Card Story: Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings (Figaro, Snow, White, Arthur, Mitile, Akira)

Card Episode: Giving Form to My Feelings for You (Figaro, Akira)

Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings: Chapter 1

[Location: Figaro's room, morning]

Figaro: Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings?

Akira: Yes. Given that your birthday’s approaching, I thought it might be time for me to invite you to partake in one.

Figaro:What a nice thing to hear from you, Master Sage. With that being said, may I know why these two are here?

Snow: We simply came across our dear Sage here.

White: And upon learning that they were on their way to your room, we decided to accompany them.

White: After all, the Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings is a ceremony that we have only just recently learned from old documents.

Figaro: I’ve heard several stories about it. It’s a ceremony that has been passed down through many generations of Sages and their wizards, right?

Figaro: Apparently it’s a ceremony that is said to promote health, magic and even wealth when performed at a time when blessings are most likely to gather.

Akira: Honestly, I’m not very sure about its exact effects either, but all the wizards who have conducted the ritual so far have experienced positive things.

Akira: That’s why I wanted to ask you if you’d like to perform it as well.

Figaro: Well, there’s no way I’d turn that down. I’ll definitely be in your care.

Snow: During the ceremony, the person conducting it is to receive words of blessings from the people they share an affinity with, as well as the Sage.

White: We deeply hope you are looking forward to our blessings.

Figaro: You two already decided to be part of the lineup, did you?

Snow, White: Hohoho. We are your mentors, after all.

Figaro: Thanks, I guess. I’m looking forward to it.

Figaro: Of course, that includes your blessing too, Master Sage.

Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings: Chapter 2

[Location: Manor's lounge, morning]

Akira: Everyone, thank you for taking the time to gather here today.

Arthur: It’s an honor to have been invited to this. Lord Figaro has provided me with guidance countless times.

Mitile: Same goes for me! I’ve always secretly wanted to send my blessings to Doctor Figaro in this ceremony, so this makes me really happy.

Snow: What good children you two are.

White: Figaro will surely be thrilled to receive blessings from such adorable children as the four of us.

Mitile: I wonder what my message should be. I’m usually too shy to tell him upfront, but there are lots of things I want to say to him.

Mitile: I love him, and I appreciate him always being there for me, but…

Akira: Mitile?

Mitile: Sometimes, I feel like I don’t really know him as well as I think I do. I’ve asked him all kinds of things, but I’ve always felt like he was dodging my questions when he answered

Mitile: I’ve always wished that I knew him as well as he knows me…

Mitile: S-Sorry. That must’ve sounded weird. Please forget everything I said just now.

Arthur: You aren’t the only one who feels that way, Mitile. I do, too. There’s no need to apologize.

Arthur: It’s easy to see that Lord Figaro is a very important person to you.

Snow: Exactly as Arthur said. And you say you do not know Figaro well, but honestly, neither do we.

White: I am certain that you have many stories about Figaro that belong only to you. Will you share a few with us?

Mitile: Stories that belong only to me…

Mitile: A long time ago, I fell and hurt my leg on my way home from school.

Mitile began sharing a memory with us that he had recalled.

Mitile: My brother was still at school at that time, so I went to Doctor Figaro’s clinic all by myself, trying not to cry.

Mitile: He praised me a lot for being strong and traveling to his clinic all by myself. I ended up crying because of how reassured I felt.

Mitile: He then tried to comfort me by using his magic to show me illusions of flowers and animals… And while I was watching them, I didn’t even notice that the pain I was feeling had gone away.

Mitile smiled as he told us the story of his precious memory. Listening to him warmed my heart.

Snow: Ohoh, so that happened.

White: Quite a heartwarming memory that is.

Arthur: That is indeed a lovely story; it truly encompasses the deep bond between you two. Thank you for sharing it with us, Mitile.

Mitile: Hehehe. It’s one of my most cherished memories.

Mitile: I hope… Doctor Figaro still remembers that day.

Akira: I’m sure he does.

Mitile: Yeah!

Our hearts filled with warmth, we began thinking of our words of blessings.

Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings: Chapter 3

[Location: Lake in the Southern Country, night]

It was finally the night of the ceremony. We decided to hold it by a lake in the Southern Country near Figaro’s clinic.

A place that is closely associated with the wizard and is rich in nature is always the best spot to conduct the ceremony.

Akira: I’ll begin now. Please close your eyes.

Figaro: Okie dokie.

It was the twins who provided his clothes for this ceremony. After I made sure he had his eyes closed, I placed a hand on his chest.

Akira: First, Arthur’s words of blessing.

Akira: ”Happy birthday, Lord Figaro. I wish you nothing but a joyful year. When you return, I’d love for you to share all sorts of knowledge with me, as you always have.”

Akira: And then Mitile’s…

Akira: ”To the cool and kind Doctor Figaro, I love you a lot! Let’s make many, many more memories in the future. Happy birthday.”

Akira: And then, from Snow and White…

Akira: ”Figaro. As your fellow mentors, we are always willing to lend a helping hand should you be in need. We will be relying on you in the future as well.”

Akira: And lastly, from me…

Akira: Happy birthday, Figaro. Thank you for always being there for me. I wish you the happiest and most precious year.

Once I was done, I felt a bit of warmth rise in his chest. Figaro quietly opened his eyes, most likely feeling the same warmth.

Akira: …How do you feel?

Figaro: It’s kind of embarrassing. It’s not like I receive compliments like those everyday.

Figaro: But they definitely made me happy.

Akira: (I’m glad they made him feel that way.)

Just as I was feeling relieved, something glowing fluttered before me: a number of butterflies.

Akira: Wah, the butterflies are glowing…?

Figaro: ...These are moonlight butterflies.

Akira: Moonlight butterflies?

Figaro: As the name says, they’re butterflies that bask in the moonlight. They’re very rare, and seldom witnessed.

Akira: Wow, so they’re that scarce…

Figaro: This brings me back to when Mitile and Rutile were young. They saw these butterflies in a picture book and tried to look for the real ones countless times.

Figaro: They couldn’t find them at all, so I secretly used magic to show them illusions of these butterflies, and they jumped in joy at the sight.

The moonlight butterflies flew through the night, leaving trails of blue-white light. Figaro’s eyes were gentle as he watched them.

Figaro: But… the real ones are more beautiful than I could’ve ever recreated.

Akira: (They really are… I’m sure Figaro would love to show the real moonlight butterflies to the brothers…)

Akira: That’s right. When we get back, how about you tell them that you saw real moonlight butterflies and show them an illusion again?

Figaro: Tell Mitile and Rutile?

Akira: Yes. I’m sure they’ll be happy to recall that memory…

Figaro: Hmm, I don’t know… I’m not sure if they even remember it at all. They were still young at that time.

Figaro’s words reminded me of Mitile when he shared one of his memories with Figaro.

Akira: …They’ll remember it! You can trust me!

Figaro: ………

Akira: Ah, s-sorry for suddenly speaking loudly.

I hurriedly apologized, andFigaro, whose eyes had widened in surprise, promptly huffed and broke into a smile.

Figaro: Don’t be. That made me happy. You’re right. If they were that happy at the time, then they must remember it.

Figaro: Besides, even if they forgot, we can always just make new memories again. Like seeing the moonlight butterflies together.

Akira: Figaro…

Figaro: With that being said, should we call Mitile and the others to come here now? Well, these butterflies might not be here by the time we get back here, but…

Akira: But…?

Figaro: That only means we can make new memories of coming here and looking for the butterflies together.

Akira: ……!

Figaro: Well then, shall we head back?

Akira: Okay!

Even if the butterflies disappeared, it would still be a fun and unforgettable night. What a wonderful thing to imagine.

Surrounded by the illumination of the moonlight butterflies, we excitedly hurried back to the manor.

Card Episode: Giving Form to My Feelings for You

[Location: Figaro’s room, morning]

Akira: Hm, Figaro? Are you drinking in broad daylight?

Figaro: No way! I wasn’t going to drink it; I meant to put it on display.

Figaro: It’s the one Arthur gave to me as a birthday gift.

Akira: I see. Sorry for jumping to conclusions. That looks like a really elegant bottle, like it has some sort of grandeur to it.

Figaro: Right? It’s quite the famous wine in Central Country, and not one that’s easily obtained.

Figaro: I had a taste when I first got it, and it was really great.

Figaro: And to top it all off, Mitile also gave me some snacks to accompany the drink.

Akira: Mitile did?

Figaro: He made them with Nero. Seems like they prepared those for me to enjoy with my drink, since it was my birthday and all.

Figaro: Though of course, I also received a stern reminder not to drink too much.

Akira: Ahaha. But it was a pleasant surprise, wasn’t it? By the way, what did Snow and White get you?

Figaro: They gave me a “Ticket to Have Us All to Yourself”. Two tickets, too, since they gave one to me separately.

Figaro: I don’t want to have those two to myself… But I appreciate the sentiment in any case, and I’ll probably make use of their gift in the future.

Akira: (Figaro looks really happy right now. I’m glad he had a fun birthday.)

Special Home Screen Line

Figaro: Of course I love my birthday. But I also love the days leading up to it. Because during those days, all your minds are all filled with thoughts of me, right? I find it endearing how much you get hung up on wondering if I’ll be surprised or happy.