[Teaser] DCO Chapter 5 Part 9

  TEASER CHAPTER 5 PART 9

“……… U~a!”

 

Early morning in Solminati Academy Boys' Dormitory.

The owner of this room, who was usually woken up by the rising sun shining through the window, woke up from another nightmare.

His complexion was pale like a sick person, and his clothes were drenched in greasy sweat from all over his body, which clung to his body.

 

"Ugh~ !!"

 

He, Nozomu Bountis, rushed to the washroom while holding his mouth from the feeling of nausea and the unpleasant feeling of the sticky shirt caused by the nightmare he had just seen, and washed his face with cold water.

 

"... Fuh~"

 

He removed the clothes that were clinging to his body and wiped his body with a wet towel. His complexion was getting better.

However, there were clear dark circles under his eyes, and it could be seen that he was not resting at all.

 

(...Recently, the interval between one nightmare and another is getting shorter)

 

Nozomu thought about the nightmare while holding his head down, which was throbbing and aching due to lack of sleep.

Usually, he had a bloody red dream about once a week, but recently the interval has become shorter and clearer, and it surely eroded and exhausted Nozomu's mind and body.

 

(What should I do? If this continues....)

 

Nozomu's heart grew impatient.

 

(Should I tell Iris and the others about me being a dragonslayer? But…)

 

Talking to Iris and the others might ease his anxiety a bit.

What comes back to Nozomu's mind is the scene where he slaughtered the Cyclopes in the forest.

At that time, Nozomu was definitely swallowed up by his anger, but he still used the dragonslayer's power by his own accord.

The anger, resentment, and hatred that he had tried not to notice, but certainly existed.

He was willing to slaughter his enemies just to vent.

 

" !! "

 

Because he remembered that, Nozomu became hesitant to tell Iris and the others about his dragonslayer power.

He had too much power in him. He had been shown what would happen if his powers spiraled out of control and turned towards his friends.

And the fear that they might reject him if they found out what he was doing in the forest weighed on him.

Tiamat kept running wild inside him, and he who kept running away from it. The fear of rejection was intricately intertwined, and the exhausted Nozomu couldn't do anything anymore.

Still, Nozomu wore his uniform, and while he was holding his bag, he left the room and headed for school.

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Dragon Chain Ori : Ch 5 Part 8

Chapter 5 Part 8

Translator : PolterGlast

Proofreader : John4891

In the afternoon of the holiday, Nozomu and his friends had lunch at Ushitotei and rested for a while after training at the outer edge in the morning.

Originally, they had no plans for today's training; however, because of Feo, they didn't have time to train yesterday. As a result, Nozomu and his friends gathered and trained again today.

Surprisingly, Ena wasn’t with them. She joined them when there were no customers in the shop, but right now, the seats at Ushitotei were filled with people eating lunch in the afternoon, and the hardworking girl was still busy with her job, serving customers.

Mars also tried to help, but Ena said, "You've been training, so have a good rest before helping me." Now, he was taking a break.

 

"Even so, it was quite bad this time, right Nozomu?"

"Ahaha ... Well yea~h. I've always felt his strange gaze, and I was wondering what his intentions were, but his reason was completely interest-oriented, and that alone caused such a fuss ..."

 

Nozomu answered Mars' words with a dry laugh.

 

"Sure, the Fox Tribe is known to be pretty capricious, but I've never seen such a lively Feo before."

"If you're worried about it, you have to ask me thoroughly.

 

Tom, who was in the same class as Feo, reiterated the difference between the Feo that dueled Nozomu and the Feo that they knew at school.

Feo, who was by his side, was scratching his head with a shady smile on his face.

 

"But, I don't think challenging him so suddenly is a good thing to do. If you want to get to know Nozomu, you should talk to him and become his friend."

"Well, it's a bit shameful to say this, but there are skills where I'm a little lacking in ..."

 

However, he was reflecting on it now. With Irisdina's harsh words, Feo awkwardly let his gaze drift in the air.

 

"... By the way, Feo, I want to ask something."

"Hmm? What is it?"

 

As Shīna opened her mouth as if she remembered something, Feo turned his gaze toward her.

 

"... Why are you here?"

“………………”

“………………”

 

The air froze in an instant.

As far as they remembered, Feo didn't come to train in the morning.

Nonetheless, he was sitting next to Nozomu's chair before they knew it.

 

"What? Why can't I be here?"

"Why you say?..."

 

Shīna asked Feo why he was here, but he asked her back and she was perplexed by his words.

 

"Well, I've received my punishment, right?"

"... I don't think that's the place for me to say ..."

"Well, isn't it alright? Sure, I think he's repented ..."

 

Feo made an excuse one way or another, but Nozomu accepted it because he had no particular reason to chase him away

The other members were surprised, but they didn't seem to disagree with Nozomu's decision. They probably already understood Nozomu's personality.

Although Feo seemed to be causing quite an uproar, there was no malice or harm. He was hard to understand because of his childlike behavior, but oddly enough, he didn’t direct any ill will towards Nozomu.

 

"Speaking of which, it's about time for *SITC*."

"Ah. Is that why the inside of the classroom has been tense lately?"

 

*SITC* is an abbreviation for Special Integrated Training Class, which is a special class that will be held in the near future.

 

Usually, students of each class were trained separately, but this class was held by gathering students from the same year regardless of the class difference.

This training was held over two days, and each student formed a party and earned points while performing various missions in the designated area.

On the first day, parties could only be formed within the same class to handle each mission, and from the second day, parties could be freely formed regardless of class.

The contents of the mission varied, such as escorting a designated object or person, defeating a specific training target, finding and securing a designated object, etc.

However, what was different about this training was that it was allowed to interfere with other parties.

If it was an escort mission, points would be given to the party that succeeded in obstructing the escort, and defeating a specific training target or finding a designated object was on a first-come-first-served basis.

Of course, there would be battles between parties here and there, but if they lost and became incapable of fighting, they would lose all the points they had gained so far.

What's more, the points they had when the special training ended would be reflected in their grades, so everyone would fight desperately to protect the points they had earned.

 

"... Yes. Haven't you been told a long time ago?"

"Sorry~ ... I totally forgot about it. Ahahaha ..."

 

Feo tried to cover it up by laughing while scratching his head.

It seemed impossible that one would forget a class that directly reflected his grades, but in this boy's case, his gaze was always fixed on what he was interested in, and that was what he just did. Everyone in this place who knew about it couldn't help but sigh at the same time.

 

"... In other words, on the first day, Nozomu and I are enemies."

"Yeah. The party on the first day is formed in the same class, so we will be inevitably divided into three groups."

 

The eyes of the two maidens were directed to Nozomu.

Within their gazes, Nozomu could feel an enthusiasm that didn’t match their dignified beautiful appearances. Spontaneous shivers ran down Nozomu's spine.

Even though they deserved to be called flowers, they were still Solminati Academy students and were gradually starting to gain their presence as first-class warriors.

 

"... Please be gentle with me."

"No, I'll be serious. I think I should be ready to face you as my enemy."

"That's right. I rarely have opportunities like this, so I'll do my best to fight you."

"Ahahaha ....."

 

Nozomu made a slight appeal to the girls, who were fully motivated, going as far to make a declaration of war, but he couldn't calm them down. Instead, he was completely swallowed up by their momentum and could only let out a dry laugh.

In a sense, the two were looking forward to fighting Nozomu, but Irisdina suddenly spoke to Nozomu as if she remembered something.

 

"Nozomu, that was for the first day, but what about the second day?"

"Eh?"

"Hmm, about the second day. There are no restrictions when forming a party on the second day ..."

 

Certainly, on the second day, there would be no class restrictions on recruiting party members.

However, Nozomu had very few friends, so he could only think of inviting Mars for the second day.

 

"Um, that. If you'd like, we ..."

"Ah~!!"

 

Irisdina called out to Nozomu to invite him. Shīna made a panicked voice when she heard it, but Irisdina couldn't care less about Shīna and kept trying to speak her mind.

 

"Hey, Nozomu. Why don't you do it with me !?"

"Team up ... eh?"

 

However, just as Irisdina was trying to convey her words, her voice was suddenly crushed by Feo's loud voice speaking to Nozomu from the side.

Both Shīna and Irisdina, who were overtaken by Feo, were dumbfounded by the sudden development.

 

"Eh? With Feo?"

"That's right! I have been listening to your conversation story, so why don't you team up with me this time? Even if I look like this, I can do various things, and as far as I can see based on your movements during our duel, I don’t think that our compatibility is bad! "

"Well, I think it's good enough ..."

 

Certainly, there was no limit to the number of people who could join a party, and he knew that Feo's abilities were quite reliable.

Nozomu was about to refuse, but he had no choice but to accept it.

Because there was a lot of pressure that he could feel from the side. The pressure was comparable to that of a dragon.

Nozomu felt cold sweat running down his back, but Feo wasn't the cause of the pressure. The ones who caused it were...

 

"Yess! It's been decided. Then for the second day ... Hmm? Why do you two have such scary faces?"

 

Feo finally noticed Shīna and Irisdina were staring at him.

 

“………… No, it's nothing”

"Yeah ... Nothing."

"Hmm, is that so? Then! Nozomu, let's meet again at the school~~"

 

Feo, who had just said what he wanted to say, quickly left the shop after that. Whether he was aware of the pressure of the two, or whether he was deliberately ignoring it. Surely it was like a tornado or a storm that came to lay waste and destroy, and it was Nozomu who took the blow.

 

"Um ... What's wrong with both of you?"

"... Does it even matter?"

"Well, you don't have to worry about it because it doesn't matter anymore."

"Ummmm……"

 

Nozomu curled himself up in response to their absolute zero gazes.

He tried to shake off the cold atmosphere, and he spoke his mind with the last of his energy.

 

"U-ummm... Both of you. Would you like to team up with me on the second day?"

"No need. Aren't you glad? There's already someone you can rely on."

“……………..”

 

The black-haired girl refused Nozomu's request with just one sentence. That overly critical mental attack crushed Nozomu's heart, but he managed to withstand it. Nozomu dropped his shoulders and fell onto the table.

Maybe because Shīna wasn't too interested in his request either, she pierced him with a cold gaze like how she used to be.

He didn't mind having Feo at the party as there was no limit to the number of people at the party, but apparently, both of them did.

 

"Ha~a ... Nozomu-san, what were you doing ..."

 

Somia leaked a sentence, converting her amazement at Nozomu’s pitifulness.

Nozomu looked at Shīna. As far as he could see from her attitude, he thought she would also reject him …

 

"…… Alright"

"... Eh!?" 

"... Ha!?"

 

Nozomu and Irisdina were taken aback by Shīna's words.

Because of her attitude, Nozomu and Irisdina thought that Shīna would refuse his invitation.

 

"I told you. I'll join your party. I thought I could leave the vanguard to you … What? If you're not satisfied with me, then forget about it."

 

Nozomu shook his head in a hurry.

 

"Then it's decided."

“…………..”

 

Shīna softened her expression, she was in a good mood because of Nozomu's approval, but in contrast, Irisdina's gaze towards Nozomu was as cold as a frigid icy wave.

 

"... Ha~a"

 

Somia, who was watching the situation from the side, was amazed by the two helpless people, and she could only sigh.

At that moment, Mars stood up.

 

"... Sorry, I remembered there was something I needed to do. That's why I went out for a bit. Ena, I'll be back around dinner to help out with the store ..."

"Ah~! Wait a minute, Onīchan!?"

 

Mars just said a word and left the store without saying anything further.

When he left the store, he had a troubled expression on his face and said nothing to Ena when she called out to him.

 

"... What happened to Mars?"

"Who knows"

"... Ah, s-sorry everyone. I also remembered something to do..."

 

When Nozomu and the others were wondering what happened, Tima also hurriedly left the store as if she remembered something.

 

"What happened? Even Tima-san too ..."

"... Well, it's alright. Maybe she left something at the school yesterday so she went to get it. "

 

While everyone was wondering what was going on, only Hannah, who was listening while working at the counter with Irisdina, nodded with a convincing expression.

After that, their gathering was immediately disbanded, but in the end, Irisdina remained cold towards Nozomu from beginning to end.

 

==================================== 

 

 

Mars' POV

 

After I parted ways with Nozomu and the others, I arrived at the outer edge where everyone trained in the morning.

As soon as I arrived at the outer edge, I pulled out the greatsword on my back, swung it, and started warming my body up.

 

"Fu~! Ha~! Zea"

 

I swung the greatsword down from above at once. I immediately turned it around and launched a reverse slash, and with that momentum, I turned my body while swinging the greatsword.

While continuing to swing the sword, I gradually increased my speed and swiftly moved my body accordingly.

Every time I swung my greatsword, the wind roared, and the torn air swept through my hair.

The sun high in the sky shone mercilessly, and I still continued to swing my sword with all my might.

The wind, which had just stroked my hair, gradually became stronger, and finally, my swing began to produce wind comparable to a gust of wind.

Eventually, the wind blew away the sweat that had appeared on my forehead and pushed the grass growing on the ground down with just the pressure.

 

"Haa! Haa! Haa ..."

 

I didn't know how long I'd been swinging my greatsword, but eventually, I started to run out of breath and my speed gradually slowed down.

I once again swung my greatsword. I swung it towards the ground, but just as the sword was about to hit the ground, I exerted all the muscles in my entire body to stop the falling sword.

The greatsword that was being swung stopped its movement as it almost hit the ground, and instead, the wind generated by the pressure of the greatsword blew up and ran along the ground.

 

"Haa, haa, haa ... fu~u ..."

 

I exhaled to lift my lowered sword up and prepared for my next move. I wielded the greatsword once again with a Seigan-no-Kamae form.

While slowly sending my Qi into the greatsword, I released my magical power at the same time.

Qi and magical power. While feeling two different powers at the same time, I activated the Qi technique [Dust blade]. The wind generated by the Qi began to swirl around the greatsword like a vortex, and eventually, the greatsword was enveloped by the wind blade.

Furthermore, while I put magical power into the greatsword to pass through the center of the wind vortex, at the same time, I chanted enhancement magic. I applied enhancement magic to the blade of the greatsword.

The greatsword gradually glowed with the magical power infused into the blade, but after a while, the wind that enveloped the blade of the greatsword began to sway irregularly after the magical power was infused into it.

 

"Kuh!"

 

Immediately, I tried to recover the unstable Qi, but this time the magical power contained in the blade fluctuated, and the magic power became unstable.

 

"Damn!! ... Uwa!!"

 

I tried to pour magical power in a hurry, but it was too late, and the enhancement magic I applied was scattered. The magical power scattered in the air interfered with the Qi technique [Dust Blade].

The unstable Qi technique was unable to maintain its shape, and the blades of wind spread to the surroundings. It cut through the surrounding vegetation indiscriminately and carved wounds on my body.

 

"Guh~ !!"

 

I suppressed my voice while holding back the pain that ran through my body.

The wound itself was not deep and barely bled, but more than the wound, regret and frustration increased the impatience in the depths of my heart.

 

"Damn!"

 

This didn't go well.

I was about to use Qi and magic at the same time.

It all started when I met Nozomu and Irisdina.

I thought that even if there was an enemy who used magic, I would be able to defeat him by slashing him before he used his magic, and I thought that I could handle the magic if I had enough Qi.

While I was encountering an enemy that I couldn’t reach with my own strength, I came to realize that Nozomu and Irisdina were stronger than me.

As a result of deep thinking, I came up with the idea of ​​using magic to make me stronger.

If all went well, I would be able to think of the magic that I rarely used as my new powers, and not only would I get the "sword of my own" that I'd been yearning for, but I'll have had more ways to fight in every sense.

However, I couldn't see any signs of improvement in the combination of Qi and magic. 

I desperately struggled to keep up with Nozomu who was running ahead of me, but only impatience continued to grow within me. I felt like I was drowning in a bottomless swamp.

 

"~ !! Once again!!"

 

I gritted my teeth in regret, but I stood up once again.

I hadn't treated my wound. As I wielded my greatsword and tried to use the technique one more time, I heard a familiar voice at that moment.

 

"Haa, haa. Mars-kun ... You were here after all ..."

"You ……"

 

It was Tima who was supposed to be in the store with Nozomu and the others.

Maybe because she was running, her face was slightly red, and she put her hand on her chest to get rid of her rough breathing.

Seeing that figure, I felt my heart skip a beat.

 

"... Why did you come here?"

"A ……"

 

I was embarrassed to see her, so I turned my eyes away from her.

I asked her a question in a blunt tone.

A little lonely voice leaked from Tima's mouth, and when I heard it, I also felt pain in my chest.

 

"Umm ... Mars-kun, I thought you'd practice that technique again, so I was wondering if I could help a little ..."

"You don't need to do that ..."

 

Knowing she was worried about me, I was embarrassed and happy at the same time

However, since my training didn't go well, I took out my frustration on Tima, who was only worried about me. I knew that wasn’t the kind of attitude I should’ve given to her by any means.

 

“B-but, Mars-kun, you are injured … you need treatment first …”

"... Chi"

 

With such an attitude, Tima was scared but she did not stop worrying about me.

Her gaze was directed at my wound which was made by the previously unsuccessful technique. She looked as if she was the one who had suffered the injury.

Eventually, I gave up and casually presented my injured arm to Tima.

 

"Wait a minute ..."

 

Maybe because she was relieved that I was willing to be treated, Tima started chanting healing magic with a slightly gentle expression.

Light overflowed from her hands, enveloping my body. The tingling pain disappeared, and the wound gradually began to close.

I was impressed by her dexterity. She was said to have a hard time controlling her magical power, but she was still a lot better than me.

 

"... You're good"

"Th-That's not true! I'm nothing compared to Ai ..."

 

She said, "That's not true," in a hurry. Perhaps Tima's magic control wasn't as bad as Tima herself thought.

 

"... Um, Mars-kun. Why are you so impatient ... I don't understand ..."

“………….”

"I think you're a little too hasty. Isn't it fine to train a little slower?"

 

Tima simply voiced her thoughts.

It wasn’t that I didn't understand what she was saying. I hadn't been able to control the combination of Qi and magic, and the success rate was only about 10%, so it was just a fluke that I succeeded in the mock combat the other day.

 

“………….”

 

I knew that Tima would say that.

Due to the immense magic power that she was born with, Tima had been struggling to control her magical power.

I didn't know what happened to her in the past, but if I looked at her power and how she was scared of her surroundings, at least I might have been able to guess that she was still worried about her own power.

 

"... The treatment is over, right? Then, please step back a bit. I'll do it one more time."

"Mars-kun ..."

 

The impatience swirling within my heart easily blocked out my thoughts of my technique still being "premature", and I wielded my greatsword once again.

Although my chest hurt a little, I was driven by the craving and impatience of wanting to catch up with him, so I couldn't hear Tima's words anymore.

 

=================================== 

 

 

Arcazam Administrative District.

At the Francilt Mansion, the owner of the mansion, Irisdina, and her sister, Somiriana, were having dinner; however, the situation was different from usual.

Their appearance, while eating food prepared by first-class chefs that gracefully lined up in front of them, was full of elegance that only a “chosen one” could have; however, it seemed that the mood in the dining room was somehow tense. The maids, who refrained from being near them, also had stern expressions as they were exposed to such an atmosphere.

The one who created such a tense atmosphere was Irisdina Francilt, the owner of the mansion.

Irisdina's POV

 

“…………”

 

I was silently moving the knife and fork I had in my hand.

I usually talked to Somia about what happened at Ecross, what happened at Solminati, talked about what I enjoyed on holidays, and had a good meal. However, I'd been frustrated by what happened at Ushitotei today.

Although I was still young, I was the next head of the Francilt Family. Due to that responsibility, I never had misconduct nor did I expose disgraceful behavior.

Yes, I just thought about something in my own heart ...

 

"Umm, Ane-sama. Did you want to team up with Nozomu-san that badly?"

"Buh~ !!"

 

I was taken back by Somia's words and suddenly exposed my disgraceful behavior.

 

"So, Somia. What are you saying so suddenly ..."

"Ane-sama has been in a bad mood since then. Your face is just like this."

 

While saying so, Somia lifted the outer corner of her eyes with her index fingers.

 

"Somia, your manners are bad. You're also from the Francilt Family ..."

"Ane-sama, don't change the subject"

 

I tried to protest the bad-mannered Somia, but Somia stared into my eyes, and I got stuck on words.

For a long time, I had been vulnerable to Somia's gaze staring straight at my eyes. The appearance of my younger sister seemed to arouse my desire to "protect" her. I always listened to whatever she said.

Even so, I tried to correct my words without looking at Somia's eyes, which were staring at me, so as not to expose my disgraceful behavior.

 

"What are you talking about? I'm not in a bad mood ..."

"You're in a bad mood. Everyone has been scared of Ane-sama since we came back today."

 

In the blink of an eye, Somia blocked my escape route.

Certainly, the mansion's maids, who saw me after returning, were strangely frightened, and several maids desperately tried to hold back their voices. I dared not think about it, and it was strangely painful to be pointed out this fact by my sister.

 

"Well, Nozomu-san was a little insensitive, but wasn't Ane-sama's response a little too cold?"

"Muu ..."

"Besides, Nozomu-san has already invited Ane-sama to his party, and wouldn't it be unwise to refuse? How will Ane-sama join his party now?"

"Guu~ ..."

 

Certainly, it was difficult to have a party with him as of now. Having refused so clearly, he might have already considered partying with another person.

Finally, I realized the facts that I previously dared not pay attention to, and I no longer groaned.

 

"... Haah ... Ane-sama should just apologize honestly, or is there still something to worry about?"

"That is ……"

 

It was the feelings of anxiety and dissatisfaction about Nozomu within me.

I felt anxiety about the bond that once existed between Nozomu and Lisa.

I felt dissatisfaction with Nozomu for hiding it within himself, and with myself for not being able to help at all.

How good it would have been if I could ask Nozomu straight away.

 

(I want Nozomu to tell me about himself)

 

It would have been so easy if I could convey those words to him.

Then I would have known more about him.

However, I was still hesitant to do it.

Talking to Norn-sensei in the infirmary before made me feel a little better, but still, it kept smoldering in my heart and didn't disappear.

Today, perhaps because the darkness in the depths of my heart made its way out, I vented it out on Nozomu at Ushitotei,

 

"So what are you going to do, Ane-sama? Invite Nozomu-san one more time?"

"That is ……"

 

The fire that was dormant in the depths of my chest began to burn again, and my heart was dyed with impatience.

Without being able to answer Somia's question, I had no choice but to continue asking myself questions that could not be answered in agony.

 

================================ 

 

 

A room in the women's dormitory.

There, two girls who had already changed into their nightwear were chatting on the bed.

 

Shīna's POV

 

"Hey, Shīna. What do you think of him?"

"Who do you mean by "him"?"

"Of course it's about Nozomu-kun. You seem to be interested in him!!"

 

Mimuru sinisterly smirked and grinned slightly.

Her face was like a demon ready to eat me. I had a slightly unpleasant premonition, but I was thinking about Nozomu again.

At first, perhaps because I believed in the rumors, it was accurate to say that my feelings for him were the worst, but the black demon beast incident changed that.

 

Outstanding sword skills, Qi control, and calm judgment.

Especially his Qi technique, it was possible for him to cut through the flexible and tough body of the black demon beast.

Even if one of my arrows pierced the surface, it couldn't penetrate the beast, and the skin couldn't be scratched without Mimuru and Tom's help. His skill was clearly beyond the reach of us students.

Even though I blindly believed the rumors and said bad things to him, he still came to my aid when I acted alone.

Given that, I know that he was a trustworthy person.

 

"I didn't have a good impression at first, but now it's different. I know his abilities and personality are completely different from the rumors, and I think I can believe him ..."

 

That was why I decided to team up with him on the special training.

I had no problem with his abilities and personality, and most importantly, I hardly ever teamed up with anyone other than Mimuru and Tom.

In the future, when I go reclaim my hometown, I think I would need the help of various people, so it was best to gain more experience before that.

 

When I remember my encounter with the black demon beast in the forest at that time, what came to my mind was Nozomu, who moved faster and more accurately than anyone else.

My position in that battle was the rearguard.

Being able to see the battle situation more broadly and send more accurate instructions to my friends would definitely be of great help to me and my friends.

That was why I wanted to know why Nozomu could make such an accurate decision.

 

"We~ll, I know about that. If Nozomu-kun gets serious, it would be dangerous."

 

When we were fighting the black demon beast, Mimuru and him were stalling the demon beast while I was in the process of contracting the spirit, so that I could use spirit magic.

I was restrained due to the process of spirit contract, and when the demon beast tried to stab me, he protected me.

Among the three of us there, Mimuru was the closest to witnessing his battle, so she also understood Nozomu's abilities.

 

In addition, there was also the time he had a one-on-one fight with Feo.

I thought Feo's abilities were high; however, at that time, Feo showed us that his abilities were definitely at a level that could compete even in 1st class, and if I thought about it normally, students belonging to 10th class would be defeated in just one hit.

Nozomu, on the other hand, fought well against Feo.

With that in mind, I could fully understand that Nozomu's actual combat ability was also comparable to 1st class … No, his sword skill and combat judgment were superior to that.

 

“Yup, if you fight Nozomu and you're not good at melee combat, you'll be defeated in no time. The surest thing is to use brute force and push it all at once, or defeat him with magic from a distance ... That's not it! What I want to talk about now isn’t about Nozomu-kun's abilities, but about Shīna's feelings!!"

"…… What do you mean?"

 

To be honest, I didn’t understand what Mimuru wanted to talk about.

 

"In other words! I wonder if you have romantic feelings with Nozomu-kun!?"

 

Romantic feelings …….

 

"... How is it?"

"Hmm? A lighter reaction than I expected"

"... What did Mimuru expect?"

 

Mimuru tilted her head because I had a different reaction than Mimuru expected.

Honestly, I also tilted my head ...

 

"You know. His face is stuck in your head! You can't sleep at night because your chest hurts! Don't you feel that way? Even today, when you tried to invite Nozomu, you were annoyed by Feo and got in a bad mood, right?"

"That was ……"

 

I was a little embarrassed when I thought about today, so I took my eyes off Mimuru and turned to the other side.

 

"... Honestly, I don't know what's going through your head. It's because I have nothing to do with it at all."

 

At that time, I was certainly in a bad mood, but when I was asked what I thought of him, I didn't understand either.

Of course, I also wanted to experience a relationship like that of Mimuru and Tom.

But until now, I only thought about revenge and reclaiming my hometown, so I wasn’t used to something like love and romance, and I wasn’t sure how I really felt.

 

"... Hmm. Is it too early to talk about it? Well, elves live for a long time, so they don't feel rushed to talk about it."

"…… Is that so?"

"Yup. Basically, you'll live a long life, so you don't seem too impatient about that; however, it's a different story when it comes to the person you decide from the bottom of your heart … Eh, why doesn't Shīna, who's an elf, know about that?"

"That's why. It would have been better to train than to do such a thing ..."

 

It couldn’t be helped. I’d never thought about that before.

Sure, I'd seen some people fall in love and get married, but I just thought about getting stronger, and I thought it would be more meaningful to train or read a book than to poke my head into someone else's love affair.

 

"What a musclehead ... Well, it can't be helped then. Each person has their own way of romance, and we don't know where to fall in love. When I first met Tom, I didn't think I would love him as much as I do now ... "

"... You didn't like Tom at first? How did you come to like him?"

"Hmm~, we~ll ... When I first met him, I thought, ‘Tom is such a petite and dull guy.’ He was always bullied by the boys around him because he wasn't strong enough, and at that time, I was also bullying Tom for fun ~ "

 

Mimuru spoke while staring at the ceiling of the room. It reminded her of the past, but somehow her expression was a little depressed.

She seemed regretful that she was bullying him. She was still immature back then.

 

"But Tom was studying hard and became able to do various things. Before I knew it, I started to chase after him ..."

 

She slowly talked about her encounter with Tom so as not to hurt the precious treasure that was stored deep inside her chest.

 

"When I realized it, I started thinking about Tom, and I couldn't help myself..."

 

When she was talking about her love story, she always had the face of a maiden in love, who was so charming that I couldn't think of her as the usual innocent and energetic girl.

 

"And right before coming to this school, Tom confessed ... I think that's when I realized I loved him, and then we started dating."

 

After saying that, her eyes turned towards me. Her eyes were shining more than ever.

 

"I see ……"

"Yup! I think Shīna will understand when you have someone you love. You want to be with that person for a long time, or you want to know about that person's feelings."

“…………”

"Well, but this is just how I feel, my love journey. Shīna should try to find your own love journey."

"... Does that reason always lead to falling in love?"

"Hmm? Not just love. Just like Feo who fought because he wanted to know more about Nozomu-kun."

"So that's why he attacked Nozomu-kun so suddenly? That's no better than attacking random people on the street, right?  Just because ‘he wanted to do that’? If that's the reason Nozomu-kun was attacked, then I can't stand it."

"Well, that's true ..."

 

"Generally speaking, how can you stay calm? When we met Tom in Central Park the other day, didn't you jump and hurt him when he just arrived at our meeting place? I know you wanted to be with him. I know you've been waiting for him, but in the end, it's not good if you hurt him."

"E-Eh? For some reason, the direction of our conversation changed ... Why are you preaching to me now?"

 

Are you listening?

She was probably moving instinctively, like "If you want something, act immediately!"

In addition, the moment she saw Tom, she immediately leapt on him.

…… I needed to talk a bit about that. About Feo, about Mimuru.

The beastman race, who Feo and Mimuru were from, were often easily carried away by their instincts.

 

I didn’t want my dearest friend to do such a thing.

If so, I should’ve talked to her properly. Mimuru wasn’t good at listening to something she wasn’t interested in, but if it was for her, I had to prepare my heart to become a demon for her.

In the end, the sermon continued for three hours, and Mimuru was finally released after the day had ended.

 

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