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Prologue: Latifa’s Secret Diary
Today, on a whim, I decided to start a diary.
Almost two years have passed since Onii-chan left the village; I’ve studied a lot in that time, learned a lot of difficult words, and can now write sentences properly. That’s why I wanted to write down all of the fun things that have happened in the village every day, so that Onii-chan can read it, too. That way, we’ll be able to talk about everything that’s happened together.
While I’m at it, I’d be super happy if Onii-chan praised me for studying so hard, too.
Ehehe, just imagining it makes me happy already.
And so, I’d like to start my diary right away by writing about what happened today.
Today was a wonderful, clear, autumn day. It was a tiny bit chilly, possibly because winter was approaching, but being in the warm rays of sunlight felt very nice. As I was talking to Vera and Arslan, I thought about how fun it would be to go for a walk with Onii-chan on a day like this.
But that aside, now that I’m writing a diary and consciously thinking about it, I realized there are so many fun and happy things happening around me.
Sara, Orphia, Alma, Vera, Arslan, Uzuma, Granny Ursula, Mr. Syldora, Mr. Dominic... I’m with so many kind people every day, and I’m able to talk about so many fun things with them.
Yes, I am a very lucky person — and it’s all thanks to Onii-chan.
Onii-chan saved me from that pitch-black darkness. Without Onii-chan, I wouldn’t be here right now.
I’m so grateful for Onii-chan, I can barely look him in the eye.
But, right now, Onii-chan is on a journey outside of the village. He’s looking for his mom and dad — of this world — in a faraway place called the Yagumo region.
To be honest, not having Onii-chan beside me is a little lonely, but I understand. I know exactly how precious Onii-chan’s memories of his late mother must be.
I don’t have a lot of memories of my mom here, but even so, I can faintly remember being gently embraced in her arms many times. When I imagine my previous self in Onii-chan’s current place, I feel very sad.
That’s why... How should I put this? I can’t really express myself well, but I think... I can understand how Onii-chan must be feeling. It’s lonely, but I must endure it.
Anyway, Onii-chan and I are tied together by a miracle of fate, because my previous self has met the previous Onii-chan before, too. That’s why, no matter how far apart we are, I believe our hearts are strongly linked. Onii-chan even told me lots of stories I didn’t know about his previous self, before he left the village.
In this vast world, the only one who knows about the previous Onii-chan is me... No one else. When I think of it that way, it makes me wonder if I’m actually a very special person to Onii-chan.
Ehehe.
However, the previous Onii-chan had family and an extremely precious person to him, so I don’t know if I’m as special as that person... It makes me wonder sometimes.
Even so, I can’t let myself be discouraged! I’ll surely become someone special to him!
That’s what I’ve decided... because I love him. Both the present Onii-chan, and the previous Onii-chan.
That’s why I’ll become someone who can stand proudly, even if those precious people of Onii-chan’s were to appear before me, as the current Onii-chan’s little sister! Ehem!
So, I was writing whatever came to mind just now, but keeping a diary might actually be pretty fun! All of those memories of Onii-chan resurfaced, and my brush kept moving steadily across the page.
Ah, but now I want to see Onii-chan again. What should I do...
Wait, huh...? I just read over my writing... Isn’t this more like I’m writing a love letter of my feelings for Onii-chan, rather than a diary? Now I’m going to be too embarrassed to show anyone else...
No, no... Well, I didn’t intend on showing anyone in the first place... As for Onii-chan... It’ll be fine if I just read it out loud to him, right?
Yeah, that’s right! I’ll write more diary-like entries starting tomorrow. Ehehe.
Okay, time for the closing words.
I hope Onii-chan comes back soon!
— Diary, Day 1.
Chapter 1: Homecoming
Year 999 of the Holy Era. Late fall.
At the village of the spirit folk, just before the sun was to set...
In a room at the residence of the werefox Ursula, who was one of the three head elders of the village, Latifa finished writing her diary and put her quill down with a satisfied nod.
This is good enough for the first day, I think.
She picked up the journal she had just written in and stared at it intently.
“...This really is too embarrassing to show anyone else. I wrote about so much... I’ll have to put it away so that no one else can find it,” she murmured as she stood up, then glanced around the room.
“All right... there.” After fitting her diary into the corner of the bookshelf, she beamed with an innocent smile.
◇◇◇
Meanwhile, at the same time, Rio was flying through the skies above the great forest, where the spirit folk lived.
Many layers of wide-range sorcery force field stretched around the village, but the most powerful barrier among them was composed of anti-detection sorcery that could only be infiltrated with a certain level of spirit arts training.
The anti-detection effect was considerably weaker against intruders approaching from the air, but the villagers were informed from the moment they entered the barrier’s range. Even Rio, who was flying closer through the sky, would probably be detected soon.
At last, Rio thought sentimentally as he looked upon the giant tree of Dryas, towering near the village.
Roughly two weeks had passed since Rio had departed from the Yagumo region; even though he could fly with spirit arts, it had been a long journey.
As Rio immersed himself deep in thought, a tingling sensation ran through his entire body. He had entered the barrier, meaning the village would undoubtedly be able to sense his presence as an outsider. With the village right before his eyes, it was only a matter of time before someone came flying out at him.
Rio halted in his flight and remained airborne.
I wonder if everyone’s doing well. Especially Latifa... He smiled at the nostalgic memories that surfaced.
He hadn’t seen her for nearly two years. Maybe she’ll be mad at me, he wondered to himself.
After several minutes of waiting, Rio spotted a group of people flying toward him from the direction of the village.
“That’s... Orphia’s Ariel.”
He enhanced his vision with spirit arts and strained his eyes to see. Ariel was the middle class spirit the high elf girl Orphia was contracted to. Several figures were riding on the back of the beautiful, giant bird that looked similar to an eagle, and there were more figures flying alongside it by themselves.
The group seemed to have locked onto Rio’s figure, as they were making their way straight toward him. Their figures gradually grew larger and clearer in Rio’s vision, until eventually —
“Onii-chan!”
A familiar voice could be heard — the voice of an innocent and adorable girl. The owner of said voice was waving enthusiastically at Rio. Despite the group being fully-armed, there was no trace of hostility in the air, so Rio was all smiles as he returned the enthusiastic wave.
Immediately after, Ariel accelerated dramatically and closed in on Rio ahead of the others. In no time at all, Ariel had closed the distance between them, before continuing to soar h
igher right in front of Rio. Rio followed the sight with his eyes, then caught sight of a single girl jumping down from Ariel’s back. Rio rose nearly reflexively and caught the girl with a hug.
“Oops...”
“Welcome home, Onii-chan!” The werefox girl — Latifa — shouted as she fit snugly into Rio’s arms.
“I’m home. Jumping down like that is dangerous, you know?” Rio warned her with a wry smile.
“It’s fine, because I knew Onii-chan would be sure to catch me,” Latifa said with a carefree smile.
Rio couldn’t help but soften his expression. Unable to conjure up any additional words of warning for her, he gently petted her head.
“Ehehe.” Latifa grinned bashfully and rubbed her head against Rio’s chest.
“You’ve grown bigger, Latifa.”
“Yup. Of course I have — I’m nearly thirteen years old now!”
“I see. I’m glad you’re doing well... and to see everyone else is still the same, too. It’s been a while... I’m home,” Rio said with a happy smile and turned to the other faces hovering in the air.
The silver werewolf Sara and dwarf Alma were seated on Ariel’s back as Orphia floated in the air beside them. Uzuma, the winged werebeast who served the village as a warrior, was also nearby.
“Long time no see, Lord Rio. I am most relieved to see you are well, and to see that you have bulked up a fair bit, too. Perhaps you are even stronger now?” Uzuma said cheerfully.
“He really has. Rio, you look a lot more mature now. And very cool!” Orphia nodded in agreement.
“Thank you very much, both of you. I’m in the middle of my growth spurt,” Rio said bashfully.
“Fufufu. Rio’s so adult-like now, it seems Sara and Alma are feeling a little shy,” Orphia said with a mischievous smile, looking toward Sara and Alma. The two girls had been looking at Rio in awe when the spotlight landed on them, making them both flinch.
“I-I’m not acting shy at all!” Sara objected in a fluster.
“Sara’s the only one shy here. I was only thinking about how the air around Rio had changed a lot.” Alma turned her face away and excused herself with feigned composure.
“T-There you go again, saying things like that. It’s so obvious you’re feeling embarrassed, too!” Sara retorted without a moment’s delay.
“Sara was the one captivated by the sight of Rio.”
“Waaah, Alma! Don’t say such weird things!”
Alma and Sara’s usual back and forth unfolded before the group, making Rio let out a small chuckle.
“...Hmph, why are you laughing, Rio?” Sara asked with an admonishing expression.
“It’s nothing. I was just thinking about how it really feels like I’ve come home. The two of you have both turned into mature young women. It’s wonderful,” Rio answered as though he was holding back his amusement.
“Uh... T-Thank you very much,” Sara said with a blush on her cheeks. However —
“...I haven’t changed much, though,” Alma replied with a pout on her lips.
“That’s not true. You look more mature now than before, and you’ve grown a little taller too, haven’t you?” Rio said with a smile, shaking his head.
“...Well, yes, a little,” Alma nodded gently with a happy smile.
“Hmph. That must be nice, you two. Being praised by Rio like that,” Orphia muttered, envious.
“You’ve become more beautiful as well, Orphia. You seem even more calm and composed than before,” Rio said, complimenting her with a faint smile.
In fact, Sara, Orphia, and Alma were all in the middle of their growth period, so they had matured a lot since he had seen them last.
“Ehehe, thank you very much,” Orphia said with a broad, happy smile.
Just then, Latifa tugged at Rio’s coat from where she was being carried, and turned her expectant gaze up to him.
“Latifa’s also much more like a mature woman,” Rio laughed in amusement.
“Yup!” Latifa replied with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
◇◇◇
After their initial greetings, Rio was led by Sara and the others as they descended into the village square. A large number of village children, who were playing there, noticed the group sink down from the skies.
“Welcome home, Rio!” Sara’s little sister, the silver werewolf Vera, came bounding over energetically.
“Hi, Vera — I’m home. I see you’re as lively as ever.”
“That’s right! And I see you’re close to Latifa, as always! Good for you, Latifa. You got to meet up with your beloved brother again!” Vera said, looking at Latifa being carried bridal-style in Rio’s arms.
“Yup! Thank you, Vera!” Latifa thanked her as she clung to Rio. She had been sticking right by his side since earlier.
“Please allow me to give Rio a hug later. I wanted to see him again, too,” Vera pleaded and waved her tail around happily.
“Sure, we can hug Onii-chan together!” Latifa nodded readily.
“Thank you for always being friends with Latifa. You’ve grown bigger, too, Arslan.” Rio said with a smile, turning to the werelion boy Arslan who had followed after Vera and stood motionless to the side.
“R-Right. Long time no see, Rio,” Arslan replied somewhat shyly. He gave a small shrug of his shoulders.
“Rio’s the one who’s gotten bigger and bulkier. You look a lot more adult-like than before.” Vera’s beautiful, silver hair fluttered in the wind as she looked up at Rio in amazement.
“Thank you. Sara and the others said the same.” Rio chuckled and looked toward Sara. Her eyes met Rio’s eyes, and she looked away in embarrassment.
“Fufufu. It seems my sister is too shy to look at a grown-up Rio,” Vera said with a complacent smile.
“I-I’m just nervous!”
As Sara refuted Vera in a fluster, Rio averted his gaze with a strained smile. Sara glanced at his profile.
Ugh... It’s all because Alma said those things. He’d definitely find me strange for panicking like this, Sara thought to herself.
Indeed, she was nervous — Rio looked a lot more mature than before. He had a calm air about him when they had lived together previously, but there was still something innocent and fleeting about him back then. Now, she could feel a sharp and intimidating steadiness to him, making him seem strangely mature despite his young appearance.
His body had also become sturdier, his movements were as guarded as always, and there was no doubting the fact he had become stronger.
He must have grown mentally, too, so it was possible that his new disposition was seeping into the air around him.
With that thought, Sara came to her own conclusion. I’ll have to have Rio spar with me sometime soon. I need to show him he isn’t the only one who’s grown! she thought eagerly.
At some point, the children in the square had gathered around Rio.
“Welcome back, Rio!”
“You went outside the village, right? What was it like?”
“Did you grow taller, Rio?”
“Rio, souvenirs! Souvenirs!”
They were all speaking at once.
“Rio won’t be able to answer anything if you guys all ask so many questions at once. Be more considerate and wait your turn. Anyway, the sun’s about to set, so it’s almost time for you guys to go home,” Sara warned the little boys and girls of the village in the tone of an older sister.
“Eeeh, but we wanna talk more!”
“Where are you guys going, Sara?”
“We wanna go with you!” The children all wailed.
Instead of asking the strict Sara, the children were shrewd enough to persistently plead at the gentle Orphia and Alma, who was unexpectedly good at caring for children.
“Geez, we’re going to see the head elders! You’ll be scolded if you keep making a fuss. Orphia and Alma, you two need to stop spoiling them so much,” Sara said strongly, reprimanding them.
“Geh, there’ll be lots of adults!”
“Aww...”
“Let’s go home! Home time!”
The children finally backed down.
“Vera, Arslan, you two make sure the smaller kids make it home safely.”
“Okay, got it!”
“Sure, leave it to us, Sara.”
At Sara’s order, Vera and Arslan nodded.
“Shall we get going, then, Rio?”
Thus, Rio was led to the town hall where the head elders were waiting.
◇◇◇
That night, in the cafeteria of the town hall...
After Rio had greeted all of the elders and informed them of his return, the head elders held a small welcome party for him.
In attendance was Rio as the guest of honor, the three head elders — high elf Syldora, elder dwarf Dominic, and werefox Ursula — as well as Latifa and the three girls who used to live together with them: Sara, Orphia, and Alma.
“I must say, you’ve grown into quite the adult. I’ll check to see whether your equipment needs any adjustments, so pop by my place sometime tomorrow. Was there anything about the equipment that you were less than pleased about?” Dominic asked as he poured sake into his cup. “Thank you very much,” Rio thanked him brightly. “Its ease of use was of the highest quality, but if I had to pick something I was unhappy with... I’d say its high quality drew too much attention, perhaps?”
“Wahaha, that makes sense... I see, I see. That sounds about right.” Dominic laughed heartily.
“Lord Rio, I heard that you were able to fulfill the goal of your journey. If it is all right with you, would you share some stories of the Yagumo region? I’m sure the girls are interested in hearing about it, too,” Ursula said as she looked at Sara and the others.
“Sure, I wouldn’t mind,” Rio nodded agreeably, then started to recount his journey.
He told them about how he couldn’t find any clues about his parents in the first few months, how he wandered the Yagumo region endlessly, and how he walked through several hundred towns and villages until he finally met his grandmother and learned of his cousin, before beginning his life in their village.
When he told them of Yuba and Ruri’s existence, Latifa spoke up.
Eternal You (Premium) Page 1
