Let's Go Out and Play! (2)
I was ready. Completely ready! I had put on the outing clothes Bora prepared for me without a single flaw—a white dress, and even Rumi's hairpin in my hair. I couldn't possibly have prepared any more perfectly than this.
What stood there now was the birth of a perfect little fairy. Wasn't this exactly the sort of adorable child every parent can't resist snapping on their phone? Bora and Haru were each taking pictures of me, helpless in the face of my cuteness.
"Let's see..."
Once I was in Bora's car, I behaved myself. I buckled my seatbelt in the back like a good kid and watched with curious eyes to see where we were going.
Bora and Haru fiddled with the navigation and set today's destination. This was one of the good things about living in Seoul. Most events were held in the city, so getting around was easy. If we'd lived out in the provinces, we would have had to drive for hours every time something like this came up.
Maybe it was the warm air drifting from the heater, but I could feel my eyes growing heavier and heavier. I'd been too excited to sleep properly since the night before, which only made me sleepier.
Taking Bora and Haru's voices for a lullaby, I lost the fight against eyelids that felt a thousand pounds heavy. It was a pleasant drowsiness, so I surrendered myself to it.
Even half-asleep I must have felt the car jostling along, because it didn't seem as if much time had passed at all before we'd already arrived.
I sensed us parking and cracked my eyes open to find the car already in a spot. I snapped them wide and climbed out. Somewhere off beyond us, everything was noisy and bustling. I barely managed to rein in how badly I wanted to run ahead, and waited for Bora and Haru to get out of the car.
"Hurry, hurry!"
I stamped my feet, waiting only for the two of them to climb out. I was so worked up I couldn't wait another second. Seeing me like that, Bora and Haru laughed and got out of the car.
The parking lot was full of kids around my age. One look in their eyes and it was obvious why they were here. Fortunately, none of them seemed to have come for Rumi—not yet, anyway.
"Hana. Let's eat first, then we'll go!"
Bora said it while fiddling with her phone.
"Okay."
Come to think of it, I'd come all the way here without even eating breakfast. We'd arrived so early that the anime event still hadn't opened. The spot must have been a good one, because there were plenty of restaurants around. Places that drew crowds like this always had at least one well-reviewed restaurant nearby...
"Little miss, what do you feel like eating today?"
Haru crouched down, took hold of my shoulders, and asked. There were far too many things I wanted. The world was so full of delicious food that I wished I could eat more of it. I set my chin on my hand, thought for a moment, and answered.
"I want tonkatsu!"
It was the safest choice anywhere. Even if the place wasn't famous, the quality stayed consistent, and the portions were decent. The sauce that came with it suited my taste perfectly, too.
Fried food like tonkatsu first thing in the morning could sit heavy in your stomach, but right now I had a stomach of steel. No matter what I ate in the morning, I had never once felt queasy or greasy. A child's body really was sturdy.
"Tonkatsu? Hmm..."
Phone in hand, Bora searched for the most popular tonkatsu place nearby. Looking it up was a better bet than wandering around on foot if you wanted to find a good restaurant. You could pick up a little information along the way, too.
I took Bora's hand in my right and Haru's in my left. It felt exactly like a proper outing. Beaming, I swung both of their hands in circles. I felt like I might float right off the ground.
Fortunately, the tonkatsu place was close. We hadn't walked far before we arrived, and even though it was morning the restaurant was packed. So all these adults had come to attend today's anime event. Anime really was something grown-ups loved, too.
The food was good. I ate tonkatsu until my belly was round and tight, then patted my sticking-out stomach and left the shop. It was good enough that I wanted to come back. Of course, it still wasn't as good as the tonkatsu they made at the company. The company cafeteria's tonkatsu tasted like heaven.
It was a craftsman's flavor no one could easily copy. It hadn't been very good at first, true, but the longer things went on, the better the company cafeteria's tonkatsu became.
Once we were back outside, I stretched as tall as I could. If you wanted to grow, you had to stimulate your growth plates anytime, anywhere. I was following that advice faithfully.
"Now that we've had tonkatsu, shall we go get in line, Hana?"
"Already?"
I checked the time. The event started at eleven in the morning. It wasn't even nine yet. That meant there were still two hours before it began. But Bora stroked my hair and said,
"You'll understand once we get there."
"Hmm..."
I had my doubts, but I didn't say anything else and followed Bora. Haru and Bora walked on either side of me, with me in the middle. Holding both their hands, I felt like I'd become a king.
We passed the restaurants and arrived where the big buildings clustered together. Along the way there were plenty of anime advertisements. The closer we got to the venue, the more people in cosplay I saw. I kept looking for someone cosplaying Little Magician Rumi, but sadly, I didn't spot a single one.
If I had, I would have wanted a commemorative photo. As we kept walking, I finally understood what Bora had meant earlier.
"Wh... what!?"
There were still two whole hours until the start. But the line stretched so far that even standing on my tiptoes, I couldn't see the end of it. Did these people not need sleep? There was still so much time left, and they were already lining up...
All I could do was gape in horror. Seeing me like that, Bora said,
"Oh no... At this rate, will there even be any Rumi merch left?"
Bora's words struck me right where it hurt. Not everyone here had come to buy Rumi merch, but if even a quarter of them—no, half of that quarter—bought some, I would be staring at nothing but empty display tables.
Rumi's goods were limited-edition items they didn't sell in large quantities. What made my heart ache even more was spotting people here and there in the line already holding Rumi merch. Those people were definitely going to buy Rumi goods. In other words, they were the competition.
"Ugh... uuuugh..."
I felt my whole body trembling. An unbearable sorrow welled up from inside me. But Bora didn't even glance at me shaking as she said,
"Look how many kids just like you are already holding Rumi merch. At this rate, won't it all sell out before we even get in?"
"N-no! There's no way all these people are going to buy Rumi merch!"
I said it while trembling at Bora's words. But a corner of my heart had no choice but to admit she was right. With this many people, Rumi's goods would be sold out by the time I got inside.
I resented my past self so much. I hadn't expected this many people to show up. If I'd known, I should have come much earlier... It wasn't Bora's fault, or Haru's. I was the one who had suggested coming here, so as the leader, I had to take responsibility.
Even so, all I could do was stare at the people lined up ahead with a face on the verge of tears. I craned my neck as high as it would go, and still the line had no end in sight.
"Waaah."
On the verge of tears, I had no choice but to crouch right there. Thankfully I still had enough sense left not to sit all the way down on the ground. That would have gotten dirt on my dress, and that wouldn't do.
Seeing me like that, Bora and Haru scrunched up their faces. I couldn't tell at all whether they were holding back laughter or whether they were actually sad.
"Hana."
Bora called me in a grave voice. I answered without even looking at her.
"What is it, Bora."
I kept my eyes fixed on the ground as I answered. My expression was definitely a mess right now, and I didn't want to show it to her.
Strictly speaking, Bora and Haru had given up their day off to go along with my schedule, so they weren't at fault. My head understood that. My heart didn't. I was afraid I'd take my frustration out on Haru and Bora for no good reason, so I answered with my feelings crushed down as far as they would go.
"Aigoo. How mad must our Hana be?"
Bora said it as she gathered me into her arms. Then she stroked my hair and went on.
"We knew this would happen, so your big sisters got everything ready behind your back, you know?"
"Huh?"
For a moment I couldn't make sense of what Bora meant. Prepared what? Even as she said it, she didn't get in line—she picked me up and headed inside. People around us were staring at us strangely.
The line was right there beside us, and yet we, who looked like ordinary people, weren't joining it at all. We were heading somewhere else entirely.