Shut up. I’m going home. To the pub.
“I’m saying this because my work here is done now. You’re the absolute worst. Please don’t go anywhere near Shequraso ever again.”
Mr. Bisque raised his eyebrows in surprise, which was rare for him, but then smiled the unconcerned smile I’d grown to expect.
“Okay. I won’t.”
He told me he would have liked to give me a ride back, but he didn’t have time.
Naturally, I didn’t want a ride, anyhow.
I was fine to walk back. So there.
“Oh, right, right.” Mr. Bisque made a show of stopping me like he’d remembered something.
A cold, smiling face. A face so emotionless it gave me the chills.
Then he pointed in the opposite direction of the exit.
“Take Shequraso with you when you go.”
I ran down the hall of the huge building, opening every door as I went.
I called her name. I searched, shouting over and over.
Outside the windows, the soldiers began their march. Raising their voices to proclaim their righteousness, stomping their boots.
In a dimly lit room in the back, something moved. The little light there reflected off orange hair.
“...Shequraso?”
A swollen face. Fat lips.
When I said her name, she turned eyes that wouldn’t open toward me and murmured, “Haru?”
Her voice was hoarse when she asked, “What are you doing here?” and she started to cry.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”
I kicked through the window and screamed after the soldiers.
“I’m gonna fucking kill youuuuuuu!”
＊
I put Shequraso on an old horse that had been left behind in the stable and looked around for a hospital.
I only had one friend to count on, but luckily she was at the first hospital I found.
“Miss Haru...?”
Kiyori was shocked to see me standing there sopping wet with Shequraso on my back, but when I said, “Please take a look at her—hurry,” she immediately nodded.
Her face went pale when I put Shequraso down on the bed.
“Sh-She’s gonna be okay, right? You can save her, right? She’s my friend!”
“...I’ll try.”
Kiyori pursed her lips and aimed her palms at Shequraso’s body. Then she said a short spell, and her hands began to glow.
Shequraso’s eyebrows twitched. She groaned softly.
“Shequraso...”
I was so relieved, my knees gave out and I dropped onto my butt on the floor.
Phew. She’s okay, now, right?
“Kiyori will have you fixed up in no time, so...hang in there, Shequraso...”
Kiyori’s glowing palms roamed over Shequraso’s body.
When she reached her chest, Kiyori furrowed her brow, and Shequraso bent her neck back and groaned.
“I’m going to clean up her face.”
She took her shining hands and made circles over Shequraso’s face, like she was caressing her. Little by little, the swelling went down, and her face went back to normal.
“It’s Shequraso’s face... She’s so pretty...”
High cheekbones, a slender nose—she was a true beauty. This was the face of my beloved Shequraso.
“Miss Haru...” Kiyori called out to me in a heavy voice...
...as her hands moved over Shequraso’s chest.
“Please talk to her. Your voice should still be able to reach her now.”
“Huh?”
“This will be the last conversation she’ll have. Please chat with her in a kind, fun way so she’ll feel hopeful about going to Heaven. Relax and take your time.”
“W-Wait a minute. What are you saying?!”
But her face is so gorgeous.
We’re finally somewhere we can feel safe.
“Fix her! I know you can! Even just fixing her injuries is fine!”
“Even with her injuries fixed, she’s too weak. Her heart has finished its role. Heaven is beckoning her now.”
“No! Fix her! Fix Shequraso!”
“Miss Haru, don’t shout. Please see her off in peace, so she can rest with a smile.”
“How could I possibly? Do you know what they did to her? She’s like this because those guys... How can I smile?!”
“Haru, listen!”
It made me gasp, her raising her voice at me like that. Then she explained.
“...This is what we do in this world. God gives those who smile a warm welcome. Talk to her about something fun, so she won’t be anxious about what’s to come. You need to make her laugh so she can show God a hopeful smile. So smile, Haru, please smile!”
My throat trembled, and I just couldn’t.
I was so disappointed and so sad, but I didn’t want to shut down those emotions.
Still, I smiled. I remembered my time with Shequraso and forced myself to.
“Uh, umm...Shequraso, do you remember how annoyed Madam was when we first put that bench out in front of the shop? Then once we were always eating our lunch there she would sometimes bring us little cakes and things, right? I think she wanted to hang out with us. But it was only a three-seater bench, you know? That was our spot. I feel kind of bad for her, but what could we do?”
Shequraso’s hand was cold. Those lips she used to sing in that amazing voice of hers were dry.
But she was still so pretty. I wanted a face like hers.
“Hmm, maybe I’ll tell you about this. It was supposed to be a secret, so don’t tell Lupe. We said the three of us were going to have a hot pot party, right? I was going to have you guys try my home town’s famous dish, dark hot pot. And this hot pot, it’s a no-holds-barred death match. First you make the room totally dark, then everyone can put in whatever ingredients they want. The thing is, then, that whatever you grab, you have to eat. Hee-hee. I’m not telling you what I was planning on putting in!”
I only talked about the fun stuff—things the three of us had laughed about, things that would happen in the future.
We got along so well. I was so happy I made friends in this world. I love you. And I’m so thankful, too.
So...
“...Haru.”
Shequraso murmured my name, her voice hoarse.
“Y-Yeah! It’s me. I’m here!”
Her lips moved so feebly. Her fingers lightly grasped my hand.
“...Come...to my wedding...”
I thought my heart would stop.
Bisque’s cold face and Shequraso’s tears overlapped in my mind, and I thought I was going to scream.
But I smiled. I smiled with all my heart.
“F-For sure! We’ll throw you a huge party!”
Shequraso smiled and then...she slipped into a quiet sleep.
Kiyori held her light over Shequraso’s forehead and, in a soft voice, started to pray.
I buried my face and sobbed. I cried for the first time.
When I came to this world and got into this job, I knew I’d feel miserable if I cried, so I decided I wouldn’t, but this was too much.
“Ahhhhh! Shequraso! Shequrasooooo! I hate this! Nooooo!”
We were miserable, and so, so pitiful.
So I couldn’t hide those feelings anymore. If things got hard, I would cry.
And I would get mad. I should have been furious. I wouldn’t put up with their shit anymore. I would never forgive them.
I thanked Kiyori, asked her to take care of things, and went outside. The rain had picked up even more, and the night was hazy. Even so, the horse I’d ridden over had waited for me.
Kiyori came after me. “M-Miss Haru! Where are you going?”
“I’m going to find them.”
I didn’t want to show her my face the way it was, so I didn’t turn around.
“But why? What are you going to do?”
Then she looked at the reins in my hand, puzzled.
“...You can ride a horse?”
Yep.
Women in this world didn’t ride horses, but I could do it no problem.
I had never even touched one in my old world, but they warmed up to me right away and ran how I wanted them to.
Now I’m capable of that much. And I can use a sword, too.
“It seems like you already figured it out, Kiyori, so I’ll just tell you. Chiba and I were brought here from another world, like you thought. Probably by this world’s God, to defeat the demon lord. That’s why Chiba is stronger than the average guy and why I’m still fine after going through the same thing Shequraso did.”
Not that that easy-going god actually told us what to do.
If he doesn’t take Shequraso to the best seat in Heaven, I’ll seriously kill him.
But today, for the first time, I had to be a little grateful to him—for making the goofy rules of this world.
“God gave Chiba and me cheat skills.”