Chapter 32 - Present Moment: Ambient

Self-edited.

“Alright.” Ann finished washing the dishes and turned off the tap.

Sakito’s home was full of strange things.

First, there was the house itself. It seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, as if it had been built overnight. Ann, who often wandered around the Elven village, never saw any sign of construction. In fact, it seemed to have materialized out of thin air right alongside Sakito.

Apparently. Because even Sakito wasn’t certain about it.

“Sakito.”

But the strangest thing of all was Sakito himself.

Ann trotted into the dining room.

He had black hair streaked with gray and wore glasses, which were uncommon traits for the humans around here.

Speaking of appearance, Sakito claimed to be sixty, but he looked much younger. Ann, being an elf, didn’t quite understand human ages, but to her, he seemed younger.

Though he was much older in maturity and mental age, she guessed they were probably around the same age physically and in terms of years of living.

“He’s asleep…” When Ann reached the sofa, Sakito was sleeping.

She’d been hoping to chat more with him since he was in a good mood after having some cold ale from those silver cans. He was pretty talkative, and they often had pleasant chats together. But the most gentle look he had was when he was texting Emi on his phone or computer.

Ann wished he would show that expression more when he talked to her.

“But…” She didn’t know what to do. It was especially hard when she had to look him in the face and talk. And just when she felt like she could handle it today, Sakito had fallen asleep.

“Ugh…!” A mix of sadness and frustration welled up inside her. Ann stomped over to the fridge and grabbed a beer. With a pop, she pulled the tab and downed it in one go, feeling it slide down her throat. Delicious. It’s really delicious.

“…” But Sakito remained silent. After that thought, it struck her that she had been quietly hoping he would wake up. Ann took small sips of her drink, stealing glances at the sleeping Sakito.

Her eyes were then drawn to Sakito’s Adam’s apple. Elven men had them too, but they were smaller compared to human men.

“Sakito…”

She reached out to touch it, being careful not to hurt him. Gently. Very gently. It felt neither soft nor hard, just strange.

“No… I shouldn’t be doing this…” Ann told herself and quickly left the dining room, heading for the bedroom as if fleeing.

Ann usually slept on the living room sofa. Somehow, it felt more comfortable there. But Sakito was there now, so she slipped into the bedroom where Sakito usually slept.

This room, which served as the lodge’s bedroom, had four beds. Three had neatly made sheets, while one was slightly rumpled.

Ann flopped onto one of the beds without thinking.

She couldn’t help herself.

“Sakito…”

Ann flopped onto the bed that Sakito usually used. The scent was soft and calming, just like Sakito. A gentle, comforting smell that seemed to wrap around her.

“Mmnnn~~~” She snuggled into the blanket. It was like she was trying to make up for the times she couldn’t be affectionate or the moments she missed out on earlier. Ann was alone, tossing and turning, as if trying to imprint something from the bed onto herself.

Or maybe she was trying to force something from inside herself.

“Saki…to…”

Ambient Gale Shaft was an outcast in the Elven village.

She was the daughter of the village chief—a daughter who grew up without her mother. No one, not even her own father, would tell her about her mother.

It wasn’t just that. Ann’s magical ability was imperfect. She had an overwhelming amount of magical power but lacked the skill to control it properly.

Because of this, the few elves her age were scared of her, and the rest of the village kept their distance. They all kept their distance, creating an invisible barrier around her.

This kind of life made Ann struggle to communicate with others.

She knew she wasn’t the most mature, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. She had no idea what to do, and there was no one she could turn to or who would accept her.

“Hic, hic…!”

Moreover, they were forbidden from interacting with humans.

She’d broken that rule a few times to play with humans, but after receiving a warning from her father, she couldn’t do that anymore. That’s when Sakito showed up.

She’d wanted to help because he was in trouble. But she knew that if she did, she’d likely be cast out of the village—abandoned. Ann might be young, but she wasn’t clueless. So, she had refused the plea.

Yet, she ended up helping him anyway.

“You’re the only one.” That’s what she’d been told.

Those words were only a desperate utterance born from the dire situation, and nothing more. She knew that. She could understand that much.

But ever since then, something inside Ann had been shattered. From the cracks of that broken thing, all sorts of emotions poured out.

Sometimes, it felt like a warm light wrapping around her. Other times, it was like tears, cold and submerging her world.

And sometimes, it was as painful as blood gushing from a wound.

“You’re the only one.”

Those words still pierced her heart.

If you like my translation, you can support me by:

Or by recommending this novel~