I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

Episode 10 – Peter Pan (4)

“Oh, oh no! My, my Phoenix!”

Tears welled up in Peter Pan’s eyes. He lifted the shattered remains of Phoenix with trembling hands. His eyes, full of despair, soon turned into unbearable anger. Peter Pan stood up abruptly and glared at me with a face bursting with rage.

“What have you done! Do you know what you’ve just done!?”

“What? Are you seriously angry right now?”

“Of course! How dare you…!”

“Wow~ You sound just like an adult, Peter Pan.”

“What?”

Peter Pan’s face, which had been blazing with anger, looked as if cold water had been poured over it at the word “adult.” After all, he’s just a kid with a big ego. I spoke with a relaxed demeanor.

“Do you know the difference between a child and an adult? Children don’t take responsibility! Only adults do! So in our country, kids can do whatever they want! They steal cars, crash them, and even do really bad things without hesitation. So I did something a kid would do, and you’re getting mad and holding me accountable like an adult would.”

“Uh, no, that’s, uh, is that so?”

Peter Pan’s eyes spun around. Seeing him confused by my eloquent speech, I thought he really was just a kid.

“Yeah~ Peter Pan. Getting mad at me is like breaking the rules of Neverland that you set! You’re acting like an adult! Isn’t this supposed to be a land of fantasy for kids? If you act like this, it’s really disappointing. It’s not a land for kids at all.”

“No, no! Neverland is a land for kids! And, and I wasn’t really mad. I was just joking!”

He said it was a joke, but his expression was that of a kid holding back anger out of pride. I nodded with a wicked smile.

“Yeah~ I thought it was strange. It doesn’t make sense for the king of Neverland to get mad over something like this. And, well, you must have a lot of bicycles, right? You’re the king, so you must have a cooler and better bike than this one, right?”

“Of course! Absolutely!”

He’s lying. Peter Pan couldn’t look me straight in the eye and whistled while looking elsewhere. It was the typical behavior of a kid who was lying.

“Oh, really~? Can you show me now? I’ll be careful not to break it this time.”

“Now?”

“Yeah, now.”

“Ah, well, you see. It’s a bit difficult right now. It’s being maintained so I can’t just take it out. Yeah! Tomorrow! I’ll show you tomorrow! So let’s all go in and rest since it’s getting late and we’re tired! Right, everyone?”

Peter Pan asked the kids who had followed him, and they agreed with smiles.

“Yeah! Tomorrow will be fine. I’m tired and sleepy too!”

“Yeah, let’s do that! The sun is setting, so it’s time for everyone to go home!”

The sun is indeed setting, but there’s still some time left before it completely goes down. It seems there are no other bicycles around. At best, there are only old, worn-out junk bicycles.

“Then, Mom will take you to Siyu’s house! I’m tired, so I’ll go to bed first!”

Peter Pan gathered the bicycle fragments and used magic powder to fly up into the sky, disappearing from sight. The children watched him intently and then sighed in relief. They all glanced at me with strange looks and headed home.

“Are you crazy!? I told you not to provoke Peter Pan! It’s not enough to just follow his words and keep him happy, and you go and do this!?”

Cassandra shouted at me with an angry face.

“Seems like the crazy one is here.”

“What, what?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The houses and buildings are all shabby. We can’t even make proper food. Because there are only kids here. Kids who can’t do anything properly on their own. You’re playing the role of a mom, but it’s still the same poor environment. This place is a mess, not a country for kids, but a country that’s a mess because it’s only kids.”

“……”

Cassandra bit her lower lip and frowned. Her clenched fists trembled. She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and looked up at the sky, as if searching for Peter Pan, who might still be nearby.

“Hoo, I don’t know if I should call you bold or strange. Even if there were kids who rebelled against Peter Pan, I’ve never seen anyone like you who cleverly teases him. It’s a bit awkward to talk here, so let’s go to your house and continue.”

Cassandra’s back looked angry at first glance, but it also carried an indescribable emotion that had been suppressed for many years.

How many years has she been imprisoned here?

The place Cassandra led me to was a house made of boxes, so dilapidated that it was hard to understand how it maintained its shape. The house reeked of a musty smell, and there was only a shabby bed inside.

I sat on the bed next to Cassandra. This feels strange. Cassandra fidgeted with her hands and cautiously opened her mouth.

“It’s a shabby house, isn’t it?”

“It’s beyond shabby; it’s a terrible house.”

She smiled faintly at my words.

“Pfft, right. I felt the same way when I first came here. With my younger sibling.”

“Did you have a younger sibling?”

Cassandra’s eyes, reminiscing about the past, seemed to be filled with sorrow.

“Yes. When we were kidnapped by Peter Pan, my younger sister was with me. Aeris, a cute tomboyish girl three years younger than me. It wasn’t enough that we were suddenly kidnapped ten years ago, but the environment was also terrible, so we really wanted to escape as soon as possible. The other kids felt the same way. Some even openly defied Peter Pan.”

To think they had lived in such harsh conditions for ten years without aging. It’s almost a miracle that they remained sane.

“What happened to those kids who defied him?”

“After Peter Pan took them somewhere, I never saw them again. Naturally, only the kids who were scared of Peter Pan were left.”

“Everyone was taken by a small kid like Peter Pan?”

“It’s because of the magic powder. The magic powder Peter Pan uses is imbued with mysterious power. He controlled the kids with that terrifying power. No one could defy him.”

So it was the magic powder. The thought that such a tiny creature caused all this chaos with just a bit of magic powder made my anger surge.

“You said you were looking for Wendy? Wendy was the kid who took on the role of mother here since I arrived. She was mature and brave. She led the confused kids well. Especially my sister Aeris, who was very close to Wendy and stuck to her all day. Then the incident happened.”

Cassandra continued with a pained expression, as if she was forcing herself to speak.

“Wendy’s plan to escape by secretly stealing the magic powder was discovered by Tinker Bell. All the kids involved in the plan were taken away. I was lucky not to be one of them.”

Cassandra’s eyes were now red. Watching her sorrowful expression, I cautiously asked.

“Was your sister taken too?”

“…Yes. After that, I tried to find her, but I couldn’t figure out where she was. The same goes for the other missing kids. I’m not telling you to please Peter Pan for no reason. Peter Pan may seem innocent like a child, but he has the cruel side of a villain. So I’ll warn you again. If you don’t want to be taken by Peter Pan and disappear forever, you should please him.”

“No.”

At my firm answer, Cassandra stood up abruptly with a fierce look.

“What do you think you’re hearing? You’re not the first kid like you! Peter Pan mercilessly takes away any kid who doesn’t please him even a little! Do you know what will happen if you’re taken by Peter Pan and still act recklessly?”

“It’s not reckless.”

“What?”

Cassandra let out a hollow laugh, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Ha, do you still think you can find Wendy and escape from here? Seriously? I’ve been searching for 10 years! I’ve been wandering around this cursed place for 10 years trying to find my sister! And I still couldn’t find her, so how do you think you can?”

“Did you really search every place for 10 years?”

At my words, Cassandra hesitated and stepped back.

“Well, not every place, but I tried my best to avoid Peter Pan and Tinker Bell’s eyes! The other kids were already terrified of Peter Pan, so I had to deceive their eyes too! I searched every place I could every night!”

“So, you didn’t search every place. It must have been difficult to search for your sister alone while being mindful of Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, and the kids’ eyes. That’s why you moved at night. But you didn’t check where Peter Pan and Tinker Bell sleep, did you?”

“…Right. But they always sleep there at night, so I couldn’t even search.”

“They’re not there now.”

“What?”

I stood up and approached the bewildered Cassandra.

“Peter Pan must have left by now.”

“Why? Peter Pan said he was going to sleep because he was tired.”

“No. He’s just a prideful kid. I deliberately provoked his pride. Especially with the bicycle. I thought about it, and there’s no way you guys, who can’t even cook properly, could have made a bicycle so easily. That means Peter Pan, who can move freely here, stole the bicycle from outside. And I guess Peter Pan doesn’t have another bicycle besides the ridiculous Phoenix. Right?”

Cassandra’s pupils dilated greatly at my words.

“Right. I’ve never seen another bicycle. So, the reason you asked to see a new bicycle was…”

“Yes. It was to make him go out and steal a bicycle right now. I was planning to find Wendy at this time. And since Tinker Bell fought with Peter Pan, she wouldn’t be at their place and would be wandering around somewhere. So, now is the perfect opportunity. What do you think? It’s a pretty good plan, isn’t it?”

It was an impromptu plan, so I wasn’t sure if it would work. But fortunately, Peter Pan’s pride was stronger than I thought.

“No! It’s not a good plan at all! I knew this would happen!”

These words didn’t come from Cassandra’s mouth. Her mouth was still closed. The voice came from under the bed.

Tinker Bell, scattering sparkling dust, appeared from under the bed, arms crossed, looking down at us confidently.

Cassandra’s face turned pale.

“T-Tinkerbell!”

“I heard everything! You were planning such a despicable scheme! I’m going to find Peter Pan and tell him everything! You’re finished! You’re going to get a terrible… aaah!”

My school uniform jacket covered Tinkerbell’s body. Tinkerbell struggled under the jacket, bumping into the walls repeatedly. At that moment, I was certain. Tinkerbell’s dust was not magical! I immediately ran over and slapped Tinkerbell with my palm as if catching a fly.

“Eek!”

Tinkerbell let out a sharp scream and fell to the floor. I lifted the jacket and grabbed the dazed Tinkerbell. Then I gave Cassandra a thumbs-up.