―――― Thump thump thump thump

My heart beats so violently it"s strange.
Unconsciously I tightly clutched my chest.
I frantically endured spilling the tears that for some reason welled up.
The figure of the person who began singing in front of me blurred.
The song he"s singing in j.a.panese is that song.
The song I"ve sung a few times, a well-known nursery rhyme in j.a.pan.

―――― The song with the same t.i.tle as my name in my previous life.

Everybody is attentively listening, impressed.
In Wilhelm it"s an unusual song with foreign lyrics.
Novelty won, whether it was skillful or not was set aside.
Actually, s.h.i.+on-senpai"s singing isn"t that skillful.
The pitch is slightly off, to begin with s.h.i.+on-senpai isn"t a person to sing.
Senpai is a person who likes quietly reading books.
While looking at s.h.i.+on-senpai, the memories of the past surged like waves.

The day when we first met at the university.
Even though I had been satisfied with only watching him, I thoughtlessly confessed.
And then for some reason we started going out.
Although it was nice to be dating, we didn"t go on a date outside even once, we stayed inside day after day.
We were doing it, however I had never been hugged naked.

―――― During such days, unable to stand my feelings not being returned day after day, I chose to break up.

Even though it"s already over, everything is vividly coming back to me, shaking my soul.

s.h.i.+on-senpai. s.h.i.+on-senpai. Why are you here――――.
Why are you in such a place.
I can already only think of him as the real deal.

"Lidi, Lidi!"
"Ah"

As Freed shook my shoulders I quickly came to my senses.
In a fl.u.s.ter I faced Freed and showed a smile.

"Sorry, it"s nothing"
"Nothing… Then what"s with that awful face?"
"Eh…"

When I unconsciously put my hand on my cheek, he looked at me with a worried face.

"What"s the matter? Has something happened?"

I frantically shook my head.
There"s no way I can talk about s.h.i.+on-senpai.
I don"t have a slightest clue what"s happening either.

"That"s wrong. It"s really nothing. The song just touched my heart… That"s all"
"But…"
"I"m really alright. I want to listen to the song. Can"t I?"
"… I understand. But, if you feel unwell, tell me immediately"
"Yup"

When I asked, Freed reluctantly drew back.
Again I concentrated on the song.
The nostalgic melody spun by a pleasant voice was irresistible.
And after all the sound is off in several places. It was strangely amusing somehow.
It"s unexpected for that s.h.i.+on-senpai to be singing.
While we were dating I couldn"t have imagined that.
Being a bookworm, s.h.i.+on-senpai showed no interests other than books.
Of course even I fell below books on his priority list.
It feels strange that out of all things such s.h.i.+on-senpai is singing the song that shares my name.

" "Sakura" "
"Eh?"

After the song ended and s.h.i.+on-senpai respectfully bowed, I heard a single word escape Freed.
Thinking he called my name, unconsciously I reacted.
When I reflexively answered, Freed made a mystified face.

"No, it seems it was the t.i.tle of the composition now. "Sakura", I mean"
"Ah… I, I see"

… I was surprised.
For an instant I thought he called my name.
Shaking my head I shook off the absurd thought, and once again looked at Senpai.

"On this occasion I offer my sincerest congratulations on Your Highness the Crown Prince Friedrich and Lady Lidiana"s engagement. If possible, I would like to perform another piece"

s.h.i.+on-senpai stated so.
Again our eyes met for an instant.
Even if I think we"re unrelated by now, after all my heart still leapt from shock.
But, that"s only the case for me.
Because s.h.i.+on-senpai doesn"t know I am me. There"s no way he can notice.

"… Freed"

I tightly gripped his sleeve.

"Nn? You want to listen?"
"Yup, if possible"

When I nodded, saying "Got it" Freed stroked my head, then stood up.
He informed that we would once again like to listen to s.h.i.+on-senpai"s beautiful voice.

"It was superb. My fiancée would like to listen to your songs more. May I ask you to do it for her"
"It"s an undeserved honor. Thank you very much"

Even though he was dealing with royalty, s.h.i.+on-senpai"s att.i.tude didn"t change at all. He"s confident.
He once again elegantly bent at his waist, and saying just "Well then" slowly started singing.
The piece was another nursery thyme. The song that reminds of the faraway home.
Once again j.a.panese was spun. Hearing the nostalgia in his voice, before I noticed I covered my mouth.

After all it"s not skillful.

But I could tell it came from the bottom of his heart.
The sense of nostalgia leaves a deep impression.
s.h.i.+on-senpai is clearly singing while thinking of his faraway homeland - j.a.pan.
With only that resounding sorrow I realized it wasn"t his intention to come here.
Was it a coincidence or an inevitability, in either case s.h.i.+on-senpai was brought to this world regardless of his will.

―――― He must want to go home.

Suddenly I thought hat.
s.h.i.+on-senpai"s circ.u.mstances are different from mine.
Unlike me who reincarnated, this world isn"t his birthplace.
He came here as Nanaoogi s.h.i.+on.
I shouldn"t be wrong.
Because, he"s too much like s.h.i.+on-senpai.

Honestly, s.h.i.+on-senpai wearing a black suit looks out of place to me, who had known him until the graduate school, but if memory serves me right s.h.i.+on-senpai should have long ago become a working adult.
There"s nothing strange about him wearing a suit.

I strangely understood that s.h.i.+on-senpai didn"t reincarnate but get transported.
But, I wonder when did s.h.i.+on-senpai come to this world.
For him this is nothing but another world.
Even the language is different.

Yes, s.h.i.+on-senpai was speaking in the language we normally use, the lingua franca of this continent.
This is a world of mysterious magic where the cultural practices that resemble those from my previous world are often mixed in, but naturally the language and alphabet are different.
Looking at him, s.h.i.+on-senpai seems to be talking without any discomfort, still he must have considerably struggled to remember them.
No, it"s s.h.i.+on-senpai who could read Chinese texts, he may have overcome it without a problem.

Still, there must have been many hards.h.i.+ps in the unfamiliar another world.

"―――― ah"

How much has Senpai struggled since coming here.
Thinking about that my chest tightened.
I was so moved my tears overflowed.
Next to me Freed gasped.

"Hey Lidi, are you alright?"
"Yup… I"m fine. I was only affected by the song. Look, when you get excited tears come out, right? That"s all"

Senpai wouldn"t be happy about my sympathy.
I know that much.
Senpai is a proud person.
I"m sure he can manage alone.
Until now, and from now on.
But――――.

"Ah…"

Suddenly I noticed.
Freed"s story I heard when he returned from fighting Tarim.
Tarim tactician. Parthian shot. Ancient Roman tactics.
This ancient tactic was mentioned in the history book about Rome I lent to s.h.i.+on-senpai.
I didn"t understand it well, so I had Senpai explain it to me in detail.
That"s why I remember it.
And, I recalled Brother"s story.

"Are you familiar with Éventail name?"

Regret pa.s.sed through my chest.
Ah, why didn"t I take it more seriously when I heart Brother"s story.
I said it myself that Éventail means folding fan in Tarim language.1
Tarim is exclusionary, it"s strange to use their surname if you aren"t from Tarim.
I had stopped thinking there.
Had I thought a little more, I should have noticed.

It"s possible that the singer is the Tarim tactician.

After all, I considered it quite likely that the Tarim tactician is a reincarnated person.
And that the singer is also a reincarnated person… Moreover despite not being a Tarim citizen he held a Tarim name.
Of course, there was a possibility that the tactician was Tarim citizen.
Still, there shouldn"t be so many reincarnated people.
I should have figured they might be the same person.
I"m so foolish I want to cry.
But, only this is unexpected.
I never would have expected that person to be my acquaintance of all things.
Moreover, he didn"t reincarnate, but got transported here.

―――― Senpai is probably the Tarim tactician.

It"s terrifying how everything applies.
I and Senpai were in the same history department in the university.
Senpai was knowledgeable enough to advance to graduate school.
What if that Senpai was brought to this world - and upon that landed in Tarim?
It wouldn"t be strange if he used his knowledge to live there.
And it would be a very natural course of events for Senpai, who achieved the status of a tactician, to be granted a name as a reward.
I can"t imagine Tarim accepting somebody not from there otherwise.

"No way…"

s.h.i.+on-senpai might be an enemy.
Noticing that, I reflexively covered my mouth with my hands.
Even though I wanted to think that there"s no way, there is evidence to support it.
I intently watched Senpai who continued singing.
Supposing Senpai is really Tarim tactician――――.
What"s his aim in coming to this country.
He pretends to be a "singer". Even though his singing isn"t skillful.

Why did he expressly say he wants to meet us.

I have no idea what Senpai is thinking.
I can"t understand with my head what Senpai, who had been praised for superior intellect in the university, is thinking.
Still.
Supposing s.h.i.+on-senpai is on Tarim"s side――――.

My body trembled.
My gaze clung to Freed.

"Lidi?"

As he looked back at me worriedly, I grasped Freed"s sleeve so tightly my fingers turned white.
If Senpai is the Tarim tactician.
At the time of the next war with Tarim this person might not come home safely.
After all Senpai is a person who can be cla.s.sified as a genius. The tactics he"s aware of are countless.
There"s a decent chance Freed would get caught in one of them.
Just by thinking about it my chest painfully tightened.
My heart screams unable to bear it.
I don"t want that.
I don"t want something to happen to him - to Freed.

What is Senpai thinking.
Enemy movements inspection?
Taking a look at the Crown Prince who drove off Tarim?
Senpai shouldn"t be a person who would do something so meaningless.
Then what is his purpose?

I don"t know. I don"t know at all.
But, I can"t leave it like this.
If I leave it like this and something happened to Freed, the regret would be too much for me.

I have to learn the truth somehow――――.

Once again I smiled at Freed that it"s nothing, and desperately feigned calm.
However, the way he looked at me told me he doesn"t believe it.

But at least regarding this matter, no matter what I"m told I won"t back down, so I thought.

1) 扇 (oogi) in Nanaoogi means folding fan. ↵