Now then, even though I have my heart absolutely set on making books, I have yet to actually secure a source of paper. My Japanese sensibilities are telling me that I should just go to an office supply store, where they sell five hundred sheets of copy paper for two hundred yen, but in the world I live in now, just one page of parchment would make an entire month’s worth of my father’s salary disappear.

  To make that just one page, a hide has to be stripped, all of the fur shaved off, and then from the largest usable part of a single animal’s hide, sheets must be cut that are of a size that’s easy to work with. The page that I saw at my father’s workplace was about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. If I were to cut up a single page of parchment, I wouldn’t get more than about five to eight usable pages. To put it plainly, it’s so expensive that there’s no way a commoner like me could possibly buy enough to write a book.

  So, if I’m going to make a book, I need to make some paper.

  However, I know nothing about how to actually make paper other than what I’ve read in books. After all, paper has always been something that I could just go to a store and buy. I could go into any drugstore and find loose-leaf paper and notebooks with the rest of the school supplies. I lived in a world where people would just hand out little notepads on the street as promotional items. Banks gave out free calendars, and my mailbox was stuffed full of unwanted flyers that went straight into the trash.

  If I had one of those unwanted flyers now, I’d read every last word on it, and treasure every centimeter of the margin. A world where paper can be obtained so easily is such a luxurious one. Viva, Japan! If I were to be reborn someday, Japan would be nice.

  To make things worse, there aren’t any machines here for making paper! If I don’t have a machine to help me, the entire process is going to have to be done entirely through my own manual labor.

  You must be thinking that the solution to my problems is so obvious, now that I’ve been reborn in an alternate world without machines. I read a lot of books, you’re thinking, so I have a lot of knowledge that I can use, right? …Please, think about it for a little bit.

  All I ever wanted to do was read, and I thought that even using electrical appliances to do the daily chores was too much work. You think that such a worthless Japanese woman could suddenly start doing all the manual labor required to make paper by hand? On top of that, my current body is a child, with a weak constitution, who simply can’t do some things, isn’t allowed to do others, and is otherwise extremely restricted in action.

  In conclusion: there’s no way in hell.

  However, it’s too early to give up. Throughout the world’s history, businesses and governments have needed to keep records. This goes back to ancient times, but machine-made paper certainly isn’t that old. In other words, I might be able to take the ancient methods used in ancient times and reproduce them here and now.

  Hmmm, what did they do before they had machines?

  I scrunch up my eyebrows and open my tiny five-year-old’s hands (more like three-year-old’s because of my tiny physique) as far as they can go, concentrating hard.

  Ancient civilizations, ancient civilizations… If you’re talking about ancient civilizations, Ancient Egypt is first on the list! And, if you’re talking about Ancient Egypt, you have to talk about papyrus! Three cheers for Ancient Egypt!

  Thanks to that word-association game, I’ve hit upon the idea of making Papyrus like the Ancient Egyptians did. If it’s something they invented in ancient history, I should be able to do it myself, somehow, even with my tiny hands.

  I think that they made it out of some kind of plant, like a straight tree or tall grass… probably. Here, there are plenty of plants. I’m positive that I could find plants suitable for making paper scattered around the forest.

  Yeah, the forest. Let’s go to the forest.

  Whenever it came to books, I’d always happily do whatever impossible legwork I needed to do. My family, and even little Shu always looked on with wonder, then sighed in lament. So, now that I’ve got this idea, I want to implement it immediately. I try begging Tory to take me with her to the forest.

  “Tory, I wanna go to the forest too! Can I go w―”


  “Eh?! You?! No way!”


  She shot me down before I even had a chance to finish talking. She reacted so fast that it was obvious she hadn’t even had to think twice. On top of that, she said “no way”, not “you shouldn’t”, which implied that there wasn’t any room for me to change her mind, which really hurt.

  “Why not?”


  “You couldn’t make it there, you know?” she says, then starts counting the reasons off on her fingers. “If you can’t make it to the gates, you absolutely can’t make it all the way to the forest. And when we go to the forest, we’re going to gather firewood, fruits, and nuts, right? You really can’t take it easy out there. Also, can you even climb a tree? And when we’re coming back, would you be able to carry a big, heavy box on your back while you walk? If we wanted to make it back before the gates closed for the day, we wouldn’t be able to take any breaks on the way back. There’s no way you can do it, see?”


  The list is a little long, but it essentially all boils down to “you’re not strong enough”.

  “Also,” she says, “it’s almost winter, so there aren’t really many things we can find in the forest right now…”


  Even if I were to make it, there isn’t really anything to harvest, she’s saying.

  This is really tough. Do I go to the forest even though there might not be anything to harvest, or do I give up on making paper? This decision is way too tough.

  Tory notices the deep look of worry on my face. “What do you want to get?” she asks, tilting her head to one side. “There’s not going to be many melia fruits left, you know.”


  Melia fruits are what I’ve been making our simple shampoo out of. We haven’t been eating the fruits Tory brings back; instead, we’ve been extracting all of the oil from them and storing it. Then, occasionally, we use it as a moisturizer for our hair.

  I’d be happy to get more melia, but the important thing here is not beauty, it’s books. I need plant fibers to use as raw materials for my pseudo-papyrus.

  “Ummm… are there any ‘plants whose fibers can be easily extracted’?”


  “Eh? What?”


  Tory has a dubious look on her face, so I repeat myself. That’s definitely the face of someone who did not understand my Japanese. I think for a moment, then try to explain it again using very easy-to-understand words.

  “…I need grass with a straight, fat stalk. I just want the stalk.”


  “Hmmm…” Tory ponders my question. Does she have some kind of idea? I watch her intently as I wait for a reply. After a little while, she shrugs her shoulders with a resigned look on her face.

  “Sure, I’ll try asking Ralph and Lutz for help.”


  “Huh?” She didn’t say she was going to do it for me, but she said she’d try?

  I don’t quite understand what she’s getting at, and I tilt my head to one side. Tory seems a little surprised by my reaction. I blink a few times, my head tilted confusedly, as if to ask her what she said just now.

  “Ralph’s family raises chickens, you know? They need a lot of feed to make it through the winter.”


  Uh, even if you say “you know,” I didn’t actually know that. Tory’s saying these things as if they’re blatantly obvious, though, so I keep my actual reaction hidden. “Oh yeah!” I say.

  “So, I’ll offer to help them gather grass, then I’ll try asking them for some stalks. The seasons where we get a lot of grass are over now, so there might not be that much, okay?”


  “That’s okay! Thanks, Tory!”


  Really, Tory, you’re an amazing older sister.

  The next day, I accompany Tory downstairs as she leaves to go to the forest, and ask Ralph and Lutz if they’ll help me. They agree to do it, and I breathe a small sigh of relief. However, there’s no way I’m going to rely solely on them.

  I’m going to go and gather some grass myself. Fortunately, grass grows around the well in the places the paving stones don’t cover. I don’t know if the stalks can be used, though.

  “Mommy, I want to go down to the well with you.”


  “Oh! Do you want to help out?”


  “Nuh-uh. Something else.” It might be kind of rude, but if I spend all my time helping out, I won’t be able to gather any grass. “I wanna gather grass.” I show her the little basket Tory made earlier.

  “Ah, do your best.”


  I may have refused to help out, but she’s still letting me accompany her down, whether it’s because she doesn’t want to get in the way of my enthusiasm or because she’s happy that I have enough strength to move around like this.

  Once again, I go down the stairs, following my mother as she carries the laundry down. This is my second trip today, so just going down the stairs made me so winded that there’s no way I can gather any grass.

  I rest next to my mother as she draws water from the well, then uses a foul-smelling, not-foamy, animal-based detergent to start scrubbing away at the laundry.

  “Ohh! If it isn’t little Maine!” calls out a woman, who I don’t recognize, in a friendly voice.

  “Good morning,” I say politely.

  “Ah, Carla!” says my mother, with a smile. “Morning. You’re up early today.”


  From my mother’s reaction, it would seem that I’m misremembering. This must be an acquaintance of Maine’s. I try to keep my lack of recognition off of my face while I dig through my memories a little.

  I really do know this person. According to my memory, this is Ralph and Lutz’s mother. She’s got a fairly strong build and, hmmmm, actually seems like a very reliable person.

  So, should I something like, “thanks for all your help”? Wait, no, no, that is absolutely not what a five-year-old would say. What does a little kid say to an older woman that she’s on really good terms with? Someone, help!

  Carla looks over at me as I’m caught up in spinning thoughts around my head, then goes to draw water from the well. She hauls the bucket up effortlessly, then starts washing her own laundry as well. Of course, she’s using the foul animal-based soap.

  “How are you doing today, Maine?” she asks. “It’s rare to see you outside.”


  “I’m picking some grass! Ralph and Lutz said that they’re gathering it for the chickens.”


  “Aww, for us? You shouldn’t have,” she says, in a tone of voice that seems to imply that it’s no big deal either way as she continues to pound away at her laundry.

  She, along with my mother, is having a lively conversation about this and that with the other mothers that have gathered around the well. Incidentally, it’s amazing how all of these mothers are talking so much while continuing to work so diligently.

  Nevertheless, this soap really stinks. If you tried using some herbs to help erase the smell, wouldn’t it be nicer? Or maybe would the two smells multiply and turn into an unbearable stench?

  Reminded of my plans for improvement, I stand up and start tearing grass from the ground. I try to look for plants with thick, straight stalks that I can use, but I can’t actually tear those out with my own strength.

  Doing this with my bare hands is impossible. Someone, get me a sickle, please…


  Of course, no sickle arrives, and there’s no way I can get any of this with just my bare hands. Well, whatever. I’m going to just rely on Tory, Ralph, and Lutz, who went to the forest to help feed the chickens.

  I’ve given up on finding grass that I can use, so I start pulling up the little sprouts or weaker leaves that the chickens might be able to eat. Even I can pull these out with no problem.

  “Maine, it’s time to go!” calls my mother, holding her tub full of tightly wrung-out clothes. It seems like she’s done with the laundry already. I’ve barely filled my little basked halfway, but my mother has to go to work today, and there’s no way I’m going to get scolded for being selfish. I pick up my basket, and start walking back home.

  “Are you all set?” she asks. “Right, let’s go.”


  “Okay!”


  When I first became Maine, I had a fever and my mother was taking time off from work to take care of me, so I didn’t know anything but how life inside my own home was like. Now that I’m healthy again, it seems that I’m going to be left in the care of my elderly neighbor, who’s agreed to babysit me.

  If she hadn’t, Tory wouldn’t be able to go to the forest. Got it.

  “Mommy’s got to go to work now, Maine. Be a good girl and keep quiet, okay?”


  “Okay!”


  “I’ll leave her to you, Gerda.”


  “Right, right,” she says. “Come, Maine.”


  Gerda’s place is full of other children, being watched over just like me. All of these kids are basically infants, who could only really escape by toddling away. In this town, when you’re about three years old, you’re strong enough to start going with your older brothers and sisters to the forest and helping out with the chores. In short, it seems like my family thinks that I’m as weak as a toddler, and can’t stay at home by myself.

  What the heck?!

  As I fume about my family’s shocking evaluation of my own worth, I see a boy pick up a toy that had fallen on the ground and move to stick it in his mouth. Next to him, a tiny little girl suddenly started crying and hitting him.

  “Whoa, gross!” I exclaim. “Don’t put that in your mouth!”


  “Oh my,” says the old lady.

  “Don’t just start hitting him,” I say to the little girl. “What’s going on?”


  “Now, now,” says the old lady.

  I’m supposed to be just another kid getting baby-sat, but as the biggest kid around I’ve started watching out for the other kids.

  “Oh my,” “now, now,” what the heck! Gerda, old lady, do your job!

  While I help Gerda put the littlest kids to sleep, I start thinking about how I’m going to turn the grass stalks I’m going to get into papyrus.

  Honestly, I don’t really remember how papyrus was made. I never actually had to know.

  Certainly, I remember seeing papyrus. It was remarkably thick, with fibers running horizontally and vertically. The fibers on the back were different from the ones on the front and only one side was writable, and there was a note to the side instructing us not to bend it… but there wasn’t anything written there about how it was made.

  Even more troubling, I can’t remember what the photo I saw of it getting made even looked like. I have a hunch about how I might make the fibers all run in the right direction, but how do I bond them together? Is it like rice paper? Do I need some kind of glue or binding agent?

  As I think back on how those historical documents neglected to mention these important details, my head tilts to one side. For now, I think I’ll try taking a part of the fibers from the hardest stems, then weaving them horizontally and vertically as tightly as I can. With this, I think I won’t need any sort of binding agent. That parchment seemed kind of cloth-like, and this is still my first time making pseudo-papyrus, so if I’ll be satisfied if I can just get a page i can write on.

  “Maine, someone’s here for you,” says Gerda.

  “Toooryyyy~!”


  It’s evening time, so Tory and the others have come back from the forest to pick me up. I’m so relieved. I was so glad to hear that someone came for me. That emotion sweeps over me, and I cling tightly to Tory.

  Old lady Gerda’s babysitting did not involve looking after anyone. If something wasn’t very dangerous, she’d just leave it be. If someone peed somewhere, she’d wipe it up with a wet cloth and do nothing else. The room reeked of filth. Since I’ve got the common knowledge of Japan stuck in my head, it’s obvious that this day-care is truly terrible. Leaving your kids with a baby-sitter like that is truly terrible.

  Really, I want to do something about it, but the problem’s too big for my tiny hands. I can’t do any of the things I’m thinking of with my own hands, and I also don’t know if Gerda’s methods are common or not around here. If I start complaining, they might think that I’m the crazy one. I really wanted to run away from that deplorable environment as fast as I could. I waited in agony, wishing that someone would hurry up and come get me.

  “What’s wrong, Maine?” asks Tory, patting me on the head. “Did you get lonely after staying there for so long?”


  “When you get a little bit stronger, you can totally start coming with us to the forest,” says Ralph. “It would be great if you could come with us in the spring!” says Lutz.

  I suddenly realize that I absolutely must get stronger. Every single one of my problems has been because I’m too weak.

  “Oh, right!” says Ralph. “Here’s the grass stalks we promised you.” He reaches into his basket and grabs a fistful of grass to show me. In an instant, my worries about the old lady Gerda are blasted out of my head. The important thing here is not old ladies, it’s books. It’s paper.

  “Oh, so much! I’m so happy! Hey, while I was down at the well, I helped get you some grass too!”


  I stand tall and proud as I deliver this information, but for some reason the three of them just pat my head. To make things worse, Lutz looks down at me with a warm smile, like he’s praising me for having tried my hardest.

  Hey, how much does everyone think that I’m a child that can’t do anything useful? …I mean, I guess I can’t actually do real work, though.

  I exchange the grass I’d collected in the little basket that Tory made for the grass that the three of them had collected for me.

  Now then, with this, it’s time to make some pseudo-papyrus.

  Volume 7 9: The Missing Two (Part 2)

  “A noble has adopted Dirk, this was all approved by the High Bishop.”


  The High Bishop had the authority to approve an adoption without the notifying the orphanage director or the High Priest as long as the adoptee was a commoner.

  “Is the archduke’s permission not required when it comes to noble adoptions? I heard from Sir Damuel that the archduke isn’t around.”


  “The High Priest mentioned that the archduke’s approval is not needed if the to-be-parent is a noble from another duchy.”


  So there was a loophole in the law. Any adopter from beyond the duchy borders only needed the blood stamps of the High Bishop, the adoptive father and the adoptee. In other words, Dirk had been adopted by a noble from another duchy.

  “…This isn’t a good thing, right?”


  “No, the High Priest wasn’t happy to hear about it.”


  Fran crossed his arms over and frowned, he looked just like the High Priest right now. He looked back up to me.

  “Sister Myne, please fire Delia and cut off all contact from her. We all know that you are a very caring person, but this is unforgivable. She acted all on her own without seeking her mistress’s approval and caused so much havoc too. She cannot stay by your side as an attendant. If she wishes to stays with the High Bishop, she needs to be relieved of her duties.”


  Delia would continue to stay as my attendant unless I declared her dismissal. Rosina nodded along to say that she found it rude for Delia to approach the High Bishop without a heads up.

  This wouldn’t have been that much of a shock if it happened right after Delia became my attendant. Just when I felt that we were finally on great terms, I had been stabbed in the back by Delia.

  Why? I couldn’t stop asking myself.

  I looked back into my cup of swirling tea before speaking again.

  “…Delia will be dismissed. Please have her summoned.”


  Fran stopped frowning, it seemed like he was worried that I couldn’t bear to let her go. His arms were still crossed and he replied with a “as you wish,” before making his way out.

  I sipped on my tea again after that, but the tea no longer tasted like it did before, it was horribly bitter.

  Fran came back with Delia behind. Delia had a rather pleasant expression plastered onto her face, which was a stark contrast to Fran’s gloomy face. She strolled over with light steps as her red hair swished around.

  “Good morning, Sister Myne. You called for me?”


  She looked just like normal and I could tell that she wasn’t out to get me, in fact she was speaking like nothing had happened that it gave me headache. Her behaviour made me question if she even went to the High Bishop with Dirk. Looking at Fran and Rosina’s stern faces slapped me awake and I shook my head.

  “I have been informed about your return to the High Bishop.”


  “That’s right,” Delia’s face lit up so much that it made her entire body glow.

  “I told the High Bishop that the High Priest was looking for someone to adopt Dirk and had yet to find someone. After hearing about it, the High Bishop found someone right awar! And the adopter is a noble too.That’s amazing, right? Any noble adoptions here take some time to be approved because they have to go through the archduke, so the High Bishop sought someone outside the duchy. He knows so much more people than the High Priest.”


  “So you and Dirk can continue staying together?”


  I was worried that Dirk would have been taken to the duchy and that maybe Delia would follow along as his caregiver. Despite all that, it was fishy that the High Bishop had sought someone to adopt Dirk in a way that did not need the archduke’s approval. I had a bad feeling about it.

  Delia laughed, “Dirk will be under the High BIshop’s care until he is old enough, he’s not an orphan anymore. The High Bishop has bestowed us with a room so that Dirk and I can stay together.”


  …Why does that sound off?

  Delia said that Dirk would live in the temple until he came of age, but that would mean that he wouldn’t be allowed to study in the Academy or be able to stay with his new family. Then, why did the noble even go out of the way to adopt Dirk? Even if he was adopted for his mana, why was the High Bishop looking after him? Thinking about it got me even more worried, but Delia continued smiling, completely oblivious to my suspicions.

  “Now me and Dirk won’t be separated. If Dirk stayed with you, he would have to eventually move into the orphanage.”


  Delia struggled with entering the orphanage, so to her, Dirk being there and her living in the director’s chambers felt just like being torn apart. No matter what, even if she got used to being in the orphanage, Dirk would be moved to the boy’s hall after he gets baptised which would make it even harded for them to meet. So how could I bear to chastise Delia when she had gone to such lengths to stay with Dirk?

  “I take it that you both aren’t being mistreated, are you?”


  “Nope, not at all,” Delia shook her head.

  For now, the High Bishop was treating Delia nicely. Since she only saw him as a caring old man she wouldn’t take too kindly to me speaking bad of him. I sucked in my breath.

  “Alright then, you are officially dismissed as my attendant. You will have to return to the High Bishop. Are you sure about this?”


  “Entirely. Sister Myne, if that is all, I would like to take my leave to see Dirk. His new father should be arriving.”


  A bitter taste washed over my mouth when I said the words to relieve Delia of her position as my attendant, but Delia didn’t seem bothered at all. She only seemed concerned about leaving so that she could reunite with Dirk again.

  “I apologise for asking you to come here at this time. I would just like you to know how worried Fran and Rosina were when you and Dirk disappeared without notice. Wilma was absolutely shocked and so was Gil when he learned about it after returning from the workshop. Even I was shaken to learn of it this morning. For all of us to discover Dirk’s and your disappearance, we were all worried about the both of you. I would have appreciated it if you had said something before.”


  After much deliberation, I finally decided to tell her how I felt, I wanted her to realise the effects of her actions. I could tell that that sent something through Delia, but she tried to smile to cover up her emotions.

  “…The High Bishop told me that you wouldn’t let me take Dirk away, that was why I decided to take action by myself. I see my mistakes now. I’m sorry,” she apologised and looked away from me as she tried to push the fault onto the High Bishop. It looks like she wasn’t that oblivious to how problematic her actions were.

  “Anyways, I wish you and Dirk all the best. It won’t be easy looking after him by yourself.”


  “Thank you. Goodbye, Sister Myne.” Delia gave me a genuine smile before taking her leave. I was happy for her that she was happy now, but I was sure that that joy would be short-lived.

  When she left the room, I turned around to Fran and Rosina.

  “…Do you think Delia and Dirk will be alright?”


  “We cannot do anything for Dirk because he is not an orphan under the temple. This was something Delia decided for him,” Rosina said with a harsh tone.

  I nodded back with uncertainty, “…I guess so.”


  But I still wanted to help them with what I could. I started brainstorming ways to help them when Fran knelt beside me. He gently took my hand into his and raised his head to look into my eyes.

  “Sister Myne, no matter what Delia does or say, you must never agree to meet the High Bishop,” he said. I was confused why he said that, and he continued speaking with a concerned look.

  “When I went to call Delia over, the High Bishop kept asking for you to head to his chambers instead. I insisted that it was unheard of for a mistress to leave her chambers to fetch her own attendant. He finally agreed to let Delia go, but seeing him that assenting was quite unnerving.”


  The High Bishop had previously ordered that I was never to set foot into his chambers ever, and he always ignored me. However he was now telling Fran that I should go to him and that I had to meet Delia in his chambers. That sudden change in his attitude towards me concerned Fran, and I agreed that it was strange too.

  “And it turns out that the High Bishop knows the noble who tried to enter the east gate a few days ago, and he was the one who gave him the letter of introduction too. His name was on the letter and the knights questioned him about it. He brushed it off by saying that it was to strengthen diplomatic relations between the duchies, but the High Priest suspects that he wanted to grant the noble entry into the city so that Dirk could be taken.”


  “Why did the High Bishop invite the noble into the city without seeking the archduke’s approval first?”


  “It would seem that he had not been informed of it,” Fran replied.

  I blinked in confused and he spoke again with a disturbed look.

  “The High Bishop spends his winter in the temple for the rituals and he doesn’t get invited to the social gatherings because of he isn’t seen as a full-fledged noble. He was completely aware of the new rules implemented.

  The High Bishop was not exactly a noble so he wasn’t invited to social gatherings for nobles, which the archduke had announced the new changes to the system. That explained why he had invited an outsider noble.

  “It isn’t clear why the High Bishop had allowed an outsider noble to adopt Dirk and called for Delia to return. Please be more careful from now on,” Fran said and I felt his hands tremble. He was probably worried for me.

  I squeezed his hands firmly and nodded.

  Volume 6 9: Rosina’s Coming of Age Ceremony

  It was almost the middle of Winter. I was on the way back to my chambers after finishing today’s offering for the Dedication Ritual.

  “Sister Myne, what will we be doing for the Coming of Age Ceremony?” Fran asked out of the blue. I looked at him in surprise as I did not understand what he meant by that.

  “Coming of Age Ceremony? But I just got baptized.”


  “It’s not yours Sister Myne but Rosina’s” Fran replied with a hand over his mouth as he tried to stifle his laughter. But what he said still surprised me that my mouth and eyes went wide open.

  “Rosina’s… Coming of Age Ceremony?”


  “Yes. Rosina will come of age at the end of winter”


  “I-I did not know at all…” My disappointment in myself was imminent as I felt that I had failed my responsibility as a master - I did not know the most basic things about my own attendants.

  “Gray shrine maidens typically receive clothes by the temple. Those from the orphanage will only get that but it is quite a common for attendants to receive another gift from their master.”


  Fran explained how the Coming of Age Ceremony went for the orphanage. Those reached of age would clean themselves in the early morning, put on their new clothes gifted by the temple, before offering their prayers and thanks in the chapel. This all took place before the lower city’s Coming of Age Ceremony that started at the third bell. So that basically meant that the Baptism Ceremony and the Coming of Age Ceremony will finish when I practice my harspiel.”


  “I-I haven’t got the chance to congratulate any of the children in the orphanage…”


  Was it fine for the orphanage director to act this way?

  I know I had been quite busy with temple, but that was not an acceptable excuse. My face paled as blood drained from it, but my reaction only received Fran’s laughing.

  “As an apprentice shrine maiden, you are not allowed to partake in the temple ceremonies, so it’s not your fault that you did not know of this. Additionally, you were sick in bed during the summer’s Coming of Age Ceremony and the Baptism Ceremony in Fall. Currently, our schedule has jammed packed with winter preparations. It would stir up feelings of dissatisfaction amongst others if you only celebrated the ceremony for a some.”


  Matters in the orphanage had to promote equality as much as possible, so Fran always cautioned others against things that might be seen as unfair. However, I still wanted to congratulate the orphans even if I did not have any gifts.

  “Sister Myne, please give up the idea of presenting the orphans with any gifts,” Fran repeated sternly, “It will cause more trouble in the long run.”


  I understood the point he was trying to make. If I did choose to present gifts to the orphans during my term as the orphanage director, my successor might not do the same. Furthermore, it had been confirmed that I would attend the Royal Academy when I turned ten, so my tenure was temporary. That was why Fran wanted me to consider how my actions would impact the temple in the long run.

  “Please take note, Sister Myne, I only said that the blue robes priest and priestess have gifted their attendants because I know that you would try to do so regularly even without anyone telling you so. Preparing gifts is not a necessary action.”


  I probably would not have realised this myself, yet Fran had taken the effort to tell me when Rosina was coming of age because he knew that I would want to give her a present. Of course, he got that right. I did not know which seasons my attendants were born in. I knew Rosina was about to come of age, but I did not know when exactly.

  “Fran, thank you for telling me. I need some help thinking about what to give to Rosina, may I ask what did the High Priest give you for your Coming of Age Ceremony?”


  “A pen and some ink. I still have it now. I was very happy when I received it, it felt as though he finally acknowledged me as an adult.” Fran gave a mellow grin as he reminisced. Perhaps he told me about Rosina’s coming of age because he knew how happy he had been for his own.

  Since I was her master, I had to think of a gift that Rosina would like. I always got it wrong in guessing what others liked, so I definitely needed to do some proper research on what would be suitable for Coming of Age ceremonies. First off, I need to consult those close to me. Lutz would be my obvious first choice, but I can’t meet him until this blizzard ended. Other than my attendants, the only one I was close to in the temple was the High Priest. So…


  ~~~

  “High Priest, my attendant is about to come of age. May I ask what would be a suitable gift I could give her?” I asked after we completed our work.

  He gave a surprised look and hummed under his breath a somewhat insulting comment, “Never quite expected such a reasonable question from you,” before clearing his throat.

  “For a Coming of Age Ceremony, a good gift is one that lasts for a long time. A basic one will be one they will use for work. I typically give my attendants a pen and ink.”


  “Something Rosina is able to use often for work… Hm, I can only think of an instrument,” I thought aloud, but that made the High Priest glare at me.

  “Fool. Why would you give an instrument that costs a hefty price when you do not have one yourself? Get yourself one before you considering getting one for your attendant,” he said with some annoyance. Time for me to retreat.

  “You are right. Thank you for your input. I will think of an alternative.”


  ~~~

  It had been a few days since the High Priest’s lectures, the blizzard had finally died down, so Tuuli, Lutz and Benno all visited my chambers.

  “How are you, Myne?” asked Tuuli.

  “Tuuli, Lutz! Oh, and Benno.”


  “I’ll be heading off to the orphanage to study, but they wanted to talk to you about something.”


  Tulli left after saying hello, only Lutz and Benno stayed in my room. Benno saw Damuel inside and went stiff.

  “Sister Myne, I would like to send an Ieherl here to be trained as a waiter under your supervision.”.

  Benno wanted me to train an leherl, Leon, here. I peeked at Fran, who might be the one to train him.

  “Do you think it’s possible for me to agree to this, Fran?”


  “Now that I can delegate work to Rosina and Wilma, I have some time to teach how to wait on someone during lunch,” he said. I observed that his face was a little more frigid, I took note of that and looked back at Benno.

  “Fine then, Benno. We will only train him how to be a waiter, so please send someone who has received proper training.”


  “Proper training?” Benno was bewildered by my remark. While visiting his store, Lutz and I realized that his personnel were well-trained to deal with wealthy consumers. When we were led to Benno’s office, we were treated like honored guests, and because Benno respected our work, we never had anyone who treated us disrespectfully. So of course, Benno expected all his staff to be experienced enough to be trained here.

  “Fran will be in charge of teaching your worker, but he is a gray priest and an orphan. We will have to turn away anyone that has sufficient training that they would disrespect or look down on him.”


  According to Fran, all of Benno’s employees were polite to customers but only half of them were nice to servants. Apparently when I was in the back office talking with Benno, several in the store would glare at Fran.

  “Oh, so you have witnessed such untrained employees in my store? Please accept my deepest apologies, it appears that I have trained them sufficiently. If by any chance, Leon belongs to this section of lacking employees, please notify me immediately so that I can terminate his leherl contract.”


  “Fran, do you have any additional requests? Or is that everything?”


  “Uhm… I have no qualms teaching Leon how to wait, but food will not be provided for him. The food here is only for Sister Myne.”


  “Do not worry, I will take charge of that just as I have been for Lutz.”


  Benno and Fran began discussing the terms of the contract, so I took the chance to call Lutz over and whispered.

  “Lutz, I need to ask you something.”


  “What? Do you have another crazy idea again?” Lutz exclaimed with a weary look, and Fran and Benno heard him and stopped midway to look at us.

  “Crazy idea? That’s so mean, Lutz. I just wanted to talk about Rosina’s Coming of Age ceremony. Do you know what gifts are usually prepared for these ceremonies? It’s almost Zasha’s turn soon.”


  “I think my parents will give him tools for work. The ones he received after his baptism are now too small, as they were for children.”


  The tools for children after their baptism were usually lighter or smaller so that it was easier for them to carry. However, as the youngsters grew older, it became harder to use them. Some purchased new ones before reaching adulthood, while others received second-hand-ones, but they would receive new ones when they come of age.

  “Crafting tools. I see… Benno, what do merchants give for Coming of Age ceremonies?”


  “Accessories for my family and clothing for my leherls. Both are necessary when meeting nobles.”


  “How about your lehanges?”


  “I do not give them anything.”


  Leherls were important and would attend meetings too once they came of age. On the other hand, most lehanges left after their contract ended, so they saw no point giving them any congratulatory gifts.

  “Accessories and clothing will be wonderful… but I don’t think Rosina would wear either of them very often.”


  “But won’t she start bunning her hair up?” Lutz recommended, “Maybe we can try getting her a comb or a ribbon.”


  A pretty hairpin with decorations might be a lovely present for her. I noted it in my diptych.

  “Please feel free to order a hairpin from Lutz if you require it.”


  “Thank you for your advice.”


  ~~~

  After ending his conversation with Fran, Benno returned to his store. I went to the orphanage with Lutz to visit Tuuli, while Fran and Damuel followed behind.

  “Tuuli is putting forth a lot of effort,” Lutz noted. “Myne, you should send her a letter in simple words.”


  “All right, I’ll do it. Thank you.”


  Lutz appeared to have been teaching Tuuli sometimes. He said he was only repeating what I did for him the previous year, but she was still able to keep up with the orphanage children.

  “Now please try to finish this problem.”


  Today was a math day at the orphanage. In my peripheral, I noticed Tuuli glaring at her abacus as I walked over to Wilma. Wilma and Rosina had both previously worked for the same master, so I figured I could gain something from what Wilma received for her coming of age.

  “Oh, now that you mentioned it, Rosina indeed is coming of age this winter,” Wilma said.

  “Yes, but I have no idea what I should give her. What did Sister Christine give you for your coming or age, Wilma?”


  Wilma gave a pained smile as she looked conflicted.

  “Sister Christine left the temple before I came of age, so I did not receive anything special.”


  “…What? If that’s so then I need to get you one too.”


  I had never considered the possibility that Wilma had not been given anything, so I quickly offered to get her something too. But she only laughed back as her mouth upturned into a sweet smile.

  “If you’re worried about that, Sister Myne, you’ll have to offer gifts to all of your other attendants.” She explained that neither Delia nor Gil received anything for their baptisms.

  “Wouldn’t Delia feel less happy for her celebration if you present gifts for me, Gil, and Delia too? And Fran might feel lonely if he doesn’t get one too.”


  “Mmm…” I just wanted to make everyone happy, but that seemed to be a difficult feat…


  I was lost in thought when Wilma leaned forward with her normal calm grin on her face “Any present from our master brings joy to us servants. Not to mention that whatever Rosina wants will definitely be music related… Perhaps some new music scores will make her happy?”


  “New music scores! That might be a good idea.”


  “…But it would have to be quite rare for it not to be in Sister Christine’s collection.”


  Let’s just say I’ll have no trouble finding new music for her…


  I paid a visit to the High Priest the very next day.

  “High Priest, For Rosina’s coming of age ceremony, I’ve decided to offer her new sheet music. Please teach me how I can go about making one.”


  “What songs are you planning to write down?”


  “Of course the ones I know.”


  It would be almost impossible for me to find music here that Sister Christine, the art-obsessed shrine maiden, didn’t already have in her collection. So instead all I had to do was jot down some tunes from Earth. It probably wouldn’t be that difficult if I knew how to write music…


  “Do you mean the ones you remember from your dreams?”


  “Of course. I can’t think of any other songs Rosina didn’t already know.”


  “Fran, fetch me the harspiel from her room.”


  Fran gave an, “Understood.”


  The High Priest showed me how to write music scores while Fran left to retrieve my instrument. Of course, it didn’t look anything like the sheet music I knew. I knew how to write scales using the other sheet music I used as a guide, but I did not understand their notations or signatures.

  “I have returned.”


  “Thank you, Fran.” I began strumming the small harspiel Fran brought over while trying to recall how the music went in my head.

  “Oh? That ain’t it… Maybe like this? Oh, that’s it, right. It goes like this… Hm~hm~hm~~~” Once I finished working on part of the song, I transposed it onto the paper and asked the High Priest to check it.

  “High Priest, is this correct?”


  “…Enough of this. Hand me the harspiel.”


  The High Priest had reached his breaking point at the fifth bar and took matters into his hand. He tried to adjust himself to the tiny harspiel for children and stared back at me.

  “You will sing it. I will transpose the notes. It will be much faster for me to do the transposing than to wait for you to learn it.”


  I started humming the song after being inspired by his stern expression. I kept going until the High Priest stopped me with a raised hand. When I did, he started playing the entire passage that I had just hummed. My mouth went wide open as he played around with the notes, arranging it into a way that it suited the harspiel as he went along, before composing it onto the paper.

  …Is there anything the High Priest can’t do?

  He had memorised the song from my humming and arranged it for the harspiel onto the sheet music instantly.

  “Any other songs you know of, Myne?”


  “…I can’t think of many right now, but if you only need to hear my humming, I can do a lot more.”


  The High Priest nodded to show his satisfaction at my response. “Then hum it.”


  “Wah?”


  “I suddenly remembered I wanted some new music for myself now. Yes, three would be nice.”


  I had no problems humming three more songs for him because he was the one who was troubling himself to arrange and transpose them for me. I even took advantage of the opportunity to transpose some anime music. It was entertaining to watch the High Priest so engrossed with arranging the song’s notes.

  “You may copy them and give them to her.”


  “Words cannot begin to describe how thankful I am.”


  I hid the handwritten music sheets from the High Priest in my drawer and copied them in secret whenever Rosina and Fran were occupied with paperwork. After that, I had Lutz cut holes in the sides of the four songs and bind them together with string.

  “It’s done!”


  ~~~

  Time flew by and the coming of age ceremony took place on the last Earthday of winter. Delia and Gil toiled away early in the morning to get water for Rosina to wash herself in. After that, she changed into her new clothes provided by the temple. Her skirt used to be at her calves, but now it was long enough to reach her shoes, and now she also had her hair bunned on top of her head.

  “It’s such a pity that you have to tie up your pretty hair now, Rosina.” I was a little disappointed that I would not be able to see Rosina’s lovely and wavy chestnut hair flowing behind her anymore. But Delia was only envious of Rosina’s new hairstyle.

  “It’s not a waste! How I wish I could bun my hair up now.”


  Wilma always wore her hair in a tight and simple bun, but Rosina preferred hers to be loose and more feminine looking. Rosina was mature looking for her age so having her hair bunned up now completed her look of that of an adult woman. Her slender neck was completely visible, having some stray locks of shining hair made her look more sensuous.

  “You look so pretty, Rosina.” I sighed in a daze at Rosina’s mature looks, this made her smile with a blush.

  “Geez!” yelled Delia. “I’ll look even better when I’m an adult.”


  “Of course, I’m sure you’ll look amazing too, Delia.” I returned an entertained smile to Delia before congratulating Rosina and escorted her to the chapel for her coming of age ceremony.

  “Rosina, I’ll see you soon.”


  “Yes, Sister Myne, until then.”


  I did not need to assist the High Priest with the paperwork today because all the priests would be preoccupied with the Coming of Age Ceremony. Rosina also not around to lead my harspiel classes too.

  Since I had nothing to do, I made my way to the orphanage with Fran and Damuel to make some parue batter with Wilma. I was not going to teach Ella the recipe and the children would get curious if they smelt it from the girls’ building. So I asked her to prepare the batter first and cook it in my kitchen.

  “Wilma, do you mind staying in my chambers for Rosina’s sake? There will be men around, but you are familiar with all of them. I believe Rosina would be happier if you were around to share her joy.”


  “…I think I would like to come. I’m slightly more used to being around men since there have been gray priests helping out in the dining hall and workshop. I believe I should be fine in the celebration for a short moment.”


  I returned to my chambers with Wilma, who carried a bowl of parue cake batter. Fran and Damuel were shocked to see her, but they chose to keep a comfortable distance for her.

  ~~~

  “I am back, Sister Myne.”


  “Welcome back, Rosina. We’ve been waiting for you.”


  Rosina was back in my chambers after the Coming of Age Ceremony before the third bell rang. When she arrived at the second floor, I pulled her over to a chair.

  “Sister Myne?”


  “Sit down here, Rosina.”


  “But I cannot sit down before my master.” Rosina insisted that she could not sit down. I looked at her in a loss, in the end Fran pulled back my seat and sighed.

  “Rosina is right, Sister Myne. You must first sit down yourself if you want Rosina to do so too.”


  I listened and sat down, and Rosina did the same with a troubled look. In the next instance, a sweet smell wafted across the room.

  “Wilma?!” Wilma greeted her with a warm smile as she placed a platter of parue cakes in front of her. Delia seemed particularly solemn as she poured a cup of tea.

  “You are today’s star of the celebration, Rosina,” Wilma replied. “I made these for you at Sister Myne’s request.”


  “…They look good.” Rosina’s blue eyes welled up with tears as she glanced at the parue cakes and the poured tea, We all gathered around the table. I looked at Fran, who had gone to my desk to get the sheet music.

  “These music sheets are a present from me to you. Please practice well and play them for me if possible.”


  “…These songs, I know none of them. How did you…? Sister Myne, thank you so much. You brought everyone over for me, and… I… I-I don’t know what I can say to everyone…”


  Rosina revealed a bright smile as she hugged the music scores to her chest.

  “Congratulations on your coming of age, Rosina. We pray that the gods will continue to bless you and the bright future you have ahead.””