I am going to Slytherin.

While walking through the Sapporo underground mall with my husband, a Harry Potter merchandise shop caught my eye.
It seemed to be a limited-time pop-up store, but the interior was so elaborate that it didn't look like a temporary shop at all. Looking at the poster in the hallway, it seemed to have been open for quite a while, from the end of September until January of next year.
The shop's name, 'Mahoudokoro' (Magic Place), also had a nice atmosphere. I feel that the use of katakana makes it feel even more 'authentic.' We were drawn into the store as if by magic, without either of us saying a word.
Even though it wasn't long after opening, there were many young women inside Mahoudokoro, and the space between the shelves was so narrow that you had to turn sideways to pass through. I think the Harry Potter novels became a boom when I was in junior high school, so it's surprising that their popularity is still going strong.
The products range widely from stuffed animals to stationery, and socks and capes in the colors of each house.
Near the entrance, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans were lined up. I received those as a souvenir from my younger brother from USJ several years ago, and they are still sleeping in our pantry, unopened. I had heard of their notoriety, so I pretended to forget them and left them at my parents' house, but he went out of his way to deliver them to me later, saying, 'You forgot these.' I think I'll throw them away during the big cleaning this year.
In the end, we just browsed without buying anything and left the store.

Right after leaving the store, my husband said, 'I think we're Ravenclaw.'
Ravenclaw. If I recall, that's the house for students who value knowledge and creativity.
I think, 'That makes sense.'
I love encountering new knowledge and writing sentences every day. I also draw. I play the piano and sing.
In contrast, my husband spends his days and nights creating colorful sea slug figures out of resin. He is also a sensory person who taught himself throat singing.
We are both far from the temperaments of |chivalry and courage (Gryffindor)| or |dedication and diligence (Hufflepuff)|, so I was strangely convinced that we are indeed Ravenclaw.
At the same time, I thought that everyone in the back alleys of the note town must also be Ravenclaw. I can think of a few people who seem like gentle Hufflepuffs, but about 90% are Ravenclaw. I'm worried the house might burst.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of discomfort, wondering if my house was really Ravenclaw.
At first, it was definitely Ravenclaw. I purely enjoyed writing and had a fun time with the other house members.
Lately, I often feel a sense of discomfort in this Ravenclaw. I chose not to participate in, react to, or even listen to or watch the projects that the house members are looking forward to. I had an intuition that even if I pretended not to notice the discomfort welling up inside me and participated, I would just give up halfway through.
My way of being has drifted away from the way of being of |Ravenclaw (the back alleys)|. That's all there is to it.

The fact that my way of thinking and perceiving writing has changed is a big part of it. For me, writing is no longer a game. The emotions I want to gain through writing and the influence I want to have on the reader are deeper and lie in the inner depths of people, which cannot be easily touched.
For me now, writing is proving my own existence. By delivering it to those who need it, it becomes the voice that they could not raise.
The back alley was no longer a place for me, as I had become convinced that writing was my mission and had made up my mind to walk that path.

Given the season, I am setting goals for next year.
In the process, I wrote in a notebook to deepen my introspection and carefully picked up the voices from within myself. What I heard from inside me was,

'I want to write something that will remain in literary history, not something that will be popular on social media.'
'I want to write something that will weigh heavily on the heart, even if it is painful, rather than something that will be consumed.'
'To do that, I want to focus on myself.'

That was the clear voice.

Win a literary award.
A goal regarding my vision that I wrote in next year's planner. I have set action goals and action plans leading up to the deadline for that. I also bought a laptop just for myself. All that's left is to do it without looking away. I think I'm ambitious, if I do say so myself.
It seems that where I should be has changed from Ravenclaw to Slytherin. I think I will welcome the New Year wearing something green, which is the symbol color.

I've never read or watched Harry Potter, though.

What are you talking about?

This is the last time I will use this magic. I can write even without this spell.

It would be a lie to say I'm not lonely.
But I'm not skillful. I cannot move on to the next stage as I am now.
So, I will follow my voice and walk my own path. I am going to go beyond the me in the back alley.

Thank you, back alley.
Goodbye, back alley.

It was fun. Bye-bye.