Ch. 130

So you ‘do’ recognize me, Ash.

“Did you, perhaps, meet a black-haired boy there…”

But he seemed unable to finish the sentence. The swirl of emotions in his gaze was palpable.

From his perspective, everything must have felt infinitely more confusing and complicated than it did for me.

Even just standing in front of someone thought to be dead was hard enough to accept. On top of that, to admit that he was the boy from back then—it had to feel impossible.

His appearance had changed since then. He had to keep his identity hidden.

What could we even do?

Even if we recognized each other, there was nothing we ‘could’ do.

“Ash.”

“…Miss Geenie.”

Calling each other in hushed tones, feeling that subtle joy and deep familiarity stir from within… That was all we could allow ourselves right now.

We quietly acknowledged that we had reunited.

“You two over there!”

Maybe we’d gotten too focused on each other, but the sudden shout felt like an ambush.

We jolted apart quickly.

The shop door burst open with aggressive energy, and Lox, making the already cramped shop feel even more chaotic, stormed in.

“What on earth are you two doing! Why are you taking so long? The play ended ages ago!”

Clearly agitated, Lox immediately turned his ire toward Ash.

“You said it would only be a moment! Just a moment!”

“Ah, Lox.”

“Why are you two always trying to be alone together? Huh?”

Oh, the timing…

The play must’ve been short. So useless, just like dried poop.

Lox always switched to formal speech with Ash when he was upset. He usually used casual speech as a cover, probably to maintain the illusion of being friends.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You’re glaring at me like I just ruined a special moment.”

He reacted right away to my annoyed stare.

“I’m not glaring. This is just how my eyes are shaped. Got a problem? Take it up with my parents.”

“…This whole thing is suspicious!”

“Oh wow, do you have paranoia or something?”

“I’m not joking! What were you talking about? What were you two doing that made you forget the time…”

“Shopping. What else? Wanna see what I picked out? I’m buying all this. Not even that much.”

Faithful to his role as watchdog, Lox treated me like a spy every chance he got.

Being suspected was bad enough, but if he realized I knew Ash’s identity, things would get really complicated. So to deflect suspicion, I showed off my shopping haul.

A new belt, a vest, a few gloves, knee guards, leather pants, a dagger sheath, a pouch for herbs, all kinds of straps, a backpack for ponies, a headband—you name it.

“Good heavens, you bought all this in that short time… Why not just rob the whole shop while you’re at it?”

“There was a lot I needed!”

“You bought some strange things. What’s this… a pony backpack?”

“Oh! I’m giving that to Rai. Seems perfect for carrying supplies, right?”

“You’re going to strap that onto a ‘dog’? Someone’s going to steal it.”

“No one can steal from Rai. Go ahead and try, if you’re curious—but watch your hands.”

Lox looked worried about my plan, but there wasn’t a thief in the world who could survive Rai’s teeth.

“Miss Geenie? Didn’t you say he was a ‘friend’, not a pet…”

“This counts as treating him like a ‘horse’.”

“…I see.”

Ash seemed to catch on quickly that there was no point arguing.

You’re pretty sharp, aren’t you!

“Thanks to you, I found everything I needed. Thanks, Ash!”

“No need to thank me.”

“And from now on, just call me Geenie. No more ‘Miss.’ You’re older than me, after all. Feel free to speak comfortably.”

Ash was three years older than me, and in this world, a five-year gap was no big deal when it came to being friends.

You really had to be at least ten years apart to be treated like a proper elder.

Maybe that was because, in this world, ‘status’ came before ‘age’.

“I’ll try.”

“What’s so hard about that? Just do it now!”

“…You’re too much sometimes.”

“Let’s be friends, okay?”

I extended my hand again—one that I’d quickly withdrawn earlier when Lox arrived.

I wanted Ash to know: this is how close and warm you feel to me.

‘Slap.’

“Ow…”

“How ‘dare’ you lay a hand on him! How dare you—hey!”

“Did you just hit me?!”

“Hit? Don’t be ridiculous. Are you trying to scam me? That was just a slip! Ash is too pure to associate with someone as dangerous as you! ‘Friends?’ Don’t be absurd. I forbid this relationship. Don’t even think of being alone together!”

Seriously, does he think holding hands gets people pregnant or something?

Lox was determined to keep me away from Ash. So, naturally, I grabbed him by the collar.

How dare you hit ‘me’! I’m the kind of person who does exactly what she’s told ‘not’ to do!

“What did you just say? Are you calling me some kind of seductress or something?”

“P-please let go. There’s no need to react so violently…”

“That ‘is’ what you meant!”

“No, that’s not it…!”

“Then?!”

“…How can I trust someone who takes things from thieves? You’re just not the trustworthy type! Look at you—grabbing people by the collar just because you’re mad!”

Oh. Well, he has a point.

I swallowed my temper and slowly released his collar.

“Uh, well… that was a survival instinct. Self-defense.”

“Exactly! That’s why you’re ‘not’ trustworthy!”

“What’s your problem? I’m a law-abiding citizen.”

“Right! Because you’ll ignore the law or rewrite it!”

Tch. Lox is sneakily tough. How does he know me so well?

“Don’t tell me you act like this with Ash too?”

“Of course not. I’m nice to people I like. I’m super kind, okay?”

“So you’re saying… you ‘don’t’ like me!”

Quick on the uptake, Lox smoothed his rumpled collar and launched into a tirade.

All that over a little collar-grab. Acting like I’m some villain.

People get angry sometimes—it’s human!

For some reason, in the midst of all the yelling, Ash stood quietly to the side looking a little embarrassed.

—

It hadn’t felt like we walked around much, but the sky was already darkening.

We were heading west, and the sunset in that direction was so beautiful it stopped us in our tracks.

“Hey, look at that, kiddo.”

There were five of us, but only four walking. Annie had been riding on Chad’s shoulders for nearly an hour.

“So pretty!”

“What do you call that in your language?”

“Syuri!”

“Syuri… I like that. Your language is so lovely.”

Those two had gotten close remarkably fast, proving just how shy Annie was ‘only’ with me.

She liked both Ash and Lox, holding their hands as they walked around town like it was the most fun thing in the world.

It was obvious she’d had a great time even without me. Honestly, maybe I was the one intruding.

“Hey, did you know what Annie’s name means?”

“No idea.”

Huh. Looks like I’m the only one who doesn’t know. The four of them must’ve gotten close while I was gone.

“It means ‘blessing of the moon’. And guess what—my name means ‘horseshoe’! Puhaha, horseshoe!”

“Wow. That’s… nice. Mr. Horseshoe.”

“Isn’t that hilarious?”

“Not at all.”

Not even close. A joke should at least be funny.

[Shall I kill him?]

[Rai, can you not turn me into a murderer over a bad joke?]

[But I ‘sensed’ bloodlust from you, Master!]

Okay, maybe I ‘did’ feel a little murderous from how unfunny that was.

Chad looked at ‘me’ like I was heartless when he was the one acting like an idiot.

“Oh dear. Poor kiddo. Must’ve been rough traveling with someone so cold.”

“Yeah… it was hard.”

“Oh no! You should travel with ‘us’ from now on!”

“Okay!”

Okay, I know it’s a joke, but that betrayal came way too fast.

“Annie?”

“…But Big Sis is scary.”

She pouted visibly, clearly trusting Chad more than anyone else now.

She nestled atop Chad’s messy head, chin on his crown like they were family. It was such a natural pose.

“I like Uncle Chad!”

“Look, I respect your preferences, but…”

“What’s wrong with ‘me’!?”

“Seriously though, what do you like about him? That he’s loud? Unrefined? Always picking fights?”

“Um… he feels like ‘Dad’!”

Huh. Maybe she inherited her mother’s unique tastes.

“Mom said Dad was big. Really strong. His hands were rough, but he was super gentle when he brushed her hair. That’s why she married him!”

“…You ‘what’? Do you even know what that means, kid?”

“They do look alike. Chad and Kenta.”

[They do!]

Why hadn’t I noticed it before?

Chad resembled Annie’s father Kenta in many ways—especially physically.

Even Rai, walking beside me, nodded in agreement.

“Big Sis! Did you ever meet Daddy?”

“Just briefly. When I was your age—ten years old. I got lost in a forest, and Big Sis Anel and Kenta saved me.”

“Wow… what was my dad like?”

As we resumed our walk, I answered casually—but everyone perked up, their eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Chad, Ash, and even Lox.

“He was a lot like Chad. Strong. The kind of guy who’d charge an ogre head-on.”

“Really? Against an ogre? My dad was amazing!”

“He was in the vanguard unit of the mercenary corps.”

“So cool! Right, Uncle Chad? Isn’t Dad the best?”

“He’s a man’s man! I’m jealous, kid.”

So Annie ‘could’ laugh like that.

That pure smile made me realize I really had been too harsh with her.

If being unkind meant being a bad person… then yeah, I’d been one.

But what could I do? That’s just who I am.

That evening, Annie looked happier than I’d ever seen her.

Not because of me—but thanks to Ash and the others.

It was a good day for me too. I learned that having companions could actually be pretty nice. I’d never felt lonely thanks to Rai, but being surrounded by people wasn’t so bad either.

All the noisy, pointless chatter… it was kind of fun.

“I always thought solo travel suited me best…”

That night, while Annie slept with a rare smile on her face and I sat awake alone, I had to wrestle with a thought.

It was something I normally would’ve brushed off—but now it lingered.

Should I change my plan?

I was going to use Warp to send Annie ahead to Dmitri, then follow later by land. But now I was thinking—should I trail Ash for a little while longer?

I still wasn’t sure. My greatest enemy was laziness.

It wasn’t about becoming a Guardian for the status or prestige.

I didn’t care about luxury or fame—I already had more than enough to make me nauseous.

Even if I don’t look it, I ‘am’ the saint of this region.