My Husband Was the Master of the Magic Tower Chapter 128

 

[What does that mean suddenly?]

 

The sound of a door opening was heard from across the room, as if she was really entering somewhere, and then the sound of her urgent voice came again.

 

When I asked her if she was going into any building, I was told that she couldn’t go in because of me. What is she talking about?

 

“Weren’t you busy? Can you not go in?”

 

[Is that important now? Just tell me why you’re suddenly asking such a question.]

 

“No, it’s just.”

 

I opened my mouth with the intention of explaining it appropriately, but perhaps because I asked the question impulsively, I couldn’t think of a good excuse. As I remained silent without any answer, Sister immediately asked in an anxious tone.

 

[You… You’re not suffering from some kind of fatal disease, right?]

 

“No, it’s not like that.”

 

[If not that, what is it? Have you decided to run away with that boyfriend?]

 

“…”

 

[So you’re telling me I might never see you again?]

 

“Mmm…”

 

[Why is there no answer!]

 

I was speechless for a moment, as those words were true, even if she thinks something wrong is going on.

 

But just before she could raise her voice any further, I shook my head roughly and managed to form something that could be called a reply.

 

“No, there’s no reason, I just suddenly got curious. It’s not something grand like a fatal illness or an escape out of love.”

 

Although I emphasized several times that I really asked ‘suddenly’, ‘accidentally’, and ‘out of curiosity’, I couldn’t completely remove the doubt in Sister’s voice.

 

[You’re not the type of person to suddenly ask something like this… Anyway, I’ll try it once. Well, what would it be like if I never saw you again, you ask?]

 

“I told you there’s really no reason to try answering that.”

 

As I listened to her voice repeating the question I had asked, I felt a hint of regret as I thought I had asked something pointless. It’s so unexpected, and no matter what answer I get, it won’t change anything.

 

What on earth do I hope for…

 

To be honest, I thought I would get a playful answer. Sister and I weren’t good at having embarrassing conversations, and since I asked out of the blue, I expected her to take it as a joke.

 

However, after a while of silence, she spoke in a low voice.

 

[I will miss you a lot.]

 

“…”

 

[And it will be very difficult. We could meet at any time, yet we won’t be able to meet in an instant. ]

 

As I stood there, speechless, her calm and honest voice continued to flow.

 

[Never seeing you again doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll die, right? I just can’t see you, but you could be alive somewhere, right?]

 

“…Yeah.”

 

[Then I will be less sad. I just have to believe that you will be happy in a place where I can’t see you.]

 

There wasn’t a hint of laughter in her voice, as if she was seriously considering the situation. I listened to those words in silence while holding the cell phone tightly.

 

Even though I barely gave a proper answer, she continued her talk. At first, she says, she might not even believe that we can’t meet, but eventually she’ll have no choice but to accept it. Even if she grieves for a while after accepting it, she will somehow be okay.

 

For a moment, I felt a faint sense of discomfort at the words listed as if she was someone who had actually experienced such a situation.

 

[Do you know why I answer like someone who has prepared in advance? ]

 

Sister asked first, as if she had read my question. I was startled and blinked for a moment, but then answered obediently.

 

“No. Actually, I was already thinking it was strange.”

 

A laugh is heard behind the half-joking, half-serious answer. But even with that bright laugh, the depressed mood didn’t return.

 

Sister paused for a moment, and then she began to speak in a low voice, as if she was sighing.

 

Since it was almost a whisper, it may not have been audible, but for some reason, it was heard particularly clearly.

 

[Actually, I had a strange dream yesterday. The reason I called you was because I kept thinking about that dream. Neither you nor I are people who remember dreams well, though… Why am I like this today? ]

 

“What was your dream?”

 

[Hmm. ]

 

A hesitant answer comes with a brief hesitation.

 

[A dream of you completely disappearing from this world, as if you had evaporated.]

 

“…”

 

[There’s no trace of you going somewhere right before your disappearance, and there are no clues or evidence that can be found. A dream in which you can’t be found anywhere, whether you really rose into the sky or swallowed by the ground.]

 

It’s a strange dream, isn’t it? Sister said that with a light smile, yet her speaking speed inevitably slowed down a bit.

 

[I was looking for you in my dream for a while and then I woke up. But right before I woke up, I was so tired that I gave up without even realizing it. Ah, no one could even find your body, well! Then you must be alive! And if you’re alive, you’ll live well on your own!]

 

“…”

 

[And now you’re asking this question. What would I be if I never saw you again.]

 

“…Sister, I…”

 

[Yeah, yeah. There’s no way you suddenly disappeared somewhere. As long as you’re human, there’s no way you could disappear without a trace like that. It was all possible because it was a dream!]

 

This time, Sister’s voice rose again with cheerfulness. Her tone becomes lively again, as if to tell me to stop listening so seriously and she wasn’t taking it seriously either.

 

[Anyway, the conclusion is this. I will miss you if we never see each other again, but I will trust that you will get along well in the end.]

 

“Mm.”

 

[If enough time has passed for me to be able to believe that… I’ll be fine after that too.]

 

It was only after hearing what Sister added in passing that I finally understood why I had asked this question.

 

It’s not because I want people who know me to miss me. It wasn’t because I wanted them to remember me even when I wasn’t there, so that it would be a small consolation to me who couldn’t forget these people.

 

I wanted the people I cared about to be happy without me. Even if I may never see those happy faces again.

 

Sister’s calm voice cut through the momentary silence.

 

[You won’t die, right?]

 

Just like my question a moment ago, this is a question that comes out of the blue. But I didn’t ask any more questions, and just said yes in a quiet voice.

 

“…Yeah.”

 

[That’s enough then.]

 

Even though she had no idea what I was thinking, she spoke as if she knew everything and laughed as usual. The sound of laughter, which might be the last time I heard that, seemed to be pressing somewhere in her chest.

 

But I ignored the pain and returned a laughter to Sister. I tried to be as relaxed as possible and laughed out loud for her to hear.

 

The words she was rushing to say, that she really had to go now, sounded indescribably sad.

 

[□□. I’ll call you again next time.]

 

Her voice mingled with the noise of the city and the wind, and my name was muffled. But it was okay even if I couldn’t hear it properly. One thing remains the same: Sister called my name for the last time.

 

“Yeah, got it. Go in quickly, Sister.”

 

[Me asking to see your boyfriend’s face isn’t a joke, so think about it! …Anyway, eat well. I’ll be hanging up!]

 

“Mmhm.”

 

And then the phone hung up.

 

Along with an electronic sound like a marble rolling, a screen showing that the call was disconnected appeared on the mobile phone. I stared at the screen for a while and then slowly raised my head.

 

Before I knew it, Dante was next to me.

 

“…Dante. When did you get here?”

 

“Just now.”

 

If just now, when? I was about to ask that question, but I pursed my lips a few times and then closed my mouth again. Somehow I felt like this wasn’t what I really wanted to ask.

 

Did you hear me calling? Considering I hadn’t noticed until now, I think you were standing far away. Did you hear Sister’s voice? Did you already know who the person on the other end of the phone was? Because I called her ‘Sister’ several times.

 

Yeah, I called her Sister.

 

I think I was holding my cell phone to pieces without realizing it. It wasn’t until Dante quietly grabbed my hand and began to remove my fingers from the phone one by one that I realized that my hand had turned white.

 

I obediently handed over the cell phone to Dante and opened my mouth quietly.

 

“It was nice to hear her voice after a long time. Ah, that was the way she spoke. And she had this personality. I had many thoughts.”

 

“…”

 

“It hasn’t been long since I talked on the phone, yet it feels like a lot of time has passed.”

 

I gave a small smile as if it were just passing by, yet Dante’s sunken face seemed to show no signs of returning. He seemed sad and anxious at the same time.

 

In the meantime, I quietly looked into the purple eyes that were fixed on me and asked a question as if throwing it out.

 

“Are you afraid that I will change my mind because I called Sister?”

 

“…No.”

 

“Then why do you look like that?”

 

I thought Dante was lying, so I laughed again. However, Dante’s answer completely silenced my laughter.

 

“You’re sad.”

 

“…”

 

“You don’t know what your expression looks like, do you?”

 

I don’t know. I thought it was the same as usual, but maybe I was distorting it without realizing it.

 

I raised my hand and touched my face, yet that alone couldn’t tell my expression. Dante returned the cell phone to my hand, leaving me dazed.

 

“Sometimes I wish you cried a lot. Then you will be able to know how much more relieved you feel after crying.”

 

“…I can’t cry like you do.”

 

“But no matter how you cry, if you do, I can comfort you.”

 

After hearing those words, I belatedly realized that Dante wanted to comfort me. In an instant, the tension left my body, and a more relaxed smile emerged than ever before.

 

“I’m not in the mood for comfort right now, so it’s fine, Dante. In fact, I feel more at ease than ever before.”

 

“…”

 

“I just heard something I needed on the phone.”

 

I lowered my eyes. Is my expression still sad or happy?

 

“Sister will be happy no matter what. Even if I’m gone, she’ll miss me for a while and then be fine.”

 

“…Mm.”

 

“So I’m fine too.”

 

And I’ll be fine.

 

As I slowly opened my arms, Dante immediately curled up his body and hugged me as if he was being hugged. If I hold him like this, my cold hands will become warm again.

 

Feeling the warmth in my arms, I whispered in Dante’s ear.

 

“Let’s go to that alley again.”