Trial
“Do you like this one?”
“…Yeah.”
“Hmm… All right. Your young eyes are probably right.”
Dad nodded readily and took the phone back, scrolling straight to the order page.
It wasn’t an especially expensive ring.
But it wasn’t cheap enough for a student to buy without thinking, either.
An awkward middle-ground price.
“Better get one that’s solid all the way through, right?”
“Those are super expensive, though…”
“If we’re doing this, we might as well get something a little nicer.”
He patted my shoulder like it was no big deal and moved on without hesitation.
A moment later his finger stopped.
“…Noah. Hey… what size is Mom’s finger?”
“…I don’t know? Weren’t you the one feeling it up earlier?”
“Feeling it doesn’t tell me the size. We’ve never even tried rings on her…”
“Ugh… Hang on.”
I pulled out my own phone and searched how to measure ring size.
“Um… i-it says like this.”
Dad stared at the screen, then shot up from his seat, grabbed a ruler from the bookshelf, and carefully held it against his finger.
“Size nine.”
“…You sure?”
“Positive.”
With absolute confidence he sat back down and resumed the order.
Then he paused again.
“Birthstone… What’s that supposed to be?”
We’d entered a whole new phase.
“You know, that thing? Matching the cubic zirconia to the birthday month.”
But wasn’t the one in the picture blue?
Guess that was just the sample image…
“That so? Then Mom’s January, so garnet. Bright red. And I’m July—ruby. Whoa, even redder.”
He tilted his head, wondering if it would suit him, then tapped the options for my ring and muttered,
“Our Noah’s… March. Aquamarine. Blue.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. Look. March, aquamarine. Blue.”
I stared at the phone screen he held out.
Silver-white band, blue stone.
Rubia.
“…It’s pretty.”
Dad snickered at my expression, snatched the phone back with a satisfied nod.
“They’ve got every size in stock, so we can pick it up tomorrow.”
“Want me to go get it?”
“Nah. I’ll grab it on the way home from work.”
Then, with a pure smile, he looked at the photo frame on the side table.
Mom in a pure-white dress.
Dad in a sharp tuxedo.
Their wedding photo.
And standing right beside it—
the family portrait.
“You didn’t forget we’re all going to take pictures on our anniversary, right?”
“Yeah… We’re going so you can swap the photo in your wallet too.”
“Swap? No way. We’re adding a new one. Thinking of laminating it this time so it lasts longer—how’s that sound?”
“Oh… That’s a great idea.”
“Right? The station’s got a laminator, so I’ll do Mom’s and yours too. Three copies total.”
While searching how to laminate, Dad suddenly ruffled my hair with a mischievous grin.
“Can’t wait to see Mom’s reaction, huh.”
“Yeah… Think she’ll cry?”
“Hope so. Khhahaha.”
Already, tears were welling in his eyes.
“Haa… Maybe it’s too late.”
“Come on… There’s that saying—when you think it’s too late, that’s actually the earliest.”
“That’s all nonsense. When you think it’s too late, it really is too late.”
“…That’s not something a dad should say to his kid.”
“Tsk.”
Smack—!
“Ow! You… you hit me again…!”
The door burst open—
“What are you two whispering about?”
Mom stood there with a mysterious little smile, glancing between us.
“Hm? Oh? Nothing, really.”
“U-um… Mommy… Dad keeps hitting me…”
I scrambled up and dove straight into her arms.
“Honey! Where do you get off hitting our Noah?”
“Hey, Noah. Seriously? You’re doing me dirty like that?”
“Mom, look. Isn’t this bleeding? Oww, it hurts…”
“Aww… It’s all red and swollen. How about we leave that heartless dad behind and play by ourselves?”
A warm hand—so different from Dad’s rough ones—stroked down my hair.
“Yeees…”
“Hehe, good. Let’s go eat some tangerines. Mom’ll peel them for you.”
I nodded hard and stuck my tongue out at Dad.
“Wh-what… Ugh… How am I supposed to live with this betrayal…”
Shaking his head, he stood, gently took Mom’s hand, and headed out.
“Then I’ll peel yours for you, honey.”
“Oh my… Will you? Hehehehe.”
“…Th-then I’ll peel Dad’s.”
“Forget it. I don’t need tangerines from a traitor.”
“Really?”
He stopped short—
“If you insist on peeling them, I won’t stop you.”
Then he walked back to the living room and plopped down in front of the tangerine basket.
The corners of his mouth were turned way up.
“Is that any way for kids to act? Ugh, drives me crazy.”
Watching TV, Dad clicked his tongue and carefully fed a perfectly peeled tangerine segment into Mom’s mouth.
“Come to think of it, honey, that house you used to look after—weren’t the kids like that too?”
Mom chewed, swallowed, and nodded.
“Yeah, similar… Grandma raised them all by herself, and the second she got dementia, all three of them… didn’t show their faces for over a month… When I went over during Chuseok the whole place was… Haa… You really shouldn’t do that, so why do people…”
Her voice grew thick. She lifted Dad’s hand, stuffed the rest of the tangerine into her mouth, and forced herself to chew.
“Still, our Noah’s so good I don’t think she’d ever abandon Mom. Right?”
“Of course…”
I carefully finished peeling one and popped it into Dad’s mouth.
A tangerine the size of my fist disappeared in one bite.
He barely chewed before swallowing and spoke in a voice full of fury.
“Next door too! Those damn kids. Making good money and never once sending allowance!”
“Honey, your voice is too loud.”
“Oh… I-is it? Ahem. Anyway… Selling greens and fish-shaped buns to put them through med school, and then they just abandon their parents like that? Ugh, makes my blood boil.”
He gently lifted my wrist and slipped a half-peeled tangerine into my mouth.
Crunch crunch—
“D-Dad, the peel…”
“Dad can eat this just fine.”
It’s not that it’s fine—it just tastes bad…
“Noah. Later on, even if you forget about me, make sure you take care of your mom. Got it?”
“…What are you talking about. I’ll take care of you too, Dad.”
“Dad’s a superhuman. I don’t age. So just worry about Mom.”
Again that mischievous smile. He split a cleanly peeled tangerine in half,
one piece into Mom’s mouth,
one into mine.
“Even if I don’t say it, our Noah’ll do just fine. Right? Khhheh.”
With my mouth full of tangerine I could only nod.
Mom’s soft hand wrapped around my arm.
Dad’s rough hand ruffled through my hair.
The tangerine in my mouth was sweet.
So very sweet—
and the aftertaste was sour.
“Waaaaah! Our family! Happy family! Let’s stay happy forever and ever! Dad’ll protect you for life!!”
“Yes. I’ll trust only you. Let’s all live happily forever. Hehe.”
My face crumpled.
My nose stung.
Someday I’d swallow and the sourness would fade.
But right now, I wanted to keep tasting it a little longer.
“Yeah…”
For life.
For life.
He’d protect us for life.
A lie…
“■■■. Want me to help?”
“How?”
“I just have to beat up the people trying to take ■■■ away, right?”
“Noah…?”
“You think I can’t? Um… th-those noobs… I’ll crush them all.”
“Noobs… Pffft… Hahahaha! You called them noobs?”
“O-of course! Don’t you trust me…?!”
“I do. Of course I do. If I can’t trust Noah… who else could I trust?”
“Right? Then ■■■ just trust me and take it easy.”
“All right. I’m counting on you, Noah. Protect me.”
“For how long?”
“…For life.”
“Got it. Just trust me.”
I’ll protect you for life.
■■■.
“I’ll be a little late getting off work today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Got a bit of overtime to clear.”
Huh… Dad’s glitching.
“Hmm… Okay. Be careful.”
“Have a good dayyy.”
“Mm. I’m off. Noah, don’t game too much.”
“…Yeees.”
Dad gave me a careful nod, threw the front door open wide, and left for work with a bright smile.
“Noah. Doesn’t Dad seem a little suspicious?”
“…Wh-what do you mean?”
“Think he’s getting a ring made or something?”
“A-a ring? Why would you suddenly say that?!”
How did she know?
No, no.
I have to stay calm at least.
“Just… a woman’s intuition? Hehe.”
She tapped the bridge of my nose and chuckled as she headed for the living room.
“Any side dishes you want? I’m making some for the grandma next door, so I’ll just make extras.”
“Mmm… Egg roll?”
“With onions?”
“Lots!”
“If I put in a lot the shape gets weird—that okay?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t matter. As long as it tastes good. Hehe.”
“Got it. Stay in your room. Come out when I call.”
“Okaaay.”
Humming, I slipped into my room right by the front door.
Today was a busy day—I had to run the raid circuit.
Gotta use every minute wisely…!
I stretched my toes out to hit the power button on the computer.
The power…
Why can’t I reach it…?
“Umm…?”
I had no choice but to climb down from the chair and press it myself.
Then I flopped back into the seat,
kicking my dangling legs that didn’t touch the floor, and logged into Black Sun.
“Todayyy— which characterrr should I start with first—!”
I wiggled my butt and scrolled through the eight characters.
Then—
“…Greatsword.”
As if possessed, I clicked the one holding the greatsword.
“This is the hardest character, though.”
So why do I want to play it first?
Weird.
I tilted my head and immediately left-clicked to draw the greatsword.
White lines began streaking across the pitch-black screen.
“This is the Qi Sensing trait, you seeee.”
I wiggled my butt again and hummed a nonsense tune.
Then, out of habit, I used a teleport scroll.
Not the East Ruins…
Habron.
Habron…?
Did it always have that name?
Eh… whatever.
Name doesn’t matter.
I’m still killing Carpeng the same way.
Just like always.
I moved the mouse,
summoned Carpeng,
and cleared the hunt with practiced ease.
Next, Karahan.
Took down the Tyrant.
Next was the Temple of the Moon… no, Cartia.
Took down Valoran.
Went to the Catacombs.
Took down Bruenhilde.
Went to the imperial capital.
Took down Laila.
Went to the Dimensional Rift.
Took down the sealed ancient dragon.
Went to Erden.
Erden.
Erden.
Erden.
Erden.
Erden.
The End.
The Priestess.
■■■.
■■■.
Ru■■.
Knock knock—
“Noah! Mom’s going to take some side dishes over to the grandma next door—can you help carry them? They’re so heavy.”
The moment Mom’s strained voice reached me,
the computer screen went dark with a soft click.
“…Ah!”
“Noah?”
“Ugh… It was almost done. Sigh… Coming.”
I glared resentfully at the dead monitor and hopped down from the chair.
Then I glanced in the mirror, roughly fixed my hair, and stepped out of the room.
And so,
on the way out,
from the corner of my eye,
in the mirror—
incomprehensible
sentences
flickered.