Chapter 173 (1/2)

Volume 2

Chapter 152

『Emm, this is like this and then like this?』

『Yes, yes, you are good. Then you have to repeat that…』

『? What are you doing?』

Beneath a night sky littered with sparkling stars, hidden by a giant rock on the edge of the meadow.

Until the point when I almost got dizzy I enjoyed an improvised open bath that we made at some distance from our camp by filling the hole we dug up with hot water,

After calming myself and letting my warmed body cool down in the night’s wind I return to the sleeping place and find that two girls were busy with something near the crackling bonfire.

『Ah, Master. We actually were making some improvements to Master’s armor.』

『We just finished the second set. Look, look!』

Two astonishingly beautiful girls were embroidering flowery patterns on my leather armor.

One pattern was a beautiful flower of flax color. And another one that the smaller girl was about to finish was a flower of the same kind but done with yellow threads.

『Embroidery? Why would you do that?』

『It’s a charm, a charm for good luck! I learned it from the daughter of the peddler that we met at noontime.』

『If you make embroidery using your hair, stitch by stitch putting your thoughts into it, then fortune shall come to that person. 』

『Charm using hair? That sounds like some pretty serious curse, hey…』

When I thought that I might have phrased it badly it already was too late.

Girls’ faces were clouded with sadness.

『Um… Was it unnecessary?』『 Sorry…』

『Aaah, no, no, I didn’t mean that. How should I put, I just accidentally replied in a provocative way as I used before. It’s not that I don’t like it or it’s unnecessary, on the contrary, I’m really happy.』

When I said that girls showed relieved smiles.

『But, what do you mean by that accidentally provocative way that you used before? 』

『Mm? Yeah, that charm is pretty famous in the north. When I had this made for me before I out of embarrassment replied『Charm made by the Demon Lord using her own body for materials feels like it might truly curse you』. Well, after that I was beaten up and had to earnestly ask for forgiveness for a while.』

I laugh remembering that scene.

『That’s right, this is what I should have done both now and back then.』

『Aah…』『Woof.』

Said that I patted heads of two precious girls.

『Thank you ■■■■ and ■■■■. This armor that both of you put your efforts in. I shall use it with care.』

☆

JIRIRIRIRIRIRIRIRI! A sound like little iron balls are poured into my ears.

「…Haah, those two again, along with the redhead they appear with great frequency.」

Stopping the alarm clock by almost punching it I sit up on the bed.

Since I decided the last week that I have to get my memories back for Mai’s sake, I see a lot of different dreams every day.

Snowfields stretching endlessly, dense and luxuriant forests, steep mountains, wastelands without a single blade of grass, deserts so hot they might burn you alive.

I was always traveling. Alone or with a number of people.

Dreams where I observe myself from my own viewpoint.

「So those are my old memories?」

Normally contents of the dreams would be considered unreal, but if people around me are not pranking me then I can’t discard fantasy elements as completely improbable.

After all, I disappeared in a quite fantasy-like incident and even when I returned, it seems that I appeared from within a magic circle in a pretty otherworldish clothing.

「…If by one in a million, no, one in a billion chance, it is the memory from the time I was missing…」

All those crazy dreams, didn’t even have colors, let alone voices.

However, from time to time awfully clear scenes were mixed in like the one today.

Not just colors and sounds. Those dreams even have smells, temperature, and tactile information.

At such moments some of the reappearing characters are always present. I realized that in my dreams I think very dearly of some of them.

And yet their names are drown out by an awful noise.

「Just what kind of relationship I have with those girls?」

I make a question to an old me who can be felt only as a faint presence.

Hey, those girls were important to you, right?

Indeed, if I truly was taken to another world then I can understand a feeling of rage towards such injustice. But, didn’t I strive in that world and thus was able to return to my original world?

If that’s the case, then wouldn’t you normally be happy about coming back?

Even if you are not, then wouldn’t you at least be sad parting with people you became familiar in that world?

「Why and at what exactly are you so furious?」

In return to that question what I asked countless times, came only a voice resembling that of starving animal that is still violently struggling inside me.

「……」

But it’s not just fury. The memories that I lost are not only this hatred.

Feelings what abruptly overflow from time to time are not only that.

There are still were plenty of things that I didn’t understand but it’s not like I wasn’t making any progress.

I could feel how chain and yoke restraining the old me were swaying.

Most likely if there was some kind of a hint I would regain my memories.

「…Okay, let’s grab that hint!」

Slapping my face with both hands I re-fire up myself.

Yes, today was the day when I had to go to the police to retrieve things that I had on me when I came back.

☆

Under the cold wind and winter sun, we came to the police station.

Only the hands that we were holding remained warm, all other skin surfaces were cold enough to mistake them for ice.

「…My glasses got cloudy.」

「That’s why I told you to use sunglasses.」

「Sunglasses can actually get clouded as well, you know? You just wouldn’t notice when they became clouded. Useless Brother.」

With one hand Mai removes fake glasses that turned white due to temperature difference with the room that had the air conditioner running.

I as well released her hand and removed sunglasses used for disguise as well as the scarf wrapped around my neck.

「Oh, Ukei-san, sorry for making you come all the way here.」

「Huh, Miyakawa-san.」

「……」

While I was thinking that I should start from looking for a receptionist Miyakawa-san appeared.

There is a thing about our first meeting but Mai does not hold any good sentiments towards Miyakawa-san at all.

Mai narrowed her eyes a little and slightly pulled on my sleeve that she was pinching instead of holding my hand.

「O dear, I’m quite hated.」

「I am sorry. …Could it be that you were waiting for us?」

After stroking Mai’s head I turn towards Miyakawa-san.

「It’s a complete coincidence that we met here. Through I indeed was waiting for you two. The reception is over there.」

As I stopped by the reception desk as was suggested, Miyakawa-san briefly explained the situation.

After listening to explanations from the lady on reception I fill a number of papers.