Illness-san looked practiced as she tied her hair back at the nape of her neck and took her place before the baby castella griddle. She began to bake with such fluid, effortless movements that there was no need to even wonder if she knew what she was doing.
It was my first time seeing Illness-san with her hair tied up, and it gave her a surprisingly fresh look.
"How was it... running the stall...?"
"It turned out to be quite the experience. It was my first time taking part in a festival this way, so there was a certain novelty to the fun."
"I see. If Kaito-sama enjoyed yourself... then that matters more than anything..."
"Have you ever run a stall before, Illness-san?"
Fortunately, there were no customers at the moment, so I struck up a conversation while watching her work. She was petite, yet seeing her cook like this made her seem dependable; I really did feel an air of maturity from her.
It was strange, really. I didn't feel much maturity from Tre-san, despite her model-like height and figure, yet I felt it so strongly from the small and youthful-looking Illness-san. I suppose it was a matter of their respective vibes—the very air they wrapped themselves in was different.
"No... to begin with... I have hardly ever... participated in a festival at all..."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Partially because I lacked interest... and I never felt the need... to go out of my way to visit one..."
"I see. I suppose if you aren't fond of noise, they might not be very appealing."
I had the impression that Illness-san didn't care for noisy places, so her lack of festival experience made sense. In truth, while my parents used to take me often when I was a child, I didn't remember going much once I grew up. Though I had certainly been making up for it since coming to this world...
"...I always... thought they were... unnecessary."
"Hmm?"
"I believed that... enjoying things... was unnecessary for me."
"..."
With her eyes fixed on the griddle, she murmured almost as if talking to herself. I found it unusual; Illness-san rarely spoke of her past. She generally focused on being a listener when we talked, and she almost never mentioned her old self. Lately, however, she had begun to open up like this from time to time, as if she had undergone some kind of change of heart.
"...A long time ago... I traveled through the Demon Realm. There was no particular reason for it. It was just that... somehow... I felt that learning various things... was the 'correct' thing to do."
"I think that's a good way of thinking, but..."
"My own desires played no part in it. There was merely a vague vision of what I thought a 'correct' life should be, and I was simply tracing the lines. I never... felt anything. Even if I saved someone... even if I accomplished a feat... I didn't feel a single spark of fulfillment. It just felt like... I had completed a quota."
I listened quietly as her words fell one by one. Depending on how one interpreted them, they carried a heavy weight, but I suspected there was no need for concern. After all, everything Illness-san had said was in the past tense—as if she were implicitly stating that things were different now.
"I’m sure... I was always... empty. I didn't even think that was a bad thing, but..."
"...How do you feel now?"
"I wonder. To be honest, I am still surrounded by things I don't understand. But... yes... I suspect... I can no longer return... to the way I was when I was empty."
"I didn't know you back then, so I can't judge how you've changed... but even so, I'm sure of one thing. The current Illness-san is far more wonderful than the one from the past. That's what I believe."
"...Kuhihi. Thank you. Hearing you say that... Kaito-sama... makes me especially happy."
The expression on her face as she turned toward me was soft, and she didn't look empty in the slightest. Even if she had been a void once, I felt that the current Illness-san was filled to the brim with so many things.
Illness-san returned her gaze to the griddle and whispered something under her breath.
"...Everything... is a gift from you, my beloved."
Whether she intended for me to hear or not, I couldn't quite catch the words. However, seeing the look on her face, I could guess they were kind ones.
Serious-senpai: "Uguuuh, th-this is brutal... Ever since Part 2 started, Illness's offensive has been insane... It’s like she’s being treated as the main heroine of Part 2 or something..."