Episode 54 (Helena’s POV): “Nothing But the Things I Love About Him”
“Do you remember? This is the shop where we bought this ring.”
They had left the house and headed for a general-goods store in the center of the village.
The villagers were making a fuss at the sight of Kevin, but none of them came over to speak to Helena or the others.
(…It’s thanks to Fine.)
Apparently, Fine couldn’t stray far from the magical doll, so she had accompanied Helena and Kevin on their date.
Even so, she was doing her utmost to make her presence go unnoticed, while also explaining to the people around them that they shouldn’t approach Helena and Kevin.
She probably wasn’t very good at talking to people.
You could tell just by looking at her desperately going around speaking to everyone, her face pale with anxiety.
“Helena.”
“Yes, I know.”
Fine inevitably kept appearing at the edge of Helena’s vision, but pretending not to notice was simply a matter of good manners.
Helena took a deep breath to clear her mind, then once again gazed intently at Kevin’s face.
He wasn’t the real Kevin. He was a magical doll created by Fine.
Even knowing that, Helena couldn’t believe that the Kevin standing before her was merely a creation.
When she reached out and touched him, she could even feel his warmth.
“…It makes me embarrassed when you stare at me like that.”
“Isn’t it a little late for that? I’ve been watching you all this time.”
“Even so.”
When their eyes met, they both smiled without either of them knowing quite why.
It was just like old times, so much so that the month they had spent apart didn’t seem to matter at all.
“Hey, Kevin. Today, I want you to choose something for me.”
The shop carried all sorts of things, from jewelry and other accessories to tableware, and most of the items were reasonably priced.
When they had bought their matching wedding rings, they hadn’t had much money to spare.
By this time tomorrow, Kevin would be gone.
So she wanted something she could keep, a tangible memory of him.
Their parting had come far too suddenly.
“All right.”
Whenever Kevin became serious about something, he tended to grow quiet.
She liked watching his silent profile. She even liked poking his cheek when he wouldn’t say anything and teasing him into speaking.
(I really do love so many things about him.)
Of course, while he had been alive, there had been times when she complained about him.
That he rarely helped with the housework.
That he was a restless sleeper.
That he could be rather insensitive.
And yet, after he died, she never found herself remembering any of those things she had disliked about him.
Even if Adam hadn’t told her about the magical dollmaker, perhaps she would have eventually sought them out herself.
“How about this?”
After walking around the shop, Kevin finally picked up a delicate bracelet.
It was set with several tiny colored stones, with a single small diamond in the center.
“A bracelet…”
“You don’t wear them very often, do you?”
Kevin was right. She didn’t usually wear bracelets.
More precisely, she no longer wore them.
They got in the way when she was doing housework. Now that she was married and had children, she didn’t have many opportunities to dress up and go out, either.
“I thought you’d remember me whenever you wore it.”
With a gentle smile, Kevin slipped the bracelet onto her wrist.
His words made her heart ache.
(It’s almost as if he’s telling me that I don’t need to remember him when I’m not wearing it.)
Knowing that this was simply his way of being kind only made it hurt more.
“…I’ll wear it every day.”
Her own voice sounded strangely childish to her as she said it, leaving Helena with complicated feelings.