The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
"…Nn."
When I slowly opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling of the living room.
My head felt hazy, and my memory was fuzzy. Um, I think I…
"Staaare."
"Rifa?"
As usual, Rifa was expressionless as she peered into my face.
But somehow, she looked a little worried.
"Rain, are you okay?"
"Ah… yeah, I’m fine."
I sat up.
Then I saw everyone—Kanade and the others—and… oh, right.
I remembered.
We had entered Ms. Nokia’s heart to lift the curse.
"Ugh…"
Tina, Nina, and Iris were also waking up one after the other.
They looked a little sluggish, but nothing seemed seriously wrong.
"Phew… so we made it back, huh?"
"Looks like it… my head’s spinning a bit, though."
"Entering someone’s mind places a fair burden. There may not be physical issues, but your mind is likely quite exhausted."
"Then Sora shall prepare some tea."
"Luna… do it… please…"
"What do you mean by that!?"
"Just what it sounds like, no?"
"Ugh… I can’t believe even Nina said that to me…"
Watching everyone’s back-and-forth made me smile naturally.
It really hit me—we’d returned from the world inside the heart.
"So, Rain. What happened?"
"Oh, I’m really curious about that too…"
Tania and Kanade’s questions made me tilt my head.
"Huh? Didn’t Al explain it to you?"
"We didn’t hear a thing."
"At the end, the magic got a bit unstable, and we couldn’t see what was happening. So we really have no idea."
"I see…"
If they didn’t know the most important part, they must be really anxious.
What happened after that?
I opened my mouth to explain…
"…Nnn…"
That’s when Ms. Nokia slowly opened her eyes.
Just like us, she seemed groggy and slow to react.
"Ms. Nokia, are you okay?"
"Um…"
"Would you like some water?"
"…Yes, please."
"Here you go."
Luna handed her some water.
Behind her, Sora mumbled, "Sora could’ve at least served water muu…" but I decided to ignore it.
"…Phew."
After drinking the water, she seemed to calm down a bit.
Ms. Nokia looked more refreshed than when she first woke up, and her complexion was better too.
"…"
Did the curse get lifted successfully?
Everyone looked restless, clearly wondering about that.
But we couldn’t push Ms. Nokia too hard…
So we just waited quietly for her to speak.
"Um… may I ask something?"
"Yes, go ahead."
"The curse… what happened to it?"
"Well…"
Just as I was about to answer, Ms. Nokia’s gaze shifted elsewhere.
She was looking at Nina.
Suddenly being stared at, Nina tilted her head curiously.
Seeing her like that, tears welled up in Ms. Nokia’s eyes.
"…Nina…"
Nokia called Nina’s name.
In other words… that’s what this means.
"Huh…?"
"You’re… Nina, aren’t you? You’ve grown so much since then, but… ahh, I knew it, you’re still Nina."
"Mama… you… recognize me?"
"Of course I do."
Nokia stood up and took a step forward.
Then she opened her arms, as if to say “come here.”
"You’ve grown up so beautifully… ah, really. I’ve wanted to see you so badly… my precious, precious daughter… I’ve missed you so much."
"…Mama…"
Tears spilled from Nina’s small eyes.
Drip, drip… flowing one after another.
Once they started, the tears wouldn’t stop.
They poured down, soaking Nina’s cheeks.
"Mamaaah!!!"
"Nina!"
Nina threw herself into Nokia’s arms.
Nokia held her tightly, like she was cradling a treasured jewel.
She embraced her gently, soaking in her daughter’s warmth and presence with her whole body.
"I… I’ve always wanted… to see Mama again…"
"I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Nina…"
"Rain and everyone were with me… but still, not being able to see Mama was so lonely…"
"I was really lonely too… ahh, Nina…"
"Uu… hic… sniff… Mamaaa… we finally met… don’t leave me again… stay with me…"
"Of course, of course… we’ll always be together, Nina…"
"Uwahhhhhh… aaaaahhh…"
As if to make up for the time they had spent apart.
As if to heal the wounds in their hearts.
Nina and Nokia held each other tightly.
They cried, and cried, and cried…
Their emotions overflowing, they clung to each other.
A long-awaited reunion between mother and daughter.
The sight of it brought tears to everyone’s eyes.
"…Everyone."
"Yeah."
With a quiet nod, everyone responded in agreement.
Now, let’s give them this moment alone.
We took one last look at the two of them…
And quietly left the living room.
Comments
Post a Comment