Love Letter From The Future

It had been a while since I began petting Senior Elsi’s head.

At first, she trembled in surprise, but as I continued to stroke her, she seemed to determine that I had no intention of attacking her.

The convulsions in her body gradually subsided. Her once rapid breathing began to regain its rhythm.

“Huuuu, huu, huu…”

While blankly staring at me, Senior Elsi tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths. It seemed that her efforts were somewhat effective, as a sense of relaxation started to settle into her previously stiff body.

It only took a few minutes for her to fully regulate her breathing and reach a point where conversation was possible.

A faint blush lingered on Senior Elsi’s cheeks as she regained her composure. Still unable to wipe away the moisture from her eyes, she deliberately averted my gaze.

Her reaction was more one of embarrassment than fear. Of course, the fear she felt toward me hadn’t completely vanished. Nevertheless, the fact that she wasn’t screaming was a clear indication that her perception of me had changed, if only a little.

The maiden occasionally glanced in my direction. She could have easily scolded me to stop petting her, but it seemed she believed that this would help her calm down.

All she did was shoot me a single retort in a voice that still hinted at her previous tears.

“…You bad bastard.”

The small sound fit better with the description of a whisper. It seemed even she was surprised by her own words, as she flinched and trembled at the unexpected outburst.

Then she looked at me again with fear glistening in her eyes, as if she were afraid I might swing my axe at her again.

While I was curious about what kind of reaction she would have if I actually did pull out my axe, I was not cruel enough to carry out such a malicious thought.

All I could do was let out a hollow laugh as if to say, “What a ridiculous situation.”

“Why am I the bad guy?”

“Because of you… Huh, do you have any idea how much I’ve suffered?!”

Like a droplet of water clinging to a blade of grass, Senior Elsi unleashed a torrent of emotions the moment I casually nudged her. I felt a vague sense of hostility emanating from her eyes.

“Everyone treats me like I’m worthless!”

“Well, since you lost to a junior, I guess it’s not surprising.”

“It was a sneak attack, you coward!”

As Senior Elsi raised her voice, even the most pleasant of tones became excruciatingly sharp to my ears. I instinctively inhaled sharply and stiffened my expression.

Then Senior Elsi flinched, tensing up as she grasped her hooded hat tightly with both hands.

“Of course, I’m not denying that I lost… Uh, yeah. I did make a mistake.”

“So, it sounds like you went through a lot of emotional turmoil.”

At my comment, Senior Elsi hesitated and couldn’t respond immediately. It seemed she was worried about making another slip of the tongue like before.

Thus, I decided to bring up the remark that had elicited such a dramatic reaction from her.

“‘Peeing pants’…”

“…Ah, no!”

Senior Elsi’s reaction was instantaneous. She nearly jumped up from the shock, and it was clear just how much she hated that nickname.

Her small fists clenched tightly, and her eyes glinted with anger.

“I-I didn’t pee! All those rumors are false! You saw it too, right?!”

“Well, I don’t really remember the details…”

As Senior Elsi gazed at me with pleading eyes, my trailing off caused despair to cross her face, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

She had a cute face. If only her conduct was better, she would have been one of the most popular students in the academy.

With a resigned nod, I replied.

“Well, let’s just say that.”

“I-I’m not a bedwetter! It’s just that those mean bastards… H-huh, they look down on me!”

Tears welled up in her eyes again as her emotions seemed to overflow. She tried to wipe her eyes with her arm, but it was futile.

Her sobbing only intensified. She lamented in a pitiful voice.

“Hic, they keep calling me a bedwetter, nagging for no reason… No one, no one stood up for me, huuuu….”

Would you want to side with a person who bullied others?

I wanted to ask her that, but for now, I simply continued to pet Senior Elsi’s head. Just as I wanted her to cry to her heart’s content.

Humans were inherently such beings. When the actions they inflicted upon others returned to them, they felt an endless sorrow. I allowed Senior Elsi to cry.

“How am I supposed to get married… Huuuu, no one in the clan says anything, huh, huuu….”

“It must have been tough for you, Senior Elsi.”

I nodded as if I fully sympathized with her. At that, she began to cry even more sorrowfully, as if she finally found someone on her side.

In fact, objectively speaking, there really was no one who would support Senior Elsi. She had gone around bullying juniors and ended up being ambushed publicly and humiliated.

No matter how you look at it, what happened to her was justly deserved, not pitiful. Especially considering her usual conduct. If someone were to support her, it would be a bizarre situation.

Unless, of course, that person had ulterior motives like me.

Thinking the atmosphere had shifted, I whispered softly to Senior Elsi.

“By the way, whose fault do you think that is?”

“Of course, it’s your… Hic, ah, no! It’s not your fault!”

At first, she seemed inclined to point at me, but upon seeing my cold expression, she immediately retracted her statement. Her emotions were wavering, and now was my opportunity.

I began to persuade her.

“Think about it again. Why did you lose to me that day?”

“Why did I lose…?”

“Wasn’t there someone who interfered?”

At my words, Senior Elsi’s blue sapphire eyes went blank. Her mind was probably racing back to the past. To that moment when she and I clashed.

There had been another character. The reason she couldn’t focus on me was that she was far too focused on that person.

After a moment of silence, Senior Elsi’s eyes clouded with cold hostility. Like she was spitting it out, a name slipped from her lips, someone she was angry with.

Just like that time.

“Delphine Yuridina…”

Got it. I sensed it. At this moment, all of Senior Elsi’s anger and resentment had shifted toward Senior Delphine.

It would be impossible for her to turn her hostility toward me, a figure that had already instilled fear in her. I was someone who could make her legs tremble just being nearby. Revenge would be impossible.

In that case, it was better to project her already existing animosity onto someone she disliked.

No one was more fitting for that role than Senior Delphine. I continued to whisper to Senior Elsi.

“What if you could get revenge on Senior Delphine?”

“…Revenge?”

Senior Elsi turned to look at me, her interest piqued simply from my words. I nodded heavily.

“Yes, if we win the Hunting Festival, you could regain your honor. After all, you would be the first to defeat Delphine Yuridina, wouldn’t you?”

“Well, that’s true… But how?”

“The Hunting Festival.”

I spoke with a conviction that it was the only answer, and Senior Elsi’s eyes went blank for a moment.

“I heard that the heirs of the Yuridina Clan must attend the academy and win the Hunting Festival in order to uphold a tradition. What do you think will happen if we win?”

“Then we can make her eat dirt… Yeah, that sounds good!”

The moment she heard my proposal, Senior Elsi’s face brightened instantly. She was a lovely girl, after all. Just looking at her smile made everything around seem a bit brighter.

At least, it felt that way until she opened that adorable mouth.

“I can smack that bitch! Alright, I’ll make sure she won’t speak so arrogantly ever again….”

“Um, so, what I’m saying is, how about teaming up with me?”

I proposed before she could say anything worse.

Senior Elsi looked at me with a puzzled expression. It was understandable.

She had more than enough reason to oppose Senior Delphine, but I didn’t. She must have heard the rumors circulating around, but even so, she probably didn’t think there was a reason to knock Senior Delphine out in the Hunting Festival.

There were complex stories intertwined, like the letter from the future, Seria, and the conversation I had with Senior Delphine that night.

In this situation, it was impossible to explain everything right away. So as I pondered, Senior Elsi tilted her head and asked.

“Huh? Why would I? It’d be better to team up with someone more skilled than you… Eek, ah, alright! I’ll do it! Please let me join you!”

Unable to come up with a proper response, I simply revealed my hand axe at my waist to convey my answer.

It wasn’t right, and I felt a sense of self-loathing, but there was nothing I could do. My words had limits, but my axe had no such constraints.

Still, it was enough that I could boost Senior Elsi’s spirit. Now there was no need to worry about her approaching the Hunting Festival half-heartedly out of a desire for revenge against Senior Delphine.

However, it seemed Senior Elsi had developed a rather peculiar habit.

“Uh, h-hey.”

It was about time to part ways. Senior Elsi seemed to have calmed down, and just as we were about to go our separate ways, I suddenly heard her calling me.

Turning my head, I saw a petite girl with slightly flushed cheeks, tugging insistently at my collar. I looked at her with a bewildered expression.

“Uh, um, you see….”

The girl looked quite embarrassed. I waited patiently until she gathered the courage to speak. I was curious what she was going to say.

Finally, Senior Elsi squeezed her eyes shut, and in a tiny voice, she made a request.

“Could you… could you pet me again…?”

Naturally, I couldn’t respond immediately. Her suggestion was so unexpected that I could only stare at her stupidly for a moment.

As Senior Elsi became even more embarrassed, her face turned bright red, and the grip on my collar tightened.

“I’m just… feeling anxious!”

With her voice filled with shame, Senior Elsi shouted. It was then that I began to gain a rough understanding of the situation.

She was being tormented by the malicious rumors. Her frayed nerves must have been tormenting her. Not to mention that just recently, she had felt threatened for her life by me.

She likely wanted to heal that wound. At least by confirming that I, the source of this situation, had no intention of attacking her any longer, she could find some comfort.

That much, I could certainly do. My palm came to stroke Senior Elsi’s head once more. Honestly, I found the hooded hat a bit bothersome, but it was fine.

Senior Elsi accepted my petting with her head bowed. In that moment, she seemed quite cute.

To commemorate our reconciliation, I made a lighthearted remark.

“If you behave well moving forward, I might pet you again.”

“…W-who do you think I am, your pet?!”

Senior Elsi yelled out in a fluster, but then realized her blunder and quickly shrank back, glancing at me cautiously.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle again.

In any case, I had gained a reliable ally.

If I could persuade Celin next, I would have surpassed one of the hurdles toward winning the Hunting Festival.

I was thinking rather complacently like that.

Until I heard the news the next day that a confrontation had occurred between Celin and Seria.

---