Chapter: 281
I walked down the street.
As I was walking aimlessly without any thoughts or destination, I could see people wandering around the streets occasionally.
The scenery of the street, though not as lively as before, still had a certain vibrancy to it.
Seeing this sight made me realize that we have managed to overcome a level of crisis, even though it felt chaotic when the witches continuously invaded.
Just that realization made me a bit sentimental, and as I walked, I found myself in the city center, with more people passing by.
It was around that time that I began to feel a strange tingling sensation on my skin.
‘…Is it just my imagination? It feels like everyone is looking at me.’
The reason for that feeling was simply because I could sense people’s gazes directed towards me.
Sure, it sounded like something only an overly self-conscious person would think, but how could I ignore it?
Every time I glanced around, it seemed like our eyes met more often than not, making me think that it wasn’t just my imagination.
While pondering why people kept looking my way, I suddenly remembered Ari sitting on my shoulder and chuckled to myself.
“Oh right, I forgot you were here.”
– Peeek?
Ari tilted her head as if asking what I meant by that.
I scratched her chin with my finger and smiled.
Of course, it was natural for people to stare.
Who wouldn’t look at someone walking down the street with a bird perched on their shoulder?
Especially if that bird was on fire!
Anyway, as I was accepting the gazes directed at me, trying to act as if nothing was wrong,
“Ah!!!”
Suddenly, I heard a sharp, distinctly childish voice from somewhere.
Turning towards the voice, I saw a boy holding tightly onto what looked like his mother’s hand, staring at me in surprise and pointing with his finger.
As our eyes met, the boy let go of the woman’s hand and ran straight towards me, asking.
“Uh, uh!! You’re a witch, right?!”
“Uh? Yeah, but…?”
“Wait! Wait here!”
Suddenly, the boy, who had just asked if I was a witch, rushed back to the woman, who seemed quite flustered, grabbing her hand and pulling her somewhere while shouting.
“Mom! Hurry, hurry!”
“This kid… Okay, I get it, but stop…”
Unable to win the argument with the boy, the woman let herself be dragged off to a nearby shop.
Left standing there in bewilderment, I watched as both of them disappeared into the shop, and soon after, the woman and the boy emerged.
The boy, now peeking around, spotted me standing still and brightened up as he ran over, thrusting something at me.
“Here, sister! Take this!”
What he handed me was a small bouquet of flowers.
“…Is this for me?”
“Yeah! It’s a gift!”
“Uh… Thanks, but why?”
When I confusedly asked about the abrupt gift, the boy answered with a bright smile.
“You’re the kind witch who drove away the bad witch!”
“Uh… I guess so, but…”
“My dad’s a hero, and he said the kind witch saved him from the bad witch! He told me to say thank you if I ever saw the kind witch! So here’s a present!”
Realizing the reason for the gift at that moment, I found out that the boy’s father was someone I had helped in the last battle.
Feeling a strange sentiment well up as I accepted the bouquet, the woman followed closely behind him and spoke to me in a somewhat apologetic tone.
“Um, I’m sorry for stopping you. I didn’t mean to bother you, but this child insisted on giving you a gift… Jimmy, didn’t I tell you not to do that?”
“But mom, you said to always say thank you when someone does something nice!”
“…Well, I did say that. So did you properly say thank you?”
“Ah, I forgot! Thank you, sister!”
At the woman’s words, the boy placed his hands on his belly, bowed his head, and said thank you.
As I felt a bit shy because of the gratitude, the woman slightly bowed her head toward me as well.
“Thank you so much for saving him.”
“…It wasn’t something to be thanked for. I just did what I was supposed to do.”
“Still, it’s gratitude—people have been holding back from expressing theirs because they didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, but I think everyone feels the same way. You protected all of us.”
Hearing those words made me feel a bit itchy inside.
I smiled awkwardly without saying much, and the woman finally bowed her head once more and took her child away.
“Well, we’ll be off now. Come on, Jimmy.”
“Hehe, mom! Can I have chocolate for snacks today since I properly thanked her?”
“…You said you had to give a gift? That’s it, no snacks for you today!”
“Ehh?! Why not?!”
After the woman and child left, I glanced around and realized that what she said was true.
People were looking at me not just because of Ari.
It felt almost like a scenario where everyone had spotted a celebrity on the street and was trying to hold back their desire to ask for autographs.
The atmosphere was so friendly that it would not have been surprising if numerous handshake requests came my way, and I felt my face heat up in embarrassment.
So, I quickly ducked into a shop nearby to avoid the attention.
Upon entering, I was hit with a fragrant floral scent.
Only after noticing that I had rushed into the very flower shop where the bouquet came from did I realize where I had taken refuge.
Well, at least it was less crowded, so it shouldn’t matter.
As I contemplated, an older shopkeeper sorting flowers caught sight of the bouquet in my hand and remarked.
“…No refunds.”
“Huh? Oh, no, I didn’t come for a refund.”
“Then why did you rush in here with that bouquet?”
Feeling a bit sheepish, I simply smiled since I found it hard to explain that I entered to escape attention. The shopkeeper shrugged dismissively.
“Just come inside instead of loitering at the entrance.”
With that, I nervously stepped further inside the shop.
As I admired the flowers filling the shop, the shopkeeper, seemingly uninterested in me, finally spoke as if talking to himself.
“What do you think when you see flowers?”
“Um… I think they’re pretty.”
As I answered the sudden question, the shopkeeper quietly continued arranging the flowers.
“Whether you’re a witch or a human, seeing flowers as pretty is the same, huh.”
“…”
He seems to know who I am.
Well, thinking about it, it would be strange if he didn’t recognize me.
I must be a well-known figure in the city, and no one else would walk around with a flaming bird on their shoulder.
Lost in thought, the shopkeeper looked through the glass window into the street and asked me.
“Must feel weird, huh? People who were scared of you not long ago are like that now.”
“…Yeah, a bit.”
With a weak smile, I answered, and the shopkeeper said,
“Just think of it like that. People are acting all nice, not just because they’re thankful; it’s probably more about feeling guilty.”
“…Guilty?”
“Yeah. It’s because they never thought a witch would think flowers are pretty too. That’s why they’re treating you differently now.”
I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile at that.
Among those people outside, there must have been some who hated me just for being a witch.
Still, it seems like people’s perceptions of witches have noticeably changed.
“…”
Suddenly, a place I wanted to go to popped into my mind.
Someone I wanted to give flowers to.
“Can I get these, please? How much?”
I picked several blooms from the display and asked the shopkeeper.
“…You don’t need to pay. Just take them.”
“Huh? No, but…”
The shopkeeper insisted I take the flowers for free.
I tried to offer him some money, but he simply shook his head.
Caught off guard by the firm refusal, I noticed where the shopkeeper’s gaze was directed.
He was staring at a picture on the counter, likely of his son, who was wearing the flower shop’s uniform and smiling brightly.
Only the shopkeeper knew why he was looking at the shop instead of the man in the picture, but I could only remain silent.
Then, the shopkeeper murmured softly, as if apologizing to me.
“…I’m sorry too. I’m sorry.”
Hearing that soft murmur, I took the flowers he handed me and stepped out of the shop.
I hoped these few flowers could alleviate even a little of the guilt he felt.
*
With the flowers in hand, I headed to none other than the frontline.
To be more specific, the place where the battle against the Witch of Gluttony took place.
As I went there through the Teleportation Gate, I could see the Fury Beasts patrolling outside the city, just as Sylvia had mentioned.
– Peek!
-■■■■■■■!!
As Ari perched on my shoulder shouted to them, the Fury Beasts seemed to respond loudly.
It was a sight almost like a high-ranking officer conducting an unannounced inspection on the guards; I couldn’t help but chuckle and mutter to Ari.
“Thanks for the reassurance.”
– Bzzzt!
After giving a few affectionate pats on Ari’s head, I walked past the Fury Beasts and out into the open.
After walking a bit further, I reached my destination and pulled out the chrysanthemums I had brought from the flower shop to lay down on the ground.
For Natalia.
For Leon.
And for Ms. Eve.
I quietly placed the chrysanthemums I had brought to honor those who had sacrificed their lives to seal the Witch of Gluttony and finally spoke up.
“…People thanked me today. Honestly, it felt odd. I didn’t do anything significant compared to you all.”
Perhaps the reason I felt strange receiving thanks was this.
There were others who made far greater sacrifices to protect the people, and therefore, I thought the ones who deserved gratitude weren’t me but them.
“After all, it’s because of you that I’m alive. Still, thanks to the lives you saved, things seem a lot safer now. Today, I saw many people smiling again. I’ll do my best to keep protecting that.”
Promising them, I laid the bouquet down as well.
I vowed to show that this life I cling to thanks to their sacrifices was not in vain.
With that promise made, I quietly turned my back.
And just as I was about to step away to return to the city,
“Ugh…!”
A prickling sensation raced down my spine, causing me to turn back toward the spot where I had just stood.
I internally murmured.
No way. This can’t be happening.
But despite my disbelief, the witch’s instincts confirmed that my instincts were right.
What began to emanate in front of me was a faint yet familiar aura of gluttony.
The meaning of that could only be one thing.
“Could it be, the seal…”
Thud.
A petal from the chrysanthemum fell to the ground.
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