“I’m home~ Whoa, it’s so hot today…”
It was still early evening.
Hecate fanned her collar with one hand as she stepped into the house after work.
Junior, who was wearing an apron and preparing dinner in the kitchen, brightened up and peeked into the living room.
“Oh, Heki! You’re home early today!”
“Stop calling me that weird nickname.”
“Then shorten mine too.”
“No. No matter how you shorten it, your name sounds weird. What even is Juju? Junior is fine.”
“Well, thank you very much…?”
A delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen.
Hecate sniffed the air and peeked toward the right.
“Smells good. What’s for dinner?”
“Your favorite, Heki.”
“Beef Bourguignon?!”
“…Close. I guess you’d call it wine-braised short ribs?”
“Whoa, that’s crazy. My mouth is already watering. Let’s eat now. I’m starving.”
Hecate clung to Junior’s back as she sliced bread, playfully pleading.
Junior chuckled and wiggled her index finger side to side.
“Still needs a little more time to finish! But before we eat, let’s do a quick interview.”
“Huh? Interview?”
Hecate blinked at the unexpected words.
Junior turned and tapped the dining table with her fingertip.
“Our foundation is researching the war against the monsters from 15 years ago. We’re starting interviews with the participants. These records are valuable historical materials, after all.”
Instead of tableware, there were papers, a pen, and a strange-looking device on the table.
Hecate picked up the device with a puzzled expression.
“What’s this?”
“A recorder. It’s a prototype the Imperial Family recently developed—works without magic. The Crown Prince secretly gave me one just for my use. Heh heh…”
“Wow, this is serious.”
Hecate didn’t seem too eager, but Junior pulled her to a chair and sat her down before taking a seat opposite her.
“Alright, then.”
Junior set up the paper and pen, turned on the recorder, and grinned at Hecate.
“Please start by introducing yourself!”
Hecate hesitated, feeling burdened.
Junior let out a playful booing sound.
“Hey, Heki! What are you so embarrassed about?”
“It’s not like I did anything great… I don’t feel qualified to be part of an interview that’ll go down in history…”
“What are you even saying? If the former commander of the Glory Knights isn’t qualified, then who is?”
“But still…”
“Don’t think too much about it. Just consider it helping me practice for future interviews, okay?”
Junior clasped her hands together and sparkled her eyes.
Seeing that, Hecate couldn’t help but smile.
This woman in front of her was old enough now, yet she still acted adorably childish at times.
Oh well.
Against her roommate’s pleading, Hecate had never won a single time.
“Hello, I’m Hecate Whiteblossom.”
In the end, she agreed to the interview.
“I used to serve in the Glory Knights, and now I’m the deputy director of Whiteblossom Orphanage.”
“So, you’re the deputy director. How’s the orphanage these days?”
“Well… Teaching and taking care of kids is never easy. No matter how much effort I put in, I can’t truly replace their real parents, so there are a lot of limits.”
Hecate thought back to the orphanage and the children she had just been with earlier that day.
“Still, I do my best to make sure they’re at least a little happier while they’re with us. Since I grew up in this orphanage myself, I have a decent idea of what the kids need.”
“You’re a great teacher.”
“I just hope the kids think so too.”
“I can kind of relate since I also grew up in a place similar to an orphanage!”
“Oh, right, Junior, you…”
Hecate looked at Junior’s beaming face, then suddenly snapped to attention.
“Wait a second, is this really the right topic? I thought this interview was for war history research. Why are you asking about my personal life?”
“Come on, this is part of it! Before a serious interview, you have to chat a little, loosen up, and build some rapport.”
“What’s there to loosen up or build between us? Just get to the point already!”
After some light bickering, the real interview began.
“I participated in the war against the monsters 15 years ago.”
Recalling those days at Crossroad, Hecate slowly began to speak.
“The Glory Knights’ primary duty was to guard His Majesty, so we joined the war effort later than most. Because of that, I wasn’t in that many battles. I probably don’t have much to contribute.”
But once she started talking, the words just poured out.
Since Hecate had joined in the later stages of the war, her memories were limited to that time. However, that also meant she could clearly explain everything from that period up until the final battle.
Junior, who had expected just a lighthearted interview before dinner, also grew serious as she engaged in the discussion.
The two exchanged perspectives and opinions on the events of that time, engrossed in an intense conversation for quite a while.
After they had gone over the major points of the interview, Junior suddenly asked,
“What does your participation in the war mean to you?”
“…”
Hecate lowered her gaze slowly. She pressed her fingertip against her lower lip before finally speaking.
“I lost many things in that war.”
She lost many things she had once considered precious.
Just like everyone else who had fought in that war.
“At first, everything felt hopeless. There were times when I didn’t want to go on living…”
Leaning back in her chair, Hecate met Junior’s steady gaze.
“But after losing so much and letting go of so many things… I finally saw what I hadn’t been able to before. The things I had clung to, believing them to be part of me… they weren’t truly ‘me’ at all.”
“…”
“It was only after I let everything go that I saw my true, bare self. And even then, there were people who reached out their hands to me.”
“So… I started over from the ruins where everything had collapsed.”
Just like everyone else who had fought in that war.
Hecate smiled faintly.
“And I found new friends.”
“Oh?”
“Though now that friend has become a slow, lazy, white lump.”
“Hey! That’s mean!”
“And… I found a new dream, too.”
Hecate let out a long breath and lifted her gaze to the empty air.
“I’m truly grateful that I was able to be part of that war. Partly because I was able to contribute, even if just a little, to protecting the world.”
Junior listened quietly to her words.
“But more than that, it gave me the opportunity to turn the page to the next chapter of my life.”
Scratch, scratch.
Junior set down her pen, grinned, and gave Hecate a knowing look.
“Do you brag about it to the kids?”
“Huh? Brag about what?”
“That you’re one of the heroes who saved the world! Something like that?”
Hecate let out a short laugh, shaking her head in disbelief, and flicked Junior on the forehead.
“And what about you, Officer? Do you brag?”
“Sometimes?”
“What? Seriously?”
“I mean, come on! I had a hand in saving the world—if I don’t brag about that, then what else is even worth bragging about? You should show off a little too, Heki!”
They laughed for a while longer before Junior finally turned off the recorder, signaling the end of the interview.
“And that’s a wrap! Ugh, I’m starving.”
“What the—? When did the time get this late? We should’ve eaten first.”
“It’ll taste even better after waiting. Come on, let’s eat!”
They cleared off the table.
The dish was taken out of the oven, bread and butter were set down, utensils were placed, napkins were folded, and glasses were arranged.
“You worked hard on the interview~”
Junior poured wine into their glasses. Hecate’s face lit up.
“Wine? What’s the occasion?”
“It’s just the cheap stuff left over from cooking~”
“It smells great, though!”
The two sat down again and eagerly dug into their meal.
The meat and vegetables, soaked in wine and spices, melted on their tongues.
Junior made a big deal about how the long interview had made the food taste even better. Hecate rolled her eyes, telling her to stop making things up.
Once their stomachs were somewhat full, they took turns pouring wine and chatted idly. The interview had brought up memories of old acquaintances.
The rest of the Glory Knights were also doing their best in this changed world.
One had become a teacher at the orphanage alongside Hecate.
Another had become an instructor at the academy.
One had become a reporter for the New Terra Times.
And another had taken a position in the foreign affairs department.
Even after laying down their swords, their curses, their duties—
Even after the world had been upended and transformed completely—
Still, people found ways to live.
“So, if I was your first interview… does that mean you’re going to interview the other war veterans too?”
“Yep. Which means… I’m going on an extended business trip.”
“You’ll be traveling across the entire continent, then?”
“Pretty much. I have to track down everyone, no matter where they ended up.”
Junior grinned, gesturing toward their now empty plates.
“That means I won’t be around for delicious dinners like this for a while.”
“…”
Hecate hesitated, chewing over her words before asking carefully.
“You’ll come back, right?”
“Of course! This is my home. And I’m still paying half the rent.”
“You don’t have to pay while you’re gone.”
“Half the stuff in this house is mine. And besides, if I stop paying rent, you might get a new roommate while I’m away.”
“I wouldn’t do that…”
Since Junior had cooked, it was Hecate’s turn to do the dishes. As she cleaned up, Junior tidied the dining table.
Once the post-feast cleanup was finished, a lingering sense of reluctance made them decide to have dessert.
With tea and sweets in front of them, they chatted some more.
By the time they finished, though—
“Ugh, I ate too much.”
They had clearly overindulged.
Junior clutched her full stomach and chuckled, while Hecate smirked and gestured toward the door.
“Let’s go for a walk.”
“It’s hot outside…”
“Still, let’s go. We need to start watching our health. It’s about time we take care of ourselves.”
“Are we already at that age?! Ugh, I don’t wanna get old…!”
“Hey, I’m still in my prime! I’m totally young, okay?”
The two, both the same age, bickered as they stepped outside together.
The early summer weather had been sweltering during the day, but now, as night approached, the air was pleasantly cool.
Junior took a deep breath of the summer night air and smiled.
“Well… growing old gracefully doesn’t sound so bad.”
Hecate looked over at her.
Junior twirled in place and struck a pose.
“Living as a badass career woman, a proud single lady—just like my mom! That was always the dream.”
“Then I guess you got your wish.”
“Heh. Aren’t we growing old together, teacher?”
Junior took the lead and reached out her hand to Hecate.
“…”
Maybe it was because of the interview about the war 15 years ago.
For a moment, as she looked at that outstretched hand, she saw an overlapping image—one from 15 years past.
—When you lose everything.
—You simply… become yourself.
Fifteen years had passed since that day.
Had she truly become herself? The version of herself that her heart longed for? Even if only little by little, was she getting there?
She still couldn’t say for certain.
“What are you doing? Not coming?”
Junior wiggled her fingers playfully.
Hecate thought to herself.
Life was full of uncertainties, but there was one thing she knew for sure.
This moment.
Being here, right now, with her friend—
It was fun.
Hecate slowly reached out and placed her hand over Junior’s.
Junior let out a bright laugh, and Hecate couldn’t help but chuckle as well.
“Make sure you come back safely, okay?”
“I will.”
“And bring back souvenirs. One from every place you visit.”
“If you pay me in advance~”
“Wow, you still haven’t grown out of your gold-digger habits. You’ll get it when you deliver.”
“What should I get? Anything you want?”
“Something cute for the orphanage office. Something nice to hang up.”
With the cool breeze against them, hands swinging like a pair of carefree teenagers, the two women strolled through the evening streets.
Once again, summer was drawing near.