Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093092581245166/episodes/16818622172405590104
“I want you to wait a day before leaving.” All three nodded at Lepios’ words. Sol thought that Lepios would probably talk to Rale. Because of the incident with Torsa, Lepios had not yet been able to talk to Rale.
And there was another thing that bothered him. Ever since they had talked about going to Dienen, Celes seemed to be thinking hard with a troubled look on her face.
Celes was not smiling now.
“Celes. Are you okay…?”
Sol asked Celes. Just as Celes had spoken kindly to Sol, Sol wanted to do something for her if he could.
“Is it not good to say ‘I’m fine’?”
Saying that, Celes took a deep breath.
“…Is it okay if I go outside and talk for a bit?”
Sol nodded in response to Celes’ words.
Even after going outside, Celes remained silent for a while. After some time had passed, Celes quietly opened her mouth.
“…Hey, Sol. How do you see me? …I mean, my personality.”
“Huh? Um… You’re kind, serious, hardworking, and have a strong sense of justice… Something like that?”
Not understanding the intent behind Celes’ question, Sol answered honestly. Celes smiled softly at Sol, but quickly lowered her eyes.
“What if the real me were a colder person? …Like someone who would abandon their family?”
At those words, Sol looked at Celes in surprise. Celes had mentioned earlier that she might not be able to stay at home. But in “Lians,” before the influence of the miasma, they were supposed to be a close-knit family.
Considering everything that had happened so far, even without the miasma, their relationships had changed for various reasons. So it was easy to imagine that something had happened between Celes and her family.
“…There must be a reason, right? You had to abandon them.”
“…I want to believe that.”
Saying that, Celes averted her eyes from Sol.
Sol couldn’t imagine what had happened. But he knew that Celes wasn’t the kind of person who would abandon her family without any reason.
Sol understood the fear of having his ugly side exposed. He hadn’t shown everything about himself yet. But he had just discovered the warmth that would accept him.
“Celes. You said you loved me no matter what, right? I love you no matter what, too. I’ll always be on your side.”
When Sol said that, Celes threw herself into his arms.
“…I’m sorry. I just don’t want you to go anywhere.”
At that moment, there was a click. Looking at his arm, Sol saw a gold bracelet with a masculine design on his wrist.
“This…”
“…I hope you’ll think of it as a return gift for earlier.”
Sol understood that there was more to it than that. However, he had no idea what it meant.
“Please. Don’t take it off until I say it’s okay.”
“Alright.”
Faced with Celes’s desperate plea, Sol could only nod. Even if he hadn’t asked, he would have wanted to grant her request. Wearing a gold bracelet wasn’t a big deal.
“…Thank you.”
Saying that, Celes stepped away. However, her body was still trembling with anxiety, and Sol grew concerned. But he didn’t know what to say to comfort her.
“…Let’s go back. We need to prepare for tomorrow.”
Sol nodded in agreement with Celes’ words, but then it happened.
“Leo, what’s the matter?”
Hearing those words, both Sol and Celes froze. When Lepios and Rale appeared, Sol and Celes hurriedly hid behind a wall.
If they went out now, it might get awkward. Thinking that, they couldn’t bring themselves to go out.
In that moment, Lepios’s voice, lower than usual, echoed.
“Before that, isn’t there something you want to say to me?”
“Eh… ? Like, ‘Good job defeating the Demon King’ or something…?”
At Rale’s words, Lepios sighed deeply.
“…I saw you walking closely with a certain man. You were holding hands, just like lovers.”
“Huh!? Ah, no, maybe it was just a coincidence…”
“My sister has also seen them together many times, so it’s probably not a coincidence. You weren’t trying to hide it, were you?”
Sol couldn’t see Lepios’ expression as he said this. However, from his hidden location, he could clearly see Rale’s face.
For some reason, Rale looked like she was about to cry.
“I-I was lonely! It’s Leo’s fault! He never came to see me!”
“What can I do? I…”
“You have teleportation magic, so you could have come back for a moment! But you only sent business-like messages. You must not have liked me after all!”
After a moment’s pause, Lepios slowly opened his mouth.
“…Because you were crying so much over the town becoming strange due to the miasma, I decided to go on a journey to defeat the Demon King to make you smile. As for the messages… I’m sorry if they felt like business communications, but since you said you wanted to know my situation, I tried to send them every day without fail.”
“Just because I said that… Didn’t you feel lonely being separated from me? Didn’t you want to see me because you were lonely? You didn’t really like me, did you?”
“…I liked you, so I wanted to fulfill your wishes. That’s all. I wouldn’t go this far for someone I didn’t like…”
The moment Lepios said that, Rale began to shed tears.
“…If only you had told me that from the beginning. I didn’t understand Leo’s feelings… I thought you didn’t like me…”
“I also regret that. I realize now that my feelings wouldn’t have been conveyed to you unless I had expressed them, not just through my actions.”
At Lepios’ words, Rale wiped away her tears and took a step forward to reach out to Lepios. But Lepios averted his eyes from Rale.
“…You probably think our relationship is over, but let’s make it clear once more. From now on, you and I are strangers. Is that okay?”
“Eh…”
At Lepios’ words, Lare’s eyes widened.
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