Chapter 20: Under the cover of night, a bedtime story

Night had fallen, and the bright moonlight edged the reddish-brown rooftops with a silver lining.

The streets had quieted, with only the occasional cat darting across.

Swish.

She opened the window, letting in a cold breeze that carried a slight chill.

A girl dressed in pajamas, her orange-white golden hair naturally cascading down, lay prone by the window.

Her eyes, like sapphires, stared fixedly at the silver moon hanging in the sky, a faint sadness radiating from her silhouette.

After gazing at the moon for a while, Hilxi closed the window and stretched out on the soft bed in a starfish position.

The warm light from the bedside lamp gently illuminated her adorable cheeks.

“I’m so tired…”

She sighed, then turned over and picked up a book from the bedside table.

The book had a deep brown cover, engraved with the words 【Nicole’s Adventure Chronicles】—an adventure story written by a witch.

It was said the stories inside were all experiences the author had personally lived through.

Opening the book, Hilxi propped herself on her arms and idly skimmed through the contents.

This book allowed her to learn about many countries and their local specialties, as well as all sorts of strange and fun things.

It inspired Hilxi to make a decision: if she ever got the chance, she would definitely visit the countries introduced in the book.

You have to see it with your own eyes to truly believe it.

Suddenly.

Bang.

The door was pushed open by someone unknown.

Hilxi’s expression darkened—so it really was her after all.

“Hilxi…san.”

The familiar voice carried an inexplicable emotion. Hilxi twisted on the bed and looked toward the sound.

Sure enough, it was Saya.

She smiled and said,

“Oh? Is something wrong, Saya-san? If it’s important, let’s talk tomorrow. It’s bedtime now~”

“Can I sleep with you?”

Ah, this… ah, this this this…

I’m not that kind of person…

“Fine.” Hilxi nodded, immediately regretting it.

Saya, also in pajamas, scooted onto the bed and said bluntly,

“Are you doing all this just for me?”

“Ah, don’t say such embarrassing things…” Hilxi smiled awkwardly and shrugged.

“We’re friends, and I’m older than you, so I can’t just bully the younger one.”

“But… I want to become an Apprentice Witch through my own efforts.”

“Is that so? Then I guess I was just being self-indulgent…”

Hilxi sighed.

“…”

Saya fell silent for a moment, burying half her face in the blanket.

Hilxi rested her hands behind her head and tilted her head slightly.

“Tomorrow, you’re going back to your Homeland, right?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s nice. Tomorrow you’ll see your adorable younger sister and family. You should be happy.”

“…”

Saya remained silent.

Although she knew Hilxi-san didn’t mind, she still felt guilty.

The dim room fell quiet for a while. Unable to bear the atmosphere, Hilxi pursed her lips.

“Say something at least, or I’ll think you’re upset.”

“…Thank you.”

“Uh, uh, well, you’re welcome.”

“Hilxi, were you serious about what you said last time?”

What last time? Which time? Forget it, just admit it.

“Yes.”

“…I want to wait until you become an Apprentice Witch before I return to my Homeland too.”

“Huh??”

Hilxi froze for a moment, then turned over and lay on her side, looking into Saya’s eyes.

She suddenly smiled.

“There’s actually no need for that. After all, I’m not a child. I can take care of myself.”

“…”

“And, me… well, I don’t really care much either way.”

“Don’t say that.” Saya looked up into Hilxi’s deep blue eyes. “Don’t be so indifferent… I don’t want you to think like that.”

With that, her hand hidden in the blanket grabbed Hilxi’s wrist.

“I don’t want to see Hilxi-san get hurt because of me.”

“Uh… well, okay.” Hilxi relented.

Ah, this is so troublesome. I’m really bad at dealing with this kind of situation. I want to run away, run away, run away.

Maybe I should just let myself die.

“Hilxi-san, won’t you be lonely? I understand, being alone is very lonely.”

Saya spoke softly.

If she hadn’t met Ireina-san and Hilxi-san, she might not have been able to live in this country alone.

She might have done something even more foolish out of loneliness, and when that time came, no one would be there to save her.

Hilxi fell silent at this question.

Lonely? Alone?

Living in this world that didn’t belong to her, when had she not felt lonely? When had she not felt that aching solitude?

Every day she wandered, unsure if what she was doing was right or wrong.

But if she allowed herself to be defeated by these feelings, she would only be swallowed whole by ever-deepening loneliness and despair.

Like a deep abyss filled with hopelessness—once you fall in, it’s all over.

And because she understood this, she forced herself to face the cold reality every day. There was no other way but to keep moving forward.

Escape? That was an option.

But she didn’t want to.

“Of course I get lonely. Of course I’ll feel heartbroken and sad when Saya-san leaves. But so what?

No matter how painful… no matter how hard to bear, it will all pass.”

Hilxi smiled, her warm palm gently holding Saya’s hand.

“Even the hardest choices have to be made. If you ignore the cruel reality for the sake of present comfort and keep running away, you’ll only become a coward over time.”

“…Mm.” Saya nodded slightly, gripping Hilxi’s hand tightly, their fingers interlaced.

“…”

Didn’t she have to be this intimate?

Hilxi raised an eyebrow. It was the first time she’d been forced to use her Replication Talent—how strange.

“So… what will you choose tomorrow? To stay and cook for me… uh, cough, I mean, stay and help me get through the next Magic Test, even though I don’t need it, or go back to your Homeland to see your beloved family and adorable younger sister?”

Saya pursed her lips. “You said it yourself, why ask me to choose?”

“True enough. Then let’s happily sleep and prepare for a wonderful tomorrow! Ahaha!”

“…Why are you so happy?”

“I’m happy for you, hehe.” Hilxi smiled and teased half-jokingly. “When Ireina-san left, you clung to her like this, and now it’s my turn. Tsk, you’re so fickle.”

“I’m not! Whether it’s Ireina-san or Hilxi-san, you’re both important friends to me.”

Saya’s cheeks flushed as she said this.

Hilxi poked her forehead with the other hand.

“Don’t always rely on others~”

“You’re not exactly in a position to say that, are you? You’re the one I’ve been feeding and lending money to.”

“Ah… is that so? Then I’ve decided— to celebrate Saya-san passing the Magic Test, I’ll cook breakfast tomorrow!”

Hearing this, Saya rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Forget it, forget it. Are you trying to keep me here forever? That’s not fun at all.”

“Last time I cooked was an accident! And you taught me a lot too. This time I’m sure I can make a good meal!”

“No!”

“Trust me!”

“Because I trust you, I say no!”

Hilxi huffed in dissatisfaction.

“Fine, fine, a compromise: you cook breakfast tomorrow.”

“What kind of compromise is that? Well, I promised, so okay.” Saya snuggled into the pillow, then glanced at the Nicole’s Adventure Chronicles lying beside Hilxi.

“Eh, I think I saw that book at Ireina’s place.”

“Oh, Nicole’s Adventure Story. It’s a very interesting book. Ireina-san has one too.”

“I want to buy one too!”

“…”

Your reason for buying that book seems pretty straightforward.

Hilxi picked up the book and flipped it open.

“All the stories inside were personally experienced by the author. I’ll tell you something—I plan to visit those places after I become a witch. Hmm… I guess that’s like a pilgrimage.”

“I want to go too! But are there really a lot of interesting stories in the book?”

Hilxi instinctively nodded.

“There are…”

“Then please tell me, Hilxi-san!”

“Ah, this…”

Hilxi realized she had walked right into it.

I want to sleep, ahhhh!!

“Just consider it a celebration of me becoming an Apprentice Witch. Didn’t you say you wanted to celebrate?” Saya smiled, her beautiful eyes full of innocence.

Innocence… really? She feels so calculating.

Hilxi shrugged and gave in again.

“All right, all right, since you insist. Ahem, I’ll start now. Once upon a time, there was a witch named Nicole…”

In the room, only her voice remained.