That Person. Later on...

Original: 現実は大抵こんなもん

I open the door once again but the scenery doesn't change.

From inside the room I can feel bloodthirst filling to the brim the ambience, the girls are bluntly showing their displeasure and you could even call it killing intention… Or rather, all of their expressions are full with it. Just what on earth happened…?

On the other side, this time Aria is the real one and not the Goddess of Darkness impersonating her but, she is sitting closing her eyes and mouth. Besides her was a man with a face almost as handsome as Grave-san's face, with blue hair and wearing a splendid silver armour and he is looking downwards while sweating. Behind them, laughing, there is a man with a handsome face and a well built body that gives the air of a warrior, and by his side a young girl with a cute face wearing a pointy hat and an ambience of a magician is sighing. I bet they are the Hero Party that beated the Demon Lord.

After confirming that, I enter the room, try to somehow calm down the girls and sit down facing Aria. The moment I sit down, I realize that the situation was so unexpected that I forgot to run away. Well, after coming this far, I naturally decided to not run away. But I made sure to tell the girls not to intefere no matter what is said to me.

"… It's been a while, Wazu."

She opens her eyes, and looking at me, that is the first thing she says.

"… Indeed."

"Before we talk I want to confirm something."

"What?"

"Princess Eris is fine, right? I haven't meet her yet."

… She just met with Navirio not long ago, so she might have hidden herself as to not be taken back before that…

"She's fine. I met her just now."

"I see… Then that's fine. The reason we are here is to take back Princess Eris. And to do that…"

"Just talk it out with her. I won't meddle anymore."

"Understood… Then I'll talk about my personal reason for coming here."

… *gulp*

I unconsciously gulp. And it seems that Aria also made up her mind. The blue haired man besides her calls out to her worriedly but aria just answers with a nod. Just by looking at that I can somehow figure out what Aria wants to talk about…

"This is just talking by myself and any mistake can be said is my fault. So please listen to everything first and I don't mind if later you want to curse at me, but just let me tell you that this is all my decision and there's no way to change it… I want you to listen to me with that in mind."

She looks straight at me as if to tell me that there is no lie in her words.

"When we were little we made a verbal promise… We might have been just kids at that time but there's no doubt that those were our real feelings… And because they were real my heart is still lingering to it… And if I don't resolve that lingering feeling, I won't be able to move forward… That's why I was looking for Wazu… And because I was able to meet you here, there is something that I want you to know no matter what…"

I can se Aria behaving stout, but I can see tears forming in her eyes…

"I'm sorry… I can't keep that promise…"

… Okay…

"That wasn't my intention when I first went out on our journey with the hero here beside me… All I wanted was to finish this as quick as possible and return to your side… But we worked together, and after the years some bonds were made… He saved me from peril many times and my perception of him changed, from a reliable person to a dear person…. and then those feelings changed to love…"

…

"And he also had those feelings… By the time we defeated the Demon Lord we had already…"

… Figures… As I thought, the scene I saw at that time was not my misunderstanding or nothing…

"That's why, although I know I'm saying something really selfish… I know that I'm just saying this after it happened, and that this is the least I can do to settle things in my heart… I know that I'm hurting you… But I wanted to tell you this myself… I know that doing this will only hurt you more but, I can't make it as if our seriousness that time was nonexistent, and it has been tormenting me up until now…

I'm really sorry… I'm sorry I'm being selfish…"

I didn't say anything. Midways I hanged my head down… And didn't look at Aria at all.

They might have gotten tired of waiting because with a sound I was able to tell that Aria and Hero-sama got up…

When Aria and her party were leaving the room, I looked at Aria's back and said just one thing.

"Be happy."

I don't know if she heard me… But I wasn't able to say anything else… There might be something else I could have said… But I couldn't think of anything else… If I had not run away that time, something might have changed… But I ran away… Is there anything else I can say…?

'You were special for me too…'

I whispered that in my heart…

After Aria and her party left, I turn towards the girls.

"… I'm fine!! I'm unexpectedly calm!!"

Even after I said that, the girls give me worried looks. What is it? When I was thinking that, I felt water hitting my hands. I touch my cheeks with my hands and realized that at some point I started crying. Even though I wasn't planning on cry…

"I-I'm sorry!! This is just… Some dust got in my eye."

I don't want them to se this unsightly side of me.

But the girls just hugged me tightly.

"… It's okay… It's okay to cry."

I don't know who said that… It could have been all of them… but…

The moment that genlte voice entered my ears, I started sobbing and just kept crying…