Rubia slowly approached me and embraced me with a natural gesture.
“Good job.”
“…Uh, ah… huff…”
“You were all alone… It must have been tough.”
“Ugh… sniff… gulp…”
“Now that I’m here… you can rest a little.”
Her soft body envelops me.
Her gentle touch soothes me.
The scent that calms my heart.
The voice that clears my mind.
The brilliantly flowing silvery-white hair.
The blue eyes that illuminate everything.
Everything about her that I once imagined in my head comforts me.
The smell of death fades away.
The ash that was flying around disperses.
The world drenched in screams is covered by blue snowflakes.
The landscape that was entirely red is wrapped in the dawn’s light.
In that serene world, I…
Cried out all the sorrows I had been holding onto while nestled in her arms.
Tears I thought I would never shed poured out, and my weak voice mixed with all kinds of emotions turned into a tragic scream.
I let out everything I had experienced until now, things I didn’t want to talk about.
Sobbing endlessly, again and again.
As my cries gradually started to subside…
Rubia’s damp embrace gently pulled away.
“If I weren’t here, it would have been a huge deal.”
“sniff… uh… huh…”
I tried to pull her back into my arms to bury my face again.
Then I hesitated.
“…But, um… how did you, gulp, get in here…?”
I definitely broke into the temple.
But this is my world within the trial.
Moreover, it’s unusual for the scenery to change all at once like this without any time passing…
“Are you curious?”
“sniff… Yes…”
Rubia’s forehead pressed against mine.
My tear-streaked face reflected in her blue eyes.
“If you’re curious, please answer my question first.”
“sniff… W-what is it…?”
With a gentle smile, Rubia pulled her face back and composed herself.
And then, quite seriously, she asked.
“How do you think I look?”
“Huuh…?”
“I know it’s odd to say this, but… you’re seeing my face for the first time, right? So I’m a little… very, extremely… curious.”
The ends of her ears, hidden by her hair, turned slightly red, and her fair cheeks blushed lightly.
“How does my image compare to what you imagined…?”
With her glancing blue eyes.
In the infinitely sharp gaze, a gentle light.
With each trembling breath, her silvery-white hair cascaded.
And her tightly closed pink lips.
That appearance is…
Really, really.
“You’re beautiful… so much.”
So much more than the face I saw in the game.
So much more than what I felt when I touched you.
So much more than what I imagined and drew.
“…You’re beautiful.”
“Hehe…”
Her face brightened.
The sharpness in her gaze softened completely, and her tightly closed lips parted slightly, forming a gentle curve.
The blush deepened further.
As if she no longer needed to hide her embarrassment, her ears fully revealed their bright red hue.
Beautiful.
It feels like a miracle that this person loves me.
That I love this person.
The fact that our hearts are the same feels so miraculous, and I…
“sniff… huff… Rubia…”
I buried my face in her embrace and cried for a long time.
As my thick, salty tears soaked her collar, Rubia gently pushed me away and held my hands.
“Shall we go talk somewhere else?”
“gulp, puhu… Huh, where to…?”
“Um… Let’s walk for now. Think about it while we walk.”
Rubia stood up and took my hand.
She supported my wobbling body and kindly matched her short strides to mine.
“The buildings are unique.”
“…That’s true.”
“What’s that tall building over there? Is it the Mage Tower?”
Rubia tilted her head and pointed at an apartment building in the distance.
“Pfft… It’s not the Mage Tower… um, it’s an incredibly tall house. Many people live in one building… It’s really tall and very expensive.”
“Wow… So that’s a house. What about that red cross next to it? It really looks like a Mage Tower.”
“Um, that’s a place called a church… If I had to compare it, it’s similar to a church group—”
Halt – Rubia suddenly stopped.
“…Is that it?”
Then she emitted a fierce momentum and growled.
“Eek, no… I mean, that’s not the kind of place at all…”
I desperately tried to convey that it wasn’t a bad place like Erden, starting from the concept of religions existing on Earth as I gently caressed her tightly clenched fist.
“Ah… Is that so? I thought…”
Only then did Rubia relax her expression and flash a kind smile as we continued walking.
What a scare…
Tap-tap – pat-pat –
We kept walking and walking.
When we stepped out onto a slightly larger road from my neighborhood, Rubia looked at me with curiosity-filled eyes again.
“By the way, is what Noah is wearing considered common in Noah’s world?”
“Um, ah…?”
Upon hearing Rubia’s words, I hurriedly checked my outfit.
Soft, fluffy, and thick.
A pure white pajamas with a cute design.
“T-this is… um, well… it’s what I wear to sleep…”
“Ah, I see… Clothes worn at night. It looks really warm and cute.”
Giggle – Rubia laughed and poked one of the many white teddy bears on my pajamas.
“Is this black part the nose?”
“Yep. It’s the nose.”
“Oh my, it’s so cute… I think it’s a bit cuter than Noah?”
“…Um, no it’s not.”
I bumped my head against Rubia’s arm.
Then Rubia, who had been gently stroking my head, suddenly looked startled as she opened her mouth cautiously.
“Um, but… then… does the underwear you wear here work differently…?”
“Uh…”
“Since the culture is different, of course it would be different, right?”
“Well, that is…”
“Show me.”
“Gasp… N-no way!”
Rubia stopped in her tracks.
“Why not?”
“W-why are you asking…!”
“I can show Noah my underwear right now.”
Then she began to lift her top.
“Eek! W-wait! D-don’t do that!”
“Nobody’s around. It’ll be okay.”
“Still…!”
“Then, show me.”
Rubia shot me a dissatisfied glare.
“U-ugh… I can’t show you.”
“You can show me as long as you’re wearing something. Just a little bit. I’ll be satisfied with just a tiny peek.”
I turned my head.
I shouldn’t be doing this.
This is a massive mistake…
“Then just a tiny bit… just a quick look…”
I glanced back at Rubia, swallowing hard.
Then…
“Hah… it’s a bear… A big bear…”
With a perverted breath, I heard Rubia’s sultry voice.
“Gasp… D-don’t say anything…”
“Goodness…”
“Goodness, what are you saying! Let’s hurry…”
I yelled at Rubia and forcefully grabbed her hand.
When I was in that other world, pulling her would have worked just fine, but here on Earth, it felt like I had no strength at all.
I experienced a bizarre phenomenon where my body, which I had been trying to yank back, was actually pulled towards Rubia…
“Ugh…”
“Is that your kind of thing?”
“N-no it’s not!”
I had no choice but to wear it.
I… don’t know why, but my closet didn’t have anything else.
Just blue polka dots or cutesy pink ribbons… I just couldn’t deal with those…
“That seems like something you could easily make over there.”
“Eek! I don’t need it…!”
I slapped Rubia’s arm lightly.
Then Rubia, chuckling, started to stroke my head as we continued walking.
The emotions steeped in despair were calm.
The world where time had stopped was quiet.
There were no people.
No cars or anything.
A strange landscape lined with only buildings.
In this vast street, only Rubia and I existed.
In that tranquil world, I slowly asked what I had been curious about all this time.
“…Isn’t it strange?”
“What is?”
“…Me.”
“Noah? Why? Your bear underwear is just cute.”
“Uh… th-that’s not it! I mean, I used to live in a different world. One completely unlike this one…”
I hesitated and cautiously glanced up at Rubia.
She nodded her head with a smile, as if nothing was strange at all.
“Not strange at all.”
“…Why?”
“It’s not important.”
Her blue eyes.
Those eyes, that seem to see everything, looked at me.
“Noah is Noah. I love Noah just as he is. That’s all that matters. Nothing else is important.”
“…Hmm. Uh-huh…”
I held onto my quivering body as I caught my breath.
“I see… cough, cough.”
Then I moved my legs a bit faster.
I wanted to hide this feeling.
Even while doing so, I kept sneaking peeks at Rubia’s face.
I cautiously admired Rubia’s figure.
Again, again.
While I could see.
I could never get enough, but until I did.
Until it was etched clearly in my mind.
So that I would never, ever forget, no matter what.
I engraved everything about her.
Into my eyes, my mind, my whole being.
Then, as if it were a habit, I closed my eyes.
Opened my mouth.
“How long has it been since I started the trial…?”
Tap-tap –
“Six months.”
“I see… What’s going on outside?”
“That monster-like Master is dead.”
Tap-tap –
Rubia’s footsteps seemed to falter.
“Everyone must be waiting for me…”
“Yeah. Sirin is back safe too. She looked quite tired, but… that’s still fine, right? Hehe.”
Tap-tap –
“Are you… okay, Rubia?”
Tap-tap –
Rubia’s footsteps stopped.
She opened her eyes and turned around.
There stood Rubia, smiling brightly.
“Wow… How did you know?”
How… how.
Well, I don’t know exactly how, but.
One thing’s for sure.
“I love Rubia.”
So I can tell.
You’re not the Rubia I know.
You are.
Like me, the ‘Rubia’ from the future.
