Chapter 153 - 153 - Break (1/2)

153 – Break

Seras checked the time.

[It’s time to change shifts.]

……It’s already time huh.

I follow Seras as we go further into the cave.

Releasing the effect of my <Sleep>, Eve wakes up.

The awoken Eve looks at her side.

[Is it alright to let Liz rest some more?]

[Yeah, it’s fine to let her sleep for now.]

This cave is quite narrow.

Liz has shrunk her body as she sleeps.

Slei is sleeping in a prone position.

Pigimaru whose very size itself could fit in anywhere.

The innermost part of the cave is occupied by these three.

You could only fit two human-sized people in the remaining space.

One person has to get out.

[We’ll leave immediately after I wake up.]

[Acknowledged.]

I would like to go to the Witch’s home as soon as possible.

However, it would be quite tough considering the wounds and fatigue in our body.

We don’t have any idea what we may face ahead of us.

We should get some rest and make sure that we have adequate strength to travel.

Eve already went outside.

If it’s her, I could safely entrust the sentry job to her……

Now then…

[Let’s sleep.]

[Yes, let’s do so.]

Arranging the hem of her clothes, Seras kneels down on the laid out cloth.

I will sleep on the cloth laid out next to hers.

The warmness of Eve’s body still remains on the cloth.

Using my arm as my pillow, I close my eyes.

[…………………….]

I can’t sleep.

If I were to invoke <Sleep> to myself, I wouldn’t be able to cancel it.

As one would expect, that would be really risky.

I wouldn’t be able to deal with any sudden threats.

[——You can’t sleep?]

[It seems that I’m still alert from that battle earlier that I couldn’t sleep. Well, I should be able to sleep after some time lying down here…]

[Well then…]

Pat pat.

Seras tapped her lap.

[I don’t know if this will be able to suppress your alertness though.]

[……Is this retaliation for what happened before?]

I gave her a lap pillow before.

[Unlike that time, I don’t intend for this suggestion to be a joke, you know?]

[Just sleep.]

[Umm…… I’m actually too alert to sleep.]

I see.

So, that would be your charade huh.

I understood it from the tone of her voice.

It appears that she wants me to do it that much.

[……………..Then, don’t mind if I do.]

Slightly shifting my body, I place my head on Seras’ lap.

Her lap feels different from ordinary pillows.

Because of her body temperature, the presence of her heat also makes a difference.

[I would get a lap pillow from my aunt back then.]

[…………………]

[……Seras?]

Looking up from her lap, I could see Seras’ face over her chest.

She’s also looking back at me……

Her blue eyes were just staring blankly at me.

[Seras.]

[……Eh?]

[Are you tired for the day?]

[——-Ah, ……That’s maybe so. As expected, I may also be tired for the day.]

[That’s enough of the lap pillow, you should gain some rest.]

[Yes—- Umm, Touka-dono.]

Gulp

Seras gulped down.

[You’re aware of it, right?]

Hmm?

Aware of it?

I start getting up from her lap, only to be stopped.

[What are you talking about?]

[The way you treat me has been changing, little by little.]

Is that so?

[You realized that?]

[Yes, I did.]

For instance.

The way I call her slightly changed from “you (anta)” to “you (omae)”.

I changed it that way thinking about the difference of how distant I am towards her compared with other people.

I was trying to act natural with that change.

……However, I guess it didn’t turn as flawless as I thought.

[I’m now in a position where I give instructions to others…… I feel that if I don’t start making my “behaviour fitting for a leader”, I feel like there would be some difficulties when I command the group in the future.]

The same is also true for Eve.

Actually, Eve looks like she had some difficulties with that.

However, my instructions and her movements began to perfectly mesh with each other after I changed it.

I match eyes with Seras who’s looking down towards me.

[Are you uncomfortable with that?]

[No. It’s just that…]

Seras places her hands on both of the sides of my head.

As if she’s wrapping her arms around me.

[You don’t have to hold everything by yourself.]

[……Did I really look that tired?]

[Just like that time when all those monsters attacked simultaneously, Touka-dono acted like you’re going to deal with all of them. Looking at how you acted at that time, Eve and Liz seemed to feel reassured.]

Seras started combing my bangs with her thin fingers.

……I see.

I then noticed.

[You noticed some lies mixed within my words huh.]

[—–Yes.]

She saw through my “bluff” with the power of the spirit.

[If we want to deal with that amount of monsters, the only way would be my combination with Pigimaru and my Abnormal State Skill…… If I look anxious even a little bit, Eve and Liz would get anxious themselves. Especially since you know that Eve had that personality of hers, right? If they were to get even more guilty, they would definitely act self-sacrificing again.]

Therefore, I needed to make sure that they’re reassured.

That if it’s Touka, it would be alright.

That if it’s Touka, he would definitely survive.

That if it’s Touka… he would prevail against those monsters.

Making use of my attitude and facial expression, It was necessary to make them think so.

Well, in the end, Eve still came out of the cave afterwards.

[……Sometimes, I would get scared. One day, Touka-dono who had overburdened himself…… and would suddenly break. That’s what I’m worried about.]

[……………………]

In fact, Seras’ worries had turned real when things turned for the worst earlier—-

[——-I somehow managed to defeat them but…… Well, this wouldn’t turn into a pattern where I would promise not to do that, you know?]