Out of nowhere, this was!
"Thank you for saving grandma..." She thanked me while tightening her grip around me.
... This was warm, good, fine, and awesome, and I didn't want to think too deeply about this one hug.
"I-it's ok, Rein. Don't worry. She is fine now." However, my voice was still skeptical.
She didn't let go, and I could feel this sudden hesitation and fear that has surfaced from herself.
This was different from anything I had seen from her.
This hesitation, this fear of what she would do after losing someone close to her… I can understand everything.
It was her mistake, or what she believed was her mistake, that her grandma, a person she might have loved dearly, was in this condition.
Things might definitely have been bad but, they weren't.
"It's okay, Rein. I won't like to see you when it's all fine. Look, your grandma will wake up now.
I-it's funny to see an old one-" And as I knew, even before I could finish that sentence, she punched me in my stomach.
"Y-you! Don't say that!" her face was angry red now but I had prevented those tears from falling down to her eyes.
She was better when she was angry. That sentimental, sad, sorry expression didn't suit her well.
The hug was wooonderful~ though, far better than the strong punch.
"Good. I won't mention that one. So go greet your grandma with a smile. We would love that." I said with a smile, and Zoe nodded with a brighter smile.
Zoe and her grandpa had somewhat similar trains of thoughts while looking at us and the knowing look they gave to each other didn't escape my sight.
Even we knew what was happening with us, and just the fact that I could feel her emotions was enough to tell me what this was.
But was this really 'it'?
Even if I was ninety-nine percent certain, that one percent would always be there.
Well, it wasn't a problem at all.
Surprisingly, this was our first day of the meeting.
Though this progress was surprising for the first day... we had time after the things would be over here.
And I really did not want her to shed unnecessary tears. Not only her, anyone close to me.
Haaa... though cringey, tears of those close to me were important to me.
And she was just barging into my heart like house without even trying.
Patting her head without caring about things, I said to her now frozen self, "Let's talk when everything is over..." And with that, and a wildly beating heart, I tapped her shoulder.
Again that embarrassed look, but this tap of mine pushed her exactly beside her grandma's bed, surprising her and her grandfather.
And, as soon as she stood by the bed with only her grandma in perfect condition and looked at her, the lady on the bed opened her eyes.
I smiled while caressing my beating heart and shook my head at this weird feeling.
[{ Master is happy~! I'm happy too~! }]
Celes was cheerful as always, cute as ever.
And though I was trying to distract myself right now, I knew I couldn't do it that easily.
But her grandma was awake. I had to clear my mind, calm my heart and shake off this feeling of wanting to do something.
This was turning annoying.
Or I just told myself it was to at least get out of this helpless state.
"Huuu..." Calming myself somehow, I also walked forward to meet the grandmother like a 'friend' of my 'friend' Rein.
She had silver hair, and as soon as she opened her metallic green eyes and looked at Rein.
She smiled with a smile that said 'worry not.' to her little girl with a glad eye blink.
It was strange, or bewildering, how she was many years older than her and still, she was just a normal grandchild, like a little girl to them.
This world was truly something else.
She was the first young one I met that wasn't human and even though I saw some children of different races that were older than many people in the back alley of the last city, I couldn't actually understand this concept of age that was different to each person.
It was really peculiar and I will be able to actually understand these things with time as I was somewhat similar to them.
"Reinelle..." She called her out and Rein sat down beside her without tears in her eyes.
My previous little head pat already calmed her down, so she was ok now.
"How have you been, big girl? You didn't trouble your grandpa, right?" She asked with her low pinched However, old-sounding voice.
The voice itself wasn't old but, the feeling I could feel after hearing the voice was truly old.
Rein nodded to her question, and she smiled at her warmly and hugged her strong granddaughter gently.
The warm embrace of a familiar person calmed her down completely, and Rein smiled, hugging her back.
She was glad, happy to see her beloved grandma back.
And I was happy to help someone be with their grandma a little longer.
My grandma was gone because she wanted to and that was the best time, according to her.
She was gone, and there was nothing I can do about that now.
Things have ended on that path, and I was now far ahead, so thinking about that was meaningless.
If she was happy, then I was happy too.
After finishing their hug, the ladies talked for a while and the grandpa joined her beloved wife with teary eyes.
Kissing her first and sending some weird shivers down both our spines, he continued by asking if she was ok.
This was their talk, and I didn't have to do anything for a while.
They would finish catching up and stuff quickly, so Zoe and I just stood at the back, doing a small mental conversation without any presence.
They would have almost forgotten about us if we had just stayed that way but, the grandma remembered us, the ones who had saved her were here with them, so she looked past her husband on the bed and looked at us.
"Thank you. I'm fine because of you. Can I know your name, young boy?" She asked in a respectful manner, unbefitting of a high-ranking noblewoman.
This was a high level of respect one wouldn't show even if they were their savior, but even though I didn't know her yet, I knew she really meant it when she thanked me.
She didn't know me yet and her question made the two of them smile at each other.
I nodded with a smile, and I bowed at her respectfully.
"My humblest greetings, duchess Arina. My name is Axion Heliox Kromet. It is a great honor to meet you."
This respectful greeting surprised both of them and the lady on the bed nodded her head with delight.
"Hmmm. Axion. Though there are many children with this name these days... wait. Axion Heliox Kromet?"
She was calm at first, but then, when she realized it, her eyes widened in surprise and she looked at her family on the bed with wide-open eyes.
They just nodded with a smile, making her mouth wide open.
Looking back at me, now with an unbelievable smile, she shook her head in disbelief.
"To think my student's son will save me one day. And one praised for being a young hero no less...
Calling this irony would be utterly minuscule if I said so."
Taking a deep breath, she sighed with a smile.
What student? What was she talking about?
Like a student, student? The one she had taught?
A light flashed in my eyes and I looked at them with hesitation filled eyes.
"...Wait. You mean...?"
The same look she had a moment ago was now on my face.
No, I had even wider eyes, and this shock was bigger for me than her knowing I was the one remembered as the empire's child hero.
Student? Her... student?
Wow... what the hell was this weird day?