"..."
"Hello."
"Huh?"
"Why are you so worried?"
"Is there any?"
"I always feel that you are different from your usual state."
Raya looked at me suspiciously.
"Is it your imagination...or maybe it's because I got caught in the rain, caught a cold, and my voice became hoarse?"
"Really..."
Although it did not dispel all of Raya's concerns, it allowed her to shift her focus:
"Take your medicine in time, don't forget."
"Okay~~"
I responded easily.
Raya's concern makes my heart warm.
Beautiful.
As dinner time came to an end, the rain outside also stopped.
I was going to take an after-dinner walk, which is characteristic of the elderly. But Laya insisted that I drink the medicine first. Seeing her expression that she could not refuse, I had no choice but to do as she said.
Return to the room.
There are four kinds of oral medicines on the table, and a piece of paper is pressed under the medicine bottle - the method and frequency of taking each medicine are marked on it.
"Thank you for being able to do this in advance..."
I laughed helplessly.
I randomly picked up a bottle of medicine that seemed to have a small capacity, and drank the medicine in one gulp without looking at the paper.
"Wow, it's so bitter!"
That’s all, medicines with this level of bitterness are often the most effective.
I frowned and took a sip of water, and the bitter taste in my mouth subsided a lot.
Okay~ Let’s go for a walk.
I opened the door——
"Oh, Raya, what's wrong?"
Raya was waiting for me at the door, like a well-behaved kitten, and I felt a little unexpected surprise.
She put her hands behind her back and leaned slightly:
"Are you going to go out for a walk?"
"Yes."
"I'll come too, okay?"
"It couldn't be better~~"
In order to express my inner agreement, I added another sentence:
"As long as Miss Raya orders me, I will do it even if it costs my life."
"No need to be so exaggerated..."
Raya showed a slight smile.
Yeah~~My mood is healed~~
We leave the hotel.
Considering Raya, I chose a street lamp... which is a street with more lighting equipment.
The air is very humid, and the fragrance of plants is spread everywhere, making people feel the smell of spring even at night.
If you walk on a remote road, you may be able to hear the chorus of birds...but the lively street scene in the bustling area makes up for this regret, and what matters most is whether Raya likes it.
"Is it okay, Miss Raya?"
"There's no problem with physical strength, don't underestimate me."
"No...I mean are you satisfied with the environment around here?"
Uh, I accidentally turned into this low-pitched way of speaking.
"Well...there is nothing satisfying or dissatisfying..."
Raya tilted her head:
"Is there anything different from usual?"
"Probably not."
"...Then why are you asking me?"
"I'm a little curious, would you like something that remains unchanged like this?"
"Unchanging..."
Raya repeated, then looked at me:
"For example, you?"
"I was referring to the street scene...well, that's what I said."
Pfft, it’s a shame that she suddenly thought of me.
"There are too many things that are immutable. It depends on the specific situation."
"What you said is absolutely true."
I agree without hesitation with Raya’s serious speech.
"If it were you...of course I would like it."
"...well..."
Beautiful.
I have never wanted a voice recorder as much as I do now.
"I am extremely grateful for your love."
Seeing that Raya's cheeks were faintly red, embarrassment made my tone become more humble.
"But, except for you, for other things that remain unchanged... I will still look forward to changes."
Okay~~ It doesn’t matter what other things are like~~ I only focus on the fact that Miss Raya likes me~~
"Well, well..."
I was immersed in joy and only had the sense to nod in agreement.
......
"It's a little cold."
I found myself speaking with a nasal sound. It's really strange. That bottle of medicine was definitely sold by a profiteer.
"Yeah."
Raya tightened her coat slightly.
Unknowingly, we came to a tailor shop that had not yet been renovated... It seems to be the third time today.
After the large-scale construction was completed, in addition to my daily visits, Raya would occasionally check in to learn about the current progress - she had long been looking forward to the opening.
"In another week or so, I'll have to get busy."
I said leisurely:
"At that time, I will have to trouble Miss Raya again~~"
"It's just a return to daily life."
"Hehe~~ You are so generous, aren't you afraid of turning me into a useless person? Although I am not far from a useless person..."
Raya’s nonchalant response made me scratch my hair in shame:
"When I think about it, I feel quite guilty... Your father asked me to take care of you, but in the end, I have been taken care of by you."
"So you can realize this."
Raya's eyes widened.
"...Hey, hey, I've already said that I'm not a cripple, okay?"
Realizing that I was being looked down upon, I looked at Raya with a wry smile.
"But you don't have to think too much——"
Raya pulled out a small, thin thing from somewhere and handed it to my hand:
"Father didn't just ask for your help."
"Well..."
The thing in my hand was a folded letter paper. I opened it and the handwriting on the paper looked very familiar.
"...Oh, your dad wrote it for you."
"Well, he emphasized that this was part of his suicide note."
"Eh..."
I was filled with emotion and slightly tightened my grip on the letter paper.
There is only one short sentence in the letter:
【Take good care of the elderly.】
"I didn't even know he wrote this..."
"I have kept it with me since my father passed away, treating it as a talisman."
"Then why are you telling me now?"
"Because you haven't asked me before."
"..."
I moved my eyes away pretending to be dissatisfied:
"That guy dares to look down on me. I'm not a useless person who needs to be taken care of by my juniors."
"Look at the back again."
"Back side?"
I forwarded the letter and saw another line of text:
【Considering him as our family heirloom.】
"Pfft..."
I laughed out loud.
That brat...
"How was it?"
Raya observed my reaction and asked with the mentality of a successful prank.
I handed the letter back to Raya and cleared my throat to make my voice sound more solemn:
"As far as I know, since there is no fingerprint of your father on the letter, it is temporarily impossible to prove that I am the private property of your family... Ah, ahem, but~~ I am happy to accept your family - that is
Ms. Raya’s considerate care, above.”
"You think beautifully."
"Eh~~"
Raya held my sleeve and rested her forehead on my arm.
She is suppressing a smile.
This scene was extremely rare and fleeting. After a few seconds, she returned to her serious look.
......
The hourly bell chimed in the distance.
Before we knew it, we had been walking for more than an hour.
Raya is one of those who goes to bed relatively early. She seems to be sleepy at this time. Fortunately, we are only about 200 meters away from the hotel.
On the way back, we didn’t communicate much.
Well~~ Walking with Raya eliminated the unhappiness in my heart.
I can have a good dream tonight, I thought to myself.
The moment we arrived at the hotel, the bright lights awakened Raya's spirit. Her big eyes stared at me steadily, as if she had just realized that I was next to her.
"We're here."
She even confirmed it to me in a daze.
"We're here."
"...Hmm."
Raya shook her head slightly:
"By the way, I was thinking about something just now."
"Oh?"
"That's what you asked about...things that don't change."
"It was the topic at the beginning."
What... I saw you didn't say a word for a long time. I thought you wanted to sleep, but I didn't expect you to be thinking about this.
"I feel now that things that remain the same will be better if they change."
Raya paused and said:
"What I mean is not to make you completely different from the past... It doesn't matter even if you maintain the status quo, but you have to keep the possibility of change."
"Possibility?"
"Well, it can remain the same, but at the same time have the ability to change... In this case, there will be more choices."
......
In the early morning, I woke up from my dream.
The sleepiness disappeared instantly, and my subconscious told me that it was very difficult to fall asleep again. I had no choice but to get out of bed and make myself a cup of coffee.
The coffee was fragrant in the cup. I held the cup with one hand and opened the curtain with the other hand.
The moonlight poured in, which naturally made me think of that night when I admired the moon with Raya.
Why did Raya suddenly talk about "change"? I just mentioned it casually, but she thought about it for so long.
Is this important to her?
Well...after all, she has indeed experienced many changes, and she is constantly growing...
Even so, Raya is still Raya, and I can still find similarities between her and the past from time to time.
Raya relies on "change" to make progress day by day, so she attaches great importance to "change"... This makes sense.
Could that be what those little brats were talking about...
"Oh, I can't stand it...I have lived for more than a hundred years and still can't understand what children are saying."
The warm coffee slides into the throat, stimulating the brain.
While maintaining "eternity" without completely abandoning "change"... seems feasible?
"Tsk, doesn't that mean I admit that I was wrong?"
Divine Eye, give me some hints.
"..."
Useless plug-in.
Become stronger and join the war...
So, let’s change the way of understanding...
"Can't break 'eternity'."
"Change" that cannot break "eternity" is included in "eternity".
"So, their ideas are wrong, but their actions are not."
I muttered to myself.
I think of Raya’s father’s accident:
He was walking in front of me at that time, and his divine eyes predicted the bricks falling from the sky. However, I failed to react and watched the bricks hit...
A stain of blood.
If I can occasionally play a role, will there be fewer such unfortunate things? In that case, it must be beneficial and harmless to "eternity".
"Haha, it took me a long time to do it, and I still have to rely on Raya to help me..."
Outside the window, the starry sky takes up most of the visible area.
Whenever I go to see a certain star, I feel particularly calm.
Maybe it is also looking at me silently.
"Try it first, then give up if it doesn't work."
I decided——
Let’s take a look at their “changes”.
Anyway, the dispensable old man is harmless no matter whether he changes or not.
While staying the same, it has the ability to change at any time... Well~~I really have you, Raya~~
This chapter has been completed!