Chapter 21

“……S-, since Rose-san has decided to have the appearance of a girl after this, you should also make your own clothes, okay?” (Mana)

I gazed at my friend, who talked a little fast, from underneath the mask .

There was a faint red glow on Mana’s face who was hugging my body from the top of my slightly disheveled clothes . ¹ A『guardian』in the literal meaning that the weak-bodied her, who was also a close friend, was watching over us from every day——as she was requested by Master who separated from us, she could stick out her chest and say so——it may be a bias, but the figure of Mana in a weak atmosphere where her face was blus.h.i.+ng was much more cuter than usual, and there was an atmosphere that incited the desire-to-protect² of those who saw her .

Anyhow, that reaction felt『lovelier than usual』 and was an unusual thing『not seen normally』,which made me feel doubt .

“——” (Rose)

Tilting your head . Making a facial expression . Before emitting words, preparing your mind to move your mouth at the same time .

Performing all these tasks subconsciously and simultaneously was a huge deal in itself, not to mention the fact that each ones of those tasks required extremely delicate adjustments .

I was impressed that human beings were doing difficult things like this, well, skillfully . There was no doubt that any human had processing abilities that were greater than mine, and they deserved respect for that alone .

……I didn’t feel like the day would come that I could do this by myself, who was a doll no matter how hard I may try, but it couldn’t be helped even if I complained . The reason I could do it was because I put in a lot of effort .

“Mana?” (Rose)

Upon finis.h.i.+ng all of such work under the mask, I was finally able to ask Mana a question .

“Your face seems to be red from some time ago, but is your physical condition or something bad?” (Rose)ᴬ

“……It isn’t like that . You don’t have to worry . It is because these circ.u.mstances” (Mana)

Mana didn’t try to make eye contact in this direction .

Her reaction was increasingly strange . I was a little worried .

“You aren’t overdoing it, are you? Since Mana’s body isn’t very strong, if there is some abnormality, please let me know immediately . ” (Rose)

“No .  Really, I’m alright . ” (Mana)

Mana waved both of her hands in front of her body . Still, her face didn’t match .

“Or, how should I put it, because Rose-san’s true character is diligent, it is difficult to understand, but it is that once in a while . ” (Mana)

“……? Certainly, my head isn’t on the very good side . ” (Rose)

“No no . I didn’t mean that . ” (Mana)

What Mana said wasn’t to the point .

It seemed that just the facial expression of doubt was becoming splendid as it was . It was also a bit of a story that wasn’t of no result .

“I don’t understand it well, but thanks to your cooperation, I have some hope that we can accomplish this . For now, I’ll start working on the upper body that I was able to check this time . I think that I’ll need your cooperation again, so when the time comes please help me . ” (Rose)

“, again, is it……?” (Mana)

“Are there any problems?” (Rose)

“N-, no . ……I understand . ” (Mana)

Mana was *tremble* trembling, as if she withstood something . Her looks, which were slightly young for her age, were flushed .

‘This response is possibly……’, I thought suddenly as I was observing Mana’s face .

I thought it was probably due to the『checking』, which was a process necessary to produce my body, that we had done as a pair until some time ago……

Perhaps, Mana might be feeling embarra.s.sed?

However, if that’s the case, then why? I didn’t really understand the reason Mana was embarra.s.sed . 『Touching and checking』was something Mana suggested herself . . In reality, by me doing so, granted that there were many more problems, I could make just this delicate doll’s face, and as mentioned before, there was no reason to not choose this method after all of this .

Despite this, why was Mana feeling embarra.s.sed?

I thought about the insides of Mana, who felt ashamed . I thought . I imagined .

——『Understanding the subtleties of human emotions』was one of the problems that I faced .

Since Mana had the complexity and delicacy as a human girl, it could be objectively evaluated that she was a very good study target . Moreover, she was the person closest to me, save Master, and because she was also a close friend, the hours where I thought about her weren’t boring .

I wanted to understand Mana . I thought ‘I want to deeply understand the first friend that I made, approximately the same as Master and myself’ .

“……Hmm” (Rose)

While I was thinking about the reason that Mana was feeling shy like that, there was something that came to mind .

According to what I learned from Mana, who I looked up to as a mentor, a human man seemed to be a creature that cared about the figure of a woman .

And, it seemed that women cared about their own figure the same as, or possibly more, than that .

Specifically, when it came to things like their b.r.e.a.s.t.s, hips, b.u.t.t, and legs .

There were some parts that I, who was an as.e.xual, non-living type monster originally, didn’t understand but I suppose it was in a way related to that . It wasn’t as if I couldn’t think of a possible hypothesis .

Therefore, what my a.s.sumption of what Mana’s feeling were, was『worrying about her small body undulations compared to Lily-ane-sama’s』 .

Because what she showed was something that was thought to be disgraceful by herself, her body was trembling with embarra.s.sment . I see . If I thought about it in this way, the theory went through .

If that was the case, then it may be best to back her up as a friend .

Since Mana’s body wasn’t shameful at all .

Judging it so, post nodding once, I called out to Mana .

“Don’t worry, your body was very lovely . ” (Rose)ᴮ

“U, uuuu……” (Mana)

Mana became bright red, hid her face with both of her hands, and crouched .

She was sunk .

“It seems I said something careless, I’m sorry . ” (Rose)

“……No . Please don’t worry about it . ” (Mana)

I hung my head and apologized . Mana was crouching on the ground still . Her face was hidden, and her ears which peaked through the gaps of her braided hair were red .

……by the way, this was a digression .

I understood that『a human being exposing their skin was embarra.s.sing』a bit later——a good deal had pa.s.sed since I made a habit like wearing clothes everyday, and it was around the time that such feelings were felt even by myself .

Much less that my thoughts couldn’t possibly reach as far as『more than that』 . I was inexperienced still .

“But, Mana . Say it is unpleasant if it is unpleasant, I don’t mind . ” (Rose)

When I spoke, Mana *glance* looked this way with her eyes that peeked through the gaps of her fingers which hid her face .

“……I didn’t particularly mean that being touched by Rose-san was unpleasant . ” (Mana)

Only a little, were those eyes bitter .

“Just, well, it seems I’ve woken something, I should say . Rose-san is tall and slender, good-looking, and has a low and calm voice, you’re a little fluttering like a girl . Your appearance isn’t much different from ours now . Well, that is my fault . ” (Mana)ᶜ

“Errr, Mana? I understand that I am being praised for some reason or another, but……woken up? Fluttering? What in the world are those?” (Rose)

“No, well, those were jokes, I’ll be troubled if you retort to those deadly seriously . ……Yes, a joke . A joke . That is skins.h.i.+p of fellow girls, skins.h.i.+p……” (Mana)

Mana concealed her face again, and *mutter* muttered something that wasn’t understood by me .

“Mana?” (Rose)

“……Please at least do it after I bathe next time . ” (Mana)

At Mana’s request, I inclined my head .

“Bathing, is it? Okay . I understand . ” (Rose)

“Perhaps, you don’t understand, right? ……Well, it’s fine . ” (Mana)

A sigh .

Mana shook her head and stood up .

“So, I think I’ll prepare your clothes . ” (Mana)

“My clothes, is it?” (Rose)

At the utterance of Mana, who seemed to have recovered, I matched the conversation . It would be best to not mention that there was redness on her face, I knew at least that .

“Is it to ask Gerbera to make my clothes?” (Rose)

“Yes . In fact, I think I will get her to make something that matches Rose-san while I’m at it . ” (Mana)

“Going out of your way? As for me, I don’t really have a problem with this, though . If you can get her to make the same thing…” (Rose)

“It’s no good . ” (Mana)

When I spoke while showing Lily-ane-sama’s clothes that I had on now, Mana *slap* thrust aside this proposal .

“Is it fine, Rose-san? As a girl, every day is a war . Clothes are like swords, spears, axes, and bowes and arrows . Your attire must have that sort of appeal . ” (Mana)

“……these, are Lily-ane-sama’s clothes though . ” (Rose)

“It is no good if you refer to such a cheat person . ” (Mana)

“No, that……Ane-sama isn’t particularly crafty…I think . ” (Rose)

“She is cute and quite the beautiful person, the type that is devoted to the people she loves, and on top of that, an indecent predator . Her heart is connected to Senpai’s by the path, through which her feelings of love pa.s.s; it’s like they’re both reciting love letters to each other’s ears at all time . What is this if not a cheat?” (Mana)

Mana was saying all she had to say .

But, I didn’t feel that there was any part that I could nod at .

“Even Rose-san, you want the ‘dressed up you’ to be seen by Senpai at least, don’t you?” (Mana)

“That is……no . It’s…just like that . ” (Rose)

“If that’s the case, it’s settled . Let’s go ask Gerbersan . ” (Mana)

When Mana persuaded me, she decided the plan for action quickly .

Mana was truly reliable in this sort of field . She touched upon the chance and informed me on how much the part that I didn’t care about too much was important as a girl .

Usually, I was in a position where I worried about Mana, who didn’t have the power to fight . However, in such a direction it went around into only being taught . The position was *flip* overturned, and yet, that it finished without me feeling indebted, I think it might have been because the other party was Mana .

I yearned for my older sister while we helped each other, the feeling was only a little different still than the sisters who loved me as their youngerᴰ sister . ³ This, in other words, would be the existence called a friend .

I started to chase after the back of Mana, who had taken the initiative and begun to walk .

“Huh?” (Mana)

However, Mana stopped her feet after going forward only a few steps .

Mana looked at the entrance of the cave, and blinked . Was something wrong?

“Gerbersan isn’t there . ” (Mana)

“Isn’t there? It shouldn’t be like that . ” (Rose)

Gerbera had said ‘I’ll keep watch’ and went out .

Without a doubt, I had thought that she was supposed to be making Master’s clothes outside the cave .

“By some chance, did she go to see the fortress, I wonder?” (Mana)

If you climbed the steep slope that opened to the mouth of this cave a little while pus.h.i.+ng through all of the trees, there was a place where you could overlook the fortress that Master went towards .

As it wasn’t the case where we could confirm Master’s figure, there wasn’t too much meaning in it, but there was still the problem of feelings, and even I myself was turning my feet several times a day .

Gerbera especially went to see it frequently, and it was around the evening of the day before yesterday that she came back with a pale face saying ‘I have a feeling that my eyes met with a blonde-haired woman who seemed to be a sentry’ . At that time, detailed instructions of ‘you should be careful’ were given, but……

“No . That wouldn’t happen . ” (Rose)

I shook my head .

“Even Gerbera isn’t stupid enough to go somewhere without saying anything to us . ” (Rose)

“That’s right . a.s.suming so, surely she’s nearby……” (Mana)

Mana walked while saying so, but as she tried to go outside from the mouth of the cave, her feet stopped a second time .

Although I thought it strange, I also looked outside from the entrance from over her shoulder .

There, was the white spider .

Gerbera was sitting beside the cave’s entrance . Exactly there, was a place that couldn’t be seen from within the cave .

It seemed that she was accomplis.h.i.+ng her role as a guard precisely . That being the case, there weren’t any problems . I was relieved .

As Gerbera was in a place that was drawn out from that, I was a little worried some time ago, but it seemed that it was over-anxiety .

……I thought that, but soon noticed that her appearance was strange .

That I realized it, may be because that area was right intuitively .

Certainly, concerning the keeping guard job, Gerbera was doing it diligently . However, I didn’t mean that it was just that .

“Ku, kuku……kufu, kufufu……kufufufufu……” (Gerbera)

In that place, was the figure of a white girl floating a loose smile .

It, loose already, was a *nimanima*⁴ facial expression .

Unrelated to inhuman like my doll looks while being arranged to the degree of it being too arranged, her look similar to such a wonder, was very disappointing .

“Fufu, fu, fufufu . ” (Gerbera)

Gerbera was staring at the coc.o.o.n that was made of spider thread in order for her to hold it in her arms .

It seemed to be the cause of her loosening her looks .

“Fufufufu……fu?” (Gerbera)

Shortly after we discovered such a figure of hers, Gerbera, who should have had a keen sense originally, noticed us at last .

The red eyes of the white girl, who *quickly* turned around, reflected us . Her loosened mouth which stiffened very fast .

“……Fua!?” (Gerbera)

Time froze .

Both I, Mana, and even the one in question, Gerbera, hardened, and couldn’t move .

Something that mustn’t be seen was seen——I guess . That she was in a place that wasn’t immediately visible from within the cave, in short, it seemed she had done so on purpose .

“Rose-dono, that is?” (Gerbera)

“Ye-, yeah . ” (Rose)

Come to think of it, wasn’t my appearance of now was completely different that normal?

That Gerbera was able to identify me as me, I think it was either because I came out from the cave with Mana, or because of the link between mutual family members .

“There’s some stuff I’m thinking about and a figure that I want to have . Gerbera, what are you doing now……” (Rose)

“I, I-I, I am……” (Gerbera)

Gerbera was at a loss for words while her mouth flapped open and closed .

Whether or not she was very embarra.s.sed, her complexion that was originally a translucent white was now bright red . Her words cut off there and didn’t continue, and an awkward silence prevailed .

It was the first time for such a thing: I didn’t know what I should do .

There was an overwhelming lacking of experience .

Aah, no . Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the case that such a situation being born was a first-time experience . If it was『something that mustn’t be seen』, previously, I had gone and encountered a situation where Master and Lily-ane-sama were kissing and sharing the bed in the nude . That really seemed to be something that mustn’t be seen, and I have a memory that Master had an unusually awkward face .

I was disinterested in such subtleties at that time, so in regards to the thing itself, I didn’t particularly think about it too much .

Now was different .

It was earth-shatteringly awkward .

It was a moment in which I felt growth . ……In spite of not doing anything in such a scene .

Gerbera also didn’t move . Although there were various complications up until now, the girl who I recognized as『my younger sister』somehow or other was lolling her head currently .

Her eyes were half teary, and her white cheeks were red, as if boiled . If you poked at her a little with your fingertip, there was the danger that she’d *pachin* burst . I couldn’t move thoughtlessly .

Unintentionally, I relied on my friend next to me .

Mana, who noticed that I was a beat behind in her eyes that went around, opened her eyes lightly as if to say『Eh? Me?』 . Her mouth became stiff .

“……Aah, umm . Come to think of it . ” (Mana)

Whether or not she was thinking about her words to follow-up with hectically, Mana spoke with a slightly slippery voice .

“I’d heard from Mizus.h.i.+msenpai that some kinds of spiders wrap their eggs and make coc.o.o.ns……” (Mana)

“Th-that’s……right?” (Rose)

I’d think about it later, though .

Relying on Mana here, it wasn’t possible to say that it was very good judgement .

Mana was delicate and wise, but fundamentally that perception was something that was displayed upon preparing beforehand .

To put it another way, her adaptation ability was surprisingly low .

Like how she had peeled my clothes off of me, who was at my wit’s end, just some time ago .

In addition, what I thought about myself was just a guess . For now, I only thought about trying to match the conversation from Mana, as it was too awkward .

“But, Gerbera isn’t supposed to be carrying out the act of breeding eggs and everything else yet . At least, with Master . ” (Rose)

“Ah, no . Gerbersan hasn’t particularly done this and that with someone other than Senpai . What I want to say, in other words, is that that is surely practice while focusing on the future . ” (Mana)

“Practice, is it?” (Rose)

At me asking back, whether or not the habit that Mana was always doing so to me appeared, she broke it, raised the aforementioned, and taught me carefully . [s.a.d.i.s.t: What habit we talking bout here?

“If I had to give you an a.n.a.logy then it’s kinda similar to making baby clothes for the kids of your loved ones, I guess?” (Mana)

“Even though she isn’t in that sort of relations.h.i.+p yet, is it that fun-like?” (Rose)

It was no good if she called it ‘easy to understand’ .

Confirming it was the final blow .

“——tsu!” (Gerbera)

Gerbera, whose face was bright red, raised a shriek that didn’t sound like a voice, and ran away with teary eyes .

“……I made a blunder . ” (Mana)

Mana muttered with a slightly awkward facial expression .

“I didn’t have any ill intent, but……” (Mana)

“I think what Mana wanted to say was『it can’t be helped because it is a spider’s instinct』 . ” (Rose)

“Well, that’s right . It is embarra.s.sing because it is instinct . I made a mistake in the way I followed up . ” (Mana)

“……It is difficult, huh . ” (Rose)

“……It is difficult, huh . ” (Rose)

Well, we finished the request in regards to my clothes with Gerbera, who came back to me afterwards, and decided to go towards the spot where we could look out on the entirety of the fortress .

It was because being close to the teary eyed and red-faced Gerbera, was very awkward .

We did bad things to her . I thought ‘let’s quietly leave for a while’ .

While reflecting, I climbed the slope with Mana’s aid .

“……Mu . ” (Rose)

When I plunged into the thicket without care like normal, my clothes got caught in the branches of the trees, which was a little irritating . It seemed it would take some time until I got used to this .

I pierced the ground with the b.u.t.t end of the one-handed axe as though it was a cane, looked back, and held out my other hand to Mana .

“Are you all right, Mana?” (Rose)

“Yeah, I’m all right . ” (Mana)

Mana, who was a little short of breath, borrowed my hand and climbed the slope .

“Let’s take a break for a little while . ” (Rose)

“N-, no . That, isn’t neccessary” (Mana)

Mana, who placed her hands on her knees and put her breathing in order, looked up at me and spoke .

“Because I have already, lived in the forest for a long time……I have gotten, quite used to walking, and I’ve acquired physical strength as well . There’s no need to worry . ” (Mana)

“Even so, Mana is short, and your body is delicate and fragile, so I’m worried no matter what . ” (Rose)

As she heard my words, Mana bitterly smiled a little .

“Rose-san is a little overprotective, huh . Well, that is frankly pleasant though . ” (Mana)

“It’s been only two days since you collapsed, so wouldn’t it be natural to worry?” (Rose)

According to the original plan, Mana was supposed to be in the fortress together with Master around this time . That it didn’t happen, was because her physical condition was destroyed just before that .

“Even Master was worrying a lot about Mana . Please pay attention to your body . ” (Rose)

When I spoke, Mana’s shoulder *twitch* shook .

“……is, that so? Even from Rose-san’s eyes, you saw so?” (Mana)

“Yeah . Recently, Master is worrying about Mana . No . Just because you hadn’t tried to go outside from a long time ago, I think that maybe it was like that . ” (Rose)

If compared to before, the opportunities for Master to speak with Mana were increasing . It, somehow, seemed to be since that night, when I received permission to teach the basics of magic to Mana .

That night, there seemed to be some sort of change in him . Whether or not what the heck it was was a change of mental state, it wasn’t a place that my imagination reached, but I could sense that it wasn’t at all a bad change for him .

Originally, even while giving plausable-ish reasons of ‘this and that’, Master was worrying about Mana . Even though he was vigilant towards her and had doubts regarding her intentions, I perfectly remember that he worried about her poor physical conditions many times over .

Despite being not fully composed at our decision, Master had decided to carry the burden called Mana . It showed Master’s nature .

If I thought back upon it, Master had used the word『responsibility』strongly at that time .

Surely Master had a strong sense of responsibility, but he seemed to use the word『responsibility』towards Mana as some kind of『excuse』 .

When I thought back upon it……Master, a misanthropist that didn’t trust other humans, subconsciously used excuses such as “’I want to save her, to save the girl who was protected in the mountain hunt still” to protect the『humanity』inside him .

As was expected what occasion it was wasn’t understood by me, but recently it seemed to have reached the point that such worries could be shown on the surface honestly . As a result, the conversations between Master and Mana increased .

Nowadays, there were also scenes in which sluggishness was encouraged by the two concerning handling magical power, and I was thinking it was pleasant to see the two like that .

Although she had a friend called me, Mana seemed to enjoy exchanging conversations with Master, an alike human, who used to live in the same town and had similar circ.u.mstances . The times where she was happy when she was called out to were numerous . To me, who was together with her for a long time, it was clear that Mana’s mouth was smiling broadly when I was looking at her closely .

Though, it seemed that Master himself, who was calling out to her, wasn’t aware of the situation of her like that .

“It is impossible to raise worry towards Majimsenpai . I understand, let’s have a little break, shall we?” (Mana)

While stroking her braids, Mana *nod* nodded .

I, who succeeded in persuading her, lead Mana while interrupting with breaks several times and climbed the slope .

Before long we reached a small cliff . It was an ideal point to look out over the fortress without having the overgrown trees obstruct our view .

I turned caution towards the reddish-brown, dignified fortress that made me feel months and years .

Over there now, was Master . About this time, what was going on, I wonder . How close was he to his goal, I wonder . He wasn’t being perplexed or troubled, was he?

“……” (Rose)

When I noticed, my consciousness had been absorbed by the fortress that cut off the deep forest and stood towering over the surroundings .

I didn’t mean that I was as close to Master as Lily-ane-sama was, but still, since this ego sprouted, I hadn’t seen Master’s face for a day .

When I thought that I was in a place that was separated from Master now, I felt restless in some respects .

‘I want to be close to him’, I thought honestly .

Even if I replaced this body, I wanted to protect Master’s body . I was Master’s s.h.i.+eld, so I’d try to protect him until I became a wood chip; I wanted to stay at Master’s side from such self-awareness……

……Now, it wasn’t only such a feeling .

Of course, such a feeling never disappeared . Rather, it was even getting stronger . I wanted to be a s.h.i.+eld that protected Master . That was a never-changing part of my core that continued to exist .

However, in my doll chest, another feeling was dwelling now .

It, was genuinely just the feeling of『I want to be at Master’s side』 .

It had no connection to my role as a family member . I just wanted to be by Master’s side, to feel his existence .

It was evident that it had the same origin as the feeling that produced the desire『I want to be held tight by Master』 .

The me of now was able to hold this doll chest tight as something important, without casting away feelings of such a me like『I was presumptuous and didn’t know my place』 .

It was possible to say that this was solely thanks to my friend who was next to me .

Mana said that it was no good if I killed myself . ⁵ She persuaded me that my feeling of wanting to do something, and the great efforts in order to be held tight by Master as a doll girl, were important things that couldn’t be denied by anyone .

She told me that giving up was no good .

It encouraged that my wish could be granted .

I’d never forget about that day when I became friends with Mana . Being supported by her words, I began to sincerely face my own heart .

Someday, it’d be good if I could name this feeling that was still in my chest now . And, if I could inform Master of it——……

“……” (Rose)

Someday, it’d be good if I could name this feeling that was still in my chest now . And, if I could inform Master of it——……

“……” (Rose)

While thinking about Master like that, how much time had we gazed at the reddish-brown fortress?

A strong wind suddenly blew, rustling the trees .

My clothes fluttered, and I returned to myself to that unfamiliar feeling . At the same time as that, I noticed that I had been doing so for a long time . I ‘oh no!’ became impatient .

I was completely engrossed in it, lost in thought . It was fine nevertheless if it was just me, but Mana was also in this place . It must’ve been a boring time for her .

In addition to that, since yesterday, Mana had been going out with me to this place many a time . This feeling of thinking about Master was important, but it would be different if it made my friend feel bored by that cause .

I reflected, and faced Mana’s direction——

“……” (Rose)

——I noticed that I was misunderstanding .

There, was the figure of Mana staring at the fortress with very earnest eyes .

The appearance of wearing a small smile on her mouth, was adding transient things to the impression of Mana, who was delicate and slender originally . Her doing so, it looked like she was going to disappear soon .

Nonetheless, her eyes were attracted to the fortress and didn’t separate . Of course, there was not even an iota of boredom in her expression .

Without realizing what I was seeing, and with more enthusiasm than what was apt to do , Mana was gazing at the fortress . My thoughts were jumping between to the fortress that was in sight from this place——and to the person that was in this place just like me .

A misunderstanding; in the long run, it was like that .

The size of Mana’s feelings that were tipped towards Master, I had misread them the whole time .

From when I came across Mana, first as an observer, and as a friend from midway, I was with her longer than I was with Master . So, the time that Mana had been sharing air with Master was about the same as me .

If I put it another way, it was that so far from when I came across Master at that mountain hut, there wasn’t a day that Mana, the same as me, didn’t see his face .

Concerning this matter, the conditions of Mana and I resembled each other closely . And, our reactions in regards to it also unusually resembled each other .

If that was the case, I wonder, the thoughts in her chest, weren’t they the same as well?

When I tried to think about it like that, there was also something that made sense .

Once, there was a time where Lily-ane-sama and I were vigilant of Mana . When I asked about that, Mana had said that she wasn’t angry . Concerning that reason, she replied『because she sympathizes with us, who were family members』 .

That she sympathized with us family members, not Master who was an alike human .

Perhaps, wasn’t that evidence that she and I harboured the same feelings?

The fact that I noticed it like that, became some sort of chance and it burst open within me .

You could reword it as a spark . The time that I spent with her so far was the fuse, and now, it caught fire there .

My thoughts ran through, to the truth that the little girl called Mana Katō hid at all costs .

“Mana . ” (Rose)

Unintentionally, I was calling out my friend’s name .

With this, Mana returned to me . After blinking a few times unnaturally, her eyes returned to this direction .

“Aah . Sorry . It seems that I was a little in a daze . Shall we go back soon?” (Mana)

Mana said so while floating a small smile, as though nothing had happened .

From that conduct, not even a particle of such things as that she had been gazing at the fortress with that much zeal could be guessed .

What was there, was the usual Mana . Yes . The usual……perhaps, that is to say, Mana might have been doing such all along even until now .

What it was, I was shocked at .

I was taught the important thing that was in my heart by Mana . If Mana wasn’t there, I would have covered this feeling that I turned towards Master, shut the key in the warehouse inside of my chest, and left it alone .

That I could carry this feeling in my chest seriously, all of it was thanks to Mana .

And yet, Mana was ignoring her own heart . She had decided that it wasn’t there . Would she allow such a thing?

Being a friend, pretending not to see it . Was such a thing really acceptable? With such a thing, could I say that I was her friend?

“What’s the matter, Rose-san?” (Mana)

As she began to walk trying to return, Mana noticed that I wasn’t following

I threw a question to her, who turned around with a strange look .

“Mana . You, what do you think about Master?” (Rose)

——Crack, on Mana’s emotionally thin facial expression, a big crack ran deeply .

Author’s Notes

◆Thank you for waiting .
I’m sorry . It stepped over a day……

◆The latter half is later on again . I plan to post it soon .

Translator’s Notes

¹ – Not entirely sure of the middle part of the sentence, but that was the best that I could come up with . ‘少し乱れた服のうえから体を抱くようにした真菜の顔には、ほんのりと朱が差している。` 

² – I’m pretty sure the author is talking about the thing where you see something/someone cute and you are like ‘MUST . PROTEEEEECT . ’

³ – Another one I’m not sure about . ‘助け合いながら姉と慕い、妹として慈しむ姉妹たちとはまた少しばかり違った感覚。’ 

⁴ – Nimanima is apparently a sound effect for uh… . smirking? 

⁵ – Woaaahhh, that came outta left field .  

Editor’s Notes

A: Are we venturing into Shoujo Ai/Yuri territory? 

B: proceeds to add Shoujo Ai tag on Novel Updates 

C: I just wonder what? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

D: Am not sure either, if I had to guess she’s probably yearning for Lily and saying this yearning is different from sisterly love? 

“……S-, since Rose-san has decided to have the appearance of a girl after this, you should also make your own clothes, okay?” (Mana).

I gazed at my friend, who talked a little fast, from underneath the mask

There was a faint red glow on Mana’s face who was hugging my body from the top of my slightly disheveled clothes . ¹ A『guardian』in the literal meaning that the weak-bodied her, who was also a close friend, was watching over us from every day——as she was requested by Master who separated from us, she could stick out her chest and say so——it may be a bias, but the figure of Mana in a weak atmosphere where her face was blus.h.i.+ng was much more cuter than usual, and there was an atmosphere that incited the desire-to-protect² of those who saw her

Anyhow, that reaction felt『lovelier than usual』 and was an unusual thing『not seen normally』,which made me feel doubt

“——” (Rose).

Tilting your head . Making a facial expression . Before emitting words, preparing your mind to move your mouth at the same time

Performing all these tasks subconsciously and simultaneously was a huge deal in itself, not to mention the fact that each ones of those tasks required extremely delicate adjustments . I was impressed that human beings were doing difficult things like this, well, skillfully . There was no doubt that any human had processing abilities that were greater than mine, and they deserved respect for that alone

……I didn’t feel like the day would come that I could do this by myself, who was a doll no matter how hard I may try, but it couldn’t be helped even if I complained . The reason I could do it was because I put in a lot of effort

“Mana?” (Rose).

Upon finis.h.i.+ng all of such work under the mask, I was finally able to ask Mana a question

“Your face seems to be red from some time ago, but is your physical condition or something bad?” (Rose)ᴬ.

“……It isn’t like that . You don’t have to worry . It is because these circ.u.mstances” (Mana).

Mana didn’t try to make eye contact in this direction

Her reaction was increasingly strange . I was a little worried

“You aren’t overdoing it, are you? Since Mana’s body isn’t very strong, if there is some abnormality, please let me know immediately . ” (Rose).

“No .  Really, I’m alright . ” (Mana).

Mana waved both of her hands in front of her body . Still, her face didn’t match

“Or, how should I put it, because Rose-san’s true character is diligent, it is difficult to understand, but it is that once in a while . ” (Mana).

“……? Certainly, my head isn’t on the very good side . ” (Rose).

“No no . I didn’t mean that . ” (Mana).

What Mana said wasn’t to the point

It seemed that just the facial expression of doubt was becoming splendid as it was . It was also a bit of a story that wasn’t of no result

“I don’t understand it well, but thanks to your cooperation, I have some hope that we can accomplish this . For now, I’ll start working on the upper body that I was able to check this time . I think that I’ll need your cooperation again, so when the time comes please help me . ” (Rose).

“, again, is it……?” (Mana).

“Are there any problems?” (Rose).

“N-, no . ……I understand . ” (Mana).

Mana was *tremble* trembling, as if she withstood something . Her looks, which were slightly young for her age, were flushed

‘This response is possibly……’, I thought suddenly as I was observing Mana’s face

I thought it was probably due to the『checking』, which was a process necessary to produce my body, that we had done as a pair until some time ago…….

Perhaps, Mana might be feeling embarra.s.sed?.

However, if that’s the case, then why? I didn’t really understand the reason Mana was embarra.s.sed . 『Touching and checking』was something Mana suggested herself In reality, by me doing so, granted that there were many more problems, I could make just this delicate doll’s face, and as mentioned before, there was no reason to not choose this method after all of this

Despite this, why was Mana feeling embarra.s.sed?.

I thought about the insides of Mana, who felt ashamed . I thought . I imagined

——『Understanding the subtleties of human emotions』was one of the problems that I faced

Since Mana had the complexity and delicacy as a human girl, it could be objectively evaluated that she was a very good study target . Moreover, she was the person closest to me, save Master, and because she was also a close friend, the hours where I thought about her weren’t boring

I wanted to understand Mana . I thought ‘I want to deeply understand the first friend that I made, approximately the same as Master and myself’

“……Hmm” (Rose).

While I was thinking about the reason that Mana was feeling shy like that, there was something that came to mind

According to what I learned from Mana, who I looked up to as a mentor, a human man seemed to be a creature that cared about the figure of a woman

And, it seemed that women cared about their own figure the same as, or possibly more, than that

Specifically, when it came to things like their b.r.e.a.s.t.s, hips, b.u.t.t, and legs

There were some parts that I, who was an as.e.xual, non-living type monster originally, didn’t understand but I suppose it was in a way related to that . It wasn’t as if I couldn’t think of a possible hypothesis . Therefore, what my a.s.sumption of what Mana’s feeling were, was『worrying about her small body undulations compared to Lily-ane-sama’s』

Because what she showed was something that was thought to be disgraceful by herself, her body was trembling with embarra.s.sment . I see . If I thought about it in this way, the theory went through

If that was the case, then it may be best to back her up as a friend

Since Mana’s body wasn’t shameful at all

Judging it so, post nodding once, I called out to Mana

“Don’t worry, your body was very lovely . ” (Rose)ᴮ.

“U, uuuu……” (Mana).

Mana became bright red, hid her face with both of her hands, and crouched

She was sunk

“It seems I said something careless, I’m sorry . ” (Rose).

“……No . Please don’t worry about it . ” (Mana).

I hung my head and apologized . Mana was crouching on the ground still . Her face was hidden, and her ears which peaked through the gaps of her braided hair were red

……by the way, this was a digression

I understood that『a human being exposing their skin was embarra.s.sing』a bit later——a good deal had pa.s.sed since I made a habit like wearing clothes everyday, and it was around the time that such feelings were felt even by myself . Much less that my thoughts couldn’t possibly reach as far as『more than that』 . I was inexperienced still

“But, Mana . Say it is unpleasant if it is unpleasant, I don’t mind . ” (Rose).

When I spoke, Mana *glance* looked this way with her eyes that peeked through the gaps of her fingers which hid her face

“……I didn’t particularly mean that being touched by Rose-san was unpleasant . ” (Mana).

Only a little, were those eyes bitter

“Just, well, it seems I’ve woken something, I should say . Rose-san is tall and slender, good-looking, and has a low and calm voice, you’re a little fluttering like a girl . Your appearance isn’t much different from ours now . Well, that is my fault . ” (Mana)ᶜ.

“Errr, Mana? I understand that I am being praised for some reason or another, but……woken up? Fluttering? What in the world are those?” (Rose).

“No, well, those were jokes, I’ll be troubled if you retort to those deadly seriously . ……Yes, a joke . A joke . That is skins.h.i.+p of fellow girls, skins.h.i.+p……” (Mana).

Mana concealed her face again, and *mutter* muttered something that wasn’t understood by me

“Mana?” (Rose).

“……Please at least do it after I bathe next time . ” (Mana).

At Mana’s request, I inclined my head

“Bathing, is it? Okay . I understand . ” (Rose).

“Perhaps, you don’t understand, right? ……Well, it’s fine . ” (Mana).

A sigh

Mana shook her head and stood up

“So, I think I’ll prepare your clothes . ” (Mana).

“My clothes, is it?” (Rose).

At the utterance of Mana, who seemed to have recovered, I matched the conversation . It would be best to not mention that there was redness on her face, I knew at least that

“Is it to ask Gerbera to make my clothes?” (Rose).

“Yes . In fact, I think I will get her to make something that matches Rose-san while I’m at it . ” (Mana).

“Going out of your way? As for me, I don’t really have a problem with this, though . If you can get her to make the same thing…” (Rose).

“It’s no good . ” (Mana).

When I spoke while showing Lily-ane-sama’s clothes that I had on now, Mana *slap* thrust aside this proposal

“Is it fine, Rose-san? As a girl, every day is a war . Clothes are like swords, spears, axes, and bowes and arrows . Your attire must have that sort of appeal . ” (Mana).

“……these, are Lily-ane-sama’s clothes though . ” (Rose).

“It is no good if you refer to such a cheat person . ” (Mana).

“No, that……Ane-sama isn’t particularly crafty…I think . ” (Rose).

“She is cute and quite the beautiful person, the type that is devoted to the people she loves, and on top of that, an indecent predator . Her heart is connected to Senpai’s by the path, through which her feelings of love pa.s.s; it’s like they’re both reciting love letters to each other’s ears at all time . What is this if not a cheat?” (Mana).

Mana was saying all she had to say

But, I didn’t feel that there was any part that I could nod at

“Even Rose-san, you want the ‘dressed up you’ to be seen by Senpai at least, don’t you?” (Mana).

“That is……no . It’s…just like that . ” (Rose) “If that’s the case, it’s settled . Let’s go ask Gerbersan . ” (Mana) When Mana persuaded me, she decided the plan for action quickly

Mana was truly reliable in this sort of field . She touched upon the chance and informed me on how much the part that I didn’t care about too much was important as a girl

Usually, I was in a position where I worried about Mana, who didn’t have the power to fight . However, in such a direction it went around into only being taught . The position was *flip* overturned, and yet, that it finished without me feeling indebted, I think it might have been because the other party was Mana

I yearned for my older sister while we helped each other, the feeling was only a little different still than the sisters who loved me as their youngerᴰ sister . ³ This, in other words, would be the existence called a friend

I started to chase after the back of Mana, who had taken the initiative and begun to walk

“Huh?” (Mana).

However, Mana stopped her feet after going forward only a few steps

Mana looked at the entrance of the cave, and blinked . Was something wrong?.

“Gerbersan isn’t there . ” (Mana).

“Isn’t there? It shouldn’t be like that . ” (Rose).

Gerbera had said ‘I’ll keep watch’ and went out

Without a doubt, I had thought that she was supposed to be making Master’s clothes outside the cave

“By some chance, did she go to see the fortress, I wonder?” (Mana).

If you climbed the steep slope that opened to the mouth of this cave a little while pus.h.i.+ng through all of the trees, there was a place where you could overlook the fortress that Master went towards

As it wasn’t the case where we could confirm Master’s figure, there wasn’t too much meaning in it, but there was still the problem of feelings, and even I myself was turning my feet several times a day

Gerbera especially went to see it frequently, and it was around the evening of the day before yesterday that she came back with a pale face saying ‘I have a feeling that my eyes met with a blonde-haired woman who seemed to be a sentry’ . At that time, detailed instructions of ‘you should be careful’ were given, but…….

“No . That wouldn’t happen . ” (Rose).

I shook my head

“Even Gerbera isn’t stupid enough to go somewhere without saying anything to us . ” (Rose).

“That’s right . a.s.suming so, surely she’s nearby……” (Mana).

Mana walked while saying so, but as she tried to go outside from the mouth of the cave, her feet stopped a second time

Although I thought it strange, I also looked outside from the entrance from over her shoulder

There, was the white spider

Gerbera was sitting beside the cave’s entrance . Exactly there, was a place that couldn’t be seen from within the cave

It seemed that she was accomplis.h.i.+ng her role as a guard precisely . That being the case, there weren’t any problems . I was relieved . As Gerbera was in a place that was drawn out from that, I was a little worried some time ago, but it seemed that it was over-anxiety

……I thought that, but soon noticed that her appearance was strange

That I realized it, may be because that area was right intuitively

Certainly, concerning the keeping guard job, Gerbera was doing it diligently . However, I didn’t mean that it was just that

“Ku, kuku……kufu, kufufu……kufufufufu……” (Gerbera).

In that place, was the figure of a white girl floating a loose smile

It, loose already, was a *nimanima*⁴ facial expression

Unrelated to inhuman like my doll looks while being arranged to the degree of it being too arranged, her look similar to such a wonder, was very disappointing

“Fufu, fu, fufufu . ” (Gerbera).

Gerbera was staring at the coc.o.o.n that was made of spider thread in order for her to hold it in her arms

It seemed to be the cause of her loosening her looks

“Fufufufu……fu?” (Gerbera).

Shortly after we discovered such a figure of hers, Gerbera, who should have had a keen sense originally, noticed us at last

The red eyes of the white girl, who *quickly* turned around, reflected us . Her loosened mouth which stiffened very fast

“……Fua!?” (Gerbera).

Time froze

Both I, Mana, and even the one in question, Gerbera, hardened, and couldn’t move

Something that mustn’t be seen was seen——I guess . That she was in a place that wasn’t immediately visible from within the cave, in short, it seemed she had done so on purpose

“Rose-dono, that is?” (Gerbera).

“Ye-, yeah . ” (Rose).

Come to think of it, wasn’t my appearance of now was completely different that normal?.

That Gerbera was able to identify me as me, I think it was either because I came out from the cave with Mana, or because of the link between mutual family members

“There’s some stuff I’m thinking about and a figure that I want to have . Gerbera, what are you doing now……” (Rose).

“I, I-I, I am……” (Gerbera).

Gerbera was at a loss for words while her mouth flapped open and closed

Whether or not she was very embarra.s.sed, her complexion that was originally a translucent white was now bright red . Her words cut off there and didn’t continue, and an awkward silence prevailed

It was the first time for such a thing: I didn’t know what I should do

There was an overwhelming lacking of experience

Aah, no . Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the case that such a situation being born was a first-time experience . If it was『something that mustn’t be seen』, previously, I had gone and encountered a situation where Master and Lily-ane-sama were kissing and sharing the bed in the nude . That really seemed to be something that mustn’t be seen, and I have a memory that Master had an unusually awkward face

I was disinterested in such subtleties at that time, so in regards to the thing itself, I didn’t particularly think about it too much

Now was different

It was earth-shatteringly awkward

It was a moment in which I felt growth . ……In spite of not doing anything in such a scene

Gerbera also didn’t move . Although there were various complications up until now, the girl who I recognized as『my younger sister』somehow or other was lolling her head currently

Her eyes were half teary, and her white cheeks were red, as if boiled . If you poked at her a little with your fingertip, there was the danger that she’d *pachin* burst . I couldn’t move thoughtlessly

Unintentionally, I relied on my friend next to me

Mana, who noticed that I was a beat behind in her eyes that went around, opened her eyes lightly as if to say『Eh? Me?』 . Her mouth became stiff

“……Aah, umm . Come to think of it . ” (Mana).

Whether or not she was thinking about her words to follow-up with hectically, Mana spoke with a slightly slippery voice

“I’d heard from Mizus.h.i.+msenpai that some kinds of spiders wrap their eggs and make coc.o.o.ns……” (Mana).

“Th-that’s……right?” (Rose).

I’d think about it later, though

Relying on Mana here, it wasn’t possible to say that it was very good judgement

Mana was delicate and wise, but fundamentally that perception was something that was displayed upon preparing beforehand

To put it another way, her adaptation ability was surprisingly low

Like how she had peeled my clothes off of me, who was at my wit’s end, just some time ago

In addition, what I thought about myself was just a guess . For now, I only thought about trying to match the conversation from Mana, as it was too awkward

“But, Gerbera isn’t supposed to be carrying out the act of breeding eggs and everything else yet . At least, with Master . ” (Rose).

“Ah, no . Gerbersan hasn’t particularly done this and that with someone other than Senpai . What I want to say, in other words, is that that is surely practice while focusing on the future . ” (Mana).

“Practice, is it?” (Rose).

At me asking back, whether or not the habit that Mana was always doing so to me appeared, she broke it, raised the aforementioned, and taught me carefully . [s.a.d.i.s.t: What habit we talking bout here?.

“If I had to give you an a.n.a.logy then it’s kinda similar to making baby clothes for the kids of your loved ones, I guess?” (Mana).

“Even though she isn’t in that sort of relations.h.i.+p yet, is it that fun-like?” (Rose).

It was no good if she called it ‘easy to understand’

Confirming it was the final blow

“——tsu!” (Gerbera).

Gerbera, whose face was bright red, raised a shriek that didn’t sound like a voice, and ran away with teary eyes

“……I made a blunder . ” (Mana).

Mana muttered with a slightly awkward facial expression

“I didn’t have any ill intent, but……” (Mana).

“I think what Mana wanted to say was『it can’t be helped because it is a spider’s instinct』 . ” (Rose).

“Well, that’s right . It is embarra.s.sing because it is instinct . I made a mistake in the way I followed up . ” (Mana).

“……It is difficult, huh . ” (Rose).

Well, we finished the request in regards to my clothes with Gerbera, who came back to me afterwards, and decided to go towards the spot where we could look out on the entirety of the fortress

It was because being close to the teary eyed and red-faced Gerbera, was very awkward

We did bad things to her . I thought ‘let’s quietly leave for a while’

While reflecting, I climbed the slope with Mana’s aid

“……Mu . ” (Rose).

When I plunged into the thicket without care like normal, my clothes got caught in the branches of the trees, which was a little irritating . It seemed it would take some time until I got used to this

I pierced the ground with the b.u.t.t end of the one-handed axe as though it was a cane, looked back, and held out my other hand to Mana

“Are you all right, Mana?” (Rose).

“Yeah, I’m all right . ” (Mana).

Mana, who was a little short of breath, borrowed my hand and climbed the slope

“Let’s take a break for a little while . ” (Rose).

“N-, no . That, isn’t neccessary” (Mana).

Mana, who placed her hands on her knees and put her breathing in order, looked up at me and spoke

“Because I have already, lived in the forest for a long time……I have gotten, quite used to walking, and I’ve acquired physical strength as well . There’s no need to worry . ” (Mana).

“Even so, Mana is short, and your body is delicate and fragile, so I’m worried no matter what . ” (Rose).

As she heard my words, Mana bitterly smiled a little

“Rose-san is a little overprotective, huh . Well, that is frankly pleasant though . ” (Mana).

“It’s been only two days since you collapsed, so wouldn’t it be natural to worry?” (Rose).

According to the original plan, Mana was supposed to be in the fortress together with Master around this time . That it didn’t happen, was because her physical condition was destroyed just before that

“Even Master was worrying a lot about Mana . Please pay attention to your body . ” (Rose).

When I spoke, Mana’s shoulder *twitch* shook

“……is, that so? Even from Rose-san’s eyes, you saw so?” (Mana).

“Yeah . Recently, Master is worrying about Mana . No . Just because you hadn’t tried to go outside from a long time ago, I think that maybe it was like that . ” (Rose).

If compared to before, the opportunities for Master to speak with Mana were increasing . It, somehow, seemed to be since that night, when I received permission to teach the basics of magic to Mana

That night, there seemed to be some sort of change in him . Whether or not what the heck it was was a change of mental state, it wasn’t a place that my imagination reached, but I could sense that it wasn’t at all a bad change for him

Originally, even while giving plausable-ish reasons of ‘this and that’, Master was worrying about Mana . Even though he was vigilant towards her and had doubts regarding her intentions, I perfectly remember that he worried about her poor physical conditions many times over

Despite being not fully composed at our decision, Master had decided to carry the burden called Mana . It showed Master’s nature

If I thought back upon it, Master had used the word『responsibility』strongly at that time

Surely Master had a strong sense of responsibility, but he seemed to use the word『responsibility』towards Mana as some kind of『excuse』

When I thought back upon it……Master, a misanthropist that didn’t trust other humans, subconsciously used excuses such as “’I want to save her, to save the girl who was protected in the mountain hunt still” to protect the『humanity』inside him

As was expected what occasion it was wasn’t understood by me, but recently it seemed to have reached the point that such worries could be shown on the surface honestly . As a result, the conversations between Master and Mana increased

Nowadays, there were also scenes in which sluggishness was encouraged by the two concerning handling magical power, and I was thinking it was pleasant to see the two like that

Although she had a friend called me, Mana seemed to enjoy exchanging conversations with Master, an alike human, who used to live in the same town and had similar circ.u.mstances . The times where she was happy when she was called out to were numerous . To me, who was together with her for a long time, it was clear that Mana’s mouth was smiling broadly when I was looking at her closely

Though, it seemed that Master himself, who was calling out to her, wasn’t aware of the situation of her like that

“It is impossible to raise worry towards Majimsenpai . I understand, let’s have a little break, shall we?” (Mana).

While stroking her braids, Mana *nod* nodded

I, who succeeded in persuading her, lead Mana while interrupting with breaks several times and climbed the slope

Before long we reached a small cliff . It was an ideal point to look out over the fortress without having the overgrown trees obstruct our view

I turned caution towards the reddish-brown, dignified fortress that made me feel months and years

Over there now, was Master . About this time, what was going on, I wonder . How close was he to his goal, I wonder . He wasn’t being perplexed or troubled, was he?.

“……” (Rose).

When I noticed, my consciousness had been absorbed by the fortress that cut off the deep forest and stood towering over the surroundings

I didn’t mean that I was as close to Master as Lily-ane-sama was, but still, since this ego sprouted, I hadn’t seen Master’s face for a day

When I thought that I was in a place that was separated from Master now, I felt restless in some respects

‘I want to be close to him’, I thought honestly

Even if I replaced this body, I wanted to protect Master’s body . I was Master’s s.h.i.+eld, so I’d try to protect him until I became a wood chip; I wanted to stay at Master’s side from such self-awareness…….

……Now, it wasn’t only such a feeling

Of course, such a feeling never disappeared . Rather, it was even getting stronger . I wanted to be a s.h.i.+eld that protected Master . That was a never-changing part of my core that continued to exist

However, in my doll chest, another feeling was dwelling now . It, was genuinely just the feeling of『I want to be at Master’s side』

It had no connection to my role as a family member . I just wanted to be by Master’s side, to feel his existence

It was evident that it had the same origin as the feeling that produced the desire『I want to be held tight by Master』

The me of now was able to hold this doll chest tight as something important, without casting away feelings of such a me like『I was presumptuous and didn’t know my place』

It was possible to say that this was solely thanks to my friend who was next to me

Mana said that it was no good if I killed myself . ⁵ She persuaded me that my feeling of wanting to do something, and the great efforts in order to be held tight by Master as a doll girl, were important things that couldn’t be denied by anyone

She told me that giving up was no good

It encouraged that my wish could be granted

I’d never forget about that day when I became friends with Mana . Being supported by her words, I began to sincerely face my own heart

Someday, it’d be good if I could name this feeling that was still in my chest now . And, if I could inform Master of it——…….

“……” (Rose).

While thinking about Master like that, how much time had we gazed at the reddish-brown fortress?.

A strong wind suddenly blew, rustling the trees

My clothes fluttered, and I returned to myself to that unfamiliar feeling . At the same time as that, I noticed that I had been doing so for a long time . I ‘oh no!’ became impatient

I was completely engrossed in it, lost in thought . It was fine nevertheless if it was just me, but Mana was also in this place . It must’ve been a boring time for her

In addition to that, since yesterday, Mana had been going out with me to this place many a time . This feeling of thinking about Master was important, but it would be different if it made my friend feel bored by that cause

I reflected, and faced Mana’s direction——.

“……” (Rose).

——I noticed that I was misunderstanding

There, was the figure of Mana staring at the fortress with very earnest eyes

The appearance of wearing a small smile on her mouth, was adding transient things to the impression of Mana, who was delicate and slender originally . Her doing so, it looked like she was going to disappear soon

Nonetheless, her eyes were attracted to the fortress and didn’t separate . Of course, there was not even an iota of boredom in her expression

Without realizing what I was seeing, and with more enthusiasm than what was apt to do , Mana was gazing at the fortress . My thoughts were jumping between to the fortress that was in sight from this place——and to the person that was in this place just like me

A misunderstanding; in the long run, it was like that

The size of Mana’s feelings that were tipped towards Master, I had misread them the whole time

From when I came across Mana, first as an observer, and as a friend from midway, I was with her longer than I was with Master . So, the time that Mana had been sharing air with Master was about the same as me

If I put it another way, it was that so far from when I came across Master at that mountain hut, there wasn’t a day that Mana, the same as me, didn’t see his face

Concerning this matter, the conditions of Mana and I resembled each other closely . And, our reactions in regards to it also unusually resembled each other

If that was the case, I wonder, the thoughts in her chest, weren’t they the same as well?.

When I tried to think about it like that, there was also something that made sense

Once, there was a time where Lily-ane-sama and I were vigilant of Mana . When I asked about that, Mana had said that she wasn’t angry . Concerning that reason, she replied『because she sympathizes with us, who were family members』

That she sympathized with us family members, not Master who was an alike human

Perhaps, wasn’t that evidence that she and I harboured the same feelings?.

The fact that I noticed it like that, became some sort of chance and it burst open within me

You could reword it as a spark . The time that I spent with her so far was the fuse, and now, it caught fire there

My thoughts ran through, to the truth that the little girl called Mana Katō hid at all costs

“Mana . ” (Rose).

Unintentionally, I was calling out my friend’s name

With this, Mana returned to me . After blinking a few times unnaturally, her eyes returned to this direction

“Aah . Sorry . It seems that I was a little in a daze . Shall we go back soon?” (Mana).

Mana said so while floating a small smile, as though nothing had happened

From that conduct, not even a particle of such things as that she had been gazing at the fortress with that much zeal could be guessed

What was there, was the usual Mana . Yes . The usual……perhaps, that is