50 - The Youngest is Hiding a Lot
50
"Hmph, do it."
The Gravekeeper pinched my nose and said.
We were sitting side by side on a tree stump nearby.
"Hmph."
I blew my nose on his hand.
"Oh dear. Your nose is so red."
"Sniff."
"Are you done crying?"
Nod, nod. When I nodded, the Gravekeeper smiled brightly. Looking at his beautiful face, I strangely started to cry again.
'Is it because I got caught doing something bad?'
I didn't know why I kept crying. Because I didn't know, I cried even more.
No, I really don't cry easily...!
"Ye, yeesh……. Sniff, I'm sorry. Sniff."
"You're not done crying."
"But, sniff, but, sniff, who are you?"
"I told you. I'm the Gravekeeper here. You see that cabin over there?"
"Yeesh. You're ama, sniff, amazing."
"I don't know what's so amazing about it……. Oh my, you keep crying. What should I do?"
Because of me, the Gravekeeper couldn't work and was being held back. The Gravekeeper, who frowned as if troubled, sighed deeply as if he couldn't help it.
"I can't help it. Let's go to the cabin. I need to feed you something. Stop, stop!"
"……Stop."
The hand that wiped away the tears rolling down my cheek was rough. He must really work hard managing the graves……. Sniff.
I took the Gravekeeper's hand and went to the cabin in the corner of the Memorial Garden. The cabin, full of signs of life, was old but cozy.
'Void said he's a Witch.'
More like an angel grandma…….
"Hing."
I sat at the old wooden table and rubbed my eyes wildly.
When I cried, I felt like a real 8-year-old kid.
"Let's see. Eating something sweet will cheer you up, right? Something an kid can eat……."
The Gravekeeper moved busily, lighting a fire in the fireplace. Stew was bubbling on one side.
Grumble.
As soon as I smelled it, a funny sound came out.
"You……."
The Gravekeeper narrowed his eyes, and I quietly clutched my stomach.
"……."
Um, why is he like this.
It makes it look like I'm crying because I'm hungry…….
And so, I suddenly became a kid getting dinner at the Gravekeeper's house.
"Achoo, it's spicy."
The Gravekeeper diligently ate the spicy stew he made. He was gulping down water like a hippo, already on his second cup.
"Um…… You said you'd give me something sweet."
"Spicy food relieves stress better. And your stomach made that sound, right?"
I pouted and looked down at the bowl in front of me. The bright red spicy stew looked like molten lava.
The Gravekeeper chuckled and put a spoon in my hand.
"Give it a try. I put less spicy sauce in yours, so you can eat it enough, right?"
"You could have just not put anything in it……."
"It's delicious."
I had no choice but to take a bite of the stew.
"Huh?"
"It's delicious, right?"
"Yesh! But it's spicy!"
I gasped and kept drinking water, but I couldn't put down my spoon.
This stimulating taste. The taste of the world. It's like modern burning chicken!
We sat facing each other at the old table, eating the spicy stew while going "Hah- Hah-."
"How is it? Do you feel better?"
The Gravekeeper handed me cold water.
I gulped it down and put it down with a thud.
"Keuh. Yesh. I feel like I've been reborn……."
I had forgotten this taste.
Crying a lot, eating spicy food. Feeling refreshed, I patted my stomach with satisfaction, and then something was suddenly pushed in front of me.
"Wow, cocoa!"
"Then you'll forgive me? For making you cry."
"Yes!"
Actually, it wasn't because of the Gravekeeper that I cried.
I smiled happily and drank the cocoa. Sweet! Bitter! Delicious!
"You're so round and cute."
The Gravekeeper, with his chin in one hand, stared at me intently.
"So, why were you in a place like that?"
"Um……."
I stopped sipping my cocoa and just rolled my eyes.
"I live here alone anyway. And there's no one to talk to anyway. Tell me."
His gentle voice flowed like honey.
"He's a Witch. There's a rumor that he doesn't talk to anyone and eats the kids who come to the Memorial Garden."
Recalling Void's voice, I gripped my mug tightly.
Normally, I would have glossed over it and run away as usual.
'It's strange. Somehow…… I can't refuse.'
Somehow, I didn't feel like doing that right now. My motivation was broken, so to speak.
I looked into the Gravekeeper's blue-tinged eyes. Sometimes it was easier to confide in someone you didn't know at all.
"I'm a little…… upset about something."
"Really? What is it?"
"Um, people hate lies, right?"
"Mostly, right?"
My shoulders slumped.
"……They hate kids who lie even more, right? They say they're gloomy and cunning……."
"Well, I think the person who says that to an kid is gloomier and more cunning. They're just talking without knowing the other person's situation."
Looking at the shimmering surface of the cocoa, I added gloomily.
"Actually, I…… lied to my friend."
I told the story about Leviathan, Uncle, in a roundabout way.
"But that friend doesn't know anything and is nice to me, and keeps trying to get closer to me……. Every time that happens, my heart stings……."
"I see. Your friend might get angry if they find out they've been deceived."
"Woo……."
I know, but it hurts to have it confirmed…….
"But why did you lie? To trick your friend?"
"That's not it!"
I turned my head sharply and said. The Gravekeeper was smiling warmly, his eyes softly curved.
"That's really…… not it. I……."
I just felt frustrated that I couldn't tell him everything.
"The situation was unavoidable……."
"You……."
A soft cloth appeared and wiped away the cocoa droplets that had splashed on the back of my hand.
"You really like that friend, don't you?"
I blankly thought about it and slowly nodded.
"……Yes. I like him a lot. He's very precious."
I liked Leviathan, Uncle. I also really, really liked Jebert's family, who were so kind to me.
But every time, I also felt guilty that this affection wasn't mine.
If it was revealed that everything about me was a lie, would people still cherish me the same way?
Honestly, I didn't really know until I followed Uncle to this north.
I didn't know that the secret I made because of my complicated circumstances would suffocate me.
"I don't want to be hated……."
I was afraid of being abandoned, and my heart became as small as a bean.
"Oh dear. You're such a crybaby."
The Gravekeeper hugged me and comforted me as I started to sob again.
I cried in his arms for a long time. After a while, when my crying subsided to some extent, the Gravekeeper stroked my face again.
"Kid, what do you want to do?"
A kind voice and a warm expression. As if possessed by that comfortable atmosphere, I wiped away my tears and thought haltingly.
What I want? That's obvious.
"I…… want to be by that friend's side. To keep…… not breaking up……."
"Then shouldn't you just do what you want to do without thinking about anything else?"
"Yes?"
I blinked once, and the remaining tears fell in a flurry. The Gravekeeper frowned as if he felt sorry for me and smiled, saying, "Oh dear, poor soft cheeks."
"If you can't reveal the truth now because of circumstances, you can tell him later. If you explain it step by step, I think that friend will be willing to understand. That friend is a good person, right?"
"Sometimes he's a good person, and sometimes he's mean."
"That's a very…… cold-blooded analysis."
The Gravekeeper chuckled, finding it amusing.
I blankly looked at the hand wiping my cheeks and asked.
"Even if I did something wrong by lying, can I be forgiven?"
