“My Lord, Chu is good at eating anything, so… the pretty things can be eaten by those who eat a little.”
Is it really okay to receive a new name after saying something like that?
I wasn’t quite sure, but I was curious about what kind of name it would be. I understood my current situation very well. The Admiral is a fake dad, and I am a fake daughter. I can’t go back to the daycare, and I can’t become a chef, either.
Still, there are blocks here, there is Lina, and there is plenty of delicious food, so I didn’t hate it.
‘I don’t know how long I’ll be here. But until I leave, a new name… Yes, I like it.’
The Admiral, who had bent his waist, took the cookie from my hand. He had a strange expression and his touch was extremely careful. It was just a simple cookie, yet the Admiral stroked it several times before finally placing it in the inner pocket of his jacket.
Then, he reached under my armpits and lifted me up into his arms.
“Shuperti.”
“……!”
“From now on, your name is Shuperti Pashayen.”
His low voice cradled my name.
‘It feels like sugar is crunching in my mouth.’
It feels like if I opened my mouth, candies would pop right out. My heart suddenly began to pound, and I couldn’t sit still.
“I’m Chuperti!”
“…Shuperti.”
The Admiral corrected my pronunciation in a low voice. I giggled and clung to his neck, rubbing my cheek against him.
“Then is Chu going to be the Admiral’s daughter from now on?”
“Yes.”
“Wow!”
Something… something feels happy!
‘I’ll definitely leave here someday, but I like that it doesn’t seem like I have to leave right away!’
Held in his arms, I kicked my feet and beamed. I couldn’t help but smile; the corners of my mouth wouldn’t stay still.
“So, try calling me Dad now.”
“…Huh?”
“Follow after me. Da-ddy. Pronounce it like that.”
The Admiral looked very, very serious. He is a person with almost no facial expressions who speaks only with his eyebrows, but right now, those were his “serious eyebrows.” Following his lead, I opened my mouth slightly and let out a soundless breath.
‘I received a name and he said I’m his daughter, but…’
The word “Dad” just wouldn’t come out.
“Hmm, still not quite there yet.”
The Admiral’s eyebrows went up. I just chuckled and rubbed my cheek against his again. I don’t know why, but I was like this even when I was at the daycare.
Someday, I will leave this place. I don’t know where I’ll go after I leave, but I will definitely leave. It feels as if someone inside me is whispering that.
“Do you like the name?”
“Yes!”
“Then that is enough. It is the name of the North Star that guides the course during a voyage, and the Goddess of Battle.”
The North Star? I know what that is.
‘We came from that distant star over there. Someday, we will return to it.’
*Crackle.*
‘Huh?’
Just now, something flashed before my eyes. I even heard a very warm voice. I opened my eyes wide and looked around, but there was only the Admiral and me here.
“What is it?”
“Umm, nothing……”
I must have heard it wrong.
“You also have two who will be your older brothers.”
“Two of them?!”
“Yes. The first is Micard. He took the name of the male god of blood and victory.”
Micard-oppa. I memorized the name.
“The second is… you don’t need to know his name.”
“Why?”
“You won’t have any reason to encounter him, so you don’t need to remember.”
The Admiral looked sad as he said that. His expression and stiff tone remained the same, but for some reason, he looked despondent.
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ requests of you.]
[Give him a tight hug. He is such a foolish person that he doesn’t even know he needs comfort himself.]
Just then, shimmering letters spoke to me. But strangely, the letters also looked as if they were crying, so I rubbed my eyes once.
‘Well, giving hugs is something Chu is good at.’
I hugged the Admiral’s neck tightly. The Admiral looked at me with a puzzled gaze, as if asking why. I stared into his magenta eyes, which had a hint of red, and wiggled my fingers. My toes wiggled, too.
‘When my friends cried, I hugged them tight, patted them, and gave them kisses.’
Does the Admiral like kisses, too? The Carrot Class teacher liked them.
While I was deep in thought, shimmering letters appeared before me.
Quest!
A daughter’s kiss is the best in the world!
The Water Spirit King has given you homework!
✔
Help Navy Admiral Diegon Pashayen so he doesn’t cry.
Reward upon success:
10g of Buttery-Butter that fills you with a supportive heart.
Penalty upon failure:
You will become unable to taste sweetness! (3 days)
Gasp, unable to taste sweetness! Flustered, I squeezed my eyes shut and headbutted him.
*Thump!*
“……?”
*Smooch!*
“Don’t cry.”
“Hmm?”
“But, if you still want to cry, it’s okay to go ‘waaah’.”
Then you won’t be able to… taste sweetness, but that’s okay. Even adults must have days when they want to cry. I put my hands together and whispered into the Admiral’s ear.
“If you want to go ‘waaah’, Chu will cover you.”
“…….”
“Okay? Promise.”
I grinned and held out my pinky finger, and the Admiral watched me for a long time. First my face, then my pinky finger.
“…Even for a crab. Crying is something only a young child does.”
“Not a crab. I’m Shuperti.”
“It’s good that you know yourself well. Let’s go have our meal now.”
The Admiral quietly turned his head away. Because there was a taut tendon on his chin, I rubbed it gently. Adults don’t cry with their eyes, but in strange, hidden ways.
* * *
Mealtime was incredibly enjoyable. What was the most delicious thing today? The huge blueberry pie and the lasagna! But even though my belly was full, the Admiral didn’t stand up from his seat. It wouldn’t be polite for me to jump up first, though. I swung my feet and worried as the silence continued. I should say something!
‘Ah, should I ask him that?’
The thing I hadn’t been able to ask Lina yet.
“Admiral, you know.”
“Hmm.”
“What is a Bijou?”
Bijou, Bijou. The pronunciation is pretty, too. I playfully pursed my lips on purpose. The Admiral looked at me quietly for a moment before answering slowly. It felt as if he were waking up from a long dream or a deep thought.
“A Bijou is a crystallization of pure power.”
“……?”
That’s the end of the explanation? Perhaps he read the look in my eyes, as the Admiral cleared his throat and added an explanation.
“First, when one becomes an Awakener, a ‘Bijou spot’ appears somewhere on the body, including the face.”
“Yes.”
“Later on, a jewel will sprout in that spot. Once the Bijou sprouts, you can begin to use abilities. Abilities are a special power.”
This time, it was better than before. At least I could understand that a Bijou is a jewel.
“In your case, the Bijou will sprout on your left shoulder blade. That is, if the spot isn’t damaged.”
“Damaged……?”
When I made a blank expression at the difficult word, the Admiral pressed down on my head. My seat today was close enough for his hand to reach, after all.
“It means you must not show it carelessly to just anyone. There are those who target only Awakened ones before their Bijou sprouts. Once it sprouts, it’s unlikely that anyone can just pull it out, so it will be fine.”
“Even to Lina?”
“Pashayen… no. Only trust me, your brothers, Carmine, Lina and Cedric, and my father. Trust only up to that point.”
“Yes.”
So it’s something I have to protect preciously.
‘Then I hope it sprouts soon!’
Even though I wasn’t showing it in a mature way, I was still sad that I lost my precious class president name tag.
‘I must protect the Bijou well instead.’
What kind of special power will I get? What about the Admiral and the Head of House Grandfather? Doesn’t Lina have one? I had a mountain of questions. But this was what I was most curious about.
“Then when will Chu’s sprout?”
“Yours will sprout when you grow up fully. It usually sprouts around the age of ten. Wate—Those with exceptional talent sometimes awaken early.”
“When did you awaken, Admiral?”
“At seven years old.”
As he said that, the Admiral looked incredibly proud.
“Then I want to do it at seven, too.”
How many times did I have to sleep before I turned seven? Counting on my fingers one by one, I looked up at the Admiral with a blank expression. The Admiral, looking as if he were suppressing a laugh, soon nodded solemnly.
“Yes. It would be nice if you awakened at seven.”
“Then, what kind of abilities do you have, Admiral?”