| Author: Eltria | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: Mui | English Source: Re:Library |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | |
About half a year had passed since I first met Alfe. During this time, Alfe had learned to roll over and had started using her tiny hands and feet to attempt moving forward.
It seemed like she was on the verge of beginning a style of movement called crawling. I had acquired this skill a few months ago, so I could readily understand Alfe’s progress.
“Really, Leafa has been a tremendous help. I would have never thought of that foot massage.”
Judy frequently brought up the foot massage as one of my accomplishments.
Certainly, I initially understood that other babies also go through such phases, but hearing about it daily made me feel somewhat embarrassed. However, it seemed that Alfe had been less fussy lately, and her expression had brightened considerably from the previous, somewhat tired one, which was a welcome change.
“It’s just a coincidence. Leafa was just playing and fooling around—”
“But Alfe seemed to be so comfortable and fell asleep like that for the first time.”
Hearing about how I was being of assistance to Alfe didn’t make me feel bad at all. Being born a little earlier might mean I had some useful knowledge to offer in the future. The accumulation of knowledge during infancy was something I didn’t have as Glass, so I needed to remember these bodily changes as well.
“As expected, you’re a great big sister, Leafa.”
“Aaa…”
Being treated as a big sister just because I was born a few months earlier than Alfe seemed a bit strange. After all, I was Alfe’s friend, not her sister…
Thinking about it, I suddenly realized that I had been categorizing Alfe as a friend without her saying anything to that effect.
“Aawu, aawu.”
Alfe, who was lying next to me as usual, tugged at my clothes. This gesture of pulling at the hem and sleeves of my clothes had become more frequent when I was focused on the mothers’ conversation.
“Awufe.”
“Aaau!”
When I called out, Alfe, who happily looked into my eyes, seemed to be calling my name. Even though I didn’t understand what she was saying, it seemed like I needed to make an effort to understand Alfe’s conversation since she was talking to me more often. I found the mothers’ conversations more interesting, though, as they allowed me to learn about the world’s situation.
I had also noticed that my father, Rudra, had been absent from home frequently recently. His profession as a soldier was likely a legitimate reason for his busyness, but my mother’s explanations only conveyed the matters concerning his work vaguely. There were probably military secrets involved, and even though I was growing, as a baby, there wasn’t much I could do with the limited information I might gain…
“Aau!”
Alfe didn’t seem to like that I was lost in thought, so she pulled on my cheek.
“Kya!”
I let out a small girlish scream as her nails scratched me. Alfe, aren’t your nails getting a bit long?
“Aa-ah?”
I took her tiny hand and brought it in front of her. Alfe blinked curiously but obediently followed my lead. For Alfe, it seemed that being attended to by me was more important, and she was generally calm when my attention was on her.
“Nguu?”
It appeared to be due to small hangnails. I carefully cut them using my just-grown front teeth1. Alfe squirmed playfully as I did this, and when I released her hand, she tried to put my hand in her mouth, as if in thanks.
“Daa.”
I declined, conveying it with my eyes as I pulled my hand away. Alfe frowned slightly, looking disappointed, but her curiosity quickly shifted to something else. She lifted her head as if gazing at the sky and opened her round eyes wide, staring at something.
During moments like this, Alfe’s eyes were incredibly beautiful.
Alfe’s eyes were an odd pair: the left was a sky-like blue, and the right gleamed with golden hues. Her right eye was not just an oddity; it possessed an extraordinary power known as “Pure Eye.” In her right eye, she could see things like magical energy known as aether, and other things that were invisible to ordinary humans. That’s why she sometimes stared into space like this, but I couldn’t comprehend what she saw.
I had known about Alfe’s extraordinary ability, the “Pure Eye,” but I hadn’t expected I’d get a chance to inspect it up close like this. I was quite intrigued by what Alfe could see.
When you looked into someone’s eyes, the world was reflected in them upside down, but I wondered if that fact stood true even for the Pure Eye. However, when I compared her eyes, they seemed to be reflecting a similar image.
Nevertheless, I never get tired of looking into Alfe’s eyes.
When we first met, I didn’t pay much attention to them. However, as she grew, her left eye became a vivid blue, while her Pure Eye transformed into a brilliant gold. The contrast between the colors of her two eyes had become strikingly evident as she continued to grow.
