* * *
After the morning study session ended and Sara-chan had a light snack, it was the usual time for magic practice to begin.
However, with the pouring rain outside, it seems Sara’s magic lessons are canceled for today.
This is apparently what always happens when it rains.
If she can’t practice outside, I thought maybe she could do theoretical lessons in her room instead. But apparently Sara doesn’t have the patience for that.
Well, unlike me who has memories from my previous life, Sara is still very much a child.
It can’t be helped, I suppose.
But Sara-chan, you’ll be enrolling in that academy soon, right?
In this state, will you be able to keep up with the lessons there?
I’m a little worried.
With no magic lessons today, Sara has completely free time.
Though due to the rain she can’t go outside either. For some reason, she has taken a liking to me, her maid apprentice, and has brought me to her room to chat.
Ah, Maid-senpai is standing by in the corner of the room to keep an eye on us, not leaving just the two children alone. It could also be positioning to keep watch over me specifically.
“Hey hey, Emi! Tell me something interesting!”
Ah, there it is~ The childish demanding nature~
Although Sara-chan seems to find whatever I say interesting and listens intently.
I’m not good at talking myself, but she listens to my stuttering stories with a bright smile.
It makes me want to try my best to tell her stories too.
“…Well, since it’s raining. How about the Okashirasu?”
“Okashirasu!? What’s that?”
“A living creature.”
“A living creature? What kind?”
“A tiny fish.”
“A fish! I like meat better than fish!”
“Okashirasu are fish, but they live on land.”
“Fish that don’t live in water!?”
“There are lots of them under rocks and such.”
“Fish that don’t live in water!?”
“On rainy days like today, they come out from under rocks into puddles. But on sunny days, they stay hidden under rocks.”
“Ohhh~ But I’ve never seen fish living under rocks around here!”
“…They don’t live around here. They live over the mountains far away.”
“Ohhh~ Come to think of it, I’ve heard there’s a forest way out west from here where fish fly in the sky!”
“Fly in the sky? Flying fish, how amazing.”
“Yeah, amazing! Father said he went on an adventure there with Uncle Mauve when he was an adventurer!”
“…Uncle Mauve?”
“Yeah! Father and Uncle Mauve used to be in the same party for a long time back then. They’re really close!”
“I see.”
…And so on, like that.
When I’m with Sara, I find it easy to keep talking.
<I can sense Emi’s growth. Compared to the six months you spent mostly silent with your master, this is great progress.>
No, that was good in its own way, Extra-sama.
The master and I were able to connect our hearts!
“…Hey, Emi! Emi!”
“…? What is it?”
“Don’t just say ‘what’! You sometimes just space out, so I get worried! Are you okay?”
Oh dear, my apologies Sara.
I can’t exactly explain that there’s another person named Extra-sama in my head who I was talking to, so I’ll just make an excuse.
She likely wouldn’t believe the real reason anyway.
…Don’t make such a worried face, Sara-chan.
Actually, I’ve been thinking lately how stupid you can act, but looking closely at your face now, you really are cute, Sara-chan.
I’ll have to certify you as just as much of a budding beauty as me. *pats head*
“Wah…E,Emi, what are you doing, stoppit!”
She turned beet red when I patted her head. Cute.
…Hm? Maid-senpai is urgently trying to make eye contact…?
Ah, right right. For a servant to pat the young mistress’s head is disrespectful.
My apologies. I’ll stop right away.
…But now that I’ve stopped, Sara-chan looks disappointed…
You can’t win them all, I guess.
“Hey, Emi……We’re good friends, right?”
Hm? What’s with the wistful look all of a sudden, Sara?
Well, if asked whether we’re friends or not, I’d say we are friends, right?
I nod firmly.
“We’re…friends, right?”
Hm!?
Friends!? She went there!
Umm, Sara-chan and I have more of an employer’s daughter and servant relationship rather than really being friends, don’t we…?
<But you two do chat amicably like this, don’t you? The employer’s daughter and servant relationship is a prerequisite, but on top of that, is it really wrong to say you’re friends?>
……………………
Eh!?
Is that right, Extra-sama!?
Sara-chan and I are…f,f,friends!!?
<Why are you suddenly getting so excited?>
Be,because! Because because!
In both my past life and this life, I’ve never had friends before!
In this life I was called a cursed child and avoided by people. In my previous life, there were issues with my father, and in general, my circumstances were just never right to make friends no matter what…
Am, am I really allowed to be friends with you, Sara!?
<Ah…now that you mention it, you did want to make friends back in your home village, didn’t you Emi…Your wish has finally come true. Congratulations.>
My tear ducts have completely burst.
While keeping my usual expressionless face, tears are streaming down like waterfalls.
“Eh!? Wh,what’s wrong Emi!?”
Noticing my sudden outburst of tears, Sara worriedly pats my back.
So kind. Sara is so kind!
“…It’s nothing. Just sweat.”
“It’s clearly coming from your eyes, that excuse won’t work!”
Ah, Sara. I’ve thought you were stupid before, but you can actually point things out properly, huh?
I’m sorry for calling you stupid in my head all this time.
I won’t do it anymore.
Because……
“…We’re friends…”
That’s right, since we’re friends…!
Friends aren’t supposed to look down on each other as stupid or anything like that…!!
“…! That’s right! We’re friends!!”
Hearing my words, Sara smiles happily.
And then she said:
“You know Emi, I’ve been thinking I want to stay together with you forever! Like Father and Uncle Mauve!”
With a bright, radiant smile, she continues.
“So, if you’re okay with it…I want you to come with me as a maid to the academy too!”
…………………
Eh?
“The academy dorms allow you to bring a few servants to live with you there! So you can come with me to the academy, Emi!”
…………………
Eh?
“…? What’s wrong Emi?…Could it be, you don’t want to go to the academy with me?”
With furrowed brows and a sad, worried expression, my friend peers at my frozen expressionless face.
I shake my head sideways.
“Then you’ll come to the academy with me! We’ll be together forever!”
…………………
However.
“That decision is up to the Baron.”
That’s all I could bring myself to reply.
Well, as a maid apprentice, I think that was the proper response.
But I…
Couldn’t respond to my friend’s invitation with my own feelings.
For the first time in my life,
I didn’t even understand my own feelings.
Zzzzzzz……
Somewhere in the distance, an ominous rumbling sound mixed in with the rain,
As if a landslide had occurred.