#10: White Traveler
The season in Merry's dream world wasn't always the same as in the real world, so it was difficult to keep track. One night, she may find herself in a summer meadow, only to go back to a cold winter the following day. Like an ice fairy in spring, she often felt like an outsider no matter where she was.
However, there is a simple loophole, a backdoor, to this manner of thought. The sense of unbelonging is easily countered with the truth of perspective. Regardless of others' perceptions, many objects fulfill their identity precisely by going where they don't belong. Maribel Hearn was only a dreamer while having a dream, and only a Sealing Club member while exploring with her partner. While participating in these activities, then, she could consider herself at home.
The memory would be imprinted on the dream world: two girls, wrapped in a single scarf, clapping their hands together in front of an eccentrically decorated tree as if paying respects to a shrine. The objects of decor would soon be scattered at the whims of the world's residents, but surely they would each find a use, or else find a friendly place to exist as tsukumogami.
There was a bit of worry that the residents might perceive Merry's treasured gifts as a thoughtless dumping of trash, but she certainly hoped otherwise. Perhaps a tiny umbrella could serve as shelter for an inchling. Perhaps a god of fortune could repurpose their trinkets as true lucky charms. And a wishing plaque could be used by anyone with faith.
– "You know, I especially liked the tree-topper. The peak was so high that I could barely see it, but it looked like the figure of a winged angel in blue. How did you even get it up there?"
– "Er... Was there something like that? I did have some help getting decorations up high, though I only asked them to put a star on top."
– "Who?"
– "Here, let me tell you about the children I met..."
For now, the living oak behind the Hakurei Shrine blossomed with its artificial flowers. One wishing plaque that dangled off a low-hanging branch was infused with a simple prayer: that the flowers left in fantasy may continue to bloom there.