Author's warning: There's a bit of a "dark" scene near the end of the chapter. Please read with caution if necessary.
Every Sat.u.r.day noon, this person named Pierre will visit the church to pray to the G.o.ddess. He's an old man with tan skin, eyes more narrow than Marie's!
During each visit, he'll bring ready-to-eat vegetables as snacks for the kids. Tomatoes, sweet vegetables, and even the occasional fruit. He's also given some to me a few times.
He is always smiling, always happy when he comes to the church.
His head is a little out of it, he wrongly calls Marie Marue. He wrongly calls me "Angle-sama" too. Although I correct him over and over again, he never fixes it…
I haven't seen him around recently, though.
“Err, Grandpa always… mentioned an angel with beautiful silver hair that is very kind to him… Well, if we're talking about people with beautiful silver hair in this village, only the Owen family comes to mind… But I don't think it's actually… them… Ah…"
The woman panics, looking up at me with a slightly frightened expression.
Pierre's grandchild, huh?
Now that she mentions it, he did tell me he had a grandchild. He gives me a different name every time though.
“So you're Pierre-san's grandchild?”
The woman's face brightens, and she nods several times.
“Y-yes! Do you know him!?”
“…Only his name.”
“I-is that so…?”
I lied to her.
I have met with old man Pierre-san several times. But if I tell her that, she will know that I hang around the church. That'll be bad if my family finds out.
I need to lower the possibility that Lian's father will learn about my lie as much as I can. I must be cautious.
Old man Pierre-san's grandchild sticks by, glued to the spot as if she were lost.
It looks like she still has something to say to me.
I wonder what.
…Maybe, something happened to old Pierre-san?
“…Is there something else you want to tell me?”
“Y-yes! Err, uhh, my grandfather… is sick…”
“Eh?”
“He is sick, so he's bedridden. In the past he used to be able to live alone, but now I have to take care of him. And…"
“Sick?”
That's why he doesn't come to the church anymore, huh?
“The doctor said that with his age and physical strength, it will be difficult for him to recover…”
“Is… that so…?”
“Since I was already prepared, it's okay. My grandfather is now 97 years old. I think… he has lived long enough. He himself also said so while laughing, so I can accept it… So”
She twiddles her fingers nervously.
“What is it?”
“So… Grandpa said something interesting. Since he hasn't been going to church these days, he wonders if Angel-sama is angry… That's what he said while looking sad."
“Eh… that…”
The woman looks at me, still playing with her fingers, her expression that of someone who held not much hope.
“Ah, that… I know that Lian-sama is very busy. B-but, I hope you can visit my grandpa even if it's only a glance… Please, can you meet my grandfather…?”
“…But, I'm not the angel that Pierre-san is talking about…”
“Yes. Yes, I know that. But now, there's only one person that has beautiful silver hair here. And it's you, Lian-sama. Even if you aren't the same person, it's okay.If you tell him that you've come to see him, he will surely feel relieved…”
Even if I'm not the same person.
…My grandpa, who was bedridden at the hospital, had called me by his daughter's name in his final moments.
The nurse told me to always accompany him, that way, he'll feel relieved. So I continued to reply as his daughter, as my mother. And I stayed with him until the end.
The end…
I see…
It's the end for him, right?
“Ah, err… Lian-sama?”
“…If it's only a look, then…”
“T-thank you very much!!”
After I reach her house, I see the old and bedridden Pierre-san.
With a horribly thin body.
“…Grandpa, Angel-sama has come to see you!”
The old man opens his eyes slightly. As soon as he catches sight of me, a bright smile appears on his face.
“Ohh! Ohh… Angel-sama… Isn't this Angel-sama…!? Ahh, I never thought that… you will come to this kind of place… I'm very happy…that you have come here to see me…Thank you very much…”
He stretches his arms, which are as thin as twigs. I grab his hand.
…Like my grandfather, his hand has pretty much become skin and bones.
“Angel-sama, Angel-sama. Since I'm stuck in bed now, I can't go to the church anymore… I'm very sorry…”
“…No. It's alright. You don't have to worry so much.”
“B-but…”
“Didn't you often come to the church in the past? It's already enough.”
“I-is that so…?”
“Yeah. That's right.”
As I smile, old Pierre-san's previously anxious and pale face is now tinged with a bit of red.
“Err, how have… the children been…"
“They are as energetic as always.”
“Is that so! Hehe… I'm glad. Ah, at this kind of time, some of the orange trees in my field should have already bore fruit. Please, take as much as you like. I can't bring them to you anymore, and I feel very miserable, but…”
Old Pierre-san starts coughing, so I nervously support his back and pat his back.
Coughing while lying down isn't good for the health. It's not good for the stomach and he can choke on his saliva if he's not careful. The best position for coughing is facing sideways.
Yes, that's what the nurse told me back when my grandfather had been hospitalized.
As I try to nudge his body to turn sideways, old Pierre-san furrows a brow and waves his thing hand.
“Ahh." He coughs. "You… You don't have to do that…”
“It's better to face sideways when coughing. Slowly, calm down and take a breath…Yeah. Even if you don't get up, it's okay.”
“Thank you very much… Ahh, Angel-sama is really, really kind…”
“No… I'm not.”
Old Pierre-san narrowed his already narrow eyes, and he looks up at me.
“That's right, there's also vegetables in my field… Please take them too…”
“…I understand. Then, I'll receive them gratefully.”
“Yes. Certainly! This year's weather is great, and the vegetables are very sweet… I'm sure that they will be delicious… Please, try them out. If it is suitable for Angel-sama's taste, I'll be happy, but…”
“…Don't worry. All the vegetables and fruits that you previously brought to the church tasted very sweet and delicious."
Old Pierre-san smiled, cheeks flushing. He seems really happy.
“Ahh… Is that so…! I'm glad… Thank you very much… for making me this happy… Angel-sama.”
With each pat of the back, his coughs grow calmer and calmer.
Old Pierre-san looks comfortable and begins nodding off.
I should let him rest now, right?
When I slowly remove my hand, Old Pierre-san mutters, “…Ahh… If I… can go… to the church again… I want to go… And then… have a chat again… with everyone… and Angel-sama…"
“Pierre-san…”
…Back then, my grandpa had always told me he wanted to go home.
I'd answer by saying it was okay, that he's get better soon. That he should take a rest so he'd be able to go home tomorrow.
Like how I did in my previous world, I crouch beside Pierre-san and gently hold his thin hand with both hands.
And just like before… I put a smile on my face. And I say the same thing I said in the past to my grandpa.
“…It's okay. You will surely… become better soon. That's why, please rest your body now. …When you're healthy again, please come to the church again.”
“Yes…! Ahh… Of course, of course I will… Since I will be coming again… Please wait for me… Angel-sama… Thank you very much…”
Old Pierre-san closed his eyes and fell into a peaceful slumber, probably due to his exhaustion.
His face looks very happy and peaceful.
The woman approaches me and bows several times.
“Thank you very much, Lian-sama… Ahh, you're really… really the one my grandfather was talking about… Very, very kind…”
Rising to my feet, I shake my head.
“…No. I'm not kind. I'm not kind at all… Despite my actions right now, I'm actually a cruel and unfair person. I keep lying to people. I'm… a bad person who keeps lying… A big fat liar.”
“Eh?”
“…Well, since I'm busy, it's time for me to head back."
“Y-yes. T-thank you… very much…”
I exit through the front door, leaving behind the puzzled woman.
Shurio, who was waiting outside, glances at me. For some reason, he frowns slightly.
“…Young master? What happened? The color of your face is…”
“It's nothing. Since I have other business to attend to, let's go. Bring out the carriage.”
“alright.”
Even though I'm tired from moving around all day, I can't fall asleep. Since it can't be helped, I use this time to sort out my notes from the morning.
It has been ten days since the spring break started.
The next time I visit the church, I see Pierre-san's grandchild. She was wearing all black.
Looks like she has something to say to Marie.
Catching sight of me, the woman bows and flashes me a tired little smile. I'm still able to discern a bit of happiness from it, though.
“…Lian-sama. Thank you very much for the previous day. Thanks to you, grandpa has went to heaven peacefully.”
“Is… that so…?”
Marie looks at my expression, and frowns a little.
“Lian-sama? What happened? Your face is…”
“It's n-nothing. I'm alright.”
“Really? If you're tired, please take a rest.”
“Yes. I'll do as you say.”
As I pa.s.s through the chapel toward my private research and development room, I hear the woman mentioning that there had been several people buried on this same day.
Marie answers by saying that spring is the season of the beginning and the end.
Ahh, is that true?
Somehow, I got to understand this perfectly after experiencing something cruel.
Speaking of which, my father and mother also died in an accident at the spring.
Not only that, both my grandpa, who took me in after and played with me even when he was tired, and my shiba Sanda died on my first day of high school.
And now, Old Pierre-san died.
Marie will also… die someday too.
I wonder if it'll be spring then too. I have a feeling that might happen.
The image of a certain someone with golden locks flashes through my mind. I quickly push away those thoughts.
That guy is still okay.
He's alive and will return after two weeks.
That's what he told me before he left… He will definitely come back.
…Ah, but…
In the past, my parents had also told me they would return from their trip soon, and would bring me a lot of souvenirs.
Spring… I don't like this season very much.
It took away the people closest to me… every time.
Special thanks to con-san, MsLori-san and Anon-san for the ko-fi! (●´w`●)
Aww, Lian… TwT
7th July means… IDOLISH7 second live concert! This year too, I couldn't go and see my 推し with my own eyes… (Next year, I will definitely go…!)
Also, in j.a.pan, today is actually the star festival (七夕)! They will usually write their wish on a small piece of paper (tanzaku) and hang it on a bamboo, I think it is very cute and romantic!^^ If you currently have a wish, no matter big or small, you can try writing them on a tanzaku too! Who knows, it might actually come true!~♪