Tick tock, tick tock…
Time flows.
Now that I couldn’t twist it back anymore, all I could do was accept it.
surprisingly, it didn’t feel that bad.
I got to realize once again how precious time with someone is.
Even if I could turn back time, the choices I could make were ultimately in one direction.
If I rewind, the memories would vanish from the other person’s mind, and everything I built would disappear completely.
After choosing what I wanted through multiple rewinds, all that was left for me was to push time forward again.
But despite that, I acted as if I had infinite time to play with.
In the end, the time I enjoyed now was just a result of those choices.
Right now, everyone remembers that I was rewinding time, but…
“Are you looking at the flowers?”
“Yeah, I’m looking at the flowers.”
A year has passed.
During that time, I tried hard to live my life.
I studied. Maybe because I had a solid foundation thanks to the countless times I rewound time, my grades turned out surprisingly well. Unlike before, I didn’t compete for rankings with Alice, but I was satisfied with my progress.
I worked out, too. Now I couldn’t use the excuse “everything goes back once I rewind” anymore. My athletic skills were still lacking compared to Alice and Claire, but I improved significantly compared to a year ago. Well, it’s not surprising since the opponent is a Sword Saint.
And most importantly, I made an effort to create memories.
I tried hard to engrave as many memories as possible.
After realizing how much I’ve lost once that excess “time” vanished, I understood just how important it was.
I had no leisure.
Even while studying and exercising, I consistently met the kids, talked, and tried to maintain our friendship.
Even if we get far apart someday, I wanted to ensure that we wouldn’t forget each other and could laugh without feeling awkward when we met again.
I dare say, this approach seemed to have worked.
It was clear when I saw Rena smiling next to me.
“It appears to be a tree brought from the East. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Was it last summer?
We decided to expand trade with other countries on the continent. Various items were traded for experimental purposes, and this cherry blossom tree was one of them.
I wasn’t sure how they brought such a large tree here.
Honestly, when the idea first came up, I was a bit worried. I thought maybe the Empire was trying to build a colonizing empire that would eventually collapse while expanding its influence.
However, the countries in the east were engaging in their own forms of power games. Although their technology was definitely lagging compared to the Empire, they developed in their unique ways and surprisingly weren’t falling behind too much in terms of technological level.
Well, this world is similar to the world of the game I played back in my previous life.
Although the setting of “the East” hasn’t been properly revealed in that world, everyone anticipated that it would eventually become the main stage one day.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a situation where they’d be unilaterally crushed by the western nations.
Anyway, the first cherry blossom tree we brought in was planted at the Academy.
And come spring, the beautiful cherry blossoms bloomed.
Students passing by would stop for a moment, staring up at the tree and gasping at its beauty.
“Indeed. It’s really… beautiful.”
Rena’s persona still wasn’t completely unraveled.
But her icy demeanor was slowly melting away, and now anyone could easily notice that change.
To be honest, I felt a bit jealous.
That was the approach I was aiming for. Going from an ice-cold girl to someone who gradually opens up. Rena was pulling it off perfectly.
If this continues, by the time she graduates in my second year, I might see her smiling often in front of us.
“Sister!”
As I was looking up at the cherry blossom tree with Rena, Claire ran over and hugged my arm.
“Are you looking at the flowers?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s really pretty. I thought it was just an ordinary tree when we brought it last year.”
Someday, I could plant a lot of these cherry trees and create a street where cherry blossoms float down every spring. It wouldn’t be bad to have such a street in western scenery.
“Sister, I heard you’re planning a family trip?”
“…Yeah.”
I had discussions with Charlotte and the Kingdom side.
Whether I liked it or not, this world still had a strong class system. While it would gradually fade over time, for now, it was a period where nobles, royalty, and aristocrats could be pardoned for their crimes.
And Charlotte’s father, the King of Velbur, was royalty after all.
Once they took care of Velbur’s face-saving, benefits, and justification, they wouldn’t care too much about the remaining people.
That way of thinking lingered with Charlotte too, if not as a king, leading her to ultimately agree with our plans.
Of course, the biggest reason for that agreement was the presence of Alice and me.
The thought of not wanting to see her friends suffer because of her…
I guess I’ll consider that a favor owed to Charlotte. Though I don’t think she sees it that way.
“……”
“Family matters shouldn’t involve outsiders. Please feel free to talk.”
Rena smiled at me and politely bowed her head. I waved lightly at Rena.
Seeing my gesture, Rena turned away with a pleasant expression, distancing herself from us.
“Speaking of that, can I come along too?”
“……”
I stared intently at Claire.
“Oh, I’m ‘Grace,’ by the way. My parents are also in the Grace territory. But it’s the same for you, right?”
Claire said mischievously with a grin.
“My mother said you could think of her as family, too.”
“…She did say that.”
“So… well, I do want to meet my siblings. After all, we share blood. I don’t plan to get super close, but I still want to know of each other’s existence.”
“I see.”
I nodded.
Honestly, if we’re talking bloodlines, I’m probably the one least connected to any of this.
How did I even get involved in this?
“Okay. I’ll let Alice know.”
“Sure.”
Claire nodded to my words.
After that, we looked up at the cherry blossom tree for a while longer.
As the wind blew, small leaves fell, fluttering in the air.
That sight was truly beautiful.
Maybe I was reminded a bit of my previous life when the cherry trees lined the streets of my hometown.
Flashforward…
So after a bit of time passed, the weekend arrived.
Due to a packed schedule, we failed to plan a trip during the break.
In some sense, that was a good thing. We could adjust and prevent the trip from dragging on too long by making excuses.
Isn’t that right?
Though the kids of the Emperor might be familiar with each other, the relationship between the Emperor and his children is still uncertain.
Rather than awkwardly stretching it over several nights, it would be better to just go for a clean one-night getaway to the nearby outskirts.
“Why are you packing so seriously?”
And that morning.
Right before it was time to leave, Alice asked while seeing me pack my things.
All of Alice’s stuff was already packed by the servants in the Imperial Palace and taken to the train. Meanwhile, here I was, dawdling while packing myself.
“I know. Even if I don’t pack, if we need something, they’d probably deliver it to us within a few hours.”
“And?”
“…… It’s just, I don’t feel at ease unless I do it myself.”
In a way, this is a professional habit.
I’m usually fine, but as the operation approaches that needs me to be alert, I rewound time to recheck my equipment.
Even if I fail, I could just go back and pack again, yet doing it this way feels more comfortable to me. No matter how reckless someone is, they don’t want to be shot and stabbed every time.
Knowing I couldn’t rewind time made me a bit more anxious.
Honestly, what I packed wasn’t that amazing.
Fishing rods, books to read on the train, and a few personal items.
But I was doing this because the upcoming event felt like an ‘operation’ in many ways.
Participating in an operation with no plan, especially when I couldn’t rewind time…
How could I not be nervous?
“We should be leaving soon.”
“Alright. I think I’m ready now.”
I clapped my travel bag shut.
Then I followed Alice outside and handed it over to a servant.
“Why are you so tense? You’re the one who planned it, right? Since a year ago too.”
“…… If the relationship breaks here, it won’t be undoable.”
“Really?”
Alice responded to my words.
“You know, that’s a form of illness too. Thinking that because you can’t rewind time, it’s impossible to retry something that has already failed.”
“…… Is that so?”
“That’s nonsense to someone who’s been living by failing repeatedly, like me.”
I had no reply to Alice’s words, which she said with a smile.
“So relax. After all, we’re young. We’ve got time. If we fail this time, we can just spend a little more time preparing. Even in the worst-case scenario, our trust between us won’t break.”
“……”
At Alice’s words, I quietly nodded.
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