In the infirmary situated in one corner of the school building…
There were several white beds lined up in a row, and a large arched lattice window facing outward offered a view of a lake surrounded by mountains and forests.
The walls were lined with medicine shelves, which were filled with various kinds of magic potions that appeared to be for medicinal use.
Two figures lay upon neighboring beds.
“…”
“…”
Rix and Shino.
Thanks to the healing magic and secret tinctures administered by the academy physician, Lucia Healius, the pair’s wounds were recovering perfectly. Not a single mark remained on their bodies.
However, apparently it was better to recover their lost strength naturally over time, so they had been told to rest in the infirmary for a while.
And at that moment, they were the only two people there.
Of course, Gordon had been there, too, but as soon as his treatment was complete, Lucia and Darwin had for some reason whisked him away.
Since their consciousnesses had still been fuzzy when it had happened, Rix and Shino weren’t sure about the circumstances or details surrounding the event. And they weren’t really interested, either.
“But man, Professor Lucia is incredible. With all those injuries, I really thought it was going to be impossible for me to recover… Not to mention she’s beautiful and has a great figure.”
Feeling awkward in the silence, Rix decided to try to chat with Shino while using his arm as a pillow.
He honestly wasn’t expecting much of a response, but…
“…Oh? So you’re into older women, are you?”
…to his surprise, Shino responded, staring blankly at the ceiling.
“Well, yeah. It’s a universal truth that adolescent boys all over the world are into older, more mature women.”
“Hmm. Disgusting…”
Even though Rix had succeeded in making conversation, Shino was as harsh as ever.
But her present pouty air was a departure from her usual demeanor.
Thinking this whole situation was pretty dull, Rix stifled a yawn.
Then suddenly, Shino slowly sat up in bed and started talking to him.
“…I’ve seen your true nature.”
“Huh? Where’d that come from?”
Rix was surprised by the sudden, strange topic, but Shino went on anyway.
“You are…a puppet trying its hardest to act human.”
“!”
For a second, Rix didn’t know how to respond, but then he decided to take it like a joke.
“…Ha-ha-ha. What makes you say that? Where’d you get that from?”
“A feeling. And I’m usually right.”
“Bzzzt, sorry, but you’re wrong about that one! Man, I’m getting hungry…”
Rix did his best to dodge the subject.
“If, at that time…” But Shino didn’t back down. “At the end of your battle with Gordon—that moment. If I hadn’t stopped you…would you really have stayed your sword?”
“…”
Rix didn’t know how he should respond.
“Back in the day…I went through a lot of stuff,” he whispered with a sigh once he had finally collected his thoughts. “Are you gonna tell everyone that I’m actually some messed-up, crazy psycho?”
“Whatever. I don’t care. I just found it strange.”
“Found what strange?”
“To be frank, you’re not the kind of person who can live in the world of daylight. You’re meant to live in a blood-soaked world of darkness. You’ll never be able to escape that curse of blood and death and war… And I think you yourself know this.”
“…”
“And yet…you’re trying. Trying your hardest to make a place for yourself in this world of daylight. You may know it’s futile deep down, but you’re desperately fighting to act human anyway. After watching you for the past month…I can tell.”
“Huh? You mean you’ve been watching me this whole time? N-no way—does that mean you like me?!”
“Idiot. Drop dead.”
Those were just about tied for the sharpest, most painful words Shino had ever said to him.
Rix nearly fainted from the emotional pain, but Shino kept going.
“So why do you keep up such a futile effort? What meaning does it have?”
Rix interlaced his hands behind his head, looked up at the ceiling, and calmly replied, “Hmm? Is it so bad to make an effort at something that might be futile? Does there have to be some meaning to it?”
“!”
This time, it was Shino who was lost for words.
Rix shot her a grin and went on. “I just want to be happy. I want to become a mage, get a job that lets me put those bloody battles behind me, find myself a cute wife, and lead a fun and peaceful life. Then in the end, I wanna die lying in bed surrounded by my grandchildren.”
“…”
“That I exist in this world, in this place, at this time, is a miracle. So what’s wrong with wanting to take full advantage of that miracle and do what I want with it? If it turns out to be futile…then I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
“…”
“And anyway…miracles might actually happen, right? They happen all the time in fairy tales…you know, like a puppet gets kissed by a girl and turns into a real human. If I do my best, I might finally get my one chance to turn everything around, yeah?”
Shino didn’t react in the slightest.
The room was overcome with a strange silence.
Rix started thinking, Hmm, so even that fell flat? Then he timidly looked over at Shino’s profile.
That was when he heard a drip, drip… Drops of water were hitting the blanket.
“…”
For some reason, Shino was crying quietly.
“Wha—?! H-hey, Shino…what’s wrong?! Did I say something weird?!”
Shino answered Rix’s question with one of her own. “Hey…can I ask you one thing? Just…hypothetically… Just if…after all…”
“Y-yeah…?”
“If there was someone who didn’t have the right to exist in this world… A heinous criminal who had no right to be happy…”
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at, but is that person supposed to be you?”
“Read the room, you idiot!” Shino yelled, in tears.
“Sorryyy!” Rix shrank back.
“Is it okay even for a human like that…to be happy? For them to want to become happy?”
“Of course it is,” Rix answered simply as Shino rubbed her tears away.
“…”
“Sure, there are people who deserve to die no matter what, but…still, wanting or aiming for happiness should be each person’s individual freedom, shouldn’t it? And if it really shouldn’t be allowed after all, then sooner or later this world would find a way to prevent that person from being happy, through fair reason and justice. I guess my case is similar. That’s why…I’m prepared for whatever happens.”
“Then…doesn’t that mean it’s futile and meaningless in the end…?”
“Maybe. But as long as I’m having fun in the moment, I’m fine with that. Life is a miracle. It’d be a waste to not enjoy it to its fullest.”