episode_0131

Imperial Year 525, June 4th

Special Training, Day 19.

It’s already been five days since Johanna Freya visited the classroom. Haven’t I written some slightly harsh words in my diary in the meantime?

That’s partly because of Johanna Freya, but also because of Hogu. Can’t he at least tell me what he did during lunch that day?

Even when I keep asking, he just changes the subject. Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. Why, you ask?

Because Hogu finally asked me to have tea!

And it’s tomorrow! I don’t like that he told me only a day in advance, but I like the date. Because tomorrow is the weekend!

What does the weekend have to do with it, you ask?

It has everything to do with it. If it were a weekday, I’d have to go to the Academy. And considering training, I wouldn’t have much time to play, right? But on the weekend, I can play all morning until training time.

But what should I wear tomorrow? If I wear the same perfume and clothes Hogu liked last time… No, I wore them once before, so I should wear something different this time.

For clothes… I can ask a spirit to help me choose from the ones Mother sent me last time, and since Hogu said his sense of smell was sensitive last time, I should choose a subtle perfume, right?

Oh, I forgot to write about training today, too? Hmm… Roughly speaking, I worked hard today as well. That’s it.

You might think I’m writing too roughly, but it’s all true. And I feel like I’m almost able to reach Hogu now.

Let’s stop with the boring talk for now. What clothes will Hogu wear tomorrow? Is it because I’ve only ever seen him in his uniform and red cloak? I can’t imagine him in other clothes.

Still, wouldn’t any clothes suit him well? His face… I can’t tell much because of the mask, but his height, his shoulders. And his uniform fits him well anyway.

—————

Imperial Year 525, June 5th

Special Training, Day 20.

…I don’t even have the strength to write in my diary. It was good, but it was so exhausting. Both my body and mind.

What on earth happened, you ask?

There’s a lot to say, but it’s probably best to start from when I met Hogu this morning. Anyone would have been surprised to see the clothes Hogu wore.

Because that guy Hogu came in his uniform, does that even make sense?! I prepared meticulously, from my clothes to my hair and makeup! Hogu was no different from usual.

Of course, the uniform suits him well… but still! Huh? Couldn’t he have worn different clothes? This makes it seem like I was the only one who got excited…

No, wait. I’ll get to see Hogu in different clothes someday, so let’s think about that later for now.

Even though I didn’t like him wearing his uniform, everything else was good. The meal at the restaurant I’d never been to, the tea I drank with Hogu on a hill with a beautiful view, and even the play we saw at the end—everything.

Writing it down like this makes it seem not grand, just ordinary, but that ordinariness was so comfortable and happy.

To the point where I wished every day could be like today.

I’ll only write this much about what happened today.

Today. Every conversation I had with Hogu is vividly etched in my memory. That’s why I won’t write it down. The reason I write in a diary is so that when I look at it later, I can remember, ‘Oh, something like this happened too,’ and recall that moment.

No matter how much time passes, I will never forget… no, I won’t be able to forget what happened today.

———

Imperial Year 525, June 11th.

Special Training, Day 26.

If there’s one area I’ve gotten strongest in after training with Hogu, it’s definitely spirit magic, isn’t it? My training time has decreased compared to before, but I’m growing much faster.

Hogu said it was because of my talent, but that’s nonsense. I’ve never once thought I lacked talent, but the reason I could get strong so quickly is obviously because of the mask.

If you ask what I got stronger in after spirit magic, it would probably be my stamina. It’s incomparable to a month ago. And as my stamina increased, naturally, my training time also increased.

The more I think about it, the more frustrating it is, and I can’t sleep.

It was really frustrating today. I dodged all the skeleton attacks I’d seen during training so far, and I could have caught Hogu just by reaching out my hand.

What’s with things suddenly popping out from under my feet?! They’re even too small to see properly.

Still. I’m really almost there now. If I just pay attention to that tiny skeleton, I can really catch Hogu!

Five days left. That’s enough time to analyze the small skeleton’s attacks.

———–

Imperial Year 525, June 15th.

Last Day of Special Training.

I finally reached him! I finally dodged all the skeletons’ attacks and reached Hogu!

When I found out the tiny skeleton wasn’t the end, I was a little an… no, angry, but I succeeded in reaching him in the end.

Thinking that the training was finally over, I felt a mix of complex emotions.

The tension of fighting Betzdo soon. The relief of finally being able to take revenge, the anxiety of ‘what if I lose, even after Hogu helped me this much?’. And finally.

Even the regret that training with Hogu was over.

Of course, if I asked him to train together, Hogu would help, but doing it every day like this would probably be difficult.

This will probably be the last day I write in this diary.

Even if I write in a diary later, I won’t write in *this* diary.

.

.

Sepia said she wouldn’t write in this diary anymore, but there were other diary entries written on the following pages.

Unlike the previous writing in the diary, these entries were colorful, messy, and even had drawings.

.

.

.

—————

Imperial Year 538, December 9th

Title: I Hate Cucumbers

Mommy got mad at me for being a picky eater. Vegetables don’t taste good. I especially really hate cucumbers. But Mommy tells me to eat vegetables.

Mommy says I’ll grow taller if I eat vegetables. So when I asked Mommy if I didn’t have to eat vegetables if I wasn’t going to grow tall, Daddy said it was a great idea and patted my head.

Daddy’s head pats always make me feel good.

But for some reason, both Daddy and I got scolded by Mommy. Why on earth did we get scolded?

When I asked Daddy, who was also standing with his hands up next to me, he said he didn’t know either. Ah! Maybe Mommy wanted Daddy to pat her head too?

I know everything. Mommy likes getting head pats from Daddy just like me.

I finished the diary I was writing and went to Mommy. Mommy said she wouldn’t give me a new diary until I ate a cucumber. This is too much. I can give up on growing tall, but eating cucumbers is impossible.

But it’s okay. Because I have Daddy.

Sure enough, when I told Daddy, I was able to get a new diary. The diary I received had writing on the front, indicating someone else had used it.

I’m curious what it says, but I didn’t look. Because Mommy said it’s wrong to peek into someone else’s diary.

[Drawing of a cucumber with evil eyes, nose, and mouth]

[Drawing of a white-haired man standing with his hands up, and a light pink-haired child standing with hands up next to him]

—————–

“Hmm, hmm. And also…”

It’s always fun to write in my diary while lying in bed.

I wish Kiyu Unnie, Rakira Unnie, Karu Unnie, and Naro Oppa knew this fun too, but my unnies and oppa like swords and magic more than writing diaries.

……….!

“Mommy, give it back! My diary!”

Ah! Mommy, who had come in without me noticing, took the diary I was writing in. This is clearly theft. Daddy said theft is bad.

“Api, where did you get this diary?”

Where did I get this diary, you ask? Well, of course…

“Daddy gave it to me?”

“What? Ho… No, why is this here…? Api, did you happen to read what’s written in this diary?”

“No. People who sneak a peek at other people’s diaries are bad people.”

“Phew… For now, this is confiscated.”

I’m sad and heartbroken. Mommy took the diary I obtained with my own strength.

Mommy definitely enjoys seeing me suffer from eating cucumbers.

“Sob, Daddy gave that to Api. Hiccup! Mommy won’t even give me a diary. The diary Api got, sob… waaaah!”

“Api? Mommy’s sorry, okay? Huh? I’ll give you a new diary right away. So, stop crying, okay?”

“…….Mm-hm.”

It’s a shame about the diary I just wrote in, but a new diary is better than one someone else used.

“Api, wait here for a moment. Mommy has something to say to Daddy.”

Mommy patted my head and left the room. She’s definitely going to Daddy.

Soon, Mommy will scold Daddy.

It’s always funny to see Daddy get scolded by Mommy. There are times when Mommy gets angry even after Daddy uses his special move, the head pat.

In those cases, if Daddy lifts his bangs and hugs her tightly, Mommy calms down right away.

I like Daddy’s appearance when his bangs are lifted. But Mommy says it’s not allowed because it’s something she agreed on with the other mothers.

I’m still young, so I didn’t understand what that meant.

“…What… why…”

Ah, it’s already started. At this rate, I might not get to see Daddy with his bangs lifted. Although he always goes around with his bangs lifted when the maid unnies aren’t around.

That and this are different issues.

“Chirp-Chirp Three, Chirp-Chirp Four, let’s go quickly!”

-Chirp!

-Chirp!