Chapter 55

The Letter One year ago, Umi’s sister had suddenly gone missing. At the beginning of July, the police had gotten in touch to say they’d located a bag believed to be hers. Umi’s younger sister, Shizuku, had always been strong-willed—she’d just never let anybody see it. Umi saw her as more levelheaded than herself, and more relaxed than their youngest sister, Mio. She also took a long time choosing the best course of action, which Umi found a little too neurotic. So when Umi had heard she was gone, her immediate thought was Oh no, she’s gotten dragged into something bad. Shizuku would never disappear without contacting her family, as long as she was able to do so. Her parents and her other sister seemed to feel the same way, because they never gave up, even when the search concluded that no foul play had been involved in her disappearance. They were stuck for clues when her bag happened to turn up. Inside it were several books, a diary, some random belongings, her phone, and last of all, a letter addressed to her family. “If you’re reading this letter, then I’ve decided to stay where I am.” The letter was penned in beautiful handwriting. In it, Shizuku spoke of spending the past year visiting unfamiliar places and receiving help from the local people. She also mentioned that she felt it was important to see out the changes that would result from the decisions she’d made there. Reading this, Umi felt oddly relieved. “Shizuku… I’m happy for you.” She knew this day would come eventually. She’d thought the same thing when Shizuku left home to go to college. Out of the three sisters, Shizuku had always been the most independent, ever since she was a little girl. She’d grown up admiring her older sister and taking care of her younger sibling, so Umi always believed that she’d venture far from home to pursue her own goals someday. That “someday” had come one summer day a year earlier, as well as today. After a year of struggling in her new world, Shizuku had chosen her path. She’d decided to stay in the world that she’d transformed. Umi found that reassuring. She was still sad, but her happiness was greater. She’d always suspected that Shizuku was struggling to live the life she truly wanted to live. Now that her wish had come true, the least she could do was celebrate that. It was an older sister’s prerogative to get to support this new chapter of her younger sister’s life. “I’m really sorry for making you worry and not being able to come home, but I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for you—my family. Thank you for giving me so much love. Thank you for being there.” “Thank you for being my little sister, Shizuku,” whispered Umi. The eighteen years they’d spent together had been a blessing. Umi loved her younger sisters way more than she loved herself. A teardrop fell onto the letter she held open in her hands, causing the black ink to glisten. “If I get another chance, I’ll make sure to send you another message. I love you.” “Yeah. I’ll be waiting.” After reading the letter again, Umi found a photo saved on Shizuku’s phone and smiled. Her hair had grown really long, and she was with an unfamiliar young man, looking incredibly happy. “Princess, the trees I’ve been growing at home have fruit on them, so I picked a few and made some jam. I left it in the kitchen, so please try some when you decide to have a snack.” After skim-reading the letter penned in the continent’s common language, Ortea looked up. The woman who’d written the letter was standing in front of her office desk, so Ortea gave her honest opinion. “Okay. I’ll eat them later. You’ve gotten much better at writing letters, too. Good work. This was no trouble to read.” “Thank you…very much, Princess.” “…Your conversational skills still need some work, though. But I can tell you’re trying.” “I stuppying erry dee,” Shizuku said. “Wait, I can’t even tell what you’re saying,” Ortea replied, bringing a troubled look to Shizuku’s face. She wrote the words “I’m studying every day” on a piece of paper and showed it to the queen. Ortea said the phrase slowly and clearly, and Shizuku mimicked her pronunciation several times, then puffed out her chest, brimming with unfounded confidence. “I got it,” she declared. Her friend’s performance brought an awkward smile to Ortea’s face. “Well, take it slowly. There are people who are willing to help you out.” It had been a year since the upheaval involving the witch. After losing the ability to understand people, Shizuku and Erik had lived together in Farsas Castle for a while, but they’d since returned to a town near Souit Desert where Shizuku was helping out while she learned the language. Occasionally, she came to hang out in Kisk, but she never stayed for very long. Ortea, meanwhile, always looked forward to her simple conversations with her friend, who was learning more of the language with every day that went by. “That reminds me. I heard that stupid king gave you a last name.” “Wad dib oo ear.” “Uh-uh.” Ortea repeated her sentence using simpler words, writing the words on a piece of paper. When she showed it to Shizuku, she smiled awkwardly. On their continent, last names were usually only granted to non-nobles when they’d accomplished something remarkable. Shizuku had probably received hers for her role in defeating the witch. When Ortea heard about it, she was annoyed, wishing that she’d been the one to give Shizuku a name. Still, as far as wedding gifts from the stupid king of Farsas went, it wasn’t a bad one. In fact, it might have been quite nice. The queen smiled and looked up at her friend. “Vivia Babel, huh? That’s a great name,” she said. “Oh, here’s your wedding gift from me.” Ortea took a flower-shaped hair ornament carved from a large crystal out of her desk drawer. It was enchanted with protective magic, so it was sure to keep Shizuku safe, even when she was away. Shizuku’s dark brown eyes widened. “Princess… I’m very…happy. Thank you…so much.” Just as Shizuku was accepting the gift, there was a knock at the office door. Someone must have come to fetch her. True enough, the person who’d acted as her protector for so long—now her husband—had arrived. The newlyweds politely thanked Ortea, then started making their way back home. After watching them leave, the queen returned to her work, feeling just as content as they were.