The long-awaited day came.
The day of the concert. However, I was plunged into despair.
The reason is, Princess Lidiana"s face, that I saw from up close for the first time, didn"t look j.a.panese in the slightest.
In front of the stage. Sitting on a sofa, two people were intimately snuggling.
One of them was the Crown Prince. The other, the princess who"s his fiancée.

Because I had hopes, the disappointment was great. I only sang and, not feeling like saying anything, immediately went back.
I returned to the inn and recalled the princess I"d seen before.
With her astonis.h.i.+ngly beautiful violet eyes, the princess didn"t look like somebody altered with magic, much less a j.a.panese person.
She"s unmistakably a person born and raised as the upper cla.s.s of this country, Wilhelm. Looking from up close, it was clear to see.
And one more thing, the princess and the Crown Prince appeared to truly love each other.
They are neither forcibly engaged, nor is it an unilateral engagement from the Crown Prince.
The expressions they directed at each other were sweet and full of love, I knew from a glimpse they have feelings for each other. I immediately thought that it"s different from what I"d thought.

―――― She can"t be a transported j.a.panese.

Curry and daif.u.ku were truly a product of chance. What I thought couldn"t be a coincidence, was truly one.
I expressly came to Wilhelm, but it was a waste of effort.
That"s all.
In the end, I couldn"t find any hints towards returning to j.a.pan and only went back to square one.
Suddenly, I recalled the day I arrived at the Royal Capital of Tarim.
The witch who appeared in front of me, Meissa.
She said to go to Wilhelm.
I wonder if that ultimately had no meaning.

"Haa… Complaining won"t change anything. It was my decision"

Anyway, I have to pull myself together and start from scratch.
I have no more business in Wilhelm. I found the person who had produced daif.u.ku and curry. I learned that that person isn"t the same existence as me. In that case, I won"t find any more hints towards returning to j.a.pan in this country.
I have no reason to stay here anymore.

"Sakura…"

Even though I understand that, recalling that curry I end up hesitant.
If I leave this country, I"ll never again be able to eat that curry. My heart complains that it hates it.
Lying down in the bed in my room in the inn, I clutched my chest.
I muttered to persuade myself.

"Just a few days. Then I will leave this country. I will search for the next lead no matter what it takes. Everything to meet Sakura once again"

That"s right, no matter what it takes I will return to j.a.pan and stand before Sakura"s grave. For that sake, I cannot stop in such a place. Since I didn"t find anything, I must go forward.

"Sakura, I"m forever yours"

Once again voicing my determination, I tightly closed my eyes.
What crossed my mind was Sakura"s sorrowful face as she smiled through tears.
I found it deplorable from the bottom of my heart that only such a face came to my mind.

"Umm!"
"Yes"

The day I decided to set out. While going to eat the last curry before leaving this country, I was abruptly called out to. When I answered to ask what it is and looked back, Princess Lidiana who I just saw few days ago was there, looking here while out of breath.
She looked like a commoner, but she clearly felt out of place.
No matter how I look at it, she can only be seen as a daughter of a good n.o.ble family.
When I tried asking about why she called out to me, at a perfect timing I heard a loud rumbling of her stomach. Apparently she"s hungry.
The princess who turned bright red was so funny I unintentionally burst out laughing.
Even though I didn"t intend to do that, before I noticed I invited her to have a meal together.
I thought I messed up, but I reconsidered that she"ll refuse anyway.
The princess is the Crown Prince"s fiancée. She shouldn"t be somebody who"d follow a suspicious person.
And yet, she unexpectedly nodded to me.
… What a strange princess. She"s the daughter of the number one house in the country, yet in some respects she feels like a commoner.
Of course, her bearing is superb, but somehow I can feel that in her speech here and there.
And, it"s something I noticed while walking next to her, for some reason her slight gestures strangely stimulate my memory.
Looking at her intensely reminds me of Sakura.
Her appearance is not at all similar.
Of course, same with her face or the expressions she makes. Because, Sakura"s expressions didn"t change all the time like this. She always showed a subdued, gentle smile.
Even the personality. Sakura wasn"t this bright.
There shouldn"t be anything that reminds me of Sakura, and yet the more I talk with her, the more I strangely a.s.sociate her with Sakura.
What is this.
The strange feelings puzzles me. But, it"s not unpleasant. Rather, it"s a pleasant feeling that makes me want to stay with her forever.
With this I returned to my senses.
What did I think just now? She"s the fiancée the Crown Prince is infatuated with. I mustn"t think such things.
To begin with, I have Sakura――――.
Nevertheless, I couldn"t suppress the feeling of having fun. I"d declared that I"d leave the country to her, yet it was so difficult to part after leaving the curry shop, I unintentionally asked her to see me off. Even though I intended to just go back to the inn to grab my luggage.
Couldn"t I have said it better.
―――― Really, it"s not like me.
I can"t believe how fun it is to walk silently.

―――― Did I think about Sakura so much that now I overlap her on a different person.
I even considered such a thing.
If so, what a pathetic, effeminate man I am.
I feel beyond sorry for Sakura.

I got sick of being pathetic.
I roused myself and said goodbye to her. At that timing, this time for some reason Rena appeared.
While sobbing, she said she was chasing after me and desperately clung to me.
Since I intend to return to j.a.pan, I can"t take her with me.
That"s why I told her not to follow me, and yet.
When she begged me in tears that she doesn"t mind being thrown away, I lost my momentum.
… Perhaps, I"m also considerably tired.
I couldn"t find any hints towards returning to j.a.pan, and I don"t know where to go next.
Thinking there"s a person who misses me who"s in such a situation, I couldn"t stop her anymore.

Looking at me embracing the sobbing Rena, the princess muttered.
Her voice was quiet, but strangely I heard the words clearly.

"Ah, I see. She resembles a Scottish Fold"
"!"

The instant I heard that, I felt everything connect.
I opened my eyes wide in astonishment.

The words Scottish Fold don"t exist on this continent.
This is something I"ve already learned myself.
And yet, the princess looked at Rena"s ears, and said Scottish Fold. In other words, with those words she recognized those ears are characteristic to Scottish Fold cats――――.

It shouldn"t be known to people of this world.
Then, how does she know?
I asked myself, and before long came up with one idea.
That"s right, why didn"t I realize until now. Probably because I"d transferred, I didn"t consider the possibility at all. I"m too foolish.
If there"s transfer, there"s one more possibility.

"Wait, please wait. Lidi"

Before I noticed, I stopped princess who was about to leave.
She slowly looked back with a mystified face.
When I saw her, I became convinced.
Ah, that"s right. She surely - reincarnated.

That"s why a person from Wilhelm could produce daif.u.ku.
Curry too.
It makes sense.
Reincarnated, in other words - she died and was born again in this world.
Then, just who was she in her previous life?

―――― Bdump bdump.

Upon reaching the conclusion, my heart beat loudly.
No good, I can"t part with her like this.
I have to stop her somehow.
Because, she is――――.

I desperately composed words.

"Please. Give me just a little time. Are you――――"

I moved Rena aside and, seeking her, reached out my hand.

The taste of curry she popularized. Gestures that somehow gave an impression of Sakura.
That"s natural. It"s natural I was reminded of Sakura.
Because, she is――――.
Joy covered my whole body. Emotions that I can"t put into words welled up.

―――― Sakura, Sakura.
So you were in such a place.

Even if she didn"t return to j.a.pan, she"s here.
In such a place, she was reborn and has been smiling since long ago.

I want to tightly hug her.
However, my extended hand didn"t reach.
A chilly voice full of wrath resounded.

"Get away from my consort"

―――― Crown Prince Friedrich.
Reminded of the person who"s Princess Lidiana"s - Sakura"s current fiancé, I quietly dropped my hand and closed my eyes.