Chapter 991 - Interlude
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"────...The sleepiness you get during travel is a powerful enemy, huh."
"...Haha, it is."
We parted with my father, then my mother, and left my hometown. An hour and a bit later, we were tracing the same path we'd taken three days prior, heading back on the tracks in a box seat on the bullet train.
"It can't be helped. You must have been on edge."
"Well, yeah."
The conversation was a quiet murmur between two people.
As it happened, I was lending my shoulder to Sora, and Ashe was lending hers to Nia. We were both watching the unbelievably precious scene unfold, a shared smile escaping our lips.
Then... our eyes met, and my smile shifted into a half-lidded gaze.
"────Ashe."
"Mm."
"When did you get so friendly with my mom?"
"Who knows? It just happened before I knew it, I suppose."
It wasn't that I had any particular issue with it. I was simply, as usual, in awe of her knack for so coolly and naturally achieving results all on her own.
"Haru."
"What is it?"
For the moment, the surrounding seats were empty. It was because of this that we could call each other's names in low voices.
"They were truly wonderful people. You included, you have a nice family."
"I told you to stop, it's embarrassing."
The time spent in this playful banter was comfortable.
"............Ngh..."
"......, ......──"
From beside me and across from me, I could hear the soft sounds of their breathing.
Their unguarded faces, a clear sign they felt completely safe with us────
"...Is something wrong?"
"────...Nah, it's nothing."
That's right. It is.
Because I finally want to be honest, to put what comes next into words and deliver them to you.
"Hey."
"Mm."
I feigned nonchalance, gazing out the window past my slumbering partner.
"When we get back, can I have a bit of your time?"
I didn't turn my eyes toward her, only my heart, as I asked a single question.
Then, in the corner of my vision, Ashe's faint reflection appeared in the windowpane. She, too, was looking straight into my eyes through the glass before...
"...Mm."
With a gentle expression, she nodded.