012
My question made him flinch.
“Well, you’re the first to ask me so directly… Anyway, yes. I’ll die soon.”
“Don’t die.”
“Why?”
“Just because. We just met today.”
He kept coughing lightly, like a branch of a blossoming spring tree.
There were older girls like him at the daycare too.
Then, one day, they suddenly weren’t there anymore.
“It’s sad to think we won’t meet again.”
“Is it?”
He responded indifferently, then sat down and told me his name.
“My name is Elzen. What’s yours?”
“I am… I’m Chuu, petty.”
“Shupetty?”
I was about to say ‘Chuu’ naturally but quickly changed my words.
I had just gotten an official name.
Fortunately, Elzen understood without trouble.
‘He’s smart!’ I thought.
He seemed quite cool, sitting there upright, reading a difficult book halfway through.
I crawled up onto the chair.
Sitting next to Elzen, I let out a big breath. It had been tiring.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“Hmm?”
“I was worried about Father. But now I think I can leave in peace.”
I didn’t want him to die, but he seemed to have made up his mind. Fidgeting with my fingers, I grabbed his hand resting on the book.
“Hooo.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m blowing on it to make the pain go away.”
“That won’t really make it stop hurting, you know?”
He coughed again.
Worried, I patted his back and my eyes widened when I saw the blood on his pale hand.
“Blood! Blood!”
“You don’t need to make such a fuss. It’s natural.”
“But… blood, it hurts…”
Why did I feel so sad?
I pulled out a handkerchief with a rabbit embroidery that Lina had given me from my bunny bag.
“I’ll wipe it with this.”
“You’re kind. There’s no need to go through the trouble for someone like me. Soon, I’ll die in a back room, so being nice won’t do you any good.”
“I’m not doing it for a reward.”
I couldn’t explain why, but I felt more and more sorrowful.
It was as if this had happened before, although it couldn’t be.
‘If I had orca sugar, would Brother Elzen regain his strength?’
I shouldn’t have used it all up back then.
There was still 10g of butter that lifted my spirits… but I hadn’t received it yet.
“I want to heal you.”
“It’s an incurable disease. Unless a mate who shares the same ‘bijou’ shares their life force with me.”
“Hmm.”
“But I don’t want to take it. If they’re my mate, I’d love them the moment we met. How could I live miserably by taking away their lifespan?”
It was at that moment.
[The Spirit King of Emotions ‘■■■’ is weeping.]
[Such pure love. It’s pure love!]
The Spirit King of Emotions reacted dramatically and poured out text.
[Someone like him must live! He’s still young, yet how is he so kind? If someone like him dies, it’s a loss to all of humanity’s romance! But, to save him, a mate must appear?! Then they won’t live long together, sob. Tears are coming! Waaah! Our alliance mi…!]
[Warning: 140-character limit! (;´Д`)]
[Due to excessive messaging, the Spirit King of Emotions ‘■■■’ is restricted from speaking for 1 minute.]
[This restriction is calculated according to the time of the spirit world.]
Did something just pass by?
I was absentmindedly staring into space, focusing on the last disappearing letters.
‘Alliance mission reward?’
Was that the same as the time I received orca sugar?
[The Spirit King of Fire ‘■■■■■’ clicked his tongue.]
[The materials of Eden are prohibited from being taken to the human world without specific reasons. You know that. If we aren’t careful, we could be obliterated.]
[The Spirit King of Earth ‘■’ agreed with the Spirit King of Fire.]
[Indeed. Especially since the child isn’t a contracted individual. We agreed to provide the reward last time because it was the first occasion, but we can’t agree to it again. The Spirit King of Water does have some connection with the child, so there can be some consideration, but…]
[The Spirit King of ◇◇ cautiously suggested.]
[How about we ask the child to bring us something we need, or show us a scene we want to see? Then we can give a ‘Well Done’ stamp as a reward, which could be exchanged for Eden’s materials… wouldn’t that help us avoid any problems with causality?]
[The Spirit King of Fire ‘■■■■■’ pondered.]
[It’s not a bad idea, but three stamps must be collected. Can you manage that?]
“Yes!”
I responded loudly without thinking.
Elzen glanced at me, looking puzzled.
“Who are you answering?”
Oops.
Afraid I might make another sound unintentionally, I quickly covered my mouth with both hands and gave a sheepish grin.
“You smile a lot.”
“They say good luck comes with a smile.”
“Is that so? It does look nice. There’s no one around here who smiles like you.”
He tapped the tip of my nose. It didn’t hurt or feel unpleasant, but it was strangely comforting, like meeting a cat on the street.
“My little sister would have looked just like you.”
“Little sister…?”
“Yes. I had one. But she was swallowed by the sea along with our mother. I imagine she became a divine beast. When I die, I’ll become one too, and then I can meet her.”
Come to think of it, I don’t have a mother. I only have a father.
I wanted to ask more, but for some reason, it didn’t seem right.
‘I’m curious, though…’
Just then, a quest appeared like last time.
Quest!
Let’s become the vice leader of the class!
The Spirit King of ◇◇ has given you a task!
✔ Win the vice leader election
Reward for success: ★Well Done★ Stamp x1
Punishment for failure: A day filled with exceptionally bad luck! (3 days)
Huh, vice leader?
Now that I thought about it, there had been a lot of talk about the class representative recently.
‘The class representative is named Leviwood.’
Everyone called him Lord Leviwood, so I got used to it too.
Lord Leviwood was usually away for training or missions, so the one practically leading the class was the vice leader.
Quest!
Tears blur my vision whenever family stories come up!
The Spirit Kings of Earth and Water have given you a task!
✔ Find the family portrait of Admiral Diegon Pashayen
✔ Learn about Admiral Diegon Pashayen’s family history
Reward for success: ★Well Done★ Stamp x1
Punishment for failure: Eat 100 beans soaked in the sweat of the Earth Spirit King
Wait, 100 beans?!
No way!
[The Spirit King of Earth ‘■’ appeared crestfallen.]
[These are beans I nurtured with great care…]
‘Ah.’
I immediately felt sorry.
[The Spirit King of Water ‘■■■■’ gave a bittersweet smile.]
[I’d love to do anything for you, but… let’s first try to collect two ‘Well Done’ stamps? I’ll tell you the condition for the third stamp once you complete the previous tasks.]
Yes, I’ll try.
I answered in my mind and listed out everything I needed to do.
First, find the portrait of the Admiral’s family.
Second, find out what happened to Brother Elzen’s little sister.
Third, become the vice leader.
Fourth, bake bread with orca sugar for Teacher Cedric and Brother Elzen.
Fifth, figure out who the Spirit Kings of ◇◇ and ○○ are.
Sixth, learn the names of the Spirit Kings!
Ah, why is there so much to do?
I wasn’t sure if I could manage it all, but I decided to tackle each task one by one, putting in the effort.
I want to earn my keep!
‘And seventh. This is the most important one.’
Together with Elzen, who is probably my second brother, the Admiral, and my oldest brother, Mikard, whom I haven’t met yet…
To become a family.
So, one day, I would have a family portrait with me in it.
I kept that wish tightly hidden away.
It still seemed like a distant dream.
***
Back in my room, I collapsed onto the bed and opened a book. The first thing I decided to read about was ‘bijou.’
<Bijou refers to a gem, a pure manifestation of power that appears on some part of the body, including the face.
This gem also appears in the same form on the body of one’s mate.
The location may vary.
Those who possess the same bijou are destined to be drawn to each other.
Upon meeting their mate, the awakened one imprints, unable to resist the attraction.
This phenomenon is called the ‘bijou phenomenon.’>
‘So this is what Brother Elzen was talking about.’
A mate with the same bijou.
“But what exactly is a mate?”
