Makoto decided to leave school early. Though he felt much better, he still had a headache. It felt strange to him, to be walking home at an hour when Toiro and the others were still copying teachers’ writings from the blackboard.
“Come to think of it…” he said to himself, “I was going to go to the doctor… I’ve still got some time before my afternoon appointment… Maybe I’ll go by the park…”
The hospital was near the orphanage where he and his brother had stayed for some time. Thinking he would relax for a while before his afternoon checkup started, he headed towards the station and made a turn up the street.
—Ring.
Immediately after turning the comer, he was surprised to see an empty lot, overgrown with weeds. There, a little girl stood. She wore red shoes and a white dress. It was Momo.
She looked like an angel who had just descended upon the field. Only this angel held, in her tiny hand, an enormous scythe. That was the only thing that indicated she was a shinigami. It was virtually the same as the one held by the shadow, long ago.
Enduring the throbbing headache, Makoto approached Momo.
“Well, aren’t we hard at work taking lives?”
Makoto meant it as a joke, but the remark was in bad taste. A fierceness appeared in Momo’s angelic face as she cast her huge eyes upon Makoto.
“Ow!” Makoto suddenly yelped. “Ngggghhh-hhhh!!” Makoto hadn’t noticed where Daniel was, and now the cat was biting him.
“You stupid human!” Daniel yelled. “It’s not like Momo does this because it’s fun! She’s searching for something! And you humans… you know what she thinks about you humans… Waaaaah!”
The last part of the sentence remained unintelligible as Daniel erupted into a crying fit. From out of the cat’s eyes flowed large, ping-pong ball sized tears.
Momo cradled Daniel in her arms. “Daniel, it’s okay.”
“But this jerk,” the cat sobbed. “He… he doesn’t understand anything… Waaghh…!”
“It’s okay. C’mon, don’t cry,” Momo whispered. She caressed Daniel gently in an effort to comfort him.
“…I’m sorry…” Makoto apologized.
Judging by Daniel’s reaction, Makoto understood he had said something terribly cruel.
He glared at Makoto coldly, with his tail and fur standing on end. “Well, I don’t forgive you!” Daniel retorted.
“Daniel, I said it’s okay,” Momo affirmed.
“I’m really sorry,” Makoto apologized again, bowing his head.
“I’m sure he’ll find it in his heart to forgive you,” Momo said in a very adult manner, though her voice sounded so childlike.
“I’m sorry…” Makoto said yet again.
Raising his head, he saw Momo patting and comforting Daniel, who was still sobbing ping-pong ball tears. It was a sight far different from Makoto’s initial impression of them. He had thought they were cold and detached. Instead, Momo wore such a warm and gentle expression.
Makoto thought she was “peculiar” and he was right. The shinigami who came when his father had died was cold and fearsome. But from the start, Momo never came across that way. To the contrary, one almost got the sense that she was intentionally trying to give off the impression that she was unfeeling.
“What he just said, about you searching for something…” Makoto asked casually.
“Well, don’t you have something, something that you’re searching for?” Momo asked in return. “Everyone has something that they’re searching for, right?”
“Well… Uh…” he stammered.
“You haven’t found it yet?” she asked.
“Huh…?”
“You can see things that can’t be seen, right? So why can’t you see it? That precious thing, it’s really close to you. Why can’t you see it? You should be able to.”
“Uh, what are you talking about…?” he said, confused.
“You don’t understand, do you? Why are you able to see things that cannot be seen? What’s the reason you can see these things… Haven’t you ever thought about that?”
“…I don’t know…” he answered.
“I see… Then you’ll never be able to find it. It’s so close to you, this precious thing. Yet if you can’t find it, you’ll lose it forever.”
Having said that, the girl—taking her black cat with her—vanished, leaving a trace of white light behind.
✦ ✦ ✦
A bald-headed little boy saw Makoto approaching and raced towards him.
“Heyyy! Makoto! What’s up with you, you look so mean!”
“Whaddaya mean I look mean?” Makoto exclaimed. “How can you say that when we haven’t seen each other in forever, Nobu?”
Makoto had arrived at Nanoha-en and was immediately surrounded by several kids. For one reason or another, all the children here had been separated from their parents.
Nobu was now something of a punk chieftain among the kids. But when Makoto was still living in the orphanage, Nobu had always been secluded, immersed in the sadness of having to live away from his parents.
“Say, Makoto, don’t look so sad. Let’s play,” said Nobu.
Did he look that bad? Makoto wondered to himself. In truth, his headaches hadn’t subsided yet. And now his head was reeling more than ever, what with all the things the shinigami girl, Momo, had said to him.
“Oh sorry, Nobu. I have a headache today. I wanted to relax a little here before I go to the hospital.”
“Oh, you’re so boring,” Nobu whined. “Well, fine. Oh, hey! Let’s have dinner together, Makoto. Today they’re serving your favorite, the orphanage director’s special curry!”
“Are you serious?!”
In spite of himself, Makoto began to feel happy.
He received counseling at the hospital. He was able to talk about things he could not speak of before, such as his feelings for the girl. He felt as if he could now begin to move forward.
The curry was waiting for him. His headache eased up a bit. So Makoto gave Takaki a call, telling him he was going to eat at the orphanage tonight.
He now realized a lot of time had passed since he had the curry craving, but still, he hadn’t been able to eat any curry yet. He felt grateful, very grateful, to the orphanage director who decided to prepare curry despite the hot weather. Makoto struggled to stop himself from drooling.