...
"Look, (Y/N)! I got these lizard tails!" Bennett grinned, holding up a jar filled with the chopped off ends of the little reptiles.
"Ah, perfect!" I smiled, picking some Small Lamp Grass, "That'll be great for that experiment in planning."
Hehe, I am the Chief's Assistant Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius! I majored in the Sumeru Academia on the pseudoalchemy "Alchemistry".
I remember there being a previous assistant, but...
I don't remember where she went.
What I do remember, though, is when I asked the Chief himself, Albedo about it. But what he told me wasn't the ideal answer...
"She left. She grew tired of it."
Which is something I refuse to believe, because--
Who would ever give up on alchemy?
But that was something I tried to forget about, because, well, as Albedo would put it...
"It's irrelevant to our research."
I try to take his word for it.
"Oh, look! I found a- Ouch-!" I heard to noise of Bennett stumbling down.
"Benny?" I turned around, to see him face flat on the ground, and a little ferret running away, "Come on, be a little bit more careful. You literally just got discharged," I walked over to help him up.
"Haha, sorry..." He looked at what made him trip, "What a conveniently placed vine..."
"That isn't a vine, that's the root of a tree that grew out of the ground! The reason of this happening is because of uneven soil -- "
And I would ramble on about things that aren't even important to whatever is happening right now
But Bennett would always hear. He would listen to my rambles no matter how long I go on without interrupting me.
"And then -- ...Oops." I blinked, covering my mouth, "I let words out like a waterfall again, didn't I?"
"I- Uh- Ah, it's fine! I enjoyed listening anyway!" He would always be smiling after that. I could tell it was genuine.
I remember someone else...
There was this traveling bard who also liked to hear me talk on and on and on, about things I don't even think he was interested in.
And then as he listened, he would be playing music on a lyre, the music complementing my talks. But...
I can't really get his name on the top of my head.
But I think that was a looooong time ago. He must be living somewhere else now. Which is a little bittersweet, since he never told me about it. But I guess he is living a better life now, wherever he is.
Oh no. Even in my inner monologues do I also ramble on about unimportant stuff, huh? So sorry...
"Hm...We should head back now, probably...If we assume the time it took to get here will be the same time taken to go back, then it should start to get dark once we reach the gates." I tapped on my chin.
"I don't know what you just said, but whatever it was, my answer is yes." Bennett nodded.
"Uh?" I sheepishly smiled, "Okay then, ahah... Let's go home."
I remember one last person.
He was a friend I found somewhere. He would always take me out to play in the fields up on Starsnatch Cliff, along with the little companion we somehow fished up together.
I remember we would make flower crowns for each other. And then an extra small one for our companion. I think I still have them, actually! But, I kinda forgot where I put them...
We would spend time outside for a whole day, and then when me and the little companion end up almost falling asleep, I remember the line he will always say to us,
"Let's go home."
. . .
I really wonder where they went. I forgot that too...
...
"Uhm...Staring? I- Ah, was just listening...very...attentively...? Haha..."
...
Chapter 4: Mr. Misfortune.
...