CH 66

66 – Snow Games 3 (Eleanor)

Third up is Eleanor.

It looks like the competition is continuing without interruption. A single board that was used for the snow sliding was stabbed into the ground where the snow giant crumbled. Someone wrote “Here lies Snow Rain” on it. Monana took the core back with her to check on it, so that place is just a pile of snow…but that’s a thought I keep to myself. I should respect a person’s desire to mourn someone.

「Well… That was an unexpected accident; but it would be unfortunate if everyone’s spirits remained low. Thus I shall do my best to give everyone an exciting experience, even if just a little.」 said Eleanor. Then she teleported somewhere to make preparations.

After a moment, she came back.

「Please wait a while longer. I’m sure in due time…」

『…Snow?』 Mika was the first to notice.

Something started to sprinkle down; and true enough, it was snow. However… The skies are clear. Wait… I see. I can sense mana in the sky. Eleanor teleported a clump of snow far above our heads and Vivi cut it up into fine snow. And not just that.

「Honestly, how troublesome. But… I must compliment your instinct to rely on me to create a dazzling world.」 said Florence

「I apologize that my lady cannot be honest about being happy to be relied upon by her friend.」 said Celine.

「What are you, my parent?!」

Florence used magic too. This is…Light Elemental, huh? For a brief moment, the world shone a brilliant silver.

「Wooow.」went the kids. It was a fantastical view. Light particles scattered far and wide in this world of white. I’ve heard of a starry night but this…is a starry day. That’s how beautiful this snowfall is.

Eleanor came up next to me. 「Earlier, I believe you exclaimed how beautiful it always when you saw the snow, Sir Rain.」 That was when we first came here.

「Yeah, I did.」

「That made me very happy.」 Eleanor had a tender smile on her face.

「It made you happy?」

「Yes. Thinking that something is beautiful is called ‘being moved’. I wish for you to cherish that feeling. You have the warmest of hearts, Sir Rain, but I believe it is still immature. Living this normal life, we all wish for it to be nurtured.」

It’s true that I’ve done nothing but battle Demons on the battlefield ever since I was picked up at the age of five until I was fifteen. So, I’m sure my heart is different from that of an ordinary boy. Being loved by parents, or quarreling with them; playing with friends, making mischief; being a pain to adults, or being praised by them; Going to school, getting a normal job. Or even…falling in love with the girl next door. My heart is probably somehow incomplete without those normal things.

But maybe it doesn’t have to be normal. Everyone’s been very good to the ‘me’ I am now. But I happened to think it once; that I wanted to become normal. That’s why I went along with Eleanor’s invitation on that day.

But…huh… Thinking that Eleanor, who was looking at the snow, looked beautiful shows that I’m different from how I was before; that I just might be closer to my desired normal.

「I want you to know that while there are unsightly and indecent things in the world, there are also many beautiful and precious things that you have protected.」

I stared at Eleanor’s side profile once again. My eyes then shift to her hand. When using magic, it is necessary to touch the snow directly, and so her glove had to be taken off perhaps because of that. And that hand is red and numb from the cold.

For some reason, I couldn’t leave it be. Before I realized it, I had taken off my own glove and held Eleanor’s hand.

「…!!!!」 She looked shocked, but she didn’t shake it off. Does that mean she doesn’t dislike it?

「To me, that Savior’s mission is something that must be done. I’m glad I was able to save people, but I never really thought it was beautiful or precious. But…if you say that this is something like that, then yeah. It’s definitely…beautiful.」

I believe that she, too, is something beautiful and precious that I once protected; but when I tried to say that, I caught myself hesitating. The words wouldn’t leave my throat, and I feel something close to shame in my heart. It was like somehow saying that would be embarrassing.

Could this be what…embarrassment feels like?

If that’s the case, then conveying my emotions honestly might be very difficult. This is my sought-after normalcy, but it’s a tough thing to achieve.

「Eleanor?」 For some reason, she looked like she was as pale as a ghost. I must be seeing things.

『Sh-she’s dead…!』 said Mika.

I panicked for a second, but then I shook my head in denial. 「C’mon, no way. Her pulse is……there. Hey, Eleanor?」 I think I can see something that looks like a soul trying to leave through her mouth, but that can’t be real!

Later, people noticed that Eleanor and I were holding hands, so they came closer and started to make a fuss. It was at that moment that Eleanor finally recovered.

「I…am never washing this hand again!!」 she screamed while breathing heavily through her nose. For some reason, this caused the other Seven to attack her hand.

「Stop this at once, you hand virgins! Trying to defile a friend’s happiness is such an unseemly act!」 While being mobbed by everyone, Eleanor seemed somewhat happy and joyful.