And, even if I wanted to pat his head and comfort him, which I totally don"t by the way, I can barely endure the pain shooting through me as I attempt to sit up, let alone try to walk to his side.

Magi-Kun continues while I deal with my pain,"I was impulsive and acted without thinking... When I got reports that something happened at the war site, I immediately rushed over. Seeing the impossibly tall vines, the first thing I thought of was you, but I didn"t want to a.s.sume anything bad yet...So I took a sample of the vine. After testing I came up with only one possible conclusion. But I still wasn"t sure what happened so I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt...but the more time pa.s.sed, the more anxious I got...Then when I saw you..." He starts spouting excuses to convince me it was an accident and maybe even to convince himself. I can"t lie, Magi-Kun has seen better days. Unkept hair and messy clothes, it looks like he hasn"t slept in a while, because large dark bags hang under his eyes.

"So... you don"t trust me?" I laugh in self-mockery. I treated him as a genuine friend, and what do I get in return.

Magi-Kun sees the self-loathing in my expression and quickly tries to correct my thoughts, "That"s! It-It can"t be helped! Not after what happened with-!" His expression changes and he shuts himself up from saying anything more.

"What? I don"t deserve to know the truth?" I stare straight into his eye.

"But...y-you won"t understand.."

"And why is that?" I say with a flat tone.

"How can I expect that of you? You"re a tree! I can"t expect you to be able to understand human choice and decisions!" It looks like he really doesn"t want to talk about it. I can see the regret of bringing the topic up.

Right...to them, I"m not human. How can"t I understand their thoughts and decisions? I honestly don"t. Still... "I want to know. I want an explanation." I met his eyes head-on with determination.