A Month of Quiet Changes
The first photo was for my personal collection. The second was for sending. It had already been a full month since I met Eve. This morning, as I flipped over a page on the calendar, I truly felt the weight of time passing. It wasn’t a short period. In fact, it had been more than enough time to grow accustomed to living with a complete stranger. I could even say that Eve and I had grown a little closer.
The occasional emotional distance I used to feel between us… it was as if that tall wall had begun to crumble, even if only slightly. This was a difficult feeling to put into exact words. Of course, it was only my subjective impression. Still, the truth was that the days which had once creaked along so awkwardly had gradually begun to mesh together like well-oiled gears.
Over the past month, Eve’s physical condition had stabilized considerably. The most I could do was monitor her health and prepare medicine for her. Perhaps my sincere efforts had paid off. She no longer burned with fever in the middle of the night, and the dry, fragile face that once looked like it might crumble at a touch had begun to fill out with a bit of healthy plumpness.
Today was no different from yesterday. We woke up, ate a simple breakfast, washed up, got dressed, and headed to the shop together. The only thing slightly different from our usual routine was that instead of Caramel, who usually helped with opening preparations, I was the one who unlocked the front door of the pharmacy.
“Caramel sister isn’t here…” Eve said softly, sitting politely at the counter and looking around the store with a downcast expression.
The moment I saw her face, my heart sank with a heavy thud. It wasn’t for any complicated reason. Eve, who usually showed so little emotion, was longing for Caramel this openly. I had noticed them getting closer these past few days and wondered, but I never imagined they had become this close… For some reason, the realization left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Still, I didn’t let it show. I smiled and answered gently.
“Caramel started the new semester today. So there will be a lot of mornings when she won’t be here.”
“New… semester…?”
“It means the academy—well, school vacation is over. From now on, she has to attend classes properly. The time she can work here will decrease quite a bit during the term.”
“……”
Eve nodded quietly. I could tell her spirits had dropped. Just then, the communication device I had left on the table blinked briefly. To put it simply, it was like a smartphone from my previous life… but its performance was far inferior. This world had developed a civilization somewhat similar to the modern era, yet it often lagged behind in the finer details. This device was one of the prime examples.
Rather than launching artificial satellites, this world was more interested in floating magical islands in the sky. As a result, their wireless communication technology had clear limitations. This terminal could barely manage to send and receive messages with part-time workers within the same city.
> (TeacherTeacherTeacherTeacheeeer)
A short chime sounded as the message arrived. The sender was Caramel. Speak of the devil. While I had let my guard down for just a moment, her messages poured in like a flood.
> (Teacher. You know what!!)
> (I miss Eve so muuuch T_T)
> (Can you please take a picture and send it!?!)
The emojis and text style of a teenage girl felt a bit distant from my own sensibilities. I seriously pondered how to reply before finally composing a neat response.
> (Please focus on your studies, student.)
It didn’t take long for another message to arrive.
> (Yesss… But can’t you really let me talk to Eve? T_T)
> (Why all of a sudden?)
> (I bragged to my friends that I got really close to this super cute kid at my part-time job)
> (They’re begging to see her! Just one photo please!)
> (Don’t you have younger siblings? Why are you bragging about Eve instead of them?)
> (They don’t really like me so they pretend not to know me… If I ask for a photo and don’t get cursed out, it’s a miracle T_T)
Asking for a photo and getting cursed out… Just how much do her siblings hate her? As if that weren’t enough, Caramel added one more line.
> (Or… can I come visit Eve with my friends??)
At first, I thought about casually replying, “Sure, go ahead.” After all, rather than sitting alone in the shop drawing pictures, Eve would probably have more fun going out with the older girls. But then a thought suddenly crossed my mind. I reread Caramel’s message. Given her cheerful personality, she probably had more than just one or two friends. What if “friends” meant more than just two or three people?
Could shy little Eve, who already avoided strangers, really hold up surrounded by a crowd of outgoing high-school and college girls? “…?”
Eve must have noticed my gaze. She paused her drawing and tilted her head curiously. I imagined her surrounded by a group of lively older girls. My decision was swift. That kind of dopamine rush was still too early for Eve. Having lost the better option, I chose the lesser evil.
“Eve. Shall we take a picture?”
“……?”
Eve, who had been sitting quietly at the table drawing, came toddling over like a little chick the moment she heard my voice.
“Caramel sister says she needs a photo of you. What do you think?”
“… My photo?”
“She says she misses you. If we don’t send a picture, she says she’ll come herself. Let’s just take one and send it.”
“… If sister comes, that’s good too.”
At the mention of Caramel visiting, Eve seemed a little excited and swung her legs back and forth. If someone who didn’t know her had seen it, they might have thought she was throwing a tantrum all by herself. Unfortunately for her, Caramel wasn’t here to witness it.
“She said she might bring her friends along. Is that still okay?”
“……”
“There might be a lot of them.”
The quietly excited Eve froze solid. “A whole bunch of older sisters.” I could practically see a panorama unfold of Eve’s soft, squishy cheeks being playfully pinched like toys. Oof… It looked like even Eve was a little scared.
“Then let’s take a picture and send it. That seems like the better choice, right?”
“A picture is fine too…”
But once we decided to take a photo, we couldn’t do it half-heartedly. Sending a sloppy picture of Eve was simply unacceptable. I carefully tidied her hair and straightened her clothes. The child waited obediently for my touch.
“All done. Let’s take it now.”
I framed Eve’s face fully in the terminal’s lens. She looked a little nervous. Even though she clearly didn’t know what to do, she smiled brightly when I gave her the signal.
“One, two, three.”
With a soft click, Eve’s fleeting moment was captured in a photo.
“…… This is the first one, so we can’t send it.”
After checking the result, I immediately took another. It took a full minute to transmit a single photo. The speed was rather frustrating, but it was the best this world could offer. After a long, long wait, the “Transmission Complete” message finally appeared. Almost at the same time, a reply arrived.
> (T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T So cuuuute… I wanna see Eve this weekend so bad…)
She had been waiting this whole time…? I let out a small sigh and sent a short reply to this irresponsible student.
> (You saw her, right? Now go study.)
> (Yes ma’am)
The moment I turned off the terminal after receiving Caramel’s reply, I heard the familiar sound.
Ding-ling~
It was the clear chime of the bell announcing a customer. Eve, who had been painting with children’s watercolors in the sketchbook I bought her the other day, reacted first.
“Hello…”
For the past two weeks, Eve had watched closely as Caramel and I worked. At this point, greeting customers first had somehow become Eve’s role.
“Hmm? Is the young lady greeting us again today?”
The service of being welcomed by an adorable, lovable child at the entrance of a bitter-smelling pharmacy had earned high praise from the customers. Even Zeke, who reeked of strong liquor from early in the morning, was one of the people who faithfully returned Eve’s greeting.
I welcomed him with a tone that was half glad, half worried.
“Zeke. Looks like you drank all night again, as usual.”
“The money from the last voyage came in yesterday. So I went a little hard last night.”
“… Hangover cure, right? I’ll prepare it right away.”
As I smiled wryly and moved to prepare the hangover remedy, Eve handed Zeke the medicine instead. I wondered what she had been doing on tiptoe by the shelf—she had apparently been preparing Zeke’s medicine.
“Whoa~ The service here is excellent. Thanks, young lady.”
“……”
Receiving praise, Eve trotted over to me with a slightly excited expression. I gently brushed her hair as if tidying it. Eve quietly closed her eyes and enjoyed the touch.
…… Eve’s admirable behavior certainly deserved praise, but right now it was more appropriate to say one more thing to Zeke.
“This is advice from a pharmacist, but wouldn’t it be better to drink in moderation?”
“Does this pharmacy have a custom of chasing away its best regular customer who boosts sales every morning?”
“People like us aren’t supposed to make regulars in the first place.”
At my words, Zeke grinned.
“That’s true too. Getting a hangover cure from a little lady… it’s a bit embarrassing as a grown man.”
“Right?”
“The only kid around here who doesn’t cry when she sees me is Miss Eve. I must look like some kind of vicious criminal.”
“With that face, claiming to be in your twenties is practically a crime.”
His rugged muscles, shiny bald head, deeply wrinkled face aged by sea wind and harsh sun, and even the scars from battles with pirates. Children around Eve’s age would burst into tears nine times out of ten the moment he approached.
“Alright! I’ll try to stick to low-alcohol beer once every two days. How’s that, kiddo?”
“……”
Zeke must have thought he was making a serious resolution, but Eve didn’t seem particularly interested. She simply tilted her head. Perhaps feeling a little awkward, Zeke cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“Anyway, is the young lady being raised by the teacher alone?”
“It looks like we’ll be living together for the time being. I can’t say exactly how long that will last, though.”
“You’re something else, Teacher.”
I didn’t particularly answer that. To be honest, Eve wasn’t a child who required much hands-on care. There wasn’t much I had done for her.
“But you know… it’s good for customers like me if she comes to the shop every day to help, but won’t the young lady get bored just staying here by herself?”
“That’s something I’ve been worrying about too. I was planning to look into schools once her health improved. I suppose it’s about time to seriously consider it.”
“School, huh…”
At Zeke’s words, Eve quietly grabbed the hem of my clothes and said,
“… I like helping with work…”
“You can do that anytime.”
I lowered myself to meet Eve’s eyes.
“Don’t you want to play with friends?”
“……”
“School, I mean. The same one Caramel sister goes to.”
Eve seemed to hesitate. Was she uncomfortable with the idea of school… or with the idea of friends… or perhaps simply reluctant to leave a familiar place?
“Eve.”
“Yeees.”
“Shall we go take a look when we have time? At the school.”
“……”
In the end, experiencing it for herself would be what mattered most. I believed there were things you could only understand by trying them. Well… Eve eventually nodded, albeit reluctantly.