The day of the Star Festival.
The sun had come out, but it was still early morning, when its warmth didn't yet feel like summer's heat. The town was already filled with the lively buzz unique to a festival and the warmth of people moving about, and even at this early hour before the gates opened, streams of people were heading toward the South Gate and East Gate.
"Mom, I'm heading out!"
"Mine, try not to get too carried away.
I left the house with Lutz, who had come to pick me up. Turi left at the same time, but she planned to enjoy the festival with her own friends, so we'd be going our separate ways. She dashed off toward the gate with
"Well then, Mine. Let's have fun today."
"You too, Turi."
After waving goodbye to Turi and Ralph, Lutz and I headed toward the
Groups of people emerged from various alleys, their eyes sparkling with excitement as they walked toward the gates. Everyone seemed to be expecting to get wet, so despite it being a festival, no one was wearing festive clothing.
Fighting against the tide of people, we passed through the Central Plaza and headed further north. By then, the number of passersby had gradually thinned. Everyone heading to the forest when the gates opened had already made their way to the gates.
"Mine, you're staying behind at the orphanage."
"Huh? Why?!"
I had been planning to go to the forest with everyone to pick Tau fruit, so I looked up at Lutz with wide eyes. Lutz grimaced, clearly finding it difficult to say, and opened his mouth.
"If I were only taking you to the festival, I was planning to pick two or three Tau fruit in the forest and come right back. But since we're not throwing them at the bride and groom—it's been decided that everyone throws them at each other back at the orphanage, right? That means we'll need a lot of Tau. If I take you along, there's no way we can get back to the Temple before the fourth bell."
I had been looking forward to a fun outing to the forest with everyone, but Lutz's sound logic left me hanging my head. I hated myself for always being nothing but a burden.
Lutz patted my head gently to comfort me, then lowered his voice a little.
"Besides, someone might come to check on things, so shouldn't you, as the head of the orphanage, stay here?"
"Guh... That's true."
There was a high chance the Chief Priest or the High Priest's Attendants might come to warn us or check on things. If the High Priest found out the orphanage was completely empty, not only I but also the Chief Priest who had given permission might face blame.
"There are others staying behind for their duties, right? Everyone else will go pick the Tau fruit, and you stay behind too. If you can't do that, then I can't help out either."
"...Fine. I'll stay behind."
Almost as soon as we arrived at the Temple, the second bell rang out across town. It was time to open the gates.
Together with
Watching everyone raise their voices and dash toward the gate as they moved away from the Temple, I made my way to my room with a feeling of envy and changed into my Blue Robe so I could stay at the orphanage.
"Deria, you don't mind not going to the forest?"
"Going to the forest isn't necessary for me to become his mistress. I'd rather learn to read quickly."
"You're still losing to Gil, aren't you?"
"Hey! By only a tiny bit! I'll catch up soon!"
I left Deria, who had voluntarily stayed behind, in the care of the cooks, and headed to the orphanage with Fran.
When I went downstairs, I caught a glimpse through the open door of
"The Chief Priest has instructed me to inform you that this morning, he will be lecturing you on the ceremonies conducted in the Temple. Until you have memorized everything thoroughly, throwing Tau fruit at the orphanage is prohibited."
"Ugh..."
The Chief Priest, who apparently tolerated absolutely no compromise when it came to education, had already put together a study program for me. There was a considerable amount I needed to memorize by the end of today.
Looking at the contents written on the wooden tablet, I was completely discouraged. Fran told me, "The Chief Priest determined from your calculation and literacy skills that this amount should be manageable," but the Chief Priest was mistaken. My calculation ability was a gift from my previous life, and my literacy was something I'd worked hard at because reading was essential for me. It would be a problem if these became the benchmark for how much Temple ceremony knowledge I should be able to memorize. I wasn't that brilliant.
As I was making my way around the corridor toward the orphanage, I ran into a Blue Priest I'd never seen before—perhaps heading to prepare for the ceremony.
"Oh my, if it isn't the shameless Commoner dressed in blue. There's no role for children in today's ceremony, you know."
"I'm not here for the ceremony. I've been assigned by the Chief Priest to stay at the orphanage and make sure the children don't interfere with the proceedings."
"I see. Looking after orphans suits a Commoner well. Do work hard at it."
"I appreciate your encouraging words."
"Hmph!"
The Blue Priest snorted in displeasure and walked away. I started walking toward the orphanage as well. Fran furrowed her brows with concern and called out to me worriedly.
"Um, Mine. About what just happened..."
"Don't worry about it, Fran. Words are just words. It doesn't hurt me in the slightest."
When I entered the orphanage, several Gray Priestesses had remained behind. As candidates for the flower offering, each one was a different type, but they were all beautiful girls with refined features.
"Oh my, Mine. Is something wrong?"
She turned gracefully toward me and tilted her head. The gesture was so refined that she looked far more like a proper lady than I ever could.
"I'm staying here in case someone comes to check on things. Do you have duties as well?"
"No, we don't find going to the forest all that appealing, so we were discussing whether to stay and make soup instead."
"Oh, that would be helpful."
I spotted a familiar face among the Gray Priestesses.
She was a girl in her mid-teens with bright, orange-tinged blonde hair neatly tied up. Well, calling her a "girl" might not be accurate since she had her hair tied up, which meant she was an adult. But she had a young face that perfectly suited the word.
"
Wilma's perpetually smiling light brown eyes crinkled with happiness, further highlighting her gentle atmosphere.
"The pleasure was mine. Thank you for letting me draw them. It had been so long since I'd held a pen, and I was truly happy. The children here were watching with great interest, but these weren't for the orphanage, were they?"
"That was a reward for my Attendant. If you'd be willing to draw, Wilma, I could order boards for the orphanage children?"
I could prepare the boards and write the letters, but apparently my illustrations were so different from the art of this culture that everyone around me would gang up to stop me. Wilma's cooperation was essential for making the card game.
"Oh, yes! Please, I would love to!"
Wilma's face lit up. Alongside her enthusiasm for drawing, her love for the children overflowed. When we had the big cleanup at the orphanage, Wilma had been the first one to rush over to the children and wash them clean.
When I promised to prepare a card game for the orphanage children soon, the girl sitting next to Wilma looked down sadly.
"If only I could draw like Wilma, then I could be of use to you too, Mine..."
"But
Rosina, who let out a disappointed sigh and had a mature, beautiful face, apparently specialized in the harp. How elegant.
I really wanted to hear Rosina play the harp, but she said her previous owner had the instrument, so she currently had no specialty. I'd like to buy one for her if possible, but instruments were expensive in
"Hey, Fran. Harps are expensive, aren't they?"
"You should probably ask
"If you could acquire a proper education, Mine, I think we could be of great service to you. If you would allow it, please take us on as your Attendants."
Rosina had apparently served the same Blue Priestess Apprentice as Wilma before. She was a Shrine Maiden Apprentice with a strong interest in the arts, and her Attendants had been clearly divided between Gray Priests who handled the menial tasks and Gray Priestesses and apprentices with whom she could share art. Rosina and the others had apparently spent every day honing their skills in singing, instruments, dance, poetry, and painting.
Ugh. I'd had about three years of piano lessons, but I'd never even touched a harp. And there was no way melodicas or recorders existed here.
Having to acquire not just organizational skills and Temple knowledge but also a cultured education—now I was starting to feel like becoming a Blue Priestess Apprentice had been too hasty.
"Well then, Mine, we'll go start on the soup."
After Wilma and the others went off to make soup, Fran and I were left alone in the orphanage dining hall.
"Hey, Fran, what would you think if I wanted to make Wilma my Attendant? Do you think the Chief Priest would allow it?"
"Wilma? May I ask why?"
Fran furrowed her brows slightly.
"Wilma is good at drawing, isn't she? The card game is just the start, but everything I'll want to make from now on will require illustrations, so I'd like to secure her before some other Blue Priest takes her. Besides, I thought it would be useful to have an adult Gray Priestess who's well-educated."
"I think the permission would likely be granted. However, Wilma seems to be the one who cares for the young children here the most, so the question is what would happen to the orphans after she's removed..."
"Right. Next time, I'll ask Wilma what she thinks, and we'll consider it."
While I was receiving Fran's lecture on Temple ceremonies, the third bell rang. After that, the noise outside grew louder. The bride and groom must have arrived at the Temple for the Star Binding ceremony. I wanted to go see it, but there was no way I could.
As I fidgeted through my quota of studying, the fourth bell rang. The Star Binding ceremony must have ended, because the lively bustle gradually faded into the distance.
After the quiet returned and a little time passed, the children slipped back in through the back door. Holding their hands over their mouths and trying to make no sound, they crept up the stairs.
"Welcome back, everyone. Did you pick a lot of Tau fruit?"
"Mine, shh!"
They'd been told not to talk, so they quickly shut their mouths. The sound of the basement back door closing was heard, and the moment Lutz came in and casually raised his hand, everyone started chattering at once.
"We picked tons!"
"The baskets are all in the basement. We're having lunch first, right?"
"Then let's wash our hands and wait for God's Blessing. I'll return to my room for now."
Since Lutz was there, we went through the basement instead of the corridor. In the basement, the Tau fruit everyone had picked were piled up in baskets.
"Lutz, can I have four of the fruit you picked? Hugo and Ella couldn't go to the forest, so I'd like to give them some."
"Sure."
I had Fran carry the Tau fruit, and we made our way back to my room from the back door.
Lunch was already prepared, and Hugo was waiting, nervously glancing outside. Through Fran, I gave them two Tau fruit each.
"Thank you for coming today, even though it's a festival. It isn't much, but please take these."
"Huh? Wow! Thank you so much!"
I could tell that Hugo bolted the moment I turned my back on the kitchen. Just how much had he been looking forward to the Star Festival? And who was he planning to throw those Tau fruit at? I heard Ella call out, "Wait, Hugo," as if she was worried about me, so I read the room and headed up the stairs without looking back.
In my room, Deria served me, and I ate lunch with Lutz.
Today's lunch was a cappellini-style dish. I had them make fresh pasta cut as thin as possible. I selected a mild cheese to use as a pomodoro substitute, like mozzarella and tomato, and served it with herbs. For a basil sauce attempt, I made another version with plant-based oil, salt, herbs, and leek as a garlic substitute. Two varieties total.
There was also a salad with seasonal vegetables and steamed chicken. I really felt like eating cold somen noodles, but as usual, there was nothing I could use for Japanese food, so there was nothing to be done.
"You worked really hard, Lutz. Eat as much as you want. Everyone looked like they were having so much fun, all thanks to you. Thank you."
"Some of them were really going at it. A few even went pretty far in, and I was worried they wouldn't make it back in time."
"...Sounds like fun. I wanted to see the festival too. I was studying with Fran all morning."
Listening to the orphans' stories about cheerfully picking Tau fruit in the forest and seeing people carrying Tau fruit on their way back to the Temple made me unbearably jealous.
"Hey, Mine. Want to go take a quick look at the festival?"
"Huh?"
"The bride and groom should be gone by now, and we're not throwing Tau fruit—we'd just be seeing what the town looks like. After we finish lunch, those guys will be eating, so there should be some time, right?"
The God's Blessing would be distributed after the Blue Priests finished eating and their Attendants had eaten, and some Gray Priests would be preparing the carriages, so there would be a little time before everyone gathered for the Tau fruit throwing.
"Yes! I want to go!"
Changing out of my Blue Priestess robe and into regular clothes, I dashed out of the Temple gate with Lutz.
The waterlogged streets gleamed under the summer sun. The area near the Temple was mostly dry, but the farther we got, the wetter the ground became. If even the summer sun couldn't dry it out quickly, just how many Tau fruit had been thrown?
I could see children running past, completely drenched, water dripping from their hair as they cheered. From the direction they were headed, the sounds of a massive uproar echoed back.
"Let's go, Lutz!"
"Just watch from a distance."
Following Lutz's advice, I peeked out from behind a building and saw that a not-so-large alley had turned into total chaos. Without friend or foe, people were just screaming meaningless words at the top of their lungs and hurling Tau fruit everywhere. The shouts echoed between the buildings, creating an incredible volume of noise.
Everyone was soaked to the bone. The young women in their thin summer clothes had fabric clinging to every curve of their bodies—some of them were practically transparent. Many men, apparently finding the clinging clothes annoying, were running around shirtless.
...Wow, it was like the huge celebration when a cheerleading team won at a big game.
"Wha—?!"
"Wh—?!"
Suddenly Lutz's voice rang out, and water dripped from his head. Cold droplets pattered onto me too, and when I turned around in surprise, I saw several children behind Lutz, armed with Tau fruit.
"There are some completely dry people over here!"
The instant the children shouted, the entire crowd that had been causing the ruckus turned to look our way. Having the gleaming eyes of hunters who'd found their prey focused on you was spine-chilling. A small squeal escaped my lips, and my whole body tensed up.
"Run, Mine! Dodge everything you can!"
"I can't!"
I couldn't handle that kind of agile response. All I could do was raise my arms to protect my face from direct hits.
As Lutz grabbed my hand and ran, he smacked back a Tau fruit that was flying toward us with his hand. The Tau fruit bounced off the cobblestones with a pop, just like a water balloon.
I was relieved to have avoided a direct hit, but Lutz's deflection seemed to have only fired up their fighting spirit.
"They dodged it! How cheeky!"
"Everyone, get them!"
"Ooohhh!"
The Tau fruit kept flying at us one after another, going *splat*! *splat*! as they hit and bounced off me. The impact itself was a bouncy sensation—not particularly painful—but the water trickling down my scalp and flowing along my spine, and the spray from fruit bursting against my back, gave me goosebumps.
"Aah! Cold! So cold!"
"Mine, just keep your feet moving!"
Lutz could only deflect the very first one. There were adults mixed in, so there was no way to outrun them. In the blink of an eye, we were surrounded—hopelessly outnumbered.
Unable to dodge or flee, Lutz and I were hit by concentrated fire from people running high on the festival's excitement, and in no time at all we were completely drenched.
"Ha ha! For a little guy, he was sure trying hard to protect her!"
"Looks like he's got a bright future."
Laughing uproariously and offering words of praise to Lutz, who had tried to protect me until the very end, they left like a storm in search of their next prey.
"...Lutz, we're definitely going to catch a cold, aren't we?"
As I picked up my dripping skirt, Lutz shook his head, sending water droplets flying, and nodded.
"No doubt about it. At this rate, Aunt
"...I get the vibe. More than enough. If I'm guaranteed to get a fever afterward, this isn't the kind of festival for me."
When I wrung my hair tightly, water dripped off with a flapping sound. Wringing ourselves out here and there, Lutz and I headed back to the Temple.
In the northern part of town, the emphasis seemed to be less on throwing Tau fruit and more on the feast to follow. Preparations were underway in the various well plazas—boards laid between wooden boxes served as makeshift tables, and dishes were being carried over from houses everywhere.
"I'd stop by if I were hungry."
"But we're not that hungry yet, are we?"
Once the food started being brought out, even the people who had been going wild throwing Tau fruit would surely remember their own hunger.
"Oh my! What a mess! Look at the state of you! Stay outside until the bath is ready, or you'll get the room dirty!"
Before Mom could even scold me, Deria was already yelling. Lutz muttered, "She's scarier than Aunt Effa," and I quietly nodded in agreement. Then Fran came out, having changed into old clothes in case she got wet—her outfit for going to the forest.
Seeing us dripping wet, she pressed her fingers to her temples with a troubled look.
"Mine, it looks like the children are ready, so let's head straight to the orphanage. Deria, when we get back, I'll need you to have the bath ready to use immediately."
"Understood."
Deria had said something along the lines of her never doing something so unrefined as throwing Tau fruit, so she had stayed behind as a lookout. Gil had apparently already left for the orphanage.
"I received word from the Gray Priests who were preparing carriages for the Blue Priests heading to the Noble District. All the Blue Priests and their Attendants have departed for the Noble District, so the main gate has been closed."
When we headed to the orphanage from the back entrance, everyone had changed from their priest robes into old clothes and brought the Tau fruit stored in the basement outside.
At Lutz's direction, they divided into two teams and prepared to throw fruit at each other. Fran assigned them fairly, taking age and gender balance into account. She designated the area they were allowed to run around in and made them promise not to go beyond it.
"First, you must clean up afterward. Second, be careful not to cause such a commotion that townspeople start wondering what's going on. And finally, have fun without any injuries or fights. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Then let's distribute the Tau fruit."
Lutz glanced at the various baskets. Times like this were when I, supposedly the highest in rank, had to make the first move.
The Tau fruit I'd seen in the spring in the forest had been about the size of the first joint of my thumb, but the fruit in the baskets were now larger than my fist. They seemed to be filled with water and were plump and squishy.
I'd mostly had my eyes shut when being bombarded with them, so this might have been my first time getting a good look at the Tau fruit.
"Wow, they've really grown."
The moment I picked up one of the fruit from the top, I felt Magic Power being drained away just like during an offering, and at the same time, the Tau fruit started foaming and bubbling as it began to transform.
"Wh-what?!"
"What's wrong, Mine?!"
"My Magic Power is being drained!"
Inside the Tau fruit, which had been a translucent red like a water balloon, hard seeds resembling those of a pomegranate began to appear and multiply one after another.
"Gross! What is this?!"
"How would I know?!"
As I stumbled around holding it in my hand, the fruit's pale red color gradually deepened, and the interior became more seed than water. The squishy skin hardened until the inside was no longer visible.
Only now did I finally realize. The red fruit had to be the seeds of a Trombe—the same ones I'd seen before.
"Lutz, these are Trombe! Get knives ready! They're going to sprout!"
"Seriously?!"
Still gripping the Tau fruit, I said this just as Lutz, who had been peering at the transforming Tau, immediately dashed into the basement that served as storage. He pulled out baskets of knives and sickle-like blades while shouting instructions at the orphans.
"You lot who are used to gathering, arm yourselves with knives. Expensive paper material is about to come out. Harvest every last one!"
"Yes!"
The moment the orphans rushed for the knives, the Tau fruit grew harder and began to heat up. If they'd been thrown in this state before, Trombe would have been sprouting wildly.
"Mine, we're ready!"
Gil stood next to me, wielding a sickle-like blade in a sharp pose like a team hero. Lutz, gripping a knife in one hand, pointed toward the grassy area where there was no cobblestone.
"Mine, throw it onto the dirt!"
Listening to Gil and Lutz's voices, I hurled the Tau fruit with all my might toward the patch of dirt.
"Here it goes—sprout, sprout, sprout!"
First I got hit by concentrated fire at the Star Festival, and now I was harvesting Trombe.
Lutz has it rough.
Next time: the aftermath of the festival.