Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051601476634937
“…Now.”
A trembling voice escaped my lips.
“Did you say ‘now’?”
The clerk, flustered, read it aloud again.
“Missing person Alt Rain confirmed alive; identity verified by the Adventurers’ Guild Headquarters.”
I couldn’t move.
Five years.
The name I’d kept searching for.
I’d heard it so many times.
I’d hoped so many times.
I’d been let down time and time again.
That’s why.
I couldn’t believe it.
“Is… it true?”
“Yes.”
The clerk nodded firmly.
“His identity has been confirmed.”
In that instant.
My vision blurred.
He was alive.
Really.
He was truly alive.
Before I knew it, I was galloping on my horse.
Even after noon.
Even as evening fell.
Without stopping.
I rode relentlessly toward the capital.
There was only one thought in my mind.
Alt.
He was alive.
Those words echoed over and over in my head.
But.
At the same time, I was afraid.
What if it was another mistake?
What if I’d come up empty-handed again?
Every time that thought crossed my mind, my chest tightened.
Still, I couldn’t stop.
For five years.
I’d been searching for him all that time.
＿＿＿＿
Night.
Wings of Dawn.
The place that used to be our guild.
Now it was completely silent.
I sat in a chair in my room and looked up at the ceiling.
I couldn’t get my thoughts in order.
Five years.
Just two weeks ago, I was still traveling as usual.
And yet.
Before I knew it, five years had passed.
Wings of Dawn had disbanded.
My comrades had gone their separate ways.
And then.
All four of them had started new guilds.
It was all hard to believe.
“It really has been five years, hasn’t it…”
I muttered under my breath.
I recalled what Emma had told me.
That I hadn’t come back.
That everyone had been looking for me.
That they’d kept waiting.
And.
That the guild had disbanded.
Five years I knew nothing about.
The more I thought about it, the heavier my heart grew.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock at the door.
“Alt-san.”
It was Emma.
“Would you like some tea?”
“Sure.”
Emma entered the room and placed a steaming cup on the desk.
“You’ve been through a lot, after all.”
“Yeah.”
“Please take it easy today.”
She said that with a smile.
I nodded slightly.
Just then.
I heard the neighing of a horse from outside.
Neigh!!
Followed by…
Hurried footsteps.
Someone was running.
And at quite a pace, too.
“……?”
Emma and I looked up at the same time.
And then.
Bang!!
The door burst open.
I reflexively looked toward the entrance.
When I saw the person standing there…
I was speechless.
Long red hair.
Piercing eyes.
A familiar face.
But.
This wasn’t the Leona I knew.
Traces of the girl she once was remained.
And yet.
Standing before me was a grown woman.
She had grown a little taller.
Her features were more refined.
And the aura she exuded was different from before.
Five years.
For the first time,
I truly felt the weight of that time.
“…Leona?”
A hoarse voice escaped my lips.
Leona didn’t answer.
She just
stared intently at me.
As if she’d forgotten even to breathe.
As if she were seeing a phantom.
“Leona?”
I called out to her again.
Then.
Leona began to walk slowly.
One step.
Then another.
With trembling legs.
And then.
She stopped right in front of me.
“…Alt.”
Her voice was trembling.
“It’s been a long time.”
The moment I said that.
Leona’s expression twisted.
But.
She didn’t yell.
She didn’t cry out.
She just…
Timidly reached out her hand.
She touched my cheek.
She touched my shoulder.
She touched my hair.
Over and over.
Over and over.
As if to make sure.
“…Is it really you?”
A tiny voice.
“Huh?”
“Is it really you, Alt?”
Her voice was trembling.
I nodded slowly.
“Yeah.”
“It’s me.”
At that moment.
Tears welled up in Leona’s eyes.
“It’s really you…”
The tension that had been building snapped.
“You idiot!!”
Her fist struck my chest.
“You idiot!!”
Again.
“Where the hell have you been?!!”
Her tears wouldn’t stop.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you?!”
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting?!”
Five years.
All the pent-up emotions burst out at once.
“You said you’d come back!!”
“You promised me!!”
I couldn’t say a word.
I could only—
take those words to heart.
Leona grabs my shirt.
Tightly.
As if to keep me from getting away.
And then.
She throws herself into my arms.
“Really…”
Her voice trembles.
“You really were alive…”
I gently place my hand on her back.
“I’m sorry.”
That was all I could say.
Silence lingers for a while.
Eventually.
Leona murmured softly.
“Please don’t go anywhere anymore.”
“Yeah.”
“I won’t.”
I replied.
But.
Leona didn’t seem reassured.
Her hand remained clenched around my shirt.
“I’m scared.”
Her voice was tiny.
“I’m afraid if I look away again, you’ll disappear.”
I was at a loss for words.
“That’s why—”
Leona continued, still looking down.
“From now on, stay where I can see you.”
I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.
“You’re not a kid anymore.”
“No.”
Her answer was immediate.
“Leona.”
“No.”
Leona gripped my clothes even tighter.
“But—”
“You might disappear again.”
Her voice was sincere.
It was the voice of someone I’d spent five years searching for.
I let out a small sigh.
“Yeah.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Hearing those words,
Leona finally closed her eyes, looking just a little more at ease.
And then.
“I’m staying here today.”
“…Huh?”
“I’m not going home.”
Her answer was immediate.
“No.”
“I’m not going home.”
Her voice left no room for argument.
I looked at Emma as if seeking help.
Emma gave a small laugh.
“Just give up.”
“She’s been waiting for five years.”
Hearing those words,
I couldn’t say a thing in reply.
That night,
Leona didn’t leave my room.
Leona sat motionless on the edge of the bed.
I sat in a chair and let out a sigh.
“…Are you really not going home?”
“I’m not going home.”
Her answer was immediate.
“You have a home, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“Then go home.”
“No.”
There was not a shred of hesitation.
I buried my face in my hands.
Just when I thought we’d reunited after five years, this is what happens.
Then.
Leona looked away for a moment.
“…Is that okay?”
Those words made me freeze.
Five years ago.
Leona, who used to be more assertive than anyone else.
Now she looked anxious.
“I’m afraid you’ll be gone again when I wake up in the morning.”
Her voice was soft.
I couldn’t say a word.
“Do whatever you want.”
I said that, resigning myself to it.
Then.
Leona exhaled, looking slightly relieved.
“Okay.”
Silence lingered for a while.
It was a quiet night.
The wind was blowing outside the window.
Eventually.
I voiced what had been on my mind.
“Hey,”
“Hm?”
“How are the other three doing?”
At that moment,
Leona’s expression clouded over just a little.
“Everyone?”
“They’re probably doing fine, right?”
It was a rather noncommittal reply.
“They’re all guild masters, aren’t they?”
“Yes.”
Leona nodded.
“Me too.”
“Serena too.”
“Lilia too.”
“Mia too.”
“They all have their own guilds.”
I gave a wry smile.
“That would’ve been unthinkable five years ago.”
“I guess so.”
Leona gave a small laugh as well.
But.
The very next moment, her expression turned displeased again.
“But—”
“Huh?”
“If possible, I’d prefer they didn’t come for a while.”
“Huh?”
“They’re going to come anyway.”
It was a statement of fact.
“Once they find out Alt’s back—”
“They’ll definitely come.”
I gave a wry smile.
“That soon?”
“They’ll come.”
An immediate answer.
“They’ll definitely come.”
As she said that,
Leona grabbed the hem of my shirt.
As if to confirm it.
“So just for now.”
“Hm?”
“Just for now, this is my time.”
Saying that,
Leona smiled just a little.
It was a smile I hadn’t seen five years ago.
It was a smile that looked somehow lonely.
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(TL/N: I mistakenly uploaded a repeated chapter for chapter 7. It’s fixed now, sorry about that)
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