What if you are reborn as a demon after a funeral?

Page 131

Before he could even come up with a good plan to deal with this guy who had suddenly turned from a visitor into an uninvited guest, his mother had already enthusiastically grabbed his hand and led him into the house.

"Zanze is so rude! How could you push your senior brother away?" Zanze's mother scolded her daughter while giving Ash an overly bright smile.

Not content with just one hand, the lady placed her other hand on the back of his hand as well: "It's been so long! Since you're here, don't leave so soon. Stay and have lunch with us, and maybe even dinner together?"

"No... dinner didn't go quite right either..."

"It's alright, you must have come here for something important, right?"

"Not really... I just wanted to... cough, I wanted to discuss magic with Zanze."

"Really? Then don't be shy. Let me prepare some desserts first. Do you have any dietary restrictions for lunch?"

...........

Seeing his mother being even more enthusiastic than Yashu, Zanze couldn't get a word in edgewise. He just stared blankly at the two of them, speechless throughout the entire process.

Soon after, they were taken to Zanze's room.

Normally, visitors to a noblewoman's daughter's house would definitely go to the reception room. At least the last time Ash came a few years ago, he went to the Zanze family's reception room.

But now... it has become Zanze's room, and the door is even closed.

"...Your mother, aren't you afraid that strange things might happen if her daughter is alone in a room with a man?"

"......"

Perhaps his mother was anticipating something? — Recalling his mother's meaningful smile as she closed the door, Zanze was speechless and felt extremely uneasy.

But Ash didn't pay attention to her silence and began to look around her boudoir with great interest. This boudoir, which had never been entered by any man other than her family, made her feel quite uncomfortable.

.............................

Unsurprisingly, despite Zanze's cold personality, his spacious room was filled with a girlish atmosphere.

The walls are adorned with exquisite landscape paintings paired with fabrics, while on the other side is a bookcase piled high with books. In the very center is a large, carved bed covered in silk, with a dressing table not far from the headboard.

Although it was piled with books, there were surprisingly some cosmetics on it, but they showed almost no signs of being used.

The desk not only had books, but also some strange magical items, and the air in the room seemed to be filled with a faint fragrance.

This made Ash sniff carefully, and then unconsciously picked up a lock of Zanze's hair to confirm it, and then unconsciously nodded to himself:

"I knew it! You even used nice scented incense in your room? It smells different from your hair, but that means you must be wearing..."

"What...what do you want to do...?"

Like a frightened little animal, Zanze, though still expressionless, instinctively covered his chest with both hands, his beautiful long hair also covering his body as if it were alive.

"...What do you take me for? I was just expressing my feelings, I wasn't going to smell you."

“........” Zanze didn’t say anything, because she simply felt that this person was capable of anything.

Ash understood her judgment of him and knew it would be difficult to prove his innocence, so he could only shrug and say, "Don't be so wary. Even if I were, I wouldn't do anything reckless, but..."

"but....?"

"No...it's nothing."

Zanze's wary gaze prevented him from revealing his true feelings—he really wanted to... tease him a little more, and even couldn't resist the urge to hug him.

But when faced with a girl who's like a little animal, it's understandable to have thoughts like kissing, hugging, and lifting her up high, right? As long as things are kept within reasonable limits... it's just that the occasion really does matter.

So he sat obediently on the carpet by the bed, and casually patted the side, which made Zanze hesitate for a moment but still sit down next to him.

This made him instantly happy. He smiled and touched the soft, long hair, enjoying a peaceful and warm time that was quite different from home.

His mother, who didn't have much time to spare, brought cookies, desserts, and drinks... He didn't want to complain too much about why there were drinks.

But he didn't resist much, so he had lunch there and spent the whole afternoon discussing magic with Zanze, while also idly chatting about recent interesting events.

The weather in the north was indeed quite cold, but the indoor air was warm, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere between the two.

When their eyes met, Ash smiled like an older brother, which gradually relaxed Zanze, who was standing next to him. Zanze even felt a little like taking a nap together.

After dinner, the two, who had spent the whole day in a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere, went up to the rooftop terrace together to drink tea and read books at the tea table. From the terrace, they could also enjoy a direct view of the city's beautiful nightscape.

..............................

..............................

Countless magic stone lamps glowed with phosphorescent light of various colors, illuminating the dim city like a galaxy, making it impossible to look away.

Zanze didn't have much of a reaction to this commonplace scene.

At that moment, Ash subtly shifted his position, successfully shortening the distance between them, and casually touched his own hair, making her slightly annoyed.

Her usually listless eyes, flushed red by the sunset, seemed much softer at this moment.

Feeling the warmth on the top of her head, with a smiling boy beside her, and her hair swaying gently in the cool night breeze, she felt a strange feeling that was not quite the same as usual.

It's hard to describe her; she seems to be treated like a child, but surprisingly, she's not unpleasant... or rather, that's how it was from the beginning.

Feeling ripples in the calm lake of his heart, Zanze shifted his gaze from the night scene, simply watching him, his eyes subtly narrowing:

"Lord Ash, you really... haven't changed at all from the beginning until now."

"Isn't Zanze like that too?"

"...I am different from you."

"You have a scent reminiscent of Lady Celie."

"Old people smell bad?"

“…” Zanze ignored his joke, paused for a moment, and then spoke as if he had made up his mind:

"Even if I really die of old age, you will probably live on and on, just like Lady Celie."

"...Why would you think that?"

"I can still tell from Lady Celie's attitude... She's never been good at hiding anything; she always says what she thinks. Although she didn't explain, I was only suspicious at first, but you... it seems you didn't intend to hide anything either. Is that really the case?"

“…Selie is such a troublesome person.”

Although he should have denied it at this point, he was still troubled and directly pushed the problem onto Celia.

Looking at his face and receiving such an answer, Zanze seemed somewhat surprised, his eyes widening: "...You really don't intend to deny it?"

"I don't think you would casually tell others," he replied calmly, making no attempt to hide his feelings, his hand still resting habitually on her head.

"...To be honest, I was very surprised."

"It's not something to worry about that much, is it?"

"...Perhaps that's true, but..."

"Don't overcomplicate things." He smiled and shook his head, then casually slipped his hands under her armpits, lifting the petite girl high into the night sky. He gazed calmly at the slightly flustered girl in his arms.

"No matter how much time passes, I will definitely watch over you during your limited time. Just because we can't live in the same time doesn't mean that the time we experienced is fake."

"However, even so... one day, you'll surely forget I exist, won't you?"

The girl, who was still struggling, unconsciously stopped struggling and subconsciously looked at what he said... but she did not receive the response she deserved, and just gradually disappeared into the air.

Although Ash felt he should give a positive answer at this moment, he couldn't help but think of the dwarf guarding the village.

Celia and Frillie may be different, having a different concept of time than humans, where hundreds of years can pass by in a daze.

He was just a human being and didn't have that special sense of time, so he couldn't be sure what he would be like a thousand years from now.

Perhaps a thousand years from now, this fleeting feeling and friendship will be completely forgotten without a second thought? — He couldn't be sure now.

Zanze noticed Ash's distress, and it would be a lie to say that she didn't feel even a little bit lonely.

But Ash also noticed her loneliness, and he slowly put her down again, placing her beside him and slightly bending his knees to bring his gaze level with hers. He smiled, a hint of guilt in his eyes, but true to his feelings:

"A thousand years is too long for me to guarantee, but at least for the next hundred years, I will remember that you are my important junior sister and junior."

"...I know that."

"Is that alright?" He gently stroked the girl's hair, but Zanze removed her hand from her head, staring intently at him, and softly asked in return:

"You are clearly the same as Lady Celie, yet different... Being so close to us, won't you be lonely later on?"

"...Speaking of which, someone said something similar to you a long time ago?" He lowered his eyes in distress, and after much thought, he finally came to a conclusion: "It was probably one of Philon's ancestors?"

"Really? But... judging from your expression, it seems you don't quite remember her anymore?"

"...I still remember some of it." He muttered the answer, then smiled and cupped Zanze's face in his hands, saying confidently:

"But it's alright. I will remember everything about Zanze from beginning to end."

"What you're saying is... my last moment, isn't it?"

Zanze didn't know what to say, and just lowered his eyes with a hint of loneliness.

The conversation suddenly fell silent.

There was no way around it; Zanze wasn't good at chatting, and even Ash wasn't good at this topic. He even stopped, looking troubled, and started touching his hair.

After a long time, Zanze, who always used silence to avoid problems, took the initiative to break the silence: