Adventurer's Guild Café: I Was Wrongfully Exiled by the Saint, So I Will Enjoy My Second Life with My Fluffy Friends-Chapter 6.1 - To the Top of That Hill

While I was bedridden with a fever, I had so many frightening dreams.

Dreams of the time when I was still in the Kingdom of Aluda.

Dreams of when I was all alone in the Count Leiria household.

And that terrifying moment of judgment, so dreadful I shudder to even recall it.

“Kuu-chan, it’s okay...”

Each time I stirred awake, Ruri would gently stroke my arm.

She would hold my hand.

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Maybe it was because of that, but I gradually stopped having those scary dreams.

Then, on one morning during early dawn, when I opened my eyes, my body felt completely light.

It was like the fever had never happened.

The sunlight hadn’t yet risen, and the room was still dark.

A lantern placed nearby faintly illuminated the room.

“Hmm...”

When I looked over, I saw Ruri slumped over the bed, asleep.

She must have been nursing me tirelessly the whole time.

I got out of bed and quietly draped a blanket over Ruri’s shoulders.

“Thank you, Ruri...”

I couldn’t wake her yet.

Thinking so, I slowly went to the kitchen and drank some water.

As I gazed out the dark window, a certain thought started bubbling up inside me.

After setting down the glass, I headed for the front door.

As I put on my shoes, Lulu came over and let out a small cry.

Where are you going?

Tilting her head in curiosity.

I spoke in a very small, quiet voice.

“It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

I won’t go far anymore.

I’ll always come back here.

“…Ruu.”

—I’m coming too.

That’s what it felt like she was saying, and I let out a small smile.

“I see. We’re always together, aren’t we?”

I took Lulu with me and stepped outside.

◆

Outside, it was completely dark.

It was a little chilly.

Even so, since I carry the blood of a white wolf, I can see well at night.

Lulu seemed the same, moving without any particular difficulty.

The two of us—one person and one animal—walked through the dark streets.

“Ruu!”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Lulu was bursting with energy, hopping around excitedly.

She pawed at the ground, mimicking a running motion.

“…You want to run?”

“Ruu!”

That’s right!

Lulu nodded enthusiastically.

I understood the feeling of wanting to run on this empty road.

“Hey, Lulu.”

“?”

“Want to race?”

Lulu’s eyes sparkled.

“To the top of that hill.”

I pointed to the end of the road.

If we went straight down this path, there was a hill overlooking the town.

Whoever reached the top first would be the winner.

“Roon!”

With a small cry, Lulu kicked at the ground with her back legs.

She seemed all ready to go.

“Alright, here we go… Ready, set, go!”

At my words, Lulu dashed off in an instant.

I laughed and ran after her.

Lulu was fast.

But I thought, “If I try hard enough, I might be able to catch up,” and allowed myself that little bit of confidence.

When I looked up at the sky, I saw that the stars were still twinkling.

They shimmered like glitter, as if I were peering into a jewelry box.

The sky above this town was so beautiful.

I hadn’t noticed because I had been looking down for so long.

As I thought about that, the distance between me and Lulu grew wider and wider.

At this rate, I wouldn’t win.

I needed to run faster.

I kicked off my shoes.

The coolness of the soil chilled my feet.

I kicked the ground powerfully, just as I was.

At first, I almost stumbled, and I couldn’t pick up speed at all.

—I want to run faster.

But as I desperately wished for it, the feet that kicked the earth began to accelerate.

I clenched my hands tightly, focusing on the road ahead as I ran.

The wind howled past my ears.

It was as if I had always known that I could run this fast.

—That’s right.

I can still run.

…If that’s the case, then I will never wear heels again.

I will never wear a painful corset again.

My feet had become twisted and misshapen.

My waist had become so narrow it was hard to breathe.

I could never regain the true speed I once had as a member of the white wolf tribe.

Even so, something within me pushed me forward.

Run.

Run, faster.

Faster!

Run as far as you can!

“Hah... hah...”

I didn’t care about anything else, desperately heading toward the hill at the end of the road.

◆

I couldn’t catch my breath, so I placed my hands on my knees, breathing heavily.

“Lulu, you’re too fast…”

“Ruu!”

Lulu wagged her tail happily.

In the end, I lost to Lulu.

At the top of the hill, Lulu had arrived first and was waiting for me proudly.

Still, I felt refreshed.

It was the best I’d felt in a long time.

I waited for my breath to steady, then sat down next to a tree at the top of the hill.

“You’re amazing, Lulu, even though you’re so small.”

“Roon.”

“But I was fast too, right?”

“Ruu.”

“Heh. I gave it my all, more than ever before.”

…Now that I think about it, when was the last time I ran like that, charging across the earth?

“…I thought I couldn’t run anymore, but… that wasn’t true.”

Maybe I had underestimated my own worth too much.

…No, when I was in Aluda, I was probably like that.

No one acknowledged me.

I was like air.

And yet, I was disliked and had no place to belong.

That’s why I hated myself.

I thought that maybe if I changed my environment, something would change.

But in the end, it was just the same cycle repeating.

Discrimination and prejudice don’t completely disappear.

But since coming here, I’ve realized something.

“…The world really doesn’t change, does it?”

“…Ruu.”

Discrimination and prejudice follow me no matter where I run.

No matter how much I try to escape, the world doesn’t change.

The world might actually be cruel.

But there’s one thing I’ve found that can change.

“Lulu, I’ve been able to do more than I thought I could.”

Living alone, working at the café.

Going to the city, making friends.

And, I was able to run much faster than I thought.

I only thought I couldn’t do it.

Thanks to Lulu changing my environment, I was able to find the opportunity for change.

For me, this world might be hard to live in.

And even if I cry, the world doesn’t change one bit.

But.

Even if I can’t change the world…

──I can change myself.

“Look, Lulu…!”

A soft breeze gently brushed against my cheek.

Beyond the hill, far beyond the horizon, a beam of light began to rise.

──It’s dawn.

That light illuminated my once-dark world, shining brightly.

A ribbon of light stretching endlessly.

I already know.

I am not alone.

I have a warm connection, tied by a silver ribbon.

I hugged Lulu and stood up.

Looking down at the maze-like land, I let out a sigh.

I wondered what the hero who once saved this land must have felt as they left their homeland. Did they have someone they wanted to protect?

Did they think that they needed to change?

…If that’s the case, I think I can understand it a little.

For my own sake. For the sake of the people who cared for me.

By changing ourselves, people can change both what is within them and the world around them.

“…I want to change too.”

I wiped away the tears that had trickled down.

“I want to change, Lulu.”

I want strength that won’t be defeated by discrimination.

I just want to be happy.

I want a little courage.

While looking at the city illuminated by the light, I smiled just a little.

“…No. Definitely. It will change, Lulu.”

If you want something, you have to take action.

Even if it’s just little by little, I will change myself.

And if I do, I feel like I can definitely be happy.

From now on, I will live looking forward.

That way, even if I’m in the darkness, I believe I can find the many stars in the sky.

◆

After a while, as we were watching the city, suddenly, Lulu’s body gleamed brightly.

“Eh!?”

Lulu’s body floated up into the air.

“Kyu-ruuuuuu!”

Just like when Lulu first granted my wish, Lulu let out a high-pitched cry.

Her body was enveloped in light, and then the light puffed up and grew larger.

──Evolution.

I instinctively thought so.

The light gradually expanded.

Then, after a while, it burst into sparkles in the sky.

“!?

In the light, there was Lulu, much bigger than before, and even fluffier.

When I reached out my hand, Lulu slowly descended into my arms.

“Wow! You’re so big now!”

“Ruun!”

The fluff on Lulu’s neck had grown thicker.

The gem on her forehead had also grown larger.

On her limbs, there were shining, even smaller gems.

“Wow…! Lulu has changed too!”

“Ruuu!”

Lulu wagged her tail.

Her tail fur was fluffy and soft too.

As I was making a fuss over how amazing it was, suddenly, both of us heard a growling sound from our stomachs.

“…I get me being hungry, but Lulu, you’re a spirit, right?”

“Ruun.”

Lulu stuck her tongue out and then licked her nose.

It was as if she was saying it didn’t matter.

It was so funny that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hehe… Ahaha! Lulu, you’re really such a foodie!”

“Kyu-ruu.”

“…Shall we go home? When Ruri wakes up, let’s all have breakfast together?”

The chicks were probably making noise too.

They must be wondering if we left them behind again.

Bathed in the morning light, the city slowly began to wake up from its slumber.

The bright voices of people began to be heard.

“Let’s go!”

We skipped through the warm light, running toward the guild.