"By the way, sir... who is that?" The child stared at me with eyes of curiosity.
Since I was backing her view, she couldn't completely see my face.
"Ah, right... I totally forgot about that." Neron said with a small laugh.
'Forgot, my foot. Were you just waiting for her to ask? If that's the case... I can't miss my queue!'
"He's an old acquaintance of yours, after all..."
My lips curled up into a smile, and I prepared myself.
"After leaving for so long, he finally returns..."
'Not yet... not yet...'
Holding in my laughter, I began to slowly move.
"... Won't you say hello to your old friend?"
'It's now!'
Rising from where I sat, I slowly turned to make eye contact with the girl, keeping my face low--considering her height--and smiled.
The moment she saw my face, her expression melted, and her widened eyes greeted me.
"Y--you're... J--Jared...?!"
My smile grew even larger, and I was grateful to Neron for the dramatic introduction.
'This is fun...'
"It's been a while..."
Silence, tension, and nostalgia filled the room as I gently stared at the blond loli in front of me.
"... Ana."
As we stared at each other, silence enveloped the room.
I initially thought it was dramatic that way, but, after a while, the silence didn't disappear. That was when things got awkward.
My eyes turned in Neron's direction, pleading for some assistance in driving a conversation. He started this, after all.
"I'm off to resolve the issue. Since the both of you have some catching up to do, I'll be taking my leave."
'Unbelievable! This guy actually--!!!'
Neron glided out of his office and whistled down the hall. The sound echoed until it became fainter and fainter--then it completely vanished.
Even after all that, there was still silence in the office. With no one willing to help out, I had no choice.
'Fine... I'll do it myself!'
With a determined expression, I took a leap of faith and spoke to the girl who seemed too shocked to move.
"U--uh... Ana... it's been a while..."
My voice seemed to snap her out of her daze, and she finally budged from her position
"A--ah! Yeah..."
Another awkward silence enveloped the room.
"... How have you been?"
It had been over a hundred years since I interacted with people normally. The only reason I was so free with Anabelle and Neron was that they were weirdos.
'I addressed the men at Alphonse's territory as their superior. This matter is completely different...'
Ana seemed like she had a lot to say, but was probably stuck in the same mental place I found myself.
'WHAT SHOULD I SAY?'
Perhaps I was overthinking it? Just as before, why couldn't I just talk casually to her?
'Yeah! Let's do that!'
"You haven't changed in the slightest, Ana."
"You've changed quite a bit, Jared."
Our voices overlapped, and our words mixed with one another.
'Ah, looks like she was thinking the same thing.'
This was the worst. There were so many things I wanted to talk to her about, but my communication skills had deteriorated so badly over the past years. Or was that just an excuse I was giving myself?
"Hey, do you want to... take a walk...?"
My eyes widened, and I looked at the girl who suggested it.
A smile was on her face, and her expression was already calm and collected. The bright twinkle in her eyes returned--though hidden behind the lens she used.
"Sure."
"Perfect! Let's head out, then..."
***********************
Surprisingly, as we started walking, it didn't take very long for us to begin conversing normally. I had been overthinking things!
"So, you're interning at the Research Facility of Ainzlark Academy? That's amazing!"
"Well, I did score the highest in the Scholars' exam. My project also caught the eyes of the superiors that they recommended me to the Ainzlark Research Institute."
I was amazed--no, impressed--by Ana's achievements.
"It's a good place. I'm given enough autonomy to engage in my own projects--though I'm sometimes dragged into group experiments."
It was so great that she was enjoying her internship. Another look at her, though, and I finally noticed growth in her.
'She's taller by a millimeter, I think...'
"How about the others?" I asked with a curious smile.
I had intended to ask Neron this question, but we somehow delved into the subject of Magic and were lost in it.
"Ah..." Ana's face clouded up a bit.
'I wonder why...'
"Before I tell you about everyone else, there's something I need to tell you first."
She suddenly stopped walking and looked at me with a determined expression. I made sure to halt in my tracks as well, and returned her stare.
"Jared, I... I had feelings for you a while back..."
'What the heck?!'
"... Did you know that?" Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me.
There was no use in lying to her, so I had to simply come clean.
"Yeah. I did."
'But why are you bringing that up now? And what's with the 'had feelings?''
"I see..." She mumbled.
'Did I say something wrong?' I couldn't tell at this point, so I just went with the flow.
"Well, when you disappeared, a lot changed. Of course, my feelings didn't vanish immediately, but... I..."
'Why does it seem like she's trying to tell me a dirty secret of hers?'
"... I... Kuzon and I..."
'What? What is Kuzon doing in the picture?'
I was just a bit curious before, but now I was certainly interested. What happened between her and that guy? Did he do something?
Kuzon's smug and easygoing expression appeared in my mind, and a shiver went down my spine. He was someone unpredictable!
'I didn't realize it back when I was in Ainzlark, but I finally remembered... the Midas Race!'
He was someone I considered a friend, but... things weren't so simple now that I knew his identity.
'What did he do to Ana?'
"... We kissed." The blond Loli finally confessed.
"..."
My mental faculties took some time to process what I had just heard.
Ana was blushing as I stared at her--most likely recounting the experience she had with the guy. My heart felt a huge burn, but I controlled myself.
'So... they've already...'
Why?
"Why are you quiet, Jared?"
Why did it have to be...
"Say something..."
Why....?!
"You're scaring me. Just say something!"
With clenched teeth, I finally let out the emotion that was swirling deep within me.
"Unacceptable...!"
