After Kunpei-san fell asleep, I pretended to fall asleep.
Nana started to cry because of Jaja, I rocked the two to sleep.
Today, one of the two was crying every two hours, so we were exhausted.
It didn"t even take a second, for Kunpei-san, who was tried out from the turmoil at lunch and the matter between me and Mik.u.msan, to fall asleep after making sure that Nana was finally asleep.
I put my hand on Nana"s stomach, and she turned her peaceful face towards me.
It was a calm face.
It was a lovely face.
Her stiff hair spread out facing the sky, and her always open eyes were only closed gently now.
After a short while, Kunpei-san started to breathe rhythmically.
I was next to the window, then there was Jaja, Nana, and subsequently Kunpei-san.
We were separated apart, but it didn"t feel far.
The distance between me and Kunpei-san felt just right.
I came in between Jaja and Nana, and moved closer to Kunpei-san.
The person who hatched my beloved twins.
And for that reason, the person who was tied up.
Because there was no reason for me to stay by Kunpei-san, other than that.
A person who is kind, clumsy, serious and stubborn, and also annoyingly honest.
That is the current impression I held of the man, Kazamachi Kunpei.
I reached out my left hand and caressed Kunpei-san"s cheeks.
You healed my loneliness.
You taught me love.
You granted me treasures.
My fingertips got hot.
It was impossible not to thank you.
It seems I fell deeply in love.
I am a dragon.
A proud dragon that rules over the skies.
The blue light that showed the way to the heavens.
The mother I loved always raised me saying that.
A kind mother with a sharp tongue.
A kind mother, so she was always strict.
I still want to meet you.
I wished I could stay with my mother until the end of the world.
That was an impossible dream.
Dragons were mediators.
The responsibility of my mother, the current generation Dragon King of the Sky was so heavy that the young me was unable to understand.
That"s why mother had the duty to see to the ground and the sky that was stretched because of the world collision.
My selfishness kept her back 10 years, I couldn"t hold my mother back anymore.
It was lonely…
It was painful…
Full of anxiety and grief, I spent 40 years like that.
I was cowardly, I couldn"t mix in and live with those dragon-like beastmen.
I also easily succ.u.mbed to loneliness, I couldn"t completely cast them away and seclude myself in a far away place.
I couldn"t take a step forward or backwards, I used the a.s.sets that mother left behind behind to stock up on minimum necessities I needed on earth, and I hunted everyday for food in the dungeon.
My spirit wore away, I felt colder and colder by the day.
At that time, I came across a family in front of the house that was closest to my nest.
An elderly couple from the wolf tribe lived there, a splendid home.
I know that the grandfather moved to Hokkaido with their grandchildren couple after the grandmother pa.s.sed away.
We exchanged about that much.
A tall, gla.s.ses wearing man gazed at he house with a satisfied expression.
That radiance in his eyes were so strong that I curiously called out.
“Good afternoon.”
“N? Ah, good afternoon. Are you a child from this neighborhood?”
“Yes. I live beyond the forest.”
It wasn"t a lie.
If you didn"t stray and go straight through the forest, my nest was there.
“This town is such a nice place. The air is delicious, and above all, such a cute girl lives here.”
It was a compliment that didn"t give any discomfort.
“Are you moving here?”
“Ah, we came here to check it out with that intention. Look, those are my sons.”
The man pointed to a place where two brothers were at.
They were laughing in the garden.
The younger brother had flowing hair and looked very bright, and the older brother was tall, and had scary looking eyes.
“It looks like they"re happy with it. I"m relieved.”
The man looked at the two affectionately and nodded.
They looked happy, how nice, I thought.
I was envious of things like a family being together.
As if he was pacifying the younger brother, the older brother stroked the younger brother"s head with a bitter smile.
That was the first blow.
Even though his eyes looked evil, he was very kind.
Even though I thought he was scary, he had a very warm smile.
An electric shock ran through me from the top of my head to the tip of my toes.
I opened my eyes wide and stared.
Even now, I don"t understand why.
But I was certain, that on that day, it was love at first sight.
As I thought about that unforgettable day, I once again traced my finger over Kunpei-san"s cheek.
Just the fingertips glided across.
He made a ticklish sound and crinkled his brows.
I feel apologetic again.
Since, I"m fairly unreasonable.
Even so, I can"t separate from this person.
After all, the thoughts of that day grew stronger and stronger, and surely shaped the current me.
I"ve only experienced two days, but I already cant let go.
Please, my beloved daughters, don"t s.n.a.t.c.h that papa away.
As I prayed for that, I fell asleep.