Toyotami Yura

Erix and Lucius are now in a separate, empty room away from Haruka’s house. It is possible that this four by four-meter building was intentionally prepared to store certain items.

During their leisure time, Erix expressed his interest in becoming a shensin. “Lucius, I think I’m interested in becoming a shensin.”

Lucius, who was unpacking his backpack, immediately interrupted the argument. “No! That’s very dangerous, Master. That’s what got you hospitalized.”

But he was adamant. “It’s definitely fun! Like a game simulation. Living with challenges is a normal thing for a man, right?”

Lucius sighed deeply. “This is for your own good, Master. The dungeon is a very dangerous place.”

“Lucius, you know me so well as your best friend. I understand your worries, but when we stepped foot into the dungeon and began to explore, I felt an exhilarating rush throughout my body. Remember when we came across that goblin? That’s no mere cosplay enthusiast, it was a real, living creature! And I’m certain that other dungeons will hold even more fantastical beings – orcs, harpies, mutants, youkai, gorgons, undeads, and perhaps even angels and demons!” Erix’s expression was filled with fascination as he imagined meeting those mythological creatures.

Lucius whispered, “Yes, creatures that will hurt you.”

“You’re boring. Anyway, I want to become a shensin. And you’ll come with me, okay?”

“But, Master…” He tried to object.

Erix raised his index finger, “What’s your answer?”

“Alright, Master.”

“Well, that’s it then. You know me better than anyone in this world. We shouldn’t have argued earlier.”

As he let out a heavy sigh, Lucius couldn’t help but think about how stubborn Erix could be. Whenever he got fixated on something, it was almost impossible to sway him. His father was the only one who could control him, but now that Erix had broken free, he found himself feeling anxious. Nevertheless, he knew that he had to be even stronger now to safeguard his master.

*****

The sun rolled and set on the western horizon, as night descended. While everyone was fast asleep, Haruka heard footsteps coming from outside her house. She woke up and searched for the source of the noise, then immediately followed it. A figure appeared in the darkness of the night, but she couldn’t tell who it was. Then she heard the sound of a gate opening and the figure walked away.

Haruka continued to follow. After a short while, she arrived at a grassy field not far from her house. The figure stopped in the middle of the field and lay down on a large rock.

The light of the full moon, which had been hiding behind thick clouds, now shone brightly. That was when Haruka realized that the figure was Erix. She approached him.

“Erix, what are you doing out so late?” She asked, suddenly appearing.

“Whoa!”

“Kyaaa!!” She shrieked, startled by the young man reaction.

“You scared me, Haruka,” he said, catching his breath.

“Sorry, I was just curious,” she replied, calming down.

“I just wanted to look at the stars, I like looking at the stars. It turns out that the night sky on this world is just as beautiful as on Earth.”

The chilly night breeze caressed all the grasses around them. Haruka’s long black hair fluttered in the wind. The singing of a group of crickets made everything feel more peaceful.

She sat next to him and looked up at the sky with him, combing through the thousands of clusters of stars. The arrangement of stars formed a galaxy that looked very beautiful. She finally understood why he enjoyed looking at the night sky.

“Haruka, thank you,” Erix started a conversation.

“Why suddenly say thank you?” She asked, feeling a bit awkward.

He smiled, a sincere smile with no ulterior motive behind it. “Thank you for calling me to this world.”

“But, as I said before, I didn’t cast a summoning spell on you guys.”

“But my heart tells me that it was you who summoned us. Thank you, now I am finally free.”

She gave up arguing, and suddenly a memory of her and Erix exploring the Dungeon of the Goblin Temple came to her mind. “I should be the one thanking you for helping me find Yura. When everyone refused to help me, you guys appeared. Thanks to that, I could fulfill my promise to my mother. Thank you.”

Promise? Erix was curious as to what promise she had made to her mother, but he didn’t want to pry because the question was a bit too personal.

They looked at each other, smiling, not realizing that they both felt saved by each other.

Her smile was incredibly sweet. It was probably the most beautiful smile she had ever shown. The strange feeling that had occurred in his chest before started to stir again. He was truly captivated by that smile. The starry sky couldn’t match the beauty of that smile. From this reality, it was certain that he had fallen in love with her. However, he himself was unaware of it.

The conversation ended with a shooting star suddenly shooting above them. Of course, without Erix’s knowledge, because his eyes were still fixed on the girl next to him.

*****

The sun rose slowly, illuminating the world after the darkness of night. It chased away the cool dewdrops into the sky, while small birds flew out of their cages, soaring through the skies.

In the hospital, Yura was sitting on his bed, looking at the blue sky through the open window. His body was very thin, with little flesh left. It was a pitiful sight, surviving for several days only on drops of water from stalactites.

Aunt Izumi spoon-fed him warm porridge mixed with finely chopped vegetables from the garden. As a mother, she was sad to see her son in such a pitiful condition, but she tried to be strong and held back her tears, hoping that he would soon recover. Meanwhile, Haruka sat next to her, peeling an apple.

After giving him breakfast, Aunt Izumi and Haruka went out to get his medicine. Erix entered and sat on a wooden chair next to the bed.

“It’s sad, isn’t it… my condition right now,” Yura whispered.

“At least you’re not dead,” Erix retorted.

They fell silent, making the atmosphere tense. It was perhaps one of the reasons.

“Thank you, I’m really grateful to you. I owe you my life,” he spoke again.

“No need to think about it. Besides, now I’m staying in your house, even though it’s in the warehouse, I feel saved,” Erix said.

“If you need anything, just tell me. I’ll definitely help you,” he said again. Erix could sense the seriousness in his words.

“You’re exaggerating,” Erix grinned. “Actually… there’s one thing….”

“What is it?” Yura was curious. “Say it.”

“Uh… that… um… I want to ask about Haruka,” he said a little awkwardly, afraid that Yura might perceive something strange from this question. “Where are her parents now?”

Yura fell silent for a moment. “Her mother died when Haruka was still a child. Her father left her with us and we haven’t seen him since.”

Erix fell silent, lost in thought. He suddenly remembered when he first met her. “Now I understand why she went that far to save you.”

In her life, this family was all she had, and she didn’t want to lose even one of them.

“What about you? How did you get trapped in that dungeon?” Erix asked.

“As far as I remember, I was with other shensins and we formed a party. When we were surrounded by Gigantula, we immediately used the Telepolter Crystal to get out of the dungeon. But those people threw me away and left me inside,” Yura explained, his breath a little heavy. He was annoyed when he remembered that. The five shensins’ faces were etched in his heart full of revenge. “I’m furious. and-“

“You weren’t left behind,” Erix interrupted him. “But you were thrown away by yourself from the Telepolter Crystal area. Lucius has met with shensins who were in the same party as you, and they all said the same thing.”

Yura remembered that painful incident and in his hazy memory, what those shensins said was true. “But there’s something bothering me. The elves outside the dungeon should have known that someone was dying and immediately performed a summoning ritual. But they didn’t do it. When Haruka asked the guild about this, the elf who was guarding the dungeon at that time insisted that they didn’t sense anyone’s presence in the dungeon. I’m very curious about this.”

“Not only that. We also received information that more than thirty shensin previously experienced the same thing, they couldn’t return from the dungeon and the elves couldn’t trace their whereabouts. So they were considered lost inside the dungeon. And you, the only one who managed to survive,” Erix recalled the bones that Lucius found in the secret room. Maybe they were the shensin whose fate wasn’t as fortunate as Yura’s. “Try to remember again, what happened to you before entering the dungeon.”

“Nothing special. I just met a woman selling apples. She greeted me and gave me an apple. That’s it,” Yura explained, his memory was very good about this because he couldn’t forget the beautiful face of the woman in the red hood.

Erix didn’t speculate further than this. From what Yura said, there was indeed no suspicious event on him. But, considering this world, where magic and spells can be used, he couldn’t help but be suspicious of the woman Yura mentioned earlier. However, in the end, he gave up thinking further because there was nothing they could do now. “I see. That aside, you should focus on recovering your body. We can look for the answers after you get well.”

“And also, please protect Haruka. She’s smart, but she’s not a strong shensin,” Yura added.

Erix got up from his seat and said loudly, “You don’t have to worry, because I will be her shield.”

Haruka entered with Aunt Izumi who brought medicine for Yura.

“Haruka! I will always protect you!” Erix suddenly exclaimed. Of course, Haruka was confused by what Erix had just said.

Meanwhile, Aunt Izumi smiled upon hearing that statement. “Oh my, so that’s how it is.”

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