Chapter 19
When I came to, it was the morning of the third day.
Though I'd been in such pain, sleeping for a little while had left both my body and mind feeling refreshed.
No, my body was fine to begin with thanks to my ability.
My mind must still be recovering.
I blinked blankly, then stretched my arms and legs to work out the stiffness in my body.
"Uuugh, uuuh…! Haaah…."
After finishing a stretch vigorous enough to make my arms and legs tremble, a pleasant freshness washed over me.
But despite feeling refreshed, I found myself wanting to go back to sleep.
"Hwaaah…. Haa…."
Still, I should get up.
As I climbed out of bed with a long yawn, my eyes met Yoo Seo-ah's as she came out of the bathroom.
"You're awake?"
"Ah, Ms. Seo-ah! Good morning! You're up early!"
"You're the one who woke up later than usual."
They say that if you wake up naturally feeling refreshed, it means you overslept, but how much longer had I slept?
At Yoo Seo-ah's words, I checked the clock hanging on the wall.
"Eleven o'clock!?"
Considering I usually woke up at six, I'd slept a full five hours longer.
Well, I had stayed up until late last night, but still—eleven o'clock!?
When I shot upright in surprise, Yoo Seo-ah chuckled.
"After causing such a ruckus yesterday, I guess you really were tired."
"W-What about breakfast!? Did you go out on a call!? You can't go out on an empty stomach! You'll lose your strength! People need to eat to work!"
"I ate breakfast, and I haven't gone out yet. So it's fine. Don't be so startled."
Yoo Seo-ah chuckled and lightly patted my shoulder.
"I was just about to have lunch, so let's eat together."
"Ah, yes…. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
I headed for the kitchen to put on an apron.
More precisely, I tried to.
"Ms. Seo-ah? You have to go into the kitchen to make lunch, you know."
"Take today off. You were groaning in pain all day yesterday, and now you want to do something?"
"But…."
"No buts. When you're sick, you should just rest. So don't do anything today—lie down quietly."
She cut me off so decisively, as though she wouldn't entertain any objections, that I had no choice but to nod.
"Then how are we going to have lunch?"
"Huh? How else? We'll order in."
Ah. Right. Ordering food was an option too.
After living like a model child for the past few days, I'd forgotten about it.
I nodded and sat back down on the bed, and Yoo Seo-ah, who had finished drying her hair, sat beside me and said,
"And today is the last day. The last day we can be together."
The last day?
What was she talking about….
―Just three days. Do what I ask for that time, and I'll let you go.
"…Ah."
Today was that third day.
I'd completely forgotten because of the monster.
'Today is the last day.'
Once today passed, the time I got to spend with Yoo Seo-ah like this would be over.
Once I started traveling around to save other magical girls, I probably wouldn't be able to see her for a while.
The word 'last' always felt new, and always left me wistful.
There was still plenty of time left before today ended, but once that wistfulness had taken root, it showed no sign of disappearing.
This feeling wouldn't disappear even after I left this place.
No, it would probably grow even stronger.
That's simply what regret was like.
I would keep thinking, I wish I'd done this, or I wish I'd done that.
"What's wrong? You look glum. Why, are you feeling sad now that you're about to leave?"
Yoo Seo-ah, who had been ordering food on her phone, said that as she looked at me sitting blankly.
After thinking for a moment, I smiled and shook my head.
"I'm fine! It's not as though we'll never see each other again, right?"
If I revealed these feelings of mine, they would only become a burden to her.
It wasn't as though I would never see her again.
We were bound to run into each other again someday.
"You look awfully sad for someone who says that."
Had it shown that clearly on my face?
I gave a bitter smile at the sight of Yoo Seo-ah smiling at me as I touched my face.
She'd already seen right through me.
"They say every meeting has a parting… but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad."
"You could just honestly say you're sad. Why are you making it so complicated?"
"Because if I'm honest, I'd be a burden to you, Ms. Seo-ah."
"Who decided you'd be a burden?"
Yoo Seo-ah pressed a finger firmly into my cheek.
"I appreciate your consideration, but I'm not so narrow-minded that I can't handle feelings like that, you know?"
"Ms. Seo-ah…."
"So you can just be honest. You don't want to go."
I chuckled at the way Yoo Seo-ah was subtly revealing her true feelings and leaned against her shoulder.
Perhaps because she'd just washed up, her skin was warm and carried a pleasant lavender scent.
It was as though Yoo Seo-ah had noticed what I was feeling.
I realized what Yoo Seo-ah wanted to say.
"You don't want to let me go?"
I heard her inhale above my head.
But Yoo Seo-ah merely sighed without saying anything.
After remaining silent for a while, Yoo Seo-ah cautiously took my hand.
"If I say I don't want to let you go, will you stay?"
This time, it was my turn to keep my mouth shut.
Only then did I realize why Yoo Seo-ah had fallen silent a moment ago.
'I've asked her a difficult question.'
After thinking for quite some time about how I should answer, I smiled faintly and clasped her hand in return.
"If you tell me not to go, I won't."
It wasn't a lie.
If Yoo Seo-ah told me not to go, I truly intended to stay.
Of course, I hadn't said it because I truly didn't want to leave.
I could say it because I knew what Yoo Seo-ah would say in response.
At my words, Yoo Seo-ah silently tightened her grip on our joined hands.
She stopped just before it began to hurt, then sighed.
"…That's not fair. You say that knowing I can't tell you not to go."
"Hehe, I'm sorry."
"It's even worse that you do it knowing you'll have to apologize. Are you really an angel?"
I laughed sheepishly as Yoo Seo-ah said that with a sullen expression.
Seeing me like that, she let out a deep sigh and pulled me tightly into her arms.
"To be honest, I don't want to let you go. But I promised I'd let you go. And…. I know all too well how painful it is to be bound by something."
Saying that, Yoo Seo-ah lay down on the bed while still holding me.
She lay facing me so that we could see each other's faces, rather than having my back to her.
"That's why I'm letting you go. Because I want you to be happy."
I smiled at her awkward, embarrassed smile.
I pressed down on my sparkling halo until its light went out, then hugged Yoo Seo-ah tightly.
"Thank you."
"If you're grateful, at least let me hear from you once in a while. I'm not saying you have to do it often; just let me know whenever you think of me."
"Yes, I promise."
For a little while, we simply held each other.
We had been nodding off in each other's warmth when the doorbell jolted us awake, and we shot upright.
"Huh, wha? Wh-what is it? Are we being called out?"
"Ugh…. No, it's the food we ordered earlier. I forgot while we were talking…. Ugh, just wait a moment. I'll go get it."
Yoo Seo-ah got up looking disheveled, yawned, and went out to receive the food.
What she had ordered was pizza, of all things.
"It's pizza?"
"It reminded me of something my family and I used to eat, so I ordered it."
It was nothing special, an ordinary choice, but that was precisely why I liked it even more.
"Thith piththa ith yummy!"
"Yes, yes, finish what's in your mouth before you talk."
"The pizza is delicious!"
"Right?"
We could laugh and chat over it without a care.
And so we spent a long time laughing and chatting as we watched TV over a whole pizza.
If today were our last day, shouldn't we do something more special?
I had thought so too, but Yoo Seo-ah said that since it was our last day, she wanted to spend an even more ordinary day, so we decided not to do anything today.
If we did something special, it would make today truly feel like the end.
We decided to save something special for the 'next' time that would come someday.
I hoped we wouldn't have to go out on a call today.
Whether that small wish of mine had come true, or whether it was thanks to the monster's disappearance,
we spent the day in perfect peace.
[Worried about what to have for dinner? Tired after working all day? We've prepared this just for you!――…]
"It's already dinnertime."
They say happy times pass quickly.
We hadn't done anything in particular, but the sun was already setting.
Yoo Seo-ah had been watching a food commercial on TV when she began staring intently at me without saying a word.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
I asked cautiously, feeling a little uncomfortable under her gaze.
"No, it's nothing. I just have something on my mind."
Saying that, Yoo Seo-ah let out a deep sigh and rested her head against the bed.
"This is difficult."
"What's difficult?"
"Your name."
I blinked at the unexpected statement, and she chuckled as she looked at me.
"I can't keep calling you 'hey,' 'you,' or 'angel,' after all."
"Hmm…. I suppose not. But I don't have a name."
"That's what I've been thinking about—what name might suit you."
Ah, would this count as blasphemy?
She smiled playfully, and after hesitating for a moment, I smiled too.
"It'll probably be fine. God won't care anyway."
If you mean the god of this world, it'd be that damn author.
Would that author really nitpick over the name of a character who didn't even exist in the original story?
No, absolutely not.
They'd just let it go.
"So it's fine. Let's think of one together!"
I had to settle on a name eventually too.
It was a little late, but if I was going to meet all sorts of people from here on, I needed to choose one now.
Just as I was about to start thinking about what might suit me, Yoo Seo-ah spoke first.
"Actually, I did have one idea in mind."
"What is it?"
"I looked it up online last time, and apparently an angel with six wings is called a seraph. So at first I was going to name you Sarai (שָׂרַ֣י), but it seemed a little awkward, so I took out the 'i' and made it Sarah (שָׂרָה). What do you think?"
Sarah.
Sarah….
"I like it!"
I gave her a bright, innocent smile and nodded.
[Name : Sarah(שָׂרָה:Princess of Everyone)]
My name was inscribed in a corner of the previously empty status window.