Interlude: The Dream Seen by a Girl
It happened when I, Hinata Soehi, was five years old.
I was caught up in a certain Natural Talent Lux incident and saved by an Exia.
“You did well.”
I still can’t forget her smile, hidden behind an iron mask covering the upper half of her face.
From that day on, my dream was to become an Exia.
When I enthusiastically spoke about it, my mother’s expression became complex.
She must have been worried about her daughter.
Still, she supported me without denying it, and I was completely set on that path.
However, on my seventh birthday.
I was not given a Natural Talent Lux.
Almost all women receive their Natural Talent Lux on their seventh birthday.
It’s called the Divine Revelation, apparently.
At noon on your birthday, the sound of a bell rings in your head, and with that blessing, you learn about your Natural Talent Lux and the compensatory Umbra.
My heart, which had been looking forward to this even more than Christmas Eve, plummeted the moment the date changed.
No, rather, I couldn’t understand what had happened.
Thinking things like, “Nothing happened at all,”
or “Maybe today isn’t my birthday?”
or “Maybe God made a mistake?”
I can still vividly remember how my parents’ faces grew increasingly pale after noon passed, while I was lost in such thoughts.
Girls who aren’t given a Natural Talent Lux are extremely rare in this day and age.
It’s about one in ten thousand.
Even as dawn broke, I couldn’t believe that I was one of them.
How many days later was it when I correctly recognized that my dream had been closed off?
When I accidentally saw my mother crying alone in her room.
I realized that my dream had ended before I could even pursue it.
And what pained me just as much was the rejection from those around me.
My friends up until then quickly distanced themselves from me.
I was saddened when I learned that kids from other classes I didn’t even know were told, “Don’t associate with that girl.”
But this reaction from others was unavoidable.
Not receiving a Natural Talent Lux meant more than “simply not getting a special power.”
To explain it in simple terms, it’s like this:
About a hundred years before the world’s first Natural Talent Lux was confirmed, and several decades before that,
a stone monument was discovered in a church located in what is now the Republic of Turkey.
In Japanese, it supposedly read:
“When a perfect human is born, they shall be granted a divine gift beyond human understanding.”
In other words, it meant “When a perfect person is born, they will awaken to a supernatural ability.”
This was considered a prophecy from God—and indeed, several decades later, humanity would come to possess Natural Talent Lux.
Therefore, in modern times, not having a Natural Talent Lux was synonymous with “God branding you as ‘imperfect’.”
This is also a major reason why men, who are less likely to awaken to Natural Talent Lux, have a lower social standing.
So, as a girl who wasn’t granted a Natural Talent Lux, I was shunned by those around me.
This situation continued for nearly a year and a half, and seeing me grow darker day by day, my mother suggested we move and change schools.
And there—I met that person.
“We’re the Soehi who recently moved in next door. Nice to meet you… Oh?”
When I went with my mother to greet the neighbors,
the one who came out of the Japanese-style house next door was a young boy.
Though he seemed a few years older than me.
“Ah, thank you for your kindness. I’m Ibusuki.”
“My, my, what a fine young man…!”
My mother was surprised to see such a young boy, but she was even more surprised by his mature demeanor that belied his age.
“…Hm? So-e-hi… Soe-hi…?”
“Oh my! You figured it out well. That’s right, it’s an unusual name, isn’t it?”
“Y-yes, it is.”
His eyes, nodding somewhat awkwardly, turned to me as I peeked out from behind my mother.
“────Whaaat!?”
“…!”
I flinched at the sudden shout.
My mother, as if suddenly remembering, pushed me forward.
“That’s right, this is my daughter, Hinata. I think you’re close in age, so please get along?”
“Yes… Um, I’m Ibuki Ibusuki. Nice to meet you?”
I remember his words were somehow in a questioning tone, but what happened after that is a blur in my memory.
I only remember feeling somewhat displeased when we got home because my mother kept praising him, saying things like, “He was so polite for such a young boy, wasn’t he?”
And then, that feeling was overwritten by an even greater surprise when I went to school.
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“Wow! Look, it’s Ibuki-kun!”
“Ah, you’re right~!”
One week after transferring schools.
I had already heard such reactions from my classmates countless times.
Apparently, the boy who introduced himself to me that day was quite popular at school (especially among the girls).
The reason was his Natural Talent Lux.
The probability of a male receiving one was about one in ten thousand.
Yes, the same as the probability of a female not receiving one.
I thought they were mocking me.
There’s nothing wrong with that person.
I know that full well.
I was just sick of it.
Sick of all the fuss about Natural Talent Lux.
Since our first introduction, I hadn’t spoken to him once.
I never even wanted to talk to him actively.
We had no connection other than being next-door neighbors.
Moreover, we were in different grades—I was in third grade, and he was in sixth.
I even felt relieved by the distant three-year gap.
Because talking to him would only make me feel miserable.
On one hand, he was popular just for being a boy with a Natural Talent Lux.
On the other hand, I was an outcast just for being a girl without one.
It was obvious, but changing schools didn’t change my situation.
After about a week since transferring,
“Sigh…”
I found myself alone, gloomily facing my locker in the midst of a cheerful class.
I dispassionately observed that it was finally getting into full swing.
The previous period was P.E. class.
Carelessly leaving my casual clothes behind became my undoing, and they were now covered in mud.
Even if I told a teacher, they probably wouldn’t care.
I’m used to this level of harassment, so it’s not a problem.
…The only depressing thing was that I’d make my mother cry when I got home.
But I wasn’t “granted” the power to resist.
So I silently put them on, planning to quietly go home after school—
“Hinata-chan…?”
I ran into him.
We bumped into each other in front of the park on the way home from school.
“…Hello, onii-san.”
Clean clothes, a well-groomed face, a bright personality, popular, blessed with a Natural Talent Lux—the complete opposite of me.
Having someone like that in front of me put me in the worst mood.
Although he had introduced himself, I had no intention of calling him by name.
That’s why I deliberately used the formal “onii-san.”
Looking back now, what a petty act of spite it was.
After two years of being bullied by people, I had become quite twisted.
“W-what happened? Did you fall down?”
Either oblivious to my prickly attitude or ignoring it, he focused only on my appearance.
His incredibly peaceful assumption almost made me laugh through my nose.
I didn’t want to tell the truth and receive half-hearted concern or comfort from someone so naive.
So I thought, and then,
“That’s right! I just fell down over there~”
I smiled brightly and lied.
If I act cheerful, maybe he’ll go away soon.
He stared at me intently.
And then—he grabbed my hand.
“Huh…!? Wait, a boy shouldn’t…!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Having never been touched by a man other than my father in my life, my mind went blank.
Ignoring my reaction, he grinned and pulled me into the park.
When we reached the sandbox, he let go of my hand. And then,
“Orryaaaah!”
He rolled around on the ground by himself.
“Huh…?”
Since he was thrashing about on the dirt, he ended up in quite a state.
As I stood there dumbfounded, he said, “Come on, we’re neighbors, let’s go home together,” and took my hand again.
I had no idea what he wanted to do, or what he had done.
At this point, it seemed foolish even to think about it, so I passively let myself be pulled along.
Before I knew it, we had arrived home, and he unhesitatingly pressed the doorbell.
“Ah, wait…”
As I panicked, thinking things like “I have a key” or “I still need an excuse,” the door opened.
My mother peeked out and seemed surprised to see me covered in mud.
“…………”
As I bit my lip, beside me, he,
“I’m sorry!”
Bowed his head to my mother.
“We were playing, and Hinata-chan got all muddy!”
“──……!”
I’m surprised, my eyes wide open.
—I’m not the only one covered in mud.
My mother, who was just as surprised as I was, immediately breaks into a broad smile.
“Oh my, it’s fine, don’t worry about it. I’ll go heat up the bath now, so wait a little, okay?”
Saying that, my mother cheerfully invites him in.
“Come on, let’s go, Hinata-chan.”
Once again, that person takes my hand.
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