'Is this what you wanted, Father, for me to finally feel free? Or… am I imagining something false — I'm not sure what you really wanted, Father.'
The teenager opened his eyes and found himself in his father's room in the old house, where an empty desk stood before him, silently awaiting his master's arrival.
'Whom was it I wanted to save?' he saddened, and added to himself, 'Mari-chan from her vows of the past? Do I even realize that I am a man of that position, like Mari-chan? I am a dead man — all the more so because I am nothing more than a slave to my father's worldview.'
***
He awoke in his room, and as he slowly looked over with his eyes, he noticed Mari sitting flat on his lap beside him. She was asleep sitting up, and her relaxed shoulders told him she was calm. Lifting his head, the boy put his hand to his forehead, making sure the fever and headache were gone. Quietly getting to his feet, he walked slowly around the room and spun around — still, he was worried about his physical condition, for every pain made his hands itch and his body grow weaker.
As he looked around at Mari, he saw the pretty girl begin to wake involuntarily. Her brown sleepy eyes fluttered open as her ears heard footsteps across the room.
"Glenn-sama, are you awake?" she muttered, barely conscious. "I was worried that you wouldn't be able to get to your feet, so I waited for you to wake up…"
"Thank you, but what time is it?"
Mari replied that it had been two hours since their previous conversation. When she remembered this, a fair amount of sadness overtook her, and she simply couldn't help but ask, "Why do you worry so much about me?"
"I'm… overextended."
"I see, so part of your blackout is my fault, too, for I made you worry."
"Don't be absurd, Mari-chan…! Ahem, you'd better tell me, did Akihito-sama find out that I blacked out?"
"No. No one found out except me and another maid who helped me drag you to your room. Are you going somewhere?"
"I'm going to work."
"I see… Look, Glenn-sama, are you straining for work?"
Averting his eyes to the side, the teenager replied, "It depends on the complexity of the order. I need to collect more money as quickly as possible."
"Why are you so diligent about collecting money?" she said, putting her hands to her heart. "You have poor health — you're not sparing yourself."
"I do it, in part," Glenn smiled thoughtfully, "so that Mari-chan won't be bored when we walk through town. I want to show you the best of everything, don't I?"
She was struck by the young man's answer, and soon the girl, bemused by his words, could hardly hold back her tears. Her face was covered with a slight blush, and she crumpled in comfort.
"Why do you do this…? I am not worthy of excitement, for I am but a servant."
"I myself do not know how I became so attached to you," he averted his eyes. "But I'm sure I don't regret choosing to help. It's my own choice."
***
In the bright evening, Glenn returned to Hirota Manor after all, and encountered Mari walking near the door to his room as he walked down the path of the yard. He was a little puzzled, for he was sure that the girl was not just circling around the door, but was doing so aimlessly. Sensing Glenn's arrival, Mari measured him with a look and pouted her lips.
"You've been gone so long…!" she folded her thin hands, whose scratched palms seemed to have gone through the thorny duties of an estate maid.
"Mari-chan… I'm sorry to have made you worry. I couldn't come back sooner."
"Good," she sighed and relieved herself. "How did work go?"
"Routine activities go routinely. By the way, Mari-chan, what did you have to walk around my room door for?"
"O-oh!" confused she said. "W-well… you know… I just had nothing to do, so I decided to wait out your arrival."
"You could have waited in the room," he said, and Mari smacked herself lightly on the head in response.
"I hadn't thought of that at all!"
She rejoiced again. From her cute little look, Glenn thought that Mari was one of those fragile individuals who needed to be protected like the apple of her eye.
She really had a lot of free time on her hands. Looking at Mari for a long time, he inadvertently saw in her the features of Akiko's face, a pretty girl with pink hair. Mari, puzzled as the guy didn't take his eyes off her, became embarrassed.
"What happened to you… Glenn-kun?" she hid her face in her long hair.
"You remind me of a funny friend. She's as outgoing as you are."
"She's similar to me? Oh, do you really mean to tell me that I'm as pretty as she is?"
"I have many beautiful girlfriends," the young man replied, making Mari jealous. "Shall we go into the room?"
"Sure! Let's talk about rides this time! I hear they're exciting."
"You bet they are! Mari-chan, I'll be sure to show them to you."
"You will…?"
Glenn kindly asked her to enter the empty room first. Slowly darting back, he lifted his eyes to view the evening sky littered with bright stars. The serenity that gripped the boy seemed to give him an incentive to move forward. How else could it be, for Glenn had no time to lose.
He had no right to make a mistake.
***
It had been more than a week since Glenn had temporarily moved into the Hirota clan estate. His house, which was in the city, was also available for lodging, but the lad would not go there again, for he had promised his mother. One sunny day, when nothing seemed to portend trouble, he took advantage of the positive advent of good weather to go to school. The first thing he did was to see Masumi in the teachers' lounge, and her eyes widened as she met Glenn for the first time in his month-long absence from school.
"Do you always appear so abruptly in front of the eyes?"
"First of all, it is you I have come to talk to, Masumi-san."
The teacher, sighing with boredom, scratched her neck. "Wouldn't you rather talk to your friends?" ыhe said, running her tired eyes through his thick, dark hair. "After all, they haven't seen you for a month," and putting her hand to his cheek, she remembered an important thing. "By the way, Akiko-chan tried to find out about you today before class."
"Akiko-chan…?"
"I said I didn't know anything. As usual, though, no one knows more about you than based on your behavior. Do your friends deserve such treatment?"
Closed in on himself, Glenn did not succumb to the teacher's provocation. He was particularly acutely aware that he was withholding more from the members of the literary club than from the rest of society, and this both Masumi and himself thought was the wrong solution to the problems. Clenching his hands into a fist, he spoke softly:
"I understand. But right now, I'm worried about something else."
Seeing his calm gaze, Masumi crossed her slender legs and took on an important look.
"I'm going to be in the hospital for a long time."
"Hey-hey, don't joke around like that," her face retracted in restraint. "Has it really gotten that bad?"
"I can only assume. I don't have time to go to school or even the usual sit-ups. The symptoms are showing up at a ferocious rate."
"How come…" revealed concern in the young teacher's eyes, and she opened her mouth and gave in to pity for the boy. "Glenn-kun… I'm sorry."
"I'm not sad," he smiled naively, the optimism favoring his side. "A swift man is treasured by god. I hope I have time to move around some more, for that's all I have left."
Masumi sensed this strange burst of optimism from the mouth of a desperate Glenn, and though the teenager could conceal all fear for his death, she admired his reluctance to stop. Her hazy gaze disappeared as Glenn took her trembling hands, which had no ring on their fingers.
"I am left to believe that I can do it. So, Masumi-san, I ask you to—"
"Left to believe?! So your plan isn't perfect! How are you going to give me a guarantee that you won't die in a dark street corner somewhere?"
"I have no right to make a mistake."
Overcome by misunderstanding, she frowned and asked: "Savings money…?"
"It's not enough. However, I have one plan that, if it works, will give me peace of mind about the treatment."
"That's how…" Masumi pressed a hand to her head. "If I had known that my student, for whom I am responsible, would be on the verge of death and I would have to choose between living or dying… I wouldn't be teaching at all…"
Masumi spun around in her chair dejectedly, and pondering the teenager's words, sighed.
"If you're confident, Glenn-kun, then I agree. Move as you please, but don't forget what you set all this up for. You still have some important tasks to perform."
"I know," the young man said, and after saying goodbye, he thanked his teacher.
"Take care, Glenn-kun."
Stepping down the deserted hallway, he slowly headed up the stairs. His white school shirt was carelessly untucked, and his dark, clean shoes made him look like some kind of misunderstood teenager, strutting around school to find an adventure on his head. He stopped at the door to one of the offices, opened it without knocking, and entered unceremoniously. This room served as the office of their literary circle, in which four teenagers he knew were sitting at the table at that moment. Their confused gazes were equally quick to stare at Glenn, who soon waved his hand, bestowing upon them his cold, unapproachable gaze.
"Glenn-kun…?" they took on a shocked look.
"Yo."