Hestia's Hope
The silence stretched between us.
"......"
"......"
"......Are you asleep?"
"...Not yet."
"I see."
"......"
"......"
It was awkward.
Insanely awkward.
Had it ever been this awkward between Hestia and me before? I could swear it hadn't, and I doubted it ever would be again.
The current situation was nothing but a massive bundle of variables. Who could have predicted that coming to explore during the break would end with me sharing a bed with the Hero?
Honestly, even now I couldn't wrap my head around how we'd reached this point.
Hestia herself seemed completely unfazed... I had no idea what she was thinking.
I tried to shake off the swirling thoughts and waited for sleep to claim me. That's when her voice drifted from behind me.
"......There is one thing I wish to ask you."
"What is it?"
"You may find it rather sudden, but......"
She trailed off for a moment before continuing.
"...What are your thoughts on 'Transcendence'...?"
"......?"
It was genuinely out of nowhere. Why was she suddenly asking about that?
I was curious, but with our backs turned to each other, I couldn't read her expression. It made it impossible to gauge her true intentions.
"Transcendence? Hmm... It's such a distant concept that I'm not sure what to say."
"...Is that so?"
The blanket we shared rustled.
Assuming she was simply tossing and turning, I paid it no mind and kept speaking.
"Yes. Honestly, the realm of a Transcendent doesn't feel real to an ordinary person like me. The idea of actually meeting one feels even more impossible."
"......But is there not the Academy Director?"
"That may be true for you, Lady Hestia, but even Academy students rarely get to see her face. She hardly ever appears, not even at the entrance ceremony..."
"Have you never met any other Transcendents in person?"
"It seems not."
Unlike the Hero, who could arrange a meeting with a Transcendent simply by dropping their name, ordinary people rarely even had the opportunity to cross paths with one.
Above all, Transcendents tended to stay rooted in one place. It wasn't that they were lazy, but once they settled in a particular region, they seldom left it. Unless, of course, they were great pioneers with some grand purpose.
"......"
A brief silence fell.
Hestia kept shifting as if something weighed on her mind. Lying so close, all I could hear was the soft rustle of the blanket.
Maybe she was finally trying to sleep. I closed my eyes, ready to follow her into slumber, when—
"......I am the Hero."
Her voice came from directly behind me, far closer than before.
Startled by how near it sounded, I straightened and turned my head. Our eyes met. She had rolled over to face me.
Her face was expressionless, yet her golden eyes flickered with more intensity than usual as she spoke.
"One day, I will surely ascend to Transcendence. When that happens, I will no longer be able to live comfortably among ordinary people."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes. It is simply how things are. From the previous Heroes who walked this path before me to those who will come after... there will be no exceptions."
"......"
"However... I..."
What was she trying to say? Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, but in this intimate setting it felt almost overwhelming. My mind went blank.
I did my best to appear unaffected and listened carefully.
"...I do not wish to become that way."
"......"
"May I... make one unreasonable request?"
Swish...
Hestia's head suddenly disappeared beneath the blanket.
What on earth was she doing?
Confused by her strange behavior, I was about to ask when I felt a slight weight settle onto my body. The blanket wriggled, forming a small mound above me.
"L-Lady Hestia...?!"
As she slowly sat up, the blanket slid down her back.
Her sudden action left me utterly bewildered. For a brief moment, the mask I always wore nearly slipped.
"......"
"......"
My flustered face reflected in her seemingly indifferent golden eyes. In mine, I saw her own beautiful features, faintly flushed.
We gazed at each other through that mirrored reflection.
She leaned forward, pressing both hands gently but firmly against my chest.
Her movement caused her top to slip lower, revealing underwear that felt far too intimate to look at directly. I had no idea where to rest my eyes, and my face burned.
I lay there frozen, staring up at her in silence. In a trembling voice, she finally spoke.
"If I become a Transcendent, I will live in an entirely different flow of time from ordinary people."
"...Y-yes, I suppose that's true...? But this position is a little—"
"A life spent with you might become nothing more than a fleeting instant in the long years I have ahead. The history we share will gradually occupy a smaller and smaller part of my existence."
"Ah, probably...? So maybe we should stop—"
"But I... I...!"
Moisture crept into her trembling voice. Her eyes began to waver.
Drop...
Hestia lowered her head, pressing it against my chest. I could feel the faint tremors running through her.
She was shaking slightly in my arms. I remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
Finally, in a damp, choked voice, she whispered.
"...I do not wish... to become that way......"
"......"
"I... want to keep living with you."
"......"
"The fate of a Hero that inevitably causes one to lose precious friends... I find it utterly detestable."
"......"
"So... so......"
Hestia clutched my collar tightly and lifted her head.
"Please... will you not walk the path of Transcendence with me...?"
"......"
Her eyes held more intense emotion than I had ever seen in them. The sight was truly...
beautiful.
...As expected... Was it too much to ask...?
With no answer coming, Hestia lowered her head once more. Resting against his broad chest, she fought back the sobs rising from deep within her heart and squeezed her eyes shut.
If she didn't, she feared he would see her pathetic expression.
It's alright... I knew from the start that it was an unreasonable request.
Who would happily agree if an ordinary person was told to become a Transcendent for her sake?
Becoming a Transcendent was never easy. And if someone possessed enough ambition to reach that realm, they would hardly welcome her request. No matter her intentions, it was essentially a command: Ascend to Transcendence for me.
Ambitious people usually had strong pride, even if they hid it well. It wouldn't be strange for them to take it as a provocation.
Of course, he didn't seem particularly ambitious. Still, there was every chance he would reject the idea of walking that path.
Though they hadn't spent much time together, from what she had observed, he seemed like someone who preferred to live peacefully, keeping his distance from the noisy world.
What he wanted was precisely what one had to give up in order to become a Transcendent. In a way, she was asking him to walk the complete opposite road. There was no reason he would view it favorably.
So even if he refused, she wouldn't let herself feel hurt or sad.
Because that's only natural...
She told herself this firmly, yet the thought of eventually losing the most precious connection in her life still made her heart ache.
"...Lady Hestia..."
"...Yes......"
He finally spoke after the long silence.
It's here, she thought, burying her face deeper into his chest and clenching her eyes shut. She didn't have the confidence to brush this off lightly.
His voice came gently.
"I am incredibly grateful that you care for me this much."
"......Yes."
"Thank you for placing such great expectations on someone as insignificant as me."
"...No... To me, you hold truly great meaning..."
Even though his words were kind, Hestia knew he was about to refuse. Her instinct, which had never once been wrong, told her so.
She gripped his collar even tighter to hide her face.
As he continued speaking and the stinging pain in her chest grew sharper—
—he gave an answer she never expected.
"Therefore, I... will make certain to live up to Hestia's expectations."
Hestia's eyes trembled violently.
She looked up at him with an expression of disbelief, her voice still thick with unshed tears.
"...Do you truly mean that...?"
"Of course. After all..."
He answered with a warm smile.
"We're friends."
And with those words, he planted a precious seed of hope within her.