Chapter 74 Tranquil Moments
――On that evening, Elvira visited my room along with Marcedes-san. There was a soft knock on the door, and when I opened it slightly to see who it was, a black-haired girl was staring at us through the gap in the door.
I was surprised by the unexpected visitor, but I quickly crouched down to meet her gaze. Peeking from below to observe Elvira's expression, she seemed awkwardly shifting her eyes around. Her lips were moving as if she was about to start a conversation, so I thought, but then...
"Elvira-chan?"
"Um, thank you. I heard you looked up various things for me."
Elvira spoke rapidly while looking away, her ears blushing, revealing her embarrassment.
It was evident that she was just feeling shy. Although it might be obvious, I saw a familiar side of Elvira in the girl before me. Despite her difficulty in being straightforward, she was actually a very nice girl at heart.
With a slight smile forming on my lips, I shook my head casually.
"It's okay. I'm doing it because I want to."
Speaking of which, Elvira wore a complex expression that was hard to describe. She seemed at a loss for words.
I wanted to become closer to Elvira, but she wasn't the type of person I could easily bond with by pushing too hard. Although I wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to her, unfortunately, we had no common topics to discuss.
As the silence lingered, I felt the need to return to the room before the awkwardness grew, but just as I was about to speak...
"This is a thank you gift."
A long, slender piece of paper was handed to me. Upon receiving it, I realized it was a bookmark with pressed flowers attached.
I was surprised by the unexpected present, and a sense of joy slowly welled up within me.
"Is it okay? Thank you."
"It's leftover from the present I gave to my brother."
Elvira added a somewhat unassuming comment to hide her embarrassment.
Imagining him using this cute bookmark made me chuckle a bit, deepening my smile naturally.
"You gave it to Arnold-san?"
"Yeah, it was his birthday."
――Birthday. The word froze in my mind.
Naturally, I didn't know Arnold's birthday since it wasn't disclosed to me. It seemed he had turned 17 without my knowledge.
Arnold wasn't the type to announce his birthday, and I didn't think he was someone who would mind not being celebrated by his juniors. However, now that I knew, I couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. Since I had received his help in various ways, his birthday would have been a perfect opportunity for me to reciprocate.
"Oh, I see. Wasn't that a while ago?"
"No, it was recent."
I felt relieved by her answer. There might still be time, I thought. At the same time, I thought about going to the royal capital to look for a holiday gift once I returned. The idea of leisurely shopping on a holiday felt like a long-lost activity. I had been busy lately. Just thinking about inviting Chelsea to enjoy a carefree shopping trip made me happy.
The big issue that had been weighing heavily on my mind, the "Elvira and Self-destruction disease," seemed to be gradually moving towards a resolution - at least that's what I hoped. Comparing yesterday to today, I felt much lighter in both body and mind.
"Elvira-chan, are you feeling better now?"
In response to my question, the girl in front of me nodded while swaying her hair.
"Yeah. I took a nap earlier, and I was able to sleep soundly for the first time in a while."
Seeing Elvira so genuinely happy with her eyes narrowed, my eyes welled up with emotion.
The symptoms of heartburn that Arnold had mentioned must have been disturbing her sleep. Although I couldn't relax completely, at that moment, Elvira was finally able to enjoy a peaceful time after a long while, and that fact alone made me happy.
* * *
After trying to send Elvira to Arnold's room, she said, "My brother is out alone," so I felt uneasy leaving her alone and asked Marcedes-san to look after her. Elvira seemed to have originally intended to do so, as just before knocking on the room's door, Arnold seemed to have been accompanying his sister.
As soon as we left the inn, I found him. He was gazing at the starry sky in front of Flaria's famous flower field just a little way down the main street from the inn.
Not knowing how to approach him, I ended up standing silently next to him.
He seemed to notice my presence but didn't speak immediately. We both gazed at the night sky without words. After a moment of silence, he let out a small sigh, then slowly opened his mouth.
"...I can't believe it. I should be moving forward for sure, but it feels like I'm in a dream."
Arnold spoke slowly with a mix of sighs. I was surprised to hear him, usually grounded in reality, say he felt like he was in a dream.
"It crossed my mind that everything that happened so far was a dream, and I might wake up before becoming a Royal Alchemist... before meeting you."
He was unusually talkative. Though it might not be quite right to say he was excited, perhaps he felt relieved after a pause, which made him speak more freely.
I stole a glance at him. While he continued to gaze at the night sky, his usually furrowed brows now had a gentle curve.
"If that were the case, when you wake up, you should come to Flaria. If you get a little injured in the forest, the spirits will invite you ―― just kidding."
Saying such a joke while looking at the starry sky, Arnold chuckled beside me. I didn't see his expression as I hadn't looked at him, but I could sense the relaxed atmosphere as I spoke.
"To be honest, I still can't believe it. I'm still on edge."
When I looked back at him, our eyes met. Arnold slowly bowed towards me.
"I want to thank you again. Thank you."
"Oh, it's nothing..."
"I've been relying on you a lot. My mentor scolded me to properly thank you in some way."
Despite his mature demeanor, his tone was somewhat childish and sulky, reminding me that he was still a young man.
Arnold raised his head and stared at me intently. His black eyes still held a calm color.
"If there's anything you want, just tell me. Or if there's something you want me to do... is there anything like that?"
――Haha. This time, he definitely smiled. It was already dark, so I couldn't see his smile clearly, but I could tell from his relaxed eyes and mouth.
I thought about Arnold's life up to this point as I saw his innocent smile for the first time. From the discovery of his sister's illness until today, he must not have had a peaceful day. He must have been on edge. While everything may not be over yet, the fact that his heart could find some peace at this moment made me happy.
After hesitating for a few seconds on how to respond to Arnold's words, I thought it might be a good time to bring up his birthday.
"Oh, by the way, Arnold-san, your birthday was recently, right? Even though I've been relying on you, I didn't even know your birthday... so let me make it up to you."
I naturally brought up his birthday and thought I had come up with a good idea in the end.
"That won't do. Think about it."
He firmly rejected my suggestion.
Despite being told so firmly, it would be pointless to insist and ruin the mood. Even though I had struggled for the future of this world, maybe I should just ask for some delicious sweets.
As I thought about some sweets in the royal capital, Arnold suddenly changed the subject with a completely different tone and atmosphere.
"When we return to the royal capital, we will probably be busy helping out with the next trainee exam. I heard there's talk of assigning you as the educator for the next year's trainees, Ampère. I'll try to persuade them to let her off the hook, but I'm not sure how it will turn out."
――Helping out with the next trainee exam. Those words make me feel the passage of time. Ever since passing the 'Royal Alchemist trainee' exam, things have been hectic, but now it seems like Chelsea and I will have juniors of our own.
What surprised me even more was the talk of me being assigned as an educator for the trainees. It felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over my previously cheerful mood, causing a furrow to appear on my brow without me realizing.
"E-Educator, you say..."
"Currently, due to recent monster attacks, it's clear that we don't have enough Royal Alchemists. To increase manpower, it's already decided that we will recruit more candidates than usual for the next exam. This means we will need educators as well, so not only you but Gawley might have to leave Lina's side to take care of the juniors. Lina, and even I."
So, Gawley, also known as Chelsea, will have to look after juniors while still being a trainee. If that's the case, then even Lina-senpai, who was looking after the two of us while being a trainee herself - currently, Arnold is the educator for us - will have to take care of juniors.
While trainees shouldn't synthesize alone, overseeing other trainees poses no issues - in other words, they just shouldn't synthesize alone - so it's not a problem for us second-years to take on the role of educating newbies.
It's clear that there's a shortage of manpower, and it's better to secure personnel early for the future. Since regular Royal Alchemists will likely be more involved in fieldwork, it makes sense to choose relatively new members who have more time available.
I understand that, and the choice is correct. However, I can't help but think that it might be a bit burdensome for Chelsea and the other newcomers.
(But teaching others might also be a learning opportunity for me, so I should think positively...)
By quickly resolving the manpower shortage, we can also receive another chance for growth. If I look at it that way, it's all good things. Still, I hope the newcomers will be good kids.
However, I'm not good at teaching others. I had thought I needed to overcome this weakness in the future, but suddenly being responsible for looking after juniors as an educator is too high a hurdle. The thought of potentially negatively influencing the juniors due to my guidance sends shivers down my spine. No, but――
At that moment, while I was lost in thought, Arnold was watching me with a smile on his face, and I didn't even notice.
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