The first day Dante was away from home.

When I opened my eyes, I was on the bed. Seeing how bright it was outside, it was probably lunchtime.

“…”

I definitely remember falling asleep on the sofa yesterday, but Dante woke up in the middle and somehow moved me to bed. Looking back very carefully, I vaguely recalled sending Dante on his way out at dawn.

[I’ll call you tonight.]

[Mm.]

I think I heard that he would miss me… I saw him off while I was still half asleep, that’s why I couldn’t remember anything properly. It was only now that I regretted being unable to greet him properly.

No matter how sleepy I was, I should’ve woken up properly and bid him goodbye. Now I can’t see him for three days.

The cold spot next to me on the bed made me realize that Dante had left early, so I didn’t want to get out of bed. But if I try to stay up late on the bed, time will only go slower. Thinking so, I forced myself to stand up.

The house without Dante and Lisa was completely silent. It’s been a long time since I lived alone, so that fact shouldn’t be new to me, yet it kept feeling strange.

Until that evening, I spent my daily life in a quiet house, not much different from usual. Such a daily life of eating meals, reading books, and cleaning the house. Yet all of that quickly got me bored just after dinner.

To put it more clearly, it was more like I didn’t want to do anything because my stamina ran out. I moved busily on purpose to pass the time, yet I belatedly thought that I shouldn’t have done that.

Because I found myself creating and doing things to do just because Dante wasn’t there.

The remark ‘buy and go through trouble’ might be appropriate. I stared at the bookshelf, which had been cleaned so hard that it almost felt new, and ate before I missed dinner.

I moved exceptionally a lot today, and above all, I had nothing to do, so I decided to go to bed early. Ah, of course, I got a call from Dante before that.

I was waiting for a call while looking through the boring books with my eyes, while the magic stone on my bracelet flickered and shone.

I was wondering how to communicate with him, turns out this is how he gives signals. As Dante taught me, I covered the magic stone with my hand, and I heard Dante’s voice.

[Ei.]

“Hello, Dante.”

It was a voice I hadn’t heard in a day, yet somehow it seemed like I hadn’t heard it in a very long time.

“This is really amazing. You said we can only contact each other for a short time, right?”

[Yeah.]

I can only say ‘what I want to say’. I let out a long breath and rested my chin on my hand. Having to share a story within a limited amount of time felt more strange than I thought.

It was all the more so since it was a conversation with the person who always sat next to me around this time.

“Dante. I’m very bored without you.”

That’s why I spouted out too frankly.

I didn’t feel the need to talk round and round while hiding my true feelings even though we couldn’t talk for a long time. I knew it was going to sound like a whine, but at the same time I wondered what’s the matter with that.

Because the more true I was to my feelings, the more Dante must be pleased.

[…You’re bored? Then should I hurry up and come home?]

As expected, Dante’s voice was faintly bright as he answered.

As if he was going to run here at any moment, I even asked again. If I ask him to come, will he really come? I can’t do that, can I?

“If you come home now, can you take care of it later?”

[ …]

No answer. As always, Dante wasn’t good at lying in front of me.

“Come back in three days after you finish your work. I’ll be waiting for you.”

[I want to come home even more after hearing that…]

“No. If you come before that, I won’t open the door.”

[Okay.]

A sullen voice was heard. If you were by my side, I would have comforted you, but it was a pity that I couldn’t.

We asked each other about what happened today for a while, and when I checked the time, the contact time was coming to an end. I asked Dante one last time before saying goodbye.

“Dante. Could this magic stone break?”

[Huh? Why, all of a sudden?]

Because I bumped my wrist hard while cleaning today. Rather than being in pain, I was frightened that the bracelet might have been scratched.

But unless I wanted to hear Dante’s worries and nagging, it would be foolish to say it straight away.

“Nothing. I’m just suddenly curious.”

[I can’t say that it will never break, but it probably won’t break in everyday life. Ah, but be careful because if it collides with another magic stone, it may break even with the slightest impact.]

“With other magic stones?”

[Yeah. When the magic stones collide, the different types of magic within them… Can I explain more? ]

“No.”

When I answered immediately, Dante gave a small smile.

I stopped resting my chin and raised my wrist to forehead level to examine the bracelet. I heard that it wouldn’t break in everyday life, so it seemed to be strong in its own way.

The fact that it shouldn’t collide with other magic stones, well, it won’t happen anyway, so I think it’s fine.

After fiddling with the glittering magic stone under the light for a while, I calmly put it down.

“Are you going to call me at this time tomorrow too?”

[Tomorrow… I’ll contact you in the morning. I think it will be more relaxed then.]

“Alright then.”

Then I added, like a joke.

“Sleep well and dream of me.”

Dante answered me a beat late. With a short yet clear laugh.

[Yeah, I’m sure I will. ]

With those words, the long day came to an end.

***

The next day. Unlike the previous day, I got up early in the morning and contacted Dante.

Since nothing much happened between last night and morning, unlike yesterday when we talked about what we did all day, we talked about what we were going to do today.

Dante’s talk about ‘going to meet a high-ranking person’ on today’s schedule sounded a bit suspicious, but other than that, there was nothing special. After giving an appropriate request not to overdo things, and asking him to contact me again tomorrow night, the conversation was over.

Unlike yesterday, when I was only inside the house, today I was planning to go outside. First of all, I didn’t forget the letter I was going to send to Masha, and then I went out.

As I was busy shopping for groceries and sending letters to Masha, time passed more quickly than yesterday. However, when I later checked after I went grocery shopping, it was full of what Dante liked, what Dante ate well, and just things that reminded me of Dante.

Did he, by any chance, cast some kind of magic on my mind as he went? Magic that keeps reminding you of someone, something like that.

I’d rather it be like that. Because the image of me constantly thinking of Dante since yesterday is unfamiliar.

On the way home, the village girls I met asked, “Sister! Did you send a letter to Masha?” and I nodded. I had just heard that it would be delivered in a week.

While I was returning home listening to the chatter of the children, I noticed someone walking from the other side. It was a stranger I had never seen before.

“…”

At that moment, a strange, smoky smell crossed my nose. Unknowingly, I stopped on the spot due to the rising displeasure, and as a matter of course, my shoulders collided with that person.

It didn’t hit hard, but I did stumble for a while. However, when I belatedly turned my head, the person was walking away as if nothing had happened.

An inexplicable, very subtle feeling of uneasiness welled up in my heart.

“Sister, are you okay?”

“Ah. Yeah, I’m fine. But is the person who just passed by, someone who was originally from our village?”

“Huh? No. It’s my first time seeing them too.”

“Me too.”

I saw faces with only concern for me, without any questions about the person who had just passed by.

Because the village is on the border, encountering strangers was common. As it’s a very small village, there were many people passing by rather than staying for a long time, so the villagers wouldn’t be wary just because they were strangers.

The fact that Dante and I melted into this village without much difficulty was proof of that. So, normally, I would have just thought, “I’ve never seen that person before,” and moved on.

Just now, that person was somehow strange. They just passed by, but why did I feel uneasy, and uncomfortable with the smoky smell I smelled for a while?

In an instant, my mind became complicated.

“Sister?”

“No… It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

However, I soon forced myself to stop thinking. Believing that I must have become unnecessarily sensitive since I was alone at home. There are so many people who come to this village, yet I’m wary of an innocent person just because I bumped into them for a short time.

I forgot about it, lest the faint uneasiness cloud my mind.

***

And it was that evening that I realized that the magic stone of the bracelet was broken.