Time passed quickly.
Luna still hadn’t opened her eyes. Even though three days had gone by since then.
Aside from the time spent training to raise my stats and taking brief walks, I stayed by Luna’s side most of the time.
I was worried about her condition, but…
“Grrowl!”
“Grroowwl!”
Yuridia and Victoria were watching over me, which played a bigger role in it.
They looked like they were ready to burn me alive if I left Luna’s side.
So, about 70% of each day was spent trapped in the room.
Whether it was because Luna showed no signs of waking up or because of the confinement, Rezé started acting strangely.
“Hee-hee… Carrots… th-they’re good for your health.”
Rezé had somehow gathered a large amount of carrots and began placing them one by one around Luna.
Before long, Luna was surrounded by a “carrot treatment room” (?).
To me, it looked more like a demon summoning circle, though.
And with the flowers that filled the room, it almost felt like Luna was lying in a funeral parlor.
Hm? Why was the room filled with flowers, you ask?
‘Because of those two girls who are madly in love.’
The bouquet Alex had brought when he visited Luna. That beautiful bouquet was enough to raise the alert level of Yuridia and Victoria.
“Alex, why did you bring a bouquet?”
“Well… because it suits Luna?”
Alex had answered with a bashful smile.
Upon seeing that, Yuridia and Victoria’s heads creaked as they turned to face each other. And then…
“Emergency!!”
“Super emergency!!”
Yuridia and Victoria, completely oblivious to the fact that Alex was teasing them, huddled together in a corner of the room to hold a strategy meeting. A little later, someone knocked on the door.
“Flower delivery.”
The sender? Zero. My name was on the order.
Of course, I didn’t place the order.
“Oh my! What are these flowers? They’re so fresh and beautiful, they make Alex’s bouquet look plain!”
“Oh my, my! Ordering all these flowers for your beloved Luna? You’re such a romantic guy!”
“Hmm… I see. Luna likes romantic things. Noted.”
“Emergency!”
“Super, super emergency!!”
Alex’s ongoing teasing and the frantic reactions of the two girls.
“Th-the witch really did collapse. S-so that means I won this fight by default…”
“Squeeee!”
Raymon’s interruptions, Rezé crying out that there was nowhere to hide, and me barely holding it together.
This hellish routine continued for three days. It was enough to drive anyone insane.
‘If only Luna were awake, she’d have put an end to this mess in an instant…’
As I once again realized how important Luna was, I began tidying up the chaotic room.
Of course, the “carrot treatment room” Rezé had created was also part of the mess.
“Stop it. What is this? It looks like a funeral.”
I cleared away the carrots surrounding Luna. Tears welled up in Rezé’s eyes.
“I-if only I hadn’t run away back then… I-if only I were a bit stronger…”
Was she starting to cry because of the fear that Luna might never wake up again? Rezé burst into sobs.
Squeeee-!
Then she let out a high-pitched wail, like a dolphin. Had she evolved into a dolphin rabbit in the meantime?
This rabbit really evolves in all sorts of ways. Damn rabbit.
“This… This is all your fault! S-save my friend!”
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pak-!
She even attacked me in her rage.
Damn Pufferfish Rabbit. Normally, it’s the timidest creature, but as soon as Luna’s gone, it turns vicious.
‘Luna! Hurry up and wake up so you can deal with this rabbit!’
The attack continued until Rezé finally exhausted herself and collapsed.
“…Sniff…”
I gently picked up the tearful, sleeping Rezé and laid her down next to Luna.
It had only been three days. Honestly, it wasn’t that long of a time.
Even if Luna woke up on the day we were supposed to leave Carpathia, it wouldn’t matter. A week is plenty of time.
But.
‘Luna, when are you planning to wake up? At least wake up for a moment and say something.’
The endless waiting was exhausting. And I wasn’t that different.
Every day without Luna felt like hell. The main characters in this story talked way too much.
At this rate, I might end up tearing my mouth open and turning into the Joker.
‘These social butterflies… they really know how to get on someone’s nerves. Why can’t they relax and have a quiet time, like me?’
The room was eerily silent after the main characters left.
I lifted my head and scanned the room.
It was filled with flowers and gifts.
‘Luna would be so happy to see all this when she wakes up.’
I wondered what kind of expression she would have when she found out she had made so many friends without even realizing it.
I was already looking forward to it.
“Luna, stop playing around and wake up. Your friends are waiting for you.”
I was waiting too. I was yearning for the return of our daily life.
Eating together, attending classes, laughing and chatting, training, and sometimes even playfully biting each other.
“We should get back to enjoying our usual days.”
— What are you doing? Go hold her hand already!
— …Does that even matter?
— Love has great power. It can overcome such trials easily!
Why was I suddenly reminded of that conversation I had with Yuridia?
I gently took Luna’s hand, which was resting neatly on top of the blanket.
It was a small but sturdy hand, calloused in various places.
And it was warm.
“…”
Suddenly, fear gripped me.
What if Luna never opened her eyes again? What if I lost a reliable comrade?
What if the warmth drained from this hand?
‘What would I do then?’
At this point, I had no choice but to admit it.
Luna wasn’t just a character in a game.
She was my friend, a precious comrade.
The fact that I was even worrying about this proved it.
In this game, it’s taboo to get emotionally attached to a character.
But.
‘Isn’t this also a way to enjoy the game?’
You can call me a fool.
You can say I’ve shamed the veterans.
You can complain about where my cold-hearted self has gone.
But teasing me for liking Luna… I might not be too fond of that.
Anyway, this is what I think.
“Please wake up, my friend.”
At that moment, Luna was dreaming.
To be precise, she was recalling a memory from the past. She didn’t know exactly when, but from the low angle of her vision, she could tell it was from when she was very young.
And little Luna was following an adult.
“Found you, mister!”
Luna cried out as she grabbed the man’s leg. The man, who was clearly startled, spoke.
“What a cute little girl. What’s the matter?”
The man acted as if it was his first time seeing Luna.
In fact, the man was right. Luna had never seen him before.
But.
“Mister, why are you pretending you don’t know me?”
“Uh, what?”
“I know you’re in disguise. Do you think I’m stupid?”
“Little miss, I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about…”
“I’m getting mad? Hmph!”
Luna crossed her arms and turned her head away, clearly upset. The man let out a deep sigh and then…
“…It’s been a while, Luna.”
A different voice came out of the man’s mouth.
The man’s name was Caron. He was on a mission to gather information at the party celebrating the Crown Prince’s birthday.
“Heehee! Long time no see! Are you playing hide-and-seek too, mister?”
“…Well, something like that.”
“Let me join! I’m a hide-and-seek genius!”
“Sorry, but this game is only for those fifteen and older. Come back in ten years.”
“Oh, I see. This is the adults’ game I’ve heard so much about…!”
Caron staggered slightly. What on earth was Renia teaching this child?
Caron’s worries were piling up like a mountain.
“So how did you recognize me?”
“The smell.”
“The smell?”
“Yeah! You have a unique smell, mister.”
Impossible. For a rat who moves in secret, a scent is a taboo.
He had an almost obsessive habit of eliminating any smell. Of course, today, he had deliberately spilled food and wine on his clothes to blend in as someone enjoying the party.
But that couldn’t possibly be his unique scent.
“There’s no way I’d have a smell.”
“Why not?”
Luna tilted her head in confusion. Caron’s hand twitched. She was so cute that he almost reached out to pat her.
“Ahem, it’s to avoid being tracked. Scent is the easiest information to trace.”
“Hee~ For something like that, your smell is really strong.”
“Since you found me so accurately, it must be true. Please tell me what kind of smell it is.”
“Hmm~.”
Luna rolled her little head. She had asked her mother about this before.
“Mom! You always smell so nice!”
“Heehee~ Our Luna has such a good nose. Is it because you take after your pretty mom?”
“Do pretty people have a good sense of smell?”
“Of course. Being pretty is justice!”
Scent, beauty, and justice were deeply connected!
Luna had firmly stored that fact in her mind and asked with her head tilted.
“But what do you call this smell?”
“Well… There isn’t a specific word for it. Not many people can detect it, so it hasn’t been recognized academically…”
“Hmm… I see.”
Luna dropped her head sadly.
It was such a shame that a scent this nice didn’t have a name.
“But your mom has a definition for it.”
“Mom’s amazing, as always!”
“Of course! Mom is amazing!”
Renia proudly raised her chin. At that moment, a man carrying a mountain of documents shouted as he passed by.
“Hey, you ‘amazing mom’! How about helping out a bit?”
“Darling, can’t you see I’m playing with our pretty daughter, who isn’t as pretty as me?”
“If you keep playing with that pretty daughter, all the people in the territory are going to freeze to death! Hurry up and help out! Or go kill some monsters!”
Renia flinched at the man’s scolding.
“Geez, your dad gets so worked up when the territory’s in danger? He’s usually such a timid guy.”
“Dad’s a hero to the people!”
“Exactly! Why do the people in the territory revere my husband as a hero? They’re my people, mine!”
Renia fumed. Whenever there was a problem, the people of the territory sought out her husband instead of her, their lord.
Renia couldn’t understand why.
“Okay, today’s the day I show them the dignity of their lord!”
Renia was about to head to her office when she stopped. She turned back to Luna and spoke.
“Oh, I didn’t tell you what the smell was, did I? It’s the smell that only comes from people with warm hearts…”
Renia kissed Luna’s forehead and whispered.
“It’s called a ‘warm scent.’”
With that memory coming back to her, Luna opened her eyes.
That’s right, it was a warm scent. The warm scent that came from Dad and Mom.
And that same scent was coming from Caron right in front of her.
“Did you remember what the smell was?”
“Heehee, it’s a secret.”
“A secret?”
“Yeah! Mom said that a pretty woman must have many secrets!”
“…I see.”
“What’s with that reaction! Are you saying I’m not pretty!?”
“N-no, that’s not it. It’s just… You said something so obvious that I didn’t know how to respond.”
A flustered Caron stammered.
Luna tightly hugged Caron’s leg.
There was a nice smell coming from the mister. The same smell as before.
A warm scent.
“Let go.”
“Nope.”
“…Your mom won’t like this. She might try to tear me apart.”
“No way. My mom likes you.”
Puff.
Luna puffed out her cheeks. Caron couldn’t help but smile at her.
Luna smiled back at him.
“Eat lots of good food and be careful on your way home.”
“Okay! See you next time, mister! Make sure you win hide-and-seek!”
As the man walked away, his face, voice, and name became more and more blurred the further he went.
Soon, Luna lost all memory of Caron.
All that was left was the vague memory of a strange man she used to be close with.
She had no idea who that man was, but she was sure he was a good person.
And during the entrance exam, she met someone who had a similar scent.
Or rather, she met the person with that scent.
‘A warm scent.’
That scent was still here, now.
Luna began following the scent.
And as soon as she realized that it was coming from right beside her…
“…Huh.”
Luna returned to reality.
The first thing that came into view was Rezé, curled up and sleeping next to her.
And when she followed the warm scent…
There he was.
Zero. He was holding her hand tightly, fast asleep.
Luna was lost in thought for a moment. Soon, she remembered everything.
She had no memory after being hit by the high-ranking demon’s attack.
‘I must have been unconscious.’
How much time had passed?
Judging by Zero and Rezé’s appearances, quite a bit of time must have passed.
She had worried them. She had caused trouble.
She needed to let them know as soon as possible that she was awake, that she was okay.
So she could ease her friends’ worries.
“Ugh…”
Maybe because she had just woken up, her body felt completely drained of energy.
But she managed to move her hand to her mouth.
After about three minutes of effort, Luna finally succeeded in bringing Zero’s hand to her lips.
It was a hand full of warmth, full of that warm scent.
Nibble.
She gently bit his finger.
The response was immediate. Zero’s finger twitched slightly, and he slowly lifted his head from where it was resting on the bed.
Was he just waking up, or was he startled?
Zero looked a bit dazed, his expression blank.
Luna spoke to him.
“Good morning.”
Zero, who had been staring blankly for a moment, finally opened his mouth.
His voice was slightly choked, maybe even tinged with some inexplicable emotion.
“…It’s not morning, it’s night, Luna.”
On the fourth day at dawn.
Luna had finally returned to her friends.
–TL Notes–
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First glimpse of Luna father! Could he be the Final boss?
Will Luna relationship with Caron finally progress?