One day, I kept thinking of a saying.
“Love fades over time; you can’t beat time.”
But looking back now, that’s just nonsense. It was just an excuse to rationalize loving someone else.
“Licht, slow down.”
“Please keep a slight distance. Or maybe with magic…”
I was the living witness completely denying that statement.
In the fifteen years that passed, I had never fallen for anyone other than Pina. To be precise, she was irreplaceable.
“I can’t do that because I’m anxious.”
Half the world is women, and I often heard that I would meet someone good while living. But what if that wasn’t the case?
I hated the lyrics of breakup songs and love songs. Pure love is a heavy emotion that’s spent way too lightly.
Long ago, there were many good songs, but songs these days all sound pretty bad. They just lack emotional depth, I suppose.
In spring, love songs; in autumn or winter, breakup songs. They were always the same.
“Licht, watch out for the doorstep.”
“Ah… yes.”
I could see Pina sticking close to me, supporting me. We were so close that I could hear each other’s breaths.
‘Her heart is so beautiful.’
Other people, when they reincarnate, seem to start different lives, which I just don’t understand.
This woman is nice and that woman is nice, but it’s hard to choose. It makes me speechless.
“Um, Pina, why are you wrapping your tail around my leg?”
“… Don’t you like it? I thought this would make me feel more secure.”
“It’s fluffy. Thank you.”
“Weirdo…”
There is only one person as sweet as our Pina in this world, right? At some point, I chuckled softly without even realizing it.
“Licht..? Are you hurting?”
“I’m just happy.”
I thought I could get away with it since I was wearing a helmet. Just being able to talk to her like this and being close made me so happy.
‘Would it be okay to die like this?’
I had thought about it before, but could this really be a good outcome? A beautiful silver-haired lady is caring for me, feeding me fruit.
“Isn’t this place heaven, Pina?”
Those white wolf ears of hers moved playfully, making her that much cuter. I want to touch them, but she would probably get mad.
“You really are hurt…”
The gentle touch felt so different from my body hardened through sword training.
How much time had passed?
“We’re almost there.”
“Yep, Licht.”
Finally, we opened the last door and stepped out of the treatment room. The outside air felt a bit sticky after a long time.
“That person is Master White Lily. Pina.”
In the distance, I could see a long-haired woman with brown hair and a man with blue hair. It was Master White Lily and Dennis, free from the Head’s spells at last.
Normally, they would cry and hug each other right after the seal was broken, but why were they just standing there, silent?
“Before, when I almost died because of Magic Hat, she saved me.”
Is something going on? I stepped forward to get closer.
“She’s a woman, Licht.”
She said it with a low tone, sounding angry. Looks like she misunderstood.
“It’s just a teacher-student relationship. And she’s also Dennis’s partner.”
“Player… all men are the same.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
Huh? I glanced over, and our Pina was biting her lower lip, glaring at my second master. Was she envious of Dennis and the Celestial Demon’s relationship?
“Pina, don’t bite your lip. It’ll hurt.”
“…But I won.”
Then Pina puffed her chest forward like something had been won. What on earth did she think she had won…?
“Ha ha, just as I thought. Your heart is racing.”
“…”
Oh, the game’s physics engine is amazing. Something big swayed up and down, reminding me of the feeling I had when I left the treatment room earlier.
“Please don’t do this to anyone else…”
“I’ll only do this to Licht.”
I didn’t know if it was because I was hot from being with Pina or if I had caught a summer cold.
“…Weirdo should be punished.”
My face kept burning, and blood rushed to my head. The townsfolk are going to think our Pina has turned into a fox.
“I’m sorry, Pina.”
Is this the karma for not recognizing her all along? Foxes are indeed monogamous creatures, just like wolves.
I prayed silently while watching the protagonists of [Night Heart] reunite.
*
As time passed, the Demon King’s assumption that love would be forgotten did not apply to Dennis.
“Cough! My bold student has made it, huh? Dennis.”
“No, he’s ‘our’ student. White Lily.”
“Oh, you’re not trying to lose to the main lady now, are you?”
It had been nearly 20 years since he wished to rescue her from the Head’s hold. Due to ignorance, he didn’t even remember her face or name.
“Yeah. I’ve grown a lot. I even became a college professor…”
“It’s because too much time has passed.”
Dennis always longed for spring.
He treasured the buttercups gifted by the Celestial Demon, using magic to care for them, and he preferred the coffee she loved after he became a summoned Hero.
“…He’s no longer a boy, now he’s a full-grown man.”
“Then you must be a full-blown lady now.”
“I take back what I said earlier. You’ve grown old and wise. You little brat.”
He had done all he could to honor the memories of White Lily. In fact, the things he hadn’t done could be counted on one hand.
“So, did you find another partner and live well, Dennis?”
But the Celestial Demon discussed the possibility. The men in her martial arts world always took love lightly.
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“It’s obvious. Childhood crushes are as light as air.”
Because she was a woman Demon King, lustful men would come to challenge her to matches, and strong ones typically had multiple wives.
“…You haven’t heard from Licht, have you? White Lily.”
“I honestly couldn’t believe it.”
Dennis sighed. Some say childhood love isn’t love at all. He was certainly just a boy when he was summoned back here.
“That’s exactly why first love is pure. Because you focus less on superficial things like looks or wealth.”
He thought the man must have misunderstood something he heard before. Dennis’s first love was still alive and well.
“I still like the white lily. Celestial Demon. Would you believe me if I said that?”
He tried using honorifics like they did in their past conversations. In truth, speaking casually might just be his floundering attempt to ease the awkwardness.
No matter how much time passed, the heart of a drunkard loving a dragon never changed. It was getting close to merely maturing.
“…You’re so innocent. Cough cough.”
The Celestial Demon met Dennis’s gaze and said it. Now that she knew he wasn’t using defensive magic, her sea-blue eyes shimmered.
“You waited, nearly 20 years, for a woman with no charm, huh? Even mountains and rivers change in ten years.”
“Being told that after a marriage proposal is hardly a compliment, White Lily.”
“…Dennis.”
Seeing that, the dragon-like pupils turned crescent moon, and her unique fangs peeked from her slightly parted mouth.
With a leap, the Celestial Demon moved first, wrapping her arms around Dennis’s waist.
“Since alcohol is no good for your body, it’s obvious that smoking is utterly harmful.”
Her dragon tail was wagging ferociously like a puppy.
“Why are you suddenly saying that…?”
“I can’t just let a dragon egg be babysat by myself, can I?”
“…”
“When a man and woman share affection, they should become one in heart and spirit. O, young hero of another world.”
It was strange to call him a drunkard. He no longer drank. The hand that trembled was shaky due to lack of alcohol.
“Hold me tighter. Can’t you feel my shivering?”
“Understood. Celestial Demon.”
Noticing that, White Lily pressed her body closer to Dennis so he could feel more secure. Their heartbeats were transmitted as if they had become one.
“Listen, world!”
The Celestial Demon opened her mouth towards the sky, drawing a line with her lips, proclaiming this meeting wasn’t the end, but the beginning.
“The cursed spring dragon has found love!”
Her voice resonated, shaking the earth and the air.
With the might of the second most powerful among the Ten Heroes, it was bold.
“Though I fell for the scheme of the Demon King of All Knowledge, it has turned into a fleeting dream, almost as if it would dissolve when I reached out, but now I stand by the man I adore!”
She continued speaking. At this moment, she was repaid for the love that had gone unanswered over the decades.
“Wasn’t the ordeal enough by now?”
She shouted, gazing at the azure summer sky. The drifting clouds froze in place. No more unhappiness was desired by White Lily and Dennis.
“There’s no longer any reason to keep apart the two men and women who mutually love each other!”
At noon, the moon rose faintly, its form barely perceptible as it moved alongside the sun—a motion that should have been impossible.
“So… please, let the two of us be happy now, world.”
With just her mind, the Celestial Demon shattered the heavens. Those around watched in shock as they took in the unfolding scene.
“I will be happy, White Lily.”
Dennis comforted her, tears sparkling at the corner of White Lily’s eyes. The warmth of a lover felt like an eternity over the ages.
It was so warm that being in this moment felt like a dream, as the Celestial Demon cried while holding Dennis.
“…This is enough. I am utterly satisfied.”
“There’s still one more thing left. White Lily.”
That was when Dennis, while keeping the embrace, raised his right arm towards the sky.
“What…?”
“Even in summer, shouldn’t we feel the spring vibes?”
From his hand appeared a 3D Magic Circle.
Multiple magic circles formed a perfect sphere, while little orbiting spheres traced a line around it.
“Where did you learn this from…?!”
“For our lovely White Lily, I’d do anything.”
A moment later, with a loud boom, the white flowers of the magnolia tree bloomed behind them.
“I’ve always remembered you, White Lily.”
Seeing the magic succeed, the man looked at the woman he loved with distant eyes.
“I too have always reminisced about you… Dennis.”
Amidst the falling white petals, the two shared a deep kiss.
