Chapter 8: Bonds
The next day, Latifa led Rio to the square where they had parted ways the day before.
“U-Umm... I’m sorry for running away yesterday!” The first thing out of Latifa’s mouth after they turned to each other was an apology.
“...I should be the one apologizing, Latifa. I was the one at fault. I should have told you in a better way... I was too clumsy about it. I’m sorry.” Rio was slightly taken aback, but after a beat, he awkwardly apologized.
“
T-That’s not right! It was just me being spoiled! I-I actually knew all along, kind of... I knew Onii-chan would leave the village some day... That’s why I was scared. Not having Onii-chan there for even a moment makes me so worried.” Latifa rejected Rio’s words and revealed her own thoughts, as if to appeal to him.
“B... But you know, yesterday, when I heard you say you were leaving, I went a little crazy. I made Onii-chan worry, and caused trouble for the other girls... So I thought about it. I thought about it all night. I wanted to talk to Onii-chan once I gathered my thoughts...”
Watching Latifa get more and more anxious as she spoke made Rio’s expression darken slightly.
“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you, too,” Rio nodded, making Latifa sigh in relief.
“Thank goodness...” she said as the strength drained from Latifa’s body.
“I should be saying that. I was worried you hated me now.” Rio shook his head with a tense smile.
“N-Never! I love Onii-chan! I was worried you’d hate me after everything. Worried that you’d leave the village because I’m always causing trouble. I knew that wasn’t the case, but... The thought of being a bother to Onii-chan made me so scared,” Latifa said, tears flowing in large drops.
“You’re not a bother,” Rio informed her.
“Huh?” Latifa looked up at him blankly.
“You don’t cause trouble, and you’re not a bother. I’m not sure whether its okay or not for such a selfish person like me to be your brother, but you’re my sister. No... I’d be honored if you would accept me as your brother. Truly,” Rio said falteringly, looking somewhat guilty.
“...I’m your little sister though, Onii-chan. I want to be your little sister! Onii-chan isn’t selfish at all! Is it okay? Is it really okay for me to be your sister?!” Latifa’s body shook, tears falling as she spoke.
“You’re okay with me as your brother?” Rio asked somewhat hesitatingly, but Latifa nodded emphatically and hugged him.
“Yup! Onii-chan is my brother! The one who saved me. The one who’s kind to me! The one who saved me, even when Onii-chan could have just killed me!”
“No, I... I told you, right? That I simply didn’t want to kill anyone. In order to avoid getting my hands dirty, I showed you false kindness. I’m not kind at all, really. I’m just selfish,” Rio said regretfully, furrowing his brow. His hands did not move to wrap around Latifa, and fidgeted aimlessly instead.
“It’s real! It’s real kindness. I was a slave before, so I’m really sensitive to people’s malicious intentions. I’ve lived my life grovelling at the feet of others, observing their moods and always apologizing, so that horrible things wouldn’t be done to me... But I couldn’t feel any malice in Onii-chan at all. That’s why Onii-chan’s kindness is real!” Latifa tried to desperately appeal to him as she clung to him.
“Latifa...”
“Anyway, I’m selfish too! You know... Even when I didn’t have a reason to live, I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to be in pain, so I did everything they told me to. With this very mouth, I said my master was the best. I was the most precious thing to myself. No... That’s still true now. Even though Onii-chan’s so important to me, I keep making demands and causing trouble!”
“No, I wasn’t inconvenienced at all. You’re not selfish — it makes me really happy to hear you ask for things,” Rio said bluntly, shaking his head at her self-deprecation.
“...E-Ehe. Ehehe. Thank you... I’m happy, too.” Latifa looked taken aback for a second, before smiling shyly from the depths of her heart. That made Rio finally smile, too, and he awkwardly stroked Latifa’s back.
“...Hey, Onii-chan. Will you really... be my brother?” Latifa asked once more, timidly, as she peered up at Rio’s face.
“Yeah. If you’re OK with that.”
“Yup, I’m fine! I want Onii-chan!”
“Really? Thank you,” Rio said with a conflicted expression that was partway between happy and worried.
“Yup. Ehehe.” Latifa nodded with a grin. She continued to cling to Rio for a while; he was simply letting her do as she wished. Then, after some time — “Hey, Latifa. Do you want me to stay in the village?” Rio asked, grabbing Latifa by the shoulders and gazing into her eyes.
“U-Umm... if-if Onii-chan wants to leave the village, I... I can handle it. Because I know we’ll meet again. That’s why... I won’t even be spoiled and ask to go, too. I’ll do my best,” She replied, giving a more mature smile than usual.
“...The reason I’m heading to Yagumo... I don’t think I’ve told you yet, Latifa. It’s the hometown of my dead parents. That’s why I want to go to the Yagumo region. It’s like visiting a grave... sort of.”
Before he knew it, Rio was laying himself bare so easily that it surprised even him. This was a part of himself that he had never considered confiding to anyone, at least of his own free will —
“So that... was why... I... I guess I didn’t know anything about Onii-chan. Yet, I still...” Latifa muttered in embarrassment, seemingly shocked.
“The same goes for me, too. There’s so much I don’t know about you, either.”
“...I guess... that’s true. I haven’t told Onii-chan lots of things. Things I need to say properly... Things I want the Onii-chan I love to know about me. Is that all right?” Latifa’s face took on a serious expression, and Rio gently nodded his head.
“...Yeah. Will you tell me your story, Latifa?”
Rio knew he had to hear it, because right now, Latifa was trying to take a big step forward. If he rejected her here, her progress would come to a halt.
“Then, I’m going to tell Onii-chan my secret. It might be hard to believe, though...” Latifa emphasized as a preface. “The truth is, I actually died once. I used to be a human. Then, I was reborn into who I currently am. Erm... I don’t know how to say it so Onii-chan will believe me, but it wasn’t in this world. I lived in a country called Japan. But before I knew it, I was in this world...” She explained earnestly, albeit in a disorderly fashion.
“I see. I believe you,” Rio easily accepted. Latifa turned a searching gaze toward him.
“...Really? Onii-chan believes me?”
“...Sorry. Rather than saying I believe you... it’s more like I already knew. Because... I’m the same as you.” Rio corrected, regretfully shaking his head.
“Huh? ...Huh? What does that mean?”
“You were a Japanese person. I was one too.”
“...Y-You, too?” Latifa was so shaken, she barely managed to put her question into words.
“I was Japanese, too,” Rio answered seriously, using clumsily-spoken Japanese.
He had maintained his use of the language until now by thinking in Japanese whenever he was alone, leaving him still somewhat fluent despite being without a conversation partner for all these years.
“Japanese... Ja... pan... Onii-chan was Japanese, too?” Latifa asked unsteadily in Japanese as well.
“That’s right,” Rio nodded strongly.
“So, Onii-chan... knew about me... and didn’t say anything...?” Latifa asked blankly. She had reached a point beyond being surprised, and the emotion had completely fallen off of her face. She had gone back to using the language that was familiar to this world.
“Yeah,” Rio replied honestly, hanging his head a little as he looked straight into Latifa’s eyes.
By giving an affirmation with his words, the memories he had sealed deep within his heart of when he was a Japanese person vividly came to life. He clenched his hand into a fist, those memories making him feel ashamed.
“Onii-chan...” Latifa seemed to sense something within Rio’s gesture, and meekly fell silent.
“Sorry. I should have opened up to you sooner.”
“...No, that’s okay. But when... did you notice?” Latifa asked timidly.
“When I first made pasta for you. You called it spaghetti,” Rio replied with a strained smile.
“That was so long ago... But... I see... that makes sense.”
“Back then, you were still a bit... mentally unstable. So I didn’t think it was something I needed to tell you. But, really, I just didn’t want to tell you, because I didn’t want to develop any weird regrets for my life in Japan...” Rio said with a self-deprecating smile.
“...I see. I was being protected by Onii-chan this whole time.”
“No, I was only prioritizing myself,” Rio said through gritted teeth, but Latifa shook her head.
“Nope. Does Onii-chan still have regrets from when you were in Japan?”
“If I said I had none... that would be a lie. I definitely had regrets when I died. Do you have any, Latifa?”
“I did, but... I’m fine, now. Because I have Onii-chan.” Latifa answered, beaming with everything she had. Rio’s eyes widened.
“You sure are strong...”
“That’s because I have you. Because Onii-chan is here, I can be strong. That’s why... umm. I know its demanding of me to ask, but I want to know more about Onii-chan. That way I won’t be as lonely in this village while you’re gone. So... if it’s possible, I’d like to hear stories about your life before you were reborn. Is that... okay?”
“...Yeah, okay. If it’s to you, I can say it. You’re my little sister, after all, and I’d like to hear more about you, too. Let’s talk things out, slowly. We still have plenty of time.” Rio hesitated for a bit, but eventually agreed with a soft smile.
“Okay! Wait, you’re not leaving right away? There’s still time?” Latifa said, nodding with a smile at first, before being taken aback.
“Yeah. There’s still a lot I want to learn from the village, and I still want to stay with you for a while... So it’ll be another year, at least.”
“E-Eeeeh? I... thought you’d be leaving right away...” Knowing that their farewell was still far in the future, all the strength drained from her.
And then, on that day, the two exchanged stories of before they were reborn. Although Rio held back from elaborating upon his experience, they still talked about many things.
The biggest shock was the fact they were distantly acquainted with each other, and rode the same bus just before they died. When she discovered that truth, Latifa began to blush a little. And before they even realized it, they had been talking to each other until evening.
From that day onward, the two of them became siblings in the true sense of the word.
Then, once they got home —
“Oh, my. You two are looking even closer than before... I take it went well?” Ursula asked. She had been waiting in front of the house.
“Yes, thank you for the concern. We’ve become closer,” Rio reported a bit shyly.
“Even if Onii-chan decides to leave, I’ve decided to wait for him in the village!” Latifa said with a carefree smile, as a teardrop suddenly rolled down Ursula’s cheek.
“Oho... I see I have become more susceptible to tears in my old age... Lord Rio, thank you for saving this child.” Ursula grasped his hand, as though in prayer.
◇◇◇
One year went by in a flash. On one particular day, when Rio’s departure from the village for the Yagumo region was growing imminent, he was summoned by the village elders, and went to the council room of the town hall.
“Hm. Good of you to come.” Syldora, Dominic, and Ursula stood at the front, welcoming Rio with a smile.
“Erm... Did you need something from me today?” Rio asked with faint wariness at the rather exaggerated welcome. Syldora was the one that broached the subject.
“Well, there is something we wished to give to Lord Rio, being that you are our village’s benefactor and sworn friend. First, please accept this as a gift from the village.”
With that said, Syldora presented Rio with a bracelet. It was made from a mythril metal called magic silver and had a complex formula carved into it, along with a huge spirit stone that was embedded within.
“Is... this a Time-Space Cache? I cannot accept something so valuable.” Rio’s eyes widened, refusing the gift almost reflexively.
Rio was quite familiar with the Time-Space Cache. Loaded with time-space magic that humans couldn’t reproduce through sorcery, it was a magic artifact that held a rather extraordinary effect. It created a semi-perpetual isolated dimension in proportion to the registered owner’s essence, from which items could be freely stored and retrieved at will.
“Think nothing of it. It is merely another symbol of our friendship. Your journey should be a lot easier with this, no?” Syldora shook his head, and pushed the Time-Space Cache at Rio.
“It may be easier, but...” Rio said, expressing his hesitance in accepting the gift. Then, from the side —
“Don’t sweat the details, kid. That’s what a sworn friendship is all about. And the gifts aren’t just from the village, ya know? The dwarves have prepared a weapon set to present you. This sword here is made from mythril. It can absorb your spirit arts and encapsulate itself in them. There’s also an armor set made from the leather of the Black Wyvern you defeated. Honestly, it makes metal armor look like paper in comparison,” Dominic said in a good-natured voice, with several dwarves carrying weapons and armor following him.
The valuable sword was embedded with a spirit stone that glittered beautifully. The armor set was designed like clothing, with gloves, boots, and a long coat that were all made of the Black Wyvern’s leather. It glimmered with a jet black sheen.
“Since you still have room to grow, we made the size a bit on the larger side. We’ll make further adjustments once you return to the village. And, just so you know, it was custom made for you, so you have no right to refuse it,” Dominic said with a smug look.
“The dwarves are not the only ones who prepared a present — we elves have prepared a large number of medicines, too. There’s an inventory list of everything included, which you may inspect later,” Syldora said, handing Rio a single piece of paper and gesturing towards a large wooden box on the ground beside him that must have been filled with the medicines.
Many elvish medicines were crafted using precious materials and created with spirit arts, and their effectiveness was leagues beyond what human medicines could do. The list he was handed even included secret potions and miracle elixirs, making Rio’s eyes widen.
“Is it really alright for me to take such potions and elixirs from you?”
“Hahaha, do not worry. I was the one who gave instruction on how to make all of those recipes. As long as you have the materials, I could teach you how to make them too, Lord Rio.”
“Aren’t those materials highly valuable?” They were all items that were difficult for humans to cultivate; some items even required Dryas’ tree sap.
“They may be difficult to obtain in human territories, but that is not the case for this village. Feel free to take as much as you like,” Syldora said with a gentle smile.
“Now, there’s still the werebeast’s share to account for. We’ve prepared ingredients harvested in the village — so much of it, in fact, you’ll never run out. Because of the large amount of ingredients, we couldn’t bring it here to this spot, but you can store it in your Time-Space Cache later. Oh, and this one is from not only the werebeasts... Every other species put forth their specialty alcohol too.”
Finally, as though to deliver the finishing blow, Ursula presented a mountain of food and drink.
“Everyone... You prepared so much...” Rio clenched his fist as his face twisted apologetically.
“That’s a silly thing to say, kid. You’re underestimating just how much you’ve done for us until now. It’d be ungrateful of us to let you leave from this village with nothing in hand!” Dominic said with a laugh.
“Indeed, it is exactly as Dominic says. You may consider it the collective will of the village.”
“That’s right. So, please — we want you to accept it.” Both Syldora and Ursula spoke in a voice full of determination.
Behind the three head elders, the other village elders deeply nodded. Rio slowly raised his head and looked around at the faces in the room.
“Words of gratitude are not enough for the greatest kindness you have bestowed upon my unworthy self. If ever a danger shall befall upon the spirit folk, I vow to assist you as your sworn friend — with my entire being.” Rio spoke his verbal pledge, and gave a profound bow of his head.
◇◇◇
Finally, the day came for Rio to depart the spirit folk village.
There were so many people who wanted to see him off, they had to borrow Dryas’ shrine as a gathering point before his departure.
“Everyone, thank you very much for this past year and a half,” Rio said, offering his gratitude to everyone who came to see him off.
“Have a nice trip, Onii-chan!” Saddened by the farewell, Latifa hugged Rio until his appearance became a little ruffled — but Rio found that all the more endearing.
“Latifa, Rio is in pain,” Sara said in fond exasperation with a smile on her lips.
“Since we won’t be seeing each other again for a while, I’m charging up on as much Onii-chan energy as I can! This is your chance if you want to hug Onii-chan, too, Sara!” Latifa said from where she clung to Rio.
“W-What?! I don’t want to hug him at all!” Sara denied with a furious blush.
“Then I’ll hug him instead of Sara.”
“...Me too. Please.”
Orphia and Alma said, having just appeared.
“Huh?” Sara said dumbfoundedly.
“Good for you, Sara! Orphia and Alma will do it in your place. Okay, I’ll let go for a moment, then!” Latifa said with a triumphant grin, letting go of Rio so that Orphia and Alma could approach.
“Uugh...” Sara’s expression twitched.
“Ehehe, it’s a little embarrassing. Then... do excuse me. Have a good trip, Rio. Let’s all live together again when you get back!” Orphia said her parting words with a bright smile as she gave Rio a gentle hug.
“Thank you. I’ll search for delicious recipes while I’m on my journey,” Rio replied, smiling bashfully. Then, after Orphia had let go of him with a slightly regretful look, Alma stepped forward.
“Rio. P-Please make sure to take care of yourself. I’ll be praying for you to have a safe journey.” Alma embraced Rio with a blush, too.
Rio had grown a fair bit in height during his stay in the village, so compared to the smaller size of a dwarf like Alma, it was like the size difference of an adult and a child.
“If I find any delicious sake on my trip, I’ll bring it back as a souvenir. We can drink it together.”
“Ah... S-Sure. If it’s not too much trouble, then please do.”
While she thought it was a bit odd for a young maiden to be offered alcohol as a souvenir, it still made her happy, which made Alma’s blush grow even deeper.
“Come on, Sara, you too!”
“Wah! H-Hey, Latifa!”
Once Alma let go of Rio, Latifa shoved Sara from behind. Losing her balance and tripping over her feet, she found herself in front of him.
“Ah, umm. Hi, Rio...” Sara stood before Rio shyly with scarlet-colored cheeks.
“Hi, Sara. How can I help you?” Rio replied with an amused laugh.
“P-Please train me again when you get back!” Sara said in a rather hasty way, before moving promptly and wrapping her arms gently around him.
“Sure. Keep up your own training so you can win one over me next time.”
“Ugh... okay. I won’t lose!” With a small groan, Sara clenched her two fists in motivation. Then, Uzuma, Anya, Vera, and Arslan, as well as crowds of other spirit folk, all came forwards at once.
“Everyone all at once?” Rio looked around at them with widened eyes.
“Sara’s group is special!” explained Vera.
“Yup, yup. Sara’s group is special, right?” Anya looked over at the girls with a knowing grin. Orphia received her gaze with a smile of her own, but Sara and Alma avoided making eye contact.
“Rio, I hope you have a good trip. Let’s play together again when you come back.” Vera hugged Rio cutely.
“Oh, my. Did you win over Sara’s little sister too? I shouldn’t even be surprised anymore.”
“What are you saying, Anya?” Rio’s smile twitched doubtfully.
“Rio! Stay healthy! Train me too when you get back!”
“Yeah, sure. You take care of yourself, too, Arslan. Please be good friends with Latifa.”
“T-That goes without saying, of course.” Arslan blushed and turned away a bit brusquely.
“Lord Rio, I am also looking forward to the day you can fight me again. I shall endeavor to discipline myself even more than you, to become stronger,” Uzuma said next.
“Yes, I’ll be training myself too. I look forward to our rematch.” With that promise, Rio and Uzuma exchanged a firm handshake.
To Uzuma, while it was only a practice match, Rio was one of the few opponents she could go all out against. The same went for Rio. Ever since he taught Uzuma techniques for sparring with other people, her skills had risen exponentially. They both anxiously awaited their rematch.
“Then, I shall be praying for your good fortune. Take care.”
“Yes, do look forward to your souvenir.”
With a deep nod, Uzuma left Rio’s side. Then, the elders appeared.
“Oho. We shall keep this short and sweet for you; the elders will say their farewells all together. Lord Rio, come back to us at any time. This village is your home too,” Ursula said with a cheery smile.
“That’s right! Come back whenever you want!” Dominic said with a merry laugh, grasping Rio’s arm firmly.
“Yes. All of us present will be awaiting your return, Lord Rio. May the spirits guide your journey.” Syldora smiled and offered a prayer for Rio’s safe travels.
“Thank you all very much. I hope everyone here takes care as well,” Rio said, nodding at all the elders.
“Have a good trip and see you again soon, Onii-chan!” Latifa came over once more to give her final greeting, hugging Rio enthusiastically.
“Yeah, I’ll be back soon.” Rio gently hugged Latifa back. Eventually, he reluctantly let go of her hand and turned on his heel with resolve...
...Only to turn back around to face the spirit folk villagers.
“Everyone! It is my greatest honor to be a part of you. I am deeply indebted to you all for including my undeserving self amongst your ranks as a sworn friend,” Rio said in a loud voice, before manipulating wind with spirit arts and floating gently into the air. The villagers were cheering at him and waving their hands.
“I look forward to the day we meet again!”
With that said, Rio waved his hand and rose far up into the sky. Then, his figure disappeared, heading quickly toward the sky’s horizon. The spirit folk waved their arms until they could no longer see Rio’s form.
“There he goes,” Alma muttered quietly once Rio’s form disappeared completely.
“Sara, Orphia, Alma. I won’t lose,” Latifa said, her eyes fixed on the sky where Rio had disappeared.
“...Huh? Lose at what?” Sara replied in confusion.
“I love Onii-chan. As family, and as the opposite sex. There might be someone other than us in Onii-chan’s heart... But I won’t give up. So, just in case you all love him too, I’m going to declare war right now. Though, it doesn’t really matter if none of you care about Onii-chan in that way anyway...” Latifa stared at Sara and the others with a daring smile.
“W-Wha — I never said I didn’t care!” Sara said vaguely with a bright red face, her words neither confirming nor denying anything.
“Fufu, that’s not very honest of you, Sara,” Orphia said with a sweet smile.
“That’s right. Being dishonest because of your embarrassment is one of your faults, Sara.” Alma slumped her shoulders in exasperation.
“A-Aren’t you the same as me, Alma?! You’re not one to talk!” Sara objected.
“At least I’m honest when it counts the most!” Alma said nonchalantly and turned her face away. Sara knew this was the kind of behavior Alma took on when she was embarrassed, thanks to the many years they’d spent together.
“See! Just like that! We’re the same in how we get embarrassed!”
“That’s not what I was talking about.”
The way their conversation heated up like this was typical for Sara and Alma. If Rio had been present, he would have watched on with a grin at such a familiar scene. The villagers present watched, all smiles, as the girls noisily argued.
It was the year 998 of the Holy Era — more than seven years had passed since Rio regained his memories of his previous life. The day when history would be set into motion was fast approaching.
