Things You Can't Choose (3)
"Shirone?"
Shirone smiled after confirming the two were safe.
"Please wait a moment."
The sound of the Hand of God dumping building debris into the mountaintop clearing carried to them.
"Huh? But…"
The way Alpheas and Olina were lying looked unnervingly suggestive.
"What were you two doing?" Olina, realizing she was still being cradled, scrambled away.
"Ugh!"
Alpheas groaned in pain.
"S-sorry. You okay?"
He still winced as if the pain hadn't eased, then gave Shirone a wink.
"Thanks for saving us, but could you cover me again? I was at a very important part just now."
Olina's face flushed crimson.
"What are you babbling about, you crazy old man!"
Shirone laughed.
Both of them looked full of energy—no internal injuries, it seemed.
"I'll take them out now."
The Hand of God passed through the earth and lifted the two as if pulling them up from water.
"Hmm, it's light."
Alpheas smiled.
Who would have thought the child who once asked what magic was would become a light that saved the world.
When they reached the base, Olina could see the power of the bomb that had just gone off.
"My goodness…"
The whole radius had been blasted away, and a massive crater sat where they had been.
Shiina rushed over. "Teacher! Are you all right? What happened? The school exploded!"
Olina nodded toward Shirone.
Alpheas—getting emergency care from Shirone—gave a thumbs-up.
Rena said, "His kneecap's crushed. Shirone handled the magical treatment, but he'll need surgery."
"He should go to the military hospital. That's the only place that can handle this right now." Sade's voice came from outside the crater.
"Master! Are you safe?"
He'd teleported ahead of them and fell silent for a moment when he saw Shirone.
"What happened? The explosion?"
After Shiina explained, Sade breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. The others are hiding in the mountain. Shirone, your parents too."
They fired a light spell into the sky; ten minutes later the students came down from the mountain.
"Oh? Shirone senior!"
Mark and Maria were first to run over, but Shirone barely got to greet anyone. In the crowd he saw Vincent and Olina, both looking haggard.
"Mom."
They hadn't expected a son to be there; Vincent and his wife froze.
But nothing could stop the fierce heat swelling in their chests.
"Shirone!"
"Mom!"
When Shirone roughly pulled Olina into his arms, Vincent wept as he enveloped them both.
Questions poured out at each other without waiting for answers, and everyone watched, moved.
Shirone blurted out on impulse, "I found my real mother."
Why now?
A flash of doubt told him it might be a mistake, but there didn't seem to be any better time.
"Uh—well, I wanted to tell you first. Of course, Father and Mother…"
"Yes."
Olina, still looking into her husband's eyes, stroked Shirone's cheek. "This is truly wonderful."
"...Yes."
At last Shirone cried.
Under martial law, Vashka's night streets had turned desolate like a ghost town. Now and then the screams of those stricken with emotion sickness drifted through the air like phantoms. Booms echoed; somewhere a terrified woman's wail pierced the night.
Pony, looking down at the city from the palace, already looked exhausted.
I can get through one more day, she thought.
After breaking two more fingers, she realized this wasn't something self-harm could fix.
The rise in the threshold was much greater than she'd expected. At this rate she wouldn't last a few days. She had to hold on.
Eradicating the demon realm was the key. As soon as the moment came, Shirone and Rian would depart for the other world.
Will it be okay?
Shirone had hinted that going to hell in a living body was a truly horrific process. They could become demons. Even if they kept their reason, they wouldn't be the same, he'd said.
Looking toward the garden, Tess stood alone staring up at the moon.
Rian's lover, huh. That must be awful, Pony thought.
There was nothing to be done for pity; Pony lowered her gaze and went back inside.
"Hah."
Tess exhaled.
Are you really going?
Having heard how to cross the point of no return, her chest burned.
I can't bear it. This is madness.
If the whole of humanity weren't at stake, Shirone wouldn't have taken Rian.
What a bastard.
Anger at Rian surged, then chilled her spine when she imagined his fear.
Right, I need to pull myself together.
Back at the palace, Tess grabbed some snacks and went to the lodging where Rian was staying.
"Rian, it's me."
"...Come in."
His voice trembled, as she expected.
She took a deep breath, forced a bright expression, and flung the door open. "Hi. Want a beer—"
Tess froze mid-motion, bottle in hand.
Huff—huff—
The room was hot; Rian had stripped off his shirt and was doing push-ups.
He only turned his head and said, "What are you doing? Aren't you coming in?"
There was a stiffness in his face, but no trace of the fear about tomorrow.
Tess closed the door and sat on the bed, hollow. "You okay?"
"Emotion sickness? I'm fine for now. No matter what I break or tear, I just restore."
"No, not that. You know what we have to do tomorrow, right? You're going to set yourself on fire—"
Tess stopped herself.
Even hearing it was dreadful; what must it feel like for the one who actually has to do it?
"Yeah. I set my body on fire. That's supposedly how we get into the other world."
"Aren't you scared?" Tess finally couldn't hold it. "The fire on your body could do something unknown in the other world! Are you crazy? Or are you really an idiot? You might not die—but that makes it even more horrific, you fool!"
Rian stopped his exercise and stood up.
"Tess."
He took the beer bottle from her, popped the cap, and said, "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Tess, staring blankly at Rian drinking to wet his throat, suddenly felt goosebumps.
He's not stupid.
It's courage. The kind of courage that won't yield to anything—that was Rian's gift.
After his workout, Rian drank beer with Tess. Time passed quietly without mention of tomorrow, and before long they both drifted toward sleep.
A short silence held, then Tess, fiddling with the bottle, burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
Even with a man and woman in the same room, the mood was like this.
"What? All of a sudden?" Rian asked.
Tess's laughter turned into a self-mocking smile. "We're cool."
She looked at him. "Or am I the only cool one? Actually, you don't seem to think about anything at all."
Rian said nothing.
"Do you—want to?" she asked, filling her lungs and summoning courage.
Having summoned the greatest bravery and still getting no answer, she hurried to change the subject. "Hahaha! Just kidding! There's no way I'd—"
Maybe that made it worse.
Something hot clutched her heart and tears streamed down.
"Can't you just say it? I won't bother you ever again. I'll never pester you—just say you love me, please?"
"You're a good person."
"Why! Why!"
Tess sprang up and stood in front of Rian. "You're leaving tomorrow! You said you don't want anything! How hard is it to say it once?"
"Why did Shirone choose me?" Rian asked abruptly. Tess was angry at the question, but without going through Shirone she couldn't get anything more.
"The other world is only enterable by you, you're strong, and Shirone trusts you most."
"No."
Rian shook his head. "If that were all, Shirone would have gone alone without question."
Tess had to admit he had a point.
"I don't know the mechanics, but Shirone seems to exist simultaneously in many places. When I heard that, the first thought I had was this: how do I protect you?"
Tess went silent. "If Shirone dies in one space, what happens to the Shirone in another? Do they all die, or only the one in that space?"
"So… did you ask Shirone?"
"No. I couldn't. If it were tactically necessary he'd have told us. But Shirone didn't reveal it. That means—"
Rian's eyes turned cold. "If the Shirone in one place dies, all the Shirones across the world die."
Tess swallowed.
"So he purposely didn't tell us. If we'd learned that, morale would plummet."
"B-but it's just speculation. If we ask Shirone tomorrow—"
"Do you really think that?" Rian cut in. "Would Shirone ask his friends to do something he could do alone if he'd expected them to suffer unspeakable pain alongside him?"
No.
"I'll go to hell by any means. And there I'll protect Shirone. Tess, I know how you feel. But I won't take responsibility for anyone beyond Shirone. When the crucial moment comes, you won't be able to choose. If lingering attachment delays your decision, everything has to be cut off."
"So you can't take any responsibility for me at all? Not even say one word? Not even one percent?"
Rian answered firmly, "Not even 0.1 percent."
"Sorry. You can hate me for it. I've already made up my mind. I will—"
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
Tess's laugh was mixed with sobs, but somehow her expression looked lighter.
"This is so like you. Do you know? Among the men I've met, you're the worst of the worst."
"Sorry."
"No, it's fine."
Tess grabbed Rian's head with both hands. "I'll never regret it. Now I know why I like you."
Because he's a true knight.
And me, too, she thought.
She tightened her grip on the hands smoothing Rian's head and spoke sharply, "Go. Go and fight."
"—Tess."
"Listen to me. You must keep your reason. And if Shirone is in danger—"
Tess held back her tears. Don't cry, Tess. Smile. You have to smile.
She managed not to show the tears, though she couldn't form a proper smile.
"If Shirone is in danger—"
She bit her lip and the words she'd been forcing out finally came. "You must die. Promise me. Promise you won't hesitate for a moment. Protect your lord."
Rian bowed his head slowly and closed his eyes. "Okay."
A sudden thought crossed his mind. If peace ever came to this land, it might be nice to live with Tess.