Nana Tamanoi's What-If: The Day She Was Fired from the Ranfoo Grand Circus - Arson, everything about the two who burn

Nana hung the freshly washed cloths one by one on the twine strung outside the tent. The autumn sun was already high, and the wind carried the dry scent of earth. The old brick factory ruins were quiet again today. In the shadow of a broken kiln, a stray cat yawned. "Alright, that's all of it for today!" Nana planted her hands on her hips and gazed at the row of laundry. The hair behind her ears of her black bob bounced in the wind. "Nana, let me help too," Eve poked her face out from the tent entrance. Her white hair caught the sunlight, glowing softly. Her crimson eyes gazed straight at Nana. "You can rest inside, Eve. You've been practicing the organ since morning, right?" "But doing it alone is boring," So saying, Eve stood beside Nana and poked at the laundry with her finger. "This cloth is the one Grandma Madeleine gave us, isn't it?" "Yeah, yeah. She's got a sharp tongue, but she's really a good person. We patched up a lot of the tent holes with this cloth." About a week had passed since the two of them began living in the vacant lot of the scrap yard. The tent was still as tattered as ever. But the holes that let rain leak in had decreased. At night, if they huddled together to sleep, they could somehow endure the cold. More than anything, Eve was there. That alone was enough to keep Nana's heart warm. "Hey, Nana," "What is it?" "Tonight, will you sing for me while we look at the stars?" "Of course! I'll let you hear plenty of my singing!" Nana stretched both hands toward the sky. That was when it happened. "——Huh. You've still got that blissfully empty head of yours, I see." A cold voice flew in from the entrance of the scrap yard. Nana turned around. A girl with loose tangerine-colored curls tied into buns on either side of her head stood with her arms crossed. Half-lidded grass-green eyes. An ink stain on her left wrist. It was Mimoza, the apprentice bookkeeper of the Ranfoo Grand Circus. "Mimoza…… why are you here?" Nana's voice stiffened slightly. Mimoza shrugged and slowly approached. "The cleanup after you got fired—I was the one who had to do it. Did you know that?" "……I didn't know." "I figured you wouldn't." Mimoza glanced around the scrap yard with apparent disinterest. "And yet here you are, living in a place like this garbage dump. I'm impressed." "We're going to do a circus. Mine and Eve's—the Pochette Circus." Nana stepped forward, as if shielding Eve behind her back. "Oh, really." Mimoza laughed through her nose. "So, the main reason I'm here," Mimoza pulled a folded bundle of papers from her breast pocket. "Take a look at this." "……What is this?" "A copy of Galdo's fraudulent accounting. I secretly transcribed the ledgers. That ringmaster is hiding part of the sales and evading taxes. And that's not all. He's been skimming from the troupe members' wages and lining his own pockets." Nana stared at the bundle of papers. Fine numbers were packed densely across the pages. "You…… this……" "I'm going to deliver your grievances to the newspaper company and bring Galdo down. That's my plan." Mimoza smiled sweetly. "You two are the ammunition for that. That's enough, isn't it?" Something snapped inside Nana's head. "——Don't mess with me." Nana's voice trembled, low and sharp. "Neither I nor Eve are tools for your revenge. We have no reason to be used by you." Nana kept Eve firmly hidden behind her back. "Don't drag Eve into your selfish scheme." Mimoza's grass-green eyes widened slightly. "……Oh my. You actually get that angry." "Of course I do! Eve is my partner!" Nana glared straight at Mimoza. Eve watched Mimoza from behind Nana's back. Her eyes were calm. Mimoza looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment, then let out a small sigh. "……Fine. I'll back off for today. But don't come crying to me whatever happens to you." Mimoza tucked the bundle of papers back into her breast pocket and turned away. "See you." With that, she left the scrap yard. Nana slowly unclenched her fist. "……Are you okay, Eve?" "Mm. Because you protected me." Eve gently grabbed the hem of Nana's clothes. "But, Nana. That person might not actually be a bad person." "……Why do you think that?" "Because her eyes looked lonely." Nana couldn't say anything. * * * Night fell. Inside the tent, Nana was beating a wooden crate as a makeshift drum. Thump, thump-thump. The usual rhythm. But Mimoza's words from the daytime wouldn't leave her head. (We're ammunition……) (Just being used……) Nana stopped her hands on the wooden crate. "Nana," Eve sat down beside her, holding the hand-cranked organ. "I haven't heard today's song yet." "……Right. That's true." Nana forced a smile. "Then I'll sing. What do you want to hear?" "I want to hear a song you like, Nana." "A song I like…… well, that one, of course. The song I used to perform on stage with Sieg." Nana touched the earring on her left ear. The silver lion felt cold against her fingertip. "Yeah. I want to hear it." Eve began turning the organ's crank. Squeak, rattle-rattle…… Nana struck the wooden crate. Thump, thump, thump-thump. Their sounds layered together in the night tent. Nana began to sing. The song of memories she had sung on stage with Sieg. The applause and cheers of the audience. The heat of the spotlight. The smell of the lion's mane. All of it was inside the song. Eve's organ nestled close to Nana's voice. The sounds became one. ——That was when it happened. Crack. Outside the tent, something burst with a sharp sound. Nana stopped singing. "……That sound just now." "From outside." The two exchanged glances. Nana stood and pulled back the tent's entrance flap. ——Orange light was surging right before her eyes. "Fire!?" Oil that had been scattered around the tent had caught fire. The flames were spreading across the ground, crawling like living things. "Eve, get down!" Nana shouted. The next instant, the flames leapt onto the tent fabric. Whoosh. The dry cloth ignited with a roar. "Nana!" "Eve, give me your hand!" Nana dashed into the tent. Smoke stung her eyes. It was hot. Eve was in the corner of the tent, clutching the organ. "Eve, forget the organ! Hurry!" Nana grabbed Eve's arm and pulled her close. "But, this is……" "I said forget it!" Shielding Eve with her body, Nana ran through the flames. The tent collapsed with crackling sounds. Hot wind singed her hair. "——!" Nana threw herself out of the tent, holding Eve. They tumbled onto the ground. "Cough, cough……" Coughing, Nana looked back. The tent was burning. Crimson flames stretched toward the sky. The hand-cranked organ, the hemp pouch, the wooden crate that served as a drum—everything was burning. "……Ah." Nana tried to stand. "Nana, no! You can't go back in!" Eve clung to Nana's arm. "But, that's our……" "Please, don't go!" Eve's voice was trembling. Nana stopped in her tracks. The flames swallowed the tent. Everything was burning. * * * In the vacant lot where they had fled, the two watched the tent blaze. Eve sat on the ground. Her face was smudged with soot. Her pure white hair was singed in places. "……When I'm around, fire grows bigger." Eve murmured quietly. "Huh?" "Because I was there, the fire grew bigger. It's my fault. Because I'm a child of calamity." Tears spilled from Eve's large crimson eyes. "No! It's not your fault, Eve!" Nana wrapped her arms tightly around Eve's shoulders. "No! He did this! Galdo burned us!" Nana pointed at the fragments of an oil jar left on the ground. "Look! This is an oil jar! And these footprints—two sets! Someone scattered oil and set the fire! It's arson!" Eve raised her tear-streaked face. "……Arson?" "That's right! It's not because of your Veela or anything! Galdo did all of this!" Nana's voice was loud enough to rival the roar of the flames. Eve buried her face in Nana's chest. "……I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Nana." "Don't apologize. You haven't done anything wrong." Nana rubbed Eve's back over and over. The flames gradually shrank. The tent no longer held its shape. * * * Morning came. Thin white smoke still rose from the burnt remains. Nana and Eve sat on the ashes. "……Nothing's left, huh." Nana looked across the burnt ruins. The tent, the organ, the drum, the hemp pouch—all of it had turned to ash. "Our money, our clothes, our food…… everything." "……Yeah." Eve picked up a small shard of glass from the ashes. "This is the candy jar Grandma Madeleine gave us." "It broke, huh." "……Yeah." Eve gripped the shard tightly. "I'm alone again." Eve's voice was barely audible. "——You're not alone!" Nana squeezed Eve's hand. "You're not alone. I'm here. You and I are partners, right?" Eve looked up at Nana's face. "……Partners." "That's right. No matter what happens, I'll be by your side. I will never leave you." Still holding Eve's hand, Nana looked up at the sky. "——Galdo Ranfoo!!" Nana shouted at the sky. "I will never forget what you've done! You will never destroy my and Eve's circus! Never, ever!" Nana's shout echoed across the burnt ruins and faded away. That was when it happened. "……You're noisy from the morning." Nana turned. Mimoza was standing there. "Mimoza……" Nana raised her tear-swollen eyes. Mimoza surveyed the burnt ruins and let out a small sigh. "……I saw it. The arson last night." "You saw it?" "Yes. On my way home yesterday, I spotted a suspicious pair. That was Galdo's doing, wasn't it?" Mimoza pulled the bundle of papers from her breast pocket. "When I saw you carrying Eve out of the burning tent, I made up my mind. I'm going to hand these ledgers over to the newspaper company." "……You……" "This is all I can do. But you two need to cooperate too. To bring Galdo down, we'll need your testimony as well." Nana slowly stood up. "I don't know anything about your justice." "……Huh?" "I'm going to keep doing the circus here with Eve. Not to bring Galdo down—but so that Eve and I can smile." Nana picked through the ashes, gathering metal fittings that might still be usable. "I'm not joining your plan. But handing those ledgers to the newspaper company—that's your choice." Mimoza stared at Nana's face for a while. "……Do whatever you want. But I'm still giving these to the newspaper." Mimoza gripped the bundle of papers and turned away. "See you." With that, Mimoza left. Nana watched her retreating figure. "……Nana." Eve tugged at the hem of Nana's clothes. "What is it?" "Nana, you fought with that person." "It wasn't a fight. I just told her I'm walking my own path." Nana sat down on the burnt ruins. "Besides, she understands too, deep down. That we're not just tools." "……Yeah." Eve sat down beside Nana. "Hey, Nana." "What?" "I'm hungry." Eve said it quietly. Nana burst out laughing. "Ahaha! Me too! I'm starving!" "What do we do? Our money and food all burned up." "It's fine. We'll manage somehow. I'll sing and earn money. Then we can buy roasted sweet potatoes again." "Yeah. I'll play the organ too…… oh, the organ burned up too." "Right. Then you can just clap along. That's more than enough for our circus." Nana patted Eve's head gently. "We can just make them again. The tent, the instruments, everything. As long as you and I are together, we can do it as many times as it takes." "……Yeah. We can just make them again." Eve smiled a little. Nana raised her face from the burnt ruins. The sky was endlessly blue. They had lost their home, their living expenses, their instruments—everything. Even so, Eve was beside her. That alone made Nana feel like she could walk forward again. "Alright! Let's do this! My and Eve's Pochette Circus starts again today!" Nana stretched her arms wide over the ashes. Beside her, Eve stretched the same way. Their shadows stretched long across the burnt

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Episode 4

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