episode_0065

“Latia?! Yes, how did you get here?”

Ray looked up at Latia with wide eyes and said. He may have grown a lot in the meantime, but his young, mischievous face was still the same as the one he remembered. It was such a familiar face, and he couldn’t even imagine meeting him in such an unfamiliar place.

“… … I came looking for you. Why.”

Latia looked down at Ray blankly, then smiled and said.

“What are you talking about? Do you know what it’s like here! It’s really dangerous, there’s a war going on! You know war? People just gather around and bicker… … .”

At her astonished answer, Ray stomped his feet. He continued, making a gesture of bumping his fists together.

“Just kidding. I came here looking for a job. And I’m good at fighting. Did you forget?”

Latia said with a proud face.

“… … .”

“… … ?”

Ray looks at her as if she can’t believe it, and Latia tilts her head to the side as if asking what’s wrong.

“You’re not saying that because you’ve already won against kids your age in our village, are you? You could really die if you do that! How worried would the village elders be!”

Ray places both hands on his hips and continues to nag confidently. Latia, who had been listening silently until then, twitches her eyebrows.

“What… …? That’s what I’m going to say. Who ran away leaving behind just a letter? Do you know how worried we were?”

Latia bent down to be at Ray’s eye level and spoke.

“That, that is… … . That is different from this! You are still too young to do such a dangerous thing.”

“I’m a year older than you. I’m a real adult who even had a coming-of-age ceremony.”

Latia snorts with a smug look on her face.

“Uh… … … .”

“Tell me with your own mouth. Why did you run away from the village? What on earth were you thinking?”

Latia asked, placing both hands on her hips just as Ray had done.

“Do, running away… That’s not it.”

“Then?”

Memories of a past life that were innate since childhood, one’s own identity, another reincarnation that may exist somewhere. It’s impossible to tell this child all of these things, right? Ray hesitated to answer, dragging his foot on the ground.

“… … I wanted to go outside and look around.”

“What?”

“I wanted to go out of town! The world is so big, I didn’t want to stay stuck in my town forever. I was curious about what the big city I read about in books looked like, and what the ocean looked like.”

A young child yearning for a world outside of her hometown, it was a likely pattern. And to some extent, it was true, so Ray could make excuses to Latia without feeling guilty about lying.

“Oh, I used to like reading books like that.”

Latia regretted not taking Ray out to play with him more so that he wouldn’t have time to read books and such. She wondered if the outcome would have been different if she had.

“Then why did you come out of the village? When you said you were going to live in the village forever.”

He asks.

“Me? What… … .”

Latia was glad that Ray remembered what she had said when she was little, but she was also disappointed that she only remembered half of it.

‘I said I would live with you forever.’

“… The town is boring.”

“Right? Right? You too!”

Looking up at him who was smiling, Latia thought that it would have been better to add the modifier ‘without you’ before the word ‘village’. She was about to hate herself for not being able to properly say a single word that was in her heart even after such a long period of regret.

“But still, how can you just leave overnight without saying anything? If that was really the reason, there were plenty of other ways… .”

“You can’t just wait forever. The adults in the countryside are already disgusted by anything related to the city, and they would never allow it.”

“Please wait a little longer… .”

“Huh? What did you say?”

As Latia muttered, Ray lifted his hooves and turned his head to put his ear to hers.

“No, that means… you are the one who is truly fearless.”

“Anyway, you’re still alive and well, right? You even send letters to your parents regularly.”

Latia was flustered. Ray smiled brightly.

“… … I was lucky.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Then Latia turned her head and replied in a sharp tone. Ray knew that this was a habit she had ever had since she was little, when she didn’t want to lose an argument.

“You could have been killed the moment you left town.”

“No way! You’re being unreasonable again.”

She was the one who prayed more earnestly than anyone else that something like that would not happen. When Latia turned her head to glance at Ray, he smiled faintly with eyes that seemed to see right through her.

“I told you not to smile like that… .”

“Why, are you getting sick? Ugh… … !”

Latia grabs Ray’s chin with her hand and squeezes his cheeks, making his lips pout like a carp.

“Look at this. If you do this, you won’t be able to do anything. Huh?”

“Ufff. Ufff!”

Ray tries to pry Latia’s hand away with the other arm that is not holding the basket, but it is useless. While he is flustered and steps back, trying to pull Latia’s fingers away, Latia leisurely giggles and presses Ray’s cheek as if she is playing with dough.

“Uh… …I was wrong… .”

Ray finally apologizes by moving his protruding lips. Judging from the size of his hands and the vast difference in strength, he could tell that Latia had definitely become an adult.

“… … .”

The urge to kiss him like this passes through Latia’s mind. She stares silently at his lips that shine brightly even in the faint moonlight, then takes her hand away from Ray’s face.

“Aya… . What if you hold it so hard… … .”

“I didn’t use any force at all. I just told you to be scared.”

Ray rubs his cheek.

“Why am I scared of you? We’ve been together for so long.”

“… … Is that so?”

Is it because she trusts him, or is it because she has become so used to him that she no longer sees him as a person of the opposite sex? Latia’s mind is becoming more and more complicated.

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Although Latia speaks with a sharp tone, she never forgets to apologize. Ray, who thought she was admirable, smiled and accepted her apology.

“Those clothes, are they scout clothes? That’s fortunate. They won’t be going straight into battle.”

Ray said as he looked at the pouch attached to Latia’s waist. Large pouches for storing maps, herbs, mushrooms, etc. were a common feature of scouts.

“But shouldn’t you think about it again? You can say you quit. Surely there’s a safer job somewhere than here… .”

“You said just now that this place wasn’t that dangerous. You’re worrying me so much again.”

“That’s…what… ….”

Ray hesitated and bit his lip. Latia also knew that this was a habit he had when he was trying to come up with a suitable lie.

“… … If you want to send me back like that, you can just go back with me. Don’t you hate that? ”

Ray smiles awkwardly instead of answering. Latia looks down at the floor as if she knew it, and smiles bitterly.

“I see. Then just answer this honestly.”

“Huh? What is it?”

Latia hesitated for a while and then said,

“The person called Captain, well… … . Uh, what kind of person is he?”

And ask.

“Ah… . Well, he’s a much more amazing person than I thought.”

“Amazing?”

“Yeah, she’s meticulous and kind… I wish everyone would trust Ms. Mila a little more. She’s so kind to the kids!”

Latia could tell from his sparkling smile that those words were true, coming from deep within. If she was that kind of woman, she would have thought to beat her up, but if she had someone like that by her side, it might be okay. Even though she had prepared herself, she couldn’t help feeling her heart breaking, and she herself was no longer the kind of childish child who would interfere with their happiness.

“Okay, then I’ll believe you. Surely you wouldn’t send your subordinate to the death, right? ”

“Uh… . That’s so… … . Anyway, stubbornness.”

Ray realized that there was no way to get her out of this anymore.

“I don’t think it would be bad if I could stay by your side and see your face once in a while. You’d allow me to do that, right?”

“What are you talking about… . You can come visit me whenever you want after work! I’m sure Mila will be happy if you introduce her to me. We’ve met before in our town. ”

Latia nods.

“Then go in. It’s cold.”

“Yeah. You too, sleep well. Always be careful!”

When Latia waves her hand, Ray responds with a small wave of his hand.

Latia headed towards the scout barracks, and Ray and Mila headed towards the dormitory where they were staying. They passed each other by, and their reunion after half a year was about to end blandly.

“I thought I’d never see you again.”

“La, Latia… … ?”

She ran over to him in one breath and hugged Ray from behind with both arms. Unlike before when she was just playing around, she seemed to be putting a lot of strength into it as if she was determined not to let go.

“It’s true that I was careless, but how can you just leave so mercilessly? Then what am I supposed to do?”

Her voice was trembling as she spoke. Ray was at a loss, unable to figure out what was going on.

“It must have been my prayers that reached heaven that we were able to meet again here like this. It must have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity given to me, a fool who couldn’t even tell you what was on my mind.”

Ray squeezes Latia’s hand as she hugs him. The sweaty hand tells him that she is extremely nervous.

“I liked you. No, I still like you. So please give me just one more chance. I don’t want to just hang around you like this forever.”

“… … … !”

I could feel her pounding heartbeat on my back. The cold wind was nothing to me because of the warmth coming from deep inside. Her blonde hair swaying in the wind was just tickling my cheek a little.

“I’m not trying to be a jerk. I won’t just ask you to go out with me. I just want to seem mature and trustworthy to you.”

Ray was speechless, unable to say anything. His lips parted, but no sound came out.

“I will definitely prove that I am a great woman who will not bow down to that man. I will show you that I can protect you at any time and make you as happy as that woman.”

“So just wait a minute. Okay? I know it’s shameless, but still.”

Above Latia’s head, who finally confessed everything she had wanted to say to Ray for a long time, the star Agave twinkled in the night sky, as if it was proud of her.