Your Tears (Krish’s POV)

“What on earth is going on here?”

Gilbert and the other staff of the management office were gathered in the gate room, which was installed in the basement of the management office.

There should have been a shimmering curtain of light inside the huge arch. The light of the gate, which had been put into practical use after repeated testing over a period of five years, disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place, revealing the opposite wall of the room.

“I have never heard of a gate suddenly disappearing. Something strange must have happened a long time ago.”

The staff of the management office gathered in the room and swallowed their saliva at the stern voice of Gilbert, who is usually calm.

“Zoltan.”

“Y–yes!!”

The staff member whose name was called was the person in charge of gate management. He was the leader of the project to recruit immigrants from another world, and was also Norn’s superior.

“Explain.”

Zoltan with sweat dripping from his forehead at the brief but unforgiving order, bowed deeply.

“I’m very sorry!!”

Following Zoltan’s example, the other staff members all bowed their heads in unison. Everyone was pale, and their expressions were one of despair.

The young staff member at the very edge of the group was biting his lip so hard that it was bleeding, and his fists were trembling.

Norn was the one who had the most contact with Shinobu, the first immigrant. He was well aware that he had participated in this project with strong conviction. Gilbert glanced at Norn, then immediately returned his gaze to Zoltan.

“When did the strange phenomenon begin? Why didn’t you report it until now?”

“The first time the strange phenomenon occurred was when we invited Shinobu, the first immigrant. When we investigated, a distortion occurred that hadn’t existed.

At the time, I thought it would soon be resolved. In fact, it was resolved the next day without any problems, so we decided it was probably temporary and didn’t report it.

After that, the distortion began to occur once every few days, then every other day, then every day. Finally, a month ago, we lost contact with Shinobu’s world.”

Zoltan’s report left Gilbert in awe. If something strange had been happening for so long, why had they left it alone until now?

“What about Shinobu-dono’s situation? You’ve obviously warned him to evacuate, haven’t you?”

“……”

Silence was the answer. So, they had left the strange happenings at the gate alone, neglected to warn the immigrant, and just watched in silence until this day had come.

“Why did you have to do this? You all knew that when something unusual happens to the gate, travelers must evacuate immediately. We must issue a warning to immigrants and confirm their intentions.

It can’t be helped that the gate disappeared. There’s nothing humans can do about it. But how we respond at that time will become a matter of trust.

The next time a gate appears, how will the people of the other world feel? Do you think they’ll want to interact with our world, which has not responded sincerely?”

“We knew that too. But if we do that, the gate will be closed. You know that too, Director Gilbert, right? Once a gate is closed, it will not be opened for another 10 or 100 years until it is confirmed to be safe!

We don’t have time to wait for it to open again!!

If that happens, what will happen to this world? We still haven’t found a plant to replace the Tree of Life. There’s no guarantee that a new gate will appear. In 100 years, no one will be alive anymore!! We just couldn’t crush the possibility.”

As someone who lives in the same world,I can understand that feeling well. But in the end, the gate disappeared. The hope that he wanted to protect even at the cost of Shinobu’s life as an immigrant slipped away.

“I’m going to report to Shinobu-dono.”

It’s depressing to imagine his smiley face distorted with sadness, but he can’t hide it forever. Since it’s come to this, he must tell him the truth, apologize sincerely, and ask for forgiveness.

“Please let me go.”

Norn had been silent all this while, but now he looked up and looked straight at Gilbert.

“I have interacted with Shinobu the most, but I never told him the truth. I had many chances to tell him, but I chose the world over him, and I must accept the consequences.

Even if I’m cursed or hated, it’s my own fault. I’ll tell him.”

When this exchange took place in the basement of the management office, I was out of town on an errand for Felix-sama.

I only found out after everything had ended.

“Krish, we’ve got a problem.”

Felix-sama said this as soon as he saw me come to report. I frowned, wondering what he was talking about, and he told me that the gate had disappeared a week ago and Shinobu would never be able to return to his hometown again.

I wonder how Shinobu is doing. Is he crying? Is he in despair? The last time I saw his smile flashed across my mind, and I couldn’t sit still any longer, so I jumped onto my beloved horse, Blanche.

There are still very few people Shinobu can rely on in this world. One of them, Norn from the management office, had kept silent until now, refusing to tell Shinobu the truth. I tightened my grip on the reins, thinking how lonely he must be feeling.

I rode Blanche as fast as I could, and the red roof where Shinobu lives came into view. Perhaps startled by Blanche’s footsteps, Shinobu ran out in a hurried state when I reached the front of the house.

He had milky white whisker marks around him mouth.

“What a surprise! It was Krish-san?

I thought there was a landslide, so I ran out.”

Shinobu didn’t show any of the fears I had. The only thing that had changed was that he had changed from the unfamiliar fabric of the clothes from the other world to clothes worn by children in this world.

The size didn’t seem right and were slipping off his shoulders, and the waist strings of his trousers were loose. Because of that, he looked even more childish than usual.

He looked like the youngest child wearing his older brother’s hand-me-downs.

Perhaps noticing my gaze, Shinobu picked up the hem of his clothes and tilted his head shyly.

“I guess it’s a little big after all. I got these clothes from Norn. It was his clothes from when he was a child.”

I wonder if he’d been able to make peace with Norn. He didn’t seem to have any grudges, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have any other feelings.

Doesn’t he resent this world, or hate the people who live in it?

“What’s up with you today, Krish? Perhaps you’re doing an errand for Felix-sama?”

“Yeah, I was close by so I came to check on you. Things have been getting a bit dangerous lately. Is there anything unusual?”

“Really? I’m fine. Pochi and Hanako are fine, and I am very healthy!!”

Cowardly, I didn’t ask Shinobu about the gate. If I did, I wouldn’t know what to do if Shinobu started to complain.

“I see. If anything happens, tell me right away.”

“Yes, thank you!! Good luck with your work, Krish-san!!”

Since I said I was doing an errand for Felix-sama, I couldn’t stay long. I waved goodbye to Shinobu as I headed back the way I came. I kept thinking about him the whole time.

If anything happens to Shinobu, I’ll definitely help him. I don’t think that will be enough to atone for my sins. I don’t think I can replace the family and friends he left back home, but I’ll at least try to make him feel at ease.

Since that day, it became my daily routine to visit Shinobu.

“Krish-san, are you going out again today? Where do you go every day?”

Every day during lunch break, my subordinate calls to stop me, as he thought it was strange that I was riding Blanche.

“Just something.”

I rode Blanche at full speed to Shinobu’s house, and it took 25 minutes. Even if I returned immediately after seeing him, I would be just in time for work in the afternoon. I didn’t have time to bother my subordinate, so I vaguely got on Blanche.

“If you’re so busy, you won’t have time to go on a date with Annette-sama, will you? She’ll get tired of you soon.”

“That’s none of your business.”

Rather, I rode Blanche, thinking to myself that it was what I wanted.

After that, Shinobu seemed to be living his life as usual. When I check on him, he’s usually tending to the fields, and greets me cheerfully.

“Krish-san, errands again today? Thank you for your hard work.”

“Oh, how are you, Shinobu?”

I wonder how many times we’ve had this exchange. Shinobu smiles, showing his white teeth, and answers that he’s fine as always.

I was truly surprised when Shinobu asked me if he could help Filex-sama when I went yesterday.

I wonder how he can think like that. It should have been a given that he would hate us for hiding the fact that something strange had happened at the gate, but Shinobu was looking straight up at me.

Even though he could have asked for an apology or compensation, Shinobu’s eyes were clear as he said, “I want to be useful to this world.”

He’s a really strong and kind person.

I was supposed to visit every day to check on Shinobu. If he was having trouble, I wanted to help him. I had ruined Shinobu’s life, and I started doing this because I wanted him to at least be able to live in peace, but before I knew it, I was the one being cheered up by Shinobu’s smile.

It’s not like hope for this world has disappeared. It was as if he was telling me that if I kept smiling, tomorrow would come, and after seeing Shinobu’s face, I was able to go to work with a refreshed mind.

“Oh dear, these meetings are giving me a headache. It’s much better to be traveling than this.”

“Exactly.”

There had been meetings since morning that day. About half of the plants that had been collected during the two-year journey had been inspected. I received reports on them, but there was no good news. The reports dragged on, and it was almost noon. A meeting for the next journey is scheduled to begin soon.

At this rate, it seems impossible to go to Shinobu’s place during the day.

I was thinking that at the very least, I would check the lights on his house at night to make sure he was safe.

“Norn, here’s a gift!!”

Filex-sama found Shinobu after following my gaze to the familiar high-pitched voice that sounded like that of a boy about to go through puberty.

“That’s…”

Shinobu was chatting with Norn from the administration office and his childhood friend. I could hear their happy voices.

“He seems to be doing well. That’s a relief.”

“Yes.”

Filex-sama had probably been worried about Shinobu since he received the report about the gate. His boss, who usually has a handsome aloof face, had a rare look of relief on his face.

Filex-sama, who had been mocking himself for being unable to produce any good results and for hiding the strange happenings at the gate, may have been comforted by Shinobu’s smile.

“Can I see the room where the gate was?”

“The gate room?… I’m sorry. That room is currently sealed off.”

Hearing their conversation, Filex-sama and I exchanged glances. That room is indeed currently sealed off and locked.

“I should at least show you the room.”

I thought Filex-sama would say that.

While Shinobu was surprised at his sudden appearance, Filex-sama quickly brought me the key, handed it to me, and ordered me to show him around.

“Are you sure? Krish-san, are you sure Filex-sama doesn’t have any errands to run today?”

“Today?”

“Well, you’ve been asking him to run errands every day, haven’t you? He’s been rushing back on horseback at full speed, so you must have an important job to do, right?”

Thinking to myself, “Damn,” I remained silent. I hadn’t told anyone that I was going to check on Shinobu.

“I see.”

Sweat trickled down my back as Filex-sama grinned. It’s not like I was doing anything bad, but somehow I didn’t want anyone to know about this. Especially not Filex-sama.

“Don’t worry. I won’t ask you to do anything today, Krish. I might ask you every day from tomorrow. Right, Krish?”

This person surprisingly likes to tease people. Even now, he’s probably chuckling to himself, thinking he’s found something funny. He’ll definitely tease me later.

Fortunately, Shinobu, who looked puzzled, didn’t seem to notice my agitation. If he knew that he visited every day just to check on Shinobu, he would probably feel a little reserved. He had never felt as glad to be wearing his helmet as he did today.

I led the way down the chilly stairs to the basement.

When the gate existed, the stairs were crowded with staff, but now that it was closed, it was completely silent.

As he walked sadly down the corridor, where only the footsteps of three people echoed, he came across a heavily locked door.

“You can go in.”

He unlocked the door and turned around to see Shinobu clenching his hand with a tense expression.

He remembered how soft Shinobu’s small hand was when he led him by the hand the day he got lost, and he worried that if he gripped it too tightly, it would hurt.

As a knight, it was normal for him to see his comrades get injured, and a wound from a claw would not kill him. But when he imagined a red mark on his small palm, he thought about making him hold something soft.

Shinobu walked to the center of the room and slowly looked around. The arch that had been in this room had already been removed, and nothing remained. No matter how much he looked, there was only a stone wall.

Still, as Shinobu’s eyes darted from corner to corner of the room, as if trying to find any trace of the gate, his thin neck looked weak as he moved, and I worried that it might easily break at any moment.

“It’s really gone.”

Shinobu muttered in a faint voice and sniffed. I thought about pretending not to notice, thinking that a man wouldn’t want to be seen crying, but when I saw him roughly rubbing her eyes, I instinctively grabbed his arm from behind.

“Don’t rub too hard. Your eyes will turn red.”

Shinobu’s face, looking straight up, appeared upside down in my field of vision. It seemed I was too late, as the tip of his nose and his eyes were already red.

What should I say to him at a time like this? I couldn’t think of anything to comfort him. Annette would probably call me a stickler for words.

“I’m fine!!”

When he smiled, I saw a tear fall from his narrowed eyes. Because I was holding his arm, the tears that hadn’t been wiped away ran down Shinobu’s soft cheek, and then from his chin to the floor.

You’re just pretending to be fine. But I still want you to smile. It may be cruel to think this about Shinobu, who lost his hometown. But your smile taught me that if you smile, tomorrow will come again.

I’m not very good at laughing, but if you’re smiling, I’ll try.

But, my face was covered by my helmet. Even if I smile now, it won’t be able to reach Shinobu.

“I see, are you fine?”

“Yeah, I’m fine!!”

Shinobu’s head doesn’t seem to be in the right position. I’m not treating him like a child or anything, but my hand just keeps stroking his head. The silky feel of his hair running through my fingers might be the reason why I couldn’t help but stroke his head.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a hobby where I’m comforted by the texture of animal fur.

“Are you satisfied?”

“Yeah. I guess I’d feel better if I’d seen the gate disappear with my own eyes.

Thanks for showing me around even though you’re busy, Krish-san.”

“Actually, I should be the one to thank you. Thanks to you, I didn’t have to attend the meeting. I’m not good at sitting for long periods of time. In any case, patrolling the city would be much better.”

“Haha, there are things that even you don’t like, Krish-san.”

It seems that I’ve been able to open up to Shinobu a little bit after today’s events. I’m a boring person, but I hope that talking to me will make him feel a little better.

But what is wrong with the young man named Kuuju who accompanied Shinobu? He looked back and forth between me and Shinobu in surprise. Did I do something strange?