Re:Zero: Starting from the Great Transformation

Page 107

anyway.

I don't seem to remember any caves along the way.

Maybe it was just Ariel's nonsense.

No, now is not the time to think about that.

I looked at Sarah's back as she walked forward step by step, and a lot of thoughts ran through my mind.

I have a lot to say, but I don’t know where to start.

If we just talk about the past, maybe it would be okay, but what is Sarah's attitude towards it now? I think I have changed in the past few years, but I don't know about Sarah.

Just when I was daydreaming.

Suddenly, Sarah sighed from the front.

"……Ugh."

There seemed to be helplessness in the sigh.

"There's no cave at all, is there?"

"what?"

"I actually noticed it on the way here, but I don't remember any caves at all. But how should I put it... our captain probably wanted to have some fun, and knowing what happened between you and me, he specially arranged for you and me to come together to check out the situation."

"This, this..."

I quietly wiped the cold sweat from my forehead.

What a keen intuition...

In fact, if you think about it more carefully, Sarah may have noticed that something was wrong since Rudius failed to dispel the wind and snow.

After all, we were all adventurers together before.

Sarah was quite clear about Rudeus's strength.

"Well, it's good this way, it gives me a chance to talk..."

Sarah muttered something to herself.

A chance to speak?

Does Sarah have something to say to me alone?

Sarah slowed her pace slightly, finally walking almost side by side with me.

I looked at her profile.

Compared to her coldness and indifference just now, Sarah now seems much more melancholy. Why is that?

Just as I was daydreaming, I heard Sarah whisper:

"Actually, I've been looking for an opportunity to say sorry to you these past few years..."

"Sorry? Me?"

Listening to Sarah's words, I couldn't help but be stunned.

Sarah nodded slightly and pursed her lips.

"Yeah. I went a little too far back then. I was only thinking about myself and didn't consider your feelings at all."

"How do you say this?"

"I……"

Sarah hesitated for a moment.

But in the end he continued with a wry smile.

"I liked you very much then."

At that time...?

Why use this past tense?

I suppressed my doubts and listened to Sarah continue.

"I had a very high opinion of you at that time, and I felt very comfortable just being around you."

"Susanna saw through my thoughts and advised me to take action against you."

"But at that time, I didn't give up on my plan to continue being an adventurer. To be honest, I still quite liked this job. Although the income was not very high and some unpleasant things happened frequently, it still allowed me to have a decent income and it was also a means of making a living..."

"And yet, you suddenly come to me and say that while you have feelings for me, you can't make any promises and that you'll be leaving soon. I'm really at a loss. I've heard similar statements many times before, and this kind of thing isn't uncommon among adventurers."

"I, I knew that, but I was impulsive at the time and just followed the trend..."

As she spoke, Sarah's face had turned a little red.

The tone also became much more difficult.

"But since you've already told me you can't make any promises to me, that means you can't choose me... Maybe it was just to comfort myself. I said those words to you and forcibly kicked you out of the room, as if doing so would make me feel better."

"But then I thought about it carefully, and it seemed a little unfair to you."

"You clearly explained everything to me beforehand and gave me the right to choose, but in the end, I couldn't handle the atmosphere. Afterwards, I forcefully kicked you out of the room, even using rather harsh language... It's inevitable that you'd feel disgusted with me."

"Anyway."

"Over the past few years, I've been looking for an opportunity to apologize for what happened back then."

"Well, if you don't forgive me, there's nothing I can do..."

"At this point, the captain is still asking me if I want to rekindle our past relationship. That's just nonsense. She's always been like that, enjoying the fun of other people's relationship problems. You mustn't take her words too seriously..."

Sarah babbled on and on.

Her boots left footprints on the snowy ground.

I just felt the heart in my chest beating very strongly.

My brain seemed to be shutting down and I couldn't think.

Just looking at Sarah's back, he said subconsciously:

"Really... don't you want to think about it?"

Human-God Chapter: 106, Rapid Progress

Whenever my eyes fell on Sarah.

My heart can't help but beat faster.

It's different from the concern for Nanahoshi, and it's also different from the admiration for Izuru.

I really like Sarah.

This feeling is unique since I came into this world, and it has not changed at all even now.

and so……

"Are you really not going to think about it?"

I asked Sarah next to me again in a serious tone.

Sarah was startled by my sudden statement.

"Considering what?"

"That's what you just said, rekindling our past relationship..."

"Eh? But... don't you resent me? I said such harsh words to you back then. Honestly, even now, looking back, I don't think an apology alone can solve anything..."

Sarah seemed a little bewildered.

She seemed to think that I still resented myself, resenting the self who had completely disregarded other people's feelings.

So what kind of mood has she been in when she recalls the past between us over the years?

I think it was a very genuine relationship.

Although we eventually chose to separate because we couldn't get what we wanted from each other, it was a peaceful breakup and we didn't become strangers to each other.

But to Sarah, this was obviously not the case.

Looking at Sarah's confused expression, I slowly reached into my chest pocket and pulled something out.

Sarah looked over subconsciously.

When she saw what was in my hand, she was stunned.

"do you remember?"

I gently stroked the pair of white over-the-knee socks that I had treasured for years.

"Over the years, I've been carrying it with me most of the time. Just looking at it reminds me of the night we spent together. I don't think I'll ever forget it."

"you……"

“This is the best gift I’ve ever received.”

I couldn't put down the socks.

For years, whenever I couldn't sleep at night, I would express my longing for these socks to them.

If I could, I would keep it forever.

But I handed the socks to Sarah anyway.

"Over the years I've been looking for an opportunity to return it to you. After all, if you think about it, no matter what kind of socks they are, they are only the best when they are worn by someone, right?"

"Ron, you really... have no resentment towards me at all?"

"I wouldn't say there's absolutely no love for you... but that's my problem. If I could have given you a more concrete promise and done something more touching, maybe you wouldn't have abandoned me like that."

I scratched my head and said a little embarrassedly.

Sarah pursed her lips tightly and looked at me with complicated eyes.

I felt a little at a loss as to what to do with her gaze.

"Sarah, just say whatever you want to say. Stop staring at me like that."

"I... I don't know what to say, Ron. You're so special. Of all the people I've met, no one can compare to you. I can't even compare you to anyone else."

"Can I take this as a compliment?"

"maybe."

Sarah smiled helplessly.

She said nothing more, but put the knee-high socks into her pocket and continued walking along the path.

Seeing this, I quickly caught up with her.

"Sarah, you haven't answered my question yet..."

"Sorry, I need a little time to think about it."

Sarah was silent for a moment, then whispered:

"If you don't mind... I'll come find you tonight and we can talk about this in detail."

"Of course no problem. I hope we can talk all night long if possible."

Hearing this answer, I finally laughed.

There is no better answer for me.