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IBP 157
Chloe opened the note nonchalantly, then paused.
[There was a simple prophecy. It said, ‘Those destined to meet will eventually find each other.’ So, don't push yourself too hard, My Lady.]
...In a way, it felt like a reckless thing to say, but strangely, it gave her strength.
Just as it had been during her first meeting with Coco, perhaps they could meet again because they were ‘destined to meet.’
As if he had caught a glimpse of the note's contents, Duke Ardos added his own words.
“...Yes. Do not overdo it, Chloe. Coco is my daughter, but you are my daughter as well. I mean that you should look for her while taking care of your health.”
Staring at Duke Ardos, Chloe stood up. A faint smile played on her lips.
“...I'll take care of myself, so don't worry. You know I'm the type who won't listen even if you try to stop me.”
“Of course. Such a stubborn thing—I wonder who you take after!”
“I take after my father.”
“Quiet, Ruth. Anyway, I have no intention of stopping you, Chloe. But you know that using teleportation magic drains your body even further. Travel by carriage. I mean you should search slowly. We will help as well...”
“I know what you mean. However, even if those destined to meet will eventually find each other, I cannot just stand still here.”
She could be suffering from a plague in some back alley.
No matter if Coco became a divine beast, she is my baby, and I don't want a single hair on her head to be harmed.
“I have to find her quickly. Our Coco will be waiting for me.”
* * *
Those destined to meet will eventually find each other.
Clinging to a faint hope in those words, Chloe moved again.
This time, it was a certain coastal village where dogs were said to gather and live in colonies.
“You must be careful, as they may have become a pack of wild dogs.”
Recalling the words of the maid who provided the information, she shook her head.
‘As if I would be afraid of wild dogs.’
As she climbed a high hill in her dress, white puppies running toward her came into view.
Sparkling black eyes, moist noses, pink tongues. They were lovely, but she knew instantly.
‘Coco isn't here.’
Even if they welcomed humans, even if they barked, even if they whined and tried to get close to her...
“...You aren't Coco.”
Chloe let out a sigh and turned her head out of habit.
Several days had passed without sleep. In a daze, she rubbed her tired face when a thought suddenly occurred to her.
‘Wait.’
She narrowed her eyes.
‘Those destined to meet will eventually find each other...’
...The thought that there might be a hint within those words, which seemed like a simple attempt to give her hope.
For example...
If she followed the places where she and Coco had met—places that were destiny disguised as coincidence—she might be able to find her.
Chloe took a sharp breath and exhaled slowly.
The first place she encountered the returned Coco was the Ardos estate.
The memory of that moment was still vivid.
“Wow!”
“...What are you?”
“I'm me!”
“...What?”
“I'm Coco!”
Coco, smiling brightly with the window wide open, letting in a pleasant, fluttering breeze.
Coco, who had murmured softly that she wanted to get along with her.
What if Coco had arrived in her room just like that? Fearing that her own footsteps might be slower than Coco's...
With that, Chloe rushed back toward the Ardos estate.
However...
“There was no one around the estate, Lady Chloe.”
“...”
“Not in your room, either.”
“No one nearby?”
“Ah, yes.”
Even when asked again, the maids cautiously nodded.
Chloe sighed and sank to the floor.
...In her room, where she had reunited with the young Coco, there was no one.
She had thought they might meet fatefully at the place where they first met.
Was my interpretation wrong?
Staring at the empty room devoid of any warmth, Chloe set out once more.
* * *
I was stuck in an alley, moving my eyes here and there.
‘No matter how much I think about it, it's scary being alone...’
I had become a silly puppy who huddled in a corner of the alley and greedily ate only the food the cats brought me, but...
‘Darkness keeps puffing up from my paws! Should I follow the darkness?’
I glared at the darkness clinging to the tips of my paws. Then, the darkness began to move as if it had a form...
“Huk, wh-what is this?”
...It darted out of the alley like a shadow.
Instinctively, I ran hard in the direction the darkness pointed.
Yes, that's definitely how it happened...!
“Where am I...?”
...As soon as the darkness returned to my paws, I ended up getting lost!
I had left the alley and emerged onto a large main road.
I crouched my ears tight against the sudden surge of noise, and the merchants on the street raised their brooms, muttering harshly.
“What the hell is that dog?”
“Business won't pick up with a scruffy dog in front of the shop! Seriously, what bad luck... Can't you clear it away quickly?”
I curled my body, which was a mess and covered in gray dust.
‘Humans are scary!’
A broom struck my backside hard. My skin must have turned bright red!
‘I'm going to hate humans all day. Staying in the alley with the cats was the answer after all!’
Having made a firm resolve, I decided I had to go back to my cat friend.
It was then, as I was sniffing around to find where the cat would be.
The penalty for running headlong without looking, as if my feet were on fire, was devastating.
‘Huk, the road is too big...’
I stopped hesitantly in the middle of a road that split into four ways.
The road was enormous, filled with enormous square boxes with wheels and enormous humans.
Facing this terrifying situation, I froze stiff.
‘I don't think I've ever seen this road before...’
I rolled my black eyes and clung tightly to the ground.
Then, all the humans passing by began to shout complaints.
“Ah! Some damn dog!”
A carriage driver spat on the ground and passed by.
To avoid bothering humans, to avoid being kicked, I had to move.
‘But there are too many smells at the tip of my nose, it's scary...’
Terrified and stiff, I could only stay glued to the ground.
I couldn't move at all on my own.
I trembled violently, pressed against the floor.
Whether it was a cat, a dog, or the darkness that kept vaguely lingering near my paws.
Someone, please come save me.
“Mu-woong...”
I really am a silly puppy.
I'm really scared right now...
* * *
Chloe boarded the carriage again.
She was heading toward a place where stray dogs were reported to appear.
About ten minutes after leaving the estate, the scenery of the capital's bustling district blurred past the carriage window.
Sometimes, spending time sitting in the carriage and staring blankly out the window was exhausting.
‘Still, I'm glad I can do something to meet Coco.’
The sun was already setting.
Chloe began her familiar habit of talking to herself.
Whenever she was alone, she often spoke to Coco, who she imagined was in the puppy star.
“Coco, it was on a day just like today that I first met you. Do you remember?”
They were stories focused on recalling their memories, things that Coco, having returned to the puppy star, would be happy to hear.
After finishing her brief monologue, the scenery passing outside the window felt familiar.
‘Come to think of it, was this place called Clementine Avenue?’
...Clementine Avenue.
It was a place she had forgotten because she hadn't had a reason to use it lately.
However, about ten years ago, it was a road the young Chloe often used to meet an outside tutor.
‘And, this place is...’
Chloe's pupils dilated as she felt a familiar sense of déjà vu.
This road wasn't where she met the child Coco, but...
‘The very road where I first met the puppy Coco.’
She hurriedly pulled up the carriage curtains completely.
But right then, the carriage came to a sudden, screeching halt.
“Lady Ch-Chloe!”
“What is it, driver?”
“M-My Lady. There is a stray dog in front of the carriage. I will clear it away immediately.”
The air of the day she first met Coco. The time of day, and the exact same line.
And...
[Those destined to meet will eventually find each other.]
...The moment she recalled those words, Chloe held her breath.
If destiny was predetermined, if fate was actually very close, perhaps it could start again in a place meaningful to them.
Very slowly, she uttered words she felt she had said once before.
“...A stray dog?”
As soon as she spoke, a mournful sound was heard, as if responding to a long-awaited call.
“Woof!”
The moment that frail, frightened voice reached her ears, Chloe barely managed to catch her breath.
And...
“...Stop the carriage, right now.”
As if the wheel of fate were turning slowly, the carriage came to a gradual stop.
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