*

　

''Crono, you'll be missed,''
Rio, I miss you too.

　Crono hugged Rio gently and stroked his back as if he were petting a child.
　Suddenly, he felt a sense of dread.
　When Crono looked after him over his shoulder, he saw Tilia standing in human form.
　It looks like she's about to pounce on him.

'Crono, can I kiss you?'
No, of course not!

　Tilia easily took Rio's challenge and pounced on him.
　As if he was expecting it, Rio let Crono go and clasped his hands with Tilia like a professional wrestler.

'How dare you challenge me to a contest of strength!
You'd be amazed at how low you can go.

　A white light rose from Tilia and a green light rose from Rio.
　Crono pulled away from them, thrusting his staff at them.

'Quick!'

　Crono shouted as he turned around.
　Tilia was on the verge of defeat while Crono took his eyes off her for a bit.
　She's about to go to her knees.

''GUNNUN!　Hang in there, me!
Come on, come on, come on, come on.

　As Tilia shouted to inspire herself, Rio said to torture Tilia.
　Apparently, the only thing Tilia has over Rio is sturdiness and persistence.
　'Thanks, my head is fuzzy,' said Crono, sitting on the crate and shaking his head lightly.

'You two need to stop fighting.

　Leonhardt intercedes.
　When Leonhardt touched Tilia and Rio's wrists, Tilia and Rio untied their hands honestly.
　Crono couldn't decide if it was Leonhardt's humanity or his special technique.

'Do we really have to go back?'
It's called taking more than ten months off.

　When Rio said unrepentantly, Leonhardt said as if to chide him.
　It's hard to decide whether Rio is great for resting up to this point, or whether it's great for Vizier Alcor, who is neglecting him, this is also a difficult decision to make.
　Rio rode his horse as if he had given up on it.
　Leonhardt also rode his horse.

''Crono-dono!　I'll see you soon!
Princess Tyria, look after Crono for me.

　Crono waved to Leonhardt and Rio as they galloped away.

'Gugnu, again, again!　What, what, you know, you're just showing off your last bit of leeway!
Tilia is still the same.

　Crono looked sideways at Tilia in front of him.
　Tilia was seriously frustrated that Rio had beaten her so many times.
　It's over, Crono looked up at the sky.
　It could mean that the maneuvering against the Holy Argo Kingdom was over, or it could mean that one of his regrets had been resolved.

''Well, work work work,''

　Crono sat up and tilted his head back.
　Something soft touched Crono's face.
　Crono grabbed the soft something.

'Hey, these are Tilia's breasts!　Why, Tilia's breasts!
Because you fell down!

　When Crono looked up, Tilia tilted her head in wonder.
　Tilia placed her palm on Crono's forehead.

'Was Tilia's hand this cold?'
'You're hot!　

　Tilia picked up Crono.

'Tilia is so powerful,'
Shut up!

　Tilia started running with Crono in her arms.

*

　Tilia threw Crono onto the bed as soon as she opened the bedroom door.
　Oh, Tilia is going to lose to Rio with all this arm strength, Crono thought as he felt floating.
　Crono dropped onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling.
　The world was spinning around in circles as if he'd had too much to drink.

'I'm going to get a doctor and you're going to stay put, okay?
Ew.

　The door slammed shut.
　Crono stripped off his clothes and slipped into bed.
　The bed-making was perfect, even though it had been less than an hour since Crono had left the bedroom.

'It's been a long time since I've caught a cold! I haven't had a cold since I came to this world, so it's been about six years?'

　'I thought I was clever,' said Crono, laughing emphatically.

'It's been six years now. I hope you're all doing well~'

　Crono didn't think of his classmates, but of his family.
　It's not that he didn't have friends, but he didn't seem to have any friends he could call close.
　I think this became more pronounced when I started attending a college preparatory school.

'I'm sure they're probably filing a police report, handing out leaflets, or being featured on TV.

　Suddenly, Crono's vision blurred.
　The back of his eyeballs were numb.
　He cried.
　Crono hugged the pillow and closed his eyes tightly.

*

　How long had he been asleep?
　Crono rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
　Then he felt a crunching sensation on the back of his hand.
　It was eye mites.
　Apparently, he had been asleep for quite a long time.
　Did I feel dazed?　And Crono jerked around.
　Several times, he remembered waking up.
　However, I don't feel like I slept well, probably because I repeatedly slept and woke up.
　I even feel like I haven't slept enough.
　Not only my sense of time, but also my memory is vague.
　I feel as if someone was there when I woke up, or as if no one was there.
　I remember going to the bathroom, but I don't think my memory is correct.
　My spine hurts, Crono said, turning over.
　The next thing he knew, a white light irritated his eyeballs.
　Crono opened his eyes thinly.
　Someone was near the bed.
　It was Alyssa.
　Alyssa was sitting in a chair.
　The white light was a lighting magic item placed underneath Alyssa's feet.
　The light is much weaker than the magic items she usually uses.

''Sir, did I wake you up?''
Well, I just woke up.

　Alyssa stood up and put her hand on Crono's forehead.
　Her hand was colder than Tilia's.

''I heard that ... people with cold hands have kind hearts.
'It's not that my hands are cold, it's that your husband is hot.
What do you feel like a mother?
I'm a mother.

　Alyssa raised her eyebrows in annoyance.

'Sir, how do you want to eat?'
Water.

　Crono said, and Alyssa held out her sucking mouth.
　Alyssa shivered slightly as Crono placed his own over Alyssa's hand.
　Apparently, Alyssa didn't like to be touched by others.
　Crono looks up at Alyssa and rehydrates her.
　Bitterness spreads through her mouth.
　The contents of the sucking mouth must be infused with medicinal herbs.
　Alyssa is an excellent maid, but she seems to draw the line at the man.
　Should I say that I'm trying to avoid being seen as a woman?
　It's not hard to see why Alyssa feels the way she does.
　Crono knows what has happened to Alyssa and doesn't want to make her change her mind.
　That's what Crono usually thinks.
　When Crono let go of her hand, Alyssa let out a breath of relief.
　Crono grabbed Alyssa's hand as she tried to move away from the bed.

''.........''

　The sucker's mouth fell from Alyssa's hand.

'Duh, mister, play a trick on me.

　Alyssa said with a downcast look on her face.

'You avoid primary contact to the extreme, Alyssa. Are you afraid of human contact?'
I'm not afraid.

　Crono slowly let go of Alyssa's hand.

'Don't you miss me?'
I have a daughter.
'Is the distance you're at now enough to keep Alyssa from getting hurt?

　Alyssa gasped and smiled deceptively.

'Sir, I don't know what you're talking about, sir.
Have you ever heard of the Porcupine Dilemma?

　Alyssa tilted her head as if to say she didn't understand why.

'The porcupine!　Do you discover the best distance you can warm up without hurting each other, or not?　Who started it off by saying they loved it or hated it?　Deliver, my telepathy!
Sir, I think you should go to bed.

　Yes, Crono nodded.

*

'Gaaaah!
What is this?

　Cecily got up from her chair as Crono rolled over on his back.
　Crono touched himself, wobbling and shaking.
　The assassin had stabbed him in the stomach.
　But there was no wound.
　He took a series of rough breaths and finally realized that he had been dreaming.

'Is something wrong?'
I had this dream.

　Huh?　Cecily replied unenthusiastically.

'I was Arab royalty in my dreams.
I don't know where "Arabu" is, but...?
I was stabbed by an assassin.

　Cecily sat down in the chair without saying a word.
　d*mn it, Crono muttered in his mind and looked up at the ceiling.
　It had been nighttime when he'd talked to Alyssa, but now it was morning.
　His consciousness was solid compared to last night.

'Speaking of which, is the cavalry job any good?'
You're going to tell me that?

　Cecily said grimly.
　Crono fished his memory while looking up at the ceiling.
　If you ask me, I think I've turned Cecily back into a maid.
　Cecily let out a small sigh.

''Though I don't like you.
Is that a necessary preamble?
I don't like you, but I think you're doing the right thing.

　Cecily said, gloriously going through Crono's prodding.

''I'm a deputy after all. It's a problem for someone who resigned from the army on his own to stay with a big face, and we can't afford to cause trouble for Verna-san and the others.

　Cecily ruffled her hair and said in a sultry tone.

'Why are you looking at me?'
No, it didn't sound like Cecily's words.

　I can't afford to bother other people.
　I can't imagine what Cecily said when she was a soldier or when she started working as a maid.

''Is this another result of my training?
No!

　Cecily said, her willow eyebrows rising in the opposite direction.
　Of course, even Crono didn't think he played a role in Cecily's personality development.
　It was Verna who had a huge influence on Cecily's personality development.
　Cecily developed a sense of compassion for others while being followed by Verna, who was younger than her.
　Well, what does it say about a person that he didn't develop a sense of compassion for others until he was this age?　I also think.
　But Cecily, who was useless in a different way than Nieto, has grown as a human being.
　You should be happy about that.

"...I'm going to sleep some more.
Yeah, I get it.

*

　When Crono woke up next, the room was dimly lit.
　Alyssa was sitting near the bed, just as she had been last night.

''..........Master........''
I need a bath.

　Crono plopped down on the bed and picked up his nightgown.
　His nightgown was soggy and damp with sweat.
　It smelled a bit fishy.

'Please do not bathe in hot water.'
Well, I'm just going to wipe myself down and I need a new nightgown.

　When Crono prompted, Alyssa put her hand to her lips thoughtfully.

'I understand. I'll have hot water ready in a minute.'
Nice to meet you.

　Was I being selfish?　And Crono watched Alyssa leave the room with a little reflection.
　After a few moments, Alyssa brought out a basin and a ceramic pitcher.
　Alyssa poured hot water into the basin and wrung out a cloth.

'Come in, sir,'
Thank you.

　Crono took off his nightgown and wiped his face and body.

'Alyssa, wipe your back,'
Yes, sir.

　When Crono turned away, Alyssa began to wipe Crono's back with reservations.
　Alyssa is silent.

'I'm done,'
Okay.

　Crono changed into a new nightgown and went back to bed.
　Alyssa carefully folded the nightgown Crono had removed and left the room with the basin and pitcher.
　Alyssa was back soon after.
　Perhaps Alyssa left the night shift maids to deal with her nightgown and other things.
　Alyssa sat down in a chair and turned over.

'Alyssa, how's Cecily doing?'
...Cecily is...
You can just call him that.
Cecily is much less rugged than when she first started working as a maid, and she's starting to develop a good rapport with the other maids.

　Alyssa stole a glance at Crono as if to say she didn't understand the purpose of the question.

'Actually, Verna was asking me about it.

　Yes, Alyssa nodded.
　Verna's boss is Alyssa, so it's a little awkward to get advice over her head.

'Verna seems to want to go into the army.
Is it the military?
He doesn't like the idea of being taught to study for free.

　Oh, Alyssa nodded as she got the point.
　'Verna is the type of person who tries to make sense.

'I think the reason Cecily has a good relationship with the other maids is because of Verna's presence. That's why I'm wondering if it's okay without Verna around.
....

　Alyssa covered her mouth with her hand as she thought about it.
　As much as she was thinking about it, Alyssa must be worried about leaving Cecily alone.

'Even if I say I'm worried about Cecily, I don't think it's the same thing as letting Verna hang out with Cecily.
Is your husband good?
Honestly, I don't want you to go into the military.

　Crono strokes his right eye.
　'If you become a soldier, you may die, or you may suffer more pain than death.

'I tried to convince you, though. 'So the exiles are good and I'm not?　And they pushed me away.
You're a lord, my lord.
I know.

　Crono muttered sincerely.
　It's not fair for a lord to let the children of accepted exiles go to the army and not let Verna go to the army.

''That's why I'd like to keep Cecily under Alyssa until Verna comes back as a fine soldier.
I understand.

　Alyssa responded immediately.
　Crono was relieved that Alyssa had accepted the proposal and patted his chest.

''Well sir,''

　Just as Crono closed his eyes to sleep, Alyssa muttered to herself.
　He looked up at Alyssa.

'I'm sorry,'
I don't mind.

　'Yes,' said Alyssa with a small nod.

'Your husband is concerned about Miss Cecily, isn't he?
Hmmm, well, that's something.
After all the horrible things they've done to you?

　Alyssa, are you peeking in?　Crono almost ran into him.
　Well, Crono, as Alyssa pointed out, has only done terrible things to Cecily.
　Hyah!　The maid of honor!　And Crono has Cecily do a service.
　It's only a service.
　That defiant look in his eyes is unbearable.

'He's doing terrible things, but he's not thinking about dying or being unhappy. I just want Cecily to get along with the other maids, and I want her to get along with the other maids.

　Crono was kicked by Cecily and so on, but he didn't hate Cecily with all his heart.

'A question from me. If you're not afraid of touching people, what is it that you don't like?
"I don't want to hate others.

　Alyssa replied quietly.

'I believe your husband knows about my past.
Rumor or no rumor.

　Hachel is a small town.
　Rumors are heard without Crono trying to find out.

'What kind of rumors have you heard?'
'Is it just that Alyssa was my predecessor the former mistress of the Marquis of Erakis?

　Perhaps Alyssa's daughter, Alyssin, was the daughter of the former Marquis of Erakis.
　The fact that Alyssa was in poor health when they met was probably not unrelated to the fact that she was the former Marquis of Erakis' mistress.

''My former master wasn't just a terrible person. He did some horrible things to me, but there were some events that I can call memories.''
....

　Crono stared at Alyssa in silence.
　The former Marquis of Erakis had toyed with Alyssa and kicked her out of the mansion when she was unwell.
　That would be an objective fact.

''There must have been a small amount of happiness for sure, but I seem to have denied even that in my poverty.
....

　Crono didn't say anything.
　Normally, when someone betrays you, you hate them.
　You deny the memories and even the feelings you had with that person and even the feelings you held.
　But Alyssa felt that denying the memories was more painful than being betrayed.

'Alyssa is so internally punitive,'
I think it's better than hurting someone else.
Yes.

　Crono smiled.

'I don't mind that sort of thing,'
Thank you.

　Alyssa gave a small duck of her head.

'I think I might rather like it.'
Su-ki?

　Perhaps because she didn't understand the meaning of the words, or perhaps because she didn't expect them, Alyssa parroted back.

''.........''

　Alyssa turned over, red to her ears.

'Sir, you're being too playful.'
Yeah, he's still burning up.

　Alyssa patted her chest in relief as Crono put a hand to her forehead.

'I'm not playing around, though,'

　Crono closed his eyes without checking Alyssa's reaction.

*

　When Crono woke up, it was morning.
　His head was heavy and weary.
　The fever doesn't seem to have gone down yet.
　Maybe it's time for a shift, but no one else is in the room except Crono.
　As Crono was staring up at the ceiling in a daze, the door opened.

'Oh, you didn't wake me up, did you?
It just happened.

　Immediately after the landlady sat down on a chair, Crono's stomach squeezed.
　Crono has not eaten anything but water for the past two days.

I just got here.

　The landlady cowered her shoulders as if to say it couldn't be helped.

'Do you have any requests?'
...rice porridge, and I'd appreciate it if you could make an egg porridge.

　Crono almost answered "miso soup," but he gulped.
　I don't have any miso, even if I wanted him to make me miso soup.
　And, by the way, we don't have any soy sauce either.

I'll go make you a quick miso soup and I'll be waiting for you.
Yes?

　The landlady rolled up her arms and left the room, but she didn't come back.
　Maybe I should go back to sleep twice?　As Crono was thinking, the landlady came back with a tray in her arms.
　Crono scratched his head on the bed and accepted the tray from the landlady.
　Crono scraped a spoonful of egg porridge into it.
　Because of the heat, he couldn't really taste it.
　Still, Crono thought it was delicious.

'Well, what did you do to Alyssa?'
Bu...

　Crono held his mouth.

Bleep!

　He blew gruel out of his nose with gusto.

'd*mn it, what are you doing!

　The landlady stood up and put the cloth to Crono's mouth.
　Crono took the cloth and blew his nose with a boob.

'Thanks, landlady,'
So, what did you do?

　Crono turned over and sluggishly sweated fat.

'Er, um, what's wrong with you, Alyssa?'
By the looks of it, I think I've got my hands full.

　The landlady held her brow and shook her head as if to say no treatment.

'No, I didn't put it out. I'm not a good listener.'
What do you want to do with your pretense?

　The landlady stuck her tongue out.
　Apparently, the landlady thinks that Crono is lying to her.
　Moreover, the landlady is more uncomfortable with Crono's lying than with the fact that he's messing with Alyssa.

'I know how the landlady feels about me. Well, I'm going to go ahead and put my hands on Alyssa now, at the landlady's request.
Hang on. So you're sure you haven't messed with it?
I've been telling you that all along, sir.

　Hmmm, the landlady snorted.
　The light in her gaze was nine scepticism and one trust.
　Not trusted at all, Crono covered his face.

'But are you sure you didn't do anything?
You said you might like it.

　The landlady chopped Crono's head with a bishouche.

'Where's the harm in that!　I'm sorry I doubted you, and I almost felt bad about it!
'I didn't do anything, so you should be sorry!
Han!　And if you're not doing anything, that means you're not even hitting on me!

　Crono was overwhelmed and muzzled by the landlady.
　If you ask me, I was led to believe that it might be so.
　Or rather, it usually is.

'Ha!　I've done a hell of a lot of things with my fever!
You've got a really nice personality.

　The landlady said in dismay.

'No, not of a good nature, but really of a fever.
Well, that means nothing unusual.
'No, no, I don't usually think about messing with Alyssa. But last night, my normal judgement skills were not...

　'Huh,' the landlady let out a sigh.

'You weren't going to mess with me at first either, were you?　In my case, it was partly because I, you know, cut it out for them.

　The landlady crossed her arms, her cheeks flushed with vermilion, and said.

'You haven't always been able to exercise normal judgment when it comes to women.
'I'd say so, but I'd say ... ugh, I can't say it back.

　Crono tried to argue, but if he remembered well, it was only the first time that normal judgment skills would come into play.

'When it comes to this,'
What if it comes to this?

　As Crono clenched his fists, the landlady leaned forward.

'I'm going to die in this stream!　Hahaha!　If it doesn't go either way, they'll screw it up!
I'm not gonna stop you, though.
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm on a roll.

　Crono regained his composure for a moment as the landlady prodded him.

'What do we do now?'

　Crono was at a loss, but Alyssa did not appear that night.



　The next day, Crono returned to work.
　Even though he had returned to work, it didn't mean he could crunch through the work immediately.
　He had to take over the job from Tilia and get a report from the sitter to understand the current situation.

''Ugh, I'm tired.''

　Crono stretched lightly and plopped down on the desk.
　Normally, this is where Alyssa would offer me a cold incense tea.

''I knew you were avoiding me.

　Crono scratched his head.
　He doesn't think Alyssa will quit her job.
　No, he's sure that Alyssa won't quit her job for Alyson.
　I wish I could just split it up if she does her job......................Crono let out a sigh.
　Unfortunately, I don't have the confidence to split it up that much.
　What should I do?　And as Crono looked up at the ceiling, there was a reserved tap on the door.

'Excuse me, sir,'
Yeah, yeah.

　Alyssa approached slowly.
　The landlady said that Alyssa was in a daze, but as far as Crono could tell, Alyssa was the same as usual.
　Alyssa put her cup on the desk and Crono hurriedly reached for it.
　Crono's fingertips touch Alyssa.

''.........''

　Alyssa withdrew her hand as if she'd touched something hot, and the cup fell over with a thud.

'Hey, Alyssa!'
I'm sorry, too!

　The incense tea spreads.
　The work had been completed and the papers were safe.
　Crono patted his chest in relief and looked at Alyssa.
　Crono and Alyssa's eyes met.
　Alyssa was leaning forward.
　Alyssa turned away, red to her ears.

'Da, sir, forgive me.'

　Alyssa, are you doing this on purpose?　And Crono swallowed the words.

'....Alyssa.
"Sir,

　When Crono touched her shoulder, Alyssa's eyes welled up with sadness.
　I have to do something about Alyssa's misunderstanding, Crono thought desperately.
　That's when a strange idea came to me.
　If I don't have the ability to make normal decisions, why don't I just let Alyssa make them?　Crono thought.
　It seemed like a great idea.
　Something felt wrong, but a drowning man doesn't think about the future.

'Alyssa, I'm not thinking of touching Alyssa myself. You understand, don't you?　And then Alyssa and Cecily will be changed to maids for me.
...Yes, sir.

　Crono said with a smile, and Alyssa nodded.