9. Black and Gold (17)
9. Black and Gold (17)
A massive iron disc spun slowly atop a single metal pole.
It was an enormous version of a plate-spinning act.
Five circus balls rested on the disc, and five acrobats ran atop their own ball, rolling it with their feet.
Every time the balls shifted, the disc wobbled precariously.
The acrobats dashed wildly with the music, then leaped, then balanced on their hands, then somersaulted. It was chaotic and perfectly synchronized all at once.
Their coordination was so exquisite that whenever the disc seemed about to lose its balance, it traced a smooth curve and righted itself.
At the end, the disc tilted to one side, and the balls spilled onto the stage one after another.
The five balls lined up in a neat row, and the five acrobats perched on them took their final bows.
A gong heralded the intermission, and applause poured in from every direction. It was directed at the youngest of the five acrobats.
Ella circled atop her ball as naturally as a pedestrian out for a stroll, bowing deeply to all sides.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
After finishing her bows, she turned to her fellow performers with a flushed face.
"How was that?"
The four acrobats looked at her and gave a thumbs-up.
"Bravo!"
"That was incredible!"
"To pull off the Rolling Dish of Five in only two tries!"
"And you weren't even born with an uncanny sense of balance like Reina!"
When Ella slid down from her ball, the watching acrobats crowded around her, ruffling her hair and slapping her shoulders.
"Eek! My body's still not completely healed, you know!"
"Ahahaha! You moved like that with plaster casts on both arms?"
"Impressive, really impressive."
"After the Grand Prix, wouldn't you like to become my student?"
"What nonsense! What could she possibly learn from a hack like you? Come to my theater instead!"
"Hmph. Neither of you is fit to teach her. You'd run out of things to show her in a single day."
Ella squirmed away from their touches and raised her voice.
"You do realize that's an illegal recruitment offer, right? I'll report you, you know."
The acrobats burst out laughing. She scowled at them with mock displeasure.
"For your information, I'm the Deputy Leader of a circus troupe. Please stop treating me like a child."
She used her cast-covered arm to straighten her crumpled hat, grumbling. The acrobats only laughed harder, delighted by her antics.
True to its reputation as the ultimate dream team, the Golden Carnival had no shortage of experience or skill among its members. Yet the Troupe Leader, Lord Fantastic, was so exacting and perfectionistic that practices carried a grim edge.
The troupe was a temporary team assembled just for this Grand Prix. Every member was a first-class acrobat famous in their own right, so none of them were inclined to back down first, and a warm atmosphere was slow to form.
The youngest, Reina, had a cold, mature personality, and whenever she was around, Lord Fantastic grew so icy that it made onlookers uncomfortable, pulling the mood even lower.
But Ella was different. The moment she arrived, she greeted her seniors with a bright face, and during practice she kept the atmosphere from growing heavy with friendly jokes here and there.
Most of the Golden Carnival members were in their thirties or older, and they were delighted by the arrival of someone young enough to be their daughter. As people who had devoted their entire lives to acrobatics, they clicked easily with a circus enthusiast like her.
At first, when she said she wanted to join the morning practice, some members had shown resistance. But even they could not help admiring her astonishing talent and passion.
There were still members opposed to her taking part in practice, but for a different reason now — they were worried that if she pushed herself too hard, she might get injured again.
"If you make a habit of getting injured, an acrobat's career shortens, you know. Be careful."
"Is that concern you're showing... for an opponent?"
"An opponent? It's temporary, but right now you're one of our troupe members."
Even Lord Fantastic, normally so rigid, was gentle with her. Simon Magier himself was surprised by his own change in attitude.
Had circus practice always been this enjoyable?
It felt as though Ella's positive energy had unconsciously influenced him, too. It might also have helped that the emotional burden named Reina was nowhere in sight.
"By the way, who created this 'Rolling Dish of Five'?"
"That would be me."
Lord Fantastic flicked his mustache once.
"The idea came to me from..."
"Depord's 'Dancing Top'... right?"
At Ella's words, Simon smiled.
Clever.
"Your insight really is remarkable."
"I read about it in a textbook. It uses centrifugal force from the rotation to compensate for balance, doesn't it? Easy to spot! So what's the morning training session? Another original piece by the Troupe Leader?"
"Hahaha, morning practice just ended and you're already thinking about the morning session? Why not start with a meal first?"
They headed to the dining hall. Members who normally ate alone joined them.
Before long, laughter rang out in the dining hall, and at the center of it was Ella. Every word she spoke brought smiles to the acrobats' faces.
They were proud of this junior's talent and passion. They felt grateful when she name-dropped their aliases and signature skills, showing she knew who they were. And the way she pouted at their teasing was adorable. The members thought this was the most enjoyable breakfast since the Golden Carnival was first founded — not even the day they earned a star had been like this.
Ella joined the morning, afternoon, and evening training as well. Injured as she was, she used only the parts of her body she could still move freely and somehow pulled her weight.
They had spent only a single day together, yet the same thought settled in every member's mind.
I wish this kid could stay with us.
Even the Troupe Leader, Lord Fantastic, found himself thinking the same.
***
That night, during our regular check-in, I'd been listening to Ella chatter excitedly for more than half an hour.
-And then... at the end, they did something called the 'Burning Wheel'! Three strongmen went inside a huge exercise wheel...
I glanced at the clock and confirmed that the time I'd promised Gaston had come.
-Heh heh, you can tell me all about that part later. Anyway, I'm glad. I was worried they might be giving you a hard time. Did you enjoy it?
-Yeah! Of course! Where else am I going to get to practice together with a group of first-rate acrobats like this? Eheheh... Just asking, but you're not jealous, are you? Aren't you worried? What if I don't come back?
At her words, I checked her status on the Member Management Window. Her Affection level still showed no change from 31.
-Not even a little. You're still my Deputy Leader, Miss Ella.
At my reply, she suddenly let out a sort of breathy huff and stumbled over her words.
-Ah... um... what kind of... n-no, I mean... obvious nonsense... er... hehe.
-I should cut this short now. It's time for the old man to come in for your treatment.
-Already...? Ugh, I don't want to do that... And it's not even you doing it... Wasn't I supposed to rest while my bandages are on?
She suddenly muttered in a sluggish voice, putting on an act so obvious it wasn't even worth pointing out.
-That's because you were flying around so energetically during the day that the old man said as much.
-Ugh... r-right? Uh... someone's knocking on the door outside. See you tomorrow, then. Same time, right?
-Let's do that.
I closed the chat window with Ella in the Sound Room and waited about thirty minutes. Then I looked up Gaston Haliwooden in the member list and opened a conversation.
-Old man.
-.......
-Old man?
Just as I was about to recheck the Status Window, thinking something had gone wrong, a reply came from the other side.
-Who are you calling 'old man'?
It was the voice of a sulky old fellow. This man, I swear. I shifted my voice to a slightly more serious tone.
-Master.
-Yes, my disciple.
It felt strange to be addressed so casually by someone I'd been using honorifics with only yesterday, but since he was quite elderly, I didn't find it unpleasant.
-How did it go? What's Miss Ella's condition?
Laughter came from the other side.
-Heh heh, just as I predicted. It seems this girl, Ella, has only been pretending to take her medicine. She acted the part well enough, but with a quick glance at her complexion and breathing, I can tell everything.
She pulled one over on me. I smiled wryly. I'd been naive to think that just because she had some affection for me, she'd obediently follow my orders.
-...Is that so?
-Hohoho, but that ends today. Today I burned the medicine into vapor so she could inhale it. The effect might be somewhat weaker, but this way the treatment will proceed without fail.
-I see. I'll leave it to you, then.
-Yes, my disciple. Now, about that introduction to herbology I wrote—how many pages have you...
-Ah? M-master? M-my magic power... is... de-pleted...
-Hey? Hey! HEY!
I cut the connection in a hurry.
With Ella gone, the work I had to handle had multiplied several times over. When would I have time to memorize weeds and trees? I was far more worried about how to teach the troupe members a new acrobatic routine tomorrow.
I could demonstrate the moves using a Skillbook, but actually teaching them was an entirely separate problem. Acquiring a technique through a Skillbook meant it was naturally absorbed into my body — I didn't intellectually understand the process of mastering it.
That might be why I kept dodging Gaston's lessons. If he seriously tried to impart knowledge to me, my shallowness would be exposed in no time — the fact that I'm neither a genius nor anything of the sort.
Gaston's abilities were necessary right now for Ella's sake. I had to stall and make use of them until she was fully recovered.
Just then, I heard a knock at the door.
Who could be looking for me at this hour? Yurakne was the only one likely...
I opened the door assuming it was her, and was somewhat surprised. Standing there was Reina.
"What brings you here?"
I ushered her into the room and had her sit on the sofa.
"Troupe Leader."
She looked at me, hesitated a moment, then spoke.
"Isn't there something more for me to do?"
"Something to do?"
"Yes. Even if I'm just a guest, I find it uncomfortable to simply idle around."
I didn't immediately grasp why she was acting this way.
She hadn't shown herself before us after drawing a clear line with the troupe members this morning. She'd taken all her meals in her room and devoted herself to solo practice.
The quick-tempered triplets had cursed her out, but the other members simply let it be. Ella was the unusual one; Reina's reaction was how a normal person might respond. Knowing she was under psychological pressure, I'd left her alone.
And now she was asking for work?
When I expressed my bewilderment, she haltingly answered.
"Well... about my attitude this morning... I think the members might misunderstand... I don't look down on them..."
Her expression was still cold, but the words coming out of her mouth were hopelessly timid.
As I watched her hesitantly confess her true feelings, I felt a sense of déjà vu.
My days at the orphanage came back to me. At the same time, I remembered the Reina from TT1.
Under that cool exterior, there was a child who'd grown up walking on eggshells. While she seemed several years more mature than her age on the surface, inside she was several years less mature.
Having Ella by my side for months had fooled me. Because Ella often acted so mature for her age, I'd assumed that Reina, who seemed even more grown up, was mentally more mature as well.
We'd been the same way at the orphanage. At an age when we should have been spoiled and thrown tantrums, we'd been forcibly drilled in etiquette. We hadn't acted like children because we were mature — we'd done it to survive under the director's violence.
It was right to think that the behavior she'd shown this morning wasn't her true heart, but a childish mistake born of emotional insecurity.
"Heh heh... so you feel sorry toward the members. In that case..."
I recalled the work she would end up doing in TT3, and smiled.
"Would it be possible for you to instruct them?"