Side Story 7 – Each thought is for the same happiness

In the midst of the bustling bar, there is an air of harmony at the table where the three of them are seated. It is a peace that, until just a few days ago, seemed as if it would never be lived again.

The Sword of Wheat, which had temporarily lost Tale, had all been beaten down, without hope, and could only sit and wait for it to collapse.

And now, here they are.

The three of them are surely grateful beyond Tale’s wildest imagination that the everyday life they took for granted has returned once again.

–And it is no wonder that they are so determined not to lose such an irreplaceable everyday life again.

In the warm atmosphere, Ur turns her attention back to Anri.

“But you know what?”

When she sees that Anri’s gaze is returned, Ur exhales to cut to the chase.

She feels sorry for ruining this atmosphere even for a moment, but still.

Because it’s about her precious Tale. Ur released those words without any hesitation.

“-I don’t think Anri’s way is good for Tale.”

–At that moment, the air freezes.

No one spoke a word. The atmosphere changed from earlier, and a somewhat awkward silence fell over the table.

Anri, after a moment of surprise, shows a slight twitch of her eyebrows. Rietta, not understanding what was being said, looked at the other two with a puzzled look as if she had noticed a change in them.

Ur, who had created this situation himself, however, took the gravity of the situation head on and stood with a calm expression on her face, as if waiting for a response.

Anri opened her mouth to Ur in her usual tone, but with a sharp gaze.

“Eh? What do you mean?”

It was clear from her slightly annoyed expression that she was not convinced by Ur’s statement.

However, Ur, on the other hand, is ready to take the challenge if she has any objection, and her usually cool face shows a strong color.

“You know, Anri. I’m sure Anri is still thinking about Tale in a way that is somewhat close to herself. If he were to do this to her, she would think this way, and that’s what she’s expecting from him.”

“……”

“Tale, you know. I think it’s deeper than that.”

Anri thought about Ur’s words.

The purpose of the action at that time was to make him reflect on the past of Tale by witnessing the self-sacrifice of his friends. Perhaps Ur understood this and said that the way she did it at that time was not good enough.

But Anri still thinks that it is. Even if her actions at that time were too hasty, she still doesn’t think it was meaningless.

It doesn’t have to work right away. If Anri’s feelings can be understood, even if only a little, just like this time, that in itself will be meaningful. She sure Tale will eventually too.

Anri’s thoughts of self-sacrificing behavior are somewhat distorted, even if they do not come from the same source as Tale. Anri is unaware of this herself. She is a little unstable in her balance of self-satisfaction and self-loathing, and that is why she is thinking the way she does.

But that is not entirely a bad thing. If her first priority was not to lose Tale, she would be happy with any result, distorted or otherwise.

Anri strengthened her resolve once again.

Ur, on the other hand, saw Anri pondering, and guessed that her argument had not been accepted. She realized that she had only reaffirmed Anri’s conclusion, and exhaled softly.

–It wasn’t that Ur didn’t like Anri. On the contrary, she has been with her since she was a child, and he truly cherishes her.

It’s just that both Ur and Anri like the same person and have feelings for Tale in different ways, that’s all.

So they don’t think of this situation as not good, or anything arrogant like that. Nor does it mean that either of them is wrong in their thinking.

Ur used strong words because she wanted to convey what she thought was the right way to do things, but she also intended to inspire Anri to go straight ahead in her own way.

Each of them works on Tale in their own way, and if that works out for either of them, so be it.

If she wanted to, she wanted to be the one who could change his mind, though she held such a healthy desire in her heart.

Ur saw Anri, who seemed to have come up with the answer herself, and naturally raised the corner of her mouth. Anri noticed that she was also being watched, and the two exchanged glances and smiled fearlessly.

“–Then it’s a match. Anri or me or Rietta–which one of us can set Tale straight? I won’t lose.”

“Yeah. I’m not going to lose either. –――At the same time, I also achieved my dreams.”

Anri smiled mischievously, but her feelings probably weren’t as light as those words.

After this incident, her feelings towards Tale have actually become stronger than before. And the same goes for Ur, who was once in despair after losing Tale.

Rietta, who couldn’t fully follow the conversation as she watched the two of them exploding with sparks, had a hand floating above her small head.

But still.

Rietta, who has known the two for a long time, could tell.　

The two of them look at each other intensely, even though at first glance they seem to be enemies.

–But even so, they are like rivals who share a strong trust in each other and are moving forward toward a common goal.

They have been together since they were small children, and she is sure they will continue to be so.

She have a feeling that there are still many difficulties awaiting them in the future, but still.

She knew that everyone in “Sword of Wheat” was a good friend. Rietta thought so again.

–And so the night goes on, with the three of them cheerfully drinking together again.

(A/N : This concludes chapter one)

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