"Not really. ...You're allowed to run away, you know?"
...Receiving those quiet words.
While vaguely feeling the warmth of Nina clinging to him, Ermes replies.
"...And *you're* the one saying that?"
"Because it's *me* saying it."
Unintentionally, a hint of confusion colored her voice.
Because what she recalled was their time at the academy.
When she, thoroughly sick of this country's entrenched attitudes that still lingered strongly at the academy, had given up on everything and decided to leave the country... in blunt terms, when she had tried to flee from this country.
Nina, who had been on the side trying to stop him back then—though not as clearly as Sarah—was now saying something like this.
"Remember what happened at the academy?"
As if seeing right through Ermes's train of thought, Nina whispered on.
"Well, yeah. Back then, *you* were the one ready to give up on this country. Now you're wavering. I think that's probably a good thing. It means something that important to you has appeared, and your sense of responsibility has grown stronger.
--But that's exactly why I'm saying it. That it's okay to run away. As many times as it takes."
She hugged him tighter, as if trying to ease his tension with her warmth.
"The you at the academy... call it what you will, but you were a little bit not-human. That's why you could do such flashy things without caring about those around you, and that's why you were able to change so much.
But now, it's different. You've learned what normal emotions feel like, you've learned what normal fear feels like. And you've been learning the things you wanted to learn, just like that..."
Then she loosened her embrace, turning her golden eyes toward him from close range.
"For a normal boy like you who's become like that... what you're bearing right now is way too much. And that's okay. That's what's 'normal,' and until now, it was the other way around that was strange."
"...But."
I understand how she feels, but—Ermes started to counter.
"I know. But if I don't act now, this country will surely cease to exist—"
"—"
It's just
one country
."
At Niena's words—so blunt, so utterly without hesitation—even he could not help but widen his eyes.
"...Sorry, keep that from Lilie, will you?
But this is how I truly feel. At least to me, you alone are far, far more important than this entire country."
Facing him head-on, with utter sincerity.
Drawing on the strength that came from laying her feelings bare, Niena spoke.
"So it's fine.
It's fine if you abandon this country. Any country that falls apart just because one person walks away deserves to fall.
If you can't find a reason to push your magic further, then it's okay to stop. It's okay to give up on going any further. After all, there's only so far a person can travel in a lifetime.
...And besides."
And then, at the perfect moment—
She delivered the killing blow, her voice laced with sweet resolve.
"—No matter what you choose, I will always, absolutely follow you."
"...That—is..."
Once again struck speechless, Ermes struggled to find the words.
"...And even if I were to stoop to the level of someone who abandons everything after coming this far?"
"Yeah."
"I— even if I threw away the magic I've devoted my entire life to. Even if I became nothing but an empty shell of a person?"
"That's right."
She affirms it.
She accepts it.
With a smile brimming with a warmth he had never seen before, she softly weaves her words.
"...Hey. You know, I've always wanted to fall in love. And right now, I'm in love with you."
Having restated her wish once more—
"The shape of it is probably different for everyone, but—"
Ninna spoke of the shape of her feelings, like so:
"At the very least, I don't want to call it love—the kind that only recognizes a single way of being."
"!"
"I don't want to become the kind of girl who forces you to always be the hero you were when you saved me—who curses you and slams you into hell."
That is why, she said, she would accept him.
No matter what choice he made, no matter what he chose or what he abandoned—she would affirm him and follow him.
A girl who harbored no grand desire different from anyone else, and who therefore thought of him with nothing but pure sincerity—once more, she embraced him gently.
"So, you see—"
And so, letting the sweet sensation and warmth of her body reach him, her hands quietly traced along him.
As if to draw away every excess strength. As if to unravel and loosen every chain that bound him.
It was as though the very embodiment of a demonic allure beckoning him toward ruin. Yet with heartfelt tenderness, she spoke her final words.
"I won't force you. Whatever choice you make from here on out, it's entirely up to you.
That's exactly why I want you to remember — that 'running away' isn't a terrible choice at all, and—"
She said it with every ounce of love and devotion she could pour into the words. It was a declaration made absolute.
"—No matter what happens, I'll always be on your side. That's all."
"………Nina… Lady."
With Ermes's whisper as her last exchange, Nina slowly pulled away from him.
"…Mm, that's everything I wanted to say. It feels like there's more waiting for me, so… I'd be happy if you took your time and really thought it all through."
Having said all she needed to say, she turned her back in a gentle arc and left the hospital room.
◆
She pulled the door shut behind her.
She took one long, deep breath. Then, the moment she started walking, Nina murmured to herself.
"…Hah, that was nerve-wracking."
Her expression as she said it was faintly flushed.
Well, of course it was. People often misunderstood her because of how she usually carried herself, but she was still a young woman at heart.
There was no way she could stay composed after such an intimate encounter with a member of the opposite sex — and someone she liked, at that. In truth, she was still battling the memory of how he'd felt when she'd thrown her arms around him.
But it had been worth it.
She was certain she'd conveyed everything she needed to convey to him — thoroughly and without leaving anything unsaid.
…And yet, for that very reason.
"…It's so frustrating, you know."
A single, quiet murmur — her true feelings spilling out.
She didn't regret saying it. She intended to affirm every choice he made, and no matter what happened, her feelings for him would never change or waver. Even if he fled this country, she would follow without a second thought.
—But, conversely, that meant something else entirely.
It was proof that she had absolutely no influence over what he chose… over his own feelings.
Perhaps that was both the strength and the flaw of her stance.
She harbored no wishes of her own beyond those related to Ermes, which allowed her to accept everything he desired exactly as it was and stay by his side.
But guiding him— that was, ultimately, something she simply couldn't do.
In her current state, that was the kind of existence she was.
There was pride in that… and yet, a trace of frustration refused to fade.
"…"
She was probably not the only one who felt that way.
She had received so much from him, and she wanted to give something back. But each of them held such vastly different stances toward him that there were aspects of him no single one of them could handle alone.
And precisely for that reason—
That was why, the way they were now, none of them stood alone.
"…You've made up your mind about what you're going to say?"
As if trading places with Nina—
The two who had been walking up from ahead gave a quiet nod in response to her call.
"Okay then… I'll leave the rest to you."
She smiled — just a little forlornly, yet at the same time, joyfully.
Nina passed the baton of words to the two who would follow: Sara and Albert.
Next time — the story of the next two. Stay tuned!