" Let's go sit on the hill to watch the fireflowers," Lotte said, tugging his sleeve.

He acquiesced. It made him feel a bit childish to slip away and up the hill.

They sat on the grass and watched streaks of magefire twist and spark in the sky.

It was quiet for a while.

" I can't be with you," Henry said. " I'm in love with someone else."

She scrunched up, her arms around her knees.

" I know," she said.

" Then why?" he asked.

" ... Because I want you to forget," she said quietly. " I'm selfish. I know I can't ever be Legacia. Nobody can. Even when we were little kids, I was jealous of her. You were always with her, and you never ever even looked at me."

"...Lotte..."

" But I didn't want her to die," Lotte said, voice cracking. " It was like you died, too. It was like we all died. Nobody's acted the same ever since. I just wanted us to go back to normal... I thought enough time had passed for us to all go back to how we used to be."

"...Lotte..."

" But you're not ever going to forget, I know," Lotte said. " Because you loved her more than anybody. Tonight, I... I just wanted to be selfish."

The fireflowers show ended.

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