Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter10

Chapter Ten: The Heart of The Duet

“I’m home.”

Returning back from school, Saito passed the doorway of his house. Immediately he took his uniform jacket off and went straight to the living room to turn the television on.

It was an ordinary day. While he was watching the television, the phone rang.

He picked up the telephone.

It was his classmate.

[Saito, have you seen the latest TV show?]

“Why do you think I did?”

[Someone who has as much free time as you ought to.]

Trivial conversation.

Trivial every day.

But there’s nothing that could replace the lovely everyday routine…

Saito decided to browse the internet, so he turned the notebook computer on.

“Hm?”

It didn’t turn on.

There's no power supply.

He pushed it many times, until he found himself behind his mother’s back. Her hair was rather short and she seemed to have gained some weight lately.

“Mom, I’m hungry. Give me some food.”

“Not yet.”

“What? I want to drink some miso soup.”

For some reason he really wanted to drink it.

Mother's miso soup.

Though it was nothing special, and had the trivial taste, for Saito it felt like the best meal ever.

“Saito.”

“What?”

“Haven’t you forgotten something?”

“What is it?”

“Something. A thing that you should have done.”

“Homework?”

“That’s true as well, but there is something else, isn’t there? The promise.”

“Promise?”

“Uh-huh. Haven’t you made an important promise to a friend?”

What could that be, Saito thought.

He could not recall it.

Hurry up, remember, and while trying to remember, Saito woke up.

On a bed.

Tabitha was sitting nearby, reading a book.

He knew the sight of this bed and of this room. It was Tiffania’s room inside a house in Westwood Village.

He used to stay in here.

Because the bright sunlight was pouring through the window, Saito squeezed his eyes shut.

Somehow…he was feeling refreshed.

Though his head was still dizzy from the collapse, he was feeling free… Noticing that Saito woke up, Tabitha closed her book.

“How?”

“Hm? I feel refreshed… I wonder if it’s Tiffania’s spell’s effect? It was enough to put me to sleep… I feel alright I guess. However, it feels bit weird. As if something is gone.”

Tabitha nodded.

“Everyone?”

“They already returned back home earlier. They took that half-elf girl with them.”

“I see…what a heartless lot. Disregarding the person under a strange spell, moreover — leaving him behind.”

Then Tabitha stood up and looked directly at Saito's face.

“You want anything?”

“To drink miso soup.”

Saito said with a sigh. He uttered the spontaneous words.

“What is that?”

“Well, a dish in my world… I would like such soup.”

Embarrassed, Saito said.

Dom! — strong feelings hit him.

A full torrent of feelings.

What was stored up till now, the so called "Nostalgia" suppressed, now it literally started to flow out like the huge waterfall into Saito's head.

The girl who sat next to him.

The best friend with whom he used to play together.

Every person’s face floated in his memory that once had vanished from there.

He remembered the face of the physical education teacher who used to punish him. He felt like missing even such sort of people.

“What's wrong?”

“…It’s returning. Returning.”

Saito choked out.

When he recalled the hometown, he started to cry…

Indeed, ‘the fake motive to stay in this world’ has disappeared.

After he came to this world, more than one year passed.

I want to return home.

I want to drink miso soup.

I want to meet my friends.

I want to go to school.

I want to browse the Internet. For a long time…what was hidden deep inside, Saito felt that broke free with cracking sounds.

He recalled Cattleya’s words from before,

“When shocking events happen, a human locks their mind.”

And just now, the lock came off.

Saito cried… sobbing painfully.

“What’s wrong?”

Tabitha asked him.

Saito looked at the runes on his left hand absent-mindedly.

“What? The runes look different…”

Derflinger, who was leaning against the bed, answered,

“Because Tiffania erased ‘the fake motive to stay in this world’. It effected your familiar abilities as well.

“…Then shouldn’t they have been erased altogether as well?”

Saito said while watching the faded runes.

“That’s true somewhat. Runes react to your mind’s state. Because you just lost the reason to stay in this world, the turmoil in your mind was reflected on your runes as well.”

Absent-minded, Saito said in a far away voice,

“Hey Derf...”

“What?”

“My…my feelings for Louise — were they also the fake created by the Familiar’s runes?”

Derflinger thought about it for a while

“Well, that's not for me to know. It's the way partner’s heart feels.”

“Well, if that’s the case…then it will be my true choice, I guess.”

“I guess, it will be the true choice.”

Louise and others walked down the trudging road to Rosais.

“Isn’t Rosais away by about 50 leagues still? No, walking such distance, is way too demanding.”

“It can’t be helped. It’s because Tabitha decided to stay. Will she help Saito to search for the way to bring him back to his home place, far away?”

Louise grew silent and started quietly bite her lips.

“What is it? I already know the truth. Saito is a human from another world. Jean told me.”

Kirche stole a glance at Louise.

“However, aren’t you bit too cold? Leaving Saito, who does not have a place to go, behind.”

Reticent Louise, said nothing.

“Say Louise…”

“What?”

“Could you tell me one thing… you learned how to act like an mature woman, by wearing alluring underwear. But why to tell such lies?”

“I wasn’t lying.”

Kirche placed a hand on top of Louise’s head, and patted.

“Honestly, you are just scared.”

“What?”

“You did not want to see…. that Saito’s feelings for you were just familiar’s delusion. Therefore you could not face it and just ran away.”

“You are wrong.”

“When Tabitha said ‘I’ll stay’ you wanted to stay with her, didn’t you? Why did you leave?

“That’s wrong. The only reason I was reluctant is because I wanted to bring Tiffania to princess-sama fast as has been told to. So, when Tabitha said she’ll stay, I was reluctant to leave her behind.”

“That’s the excuse that only you believe in.”

“It’s not an excuse.”

“Let’s suppose that Saito’s feelings for you were just familiar’s delusion, what will you do?”

“Nothing much. I’ll just search for a way to bring him home at any case - that’s what.”

“And what if those are Saito’s true feelings?”

“I-I’ll l-look for a way to bring him home.”

“And now you are acting flustered.”

“Not flustered. I am not flustered!”

“You are such an easy to read child. You are deeply in love with Saito, aren’t you?”

“You are wrong! Idiot!”

“Hey Louise, now you are acting cowardly. Even if your lovers feelings are fake, it is not the same with you. Just this time you will have to rely on your own charm.”

“…what?! I am not in love!”

Louise said while pouting.

It is not love. I am not in love with him.

Louise repeated many times in her mind, trying to persuade herself.

That can’t be so. Why would I love a guy like him. Certainly, it’s just feeling jealous about my familiar. That’s right, I feel those feelings only because he is my familiar.

But though she was repeating it over and over again… tears were still falling from Louise’s eyes.

But why I cry so hard then.

I’m just a coward – Louise thought.

Even facing the enemy was less scary than this.

‘Saito’s feelings for me were just familiar’s delusion’ – there was nothing scarier than that.

That’s why I ran away with a tail between my legs.

Could it be that Saito’s ‘I love you’ was just another Gandalfr’s given ‘fake motive to stay in this world’?

Then, all the moments she and Saito shared… were nothing but a lie.

To put it simply, all her treasured memories would turn into a lie.

If that were to happen, then I would die – Louise thought.

The most important thing in this world for her… would turn into a fake.

That’s why it she could not face it.

• Rub rub rub* Louise continued to rub her eyes.