It turned out that Luisa's birthday was only a few weeks before the end of spring break. Although I said "was," it hadn't actually arrived yet.
The snow had long since melted, and it had become noticeably warmer outside. Along with that, the smell in the air had changed. It was hard to imagine how much effort spring had to put in to completely erase everything that even remotely reminded of winter. Nature was truly amazing.
At first I started worrying that Luisa would soon return home, but… she stayed with us a little longer.
Still, it hadn't even been half a year since we met. Since then, our relationship had remained just as mysterious. Sometimes I was ready to believe we had known each other for an eternity. But just as often — that we were complete strangers, and every day we spent together could be the last.
It was probably because we were children. Nothing felt stable. I had no idea what I was supposed to do to somehow influence the situation. And then there was school…
Speaking of which. For some reason, Luisa really wanted me to go with her on her first day of school. That was where the question of extending her stay with us came from. And, on top of that, there was her birthday.
In other words, Luisa had found enough reasons to stay. Considering how much time Euriel spent at our house, I wouldn't have been surprised if she ended up staying permanently.
But, getting back to school, I had a new problem.
What exactly was I supposed to wear?
Although I had compared myself to a Christmas tree, in reality my wardrobe consisted of a Treepurr pajama, a few stretched-out T-shirts — one of which continued to unravel — and a pair of shorts.
I could have easily gone in my home clothes, but that option didn't suit Luisa. Though what else could you expect from a girl who changed outfits more often than I… Well, let's not go there.
And that was why today I had been dragged out shopping.
Looking back now at my first trip to the shopping square, I couldn't understand what had scared me so much back then. Ordinary stalls. Ordinary people. At first glance — nothing special.
"Yori, do you like anything here?"
Mom pulled me closer by the hand until I was right in front of the display window. After a quick glance at everything inside, my eyes stopped on one of the T-shirts, and I pointed at it.
"That one's fine."
Mom stretched her neck as if trying to see it better. A worried look appeared on her face, and I couldn't understand why. The T-shirt looked almost exactly like the one I was wearing.
While Mom continued staring, I felt the shopkeeper's gaze on me. He probably didn't like it when someone doubted his goods. And from the expression on Mom's face, that was exactly what it looked like.
After a thorough inspection, Mom closed her eyes and shook her head.
"It's exactly the same as yours."
"No, it's not."
No, overall she was right. But there wasn't really anything else worth looking at here. Everything looked too… girly. Frills, bright colors, strange patterns. I'm not saying these things are terrible — I just think so.
"And how are they different?"
"This one is new."
I even pulled at the collar to show the difference. Though it was obvious even without that — the old one had already stretched out.
Mom just sighed and clutched her head. Hadn't she herself said that dresses and bright colors didn't suit me? Maybe it wasn't about that? Hm.
"Let's look at some more."
"Okay."
Meanwhile, Luisa was standing by the shop next door. Her hips swayed contentedly from side to side while she held in her hands… Oh my god.
"Don't you dare. Put that back. Hear me and leave it alone."
Even before I reached her, I was trying to convey my opinion about her choice telepathically. It seemed to have no effect.
"Yori…"
"No."
"I haven't even said anything yet," she frowned, and her cheeks immediately puffed out.
I wonder if constantly imitating a pufferfish changes the shape of your face? I don't know. But I wouldn't want to be responsible if her face ends up rounder in the future.
"Actually, I was choosing for myself."
If that were true, you wouldn't have put it away immediately. That thought remained unsaid. This time, I tried to convey my thoughts with a few nods.
Just like last time, it didn't work. Luisa didn't even look at me.
Whatever.
We walked past several more stalls. Now I wasn't even being asked to choose. Every time, Mom said the same thing.
"This doesn't suit you."
And how exactly did she come to that conclusion? I decided not to ask questions and just follow her. After all, from my point of view, there really wasn't anything worth looking at.
Luisa, on the other hand, found something to latch onto everywhere. Honestly, I was slightly shocked by how unexpectedly enthusiastic she was about clothes. I hope Euriel doesn't soon become known as a penniless bishop.
In the end, an ordinary shopping trip turned into an ordeal. While Mom rejected everything we approached, Luisa behaved in a completely inexplicable way. Thankfully, it wasn't hot outside yet, but it wasn't cold either.
We left behind several dozen identical market stalls. To be honest, I was already quite exhausted. It seemed like the first time even the soles of my feet were aching. Not to mention the rest of my body. And we still hadn't found anything.
For the most part, the only thing that differed between these shops was the seller. Otherwise, the items were almost identical.
Continuing to drag my feet, I glanced away from the stalls and noticed a covered store. Although the building had windows, I couldn't see what was inside — they were too high up. Even if I jumped, I wouldn't see anything.
Of course, I wouldn't have done that anyway.
"Maybe we should check what's in here?" I suggested, pointing at the store.
Just like before, Mom stretched her neck. It seemed she still didn't trust my choices. Though I myself had no idea what was inside.
"Alright. Let's take a look."
This time she unexpectedly agreed. I was even a little surprised. As for Luisa… she didn't even need to be asked. She stuck to the door the moment I pointed at the store.
Right above the entrance hung a wooden sign. On it was engraved a strange inscription: "Sphere."
Maybe they sold robes, pointed hats, and crystal balls? Something like a shop for school supplies. In that case, it would suit Luisa more than me.
Although… was she planning to enroll in a school for little witches?
When we entered the store, there was nothing inside like what I had imagined. Only the smell of wool that immediately hit my nose, as if we had walked into some kind of farm. Although there was quite a wide assortment of clothing inside, I didn't notice anything magical.
And why was it called that then?
The moment I saw the owner, I understood why. He was completely bald. The surface of his head was so smooth that it seemed it could reflect sunlight if it wanted to.
Now the name seemed perfectly appropriate.
"Welcome."
Although the man's words were correct, something about the way he said them made me uneasy. Maybe it was some foreign accent?
His skin was also noticeably darker than mine. Because of that, when his face broke into a welcoming smile, his teeth sparkled like stars in the night sky.
"Good afternoon. We would like…"
"Yori, Yori, look!"
It seemed that while Mom had only just managed to reply to the greeting, Luisa had already found something. Did Mom really have to endure this every time they went shopping just the two of them?
"Where?"
"Here."
She pointed at the items hanging right above my head. Strange that I hadn't noticed them.
I followed her finger and saw something between a sweater and a T-shirt — or rather, an ordinary T-shirt, but with a hood. It looked… acceptable. Except for the color, of course.
"I'm not wearing that."
"Look closer."
Luisa immediately grabbed my head and turned my gaze a little to the right.
Black.
"O-oh…"
It seemed even Luisa could be reasonable sometimes.
Deciding not to beat around the bush, I immediately walked over to Mom and showed her the item. Surprisingly, she didn't examine it for long and agreed right away.
"Yes, it looks decent and at least it's a little different from your current wardrobe."
It seemed Mom was satisfied as long as the item was simply different from the old one. Pretty low standards. Of course, I wasn't going to complain.
"Where's the fitting room?"
The man's eyes widened after my question, as if I had asked whether he paid taxes. Maybe not that extreme, but he clearly looked lost.
"Fitting room?"
Suddenly the man's tone changed. I wouldn't say he stopped sounding friendly, but his smile now seemed strained.
"A room where I can try this on."
I pointed at the chosen item. Now the bewildered man raised his head toward Mom, as if asking: "What does she want from me?" In response, she simply shook her head: "Don't ask me."
Earlier I had wanted to understand people a little better, but now I wasn't so sure it was a good idea.
Mom took the T-shirt off the hanger and held it against my torso. After looking me up and down, she nodded.
"It suits you."
The man nodded along with Mom's comment.
And… that was it? I couldn't help but be amazed by such simplicity. I even turned to Luisa as if I wanted to complain, but… she was doing the exact same thing.
Now everything made sense. Not that it made things any easier. Apparently I really was quite ignorant about such everyday matters.
When we left the store, I instinctively squinted. I don't know what time it was, but the sun was shining brighter than when we had entered. Maybe it just seemed that way because it had been darker inside.
In any case, the new item had been bought, and I thought with relief that this hellish shopping trip was finally over.
"Can we go home now?"
"Not yet."
Luisa shook her head firmly and grabbed my hand as if to prevent me from running away. I doubted I could have found my way home by myself anyway, but we'll skip that.
"What else?"
"Pants."
"What pants?"
The moment we left the store, I stopped understanding what was going on in people's heads again. Or maybe it only didn't work with Luisa? She really had peculiar ways of connecting topics.
"You need pants."
"Why? It's already warm and I have shorts."
Squinting, Luisa began looking me over from head to toe. But why? It seemed pretty obvious where my shorts were — she didn't need to examine the soles of my shoes.
Maybe she was trying to picture how the new T-shirt would go with my shorts? Of course, there was no real reason to take the matter so seriously. But I was genuinely surprised by how dedicated she was to fashion.
"In those shorts you look like a farmer."
I didn't get it.
"I look like Yori in them."
My first impulse was to snap back, but I managed to hold it in. It wouldn't be a lie to say that her comparison didn't please me at all.
Of course I had never seen farmers in real life, but I very much doubted they walked around in shorts. Didn't they usually wear overalls?
"Then Yori is a farmer," Luisa stated and turned away.
I wanted to object, but she was no longer listening. Letting go of my hand, Luisa ran over to the nearest stall and buried her head in a pile of clothes like a raccoon in a trash can.
Looking at this simultaneously unappealing and cute sight, I realized I hadn't agreed to come to the shopping square for nothing.
Still, I couldn't accept Luisa's assessment.
"Mom, do you also think I look like a farmer?"
When she turned to me, her eyes widened for a moment. Her mouth opened slightly as if she was about to say something, but then she smiled.
For some reason, she reached for my hair, placing a strand between her fingers. But it slipped out almost immediately, as if it were coated in oil. I had washed it a couple of days ago… it couldn't have gotten dirty that quickly, right?
The way she looked at me gave the impression that she had come to some conclusion. But she didn't answer — she only ruffled my hair and went over to Luisa.
What was that? I don't understand anything.
In the end I decided to put that question off for the indefinite future.
Besides the new clothes, there was another reason I had agreed to go into town — to find a gift. Although I had no ideas at all what I could give her.
When you think about it, isn't everyone's birthday just a regular day by default? There was nothing special about it. Nevertheless, people continued to celebrate it every year as if they were being reborn on that day.
Wouldn't it be more reasonable to call it "The Day I Became a Year Older"?
No, wait. I was supposed to choose a gift.
"Little girl, are you lost?"
Suddenly I heard a soft voice behind me. I quickly turned around and immediately stepped back, moving away from the person leaning over me.
It was a woman dressed in a white suit. There were plenty of people around, but this was the first time I had seen someone in such elaborate clothing.
But what stood out even more…
"Miss, she…"
"She doesn't look homeless," the woman quickly replied, making the man behind her bow and step back.
…were the two attendants in cloaks. Which didn't really match the weather.
It seemed the attendants weren't particularly pleased with the woman's interest in a strange girl, but she completely ignored them. She continued smiling calmly, as if we had known each other for a very long time. Naturally, I was seeing her for the first time.
I wanted to call out to Mom, but for some reason I simply froze, staring at her.
Hidden in the shadow of her hat, her skin looked impossibly clean, almost transparent, like butterfly wings.
To be honest, under her gaze I felt uncomfortable. I had no reason to answer her. And to avoid causing trouble for Mom, I could have simply said that I had been taught not to talk to strangers. But I couldn't even force that out.
There was something about her… overwhelming. Because of that, it was hard for me to open my mouth.
Besides her unusual clothes, the woman had hair with a bluish tint that reached her shoulders. Her lips — plump and reddish — stood out strongly against her pale skin. A pleasant scent came from her, but it was so strong that my nose started to itch.
And her eyes.
Like dawn — a light orange hue spreading into blue. Just looking at them felt like gazing at the sky.
With the same smile on her face, the woman continued to look at me, clearly waiting for some kind of response. I tried to signal her with my eyes by looking toward where Mom and Luisa were, but there was no reaction.
She was definitely looking at me, but it was as if she saw nothing.
With all my strength, I awkwardly twisted around to look behind me, as if trying to indicate with my body that I wasn't alone.
"Oh, now I see. You really do look like Emilia. I should have guessed from the eyes."
What? But Mom and I have different eye colors. So… she knows Dad too?
No, that wasn't it. How did she know them?
"You… know my parents?"
"Surprised?"
The woman smirked and straightened up, as if proud of her knowledge.
Despite her refined appearance, it seemed she sometimes behaved childishly. That was somewhat reassuring. Probably.
"I heard you're not the type who goes outside much."
I kept being amazed by how much she knew. Of course, if she were Mom's friend, that would explain everything. But I couldn't imagine Mom knowing someone like her.
"I had a reason."
She glanced once more toward Mom and nodded.
"It's heartwarming to see their friendship continuing in their children."
So she knew not only my parents. By this point that no longer surprised me. However, there was a more important question: why was she even talking to me?
Then the woman raised her hand and waved it gently from side to side. I immediately understood what it meant — she and Mom had made eye contact.
"In that case, I'll be going. I hope we meet again. Maybe you'll even get along with my son."
After a light chuckle, the woman waved goodbye to me. Even her attendants politely bowed. After their "friendly" looks, it looked especially strange.
Honestly, I wouldn't want to see her again. Simultaneously charming and repulsive. Could those two concepts even coexist?
It was foolish to think we would ever meet again. I wasn't the type of person you could often run into on the street. And as far as I remembered, she had never once come to our house.
No. She had definitely never been our guest. Even with my not-so-great memory, it was unlikely I could forget someone like her.
And yet this city was full of all kinds of oddballs.
I was just about to turn around when something like a rope suddenly pressed against my neck. But before I could panic, the pressure eased, and I felt someone's palm on the back of my head.
"Not even a minute has passed, and you're already talking to Lady Roana."
What…? Who…? To hell with it.
"What did you put on me?"
I tried to pull the thing off, but it was pressed so tightly against my neck that I couldn't even slip my fingers underneath. It felt like a strap.
"A collar," Luisa declared and huffed.
"I'm not your pet."
"Worse. You look like a stray dog."
I wanted to get angry, but…
"Then why are you wearing one?"
"We have matching ones. It's trendy right now. It's called a 'poker'."
She even spun in place, as if trying to show it to me from every angle. To be fair, I couldn't compare — I couldn't see what was on my own neck.
Talking to her was like arguing with people who held old-fashioned views. No matter how much you argued, she would still stick to her own opinion.
All of this showed that sometimes there was a gulf between us.
Still, I didn't think this collar was named after the card game.
"Maybe it's a choker?"
"Maybe…" She tilted her head to the side for a moment, as if thinking. "Doesn't matter. Around here it's…"
Suddenly Luisa's behavior changed. It seemed like she was nervous. Her eyes darted around chaotically until they stopped on a sign.
"Everything you need for the holiday — you'll find with us!" was written on it. At the same time, Luisa was doing her best to look like: "Wow, what a coincidence."
"School is starting soon…"
"Yeah."
I was sure she had wanted to say something completely different. No matter how hard she tried to seem calm, her bitten lips gave her away.
"Where did Roana go? Has she already left?" Mom asked, looking around.
While watching Luisa, I had already forgotten about the encounter with that strange woman. It seemed Luisa had an amazing ability to push everyone else out of the picture.
"Yes. She seemed to think I was lost."
"Oh… I didn't expect you two to meet like that."
It sounded as if we really were supposed to meet someday. Now I was a little curious who that woman actually was.
"Well, never mind. Now we can go home."
Mom took my hand, already preparing to leave. That was when I noticed Luisa's eyes widen and her lips part, but her teeth remained clenched. Even if she had something to say — she couldn't. Her lowered head gave it away.
It was clear that Luisa's goal had been to casually bring up her birthday, but the attempt had turned out rather dubious. It was hard to imagine a more awkward way to remind someone about that day.
"Not yet. I want to buy something else."
"You?"
The expression on Mom's face deserved its own entry in the list of facial expressions. Was she thinking that I didn't want anything, or that whatever I wanted would be terrible? Not that one option was better than the other.
Only now did I realize I should have discussed everything with Mom from the beginning. What had I been counting on if I had never even seen money?
"And what do you want to buy?"
"I don't know."
For a while she simply looked at me until she finally sighed, shaking her head.
"I figured as much."
Although I really didn't know what I wanted to buy, there was, of course, another reason I couldn't answer directly. So I covered my mouth with my hand, hinting that I wanted to whisper in her ear.
For a moment Mom seemed confused, not quite understanding what I wanted. Her brows lowered. But then she bent her knees so she could bring her ear closer to my hand.
"I want… to buy a gift."
"O-oh… For me?"
"Uh, I…"
I have to admit, her question made me panic. It was one of those questions you couldn't answer with "no." But Mom immediately laughed and straightened up.
"Just kidding. I understand," Mom sighed and quickly looked around. "Luisa, wait for us for a bit by Uncle Ooron's stall, okay? I don't want the same thing to happen to you that happened to my lost daughter."
"What?" I blinked, looking at her.
"Sure," Luisa nodded and stepped back, as if checking which direction we were going.
It was astonishing how she could be so simple… and so incomprehensible at the same time.
"So, you want to go into that little shop, right?" She pointed at the sign for the gift store.
"Um, yes. How did you know?"
Without going into details, she simply smiled. I don't know what that was supposed to tell me. But this time it was enough that we understood each other without words. In a sense.
Following the sign, we reached the gift store. I have to admit its location wasn't the most obvious. That was probably why signs were scattered all over the place, and we had to walk past quite a few of them.
The sign was old and made of wood, and its shape somehow resembled a chewed-up sock. The building itself looked quite whimsical. Tucked away in an alley between other houses, it resembled a gingerbread house. The color, by the way, matched the description perfectly.
If it weren't for the sign "Toy Store," I would have thought it was the house of some witch who ate little children.
"Is this really a gift store?"
"Aren't toys gifts?"
Not giving me time to think about it, Mom pushed the door open.
Inside, the store was just as peculiar as it was outside. The light was so bright it felt like they were using real sunlight instead of light stones. I even had to squint to adjust.
Wherever I looked, there were various shelves filled with all sorts of things — from plush toys to horse-drawn carriages that moved through the air.
What surprised me the most was how many people there were. The store turned out to be far more popular than it had seemed at first glance.
For someone who was in a place like this for the first time, Mom felt far too confident. I even began to suspect that toys were being hidden from me somewhere in the house. Actually, I wouldn't have been surprised. It was easy to imagine Dad playing with flying dragons or something like that.
Nevertheless, there was a potential problem: how was I supposed to find a gift for Luisa among all this?
While I was looking around, Mom led me over to the shelves covered with soft toys.
"Why here?"
"What do you think?"
She pointed at a plush Treepurr that was half my height. Even though it was a toy, its eyes looked so tired, as if it was struggling to keep them open for the customers.
"Isn't it the perfect reminder of you?" Mom chuckled, running her finger under her eye as if pointing at bags.
That wasn't the most elegant way to describe me — I wanted to say.
However, even if this Treepurr really did resemble me in some way, I didn't quite understand why Luisa would need it. On the other hand, I didn't have any other ideas either.
Once again I ran into the fact that I knew far too little about her preferences. Though she didn't really care much about mine either. Not that I had any, of course. Maybe that was exactly the reason. It was reasonable to assume that in such situations there was nothing left to do but pick something to your own taste.
Oh. Was choosing gifts always this difficult? It would have been much easier if she had just told me what she wanted.
I scanned the shelves in front of me once more, and my gaze stopped on two small toys. If you wanted, you could carry them in a bag — or attach them to it with a sturdy string.
But that wasn't the only reason they caught my eye.
"Mom, can we get two toys?"
"Of course."
She agreed without hesitation. She didn't even look at the price tag. I don't know why: either we had more money than I could imagine, or Mom simply agreed because I rarely asked for anything.
In any case, the gift had been bought.
.
Luisa is already nine, right..?
Time really was like water — it seems like there's still an endless amount ahead, but you don't even notice how your feet are already touching the bottom. Wow, that was a pretty smart thought, wasn't it?
Well, never mind.
It still surprised me that despite the age difference between us, Luisa continued to fuss over me. It seemed she really liked the role of older sister. Though from the outside, it wasn't always clear who was older and who was younger.
However, that didn't change the fact that the gap between us was growing. Sometimes I wanted to grow older myself, but I quickly pushed that thought away. Age meant responsibility, and even without that, so much had already happened that had led me to this day.
Today I woke up too early — so early that Luisa was still asleep. To be honest, that surprised me just as much. I had expected her to be unable to sleep at all, like a child before Christmas.
Anyway. Enough idle thoughts.
Standing in front of the mirror in my parents' room, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, exposing it. I don't know why I was so nervous, but I stood there for quite a while, trying on different looks. Except… nothing really changed. I looked the same as usual. The only difference was the new clothes.
"That's enough," Mom gently placed her hand on my head, careful not to ruin my hairstyle. "You've already taken a bath and gotten dressed. How much cuter do you want to be?"
For some reason, Mom's comment didn't convince me at all. It felt like she just wanted me to finally step away from the mirror.
On the other hand, I was getting tired of spinning around here myself. Dad had waited so long for his turn that he had fallen asleep in the pose of a thinker. I have to say, it didn't suit him very well.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
I wanted to ask her one more time how I looked, just in case. But I decided I already knew the answer.
"Then I'll go."
When I tried to step away from the mirror, Mom put her hands on my shoulders, stopping me.
"Wait."
"What now?"
"Didn't Luisa ask you to congratulate her first?"
I didn't quite understand why she was asking that. Of course that was why I was going. And yes, exactly because Luisa had asked me to.
"Where do you think I'm going?"
"What about the gift?"
"Oh…"
Now it was a little clearer why Luisa had asked me to do this in the first place. If I had forgotten about the gift I had chosen myself, no one would have been surprised if I had also forgotten about her birthday.
But no. I definitely would have remembered. Well…
Probably I could understand how Luisa felt. I would also want people to remember me without me having to remind them about my birthday in advance. That would be too awkward.
I wonder when it started? As long as I can remember, it had been hard for me to leave my burrow. And now I was voluntarily going outside. I would like to say I had grown older, but the change had happened too suddenly.
It seemed I had to admit it: it wasn't the years that had changed me, but Luisa. It's hard to move forward when you don't understand exactly where you're going.
I guess I had placed too many hopes on Luisa.
While I was lost in thought, Mom had already taken out a bag and handed it to me. She even waved it in front of my nose to make me notice.
"How do you use this bag?" I asked, taking it and slinging it over my shoulder. "Do I have to say some kind of spell?"
The bag was so light that I barely felt it. For a moment, the toys I had bought seemed heavier on their own.
"A spell?"
Mom tilted her head to the side, frowning. But then her confusion was interrupted by a yawn, making her stretch.
"Well… something like 'Reveal your secrets,' I don't know."
I ran my palm over the bag as if I wanted to stroke it and make it open.
"Are you… going to talk to the bag?"
"Um, well…"
For a few moments Mom simply stared at me. The muscles in her face twitched slightly, as if she couldn't decide whether to laugh or take the question seriously.
In the end she just sighed. Picking up a comb and turning back to the mirror, she began fixing her hair. It seemed I had seriously worn on her nerves during the short time I had spent in my parents' room.
"Just open it and think about what you want to take out. That's all."
Wow. How convenient.
No, something wasn't right. If it was so easy to take any item out of the bag, why had Luisa spent so long rummaging through hers? I don't understand.
Just in case, so I wouldn't embarrass myself, I decided to try taking out a toy before going to my room. I opened the bag and stuck my hand inside. For a second I panicked. It felt like my hand was dissolving. I immediately pulled it out to make sure it was still there.
It was exactly the same as before I had put it in. It hadn't changed at all. As if it had broken into particles for a moment and then instantly reassembled.
Honestly, the sensation had been pleasant, so I repeated it a few more times.
While I was experimenting, I felt someone's gaze on me. When I looked up, I noticed Mom had frozen in front of the mirror. Her nostrils were twitching as if she wanted to sneeze.
"What are you… doing?"
"Oh, I… wanted to take out the toy to check how it works."
In reality, that really had been my goal. It didn't matter at all that I had gotten distracted from it for a while.
"And… how did it go?"
"Um. It hasn't worked yet."
Despite the embarrassed smile on her face, it seemed Mom was amused. I wonder why?
"I see. If you're done, maybe you should hurry?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
Her tone sounded as if I had been deliberately delaying the moment of leaving. Of course that wasn't the case.
I had just reached the door to finally leave my parents' bedroom when Mom called out to me again. And who was the one delaying things here?
"Yori, one more thing."
"Yes?"
The way she solemnly put her hands on her hips, as if preparing a whole motivational speech, made me swallow. I really believed Mom wanted to support me.
Not that I needed it, of course. But it definitely wouldn't have hurt.
"Today is Tuesday. In case you forgot."
Nodding several times as if she had said the most important thing in the world, Mom turned back to the mirror.
"Oh. I thought you were going to say something meaningful, but no."
Nevertheless, after her words — my body and mind really did feel more relaxed. At that moment, even the words I would have to say started to seem light. Maybe she wanted to let me know that today was just an ordinary day? Who knows.
After receiving that motivational speech — or whatever it was — I finally left my parents' room. I think they were already regretting letting me in. Well, who cares.
Standing in front of the door to my room, I suddenly felt a slight anxiety. I had congratulated my parents and Euriel on holidays before, but they hadn't expected anything grand from me.
Looking at it now, it was my own fault for creating that impression of myself.
Speaking and listening were not the same as putting feelings into words and accepting them. I seemed to have come to this thought more than once. Maybe a certain kind of stability wasn't always a bad thing. At least it meant I approached at least something responsibly.
After a long sigh, as if trying to free myself from my thoughts along with the air, I pushed open the door to my room.
"Why did you take so long, Yoriiiiiiii…"
She continued stretching the "i" in my name, as if imitating a siren. I was confused by her behavior. Luisa had always been a hard-to-understand person, and with age, it seemed nothing had changed. No — she only became stranger.
Seriously, what was she doing?
"What are you doing?"
"I already forgot."
As expected.
"No, that's not important. Did you cut your hair?"
"What? No…"
Luisa suddenly jumped off the bed and ran over to me so quickly that I stepped back, almost bumping into the door. Right now she looked like a dog that had been waiting an eternity for its owner to come home from work.
She stared intently at my face — even though we were talking about hair. At one point it seemed to me that her eyes sparkled, as if she had finally understood something. At the same time, I felt some cold liquid slowly sliding down my cheek toward my chin.
Curiously, I brought my hand to my face, but found no liquid.
"Nooo. Did you actually wash your hair and comb it?"
Actually, I washed my hair at least once a week. Then why did it sound like she had just witnessed the northern lights for the first time?
Because of her eccentric behavior, I had almost forgotten that it was her birthday and wanted to snap back. But I stopped myself in time. After all, now wasn't the time for arguments.
Ignoring her face, which looked like it was trying to stick to mine, I tried to discreetly slip my hand into the bag. Closing my eyes, I tried to imagine the shape, density, and feel of the toy.
Funny how all magic worked through imagination, wasn't it?
A moment later I felt softness. The tips of my fingers seemed to touch sheep's wool. Grabbing the toy — by the ear, I think — I pulled it out.
Luisa's eyes immediately darted to my hand, which nearly made me drop the plush Treepurr back inside. I should have at least asked what would happen in that case. I'd probably have to imagine it again. Let's not think about that.
Finally pulling the creature out of the bag, I held it out to Luisa. I don't know why, but I felt a little awkward looking her in the eyes, so I simply felt the toy bump into her.
"Here. This is for you. Happy… — I closed my eyes and sighed. — Happy birthday."
It took enormous effort to raise my head. But it was done. Almost.
The toy remained in my hands while Luisa silently stared at it.
Had I made a mistake after all? I should have asked what she actually wanted.
They say attention is more important than the gift. But probably the closer the person is, the worse that rule works.
I was already starting to lower my hands when Luisa suddenly snatched the animal. Without even looking at the toy properly, she lifted it to her face, covering almost everything except her eyes.
"Thank you," her muffled voice came from behind the plush toy. For a moment it even seemed like the Treepurr itself was speaking.
Her head slowly lowered, but her face remained hidden behind the toy. All I could see was her awkward smile.
A wave of relief washed over me when Luisa accepted the toy. Not without hesitation, of course, but that was probably enough.
Besides the animal, there was one more gift I was supposed to give her. But my hands simply froze, as if stuck to my neck. What I was seeing was too cute. And I wasn't talking about the pair of sleepy eyes on the Treepurr.
Yes, now I could call Luisa cute without too much embarrassment. Lately I had been making an effort to be more honest with my feelings. Though only inside my head so far.
After some awkward silence, Luisa finally lowered the toy from her face and looked at it. Her reaction was too calm, which made me start worrying again that I had chosen poorly.
But then she lifted the Treepurr up to my face — shifting her gaze between it and me. I noticed the corner of her lip twitch.
And suddenly Luisa burst out laughing, clutching the toy to her stomach.
"You… ha-ha… look exactly like… ha-ha…"
"Huh?"
"You two… ha-ha… are indistinguishable…"
In what way?
Even without combing it, my hair wasn't as curly as the Treepurr's fur. And the color didn't match at all — neither the hair nor the eyes. It seemed Mom and Luisa had some special way of seeing things.
Still, watching her laugh so carefree, I caught myself wanting to believe her.
"There's something else I wanted to give you."
"Oh."
Her laughter stopped as suddenly as it had started. She wiped her eyes and I noticed that the skin on her hand was wet. I had no idea how to feel about the fact that my gift had made her laugh until she cried.
I wasn't Luisa, so I could only guess what she was thinking about all this.
"So, what is it?"
With those words she held out her palm, as if she already knew the item would fit in it. Although I was ready to take out and hand her the second gift, her smug grin made me hesitate for a moment.
Of course the gift would reach its recipient, but first…
I placed my palm in hers. Then I stepped forward and turned around so that our joined hands rested on my stomach. Leaning my back against her, I tilted my head back slightly, trying to catch her gaze.
"Me."
It was good that she was taller than me. Only because of that could I see her face when I looked up. Because of that, I even leaned back a little more, as if making Luisa my center of gravity.
It seemed that in that moment only her eyelids were moving — slowly closing and opening.
I was about to laugh and step away, but her arm suddenly stiffened along with her whole body.
Her face began to turn red. It was an extremely deep red. So deep that I thought blood might start coming from her nose.
I got flustered. And almost immediately stuck my hand into the bag.
"Just kidding. Here's the gift."
Luisa's shoulders shook, and the toy she was holding fell to the floor. I suddenly felt a little sorry for her.
I never managed to take out the second gift — Luisa hugged me. Her face buried itself in my shoulder, as if hiding her red cheeks. Though her ears and forehead were the same color.
"You're super terrible."
"Oh… Maybe without the 'super'?"
"No, definitely super."
Well, whatever. It's not like the prefix changed anything fundamentally.
Luisa had hugged me before — there was nothing special about it. I felt her warmth and scent every morning when she somehow mysteriously woke up on top of me. And yet…
For some reason I found that I couldn't pull away. As if she were a magnet and my body was made of metal.
But I still had to give her the gift. Otherwise, I might simply forget about it — and it would be lost forever in the magical space.
This time I didn't need much effort to take out what I wanted. A much warmer and bigger cat was currently right behind my back. That alone was enough to imagine Vesperia.
My hand grabbed the string connecting the two toys and pulled it upward, as if fishing something out.
And roughly like that they appeared — white and black — dangling in my hand as if on that very hook.
"Here. Your second gift."
Luisa lifted her head, and I immediately regretted leaving my ear exposed — her breath felt far too distinct.
"You definitely have some kind of problem with this animal. You're a Vesperia-phile. No… or a Vesperia-maniac?"
It was hard to say which of those descriptions I liked more. Neither, to be precise.
Nevertheless, her not-very-pleasant comment made me frown. Actually, it was her fault that I had chosen exactly this kind of gift. Before she appeared, I didn't even know such a name existed.
In reality, there was still so much I didn't know. So much I didn't have. And even so, I had something that couldn't be found in any corner of the universe.
Luisa.
Unfortunately, I didn't know a language in which this could be expressed differently. And I wasn't even sure such a language existed.
Wait, no. That's not what this is about right now.
"Just take it and shut up."
I unfastened the connection between the toys and poked the white one at her, handing it over my shoulder.
"I want the black one."
Leaving no room for discussion, Luisa reached for the black Vesperia. But except for the color of the fur and eyes — they were completely identical. Why did she always have to be so difficult?
"What's the difference?"
"It looks like you. Black Yori."
Although it probably wasn't meant as an insult, the way it sounded really didn't please me.
"That's because you're always showing off your white belly."
I wasn't even sure what that was supposed to mean, but I couldn't hold back from saying something in return.
Luisa, it seemed, didn't understand it either. She remained perfectly calm. Then she simply left the Vesperia in my hands and squeezed my cheeks.
Every time Luisa's fingers touched my skin, I felt her warmth transfer to me. And, strangely enough, it was a little fun.