Part 939: Cynthia A

I shouldn't have done it. It was cruel.

What was cruel?!

Gyah! ...H-how long have you been there?!

Oh, I've been here forever! You would have noticed too, if you weren't so completely lost in thought. If I was a foe, I could have lopped off your head without you ever realizing it.

Yes, but in battle, I would be much more dilig-

Don't forget, you're a proper hero now! You can't afford to let your guard down... It just looks bad.

Who said I was a hero? Apart from you, I mean.

Oh, Gerome, you don't have to be so modest. I love you anyway!

Y-you love me?

Yeah, of course I do, silly. Anyway, that's not why I came to talk to you. I have a question for you. A very important question.

Hold! Return to the part about lo-

Do you hate me?

What? ...Why do you ask?

Because, it sometimes feels like you're trying very, very hard to avoid me.

...... I find you difficult to be around.

*Gasp* No... Oh I knew it...

I'm not finished. You have always been a perpetual ray of sunshine in my life. But sometimes, a man like me wishes to draw the curtains and sit in the dark.

Like a troglodyte?

Please don't misunderstand me. I don't dislike you. Your good humor raises people's spirits and dispels the horrors of war. You are a shining beacon of hope, reminding us there can be a better future. You light the fires of optimism and inspire us to keep striving.

Gosh. You make me sound so... important. More of this please! But wait... I guess if you think that, you can't possibly hate me... Right?

None of your comrades dislike you, myself included.

Phew! That's a relief! Thanks, Gerome! We'll talk soon, I promise.

W-wait! My point was that I do not want to talk!