Today, I was assigned to help clean the mansion.
Even though it was just the two of them, it was a big house. He thought it would be hard work, but Elena made it easy.
First, she activated her wind magic to blow away the dust and dirt, and then she used water magic to wash away the obvious dirt.
All that’s left was for Termito to wipe off the wet areas with a rag. As he moved his hands, he suddenly asked something that came to his mind.
“Um, I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you living alone in such a large house?”
“I’m not alone, I have Teru now.”
As usual, I was about to be swayed by her laid-back attitude
“I’m sorry. I apologize for the way I asked. Do you have any family, Elena-san? It’s such a magnificent house, I thought it would be too big for one person.”
Elena couldn’t help but laugh at the funny way Termito asked her.
“When you came to this mansion, I was alone…. But that’s right. I used to have people I could call family, but they passed away a long time ago.”
“….I’m sorry.”
Termito squirms.
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago. I’ve had enough of this sentimentality.”
He asked further, indulging Elena’s seeming indifference.
“What was he like?”
“He was like a breeze in spring.”
“A breeze in spring?”
Elena nodded.
“Just being around him made me feel warm inside and very comfortable.”
While he was dazzled by Elena’s happy words, another feeling came to his mind.
Until this moment, Termito thought he was the only one that Elena liked. He was proud of it.
However, his confidence was shattered.
In all likelihood, this “he” was Elena’s boyfriend, and she probably still cares for him. In fact, when Elena talks about him, she looks like a maiden in love.
It may be inappropriate to speak to the dead. Still, Termito couldn’t help but think.
—-I envy you.
He was jealous of the man who had died and still lived in Elena’s heart.
The man was not at fault, but he was unilaterally hostile towards him. I felt like I was a very small person.
I thought I had grown up a little since I met Elena, but if I peeled back my skin, I would see that I hadn’t grown up at all.
Elena is a very compassionate person, so she might feel the same way about me even if I were to pass away. No, I would like to think so.
My hand grasping the rag tightened.
It’s not enough to be passive about it.
I should be strong as that man, so that Elena would think of me. He made a firm vow to himself.
From that day on, Termito worked hard at his training.
He spent his early mornings running in the mountains and his afternoons swinging his sword.
Before he became an adventurer, he had been trained by a former adventurer.
At the time, my goals were vague: I wanted to be an adventurer who could be in tales. But now I have a clear goal to be liked by Elena.
He was going to work hard for the person he loved, so he was going to put his energy into it.
(Elena’s thoughts will not be in italic since Termito’s thoughts are the ones I put in italic. There will be some parts where it’ll change from Elena’s thoughts to 3rd person, so please bear with it.)
There was someone who was looking at Termito from a distance as he swung his arms.
“It looks like you are working hard today…”
Elena muttered with a sigh.
Hiding behind a tree to avoid the sun, I watched him train with the towel and water bottle I had brought with me.
It’s understandable that Termito is trying to be strong. He’s an adventurer by nature. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be strong.
Besides, he has a sort of admiration for heroes, so it is understandable that he strives to get closer to the ideal.
The fact that Thermite is pursuing his ideals is probably a good thing for him.
But at the same time, I felt a touch of loneliness.
He felt as if he would leave this place one day and go out on his own. I can’t help but feel that way.
Thinking about it, Elena shook her head.
What a pity, I am. If Termito is striving for his ideal, I should support him. It would be selfish of me to not support him because of my own one-sided feelings.
He has his own dreams. Then, I should do what I can for now.
I decided to show up since I seemed to have just finished my pretend work.
“You’re getting better.”
I said to him and offered him a towel.
“Th, thank you very much.”
After receiving the towel, Termito wiped his sweaty face.
Elena watched him closely.
Then I look at him again, his body seems to have become more muscular. Even with his clothes on, I could see the difference..
He’s been training well. I’m impressed, but at the same time, I can’t help but feel as if Termito has gone that far.
To get closer to his dream is to get further away from him.
“……..”
I catch my breath and ask Termito.
“You seem to be working out a lot lately, what’s going on?”
“…Ah, um, that’s….”
Termito clammed up as if he was having trouble answering.
“No, it’s okay if you’re having trouble answering. No matter what reason you’re training for.”
I convince myself the reason why Termito can’t answer by connecting with my own reasoning.
“You’re going back to being an adventurer and trying to make your dreams come true, right? I’m glad you’ve regained your confidence, and I want to support you.
Once you get a real job as an adventurer, you may not be able to come back here very often. …But, I’d be more than happy if you could visit me just once in a while.”
As for Elena, she gave it all she had. No matter what his answer was, she had no regrets. But—-
Contrary to her expectations, Termito rolled his eyes.
“Eh? What are you talking about?”
Elena was bewildered by Termito’s reaction, but explained.
“What do you mean? Teru began to train. It means you want to be an adventurer again, right?”
“No, that’s wrong.”
Elena’s mind went black. What do you mean?
“In the first place, I’m too afraid of monsters to fight, so even if I wanted to work as an adventurer, it would be a problem.”
Termito laughs somewhat self-deprecatingly.
I see, Termito’s point makes a lot of sense. At the same time I was convinced, a new mystery arose.
“Then, why did you suddenly start working out?”
Elena leaned forward. He felt that hiding it would make things worse, so he decided to confess.
“Um, the thing is. Elena-san once told me about someone who was the equivalent of a family member. She talked about that person in a very happy way, so I decided to improve myself so that she would feel the same way about me.”
At that moment, I felt as if I had been struck in the chest.
Termito started training because he wanted to be liked by Elena.
He had been jealous of the man Elena had told him about, and he burned with rivalry, improving himself to be liked as much as possible. That’s why he was training so hard?
What a clumsy boy he was.
Something hot began to well up inside Elena.
Thermite had thought so much of her, and yet, she couldn’t help herself.
She wondered if Termito would ever leave her.
I felt embarrassed, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but love Termito.
I thought it was my role to guide him in his immaturity, but now I wanted to spoil him. When I thought of it, I naturally said it out loud.
“I’m glad that you’re trying to improve yourself for me, but you’re the only one who can be here for me now. I’m going to miss you.”
Elena’s words made Termito realize.
Elena had said before that she didn’t want to be alone. She had begged him to stay with her.
So, what have I been doing lately? I’ve been doing my training alone, not paying attention to Elena. As a result, I’ve made her feel uneasy.
What would be enough to make Elena think of me? I’ve been worrying about it all by myself, running off on my own, and now I’ve made her feel lonely. It’s like I’m in a one-man war.
I felt self-hatred, but at the same time, I felt the urge to fill Elena’s loneliness.
What should I do? What can I do?
After thinking about it, he decided to make a suggestion.
“Then, since I’ve sweated a lot, can I have you wash my back after I take a bath?”
“Oh, I didn’t know Teru was so aggressive. ….Did you really want to take a bath with me that badly?”
“E, Elena-san!”
Elena overflowed with laughter, as if the panicked Termito was funny.
“Fufufu, my bad. Well then, today I’m going to do what Teru requested and wash your back.”
I was so fascinated by Elena’s big smile that I forgot to reply. Thanks to this, Elena made fun of me even more.
Today, I was assigned to help clean the mansion.
Even though it was just the two of them, it was a big house. He thought it would be hard work, but Elena made it easy.
First, she activated her wind magic to blow away the dust and dirt, and then she used water magic to wash away the obvious dirt.
All that’s left was for Termito to wipe off the wet areas with a rag. As he moved his hands, he suddenly asked something that came to his mind.
“Um, I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you living alone in such a large house?”
“I’m not alone, I have Teru now.”
As usual, I was about to be swayed by her laid-back attitude
“I’m sorry. I apologize for the way I asked. Do you have any family, Elena-san? It’s such a magnificent house, I thought it would be too big for one person.”
Elena couldn’t help but laugh at the funny way Termito asked her.
“When you came to this mansion, I was alone…. But that’s right. I used to have people I could call family, but they passed away a long time ago.”
“….I’m sorry.”
Termito squirms.
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago. I’ve had enough of this sentimentality.”
He asked further, indulging Elena’s seeming indifference.
“What was he like?”
“He was like a breeze in spring.”
“A breeze in spring?”
Elena nodded.
“Just being around him made me feel warm inside and very comfortable.”
While he was dazzled by Elena’s happy words, another feeling came to his mind.
Until this moment, Termito thought he was the only one that Elena liked. He was proud of it.
However, his confidence was shattered.
In all likelihood, this “he” was Elena’s boyfriend, and she probably still cares for him. In fact, when Elena talks about him, she looks like a maiden in love.
It may be inappropriate to speak to the dead. Still, Termito couldn’t help but think.
—-I envy you.
He was jealous of the man who had died and still lived in Elena’s heart.
The man was not at fault, but he was unilaterally hostile towards him. I felt like I was a very small person.
I thought I had grown up a little since I met Elena, but if I peeled back my skin, I would see that I hadn’t grown up at all.
Elena is a very compassionate person, so she might feel the same way about me even if I were to pass away. No, I would like to think so.
My hand grasping the rag tightened.
It’s not enough to be passive about it.
I should be strong as that man, so that Elena would think of me. He made a firm vow to himself.
From that day on, Termito worked hard at his training.
He spent his early mornings running in the mountains and his afternoons swinging his sword.
Before he became an adventurer, he had been trained by a former adventurer.
At the time, my goals were vague: I wanted to be an adventurer who could be in tales. But now I have a clear goal to be liked by Elena.
He was going to work hard for the person he loved, so he was going to put his energy into it.
(Elena’s thoughts will not be in italic since Termito’s thoughts are the ones I put in italic. There will be some parts where it’ll change from Elena’s thoughts to 3rd person, so please bear with it.)
There was someone who was looking at Termito from a distance as he swung his arms.
“It looks like you are working hard today…”
Elena muttered with a sigh.
Hiding behind a tree to avoid the sun, I watched him train with the towel and water bottle I had brought with me.
It’s understandable that Termito is trying to be strong. He’s an adventurer by nature. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be strong.
Besides, he has a sort of admiration for heroes, so it is understandable that he strives to get closer to the ideal.
The fact that Thermite is pursuing his ideals is probably a good thing for him.
But at the same time, I felt a touch of loneliness.
He felt as if he would leave this place one day and go out on his own. I can’t help but feel that way.
Thinking about it, Elena shook her head.
What a pity, I am. If Termito is striving for his ideal, I should support him. It would be selfish of me to not support him because of my own one-sided feelings.
He has his own dreams. Then, I should do what I can for now.
I decided to show up since I seemed to have just finished my pretend work.
“You’re getting better.”
I said to him and offered him a towel.
“Th, thank you very much.”
After receiving the towel, Termito wiped his sweaty face.
Elena watched him closely.
Then I look at him again, his body seems to have become more muscular. Even with his clothes on, I could see the difference..
He’s been training well. I’m impressed, but at the same time, I can’t help but feel as if Termito has gone that far.
To get closer to his dream is to get further away from him.
“……..”
I catch my breath and ask Termito.
“You seem to be working out a lot lately, what’s going on?”
“…Ah, um, that’s….”
Termito clammed up as if he was having trouble answering.
“No, it’s okay if you’re having trouble answering. No matter what reason you’re training for.”
I convince myself the reason why Termito can’t answer by connecting with my own reasoning.
“You’re going back to being an adventurer and trying to make your dreams come true, right? I’m glad you’ve regained your confidence, and I want to support you.
Once you get a real job as an adventurer, you may not be able to come back here very often. …But, I’d be more than happy if you could visit me just once in a while.”
As for Elena, she gave it all she had. No matter what his answer was, she had no regrets. But—-
Contrary to her expectations, Termito rolled his eyes.
“Eh? What are you talking about?”
Elena was bewildered by Termito’s reaction, but explained.
“What do you mean? Teru began to train. It means you want to be an adventurer again, right?”
“No, that’s wrong.”
Elena’s mind went black. What do you mean?
“In the first place, I’m too afraid of monsters to fight, so even if I wanted to work as an adventurer, it would be a problem.”
Termito laughs somewhat self-deprecatingly.
I see, Termito’s point makes a lot of sense. At the same time I was convinced, a new mystery arose.
“Then, why did you suddenly start working out?”
Elena leaned forward. He felt that hiding it would make things worse, so he decided to confess.
“Um, the thing is. Elena-san once told me about someone who was the equivalent of a family member. She talked about that person in a very happy way, so I decided to improve myself so that she would feel the same way about me.”
At that moment, I felt as if I had been struck in the chest.
Termito started training because he wanted to be liked by Elena.
He had been jealous of the man Elena had told him about, and he burned with rivalry, improving himself to be liked as much as possible. That’s why he was training so hard?
What a clumsy boy he was.
Something hot began to well up inside Elena.
Thermite had thought so much of her, and yet, she couldn’t help herself.
She wondered if Termito would ever leave her.
I felt embarrassed, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but love Termito.
I thought it was my role to guide him in his immaturity, but now I wanted to spoil him. When I thought of it, I naturally said it out loud.
“I’m glad that you’re trying to improve yourself for me, but you’re the only one who can be here for me now. I’m going to miss you.”
Elena’s words made Termito realize.
Elena had said before that she didn’t want to be alone. She had begged him to stay with her.
So, what have I been doing lately? I’ve been doing my training alone, not paying attention to Elena. As a result, I’ve made her feel uneasy.
What would be enough to make Elena think of me? I’ve been worrying about it all by myself, running off on my own, and now I’ve made her feel lonely. It’s like I’m in a one-man war.
I felt self-hatred, but at the same time, I felt the urge to fill Elena’s loneliness.
What should I do? What can I do?
After thinking about it, he decided to make a suggestion.
“Then, since I’ve sweated a lot, can I have you wash my back after I take a bath?”
“Oh, I didn’t know Teru was so aggressive. ….Did you really want to take a bath with me that badly?”
“E, Elena-san!”
Elena overflowed with laughter, as if the panicked Termito was funny.
“Fufufu, my bad. Well then, today I’m going to do what Teru requested and wash your back.”
I was so fascinated by Elena’s big smile that I forgot to reply. Thanks to this, Elena made fun of me even more.
