I have become stronger, but also shorter [comprehensive]

Today is Arturia's 15th birthday.

Talking about looking forward to—it’s not really a lot of looking forward to, after all, growth is something that everyone will experience.

Knowing that she is not mature enough, Arturia has always taken "growth" as her goal.

It's not just that her age has increased by one year, she hopes that her patience, perseverance, determination... and many abilities related to this can grow as soon as possible!

——At least, at least, don’t be so excited that you can almost fall asleep just because you can receive a gift from your eldest brother on your birthday... lah!

Arturia really almost didn't fall asleep last night.

She has never looked forward to her birthday like this time before, because of the overcooked barbecue feast that Brother Kay comes every year, and Teacher Merlin's constant "Happy Birthday Artoria, what do you want to eat?" Is it?" I'm already used to it.

so.

This time, it was a little different from previous birthdays.

The eldest brother, who has a different position from Teacher Kai and Meilin, promised to prepare a gift for her.

"15 years old...Although you said that it is not an important day, you still have to give what should be given."

When the eldest brother said this, he had his usual expression on his face.

The brows and eyes seemed to be very indifferent, and only those who were a little familiar with him could see the deep concern hidden in some details.

Artoria has already mastered the skillful ability to distinguish between the false and the real in the expression of the big brother's words, so she was very happy after hearing the next sentence.

The eldest brother said: "Don't put off your excuses and postpone it, just wait for the birthday to receive the gift, Lily."

"...Okay! Brother!"

On the day before her birthday, and even before the night before, Arturia was extremely active.

Seeing injustice and drawing swords to help happened nearly ten times in just half a day. During this period, additional tasks such as driving away and repairing monsters, helping lost children find their parents, etc.

All in all, the knight girl is very active!

He was so active that his brother-in-law looked sideways frequently, and his eyes were weird after learning what was going to happen.

You don't need to guess, he must be unbalanced in his heart, maybe he is thinking about why his birthday is a few months later than Lily's——

"Haha~ It's okay, Kai! When the time comes for your birthday, Big Brother will definitely give you a gift, and he won't forget you~"

"I know this too... No, I'm not envious of you!" The young knight shook his head, and just as he was about to reveal some truth, he quickly shut up, maintaining his dignity as an elder brother.

The young people are fighting everyday, and the girls among them are a bit more active than usual.

She was so immersed in joy that she didn't notice that Teacher Mei Lin, who should have been able to see through her little thoughts and would never miss it, was not there.

what.

Not just Mr. Merlin.

When the sun went down, the busy and fulfilling day was replaced by the starry night sky, and the girl who fell into a warm and peaceful environment realized that after so long, neither her eldest brother nor Mr. Meilin appeared at the end of the day.

The relationship between the elder brother and Mr. Meilin is [very good].

As if since a few months ago, the two of them seemed to be inseparable.

Many times, the girl and the boy were sweating and wielding their swords in the sun, and when they looked back at the interval, they could see the two sitting on the grassy hillside behind them.

The white-haired teacher held the elder brother in his arms, let the elder brother lean on his shoulder, closed his eyes and fell asleep peacefully.

Artoria couldn't tell if the silver-haired man in the distance was resting, but——looking at that posture, it should be like this, right?

The relationship has become particularly good, and the two adults in Chengdu who have already whispered "pure girls better not dig deeper" don't know where they went, and they don't know if they will come back at night.

However, Arturia was not worried.

Apart from the fact that the two of them could easily beat her and Kai casually, there was no doubt in the girl's heart at all.

The man she regarded as her "big brother" kept his promise, as long as it was something he agreed to - even if it was a somewhat aggressive request like asking him to sing a love song, he would not break his promise.

The promised "tomorrow" is coming.

The promised "gift" will definitely come, and it is enough to make the girl look forward to it.

Surrounded by such naive and fantasy-filled emotions, Artoria finally entered a dream before dawn.

The reason was that she was too exhausted during the day, she really couldn't bear it, she was too tired.

——What kind of content would you receive as a birthday present at the age of 15?

——If possible, I really want to see it right away... But, this kind of thinking is a bit too capricious, right?Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, so it is ok!After all, it is a precious thing that can be obtained as long as you have patience and wake up!

Think so.

In this way, there is no impurity at all, and it is only filled with the beautiful things that girls hope for.

The dream accompanied the girl through the silent night.

finally.

The long-awaited "second day" arrived like a dream.

At the age of 15, Arturia Pendragon, a girl who has not yet become the real King Arthur, received the most memorable gift in her not-so-long life.

In the early morning, in the room where the sun shines, there is still a slight temperature on the surface of the pillow.

The girl's blond hair was messy, but it seemed that it was not caused by turning over by herself.

Someone last night...

No, was it not long before the girl woke up?

He quietly came to the girl's bedside, and did not do anything taboo, but lightly and quite gently rubbed the top of her hair.

Then, I don't know whether it is a long time or a short time.

He left a "gift".

That "gift" is quietly hanging on the girl's wrist, as if carved by tranquility, but it will not be overshadowed by low-key.

Especially in the sun.

The small wreath that seems to be woven with flowers that have experienced rain and dew in the early morning has become the best embellishment for a pure and delicate girl like a lily.

The man who made it up did not show up.

he left.

It's not simply [leaving temporarily].

Although Artoria and Kai, who hadn't seen anyone at the time, both thought so, thinking that the elder brother disappeared temporarily as before, and would come back after a while, with Teacher Merlin.

However, this is not the case.

Big Brother didn't come back.

Until Artoria returned to the royal city, was crowned king, was supported by the knights, was involved in the torrent of history, and then struggled and subverted in the irresistible tide...

The eldest brother did not come back.

too long.

too long.

The vacant throne was slowly climbed by thorns, the broken long sword was buried in the sand dunes, and only the leaked iron piece lost its luster in the endless wind and rain, and finally broke.

The storm swept.

Picking up the Holy Lance, the king with no return journey and nowhere to go wandered endlessly in the place of the end.

Even the deepest attachment in her heart can be diluted, and she should be able to forget some dusty past.

If there is no accident, I will not pick it up again.

If there is no accident, there will be no possibility for her to "remember".

unless--

It is the moment when the "accident" and the unexpected really happened.

"you……"

"why……"

The holy gun was released, which was an impossible result.

But the blond goddess kept her stupefied, and the time was not short.

She was in a trance for quite a while, as if there was a familiar scene in front of her eyes, a scene that had appeared somewhere before.

——Why, I want to 'see' you so much.

——Why, I am so familiar with the word 'brother'?

The "goddess" eroded by deification is really puzzled.

She couldn't find the reason... oh no.

Until another turning point appeared, she couldn't find the reason for a long time.

Subconsciously raised his hand, but somehow shook it slightly.

A thing that seemed to have been worn there a long time ago, but I can't remember when it was hidden, fell out easily.

Where she is now is high in the cold sky.

As soon as the thing fell out, it was immediately frosted, and it was covered with a layer of whitish to almost transparent color.

Coupled with its small size, it is extremely inconspicuous when immersed in a dark background, and it is difficult to attract the attention of others.

Maybe the silver-haired boy in front of the goddess didn't notice.

Because he looked dignified, but he was indifferent to it.

The magician in the rear was also unmoved, although he had actually seen the change in a flash.

Faced with this situation.

Even if a tiny thing falls from a high altitude, it may be completely frozen halfway, and it may be fragile and shattered before it hits the ground. any impact.

"Goddess" can turn a blind eye.

However, here it is.

As if without any hesitation, purely in an instant, he responded to the drive of his inner instinct——

"...!!!"

"call--"

The sound of a sharp wind rose suddenly, washing over the person like a sharp blade.

The king's mount pierced through the clouds, and it was actually carrying the blond "goddess", even though it swooped down at this moment.

The "goddess" saw the garland falling from her wrist.

She doesn't remember where the wreath came from, and any clues to it are gone.The only thing that still exists is that simple thought:

——I don't want it to disappear...leave...

— cannot be broken.

Because this is the only important thing left by an important person.

……

……

- Whoops!

A crisp sound suddenly came from the ground. It was obviously not loud, but it brought out a deafening momentum.

In the end, the "Goddess" failed to catch up.

It can't be described in words, but it can be guessed that after realizing the result, the "god" with a cold expression seemed to be completely empty in an instant.

Empty than before.

"That thing, it doesn't matter if it's broken."

"..."

"It's been so long, and you still have it. Arturia, are you angry?"

"Do not."

"Goddess" replied calmly: "I just feel sorry for no reason."

"There is no need to feel sorry."

The voice that appeared behind her said such infuriating words, and the tone did not appear to be tactful at all.

"Who told you that the gift is this gadget that you can wear casually?"

"Teacher Merlin...huh?"

--so.

—That’s not the case at all, silly girl.