The First Friend I've Ever Had
I had done it. Who would have guessed that Shion would pick himself up and collapse like that?
Was it nerves, or was it anger? Even Shina herself didn’t quite understand.
For some reason, the feeling had been rather satisfying, but almost immediately her heart filled with guilt. As a member of the Astorius family who protected the weak, she had committed an unforgivable breach of etiquette.
If anyone from her family or another house were to witness this… Shina squeezed her eyes shut tight.
She had always upheld her dignity as a member of the Kirinus Empire’s Astorius Duke family. Shina had always done so, and she always would.
For her, such reckless behavior was an immeasurable source of terror.
Her heart felt like it was being squeezed. If there were any place to escape to, she wanted to run away right now.
“Excuse me… Astorius Lady? Are you all right?”
At that moment, Chloe’s voice, full of concern, reached Shina’s ears.
Ah, there were no “them” here. The trembling in Shina’s voice quickly subsided. She took a small, steadying breath and slowly opened her eyes.
“…I’m fine. And I’m sorry. I must have applied too much force without realizing it…”
“It’s all right. This idiot got scared on her own and started acting up. Astorius Lady did nothing wrong.”
Chloe had said that Shina had done nothing wrong.
But Shina shook her head.
She knew full well that she had been in a position of overwhelming superiority, yet her overreaction to Shion’s strength was clearly her own fault.
“This idiot will recover on her own…”
“Frelia Lord.”
“Yes?”
“If you’re feeling better, would you mind if I personally tend to Shion Lord’s care?”
“….Huh?!”
Chloe’s eyes widened. She kept insisting that Shina need not feel guilty, but Shina would not bend.
And so, at this very moment, Shina was turning the pages of a book in Shion’s room.
“……”
In front of her, Shion lay on the bed with his eyes closed and his forehead flushed bright red.
Though she had traveled a long distance by carriage and grown tired, caring for Shion directly this way washed away the guilt that had lingered in her heart.
Shina briefly looked away from the book and gazed at Shion.
Of course he was sleeping with his eyes closed, but he still gave off that same light, breezy atmosphere he always did.
“…..So strange a person.”
What an intriguing individual. Everyone she had met so far had tried desperately to appear unfazed in her presence, yet this man’s every action was carefree.
But strangely enough, looking back on it now, it hadn’t bothered her at all. To her, it had been a refreshing reaction.
Her mother, her father, and even her older brother had never treated her that way.
“Umm…”
At that moment, Shion let out a groan and slowly sat up.
Shina, who had been staring blankly at him, startled and quickly turned her eyes back to the book she had been reading.
“This is… my room.”
“You’re awake?”
She cautiously spoke to the hoarse voice. It was almost exhilarating to know that Shion had survived the night by his own efforts.
“Hah! Astorius Lady, why are you calmly reading here in my room?”
Shina’s eyes narrowed with a thin smile as she glared at him.
Was reading in another person’s room so unnatural?
“I find it unnatural to read in another person’s room without permission?”
“No, reading is fine. But entering another person’s room without permission is bound to raise some eyebrows…”
Shina had opened her mouth to protest, but upon hearing his words with perfect calm, she realized there was not a single false one.
For him, waking up meant she had entered his room uninvited. Still, the irritation was the same.
“….It seems I was correct. But I had to check on you.”
“Check on me?”
Shina lowered her head slightly.
“No, that… I overdid it with the strength control, injuring Frelia Lord. If I hadn’t, it could have led to serious harm. So I stayed here until Frelia Lord woke up.”
If she said it like that, he might express gratitude. Shina watched his reaction with hidden anticipation.
“Mmm… indeed.”
Shion nodded slowly.
“I did see my ancestor beckoning me from across the river in a dream. I’m glad I can’t swim, or I might have ended up with the ancestor.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”
“Is the definition of protection and harassment reversed in the Kirinus Empire?”
She couldn’t calm down! Should she be angry for him to stop, or apologize? She simply couldn’t keep up.
“O-Oh, misunderstanding! That… it might seem like a misunderstanding, but when I trained with Frelia Lord, I was serious.”
“As expected, Astorius Lady is the one who—”
“Please hear me out to the end!”
Shina pouted.
“I’m not boasting, but I can see that people possess special powers. I don’t know exactly what kind of power they are, but I can sense their existence. And I saw with my own eyes that two powers are rooted in Frelia Lord’s body. That’s why I must have reacted without realizing it…”
Shina had simply recounted what she had felt during the previous sparring match.
It was to justify her earlier actions and to subtly satisfy her curiosity about the powers Shion possessed.
But Shion answered with a perfectly natural tilt of his head, as if he knew nothing.
“Hmm, two powers, you say? I only just learned that I had such powers.”
Shina felt a tinge of regret that her curiosity remained unquenched, but she had no intention of pressing further. He must have his own secrets to hide.
“If you don’t wish to speak about it, there’s no need to force yourself.”
At those words, Shion shook his head and spoke.
“Ah, it seems you misunderstood. This is the first time I have realized that I truly have a power hidden within me. It’s embarrassing, but last night I suddenly suffered from amnesia.”
Amnesia…? Shina wondered if she had heard wrong and doubted her own ears.
“Amnesia…?”
Amnesia. The terrible illness that caused one to forget their past memories, their true nature as a human being, and the life they had lived.
Shina felt as if she had lost herself. How could he speak so casually?
“Yes. Since nothing comes to mind for me, I don’t feel it as deeply as amnesia should. Well, perhaps that’s not so bad either?”
“What…?”
“Hearing about my past from Frelia Lord, it seems I lived quite foolishly before.”
Shion spoke in a low voice, his playful smile gone. The light, breezy atmosphere that had always clung to him had long since vanished.
Shina instinctively felt that, right now, there was not a single ounce of pretense in his words.
She listened intently.
“My life from now on is one that I, Shion Frelia, will create for myself. There is no room for the past that drags at my heels.”
“……”
“Of course, the path will be far more difficult than others’, but I still want to see it through. It may be excessive desire, but I must try.”
She had thought he was just a person who loved silly banter, yet he possessed thoughts so deep that she could never fathom them.
“….I may have misjudged you.”
Shina said with a faint smile. She wanted to cheer him on.
“Huh? What do you mean, Astorius Lady? You weren’t thinking I was just a silly person who pulled pranks all the time, were you?”
……Cheering had to be canceled. She needed to observe him a little longer.
“I never thought that!”
“That’s how it was…… tsk. In the end, you thought of me as an annoying, frantic person. Well, I expected as much, but hearing it from your own lips is strangely lonely.”
“Kyah! I surrender! So stop…!”
Shina finally raised the white flag and declared defeat. Maintaining her dignity before him was too great a trial for her.
Shina sighed deeply and muttered.
“Haa… I’ve met countless people in my life, but Frelia Lord is the first truly unique one.”
“Unique…? Can that be taken as a compliment?”
“Hmph. Think whatever you like.”
Shina turned her head away. She had no intention of looking back until he spoke again. This was a matter of pride. This concerned the pride of Shina Astorius.
But one minute passed, five minutes, ten minutes, and Shion still did not utter a single word.
Shina endured the desire to turn around, over and over, but she could not withstand the awkward silence. She glared at him and spoke in a blunt tone.
“….Isn’t it normal for someone to speak when someone is sitting like this?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I should have considered Astorius Lady’s feelings.”
“Hmph, even if you say that, I won’t fall for it anymore.”
From now on, she truly would not be tricked by his banter. Shina steeled her heart and glared at him.
“As Astorius Lady knows, since I have lost my memory, communicating with others is somewhat difficult…”
“Ah, no. I was being short-sighted……”
“Ah!”
Caught! Shina frowned and bit her lip. How did he manage to do such annoying things? Her neck was tingling again.
“I don’t know anymore either. I’ll be going now.”
Shina turned her head and stood up. If she raised her blood pressure any higher, she didn’t know what she might do to him.
“Arara? Where are you going, Astorius Lady? You said you would tend to my care.”
“I will tend to you until you wake. And seeing your lively mouth, it looks like you’re already well enough.”
“Hah, so sharp. I’ve been talking happily with Astorius Lady and recovered my strength.”
“I see. It’s good that you’re feeling better.”
Before closing the door, Shina turned her head slightly and shot Shion a glance.
His carefree smile and wave goodbye. Just looking at him made her stomach churn.
Haa, why had she offered to care for such a man? It had been pointless. Shina walked down the hallway with a sullen expression.
At that moment, for some reason, Shion’s serious voice echoed in her mind.
- My life from now on is one that I, Shion Frelia, will create for myself. There is no room for the past that drags at my heels.
His sincere words, which he had always spoken lightly, kept replaying in her head.
Then, suddenly, a question arose.
“What kind of life does Shion Lord want to live from now on?”
Curiosity stirred in Shina about what future the man who had lost all memories of the past wished to live. But…
‘Returning there would wound my pride too much….’
After saying she would never return, if she did go back, Shion would definitely tease her. One hundred percent. It was best not to go. But…
“Haa……”
Unable to resist her curiosity, Shina took a deep breath and walked back down the hallway she had come.
Shina reached Shion’s door. She had been wavering whether to turn back, but she gathered her courage and grabbed the doorknob.
“Haha, Astorius Lady, did you leave something behind?”
Shion, half-reclined on the bed, tilted his head and asked.
“No. It’s not that. But there is one thing I’m curious about.”
“Hmm, even depriving a patient of sleep to ask. I have no choice but to try harder.”
“Just a little while ago you said you were fine…! Hoo, no.”
She knew it would be teased and had prepared herself, but the irritation remained. Aah, he was so annoying.
“Haha, I’m joking. If it’s Astorius Lady’s question, I’d actually like you to ask me something.”
Shina, who had cooled her cheeks with a fan, cautiously asked Shion after a moment.
“Umm… What do you plan to do from now on?”
“Huh? Asking so suddenly…”
“Since Frelia Lord has lost his memory, I’m curious how you plan to live and what you wish to do.”
Shion’s expression showed slight surprise, as if he hadn’t expected Shina to ask such a thing.
Of course, his eyes remained closed.
“Hmm… that’s true.”
Shion fell silent for a moment. A very long silence. As if he were endlessly pondering the question.
‘……Unexpected.’
That this silly man could think so deeply. Shina realized it for the first time.
While she was inwardly surprised, Shion finally spoke.
“I wish to enjoy my current life. I want to live a modest life that is satisfied with what has been given to me. Ah, if I may be a little greedy, I want to keep the happiness of talking with Astorius Lady for as long as possible.”
“Is that so?”
Wanting to enjoy a modest life that is satisfied with the present. It was exactly the life he would naturally wish for.
But what drew Shina’s attention was elsewhere.
‘It’s fun to talk with me……’
She had never heard that from anyone except family. The reactions she always received as a noble lady of the Kirinus Empire’s great duke house had always been the same.
Surprise, admiration, reverence, jealousy. That was it.
People always found it difficult to deal with her. As if there were a great wall between her and them.
She understood their situation, but sometimes it felt lonely.
No, it wasn’t sometimes. She felt it quite often.
There had been countless times when she wanted to chat lightly with people her age.
Before transferring to Luin Academy, she had harbored a small wish.
I wish to make friends there with whom I can converse comfortably.
“Of course, I know it’s presumptuous for someone like me to be joking around with Astorius Lady…… haha, but I suppose dreams should be big, right?”
After all, this place wasn’t the Kirinus Empire. Greedy or not, she wanted to drop her pride and simply enjoy the conversation.
“Frelia Lord. What is a friend?”
“Hmm… If I ask a memoryless me, what should I answer…”
“I’m serious.”
“I’m joking. Isn’t a friend someone like that? A person with whom you can converse comfortably, someone who makes just being together enjoyable.”
Shina took a deep breath, then closed her eyes tightly.
“Then……”
Finally mustering the courage, she cautiously asked.
“Are… we friends?”
“……!”
Shion’s face, which had always smiled lightly, was filled with surprise for a moment.
And then, as if it had been a long time, he nodded with his usual carefree expression.
“Of course. Astorius Lady. Krh, the first friend I’ve made in my life is Astorius Lady, so I should be bragging to people.”
“Shina.”
“Hm?”
“My name. It’s Shina. Isn’t it strange for friends to call each other by their surnames?”
“Mmm… that’s true. Ahem, then.”
Shion cleared his throat and looked at Shina.
“Please take care of me, Shina-ya?”
The first friend has been made.
“I look forward to taking care of you, Shion-kun.”
She felt that the days ahead would be exciting.