Sorry for the long delay,
I fell sick a while back so i had to rest a lot. (Even though it was just a throat inflammation that cause me to get fever, horrible coughing, headache, etc.)
Thanks for understanding and waiting.
Thanks to crimson for edits
and also thanks for reviews/faves/follows!
What do I value most in my life?
That question has been flying around in my head. It's true that I do not value my soul, my wealth, or anything else in that matter. Perhaps I value my freedom most, but in truth, I don't have any freedom to begin with, I cannot give what I don't have.
Besides, even If I value my freedom the most, I can't possibly give that to her. I don't want myself to be more restricted than I am now…
Sigh.
Why is it so hard to give what I value most?
Maybe that's the point of the whole deal.
To give up what I value most is something to get my wish granted.
But what's the point?
I mean…
I want more freedom and probably will ask for it again for the wish that I want to come true,
But then I will have to give up the freedom that I have now.
Ridiculous…
"Maki-chan!" Someone called me downstairs, probably my mother.
I quickly run to her in response,
Wondering what she wants from me today.
"What is it, mama?" I asked as I took my last step at the end of the stairs.
"We're going out all day today. There are plenty of things to do in the new clinic, your new maids will arrive soon—then maybe also the bodyguard too… make sure you get to know them, ok?" She said.
"Heh—I will…" I replied.
"Maki, make sure to assign them with the job. You know how I want the house…." papa said clearly.
"I know…" I replied to him.
"Then, farewell…" he said before he left.
Tch… I don't like it when he acts so cold like that…
There will always be a time like this though…sadly…
My mother smiled at me before she left with him.
I'm all alone at home now…
Some may call this as freedom.
But this is not quite the freedom that I want.
I returned to my room, wondering if I should try to sleep and hope that I could get some ideas from that merchant about what I should do. That's only if I somehow get to meet her since I didn't meet her again last night…
Seriously,
It was really random.
I really wonder when she will come to pick this thing off me. Is it only when I'm sure that I don't want it?
But how can she tell?
I can always say that I don't want it just to make her appear here…
But…
Hmm…
That will be strange, right?
I can't be talking and yelling on my own since that merchant won't hear me anyway.
Sigh.
I'm thinking too much.
As I walk to my bed and lay down. I can sense myself feeling somewhat lonely. Perhaps I should ask for a pet or something like that, knowing that I won't be allowed to move around with the outbreaks of whatever disease they're now dealing with.
Sigh….
Why my life is so lame.
I guess rather than trying to sleep again, I should go play my piano. I bet not many people here know piano. I believe they don't even know where I came from either.
Ah well.
I jumped off my bed,
Then headed out of my room…
If I take a look at it again, this house is over luxurious. My father got some serious luck here...
I heard he was only an average doctor before he married my mother. Now he is like a powerful person—a millionaire… I wonder if all these wealth meant something to him…
I really should try asking him later…
Maybe it will help me to know what I truly value in my life.
As I reached my piano,
I started with a play of etude, an etude that could reach all the notes to check the piano's tone stability. First row—I could feel a lot of the tone stray from its proper sound. They must have no ability to know if a tone is off or not. I can't blame them though, not everyone can sense such things.
Sometimes, even if someone has a musical background, they might not be able to sense it until they have mastered it…unless that someone has the gift… like me….
Hey now…
I can boast about this ability all day.
I should just go ahead and tune it.
Tuning a piano is like slicing a piece of cake for me. Again–not everyone can do this…
I know. I am that special.
Sadly though, there aren't many people who appreciate this ability. I bet people around the house back then were just trying to be nice to me or something. They don't look like they care enough to actually listen.
As I finished, once again I tried to play an etude—reaching all the notes.
Now it is all good and it's time for me to shine on!
I started to play a song—any song that came into my mind.
I don't want to feel lonely, that's why i called upon them—my best friend, the music of my life. Even though I can feel how plain it is, I still want to listen to them.
The way they comfort me,
The way they flow into my heart…
I really love it…
Is there anything more heavenly than this, I wonder?
I don't think so…
Unless the outside world is a lot more exciting than this, then I believe that will be the only heaven above melodies.
As I played longer and longer… I could feel warmth spread across my cheeks.
What a good feeling….
It's like I have fallen in love with music…
Wait a minute….
Did I just say…I have fallen in love with music?
Can I pay with my music?
Because…if I can… then I will certainly pay with that….
Since…I have endless music in me… I will never run out of it!
Suddenly, I could see someone at the window across my piano...
That someone is sticking her face against the glass! Creepy!
"H-Hey! What the heck?!" I yelled.
Hmm…I know this someone,
She is the merchant—Kousaka Honoka!
As her eyes meet mine, she smiled so creepily while clapping her hands at me. Wow, creepy….
"S-Stop being so uncanny damn it!" I yelled.
She appears to look somewhat excited, and then she started to yell from the outside,
"Can I come in?" she asked.
"Heh—come on in!" I said.
Then she just….
Wow…
She just…
Entered through the wall…
What the heck?
How the heck did she do that?"
Anyway, so she came in through the wall along with her bear, then approached me with her somewhat annoying walk and smile,
"W-whaaaa! Maki-chan! That's amazing!" she said as she got so close to me.
"Heh….not really, but why the hell are you here?"
"I was just wondering if you were ready to decide what to pay with!" she said.
"Well—if I could pay with my music, you got a deal…" I said.
"Ohhhh! Nice! Then you absolutely can pay with that…" she said.
"Huh?"
"You just need to follow this recipe …" she said as she handed me a pair of paper. Which says…
Male:
A gem to decide his eye color,
A leather to decide his strength
A fabric to decide his hair color,
A weapon to decide his power,
A long object to decide his length,
A shield to decide his dominance,
A male soul to decide his heart.
And then the other one says…
Female:
A gem to decide her eye color,
A leather to decide the strength of her skin,
A fabric to decide her hair color,
A weapon to decide her power,
A sheath to decide her depth,
A pair of the same fruit to decide her size,
A female soul to decide her heart.
Interesting, but what is this to be exact?
"What do you mean by giving me this?" I asked.
"You can pick one, a male wish maker or a female wish maker…" she said.
"Oh…."
"So—which one do you want?" she asked,
Hmm…
This is pretty interesting,
I would like to get a male one since they can look cool and strong…
But…
Female one, I might be able to make her comfortable to be around…
And I probably am better at talking with them than with males anyway…
Maybe I should go with female…
"Female…" I said.
"Ok! Then…uh….here…" she placed the red box on my piano…
When did she pick that thing up, I wonder, but either way… at least I don't have to look for it in my room.
"Then…" she asked for the papers, I gave her it again,
She opened the box…
Wait…
SHE OPENED THE BOX.
"You told me you can't open it!" I yelled
"I told you it only can be opened once you got the deal!" she said as she cowered.
"Fine…" I smirked at her,
"Hehe…." She smiled sheepishly and placed the roll of paper inside,
Then she took out a pair of big….watermelons?
"Watermelons?" I raised my eyebrow.
"Yup! Watermelons! I'm just going to give you these as extra if you want …"
"Huh? Alright…. But how do we put that in? Do we cut them in pieces first?" I asked.
"Hehe, nope, just put it close to it…" she shoved the fruit closer to the box, and then suddenly the two fruits were magically absorbed in.
Wow….
"A-Alright…that's…impressive…. but…."
I paused for a moment to think of what I really need to say about this…
"Thing is…. why do you make me thinking of what I will pay with while you will just give me this? It's not even related to my music!" I said clearly.
"Well… it is related once you can finish this…" she said.
"That's ridiculous… plus, how do I get the 'soul' here…. I don't even know how to grab a soul, unless you don't mean it literally…." I said.
"Uh…well, it means literally…and…all you have to do is to place the box near the living creature you want to use…." She said.
"Huh?! T-then doesn't that mean this box is dangerous?!" I complained.
"Well, somewhat, yes… but it's not going to be dangerous after it takes its victim! Hehe…" She said lightheartedly.
What the hell?
"Hey-hey! Listen! I don't want to murder anyone!" I stated,
"Uh…it doesn't have to be someone… it can be… anything as long as it has a soul…" she said.
"Killing an animal is just as cruel!" I said.
"It won't kill them! You just will….make them reborn into another creature… with the same personality…" she said.
I sighed at her,
"Alright, fine… so I guess I can just look now, yes?" I said.
"Yep, pretty much!" she said.
Once again, I let out a sigh.
"I wonder where to look…." I turned my eyes towards the window.
"I can't even get out of this prison…." I continued.
"Uh…well… I'm very sure you can somehow make it…" she said as she smiled at me.
"Besides…" she continued while turning her back to me,
"As long as you think inside the box, you will never get out of it…"
W-wha….
What does she mean by that?
I don't get it.
T-to begin with, it doesn't even sound that related. Or perhaps I should think harder about what I should do to get all these items.
Let's take a look again at the ingredients.
A gem to decide her eye color,
A leather to decide the strength of her skin,
A fabric to decide her hair color,
A weapon to decide her power,
A sheath to decide her depth,
A pair of the same fruit to decide her size,
A female soul to decide her heart.
Say, I think I might have some gems around here; in fact, I have plenty of it somewhere around the house. But I have to make sure that no one going is to miss that.
Then, leather. I think I own some varieties somewhere in the family storage, I hope I still have them.
Fabric, I hope my spare blanket works … I hope it doesn't turn out weird because the color might be not a plain color.
Weapon and sheath…
Hmm…I may have to work hard for that one, I'm very sure my parents don't keep any epic-looking weapons.
Fruits, uhm…. do I need to put it in again? I mean…I think a pair of watermelons were already added?
I should try again later.
Then a female soul…
I have to make sure to do this right…
Maybe I understand about how to think out of the box.
It's to think creative, right?
Well, I suppose watermelon is already a good step for creativity…even if I don't understand about what kind of size this paper talking about.
Either way, I'm just curious about how this will turn out.
When I turn my sight back to the merchant, she is already gone from where she stood.
What a magical merchant… not that I want to complain about it since it does feel somewhat real to me.
Though I just doubt anyone will believe it if I managed tell the tale to anyone.
And perhaps they will act negatively…?
Already can imagine how it will turn out.
When a thought to start looking came up to my mind, I could hear someone stepping into the hall.
For some reason, I could feel a strange mysterious feeling when a woman with ash brown hair walked in, she has a strange hair style, but I noticed that she is wearing the butler uniform—a dark into black dress with similar colored vest, then a light gray ribbon on her tall collar.
She slowly approached me and bowed to me politely,
"Good morning…" she greeted,
"I'm Kotori Minami, your new butler…" she continued as she lifts her head slowly.
"It's nice to see you…" she continued again.
"U..uhm… Nice to see you too…" I said.
Then someone with a long dark blue hair and brown eyes, joined in. She had a very serious expression while entering with her tastefully designed blue iron armor, and a pair of samurai swords sheathed on her hips,
"I'm Sonoda Umi, the head guardian, it's nice to see you… mistress…" she said stiffly.
Wow….
She looks…
Extremely cool…
"Ah…Nice to meet you too…" I replied.
"We are in charge of taking care of you and this house while your parents are away, mistress…" Kotori, the butler said.
"Eh—the clinic is just a few meters away from this building…" I said.
"We know, but even an inch of the outer area could be dangerous for an important person like you, so we will keep an eye on you, mistress…" Umi, the head guardian said.
Yeah….
Sigh…
Of course…
Of course my father will hire someone who would do that…..
Someone who will suffocate me in this prison…
I really wish I could finish the quest that might lead me to my freedom.
"What's your first order, Mistress?" Kotori asked me politely.
Maybe I can try to abuse their service for this…
"heh…well… I wonder if you can get me these things…" I asked as I showed them the paper. Kotori approached me and took the paper politely.
As she looked into it, I saw the butler slowly raise her eyebrows while reading.
And then she smiled at me,
"I'm sorry…. but you may have to be more specific about this order. They all determine a quality that you may want to look after from your future Wish maker…"
"Huh? Tell me more about it…I don't quite understand the idea of a Wishmaker…" I said.
"It's pretty simple, you just happen to be the one who can give birth to a new creation, then you feed them with what you can offer…" Umi said.
"Feed them with what I can offer…huh?" I placed a finger on my chin.
"Yep, even if a Wishmaker won't die if you don't feed them, you will need to feed them with what you can offer so that they will do what you wish for them to do…" Kotori replied,
"It's not like they are always cooperative though, I guess that still depend on what kind of personality you're getting…" Umi added,
"Ah…. I see…."
They seem to know a lot about this.
"Tell me; is this kind of thing common?" I asked,
They looked into each other for a moment, then turned back at me with a faint smile,
"Maybe…." they said together,
"But not many can actually take care of their wish maker…" Umi said.
"Or… their own life…." Kotori added in. Somehow, it feels a little eerie when she said it.
"Taking care of them is not as easy as creating them, you know. There are too many things to understand and not many can provide enough amount of something that they offer to it…" Umi said.
"And to remind you about the price will always be equal to what you give…" Kotori paused,
I remained quiet.
There are just countless amount of things I need to think of after what they just said.
"Anyhow, now that you understand something, what do you want to do with this? Are you sure you are going to ask us to do them for you?" Kotori asked,
"Actually, Kotori…." Umi cuts in,
"I know Master Nishikino will not like this, but… I have a thought…." She continued.
"Say it Umi-chan…" Kotori said.
"Well…. I wonder if we can-….."
Well…
This is somewhat unexpected, to be honest.
They took me out.
They actually took me out…
Well, not actually 'them', only Umi did. Kotori is staying at home and she was talking about decoy or something, but I don't get it.
Not that I need to care about that,
All I need to care about is that now, I'm somehow walking outside of that prison.
Umi took me to the marketplace,
She told me to start browsing around to look for what I need. I brought some money with me, which hopefully will be enough to purchase what I need.
And thanks to my mother who took me out last time, I know a little about this area.
The only problem here is when the marketplace is crowded, it's almost impossible to get through those people.
But wow, this kind of experience…
I have never felt it.
It's somewhat refreshing.
Umi stood behind me; she waited for me to start moving into the crowd.
Well...here I go…
I started to move in to browse for what kind of items people have here. I'm glad I was born tall, so that it's a lot easier for me to look around. The first shop I'm looking at is the leather shop. There are various kinds of leather and I'm very sure that they have almost every single animal in the world!
There are also plenty of imported goods that they sell in high price, but I think my budget is enough for them.
"Welcome! Welcome!" the merchant shouted before he started to ramble about his goods quality.
I wasn't quite listening to him; I tried to listen to some other people's conversation instead,
"….maybe we can try to get the deer's leather. It's not as expensive…"said a male voice,
"…hmm…but Niko-chan might prefer something like….a snake leather? It's tough and it's beautiful, right?"
"Heh—well, yes, probably, but I bet it will be expensive… knowing that Yazawa-san is no longer here, I get a feeling they will prefer a cheap one to save up…" the other man said.
"You are right, then maybe we can try to hunt on our own instead?"
Eh—good idea…
To hunt on their own so that they can save up, huh?
Amazing…
Well…if I could, I would like to get better leather than the one they have in the shop.
I turned myself to Umi,
"Umi, I wonder if you can accompany me to hunt for leather…" I said.
"Hunting for leather?" she tried to ask for an explanation,
"Well, you see. It's not that I want to save up my money, but I just think that I might be able to get better leather than the one in the shop…" I said.
She nodded and smiled at me slightly,
"The pride of winning the leather is also a plus point, which will give more value to the leather itself. I'm going to encourage you for that…" she said.
"Great…. But where can I start?" I asked.
"Well, of course, that should be the nearby forest…" she said in all seriousness.
Sometimes I feared if I asked the wrong person, because, by the time she said that, I sensed something. It's like she could kill me with only her eyes.
I was lead into a forest nearby the village,
I could hear almost over a hundred bugs around me. The footsteps tell me about how damp the forest ground is. I don't know if papa will like it if I get my shoes all dirty, but the excitement I get from coming in to the forest makes me feel like I have become an adventurer.
Suddenly, I can hear Umi stop. I turned around to see her and…
She seems to be very serious about something.
Did I do anything?
"Mistress…." She called me.
"Y-Yes?" I replied,
"Come to think of it, you haven't told me what kind of leather you wanted…" she said.
"Oh!"
"I have been following you, but you seem to be walking around aimlessly…"
D..damn….she is right, I have been going around because I was still new to this place. I don't even know where what is…
"W-well! It's not like I'm lost or anything!" I said clearly.
"…I'm just…. well, you know… trying to decide which I should get…" I continued.
She nodded,
"I understand, but to remind you, the time is running, you will probably want to get things done early…"
"Y-yeah…I know that…" I replied.
"Then, also to remind you, there is a Yakuza Clan fortress nearby, should be the Yazawa's clan… it's one of the biggest, but I'm pretty sure that they are not much of a harm for now…" Umi said.
"Y-yakuza…clan?"
"Yes… it's a criminal organization. Their leadership is currently held by the lady who seems to have less experience, but it's still a bad idea to mess with them… so I don't want you to enter their territory by accident."
"I…I see…" I replied again.
"If you go to the farther east, you will find Hoshizora clan, the invisible rival of Yazawa clan. They might be less hostile than the Yazawa-clan, but it's still a bad idea to mess with them…" she said.
"Heh…why don't you just tell me that it's a bad idea to mess with a criminal gang?" I asked,
"No… I will not tell you that because I don't mind to mess with them. I have killed a thousand of them by myself…" she replied with her serious voice.
This is scary.
"I….I believe you…." I said.
She nodded,
"For me, it's important to keep my blade sharp…and it's a shame if I let my blade go dull. I rather kill myself than to let that happen."
Wow…
Wait a minute though,
Doesn't that mean she loves her sword more than her life?
Don't tell me…
She is the person who offered her sword.
"Hmm…. hey, this is just between us…" I said.
She remain quiet, though I can sense her eyes trying to tell me that she wants to know what I want to say.
"Are you someone with a Wish maker?" I asked.
She averted her eyes slightly,
"I'm sorry. I can't tell you that…" she replied.
"Why?"
"Because my Wish maker is important to me..."
"Oh…."
"A wish maker is not someone that you can display to anyone… it's better to keep your mouth shut about their existence…"
"Why?" I asked.
"Because… we have to limit their existence, if people know about them, everyone will try to make them and this world is going to be a lot more messy than it already is…" she replied.
Good point.
"Hmm…then… do you mind if I make one for myself?" I asked.
"No…" she replied immediately.
Somehow…when she said that, I can hear a hidden meaning from her voice….i wonder if she has any plan?
"Even if I mind, I will never be able to stop you…" she continued.
True…
"After all… your Wish maker will be important to you too…" she continued—her voice still somewhat dark and serious.
This is scary….
I need to get a topic…
"A-Anyway…do you have any suggestion of leather? I wanted to have a strong leather…" I said.
"Let's go to the cave… I'm sure there are plenty of dragons there…"
"D-Dragon?"
"Yes… Dragon…"
"Do they even exist?!"
"You just need to explore more area to find them…"
Uh…wow…why am I getting scared of her?
It really feels like she will eventually kill me somehow.
"Now…what are you waiting for, mistress? Let's go find them…." she said before she smiled at me sweetly.
G-Geez….
I wonder what's with her.
Why does everything from her look scary?
That's it for now. Hope you still can enjoy it.
