“It must be relative. To me, humans are far stranger.”
I wrapped the cord I’d prepared around Miros’s severed arm. It was a knotted cord carefully woven with colorful threads. Of course, I didn’t make this. The Dryads made it for me. In case too much power would dwell in it if I made it.
“Now close your eyes and calm your breathing.”
“This is kind of scary.”
“It’s okay. I’m just restoring your arm. Forget the trivial stuff.”
Strictly speaking, it’s closer to creation than restoration, but that’s not very important. These troublesome procedures aren’t actually necessary either, but it’s an act I created for the fainthearted Miros.
He seems to feel some kind of aversion to things appearing out of nowhere with a pop. It’s my consideration to reduce even a bit of the sense of alienation. Miros did as I instructed, closing his eyes and slowly breathing in and out.
In the meantime, I used my fragment to construct the form of an arm. A pale green light glimmered, drawing lines and creating flow. And like a spider’s web being woven, the gaps gradually filled in, connecting to and adhering to the severed cross-section.
Click-clack, the arm that grew in the form of my true body—a tree—imitated the shape of a human arm. And as the shape was completed, skin surged like a tide from the severed cross-section above it, slowly filling in. Soon it completely covered all the way to the fingertips.
The glimmering light lingered for just a moment before disappearing. I held Miros’s reconstructed hand.
“It’s done now. Simple, right?”
“…Already?”
“I just attached it.”
It’ll need more time until it’s completely synchronized, but there should be no problem using it right away. Though at a very minimal level, Miros has already accepted part of my power. He’ll assimilate quickly. I’m glad there’s less resistance than I thought.
Miros seemed fascinated, clenching and unclenching his hand, turning it this way and that to examine it. I watched with a pleased smile.
“Ah, I didn’t mention something important.”
“…What, is it?”
“You don’t need to be that scared.”
Miros is really such a scaredy-cat. I laughed and said.
“Since it was just attached, my power might react a bit strongly. You might feel things you couldn’t sense with human senses, but don’t worry too much about it. As it assimilates to you, it’ll degenerate and disappear quickly.”
At my words, Miros was dazed, then suddenly rushed at me. And hugging me tightly, he said.
“Hey, I think your name is too long.”
What a random thing to say. And to say it with his face buried in my arms. What does he want to say by doing this? I patted Miros in my embrace and asked.
“Is that so? Then what do you want to do?”
“Can I shorten it to Leri?”
“Of course. If you want.”
Names don’t hold much meaning for me. My existence doesn’t waver without such things. There are already plenty of beings calling me whatever they want.
“Leri, thank you.”
What Miros said was unexpected.
“When my arm was fixed, this is what I wanted to do first.”
“Call my name?”
“No.”
Miros put strength into the arms holding me and pulled me closer.
“Hug you.”
Oh my, how could this be? How could he think of such a thing? Miros is really amazing. It might seem trivial. It might not seem impressive.
But this is clearly tremendous.
This time I was the one flustered. I’d never had a case like this, and I didn’t even know what to do. After flailing my hands in the air, I lifted Miros into my arms just like that. And smiling, I answered.
“Thank you for hugging me.”
Were humans this lovable? No. It’s Miros who’s lovable. This, not this individual. This child is pretty. How could something so perfect exist?
Miros couldn’t lift his face, perhaps embarrassed. Even though I begged him so much to show me properly. I can’t believe such a gentle creature exists.
Lamga was wrong. This world, humans aren’t rotten. Really. I’d thought so from before, but I became even more certain.
***
After that, Miros and I spent each day happily, losing track of time.
I was happy watching Miros grow rapidly every day, and Miros became prettier day by day. He was already pretty, but only became prettier. It’s really absurd, but what can I do when that’s reality?
When Miros grew a bit more, we started going to the city together.
I had no choice. There were no items for humans in my nest. I especially had to buy things like clothes for Miros, or seasonings and spices for food. Of course, Miros did most of the trading. Since we were buying for Miros.
At first I went alone thinking it would be dangerous, but Miros kept begging to go together. He said he’d grown a lot too, and everyone would think he was dead so no one would recognize him.
After listening repeatedly, I thought maybe he was right. The current Miros had grown to nearly an adult. I also judged that even if something unfortunate happened, it would be impossible for most humans to oppose me or Miros. It’s true that Miros is very weak, but he holds part of my power, albeit faintly.
At the very least, he won’t die an absurd death. At least not to other humans.
In fact, this was a kind of preparation. The start might have been because Miros begged, but now it’s different. I haven’t told Miros yet, but I was preparing to send Miros away. This individual. No.
For the day this child would return to the human world.
“Miros.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re so pretty.”
Miros’s amber eyes that I loved most are no longer there. They’ve been gone for a while. And yet I was at a loss because Miros was so incredibly pretty. Eyes that turned deep green from being steeped in my power sparkle.
Just like the leaves of my origin, they sparkle flaunting their fresh, vibrant green to their heart’s content. When I stroked Miros’s cheek, Miros rubbed his face against my hand and smiled.
“Don’t you get tired of it?”
“Not at all.”
It’s because you became too pretty. I came to have feelings I shouldn’t have. And toward a human at that.
Miros smiled so brightly. I smiled back, but I couldn’t be truly happy.
***
Miros is too pretty a child.
Though it’s an obvious thing to say, it wasn’t like that from the beginning. Miros was nothing more than pretty. Even including that he was a special individual who received a star, he wasn’t that special an existence.
But I learned too much in that short time. This will be dangerous. No, it’s already gone wrong enough. By the time I realized, it was too late.
Affection is really a dangerous thing. This is a separate issue from me simply being favorable toward humans. The former me was favorable toward everything. There was no reason to be hostile. They were all just pitiful things. I was fair to everything. Whether in a good sense or a bad sense.
But Miros became special. I wish that child would smile more, I wish he’d be happier. I wish he’d become very, very happy.
Above all else.
This is a feeling I shouldn’t have, when I should be proof of all things. I must not ‘favor’ any one thing.
I could find something pretty for just a moment. I could keep something cute and lovable nearby, appreciating and enjoying it. But I mustn’t try to do anything more for it. This mustn’t become special.
Is it right for me to make this child into ‘something’ like me?
Miros is a very special individual. Separate from my favoritism. He even received a star, which means he’s an existence permitted protection. He would have been special even without me. So there’s enough possibility. The possibility of becoming a transcendent being in human terms, and furthermore, he had sufficient qualification to reach ‘eternity.’
I can make the unknowing Miros into ‘something’ and keep him by my side forever. If I tried to, I could. But that’s dangerous. No, it’s something I absolutely must not do.
Because Miros is human. He mustn’t be reduced to being preserved in ‘eternity’ without living as a human, without experiencing what the natural order is.
He might make a different choice someday, but that’s something he must do himself. It’s not my place to oppress. I don’t want to. Miros is a pretty child, and I want him to smile prettily.
The decisive trigger that made me think I should return Miros to the human community was, quite absurdly, as Miros grew. In human classification, it’s called secondary growth. The stage of becoming an adult.
Miros probably thinks I don’t know, but most regrettably, there was no way I couldn’t know.
It’s my nest to begin with. How could I not know that Miros had entered the stage for mating and reproduction in the process of growing into an adult?
But I couldn’t pretend to know, nor could I teach him anything. Because I really don’t know about such things. Miros is human, an individual far too different from the creatures I know. Including the fact that humans are ashamed of that process.
Above all, a serious problem was added because of it.
“Leri, hug me.”
Miros showed the prettiest smile and spread both arms. Telling me to hurry and hug him.
This is really a big problem. That Miros actively wants physical contact with me.
By human standards, Miros has been in this nest for too long. During that time, he’s barely met other humans. The only one who even had a form resembling a human was me. On top of that, Miros possesses part of my power, even at a very minimal level. These are conditions where he can’t help but have favorable feelings toward me.
We occasionally went out to buy things as preparation for Miros’s return, but even that’s fairly recent.
To put it bluntly, Miros sees me as more than a simple object of affection. I can’t not know. Though I may be ignorant of human physiology, I knew more than anything about the physiology of living things.
That one wants to mate with me.
