"Good-Bye My Love" ("Heavy Metal L-Gaim" Short Story Epilogue) - Part 2

 

Part 2 of the written L-Gaim short story epilogue that was published in Animedia sometime in 1985.

Read Part 1 here:
https://translationmartyzone.blogspot.com/2026/03/good-bye-my-love-heavy-metal-l-gaim.html

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-Chapter 2- 

Her heart began to pound furiously.

I should turn back.

Just the thought that showing up suddenly might make him angry made Leccee feel her legs gradually go weak.

She regretted acting so rashly without considering the consequences. It was a thoughtless, selfish act, showing no consideration for Daba's feelings.

Yet, contrary to her heart's desire, her feet slowly carried her into the village of Ugoor.

Two-story buildings lined the perimeter of the square. Each was plain, without much decoration or character, but they carried the human scent Leccee had been seeking.

Taking a deep breath, she asked an old man dozing in front of a shop about Daba Myroad's whereabouts, her voice slightly trembling. She forced a strained smile, knowing she had no choice but to resolve herself.

Following the old man's directions, she climbed the narrow slope. When the buildings ended and she saw the expanse of cultivated land beyond, Leccee stopped involuntarily to steady her racing heart.

Her gaze was captured by the back of a shirtless young man who had jumped off a farming machine and was checking the soil.

Daba!

Before Leccee could call out, Daba turned and looked at her. He showed a moment of surprise, but quickly composed himself, waving at Leccee.

"Watch your step!"

Daba shouted a warning to Leccee, but immediately corrected himself, "No, I'll come over there instead." His skin, glistening with sweat and now even more robustly tanned than before, was dazzling. Seeing Daba's bright smile revealing his white teeth, Leccee realized her earlier fears had been unfounded.

"I'm near finished at last."

Daba said suddenly.

"Look at this."

Before he could even ask why Leccee had come here, he pointed at her feet.

There, from the gray-brown, sandy earth, countless green sprouts the size of adzuki beans peeked out everywhere.

"What's this?"
"I finally succeeded in improving Koam's soil... It took five years."
"..."
"I never understood why there was no green on Koam. But meeting Lilith during that battle solved the mystery."
"Lilith..."

Leccee recalled the endearing figure of Lilith Fau, who had departed after defeating Poseidal, saying she was going to search for her comrades. Subsequent reports stated she had found dozens of allies on the planet Fa. The report concluded that while the winged people's homeland might be Fa, no definitive conclusion had yet been reached.

"In the end, the nuclear war thousands of years ago not only caused climate change on Pentagona World itself... that might also be the cause of the phenomenon called Jemaah. It changed this planet's soil too, didn't it?"

Daba crouched down, scooped up some soil, and let it trickle through his fingers. 

"In two more years..."

Suddenly, Daba looked straight at Leccee, who was mesmerized by the beauty of the dancing dust. Leccee flustered under Daba's unchanging gaze.

"In two more years... we can turn Koam into a green land. Then we can give people peace of mind and prosperity. If we apply this method to Gastogal too, that planet can regain its greenery as well."
"That's wonderful," Leccee said, then couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"You haven't changed a bit, Daba."
"Hm?"
"That habit of yours—once you fixate on something, you can't see anything else—it hasn't changed one bit."
"U-Uh..."

Daba finally remembered he was meeting Leccee again after five years and flushed, looking embarrassed.

But it certainly helped to erase the awkwardness of the five-year gap between them.
 
Daba's home was a humble, log-built, single-storied house halfway up a hill a few blocks away. Beyond the terrace lay the vast land Daba had cultivated, and along the stone walls, countless small, delicate, colorful flowers of unknown names bloomed profusely.

The sweet, tangy scent of the flowers tickled Leccee's nose on the breeze that blew in just then.

"I can't believe it. To think one could live in such a wonderful place."
"After the magnetic storm, once you're the one cleaning this place up, you won't be saying that anymore."
"But here—"

Leccee had been itching to voice something that had been on her mind, yet for some reason, she hesitated.

"The one who planted those flowers..."
Daba pointed to the small flowers resembling cosmos blooming on the stone wall.

"It was Olibee. For some reason, when we arrived here, that flower was the only thing she seemed to remember... She dug it up from the mountain herself and planted it there. Now look how many there are."

As if sensing Leccee's deepest concern, Daba added,

"She's doing well too... getting better little by little. Her memories are becoming clearer bit by bit."
"I see."

Complicated emotions washed over her. The complexity of a woman's heart.

Just then, the inner door opened.

The face that appeared belonged to an old woman nearing sixty, her hair pure white. Behind her, the familiar face of a woman flickered in and out of view. Perhaps embarrassed by the visitors from afar, she refused to show herself from behind the old woman.

"Olibee?"
"Yeah, and this lady is my aunt. Olibee's mother."
"Ah."

Leccee hurriedly bowed her head. Seeing this, Daba, in turn, chuckled.

"Did you think Olibee and I lived alone together, Leccee?"

Caught red-handed, Leccee flushed bright red.

She looked at Olibee again. Five years had erased the harshness from the expression she'd worn on that battlefield, restoring a gentle, composed demeanor.

It's not just a hairstyle change.
Leccee thought, looking at Olibee's short hair that seemed to hide her broad forehead. Olibee stared back at Leccee as if she were something unusual.

The severance from the bio-sensor seemed to have erased even the memories of the time it had been active.

"It's such a relief to lose bad memories..."

Daba said to Olibee with eyes full of fondness. For some reason, Lecce felt a refreshing sensation at the sound of those words and was surprised.

Olibee's mother, Rey, cut a fragrant pie. Olibee poured warm tea and guided Leccee to sit at a table that smelled of fresh wood.

This was after Daba had left to give the village men advice on digging a well.

The conversation focused almost entirely on the city's transformation.

"Amu is putting her knowledge from her old acting days to use, focusing her efforts on cultural enrichment."
"How wonderful. For a time, freak shows were the main form of entertainment... So, what about you?"
"Still can't put down my gun."
"So, you're the security captain, then?"

At Rey's question, Leccee nodded bashfully. Even though the fighting had ended, she felt a little self-conscious about still carrying a weapon.

"Myroad is completely absorbed in soil improvement."
Rey sighed.

"He really should head back to the capital. Otherwise, everyone will forget about Myroad."
"That won't happen. Daba's achievements are eternal."
"Olibee is fine now. I can handle it alone... Myroad really is hopeless, making such a beautiful young lady fret like this. And he's always jumping at invitations from the village men."

Leccee laughed at Rey's grumbling. She found herself unexpectedly relaxed, thinking it wasn't so bad when things took an unexpected turn.