A Happiness Sure to Come
...Let me confirm what you need, Captain.
You need two garden trowels... and flower seeds of various kinds, right?
Naturally, that much can be provided from the supply storage, but...
What exactly do you intend to use them for?
I was curious why you asked me to come to the garden...
Is this meant to be today's training...?
Learn, you say? You mean... gardening?
Yeah. I don't have much of a gift for that kind of thing.
...
...Fufu, you certainly do have a way of surprising me.
Very well. Then today, I will teach you a little of everything.
As part of training, of course.
Training was certainly important, but connecting with my Journey member and building trust was important as well.
So, for a variety of reasons... I decided on a field lesson.
Carnelia taught me how to clear out weeds and made sure the plants had plenty of sunlight.
She also taught me how to plant flowers.
Are there any seeds you brought that you particularly like?
I don't know if I'd call it liking them, but one kind did catch my eye.
...Marigold seeds.
...Yes, indeed. Marigolds are lovely flowers.
I'll be right beside you, so take your time and plant them the way I taught you.
Every flower grows and blooms at its own pace, but...
Marigolds should be in full bloom around this time next year.
Does this look all right?
Yes, the soil is packed down nicely.
You planted them well. Now all that's left is to water the garden.
Carnelia reached for a nearby garden sprayer.
Its long hose was connected to the faucet in the center of the garden.
Hold it as though you are pulling a trigger. Make sure the water does not hit the petals directly...
Yes, upward like that.
I'll demonstrate first, so then you can try...
...Hm?
...There's no water coming out.
There must be a problem with the faucet, or something is blocking the hose.
This happens often, so there is no need to worry.
We simply need to return to the center of the garden and check.
As expected, this part of the hose was bent and blocking the water flow.
Captain, could you turn off the faucet for a moment?
I grabbed the faucet valve as Carnelia instructed.
...Wait. Which direction closes it?
Was it counterclockwise...?
Whoa?! A-Are you okay?
...
...Fufu. Hehehe.
Carnelia, dripping wet like a drowned rat, began trembling with laughter.
It was not a burst of loud laughter, but she lowered her head and laughed out loud for quite a while.
Phew... My apologies. I cannot remember the last time I laughed this much.
You seem to have mixed up which way the faucet valve should turn.
I deeply regret my actions.
I'm okay. The weather is clear today, so my clothes and hair should dry soon enough.
Still... may I ask you to stay with me until my clothes have dried?
People would certainly find it strange if I walked around like this.
Luckily, a maid passing through the garden noticed us sitting there and brought a towel.
I had to keep my eyes elsewhere while Carnelia dried her hair and wiped herself down, but...
Thanks to the towel, she was able to dry herself off at least somewhat.
...Captain, I think it's alright for you to look this way now.
You were looking strangely desperate since I was given the towel...
...Fufu. For someone who says that, your face has turned quite red...
Even so, I'll take your word for it.
...
After laughing so much... I feel somewhat strange.
What does it feel like?
Well...
It's as if my heart has lifted, and somehow I cannot calm myself...
It's still an unfamiliar feeling to me, so I do not know how to describe it.
Maybe it is because I haven't had a good laugh that much.
I spent my life not knowing what it meant to be happy or to have fun... so perhaps this is only natural.
So at least it isn't a bad feeling.
Fufu, of course not.
Captain, when you're with me...
It feels as though I have received normalcy as a gift.
It feels like... you have given me a piece of normalcy.
...
I wish this moment could last forever.
So that I could leave the Journey and the curse behind.
...
...Captain.
I have shared many things with you, and yet...
There is one thing I kept from you.
What is that?
...It is something from the past.
And also... the present.
As soon as I heard her words, it felt as though time had slowed.
I could not tell where that feeling came from.
As I slowly withered away at Candle Square...
I eventually made the choice to leave.
I excused it by telling myself it was for the sake of breaking the curse.
In truth, I was... afraid of letting the people I love see me in such an ugly state.
That was actually the only reason I ran away before the shadows could swallow me whole.
...Ran away, you say.
The maids of Candle Square may still think I'll come back once I am freed from the curse.
But... in truth, that was not the case.
The power of the Journey and the Stellar Archive... is my last desperate effort.
My purpose was to reach my end through that.
...Yes.
Proof that the curse of immortality has ended. Proof of the normal life I had always wanted.
All of those things...
Ultimately leads to death.
My mind went blank. I could neither argue nor question what she had said.
The reason Carnelia had joined the Journey.
The reason I had felt uneasy when she started talking about herself.
And... the reason she had not been able to tell me.
All of it came down to the one thing she truly desired.
...
But... perhaps now that the moment is near, my resolve has begun to waver.
...I was so certain before.
So... your mind isn't made up yet?
To be honest... I am wavering.
My end, meant to conclude in contradiction, has become so unstable.
...
...The New Year's Festival.
Would you come enjoy it with me?
...Yes, of course.
...Thank you.
A soft smile appeared on Carnelia's face.
The trembling in her voice lingered like an afterimage, but...
If this could let Carnelia glimpse even a small piece of the normal life she desired.