After hearing the commander say we were dismissed in the living room, I got up too and headed for the spirit mansion.
Then, to clear my head, I leaned against the wall between Itsuka-kun’s house and the spirit mansion.
As I idly fiddled with the Est bottle while leaning there and looked up at the sky, the stars were spread out beautifully overhead.
"Haa, a Fog Wall, huh..."
Fog Wall.
A memory from when I was in Dark Souls, shaped into an object and brought into being.
Hearing Itsuka-kun say he had seen my past memories made me feel a little uneasy.
Not because I minded them seeing my memories without permission, but because I knew how much of a shock it must have been for the two of them.
Even now, but especially back then, I was even less careful with my life than I am now.
If a limb got cut off, I’d grit my teeth and keep going just to slash at the other guy’s neck, and I wasn’t even used to rolling yet, so I barely used it at first. If they saw those early memories, the shock would probably have been even worse.
Well, if anything, I should be glad they saw the Midir side of things.
If they’d seen the Abyss Watchers side, it would’ve been even worse.
That place was basically gang beatdowns as standard procedure.
As I was sorting through those thoughts while staring up at the night sky, I felt someone’s presence beside me.
"Ah, Arus."
"...Higakieta Hai. What are you doing?"
"Just getting some air and clearing my head. And, well, looking at the stars."
"I see."
White Arus walked over to me and stood beside me.
"Stars... planets, or perhaps celestial bodies within the solar system. Were you observing them?"
"Yeah, something like that. A night sky with this many stars spread across it is hard to see in the real world. It really is beautiful, isn’t it?"
"Beautiful, is it? ...I’m not really sure."
At White Arus’s answer, I gave a small laugh and asked,
"Then what do you feel, Arus?"
She closed her eyes and thought for a moment before answering.
"...It is shining. There are bright stars, and stars that are not so bright."
"Ah, haha."
I hadn’t asked because I wanted some grand explanation, but that answer was exactly what made White Arus feel like White Arus.
"Anything else?"
"...I still do not really know. I do not understand things like beauty very well. But somehow..."
"Do you feel something?"
"Yes. It is strange... and unfamiliar. ...Still, I do not dislike it."
As she said that, a faint smile appeared on White Arus’s lips.
Seeing that expression, I found myself smiling too.
"I’m glad. That you’re feeling something."
Because it seemed like she was feeling emotion.
"Glad... is that what this is?"
"Yeah. I’m glad. If that might be emotion, then you’re one step closer to understanding love, Arus."
"...Higakieta Hai, you know strange things."
At White Arus’s words, her face back to its usual expressionless calm, I scratched my cheek.
What I just said wasn’t that strange, was it?
I’d only said what I thought, but hearing her say it like that somehow made me feel good.
"Ahem. Well, this isn’t really that strange. If anything, you’re the one who knows a lot of strange things, Arus."
White Arus seemed to know everything about this virtual space.
"But... there are still so many things I do not know."
"If you put it that way, I don’t know a lot either. People, and spirits too, can’t know everything in this world."
"But Higakieta Hai knows love."
"That’s..."
I had nothing to say to that.
She was right. I did know a little about love.
"That is why I... want to learn love from you. So please... I am asking you. There is something I must accomplish. But without Higakieta Hai’s power, I cannot achieve it."
White Arus’s expression gradually changed.
Unlike before, her face was no longer smiling, but full of worry.
"So... please. Teach me... about love."
At White Arus’s request, I tapped my chest with a fist and said,
"You don’t have to ask like that. Of course I was planning to help you, Arus. So let’s do everything we can. Leave it to me."
"...I’m counting on you."
White Arus smiled again as she said that.
"Yeah. I don’t know whether I can do it or not. No, even if it’s impossible, I’ll keep helping you until it works."
"...Yes. And one more thing... th-thank you."
"Don’t mention it."
That was the end of my conversation with Arus, and before long, the others started coming out too.
"Huh? Hieta? I thought you went in already. Arus is here too?"
"I was just clearing my head, so I haven’t gone in yet."
After giving a rough answer to Itsuka-kun’s question, I asked the others standing behind him,
"By the way, where is everyone staying?"
That’s right.
Where were the others staying?
Right now, it still hadn’t been decided where the lady and Miku would sleep.
"Ah, the others are staying at the spirit mansion for now."
"I see."
At the commander’s words, I immediately understood.
The spirit mansion wasn’t just big. It was more than twice the size of an ordinary house, so it could easily take in everyone else too.
"But why did Itsuka-kun come out?"
"I’m seeing these guys off."
"Ah, I see~"
So that was why Itsuka-kun had come out too. He was seeing them off.
"Well, it’s getting pretty late now. Shall we head in?"
"Let’s go to bed already!"
"Yeah. I’m kind of tired, and we’ve got plans for tomorrow too."
At Mana and Rinne’s words, everyone nodded and went into the spirit mansion.
Then Miku suddenly looped her arm around mine and said,
"I’ll take the room next to my darling!"
At Miku’s sudden declaration that she would take the room next to mine, the people who already lived here all wore relaxed expressions.
"Too bad. The rooms next to Hieta’s are already taken by me and Sachi."
"Fufufu. The rooms below Hieta’s are occupied by Kaguya and Yuzuru."
"Correction. The room above that is occupied by Yoshino."
Of course, every room around mine was already taken, so there was no room for Miku to squeeze in.
"W-what...?"
"I’m going to bed first."
"I’ll go too."
"Then I’ll be heading off to sleep as well~"
Leaving Miku behind in a tragic heroine pose, Rinne, Mana, and the lady headed off.
Starting with them, the others gradually began going into their own rooms too.
"Miku. It’s okay—"
"At this rate...! I’ll just go with the others...!"
Seeing Miku with her head lowered, eyes gleaming as she plotted something, I immediately gave up on comforting her and went into my room to sleep.
"Eek! M-Miku!"
"W-what are you doing!"
"M-Miku! Get off!"
Hm.
It felt like something huge was happening, but let’s ignore it.
I should hurry up and sleep before I get dragged into it too.
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