Day-22
...
After that, all of us carried Manato to the Priest Guild, hoping they would be able to save him.
But...
In the end, it was all for nothing.
We couldn't save him.
Manato.
Because of that, the least we could do... was bury him.
However, because of the curse, we couldn't simply bury his body.
It cost fifty copper to have his body cremated, and another fifty copper for the burial.
No more, no less than one silver.
How ridiculous...
How cheap a person's life was.
We buried what remained of him on a hill near the tower where we first came into this world.
The tower stood at the very top of the hill, and there were already countless gravestones scattered across it.
It was already late afternoon.
Everyone stood there in silence, staring at the gravestone—
No...
I mean, Manato's grave.
Today was a sad day for all of us.
Even if not everyone showed their grief...
I understood that much.
"Hah..."
A tired sigh escaped my lips.
I raised my eyes toward the sky as its colors slowly began to fade.
For some reason, looking at the sky always made me feel calm...
Maybe...
Maybe it was because I was too empty to feel much of anything anymore.
But who knows.
Honestly...
I didn't know anything anymore.
Too many things had failed to go the way I'd hoped.
Maybe...
Lately, I'd been hoping for too much.
I guess...
I really should stop doing that.
"This is strange."
Haruhiro finally spoke.
"This doesn't make any sense. I'm not the only one who thinks so... right?"
I turned toward him, puzzled.
I noticed Ranta looking at him as well, though he didn't say anything.
Strangely enough...
That was perfectly normal for him.
"Manato once said..." Haruhiro continued.
"It felt like we were living inside a game. I thought the same back then. But... what kind of game is this? I don't know. This isn't a game. It isn't a game at all... I don't understand it. Damn it... Damn it..."
Watching him made me feel a little worried.
But again...
That was only natural.
It was only natural for something so simple to feel impossibly complicated.
When someone close to you disappeared so suddenly...
There was nothing strange about it.
I was sad too.
I just didn't want everyone else to know.
At the very least...
Someone had to pretend to be strong.
Maybe if I became that person...
Everyone else would feel a little better.
Right?
Ranta slowly stood up.
"I'm leaving."
"...Where?" Yume asked.
Ranta let out a short laugh.
From the look on his face, he didn't seem to care about Yume's question.
"Does it matter? There's no point sitting here forever. There's nothing else we can do now."
"Idiot!" Yume snapped.
Unlike usual, Ranta simply ignored the insult and walked away.
Mogzo and Haruhiro immediately followed after him.
And just like that...
They left me alone with the two girls.
I looked over at Yume.
It wasn't surprising that she was upset by how indifferent Ranta had acted.
After standing there in silence for a while, I finally decided to say something.
Well...
If nobody started talking...
We'd probably stay silent forever.
"Hey... you know? Maybe Ranta only said that because he didn't want us to stay here grieving forever. It's just... because he's Ranta, he doesn't know how to say it properly—"
I stopped halfway.
Realizing how stupid all of this sounded.
Yume simply looked at me without saying a word.
My thoughts spun in circles.
"Come on... say something. Otherwise..."
But the moment I came back to my senses, I lowered my head.
I couldn't bring myself to look at her anymore.
"No..."
"Forget what I just said..."
I turned around before speaking again.
"I think... I'll head back first."
Then I left the hill...
Walking toward Ortana.
As I walked through the streets, I kept wondering what exactly I had been trying to do.
Everything felt so confusing.
No matter how much I tried to calm myself...
It didn't help at all.
It all felt...
So strange.
I'm an idiot.
A complete idiot.
...
As I walked through the city, I spotted a familiar place.
A sign read—
Sherry Tavern.
It was the place where Manato had invited me to join the party.
A nostalgic smile appeared on my face.
"It feels like such a long time ago...
Even though it really wasn't."
I pushed the door open.
The strong smell of alcohol immediately filled my nose.
The lively chatter inside echoed through the tavern.
As soon as I stepped inside, my eyes landed on one particular table.
Ranta.
Haruhiro.
Mogzo.
The three of them were sitting together.
I walked over.
"Yo... so you guys are here."
A small smile formed on my face.
They turned to look at me.
"Hey, Sirus. What are you doing here...?" Haruhiro asked.
I pulled out a chair and sat down.
"In case you didn't know... this is where I first met Manato. It's also where he invited me to join the party."
"I guess..."
"I just wanted to remember a few things."
"O-Oh..."
"I see..." Haruhiro replied quietly.
"So..."
"What now?" I asked.
"What now...?"
"What do you mean?" Haruhiro asked, confused.
"Are we..."
"...going to keep doing this?"
I asked seriously.
Honestly...
I didn't think we could do it without Manato.
Not even a little.
The feeling that everything would only go wrong from now on...
Wouldn't leave my mind.
I had to admit it.
Right now—
"...I'm scared."
"...Eh?"
Haruhiro looked at me with surprise.
And a hint of concern.
"...No."
"It's nothing."
"Sorry."
I answered briefly.
After that...
No one spoke another word.
Silence settled over the four of us.
It was...
Awkward.
I really...
Didn't know anymore.
...
Sorry, I haven't been able to work on the next few chapters due to being busy, but I'll do my best to get them done. There might be a drop in quality, but well, I suppose that's not a problem.