There was no need to say what Arrietty's fate was. The entire evening, the Little Sprite sat gloomily in the corner of the coffee table, leaning against a small teacup and looking at the people in the room holding back their laughter with an indescribable gaze.
"I already said it wasn't me!"
Mori Tsukisa, also stifling a laugh, acted as if she hadn't heard. She propped up her chin, and starting from Nagini, her gaze swept across one innocent face after another—
The Snake Woman was the first to bow, looking at Mori Tsukisa seriously.
"Master, you should know me. If it were me, there wouldn't just be clumsy, edited pictures; there would definitely be more 'evidence' to convince you."
The fixed gaze moved past the calm Nagini and jumped to Anck-Su-Namun's face.
The Enchantress was nonchalantly playing with her nails, her firm honey-colored thigh resting on her man's leg.
"Lady Witch, if it were me, there wouldn't even be pictures—you would see a real, completely pink shrine in the future."
Another leap, this time to Imhotep. The man looked up as if he hadn't noticed, a historical documentary from some country playing on his phone screen.
"Lady Witch, if it were me, the shrine would have been gone long ago. You would probably be seeing a pyramid."
After the three finished speaking, they, along with Mori Tsukisa, cast their gazes onto the face of the depressed Little Sprite clinging to the teacup... Arrietty:...What a bunch of drama queens.
"Just keep going crazy with her," the Little Sprite huffed, baring her teeth toward Imhotep's side. "Anck-Su-Namun! I don't even have to guess to know it was you!"
Mori Tsukisa finally couldn't take it anymore. She covered her mouth and stood up, laughing and stomping her feet.
"Hahahaha! Arrietty, why is it that even with more Attendants, you're still at the bottom of the food chain?"
"I'm not going to sink to their level! Just you wait, I'm the one in charge of Her Majesty the Queen's treasury. Hmph, let's see who comes to beg me first."
Gold really seemed to provide confidence. The sprite, not even the size of a palm, stood on the teapot lid with her hands on her hips, staring indignantly at the three people in front of her. Starting from Nagini, she scolded them one by one.
"Buying ingredients? Go hungry then! You dead snake, stinky snake!" After saying that, she still felt unsatisfied and gave the oddly-faced Nagini a fierce glare. Turning her head, she aimed at Anck-Su-Namun: "Buying shoes, buying clothes, huh? No! Money! Not a single coin!"
Finally, it was Imhotep.
The man shrugged, indicating he hadn't participated in what just happened.
"You're the worst, the absolute worst! You can fix the house with your own hands!"
Mori Tsukisa giggled on the side. The noisy bickering of the group disturbed another person in the house.
Yuno Gasai came out of the bedroom wearing her pajamas, looking bewildered. "What are you all... doing?"
"Discussing an interesting topic." Mori Tsukisa beckoned, pulling the girl into a chair. "Arrietty, what did you just say... you're in charge of?"
The Little Sprite was triumphant. "The treasury, Her Majesty the Queen. Although they are very annoying, you can freely use all the gold coins and treasures."
"No, I just wanted to remind you..." Mori Tsukisa rubbed her face, which was stiff from laughing. "You seem to have forgotten that since Hamunaptra merged into the Wabi-Sabi Courtyard, most of the treasures were placed in there..."
"They were put into Hamunaptra."
"Did you forget, Arrietty?"
A moment of silence.
Under Mori Tsukisa's amused gaze, Arrietty was like a deflated balloon. Her already small face crumpled into a ball, and she slid smoothly and softly off the teapot lid... sprawling on the glass surface, limbs outspread, expressionless.
"My life is over." The Little Sprite stared blankly at the ceiling lamp above. "Such an embarrassing scene... my life ends today."
Hahahaha!
What a silly little thing.
Yuno Gasai actually quite liked this sprite—at least the possibility of her developing into Mori Tsukisa's other half was infinitely close to zero. Safe, practical, and loyal; much more secure than Nagini and Anck-Su-Namun.
Yuno Gasai gave her a hundred points in her heart.
"By the way, Tsukisa, I put the things you threw around today into your drawer." Yuno was referring to a small black bag that felt hard to the touch, somewhat like drawing board supplies.
Oh! Right, that thing!
The girl suddenly jumped up and ran barefoot into the bedroom. After a sound of rummaging, she ran back out a moment later, holding a... black wooden board?
"I was afraid you'd be bored, so I bought this for us to play with!" She waved the black board in her hand, which was covered in dense small characters.
"Are you afraid they'll be bored, or are you afraid you'll be bored?" Arrietty didn't forget to complain even while staring at the ceiling lamp. "Can't you buy something normal humans play with, like cards or Go... this thing of yours..."
An indescribable wooden board.
—It was a Ouija board.
They were often placed in shops selling weird and quirky things, occasionally attracting young Boys and girls to part with their money—like a big dummy like Mori Tsukisa.
"You..." Arrietty covered half her face and turned her head. "You... a Walker of All Realms, with no shortage of non-human beings under your command." She paused, truly unable to look directly at it. "You're actually going to play... Bixian with them?!"
"Are you looking down on yourself, or are you thinking too highly of the Bixian?!"
Yuno Gasai narrowed her eyes upon hearing the phrase 'non-human beings.'
Who... Nagini, or Anck-Su-Namun?
Mori Tsukisa pouted and opened her palm.
Inside was a small, tear-shaped planchette.
"It's not Bixian, it's spirit divination!"
"Using this, let's ask! Come on, come on, everyone sit down. This is the first time our Sen Family is playing a game together!"
Playing with this piece of junk.
Mori Tsukisa, have you grown up at all?
What's the difference between this and Bixian?
Regardless, except for Arrietty, the rest were quite willing to humor the girl. Imhotep sat on the left with Anck-Su-Namun, with Nagini beside them; Yuno Gasai naturally sat next to Mori Tsukisa.
Once the board was set, five fingers were placed on the small planchette. Through the circular hole in the planchette, one could see the answers to the questions posed by the questioner.
"Wonderful board, talking board, please—" Mori Tsukisa opened her mouth, then suddenly looked at Arrietty, who wasn't participating. "Turn off the lights?"
"Are you talking to me?" The Little Sprite was sprawled on the glass surface, 'land-swimming' face down. "I'm not playing this game, Mori Tsukisa."
"That's why you're the only one who can help us turn off the lights."
This time, five pairs of eyes were looking at her.
"I really owe you guys..."
Click.
The lights went out.
The only light in the room came from outside the window—the city lights and neon of the night.
"Hey, this scene is quite romantic. If we lit a few candles, put on some incense, and poured a few glasses of..."
"Are you going to play or not? I'm going back to the Courtyard to rest."
The girl shut her mouth and refocused her attention on her five fingers.
---------------------------------
I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! If you're having fun and want to read 30 chapters in advance, feel free to check out my Patreon: patreon.com/TLScarlet
Your support means a lot so if you like the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone.