Missing Children (9 page)

No, that couldn’t be. He was a human, an entirely different species than I was.

However, he was a man, and I was a…… well, a woman, I suppose.

So he must have meant it in the way that men want to stare at women.

As I distressed and these conflicts came up, a monotone, defeated note came out of my mouth.

Had he said anything else?

Remember. He must have said something. I was sure of it.

What was it? Something that was even more ridiculous……

“From this moment on, I’m willing to listen to anything you say.”

Unable to stand it, I jumped up. My heart felt like it might rupture if I hadn’t.

My breath quickened and dizziness overcame me.

The fool was me.

From the very beginning, he had clearly told me the reasons for staying here.

I realized it then.

He was in love with me.

“Wh-which would mean that everything up until now……”

The moment I realized this, I understood so well, to the point that it was embarrassing, the real reason that he had stayed here these three years.

“Then that means, that time, he meant……? And when he did 
that
, too!? Ahhhh…… What a fool!”

No, the real fool here was me.

The reason was so simple that, on the contrary, I started to find the reasons behind everything.

By now, simply remembering his face for even a moment was enough to make my face feel like it would erupt in flames.

After I had finished remembering, and also anguished, I was finally able to regain my composure.

I took deep breathes to steady my breathing again.

Breathing in the cool air, it felt like my flushed body was being cooled from the inside.

“…… Hurry and come back, you fool.”

Before I even noticed, it had become painful to be alone.

When that fool came back, I would complain.

I was sure that even that would please him; he was a strange one like that.

Day 1059.

It’d been a while since I’d cried this much.

Even when morning had come, Tsukihiko still hadn’t returned; that was around when the tears had started.

“Come on, don’t cry anymore. I’m completely fine, alright?”

Tsukihiko said this in an attempt to comfort me as I cried while hugging my knees, but still the tears would not stop.

I never would have imagined that he would return covered in wounds.

The person you were waiting for suddenly shows up looking like that. Anyone would cry out of shock.

“I really am sorry I’m so late. Things got kind of complicated…”

Tsukihiko said this with a small smile and scratched his head.

He was smiling while covered in wounds. What an idiot.

“…… Why are you so injured?”

I held back my tears enough to ask this, and Tsukihiko clearly made a shocked expression.

He hurried to smile again, but I saw right through it.

“What? Is it something you can’t tell me?”

“Ah, no! That’s not it. It’s just……”

At Tsukihiko’s indecisive behavior, I said sharply to him while sniffing, “Out with it.”

He paled, seeming to get the idea, sighed softly and began to speak.

“Umm, do you remember when we first met? You know, when you were really deep in thought and I called out to you…… Huh? What’s wrong?”

Feeling my face grow as hot as fire, I buried my face behind my knees.

I had remembered it only yesterday. I couldn’t possibly have forgotten it already.

With my face still hidden behind my knees, I urged him on, “Continue.”

“O-okay. Umm. At that time, I was right in the middle of going home from the battlefield. Since I was told that they couldn’t use me.”

Come to think of it, when we’d first met, he 
had
 
been wearing those clothes.

Still, it was cruel to be told that he was useless. …… Well, it wasn’t as if I hadn’t said similar things previously.

“And when I was walking, I saw you. I thought you were so pretty, so I ended up following you.”

“D-don’t go explaining every detail.”

Although I tried to hide it when I spoke, truthfully, I felt like dying from embarrassment.

Despite the fact that I barely felt anything up until now, I had come to discover these numerous emotions.

“Ahaha, sorry. But that’s why when you told me to build a house, although I thought that it was an impossible request, I was genuinely happy. I thought that I could be of use to someone so pretty.”

“Nn, th-thanks.”

“Huh!? You’re acting kind of strange today.”

Seriously, how oblivious could he be?

It was obvious that my usual behavior was only ill-spirited teasing.

However, at this point, I couldn’t help but find that quality of his rather endearing.

…… Was I really pretty?

…… I see.

……. Yes, this was good.

“Anyway. Both my parents passed away when I was young, but they’d left behind a fair amount of land, so I don’t have to worry about property, but yesterday… I came across some people from the village for the first time in a while……”

As Tsukihiko said this, he quieted.

“And what about coming across them? You’re also part of the village, aren’t you?”

“That’s… true, but, see, I look different from the others, so we don’t get along very well.”

The moment that Tsukihiko said this, I understood everything. And at the same time, feelings of hostility rose up in my mind.

“…… Is that all?”

“Huh?”

“Is that the only reason they did that to you?”

Tsukihiko had a huge bruise on his face. His clothes, as well, were covered in mud.

All of this must have been done by the people from the village.

I had not a hair width’s of interest in the disputes among humans, but simply because Tsukihiko was involved, I was extremely bothered by it.

I would do the same to the ones who had treated him this way…… No, I wouldn’t feel satisfied unless they experienced much worse.

I stood up immediately, but Tsukihiko, who seemed to guess what I had in mind, spread out his arms in front of me and muttered, “You can’t.”

“And why can’t I? You were treated horribly, weren’t you? You can’t complain if the people of the village have even a taste of what you went through.”

“No, it’s fine. That’s why I came here again today.”

Tsukihiko was still smiling.

Although I had thought of doing those things for him, when I was stopped by Tsukihiko himself, my chest hurt for some reason, and I felt that it would be a poor choice of action.

“…… Why? Aren’t you angry?”

“Hm? Well, of course I don’t think they their actions were right, but that’s exactly why I don’t want you to do the same thing.”

When I heard this, I had nothing to say in reply.

I didn’t want to be considered the same as the lot of them.

However, when I thought about how many more years that Tsukihiko would have to keep living where there were people like them, I felt uneasy.

…… Was he really alright with this?

Being surrounded by people who detest you, being treated like a fool every single day, and subjected to violence whenever they felt like doing so.

“Do not return to the village every again.”

I spoke those words without hesitation.

Yes, there was no need to go back. He should simply stay here forever.

If he did that, then he would no longer have to go through this kind of treatment.

However, there was no reply to what I had said.

When I looked up, Tsukihiko was clenching his fists, and standing there with a meek look.

Seeing him like this, I remembered the promise that I had made with him.

When I said told him, “Build a house here,” I had also said one more thing, “Once you’ve built the house, disappear.”

From the beginning, it had been decided that our relationship would only be until the house was completed.

What was I saying then, in spite of that?

That must be why Tsukihiko was making this face now. In these three years, I had come to understand so well that it was painful, how he was a man that kept his word.

“…… Sorry, forget it.”

The moment I said this, it felt like tears would form in my eyes again.

It was lonely.

It was lonely, so it couldn’t be helped. I didn’t want to part ways.

Ahh, why had I said something like that back then? I was a fool. An outright fool.

“…… I’m sorry.”

Tsukihiko muttered, as if forcing out the words.

I knew it all along. There was nothing unusual about it; a very obvious, natural thing.

…… But even so, I felt horribly embarrassed that I had expected something out of it.

Now then, I would have him quickly finish the house.

And after I had him disappeared, I would be alone……

“Will you be my wife?”

“…… Yes.”

He embraced me.

It was my first time feeling another person’s—feeling Tsukihiko’s warmth.

As if they had melted away, the worries I had vanished completely.

Tears weren’t only for the sad and painful times.

They fell even in times like this, it seemed.

“I’m sorry. I broke the promise.”

Hearing Tsukihiko’s blunt and honest words, I muttered as usual, “Idiot.”

  Day 1072.

A mid-summer day.

The kind of weather that makes you lazy.

The blue sky was crystal clear, and the wind that blew scattered the white clouds.

“About time. I was growing tired of waiting.”

When I said this, Tsukihiko scratched his head and replied, “Ah, sorry about that.”

My finally-completed house, while misshapen in some areas, was rather satisfactory.

It was sure to withstand most minor kinds of weather.

After all, it had been built under my guidance. If it fell apart, then Tsukihiko was completely to blame.

“There’s a lot I want to say, but I’ll give it to you for completing it, at least.”

“Ahaha. Thanks. But you know, it sure is moving… To think that I’d be able to build something this big….”

Saying this, Tsukihiko gazed at the outside of the house and seemed to be immersed in his sentiments.

It was an impressive work that had taken three years. He really was pure to be so genuinely happy about it.

However, speaking of the grand size of it, there was something that I was curious about.

“…… Say, Tsukihiko.”

“Hm? What is it?”

Tsukihiko happily turned back to me.

“This house… Isn’t it much bigger than how I asked it to be in the beginning?”

Trembling, Tsukihiko paled with a smile still on his face.

“U-ummm…… Sorry. The truth is, I might have had some hopes while building it……”

Tsukihiko said this uncomfortably.

Honestly… So he actually had no intention to leave from the start?

I was frustrated that it had turned out just as he wanted, but that the same time, I felt shy, as well.

“…… I haven’t said that I was against it.”

The moment I said this, Tsukihiko’s expression brightened.

“Oh, good! Ahh, I thought you were going to tell me to build another one.”

“Wh-what do you take me for!? …… Let’s just go in already.”

Just as I made to leave Tsukihiko behind and headed for the entrance, I noticed that beneath the outer wall of the house, within the neatly cut grass, was a single, blooming flower.

Wonder why only this one was blooming, I drew closer to the flower, and Tsukihiko quickly explained, “Ahh, that flower. I thought it was cute, so I just left it there.”

To say that a flower was cute, he really was an adorable fellow. I wished that he could be a little more masculine, but since this behavior suited him, it was hard to say anything against it.