Strange memories float in a hazy state.
When I regained my senses, the world had changed.
After a brief confusion, my senses began to awaken one after another.
First, the humid tropical air brushed against my skin.
The reddish-brown earth exuded a sharp scent. Each step I took resonated with the sound of leaves rustling near my ears.
Looking at the pouring sunlight, it was clear that it was daytime.
Pushing aside the golden curtain, I was walking with a small girl.
Initially, the journey had no visible path. However, as time passed, traces of civilization began to appear.
I couldn’t even tell how long it had been since I had walked on such a well-maintained road.
All I felt was the joy of having returned from the wild to the embrace of civilization.
Though it was merely a short reunion.
After all, once my master’s errand was finished, I would have to return to the Great Forest.
The time granted to me was at most three or four days; nonetheless, I was excited to be immersed in the scent of the city after a long time.
Especially since I was not alone on this outing.
The tip of her hooded hat swayed to the tune of her humming.
She was a girl with impressive brown hair and blue eyes.
With her small frame and lovely features, she resembled a doll. At first glance, she seemed to be in her late teens.
Her appearance was hard to believe she was older than me.
As I was looking at her intensely, she tilted her head and asked.
“……Why?”
“No, you just look happy today.”
At my obvious question, the girl let out a light giggle.
There wasn’t a hint of reverence for her senior in her demeanor. After all, I was her senior, and she was my junior.
On the contrary, her carefree attitude was part of her charm.
She smiled faintly and met my gaze.
Her eyes were filled with affection.
“If you think about it, this is our first date, right?”
Her words were imbued with sincere honesty.
Flustered, I coughed to hide my reddening face and averted my gaze. Until recently, I had tried to act nonchalant, but now I couldn’t do so at all.
It seemed she had decided that this approach was more effective.
I couldn’t help but feel awkward.
Regardless of my feelings, I was still under my master’s tutelage, unable to gain independence.
In contrast, my junior had already established herself as a formidable archmage in the world of magic. She was even from a high-ranking noble family in the Empire. The prestige of her family was significant.
I had far too many shortcomings compared to her.
Yet, if we were to be companions for life, maintaining an equal relationship seemed best.
My master or junior might laugh at me for having such a trivial pride. Nevertheless, I couldn’t bend on this.
She was someone who had already lost a precious person.
At the very least, I wanted to be strong enough for her to feel at ease.
To achieve that, I had to nurture my aura and solve the tasks of ‘Union and Resolution’.
Wiping the troubled expression from my face, I asked my junior again.
“……Still, you really look happy today.”
“Hm?” A peculiar sound accompanied the squinting of my junior’s eyes.
“You saw the Emperor yesterday, right?”
“Yes, well… Considering my master sent me on an errand afterward, something must be up.”
Then, my junior grinned and playfully slapped my back.
The impact straightened my back, causing her to burst into laughter.
“I heard from the master, you know! The Emperor took a liking to you!”
“……That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
It was literally a bolt from the blue, so I could only return a blank response.
Still, my junior was elated, her steps lively. The smile on her face reflected her delight.
Only now did I understand why she was so happy.
She seemed hopeful that I had caught the Emperor’s eye, meaning my path to success would be assured.
It was all quite premature, and it surprised me that she was getting so worked up.
The more closely tied it was to me, the more extremes her emotional reactions seemed to be.
A sigh slipped from my lips.
“But, but what if the Emperor treats you favorably?”
“Why would he trust someone he just met yesterday…?”
“T-That could happen! Look at you! Your eyes look so kind!”
As she spoke, my junior brought her face unusually close to mine.
In her clear eyes, my golden irises reflected back.
They weren’t particularly gentle-looking.
Though my somewhat sullen gaze met hers, my junior’s excitement remained undiminished.
With a dreamy expression, she clasped her hands together.
“All the power of the Empire comes from the Emperor, right? So if you catch the Emperor’s eye, your future will be wide open!”
That was an excessively optimistic view.
Thus, I attempted to say something else, but stopped myself.
Her expression was that of a girl lost in a dream, and it was simply too cute.
In any case, she was adorably beautiful.
Eventually, I could only smirk and ask her back.
“Is that really such a good thing?”
“Of course!”
Without a hint of hesitation, my junior replied.
With a playful smile, she poked me in the side with her elbow.
“……It’s good when our future husband is doing well, of course.”
I was momentarily at a loss for words at the shortening distance.
It was always like this.
My junior would draw closer, and I would push her away.
When she began to sulk, it became routine for me to comfort her.
But suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
It felt like my junior expressed affection for me, yet I had never returned anything in kind.
She wasn’t someone unaware of my feelings of self-doubt or helplessness.
Perhaps that’s why she clung to me so desperately.
Maybe she hoped I would regain some confidence and worried that if I lost that superiority, I would leave first.
It was selfish of me.
So, I decided to follow the voice of my conscience.
“……Junior.”
“Huh? What is it, husband… and I told you, I’m not your junior!”
As always, she playfully said, then suddenly got angry.
The term ‘junior’ often served to remind both of us of our relationship.
Though it seemed to elevate our bond, it primarily signified that we were nothing more than co-siblings.
It was a comfortable distance.
Therefore, I purposely twisted the title.
“Then, how about ‘wife’?”
“That would be better! Wife, wife… what?”
My junior, who had been getting carried away, suddenly stumbled over her words.
The twitching of her lips revealed just how flustered she was.
It was truly a sight I hadn’t seen in a while.
I chuckled.
“If I have a husband, then there must be a wife too.”
“Th, th, that’s true, but….”
Uncharacteristically, my junior trailed off, feeling shy.
She hastily pulled her hood down, but it was already too late.
There was no way to hide her face, which had turned completely red.
After such a long time, I took advantage of the shift in power dynamics and continued with a teasing tone.
“Why are you so flustered? When you called me ‘husband’ first.”
“……N-No! That wasn’t what I meant!”
My junior raised her voice as if to defend herself.
However, there was no way she could find a reasonable excuse.
I had merely returned what she had given me.
In the end, my junior had to elongate her words again.
“It was a joke, and….”
She kept glancing at me, probably afraid that I might take it seriously.
If that happened, all her previous efforts would go to waste.
If I took everything she said from now on as ‘a joke,’ then there would be no answer.
At that moment, I thought it might be amusing to act as if I didn’t understand.
She was a junior born of a high-ranking noble family, and her pride was not something to take lightly.
She wouldn’t be able to take back the words she had leaked out, and I could already envision her in distress.
Of course, I had no intention of actually acting on that thought.
Instead, I leaned in a bit closer.
As the distance between my junior and me diminished, the height difference in our mouths and ears became equalized.
It was then that I whispered to her.
“……I’m not joking, junior.”
On the defensive, my junior was extremely vulnerable in her position.
She ultimately squeezed her eyes shut and shouted with a face that had turned nearly crimson.
“Ah, really!”
The next moment, I felt myself being pulled by the collar.
Oh, I instinctively tried to pull back, but it was futile.
My junior stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips against mine.
My first kiss was unexpectedly devoid of feeling.
There wasn’t even a sound like ‘peck’.
It didn’t tickle or feel sweet at all.
All I felt was a soft touch, followed by her scent brushing gently against my nose.
By now, my junior’s eyes were spinning around in circles.
I stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at her.
“Y-You’re messing around! How dare you try to match up to me as your senior… And it was you who confessed first? I was just joking!”
With that last remark, she jumped back in surprise.
Then, she glanced back at me nervously, before turning on her heels and taking off.
Still gripping the brim of her hood tightly.
Her face was so red that it was as if steam was coming from her forehead.
I let out a laugh and shook my head.
“……I’m the senior here.”
I muttered what was likely a fact I would never be recognized for until I died as I followed my junior.
There was much to do in the city.
The few days I spent alone with my junior were enjoyable.
It felt like the density of time had multiplied several times over.
I had thought these blissful days would continue indefinitely.
At least until the Great Forest caught fire.
The flickering flames had turned my world red.
