The Moonlight Fairies
"Are you a fairy?"
A fairy. What exactly is a fairy?
At least according to my knowledge, fairies were tiny little beings that only appeared in fairy tales, flying through the sky with transparent wings, sprinkling white powder, and casting magic. So, was he saying a fairy actually existed here right now? I quickly scanned my surroundings. But all that came into view was the wide-spread tennis court. At most, a few tennis balls rolling around on the ground.
"A fairy?"
"I knew it! I didn't missee you!"
The boy said, jumping up from his seat. The sparkling look in his eyes made it obvious just how excited he was. Setting down the racket he was holding, the boy slowly circled around me. I frowned at his behavior, which felt like someone admiring a work of art.
"A fairy? Me?"
"Yes! You descended with the moonlight that night!"
His words jogged a memory from a few days ago. The boy holding the tennis racket... I wondered why he looked so familiar, and it turned out he was the tennis boy I had run into a few times at the house where I stayed for my mission. The boy was genuinely, purely delighted.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not a fairy."
"Yes! I know! You have to keep it a secret from humans, right?"
"Ah..."
I turned my head away, avoiding the boy's overwhelming gaze. His attitude, like someone completely lost in a fairy tale, was a bit too much for me to handle. I hid behind Shine, who had stepped up close.
"Two fairies...!"
The boy rejoiced again upon seeing Shine. In his eyes, both of us seemed to look like fairies. He said we descended with the moonlight—well, I had looked down at him under the moonlight that night, but it seemed to have left an incredibly powerful impression on him.
"What's with this guy?"
Shine glared at him with her arms crossed, clearly displeased. Flinching under her intense gaze, the boy took a step back.
"Ah. I'm sorry. I was too close, wasn't I...? Fairies don't like humans..."
"Well, at least you're quick on the uptake," Shine said, nodding at the boy's attitude, seemingly unbothered by being called a fairy.
"You are..." Appleton spoke as if she recognized the boy.
"Do you know who he is?"
"He's... the representative tennis player for our, I mean, our school..."
According to Appleton's explanation, he was a representative player for the elementary division.
"Are you practicing all by yourself?"
"Yes! I'm still not good enough, so I have to practice all day to keep up with my seniors."
The boy answered my question energetically.
"Hey. Why do you think we're fairies?"
"Because...!"
The boy began to explain the fairies he knew about. It started with an old story he used to hear from his mother. The fairies in that story had white hair and descended to the earth with the moonlight. It was a tale about fairies who hid their mission to make people happy, blending in among humans to live alongside them. That was the story flowing from the boy's mouth.
The story itself wasn't bad, but the problem was that the boy believed this story was real. Hearing his age, he was eleven, a year younger than us. That meant he was in the fourth grade. Not wanting to crush a young child's innocence, I took a step back with an awkward smile.
The boy's goodwill was pure. A gaze like someone looking at their favorite star. A gaze filled with nothing but pure admiration didn't feel bad at all. Shine seemed to feel the same way; though she wore a reluctant expression, she didn't push him away.
"So you're saying Jeff looks like a fairy?"
"Yes!"
"And fairies are beautiful?"
"Yes!"
"At least you have good eyes."
Shine nodded at the boy's words.
"I want to know your names, Fairies! I'm Felix!"
The boy, introducing himself as Felix, asked with sparkling eyes. I exchanged glances with Shine. Shine nodded, indicating she didn't mind sharing our names.
"I'm Jeff. This is Shine. And over here are Rain and Appleton."
I introduced our names to Felix. He muttered my name and Shine's under his breath, as if trying to commit them to memory.
"If there's anything I can do to help, please just say the word! I'll help you to the best of my ability."
I wondered if the day would ever come when this little boy could actually help us. I simply nodded.
"Sure. I'll let you know if we need help."
With that, Felix went back to practicing. He was truly serious about tennis. Even with his beloved fairies right beside him, his practice didn't stop. Dripping with sweat born of pure passion, he swung his racket. It was a pleasant sight. I sat on a nearby bench and watched him.
"Aren't the fourth graders in a different class right now?"
"I heard that representative players are allowed to practice instead of attending classes. Though this is the first time I've actually seen someone practice all day long..."
Appleton, who possessed a wealth of knowledge about the school, answered whenever I asked about something I was curious about. Making her my friend had definitely been an excellent choice.
I pulled Rain onto my lap and closed my eyes, feeling the cool breeze. The pleasant wind, the moderate sunlight, and the soft, cozy scent of Rain made drowsiness wash over me.
"Are you going to sleep again?"
"Mmh, no. Just enjoying how nice it feels."
I shook my head, answering Shine. It was the perfect environment for a nap, but PE class would be ending soon. And then, we'd have to eat lunch. Lunch was very important to me.
Shine, who had been watching the tennis for quite a while, muttered in a quiet voice, "Is that supposed to look cool?"
It probably wasn't easy for a young girl to understand the appeal of sports. I chuckled softly and stroked Shine's hair. Glancing at me with a coy expression, Shine soon leaned her head into my hand. I pulled out my phone to check the time and stood up. Class would be over any minute now.
"Let's head back soon."
"Okay."
We got up and left the tennis court. Behind us, the sound of Felix's practice still echoed. He was so focused that I didn't want to interrupt him, so I didn't even say goodbye.
"I wonder what's for lunch today."
Grinning at the thought of eating, a sudden realization hit me. I was supposed to have lunch with Shandroi. We were supposed to share a delicious meal while discussing the school and talking about areas of improvement. That was the usual routine. But if I did that, I wouldn't be able to eat with Appleton. I sent a text to Shandroi, letting him know I'd be eating separately with a friend today.
"Appleton, are you going to the cafeteria? Or a lunchbox?"
"Ah..."
Appleton looked surprised at my question, as if she hadn't expected us to eat together.
"Why so surprised? Friends eat together, don't they?"
Right as I finished speaking, the bell rang to signal the end of class. I smiled softly and reached out. This school really had everything. They even sold separate lunchboxes for students who didn't want to eat in the cafeteria. This meant that no matter what Appleton chose, we could still eat together.
"I-I'll... have a lunchbox..." Appleton managed to squeeze out.
I nodded at her words. Today's lunch was officially decided to be lunchboxes. After stopping by the changing room to get dressed, we headed to the stall selling the lunchboxes. Several lunchboxes wrapped in luxurious packaging were stacked up, and a pleasant-looking female clerk stood behind the counter.
"Hello!"
I approached the stall and greeted her energetically. Perhaps keeping the students in mind, the counter wasn't very high. I leaned against the counter, agonizing over the menu displayed inside.
"Even if you think about it that hard, you're just going to choose the pork cutlet in the end anyway, aren't you?" Shine said, crossing her arms behind my back.
I chuckled softly and nodded. She was absolutely right. I ordered the pork cutlet lunchbox. Shine chose the same as me, while Rain went with the hamburger steak lunchbox. Just like that, our three lunchboxes were ready. Clutching my lunchbox to my chest, I turned back to Appleton. She was mumbling to herself with a slightly pale face.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah. No, it's nothing."
Mumbling as if she had something to say, Appleton let out a small sigh and slumped her shoulders. We walked back to the classroom with Appleton—to the fifth-grade classroom, that is.
The moment we stepped inside, the chatter of the kids instantly died down. It was then that I noticed Appleton's gaze was fixed on a single spot. A group of students had gathered in one area, and all of them were holding lunchboxes.
"Oh. Are you supposed to eat with them..."
"No! No! Not at all!"
I started to ask, just in case, but Appleton frantically shook her head. Immediately after, she walked over to her seat with practiced ease and pulled a lunchbox out of her bag. Her lunchbox was quite petite.
Since people with abilities naturally have a high basal metabolic rate, they eat a lot, even if they're just children. So, my curiosity was only natural. She was definitely an ability user too, so was she really okay eating only that much?
"Is that your lunchbox, Appleton?"
"Yeah... I usually don't eat much."
When I asked about her lunchbox, she nodded in response. I glanced past Appleton. The group of students that had gathered was beginning to disperse.
"Appleton."
"Yeah..."
Appleton looked completely drained of energy. I reached out and squeezed her hand tightly. Her small, delicate hand wiggled slightly inside mine. I slid my fingers between hers, interlocking them so she couldn't pull away.
"Do you know a good place to eat lunch?"
At my question, Appleton flinched and tried to pull her hand back, but our interlocked fingers wouldn't budge. I pulled her hand a bit closer and asked her once more.
"Where do you think would be good?"
Our faces drew close. I wondered if I had pulled her in a bit too close, but seeing her eyes tremble with fluster only made a smile slip onto my face. I blew a gentle breath onto her face and laughed. Appleton's face flushed as red as an apple.
"Hmm? Where do you want to go?"
"Ah, ahh..."
Appleton flustered, unable to answer. While I was busy enjoying her reaction, Shine suddenly intervened. She forcefully pried Appleton's hand from my grip, then grabbed that empty hand with her own. Holding both Appleton and me, Shine dragged us out of the classroom.
"I told you not to smile like that," Shine whispered in my ear as we left the classroom.
I shook my head at her words. "No. The smile you told me not to show was this one."
I gave her a smile. It was the smile I only showed occasionally to Shine, Rain, and Amy. My eyes crinkled slightly, the corners of my mouth curving up gently as I looked at her with deep affection. The smile she had told me never to show anyone else was exactly this one.
"Ugh!"
Shine clutched her chest at my smile.