My name is Theodore La Christophe.
3rd year of the Ovent Kingdom’s Royal Elementary School.
I’d like to become a knight in the future.
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When the cla.s.ses end, I walk together with my imouto Ellie straight home.
When the cla.s.ses end, most of my friends also go immediately home.
Because most of my friends must help at home.
We are slightly different.
The reason why we immediately return home is to play with our imouto that was born this year quickly.
When she was just born, I thought she looked like a Ras.h.i.+d Monkey.
Kaasama and Tousama were praising kawaii, kawaii, but Ellie and I didn’t find her so cute.
I mean, she looks like a Ras.h.i.+d Monkey, you know?
I have never found the red-faced little monkies that grow bristles are cute.
When I talked with Ellie about that, she was of the same opinion as I expected.
But, I soon understood the meaning behind Kaasama’s and Tousama’s words, such cuteness can’t be described with words.
Because Ellie is only two years younger than me, when I reached the age I was aware of things, Ellie was not a baby anymore. I have not seen other babies than Lily.
Naturally, Ellie is the same.
I have heard from Kaasama that Ena had a miscarriage.
Because I have not understood the meaning of miscarriage, I have further inquired from Kaasama.
“The baby died and wasn’t born.”
Her sorrowful face strongly remains in my mind.
Therefore, I figured I shouldn’t ask about Ena’s baby anymore.
I spoke to Ellie about my thought, and we have made a promise never to talk about it.
Therefore, I was slightly afraid to touch Lily who was a baby for the first time.
When I timidly and really carefully touched her cheek, Lily grasped my finger into her tiny hands.
It was tiny and frail, extremely warm and soft.
This is a baby, I learned with a strong impression.
At the same time, even though I thought she wasn’t cute just a while ago, I thought that flowers were blooming around my dear, dear Lily like an angel.
The eight years old I was captured by her in an instant.
Ellie who always acts like a grown up, an honor student in front of schoolmates and me, had a bigger smile on her face than the smile she has when she takes care of her beloved flower bed.
Since that day, we are going immediately home after the cla.s.ses end, and spend time beside Lily until it’s time to sleep.
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It was on a certain day.
I asked Kaasama about Lily’s eyes which were different from mine, I noticed that they were white, and looked cloudy.
I was told that Lily’s eyes are cloudy because of an illness.
When I asked what illness it was, Kaasama’s expression became very sad.
I have asked something I shouldn’t have so I regret, but this concerns my dear imouto, so I must hear it properly.
I fixedly stare at Kaasama and wait for an answer.
After a while of silence, Kaasama sighed and started talking.
She suffers from “Cloudy Eyes” which makes Lily unable to see for her whole life, she said.
I felt a complete darkness appear in front of my eyes.
“Lily is unable to see for her whole life.”
Kaasama seemed to still talk about something, but I can’t remember.
Then, my dear imouto, can’t see mine, Ellie’s, Kaasama’s, Tousama’s and Ena’s faces?
She can’t see my precious trees I’m taking care in the garden nor the ornamental trees placed around the rooms?
Many thoughts ran through my mind, but I wasn’t able to think.
My head became hot, I lost strength in my body, and before I noticed I was in bed.
According to Kaasama, I went down with a fever in the middle of a conversation about Lily’s illness.
Even now, my head hurts and my face is hot.
I have apparently stayed in the bed for a whole day, so I was absent from cla.s.ses.
While laying down, Lily’s face floated in my mind and disappeared, floated and disappeared repeatedly.
In the evening, when Ellie returned, Kaasama went out of the room for a bit and Ena came to take a look at my state.
At that time, Ena and Ellie were very excited.
Before I tried to ask for the reason, Ellie who normally talks slowly and quietly, told me in a loud voice rapidly.
Unexpectedly, Lily who normally doesn’t laugh, doesn’t cry nor doesn’t talk, let out a happy voice when Ena was reading her a book.
Moreover, it was the book I have read her over and over again before.
“The Complete Works of the World’s Ornamental Leaf Trees”
It was that one.
When I heard that, my fever was blown somewhere far away.
I jumped out of bed with great vigor and shook with Ellie’s shoulders in order to confirm.
My startled imouto repeatedly nodded with her eyes open wide like a broken doll.
I couldn’t stop afterward.
I have disregarded Ena’s words to keep on laying down in the bed, what about this book, what about that book, I have taken out many books about trees, shrubs, and ornamental trees from my bookshelf.
Ellie who recovered also began taking out books she loves from her own bookshelf.
This too, that too, we two made a lot of fuss.
The amazed Ena,
「I understand your feelings very well, but you still have to get in the bed, you know? You can read her books after you get better」
With those words, I finally calmed down and returned to my bed.
It’s slightly embarra.s.sing, but I was so excited it was hard to fall asleep again.
That day, in the bed.
「Lily likes ornamental leaf trees just like me」
I couldn’t sleep.
I was also absent from the cla.s.ses the next day, but my fever has gone down, and I was still waiting for Ellie to return from the school.
I won’t forgive stealing a march! Because I had to promise.
Ellie also loves Lily.
I think of Lily as an angel, and it seems that Ellie thinks of her in the same way.
She talks about her with crossed arms and sparkling eyes as if praising a G.o.d.
I understand very well.
Ellie is the same as me, I thought.
I’m not on bad terms with Ellie, on the contrary, we get along rather well, and on this day, I became convinced that we can get along even better.
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Reading a book to Lily became an important daily routine.
When we come, Lily immediately strikes her crib and stares at us, telling us to read her a book.
I didn’t know what she wanted at the beginning, but in case she wanted me to read her a book, I immediately start searching for one.
Because our angel can’t see, she fumbles around while searching for a book.
While I’m watching over her, so she doesn’t get injured, she finds a toy but immediately tosses it away without interest and continues searching for a book.
When she finds a book, she strikes it for a short while then stares at us.
Kaasama told us that although she can’t see, she’s able to guess a person’s position by sound, the flow of air or presence.
I think that’s why Lily can grasp our position.
Wherever I move, she precisely faces me and resolutely requests.
We have a book reading rotation that changes every day.
It’s my and Ellie’s rotation.
When I started reading, I disregard the order we have agreed upon. That was the first time I was slapped by Ellie since she was born.
She then lectured me how much she was looking forward to reading Lily a book endlessly.
Because I’m the same, I obediently apologized, and we immediately reconciled.
After we have made up.
「Theo has to take a break for one day, okay!」
She declared.
It can’t be helped because I’m the one at fault, but I never thought that Ellie was this shrewd.
Ellie is a scary child!
It seems that Ena is also reading Lily her favorite books when we are not around.
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There’s no mistake in saying that we read books to Lily every day.
It seems she has remembered that we read in order.
There are any kinds of books, but because I reread books I like many times over, I decided to read her a book I read only once before.
Usually, when I read a book, Lily silently listens while lively moving her arms and legs, but this time, she waved her arms around largely and struck my hands for a short while.
I thought about what could she mean, could it be that Ellie read her this book before? I noticed for the first time when I muttered so.
When I took a different book, she became silent and started moving her arms and legs in a lively manner again.
It became like this every time I read her a book I read her once before.
Does she remember the contents of the books?
Although she’s just one year, I think that our angel is a genius.
No, she’s a genius!
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An event occurred where Ellie read a thick novel.
At the end of the novel, the first friend who joined the protagonist and became companion has died, and everyone in the room cried.
I cried too.
Lily has also cried.
Our angel does understand the contents after all.
I have asked Kaasama about it, but.
「Babies will laugh when the surroundings laugh, it will cry when the surroundings cry, so I don’t think she understands the contents of the book」
You and Ellie have also cried and laughed with your surroundings, you know? She informed me.
Kaasama is wise and gentle, I respect her very much.
That’s why I thought a lot about the words such Kaasama said, but I think it’s different.
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Today, we also read Lily a book.
Someday, not just books, I would like to expose her to real trees and shrubs.
I tend the trees in the garden.
Since Lily was interested in trees and shrubs, I put more effort in taking care of them.
But, I know.
Our angel’s eyes can’t see.
She can touch and smell them, but she won’t be able to see their beautiful appearances.
For that reason, I have never taken Lily out of her room.
I understand that there are ways to enjoy trees and shrubs without being able to see them, but I feel very regretful.
Still, although she doesn’t raise her voice nor changes her expression when we read books to her, I can feel that she’s enjoying it, which makes me delighted.
Every time, I regret and regret so much that I feel vexed about my own powerlessness.
But, when I feel like that, Lily would put her hand on my face and gently pat me.
Our angel is incredibly kind.
With just a touch of her warm hand, the feelings of sadness and regret disappear.
Becoming a knight is my dream.
I have already decided whom I’m going to offer my sword when I become a knight.
I will read a book to the angel today as well.