After finishing my meeting with Nora-san, I was once again guided by the maid. We had already exchanged greetings, and I referred to her as Mia-san. She said it was fine to call her by her first name, but we both agreed to do so out of mutual consideration.
It seems she holds a high position among the maids of the Rose family and primarily takes care of Amelia.
The destination was Amelia’s private room.
After knocking, Mia-san opened her mouth.
“My lady, I have brought your guest.”
“Please let them in.”
I could hear Amelia’s voice from inside the room.
“Then, Ray-sama .. Please go ahead.”
“Thank you for guiding me this far.”
“No, it is my pleasure. I will take my leave here.”
After exchanging a brief conversation, I entered Amelia’s private room.
“Ah… um, welcome.”
“Ah, I apologize for intruding.”
The room was indeed quite spacious. It was probably twice the size of the room we lived in at the dormitory. The decor was not overly extravagant, but it gave the impression that it was well-maintained.
There was a table and chairs, a large bed with a canopy, and a wardrobe among other furniture. A large bookshelf lined one corner of the room, and I felt a sense of familiarity knowing that Amelia also read quite a bit.
“Um, you can sit down, you know?”
“Then, I’ll sit here.”
“Okay.”
Saying that, I took a seat in the chair placed in front of the table. At the same time, Mia-san brought in tea and snacks.
“Please take your time.”
She said that and stepped back, but her face had a strangely amused expression… as if she had briefly glanced at Amelia and exchanged eye contact… Well, maybe I was overthinking it.
Then, Amelia and I sat facing each other.
“By the way, what happened to Ariane?”
“She just came to return a book I borrowed, so she left right away.”
“I see. That’s a shame.”
“…”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
Amelia was staring at me with half-closed eyes.
Did I say something to upset her?
“…So it would have been better if Ariane was here, huh.”
“Well, it has been a while since I last saw her. But if that’s the case, then it can’t be helped. I’m happy just being here with you, Amelia.”
“I-I see…”
“Honestly, it would have been nice if everyone was here…”
“That’s unavoidable. It’s hard to coordinate everyone’s schedules.”
In fact, I had mentioned to our usual group that I would be visiting Amelia’s family today. However, it turned out that we couldn’t align everyone’s schedules. So, here I was, the only one free to visit the Rose family.
“So, um… how was your conversation with mother?”
“Well…”
I paused for a moment.
There was no explicit instruction that I shouldn’t share what was said.
However, if I told her everything as it was, it might create pressure. So, I decided to summarize what was discussed.
“She told me to take care of you.”
“Huh?!”
“What is it?”
“W-What does that mean?”
Amelia’s fair skin flushed a soft pink as she looked up at me shyly.
I see. It seems that it’s embarrassing for her when her parents talk to her friends. I remember reading something about that in literature.
“Of course, she meant it as a friend.”
“…Yeah, I knew that. Yeah…”
With her eyes losing their color, she began to gaze into space and muttered in a daze.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, but there are times when I find it difficult to grasp Amelia’s feelings. But well… I’ve been taught by my mentor that a maiden’s heart is complex and mysterious.
As a man, I probably shouldn’t ask her too directly about it right now.
“Oh, by the way,”
“What is it?”
“I heard a rumor that a team competition might be held at the end of the year.”
“A team competition? Is it something similar to the Magical Chevalier?”
“Um… I don’t really know yet, but I heard it might be introduced starting this year.”
──A team competition, huh.
However, I thought that if the purpose was to train sorcerers, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“I see. For training sorcerers, experiencing a team competition wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“Is that so?”
“The Magical Chevalier is a complete individual competition, right? But when it comes to fighting in groups, the dynamics change quite a bit. It could be part of that.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
As we continued chatting about trivial things, I heard something thud and fall from behind us.
“Hm? Did something fall?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. It was just an album.”
“An album?”
“Um… do you want to see it?”
Amelia, who picked it up and hugged it to her chest, seemed somewhat anxious yet hopeful, giving me that impression.
“Could it be that there are pictures of young Amelia in there?”
“Ah, yeah… It’s a bit embarrassing, but I can show it to you, Ray…?”
“Oh! I’m very interested! Please, show me!”
“Then, shall we look at it together?”
“Yeah!”
We leaned in closer to share the album, and at that moment, a faint scent of a floral perfume tickled my nostrils.
“Amelia, are you wearing perfume?”
“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. Is it too strong…?”
“No, it’s fine. I think you look very attractive today.”
“Um… yeah. Thank you, I might have put in some effort. Hehe…”
She smiled innocently.
It’s really amazing how much she has changed. I couldn’t help but wonder how many struggles she had to overcome to create this smile. Thinking about how we decided to move forward together at the Magic Chevalier made me feel a sense of happiness, as if it was about myself.
“Oh, Amelia looks so small! How old is this?”
“Probably around three years old? I don’t remember it well either.”
“I see. But you can definitely see the resemblance to the present.”
“Is that so? I can’t really tell.”
The picture of Amelia showed her smiling and making a peace sign in the garden of this house. However, it seemed she couldn’t quite form the peace sign correctly, and it looked a bit awkward.
“That Peace. You didn’t do it very well.”
“Th-this was back then…! But look, I’m doing it properly in the next one!”
On the next page, there were pictures of Amelia, Ariane, and Rebecca-senpai. All three were laughing in the photo. Among them, Amelia and Ariane were making peace signs while snuggling up to each other.
As Amelia said, their fingers were perfectly formed in this photo.
“Oh wow. It’s Amelia, Ariane, and Senior Rebecca.”
“Yeah. At that time, we were still good friends…”
Her tone turned somewhat dark as she said that. When I glanced at her profile, I saw a sad expression on Amelia’s face.
As I silently turned the pages, Amelia’s smile gradually disappeared from her face. To be precise, there were still smiling photos, but they felt artificial. They looked somewhat pasted on.
A moment of silence passed.
Breaking that silence, Amelia spoke up.
“Um, you know… I’ve been struggling for a long time… But then! I met you, Ray, and I decided to part ways with that version of myself. So today, I wanted to properly thank you!”
“Amelia…”
I silently took her hand in mine. Seeing her look so anxious made me want to do that spontaneously.
“Ah!”
“Amelia. I want to express my gratitude as well. At that Magic Chevalier, I also grew as a person. If everyone, if you hadn’t been there, I would still be afraid to touch people’s hearts. So, thank you.”
“Yeah. Me too, thank you.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
“Miss, everything is ready.”
What could that mean?
As I was pondering, Amelia explained with her head down.
“Um, you see. Until now, I’ve always looked gloomy in photos, but… from today on, I want to be someone who smiles more. So, will you take a picture with me? I want to include a page in this album with you, and I want to take many photos with everyone from now on…”
Hearing those words, there was no way I could refuse. I stood up confidently, took Amelia’s hand, and moved toward the corner of the room together.
“Of course. This is a memorable first photo for us.”
“Y-yeah…!”
Mia-san politely bows and brings in a large camera with a ladder, setting it up in front of us while smiling brightly.
“Both of you, please stand closer together.”
“Wha…!? Closer!?”
“Yes. Miss, please position yourself as if you’re being cradled in his arms. And, Ray-sama, please hold her as if you’re embracing her.”
“Understood.”
“…Understood!? Is that really okay, Ray!?”
“Of course it’s okay. Amelia, do you prefer a different pose? I’m happy to adjust.”
“No, this is fine… but…”
Then, a little hesitantly, Amelia gently leans her body against mine. I also accept it and softly wrap my hand around her waist.
“Alright, I will take the picture now. Say cheese!”
In that moment, a dazzling light enveloped us.
I wonder if we are smiling brightly in that photo.
No, I’m sure we must be captured with our best smiles.
After all, we are already the best of friends who can laugh together from the heart──.
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