The night had fallen, and it can be said that it was already midnight. Normally, I would already be asleep by now, but I was lying in bed, staring at the dark ceiling.
It isn’t that…… I can’t fall asleep. But right now, I still couldn’t bring myself to sleep.
Ryze-san told me that I should prioritize what I think about how I feel about Isis-san and think about what kind of relationship I want to have with her in the future…… and I’ve been thinking about that for a long time.
When I first met Isis-san…… I was scared of her.
A mysterious and frightening being that is beyond my common sense…… I may have realized that it was because of her magic power of death, but I was almost caught off guard at that time, and I shuddered from fear I couldn’t comprehend.
However, I fortunately have the power of my Sympathy Magic, and thanks to that, the loneliness deep within Isis-san’s heart…… I was able to slightly sense it.
Perhaps, if I hadn’t met Kuro and saved me…… I probably wouldn’t have reached out my hand to her. I would probably be shamefully running in fear.
However, what actually happened was that I met Kuro and was saved by her, and because I regained my courage to step forward, I was able to reach out to Isis-san’s hand in spite of my fear.
……Looking back at it, Isis-san may be the first person I’ve ever tried to get involved with on my own.
And, when I held Isis-san’s hand and introduced myself to her…… She confessed to me.
Because it was the first time in my life that I had ever been confessed to, I was half-confused at that time and to be honest, I didn’t really take her confession seriously.
After that, Isis-san and I became friends, and afterwards, I learned that Isis-san is the Death King and that she possesses the magic power of death.
But at that time, Isis-san was no longer a scary person to me, so I couldn’t see why Lilia-san and the others were so scared of her.
On the contrary, I was even inwardly mad at Chronois-san when she evaluated Isis-san as someone with a bad nature.
That’s because the real Isis-san was…… lonely and quiet, reserved and gentle, a really lovely lady……
The pain that Isis-san has been going through, I still feel like I can’t completely understand it even now that we’ve become so close.
However, I’m confident that a smile is much more suitable for Isis-san than a sad one.
Since the first time we met, Isis-san has been straightforwardly directing her love and affection to me, and even though I felt shy from it, felt delighted from it, and remembered feeling strangely nervous when I’m talking to Isis-san.
She really always, always takes care of me…… and when I was injured, she was really angry and sincerely worried about me.
No matter how insensitive I am, I understand that the affection Isis-san for me is very strong.
However, that affection isn’t something that is forced on me.
When I asked her to hold off on responding to her confession, or when I asked where Isis-san’s castle is, she always paid attention and respected my circumstances.
Being thought about that much…… there’s no way I wouldn’t be happy.
Yeah, that’s right…… I’m feeling glad that I’m receiving Isis-san’s affection.
I’ve never had any experience of being popular, so I had no idea how to respond to her confession, and because I strongly felt that I love Kuro, I’ve kept it ambiguous for a long time.
It may be as Ryze-san told me…… The answer may have been in me right from the start.
If this was the world I was in…… If I really had to choose only one person, I think I would have chosen Kuro.
I would have been heartbroken at the thought of Isis-san feeling sorrowful, and I may even cry, but even if it’s painful, I would still make a choice.
However, the world I’m in now is different.
This is a world where I could choose to like both of them…… a world where I could make such a gentle choice…… And just as Orchid said, in this world, there’s no need to for me to have any differences in my love for them.
Then, the only thing left is my feelings…… but even that has already been answered.
I’m not averse to Isis-san’s love…… I enjoy spending time with Isis-san….. I felt my heart beat for Isis-san’s gestures.
How I feel about Isis-san has long since appeared in my heart before I could even think about it in my mind.
[……I see…… I love Isis-san.]
Feeling as if I’ve found the answer within the darkness, I felt as if I instantly felt better.
Yes, there’s no need for me to be puzzled. I love Isis-san, I want Isis-san to have a smile on her face, I want her to be happy…… I want to make her happy.
Slowly, I raise my upper body and move my eyes to the faint light of the stars.
Feeling sincerely relieved and thankful that I don’t have to give up on Isis-san……
Dawn, at a time when it was still early in the morning, I went to visit where Sieg-san usually is.
Sieg-san had worked the night shift last night, so she was still up at this time as well, and I was able to find her quietly drinking tea in the dining room.
[Good morning, Sieg-san.]
[Good morning. You’re very early, aren’t you?]
[Yes. Errr, there’s actually something I wanted to request of you, Sieg-san……]
[Request?]
Sieg-san tilted her head after hearing what I said, but after she looks straight at me, she smiles.
[……It looks like you’ve made up your mind. You have a good look in your eyes right now.]
[……Yes.]
[I understand. I’ll help you in any way I can.]
[Thank you!]
Thanking Sieg-san for her gracious words of approval, I once again told her what I’m asking for.
Sieg-san quietly listened to what I said, and then, nodding in agreement and spoke.
[……I see. I understand. Well then, let’s go get what we need today.]
[Yes…… Wait, Sieg-san, don’t you need to sleep at all?]
[There’s no problem. Even if we elves don’t sleep for a few days, we would still be perfectly fine.]
Feeling my heartfelt gratitude as I saw Sieg-san’s gentle smile, I decided to get ready to go out with Isis-san.
Thinking about the promise I made previously at the Sacred Tree Festival…… I thought that it would also be the appropriate time to give her my response……
Dear Mom, Dad——- Thanks to the advice of many people, I have been able to rethink and realize my feelings for Isis-san. Gathering my courage, and making preparations—— All that’s left is to convey these feelings of mine.
[……B- By the way, Kaito-san? I’m just asking for r- reference but……]
[Yes? What is it?]
[K- Kaito-san, for example…… Errr, can you also see Elves as a l- l- love interest?]
[……You mean someone like Sieg-san?]
[T- T- That’s right. A pure-blooded elf like me.]
I tilted my head at Sieg-san, who seemed somewhat flustered while asking me that while her eyes were restlessly moving about.
I’ve seen lots of elves at the Sacred Tree Festival, but if I think about elves, the one I could think of the most would be Sieg-san…… I don’t know why she’s asking such a question, but with Sieg-san in my mind, I thought about it.
[……To be honest, I’ve never really paid much attention to things like a person’s species…… For example, regardless of whether you’re an elf or not, Sieg-san is beautiful and kind, and you’re also very capable when it comes to housework, so I guess I would be happy if I could date you?]
[!? I- I- Is that so!]
[By the way, does that question mean anything?]
[N- N- N- No…… Errr, errrmm…… I- It’s for that! It’s for future reference. You see, with Lili’s circumstances, I haven’t seen many people around me in love until now, so I thought I’d ask what Kaito-san, a man, thinks about it.]
For some reason, Sieg-san is more flustered than before…… and her long wiggling ears look really cute.
[……Errr, was my response helpful?]
[Yes, thank you…… I’m relieved that I also have a chance.]
[Eh? Your voice sounded smaller on the latter part of what you said so I couldn’t hear it……]
[I- I said nothing!!!]
<Author’s Notes>
Kaito is starting to become more like a protagonist…… but still, go explode.
Also, it seems that some people misunderstood the previous chapter’s afterword, so I’ll explain.
The members I wrote in the previous chapter’s afterword are the ones who have their storyline already decided…… at this point in time, that is. So of course, there are stories about the other heroines as well.
Also, after thinking about it a lot, I’ve decided that after the Isis arc, we’ll have Sieg’s arc, then Lilia’s arc, and then, Alice’s arc. After that, I’ll go think about it again.