anko3751
A Marisa is invited to Patchouli's nest.
Patchouli is leader of the clan. She learned about wild plants from her mother, wife of he previous clan leader. She's also respected and depended by the clan members.
Marisa came to this clan a year ago. She used to be a traveller but after she settled here, her skill and intelligence brought her into the position as the chief's companion.
Marisa had something to ask, while Patchouli had something she want to tell before the end of her life.
Marisa's question is… Who’s Patchouli ? The question has bugged her ever since she arrived in this clan.
It’s also the thing Patchouli is about to tell her.Patchouli took off her hat and what’s in front of Marisa doesn’t have purple hair, instead it’s golden hair with many white hairs inbetween.
Marisa feel it hard to believe. For yukkuri, accessories are the most important thing after their own life. It’s their identity and even existence.Alice’s answer is… because she’s Alice.
This mountain had a lot of rapers. They formed troupe like bandits and attack other yukkuri. There’s even stories about clan being destroyed.
Thanks to that the yukkuri in this mountain hate Alice type and discriminate them. All the Alice are gathered in what’s called the Alice village and not allowed to interact with other yukkuri.The stress caused them to turn into rapers and become hated even more, but yukkuri wouldn’t realize that connection.
Doing rub rub with mommy, sunbathing and singing with sisters. Then at night, eat the food daddy bring and sleep in happyness. The simple happyness that every yukkuri children should have never existed in Alice’s childhood memories because she’s child of raper.
What Alice have is the memories of being hated by her own mother and got dragged out of the nest without having her greeting replied.
In those days, many baby Alice are thrown away.
At night, they’re hunted by predators with no means of defending themselves.
In the morning, those who lost their mind from the terror turns into rapers and start raping their own kind.Alice herself almost got raped, but she’s saved by a pair of crows who hunt for food and luckily picked the rapers. Alice managed to hide, but she has lost her hairband.
After this, during a cloudy day, Alice met with the family that changed her life.
After winter, Alice and other young adult yukkuri went to “school”. This is an educational institution the clan made to teach young yukkuri about how to hunt and what plants are dangerous.
As if the baby Patchouli is supporting her, the hat grow with Alice.
Alice is popular in the school, she’s even brighter than other Patchouli. Not surprising from the fact that she’s a good yukkuri from the start and her mother, the smartest yukkuri in the clan, teach her many things during winter.
Alice herself doesn’t want to attract attention like this. She’s a fake Patchouli, so she wanted to keep a low profile.
But Alice also doesn’t want to put shame on her mother, and naturally she became the top in her class.Alice’s relationship with her mother Patchouli is also very good. But someone doesn’t like it.
The next day, a Chen called Alice in the school. Her parents has been attacked by scum.
Everyone is worried, but they believed the leader's family will be fine. Alice thought so too, but what she meet is her father’s corpse and her mother in her last moment.
Because everyone said scum, Alice thought it would be Deibu or Marisa who came for food. How shocked she is to see that it’s one of her own kind, an Alice.
This Alice is also a survivor. But unlike Alice who got adopted, this one survived from eating her brethen’s corpse, grass and branch. She survived by living in gap in tree she coincidentally found.
Everyday, her anger is directed to other yukkuri who had better life than her, and finally through a tragedy, she found this family, especially the very loved Patchouli (Alice) who’s about her age.
Alice can’t speak a word when seeing the scum Alice got dragged away.
“Little one… come here… cough…”
Behind her, Mother Patchouli called. Filled in fear, Alice went to her mother.“Mama… sorry… sorry…”
Alice only beg for forgiveness while crying, she had nothing else to tell Patchouli.“Mama… Actually…”
Alice will tell everything.
Of course, she won’t be fine if she told everything.
At worst, the clan who’s burning in anger will kill her.
But that’s fine. Only death awaits her who had lied to everyone and brought death to her saviours.
She should have died already in that rainy day.“It’s alright… alright… little one…”
Mother Patchouli used her hair to hug Alice.“Thank you… little one… it’s very easy because you are here… you are my pride… and hope… thank you, little one… to be born… thank you…”
“Yuu… uuuuu… uu…”
Alice can’t speak between her tears. She also can’t see Patchouli’s face from her teary eyes.
No, I’m not your beloved daughter. No need to thank me.
I’m the scum who has deceived you, the dirty child of raper.Before those words came out of Alice’s throat…
“Thank you for everything… my cute… Alice”
“…Eh”Mother Patchouli died with the same smiling face as she has when welcoming Alice. She knew it all the time and still loved Alice as her own daughter.
Alice cried and feel shame of herself. She’s about to choose death and wasted her parents’ wish.
A week later she’s chosen as the new leader and nobody is protesting against the most excellent yukkuri in the school her parents has left for the clan.
And that’s the story of her life, the secret even her parents never tell to anyone. But Marisa is different, she had nothing to do with the previous generation.
Marisa also doesn’t blame Alice. Alice has done well to lead the clan as a good leader.
Even though Alice live in fear of being found out or of becoming a raper, she has lead the clan as a good leader.The question Alice have in her last moment is, if her yukkuri life that of an Alice or a Patchouli.
She never understand what City-sect means. She never had any interest to coordinate her house. Instead, she felt easiest when learning.
When peoples called her, she react more to those calling her Patchouli rather than Alice.Before her death, Alice has one last wish to Marisa. It’s not sweets sweets or shiny Mister Stone.
“Marisa… who are you ?”
After that, a Chen reported the leader’s death. The leader died from expired paste core, or what human called old age. It’s the happiest death for wild yukkuri who rarely lived their whole life.
The leader is buried while wearing her hat, so nobody ever found out about Alice.Mysteriously, nobody can found the Marisa who’s supposed to be the last person talking with their leader. Marisa just disappeared.
Somewhere in the mountain, a team of TV crew is very excited. They saw something very rare, something that only ten individuals are confirmed in yukkuri zoo or research institute.
A man looking through binocular asked himself
“Why is that Nue crying ?”Nue never stayed long. She always disguise herself as another yukkuri, joined a clan, and then leave when she’s bored. That’s all. She never had any attachment to any clan or any yukkuri.
That’s why she doesn’t understand what’s her tear is. She doesn’t understand that it’s the tear of sadness from losing someone of her own kind, someone who has forgotten their own name.
The summer is ending.