“Hmph, do it.”
The gravekeeper said as he pinched my nose.
We were sitting side by side under a nearby tree.
“Hmph.”
I wiped my nose on his hand.
“Ah, your nose is so red.”
“Ugh.”
“Did you cry?”
I nodded slowly, and the gravekeeper smiled. Looking at his gentle face, I felt tears well up again.
‘Is it because I got caught doing sothing bad?’
I didn’t even understand why I kept crying. The less I understood, the more the tears ca.
But I don’t cry much, usually...!
“Yes, yes... sorry... ugh.”
“You haven’t cried enough yet.”
“But, ugh, who are you?”
“I told you. I’m the gravekeeper. See that hut over there?”
“Yes... amazing, ugh, amazing.”
“I don’t know what’s so amazing... Ah, you can’t stop crying. What should I do?”
Because of , the gravekeeper couldn’t do his work and was stuck. He frowned a little, then sighed deeply, as if he had no choice.
“Well, it can’t be helped. Let’s go to the hut. I’ll give you sothing to eat. Co on!”
“...Co on.”
The hand wiping the tears from my cheek was rough. It looked like the gravekeeper really worked hard at his job...
I held his hand and walked with him to the hut in the corner of the morial. The old hut was a bit shabby, but it felt cozy.
‘Void said she was the old witch.’
She looked more like an angelic old woman.
“Ugh.”
I sat at the old wooden table and rubbed my eyes.
Crying made feel like a real eight-year-old.
“Let’s see. Sweet things usually make you feel better, right? What would be good for a kid...”
The gravekeeper moved around, lighting a fire in the fireplace. A pot of stew was bubbling on one side.
Grrrrooo.
The sll made an odd sound co out of my stomach.
“You...”
The gravekeeper narrowed his eyes, and I quickly wrapped my arms around my stomach.
“...”
Ugh, why is this happening?
Now I look like a crying kid because I’m hungry...
And so, I suddenly beca a little kid eating dinner at the gravekeeper’s house.
“Ugh, this is spicy.”
The gravekeeper eagerly ate the spicy stew he made. He’d already gulped down two cups of water.
“Hey... you said you’d give sothing sweet.”
“Spicy food is better for stress. And I heard your stomach growl.”
I ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) pouted and looked down at the bowl in front of . The red, spicy stew looked like bubbling lava.
The gravekeeper laughed and handed a spoon.
“Try it. I didn’t put as much hot sauce in yours, so you should be able to eat it.”
“Why don’t you just not put any in it...”
“It’s delicious, I promise.”
I had no choice but to take a spoonful of the stew.
“Huh?”
“Delicious, right?”
“Yes! But it’s so spicy!”
I drank water repeatedly while still holding the spoon, refusing to let it go.
This intense taste. The taste of the world. The burning chicken taste of modern tis!
We sat facing each other at the old table, eating the spicy stew, sweating and puffing.
“So, how do you feel now?”
The gravekeeper offered so cold water.
I gulped it down and set the cup on the table.
“Phew. Yeah. I feel like I’ve been reborn...”
I had forgotten this taste.
Cried a bit, ate sothing spicy, and now I felt clear-headed. As I happily patted my stomach, sothing was suddenly pushed in front of .
“Wow, cocoa!”
“Does that an you forgive ? For crying.”
“Yes!”
Actually, it wasn’t because of the gravekeeper that I cried.
I smiled happily and drank the cocoa. Sweet! Bitter! Delicious!
“It’s so round and cute.”
The gravekeeper, resting his chin on his hand, was staring at intently.
“So, why were you at a place like that?”
“Um...”
I stopped drinking the cocoa and rolled my eyes.
“Anyway, I live here alone. There’s no one to talk to. Just tell .”
His gentle voice flowed like honey.
“I’m the old witch. They say I don’t talk to anyone and eat the kids who co to the morial.”
I thought of Void’s voice and tightened my grip on my mug.
Normally, I would have just dodged the question and run away.
‘It’s strange. For so reason... I can’t refuse.’
I didn’t want to run away now. It was like my urge to escape had faded.
I stared at the gravekeeper’s blue-tinged eyes. Sotis, it was easier to open up to soone you didn’t know well.
“A little... sothing’s bothering .”
“Really? What is it?”
“You know, people hate lies, right?”
“Generally, yes.”
My shoulders slumped.
“...Kids who lie are probably hated even more, right? They’d think I’m gloomy and sly...”
“Hmm, well, I think the ones who call kids like that gloomy and sly are worse. They talk about things they don’t understand.”
I glanced at the cocoa’s surface, then continued in a sad tone.
“The thing is... I lied to a friend.”
I spoke about my situation with Leviathan, though I didn’t say everything directly.
“But my friend didn’t know anything and kept being kind to , trying to get closer... It makes my heart ache every ti...”
“I see. Your friend might get angry if they find out they were lied to.”
“Ugh...”
I knew it, but hearing it out loud hurt...
“But why did you lie? Did you want to trick your friend?”
“That’s not it!”
I quickly turned my head and said it. The gravekeeper smiled warmly, his eyes gentle.
“That’s really... not it. I....”
I couldn’t fully explain. The frustration swelled in my chest.
“It’s just... the situation couldn’t be helped...”
“You...”
A soft cloth appeared, wiping the cocoa drops from my hand.
“You really like that friend, don’t you?”
I sat there for a mont, thinking, and then slowly nodded.
“...Yeah. I really like them. They’re really important to .”
I liked Leviathan, and I liked all of the Jebert family who treated kindly.
But every ti, I felt guilty because I knew this love wasn’t truly mine.
If they ever found out everything was a lie, would they still care for ?
To be honest, I didn’t even fully understand my situation when I ca to the North with Uncle.
The secrets I made because of my complicated situation were now tightening around my neck.
“I don’t want to be hated...”
I was afraid of being abandoned, and my heart shrank to the size of a bean.
“Ahh, you little crybaby.”
The gravekeeper hugged and comforted as I began to cry again.
I cried in his arms for a long ti. After a while, as my sobbing slowed, the gravekeeper gently wiped my face.
“Kid, what is it that you really want?”
His gentle voice and warm expression made feel hypnotized. I wiped my tears and thought about it.
What did I want? Of course, it was...
“I want... to stay by that friend’s side. Always... without leaving...”
“Then why not just do what you want and not think about anything else?”
“Huh?”
When I blinked, more tears fell. The gravekeeper raised his eyebrows sadly and smiled.
“Right now, if the situation makes you unable to tell the truth, you can say it later. If you explain it slowly, I’m sure your friend will understand. That friend is a good person, right?”
“Sotis they’re a good person, and sotis they’re not.”
“That’s... a sharp analysis.”
The gravekeeper chuckled.
I looked at the hand wiping my face in a daze and asked,
“Do you think I can still be forgiven, even though I lied?”
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