Chapter 143: See You Tomorrow~
“What are you saying? It sounds like I went out fooling around or something. I didn’t even know Maya had a sister. We’re just normal coworkers. She asked me to help check the injuries of that demon wolf, and besides that… it’s just some personal connection. Do I really have to report all of that to you?”
Peiya looked at Elise with suspicion. She felt like Elise had really been acting strange lately.
It seemed like ever since the last incident, she had started caring a lot about certain small things, getting overly concerned about little details for no clear reason.
“Well… I think this is just a normal way of showing concern. Did it make you uncomfortable?”
“Of course. I have my own space too. Anyone would feel uncomfortable being questioned like that, especially by someone they care about.”
After Elise started showing random jealousy, Peiya also slowly learned how to respond in a more subtle and clever way.
This worked very well on Elise. She had been confused about right and wrong, overthinking everything, but suddenly she let go of her doubts.
Because that sentence made things very clear, being hurt by someone you care about…
At first, Elise didn’t fully understand. But when she imagined a close friend betraying her, she started to get it.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it that way. I was just… worried that you shouldn’t get too close to Maya.”
“Huh? What kind of logic is that? We’re coworkers. If I don’t get close to her, should I go against my boss or something?”
Peiya yawned. “Relax. It’s just a normal work relationship, nothing more. And I think I understand what you’re worried about now. How about this, I’ll spend more time with you today. But in return, you also need to learn to face your own problems. If you keep building your sense of security on me, then everything I do will affect you a lot. That’s not good…”
“...You should learn how to enjoy your own life, take care of yourself, and live for yourself. Don’t treat me like some kind of pillar. Because if one day that pillar breaks, will your whole life fall apart too? Of course, I know this kind of change takes time. So for now, I’ll stay with you until the day you figure it out.”
Elise’s eyes trembled slightly. When she saw Peiya really sit down beside her, it felt like a heavy weight in her heart had finally dropped.
But soon after, she began to feel disappointed in herself.
It seemed like she was becoming the kind of person she once hated. She used to dislike the pressure and expectations of society…
And now, she was putting those same chains on Peiya.
“What if I can never change? I don’t want to admit it, but I really can’t stop thinking about it. The thought of you being with someone else… I even dream about it almost every night.”
Peiya tilted her head, confused. “Why would I be with someone else?”
“I don’t know. The dream just feels very real. Almost every night, I see you walking away with someone else. That’s why I want to hold onto the time you’re still by my side. Maybe when I really lose you one day, I’ll just lie to myself and say everything is already over… and then try to forget, like before.”
Uh…
Peiya suddenly felt that although Elise looked strong on the outside, her inner world was very fragile. But “fragile” didn’t fully describe it.
If she had to choose a word, it felt more like… a bit unhealthy, almost obsessive.
From Peiya’s understanding, this kind of mindset often comes from childhood experiences. If that’s the case…
“Do you have a workshop here?”
“Why do you suddenly need a workshop? There is a craft room. If you want to use it, there’s a storage room in the southeast corner.”
“Alright, wait for me a moment.”
Peiya went to the workshop and took out the metal material Maya had given her earlier. She found some simple tools in the toolbox, then started shaping a ring inside a mold.
This process took some effort, but soon she used a file to roughly form the shape of the ring.
Next came the hardest step, infusing it with witch power.
Compared to the earlier steps, if this part failed, all the previous work would be wasted.
Still, Peiya felt a bit hopeful. Yesterday, she had already made some low-quality, one-time-use rings.
Even if she failed, she thought she could at least make a sample.
Also, she felt that this metal was much better than the one she used before, so the success rate should be much higher.
Thinking this, Peiya called out to Yingying. After the two of them entered their witch state, Peiya controlled her magic and slowly poured it into the ring. This step happened quickly. As she watched the magic energy gradually calm down, she exited the witch state, cleaned off the dust on her body, and took the finished accessory back to the manor.
At that time, Elise was still sitting under a tree, looking into the distance, almost like a statue.
She didn’t even move. Wasn’t she worried her body would go numb?
“I’m done. Um… when I’m not around in the future, you can wear this. Just think of it as me staying with you.”
Under Elise’s surprised gaze, Peiya gently helped her put on the ring. When Elise finally realized what it was, the redness on her face spread all the way down to her neck.
“Why are you reacting so strongly? It’s just a gift, just a small keepsake. In important moments, you can use the power inside it. It might even help you in a dangerous situation. It’s just that yesterday, when I was testing things, I didn’t have good enough material to hold the magic power. So I thought of asking President Maya for help, to see if she had any good materials. Luckily, I found a pretty good piece of magic metal in her collection. And there was quite a lot of it. Look, I also made one for myself.”
Peiya waved her hand happily, not knowing that Elise had been thinking deeply the whole time.
So it really was just her overthinking things.
When Elise realized that Peiya got close to President Maya because of her, and that she had misunderstood it before, her heart felt a sharp pain.
Without thinking, she stepped forward and pulled Peiya into a hug.
“You… you didn’t have to go this far. But I really like this gift. Thank you for everything you’ve done. I’m not very good at expressing myself. But I know that if I keep staying silent, it would be unfair to you. And about misunderstanding you… I feel really bad. I even feel like I don’t deserve this now.”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s just a small gift. I can totally afford something like this.”
Peiya brushed off the dust on her clothes. She also felt that Elise was hugging her a bit too tightly, like a flame in a furnace trying its best to move toward her hands. Still, she didn’t really dislike it.
“If you still feel uncomfortable, then just smile more. I named these rings ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘Today.’ That way, I can think about when I’ll get to see the ‘you of tomorrow,’ and you can always see the ‘me of today.’”