Lize eting Friends
A few days had passed since Yuna-san and Kagali-chan returned.
Initially, ti passed as if nothing had happened in the town, but soon, so people started to feel that sothing was wrong.
The first people to feel that were those who made contact with other towns.
Incoming supplies were not arriving. rchants from other towns were also not coming, so the town couldn't buy or sell anything.
Apparently the Comrce Guild explained the situation to its mbers, but the people were still skeptical about it.
However, when the ships from other towns didn't co for days and people who visited other towns to reestablish trade under the arrangent of Comrce Guild were all convinced of the fact, a certain thought gradually began to spread throughout the town.
Though it was initially hard to believe, people were gradually starting to believe that they had been frozen for three years.
As for exchange with other towns, it seed that it would be difficult to trade supplies in the sa way as it was three years ago, but after they learned about the situation in our town, the rchants from other towns decided to be sowhat flexible.
There would be less trade for a while, but they would gradually discuss and decide on what to do next.
It looked like the Comrce Guild and Father would be busy for quite so ti.
Next was the mines. I heard that people who went there without knowing anything were surprised by the Ice Dragon's footprints.
The warehouse had also been destroyed, so they would be rebuilding it first.
Then, as for the bear bath that Yuna-san made, it would be used by the people working in the mines.
Workers were surprised by the bear bath at first, but when they saw facilities inside, they were more than happy.
However, they thought that it would be embarrassing to have such a cute bear design, so they suggested doing sothing about it, but Father and Grandpa Bende rejected the idea.
Yuna-san made it for us after all.
They wanted to treasure it and keep it.
Speaking of bears, there was a big bear statue outside the town.
That was made by Yuna-san to protect the town from the Ice Dragon's attacks when she fought it.
Yuna-san said that she would clean it up, but it seed like she forgot about it when she went ho.
Now it had beco a mysterious structure for town residents.
I also went close to see it, and there were many people there.
Father said that he would not remove the bear statue, but would leave it as it was.
Was it okay for them to decide about it on their own?
I wondered if Yuna-san would be angry the next ti she visits.
But that bear statue protected the town from the Ice Dragon.
Even if the townspeople didn't know, we knew that the two girls helped the town.
I think it was good to leave the bear statue there, so that we wouldn't forget that Yuna-san and Kagali-chan saved the town.
If I got married and had children, I'd like to tell them about that ti.
Father said that he would negotiate with Yuna-san if she ca back to remove the statue later.
I spent my days helping Father and being busy.
No, I pretended to be busy and put off sothing important.
That was to see my two dear friends.
I have two precious friends.
Fran and Ina.
We'd been playing and running around together since we were little.
I didn't have the courage to et them.
I didn't know what kind of expression I should make when I et them.
And I was scared of what kind of expression they would have when they see all grown up.
I was scared that we might not be able to be friends anymore… so I was too scared to et them.
But it would be the sa if I never t them.
Kagali-chan's words stuck in my head.
I would never forget the mont when Mother and Sister first saw after three years.
Why was I the only one who had grown up?
If I'd been frozen in ti with everyone else, I wouldn't have felt this way.
Three years didn't make much difference to adults like Father and Grandpa Bende.
But I have changed greatly.
I've grown taller, my childish 12-year-old face was gone, and I was more mature than my sister.
I couldn't keep running away from this issue forever.
The day had co to face it.
Nia, who looked after , said, "My dear lady, Fran-sama and Ina-sama are here to visit you. What should I do?"
Nia knew that I was always anxious about eting my friends again.
"What should we do? Should I ask them to go ho?" (Lize)
"…" (Nia)
… I was scared to et them.
I was not ready yet.
But I knew that I couldn't avoid seeing them forever.
I took a deep breath.
I've decided not to run away anymore.
"… Please let them in." (Lize)
"Understood." (Nia)
The door opened and the two of them ca in.
Three years had passed, but the two of them were still 12 years old as they were three years ago.
Only I'd grown up.
I realized it all over again.
But when I saw them, a different emotion welled up inside .
It was nostalgia.
Friends I thought were dead were still alive.
When the Ice Dragon froze the town, everyone thought that they lost their family and friends and cried.
But…they're still alive.
They're the sa as they were three years ago.
"Lize-chan?" (Fran)
"What's wrong, you're suddenly crying?" (Ina)
I had started crying without realizing it.
"No, it's nothing." (Lize)
I wiped my tears with a handkerchief.
"You say it's nothing, but why are you crying the mont you see us." (Fran)
The two of them co over to , worried.
And they sat next to .
"So, why were you crying?" (Fran)
"Were you scared of Fran's face?" (Ina)
"Ina!" (Fran)
Fran had an angry face.
Seeing that exchange made smile.
It brought back mories. It was similar to how we exchange normally a long ti ago.
"I was scared to et you two. But more than that, I'm happy that you two are alive because I thought I'd never see you again." (Lize)
Even if they looked at strangely, I was happy that they were alive. I was happy to see them.
"That's right. We were frozen for three years." (Fran)
"From Lize's point of view, we were dead." (Ina)
Not only Lize's mother and sister, but Fran and Ina, were also frozen.
"But when I look at Lize, I realize that three years have really passed." (Fran)
"She's grown." (Ina)
I looked at them and realized.
They remained the sa as I rembered.
"It's strange." (Fran)
"We really were frozen for three years." (Ina)
"Do you believe it?" (Lize)
"Our family operates a business, you know? Father heard about it from the Comrce Guild." (Fran)
Her family owned a fairly large business company.
We t when we were young because of my father's work, and we beca friends because we were the sa age.
"At first, my father said he couldn't believe it. And I felt the sa too, of course." (Ina)
"But not a single ship from other towns ca." (Fran)
"That's when people started to notice that sothing was going on." (Ina)
"Well, Ina's father and my father got on a ship and went to the trading town. My father said that the people there had told them just as the Guild Master had said. That was a big problem, and my father was worried that all trade had stopped." (Fran) R̃𝐀₦Ồ𝖇Ěš
"It's the sa thing with us. We're not getting the goods we used to trade." (Ina)
"They knew about our situation, so they told my father that terms of trade won't be the sa as they were three years ago, but they will resu trading with our town once more." (Fran)
"But my father said that trade volu was less than half of what it was before." (Ina)
My father said sothing similar.
"And then I heard about Lize." (Fran)
"Lize has been watching over the frozen town for three years." (Ina)
I wasn't watching over it.
I was not really doing anything for three years.
"When I heard that story, my heart felt like it was being squeezed." (Fran)
"It was painful even to imagine it." (Ina)
"So after talking it over with Ina, we ca to see you." (Fran)
They held my hands.
"Actually, I was worried if it was alright to et you two. No, rather, I was scared." (Lize)
"You ntioned that before, but why were you scared?" (Fran)
"I thought about how you two would look at who have completely changed." (Lize)
"Lize, you've beco beautiful." (Fran)
"Yes, you're beautiful." (Ina)
"That's not true. I didn't take good care of my hair for three years, so it was ssy, and look, my hands are rough." (Lize)
My mother prepared various treatnts for my hair, and it's getting beautiful, but my hands were not so easy to heal.
I smiled and showed them my hands.
They held my hands.
"These hands are the hands that worked hard." (Ina)
"Looking at these hands, I can see how hard your life was. No, it was probably harder and more painful than I thought." (Fran)
"If anyone makes fun of you, I'll get mad at them." (Ina)
She said the sa thing as my mother and sister.
That made so happy.
The tears started to flow down my eyes again.
They haven't changed. They were my kind friends.
"But I'm the only one who's grown up. I wanted to grow up with you two. I wanted to beco an adult with you two." (Lize)
I couldn't control my emotions.
And I didn't an to say it in a bad way.
I knew that if I said so, it would cause trouble for them, but I still did.
"Your body has grown, but inside, you haven't changed." (Fran)
"I feel relieved." (Ina)
"That's not true. I have grown in mind as well." (Lize)
I could now fillet fish, I could prepare fire with firewood, and I even helped everyone during the three years when we were doing our best to survive.
"I'm already a big sister now." (Lize)
"Hehe…" (Fran)
"Haha…" (Ina)
They both laughed.
"Fran? Ina?" (Lize)
"It's only been three years. I'll catch up soon." (Fran)
"I will also grow up quickly and be on par with Lize." (Ina)
"Lize won't grow up that much anymore, but we'll grow up." (Fran)
"I'll grow up even more." (Lize)
I was only 15, so I should still continue to grow.
However, when I went to the doctor, I was told that I might not grow as much because my nutrition was unbalanced.
Although I was certainly bigger than the two of them, I was a little small for a normal 15-year-old.
I might be overtaken in height in three years.
But if I ate well and took good care of my health, I was sure I would grow up even more.
"Besides, when we grow up, the difference of three years won't matter much." (Ina)
"Yeah. 30 and 33 are pretty much the sa age." (Fran)
"60 and 63 are also pretty much the sa age." (Ina)
When I heard that, I felt like things wouldn't change much.
"So, please wait for us." (Fran)
"We'll catch up with you soon." (Ina)
"Yes, I'll be waiting. Catch up with soon." (Lize)
"Let's beco grandmothers together." (Fran)
"Yes, let's grow up together." (Ina)
My precious friends.
We would continue to be friends together.
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