A Visit to the Starry Restaurant
"Master, it looks like a letter has arrived."
They had been about to head out for their usual walk when Charlotte noticed a letter wedged in the gap of the door.
Ed paused at the word letter, considered for a moment, then spoke to her.
"All right. Sorry, but set me down for a second."
"No, it's fine. I have the cane."
Charlotte picked up the letter and handed it to him; Ed traded it for his cane.
While Charlotte steadied herself, Ed tore the letter open and read. Whatever it said, it wasn't entirely welcome — his brow slowly creased.
"May I ask what it says?"
"It's from that acquaintance I mentioned. Says he's opened a shop."
"…You only mentioned that acquaintance yesterday, didn't you? For a coincidence, that's a little unsettling."
"Probably not a coincidence. Astrology is a hobby of his, after all."
Ed casually crumpled the letter. Charlotte stood there for a moment, dazed.
"Well, if I bring you along he'll only make a nuisance of himself, so I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline— Charlotte?"
Realizing he had been talking to himself, Ed called out to the blankly staring girl and snapped her back.
"Ah— yes? Did you call me?"
"…You look interested."
Ed sighed once, told Charlotte to wait, and vanished somewhere.
Charlotte watched the direction he had gone, then startled when he reappeared from a completely different one.
"Put this on. Today, we're going to meet that fool."
"Thank you…"
Ed had already shrugged into the coat she had seen before and tossed a cardigan to Charlotte.
They had been about to go walking, so she already wore her gloves and pendant. Once Charlotte pulled on the cardigan, nothing about her suggested a prosthetic arm.
Her skirt, though, was different from last time, and her prosthetic leg showed — not that Charlotte seemed to mind.
"We were going to walk today anyway, so I'll try going without the cane for stretches of the way to our destination."
"Don't push yourself the way you did yesterday."
"Then please watch me carefully so I don't, Master."
"I'll do my best to keep you from overdoing it."
"That's enough. We're almost there — use the cane."
Right in front of a certain shop, Ed stopped Charlotte, who had been walking without it.
"A-all right… Just a moment. Let me catch my breath…"
Charlotte took the cane from Ed with both hands, bowed her head, and steadied her breathing.
After a short while, she told him she was ready. Ed led her into the shop before them.
"I read your letter, Steric. Come greet your guests."
Unlike the white exterior, the inside was filled with a pale purple sky.
Every surface but the floor was painted thick with sky and stars; Charlotte looked around with open wonder. There was no mistaking it for anything but a restaurant. Long benches and the tables between them proved as much.
At one of those tables sat a man with light purple hair, turning something like a mobile this way and that in his hands.
His name was almost certainly Steric — Ed had just said so.
"Not even going to greet your guests?"
At that, Steric startled and turned toward Ed and his companion.
"Whoops. Looks like I was concentrating a little too hard.
Have a seat for now. The person with you is company, I take it?"
His voice was a touch thinner than Ed's. Prejudice, maybe — but it sounded like the voice of someone who thrived on mischief.
"She is. Then, if you'll excuse us."
Ed seated Charlotte first, then sat beside her.
When Charlotte went stiff and awkward, Ed carefully stroked her hair.
"This one isn't anyone you need to be so tense around."
"You really don't hold back, do you, Ed.
You're one to talk — you aren't the type to show up at a place like this either."
"She took an interest in your letter, so I brought her."
As he said she, Ed rested a hand on top of Charlotte's head.
Charlotte looked as though she needed a moment to get used to the new treatment — but she didn't seem to dislike it.
"What did I even write in that letter? Well, I can just ask her myself.
Little miss, what brings you here?"
"N-no, I just… wanted to meet one of Ed's acquaintances…"
At the words Ed's acquaintance, Steric's mouth curved up and his gaze slid to Ed.
When their eyes met, Ed's expression briefly soured.
"Ahaha! Great reason! So what's your relationship with Ed?"
"W-what…? I mean, that's…"
At Steric's question, Charlotte turned to Ed with a helpless look.
Faced with those pleading eyes, Ed sighed once and opened his mouth.
"Charlotte, could you take off your glove for a moment?"
"Huh…? Ah, I don't… mind…"
After a brief hesitation, Charlotte carefully removed her left glove.
Steric watched her, then quietly murmured when he saw not a hand but a prosthetic underneath.
"A prosthetic arm."
"It is."
Steric looked back at Ed with a face that said, and so?
Charlotte seemed to read that Ed was hunting for an excuse; she tapped his arm with her right hand and spoke.
"Ed, I don't mind."
"…Well, then I'll be honest."
"What, were you hiding something?"
Ed ignored Steric and cleared his throat.
"Charlotte is a slave I purchased not long ago.
I managed to get hold of a high-performance prosthetic arm and wanted to try it out.
So I bought Charlotte — a slave who could wear one."
"Just how high-performance does it have to be for you to buy a slave?"
"If you want to see it, look for yourself."
Steric reached toward Charlotte with a cheerful "Well then," only for Ed to block him midway.
"You should ask permission first."
"Didn't you just say to look— ah. From her?"
About to argue, Steric caught the meaning in Ed's words and laughed.
"Haha, right! With your personality, there's no way you'd treat a slave like a slave. Little-sister treatment? Or girlfriend?"
At the word little sister, both Ed and Charlotte briefly froze.
"What, did I say something weird?"
"Ah— no. I just feel like I got a new idea…"
She was probably thinking of yesterday's conversation — about why Charlotte found Ed so comfortable.
If we go home like this, there'll be a bit more talk on that subject, Ed thought.
"Have your private conversation without me. So — Charlotte, was it? Mind if I take a look at the prosthetic?"
"Ah, of course."
Charlotte started to offer her left hand, then decided it would be easier to examine properly this way and slipped off her cardigan.
Steric thanked her and began carefully examining the prosthetic from the hand up, running his fingers over it as he went.
"Clean work. Looks like you made the arm itself, but the technique is someone else's — am I right?"
"…Yes. That's right."
"As expected of a forging family. You aren't even in that line of work, and you still finish it this cleanly."
Charlotte seemed unbothered, but Ed clearly did not care for how closely Steric was examining her.
Even Charlotte could tell he was in a foul mood.
"This is incredible — the magical precision is—"
"That's far enough. Charlotte, put your outer layer back on."
"Ah— yes."
About halfway up the arm, Ed shoved Steric back and stopped him.
Steric looked briefly startled by the sudden hand, but he didn't seem particularly offended.
"Whoa. Was me touching Charlotte that bad?"
"Your eyes were impure enough."
"Ahaha, impure! I get that you treasure her, but I was only looking at the prosthetic, you know?"
"I-it was a little scary…"
"Wait, really? So Ed wasn't talking nonsense. Sorry about that."
"What kind of impression do you even have of me?"
Steric laughed the question off. Charlotte carefully pulled her cardigan back on.
While she struggled into it, Steric and Ed exchanged a short stretch of small talk — mostly about the prosthetic — and it still wasn't finished by the time she had it on.
So Charlotte sat quietly listening until the conversation wound down, then gently tugged Ed's sleeve.
"Um, so…"
She carefully borrowed his ear and whispered something. Listening, the corner of Ed's mouth slowly lifted.
"Of course, Charlotte.
Steric — would you show this child some astrology?"
"Sorry. I don't bring anything that big into the shop. If I broke it by accident, it'd be a disaster."
"…What about that thing you were playing with just now?"
"Just because it looks the part doesn't mean it's for astrology. That was for the shop's interior."
"So he says."
"Ah… is that so…"
The anticipation that had lit Charlotte's face was quickly replaced by disappointment.
She seemed to be trying to hide it in her own way, but her expression had gone a little odd, so there was no missing it.
"Ah— no! I can still do a simple reading! I show tarot to customers all the time!"
Steric shot up from his seat and bolted toward the back of the shop.
"Charlotte."
She had been staring blankly after him, then jumped when Ed spoke.
"Yes? What is it?"
"I told him I bought you because I wanted to use a prosthetic — but that isn't the only reason I purchased you. Don't misunderstand."
"Huh? Why all of a sudden?"
"…I just wanted to say it."
"It's all right. I know you didn't mean it that way.
You said it just now because you were worried I'd get hurt, didn't you? I already know you're a kind person, Master."
Charlotte answered while looking at the man beside her, but Ed, awkward, wouldn't meet her eyes.
Instead of looking at her, he answered by stroking her hair. Charlotte smiled, pleased.
"Got the cards— wait, why are you petting the kid's head?"
"She did something admirable, so I was petting her."
"Hehe…"
Steric didn't seem to fully understand what admirable meant, but he decided not to press it.
"Anyway, I brought the cards. I'll do a reading as soon as we're ready."
"Ooh, thank you.
By the way, I'm a little worried we've stayed too long. Is the shop all right?"
"Don't worry about that. My place opens in the afternoon, and I handle all the prep the day before."
"Then… I'll enjoy this gratefully. What should I do?"
"Great. Charlotte — with your non-dominant hand, draw a card from these…"
"…again! This is so amazing! Just one more—"
"Sorry, Charlotte. I've got to open the shop soon. Next time you come, I'll do more."
"Has it already gotten that late?"
"If you love the stars, you can tell the sun's position easily enough. Right now it's sitting right overhead."
Steric pointed a finger at the sky. Ed quietly rose from his seat.
"Thanks for your trouble, Steric. Charlotte — shall we head back?"
"Ah— all right. I'll stand up for a second, so please hold my cane, Master."
"Understood."
Charlotte rose unsteadily, found her balance, and Ed handed her the cane.
Steric, who had been waiting for them to finish, twitched the corners of his mouth as if he had something to say.
"You two — you call him Master?"
They froze.
On the verge of saying goodbye and leaving, both of them locked up at that single line.
"Up until just now you were calling him Ed, right?
Don't tell me you only call him Ed outside, and in private it's Master?
You guys are so c—"
"That's enough, Steric."
Charlotte's face flushed scarlet with embarrassment. Noticing, Ed cut Steric off.
"I was just going to say it was cute. Nothing wrong with that, is there? It felt like a pretty reason — wanting to treasure this relationship.
Anyway, I had fun today. See you next time."
"Y-y-yes…"
Charlotte managed a reply and hurried out of Steric's Restaurant on quick feet.
Ed shot Steric a look loaded with killing intent, then followed Charlotte outside.
After a stretch of silence, Ed was the first to suggest they head home. Charlotte quietly nodded.
To a third party it might have been nothing — but for Charlotte, who held the way she addressed Ed so dear, the moment just now left her thoroughly embarrassed.
"…Charlotte. If you'd like, we can take the long way and look around a bit."
Ed squeezed out the offer for Charlotte, whose face was still red — but she only shook her head without a word.
"F-for now… let's go home, Master…"
Charlotte spoke in a voice that all but disappeared into itself, and Ed agreed at once, following her wish.
…Looks like there won't be any conversation until we're home, he thought.