Chapter 10
The story about losing the strap during the walk, searching the entire garden together to find it, and eventually returning to our respective rooms without finding it.
“…But then, when I finished washing up and was about to leave my room, good heavens! It was right there in front of my door.”
The Clown King proudly showed off a small note written in crooked crayon letters. In his bright, cheerful voice, he read the contents aloud.
“…It says, ‘Thank you for today.’ See? It says that the time spent with me was the most precious gift, so she would give me the watch strap as thanks… There’s even a little rabbit drawing here.”
“I like rabbits too……”
Why did the Thunder King suddenly look so dejected? You have nothing to do with this.
“I never wrote anything like that!”
Without realizing it, I raised my voice more than necessary.
“Oh, really? Then……”
“I didn’t write that note. It wasn’t me.”
“Then what is the thing on your wrist right now?”
Four pairs of eyes turned toward my arm.
The flashy bracelet that the Clown King had been wearing was hanging proudly from my wrist.
“Earlier… because I was so upset, the Clown King gave it to me. But… I didn’t give the gift I received from Big Uncle to the Clown King instead. It’s wrong to give away a gift someone gave you without permission.”
“Yes. That would be wrong.”
The Big King’s reply was sharp.
“It wasn’t me.”
“Clown. Return the child’s item to her. Child, you return that bracelet to the Clown King as well. Since the original item has been found.”
“Uh……”
I felt like I had walked straight into a trap.
My eyes wandered left and right, not knowing where to look.
It hadn’t even been a day since I was told not to openly take sides.
The Big King was clearly displeased. The Clown King was also slightly irritated, and the Thunder King looked somewhat disappointed and discouraged.
So why are you like this?
“Really, I didn’t write it……”
“I know. It’s fine. Here, take this. You can keep my bracelet.”
“But……”
“Taking back a gift you already gave someone is terribly unfashionable. Just let me give it to you.”
The Clown King removed the leather strap from his wrist and handed it back to me.
Ignoring everyone’s unpleasant gazes, I awkwardly accepted the strap.
Something feels strange…….
I felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort.
I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but something was definitely wrong.
Isn’t there something strange about the contents of the note?
The meal ended in a heavy atmosphere.
I was certain that somewhere, some cog had slipped out of place.
There was something in this that would reveal the real culprit.
But even after finishing the meal, I couldn’t figure out the source of my unease.
Maybe it was because of the Clown King’s overpowering perfume, or maybe it was because of the stress. Either way, it felt like a hot mouse was running around inside my head.
The Thunder King tried to awkwardly change the subject, but he wasn’t exactly skilled with words and couldn’t fix the situation.
I didn’t even remember how I returned to my room after the meal.
This single incident probably wouldn’t cause any major problems, but it certainly wasn’t a good start.
I threw myself face-first onto the pillow and let out a deep sigh.
“Uaaaaaah—”
Amid my muffled groan into the pillow, I heard someone knock on the door.
“May I come in?”
It was a voice that seemed naturally low, but intentionally raised by about two notes, like the voice a shop clerk would use while working.
The Clown King.
“Come in.”
As expected, the Clown King stood outside the door wearing a robe decorated with star patterns.
“Were you getting ready for bed?”
“No, I was just lying down.”
“The… thing that happened today. I’m sorry about that. If you think about it, it wasn’t exactly my fault, but……”
So he apologized while saying that himself.
Well, it was true that it wasn’t really the Clown King’s fault.
More importantly, did he change clothes again before coming here to apologize?
“No, it’s okay. You worked hard too, Uncle Clown.”
“I should have asked you directly instead of just believing the note.”
“I told you it’s okay.”
The Clown King smiled shyly.
“Anyway, be careful around the Big King. That guy does frightening things when things don’t go according to his wishes. If he ever calls you somewhere alone, you have to tell me first, okay?”
“You don’t have to go that far……”
“It’s a promise, okay? I’m worried about you.”
I hesitated and looked above the Clown King’s head.
[A somewhat decent person.]
This man was a “somewhat decent person.”
Did that mean I could trust him a little?
I frowned as I thought.
I didn’t know how much I should believe those strange letters that were almost like hallucinations.
Noticing my hesitation, the Clown King smiled warmly and met my eyes.
“Why? You look like a rabbit with those eyes. Cute.”
The Clown King gently pinched my cheeks.
“Um, Uncle, there’s something I want to ask.”
“Hmm?”
I couldn’t figure out where to start explaining, so I carefully chose my words.
Should I ask the Clown King about what was happening in my notebook and the strange numbers I could see?
“Before I tell you, can you promise to keep it a secret?”
“A secret? Sure, of course.”
“Actually……”
“If you’re going to talk about secrets, wouldn’t it be better to close the door?”
A familiar voice interrupted our conversation.
Beyond the Clown King’s shoulder, I saw the wide-open door and the Thunder King standing beyond it.
“Do the kings here usually just suddenly show up in other people’s rooms?”
“Many of the kings come from nomadic tribes, so they tend to be like that. If you dislike it, lock your door properly.”
“What are you here for again?”
The Clown King snapped, not bothering to hide his irritation.
The man answered casually, as if brushing it off.
“I also came because I wanted to talk about what happened today.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to worry too much……”
“No, that’s not it……”
The Thunder King looked away slightly before speaking.
“Why… did you two go out without me?”
Are the mental ages of these kings really okay?
Are these people actually allowed to handle politics?
“I said I wasn’t busy on days when it didn’t rain……”
“Ah, well, it was such a sudden thing……”
“I like walks the most…… I can give gifts anytime too.”
“You seriously want to say that right now?”
“Ugh……”
The Thunder King shrank back a little and lowered his shoulders.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. You must already be troubled enough.”
“It’s okay.”
I really was fine.
Today’s situation had become a little complicated, but a gift itself wasn’t guilty of anything.
I politely—but rather aggressively—held out both hands.
“Hm?”
“I’m always ready to receive gifts too.”
“Ah, right now?”
I nodded.
The Clown King, who had been watching from the side, burst into laughter.
The Thunder King looked flustered and searched through his pockets for a moment before suddenly remembering something and reaching toward his waist.
“Hmm, I see… Then take this!”
What he held out was a weapon.
It was too short to be called a longsword, but too long to be a dagger.
There was probably a proper name for this kind of weapon, but I hadn’t learned it yet.
If I had to name it myself, I would call it—
“Stabby.”
“That’s a little much for a ten-year-old’s gift, isn’t it?”
“It’s not a sword. It’s Stabby. It’s a doll.”
“How exactly does that look like a doll?”
“Look. Isn’t it cute?”
The Thunder King held the blade right in front of his friend’s face.
The sword flashed dangerously as it made a sharp shring sound.
Looking closer, I saw that two circles and a curved line had been drawn on the blade with silver ink.
Was that supposed to be a face?
“Don’t take that, child. It’s dangerous. The Big King will scold you.”
“It’s a doll. Look, this is the hand, and this is the tail……”
“How is that supposed to work?”
“It’s a cute doll.”
“Right? It’s a doll, isn’t it?”
I nodded playfully.
Only the Clown King looked confused, as if wondering whether he was the one misunderstanding something.
Still, since there was a face drawn right above the cross-shaped guard of the handle, it did somewhat resemble a doll.
“What kind of magic does it have?”
“Magic?”
“The Big King said the gift he gave me had magic in it.”
Honestly, it wasn’t exactly a gift I liked, so I made the teasing remark.
The Thunder King seemed to think for a moment before answering.
“Yes, mine too… My gift is amazing. This sword contains the ultimate ‘life magic.’”
The Clown King made a dramatic sound beside him.
“Ooooooh—”
“What kind of magic is that?”
“If you stab someone with it and separate their head from their body, most people will die.”
“I suppose they would.”
“Impressive, right?”
“It is impressive.”
I accepted the sword and held it.
Fortunately, it wasn’t very heavy.
“But wouldn’t it be difficult to stab someone and separate their head and body with this doll…?”
“Life magic is an extremely high-level magic. Naturally, it requires a certain amount of skill.”
“Right……”
It was difficult to tell whether this man was joking or being serious.
It was a strange gift, but the fact that someone had cared about my feelings made me feel surprisingly happy.
The thoughts that had filled my head until just moments ago—who moved the strap and why they left the note—disappeared like cotton candy dissolving in water.
“But I wonder who it was that took the bag strap.”
That was, until the clueless Thunder King brought the topic back up again.
“We don’t even know if it was stolen. Maybe someone simply found it after it fell on the ground.”
“That’s true. But the note was definitely strange. Why would someone imitate the child’s handwriting and write something like that?”
