―――お気に入りの一枚。

その者、鬼道なる怪しき術を操り、能く衆を惑わす。かの国が長き動乱に見舞われたおり、星辰の託宣を受けた巫女として女王となる。

女王の神殿は堅牢な城柵に囲まれ、数多の兵が取り囲み、幾人もの従者が仕えていたが、女王となって以来人とまみえる事もなく、ただ一人、名も無き弟が彼女を補佐し、その託宣を伝えたという。

とまあ、女王とかいっても地味ーな暮らしをしていたわけで、お忍びで神殿を抜け出そうとすると決まって雨に降られて出かけられず、ひたすら占いするか鏡を磨くぐらいしかする事ない毎日なのよね。

鏡はたくさん持ってたけど、中でもこれは特別なの。あたしが女王になる前に弟クンがどこかから手に入れてきてくれた鏡でね。暇な時はよく眺めてたの。

鏡だけじゃなくて、あたしがお腹を鳴らしてる時は自分の分のごはんをくれたり、いっつも姉上、姉上って色々してくれて、女王になった後もあたしの代わりにあちこち走り回ってくれて、そうしてあたしのために色々、本当に色々な事をしてくれて、自分の全てをあたしにくれて、最後には名前まで無くなっちゃった弟クンがくれた鏡。

―――お気に入りの一枚。

Her favorite mirror.

The woman employed suspicious techniques called kidou to mislead the masses. As the nation was plagued by constant conflict, the shrine maiden who received oracles from the starry heavens became queen. The queen's shrine was surrounded by sturdy fences and guarded by numerous soldiers, and a great many attendants served her. However, since she became queen, she never met anyone outside the confines of her shrine, and only one person, her nameless brother, was said to have assisted her and delivered her oracles.

Yep. Even though I was queen, I was living this life of solitude. And anytime I tried to sneak out of the shrine, it would always rain, which kept me from going out. So the only thing I could do was either more divinations or polish my mirrors. I had tons of mirrors, but this one's special. My brother got it from me from...somewhere, before I became queen. I spent a lot of time looking into it when I was bored.

And it wasn't just the mirror. Whenever my stomach growled, my brother would give me his own food, and he would dote on me, always saying "Sister" this and "Sister" that. Even after I became queen, he would constantly run errands in my place. He really did so much for me, and he offered everything he had to me. In the end, no one even remembered him... He became this nameless brother of mine. And this is the mirror he gave me.

...My favorite mirror.