Rolling girls*

—-------

*Reference from the song Rolling girl of wowaka.

Like a small stone on the side of the road, we keep rolling and rolling to the unknown future.

The rolling stone will soon lose its original shape and may turn into ashes in the end.

Unlike the inanimate stone, we know that our paths are full of obstacles and sufferings, still you and I continue to proceed.

Since it is our last effort for the better future that we have always longed for.

"Not giving up yet?"

"No, I still want to try again."

—-------

Mesmer Jr. finally came to Vertin's place - The Timekeeper's famous suitcase.

The reason wasn't that difficult to guess.

Vertin invited her over and promised to provide her a completely quiet room that she was seeking for.

A place where Mesmer Jr. could be alone without being bothered by anyone and anything, all by herself.

A temporary hideout.

It was back to a few days ago when the young staff of the rehabilitation center realized her current sleeping quality was just terrible.

It wasn't a nightmare since she couldn't even have a dream.

More patients have moved in the rehabilitation center recently, including both humans and arcanists. Some of them were really hard to handle, causing several ruckus and headaches for many other staff.

But, there was a familiar yet strange face from her childhood.

A former student of S.P.D.M.

That person's appearance was actually far different from when they were a child, with an emaciated body and heavy dark circles under their lifeless eyes.

Why did Mesmer Jr. even recognize them?

"Nor happiness, nor majesty, nor...fame..."

Curling up at the corner of the room, that person had sung.

"Nor peace, nor strength, nor skill... in arms or arts..."

"Shepherds those herds whom tyranny makes tame..."

The forbidden version of the school song.

"...By force or custom? Man, who man would be?"

"Of hopes and fears... being himself alone..."

The more they sang, the brighter their expression became.

As if the song was something that could soothe their twisted mind and sealed heart.

Their last straw.

"...Staining that heaven without singing in a dream..."

They ended the song in an attached, unwilling and trembling tone.

After that, their lifeless eyes stared at the white wall from afternoon till night.

Their flesh was here, but their soul seemed to travel somewhere far far away, until the next morning came again.

Mesmer Jr. hasn't slept well since the moment she heard the song that should be forgotten one more time.

Its verses and lines would echo in her head whenever she passed by the room of that patient, although she didn't enter it.

The situation worsened when she found out that as long as she was still at the same building as that patient, the forbidden song would continue to haunt her, along with the vague faces of the people who had vanished in The Storm that terrible day.

Vertin wasn't the only person who felt guilty of the loss of their friends.

If she spent a few minutes announcing Vertin's team about The Storm, if she ran away without any permission to come to their planned hideout, if she was more cautious....

Too much "if" had passed by Mesmer Jr.'s head, yet all of them did nothing but turn into regrets and sorrows.

"You didn't seem to sleep well."

That gray-haired girl, whose eyes showered in consistency and kindness, today too, approached her and said.

"My suitcase has a room which may be your type. I promised that no one would bother you there."

"Including you?" 

The girl, still as unapproachable as every day, sarcastically replied.

"Yes."

The other one nodded without any hesitation.

"Including me."

Perhaps Mesmer Jr. was a little upset or too tired to think further, she followed that person's footsteps in the end.

It was a quiet room with windows near the river. There was nothing inside, except for the light bulb on the ceiling and power outlet on the wall.

"If you need something, I will call others to move them into your room."

"I haven't said I would stay here."

Vertin looked at her for a while, then nodded.

"You can stay here anytime you like. It was already yours."

"Now, I'm sorry that I have work to do."

The gray-haired girl took off her hat.

"Goodbye, Mesmer Jr."

She left those words and went somewhere else.

Maybe a field mission, a rescue operation or an examination at Laplace.

Mesmer Jr. wasn't too curious to know where Vertin was about to go.

Right now she just needed a proper sleep, an 8-hour sleep till one hour before she went to work.

A bed was soon transferred to her room.

Someone had used a teleportation spell.

The mattress, the blanket and the bed sheet were all new.

Mesmer Jr. carefully locked the door first.

Next, she closed the curtains.

Then, she began another disinfection process.

Finally, she laid on the bed and closed her heavy eyelids.

Tonight, still no dream, but her sleep did last for 8 hours.