Chapter 3 Part 6
Translator : PolterGlast
Proofreader : John4891
Nozomu's
POV
Nozomu
and Irisdina were walking down the street again. In their hands were candy
crafts that the owner of the candy store gave them as thanks. When they tried
it, the sweetness melted in their tongue, and the sweet scent spread in their
mouth.
"This
candy is wonderfully crafted, and it tastes good."
"Yes,
If you bring it for Somia-chan, I’m sure she’ll be happy too. "
"Yeah,
but she doesn't have an eye for sweets. She is worried about cavities."
While
acting more like an older sister than a mother, she looked strangely cute as
she held the candy and smiled. Nozomu's cheeks loosen like hers. At first,
Nozomu was nervous, but now his nervousness had been released, albeit a little.
"But
was that okay? Irisdina-san's candy over there is..."
The
candy she was licking was an ill-shaped candy that I made, and it couldn't even
be called a craft.
"Yup.
Isn't this your first work? Rather, was it okay for me to eat it? "
"Yes,
of course, it's okay. The taste probably won’t change, and it's a waste to
throw it away just because it didn't work."
"That's
right! In that case, I might as well enjoy it!"
After
being convinced, Irisdina chewed the ugly candy. While looking sideways to peek
at her eating candy,Nozomu continued walking on the road, which was gradually
becoming more crowded.
"Oh!
The beautiful lady over there! If it's alright, would you like me to tell your
fortune?"
"Hmm,
what?"
"Well,
a fortune-teller?"
When
we turned our eyes to the person who suddenly called us out, there was a small
store on the side of the road, and the sign of the store said
"Fortune-telling". There was a white-haired old man with a white
beard inside the store, and he smiled at us...
"Um,
I'm called Zonne, as you can see, I'm a fortune-teller."
"Hmm,
fortune-telling…………"
(Is
he really a fortune teller?)
Nozomu
had doubts about the appearance of the store. There were many strange things
inside the small store.
A
jar full of crystals, cards, and thin wooden sticks, which were supposed to be
used for fortune-telling, were randomly placed on the desk. On the wall of the
store, talismans that seemed to be from the East and things that seemed to be
amulet accessories hung without gaps. For some reason, there was even a skull
of a ram. It was no longer a fortune teller, but a suspicious magical
organization or a recruitment site for religious groups. Besides, the old man’s
atmosphere was also strange. From the old man's presence, Nozomu felt familiar
with the old mean’s presence as it reminded him of someone he knew.
"Old
man, what can you foresee?"
"Anything.
I'll show you everything, your future, tomorrow's weather, tonight's dinner,
and your lover's affair!"
(The
content of the fortune-telling is too crazy!! Or rather, can you really tell by
fortune-telling that we have an affair!?? It can't be helped to be
branded on for something like an affair)
Nozomu
didn’t know where to start, but Irisdina, who was surprisingly curious, seemed
to be enthusiastic.
"Come
on, young lady. Why don't you try it?"
The
old man had persistently invited Irisdina since earlier.
(This
old man is obviously ignoring me!!)
The
old man's gaze was completely fixed on Irisdina, and he cared more for his hair
than he did Nozomu.
"Well,
it looks interesting, so let's do it. What about you, Nozomu-kun?"
"Aah,
I'm..."
"Come
on! Let's get started!"
"...I'll
refrain from participating... "
(...I'm
convinced. He's the same kind of person as Shishō ...)
Nozomu,
who felt that the old man had the same presence as his master Shino, swallowed
the complaint against the old man. This kind of old man didn’t listen to what
he had to say. He would always go against the tide. He was such a wild person.
Nozomu thought that wasn't the case, but it looked like it was a small world.
"Then
show me your palm."
Taking
Irisdina's hand, the old man took out a magnifying glass and began to stare
intently at her palm, but he obviously had a grin on his face, and his touch
was strangely nasty.
"...So,
old man, what's the result?"
"Hmm~,
it takes a little longer~"
An
old man caressed Irisdina's hand with a grinning face. Nozomu's anger shot up
due to the old man's behavior.
"Hmm,
it's hard to see. This time, give me your other hand..."
"Divine
Punishment!!!'
"Gehaa
!!"
(Ah,
crap. I forgot to adjust it…………)
Nozomu
struck the old man’s head with his knife-hand because he couldn't stand Zonne's
behavior of trying to touch Irisdina. This kind of person couldn't be stopped
by words, so Nozomu finally used brute force. Perhaps, because Shino was in his
head, Nozomu dropped his knife-hand strike with all his might………….
"Wh-What
are you doing! To the elderly!"
However,
seeing him who could still complain loudly, the old man seemed to have no
problem at all. Nozomu was convinced in his heart that he didn’t need to go
easy on someone like the old man.
"What
are you saying! You erotic-geezer!! You're already old, why don't you think
about it for a moment!!"
"What
did you say, young man! If you saw such a fine flower, it's in a man's nature
to reach out for it! And only the truest of men try to get that flower no
matter what!!! I couldn't do anything like you, after all, so I just touched it
instead! And you can go now, it's a flower out of a runny-nosed kid’s reach!!
"
"You're
crazy! Walking obscene material! I'll flush you down the toilet together with
your dentures!!"
Nozomu
had already thrown away his refrain and started to quarrel with the old man.
Nozomu's voice was strangely powerful, probably because the old man spoke like
Shino.
They
were swearing at each other, but during the quarrel, a clear steam-like voice
came in.
".........By
the way, old man, how long do you intend to hold my hand?"
Irisdina's
voice was quiet and clear enough to be heard by everyone, but Nozomu's body
cowered in intimidation, and his back was tingling with cold sweat. She had a
smile on her face, but her cheeks were twitching and she was clearly annoyed.
"Ah!
N-No, it's over. Hahahaha ..."
Perhaps
the old man, who was feeling her intimidation upfront, felt the danger more
than Nozomu. His face was pale and his voice was trembling. His gaze wandered
around. He seemed to be trying to escape, but he couldn’t escape because he was
still holding her hand.
"That's
right. Let's do fortune-telling one more time."
"That...I
humbly declined........."
"It's
okay. I've already got the result...The results are..."
"Fu
~o!"
*Crack*
Somehow,
a sound came from the old man's hand that was held by her.
"Hurts!
It hurts. M-My Lady, it hurts a little..."
“…………………………………”
*creak
creak, crack!*
The
sound of a tightening grip gradually became louder, and at the same time, the
old man's face turned purple. After the old man realized that he could no
longer escape on his own, he cut the act and began begging Irisdina.
"Wait,
I'm sorry! It was just my sudden impulse! Please, young lady! Don't squeeze any
harder! If you do, my hand will break!"
However,
Irisdina didn’t accept the old man's appeal. With her icy smile, she put more
force on her clenched hands.
*creak
creak! snap!*
(Ah!!)
"Fu
~ouoooooo!!"
Finally,
the limit was reached. After the sound of his bones breaking, Zonne collapsed.
Bubbles oozed from his mouth, and when viewed from the side, he seemed to have
died; however, it was due to his behavior, and Nozomu couldn't sympathize with
him.
(This
old man. I'm sure he won't stop just from this level of punishment…………)
Nozomu
thought of his teacher, Shino. She was undoubtedly the best in terms of sword
skills, but in her daily life, she was strangely childish and didn't listen to
people. She was exactly like the old man dying in front of him, where she was
so self-centered and would tantrum when he opposed her.
(But
Shishō. Leaving me alone inside the forest was harsh, but to leave me without
my katana is a bit too much....)
Nozomu
dropped his shoulders, remembering his past.
When
he had a quarrel with Shino, he had previously been left overnight in the
forest. At that time, his weapon was lost by a demon beast rampage. It was dusk
now and soon became dark. Nozomu couldn't see anything in the dark night and
was frightened by the howling of the demon beast.
He
had no way to protect himself if he was attacked at that time, and he had no
choice but to escape. In fact, he’d had the experience of being attacked by a
demon beast around midnight and escaping from his life before.
"Now,
my preaching to the mischievous old man is over, it's about time for us to go
now."
"A~,
yeah, let's go ..."
Nozomu
was lost in his past trauma, but Irisdina's voice brought him back, and the two
returned to the city, leaving Zonne lying on the desk. All that was left behind
was a pitiful old man who’d lost himself due to lust.
When
the two left Zonne and returned to the main street, the sunset sky was
gradually darkening and the curtain of night was beginning to fall.
"Fufu,
but I was surprised. I never would’ve thought that Nozomu-san could speak in
such a loud voice... "
She
saw a new side of Nozomu, who usually didn’t shout. While giggling, Irisdina
put her hand on her chin and began to laugh.
"Ah,
no. That old man was very much like a nasty old lady that I knew. Maybe that's
why I didn’t need to hold back, or rather, I wonder if I can really hold back
..."
Nozomu
replied sloppily while looking away and scratching his head, perhaps because he
remembered his past actions.
"I
never thought you would be so loud."
"Irisdina-san
too. I didn't think you would go into such a suspicious store."
"Ah,
well........."
Without
losing, Nozomu also counterattacked. He didn't expect Irisdina to enter such a
suspicious store herself. Perhaps because she was embarrassed because of
Nozomu’s pursuit, her cheeks turned red and her gaze was wandering.
The
two turned their eyes away from each other, and their faces turned red. A
strange silence flowed between the two.
"Well,
I was also able to see the unexpected side of Irisdina-san. By meeting
you......"
Nozomu
talked to Irisdina to try to dispel the awkward atmosphere, but when she heard
his words, she looked at Nozomu with a frowning face.
"Ermm...Irisdina-san?"
"By
the way, I'm curious, why are you always using honorifics when speaking with
me? Why are you talking to Somia normally?"
Irisdina
pressed Nozomu to answer with her imposing eyebrows, but Nozomu didn’t know
what was wrong.
(Looking
at her eyebrows...She's kind of angry, why?)
"N-No.
It's nothing. It's just, for some reason..."
She
began to think about Nozomu's words.
".........Hmm,
it feels like I'm more distant than Somia is. They say that understanding human
relationships can be done by the mention of their name, okay! Let's try to call
each other out, I will also call you by name."
"Ha~a!!"
"Oh
yeah, don't use honorifics. We’re classmates of the same age, so don't use
honorifics. Aah, my name would be hard to call, so call me by nickname. "
"Eehh!!!"
She
had been thinking for a while with her arms crossed and her hands on her chin,
and suddenly she told him to abandon her honorifics. What's more, she suddenly
told him to call her by a nickname.
"W-What
nickname do you want me to use?"
"Ai
is fine, same as Tima says"
(…………
Isn't that too difficult for me? I feel like I'm skipping a few steps...)
"Let
me see…………"
"That's
right! It's okay for you to think about it. It doesn't matter which one. Can
you try to call me by my nickname now?"
Irisdina
laughed and asked him to call her using a nickname. She also told him to think
of the nickname. When he saw her urging him with a smile, she clearly enjoyed
seeing Nozomu's reaction.
Unlike
the unwavering girl when she was in school, she changed her expression and
looked into Nozomu's face. Her determined expressoin was a sight to see, but
Nozomu's mind was already occupied.
(Is
she really that "black-haired princess"? Well, I recently found out
that she's not the person we thought she was, she's a girl of my age who
laughs, mourns, and gets angry same like us...)
Nozomu
felt the same admiration for her. Same as Lisa, his first love, and Ken, who
stood next to him before.
Her
dignity to face the other day's incident, which was inconvenient for her own
household. She had the strength to face Dell and Hannah head-on without
deceiving them. Nozomu genuinely respected her strength and liked her as a
person.
"E-Ermm...I
understand. A, Ai...risu-san..."
As
expected, he hesitated to call her "Ai" suddenly, and since his heart
wasn’t ready yet, he switched to "Iris-san" at the last second.
"Aa,
please treat me well, Nozomu. And I don't need the 'san'."
It
was just her usual name, but she still laughed happily.
"A,
a. Ai...risu........."
In
the end, Nozomu decided to say her name without honorifics.
"Fufu!
Well then, let's go find Somia and the others."
"Wait!
E-Eeh!"
Irisdina
suddenly took Nozomu's hand and started running. Suddenly feeling the touch of
her soft hand, Nozomu panicked and flustered. He was forcefully pulled by
her.
The
setting sun sank into the horizon, and the first star began to shine in the
sky. Day and night, the sun and moon lit up, his hand pulled by hers with a big
smile, and he looked awkward but it was kind of fun.
