Let's Live Together
Ceria stared at the hand Ryan offered for so long that he began to feel awkward holding it out.
Her face flushed bright red, and before he could react, she raised a dirt-smudged hand and gave her own cheek a hard pinch. A sharp sting radiated across her face.
“Ouch...”
“...? Are you all right? Why pinch your cheek all of a sudden...?”
It’s... not a dream...
Confirming that this was reality, she looked back up. Ryan was still holding out his hand.
Just as his arm was beginning to tire and he wondered whether he should lower it, Ceria took his hand. The moment her fingers closed around his, an intense, almost searing warmth flooded her palm. Rising to her feet, she dusted the soil from her uniform with a brisk pat-pat of both hands.
“You’re really all right, aren't you?”
“Ah... yes...”
Now that she was actually standing in front of him, the words caught in her throat. She had so much she wanted to say that she had no idea where to even begin. As she stood there with a burning face, carefully avoiding his gaze, Ryan broke the silence.
“Excuse me, but... are you really Lady Ceria Bless from Team 2? And... how do you know my name?”
“Ah... I heard people talking about you while passing through the residential district... Someone mentioned you wielded a peculiar weapon, so I asked around...”
“I see...”
“Um! Which order do you belong to, if you don't mind me asking?”
Her sudden question gave Ryan pause. Lying about his affiliation to an actual knight would only unravel the moment she checked; it was merely a matter of time before the truth came out. Rather than invite even bigger trouble, he chose honesty.
“I... don't belong to any order. I'm not a knight.”
Ryan expected her to be shocked. Instead, a look of quiet realization crossed her features.
If he isn't a knight... then it makes sense why we haven't crossed paths until now... But to have this kind of skill, let alone that weapon, without even being an official Awakener...
While Ryan waited for her response, Ceria spoke up again.
“If you aren't part of an order, how do you carry weapons around?”
“Ah... well... it's a bit of a long story...”
It was only natural for her to be suspicious. Having come this far, Ryan decided to recount the same story he had once told Robert.
First: when he woke up in the desolate plains near District 48, he remembered nothing except his own name.
Second: with nowhere else to go, Robert took him in, providing food and shelter in exchange for Ryan gathering research specimens.
Ryan laid out the whole truth. Surely that would explain his unusual situation. Besides, there was that strange sense of déjà vu he had felt the moment he laid eyes on her. Somehow, he had a hunch she might hold a clue to his lost memories.
“Hrmmm...”
Hearing his explanation, Ceria sank into deep thought. He didn't seem to be lying. After a quiet moment, she spoke.
“You... have no memories? But then how did you recognize me? You knew my name...”
“No, I saw it in a magazine.”
“Ah... a magazine... You mean the knight order journal...”
“Still... I feel like I've seen you somewhere before.”
Her crestfallen expression vanished at his words, replaced by wide, startled eyes.
“You feel like... you've seen me?”
“Yes. I can't say for certain, but for some reason, I feel like we've met before. It's just a gut feeling.”
That single sentence sent Ceria's thoughts spinning into overdrive.
Right... I knew it... But what should I do...? He says he feels like he's seen me, but honestly, this is the very first time I've ever seen Ryan in real life...
Her only desire was to hold onto him by any means necessary. She shut her eyes tightly in agonized contemplation, while Ryan watched her quietly.
“Did anything come to mind?”
“No, I'm sorry. This is my first time meeting you in person, Ryan...”
“I see...”
“Still, wouldn't being around me help bring back your memories? If you have no other recollections yet feel like you've met me before... there must be a reason for it.”
Ryan scratched his head at her suggestion. She wasn't wrong. She was the first and only person since his awakening to trigger any sense of familiarity. In a void devoid of clues, this was by far the greatest lead he had stumbled upon. A foreboding conviction stirred within him that he couldn't afford to let this slip away.
Yeah... at the very least, it'll help.
Ryan nodded as he looked at her.
“Yes, I think so too. To be honest, this is the first time I've felt this way since I woke up.”
At his agreement, Ceria's heart thudded against her ribs. He had actually accepted a suggestion she'd tossed out purely from a desperate desire to stay together. Things were going almost too well, and in that euphoric rush, a brilliant brainstorm struck her—a scheme so audacious, no one in a normal circumstance with an ordinary acquaintance would ever dare contemplate it.
“Ryan, would you be open to any method if it meant recovering your memories?”
Caught off guard by her sudden question, Ryan hesitated before nodding slowly.
“...As long as it isn't anything bad.”
“Of course not! As if I'd ever suggest something bad to you! In that case, let's go visit Robert!”
“Huh? Why Robert...?”
“Because I had a great idea. A way for you to recover your memories and stay by my side!”
“What is it?”
“I have to explain it to Robert anyway, so I'll tell you when we get there. But... could you give me a ride? As you can see, my bike is...”
Ceria pointed past Ryan's shoulder. Right where her finger directed, a mana bike lay crumpled on the ground, billowing black smoke. Ryan decided it was better not to ask what had happened.
Though he had no clue what she was planning, he decided to play along with her for now.
...Let's just take her there. She seems to think she's got some miraculous solution.
When Ryan abruptly walked into the research facility announcing he had something to discuss, Robert pressed a hand to his forehead. He had explicitly warned Ryan not to be caught by knights, yet here he was, dragging one right into the facility.
“Ryan... what on earth is the meaning of this?”
After hearing a brief explanation of the circumstances, Robert pulled Ryan into a corner of the room. Wrapping an arm over Ryan's shoulders, he lowered his voice so Ceria couldn't overhear.
“Do you have any idea who you just brought here?”
“Isn't she the second daughter of the Commander of the Western Knights? I saw her in a magazine.”
“Yes! She's not just any knight—she's the second daughter of that very Commander!”
“What kind of person is he...?”
Robert stole a glance at Ceria and dropped his voice even lower. Yet, rather than grandiose titles Ryan couldn't fathom like 'Hero of the War of the Ominous Bird,' there was another term that struck his mind far more vividly.
A doting father.
Johann Bless, Commander of the Western Knights and father to two daughters, was apparently a man who would gladly turn the world upside down for his girls.
“So what does that have to do with this?”
“...Never mind. Let's just hear what the lady has to say first.”
Cutting off the hushed exchange, Robert turned toward Ceria. He offered her a bow of the utmost propriety and reverence.
“It is an honor to meet the esteemed daughter of the Commander. Forgive my tardy greeting.”
“Ah... hello. And please, there's no need to be so formal... You can treat me casually.”
Robert waved his hands in self-deprecation, lamenting that he couldn't offer better hospitality to the daughter of his former commander.
“Lord Johann aided me immensely during the war. Had I known you were visiting this region, I would have paid my respects sooner. Please accept my apologies.”
“I'm truly fine. Robert, could we talk for a moment? There's something I'd like to discuss.”
“Ah, of course. As much as you wish.”
The three of them gathered around a table situated in a corner of Robert's laboratory. Robert served the finest tea available in the facility.
“This is delicious. So, do you run this place all by yourself, Robert?” Seated right next to Ryan, Ceria broke the silence.
“Indeed. Originally, it was a private research bunker for my personal work. One must venture out this far into the outskirts to conduct research on demons, after all.”
“I had no idea RoH had a facility all the way out here. None of the residents in District 48 seemed to know about it.”
“It is strictly a confidential research lab. The less attention it draws from the public, the better.”
“How did you happen to meet Ryan? According to what he told me...”
Robert smoothly reiterated how he came across Ryan. Every detail matched Ryan's version to the letter.
“So you already knew he was an unregistered Awakener without an order. Official regulations require reporting him immediately upon discovery—why didn't you?”
“An Awakener with no memory is bound to draw intense suspicion. I thought it best to let him stay here until he recovered some of his memories before filing an official report.”
Even as he answered smoothly, Robert grew tense on the inside. He worried she might report both him and Ryan to the Inspection Bureau on the spot. Yet Ceria seemed hardly bothered by procedural violations.
“I suppose that makes sense. An Awakener who fights that well claiming total amnesia would look terribly suspicious. Do you have any specific plans for how Ryan will recover his memories?”
“Nothing specific at the moment. He retains enough basic knowledge to manage daily life, so my intention was to search for answers gradually.”
“I see. But wouldn't it be difficult to regain anything in a place like this? A city, somewhere full of potential clues, would be much better.”
Robert nodded in agreement. Ceria's lips were already curling upward at the thought of the solution she had cooked up.
“Right! So here's what I've come up with. A way to help him regain his memories while guaranteeing him a stable, secure life!”
With her right hand, Ceria gently grasped Ryan's wrist.
“He can come to Westgard and live with me at my house!”
“...Excuse me?”
“Come again?!”
Everyone in the room froze solid on the spot—except Ceria, whose eyes sparkled with triumphant delight.