A Wish Fulfilled Under the Sky
Warm water cascaded from the showerhead with a soothing rush.
“Hehe, Sister~! It tickles—!”
“Hehe, hold still for a second. I’ll clean you up nicely.”
Elise worked the cleanser into a rich lather across the little girl’s body, and the child dissolved into bright, bubbling laughter.
The question of what might make her happiest had floated through Elise’s mind, and the first answer that came was simple.
A shower together.
Zern’s quarters had been built with strict attention to hygiene; each private room came with its own attached bathing area.
Elise herself was still coated in the blood and filth of demonic beasts, so washing it all away felt necessary.
“Sister—! I’ll wash you too!”
Once she had been scrubbed clean, the little girl mimicked Elise, piling foam onto her small hands and patting them across Elise’s skin.
“Hey, you. Are you touching my chest again?”
“Hehehe— but it’s so big and soft and squishy, it feels nice—!”
Using the excuse of helping, the girl kept fondling her, so Elise playfully pinched the child’s cheek in return.
The girl’s lively, mischievous energy brought a helpless smile to Elise’s lips.
“Wow— Elise, Sister! You’re so, so pretty—!”
After their cheerful bath, the little girl stepped out and caught sight of Elise, letting out a gasp of pure wonder.
The filth that had covered her was gone, revealing her true appearance.
It was beauty itself, absolute and breathtaking.
“…Yeah. Thank you, little one.”
Yet Elise could only answer with a bittersweet smile, because she knew exactly where that beauty had come from.
“Sister, why don’t you wear any clothes?”
“Hm? Now that you mention it, I guess I don’t. I hadn’t even noticed.”
The little girl’s genuinely curious question finally made Elise realize she was standing there completely bare.
“Well, there aren’t any clothes here anyway. I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
“Elise, Sister! Grandma told me before that if you don’t wear anything you’ll catch a cold!”
Elise had tried to brush it off, but the child refused to let the matter drop.
“Here! This is for you, Sister!”
She held out the scarf she had been knitting.
It was a long, navy-blue scarf, crafted with clumsy but earnest stitches.
She clearly hadn’t learned how to finish the knots, because it stretched on almost endlessly.
“U-um… this is precious to you. Are you sure I can have it?”
“Of course—! You’re my most precious friend, so it’s okay!”
“…Then thank you. I’ll treasure it.”
At the girl’s sincere words, Elise accepted the long scarf without further protest.
She wrapped it around her bare body; even after looping it once around her neck, the ends still trailed down to her thighs.
“Hehe— it looks perfect on you! Sister—!”
The little girl clapped her hands in delight, beaming with genuine joy at the sight of Elise wearing her gift.
“Whoa—! This is so amazing—!”
The little girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked around the storage room.
There were no picture books or cozy things in a dungeon, so Elise had brought her here just to give her something interesting to see.
Fortunately the child kept exclaiming in wonder, clearly thrilled.
Her gaze, which had been fixed on the cold weapons lining the walls, soon shifted to two glass display cases standing side by side.
They held the obsidian gear that had caught even Elise’s interest.
“Sister, Sister, look at this! There’s really pretty underwear inside the glass!”
The girl had zeroed in on the barrier plate.
“This underwear would look so, so good on you, Sister! Don’t you think?!”
She waved her arms dramatically, bubbling with excitement.
“Y-you think so? But isn’t it a little too revealing?”
“No way~! Not at all!”
Elise scratched her cheek, a bit embarrassed by the child’s enthusiastic reaction.
While she was still debating whether she should try on the barrier plate for the girl’s sake, the little one’s attention had already drifted upward.
“…Whoaaa—! Elise, Sister! The ceiling here is way higher than in my room!”
The storage room’s ceiling was easily three times taller than those in the other chambers.
“It reminded me of what Grandma used to say. Did you know? She told me the sky doesn’t have a ceiling at all!”
…What?
The completely unexpected remark made Elise’s eyes widen.
“…Little one. Have you never seen the sky?”
“Hehe, nope—! Have you seen the sky before, Sister?!”
The girl answered with such innocent, carefree honesty that a sharp pain bloomed in Elise’s chest.
How could a child who had grown up without even knowing what the sky looked like still possess such a beautiful heart?
In the corner of that aching heart, a new resolve took root.
“Little one. Shall we go see the sky together?”
“H-huh?! Really? Don’t we have to go really far? Will there be enough time…?”
The little girl’s eyes grew huge at the suggestion, but her expression quickly turned gloomy.
“Hehe, it’s all right. I can show you right away. Want to go?”
Elise offered a gentle smile, sweeping away the child’s worries.
“…Yes! I want to see it—! The sky—!”
Seeing Elise’s smile, the little girl jumped up and down with excitement.
Elise scooped the bouncing child into a princess carry and dashed toward the dungeon exit she had scouted earlier.
In less than ten minutes they had emerged from the dungeon.
Outside lay a wide meadow, with mountains visible beyond it.
A clear night sky dotted with thin clouds welcomed Elise and the little girl.
“W-wow…”
Overwhelmed by the beauty of the night sky, the child kept sighing in awe.
“This is what the night sky looks like. What do you think?”
“Wow, wow, wow—! It’s so pretty, Sister—! It’s impossibly high!”
Despite Elise’s words, the little girl’s eyes were already sparkling as she drank in the view.
Her gaze refused to leave the stars twinkling overhead.
“Right? That big, bright circle is the moon, and those tiny sparkling dots are stars. The fluffy things floating nearby are called clouds.”
“Wow, Grandma only ever told me about them, but seeing them for real is so beautiful!”
When Elise added her explanations, the girl grew even more excited.
“Haha, is that so? Shall I teach you about constellations?”
“Really—? Please tell me! Hurry!”
At the child’s eager urging, Elise continued with a touch of her own excitement.
“Look. Those four shining stars over there, and the one right above them…”
And so, lying side by side on the grass, Elise and the little girl spent the night counting stars with wide-open eyes.
Eventually the night sky faded and the sun began to rise.
The pitch-black darkness receded, giving way to the first light of dawn that slowly filled the heavens.
The sky was painted in a breathtaking blend of yellow and blue.
“…Sister. The sky is turning such a pretty color.”
The little girl marveled at the sky, but her voice had grown weak.
“Isn’t it beautiful? That bright circle is called the sun.”
“He… hehe… the sun… Grandma told me about it, but it’s really bright…”
The child’s reaction was nothing like before.
Elise sensed what was happening, and sorrow settled over her face.
But the sorrow lasted only a moment.
“…Little one. I have one last gift for you.”
Elise spoke softly, as if something had just occurred to her.
“A gift…? I like that so much… What is it…?”
At the word “gift,” the exhausted little girl’s face lit up once more with happiness.
“…I’m going to give you a name.”
“A n-name…? I like that… Tell me quickly, my name…!”
With a trembling voice, the child urged Elise on.
Her small, frail hand reached out, searching for Elise.
“…Rose.”
Elise took the little girl’s hand firmly and finally spoke.
“It means rose. Rose von Rosenheim. Isn’t it pretty?”
“Ro… Rose… I like it… Hehe. It’s pretty…”
The newly named Rose offered an even bigger smile.
It was the happiest smile in the world, as if she had been given the most precious thing imaginable.
Still smiling, Rose gently closed her eyes, then opened them again and spoke.
“E-Elise, Sister… I just made another wish to the gods…”
“…What wish?”
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Elise asked as if nothing was wrong.
“I wished for my beautiful Elise, Sister, to be the happiest person in the whole world… To meet a wonderful person and become the happiest sister ever… Hehe…”
Rose’s voice trembled even more thinly than before.
“So, Sister… you have to be the happiest in the world for my share too… Okay…? It’s a promise… Heehee…”
With the last of her strength, Rose held out her pinky finger.
“…Yes. I promise, Rose. I absolutely will.”
Elise fought down the grief threatening to twist her features and answered with a smile.
She hooked her own pinky around the girl’s.
She poured in extra strength, as if to make up for all the strength Rose had lost.
As if to awaken a faded meaning to life.
At that very moment the sun crested the mountainside and bathed them both in even brighter light.
Rose’s smile, illuminated by that brilliant sun, looked exactly like an angel’s.
“He… hehe… Thanks to you, Sister, I got to see the sky… and the sun, the moon, and the stars… I’m so happy…”
Her voice was now barely audible as Rose parted her lips faintly.
“I’m happy. Sister… I love you…”
With those final words of love, Rose became an angel of the sky.
“…I love you too, Rose.”
With a graceful hand, Elise gently closed the eyes of the girl who had become a heavenly angel, then held her tight.
She held her like that for a long, long time.