Ch. 10: Everyone Rebuilding the Town (MOON)
A few days had passed since the fateful event in town.
Great Scarecrow No. 1 had gone on a rampage, and since then Leeya had been brooding…-.
Leeya: "…OO, I heard the crows haven't attacked again."
Leeya suddenly spoke, as if he'd been thinking about it for a while.
OO: "That's right. It seems all is peaceful."
Leeya: "I see…"
OO: "It's thanks to you Leeya, don't you see that?"
I tried to put it mildly, but Leeya only gave a small smile.
Leeya: "And I heard the suffering is over, and the ton of injured have been taken care of…"
OO: "Yes."
Leeya: "I think I'll set out on a journey."
OO: "…!"
I was confused, and for a second I thought I'd imagined what he'd said.
Leeya: "It's been a while…maybe I'll go check up on Oswald…"
OO: "…Leeya…"
I couldn't handle hearing him like that, so I took his hand and walked out.
Leeya: "OO…?"
OO: "Just come with me."
We headed towards the center of town…-.
Then…-.
Leeya: "What's this…?"
Leeya's eyes went wide and he stopped.
There were a great many people rebuilding their homes.
Leeya: "You're kidding…this can't be real…these guys did all this on their own…"
OO: "I called them to do it."
Leeya: "You did…?"
OO: "Yes. But just a little. Afterwards, everyone worked on their own…"
Leeya looked around, his eyes still expressing disbelief as he watched them work.
OO: "Everyone thought for themselves, and rebuilt the town for you Leeya."
So now you won't say these are things you have to do on your own …right?
Villager 1: "It's Lord Leeya!"
The villagers who were laying brick noticed Leeya.
Villager 2: "Lord Leeya! Lord Leeya!!"
In the blink of an eye, Leeya's confused expression turned to a scowl.
Leeya: "…aren't you mad at me…?"
Villager 3: "Mad? Are you mad Lord Leeya?"
Leeya: "That's not what I meant! I…I'm the one who wrecked everything with the huge scarecrow!"
Villager 4: "Aah, you wrecked them all!"
Villager 5: "You wrecked all the crows Lord Leeya!"
Villager 6: "Lord Leeya! Lord Leeya!!"
I slowly moved closer as Leeya stood stock still, his expression still troubled.
OO: "They don't think of you as a hero Leeya. They want you to be happy, and to express their gratitude. That's why they all rebuilt the town…"
Leeya: "You guys…"
OO: "And they all said they want you to teach them construction, no matter what it is. That way it can all go back to how it was."
Leeya: "I see…yeah…"
Leeya's voice was shaking as he pulled his hat down to cover his eyes.
And in the next instant, he lifted his head and broke into a huge smile.
Leeya: "Hey, you! Is that really how you're supposed to build that? Hey hey! Don't add any more dirt to that!"
And just like that, the usual Leeya had returned.
With expert instructions, Leeya reassured them and guided them.
OO: "Leeya, you really are the only leader for this country."
Leeya: "…but I'm still an idiot."
Villager 1: "Lord Leeya, you're amazing. A genius…"
Leeya: "What'd I say, that's not--"
Villager 2: "But you fail too. You even wrecked the town!"
Villager 3: "You made a mistake. Just like us!"
Everyone's faces lit in dazzling smiles.
Seeing all that, Leeya smiled in embarrassment.
Leeya: "You guys… are seriously idiots. But I guess so am I."
His smile was a bright and brilliant as the sun.
Leeya: "I always thought I was alone, but I'm not. Together with everyone, no matter who needs help, or advice, or is suffering…we'll take care of it."
His smile then was like a refreshing breeze, blowing away the darkness that had clouded his heart.
Leeya: "Right! I'll help out too!!"
With renewed interest, Leeya began working on the construction projects alongside the villagers.
I'm glad…
I watched them work with a pleasant feeling in my heart…-.
Leeya: "That sun's pretty intense…you OK?"
Leeya suddenly shoved the hat he was wearing onto my head.
OO: "Y-yes, I'm alright."
I was helping out at the time, but my hands stopped their work and I looked at Leeya.
I was caught up in his gaze, clear and kind.
Leeya: "Thanks OO."
OO: "I only did what I could…"
Leeya: "And that much made me super happy. I know that this is all thanks to you."
OO: "But I didn't…"
Leeya: "Come on, just take the compliment."
Leeya gently touched my cheek.
My heart's pounding…
I couldn't control my heart as it sped out of control, and I felt my face burn up…
Leeya: "Haha…you've got some dirt on ya. You've gotten pretty messy."
Leeya looked at me with such kindness in his eyes.
He gently wiped away the smudge, and I thought he was just going to press down on the hat I now wore when…-.
OO: "…!"
Hidden by the hat, he kissed me roughly.
That kiss was full of passion, and then we slowly parted…
Leeya: "You're not gonna wander off anywhere right? Keep helping me out…and stay here."
Along with a quiet kiss, he told me his desires, and I couldn't find a reason to refuse…
Leeya: "You will right? Until you say 'yeah'…I'll keep kissing you, got it?"
OO: "Y-yeah…!"
Leeya: "What the hell, why'd you answer so fast? That hurts…!"
We laughed and joked together…
And the promise we made for afterwards lit a fire in my heart.
END