The Disgrace Of An Exorcist Family (5)

She had used a great deal of power earlier, but after resting for a while, she had recovered just enough strength to spare.

(──Please, let me save this flower.)

She had no idea whether her power could heal plants from the Otherworld. Even so, she wanted to do something for it.

It was her first time healing a plant. Careful not to overwhelm something already so weak with too much stimulation, she slowly poured her power into it.

The soil in the pot began to glow faintly. The light gradually crept upward and wrapped around the slender trunk. The branches that had looked ready to snap grew sturdier and thicker along with the trunk. Even the veins of the leaves, which had seemed ready to fall at any moment, began to shine as they brushed against one another. The drooping bud regained its freshness and slowly began to lift its head. And then—

“Ah…”

The bud that had seemed ready to fall away began to change.

It swelled softly, and the tightly closed petals slowly spread open.

“Beautiful…”

It was a red flower. Layer upon layer of plump petals overlapped, giving off a radiance more like a gemstone than a blossom.

At the sight of something so mysterious that it hardly seemed to belong to this world, Mei let out a breath of wonder.

“I can’t believe it bloomed. I thought it was already beyond saving.”

“I’m glad.”

Mei smiled.

For that moment alone, her heart was filled not with fear of being discovered and punished, but with happiness that she had managed to save both the boy and the flower precious to him.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded in the distance.

Perhaps someone was searching for the boy.

“You need to run.”

“But what about you?”

“I’ll be fine. Take good care of your flower.”

Mei hurriedly stood and was about to run back toward the estate.

The boy caught her arm again and stopped her.

“Take this.”

He held out a single flower petal. It must have come from the blossom that had just opened. It was still fresh and glowed red just like the flower itself.

“I want you to have it.”

“But it’s precious. Why would you give it to me?”

It was a keepsake from his mother that had only just managed to bloom.

“Because I want you to keep it.”

“But…”

As Mei hesitated over whether she should accept it, the boy closed her fingers around the petal.

“This flower would have died without you. Please take this as proof that it bloomed.”

The petal in her hand was astonishingly light, yet it carried a faint warmth.

As Mei stood frozen in surprise, the boy gave her a gentle smile.

“Thank you.”

“Huh?”

No one had ever said those words to her before.

She had always been expected to work as though it were only natural. No matter how hard she tried, people only pointed out what she had failed to do and scolded her for it.

“Ah…”

Heat gathered behind her eyes, and her vision blurred with tears. She knew she should say something in return, but her lips trembled too much for her to speak properly.

“Then I’ll go.”

The boy tucked the flowerpot back inside his clothes and slipped through the hole in the wall Mei had shown him earlier.

He moved so quickly that Mei almost wondered whether he had truly been there at all. Perhaps, out of loneliness, she had only dreamed something convenient for herself.

(──I wonder if that boy is doing well.)

For some reason, the petal he had given her had vanished by the next day, even though she was certain she had kept it clenched tightly in her hand.

Perhaps plants from the Otherworld could not maintain their form for long in this world.

But the words the boy had given her, and the image of that beautiful flower, still remained in Mei’s heart even now.

Aberrations were not creatures that existed only to be feared.

Mei had a reason to believe that.

“I should get back soon, or I’ll be scolded again.”

Murmuring the words to no one in particular, Mei turned on her heel and left the back garden.

When she returned to the kitchen, everyone was already gone. She cleared away the dishes that had been left on the table and washed them at the sink. She wiped down the table, swept the floor, and once everything was put away, it was time to do the laundry.

Lunch would soon be upon her if she did not hurry, so Mei worked with an empty mind.

As though keeping her hands moving meant she would not have to think about anything at all.

Even though it was already late enough that all she should have had left to do was sleep, Mei had been summoned to the tatami room. Seated together in the place of honor were her parents and Io. Judging by the people present, it should have been an intimate family gathering, but there was not the slightest trace of warmth in the room.

Her father, Shiro, glared at Mei as though she were something vile, while Sayuri kept speaking to Io beside her, though Io paid her no attention.

──What could this possibly be about?

Whenever her family summoned her, it was usually either to reprimand her or force some impossible demand upon her. She had not a single good memory of such occasions, and desperately wanted to leave as soon as possible.

“Io will undergo the Exorcist Selection Ceremony.”

Shiro was the first to speak.

“This coming weekend, he will enter the Selection Grove. If he successfully hunts an Aberration there, Io will formally be recognized as an exorcist.”

The “Selection Grove” Shiro mentioned was a privately owned tract of land spreading out behind the estate.

Its connection to the Otherworld was particularly strong, and Aberrations occasionally wandered into it, so West Suo had been entrusted with managing the area. The estate itself had been built here partly to prevent those Aberrations from escaping into the outside world.

The exorcists regularly entered the grove and maintained barriers throughout it so the Aberrations would not affect ordinary people. Mei had heard that most of the Aberrations imprisoned in the dojo had been captured there.

“…Yes.”

“Unlike you, Io will become an excellent exorcist. From now on, he is the one who will support West Suo.”

“Exactly. Do your best, Io.”

Mei let her mind drift vaguely, wondering where this conversation was supposed to lead.

Over the past eighteen years, she had been reminded countless times that Io was the only child who truly mattered to them. Why did they need to go out of their way to remind Mei yet again?

“Ordinarily, I would accompany him myself, but the rules forbid a parent from serving as an examiner. Another exorcist will therefore accompany him.”

Mei’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. Knowing Shiro, she had assumed he would simply force the issue and insist on accompanying Io.

Sayuri was clearly displeased with the decision. She furrowed her brow and glared resentfully at Shiro.

“You’re far too rigid. What if something happens to Io?”

“There is no need to worry. I will assign an excellent exorcist to accompany him. More importantly, there is no chance Io would be bested by the likes of the Aberrations found in those mountains.”

“Well… I suppose that’s true, but…”

Still unconvinced, Sayuri continued to look dissatisfied.

Io himself, despite being the person concerned, appeared uninterested in his parents’ discussion and remained silent.

“And that brings me to the point. Mei, you will accompany the ceremony as well.”

“What?!”

Her voice came out louder than she intended.

“Me?”

She was beyond surprised. Mei had never received any exorcist training whatsoever. She had not even been allowed to participate in the basic practice that she ordinarily should have undergone, so she knew virtually nothing about exorcism. Even if she went along, she would be of no use at all.

“That’s right. In addition to the supervising exorcist, the ceremony requires one more attendant. Normally we would call someone from the main household, but apparently they are busy, and they replied that a family member would suffice. You may be powerless, but you are still a daughter of West Suo. It wouldn’t hurt for you to learn firsthand how terrifying Aberrations can be, would it?”

The corners of Shiro’s mouth twisted into a smirk, and Mei finally understood what they intended to accomplish with this.

“I want you to see with your own eyes how much I suffer while you live comfortably here, Nee-san.”

“Exactly. Because you’re useless, Io is the one forced to shoulder all the hardship. You should learn something from this.”

“You may be frightened a little, but you won’t die. Don’t worry. If anything happens during the ceremony, the main household is required to provide compensation.”

(──They want me to get hurt.)

As despair slowly spread through her chest, Mei lowered her eyes.