The following day, the Spirit Festival drew to an end. Woken up from the sunlight streaming in from a crevice in the window, Rio was eating breakfast while basking under the warm morning sun in the unpopulated village square. Sitting opposite of him was Latifa.
Everyday Latifa would usually meet with Sara and the other girls to study the required teachings about the Seirei no Tami. However, because today was the day after the Spirit Festival, it was a holiday.
Therefore a long time had passed before they were able to chat like this again.
While happily chatting with Latifa, Rio raised the question as if the thought suddenly occurred to him.
「Umu! It’s just as Onii-chan said, this village is truly wonderful and full of kind people!」
To the sudden question, Latifa answered with a broad smile like a sunflower in full bloom. Rio smiled gently at her response.
Fixating his eyes on Latifa with a renewed determination, Rio spoke.
Noticing the change in Rio’s atmosphere, Latifa stiffened up in confusion.
Rio cut straight to point.
[ED: Rio; master of delicacy] [ED2: It’s better than tip-toeing around the issue][TL : Sometimes girl prefer more “heating-up” though]
「…」
Bikuri, Latifa’s body twitched.
「The preparations… or rather, once I’ve learned everything that I could from the village, I intend to immediately depart.」
「…N—」
「That’s why, uhm——」
「…NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!」
「Latifa… 」
「Why must you go!? Are you returning to the place of the human race? Even after going through the troubles of befriending the Onee-chans? I don’t want you to leave this village!」
「I will be crossing the mountains. There is something I must do out there.」
「Why… are you leaving me behind…?」
Latifa looked up at Rio like an abandoned puppy.
Patiently, he gently caressed Latifa’s head until she regained her composure.
Now that she had calmed down enough, Rio continued his story in a mutter.
Rio shifted his gaze away from Latifa for a moment and stared into the distance. His focus returned to Latifa again, looking into her eyes.
There, he found tears had accumulated in the corners of her eyes.
As Rio was about to say something, he immediately shut his mouth.
Having suddenly fallen silent, Latifa prompted Rio to continue what he was about to say.
Rio laughed in self derision.
Latifa muttered in feeble voice after a brief silence elapsed between them.
Saying that, he turned towards Latifa with a bitter smile.
Latifa nodded even though she was not fully convinced.
Then she closed her eyes, falling into deep thought, and before long, displayed a determined look.
Rio quickly sensed that Latifa’s atmosphere was different from the usual.
Latifa floated an uneasy expression because she was hesitant about prying into his secrets.
She asked in a quiet, clear voice.
Rio’s eyes dilated as he muttered her name.
Latifa spoke frantically, unsure of how to organize her words.
Although her words were missing the point, Rio clearly understood what she was trying to convey to him.
To Latifa who was at a loss for words——
Rio broke the silence.
Not understanding what Rio meant by his words, Latifa gave out such a voice.
However, Rio struck directly at the secret carried in her heart.
Although greatly shaken and at a loss for words, Latifa managed to barely voice her doubts.
Thereupon, Rio spoke to Latifa in Japanese.
「!!!?」
Latifa’s face was dyed in astonishment.
Undoubtly, it was an expression where one had witnessed something they never would have expected.
Rio spoke in an overly calm tone.
Dumbfounded, she questioned Rio. It was evident from the emotions on her face that she was beyond surprised.
To the Latifa who was at a lost for words, he switched back to the present world’s native language and explained how he concluded that she was formerly Japanese.
「W— Why!? Why didn’t you say anything!?」
At Rio’s explanation, Latifa unintentionally became emotional and fired off questions at him.
Rio chuckled gloomily as he said those words.
「……」
Although he had not conveyed all the thoughts he accumulated over the years to Latifa, she was still able to pick up a portion of what he wanted to say from the small snippet of his thoughts.
However, from her befuddled expression, it could be seen that she had only just realized the many things pointed out by Rio.
「However I told you these things so I won’t be leaving you you with any regrets. That’s what I thought.」
「Then, why now…」
「That is because Latifa told me about her previous life. Honestly, I was planning on telling you about my previous life if you ever decided to speak about yourself.」
Latifa listened in silence as Rio spoke.
Part 2
「Besides, I provided hints about the possibility that I was Japanese, like the dishes I made and their names. Their names were from our previous world right? Yet Latifa just accepted them without question.」
「Ah……」
「And I would like to tell you another thing. I already told you when we first started our journey that we’d only travel together up until the Seirei no Tami region. That was my intention at first. It was for my own selfish reasons that I helped Latifa since if possible, I did not want you to become a murderer.」
「……」
However at Rio’s words, Latifa could only absentmindedly stare at him without a word.
At that time, Latifa came to understand the affection Rio was trying to convey despite his indifferent tone.
With an expression akin to distress or something, Rio briefly glanced at Latifa.
Rio briefly paused his story and stared at Latifa with a serious expression.
Under his piercing gaze, Latifa slightly flinched.
Revealing everything he had to say, Rio silently waited for Latifa’s reply.
Thus, it was nothing more than complacency now that he had told Latifa everything.
So, it was fair if she resented him for it.
He had already resolved himself when he told her the truth.
Before long, Latifa closed her eyes in contemplation. Biting her lips, she looked up at Rio having found her resolve.
Suddenly, Latifa began to speak in Japanese.
Rio replied curtly with slightly widened eyes.
Latifa revealed a smile containng hints of self-derision.
Latifa spoke with an evidently sad expression.
Latifa turned and, with a seemingly passionate gaze, looked at Rio. [TL : lovely gaze of a loli]
「When I first met you, I was a broken, hollow individual, not the cheerful one you see now. To me such a thing, you… you, granted me this world, everything. Affection, freedom, peace, happiness, joy, family, friends. That’s why——」[TL : please don’t forget that despite her radiating loli charm, she’s still a former loli assassin] [ED2: Loli assassin is fine but lovely loli… I don’t… know……….]
[TL : She’s braver than 20 years old me]
「That’s why… Even so, may I continue calling you Onii-chan?」
It was then that Rio noticed that Latifa, as well as himself, from the very beginning were both anxious.
Rio deeply nodded, floating a tranquil smile on his face.
At that point, overcome with emotion, Latifa threw her arms around Rio, embracing him in tears.
Rio firmly caught her.
It was unknown how long the two remained like that.
Rio continued to soothe the crying Latifa.
Without know why, Latifa’s crying comforted him.
Eventually when she finished crying, Latifa, whose face was buried in Rio’s chest, looked up at him.
With that, Latifa broke the silence between them.
Rio slightly nodded with a glimpse of a lonely smile.
He told her so while gently stroking Latifa’s head, who was smiling bashfully.
And then, Rio spoke about his past life.
How he was formerly a University student, the girl who was his childhood friend, how he developed a lifelong love for her, and how his feelings were never rewarded because she disappeared.
Similiarly, Latifa told Rio about her previous life.
How she was formerly an elementary school student, the many friends she had, how both her parents were occupied with work and she often found herself alone at home, and how despite that, her family still shared a good relationship.
Mostly surprisingly was perhaps how both of them passed away in the same traffic accidents.
The two kept sharing stories of their previous lives until they noticed dusk had fallen.
It was on that day that the two became siblings in the truest sense of the word.
Upon returning home, Arthura questioned them while staring in awe at Latifa who was clinging onto Rio.
「Yeah… I told Latifa about how I’ll be leaving the village soon.」
「Yah! You know, I’ve decided to earnestly wait for for Onii-chan’s return after he’s left the village.」
Seeing Latifa’s carefree smile, tears trickled from Arthura’s eyes.
Arthura clasped Rio’s hands in honour to him.