n

n

n

nI hadn’t had dinner with my father and Aaron in a long time, but I still didn’t feel satisfied.

n

nAside from my anxiety, the fact that I only have three days until my debutante hasn’t changed.

n

n“Sigh…”

n

nI tried to soothe myself by looking at the flowers that were still in bloom. I wish time would stop like this. I wish my whole life was this peaceful…

n

nIt was a wish that converges to zero with a chance of being fulfilled.

n

n“Miss, what’s on your mind?”

n

nWhether that feeling was clearly reflected in my face, Mary, who had been brewing tea, asked in a worried tone.

n

n“It’s just that I feel a little weird.” Erita said,

n

n“Is it because of the debutante?” Mary continued.

n

n“Yes.”

n

n“Hmm. Well, both in the Grand Palace and in the North, there weren’t many people of your age, so it’s good to have a debutante.”

n

nMary gave another reason to look forward to. I wasn’t upset because of that reason, but I just shook my head at those words.

n

nFor a while, Mary encouraged me, saying, ‘You’ll do well,’ maybe just to make me feel better.

n

n“Mary… Can I really do well?”

n

nI hugged Mary’s waist and cling like a child in her arms

n

nPerhaps it was because she had been looking after me for the past ten years that I felt so childish in front of Mary.

n

n“Sure, I’m sure you’ll do well, you put in a lot of effort, right? So don’t worry too much.” Mary smiled sweetly and comforted Erita.

n

nMy question was about what would happen in the future, but Mary’s response seemed somewhat reassuring.

n

n“…Thank you, Mary.”

n

nAs I mumbled softly, Mary patted me on the back with a small smile without saying a word.

n

n‘Did five minutes pass like that?’

n

n“Oh, come to think of it, there’s been a festival in the square starting tonight.”

n

nMary, who had been quietly accepting my foolishness, opened her mouth in a whispering tone.

n

n“Festival?”

n

n“Yes. Debutante was a long event for the aristocrats, but it was also a very influential day for the people of the Capital. Everyone loves this time of year.”

n

nI giggled my head at those words.

n

nActually, the time of the debutante was important to me, and the event of debuting in the social world was not really my interest.

n

nIn the social world, I had to hide my inner self and act as a pretense, but that was never my style.

n

nSo, naturally, I’m not interested in it.

n

n“Hmm… is that so?”

n

n“At this time, a lot of nobles flock to the capital. Then, naturally, the city becomes lively. In that sense, they say that the night market will be open until the day before the debutante.” Mary kindly explained.

n

nAnyway, the point of the statement was that the festival would be held for three days starting tonight.

n

nAnd Mary’s intention in bringing it up was probably to pretend she has no idea when I go out.

n

n“…Thank you.”

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nI muttered smiling affectionately, and Mary just smiled boldly as usual.

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n

n✿

n

n

nIt was a little after nine o’clock. It was pitch black outside, visible through the window.

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nWith a brown hood over my comfy dress, I was ready to leave.

n

n“Then shall I go?”

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nI was thinking of going to the festival that Mary was talking about earlier.

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nOf course, the festival mainly decorated streets and night markets that are open until dawn, but it would definitely change my mood.

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nSnap—

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nWhen I snapped my finger, I quickly moved to an alley with few people. When I came out of the dark alley, it was located at the entrance of the square.

n

nI still had to walk ten minutes to get to the center of the street, but it was just as noisy here.

n

n“…The festival was bigger than I thought”

n

nThe street still had a lively energy, which had previously faded after nine o’clock.

n

nI blended in with the crowd to avoid drawing attention to myself.

n

nThere were several people who looked like couples in the large crowd, and there were also people who looked like families.

n

n“We sell lovely accessories! I’m sure it’s the perfect present for your loved ones!”

n

n“We sell yummy chicken skewers! If you buy two, get one free!”

n

n“Mom, please buy me chicken skewers!”

n

n“I think it’s going to be spicy. Will it be okay?”

n

n“Yes! Hurry, hurry!”

n

nThe streets were noisy with the voices of soliciting merchants and excited people.

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nWhen I left my body in the noisy atmosphere without resistance, I felt happy.

n

nThen I walked aimlessly for a while.

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nIt was the call of an old woman selling jewelry that stopped me.

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n“Pretty girl, would you like to take a look?”

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n“Me?”

n

n“Yeah, the pretty girl over there.”

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nNot feeling the need to decline, I approached the stall with a gentle nod.

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n“Look around comfortably.”

n

nA number of shiny ornaments were placed on the open shelf.

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nAfter looking around for a while, I picked a braid that I really liked.

n

nHair braids in the form of a rubber band inside the fabric seemed to have been popular at some time in my previous life.

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nA three-leaf clover-shaped pendant hung in the middle of the fabric.

n

n“How much is this?”

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n“That? Just twenty pennies.”

n

nIt was then…

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nNext to me, a girl who looked like seven or eight years old ran and stood.

n

n“Wow, it’s pretty!”

n

nIn the child’s eyes, the glittering ornaments seemed to be just beautiful.

n

nThe cute figure spread a smile on my face and the woman’s face at the same time.

n

nImmediately, a man who looked like the father of the child ran quickly.

n

n“Amy! Dad told you not to run alone.”

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nThe man, who looked still young, pinched the child’s cheek.

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nHowever, the child pointed to a piece of jewelry regardless of the man’s bruises.

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nThe short finger pointed to the hair braid I had chosen a while ago.

n

n“Dad! Can you buy this for Mom?”

n

n“What? To your mom?”

n

n“Yeah! Mommy’s hair was long and wavy!”

n

nThe child nodded her head with twinkling eyes. Her cheeks flushed with excitement at the thought of a gift for her mother.

n

nThe woman appeared to be in trouble at that time, and she said to the child.

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n“I’m sorry, the hair braid was chosen by the customer here first, can you choose another one?”

n

nIn response to the woman’s words, the child’s gaze alternated between me and the hair braid.

n

nI felt like I understood what I just heard.

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nThen, as soon as she came to the conclusion that she couldn’t buy the one I had chosen, her innocent face felt crying.

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n“My pretty daughter, let’s choose another one. There are many pretty things besides that braid. Huh?”

n

n

nThe child’s father was embarrassed and comforted the child’s reaction, but her crying face was still there.

n

nAfter watching them for a while, I spoke out. There was a bright smile along my voice.

n

n“Then I’ll choose another one.”

n

nAt my words, the child’s head swung towards me.

n

nThe eyes that met mine were sparkling. I made eye contact with that child and opened my mouth with a smile.

n

n“I’ll pick something else, so, I’m giving it to the mother of this pretty little girl.”

n

nThe child hesitated for a moment, even though she was happy with my words.

n

n“…Is that okay?”

n

nThen, I felt sorry for the child being cautious. I nodded, folding the ends of my eyes slightly.

n

n“It’s really all right.”

n

nThen a bright smile came to the child’s face.

n

n“Thank you!”

n

n“I’m so sorry about this…”

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n“No, I’m fine. Don’t mind me.”

n

n“Thank you very much. Amy, you should say thank you too.”

n

n“Thank you!”

n

nThe man who held the child’s hand bowed his head, saying thank you with an apologetic face.

n

nFollowing the father, the child also greets loudly.

n

nAnyway, I chose another braid, and the child held a pretty bag tightly in her arms, smiling, and left with her father.

n

n“Hey! Bye!”

n

nThe walking child turned back and waved at me. As expected, I also waved my hand at her.

n

n

n✿

n

n

nThe road to the center of the square was quite busy.

n

n‘Everyone here is going to see the fireworks, right?’

n

nMost of the people on the street walked in the same direction as me.

n

nThe crowd that was already bustling looked lively in my eyes, but I didn’t want to turn around.

n

n“Let’s go! We need to find a good spot!”

n

n“Oh, this guy. Do you want to see fireworks that much?”

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nI saw a child next to me urging and holding his parents’ hand.

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nTheir faces were full of excitement.

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nNot only the children, but everyone here looked happy.

n

nWondering as I walked a little more.

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nThere was already a large crowd around the central fountain when I arrived.

n

n‘I should go back a little bit.’

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nI liked people’s lively energy, but I didn’t want to be the one who frowned among them.

n

n“You’ll be able to see the fireworks from afar anyway.”

n

nI looked around and walked towards the quiet alley next to a store.

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nI’m glad the square was big. I think it’s a little smaller than a football stadium, with some exaggeration.

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nI leaned against the alley and thought nonsense.

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nFortunately, people don’t seem to be very interested in places other than the center, and unlike around the bustling fountains, there were only three or four more people where I was standing.

n

n“What time is it now?”

n

nIt seems the time has run out, but I was just wondering about the event that didn’t start yet.

n

nBoom! Boom—!!

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nThe sky was dyed with bright colors with a loud plosive sound that exploded without any warning.

n

n“Wow!”

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nThere were shouts from everywhere, not knowing who it was.

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nThe colorful stars embroidered the black sky that filled the view. The bright fireworks made the dark night like a bright day.

n

n“…It’s pretty.”

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nI stood still and looked straight up at the sky. Technically, it wasn’t the first time I saw a fireworks display.

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nI remember seeing faintly through the window of an orphanage once in my previous life.

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nIt was probably shot at a festival in an amusement park a little far from the orphanage.

n

n“At that time, I thought fireworks would be hot.”

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nBut when I grew up, I realized it wasn’t.

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nFunny, I haven’t had a chance to see fireworks since I realized that. The sudden memory made me laugh out loud.

n

n“…But it’s prettier to see it up close.”

n

nAfter muttering like that, I clapped my hands in the air without showing them off.

n

n‘Though the organizers will be a little surprised.’

n

nI’m not doing anything bad though. The tip of my swollen fingers was facing the sky where the flames were sinking.

n

nAnd after a while, when the sky calmed down as if the event was over.

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nBoom!

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nThe fireworks exploded several times more colorful than they had ever seen.

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nIt was an explosion of the magical mass that I had blown away.

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nThe overwhelming size and cheers erupted from the crowd.

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nWhen the big flames faded, a series of small fireworks followed, drawing different shapes.

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nThey probably don’t know the fireworks are over and they think this is also a show.

n

n“Oh, my! Did you see that?”

n

n“You see! This year is better than last year, isn’t it?”

n

nI was watching the magical dance that I had sent while listening to the sentiments I heard.

n

nThen, someone tapped my shoulder…

n