MCBD 05

Chapter 05

Ah… why did I come?

It was the day of the orphanage’s play.

Letting out a sigh, I stared at the stage.

I’d sworn I wouldn’t come. And yet my feet had carried me here all on their own—to the orphanage of all places. Truly strange.

My face is wrapped up tight, and I’m even in disguise, so I won’t stand out.

I had no intention of meeting the boy in the yellow raincoat. I’d promised myself I’d only watch from far away.

So I sat in the very last seat of the old theater and watched the play.

The title was “The Saved Tree.”

The narrator’s voice rang loudly throughout the hall.

“On a rainy day, deep in the forest, a lonely tree went thud and fell over. Just then, a girl passing by spoke to it.”

As the narration ended, a small girl ran up to the fallen tree and asked,

“Bbu-bbu, are you okay?”

At those words, the leaves covering Bbu-bbu’s face—the thirteenth leaf—fluttered gently. His face was hidden behind a mask, but I knew at a glance.

It was the boy in the yellow raincoat. The one who’d sent the letter.

The narration continued.

“When the girl called the name ‘Bbu-bbu,’ the leaf turned into light and was engraved in her heart. And so, the wounded leaf and the girl became each other’s very first friends.”

At the same time, children dressed as the leaves of a giant tree popped out with a cheerful ta-da!

Bbu-bbu, his face hidden behind leaf-shaped pieces, was passionately playing the role of the thirteenth leaf at the very end of the line.

But why isn’t Bbu-bbu the lead? This is ridiculous.

With acting like that, he was only Leaf Number Thirteen?

A supporting role—no, not even that—and yet Bbu-bbu gave it his all.

“I-I’m Leaf Thirteen, b-but I’m happy to be a-alive.”

It was a single line, and he stumbled over it. No matter how generously one judged, it couldn’t be called good acting.

Still… he’s doing well.

Maybe I was biased, but to my eyes, he just looked admirable.

I kept watching, offering silent commentary, until the curtain finally fell.

The children came out onto the stage with proud expressions, despite their clumsy performances, and bowed.

Endless applause followed.

I’ve seen enough. That’s it.

I turned away and left.

After exiting the orphanage, wrapped in a dark robe, I was walking down a quiet alley when I heard someone following me.

I turned around without hesitation.

“Who is it?”

And then—

Crash!

With a loud clatter, a boy wearing a fresh green leaf mask appeared, having fallen flat.

“Th-thank you… for coming.”

“Yeah. Goodbye.”

Even at my cold reply, the boy hurriedly scrambled to his feet and said,

“Um, so, I—I made a name. I didn’t have one before, but I wanted to tell you…”

“I don’t want to know.”

Calling each other by name isn’t such a big interaction.

But—

Anyone else might be fine. Just not this kid.

I looked at the small child.

Even without seeing his eyes behind the mask, just from his attitude, I could tell.

This child was single-minded. Right now, I was the only person he had.

My ending is already decided. I can’t form that deep of a bond.

If a boy with no one to rely on lost me too, it would only hurt him more.

I’d decided to do a good deed—not to become someone special to anyone.

“Don’t say it.”

So I cut him off sharply.

Yet despite having his expectations crushed, the boy remained cheerful.

“Th-then… there’s a pl-playground over there.”

“……”

“If you’d just go with me once…”

The moment I saw the violet eyes shining through the mask, I realized something.

I wasn’t someone who could be completely cold-hearted.

I couldn’t refuse the child’s request.

At least, not this time.

“I-I wanted to come here every day…”

“I see.”

“I came… today.”

The child was completely absorbed in the playground. Truth be told, it wasn’t anything special.

A creaky swing and seesaw, some old toy kitchen sets someone had abandoned, and a single, out-of-place merry-go-round sat there awkwardly.

And yet, the child smiled as if he’d arrived at the best place in the world.

“Bbu-bbu wants to live here!”

“…Bbu-bbu?”

“It’s the leaf’s name. They said it was cute, so I made it my nickname…”

I quietly watched the child fidget awkwardly with his hands. He was tiny, and on top of that he was calling himself “Bbu-bbu” while wearing a leaf mask.

“Well… it is kind of cute.”

“R-right! Bbu-bbu is cute.”

The child puffed out his chest proudly. Maybe because he was about the size of a small puppy, he looked even cuter.

Is cuteness really unbeatable? It keeps drawing me in.

This isn’t good. I need to get a grip.

I shook my head firmly and said,

“You’ve seen enough, right? Let’s go.”

“……!”

Because I couldn’t see his face due to the mask, I’d gotten used to reading his body language.

That gesture clearly meant, But I haven’t even ridden the merry-go-round yet.

It wasn’t even magical—just a crude thing that went around once. What was there to want to ride?

Normally, I wouldn’t have allowed it. But how could I coldly refuse the wish of a child who’d never even been to an amusement park?

“Get on.”

“T-together.”

I kept giving in whenever I was with this kid.

“…Fine. Just today.”

The small merry-go-round carrying the two of us spun, glowing faintly.

Just one round.

“It was so, so fun!”

“I’m glad.”

Looking down at the child’s reddened fingertips, flushed with excitement, I spoke quietly.

“Let’s go now. It’s too late.”

“……”

“What, you don’t want to go home?”

“That’s not it… we won’t… see each other again?”

“Yeah.”

“Th-then… I won’t beg…”

“Mm.”

“L-letters are… okay too.”

The child bit his lip and muttered softly. He was small. And far too fragile.

I’d seen a child like this before.

Myself, in a past life—left alone after my family had all died.

So I spoke even more coldly on purpose.

“If you can’t reach me, just think of me as dead. I can’t be your family.”

At my firm words, the boy lowered his head.

“…It’s okay.”

He could barely even speak properly.

I immediately noticed the tears mixed into his voice.

“…But you came to the playground with me. You came to the orphanage, gave me a present, and watched Leaf Bbu-bbu…”

“All of it ends today.”

The boy’s shoulders trembled. I quietly looked at the small shoulders of a child who didn’t even look ten yet.

The sudden presence of a child filling the empty space left by my lost family felt… troublesome.

Then the boy murmured,

“I-I… I’m going to become a knight.”

“…A knight?”

“Yes. I read it in a spelling book. It said that if you become a knight… you can protect someone precious.”

To become a knight, you had to be granted a noble title—and possess the skill to match.

Normally, I’d have thrown such objective facts at him. Strangely, the words wouldn’t come when I was in front of this child.

Instead, I whispered softly,

“You can do it.”

“Yes! So if I do well, then I’ll protect—”

I looked down at the child and cut him off firmly.

“No. That’s not a promise you make lightly. Someday, you’ll have a precious lady your own age.”

“……”

“You’ll love her, and be loved in return. That’s why I won’t ask your name, and I won’t tell you mine either.”

“……”

“This appearance isn’t my real face either. So just forget everything. Everything about me.”

The boy looked at me quietly.

Despite my cynical, distancing words, the child was smiling instead.

“It’s okay even if it’s not your real face.”

“…What?”

Now I was the one caught off guard. The boy spoke as if casting a spell.

“I’ll recognize you no matter what.”

“……”

“I won’t promise to search for you no matter what, because you don’t like that.”

It was strange. The boy suddenly sounded resolute, speaking clearly as if he’d grown up in an instant.

“But still… if we meet by chance…”

In the strongest tone I’d ever heard from him, the boy whispered,

“…I won’t let you go. Never.”