42. We're Friends, Right?
42. We're Friends, Right?
Tap, tap—
The full fur of her tail fluttered pleasantly in the gentle breeze.
Tap, tap—
The scent of damp grass and the rich aroma of coffee drifting from a cafe lifted the corners of her mouth on their own.
Tap, tap—
The streets of the Imperial Capital were like a frantic battlefield.
But inside the academy, even with so many people around, it was peaceful and warm.
Thinking that as she continued her stroll, Pina, a squirrel Beastkin, grinned goofily at the name written on the Device in her hands.
[Eliarnes Eustetia]
For the first time, someone's number had been saved in a contact list she'd thought would stay empty her whole life.
The small text on the wide screen might have looked lonely, but Pina's heart already felt full.
Eliarnes, expected to be the prettiest person at Karelai Academy.
Eliarnes, who had taken down a Red Ogre in a single blow inside the illusion.
Eliarnes, whose gaze was fierce and whose speech was rough, but who was still an incredibly kind person.
And Eliarnes, the strongest among her classmates—no, among the entire student body.
She had gotten that person's number this morning.
Beaming—wearing a pure smile, Pina slowly traced back through her memories of meeting her at dawn.
Early that morning, the wind had knocked at her window, and the scent of grass had woken her.
Wondering if something had happened, she'd hurriedly thrown on clothes and followed the wind's guidance, walking diligently.
Where the wind finally stopped, a contaminated wind spirit and a crowd of grass spirits guarding it had gathered.
Had it drifted in from outside?
The wind spirit was sickly and ailing, polluted by a very potent Demonic Energy.
But for Pina, it wasn't a big problem.
Because she had the light.
The light spirit that embraced and cared for all spirits.
Sometimes it nagged, sometimes it scolded, sometimes it acted scary, but to Pina, the light spirit was a lifesaver and like a parent.
So Pina immediately asked the light spirit for help.
The sun had not yet risen, so the light's power was weak, but it was still enough to purify this much Demonic Energy.
After receiving that warm purification, the wind spirit revived in an instant, full of energy, and rubbed its whole body against Pina's cheek affectionately.
Afterward, while she was chatting softly with countless baby spirits—
The spirits' gazes all turned at once.
Not only that, but even the spirits that hadn't come near Pina went flitting off toward one spot.
Pina knew why the spirits were acting that way. So she scurried behind a big tree, hid, and peeked her head out.
Her guess was right.
There was a single cherry blossom there.
Eliarnes Eustetia.
She didn't know why, but—
A person loved by all spirits.
A person revered by all spirits.
A person whom even that lofty light could not help but admire.
This wasn't the first time.
When she'd first entered the lecture hall, too—
Spirits had come flitting in from outside, and even the spirits that had been talking with Pina had flown toward her.
Even the light that always stayed within her soul and watched over Pina had separated a part of itself to approach Eliarnes.
Dozens, hundreds, thousands.
The sight of her surrounded by every spirit in the area—
The sight of her bringing a vivid spring into the bleak lecture hall and making cherry blossoms bloom was so pretty and dazzling.
...Her personality seemed more than a little eccentric, scary, violent, hot-tempered, and prickly... but her heart still seemed kind.
Because otherwise, there was no way the spirits would love her.
...Anyway.
She had been secretly spying on that Eliarnes from behind a tree.
And she'd been caught.
After that, she'd been subjected to all sorts of suspicion... suspicion that she'd been doing her business behind the tree, then she'd explained herself, then they'd had a quiet moment together, and just as they were about to part—
She'd mustered her courage and gotten her number.
Honestly, she hadn't planned to ask for her number.
But the light had begged so desperately that she'd ended up blurting it out.
And the light had said that if she stayed by Eliarnes's side, she'd be safe anytime, anywhere.
So she'd squeezed out courage she didn't even have and asked for her number.
She was sure she'd wet herself on the spot if Eliarnes said, 'How dare someone like you?' and raised a fist, but Eliarnes did neither.
At first she'd seemed to refuse, but in the end, she'd handed over her Device and told Pina to save her number.
As expected, even if she seemed a bit very eccentric, scary, violent, hot-tempered, and prickly, she was kind on the inside.
Grinning goofily.
Recalling those memories, Pina smiled brighter than before and went flitting over to an empty bench, plopping down.
Then she pulled out the rye bread she'd hidden in her tail and began nibbling at it bit by bit.
While she was doing that—
Ring-ring— Ring-ring—
Her Device started ringing.
[Eliarnes Eustetia]
"Hic, heek... hic?!"
From her slightly parted teeth came a sound that never became language, never became a voice at all—like air leaking out.
What on earth was going on?
Why, of all things, was she calling?
Why not a message?
What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
Flustered—squirrel-flustered—Pina gulped down the rye bread she'd been nibbling along with some milk, then held up her Device with both hands.
Thump-thump—
I should answer, right...?
But even if I answer, I won't be able to speak?
Still, I have to... I have to answer.
Otherwise, she might glare at me scarily like last time.
Having finished that despairing thought, Pina pressed the call button with a resolute expression.
[Pina.]
She opened and closed her mouth, trying to answer, but still only the sound of air leaking came out; no voice emerged.
[You don't have to answer. I can see you.]
Startled, Pina's eyes went wide as she whipped her head around. Ignoring her, Eli's sharp voice continued.
[See the cafe on your right?]
Cafe? Cafe?
She looked toward the place where the rich coffee aroma had been drifting from a moment ago.
The cafe's interior was so clearly visible it might as well have had no glass.
There, Pina didn't need to search for Eliarnes. She recognized her at a glance.
Because countless spirits had gathered around a single cherry blossom.
Her eyes met a pair of pink ones.
With a sly smile in her eyes, Eliarnes waved her hand gently and whispered.
[Come in.]
It was clearly a kind expression and a soft gesture.
But for some reason, Pina found it frightening.
Her Beastkin instincts tugged at the back of Pina's neck, warning that something bad might happen.
But Pina's heart and the light's voice cried out for her to hurry to Eliarnes's side.
Sniff— haah...
Letting out a trembling breath, Pina hid the rye bread she'd been eating back in her tail and hurried over.
A busy little dash on short legs.
Even as she ran, Pina thought:
If the spirits like her, and the light that always protects me praises her that much...
There's no way Eliarnes would do anything bad to me.
*****
"Eat."
Pina's head tilted.
"Don't eat that shriveled rye bread or whatever. Eat this."
Smiling kindly at Pina, she pointed to cake, brownies, madeleines, ice cream, and cookies.
For a drink, a warm toffee-nut latte.
She didn't know what toffee-nut was, but since it had "nut" in it, she figured it was something like peanuts and ordered it.
She also figured a squirrel would like peanuts.
Pina, who had been trembling for quite a while with her tail hugged to her chest and her eyes covered, picked up a madeleine with a pitifully shaking hand.
Then she began nibbling at it bit by bit, watching my reaction.
I handed that Pina a brownie topped with ice cream, then a cake studded with little clusters of fruit, then soft caramel, sugar-glazed fruit, and a banana thickly coated in chocolate.
Each time, Pina flinched violently, but eventually she completely melted under the merciless tyranny of sugar assaulting her tongue.
Finally, Pina slurped down the peanut latte to the last drop.
I smiled kindly at Pina, whose face had completely melted into a goofy grin, and said:
"All done?"
Nod, nod—
"It's good, right?"
Nod, nod, nod—
"Don't you want to eat stuff like this every day?"
Pina blinked for a moment, thinking, then carefully nodded.
Eurasia, who had been quietly watching, was staring at Pina as if she found her so cute she could die.
And Stella looked emotionally complicated, as if she felt a sense of kinship.
Then Stella, tearing her eyes away from Pina, looked at me with an expression that said, "So what exactly is this situation?"
She was admirably obeying my instruction to keep quiet while I recruited one more club member for her.
"Pina."
Tilt?
I picked up the paper and pen in front of Stella.
"We're friends, right?"
Pina, not immediately understanding what I meant, tilted her head for a while, then took out her Device and tapped away.
[Friends? You mean... I'm Lady Eliarnes's friend?]
Pina held out the Device, her eyes brimming with tears of emotion.
"Yeah. Friends."
I answered brightly.
Pina immediately nodded her head vigorously.
Glistening teardrops pattered onto the table.
Stella looked at Pina with sympathy.
Eurasia carefully wiped away her tears.
And I beamed and held out the paper.
"Then write your name here and stamp it with your thumbprint."
"M-My lady?!"
"Wh-What?! Wait...!"
Eurasia, who had been wiping Pina's tears, turned to me with a shocked expression.
Stella, who had looked like she was about to cry, crumpled her face and glared at me.
Meanwhile, Pina, still wearing a pure smile, wrote her name on the application without doubting my words.
Then—
Crunch—
"Pina?!"
"Hey, you...?!"
She bit her own thumb until it bled, then actually stamped it with her thumbprint.
"Whoa..."
Even I couldn't help but admire the somewhat twisted, manic display.
Stella healed the wound on her thumb, and it closed quickly, but looking at the bit of Pina's flesh and blood on the table...
The triangle in my heart poked at my conscience.
"Hmm..."
I blinked and looked at Pina's face.
She flinched at my murmur.
Under Stella's gaze that said, "You piece of trash,"
and Eurasia's gaze that said, "My lady, that... was too much," I scratched my cheek.
Still, I had to do what I had to do.
The explanation about the club.
I'd originally planned to keep my mouth shut, but if I just let it slide, the triangle in my heart felt like it would turn into a blade.
Of course, even if she said no, she'd already stamped her thumbprint, so she couldn't back out.
"Want some more dessert?"
Just as Pina was about to shake her head, I added:
"We're friends, right?"
Tears welled up again in her wide light-brown eyes, and she nodded with a bright, pure smile.