"It is my curse to witness the deaths of my loved ones...
...But it is also my gift to witness their stories...
...And it is my promise to remember them all...
...As it is my vow to tell their stories and never forget...
...For I am the proof that they once lived in this world."
A young Half-Elf girl, barely at the age of 8, stands in front of the funeral of her beloved grandfather.
Her grandfather lived until the age of 180. For a Human with an average lifespan of 150 years, surpassing that number and living for another 30 years is a feat only possible for an extraordinary person like her grandfather.
Because her grandfather is a great Adventurer who managed to reach the highest rank of all Adventures.
A Mithril Rank Adventurer.
All the people of their hometown mourn the death of her grandfather. They grieve and cry as her grandfather lay down at his grave.
For her grandfather was the one who built their hometown from scratch. Along with her grandmother and their friends, who chose to stay and live in this town that they had built together.
As the memories of her time with her grandfather flash in her mind, the Half-Elf girl feels an unbearable sadness deep within her heart.
Yet, that unbearable sadness has been dominated by something else.
The Half-Elf girl looks at her grandmother, who is standing beside her and realizes something.
Her grandfather, who is now lying down at his final resting place, looks like a normal old person. Yet, her grandmother looked young, just like her mother.
That realization made the Half-Elf girl understand what the other people speak about. The retainers at her house, the classmates and teachers at her school, and the people she encountered in their hometown. All of them speak about how a Half-Race like her and her grandmother can live a life much longer than a normal person.
At that moment, the Half-Elf girl understands what it means to be a Half-Race.
She would live a much longer life compared to others. She would witness the deaths of her loved ones, like the death of her grandfather, and she would feel this unbearable sadness over and over again.
That realization made the Half-Elf burst into tears. Not only due to the unbearable sadness that she's feeling because of her grandfather's death but also from the fear of the future where she would be left alone.
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A day has passed after the funeral of her beloved grandfather. And the Half-Elf girl has locked herself in her room, refusing to see anyone.
She was afraid to see her family, her friends, and all the people she cared about. Seeing them would only remind her of the unbearable sadness that she felt yesterday, and that sadness would remind her of her fear of the curse that she had learned.
She buried her face in her pillow as she cried her heart out while lying on her bed.
Yet as she tried to hide and conceal herself from the world, she heard a knock coming behind the door of her room.
...BAMMM!...BAMMM!...BAMMM!...
It was more of a slam than a knock. And as she wondered who might be behind the door, she heard a shout coming from that person.
"Mifumi-sama!... Come out of your room and talk to us!"
"Mhm!... Come out, Mifumi-sama!"
"Please talk to us, Mifumi-sama!"
Just by listening to their voices, the Half-Elf girl realized who are the people outside her room.
The first one to speak was the girl who was a year younger than her. Her weird friend who would always tell stories about her unusual dreams.
It was followed by the voice of another girl who's the youngest of her friends. The cheerful Cat-Girl who's like a little sister to her.
The last one was the girl with a beautiful purplish-pink hair color. The orphan who always acts as the big sister of the children at the Orphanage.
She wanted to see her friends but she didn't know what to do with her fear and sadness.
"No!... I don't want to talk to anyone!"
So she said those words and pushed them away.
But that wasn't enough for them to leave. Because her weird friend wanted to see her no matter it takes.
"If you won't open the door, then I'm going to break it, Mifumi-sama!"
"What?..."
...BANG!...
Before she could even comprehend what her weird friend had said, a loud explosive sound came behind the door of her room.
At the next moment, the doorknob of her door landed beside her bed as the door swung violently after being kicked open by her weird friend. Then her weird friend who's holding an unfamiliar Magic Item along with the Cat-Girl and the orphan girl enter her room.
Seeing the three of her closest friends made her burst into tears. Not because of the unbearable sadness that she has felt yesterday or the fear of the future where she would be left alone.
She simply cried from the loneliness of missing her friends.
"Waaahhhh!!!..."
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After the Half-Elf girl has calmed down, she tells her friends about her fear.
The Cat-Girl, as she is only 5 years old, didn't understand what she meant. Yet she understands that her friend feels sad and afraid.
The orphan girl tries to console her like a big sister even though the orphan girl is a year younger than her.
Then there's her weird friend who said something unexpected.
"Mhm!... I understand how you feel, Mifumi-sama. After all, I just watched Ms. Frieren last night."
As usual, the Half-Elf girl doesn't have any idea what her weird friend is saying. But the next words her weird friend would say will be the words that will conquer her unbearable sadness and guide her to the future that she fears.
"I'm going to show you an adventure that's even greater than those stories that I see in my dreams...
...An adventure that is so great that it will be told and remembered for more than a thousand years...
...So even after I'm gone, you won't be alone in remembering my story, our story...
...So that we will always be together as long as anyone remembers our story...
...So please stop crying, Mifumi-sama."
On that day, the Half-Elf girl found the courage to face her sadness and fear through the words of her weird friend.
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PuroShark Writer's Note.
Here's a picture of what Mifumi look like. Look at the comment.