It happened about two weeks after my birthday.
During that time, I had almost finished cleaning my living space, including my bedroom, dining room, lounge, terrace, gazebo, and the hallway leading to them.
That day, I was cleaning the entrance hall and humming Country Road as I returned to my bedroom.
After cleaning, I always take a nap since I still have little energy left.
As usual, I wiped myself down and changed into my pajamas before getting into bed.
While I don't notice it when I'm active, as soon as I lie down, the accumulated fatigue quickly overwhelms me.
But on this day, I didn't wake up feeling refreshed as usual.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the horrific scene and let out an incoherent scream.
Black. I couldn't see anything except blackness.
An unknown amount of Moyamoya-san had adhered to everything within a meter of me.
I cried my heart out.
I didn't have the luxury of worrying about being ashamed or embarrassed as a former thirty-something.
I've never cried so hard, not even when I woke up with a soaked diaper.
Fran, who was apparently dozing off while watching me, was shocked and started crying with me.
When I woke up, I was submerged in a slimy mess, so of course, I cried. It was the biggest cry of my life.
Naturally, it caused quite a commotion.
The head maid pulled me out of the Moyamoya-san, my mother flew in to embrace me, and my father, who was working, was there but couldn't do anything but stand around anxiously.
One of the maids lifted up a stuffed animal and spoke to me while others gave me my broom to hold.
Finally, I calmed down a little.
"What happened? Did something scare you?" my mother asked gently, her eyes teary and shaking slightly.
But I still didn't have any composure. I was covered in something I couldn't understand, which was disgusting and frankly still frightening.
"Bl-Black... it's everywhere! So much Moyamoya!" I whimpered while pointing to my bed.
It was different from the usual Moyamoya-san that disappeared when swept away.
It was a thick black puddle that had spread out and stuck to my entire body. I couldn't feel safe unless someone told me it wasn't harmful.
Everyone in the room looked at the bed I was pointing to, but then their confused looks returned to me.
Oh, right. I've always wondered why nobody cared about the black stains that remained even though everything was cleaned and washed.
Now I understood. They couldn't see it.
It wasn't that they didn't care, they just didn't know.
I had thought about it many times but had always dismissed the possibility as absurd. But now I couldn't deny that possibility anymore.
The maids believed me, crying as they searched for the "cause" of my tears by flipping over pillows and lifting up the blankets.
Francesca searched the bed with her face pressed against it, almost as if it was her duty as my older sister.
Her work clothes were black and that was what stood out against the abnormality of the black Moyamoya.
But no one was looking at it, not even the blackness that had stuck to Fran.
What was that thing that only I could see?
Could it harm others?
Why could only I see it?
No one had any answers.
But I couldn't ignore it and continue with my life.
So I realized that this was a problem that I alone must investigate, face, and solve.
I had to decide whether to consult with those around me, and it was my responsibility to make that choice. However, at this point, I couldn't even explain what was happening with the mysterious black fog that only I could see. Therefore, I had to increase my knowledge about it on my own.
On the other hand, I also needed to learn how to keep a safe distance from it. Until now, I had relied on my parents and the maids to tell me when it was safe to approach or not, but I had never considered that there might be a difference in visibility.
My mind was forcibly cooled, and my feelings of disgust and fear disappeared. As I watched the maids work while feeling guilty about not being able to explain the situation to them, I suddenly made a new discovery about the mysterious fog.
Fran's two braids, which reached down to her waist, were shaking vigorously and sweeping away the black fog. Even though only I could see it, someone other than me might be able to deal with it!
I thought it was a crucial discovery. I pointed my finger at Fran and shouted, "Fran-nee-chan, braids and broom!"
Fran's eyes widened, and tears filled them immediately.
I wanted to say that Fran-nee-chan's braids were as amazing as my broom, but it probably sounded like an insult. I'm sorry, I got it wrong. Even if I hadn't misspoken, the result would have been the same since I couldn't explain the situation.
I didn't mean to make her cry! I wondered when my brain and mouth had become directly connected like this.