“Yayoi-chan?”
Wouldn’t this make us stand out even more? was what I wanted to say but the person herself kept smiling widely and led me by the hand.
“Isn’t this much fine? It’s been an year, let me spoil myself at least now.”(yayoi)
“Such things, please do with your boyfriend.”
“fufu.”
The answer to my words was a happy voice and a wide smile.
…Now I feel like an idiot to be worrying over what to do. No, I really might be an idiot.
[That’s why I said, just go and meet them.]
“‘Tis as you said.”
Just because of my useless inferiority complex, I went into hiding for a whole year.
I thought that was for the best, I still think that way. An existence like mine will only become a burden for the other God Slayers.
An existence that can only kill gods. An existence that can’t fight without getting others into trouble first. The weakest among us all.
But even so, if a reunion was such a happy thing, it’s a good thing I met them.
I thought that way while looking at the happy Yayoi-chan leading me.
.
.
.
.
“umm so, it’s been a while. Have you been doing well?”(renji)
“Yes. Me, nii-chan, and Aya-chan, all of us are doing well.”
“I see. That’s good.”
Since I had no idea what I should talk about, only weird things came out of my mouth when I actually did speak. Sitting on the bench of the park, we talked about a lot of things.
About school, friends, Souichi, Aya, Yayoi. And a little about myself. It’s embarrassing after all. Saying that I have been lazying around in a rural village. It’s not something worth talking about.
Children were frolicking around in the park and after some time, their parents came to pick them up.
In this world, Yayoi-chan and the others don’t have their parents. Utano-san or Kuuki-san had been acting as their guardians. And, I as well had been acting like a counsellor or something.
Remembering that, I started feeling nostalgic again.
Though there’s a kind of lonely feeling thinking that now we don’t need to act as their guardians.
As I turned towards Yayoi-chan, her face didn’t have that loneliness of the past and was happily laughing.
Her face looked really pretty. It showed that the past 1 year, her school life had been really fun for her.
“After getting summoned to this world,”(yayoi)
“un.”
“I was scared, lonely, and sad….I only had onii-chan and Aya-chan.”
Slowly, she continued speaking.
But her voice seemed bright and her face seemed happy.
That’s why I as well, brought out Ermenhilde and gently rubbed the rim of the medal.
“But now, Yuuko-san and the others let us go to school, I made lots of friends, and the other comrades of ours send us letters regularly.”
“I see. Then–”
“And today, I was able to meet Renji-oniisan as well.”
‘You aren’t lonely anymore’. My words coincided with Yayoi’s.
Our gazes met.
“I really think that we 13 should always be together.”
“I see.”
“From hereon, there will be very few times all 13 of us will meet or so Yuuko-san had said but I, want to meet everyone again.”
I made her feel lonely, I did something bad, I made her worry.
My chest grew a bit tighter on seeing the emotions in her eyes. But I was unable to avert my gaze from her serious expression.
“Please don’t disappear so selfishly ever again.”
“….Got it.”
As I nodded, her serious expression became gentler.
“Will you promise?”
“n, I get it. I promise…I won’t disappear like that. I’ll first properly tell you before doing so.”
“No, don’t disappear in the first place….”
She sighed while saying that.
But with a smile…..I scratched my cheek thinking that I ended up promising something to her.
Promises are heavy. Even the easiest of things….I’d want to make sure to protect that promise. I think that I must protect my promise no matter what.
[It’s tough to be an adult, eh?]
“It can’t be helped. Renji-oniisan is everyone’s father after all.”
“I’m not at that age yet. Utano-san may seem like a mother but I’m more closer to an elder brother at most.”
“Mouu…Renji-oniisan is the same as usual I guess.”
[Really. How deplorable..]
For some reason, these 2 seemed to be amazed at me.
A father….That’s not in my character. If Utano-san were to hear that, I can imagine her roaring in laughter.
“Also, renji-oniisan, Aya-chan had been really wanting to meet you, you know?”
[Yeah. Enough to put out requests at the guild for him.]
“That Aya. Or rather, 55 copper for herb gathering…It’d be suspicious so I’d not take up the request instead, normally.”
Saying that, I brought out the memo from my pocket.
Client: Fuyou Aya. Reward: 55 coppers. 10 times the normal reward for such a request.
Such a request, everyone’d end up wondering what kind of monster will you have to fight for this.