In our home garden, the girl known as Color-san appeared. She took a deep breath, her eyes scanning the surroundings and tears welling up.
「The outside world is so vibrant with colors, isn’t it?」
From her dewy eyes, transparent droplets fell—one, then another. As before, these droplets transformed into gemstones, caught effortlessly by her companion, Four Seasons-san.
「Mother!」
Immediately afterward, an overwhelmed voice echoed through the garden.
「You’re outside! This is the outside!」
「Mother…I’m glad….. I’m so glad.」
「Can we play together? Out here, from now on?」
「Oh, what a wonderful thing, mother…」
「Uuu… Ueeeeen.」
「Thank you, all of you.」
Fairies gathered around Color-san—on her shoulders, cheeks, head, chest, and neck—celebrating with joyful voices. Four Seasons-san, the father, watched this radiant scene and turned toward us.
「So, this is your magic…. Truly impressive.」
Beside them lay a portal connecting their world, Tir na Nóg, to the human world. But it was no longer just a ‘portal’.
Through our magic, it had transformed, now resembling a physical door—a gateway firmly anchored to the mortal world.
「Yes, it seems I can control its opening and closing at my discretion, just like before. What was it called? I vaguely remember encountering something similar when I was human.」
「A ‘Door to Anywhere’ perhaps?」
I joked, and Four Seasons-san shrugged.
「I don’t know. I still can’t remember much. But there’s a sense of nostalgia about it.」
「If you don’t mind, could we permanently install this door in our garden? I’d love easy access.」
「Of course, I’d like that too. If we place it within our property, I suspect it’ll require minimal use of my magic to maintain.」
Having received a willing consent, I will specify the detailed location. For a long time—ever since I decided to take Color-san outside, I already had this plan.
「Here. Can we install the door flush against this section of the wall?」
「Sure! Leave it to me.」
I pointed to the sturdy block wall that had grown taller than us through multiple expansions and renovations. It was only as high as my chest when we got here. After the resolution of her attribute conflict, Mint—energetic as ever—had meticulously worked the stones into place, creating a fitting spot for the door.
「Sui! There, build?」
Mint, with her keen ears, overheard our conversation and ran over.
I had already discussed all of my plans with the entire Hatano family so she naturally knew about it.
「Mint, do her best!」
「Right, we’ll start there. But you know, Mint, wouldn’t it be even more enjoyable if we worked together with the fairies, not just our family?」
「…….wwoooo! Sui, right! More fun everyone!」
Mint’s eyes sparkled and jumped up and down in excitement.
In truth, everyone in the Hatano family shared Mint’s sentiment.
「Sui」
Karen arrived, leading Color-san and the others.
「I thought we might discuss this.」
「Karen! Mint, work lot!」
「Hmm, Mint will shine. But let’s all get along with the fairies too.」
「Yay! More fun together!」
「What’s this conversation about? Are you planning to surprise me further?」
The fairies had stopped crying, but they clung to their mother, creating an endearing scene.
Smiling at their antics, I explained,
「This particular area was originally meant for a pasture, but recently we discovered it’s surplus space.」
Pochi’s feeding schedule and the regrowth rate of the pasture grass seem to be resulting in excess supply at the moment. The grass grows and reproduces more vigorously than expected, leaving us with surplus hay even after making provisions. Moreover, this grass will continue to grow even during winter, so there’s no need to be overly cautious about future preparations.
「That’s why I’d like to turn this area into a place of relaxation.」
Imagine something akin to an English garden.
「Around this entire vicinity, we’ll plant flowers and fruit trees. We’ll create pathways connecting the garden, the pasture, and this spot, while keeping the rest as a vibrant, colorful space. We’ll build a gazebo where we can enjoy tea and other leisurely activities. And of course, behind the gazebo, there’ll be a door in the wall—so that all of you can visit here anytime. We want you to feel at ease, spending time together with us.」
We’ll seamlessly connect the garden to father’s flowerbed.
He’ll be able to see us with that.
I want him to see us having a good time, being in good spirits.
I want him to see us laugh near him.
「Wow! It’s amazing, that would be nice!」
Bonfire exclaimed, leaping onto Chocola’s head.
「Chocola, let’s play tag in the flowerbed!」
「Bark! Bark!」
Chocola responded enthusiastically, spinning around as if chasing his own tail.
「I’d love to bring flower seeds from the other side. Can I do that?」
「Certainly! But let’s make this garden different in style from the castle gardens.」
Magpie consulted his mother.
She, in return, listened with a joyful expression.
「Mint, you’re skilled in earth magic, right? I’d love to see it.」 Mother said.
「Mufu, sure thing! Let’s do it together.」
Mint replied with sparkling eyes at Hanaikada in her hand.
Mint’s confident yet excited expression was heartwarming.
「Next time, can we have a meal here? I wonder if it’s possible.」
「Hmm,of course. If we can create cups that suit your hands.」
Peacock, nestling against Karen’s chest, said so.
Karen responds with a ticklish smile, her expression gentle and warm.
And then…
「……Hey, human.」
Drizzle, perches on Pochi’s nose and inches closer to me.
「Kiyurururu」
「I know! Ano…..」
Drizzle, prompted by Pochi, flew gently and stopped in front of me, fidgeting a little.
She turned away and said,
「Thank you. For taking the queen outside… for giving that kind of smile to my parents… Thank you…..thank you so much……」
Her voice falters toward the end, and Drizzle breaks into tears.
I nod, understanding their emotions—their gratitude.
「Things will get busy from here. Creating the garden—please lend a hand.」
「…..Of course! I don’t need a human to tell me what to do. Who do you think you are?」
As Four Seasons-san and Color-san watch, side by side, their carefree smiles deepen.
The autumn breeze rustles their hair, and the scent of grass fills the air.
Their expressions are no longer the lonely ones I once saw within the castle walls.
Leave a Reply