The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
Unable to stay still, I tightly grasped Iris’s hand.
And then, I shouted with all my strength.
"Iris!!!"
There was no response.
But I couldn't stop speaking.
The words overflowed on their own as I called out to her.
"Ending it like this… That’s not what we promised!"
"……"
"You said we'd meet again! You said you’d come back! But now, for it to end like this… No, I won’t accept it!"
"……"
"So come back! Come back to us!"
"……"
No matter how many times I called out, Iris didn’t respond.
Instead, it felt like the hand I was holding was growing colder.
When I looked at Elfin, she had a very troubled expression.
"She’s probably at her limit."
"That can’t be…"
"If anything, the fact that she held on this long despite such severe injuries is a miracle. The spirit healers must have incredible power…"
There was nothing more that could be done.
As if to confirm this, Elfin extinguished her flames.
Following her lead, Finia also stopped her efforts.
"I’m sorry… There's nothing more we can do."
"I-I’m sorry, Rain… I said I’d help, but I couldn’t do anything… Ugh…"
"No…"
I looked at Iris’s face.
"……"
As expected, there was no reaction.
Her wounds had completely healed, but… her eyes remained closed.
"So… it wasn’t enough?"
I had sworn to save her no matter what.
No matter the hardships, no matter the obstacles, I had vowed to overcome them all.
And now, that determination was shattering into pieces.
"Damn it…"
Still clutching Iris’s hand, I lowered my head.
I couldn't bear to look at her face…
But at the same time, I couldn’t let go of her hand either.
I was… powerless.
"Rain… um… I-I’m really sorry…"
"…It’s not your fault, Finia. Neither you nor Elfin. You both came all this way and did everything you could… I’m truly grateful."
If anyone was to blame, it was me.
If only I had acted sooner.
More than that, I should never have let Iris go on reconnaissance alone.
No matter how tired I was, I should have gone with her.
If I had…
"Human."
Elfin suddenly called out to me.
When I lifted my head, her expression, though stern, carried a hint of kindness.
"You did well. I acknowledge you. But… stop trying to carry everything on your own."
"But…"
"There are things beyond our control. You could call it fate. Feeling responsible for everything, even that, is arrogance."
"……"
"To put it another way, believing you can do everything by yourself is simply overconfidence. But in reality, no one can do that. Whether they’re the strongest race or just a human, what one person can achieve is always limited. There are times when we are utterly powerless. I… know that very well."
"Elfin…"
"So stop trying to bear everything alone. Share the pain and sorrow with your companions. After all… you're not alone, are you?"
"Yeah… you’re right."
If I had been alone, I might not have been able to endure this.
But everyone was here.
I wasn’t alone…
"…No."
Iris wasn’t alone either.
Everyone was here.
And I was here.
Unlike before, when she only thought about revenge, now she had us.
And yet, she was trying to give up on life, to leave us behind, satisfied with that decision…
"You know… the more I think about it, the more pissed off I get."
"Huh?"
There was no way I could give up so easily.
No matter how hopeless the situation seemed, I refused to surrender until the very end.
"Iris!!!"
I called her name louder than ever before.
At the same time, I tightened my grip on her hand once more.
"From the moment we met, you’ve been dragging me around… and now, even at the end, you plan to play with my heart? I won’t allow it!"
"R-Rain…? If you keep doing that…"
"…Finia. Let’s just watch for now."
Finia tried to stop me, but Elfin gently held her back.
The two of them stepped back and watched…
No—
They were watching the exchange between Iris and me.
"I refuse to accept this ending! Even if Iris thinks it’s fine, I don’t! Call it selfish, call it whatever you want—I don’t care!"
"……"
"I want you to live, Iris! That’s why I’ve done everything I have! So just this once, let me be selfish!"
"……"
"Live!!!"
I poured everything I had into my words, yelling them as if to force them into Iris’s heart, to reach the part of her that was trying to give up.
"I refuse to accept a fate where this ends here! I won’t stand for it!"
"……"
"I’m selfish! If fate tries to bring an ending I can’t accept, I’ll overturn it—I’ll smash it to pieces! So…!"
"……"
"Come back, Iris!!!"
A heavy silence followed.
Iris remained still, eyes closed, showing no sign of movement.
But then—
Her fingers twitched.
Her eyebrows trembled slightly—
And slowly, she opened her eyes.
"…Rain-sama…?"
"Iris!"
"…Goodness, you’re so noisy. With a voice that loud, how am I supposed to get any sleep…?"
"Good. I’m never letting you sleep again."
"Fufu… You really are such a selfish man."
"Welcome back."
"…I’m home."
Iris smiled.
It was a radiant smile, as beautiful as a blooming flower.
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