Vol 2 Chapter 7 (2/2)

But I can’t, I can’t kiss her, because I’ve never… Loved her

Before I knew it, Tess had backed away several steps and looked at me silently with her hands behind her back

I’d never seen this expression of hers Like a small kid who’d waited and waited outside th shopbut finally gave up on the toy she wanted for all this while

Actually, I’d seen it before come to think of it When ere in front of thedelicious foods, ere in the carriage, ere in crowded scenic spots… She always looked at me, and a distant, sorrowful look would flash past

She laughed all of a sudden

“Just a joke~” Tess said, “Scared you?”

I didn’t kno to answer that

My heart felt a little lonely and the air felt still and stifling as the rain fell with no end, as though it was going to drown the city

I inhaled deeply

“Eh~ Want some shaved ive? Your favourite type Wait here for et back quickly”

“Master, the rain is very heavy”

I looked tiredly at Shuoxue, as tiptoeing as she held an u, for ot soaked

“Letwith shaved ice to Shuoxue, “Don’t steal any”

“Hy”

“It’s all for Tess”

“Can she even eat this much?”

“Un, so don’t steal any”

“Tch~”

Shuoxue clicked her tongue and leaned over tosoaked by the rain

“Is this the correct way? Going by the right is nearer right”

“Let’s take a detour”

” Oh oh, alright”

Shuoxue used her right hand to hold the paper bag, and huggedhappily

“Tess, she…”

I hesitated for a while, before continuing

“Probably knew long ago that I don’t love her”

“Maybe” Shuoxue answered absently

“To her confession, I had been avoiding giving her a reply, hoping to give her as much happy times as possible in the days that remained… These actions I took on ht”

“Does master hate sister Tess?”

“Never, I like her a lot, but not that way,” I thought, “It’s different, compared to what I feel for Tina”

“Are you willing to be together with sister Tess?”

“I do”

“But not willing to kiss her?”

“Un, not willing”

“Even if that speechless, expressionless, feelingless sister is dead?

“… Even if Tina is already dead”

“Speaking of which, why didsister Tess out?” Shuoxue asked as she raised her head to look at me

It came out of me naturally

“Because she shouldn’t be in there”

“Just being nosy?”

“Probably”

“Even though you don’t love her”

“Wu, but, when I think about how Tess will die just like that in the forest, I feel she deserves more”

“So you pity her”

Shuoxue said it very casually

For sory

“It’s not pity”

“Then?”

“… Not just pity”

“And what else?”

“And…”

And what?

I couldn’t describe it but it definitely wasn’t only pity; there was s

That was a perfect girl, God’sin a cage of trees all alone Maybe after a very long time someone would finally look for her and find a pile of bones by the ; maybe no one ever will, and no one would cry for her since there would be a new eoes on, she is forgotten by the world

Lonely, far too lonely a life

This wasn’t supposed to be my business, at themore

But I still did it, despite nuing and laughing all the way We roao to Pumuirsa, and a whole bunch of other nations We drank and played and ate, and I brought her to enjoy all sorts of things she’d never even knew of Why did I do all that? I wasn’t so heart bodhisattva out to save the world from its troubles

I recall a certain afternoon, there was a faint sht made the dust sparkle, she confessed to me in all seriousness, and at the end of it, went and hid her deep red face at the corner of the bed

That’s the reason right, is it enough?

“Tess is, for me, a very important person”

I said, every word loud and clear

“I want to cherish her”

“Then isn’t that fine then,” Shuoxue huh with the blade, want to kiss then kiss, don’t want to kiss then don’t kiss Who cares if it’s lust or love or if you are so to be faithful”

“I hope that Tina doesn’t misunderstand when I explain this to Tina after she wakes up”

“Even thought you care about that speechless, expressionless, feelingless ht? I bet she doesn’t care about who you are consorting with”

“Uwa, don’t aim for where it hurts”

We started fighting under the umbrella”

“Pause pause! It’s raining and our clothes are wet Hold the bag properly, don’t swing it about”

“Alright alright”

Thought I didn’t love Tess, she was still very important to me I said to myself

She was probably very sad, seeing as I cowardly ran away, leaving her alone in the inn

I’h I can’t kiss you on the lips, the forehead is okay… If it’s things like that, I can do it as one

As I stepped on deep puddles of water sending water splashi+ng everywhere, I optio like above

But when I returned to the inn, the room was empty

Tess was gone