LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 98
Hiasen, after finishing up his clothing arrangement, said to Na-me in a serious tone.
“Estasha… Honestly, I wish you wouldn’t come to see us anymore.”
Na-me had no idea what he meant. She thought she’d ask for an explanation.
“… Why?”
“You only come here when you’re pushed to the edge… You said you finished everything you wanted. What more do you want to do?”
Well, what was I supposed to say? It was the same worry Hiasen always chirped like a cuckoo about.
However, Hiasen’s eyes looked so sad that I decided to drop the casual lie I was about to throw out.
“That’s not why I came today.”
“Then?”
Na-me looked at her friends, who were munching on desserts from the Kaizen Empire that Niobe had given them from the hilltop.
“It’s not that I’m particularly struggling. I eat well, sleep well. It’s a bit of a handful, but I have a lot of cute friends. I just really wanted to see you guys lately.”
“We’re not real. Don’t keep tying yourself to the past.”
“I know… I know… But what can I do when I keep thinking about it?”
Na-me wasn’t oblivious to this.
She knew that the Alchemist was, from beginning to end, merely an illusion.
At first, you could feel a moment of happiness diving into memories, but when you realize you have to return to reality, it’s an emptiness that follows.
Moreover, as the characters embodied by the Alchemist become increasingly aware of their situation, their embodiment fades and they are destined never to be met again.
While the thirteen-year-old Hiasen knew this, ten-year-old Niobe was still in the dark.
In this precariously maintained false world, Hiasen genuinely worried about his half-sibling.
“Anyway, I came here just to cheer up our friends, so don’t worry.”
“Can I really trust you?”
“The kids must have heard me mumbling in my sleep about Raul-sist magic. So, to apologize for worrying them, I thought I’d show them a fun experience.”
Na-me couldn’t accept that the pajama party she had organized was going awry because of her own fault.
Since the conversation had slipped to this point, Na-me decided to bring up a story from her new life.
“By the way, in the Current World I live in, does magic cost money?”
“…? What do you mean magic costs money?”
“I live in a world where they impose taxes on mana. Isn’t that really interesting? So, even if I want to visit often, I can’t.”
Na-me punched Niobe on the shoulder a couple of times to revive the deflated atmosphere.
“If I’m struggling just to pay off debts, you should be grateful that I came here without thinking about anything else.”
Given that she already had to repay money for the Akashic Records, she was in a situation where the Alchemist was just another expense.
With Professor Cheon around, who could pay any amount of money right away, there were essentially no limitations imposed by the capital controlling Na-me.
“Esha, you still haven’t fixed your careless spending habits!”
“I’ll never fix it anyway. Why should I think about saving when I need to plan on earning as much as I spend?”
Na-me could be considered a severe wasteful person, having learned through countless lives that even saving money ended up with nothing left.
Back at the picnic spot, Yuna and Haru were whispering together with Niobe, heads huddled close.
Niobe’s shoulders were shaking, and Na-me wondered what was so funny.
Usually, that’s a sign they’re planning some mischief.
Wanting to eavesdrop, Na-me quietly tiptoed closer.
“Kekek. Should I really tell you? What Esha’s favorite panty color is?”
“Niobe, are you asking for a smack? What have you been talking about with the kids when I’m not around?”
“Hwiieeek! E-E-Esha? When did you get here…?”
*
Niobe, who received a light tap from Na-me, held scissors and made a snipping sound in mid-air.
Still feeling the sting on one side of her head, she repeatedly rubbed the sore spot.
“Dugudugudugu! Now let the show begin!”
Niobe decided to trim Na-me’s messy hair as a gesture of apology.
Na-me’s protests went unheard.
“Esha really hates it when someone messes with her hair. There are a few procedures. You all better remember them!”
Watching Niobe show off in front of the kids, Na-me sneaked in a silly laugh and softly closed her eyes.
Especially Yuna’s eyes had become serious. Na-me had an extreme dislike for anyone touching her hair, no matter what.
Upon hearing it, it seemed she never went to a hair salon and cut her hair herself.
Niobe said there were ways, putting Na-me on a stool and wrapping a white silk cloth around her neck.
“First, you start by hugging from behind!”
“Hug?”
“Yeah. Hug! Esha doesn’t get ticklish on her neck, so it’s okay to hug.”
With the scissors resting on her pinky finger, Niobe wrapped her arms around Na-me.
It looked like the tension in Na-me’s shoulders was starting to melt away.
“How does it feel, Esha?”
“A little suffocating…”
“Did everyone hear that? You have to hug this tightly?”
Two minutes seemed to have passed as Niobe kept holding Na-me in a gentle embrace.
Now, she began to grab Na-me’s shoulders and started massaging.
“We have to do enough shoulder massage so Esha doesn’t get surprised later!”
It seemed doubtful if those small hands would really be effective, but that didn’t stop Niobe from being overly enthusiastic.
“Is it over now?”
Haru asked.
“No! There’s still one more thing left! Want to shape your hands like this?”
Niobe showed the way first.
Then she pinched Na-me’s earlobes that peeked through her hair.
“Like this, it tickles—now you all try it! Ticklish!”
Wondering if it was really okay, Na-me hesitated with just her fingers, only for her ears to perk up excitedly.
“So soft…”
“Indeed.”
“Be careful not to let wind get in your ears! They’re really sensitive!”
Na-me’s earlobes, teased by the girls, turned slightly red and retained some warmth.
But the expression of the girl with her eyes closed remained calm.
“Now that you’re done, you just have to ask for permission. Esha, can I cut your hair now?”
“Uh-huh…”
“Then that’s a success! Big brother, come help!”
“Why does cutting always have to be my job?”
“I can’t cut properly, heh heh.”
Hiasen took the scissors from Niobe.
Snip snip—
Hiasen started carefully trimming Na-me’s hair so she wouldn’t get startled.
Amidst the clattering of the scissors crossing, the hair that had grown haphazardly was gradually falling back into place.
Black hair fell like rain on the grass.
“Can you two help with the combing?”
Yuna and Haru began tidying up the stray hairs left on Na-me’s head.
“All done. You can open your eyes now.”
As a gentle voice flowed in, Na-me gradually opened her eyes.
There stood Yuna and Haru, looking at her with bright, shining eyes.
“How is it? Is it okay?”
Without a mirror to check her reflection, Na-me asked the girls with uncertain tones.
“Yeah! Na-me is super pretty!”
“Are you not going to cut more? It still seems long!”
“Yeah. If I cut too much, I can’t come back next time.”
Someday, she wished to see them again.
Na-me seemed pleased with her hair as she kept playing with it for a while.
*
Na-me waved goodbye to them.
Though the time for the Alchemist to last a bit longer, she wanted to give Yuna and Haru a chance too.
“Now it’s your turn. Do you want to go first, Yuna?”
“Me? Um… what do I do?”
“Just think of the happiest moment in your life. Then you’ll move to it.”
“Huh? I don’t know…!”
[Recast: Alchemist]
*
Familiar scenery draped before her.
Sephiron Academy, 2nd Grade A Class.
Yuna was thoroughly flustered in this unexpected situation.
The date “March 28” was written on the upper corner of the blackboard.
It was easy to recognize this was the date from earlier that week.
“Hurry up and join us for Air Game! What are you doing?”
Children at the back of the classroom shouted.
They were directing the words toward the three girls.
Yuna, shyly burying her face into Na-me’s back, spoke quietly.
“I’m okay not seeing it anymore…! Just pass it to Haru.”
“Oh wow… Was Air Game fun? I’m glad to taught you!”
“Yeah… because we can all play together…”
Perhaps Yuna was constantly renewing her happiest moments day by day.
Feeling really embarrassed, Na-me ruffled Yuna’s hair vigorously.
“Haru, are you ready?”
“Uh? Uh-huh…”
It was now Haru’s turn.
What scene the Alchemist would show was unpredictable.
The happiest moment determined by the unconscious mind could differ from what one currently thinks.
Haru squeezed her eyes shut and kept wishing.
That she hoped it would be the moment when her mother was alive.
There were so many things left unsaid, including the words “I love you.”