58 - Let's Go to the Menhishumi Church 2
The next day, Leonardo took me out, saying let's go to the Menhishumi Church right away. Since it was a special outing, Tabitha dressed me in nicer clothes than usual. Honestly, wearing a frilly dress in summer is rough, but my guardian (Leonardo) seemed satisfied, so I had no choice but to accept. He tried to pick me up like usual, but I refused, saying I wanted to know the distance if I was going to be commuting. For that reason, I was walking hand in hand with Leonardo, but a small nine-year-old and a large adult man don't match in height. He didn't need to stoop as much as leading a baby by the hand, but Leonardo looked a bit uncomfortable.
...If we're going to move together, carrying me is easier in Leonardo-san's case.
I hear even a baby's weight is heavy for a woman, but for the muscular Leonardo, carrying a little girl around might be less strain than bending over and walking slowly.
"Since we're going out, is lunch going to be outside today?"
Wondering if I should just ask him to carry me after all, I looked up at Leonardo. I decided to throw out a casual topic first and see how he'd respond.
"Yeah, I suppose so. Even if we just peek at the Menhishumi Church and come back, it should be around that time... Is there anything Tina wants to eat?"
"Yesh! I want to eat the 'teriyaki chicken (nikittsu) sandwish' from 'The Three Crows Beyond the Sea (Sanbagarasu) Tavern'!"
"That's a pretty specific name... Where did you hear about The Three Crows Beyond the Sea... no, never mind. The gatekeepers at the back gate, right?"
My information sources, being someone who barely leaves the mansion, are obvious with a little thought. I have almost no contact with anyone besides Tabitha, Bart, and Leonardo, except when Alf visits occasionally. Leonardo also knows I go to the back gate with a lunch box around noon.
"...Teriyaki chicken sandwich, huh?"
"Pearl-chan was eating it for lunch the other day. It looked so yummy, so I thought I'd ashk Leonyaldo-san to take me, and I asked for the shtore's name."
It being delicious was certainly one reason I asked for the shop's name, but there was another real aim. Teriyaki is a cooking method beloved by Japanese people. You marinate meat or fish in a sauce made from soy sauce and mirin, then grill it until it gets glossy. That's teriyaki. In other words, Japanese cuisine. And if the 'teriyaki chicken sandwich' really is 'teriyaki,' then soy sauce and mirin exist in this country. I'm sure it's the work of some reincarnated person somewhere, but I can only say good job.
"Teriyaki chicken sounds good... Tina might like Oshimi and such too."
"Oshimi, what's that?"
An unknown word appeared? I tilted my head. It's a word I never heard in Meiyu Village or at Aurelia's house.
"Oshimi is... a seasoning made from fermented beans. It's brown and salty."
...Wait, could that be miso!?
Fermented beans, brown, salty. Hearing that, the first thing that came to mind was miso, the seasoning I was so familiar with in my past life.
"There might be some left somewhere from when I used it before. I can never get used to that taste, so next time on a day I'm not coming home, I'll have Tabitha make something with it."
"Picky eating is no good. Leonyaldo-san is a grown-up, you know."
"Even so, Oshimi really divides people. They say a lot of nobles like it, but I just can't get used to the smell..."
"If nobles like it, is Oshimi expensive?"
"Well, it's not cheap. Oshimi is basically imported from Napaji across the sea."
The supposed-miso Oshimi seems to be an imported product. I don't know if it originated there or if a reincarnated person born in that country created and spread it, but I felt a little interest in foreign lands.
As I walked asking about Napaji's specialty products, we came out onto Central Avenue, which divides the city into north and south. The Menhishumi Church we were aiming for was built somewhat on the south side so that even the poor could easily enter. This is probably also why nobles and wealthy people call teachers to their homes instead of attending the Menhishumi Church.
...Honestly, I'm a bit tired. This distance is rough to walk all at once.
From the lord's mansion at the north end of the city (excluding the fortress) to Central Avenue, I think we took the shortest route straight down the main street, but with my short legs it's a bit tough. For Leonardo too, the distance itself shouldn't be a big deal, but having to stoop slightly and walk slowly at my pace must be rough.
Seeing my pace clearly slow down, Leonardo gave a wry smile and lowered himself, offering his neck. I wrapped my arms around his thick neck without hesitation.
Picking me up with a natural motion, Leonardo must have been relieved to stretch his back too. I heard a small sigh.
The Menhishumi Church was a white stone building in the shape of a cross. Since it was called a church, I'd vaguely imagined a building with a cross on its roof, but of course there was nothing like that. For a Japanese person, the cross was just a strong motif as a design, but that's actually a symbol of a certain religion. There might be similar shapes, but it would be stranger for a place called a church in this world to have a cross.
"Class is in session, so be quiet."
"Yesh."
Lowering my voice to match Leonardo's hushed tone, I peered inside. Through the window, I could see children ranging from slightly younger than me to what looked like middle school age.
...The ages are all over the place, but are they studying in the same room?
It reminded me of a TV show from my past life, a school about to close down. That school had all grades from first to sixth gathered in one classroom, all having class at the same time. I understood that there weren't enough students or teachers, but I remember wondering how you could even teach that way.
"There are big kids and small kids, but are they all learning the same thing?"
"The ages are all different, but the lesson content is the same for everyone. You can attend the Menhishumi Church from age seven, but the ones who start that young are mostly well-disciplined children."
"Well-disciplined children" probably means children from wealthy families who can afford education. Families who can't splurge on hiring private teachers but have enough means to provide some education and discipline from an early age. Conversely, while older kids might come from poor families, apparently it's often a matter of timing. There are all sorts of reasons: they couldn't come because they had to take care of newborn siblings, or merchant children were busy with family work.
"Leonardo-dono? How rare, for you to grace our Menhishumi Church with your presence."
As we entered through the front door, a middle-aged red-haired woman spoke to us. The tall, slender woman walked briskly over to Leonardo.
"It's been a while, Guide Anna. Today, I'm planning to have my little sister attend the church starting in autumn... I brought her to show her what the Menhishumi Church is like."
"Oh my, Leonardo-dono's little sister? I had quite thought she was your daughter..."
Both Leonardo, who was introducing me, and Anna, who was being introduced, turned their gazes toward me, so I tapped Leonardo's arm to have him set me down. Greeting someone for the first time while being carried by a guardian would look bad.
"Hello. Nice to meet you, I'm Tina. Are you... Anna... teacher?"
Good, I managed to say it without stumbling. I don't think I sounded broken either.
As I made a mental victory pose, Anna smiled. "Oh my, what a lovely young lady."
"I am Anna. I serve as Guide of the Grenore branch of the Menhishumi Church. For Tina-san, whose brother is a Knight Commander... in the Knights, if I say Commander, would you understand?"
...Sorry, I don't really get it.
When I tilted my head, unable to understand right away, Leonardo corrected from beside me.
"A Guide is the person who oversees the teachers. If a knight is a teacher, then the Knight Commander would be the Guide. So... what does that mean?"
"That 'teacher' is wrong, right?"
With that, Leonardo's big hand ruffled my head round and round. It seems I was correct.
Somehow, I understood that a Guide is something like a principal. If the subordinates are teachers, then the one above would be vice-principal or principal. It feels wrong to address an elder without an honorific, but apparently calling them 'Guide' or 'Guide Anna' is the norm here. For teachers, 'Master' or 'Teacher' is fine.
I'm sure we were getting special treatment because it was Leonardo, who oversees the fortress, who visited. Guide Anna gave us a tour of the church.
The church building had three floors above ground, plus a basement. I'll be attending the first floor, which has the most students. Or rather, the first floor teaches minimum literacy and arithmetic, while the second floor is for national history, religion, and such, which only people who really want to learn attend. As for the third floor above that, it has a strong meaning as a place where teachers and scholars shut themselves in for research, so it doesn't concern ordinary children. The basement doubles as a library and a printing workshop, which is also a source of funds for the Menhishumi Church. The basement and third floor aren't open to the general public, but they showed them to us specially since Leonardo was here this time.
...I appreciate the sentiment, and since we're here I do think it's nice, but...
Moving from the basement to the third floor with these short legs is tiring. By the time Anna's tour of the church was over, I was flopping against Leonardo's chest as he carried me.
...I should probably build up some stamina.
I barely went out in the village, and since coming to the city I've just been going back and forth between the fortress and the mansion. I don't go out much, so there's no way I'd build stamina.
...Wait, is it maybe my fault that Leonardo-san carries me so much?
Whenever I'm slow or tired, Leonardo picks me up right away. Honestly, I appreciate it, but I don't see many kids my age being carried. Without a doubt, it's probably because I lack stamina.
As I was thinking about that, a high-pitched child's voice came from behind me.
"Hey, this one's like a baby. Getting carried by your daddy!"
Startled by the rude words, I turned my face toward the voice. Standing there was a black-haired boy holding a slightly dirty bag, who seemed to have just come out of some classroom. He looked about my age, or maybe a year older.
...Ah, this is the Marcel type. Marcel Number Three.
Even setting aside the whole "boys who tease the girls they like" thing, he's not the type I'd want to be friends with. He looks mischievous, or maybe has a violent aura about him, the kind of boy girls dislike. His very first words were horribly rude, so I'm definitely not wrong about this.
...I'll just ignore him.
I absolutely didn't want to get involved. Judging that from his first words alone, I turned my gaze from the boy back to Leonardo.
"Hey, don't ignore me! Baby!"
...Ignore, ignore. I mustn't respond.
The best thing to do with rude boys is ignore them. As I turned away with a huff, pretending not to hear, Anna and Leonardo wore bitter smiles.
"Tina, there's a boy who wants to be your friend."
"Shaying shomething rude like 'you look like a baby' to a girl you've just met ish not how you make friendsh."
"Boys are pretty much all like this, you know? They pick on the girls they think are cute."
I shot Leonardo the coldest look I could manage, since he seemed to be taking the boy's side.
"Jusht becaush you think a girl is cute, ish it okay to be mean to her?"
"No, being mean is definitely not good. But Tina, even you..."
"I don't think that's how you talk to a girl you've jusht met."
What the boy said to me was, essentially, just "you look like a baby." There was no "hello" or "nice to meet you" in there, and he never said he wanted to be friends. Since I'm an adult inside, I can figure out that's probably what he meant, but if I were a real child, I'd be crying or starting a fight by now.
Anyway, I couldn't see the boy's words and actions as friendly at all. So I had no intention of responding or engaging with him.
"'I don't think,' she says! A baby! See, there really is a baby!"
I was ignoring him, but the boy noticed my lisping speech and started gleefully making fun of it. He probably wants to be friends, or is just trying to get my attention, but doesn't he ever look back at what he's actually saying? There's no way I'd want to respond to something like this.
"Kids under seven aren't allowed at the church!"
Chanting "Not allowed, not allowed," the boy began circling around Leonardo. I could tell he was having fun, but I fundamentally couldn't understand it.
...Kids under seven aren't allowed at the church, right?
His behavior didn't seem like a child over seven at all. Or maybe boys this age are just like this? I tried to remember the children of Meiyu Village, but I don't think there were any this bad. It's strange, but I almost feel like even that Marcel was more well-behaved in comparison.
"The baby should go ho..."
"Don't touch me with dirty hands."
I smacked the nose of the rough boy who had grabbed the hem of the dress Tabitha had made for me, trying to pull me down. I could let rude remarks slide to some extent, but when he laid hands on me, I wasn't going to stay quiet.
"Tina, violence is..."
"Leonyaldo-san, what were you watching? He's the one who reached out firsh."
I glared at Leonardo, not hiding my displeasure at how much he was taking the boy's side. Even though I was being treated so unreasonably and unpleasantly, Leonardo, who seemed to understand the boy's feelings, was on Marcel Number Three's side. I was very unhappy about it.
"Leonyaldo-san, pleash think of me not ash your shishter, but ash your daughter. He was mean to your daughter and even laid his hands on her. He's a bad kid."
Don't do to any woman what you wouldn't want done to your own daughter. All women are someone's daughter.
I'd heard words like that in my past life. I remembered them because I thought "that makes sense" when I heard them. And the words that were easy for me to understand seemed to be easy for Leonardo too. Leonardo's gaze, which had been trying to admonish me, dropped downward and fixed on the boy. The boy, who met Leonardo's eyes, lowered his fist that had been about to strike me and wiped the expression from his face.
...Somehow, sorry.
I was the one who told him to imagine switching 'little sister' for 'daughter,' but the effect was too strong. The boy, who had completely lost his earlier momentum, was backing away trembling.
...Scary, right? Leonardo-san's face is really scary, right?
Even with his bangs pushed back, his ordinary face can be scary sometimes. When it's clearly an angry face, I don't even want to imagine how frightening it is. I was the one who made Leonardo show that angry face, but even I was too scared to look at him.
In the end, it was Anna who calmed things down. She quieted Leonardo, and made both the boy who'd laid hands on me and me, who'd hit him, apologize to each other. By that point I already felt sorry for the boy who had been thoroughly intimidated by Leonardo, and since I'm an adult, I had no objection to following Anna's lead.
...Well, that kid hadn't learned his lesson at all, though.
After offering a half-hearted apology, the boy ran off, then hid behind a pillar and stuck his tongue out at me. Leonardo didn't seem to notice since it was too fast, but Anna definitely caught it, so I wonder if there'll be consequences for him later. Unfortunately, I have no interest in naughty boys' fates, so I'm not going to make excuses to Anna like "I don't mind." After I leave with Leonardo, she can scold him or call his parents or whatever.
"...Do I weally have to go to church when autumn comes?"
"What's wrong? Learning letters was something you asked for, wasn't it?"
Though it was just past noon, I was already completely exhausted. On the way there I managed as long as I could, but on the way back I was being carried by Leonardo from the start.
"I don't want that mean kid to be there."
"He was a bit naughty, but... you don't need to worry about him. At the very least, he shouldn't be in the same class as you when you start in autumn."
According to Leonardo, the knowledge taught to all who wish at the Menhishumi Church is just basic reading, writing, and simple arithmetic. These are taught over about three months. Classes begin with each season and end around when the next season comes. Since the classroom changes with each season like that, the boy should be gone by the autumn when I attend, Leonardo told me.
"...So I won't see that kid again?"
"If he's someone who wants to learn beyond the basics, he might still be there next season, but..."
Given how he was, Leonardo said with a wry smile. Maybe he was remembering the childish behavior that didn't seem like a child over seven. The age restriction of seven and up was explained as a rough guideline for children who can sit quietly in a chair. That boy doesn't seem like he meets that condition at all.
If today was just a coincidence. If we just happened to meet because of bad luck. If I never have to see him again, I can forgive that rudeness.
My stomach, still a bit annoyed, finally calmed down around the time I stuffed myself with teriyaki chicken sandwiches.
Tina's compatibility with boys is probably the worst. Boys want to interact with her, Tina wants nothing to do with them, and the relationship deteriorates. She hasn't grown at all since Marcel. And Leonardo, remembering that he used to pick on girls he liked when he was a child, can't help but sympathize with boys.
I'll fix typos and missing characters another day...
Fixed typos and missing characters that I noticed.