Airing Grievances
Behind the circus tent, troupe leader Haiti was scrubbing off her heavy stage makeup and loading the luggage onto the wagon.
At the sound of two people approaching, she stopped what she was doing and glanced that way. A red-haired woman, and a girl in a robe. They didn't look like they were merely passing through.
Sure enough, the pair came to a halt directly in front of her and spoke.
"Excuse me—you're Haiti, right? This kid seems to have something she wants to say to you."
"I am, but this child...?"
Looking again, the face beneath the robe was familiar. Of course it was. Through the whole performance just now, that girl's face was the only one Haiti had really seen.
"Oh my. You're the young lady who didn't smile once the entire show."
Among an audience clapping and cheering, the one child who had watched with a perfectly blank expression. There was no way a face like that wouldn't have stuck.
"...!"
At those words the girl froze in brief panic, glanced around, and then spoke as if she wanted to crawl into a hole.
"...You remember my face?"
"Of course. From up on the stage, you can see every expression in the crowd perfectly."
She must never have imagined anyone would remember her. Seen like this, there was something genuinely innocent and rather cute about the young lady—but Haiti had no trouble guessing why she had come. A complaint about the show.
"Our young lady doesn't seem to have found today's performance very entertaining. I'm sorry we disappointed you. Would you tell me what you didn't like? I'll do my best to improve it next time."
"Th-that's, I mean..."
Perhaps because her lines had been stolen out from under her, the girl stared blankly at Haiti's face for a moment. Then, after another hesitation, she opened her mouth.
"...I don't understand why any of that was supposed to be impressive."
"You don't understand? What don't you understand?"
"The things those spirits were doing. All you have to do is tell a spirit to do it, so why was everyone gasping like that?"
Ah. What the girl meant, it seemed, was that she simply could not grasp why spirits dancing, flying about, and showing off tricks deserved that kind of applause. If you didn't know much about spirits, that was fair enough. Was that why she hadn't smiled once through the whole performance? It was the sort of perfectly innocent question a young girl might ask.
"The truth is, that was quite a remarkable skill."
Not a lie. Truly. The moment spirits are summoned, their intelligence drops sharply and their autonomy is restricted, so without a deep rapport with the spirit mage and precise control, you simply cannot handle them properly. To put on a performance this intricate and this flashy, every one of Haiti's spirit mages was a performer well above the ordinary level. And even granting a certain affinity with spirits, there weren't many who could draw that rapport out properly and perform in an environment this unfamiliar—especially in a place like this, where the spirits themselves were reluctant to communicate.
In fact, the show had run late precisely because the spirits kept sensing something else and breaking rapport, and the mages had needed time to bring them back in line. They had delivered a performance this fine while carrying those problems, so of course the audience had had no choice but to cheer.
Even after hearing all of that, though, the girl was still looking at her with an expression that said she didn't quite get it.
"Is it really that hard?"
"Of course it is. Why would I lie to you?"
The girl snorted and went on.
"Then how impressive is this?"
"Hm?"
The instant the words left her mouth, something like a black cotton puff popped up onto that small shoulder.
"This is... a dust spirit?"
You could find the things easily enough in dark corners, but they were timid and fiercely independent—not the sort of children that took to a human hand. And yet this one followed a person so readily. That alone was astonishing enough. What came next was even more so.
The girl gave the dust spirit on her shoulder a single tilt of her chin, and the spirit snapped off something like a salute, crisp as a well-drilled soldier, then began bouncing out a sharp, rhythmic call.
"Eeng!"
And then—
"Eeeee—!"
"Wheee—!"
"Wh-what is this?"
From every direction, a black wave came sweeping in. No. Look closer, and it was an incredible number of dust spirits. More than anyone could count had formed ranks at the girl's feet, like a military review.
And that wasn't even the end. When the girl folded her arms, the dust spirits settled into formation on their own, then began a synchronized motion—folding one ear down and flicking it back up, all together. It was like a single group dance.
She could handle this many dust spirits without even giving a proper command?
"That's impossible...!"
Overwhelmed by the sight, Haiti could not help but be stunned. No wonder the spirits had been so unsettled. Now it made sense. There had been a spirit mage nearby commanding this many dust spirits, so of course they couldn't concentrate.
This was a heaven-sent chance. A genius she absolutely could not let slip away. Haiti seized the girl's hand at once.
"You. Any interest in going into business with me?"
"...What?"
There's a saying on the internet: if someone else's work looks easy, that person is exceptionally skilled. But what about when someone else's work looks easy, you try it yourself, and it really is easy?
That was me right now. Whether spirits or summons, handling them wasn't hard. Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3—none of them could talk, but some kind of communication was always happening. So when I heard Haiti's explanation, that was exactly why I'd been so contrary. No matter how I looked at it, it sounded like nothing but an excuse.
Not that I had any right to feel superior, if I looked back on whether I'd lived a life free of excuses myself. The instinct of a forum troll simply could not let that point slide.
And to think she'd actually remembered my face... See? A face that stands out isn't always a good thing.
Anyway, the result of showing only a tiny fraction of what Unit 2 could do was this: a business card bearing Haiti's signature.
Please, if you change your mind, contact me! You absolutely must!
— Haiti
"..."
If I'd shown her the full Hell's Dreadflame, she might have keeled over completely. Not that I was ever going to change my mind. A performance, with my luck? I could barely stand in front of other people as it was. Still, she'd pressed the card into my hand as she left, and refusing it outright had been difficult. She'd also said that even if it wasn't about a partnership, she'd help if I ever had business in the city, so I'd held onto it for now...
I quietly pulled the card out again.
"..."
...As expected, I couldn't read a single word of what was written on it. Thinking about the usual information on a business card—
Haiti Circus Troupe. Troupe Leader, Haiti. Contact: something-or-other.
It was probably roughly like that... So how was the contact information even written? This world didn't have cell phones, and a wandering circus troupe wouldn't have a fixed address either.
I was staring blankly at the card when Evelyn asked, casual as anything.
"Have you taken an interest in the city, by any chance?"
"No, it's just... I don't know yet."
The city... Honestly, I was curious, but I still didn't feel like going. I wasn't even sure I could get through the checkpoint. Well, I'd think about it later. Right now I was tired and didn't want to wrestle with anything complicated. I ought to ask Unit 1's opinion, too.
I stuffed the card carelessly into my clothes and stretched as hard as I could. Anyway, it had been a full day. Once I got home, I'd probably be flat on my back for a while from exhaustion.
Come to think of it, maybe because the festival was over. Starting from the circus, the number of people out on the streets had dropped sharply. Well, it was time for everyone to rest. This village didn't have anything like streetlights, so once the sun was fully down, there wasn't much you could do without a lantern. We ought to get home quickly, too.
I was walking across the square with that thought when Evelyn suddenly changed direction. Huh. This wasn't the way home.
"...We're not going home?"
"There's still something left to do, isn't there?"
Evelyn smiled meaningfully for no good reason and pointed toward the inn. Ah. I'd forgotten for a second. I'd heard they were preparing something at the inn, but... what on earth was she planning to do with me there? Of course, it wasn't going to turn into some hehe, we've come this far—shall we spend the night with big brother? situation at this point...
"Um, there seem to be a lot of people...?"
Maybe because of the festival, much brighter light than usual was spilling from the inn's windows. A noisy atmosphere leaked out from inside, enough to make me seriously doubt whether it was all right for me to go in.
"It's fine."
But Evelyn led me up to the inn as if it were nothing.
Creeeak.
The moment the door opened, the murmuring cut off dead. Every eye turned at once to me and Evelyn as we stepped inside.
"..."
In that suffocating silence, I quietly pulled my hood down deeper. Overwhelming tension.
And then—
"Hey, you're here?"
"Finally showed up."
"We've been waiting!"
"Honestly, get in here—!"
All at once, they started shouting welcomes as if they'd been waiting just for us.
"...?"
Bewildered, I turned to Evelyn. She only wore that same meaningful smile from before and gave my back a light push.
"Ack."
I lost my balance for a second and staggered, and before I knew it I was standing in the middle of the inn.
"Hey, Evelyn! You've been keeping a cute young lady like this all to yourself? That's really too much!"
"Right? Did you think we were going to eat her or something?"
"For someone saying that, you look about one second away from eating her."
Laughter burst out from all around. And in the middle of that incredibly loud, cheerful atmosphere, I alone was left drifting. What in the world was this?
I was still so flustered I stayed frozen, and Evelyn quietly came over and whispered to me.
"Ira, I'm sorry. Looks like the secret leaked a little."
What?