Why Are You Coming Out of There? (1)
After the rest of the party left, the house fell quiet again—just Clara, Caesius, and me. In the middle of that silence, I shot Caesius a pointed look.
She met my eyes and only tilted her head, as if to ask what the problem was.
This clueless idiot…
"…Caesius."
Clara spoke up.
"…Want to go to bed first?"
"Hm? This body is not sleepy."
"…It's bedtime…"
Caesius replied,
"This body is far too curious about how this situation came to be. Sleep is impossible."
"…Caesius."
Clara's smile turned a shade colder as she asked again.
"…Won't you go inside and sleep first?"
"……Ah. Understood."
…She really only listens the second time.
Caesius scrambled up from her seat, washed up in a hurry, and headed straight for her room.
"I-I'll sleep first."
"Sure."
"…Mm. Good night."
I watched her slam the door shut, then glanced sideways. Sure enough, Clara was looking right back at me.
We stared at each other for a long time. I couldn't get the words out. Bringing this up was far more embarrassing than I'd expected.
Clara seemed to feel the same. Even in the dark of night, her ears had gone unmistakably red.
Maybe this is the moment a man is supposed to step up and say something. I was just about to open my mouth when—
"…Albrecht."
Clara called my name first, soft and low. I answered on pure reflex.
"…Yeah, Clara."
"…I meant… every word of it."
She lifted her head a little.
"…I can't put it as prettily as Letisia, but I meant it. Really."
"I know."
I did know. That was why I'd said what I said when Letisia confessed to me. Clara would have understood that conversation too—so the fact that she was bringing it up again meant…
"……So I didn't misunderstand."
…Yeah. She needed to hear it confirmed.
Clara's eyes started to well up. Startled, I reached out without thinking—and before I knew it, I was holding her lightly against me.
I was so flustered by my own action that the words stuck in my throat. Clara wiped her own tears and murmured,
"…So… sorry… I just felt so relieved, I…"
"……Clara."
"…Hic… yeah."
I said,
"I… don't think I can tell you I love you. Not yet."
"……Huh?"
Clara's eyes went round. Tears began to gather in those glittering golden irises.
"W-wait—no, Clara, don't cry. That's not what I meant—"
I rushed to explain.
"It's not that I dislike you, or that I don't care about you. Your confession made me happy—honestly, part of me just wants to accept your feelings without overthinking it…"
"…Then why…"
"…You came at me with your whole heart. The least I can do is answer with mine. But if you ask me whether I can say I love you… I don't know. Liking someone and loving them aren't the same thing."
Truth be told, I barely had room to think about anything else right now. Instead of daydreaming about cuddling up with someone and trading sweet nothings, I was busy figuring out how to get stronger, how to snag hidden pieces as fast as possible.
"I definitely don't dislike you, Clara. If anything, it's closer to liking you. The way you get jealous is… kind of cute, one after another…"
"…Cute? Really…?"
"……Yeah."
I answered honestly.
"But for me to just casually accept the heart of someone who's being completely sincere, just because I like her a little…"
"…Then date me."
"What? Clara, what I just said—"
"…You said you like me too, Albrecht. I think that's enough."
Clara went on.
"…Whether it's love or not—we can figure that out as we go, right?"
"……."
"…Who starts out already knowing what love is?"
She said it looking straight into my eyes. The heart she was throwing at me was pure sincerity, same as always. I couldn't push her away any longer.
I had no idea when she'd started feeling this way. There were moments I could guess at, but back then I'd only been trying to get closer to her as a friend, and she'd only just begun to open up a little.
Come to think of it…
At some point, Clara had stopped saying negative things in front of me. She still shrank back in crowded places, but there had been a turning point where she stopped twisting my words into something cruel.
Only now did I understand that change. She'd changed because she… loved me. No one who truly loves someone would twist that person's words.
"……If you're okay with that, Clara."
I said,
"Then I have no reason to refuse."
"……Really?"
"Yeah. You're the one waiting for me. How could I turn that down?"
At my answer, Clara's face bloomed like a flower in full sunlight.
"…Thank you, Albrecht."
A flower more beautiful than anything that ever grew in a field.
"I really like you, Albrecht."
I stared at her face for a moment, dazed—and then my head moved on its own.
The same way she'd expressed herself earlier without words, too shy to speak, I answered her with an action instead of a sentence.
"…!"
Clara flinched in surprise, then slowly closed her eyes and welcomed the moment with quiet joy.
The next morning, I woke up early. I'd wanted to sleep longer, but some dream had jolted me wide awake.
Of all the dreams to have…
Last night, Clara and I had confirmed each other's feelings. The moment our long-yet-brief kiss ended, she'd fled to bed with a face dyed bright red, saying she was going to sleep first.
I'd wanted a little more time together, but I couldn't keep tormenting a Clara who was so flustered she didn't know what to do with herself. So I let her go, went back to my own room, and fell asleep.
Maybe that was why I'd had such a weird dream. Knowing I'd think of it again the second I saw her outside, I sat on the bed for a while to settle my heart before stepping out.
"…Ah."
"Ah."
And we ran straight into each other at the bedroom door. Clara had clearly just gotten up and was heading to the bathroom to wash. We stood there for a moment, eyes locked.
I had no idea what she was thinking, but I was barely managing to shove down the dream that kept replaying in vivid detail.
"…Did you sleep well?"
Clara greeted me first.
"Ah—yeah. Slept fine… You?"
"……I couldn't sleep."
"Huh?"
Couldn't sleep? Worry jumped ahead of everything else.
"Why not? Were you sick?"
"No."
Clara smiled faintly and stepped closer. Then, completely naturally, she reached out and pulled me into a light hug.
"…Clara?"
"I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about you, Albrecht."
"Uh…?"
She said it while nuzzling her head lightly against my chest. A cute little smile bloomed across her face.
More than that—just a moment ago, Clara had spoken without any of her usual hesitation…
"Was it… uncomfortable?"
"W-what!? No, I liked—ah, wait, that's not—"
"…You liked it?"
Clara asked.
"Was I cute?"
"……."
My brain short-circuited. Since when did Clara know how to be this sly? And that slyness was so lethally charming that my face burned hot.
I had no choice but to admit it honestly.
"You were cute."
"…Really?"
"Yeah."
"Hee."
With a cute little laugh, Clara finally let me go. Then she said,
"I'll wash up and make breakfast."
"Ah—thanks."
"You're going to the Magic Tower and working hard. This much is only natural."
Leaving me with words that made me feel good just hearing them, Clara headed for the bathroom. I stared at the empty space she'd left for a second, then stepped outside to sweep the yard—partly to clear my head.
It was still closer to dawn than morning, and the air had a bit of a chill. Not freezing, but cool enough.
I took a broom and swish-swished the dust across the yard, pushing it out toward the street. Do that a few times and you end up with a much cleaner yard.
Once I'd finished sweeping, I looked around—and noticed something new.
Huh?
Someone was sweeping their yard across the street, just like me. The house next door had been empty.
They must have moved in yesterday or today. I figured I should at least say hello, so I waited instead of going back inside. They'd have to come to the entrance eventually to push the dust out.
And sure enough, the person sweeping next door soon appeared at the gate to clear the dust. But I couldn't manage a proper greeting. I just stood there staring, unable to make sense of what I was seeing.
"Oh, Albrecht. Up early, huh?"
A lively voice called out in greeting. In one hand, a broom; in the other, a bottle of liquor. Black hair, black eyes—an elf.
"Sleep well?"
Ser-Aria was standing there.