Pick Me Up, Infinite Gacha

[Aaron Side Story Episode 51]

7. Homecoming

* * *

rattle.

slight vibration.

Aaron opened his closed eyes.

The scenery of the green meadow spread out outside the window.

When the wind blew, the grass lay down all at once, creating a spectacular view.

[Announcement will be made.]

[This ship will soon arrive at its destination, Taoneer Taoneer. Passengers, please pack your luggage and prepare to disembark.]

The broadcast comes out of the speaker at the top.

Aaron raised his upper body from the back of her chair.

‘It’s a burden.’

There is nothing to take care of.

Because I was planning to return within three days at the most.

It was a very little vacation.

‘If there’s only one thing I brought…’

rustle.

Aaron pulled a piece of paper from her bosom.

A lot of graffiti is drawn on her white paper.

A circle and a straight line intersect crookedly.

However, if she looked closely at the graffiti, she could tell that it was a human smiling face.

‘Nina.’

Can you find out at a glance?

For that, Aaron brought a portrait he drew himself.

Even if you can’t recognize a face that has passed through the years, you can recognize it at once if you see that smile.

Aaron had that conviction.

Someone’s smile on the portrait was the only clue to getting to know Nina.

rattle. rattle.

shhh.

An airship bound for Taoneer is landing.

[Announcement will be made.]

[The airship to Taoneer has landed. This ship will depart again for Valhalla in three days, so please board the ship on time.]

creak.

Aaron got up.

Her ship was quiet.

No one was on board except Aaron.

“…”

Aaron put on a gray robe and came out of the airship.

The wind that was walking in the meadow made the robe fly.

Shuung.

The airship that had stopped on the ground suddenly disappeared.

Transparency work has been done.

‘Three days.’

If you miss it, it will be difficult to return.

“Taoni.”

muttered.

Taone language.

golden land.

Where Aaron was born and raised.

“I’m back.”

finally home.

Aaron pushed her hood down and moved her steps.

* * *

“thank you.”

After the flashback ended, Yurnet said.

A silver book was in her hand.

“Thanks to you, I was able to find his story.”

good.

The silver book that had been opened on both sides was folded.

The memory of the boy who had fallen into oblivion was finally recovered.

“Aaron.”

“…”

“Go to Taoni.”

Yurnet said.

“I will prepare an airship for Taoneer tomorrow.”

Aaron stood there blankly.

“It’s okay, Aaron.”

“Are you okay?”

“yes. Because he said it too.”

I don’t feel it.

“Please forgive us for not being good enough to you.”

Aaron turned around.

Niflheim’s members didn’t say anything.

“We will send you the person in our hearts from now on.”

As the representative, Yurnet opened her mouth.

Their voices were quiet and their expressions calm, but there was a lot in their eyes.

“Until now, he has been imprisoned in our hearts, unable to live or die. But thanks to Aaron’s cooperation, he was able to see him off safely.”

“…”

“And I will welcome you into the place he vacated.”

Yurnet gave a gentle smile.

“Soon the Master will come too. Please give us a little time. time to let him go.”

“All right.”

Aaron greeted the four of them and she left the library.

From now on, it was their time.

* * *

Taone language.

I fought with all my might to keep Aaron here.

It was because he wanted to protect the place where his family lived. And I wanted to see her family again.

He thought she would wait for him in her hometown.

‘It was such a mess.’

just before destruction.

Screams and cries continued everywhere.

But the sight disappeared as if it had been washed.

The bustling city was full of life.

Merchants clapped their hands and solicited customers, and the streets were crowded with families and passers-by who came out to shop.

“Come on, the apples are cheap! It doesn’t get anywhere cheaper than here! Hey, I’ll let you eat one for free, so come and see!”

Aaron looked at the middle-aged man with a hearty expression.

‘That seat…’

It was a place where Aaron, a former merchant, used to do business.

Memories of the past and present overlapped and blurred.

It didn’t change.

A city near the village where Aaron lived.

It was as it was in memory.

There is also a tall bell tower installed in the middle of the boulevard.

The hustle and bustle of passers-by.

However, there was no face Aaron knew anywhere.

You must have been face-to-face with some people in the past.

“Oh, that uncle. It’s covered in a strange cloth!”

“Shhh don’t mind.”

Aaron walked.

He passed like a ghost through the crowd.

‘Doesn’t it suit me?’

walking in the same place

But the city people and Aaron are obviously different.

The passers-by whose movements overlapped naturally bypassed Aaron.

The figure wearing the gray robe was suspicious.

However, even if Aaron was wearing casual clothes, the result would not have been different.

The atmosphere is different.

Those who walk in snowfields where snowstorms never cease and those who live peacefully under the warm spring breeze.

Passers-by felt an unknown coolness and avoided Aaron.

“…”

Aaron passed the street expressionlessly.

People here are accustomed to peace.

He lived in a different world from Aaron, who had been struggling with fragments every single day.

There are many smiling faces.

Everyone is enjoying a peaceful life.

I am living my life to the best of my ability.

Aaron left the city.

Following the dirt road near the gate here, he will arrive at a village.

It was the village where Aaron and Nina lived.

‘Arrived.’

A village perched on a low hill.

There are paddy fields around the dirt road leading to the village.

The children were playing tag among the fields.

“Wah ha ha ha!”

“Kyaha!”

A child’s high-pitched laughter is heard.

Aaron tucked his hood deep in and walked down the dirt road.

“uh?”

“What a strange person!”

“thief?”

“My mom told me not to talk to a strange person!”

Still, someone came.

little girl.

The breasts on the cheeks have fallen out less.

She was wearing an unusual necklace.

“Who are you?”

Uncle.

Aaron cleared his throat.

“They are looking for someone.”

“person? Our villagers?”

“okay.”

Aaron rummaged through her and pulled out a portrait of her sister.

“I couldn’t draw it,” she said. What is it? Doodle?”

“It’s a human face.”

“Oh really? Is this a human face?”

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“No.”

after.

Aaron said after catching her breath.

“My name is Nina. Have you ever heard of it?”

“Nina?”

The girl tilted her head.

“Is this your first time hearing it? Well, I don’t know if my mother would know! She’s here because she’s lived a long time. Can you direct her to her mother?”

“You are kind.”

“Because my mom told me to be nice to people!”

The girl smiled brightly.

‘She said she lived a long time here.’

He might know a clue about Nina.

Aaron is ushered into the village by her girl.

“for a moment.”

“yes?”

Aaron stopped in the middle of the hill.

That gaze was lingering on a certain empty lot.

“Didn’t you have a house here?”

“house? What house?”

“No no.”

remember

Aaron and Nina’s house was built over there.

But now there was nothing.

“…”

Aaron narrowed her eyes.

home town.

Familiar yet something different.

Some I knew, some I didn’t know.

And he ran into some adults on his way, but Aaron didn’t know anyone.

“This is our home! My mom will be there right now, would you like to come in?”

“if you do not mind.”

The girl thumped to her door.

she knocks on the door

“mom! Mother!”

A voice was heard from inside the door.

“What’s up, Rati?”

“Here is a man looking for someone! You want your mother to help?”

“I?”

After a while.

creak.

The wooden door opened and an ordinary middle-aged woman appeared.

“…”

The middle-aged woman stared at Aaron.

Suspicious at first glance.

It’s not strange if she gets kicked out.

“Come in at once.”

However, her reaction exceeded Aaron’s expectations.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah what. It is a request from Rati.”

“thank you. My name is Aaron.”

Aaron lowered her head.

Inside the house she entered with the girl.

She was preparing a meal just as fragrant smoke rose from her pot.

“So you’re looking for someone?”

“yes.”

“If you are a villager, I know you well. ‘Cause I’ve been here since I was born Everyone knows who lives and goes out.”

“I will repay you.”

Aaron pulled her little gold nugget from her bosom.

“Ahaha, put that aside. It’s a dangerous thing.”

“yes?”

“You don’t have to accept that. Just talk to me for a while while I eat. talk outside It must be boring since the boyfriend is out in the city.”

“…All right.”

Aaron put her gold in her bosom.

The middle-aged wife brought soup and salad to her table right away.

It was just around lunchtime.

‘There is no wariness towards strangers.’

Unexpectedly, Aaron ended up having a meal with them.

“So who are you looking for?”

“My name is Nina. Nina Delcurd. It’s a woman, um… well anyway.”

“Nina Delcurd?”

The wife widened her eyes.

“Does your wife know?”

She let go of the spoon with which she was scooping her soup from her hand.

She jumped up from her seat and studied Aaron’s face carefully.

“What’s your relationship with my mother?”

“…”

“family? Relative? No, my mother was an orphan with no relatives. What is her relationship with her mother?”

Aaron’s body stiffened.

His gaze naturally turned to her wife.

If you look closely, she has a corner that resembles her somewhere.

“orphanage….”

“is it so. My mother lost both her parents when she was young and she grew up alone. She’s had a hard life. No matter how peaceful she is now, the world is not so easy for her to live alone as a young woman.”

The wife had her say.

She said, “She lived a hard life while doing all the hardships without the hardships she had. Even if there was only one of her, it would have been nice if she had someone to support her.”

“That’s right, my grandmother! That’s great! Oh, and by the way, my grandmother’s name was Nina!”

the girl chimed in.

“She told me a story from the old days, which was really great. Grandma! She does everything alone! Great!”

“So where is he now?”

Aaron opened his mouth.

she said the girl

“My grandmother is resting now!”

“Is she resting?”

“In your heavenly kingdom! She rests in heaven!”

Aaron’s eyes twinkled.

said her wife, shaking her head.

“It’s nothing to be too sad about. Because she enjoyed her heavenly life. So, it was four years ago.”

4 years ago.

The calculator in her head ran quickly.

The time flow here and in Valhalla are different.

‘It hasn’t been long.’

If only it was a little faster.

Aaron put a hand over his eye.

Her voice naturally trembled.

“The Nina you used to know is already dead.”

“is it so. my mother The last name Delcud is like that. I heard she had that last name before marriage.”

said the wife.

“By the way, the bachelor looks young on the outside, so how do you know my mother? That too, while mentioning the old castle. Did any of her parents have a relationship with my mother?”

“Maybe… I don’t know.”

“It’s unfortunate.”

The wife smiled softly, as if recalling her mother.

She said, “Cheon-ae was an orphan, but even as a daughter, she was a very kind-hearted person. She didn’t treat anyone badly. If she had had a long-term relationship with such a person, her mother would have been very happy when she met him.”

“that’s right! Because my grandmother liked people!”

Her daughter and granddaughter recalled her and laughed at her.

He had already left her in her heart.

That’s why she was able to smile.

When she was gone, she was sad, but now she has made up her mind and left only faint longing.

But not Aaron.

“…why.”

Aaron muttered.

He put his head down and covered his eyes with his hands.

“I’m sorry. May I leave for a moment?”

“yes. Meal…?”

“sorry.”

“Nothing to worry about.”

rattle.

Aaron got up from his chair.

I left the house with a staggering step.

‘The weather is clear.’

The sun is shining and the spring breeze is warm.

Aaron headed to the shade behind the house.

He sat down in the shadow cast by the awning.

There is nothing left.

everything he was trying to protect.

‘What did I do?’

one and only family.

I wanted to make Nina happy.

And the teacher who showed me a new path.

I wanted to help him.

“…ha.”

where did you go

They tried to protect it so much, but now that they have the strength to do so, where have they gone?

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Aaron mumbled.

As if someone was standing in front of him and rebuking him.

“I would have done anything if you had just said one word to me.”

The boy’s shadow doesn’t answer.

It was natural.

It was just an illusion of hope.

“Where have you been?”

said Aaron.

I wanted to know.

At the last moment, when there was not much left to disappear, where did the boy go?

He said he was going to a resort, but Aaron doesn’t believe it anymore.

“What was I trying to protect?”

After being deprived of his existence by his disciple, the master disappeared into an unknown place.

The family Aaron wanted to protect was left alone and suffered and died.

Something.

What is his reason for being?

it became unknown

‘If only I had been a bit quicker in noticing Master.’

He may have been able to get Nina back.

Maybe I could have let you know that you had a family and that I loved you.

But it has been left as an eternal illusion.

Know.

The existence of Aaron, who left for Valhalla in the restored Taonier, was forgotten.

Nina is left as an orphan of her heavenly love when her siblings, who should have been there, disappeared.

Even though the world was restored, the parents who died in the past did not come back.

She has nowhere to turn.

without trusting anyone.

Nina must have lived through this harsh world alone.

Then she died.

‘Nina doesn’t know me.’

She died without realizing that she had a family that was dear to her and that they had fought against calamities to defend her.

‘Even if he was alive, what should I say to him?’

i am your brother

Nice to meet you.

A long time.

Only laughter came out.

What is the family about the subject that was left alone when it was the most difficult?

At best, you’ll get resentment.

What kind of brother are you?

“What did you expect?”

Aaron muttered.

What expectations did she have for returning to her hometown?

Is she under the illusion that Nina will warmly welcome her?

‘Goofy.’

Wasn’t she like that even before her destruction?

Didn’t she run away, abandoning her Nina who was being attacked by her monster?

Even so, she had expectations.

She had hopes.

i apologize

Because Nina accepted it.

to reunite with her family.

Aaron expected such a wish…

She wanted to apologize.

She wanted to be forgiven.

She wanted to see Nina once again.

Not as strangers, but as a family.

“…”

Aaron rose from the shadows.

The light in her eyes was dimmed.

“mister!”

she looks to the side

Her girl came running waving her hand.

She said she was Nina’s granddaughter.

“Her mom wants to ask! Is she going to eat dinner?”

“No, it’s okay. I will be leaving soon.”

“Are you going right away?”

Aaron nodded her head.

Her business here is over.

“It’s too bad. I was going to tell you the story of her grandmother.”

“I want to ask you one last question.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know where your grandmother is buried?”

“Oh, of course I know! Come with me.”

Like a girl running, she takes the lead.

Aaron silently followed suit.

high up the hill.

She walked along a dirt road lined with flowers.

A wind that smelled of grass blew.

There was a beautiful tree at the top of the hill.

Nina’s tombstone was erected under the tree’s shade.

A stone tombstone with no decorations or features.

Only the name of the owner is written all over it.

“Here it is! Where my grandmother is buried.”

under the hill.

The scenery of the city over there was reflected.

“I have to give you a present.”

The girl placed the plucked flowers in front of her tombstone.

Aaron did the same.

Anyway, there was a flower garden nearby.

After plucking flowers and grass in moderation, bundle them together and place them in front of the resting place.

memorial.

It is a ceremony to honor the dead.

“Nina.”

Aaron said to the tombstone.

She had something to say next.

apologize.

Atonement for not saving you.

Say sorry for coming late.

‘It doesn’t make any sense.’

But her mouth was closed.

No matter what you say, it doesn’t work

That voice did not reach Nina’s ears, who had left her.

That was the weight of death.

“…”

just look

I just stare at the tombstone and repeat meaningless flashbacks.

rustle.

I take out the portrait from her arms.

No matter how much your appearance has changed, I would have been able to recognize you if I only saw your smiling face.

This portrait was proof that Aaron had not forgotten Nina.

‘let’s go.’

let’s leave this place

and never come back

Aaron made up his mind.

“mister.”

The girl said as she was about to turn her back.

“huh?”

“The graffiti was a mess at first. Looking closely, I think I can see it!”

The girl rushed over and examined the graffiti in Aaron’s hand.

“i get it! answer! My grandmother’s smiling face!”

“how did you know?”

“Because I’ve seen something like it!”

The boy took a few steps away from Aaron.

Then she cried out loud.

“Would you please smile just once?”

“what?”

“Just once, sorry!”

A choking cry.

Aaron reluctantly moved his lips.

“That’s right! That look!”

The girl smiled broadly.

She then untied her collar from the back of her neck.

It was a long cylindrical necklace.

click.

The girl removed the cap from the top of her necklace.

Her cylinder was hollow.

The girl pulled out the contents inside her.

It was a rolled up piece of paper.

A picture was drawn on the paper.

As the girl unfolded the paper, she looked back and forth between Aaron and the picture on her paper.

The paper has faded from time to time, but the painting inside is not damaged.

“Oh, that’s right.”

The girl nodded her head.

“that….”

“It was left to me by my grandmother. Picture mockup inside her necklace. Wow, that was an uncle! The one her grandmother told me about.”

Aaron’s eyes widened.

“She said she would definitely come,” she said. He said he would find her grandmother. I thought I would know who it was when I came in person, but now I see it!”

The girl smiled.

Then she unfolded the curled paper and she showed it to Aaron.

“Ta-da, a picture my grandmother left behind.”

“…”

“It’s the same as yours, isn’t it? The line is crooked, but the circle is a mess. Well, her grandmother told me, and this is the smiling face of her family.”

The girl examined the paper Aaron was holding and compared it to her own.

“It’s the same, it’s the same.”

two sheets of paper.

Both were portraits close to graffiti.

Their family is the only one who can recognize the owner of the portrait.

“The uncle is my grandmother, and the grandmother is the uncle.”

“how….”

“Then you are from your grandmother’s family? weird. Her grandmother had no family. Aren’t you the right age?”

The girl pondered for a long time.

“how…?”

Aaron repeated the same question.

“This is a story my grandmother told me before she left for heaven.”

said the girl.

the last of an old man.

Nina Delcurd.

The old man by that name was about to die.

Its lifespan was over, and its body was left with only death.

A very natural occurrence.

In the meantime.

The old man brought his granddaughter and told him his story.

He was born without his parents and lived a difficult life.

Her life was harsh for a girl she called Nina.

Although she was pitied by the villagers, she and Nina could not become their family.

She has no parents and no siblings.

The girl was alone.

In addition, her naturally weak body made her life even more difficult.

She lived her precarious life as a girl, trusting her care to the sympathies of others.

the girl cried

If I had a family too.

If you hugged yourself warmly saying it was okay.

but no

She was a girl alone.

That’s what she decided.

let her die

It was then.

A stranger appeared in front of her girl.

an unknown person.

Who she was, the girl did not remember until her death.

But she was a stranger and she remembered what she said.

Because that became her purpose in life.

[You have a family too.]

the stranger said

[It’s not here, but it’s far away.]

The girl said then that she should come and save herself.

The stranger said warmly.

[I can’t.]

why.

[Because that person is fighting to protect you.]

for me?

[To protect the world you are in. For you.]

can not believe it.

It was a lie, the girl cried out.

Then the stranger’s hand touched the girl’s forehead.

[I’ll tell you. How much he loved you.]

The girl recalled memories from her past life.

Memories she can’t have bonded.

She tells her story about his brother.

[Did you see it?]

the girl realized

She said she had a family too.

And she knows that he is still fighting for him.

[The last one is a little bit, but look at that. Are you a family?]

huh.

The girl nodded while crying.

[Live hard.]

The stranger said as he left.

[You are not alone.]

Not alone.

The girl was not alone.

The girl realized that.

Even though he is not by her side, he is fighting against her world for the girl more than anyone else.

Somewhere far away, not here.

There are people who want my happiness.

The girl made up her mind.

A decision to live, not a decision to die.

So she worked hard.

for me.

For families who want their own happiness.

Do your best every single day.

I have been working hard to enjoy human life and keep happiness.

because you’re not alone

Because that person wants his own happiness.

I may not be able to meet you in my lifetime.

the girl knew

The distance between him and her is so great that even if she stretches out her hand, she cannot reach it.

but.

Someday, someday, it will definitely come.

then i will let him know

didn’t forget

Thanks to you, I was able to live my life to the fullest.

therefore.

you are….

“You are not alone.”

said the girl.

in a clear voice.

She looked at Aaron, she said.

“…”

The girl laughed innocently.

“End here! My grandmother is amazing!”

Aaron said nothing.

“Ah, uncle. Are you crying?”

“no.”

“mister?”

“Crying… no.”

said Aaron.

“You lived hard, your grandmother.”

“is it so!”

I saw the portrait Nina left behind.

someone’s face drawn in it.

Was he the only one who supported her in her life?

“Mister, don’t cry.”

“Thank you. thank you. thanks….”

Aaron’s shoulders shook.

“For living, for living hard, for remembering me…”

“Thank you too. For visiting her grandmother.”

The girl hugged Aaron.

The warmth transmitted from her small body.

The girl hugged him for a while until his feelings stopped.

“Uncle, I’ll give you this.”

She enters the town shortly after.

The girl held out her necklace to Aaron.

Inside the necklace were two portraits rolled up.

One drawn by Aaron.

The other was drawn by Nina.

“Is this for me?”

“Looks like you’d rather have it than me. Her grandmother would like that too.”

Tup.

The girl opens Aaron’s hand and lets go of her necklace.

Aaron couldn’t resist that hand.

“Fit well!”

The girl laughed as Aaron put on her necklace.

“Are you dying right away?”

“okay.”

“Um~ I’m sorry. Will you come again next time?”

How many years will pass the next time you come?

Aaron doesn’t know.

“Lati.”

“yes?”

“Live hard.”

Innocent eyes looking at oneself.

Aaron said to those eyes.

“Live hard. Do your best. No regrets.”

“I will, sir. I will live hard! I’ll be fine, so you’ll be fine too! Live hard!”

“I will. I will try hard too.”

Aaron smiled as he faced her girl.

The girl also showed a smile like a flower.

So the two broke up.

‘Master.’

Aaron walked.

He walked away with the spring breeze behind him.

Peaceful urban landscape.

The high-pitched laughter of children at play.

A wide expanse of green fields.

I went ahead and left it all behind.

‘My dream is not over yet.’

The warm light here does not suit him.

into the shadows.

into the cold winter.

Aaron went to the place where the darkness dwells.

A place full of chills.

A place where every biography is written with blood and sword.

Aaron moved towards such a dark and desolate place.

Bubbly.

Footprints on the snow that are engraved every time you walk.

A raging snowstorm makes it impossible to see even an inch ahead.

Aaron doesn’t know how it will end.

but it seems

Looking to the side, I could see the footprints of my colleagues walking towards the same place.

in the infinite winter.

in a dream that never ends.

they walk towards the dawn

‘I want to continue to protect it.’

Taoni, the land he was born in and loved.

Spring is still here and flowers are blooming.

Aaron firmly gripped the ink-colored spear behind his back.

click.

The pendant around her neck swayed every time she walked.

It contained an oath of eternity.

‘Please watch over me.’

Pure dreams never end.

that’s business.

It lasts forever and finally blooms.

So Aaron walked.

Aaron Nidelk kept walking without stopping.

I went through the snowy field with blizzard with unwavering eyes.

[Pick me up! Aron side story] finished

[Pick me up! Amkena Side Story].