Bab 34: Chapter 34
When we reach 150 Power Stones, there will be a bonus chapter!
***
I carried Hestia in my arms as if she were a princess. The night air was cool, and we walked in silence until I stopped my steps.
"Mm?"
I felt a presence behind us, following us with light footsteps.
I slowly turned around, and when I saw this person, I wanted to sigh.
"Um... do you have a moment?"
Ais. The famous Sword Princess. She watched me with a calm gaze.
Hey, you're starting to scare me.
She didn't come here with any other members of her Familia, which meant I could relax. I nodded and settled Hestia into my arms. I'm pretty sure she would have made another scene if she wasn't sleeping.
Ais came over. She didn't say anything at first, just looked at me closely. Very closely. She circled around me, sizing me up as if I were a strange bug or an animal in a zoo. I won't lie: I felt uncomfortable enough to step back.
"This... Ais, is something wrong? I mean, do you need me for something?"
I didn't know if, from the perspective of someone from this world, it was considered disrespectful or rude to call another person by their first name when they were strangers, but I wasn't used to calling someone by their last name.
She didn't answer, holding a hand to her chin in thought. Finally, she stopped walking and looked up to meet my eyes.
"I... Have we met before?"
We had crossed paths in the pub, but that didn't justify the feeling that seemed to overwhelm her. Why did she ask?
"I... don't think so. No, I'm sure we've never met before."
Except in the anime, of course.
But what is this strange discomfort in my chest?
Ais tilted her head slightly, her golden eyes shining in the moonlight. These eyes looked deep, perhaps... remembering something.
Ais took out her jagamarukun and bit into it, keeping her eyes on me. She didn't take her eyes off me for a second, and this attention made me a little uncomfortable.
"Um... it's a good day, isn't it?"
She paused, still holding the jagamarukun, and cocked her head to the side.
"Is that so...?"
Hey...
"You're... different."
I let out a forced laugh.
"Really? What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know. I just feel it. Mmm..." She chewed on her jagamarukun and then continued, "Your aura... reminds me of someone... I can't remember?"
Reminds you of someone you can't remember? What the hell does that mean? Is it some kind of longing or something?
"Well, if that's all..." I tried to stop the conversation before it got any more awkward.
"We will meet again. I'll look for you..."
Please don't.
I didn't have time to answer before she turned and walked away. I stood there with Hestia still sleeping in my arms, thinking about how surreal the situation was.
I was about to continue on my way when someone else suddenly appeared. It was a hooded woman carrying a bag of vegetables. She came out of the dark alley, so I was a little startled.
It looked like she had nothing to do with me, so I decided to keep walking. But just as I passed her, I felt her grab my shirt.
I turned around in surprise.
"What...?"
Um... Can I go home quietly? Why is everyone stopping me?
She raised her head, and although her face was hidden in the shadows of the hood, I could tell that there was sadness in those blue eyes.
"..."
"Um, why are you stopping me, do you need me for something too?"
After looking at me for a few seconds, she lowered her head. I heard her sigh, and when she raised her face again, she said, "No, it's nothing. Sorry for stopping you."
The woman let go of my shirt, but her hand shook slightly before she pulled away. She wasn't leaving, just looked at me, as if she wanted to say something else, but couldn't find the words.
"Are you sure? You look...worried."
I looked behind her into the dark alley. I wondered if any stalkers were following her.
She lowered her gaze, pressing the bag of vegetables to her chest. The silence grew awkward.
"If there's anything I can do to help... let me know."
Her blue eyes returned to mine, colder this time. Maybe I shouldn't have insisted.
"You can't help me. This is something I have to figure out for myself."
"Well... I hope you can figure it out then."
She nodded, turned and left. I watched her go into the Hostess of Fertility. Then it dawned on me.
"Huh, that was Ryuu? Shit!"
That elf was the reason I came to this pub. In fact, I can assure you that Ryuu was my favorite character in the anime. If possible, I'd like to see her face, but what's done is done.
***
Ryuu left the vegetables on the kitchen table, took off her hooded cloak and started to work. But her thoughts were elsewhere. Syr, who had just entered, quickly noticed.
"Ryuu, is something wrong?"
Silence was her first answer, but Syr insisted and came closer with an air of concern. It had to be known that Ryuu had always been a reserved elf, almost never sharing her worries with others. But her look now seemed especially distant and sad.
"I met someone outside," she said finally, not taking her eyes off the vegetables she was starting to chop. "An adventurer. I don't know why, but he looked... familiar. Not his face, but the feeling he left me with."
"Someone dangerous?"
"I don't think so. But he reminded me of my past... which I'd rather forget."
Those times she was talking about didn't need much explanation. Syr knew it, Mama Mia knew it, and maybe every waitress here knew it. Ryuu's story, her life in the Astraea Familia, the catastrophe that had left her alone... they were scars that had yet to heal. They didn't talk about it often, but the shadow of her past always followed her.
"Maybe it was just a coincidence. But if you're worried, we can keep an eye on him. You don't have to do it alone."
"Thank you, Syr. But I think I'll watch him myself this time."
Syr watched her for a moment, then softened her voice to mention this suggestion, but Ryuu shook her head in disagreement. She didn't want to see this person because he was evil, but because this face made her very homesick.
'Who is he...? I'm sure I've never seen him before, maybe I have? When I lived with my Familia.... was there a man there?'
She couldn't remember a boy's face among the faces of her precious companions who had already left this world.
'Then why does my chest hurt so much?' She thought about it for a while, washed her face with cold water, and pushed the feeling away. 'Forget it. I'll watch him for now.'
***
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