Ch. 7: Determination
The air was thick with tension down one of the hallways of the venue building…-.
Kagetora glared at his editor.
Kagetora: “Picture books are for deceiving kids…? Cut the crap. Kids are the ones we shouldn’t be deceiving, more than anyone else.”
Editor: “…!”
Kagetora: “I figured you, of all people, would understand that plenty. Right?”
The editor clenched his hands into fists.
Editor: “…I’m sorry.”
As the editor bit his lip, tears welled up in his eyes.
Editor: “…it was an unreasonable order from the higherups about the sales numbers… and I… I forgot that I just wanted to make the children happy…”
Kagetora: “Full-grown men shouldn’t be sobbing, they should be smiling.”
Saying as much, Kagetora turned his gaze to me.
OO: “Eh… no, wait! That’s…-.”
Kagetora: “I know… I let you see a pretty pitiful side of me.”
OO: “No… are you alright?”
Kagetora: “…yeah.”
Kagetora put his hand to his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
Then…-.
Kagetora: “… I’ve made my choice.”
As Kagetora looked up, I saw strong determination in his eyes.
Kagetora: “I’ll talk to everyone and apologize.”
Kagetora turned around and headed back to the chaos of the hall.
Ch. 8: Tears of a Prince
A frigid mood had set in around the noisy room…-.
Kagetora took the microphone from the moderator and, preparing himself, spoke to the audience.
Kagetora: “…I’m the author, Margaret.”
I watched Kagetora attentively some distance from the crowd as he stood up on the stage.
Kagetora: “I don’t have any excuses. I’m sorry for hiding and deceiving all of you till now.”
Saying as much, Kagetora bowed deeply.
(Kagetora…)
Kagetora handed the microphone back to the moderator and quickly walked off the stage.
Moderator: “Ah… Everyone, a round of applause for Prince Kagetora, Margaret!”
Both the adults and the children in the audience looked up in bewilderment.
Child 1: “That person is Margaret?”
Child 2: “He’s an old man.”
Once again, the hall filled with confusion…-.
Kagetora: “……”
Kagetora let out a small sigh as he returned to where I was.
OO: “…are you going to be alright?”
Kagetora: “There’s nothin’ for it. It’s such a mess… I always said I didn’t want to deceive the kids, yet I was lyin’ to them this whole time…”
(Kagetora…)
————————–
Kagetora: “My picture books… I wrote them for the kids.”
Kagetora: “Picture books are for deceiving kids…? Cut the crap. Kids are the ones we shouldn’t be deceiving, more than anyone else.”
————————–
(He wasn’t really deceiving them. I want to tell everyone… about Kagetora’s thoughts on this.)
OO: “Um… would it be alright for me to use the microphone?”
I spoke up to the moderator.
Moderator: “Um… and you are?”
OO: “I’m OO, Princess of Traumere.”
Moderator: “Traumere…!?”
Kagetora: “Hey… what are you doing?”
Kagetora looked at me in surprise.
OO: “I want to speak as a fan of Margaret.”
Kagetora: “No, you can’t go. If this goes wrong, you’ll just get dragged down too. I’m the only one… those eyes should be focused on.”
OO: “That may be true. But… I want them to know something.”
Kagetora: “Huh…?”
I took the microphone from the moderator and stood on the stage.
OO: “Please excuse my interruption. But there’s something you all need to know. About Margaret… about Kagetora’s feelings.”
Adult 1: “Feelings…?”
There was barely a stir in the hall, and I let out a breath.
OO: “Kagetora wanted to make the children smile, and so he continued to write picture books. Now that you know that he has hidden his identity even while writing his books… he did it because he was worried about surprising the children.”
From the audience, one small child looked at Kagetora.
OO: “He said to me ‘There’s nothing for it’ like he didn’t care… even though he’s really a very kind person.”
Kagetora: “Hey! That’s enough…-.”
OO: “Kagetora thinks about the children more than anyone I’ve ever met. He prays and wishes for them to be happy. That’s why I…-. I love Kagetora’s picture books, which are so full of kindness.”
The hall fell completely silent.
There was no applause or voices, and only the confused looks of the people in the crowd washed over me.
Then…
Kagetora: “That’s enough, OO.”
Kagetora had come up on stage and gently took the microphone from me.
He smiled sadly, as if he’d already accepted everything as it was…
Kagetora: “Your feelings are enough for me… thanks.”
OO: “But…”
Kagetora put his hand on my head, just like he’d done for his little sister.
It was then.
Child 3: “I love Margaret’s stories!”
Kagetora: “Eh?”
Child 4: “Me too! You know, my favorite, it’s the Blue Bird!”
The quiet hall filled with the shouts of the children.
One of the mothers took advantage of the noise and started clapping, and soon the entire hall was filled with applause.
Kagetora: “You…”
Kagetora’s eyes were wide in surprise.
If I looked closely, I could see them shine with unshed tears…
OO: “It looks like… your feelings have reached them.”
Kagetora: “…yeah.”
As soon as our eyes met, Kagetora smiled, one that came from the bottom of his heart.
Ch. 9: Change
The peaceful blue sky spread out overhead…-.
Some time had passed since the incident…
I received an invitation from the king and found myself once more returning to the Wilhelm Castle.
Ibuki: “OO!”
Ibuki rushed over to me and wrapped her arms around me.
King: “Welcome, we’ve been waiting for you.”
OO: “Thank you for inviting me back.”
Queen: “Hahaha, this is quite thrilling, right?”
Ibuki: “Right~?”
The two smiled as they looked at me, some hidden meaning in their expressions.
OO: “……?”
King: “Come on now you two.”
The king chided them, but he was smiling as well.
(…I wonder what’s going on?)
It all felt very strange, but then Kagetora appeared from an inner part of the castle.
The three royals were grinning as they looked at Kagetora, and he coughed subtly in response.
Kagetora: “OO, this way.”
He seemed a little tense as I followed after him.
…
……
A soft light filled the courtyard.
Kagetora and I sat together on a bench amidst the lights.
OO: “Have you still been writing picture books since then?”
Kagetora: “…yeah, a bit. But it’s not just been picture books. I’ve been using my past experiences and stuff… and written a couple short novels.”
OO: “Really…?”
(But I thought he’d been so focused on the children…)
Kagetora: “Don’t look at me like that. It’s not like I got fed up with picture books.”
Though I was bewildered, Kagetora placed his hand on my head.
OO: “…does what happened not bother you anymore?”
I asked worriedly, but Kagetora shook his head.
Kagetora: “…nah, if anything, I’ve been thinking about it. I was always worried about protecting the kid’s dreams by hiding behind the name of Margaret… but… now, it’s different. There’s a lot more that I need to do.”
He slowly pulled his hand away and smiled slightly.
Kagetora: “To make picture books flourish… I really do need some sort of notoriety, right?”
(To make them flourish…)
I didn’t realize I was watching him, but Kagetora smiled at me.
Kagetora: “That’s why I can’t get lazy. My novels for adults are important work too. And for all the people that have helped me, I hope these novels become important for them too… I’m making them to show my appreciation.”
Kagetora’s expression as he said that was calmer than I’d ever seen him.
OO: “I understand. You really are a hard worker, Kagetora.”
Kagetora: “…you don’t need to say it out loud.”
A gentle breeze drifted past and ruffled his hair.
Ch. 10: Bluebird
The pleasant breeze wrapped around us in the courtyard…-.
Kagetora: “There’s something I wanted to tell you today.”
OO: “Tell me…?”
Kagetora held out a picture book to me.
Kagetora: “I finished a new picture book.”
On the cover was a sky-blue bird.
OO: “’Blue and White Happiness’… what a lovely title.”
(The pictures are so gentle…)
Just looking at them filled me with happiness… these were unmistakably Kagetora’s drawings.
Kagetora: “It might be pretty boring but…”
He held back what he was about to keep saying, shook it off, and smiled.
Kagetora: “…no. This is my best work yet.”
(Kagetora…)
————————–
Kagetora: “You don’t have to flatter me. It must’ve been boring for an adult to read.”
————————–
I suddenly remembered what he’d said long ago.
(At that time, he didn’t seem to have much confidence in himself, but now…)
Now, Kagetora seemed a little embarrassed, but there was confidence in both his words and his tone.
Kagetora: “Should I read it for you?”
OO: “Really…?”
Trying to hide his embarrassment, Kagetora dropped his eyes to the picture book.
Kagetora: “…long ago, my mother would read for children in the library. She had such a gentle voice. Everyone loved to listen. I just thought I might be able to make you happy like she could for those kids.”
Saying as much, Kagetora opened the book.
Then he took a breath to prepare himself, and…
Kagetora: “’A little bluebird lived on a little island.’”
Kagetora’s gentle voice resonated in my heart.
Kagetora: “’The bluebird was little, but every day it would bring happiness to everyone.’”
I listened closely to the kind world within the picture book…-.
…
……
Kagetora: “…’And in the place where the blue bird was, unable to fly due to its injuries, there came a white bird. The white bird spoke. Now, come with me. Together, we can bring happiness to everyone. And so, the blue bird and the white bird flew up into the sky and started on their journey.’ …The end.”
Kagetora gently closed the book and set it on the table.
OO: “That was a lovely story…”
The story seemed to overflow with Kagetora’s limitless kindness…
Kagetora: “……”
I hadn’t even realized there were tears forming in my eyes, and Kagetora clumsily brushed them away for me.
Then…
Kagetora: “…thanks.”
OO: “……!”
Kagetora easily lifted me up into his arms.
Kagetora: “I wrote that story because of you.”
I could feel the heat from his large body, and it made my heart pound.
OO: “That’s…”
As if to steal away my next words, Kagetora drew closer…
OO: “……!”
And he placed a tender kiss on my lips.
OO: “……”
A sweet sensation flooded my body, and it felt almost like I was in the world of his stories.
But the faint traces of cigarette smoke told me this moment was real.
(Kagetora…)
I heard the refreshing breeze turn the pages of the book on the table.
Slowly, we parted, and Kagetora was looking only at me…
Kagetora: “I want the rest of the world to know how this story continues. Before… I promised myself that I would do everything I could to make my picture books flourish. As a prince in the Land of Literature… I want to bring about stories that will make both adults and kids happy.”
The words he spoke quietly caused my chest to heat up.
Kagetora: “To do that, I need you.”
The blue sky seemed to shine behind him, just like the wings of a blue bird.
Kagetora: “Will you… bring happiness to the world with me?”
OO: “…I will.”
(Our story is only just beginning… and it will keep going on and on…)
As if drawn together, our lips met again.
The blue sky spread on for eternity overhead, and two birds flew nestled close together across the sky.
END
Secret Story: The Sleeping Princess and the Prince
The quiet blue sky filled the space outside the window…-.
I lit up my third cigarette, waiting.
Editor: “…Prince Kagetora.”
Behind me, my editor had finished reading the picture book and let out a sigh as he spoke.
Editor: “…this is amazing! ‘Blue and White Happiness’ is truly fantastic!”
(Yeah, yeah it is.)
I slowly took a drag on the cigarette and let out the smoke.
Editor: “I believe this is a masterpiece that will resonate with adults as well!”
Kagetora: “…so you’re saying it could be my lucky break.”
I said it teasingly, but his face suddenly fell.
Editor: “I am truly sorry. I was just acting on my own selfish interests and caused you so much trouble…”
Kagetora: “I was just kidding. Don’t worry about it. Anyway, it’s true this could be my lucky break. After all, this book only happened because of all that stuff going on. …It’s my ultimate masterpiece. I want to spread it around the world. And I’ll need your help to do that. So… I hope we can continue working together.”
I set my cigarette in the ashtray.
Editor: “Yes! I’ll do my absolute very best! …all of this is thanks to Lady OO.”
(OO…)
As soon as I heard her name, I felt my heart jump a little.
Then as my editor watched me, a sly, knowing grin crossed his face…
Editor: “The affection overflowing from this work is for the princess, isn’t it?”
Kagetora: “! …I don’t know about that.”
Editor: “Oh really now? Your face is red though?”
His demeanor completely changed from a moment ago as he went full force into teasing me.
(Geez…)
To hide my embarrassment, I lit up the last cigarette in the pack.
Editor: “In that case, I’ll head back to the publisher. Prince Kagetora, don’t you have a date with Lady OO after this? Good luck!”
Kagetora: “…shut up.”
After my editor left, carrying the new picture book as if it were something precious, I put out the cigarette I’d just lit and went to where OO was waiting for me…-.
…
……
I finally arrived at the courtyard, wrapped in the gentle light of the sun…-.
(…ah, damn. I really did make her wait.)
Ibuki: “Ah, Big Brother! You’re late~”
Kagetora: “Sorry. So, where’s OO?”
Ibuki: “Shh! Be quiet!”
Kagetora: “…? Why?”
Ibuki put a finger to her lips, then…
Ibuki: “Over there.”
As she spoke in a whisper, she pushed me from behind, then ran off to the castle.
(What the? What’s with her…?)
I watched Ibuki disappear, then cut around to the front of one of the deck chairs.
There…
Kagetora: “……!”
There was OO, in a sunny spot, her breathing slow as she slept.
On the table beside her was drawing paper and crayons.
(Was she drawing with Ibuki? What on earth were they drawing…?)
I was careful not to wake OO as I bent down and picked up one of the drawings.
What I found drawn there was…-.
(A bear…?)
The page was filled with what looked like a big bear with three wrinkles across its brow.
However, as I looked closer, under the bear was written ‘Big Brother’.
(Wait, is that… supposed to be me?)
I couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out.
(I see. In Ibuki’s eyes, that’s probably what I look like. And since you helped her, that goes for you too.)
I felt a complicated mix of feelings arise at that thought…
(…this actually makes me happier than I thought it would.)
I put the drawing back on the table and looked down at the sleeping OO.
(She looks comfortable.)
The breeze ruffled her hair as she slept in peace, as if time itself had stopped.
Kagetora: “……”
Before I knew what I was doing, I reached out for her head…
And gently stroked her soft hair.
Then after a moment…
OO: “Hm…?”
OO slowly opened her eyes.
Kagetora: “You awake? …you’re pretty defenseless like that. What would you do if a scary bear attacked you?”
I said it jokingly.
But maybe OO was still half asleep, because she just looked at me strangely.
Then…
OO: “That’s alright. The bear I know is really nice…”
Kagetora: “……!”
I couldn’t tell if she actually was still half asleep or if she was being serious…
After OO quietly said those words, she closed her eyes again.
I didn’t realize I was smiling wryly as I stroked her hair again.
Then……
Kagetora: “…you know, I’m not JUST nice.”
My precious princess continued to sleep in that sunny spot…
And I gave her a gentle kiss.
END