Nana Tamanoi's What-If: The Day She Was Fired from the Ranfoo Grand Circus - Beyond the stall, a stage for two.

Morning light filtered thinly through the cracks in the old brick. Tamanoi Nana stretched wide, still staring up at the tattered tent ceiling. Her back cracked and popped. She'd slept on burlap spread over the ground last night, so every part of her body ached. (*Ahh, I'm hungry*) Her stomach growled audibly. "Nana, good morning." She turned to see Eve standing at the tent entrance. Her waist-length pure white hair shimmered silver in the morning light. Her large crimson eyes gazed steadily at Nana. "Morning, Eve! It's another beautiful day!" Nana sprang to her feet. The hair behind her ears of her black short bob bounced as she moved. "Yes. The wind feels nice." Eve smiled quietly. It was a soft, gentle smile, like a flower blooming. The two of them lived at the old brick factory site in southern Kasselma. In the vacant lot of a factory that had been shut down over twenty years ago, there stood a single ragged tent that someone had abandoned. Nana and Eve had made it the base of the "Pochette Circus." Around them stretched the crumbling remains of kilns and an overgrown vacant lot. It was a quiet place where stray cats gathered at night. "Alright! Today we're fixing this tent for sure!" Nana clenched both fists, brimming with determination. The tent had holes everywhere. The ceiling fabric was torn, and the entrance flap was half ripped off. If it rained, the inside would be soaked. "Let's start by patching that big hole." Nana pressed a wooden board she'd scavenged from the scrap yard against the tent pole. "Eve, hold that side!" "Okay." Eve pressed down on the edge of the board with her small hands. Nana tried to wrap hemp rope around the board. But the rope was too short. No matter how many times she wound it, it came undone immediately. "Hmm, no good. We don't have enough rope." Nana wiped the sweat from her forehead and sighed. "We're short on cloth too, and we don't have any nails... what do we do?" That's when it happened. "—What are you two doing over there?" A low, raspy voice called out. Nana spun around in surprise. At the entrance to the scrap yard stood a small elderly woman. Her white hair was tied back in a single bundle, and her pale blue eyes glared sharply at Nana and Eve. There was a small burn scar on her right cheek. Her posture was straight and upright, and an old shawl hung over her shoulders. "W-Who are you?" Nana instinctively took a step back. The old woman snorted. "I'm Madeleine. Madeleine Hoffmann. I run a general store on the corner of Riverside Street." The old woman who introduced herself as Madeleine strode boldly into the scrap yard. "Playing circus in a dump like this? Two young girls, what odd ducks you are." "It's not playing! We're seriously going to run a circus!" Nana shot back, annoyed. Madeleine heard Nana's words and chuckled deep in her throat. "Seriously, is it? And does that 'serious' business involve living in a tent full of holes?" "That's... we just started, so..." Nana's voice shrank to a mumble. At that moment, Eve walked over to Madeleine with small, toddling steps. "Grandma Madeleine, good morning." Eve gave a polite bow. "Oh, Eve. So you really were here." Madeleine's voice softened just a little. "Yes. I'm building a circus here with Nana." "Hmph. Is that so." Madeleine crossed her arms and looked up at the tent. "You haven't been taking the bread I leave behind my shop lately. I was wondering what happened." "...I'm sorry. But Nana bought me roasted sweet potatoes." Eve lowered her gaze slightly. "No need to apologize. I left that bread out for someone to eat in the first place." Nana listened to their conversation, dumbfounded. (*This old lady knows Eve?*) (*And bread...?*) Madeleine noticed Nana's stare and snorted again. "You're new, aren't you. If you're going to look after Eve, at least earn enough to buy her a piece of candy." "C-Candy...?" "Eve used to buy candy at my shop. Bright red candy drops. 0.02 regal each. You didn't know?" Nana looked at Eve's face. Eve nodded. "Grandma Madeleine doesn't throw stones at me when I go into her shop. She gives me candy. She's the bread-and-candy grandma." Eve said this and giggled softly. Madeleine's eyes narrowed slightly at that smile. "...You're called the cursed child, aren't you. Any normal shop would chase you out. But my shop is my shop. Who I sell to and what I sell is my business." Madeleine's voice was brusque. But beneath those words, Nana felt a quiet warmth spreading. (*This person... she's really protecting Eve.*) Something tightened in Nana's chest. "...Thank you, ma'am. For looking out for Eve." Nana bowed her head. "Don't get the wrong idea. I've got no reason to accept thanks from you. I only left that bread out because I don't want rats swarming behind my shop." Madeleine said this and turned her back. "Wait!" Nana called after her. "What is it?" "Um... would you like to stay for some tea? I can boil water." Nana pointed to a small iron pot sitting beside the broken kiln. "I'm busy, you know. If I don't open my shop, my sales drop to zero." Madeleine said this and started walking toward the scrap yard exit. But halfway there, she stopped in her tracks. "...You two are planning to fix that tent, aren't you." "Yeah!" "Then use this." Madeleine set down the large cloth bag she'd been carrying over her shoulder with a thud. "W-What is this?" "Cloth and rope. Unsold stock from my shop. I'm leaving it because it's in the way. I didn't know what to do with it." Madeleine said this and, this time without looking back, left the scrap yard. Nana timidly opened the cloth bag on the ground. Inside were several sheets of sturdy-looking canvas and bundles of thick hemp rope. "Amazing... we can use all of this!" Nana's face lit up. "Grandma Madeleine really is kind." Eve crouched down beside Nana and peered into the bag. "Yeah. She's got a sharp tongue, but she's really kind!" Nana hugged the canvas tightly. It smelled of old cloth. But somehow, it was a very warm smell. (*There are people on our side in Kasselma too.*) A small light flickered to life in Nana's heart. * * * "Alright, how's this!" Nana patched the hole in the tent ceiling with the canvas from Madeleine. She tied the rope tight, securing the cloth so the wind wouldn't blow it away. "Eve, how's your side?" "Good. Just a little more over here." Eve was sewing the tent entrance flap with needle and thread. Eve was good at sewing. Her small hands carefully stitched the fabric together. Her movements were far more precise than an adult's, with no wasted motion. "Eve, you're really skilled." Nana peered at Eve's hands in admiration. "My mother taught me. She used to sew circus costumes a long time ago." Eve said this, looking a bit shy. "Wow, your mother must have been amazing." "Yes. But she's gone now." Eve's voice grew just a little quieter. Nana was momentarily at a loss for words. (*Eve's been through a lot too.*) Nana gently stroked Eve's white hair. "It's okay. I'm here." Eve looked up at Nana. Her crimson eyes caught the morning light and flashed gold. "Yes. I'm okay too, because Nana is here." The two looked at each other and smiled. * * * By the time the tent repairs were finished, the sky had grown completely bright. "Done! Now we'll be fine even if it rains!" Nana put her hands on her hips and looked up at the tent with satisfaction. "Yes. It's much sturdier now." Eve also looked up at the tent happily. "Someday, we're going to fill this tent with customers." Nana's voice was buoyant. "But first, we need to earn money. We don't have anything—living expenses, food money, nothing." Nana patted her own stomach. "Nana, are you hungry?" "Yeah. Really hungry. But we don't have money to buy food..." Nana's shoulders slumped dejectedly. "Then should I sing at the market?" "Huh? You, Eve?" "Yes. I'm not great at singing, but I can play the organ." Eve brought out a hand-cranked organ from inside the tent. "That's it! That's the answer, Eve!" Nana clapped her hands. "I'll sing and play the drum! You play the organ! We'll do street performances together!" "Street performances...?" "Yes! We'll do a song-and-drum street act at the Harbor District market! Then customers might give us money!" Nana's eyes sparkled. "But can we even do street performances without a permit?" Eve tilted her head, looking a little worried. "It's fine! If we keep it small in a corner of the market, nobody will care. I used to sing on street corners to promote the circus back in the day." Nana said this, puffing out her chest. "...Okay. I understand. I'll do it with you, Nana." Eve nodded. "Alright! Then let's get ready!" Nana pulled out a small drum from the corner of the scrap yard. It was the only personal belonging she'd managed to take with her when she was thrown out of the Ranfoo Grand Circus. Not the large Japanese drum she'd used on stage, but a small practice drum. Still, to Nana, it was a treasure. "A drum, and we need to make a sign too." Nana found a wooden board and a lump of charcoal. "Let's write 'Pochette Circus'!" Nana wrote large characters on the board with the charcoal. "...Nana, the letters are a little crooked." "Huh? Where?" "The 'Po' part." "Hmm, doesn't matter! It's got character, right!" Nana grinned. Eve giggled. * * * The Harbor District market was bustling from early morning. Fishmongers laid out silver fish on ice, greengrocers piled colorful fruits into wooden crates. Sausages hanging from the butcher's stall swayed in the sea breeze. The shouts of vendors and the clatter of cart wheels mingled in a chaotic din. Nana set down her drum in an empty space near the market entrance. "Alright, let's do it here!" Nana propped the handmade sign against the ground. *Pochette Circus* The charcoal letters stood out in the morning light. "Eve, ready?" "Yes." Eve held the organ and stood slightly behind Nana. Nana took a deep breath. (*It's fine. I've stood on stage before. Singing in front of people is what I'm good at.*) Nana gripped the drumsticks. —*Don!* The first strike. The drum's sound echoed softly through the market bustle. But no one stopped. —*Don! Don!* Nana kept the rhythm. (*Not yet. The sound is still too small.*) Nana struck the drum harder. —*Dodon! Dodon!* And she began to sing. "♪—The moonlight sways upon the river's surface—" It was the song of memories with Sieg—*Moonlit Drum*. The song she'd sung over and over on the Ranfoo Grand Circus stage. The song the old lion Sieg had walked gracefully to, matching Nana's drum. Nana's voice melted into the market air. "♪—A promise from the distant past—" Eve began turning the organ's crank. *Kii, korokoro...* The sound of old gears accompanied Nana's song. The two of them made a small flower bloom in the corner of the market. But people still didn't stop. People buying fish, people picking vegetables, people hurrying past. (*No one's watching.*) A small pain pricked Nana's heart. (*Can't they hear my song?*) Still, Nana didn't stop singing. (*I'll sing. Because singing is all I can do.*) Nana put more strength into her drumming hands. —*Dodon! Dodon!* That's when it happened. "...Mommy, look." A small boy tugged at his mother's hand and pointed toward Nana. "What is it?" "Drum. The big sister is playing the drum." The boy's eyes sparkled as he stared at Nana's drum. Nana met the boy's eyes. (*Ah, he's watching.*) Nana's heart skipped a beat. Nana smiled at the boy. And she changed the rhythm—more fun, more energetic. —*Dondokodon! Dondokodon!* The boy started clapping his hands. "Amazing! The big sister is amazing!" At the boy's voice, the surrounding adults began glancing toward Nana. "Oh, a street performance." "Huh, drum and song. That takes me back." "That girl's pretty good for someone so small." One by one, more people sto

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Episode 3

Name: Nana Tamanoi's What-If: The Day She Was Fired from the Ranfoo Grand Circus
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