Dancing under the moonlight — Meilin

We left Kazemura the next morning.

Haruki had returned to the house where I was initially living and brought all the necessary supplies. When he returned, I noticed that his belly had gotten larger.

As soon as he saw us, he ran towards us and mewed, “You guys just disappeared yesterday! I had to manage the children by myself, and I was scared to death that you might’ve gotten in trouble, nya!”

“We’re fine— It’s just a small trip to the market. And also, just how much did you eat?” Himari chuckled, poking Haruki’s stomach.

“This is not food nya! I mean, some of it is, but most of it is Madame Meilin’s equipment: her clothes, spell books, potions, etc.”

I stared at Haruki’s huge belly. “I’m surprised you can stuff so many things into your stomach. But now that you look like this, I think passersby will think that our cat is about to give birth.”

Himari burst out laughing, “I thought so too!”

Haruki smacked my forehead with his tail, “Then would you like to carry all of this by yourself instead, nya?”

“No, thank you.”

The children of the orphanage were all waiting for Himari, all of them

dressed in pretty kimonos. Huh. Kimono? Now that I think of it, Kazemura did remind me of Japan.

“Big sister Himari!” Souta ran towards her as she exited the orphanage. “We made something for you.”

The children, all lined up, passed a gift box over to Himari. “Oh my. You shouldn’t have.” Himari smiled at the kids, then at the gift box. She lifted the lid of the box and gasped in surprise. Inside was a baby blue kimono with sunflower patterns. It was sewn together carefully, though the stitch line was quite apparent.

A young girl spoke up, “Big sis Himari always cared for us and made us little kimonos, so we decided to make one for big sis! Big sis always wears either a t-shirt or her uniform, since she used up all her money on us and doesn’t have any allowance left to buy things for herself…” Tears swelled up in her eyes.

Himari crouched down and stroked the little girl’s hair, “Yuki, I’m very grateful for this gift. I don’t buy things for myself because I’d rather see you guys have fun and smile, and I am not that invested in fashion anyway. Promise that you will behave from now on and always care for others, okay? It’s okay to cry, but I hope I can see your bright smile one last time before I leave.”

Yuki wiped her tears and forced a sad smile, “Yes, big sis!”

Himari went over to all of the children, one by one, and thanked them for the gift.

“Alright. I’m done.” Himari smiled at me and Haruki, but I could see the sadness behind her eyes.

“If you want to stay with them, you don’t have to force yourself to leave…”

“No.” Himari shook her head. “I mean, of course, I want to stay with them. But it’s time for a new start. I’m already 19. Can you believe it? I need something new. A new chapter of my life. So, let's go!”

I nodded. “According to Ruri, we would have to go to Becher next.”

“Wait.” Himari held up the kimono that the children had gifted her. “Can I change into this kimono first?”

“Sure, nya!” Haruki mewed, “Don’t take too long, though!”

“Yep!” Himari went back into the orphanage to get changed.

“So, Madame Meilin.” Haruki’s eyes gleamed in curiosity. “I heard something happened in the streets yesterday. Mind telling me about it?”

“We went to buy some supplies. And then a pack of monsters appeared in the street. A girl and I fought the monsters. That’s about it.”

“I feel like you’re leaving out a lot of details.” His face was saying, What a bad storyteller, nya! “Never mind. I’ll ask Himari later.”

Road to Becher:

Becher is a place renowned for its snowy mountains and is famous for its alcohol. Most alcohol in Kazemura was imported from Becher. Many people from Becher go to Kazemura on holiday.

The people of Becher were known to have nasty tempers and loved fights; they also had horrid breath that could cause a villager to faint.

However, since a majority of tourists in Kazemura are from Becher, the villagers have created special shops for tourists and reduced the number of Becherians visiting places where locals usually spend their time.

From what I heard, the villagers had a bad impression of the Becherians. I sure hope they aren’t as bad as they sound.

The trip to Becher took around two weeks by horse carriage. The driver was outgoing, and we had a nice time while Haruki, Himari, and the driver chatted.

I peeked out of the carriage. The sun shone brightly over fields of blooming dahlias. If only I could pluck some and give them to Haokei…she would’ve loved them.

Occasionally, we stopped to rest. Himari would feed the horses, and I felt exhaustion take over my body. Slowly, I drifted into the dream world.

“Meilin…” This again. Haokei stood on the edge of the forest's cliff. She was laughing, chasing her group of friends. I stood by myself, watching them play.

Is this the alternative ending if I were to go with her?

Suddenly, Haokei’s laughter morphed into a scream as she tripped and fell down the high cliff.

My legs moved on their own. I ran after her, crying, "Haokei!"

By instinct, I took out my staff. "Freeze!"

A beam of light shot out, holding Haokei in place. She smirked. "This is Earth, Meilin. Magic doesn’t work. You can’t fix the past. It’s all your fault."

It was like time stopped, then resumed as Haokei continued to plunge to her death. I stood there, helpless.

I jolted awake, panting frantically.

It was in the middle of the night. Himari and the others were sleeping soundly.

I tossed and turned, trying to sleep, but my brain was wide awake. We were almost at Becher, and the night air was frigid, nearly freezing me to death. I put on a coat and left the carriage.

We were parked right next to a forest, almost identical to the one Haokei went to. I decided to take a stroll in the forest, only hoping I wouldn’t get lost.

“Illumination.” The tip of my staff lit up, and I ventured into the forest.

The forest was quiet and still. The wind howled through the snow mountains, carrying a chill that bit at my cheeks. Crickets sang their lullaby, and a single firefly glowed ahead. Soon, more joined, lighting the path like tiny lanterns. The sight was fascinating.

I ventured on, then I heard a soft humming from a distance. I turned my head immediately. I held up my staff where the sound was coming from.

“My sweet child, rest assured.

Sleep, my dear, put your worries away.

Don’t worry about the next day, rest your eyes,

and I’ll be on your side…”

A woman, dressed in a white nightgown, appeared in front of me. Her lips parted, and before I could react, she swiftly approached me and gently stroked my hair.

“It’s not safe out here, child. Please return to where you were supposed to be.” Her eyes were a lovely shade of sky blue, gleaming under the moonlight.

“I was just taking a walk,” I replied, lowering my staff.

“Well. What a bad time to take a walk.” She mumbled and walked over to a particular circle of white chrysanthemums. She plucked one of them and placed it near her ear. “I shall perform my nightly ritual now. After that, I’ll escort you back to where you were from.” The lady smiled softly, her smile as beautiful as a lotus.

Perhaps I was too stunned to meet a person in the middle of the night; I didn’t notice the ethereal beauty of the lady until now.

Her hair was silver, silky and straight, capturing the moonlight like a mirror. A most unusual colour. Her sapphire eyes gleamed, yet a hint of sadness lingered behind their elegance.

Her mention of a nightly ritual only deepened the mystery.

The wind blew the white petals of the flowers into the air. The lady took a deep breath and shifted her stance.

She was dancing.

Under the moonlight.