TEASER CHAPTER 5 PART 25
The
next day after school, Irisdina and the others were walking in the forest
following Shīna's guidance. There were also Anri and Norn following them in the
back. Their destination was the hut where Nozomu was. Anri and Norn also
accompany them to see the results of their face-to-face meeting with Nozomu.
"...Shīna-kun,
how did you know this place?"
Irisdina
asked Shīna and her friends.
She
always wondered why Shīna, who initially hated Nozomu, was able to get along
with him in the end.
She
hadn't been told by Nozomu or Shīna until now, and there seemed to be a reason
for that.
"Oh,
right. I promised to talk about that."
As
Shīna walked, she talked about the incident when her party encountered the
black demon beast in this forest.
About
their battle with the black demon beast. She lost herself due to her hatred for
revenge and her impatience. What she did, forced her companions into a corner.
Then Nozomu came to help them. Thanks to his help, she was able to defeat the
black demon beast and befriend Mimuru and Tom again.
Shīna
who was talking about her past mistakes, walked with her chest puffed out while
looking straight ahead. It was as if it was an irreplaceable treasure to her
and she was proud of it.
Both
Mars and Irisdina were overwhelmed by her appearance as she spoke about her
past mistakes without hesitation.
"Hm~m.
So that's what happened."
"Yes,
I think what I did was indeed foolish ..."
“…………”
Mars
glanced at Shīna's confident appearance while he continued to listen to her.
Perhaps she noticed Mars' appearance, Shīna slowly turned around and looked at
him.
"...That's
why. I won't blame you anymore for what you did. I don't think I'm qualified to
blame you for making the same mistake. But if you want to start over with him,
face him again. Otherwise, you won't even be able to talk to him anymore."
"...
Yes, I know."
Shīna
gave words of encouragement to Mars, who had hurt his companions as much as she
did before.
Mars,
who received her words, nodded heavily. His face was clouded with guilt for
what he did and anxiety about whether he could start over with Nozomu or not.
Marus
looked to his side. Tima, who was walking beside him, looked at him. Perhaps
she sensed Mars' anxiety, she nodded slowly and smiled to reassure him.
"...
Ane-sama, are you alright?"
Somia,
who was staring at their conversation, muttered anxiously. It wasn't as much as
when she came to her sister's room last night, but it didn't seem like her
anxiety had gone away completely.
"It's
alright, Somia, it's alright ..."
Irisdina,
who heard her sister's thin voice, tried hard to answer with a smile. Her
anxiety persisted as well, but more importantly, Irisdina didn't want to lose
Nozomu.
Certainly,
as Shīna said, there was nothing more that could be done. So let's face him properly
this time. Yesterday she kept contemplating about her promise in front of
Somia.
Eventually,
light began to illuminate the dim forest. They were dazzled by the sudden open
field and incoming light that came to their eyes.
In
front of them, an open space and a hut standing in the back could be seen. A
simple hut made of wood, and a boy stood in front of it.
