I slowly opened the window next to my bed, allowing the fresh morning air to drift through my room, the light of the sun illuminating the sky, brightening up my room, showing the scenery of the airy room more clearly. Usually, I would be more exhausted in the early morning, but today, for some reason, I felt refreshed. If only I could wake up like this every day, I could start training early. With that being said, I went towards my closet to choose a suit of clothes to wear today. After going through everything inside my closet, I took out my academy uniform, since I'll be going along with Princess Scarlett today.
"It's no fun, I'll have to be in my spirit form all day."
Alya, who was still seated on my bed, suddenly said with a sullen look.
"Yeah, since I'll be at school all day, there isn't much chance for you to materialise, huh."
I said with an apologetic look on my face. It would be easy if she could materialise whenever she wants, but allowing greedy nobles to take an interest in spirits isn't a good idea. The Watanabe kingdom's nobles all want to increase the kingdom's military prowess. I'm sure they will want to get their hands on spirits for their great powers.
"Don't worry, I definitely won't show myself before such people, so you can rest assured."
She said with a faint smile. Seeing that I smiled in return.
"By the way, there is something I want to know."
I said, sending her a glance. Seeing that she tilted her head curiously.
"Yes, what is it?"
Alya asked.
"Well... I wanted to travel and find clues of away home. Do you by any chance have any suggestions?"
I asked, sending her a questioning glance. She then placed her hands underneath her chin and pondered for a while.
"Good question, but... unfortunately, I don't really know myself, but no matter where you end up, I'll be with you through it all."
She said, showing a sweet smile. For some reason, my cheek loosened hearing that, I don't know why, but for some reason, I always felt a slight warmth from her comfort.
"When the time comes, I'm sure you'll find an answer."
She said, showing a radiant smile that was full of confidence.
"Right, I just need to learn spatial magic, is that right?"
I asked, turning my gaze directly towards Alya.
"That's about right, but... even then, we don't know the coordination of your original world; finding it won't be easy."
She said while staring strongly at my face.
"I know, but... I will find my way home!"
I shouted with resolute seeing that Alya sighed quietly.
"Isn't that just wishful thinking? The future favours no one you know. I'm not saying this to discourage you or anything, but... being too optimistic won't solve your problem; if anything, you'll only feel down if you fail. You have to have an unbreakable resolve. Do you have one?"
She asks while peering into my face. I also stared at those green gem-like eyes; I swallowed my saliva, searching for words, how much do I want to return home? I wondered, would it be better to live in this world even though I'm not originally a resident of this world? My desire to return to my parents is strong, but for some reason, I feel like there is something I must do in this world. Seeing my indecisiveness to properly make a decision, she let out a deep sigh.
"It seems like you still have a lot of thinking to do."
She said, a bit disappointed. She then walked over to where I was standing with a dazed face. Once she was right before me, she then used both her hands and gently held both my cheeks. Forcing me to stare directly at her face, her neatly refined green, emerald eyes sparkled, her lips curved upwards into a small smile, and there was also a tinge of pink on her white cheeks.
"The decision is up to you, no matter what choice Haruto makes, I'll follow that path alongside you, okay."
She said with the face of a maiden in love, I honestly don't get why she is so loyal and completely devoted to me. Is it because of our contract or something else? Is this how every spirit treats their partner? She always acts so easy-going, it's rare to see her with such a serious expression. But then I notice that our faces were extremely close, so close that if I moved my face an inch further, our lips would touch. I was slow to realise this fact and ended up staring intently at her face, but I was immediately awakened by the warmth of her palms transmitting to my cheeks.
"Y-Yes... thank you."
I said with a squeak in my voice, even though I couldn't see my face, I could easily tell my face was bright red.
"I know how determined you are to return home, after all, you were separated from your loved ones. Your feelings are understandable."
She said while slowly withdrawing her face, to create some distance between us.
"I want to return home, but at the same time I... don't want to forget those I know in this world, I'm sorry for my own indecisiveness, I know I'm really inadequate as your partner."
I said, making an apologetic face. Alya smiled depend on seeing my troubled look.
"No, that's impossible, you're the only one I will ever truly call partner, despite everything that has happened to you, you're still only human, it's okay to have selfish desires just like how it's okay for you to prioritise your own wants, you know."
She said, letting out a small giggle. Is that really okay? I thought.
"Don't think too much about it, let's just find an answer together and decide whether or not you'll stay in this world or return to your original world."
She said, sending me a glance.
"Got it, I want to return home that hasn't changed... but while I continue to live here, my end goal may change in the end, but still, my desire to return home will always be there."
I said, showing a small smile on my face.
"Fufufu... that's it, the face I wanted to see but... we've been chatting for so long that we've lost track of time, it seems."
She said, shrugging her shoulders lightly, before turning her gaze towards the door.
*KNOCK*
Before long, there was a knock on the door; it was probably the Princess, as it was getting late.
"Alya, you should turn into your spirit form."
I said before heading towards the door.
"If it's just the Princess, I don't mind revealing myself."
(Eh, what was she talking about?)
I wondered internally, however, before I could say anything, the door opened as the Princess made her way inside the room.
"Good morning, Haruto."
Scarlett said with a cheerful voice that would lift the spirits of everyone who heard it. She was naturally dressed neatly in her school uniform, and her hair flowed gently down her back. However, before I could reply, she had her gaze turned towards Alya, who was standing behind me.
"Hello there, Princess, has your day been well?"
Alya said with a sweet smile on her face. Ignoring the surprise expression, I had on my face. The two beautiful ladies kept gazing at each other for a while. The atmosphere within the room became heavy.
"Haruto, who is this girl?"
She asked, even though there was a smile on her face, her eyes weren't smiling at all. A chill went down my spine.
"I'm Alya Haruto's partner, and you could also say I'm his wife."
She said, leaning coquettishly on my shoulder. With a pleasant smile on her face.
"I-Is that so?"
She asked, peering at my face questioningly.
"It's n-not what it looks like, please allow me to explain."
I said, trying my best to feign composure while feeling cold sweat run down my back.