Damn. This is why I wanted to become a civil official in some backwater village as soon as I could.
Hakurei peered into my face and reached out to brush her fingers along my cheek. “Father and the others had nothing but praise for you. They said that you’re the only reason Keiyou still stands.”
“Sure. That’s the opinion of the ones who made it.” I looked away and sighed. I hated war, and yet I was only ever good at fighting. If only I had been blessed with the talent necessary to command an army...
“Sekiei.”
Suddenly, Hakurei grabbed my right hand with both of hers and placed it against her chest. “Huh?!” I could hear her heartbeat under my palm. “H-Hey, what are you—”
“Please don’t blame yourself so much. You did your best. You did so well and I know you tried your hardest, no matter what anyone else says. So...” Fat tears welled up in her beautiful sapphire eyes, shimmering like stars.
An unbelievably soft emotion stirred in my chest. “Turn off the waterworks, crybaby Yukihime,” I teased.
“I’m not crying.” Hakurei let go of my hand and stood up, wiping at her face with her sleeve. She held out a pure white sword—White Star—to me. “Here. I’ll give this back to you now.”
“O-Oh, thanks.” I accepted it, unable to turn it down. The weight was a nostalgic one and it fit right in my hand. That was when I noticed Hakurei staring at me, an anxious look in her eyes. “What is it?”
She turned away, her gaze drifting this way and that as she played with her bangs. Then, bizarrely, she asked, “So, what will you do?” I tilted my head; I didn’t understand what she wanted to know. When Hakurei spoke again, there was slight panic in her tone. “I-I mean, you made a promise with Meirin, didn’t you? She found the Heavenly Swords, so what will you do?”
“Hmm. I don’t really plan on marrying anyone right now, so...” How did she find the swords anyway? Also, did Hakurei call her by her name just now? I thought for a moment as the image of the genius merchant girl’s triumphant smile danced through my head. “Oh, I know. We can just do this.”
“Wha—?”
I had just received White Star from Hakurei, but now I pushed it back towards her. She took it with both hands and blinked, looking as gobsmacked as I had a few minutes ago. “S-Sekiei, um...”
“As you can see, my left arm is injured and it’s not going to heal up anytime soon. Hold on to that sword for me. Maybe you’ll end up liking it as you use it,” I told her with a wink. I’ve made mistake after mistake, whether in this life or my past one. This decision, at the very least, is the right one. I grinned and waved my uninjured hand. “Black Star and White Star—together, they form the Heavenly Swords. But what I told her was that I’d consider marrying her if she found the Heavenly Swords and gave them to me.”
“That’s exactly the sort of excuse a swindler would come up with,” Hakurei scoffed, though she wasn’t able to contain the joy in her eyes as she looked up at me.
In any case, I’ll have to thank Meirin for her help. But that’s for another time. Right now I wanted to be absolutely sure of this loophole in my promise with her, even if I had to add in a lie or two. “Besides, the Heavenly Swords are from a thousand years ago. Who can prove that these are the real deal? The only person who could would be a reincarnation of one of the Twin Ei’s.”
Hakurei’s cheeks were a little red as she hugged White Star to her chest and smiled. “You’re such a cheat.”
Yeah, her smile is a lot cuter than her crying face.
She gently pushed me and I fell back down onto the bed. Before I could say or do anything, she placed the blankets over me and leaned in close. “Now, please get some rest.”
“Wait, I’m not sleepy yet. I was going to get Book of Tou and—”
“No.”
In the face of her terrifying pressure, I had no choice but to surrender. “All right.”
With no other option, I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep. I could hear Hakurei leave the room, tray in hand, and I could tell that she’d turned off the lights on her way out. She seemed absolutely determined for me to get some shut-eye.
I must’ve been more tired than I thought, though, because drowsiness set in immediately. I was on the edge between wakefulness and slumber when I heard a quiet voice call out to me.
“Sekiei.”
“Hmm?” I opened my eyes, but I couldn’t see anything except a silhouette.
After a long silence, the female voice asked something unexpected. “Would you like to take on the Chou surname?”
I thought about it. I would no longer be a freeloader of the Chou family and instead, I’d be properly and formally Chou Sekiei. To be honest, for the longest time, I’d never really thought about it, but now...
“Well, yeah.”
For a long while, there was no answer. Did she leave the room? I sat up in bed.
As if on cue, Hakurei’s calm voice rang out. “I see. I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.”
She didn’t sound any different from usual, but there seemed to be a hint—just a faint hint—of something gentle in her voice. Staring at her outline in the darkness, I said, “Hey, why did you ask me that?”
She giggled, the sound soft and refined. “You don’t have to worry about that; it’s for me to know. I’d like to ask you another question. You told me that everyone who watches your back dies. In that case...” The clouds parted, allowing the moonlight to breach my room and illuminate it. Hakurei, the most beautiful girl I knew, stood before me with her sword in her arms, staring down at me with her shining blue eyes. “I will not watch your back, nor will I walk by your side. I will guide you by your hand, leading you from the front. That’s all right, isn’t it? You’ll watch my back, won’t you?”