Wedged into the corner of the Fifth Division"s female-only barracks is a small room reserved for the use of four people. Until their arrival, it had been used for storage. In preparation for their guests, the previous owner had cleared out everything once in the room: graffiti-covered desks, drawing models, artillery maintenance tool sets, tattered plush toys, and wooden dolls with twisted-up joints, to name a few notable items. Once these knickknacks were stored somewhere else for the time being and the room was cleaned, beds were carried in for the four guests to use.
Presently, the room was occupied by several people, one of whom was writhing and shrieking with pain.
"Owieeee!" Tears ran from Tiat"s eyes as she shuddered. "Owwww! That huuurts!"
In the midst of Tiat"s screams, Panival wandered in through the doorway. "What"s going on?" she asked, dropping her bags at her bedside. "Hmm? When did you hurt your hand?"
"She went and blabbed to Feodor about us," Lakish said irritably as she clapped shut the first-aid kit next to her.
Panival took a moment to process the information, then turned back to Tiat. "In that case, how did you end up back here in that kind of state?"
"I wanted to show him… proof that I wasn"t afraid of dying," Tiat mumbled.
"Oh, Tiat," Lakish sighed. "That was really stupid."
Panival nodded. "Extremely stupid."
"Why…" Lakish"s voice wavered, about to shift into outright chastis.e.m.e.nt. "Why would you do something like this?"
Tiat flinched, taken aback by Lakish"s unexpectedly harsh rebuke and the astonishment in the other two fairies" stares. She turned away, flushing red. "Because he asked me if I ever thought maybe I didn"t want to die."
"…Huh?"
"He"s like Naigrat, I guess," Tiat went on. "He couldn"t accept the fact that we have to die. He thought it was inexcusable and yelled at me." She winced and bit back a scream. Eeeeowowowowowow! That medicine stings, stings, stings!
"…So, if that"s the case," Panival began, looking confused, "then what made you hurt yourself and come back?"
Lakish answered before Tiat could. "Is it because you wanted him to be afraid of you that you did such a ridiculous thing?"
"I don"t know what you"re talking about."
"You were thinking that even someone like Feodor wouldn"t want to be involved with you if you did something as incomprehensible as hurting yourself in front of him, right?" Lakish glanced at Tiat"s hand. "I guess… you did it to keep your distance from him?"
"…Why would I want to do something like that?"
"Why you wanted to push him away? Because…" Lakish closed her eyes, sadness falling over her like a blanket. "Because he"s someone outside of the warehouse, who might not be an enemy? If he was like Willem, then perhaps…"
"Use that name and you know what my answer will be!" Tiat snapped, still refusing to meet Lakish"s eyes. "There won"t be anyone like Willem except Willem! We"ve already agreed to open the Fairy Gate! We don"t need any reasons to want to stay alive anymore!"
Lakish"s voice came out as a quiver on the verge of tears. "Then… then why are we talking about such sad things?"
"Why? Did you forget?" Tiat giggled weakly. "Because we fairy soldiers are just that way to begin with, aren"t we?"
After Leprechauns like Tiat appeared and were captured in various locations around Regul Aire, they were gathered up and raised at a place called the fairy warehouse.
Apparently, a fairy"s pseudo-body creates itself in imitation of the Emnetwyte that were wiped out long ago. That"s why they can eat when hungry, sleep when tired, bleed when hurt, and even grow as time pa.s.ses.
In the warehouse, fairies of similar ages lived in a group of around thirty. Some fairies were older fairies and looked after ones like Tiat, while others were younger.
Once, back then, there was a girl named Kutori Nota Seniolis.
Tiat remembered her very well. Her sky-blue hair had been long and silky, and her eyes were clear blue as well. Her favorite food was milk stew with plenty of mushrooms. She didn"t eat sweet things often, nor put sugar in her coffee. She tended to read a lot of romance books, and had the habit of starting with her right foot first when she washed herself in the bathtub.
She was the most powerful fairy, tuned with Seniolis, the most powerful Dug Weapon excavated from the surface by the Winged Guard. Without ever opening her Fairy Gate and triggering a ma.s.sive explosion by making her Venom go berserk, she had destroyed countless Teimerre. Although fairies are considered disposable, it"s naturally better if they can be recycled. In the Winged Guard"s military records, she holds an indisputable first place in the number of battles a single fairy was dispatched to.
When she had first met Kutori, Tiat had thought, She"s so amazing! She"s so cool!
She had looked up to the older fairy, admiring her and chasing after her. And before long, the first time Tiat was able to wrap her arms all the way around Kutori and hug her, that admiration turned into hope.
I"ll be in battles too, someday. When I am, I"ll definitely be splendid and cool like Kutori. I"ll be the greatest and strongest fairy ever!
A very long time ago, the largest Teimerre battle yet was predicted. It was foreseen that Kutori Nota Seniolis would not succeed unless she opened the Fairy Gate. When they asked her to die and save the world, she quietly accepted her destiny without hesitation or fear. At least, that was the impression Tiat had, looking up at her.
Then a man appeared. Second Enchanted Weapons Technician Willem k.u.mesh. A surviving Emnetwyte who should have been long dead, and a surprisingly capable technician who was able to repair broken-down Dug Weapons back to a perfect working state. On occasion his expression grew dark, like he was carrying shadows on his back, but otherwise he was her stupid-looking and unreliable older brother, always showing his weaknesses.
Before Tiat knew it, Kutori and Willem fell in (maybe) love. A maiden about to die; her encounter with a man who should be dead. Walking by one another, touching one another, their feelings (maybe) melding and overlapping, becoming budding love. If she had to put it another way, what she saw was (maybe) a cla.s.sic fictional romance storyline unfolding before her eyes.
Sadly, their time and trysts together couldn"t last forever.
Fairies live hopelessly short lives. Kutori Nota Seniolis lived just a bit longer than initially planned. However, the end came for her all the same, and she died fighting in a place Tiat didn"t know. To protect those precious to her, she drained all the remaining time she had left as herself and swung her Dug Weapon with all her might… or so Tiat heard.
When she learned the news, Tiat cried and cried. The older fairy she respected so much was gone. She couldn"t ever again meet her beloved big sister. She was so sad, so lonely, that it was unbearable.
When her tears dried, her resolve hardened.
The story of the fairy called Kutori Nota Seniolis is finished. That"s why, from here out, it"s my turn.
I"ll chase after her back, which I"ve admired all this time with all my might. I"ll catch up, bit by bit. Surely, someday in the far future from today, I"ll become like her too… I believe I will.
That"s what she genuinely believed and hoped back then.
"Come on, it"s not that sad." Tiat gently stroked Lakish"s hair with her uninjured hand as the other fairy broke down and started to cry. "It"s not like we"re all going to die alone in vain, you know? If we go boom, then you and the children will have an easier time fighting to protect Regul Aire. Don"t you think that"s a good trade-off?"
"I-I-I don"t think sssoo!" Lakish whimpered through her tears. "Didn"t Mr. Limeskin even say it?! He told us to survive as long as we could! To hang in there, so he could try and reverse their decision!"
He did say that, but he was probably just trying to console us, Tiat thought. The strategy that called for them to be tested against the Croyance was an order that came down from the top ranks of the Winged Guard. It was intended to reconfirm the viability of using fairies as weapons. At the same time, data for the next plan would be recorded from the attempt. It was a logical, efficient military operation, which would never be revoked without a backup plan.
"I can"t do that," Tiat said. "Because someone, someday, will need to go."
"That might be true, but… but…!" Lakish sobbed. "I don"t want it to be you!"
"Ah, well, that"s nice of you to say…"
"I"m not just being nice!"
"But, Lakish, you know the value of our lives aren"t the same." Tiat hugged Lakish"s head to her chest. "My life is cheap. I can"t be like Kutori. I wasn"t able to become like her. So, Lakish Nyx Seniolis… I"ll entrust my dream to you."
"Don"t want it…" She shuddered, shaking her head fiercely. "I don"t want that kind of dream!"
"Oh, I know!" Ignoring the rejection, Tiat lightly tapped Lakish"s head. "How about you try going after that Feodor guy?"
Her shoulders jerked. "Mmuh?"
"I hear he hates markless, but I"m sure he"ll be fine with someone like you," Tiat said brightly. "He"s slightly different from Willem, but really, I can guarantee he"s not a bad guy."
"W-Where did this come from?!"
"Well…" Tiat laughed. "I have the heart of a big sister, you know? It"s saying you should live a long life, and you should be happy while you"re at it."
"Where"s this big sister?! Our ages aren"t that far apart!"
"Heh heh heh. Half a year might be a small difference, but it can never be narrowed, you know?"
"Y-You…" Lakish was at a loss for words. Sniffling, she buried her face into Tiat"s chest. "Stupid big sister…"
"…Yeah. That"s true." Tiat hugged Lakish"s head again, mumbling to herself. "I think so, too."
Quietly sitting in her spot a little ways off with thoughts nestled in her mind, a snort escaped Panival as she watched their ongoing melodrama.