Chapter 22: The Night Fairy and Grandma’s Memories

　Mr. Henry is going to a village next to the royal capital.

(That’s nice. I’d like to go too. But I can’t say I want to go with him if he hasn’t invited me), I thought enviously, then he invited me.

“If you’d like, Mai, you can come with me……”

“I want to go! I really want to go!”

　It was a total flop. It wasn’t classy at all. But I don’t think Mr. Henry was annoyed because he lifted both ends of his mouth a little.

　Mr. Henry ate the meat platter and went home in a good mood. If he looks that happy, I’ll serve him the daily meat platter again soon.

　Lately I have been walking and maintaining the paths.

　The main streets in the royal city are paved with cobblestones, but if you go to the back of the city, you will find dirt roads. After it rains, horse-drawn carriages and carts pass through the muddy streets, making the road very bumpy. If you are not careful while walking, you may get your foot caught on the dry, hardened bumps and risk spraining your ankle.

　When the rough dirt road dries up, it produces dust and dirt particles. When the wind blows, it kicks up dust, turning the surrounding area into a light brown smoke.

　There hasn’t been much rain recently. The dust stains the windows quickly and the laundry turns light brown. Windy days make people cough more. Some people have red eyes, probably because they have conjunctivitis. That’s why I decided to maintain the road surface.

　At night, I walked around inconspicuously wearing black clothes from head to toe and without a lamp, relying on a small flame lit on the index finger of my right hand. Recently, I have become accustomed to using magic and can release different spells with my right and left hand at the same time. 

　I use the flame in my right hand to light up my feet and release earth magic with my left hand. As I walk, a flat road appears behind me, as if it has been leveled by a road roller.

　By repeating this, I got the hang of casting magic with a constant force for a long period of time.

　I would walk for an hour or two, keep releasing the magic, and then return home. On days when I’ve completed fixing the road, I sleep well, feeling pleasantly tired and satisfied that I’ve done something good.

　The lunchtime customers were talking about it today.

“Hey, have you noticed that the roads in this area have become a lot nicer recently?”

“Of course I have. Even though there is no construction work going on, the back streets that used to be a mess look like they have been carefully tapped with a mallet. It was during the night, you know?　My wife thinks it might be the work of fairies.”

“Are there such things as fairies?”

“Well, you know…”

　The speaker leaned forward, and the listener leaned forward, too. What the heck, I want to hear it too. I turned my back and listened while casually pretending to wipe a nearby table.

“I saw it. I saw a little light moving, and I thought someone was walking around with a candle, so I looked out the window, but it was strange.”

“What?”

“If you walk around holding an exposed candle, the flame will flicker, won’t it?　If you walk too fast, the flame will go out, right?　But the flame neither flickers nor goes out at all. So I’m starting to think that maybe it really is a fairy.”

　The other man chuckled.

“I don’t think fairies are the answer. A wizard would be a possibility. But even if they were to hire a wizard, it seems odd to have a valuable wizard work at night. It’s strange, isn’t it?”

　I’ll have to be careful. I wish I could make a tool that would let me see in the dark, but I don’t know how it works. I really want to pave the road so it never gets muddy again, but I’m holding off on that.

　If, down the road, when the Royal Capital maintenance plan progresses and they say, “Let’s bury sewers under the roads,” or “Let’s make the back streets cobblestone,” and I used magic to  pave the roads as if they were asphalt, I don’t think shovels and pickaxes will be able to pierce them.  

　　My grandma would always say things like, “Mai, everything is better in moderation,” or, “Being outspoken and kind is better than being ignorant.”*

　So even though I have to redo the maintenance every time it rains, I only just harden the surface of the road.

　When I walk down the quiet streets at night, I often think of my grandmother.

　My grandmother had many friends. She enjoyed going to the cinema and art galleries, and occasionally going to the theatre to see a play, and looked forward to having dinner with her friends at a restaurant on the way home.

　I remember when Grandpa was still alive, she and Grandpa would go on friendly trips together.

　The grandma I knew, with her elegantly permed gray hair, was always enjoying life.

She was fond of saying, “Life is a waste if you don’t live it with a smile.”

　My grandmother has been in charge of the household finances and the store’s accounting since I was little, and looking back, there were a lot of strange things about it. First of all, our family’s lifestyle was quite extravagant. We went on trips to hot springs as a family, and my grandmother always said carefree things like, “You don’t have to work so hard to get by.”

　But “Café Riyo” wasn’t making enough profit to support that lifestyle. It was just a modest business.

　Where did our family’s living expenses come from? My parents’ life insurance policy was in my name, I left the insurance money alone, saving for my grandmother’s retirement expenses and for the time we would someday have to rebuild our store and home.

　I wonder if grandma was making and selling something with her transformation magic. I guess so.

　When I was in high school, I noticed that my family lived quite generously compared to my friend’s family, even though I didn’t have parents and didn’t have much income.  I was curious and asked, “How come you have so much money, grandma?”

　Grandma just laughed and did not answer. So I assumed that she had won the lottery a long time ago or had received an inheritance from her supposedly estranged family.

　My 78-year-old grandmother said that she married my grandfather when she was 28, so she must have lived in Japan for at least 50 years. Although she was originally from this world, she was perfectly adapted to modern Japanese life.

　She had no trouble getting on the subway or using her smartphone. I was really impressed. I thought she was born and raised in the Tokyo area. Just like I learned how to light firewood on fire, my grandma must have worked hard to adjust to life in Japan.

　My facial features were a little different from what you’d expect from a Japanese person, but I truly  believed her when she said, “It’s because my parents had flashy features.”

　But still, grandma. Why did you keep magic a secret from me? I wonder if Mom knew your secret.

　There is no way to know now.

　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

　On my day off, I rode a horse for the first time. The horse’s back was so high that I thought I might hurt myself if I fell off,  but Henry was holding the reins from behind, so I didn’t have to worry about falling off.

　As it turned out, the vet was of the opinion that the cat transformation is inevitable. I felt sorry for Henry because he was disappointed. If he had cat whiskers at that time, I think they would all be pointing down.

　So I asked him if he wanted to go to the Coulou area, which I had always wanted to visit. Henry loves good food, so I wanted to have a delicious lunch to cheer him up.

　I heard that the district is a little too lively, but Henry is a big guy, so I felt safe with him.

　However, since he is the son of a viscount, I was afraid he would refuse to go to such a place. However, he immediately said, “Let’s go.” I was grateful.

“Are you sure?　You might get tangled up with some drunk people.”

“I’m sure that’s why you need a strong man.　Besides, I’ve been to the coulou district many times. I know a lot of good places to eat.”

“What?　Mr. Henry?　What brings you to such a place?”

“My enjoyment is eating delicious food. That’s why I was able to find your ‘hideaway’.”

　I didn’t realize that he had already experienced dining in an overly active district. I knew he was someone who was particular about taste, but I didn’t know he had gone that far in his quest for delicious food.

“There’s one good thing about being the head civil servant of the royal castle. As long as I do what I have to do, no one will complain if I take a slightly longer lunch break. Despite what you might think, I’m actually quite a hard worker.”

“I know you’re a hard worker. It shows. And I can imagine you work late enough that no one will complain if you take a long lunch break.”

“Did you know?”

“I’m a workaholic myself, after all, so I can tell by the smell. I can smell the scent of a kindred spirit.”

“I don’t smell like that, because I take a hot bath every night.”

　It’s fun. I’ve been craving this kind of conversation for a long time.

　We both laughed as we headed  for the coulou district. Soon after, there was a scent that made me realize that we were approaching the coulou district. It was a strong aroma of herbs. It also smelled like coconut milk!　It is said that people from many different countries gather here, and the tastes of their hometowns are sold here.

“It smells nostalgic.”

“Is this the smell of food from your hometown, Mai?”

“It’s a little different. It has the smell of ethnic cuisine. I loved that food. How nostalgic.”

“I’m glad you liked it. Now, let me take you to a good restaurant I recommend.”

“I’m so glad I came. I’m  so happy!　I’m starving!”

“Hehe.”

　Henry laughed and I laughed too.

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