Editing City Series:Volume6e Chapter3 (section)

===Part 1===

The small room’s floor, walls, and ceiling were all made of wood.

A single small light shined above the small table by the wall. It came from the pale flame of a rusty Phlogiston lamp.

The circular light of the lamp reflected off the wall to illuminate the opposite wall.

A single chair and bed sat next to that opposite wall. As did two people.

A woman and a man sat with their backs to the wall. The blonde woman on the left and the black-haired man on the right.

The woman wore a shirt with a towel over her shoulders. Her lower body was hidden below a blanket.

A small object between the two of them weakly diffused the lamplight.

It was a wine bottle. Two glasses of red liquid sat next to it and the plate next to them carried fries, salted meat, and a few leaves of boiled cabbage.

To the right of the somewhat disturbed food was a silhouette with somewhat squared shoulders.

That was the man. He wore a black shirt and black pants and had his legs stretched out on top of the blanket.

The wind whistled in and the thick curtain over the window fluttered. The woman turned to look.

“Aren’t you glad the inn you destroyed in ’39 was rebuilt?”

She grabbed one of the fries and ate it. Berger did the same.

“Under a different owner. This place wasn’t considered a part of Germania. But…it was ordered evacuated last year. Looks like Germany doesn’t have anything but empty shells left for me.”

“Do you not like this country?”

“I don’t dislike it, but I can’t forget what’s happened here either. What about you?”

“That’s a good question.” She held her knees below the blanket. “I’m not sure. I lost friends, I was separated from them, I was branded on my shoulder, I had to give up my home, and so many people see me as their enemy, but…but….”

“But what?”

She couldn’t immediately answer him, but she finally managed it while hanging her head.

“But…am I still allowed to like it?”

She tilted her head at her own question, but Berger didn’t respond.

He sighed, lowered the wine bottle from the bed, grabbed some of the salted meat from the plate, and ate it.

“Let’s change the subject.” He shook his head. “Now that I think about it, you really are uncompromising, aren’t you?”

“Wh-what is that supposed to mean?”

“You said you got this food at Borderson, but it was from Eryngium, wasn’t it? Losing your memories must not change your sense of taste because I recognized this level of saltiness right away.”

Her shoulders trembled in response, but he continued without turning her way.

“How is she doing? Does she have a kid yet?”

“Yes.”

“Do you regret reminding me of the past at such a critical point in time?”

“…No.”

“Then why do you look ready to cry?”

“B-because…”

She bit her lip once, clenched her teeth, and sighed.

After a moment, she continued in a vanishingly quiet voice.

“Because I have to do this.”

“Which is what I meant by uncompromising. C’mon, dry those tears and eat. We don’t want to leave any.”

He wrapped some salted meat in a cabbage leaf and shoved it into his mouth while holding the plate out to her.

She unclenched her fists and grabbed some of the meat.

“Eat three at once.”

She nodded and rolled them up in two leaves of cabbage. He watched her put it in her mouth before speaking.

“There’s one thing you have to watch out for with Eryngium’s cooking.”

She nodded her head a little while listening to him. When she moved her jaw, a solid crunch came from her mouth. Her eyes widened and he laughed.

“She sometimes forgets to remove the bones.”

“Th-that was mean.”

“Don’t spit it out. Eat it. And remember this.” He smiled and continued with confidence. “You’re the only woman anymore who will turn around when I call her name, Hazel Mirildorf.”

She reflexively turned toward him when she realized what he meant.

She saw him rub a hand through his hair.

“I won’t say it again, so don’t forget it.”

She nodded several times with the edge of a cabbage leaf sticking out of her mouth.

The movement of her head caused a single tear to fall from her eye.

“Hazel, don’t talk or cry with your mouth full. We’ll find out tonight whether the world will change or loop, so try to hold it together until then.” He sighed. “But if this goes well, the world won’t change all that much even after stopping the Wheel of Destiny.”