The sun’s heat had grown fierce of late, with the temperature hitting high twenties for several days. At a beach near the Base, a number of young female soldiers enjoyed a dip in the ocean. Their swimsuits all lacked sex appeal, instead prioritizing function, but they were still a treat for the eyes. I made sure to commit the sight to memory and stash it away in the album of my heart.
“Go on. Dip your face under.”
“O-okay.” At Maha’s urging, Ruri held her breath and pressed her face against the surface of the water. “Pwah. How many minutes was that?”
“…Five seconds.”
“Aww.”
Though her specs as a homunculus were supposed to be high, Ruri sank like a rock when she got in the water. Homunculi had essentially the same body composition as humans, so she wasn’t heavier, denser, or anything like that. She was just mystifyingly bad at swimming. She had difficulty even putting her head under the water.
“Come on, you gotta do better than that, Ruri. Just look at Reri go.” Diriyah pointed towards a girl that was the spitting image of Ruri, except stony-faced. She swam past them doing a beautiful butterfly stroke. This was Reri, a new homunculus that was based off of Ruri.
“But Miss Reri is good at everything…” Ruri said.
“Perhaps. But let’s not give up yet,” Maha said, trying to encourage her.
“Right. Get good enough to at least save Maha if she starts to drown,” Diriyah teased.
“As if that would ever happen.” Maha was an excellent swimmer. In fact, she was just about perfect at everything other than painting. Talk about boring.
“So, what’s the deal, anyway? You two a thing yet?” Diriyah asked with a mean grin on her face. Nice one, Mom. I’d give you a high five if I could.
Maha nearly doubled over out of surprise. “…Wh-where the hell did that come from?”
“What do you mean, where? The two of you have been practically glued to each other,” Diriyah said.
“Yeah, yeah. You guys are totally in your own little world too.”
“And you’re always sneaking glances at one another.”
Other members from the unit started to gather around and tease Maha and Ruri. Everyone seemed to think the two were already a done deal.
“Look…” Maha sighed for the first time that day. “We’re not—”
Before she could get another word in, however, Ruri—still floundering in the water—spoke up. “Miss Maha and I aren’t dating.”
I was a bit surprised she would be the one to deny it first, not Maha. Maha seemed a bit displeased, making a face.
“Oh, really?” one of the girls said.
“Yes. After all…” Ruri made a smile as beautiful as the clear blue sky and declared, “Miss Maha is already my bride!”
The girls excitedly squealed.
“…Ruri. What the heck are you saying,” Maha looked cross.
“Huh? Am I wrong?”
“Of course you are. If anyone’s the bride, it’s you.”
“No, Maha belongs to me.”
“You be quiet, Metako.”
What is this injustice?
Someone clapped to gather everyone’s attention.
“Leave the jokes at that for now. Everyone, come take a break.” It was Ney, wearing her usual smile and acting like some field trip chaperone. Everyone obeyed and got out of the water.
Ney had been relieved of her position as captain, but her strength was deemed too necessary for the war effort, so she was given an honorary position and allowed to stay with Al-kimiya. As that alone wasn’t going to prevent her from trying anything, a geas had been placed on her to keep her from ever attempting to activate the Song of the End again. She seemed to have had a change of heart anyway, and she talked more often with others—most certainly a result of her no longer being able to hear their thoughts.
“It seems she’s taking things well.”
“Yeah.”
Ney’s ability to read minds was more of a curse than anything. I genuinely believed she was happier now knowing less about the thoughts of others.
“She has her whole life ahead of her now,” Maha said.
“Maha…?” Ruri looked up at her.
“Her argument for using the Song of the End might’ve been logically infallible, but you could also say she had just stopped trying to challenge her own belief. I want her to take a second shot at life, even if it means there will be struggle and suffering.”
Ruri looked down at her feet. She had agreed with Ney’s beliefs for a time, even if it was because of what Ney had shown her.
“Ugh. Relax, you two,” Diriyah said, sweeping the depressed mood aside. For some reason, she wore her lab coat over her swimsuit. “At the end of the day, Ney’s lost her godly powers and has made a binding oath. We can just set her straight again if she gets any funny ideas.”
“…Wait, why are you even here, Mother?”
“I’m still testing Reri’s swimming capabilities. I wanna be around to fish her out just in case something goes south. Or what, you got a problem with me being here?”
“…No, it’s fine.” Maha made a face that clearly showed she was embarrassed to be at the beach with her mother.
“Sorry, kid. There are some things in life you just gotta suck up and live with. Being seen at the beach with your mom is one of those things.”
Ney came over and said, “Since when did you become such a philosopher?”
“You trying to start something, you flat-chested psycho?”
“Who’re you calling a loli?!”
Things started to turn chaotic as Diriyah and Ney butted heads. Leaving the adults to their own devices, Ruri called out to Maha. “Miss Maha.”
“Yeah?”
“The truth is…I still wonder sometimes.”
“About what?”
“Whether I should’ve been born. Whether I should be alive.”
“Ruri…” Maha felt as though time froze for a moment. During their battle against Ney, she had tried her sincerest to convince Ruri that living was worth it. She began to worry it all hadn’t been enough.
Ignorant of Maha’s worries, Ruri continued. “I don’t agree with what Miss Ney believe before. Really. But sometimes…”
“Yeah?” Her heart racing, Maha urged Ruri to continue.
“Sometimes living…hurts.” Such was a fact of life felt by all who lived. Even a homunculus.
Maha thought and thought about what she could possibly say to relieve Ruri of her worries. She racked her brain as hard as she could and, eventually, said, “Ruri. There’s likely nothing I can do to take away the hurt you feel. Your pain is yours alone.”
“…I see. That’s too bad.” Ruri smiled weakly and tried to end the conversation there, but Maha continued.
“Even so, I want to understand your pain and be there for you. I want to worry about life side by side with you.”
“Miss Maha…” Ruri felt her chest warm. The fluttery feeling in her was something only the living had the privilege of enjoying.
“So let’s worry together. Until the day comes when you can say you’re glad you came into this world and are living in it.”
“…Okay.” Overwhelmed with emotion, Ruri hugged Maha. Flustered, Maha hugged her back.
“My, my, look at you two showing off,” Ney said. “Quite the picturesque couple. I’m envious, even.”
“You can’t have her!” Ruri said.
“Ha. Looks like you’re popular, Maha.”
“Don’t start, Mother. Jeez.” Maha sighed. She realized then that she hadn’t been keeping track of how often she’d sighed that day. She too had changed.
Hearing the word “picturesque” put an idea in her head, so she let Ruri squabble with Ney and went over to her belongings. She took out a sheet of paper and a watercolor paint set, then began to paint the beach.
“You’ve gotten better.”
“Really?”
“Your painting has more life to it than before.”
“Is that so? I guess I have Ruri to thank for that.” Maha paused for a moment, thinking over what she’d just said. “Ah…”
She recalled what Diriyah had told her a long time ago, about the fairy called Ruri that lived in her magic glasses, and finally felt she understood her mother’s cryptic words.
“Looks like these magic glasses weren’t broken after all.”
The sweet and kind homunculus taught Maha many things, from how to add color to something faded, to the value of life. It was thanks to her that Maha could live looking forward to the future. The world looked different than it did before. Surely that was the work of the fairy’s magic.
“Miss Maha. What you doing?”
“Painting. Wanna join me?”
The two sat side by side and painted the ocean.
Maha would probably face many challenges ahead. She might even stumble and fall at times. But I was certain she would get back up again and find the strength to walk forward as long as Ruri was by her side.
They looked out on the deep-blue ocean. The ebb and flow of the waves caught the light and, in their eyes, seemed to sparkle.