Volume 9 Chapter 8 Charm, And Regret
Since then, I've had many conversations with Eris.
About Asteris, about Earth. When we were apart, the discussions were longer than I had imagined, and topics continued to flow without end.
Many events that I had forgotten come to mind when she is in front of me.
Perhaps it was a lingering sentiment from the time I spent with Asteris, living with the thought, "I want to tell Eris about this."
Surprisingly, it seems I've somehow been to the divine realm. What's that, a myth? I hope they don't turn me into a constellation; it would be too embarrassing, and I might just die.
Even so, we hesitated to step into each other's worlds.
Invisible, yet there were certainly lines drawn there, lines not to be crossed. We continued our conversations on the boundary.
A relationship that had once shattered doesn't fully return to its original state just because the grudges have faded.
During our time apart, time has undeniably accumulated.
Above all, we are currently in the midst of a battle.
What we should talk about, there were countless other things.
Finally, she had only one wish to convey to me.
"Um... It's a strange thing to say, but..."
"What is it?"
"The things you left behind, or rather, the things I had."
"What did I leave behind?"
To be honest, there were too many things left behind, but one thing came to mind.
Eris didn't meet my gaze and took something out of a small bag.
It was a pendant of iris flowers woven together with red petals.
Nostalgic.
It was the charm of Asteris that I had made for her a long time ago, Huumir. I left it with a letter when I returned to Earth.
If she wished to sever her connection with me, she shouldn't keep it, so she let it go.
"This..."
Can I take this again?
Would it be too selfish to pick it up again?
But Eris said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's.
"If you don't need it anymore, I'll dispose of it. But if, if..."
After that, words failed to continue.
I didn't understand Eris's intentions in handing Huumir back to me. Nevertheless, I naturally accepted Huumir.
"..."
At that moment, a dull boy with an almost tearful expression placed Huumir in my hand and smiled as he looked at me.
I was the one who had let go of everything at that time.
──That's right.
You did your best. It might have been a failure in the end, but Eris and I were able to reunite like this. It took quite a while, though.
So, at that time, you really did what you could.
* * *
"...I'll come out for a bit."
"Uh, sure..."
While awkwardly nodding at Tsukiko's voice, Ayaka thought she had really messed up.
In Kagami Ayaka's life of over twenty years, there had never been a moment when she cursed her choices as much as now.
Despite knowing it was futile, the actions taken in an attempt to help her little sister ended up delivering an unforeseen fatal blow.
Ayaka, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation between Yuusuke and Eris, found their dialogue to carry a weight and depth beyond her imagination, striking her with a shocking revelation through the screen.
While Ayaka had heard about Yuusuke originally battling the Demon Lord in another world, she had not accurately understood the dynamics between Yuusuke and Eris.
More precisely, she had thought of their relationship as something akin to past lovers, naively assuming it was a concluded chapter. Yuusuke had, after all, once been in a relationship with Tsukiko, and despite being an ex-girlfriend, Ayaka believed that Tsukiko, who had been close until recently, had an advantage.
This expectation was partially correct, but also fundamentally wrong.
If the connection between Yuusuke and Eris had been a simple romantic feeling, Tsukiko might not have suffered such a heavy blow. However, what existed between the two was something colossal, surpassing imagination even by merely listening to their conversation.
(W-wait, Yuusuke-kun!? What's going on with this atmosphere!!)
It was Ayaka who clearly went all out to step on a landmine, but putting aside that fact, she shouted at Yuusuke.
The air in the room was completely dead.
Kougaru and Hinata, well, they stared at the monitor with faces that said, "Well, that's something."
Certainly, Kougaru and Hinata, who harbored Noire Toare within, understood the relationship between Yuusuke and Eris.
Tsukiko must have anticipated it too. The relationship between the two was much deeper and more complicated than she thought.
Still, expectations and reality were different.
Yuusuke and Eris didn't whisper words of love to each other or touch. They just desperately conveyed the words they needed to convey.
That's why it was painful. Through that exchange, they understood how deeply they felt for each other.
Tsukiko, halfway through, looked down and listened to their conversation.
And then, as if she couldn't bear it anymore, she left the room.
Ayaka wished she could have left if possible, but due to her role in the planned scenario, it was not an option.
Above all, in this room, there were two other individuals whose presence could not be ignored.
Lisha and Kanami.
Kanami seemed, at first glance, as composed as ever. There was no apparent sign of her being disturbed.
However, since a while ago, her fingers that touched the teacup continued to tremble without letting go, making a small clattering sound.
This was an unusual gesture for Kanami.
Despite her mature appearance, she was still a sixteen-year-old girl.
Ayaka didn't know what Kanami actually felt for Yuusuke.
Still, just by observing this situation, it could be sensed that it was more than a simple admiration.
On the other hand, Lisha's reaction was, in a sense, more conspicuous than anyone else.
"..."
She looked down, not uttering a word. Under the table, she must be gripping her skirt tightly. Her small shoulders were trembling faintly.
Ayaka pondered on what to say, but words eluded her.
Ayaka, a magician, painfully understands the power of words. At the same time, she is reminded of the powerlessness of words at times like these.
"Lisha-chan..."
Ayaka heard that she met Yuusuke just half a year ago.
Since then, Ayaka has been watching over the two. Yuusuke is truly like a big brother, and it's evident that he cherishes Lisha deeply.
And Lisha, in turn, places full trust in Yuusuke.
Surely, Yuusuke had no ulterior motives. He is not the kind of person to abandon a younger girl in distress.
Above all, it's because of this nature that he was undoubtedly called a Hero.
However, Yuusuke didn't realize. Living in a world where he suppressed Yamamoto Yuusuke, bearing the reputation of a Hero, how his actions appear to a girl who knows nothing of love.
A hero who always rushes to the rescue in times of trouble—a absolute savior.
(Well, of course, one would fall in love.)
In this difficult situation, he had become the one Tsukiko, who was known for being moody, had fallen for. Perhaps unbeknownst to him, he must have attracted the hearts of many women.
They would only be able to be with Yuusuke for a little over a month.
There probably wouldn't be an ending that everyone could agree on.
Even so, if it's him—Yuusuke, who had consistently surpassed Ayaka's expectations—somehow, he might find a way. A future where all of them could be happy, is it possible to choose such a future?
Is it too irresponsible to have such thoughts?
Nevertheless, Ayaka wished that the future awaiting at the end of this harsh battle would shine as brightly as a sunny midday.
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