Wil… She acted the same as usual at the end, but really…
“…!?”
I suddenly wake up.
It’s still dark outside, so I can tell it’s still the dead of night.
Was that back-and-forth between Tamamo and Wil just a dream?
I try to get up, but then I notice that something doesn’t feel right with my whole body.
“I can’t move…”
I can hear someone sleeping nearby, so I turn my head, and see Snow holding on to me.
And on the other side, there’s Tiltue.
They’re both holding my arms, so I can’t really move.
“Why are both of them in my room?”
Weren’t they going to have a girls’ meeting in Reina’s room and sleep there?
I was alone when I went to sleep too…
“Hn… Daddy…”
“…Oh well.”
I feel bad about getting up and waking them up.
“Guess I’ll stay.”
And so, I kill time by looking at this angel-like sleeping face and thinking about what Wil said.
And when the sun rises and its light peeks through the window, Snow is the first to wake up.
Her eyes snap open, like a toy that was turned on, and they shine.
“Daddy!”
“Good morning, Snow.”
“Yes!”
She hugs my arm harder.
There are no clocks on this island, so I can’t tell the time precisely, but it’s just like a kid to get up when the sun rises.
And as I see her all ready to be pampered first thing in the morning, I think that she’s an angel whether she’s sleeping or awake.
“Have I become one of those doting parents?”
“What?”
“Nothing. By the way, weren’t you sleeping in Reina’s room?”
“Hn? Where’s mommy?”
I guess she doesn’t remember it.
She probably went to the bathroom at night, and came here instead of there.
“She’s probably still sleeping.”
“Yes… Daddy, let’s play!”
She’s ready to play right after waking up.
I can’t help but laugh awkwardly at how Snow really doesn’t hold back at all in terms of being a kid.
I really want to do what she wants, but I don’t want to wake Tiltue on the other side.
“Tiltue is still sleeping.”
“Tiltue?”
I guess she was too focused on me to notice that Tiltue is here too.
She gets up, with her eyes shining again, and uses me as a stepping stone to dive into the comfortably sleeping Tiltue.
“Tiltue, let’s play!”
“Guah!?”
And that’s how a rowdy day starts, right from early in the morning.
Snow and Tiltue playing while Reina makes breakfast is a usual sight.
I’m sitting here watching them and drinking coffee, but then I realize that Luna hasn’t gotten up yet.
“It’s rare for her to sleep in.”
“Eh? Ah, yes… She’s usually already awake when I get up.”
She’s usually the first one to get up.
Well, it’s not like she has to get up early, but I’m a bit curious because of that dream.
“Can I go have a look?”
“Yes, please do.”
I enter Reina’s room, and think that the well organized shelf and desk are just like her.
But then I see Luna sleeping…
“Luna!?”
She looks pale, and very unwell.
I quickly approach her, and see her breathing is ragged, and she’s sweating a lot.
“Are you all right!?”
“U-uuu…”
She can’t even respond.
I panic, because she’s clearly worse than when she was sick with that orc disease.
“Hold on, I’ll go call Reina!”
Before, with the orc disease, I just did what Merlin said.
I don’t know anything about medicine, so rather than do something weird, it’s best to call someone who knows at least a bit.
““Luna!?””
Everyone comes here, but it might be contagious, so I tell them not to enter the room.
And while Reina examines her, Tiltue goes out to call Merlin.
“She isn’t sick.”
“Eh?”
“It’s lack of magic energy… Basically, Her body lost its magic energy.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Not for a regular human, but…”
Magic energy is basically just energy used to do magic. Humans don’t need it to survive.
But it’s different for a beast person like Luna.
“A divine beast person like Luna has a lot of power, so she uses more magic energy than normal… So if she carries on like this…”
Reina stops, and faces down. Is it that bad?
But that actually makes me feel relieved.
“Hold on!”
I go back to my room, and get the ball Wil gave me.
It had an ominous black color yesterday, but now it’s white as snow.
“Reina, she should get better if she drinks this!”
“…This…”
“It’s that thing of Luna’s solidified magic energy from yesterday…”
I’m about to tell her about my dream, but I was told I shouldn’t mention Tamamo.
So I talk about Wil.
“All right…”
Reina listens to my half-baked explanation, and nods without inquiring too much.
She takes the white ball to her mouth.
Can she drink it while breathing rapidly like that? I think, but it looks like she instinctively recognizes it as her strength, and gulps it down.
“…!?”
There’s a change right away.
Golden magic energy swells from her body, and gradually gathers.
Her face regains its usual color, and her breathing begins to stabilize.
Everyone feels relieved, thinking she will be all right, but then the door swings open.
“Luna!”
Merlin comes in with bloodshot eyes, but that simply shows how worried she is for Luna.
She also looks relieved after hearing what was going on, and I feel kind of happy about how treasured Luna is.
“I understand the situation, but… We don’t know what will happen to her after she received magic energy so suddenly, so let me watch over her for now.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“…You have no reason to thank me, Reina.”
Come to think of it, Reina and Merlin didn’t get along when Merlin first got to this island. But now they don’t feel that way at all, and seem friendly.
“Luna… Get better soon.”
“Luna…”
Tiltue also sounds worried about Luna, and Snow has an uneasy expression on her face.
I really get a feel for how everyone is worried, and how much they love that energetic and bright girl.
“Hn?”
“What is it, Arata?”
“Well…”
I can feel Wil’s presence outside. But she’s not coming in, so I guess she doesn’t want to interfere any more.
“I’m going to tell Elga and the others.”
As everyone watches over Luna, I go out. But as I head to the divine beast people’s village, I stop in the forest and turn around.
“Wil?”
“Yes.”
“What is it? If you’re worried about Luna, you can just go inside.”
Reina is wary of her because of her usual pranks, but her concern for Luna is real.
Reina knows this too, so she shouldn’t have a problem going inside.
“No, that’s just not me.”
“I don’t think you need to be that worried about it.”
“It’s important to stick to one’s character.”
She says that kind of jokingly, but I’m sure she’s actually worried about Luna.
She wouldn’t be out so early in the morning if she wasn’t.
“So, what do you want with me?”
“Hn… Yes…”
She’s never evasive like this. I wonder what it is.
“About last night…”
“…”
“Well, you know. You don’t have to tell Luna about Tamamo.”
“What do you mean?”
Tamamo did feel a bit dangerous, but she didn’t feel like she was actually a really bad person.
And I imagine Luna will want to know her ancestor…
“She’s a being that lives in dreams. The more aware people are of her, the more she comes to the surface.”
“…”
“If Luna learns too much about her, she might come out again.”
“So, Tamamo would appear in Luna’s body?”
Wil nods. Does that mean Luna would disappear?
If so, sorry Tamamo, but I’ll have to do everything I can to stop it.
“For now, only me, you, and Phoenix know about her. That much shouldn’t be a problem to Luna.”
“So she gets stronger the more people know about her?”
“Yes. But she also used her power yesterday, so she won’t be able to do anything for a while.”
What does Tamamo want to do? If she really wants to come out, there’s bound to be better ways…
“There’s no meaning to her words. She’s a being that enjoys the meaningless.”
Wil says, before turning around. I guess she just came here to warn me.
“Thank you.”
If Wil didn’t come by, I would’ve told Luna about that dream. Then Tamamo’s power would increase, and she might have taken over Luna’s body.
Then, I remember what Tamamo said.
‘A really long time ago, the strongest fought to the death. She wants a world with that brutality.’
“…Wouldn’t it be better for you if she revived?”
“I told you in that dream. I’m done with it.”
She says plainly and without emotion before disappearing.
I feel like since yesterday, or rather, lately, her feelings have been getting unstable.
That’s why there’s something that’s been stuck in my mind…
“That settles it.”
I don’t know if it’s really good for her, but…
“If you really want to fight to the death…”
I’ll fight with all I have.
As a friend on this island, I want to fulfill her wish.
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