Chapter 73

Since it became too long, I divided it into two parts.

It will be updated tomorrow, so I would be happy if you could look forward to it.

"Are you okay!?"

"…I'm sorry."

When the three of them arrived, they found a woman lying on the ground and scattered props. It seemed that she had tripped over something, and as she fell, she had knocked over a stack of prop boxes. "What are you doing, you!" the man shouted, but Cecilia calmed him down and approached the woman to help her up.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"A-ah, yes. I'm fine. Thank you..."

The woman, who was helped up by the handsome young man kneeling beside her, blushed. However, it seemed that now was not the time for that, as she shook her head and quickly regained her composure.

"The props! Are any of them broken!?"

"From what I can see, they seem to be fine."

Cecilia picked up one of the fallen props. It appeared to be a weapon prop, and short swords and guns were scattered around. The large man who had shouted earlier approached. He was likely the manager of the set and props.

"Really, you're such a klutz."

"I'm sorry, Zack."

"Well, as long as you're not hurt, that's good."

Zack poked the woman's head. She had a slightly apologetic but also happy smile on her face. Following the woman's lead in picking up the props, Cecilia and the others began to clean up the scattered items. Cecilia examined the short sword she had picked up.

"Looking at it like this, it could easily be mistaken for the real thing."

"Well, realism is the most important thing! No matter how good the actors are, if the props are half-hearted, the audience will lose interest!"

Zack, who had appeared beside her, traced the blade of the sword with his finger. Although he knew it wouldn't cut, it still made her nervous because it looked so real.

"It would hurt if you were stabbed with this, even if you know it's fake."

"Want to try it?"

"Eh?"

Without warning, Zack thrust the short sword mercilessly into Cecilia's abdomen. It wasn't just a light touch; the sword was pushed deep into her body, up to the hilt. Cecilia couldn't help but let out a sound.

"―! ...It doesn't hurt?"

"Of course not. It's obviously a prop."

Zack released the hilt of the sword from Cecilia's hand. The blade, which had been hidden inside the hilt, retracted at the same time. He stabbed her again with the sword.

"There's a spring inside. This is a custom-made item by my childhood friend, who's a blacksmith―"

"Whoaahh!?"

At that moment, a terrible scream came from behind. Turning around, they saw Zwey sitting on the ground, his face pale, and his eyes wide and trembling as he looked at Cecilia.

"Ah, sorry. Did I scare you? It's actually a prop."

"…Say it."

"Eh?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"

"Zwey?"

Cecilia approached the small, trembling Zwey.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Uwaaaah! Don't come near me!!"

Instantly, the short sword he had been holding to pick up was knocked away. The sword slid across the ground, leaving everyone speechless. Realizing his state, Zwey covered his face with his hands.

"Sorry. It's not what you think, really―"

His breathing, which had been steady, gradually became faster and more labored. As if he was in pain, Zwey's eyes filled with tears, and he curled up on the spot.

"Zwey!?"

"Are you okay?"

Ain, who had been working elsewhere, rushed over. Seeing Zwey's condition, he shouted, "Someone, get a bag! He's hyperventilating!"

After the treatment, Zwey was lying on a bed in the infirmary. The only people in the room were Ain and Cecilia, who had brought him there. The sun was setting, and the evening light slowly slid across Zwey's sleeping face.

"Sorry, about that."

Cecilia was the first to speak.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because…."

Cecilia looked down, feeling guilty. Although it wasn't intentional, she had definitely scared him, and she couldn't help but feel responsible.

(Now that I think about it, Zwey was also unusually afraid of the knife when we first met…)

At the time, she thought he was just surprised, but now it seemed he might have a deep-seated fear of knives. Cecilia adjusted the blanket over Zwey. Then, as if she had just noticed something, her eyes widened.

"Huh?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Hey, Ain. Didn't Zwey have a brooch on his chest?"

"…!"

Ain's face showed surprise as he checked Zwey's chest. It was indeed empty.

"Maybe he dropped it somewhere?"

"…"

Ain suddenly looked pensive and turned away from Cecilia.

"I'll go look for it."

"Huh?"

"I can do it alone. You should go back to practice."

"Wait, wait a minute!"

"But, if we're looking for the brooch, two people are better than one!"

"I don't need your help―"

"Besides, it's better to find it before it gets dark! It'll be harder to search in the dark, and I think Zwey would be sad if we couldn't find it!"

"…"

The thought of his friend's sad face seemed to soften Ain. He reluctantly said, "Do what you want," and Cecilia cheerfully replied, "Okay, I'll do what I want!" They then began searching for the brooch. The first place they checked was where Zwey had had his hyperventilation episode. The area, which had been messy earlier, was now clean, likely because everyone had tidied up while they were treating Zwey.

"Um, it was a green brooch, right? With a gold design around it…"

"Here it is."

Ain held out the brooch in front of her. It was undoubtedly the same one Zwey had.

"You had the same one."

"Yeah. In our hometown, it's a custom to give newborns a gemstone of the same color as their eyes. So…"

"That's a really important item! We have to find it!"

She raised her fist in determination. Ain, who had been watching from the corner of his eye, narrowed his eyes.

"…You're often called a weirdo, right?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I think you're a weirdo."

Cecilia tilted her head in confusion. Ain then said, more gently than before, "Let's start searching."