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Chapter 4 Part 14
Translator : PolterGlast
Proofreader : John4891
Shīna's
POV
"Anyway,
there was such a big fuss in the morning ~~"
Mimuru
started talking about what happened at the main gate in a carefree manner
different from mine.
After
finishing the morning assembly, we, the second class’ students, were heading to
the training ground for practical lessons.
We
were talking about the quarrel between the 1st class Kevin Ardinal and the 10th
class Mars Dickens in front of the main gate in the morning.
Originally,
the quarrel was caused by Kevin Ardinal talking to the same 1st-class Irisdina
Francilt, and she was involved with "him".
"He"
A
boy at the bottom of the grade who was wandering around the city in the middle
of the night in tattered clothing yesterday, the reason why he became injured
was because of his unreasonable behavior of entering the forest alone. I still
felt frustrated whenever I remembered it.
Originally,
I didn't have a good feeling about him, and I hated him ever since I found out
that the cause of yesterday's injury was his own reckless deeds.
He
was dying after doing something unreasonable. That act reminded me of what
happened 10 years ago.
The
Foskia Forest, where we elves lived, was one of the greatest forests on the
continent.
Ten
years ago, before the invasion, the forest was overgrown with large trees that
had lived for hundreds of years, and the branches that grew powerfully into the
sky bore fresh fruits every season.
The
animals living in the forest supported themselves in various ways, and in those
great years, their lives were blossoming.
My
family was a family of four, my parents and my sister.
In
the forest full of life, where I had gentle parents and a sister, all the elves
of the same race lived a warm life. When I thought about it now, that truly was
an irreplaceable happiness.
However,
it was suddenly robbed.
The
forest, which was our birthplace and home, was engulfed by flames. The trees,
which I used to play with my friends on, were burned down. The lives of the
forest were eaten and defiled right in front of me.
That
demon beast that appeared in front of me. A curse-like beast that had been
filled with the filth of life.
I
was in front of the demon beast………….
"Shīna!!"
"……Ah"
"What's
wrong? You scared me. We've already arrived at the training ground."
I
had already arrived at the training ground when I noticed. Around me, my
classmates were already divided into their respective teams and checking their
specialized weapons.
I
shook my head and tried, trying to shake off the scene I remembered earlier.
Because I remembered his recklessness, I seemed to remember my past.
"...
I'm sorry Mimuru, I'm alright.... I'm just a little tired."
"...
Really? It's fine then, but... you shouldn't overdo it, alright?"
Mimuru
looked at me with worried eyes. She was usually full of energy and had a
ruffian-like personality, but when she saw that I wasn't paying attention until
she spoke to me, she seemed to have thought about it quite deeply.
I
had never talked about my past.
Sometimes
I remember and feel depressed, but I don't really want to talk about it. I've
never talked about it to anyone, including Mimuru and Tom, because I will
remember things I don't want to remember.
"I
know. I'm not overdoing it. By the way, Mimuru, it’s about yesterday's story.
I'll get to the point. We are about to go to the forest, but...."
"Hey,
do you have a little time?"
"..
You ..."
Suddenly
I was called out, and when I looked back at the voice, there was a male student
with golden ears. It was Feo Rishitza, a student in the same class.
"Sorry
for bothering you~. I have something to ask, is it alright?"
"Well,
it's alright... Do you need something?"
I
didn't understand why he was talking to me. This student, Feo Rishitza, was
always lazy and unmotivated, and had many conflicts with me, whether during
class or breaks.
He
always looked out the window casually during the lesson, and I couldn't feel
his seriousness during practical class.
I
didn't really think highly of him. The teacher and I gave him many warnings,
but he didn't seem to get any better.
Even
so, he seemed to have high capabilities, and his exam grades were decent, so he
belonged to the second class, which was considered high class even in the third
year. I didn't have a good impression of him though. I thought that he could’ve
been so much more if he was more motivated.
He
might have thought that I was a troublesome person, so he never talked to me
before.
But
he started talking about his important matter as if he didn't care about my
bewilderment.
"Actually,
it's about what happened this morning... You see, it's about the trouble that
occurred in front of the school gate. You were there at that time, right?"
"Yes,
that's right"
"Actually,
I was there too. I'd like to ask about Nozomu Bountis, who was in the
mess."
Nozomu
Bountis.
When
I heard that name, ripples struck my heart again.
No
wonder. Because I was thinking about him just a while ago, I was reminded of
the past.
"...
Why are you asking me about him?"
"No,
I thought you knew something about him since you seemed to be worried about him
at that time."
(You
seem worried)
When
I heard that, my heart pounded *ba-dump*.
Certainly,
at that time I was conscious of him. When I saw his face, I got angry
remembering his reckless behavior yesterday.
However,
the anger subsided when remembering the last time I saw him yesterday. I saw
him awkwardly looking away.
The
words I said to him yesterday.
(“More
importantly. No one is willing to help you because you abandoned Lisa.”)
The
moment he heard my words, his previously timid appearance completely changed.
The next moment, I was grabbed by him.
The
fierce bloodlust he struck me with deprived me of my physical freedom in an
instant, and I was completely petrified.
At
that time, his face was severely distorted by anger, and I couldn't say
anything before such raw violent emotions.
(!!!…………
Sorry………………)
However,
that was only for a moment.
He
immediately took his hand off my clothes, thanked me for the treatment with an
apologetic look, and went out of the room.
And
the words he said as he left the room still remained in my ears.
(……….
I didn't do that…………)
As
he suffered, the words he squeezed out seemed to push something stuck in the
depths of his chest.
Those
words got stuck in the depths of my chest, and because of that, I was struck by
feelings of discomfort.
"...He's
not a friend of mine... I don't really know anything about him..."
(It
would be bad if Feo finds out what I've done. I brought a male student to a
girls' dormitory late at night... and also ..)
…………….
I feel like I shouldn't have brought it up…….
While
telling myself such things many times in my chest, I straightened my face so
that he couldn’t realize how I truly felt. I answered Feo's question while
pretending to be calm, but at the end, the expression Nozomu displayed
flickered in my mind.
Feo
seemed to be interested in Nozomu for some reason. Considering that the boy,
who didn't pay attention to anything until now, was finally interested in
something, I was afraid he would be asking for various things, so I had to hide
it somehow...
".........
Is that so? Sorry~. I've asked something strange suddenly."
"……Eh?"
However,
contrary to my misery, Feo immediately withdrew. I had doubts about it, but Feo
quickly turned his heels back and walked away.
"...What
was that?"
"……Who
knows"
"Oh,
by the way, Shīna. Speaking of entering the forest, what does Shīna want to hear?
Is it about when we’re going to go?"
"Ah,
that's right. Yesterday, I didn't ask about when we would go."
"Well,
we’re planning to go today. Tom is preparing what he needs for collecting now.
Tomorrow, the school will be closed, so we’re thinking of going after school
today. Is it okay?"
"...Yeah,
I think it's fine."
Tomorrow
was a holiday, so it was definitely a good time to enter the forest. The place
to collect herbs and materials seemed to be near the entrance of the forest,
but I hadn’t heard the news that the Triclopes had been subdued, and
considering that the spirits were noisy yesterday, I couldn’t help but worry.
Our
conversation was over, I remembered Feo earlier.
It
looked like he didn't know what I was thinking, but the way he looked before
was like a child given a new toy, and I could see he wanted to play with it.
(I
hope nothing bad will happen…)
I
felt anxious inside, but honestly, I didn't know what was going on. I ended up
welcoming the bell signaling the start of the lesson.
==================================
Mars'
POV
"Damn!
That dog bastard!!"
We
moved through the corridor after the morning meeting to another class .
My
anger hadn't subsided since the morning quarrel at the main gate.
"...
Hey, isn't it about time for you to calm down already?"
"I
can't stand it! More importantly Nozomu! Why are you so calm!! Why aren't you
angry?!"
"...
Of course I don't feel good about it.... But you charged before me."
"Ugh..."
"But...
Thank you..."
"H-Hmph!"
I
remembered my disgraceful behavior earlier and was choking on my words.
I
turned away from Nozomu because of embarrassment and a little awkwardness, and
my legs heading to the classroom became a little faster.
My
anger became unsettled, but………… I was really happy to be thanked by him.
“…………………….”
“…………………….”
We
continued walking silently for a while.
Being
silent, I remember talking to Irisdina and the others yesterday. The contrast
between Nozomu, who was said to be the worst bastard, and the real Nozomu was
as different as night and day.
I
felt strange as I tried to relate the rumors this man in front of me got from
his surroundings.
What
happened to Nozomu? How did such a divergence occur?
Come
to think of it, we had never heard of it from Nozomu himself, and we had no
idea what Nozomu was doing until the end of the second year.
I
noticed that there was an unusual wall between Nozomu and us, and I felt a
small strange feeling inside my chest.
Besides,
Nozomu’s appearance today was also strange, leading me to believed that he did
something reckless again.
It
seemed that Irisdina and others were aware of it, but in the end, we couldn't
overcome the wall between us and Nozomu. Because of that dog bastard, nothing
was settled.
“……………….
Hey, Nozomu. You……”
Whether
it was because I wanted to shake off that strange feeling, or because I didn’t
like Nozomu creating a wall between us, I opened my mouth naturally trying to
ask Nozomu about what happened two years ago.
(You're
going to make Nozomu-kun tell you something very hard for him, right?)
"
!! "
However,
when I tried to say it, Tima's words crossed my mind, and I swallowed those
words. My mouth opened without a single word coming out.
I
remembered what I heard at Ushitotei yesterday. About what happened between him
and his childhood friend.
According
to the story I heard from Ena, that childhood friend, Lisa, struck Nozomu with
a hatred so intense that Ena never would’ve thought she was a former lover.
(At
least we aren’t the parties involved. We should wait until Nozomu-kun is ready
to talk.)
“…………..
What's wrong, Mars?”
Nozomu
talked to me just as I was reminded not to bring it up, so I couldn't say
anything.
It
may have been exactly as Tima said. After I listened to Ena's story at that
time, I could understand that it was something I shouldn't force Nozomu to talk
about. Above all, I wanted him to say it himself.
"...
No, it's nothing"
"...?"
I
walked past Nozomu’s side, who was tilting his head, and walked toward the
classroom. I felt that the weird feeling inside my chest, which hadn’t
disappeared, had grown slightly bigger.
=====================================
The
1st classroom, 3rd year.
Today,
the students here weren’t moving. They were spending their time in the
classroom until the teacher in charge came.
A
pair of men and women were talking face to face in a corner of the classroom.
Smiles were on their faces, and even from the side, everyone could feel the
friendship between the two.
The
two were figures that everyone knew.
One
was a beautiful girl with red hair and a charming smile. Lisa Hounds. The other
one was a handsome blonde boy. Lisa's lover, one who’d reached A rank, which
was only numbered five in 3rd year. It was Ken Notice.
"Lisa,
would you like to go to the commercial district this holiday? "
"Yes,
it's okay, but... did something good happen? It seems like you've been in a
good mood since the morning..."
Ken
was inviting Lisa to go on a date.
He
had the usual gentle smile, but to Lisa, he seemed to have an unusual smile on
his face.
"Well,
yesterday my long-standing worries have disappeared. I think it's because of
that."
His
smile was slightly distorted.
(Finally,
I got rid of Nozomu, and I'm sure he'll be gone...)
Ken
felt ecstatic from the feeling of freedom due to the disappearance of the
shackles called Nozomu.
But
his release from the shackles also meant that what was holding back his dark
inner side had disappeared.
It
was true that Ken's face was clear and, coupled with his neat appearance, he
had a very attractive smile when viewed from the side. Unfortunately, after
completely beating his former best friend, that smile began to become a
distorted smile. It was created by the negative thoughts that had been stuck in
the depths of his heart for many years.
"Is
that so……"
"??Lisa,
what's wrong?"
"U-Umm.
It's nothing. It seems that I’m just imagining things..."
However,
his smile, which was ugly and distorted, was naturally concealed with his
acting skills. This way, he deceived everyone over the years. It also deceived
his best friend and lover.
The
discomfort within Lisa immediately disappeared.
No,
she deliberately turned her eyes away.
(Now
there's no one in my way anymore. I'm the only one next to Lisa...)
Ken
hadn't noticed yet. His smile, which had deceived everyone, was different from
before and was gradually beginning to be distorted by the overflowing darkness
inside.
Lisa
hadn't yet noticed the fact that she avoided the discomfort she was feeling,
leading to anxiety building up inside.
Both
of them hadn’t noticed yet. Gradually, their gears were already starting to
spin out of control.
