Chapter 63: A Story of One Love

After they finished making sweets, Julia and Laila parted ways with Alicia, saying they had other matters to attend to. It felt a little strange. Not long ago, they had been enemies, and now they were chatting and laughing together as friends. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, and a smile naturally appeared on Alicia's face.

Before long, however, that smile was swallowed by her thoughts and faded away.

Carrying the sweets she had made in both hands, Alicia found herself recalling what Laila had said earlier.

"........I think it's a good thing that you care so much about your friends, Alicia. But holding yourself back because of it is wrong. If something is truly important, and you're constantly restraining yourself around each other, then you're not really friends. At least, that's what I think."

Alicia had always held herself back around Hikari.

That was true when it came to Toma, and even when they spent time together. She constantly restrained herself so she wouldn't get in the way.

She didn't think that was wrong.

"........Wouldn't it be okay to be a little more selfish? I'm always honest with myself. Sure, some people find me annoying because of it, but the Sword King isn't that kind of person. And that Hikari girl is probably the same. She's kind of like Julia."

"You should learn some restraint yourself."

(She might be right. But I was never supposed to meet Toma in the first place. The only reason I was able to become this close to him is because he became the Sword King.)

She had met Toma before he pulled the Holy Sword from its resting place.

But the reason they had grown so close afterward was undeniably because he had become the Sword King.

If that hadn't happened, it was easy to imagine Hikari being the one standing beside him when they came of age.

And somewhere deep down, Alicia felt guilty about stepping into that place.

She tried to suppress her romantic feelings for Toma as much as she could.

Yet no matter how hard she tried, they overflowed.

Her feelings had grown so much that she could no longer keep them contained.

(But I've never once wished we'd never met.)

Even so, there were times when suppressing her feelings became painful.

Yet she was equally afraid that revealing everything would destroy her friendship with Hikari.

It was a different kind of worry than before, but a worry nonetheless.

(I'm sure Toma has already realized how I feel. But maybe he hasn't said anything because he doesn't know what to do.)

The realization that she was troubling the person she loved filled her with guilt.

And yet, knowing that the person she loved was troubled because of her brought a small measure of happiness.

It made her think she was a terrible girl.

"Eeep!?"

"Huh? Oh, Alicia? You okay?"

"Eh...? Ah... Hikari."

Lost in thought, Alicia walked right into Hikari as she rounded a corner.

Fortunately, she didn't drop the sweets.

But for some reason, seeing Hikari notice the treats she had made for Toma made her panic.

"Oh, so those are the sweets you made? Toma's been looking forward to them, so you should hurry and take them to—actually, wait. He's asleep right now."

"W-Why does Toma know I'm making sweets!?"

"Huh? Well, when you were making that huge commotion outside the room, of course he noticed. We could hear most of what you were saying too. I figured you were making sweets, but honestly, I was still surprised it turned out to be true."

"Nyaaahhhhhh...!!"

The realization that they had heard her desperately begging Julia to teach her how to make sweets made Alicia crouch down and cover her face.

She couldn't remember exactly what she'd said at the time because she'd been so excited.

But she definitely remembered being loud.

Having a boy hear her shouting like that was embarrassing enough.

Having the boy she liked hear it was even worse.

"Anyway, you're giving those to Toma, right? Then you should take them to him soon. He was getting pretty restless about it. Trust me, he'll be happy."

"...Hikari, are you really okay with that?"

The question slipped out before Alicia could stop herself.

Perhaps because of everything she had been thinking about moments ago, a hint of jealousy surfaced.

Alicia was, by nature, a jealous girl.

She also possessed tremendous kindness, which usually kept those feelings hidden.

But sometimes emotions became too strong to suppress.

Just like the time she had finally revealed her true feelings to Toma.

It was a side of herself she only showed to people she trusted completely.

"I love Toma. I really do. But Toma has you, Hikari, and because of that, I..."

"Don't use me as an excuse."

Hikari cut her off immediately.

Yet contrary to her words, her expression carried a gentle smile.

Almost as though she was happy Alicia had finally said it aloud.

Alicia found herself speechless.

Hikari, however, continued.

She was always honest with herself, no matter where she was.

Just like Toma.

Perhaps that was something they had inherited from influencing one another for so many years.

"Your feelings belong to you, right? So why are you using someone else as a reason to give up? You haven't been rejected. He doesn't hate you."

"But I'll never beat you, Hikari."

"Well, sure. Nobody understands Toma better than I do, and nobody's known him longer. The only person who's probably spent more time with him is my mom. We've practically been together since birth. There's no question I know more about Toma than you do."

"..."

"But even so, there are things you can do that I can't."

"Eh...?"

Alicia raised her head.

Seeing her look up, Hikari grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"I can stand beside Toma and protect him. But I can't heal him. I can't wait for him to come home the way you do. Toma said that having you there is why he can push himself so hard—and why he always fights to come back."

"Toma... said that?"

"Yeah. So tell him everything. If you do, he'll definitely say something that'll make you happy. You know how he is—he follows his desires pretty faithfully."

"...You're right. Giving up without saying anything would be cowardly."

"Exactly. Besides, no guy is going to hate being liked by a beautiful girl as feminine as you."

"You're cute too, Hikari."

"Yeah, right. The only person who says that is him, so I don't buy it. Toma sees me through rose-colored glasses."

Hikari awkwardly brushed back her silver hair and looked away.

She was clearly not used to being called cute.

The sight made Alicia laugh.

Hikari immediately puffed out her cheeks and sulked.

Seeing that expression made Alicia want to tease her.

"Understood. Then I'll go watch Toma's sleeping face now. Hikari-chan... don't get in my way, okay?"

"Ah... yeah. You really are way more normal than I thought. You're not exactly what I'd picture when someone says 'Saint.'"

After laughing at Hikari's embarrassed expression for a while, Alicia headed toward the room where the boy she loved was sleeping.

After all, both her rival and her best friend had encouraged her.

She had to do her best.

"Ugh... ugh... Hikari... my arm doesn't bend that way..."

"I wonder what kind of dream he's having. Though I can pretty much guess..."

When Alicia entered Toma's room, she found him tossing and turning in his sleep.

He was probably dreaming about their everyday life.

And naturally, Hikari was part of that dream.

They were together almost every day.

Of course she'd appear in his dreams.

Alicia understood that logically.

Still, she couldn't help feeling a little pouty.

"I spend time with you all the time too..."

Julia had helped her make sweets.

Laila had given her courage.

Hikari had pushed her forward.

And yet, she was still one step short.

She lacked the courage to tell him these feelings clearly enough that he couldn't mistake them.

Just one more push.

If only something would happen.

Yet she still couldn't take that final step.

"Help me, Alicia... no, don't just stand there laughing..."

"Ah..."

He was smiling.

In his dream, Alicia was smiling.

Because her smile had become part of Toma's everyday life.

Because it was something precious he remembered.

Without thinking, Alicia reached out and took his hand.

It was rough.

Covered in scars.

Nothing like the hand of the boy she'd first met.

Yet its warmth remained unchanged.

Like the sun that always shone down from the sky.

Simply being near it made her heart race.

"...Huh? Wait... Alicia?"

"Toma... did I wake you? I'm sorry."

"Mmm... no, it's okay. I was thinking I should get up soon anyway."

"I see. More importantly, it looked like you were having a nightmare. Are you alright?"

"Ah, yeah. I'm fine. My shoulder still kinda hurts, though. Seriously, getting hit with joint locks even in my dreams is cruel. I was only doing my usual bird-watching and people-watching."

Alicia couldn't help smiling at Toma's sulky expression.

Their ordinary days.

Their ordinary lives.

She cherished them.

She didn't want them to change.

And yet...

She wanted their relationship to move forward.

At the same time, she feared losing it.

That fear kept her from taking the next step.

"Oh, right. I had something I wanted to give you."

"Huh? Me?"

"Yeah. You haven't visited much lately, so I was planning to come find you myself. But every time I tried, Hikari would show up and tell me to stay in bed. So I'm glad you came. I've wanted to give it to you."

"Give me... what?"

"You'll see."

Reaching beneath the bed, Toma pulled out a paper bag.

Even Alicia, who had only recently become interested in fashion, recognized the logo.

It was from a famous store.

Toma took out a necklace and handed it to her.

A golden ornament adorned it—the same color as Alicia's shining hair.

It looked incredibly expensive.

Alicia hesitated.

"This must have cost a lot..."

"Yeah. It did. Since it was something personal, using government funds would've been weird, so I used my allowance. Or salary. Whatever it is. I spent almost all of it. But I didn't really have anything else to spend it on."

"Why...?"

"Because I wanted to give you a present."

Before she realized it, Toma had gently wrapped both hands around the one holding the necklace.

Carefully.

Tenderly.

Like he was touching something precious.

"A necklace is supposed to symbolize happiness and soaring toward the future. Apparently they've been popular gifts for important people for a long time. So I wanted to give you one. I want you to be happy. I want you to find the future you desire. Not as the Saint—but simply as yourself."

Too embarrassed to meet her eyes, Toma stared only at their hands.

His face was bright red.

He clearly understood exactly what he was saying.

"Alicia, you're important to me. I care about you deeply. I want you to be happy. And if you're happy, I know I can keep giving my all no matter what."

Toma filled the final step Alicia had never been able to take.

Tears poured from her eyes.

Hot.

Endless.

Like the love she'd tried so desperately to hide.

Seeing her suddenly burst into tears, Toma immediately panicked.

He reached for his handkerchief to wipe them away.

But Alicia grabbed his hand and stopped him.

Right now, she simply wanted to put these overflowing feelings into words.

"Toma... I love you. I want to stay by your side forever. I love you so much that I don't even want to lose to Hikari."

It was a confession.

The words she'd wanted to say for so long.

The words she had finally managed to speak.

"I love the way you found me. The way you stay with me. The way you keep trying your hardest. The way you smile."

Not as the Saint.

Just as a girl confessing to the person she loved.

Something so ordinary.

Something she once could never even dream of doing.

Only Alicia could understand how much that meant.

"Toma... I want you to be my boyfriend."

Thinking she might be asking for too much, Alicia said it anyway.

Then she looked at the bright-red boy before her and laughed through her tears.

His reaction was adorable.

And knowing she'd made him blush filled her with joy.

"You don't have to answer right now. It wouldn't be fair to Hikari, and I want you to really think about me."

"...You know, Alicia? You're kind of mean sometimes."

"You didn't know? I'm a girl too."

The smile she showed now was one the Saint would never have displayed.

A grin that revealed her teeth.

A mischievous girl's smile.

One that carried a tiny hint of possessiveness toward the boy she loved.

"Now then! I want you to put this necklace on me yourself!"

"Wha—!? That's kind of embarrassing..."

"I've been saying embarrassing things this whole time, so it's your turn to suffer too!"

"Fine, fine... I'm just glad nobody's here to see this."

Since she was always the one being swept along by him, this was her little revenge.

Toma's hands moved behind her neck.

Their faces drew close.

Close enough to feel the warmth radiating from each other's flushed cheeks.

As the necklace settled around her neck, Alicia felt as though she'd received the greatest treasure in the world.

Happiness overflowed from her heart.

"Alright! As a thank-you, I made sweets! Let's eat them together!"

"You're amazing. You switched gears immediately. My heart's still racing."

"My heart is racing too!"

The time they spent laughing together was precious.

Their relationship would continue to change with time.

Even so, Alicia believed with all her heart that these feelings would never diminish.

Only grow stronger.

"Julia helped me make them. Today's sweets are macarons!!!"

"Macarons? Those are hard to make. That's impressive."

"I failed a bunch of times... but I brought the finished ones!"

"Then I'm looking forward to them. Alright, first bite!"

The meaning of a macaron is:

"You are someone special."