“…Are you feeling anxious after all that happened?”
“Yes… A little, no, pretty… Nervous, I guess.”
After hearing a question from an insecure sounding Ehn, Melt did not respond positively right away.
She understood that Ehn was worried after facing all sorts of things, and what she had to do was be there for those worries.
What Ehn needed was not a groundless answer. She needed to hear it would be all right, but with feeling, coming from someone who understood.
And in order to be closer to that pain and worries, what Melt was doing was listening.
“Delta wasn’t wrong. I can’t erase the bad things I’ve done. There are bound to be a lot of people who suspect me because of my past, like that guard. It might be like this for the rest of my life, and the way people see me might never change no matter what I do…
That scares me…”
“…I see. You have a lot on your mind.”
She regretted her past, but it was not hard to shake loose, even if she decided to walk on the right path.
How people saw her and her own personal feelings towards herself would obviously have at least some negative effect.
Ehn was ready for that… Or at least she thought she was.
But the stone weight that was her past was putting more pressure on her than she expected, making her unable to hold back the anxiety she sealed deep in her heart.
Melt had no regrets, or experience committing crimes, so she could not easily wipe Ehn’s anxiety away.
But… A young man flashed in her mind as she heard Ehn.
“…It’s all right, Ehn. I’m sure you can rebound.”
“Why do you say that? You’re not like me. You’re a nice girl that’s always been on the right path. So why…?”
“Yes, I’m not like you, but… There’s someone not too far away who is.”
Melt closed her eyes, after responding to Ehn’s question that was filled with insecurity.
She thought about someone in the same circumstances as her troubled friend, and spoke about him quietly.
“This person did a lot of bad things that got him resented by a lot of people… Apparently. I don’t really know, but he doesn’t look the type. I just think he hurt a lot of people that I don’t know about.
Even now that he has a clean character, people in the academy still call him scum, and he’s been sleeping outside because he was kicked out of his dormitory. But… Even he’s not alone.”
Melt saw him be insulted by other students numerous times.
There were also people who warned her about being his friend, and even at this point, that had not changed much.
Still… He was walking straight as an arrow, and he had people like her who believed in him.
He wanted to be the best hero possible, because his little brother believed in him. And it was while thinking of him that Melt spoke with no hesitation.
“There might be plenty of people who only look at your past, but there are people who also look at how hard you work now, right? I’m one of them. I’m sure you can become the person you envision. So… Start by believing in yourself. You might feel anxious and scared, but… I’m sure you can be stronger if you remember you have people who believe in you.”
“Believe in myself…”
“Yes. If you do that, you can change too. I guarantee it.”
Melt said, because she saw someone who continued to press forward despite past mistakes and criticism from people around.
Ehn could be like that. If she had someone who believed in her, she could definitely turn things around.
Melt looked at her with a strong expression, thinking she was going to be the friend who supported her, and Ehn smiled with tears in her eyes.
“Thank Melt…! Thanks a lot…!”
“Don’t thank me, that’s what friends are for, right?”
Melt gently grabbed Ehn’s hand as she wiped her tears, and nodded strongly
Her smile was full of trust and friendship, and she continued speaking to encourage Ehn.
“Keep doing your best. It might be hard, but there are plenty of people who will root for you. Don’t give up.”
“Yes…!”
Ehn grabbed Melt’s hand strongly, and Melt smiled at the bright light coming from Ehn’s face.
She believed that Ehn was trying from the bottom of her heart to be a better person, and continued looking at the face of her friend, that had newfound motivation.
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I can see the lilies blooming
There’s a line that says:
“Yes, I’m not like you, but… There’s something not too far away who is.”
Shouldn’t it say “Yes, I’m not like you, but… There’s someone not too far away who is.” instead?