Chapter 239
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Mika begins to speak hesitantly.
「After that last day I met with Sir Yamada, I couldn’t help but get lost in thought, and I just couldn’t bring myself to leave the inn. That’s when Lady Omi came to visit me.」
「Omi? Sensei went to see you?」
Sensei has a personality like a capricious cat – she tends to vanish the moment you take your eyes off her. Conversely, sometimes you’ll suddenly find her sitting at the dining table with you, having appeared from who knows where.
Is she some kind of cat yokai? What exactly is she… but putting that aside, she had been frequently going somewhere without telling anyone lately—
「Yes, that ‘Lady Omi.’」
「But why…?」
The question slips out, but thinking about it carefully, I understand.
Sensei is someone who can’t ignore people who are suffering.
「When Lady Omi came to my room, she said, ‘There are things that need to be done. Come outside and help me.’ I knew it was just a pretext to get me out of my room, but she came so persistently that I decided to follow her.」
I imagine Sensei grinning like a mischievous cat with a 「ω」-shaped mouth going 「kufufu,」 and Mika timidly following her, having finally given in. Just picturing that scene somehow makes my chest feel full, and I can’t find the right words to say.
「When I followed her, I saw Lady Omi working with people from the Boldaf church, doing things like helping with food distribution and treating those who were wounded in the recent battle.」
That’s just like her. That’s exactly the kind of person Sensei is.
「Seeing her radiant figure made me think I needed to take action too. But my memories haunted me. In the past, no matter how many times Sir Yamada told me, I wouldn’t move. And when he ordered me around based on his own selfish circumstances and intentions, I only went through the motions of volunteer work, leaving my heart behind.」
「Being such a shameless person, I thought ‘how could I possibly do this now?’ I became scared, and my feet just wouldn’t move.」
But, Mika continues.
「Lady Omi, seeing me like that, took my hand and told me:
‘Whether you worry or not, it doesn’t matter to most people. To put it bluntly, the world will keep turning without you. But that’s no reason why you shouldn’t help those people in need over there.’」
It’s exactly as blunt as it sounds.
While it might sound somewhat harsh, for someone like her who had become paralyzed by overthinking, those words probably worked better than mere consolation.
「I wouldn’t say I completely got over it, but after that experience, I’ve been continuously involved in volunteer work ever since.」
「That’s wonderful. Really wonderful.」
I’ve never known anyone else besides Mika who would be foolish enough to spend their entire fortune on food expenses. Many people would probably be dumbfounded hearing this story.
But I deeply respect her spirit of considering others, even to a fault.
「Are you crying?」
—Are you crying?
That moment from that day flashes back in my mind.
I can’t hold it anymore.
「Why are you… please don’t cry.」
Mika, with a troubled expression, wipes my eyes with her handkerchief.
「I’m not crying. It’s just like, allergies or something.」
「Ichi— Sir Yamada, you haven’t changed since back then.」
Mika’s eyes well up with tears, but she still manages to smile brightly.
After that, the four of us talk for about half an hour.
The three of them want to hear about what happened after we got separated in the Sealed Dungeon.
I also want to hear how they contributed to clearing it, but time is merciless.
We don’t have much time left.
And this isn’t just about our time right now.
If we turn our backs on each other now with a simple 「see you later,」 I probably won’t be able to meet Angie or Mika ever again.
So I—
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