Sixty years have passed since I met Ai.

Darga, Ken ......Members of the cave where Ai first lived, all died.

While their children, grandchildren, and grandchildren supported the village, only Ai survived.

「――……Thy name is old, is the flow of time, it is death ...Keep away from our bodies, fade away. "

After finishing casting a long long spell, Ai breathes and lies on the bed.

It is a special made made by felting sheep 's hair captured from another continent.

Sleeping may not be that good, but Ai laughed when it was a mistake with just the straw laid on the ground.

"Eye, are you OK? ......Do not push yourself, it's okay. "

No problem. It's like a daily routine, it's already there. "

Ai speaks slowly with a memorable tone.

The extraordinary magic which added extra spells and extended to elongation was supposed to take about 20 minutes to cast. It seems that Ai had been chanting every day without ever having it when I was not there. Even though I can hardly keep standing any more, that custom still continues.

It is magic thought that there was no effect, but considering that Ai lived long, maybe it was not surprising.

However, it is only a degree of relaxation.

- I'm--Either way, I will not have that much anymore. "

I could not answer Ai 's words, just carded her bangs.

The same thing was told by Nina.

It will be a few more days to have Ai's life.

I can not imagine that she will not be from this world at all.

On the other hand, it was certain that the feeling of giving up spreading somewhere in her heart.

As a human being of this age, she lived to an extent enough.

The old decayed body can no longer run through the field, can not speak cheerfully, almost no ears are heard.

It was painful for me to keep watching such a thing.

Teachers

Ai looked up at me gently.

Straight up, her eyes, staring at me forever, will not change even if it passes.

"One last thing, can you ask me?"

"What?　I will answer a lot. "

Do not tell me it's the last one.

While desperately suppressing breastplate, I desperately make a smile.

"I - I want to know the name of the teacher"

Name

Dragons do not flock any species, and even parents and children do not live together.

Because of that, I did not even name it.

Of course they are highly intelligent people, so you know that knowing the name makes it possible to grasp the soul.

I felt strange to name me myself, so I asked Ai to call me a "teacher". That name has spread to the people of the village, and only two people do not call me a teacher. It was only Nina and Darga.

"Did not I explain?"　The dragon has no name. So, the teacher you call us is my name. "

If so, Ai will shake his head as if he are sick.

"What I want to know is the teacher's ... ...It's your name as a person. "

I remembered her words at last.

That's it. I used to be a human being.

Of course, I did not forget it.

But, since becoming a dragon, has it been as long as human life?

I got accustomed to living as a dragon and I was almost lost conscious of what I used to be.

"Notice it ......- Why you still here?

I have not told anyone that I was a former human.

It is not a problem that I knew separately, but I thought that nobody would believe it.

"I know everything about the teacher,"

Ai said so and laughed the least.

It is not an exaggeration, it may be true.

She who has bad ears, for some reason somehow my words will not be heard differently.

I want to say...Yeah. A man. It is not human in this world either. It was a human being living in a totally different world. "

Ai does not seem suspicious of my absurd talk but hears with nodding.

"There was no magic in that world ... ....No, I should say, there was only one. One of them ...In this world, it was to be born again as a dragon. "

"Born, changing ..."

My words, the eye put on the lips to cuddle.

"Ryouji. Sekiguchi, Ryouji is my name when it was mine. "

I write kanji in the hollow, I write the letter like this.

「……Ryouji ...さん」

The moment when Eye muttered so, my whole body learned burning heat.

Even when I was soaked in warm water, even when accidentally burning the surrounding trees and being covered with fire, I never felt such a fever even when I took magma.

It was the first time I felt that I was born in a dragon, I felt "hot".

AA

I give a voice as if to squeeze.

"this is……- No, you go ahead.

I guess.I think so"

Ai opened his eyes wide and looked at me gently.

I stretch my shivering arms and gently stroke my cheeks.

And I hugged her tightly.

/(adv) like that (used for something or someone distant from both speaker and listener)/so/(P)/

The eye's arm is turned to my back, and she leaks the admiration voice.

"I was happy."

At the ear, Ai muttered.

/(conj) (1) but/however/though/nevertheless/still/still

From the lips, from the eyes, from the fingertips, the power is steadily lost.

I want-

Beyond that voice, slowly, the mouth of eye moves without sound.

And then, let out the air in my chest.

That was her last breath.

「……Have you finished?

/(adv) like that (used for something or someone distant from both speaker and listener)/so/(P)/

After nodding back to Nina quietly asking, I suddenly noticed.

"Well, did you understand me?"

Even though my appearance has completely changed to another one.

"Nothing has changed. Its golden eyes and red head "

But Nina did say that as if nothing had happened.

"Where you can not feel embarrassed"

"I wonder how you feel so pitied ..."

I touch my face as sticky. There is no hard scales, long mouths, sharp corners, just a soft feel is felt.

"Well, in other words"

Look up at me on a glimpse, Nina says.

"You thought it was more children"

"It seems like a dragon, is not it?"

I do not know because there is no mirror, but from the height, voice, hand and foot feeling now I am wearing human beings around 20 years old. I do not know how old a dragon is a lifetime, but he should have a good age to say that he is still very young.

「……It is not depressed more than I thought. "

"No, it's really depressed."

Without Nina's eyes, I want to cry right now.

/(conj) (1) but/however/though/nevertheless/still/still

Nina Let's make a magical school. "

I said once again the word I told her.

「……？　I made it. "

Ai was really the best wife.

Until the end, I thought of myself.

"Make your school even bigger, bigger and bigger"

So I believe what she said and still look forward.

"Make such a wonderful school that everyone in this world knows"

Someday

Someday, for the time she is coming home.