CH 16

“Good morning, Nagi.”

“…What? l told you I don’t need you to pick me up.”

This morning, as I was about to ride my carriage at the royal castle, I saw a familiar horse and a familiar man galloping toward me from the other side.

Perhaps because today is not the debut day anymore, he was wearing a white shirt and brown bottoms. His navy blue jacket, rolled up in a mess, was hung over his school bag. His white shirt is dazzling. I feel like his skin is glowing, healthy, and different from my own. Like usual, with his red hair poking out all over the place, Mika approached me while waving his hand widely.

As he greeted me with a radiant smile as if a fresh morning were in a human form, my morning was suddenly transformed into a dreary one.

Anyhow, he’s too different from the Mika in my first life. He was always complaining and angry all the time, but he has changed too much. Even though I don’t think I have changed that much myself.

“Really… what’s with you? You also act so differently from before.”

“Huh, is that so? Hmm. Frankly, I didn’t expect you’d choose me, so I’m very happy.”

“……”

“I just end up being in high spirits like back then. Look, even Allen is happy.”

As Mika said that, the dark brown horse with gentle eyes he was riding rubbed its face against his hand.

He diverted the talk to Allen and I feel like my question was left unanswered, but Allen was so cute after not seeing him all these years, and I got tempted.

I don’t ride horses by myself very often, so it had been a while since I saw one up close. Mika asked me if I wanted to ride the horse with him, but I thought I had to refuse such a thing right away.

But, my eyes suddenly met with Allen’s. Allen looked at me with such happy eyes as if he was asking me to get on, and I started to get cowed.

In the meantime, Mika grabbed me by the arm and then pulled me up. I wonder how he had the strength to do that.

“Huh, wait! Mika!”

“Isn’t it fine? We used to ride a horse together back then.”

“I don’t want to do anything that stands out.”

“It’s fine, because I’m your personal knight.”

I’m completely trapped between his legs, and I feel increasingly irritated because it’s not a good idea to do this as a prince. But even if I wanted to break free, I couldn’t do so on horseback. Allen’s gentle eyes also looked somewhat proud that I couldn’t get off even if I wanted to. However, Mika’s words from earlier came to my mind.

(So he felt happy…)

Mika certainly seemed like he was in high spirits.

I started distancing myself from him around the time we entered the academy, but before that, he was a childhood friend I always played together with. To think that he felt happy that we can be together again even though I had avoided him so much, a feeling of happiness started to spread inside me, too.

When I glanced behind a little, I saw Mika’s smiling face.

Rather than doing something like this, I would rather ride my own horse. Then he told me, “It’s dangerous, don’t move too much,” so I had no choice but to look forward. I sighed and turned my head so that I couldn’t see his face at all. Suddenly, I feel a sensation of something touching my head. When I looked up, Mika’s sweet voice resonated in my ears. A shiver runs down my spine.

“Sigh… Nagi is so close to me from so early in the morning.”

“…Stop. That’s gross.”

“Ahh, you’re mine. Nagi is mine.”

“I’ve told you, that’s wrong!”

Mika hugged me so tightly that I felt like I could see the tail and ears on his head.

Even if I pushed back this redhead, the heat that gathered in my face won’t cool down.

In my first life, Mika was always angry, but now I know that he wanted to be chosen as my knight.

Come to think of it, I remembered I promised something like that in the past, and my heart skipped a beat.

I’m at a distance where I could almost hear Mika’s heartbeat. I was unwilling to be trapped between his legs, but well, let’s just have him drop me off on the back side of the school building.

As Allen ran, the morning breeze blew through.

“What was it you’re taking today? Theology?”

“Yeah. Theology and Law.”

“Then, we’ll go to the back of the chapel, okay?”

While giving a small nod, I looked at the scenery from the horse. Allen galloped lightly through the city to the west side of the royal capital, where the school is located. It had been a long time since I had ridden a horse through the city. The scenery was different from the last time I saw it.

When I saw Corliss Square where my brother was executed on the right side, my chest ached.

But—

(The royal capital is still beautiful…)

The scenery was different compared to what I saw from the carriage yesterday. Maybe it was a good thing that I rode a horse together with Mika.

After saying goodbye to Allen, I headed to a classroom adjacent to the chapel for my theology class. Mika was probably headed to swordsmanship class. Allen soon disappeared out of sight.

A short time later, classes began, but I could no longer do anything but listen dazedly to my theology class, which I’m choosing this semester.

I can remember most things easily, but I was still a good student in my first life; copying the board, preparing, and reviewing the lesson diligently. But now, I just wanted to teach the white-robed, hot-tempered lecturer.

(I want to tell him that praying won’t save anyone…)

I let out a sigh.

In the end, disasters are only dismissed as the wrath of God. It has been that way throughout the history of Pluvia, and probably always will be.

I felt sorry in my heart for the timid-looking priest who was my lecturer, who seemed to be intimidated by my completely different attitude in class. Seeing the lecturer repeating exactly the same thing as five years ago, I vaguely think that it really was five years ago.

But then, I tried to think.

(Does that mean what’s about to happen is going to happen again?)

In the first place, why did consciousness return to five years ago?

I don’t have any clue whether the world returned to five years ago, my consciousness returned to five years ago, or maybe I was just dreaming of the future five years from now, or what.

What I do know, however, is that the classes from the lecturers and the school are exactly as I remember them. But as a result of my actions, I’m getting a different future. If I said “left” to things that I said were “right” five years ago, the world would react differently.

It’s not that I’ve changed so much already, but Mika is so happy and doesn’t complain anymore.

I gently put my hand on my chest.

(Guardian stone…)

I collected the shattered guardian stones in a small cloth sack and hung it on my neck.

It was something that my grandmother had told me to carry with me at all times. Since it was called a guardian stone, it’s reasonable to assume that it “protected” me.

I don’t know what that thing was or the circumstances why my grandmother gave it to me, but I managed to avoid my death.

If it could prevent my death, then I should have wrapped it around my brother’s neck and made it prevent his death rather than mine! I thought about that for a bit, but in that case, I’m not sure if he could have avoided his death. After all, my brother, who died at the guillotine, wouldn’t have been allowed any ornaments when he stepped onto the decapitation platform.

No, that wasn’t the problem.

Although I knew it won’t function anymore, I carry it around like this because it’s a memento of my grandmother. If I ever meet my grandfather, I will ask him how it works.

I wondered if I should tell Mika about my situation or not.

The man is more sympathetic than I thought, so even if I told him that I had returned from death five years in the future, something that would be very shocking, I think he would probably believe me. But—

(But if he found out what I did in my first life, he’d probably feel weirded out…)

I didn’t remember committing any devilish acts. Certainly, what I did after losing my brother was not something to be commended.

Besides, it was Mika who scolded me over minor things in my first life.

I didn’t want Mika to get angry with me again, even though he was smiling at me in the second life now. Then, I think it would be better if he thinks that I‘m acting a little strange instead.

And so, I don’t really want to tell him much about it.

(But, can I explain the reason I’m doing the things I’m about to do, without telling him anything…?)

If only there was someone, some fortune teller, who could casually divulge that in five years, this country would be in trouble and my brother and I would both be dead, I would be able to act easily. What should I do, I thought while resting my chin on my hand​.

However— that concern of mine will be resolved in just a few weeks.