“Hello Phyto.”
“…Hello Lerunda.”
Phyto is in front of me.
Phyto is the girl that came here as a hostage. She has light green hair that stretches all the way to her lower back, and it’s usually tied. She has tattoos on her face, but they look different from the rest of her people’s. I don’t know a lot about her.
I know she’s supposed to be special among her people, and they say she can hear god’s voice, but that’s just something I heard from someone else, and it’s not like Phyto herself said it.
They hurt their bodies to paint patterns. This is normal to them.
I know it’s part of their culture, but when I look at it, I can only think about how much it must hurt.
“She really can’t see or hear me.”
Says Freinet as she hovers around Freinet.
So she really can’t see spirits.
“Phyto… Are you, doing well?”
I don’t really know what to ask, so I start with that.
“Yes. I don’t feel restrained.”
“Even though you can’t go outside?”
She’s locked in here, so Gaius is also confused by what she means. Mister Dongu is standing diagonally behind us, quietly listening.
“I was less free, in the village.”
“Why?”
“…That was just, my position there.”
I’m not sure if she’ll answer, but I decide to ask about her village anyway. She answers as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“Are you talking about, communicating with god.? Is that why, you’re not free?”
“…People in that position can’t talk to others, because they say they’ll taint them.”
“Can you, communicate with god?”
“…I can’t.”
“You can’t, but you say you can?”
“Yes. My predecessor told me so. I can’t do it, but I should act the part and work for the village. That’s my job. That’s what the person they say is the daughter of god actually is.”
“Why are you, telling us this?”
“You’re not from my village… And playing that part is tiring.”
Basically, they say Phyto is the daughter of god, and someone in this position can’t talk to other people a lot because they say she’ll be tainted. The daughter of god also has to pretend she can do things she can’t, and work for the village.
I never knew there was a village like this. It feels weird.
Phyto is probably answering my questions because she’s tired of that.
What would I do if I was in her place? I would have to pretend to do something I can’t, and couldn’t be with other people. It sounds very taxing.
Phyto is a little older than me, but she has to put on that front all the time, and she’s been doing it at least since it was decided she is the daughter of god. Ever since that happened, Phyto stopped being seen by the village as ‘Phyto’, and started being seen as the daughter of god, a special being.
…I’m the miko, but people see me as Lerunda. After I left the village where I grew up, a lot of people started calling me by my name, and that makes me happy. Having people see me that way makes my heart feel warm.
“…Don’t people in your village, know you don’t have that power?”
“I don’t think so. No one has ever asked me directly. I think everyone believes that both me and my predecessor can hear god’s voice.”
“But they offered you, as a hostage anyway?”
“They really don’t want this village to be an enemy, and I agreed with them. We were chased out of our homes, so you and the people of this village really shouldn’t be our enemies.”
“So they said you’re special, as a sign of good faith?”
“Probably. They probably offered someone like me as a hostage to quell your anger. That’s why they’re cautious, but I really don’t think, they’ll do anything.”
Is what Phyto says true? She’s talking a lot about herself and her village. I’m a little suspicious, but I get the feeling that she isn’t lying.
“…Phyto, why do you never say, you want to see people from your village?”
“…I don’t know what they’ll do, when they find out I don’t have any powers. I accepted that position, and I’ve been acting my part, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve been tricking them. And also… I only ever talked to some specific people, so it doesn’t feel weird, to not see anyone.”
Says Phyto casually.
—Girl and hostage – Part one
(The miko talks to the hostage girl, and learns more about her.)
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……….wow
it’s like, the polar opposite of Alice.