By Zephyria 
In the awkward silence, only the sound of occasional water droplets could be heard. Aska pouted, glaring at me with stubborn eyes, while Ophelia’s eyes sparkled like someone enjoying the climax of a play.
Even more surprising was that Reindeer, who had been as quiet as if he didn’t exist, was gaping at us.
Their gazes were too much to bear, so I grabbed Aska’s wrist and awkwardly hid behind a tree. Then, in a very small voice, I whispered, “What’s coming into my body?”
“I don’t want anything other than mine.”
“No, I mean, what is it?”
I was slightly taken aback by his tone, but the object of what Aska was saying was probably life force. Why is he talking so strangely?
“Anything.”
“When you speak, try to include an object.”
“I just don’t want anything at all.”
He didn’t seem to be listening. Anyway, that’s that, and this is this, so I calmly opened my mouth.
“Even if you don’t like it, there’s nothing you can do. You have to get treated.”
“What do you mean there’s nothing I can do? I don’t want to.”
I was about to say that this wasn’t a problem to be stubborn about just because he didn’t like it, but I stopped. If I talked like that, it would only lead to another fight. Maybe he would run away crying again, like before.
Just imagining how I would feel if Aska disappeared in a strange place I didn’t know made my stomach churn.
Then how on earth am I supposed to persuade this stubborn guy? Once he started being stubborn with that look in his eyes since he was a kid, there was no way.
Trying to be forceful was no help at all. Should I just cry like Aska? Wouldn’t Aska be embarrassed if I cried like a child?
I seriously considered doing it, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I have my pride too…
“If you…”
Then, in the end, I started rambling in a resigned mood.
“If you say you don’t like it, then it’s true that there’s nothing I can do. I can’t force you into the water… You said you were okay, but I’ll probably keep feeling bad every time I see your wound. Even if you tell me not to, I can’t help it. It’s better for both of us to be in pain than for only one person to be in pain. I’m curious if sharing the pain really makes it half, like you said. Let’s just both be in pain, then. You’re in physical pain, and I’m in mental distress. It’s fair.”
“…If you feel bad every time you see it, then I can cover it up like last time so you can’t see it…”
“If I know there’s already a wound, does covering it up make it disappear? If my arm is cut off, will covering it with cloth make me forget about it? Don’t be a Birdbrain… Anyway, forget it. If you don’t want to, then just don’t.”
I held back a sigh and smiled. And after stroking Aska’s shoulder, I turned my head and looked at Ophelia.
“We’re just not going to get treated. We’ll go back then…”
“Wa, wait a minute.”
Before I could finish speaking, Aska turned me around. Then, with anxious eyes, he urgently asked, “What if that old woman makes a mistake?”
“What kind of mistake? Like putting in too little life force when she’s supposed to put in a lot?”
Aska nodded at my question. He looked even more upset than before, but I sensed that Aska’s mind had already changed. I realized anew that this is how persuasion should be done. Forcing things wasn’t the only way.
“But she’s lived longer than you, so she’ll be much more skilled.”
“If I wake up and something’s happened to you, I really don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Nothing will happen. Even if something does happen, I’ll carry you and run away, so don’t worry about that.”
“How are you going to carry me and run away? You’re so weak…”
In my life, even when I was a child, I had never heard that I was weak. There had never been a moment when I thought I was weak myself. I was momentarily speechless, my lips only moving, but Aska was restless with trembling eyes, almost in a panic.
“This is a boundary, so it’s only a matter of time before you die if you step on the wrong foot. Pipi and the others aren’t around, and if something happens to you…”
“Stop.”
I grabbed Aska’s cheeks and held them still. Looking intently into his dark red eyes from a close distance, I said, “Stop imagining things that haven’t happened and being anxious. I said I’ll be okay, right?”
“…”
His expression twisted as if he was about to cry, but Aska reluctantly nodded. Then, in a very small voice that could barely be heard nearby, he whined, “Time will flow differently too.”
“What time?”
“Here and outside…”
It was a strange phenomenon, but I didn’t care about that. Whether time flowed slowly or quickly, I had to stay here for Aska’s treatment, so nothing would change.
If it takes longer than I thought, I’ll go out for a while and just say hello while Aska is in the water…
“Will you stay by my side the whole time?”
Aska asked with tearful eyes as I was quickly deciding what to do. I couldn’t help but be flustered by his moist eyes.
“Why are you crying?”
“Because I was thinking about leaving you behind… Hah. What do you know?”
Aska, who had been muttering, suddenly became angry and irritated. I hugged Aska’s shoulders and slowly stroked his back.
“I’ll stay by your side the whole time.”
“What if it takes a really long time?”
“When I was treated at Rollai Mountains Lake, I was much more injured than I am now. It took five years then, so it’ll take much less than that. Ophelia is here too.”
“You’re not going anywhere, right?”
At his fragile voice, as if it would break, I nodded without hesitation.
“What if I don’t wake up even after five years?”
“I’ll keep waiting.”
“What if I don’t wake up even after ten years?”
“Even then.”
Aska rubbed his wet eyes against my neck, asking meaningless questions. I tried desperately to calm the anxious Aska, and thanks to my efforts, Aska finally made up his mind.
“Have you decided?”
Ophelia approached us and asked. Reindeer, who was huge, was with her, but for some reason, he was squinting and making a strange expression.
I was dumbfounded and about to say something, but I just ignored him.
“How are you going to do it, Grandma?”
Then Aska looked at Ophelia and asked. Why is he suddenly using honorifics? Not only the honorifics, but also his tone and posture were subtly polite.
“If you break the connection, I’ll take your place. It’s so simple that there’s no room for mistakes.”
Her voice was reassuring, as if telling him not to worry. But Aska’s anxiety didn’t subside easily. I thought he was going to whine again, so I opened my mouth to mediate.
“He’s the most precious person in the world to me.”
But before I could speak, Aska took the lead. Moreover, the content was so shocking that I was momentarily stunned. Unlike me, who was frozen in surprise, Ophelia was as calm as ever.
“I can see that too.”
“He’s my treasure. If anything goes wrong, I really can’t live. So please, please take good care of him.”
The more Aska spoke, the hotter my face became. It’s not a big confession, and I already know all the facts, so why am I so embarrassed and my heart is pounding?
Rather, I was getting more anxious now, so I kept looking around, and then I suddenly met Reindeer’s eyes. Reindeer’s expression was even more serious than before.
His face was distorted as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have, so I was dumbfounded and mouthed, “What, what?” to provoke him, and Reindeer stuck out his tongue. Then he pretended to vomit?
That beast…
“Stop fighting and come here. And don’t be so rude to the guest.”
Ophelia’s tone was somehow similar to Mahir’s. It was the first time anyone had treated me like this other than Mahir, so I suddenly felt strange. Reindeer turned his head with a sulky “hmph,” and Ophelia placed her small hand on my chest.
“Will it hurt?”
Ophelia shook her head at Aska’s question.
“It might be a little uncomfortable, but it won’t hurt.”
“He seemed to be in a bit of pain when I did it.”
“That’s because you’re too ignorant. Watch me do it.”
I didn’t know what they were talking about, they were exchanging words that only they knew. I was just staring blankly at them when suddenly my chest stung. It wasn’t so much painful as it was really uncomfortable.
Aska stared intently at the small hand touching my chest. Can he see something? I can’t see anything.
Then Ophelia slowly began to take her hand away, and as if following her, a small, round bead-like thing came out of my body. It was much smaller than a fingernail.
Before I could be amazed, it became difficult to breathe, so I frowned, but it was only for a moment. Before I could examine the bead in detail, it slowly disappeared back into me.
“How is it? It doesn’t hurt, does it?”
I nodded with a dazed expression. Aska touched and turned my body here and there, examining it carefully, and then asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s not a matter of hurting or not hurting, it’s just that I don’t feel anything at all.”
I deliberately stretched out the words and exaggerated them. Perhaps that’s why Aska’s expression visibly improved. I groped around where Ophelia’s hand had touched a moment ago and asked, “How long will it take for Aska to be treated?”
“Well, it depends on the depth of the wound, but it won’t take that long. At most, maybe a year?”
At those words, I smiled and looked at Aska.
“A year will pass quickly.”
I was afraid that his mind might change again, so I hurriedly took Aska into the water. I came to the center, but the water level only came up to my waist. I stood in the deepest part and took off Aska’s coat, saying, “I’ll be waiting here, so don’t worry about me.”
“Don’t leave me alone and go anywhere, you have to stay here.”
His words, which were a sincere request, somehow made my heart clench. I quietly looked at his face, which looked like he was about to cry, and lowered my gaze.
“The first thing you’ll hear before you even open your eyes will be my voice calling your name.”
And I kissed the deepest wound.