After combat ended, Esperanza would be particularly excited and exhausted. It had been that way since Mabelwood. Starting with saying things she normally wouldn't say aloud. The moment when her blurred eyes looked at him and found focus was still hidden like a treasure in a corner of Cider's memory.
Cider, who had gotten up, pulled out a handkerchief from his hanging jacket to wipe his lips, and lightly kissed the sleeping Esperanza's cheek. When he got up, red marks showed through the white shirt clinging to his back.
Blinking his heavy eyes slowly, he went into the bathroom. Water sounds started and stopped, and the sound of a door closing echoed. Soon he appeared and called an automaton to roughly dry his wet hair, then went out to the corridor.
The automaton dryer sound gradually faded away. The sound of the research room door opening, the faint sound of machinery running. Esperanza woke up after the machine sounds had changed twice.
She roughly tied up her disheveled hair with a string she pulled from thin air. Her throat was completely hoarse. She put her lips to the water cup that had been placed on the table at some point and looked around.
'What a mess.'
The problem was getting too excited after combat ended. Like being drunk, she'd lose her mind... Esperanza, who had gone into the empty bathroom and come out, came outside with her wet hair wrapped in a towel.
Among the many research rooms, she could quickly find which one Cider was in. Because white steam was flowing out from only one place while the corridor was quiet.
'What research room was this again?'
She couldn't remember well. When she opened the research room door and entered, a space filled with white steam appeared. Brass mechanical arms creaking as they put something into and took it out of circuits. Black substances on a conveyor belt moving regularly one space at a time.
And Cider, who was always surrounded by machine parts, was just standing with his arms crossed, staring at incomprehensible numbers. Esperanza, who had approached silently, embraced Cider's waist from behind.
Though Cider's shirt had changed to slightly thicker and stiffer fabric as the season changed, Esperanza could feel the muscles under his shirt momentarily tense with surprise. When she rested her cheek against his back, Cider took off his gloves and grasped Esperanza's hands.
"You woke up early?"
"Ah, have I become someone who has to hear such words from you?"
"If you didn't like that, you should have woken up before me."
That's true. How did she end up waking up later than Cider Claiborne and having to endure such dishonor?
"Getting my shirt wet with your still-damp hair."
But he didn't seem to be scolding. Esperanza startled and pulled her cheek away, then leaned back again.
At this rate, she really had nothing to say even if called spoiled.
Esperanza, who had been quietly acting spoiled for a while, lifted her head. Her mouth wouldn't open easily.
"...You know."
"Yes."
"If I had killed people... what would you think?"
"Me about you? Or about that act?"
"You about me."
Cider covered Esperanza's restless hand with one of his.
"Did you do it here?"
"No. It was before I came to this time."
"The fact that you're suddenly conscious of it now means Cyrus said something unnecessary to you. Hmm, I suppose you didn't know before then?"
Could she say she completely didn't know? She knew they were there, and she knew they would die if left alone. She didn't feel any particular pangs of conscience while turning away. She forgot the moment she turned around. If she hadn't known that they were all real people, she wouldn't have even recalled them.
"...I didn't completely not know."
"But now there's reason to worry about it belatedly. And it's hard to talk about?"
Esperanza whispered in a very small voice.
"You need to know that I want to be a good person in front of you too."
Cider said nothing for a moment. Following the regular machine sounds, their overlapping heartbeats also gradually found their own rhythm.
"And you need to know that I don't really care about your morality."
Esperanza answered with a snort.
"Do you think I don't know? You're quite particular about such things."
Like not causing problems that would be greatly morally condemned even if breaking minor laws. Or still keeping an incident that happened over ten years ago, when he was young, in his heart.
Even if he pretended otherwise, Cider was sensitive, and if he had thought Esperanza was someone who took human lives lightly, he wouldn't have harbored goodwill toward her.
"Is that so?"
"That's so."
"Still, it doesn't matter. You must have had reasons."
"...You might be disappointed."
"Don't you think I know you as much as you know me?"
Probably Cider knew Esperanza better than Esperanza knew Cider. He could feel the cheek resting against his back through one layer of shirt moving up and down.
"Then you're okay with it."
Though guilt remained. For now, that was true. When Cider said it was okay, it somehow seemed like it became okay.
Cider released the arms wrapped around his waist and turned around to kiss both of Esperanza's cheeks.
"But isn't that a magic stone? It looks different from the ones on the market. What research are you doing?"
It felt a little different from his usual research. Esperanza looked intently at the numbers Cider had been watching in the same posture as him. Of course, doing so didn't help her figure out anything.
"It's nothing special. More importantly, we'll need time to compile the information we got yesterday."
"Ah. Right. Cyrus... come to think of it, when did he leave? Did he even come?"
Seeing that she had no memory of it, she really must not have been in her right mind. Certainly, certainly, wait a minute.
After clearing the dungeon, she had come straight to the laboratory, and after returning...
When Esperanza's face became strange, Cider quickly said.
"He didn't come."
It was a lie. But since he apparently didn't have the courage to have a conversation with all his inner thoughts exposed either, she wasn't worried that Esperanza would learn the whole story even belatedly. Cider thought leisurely and swept Esperanza's wet hair behind her ear.
"Really? We'll have to see him again sometime."
Cider, who had floated a dryer automaton over Esperanza's head, opened the research room door and gently pushed Esperanza out.
"Before that, we should have our own conversation. While drinking tea you brewed yourself."
"...Why do I have to do it? I don't know how."
With Esperanza having no knowledge of tea ceremony at all and Cider having always been in charge of tea brewing until now, why would he suddenly want to drink tea brewed by Esperanza that would surely taste bad? But Cider really did take out two teacups and tea implements, then just watched as Esperanza made a pitiful face.
"I won't say anything if you can't brew it well."
"Of course you shouldn't!"
Since it had come to this, should she just try? Esperanza roughly added tea leaves, recalling memories of watching what Cider did. Even when she might have expected some coaching, Cider just sat quietly with his chin propped up, watching. Esperanza, who had poured boiling water, suddenly asked.
"But really, why am I doing this?"
"It's cute watching you be confused and lost."
"Ah. Yes."
Waiting, it seemed about time, so she poured the tea. The color was pitch black and the taste was astringent. Cider really made no complaints. Instead, he poured milk into Esperanza's teacup.
"What taste to insist on drinking this."
"It's not that bad. But..."
"Don't make me do it next time."
"I was just about to say that's what we should do."
Still, Cider went ahead and drank all of that bitter and astringent tea. Esperanza added lots of milk and sugar to make it a beverage where no trace of tea could be found, then sipped it bit by bit.
"Now we should review what Cyrus said."
"Do you remember everything?"
Cider snorted as if it were ridiculous and replied.
"You seem to be underestimating me constantly lately, but I could recite it backwards too."
"Ah, yes. That's not necessary."
"That's fortunate."
Though there was no need to see the trick of speaking backwards, going through what Cyrus had said yesterday one by one was meaningful. There didn't seem to be any particularly hidden meanings in his words. Cyrus was originally someone who didn't know how to speak indirectly.
Esperanza told Cider about the story Cyrus had shared in the forest. Except for the game parts. Cider quietly tapped the armrest with his fingertips.
"Did you figure out anything?"
Esperanza, gripping her teacup, asked with an anxious expression. Cider looked at her carefully but brought up a different topic without bothering to probe.
"Didn't that man seem to have strange goodwill toward me?"
It didn't seem like it. Esperanza had no memory of seeing Cyrus show goodwill toward Cider. Had the two even talked?
"He gave me monster teeth."
Did he?
Cider clicked his tongue.
"You weren't in your right mind from then on."
Esperanza stepped firmly on Cider's feet while trying to remember. It seemed like something like that might have happened. But so what?
"Well, you're a magical engineer. I gave you some too."
"You gave it to me because you like me."
She wanted to deny it, but that was true too. At that time, of course, it wasn't this kind of feeling, but she wouldn't just hand over such things to any magical engineer. You give them when you're thinking of making a request. Thinking of making a request means having goodwill and trust. So Esperanza giving monster corpses to Cider back then was because she had goodwill toward Cider. ...It could be seen that way.
"Then why did Cyrus...?"
Their only connections, as far as Esperanza knew, were just two things. That Daria and Cyrus from 13 years ago were trying to kill Cider. And Esperanza, who was a mutual acquaintance. Neither explained Cyrus's attitude.
"Esperanza. Why did it have to be 1837? Leaving other periods alone."
That's right. She had never thought about that. But if there had to be a reason.
"It must be related to Cyrus's purpose. This was originally Cyrus's quest."
"Wouldn't it also be related to me? You appeared in my study."
Esperanza had gone to Count Avondale's mansion because a hidden episode had opened. If that was also connected to the quest, then Cyrus's purpose was...
"This type of magic, you see. The magic power needed increases exponentially as the travel distance increases."
His fingers tapped the armrest rapidly as if writing complex formulas.
"Didn't you say you didn't know about this kind of thing?"
"I don't not know. It's just not my main field."
Cider, who quickly replied as if making an excuse, suddenly said this.
"It wouldn't be an unreasonable guess to think that my death in 1838 and time travel to 1837 are related."
"So you're saying Cyrus deliberately came to when you were alive."
What could the reason be?