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.