If only those clay tablets could have been fired and preserved, that would have been great. *Sigh.* I really didn't expect them to explode.
If only I had a knife like Turi's, I could at least make wooden tablets.
After causing a small explosion in the kiln, clay tablet crafting was banned, book-making hit a dead end, and before I knew it, Turi turned seven.
In this land, they have a custom of celebrating a child's seventh birthday in grand fashion.
Technically, it's not a birthday celebration but a birthday season.
After that, they can work as apprentices, which means they're counted as full members of the city, I suppose.
When I think of it as a religious rite, it makes me vaguely uncomfortable, but when I imagine it's something like Shichi-Go-San, I feel fine about it. Strange.
Children under seven are not allowed inside the Temple, so Father and I won't be attending.
For the record, my exclusion is age-based, while Father is forcibly excluded. As luck would have it, Father has a meeting on the very day of Turi's Baptism Ceremony that he absolutely cannot get out of.
Worse still, this meeting was summoned by a high-ranking noble and is mandatory. If he doesn't go, his head will apparently fly off his shoulders—literally.
Terrifying!
And yet, this same Father has been grumbling since early this morning and refuses to go to work.
"I don't want to go. I don't want to go to any stupid meeting. It's Turi's Baptism Ceremony, you know? Why is there some meaningless meeting on such an important day?"
The Baptism Ceremony is indeed an important day. Nobles have children too, so you'd think they'd schedule around the date at least a little.
"Hm? Wait—do noble children not have Baptism Ceremonies?"
"…I've heard that instead of going to the Temple, they call a Priest to their home. That's why nobles don't understand the feelings of commoners."
Well, if grumbling at home was enough to make him feel better, I'd been content to let it slide since last night, but he just wouldn't let it go. The combination of a doting father's sorrow and annoyance when a child's sports festival and Shichi-Go-San collide with work—was that a universal phenomenon across the whole world?
I carefully combed Turi's hair, parting it down the middle, and let out a sigh.
"Father, I'll go with you, so just go to work, okay? You can walk part of the way with Turi. In the end, only the children are allowed into the Temple while the adults wait in the Temple plaza, right?"
If he joined the procession for part of the way and got to see Turi in her finery, that should lift his spirits a little. That's what I was thinking when I suggested it, but Father still wouldn't stop complaining.
"Waiting in the plaza is a father's duty…"
"Isn't earning money by going to work a father's duty?"
"Guh!"
"If you hate going to work with me that much, then just go by yourself?"
When I pushed him away, having lost all patience, he looked at me with imploring eyes on the verge of tears.
"…I'll go to work with Mine. But as soon as the meeting's over, I'm coming straight back. Tonight's celebration has to be done together as a whole family. Got it?"
Turi, who was having her hair braided, kept her head still and only turned her gaze toward Father with a smile.
"Oh, Father. I know! You're all going to celebrate with me, right? I'm looking forward to it, so come home quick!"
"Mm."
Seeing Father's mood shoot up as he answered with a dopey grin, I mentally applauded, *As expected of Turi. Our family's angel.* That same angel, still smiling, turned a request to me as well.
"Mine, keep an eye on Father to make sure he actually goes to work, okay?"
"Leave it to me! I'll do my best so Turi can attend her Baptism Ceremony without worrying!"
"Hey, Mine!?"
At Father's pathetic display, Turi finally burst out laughing.
Yeah. What a wonderful smile.
If she knew she was loved this much, Turi wouldn't feel lonely even if Father couldn't make it to the ceremony.
"There, it's done… Turi, you look adorable."
"Thanks, Mine."
I parted her hair in half and created a braided half-up style on each side, then finishing touches—a Hairpin. I'd made it in winter from small lace flowers, and the blossoms matched the colors used in the embroidery on her Festive Clothing. The hair ornament, a cluster of tiny multicolored flowers, perfectly suited Turi's cheerful, gentle aura.
"Oh my, Turi! You've had your hair done beautifully."
"Um… Mother?"
Mother, who was heading to the Temple with Turi, had also dressed in her finest today. Her simple dress, hemmed just high enough to show her ankles, was a pale blue that looked refreshingly cool.
A small change of clothes and a bit of rouge made from crushed red berries—that's all it took to make her this beautiful. I never would have guessed.
Our mother. Too much raw material. Seriously gorgeous.
"Mother, sit here too."
"That's alright. When Mine does my hair, it looks far too extravagant. I can't outshine the children who are the main event."
"I see."
I hadn't been planning to add any ornaments, so I didn't think it would look all that extravagant, but if Mother said so, there was no point arguing. I didn't know what the standard for festive attire around here was, so I might have gone overboard.
I climbed down from the chair I'd been standing on to do Mother's hair.
"Alright, let's go."
I left the house with the tote bag I'd be bringing to the Gate, accompanied by Turi in her finest, Mother who would be escorting her, and Father in his work clothes.
Usually, Mother walked briskly no matter how much she was carrying, but today she held up her hem with one hand so her skirt wouldn't drag, descending each step daintily. Turi imitated her, lifting her skirt slightly and making her way down one step at a time.
In my everyday clothes, I was actually the fastest of the two for once and stepped outside first.
"Whoa…"
The square with the well was packed with people. It seemed this Baptism Ceremony was celebrated by the entire city. Even though he had nothing to do with today's ceremony, I spotted both
There had been ceremonies in both winter and spring, but I'd been too ill to go outside, so this was my first time seeing a Baptism Ceremony.
"Congratulations,
"You're really coming into your own as a man."
Fey, the pink-haired boy, was apparently having his ceremony today too. Like Turi, he wore a white-based outfit with embroidery along the edges, cinched with a green sash.
…Ah, I see. That's what matters, then. Your sewing skills.
Since everything was handmade, the difference in skill was obvious. In
But now, seeing these freshly made outfits, the difference was stark.
I hadn't realized it before because I'd had nothing to compare to, but Mother's sewing skills were incredible. She had every right to boast. I'm never going to get a boyfriend or get married in this world either. That's final.
"Oh my, Turi! How absolutely adorable!"
When Aunt
The moment she did, Turi became the center of attention, and words of blessing came flying from all directions.
"Congratulations, Turi!"
"Your hair is done so beautifully—you look like a little princess!"
Basking in Aunt Karla's praise, Turi bashfully colored her cheeks and smiled. In Mother's white Festive Clothing, her teal-green hair—possessing a unique, cuticle-shine halo that no other child had—swayed gently.
Our Turi. Seriously an angel. Now I understand why Father is such a doting parent.
"Mine worked really hard to braid it."
"Oh my, Mine did? So you have talents other than strange cooking after all."
Aunt Karla, that's mean.
But I was a little relieved. So I did have one recognized talent in this world after all.
"It's so intricate! How do you braid it like that?"
"Let me see, let me see!"
Women of all ages crowded around to peer at Turi's head.
*Eeek! It's just a braid, so please don't stare too closely!* I didn't have a proper comb, so the parting is a little uneven in places!
"How lovely, Turi. I want mine done like that for my ceremony in winter too."
One girl let out an envious sigh as she said this, and similar opinions followed. "Me too, me too"—once someone jumped on board, the rest was an endless chain.
"Everyone's saying they want Mine to do their hair! Why don't you?"
Turi suggested brightly, but I immediately shook my head in refusal.
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I never know when a fever might strike. This is my first time even seeing a Baptism Ceremony, you know?"
I felt bad bursting Turi's proud-sister bubble, but there was no way I could braid the hair of unfamiliar children at each ceremony. There was absolutely no guarantee I'd produce anything close to Turi's result.
Their hair was like Turi's old hair—completely neglected. Starting from scratch with hair like that was the last thing I wanted to deal with.
"Right. You've been feeling a bit better, but you never know when the fever will come back. I really wanted to show off that Mine is amazing, though…"
Basically useless and a burden—I did want to oblige Turi's request, but my body physically refused.
"…I could show them how I braided Turi's hair, I guess. But I don't want to promise to do anyone else's."
"Right, right—Father said the other day not to make promises you can't keep! Everyone, Mine says she can show you how to do the braiding technique!"
Satisfied with the compromise I'd offered, Turi proposed that a hair-braiding class would be held at a later date in the well square.
Who knew braids would attract this much attention. No wonder Mother had declined to do my hair.
"So what about this hair ornament? Who made it?"
"Mine."
"No, Turi—the whole family made it! The flowers were me and Mother. Father made the Hairpin part."
"Oh, that's right."
Even Mother, who was a skilled seamstress, hadn't known. Lace-making was apparently still rare around here. The aunts were going crazy over it.
"Hey, Mine, why don't you teach us how to make it?"
"Teaching is easy enough, but you need a fine crochet hook first. Besides, I think Mother should teach you how to make the hair ornament. She's better at it than I am."
I was bad with strangers, I might say something weird because I didn't know the norms here, and I had no idea what to talk about with the neighborhood ladies. Keeping my distance was, I believed, the recipe for the best possible neighborly relationship.
*Clang, clang…* The Temple bell rang out. When the central Temple sounded its bell, it echoed reverberating through the entire city.
The crowd in the well square fell silent in an instant.
The next moment, a cheer erupted, and someone shouted.
"Let's move out! To the main road!"
With the children to be baptized at the head of the procession, we filed out toward the main road, and from side streets here and there, other children and spectators emerged in the same way.
At the head of the column walked children dressed in white, moving from the edge of the city toward the central Temple. The procession was made up of the children receiving baptism and their escorts; everyone else had to watch from the sides of the road.
This sight was so much like *that*.
People waving and calling out blessings from the roadside as the procession passed between them, the cheering growing gradually closer so you could track the column's progress—it felt just like the New Year's Ekiden relay race.
From far away, a swelling cheer grew steadily closer.
Glancing at Turi beside me, she seemed tense, her face a little stiff, so I stretched up on my toes as tall as I could and gently poked her cheek with my index finger.
"Eh? What?"
"Smile! If you smile, you'll look the prettiest, Turi. I mean it!"
After widening her eyes in surprise, Turi slowly let them soften, and her usual smile returned to her face.
"Oh, Mine…"
"That's right. Even without smiling, Turi would still be the prettiest."
What am I going to do with this father.
While we were having that exchange, the procession came into view. Amid thunderous cheers, applause, and whistles, children dressed in similar white festive outfits walked forward wearing bright smiles, slightly stiff expressions, proud looks, anxious faces—each with their own.
Turi and Fey stepped out from among the spectators lining the main road. Watching the flow of the procession, they lightly stepped forward and joined at the very back of the children's line. Confirming that the two had joined, Fey's family and the rest of us fell into the parents' line behind them.
At every corner along the main road, the number of children increased little by little. By the time we reached the Temple at the city's center, I couldn't even begin to guess how many there would be.
Some guardians were already moved to tears just from walking in the procession. For instance, Father.
I jogged slightly to keep up with the procession, walking through the wall of cheering.
Voices flew from all directions, and when I looked around, I could see people watching from the windows of houses lining both sides of the road, and others who had apparently picked wildflowers somewhere, tossing small white blossoms in blessing.
The white flowers thrown from high windows looked as if they were raining down from the blue sky. The children in the procession let out delighted cries.
From my considerably shorter vantage point compared to everyone around me, all I could see were the children's arms reaching skyward trying to catch the flowers.
At the fountain intersection where two main roads crossed, the procession came to a brief halt. Children who had come from other streets joined up, and the column swelled dramatically in size.
This was as far as Father and I could walk together.
"Father, this way."
I pulled Father by the hand—he had completely fallen into the spirit of marching toward the Temple with the procession—and stepped out of the column. Moving to the side of the road so as not to obstruct the procession, we watched from among the spectators.
"Turi…"
"Come on, Father, this way!"
As the procession passed, the spectators began to disperse and head home. We drifted with the flow of people and turned toward the South Gate.
Father kept looking back at the procession, reluctant to leave, but wouldn't he be late for his meeting?
"Squad Leader! You're late!"
When we reached the Gate,
Starting today, I was going to learn to read merchants' cargo manifests by memorizing the names of goods that came through frequently.
First everyday vocabulary from Otto. Today's words were all seasonal vegetables of the moment.
Pome (tomatoes that looked like yellow bell peppers), Verre (red lettuce), Fushya (green eggplant)—vegetables used in everyday cooking were easy to remember, but for vegetables that didn't appear on our table, I couldn't picture the items and needed more time to memorize them.
I wanted to go to the Market once and link the words to the actual items. But the butcher's stall was still too much for me.
While I was diligently practicing characters on my own, a relatively young Soldier burst in carrying documents.
"Otto, do you know about this?"
"He's in a meeting today."
"Ah, right! What do I do…"
Apparently, today's Gate guard couldn't read the writing on the documents very well.
"Shall I read it for you?"
"Huh? You?"
"I'm Otto's assistant, technically."
He looked at me with extreme suspicion. Well, I didn't exactly look like someone who could read, so I couldn't blame him. I was used to that kind of look.
I'd offered out of kindness, so if he didn't want to show it to me, that was fine.
When he didn't respond, I turned back to my slate and continued practicing.
"…Can you actually read?"
My confidence varied depending on the type of document. I couldn't say I had them all down yet.
"Um, I can read personnel inquiry forms and noble letters of introduction without any problem. For merchants' cargo manifests, I can read the numbers but I'm less sure about the item names."
"Then since this is a letter of introduction from a noble, I'll take you up on it."
Letters of introduction from nobles had a lot of flowery phrasing, but once you stripped away the decorative language, there was nothing particularly difficult written underneath.
All I needed to read was who was introducing whom and whose seal was required.
I drew in the scent of Parchment and ink to my lungs, savoring it as I scanned the text.
…Ah, the Officer was in the meeting too, wasn't he? Since this was an introduction to a lower-ranking noble, it might be better to wait until the meeting ended.
"Let's see. Baron Bronn is introducing a merchant to visit Baron Gratz. Officer's seal will be required."
Recalling Otto's procedures, I returned the Parchment. If you had the response manual memorized, even someone like me could handle this.
"Please escort the merchant who brought this to the waiting room for lower-ranking nobles. Today's meeting was called by high-ranking nobles, so the Officer's seal won't be available until it ends—just explain the reason clearly, and I don't think Baron Gratz's guest will make a fuss about it."
"Thanks. You've been a big help."
He thumped his chest twice in salute, so I hopped down from my chair and returned the gesture. Doing Otto's assistant work, I'd started picking up the gestures as if they were second nature.
Hmm, at this rate, I might end up getting hired here as a clerk.
I'd been planning to make paper and open a Bookstore before my apprentice work started next year, but the path ahead was completely invisible, and I was starting to lose heart.
While I continued practicing characters on the slate, Father burst back in.
"Let's go, Mine."
"Oh, earlier—"
"I'll hear about it on the way. Turi's waiting."
Father stuffed the slate and stone stylus into the tote bag, then effortlessly scooped me up in his arms and set off, carrying my things.
"Father! Listen, I have a report—"
"Let's go before Otto catches us!"
"Wait! I have to report to Otto!"
While we were arguing, Otto caught up.
"Ah, Otto. A merchant came with a letter of introduction from Baron Bronn to Baron Gratz. The Officer is in the meeting, so he's waiting in the lower nobility lounge. Could you handle it right away?"
"As expected of my assistant. Well done."
"She's my daughter."
At Father's words, Otto pressed his fingers to his temples and let out a long sigh.
"I have an important mission for my capable assistant. Take this Squad Leader home immediately. His fidgeting during the meeting drew the ire of a high-ranking noble and shortened my life."
"…Father, you should value your life more."
"Even Otto's telling me to go, so let's head out."
Fully heart-already-at-home, Father carried me back. That night, the whole family celebrated Turi's birthday.
In my mind, celebrations meant cake, but we didn't have anything like that. Looking at what ingredients were available, the closest substitute I could manage was a makeshift French toast.
I had Mother slice some very dense multigrain bread and soaked it in eggs and milk I'd gotten from Lutz in exchange for recipes. Mother pan-fried it in butter, and it was done. Since we had no honey or sugar, I added a small amount of what looked like wood-berry jam.
The other thing I managed to make for Turi was decorative vegetable garnishes for soup. I cut vegetables into hearts and stars, and Turi was delighted, calling them cute.
"Here you go, Turi. A present."
"Wow, thank you, Father! Thank you, Mother!"
Turi received work clothes and tools. Once you turned seven and received your Baptism Ceremony, you started as an apprentice. There were live-in workshops, but the tailor's apprenticeship Turi was going to was a commute job.
She was going to become a great seamstress and aim for beauty.
I understood perfectly why she wanted Ralph to say "Turi's really an amazing woman."
"You won't have to work every day, right?"
"Well, at first you can't really do much, so about half the week."
"Because if you're constantly looking after apprentices, your own work doesn't get done."
That was true. On the days the apprentice Soldiers were being taught reading and math, my studies stalled too, and I vaguely remembered Otto being busier than usual.
"And then, this is for Mine."
Both parents set a long, narrow cloth-wrapped bundle on the table with a *thunk*.
I blinked and tilted my head. I didn't understand why I was getting a present when it wasn't even my Baptism Ceremony.
"I'm not the one having a ceremony."
"Since Turi will be starting work, from now on you'll be the one collecting firewood. You'll need this."
When I unwrapped the cloth, there was a knife with a dull gleam. The blade had thickness and a solid weight in my hand.
In Japan, people might say it was dangerous to hand a child something so sharp, but by this world's standards, if you didn't carry something like this, you couldn't even protect yourself. You'd be treated like a helpless baby who couldn't do anything.
I got a knife.
Until now, I'd been treated entirely as a baby. Turi's little helper doing chores. Actually, more like a burden who only got in the way?
But now that Turi was starting her apprenticeship, they had no choice but to entrust me with a knife.
And with this, I could make wooden tablets!
I'm making wooden tablets!
Knife, GET.
Starting now, I'm moving on to wooden tablet crafting!