Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Pink Heart
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Here, if it got any deeper, it wouldn't stay pink—it'd turn red.
"Let's take a break for a bit."
Still holding Esira in my arms, I walked over to the shade of a nearby large tree.
I tried to set her down, but her arms around my neck showed no sign of loosening. In the end, I just plopped down right there with her.
Before I knew it, she'd made herself at home on my lap, looking just like a koala.
"Hee hee."
Esira's face was lit up with a grin that wouldn't quit, humming a little tune like she was on cloud nine about something.
It was truly amazing. The wary kid from our first meeting was now snuggled right up in my arms.
She'd gotten way more affectionate, too.
Back then, her caution was so intense that even I had to tread carefully every time. Was this okay? Was I crossing a line? My mind was full of nagging worries.
To be fair, considering what Axiom was, her wariness made total sense.
But now? She was so much cuter.
"Lady Asrania's ears are so squishy."
"...My ears aren't toys, you know."
"But I just can't stop touching them. They're so warm."
Esira fiddled with my earlobe, kneading it gently.
I didn't feel much, but somehow my body felt all languid.
We chatted away idly.
It was peaceful, a far cry from when she'd just killed that guy earlier.
The problem was...
This girl had no sense of moderation.
Her fingers, which had been playing with my ear, started creeping toward the sensitive spot by my ear canal. She was clearly planning to blow air again.
"Esira. Like I said before, anyone would jump if you mess with a sensitive spot like that."
"Liar."
"I'm not lying. Call it the mysteries of the human body. Nerves are concentrated there, so it's unavoidable—"
"Hmm."
Esira narrowed her eyes and flashed a mischievous grin.
If anything, she looked triumphant, like she'd found a weak spot.
'This isn't a situation words can fix.'
Perfect timing, actually.
A chance for some petty revenge under the guise of education.
"If you don't believe me, try it yourself."
"Try it? How— Kyaa?!"
In an instant, I wrapped my arms tightly around Esira's waist.
"H-Hey! What's this all of a sudden?"
"Hold still. We need to run the experiment."
Esira squirmed in panic, but there was no way she could overpower an Axiom's strength.
She was trapped in my arms, unable to budge.
I slowly lowered my head toward her ear.
We were less than an inch apart.
Her pale nape and the ear that was already turning red came into view.
"Okay, let's test it."
I pursed my lips just like she had done to me.
"Hooo—."
"Eek...!"
Lucky for her she was pinned in my arms, or she'd have rolled right off to the side with that reaction.
"Ughhh, you're bullying me... that's mean...!"
Esira hunched her shoulders tight and clamped both hands over her ears.
Her eyes darted around wildly, unable to focus.
She was way more startled than I'd expected.
"...See? Told you you'd jump."
Esira couldn't string words together for a while. She froze like a broken robot.
"Uuu...."
Finally, she hung her head low.
The little devil who'd been teasing me so smugly moments ago was gone, replaced by a perfectly ripe apple that had tumbled into my lap.
"Get it now? The mysteries of the human body."
"No."
"What do you mean no? Your reaction was textbook."
"What I'm trying to say is...!"
She yelled suddenly, startling me.
Wh-What?
She'd had her face buried, but now she peeked up at me.
"I'm just so happy right now."
"Huh?"
"Being with you makes my heart feel so at ease."
Esira murmured in a tiny voice.
"What do I do? I wish this life could go on forever."
"..."
"I love this life of smiling and playing around like this."
How was I supposed to respond?
This was real mental damage.
I had no idea what to say.
Unable to bear the embarrassment, Esira thunked her forehead against my chest and burrowed in, clutching tight to my clothes.
"And there's something even better."
"...Yeah?"
"Teasing me like this. You only do it to me, right?"
Esira beamed up at me.
"I have so much to say, but I'll hold back. Hee hee."
She wriggled so much in my arms.
Like she was testing if she could get even closer, rubbing her cheek on my shoulder and wrapping her arms tighter.
I was pretty sure I'd won my revenge, but it felt like Esira had come out on top.
Not that I minded—in fact, I felt like my heart might give out from this.
"You... you're really..."
"Yeah. I really am."
I gazed at her steadily, then changed the subject for no reason.
"Esira. You don't find me scary, do you?"
"Of course not. Why would you say that?"
"You know what Axiom's original goal was."
To create the Blood Cell.
Even if things had changed now, the past didn't vanish.
And I was one of the people tied to that past.
Esira shook her head without a second's hesitation.
"I don't care about any of that."
"Really?"
"Yeah. What Axiom was made for, what they did back then—none of it matters."
She lifted her head from my chest. Her eyes, meeting mine up close, were clear as crystal.
It made me tense instead. Like she could see right through any secrets I tried to hide.
"What matters is that you taught me what warmth is."
Esira continued in a whisper.
"What do I do? It's gotten so hard to let go of this warmth. I want more."
"..."
"Besides, I get it."
A sly smile spread across her lips.
"You really cherish me."
"...Huh."
"But I feel the same."
The moment she finished speaking, Esira reached out.
She didn't even wait for my reply. With an expression that said, "You're gonna look, right?" she nudged Blackjack's hilt toward me.
The pattern engraved on the scabbard caught my eye.
Playing card symbols.
Spade, Clover, Diamond, and Heart.
Her finger stopped at the Heart.
"Take a good look."
She tilted the scabbard toward me.
I rubbed my thumb over the Heart symbol.
A faint light seeped into the center of the Heart.
Pink bloomed from within.
Layer upon layer, like thin paint building up, the color deepened richly.
"Pretty" didn't even begin to cover it.
It was sweet yet dangerous, a shade that shook the heart.
Esira smiled, satisfied.
"What do you think? Pretty, right?"
Pink.
It felt like her emotions had turned straight into color and pooled there.
'It's too deep.'
It was like her feelings for me were laid bare in pigment.
My breath caught.
"It used to be faint at first."
"...Yeah."
I recalled the moment right after we got Blackjack, when I'd rubbed the Heart once.
It hadn't been this vivid back then.
"Lady Asrania filled it with this color."
The Heart glowed faintly once more.
As if saying, "That's right."
I stared at it, and for some reason, my throat grew hot.
How could I put this moment into words?
That she wanted me this much.
That she liked me this much.
I was thrilled, but scared too, somehow.
I never could have imagined this before falling into this world.
That I'd come to hold such a big place in Esira's heart.
Really.
A pleasant breeze swept between us. The scent of grass hit first.
I glanced back at the Heart on the scabbard without thinking.
I hoped this color wouldn't fade again.
Or turn black.
Just stay like this.
"Thank you for telling me that."
"I should be the one thanking you."
This pink was perfect as is.
If it got any deeper from here, it wouldn't stay pink—it'd turn red.
It was already filled to the brim.
No room left to add more.
But if—just if—this color deepened one more time...
It'd become a dangerous shade.
Hard to say if that'd be good or if I should be careful.
'Pink's better than red, right?'
Well, nothing bad would come of it.
Esira was so pure.
Truly kind, and far stronger than she let on.
Even knowing that, a cowardly thought lingered in a corner of my heart.
I wished Esira could stay my little girl forever.
Esira slipped Blackjack back into its sheath.
"Esira, shall we head home now?"
"Already? We could rest a bit more."
"Want to stay a little longer?"
"No, no. Just kidding."
Esira hopped off my lap. A gentle smile lit up her face.
I stood up too.
I brushed the dirt off my pants and flicked the dry grass from my palms.
Strangely, I wasn't afraid anymore.
When I first fell into this world, even looking at my face felt awkward. Every moment was unfamiliar, tense, anxious.
But now it was different.
Right before my eyes, a living, breathing pink Heart.
"Let's go together. Esira."
"Yeah, Lady Asrania."
I naturally fell into step beside her.
Finally, it felt like I'd returned to where I belonged.
"What kind of letter is it?"
After getting home and sorting things out, Esira handed me an envelope.
I took it absentmindedly, then paused.
It was clearly paper. But it didn't feel like paper.
Smooth yet textured with visible fibers, thin yet oddly sturdy.
It felt like it wouldn't tear.
The moment I flipped the envelope over, my eyes narrowed.
It wasn't a normal wax seal.
The texture was impossible to fake without infusing mana.
A unique seal used only by Axiom.
"It's from Axiom."
I carefully opened the envelope.
—There is a gathering. Your attendance is required.