After eating the aperitif and appetizers, the meal continued, and the atmosphere became more relaxed. As a glass of sherry entered my mouth, I felt so much better that I even forgot this was a future space Danny had created. Just then, Isaac whispered in my ear.
"Tomorrow is my child's birthday. Have you prepared a gift?"
This is shocking news. I think I got a little drunk, but I must have misheard this. So, we... we...
"...My child?"
It was a shockingly unbelievable phrase to even say aloud. "Our child."
Do you have a child, too?!
Well, yes. Of course, if it's our fifth wedding anniversary, it makes sense that we would have a child. Especially with Isaac... Anyway, it's a situation where it's more likely that there is a child than not. So, that's right.
However, thinking in your head that you might have a child and having a real child are two different matters. I gulped. Isaac seems to be looking at me a little strangely right now, so I should pretend to be as casual as possible.
"Oh... yes, I probably prepared a gift."
My future self, five years from now, will have prepared it. But do we really have children? I wonder how old they are and what they look like! I muttered cautiously, as if I were opening Pandora's box.
"Isaac, hey, when dinner is over..." I clenched my fists and held them out toward Isaac. "Can I go see our baby?"
Isaac nodded, covering my clenched hand with his own.
"Of course."
His smile was still the same, even after five years. And just then, a dizziness appeared in my head. I pointed to my temple with the hand that wasn't intertwined with Isaac's. It was because I felt my head tingling. And just like when I entered the world five years later, a message flashed in front of me.
[One day has passed.]
Now? This has crossed the line. I forgot that Isaac was next to me and muttered to myself without realizing it.
"Why now? You didn't stop me in the potato field. At this critical juncture."
"...Mel?"
Isaac asked me curiously. But I couldn't answer him. Danny's crooked writing was passing in front of me like an electronic board.
[I'm jealous because it looks so funny]
Baby dragon Danny, this bastard! I have to protest somehow. I pursed my mouth to say something. But Danny hit the player.
[Now it's time to go to Shiganiya]
Does it mean it's time to wake up? Oh no! I was going to see my baby! I tried to scream vigorously, but I felt like my mouth was choked. Then, after my vision flashed faintly... I heard Dominic's familiar voice in my ears.
"Mel! I'm dead!"
Oops, crazy. Am I back? I was going to see my baby? Is this me?
"I haven't given it yet."
Danny's voice was also heard. I let out a long sigh and twitched my eyelashes. Then Dominic said.
"He's not breathing... no, is he breathing?"
"..."
"Anyway, Danny! Weave the coffin right away! Nail it! I want a paulownia coffin for the coffin!"
This crazy Dominic, this bastard! Just as I wished I would die! I want to die right now! I opened my eyes and muttered with my aching temples.
"Hey, Dominic!"
"Huh?"
"I'm alive?"
...Why is there no answer when you say you're alive, you bastard?
"Heh. Boo, resurrection."
"..."
I think I heard a strange word.
"...Also... Is Meldenik a god?"
What does this mean... I was about to give Dominic a shout, but Danny came up to me and whispered.
"Oh, hmm, how do you look at the future you've been seeing?"
"Hmm..."
How should I say this? To be honest, when I was in the potato field, I thought I would get sunstroke from the scorching sun. So when I came back, I always tried to feed Danny honey chestnuts, but when I think about it...
"It was good."
I feel like I've been spoiled a little bit about the future, but it's okay because I've seen a future where my children will be happy.
Should our babies in the future be happy? I'll go see you again next time.
Now I have entered the boundary between children and teenagers, which is impossible to call a child. Still, I wanted these little ones to enjoy their childhood a little more.
I was immersed in sentimental thoughts for a long time, but when Danny saw the stone in my hand, I cried as much as I could.
"Hmm, my stones are scattered!"
"Crying about what you did well."
"Chee..."
Danny stuck out his mouth and walked away with his stiff feet. Thus, Danny's ingenious invention ended with a happy future day for me, like a midsummer night's dream.
...Yes, I thought it would end with such a touching episode.
Today, I worked hard to handle the marquis's work and went to the stationery store, which was closed. But the door was closed, and I heard a sound. I opened the door and asked actively. Maybe it's a stray child.
"Who are you?"
Contrary to my guess, I saw an old woman wearing a black robe inside out in front of the door.
"I'm sorry, but can I have a cup of tea?"
"This is not a tea house..."
"I brought the tea."
The faces I glanced at were half intertwined. But you shouldn't judge people only by their appearance. The elderly should be respected.
I don't seem to be a strangely bad person.
I looked at her intently, puzzled. She wore a black robe on her head, but the impression she could see at first glance was sad. The same goes for the beer bar, Lesa, and everyone here tended to go in and out of each other's shops casually. This old woman is probably a similar person. I smiled at her and opened the stationery store door wide.
"Then would you like to have a drink?"
"Yes, I picked a few fresh flowers and brought dried flower tea."
The old woman, who sat down at the stationery store table as if she was familiar with it, took out a glass bottle from her arms.
"It must have been hard for you to dry it, but how do you eat this precious thing?"
As I picked up the petals that the old woman gave me, I smiled proudly. This is also the little fun of life, then. While we were making tea, we sat facing each other with tea cups in front of us. None of us spoke during that time. It was only after the tea was finished and the tea was poured into the cup that the old woman, who was staring at me as if she were looking at my contemplation, said quietly.
"Miss."
"Yes?"
"I have a small question for my young lady."
Unlike when he came in earlier, he was frighteningly expressionless, and his voice was lowered like a cave. If I hadn't seen his face and only heard his voice, I could have mistaken him for a man. Slightly embarrassed, I raised only one eyebrow slightly and asked.
"Yes? What are you curious about?"
"Why from the young lady... Do you smell the smell of people who have come to see the future?"
I was calm as I held a teacup and blew on the warm steam, but my words hardened at her words. He is a person who has come to see the future. Normally, I would have thought it was just the empty words of an old woman walking on the street, but not anymore. I've really been looking into the future a few years from now thanks to Danny. You can't say, 'No matter what happened, I came to see the future.' At times like this, I learned that the answer is to take off the shichimi. I hurriedly put down my teacup and asked in confusion.
"Yes? I can't be."
I tried my best to calm down and changed my complexion. Then the old woman said in a loud voice.
"It's not something you can tell others so easily. Oh, and. Can you tell me something interesting?"
...My ears are fluttering. I was curious about what the mysterious-looking old woman was talking about. I stared into the old woman's dark eyes, which seemed to be sucked in, and nodded suddenly. I think if I sold the jade board, I would buy about a hundred.
"There is one more person here besides us."
"...Yes?"
What gives you goosebumps is that it suddenly has an atmosphere. I gulped my saliva.
"Exorcism, exorcism? Or exorcising ghosts? Shall I use a talisman?"
Are there shamans in this world?
"That's not it."
"Yes? Is that so?"
I'm going to use a talisman. I'm trying to tell you to do good. Is this a scam? Unlike me, who was confused, the old woman spoke simply and clearly.
"I think I have a baby."
So, I have a child...? I'm so fine right now and I'm fine. It means that there are no symptoms of pregnancy.
"...Haha, that's not how it is."
I dismissed all of this as my grandmother's gossip and laughed it off moderately. However, the old woman did not smile but just stood up and left the stationery store as if she had finished what she had to say. Contrary to what I said when I came in, I didn't drink a single cup of tea. I also forgot the old woman's words after that. I thought it was just a midsummer night's dream. In this way, Danny's future events and even the visit to the old woman all ended up being a pleasant happening.