On the City Walls (1)
"...What the heck?"
He'd muttered something to himself and then suddenly wandered off — that monster of a man. It seemed like he'd come to some kind of understanding, which was a relief, but the uneasy feeling stubbornly refused to go away.
Well, I'm glad we didn't end up fighting, but still...
What came to mind at his words was Haruhime — and the woman of the Set Familia who used to drive her cart around. In the distant future, after joining the Set Familia herself, she'd taken up that modest little side business on her days off from the Dungeon, doing what she could to help support the Familia that had been shattered by Zeus and Hera. All because of the conflict from over a decade ago.
Of course, I knew it was wrong to pity her when the instigators of that fight had been on her side. But even so — even so. Could anyone honestly say it was right to grind a Familia into the dirt so thoroughly that the damage was still being felt decades later?
Nothing can be done about it — that was far too cruel a hand to wave away. Even if her predecessors had done wrong, her suffering the consequences was another matter entirely.
I'd said what I said to prevent that, but needless to say, not fighting at all would have been the best outcome. Winning or losing aside.
"Well, I suppose... it is Grandpa's Familia."
It was easy to forget, but my grandfather was Zeus, their patron god. My words had been shaped by his, so maybe that's why they'd struck home with them so easily...
Anyway, the second set of eyes I'd felt watching nearby had vanished completely as well, so I decided it was safe to call the matter closed.
"Whew..."
Even calling it a light sparring match, going up against someone that strong after so long had drained me. Right now, I just wanted to rest a little.
But if I headed back to the church, there'd still be people around, and... grabbing a room at an inn somehow didn't feel right either.
"When I'm like this, that's where I should go."
The place I always found myself heading whenever something was weighing on me.
My head was a mess anyway — a bit of fresh air there sounded about right.
"But first..."
Grrrooowl—
My stomach growled.
"...Maybe I'll grab something to eat."
Somewhere along the way, it had become lunchtime. It didn't feel like that long since breakfast — when had the hours slipped by like this?
"Let's see... something that'll do..."
I figured I'd pick up a few street snacks on the way. That was exactly what I was thinking when—
"Come and get it, cheap cheap! Jagamarukun, two for six valis!"
"..."
Jagamarukun. You again?
"No, no. Definitely not that."
No matter how good they were, that was a step too far. And why, you ask?
Because that would make it three meals in a row.
I'd been living off Jagamarukun from dinner last night straight through to breakfast this morning. And now you're telling me to eat them for lunch too?
...Although, come to think of it, it might not be so bad?
Because the ones I'd had yesterday weren't really Jagamarukun at all, not proper ones. Leftovers at the end of the day's stock. Clearance sale goods, in other words.
Those were tasty in their own way, but Jagamarukun was meant to be eaten fresh, hot off the fryer.
Before I knew it, I was carrying an armful of Jagamarukun.
The warmth soaking through my sleeve and the savory aroma tickling my nose worked wonders on my appetite. I briefly considered eating one right then and there, but with only the one arm to work with, I gave it up. I'd find somewhere to sit and eat them properly.
"Hm?"
As I headed toward my destination with that in mind, a familiar flash of gold caught my eye. That would be...
"Miss Aiz?"
"Hie...?!"
The girl shot up like a startled cat, stiff with fright.
Seeing Aiz's... childhood form had startled me a little too.
No wait — why was she so startled?
"N-no, it's not...!"
"Huh? What's not?"
"Um... d-did Riveria... no, it's not?"
Why would Lady Riveria suddenly...
Oh. Wait.
Come to think of it, I'd heard stories that young Aiz didn't listen to a word anyone said. Could she have done something wrong and be sneaking around in hiding right now?
"Did you get scolded by Lady Riveria?"
"..."
At those words, she fixed me with a resentful glare.
Granted, between the glower and the fact that she was a small child, it was just plain adorable.
"Y..."
"Yes?"
"You... it's your... fault..."
?
"You... it's your fault... I got scolded..."
The moment I heard it, I winced.
Right... that did happen...
I was the one who'd ratted her out to Lady Riveria about what Aiz had been up to. From her perspective, my question must have been salt rubbed straight into the wound.
Tsk. I hadn't meant to do it — after everything that happened in one night, it had completely slipped my mind. Now what...
"Waaah..."
Aiz had her own problems, to be fair. She'd been called out for her recklessly foolhardy behavior and hit with a one-week ban from the Dungeon.
Being told only today, when she'd gotten away with it yesterday, stung especially badly.
And naturally, that resentment had nowhere to go but the boy standing in front of her. She was too afraid to blame Riveria. She had no desire to be tied to a rock and thrown into the sea again.
As her glare sharpened, the boy showed a flicker of panic.
That only fueled her pettiness, and she let her sulk show openly — at which point the boy, after a moment of apparent deliberation, spoke up.
"I'm sorry. I think I made a mistake."
That apology pricked at Aiz's conscience. She knew perfectly well that the fault was her own.
She'd only felt something closer to defiance — and deep down, she understood the hearts of the ones who'd tried to stop her too.
So there they stood, awkwardly hesitating, until the boy broke the silence.
"How about, as my apology, I show you something nice?"
"Waaah..."
Gazing down at the view from atop the city walls, Aiz let out a breath of pure wonder, forgetting she was supposed to be angry at all.
And though I didn't say it out loud, I was no less moved myself.
So this place looks exactly the same, even now...
So much had changed when I came to the past, but thankfully, this one spot had stayed the same. This place — and the view it offered.
No doubt the fine details differed if you looked closely enough, but for me, this was more than enough.
Only when a familiar sight finally filled my eyes did my heart loosen a little.
"This is my secret spot. I'm telling you specially, so don't go telling anyone else about it."
"Mm..."
Whatever I said, Aiz answered in a daze, her soul somewhere out in the scenery.
Well, of course. This had been Aiz's favorite place, after all.
"Great view, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"It's not somewhere you can see if you're always down in the Dungeon."
Flinch—
At the word Dungeon, Aiz's whole body shuddered.
She looked at him with a slightly strained expression, only to find the boy watching her with eyes that held nothing else.
Whatever emotion was living in those eyes frightened her, and before she knew it, she looked away.
"I..."
"Don't worry, I'm not lecturing you. I'm just saying you should give yourself a little breathing room."
It irritated her, the way he spoke as if he understood everything.
And it irritated her even more that she couldn't come up with a single word in reply.
She felt like he'd seen straight through everything about her, which only made it worse.
Maybe that was why. A pointless stubbornness started to rise in her.
That particular childish obstinacy — the kind that whispered, I'll get him back for this.
"...That's not it."
"Is that so."
But her desperate denial simply rolled off him, smooth and unbothered.
And that attitude of his — the one that said oh, I understand it all — grated on her all the more. So she gave in to the feeling. She puffed out her cheeks and averted her gaze.
Oh dear...
Aiz had always been somewhat childish, but the genuinely young Aiz was on another level entirely.
...I could almost see Lady Riveria's suffering stretching out before her.
"Why are you like this? Is something wrong?"
"...Nothing."
Thoroughly annoyed, then.
I wasn't sure if I'd somehow hurt her feelings, but I could tell she was quite thoroughly wounded.
...Was it because I'd grown up that I couldn't understand this? Or was I still too young, and simply lacking in sympathy? I honestly couldn't tell.
Only, not knowing what else to say, I found myself quietly resting a hand on her head and giving it a gentle pat.
Aiz's eyes went wide with surprise, then slowly, with a complicated look on her face, she quietly accepted my touch.
She hadn't pushed me away, so I simply went on patting her head for a while.