(Updated on the 27th of May, 2024)
A choir of golden crest birds were flying around the terrasse of an inner courtyard. Their claws were making soft pecking sounds each time one of them landed on the wooden floor of the terrasse. The birds' brown feathers that occasionally fell were almost invisible on the dark colour of the tiles. Swiftly, the wind would lift the feathers and make them fly a few feet high before discarding them further.
Sheltered from the sunlight, a toddler was sitting on her knees in front of a desk, drawing phonetic characters under the watchful gaze of an elderly woman. The room's threaded curtains were drawn to prevent the hot June air from engulfing the room while letting sunlight in. The multiple books and scrolls stored in the open cabinets indicated the room served as a study room. Hung scrolls with diverse scriptures and animal drawings were littered on the wall facing the toddler.
The toddler's hand gestures were slow, failing to be measured. The more she drew, the closer she leaned over the table. Eventually, she met the table and was fully resting her head on it. The woman hit the counter with the ruler in her hand with a rapid motion of the wrist, and the startled toddler straightened her posture and resumed her work. Aged four, she was learning to read and write.
Her current dexterity made her writing closer to drawing. She had issues using the appropriate textbook font. Not wanting to wait for the toddler to master tracing regular-sized characters, her instructor decided to overlook the toddler's limitations. Teaching her how to read was urgent. Fine motor skills would eventually come with practice.
The toddler had learnt speech fairly quickly. Almost five years old, she was already able to formulate correct short sentences. When prompted, she could recount an experience and articulate an opinion. Talking wasn't an issue for the small girl. She was a windmill and words were constantly flying past her lips. The only times she would be silent were during her study time when she was too focused on learning a new task. Once she grasped the ins and outs of a skill, she would get confident enough to talk during study time.
The teacher wouldn't answer nor show any sign she was paying attention to the toddler's rambling and mumblings. If she did, the girl would get sidetracked, talking mostly for herself. She made that mistake once, at the beginning of their study sessions. The session's topic was colours and painting. The girl murmured, "Yellow is the colour [she] didn't like the most". Her tutor had been surprised at the almost grammatically correct sentence the three-year-old spoke.
The tutor had exclaimed "Oh! She speaks and can formulate complete sentences."
The toddler had perked up and exclaimed in return "Yes! Yes, I do!" A happy smile was stretching her lips.
"Work is still needed, but you are set on a good path. Practice will make you perfect." The tutor had said with finality in an attempt to close the conversation and carry with the lesson.
Unfortunately, the toddler had already stood up.
"I speak. And yellow is the colour I don't like the most!" She had exclaimed while running to the drawing of a rising sun on a scroll hanging on one of the walls. Once under the drawing, she had pointed at the sun with her tiny plump finger. "Like the sun. The sun is Yellow in the sky." She emphasised. Maybe because the sun was painted red on the scroll. Turning around, she had asked, "The sun hurt[s] my eyes! Do you know [that]?".
"I…" The woman had hesitated. She didn't finish her sentence.
"Yes! I have a [sun]shade! Not here. In the [bed]room." The toddler had filled the silence instead. Unprompted, she had ran out of the study room. Her tiny feet were making the nightingale floor creak in the hall, her footsteps were echoing.
The cacophony had jerked the tutor out of her stupor and she had rushed out of the room. The small child was mere meters away. The tutor had caught her from behind and cradled her in her arms.
The toddler went limp and asked yet another question. "Is it bedtime?"
"It's not. It's study-"
"When is bedtime?"
The tutor felt exasperation ooze from her pores. She had to calm down. She lowered the toddler in front of her desk. She looked around for the discarded crayons and put the green one in the girl's hand.
"Green." Said the tutor.
"Green." Said the toddler. "Green like the leaves. Green like the grass."
This time, the tutor refrained from making any comment. The meaning of the child's Mother's demand had sunk heavier than during the audition. She had requested her not to let her daughter get lost in tangents. The small child was eager and energetic. Tutoring her will be a challenge she wasn't used to. But she had faith in her ability to channel the toddler's energy to advance her further than she did with most of her pupils. The average affluent child was already forged into a demure mock adult. Forged by the pressure of being proper, and probably some whooping or other punishment. Most of these children were also older. On average, she started tutoring little kids aged six.
Thinking about her regular students, the elderly woman remembered the events that led her to her current position. Two months ago, she received a courier requiring a signature. She was shocked beyond words when she read the address on the envelope. It came straight from the Imperial House. Someone in the Imperial House was requesting her tutoring for a child living behind these forbidden walls. Inside the envelope, a smaller one was placed.
If she declined, she could send her refusal with said envelope. If she accepted the request, she could send her affirmative answer using the provided small envelope as well. It was already stamped. The date of her private audition by the child's Mother and the Empress Dowager was already fixed for the upcoming month. Looking forward to the opportunity, she promptly wrote an acceptance letter and posted it on the very day she received the letter.
The woman who auditioned her was the most enthralling she ever landed her eyes on. Her appearing soft skin was glowing in the sunlight. The elegant curves of her face were graced with foxy lids hosting each a hazel-coloured gem that glistened in the light. Slicked-back hair held in a ponytail highlighted her delicate neckline.
Back in the present time, she taped the toddler's desk with the ruler in her hand, again. The small child had leant on it, again. Looking at the sprouting girl in front of her, the tutor could see the kind of precious she would bloom into. She had feline eyes resembling her Mother's, with amethyst irises and discoloured pupils that were light-sensitive. Big lavender curls were hanging like petals contouring her face. They bounced with every skippy step the toddler was making. Why were they bouncing right now? Heartbeats were echoing from the ground. How was it possible?
The tutor was jostled out of her daze when the study room sliding door opened with force.
"Miss Sako. Is everything alright?" Asked a figure from the entrance. It was the toddler's Mother. She was dressed in a tunic crossed over her heart. The toddler perked up. She had leaned on her desk again. Demanding eyes were staring into Ms Sako's eyes from above with a petite mouth strained into a polite smile. Ms Sako had grown to know her employer's tells. The woman was pissed off.
"Is it bedtime?" Asked the toddler.
"Not now, Hyori." Answered her Mother, not detaching her gaze from the tutor.
"When is bedtime?" Whined the toddler.
"Not before the end of your lesson with Ms Sako." The Mother answered again. Finally, the woman looked at her child once she had terrorised the tutor enough. She walked toward her daughter and sat by her side. Gently, she caressed the lavender petals and Hyori leaned on her Mother's lap.
"Your hands are cool. They make my head feel good." Announced the toddler.
"You will be nice to Ms Sako and let her teach you without running again. Does it sound good?" Stated the Mother more than she asked.
"Yes, Mother." Came the toddler's small voice as she straightened her posture out of her Mother's embrace. She knew it wasn't a question.
Satisfied, the woman stood up and walked out of the room. Ms Sako took a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her employer had a snappy temperament. She had a reputation for escalating and being aggressive in her angry moments. Such an alluring figure, with such a repulsive side. The ones who never encountered her but would hear of her endeavours would wonder how she was tolerated in the Imperial House with her attitude. After all, she wasn't even a distant relative of the Imperial Family. And many courtesans were evicted for merely showing their teeth in an angry fit.
Directing her focus back on the toddler. She was still so cute in her innocence. Ms Sako couldn't refrain herself from wishing the girl didn't inherit her Mother's gift. That quirk. Or else, she might grow into a terror. If she could control people's feelings into loving her, everyone would want to offer her the heaven and the sky. She wouldn't accommodate anyone but herself, the world warped around her little finger.
Hyori was, again, leaning on her desk. She had done that at every chance, during the study session. With a quick motion of her wrist, Ms Sako hit the desk. The toddler straightened her posture but relaxed almost immediately.
"Can I sleep now?" She asked in a whiny voice.
Ms Sako retrieved the sheet from her hand and handed her another. "Vowel sound 'u'." And then, she didn't remember anymore.
Hyori took the new sheet and started drawing the Hiragana characters with the vowel sound 'u'. When Ms Sako handed her the third sheet of the lesson, she felt her head get heavier than at the beginning of the lesson. She wanted to sleep.
"I want to sleep." She mumbled. "When is bedtime?"
Ms Sako didn't answer. She never answered. Her Mother didn't like when Ms Sako answered her many questions. She wanted her to answer Ms Sako's questions. She was halfway in the characters list when she asked again.
"When is bedtime?" Again, Ms Sako didn't answer.
Hyori leaned on her desk. After she wrote all the Hiragana characters, Ms Sako would ask her questions. There was still so much to do before bedtime. Hyori wanted to cry.
A few minutes later, she had written all the characters with the vowel 'u'. She waited for Ms Sako to take the paper and give her a new empty one. But Ms Sako didn't. Hyori moved her head to look in front of her. Ms Sako wasn't moving.
"Is the lesson over?" She asked.
Ms Sako didn't answer. She wasn't doing anything.
"Have you finished teaching me for today?" Hyori asked again.
Taking the silence and inaction as positive answers, the toddler stood up and ousted the study room. She ran down the hall to get into the bedroom she shared with her Mother. The door was closed. She started running again, this time towards the Empress Dowager's room. She sometimes let her use the little bed there if her Mother's bedroom was closed. She stopped in front of a richly decorated door with gold paints covering some of the sculpted flowers and intricate designs. She knocked on said door. Footsteps were coming to open the door after a short while. The door opened, instead of sliding, on a middle-aged woman.
"Young Hyori!" Exclaimed the woman. "What are you doing in the Empress Dowager's quarter? You should be in the study room."
Hyori's feline eyes were downcast when she answered. "Ms Sako isn't teaching me anymore."
"How so?" Inquired the woman.
"Let her in." Interrupted a voice with authority.
The woman stepped to the side to let Hyori enter and closed the door behind the toddler. Hyori walked toward the elderly woman. Her gray hair was cut in a short wavy square that tickled the base of her neck. She was wearing a blouse and a long skirt. The toddler sat on her knees before the elderly woman and bowed.
"You may speak." Said the Empress Dowager.
"Can I sleep here? Ms Sako isn't teaching me anymore and the bedroom is closed."
"Why isn't Ms Sako teaching you anymore? Is she ill?" Asked the elderly woman.
"I don't know." Answered the toddler. "I want to sleep."
"Ms Nobu, take her to the nursing room." Ordered the Empress Dowager to the other woman.
"Yes, your Highness." Said the woman with a bow.
She cradled the toddler in her arms to tuck her into the nursery down the hidden hall that connected the Empress Dowager's quarter to the Empress's quarters. The small child fussed a bit before a cry of pain escaped her.
"Are you hurt?" The woman asked but didn't get an answer.
"Do you hear me?" The woman asked again, to no avail.
Panicking, she picked Hyori again and rushed to where she came from. The Empress Dowager didn't have time to ask what had made the woman panic. Frantic steps were making the nightingale hall's floor creak alarmingly. After a few minutes, knocking on the door was heard and a guard introduced himself. Ms Sako was in a secondary state and was looking for the Young Hyori. The toddler evaporated from the study room and couldn't be found.
The Empress Dowager exchanged a look with Ms Nobu. Then, their eyes fell on the unresponsive limp child in Ms Nobu's arms. At least, they knew the reason for the ruckus in the halls. No one was in immediate danger. Except for the unresponsive toddler who, hopefully, hadn't caught anything worse than a summer cold.
"Request the guard who just spoke to rush to the medical area with Hyori."
The woman did as told. She walked toward the door, the Empress Dowager right behind her. She opened the door as much as she could with one hand. Which was just enough to face the guard in front of the door.
"Stand up and take the infant to the medical area. Don't waste any time."
Guards opened the door further. The commanded man took Hyori from Ms Nobu's hands and rushed into the hall. On the way, Hyori's Mother was talking over Ms Sako and questioning the whereabouts of her daughter. She was panicking and mad. The handprint on Ms Sako's face was a testimony of the rude treatment the agitated Mother just served her.
"Ms Shinsou." Said the guard when he reached her level. Ms Sako and Ms Shinsou's eyes fell on the limping toddler at the same time, horrified.
"Hurry to the doctors! Now!" Commanded the Empress Dowager to the guard.
The commanded guard promptly hurried. Followed by Ms Shinsou and Ms Sako. He was much faster than both of them and they fell behind. When the two women entered the medical area, a doctor had already examined Hyori. From what he saw with his X-ray eyes, the toddler had a migraine that would pass on its own. They should let her rest in a calm dark nursing room and check again in a few hours. The sleeping toddler was lying on the auscultation table as the doctor stated his diagnosis.
Satisfied with his own answer, the middle-aged man turned around. He walked over to the consultation room's desk on top of which a computer was sitting. Once seated, he opened a registry program and started typing down. "I'm leaving a note for the night-shift team to check on Young Hyori during the night." Then, he rummaged through the cabinets to retrieve some bracelet-like equipment. Sitting back on the desk, he typed some data from the watch before powering it on. A beeping sound resonated and the doctor rose to make his way by the auscultation table. He secured the bracelet on one of the toddler's wrists before requesting the guard to bring Hyori to a nursing room further in the medical area.
The guard headed outside of the medical area after Hyori was put on a nursing bed. Ms Shinsou sat by her side to gently stroke the lavender mane. Slouching over, she left a kiss on the toddler's forehead before making her way back to the room where the Emperor was probably still waiting for her. On the way back, she walked slowly. She wanted answers from Ms Sako. The tutor seemed to know she had a few questions to answer. She was walking right behind Ms Shinsou at the same pace.
"What do you remember?" Asked the Mother with an even voice, this time.
"I remember giving Young Hyori a new paper for the next part of her lesson. And when I opened my eyes, she was nowhere to be seen. I hadn't heard or seen anything or anyone." Answered Ms Sako who had calmed down as well.
"Are you telling me you fell asleep?"
"I didn't. I don't remember but I wasn't lying around. I was still in the same position I changed Young Hyori's papers."
The Mother seemed to consider her answer. She was hesitating. After a few seconds of silence, she asked again.
"Did she talk to you?"
"She asked when was the bedtime. But I didn't answer. I told her to write Hiragana characters with the vowel 'u'. Afterwards, she wasn't in the study room anymore."
Ms Sako couldn't determine whether or not her answers were satisfying. She told everything that happened from her perspective. Yet, she couldn't puzzle her employer's dispositions.
"Do you remember her running around in the hall before I came in?" The Mother asked again.
Ms Sako was at a loss of words. She didn't remember that part. When had the Young Hyori run out of the study room? How could have she been so distracted during the study session? Was she getting too old? Too tired? She was in her sixties but often jogged in her neighbourhood. Yet, the whole session of the day felt foggy in her mind.
"You may dispose. Following the doctor's instructions, Hyori will not have any more lessons for the remaining days of the week. You will come back in five days." Ordered the Mother.
"Yes. As you wish." Responded Ms Sako with a bow before hushing to the inner palace's exit where her belongings waited for her in a guarded cabinet.
Her employer didn't apologise for her mistreatment. She never did. Instead, Ms Shinsou walked inside the women's quarters without looking back. The Empress Dowager was already back in her quarter. The guard probably reported everything the doctor said. The woman beelined for her room where the Emperor was indeed lounging on a cabriole couch. Walking with new-found ease, she bowed slightly before sitting on the couch in front of the Emperor.
"Hyori has migraines. She will be fine after resting."
The timid rays of the rising sun were sneaking between the slightly ajar window shutters of a nursing room, inside the medical area. Meshed curtains were preventing the light from invading the room. A fabric angel hanging from a corner of the window was occasionally dancing in and out of the room, carried by timid airwaves. The place was a simple wooden bedroom, without the expense of closets and furniture. The room was furnished with a bed and a cabinet. The bed was in the centre of the room, with the cabinet behind. Attached to the room was a bathroom with a tub in the centre, a toilet in one corner and a small cabinet in another corner. A ramp was fixed on the wall beside the toilet seat.
Two maids were inside the nursing room. One wearing gloves and the other carrying a basket filled with a piece of clothing and a toiletry bag. They walked on the tip of their toes to not wake the sleeping toddler. The maid carrying the basket had just opened the window to renew the air in the room. Squatting down, she opened a cabinet. She untied the basket and retrieved a neatly folded yukata along with two little socks and slippers. She placed the piece of clothing and slippers inside the cabinet before closing it and placing the basket on the cabinet. At the same time, the gloved maid walked inside the bathroom towards the cabinet. She collected a single-use floor towel and sanitiser. She sprayed the liquid on the towel and placed the bottle back in the cabinet. Walking outside of the bathroom, she wiped the floor in silence. Trying not to disturb the sleeping toddler. As she was getting close to the head of the bed, she stole glimpses of the sleeping toddler who was being cleaned by the maid who carried the basket.
They had heard bits of what happened the day prior. How the tiny kid disappeared from the study room right under her tutor's nose. And how she fainted afterwards. Could it be the kid's quirk? For the past ten months, the Imperial House and the employees had been on edge. The toddler had turned four on July the first of last year. The expectation around her quirk had been an elephant in the inner palace. The Imperial House was disturbed by the idea of a child making people fall in love with her at every turn. This ability had refrained her Mother from attending high school and wreaked havoc in many people's lives. By the time the then-teen girl had been invited to live in the Imperial House with an infant that had been forced upon her, some of her aspirant lovers had ended their days in desperation. Regarding the toddler, the Imperial House considered registering her with a distraction quirk. People seemed to lose their focus when the toddler was around. Like the tutor did the day before. However, they couldn't quite grasp the process. There had been no evidence. It happened on sparse occasions. And there was no pattern. It could have been mere episodes of fatigue or heat-induced distraction. The episodes mostly occurred during the night.
The first notable episode was during the last winter. When Ms Nobu let the toddler open multiple boxes of sweets in one of the Empress Dowager's cabinets. The Young Hyori was sleeping in the nursery on a December night when the Emperor visited her Mother. The small child had been agitated that evening. To calm her down, the Empress Dowager had requested warm milk infused with bits of orange peels. Once the concoction was delivered to her tea table, close to the inner terrace, she urged Ms Nobu to add a spoonful of honey inside. Ms Nobu had retrieved the honey from a low cabinet and poured a string of the golden liquid inside a cup. She then filled the cup with the infused milk and mixed the content. She had been mixing for a while when the Empress Dowager reprimanded her. Ms Nobu had been startled. Looking around, she noticed the toddler had made her way to the cabinet and was indulging in the candied fruits. She had also bitten some dark chocolate sculptures. At that time, the adults decided to blame the incident on Ms Nobu's fatigue.
The second notable episode occurred on Girls' Day, three months ago. A trio of maids had been tasked to bathe and groom the toddler for the celebration. They retrieved a basket and selected scented ointments, along with some towels and a bathing dress for the toddler. Fresh rose petals were floating on the warm water of the women's indoor spring. The flowers' fragments immediately caught the eye of the toddler who wanted to play with them. The whole point of the process was for the small child to get used to rest and bask in that kind of luxury, not to play around. Still, the maids didn't have the heart to contradict the childish antics. They decided to let the toddler entertain herself with the petals as long as she was only blowing on them. After a few minutes, they ousted the waters with the infant. They used soft towels to tap the toddler's skin and massaged ointments on her body and scalp. Once the toddler was dressed in her bathing robe, one maid went to put the basket and ointment bottles away while another retrieved the celebration's clothes. The third one was combing through the toddler's curls with her hand. When the two former maids came back from their errands, the maid cradling the toddler hadn't moved an inch and was unresponsive to her coworkers' calls. She only reacted when one of the others retrieved the toddler from her arms.
The third notable episode had been the day prior. This time, unlike the previous episodes, neither fatigue nor wonder were to blame. The episode occurred during the afternoon and the chirping creaky sounds of the nightingale-floored hall should have alerted the tutor of the child's departure. The adults had to wait for the toddler to wake up and recount her side of the story. And they wouldn't have to wait for too long. The toddler was blinking her eyes open while the maid was still cleaning her. Said maid looked sideways to face her coworker.
"Can you inform a doctor? I will dress the Young Hyori in the meantime." She requested. The maid who was cleaning the floor stood up, got rid of her gloves and exited the nursing room.
When the maid came back from the doctor's office, the toddler was sitting on the edge of the bed. She had already been dressed in the clean yukata and her hair was pulled in on the back from where her own petals were now forming a lavender bouquet. The same doctor who had auscultated the toddler was now crouching in front of the small child.
"Good morning, Young Hyori." He said.
"Good morning, Mister Doctor." Answered the toddler.
The doctor seemed satisfied with what he saw and stood up.
"She's clear to leave the medical area." He addressed the nurse who was standing by the bedside.
"Thank you." Responded the maid. Heading toward the cabinet, she came back with slippers that she fixed on the toddlers' feet. Then, she picked her up and exited the medical area.
In the women's area, the ladies were still going through their morning routines. The maid headed towards Ms Shinsou's suite and knocked on the door before letting herself inside. The door was unlocked, meaning the inside was privy to the discreet eyes of the women's maids. The bedroom and living area of the suite was soulless. Water could be heard from the bathroom, though. The maid squatted down to let go of the toddler who rushed towards the bathroom. The small child knocked on the door before entering. The waterfall sound stopped as the woman was probably exiting her shower. After a few minutes, the woman entered the bedroom area, clad in a bathing robe and holding her daughter with a gracious smile on her face. The toddler was mirroring her expression.
"Thank you. You may dispose." She addressed the maid.
"Yes, Madam." Answered the maid with a bow before exiting the suite.
In the halls, the maid came across Ms Nobu. As she was passing her with a bow, the latter addressed her.
"Could you wait?"
The maid stopped in her track and turned around to face Ms Nobu while keeping her gaze downcast.
"Would you help me with the Empress Dowager's breakfast? In her quarter."
It wasn't an actual question. It was a command to follow the woman. Ms Nobu resumed her walk with the maid trailing after her. When they arrived in front of the Empress Dowager's quarter, Ms Nobu urged the maid to open the door with a gesture of her head. Once inside, Ms Nobu walked toward the private terrace where the Empress Dowager was enjoying her morning infusion. She sat on her legs in front of the elderly woman, a koto lying right before her. Slowly, she started stroking the horizontal chords and a melody was filling the silence. Facing the scene, the maid was standing before the entrance door.
"A specialist is going to audition Young Hyori today. I want you to pay attention and report all the details of what he will say. Don't omit a single word." Commanded the Empress Dowager.
"Yes. Your Highness." Answered the maid with a bow
"You may dispose." Prompted the Empress Dowager.
"Yes, your Highness".
While the Empress Dowager was plotting, Ms Shinsou had been personally bathing and dressing the toddler. The Empress Dowager had been unnerved when she had been made aware that Ms Shinsou had been catering to her child all by herself in the morning. Whatever they had been confiding to each other will never make it out unaltered. Hyori was still a toddler but was already capable of making confidences and keeping secrets. She might talk a lot but she knew how to talk without saying anything, talk in circles and abruptly change the topic to engage in an unrelated tangent. She had probably recounted her side of the story to her Mother. And the latter probably directed her on what to recount to the Imperial House and what to keep between the two of them. The Empress Dowager still had the upcoming audition, she still had cards in hand to fully understand if the toddler's quirk had woken up and how it worked. Making her mind up, she urged Ms Nobu:
"Bring the Young Hyori to my quarters. If Ms Shinsou questions you, tell her my quarters are more serene. You might as well invite her."
"Yes, your Highness." Answered Ms Nobu with a bow before exiting the salon and making her way outside of the Empress Dowager's quarters.
Ms Nobu found Hyori spending time in the quietness of the study room. The silence was filled with the toddler's hushed murmurs and the sound of pages being turned by Ms Shinsou. The threaded curtains were drawn and the wind would occasionally blow in between the curtains' strings. The scenery was very much the same as the previous day. The only difference was that Instead of studying under her tutor's instructions, the toddler was playing with crocheted plushes under the gaze of her Mother. Funnily enough, she was playing a study session with herself as the instructor and the plushes as the pupils. One of the plushes, the biggest, was sitting on her desk, countertop empty of any paper or crayons. The others were lying in seated positions on cushions. The 'pupils' were sitting in a half circle with the toddler in the centre. The 'instructor' would walk to her Mother to peak into the imagery album she was holding. She would then walk back in her 'pupils' circle to mimic some animal.
The Mother seemed to ignore Ms Nobu as she entered the study room. The toddler greeted her with a "Good morning Ms Nobu." And ignored her as well, afterwards. The newcomer sat on her knees, facing the woman in the room.
"The Empress Dowager requests for the Young Hyori to be brought into her quarters."
The Mother was silent but was obviously considering her words. She couldn't deny the Empress Dowager if the latter wanted to see her child. And she couldn't request the Empress Dowager to walk out of her quarters. Hyori had to go.
"You are also invited if you wish so." Added Ms Nobu.
Ms Shinsou looked at the clock hanging on the study room wall behind the pupil's desk. Said position helped keep track of time while not making it obvious to the pupil. The clock was reading two in the afternoon. The quirk specialist would arrive in less than an hour to audition Hyori. The Empress Dowager wanted to prevent her from influencing the specialist unless she let the elderly try to get pieces of information from Hyori. She was trusting her daughter to not share what the Imperial House didn't need to know.
"It won't be necessary. I trust the Empress Dowager." Stated Ms Shinsou with finality.
She turned around to face her daughter who had stopped playing at the mention of her name. With a hand gesture, she urged the toddler to come to her. The small child left her plushes circle and walked towards her Mother who had closed the album and put it on the side. Once the toddler was at her Mother's level, she was put on the woman's lap.
"Be nice to the Empress Dowager and don't overwhelm her with too much talking, would you ?" Asked the Mother.
"I will." Answered the small child with a nod.
At those words, the Mother caressed her daughter's cheeks before making her stand and let her go with Ms Nobu.
The woman and the toddler walked in silence towards the Empress Dowager's quarters. Once inside, Hyori had been brought to the salon where the Empress Dowager was waiting for her, sitting on one of the two low antique settee sofas on each side of an evenly matched low table. The sofa seat and back were golden coloured and the sofa skeleton was sculpted into a dark-toned piece of wood. A set of page marker dolls were aligned on the low table. The dolls had been cut from a foil-coated paper, making them shine under the light. The room's walls were littered with shelves on which rows of books and parchments were sitting. In a candle cage, a chamomille scent candle was lit.
"Ms Nobu, it would be lovely for you to bring us some felt pens." Commanded the elderly. Facing the toddler, she inquired. "Did you sleep well, Young Hyori?"
"Yes, I did." And then, she added as if she just remembered. "Your Highness."
"Very good. You look quite rested."
Ms Nobu entered the salon again, carrying a box she deposited onto her lap before opening it. Felt pens of every possible colour were organised in rows from red to purple.
"Would you help me paint these kokeshi dolls?" Asked the elderly woman.
"Yes, I will. Your Highness."
"You may choose the colours of your choice and start with the small one." The small doll represented a toddler with curly hair tied in a high bun.
Standing from her sitting position as she was too small to reach the table from the sofa, the toddler picked a lilac felt pen and started colouring the doll's hair.
"What a pretty colour." Said the Empress Dowager with amusement in her voice.
"Thank you, your Highness." Answered the toddler with a wide smile on her face. "I like the violet colour. It's light purple like my hair. And my eyes."
Suddenly, the toddler remembered she wasn't supposed to talk too much. She hadn't said anything she wasn't supposed to. Yet, talking the least was the safest option. That way, she would have plenty of topics for a diversion. The Empress Dowager seemed to want the toddler to talk, as she pressed again.
"A pretty colour for a pretty girl."
The words twisted the toddler's mouth into a shy smile. She brought the index of her free hand to her lips.
"Thank you, Empress Dowager." She answered with a little mumbling.
"Of course. Your looks are a gift on their own. Could they be the reason people lose their minds around you?" Inquired the elderly woman.
She wanted to pick as much evidence of how the supposed quirk was affecting people. The previous day's episode cemented the idea that it was the toddler's quirk that put people in a daze. The small child stilled as soon as she referred to the incident. She must be headed in the right direction. Willingly or not, something on the toddler's part was causing the daze. Maybe she didn't control it yet. But it would be a supplementary reason for the Empress Dowager to know. Since Ms Shinsou declined her invitation, as one could have expected, she had to get as much as she could from the small child.
"I'm sitting in front of you, and you haven't lost your mind. Your Highness." Voiced the toddler with a measured voice.
Which was true. She never found herself in such a predicament. She was deep in her thoughts when the toddler turned around to pick another colour. Baby blue for the dress. Eyeing the small girl, she was left with a few possibilities. Either the child already had control on her gift all along. Either simply looking at the child wasn't enough. I couldn't be triggered by proximity, since she had been sitting close to the toddler on multiple occasions. It couldn't be limited to being alone with the toddler, since she had been stress-pacing nearby when Ms Nobu let the small child rummage through her cabinets, right behind her back. What did the three women who fell under the daze experienced that she hadn't? They catered to the toddler in one way or another. Was it the missing piece? Every time, the toddler had been expecting something from the adults she put under the daze.
Deciding it couldn't hurt to try, the Empress Dowager came up with a plan.
"Once you finish colouring the doll, I will let you have candied fruits from my cabinet."
The toddler's eyes instantly lit up. She had brought her full attention to the Empress Dowager. Her discoloured pupils graved into amethyst eyes were staring into the elderly's eyes. For a split second, the Empress Dowager felt a fuzzy connection. As if a warm phantom blanket was teasing her before being lifted. In a flash, she didn't feel anything anymore. Did the toddler do it? She had to be sure. She realised she had already experienced the warm fuzzy feeling. She never paid attention to how contenting the toddler could trigger such an effect. She had cast the reaction as a dopamine-induced gratification after a nice gesture. Now that she was scrutinising everything, she had to admit a dopamine rush didn't feel the same. The warmth seemed to come from the outside, while a dopamine rush would ignite from within.
The toddler had almost finished painting the small doll when the Empress Dowager offered the candies. She had assumed it was a recompense and had been looking forward to indulging in the candied fruits again. She excitedly finished colouring the doll and promptly tidied the felt pens in their box. Turning towards the elderly woman, she asked.
"Can I have the candies now, your Highness?"
The Empress Dowager turned to face Ms Nobu who was sitting beside the small child, the felt pen box between her hands on her lap.
"Bring us the candied fruits box that I keep in the fridge. The one with bubbles in the middle."
The Empress Dowager thought that she might as well bring a box of candies she was sure the toddler would love and ask for more. Ms Nobu exited the salon and came back after a minute. She took her seat back beside the toddler and opened the cold box. Frozen air evaporated from the inside of the box while glistening candied fruits were revealed.
"You may choose one and only one." Said the Empress Dowager.
The toddler turned back to face her.
"Only one?" She was close to pleading for more.
"Only one." Came the elderly woman's reply.
Resigned, the toddler faced the box and eyed the berries that were aligned in rows. A few of them already missing. She considered for a moment before picking a blueberry. She once heard a cook say "The darker the berry, the sweeter the juice". She hoped to taste the sweetest candy if she could only have one. The piece felt as sweet as her memory supplied. But unlike the last time, there was something inside. Something round that exploded when the toddler pressed her tongue against her palate. A cold and sweet juice ran down her tongue. The feeling was fresh and pleasantly surprising. Excited again, the toddler turned towards the Empress Dowager.
"These candies have boba pearls inside." Said the elderly woman. "Did you like it?" She pressed.
"I did like it very much!" Came the toddler's reply. "Can I have one more candy?" She pleaded with puppy eyes.
Again, a warm blanket fell over the Empress Dowager. She was getting close. She had to push the toddler again.
"I said only one." She answered with an even voice.
"Plea~se." Insisted the toddler with an emphasis on the first syllable.
The Empress Dowager didn't answer.
"Can I have one more candy?" Asked the toddler. But the Empress Dowager wasn't responsive anymore. Ms Nobu understood the elderly woman fell under the daze. She looked down at the toddler who didn't seem to understand and was still pleading. Which meant she didn't realise what she did. Finally, the toddler turned to face Ms Nobu with glassy eyes.
"The Empress Dowager won't answer me. Can I have a candy?"
Ms Nobu wasn't sure of the course of action she should follow. Would she fall under the daze if she answered? Then, she had an idea. Maybe she could divert the toddler's expectation on someone else.
"I will let you have another candy if the Empress Dowager tells me to."
The toddler turned again to face the elderly woman. She hadn't fallen into a daze. Meaning that diverting the small child's expectations had been the right choice.
"Ms Nobu needs your authorisation. Your Highness."
The Empress Dowager didn't respond. After a minute, the toddler looked back at Ms Nobu and started crying. Ms Nobu put the box on the table and walked over to the Empress Dowager. The elderly woman wasn't responsive. Yet, she couldn't just snap her out of the daze. After all. She was the Empress Dowager. She walked as fast as she could outside of the salon. She made her way to the bathing area of the quarters and walked inside a storage room. Opening a cabinet, she retrieved a towel. She exited the storage room to enter the bathing room. She let water run on the towel before exiting the bathroom. She speed-walked out of the bathing area and entered the cabinet again.
The toddler was still crying and hadn't touched the candy box. In fact, she hadn't moved from her spot. Ms Nobu made her way to sit beside the Empress Dowager. She touched the elderly woman with the wet towel, thinking the gross feeling would wake the Empress Dowager from the daze. The wet towel didn't work. Ms Nobu made her way back into the bathing area to put the towel in a basket reserved for the upcoming laundry. She was thinking while walking back towards the salon. She had to find a way to make the toddler stop. Without bringing the expectations on herself. Once inside the room, she turned toward the crying toddler and urged her.
"Go and hug the Empress Dowager. Maybe she will give you one more candy if you show her some affection."
Ms Nobu didn't know what she expected. She urged the toddler in an attempt to keep the expectations out of herself. She had to bring someone who could snap the Empress Dowager out of the daze. Maybe the Emperor himself? The elderly woman would rather stay in her predicament than have the Empress or anyone ranking below snap her. While she was thinking, the toddler had made her way in front of the Empress Dowager. She sat beside her and hugged the elderly woman from the side. Yet, nothing happened.
"Maybe she's tired. I will take her to her bed." Said Ms Nobu.
She wasn't sure the dazed woman would follow her even if she pulled her. She was ready to lift her if needed. But before that, she will try to pull her. The toddler stood from the sofa to leave room for Ms Nobu. The latter tried to gently pull the dazed woman. Her arms were limping without any strength when Ms Nobu took her arms.
"Please, your Highness. Stand up." Murmured the toddler between sobs.
As per enchantment, the Empress Dowager stood from the sofa. Ms Nobu's relief was short-lived as the elderly woman didn't do anything after standing up. She was still dazed, but she had moved. Ms Nobu looked down at the toddler.
"Can you help me bring the Empress Dowager to her bed?" She asked.
"Yes." Replied the toddler.
Like Ms Nobu a minute ago, she tried to pull on the elderly woman's arms.
"Please, come."
Again, the dazed woman did as the toddler said and followed her toward the bedroom. Ms Nobu started to understand. The toddler had the ability to be obeyed by anyone who fell under her spell. They turned into dazed puppets who had no mind of their own. Yet, she didn't seem to understand what she was doing. She assumed the adults decided to stop entertaining her. She followed the toddler and the elderly woman into the bedroom. Once inside, the toddler climbed on the bed and the Empress Dowager did as well. Still in the daze.
"Why don't you stay here and sleep with the Empress Dowager? She will rest better if you keep her company." Urged Ms Nobu. Thankfully the small child nodded and laid down.
"Please, lie down." The elderly woman who had been sitting on the bed did as instructed. Ms Nobu tucked the toddler and the dazed Empress Dowager before exiting the room. She would guard the quarters and keep the appearances up for the time being.
In the late hours of the afternoon, a short-statured doctor was waiting for the Young Hyori in the medical area. He was bald with a greying moustache. Sporting a laboratory coat and glasses, he was reviewing the recounts of the episode of the suspected toddler's quirk usage. Any report of events happening inside the Imperial House was confidential. Meaning the doctor was just discovering them. His bag had been held at the inner palace entrance and put in a guarded cabinet. Everything he needed could be found in the nursing room. As soon as he had arrived, a maid had kept him company. She had let him know she had been sent by the Empress Dowager to assist him during the audition and he could ask her for supplementary information. A subtle way of telling him he couldn't ask for her departure and was expected to be detailed and precise in his conclusions. Another maid had walked towards the women's area to bring the toddler. Upon arriving, she had been directed towards the Empress Dowager's quarters where the child had been spending the last hour. Once she arrived in front of the doors of the quarters, she knocked and waited to be invited in.
Ms Nobu was nervous. Fourty-six minutes had passed since the Empress Dowager had been 'sleeping' with the toddler. She had been keeping her eyes on the clock, hoping the elderly woman would wake up. But she hadn't. When she heard knocking on the doors, she walked to open them enough to have a look at the person on the other side. The maid announced she had come to bring the toddler to the specialist who had arrived.
"Wait here." Commanded Ms Nobu.
She turned around and walked into the bedroom. The toddler was awake beside the still Empress Dowager. She was evenly breathing. Her eyes were closed. She had closed the dazed woman's eyes. Having her staring ahead with distant eyes had felt cursed. And it might dry her eyes. She figured the dazed people's limbs could be displaced as long as none of their motor skills were solicited. Playing doll with the Empress Dowager's body made her feel ill. But letting her lay down like a puppet felt downward cursed. She would rather be ill than cursed.
"Young Hyori, the specialist is waiting for you. It's time for your audition." She murmured from the edge of the bed. "Come with me. A maid will bring you to the medical unit."
The toddler climbed out of the bed with a last look at the 'sleeping' woman. She circled the bed and walked out of the bedroom, trailing after Ms Nobu. At the door, a maid was waiting for her. She followed the maid inside the halls. They stopped in front of Ms Shinsou's suite and the maid knocked on the door. The maid had to retrieve the toddler's umbrella before walking under the sun with her. Ms Shinsou decided to assist her daughter during the audition. Together, they walked out of the women's area and made their way towards the medical area.
Once in the doctor's office, they were greeted by the specialist who promptly stood up to greet them.
"My salutations. I'm Doctor Garaki, a quirk specialist." Said the man with a joyful tone and a big smile. "I've been summoned to audition a child. As much as you look very young, I guess you aren't my patient." He joked while addressing Ms Shinsou.
The toddler had been hiding behind her Mother. When the doctor crouched down to get on her level, the small child hid further. Her Mother turned around to pick up the infant in her arms. The doctor then stood up and gestured for the Mother to sit her child on the auscultation table.
"From what I read, the child had been involved in several moments of absence from her caterers. Could you tell me more? As her mother, you might have more insight than me regarding the matter at hand." He told Ms Shinsou.
"I don't have anything to tell you that you haven't already read." Countered the Mother with a slight frown.
"I mean…" The doctor seemed to search his words. "From what I read, the kid seems to have a mind quirk. But we need more details on what it does and what are the triggers. That's why I'm here."
The Mother didn't answer.
"Alright." Said the doctor again. "I will ask you a few questions about your own quirk."
The doctor seemed to have spoken some magic formula because the air in the room suddenly dropped. The two maids' posture stiffened and the Mother seemed furious. Collected, but furious. Discussing Ms Shinsou's quirk was almost taboo in the Imperial House. It wasn't a secret that it was a love spell. What no one was privy to was how her quirk worked.
"Or her father's quirk?" The doctor hurriedly asked, sensing the shift in the room.
"Her father was quirkless." Answered the Mother.
The audition was heading into a dead end. Ms Shinsou seemed to want to hide details surrounding her quirk. Quirk had a hereditary component. Intel on how the Mother's quirk operated would give indications on how the child's quirk operates. He had no option but to ask since the Mother's quirk and its description was a sensitive file that he wasn't privy to. He focused his gaze on the toddler.
"Could you use your quirk on me?" The toddler didn't answer.
Of course. She seemed unaware of her quirk. It had to be a natural response on her part. An automatic and immediate reaction. The episodes weren't regular. Meaning it wasn't a physical mutation. It had to be a mental ability. Probably an emitter one, since physical contact hadn't been needed for two of the episodes. And since it affected others in an invisible way, the channels left were sight, speech or mental projection. The sight channel was unlikely since one of the subjects was turning their back on the toddler.
"Do you remember-" He tried again before Ms Shinsou interrupted him.
"Everything has been reported to you."
"Madam, I'm trying to do my job. I know everything has been reported. I wanted to get your child's point of view."
The doctor could identify a lost battle when he saw one. Trying to get the Mother's cooperation was one of them. She had probably figured out parts of her daughter's quirk she wished to keep secret. Sight, speech or mental projection. The kid had discoloured eyes. Could it be a side effect of her quirk?
"Your daughter has discoloured pupils. Does it run in the family?"
"She has albinism. She's the first in the family to manifest it."
Yet another dead end. But at least, the woman answered. Maybe he could sneak important information. He tried again.
"Does she often have migraines? I suppose her eyes are light-sensitive."
"She doesn't. I don't let her play outside."
That answer meant the migraine the infant had had the previous day was linked to her quirk usage. She definitely had a mental quirk that affected people around her and put them in a daze until they were physically jostled. But how did she activate it? He had to find it. He wished he could use some of his mentor's perception quirk to get done with this audition.
"Alright, we will go through some tests." He said. "Can you close your eyes?" He asked the toddler who did as instructed.
"Try to focus on my voice. Do you hear me?"
The toddler nodded.
"Can you try to imagine me in your head? Without looking."
The toddler focused.
"Do you picture me in your head?"
Again, the toddler nodded.
"Now that I'm in your head, you can make me do anything you want. Even cartwheels."
The toddler smiled at the idea. She probably imagined the scene of the doctor doing cartwheels.
"Do I look real in your head? Do you think you can grab me in your head?" He inquired.
The toddler focused again.
"I think…" Came her reply.
The doctor had been holding his breath until she asked. "Can you talk again? I can imagine you better when you are talking."
Which meant the quirk relied on interactions and responses.
"Is my picture clearer now?" He asked.
"Yes! It is. And you are happy." The toddler was satisfied with herself. And so was the doctor. He felt something hover around his mind when the toddler voiced her answer. The quirk relied on voice-based interactions. The toddler was probably too young to provide consistent results.
"Very well. You can open your eyes." Said the doctor. Then, he faced the Mother. "From what I saw, she can put people who talk to her in a secondary state. It's a vocal response-based quirk that affects the mind. It's still developing and is bound to evolve as her brain matures. I will advise you to avoid stressing her. Also, you might want her monitored by no less than two people. Especially in hazardous places like the bathtub or the kitchen. She might drown or cut herself while her caretaker is in the daze. Speaking of the daze, it seems that jostling the subject helps. However, I would advise you against violent actions such as slapping the dazed subject. The quirk seems to connect your daughter to the subject. Any violent action might affect the toddler in one way or another."
Afterwards, the doctor was escorted toward the exit. The Mother picked up her child and exited the medical area. She walked back toward the women's area. Once inside, she headed straight for her suite and closed her door behind her. She had barely managed a few steps inside when someone knocked on the door. The person didn't attempt to open the door, meaning it wasn't a maid on duty. Ms Shinsou put one knee on the floor to let her daughter stand up. After standing back up, she turned back to the door and opened it with irritation on her face. On the other side, Ms Nobu greeted her before letting her know the Empress Dowager requested the toddler again. What could she want? She didn't have time to inquire as her daughter was rushing outside of the suite. Ms Nobu didn't wait for a single second before speed-walking behind the running child.
As soon as the middle-aged woman opened the door before the Empress Dowager's quarter, the toddler rushed to the bedroom where the elderly woman was still 'sleeping'.
"The doctor said that I can put people in a daze when they talk to me. The Empress Dowager looked dazed, in the salon. Maybe I can wake her up?"
Not waiting for an answer or permission, the toddler climbed on the bed.
"Please, talk to me." The elderly woman remained unresponsive.
"Please, say hello." The toddler tried again.
This time the woman reacted. She said "Hello." In a monotonous tone.
"I felt her in my head!" Exclaimed the toddler.
She focused on the feeling while Ms Nobu was holding her breath.
"Please, say hello again." Asked the toddler. The Empress Dowager did as requested.
Something flashed in the toddler's mind. The image of the Empress Dowager she tried to picture became clear. The intense focus was making the toddler sweat and her head was starting to hurt. In her mind, she was urging the Empress Dowager to wake up. That wasn't working. She felt the elderly woman was still asleep, unlike the doctor she pictured earlier. Maybe, she could try to imagine the Empress Dowager waking up. She focused on the sleeping form in her mind. There was a cover hovering above. Gently she tugged at the cover and removed it. Then, the Dowager Empress opened her eyes on her own.
Ms Nobu let the breath she was holding as she rushed to the edge of the bed. All the stress she had accumulated during the day was washed out of her system and her knees gave out. On the contrary, the Empress Dowager looked like she enjoyed the best night of her life. That's what the way she was deliberately stretching led Ms Nobu to think. She seemed, peaceful and rested. Then, the elderly woman looked around. The toddler was smiling at her from the bed. Ms Nobu looked like she had been on a roller coaster. Explanations were due. But not right now. Ms Nobu needed to organise her thoughts beforehand.
Silently agreeing, Ms Nobu addressed the toddler.
"I believe it's time for your evening routine. Let's bring you back to your Mother."
Once in front of Ms Shinsou's suit, Ms Nobu knocked on the door. The woman had never opened her door faster than at that moment. Ms Nobu would have laughed inside if she had the energy to do so. The Mother let her child inside and before closing the door on Ms Nobu's face, she announced.
"I would like to discuss with the Empress Dowager regarding my daughter's care. She will need at least two caretakers to watch her."
She didn't wait for her correspondent to answer and closed the door on her face. Heading back towards the Empress Dowager's quarters, Ms Nobu silently agreed that two people were required to watch the toddler.