"Out of those old guys… and me…! Who are you closer to?!"
"Haa… Okay, fine. I kind of expected this. It's not the first time, after all. I'm not surprised anymore. Really. I'm not."
Aileen, sitting on the bed with her head lowered, muttered to herself.
Scary…
Ever since I woke up, Aileen has been acting strangely.
Was she that shocked when I passed out and started bleeding?
Well… maybe?
But it wasn't that serious, at least not to me.
It wasn't the first time this had happened.
Back when I first learned to use my sensing ability, I got so excited and kept expanding it until I passed out.
Luckily, Hermilla found me, or I might've been eaten by monsters.
Hermilla really is my lifesaver! And I mean that literally, not just figuratively!
"So, you want to know who I'm closer to?"
I nodded.
"Of course…"
It's me, right?
It's gotta be me!
I was the one who got close to her first!
We're friends, right?!
"Well… I'm not sure."
Wait.
Wait, what?
My mouth hung open in shock. I couldn't close it.
Not sure?! Not sure?!
"Wh-what do you mean…?"
Aileen crossed her arms and touched her lips thoughtfully.
"Noah, I feel like you're hiding too much from me. You can't be friends if you keep too many secrets."
Secrets…?
"I-I don't have any secrets…"
"Really?"
Hmm… Well, I haven't told her I'm was a guy, or that I came from another world, or that this world is a game…
But even if I did, she wouldn't believe me.
She might think I'm totally crazy.
So no, I can't say that.
"Yeah…"
"Hmm. Okay then, if you say so…"
But hearing her say "I'm not sure" made me feel so hurt.
I thought we'd gotten pretty close…
Sure, I can't cook, but I still tried to make her breakfast… and I even made her coffee!
I practiced over and over because she said it tasted bad, and I forced myself to drink all the terrible ones just to get better!
That coffee made my heart race so hard I thought I'd die!
And on top of that, I fought off all those gnolls so she wouldn't get hurt!
My nose stung. My eyes felt hot…
Living alone in this remote place…
Hermilla is the only friend I've had, and now Aileen is saying this… it's just…
"But… but we're friends, aren't we? Is it because I don't call you Sister? Is that why…? Hic… But… But…"
This isn't my own body crying. It's the tears of this body, not mine.
Really…
"N-Noah…? Just… calm down…"
"A-Aileen… Hic… I-I can't make coffee… I-I can't cook either… Hic… and…"
"No, it's not that. Really, just…"
I wanted to say more, but my body kept shuddering with hiccups, and I couldn't speak properly.
"Huu… Uuu…! A-Ail… Aileen… Hic…"
"Ahh… Alright, come here."
Aileen sighed and opened her arms wide.
I turned my head away sharply.
No.
I won't go.
You said we're not close.
I like Hermilla better anyway.
I don't want to be around Aileen anymore. She's always serious, always lecturing…
"Hmmm… You really don't want to? Are you sure?"
Aileen wiggled her fingers playfully.
Do I look like a puppy who'll come running just because you wave something in front of me?
"I-I don't… I'm not going… Hic…"
Absolutely not.
I won't.
"If you come over here, I was planning to buy you that sugar apple you wanted… Too bad."
This evil… evil Aileen…!
Did she really think I'd fall for such an obvious temptation?!
"And I was thinking of getting the jelly we saw next to it too."
I got up, put down my greatsword, and leaped into her arms.
I must've jumped too hard, because Aileen fell backward from the impact.
"Th-the jelly… It's not because of the jelly, I swear…"
"Mhm. Sure, I know. A grown adult wouldn't do something like that, right?"
"R-right… Hic…"
Aileen's warm hands gently stroked my head and back.
"Huu… Huu…"
"Feeling better?"
"Sniff… Yes…"
"Of course I'm closer to you, Noah. Those men are just helping us out. I'm only grateful to them, that's all."
"R-really…?"
"Really."
Aileen stopped stroking my head and hugged me tighter.
I had a little trouble breathing, but her freshly washed scent was so comforting… I just stayed still.
"Now that you're calmer… should we start talking again?"
"Yeah."
"Do you want to keep talking like this, or would you rather sit across from me?"
"U-um…"
Aileen let out a small laugh, and her hair tickled my face as it moved with her chuckle.
"Let's keep talking like this. You don't mind, right?"
I nodded.
Saying it out loud would be too embarrassing.
"Alright, I'll go first. It's something really important, so listen carefully, okay?"
I nodded again.
"I'm telling you this because I want to get closer to you, Noah…"
I nodded harder this time.
"Haaa… Alright. Where should I start…"
Aileen let out a deep sigh and carefully chose her words.
"Noah."
"Yeah?"
"My name isn't really Aileen."
"Huh…?"
I pulled back a little from her embrace.
"Wh-what do you mean…?"
"My real name is Rubia. I'm Rubia, the priestess of Erden."
Found҉͠͝͏̸͖͚̤͔̤͍̱͈̮̲̹͉̗̫̳̯̞̰̟̦̖̘̱̜̗͕̪͉̪̻̬ You҉̴̛͕̫̠̖̜̱̠̘͉̜̤̻͡
"R-Rubia…?"
"Yes. I'm really… really sorry."
Aileen—no, Rubia—lowered her head and apologized sincerely.
Even though I've forgotten most of the story of Black Sun, I still remember that name.
Because Rubia was the main character of Black Sun.
Rubia, the priestess who served Lilith, the Sun Goddess.
Rubia, the priestess who was supposed to save the world.
And Rubia, the priestess who ran away, refusing to save it.
I can't remember all the details about her story, but I remember her face clearly.
She was… unbelievably, incredibly beautiful.
And now that amazing, gorgeous person is… my friend?
Ah.
From now on, don't call me "Shin Noah, 8-year veteran of Black Sun."
Call me "Rubia's best friend, Shin Noah."
The fact that we're lying here, hugging, proves we're best friends. Heh heh.
"Noah…?"
Oh right.
I should probably say something.
But what do I say?
"Uh, really?"
"Huh…?"
"Oh, okay…!"
Rubia tilted her head, confused.
"Um… Wait… Am I being too modest? I-I mean, I'm a really famous priestess, you know?"
"Ooh…!"
"I-I'm the priestess who's supposed to save the world…"
"That's so cool…!"
Clap, clap, clap
"..."
"..."
The already quiet inn room fell into an even deeper silence.
"Noah."
"Yeah…?"
"I'm a priestess."
"Y-yeah."
"I'm supposed to save the world."
"So cool!"
"The bitch goddess gave me a prophecy."
"Gasp! Rubia! Watch your language…"
"She said that when the world's balance collapses, the End will come. And the End will burn everything until it's all gone, and then restore everything to the way it was."
"An evil villain…!"
"But if I sacrifice myself, I can stop the End and save the world. If I die. I can save this damned world."
Umm… Oh… It sounds like she's been through a lot…
"Uh… W-watch your language… Use nice words…"
"So I ran away. I didn't want to do it."
"Hmm… You must've had a hard time… You've been through so much."
I reached out and patted Rubia's head.
Rubia and Hermilla always did this for me, so I figured it might comfort her.
"Good job…"
Pat, pat.
"..."
Pat, pat.
"..."
My arm was starting to hurt…
"Uh, hey, Rubia."
"...Yeah."
"It's okay."
"Wh-what is?"
Rubia's breathing became shaky.
"If it's too hard… You can take a break. You've been running for so long. You've worked hard."
Pat, pat.
Drip— A warm liquid fell onto my head.
"Sniff… Hic… Huu…"
It seemed like Rubia was crying.
Drip— Ew, this one was snot, I think…
Ugh… I want to wipe it off, but if I do, she might feel hurt…
"So… You can take it easy for a while. You can visit beautiful places, eat lots of delicious food… and… watch some fun plays."
"D-do you think… I can…?"
"Yes. It's really okay."
When I nodded, Rubia hugged me even tighter.
Ugh… I'm not a plush toy, you know.
But since she was crying so hard, I hugged her back too.
And I patted her on the back.
"Noah… Noah… I'm sorry… I'm sorry that if I don't save the world… in the end, Noah… Hic… Noah will…"
Rubia continued to sob and tell me about her past.
She talked about losing her parents.
About her peaceful village.
About the time she was scammed.
And about her dead younger sibling.
I listened silently, gently patting her back.
After a long while, once Rubia had finally calmed down, I decided to break the somber mood.
"Um… Should we go get that jelly now?"
Sweet things are the best when you're feeling down.
"Pfft… Hic… W-what kind of… jelly…"
Are you laughing or crying? Pick one!
And… don't act like you forgot!
You promised to buy it earlier!!
"Rubia promised to buy me jelly… Y-you're not going to pretend you forgot just because you changed your name from Aileen to Rubia, right?!"
"Haa… Sniff… Noah, you're going to drive me crazy… Hic… Okay, fine. Let's go…"
"Oh, and Rubia… There's something else I wanted to say…"
Now's probably not the best time to bring this up, but I have to say it.
"Huu… What is it?"
"Um… Don't learn single-handed swords or polearms… You should learn to wield a greatsword… because the true romance is in greatswords!"
"Sniff…! Pfft, haha! Oh… A greatsword?"
"Yes!"
"Hmm… But what can I do? Greatswords are too heavy for me. Haha… But I appreciate the thought."
"Oh… I-I mean, if you tried, you could learn to wield such a cool weapon, right?!"
I pointed to where my greatsword usually was.
But Rubia's hair swayed from side to side.
"No. A weapon like that doesn't suit me. It suits you, Noah."
"R-really…?"
"Of course. A weak person like me is better off with a single-handed sword."
"Hmm… I guess that's true."
Yeah, it really does seem that way.
This tough greatsword fits me perfectly.
As soon as I came to terms with that, I nodded.
And suddenly, pain shot through my head.
"Ow! Why'd you hit me?!"
It was Aileen's signature flick.
"I was disappointed because you gave up too quickly. I'm holding back from flicking you again."
Ugh, this is so unfair.
And it's totally unfair!
I looked up at Rubia with a pout, my lips moving sulkily.
"But you said that…!"
"Still. That's just how girls are. Heh… Though you're a girl too, Noah."
Girls are like that…?
So confusing…
I rubbed my head, frustrated, and moved away from Rubia.
"Fine… I'm leaving."
"But I didn't get to hear your story."
Ugh…!
"Wh-what do you want to know?"
"Hmm, yesterday I was so curious it was annoying, but now that I think about it… It feels like something Noah would do, so I'm not as curious anymore. I guess it doesn't matter."
What the heck.
Is she teasing me now?
After making me so curious?!
"No… Y-you can't just drop it like that after making me all curious…!"
"Hehe, it's nothing. I was just going to ask about Luchi, the survivor of Havlon… You knew him already, didn't you?"
Luchi?
Oh, right…
Rubia had been looking for Luchi, hadn't she?
"Uh… Well, I was so tired and the gnolls were swarming… I just forgot."
"Yeah, I believe you. I don't think you meant to hide anything. It's just something you'd do."
Rubia's body, which had been slightly apart from mine, pressed close to me again.
And then she wrapped her arms around me.
I feel like a real-life plush toy…
"Noah."
"Yeah…?"
A brief silence.
Rubia took a slow, deep breath and spoke again.
"Now that I've told you I'm a priestess… You're really okay with it?"
"What do you mean?"
"When other people hear that kind of story, they usually get pretty shaken up. But you're not reacting much, so I was just wondering."
"Aileen's name just changed to Rubia, right? I'm a little hurt you lied about your name…"
Feeling embarrassed, I squirmed a bit.
And then continued speaking.
"But Rubia is Rubia. Even if others call you a priestess or a savior… To me, you're just Rubia, the friend I made after Hermilla."
"You're really… driving me crazy."
Squeeze
Rubia hugged me so tightly I thought I might burst.
Ack…! I can't breathe!
"Guh…! Guhh…!"
"Thank you. Really… thank you."
"Ughh…"
"Just let me hold you for a bit longer. Even if you can't breathe, bear with it. You smell so nice… I just want to enjoy it a little more."
I could feel Rubia's strange breathing and her hot exhale on my head.
Even her legs wrapped around me now.
If this goes on any longer, something terrible might happen…
I forcefully pried her off.
"Ugh…! Rubia! Let's… go outside now! Let's get that jelly!"
"Huu… You're right. We should get jelly."
I nodded vigorously, then slowly walked over to where I had left my greatsword and grabbed the hilt.
As soon as I spread my sensing ability, I felt Rubia's intense gaze.
"R-Rubia…?"
"Yes?"
"Um… Never mind. Let's just go!"
I immediately turned and headed for the door.
"Noah."
But Rubia's low voice, thick with emotion, stopped me in my tracks.
"W-what is it…?"
"Do you want to sleep next to me tonight?"
"No."
Something bad would definitely happen…
Also, you're all covered in tears and snot now! No way!
Rubia got up and took a step toward me.
"I'll buy you double the amount of jelly."
"No…"
Two steps.
"And candy."
"N-not enough…"
Four steps.
"I'll buy you a week's supply."
"Ugh… Just tonight…?"
Rubia stopped.
"Yes."
Rubia reached out her hand.
Huh?
Why?
"Aren't you going to take it?"
"Why should I?"
Rubia cautiously stepped closer and whispered in my ear.
"There's a rumor that a wicked sorcerer from the magic tower lives in this village."
"Gasp… We'd better be careful…"
I reached out and grabbed her hand, and her long fingers interlaced with mine.
"Let's hold hands like this so you don't get dissected by the wicked sorcerer."
"Okay!"
I nodded rapidly and squeezed her hand tightly.
"Hehe… Alright, let's go get some jelly."
"S-sounds good…"
With a suspicious smile, Rubia led me out of the room.
I really hope nothing weird happens tonight…