***Arc 6 One Who Pierced Through, Chapter 129 One Who Felt***
Mia has two older sisters, two younger brothers, and a younger sister.
Her parents were alive and well, her grandparents were in good health――both of her sisters were married, but when Mia came home, they all gathered in the house, making the relatively spacious living room seem small.
They usually use a desk and chairs, but when this happened, they shoved them into another room, and everyone sat down on the floor to eat.
The two younger brothers were excitedly asking Kalua to teach them how to play the sword, and her younger sister, with her eyes twinkling at Kalua’s beauty and fake grace was discussing about love life.
Mia was a little grumpy with her two older sisters and mother for being scolded, but her father and grandparents kept the mood relaxed.
"...Mirna, I understand how you feel, but since it's a place to celebrate Mia’s return, leave that kind of talk for later."
"But Darza..."
"Today is a celebration of Mia's safe return. And also, Kalua-san is here."
He was short but had a masculine face.
Mia's father was a calm man, with his muscular body and harsh facial features, he looked like a hunter.
Mia sighed at the situation and proceeded with her meal.
The second daughter approached her and said,
"So, Mia, did you at least have a lover?"
“…It has nothing to do with Mi-oneechan, right?”
"Fufu, form that looks it seems Mia hasn’t got a lover yet . Even though if you’re in the military, you can pick all the man you want, even though Mia is so cute...”
"...If you say too much, I’ll get angry okay."
Staring at the second daughter, who was stroking her head teasingly, Mia shook off her hand.
The long-haired eldest daughter, who was somewhat gentle, tilted her head and looked at Mia.
“It's true, isn't it? Mia is very cute...”
“Uu...”
"Mia is a hard worker and always doing her, fufu, well, Mia is a little clumsy, but... if Onee-chan is a man, Onee-chan think Onee-chan will definitely fall in love with Mia. The men around Mia doesn’t’ have eyes for women"
In contrast to the teasing second daughter, these were words from the heart.
Mia love this somewhat outgoing, kind, and beautiful eldest daughter, but that makes just it even worse.
"... Mies-oneechan, you’re overestimating me too much."
"That’s not true, Mia. ...Mia that is not good at that, Mia needs to be more confident. Onee-chan really thinks Mia is a very cute and my proud little sister. I wonder if Onee-chan should ask Tex if he can find someone good..."
"Stop it, it's embarrassing..."
Tex was Mies' husband.
He was a talented hunter and a popular young man with a good face, but it seems that even for him, this easy-going older sister was a difficult prey.
Years of earnest approaches to woo her passed, but he was ignored.
She could still remember pitying his pitiful figure.
Mies was kind and beautiful and was the object of admiration for the men in the village.
She sighed thinking there won’t be anything good from cooperating with this kind of older sister.
"Well, it's not good to rush it. Onee-chan too, thought Onee-chan wouldn’t have any connection to sort of thing, but Tex suddenly confessed to Onee-chan... that's what marriage is about."
Seeing her older sister nodding, the second daughter Mi sighed with exasperated face.
"... I don't think it was sudden at all thought."
"It was sudden okay, Onee-chan was really surprised. After the festival, he suddenly, ‘Marry me, Mies!’...even though he didn’t show any sign of that until then. I thought he was making fun of me."
"It’s just that Onee-san didn't notice it, right? Haa, I say whether it’s Onee-san or Mia, why are the both of you like this? I feel sorry for the other person."
Mia furrowed her brow and glared at the second daughter.
"Don't put Mies-oneechan and me together. We’re completely different okay."
"You're the only one who thinks so. How about Bazel?"
"Why Bazel? We just met though."
"You know... didn't he say something?"
“do you still don’t have a partner he said? Haa, if he have the time to ask such things, I think he should find his own partner first though.”
Without even noticing the flow of the conversation.
Mi rubbed her inner corners of her eyes, and Mies called out to Kalua, who was looking at them while she was dealing with the children.
"Kalua-san, how is there? Um... aren't there any good people in the military?"
"Well...I wonder."
“Kalua, if you say anything weird, I'm going to get angry okay."
Mia grumbled and Kalua smiled wryly.
There are several people who seem to be interested in Mia, but even so, it would be difficult to connect them.
In addition to her Mia's dullness, there were times when Dagra, who was strict with discipline, sees Mia as a daughter for some reason, and there was also a check between competitor.
"Anyway, that story is over. Other than that!"
"You say you don't like scolding, so bought out a different topic, so willful."
"Mi-oneechan just wants to tease me right!"
‘Anyway, it's over’, Mia forcibly cut off the topic.
"...Haa, geez. Mi-oneechan has always been like that. Mies-oneechan is also Mies-oneechan."
“Hmm, I’m envious of your happy family.”
In one of the bedrooms.
Kahlua stroked Mia's sleeping sister's head and smiled.
The two rooms for the children and one for the parents. The house was quite large, with three rooms, not including the living room.
"It's a nice home. In mine, we never laughed like that when we were eating."
"Really? Every house here is like that though."
"Maybe it depends on the village. The atmosphere is quite different depending on the place... it's kind of fresh."
*chuckle* Kalua chuckled, and Mia puckers her lips slightly dissatisfied.
"Well, I guess that's the case with Kalua, the guest."
"Do you think it's different if you live here? Fufu, Mia sure is luxurious."
"... Noisy. Well, it's fine, it’s just for a few days anyway."
Mia said while also stroking her little sister's head.
"Yeah, when I get home, I'm sure they'll say a lot of things. Like, insisting that instead of working alone I should take it easy at my parents' house. How should I say it, I also felt bad leaving all the work to commander...”
"Well, commander Bald Eagle seem to be itching to work."
"But he just recovered after all, so I'm worried if I don't follow up properly. …Also, don’t call him Bald Eagle, I get yelled every time because of it okay.”
She reaches out and tugs at Kalua's cheek.
Kalua smiled wryly and told Mia ‘it’s okay isn’t it’.
"Since you've come back to your hometown, why don't you forget about work and take it easy during that time?"
"Well, that’s true. ……Somehow Kalua, you’re acting weird latety.”
"strange?"
"Nn... like, strangely gentle, something like that..."
She blushed, embarrassed as she said that.
Kalua smiled at her mischievously.
"I think I've always been kind to Mia though. How sad... oh no, Mia is a bit perverted, so she likes being teased was it?"
"...I withdraw my previous statement. It's the usual Kalua."
Mia said so and lay on her back and closed her eyes.
Kalua looked at her profile.
"Tomorrow, why don’t you show me around the village."
"Even though it's snowing?"
" Even though it's snowing. It’s fine isn’t it, I want to see what Mia's village is like. Mia aside, I may not have another chance."
"Well, that's fine. There's nothing unusual about it, you know?"
"I don't have any expectations. Fufu, I just want to see Mia, the Kilnan's guide."
‘You’re making fun of me again’, Mia pouted her lips.
Kalua smiled happily and replied that she was not making fun of her.
"I make fun of people, but I don't really lie."
"Which one is that? …That way of saying it already sounds like a lie, and you’re making fun of me again aren’t you.”
"Ehehe, well then, I leave it to you"
The next morning Mia woke up to the sound of her younger sister crying as she was hit on the forehead with Mia's elbow.
Including today, they have three more days, and the day after tomorrow, they will go out to the street and meet up with Krische and the others.
However, it's not like they had any business in the village, and they spent their time relatively leisurely.
"Ehehe, hit! It’s for hitting Milia on the head this morning."
"Okay, now! Let’s go!"
They had promised to play with the children, and the plan guide on this day, was snow fight.
Mia, who was being thrown snowballs by the three and Kalua, ran around on the snow, trying her best to avoid them.
"Wait, Kalua! Why is Kalua throwing it at me too!?"
"No, it's just the air... you see, if it's just children, Mia will avoid everything."
“T-that doesn’t mean...!”
The opponent was children, as expected she can't use magic power.
Mia, who was thrown with snowball from multiple directions, rolled away covered in snow.
They ended up spending the day with the children playing in the snow until they were exhausted, even at dinner, Mirna didn't say anything in particular, and Mia ended her second day in a good mood.
On the third day, Mirna stopped the children, telling them to restrain themselves a bit, and Mia guided Kalua around the village as had planned.
At first, she wondered what was so interesting about it, but it seemed that she started to enjoy it as she toured around the village and went around various places, Mia was in a good mood.
“The weavers are up to this house, and from this area on there are many craftsmen and artisans. The rest are butchers, warehouses, that kind of thing. There are some fields over there but.”
"Ah, well, I understand. It's all snow."
The area where the field was located was completely covered with snow and completely white.
In order to give the land a rest, vegetable scraps were thrown in at the beginning of fall and remained there until spring. (T/N: take time for vegetable scraps to be turned to fertilizer)
Many of those who had been working on the farm went to help the artisans or to work in the city or in the army.
“It snows a lot, doesn't it?”
"Really? It's almost always like this here――"
Mia sat on the fence watching the snow falling from the sky.
But it must have rotted.
The fence snapped, and Mia fell backwards and buried herself in the snow from the back of her head.
"... Really Mia is cute. You're stupid."
"S-shut up... ahh, if they found out, I’ll get scolded later."
Kalua smiled wryly and looked at the fence while pulling Mia's hand up.
The fence is a simple one with a board attached to a wooden stake. It marks the boundary between fields.
"If it's just this much, why don't you fix it yourself? It was rotten anyway."
"Oh, well, that's true. Help me later."
"Yes yes"
Mia sat on the fence, this time carefully checking to make sure it was not rotten.
Kahlua jumped onto a nearby tree branch and sat down, her eyes looking at the village from side to side.
On the ground and on the roofs too.
It was beautiful, with bright white snow falling.
The sounds of clanking metal fittings and the sound of weaving.
The occasional sound of conversation.
Kalua and Mia were the only ones who liked to walk outside on a day like this, except for the occasional frolicking children.
"Doesn't it snow at Kalua's place?”
“It's quite a bit south of Royal’s territory. In my experience, it doesn't snow this much unless you cross the Kurail.”
The Kurail Mountainrange lie east of the Dragon's Maw, separating the northern and central parts of the Kingdom.
Although the temperature was cold everywhere in winter, it was north of there that knee-deep snowfalls are commonplace in winter.
It was probably a matter of climate.
"Even though Usa-chan grew up in such a snowy country, why is she sensitive to the cold?"
"Fufu, true. It's so cold, isn't it? Even with the cloak that thick, she felt really flufy.”
“Well I know how Usa-chan feels. After all, I'm cold too."
"fufun"
Mia laughs happily and jumped to Kalua's branch, she sat down and looks into her face and told her.
"For Kahlua-san who is sensitive to the cold, shall I warm you up?"
“Y-you know, Mia..."
“Eh?”
*snap* A cracking sound was heard from below, followed by a crashing sound.
The branch carrying the two fell straight down.
"... Mia sure is child that doesn’t learn"
Covered in snow, Kalua sighed and with her bottom still in the snow she lamented.
‘Uuu’ Mia’s groan could be heard, and she reluctantly pulled her up.
"Mia should think a little more before acting, you can tell just by looking at it that two people can't sit on it."
"I-I thought it could handle it so..."
Kalua smiled wryly as she brushes the snow from Mia's hair.
And just like that, she lay down.
"Somehow, it's really peaceful. It seems like it was a lie that I was fighting on the battlefield until a while ago."
"Fufu, well, it's so peaceful there’s nothing to do."
Mia also lay down.
‘Just when I brushed of the snow’ Kalua said and Mia laughed and asked her to do it again later.
"... I like it. I want to relax in this kind place when I'm old."
"Don't you like the city better, Kalua?"
"Well, yes. You know, I'm used to living there but. I think it's nice to feel like time is passing slowly."
“Hmm, is that how it is?”
"That’s how it is"
Kalua narrowed her eyes as snow fell on her cheeks and nose.
"What about Mia?"
"Me? Hmm, I've never thought about retirement or anything like that, so I have my hands full right now... I'm not as skillful as Kalua."
"...I don't think it has anything to do with being skillful or clumsy though."
"T-that's not it...how should I say it?"
Mia thought a little and told her.
“Unlike Kalua who was searching for Elvena, I didn’t leave the village for any particular purpose… I just had this vague feeling. I wanted to change my current environment, that’s why I leave the house and was swept away by the current. I do have admiration for Okaa-san and Onee-chan but…”
‘It’s just a vague feeling’, Mia continued.
Her gaze was far away, like she as watching snowflakes falling from the sky.
"What I want to do, or what I wish to do, it's not clear, so...I don't really understand. Well, but right now I have a little goal or purpose, or something like that."
“...Purpose?”
Mia looked at Kalua when she asked and laughed meaningfully.
"Fufun, what do you think?"
“Then I won't ask.”
“Why!"
Kalua chuckled and hit Mia on the head.
‘Muu’, Kalua poked the glaring Mia's forehead and raised her body.
"...Mia’s guest I guess?"
“huh?”
Mia also sat up, and two young men were in Kahlua's line of sight.
One was Bazel and the other was Tex, husband of the eldest daughter Mies.
The two of them looked at them and talked to each other as they approached, then Tex slapped Bazel on the back vigorously.
Even though Bazel was about to fall over in the snow, he regained her posture and headed over to them alone.
"... hmm, Bazel?"
"Didn't you say he had something important to say to Mia?"
"Ah... come to think of it."
It's not an uncommon combination.
Ever since Tex married Mies, Bazel has been going to Tex's house for some reason.
She thought he was having a romantic crush on Mies, but it didn't seem that way, and Mies seemed to be told by Tex that ‘If Mies join then it’s going to be confusing, so we will talk alone’.
She didn’t know whether it was simply because they got along well or nor, but anyway without thinking there’s anything unusual, she asked him as she sat down.
"Bazel, what's wrong?"
"Oh... I wanted to continue the talk from the day before yesterday, um, it's an important story."
"Haa... Well, that's fine. What is it?"
Kalua looks exasperated at Mia and then looked at Bazel.
Bazel was looking at Kalua with pleading eyes, and Kalua smiled wryly as she stood up.
"Hmm, it looks like I'm in the way, so I'll go home first. It's cold anyway."
"Huh? Ah, ok."
Kalua said so and walked toward the house.
Mia watched Kalua go, tilting her head, and the two of them were left alone.
Mia tilts her head at the brooding Bazel, who bowed his head to Kalua's back then turned his face to Mia.
"What happened to Tex?"
"No, I’ve been asking him for advice for a long time. He gave me a push."
“...a push?”
"No, let's not talk about the details. It's off topic.... How many times have I been dodged like this?"
‘Haah’, Bazel shook his head and looked straight at Mia.
"Since it's about you, you won't understand even if I say it in a roundabout way, I'll tell you straight."
"... Um, are you making fun of me?"
"Listen... I want you to marry me, Mia."
“.........Huh?
Mia stiffened at the sudden words and frowned.
"Um, as I thout you’re mak――"
"I'm not kidding! I'm not even silly. I've always liked you. I've been approaching you subtly for a long time, but you just didn't notice. ...I said I wants you to marry me."
It is an unmistakable straight ball.
Mia's head fell into chaos.
"Eh, um... hmm? Wait a minute, I’m sorting out my thought..."
"I won’t. How many years do you think I spent waiting."
"I heard it for the first time today though..."
"It's because you're helplessly dull."
Bazel scratched his head while his face turned bright red, and Mia blushed her cheeks slightly and her eyes watered.
At least, it was her first experience such as confession.
In her mind that is.
"....Well, I know I'm not your type. I'm not as handsome as Tex, and I'm not a good hunter or craftsman. There are plenty of better men than me in the army, or even in this village.
“...true.”
Bazel grabbed Mia's shoulders who was nodding, thinking that she shouldn't nod her head there.
"I know. But, but... I swear that I'll make you happier than anyone else. I will never make you suffer. Even if I can't be the kind of man you like, I swear I'll be your best husband."
“...I-I see.”
"Don't brush it off, I'm proposing here."
"F-for the time being let me goe."
Mia shook off Bazel's hand, stepped back and regulates her breathing.
Inhale and exhale quietly.
After calming herself down, she looked up.
"You know, Bazel, I'm happy, but I'm have position of responsibility in the army. So――"
"I want you to quit the army and marry me. Of course, it might not be right away, but it’s not like you’re not allowed to be discharged right? ”
"That's right, but..."
Bazel sighed and said he knew.
"It’s a bit sudden for you, and you won't be able to sort it out. ...You can let me hear the answer, tonight."
"... eh, uh, yeah"
"That's all I want to say. I'm serious about what I just said. I'm not joking or making fun of you, okay?"
"... I know, you don't have to say that much."
"I'm telling you because that’s likely to happens if it’s you."
‘See you tomorrow,’ Bazel said as he left, and after waving him off, Mia sighed.
"……what a shock"
And, she just squatted on the snow.
‘――I know Mia is excellent. But she didn't come because she was having trouble with foos, or because she had some unavoidable circumstances...’
‘...I understand what you mean. But what you just said isn't Mia's wish, right?’
Dagra said as he rubbed his aquiline nose (eagle nose).
Kalua nodded with a serious face.
‘yes. ……It’s not like I’m forcing it or anything. This is also my selfish idea.’
‘The severity of that battle can be understood more than anything else by looking at the wear and tear of the unit. ...And many died. You must have your own feelings about it.’
‘…Yes. I'm not saying absolutely... but if Mia wants to quit the army and live a normal life when she returns to her hometown, I want the captain's permission so that she can quit. It's hard to come back here, and if we come back, Mia seems like she's going to cancel it.’
Dagra sipped his black bean tea and nodded his head in agreement after a short pause.
‘……thank you’
‘I understand how you feel. She’s a good girl, there are many ways she can be happy without being on the battlefield. If that happens, I will tell Krische-sama that it was my responsibility. I'm sure Krische-sama would agree if I said the reason.’
‘It's certainly a shame as a war force but’ Dagra continued.
“You are free to choose how you want to live. I have no right to bind it. ……If Krische-sama hadn’t found her by chance, she would have been returned as unsuitable as a soldier. She’s here by a series of coincidences... but, well, I don't think it's a good idea to dedicate your life to the army out of inertia. I guess this coincidence also means that the time has come to think about it once more.’
‘yes. I feel that way too.’
‘Anyway, it is Mia who will decides. You, her closest friend, should watch over her.’
――Remembering the conversation with Dagra the other day, Kalua looked at Mia crouching down from the shade of the tree.
and Kalua nodded a little lonely.
“...This is fine.”
Clumsy and awkward.
But is a caring and kind child.
Mia, was too good to be on the battlefield.
In such a nice village, making a family and be happy.
If there was such a future, Kalua thought, what could be better than that?
――Mia will surely be happy.
Saying that in her mind, she returned to Mia's house.
