74 - The Tutor's Fate
"Thith way resu."
Pulling Leonardo's hand, she walked on the cobblestones. Even when they went out together, she was mostly carried, so walking together was rare. The reason such a rare thing was happening was because Leonardo said he wanted to know the tavern Kaya had taken her to.
"You only went there once, and you remember the way?"
"Becauthe her guardian (Kaya) wathn't trustworthy. I memorized the road tho I could get back on my own."
While making idle chat, they walked the road to the tavern. On the busy festival day, she'd had her hands full just following Kaya and hadn't had the leeway to look around much, but today she could walk at a leisurely pace. She barely knew any places besides the main street and central avenue, but in the daytime streets she could see children here and there. Peering into the stream that flowed through the city, she saw a child playing in the water wearing a jinbei as a swimsuit.
"...Here it ith."
Confirming the sign and the storefront multiple times, she indicated to Leonardo that this was the shop. Since she couldn't read, she didn't know the shop's name, but the location and appearance should match.
"Closed for Preparations, huh."
"We can't go in."
The small sign hung at the entrance apparently read 'Closed for Preparations.' Leonardo should have been able to read the characters on the sign, but he stepped into the tavern regardless. As a strait-laced Japanese person, she instinctively interpreted 'Closed for Preparations' as 'don't enter,' so this action surprised her. Wasn't it bad for Leonardo, who wasn't an employee of the shop, to enter a place that was closed for preparations?
"We can't, if we go in when they're clothe for preparationth, we'll get yelled at."
"It's fine, since we're not customers."
...Isn't that even worse?
If he were a customer, they might forgive some rudeness since he'd be spending money, but not being a customer AND ignoring the 'Closed for Preparations' sign to enter the shop... what was that about? Nervously thinking they'd definitely get yelled at by the staff, she followed Leonardo inside, where she saw the owner behind the counter.
"Can't you see the sign? It's way too early to be coming to a tavern... Hey, aren't you the little girl Kaya brought the other day? So you made it out okay."
The owner, who had been furrowing his brow at Leonardo's face, relaxed and smiled when he saw her face. Apparently the owner had also been worried about her being left in Kaya's care.
"...In the middle of watching over me, Kaya dumped me and I came home alone."
"I knew it! There's no way Kaya could ever babysit."
"Well, I'm glad you made it home safe," the owner said, beckoning her over. She obediently approached. When she sat down, she was served chilled fruit juice, so she thanked him and took a sip. Leonardo also sat down next to her, but what was set in front of Leonardo was water. Even if it was just water, it was different from Japan where water was practically free. Hospitality was extended to them as visitors, but since he wasn't a customer of the tavern, they didn't serve him alcohol. That was probably the distinction.
"I heard my sister was helped every time she was harassed by drunks, so I came to thank the owner."
"So you're the idiot who left the girl with Kaya. You have no eye for people. You should properly check whether someone's fit to be entrusted with a child."
"I'll be careful next time."
With Leonardo humbly bowing his head, the owner told them all about Kaya's conduct and many exploits. With even more information than he'd shared with her, the awfulness of Kaya's character came into sharper focus.
...If I were a guardian, I'd never leave a child with Kaya.
Leonardo probably thought the same thing. By the time they left the shop, he'd apologized more times than she could count.
They had lunch at the Three Crows Tavern and returned to the residence. She had walked on the way there, but on the way back, Leonardo carried her again. She still didn't have the stamina to walk around all day.
Since it was originally the day Kaya was supposed to come, she dutifully waited for Kaya in the afternoon. She waited, thinking she probably wouldn't come, and sure enough, she didn't. She'd only come every other day as per the contract for the first week, and lately she'd been coming maybe once a week. There was no way that Kaya, who had suddenly started coming every other day right after the festival, could be believed. If Kaya had gotten her hands on Leonardo's entire wallet, it was more realistic to think she wouldn't come to the residence until the wallet's contents were empty.
"...It's already evening, and Kaya hasn't come."
"Jutht ath uthual."
For her part, proof that Kaya was unreliable had been obtained, so Kaya not coming as scheduled was most welcome. Since Leonardo was with her today, waiting wasn't hard. They'd been playing Reversi with paper pieces all day, so the only concern was that the pieces were getting a bit worn out.
...It's nice having Leonardo-san at home. I can play all day.
However, if she said that out loud, Alf would end up suffering for it, so she decided to keep quiet. Tabitha and Bart were in the residence all day, but since they were there as work, she felt bad having them entertain her. As a result, she had no choice but to always kill time playing alone. Recently, she'd gotten so absorbed in following an ant trail that she hit her head on the wall. It was fun while she was chasing them, but when she hit her head, she suddenly realized something. For someone who called herself an adult at heart, getting absorbed in an ant trail was strange. She wasn't supposed to be that age.
...No, it's fun while I'm watching, and I forget that I'm supposed to be a grown-up.
Come autumn, she should be able to learn to read, so once she could read, she'd have more things she could do.
At dinnertime, Alf came to the residence. Since Leonardo had suddenly taken time off, it seemed the handover hadn't been fully completed. After filling in some reports and remaining handover items, Alf's work for the day was done, so he joined them for dinner.
...It's been a while since I've been in a pinch-neau.
While the conversation unfolded before her, she inwardly broke into a cold sweat and thought frantically. On the table, besides the dinner Tabitha had made, there was the Saik board and paper Reversi pieces. Normally, nothing other than food was placed on the table during meals, but today, due to the flow of conversation, the Saik board had been brought from the room.
"Reversi... I've never heard of a board game like this."
"Even Alf doesn't know..."
They'd looked around several shops during the day, but they hadn't found any game similar to Reversi. If there were a similar game, they could graduate from the paper pieces, but if not, they'd need to remake the pieces every time they broke. She'd only thought it'd be nice if there was one, but when she asked Alf, things got complicated.
"Tina, where did you learn this game?"
"Umm..."
...I can't very well say it was a fairly major game in my past life.
She couldn't honestly say something like that, so she searched for an inoffensive answer. She didn't want to lie, but Aurelia had said it was better not to be found out as a reincarnated person.
"In Meiyu Village, we colored stoneth and played with them."
She answered that the Daltowa couple had taught her, so she didn't know where the game originated. As she spoke while searching for words, Leonardo conveniently misinterpreted her halting speech as her searching her memory. This kind of obliviousness was a bit helpful. Since the Daltowa couple's child was supposedly a reincarnated Japanese person, even if by some chance another reincarnated person noticed Reversi, she probably wouldn't be suspected of being a reincarnated person herself.
After dinner, the three of them played Reversi. Since the rules were simple, Alf quickly learned, and in an amusing turn of events, Leonardo was the weakest of the three. When Alf suggested that if there were no pieces, they could just make them, it seemed he really liked Reversi.
"When you thay make pieceth, do you mean with paper?"
"I'm not sure if it'd be a blacksmith or a craftsman, but couldn't we just order them?"
According to Alf, while the basic shape of Saik boards and pieces was fixed, the materials were made according to the craftsman's preference. Apparently there were nobles who, to show off their wealth, had artists make pieces out of stone or had Saik boards made from gold and silver, creating frighteningly luxurious one-of-a-kind items. According to Bart, the Saik board at the residence was apparently used by the master of the residence several generations ago. The wood-carved board and pieces had a simple finish far from luxurious, which was endearing. Since each craftsman made them their own way, as long as she wasn't particular about materials, just painting one side of sixty-four pieces would do, so she felt Reversi pieces could be made quickly.
"If we thlice up round stickth like table legth, would they become pieceth?"
"Yeah, round pieces might be safer."
Making pieces by slicing up round sticks. If they sanded the surface to make it smooth and painted one side, she felt the pieces would be complete. The conversation shifted from Reversi to making pieces, and as Alf started taking notes, she mentioned she'd also want a box to store the pieces. She'd thought they could use the Saik board as the game board, but if they could make a box along with it, they might as well make that box a foldable Reversi board. In her past life, foldable Reversi boards were commonplace.
They compiled several requests, decided on sizes, and Alf organized the notes. The final Reversi match of the day was made into a bet where the loser would pay for the Reversi board.
It seemed it was true that he was taking some time off, as Leonardo was also at the residence the next day.
...Come to think of it, is this the first time we've been together this much?
Even at Aurelia's house, Leonardo was busy with material gathering, so he was often away except at night. This was truly the first time they'd been together from morning to night, just playing.
As expected, Leonardo lost the bet for paying for the Reversi board, and from the morning he went to the woodworking workshop. While she was looking at the various timbers on display, the order was completed.
In the afternoon, they spent a relaxing time at the residence, trying Saik and having books read to her, and then the morning of the fourth day after the Recollection Festival ended arrived.
"Leonyaldo-than, don't you think it'th time you went back to work?"
My mood is better now, she said while cutting her thick-cut breakfast bacon into bite-sized pieces with her knife. Whether her mood was better or not, she'd thrown a tantrum because Leonardo hadn't listened to her, and she was already satisfied once he understood Kaya's conduct. She also felt bad about continuing to push Leonardo's work onto Alf under the pretext of her bad mood.
"Yeah, I suppose. I need to get back to work."
He said so, but Leonardo didn't explicitly commit to returning to work. The reason became clear in the afternoon.
...He told me to stay on the third floor without waiting for Kaya, but?
Hearing noises from the floor below, she looked out the window and saw Black Knights lined up in formation in front of the main entrance.
...What on earth is going on?
Feeling uneasy at how strange this was, she snuck out of her room where she'd been told to stay. Peering down from the stairs, it didn't seem like the Black Knights were coming up to the second floor. So maybe they had business on the first floor? Quietly tiptoeing down the stairs, she saw several Black Knights and Alf standing in the hallway leading to the living room.
"Alf-san, what are you doing?"
Knowing he was at work, she asked in a hushed voice. Noticing her voice, Alf pressed his index finger to his lips in a 'be quiet' gesture.
...What is it?
Tilting her head, she approached and he silently indicated the door leading to the living room. Straining her ears, she could hear faint voices.
...Leonardo-san and... Kaya's voice?
It sounded like they were arguing about something, but if it was Kaya, maybe she was talking with Leonardo about the Recollection Festival. She didn't understand why that would mean Alf leading the Black Knights to the residence, but she understood that they were definitely Black Knights here for Kaya.
...They're talking about a noble's hair ornament or something?
From the words she could make out, it seemed the conversation wasn't about the Recollection Festival but about the whereabouts of a hair ornament. Apparently a 'noble's hair ornament' she had no memory of was supposed to have been left in her room, and he was discussing its whereabouts with Kaya.
...But I consulted Alf-san about the hair ornament?
Unable to grasp the connection, she looked up at Alf. Meeting her eyes, Alf flashed a mischievous smile.
...Ah, now I get it. The 'noble's hair ornament' was a trap that Alf-san set up.
At the same time she understood, Alf and the Black Knights entered the living room. When they came out, Kaya's hands were bound with rope.
As she watched Kaya being taken away, Leonardo called out to her. She remembered she was supposed to stay on the third floor, but since he called her name, she approached, and he picked her up as usual.
"Tina, what do you want to do about Kaya?"
"If she'th no longer my teacher, that'th enough for me."
There were many things she thought about Kaya. But this was the answer that came out first. If she was no longer her teacher, that was enough. If she would disappear from before her eyes and live her life somewhere unrelated to her, that was enough. Basically, she didn't want to get involved with people like Kaya.
"...Is that really enough?"
"Yeth, desu."
And so it ended with Kaya. She was dismissed as her tutor and would apparently be judged as a thief of a hair ornament.
Some days later, Leonardo told her about Kaya's punishment. She was taken to the territory of the noble who owned the stolen hair ornament, and apparently became a farmer's wife there. When Tina asked in wonder if getting married was supposed to be a punishment, he explained that it was effectively exile from the city. For a woman who liked flashy things like Kaya, it would be good medicine.
By the way,
Being judged by Leonardo for theft > fine or up to three years in prison (within normal range of penalties in this country)
Being judged by Alf as Leonardo assumed > being taken to some territory and married off to a farmer (equals exile from the city)
Being judged by a noble for theft > depends on the noble's mood
Being judged by Alf for her actions toward Tina > depends on Alf's mood (effect: small)
Being judged by Alf for her actions toward Tina (whom Aurelia dotes on) > depends on Alf's mood (effect: large)
Only the inoffensive contents are converted for Tina's ears.