorable.
She is adorable, but today I should not just end it with adoring my cute little sister.
She might be able to keep some distance, but Tina will not be able to completely avoid interaction with royalty and nobility in the future.
There will probably be times when she goes out in formal wear.
I cannot let her wear fakes or cheap goods because her eye for gems (stones) is not trained.
There should be maids and attendants assigned to assist Tina, but that does not mean it is acceptable for Tina herself, who wears the jewelry, to be unable to judge the quality of accessories.
"The earrings the young lady chose may be subdued in design, but first of all, they are not silver but platinum."
"Platinum... you mean the one that is more expensive than gold? Not silver-white but..."
"Please take a closer look. It is not silver, is it? It shines white, does it not?"
The jeweler held out the small box containing the earrings, and Tina timidly reached out a hand.
She was probably afraid to even hold something as expensive as platinum, but steeling herself to avoid making the same mistake again, she received the small box with both hands.
Being careful not to drop it, she held up the small box with deliberate movements and looked at the earrings as prompted by the jeweler.
Perhaps because she was told to check the sparkle, she tilted the box at various angles, observing the earrings inside.
"...Now that you mention it, I think it does shine white.
Huh? But..."
"Earlier the young lady said it was smooth, but creating this smooth curve also requires the skill and patience of a craftsman.
The craftsman who made these earrings also worked on the ring presented to the queen at the former king's wedding, and..."
The jeweler's smooth talk was probably because I had prompted him that Tina needed education.
He wants future customers to have an eye for distinguishing good products from bad.
Unfortunately, Tina's eye for gems has not been trained yet, but she has the intelligence to understand explanations.
Tina nodded at each point of the jeweler's careful explanation, understood, and at the end of the explanation, fearfully looked down at the small box in her hands again.
"...From what you have just told me, these earrings... by any chance, are they the most expensive among everything laid out here?"
"I am very pleased to see you understood correctly."
The jeweler smiled brightly at Tina, who had correctly understood his explanation.
Tina, on the other hand, seemed to have imagined the price of the small box in her hands and was pale-faced.
"Tina, if you really want those earrings, I will buy them, but..."
"I-I do not need them! I just randomly picked them thinking they would be the cheapest! You do not have to buy them! Please do not buy them!!"
I took the small box from Tina's hands as she began shouting her true feelings in confusion, saying she would be too scared to wear something so expensive, and returned it to the jeweler.
The jeweler seemed to understand from Tina's reaction that this particular piece was still a bit too soon for her.
Smiling more deeply, he put away the platinum earrings and began laying out earrings with cute designs like flowers and little birds on the table.
...They seem a bit childish for a sixteen-year-old to wear, but they all suit Tina's appearance.
The platinum ones were put away, as expected, but these were all good items.
There were several earrings with gems set in gold or silver bases.
The fact that earrings without gems were laid out was probably because Tina had avoided gems at first.
The guardian (wallet) wants Tina to wear real gems, but her own hesitation was taken into consideration.
"Now, can you choose something you think is nice this time, Tina?"
"...I will not choose based on something like this looks cheap anymore.
You explained it to me properly, after all."
Tina's eyes as she looked at the small boxes laid out on the table were serious, unlike before.
The earrings she had randomly chosen thinking they would be the cheapest turned out to actually be the most expensive, so Tina must have learned her lesson.
...Tina really does seem to like small flowers and plants.
Observing Tina as she seriously chose earrings, I could see a tendency in what caught her eye.
She still seemed to prefer ones without gems over ones with them.
The fact that her eyes went to silver more than gold was probably because she was conscious of the price.
When I told her again that she did not need to worry about the price, she answered with a troubled face that she simply admired silver more than gold.
...Silver tarnishes quickly and is somewhat troublesome to handle... but well, that does not concern Tina.
Tina's hair ornaments and clothing are all managed by Salisa.
Even if silver requires more care in handling, it is Salisa who actually manages them.
Since it is not Tina who manages them, even the more troublesome silver should not be a problem.
"Want to buy both?"
It seemed Tina had almost made up her mind.
Seeing her gaze going back and forth between two earrings, I suggested she buy both.
Compared to the platinum earrings Tina had chosen first, even buying both would still leave enough change.
...Based on Tina's preferences, she wants the silver earrings without gems, but since she was just told she needs to train her eye by wearing good things regularly, she is probably debating whether she should choose the ones with gems?
Either way, Tina's preferences seem to be cute but simple.
The silver earrings had a seashell motif, and the earrings with gems had a ruby set in the center of five petals.
"I cannot ask for multiple gifts when it is not even my birthday."
"...Then let us do this.
Consider them birthday presents for when you turned fourteen and fifteen."
I have not given them yet, so it works out perfectly.
When I suggested this to Tina, she made an exasperated face and said, "Those birthdays have already passed, you know."
She added that normally you would be glad to save on gifts for passed birthdays and just skip them.
"No, birthday presents are important.
There is no way I would skip them.
It is my cute little sister's birthday, is it not?"
Rather, Tina gets angry at me for giving gifts on ordinary days, so if there is a good justification (reason) to give a gift, I would be a fool not to use it.
Thinking I had come up with a good idea, I told the jeweler I would buy both.
The silver earrings were fine as they were, but the ones with gems might need a little discussion.
"Is red fine for the stone (gem)?
Among ladies, it is common to wear the color of one's own eyes or one's husband's eyes..."
"By that rule, red would be Leonyaldo Big Brother-sama's color.
The color of the Grenore Knights' mantle."
"...Well, it is indeed the color of the Grenore Knights."
But I taught Tina that ladies sometimes wear the color of their husband's eyes.
It is not very common for a little sister to wear her brother's color, is it?
If siblings were born with the same eye color, they might wear the same color, but my eyes and Tina's are different.
My little sister saying she wants to wear her brother's (my) color is adorable, but given her age, it might start to invite strange rumors.
"As for my eye color... would it be this one?
The design with the red stone is cuter, but..."
Tina lifted the small box containing the gold earrings set with blue gems and compared them with the silver earrings set with red gems.
Her honest preference was for the silver earrings with red gems, but she seemed conflicted about whether to follow trends and choose the blue ones.
...I could buy both, but I understand Tina would get mad.
She would say I spend too much on her.
As Tina hummed and hawed, comparing the two, the jeweler suggested that the gems could be changed.
Apologizing that it would take some time and he could not hand them over today, the jeweler looked somewhat sorry, but Tina answered with a smile.
Even if it took a little time, she said she liked the flower design.
"...Thank you for the wonderful birthday presents, Leonyaldo Big Brother-sama."
After the jeweler left, Tina, who had immediately put on the silver earrings, wore a bashful smile.
She had apparently gone to her room and changed her hairstyle to show her ears before coming back, so today must have been a day for praise.
My little sister is the cutest in the world.
Making sure to also praise the silver earrings, I lavishly complimented Tina's adorableness with all my might, and though she accepted the praise quietly at first, by the end she had a fed-up look on her face.
That face was also cute, so I let a word slip out.
"It suits you very well, Christina."
Tina, who has recently started being called "Christina" by those around her as adult treatment, told me she does not want me to call her that, and has forbidden me from calling her "Christina."
According to Tina, being treated as an adult by me is somehow embarrassing for her.
And Tina, caught off guard by being called "Christina," blinked her blue eyes once in surprise, then the next moment her face flushed bright red and she covered both ears with her hands.
Her parting shot as she ran out of the room was, "I told you not to call me that! I am not talking to Leo for a week!!"
That line certainly deeply wounded my heart, but by dinner time she was already back to her normal face, giving me her thoughts on the snacks, so she must have forgotten about the declaration.
If I clumsily pointed it out and she really did not talk to me for a week, that would be sad too, so I decided not to mention it either.
...My little sister is cute.