The truth behind the 'lottery' that left a preschooler in despair

This month
at the preschool
our annual summer event will be held

Together with the children
we hung the handmade crafts we worked so hard on
from the ceiling of the venue to decorate it

Then

a little girl
covered her mouth with her hand

and stood there
with a look of terror I had never seen before

Wondering what was wrong
I rushed over in a panic
and asked her...

'...It says "be strict"'

Huh?
I thought, and after checking where she was looking
I understood

The girl
had gone behind the decorations
and was just reading the letters

Indeed
if you read the mirror writing backwards
'kujibiki' (lottery)
becomes 'kibishiku' (be strict)

'Be strict'?
What kind of Spartan summer festival is this?

A misunderstanding born from a child's overly honest observation
that was adorable
brilliant
and completely out of left field

My anxiety vanished in an instant
and I burst out laughing, clutching my stomach