“Buh… Cough cough!?”
For some reason, my words cause Sieglinde to have a violent coughing fit.
“W-what… Are you saying so suddenly!?”
“You’re free, aren’t you? Then it’s fine, come with me.”
I thought it was a nice proposal, but her reaction isn’t too positive.
“B-but I’m in my uniform… And I was busy all morning so my hair…”
She looked so mad before, and now she’s acting meek all of a sudden. She’s hastily fixing her uniform and her hair, but honestly, I didn’t see anything wrong with either. Maybe it’s something that only women can notice, but I’m completely clueless.
“Is the uniform a problem? Then let’s do this another day.”
“N-no! It’s fine! I’ll go! Just hang on!”
She says as she dashes to a full-length mirror.
A few minutes later she comes back, weirdly fidgety.
“H-how is it? Is there anything weird…?”
She asks as she stands in front of me, and shrinks back.
…I don’t even see any difference.
◆
The capital still looks the same to me, even after ten years. Sieglinde says it changed a lot, but I’ve seen places like the country of elves and Zenith, so to me it feels like I’m seeing the same faces and scenery that were here when I went to magic school.
Even if the stores change, the smell is the same.
“…Walking around with you like this takes me back to our schooldays.”
Sieglinde and I became classmates when we became upperclassmen.
We knew about each other when we were underclassmen and intermediate students (Sieglinde because of her academic prowess, and me because of my practical skills and because I was a top student overall), and while we did see each other a few times, it was only when we became classmates that we really started talking.
I don’t remember how that started, but judging by her personality, I assume I was the one who made the first move.
Sieglinde was seen by our classmates as a serious and boring girl, but I thought she was actually interesting when you really talked to her, so it became common for us to hang out after school.
Thinking back, it’s strange how someone like her even hung out with a guy like me, who just lived in the moment.
“Yes… It’s been ten years already. I didn’t think I’d ever walk around with you like this again.”
The commercial street has a lot of people during the day. Just looking around I can see humans, elves, beast people, dragon people, and more. I don’t know if it’s the attention, the fact that she’s wearing her uniform, or just her natural personality, but Sieglinde is looking around without a crack in her rigid expression.
From an outsider’s point of view, it just looks like an official of the ministry of magic is out on patrol. And that would make me her assistant, I guess? At the very least, there’s not even a hint in the mood around us that this is a date.
…Well, I used the word date casually, but does that fit our relationship? Even I don’t know. A date usually indicates that two lovers are going out.
Sieglinde played the part of Ririi’s mother during the entrance ceremony, so at the very least, she’s going to keep playing that role until Ririi is able to stand on her own. She’s well aware of that too.
But I think there’s at least one big thing we overlooked.
I finally realized this when I talked with Miss Esmeralda… If Sieglinde is going to be Ririi’s mother… That means we’re going to have to be husband and wife.
Is she aware of that? It didn’t look like she was when Medici started talking to us during the entrance ceremony.
Even someone with no interest in romance like Sieglinde probably has a problem with playing the role of the wife of a guy she doesn’t like, no matter how much she wants to study a high elf.
This might be a good opportunity to set the record straight about that.
If she’s ready to take the role of my wife, and still wants to be Ririi’s mother, I’ll ask her once again to do that.
“…Oh…”
I suddenly stop, after seeing something that matches my memories perfectly.
“What is it… Ah…”
Sieglinde follows my gaze, and notices it too.
In a prime location of the commercial street, there is an old-looking magic bookstore facing a store of the high-class brand Bitne Arqueur. I remember Sieglinde bringing me here to browse around all the time.
“That sure is nostalgic. Let’s go in and have a look.”
I wasn’t too interested in studying back when I was a student, so basically all I did in there was look at Sieglinde’s face as she faced the bookshelves intently, but… I might discover something new, now that I’m a father.
“Are you sure? You used to always look pretty bored in there.”
She says despite following me into the store.
Standing here in this store that’s kind of dark despite being the middle of the day, and has a distinctive sort of dusty smell, really makes the memories start gushing out.
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