Time had passed, and the headlines about the Treasonous Princess had finally quieted down. Lupus found herself gazing up at a cherry tree beneath a clear sky that still held a lingering chill.
Crowds of students in matching uniforms were passing in front of the main gate of Elbar Academy, the most prestigious learning institution in the Free City of Elbar. Today was a day of new beginnings, filled with hope for many young people. It was the day the school admitted new students, which came around every spring and autumn.
Wearing the school uniform she had admired in secret for so long, Lupus headed to the entrance ceremony with a heart full of excitement, albeit clouded by conflicted feelings.
That was because she still hadn’t found what she’d been searching for since the day she defected from the Balga Empire.
Swinging her bag, she passed through the main gate and made her way to the school building, when all of a sudden, she sensed a distinctive presence and stopped in her tracks. Without turning around, Lupus addressed the man standing in the shade of a tree.
“What do you want?”
“That’s a hostile greeting if I’ve ever heard one. Are you like this with everyone?”
“Maybe you’ve given me reason to be. Isn’t that right, Ayman?”
Even with the arrival of spring, Ayman still wore his three-piece suit. He let out a sigh, arms crossed.
“Don’t give this old man grief.”
“If you’re such a skilled Informationist, you could have brought Tsushima back. But you just let him die.”
“You’re still angry about that?”
“I’m telling you that I still haven’t forgiven you,” Lupus replied firmly, showing not the slightest sign of backing down from Ayman. She harbored deep distrust toward the Elbar administration.
Tachibana, who had promised Tsushima’s return that day, had ultimately done nothing to rescue the man from the Empire and simply watched events unfold. According to reports, after assassinating a member of the Six Imperial Swords, Tsushima was executed on the emperor’s orders.
Lupus had been devastated to learn of his death.
During her days on the run in the Balga Empire, Tsushima had given her not just protection, but also the courage and resolve to start a new life. Thanks to him, she overcame many painful memories and was able to begin anew in Elbar.
But in exchange, she had ended up sacrificing the life of the person who saved hers. That fact gnawed at her conscience. Lupus directed feelings almost like hostility toward Ayman. For his part, he seemed uncomfortable at being the target of such animosity from a girl young enough to be his daughter. Lupus knew this and confronted him all the more forcefully.
“So what’s your business here?” Lupus asked coldly.
Ayman shrugged.
“I heard your entrance ceremony was today.”
“What, are you here to give me a congratulatory gift or something?”
“Yeah, something like that,” Ayman said, taking a letter from his pocket. The envelope he held out to her was completely ordinary, lacking any features of note. Lupus frowned.
“What is that?”
“I was asked to give it to you.”
“By who?”
“You’re going to make me say that as well? Have some tact.”
Ayman smiled, which made Lupus suspect something was up. She snatched the envelope from his hand and quickly pulled the letter out of it, not worrying about what anyone else would think. Ayman watched her with an exasperated look on his face.
Inside the envelope was a single sheet of similarly plain letter paper. There was not much writing on it; just a single sentence. After reading it, Lupus hugged the note to her chest.
“Satisfied?” Ayman asked teasingly.
Lupus shot him a damp-eyed glare, puffing out her cheeks.
“Why did you keep quiet about this until now?”
“A lot of diplomatic complications came up that made it difficult to reveal. To keep up appearances, we had to release some pieces of information and withhold others. We couldn’t say anything until everything was settled. Besides, I thought it best for the important news to come directly from him. And, well, it took longer than we expected for him to wake up; he was more seriously injured than we thought.”
“He’s…hurt?”
Seeing Lupus’s expression suddenly cloud over, Ayman gave a sheepish smile.
“It’s nothing. For him, it’s the usual. He’s always getting himself into trouble and nearly dying. Some people never change, no matter how old they get. If you want the details, ask him yourself. The address should be written on the letter, right?”
As Ayman pointed to the note, Lupus quickly checked the back of the envelope. There, in small, modest letters, was an address—somewhere near the city center of Elbar.
Lupus’s face lit up, and she raised her head with a start. Half exasperated, Ayman called out to prevent her from dashing off at any moment.
“Wait, there’s one more thing he told me to mention. He says to come after your school orientation is over.”
“Then I guess you botched your timing for giving me this letter.”
Holding the message beside her face, Lupus flashed a triumphant grin.
“I’ll choose my own path. That’s what I’ve decided,” she said, breaking into a run toward the main gate, going against the flow of students. Her steps were so light, it was as if she were walking on the moon.
“Looks like I lost the bet. She’s as much of a handful as you predicted.”
After watching Lupus go, Ayman faded into the air.
In his place, a voice called out to the girl as she exited through the main gate.
“Hey, have you finished all the formalities for starting at the Academy?”
In front of the school gate, where cherry blossoms were falling, Lupus turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Breathless and flushed, she spotted him leaning against the gate.
He was wearing the same outfit as the day he first met Lupus. The same insolent look in his eyes, the same arrogant attitude—nothing had changed.
But in Lupus’s estimation, the impression he gave was completely different now.
Seeing Tsushima’s exasperated expression, Lupus was momentarily at a loss for words, as if the breath had been knocked out of her.
She bit her lip, fought back tears, and sniffled before spinning around on the spot.
“Hey, what do you think? Does it look good on me?” Lupus asked, forcing a smile in an attempt to hide her overflowing emotions.
Watching her, Tsushima placed a cigarette to his lips.
“Well, at the very least, I can say I’m glad I made it back alive,” Tsushima said with his usual touch of sarcasm.
Lupus could no longer hold herself back. Not wanting him to see her tears of joy, she threw herself into his arms.
“Hey, give me some space!” Tsushima protested in annoyance as he nearly lost his balance.
But Lupus paid him no mind and pressed her face against his chest, speaking through her tears.
“I thought you had died. I thought you’d never come back.”
“Geez. If the girl who told me to come back had given up, that would’ve been the end of it.”
“That’s not the point,” she said, clinging to him even tighter, while Tsushima, looking put off, lit his cigarette.
Tsushima stared up at the spring sky, now tinged with warmth, then exhaled a plume of smoke that drifted high into the air. Gently patting Lupus’s head while she quietly wept, he felt once again the comfort of having finally found his way home.
Lupus’s sobs gradually faded in Tsushima’s arms. At the same time, Tsushima sensed that something was about to begin. As if to solidify his premonition, Lupus began to speak.