Prologue: Beyond Memories
Early one morning, in the spirit folk village...
In the house where Miharu was living together with Latifa and the others, Miharu was sleeping alone in her room. However, from the look on her face, she seemed to be having a bad dream.
“H-Haru-kun?!” After a moment, she let out a frantic yell and moved her hands as though to hug someone, but the person she was trying to hug wasn’t there.
...What was I doing? Miharu returned to her senses with a gasp and looked around the room, confirming where she was. It was a familiar room — the room she had been sleeping in every day since coming to the village.
Was I... dreaming?
Right... it was a dream. She recalled seeing a dream. A very sad dream...
...I can’t remember it. Miharu frowned in frustration. It was an extremely important dream, wasn’t it? Someone had been in pain... That’s why Miharu had tried so desperately to hug the person in the dream. She knew she couldn’t be separated from them, because, if she were, that person would go somewhere far away.
“I have to remember...” Spurred on by a vague compulsion, Miharu desperately tried to remember the dream she had just moments ago. It wasn’t too late to recall something yet. There should still be something there, somewhere...
“...Haruto?” At the back of Miharu’s mind, the faint image of Rio holding a sword from behind resurfaced. Rio was watching something with an extremely stern expression in the dream. He glared at someone, before swinging his sword down on them... perhaps.
But upon further consideration, hadn’t Miharu said the name of a different person when she woke up? The nickname of the boy she was always with when she was young...
“Haru... kun?” Miharu whispered softly. The nickname of her childhood friend, Amakawa Haruto...
Was that a dream... about Haru-kun? Miharu frowned sadly at the doubt she felt. Then, she suddenly recalled her past with Haruto and clenched her fist around her nightgown.
Back in those days, Miharu had thought it was only natural to be with Haruto. It was a given that she would grow older with Haruto, and those days they spent together would continue forever naturally. She had been seven years old when she learned that it wasn’t meant to be — nine years ago. It was why Miharu could remember those days she spent with Haruto so clearly, it was as though they had only happened yesterday. Because Miharu liked Haruto — because Miharu loved Haruto, she was devastated to be separated from such an important person. It was so painful that she would never forget it.
She still remembered the promise they made when they parted, too. There was no binding power at all behind it — a fleeting promise between two children. Her feelings now could be different from love, but even so, that promise was still something sacred to her.
That’s why Miharu would occasionally remember Haruto, even though she had grown older. While she felt very sad that Aki had nothing but prejudice towards Haruto, every time Miharu remembered him, she felt warmth in her chest that supported her, as though he was beside her.
She wondered how Haruto had grown up. Did he still remember the promise like she did? If he did, and they were ever to reunite like they promised, what would they do? Miharu thought about those things every time she remembered Haruto.
The answer was the same every time: it was possible she would fall in love with Haruto once more. It’d be a wonderful thing if that happened, she thought. But recently, whenever Miharu remembered Haruto, she found her chest tightening in pain instead. And she knew the reason why: it had started after she began living in this world with Haruto.
Haruto and Haruto. Their identical names could be part of it, but Miharu occasionally found herself feeling a sense of déjà vu as she went about her days living with him. She had started overlapping the two — Haruto, and Amakawa Haruto.
Miharu wasn’t very good at interacting with the opposite gender to begin with. She was fine with the younger Masato since he was still a child, but she sometimes found herself in an awkward silence around Aki’s older stepbrother, Takahisa. That was why the only same-aged boy Miharu could spend time with without any objection was Haruto, who she had grown up with from a young age.
Until she came to this world and met Haruto, that is...
For some reason, from the moment she had met the Haruto in this world, she had never felt nervous around him. It made Haruto one of the few people Miharu could interact with without feeling particularly uncomfortable. If she didn’t count Haruto from her childhood, then he might’ve been the first.
The reason she felt so comfortable around him was because the feeling that Haruto and Amakawa Haruto gave off was similar. She wasn’t able to explain it in detail, but the feeling of reassurance when they were together was the same. Miharu started to realize that as she spent more time with Haruto, and before she knew it, she was overlapping Haruto with Amakawa Haruto.
However, she didn’t think that was necessarily a good thing, as it was rude to compare someone with someone else like that. It was a feeling Miharu had hidden in her heart... until she heard the story of when Rio first visited the village from Orphia and Alma.
According to Orphia and Alma, Rio had muttered “Mii-chan” when he’d been unconscious in a cell. It was the nickname that Haruto had once called Miharu by. Of course, it could’ve been a coincidence, and there may have been nothing behind his sleep talking; not to mention the fact that Haruto had previously said he died a university student. Even so, Miharu couldn’t help the seed of suspicion growing within her. It was possible Haruto’s previous life was as Amakawa Haruto.
That couldn’t be, Miharu said to herself, but the suspicion remained.
I can only remember it vaguely, but the person in my dream looked like Haruto... Miharu’s instincts were telling her the dream was about Haruto. As though insisting that the two men were the same.
“Then...” Miharu whispered quietly. “Does that mean Haruto is Haru-kun...?”
Her anxious voice echoed softly in the quiet room.
Chapter 1: Atonement
Outside of Amande’s city walls, in the location where Rio and Lucius had been battling it out mere moments ago, Rio and Flora now stood closely facing each other.
“U-Umm, Sir Rio...” Flora clutched Rio’s sleeve and whispered his name quietly.
“Yes.” Without breaking eye contact, Rio nodded with a guilty look, but his heart wasn’t present. After a moment, he slowly looked up at the sun rising in the distant sky. Unreachable and bright, it was like something to be yearned for...
Flora gently tugged the sleeve of Rio’s shirt, asking once again, “Sir Rio... You’re Sir Rio, aren’t you?”
“...” Rio looked back down at Flora as though he had been dragged back to reality. But he didn’t speak, instead frowning in thought at how to deal with the current situation.
Haruto, is everything okay? At the same time, Aishia’s telepathy echoed in Rio’s head.
...Yeah, it’s fine. Rio calmed himself, and replied to Aishia. I’m just a little busy right now. Can you contact me later?
Got it. He heard Aishia’s immediate response before the telepathy cut off. Once it did, Rio finally opened his mouth to speak.
“...Who might you be referring to?” He stared at Flora’s face and feigned ignorance.
An extremely saddened look crossed Flora’s face before she was enraged by the answer that didn’t meet her expectations. “Y-You, you’re S-S-Sir Rio! Just now, that man said so — that you’re Rio!” she said in frustration.
“...I was once called that, yes. I have the name of Rio in addition to my name of Haruto. But why are you calling me by such a name, Princess Flora?” Rio cocked his head and asked with an utmost look of curiosity, as though implying t
he Rio that Flora knew was someone else.
“...Mm...” Flora felt like she had been strongly rejected, and her face twisted with tears.
“I currently live by the public name of Haruto. Pardon my rudeness in asking so, but I would be extremely grateful if you could forget what you heard earlier.” Rio cut to the chase with his request without any further explanation.
“N-No, I don’t want to!” Flora clung to Rio’s chest like a lost child.
While Rio’s eyes widened, he still managed to speak in a calm tone. “...May I ask the reason why?”
“T-That’s... because...” Flora’s voice trembled slightly as she looked up at Rio’s face right before her.
There’s no mistaking the fact she remembers me. What do I do? Rio calmly tried to think of a way to deal with the situation as he looked down at Flora.
When it came to Flora hearing his conversation with Lucius, he had no regrets. He considered the conversation a necessary ritual to precede their battle, after all.
However, Flora’s memory of him was clearer than he thought it’d be, and her strong feelings about it were a little beyond his expectations. He had no idea what she was thinking. After all, he’d had no interactions with her at the academy, and their social statuses were far from each other.
If she’s this desperate about it, it may be impossible to fully deny everything, Rio sensed, which left him with limited options. He could admit to the truth honestly, come up with some kind of convincing excuse, or purposefully confuse her to change the subject...
At any rate, the decision came down to the fact that Rio didn’t trust Flora. While he believed she wasn’t a bad person, he would be in a bind if his admission caused her to act rashly in response. That was why he had to make the truth as vague as possible.
Which meant the safest option would be...
“I... I always wanted to apologize! I always wanted to say thank you!” Flora proclaimed with every fiber of her being.
She had always felt regret for her own failure in being unable to do anything during Rio’s former academy days, when he was being discriminated against right before her very eyes. That was why she couldn’t simply forget the existence of the person who had saved her. She had made a vow that she wouldn’t forget. The sudden encounter had left her head blank as a sheet, but whether it was coincidence or fate, she couldn’t let this once in a lifetime chance of reuniting with Rio slip past her fingers.
“Whatever for?” Rio merely tried to divert the truth with a troubled look.
“For what happened at the academy!” Flora said, getting to the core of the matter.
After a long moment of hesitation, Rio responded. “...I cannot think of any reason why I should be receiving such words of gratitude and apology from you. If you are referring to this incident, then please do not let it bother you. There was simply some business to attend to between me and that man.”
Even Flora could read what he was implying with that, body shaking as she asked, “...Am I being a bother?”
Rio took the clinging Flora by the shoulders and moved her back a distance so that he could speak to her while bowing his head. “Of course not. But right now, I am Haruto. If your Highness insists on feeling gratitude and apology for this incident, I would request that you kindly forget the name Rio. That would be more than enough.”
“Ah, uh...” That seemed to shock Flora, as her expression was lost for a moment. She tried to say something, but her mouth didn’t move.
There was a person resembling Rio before her, and the final words coming from him resonated strangely within her head. As her head rapidly cooled down, an indescribable feeling swirled violently in her chest.
Perhaps this was a punishment for her own foolishness. After how much misery he had been put through by her and the others around her, it was simply too convenient to be given a chance to apologize like this. Once she came to that conclusion, Flora suddenly felt extremely ashamed.
I... really am a fool... Flora thought bitterly. She felt so sorry and helpless with impatience, as she had been desperately searching for something she could do. Soon, she realized there was only one thing she could do.
“Of... course. I-I’m sorry. I was... mistaken, and asked something strange... I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Flora cried big drops of tears as she bowed her head with a heavily trembling voice.
“No, there’s no need to cry in apology...” Rio felt rather helpless, but this was for the best. There was no other choice right now, he told himself.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry...” Flora continued to apologize with her head down. She rubbed her eyes, desperately holding back the tears, then bit down hard on her lip and stifled her emotions.
After a moment, Flora slowly raised her head. There were no longer any tears flowing, but it was clear that she had been crying. She had an awful look on her face.
“I’ll escort you back to the city.” Rio averted his eyes awkwardly.
“...Yes, please.” Flora nodded weakly.
Chapter 2: Return
Meanwhile, a few moments earlier... The eastern skies welcomed daybreak as light reached the western skies and the ground below.
“Ah...!” The people present in Liselotte’s garden were all looking up at the sky in a daze. There, soaring through the skies was the black dragon-like creature Liselotte’s party had witnessed just the other day. Its mouth was open as it breathed a jet-black flame down at the city walls towards Amande’s northwest area.
However, the breath did not reach the ground. It collided with a single beam of light that stretched up from the ground and competed for dominance. In the next moment, the jet-black breath was pushed back, and a blinding flash of light tore across the sky.
Pretty... Liselotte vaguely thought about how beautiful the scene was. It was probably a magic of the highest grade, packed with tremendous destructive power, yet she couldn’t help but feel captivated by its beauty. Next to Liselotte, Celia was also looking at the sky in awe.
“...It’s retreating,” she mumbled quietly. The black dragon-like creature swiftly evaded the light that pushed back its breath, proceeding to change directions and fly away. Those in the estate garden watched on, astonished. After some time had passed, Aishia approached Celia with light footsteps.
“I’m done here, too. You can cancel your magic now,” she said in a casual tone, as though she had returned from a stroll. The revenants that had overrun the estate garden mere moments ago were all eliminated, leaving no trace behind. It really was nothing more than a walk in the park for Aishia.
“O-Okay. You’ve worked hard.” Celia deactivated the Magicae Murum barrier she had maintained until now and looked at Aishia as though she wanted to ask something.
“Haruto is fine,” Aishia informed her shortly, having guessed her thoughts. At that, Celia’s expression loosened slightly. Hearing Rio was safe from Aishia’s own mouth lightened the burden on her chest a little. She couldn’t ask for details in front of Liselotte, but she would believe in Aishia’s words.
“O-Oh,” Celia stammered in a light tone.
“...Thank you so much, to the both of you. Your assistance has helped minimize the damage that could’ve taken place here. I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart.” Liselotte bowed her head to Aishia and Celia.
“N-No, I didn’t do anything useful. It was all thanks to Aishia.” Celia shook her head in a fluster, looking at Aishia.
“I only fought for Haruto’s sake. The situation still isn’t resolved, so we should consider what happens next,” Aishia said, looking around the estate. Thanks to Aishia’s participation and the fact the revenants were toying with the knights while fighting, the damage wasn’t as great as it could have been, but there were still casualties. Some of the knights among them were unconscious, so it was too early to think optimistically. There was also the possibility of fights breaking out elsewhere, outside of the estate grounds, too.
“...Of course.” Liselotte focused her expression
into a serious one.
“Please pay us no heed and return to your post, Lady Liselotte. If you need an extra healer, I am able to use Cura and can lend a hand,” Celia said, urging Liselotte to take action.
“I’m sorry for putting you in this position. Could you please accompany me, then? I must confirm the situation with haste,” Liselotte requested with a bow of her head.
Cura users were few and far between. The effectiveness of recovery varied between users, but Celia’s use of magic in the earlier battle was of a rather high skill. There was much to be expected.
“Yes,” Celia agreed immediately. There was a high probability she knew the people inside, and though she was currently in hiding from the world, there was no way she could turn a blind eye with lives at stake.
“Follow me, then.”
Thus, Celia and Aishia accompanied Liselotte inside the mansion.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, in the living room inside the mansion, Roanna was healing Duke Huguenot. She used her healing magic to treat his abdomen, which had been punched by the Alphonse revenant.
“Guh... What’s happening... outside...?” Duke Huguenot asked, his face distorted from the pain in his torso. His mouth was stained red with blood he had spat out.
“Please refrain from speaking. Your internal organs are difficult enough to heal already,” Roanna scolded the stretched out Duke Huguenot with a serious expression. Squatted right beside her was Stewart, who was watching the treatment go on with a terribly panicked face.
“Lady Roanna, Father... Father will be all right, won’t he?!” Stewart asked in disarray.
“Calm down. The healing will take time, but there should be no fear for his life,” Roanna answered bluntly.
“...Okay,” Stewart fidgeted restlessly and nodded.
I don’t know why he passed out, but Sir Hiroaki is safe. But I worry for what happened to Princess Flora, who escaped outside... Even as Roanna devoted herself to healing Duke Huguenot, she worried for the safety and whereabouts of Flora. While there was no mistaking the fact that remaining in the room at that point was dangerous, she knew revenants had appeared outside soon after. She couldn’t help but worry.
Beyond Memories Page 1
