Chapter 224 - <3>
The day of the harvest festival had arrived.
I spent the whole day rushing through preparations amidst the cheerful clamor of the orphanage children and the excitement of the villagers. From noon onward, I was so busy I didn't even have time to think, but it was the most fun I'd had in a long time.
Ritz, Ed-san, and Franz were also roped in to help, and they were all swamped.
Especially Ritz. Since he's tall and strong, he and Uncle Karl were put to work all over the place. I hadn't even caught a glimpse of him since we had lunch together. And it seemed the villagers were still treating him just as harshly.
It's a strange thing, isn't it? I'm not a child anymore, yet everyone treats me like one.
Finally getting a moment to breathe, I sat down in a church pew and looked up at the statue of the goddess before me, a peculiar feeling washing over me.
Caught up in the hustle and bustle of the festival, even the days I'd spent in Artis's garden felt like something out of a dream.
To think that this goddess and I are one and the same. That I was created from her hair… it all feels like a fantasy.
But it was definitely real.
I looked up at the statue of Eneonea and spoke to her in my heart.
Hey, my other self.
Why didn't you choose to live a happy life?
There's no way I could ever live like you did.
Because I would never, ever want to make the person I love suffer.
No matter what happened, no matter how much I came to hate myself, I would never think of making Ritz kill me.
I would never choose to die and leave the person I love behind.
I made a vow. That I would absolutely live longer than Ritz.
So, I will not become you.
With a sigh, I looked back on the day.
It had been a morning just like any other, yet fundamentally different.
I woke up in my own bed for the first time in ages, threw open the window, and filled my lungs with the village air. The soft, crisp autumn air, still cool from the recent sunrise, felt wonderful.
My hometown was nostalgic and welcoming, and nothing had changed. But time was flowing on, gently and surely. I couldn't allow myself to indulge in that gentle flow and remain in this village.
Along with the feeling of being home came a newfound resolve that I wouldn't be returning here for some time. I hadn't even considered it before getting into bed, but the realization struck me out of the blue.
But I'm not leaving right this minute. I plan to stay in the village for just a little while longer, so I'll need to have a proper talk with my foster father about it. I want to tell him everything, including the truth of my birth. Artis gave me permission to tell him, after all.
I was also relieved to find that my worries about my foster father had been resolved. I never imagined Harris was a spirit user, but I was so glad there was a successor.
Apparently, Harris had been able to see spirits even when I was still here, but he simply never realized that not everyone else could see them.
But after I left the village, a storm hit. He told my foster father, "There's someone raging inside the wind," and pointed to a spirit, which is how they discovered his talent.
He isn't a water spirit user, which would be typical for a church in a small village, but in a small farming community like this, being an earth spirit user who governs agriculture is incredibly important, so it all worked out. Harris, who used to be such a troublemaker, had matured into a fine young man in two years. I feel like I can leave this orphanage with peace of mind.
I looked up and surveyed the church where I had spent nearly every day from as far back as I could remember until I left on my journey two years ago. The scratches on the pillars, the stains on the curtains, the scorch marks from the candles… When I was a child, I even used to play by hopping across the stones set into the floor.
Everything was so nostalgic, a collection of warm, precious memories I never want to forget.
"I won't forget you," I murmured softly.
I won't forget. Not even when I'm living in Sears, or anywhere else.
Yes, right now, I don't feel like my foster father's daughter, but like one of the children finally leaving the orphanage. I was always on the side that sent them off. From this very church door, I watched with the goddess's statue as the children set off on their journeys.
Now, it's my turn to leave.
Suddenly, a knock on the church's main door brought me back to my senses. Thinking I might have imagined it, I listened closely, and the knock came again. I stood up and walked to the door, where I could see the silhouette of someone standing behind the frosted glass panel.
When I quietly opened the door, a tall figure was standing there, just like the day we first met.
But unlike that day, he wore a gentle smile.
"Knew you'd be here. Everyone else already left, so it's about time we head over."
My heart swelled at Ritz's smile. I felt warm and happy—so incredibly happy.
The Ritz from the day we first met seemed to overlap with the Ritz before me now. Ah, maybe… maybe from the moment we first met, right here, I was already… and all through my journey, I've always been in love with Ritz.
My destiny, my love—it must have all started from here.
"What's wrong?"
Ritz let out a surprised cry as I threw myself into his arms.
"I was thinking about Eneonea," I mumbled.
Ritz hugged me back and gently stroked my hair.
"I see."
"I made a vow."
"Hm? What is it?"
"I swear I won't die before you do."
When I said it with determination, Ritz held me even tighter.
"…You'd better," he said.
"I will."
"That's a promise."
"Okay."
As I rested quietly in his arms, I could hear the festival music drifting in from the distance. It looked like the festivities had begun.
"Looks like it's started."
"It does."
"The kids said they wanted you to hear them sing, remember?"
"I know."
Even as I said the words, I didn't want this moment to end. Ritz seemed to feel the same way, as he simply continued to stroke my hair without urging me to go.
"First there's the village chief's speech, then the village youth group's speech, and then greetings from all sorts of people… so it's okay for a little longer."
I buried my face in Ritz's chest.
"Is it okay if we stay like this just a little longer?"
When I pleaded so sweetly, Ritz gave a wry smile.
"If we don't go soon, Earl and the others are gonna make a fuss again, but…"
"Please…?"
I was surprised at how childishly I was acting. I worried he might be exasperated with me, but Ritz just smiled softly, leaned down, and gave me a gentle kiss.
"Well, I guess a little while is fine."
"Okay."
Wrapped in his warm embrace, I softly closed my eyes. The sounds of the festival felt distant, as if from a dream. It felt like Ritz and I were the only two people in the world.
"Hey, Ritz."
"Hm?"
"I realize I shouldn't stay in this village."
As I murmured this, Ritz said nothing, but gently touched my cheek. I looked up at him and continued.
"I realized it watching Nancy. Because I stay young forever, the girls in this village have probably never been able to sing the solo or the Song of Bountiful Harvest at the festival, no matter how much they wanted to. Since I was always in the village, I never noticed before, but that's not a very good thing, is it?"
People are always changing, and children grow up in the blink of an eye. The dance and the song are a part of that journey.
I'm sure that before I came to this village, all the girls of age would get excited, wondering who would be chosen for the solo and the song each year.
But from the time I reached a certain age, I had unwittingly taken that joy away from them.
The annual harvest festival is an important event in this village, one that has added all sorts of color to the villagers' lives. It's probably not something that someone like me, who barely ages, should be a part of.
"So I'm going to leave this village with you, Ritz."
"Does that mean you're accepting my provisional proposal?"
"It's provisional?"
"Yeah. Just let me wrap up my mercenary work first. Once that's done, I'll propose to you for real."
"Okay. I'd like that."
Yesterday, I was so embarrassed, but for some reason, I was able to reply so easily. It's strange that I can be more honest when Ritz is right in front of me.
As we held each other quietly, Ritz suddenly let me go.
"What is it?"
When I asked, Ritz took one of my hands and placed his other on my waist.
"What?"
"A waltz."
"Huh?"
"You asked me to teach you before, remember?"
I looked up and saw Ritz's bashful face. I then recalled making that promise on the ship when we began our journey to visit the demi-human clans. So much had happened that I'd completely forgotten, but Ritz remembered.
"I'm not wearing my formal suit, but this is fine, right?"
Ritz said jokingly. Come to think of it, when Ritz had attended that party as a minister, he had worn a pure white formal suit. Seeing him look so perfectly at ease, chatting with women like a sophisticated man, had made me a little frustrated.
Oh, I see. Even back then, I was jealous of the women dancing with Ritz.
It wasn't that I wanted to learn how to dance; I wanted to dance with Ritz.
The realization was so funny that I couldn't help but burst out laughing as I looked up at him.
"Well, I'm not wearing a dress either."
"That's true. And you don't have heels, so our heights don't match up."
"Hey, that's mean! Are you calling me short in a roundabout way?"
"I'm just tall, probably."
Ritz laughed, and seeing him like that made me laugh too. I never thought we'd be able to have such a peaceful moment, just thinking of each other like this.
I'm really, truly glad to have you here.
We danced the waltz, gently moving to the rhythm.
In this warm space, illuminated by the gentle candlelight of the church that honors my other self, I was held in the arms of the one I love, and our feelings danced slowly and serenely together.
Hey, my other self.
The world you created is so beautiful and so gentle.
Thank you for reading!
With this, all 15 volumes plus the bonus novel are now complete.
Actually, in the doujinshi version, there are two more books that have been released.
And there's also web-only content (on my HP).
I was debating whether or not to post it, but I figured I might as well go for it!
There are many stories about the four of them plus one after their journey ends, including gag-focused stories, serious ones, and some with BL undertones.
There are two doujinshi volumes' worth of content (plus the web-only stories), but some pieces might not be appropriate for the "Shōsetsuka ni Narō" website… so I plan to post a selection. Or maybe I'll revise them into a Narō version that fits within an R-15 rating (^^;)
However, compared to the main story which ended so nicely, I was wondering if it would be right to serialize content that has a more impulsive, fan-made doujinshi feel alongside it.
Therefore, I will be serializing a collection of side stories that are a bit different from the main plot as a separate novel. If you're interested, please do check it out (^^)
Well then, I hope you'll stick with me for a little while longer m(_ _)m