Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Volume 2

Hmph. Don’t you think you’ve mistaken who your apology should be directed to?”

“L-Lord Rio! I’m truly very sorry...”

Uzuma suddenly kneeled on the ground, throwing her forehead to the floor before her.

In other words, a dogeza.

So the spirit folk also had the culture of dogeza... Rio’s eyes widened slightly at that.

While he wasn’t sure whether her action held the same weight as the dogeza did in Japan, her apologetic intentions were evident.

“P-Please accept my apology too. My Lord Rio, I am very sorry for what happened!” Following Uzuma’s lead, Sara, Orphia, and Alma all kneeled down in succession.

“...I would be lying if I said I wasn’t bothered, but I accept your apology. I may have lacked some consideration myself when I stepped into your territory so thoughtlessly.” Uncomfortable with having girls his age and older groveling at his feet, Rio decided to accept their apologies and be done with it. It wouldn’t be a good idea to ruin their relationship from now on, either.

“Lord Rio, please accept an apology from me as well. I promise to have Uzuma take responsibility for her hastiness. The girls over there shall face a scolding from me, too,” Ursula said, making Sara and the others flinch.

“Yes, I understand. So please, everyone, raise your heads. I will be distraught if you remain like this any longer,” Rio said with a forced smile at Sara and the others who were still bowing on the floor.

“Lord Rio. The village elders will gather tomorrow morning and offer you a formal apology. You must be tired tonight. Please rest with Miss Latifa here in this room,” Ursula suggested with a sidelong glance at the girls slowly rising to their feet.

“Then I shall do just that.”

“Good. I shall prepare an attendant for you too. Don’t hesitate to inform us if you need anything.”

“No, nothing. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Of course. Now, I must make some various arrangements, so please excuse me. Come along, you lot.” The girls all followed Ursula out of the room.

On their way out, Uzuma and the three girls bowed deeply, prompting Rio to lightly nod his head at them. Just before she left the room, Ursula sent Latifa a look overflowing with affection. Then, Rio shifted Latifa from his lap onto the bed, before laying down next to her.

◇◇◇

Shortly after Rio fell asleep...

The village elders gathered in a council room on the top floor of their town hall.

“...And that’s the general summary of this incident. I believe it would be proper to offer Lord Rio a formal apology and a reward to show our gratitude for saving Miss Latifa and protecting her. Are there any objections?” After Ursula explained the events that occurred, she looked around the room of elders from where she sat. There were two other elders in the room as well, seated to her left. The others all wore conflicted expressions.

“I don’t believe anyone would object to the apology and reward. But, as we have no knowledge of how human culture works, our common practices may not be conveyed as intended. What we should apologize for and thank him with is another matter that needs considering,” the elf head elder — an elderly man seated at the center of the three seats with Ursula — said.

As they were all different species from humans entirely, there was a significant difference in their fundamental sense of values. In reality, that difference in value was what caused them to separate themselves from humans over the course of history. That was why they wished to avoid expressing their gratitude in the wrong way and causing some kind of displeasure.

“Then why don’t we just ask the kid himself? We can just give him whatever he wants, so long as it’s within our means,” the dwarf head elder suggested from where he sat just to the right.

“Don’t you think that would be rather presumptuous, Dominic?” said the elf male. He looked at the dwarf — Dominic — beside him.

What Dominic had meant was to issue a blank check for Rio to write his desired amount. But if it was an amount they couldn’t afford, they’d be in trouble by appearing even ruder and ungrateful towards him.

The room buzzed.

“Even so, we cannot simply express our gratitude with only words. We owe that much to Lord Rio for how we have slighted him. I believe there is some appeal to Dominic’s words, everyone,” Ursula said, looking at the other elders.

The elf elder gave a stately nod. “Well... I suppose.”

The other elders in the room reluctantly voiced their agreement too. Everyone present admittedly felt it was right to repay Rio in some form or another, but the reason why they were so wary of him was largely due to their preconceptions of humans.

With problems between their species deep-rooted in their history, this was one thing that couldn’t be helped.

“Yep... gotta avoid humans at all costs. I get why everyone feels wary and all, but this one was nice enough to save one of our brethren from slavery and guide her all the way to us from the Strahl region. From what I’ve heard, we returned his favor with bad blood. He certainly doesn’t seem like the type of brat to demand that we offer him a slave... Ain’t that right, Ursula?”

“Indeed, I can guarantee that much. He was a compassionate and reasonable boy,” Ursula declared assertively at Dominic’s question.

“So how about it, Syldora?”

“...All right. Does anyone have any objections?” The elf elder Syldora nodded and looked over the other elders, but no one stepped forward, and the proposal was approved.

“Then to show our gratitude, we shall go with the idea Dominic suggested. Does anyone else have any other points to raise?”

“Hmm. Then may I?” Ursula raised a hand.

“Of course. You were the one most involved with this incident out of the council of elders,” Syldora welcomed her with a nod.

“I would like to address the topic of Miss Latifa. While I’m not entirely certain, I believe her upbringing as a slave has resulted in what I perceived as mental fragility. That fragility has manifested itself in the form of dependence towards Lord Rio. If we were to accept her within our community, we would require Lord Rio to stay in the village too — at least until she settles down, I am thinking.”

“Ah... In that case, preparations need to be made for lodgings and a caretaker. We also gotta explain the situation to the villagers... and get the brat’s consent, too, of course.”

Dominic scratched his head at Ursula’s words; Syldora and Ursula opened their mouths without missing a beat.

“We can leave the caretaking to the apprentice shrine maidens. Fortunately, they’ve already met him. It can act as their repentance for troubling one such protector.”

“Hm. In regards to lodging, there’s an empty house on my property. They can live there. I volunteer to take on the role of being their guardian in the meantime.”

And so, the discussion proceeded smoothly, until...

“Hey. Do you have a moment?”

A beautiful voice echoed clearly throughout the council room. Suddenly, a woman materialized in a spot that had been vacant. She was a young beauty wearing a dress decorated with delicate flowers. Her green hair was long enough to reach the floor, and her eyes were a sparkling emerald color. Her face was so exquisitely refined it almost seemed devoid of life, yet she also gave off a warm aura.

“Y-Your Greatness...”

As soon as they caught sight of her, all the elders in the room immediately knelt all at once.

“Great Dryas, the Grand Spirit Festival is still a ways in the future. What brings you here today?” Ursula asked reverently.

“Yeah, I just had something on my mind. I came to ask you guys about it.”

“I see. How may we help you?”

“Just now, I felt the presence of an unfamiliar spirit around this area. Seemed like a pretty high class one, but it disappeared almost immediately. I’m almost certain it’s someone’s contract spirit, but I don’t know whose. Any ideas?”

Dryas asked, looking around the council room.

“...Yes, actually,” Ursula answered.

“Oh, really? Where is it?”

“I believe it is resting with the boy it's contracted to at the moment. We have plans to bring him to this room tomorrow morning. What would you like to do, Your Greatness?”

Ursula’s answer made the other elders widen their eyes in shock. The only contracted boy she could be referring to was Rio.

“Huh... So he’ll be in this room? Then is it okay for me to sit in attendance too?”

“Of course, Your Greatness. However, the boy is actually a human child...”

“Oh, my... How unusual. Humans are visiting this village?” Dryas widened her eyes in the slightest.

“Yes, there were special circumstances involved...” Ursula hesitated with a troubled expression.

“Hmm. Well, that’s of no concern to me. I’ll pop by again tomorrow morning. See you then.”

“Yes, Your Greatness,” Ursula acknowledged respectfully.

At the same time, Dryas’ figure disappeared into dust. She truly was a carefree soul, appearing and disappearing as she pleased.

“...There she goes. I never imagined she would appear so suddenly like that. It’s bad for my heart...” Ursula sighed tiredly. The other elders showed similar reactions.

“Gahaha! She’s a great high-rank spirit, after all. Of course she’s gonna be whimsical. We’re rarely granted her audience outside of the Grand Spirit Festival. Let’s just consider it good fortune this time,” Dominic said.

“That may be true... But, Ursula, what was that you spoke of before? Is it true?” Syldora agreed with Dominic’s words before narrowing his eyes at Ursula.

“Hm. Great Dryas’ words just now solidified my theory. Lord Rio has forged a contract with a spirit. Although it is a little worrying that he didn’t seem to be aware of it himself.”

“I see... One thing after another... I never would have expected this after being rattled awake so late. This has been quite an eventful night indeed,” Syldora said, pasting a strained smile on his face.

“Damn right. The most eventful of my life.” Dominic gave a great nod of agreement.

◇◇◇

The next morning, Rio woke to find Latifa sleeping in his arms. Yesterday he had felt the oncoming symptoms of a cold, but now he felt surprisingly healthy, and it was all thanks to the elf medicine Ursula gave him. As he was stroking Latifa’s hair through her sound sleep, a knock echoed from the door.

“Yes? I’m awake.” Rio sat up and responded, then watched as the door slowly opened. There in the doorway stood three girls — the silver werewolf Sara, the elf girl Orphia, and the dwarf girl Alma.

“Good morning, Master Rio,” the three all called out together before bowing in unison.

“Good morning. Is something the matter?” Rio bowed his head to return their greeting before asking the three of them to enter the room.

“Preparations for breakfast have been completed, so we came to call you. What would you like to do?” Sara answered on behalf of the three of them. She was the oldest of the group and often ended up acting as their leader.

“It’s a very tempting offer, but I’d like to wait until Latifa wakes up. She’ll get mad at me if I eat first.” Rio smiled gently, shaking his head.

The girls’ expressions clouded over slightly. Seeing how soundly Latifa was sleeping as she clung to Rio made them feel even more guilty about what they had done because of their misjudgment.

“...Understood,” Sara said, bowing politely.

“Oh! How about some tea first, Master Rio?” Orphia clapped her hands together as a the idea popped into her head.

“If it’s not too much trouble, then please, Miss Orphia.”

“I-It would be my pleasure! Please wait here for a moment.” Orphia beamed before turning on her heel.

“Ah, I’ll help you, Orphia!” Without a moment’s delay, Alma eagerly followed Orphia out. It hadn’t been long until Rio and Sara were the only two left in the room.

“A-Ah, umm...”

Sara almost considered going to help them, too, but her rational mind realized that three people weren’t needed to prepare tea. She stopped in her tracks, feeling somewhat awkward at being left alone with a person of a different species that was also the same age. Their egotistical misunderstanding had single-handedly caused so

It’s because I love Mii-chan. Well? Do you want me to let go?”

He really was being bold today, Haruto thought impassively as he spoke.

“Y-You’re being mean, Haru-kun. There’s no way I want you to let go.” Miharu flushed an even deeper scarlet as she mumbled.

“Really. ...Then is it okay if we stay like this a little longer?”

Just for now, at least, Haruto thought as he hugged Miharu.

For an instant, it felt as though Miharu would drift somewhere far away... Haruto continued to pester Miharu to distract himself from his worries.

“Yeah,” Miharu nodded with a small smile.

Haruto gently brushed away strands of Miharu’s hair, then gently stroked her cheek.

...But his hands suddenly refused to move, as though they had been restrained by something.

Before he knew it, Miharu’s warmth disappeared.

“Please get up.”

Haruto — no, Rio — returned to reality, summoned awake by someone’s voice. It was an unfamiliar voice; one of a young girl, but definitely not Miharu’s.

Let me stay asleep, I want to see this dream a little longer... Rio deeply wished for that from the bottom of his heart. However, his consciousness wouldn’t allow that now that he was awake.

“Um, please get up.”

Rio was shaken awake with a blink. Then, his expression immediately changed into one of devastation. Of course, it wasn’t Miharu before him — it was the elf girl Orphia and the dwarf girl Alma.

Was it... a dream? Rio thought hazily through his burning fever and fatigue.

An indescribable feeling of loss overcame him, making tears fall suddenly from his eyes.

Amakawa Haruto was dead, and he would never meet Miharu again. That was why he did his best to stop remembering Miharu. The thoughts and feelings he had sealed until now flowed out of him alongside his tears.

Rio still had regretful feelings towards Miharu inside him; his dream just now had emphasized that keenly. However, even with that awareness, Miharu did not exist in this world.

Reality was cruel.

“Erm... Good morning.” Orphia said hesitantly as Rio sadly shed his tears.

“Good... morning,” Rio responded on reflex, despite not seeing Orphia and Alma at all. He bit down on his lip in an attempt to stifle his emotions.

Suddenly, he felt someone wrap a blanket over his body. They probably couldn’t bear seeing a similar-aged boy in his underwear, even one of a different race. Well, who cares about that, Rio thought offhandedly.

An awkward silence fell over the room — over Orphia and Alma, to be precise. That was when the door flew open with a bang.

“Onii-chan!”

Latifa appeared in the doorway. A few moments later, Sara and Uzuma entered, too. As soon as Latifa entered the room, she burst into tears and clung onto Rio’s horizontal form in the bed.

“...Why are you crying, Latifa?”

“Because you were gone, Onii-chan. I don’t want that... Please don’t leave me. Stay by my side, please?”

“I’m right here, aren’t I?” Rio said gently with a strained smile. Seeing Latifa cry had somehow made him calm down instantly; his emotional disposition had disappeared.

“Then will you always be with me? You’ll never leave, right?” Latifa asked, squeezing Rio’s body even tighter.

“Oh, dear. Could you hug me a little softer? It hurts,” Rio said with a troubled face, evading the question.

He couldn’t answer yes. If he did, it would probably be a lie. It felt somewhat shameful to lie directly to the face of a young girl who admired him.

“Huh, you’re hurt? Why— What’s this?!” Latifa finally noticed the cuffs around Rio’s hands and feet. She tried to pry them open by force, but it was futile.

“Don’t worry about me. Did they do anything bad to you, Latifa?”

“Yes. They hurt my Onii-chan,” Latifa answered immediately, making Rio blink with a blank expression.

“Then everything’s okay,” he said, amused.

“Nuh-uh! That’s not true. Who did this to you?”

Latifa shook her head furiously with tears in her eyes. Then, she looked around the room and spotted Sara, Orphia, Alma, and Uzuma — the four who seemed to be in the know. She glared at them suspiciously, silently demanding them to explain what happened.

“U-Umm...”

Unsure of where to begin, Sara’s face paled as she opened her mouth. The other three wore similar expressions. Suddenly—

“Good grief, why can’t you all walk a little slower? I’m here now.”

Belatedly, Ursula arrived. Once she saw Latifa clinging to Rio, she bowed her head and sighed. “Figures. Human boy, please accept my apologies. I’d like to ask you some questions about that girl. Would you kindly cooperate with us? We’ll pick a better place to talk, of course.”

“Who cares about that! Are you the ones who did this to Onii-chan? Answer me.” Before Rio could respond to Ursula’s question, Latifa cut in and made a blatantly hostile demand.

“That’s right... hm?! This is... quite a fierce killing intent.”

The moment Ursula confirmed Latifa’s accusation, Latifa took on a protective stance over Rio. Her eyes were as sharp as a guard dog’s, glaring at the occupants of the room.

“You were mean to Onii-chan. I won’t forgive you.”

Before they knew it, a thick intimidating air swept through the dim room. It was directed towards everyone in the room. Everyone except Rio, that is. Sara’s group all stiffened at once, sweating nervously. The winged werebeast, Uzuma, stepped forth and took on the full effect of Latifa’s skin-piercing gaze.

“Stop it, Uzuma.”

“You too, Latifa. I’m glad you feel that way, but stop. I’m fine, so let’s listen to what they have to say.”

Ursula and Rio intervened, not wanting the situation to get out of hand.

“If Onii-chan says so, then...” Latifa reluctantly backed down.

“Thank you both. Before we relocate, allow me to undo those cuffs. Where is the key, Uzuma?”

“...I gave it to Lady Sara,” Uzuma answered Ursula in a stilted voice.

“Then, Sara. Undo those cuffs immediately.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am! ...Excuse me.” Sara nodded, running towards Rio in a hurry. The cuffs around his neck, hands, and feet were unshackled one by one.

“Thank you very much.”

“N-No! We’re the ones that should be apologizing to you! Please accept our sincerest apologies!” Sara bowed her head in a fluster after Rio had thanked her.

“Then let us relocate immediately. Follow me.”

“Of course. ...But could you give me a moment first? I’d like to heal myself a little.”

Just as Rio tried to stand up and follow Ursula, a sharp pain stabbed him in the stomach. His face twisted in agony as he sought permission to treat himself.

“Hm? Did they injure you? That is inexcusable. Let me treat you immediately,” Ursula replied, shooting a cold glance towards Sara and the others.

“No, I can do it. Please do not trouble yourself.” Rio rejected her offer and began to heal himself.

“That’s... spirit art. I see, so you are a human of Yagumo. How unusual...”

“So this is spirit art after all?” Ursula had muttered to herself in understanding, prompting Rio to question her.

He was more than well aware that he was using an unusual ability that was similar to, yet unlike magic. He had tried to research the identity of it in the Royal Academy’s library, and as a result, he had discovered a book that spoke of an imitative technique called “spirit art.” However, it held no details other than the name, and his research ended without him receiving any more clarity of his ability.

“From the looks of it, you don’t seem to understand spirit arts very well. How did you come to learn it?”

“I was suddenly able to use it one day.”

“...What?”

Rio’s frank truth made Ursula’s eyes widen.

“Is that unusual?”

“Hum. Humans have far less aptitude towards spirit arts than the spirit folk to begin with... To learn it in a single day should be impossible. Under normal circumstances, at least. Don’t tell me...” Ursula said, before giving Rio a meaningful look.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not a problem... It shouldn’t be, anyway. I’d like to hear more about that too, if possible. I promise to answer any questions you have about us as well.”

“Please do. Also, I would appreciate it if you could lend me something to wear,” Rio said, flashing a glimpse of his underwear-clad figure under the blanket. Ursula sighed deeply.

“...I apologize again. They shall be brought to you immediately. Along with some medicine, since you may already be sick. Orphia, Alma. Go prepare them, now.”

“Y-Yes ma’am!”

Orphia and Alma nodded in unison and hurried out of the room.

◇◇◇

After Rio changed, relocated rooms, and introduced himself, he explained the reason he had taken in Latifa. He explained that he had been moving from Strahl to Yagumo, that he was attacked on the way by Latifa, a slave being controlled by the Collar of Submission, and that Latifa decided to follow him after he released her, and so on.

Latifa — the only one who could attest to the truth of his story — had perhaps grown tired or bored of the small talk, as she had fallen asleep on Rio’s lap as he talked. However, her attachment to Rio was the greatest proof they could have offered.

As their discussion progressed, Rio explained the reason why he decided to step foot into the great forest that held the spirit folk’s village. Namely, the fact that he wanted the spirit folk to take the werebeast — Latifa — in, and protect her.

“Uzuma. Because of your hasty actions, you have committed the greatest dishonor upon a benefactor seeking to protect one of our own. Do you have something to say for yourself?”

After hearing the entire story, Ursula turned to Uzuma with a severe look.

“Umm... When I heard that Miss Latifa was put to sleep by spirit arts, I thought that human... that he had surely kidnapped her, and flew into a rage.”

Uzuma explained her side of the story with a flushed face, sweating profusely.

“From what I have heard, you attacked him while in the middle of negotiations without even bothering to hear what Lord Rio had to say. Why did you not wait until he had finished speaking?”

“I-I was simply too enraged... And as long as there was the possibility of a kidnapping, I had to prepare for the worst case scenario and secure the safe rescue of Miss Latifa...” Uzuma cowered as she spoke, shrinking back in fear.

Considering how urgent the situation had been, Uzuma’s actions couldn’t be written off completely. Anyone would jump to the conclusion of kidnapping if they encountered an armed foreigner, trespassing in their territory, with a young girl of their own species put to sleep by spirit arts.

On top of that, there was the danger of Latifa being used as a hostage if they moved too slowly... And if Rio had really been a kidnapper, that would have been more than possible.

But just because Uzuma’s reaction wasn’t completely wrong didn’t mean that she had done the right thing. Reality didn’t have clear solutions like numerical formulas, after all.

“P-Please forgive me, Head Elder! Y-You may punish me however you see fit, if need be!” Unable to withstand the mood in the room and her own sense of guilt, Uzuma finally cracked and turned to apologizing

Chapter 5: Misunderstanding
Sara and the other spirit folk brought the unconscious Rio and Latifa back to their village with them. Rio was restrained with a magic artifact and escorted to the rarely used jail cell in the village town hall, while Sara’s group carried Latifa to a guest room within the same building.

A werefox elder waited for them in the room to receive their report of the incident. As the representative of their group, Sara explained the circumstances to the elder first.

“...Hmm. Don’t you think you were a little too rough, dear Uzuma?” The elder looked at Uzuma coldly after hearing the report.

“B-But it was an emergency situation...”

“Well, that may be true... however, this child... I have never seen her around here before. And I’d definitely remember a child this cute.”

“Yes. In regards to that, we discovered supplies in their camp that we believe to be travel equipment belonging to this girl. It’s possible that she isn’t one of the villagers...” Sara clarified from the side with a slightly pale face.

“Orphia. Alma. Bring the captured boy here immediately.” The expression on the elder’s face changed instantly, and she gave her order in a somewhat cold tone.

Orphia and Alma both stuttered a confirmation to the elder and hurried out of the room.

Latifa opened her eyes soon after.

◇◇◇

Latifa opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar room. She was on a soft and comfy bed, under a warm and snug blanket. Compared to camping outside, it was far, far more comfortable and pleasant to sleep on. And yet—

“...Onii-chan?” Latifa murmured, glancing wildly around the room.

Her precious person wasn’t here, where he should be. Instead, she was surrounded by strangers: the silver werewolf Sara, the winged werebeast Uzuma, and the werefox — like Latifa — elder. The three of them sat on chairs facing each other, conversing with conflicted expressions on their faces that immediately halted when they noticed that Latifa was awake.

“Hmm, seems like you’re awake now. Good morning, brethren of mine. How do you feel?” The werefox elder smiled, speaking in the language of the spirit folk. However, Latifa couldn’t understand a single word.

“...What are you saying? Onii-chan... Where’s Onii-chan?” She tilted her head and spoke in the common language of the Strahl region. A downcast look fell over Sara’s and the elder’s faces.

“Human language. Elder Ursula, this girl really...”

“So it seems. This child isn’t from the village,” Sara and the elder said to each other conclusively.

Latifa, on the other hand, couldn’t understand what the two were saying, and warily looked around the room. She twitched her nose, secretly sniffing out Rio’s scent to locate him.

Suddenly, Latifa’s nose caught onto his faint scent.

There’s no mistaking it. It’s Onii-chan. Unable to bear it any longer, Latifa jumped out of the bed and broke into a run.

“Ah, hey! Stop right there!” The sudden turn of events delayed Sara’s reaction, allowing Latifa to give her the slip and dip into the hallway.

“Augendae Corporis!”

After successfully making it to the hallway, she chanted the only magic spell she could use. Her body instantly became lighter, strength flowing through her as she ran in the direction of Rio’s scent. Sara and Uzuma chased after her.

“Humm. This seems to be taking a turn for the worse,” Ursula muttered to herself, her expression darkening.

◇◇◇

Several moments earlier, before Latifa opened her eyes...

Rio regained consciousness on a shabby bed in an unfamiliar room. With a fuzzy head, he wondered where he was; his body felt sluggish, as if he had caught a cold. In an attempt to assess the situation, he moved to sit up in the bed, when a sharp pain suddenly stabbed through his stomach area.

Accepting his defeat, he gave up and flopped back down.

He moved his hand to his stomach in order to treat himself with magic, when he realized there were shackles restraining his hands.

These are... Enchanted Sealing Cuffs, huh. They were even careful enough to bind my neck and feet, too.

Rio ground his teeth. Enchanted Sealing Cuffs were an artifact that could contain the magic essence of the wearer. Normally, it was enough to attach just one, but they could be broken depending on the capability of the wearer. Because of this, high-class sorcerers would be made to wear multiple cuffs.

Even managing my essence is too difficult, much less healing myself. Damn it...

Rio frowned as he gazed up at the ceiling above him. Dim moonlight and a cold breeze entered from the iron barred window in the corner of the room. At some point, they had stripped him of his equipment and clothes; Rio was only clothed in a thin underlayer. The temperature of the room was less than ten degrees... He was almost guaranteed to catch a cold like this.

He would have preferred to move around a bit and warm himself as much as possible, but now wasn’t the time for that. Rio endured the stabbing pains in his stomach and focused on recovering naturally.

Then, a short while later...

The chill against his skin had already passed his limits, making an unpleasant feeling shoot through him. Eventually, his mind started to nod off into the darkness. He knew it was bad to sleep, but he couldn’t find the strength to keep his eyes open.

Then, several minutes after Rio completely lost consciousness, he found himself in a pure white space. He had no idea where he was, nor what was happening.

“Haruto...” A clear, beautiful voice resounded.

Rio looked around in surprise. Before he realized it, an unknown girl stood before him.

Her long rose-gold hair fluttered behind her as she stared at Rio’s face with eyes like rubies. There was no emotion in her expression, but her features were unbelievably refined.

“You’re...” Rio murmured.

He felt like he had seen her face somewhere, but would he really forget the face of someone so overwhelmingly beautiful, a face that emitted such a divine aura?

“Who are you?”

“Me? Who am I... I wonder.” The girl tilted her head to the side.

“You don’t know?” Rio asked.

“Yeah...” the girl nodded sadly.

“But you know who I am, right?”

“Haruto? Haruto... Haruto is... just Haruto.”

“That’s not much of an answer. Okay, then why do you know me?”

Her somewhat philosophical yet redundant answer made Rio give a strained smile and change his line of questioning. She reached up to touch Rio’s cheek gently and, after a beat, squeezed his hand. It felt so natural for her to be doing so... Rio simply stood there and held his hand out as she wanted. Her hand felt so unreal, it was almost artificially drained of life — yet at the same time, it was strangely warm.

“I am... connected to Haruto.”

“Connected to me?” Rio didn’t really understand what she was saying.

“Yup. But now is not the time... Haruto, I only belong to you, and I will always be by your side. Your weaknesses, your strengths, your everything — I accept them all. So don’t give up. Don’t be afraid. And believe in yourself a little.”

“W... Why...?”

A dumbfounded expression overcame Rio’s face; he was just barely able to find his voice. The girl smiled as though she had regained some of her lost emotion.

“Because you’re the only one left for me... for... for what?” she said, blinking with a somewhat confused and mystified expression. Then, the girl widened her eyes with a gasp as her figure suddenly started to fade away.

“...Sorry. It looks like... time’s up.”

“Time?” Rio asked the girl, but she didn’t answer him.

“Sorry. I can only... do this much... for you. Sweet... dreams...”

She hugged Rio softly. Her eyes sluggishly struggled to stay open, as though her consciousness was fading away. Rio, too, followed her into that darkness soon after.

Then, not long after, another voice—

“Haru-kun.”

He thought he heard a familiar voice. A girl. Rio knew this girl’s voice... No, Amakawa Haruto knew this girl’s voice. The memories he had desperately tried to seal so long ago came rushing back to him clearly, as though they had happened just yesterday.

“Wake up, Haru-kun!”

Haruto’s childhood friend — Ayase Miharu — was shaking his shoulder.

“...I’m awake.”

“Ah! Haru-kun’s up!”

Haruto blinked his eyes open against the dazzling light to see Miharu beaming at him. Miharu’s smile... Just seeing it made Haruto happy, filling his heart with warmth.

“What’s up...? I was sleeping so nicely too.”

He glanced at the clock. It was still early in the morning.

“Don’t give me that! Today’s the day of the excursion! You have to get up early!”

Excursion? Why are we going on excursions at this age? Wait, that’s right! Today was the first excursion of first grade — Haruto widened his eyes with a gasp as he remembered that. But after a few moments hesitation...

“Hmm. Good night, Mii-chan,” Haruto said, burrowing back into his blankets, despite being more than awake now.

He was really looking forward to the excursion — that was why he hadn’t been able to sleep the night before. But for some reason, he really wanted to spend the day with just Miharu. However, she had been really looking forward to the excursion, so she whined like a child whose precious item was being taken from her.

“Y-You can’t do that! We agreed to sit next to each other on the bus and go together!”

Oh, that kind of sounds tempting too, Haruto thought at Miharu’s words, but he made no move to leave the blankets. Wanting to see her reaction, he couldn’t help but tease her a little.

“Come on, Haru-kun, get up. Pretty please?” Miharu shook Haruto gently.

“Mmph...” Haruto grumbled in response. Then, somewhere next to the bed, Miharu began fidgeting with something.

I guess I should get up now, Haruto thought, but just as he did—

“Geez! I’ll definitely get you up!” Miharu said, jumping on top of his blankets.

“Whoa, huh?! Wait! Hold it, Mii-chan! I surrender! I’ll get up!”

Haruto resurfaced from his blankets in a hurry to find Miharu smiling smugly down at him.

“Fufu! Good morning, Haru-kun.”

Honestly, that cuteness was unfair... But Haruto wasn’t about to take it lying down, either.

“There!” Haruto mischievously dragged Miharu into the blankets with him.

“W-Wah! Haru-kun!” Miharu blushed furiously at being hugged so tightly by him under the blankets.

“Do you want me to let go?” Haruto asked cheekily. Miharu was in front of him. That was enough to make him very happy.

“Uugh... What’s wrong, Haru-kun? You’re awfully bold today