"Good morning, Sedol."
The morning began with the chirping of birds.
The young boy who had been fast asleep on the sofa bed was woken by the voice of a girl.
"Good morning, Tou-chan."
"Yes, good morning."
As he rubbed his eyes, Touri Lowe, dressed in traditional Sabbatian clothing, smiled before him.
"Let's get you changed. Kusha is making breakfast for us."
"Okaaay."
Sedol Weber was a four-year-old boy.
He had been born in Marshdale, a city in Austin.
His family fled when the joint army of Flamel and Aerys declared war, seeking refuge in the rural Sabbatian village of Othello.
On the way there, they happened to meet a nearly dead Touri Lowe.
As it happens, she had once saved the life of Sedol's father, Gomuji.
Gomuji saved Touri's life and welcomed her into his family in order to repay the favor.
"Okayyy!"
"Please raise both arms. I'll slip this over you."
Touri Lowe was a quiet, gentle girl.
Her hair was short, her build petite, and she gave off a slightly unsociable impression.
As a former soldier, she had good posture and spoke politely.
Possessing the healing magic, [Heal], she worked as a healer at Anita's Clinic.
"Now then, let's head to the table."
"Piggyback!"
"Yes, yes, alright."
Sedol was extremely attached to Touri.
Whether going to bed or going out to play, he always followed her around.
And Touri didn't mind that at all. She doted on Sedol with love.
The two of them were like siblings with a large age gap.
"Tou-chan, you eat the carrots for me."
"Hey now, no being picky."
That day, the sky stretched clear in the horizon.
The summer sun beat down upon the ground, and even the grass and trees swayed in the heat.
"Tou-chan. Can we play today?"
Sedol tugged timidly at Touri's sleeve as he asked.
There were days when Touri couldn't play because of her work at the clinic.
"Yes, I have the day off today. We can spend it together."
"Really?!"
Luckily, today was the clinic's regular holiday. Touri was free the whole day.
"Then, let's go outside. Okay?"
"Yes, that sounds good."
"Yay!"
Hearing her reply, Sedol leapt up and down in delight.
Touri reached out and gently patted his head.
"Alright, let's clean up the dishes first, and then we'll head out."
"Okay!"
An entire day to play with Touri. For the young Sedol, there could be nothing better.
***
"Oh, that's right, Sedol. I have a surprise prepared for you tonight."
"Surprise?"
Just as they had finished getting ready to go out:
"Please look forward to it."
"Ehhh?"
Touri added with a mysterious smile.
"Be back before sunset!"
Kusha called out to them before they left.
"Okayyy!"
And with that, Sedol and Touri set off together.
Sedol grabbed Touri's hand and ran ahead while bursting with energy.
"Where are we going?"
"To the square up ahead! There's a playground there."
"Oh, really?"
There was a large, open space on the outskirts of Othello village.
It had originally been designated for future migrants, but it had been left unused for now.
Since there were so few houses nearby, it made a great place for children to play.
"Looks like there are already kids playing."
"Yeah, everyone plays here. I've played with them before."
This place was like a public park for the villagers of Othello.
When Touri and Sedol arrived, several children were already playing tag.
"Sedol, would you like to play with those children?"
"Hmm… not today."
Though Touri suggested he join them, Sedol shook his head.
"I can play with them anytime. I want to play with Tou-chan today."
"Ahh, I see."
Saying that, he tightly hugged Touri.
"Let's play stone-kicking!"
"Yes, Sedol."
The children's games in Othello Village were different from the ones Touri knew.
Whether it was due to cultural differences or because of the difference in gender, many of the games involved running around and moving their bodies.
"You place a stone here, and then kick it so it lands inside that circle."
"I see…"
The game they were playing resembled a sort of miniature golf.
A circle had been drawn a few meters away, and the goal was to kick the stone so that it landed inside it.
This was repeated several times. The one who managed to land the most stones within the circle won.
"Look, three in a row!"
"That's amazing, Sedol."
Sedol was especially good at this game.
He kicked the stones with such skill that even Touri couldn't help but be impressed.
"You're very good at this, Sedol."
"Right?"
Sedol was very pleased to be able to show off in front of Touri.
Watching him so happy, Touri laughed softly.
"Next, let's climb the trees."
"Please be careful not to get hurt."
And so, Sedol continued playing as he ran around the village with his small body.
"I climb this tree a lot."
"…Is that really safe?"
Sedol began to climb a tree on the edge of the village forest. He climbed up about a meter by skillfully using his limbs.
"Look, I'm a monkey!"
"Oh dear, don't just hang like that. It's dangerous! Keep your feet steady!"
"Ehehehe."
While he was having the time of his life, Touri couldn't help but worry.
Her face tightened with concern as she watched him, desperate to make sure he didn't fall.
"Climbing trees is dangerous. Let's stop, and do something else instead."
"Yeah, okay… Hmm, what should we do next…"
Eventually, Sedol got bored of climbing the tree and slid back down with ease.
As he thought about what to play next, nestled against Touri's arm—
"Hmph. So it's you two."
"Ah…"
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the shade of the trees.
A well-built man with sharp eyes and scars all over his body appeared in front of the two of them.
"Whaaaa!"
"Irigol."
It was the Sabbatian veteran who assaulted Touri and Sedol the other day.
"Do you need something from us?"
"No need to be so on guard."
At the sight of him, Sedol went pale and quickly hid behind Touri's back. She put out her hand to shield Sedol and quietly faced Irigol.
"I only have business in this forest."
"What business?"
They were deep in the forest with no one else around.
The two of them wouldn't stand a chance if he attacked them like before. It was impossible to not be on guard.
"I don't have any intention of harming you."
"…I see."
Yet, Irigol showed no sign of raising a hand against them.
Instead, he glanced about the area while holding a basket woven of twigs.
"Have you seen any elderflowers around here?"
"Elderflowers?"
"They're white flowers with a sweet scent. I came to pick them."
"…Is appreciating flowers your hobby?"
"I don't have such a fancy hobby."
Touri, suspicious, couldn't help but ask.
She had never imagined that this intimidating veteran would be out gathering flowers.
"My sister's about to get married. They're going to be used in the ceremony."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. As her younger brother, I want to celebrate as best I can."
He explained that the elderflowers would be used as material for the bouquet.
Turns out it wasn't his hobby after all, but something he needed for the wedding.
"Elderflowers are considered to be auspicious. They have a nice fragrance and are great in bouquets."
"That's wonderful."
"They should be starting to bloom about now. Have you seen any?"
These flowers grew naturally around Othello Village, blooming from early summer onward.
The flower's meaning is, "I dedicate myself to you."
They're often used in weddings and other joyous occasions.
"I don't know much about elderflowers, but if it's white flowers you're after, I saw some growing over that way."
"I see."
Touri told Irigol about the spot where she had noticed white flowers along the way.
Though they had a bit of bad blood between them, she had no reason to get in the way of his sister's wedding.
"That helps. I'll go take a look."
With a brief word of thanks, Irigol glanced around once more before disappearing deeper into the forest.
"Tou-chan…"
"There, there… That was scary, wasn't it?"
Sedol only lifted his face after confirming Irigol was gone.
It hadn't been long since that terrible incident. The wounds in his heart were still fresh.
"It won't happen again. You don't have to worry."
"Okay…"
Touri hugged Sedol tightly and held him in her arms until he stopped trembling.
***
"Let's play in the river."
After that, the two moved to play in the riverbank.
Part of it was because Sedol was tired of climbing trees, and another part because neither of them wanted to linger where that scary man had been.
"Tou-chan, look! Fish!"
"Yes, there are."
They had come to the shallow river that flowed across the village. Several tiny fish swam about inside the water.
"Let's catch them."
Sedol took off his shorts and shoes and clumsily splashed into the river.
He tried chasing the fish to catch them, but they got away every time.
"Tou-chan, can you catch them?"
"I think it would be difficult to do it with just my hands."
The river was only ankle-deep, and its width was only about two meters.
In a place like that, Touri could watch Sedol play without worry.
"Looks like there are also a lot of frogs."
"Then let's go catch frogs! Over there by the drain—"
"You can't go over there. The drain is dirty."
"But I saw kids playing in the drain the other day."
"Those are bad kids."
Sedol ended up playing in the river until evening. He chased fish, poked at frogs, and threw stones.
"Tou-chan, here! Frog!"
"W-Wait! Ahh, please don't throw it at me!"
"Eheheh!"
Sedol played until his whole body was covered in sweat and mud.
Touri praised him when the stones he threw bounced multiple times across the water.
But she scolded him a little when he threw a frog at her.
"I'm hungry."
"Then how about we head home?"
It had been an ordinary, peaceful day.
A whole day spent just playing in the forest and river with Sedol. It was something Touri rarely experienced in her everyday life.
"Did you have fun today, Tou-chan?"
On the way home, hand in hand with Touri, Sedol asked that almost absentmindedly.
"Yes. I had a lot of fun."
For a former soldier like her, an ordinary day in the countryside was worth more than gold.
***
"Hey, Sedol! You're back!"
"Daddy!"
A man in a wheelchair greeted Sedol when they returned home. Sedol's father, Gomuji, had come back from his trip.
"Ahh, sorry about leaving Sedol with you, Senior."
"Daddy, Daddy!"
"No, I had fun too."
"Yeah, I'm back."
Sedol happily hugged his father, Gomuji.
Even though his clothes were covered in mud, Gomuji didn't seem to mind and hugged Sedol back.
"Dinner's a bit fancy tonight. Look, Mom's grilling meat for us."
"Yayyy!"
Touri's promised "surprise" was Gomuji coming back.
Sedol's eyes lit up when he heard that Kusha was preparing a lavish meal.
"…How was your alone time with Kusha, Gomuji?"
"Ah, you know. Same as always."
Touri asked quietly, glancing at Sedol, who was busy celebrating.
Gomuji actually had returned around noon, but since Kusha wanted to spend time alone with Gomuji, Touri took Sedol out the entire day.
"Kusha's the type who cares a lot about anniversaries. She wanted to make some plans for our upcoming wedding anniversary."
"Oh my, that's wonderful."
"I might have to leave Sedol in your care again when that day comes."
Yes, it had undoubtedly been a happy day.
If Sedol could return to just one day in the past, it would surely be this one.
"Daddy, let's eat together."
"Of course, Sedol."
That night, Sedol was overjoyed to receive a new toy from Gomuji.
By the time the sun had set, Sedol lay side by side in bed with his mother and father, the three of them breathing softly in their sleep.