お昼のご飯は出かける前、布都ちゃんと一緒に作ったものだ。布都ちゃんが握ってくれた(形が歪な)おにぎりを頬ばり、味を褒めると布都ちゃんは嬉しそうににやけた。「先は「」殿は自分の事を何も言っていないと言ったが、我も、あまり我自身の事を言っておらぬな」お昼ご飯を食べ終わった所で、布都ちゃんはぽつりと言った。何か、話していない事があるの？と僕が聞くと。「うむ」と布都ちゃんは頷き、「昔の我の事とこれからの我の事を・・・」と布都ちゃんは短く言った。「前にも言ったが、我が長く眠る前に太子と屠自古という一緒に過ごしていた仲間が居た。我は二人と一緒に居る時が好きだった。太子は我の全てを理解していれくれたし、屠自古はうるさい奴だったが、あ奴とぶつかり合うのはそれはそれで楽しかった。」布都ちゃんは言葉を続ける。「でも、我らは、お互い立場が違った。・・・我らは元々友人同士になれる立場じゃなかったのだ。そんな時に、太子から尸解仙にならないかという誘いがあった。尸解仙になって、俗世のしがらみから逃げて、遠慮なく３人一緒で過ごそうと。」「だから我は霊廟で眠りについた。二人より先に。我の術が成功したのを見届けて二人も眠るという手はずだった。」「でも、結局術に成功したのは我だけだった。起きてみると、太子と屠自古の棺の中身は二人だったものが朽ち果てていた。我は、その場に居ても立ってもいられず、霊廟から走り去って、そして、彷徨っている所で「」殿と出会ったのだ。」「復活してからは、太子と屠自古が居ない事がひたすら寂しかった。」「でも「」殿と暮らせる毎日が楽しかった。我は「」殿と暮らす日々に慣れてしまって、太子と屠自古が居た日がいつの間にか過去の出来事になっていた。」「都合のいい話だが、我は「」殿の傍に居たい。これからもずっと・・・。我は「」殿の傍に居て良いだろうか・・・？」布都ちゃんは懇願する様な眼で僕を見た。一緒に居たい、か。僕はどう布都ちゃんを思っているだろうか？ふと今朝、起きた時に布都ちゃんが隣に居なくて不安に思った事を思い出した。僕自身も布都ちゃんが居る事に慣れてしまったのだろう。じゃあ、これは悩む事柄ではないんじゃないか？。僕は、僕の方こそ布都ちゃんが傍に居て欲しいよ。これからもよろしくして欲しいなと言うと、布都ちゃんは「有難う・・・「」殿」と嬉しそうにガッツポーズをしてわっふるわっふる

I made our lunch together with Futo-chan before we left. I stuffed a rather deformed onigiri (Futo-chan made it) into my mouth and praised her about its taste, to which she happily smiled. After we finished, she said with a somewhat heavy tone, "I told you earlier that you had not revealed much about yourself, but neither have I told you much about myself." "Is there something you haven't told me about?" I inquired. "Yes," she nodded, continuing suddenly, "about the me from long ago and the current me. As I have told you before, before my long slumber, I had two acquaintances named Taishi and Tojiko that I spent my days with. I liked it when we were together. Taishi understood me well, and although Tojiko was an annoying one, it was somewhat fun getting into spats with her." "But we were all in different situations... we were not originally in a position to become friends with another. Back then, Taishi enticed me with the idea of immortality. 'We will become shikaisen, to shed the bindings of this world and spend our days together forever,' he said."

"Thus I entered my slumber in that mausoleum. I was first, with them to follow after seeing my success. But I ended up being the only one for whom it succeeded. Upon awakening, I opened the coffins of Taishi and Tojiko only to find the rotted remains of what used to be two people. Not wanting to stay there any longer, I ran out of the mausoleum and wandered about, eventually meeting you." "After my resurrection, the loss of Taishi and Tojiko was lonely. But the days spent with you were fun. I grew accustomed to daily life with you, and eventually the time I spent with Taishi and Tojiko was relinquished to the back of my mind. I know it is probably too much to ask for, but... I want to stay by your side. I wonder if I could keep living with you forever...?" she finished with pleading eyes directed toward me. She wants to be with me, huh... just what exactly did I think of Futo-chan? I remembered how uneasy I felt when I woke up this morning and she wasn't there. I guess I, too, have gotten accustomed to life with Futo-chan. Guess I don't need to think too much about it then. "I myself want to keep living with you, so... let's be happy from now on as well," I told her. "Thank you... my lord," she grinned with a happy fist pump... to be continued