Chapter 5 Part 4
Translator : PolterGlast
Proofreader : John4891
Iris'
POV
"...
Uh~"
I
could see nothing but pitch black, yet I regained consciousness and groaned.
"This
is … the infirmary?"
When
I opened my heavy eyes and looked around, I saw a familiar setting. It was
Solminati Academy’s infirmary. I was laid down on a bed of pure white sheets.
My long black hair was thrown over the sheets.
My
uniform coat had been taken off, and it was hung on the clothes rack next to
me. Maybe it was a hindrance to the medical examination.
"Are
you awake? Irisdina-kun"
"Norn-sensei
..."
Norn
Altina, who was the teacher in charge of the infirmary, called out to me when I
woke up.
"You
had a match against Lisa in a mock battle in practical lessons, and
simultaneously attacked and knocked each other out, so you were brought
here."
I
finally remembered why I am here.
(Yeah,
I fought Lisa, talked to her, and my rapier was blown away by her rage ...)
Touching
my waist gently caused a throbbing pain.
"You
received a blow on your waist, but there is no abnormality in your bones. It's
a little swollen now, but I think it will get better soon; however, if the pain
persists, go to the doctor. "
"……
Okay"
Norn-sensei
told me the results of the examination, but I was in a daze.
I
wanted to know him. I wanted to help him.
So
I approached Lisa, but in the end, I couldn't do anything.
“…………….”
I
felt depressed and my face naturally turned downwards. I was sad that I was
unable to help solve the situation between Nozomu and her.
"...
But, just as Anri said, Nozomu is starting to change."
"Eh?"
"Until
last year, he didn't even try to talk to anyone at school. Anri said he was
always alone, and once class was over, he went home and trained in the
forest."
I
knew he wasn't very well-liked by students at the school, but I never would’ve
thought that he didn't even have someone to talk to.
"It's
dangerous to enter the forest alone, so Anri was very worried about him, but he
didn't seem to want to stop; however, Nozomu's behavior has changed since the
end of last year."
(Surely,
at that time ...)
It
was around the time when he could release his Ability Suppression.
I
thought Norn-sensei knew something, so I listened to her words.
"Especially
since at the beginning of this year, he started laughing at school too."
(...
He starts laughing ...)
Those
words warmed my heart a little. I was happy to think that I was able to help
him even a little.
"Hmm?
Should I clear the rumors?"
"Eh?"
Just
as Norn-sensei surprised me with her words, the infirmary doors opened and
people came in.
"Excuse
me"
"Sorry
for cutting in~~"
"Nozomu,
Tima, Mars, and even Somia too ..."
The
people who came in were my friends I knew well. I could even see Somia who
should’ve been at Ecross.
"...
A-Are you okay? Ai"
"Are
your injuries alright? Ane-sama"
"I
met Tima on my way to buy lunch and heard that Iris was injured. Somia-chan,
who came to eat lunch with me, also joined too ... Are you alright? "
Everyone
came to the side of the bed.
Tima
and Somia looked at my face with worried eyes, and Nozomu explained why Somia
was here with a bitter smile behind them, but like Somia, he was also worried
about me.
"Y-Yeah.
I-I'm alright."
The
fact that he cared about me made my heart warmer and put me in good spirits,
but when I tried to tell those who were worried that I was alright, my mouth
trembled and I couldn't speak properly.
"Well,
it looks like your injuries will be alright, and your friends have come to
visit. So, let's have lunch for the time being."
"Ai,
here."
With
Norn-sensei's suggestion, Tima took out the package and presented it to me. It
was my lunch that I left in the classroom.
"Thank
you, Tima"
When
I received the lunch box, the infirmary door opened again and Anri-sensei came
in with a big smile. She held her lunch box in her hand.
"Norn
~~ Let's have lunch ~~. Oh, so Nozomu-kun and the others are already here
~"
"Hello,
Anri-sensei"
After
confirming that Nozomu was in the infirmary, she came with a lunch box in her
hands. Her smile seemed to shine even more.
"E~h?
Who is this child?"
Anri-sensei
tilted her head when she saw Somia by my side. By the way, Somia had never met
Anri-sensei before.
"N-Nice
to meet you! My name is Somiliana Francilt. Thank you for always helping my
sister!"
Somia
greeted Anri-sensei and Norn-sensei for the first time.
Yes,
yes. As an older sister, I became proud of my reliable little sister figure.
"So,
c-cute ~~~!"
"Mugyu!"
(sfx for hugging tightly)
Anri-sensei
hugged my little sister since she couldn’t overcome Somia's cuteness.
Anri-sensei,
I understood your feelings. Sometimes I wanted to hug her too, but please
restrain yourself.
"Hey
hey, Anri. I understand your feelings, but Somia seems to be suffering, so let
her go. Anyway ... I see, are you that Somia?"
"Umm
... Do you know me?"
"Hmm,
that arm decoration, isn't it what Nozomu-kun gave you? I was watching him
making a present for you. That said, he was in the middle of making it, so I
haven’t seen the finished product yet. Can you show it to me for a
moment?"
"~!
W-Wait, Norn-sensei!?"
"Y-Yes!
Here you go!"
Nozomu
made a surprised yelp in response to Norn-sensei's request, but Somia smiled
and showed her arm decorations to Norn-sensei.
"He~e,
it's well done. And this is the Orient bell. It's used for festivals and
amulets in the eastern countries."
"It's
not a good craft ..."
"That's
not the case, Nozomu-san! I was very happy to receive this!"
"That's
right, Nozomu-kun. Feelings are the most important thing. You put your feelings
for Somia in this gift, and Somia accepted it. It's important to channel your
feelings of care for her through that gift. Sure, it may not be as good as the
crafts made by first-class craftsmen, but in terms of feelings, it is more
valuable to Somia than what other craftsmen make, and your feelings are
conveyed to her."
Somia
agreed, nodding to Norn-sensei's words. Of course, the arm ornament made by
Nozomu resembled the arm ornament Somia used to wear.
The
arm ornament that Somia used to wear was a tool to take Somia's soul, but for
Somia, who had been feeling lonely without her mother, it was one of the things
that solidifed her family ties. In fact, after that incident, she was looking
at her arm with a slightly sad face until Nozomu gave her that arm ornament.
The
arm ornament never left Somia's body, even when she was sleeping and taking a
bath.
In
that sense, Nozomu's feelings must've been properly conveyed to Somia.
I
was being healed by Somia’s happy smile, looking at her arm ornament. On the
other hand, I honestly felt a little jealous of her.
"...Hey
Mars-kun, what's going on? You seem a bit strange ..."
"E,
uh, What's wrong?"
When
I heard Tima's words and looked at Mars, he stood up with a dazed facial
expression.
"Well,
Umm..."
Mars-kun
was trying to say something in front of Tima. Tima was tilting her head, trying
but failing to understand what was going on in his head too.
"Well,
Mars is kind of in a bad mood today."
"...
Eh! Mars-kun, are you okay?"
With
a single sentence from Nozomu, Tima stared at Mars with a surprised voice.
"Ah,
no. Nothing of the sort."
"Speaking
of which~~, Mars was doing something unusual during the morning class. He tried
to use both Qi and magic at the same time, but it didn't work out well."
"Wha!
Wha!"
"Mu
~~! Mu ~~!"
Mars,
who heard Anri-sensei's words, tried to shut her up in a hurry. I knew he
learned about magic with Tima recently, but was that what he was practicing?
"It
is impossible to use Qi and magic at the same time! Mars-kun, you are trying to
do something very difficult. Since the power used by magic and Qi is very
different, you should decide to use only magic or Qi. Otherwise, the difficulty
increases dramatically ... "
That
was true.
Since
it required a high level of skill, one had to be well trained to be able to use
it in mock battles.
Before
coming to this school, Tima didn’t have high expectations due to her
overwhelming magical power; therefore, she was reluctant to use new or powerful
magic, especially when it came to magic control.
Her
magic power was too great, so it was difficult for her to use magic stably.
"...
Perhaps, Mars-kun. Did you use that technique in a mock battle? Even though you
haven't executed the technique well in practice yet ..."
Tima
raised a sad voice. As I thought, Mars-kun seemed to have used a new technique
without adequate training.
"Chi~...
I'm the type of person who learns things easily with my body. I thought I could
get the hang of it if I used it in practice."
"...
But it's dangerous. If it accidentally runs wild ... It's going to be a
disaster!?"
Ever
since her childhood, others gave Tima cold-eyed stares because of her high
magical power. She avoided her magic running wild above all else.
More
than that, she didn't like it when Mars used the technique without consulting
her in advance.
"B-But
... the activation of the technique itself went well ..."
"But!
If you weren't good at handling it, Mars-kun might have been injured ... I
don't want that ..."
Tima's
voice became sorrowful. Tears overflowed in her eyes. She was about to start
crying.
"Uu
..."
“……………..”
Mars-kun,
who saw Tima's sorrowful appearance, thought it was really bad. He gave up the
argument and was at a loss for words.
"...
S-Sorry ..."
"...
No more doing reckless things?"
"I
won't."
"……
Un."
Tima
was looking up at Mars with tears in her eyes.
When
Mars-kun saw such a pure Tima, he couldn't be stubborn. He scratched his head
and turned his gaze away, but he obediently apologized.
"Now
now~! Let's have lunch~~! I'm hungry already~~!"
"...
Well, that's right. Shall we eat?"
Anri-sensei,
who offered they start eating, brightened the atmosphere, and Nozomu agreed, so
we each prepared lunch in our respective seats.
"Ane-sama!
Let's eat together!!"
"Okay,
Somia"
Somia
came to my side and spread out her lunch box. Maybe because she could eat with
everyone, she smiled 30% brighter than when she ate in the mansion. When I saw
it, my cheeks naturally loosened.
"...Mars-kun,
was your lunch box made by Hannah-san?"
"No,
this is made by the old man. The kitchen is managed by the old man. What about you?"
"...
T-This was made by my mom, but sometimes I make it myself ..."
"Hee,
it looks good."
Mars-kun
and Tima showed each other their lunch boxes. Looking at the two of them, they
were still awkward, but they didn't seem to care about the previous matter.
"Nozomu-kun~~.
So you bought bread again~~?"
"Well,
yes. To be honest, it's because it's cheap and easy to get..."
"But~.
It won't be enough~~. I'll split my share~~!"
"T-Thank
y... Why did sensei use the fork to give it to me!?"
"Here,
ah~~~~n"
Nozomu
and Anri-sensei were also showing each other their lunch, but for some reason,
Anri-sensei was trying to feed her lunch to Nozomu.
……
Somehow, I felt uneasy. My hand that was holding the fork naturally became
stronger.
"It's
too much! Also, It's more enjoyable for me to pick it up with my fingers!"
"Eh
~~ Fingers? I understand ~~~"
After
saying that, Anri-sensei tried to pick up the contents of her lunch box with
her fingers.
That
wasn’t the problem!! Why were you trying to pick it up with your fingers! Are
you possibly going to feed Nozomu that way?!!
"Wha,
do you really understand?! I just need to use my own fingers, not sensei's
fingers! Anri-sensei only needs to present the lunch!"
Nozomu
hurriedly picked up the contents of Anri-sensei's lunch box and threw it into
his mouth.
"Buu
~~. I tried to feed you ~~"
Anri-sensei
puffed out her cheeks because it didn't go as she expected.
Did
you intend to feed him after all?
I
was distracted by the hustle and bustle in front of me and completely forgot. I
wasn't the only one who fainted in that mock battle.
Norn-sensei,
who didn't join in our conversation, was facing the bed next to the bed I was
sleeping on.
==================================
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==================================
After
Nozomu and the others had finished eating lunch and returned to their
respective classrooms, Norn Altina remembered Lisa Hounds, the girl who had
been sleeping in the bed next to Irisdina.
"Nn~
..."
"Are
you awake?"
About
10 minutes before Irisdina woke up, Lisa woke up on her bed.
"...
Is this the infirmary?"
"That's
right. Do you know why you are here?"
"……Yes"
Lisa's
consciousness was clear, and she answered Norn's question without a problem.
"I
see. For now, I've examined your body. You have a bruise formed by a magic
bullet fired into your stomach. It might hurt a little, but it will heal in a
few days. If the pain persists, see a doctor."
Norn
spoke about the results of the examination, but Lisa's gaze fluttered as if she
was worried about another person next door.
"Are
you worried about her? Well, based on the examination, she is alright. She'll
be in pain for a few days like you, but she'll get better soon."
"Is
that so …"
Norn,
who saw Lisa's uneasy behavior, told her that Irisdina was still sleeping, and
she decided to aske a more in-depth question to Lisa.
"...
Is it Irisdina who you are worried about, or is it that boy?"
"…
What do you mean?"
Lisa's
facial expression grew more intense. Her nature and gaze became sharp even
though it was rude to her superiors. Lisa couldn't stop her own violent
emotions from rising from the depths of her chest.
"Nothing
in particular, but Irisdina has been really worried about Nozomu-kun lately.
Well, what she did is somewhat meddlesome."
Norn
implicitly talked about Nozomu's rumor.
"...
I don't want to talk about it. All I can say is that he's the worst ....
Honestly, I don't want to remember him anymore."
"……
Is that so"
Lisa
answered Norn's question with a bitter gaze. Maybe because she didn’t want to
touch on the topic of Nozomu anymore, she shifted her gaze out of the window
and got up from the bed.
Her
attitude clearly said that she was not willing to speak anymore, and Norn
didn't pursue her any further.
Heavy
air was flowing in the infirmary for a while, but when the sound of knocking on
the door resounded, the heavy air dispersed, and two students came after the
knocking sound.
One
of them was Ken Notis who was now Lisa's lover. The other was Lisa’s best
friend, Camilla.
"Norn-sensei.
How is Lisa's condition?"
Ken
asked Norn about Lisa's condition in a polite tone, so Norn stated that there
was no problem.
She
clearly described Lisa's condition, but her gaze towards Ken was somewhat
sharp.
"She
has a bruise on her abdomen. She will be in pain for a few days, but that's
okay."
"Thank
you very much. Lisa, let's go."
"Yes.
Thank you very much, Norn-sensei."
Ken
and Lisa thanked Norn for her treatment, but Lisa left the infirmary with a
displeased facial expression caused by the previous exchange, and she was
followed by the other two.
Norn
confirmed that the three of them had disappeared behind the door. She sighed
loudly.
"...
Good grief. This seems to be difficult."
Norn
was slightly aware of what was happening between Nozomu, Lisa, and Ken, but she
decided to remain as a spectator and watch over them until the end.
The
three of them were still her important students, so she was still anxious about
it.
She
wanted to know Lisa's true intentions, so she implicitly asked her about
Nozomu, but it was a topic she didn't want to touch and was still completely
rejected.
"However,
was she aware?"
Still,
Norn had learned something from Lisa's behavior.
Norn
opened the window and looked up at the sky. The warm sunlight shone inside, and
the still slightly chilly early spring breeze pushed the stagnant air that
remained in the room away. It was like erasing the traces of her previous
conversation with Lisa.
"Lisa-kun.
The opposite of love is neither hate nor hatred you know ..."
The
princess, who was still asleep, didn't notice the words Norn mumbled and was
drowned by the spring breeze.