c5 (1/2)
The sky was clear, without a cloud in the sky The perfect weather for a walk
Celeilia wore the silver woven hooded coat she alore, and took in hand ould be a s in ate
“We’re visiting the Castle Town?”
“Yes Mizuki, today, I want to let you knoorld”
“Got it The truth is, I was a little curious myself”
I’d spent the last few days in lodgings of the iades, and while it may have been of my own accord, I hadn’t a chance to stop by the castle town I had only gone through it on the first day
More than anything else, walking through the desolate streets alone was a little scary
But bidding farewell to it with such scary sentiment would be sad
I mean, this is where Celeilia lived, and where many more lived their lives
I walked beside her, and looked over the town
There wasn’t any wind, and it ar but the dead silence of the townscape came into my senses
Mine and her footsteps, atop the weed-ridden stone pavement was all that was there to break that silence
And Celeilia stopped in front of a single house… a store with a sainst it
Even from outside, I could see the store’s interior was a bit dusty
Inside, the stone pots that were used in the castle let me tell it was a food store
“This is the Lahn shop I frequented They baked loads of lahn every day”
The word that even the candy couldn’t translate was likely the name of a food
“Lahn?”
“Remember, you ate it on the day we met, Mizuki”
“Oh, that nan-like bread”
“So you have it in your world too, Mizuki?”
“Yep It’s not all too common in my country, but I’ve eaten it before”
It appears the nan-like lahn was a staple in her country
Grown on rice, I wasn’t all too familiar with it, but it had a pleasant taste that could become a habit
“It was a shop ed face, but the taste was quite nice…”
“I… see”
Her eyes were looking far away
I’ a scene of the restraint full of people
I wasn’t able to see the same world For some reason, that made me sad
“… Let’s go to the next one”
“Yeah”
We walked off with the lahn shop to our back
The castle toas like a maze, and without Celeilia to lead me, I’d have already been lost
The only things for my eyes to folloere Celeilia and her shadow
I looked at ht hand
This world without another living life was arousing a feeling in my heart I could equate to none other
Eventually, what ca
After years of wear, its stone walls had chipped away here and there
“This is the Nil Magician’s association I served froht, to when I was fifteen”
“Eight? This country puts people to work at such a young age?”
“Yes Was it different from where you came from, Mizuki?”
“Where I was, even part tih school… around sixteen at least”
Honestly, I couldn’t conceal my surprise
Of course, from history class, I had known that such an era existed
But from my point of vieas a ti one who truly experienced it, seeing Celeilia before
Thinking back to when I was eight, that hen I was going to school, and playing around with Yuuji
I couldn’t ie
“For the the children to work… Mizuki, your world is a good one”
“… Right That’s what I want to think”
The worse parts of s caside them
At the very least, in the scope of the world I could see, there were plenty of kind people
“What sort of place was this?”
“The association head who lived here was a detestable person He would work ed every day What’s more, my salary was this~ small, and I had to support myself It was quite a time”
“That’s h life”
“That isn’t the case”
I tried i it a little
A young Celeilia ordered around by a scary old woman
It was like the tragic backstory of a fairy tale protagonist
“I was on the luckier side I ic talent from the time I was born, after all”
“Oh really Coicians’ association, and the iades?”
From their names, it may be hierarchical, or perhaps the latter operated on a national level, but it was difficult to think of what job to equate it to in
“Right The icians’ association is practical applications, and the iicians are research, perhaps?”
“I see”
It was different froined, but a pharmacist and chemist came to mind
One to sell the drug, the other to make it
Both were important jobs, to help the lives of others
As one was overnment, I’m sure it had some harsh prerequisites
“But there’s so I still wonder, even now”
“Wonder?”
“Right There are various sorts ofpermitted to one type Break it, and your license is revoked, and you’re driven out the country”
“Hmm… that sounds harsh”
“When you want to study enerally have to call over someone fro but s over it If one person was simply permitted more than one, I’m sure research would have advanced much further”
One per person ht be similar to a business measure
In japan’s edo period, le union had definites on what to and what not to make
Perhaps ic was one per person?
Huh? But up to now, Celeilia’s used fire, water, wind, nil Just from what I’ve seen, she can use at least four sorts
Perhaps as she’d said before, she wanted soe her for it
“So what sort of lifestyle did you live here?”
“We produced interh corade”
It looks like there’s a ranking to it
I don’t know the specifics, but it looks liketo it
“But here, my sister… not that ere related by blood, but anyways, there was a really kind girl living here If she wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have even thought to becoician”
She introduced the absent girl with a happy tone I’irl as Celeilia said
“So you really liked her, Celeilia?”
“Yes, she was really nice to et”
Seeing Celeilia’s expression, the face of the teacher who looked after me in elementary school came up in my mind
He ended up being ood teacher at that
He worried for me when I had lost my parents, and looked after me the next year, and the year after that From a teacher’s perspective, I must have been a pain, but still he was kind
I won’t forget his rage back e had yet to learn thea flower vase on a desk
He could be scary, but he had ry He must have a kind heart
And I definitely won’t forget that sentiment
“I’ it so aard for a while”
“It’s alright I can understand what you’re feeling… no, saying that would just be rude, but I get it a bit”
“… Thank you Next is…”
And so she and I roamed around the castle toithout people
Just as the people had walked their home back when the toas alive
It was vaster than I could have iined
The proof of just how ments of those lives remained scattered around in stasis
balls that rolled about unadulterated, tableware left on the table, carts parked right in the middle of the roads, merchandise still laid over the merchants’ cloths
It’s not like everyone had disappeared because they wanted to
There wasn’t anyone left to know the reason, but I’m sure they were forcefully erased
Just who could have… in with
But for what purpose did so like this…
It ic I didn’t know of
But according to Celeilia, it would be impossible to wipe out all life at once
What’s more, not only humanity, all life at all
Just what fruitless event could have happened…
“Mizuki, you ht? Should we stop for lun… fusa?”
“… It looks like the effect is wearing off What should we do?”
The effects of the mysterious candy were to last a few hours
Putting one init last to lunch was a longer time than it had lasted before
There were two drops left
According to Celeilia, they were quite a precious co another would be next to impossible, so we had to take them with care
Because neither I nor she would be able to cohts
“Mizuki”
After callingdrops in her mouth
“Celeilia…?”
For some reason, she closed the candy box
I was sure they didn’t have anyunless two humans ate them at once
“Celeilia, what are…!?”
The ht I was embraced, I felt the overlap of our lips
And her extended tongue had the candy balanced atop it…
It’s no good My head was going white, and I couldn’t forht
My face felt really hot It was as if the blood ofin my head
“I’m sorry…”
Celeilia pulled her hood over her head, and hid her expression
But she was red to the tip of her ears
Not that I’m one to talk
“The last one is necessary to return you to your world, Mizuki So we have to economize them…”
“I-I see Will we be fine on effective time?”
“Yes It’ll be a little short, but it should be fine for up to where we’re going”
“…”
“…”
Uuh… this is aard
Perhaps it would be best I said so
When we had talking norht in my throat
“For no about lunch?”
“Y-yeah”
Celeilia produced some food from her basket
It looked like a triangular pie A food thatfried in wheat flour
When I accepted it and took a bite, I found the crisp taste of unfaetables and minced meat within
But the events from before were too impactful for me to remember the taste
It was tasty That’s all the memory that remained
“Well then, Mizuki Follow me to the last place”
“Got it”
We headed away from the castle town, up a road to the top of a hill
Jutting out frorass and weed, stood a lone windmill
On a wide tower built of piled stone, a large propeller leisurely turned
This world’s characteristic clear air rode the wind to set it in motion
Only one A single flower petal danced around in the air
Beyond the mill bloomed a field of blue flowers
A variety I’d never come across in the wisdom mother and father had hammered into me from my youth
And the unique scent of those floafted around in the breeze
… Yep, this is quite a comfortable place
“Hmmm! This is my favorite spot”
After taking a big stretch, Celeilia informed me
“It really is quite a nice place”
“I know, right? Even after I grew up, it’s a place I’d go whenever I found some free time”
With a darkening expression, she pointed her finger towards the castle town
The place we had spent the day wandering around
The person-less town, yet the tohere their breath still remained
“Mizuki, can I ask for two final wishes?”
“Two?”
“Yes First, instead of Celeilia, could you call me Sherry?”
That was one in my world as well, a pet name or nickname
So used with people more close to one another
“Sure I got it, Sh-Sherry”
“Ah! You hesitated a bit there”
“Sorry”