Chapter 54: Such a temper... did I say something wrong?
「 "Hahaha, is that all?" Seele chuckled softly. "That's like scratching an itch through your boots, not satisfying at all. Looks like I'll have to teach you a few slang phrases before you go back."
Bronya waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no, thank you."
Seele leaned her hands against the railing, looking up at the orphanage, then at the girl beside her. Bronya was like a gentle stream, subtly stirring her emotions, and she was willing to follow her flow... In over a decade, this was the first time Seele had felt this way.
"I've heard a few old Silvermane Guard veterans say that before the Severing came down, there wasn't much difference between the Upper and Lower Zones. Everyone ate the same food, talked about the same things, and celebrated the same festivals."
"By our generation, even though our upbringing is a bit different... when it comes to the joys and sorrows of life, and the bonds between people, these precious feelings must still be the same."
"If there could be a bridge to connect the Upper and Lower Zones again... we could definitely go back to the time when there was no distinction between us, and stand side-by-side against the Eternal Freeze and the Fragmentum."
As she said this, Bronya looked down at Rivet Town below the mountain. Following her gaze, Seele also seemed to see the future she envisioned.
Looking at the expression on Bronya's face, Seele turned her head slightly and smiled, pressing her lips together. "I'm not like you, I can't sum up so many profound truths, but..."
She extended her hand to Bronya. The bright moonlight fell into her palm, as if waiting for her to grasp the light with her. "If this is the future you want to see, I'm willing to build this bridge with you."
"Seele..."
Before Seele could react, Bronya had already tightly clasped her hand. The girl's smile was like a blooming flower, her eyes like autumn water, and in those sparkling eyes... only she was reflected.
"Thank you, Seele. Your trust means a lot to me."
As if directly hit, Seele stumbled back a few steps, her pink cheeks instantly flushed with a captivating red. 」
「 .....」
~Akame Ga Kill World~
"So sweet, truly sweet..."
Mine looked at the girl's blushing face on the light screen, feeling incredibly envious.
Why could others hold hands, while she had to hug a pumpkin to sleep in the middle of the night?
...She wanted a sweet romance, too!
"Maybe I should learn from Seele? Maybe that Tatsumi guy will finally get it?"
Mine suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"Seele and Bronya holding hands on the light screen was a textbook example, wasn't it?"
No sooner said than done, Mine was a true woman of action.
"Tatsumi."
Mine walked behind the boy, looking down at him. When he heard her voice and looked up, she leaned down and smiled at him, both gentle and warm.
Copying Seele from the light screen, Mine also extended a hand to him, as if in this dark and cold night, it was the only place that could accept and warm him.
"Mine?"
Tatsumi instinctively took her hand and pulled her towards him. Before Mine could react, she was back to sitting beside him with a thud.
"I thought you were mad, Mine,"
Tatsumi said with a smile.
"Look at Seele and Bronya, those two... they're really great."
"Ah, ah, uh... Y-yes, they are really great."
Unexpectedly, things were progressing so smoothly, Mine's face instantly turned completely red. At this moment, it was as if every subtle movement of Tatsumi was magnified infinitely – his warm palm, the light touch of his fingertips, the gentle brush of his hair. No matter how light, it made Mine's heart race.
It was hot... so hot that a pink haze seemed to fill Mine's vision.
She felt like a string in her head was about to melt...
"Th-that... Tat... Tatsumi."
"What's wrong? Mine, you're really strange tonight. Your face is so red... are you getting a fever?"
Tatsumi said, about to put his hand on her forehead, but Mine quickly blocked him with her hand.
"I-I'm not sick... Tatsumi."
Mine felt like her head was a tangled mess. She tried hard to remember Seele's confession of holding hands just now, and stammered,
"If... this is the future you want to see, I-I'm willing to build it with you—"
"Mine, I understand what you mean,"
Tatsumi suddenly interrupted her.
"You hope we can be like Bronya and Seele, right?"
Tatsumi, you finally got it!
Mine couldn't help but scream in her heart, and she nodded vigorously.
"I understand what you mean, and I'm also willing to become comrades who share life and death with you, Mine."
Tatsumi held her hand firmly.
"That peaceful future... we can definitely see it together!"
Emmmm... Huh??
Comrades?
Mine suddenly found a blind spot.
Tatsumi, you finally got it... my foot!
"You don't understand at all!"
Mine chopped Tatsumi on the head with her hand and ran away in a huff.
The boy was left with a bewildered look on his face, rubbing his head, and muttering,
"Such a temper... did I say something wrong?"
—
「 Whether it was Mother's sudden change of heart, or the truth of Belobog that had been sealed for many years, these were all full of doubts.
Bronya finally decided that she would go to the Upper Zone and ask Mother herself for a clear explanation.
Seele was visibly panicked: "You... wait, you're not really going, are you? You're going alone? No, that's too..."
"I've thought it through, Seele." Bronya's eyes were firm. "Whether as a daughter or a Silvermane Guard, I must fulfill my responsibility to offer face-to-face counsel. Even if..."
With that, Bronya handed Seele a letter and asked her to give it to Stelle and the others. If she couldn't meet up with them... they would know what to do.
"Okay, I understand." Seele nodded solemnly. "You know what you want to do, and my opposition is useless. Just remember one thing - if you encounter any danger, I'll risk my life to save you."
"Then I'll be waiting for you."
Bronya smiled slightly, as if the surface of a spring lake rippled with fine waves, and willow branches drooped low, gently stirring something.
Seele suddenly thought that perhaps one day, Belobog's heavy snow would also be melted by the spring sun, returning to the spring lake. And she would also return to that spring water, inseparable, closely intertwined. 」
「 .....」