126 – Side Story. Epilogue (5)
White snow piled on the roof, and a grand Christmas tree stood in the yard.
The residents of the Sehei Mansion each held their favorite bulbs and decorations, placing them around.
Not only on the tree but also on various parts of the mansion’s walls, small bulbs were hung.
Though not yet shining brightly in the daylight, they would emit a dazzling light come nightfall.
Taking in the bustling view of the mansion, Ichinose Hotaru, who had just entered the gates, blinked in surprise.
The mansion, which had always exuded a somber atmosphere for two years, had suddenly become so lively in just one day.
Amazed yet comforted by the twinkling bulbs already, her heart warmed.
One of the reasons was the man entering her sight.
A man with eyes as white as the snow falling from the sky, with equally snow-white hair, the realist man, Shiri.
Ichimaru Shiki raised her hand with a healthy-looking smile.
“Oh, Hotaru. It’s been a while.”
Hotaru, who had cried her heart out the night before, sniffled, trying to hold back tears.
She greeted in a hoarse voice.
“…Hey, Shiki.”
It was a Christmas reunion.
***
─The melodrama is too intense.
It was a sudden remark from the inner Yong Yong.
Does this guy even know what melodrama means when he blurts out like that?
─Of course I know! Now is the time to cry! Forcing tears out is the essence of melodrama, isn’t it!
It slightly deviated from the dictionary definition, but it was roughly similar to the commonly accepted social meaning.
I could roughly understand what this arrogant guy was trying to say.
Honestly, it was getting a bit awkward for me too.
“Well, after being presumed dead for two years, people might cry. Every time I see their faces, I feel like my debt is being repaid in real-time due to the tears.”
Kenichi, who only exchanged greetings earlier and left, showed no signs of sadness, but the women were particularly tearful.
─The women are overflowing with emotions.
This was the opinion of Goblin Stenodoji.
Perhaps women have higher sensitivity than men.
I wanted to refute, but my current situation didn’t allow for a clear denial.
“I’ll stay here for a while and then go. It’s been a while since I sold the mansion I used to live in.”
For now, the British blonde wizard Eris Betelgeuse declared that he would stay in Shehai for a while. Upon reuniting after a long time, Sento didn’t seem to leave me at all, and Rin was the same.
“Sikijang, would you like to come here?”
…He kept trying to summon me to the secret room. If Sento and Eris hadn’t restrained him, I probably wouldn’t have been dragged there more than ten times.
Moreover, in a situation where I was being treated like the protagonist, there was no point in being alone, so I was busy preparing for the Christmas event…
– Jiii.
The situation where everyone’s attention was focused on me felt much more intense than before.
As I approached Sento and Rin, it felt like rays were emanating from their eyes.
Feeling pressured in various ways, it was difficult to act rashly.
Physically fine but feeling a bit uneasy, I heard a familiar voice in the situation.
“Siki-nim, could you come over for a moment?”
It was Shehehei Tokomo, who was my dedicated squire.
In my absence, she had matured and gestured with a gentle smile.
In a sense, she was the most trustworthy person at the mansion.
This sentiment seemed to be shared by Rin and Sento, as they momentarily let me go.
In the atmosphere of such liberation, Eris also grudgingly bid me farewell.
“Hmhmhm, what’s the matter?”
Regaining composure, I chuckled softly and asked.
As the main character of the party, shouldn’t there be something I need to cooperate with?
In fact, we were heading towards the kitchen at the moment.
However, instead of the kitchen, Tokomo pushed me into the adjacent lounge with a blank face.
“You seem very tired. I thought you might need a moment to catch your breath, Siki-nim.”
“…Oh.”
My trust score for Tokomo, who was already at the pinnacle, skyrocketed.
Please be my lifelong squire, Tokomo.
Well, she’ll have to get married someday, so it’s probably impossible…
At that moment, Tokomo smiled softly and tilted her head towards me as she sat in the lounge chair.
“Siki-nim, pardon me.”
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Then, she lightly touched my forehead and made a sound.
“Oh, I made a mistake trying to brush off some dust.”
“…?”
“I mistook it for a white hair. It seems like it got on your eye.”
“…Tokomo?”
Next year, the high school girl (2nd year) Shehehei Tokomo smiled and replied.
“Why do you call, Siki-nim?”
I absentmindedly replied as she lightly touched my forehead.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Kids’ growth these days is truly frightening, I realized.
– Wow, Casanova Ichimaru Shiki…!
The inner turmoil continued to be loud, so I just switched it off.
When the day darkened, a knock was heard from the front door.
I was the first to notice and approached the door.
The woman behind the door spoke with a gentle voice.
“May I come in?”
I smiled and replied.
“Of course.”
As I said that and opened the door, the woman, who seemed even more beautiful, embraced me tightly.
As I held Tachibana Sawako, resting her head on my chest, I suddenly thought,
“Perhaps this life might truly be filled with good fortune.”