Chapter 3: Halkara's Suspected Graduation

"Excuse me, Madam Teacher. Could I trade my meal duty on the day after tomorrow for your shift today?"

Halkara asked me on the morning of the fifth day after the festival had ended and peace had returned.

"That's fine, but is something happening in two days?"

"I'm going to Nascúte."

Nascúte was the town next to the village of Flatta, about an hour's walk away. I went there occasionally, but only occasionally.

It was too far to go for shopping, and it wasn't an incredibly large town, so there weren't many goods unique to the place.

It wasn't very interesting; my only impression of it was that it was like a slightly bigger Flatta.

That said, since it really wasn't far, it would have been weirder if it was unique.

"Why are you going to a place like that?"

"A preliminary inspection. All right, I'm off to water the flowers."

And with that, Halkara was out of her chair and out the door.

That made it hard to ask what the inspection was preliminary to…

The next day, during a lunch break, Halkara was flipping through some papers in the dining room.

"Let's see…," I heard her say. "I'd want to have about this much space. Actually, I think I might prefer something a bit larger. Still, I guess I'll just have to negotiate directly with the realtor."

Hmm? A realtor? Was she purchasing land or a building?

Could it be…?

Was Halkara planning to buy a house and live on her own?!

As a matter of fact, I'd suspected something like this might happen. All this time, I'd messed with Halkara and treated her as a comic relief character. Halkara herself was the one who'd created the root cause, but even so, she probably hadn't enjoyed my joking around.

I could declare with utmost confidence that when it came to her skills as an apothecary, I wasn't treating her as anything less than full-fledged. However…she was lax about her personal life and other things, and as a result, I might seem to be finding fault with her quite a lot…

What should I do? Should I ask her not to leave?

She hadn't said a word to me about going, though. Under the circumstances, would it be odd to try to persuade her to stay?

Besides, she was an adult, free to choose what to do with her own future. This wasn't like telling your college-age child to commute to school from home.

While I was worrying to myself about that, Halkara went off somewhere.

"Calm down, calm down… You don't know for sure that that's what's going on yet."

Thinking I might have made some sort of mistake, I looked at the papers Halkara had left.

Every last one of them was real estate information from Nascúte.

Not only that, but there were red check marks on them.

"Argh! This looks serious!"

Just then, Laika came up. She seemed a little flustered.

She was also sending furtive glances this way and that, keeping an eye on her surroundings.

"Um, Lady Azusa, could I have a moment?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I'm not certain yet, but do you think Halkara intends to leave this house?"

"You thought so, too, Laika?!"

I didn't think we should have this conversation right there, so we took it to my room.

"The other day, she was in the room where she makes medicines and said, 'At the next place, I'll be able to take up more space.' I wondered if that 'next place' might not mean a new home."

"You're right… She really is planning to leave…"

She was already a working apothecary; I hadn't had much I could teach her. Had I done anything teacher-like? I really doubted it.

"I did some research on Nascúte. Its altitude is lower than ours, which means that the forests near the town are deep, and it's likely she'll be able to gather a variety of medicinal herbs there. I wonder if that isn't why she plans to move…"

For a little while, Laika and I were silent.

"Should we ask her not to go?"

I didn't know what to do, so I asked Laika.

"I think it would be fine either way. I believe that's a decision you must make on your own, Lady Azusa. However—ultimately, the right to decide lies with Halkara. I do think we've lived like family, but after all, we aren't a real one."

She was right. Not only that, but Halkara hadn't spoken about it with either of us directly.

In other words, she wasn't even torn. To a certain extent, she'd made up her mind.

"Yes, Laika, thank you. I've found my answer."

I gave a rather wistful smile.

"And what is your answer?"

"Stay here for a minute. I'm going to call my daughters."

I came back with Falfa and Shalsha, who had been reading difficult booksin their room.

"First of all, you mustn't tell Halkara what I'm going to tell you, no matter what. Is that clear?"

"Uh-huh!" "Yes."

My daughters agreed.

I told them that Halkara was probably planning to leave this house.

"What?! Big Sister Halkara is going away?!"

Falfa looked like she might cry.

"Falfa, shh. Unfortunately, it's very likely."

"I did think that might be the case," Shalsha interjected. "I heard Halkara say, 'It is about time I made a fresh start.'"

Ah, as I thought. Well then, we'll just devote ourselves to doing what we can.

"Listen, this is a decision Halkara's making for the sake of her own happiness, so I don't think we should get in the way. That said, even if she does leave this place, we can make some good memories, can't we?"

Falfa nodded vigorously.

"So tomorrow night, let's throw a big surprise going-away party for her!"

"I'm just wondering, but why tomorrow night?".

An excellent question, Laika.

"Because the day after that, Halkara is going to a realtor in town. If our scheme manages to touch her heart, she may decide to stay here after all."

In other words, it was both a going-away party and our last chance to keep Halkara here.

"We'll hold a farewell party, but I don't want to say good-bye. That's what I really think."

***

Practically speaking, we had a little more than a day. We needed to get ready at top speed.

"Laika, you take care of the party food, please."

"Yes, I will. By the way, what sort of dishes do you suppose Halkara likes?"

"She likes liquor more than food… I think she does like vegetables. Maybe it's because she's an elf."

"You're right. I'll make things as vegetable rich as possible."

"And I'll fly over and buy some luxury liquor."

If we didn't use money now, when would we use it? I'd fly to Vitamei, the capital city of Nanterre province, and buy Halkara liquor so expensive it'd make her uncomfortable.

"Mommy, what should Falfa and Shalsha do?"

Let's see… For my daughters… Right. I'll have them make full use of their privilege as children.

"You two write a message card."

"What's that?"

"Write a letter, then read it in front of Halkara. 'We've had a lot of fun living with you, Halkara, and the memories, etcetera, etcetera.'"

That should be pretty effective. She might start to consider staying after all.

"Um, and also? Shalsha is pretty good at drawing portraits."

The big sister had just delivered some shocking news.

"What, really? I had no idea…"

"She's embarrassed to show her pictures to people, so she keeps them hidden. She hasn't drawn lately, either, so you probably wouldn't know, Mommy."

Shalsha seemed uncomfortable that Falfa was talking about her. Her eyebrows had turned down to form an inverted V.

"I—I'll show them to people once I've gotten good. Until then, I'm sealing them away."

I wanted to see them very, very badly. My daughter drew those pictures. Of course I wanted to see them.

"Hey, Shalsha? If you don't mind, would you let me look at them? I'd really love to see your pictures. I don't know anything about this side of you, and I want to."

"All right. But don't say that they're good even if they aren't. Inaccurate perceptions cloud eyes that would otherwise see the truth."

"All right. I promise. I won't mislead you, Shalsha."

Shalsha nodded, then said, "I'll get them," and ran out of the room.

"They're like this…"

When she returned, she timorously held out something that looked like a sketchbook.

They weren't colored, but they were insanely good.

Several of them were photo-realistic portraits, probably of people Shalsha had met in town. Some of them seemed to be of Shalsha herself.

"So this isn't like when a mother goes, 'Oh, wow, you're so talented,' just to praise a child. You really are good at this. And that's not all, either; you can sense something like the subject's spirit in these. The idea that this person is probably nice is clearly expressed."

Laika had leaned in to look at the pictures, and she sounded astonished as she offered her opinion. "You could apprentice yourself to a painter with these. You really should develop this talent."

"They're not good enough to show people yet, so this is embarrassing…"

If these weren't good enough to show, I'd like her to tell me what dimension they'd have to be in before she could do that.

I placed my hands on Shalsha's shoulders.

"Shalsha, I'm putting you in charge of drawing Halkara's portrait. It can be a little rough—just draw it. Even if she does leave, I think she'll probably treasure it her whole life."

"All right, Mom. I'll do as you ask." Shalsha nodded. "Promise you won't come to look at it until it's done, though. It's more embarrassing to have people see works in progress."

"I won't look. I promise. I won't pull a Grateful Crane."

"Grateful Crane?"

"It's a children's story. A crane who'd been saved from a trap turned herself into a human and came to repay the favor. She worked on a loom, but she'd told people not to look, and they did anyway. Then they saw that she'd turned into a crane to do the work, and she left."

"Oh, that's similar to the Kalshurah folktale from the south."

That was a humanities-type remark, and I didn't really understand it. She probably meant there was another story like mine out there, though.

In general, we'd settled on the preparations we were going to make, and I went to buy the drinks before the day was out.

I bought one bottle of wine for three hundred thousand gold and one bottle of distilled liquor for five hundred thousand.

I wasn't even going to think about how many slimes that was. I had that much in savings. As a matter of fact, I could have bought ten bottles if I felt so inclined.

Then dawn broke, and the day of the party came.

We still had a problem, though: If Halkara was in the house the whole time, we wouldn't be able to get ready.

"Halkara, I want to go mushroom hunting after lunch. Would you come help me?"

"Oh yes, Madam Teacher!"

Perfect. Operation Get Halkara Out of the House was a success.

We ate lunch, then left for the forest. I'd been to these woods many times before Halkara came here, but I'd learned the names of several of the mushrooms there from her.

"We're a little late today. We usually do this in the morning."

"I have my reasons."

The thought that this might be the last time we worked together made me feel a little disconnected.

"Madam Teacher, you look lonely. Did something happen?"

"I suppose you could say I was thinking about good-byes."

"Oh, is it the anniversary of your beloved's death or something similar?"

Halkara had gotten the wrong idea. Still, she wasn't too far off.

"Even if death isn't what's separating you, sometimes you find out you'll have to say farewell quite suddenly, you know?"

"Yes, you're right. The one saying good-bye worries about when to bring it up, too."

Oh! That sure is telling…

"I've lived a rather extraordinary life, but I always want to keep my good-byes clean. I suppose you'd say I want them to be meaningful for both parties. Where you can take the next step forward, without dragging regrets behind you."

"…Yes, you're right."

"Um, Madam Teacher, are you crying?"

"N-no, I'm not."

The evening was growing later. They were probably ready by now.

"Halkara, shall we go home?"

"Yes, Madam Teacher!"

She might call me that only a few more times.

When we reached the house, I said, "Wait outside for a moment," then went in to tell everyone we were back.

Then I returned to the entryway.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. All right, come on in."

"Of course… What happened?"

Mystified, Halkara entered the house and opened the door to the dining room.

""Halkara, thank you so much for everything!""

Everyone smiled and spoke in unison.

The ones with free hands were clapping.

"Um, what is this? You've put up a sign that says, 'Halkara, please continue to do your best'…"

Halkara didn't know where to look in her confusion. Our surprise was a success.

Great, let's take the operation to the second stage.

Falfa came to stand in front of Halkara.

"I'm going to read you a letter."

"Huh? A letter?!"

"Dear Big Sister Halkara. You made Falfa lots of yummy juices. You also told me lots of stories about interesting plants, and now looking at mushrooms is so much fun for me. You're a little scatterbrained sometimes, but you absolutely never got mad at anybody, and you were always nice. Knowing that you're moving away makes Falfa very sad. If possible, I'd like you to stay here and tell me all sorts of other stories, but I also want you to do more things in a new place… It's probably going to be hard sometimes, but… Please don't give up, and keep smili— Ngh, waaah… I don't want you to gooooo…"

Overcome with emotion, Falfa began to cry.

It felt odd to tell my crying daughter "Nice one!" but I was sure Halkara's heart wasn't immune to that.

"This is for you!"

"Oh… Th-thank you…"

Halkara took the letter.

"Um, what in the world is…?"

Then it was Shalsha's turn.

"I drew this with you in mind, Halkara."

It was a picture of Halkara sitting in her compounding room. As always, it was phenomenal. You could even tell what Halkara did for a living.

"Um, I… Thank you very much."

Halkara was bewildered, but she accepted the picture as well.

"All right, enough gloomy talk. Today, let's drink and be merry!"

I set the liquor on the table.

"It's a three-hundred-thousand-gold wine, Tears of the Goddess, and a five-hundred-thousand-gold distilled liquor called Opulence! I splurged like you wouldn't believe, so be sure to savor them properly before you get drunk!"

"Whaaaaaaaat?! Madam Teacher, is this some kind of mistake…?"

"It's not a mistake! You're planning to move to Nascúte, aren't you?! Today we're celebrating the start of your new journey!"

For some reason, Halkara had rapidly gone pale.

"What is it? You think you're going to cry, too? It's all right—go ahead. After all, there's no one but family here, and we'll be family even if we're apart!"

"You've clearly got it all wrong! I don't intend to move!"

Halkara's scream echoed through the room.

We all stared blankly at her.

"Huh? But you're going to the realtor in Nascúte tomorrow, aren't you?"

"I'm going, but I don't plan to move."

"Then why? Do you mean you'll only move out if you find a good house?"

Was it like waiting to turn in your resignation until after you'd been given an informal offer from a potential new employer?

"No, listen to me, I don't even want to leave! I'm going to the realtor to set up a medicine and beverage factory in Nascúte!"

Come to think of it, she'd mentioned ages ago that she was thinking about a factory…

"Huh? …Wait, so this was all a misunderstanding on our part?"

"I suppose that's what it would be. At the very least, I'm planning to continue living at this house."

In other words, this was no longer a going-away party.

"Oh. I guess I shouldn't have worried, then."

My shoulders slumped. All my energy was gone.

"I blew eight hundred thousand gold, just on the beverages."

"I'm sorry, Lady Azusa. I should have gathered more evidence…"

"Excuse me, but isn't everyone sort of acting like I'm in the wrong?! That can't be right, can it?!"

However, the children were as purehearted as one might expect at a time like this.

"So you aren't leaving! Falfa's happy!"

Falfa clung to Halkara.

"Oh, thank you! It feels like somebody's finally happy about this!"

She was right. This was definitely cause for celebration, so all we had to do was turn this into another sort of party.

"In that case, starting now, we'll begin the Congratulations on Not Going Away, Halkara party! Everyone get some alcohol or juice for the toast!"

That day, we dined in extravagance.

"Aaaah, this wine is truly mellow and full-bodied. I just can't get enough."

"Of course it is. Weep as you drink it. I've almost never drunk anything with a price tag like this."

About the only times would have been when I was invited to village functions and they'd opened expensive bottles for me.

"The food is incredibly good, too. Did you focus on things I would like?"

"I kept your preferences in mind as I cooked. Personally, I would have gone for a few more meat dishes, but in any case, it won't do to have leftovers, so please eat up."

Laika brought out dish after dish.

None of the individual plates seemed all that big, but she'd apparently decided to compete with quantity.

According to Halkara, Nascúte was near enough that she could get there and back on foot, and as the company president, once things were on track, she wouldn't have to go in every day.

"By the way, doesn't it take vast sums of money to set up a factory?"

"I'm investing my earnings. However, it's designed so that I won't be in debt even if it fails, so that part's safe. Since I'm doing this in completely new territory, there are many potential liabilities, so…"

When it came to administration, Halkara seemed reliable, so I supposed she would be all right. Besides, she had a track record of success.

"The town of Nascúte is in the foothills of the mountains. That means the groundwater flows right to it, so it's rich in spring water. If I use that water, I'll be able to sell large quantities of Nutri-Spirits and other health drinks!"

So she really had thought that part through.

"Besides, there would be a limit to labor in Flatta, but in Nascúte, I should be able to hire a staff of ten or so. If I put the citizens of Nascúte to work, I'll be creating jobs, too, so I don't think it's a bad deal for anybody."

"I see. Work as if you're planning to turn it into the town's specialty."

"I will! I'll work like mad!"

Three minutes later, Halkara had drunk herself under the table and was unable to make productive conversation, but…

"I expect it will go well," Laika said with a smile, as if she was watching over her.

"You're right. Once the factory opens, maybe we should throw another party."

We'd managed to congratulate a family member on the start of her new venture at any rate, so let's call that a happy ending.