"Whaaat?!" Akane screamed at me, and it was loud enough that the two men standing just a short distance away heard her. Once they did, the gardener who had found me alone in the garden at dawn made his move and approached us.
"Just who are you referring to as the gardener?" Akane asked me, but I remained quiet because I was confused by what she meant by "who."
The one in the black suit just standing there? Or the one who looked like he was standing under a spotlight in broad daylight?
He told me that himself, so why is she asking who I'm referring to as the gardener? Isn't she supposed to know? And if he isn't, then… who is he?
"Can I help you two?" he asked us, and Akane didn't hesitate to reply.
"No, no! I mean—how was your day, my lord?" she said, quickly controlling her tone. She calmed down faster than I thought she would, but she was suddenly sweating bullets.
"I'm okay, and so was the day. Don't worry about the village—it's doing well, so there's nothing to be concerned about," he said, holding that solid, calm demeanor. I couldn't believe this was the same person I saw in the garden. He looked colder now than he did back then.
"Thank you," said Akane, but I was still lost about who this person actually was.
"And how about you?" he asked me.
"I'm okay," I said, still looking puzzled.
"I see. So what were you two screaming about?" he asked, not even paying attention to the man standing beside the carriage behind him.
"Well, sir, I was going to intro—" Before Akane could finish, someone called out to him—it wasn't the gardener.
"Sir," said the man in the black suit.
"Oh, sorry, I'm coming. Sorry, girls, I'll be going now. You two take care, alright?" he said. He seemed genuinely concerned, but off he went as Akane waved goodbye—and so did I.
A moment later, Akane and I found ourselves back in our room.
Akane threw herself onto the bed in relief, while I just stood by the door, still in the midst of wondering what kind of family this really was—and how I was connected to them.
"Hey, could you tell me why you were referring to Mr. Zaikai as a gardener?" she asked.
"He basically told me that himself," I said honestly. I did think it was strange when I first met him, given what he was wearing then—and now.
"Okay, look," said Akane. "Don't ever call him that again, alright? Until you recover your memories and remember something about him, I won't bother explaining."
The next day was just as normal as ever—nothing unusual came up.
During the afternoon, while I was washing the plates, Akira approached me with a question.
"I have a question. It's already weird that you fell from a tree without any scratches or injuries, but you still remember how to do your work so well. You cook, you wash dishes, you clean like you used to—without any problems. Simply put, you're still you. But for someone who lost their memory to be doing this well—it's strange. It's like you're hiding the fact that you lost your memories… or you're a different person inside entirely. Sorry, I went a bit too far there. Excuse me," she said before quietly walking out of the room.
I won't lie—I felt like a question mark to myself after that. What she said really made me think about my life here, and who I was before I lost my memories. What happened to make me forget?
I've been waiting in silence since I woke up, but nothing explains why I'm here. When will my memories return? I can't just keep waiting. The only clue I had was that girl I followed into that room—but she's dead. Yet her body was warm. I don't know what that means, but I need to know.
Who am I?
"Hā-rū!" Akane called out to me. Her voice startled me a bit, but it was oddly relaxing to hear her. Still, why did she stretch my name out like that?
"Yes?" I replied, not sure why she suddenly came looking for me.
"Come with me," said Akane. I had just finished with the plates, so I followed her.
Later, I found myself standing in a boys' playground—the farm field.
"So, why are we here?" I asked.
"Don't you worry," she said casually as she rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. "We're only here for them."
As she said that, her tone suddenly changed, as if she were some kind of dark witch.
"Mwahahahahaha! Now get over here, you damn rabbits!" she shouted, then ran off to chase them.
"I see. So you called me here to help you catch bunnies?" I asked. It didn't sound like a bad thing, honestly. Poor bunnies.
"Yeah, sorry about that," said Mr. Shinjiro, who was nearby with his brothers Mr. Sora and Mr. Kenji. "The job requires more hands. Usually Akane helps out, but she insisted on calling you to help this time. Since the rabbit fence is twenty-five by twenty-five squares long…"
"I see. So the owner of this place likes flexibility," I said.
"Hey guys! I finally caught one!" Akane shouted from a distance, holding a bunny—but the bunny kicked her, knocked her down, and kicked her in the stomach before escaping.
"Ouch… You are so dead! Get back here!" she yelled.
"Akane doesn't give up, huh," said Mr. Kenji.
"Hey, come on! Catch some too!" Akane shouted from afar.
I heard her, so I approached one of the bunnies near me. As I moved my hands to catch it, suddenly a vision came to me. The girl I found dead in one of the mansion's rooms was standing behind me, watching what we were doing in the garden. When her eyes met mine, someone called out to me.
"Haru, you're a blessed one, I see," said Mr. Shinjiro.
I didn't understand what he meant until I felt a small poke on my hand. I reacted quickly and found a bunny nestled between my palms.
"Hey, what's going on there?!" Akane shouted from a distance, but when she saw me holding a bunny, her jaw dropped. The other bunnies were acting normal—except they were slowly drawing closer to me, almost as if I wasn't even there.
"Haru has blessed hands!" Mr. Shinjiro shouted back to Akane.
"Oh really? You think that's impressive? Watch this!" Akane declared, pulling off her most focused move yet. In her mind, it was a test of skill—she lunged sideways and caught a bunny on her right, leaving the one in front untouched.
"You see?" said Akane.
"She never gives up," said Mr. Kenji, while Mr. Sora just nodded.
Later that evening—
"Thanks to the two of you, we managed to finish faster. The tricky part was helped by someone with 'the blessed,'" said Mr. Kenji.
"She's not that special, you know—everyone is," said Akane, sounding annoyed. "Still, it's weird. Why were they all attracted to you like a magnet?"
I didn't know either. It felt natural somehow, but… why was she there—the girl who died, the one only I could see? Was she a ghost? A lost spirit? Or just a wandering soul tied to the mansion, trying to give me some kind of message or guidance? Does she know anything about me—or about why I lost my memories?
"We just finished our evening duties too, so we'll be heading back to our room," said Akane, who seemed to have moved on from the whole bunny incident.
"And I also need to get the sheets I hung out to dry, so we'll see you later," she said, still keeping that untired look on her face. I wondered how strong she'd be if she were a guy—maybe as strong as Mr. Kenji.
"Yeah, take care, you two. We'll see each other when we get back from the delivery," said Mr. Sora as the rest nodded in agreement.
As Mr. Shinjiro, Mr. Sora, and Mr. Kenji were leaving, someone approached us.
"Ms. Haru, the madam is calling you," she said.
"Komori Akane," said Akane, turning to her. "You know, it's not like we don't like you, but you could at least try to get along with us. Getting close isn't always a bad thing, you know."
Ms. Komori didn't respond. She just stood there, waiting for me.
"Anyway, fine. Let's go together, Haru," said Akane.
"The madam only called for Ms. Haru," said Ms. Komori.
"What? Why only her though?" Akane asked.
"Am I supposed to know?" Ms. Komori replied flatly.
"It's okay, I'll go alone. You can go get the sheets. I remember the way there," I told Akane.
"Fine, you go on," said Akane.
"That means you don't need my help either. I'll be returning to my mistress then," said Ms. Komori before walking away.
"She's a real pain sometimes—and hard to get along with," said Akane. "Anyway, I'll see you when you're back, Haru."
"Yeah, okay," I replied.
A moment later, I was on the mansion's second floor, heading toward the madam's room. When I arrived, all that was left was to knock and open the door. I raised my hand—but before I could knock, I sensed it.
Someone was running away from me again.
This time, I was awake, so I chased after them. When the person reached a room, they rushed in—and I realized it was her again. The girl who'd died in my dream.
How is she here, doing the same thing again?
And what's with that room she's entering—it's the same one from my dream.
After she went inside, she closed the door.
What could she be up to? I thought to myself as I reached for the handle—but before I could open it, someone grabbed my hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" said a voice.
I turned my head and found myself face to face with a stranger—someone I'd never seen before in the mansion.
I asked myself—who is she? Why was I led to her? Does she know what happened to me?
And if she does… where has she been all this time?