Chapter 1204 - The Chick's Day Off: Part 6
—And so, after exchanging a promise of "Keep this a secret from that girl" for the umpteenth time.
"Now, please take a good look."
I ended up being shown the contents of the booklet Saegusa-san had prepared... what she called the hidden Saegusa family heirloom that would absolutely never be released to the world.
And so...
"......"
Words did not come out.
Every time Saegusa-san turned a page, one after another, shock and admiration piled up. Only sighs spilled from my mouth and fell away. Their destination was,
"See? —It's only natural that the young Hiyo-chan was smashed to pieces, right?"
A collection of doodles, said to have been drawn by Nia when she was still young.
Though large-format, they were of a size that could fit in an album. In other words, compared to paintings... grandiose works like the ones decorated in this house, they were within the category of very small play.
However,
"...How old?"
"From eight to about twelve years old. Yes."
What I felt from those 'drawings' was something that approached even the works of Nia's mother (Elena-san) that I had seen earlier. In other words, a dreadfulness that stepped into the realm of those praised as modern master painters.
"If I was a child called a so-called 'genius,'"
Saegusa-san, who had once buried the tip of that sharp blade in her heart,
"someone like her must be the type called a so-called 'prodigy.'"
Now, she smiled proudly as if it were her own achievement. And then... thud.
"Now, that's enough of the bad things."
With the last page... or rather, the back cover, she closed and hid the treasure from my eyes without hesitation or mercy. When I raised my eyes, which had been glued to it—probably,
"From here on, it becomes Lilia's story (past) instead of Hiyo-chan's (mine), so..."
Or rather, I was certain of it.
While directing a slightly mischievous smile at me, who must have had a reluctant look on my face.
"That being the case, I can't just talk about it on my own, so please ask her yourself."
At this late stage, she said something extremely reasonable and shut down my interest.
"...Didn't what we saw just now also count as Nia's past?"
"That's not true at all. The only information about Nia-chan was like 'super cute' and 'her drawings are insane,' right? That's entirely existing information."
"By the way, what about photos from back then?"
"Bzzzt! Please get permission from her for that too!"
"Daaaaammit..."
Well, that makes sense. It can't be helped.
It's not like I have any intention of seriously prying or pressing her, or rather, I don't intend to break my stance of waiting until Nia wants to talk about it herself, as I said before.
So, yeah. That's fine. —With that being said.
"And?"
"What do you mean by 'and'..."
"From there on. Leaving Nia aside, if you don't properly tell me about Hiyo-chan's rapid progress, I'll have terrible indigestion. Hurry up."
"Are you slightly sulking?"
"Don't be stupid."
"Little Nia is a no-go, but little Hiyo is okay depending on negotiations, you know?"
"Ha, don't be stupid."
"Hey! That is extremely rude, isn't it!"
A casual banter... a single banter that seemed necessary for both of us to settle our emotions.
"Che... That's right, in the end, Hiyo-chan is just an accompaniment to Nia-chan for Kasuga-san, isn't she? I knew it, I knew it, yes, yes, yes."
"Are you slightly sulking?"
"And so, that was how Hiyo-chan reformed, but..."
"A forced transition unworthy of a good storyteller."
To the main topic—no, that's not it either.
Returning the conversation to the presumed 'introduction' that still hasn't reached the main topic.
"Honestly, there isn't any particularly big drama from there."
Just as Saegusa-san intended when she said she wanted me to get to know her.
"An incredibly good fairy and a baby bird who managed to become incredibly good have been together for over ten years... always, always together, and now they are the best friends in the world. That's all."
"...I see."
That was both the report of a happy ending that I wanted to hear,
"But, this—is a secret from Nia, right?"
"...Sigh. This is how you are, Kasuga-san."
It was also a false report, as if practically begging me to see through it. Indeed, there was no way it was really 'just that.' If it were just that, as she said,
"Just as you say... —I couldn't say 'I'm sorry.'"
Because there would be no reason for this story to be kept secret from Nia.
"The final day of the extended stay. Looking back, reflecting, finishing my mental care by myself... Hiyo-chan, who had safely recovered, was finally on her day of returning home. Lilia, whom I saw for the first time in a few days, was hiding behind Eli-san and Yuichi-san, looking at me just like when we first met... and then,"
"Yeah. And then?"
Saegusa-san let out a sigh.
"...'Now, I'm going to apologize'—in front of Lilia's parents (Eli-san and the others) and my parents, you know? Since I had been such a nasty child, I made a fierce resolution in my own ten-year-old way, including a punishment for myself, and was about to step forward to apologize, to say 'I'm sorry.'"
"...Yeah, and then?"
As expected, I could somewhat read the development.
That was why, while Saegusa-san glared at me as I urged her on with a half-smile, though it was rude of me,
"...—That girl jumped at me first, making a huge fuss of 'I don't want you to go home' with such momentum that I didn't even have a chance to say anything. She grumbled for two hours."
In the end, it dissolved into a bitter smile,
"Thanks to that, we barely made the flight. A furious full-dash slide-in drama unfolded, but well, leaving that aside as a trivial matter..."
The past that leads to the present continues—or something like that,
"Hey, Kasuga-san."
"Yeah?"
"As you know, Lilia. She fell in love with you at first sight, but"
"...Y-yeah? Well, that is,"
My guard was down. To me, who had let my guard down,
"Unfortunately, that was the second time. You are the second person."
"Huh?"
An unexpected blow.
"While I was soothing that girl, she endlessly bombarded me with 'I love you, I love you, I love you so much.' Starting with 'Don't go, stay forever,' a grand festival of embarrassing Hiyo-chan praises was held."
And yet... this was probably her specialty, acting.
"'You can do anything, you're amazing,' or"
It would be rude to say it was unlike her.
"'You're cool like an adult,' or"
Her cheeks, which were slightly flushed with red.
"'You're kind like Mama, I love you,' or"
As if trying to wash away and hide them with the wave of words she lined up.
"'I'm happy because you're like a big sister, or—'"
As long as it looked that way to me...
"—'I want to become cute like Hiyo-chan'... and so on, you see."
It was a poor performance that was completely unlike her, though.
"...It's laughable, isn't it? Even though it was all a 'lie' that deceived that girl."
Since she herself was laughing, thinking it was fine, I decided to let it go.
"I, who had reflected, repented, and resolved to reform, was told that I was her idol."
And so... —yes, and so.
"Therefore, my dream became 'the me that she admires.'"
The story of how the current Hiyori Saegusa, the Hiyori Saegusa loved by everyone, was born.
"Whether as a painter, a mangaka, or an illustrator. Confidently weaponizing the appearance that she said she fell in love with at first sight, and mastering the voice work that she said she loved."
Her pale chestnut eyes stared straight at me.
"Defiantly, I am still continuing my performance of the me who can do anything even now. I have no regrets."
"...I see. I get it."
In that case, let's brace myself.
"Thinking that was fine, deciding that was good, it's been ten years. —I've been continuously beguiled by that girl for ten years, Kasuga-san. Please don't underestimate me too much."
To the main topic, which was finally beginning.
"I love Lilia."
Thinking that it was finally time for the resolve I had brought to make its appearance.
To me, who sat up straight to face her, Hiyori Saegusa hurled defiance head-on.
"Because I met that girl, the current me exists. When I think of what would have happened if I hadn't met her, if my pride hadn't been smashed to pieces... I shudder just imagining a different me. She is a benefactor, no joke, or rather, she is my life itself."
And what followed was an extremely heavy pile of words.
If I were to follow her prior declaration of 'no jokes,' it was the sound of her true feelings, seemingly without lies, falsehoods, or acting.
"And so... —with that in mind, shall we switch between offense and defense?"
And so, having waited for the right moment, she began to speak what she really wanted to say,
"It's your turn. About your engagement with the Princess and all that, and your current detailed situation."
With a voice as sweet as honey, and a smile as bright as an Angel,
"to this me, if you can tell it all, why don't you try telling me?"
"...I-I understand."
Like King Yama at the time of judgment, she stood majestically before my eyes.
This is my favorite character, the heaviest woman in the world of Arcadia.
By the way, if you misunderstand, I will go crazy from a difference in interpretation, so I will write down what can probably be read from her attitude and choice of words as a superfluous annotation, but since she is a Liliania Vrubel fan by a landslide in the entire world at a level no one can match, even though it is called love, it is not romantic feelings but rather love in the direction of worship. Please understand.
But if asked if she could marry her, she would probably answer, 'Easily.' Please understand.