Chapter 134 – 133: Yurian And Diana, Diana And Yurian (2)

“…Hello.”
“I’ve been waiting.”
“…For whom?”
“You.”

That beautiful face, always smiling. A faint curiosity arises as to why he was waiting.

“What’s your name?”
“…Diana.”
“Diana. That’s a pretty name. I’m Yurian.”
“……”
“Aren’t you going to compliment my name?”
“It’s pretty.”
“Huh? Ahaha. You should say it’s cool. I’m a boy.”

He was a boy who looked as pretty as a girl.

Winter is cold. Of course, it was winter.
Especially at the break of dawn, the back alley, where the stones that had absorbed the cold all night emitted a chilly aura, was even more frigid.

If she were alone, she wouldn’t have been able to endure the cold.
That’s what Diana thought.

How could anyone endure this cold alone? It’s a relief we’re together. Just being this close makes my shoulder warm. No. It’s not just my shoulder, my whole body is getting warm. Especially my chest, which was always cold even in summer, feels so warm, and it feels so good.

“Diana.”

She could feel the trembling through their bodies pressed close together. The vibration from the boy’s voice, whose shoulder was touching hers, made the drawing she was making on the dirt with a twig go awry. She was drawing her mom and dad… it got crooked.

Diana furiously swiped the twig across the dirt, erasing the drawing, and turned her head to the boy sitting next to her. His pretty silver hair, shining brightly in the sunlight, and his brown eyes that warmed her heart when she looked at them.

“……?”
“Do you know how long we’ve been together?”
“One year.”

Yurian, who had been smiling brightly as he watched Diana scribble on the dirt with a twig, nodded.

“You’re smart. That’s right. Today is exactly one year.”
“I know.”

Every day, she counted the days. 365 days. 365 days had passed since that day, so it was one year. A long time that felt like an eternity.

Diana suddenly remembered. Today was her 7th birthday. Although no one knew, 7 years ago today. It was the day Diana was born.

She glanced at the boy sitting next to her, smiling brightly. When is his birthday? How old is he? Does he have parents?

She didn’t know anything. They had been together for a year, but other than his name, Yurian, she didn’t know a single thing about him. It would be nice if she knew his birthday. Then, unlike today… unlike her birthday, which was passing by meaninglessly, it wouldn’t have been so.

At least she would have celebrated Yurian’s birthday. But it was okay. Even though she didn’t know anything except his name, it was okay.

She could get to know him from now on. There were so many things she hadn’t asked in the past year.
Diana looked into the boy’s brown eyes, which were smiling brightly. As always, her chest, which had been cold, warmed up.

The past year.
It was hard, but it was good.
Living with Yurian.

Yurian was kind. He was nice, pretty, and cool. And he was still mysterious.
His mysterious silver hair, which shone when it caught the light, still had a sheen, even though he hadn’t been able to wash it for a long time, and his fair skin, with smudges here and there, was still smooth.

His brown eyes, which always warmed her heart when she met them, were shining gently, and his red lips, which always smiled when she looked at him, were as pretty as a girl’s.

The Holy Nation of Hespolte was a wealthy region. It was wealthy enough that if a pretty little kid said they were hungry, they would be given food.

The Holy Nation of Hespolte was a safe region. It was safe enough that pretty, parentless orphan kids could wander around without being harmed.

The Holy Nation of Hespolte didn’t have severely hot summers or cold winters. It wasn’t so hot that street orphan kids would die from the heat, or so cold that they would freeze to death.

But living as an orphan was still difficult. She was still young… except for when she was a newborn, when her parents were proud of their smart and beautiful child, she had never left the mansion.

Her parents had initially forbidden her from leaving the yard, then the mansion… then the first floor… then the study… then her room, for fear that she would be discovered as the devil’s child.

So she always looked out the window, watching the people passing by. How fun would it be outside? Before she was even forbidden from the study, she learned about the world through books.

Even she knew. Even she, who knew nothing, knew how hard it was to live as a parentless street kid. She had realized it from the books, and from seeing the many orphan kids she had seen over the past year.

How hard it was for orphans to live outside. But strangely, the past year with Yurian hadn’t been hard.

She was hungry, she couldn’t wash when she wanted to, and sometimes it was so cold that they had to hold each other tight to get through the night… but it wasn’t bad. It was like that at home too.

When she was locked in her room, she was happy if she ate one meal a day. If she was too hungry and called for her mom and dad, they would still give her something to eat.

Even if she wanted to wash, or go to the bathroom, she couldn’t leave her room. So she just went in her room. It smelled so bad that she opened the window, but after she was caught and the window was blocked, she was so, so sad.

So the year she spent with Yurian wasn’t hard. It was more comfortable than home.
At least there were no sounds of her parents fighting, things breaking, or yelling at each other. She didn’t have to be locked in a smelly, cramped room.

But she also knew that this wasn’t normal. The many orphans who had disappeared over the past year. She could often see the bodies of orphans who had died in the alleys.

Even if the Holy Nation of Hespolte was wealthy and generous. How? How was Yurian feeding her?

She scribbled on the dirt, trying to figure it out, but she still couldn’t understand.

But more than anything, what she was curious about was why he had been waiting for her. How did he know when she would come out? Where she would come out? Did he know in advance what would happen that day?

Was Yurian really an angel sent by God?
Diana pondered the question that had been lingering in her mind for the past year, over and over again. Of course, she couldn’t know the answer.

“Diana.”
“What.”
“I… I can’t see you anymore.”
“……?”

Her face turned reflexively.
Yurian was still smiling brightly as he looked at Diana, who had turned her expressionless face to stare at him intently.

Come to think of it, he was always like that. Yurian always smiled at her. To the point of being foolish.

Diana quickly recalled the memories of the past year, from their first meeting until now. In her memories, Yurian was always smiling at her. Always. Always.

“That’s… a joke?”

So she didn’t believe it. She thought it was a bad joke.
With those heart-warming eyes. With eyes similar to her parents’ during the happiest time of her memories.

“No. I’m serious. It’s almost time. This is the last time I can talk to you like this, Diana.”
“……Liar.”
“It’s true.”
“Liar. You’re lying. You’re lying, lying, lying.”

A memory she had been trying not to think about came to mind.
What had happened exactly one year ago today.

“Are you… are you abandoning Diana too? Like my dad… like my mom, are you abandoning Diana and leaving?”
“No. Absolutely not.”

Yurian smiled faintly and stroked her head with his small hand. The warm, soft sensation on her head.

“I’m always with Diana. It’s just that I won’t be the same as I was before.”
“…I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“You’ll understand soon, Diana. Even though I’ll be different from now on, I’m still Yurian. Even if I’m a little different from what you know. Is that okay?”

At first, she couldn’t understand what he was saying. Diana thought she was smart, but strangely, she couldn’t understand Yurian’s words at all.

…No. She didn’t want to understand.

“No. Don’t go. Huh? Is it… is it because I don’t talk much? Is it because I’m not childish enough… is that why? I’ll do better now. I’ll talk more, and I’ll be whiny like a child. Will that work? Huh? Yurian.”

Yurian smiled at the hand that was tightly grabbing his sleeve. A gentle, soft, and beautiful smile. A lovely smile that she still remembered vividly…

“Diana. I’ll always be with you. My appearance might be unfamiliar at first, but I’m still Yurian, and you’re Diana. Okay?”
“I’ll do better. Huh? I, Diana, will do better. I’ll smile like you, talk more, and act like a child. Huh? So… don’t abandon me. Yurian. Huh?”
“I won’t abandon you. I told you, I’m always with Diana. So… please take care of ‘me’, Diana.”

Yurian’s eyes blinked. He looked around with a bewildered expression, then looked down at his body, touched his face, and looked around again.

“What is this?”

The bewilderment in his wide eyes.
Those familiar yet unfamiliar eyes, which were always gentle and full of affection, were looking at her.

Diana felt a sense of unfamiliarity and familiarity.
He was Yurian, but he wasn’t Yurian. Where was Yurian? He was right in front of her. No, this wasn’t Yurian. But it was Yurian.

Yurian had left.
Yurian had returned.

Diana barely managed to smile.

“Yurian? What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

Yurian’s brown eyes, which had been staring at her, rolled away.
A familiar sight. When he was flustered, Yurian always avoided eye contact. An unfamiliar yet familiar… familiar yet unfamiliar Yurian.

Diana made a childish face. The facial muscles she didn’t usually use ached from the sudden movement, but she imitated the various expressions of Yurian in her memories.

“That’s weird. If you keep ignoring me, I’m going to get mad? Seriously.”

Looking at Yurian, who was still full of bewilderment, Diana shouted like a child.

“I’m going to hit you! I’m really going to hit you! A-answer me quickly!”

She raised her voice, scrunched up her face, made exaggerated gestures, and swung her fist uselessly in the air before bringing it to her forehead.

“……Ah.”

His mysterious silver hair was as soft as usual, and his forehead was as warm as usual. …Yurian. It’s Yurian. Even if he was a little different… he was her Yurian.

Strangely, tears welled up in her eyes. Diana shed tears, feeling empty yet full, sad yet happy.

“Ah, did it hurt? It did hurt, didn’t it… I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Yurian. It was my fault… *sniff*. Don’t abandon me, *sob*.”
“…This is real?”

Goodbye, Yurian.
Thank you for everything.

My only friend.
My friend and teacher. My only understanding and safe haven.

My first love. And my father.

I won’t let you go alone. I’ll let go of the Diana of the past.
So Yurian and Diana are… Diana’s parents.

Goodbye, Yurian.
I’m glad to see you again.

I’m Diana, the daughter of Yurian and Diana.

I won’t let you go this time.
Stay as my Yurian… like you always have.