Chapter 5 Part 10
Translator : PolterGlast
Proofreader : John4891
Nozomu's
POV
In
front of the main gate after school, I met Somia for a date.
This
morning, the words she spoke shocked everyone who was there, and her sister,
Iris, was clearly upset and drew closer to her.
However,
Somia didn't care about her sister at all, and instead, she asked me,
"Nozomu-san, is it okay?"
Her
tone was polite, but I was swallowed up by the atmosphere, and I nodded
subconsciously.
Somia-chan,
who was the cause, simply said "Nozomu-san, please treat me well" and
then ran to the Ecross school building.
Those
of us who were left there were just dumbfounded, but Iris' condition was even
more terrible. She was completely petrified to the point that she was unaware
when Tima called and shook her body.
After
she snapped back to reality, she slowly turned around and put her hands on my
shoulders, then brought her face closer and said, "Don't make even the
slightest mistake," in a terrifying voice.
It
seemed comparable to the angry ShishÅ at that time, and I instinctively nodded
over and over again.
"...
Well, I know how Iris feels. It would be very upsetting to hear that her only
sister is going on a date with a man, especially since her only sister is the
most important thing she's known since she was a child."
By
the way, it had been a while since I dated. When I was dating Lisa, I wanted to
catch up to the talented Lisa and Ken, so I spent all my days training.
Of
course, I went on a date, but I didn't have many opportunities because I spent
my time training every day.
“…………….”
When
I thought back to those days, my chest ached. This always happened when I tried
to remember the past. I knew I couldn't go back to those days anymore, and I
wanted to scream "Why!!" to Ken and Lisa.
But
in the end, after the violent emotions had passed, I was always hit with
overwhelming loneliness and emptiness. Naturally, my hands stretched out to my
chest, and I squeezed my chest tightly as if scratching it.
"Nozomu-sa~n!
Thank you for waiting!"
As
I was engrossed in my thoughts on the past, Somia ran from the Ecross school
building and spoke in a loud voice.
She
was full of energy as usual. I didn’t think I had any particular feelings for
her, and maybe it was more like dating a friend than a lover or anything like
that.
"Haa
... haa ..., I'm sorry. Did I make you wait?"
"No,
not really. I just arrived as well."
She
must be in a hurry. A lot of sweat appeared on Somia's forehead. She might’ve
even been running with all her might.
I
took a handkerchief and wiped her sweat.
"I
don't think you need to be in such a hurry ..."
"T-Thank
you, but the time we can play together will be shorter."
Somia-chan
protested with a slightly dissatisfied face, probably because my answer was
unsatisfying.
"We~ll,
that's true. Well then, let's go."
"Yes!"
She
changed her dissatisfied expression into a smile and jumped into my arms with a
cheerful reply.
I
wondered if it was because I couldn’t help looking forward to the date, or if I
was influenced by Somia-chan who cheerfully grabbed my hand, but my gloomy
feelings until now disappeared, and my cheeks loosened.
The
only thing I was worried about were the multiple presences looking in our
direction from behind the school building, and they had been monitoring me
since I came in front of this main gate.
Besides,
the presence that I felt came from people I was familiar with.
(...
What are Iris and the others doing? In addition, there is also Feo's presence
behind them ...)
In
addition, Iris had been staring at me with bloodlust in her eyes since a while
ago.
Somia-chan,
who was next to me, was completely unaware that Iris and the others were
peeking. Perhaps the reason was that their gazes were only pinpointed at me.
"Is
there something wrong?"
"N-No,
it's nothing."
Somia,
who grabbed my arm, looked back with a face full of suspicion, but I tried to
speed up while pretending not to notice the presence behind me.
(...
I hope nothing bad is going to happen)
However,
the presence that I felt from behind wouldn’t disappear, and by confirming that
they started to move after us, my anxiety increased.
==============================
One
of the presences Nozomu felt.
At
that place, Somia's older sister, Irisdina, was watching the two who started
walking towards the city.
“…………”
"Hey
Ai, let's stop this ..."
“…………”
"...
Not yet. I can't hear them."
"Uu
……"
Tima
dropped her shoulders. Maybe Tima was troubled because Irisdina didn't have the
ears to listen to her best friend's words.
"If
you're so worried, why don't you just go with them?"
"Mars-kun,
I don't think that's a good idea. It's a girl's date..."
"Somia
told me, ‘Don't! Ane-sama!!’. So, I was refused ..."
"...
Then, I will follow your decision, Ai ... "
Tima
complained about Mars' insensitive remarks, but Irisdina also seemed to decide
to follow after Somia.
(Ai,
I know you're worried about Somia-chan, but that's too much… But, for what
reason is Mars-kun also following after those two dating alone …)
Tima
had no choice but to hold her head, feeling the headache of two people who were
misaligned.
Certainly,
for Irisdina, Somia was her beloved sister who she loved so dearly. Previously,
when the contract between the Francilt and Waziart Family led to Somia's soul
being snatched, she had prioritized her cute little sister over her own
household.
However,
given that the man was Nozomu, it was unclear if she was worried about her
sister dating a man, or the man himself.
Given
her personality, she probably didn't want to hurt Somia …
"...
Yup. Rather, are you worried about the man Somia-chan is dating?"
"……?
What do you mean?"
"U-Un!
N-Noth..."
"Ah~
!! "
"...
Eh?"
When
Tima, who was pondering her thoughts, tried to answer Mars' question in a
hurry, Irisdina's surprised voice was heard.
Tima
stopped what she was thinking, and when she looked beyond Irisdina's line of
sight, there was Somia pulling Nozomu's arm towards the city.
"I'm
going after them!"
"Eh?
Wait a minute, Ai! Wait!"
"O-Oi,
you guys!!"
Irisdina
started chasing Nozomu and Somia, and Tima and Mars hastily followed her, so as
not to fall behind.
However,
they didn’t notice the shadows behind them.
"...
It turned out to be interesting. I've never seen such a desperate expression on
the black-haired princess's face."
"Right!
She's so desperate. She's so cute!"
They
were Feo, Mimuru, and also Tom
Feo
and Mimuru were like curious spectators, and for a while now, they were smiling
happily while looking at Nozomu and Irisdina.
They
looked very suspicious, so it wouldn't have been strange for them to be
immediately reported to the military police, and Tom, who was forced to come
along with them, sighed while looking at the two of them.
"...
Both of them look so interesting."
"That's
natural! Watching Nozomu seems interesting, but the black-haired princess is no
less interesting!"
"In
that case, it's a good idea to watch over them from a position where we can see
both of them!"
"Watch
over them? What a nice word to use, but your true intentions are leaking
..."
What
Feo and Mimuru said was only 10% of their true intentions. Hearing that, Tom
tried to talk about 90% of their true intentions, but Tom was completely
ignored by the two, who were focused on Nozomu and Irisdina.
"...
Does Shīna agree with you doing something like this?"
Tom
had no choice but to use his trump card.
Both
Feo and Mimuru were well aware that a serious person like ShÄ«na couldn’t accept
such an act of peeking, and it was easy to imagine that she would be furious if
she found out about this.
Their
shoulders shook at Tom's words. Apparently, they were afraid of being caught by
Shīna.
"What
are you talking about? Do you think the straight-laced Shīna will forgive
this?"
"Y-Yes,
If this is found out by her, we will immediately apologize."
"...
So you two know very well what will happen if Shīna finds out, please stop what
you are doing now."
However,
in the end, Feo and Mimuru couldn't be stopped, and the two continued to peek.
They
knew that it would be a terrible thing if they were caught peeping, but they
didn't want to miss this opportunity. It could be said that they had to choose,
but with their beastman impulses being more dominant, they chose the latter.
"Oh~,
Somichi jumped into Nozomu's arm!"
"Oh,
she's so aggressive! The black-haired princess also let out such a terrific
bloodlust!"
"...
Do you two remember? It's almost time for special training, right?"
The
two couldn't help but get excited. Their ears no longer listened to Tom's
words.
"Hmm?
Well, that's true, but now the whole truth is in front of me!"
"Yes!
We are alive for this moment! It means that we are alive to run through the
thorny road in front of us with all our might!"
"...
Isn't that just your way of escaping reality?"
(Perhaps
Feo, did he know that this would happen, so he withdrew his training
appointment with Nozomu?)
The
suspicion that rose in Tom's chest made Feo look suspicious.
With
Tom's thoughts going elsewhere, the two beastmen fulfilled their desires as
much as their instincts desired.
"Mmm~!
Nozomu and the black-haired princess have begun to move! Let's follow
them!!"
"Yeah,
let's go!"
"Ha~a,
I don't know what to do anymore."
They
also started following Irisdina who started chasing after Nozomu.
====================================
"So
where should we go?"
"Ah,
actually, I have a store I want to visit!"
When
Nozomu asked Somia where to go, she seemed to already have a plan.
"Hee,
what kind of shop is it?"
"Looks
like it's a fortune teller. Recently I heard from everyone in class that it
worked out well."
"A
fortune teller ... Do you know where it is?"
"Yeah,
it looks like it's in a commercial area. I've asked the location before!"
Somia
said so and took out a folded piece of paper from her pocket. It looked like it
was a map of the store.
"Then,
let's go to that store first."
"Yes!"
Nozomu
was enticed by Somia's cheerful voice and smile, and his face naturally smiled.
It was his first heartfelt smile in a long time.
Then
he felt intimidation rising from the shadows behind.
(The
problem is everyone hiding behind ...)
Nozomu
sighed inwardly, and when he glanced behind himself, black hair similar to the
girl beside him was sticking out behind the signboard of a store.
Nozomu
could also see the handle of the staff and the large sword beside it. It seemed
that Mars and Tima were also there. In addition, a golden tail and a brown tail
could be seen in the shadow of the building behind it.
(...
Was it because of this that he canceled his training appointment?)
Just
like Tom, Nozomu wondered why Feo canceled their training.
His
suspicions about Feo were almost spot on. He knew that Feo did whatever he
found fun and because of that, he could get a little out of hand.
(...
What should I do? Should I reveal their whereabouts? But then this date will be
ruined ...)
Nozomu
didn't want to ruin this date because Somia invited him at great lengths. For
the time being, he sent his gaze to everyone who was following him. He tried to
prevent them from following him again by showing them that he was aware that
they were peeking at him.
Perhaps
his hand succeeded, everyone peeking at him disappeared; however, as long as
their presence hadn’t disappeared, it seemed that they hadn’t stopped tailing
him yet. For the time being though, Nozomu was able to gain some distance.
Since there were a lot of people passing by, it wouldn't be easy to peek at him
again.
Nozomu
stroked his chest and started walking with Somia again.
"What's
wrong, Nozomu-san?"
"No,
it's nothing. Anyway, if we don't hurry ahead, it will be too late and the
store will be closed."
"Ah,
that's right. Let's go!"
Somia
pulled Nozomu's arm again. Being pulled by her little hand, Nozomu started
walking a little faster.
It
had been a while since they started walking. Nozomu and Somia arrived at their
destination, but the atmosphere of the store was strange.
"...
Somia-chan, is this really the store?"
"Yes!
There is no doubt that the appearance of the store matches my friend's
story."
"But
this store is ..."
Nozomu
had to confirm if it was really the store, but he turned towards the store in
front of him again after hearing Somia's words of affirmation.
The
size of the store itself wasn’t that big. It was better to call it a stall
rather than a store. Cards and crystals lined up on the desk. Damaged talismans
and accessories were stuck to the wall without any gaps. In addition, a goat
skull sat at the center of the store.
The
inside of the store was jam-packed with many items, which the owner didn’t know
the purpose of. This story surely embodied chaos.
Nozomu
was familiar with the store, which he would never forget once he saw it. In
addition, the owner of that store.
"Ohh,
is that a customer?"
"……
As I thought"
Appearing
from behind the store was Zonne, an old man who had previously tried to
sexually harass Irisdina.
"Why
are you here again, boy. As you can see, I'm busy, so just go home quickly. Go
away."
“What
a surprising greeting, right ero geezer?! No matter how I look at you, I can
only see you having a lot of free time.”
Nozomu
also returned the usual unscrupulous words to Zonne who took a sloppy attitude
when he saw Nozomu. He had a very similar atmosphere as his master, Shino, and
because of that, Nozomu felt no need to hold back.
"Hmm!
Youngsters these days don't know how to be polite to their elders. You have no
attitude towards your predecessors."
"It's
a different story if you deserve it; however, as far as your previous
disgraceful behavior goes, it's very unlikely."
Previously,
this old man appeared out of nowhere when Nozomu and his friends went to
school. The old man left himself to his excessive sexual desires and tried to
reach out to Tima, who went to school with Nozomu.
When
Nozomu met the old man before that, the old man tried to touch Irisdina through
fortune-telling. He naturally noticed Tima, who had the same beauty as
Irisdina.
"What
are you talking about? A man will always be looking for a flower called a woman
and the supreme nectar behind it. In addition, it's a man's romance to keep
fighting to protect and obtain that flower."
"But
Old Man. At that time, when Mars threatened you, you ran away
immediately."
“…………….”
Zonne
fell silent due to Nozomu's retort.
Tima,
who was originally weak and bad with men, was frightened by the approaching
Zonne. She couldn't fight back against the old man who came with his animal
instinct.
However,
at that time, it was Nozomu and Mars who stopped Zonne's actions, and Mars even
then tried to draw his greatsword because he was quite enraged.
As
expected, Tima and Somia, who thought the use of weapons would be bad, stopped
him, and in that short gap of time, the old man fled in an instant. Mars
couldn't point a sword at Zonne yet, but at least the old man failed to make a
pass at the woman he just met. In the end, Nozomu couldn't really feel the
romance the old man talk about when he ran away despite his pretense.
"...
Well, withdrawing from a fight is also important ..."
“…………….”
Zonne
turned his gaze the other way, muttering in a small and inaudible voice. Nozomu
glared at him with his gaze.
"Well,
what is your purpose in coming to my store?"
Zonne
tried to divert the story in a hurry, and Nozomu's mouth let out a sigh, but
Somia, who was next to him, energetically stepped forward.
"U-umm.
I want you to tell me about my fortune."
"Ohh,
fortune-telling. You have good taste, young lady. At the request of such a
promising future beauty, of course, I'll tell your fortune."
"T-Thank
you!"
"Then,
first which one of your palms ..."
"None
of them."
"Kid,
don't disturb us."
"Don't
even try to do it. You understand right ..."
"Come,
young lady! Touch this crystal!!"
Nozomu
stopped Zonne who was trying to touch Somia through fortune-telling like he did
to Irisdina. Of course, Nozomu used gestures by pulling out the katana
slightly to intimidate him.
Sure
enough, as Somia sat across from Zonne at the table with a crystal, Nozomu felt
a strengthened gaze from a girl hiding behind them.
If
Nozomu didn't stop the old man in front of him, her sister might have rushed
into this place.
When
Somia touched the crystal, it began to emit a faint light. It went from light
blue to red, purple, and gray, and then the light disappeared.
"Hmm,
the young lady seems to be worried right now. The vague color of gray is the
proof."
"……Yes,
that's right"
"Light
blue means the young lady herself, red means the young lady's goal, and purple
means anxiety. It seems that the young lady is troubled by something."
Nozomu
was a little surprised by Zonne who started to take fortune-telling seriously.
He removed his hand from the handle of his katana and listened to Zonne's
words. After hearing Zonne's words, Somia nodded silently to affirm his words.
Nozomu
was surprised to see Somia. As far as he could see, Somia never seemed to worry
about anything. She always seemed full of energy.
At
the same time, Nozomu's chest hurt as he wondered if she was really overdoing
it and hiding her problems.
“………………”
Somia
quietly waited for Zonne's next words.
“Your
problem is related to red. Red means energy and vitality, but in the case of
the young lady, perhaps it is about your own goals. By looking at the color of
anxiety and hesitation, you seem to be quite troubled when it comes to that .…”
Somia
nodded once again in response to Zonne's words.
"But
even if it's painful, both anxiety and hesitation are important to the young
lady because you're still young. It's good to keep running toward your goal,
but sometimes it's necessary to look back. If you have any doubts, don't lose
sight of what you think is important. If you are worried, you shouldn't hold it
alone for too long. Humans are creatures that are too weak to live alone
……"
"……
Yes"
"There
is someone you cherish, right, young lady? Then it'll be alright. The young
lady's own color is light blue. You, who have a bright and gentle color, are a
kind-hearted girl who can take good care of the one you care about …”
Zonne
spoke to Somia with a gentle smile, it was like a grandfather talking to his
granddaughter. Nozomu was surprised by Zonne, who didn’t seem like the ero
geezer he had known so far, and at the same time, he was impressed by him who
saw Somia's troubles in a short time and offered a clue to the solution.
Even
if Nozomu heard Somia's worries, could he get himself involved and explain all
those things to Somia? Would he be able to lighten the burden on her heart even
a little?
"T-Thank
you very much! Um, about the price ..."
Somia
thanked Zonne and tried to open her purse, but Zonne stopped her.
"Don't
worry. It's the first time for the young lady, so this time it's a service. Ah,
if you'd like to, why don't you date me about 10 years later!? The future of
the young lady is very promising, so if you date me, this old man will do
anything for you!!"
"Uh,
U-Ummm ..."
"I
thought your last words would be great, but is that it?!"
"Ah~!"
Nozomu
tried to get a better opinion of Zonne, who listened to Somia's problems and
sought a solution for her; however, immediately after such a good conversation,
Zonne started trying to pick up the young Somia, and Nozomu’s evaluation of
Zonne decreased after it was just raised.
Nozomu
used his strength to stop the old man's evil deeds. Of course, there was no
power adjustment to the hand sword he launched.
"Gefu~u!!
What are you doing! You hit my head every time we meet!"
"That
should be my line!! Do you even feel sorry picking up every woman you just
met?!! "
"What
did you say?! I'm a sensible person! I choose the woman I want to talk
to!"
"What
kind of sensible thing is that!"
Zonne
protested with teary eyes while holding his head with both hands, which was hit
by Nozomu. Nozomu was also raising a loud voice that wasn't like the usual him
since he didn't hold back on the old man in front of him, and the passersbys
turned their gazes towards them.
"Certainly,
the black-haired beautiful woman the other day was seriously fond of me! I
don't know why she was with a kid like you. Indeed, a wonderful woman like her
should be with a better man like me ... "
"T-This
ero geezer ..."
"C-Calm
down, Nozomu-san"
Somia
tried to calm Nozomu down who was reaching for his katana handle once again.
Nozomu
himself knew that he was not worthy of Irisdina.
Irisdina
was a very attractive woman. She had an undeniable appearance. She had noble
thoughts, and the will to support it. She was clearly something out of his reach.
Nozomu
understood that it was ridiculous to compare her to him, who fled to a past
dream and didn't try to accept the reality in front of him; however, even so,
when he was told by the old man in front of him as a man, he was strangely
angry.
"Next
is such a promising girl like this young lady. Ah, young lady, don't get me
wrong, but I'm not someone who likes to crush young flowers! Young flowers are
not something to break. They are something to love. What kind of color will the
flowers that haven't bloomed show in the future ... It's natural for a man to
wait patiently for it!"
"...
As I thought, I'd better slash this old man. He's the same as ShishÅ, so he
won't die so easily."
"Nozomu-san!
Hold on! Control yourself!!"
Nozomu
slightly pulled his katana from the mouth of the sheath. Somia desperately
tried to stop him from cutting Zonne into pieces.
“And
in the end, even the fallen flowers still preserve their beauty. Of course,
they no longer had the beauty of their past. Over the years, age has robbed
them of their fair skin and beautiful hair. What is the despair of those who
have lost their petals ..."
Zonne,
with his hands raised high, gave the greatest speech of the century. The gazes
of the passers-by around him were piercing him; however, the old man was
completely absorbed in his own world and didn't care about the surrounding
gazes at all.
“But
nevertheless, they are still charming and attractive to the eye. It was proof
that they had lost their former beauty but still shine, and they could not be
easily taken away even with the passage of time! So, only respect is given to
them. Who can make those flowers bloom!"
The
contents of the speech itself might’ve be wonderful, but that couldn't overturn
the reputation that had hit rock bottom with his previous words and actions.
"...
The contents of this speech were supposed to be about good things, but
everything was ruined because I had listened to your previous words ..."
"A-awa
wa wa..."
"What
the- Even though I talked about good things ... It's rare to find such a
blooming beauty. If I were you, I would immediately propose to her."
"In
the end, what you said was the same as usual! Why don't you take care of
yourself first!!"
"What
did you say!? I said good things. It is better to share your feelings with
others. Hiding something sometimes hurts you and the other person, so it is
better to say it out loud. That's because there is still hope, and if you want
to hide it, hide it thoroughly so that the other person doesn't notice it.
Doing it half-assed is the cruelest. It's for both the other person and
yourself. In the past, my grandmother found an obscene painting I had hidden
from her. I should have obediently said that I had it. That painting was my
favorite …”
“………………”
No
one knew what had happened in his past, but for some reason, Zonne had a
distant look in his eyes. Somehow, his eyes looked moist. Zonne, who revealed
his past feelings, came into Nozomu's field of vision.
Nozomu
felt as if his chest had been pierced by the words uttered from the old man's
mouth. It was because he was the only one who kept secrets but couldn't tell
them.
Zonne's
words were certainly unprecedented and unreasonable, but there was a reason.
Nozomu wasn't so stupid that he couldn't understand it, and he could look at
himself now.
That
was why he couldn't say anything. He realized he was still running away and hit
a dead end more than anyone else. Above all, he was the one who suffered for
it.
"Hmm,
young lady, it's about time for me to close the store. Please come again. Cute
girls are always welcome."
"Ah,
yes. Thank you very much!"
Even
when Somia replied to Zonne with a smile, Nozomu just stared at them silently.
It
was as if he was trying to seal his helpless emotions within himself.
====================================
The next chapter will have 7k words. It will be a very long one.