Ignoring the leaves seemed like a dangerous move. My whole body stiffened at their chilling warning, and I could only manage a nod. Fortunately, the leaves returned to being ordinary leaves, hanging from Hyperion’s branches. I gathered my scattered thoughts and began working in earnest. Though I nearly cut myself several times due to being unfamiliar with handling the knife, I gradually developed a technique to remove the vines without hurting Hyperion.

Perhaps half a day had passed. Hyperion’s base slowly became visible. Though my joints were swollen and fingertips rough, I couldn’t feel more fulfilled. But there was still a long way to go. Wanting to gauge the height, I created a makeshift cushion with the sacks and climbed the ladder.

Sitting on the thick branch, I felt more exhilarated than scared. Through the glass, the slowly setting sun and evening glow created a scene beautiful as a painting.

As I absent-mindedly stared at the sky holding the gardening knife, the leaves suddenly rustled noisily. What could be wrong now?

[Hey.]

“Hmm?”

[Someone’s coming.] [Scary.] [A dangerous presence.] [Another intruder.]

“What intruder are you talking about? This is Flora’s greenhouse. There shouldn’t be any intruders…”

But the leaf butterflies that had revealed themselves didn’t even pretend to listen to me.

[Let’s drive them away!] [We can’t do it.] [Then what about the Elder?] [He can’t wake up right now.]

“No, wait. We don’t even know who it is…”

[Then let’s send this human.] [Yes, you go.] [Protect the Elder.]

“Huh? Me? I should?”

The leaf butterflies kept nudging my arms and legs, urging me on. Pushed by their pressure, I carefully moved my position on the branch. The door should be visible just a bit further. The moment I shifted my hips one more time, a leaf butterfly gave me a forceful push that threw off my balance.

“Whoa…!”

That saying about everything moving in slow motion during dangerous moments was true. As I fell from the tree with nothing to grab onto, I squeezed my eyes shut. If I had to fall, please let it be onto the sacks…! While desperately wishing this, I heard quick footsteps from afar.

The hard sensation against my back, a stability that couldn’t possibly be from the pile of sacks. As I cautiously opened my eyes thinking ‘surely not,’ neat hair brushed against my cheek.

“Now you’re making me run.”

“…Professor!”

Asrein was holding me, kneeling on one knee. Though I should have thanked him immediately, my brain froze, and my tongue stiffened, leaving me only able to gape wordlessly.

“Um… uh… that…”

“Didn’t I tell you not to overdo it?”

“That’s why I laid out the sacks before climbing. It wasn’t even that high…, and even the grass is soft…”

“Haah.” A heavy sigh cut off my words. Asrein pushed aside the sacks with his foot and carefully set me down.

“Did you think such things would be enough?”

“Well, it’s better than nothing, right?”

It was a height where landing on my bottom would have been fine. Though of course… I wouldn’t have escaped bruises and muscle pain. I was just amazed that he had sprinted from the entrance to catch me falling. Unable to say ‘you didn’t need to catch me…’, I quietly observed his reaction. Asrein, fixing his disheveled hair, asked in a sharp voice.

“More importantly, why did you suddenly fall?”

“Ah, they told me. That someone was coming here.”

“They?”

“Yes. You might not believe this…, but the leaves keep talking to me.”

The leaf butterflies had already hidden behind the trunk. They seemed quite startled by Asrein’s appearance. Following my gaze as I turned my head, he let out a small exclamation.

“Those are Hyperion’s seeds.”

“Hyperion has children?”

“It refers to the thought entities that float around Hyperion.”

Asrein explained while picking up fallen leaves.

Humans who didn’t know Hyperion was a magical creature offered prayers to the sacred great tree. When enough earnest wishes accumulated in Hyperion’s leaves, they finally became living entities. Thought entities that move solely for Hyperion’s sake.

“Those are ‘Hyperion’s seeds.'”

As soon as the explanation ended, a leaf butterfly that had settled on my shoulder spoke.

[You didn’t even know that?] [Stupid.]

Stupid. The chattering voices spread like an infection, mocking me. Too tired to argue, I laughed helplessly, and Asrein calmed them instead.

“…You’re noisy.”

He frowned while releasing the leaves in his hand. The scolded leaf butterflies all flew behind my back to hide. Then they chattered again in voices only I could hear.

[He’s still scary.] [But it’s okay now.] [Why?]

[The human wouldn’t have been hurt falling from that height.] [Right.] [He sprinted here to save this child.]

[Fool.] [Idiot.]

I desperately hoped he couldn’t hear them. While I was momentarily distracted, Asrein reached out toward Hyperion. It wasn’t until later that I remembered I should have stopped him.

“Ah…! You shouldn’t touch it!”

As soon as his magic-rich hand made contact, small leaves sprouted from the Phyllis stems. Just before the vines could grow wildly, I quickly grabbed his sleeve and pulled his hand away. We nearly undid all my hard work. I took out the gardening knife from my waist and cut off the stems while scolding him.

“Geez, Professor. What are you doing when you already have so much magical power?”

“I wanted to check Hyperion’s condition. If there’s a problem with magical power management, I could help sufficiently.”

“Do you have to make direct contact to know?”

“Usually, just looking would be enough, but Phyllis is blocking like a curtain, making it difficult to check properly.”

While I cleaned up the cut vines, Asrein stared blankly at his empty hand. This situation where vast magical power wasn’t helpful seemed to be a first even for his experience. I shrugged while safely placing the gardening knife on the sacks.

“If only I could be a middleman.”

“A middleman?”

“I don’t have much magical power, right? Like filtering the magic flowing from your hands through me.”

Though I wasn’t sure how much magic I could block, it wasn’t just a baseless theory. I carefully placed my hand on the tree trunk and closed my eyes. I felt nothing except the rough texture. Like ordinary humans, I couldn’t even recognize Hyperion as a living magical creature. But the professor would feel something different.

Just as I was about to withdraw my hand in disappointment, a cold sensation gently enveloped my hand. I opened my eyes in surprise to find a large hand lightly holding mine. When I slightly turned my head, soft hair tickled my cheek. Feeling that any wrong move could lead to irreversible consequences, I stiffly stared ahead.

“…Um…?”

“Stay like this for a moment.”

Wait. This is too close…. His breath brushed my ear, sending shivers down my neck. Unaware that my nape was sensitive, he seriously examined Hyperion’s condition. But I was desperate to distract myself somehow. Why aren’t you wearing gloves today? If there had been at least fabric between our hands, I might have been less conscious of it.

While my pupils darted everywhere except his hand, he spoke.

“Move your hand.”

“Where to?”

“This way.”

How am I supposed to know where ‘this way’ is? My frontal lobe had completely shut down, and my brain wasn’t functioning at all. When I moved right following his cue, he sighed. Guess that wasn’t it. I stopped abruptly and stroked the tree bark in the opposite direction. Then Asrein murmured softly.

“Excuse me.”

What else was he planning to do? As I held my breath with a sharp inhale, he unexpectedly slipped between my fingers. With our fingers interlocked, I could only follow as he moved my hand at will. My eyelids trembled palely with evident bewilderment. It was hopeless, trapped in this deep poison with nowhere to escape. Just when I thought I’d rather faint, his touch finally withdrew.

“That’s enough.”

“R-r-right.”

“What’s wrong? You don’t look well.”

Are you seriously asking because you don’t know? I had enough complaints to fill a truck but barely suppressed them.

“It’s nothing.”

I answered briefly while awkwardly twitching one corner of my mouth. Then a soft laugh descended from above my head.

“Was my holding your hand that unpleasant?”

“…What?! No, that’s not it. It’s not that…”

“Then that’s good.”

Asrein, wearing a faint smile, showed a mischievous grin. Though it seemed unintentional, that broke my last wall of defense.

As soon as he left the greenhouse after checking Hyperion’s condition, I slumped against the tree trunk. Hyperion’s seeds that had fled far away came flying back, surrounding me. The seeds dancing in the air chattered in voices full of amusement.

[Hahaha!] [Your face is red.] [Spring has come only to your cheeks.]

“…Be quiet. I’m going to work now, so don’t interfere.”

[Look at that face.] [So shy.]

Hehe. Not wanting to hear their ticklish laughter anymore, I waved my hand in the air. After shooing away the seeds like flies, I resumed removing the Phyllis. But there was no way I could concentrate. Starting to climb the ladder then coming back down, the seeds quickly flew over and asked.

[Taking a break already?]

“I can’t concentrate.”

[Why?] [How come?]

Yeah. Not wanting to admit the reason, I didn’t answer. After staring blankly at my hands with their small cuts, I buried my face in my palms.

Why am I so conscious of it? It was just two men holding hands. It was even for work, so why am I fixating on the fact that we ‘touched’ like a teenager going through puberty?

“…Haah.”

Of course, it’s happy that I’m gradually getting closer to Asrein, who used to put up walls. But sometimes I don’t know how to handle his unexpected actions. Like now. Asrein acted without any intention, yet I’m the only one obsessing over it.

[Ah~ I get it.] [What is it, what is it?]

As I persistently covered my face as if glue was stuck to my hands, the seeds gathered and started whispering among themselves. After a brief discussion, a seed with yellow-tinted wing tips boldly declared.

[It’s because of him!]

“It’s not.”

Hit right on the mark, I lifted my head abruptly to deny it, and the seed tickled my eyes with its wings.

[Haha! Do you like him?] [Should we tell him?]

“What? No? Are you crazy?”

[Then do you dislike him?]

“That’s… not it either…”

As I rubbed my face again like someone burdened with troubles, the seeds all murmured together.

[What is it then?]

[Humans are complicated.] [So complicated~]

I wish I could be simple too.