Late Night · 3:00 AM
"Swung the knife and off flew a head♪ Swung it once more and off flew another head♪ …Hm?"
"Snnr… Rikka…"
"…Why are you sleeping in front of my room? You should've just gone inside… Sigh."
『Blanket』
"I told you not to catch a chill. Can Servants even… catch colds?"
King's Private Quarters
"Fou~" "Fou~" "Fou~"
"So many Fous!"
"Fou~" "Fou~" "Fou~"
"Over there, over here… it's a whole swarm of Fous~! Yay! Let me hug you! Fou~!"
""""""Fou~""""""
"Whoaaa~!"
~
—Ehehe… Fou… there are so many of you… one at a time, take turns, ehee…
(Squeeeeze…)
"In, God…"
A mother and child—even if unlinked by blood—
The beautiful woman who calls herself Yori seems to be a wandering traveler who drifted all the way from Kyo… the Heian era. Continuing her journey while selling medicine and various wares, she drifted along until she reached this land… or so the story goes.
"Having lost both my husband and my child, I wished to leave behind a land that held nothing but painful memories and start fresh, doing my best anew."
She said that was her reason for continuing her solitary journey. Whether that reason was truth or a lie… I wanted to lend this person a hand. That's what I felt.
Because she looks just like her—an absolute spitting image. Of my beloved Mother. Of that Mother who… told me she loved me.
Her languid, downcast gestures, her beautiful hair like the twilight sky, her large chest that radiates maternity, her peerless beauty. From top to bottom, she is an exact copy. If she was in trouble, I wanted to help her. No reasons, no logic needed. I simply wanted to do whatever I could for her.
『Indeed. Act as your heart desires, Master. For your person is one I guarantee. Should you march into Yomi itself, I stand ready to resolve your return.』
With Ruler-sama's overwhelmingly dependable permission granted, we set our course toward Toke Castle, deciding to help Yori-san.
"Thank you so much for looking after Onui and Tasuke…!" "Be sure to meet them again. Come on, say your greetings."
"Ryujin-sama…"
"We'll meet again. Next time, let's go visit Grandpa together as a family."
"Yeah!" "Daaai~♪"
"See you later, Tasuke-kun, Onui-chan!"
Praying for the safety and good health of the family… Ruler-sama, Yori-san, and I departed from the village.
"You are so kind, Rikka-sama."
As we rode the horse, Yori-san offered those words to me. Huh? I asked back, tilting my head.
"Only those who know kindness themselves can be so gentle toward young children. It seems you truly understand… what a treasure is."
[…Y-You're making me blush.]
I'm a girl too, after all. My body might be packed with muscle, but I still have normal human feelings. Hearing her say that when she wears the exact same face as my Mother makes it all the more intense.
"Fufu, truly stout-hearted, yet so gentle… You are the spitting image of my daughter. …Truly."
[…]
Saying so, Yori-san embraces me from behind over my back.
"How warm… life is sprouting within you. …How utterly precious…"
…Hoping that the grief in her heart from losing her son and daughter might be eased even just a little, I simply accepted her embrace, letting things take their course. The horse walked on, eventually arriving at the castle town of Toke—
[We've arrived, Yori-san. Please mind your step.]
I take her hand, helping her dismount from the horse. Every single one of her movements is filled with a breath-taking beauty. Holding my breath, I step beside her side-by-side.
Toke Castle… if I remember my history, it was a castle around Kazusa, but wasn't it supposed to be a ruin? I rack my brain, tilting my head. This is the price I pay for leaving all the historical verification to Romani and Marie. If Mash were here, she'd probably say, "Can't you even tell that much? Your brain really is on par with Kamen Rider Cross-Z." I'd want to spank her for that. I wonder how Princess or Gil would respond?
"Thank you very much, kind lady. Here, my new life shall…"
I gaze at Yori-san's side profile as she looks out over the town. …So similar. They really are like two peas in a pod, completely identical. Is she a living image of her?
"Preceded in death by my husband, my son and daughter dragged into war… I wonder how much strength I have left in me, but… I have no choice but to desperately live on, don't I?"
Her voice sounds hollow, as if a corpse or a skeleton were uttering words. There is almost no sign of life in it. That gloomy, heavy feeling bleeds into me as well.
"…"
…I can't let her stay like this. If someone tried to hit on me, I'd violently beat them back if they were pushy, but the woman with these eyes can't do that. I can't throw a beauty like her into the sea of people while she's in this hollow state. Throwing someone with such a fragile will into society is dangerous.
But as for what I can do for her, what I'm actually capable of…
"U-Umm."
"…Yes?"
"I-If you'd like, would you like to look around town together? Truth is, it's my first time coming here too. Should we walk around together if you don't mind?"
That was the only offer I could make. Even if I'm a gorilla-like, unglamorous girl far too plain to stand beside a beauty among beauties who makes everyone turn their heads, I should at least be able to serve as her foil and chase away bad bugs.
『Master, I have placed gold in your robe, so make full use of it.』
As Ruler-sama's kindness and thoughtfulness seep into my very core, filling me with gratitude, Yori-san nods happily.
"I could ask for nothing better. Shall we… proceed together then?"
I gently grasp the hand offered to me. —It was a cold, chilly hand.
…It makes me recall that warm hand that always strokes my head in My Room. It brings back the memory of Mother's warm kindness—
"...—"
As if trying to warm that hand, I squeeze back softly yet firmly. Wishing, as if praying, that I could share even a fraction of the kindness and warmth I received from Mother.
"Fufu, well then… shall we go?"
"Yes, Yori-san."
And so, matching my stride with Yori-san, I stepped out into the castle town. Alongside Ruler-sama, who remains by my side in spiritual form…
~
They say fires and fights are the flowers of Edo. True to that saying, the castle town is bustling and packed with people.
Passersby turn around, stop in their tracks, and cast endless admiring glances at Yori-san's beauty.
To be honest, I felt proud. Seeing someone with the exact same face as my Mother being praised felt as if my own Mother was being praised—it truly did.
There were a few who tried to step forward from the crowd to call out to her, but since I can instantly see through vulgar gazes, false kindness, and ulterior motives, I intimidated those guys and scattered them away. She is heartbroken from losing her family. I won't allow anyone to take advantage of the void in her heart.
Whether she realized it or not, Yori-san softly squeezed my hand back, and her reaction made me so happy I couldn't help but crack a smile. Seeing me like that, Yori-san laughed too. It felt like we both shared a ticklish, heartwarming sensation. Just like that, we walked together.
We talked in bits and pieces. About how blue the sky was, how large the castle was. How crowded it was. About the food, about how her journey had been—trivial matters like that.
Yori-san chimed in and responded to whatever I said. I, too, executed one of the lessons from my deeply cultivated Rikka Manual—"When dealing with a heartbroken person, listen with deep empathy"—and nodded back in understanding.
To be honest, I had always longed for a time like this. Holding hands with a mother, passing mundane time together. Because ever since I could remember, the only thing I had ever held was a pencil. Being able to spend such a peaceful time made me so happy.
I wonder if Yori-san is overlapping her daughter's image onto me, too? Though, if girls like me were popping up everywhere, Japan would be doomed, so I hope her daughter was a gentle, graceful girl completely unlike me.
"Fufu, just walking like this is fun, isn't it?"
"Yes!"
Walking and walking without any particular purpose, we eventually sat down at a dango shop and decided to eat dango together.
"Leave the bill to me!"
Putting on a brave face, I buy dango for the two of us. Ruler-sama, thank you so much. I'm constantly being saved by you.
"Thank you very much. Fufu, I am constantly being helped by you, aren't I?"
Saying so, Yori-san takes a bite of the dango. Since she came from Kyo, she's probably used to eating them, but… it's the thought that counts.
I take a bite myself. …Sweet. While not quite on Jeanne's level, with the regional quality boost, it's plenty delicious. It's so good it makes you want seconds.
"It's delicious, Mother… Yori-san."
Shoot, I blurted it out! This is it—this is the dreaded "Calling the Teacher 'Mom'" incident…! So embarrassing!
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