“Now that I think about it, isn’t your birthday coming up?”
Says miss Lan.
It’s been a few days since the cat beast people arrived. In the end, I don’t tell mister Athos that I’m probably the miko. I must tell him one day, but only when the time is right, and right now he’s busy with the cat beast people.
Birthday, says miss Lan. That reminds me of past birthdays,
The village where I grew up generally celebrated at the same time the birthday of all the people that were born that month, but my sister was special. On her birthday, which is the same as mine, there was a big celebration, but only for her. They would offer her gifts, and tell her ‘congratulations’, but to me, people only said to go do chores, and would leave me alone. I never got to say congratulations to her either, because she was the star of that day, and I wasn’t allowed to go near her.
Miss Lan knows her birthday because she was her educator.
“…Yes.”
“Then we have to celebrate it.”
“Celebrate…”
“…Birthday, is a day, for my sister. No one has ever, celebrated mine.”
Birthday was a day to celebrate my sister. No one has ever celebrated mine, and I only watched when people said congratulations to her. It just feels natural for that to be what a birthday is like, so the idea of someone celebrating my birthday feels strange, like it’s not real.
As I think that, miss Lan hugs me tightly.
“What?”
“…We’ll celebrate it. Mister Athos, Gaius, even the cat beast people that just arrived. We’ll all celebrate it.”
“…Everyone?”
“Yes. You can look forward to it.”
“I don’t, think mister Nirushi will…”
Mister Nirushi and the other cat beast people are very wary of humans. They accepted miss Lan and me in order to live in this village, but I know they send harsh looks my way from time to time.
After listening to mister Nirushi’s story, mister Athos asked them what they should do from now on, but they still haven’t reached a conclusion, so the village is a little bit on edge.
I can tell everyone is anxious thinking about what’s going to happen from now on.
Mister Nirushi and the other cat beast people in particular always have a scary look on their faces. It’s only natural after their village was attacked, but will they really celebrate my birthday?
“They will, I’m sure. No, we’ll make sure.”
Says miss Lan as she smiles.
Celebrating my birthday… It really does feel strange.
After miss Lan leaves, I entrust my body to Reimar’s golden feathers, and start thinking as I look at the sky.
Miss Lan smiled and said she would celebrate my birthday. Back in the village where I was born, I never thought someone would say congratulations to me. I always thought having a fun birthday was a right only my sister had, so just hearing miss Lan talk about celebrating mine makes me happy.
It feels strange, and I can’t even imagine it, but I’m happy.
“Guruguruu? (What’s wrong?)”
“Just, thinking.”
I said to miss Lan that I’m worried because what happened to the cat beast people is the miko’s fault, and I feel a little better after talking to her, but I’m still thinking about the miko’s influence. I don’t know the solution to this problem that is happening in the village.
Is it really alright to celebrate my birthday in the middle of all of this? I’m happy miss Lan said that, but I can’t help but wonder.
“Guruguruguruuu. (They’re going to celebrate your birthday aren’t they?)”
“Reimar, you heard?”
“Guruguruuu. (I was close.)”
“Is it really, alright…”
“Guruguru, gurugururugururu (Lerunda, you can stop thinking so much and just celebrate it.)”
“Stop, thinking?”
“Guru,gurugururuurururu. (Yes, just celebrate it and don’t think about anything else.)”
Reimar continued, as she looked at me with her kind eyes.
“Gurugurugurugururururuururu. (Adults should protect children and let them live without thinking about such complicated things.)”
“…Really…”
“Guruguru, gurugurugurururuu, ruuu? (If they want to celebrate your birthday, then there’s no problem, right?)”
“…Yes.”
I get sleepy as we talk, and before I know it, I fall asleep on Reimar.
—Girl and birthday part one
(The girl that is probably the miko has a birthday coming up.)
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