The morning of the
After finishing breakfast, clearing the table, and getting both parents changed into their best clothes, anyone who slept in or dawdled over their meal got scolded and rushed along.
I choked down my breakfast and, while Mother was cleaning up, changed in the bedroom with Turi.
The outfit that Mother and Turi had been tweaking bit by bit was no longer just pinching the excess fabric and letting it flutter. Using the small-flower techniques I'd developed over winter handicrafts, little flowers had been decorated here and there, making it almost over-embellished.
If
I threw the fluttery dress on like a T-shirt, then wrapped the blue sash around my waist with a spin and tied it tightly into a bow. The ends of the sash dangled lazily, brushing around my shins.
"Mine, you were going to double-wrap it, right?"
Turi furrowed her brow with a grumble.
I untied the sash and tried wrapping it twice around my waist. But while I'd just barely managed to tie it in winter, it was now slightly too short, and I couldn't tie it neatly.
"Huh? Did I eat too much breakfast? Is my tummy puffed out?"
"No. You've gotten bigger."
"Huh? I've gotten bigger?"
"Probably. The hem of the outfit was supposed to hit below the knee, but it's right around the middle now. You've grown a little."
I'd apparently grown between winter and summer. For a normal child that would be expected, but for a Self-Eating like me, whose growth was painfully slow, I rarely had the chance to feel it.
Unlike me, trembling with emotion over the realization, Turi was practical. She stared at the end of the blue sash, thinking about how to handle the outfit.
"Either way, the length is kind of half-baked. It looks a little sloppy. Should we just cut it?"
"No way, what a waste. It's fine as long as it looks presentable — no need to cut it. Just double-wrap it."
"You couldn't do it."
"Not around the waist. Double the bow itself."
I tied the blue sash into a tight double bow right at my stomach. Like tying an obi in a kimono, once it was tied properly, I slipped the bow around to my back with a quick swish, and done.
"How is it? Is the length okay?"
"So cute! Amazing! How did you do that?!"
"Well, you see…"
Just as I was about to explain, Mother came into the bedroom.
"If you're done changing, Mine, go fix your hair quickly. I need to change too."
"Okaaay. Turi, see you later."
I moved briskly to the kitchen to do my hair. Since I'd washed everyone's hair the night before, it was all silky smooth. Yesterday, Father had looked wistfully like he wanted to join in too, so I'd washed his as well.
When I asked him what had suddenly inspired that mood, it turned out it was
"Mine, let me do it."
As I was combing my hair with a comb, Turi came over with eyes sparkling. Since I'd done her hair for her Baptism Ceremony, she apparently wanted a turn this time.
"My hair ornament does all the swirling, so you can't do that part, but at least let me comb it with the comb."
"Sure, go ahead."
I handed her the comb, and she hummed a little tune while combing. She was clearly in a wonderful mood.
"Your hair is so straight and beautiful, Mine. And it smells so nice."
"You smell the same, Turi."
I thanked Turi for combing, then carefully held my gently swaying hair ornament so as not to crush it and did my usual half-up style. I couldn't manage anything elaborate since the ribbons wouldn't stay put and kept unraveling, so that was that.
"There we go."
Even with the ornament attached, it was the same routine as always, so I finished in no time.
The hairpin was heavier than usual, and when I tilted my head slightly, I could feel the chain of small flowers swaying. I was having a little fun wiggling my head when Turi clapped her hands in delight.
"Wow, so cute! It matches your hair color perfectly! The way it sways every time you move is wonderful."
"It suits you beautifully, Mine."
"Which noble family's daughter are you? At today's Baptism Ceremony, Mine will be the cutest one there!"
Father and Mother, now changed as well, came out of the bedroom and heaped praise on my festive appearance. It was nice to be praised so openly, but also a bit embarrassing.
"Father, you said the same thing when it was Turi's turn."
"Of course I did. My daughter is always the cutest."
With that, Father grabbed Turi and me, one under each arm. We squealed and tried to wriggle free, but Father just laughed and caught us again so we couldn't escape.
"Kyaa! My hair is getting messed up!"
"That's enough fooling around — let's go outside already."
At Mother's words, Father let go immediately, but it was too late. Seeing my slightly disheveled hair, Mother let out a sigh.
"Mine, you'll have to fix it again — it's coming undone."
"Sorry."
While I laughed at Father's shrugging apology, I pulled out the hairpin and reinserted it. Even though I couldn't manage an elaborate style, since my hair had no curl, it was easy to smooth back into place with just my fingers even when a bit mussed.
"They're already gathering down there!"
Turi, who had dashed to the front door, threw it wide open and beckoned. Going down the stairs to the well square, I could see many neighbors already assembled.
"
Looking where Turi pointed, I could see Lutz surrounded by a crowd of people, wearing Ralph's festive hand-me-downs. I hadn't seen Ralph's Baptism Ceremony, so I couldn't even tell if they were hand-me-downs or not.
Lutz's festive outfit consisted of a white shirt, white pants, and a light blue sash. It had probably been used starting from
"Lutz!"
"Well, Mine!? What's with that outfit!? You look like some rich young lady!"
Before I could reach Lutz, I was caught by Aunt
"It's a hand-me-down from Turi."
"This is a hand-me-down!?"
"Yep. The shoulders were all droopy, so I gathered them here, added shoulder straps, tucked and sewed the excess fabric at the sides, and hemmed the skirt to the right length. Just a quick and easy fix."
As I casually explained the alterations, a crowd of women gathered around. Since I was considerably shorter than the average girl my age, bending over from above while surrounded by a circle of adults peering down at me was a little scary. I reflexively grabbed the hem of Mother's skirt behind me.
"Heh, doesn't look like it's been altered at all. It looks like a gorgeous outfit."
"Let me see? Hmm, since Turi and Mine have completely different builds, I suppose you could make it work. We couldn't do that with ours."
"Ahahaha, I thought the sash looked awfully fancy — it's so long it's doubled over!"
In between the chatter of everyone saying whatever they pleased, "Congratulations" would drift in here and there, but it felt perfunctory.
"That hair ornament is quite elaborate too. That must have cost a lot, right?"
When attention turned to the hair ornament and its price, Mother smiled and shook her head.
"We made it ourselves, so it didn't cost anything extra. Since I altered Mine's festive outfit, the yarn I'd planned to use for it became unnecessary."
"Really? My daughter keeps asking me to buy one for her Baptism Ceremony too. If you can make them, could you teach me how?"
"You need a very fine crochet hook to spin the yarn. After that, it's simple."
They probably never imagined that I was the one who'd pitched in to create it. Every question was aimed at Mother. As a barrage of questions descended on her, I quietly slipped away from the circle of women. Sure enough, my unusual outfit and hair ornament had become the center of attention.
Alright, escape successful.
The moment I let out a sigh of relief, I was surrounded by a group of older girls buzzing with interest in my outfit and hair ornament. These were girls who'd already had their Baptism Ceremonies before I could go into the forest. Turi knew them, but I had barely any connection to them — they were a bit older than me.
"Kyaa, it's really so cute!"
"Let me see, let me see! Turi made this, right? So amazing!"
One of the girls who seemed familiar with Turi grabbed the hairpin without hesitation, and it slid smoothly out — my hair fell down.
"Ah!"
"Ah, I-I'm sorry. What do I do…"
Having ruined my carefully styled hair, the girl turned pale, still clutching the hairpin.
I held out my hand and smiled gently.
"It's fine. I can fix it in no time."
I got the hairpin back, then redid my hair. I swept my hair up, wrapped it around the hairpin, twisted it, and pushed it back in.
"Huh? Huh? How did you just do that!? That's not just an ornament, is it?"
"Hehehe, it's an ornament that also works as a hair tie. Our Mine is amazing."
For some reason, Turi answered with her chest puffed out proudly. After that, the girls marveled at the double bow, pinched and examined the outfit's details, and Turi began explaining it all smugly. They were giggling and having fun, but honestly what they were saying and doing was no different from the older women.
Slipping out of that circle too, I finally caught my breath. Being surrounded by this many unfamiliar faces was exhausting — not something I experienced on a regular day.
Looking for a place to rest, I headed over to Lutz.
"Lutz~"
"Oh, Mine. Finally escaped from Mom…"
Lutz turned toward me and suddenly froze, his breath catching.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just…"
"What's with that outfit? It's pretty different from Turi's."
Ralph pushed past Lutz to get a better look.
"I modified Turi's festive outfit — eek! Big Brother Zasha, put me down!"
"Congratulations, Mine. You're small but cute. Lutz isn't cute anymore — he's already gotten bratty."
"Congrats, Mine. That outfit looks awesome on you! But you really are tiny. You don't look like someone who's about to participate in a Baptism Ceremony."
"I've grown a little bit too, you know! Big Brother Sig might not be able to tell, though!"
I'd gone to Lutz seeking comfort, but instead got swept up by his older brothers. Lutz, looking alarmed, stepped in to stop them.
"Brothers, bad idea! Look at Mine's face!"
"Hey, Mine, hang in there! The Baptism Ceremony is still ahead of you!"
Still held in Zasha's arms, I went limp. Zasha, who'd be an adult next year, had the steadiness of a full-grown man.
"I wanna go home…"
"Not an option yet."
Clang, clang… The
Among the neighbors who shared the well, only Lutz and I were participating this time. I was engulfed by the clamor of excited adults.
"Mine, time to go! We're heading to the main street!"
Father lifted me out of Zasha's arms with a yank and strode off toward the main street at the head of the group. Lutz hurried after us, followed by family and other adults — I could see them over Father's shoulder.
Glancing in the opposite direction down the main street, I could see, just like during Turi's Baptism Ceremony, children heading to the ceremony and their families pouring out of alleyways one after another, filling the street from end to end.
"Mine, are you okay?"
"Mm~… I think so?"
From far away, a roar of cheers was gradually drawing closer. It seemed the procession was approaching.
"Rest up until we reach the Temple."
"I will. Thanks, Father."
I was going to be carried by Father all the way to the Temple. I couldn't walk at the same pace as the procession, and if I collapsed in the middle, it would ruin the whole ceremony.
The formation would have children in white clothing lined up first, followed by their families. Father was aiming for a spot at the very back of the children's line — which was the front of the parents' section. However, if Lutz stayed with us in that position, he'd probably be completely hidden behind the crowd.
"Lutz, you can go ahead if you want."
"No, if we get separated, I'd have to find you at the Temple. I'm staying with you."
"Then at least walk toward the side? So you can see the area near Benno's shop."
"…Alright."
The procession passed right in front of us. Father lifted me up, and Lutz and I joined the line. Because my viewpoint was high, I had a much clearer view of everything around me — unlike Turi's ceremony, when I'd been buried in the crowd.
People on both sides of the main street waved enthusiastically and whistled high, piercing notes of celebration. Windows of the buildings facing the street were flung wide open, and the townspeople showered us with congratulatory words.
The children in the procession were beaming with pride so full they looked ready to burst, waving back at the people along the road and those leaning out of windows.
"Make sure you wave back, Mine. It's returning their kindness."
"Right."
At Father's reminder, I released one of the hands gripping his arm and waved with a smile. The mental image that came to mind was the royal family, responding to cheers with gentle smiles.
Yes, just like that! Elegantly!
Once I'd steeled myself, though, I realized it wasn't the kind of smile and wave you could pull off instantly. But with a model to follow, I could at least try my best to imitate it. Besides, nobody in this city was going to mock me for "copying the royals."
I put on the most serene smile I could manage and waved slowly, gracefully, and with as much elegance as I could muster.
Whoa, people are pointing at me! Everyone's looking!
Was it because Father was carrying me that I stood out? It felt like I was attracting an unusual amount of attention. Everyone was watching the procession, though, so it wasn't necessarily all directed at me.
"Mine, my arm's getting tired. I'm switching to the other one."
"Okay."
While waiting at the Central Plaza for the processions from other streets to converge, Father shifted me to his other arm.
I'd seen this part during Turi's ceremony too — after everyone merged here, they would walk together toward the Temple near the City Wall.
From the Central Plaza, the Temple appeared as a large, white-stone building, rising as high as the City Wall, which was taller than the Outer Wall. It was grand and impressive, but the narrow, elongated windows lined up high on the walls and the way it seemed to jut out from the City Wall made me wonder if it had originally been part of a fortress or the City Wall itself.
Hmm, but would they really repurpose a military building for religious use? Religious personnel had probably been involved in wartime relief efforts, but a permanent religious facility should have been built with donations — or tithes, or whatever money they'd collected from the faithful…
My frame of reference was inevitably limited by my knowledge from
Having converged with the others, we began walking toward the Temple. From around this point onward, the outfits of the people joining from the main roads and the children falling in visibly changed. The fabrics were clearly expensive, and while the base was white, the hems were lavishly embroidered.
After a short walk, Benno's shop came into view. Benno,
"Lutz, I can see Benno and Mark! Otto and Corina are out in front of the shop to congratulate us too!"
"No way?"
Unlike me, who could see the surroundings from Father's vantage point, Lutz was inside the procession and still couldn't see the shop.
Just as Lutz finally spotted the shop and broke into a grin, waving enthusiastically, Mark casually raised his hand, and the shop employees shouted in unison.
"Lutz, Mine, congratulations!"
It was so conspicuous it was startling, but I was touched by their collective well-wishes. Lutz and I waved back with big, sweeping motions. Our spirits were so high that any trace of royal composure had completely evaporated.
Otto smiled warmly, wrapping one arm around Corina's shoulder and waving with the other. Corina offered a gentle smile and waved too.
"Let's stop by on the way back from the Temple to thank them," Father said, scratching Lutz's head as the boy walked alongside us. Father looked nearly as happy as I did. Lutz and I both nodded emphatically.
"Hey, Mine. Does Master Benno look exasperated?"
"So that's what it looks like to you too?"
Among the beaming employees, Benno alone was looking our way, pressing his fingers to his temple with a furrowed brow.
Hmm, why did Benno have the same expression as when I'd done something unnecessary? I hadn't done anything yet today!
The Temple was finally drawing near. From a distance it had been a large white building, but now its details were becoming clear. The walls were lined with reliefs, and flanking the entrance stood four stone statues on each side. Whether they were statues of the gods worshipped here or mere decorations, I couldn't tell.
Keeping the sight of the procession entering the Temple in the corner of my eye, we passed Frieda's house. The Guild Master and his entire family had staked out the main street in full force. I could even see Ilse and Yutte.
"Congratulations, Mine!"
"Thank you!"
I was happy that people I knew were celebrating with me. I waved and called out in a loud voice.
"Frieda!"
The Guild Master lifted Frieda into his arms, as if competing with Father. Frieda, who had looked surprised for a moment, smiled and waved back.
"Mine, you're wonderful."
Frieda's voice was small, carried amid the cheers around us.
Just before the steps leading into the Temple, I could make out what appeared to be guards standing like guardian statues. They wore Blue Robes with simplified armor. Fine details were visible, and the well-polished, gleaming armor and the lustrous, beautiful Blue Robes told me they too were dressed for ceremony.
The massive double doors — thick enough to qualify as a gate, taller than two adults combined — were also adorned with intricate carvings and metalwork. Passing through the wide-open gates, a long, rectangular courtyard of white stone pavement stretched out before us.
Directly ahead was a large five-story building, flanked by slightly smaller three-story buildings on either side, all connected by covered walkways. Every structure was built from the same white stone, though only the central building was decorated with carvings and reliefs.
"All right, parents go no further from here. Lutz, sorry to impose, but look after Mine."
"Got it."
Father set me down, and Lutz and I held hands as we walked at the very tail of the procession toward the wide-open doors.
Even the children who had been so excited and noisy gradually fell silent as they entered the Temple, and the din lowered bit by bit.
"Hey, Mine."
Lutz's voice carried better than I expected.
I looked at him and, lowering my voice, asked "What?" When Lutz leaned his face close to my ear, as if sharing a secret, I listened intently. Facing forward, I caught his whispered words.
"That outfit and that hair ornament look amazing on you. I was surprised at how cute you are."
If he'd said it amid everyone's effusive praise, I could have smiled normally and said "Thanks." But being murmured to like this, right before entering the Temple, left me at a loss for how to respond.
"Huh? Huh? What, all of a sudden…"
I looked up at Lutz involuntarily. He was wearing the most carefree, relieved smile — as if a weight had been lifted off his chest.
"My brothers kept grabbing me and I couldn't say it, so I wanted to tell you when they weren't around."
"Oh, I-see. Thanks."
Pressing one hand against my racing heart, I walked into the Temple hand in hand with Lutz.
Because we were at the very end of the line, even though our words couldn't be heard, the whole exchange had been visible to everyone in the courtyard. I didn't learn until after the ceremony that the adults who'd witnessed it had murmured, "How sweet, it's like a tiny wedding," and that Father had seen us off grinding his teeth.
That was the morning of the Baptism Ceremony, up to the moment we entered the Temple.
Next time: the Baptism Ceremony, quietly thrilling.