Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051601476634937
Night.
Maybe it was because we hadn’t talked in a while.
I couldn’t fall asleep.
Before I knew it, it was the middle of the night.
“…Leona.”
“Hm?”
“I’m going to the bathroom.”
Just as I said that and tried to stand up—
She grabbed my shirt.
“Where are you going?”
It was a reflexive response.
I was surprised by my own reaction.
“To the bathroom.”
“…Really?”
“Really.”
Leona was silent for a few seconds.
And then.
“I’m coming with you.”
“Huh?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No, no.”
I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.
“It’s the bathroom, you know?”
Leona looked at me without saying a word.
And then.
She looked away, seeming a little embarrassed.
“Well,”
her voice was soft.
“I’m afraid you’ll disappear if I take my eyes off you.”
Hearing those words,
I was at a loss for words.
Five years.
To me, it felt like a moment.
But.
It was different for Leona and the others.
It had been far too long.
“I’ll definitely come back.”
When I said that,
Leona hesitated for a moment before letting go of my hand.
“…Promise?”
“Yeah.”
Morning.
I opened my eyes.
Next to me, Leona was breathing quietly in her sleep.
“……”
Come to think of it.
Back when we were broke.
We could only afford one room to save on lodging costs.
There was a time when the five of us were crammed into a single bed.
Back then, Leona complained.
Serena laughed awkwardly.
Lilia looked exasperated.
And Mia was excitedly jumping around.
“Come to think of it, we did go through that.”
I muttered softly.
Then.
“…Hmm.”
Leona stirred slightly.
And then.
She slowly opened her eyes.
For a few seconds.
She looked at me blankly.
And then.
She froze.
“…Alt.”
“Good morning.”
“……”
Leona didn’t say a word.
She just.
stares at me intently.
“Leona?”
“You’re here.”
“Huh?”
“You’re here, Alt.”
What’s that supposed to mean?
I can’t help but laugh.
Then.
Leona furrows her brow slightly, looking a bit displeased.
“Don’t laugh.”
“Sorry.”
Leona lowers her head slightly.
“It’s just… I thought it might be a dream.”
Her voice was soft.
“A dream?”
I asked her to repeat herself.
Leona gave a slight, wry smile.
“A dream about Alto.”
“……”
“For five years.”
Leona said quietly.
“Not every day, though.”
I thought about it for a moment.
And then.
“No.”
I shook my head.
“Maybe it was every day after all.”
“Leona…”
“We met so many times in my dreams.”
Saying that,
Leona looked at me.
“That’s why—”
“When I woke up in the morning, I wondered if it was just a dream.”
Hearing those words,
I was at a loss for words.
“You’re really here.”
“…Yeah.”
Leona nodded slightly.
Breakfast.
As I sipped the tea Emma had brewed for me,
a peaceful moment passed for the first time in a long while.
“Alt.”
“Hm?”
“What are you going to do today?”
“I guess I’d like to ask you a few things first.”
“About five years?
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
“Things about the past five years that I don’t know.”
Leona smiled slightly.
“It’s a long story.”
“I guess so.”
“I think you’ll be surprised when you hear it.”
“I’ll brace myself.”
Just then.
BAM!!
The cafeteria door burst open.
A staff member rushed in.
“Lady Leona!!”
“What?”
Leona made a face that clearly showed her annoyance.
The staff member shouted, out of breath.
“She’s here!!”
“What’s here?”
“Miss Serena!!”
At that moment.
Leona froze.
And then.
She let out a deep sigh.
“…Just as I thought.”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
Leona buried her face in her desk.
“It’s too soon.”
“What is?”
“Serena.”
Her voice was filled with genuine disgust.
“I knew she’d come.”
Saying that, she stood up.
“Alt.”
“Hm?”
“Brace yourself.”
Right after that.
The cafeteria door opened quietly.
Only those blue eyes were fixed squarely on me.
“—It’s been a while.”
It was a familiar voice.
Looking at the woman standing at the cafeteria entrance,
I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.
Long blonde hair.
Crystal-clear blue eyes.
A white-based cassock.
A sacred emblem was engraved on her chest.
The Kingdom’s greatest saintess
Serena Fine
“Serena.”
I called her name.
At that moment.
Serena’s eyes wavered slightly.
Just for an instant.
But.
The next moment, she was back to her gentle smile.
“Yes.”
Her voice was soft.
And yet.
Something about it felt different from usual.
“So it really is you, Alt-san.”
“It’s me.”
I replied.
Then.
Serena let out a small sigh.
As if relieved.
She relaxed her shoulders.
“I’m glad.”
That was all she said.
But.
I felt as though those words carried the weight of five years.
“I worried you, didn’t I?”
“I guess so.”
Her answer was immediate.
I couldn’t help but give a wry smile.
“Are you mad at me?”
Serena thought for a moment.
And then.
She shook her head slightly.
“I’m not mad.”
A gentle smile.
It was the Serena I knew.
But.
The words that followed carried a bit of weight.
“It’s just…”
“?”
“I did think I might never see you again.”
The cafeteria fell silent.
Serena continued, still smiling.
“That scared me just a little.”
Hearing those words,
I found myself at a loss for words.
“But…”
Serena looked at me.
Straight into my eyes.
For a long time.
Without looking away.
“Because you came back.”
She said that and smiled.
It was a gentle smile.
Truly.
It was a gentle smile.
And yet.
I wonder why.
Her gaze alone wouldn’t leave me.
As if.
She were checking to make sure I was really there.
“Serena?”
“What is it?”
“Don’t stare at me like that.”
At those words.
Serena smiled ever so slightly.
“It’s been five years, after all.”
And then.
Just a little bit.
She lowered her voice just a tiny bit.
“I thought I’d better look at you while I still can.”
Her tone sounded like she was joking.
But.
For some reason, it didn’t sound like a joke.
Behind her, Leona let out a small sigh.
“You haven’t changed a bit, have you?”
“Is that so?”
Serena laughed.
But.
Those blue eyes.
Since their reunion, they hadn’t once strayed from Alt.
“You haven’t changed a bit, have you?”
“You’re the one who hasn’t.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I mean, you’ve been right next to Alt-san since yesterday, haven’t you?”
“Well, that’s—”
Leona was at a loss for words.
Serena was smiling as always.
But.
She seemed to be enjoying herself somehow.
“It’s been five years, after all.”
“……”
“I suppose it can’t be helped.”
At those words.
Leona made a blatantly displeased face.
What is it?
I feel like I’ve seen this kind of exchange before.
“You two get along well.”
I blurted that out without thinking.
Leona immediately denied it.
“We don’t.”
Then.
Serena gave a small smile, too.
“That’s true.”
“Yeah…”
I couldn’t help but give a wry smile.
Then.
Serena chuckled softly.
“But I’m relieved.”
“About what?”
“That you haven’t changed, Alt.”
Hearing those words,
I tilted my head slightly.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Serena nodded.
And then,
“That’s good,”
she murmured softly,
as if trying to convince herself.
Just then, another voice spoke up.
“You say that so easily.”
I turned around.
And my eyes widened.
There stood
a woman with long, lustrous black hair swaying gently.
Translucent white skin.
Piercing purple eyes.
Well-defined features that exuded intelligence.
And
an expression that seemed somewhat exasperated.
The kingdom’s greatest mage
Lilia Arkwright
“Lilia.”
I called her name.
Lilia snorted softly.
“Coming back now of all times?”
She said that as she walked toward me.
But.
Those violet eyes never left me.
“You’re still just as foolish as ever.”
Her voice sounded exasperated.
And yet.
It also sounded as if she felt a sense of relief.
“Sorry.”
When I said that,
Lilia fell silent for just a moment.
And then.
She looked away.
“I don’t know what to do with an apology.”
Even as she said that,
she sat down in the seat across from me.
Leona.
Serena.
Lilia.
Before I knew it,
three members of the Wings of Dawn had gathered.
Five years ago, this would have been a perfectly normal sight.
But.
I wonder why.
None of the three made any move to look away from me.
“This feels kind of awkward.”
I muttered without thinking.
“It’s just your imagination.”
Lilia replied immediately.
“It’s not your imagination,”
Leona added.
“It’s definitely not your imagination,”
even Serena nodded in agreement.
“So which is it?”
As I gave a wry smile,
all three of them chuckled softly.
Just then.
BAM!!
The cafeteria door burst open.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the entrance.
Leona pressed her hand to her forehead.
“Ugh…”
Lilia also made a face that clearly showed her disgust.
“This is the worst.”
Only Serena smiled.
“Here it comes.”
“What’s coming?”
Just as I tilted my head in confusion—
“Masterrrrrrrr!!”
Mia sprinted toward me at full speed.
“H-hey!?”
There was no time to stop her.
The next moment.
BAM!!
“Guh!?”
I was nearly blown away, chair and all.
“I’ve missed you so much!!”
“Mia!?”
Right in front of me stood a girl with a beaming smile.
No.
She looked a little too mature to be called a girl.
Silver hair.
Wolf ears on top of her head.
Behind her, a large tail was wagging vigorously.
And most of all.
She had grown much taller than before.
“Is that you, Mia!?”
“It’s me, Mia!!”
Her tail was wagging with incredible vigor.
“You…”
I found myself looking up at her.
“You’ve gotten so big.”
“That’s rude!?”
Mia puffed out her cheeks.
“It’s been a while for you too, Master!”
“No, really, you’ve gotten so big.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
Laughter echoed through the dining hall.
It’s just like old times.
Nothing has changed.
That’s what I thought.
“You’re the one who hasn’t changed, Master!”
Mia puffs out her chest.
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
Her answer was immediate.
“You haven’t changed at all!”
At those words,
Leona lowered her eyes slightly.
Serena smiled quietly as well.
Lilia crossed her arms.
“That’s true,”
Leona murmured.
“You haven’t changed at all.”
“I suppose so,”
Serena nodded as well.
“Alt san is just the same as he used to be.”
“Really,”
Lilia agreed, which was unusual for her.
“It’s as if time has stopped.”
All four of their gazes turned to me.
What’s up?
Haven’t I changed that much?
“You’re exaggerating.”
As I gave a wry smile,
the four of them exchanged glances.
And then—
almost simultaneously, they shook their heads.
“It’s not an exaggeration.”
“It’s not an exaggeration.”
“It’s a fact.”
“It’s true!”
I couldn’t help but smile wryly at their enthusiasm.
But.
That’s when it suddenly dawned on me.
Right.
I hadn’t said anything yet.
“…Come to think of it,”
the words slipped out naturally.
The four of them looked at me.
“I guess I need to explain, too.”
At that moment.
The atmosphere in the cafeteria shifted.
Leona looked straight at me.
The smile faded from Serena’s face.
Lilia crossed her arms again.
Mia’s tail stopped wagging.
Five years.
The answer I’d been wanting to know all along.
Everyone had been waiting for it.
“First, let me say this.”
I exhaled slowly.
And then.
I looked around at the four of them.
“Based on my intuition—”
I cut myself off.
No one spoke.
“It feels like two weeks.”
Silence.
The cafeteria fell completely silent.
“…Huh?”
Lilia was the first to speak up.
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !