My Thanks to You
I checked the time. It was already past the hour I was supposed to meet Lacy.
Yet, I didn't feel annoyed.
Lacy being late is practically routine by now. Besides, she's changed quite a lot lately.
After the old woman's passing, Lacy returned to writing, and soon published a new book.
What amazed me even more was that, in the midst of all that, she never once neglected my training.
I'm honestly moved.
Moved? By what, pray tell?
I turned, startled by the familiar voice behind me, to find Lacy standing there.
What hath moved thee so deeply? The fact that I've published again?
If so, 'twas a surprise to even me.
Not once did my hands stop while writing. It was as if the words refused to wait.
In all my decades of authorship, not once have I experienced such a thing!
But that aside...
Ahem!
...My apologies for being late.
As she said, she'd arrived past the promised time—but on the other hand, she was a mere twelve minutes late.
Didst thou wait long?
No, I just got here myself.
Then 'tis a relief.
Seeing the gentle smile of relief on her face reminded me of the wistful one I'd seen before.
Well then, shall we be off?
Off...? Come to think of it, she never told me what we were even meeting up for.
Off to where?
It hath been a little while since my new book came out, hath it not?
Let us go check on the readers' reactions—just as we did last time.
I thought you didn't have the "slightest care" for things like that?
Child... thou truly hast a bit of mischief in thee. Art thou being glib now?
This book holds special meaning for me—thou shouldst know that as well as I do.
So it's only natural I'd be a little more anxious than usual—
Let's go.
Cutting off her flustered muttering, I grabbed her hand and started toward the library.
W-wait! I'm no child! Why art thou holding my hand...?!
She stammered in protest... But in the end, she never even tried to pull her hand away from mine.
The library was far busier than usual.
Wondering what was going on, I listened to the murmurs around us until I finally understood the reason.
Attention, everyone! Regarding Lacy's newest The Lazy Dragon and the Girl... All copies are currently all checked out!
What?! You guys brought in over ten copies! How can they all be out?!
The bookstores are sold out too! This library was my last hope...
The reason for the crowd was clear. Everyone wanted to read Lacy's new release.
Tell me, child. Am I dreaming right now?
Congratulations.
I should be thanking thee...
She smiled softly fidgeting with her fingers. Only then did I realize I was still holding her hand.
I quietly let go, But once I did, Lacy glanced down, tracing her fingers where mine had been, with a curious look.
An awkward silence hung between us, broken only when two women walked by.
I recognized them immediately—they were the ones who'd criticized her previous works.
Those two... they're the ones who tore my book apart last time.
Lacy must have recognized them too, for tension flickered across her face.
As we watched, one of the women pulled a book from her bag.
I'd like to donate my copy to the library!
Me too!
Their declaration drew everyone's attention.
The Lazy Dragon and the Girl is a masterpiece! On par with, no, beyond Lacy's finest works!
It would be a tragedy if more people couldn't read something this beautiful!
*Sniffle...* I knew she'd overcome her slump someday!
So it's true—say the opposite, and it really happens!
I turned to Lacy, wide-eyed, only to find her staring back at me in the same astonishment.
Then, without a word, we both burst out laughing.
Pfft—ahahahaha!
People turned to stare, confused by our laughter, so we quickly slipped out of the library.
Come to think of it... it hath been almost a year already, hath it not?
A year... I thought it would feel like an eternity, yet as Lacy said, it had passed in the blink of an eye.
It really did fly by.
See? I told thee, did I not? A year goes by faster than thou wouldst think.
But I'd say it our year together was worth more than a hundred years—at least, 'tis how it felt to me.
Same here.
Oh my, a short-lived mortal speaking of centuries now?
Fufu... 'tis but a jest.
I suppose it means this year was just as precious to thee as it was to me.
Even if thou didst lose all that strength thou worked so hard to build—out of thy sheer meddlesomeness.
It's true I lost something, but I got something in return.
Oh? Then what didst thou gain, pray tell?
You're smiling, aren't you?
If back then, I'd hesitated out of fear of losing my strength...
Then the Lacy standing here, smiling at me like this, wouldn't exist.
That is enough for me.
My original goal had always been to grow stronger for Lacy's sake, so I didn't regret it—not one bit.
'Tis true. Thanks to thy meddling, I was able to be saved.
I suppose... I am glad that I became a Savior.
Her words held no trace of pretense—only sincerity. And for that, I found myself nodding in quiet agreement.