I understood why Illness-san had started her travels now. Despite the things she said about herself, I couldn't help but feel that kindness lay at the heart of her character. It made me a little happy to think that the Illness-san of the past was no different from the one I knew today.
"Ever since my travels began... serving someone as a maid might have just been the easy way out. People would ask me to do various things... and for someone like me, who lacked a strong sense of self... it was probably simpler to just follow the path someone else provided."
"I see... By the way, how long have you been at the Symphonia Royal Castle?"
"In terms of actual time... it has not been very long. I was recruited by the Queen of Sinfonia from five generations ago... so it has been roughly 400 years."
To me, 400 years sounded incredibly long. But to Illness-san, who had undoubtedly lived for tens of thousands of years, it clearly didn't feel like a particularly extensive period.
I suppose it makes sense. If we assume for the sake of easy math that she had lived for 40,000 years, then 400 years would only be one percent of her life. From that perspective, it might feel neither remarkably short nor especially long.
"Were you in the Demon Realm before you became a maid at the Royal Castle?"
"No... I moved to the Human Realm shortly after the Friendship Treaty was signed. Before I started working at the Royal Castle... I took on various jobs in all sorts of places. Sometimes I would handle the accounting for a merchant guild... and other times, I conducted ecological surveys."
"So that's why you're so versatile, Illness-san."
"Kuhihi, indeed... It is quite common for the things I picked up along the way... to prove useful in the most unexpected situations. However... looking back like this... I realize that for all the years I have lived... I do not actually have much to tell."
She seemed a bit nostalgic, but her account of her past remained detached, as if she were simply reciting facts from a ledger. She could explain that she did certain things for certain reasons, but she didn't seem to have any actual anecdotes to share.
Illness-san herself seemed to realize this; she looked as though she couldn't think of a single specific story worth mentioning.
"Dramatic change... often comes when you least expect it. For me... the last few years... have felt far more dramatic and eventful... than the tens of thousands of years that came before."
"I know what you mean. Well, compared to you, my life is short, but even so... the days since I came to this world feel so much more intense than everything before it. Or rather, they just are more intense."
"Kuhihi, quite so. When it comes to living dramatic days... I could never hope to compete with you, Kaito-sama."
"Ahaha..."
Watching her laugh happily, I could tell that these "dramatic years" had been good for her. It was clear she was truly enjoying her life now, and that made me feel happy too.
I wasn't sure why, but I felt almost as if I were being praised. Was it just because her voice was so incredibly gentle?
"Lately... I have become quite selfish. I find myself wondering what happened to the woman who was once called 'empty'... because now my head is full of this and that—all the things I want to do. It is quite a handful... yet I have started to enjoy that side of myself... which is strange."
"No, it's more like you just lacked any desire for way too long. I don't think you've become selfish at all... Oh, wait. For example, do you consider inviting me to this tea party to be a selfish act?"
"I do. Because I have forced you to spend your time on my personal whim... Kaito-sama..."
"Hmm, I'm afraid you're wrong. I'm not just 'going along' with your selfishness. I'm here because I wanted to be. I wanted this tea party as much as you did. So, it's not selfish in the slightest. Honestly, I'd prefer it if you made even more requests of me."
"..."
She seemed to have a habit of holding back, as if she were worried about imposing her desires on me. But since I was here of my own free will and enjoying myself, it wasn't an imposition at all.
Illness-san looked stunned for a moment—a rare look for her—and then she gave a soft smile.
"...I am truly at a loss. Whenever I am with you... Kaito-sama... I find myself becoming more and more selfish. But... I think I could learn to like this selfish version of myself... It makes me feel a bit ticklish inside."
Serious-senpai: "Enough! Surely that's enough already! Stop it right here and just start a new episode next chapter, okay? Please?"
???: "Oh? If Serious-senpai is saying that, then..."