MEMORIES AND ABU HORMUZ
Episode 18 - For a While, And Tomorrow
Before they met with Lusi at 8 am, before going to bed at night, Haruhiro and the others racked their brains to think about what they should do and what they should say to Lusi tomorrow. But nobody can think of anything. Then, when they arrive in Damroww Old Town, they should focus on work, and they should not worry about anything else.
Those crucial moments passed by, and just before they returned to Atalante at night, Haruhiro finally ventured to approach Lusi.
"Lusi, there's something I want to talk to you about," Haruhiro said so bluntly, exiting the shop where they sold the loot today.
"I see," Lusi replied as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. ”Then, just say it….."
Because last night everyone had heard the story about Lusi's dark past, so today none of them were able to behave normally in front of the girl. They had heard the story from Haya, and Lusi should not have known about it, but Lusi felt a change in the behavior of the people around him, so he must have guessed that something had happened to them.
He probably thought that they had already decided to get him out of this Party. Maybe right now Lusi is imagining that Haruhiro will say, "Sorry Lusi, but may I ask you to quit this Party?"
Not wanting to make a fuss, Lusi immediately replied, "Alright," while getting ready to leave them.
He braced himself to hear what Haruhiro was going to say. Apparently, Lusi has often experienced similar things in several parties before. It's sad to know that a girl often experiences something so unpleasant.
"Lusi .." said Haruhiro, while mentioning the name of a girl who is currently still officially a member of his Party.
Haruhiro looked into Lusi's eyes, as if he was about to say “This is not what you think.” Luci's eyes narrowed slightly. Haruhiro is not alone. Barto, Vina, Alice, and Marco all members of the Party also stared at the girl. Luci knew that everything was watching him, so he started to feel uncomfortable. No, this is not
as you think ... Again Haruhiro repeated that phrase in his mind.
"Lusi," this time Haruhiro said it out loud. “Party we've had a Priest before. His name is Udin, and he's dead .. Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to call, we let him get killed. You can say that he is a perfectionist, and we rely too much on him. When we were injured during the fight, he did not hesitate to heal us even though the wound was just a small scratch.”
"Udin is our leader" said Haruhiro, “He is our trusted healer, and he and Barto always fight on the front lines, so he is like a Warrior. It feels like there are three roles in one person. He was truly an amazing person, but at that moment, we never realized it. In our eyes, he is just an ordinary person. I was sure that Udin was going through a difficult time at the time, but he never once complained, and none of us imagined how heavy the burden Udin was bearing. Even until now, it seems like I can't imagine it. .. But he's dead. He is no longer in this world.”
Certainly, Lusi saw similarities between himself and Udin. In fact, maybe he already understood that Haruhiro was telling this all because he already knew about his past story.
Haruhiro was hesitant. However, after hearing Haya's story, he quite understood about what had happened to Lusi, and Haruhiro also understood why Lusi became like this. However, should he tell Lusi that he knows all those things?
Haruhiro also felt that this was not something that could be easily accepted.
The "A" thing happened, and then the "B." thing happened." Haruhiro understood that humans were neither simple nor easy creatures to express what was in his mind, and he did not want to be a pretentious person to read the contents of Lusi's heart. If there is a person who claims that he is able to know all the contents of the heart
someone, then he is a less person. So, the only thing Haruhiro could convey to Lusi was his own feelings.
"To be honest, with Udin gone, I thought that it was all over" Haruhiro began. “I think that it is impossible for us to continue this struggle without him. But even though he was dead, we were still alive. We have to keep living, and we can't keep living if we just sit and sit
hand. We are still Red MooN training members, so we have to fight to buy food on our own. Then, we invite you to join the Party. A Party should have a Priest that's why we're taking you. There's no other reason. Now, myself, Marco, Vina, and Alice, we were just a bunch of dudes from the start. But Barto is a little different. He is recruited by Ragil, but then he is thrown away after they take all his money. Udin was the one who invited him to join us. Although we were just trash, we managed to form a team, and also managed to make friends. That's the beginning. But from that moment on, we really became a whole team. Sometimes things don't go well, sometimes we scold each other, sometimes we fight each other, but in the end, we still consider all Party members as friends. No matter what kind of circumstances we face, the most important thing is, we are all still here to fight on with life. To me, all of them are very valuable friends and co-workers. Including yourselves………. Lusi.”
Lusi did not say a word. He looked at Haruhiro with a sharp, long, and motionless look, yet he still blinked occasionally.
"I am too." Alice quietly raised her hand.”I also consider you as a friend.”
"Agree," Vina smiled widely. “Lusi is super cute!”
Marco grunting. “I ... I .. well, you know. I was noisy when I got hurt. But, I was so when I was fighting. But, uhhh .. yeah, I guess. Aren't we friends?”
"It looks like it will rain tomorrow" Haruhiro said as he looked at the cloudless sky above him. “Marco, acknowledging that he himself is not perfect. Surely tomorrow there will be a very heavy rain.”
“Hei! I admit all my vices, and I'll keep fixing them! My self-improvement talent is above average! You've known me for so long, and you still don't realize it?!”
"If you say that, okay."
"Oi! The haruhiro! Don't just stop there! You make me sad!"
"I think it would be better if we set goals faster than we keep putting them off" Haruhiro continued. “Although that is only a short-term goal
...”
He glanced at Lusi. The girl looked unaffected thus far, and she was still staring intently at Haruhiro. Haruhiro hopes that Lusi does not intend to turn down their offer of friendship. It would be a good start for him.
"... Things have been going awry lately" Haruhiro said. “I'm not even sure I can afford a Red MooN contract despite working so hard. We are just going through it day by day without any real purpose. Let's stop that, and let's find the direction we want to go.”
"Our goal is to become a MILIADER! Then DOMINATE THE WORLD!!!"
Haruhiro ignored Marco completely, and expressed his thoughts on everything, except for the extremely annoying Marco, and even a thousand-language silent Luci finally agreed.
"I don't care about anything other than money and power" Marco declared. “I guess, I also want to be popular in the eyes of the girls. But if you want to have a lot of girls, you also need money and power ..” He paused for a moment. “It seems, your idea of setting short-term goals is a good start to achieving world domination ... it seems ..” he said reluctantly.
Vina breathed a heavy sigh. “Speaking to Marco will take longer than lining up at the bank, and be more tedious than listening to math lessons.”
They started again, thought Haruhiro, and he turned to Susi. “Lusi, then what do you think?”
Susi avoided her gaze, it seemed that she gave such a slow and faint nod. Haruhiro took that as a sign of approval from the girl.
"Do you want to have dinner with us tonight?" Ask.
"No, thank you." Then he added in a voice so calm, “... not for now.”.
"All right."
What the hell are you expecting? Haruhiro told himself. Things won't get better if you just act like that. But, of course Haruhiro was impatient. Nobody knows when they will be separated. Haruhiro and the others had already burned one of his most precious companions to ashes, yet it was one of the steps to continue advancing towards the future. And no one knew that their death was approaching.
Whatever it is, change will happen even if it is only one step ahead. For Haruhiro and other friends who have absolutely no advantages, one small step is the only way they can achieve the future.
And if he didn't hear wrong, before Susi turned to leave, he whispered, "See you tomorrow."
Indeed indeed. Even if we stop for a while, tomorrow will come.
