Part 33: School Culture Festival
BGM: Doorway of Summer
School was a place Jessica liked, where she could let out her stress from the days when she was forced to live formally. For the cultural festival today, she had formed a group with her friends, and had announced that they would perform light music on a temporary stage. She had kept on preparing and practicing for that, and had really looked forward to today... but there was one thing that had worried her.
She looked at the clock. There was still a little time, but she was uneasy. Would that person really come? After taking a single deep breath, her heart jumped when all her friends suddenly started speaking in shrill voices.
"Isn't he?! Isn't he?!" "I heard Rin's boyfriend's re-ally smart! Is it true that guy's a glasses beast?!" "No way, no way, my husband'll be a pretty bo-y!" """Kyakkya笙ｪ Kyakkya笙ｪ"""
Jessica didn't have a boyfriend. She had many friends of the opposite sex, but no special 'only one'. But Jessica was a little famous around the school, and everyone thought it would be natural for her to have a fitting partner.
Furthermore, her pride had caused her to act like that was the case. So she had slyly been able to trick them somehow until this year. But for various reasons, she hadn't been able to escape this year's cultural festival...
"Jessie~. Is your boyfriend he~re?"
"What kind of person is your boyfriend, Jessie? At least give us a hint. What kind of relationship? What kind of relationship?!" "Awesome, he's a working man, right?! Will he come in a suit?! Of course he'll be wearing glasses, right?! Kyaa-!!" "Heeeeeey, he doesn't really exist, does he? If you come clean now, we'll let you join us! Let's cry together during this cultural festivaaaal!"
"No no no, he exists he exists he exists, I told you, he really exists... ahahahahahahahahahaha...!!"Jessica's bitter smile was covered with cold sweat. It was starting to seem doubtful whether she really had deceived her sharp-witted friends...
BGM: Towering Cloud in Summer
"F, f, fake?! Wh, who...?! I can't think of, anyone...!"Shannon's ridiculous plan surprised Jessica into hysterics. Even so, it was probably more realistic than the unrealistic methods running through her head about getting a boyfriend in the big rush before the cultural festival.
"For example, what about Kanon-kun?"
"K K, Kanon-kuuuuuun?! N n, no way, no way!! Anyways, I'm sure Kanon-kun has work on the day of the festival... and I don't want to bother him..."
"Of course, I've fully checked the schedule. Kanon-kun has that day off." "...Wh... why are you always so clever at times like this... No, wait! It'd be even worse if he's off... I can't pull him away from his precious break just for my own vanity!" "If you don't pull Kanon-kun away, he'll always be shut away by himself, so I think it would be perfect if you could forcibly pull him away." "Y, y, you think so? No, but, I'd feel bad for Kanon-kun..."
"Then try everything else... How about meekly confessing to everyone that you don't have a boyfriend?"
"Sh, Shannonnnn~!! You aren't really worrying for my sake, are you, you're teasing me, riiiight?!!"Jessica wrestled about with Shannon, her eyes teary. But Shannon was unconcerned, laughing with her usual smile.
"Yes, this is to get you back for making fun of me and George-sama all the time."Listening to Shannon's comeback, the likes of which didn't happen even once a year, Jessica hugged her cushion and rolled around on her bed, pretending to faint in agony. She was so frustrated that she couldn't stand Shannon's smile, which looked so triumphant, but right now, she was the only person Jessica could talk with. She could choke herself to death with her cushion later.
"Why not, Milady? It's a cultural festival, but it's also a chance for you to have fun with Kanon-kun."
"No, that may be true, but, no, no, no, no...!!"Jessica buried her head in her favorite pillow to hide the fact that her face had grown bright red. And she grumpily chewed the fingernail on her thumb. It really was a reaction to be appreciated.
And they were both right in the middle of puberty. They could never talk enough about things related to love. That's why they were able to expose these topics to each other. So Jessica had heard the details of how Shannon's and George's love was progressing, and on the other side, Shannon had heard the details of what type Jessica liked, and what kind of man she might be interested in. Judging by Jessica's reaction, maybe it had been unrefined to speak of that in detail...
She had said that because the discussion wouldn't progress if Jessica kept rolling around on the bed. Jessica had been thinking about Kanon ever since he had shown up. There were almost no young men on Rokkenjima. So maybe it was natural for Jessica, as a girl in puberty, to become interested in Kanon. But if anyone said that, it would destroy the romance of a maiden's pure heart and love at first sight.
Shannon had been with Kanon the whole time at the orphanage, so she had known him before they had started working. So Jessica had asked persistently about what his hobbies were, what his favorite food was, what type of girl he liked. It was clear to Shannon that Jessica was infatuated with Kanon.
"Come on. Isn't this a good chance to take Kanon-kun on a date?" "B, b, but but but, Kanon-kun might also have someone he likes, so... wouldn't he take it badly if I made him go with me just to show off...?"
"Wo-w, George nii-san sure is incredible, being able to understand future trends. Awesome. No, wait! Are you saying that my type is in the wrong time period?! Uwaa-uwaa-uwaa-, I give u-p!!"...In the end, Jessica agreed to Shannon's plan of having Kanon act as her boyfriend, but she had to waste several days before that...
BGM: Novelette
Jessica regretted calling out at such a bad time. Kanon always had a sour look, but he had some bad days and some good days. Unfortunately, this reaction was the former.
"N, n, no, umm, well, ...errr."
"..."All that confidence and effort she had piled up by practicing in front of a mirror all night was wiped out in about five seconds... Jessica turned bright red and hung her head. When he saw that, Kanon took a deep breath. Jessica thought he had been shocked, and her face went pale.
"...I heard from Shannon. This is about having me go with you to the school cultural festival, right, Milady?" "Huh? Ah, aaaaaaahhh!! Nice, Shannon, yeah right! Y, yeah, yeah. Th, that's right, but, umm, err! D, d, do you have any plans that day...?"
"...I was strictly ordered by Shannon to work specially for you on that day, Milady. I have never been to high school, so I don't really understand, but I hear it's a place where girls feel very ashamed if they don't have a boy with them. And I was particularly ordered that the daughter of the Ushiromiya family not be in any way inferior to common people." "Waha, wahahahahahahahahahaha, Shannon, I'll beat you to death late----r!!!"Jessica kept yelling with a strange voice, and a broken smile, like a tea kettle filled with boiling water. As Kanon watched this, he sighed again.
He fully understood what Jessica intended by inviting him. However, it would be really annoying to go along with the lady's game of love.
But Shannon had talked to him persistently. He was very indebted to her. He couldn't refuse. And that brooch was in his pocket. Couldn't this strange turn of events also have been brought about by the magic power residing in this brooch?
It was a truly odd exchange between Jessica, who was still rambling on in a strange voice, and Kanon, who took a deep breath...
BGM: Doorway of Summer
"Huh, ah, ah, sorry!! Wh, who...?"As my friends all gathered together, they were looking this way with hard to describe expressions, whispering to each other! in small voices that weren't small anymore. Even I feel kind of shameless. Did I just say 'sorry, who'?! Like I don't know who's shown up...! Aaaaaaaaah, it's useless, it's useless, my mind is blank...
BGM: HANE
"She really had a boyfriend?! No way, seriously?!" "Jessica, you traitor!! Isn't that really awesome?!!" "He's younger?! I never heard he was younger?!" "Where where?! Where where where's Jessie's boyfriend?!" "She really does like young boys!!" "He, h, h, h, hey! A, aren't you late, wahahahahaha!"
"...I didn't know where the entrance was. I apologize for being late." "R, right, umm... that outfit suits you, doesn't it? Wahahahahahahaha...!!"
"...Shannon, ...said normal clothes wouldn't do, ...yesterday, ...we bought this. It probably doesn't fit me..." "Wa, wahahahahahahahahahahahaha, that's not true! Shannon, when I get back I'll promote you two leveeeeeeeels!!"
"...This place is kinda filled with girls. It's uncomfortable." "Y, y, yeah, isn't it?! C, come on, let's not hang around here, let's go to the stage, alright? 'Cause it'll be my turn really soon! Come on come on come on!!"Jessica was just as uncomfortable. It looked like it was hard to be bathed in everyone's interested gazes. When he saw Jessica's appearance, Kanon thought that he might have made things difficult for her by coming.
"...I get the feeling that I'm getting in the way. Am I a burden?" "I, I, I told you, no way!!" "...Please tell me at any time if I am in the way..."
WH didn't do a Tip for this one - 'boku' is one of Japanese's many first-person pronouns, one that's masculine but a bit on the softer side.
"Ahiiiiiiiii, you, you, you aren't a burden, Kanon-kun!!"
"...What should I do, Milady?"
'ktkr' is an acronym for 'kita kore', roughly 'o shit here it comes'. This whole sequence must have been pretty rough on the translation squad.
"Nooooooooo, don't call me Milady todaaaaaaaaay!!" "...R, really? Understood, Jessica-sama."
"S s s, sorry, Kanon-kun, just for three seconds, could you close your eyes..."
"Th, ...then I'll close them."
...When Kanon opened his eyes, for some reason, there was a horrible tragedy in the room. Everyone had been driven into the walls, their arms and legs outstretched. Jessica put her brass knuckles in her pocket before Kanon opened his eyes.
"A, anyways, let's go over to the stage. Our turn is coming up soon, so wait in a seat for bit. 'Cause we have to get ready! If you go straight to the end here, there'll be a temporary stage, so you'll know where to go. Please wait there!"She pushed Kanon's back, as looked like it would be hard for him to go by himself, and chased him out. Even though Kanon was confused by Jessica's attitude and panic, which he had never seen before, he followed her instruction, and headed in the direction she had indicated. After seeing him off with an awkward smile, Jessica slammed the door shut and yelled loudly.
"There you go, you saw, right? Did you see, are you satisfied?! Wahahahahahahahaha, how pathetic!!!" "...Ugugugugugugu, I lost the bet." "I was sure that Jessie didn't have a boyfriend." "That wasn't a boyfriend, right, she's just harassing one of her servants, right?" "Waaaah, Jessie's boyfriend's incredibleeee...!" "Sh, sh, shut up!! Come on, let's get ready!!"When Jessica took the brass knuckles out of her pocket again, everyone energetically returned to their tasks.
BGM: White Shadow
When Kanon went down the corridor as Jessica had told him to, he ran into a temporary stage set up where the vending machines should have been. It was probably being rented by the hour by some group or circle. Groups from the school where singing songs, but the place was already getting excited. Disliking that clatter, he approached a dark wall alone.
...So this is what they call high school. It sure is noisy. That's what Kanon thought. Then he remembered Jessica just now, acting in a way that he'd never seen before. Honestly, she was in such high spirits that alcohol might have been involved. To him, the greatest virtue for people was to always be composed and intellectual. In that sense, it was very hard for Kanon to get used to the atmosphere in a school cultural festival.
...He had the responsibility to report everything he saw and heard to the Master. So he also had to report about how Jessica had acted without restraint earlier. At the very least, it was not fitting for the daughter of the Ushiromiya family. The Master, Krauss-sama, and especially Natsuhi-sama would probably be angry. If I am to report it in a way that protects Milady, should I blame it on inappropriate school friends...?
Kanon thought back on how Jessica had acted earlier, and sighed again. He could understand Natsuhi's headache a little now. Come to think of it, Natsuhi-sama, as the president of the PTA, should have gone to an informal gathering after attending the ceremony in the gymnasium. Hadn't she said that she wouldn't be there to see Milady's event? That was probably for the best.
"...Crowds are unpleasant. What in the world is going on?"Several female students keep glancing at me. It seems they're all whispering the same things that Milady's school friends had said, and it's really unpleasant. Come to think of it, didn't Shannon warn me? If you walk alone at something like a school festival, you better watch out because a lot of strange people will come and talk to you.
Just as expected, a group of girls I've never met have started talking to me. Their gazes make it feel like my back is itching. Hadn't she talked about some magic words that could chase them off in times like this? Ummm.
"...I am sorry. I am with someone." "Huh, ah, really...?! I, I'm sorry!"It's true. It worked immediately... But, while they did retreat, it really hasn't changed the amount of people gazing at me.
"No, it's that kid, Jessie's boyfriend!!" "No way?! That kid is?!" "I can't believe it, I was sure he was fake!" "Isn't he cu-te, he's younger?! How nice!!" "...Haah."...There's no way I'll ever come to a place like this again. Kanon sighed for about the zillionth time today.
Video: Sweets
BGM: HANE
When he looked around, he realized that there were suddenly a large number of people here. And unlike earlier, they were all guys. With this huge crowd, he couldn't even see the stage. Fortunately, there was a fallen beer case nearby, and he tried using that as a footstool. When he did, he realized that there was now a new group on the stage.
No, maybe she could play. I have seen her practicing air guitar before. Natsuhi-sama wouldn't approve of any hobbies outside of study. Maybe she was always practicing in secret. Come to think of it, recently, she's been returning really late from school, hasn't she? Maybe she was endeavoring to practice at school, when Natsuhi-sama wasn't looking.
It really is for the best that Natsuhi-sama didn't come. If Natsuhi-sama found fault with Milady practicing the guitar, even though she had taken such great pains to do it, Milady would probably be dejected...
I can hear Jessica-sama's forceful voice through the speakers. Jessie-sama? Maybe that's her nickname at school. The students in the audience had kept calling out that name. I'm a little offended at this inferior name. It is inappropriate for Milady.
Jessica-sama was in great spirits as they kept calling her Jessie-sama. Everyone was probably a fan. Her mike performance responded to that and grew more excited. It was almost like a song program on TV.
At first, he thought it was superficial, but that feeling had changed into appreciation. It was pretty incredible. Kanon had never listened to music of his own free will, but he had often heard the kind of music that the people of the Ushiromiya family liked. Since that was almost all classical music, Kanon had naturally started liking classical music too. So to Kanon, the song Jessica sang was, how should you say it... very modern. An any case, if Natsuhi-sama heard it, she would probably faint.
BGM: Swee-swee Sweets
This sequence changed a lot in the PS3 version, probably for legal reasons. In the original release, the concert scene looked like this, and the song used was this. Apparently Ryukishi07 is a big Touhou fan.
The die-hard fans who had even brought pen-lights sang along, dancing crazily with the same movements, almost as though it had been planned ahead. On the stage, Jessica-sama also sang enthusiastically, dripping with sweat. He couldn't find a single element that was appropriate for a daughter of the Ushiromiya family... but it looked like she was having a lot of fun.
"""Jessie-samaaaaaaaa!! Jessiiiiie, Jessiiiiiiiiiiie!!!"""
"Thank you!! OK, next up, we've got a brand new one for you! Don't Call Me An Ordinary Magician!"
BGM: Hope
As I looked at Milady having a great time, I thought. Isn't this Ushiromiya Jessica's true form? Don't I know best that during her life on Rokkenjima, she'd had no choice but to kill her sense of self? Then the time she spent... not as Milady, the successor to the Ushiromiya family, but as a single girl called Jessica, living life to the fullest, must have been very important to her.
I worked close to Milady, saw her in all seasons, and I thought I knew everything about her. But that was only limited to one side of her, Milady of Rokkenjima.
So I had come to think that Rokkenjima itself was our whole world, as though, like in Ptolemaic theory, the ocean spilled off the end of the world into an abyss. But when I look at Milady like this, I realize that this is a horribly narrow outlook. I still can't go along with the excitement of the crowd... But I feel like I can see something that 'cannot be seen' on Rokkenjima.
...I don't know if this is the unseeable thing Shannon was talking about...
Part 34: School Culture Festival II
BGM: Moonlit Night
"...Yes, he seemed to be in good health. That's right, Member Takamiya also came. She said to leave it to her."
"Hmm, busy as usual?"
"It appeared so. That person is also very energetic. That's right, then, I think President Emoto also came."Naturally, the topic of Jessica's cultural festival came up at dinner. School events often became social gatherings for local volunteers. It was the same for the Ushiromiya family, who were celebrities around here. By remembering the names of the important people at the informal gathering, Natsuhi told Krauss the news.
Jessica didn't really have any interest in that discussion, and rudely slurped her pumpkin soup.
"...Milady. Are those manners appropriate?"
"...Yeah yeah, sorry 'bout that."
"Jessica. I am always telling you watch your language."
"...Yes."Jessica answered, discouraged. When he saw that, Krauss smiled a little and interrupted his conversation with Natsuhi.
"How was the festival for you, Jessica?" "Huh? Ah... well, okay!"
"Huh... huh?! Ah... ahahahaha, w, well!"Jessica's face turned bright red. She probably hadn't thought that Natsuhi would actually come to see her on the stage. She felt a mix of happiness and embarrassment.
Actually, she hadn't wanted her mother to watch because she didn't want to be told that her music was inappropriate for the Ushiromiya family. But it wasn't as though it didn't make her happy to hear her parent say that she did a good job after watching her try her best...
"Jessica appeared with both composure and dignity. Fitting behavior for the students' representative." "...ah, oh... yeah."The smile that had been there until a second ago crumbled like sand. Jessica immediately realized that she was talking about something different. Jessica was also the school's student president. She had no interest in something so annoying, but her parents had been pushy so she had grudgingly accepted. Unfortunately, she was popular in school, so she had won the election easily. So Natsuhi was praising her for the student council sponsorship ceremony at the beginning of the cultural festival.
Actually, she had just carried that out halfheartedly. She had immediately met up with her friends, and had held a stage rehearsal for the rest of the time...
"But you spoke the greeting a little quickly. You passed on content, but your fast style of speech was lacking. It would be good if you developed a habit of taking a breath every once in a while."
"...yeah."
BGM: Steady Pace
You could say that her room was the place where her parents had ordered her to be. So maybe you could say that for Jessica, instead of returning to her own room, being in an unknown location in this large mansion was a meager form of resistance...
"...Well, if she had been talking about that, I'm sure she'd have said something about how it wasn't appropriate for the successor to the Ushiromiya family. So isn't it alright this way? Ahahahahahaha."Jessica laughed at what she was sulking over. She laughed at what kind of words she would have had to receive to be satisfied.
It was ridiculous. In the end, I was just acting like a kid. I'm a little surprised, and it makes me want to laugh.
Just as she had tried to force a laugh, Kanon had suddenly started talking to her, and she choked.
"What? Something to say...?" "...umm." "...Yes?"Jessica's expression became the one she always had when looking at Kanon. The listless Jessica from a second ago was gone. If he had still only known of Jessica as the successor to the Ushiromiya family, as he had until yesterday, he would have mistakenly thought that Jessica's mood had sprung back to normal.
But that was wrong. He now knew a part of her that he could not have seen until yesterday, so he understood that there was no way that, on the inside, Jessica was just as she appeared.
"Ah... about today's cultural festival... well, thanks for coming with me so I could show off. You really helped."
"Wha?! Ah, ahahahahahaha?! R, really, I'm embarrassed..."Even though she had heard the words she had most wanted to hear, Jessica acted shyly, and couldn't accept them seriously.
"...I cannot sing. And I don't know how to play any instruments other than the harmonica and the recorder, which I learned in elementary school... So I had just assumed that Milady was the same."...Kanon hadn't planned on looking down on Jessica that much. But people playing unique instruments were always on the other side of the Braun tubes in the TV. At the very least, he had been under the impression that it would be impossible for Jessica.
"...I am furniture. So I didn't believe there was any need to sing songs or play instruments."But... I'm not sure anymore.
"...Seriously, Kanon-kun, enough with that phrase 'because I am furniture'... That's some kind of understanding amongst the servants, right...? That thing about servants being living furniture. Genji-san says it a lot." "It isn't an understanding... Because we really are... furniture." "I know that the kids from the Fukuin House receive assistance from Grandfather in various ways, and I realize that you feel gratitude for that. But that doesn't mean you should call yourself furniture. Aren't you a human like us?" "..."
"...It looked like you were having a lot of fun."
"That's probably wrong." "...Huh?" "It didn't look like I was having fun... you were jealous, weren't you?"
"..., that isn't..."Even Kanon himself probably hadn't noticed that emotion. Kanon had probably seen something he had never seen before, known about it... and been jealous. And to trick himself about that emotion, he had called himself furniture over and over...
"...Probably, just like you had to live at the Fukuin House, I don't have a choice either. I couldn't choose the stars under which I was born." "...That may be true." "But there's one place where you and I are completely different. Know what that is?"I am furniture, and Milady is not... He was about to say that, but stopped.
"...I do not know."
"Kanon-kun, you think that your own fate is everything and you gave up. I can't accept this kind of fate, so I do the best I can. So in addition to the constrained part of me that must act as the daughter of the Ushiromiya family, I've created another self that can do everything I like."
"Yeah. Kanon-kun, you've been instructed to say 'because I am furniture'. I'm sure there's been many things that have been tough just because you've been instructed that way. I think that's... really unfortunate. But the thought that your entire life will be decided by that, I think that's just sad." "..." "You know, people are always making another part of themselves inside themselves that they can really like. This isn't escaping from reality, okay? When I'm that other part of myself, I can really feel like I'm living a great life. So no matter how constrained and boring everyday life is, I can definitely live without suffocating." "...To make... inside yourself, another self that you can really like..."
BGM: Cage
Through her relationship with George-sama, has Shannon given birth to a part of herself that isn't furniture? And did this other Shannon, see something that cannot be seen by furniture?
"Yeah... Well, I don't know anything about your private life, Kanon-kun. But, I can sorta guess. Your private life is probably, nothing at all. Bulls-eye...?"Kanon couldn't reply, but that was answer enough. He had no concept of a private life. So Kanon would always be Kanon. So furniture would always be furniture.
"Kanon-kun, Kanon isn't your real name, right?"In the Fukuin House, because new graduates would be given new families and a new life, they were even given a new name. In his case, that was 'Kanon'.
"...Certainly, that name of mine may be a temporary thing."He had thought that he wasn't anyone other than Kanon. But he remembered. There definitely had been a part of himself that wasn't Kanon. But that was far, far away, on the other side of the distant fog of memory...
"So even for you, it should be alright to have times when you're Kanon-kun, and times when you aren't. Maybe the Kanon-kun you are when you act as a servant calls himself furniture and strictly limits his own will."
"...But when you aren't Kanon-kun, I think it's alright to live much, much more freely."
Jessica had also been like this in the past. She had cursed her own birth into an environment different from all of her friends at school. Only she had been in a heavily constricted environment. forced to learn various things, and it had even interfered with the friends she had played with. Even though that was sad, she had given up, thinking that she had just been born under that kind of star.
But one day, Jessica had stopped giving up and surrendering. Stuff like the Ushiromiya family customs and pressure, those didn't matter. She had created a real 'Jessica' inside herself, who could do what she really wanted to do.
"You know, I'm called by this nickname Jessie in school. So when I'm Jessie, I live life honestly and to the fullest. And because of that, I can do my best when I'm Jessica too."
"...I wonder if it would be alright for you too, to have times when you live as Kanon, and times when you live as, umm... your real name. When you aren't Kanon, can't you become another part of yourself that you can like?" "...A time when, I am not Kanon."He had thought that his real name didn't matter at all. So he had thought Kanon was all of himself. And now Jessica was saying that he should create a new existence, another part of himself that wasn't Kanon.
"...Kanon-kun. If you don't mind, tell me... What is your real name?" "..."He was silent for quite some time. Maybe Kanon's real name had risen to the tip of his tongue. After hesitating for a long time over whether he should say it... in the end... he swallowed it back down.
"...I forgot. My name doesn't matter anymore."Those words contained a slight rejection.
"No matter what kind of real name I had, the only truth now is that here, I am Kanon. The past has nothing to do with anything. The materials with which furniture is made, whether it was originally the trunk of a tree or not, in the end, it's all the same." "...I told you to stop that! You aren't furniture, you're human, right?!"
BGM: Fortitude
Kanon clearly spoke his refusal. It was with a rage that he normally didn't show. Jessica couldn't say anything back, and was struck silent...
"...You are a human, Milady. So you are free to live any way you like, and any kind of future is possible for you. It's almost like you have wings and can dance through the sky like a bird. But I am not like that. Even if I looked like a bird, I'd be nothing more than a domestic duck. Even though they have wings, they cannot fly."
"But despite that, to speak of that dream in the sky... that's just... too cruel...!" "...Furniture and ducks!! What the hell is all this!! No..."Jessica had unconsciously gone along with Kanon's forceful manner of speaking, but she realized that she shouldn't fire back, and swallowed her words.
"...I don't know anything about you. I don't even know your upbringing, and I don't know the hardships you've been through. So I can't even imagine why you started calling yourself furniture." "...But know this. You aren't furniture or a duck. You're a real human." "..." "If you want to say that the Kanon-kun working as a servant is furniture, that's alright. But... in that case... don't you think that you can make a part of yourself for when you aren't furniture, when you're human?"
"...Only a human like Milady can embrace that possibility. I am not like that. My future and possibilities, aren't even a dream I am supposed to see. So, Milady. Please don't... say any more... cruel things..." "Why... Why are you saying that..." "Because it seems that you are making the mistake that I am a human, just like you are, Milady. We are different beings. I just wanted to make that clear."
"Huh... wha?! Ah, no, wahaha..." "...I look almost identical to a human. Therefore, like Shannon, maybe I could delude myself that I am human, and for a time, pretend to love." "...But that would surely be fooling myself. No, it would also be fooling you, Milady. Shannon and George-sama will definitely fall apart. Even though Shannon herself probably realizes that day will come... such a stupid thing..." "Th, there's nothing stupid about it!! And, George nii-san's a wonderful person, and he's bearing both of his parents' expectations. Yeah, when it comes to marriage, I'm sure auntie Eva will interfere in various ways, and, umm, I think their future prospects look like they'll be full of trouble, alright?! But you know, George nii-san isn't the kind of person who'll surrender to all that! Shannon isn't Juliet, he'll definitely bring her happiness!!" "People cannot love furniture. I am trying to say that even if Milady can love furniture, I cannot love Milady." "...nn-"
There was no way her emotions could have predicted that she would be refused so clearly... In an instant, she had lost the willpower that had caused her to try and unravel something stubborn in Kanon's heart, and before she knew it, she was just standing there in shock...
"...Milady, if your feelings for me are due to my conceit, then please forgive me." "...N... no. Well... I won't deny it." "...Thank you very much." "Huh...?"
"No, th... that's enough. Umm... sorry."Jessica recklessly scratched at her head and spoke, trying to force her voice to sound bright.
"...I just kinda... ran on ahead by myself... and was a burden on you. I'm honestly sorry. I'm really sorry... for using up your whole day off." "No. I was also... happy that I could see Milady having fun." "...Then, let's be done for the night. If I don't go back to my room and turn off the lights, Mom will get mad at me again. Hahaha." "That would probably be most appropriate. I wish you a good night, Milady." "...Yeah... Good night..."
But she suddenly started dashing recklessly, and disappeared in the direction of the mansion...
As he watched her back, for just an instant, Kanon was tormented by the feeling that he had just made a huge mistake. But he hadn't made a mistake at all. Thinking of her sake, he'd been forced to refuse her now, while the pain was still at its smallest.
BGM: Organ Short No. 600 Million in C Minor
"How long have you been there...? You're just horrible."
"I shall forgive your reckless words towards me just this once in deference to that pleasant show. Even after one thousand years, no more interesting show exists than complications between boys and girls. To me, it's a pleasure with a sweetness harder to resist than opium... Nn?"Kanon pulled that butterfly brooch out of his pocket. It was the crystallization of the great magic that the witch had bestowed.
"...Hoh? What is the meaning of this, when you know that was something given by me?" "Just now, I figured it out. What you are doing isn't as tasteful as being a cupid of love. You are just a demon who enjoys showing love to those who can never be joined, and deceiving them."
"...Hmph. You are free to think that. Most humans I have lent my power to have said the same thing." "Don't play dumb!! You didn't lend Shannon your power because you felt sorry for her. You found a weak point in Shannon's heart as her chest burned with love, and you made her break the mirror that sealed you. And that's not all... you planned this out until the end, and you're toying with her! Am I wrong?!"
"Fuffufufufufufu, *cackle*! Furniture is a thoroughly pitiful existence. So you have no dreams, no future, and even no love? Good, good, there is nothing better than knowing your place. *cackle*cackle*!" "...Gah..."
"Just as you've noticed, there is a faint love in Jessica's heart. I had hoped that you would punch a hole in that and harvest it... But did you know? Trees grow thicker branches if you thin out and prune them. A girl who loves furniture, interesting, truly interesting! Shannon and George will also eventually reach a stalemate with their love, which cannot be fulfilled, and ripen as the kind of large fruit I like." "However, regretfully, it wouldn't be interesting if they didn't go too far, right? If that happens, I think you all would entertain me greatly, *cackle*cackle*!"The witch laughed. Even though she had known that the two could not be joined, she had lent magic to join them together. However, they couldn't escape the fate that made it impossible for them to be joined. The witch knew that. Even if they were joined, the relationships of Shannon and George, Kanon and Jessica would fail, and as they wandered through the eternal desert in the hell of love, they would be tormented by eternal thirst...!
"Just look at Kinzo. See how he ended up, an old, pitiful man who knew the taste of love and was thrown out of paradise! Look at how he lives, like a dead man that can't fully die. *cackle*cackle*!!" "You really are a witch. Disappear and get out of my sight, you demon...!!" "...I shall disappear without being asked. My power still hasn't returned. It is still tiring to continue showing myself. I overdid it when I gave you lovers my power. As I am now, it will not be easy to maintain that power without that brooch as a catalyst."Kanon ground his foot even more into the stomped brooch. He felt it break under his foot. Then, it evaporated like water, and changed into butterflies that sparkled gold, which fluttered away from beneath Kanon's foot...
"I also find it painful when I tend to preserve this form. But as you ask, I will erase this form for a brief period. Just like a low tide without the moon, my magical power will surely rise. And I will surely visit, at a time that is appropriate for my revival." "...I cannot imagine whether that will be tomorrow, next year, or even one hundred or one thousand years in the future. But as long as there are those that entertain me, I will surely gain power and revive. I will erase this form for a short while, until that time comes. The bruise on the palm of your hand is already gone, so if you wish, tomorrow morning, you can let my existence disappear like an illusion or a dream. I won't be saddened just by you forgetting about me."
"...You talk too much!! Disappear, now, Golden Witch...!!"
The witch left with a scorn-filled laugh, became a group of gold butterflies and scattered away. The whole area sparkled like a gold blizzard in a snow globe. It was a fleeting fantastical scene that disappeared in a heartbeat...
The witch could no longer be seen. However, Kanon felt like he could still hear that shrill, unpleasant laugh...
BGM: Scorpion Entrails
Go insane with love. Go insane with gold. Those that don't go insane from those are not human! I see, so that's why the word furniture is fitting, *cackle*cackle*!
Furniture is created to serve humans. And I cruelly treat humans as playthings during my thousand years of boredom. What a truly pleasant three-way deadlock, that I cannot control furniture!
Tonight, two seeds of love have been sown. Including the one already sown, that makes three!
"Master, drinking any more will be damaging to your health. Haven't you also been warned by Doctor Nanjo?"
"Be silent, Genji!! You do not understand, you do not understand my grief and sadness! Even though I believed that as my oldest friend, at least you would understand my pain!! Why can't you understand?! Oooooohhh, Beatriiiiiice, why did you leave me alooooone...?!!" "..."
"...Oooh, how heart-rending, Jessica-sama. Even though her crying voice that I can hear from her room tells me of the situation, there is nothing I can do... This is all a tragedy due to people who are too young getting too close, when the positions of their birth are too distant... I can do nothing but understand Milady's feelings, hide my footsteps, and quietly walk away..."
"I mean what I said. I still haven't built up my castle. Once I can do that, for the first time, I will be able to think of myself as an adult. When that happens, I want to marry you."
"...Th... that's, umm, err..."
"But, my heart won't let me do that anymore. ...So I want to give you an engagement ring." "E... engagement, you say... But, umm, I... am... furniture..."
"Maybe that's true. And furniture has to listen to what people say. Now, I will have a ring made that's appropriate to give to you. I think I'll probably bring it to the family conference coming up soon. I'll give it to you then, so please, I want you to let me hear your answer." "...If you accept my engagement proposal, I will proclaim right there, to all of the relatives, including Grandfather, my engagement to you." "G, ...George-san..." "I'm sure some people won't approve of our relationship. But, there's no need to look at their faces. Because you only have to fill your eyes with me."
"I will definitely make you happy. That, I promise you, definitely."
BGM: Life's End
The gold butterflies do not swoop upon the juice of overripe and rotting fruit.
