She placed the hot milk on the table in front of me.
I understood what they were saying, and that they were trying to cheer me up, but...
“So, what kind of magic did you get anyway?”
“...It’s not magic.”
“Hmm?”
“How do I explain it? It’s got a different sort of feel...”
“Is that so?”
“It’s really, really, super odd. The priestess said she’d never seen it before. It’s an abnormality, she said.”
“It’s that unusual?”
“She said you could normally see a level or something, but she couldn’t for me. So she didn’t know if I’d become strong or not.”
“You don’t really need to become strong,” Mom said with a smile.
“Right. You already help us out a lot around the restaurant,” Dad said kindly, his arms folded.
But, but...!
“But, you guys worked so hard to earn that money! So that I could go to school! But I’ve got nothing to show for it!”
“Anti.”
“I know how hard it was to pay off the tuition with the earnings from the restaurant! If... if I knew this was going to happen, I’d never have gone, and just worked here the whole time instead!”
“Annie...”
“I’m a good-for-nothing! I’m useless, just a joke for my classmates to laugh at! If... if I had at least been born normal...”
“Anti!!!!” Dad shouted.
“...!! Ah...”
“Anti, don’t just stand there. Have a seat,” Dad said, pulling out a chair.
I looked over at Mom. Normally she always had a smile on her face, but now her expression had gone serious.
“A-are you... mad?”
“Yeah, we are. Sit down.”
Right. That made sense.
They worked so much every day so their daughter could go to school, so of course they’d be angry...
It was just like they’d tossed that money straight in a ditch...
My shoulders sagged as I took my seat.
As I stared at the steam coming off the hot milk, I felt like my heart was being crushed.
“Anti.”
Yes, what is it? Sorry you ended up with a daughter like me.
“What?”
“Look at me.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Just look at me.”
“What is it?”
“Just look at my hair and eyes.”
...? His hair and eyes?
“Why do you want me to do that?”
I couldn’t tell what Dad was thinking.
“Anti, my eyes are brown, but my hair’s a shining blond, right?”
“Huh? Y-yeah.”
“When I was young, I worked in a mine on the outskirts of Cardiff. I dug up coal and magic stones and the like.”
I had heard just a bit about this, back when I was little. When the town was just getting started, coal and magic stones were an important source of funding, and he helped out with that.
“Magic stone ore reflects light really well, you see. So my light blond hair showed up in them real well. My buddies would say, ‘It’s great digging alongside Derek, because it makes finding the stuff go so much quicker!’”
...That’s true. Mines are dark, so a bright color would stand out, wouldn’t it?
But why is he talking about that now?
“Your mom was the one who carried lunches to us miners.”
“R-really?”
“Hehehe.”
“Anti, look at your mom’s eyes.”
I did as I was told, turning my whole body towards Mom, who was giving off a kind, gentle impression. Her hair was black, and her eyes were orange.
“...I fell for those eyes and that smile of hers. I didn’t know such a beautiful color could exist. Like a fool, I’d thought my hair was the greatest gift in all creation. But I had just been conceited. Sola’s eyes were the color of the sun, shining like it does when it rises in the morning, and burning the same way it does at sunset. The second I saw that brilliance, Dear, I fell for you completely!”
“Oh, my, Dear! I’m blushing!”
I love Mom’s eyes, too. There’s a depth to the orange of her eyes, sort of. Like there’s all sorts of emotions imbued in them, and like they’re not just one single color.
“And then? Well, I wooed her, and then we were blessed with you!”
“Hehehe, Derek was so cute back then!”
Wow, so Dad talked her into it, huh...?
I guess he was just as straightforward back then as he is now.
“And then, there was a certain thing we discussed when you were in Sola’s belly. I said I wanted my kid to have Sola’s eyes.”
“And I said I’d be glad if my child was born with Derek’s hair.”
“Of course we said we’d love you if you had either of them, or neither.”
My face went beet red. Being so open at a time like this just wasn’t fair.
“Then a bit later, you were born. I remember it like it was yesterday... After Sola had some time to rest, I got to meet you. I held you in my arms, and we both looked at you. Your blond hair was just like mine.”
“We were both grinning from ear to ear when we saw you.”
“And then you opened your eyes for the first time, and you looked at me. I can still recall how I felt then.”
“I said, ‘Oh, so that’s what the color of my eyes is like?’ didn’t I? It was totally different from looking at myself in the mirror.”
“My hair, and Sola’s eyes. I didn’t believe in God, but at that time, I sure did thank him. I mean, it was just the best, wasn’t it? The absolute greatest? There was no way that I, that we, wouldn’t love this daughter of ours. To us, you’re a blessing from God. It was like we were being told ‘Keep going for it, living like you are!’”
“Before we knew it, both of us were crying. That seemed to surprise you, and it was just so cute!”
I... I started crying. And it wasn’t like those tears from before.
These two really are the best parents a girl could have.
I really am loved.
“You’re a full marks, 100/100 daughter. I won’t let anyone insult my daughter, even my daughter herself!”
“Saying it would be better if you were born different is the dumbest thing anyone’s ever said!”
...I’m glad... that I’m their daughter...