I Can’t Run Away From the Girl Who Saved Me

104 – Two Faces (4)

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Pia disappeared as suddenly as she appeared.

I thought it would be difficult to talk to Pia in front of Sylvia, so I kept ignoring her, and it seems she got upset.

Of course, it wasn’t just because of Sylvia that I continued to ignore Pia.

It was because he was confused as to why the baby fox had turned into a child, and also because he had not yet gotten used to his changed appearance.

Moreover, the way she kept nagging to play reminded me of Layla.

If we recall that the Green Lady also had a human form, then spirits may become more human-like as they grow.

What is the growth rate of spirits, what are the conditions for growth, etc.

There was still so much I didn’t know, but since there was no way to find out right away, I decided to focus more on the task at hand.

Thanks to the various items that Ms. Sylvia brought, the cabin is now starting to feel like it’s actually inhabited.

We ended up with all sorts of odds and ends, tools, and three sets of clothes for each of us to wear.

Sylvia and I, who used to walk around naked, looked like primitive people, but now we can clearly be called civilized people.

Ms. Sylvia seemed a little dissatisfied with being naked, but she eventually did so when I begged her to put on some clothes.

Fortunately, thanks to my magic that worked properly, the unpleasant smell from my clothes disappeared a lot, and wearing all three layers of clothes helped keep out the cold quite well.

Thanks to that, now Sylvia would come back after hunting for an hour or two during the day, and I would spend my days cutting down trees and making simple chairs, bed frames, and such.

The deerskin that was used as a blanket was judged to be impossible to process into clothing, so it was simply laid on a bed frame to complete a makeshift bed.

Of course, it was a hard and uncomfortable bed with no softness, but I was satisfied because it was incomparably warm compared to sleeping on the bare floor.

Ms. Sylvia gave me some leather every day through hunting, and I made one piece of furniture each day that I needed.

I also took care of the armor I made by recycling the damaged leather clothes that Sylvia had brought.

It was a much busier day than I had expected, but it was a blessing to have something to immerse myself in in this forest where there was nothing to do or play.

Moreover, the sad expression of Sylvia, who would cling to me and ask for my affection whenever she had a little free time despite her busy schedule, and the sight of Pia occasionally appearing and asking me to pat her head were also factors that made this life in the forest happy.

I guess they say that when you become attached to a place, it all becomes your hometown.

One day, two days, and a week.

As time went by, I began to grow fond of this shabby cabin, just like I did with Sylvia’s old cabin.

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“no.”

“Sister Sylvia, I said it’s okay for a little while.”

“I told you not to do it!”

One day, when the leather armor for her was almost finished.

Sylvia and I had been having a big argument since morning.

Pia, who had been humming to me while I was petting her while Sylvia was away, ran into the attic when the commotion with Sylvia started and watched our argument with only her head sticking out.

Ms. Sylvia sighed and spoke to me.

“Do you know how much magic is still out there?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never been out.”

“Really? Then when you were being consumed by magic and dying, don’t you know how sad and painful it was for me to see you like that? You must know because you saw it yourself. So answer me.”

“…Sister Sylvia.”

The reason for the controversy was because of the ancestral grave.

Living in the forest without a calendar and spending a few months in the spirit realm in between meant I couldn’t tell the exact date anymore, but I could still roughly predict the timing based on the weather, temperature, and the changing colors of the leaves.

It was clear that by now the early winter had passed and the real winter had just begun.

Whether it’s today or tomorrow, last week or next week,

I don’t know the exact date, but it was definitely around this time that Layla’s birthday occurred.

I told her that I would go to Leila’s grave for a moment the morning after Sylvia returned from her absence during the night.

I could have just left without saying anything, but I knew how anxious Sylvia would be whenever I disappeared without saying anything, so I waited for her to come back.

However, Ms. Sylvia did not let me go even though I said I would just say a quick hello to Leila.

“I know. Sister Sylvia is worried about me… I don’t know why.”

“…”

“But, he’s my little brother. He won’t be here long. You can come with me. I’ll just say hello and come back.”

“Ash… Layla,”

Ms. Sylvia tried to say something, but quickly closed her mouth and lowered her head.

Somehow I felt like I knew what she was trying to say.

Laila is already dead, so forget about her.

It must have been something like that.

I swallowed the sobs that were welling up in my throat and spoke slowly and as kindly as I could.

“It was fine for a few days before. This time, it won’t take an hour. I promise.”

“It’s dangerous outside.”

“And I’m weak, I know. But I have to do it.”

“I said no. This story has no other conclusion.”

“Sylvia, you go out somewhere every night too!”

“Because I am strong.”

But still, her attitude was so firm that I ended up yelling at her.

“No, why on earth are you saying that it won’t work!”

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

Ms. Sylvia held my shoulders tightly with both hands.

Even on normal days, there were times when I felt a strong force in the way she held my hand, but today, it felt like a stronger and more powerful force was pressing down on my shoulder.

It seems that he was controlling his strength when he hugged or touched me.

I groaned and frowned.

She looked at me like that, slowly shook her head, and opened her trembling lips.

“…I don’t want to, I can’t lose you again. Now… I finally met you.”

“…”

“I know it’s frustrating… I know it too, Ash. Why don’t you know… Me too…”

“I’m not trying to leave because I feel suffocated.”

“I’m sorry… but, can you think of me a little more? If something happens to you…”

“…”

She was trying to convince me in a watery voice.

Since her words were not well organized and her rambling attitude made me realize her true feelings even more clearly, I also wanted to listen to what she had to say as much as possible.

But that couldn’t be done.

Birthdays, anniversaries, and then the death anniversary.

I felt that if I forgot them one by one, eventually my feelings for Leila would fade away.

Once I compromised, the guilt and longing for her that I would have to carry for the rest of my life seemed to gradually disappear from my daily life.

Laila, who tragically lost her life at such a young age.

Now that my parents are no longer alive, if I forget her too, who will know that a beautiful child named Laila Staff ever existed in this world?

I slowly shook my head despite her desperate pleas.

“You have to go, Sister.”

“…Even if I beg you like this?”

Her words and expression looked so fragile and delicate that it seemed as if they would break with just a touch.

How lovely it is that a woman who could kill me with just one finger is pleading, not threatening or coercing.

I slowly calmed down and took a deep breath.

Then I stroked her arm that was holding my shoulder and gradually brought my hand towards her torso.

I soon hugged her waist gently and spoke in a quiet voice.

“Let’s become a family.”

“…!”

“I now consider Sister Sylvia family.”

“Ash…”

“Because you are my wife.”

“…Ah, ah. Yeah,”

She nodded.

I continued speaking, slowly leaning my head on her shoulder.

“That means that Sister Sylvia is also part of Leila’s family.”

“…”

“I know you care about me. Thank you. Really…”

Of course, I thought she might not like my intention to go out.

Because in her eyes, I could sometimes feel myself dying from addiction to magic.

Although she didn’t ask me anything, that didn’t mean I had forgotten the sadness and despair of that day.

However, although I had thought that Sylvia would be worried, I never thought that she would oppose it so strongly, so I was very embarrassed.

But I tried to calm my excitement and slowly, firmly but gently convey my intentions to her.

Although she is no longer in this world, it wouldn’t be too much to ask for my wife to love my younger sister.

“The weeds… are probably all dead since it’s winter. Well, I’ll just dust off the tombstone and tell you how I’m doing.”

Miss Sylvia hugged me tightly without saying a word.

There was no word of permission, but seeing that she didn’t seem to be showing any outright opposition, I figured that I just had to persuade her a little more, so I smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

“We went together and greeted each other, and I told her that I was in a romantic relationship with Sylvia…”

“Ha, Ash, you really…”

“If fate had been just a little kinder to us, imagine how much Layla would have loved her sister.”

“…”

“As I said before, that really kind and pretty kid would follow her around, calling her ‘Unnie, Unnie.’”

“…”

I could feel the hesitation slowly creeping into her face.

“What if we go to the river like we used to and take a bath? It’ll be really cold, but I can dry it out quickly with fire magic.”

“no.”

Sylvia’s face hardened abruptly.

A completely coercive attitude, completely different from the pleading attitude shown a moment ago.

The terrifying momentum suddenly surged through her skin as if it were going to burst out.

“Ash, no. You can’t go out.”

“Sylvia… Sister?”

“You can’t go out. Absolutely not.”

I don’t know what I did wrong.

Are you doing this because you’re afraid I’ll catch a cold?

In an instant, she changed so dramatically that it was as if she had put on a completely different face.

I said, embarrassed, as if I had sprinkled ashes on rice that was already cooked.

“I have to go,”

“Ash.”

At that moment, her grip on my shoulder grew hot.

No, it felt like it was burning.

She squeezed my shoulder as if she was going to rip it off.

“Ugh, ugh, shi, Sylvia,”

“Ash is a good person, so he’ll listen to me, right?”

“Noona, ugh!”

“Even if I don’t break your legs, you’ll listen to me, right?”

“It hurts, it hurts! Sister!”

I fell to my knees in excruciating pain.

I struggled to get her hands off me, but her fingers, like a trap ensnaring prey, held on tighter and tighter, threatening to pierce my muscles the more I struggled.

If I applied just a little more force, it felt like my fingers would tear through my skin and pierce it.

As I screamed, Pia bared her teeth and crouched down as if ready to lunge at Sylvia.

I stretched out my struggling hand towards Pia and stopped her.

“Speak, Ash.”

“aaah,”

“Tell me, you won’t go. You’ll listen to me.”

“Why, why are you doing this?”

“… No, I’m sure I’ll go secretly.”

I saw Sylvia slowly raise her hand.

And then the next moment,

My vision was cut off.

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