| Author: Eltria | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: Mui | English Source: Re:Library |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | |
“Congratulations on entering St. Salaius Private Elementary School-affiliated Kindergarten.”
On the day of admission, my mother gave me something wrapped in wrapping paper. “This is a celebration gift for your admission from me. You did well on the challenging exams and interviews, Leafa.”
“Thank you.”
As I untied the ribbon on the wrapping paper, a brand new hat was revealed. It was a round and flat hat with a white fabric base. Soft yet seemingly sturdy, the hat had gold thread embroidery and a green line as accents. It probably took inspiration from the Dragon Tree leaves, which likely contributed to the origin of my name.
“Did Mother make this hat…?”
“How is it? I hope you like it.”
Even before being informed of the fact that expectations were placed upon me, a strong awareness that this was exclusively mine took over.
“Of course.”
I replied, putting on my mother’s handmade hat with a smile. However…
“Oh dear, what should we do!”
In an instant, my field of vision was covered in a faint darkness, and I heard my mother’s small scream.
“Oh my, well, well…”
Uncertain how to react to my father’s wry smile, I lifted the hat to secure my field of vision. My mother, bending down with a sad expression, lowered her eyebrows and began examining the hat, adjusting its angle.
“Hmm. Doesn’t seem like this will work… It was a failure trying to make it a surprise. I should have at least tailored it to fit her beforehand…”
“It’s okay, I will grow into it.”
In other words, she probably overthought it to ensure it would be useful for a long time, resulting in something quite loose-fitting. Holding the oversized hat in front of my chest, I looked into my mother’s eyes with a smile.
“Leafa…”
“Haha, yeah. It seems like she can wear this for quite a long time.”
“But with this, she can’t see in front, and that’s dangerous. The route we take to school is also used by subordinate units and steam vehicles…”
Compared to the optimistic Father, Mother’s concerns were more realistic.
“Hey, lend it to me, Leafa. I’ll redo it.”
Although she said that, I couldn’t give away the hat that was carefully made for my important admission day.
“I’m fine, Mother. I can make it work with a hairpin.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea. Well done, Leafa,” Father commended.
“Thank you. Since Mother prepared it for this special day, I have to wear it today.”
I declared so, borrowed a thin metal hairpin from the sink, and fixed the slightly shifted hat to my hair near the back of my head.
“How about this? I have a clear line of sight, and what you’re worried about will not happen, Mother.”
“I’m happy. Thank you, Leafa.”
Just to be sure, I sought her approval, and my mother nodded with moist eyes.
“Thank you so much, Mother. This hat is my treasure1.”
◇◇◇
The entrance ceremony concluded smoothly, and under the Dragon Tree within the grounds of St. Salaius Private Elementary School-affiliated kindergarten, Alfe and I took a commemorative photo side by side.
Alfe seemed to really like my hat, and I was proud to receive her constant compliments.
“It’s wonderful that the Dragon Tree flowers are in full bloom. It turned out to be a great memory.”
“That’s right. As a commemoration of Leafa’s enrollment, it’s perfect. Thanks to your hat, she looks very dignified.”
“Leafa is always dignified and intelligent.”
“…Because she’s your daughter. No doubt about it.”
“If you’re going there, then it should be ‘our child,’ right, Rudra?”
While listening to the harmonious conversation of my loving parents, I observed the subordinate units and steam vehicles passing by outside the school grounds. During this midday period, I could see many vehicles running on the road along the city wall.
Especially rare was the sight of subordinate units, not often seen in the city. The reddish-yellow machine walking in front of us, judging by the shovel arm attached, seemed to be a unit for civil engineering and construction purposes.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew, causing the leaves of the Dragon Tree to rustle loudly.
“…”
Dust swirled, and I squinted, instinctively pressing down on my hat. However, what I touched was my own hair.
“Ah!”
Before I could react, Alfe exclaimed ahead of me and tried to chase after the blown-away hat.
“Alfe!”
Startled by my voice, Alfe lost her balance and fell. The hat, along with the swirling Dragon Tree leaves, was effortlessly lifted by the wind and floated away.
“The hat!”
At this rate, it would fall onto the road.
“No, Leafa, don’t!”
As I tried to run, my body was pulled back by my mother’s arms.
“Don’t chase after it!”
My mother’s voice sounded stern. In the meantime, the hat continued to be whimsically carried by the wind, falling onto the road where steam vehicles were passing and then, tragically, getting run over.
“Ah…”
No more words came out.
My first treasure, right in front of my eyes…
As if not wanting to show me that sight, my mother’s warm hand covered my eyes.
“It’s okay. You’re okay, Leafa.”
“But, the hat I received from you, Mother, because of my carelessness…”
“I can quickly make another hat.”
“It was my first treasure…”
“Thank you, Leafa. But, my treasure is you yourself. Nothing is more precious than your life.”
“Mother…”
“If something happened to you, it would be irreversible. You are the most important thing to me, no matter what. Do you understand, Leafa?”
“Yes…”
I understood the reasoning, but I could have done something before it fell onto the road. That thought made me resent my power which I kept on hiding even more.
“Leafa…”
Alfe approached me, sobbing.
“Alfe, are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
Alfe shook her head and muttered weakly, “I’m fine…”
Even as she said that, tears continued to flow from Alfe’s eyes. Though she fell, fortunately, Alfe didn’t suffer any major injuries.
“Thank you, Alfe. You tried to chase after my hat.”
“…Sorry… I’m sorry…”
Alfe looked at me with teary eyes and continued to cry.
“It’s okay. Mother said everything will be okay. Alfe, you don’t need to cry. It’s my fault, so I’ll…”
My father’s low voice echoed above me, and a large hand gently ruffled my hair.
“The hat took the place of future misfortunes. That’s all.”
In his hand, he held the hat with traces of wheels and subordinate unit footsteps. He spoke gently, his voice choked with emotion.
“…”
I couldn’t even say thank you. Tears welled up naturally, emotions I didn’t consciously summon flooded through my body like a torrent.
“Leafa, Leafa…”
Alfe looked at my face, her own face contorted as she cried. Seeing Alfe cry made me inexplicably sad, even though I knew this wasn’t something a grown-up should do. Despite understanding that, tears overflowed and wouldn’t stop.
Leafa’s body was reacting practically the same as Alfe, who was hugging me and bawling her eyes out. I couldn’t believe I was imitating such childish behavior, but the tears kept flowing without end.
“Both of you, don’t worry. I’ll fix this hat properly for you.”
“Leafa’s mommy… waahhh…”
My mother’s kindness soaked in, and tears overflowed once again. As tears continuously streamed down involuntarily, for the first time in my life, I allowed myself to cry, realizing it was okay to cry2.
Whether it was due to crying with Alfe, or taking it as the typical response of a child’s body with difficult emotional control and simply giving up on resisting, I couldn’t say. Strangely, it didn’t feel unpleasant.
◇◇◇
The next morning.
I woke up early and, upon entering the living room, found my mother sleeping in a chair.
On the table, there were sewing tools, and there, almost like new, was that repaired hat.
“…Mother, thank you.”
I gently covered my sleeping mother’s shoulders with a blanket brought from the bedroom and tried on the hat. Even though it was still too big for my head, I was happy to wear it.
To prevent it from being blown away, dropped, or suffering degradation, it would be prudent to take measures ensuring its stability and preservation. Making a potion with alchemy to make it resistant to water, oil, sweat, and the like might also be a good idea.
“Leafa, that hat…!”
Alfe was delighted with the restored hat as well. Her eyes widened, and her Pure Eye sparkled more than usual, making her joy evident.
“Mother fixed it.”
“Amazing. Like magic!”
While Alfe praised it as such, I couldn’t innocently agree, considering the effort my mother put into repairing it throughout the night.
“It’s more amazing than magic. I’m sure I can’t do something like this.”
As she nodded in agreement with my response, Alfe smiled brightly, as if she was genuinely happy.
“What is it, Alfe?”
“I’m glad you are feeling better, Leafa. And it’s good that you properly fixed it with hairpins.”
“You pay close attention.”
While I had cleverly designed it not to come off easily, I had used a bit more hairpins than necessary to avoid suspicion. Recognizing Alfe’s keen observation skills, I pretended not to notice and awkwardly smiled to divert the topic.
“I’m not repeating the same blunder again.”
“It’s your treasure, after all3.”
Alfe took my hand and smiled. It genuinely made me happy that Alfe could sense what I cherished.
“You know me well, Alfe.”
“I know everything about you, Leafa.”
Alfe’s innocent laughter made me wonder if she would find it strange if she knew about my memories from the past life—whether she would be creeped out knowing that I had been observing her since she was a baby.
For now, there was no need to mention it, and I didn’t plan to reveal it either.
