Love Letter From The Future

The sky was filled with a pleasant breeze on that afternoon. The academy was bathed in drowsy sunlight. Groups of students were contemplating their dinner menu.

Under normal circumstances, I would have been blending into such a routine. However, today was different; I had a somewhat special errand that led me to stand a little apart from the bustling crowd in the town center.

A girl with chestnut hair stood before me. In a deserted patch of land behind an unused lecture building, it was just the two of us.

The girl wearing the hooded hat had blue sapphire-like eyes that trembled lamentably. She glanced at me nervously, quickly lowering her gaze whenever I looked her way.

She clutched her hood firmly and trembled slightly. It was evident that she was afraid of me. Given her adorable appearance, the scene made it appear as though I was the villain and she was the innocent victim.

I found it absurd. The girl standing before me was Elsi Rainelle, a prodigy from the prestigious Rianella Duchy. Among the top year students at the academy, she was particularly outstanding and was known for her cruel temperament, which contrasted sharply with her doll-like looks. Just a moment ago, she had been tormenting another student until I intervened.

To think that she was shaking so pitifully just because I had shown her a hand axe.

Still, the fierceness she was known for hadn’t completely disappeared, as she didn’t come to me willingly. She screamed, “No! I don’t want to!” like a desperate plea, but I approached her to persuade her, and soon enough, she raised the white flag.

It took only a few seconds for Senior Elsi to follow me closely. The student who had been threatened was released safely, and the two brutish students accompanying Senior Elsi had to leave with embarrassed expressions.

It was a humorous situation. Just as Senior Elsi had confidently boasted to that scrawny man, another match would likely end in my defeat more often than not. The time I won was merely a success due to the element of surprise; if we faced off again, even a one-on-one would favor Senior Elsi. Although my skills had rapidly grown recently, I was not equipped to match her, who ranked among the top players of the fourth year.

Nevertheless, the memory of that day had embedded itself within me like a fixed stone, and now, she couldn’t even rebel against me.

With a look of fragility, Senior Elsi gazed at me as though she would break if I touched her. Her eyes, holding back tears, seemed ready to spill at any moment.

While those tormented by Senior Elsi might find it amusing, I felt somewhat bittersweet about the situation.

After all, she was my senior, and I wasn’t someone who took pleasure in violence. Though I had been quick to draw my hand axe when provoked recently, I rarely used force unless it was to protect myself and those around me.

The recent duel with Senior Delphine was perhaps the only exception. Seeing the result of the violence I had wielded so blatantly made it hard to bear.

Yet, I had no regrets. Senior Elsi had threatened me, and I simply returned the deserved price.

I called out to Senior Elsi with a sigh in my voice.

“Senior Elsi.”

“…Huh?!”

At my soft call, Senior Elsi trembled as though experiencing a fit. She looked up at me with terrified eyes.

It was troubling. I had come to ask for her help. To be honest, I had intended to exploit her fear a little, but that needed to be at a reasonable level for it to be effective.

With her being this scared of me, I couldn’t even request her cooperation. The way she was quaking even at my side was hardly appealing for anyone to want to be near someone they feared that much.

She would surely try to resist desperately. In battle, having a comrade required at least a level of trust that you could rely on while guarding your back. Coerced companionship was nothing but a last resort.

Unfortunately, Reto’s advice did not take such a complex situation into account. The plan he had conveyed was simple.

“If she comes off uncooperative, just pull out the hand axe.”

As if that would solve everything. Up until now, that advice had been valid, but I needed to think otherwise from this point on.

I sighed softly, resting my chin on my hand as if in apparent distress. Even that small gesture was intimidating enough for Senior Elsi, causing her to shudder again.

Now that I thought about it, I realized I had been doing all the talking. Senior Elsi hadn’t been able to respond properly due to her dread. Perhaps if she spoke, it might ease her tension?

So I cautiously encouraged her.

“Senior Elsi, please don’t be so afraid and respond…”

“…N-no, y-yes, yes!”

As soon as she heard the word ‘respond,’ she stiffened and cried out, adopting a stance reminiscent of a soldier’s shout of alarm. I instinctively placed my hand on my forehead.

This seemed to embarrass her; her face flushed crimson. It was difficult for anyone to show such embarrassing reactions in front of a junior.

“A, ah… s-so, um… y-yes! W-why, why are we meeting?!”

Her voice, trying to sound assertive, was tinged with undeniable tremors. She seemed eager to salvage her previously humiliating response.

I chose not to point out her feelings. Doing so would likely crumble her in multiple ways.

“Do you know why I called the two of us together?”

Suddenly, Senior Elsi went still. Her complexion turned pale, and anguish flickered in her eyes.

It seemed that there were too many reservations on her mind. She quickly pressed her hood down further as if to avoid my gaze. A stammering sound spilled from her lips.

“W-well… why, why did you want to meet…?”

Her blue eyes could not find their place. The ends of her words trailed off, and her voice didn’t come out properly.

My heightened hearing was sharp enough to discern the content even if her words were slurred, but out of habit, I unconsciously took a step closer.

I wanted to hear her better. However, it seemed that Senior Elsi took my action the wrong way.

With a gasp, she let out a short scream and huddled down where she stood, beginning to recite her wrongdoings frantically.

“I-I’m sorry! I-I won’t mess around anymore. I won’t call him ‘that jerk,’ and I won’t say I can win if we fight again, and….”

My steps hesitated for a moment. It appeared that the mental scars from that day had left considerable marks on Senior Elsi. I never imagined that merely approaching her would instill this much fear.

It was a humiliating experience, unfamiliar to her, to beg for mercy from someone.

Senior Elsi, whose reputation was already poor, had to have faced considerable trials over the past few days, given how many enemies she had. I could roughly guess how severe her hardships had been without needing to hear them.

The memory of being threatened, the public humiliation, and the malicious rumors and slanders that had followed her around for several days lingered like deep gorges in her emotions, leaving even deeper wounds. It was hard to believe she would react this way otherwise.

This is troubling, I muttered to myself for the second time.

If I had it my way, I would want to let Senior Elsi go. Frankly speaking, I had no stake in who she tormented while acting like a ‘little villain.’ I would intervene if she came across my line of sight, but anything beyond that was beyond my scope.

Seeing her in such a broken state surprised me too. I might wish to cut ties with her and hope that time would heal her wounds.

But the problem was that I, too, had become quite desperate.

The hunting festival was approaching, and I had to win by hunting named monsters for the sake of saving the world or for Seria. There was no need to guess how much of an advantage having someone with Senior Elsi’s capabilities would provide.

I absolutely had to recruit her, if possible.

Oblivious to the deepening of my worries, Senior Elsi’s confessions were still ongoing.

“I-I never thought of ruining my honor… Y-yes! ‘Pee baby’! Even if you call me a ‘pee baby,’ I won’t mind. I’ll be a ‘pee baby,’ so please… p-please stop…”

I let out a deep sigh. It was unavoidable. As it stood, I couldn’t think of any suitable methods. There was only one thing I could do.

Pausing briefly, I resumed my steps. There was no hesitation in my approaching stride. As I moved closer, Senior Elsi curled up tighter, trembling even more.

Tears welled up in her eyes. The words spilling from her mouth were almost like a plea.

“W-why, why are you doing this to me…? I-I apologized! I said I was wrong, I-I’ll even be a pee baby! P-please don’t come! S-save me! N-no, ple-please save me! Hiiii!”

My hand, now close to Senior Elsi, moved, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she screamed. Her trembling body indicated how tense she was feeling.

And in the next moment.

“…?”

Pat, and.

My hand fell upon Senior Elsi’s hat, and I began to gently pat her head. Due to the hood, I didn’t really feel much, to be honest.

Yet it was enough to prove that I had no intention of using violence against her. The quaking of Senior Elsi gradually began to subside as her bewildered blue sapphire eyes focused on me.

I offered a wry smile.

“…Senior Elsi.”

With as much comfort as I could muster, I spoke to her.

“It must have been very hard for you.”

Though it was a bit ironic that the source of her distress was the one comforting her, I had no choice. I needed to soothe her first so we could at least have a conversation.

Senior Elsi’s wet eyes locked onto mine for an extended moment.

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