𝓣𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓦𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓭 || Shattered Glass

《 1 - 22 》

'I'm...tired.'

I didn't even do much yet I'm already tired from summoning water pillars.

"Was I... wrong...? That can't be right... Mother..."

That was the last thing I heard, before everything started blurring...probably because of my exhaustion.

I rub my eyes, trying to clear my vision.

But what I saw wasn't the Rose Maze anymore...I was back at home. In my room...but at the same time, I wasn't.

"Where am I?" I ask.

It was like I was in a void, and no one was with me...

I didn't notice that there was a screen in front of me, until it lit up.

Everything was black and white, and there's a text box, like those seen in Visual Novels, yet the "characters" are only silhouettes.

『Riddle's Mom: Happy eighth birthday, Riddle. For this year your birthday cake is a sugar-free one filled with nuts. It's made from soy flour with lots of lecithin since it's good for the brain.』

"Riddle's Mom...? What am I even looking at?"

『Young Riddle: Thank you, Mama. But, um, I...Just once, I want to eat a tart covered in bright red strawberries.』

『Riddle's Mom: How can you say such a thing!? That pastry is a mound of sugar that is more like poison. Just one slice will exceed your ideal daily intake of carbohydrates.』

'It's just one slice...It won't change anything.'

『Riddle's Mom: Ah, but the recommended calorie intake for an 8-year old is... 600kcal for one meal, so don't eat more than 100 grams, understood?
Am I understood?』

『Young Riddle: Yes, Mama...』

The screen then fades to black, only to show..."Riddle!?"

『Riddle: For so long...I always wanted to eat a strawberry tart. Just like the ones displayed in the cake shops around town...』

"I guess this explains why he got upset over the tarts..."

'But it still doesn't make sense...'

'He had Trey, weren't they Childhood friends? He could've asked him to bake anything he wants...'

『 Riddle: I was always surrounded by lessons I had to finish. If it was possible, they would have extended my lessons longer. But, something like that was "normal" for me.』

"Normal...There's nothing normal about this."

'Just like when my mom decided to become a ṫ̴̡͇̪͖̉̈́͐y̵̛̰̍̓̕ŗ̸̨̛̠̲̜̜̈͜ả̸̡̙̥͓̠̏̃̅̌̑̐n̶̢͚̋́̓̑̇̆t̵̛̠͚̑̈̈́̃͛̒.'

『 *knock* *knock* 』

I  glance back onto the screen.

『Young Riddle: Hm...? Someone's knocking on the window?』

『Young Trey: Oh, he came!』

『Young Che'nya: Hey, hey~ Come play with us!』

『Young Riddle: Who are you!?』

『Young Che'nya: I'm Che'nya! This is Trey. Let's play croquet!』

『 Young Riddle: Eh...I can't. Right now is my Self-Study time, so I have to keep studying.』

『Young Che'nya: Self-study? Doesn't that mean you get to decide what you study? Playing is also a kind of study, that's what Granpaw told me!』

『Young Trey: Won't you come down for a bit?』

『Young Riddle: J-Just for a bit...』

『Young Trey: Can I ask your name?』

『Young Riddle: R-Riddle. Riddle Rosehearts.』

"So they really were childhood friends! I wonder what happened..."

'They don't seem to be very close anymore...'

『Young Che'nya: Eh!? Riddle, you've never had a strawberry tart!?』

『Young Riddle: Yeah...Mother says it's like poison so I can't.』

『Young Trey: Well, you shouldn't eat too much...Hey, my parents own a Cake Shop so let's go and have some right now~』

『Young Riddle: Eh...but...』

『Young Trey: Just one slice will be fine.』

『Young Che'nya: I wanna eat a whole one, nya~!』

『 Riddle: Atop a pure white plate, was a bright red strawberry tart. For me, that tart shined brighter than any jewel I've ever seen. The first bite was wonderfully sweet, it was better than anything I've ever had. I finished the tart while savoring every bite. I enjoyed it...to the point I had lost track of time.』

"Huh...?"

『Riddle's Mom: How could you! Not only did you skip your self-study, but you also ate a mound of sugar! Those two instigated it. I will not allow you to spend time with those bad children again!』

『Young Riddle: I'm sorry! I won't do it again so please forgive me...!』

『Riddle's Mom: Silence! This is because you broke the rules. *sigh* I shouldn't have given you so much free time. I have to give an even better eye on you...』

I bite the tip of my thumb in annoyance, and confusion.

『Riddle: If I broke the rules, my time for fun was completely taken away. I have to follow every rule mother makes. Because my mother is the most respected person in town, she must be right.』

『Riddle: But...tell me, Mama. Why? Why does heart feels so heavy? I would like to eat a bunch of tarts, even if it's only on my birthday.  I want to Play outside for hours. I want to make more and more friends.』

"Wh-What...?"

'We have the same desires.'

'And yet...'

『Tell me, mama, what rules should I follow...to make this pain go away?』