VOLUME 2
Chapter 2: The Curse of the Pyramid
Part 7
The group lay down in a row in their sleeping bags.
Shortly after, snores and soft breaths filled the tent. Ryuka, who was next to Jun, slipped into the realm of dreams in just a few seconds. She had surely been worn out by all that walking, something she was not used to.
“Jun, are you awake?” asked Yukaria, who was in the middle of the tent.
Kasumi and Eri appeared to have already drifted off.
“What?”
“I don’t think I’m saying this because of how my previous group broke up, but… it’s not good to put things off.” Jun remained silent while Yukaria took an exaggerated sigh. “I understand the feeling of wanting to avoid situations that have been complicated by people in love. It’s really nothing but trouble. But, even if you run away from every such situation, the comfortable status quo will one day… collapse. Jun, back when you were with my old group, you said that yourself. That you wanted to form a nice and cozy group. And if you were able to adventure forever with one of those warm groups… surely coming to this world would have been worth it…”
He had a feeling that he had indeed said those things to Yukaria before. It had been just immature speech. Hearing his own words come out from her mouth after all that time couldn’t help but embarra.s.s him.
“Eri and Kasumi are both good kids. Can you trust them more?”
“I do trust them.”
“These are your own feelings.”
“Hey, doesn’t this make you feel awkward?”
“I like lengthy, sloppy, hard-to-understand, and, while I’m at it, pervy things..”
“Forgive me for causing all of this confusion.”
Jun shook his head.
(My mind is all jumbled up…)
There were things that he couldn’t say to anybody.
That only Jun had come to this world in a different way from the others. About Alice.
About Kai/Sakuya. About their battle. That she had entrusted Kasumi to him.
And also, about the meaning of ‘the end of the blue sky’.
The future wasn’t far away.
It had already been decided that one day, he would have to leave the current comfortable lifestyle and try to make it to the end of the end. That life-and-death journey would surely become very emotionally straining.
If he consulted Eri and Kasumi, they would definitely follow him. He was a bit conceited in thinking so.
However, though he was prepared to bear the burdens of that outcome, Jun had yet to…
“I don’t know what you’re hiding. It’s something that you can’t tell anybody, right?” Yukaria saw right through Jun’s innermost troubles. “Earlier, I heard you’re looking for somebody.”
“Yeah,” responded Jun.
“Have you met up with that person?” Jun smiled bitterly. Yukaria was quite sharp. “You two didn’t see eye-to-eye on something?”
“Kind of.”
“Before you collapse from all that stress, why don’t you tell those two?”
“…Uhh.”
“They’re waiting for you.”
He probably realized this. It would be quite difficult to say. Kasumi and Eri were both smart. It wouldn’t have been strange if they sensed something like that coming.
Even so, they trusted Jun. Jun used that trust as a stepping stone for his own intentions.
“Aren’t I cruel?”
“You should watch out for anybody stabbing you from behind.”