AMARYLLIS IN THE ICE COUNTRY - Chapter 0 - Prologue

Prologue

The sun shined upon the little garden in the nursery.

鈥淒on’t cry anymore, Fuu. Okay?鈥?I did my best to appease the girl who was letting out large drops of tears.

However, no matter how much I tried to do so, she wouldn’t stop.

鈥淵uu! Apologize now!鈥?

鈥淚’m not in the wrong.鈥?Yuu pouted his lips to the side.

The biggest bully in the nursery just couldn’t get along with Fuu for some reason.

鈥淚t’s her fault for not kicking the ball to me anyway!鈥?

鈥淏ut Fuu’s the one who started playing with the ball first. Why did you snatch it away?鈥?

鈥淚 made her lend it to me, but she wouldn’t.鈥?

鈥淕oodness鈥︹€?

The sky-blue ball rolled at my feet, swaying leisurely in the breeze.

鈥淔uu, here’s the ball.鈥?

鈥淲aaahhh!鈥?

鈥淵uu, apologize.鈥?

鈥淒on’t wanna.鈥?

鈥擴u鈥hat do I do now?

鈥擨 really do love kids, but I’m really at my wit’s end in this situation.

鈥擶hat do I do? What do I do鈥?

Just when I was at a loss as to what to do,

鈥淥ya oya? What’s the matter?鈥?

The ball floated gently, and the man who picked it up showed his usual genial smile.

鈥淧rincipal鈥?鈥?

鈥淕ood work there,鈥?the principal consoled me as he smiled, the wrinkles on his face further emphasized as he patted on the heads of Yuu and Fuu.

鈥淵ou want to play with this ball?鈥?He asked tenderly, and Fuu nodded.

鈥淵ou want to play with this ball?鈥?Yuu was faced with the same question, and his head remained tilted aside as he nodded.

鈥淚 see, I see.鈥?

Principal nodded, and let the ball swirl rapidly on his fingertips. The sky blue ball rumbled as it spun on his index finger; Yuu and Fuu widened their eyes as they saw this.

鈥淪ince both of you want this ball鈥斺€?

Principal beamed and did a barehanded chopping action.

鈥淚 shall ‘half it’.鈥?

A hundred years passed thereafter.

Till this day, I can still recall the scenes of that day.

A blue, blue sky, a warm sun, a dazzling golden nursery, the impish face showed by the Principal, and kids showing sparkling eyes.

Time passed, the Principal passed away, Yuu, Fuu and the other kids became adults. They advanced in age and finally died off.

On this world, I am the only one who knew about all these. These memories will never fade away.

At the final moment, before my consciousness was cut off, I suddenly wondered.

Ah, Principal, my dear Principal鈥?

Is my ‘Halving’ considered a success?