Chapter 72 – After I Went to the Trouble of Calling You That So Adorably, What Is the Meaning of That Reaction!?

"...Huh?"

A sound entirely unbefitting of Milea's usual cool, composed image -- something quite dazed and directionless -- slipped from between her lips.

The genius mind that had solved equation after equation and led the cutting edge of Makina technology had, it seemed, been completely frozen solid by Letaria's instantaneous reply.

Watching the tables turn so thoroughly and completely, Letaria settled herself on the bed with a small, quietly pleased squaring of her shoulders, and spoke with an unhurried, easy grace.

"You said what you said because you believed it was the right thing for me, did you not? -- Then there is not a single reason in this world for me to doubt it."

She said it with her trademark pride, but the voice beneath carried the weight of absolute, settled conviction.

The gaze she turned on Milea was so straightforward, so entirely unclouded with suspicion -- it hit Milea full in the face. Whatever calm she normally wore seemed to have been left somewhere else entirely; she began, quite uncharacteristically, to fumble, eyes drifting, instinctively trying to slow Letaria down.

"B-But, to decide so fast... Don't you think you should take a little more time and... think this through? Transferring your family registry is a public record that stays for life, and there are legal obligations and responsibilities that would fall on you as my relative..."

Milea -- a woman who prided herself on logic above all -- was throwing up an incoherent defensive wall against a proposal she had made herself. Letaria looked at her, so plainly lost in her own confusion, and pressed on gently.

"Milea. Has there ever been a single moment -- not once -- when you did something that wasn't for my benefit? You gave me a place to belong when I was cast alone into this world. You gave me a sword to wield, knights to fight beside me, and never stopped choosing your words for me with care. ...I know all of this. I have known it for a long time."

She said it with her head held high and a smile that brimmed with pride and warmth alike. And in that expression, there was not a trace of the girl she had once been -- the one who had clutched at warped pride in that other world, unable to trust anyone, eyes hard against everyone around her. What was there instead was something different: the beautiful, unyielding strength of a girl who had found the right place, the right people, and had come to know without any doubt that she was loved.

Milea looked at her for a long moment. Then, gradually, understanding seemed to settle in -- the realization of just how needless her worry had been. The tension she had been holding in her shoulders came loose all at once.

"...I see. Hehe -- you really are impossible to match, aren't you."

This time, finally, the composed lines of Milea's face softened all the way from the inside.

The violet eyes that had always kept a certain careful distance now reflected Letaria as family -- as someone precious to protect and to cherish, without reservation.

"Thank you, Letaria."

"I should be the one thanking you, Milea. ...Hehe. I look forward to what comes next."

Letaria tilted her head, just slightly and just mischievously, and called her name with the best smile she had.

"-- Sister?"

"...That form of address is going to take some getting used to, I think."

For one instant, Milea's eyes went wide. Then she turned her face away with a faint air of self-consciousness -- and her typically pale cheek had gone the softest shade of pink. It was a reaction so fresh and unguarded, so entirely unlike the Milea who ran her lab with crisp authority, that it almost didn't seem like the same person.

"What do you mean! I went to the trouble of calling you that so adorably, and that is the reaction I receive!?"

"Adorably, she says... I find myself a little unsettled, wondering when the signature laugh is going to burst out of it."

"That is extremely rude! I am always dignified and charming, every single moment!"

Letaria puffed out her cheeks. Milea, looking at her, finally lost the battle entirely and broke into open, unguarded laughter.

Outside, the artificial rain continued its quiet, steady tapping against the window -- but the air inside the room had transformed entirely from the thoughtful quiet of moments ago into something bright and warm, as though the earlier mood had never been.

After they had laughed themselves out, Milea turned back to Letaria.

"All right. I'll handle the paperwork on my end. I'll have everything wrapped up tomorrow, including any necessary conversations with those above me. ...Oh, that reminds me -- there's one thing I should mention. When it comes to the registry, you're free to keep using 'Adeniam' as you always have, or to take my family name -- 'Ichinose' -- if you prefer."

She said it gently.

"Understood."

Letaria nodded without resistance. She had, by this point, come to understand the way many things worked in this world. She could well imagine that in Seldia's society, there would be any number of circumstances where carrying the name 'Ichinose' would smooth the way for her.

And beyond that -- it was the name of the sister who had chosen to shelter her, without condition. To choose one or the other and leave the rest behind? That kind of compromise did not exist in the dictionary of Letaria Adeniam.

"I have decided! Taking the best of both, from here forward I shall be -- 'Letaria Adeniam Ichinose'!"

She planted her hands on her hips and stood as tall as the bed allowed, with the air of someone who had just produced a solution of breathtaking elegance. 'Adeniam' -- the pride of the ducal house -- joined with 'Ichinose' -- the bond of a new family. A full name of tremendous magnificence.

Milea fixed her with a long, flat half-lidded stare, and stated, quietly but with complete precision:

"...That isn't how it works, Letaria."

"Hm? What isn't how it works?"

"Names don't combine like that. What I mean is that you can use them separately, depending on the situation."

"WHAT!? My noble and inspired idea, rejected by something so prosaic as a system -- absolutely outrageous, I say -- OUTRAGEOUS!"

Milea listened to Letaria's fresh and vociferous protest fill the room once more, and this time, the expression that settled across her face was one of weary, total exasperation -- and underneath it, something that looked very much like the deepest possible contentment.