I hadn’t moved an inch from my bed all day. Except for when Rubia brought food from the first-floor dining room during mealtime, I just… lay there. I even held off from using the bathroom.
But after the painful time passed, just when Rubia’s scent from the pillow I was clutching was fading…
“Whew… I’m back…” Hephaestus returned.
“He, Hephaestus…!” I shot up, looking in the direction of her voice.
“Ah, Noah-neesan.”
Her voice sounded incredibly exhausted. She must have had a rough time…
“Did you… eat something?”
“Yeah, I ate. What about you?”
“I, I also… ate.”
Rubia had kindly fed me, but… the atmosphere was so different from usual that it still felt stuck inside me.
Ugh…
I could hear Hephaestus’s shuffling footsteps.
“Oh, and… I tried to finish it today as much as I could, but it was impossible after all… The equipment I was using wasn’t the ones I was used to, and the fragments were incredibly tough… I’m sorry, Noah-neesan.”
“Uh… It can’t be helped… You don’t need to apologize…”
I didn’t expect much. I did a little but… it’s not going well.
“That aside… Isn’t Rubia sleeping?”
“Rubia… is asleep?”
“Yeah. She’s sleeping with her head on the desk. Should I wake her up?”
Didn’t she sleep with us yesterday…? Is she having trouble sleeping because she’s worried about something…?
No way… Could it be because… I got angry…?
Nah, that can’t be it. What would I be to make her worry so much she can’t sleep?
“Um… Just let her rest-”
Wait. But if she sleeps like that, her back’s going to hurt when she wakes up.
Hmm… Maybe it’d be better to wake her and have her lie down in bed…
“No, I think it’s better to wake her up. Let’s tell her to sleep in bed.”
“That’s probably for the best, right?”
I heard Hephaestus’s footsteps getting further away. She must be going to wake Rubia up.
“Neesa! Rubia-neesa!”
“Hmm… Hu… Oh, Hephaestus is here… Ugh…”
I could hear Rubia’s tired voice. I lay back down under the covers again.
I felt a twinge of annoyance towards Rubia. I didn’t even want to see her face…
“Ugh… I dozed off. Did you finish it well?”
“Ah, yeah. I think it’ll be done by tomorrow. For sure… it’s not your average monster, but Carpen’s fragments are incredibly tough.”
“That makes sense. But Noah… Ah.”
I could hear Rubia staggering over. I pulled the blanket tighter around me.
“Noah. Are you sleeping?”
One side of the bed sank deeply. Rubia must have sat down on the bed.
“Ah, I’m not sleeping…”
I curled up even more.
“Can you show me your face?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry for falling asleep…”
“Um, you can’t help it…”
Honestly… Rubia doesn’t need to be sorry. I don’t need to be mean to Rubia either.
When I don’t have the Great Sword, not being able to see is… a very personal problem for me.
Rubia doesn’t need to worry about it.
But…
Still… I feel let down.
We’re friends, after all. The BEST friends, I said!
Last time… we stuck together all day. But today, why…?
If she was going to treat me this way, she should have said so from the beginning. Making me expect foolishly…
I sniffed as my eyes became hot again and held my breath.
I didn’t want her to hear me cry.
I could hear Rubia’s sigh right next to me, and Hephaestus’s mumbling in front of me.
Then a moment later…
“Hey, do you girls not want a late-night snack?”
Hephaestus’s silly question broke the silence.
“A late-night snack?”
“Yeah. Rubia-neesa hasn’t eaten, right?”
“I…? I ate-”
“You didn’t eat, right? There’s only one serving left?”
Huh? Rubia didn’t eat?
She said she would eat earlier…
“Hmm, hmm… What do you want to eat for a late-night snack? Do you have something in mind?”
I could hear Rubia’s awkward response. She didn’t eat.
“Hehe… I saw a place on the way here. I’ll hurry and go buy some, so don’t sleep, wait for me!”
“Ah… Okay. Be careful.”
I could hear Hephaestus walking toward the door.
I threw off the blanket and peeked out.
“Go, be careful!”
And then I hid back in.
“Yeah! I’ll be back quickly!”
I heard the door open and close.
“Noah. I’m sorry…”
Rubia’s hand brushed my shoulder.
“It’s, it’s fine…”
Another sigh echoed.
But.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
Since Hephaestus left…
I threw off the blanket and got up.
Carefully, I reached out my hand and cautiously walked forward.
“Noah…?”
Ignoring Rubia’s call, I kept walking.
And a moment later…
“Ah… Got it.”
I touched the wall!
Now I just have to follow it…
Swish– swish–
My palm glided along the wall, creating oddly pleasing sounds.
Just like this… pass through the curves…
Oh, this is a table.
Swish– swish–
And…
“If you want to go to the bathroom, just say so…”
When my hand brushed the door frame, Rubia’s hand wrapped around my waist.
“I can go alone… Rubia… I don’t need you.”
I pushed Rubia’s hand away and turned the doorknob.
Creeeak– the bathroom door opened.
“I’m sorry…”
“Rubia doesn’t need to apologize… This is… my problem.”
I stepped into the bathroom and shut the door.
I could hear a deep sigh from Rubia outside.
“Ugh…”
Hearing that made me feel… gloomy as well.
No.
It’s fine.
I can handle this alone…
Calming myself, I finally did what I had been putting off.
I felt alive again…
I washed my hands and tried to fix my distorted expression.
Then I groped along the wall and opened the bathroom door.
Rubia’s restless breathing was right in front of me.
“No, ah…”
“Before, before Hephaestus comes… I’ll lie down on the bed.”
I tried to keep a stiff expression as I leaned against the wall and started to shuffle along again.
Had I made it halfway through?
I suddenly tripped over something hard at my feet and my body lurched forward.
“Ugh…!”
But… I didn’t fall.
“Even if Noah says she hates it, could you help me this time?”
Rubia’s trembling hand was supporting my waist.
“Ugh…”
“I’ll take you there.”
Then she carefully wrapped her arms around me, slowly walking me back to bed.
“Th-thank you…”
“It’s nothing…”
After answering, Rubia stood still, carefully sitting on the bed.
Is she looking at me?
Or is she looking somewhere else?
Not being able to see anything makes me feel frustrated and annoyed…
Now, it even feels embarrassing to cover myself with the blanket, so I hugged my legs and buried my head.
And a moment later.
“Tada!”
The door flew open, and the panting Hephaestus burst in.
I quickly lifted my head to look in the direction of Hephaestus’s voice.
“Wow, you’re here…?”
“Yup!”
“Is that skewers… and is that alcohol?”
Alcohol?
She brought alcohol…?
“Yup!!”
“Hephaestus… You’re not of age, are you?”
“Of course, I’m not drinking!”
“Not drinking or not is one thing… How did you manage to bring it?”
“I told my mom I was running an errand, and she gave it to me.”
Huh…? Is it really that easy to get alcohol?
Well, when I was little, my parents would give me alcohol or cigarettes when I asked to run an errand…
“Well then, enough talk. Let’s eat! I’m hungry!”
I could hear Hephaestus walking closer, and the sound of rustling bags came into earshot.
Eating is fine, but…
If I eat this, they’ll find out I can’t see…
Of course… I don’t really mind telling Hephaestus I can’t see without the Great Sword. But…
I don’t want it to accidentally come out of my own mouth, especially when it comes to Rubia.
I’m still annoyed at her now…
But I won’t keep holding onto it forever.
Ugh, whatever.
If they find out, they find out.
Hephaestus doesn’t seem like someone who’d do something bad to me.
As I was trying to get up while squirming, someone’s hand tapped me.
Then careful fingers wrapped around my hand, lifting me up.
Her hand, so familiar…
Rubia’s hand.
“Come on, let’s sit down here!”
That hand slowly led me over to sit next to Hephaestus.
“Noah, here.”
She brought a skewer right in front of me.
“Th-thank you…”
I carefully accepted it.
My heart fluttered.
The stiff expression on my face started to loosen.
The smell of the skewer was good.
It’s not because Rubia is doing something nice for me.
“Let’s eat, Hephaestus. But… this atmosphere feels different from when I asked you to take me from Loholan, doesn’t it?”
Now that I think about it, it really is different.
Back then, I looked really desperate.
Right now, it feels a bit more relaxed?
“Ah… This might sound embarrassing…”
I could hear Hephaestus rummaging through something.
“It’s because of this…”
This…?
I can’t see it!!
“… A glowing stone?”
Nice job, Rubia!
But what’s up with the stone?
“This isn’t just any rock… Well, my master gave it to me…”
Hephaestus took a deep breath and continued.
“Before, I almost got seriously hurt during an important errand… But afterward, it became a gift from my master. To put it simply, if the other person is alive, it glows, and if they’re dead, it gets dark. So this means… my master is alive… Hehehe…”
Ah…
It’s a connection stone.
An item with the same significance as a wedding ring exchanged when you get married in a game…
I’ve never received or given such a stone…
And honestly…
When I open my friend list… it shows where they are and if they’re alive, so what’s the point?!
So I never cared!
Of course, I still don’t need it.
Since I can’t see the light anyway.
It’s meaningless.
Useless.
I don’t envy it at all.
Really.
“So why were you so frantic in Loholan?”
“That’s because… when I was in Loholan, it kept flickering. But when I got here, it instantly… got better.”
Flickering?
Does it break down?
“Then that’s good… So you’re planning to go look for your master?”
“Yeah. I just feel uneasy, and I can’t sit still. Of course, I’ll make sure to finish repairing my equipment perfectly. Especially in situations like this, I have to be even more thorough.”
That’s true, but… does the connection stone mean nothing in this world?
In the game, it symbolized a proposal to get married.
Well, then… Such things are all user-made, so it probably doesn’t have any special meaning here.
Still, it’s a relief to know Yuria is okay.
And… as this got lively, it lifted my mood a little.
To hide my slowly rising smile, I took a bite of the skewer.
But…
“Ugh, ahh… It’s s-spicy!”
A pain struck my tongue as if someone slapped it hard.
It was too spicy.
It was REALLY, REALLY spicy!
“M-M-Ma… Rubia… Hephaestus…! Somebody… W-Water… Hah, sniff… It’s too spicy!”
“Ah, neesan! Here!”
Hephaestus quickly brought a cup to my mouth.
I gulped it down, gulp gulp—
“Whaaaa?! It’s alcohol…?!”
Bitter!
Bitter and spicy!
Even spicier!!
The carbonation felt like it was tearing my tongue apart…!!
“Ah! I confused it with water. I’m sorry… Neesan, this is really water!”
Hephaestus set the cup near my hand with a clink.
Feeling around for that sound, I picked up the water cup and poured it into my mouth.
“Ugh, ugh… This tastes bad…”
My tongue felt numb…
It’s still so spicy…
So bitter!!
“Are you okay, Noah? You should eat this.”
Rubia brought something soft to my mouth.
Is it jelly? Could it be jelly?
I opened my mouth and gulped it down eagerly.
It really is jelly!
“Uuhhmm…”
As I swallowed it, Rubia again brought jelly to my mouth.
I gulped that down, too.
This one tastes like grape.
The jelly is delicious…
But my stomach is burning.
Is it because of the spiciness?
Or is it… because of the alcohol?
It’s getting… hotter and hotter…
“Noah…? Are you, like, drunk?”
Since coming to this world, no one ever gave me alcohol, so I haven’t tried it.
There’s no way I’d get drunk from just one drink, right?
Come on, that can’t be it.
“Uuhhh…? Do I look drunk? I swear… I’m not drunk… Hehe…”
See?
I’m perfectly fine.
“Hic—”
Hehe…
