I finally became active when I turned two. First, I started to talk a little. I already knew the language pretty well, but my body couldn’t articulate while my brain seemed unable to relay commands well. It was—how to put it?—difficult to behave rationally. This was strange, as my body had no problem responding to its physical desires.
By the way, my first word was “rice.” Look, I really wanted rice, okay? They only had bread here. I also could say “yes” and “no.” I could even walk a few steps until, at three years old, I could finally wander around the house by myself.
It was a large house. There were two floors and eight rooms, some of which were unused. The kitchen was also well-stocked. It was simple compared to twenty-first century homes, but I sensed that our abode was upper class in this world. Just how high up the ranks we were, I didn’t know.
There was a garden. No other houses were nearby, so we seemed to be deep in the country. I had yet to meet anyone from the village, but I knew that it was nearby.
The house was a wood construction with glass windows, but it was not very well made. The dishware was either made from clay or wood. We did have a bit of silverware, but not much. The clothes resembled old-fashioned European garb.
My hair, it turned out, was flaming red. It was a bit different from Marie’s orange and Mom’s brown locks. I lacked a single Japanese feature on my face. Now, while well-proportioned, I had a stink face—I didn’t change my expressions much, and so I gave off an impertinent vibe.
I thought about all this while I sat on the stairwell up to the door. I watched Marie race around the garden, and thought, Why do kids run around so much? What a mystery!
Before long, Marie raced up towards me. “Shion! Come play with me!”
I wanted further details. “Running?”
“Yeah! Let’s race!” She said this with a perfect grin on her face. She was apparently in the midst of your typical five-year-old’s running mania.
I considered it. I was never into physical activities. I hated sports and was definitely acting above my age. While I wanted to refuse, I knew that once Marie had that glimmer in her eye, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. So, I stood and moved over next to Marie.
“Get ready!” she called. “Get set! Go!”
We took off—just five-year-old Marie and three-year-old me. Her size and muscle strength placed the advantage in her favor. I couldn’t keep up, and the distance between us grew and grew as she outpaced me.
Marie finished circling around the garden and came to a halt. “I win! You’re slow, Shion!”
“You’re so fast,” I said.
“I am?” She giggled. “Yeah, ’cuz I’m your big sister!”
Marie’s self-satisfied smirk must’ve made me seem the cutie-pie by comparison. She loved flattery and couldn’t hide even a smidge of self-satisfaction. Her personality was pretty simple. Sure, she was a child, but she was always over-the-top.
Marie suddenly jerked her head toward the front gate. “Dad’s here!”
I don’t know how she knew, but she high tailed it towards the gate. She’s seriously still running? I was vexed, but I followed her anyway.
Hoofs clopped, followed by a metallic creak as the gates opened. A horse-drawn carriage came into view. It had a canopy and everything, although nothing was loaded on the back. It proceeded into the garden and stopped at the front entrance of the house.
A man stepped down and out of the carriage. He was my dad, Gawain. He sported a fashionable beard and mustache, and had orange hair just like Marie. With a tightly trimmed haircut, he looked the part of a gentleman.
Marie leapt into the air as he stepped into the courtyard. “You’re home!”
“I’m home, Marie.” Gawain laughed loudly. “You’re as energetic as ever.”
“Yeah! I’m energetic like the sun in the sky because my hair’s the same color!”
“Is that what they told you? I believe it!” He laughed again while patting her head. She closed her eyes like a purring cat.
I stood nearby and watched. I wasn’t charging in for a hug. No way. I was still over thirty in my mind.
“Welcome back, Dad,” I said.
“Thank you, Shion. Why, you’re as well-mannered as ever.” He lifted me up in salutation for a moment.
“No, I’m not,” I said. “Marie is better.”
Marie looked like she was going to overheat with joy.
“Now, then, Daddy’s going to fix up the carriage, okay?” He went back inside the carriage and drove it to the stable in the corner of the garden.
I didn’t know the details about his work. There were still so many things I didn’t know about this world and its magic, but I would learn soon. I now talked and could move around by myself. People were impressed with me, and they often commented that I was “mature for his age.” That meant that I wouldn’t get questioned much for acting like an adult.
Of course, at the age of three, I still had limits. It’d be really strange if I started spouting off about magic as an infant, so I held my tongue. For now, anyway.
While it was still too soon for me to start investigating this world and its magic, I couldn’t wait any longer. At that moment, I vowed to learn.