"You still haven't made up with him?"
"No..."
"I take that back. There is nothing to make up about. It's just that Goto is an idiot."
Maenis said.
She had finally changed into a yukata that fit her. It felt uncomfortable since all of her body was covered but there was nothing she could do about it.
"What type of father would treat his son like that?"
"I want to... I want to impress him."
Ayato said.
The two of them were walking down the streets of Kyoto. Everyone out had the same lanterns that they were holding.
At 10 pm, everyone would set their lanterns afloat, all over Japan. There was 10 minutes until they would do so.
"Still, you're a 3-year-old kid. You have tons of brothers and sisters too. He's probably pressuring you because you're the heir. I still don't understand."
"Mae-chan, how are you so strong?"
The boy asked, looking at the lantern in his hand. The woman looked up at the starless sky.
"Me? It wasn't easy. I hate the fact that I'm strong."
"Huh? But isn't being strong the best? Isn't that why Father expects so much of me?"
"You think a lot for a 3-year-old."
Maenis sighed with a smile.
"Being strong maybe does feel good. However, the path to becoming strong is excruciating. I can guarantee that."
"Guarantee?"
Ayato asked.
"Ah, I mean that I'm sure. That's why, I'm going to focus on making you and Kiara strong. With me training you, you won't have to go through hell."
The boy grinned at the woman.
"You're so nice, Mae-chan. I love you!"
He announced.
The pure admiration of a child couldn't help but make Maenis blush. She then sighed, reminding herself of the fact that she had no partner and was a virgin.
"You know what, Ayato, say that to me in 15 years and I'll be flattered."
She said.
Ayato tilted his head in confusion.
"Oh, is that you, Maenis?"
"Mumei, I didn't think I'd see you here. I thought you lived away from the main house."
A blonde-haired woman walked to Maenis and Ayato with a child in hand. The boy looked just as old as Ayato.
"We came here for the festival. I thought it'd be nice if my son and I came here to light the lanterns. Kyoto does have a lot of lights too."
The woman looked around.
"Ah, is that so?"
"Who's this boy? Your son?"
"Ah, no, he's my disciple."
Mumei looked at Ayato with a smile. The boy stiffly bowed. He was nervous because the woman in front of him looked like a foreigner. Mumei was Japanese-born. There was no way for Ayato to tell that.
"Well, I'll be off. I want to get a nice place for my son and I to view the Starrise. See you another time, Maenis."
"You too, Mumei."
She saw the woman off.
"Master, who was that?"
"She's a friend of mine. Some things happened and we met each other."
Ayato pouted looking at his smiling master. That didn't tell him anything but he left it alone. Why? Because the festival was starting.
All of Kyoto's lights turned off.
Ayato held onto Maenis, scared of the darkness.
"Ah crap, we didn't get to meet up with Saya and Goto."
"Mae-chan... I'm scared."
She picked him up, holding him in one arm.
"Don't worry. Just press the button on your lantern and raise it into the air."
"Uhn."
The little boy nodded. He felt around his lantern for an irregular shape. Once he found it, he pressed it. The lantern lit up yellow.
Maenis imbued her lantern with mana. It turned white.
"Okay, now raise it to the sky and let go."
She said.
They did it at the same time. The lanterns floated from their hands into the sky. The lanterns illuminated the surroundings.
The myriad of lit lanterns were a mix of white and yellow. It looked beautiful.
"Mae-chan, is this what you said earlier?"
Ayato asked, looking at the lanterns intently.
"Yes, this is it. The Sun Lantern Festival or the other name that it's called Starrise."
It was a fantastical sight. It was almost as if Earth was the night and the lanterns were the stars. They sparkled profoundly.
It was a shame that such a festival wasn't done for the past few years. It was something everyone would look forward to, magicians and non-magicians alike.
Ayato glanced at everyone's smiles. He loved it. Seeing everyone smile made the boy smile even more. Ayato wasn't the violent type. He was peaceful. He just wanted everybody to live safely.
"Mae-chan."
"Hm?"
"One day, I'm going to protect you."
The woman widened her eyes in surprise. She smiled and rubbed Ayato's head.
"You can try, but you'll never be stronger than me."
"I will! You'll be so happy when I protect you too!"
Ayato huffed, turning away with his arms crossed.
Maenis sighed.
"Let's see if we can find a better view."
"Yeah! We need to find Kii-chan too!"
"We will, this lasts until midnight, after all."
·———·
(2 months later)
"Mother...?"
Ayato called out. The way he called out sounded as if he was running out of breath. Of course, he would sound like that.
The 3-year-old boy has no idea of how to digest the sight before his eyes. Maenis was touching Saya's face. She was putting bandages around her.
"Ayato..."
"What happened? How did you hurt your head?"
"I fell down the stairs. It's fine, nothing to worry about."
Saya Kyouya wasn't a powerful magician. At least, not a very powerful one. She was still a magician. A competent magician wouldn't gain a serious head injury from falling.
Ayato believed it after seeing his mother's smiling face. He didn't have much knowledge, so he assumed it was natural.
"P-please be careful next time."
"I will, now, go along and play with Kiara."
"Yeah!"
Ayato left the room. Maenis and Saya stopped smiling. She tended to her wounds.
"Maenis, thank you."
"Don't worry about it but still, why did you get injured? Don't give me the excuse that you fell down the stairs with me."
Saya scoffed. She flinched from pain as Maenis tightened her bandage.
"Ow! Fine! I'll tell you. It was Yuna."
The dark-skinned woman stopped. She stared into Saya's eyes while furrowing her brows.
"A concubine?"
"It was her and a few others. I'm not exactly a powerful magician in strength, so they can beat me. They hit me over and over and left laughing."
Maenis scowled.
"Tch, they're jealous, aren't they?"
"Yeah, I think they want my position as the main wife. But, they won't get it, as long as I live."
The woman grinned while brandishing her arm, flexing her nonexistent muscles. Maenis gave her a sombre look.
"Saya..."
Behind the sliding door was Ayato, who was listening in on the conversation.
"They hit Mother...? They bullied her because she's Father's wife...?"
He walked away, dazed by the current state of affairs.
"I have to tell him. I have to tell Father."
Ayato said to himself.
He wanted to help his mother. However, he didn't know that not everything would go according to plan. Such was the ignorance of a child.