---

Zion, following the Light of the Sphere, was under the big tree in our backyard.

It was the biggest tree visible from the window of the room Zion stayed in. It had been planted in our yard.

Zion, curled up leaning against the tree, got down from the wheelchair.

To think Zion deliberately brought the sphere into our yard and sat there.

So, Zion really was waiting for me to find her?

“Zion. What are you doing here?”

At the sound of my voice, Zion lifted her head slightly to glance at me before burying her face back into her knees.

“I’m fine, so go see the patients.”

“How can you say that when you’re like this?”

I naturally leaned against the tree and sat right next to Zion.

Is she pouting? If it’s that simple, then I guess that’s a relief…

“How was Naoma?”

“What do you mean by how?”

“Much softer and warmer, right? It must have felt better to hug than skinny me?”

“I’ve never hugged anyone! If someone hears that, they might misunderstand…”

Just as Hanamana said, gathering my thoughts and facing Zion made me start to understand the context of our conversation.

Could it be that Zion is… jealous right now?

In a very simple and clear way, she hated the fact that I was close to Naoma.

That means, Zion really…

“Zion, can you show me your face?”

“Eh?”

Startled, Zion looked up at me and, naturally, her face was revealed.

“It’s nice to see your face after all.”

“I never said I’d show you!”

Zion turned her head away, crimson-faced.

I had hoped that my initial doubt was wrong, but realizing it made me see that all of Zion’s actions were showing her affection for me.

Now that I think about it, this wasn’t just a recent development.

Why did it come to this? Since when has it been this way? Thinking about it now is pointless.

We’ve developed… too deep of feelings for each other.

It shouldn’t have turned out this way.

“Zion.”

“….”

Gently calling Zion’s name again, she didn’t respond and continued to turn away with a pouty expression, not looking my way.

I like broken things.

This is a twisted desire. An emotion not typically felt by an ordinary person. Perhaps, I too might be a broken person.

And Zion had been broken from the start.

The Creator gave her an ability that deteriorated her body the more she used it and a broken heart that couldn’t live without a mission.

As a result, I could only desire her broken form, providing her with a false purpose in life.

Was it made so that I can’t help but like her? Is it fate that she has to cling to me?

Honestly, I don’t care about such things anymore.

As Naoma said, the Creator probably has no intentions for us.

But I have to take responsibility for what I’ve done.

“Zion.”

“….”

Calling her one more time, there was still no response.

That’s fine now.

Once I say the next words, she won’t be able to help but look at me.

“I like you.”

“?!”

See, she looks back.

“What did you just say…”

“I asked earlier, right? If you had no feelings for me.”

“Y-Yeah, but…”

“This is my answer. How about that? Are you satisfied?”

“…….”

Zion stared at me with a shocked expression, and as if trying to gather herself, she shook her head and composed her face.

“Such a sudden confession is not appropriate!”

“You asked me.”

“Even so, that’s just… not right!”

“Why? Is it that you dislike it?”

“Ugh.”

Zion turned her gaze away, blushing fiercely, clearly displeased.

“I think that way of questioning is… too cowardly.”

And with that comment, her carefully composed expression became distorted at my next words.

“I wouldn’t hate it.”

Seeing Zion frowning while saying she wouldn’t hate it was surprisingly cute in that moment.

I… thought she was cute. The fact that I think of her fondly and find her lovable is really something else.

However, if she can’t continue to look me in the eyes like that, I can’t help but feel a bit unsatisfied.

“Then please look at me. Don’t keep turning away.”

Since Zion had no intention of turning her head, I decided to move in the direction she was facing.

When I positioned myself in front of her, she whipped her head the other way, avoiding my gaze.

As I returned to my original spot, Zion’s gaze followed suit, and I tried to catch her eyes a couple of times, but to no avail. In the end, we could only sit side by side, staring at the sky.

“I’m good enough, right? Why won’t you show me your face?”

“I never said I was good.”

“…….”

If that statement were true, I would feel bittersweet yet relieved.

If Zion can live without me, I would willingly leave her side.

But that wouldn’t be the case. Zion can’t do that.

And knowing that, I decided to leave her as she is.

Although it’s unlikely, perhaps she could really live without me.

So, this is a sort of diagnosis. A diagnosis of Zion’s condition.

“Teacher Hop?”

As I stood up to leave, Zion finally turned her head and looked up at me.

“I heard your answer, so let’s return to the center. Come back when you’re feeling better, Zion.”

“Th-That’s…!”

If Zion sends me off like this, then that’s that…

“…….”

But of course, as expected, the end of my pants got caught in the wind, so I had no choice but to stop there.

“…Don’t go.”

“If you’re asking me that, I suppose I will…”

Though my path was halted, I stood next to Zion without sitting down.

“To hold onto someone who told you they like you without saying anything in return, Zion is acting cowardly too.”

“…….”

With a sullen face, Zion hung her head.

I’m probably the first person in the world to call Hero Zion cowardly.

Still holding onto the cuffs of my pants, Zion seemed to be deep in thought for a while before raising her head to look at me again.

“I’ll show you my face, so don’t go. Stay by my side.”

Zion’s face seemed expressionless, but it held so much inside.

A desperately trembling gaze, like a little puppy afraid of being abandoned.

Everything I love was contained within her.

Ultimately, I had no choice but to sit back down beside Zion and face her again.

“Teacher Hop, I…”

Zion tried to turn her head away again, but fearing I would leave if she hid her face, she resolutely shut her eyes tight.

“I shouldn’t like someone. I’m a hero. I can’t promise a future with you.”

Now Zion began speaking her true feelings.

Is she finally determined? Slowly lifting her eyelids, her sparkling scarlet eyes turned towards me.

“When the Demon King descends again and war breaks out, I will fight with my life on the line. It’ll be a long and tough battle, right? But I… will never lose. I’ll definitely return to where the teacher is. That’s a promise I can make. But, but…”

As she mentioned the Demon King and war, memories of pain seemed to flood back, and Zion’s breath quickened.

That short breath, trembling hands, and gaze stirred my heart deeply.

“What shape will I be in after that war? My body has been so ruined from this one battle, I will surely be in worse shape after the next war. Will my mind still be intact? Will I be able to move my body? If I end up like that, I wouldn’t even be able to have a child. So, I… sniff, I shouldn’t like someone…”

Tears finally dripped from Zion’s eyes.

“But I ended up… thinking I liked you. Is it because I waited too long and got tired? Is it because I’ve become broken and weak? You, who say you need me and will fix me… I ended up liking you… sniff… I shouldn’t have had feelings, but my heart keeps growing…!”

Zion, choking on her words, finally raised her arms to wipe her tears with her sleeve and began to sob uncontrollably.

So, this is how Zion has been thinking…

“Teacher… sniff, do you truly… like someone like me?”

Wiping her eyes with her arm while keeping her head down, I gently placed my hand on the top of Zion’s head.

“Zion.”

“Teacher Hop…”

“If you keep hiding your face, I can’t see you. I want to see your face, so why do you keep covering it?”

I gently pushed away the arm covering Zion’s face.

“You shouldn’t look at this kind of face!”

And as Zion revealed her tear-streaked, messy face, she became embarrassed and kept pulling at her arms to hide her face again.

“Zion.”

“Sniff… Yes?”

“If I say I like you even if I see that broken form of yours, would you believe me?”

“…Huh?”

Zion, who had been crying, suddenly seemed taken aback, her eyes wide as our gazes met.

Her bangs stuck together with tears, her eyes bloodshot, her skin glistening with tears, and her flustered expression—all of her broken parts were utterly adorable to me.

“I like you, Zion. And you seem to have forgotten, but I was the one who fought against you, so I know everything you mentioned. I came here to fix you. If you break again…”

I am a rehabilitation specialist, seeking out broken things and fixing them.

If after fixing Zion, she were to break again, that wouldn’t be so bad.

“I’ll fix you again. No matter how long it takes, it doesn’t matter. Even if it’s a tough and long fight, you will never lose. So, please be honest with me. Like I always say, don’t worry about me, just ask whatever you need, and do what you want. You understand what I mean?”

Zion, still gazing at me with trembling eyes, continued to sob.

“Is it really… okay for me to say what I feel?”

“Of course.”

Finally, Zion tightly shut her eyes and spilled the tears she had been holding back, wrapping her arms around me.

“I like you. I love you so much I can’t help it. No matter how many times I tell myself it’s wrong, no matter how hard I try to hold back… my feelings for you don’t stop! I really like you. I want to spend more time with you. I wish you would only look at me. I want only you. I wanted to say I like you… I hope this isn’t a dream. It can’t be an illusion, right? Please, please let this be real…!”

Zion, unable to finish her words, cried as she hugged me tightly.

This was something I needed to do. And it was something I truly wanted.

Being with her is both my desire and my duty.

I gave her a false reason to live, and she has clung to me, bound to that.

So, I must…

“I like you too, Zion. I’m glad to hear that.”

I had to become the real reason for her life.

When the time comes for my lies to be revealed, and Zion doesn’t know what to do next, I must connect her back to this world without her breaking again… the true reason for her life.

 

---