“Have we really been here that long!!? I want to investigate so much more… That’s too bad.”
No one seems more disappointed than Miss Lan about going back to the village.
“But… We have Miss Wea with us!! I can’t help but also look forward to going back if it means listening to you speak more about this country.”
“…This human is very strange. She’s not supposed to be able to see me, but she can pinpoint where I am and look my way.”
Wea is frightened by Miss Lan, as she looks directly at her.
Still, Miss Lan can’t actually fight, and I’m sure Wea would be able to handle her, so it’s funny seeing Wea being scared of her.
“She is more enthusiastic about you than me. I’m sure she’s very interested in a spirit from the past like you.”
“Freinet… Let’s trade. I don’t want that charging at me.”
“Impossible. You know you’re the one she is interested in.”
Freinet and Wea whisper to each other.
Wea is a little bigger, so she looks like Freinet’s big sister.
And Miss Lan looks like she’s having even more fun here than when we first arrived. She really loves studying and seeing her smiling so happily makes me happy too.
“I wonder how the village’s doing.”
“Me too. Maybe something changed.”
“That playground might be bigger.”
“Yes. I can’t wait to see what Kayu and the others have been doing.”
Gaius and I talk about how the village has been doing while we were away.
We were only away for a bit, but the village is always changing. It feels kind of sad that I don’t get to see this change, but it means I get to look forward to seeing what happened while we were here in the ruins.
The changes I can think of are the playground being bigger, there being more things for sale in the store, and that sort of thing.
But maybe something completely different is waiting for us there. I really can’t wait to see.
“Gurugurururururuuru. (I wonder if Rumiha is doing well.)”
“Gurururururururu. (I’m sure she is.)”
Riruha and Kamiha talk about their daughter.
Now that I think about it, I’ve never been away from the little gryphons for so long. It makes me want to go back quickly so I can see everyone.
“Miss Lan, let’s go back right away.”
“Hn? What’s wrong? Do you want to go back that badly?”
“Yes, I mean… Thinking about the village is making me want to go back and see everyone. The ruins are fun, but I really want to go back to the village.”
I say, and Miss Lan smiles and gently pats my head.
“That village has fully grown in your mind into the place where you can go back to. I’m happy that the same applies to all of us. I was born in the Kingdom of Fairytrof, but the village is truly the place I picture when I think about ‘going back’.”
Says Miss Lan.
A place where I can go back to, a place that I want to go back to… Talking to Miss Lan is making me realize just how good that is.
“Let’s go back, everyone.”
“Hey, how come the person who was grumbling about not wanting to go back the most is now acting like it’s no big deal?”
“…Don’t be annoying, Nirushi. Yes, I really want to stay here too, but hearing Lerunda got me thinking about how the village is our place to return to. We will come back here some other time, and I can listen to Miss Wea, so it’s fine.”
Mister Nirushi and Miss Lan start arguing again when she tells everyone it’s time to go.
Everyone has an awkward smile on their faces, like they’re thinking it can’t be helped.
After their argument dies down, we start walking back.
I want to go back quickly, but even if I can rush, I have to think about the others.
I could get on the back of a gryphon, create wings with magic and fly, use physical strengthening magic… But not everyone can do these things, so I walk along with everyone else at the same pace we walked on the way here.
I talk to Gaius and the others as we go back without rushing too much.
◇ ◇ ◇
“We’re back!!”
We all say it loudly when we return to the village.
And the people who stayed here all welcome us with smiles.
—The girl returns to the village
(The miko finishes her exploration of the ruins and returns to her village.)
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