Chapter 76
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「To Sena,
I’ll be back as soon as I can.
Don’t worry about me, Sensei is here too.
I’ve put food in your bag, so make sure you eat properly.
When I get back, let’s have a meal together and talk a lot.
It’d be nice to bask in the sun together too.
The place I should return to is still here, where you are, Sena.
So I’d be happy if you welcome me back.
Well then, I’m off.
From Ichiro」
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When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is read that letter.
It’s been my routine since he left.
By doing this, I can feel his presence.
I’ve been alone since Sensei came down from the mountain.
It often happened that Sensei, who always laughed cheerfully beside me, would say, 「I have some work to do,」 and go down the mountain, with no news for a long time.
At such times, I felt like there was a big hole in my heart, but I thought that I should just wait quietly and inconspicuously here—in this Hidden Mountain where people can’t approach—until Sensei returns to me, as if spending most of my life in the soil, trying not to feel anything.
That’s what I thought I should do, but—
I lightly press my lips to the letter in my hand.
Being alone in this vast mountain, the daily life without them, is now far too long for me, Sena.
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It was before Sensei returned, when I was spending my days with him.
When he said he had to go down to the ground, I prepared a bag with various medicines for him.
「You’re worrying too much,」 he smiled wryly, but now I understand a little how he felt then.
In the corner of the hut was a small magic bag.
「You’ll need it too, Sena,」 he had said when he brought it from somewhere before. He often said things like 「Don’t worry, I have money,」 like a nouveau riche, but I remembered that before that, when he came back with information from the town, he said, 「Apparently, you can’t get this with just any amount of money.」
The flow of time inside the magic bag is very slow—in mine, he had prepared simple dishes that only needed to be heated up and a large amount of the potion he loves to drink.
—You’re worrying too much.
I didn’t notice that my cheeks were relaxing.
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I take out the bottled curry and heat it up as is, then spread it generously with a spoon onto thin dried bread similar to naan or focaccia, and stuff it into my mouth. As a palate cleanser, I enjoy the sourness and texture of his homemade pickles.
It’s a masterpiece he created after much trial and error, muttering things like, 「To add kombu dashi or not, that is the question,」 after learning how to make it from locals.
That day, his expression towards me as I was tasting it was smugly proud to an irritating degree.
His expression made me feel a bit mischievous, and I thought about saying 「Not quite there yet,」 but I shook my head vigorously in my mind and honestly held out my plate saying, 「It’s delicious, can I have seconds?」 Then, for some reason, he got overwhelmed with emotion and shouted, 「Woohoo!」 I remember that.
「It’s delicious. Thank you, always.」
After finishing the meal, I whisper to him.
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In the usual meadow—
As always—
I dance.
As if shaking something off,
As if running away from something,
And as if slashing through that something.
Originally, I don’t need to dance.
Moreover, I don’t even need to eat.
No, forget about eating, I don’t need sleep or even to maintain cleanliness.
Even without eating, the energy I get from nature is inexhaustible.
As a supernatural being, I have no reason to sleep, and dirt, dust, and grease are decomposed and returned to nature as appropriate.
An existence eternally at one with nature—that’s who I am.
The dance enters its climax, and the movements gradually incorporate roughness.
The reason I enjoy meals, indulge in sleep, and accumulate experiences as usual is for Sensei, who will come someday—and for him.
And also, because this daily life that shapes who I am now is the bond and connection with them.
Furthermore—my dance changes form.
Stronger particles of light scatter from me.
My clothes leave afterimages in the wind, matching my movements.
The finale is right there.
The movements become even more intense, and their gracefulness is almost artistic.
And then, the climax—
「Haaaaa!!!」
I let out a roar.
The trees sway, and birds take flight with a flapping sound.
At the same time, I start running.
To be precise, I execute a kind of spatial jump, disappearing and reappearing over short distances with a 「whoosh, whoosh」 sound.
My top speed is godlike.
My expression, which hardly changed even during intense training, now shows various colors.
Yes.
The first words are decided.
Having arrived in front of the hut in a flash, I say to him, who appears waving his hand from the other side, with all my heart:
「Welcome back, Ichiro.」
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