As the sun was beginning to set, Aiko walked down the streets of the small town she grew up in. She was wearing a light pink yukata and had her purse dangling from one hand.
It was chilly at night this time of year, but she was excited enough about the festival that she didn’t mind the cold. She’d even decided to wear a traditional pair of sandals rather than warmer sneakers. They matched her yukata quite nicely, and she looked positively stunning.
“I wonder if he’d think I look pretty,” Aiko muttered to herself, her thoughts as centered around Hajime as always. She thought back to everything that had happened in Tortus, of how they’d reunited in that lakeside town when she’d thought he was dead and how he’d saved her life with a kiss.
“Awawawa...”
There was also the time he’d rescued her when she’d been trapped in that tower. Back then, he’d really seemed like a prince charming right out of a fairy tale. That was what had inspired her to do whatever she could to support him, and why she’d gone crying to him after killing so many people.
“Haaah...”
Of course, she’d never forget the words he’d told her in front of that monument either. It was then that she’d realized she could no longer deny her feelings for him.
“Awawawa...”
After she’d survived the final battle, she’d once again been reminded of the fact that no matter how socially taboo it was, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Even if it was only as one of his many lovers, she still wanted to be with him. Back then, she’d decided that she’d go through any hardship to be with him. And after that, she’d been so eager to win him over that she’d surprised even herself, and in the end, he’d given in and agreed to spend the rest of his life with her.
Aiko pressed a hand to her chest and felt the cold, hard metal of a small ring dangling from a necklace. That ring denoted that she was one of the Demon Lord’s wives. She thought back to when she’d been younger and spent countless nights worrying that she might never find someone who’d love her for who she was. She’d been desperate back then, and honestly, she was ashamed of how she’d acted.
“Awawawawa...”
She blushed brightly as she recalled those memories. The fact that she was still worrying this much about whether or not to make her relationship with Hajime public after all they’d been through was truly mind-boggling. It was hardly surprising that her family was sick and tired of her wishy-washy attitude.
Aiko had stirred the world to rebellion, fought nations and the all-powerful church, and even been hailed as a goddess, but when it came to love she was a pathetic little girl.
Just then, someone called out to her.
“Ai, what are you doing?”
“Bwegh?!” Aiko shouted, jumping into the air.
She turned bashfully around and saw a tall young man standing behind her.
“T-Taishi-kun, don’t scare me like that...”
“I was just worried, since you were making all sorts of weird faces while walking down the street alone.”
The man was Taishi Furukawa, a childhood friend of Aiko’s who’d gone to the same elementary, middle, and high school as her. Their houses had been right next to each other too, and his family knew hers well. In middle and high school, Taishi had started keeping his distance from Aiko, but that had just been the awkwardness of puberty. They were both adults now, and close enough that Aiko had told him and his family most of what had happened as well.
Seeing his worried expression, Aiko smiled weakly and said, “I-It’s nothing, don’t worry. Anyway, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, uh, I dunno if anyone told you, but I’m helping out with the festival. I heard you’d be coming, and I figured being part of the organizing committee would help me keep an eye on things. You know how weirdos always show up on days like this, right?”
Aiko’s sudden disappearance had been quite a shock to the Furukawa family as well and they’d taken the news hard. They’d offered to look after the Hatayama farm whenever Aiko’s family was away searching for her.
Thinking that Taishi’s mother had probably just asked him to check up on her, Aiko’s expression softened and she said, “Thanks for looking out for me.”
She smiled at Taishi, and he suddenly covered his mouth with one hand and averted his gaze. It was too dark to see, but he was blushing.
“B-By the way, that yukata looks really good on you,” he said, guiding Aiko down the path to the shrine.
“Thanks,” Aiko said with a friendly smile.
She didn’t really get flustered around Taishi; they’d known each other for too long. If Hajime had complimented her, though, she would have blushed to the tips of her ears. Indeed, she’d just been wondering whether or not he’d think she looked pretty in this yukata.
Aiko didn’t notice Taishi’s shoulders droop slightly, and they kept making small talk as they made their way to the shrine. The sound of the crowd reached them as they neared the entrance.
“Ha ha ha, there sure are a lot of familiar faces here,” Aiko said, basking in the nostalgia. Taishi smiled, glad to see Aiko at the local harvest festival again.
They passed by plenty of people who recognized them, and while most of them were just happy and relieved to see Aiko again, a few of the older ladies poked fun at Aiko and Taishi, insinuating that they were going out. Taishi got flustered every time that happened, but Aiko just said they weren’t dating with a smile any time someone asked. The way she so casually denied it caused Taishi’s face to fall each time.
Some of Aiko’s old classmates who had kids now asked her if she’d found anyone she was interested in marrying, which caused her to get far more flustered. Seeing her reaction, they realized there might really be someone she was into, and their gazes naturally turned to Taishi, since he’d come to the festival with her.
With the exception of the probing questions, Aiko had a delightful time at the festival. Yamashiro’s cotton candy was as delicious as always, and honestly, it was amazing how his skills had only improved as he’d advanced in age. When Aiko had learned that all of the sculptures next to his stall were ones he’d made out of cotton candy, her jaw had dropped open. He’d handed all of them to her without a word too, and while she’d wanted to pay, she’d known this was his way of celebrating her safe return, so she’d gratefully accepted them.
“Is it really okay to eat something this beautiful, though?” Aiko asked as she looked at the cotton candy sculpture.
“It’d be a waste not to,” Taishi replied. The two of them had gone a short distance away from the center of the festival and were resting on a bench.
There was no one else around, and while Aiko wasn’t tired, she let out a long sigh anyway.
“I’m glad we ran into dad along the way. I was able to off-load all the other cotton candy sculptures onto him, so I’ll be able to eat them at home whenever I want a snack.”
Aiko’s father, Souhei Hatayama, was also running a stall at the festival. He was serving candy oranges instead of candy apples, since his farm grew oranges. When they’d met up with Souhei, he’d given Taishi a pitying look, but Aiko hadn’t been able to figure out why. She’d decided not to dwell on it, though.
Now that I think about it, if Taishi’s supposed to be helping out with the festival, then he shouldn’t be hanging out with me all night, right?
“Don’t you need to help run the festival, Taishi?”
“Oh, uh, no, they should be fine without me.”
Is he nervous or something? He’s not talking as much as he normally does. Well, whatever, it’s no big deal.
Aiko was having too much fun to care about the change in her friend’s behavior. She used to come to this shrine a lot when she lived here. Whenever she’d had an exam or an important life event coming up, she’d always come here to pray. Though she’d only been away for a year, everything seemed so nostalgic.
Aiko had taken her hometown for granted before she’d been whisked away to Tortus. In fact, she’d even felt it was kind of stifling after having moved to the big city, but now she was glad to be home. After her time in Tortus, she’d come to learn that nothing so comforting should be overlooked. She looked down at the festival grounds, her eyes taking it all in.
Taishi stared at her for a few seconds, enraptured, before suddenly coming to his senses and slapping his cheeks. The loud noise caught Aiko’s attention and she turned to him.
In a hesitant voice, Taishi asked, “Hey, Ai, why not return home?”
“That’s literally what I’m doing right now, isn’t it?”
“I mean permanently... Why don’t you quit your job and come live here again?”
Aiko stared at him in surprise. Taishi looked into her eyes, his expression serious.
“I saw what they were saying about you on TV. It must have been awful. I know your students aren’t to blame for this, but as long as you’re with them, you might have to deal with society criticizing you again.”
“So what? I’m a teacher. It’s only natural for me to protect my students.”
“You’ve done more than enough for them already. I’m not even saying you need to quit being a teacher, you can get another teaching job here. Besides, even if you think it’s natural for teachers to protect their students, most other teachers wouldn’t go that far for them.”
Taishi had a point. Teachers had their own lives to live as well, after all. From most other teachers’ perspectives, Aiko was a bit too obsessed with her job. But even after being summoned to Tortus, Aiko’s convictions hadn’t changed. There was no way she’d be persuaded to abandon her students now.
“I won’t quit. Unless the school fires me, I’m going to keep teaching there. I want to be there for those kids until they graduate.”
As she said that, Aiko rose to her feet. There was a fierce determination burning in her eyes. It was clear from her expression that she wasn’t interested in discussing this topic any further. However, Taishi hurriedly stepped in front of her to block her way, and his irritation caused him to say something he thought he wouldn’t.