Distance

The conduit train to Crossbell from the Imperial Capital Heimdallr slowly pulled out of the station, and Linde sat against the window, her pink hair casually strewn over her shoulders, the side of her face pressed against a small square of clear window, the glass conveying the cold of the capital's winter. Her hands restlessly and repeatedly touched the brown backpack resting on her chest, which contained her acceptance letter to St. Ursula Medical College, and a letter of recommendation written in Instructor Beatrix’s own hand. She looked out the window at the red complex of buildings that had been receding into the past. Thinking back to the end of the civil war, the former president of the art club, senior Clara, had logically handed over the club to Linde, and along with that, she was told to hand it over, there was also the form for Gaius's application to withdraw from the club, with the date of graduation and departure written by the person concerned in his own handwriting: March 25th, 1205, in the Septian Calendar. This really frustrated her for a while, forcing her to use her own business as an excuse to hide her inner turmoil. She had known for a long time that Gaius was a breeze she could never catch, and her uncontrollable feelings forced her to harbor unrealistic fantasies about the future of the two of them. Her illusions were eventually shattered by the other's hand, and she had no choice but to be an ostrich and bury herself in reality to escape this monologue. When exactly did she start to fall in love? Probably after that thunderstorm night in Heimdallr, the smell of wind and weeds on Gaius, and the warmth of the palms of his hands that touched her back and shoulders, the pale blue eyes ...... that were tender and concerned after seeing her shedding tears were all unforgettable to her. Still, it shouldn't be goodbye. The roar of the train broke her sullen thoughts, and Linde closed her eyes and thought so. After all, even Thors, the last tie, had been severed by her personally. Vivi's panicked face had tormented her when she chose to transfer, and she had forced herself not to waver. Now, the two of them were all but alone in the world, and since growing up was something only she could experience, she needed to let Vivi do it alone - just as she had experienced. Memories were like that, even those filled with deep affection, as if the body had an unconscious healing mechanism. She no longer wanted to remember the awkwardness of confessing her love to Gaius, or her selfish, timid self. It was like a beach washed by the tide every day, no matter how many marks there had been, they were all swept away like this. Still, when she was assigned to the second branch of the school, Rean, the fulcrum linking all of them, connected their destinies once again: Linde, we haven't been in contact with Gaius for half a year, any news from your side? This couldn't help but make her take a breath of cold air. Looking at Rean, whose face was still worried, she could only say some words of comfort, that familiar uneasy feeling tumbling over her once again, giving her the feeling of being out of breath. The last time she felt the same way was at the school festival 2 years ago. "Ladies and gentlemen, after a long wait, the performance of Thors Military Academy Festival, first year students, class 7 is about to begin." Linde held the most intense shock from the very beginning of the performance, her golden pupils only had Gaius, who was standing tall on the stage, in her golden pupils. He was dressed in fancy white clothes, the silver and gold sequins on his coat flashing with the changing stage lights, just like Prince Charming in a fairy tale. If you pull the camera back a bit overlooking the small auditorium, it's obvious that the focus is on the lead singer. Machias and Jusis sang back to back in harmony; Fie and Millium sang left to right, one lively, the other soulful, in stark contrast to Emma, who slowly came up from the center of the room in a quiet and gentle manner. The applause from the stage was more than a wave, as if the waves during high tide, never ending. The only one whose head was visibly turned in a more leftward direction was Linde, behind the guitarist, Rean, was the tall to the point of conspicuousness, Gaius, even if his body was often half obscured by the Machias, who needed to get into position. It was as if she had a camera built into her pupils, intently recording every minute of his time on stage. Every now and then she leaned her body forward slightly just to get one more look at the bassist who closed his eyes and enjoyed the stage. The notes played by Gaius' fingertips called to her as if they were melted into her blood. Finally, the music stopped, the lights dimmed, and the auditorium fell silent for a second, giving off a thunderous vibration of reaction from audience that didn't stop for a long time. Class 7 came out for their curtain call as the lights came back on again, their eyes sweeping across the stage, and Linde watched in awe at the dreamlike performance, realizing that she had shed a tear at some point. These tears were not entirely moved by the performance of Class 7, but more of an inevitable outburst of the inferiority complex she felt deep down in her heart in the face of Gaius, who she might only ever be able to be like this, separated from her by a distance of a stage, so close and yet so far away. The two of them, destined for no destiny, could never travel together on the same track of life. Until another unusual Sunday, Linde was still busy in the infirmary, despite not being able to teach the students, she dutifully prepared each student's health file, organized the medical supplies that Becky had purchased, and checked that the infirmary's instruments were working properly....... While she was concentrating on checking the forms, Lane's voice came through the door: "Linde, look who's here." Linde turned her head toward the door, barely holding the forms in her hands. "Gaius ......," Linde heard herself let out an uncontrollable, surprised as well as delighted sound.