#13
I have never smoked cigarettes or cigarettes. It will definitely be detrimental to your health. Because of that, I don’t know what it feels like to burn tobacco.
I didn’t really want to know either. Even if it was just out of curiosity, I thought I would become like Elena-senpai if I put it in my mouth once. That was an extreme specification.
However, there has never been a moment when I wanted to have a cigarette in my mouth as much as I do now.
When they burn it, not everyone makes a wide impression. There are very few people who happily smoke cigarettes with a sullen face. If that’s the case, it’s probably drugs, not tobacco.
Anyway, my father sometimes burns tobacco, but there are usually two cases.
There is something to think deeply about.
Or if you don’t want to think deeply.
Either way, it’s going to be a bad feeling.
So am I now.
“Why did you lie like that?”
I felt popular. Someone gently sits next to you. I spoke out without looking back, and after a while, I heard an answer.
“… Are you lying?”
“That’s right, a lie.”
“Everything I said is true.”
“Not like that.”
“then?”
Taeyeon’s weak voice Somehow, it seemed to flow. It’s just a thing of the past, isn’t it? It is impossible for the other person to make a fuss even though the person concerned is okay. He straightened his back, which had been bent at an angle, and leaned against the back of the bench.
“You said that the orphanage went bankrupt and you were left on the streets. For me.”
It was a story from the distant past. To some extent, it was the summer of about ten years ago.
“I did… Was it… ?”
“uh.”
“It’s been so long, I can’t remember. Ahaha.”
“… It’s good to laugh.”
“But you can’t cry, can you?”
“… … .”
There was nothing else to say.
“It’s true that it’s messed up. It must be in ruins now.”
“For now, Izzy. It wasn’t then.”
“… Are you going to do that?”
“you really… … .”
Finally, I let out a sigh. Breath is scattered in the cold night air. I scratched my head and turned around to see the uninvited guest.
“Don’t do that too much. It is already a thing of the past.”
Cheeks reddened by the cold wind. Silver-white hair with moist ends as if it had just been washed. Cardigan and dress as always. Stella de Feltline, a platinum girl with a colorless necklace on her raised collarbone.
“Don’t you look like that? A friend I knew was almost sold into slavery.”
“Slave, no. I ended up escaping, so I still don’t know what they were trying to do with me.”
“It’s obvious what. There are many cases of orphanages pretending to adopt unrelated children and selling them to slave traders.”
There are laws and procedures to prevent such illegal acts, but if they had fulfilled their roles, the world would not have been infested with criminals. The orphanage chief must have had some kind of connection with the slave trader in the dark side. It must have something to do with the reason the orphanage went bankrupt.
“Um, anyway, I’m in front of you right now, so it’s okay, isn’t it?”
“… I hope it’s positive.”
“It’s much better than being negative, isn’t it? And you know my personality, but like you, I get depressed easily and I just don’t. If you have a depressing event, you have to shake it off as quickly as possible with an exciting event.”
“Is this exciting?”
“I was very excited when I managed to escape~. I was very excited when I met you and had fun. There are far more happy things in life than unhappy things. Anyway, I’m happy now. More than anything… … .”
Stella spoke as if singing a joyful song, waving her feet at the crossroads under the bench.
“If you hadn’t let me in then, I probably would have starved to death in a few days or had been bitten by wild animals. There is absolutely no need for you to have any feelings for me. … You saved me, Ezio. Thanks to you, I was able to be here. I am very grateful.”
I know too. I guess I just didn’t take care of it a little better.
Seven-year-old Stella was supposed to stay at our family’s villa until she found a new orphanage, but if she had known that, she would never have sent her near the orphanage that had sold her.
Of course, as a seven-year-old child didn’t know much about local human trafficking, how well did my parents deal with it? Because they liked Stella very much too.
… Maybe Stella and I became a family.
It was really just in case.
“… “Yeah, you’re fine, what can I do?”
“Yes. right.”
The story of the past could not be continued here. If that happens, the topic of Stella’s biological parents will inevitably be mentioned. As she said, I didn’t want to create a dull air current.
If I talk about it, Stella will talk to me as if it’s nothing, but it’s impossible to know the inside just by looking at the outside. It was better to refrain as much as possible.
“… But, you.”
“yes?”
“How did you know here?”
After breaking up with them, I went out with a confused mind. It was just past midnight. I thought they were both going to sleep, but how did Stella know that I was here?
“Um, rather than knowing… I thought you might be here for some reason, so I came here to see you, did you really feel like you were there?”
“It’s kind of scary.”
He is also a guy who sees the future.
“But I don’t know what you were doing here. What were you thinking?”
“You think.”
“… … .”
Stella’s face lit up for a moment. It looked like an unexpected surprise. She corrected her words before she even misunderstood.
“… … No, I don’t mean weird. Whether it was when you first met, or something I didn’t know about you. I was just thinking about this for a while through the story I heard from you. I was literally thinking about you. really.”
Stella earlier didn’t tell us the details. He was simply reciting fragmentary lists of facts as if talking about other people’s affairs.
However, the meanings contained in each sentence line by line could never be taken lightly. Even though I knew he was talking about a past that had been diluted by the passage of many years, I thought that the calmness of Stella who recites it like that is very foreign… … .
“I see. I also thought you had mastered the art of catching women with such a casual face. But it’s a bit more terrifying in the sense that he wasn’t aware of it. … Yes, I will be more careful in the future.”
what is he saying how.
“Ezio.”
“… uh?”
Stella sitting next to me suddenly called me. Looking back, she said with a fresh smile on her lips.
“thank you.”
“… suddenly?”
I haven’t done anything to be grateful for right now.
“yes. I guess I didn’t say thank you properly.”
Stella continues.
“Then and the last time. You saved my life twice. No, three? You protected me by flying, and… … .”
I know roughly what you want to say.
A cold wind blew. As a result, Stella’s cheeks naturally became more red. My earlobes were also blushing, so I thought it would be better to just go to the dormitory.
“… When I woke up, it hurt a little here. How hard did you press, Ezio?”
“If you didn’t do that, you would be dead.”
It really is. I’m going to break the ribs– Resuscitation will only have its meaning when it is pressed firmly with the same force. He nodded his head to see if he didn’t know that.
“know. It’s proof that you worked hard to save me. Are you closer to the happy pain side? Ahaha.”
“It’s going to be a pleasure… … .”
“No, I was really happy. On the one hand, I was lucky.”
Are you happy to be alive? Before I could even figure out what it meant, Stella gently caressed my lips with a somewhat strange look.
“Because you took my first, Ezio.”
“—Uh-huh, cool. … ㅤ, uh what’s in your neck Big, cool. it doesn’t come out like this great! Big bang.”
Standing next to a princess somewhere, who lightly uttered sounds that would be very misunderstood if anyone heard it, I grabbed the pole of my neck and tried to evacuate something from my throat. That something is, of course, something. I mean, I don’t know either. It seems like it should be there even if you don’t. Let’s do that. please… … .
“Hhhh.”
Stella bursts out laughing at my reaction. It’s also a bad joke. Why are you doing this in front of me? you. Wouldn’t it be better to return to the shy and friendly Stella de Feltrein? I think it would be more convenient now… … .
Clearing his sharp neck, he barely spoke.
“… Are you going to be crazy, huh?”
“You’re crazy, that’s harsh. Besides, most crazy people tell lies, but I’m only telling the truth. You must have done what you did to save me, but then that fact doesn’t change, right?”
“What a fact.”
“… … knowing.”
“I don’t know, ma. I don’t know. I never did.”
When I try to get up with a waving of her hands, Stella with wide eyes looks up at me with her hands clasped and says in a desperate voice.
“Are you going to take away the girl’s precious innocence and let it go? I had no idea that Ezio-san was such a person… … .”
crazy really
“Why are you here? You weren’t usually like this.”
“Is this character in front of you?”
“… no, ah I will turn.”
I have nothing to say.
“I, Princess Stella. It’s a medical practice, so it’s completely invalid. Your precious innocence is still alive and well. I have never taken it, and I have no intention of doing so, so please rest assured. Do you know?”
He jumped up and said with a sigh.
Then Stella wets her eyes even more.
“… Don’t you want to? too bad. I was hurt.”
“Don’t cross the line, man.”
There is a line that shouldn’t be crossed even for jokes.
That’s true… … .
“How shocked will Rubia be when she finds out about your true self… … .”
Rubia doesn’t even know that she’s ever met me in the past, let alone Stella’s true form. That’s because Stella didn’t reveal it.
I thought that the story related to me would come naturally as I briefly unravel the past, but Stella seemed to intentionally not mention that part. I don’t know the hidden intentions. Did you think that it was not the time to reveal it yet? This is also unknown.
“It may not happen.”
“… What?”
Are you saying you don’t want to show your true face?
Stella continues.
“I thought about it, but what everyone knows is no longer a secret, right? It’s a secret that only one person and one person know. So, a little more secretive and special.”
“… What do you mean?”
“Um, I don’t know anything else, but I want to keep a secret between you and me. Without telling anyone.”
“… why?”
Stella got up from the bench following me and looked around the scene of the quiet and gloomy promenade.
“Ezio, you also have secrets between the other kids, don’t you? i don’t know that So that’s how I feel. If I’m the only one who reveals everything, it’s kind of embarrassing. Competitiveness is lost.”
He smiles softly as he fiddles with the necklace decorations. that weird laugh. The true face of Stella that she never shows in front of other kids. It’s so different from what I usually do, my back and back get chills. shy asshole. In a way, when it comes to making fun of me, I didn’t know that I was just below the level of Mew… … .
“… Maybe this is a kind of future poetry or something similar? Why is it that you speak the same language, but you don’t seem to be able to communicate at all?”
“Hhhh.”
“Don’t laugh. Hey, talk straight. What do you mean?”
“Well. How about~ If you know and pretend you don’t know, you’re worse than me, Ezio~.”
“Are you aware of the bad quality? … No, this is done. So you’re saying it or you’re not saying it?”
“Well. How about.”
“Are you going to make me say the same thing?”
“Ahahaha.”
Following the shadow of Stella walking lightly with her back on her back, I had to sweat for a while trying to figure out her intentions… … .
#14
next day,
Saturday morning.
“Your juniors don’t know our circle well yet.”
This was the answer I got after visiting the circle room regarding the schedule for the welcome party for new members, found Seira-senpai who was there, and explained the situation.
“… Don’t you know yet?”
“I think we forgot the motto of our circle.”
“uh… … What are you talking about, okay?”
The other members were nowhere to be seen. There was a problem with the scheduling for a while due to the last incident, and it seemed like he was dealing with it.
“Did you say anything is free?”
With a bright face that I couldn’t believe it was the same man whenever I saw him, he put down the pen he was spinning and said so.
“You are free to attend. It is also free to fall. you can do whatever you want We will not hold you accountable at all. Maybe if you didn’t come, we would have had a good time together as soon as he didn’t come?”
… I always think about it, but I don’t think it’s the ultimate freedom. The vibe of the circle is strange.
“More than anything else, I was originally going to cancel. As much as that happened to you guys, I didn’t think there was an atmosphere to celebrate and welcome anyone.”
“Well, we’re fine now… … .”
“We are fine too. If it really bothers you, stop by the circle room from time to time and say hello to the members you haven’t seen at that time. It seemed like everyone really wanted to see you guys, especially the famous ones among the freshmen.”
“Is that so… … .”
It didn’t seem like a very good thing. There were many incidents and accidents, so rumors spread quickly. I wanted to live a peaceful and peaceful life.
“Yeah, I’m just curious out of pure goodwill, so don’t be too burdened. They are all nice and fun friends. I’m sure you’ll like it too.”
If you look at the case of Typhon, Nemesis, and Aru seniors, it seems to be the case. When I suddenly looked back at the whiteboard, it was still littered with graffiti and promiscuous drawings. You guys are having so much fun… … .
“I want you to be careful. That junior is also a member of our team, so if I could go to the condolences for comfort, I would have gone there too… … .”
“Oh, are you busy?”
“No, busy is not a problem. The problem is that I can’t go even if I want to.”
“… … Yeah? what it is.”
Seira-sunbaenim answered my question.
“Are you guys invited? As far as I know, it seems like they say they don’t accept condolences from anyone except family and friends. For that reason, it is likely that only invited people will be able to attend the funeral. We should see the carriage procession, but that’s all we can do. You cannot enter the castle where the royal family will be held.”
A fact I didn’t know at all. Somehow, I thought that an invitation had just arrived in front of us. So Yuri, Artina’s royal family knew of us, her friends, and specially invited her. Are you that friendly? But seeing that they even sent invitations to me, I don’t know the standards… … .
“okay.”
“Yeah, so the reception that was supposed to be held this Sunday is cancelled. You guys go and comfort your friends well. It’s incomparably important to something like a reception. Don’t worry, we’ll go in peace.”
“… Thank you for your consideration, senior.”
“Fufu. You don’t even need to be too polite. Understand?”
“Yes, sir. Then I will know that.”
“Yes, yes. see you later.”
“Yep. I hope you do well too.”
“Yes.”
When I came out after saying hello, Rubia, who was sitting on a chair in the corner of the hallway waiting for me, slowly stood up and asked.
“Uh, how are you?”
“Goodbye. We decided not to hold the reception.”
“ah… … .”
It’s a very uncomfortable face. I said.
“You said you were going to cancel. Because of the last practice. So don’t worry.”
“Still, um… … . okay.”
I just seem to have understood. Eventually, I walked along the quiet hallway with Rubia. The sound of two pairs of footsteps overlapping. I still don’t feel very comfortable with Rubia alone, but I had to ask a question first.
“Stella?”
Rubia answered my question in amazement.
“You seem to have been talking to Professor Tyler for a very long time, how did you get permission to go out? I’m sorry that something seems to be bothering you… … .”
read at https://noblemtl.com
Due to the internal circumstances of Frontier, it seemed to have detailed procedures for the entry and exit of outsiders as well as the outsiders. This was especially the case with us, the main victims of this case. Maybe it was because we thought that if we had any additional problems in our lives, we would receive irreparable criticism.
Anyway, Stella went home for a while to lend us clothes. I thought it wouldn’t take that long… … Well, I hope nothing happened there. Because Stella didn’t seem to like her hometown very much.
“It will be fine. Let’s wait until we come back.”
“Yes… … .”
Originally, the question of what to do now should have naturally popped up, but we didn’t have to. Because you know without saying it.
The following schedule was set. Me and Rubia remain silent as they walk down the hallway of the Student Union.
Now, it’s time to go see Mew.