Chapter 62

### Chapter 62: The Same Path, Different Dreams (6)

* * *

#12

"This is truly... a shameful incident for a professor. To have one of my students protect another... However, apart from that, it was a very swift action, Edgio. It was remarkable. I deeply appreciate you for safely protecting Miss Rubia."

The professor, who always appeared calm and composed, looked at me intently and then bowed politely.

Swish.

When he lifted his face again, the professor's eyes sparkled.

"...However, the amount of magic power was insufficient to destroy Miss Rubia's magic. It seems something special intervened in the middle. Was this a result of your intention, Edgio?"

What, how did he know?

Indeed, a professor of the Epic class. He accurately caught the moment my ability manifested, even though it was for a very short time.

I nodded.

"Yes."

The professor then showed a look of interest.

"As a scholar, I'm curious. If you have the time, I would like to hear a detailed explanation of your ability..."

The professor's gaze then turned to someone.

It was Rubia, standing in front of me.

When we both looked at her, she gave a pained smile, hugging one shoulder.

"...It doesn't seem to be a good day today."

She didn't deny it.

"...Alright. I'll see you in the next class, Edgio. Miss Rubia. Miss Stella."

The professor looked at each of us in turn and then left the classroom, leaving us behind.

Silence returned.

Stella broke it.

"R-Rubia... Are you okay?"

Stella, who had screamed first, seemed to have been quite shocked by the sudden situation. Her fingertips were still trembling slightly. She approached us with a worried look.

Rubia, looking at Stella, was silent for a moment.

Then, she smiled, the same smile she had shown me earlier.

"Yes, I'm fine. I think I just got a bit dizzy and my control was off."

"But..."

"Really, I'm fine. See, I'm perfectly fine."

Indeed, she started swinging her arms as if to show she was fine. As I watched her, a deep sigh rose from within me.

"Right. Did you study well?"

Rubia suddenly asked us.

I responded briefly.

"...Study?"

"Yes. Last time, Stella said she would teach you the previous lesson's content. Did you two do well?"

Her words made me feel a bit uneasy, though I didn't know why.

I met Stella's gaze in silence for a moment.

She seemed to recall the incident and closed her mouth, avoiding my eyes. While Rubia looked at us curiously, I answered calmly.

"Uh, yeah. Stella taught me better than the professor. Thanks to her, I finished quickly and smoothly, with no need for additional review. ...Right, Stella?"

"U-uh, yeah. ...No, yes."

We didn't mention where or when we studied together. It would have been awkward if Rubia found out.

...But why did I have to hide it like this? I had entered Stella's dorm with her permission, after all. But I couldn't just say that here.

Our secret and accidental meeting would remain a secret between the two of us. Perhaps forever, unless one of us revealed it.

"That's good... I'm relieved you didn't fall behind."

Rubia didn't ask any more. She must have sensed something was off, but she only smiled softly at me. For some reason, I felt a twinge of guilt.

To change the atmosphere, Rubia spoke softly.

"...Shall we go back? It's almost lunchtime. Yesterday was different, but today I want to eat with you two..."

Just then.

"Stella, I'm sorry."

I interrupted Rubia.

Suddenly raising my hand, I drew puzzled looks. I had already slung my bag over my shoulder after the class ended and turned to look at Rubia.

"I need to eat with Yuriko today."

"…Huh? Wh... Why?"

Stella, about to respond with a single word, quickly added more. She could have just let it go.

I answered.

"I have something to talk about with her."

"...Huh? Me?"

Rubia asked, puzzled.

There was still plenty of time before the next elective class.

The same was true for Rubia.

In that gap, I had to have a lot of questions and answers with Rubia, whether she wanted to or not. Her condition was worsening day by day. If this continued, a bigger accident would happen. I was certain of this from long experience and intuition, and it would be in the near future.

"E-Edgio? I'm fine. Really, I'm fine..."

Rubia's emerald eyes trembled slightly. Her face, pale, showed confusion.

What could I do? Once I decided to do this, I couldn't back down.

I said, with a pressing and cold gaze.

"Don't talk nonsense, Rubia. Do I not know you?"

"..."

Rubia was dumbfounded by my reprimand. She swallowed her words and lowered her gaze, which had been swinging like a pendulum.

...Actually, it was quite ironic for me to say such things. Do I not know you? I know you well enough. During the middle school years, the time Rubia and I were apart was longer than I thought.

We, who used to start and end each day together, eventually started dreaming different dreams on the same path.

Thus, we could no longer understand what the other was thinking. Our shared daily life began to diverge in different directions.

Even though we were clearly in the same space, Lorson Academy, Rubia and I maintained an unstable relationship that was less than friends until just before graduation.

No, it hadn't really changed even now.

If anything, it had become more complicated.

I couldn't spend the remaining five years with Rubia in such a bitter way, so I decided to start unraveling the tangled knots between us today. Whether it would work or not, I had to try.

In the past, when I had a problem I couldn't easily share with someone, Rubia would have confided in me right away. She seemed unable to do so now. It was natural.

Her eyes, which had become darker.

Her unstable gaze.

Her noticeably thinner body.

Even a critical mistake she wouldn't usually make.

As her once closest friend, and as someone who intends to remain so in the future.

I couldn't stand by any longer.

"So, can you go ahead today? I'm sorry."

"…No, it's okay."

Shaking her head as if it wasn't a big deal, Stella watched us with a worried look.

­Grip.

She secretly showed me a fist, sending me a silent cheer from where Rubia couldn't see, then picked up her bag and left the classroom.

"..."

"..."

Now, only the two of us were left in the spacious classroom. As the silence enveloped us, Rubia's expression changed slightly. Perhaps because there was no one else to see, the act of pretending to be fine all day finally seemed to tire her. Her smile finally faded.

The unfamiliar atmosphere. Such a drooping expression didn't suit Rubia.

Thinking that I might be the cause of all this, my head became even more complicated.

"Rubia."

"…Yeah."

A weak response.

I turned my back to Rubia, who avoided my gaze.

I continued in a low voice.

"It's a bit hard to talk here, so let's go outside."

#13

A pleasant breeze blew.

The midday of spring was warm. The sunlight melted everything, and the fresh scent of green leaves filled the air.

Rubia's steps were slow.

It was natural, given her lack of energy.

Matching my pace to Rubia's, I walked slowly. We walked in silence, matching our steps on the narrow path between the trees and leaves.

The path where I had accidentally met Rubia before.

I remembered the short but long conversation we had on the bench in front of the cabin, where she was wearing a thin negligee. We even reminisced about our childhood for a while. The ending didn't seem to be very good, though.

I wanted to choose a place with fewer people. If the conversation took a long time, we would need a place to sit and rest.

Most importantly, this place was full of comfortable vitality and energy. It was the most suitable place to heal and soothe a tired mind.

Rubia also needed to sort out her thoughts. So, I didn't rush to start the conversation. Of course, I also had to think about what to say first.

—Tap, tap...

Lost in thought, I moved slowly, and before I knew it, we had reached the end of the path and our destination.

A shelter nestled under the giant trees came into view.

A small cabin. A wall covered with vines. A clear pond and colorful fish swimming vigorously beneath the surface. I glanced at the bench where Rubia had sat a while ago and then looked away.

"Let's go in."

I went in first. After a short pause, I heard quiet footsteps following me.

We climbed the moss-covered stone steps one by one. We repeated the same action about five times. After a short walk, I could reach the handle of the cabin door.

—Creak...

The old hinges groaned. I held the handle until Rubia entered.

Once Rubia's feet crossed the threshold, I closed the cabin door and turned my head forward.

...Tick, tick.

The sound of the second hand on the clock on the wall could be heard.

The living room was carpeted in red. On it was a rocking chair. A very soft-looking cushion was placed on it.

It seemed to be well-maintained, as there was no dust, surprisingly. The same was true for the other structures.

A small sofa on the wall. A fireplace next to it. A willow table. Delicate teacups and a teapot on a tray. Tea leaves for the students who visited. A magical device to brew tea. A bed to lie down and rest was also visible at the back. The bedding was neatly folded.

"Sit here. I'll make some tea."

"…Okay."

Rubia nodded slightly.

Rubia seemed to be thinking between the rocking chair and the sofa, but eventually chose the rocking chair.

She then sat neatly with her hands folded and leaned back against the backrest. She seemed to have been tense until then, but perhaps she liked the comfortable and quiet atmosphere of the place, as she seemed to relax a bit.

Creak, creak... The rocking chair moved slowly back and forth. With its regular sound as a background, I carefully selected the tea leaves to brew.

Suddenly, I spoke.

"Rubia."

"…?"

At my call, Rubia turned her head. Her eyes, which seemed to be getting sleepy, met mine.

"I'm going to add some honey to the dew tea. How about it?"

When I said that,

Rubia quietly asked.

"…How about it?"

She seemed to not understand the meaning.

"It's something you used to like. I thought you might still like it."

"…"

The dew tea, which was naturally sweet, was even sweeter with honey. Following Rubia's taste for sweet tea, I also started to like sweet food over time.

Although I don't prefer it as much as before, I sometimes put a piece of chocolate in my mouth.

Rubia didn't answer for a long time.

So, I waited.

I took two teacups from the dish rack. Even if they looked clean, I used a simple cleaning spell just in case. As I prepared to brew the tea, I moved my gaze to the rocking chair where Rubia was sitting, as her answer still didn't come.

Her emerald eyes, visible through half-closed eyelids, were staring at me blankly. They were so hazy that they seemed about to be enveloped by drooping eyelids and fall into sleep.

There was no fire in the fireplace. Yet, it felt as if warm flames were crackling inside.

This small cabin, except for the lack of an attic, was extremely similar to my house from those days. Seeing Rubia in the rocking chair, I suddenly overlapped the image of the past.

I asked if she still liked honey in her dew tea. Rubia's lips slightly parted.

And then, they naturally formed a soft curve.

"...Yes. I like it. From then until now, always."

...Perhaps.

She was saying that she still liked the tea she used to drink often in the past.

While her gaze remained on me without a break during the time it took to brew the tea, it seemed to add a bit of opacity to the meaning.

* * *