Aunt
An unfamiliar ceiling.
When I opened my eyes, a white ceiling filled my vision.
I really survived…
The last thing I remembered was the moment those words—[Death Scheduled]—vanished. Since I had opened my eyes like this, unless this was some afterlife paradise, it was proof that I was still alive.
“Heh… hehe…”
Once the certainty settled in, a snicker slipped out of me. Maybe it was the sudden release after all that tension, or maybe it was because I had finally gotten to say the line I had always wanted to try. Either way, a ridiculous rush of elation pulled my mouth into a grin all on its own.
“You’re awa— hmm… there may be some issue with your men—”
“Aaaah! No! I’m fine! Completely fine!”
I nearly got myself misunderstood by the doctor who had just opened the door and walked in.
…Embarrassing.
After getting caught laughing alone in an empty room and clearing up the misunderstanding, the doctor examined me. Pupils, the inside of my mouth, my gait, the range of motion in my arms…
Is this really a fantasy world? Did I underestimate fantasy too much?
It was the kind of checkup I had gone through countless times in the modern world. Once it was over, the doctor said,
“Hmm… at this level, you should be fine to be discharged.”
Then he left the room, saying he would bring my family.
“…I kind of expected him to use magic or something for the exam.”
It was disappointing that reality did not match my expectations, but I decided to take comfort in the fact that nothing was seriously wrong with me. The only real aftereffect was the wound on my right arm.
“Ugh… it really dug in deep…”
The sound I had heard when I stabbed the wolf’s eye suddenly made perfect sense. A scar ran from my forearm all the way across the back of my hand. It had felt like bone grinding, so the fact that I could still move it at all was a blessing.
“Guess I’ll have to live with a glove or something…”
For someone who had nearly died moments ago, it was a pretty trivial worry. After that, I focused my gaze on empty air for a moment. I had not actually gone crazy—this was exactly what I was trying to do.
■ Lily — Alive
“Something… changed?”
The translucent letters I had casually called a status window—the ones that used to say [Death Scheduled]—had changed form. It looked a bit like some kind of list, but the content itself was nothing special.
“I’m grateful you’re telling me I’m alive, but… if this is all it is, how is it any different from before?”
Unfortunately the status window was one-way communication, so none of my words reached it.
Whoosh—
“My fist just goes straight through, too…”
Even a one-sided beating was, very regrettably, impossible. While I was busy throwing punches at a status window that had given me nothing but questions instead of a reward for surviving, the sound of the door opening reached me. Luckily I reacted quickly enough this time that no one caught me.
“Oh, Elin— w-wait—?!”
“Lily——!”
I tried to greet her the moment I saw Elin through the open door, but she burst into tears and threw herself at me, so I never finished the sentence. I ended up flat on my back on the bed.
“Elin, Lily’s hurting. Get up now.”
“Okay… I know…”
Fortunately Elin’s father, who had followed right behind her, managed to calm her down. I straightened my clothes and sat up on the bed again. Looking around, I saw Elin and Elin’s father. Lily’s father was nowhere in sight.
…What’s going on? I may not have any real attachment yet, but his own daughter collapses and wakes up and he doesn’t even come?
He had not seemed like that kind of person. Just as I was about to sink into that doubt, Elin’s father noticed and hurriedly started explaining.
“I-it’s not that Rowen didn’t want to come, Lily! It’s just—”
Of course the explanation was a complete mess, so after a solid thirty minutes of adult rambling I finally pieced together the following:
After the village was attacked, they needed people to deal with the remaining magical beasts and guard against any further raids while repairs were underway. Elin’s father and Lily’s father had taken that job. The problem was that I was receiving treatment in this village, and Elin was living here as well. So the two fathers had decided to take turns between guard duty and nursing. Today just happened to be the day Lily’s father was on guard duty.
“I understand. I’m not going to hold it against him for this.”
“Th-thank you…”
Elin’s father let out a relieved sigh at my words. Well, at eight years old it would have been more than enough reason to sulk.
More importantly, so Lily’s father’s name is Rowen.
Then what about Elin’s father?
I kind of want to ask, but it would be weirdly abrupt, wouldn’t it?
It had been a name the player chose, but over here he must have one. I would probably learn it someday.
“Lily.”
While I was lost in those pointless thoughts, Elin’s father called my name with a suddenly serious expression. Then he said,
“I’m sorry. And thank you for saving Elin.”
He bowed at more than a ninety-degree angle. I froze in surprise and never got the chance to say anything before the middle-aged man’s apology and gratitude washed over me. Beside him, Elin tried to follow her father’s example and thank me, only to burst into tears again and throw herself into my arms.
Honestly…
We had only known each other for a single day, and already I felt like I was getting attached.
.
.
.
“This is Aunt Silvia’s house!”
After receiving the father-and-daughter’s thanks, Elin’s father headed back to the village to fetch Rowen. I followed Elin to the place where we would stay until the village was restored.
“…It’s really different from the village.”
From what I had been told, it was the home of a mage who had once partyed with the two fathers back when they were still adventurers. I had not heard the full story, though. Elin, who had apparently stayed here for about a week already, opened the door with familiar ease.
Is that… a burnt smell?
A faint scorched scent drifted from inside at the same moment a woman with long red hair, wearing clothes that looked comfortable more than anything else, appeared.
“I told you it’s not Aunt, it’s Sis— huh?”
“……Hello.”
“Ah, hello… Are you, by any chance, Lily…?”
“Yes…”
“O-oh, um… come in…”
Former adventuring-party mage and capable researcher. Also the perpetual single woman who had stayed unmarried while every other party member got married, and who had essentially married her research papers instead. That was my first meeting with the woman who carried all those titles: Silvia.
“Would you like some black tea? Or would juice be better?”
“Either is fine…”
“I want orange juice!”
After that first meeting in her rumpled clothes, Silvia had changed into something more mage-like and headed for the kitchen as if nothing had happened, perfectly calm.
Well… I guess showing that side of herself to an eight-year-old isn’t exactly something to be super embarrassed about—
Crash—!
“Aunt, are you okay?!”
“I’m fine—! And I told you it’s not Aunt—!”
Ah… so she had not been calm. She had only been pretending to be calm.
While I waited for Silvia, leaning back against the sofa, Elin soon scooted over beside me.
“Lily! I started learning the sword from Dad!”
“The sword? …You, Elin?”
“Uuu! Elin can do it too, you know!”
I lowered my gaze to Elin’s arms. Hmm… not exactly a body with any muscle to speak of. The question of whether she could really manage with such a frail frame did cross my mind, but—
She’s the growth-story protagonist. She’ll have the talent for it.
Those kinds of protagonists were always multi-talented—they could become mages or swordsmen. They probably had talent for painting and cooking too.
…Come to think of it, the childhood friend of a genius like that probably wasn’t ordinary either.
I suddenly felt how little I actually knew about the person named “Lily” I had become. Considering I had nearly died the moment I transmigrated, it was only natural.
While I was thinking that, my gaze was still fixed on Elin’s arms.
“Uuuu—! Lily’s are even skinnier… ah…”
Apparently taking that stare as dissatisfaction with her lack of muscle, Elin puffed out her cheeks and pushed up my sleeve. Unfortunately, it was my right arm…
“A-ah… s-sorry, Lily…”
“Hm? Aah, it’s fine.”
The moment she saw the scar, Elin froze solid.
…Had she not seen it while I was unconscious?
Whatever shock it had given her, Elin’s eyes went wide and she reached out with trembling fingers to touch the scarred area. It did not hurt, but more than that, Elin’s state was a little strange…
“Sorry, I’m sorry…”
…This was not right.
I pulled the red-eyed Elin into a hug and stroked her back.
“It’s not your fault, Elin. I chose to do it, and I’m actually glad I could save you.”
Back then, beyond any rational desire to live, my body had moved first to protect her. No matter how much I wanted to survive, I could not have just watched an eight-year-old die in front of me. Living after that would have been meaningless.
“So don’t apologize. Elin. You look prettier when you smile than when you cry.”
A faint tremor traveled through the hand that was stroking her back. Soft breathing and sniffling came with it. I kept gently rubbing her back until she calmed down a little.
“Hnn… I’m definitely going to get strong and protect Lily…”
“Okay. Okay, so could you maybe let go just a little…?”
“…You don’t want to?”
“No, it’s not that I don’t like you, Elin, it’s just…”
“Just a little longer… I want to stay like this.”
…Even after we finished the black tea, juice, and snacks Silvia had brought,
“You and Elin are really close, aren’t you…?”
“Yes… but it wasn’t this much before…”
“This much is right.”
—Elin was still clinging to me while I talked with Silvia.
“You’re going to let go when we sleep, right…?”
“……”
“Elin…?”
“…I’m scared.”
“O-okay… I understand…”
She was eight. Of course sleeping alone would be scary.
…It was just that she was scared, right?