Aside from Evelyn, Mori Tsukisa rarely saw local women in the museum.
—The museum's unique nature meant most visitors were foreign tourists, not to mention that in Cairo during this era, it was hard to even see them on the busy streets.
Even if there were, they wrapped themselves tightly in black veils.
The woman in front of Mori Tsukisa was just like that.
She wasn't tall and her steps were a bit unsteady. Judging from her exposed eyes alone, she wasn't very young anymore.
"Hello?"
Mori Tsukisa spoke the local language fluently. After the other woman asked for a geography book, the girl led her through the outer part of the museum, past the sharp-edged stone carvings, and pushed open the library door.
"Let's see... geography section..."
Mori Tsukisa recited the numbers Evelyn had organized as she led the woman to the fourth bookshelf.
"It's here."
Two pairs of feet stopped in the middle of the bookshelves.
—Just as the woman thought this small librarian should go move a ladder or something, she was horrified to see the girl lift her skirt, move her ankles in a hasty warm-up, and then... 'Heave-ho!' jump up!
In mid-air, the girl grabbed the spine of a book and nimbly plucked it from a shelf high above the ground—if one ignored the height of the jump, the scene would have been quite youthful rather than terrifying.
The last time Mori Tsukisa did this, she was caught by Evelyn, who nagged her for half a week while pinching her waist.
The woman, half-furious and half-terrified, couldn't bring herself to actually hurt Mori Tsukisa, so she could only tickle her while sternly warning the girl.
This resulted in the two of them, who weren't wearing much to begin with, becoming familiar with each other's secrets while messing around.
The scene was quite artistically striking.
'Such precious books! If you accidentally knock over one of the shelves...'
Mori Tsukisa didn't think much of it; she felt that Evelyn's way of climbing ladders in high heels was what would cause trouble.
Anyway, after that time, Evelyn uncovered a corner of this quiet little princess's personality—at least, she got to know, understand, and glimpse two things about Mori Tsukisa.
First was her eccentric and wild personality.
Second was her enviable measurements.
The book was in hand.
Mori Tsukisa turned her head and handed the book to the woman wrapped tightly in black. The woman hesitated for a long while before a gentle voice came from behind the veil.
"...Thank you."
"I might... might look at it for a while?"
Mori Tsukisa nodded without objection. "Before closing."
In her line of sight, a black line flashed across the woman's wrist.
Was that... a scar?
When Mori Tsukisa looked over, the woman seemed to notice. She instinctively tightened her cuff and appeared somewhat nervous.
"May I..."
"By myself..."
Mori Tsukisa nodded and pointed to the book in the woman's hand. "Just leave it on the table when you're done."
The eyes beneath the veil looked as if they had been granted a reprieve. "Thank you... thank you. My name is Tyah."
"Mori Tsukisa."
Tyah watched the girl's figure as she bounced away, clutching the book in her hand. She moved her steps toward the bookshelf on the other side... A Boy wearing overalls wove through the crowd.
His face was smeared with a bit of oil, his clothes were filthy, and he wore a red-and-black striped beanie on his head.
The oversized hat covered his forehead, pressing his black hair flat against his brow, giving him a crooked and rather amusing appearance.
With a bag slung across his shoulder, he navigated through the shouting marketplace, rounding the backs of several camels and running straight toward the museum.
Relying on his small stature, the Boy often made dangerous maneuvers while running. Consequently, when he looked back, he didn't see the man pushing a fruit cart across the narrow path—
"Hey!"
A slender forearm shot out quickly, accurately grabbing him by the back of his collar amidst the crowd.
Thud!
Several apples scattered and rolled across the ground. The man pushing the cart stood up, cursing, and looked around—but the Boy had long since been pulled away from the scene by those hands.
"Little Baru, so reckless, so reckless."
Mori Tsukisa set him down, took the Boy's hand, and straightened his hat, her mouth still murmuring something that sounded like a nursery rhyme.
To Mori Tsukisa, she seemed to have the strange ability to turn all conversation and communication into nursery rhymes.
"Big Sister!" Baru shouted in pleasant surprise, "I was just looking for you!"
As they moved through the noisy marketplace, the closer they got to the museum, the more prosperous it became.
"What's wrong?"
Baru patted his bag: "I found the blueprints!"
"Blueprints?"
The Boy's clever eyes darted around, scanning their surroundings. Only after the girl leaned down did he lean into her ear and whisper:
"The blueprints he left behind!"
Hmm?
Mori Tsukisa thought for a moment before remembering.
"That thing?"
"Hehehe." Baru stood tall and patted his cloth bag, "I'm telling the truth."
"I know."
Mori Tsukisa blinked and led Baru to another stall, buying him two pita breads.
"Remember to eat. Also, is work tiring?"
The young Boy worked and lived at the Mineral Oil Plant. Such a living environment meant his clothes, hat, and his entire person were greasy and dirty every day. Mori Tsukisa had tried to persuade him to let her find him a better place, but the stubborn Boy insisted on earning his own living and refused to leave the Mineral Oil Plant.
Ultimately, it was because of something his father had once said... Mori Tsukisa didn't look at the blueprints in Baru's bag, but simply pinched the Boy's cheek.
"Remember to eat, sleep on time, and if anything happens, you can come find me."
Her nagging was just like Evelyn's tireless reminders to her. Baru, a Boy at a rebellious age, didn't like being lectured like this.
"You're clearly not much older than me..." The Boy suddenly made a face at Mori Tsukisa and jumped back, leaping out of her reach.
"Bleh bleh bleh! Big Sister is clearly more unreliable than I am!"
Mori Tsukisa irritably dusted off the oil stains on her dress. After standing up, she didn't chase the Boy, but instead put two fingers to the corners of her eyes and pulled downward.
"Bleh bleh bleh! I'm way more reliable than you!"
"Hmph."
"Hmph hmph hmph!"
The two, who perhaps weren't that far apart in age, stood three or four meters apart—one tall, one short—launching 'funny face attacks' at each other.
"Hmph! I'm leaving. Once I make it, you'll believe me!"
Mori Tsukisa giggled, lowered her fingers, and wagged one back and forth.
"I've always believed in you, Baru. Be careful, and come to me if there are any problems."
The sudden tenderness, replacing her usual eccentricity, made Baru feel a bit awkward. He looked Mori Tsukisa up and down.
"Why are you suddenly talking like that..."
Mori Tsukisa's face suddenly dropped: "Get lost, you little black monkey."
"Heeheehee, I'm going, Big Sister!"
"You just aren't happy unless you're being scolded."
Patter, patter.
The sound of leather shoes faded into the distance.
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