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Chapter 26
We returned to the temple room where Mana had previously stayed.
While Christa stayed with Mana while the doctor examined her unconscious body, I went to the castle and spoke with the temple staff.
When I returned to the room, Mana was still asleep and Christa was by her side checking on her.
She was sitting on a chair she had brought beside her bed in a dark room with no lights on.
“How’s Mana-sama?”
“She’s sleeping soundly.”
When I looked at her sleeping face, her eyes were still red.
Sadness could be seen in her expression.
“The rain won't stop, will it? She’s asleep, but her heart is not.”
Christa muttered as she looked out the window.
The rain had eased but it didn’t stop.
I felt heavy when I looked at the rain now, and because of that, I closed the curtains and stand next to Christa.
“What exactly is the truth?”
“Eh?”
I looked at Christa, not knowing what she was talking about, and our eyes met each other.
“I'm talking about reincarnation.”
“...What do you think…?”
I felt it would be fine if I told Christa, but I'll take the safe route.
“It's not fair to respond to a question with another question.”
She fixed her gaze on me, pretending to be enraged, but she had no intention of pursuing the matter.
Her gaze soon shifted to Mana.
“It seems like both Edward-sama and Saint-sama are delicate. I, for example, believe that love can be nurtured even after a person becomes a spouse…”
“Do you think they're troublesome?”
“Oh, you know what I mean?”
Christa giggled.
I could sense it in every word and I knew it myself.
I was a clumsy in my previous life, but I think I made a big mistake in this one.
“Edward-sama’s so awful.”
“Eh?”
“It was in the carriage. You were so quick to protect the saint that you left me alone. I told you that I would not go before the saint, but my heart was hurt because of it.”
“T-That’s because Mana-sama was next to me…!”
“It's the deepest psychology that shows up in our spur-of-the-moment actions.”
It was completely unconscious, but when she said it that way, I was speechless.
“...I envy her…”
“Eh…?”
“No, It’s nothing. It’s just…”
Christa muttered as she stared at Mana's face.
“Can I draw cat whiskers on Saint-sama’s face…?”
“No, stop…”
“Just one of them!” Christa insisted but after a while, she gave up and left.
She said she'd come back tomorrow, so I'm guessing she will.
This was a sanctuary that could not be entered without permission, but it appears she had already received permission and entered without incident today.
Was it just my imagination, or was the outer moat being covered in some way?
“Haa…”
I sat in the chair where Christa had been sitting.
As I gaze at Mana's sleeping face, I recall her cries in the carriage.
“You saw me die, huh?”
I hope she didn't think it was a hit-and-run suicide or something because it happened right after I sent her such a heartfelt goodbye message.
The car was out of control, and people were watching, so I suppose everything was fine?
I'm not sure how Mana felt, but they were dating, and it must have been shocking to see someone close to her die by accident, even if he wasn't her boyfriend.
“...Sorry…”
While she was sleeping, I reached for her head.
Her smooth hair flowed down when I stroked it fearfully.
Mana has stroked my head like this before, but this might be the first time I’ve done this to her.
Come to think of it, she said something about “being like an older sister again” or something.
I'm curious if my incident affected Mana in any way.
“I guess Mana and I were both really pushing ourselves.”
I'm not even sure about the affair situation.
That's probably true because I didn't want to ask and didn't ask properly.
I've got to move on for good.
“We have to talk properly.”
Many memories from my previous life came flooding back to me as I gazed at Mana's sleeping face.
『Wait for me, Mana-chan!』
I was always chasing after Mana since kindergarten.
I had to draw a picture of my family in kindergarten, but I drew a picture of Mana, which apparently made my teacher and parents laugh.
『Mana-chan, let's go to school together!』
I chased her around even in elementary school.
I remembered being so overjoyed when I saw Mana inside the school that I waved my hands as if they were going to shatter into a thousand pieces.
In junior high school, I finally learned to feel shame and refrained from chasing after her, but Mana stepped up to me.
It was hard while I was holding back, but I was happy because it was the first time Mana had come to me.
I seriously felt glad at that time.
Even after we started dating, I still chased her around.
I believe it was the same after high school, but after that, I became desperate to grow up.
Because I was terrified every day, wondering when Mana would tell me to end our relationship.
However—
I was reincarnated and Mana was summoned here.
Was it good or bad that we could meet again after being reborn?
I feel like that will be decided when we talk.
“Mhn…”
Mana flinched and made a sound, then slowly her eyes opened.
“Mana, are you awake?”
I looked into her dazed expression.
Then Mana's eyes gradually widened.
“Haru…? Haru…!”
“Woah!”
She jumped on my neck and tightened her grip.
“Mana! you’re hurting me!”
“I missed you…Eh? Ed?”
She pulled away roughly and stared at me and was very disappointed…
Rude. Haruma and Edward were both me.
“For now…”
I said this to Mana, who was deeply wrapped in the futon and on the verge of falling asleep twice.
But there was no response as if the meaning had not been communicated.
When I said it, I was quite nervous...
I tried it again but with a clearer message this time.
“....Eh? For now…?”
Oh, did she understand?
Mana jumped up while thinking that there was a time difference.
The momentum blew the quilt off.
Mana sat on the bed and stared at me without blinking.
She was silent, but she looked desperate.
“Kuga Haruma is dead and now Edward Astrea. Mana.”
The moment I called her name, her wide-open eyes shook.
Then, slowly, tears began to accumulate.
Ahh~...or rather Mana was wearing a plain white dress, but it was wildly contrived and she was on her knees on the bed, so I could see a lot of things.
This was not good.
Mana froze with her eyes wide open and didn't move, so I tugged at the hem of her dress and tried to fix it, and it moved.
“HARUUUUUU!!!”
“Uwah!?”
She jumped toward me, knocking the chair I was sitting on over.
I held on to Mana desperately so she wouldn’t get hurt, and because of it, I bump into a lot of things.
“Ouch…that was dangerous! Mana, are you hurt?”
“I'm glad to know that you’re Haru, after all…Uwaaaaaahhhh, hic, hic…”
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Hic, hic, uwaaaahhhh…”
He patted Mana on the back, who had burst into tears.
“Hic, I knew Ed was Haru! W-Why did you leave me?”
“...Sorry, I really am.”
I apologized, but it only made Mana cry harder.
As Mana clung to me and cried, I leaned over and patted her on the back.
“If you cry, it'll rain—ah.”
While I was worried about the rain, the room suddenly became bright.
I looked through the window to see what was wrong, as I had left the lights off and saw that the black sky had cleared up.
Suddenly, the sky was clear, but the rain was still falling.
This…
“It’s like Fox's Wedding…”
“...I might have been a fox, and you must be the bride.”
(Tired: 狐の嫁入り - Kitsune no Yomeiru - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitsune_no_yomeiri)
Mana looked up and gave me a tearful smile.
Her tear-stained face was making her look like a little child instead of a beautiful older sister.
Still, it was strange that she looks prettier than before.
I have a handkerchief, but Mana is in the way and I can't get it out, so I wipe her tears with the sleeves of my clothes.
“Thank you. This is much more like Haruka than taking out a handkerchief.”
I was a bit offended when she said that.
I'm different from my previous life, and now I have it in my possession.
“I have a handkerchief, but I can't get it out because Mana’s on top of me.”
“I see~”
I don't know what made her so happy about my response, but Mana, smiled even more as she rubbed her face against my shoulder.
She's like a cat, I thought for the first time in a long time.
“Ah!”
“Un…? Eh?”
When I looked at the window to which Mana pointed, I saw an unbelievable sight.
It was still acceptable that the rain had stopped and there was a rainbow—but instead of rain, it was…
“Huh, those aren't cherry blossom petals!”
Mana gets up and reaches out to open the window.
I followed her and stood by the window, looking up at the sky once more.
The sky was pink.
“L-Look! It’s Cherry blossom petals!”
There were indeed cherry blossom petals on Mana's hand as she held it out to me.
Where are they falling from?
I mean, there should be no cherry blossoms in Astraea…
This was more than just abnormal weather.
I think we had no choice but to make this public about the Saint, right?
“It's like when we met. Is it the goddess's 'celebration'?”
Mana looked up at the sky.
Her profile overlaps with the scene when we met.
It was indeed as beautiful as that time.
The cherry blossoms and Mana too.
A new problem came up, but now I have to talk to Mana.
“We need to talk.”
Mana looked straight at me.
“Un…”
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Thank you for the new chapter! He revealed it! Finally!
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