I stepped out of the hut while Katou washed herself. Rose stayed behind to help the weakened girl out. I judged it would be easier for Katou to expose her body to Rose, seeing that she didn’t look human. She refused at first, saying she didn’t need any help, but she eventually accepted my proposal.
As a man, I didn’t know whether my judgment was correct. That said nothing of the fact that half the reason I had Rose stay behind was to keep an eye on her. I couldn’t really say this proposal was all for her sake.
The moment I came out of the hut, Lily asked in a hushed voice, “...Master, are you really bringing that girl along?”
“This already?” I replied with a strained smile.
“Don’t laugh. Geez...”
“Sorry.”
Lily pouted and puckered up her pink lips. It truly made her look childish.
“Are you dissatisfied with my decision?”
“I won’t object to anything you decide on, Master.”
“That doesn’t really answer my question.”
She would comply with anything I decided on, but that didn’t mean she agreed with me. The fact that she’d questioned me the moment we were alone together meant she couldn’t stand to wait anymore. I didn’t sense any discontent from that, though I knew the reason was she was apprehensive about me exposing myself to unnecessary danger.
“I’m not going to tell you to sacrifice yourself to protect her. I don’t care if you just guard her when you have the leisure to do so. Just think of protecting yourself as your top priority, then me, then Katou. It’s simple that way, right? You can’t get it wrong.”
“You’ve got number one and two wrong already, though?”
“...Anyway, she’s unable to fend for herself.” I figured that continuing this topic would have us talking on tangents and just moved on. “She’s not a danger to us herself. I’m sure we’ll be slightly inconvenienced by bringing her along, but I think it should be within our acceptable limits.”
“But doesn’t that mean you’re protecting Katou even though it’ll be somewhat of an inconvenience? I mean, you’re even hiding my identity.”
“I don’t care if you get exposed when push comes to shove. There’s not much meaning behind it. It’s just in case.”
Lily seemed more worried than discontented. “You’re going off track, Master. You can’t trick me. Is she that precious to you?”
“...That’s not the case.”
I stroked Lily’s beautiful flaxen hair. Now then, how do I get this across to her?
“I think the reason I want to protect her is because of ‘something’ unclear within me.”
“Something unclear?”
“I took Katou under my care yesterday. Whether it be by necessity, by going with the flow, or whatever, it doesn’t change the fact I took her in. Abandoning a stray cat you picked up is irresponsible. That analogy might be a little cliché, but I have a responsibility here I must fulfill.”
That’s what I believed... Or perhaps, that’s what I ended up believing. Despite knowing that abandoning Katou would be far easier, I never thought of making such a choice. This likely wasn’t out of a sense of morality or ethics. I had already committed the sin of killing three people. So, why did I never consider abandoning her? I couldn’t understand my own heart on this matter. That’s why I could only describe it as “something.”
“Master, you—” Lily tried to say something as she looked up at me with her big eyes, but she couldn’t find the right words and instead smiled in a slightly troubled manner. “You’re so serious, Master.”
“People often tell me I’m boring.” This conversation felt somewhat nostalgic to me.
“That’s not what I mean. You’re not boring, Master,” Lily said as she pressed her head against my arm. “So... Mm. I’m fine with protecting that girl. For your sake.”
“I see...” I replied as I pressed my cheek against her flaxen hair. “Thank you.”
It was strange. Even though I was in the middle of a dangerous forest, the feelings I harbored were none other than happiness. It was just a theory, but that “something” I had lost unwillingly was likely time spent like this.
Such a thought vaguely crossed my mind. And, just then, I suddenly realized something. What I truly wanted to protect by doing the right thing may have been this irreplaceable fragment of happiness.
✦ ✦ ✦
After waiting for Katou to finish cleaning herself off, we left the mountain hut behind.
“Did you forget anything? Just as I said before, we’ll be exploring the forest, but we don’t plan on returning here. Bring anything you need.”
“...Yes.” Katou nodded as she grabbed her handbag.
“Huh? We’re not coming back? Are you abandoning the hut, Master?” Lily asked. She had been clinging to my arm ever since the morning, and she looked up at me with a curious look.
Katou glanced at her with a dark expression, but she didn’t say anything. Lily looked exactly like one of the students who was transported here from Japan, so there was no chance Katou didn’t have suspicions as to why a girl like that was calling another student her master.
✦ ✦ ✦
