Rain was sitting on the edge of the roof of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky's main building, looking up at the moon.
"So this is where you were."
A woman—Selma—approached Rain and called out to her.
"…Yeah. I was looking at the moon."
Selma looked up at the sky after hearing Rain's words.
There, a full moon shone alone in the darkness, illuminating the night sky.
"I haven't looked up at the moon much lately, but seeing it again, it really is beautiful."
"Yeah…"
The two of them quietly gazed at the moon for a while.
"So, did you have something to talk to me about? Or are you here to scold me or lecture me for lowering everyone's morale?"
Rain turned a weary expression toward Selma.
Ever since the day Orun announced he was leaving the clan, Rain had remained completely listless.
She had participated in the squads sent out to subjugate magic beasts in various regions, but she was so far from her usual self that the other explorers were clearly troubled.
"There's no way I could get angry at you when you're making a face like that. You must be suffering, and yet you're still helping with the magic beast subjugation. I'm actually grateful. I can't say this out loud, but even when you're not at your best, you're still taking down more magic beasts than the other members."
"I see. I know in my head that I can't stay like this. It's just that my heart isn't keeping up. Anyway, sorry for causing trouble."
Seeing Rain's weak smile as she apologized, Selma's expression became a mix of sadness and helplessness.
"Hey, Rain. Won't you talk to me about it? I've kept quiet all this time thinking you'd sort it out on your own, but instead of getting better, it looks like you're suffering more and more. I can't keep watching you like this…"
"I'm really sorry. But… I'm the older sister…"
At Rain's words, Selma's eyes sharpened with reproach.
"…Because you're the older sister, what? You think you can't show weakness to those below you? When you're clearly suffering so much…!"
"Ahaha… When you put it that way, I can't argue back. Yeah, that's right. The older sister is supposed to carry everything on her shoulders."
Selma's shoulders trembled.
"Is that what you think an older sister should be like…? If so, then that's wrong! I've shown my weaknesses to my little sister many times! Embarrassing things, things that would make her exasperated! Even so, Sophia still accepts me as I am. Sisters are supposed to show each other both the good parts and the bad parts, aren't they!?"
"..."
"I think of you as a precious comrade! I rely on you like an older sister! I've always been helped by you. I want to be someone you can rely on too…!"
Selma poured out her feelings.
Perhaps her desperate words reached Rain, because tears began to stream down Rain's cheeks.
"…Is it okay…? For someone like me… to rely on others…? I'm not someone who deserves to be saved…"
Selma nodded strongly at Rain's words.
"Of course it is!"
Rain whispered "Thank you…" through her tears.
◇
After a while, once she had calmed down, Rain began to speak haltingly about her past.
It was about her childhood, when she had been doted on as a special mage and had gotten carried away.
One day, Rain received a request from a man wearing an eyepatch over his right eye. He asked her to teleport the group he led to the Dawn Village.
Believing his words that it was to help people, Rain teleported them.
A few days later, her older sister Telche told her the truth.
That their goal had been the complete opposite of helping people—they had come to destroy the village.
At the same time, Telche told her that because she had indirectly been involved, she would sooner or later be killed if she stayed.
After being shown the tragic state of the place where the village had once stood, Rain was given the bare minimum of supplies by Telche and told to leave the country. She obeyed.
"Dawn Village…? I've never heard of that place."
Selma murmured as she listened to Rain's story.
"…Yeah. Because it doesn't exist anymore. …And then…"
Rain had decided to speak, but she stopped when she reached the core of the story.
She was terrified of how Selma would react after hearing it.
(I decided to talk, didn't I? If Selma is disappointed in me after hearing it, that's my fault, so I have to accept it…)
Rain took several deep breaths, then steeled herself and continued.
"And then… that Dawn Village… was Orun's hometown."
"…Huh?"
It was so unexpected that a silly sound escaped Selma.
"Of course, he was in the village that day too. Orun was lucky enough to survive, but his parents and most of the people in the village were killed then."
"..."
"So, it's like I killed Orun's parents. I think his memory loss was caused by the shock of that event. …Even though I took his parents from him, I was acting like an older sister to him. …See? I'm not someone who deserves to be saved, right?"
Rain gave a self-mocking smile.
Selma lowered her face.
Because it was nighttime, Rain couldn't see her expression clearly.
Selma remained silent for only a few seconds.
But to Rain, who felt like she was waiting for judgment, it felt like an eternity.
"…So that's what happened."
Selma finally spoke.
Rain held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Thank you for telling me. It must have been painful to carry that alone."
Selma gently pulled Rain into a hug.
Rain, who had expected to be blamed, blinked in confusion at Selma's actions.
"…Huh? Why? Why aren't you blaming me? I took away the parents of the person you like…"
"Why do you blame yourself like that? You didn't do it on purpose. You just wanted to help people, right? Besides, Orun himself said it that day, didn't he? 'It wasn't Rain's fault.' 'The ones at fault are the people who used Rain.' After hearing your story, I agree with Orun. The ones to blame are the eyepatch man who took advantage of your kindness and attacked the village."
"But if I hadn't helped…"
"It's true that if you hadn't helped, the tragedy might have been prevented. But the eyepatch man might have attacked the village some other way. In the end, we can't know what would have happened. I won't tell you not to care at all, but I don't think you need to carry more guilt than necessary."
"…Thank you, Selma. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my chest, even if only a little. I'm glad I talked to you."
Now that the burden on her shoulders had lightened, Rain showed the brightest smile she had worn in recent days.
"If I could help you even a little, I'm glad. From now on, if there's anything troubling you, don't hesitate to talk to me. Wilkes and Lucretia were worried about you too, you know? They said that until now they had always relied on you, so from now on they would support you. After finishing magic beast subjugation, the two of them have been doing special training, and lately they always come back completely worn out."
"Really…? I hadn't noticed. Ahaha… How little attention was I paying to those around me…? I feel bad for the two of them…"
"If you show them that smile of yours, I'm sure they'll feel relieved too."
"Yeah, you're right. I wonder if they've come back yet?"
"They've been coming back around the same time lately, so they should be back soon."
"I see. Then maybe I should go greet them."
Rain stood up and walked toward the door to the roof with steady steps.
Selma watched her back with a relieved expression, then suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Ah, Rain! Let me correct one last thing!"
"…?"
"I-I don't like Orun in that way, okay? I mean, I like him as a person, but not as a man!"
Hearing Selma's words, Rain, who had been staring blankly, burst into laughter.
"Ehh, that's pushing it. Because whenever you look at Orun, your expression is much softer than usual."
Rain's laughter echoed through the quiet night.
The guilt inside her had not completely disappeared.
She was still carrying pain, yet Rain was smiling.
That smile shone gently under the moonlight—.