“Please don’t bother,” Reim said, refusing politely, but with an impish smile, Sharon said she wanted some, and rang the bell. Almost immediately, a servant appeared with a tea set.
As Sharon offered tea to Reim, elegantly sipping from her own teacup, she motioned for him to begin.
“…And? What is it?”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
• Respondent: Sharon Rainsworth
Time: 1930
Place: Pandora Headquarters, third floor, sixth office
Notes: Interviewer refrains from commenting.
Q. Well, then: Do you know of something called “the curse of Mahani”?
A. …Have you asked anyone else that question, before now?
Q. Yes, Oz-sama and Gilbert-sama, and Xerx, and also—
A. Hmm, I see. That will do.
Q. What will do?
A. Never mind. Let me tell you what I know, then.
Q. Please do.
A. One is that there is meaning in the word “Mahani” itself. Another is “pink.”
Q. …The same things he said.
A. Is something the matter?
Q. No. …Is there anything else?
A. Unfortunately, no.
Q. I see. All right, thank you very much. Now if you’ll excuse me…
A. Of course. Have a good evening.
Q. —Ah. By the way, Sharon-sama.
A. Yes?
Q. Alice-kun mentioned it to me a little while ago. In your room, do you have a…uh…a suh-Sapphist book……?
A. .
*Note 11: Just then, the aura the respondent exuded made the interviewer’s blood run cold.
I regretted my heart’s carelessness.
I thought I might die without completing my investigation. Even as I write this, my hand is shaking.
A. I’m afraid I didn’t catch that. What did you say? Heh-heh-heh.
Q. No, it was nothing. Excuse me.
That completes the interviews. I find myself right back where I started…
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3
“I find myself right back where I started…”
As he wrote the last line of the report, Reim sighed. He was in an office at the Barma mansion.
He gazed at Report 2, which he’d just finished drafting.
He still hadn’t uncovered a way to break the curse.
“Should naught change, I must die,” Rufus had said. If Reim didn’t find a way to break the curse, and Rufus, his master, died…
If the House of Barma lost its head, there would be an uproar—or, more likely, something far, far more serious.
“MAHANI” appeared several times in the report. Reim stared at the spelling.
There is meaning in the very word “Mahani.”
Both Rufus and Sharon had said that.
In other words, he had to look for the meaning hidden in the word itself. That said, it wasn’t a word Reim knew, and he hadn’t seen it in any of the documents he’d searched. There was nothing more to be done. Reim leaned far back, slumping down in his chair, and looked out the window.
The full moon looked particularly large tonight. A shaft of clear moonlight shone through the windowpane.
It’s very bright…
Thinking he might be able to read even without a light, Reim blew out the lamp that sat on the desk. The room, which had been lit by warm lamplight, was abruptly dyed in pale moonlight. Report in hand, Reim went over to the window.
“Yes, I can read.”
In the moonlight, he was able to make out the rows of fine letters in the report without straining.
“To a moonlit night like this—” He spoke the words without thinking.
They were Rufus’s words, the ones that had drifted into Reim’s mind on the staircase landing a short while ago.
Words from a conversation he’d once had with Rufus.
Yes… It had been night, a night like this one, lit by a bright full moon. Rufus had said:
“Even though a would be most suited to a moonlit night like this…”
He’d responded to his master’s words with, “Yes, you’re right.” If he recalled correctly.
…Why did I remember something like that at a time like this?
Reim didn’t understand his own thoughts.
In an attempt to put everything else out of his mind, he reviewed the information he’d collected in the report. He saw one particular word over and over: MAHANI. As he examined the spelling closely, the letters separated from each other, scattering in Reim’s mind and beginning to move on their own.
The word lost all meaning, becoming no more than a group of letters.
And then —
He was struck by an abrupt revelation. Reim shouted, involuntarily, “It’s an anagram!!”
4
Clear moonlight streamed down from the bright full moon in the sky.
Under that moonlight stood a single great tree. It was covered with small, pale-pink flowers, their petals fully unfurled.
An expanse of open lawn spread across a secluded corner of the House of Barma’s private land.
In a way, there was something lonely about the sight of the tree standing there, all by itself. However, curiously, it didn’t feel as if anything else was needed. Such was the presence of the tree and its cloud of blossoms.
At the base of the tree, several people had gathered.
Rufus, Oz, Ada, Gilbert, Sharon, Break—and Reim.
Everyone except for Reim was seated on a thin carpet that had been unrolled on the grass. In the center of the circle were plates of hors d’oeuvres and several bottles of liquor made from Rufus’s prized rice, along with many small plates, forks, and other utensils.
It looked exactly like a nocturnal picnic.
A short while earlier…
“In a distant foreign land, I am told, there is a custom known as ‘hanami.’”
Rufus had told Reim a story he’d heard from a merchant who’d sold him an unusual liquor made from rice.
“’Tis a banquet whereat guests admire flowers, savor spirits, sing songs, and display their talents.”
“Like a kind of garden party?”
Reim fished a word he was familiar with out of his memory. Rufus told him it was similar, but that there were several differences.
One of the differences Rufus had been most taken with was that hanami were sometimes held by moonlight. Guests enjoyed the banquet and admired the flowers with the moon as their only light, using no lamps or candlesticks.
That certainly was unlike the garden parties Reim knew.
The moon had been bright and full on the night when they’d had that conversation.
However, it had already been too late to invite guests, and in the end, no hanami was held that night.
“Even though a hanami would be most suited to a moonlit night like this…”
“You’re right.”
Rufus had sounded vexed, and Reim had agreed with him.
Honestly…
Reim sat alone, leaning against the trunk of the great tree, a little apart from the circle of guests enjoying the banquet.
If he wanted to hold a hanami, he could have just said so…
How roundabout. What a nuisance. Those were Reim’s honest feelings.
“MAHANI,” shuffled a bit, became “HANAMI.”
When he’d caught on and solved the childish little anagram, Reim visited Rufus’s study and gave the answer. At that, Rufus looked out the study window, confirmed that the moon had risen in the night sky, and spoke, sounding satisfied:
“Hm. Laudable timing. If thou hadst not seen through this paltry word game, I would have released thee from service for eternity, not merely today. Go on, make ready, quickly.”
…Just as if he’d known Reim would visit at that hour all along.
Rufus said that everything they’d need was already in place.
He also said:
“The invitations were
issued yestereve. I said the purpose was to gladden my servant Reim’s first holiday in a long time, and mayhap it proved effective, for many expressed their intention to attend…although the most important guest declined, and it has badly damaged my humor…”
“……Invitations?” Reim muttered, dazed. He hadn’t even heard the last half of what Rufus had said. In response, Rufus gave several names: Oz, Sharon, and Break. On the invitations, he had also written that parties were better when lively, and requested that they bring their friends and acquaintances.
On top of that, the summons wasn’t the only thing that had been written on the invitations.
“Haaah…”
Heaving a sigh that was tinged with fatigue, Reim looked up at the great tree he was leaning against.
In the darkness, the tiny, delicate, pale-pink flowers were vivid as they swayed in the night breeze, picked out by moonlight.
When he sniffed, audibly, he caught their faint, elegant fragrance.
“—A cherry tree. The Somei-Yoshino variety, or so I hear.”
Someone spoke, unexpectedly, right next to him. When Reim turned to look, there was Break, kneeling with a bottle of liquor in one hand, two small cups in the other, and a smile on his face.
“Here,” he said. He handed one of the cups to Reim and filled it from the bottle.
Reim had been told that the liquor was made from rice, and a unique, sweet scent did indeed tickle his nostrils. However, the cup was very small, and it could only hold a mouthful of the stuff.
Reim drained his cup in one go. “Not very cultured, are you?” Break smiled wryly, sipping at his own cup. “This is drunk like so—small sips, almost as if you were licking it.”
“I don’t care. It’s not enough.” He held his cup out, imperiously.
“You did wonderful work all day today, Reim-san.”
Speaking sympathetically, Break poured liquor into Reim’s cup. Reim brought the cup to his lips and took a very small sip, imitating Break.
As he did so, he glared at Break, steadily. Lowering the cup, he said, “What’s this ‘surprise party’ business? Even you were in on it…”
“Yes, Duke Barma really is a problem, isn’t he. That was more a full-dress order than an invitation.”
The previous evening, Oz, Sharon, and Break had received invitations from Rufus.
Apparently, the invitations had begun with the words REIM IS EVER DILIGENT, HENCE, KINDHEARTED AS I AM, I HAVE DECIDED TO HOST A BANQUET FOR HIM—, and had been crammed to bursting with declarations of just what a considerate master he was to his servants.
On top of that, in addition to the veritable concert of self-congratulation, he’d said that, to heighten Reim’s joy when it was time for the banquet, he had prepared a modest additional entertainment.
This was to have Reim run around Pandora Headquarters gathering information from the guests on the pretext of having him investigate a curse: “the curse of Mahani,” an anagram of “hanami.” …It had been shrewd of Rufus not to tell Gilbert and Alice: Both were bad at acting and intrigue. Apparently, the invitations had ended with these words:
—ON LEARNING THAT WHAT HE BELIEVES IS A CURSE IS IN TRUTH A BANQUET IN HIS HONOR, REIM WILL ASSUREDLY BE STARTLED AND MOVED TO TEARS. THOU SHOULDST ALSO BE GRATEFUL TO ME FROM THE BOTTOM OF THY COLLECTIVE HEART FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTAKE IN THIS SUPERB EVENT…
After hearing a general explanation from Break, Reim sighed deeply.
“I wasn’t moved to tears. I was so appalled I almost cried…”
“Now, now.” Break’s expression was consoling. “It looks as though Duke Barma’s greatest ambition was thwarted, in any case.”
“Ambition?” Reim looked back at Break, puzzled.
“Yes, I heard about it from my lady—”
Then Break told him about it, lowering his voice a bit. To be accurate, he said, it was something Sheryl had said when Sharon had gone to ask her grandmother for permission to go out at night. After hearing that an invitation had arrived, and that the party was for a servant, Sheryl had thought for a little while. Then she’d spoken to Sharon. With a cheerful, sunny little laugh, she’d said:
“Tell him that it’s very shallow of him to use Reim-san to show off his kindness.”
“…And Sharon-sama told him that?”
“Of course she did. And, on hearing it, Duke Barma apparently considered canceling the party—although, in the end, as you can see, he didn’t. He must’ve known what Sheryl-sama would say later if he called it off.”
At hearing Break’s story, as you’d expect, Reim sighed deeply. He had no words.
…Rufus-sama really is a problem…
Reim muttered to himself, silently, and lifted the cup to his lips. Two sips, three, and the cup was empty again. Reim turned his gaze to the ring of people a short distance away. Rufus, who’d apparently already had quite a bit to drink, seemed to be in high spirits, fluttering his fan and reciting a poem in the center of the circle.
Like Reim, Break looked at Rufus and spoke, sounding impressed. “He’s completely recovered. I’d say Duke Barma is the one most enjoying the hanami at this point.”
“…Mm…” Reim said, briefly.
Break looked at him.
“I think he’s wanted to hold one of these for quite a while now…”
At Reim’s words, it all seemed to make sense to Break.
“So he was trying for two birds with one stone…or three birds, rather. That’s Duke Barma the strategist for you,” he added, admiringly.
Three birds…? Reim thought about what that meant. One was looking good in front of Sheryl. The second was his own desire. The third—Was it really…to reward me?
It might have been, and it might not. He didn’t know.
…And so Reim said “Pour,” thrusting his cup out at Break.
“Yes, yes,” Break said, and poured, smiling wryly. In return, Reim poured some for Break as well. “—Whoops!” Break said, deftly lifting the brimming cup to his lips.
Reim’s gaze shifted from Rufus to the people seated around him. Abruptly, he asked, “What about it? Does Sharon-sama enjoy drinking, too?”
“…Yes, well…”
Unusually for him, Break faltered. Reim gave a small sigh.
“I see. She doesn’t look as if she does.”
“‘Enjoy’ might not be the… Well, it should be fine. She said she wouldn’t drink today.”
Reim had wondered what would happen if she did drink, but he felt it wouldn’t be wise to ask, so he left it at that.
A close look at the circle revealed a variety of circumstances. Gilbert’s face was bright red; he’d already drunk himself insensible, and was being tended to by Oz and Ada. Sharon was watching the three of them fondly and darting discrete glances at the bottles of liquor, as if thinking, A little bit might be all right. Rufus was saying something, looking displeased by the fact that no one was paying attention to him.
Possibly this rice wine was more potent than its sweetness suggested, or possibly he was just tired. Reim could really hold his liquor, and even his cheeks were faintly flushed.
“I never thought my day off would turn out like this…” he muttered with a cynical smile.
Then…
Fwiiissh. The night wind picked up, blowing through the garden, shaking the branches of the great cherry tree and scattering blossoms. Pale-pink petals danced in the moonlight. The contrast with the darkness was beautiful, like something from a waking dream. In the midst of it all, Rufus’s long, vermillion hair fluttered, and his fan swam right and left, as though tracing the course of the petals.
It looked almost as if he was beckoning them to a world of mysterious, subtle beauty—
Before long, the wind subsided.
Reim, who’d involuntarily held his breath, let it out.
“Reim-san.”
Break called to him, a smile in his voice. Reim looked at him. He was pointing at Reim’s cup.
On the surface of the brimmi
ng cup of liquor, a single petal floated.
The full moon in the night sky was reflected there as well.
“I don’t think it gets more refined than that, do you?” Break said, cheerfully.
“…You’re right,” Reim agreed. He glanced at Rufus. Rufus was hiding his mouth behind his open fan and watching Reim with eyes slightly narrowed in a smile.
What dost thou think? he was asking Reim, proudly.
Good grief…
Muttering to himself on a sigh, Reim lifted the cup to his lips.
He drank down the liquor, the petal, and the full moon, all together. Break cheered him on: “That’s the spirit!”
Reim thought.
The rough report he’d drafted today, the one he had nowhere to send. When the party was over and he returned home, he thought, he’d write a report summarizing the day, to finish up.
Privately, he already knew what he’d write in it.
He took his well-worn notebook from his breast pocket, briskly scribbling a note on a blank page with his pen.
Then:
I’ll never be able to show this report to anyone, he thought.
The words he’d written in his notebook were:
“This sort of thing isn’t half bad, once in a while.”
~ Fin ~
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Contents
Cover
Insert
PandoraHearts ~Caucus Race~, Vol. 1 Page 17