NOVEL NEXT “Big brother, are you going somewhere? Why are you saying goodbye? I’m coming too, okay?”
Words that make my heart ache.
She still didn’t understand the meaning of what I was saying…… no, she was probably thinking, “That can’t be true”.
That there’s no way I would say goodbye to them here.
But I have to say it.
“I’m sorry…… I can’t take you…….”
“…… Huh?”
“Espie, Slayer…… this is…….”
It’s tough.
It’s painful.
It’s so heavy… but… I have to say it……
“Goodbye.”
“Eh!?”
After meeting me and opening up to me, Espie’s expression, which had always been smiling, froze.
“Good…… bye?”
“Yes. I can’t stay in this era anymore. I will return to the future… to my original time. As for you guys who live in this era now… this is where we part.”
I want to take them along.
But I can’t.
I clenched my fist until it bled, but still……
“No…..”
But Espie would never agree to that.
“No.”
“Espie……”
“No way!!”
She looked down, her shoulders were shaking, her lips were pursed, her eyes filled with tears, and…..
“Big brother, did I do something bad? If I’ve done anything bad, I’ll fix it! I’ll fix it! I’m sorry! I’ll be a good girl! So…….”
Espie jumped on me.
Sobbing, desperately……
“No, Espie, you’re not bad. You haven’t done anything. You just need to grow up as you are. It’s my fault.”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll do better! I won’t be selfish! I won’t bother you, Big brother! I don’t need snacks anymore! I don’t need clothes! I’ll even cut down on cuddles! That’s why… that’s why… no… no… don’t… don’t throw me away! Don’t hate me!”
Throw her away? I see.
I can’t take her. I have to go home.
That’s my situation.
From Espie’s point of view, it’s understandable to think that way about what I’m doing.
“Espie…… I’m sorry…….”
“No.”
“Here, we—”
“Nooooo!!!
Yes. I knew.
We got too closely connected.
I knew that talking about this would lead to this outcome.
“No! No no no no no no! Nooooooo! Nooooooooo!”
“Espie……”
Espie clung to my neck and cried.
It felt like she was never going to let go.
This was the second time I’ve made my sister cry.
And then, I finally got it ……
――Oh~, I found you~. The worst kind of brother, one who makes his little sister cry ?
That’s what Espie said to me the first time I met her in the future.
This was what she meant by those words.
You’re right, Espie.
Just like with Amae, I really was the worst.
And today, it’s not just my sister……
“Brother……. why… would you… abandon us?”
Even my younger brother……
“That’s not true. You are my precious little sister and brother.”
“Then… why… then, please take us with you! I don’t care about this era! If you’re going to the future, please take us with you too!”
“I can’t……
“I don’t like this! No way!”
Slayer grabbed my arm and screamed frantically.
Slayer, who always acted a little cheeky, and not childlike, had tears in his eyes.
Ah, not only my sister but my brother too……
[Charging Completed]
“”‘Eehh!??””
But at that moment, words signaling the end rang out.
“Now, Young man……. The switch need only be pressed for you to leap. So…… what coordinates…… what location would you desire? Would this very place in the future suffice?”
“No….. the location should be… the port town of Ghenkan… where… there are people I have to go to meet. The ones I’ve kept waiting …… for more than a decade…….”
“…… right……”
There’s no more time. The Chieftain smiled sadly and worked nonchalantly.
And……
『Child. The Espie of this era should receive one of those watches, should she not?』
「Huh?」
『If Espie does not give it to you in the future, you will not be able to come to this era.』
「…… Oh, I see……」
Tre’ainar reminded me of this.
This watch, which carries the risk of death, was given to me by the future Espie.
But the reason Espie gave it to me in the first place was… well… that’s it……
“Chieftain, one of those watches…… when the time comes, I want you to leave it to Espie.”
“To Espie?”
“That’s right. And one day, I want you to give it to me. Set it for this era…….”
“… un…….”
With just this explanation, the Chieftain seemed to understand.
It really helps.
Just……
『No, child. When you first received this watch from Espie, you recklessly tinkered with it…… thus, tis the era even further in the past, to Hiro’s time…』
「Oh, I see…… Hahaha…… ‘There’s no point in setting it up’…… Is that what you mean….」
“?”
So that means that after messing around with the setting so much and ruining it, it was just luck that we were able to come to this era……
“Big brother! I don’t get it! I’ll try to be useful! Don’t go!”
“Brother!”
Yes, I was lucky.
I was able to reach an era when I could meet these guys……
“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, both of you. I wish I could have played with you more…… I wish I could have eaten more curry…… more…… more…… I’m so sorry…… for being the worst big brother who made you both cry…… I’m really sorry……”
I hugged them both.
“Then let’s play! Let’s eat some curry too!”
“Brother, no! I, I’m …….”
I hugged the two small bodies with all my might.
Damn it. My eyes were burning. I’m in tears, too…… stupid bastard! It’s my fault. What’s the point of me crying?
I don’t have the right to cry though.
“I gave Espie a ribbon, and this is a gift to Slayer.”
I fished around my pocket for something and found a knife.
It’s a reminder of all the times we all camped and ate curry together.
“No, I don’t need it! I don’t need it, so stay with me …….”
“Take this knife.”
“Brother…….”
“Get along with Espie…be good friends. You’re the only one I can trust to take care of Espie.”
“Ugh…… uh……”
How could I ever forget this? This warmth. This feeling.
To you in the future, who have been waiting for over a dozen years, I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart……
“Listen, you guys aren’t alone. You’re the only ones in this world who know about me. The world doesn’t know, but you know me. So, the two of you…… try to get along.”
“I don’t want two of us…… if my Big brother isn’t here… only Big brother isn’t here…… I want us three together……”
“In a future where you’re bigger…… I’m sure we’ll see each other again. Absolutely. At that time, let’s eat a lot of curry. Let’s play a lot. Let’s always…… be together.”
Even if you don’t forgive me in the future, no matter how long it takes, I will continue to make amends to you.
“Chieftain…… Larou’iph…… in this era, you are the only ones who know the truth about me, other than Espie and Slayer…… I need you to take care of them …….”
“…… In addition to the funds, I owe a debt of gratitude for saving our lives, Young man…… thus, this is but a small favor to grant you… is it not?”
I wanted them to keep an eye on these two and help them from time to time. When I asked them what they thought, the Chieftain smiled and nodded.
And……
“Earth. You say you’re Hiro’s or Mamu’s child, I still don’t understand, but…… if that’s true…… suppose you are really from the future…… is it the Aka of the future that you have become friends with?”
When Larou’iph asked about Mr. Aka, I nodded honestly.
“Yeah.”
“So, Aka will be alive until that time… I see… is that so?”
Then she looked up at the ceiling, tears welling up in her eyes, but smiled just a little, and gently placed her hand on the shoulders of the weeping Espie and Slayer.
“Espie, Slayer. I understand the pain of sudden separation from loved ones and the pain of not being able to see them. But there is hope. into the future. Someday, you will be able to meet again… definitely… because the man from the future said so.”
“Lal……”
“And I’ve decided, I’m going to live.”
It seemed Larou’iph had given her answer. With hopeful eyes without hesitation, she hugged Slayer and Espie and declared.
“I had no attachment to a world without Aka, and I fought thinking I could die at any time. But when I found out that Aka was alive, I looked back on my life so far, and could not forgive my ugly history, and thought about dying even more. But now it’s different. I will live. Even though I am covered in blood and ugly, one day I will be able to hold my head high and bravely meet Aka again… I will live a proud life, and one day I will definitely go and see Aka. I swear it. For Aonii’s sake… so you guys too…”
“Ugh…… Ugh…… Why…… I want to be with Big brother forever……
“So you guys, live strong, and live your lives with pride so that you can meet this man one day… and maybe someday, you’ll be able to hug him. If you want, even punch him.”
Larou’iph’s words must have resonated heavily.
But that doesn’t make it any easier for them to accept it, and neither Espie nor Slayer can stop crying.
But…..
“We’ll definitely meet again someday. And please, all of you, remember what I’m about to tell you. In the near future, Hiro and Mamu will have a child named Earth Lagann. Then, when that child turns 15 years old, and is about to graduate from the Academy, there will be an Imperial Graduation Match at the Academy, at which the Earth Lagann runs away from home. After that, there is a fighting tournament in the secluded nation of Cacretale, and we will meet a few days after the tournament. After Cacretale, I’ll be wandering around in Ghenkan. At that point in time, I won’t know you yet… but I’ll definitely be there to meet you, because I love you. And when I do, I don’t care how many shots I have to take.”
Even just saying it out loud, it will span an enormous amount of time. They will have to wait more than a decade now.
That’s right.
I’m still making them wait. In the future…
“You guys are waiting for me in the future. That’s why I have to go. Listen, I’ll say it again and again. I love you guys!!”
I take the watch from the Chieftain, and stroke the heads of Espie and Slayer as they wept in Larou’iph’s arms, and then I vow once again.
“The next time we meet, I will be with you, even if I have to fight against everything in the world.”
And then, I activated the watch, and a light enveloped me along with a teleportation circle……
“Big brother…… ugh, b…… b…… Big brotheeeeeeer!”
“Bro…… ther…… ah……”
The voices of my beloved sister and brother reached me one last time.
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