When I’d first met Liam some time ago, he had been quite a wild child, but now that he had spent some time studying, he’d really changed a lot. He seemed to have gotten cleverer and cleverer, absorbing knowledge like a dry sponge soaking up water, and his view of the world had also expanded. When I’d visited him not too long ago, he’d told me much the same thing. But this was the first time I’d heard him call these plans his dream. Hearing that really made me happy.
“I’m glad you found yourself a dream,” I said, unable to keep myself from smiling.
“Well,” Liam replied bashfully, “I have one for the time being, anyway.”
Then I realized Cezar still hadn’t said anything in response, so I glanced over to see why he remained silent. He was looking up with an expression that suggested he was desperately trying to suppress some emotion.
Umm, I wonder what he’s struggling with. When I looked more closely, I could see his eyes were ever so slightly moist. Eh? Don’t tell me he’s trying not to cry!
If that was the case, I could understand why he was looking up. Perhaps he was trying to stop the tears welling in his eyes from overflowing. Given how Liam’s story had unfolded, I couldn’t imagine that Cezar was still sad or frustrated. In that case, his tears must be welling up from joy. I hoped that was the case.
Liam, who was only just meeting Cezar for the first time, couldn’t have been expected to fully understand this subtle change in his emotions, but he gave the silent Cezar a perplexed look.
“Mister, what’s the matter?”
This seemed to snap Cezar out of his thoughts. He looked straight at Liam.
“Ah, nothing. I was just happy to hear you say that. If we have more people like you in Ethenell, I know it can become a better place. I promise to work my very hardest too.”
Looks like Cezar really was happy to hear what Liam said. I’m glad.
Liam seemed a bit bashful after hearing Cezar’s response.
“Sure, mister.”
Cezar and Liam then began a prolonged conversation about Ethenell, and at first I thought I might listen to them, but then a girl called to me.
“Over here, over here,” she said.
When I followed her, I found the girls who had been following Cezar earlier all huddled together. They seemed to have enough manners to know to give him some space. They really were quite mature for their age.
The girls then encircled me. I’d been surrounded by the little ones many times before, but this was my first time being surrounded by slightly older girls.
“Ummm... What’s going on?” I asked the girl who had summoned me.
“Miss Katarina, how do you know that man?” she asked in return, leaning toward me.
“U-Umm... We’re just friends,” I answered. I could hardly tell her that I was a tour guide for a foreign prince.
“Is that so? Since you came here together, I thought he might be your boyfriend,” she said coolly.
I was so shocked that I stood there with my mouth hanging open. The group of girls then continued their conversation, glancing contemptuously at me as I stood frozen to the spot.
“Didn’t I tell you? Miss Katarina is with Mr. Jeord, so she couldn’t be going out with him.”
“Eh? I thought Mr. Keith was her boyfriend.”
“Didn’t I tell you that they’re brother and sister?”
“No, when I asked you about it you told me that he’s her adopted brother, so they could still be secret lovers.”
“But she could still be going out with Mr. Alan, right?”
“What about Mr. Nicol?”
The girls were all squealing and seemed to be having a great deal of fun, while I felt like running away.
I can’t believe my relationships with my brother and my friends looked that way to them. Girls these days sure are precocious.
“But Mr. Jeord definitely likes Miss Katarina.”
“Well, so does Mr. Keith.”
After saying these words, two of the girls looked at me expectantly.
Oof. I’m still dealing with that situation, and it’s a touchy subject for me. Come to think of it, I didn’t realize these facts for the longest time, so how did these girls know? They must be really perceptive. What is with kids these days?
“Hey, Miss Katarina, which of them do you like?”
“Have either of them confessed their love to you?”
The girls’ eyes shone as they continued to press me for answers.
So I ran.
“Ah, wait!”
“She’s running away!”
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I got the feeling that I couldn’t deal with those precocious girls any longer, burst out of the cafeteria, and kept running until I was all the way outside. As an adult, I couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed by my own conduct, but it was the only way I could think of to evade their pointed questions.
Relieved to find that the girls had not in fact chased me outside, I looked around the garden and spotted some of the little ones playing tag. I really am more suited to little kids around this age. I just can’t keep up with kids after they’ve grown a bit older.
“Let me play too,” I said, while walking over to where the little kids were playing.
They cried out for joy and came up to me with smiles on their faces.
“Have you finished your tea?”
“We were playing tag.”
“I didn’t get caught, not even once.”
They were all so desperate to talk to me. It was truly adorable.
“I’ve finished my tea, so is it okay if I play too?”
“Sure!” they all cried.
And so I ended up joining them in their game of tag. Though they might be little, I couldn’t let my guard down. These kids could be surprisingly crafty. So I had to take this game of tag seriously. I rolled up my sleeves, then I went running with the little ones.
“Huff, puff... Let’s take a little break,” I said. The little ones never seemed to get tired no matter how much they ran around, but the same wasn’t true for me. If I didn’t take the occasional breather, I couldn’t go on. As I gasped for air, I sat down on a nearby lawn, only for a number of boisterous children to run after me.
“Miss Katarina, are you tired already?”
“Let’s play hide-and-seek next.”
Kids really have a lot of energy.
Still panting, I managed a wry chuckle in response.