Within the uncomfortably snug office, me, Poppy and clergyman Conney sat there in line looking at each other.
Turning to face Poppy on my right, I noticed a hint of iciness on her face which seemed like it had been there since we started talking about Hilda Karlyle.
Looks like their relationship wasn’t in the least bit good.
I turned towards clergyman Conney’s pale face; she responded with a look that said “Mhm, what’s the matter?”
I say…as a clergyman in charge of “contact”, don’t you think this room is a little too cozy for our point of contact?
Conney: I feel, that the situation up until now has been roughly understood by everyone present.
Conney: If you don’t mind, Di Qi Ju, I’ll be blunt in my questions. I hope you will answer them as truthfully as possible.
Di Qi Ju: Oh…I’ll do my best.
Conney: Exactly how many wish points do you have?
Di Qi Ju: I’m not sure, really.
Conney: ……
She gave me a pointed stare as if trying to drill into my brain. However, I wasn’t in the least bit apprehensive about it as I really didn’t know.
Conney: What kinds of wishes have you made so far?
Di Qi Ju: They were all…wishes to protect my life.
Conney: Protect your life?
Di Qi Ju: …that’s right, I don’t want to die.
Conney: Is that all?
Di Qi Ju: That’s all.
Conney: How many wish points have you expended so far?
Di Qi Ju: …roughly half of it.
Conney: Are you really that unwilling to disclose the exact amount?
Di Qi Ju: …can you spare me with regards to this?
Conney: ……
Conney: How about this, I’ll tell you my wish ability first.
Conney: My ability is the “ability to connect and make contact with the space between people and locations”. The points invested is…
Conney: 9000.
Di Qi Ju: ……
Di Qi Ju: Nine…thousand?
Conney: That’s right. If 100 is a threshold, 1000 would be the second threshold, as for the third, I’ve never seen it yet.
Conney: Each time an ability reaches a threshold, it undergoes a transformative change.
Conney: Seeing as how your reaction to “9000” was muter than expected…
Conney: It’s safe of me to assume that your wish points are more than mine.
Di Qi Ju: …
Di Qi Ju: I didn’t say that.
Conney: Don’t worry, if it’s just protecting your life, it’s not an ability will that threaten the balance of this world so there’s no need for me to pursue this matter.
Conney: It’s just…I thought that I would be able to see what the third threshold was like.
Di Qi Ju: Is there a meaning behind that threshold?
Conney: —THERE IS!!
Di Qi Ju: …!?
Conney: ……
Conney: I apologize, did I startle you?
Di Qi Ju: Ah…it’s alright. It’s just that I didn’t expect such a tone from a demure person like you.
Di Qi Ju: Oh right, I hope you don’t mind me asking but…exactly which race do you belong to?
Conney: That…
Conney: I come from an underwater world that mankind would have difficulty stepping foot into.
Poppy: —Conney.
Di Qi Ju: ……?
A previously silent Poppy suddenly spoke up, interrupting our conversation.
Poppy: If you’re able to fulfill your desires, would you leave the Divine Hall and return to your hometown?
Conney: ……
Conney: If my wish could really be fulfilled, it wouldn’t matter where I was.
The two continued with a conversation that only the both of them truly understood, the contents passed through my brain like a fleeting illusion.
Poppy: I think that’s all for today, Conney. Afternoon break is a precious time after all.
Conney: Mhm, I should be going back as well. If there’s any movement, I’ll let you know.
Conney: At the very least, Hilda and the Divine Hall won’t have any movement for now. She doesn’t have the permission to leave the Divine Hall and the Divine Hall itself doesn’t have any concrete information on you.
Poppy: …alright then.
Conney: Lastly, I have a question for you, Di Qi Ju.
Di Qi Ju: Hm? go ahead.
Conney: Based on what I know of your wishes, I have to say, is it enough for you if you’re the only one alive in this world?
Di Qi Ju: …
Di Qi Ju: ……
Di Qi Ju: No, no it’s not.
Conney: Hah, I just knew it…
Conney: There’s no way mankind could be so solitary.
As she said that, she disappeared as if the space she was in had been erased.
Poppy: Don’t worry too much about her, Little Ju. She’s just here to confirm if you’re harmless.
Poppy: I don’t think my Little Ju would make a wish that could harm or destroy the surroundings and its people.
Di Qi Ju: Yeah…
Di Qi Ju: While I don’t know exactly how many wish points I have, I definitely won’t make such a wish.
Di Qi Ju: If I had that sort of ambition, I wouldn’t stay here so obediently…I would just flatten the Divine Hall and be done with it.
Poppy: Haha, oh you…
She hugged and embraced me once more.
Poppy: Even if it’s a lie, it’s still a comforting one.
Di Qi Ju: ……
Harming people would never bring about happiness or fortune; all that it would lead to was destruction.
That’s what I learnt during those first nine days between the earthquake and the tsunami.
The right me now, should have the strength to face anyone who wishes me harm or death, right?
Then, should I listen to her advice and turn my attention to those around me?
However, at this very moment, my senses was filled to the brim with only one person, Miss Poppy.
As if to say… “Don’t care about anyone else, just notice me, Di Qi Ju.”
Is this…really okay?
If there was only the two of us in this world, was there truly any difference between that and living alone?
……
……
The first afternoon lesson ended up being an unexpectedly peaceful one.
The princess in front of me spent the entire lesson napping, clearly losing the battle to the sandman.
As our teacher, Poppy didn’t go out of her way to stir up this ticking bomb either and instead focused on teaching us.
It was when break time came that she finally woke up.
Naysis Ferne: …ah? Class is over?
Naysis Ferne: Time for the washroom…
Bailey: Oh…I did have too much water just now…
With Poppy leaving the classroom, I was suddenly left alone with no one I could strike up a conversation with.
I guess this was fine in of itself. The weather’s starting to get hot and I don’t want to end up in a sweaty mess due to some trouble.
I sauntered to the window and quietly admired the scenery outside.
The classroom’s window faced the school’s main gate, and so I was able to look at the people passing by on the main street.
While it wasn’t anything special, this was the first time I’ve experienced a foreign country from such a setting.
Di Qi Ju: …
Di Qi Ju: …that’s?
Suddenly, I noticed two unwelcome figures.
If I’m not mistaken, those were the two hooligans harassing Naysis Ferne yesterday.
Thinking about that, I subconsciously massaged the spot where I had been stabbed…
The both of them carried a chest that was noticeably larger than themselves and looked like something a normal laborer would be tasked to move.
Coming up to the main gate, they chose to scale the wall instead of walking in through the front gate, landing right in a blind spot.
Di Qi Ju: Woah, I should report this to the security…
Di Qi Ju: —hm? Wait…
It was then that I noticed something. While the color of the chest was different. The exterior and make of the chest and its mechanism were familiar to me.
Di Qi Ju: Is that a…Wilderness Eagle??
Di Qi Ju: Why do they have such a thing? And why did they bring it here??
Di Qi Ju: Come to think of it…isn’t the school’s toilet near there as well…
Di Qi Ju: ……
Footnotes:
Credits:
Special thanks to Steve Granger!!
