Moto Sekai Ichi’i no Sub-chara Ikusei Nikki

73　Relaxation Journey, Third Day

Long……

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　That ‘guy’, whom I met for the first time in a long time, was ten times cooler than I expected.

　Or rather, he looked cool.  I wonder what it was?

　After hearing he was coming to the Ngultrum Dungeon, my heart was pounding. And when I finally met him, far from getting better, my heart started beating faster and faster.

　I invited him to have lunch together with the lines I’ve been practicing over and over in my mind.

　So far so good, or so I thought……but apparently, from there I started acting weird.

　Seems like, when I see Second in front of me, my mind goes blank and I just blabber nonsense.

　And the more I think about it, the worst it becomes. Seriously, this is the worst. I bet he believes I’m a weirdo.

　And Terra being Terra, she was just grinning all the time, seemingly finding me funny. His companions too were acting at their own pace, making it hard to rely on them. And then him, even though six months have passed, he hasn’t changed one bit.

　It was such a lunchtime, where I was a bit angry, but I also felt quite cozy.

　At that moment, I heard about a girl who was similar to me.

　A girl named Sherry, with round black hair that made her look like a kokeshi doll, and a bit shorter than me. Apparently, she’s the ace of the First Royal Court Magician Division.

　A rebel against Second. Defiant attitude. Easily offended. High pride. Jealousy. High sense of self, frantic, inflexible……To my regret, the more I listened about that girl, the more I thought she looked like the “old me”.

　And, right now, she’s fighting with her back against the wall, just like me at that time. No, she’s being consumed there by herself.

　Even if she wants to admit it, she will never do so. She’s fighting the same dilemma.

　I see…… So, this is why Second dared to consult me. If I looked similar to her, then I might be able to understand her anguish.

　Fine, leave this to me.

　This Chérie Lumberjack is a woman who can properly return a favor.

　…………

　Somehow, I’m glad I was that enthusiastic.

　Even I didn’t expect that he would punch a girl like that……

　That girl, she was blown away incredible fast, her eyes turned white and her nose started bleeding. Isn’t that worse than my state when I was hit by the Mithril Golem?

“You overdid it! “, I wanted to yell. I thought to admonish him.

　However, when I looked at him, that thought flew away.

　A sad, pained face…… If I had to explain it, he looked exactly like the protagonist of the novel I read the other day. After stabbing the Demon King, killer of his parents, he found out it was actually his long-lost lover, and it was that same kind of expression, of suffering and love.

　That’s right, I’m sure that Irie girl is Sherry’s best friend. That’s the reason he stopped her from raising her hand against her best friend from a moment’s emotion and decided to turn himself into the villain.

　If she was beaten to that point, neither the people of the 4th group nor the people from the 16th group will say anything to her, otherwise, her heart might ‘break’.

　Protecting the relationship between best friends and her team members, leading her towards the right path――Just, how kind can he be? Should I call him a helpful person? Or someone really good at taking care of people? He’s fulfilling his responsibilities as an instructor, and even going above and beyond. What’s more, that clear mind that thought about it that far, I can only think of him as dreadful.

　Being this incredibly cool, super strong, gentle and smart, seriously…… He’s the perfect person to become my husband!!

“Eko, heal her.”

　Heaving one sigh, he asked that cat to cure her, and then he quickly left.

　I see, I understand. “I leave this to you” is what you’re trying to say, right?

　Yeah, indeed I’m the right person. Me, who is ‘similar’ to her.

“You’re surprisingly good at taking care of people. Well, leave the rest to me.”

　I said those words to him as he was leaving, my chest filled with confidence. I think I was able to say it quite normal if I say so myself, however, my voice might’ve been a bit higher.

“Yeah.”

　He whispered a single word, alongside a smile with a tinge of sadness. Looking at that deep, neat face and that beautiful, clear voice, I couldn’t help but to suddenly raise a “Hii” with a weird voice. This became a precious memory…… Just remembering it gives me the strength to do my best for a whole week.

　After losing myself while I was seeing him off, Terra then asked something.

“‘Even pockmarks are dimples’, do you know that saying, Master～?

 (TLN: A Japanese proverb equivalent to “love is blind”) “