Dusk.
Historia and Hitch returned late, having spent the entire day volunteering at the orphanage. Seeing that Lillian and the others were all back made her happy, but their strange expressions left her feeling vaguely uneasy.
At the moment, only Historia was unaware that Lillian was about to leave. Ymir hadn't told her, and Lillian himself didn't know how to bring it up.
Compared to Annie's fists and kicks, in some ways he was even more afraid of Historia crying. He was terrible at comforting people—when someone cried, all he could do was stand there awkwardly, at a loss.
And yet, this was something he had no choice but to say. There was no escaping it.
"What's wrong?" Historia asked curiously when she noticed him hesitating. Ymir, standing nearby, also turned her gaze toward him.
"No—"
"Oh, right!" Historia suddenly remembered something. "Wait for me a second!"
She quickly ran back to her room and returned with a cloth bag.
They were in the small garden behind headquarters. She placed the bag on the round stone table in the pavilion.
"These are cakes the children gave me. They learned how to make them from a baking instructor. Since everyone's here, let's eat them together~"
"Sounds good."
'I'll talk after we eat,' Lillian thought.
Inside the bag were small boxes holding about a dozen pieces of cake. Since they were made by children rather than professionals, the shapes were all over the place.
He casually picked one up and took a bite.
"Mm… not bad." He looked surprised. He'd been fully prepared for some kind of culinary disaster, but it actually tasted fine—just a bit too sweet.
The others each took a piece as well. Ymir and Annie didn't say much, clearly waiting for Lillian to speak. But instead, he asked Historia.
"Are there a lot of kids at the orphanage?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "A lot. It's already full, so they're not taking in any more. Many kids end up on the streets and fall into bad habits—joining juvenile theft gangs and the like."
"That'll decrease in the future," Lillian said.
"Wall Maria has already been reclaimed. Before long, a large population will move back there. The pressure on Wall Sina and Wall Rose will ease, and the children will have proper places for care and education."
"That would be wonderful." Historia smiled happily, then picked up three more pieces of cake and handed one to each of them.
"Eat more! A reward for the great heroes who reclaimed the Walls!"
"Oh!" Lillian took one first, with Annie and Ymir following suit, smiling as well.
"You all seem kind of strange," Historia said. She felt that none of them were truly happy—their smiles were more like a façade. Still, she didn't dwell on it and instead asked Lillian, "Lillian, when I went there this time… I was thinking about opening an orphanage myself. What do you think? The headmistress there said fewer and fewer people are doing this kind of work. Money's a problem, though, and so is finding a location."
"Sounds great," Lillian said. "As for money, just have Elliot sponsor it. His company benefited a lot from the recent coup, and now that Wall Maria's been reclaimed, his family can go back to trade and reselling. This kind of expense is nothing to him."
Historia blinked. "Isn't that… kind of inappropriate?"
"What's inappropriate about it? He's been dying to give me money anyway—I just never accepted it."
She nodded, half understanding. "Then… when the time comes, Lillian, could you come with me to visit the Stratman? I'm not very familiar with him myself…"
"Sure, I—" Lillian nodded instinctively, then suddenly realized something and froze.
"…Actually, let Annie go with you." He looked at Annie. "She knows Elliot too. Or you could just talk to Carly directly."
"Oh…"
Historia looked slightly disappointed. Annie shot Lillian a look, then stood up.
"I just remembered something I need to take care of. I'll head out first."
She turned and left immediately. Seeing this, Ymir glanced at Lillian and Historia, then stood up as well.
"Same here, same here. Annie, I'll go with you."
"Eh?"
Historia watched the two of them leave, puzzled. Lillian, however, understood—neither of them wanted to hear him say it out loud, nor did they want to see Historia upset. They were giving the two of them space.
That's probably for the best, he thought.
He lifted his head slightly, only to notice Historia's cheeks were faintly red, her gaze avoiding his. She hesitated before speaking,
"L-Lillian… I want to ask you something…"
"What is it?"
"I heard Hitch say… that back when you first joined the Military Police, there were… there were a lot of girls who liked you. Who chased after you. Is that true?"
"Huh?"
If Hitch were to hear this, she'd probably faint on the spot. She'd clearly said secretly liked, not openly pursued! Those are two completely different things! Don't twist my words!
"Um… probably not."
Lillian thought back to the time when he had just joined the Military Police. Back then, his days were almost entirely spent dealing with public security issues—outwitting criminals of all kinds day in and day out. As for romantic matters, he honestly couldn't recall any female soldiers ever clearly expressing interest in him.
"Really?"
"Of course it's true. I didn't have that kind of free time anyway… Why are you asking?"
"N-no, it's nothing."
Lillian looked at her. She seemed a little uneasy, then stood up and walked out of the pavilion. By now, night had fully fallen. Brilliant stars shimmered across the sky, their light cascading down onto the two of them like a veil of silver. Fireflies drifted through the garden, adding faint sparks of brightness to the darkness.
"The stars are beautiful," Historia said softly, tilting her head up toward the sky. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her chest, her breathing a little quick.
"Yeah," Lillian replied.
Standing behind her, he also looked up. On Earth, he had lived among steel and concrete, the sky carved apart by towering buildings. Industrial pollution had dulled the night sky to a gray haze—there was nothing to see. Aside from his early childhood, he couldn't even remember the last time he had truly looked up at the stars like this.
It's time to tell her, he thought.
A gentle breeze swept through the garden, lifting the hem of Historia's clothes and sending the golden cascade of her hair swaying softly behind her. A faint, sweet fragrance lingered in the small space.
"Historia, I—"
"Lillian."
She spoke at the same time, interrupting him. With her back to him, she said quietly,
"Can you… stay by my side forever?"
Lillian froze. In that instant, everything he had planned to say vanished from his mind.
After a long moment, he tried to speak, but no sound came out.
The light around him began to twist. Everything warped, rapidly losing its shape.
Ah…
He reached out, trying to touch her increasingly blurred figure, but he had no strength at all. His arm dissolved into fragments of starlight, silently scattering into the flowing galaxy above, disappearing without a trace.
Historia's hands were clenched tightly, her palms slick with fine beads of sweat from nervousness. The moment the words left her mouth, she could hear her own heart pounding in her ears—but she heard no reply. Only silence. Endless silence.
She quietly drew in a breath, blinking rapidly to force back the tears welling in her eyes. Disappointment flashed across her face, instantly replaced by a strained smile as she turned around, trying to sound lighthearted.
"I was just joking… you know."
The forced smile froze on her face.
There was no one in front of her.
"Li… llian?"
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End of Volume 1
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TL Note: Give me a few days to stack up some chapters for volume 2.