Chapter 6 Part 5
Translator : PolterGlast
After
school, Anri was walking down the corridor with so much teaching material that she
couldn't see what was in front of her.
She
had borrowed these materials from the library and the reference room in order
to compile materials for her class, but she had borrowed too many, and before
she knew it the number of materials she had borrowed had grown to an
extraordinary level.
In
order to return the borrowed materials, Anri-sensei walked down the corridor
with a staggering gait.
The
pile of materials in her hands was about the size of her upper body, the tops
swaying erratically and looking like they were about to collapse.
"A-ara?
Ara-rarara??"
Sure
enough, the top of the pile of materials began to wobble.
Anri
tried to restore the balance somehow, but once the pile of materials that had
been maintaining a perfect balance began to collapse, it all came crashing down
like an avalanche.
"Fuee~~"
Anri's
sorrowful voice echoed through the vast corridor.
Piles
of material were scattered on the floor. It seemed like she was carrying more
than just books, as there was a loud rumbling sound mixed in with the rustling
sound.
The
floor was littered with old books and parchment that had something written on
them, lumps of ore, and items that we had no idea what they were used for.
There
was no unity at all, and at first glance, they looked like garbage, but they
were probably of considerable value. With tears in her eyes, Anri hurriedly
began to gather up the scattered materials.
"Enn~.
I will be scolded~~."
Anri-sensei
was picking them up in a hurry. At that moment, a hand reached out from the
side and began to pick up the materials that had fallen to the floor.
"Fue?"
When
Henri turned to look at the owner of the hand that was picking up the materials
while making a stupid voice, there was a middle-aged man in silvery-white
armor.
"Good
grief, are you alright, Anri-sensei?"
"Jihad-sensei~.
Thank you~"
It
seems that Jihad happened to see Anri's dumb scene earlier. When Anri saw the
bitter smile on Jihad's face, a smile appeared on her face.
After
Jihad finished collecting all the materials that had fallen, he asked Anri
where he should bring the materials he had picked up.
"So,
where should I bring these materials to?"
"Eh?
Is that okay~?"
Jihad
was one of the central figures of the school, and Anri wondered if it was okay
to have her superior carry the materials she had dropped, but Jihad himself
didn't seem to mind.
"Yeah,
I don't mind"
"Thank
you~. You are a life saver~"
While
thanking Jihad, Anri held the materials that had been reduced by half firmly in
her hands so as not to drop them this time.
The
two of them, who were about the same age as a parent and child, walked down the
corridor. The first stop was the reference room.
Anri,
who had a laid-back personality, didn't walk fast, so Jihad next to her had to
adjust his pace.
"Anri-sensei,
I'd like to ask you a few questions, is that okay?"
"Yes,
of course!~"
Jihad
seemed to have something on his mind and approached Anri as if to ask her
something.
In
fact, Jihad had something he wanted to ask Anri about the recent special
training and about the party that was being talked about right now. But he put
that aside for later as he had to take care of a rather troublesome matter. It
was at that time that he happened to see her in the corridor, so he decided to
take advantage of the opportunity to ask her about it.
"Ms.
Anri, do you know the results of the last special training?"
"Yes~.
I was surprised~"
Anri's
voice of admiration rang in Jihad's ears. It was an honest statement, not at
all falsified. She was genuinely pleased with the progress of her students.
"To
be honest, this result was unexpected. A student from the 10th class is as good
as a student from the 1st class. Indeed, the history of this school is short,
but this is still an unprecedented event."
Although
the history of Solminati Academy is short, it still produces a considerable
number of excellent human resources and sends them to various countries.
This
was made possible by the complete meritocracy and the school life that was
strict in every aspect.
Originally,
Solminati Academy's purpose was to discover talented human resources lying
dormant in the wild.
It
was not that there were no students whose talents suddenly blossomed and rose
to prominent positions amidst the harsh school life.
Not
only in this school life, but Jihad himself had met several such people in his
own life.
But
such people are very few and far between. That's why Jihad was curious about
that boy.
"Are
you talking about Nozomu-kun~?"
Anri,
who sensed what Jihad wanted to ask, prompted him to speak.
Jihad
nodded frankly at Anri's words.
"According
to my estimation based on the results, he was the driving force behind the
results. He fought against you, was pushed into a corner, and one of his
comrades was eliminated. But they managed to defeat you, which was a special
target. To be honest, it would be impossible to say that I'm not interested.
"
The
first time Jihad heard about Nozomu's name was after the incident with the
black demon beast. He was the male student who took charge to save his friends
and escaped from that demon beast.
At
first, Jihad thought that it was just luck, but from the results of the special
training, Jihad felt that there was something more to Nozomu than just luck.
"That's
right~. He's a straightforward and honest boy~. He can be a little too reckless
at times~, but I think he has a pretty good ability at judging situations and
fighting in actual battles~. I think he can compete with the top students in
his year~."
Jihad
squinted his eyes at her words.
It
was true that he had an excellent ability at judging situations, but to find a
way to defeat Anri, who was one of the top A rankers, it would be difficult to
simply confront her head-on. He needed to fully grasp the power of the people
who were there and come up with a feasible plan.
The
fact that he was able to do so demonstrated Nozomu Bountis' high level of
judgment ability.
"...
So what does his grade at this school mean?"
"Due
to Nozomu-kun's trait, he can't really show his true abilities inside the
school~. In that sense, exercise outside of school like this special training
is an opportunity for him to show his abilities~."
"Hmm,
Ability Suppression, isn't it?..."
A
trait he possessed. Jihad decided that she was talking about Nozomu's Ability
Suppression.
Certainly,
it would be difficult to achieve results with one's own practical abilities if
one's Qi, magic, and physical abilities were limited. As a result, he had to
hone his situational judgment, tactics, and other abilities that he could use
outside of individual combat.
As
a matter of fact, the ability to judge situations was something that he had
acquired through his training with Shino, and the tactics were the result of his
desperate efforts to score as many points as possible in the written exam.
Moreover,
Nozomu had been restraining himself from using offensive Qi techniques such as
[Phantom].
As
he walked, Jihad asked for more details on how Nozomu and his party were fighting
Anri.
"I
see. He won by destroying the pendant, which was proof of your participation in
the special training. That's certainly a great way to win against a superior
opponent."
"Yes
~"
Jihad
gave a small nod when he heard about the specific story.
The
only condition for disqualification in special training is the accumulation of
a certain amount of damage or loss of proof of participation. It was a good
decision that Nozomu Bountis and his party chose to destroy the pendant as soon
as they met someone stronger than themselves. The quickest way for Nozomu, who
has little endurance to win in a single blow, is to aim for a vital point or
destroy the pendant.
Also,
the process can be fully evaluated. One would normally not think of sending a
mage who could put up a magic barrier to confront it against the opponent and
block the opponent's movements.
It
may be a bit reckless and rough, but it has more than enough impact to catch
his opponent off guard.
It
was a sudden battle where they didn't know what kind of opponent they would be
up against, and they had just fought a 4th class party before fighting
Anri-sensei.
If
they could do this much in a sudden battle, it should be enough.
"Hmm...
What is the meaning of that rumor then? From what I've heard of the rumors, he
doesn't seem to be the kind of student that Ms. Anri is talking about..."
If
that was the case, then Jihad became concerned about the rumors.
It
was the story that led to his isolation.
"The
rumors are rumors after all~. Those rumors were an outright crap~."
"Hmm……"
Jihad
fell silent with a pondering expression.
Various
thoughts came and go in his head. Anri was looking at the middle-aged warrior
with a smile on her face.
As
he raised his gaze, Jihad's eyes caught sight of a room with the tag of a
reference room. Apparently, they had arrived in front of the room while they
were talking.
He
opened the door to the reference room, entered, and placed the pile of
materials he had brought on the table in front of him.
Clapping
his hands, Jihad turned to Anri.
"Thank
you, Anri-sensei. It was quite a good talk.."
"Y-yes."
Anri
and Jihad put the materials on the table and started to organize them. While
Anri continued to organize, Jihad was pondering with his hand on his chin.
As
Anri looked sideways at the middle-aged swordsman, an idea flashed across
Anri's mind.
"Ah
right, Jihad-sensei~. If you want to see Nozomu-kun's ability directly, there
is a good way~"
"A
good way?"
"Yes,
Nozomu-kun's abilities can't be understood just from the reports. Because his
true fighting style can't be easily used in school~"
Jihad
frowned at Anri's words. From the story earlier, Jihad had the impression that
Nozomu Bountis was a strategist-type student who was skilled in intelligence.
However,
based on what Anri just said, it didn't seem to be the case.
(Come
to think of it, when Nozomu and the others reported to me about that black
demon beast, he had a katana on his waist.)
If
he was a strategist or a commander, his position would naturally be in the rearguard
where he could observe the battlefield, and his weapon would be a bow or
something with a wide range
However,
what he was holding was a katana that was difficult to handle and rarely seen
on this continent.
Because
of the rumors spreading in the school, there were no students that were willing
to team up with him, and it wouldn't be strange if he had to fight in
close-quarters combat.
If
that was the case, then he should have used a long sword that was easy to
handle, a dagger that was easy to carry, or a spear that would allow him to
keep his distance. He wouldn't bother choosing a katana whose technique would
take a lot of time and effort to master.
This
was a strange discrepancy that the person known as Nozomu Bountis had. Maybe
Anri in front of Jihad knew something about it. To be honest, Jihad felt like
he was being baited.
"Wouldn't
you like to know~?"
Anri
gave Jihad a big smile. Jihad tried to figure out what she was thinking from
her words and actions. Anri is the type of teacher who loves her students so
much that sometimes Inda says she is going too far.
He
was sure that her proposal was made with Nozomu Bountis in mind. Jihad himself
had just become even more interested in Nozomu after hearing Anri's story.
"Let's
hear what you have to say."
The
decision was quick. Jihad didn't have much time to spare with so many important
matters on his plate, but he could at least listen.
Smiling
in satisfaction at Jihad's answer, Anri slowly opened her mouth.
=======================================
When Anri was having
Jihad help her carry the materials, Nozomu was waiting for Irisdina and the
others to arrive in front of the guild in the commercial district. It was to
help her with a request she had accepted before.
In front of Nozomu's
eyes, a three-story building made of stone stood tall, with people of various
appearances coming and going through the wide-open doors.
There were warriors
with lustrous body hair peculiar to the beastmen and wizards wearing hoods.
Students wearing Solminati Academy uniforms and people from the city who seemed
to be visiting to make or receive requests passed through the open gate.
When the students in
Solminati Academy uniforms found Nozomu leaning against the wall of the guild,
they made surprised expressions and then started whispering something amongst
themselves.
The guild was located
on the main street of the commercial district, so there were more people coming
and going through here than visitors to the guild.
Nozomu couldn't hear
what they were saying because of the hustle and bustle, but they were probably
talking about the results of the special training that was announced today.
Today, Nozomu's keen
senses had detected numerous gazes that had been directed at him while he was
at the school.
In the corridors and
in front of the main gate, where most of the students were passing by, there
were many eyes directed at him, but most of them were eyes full of suspicion,
and some of them still glared at him with hostility and contempt.
Aside from Nozomu's
classmates, the students peeking out from the crowd were also looking at him
with suspicion.
If they hadn't
actually seen Nozomu fight, and only knew him from rumors, it was
understandable.
Nozomu let out a sigh,
thinking that it couldn't be helped.
Nozomu himself became
rather tolerant of being seen with such gazes, and since this was outside of
school, not many eyes were directed on him. But the fact that he had been
watched from afar the entire time made him feel a little mentally exhausted.
"I wonder if both
Iris and Feo will come soon ..."
While muttering to
himself, Nozomu looked around while listening to the hustle and bustle for a
while. The footsteps of a merchant who had forgotten an important item and was
running in a panic. The voices of the adventurers checking the requests they
had received as they walked. Military police patrolled the streets at a regular
pace.
The variety of goods
lined up along the roadside, such as finely crafted pottery and colorful
antiques, was enormous, and the goods collected from the east, west, south, and
north side of the continent seemed like a microcosm of this continent.
Each of these
activities seemed to Nozomu to be the breath of life of this city. A city that
was built solely for a school called Solminati.
However, this city
offered a glimpse into a much wider world than the school, and the many items
lined up along the streets seemed to be the gateway to that world.
"I wonder if this
is what Lisa saw when she was traveling with her father."
Nozomu was looking at the
hustle and bustle of the city with such thoughts in his mind.
He was wondering what
to do about his relationship with Lisa and Ken? There was anger towards Ken and
mixed feelings towards Lisa.
However, Nozomu was no
longer trapped in that anger. To be precise, he was able to remain calm despite
his anger.
In a sense, it was
ironic that Ken's confession was the reason for his outburst against the
Cyclopses.
(Then, I should think
about what I should do...)
Finally, he was able
to look forward again. Nozomu once again asked himself about the circumstances
surrounding him and his own feelings.
There was so much to
think about. Many memories and thoughts flashed through Nozomu's mind.
His unfulfilled
promise to Lisa and his vow to Ken. The feelings of Irisdina and the others who
had helped him. His own future, where he had lost his goal, and the biggest
problems he had, which is with Tiamat.
If he wanted to face
Lisa, he had to make her listen to him first, but that would be difficult as
long as she completely believed Ken's story. Based on the way she had been
acting so far, it was unlikely that she'll listen to him. Nozomu thought about
gathering some evidence, but he wondered if there was any physical evidence.
He told Irisdina and
the others to let him think about it, but when he did, there was so much to
think about that his head started to get messed up.
Nozomu shook his head
and stopped thinking for a moment. He straightened his back, took a deep
breath, and reorganized his mind.
"First of all,
what do I really want from Lisa and Ken..."
He knew it was not
good for their relationship to continue like this. But he wondered what kind of
relationship he wanted with them.
As Nozomu thought
about it, he tried to find answers deep down in his mind, so much so that he
didn't care about the voices and noises of the people around him or even the
shining sunlight.
There is anger. There
is also hatred. Sadness, sorrow, and the feeling that he had loved her.
The breath he exhaled
was swallowed by the early summer breeze and disappeared. The street was still
full of people coming and going, full of hustle and bustle.
However, the flow of
the hustle and bustle was suddenly disturbed. The atmosphere in the area
changed along with buzzing noises.
The eyes of the people
who were always busy walking along the street were directed to a certain point.
When Nozomu followed
their gazes to see what was going on, he found that there was a girl.
Her long, glossy,
ebony black hair fluttered in the air as she walked briskly with her chest
puffed out, completely oblivious to the countless stares directed at her.
As if lured by the
scent of the girl passing by, the gazes of men and women of all ages followed
her.
When the girl who
walked so briskly arrived in front of the guild, she started looking around as
if looking for someone.
Eventually, when
Nozomu's and the girl's eyes crossed, she smiled as if she had found what she
was looking for, and walked over to him.
"Nozomu, I made
you wait."
"Y-yeah. You
don't have to worry about it..."
In the midst of the
hustle and bustle of the city, a voice like a bell called out Nozomu's name.
The girl's gaze was
fixed solely on Nozomu, even as the gazes of the many people around her locked
onto her. The girl didn't seem to care about how much attention she was
getting.
"Feo ... doesn't
seem to have come yet."
"Yeah, that's
right ..."
"Then, let's just
go through the party application procedure first."
Originally, Nozomu
could not accept requests to enter the forest, but he could accept such
requests if he gather high-ranked students or a certain number of people to
form a party.
The procedure that
Irisdina was going to do now was to inform the guild that she was going to form
a party.
In addition, this
information is also shared with the school, which allows them to respond
quickly if a student goes missing or is caught in any other unforeseen
circumstances.
"Let's go, shall
we?"
"Yes……"
With a casual voice,
Irisdina took Nozomu's hand and pulled him by the arm as they headed into the
guild. Shocked by the sudden occurrence, Nozomu had no choice but to follow as
his hand guided by her soft hand.
=======================================
The enthusiasm and
commotion of the crowd were mixed in the guild.
Irisdina walked steadily while pulling Nozomu's hand through the crowd.
Irisdina calmly weaved
her way through the gap between people coming and going from all directions.
Nozomu, on the other
hand, was the exact opposite of her. His shoulders and arms bumped against other
people.
Normally, Nozomu would
be able to weave his way through the crowd. However, the warmth of Irisdina's
hand took away Nozomu's free will.
"Wait, Iris... hand... uwa!"
*Squeeze*
He was being pulled
and jostled against people, but Nozomu strangely did not want to let go of her
hand.
"C-come to think
of it, that time too..."
What came to Nozomu's
mind was the scene of the first time he walked around town with her. Even at
that time, Nozomu was suddenly being pulled around like this as they walked
around the city.
"Uu……"
The same warmth that
he had felt at that time was transmitted to his hand, and Nozomu let out a
muffled voice.
His heart was pounding
in his chest. His body was tense as if it were wrapped in wire, and his legs
felt as if they were tangled. But Nozomu still managed to move his legs to keep
from falling.
"Well then, let's
get it done quickly, shall we?"
The next thing he
knew, he found himself at the reception desk.
Basically, one's needs
to take the request form posted on the bulletin board to the reception desk and
complete the procedures to accept a request.
But since Irisdina had
already accepted the request, all she had to do this time was register her
party members.
"Excuse me. I'd
like to register a new member."
After releasing
Nozomu's hand, Irisdina approached a young man working at the reception desk
and presented him with the request form she was holding. The young man, who
seemed to be a good person, looked at Irisdina's face and froze as if
petrified. Irisdina, on the other hand, only made a suspicious expression at
the frozen receptionist.
"? Excuse me.
About the new member registration..."
"Eh! ... Yes. I
got it!"
The receptionist took
the request form and completed the procedure in a hurry. The young man who
received Irisdina's student ID and Nozomu's student ID completed the procedures
skillfully.
The young man at the
reception desk had slightly reddened cheeks and was glancing sideways at
Irisdina. His gaze fell first on her sculpted features, her long shiny hair,
her beautiful curves, and finally on Nozomu beside her.
Then he made an
expression as if to say, "Why this guy?".
Nozomu noticed the
difference in their appearance, so he couldn't help but smile at such an
expression.
The receptionist, who
was fascinated by Irisdina, disappeared into the back of the room to complete
the procedure while glaring at Nozomu next to her.
At that moment, the
two of them were suddenly called from behind.
"Y-you are Irisdina-senpai,
right?!"
When Irisdina and
Nozomu turned their eyes in the direction of the voice, they saw four people.
They were dressed in
white uniforms just like Nozomu and Iris. However, judging from the color of
their insignia, they seemed to be first-year students.
The student who seemed
to have called out to her stepped forward.
The facial features
are neat, and the brown hair that seems to reach the shoulders is
well-maintained, but he doesn't tie it up, rather he let his hair down
carelessly.
He had a sword at his
waist, but his uniform was sloppily open at the chest, and he wore a lot of
jewelry here and there. He was wearing a lot of jangly accessories. He didn't
look like a serious student, even in a flattering way.
Behind him were two
girls with wands and bows, and a boy with a spear.
"You are...
Eldor?"
The male student
called Eldor approached Irisdina with a frivolous smile on his face.
"Did Senpai come
to accept the request too?
"Yeah, that's
right."
"Would you like
to go with us? We are also planning to accept a request in the forest
too."
Eldor tried to invite
Irisdina, but Irisdina frowned when she heard his words.
"But you guys are
still in the first year. I think it's too early for that. ......"
"We'll be fine.
We're all D-ranked."
Eldor proudly said so.
The fact that they had
reached D-rank right after they entered school was certainly a great
achievement and showed a glimpse of their talent. However, his attitude showed
a superiority that comes from overconfidence. When Irisdina heard his
overconfident words, her expression tensed for a moment.
"Umm,
Irisdina-senpai, who is this person?"
'This is Nozomu
Bountis. He is a classmate of mine who will be partying with me today."
"Eh?"
Eldor's eyes widened
the moment he heard Nozomu's name. Then he asked Nozomu with a somehow proud
expression on his face.
"Nozomu-senpai,
what is your rank?"
"D- (D minus), but..."
Hearing Nozomu's rank,
Eldor smiled as if to make fun of Nozomu. It was certain that he felt superior
after hearing that Nozomu's rank was lower than his own.
"Irisdina-senpai,
as I thought, isn't it better to go with us? We have a higher rank than him,
you know?"
The student called
Eldor then invited Irisdina again. Surely, he was trying to say that he would
be more useful since he had a higher rank than Nozomu.
"No thanks. I made a promise to have a party with him today."
However, Irisdina
flatly declined Eldor's invitation.
"But this person,
that rumor..."
"And I don't
think I'd want to team up with you who have such a rude attitude."
Eldor continued to try
to convince Irisdina by bringing up the rumor of Nozomu. But she shunned him
with an even stronger tone. The expression of disgust on her face was obvious.
Although Irisdina is
always kind and gentle, the fact that she rejected Eldor in a harsh tone that
was not like the usual her, caused not only Eldor but also the other junior
students behind him to open their eyes in surprise.
At that moment, the
receptionist announced that the procedure was completed and handed back the
request form.
"Nozomu, let's
go"
"O-oi"
Upon receiving the
request form given by the receptionist, Irisdina pulled Nozomu's hand and
turned to leave the place.
Eldor was about to say
something to her, but she ignored his attempts to stop her and headed for the
exit.
"Is that alright,
Iris? they are our junior, right?"
'Yeah, don't worry
about it. He's somewhat skilled, and somehow I don't want to team up with
him."
"I see……"
After leaving the
guild building, Nozomu and Irisdina took a breather.
Now that they were
freed of the crowds and their shoulders were relaxed, Nozomu asked Irisdina
about the junior student he had just met.
"Are you
acquainted with that student?"
"Well yeah, he
confessed his feelings and asked me to date him before."
Nozomu was surprised
for a moment by her words, but he was immediately convinced. I'm not sure what
to make of it. Irisdina's appearance and personality were both impeccable. In
fact, there was no end to the number of students who confessed their love for
her.
It was said that some
of them were even female students. The truth of the matter was unclear, but
considering the fact that there were many girls attracted to the strong and
reliable Irisdina, it might not be a mistake.
"But I refused. I
can't accept something that I don't want myself..."
Irisdina took a deep
breath, and then glanced at the boy next to her.
Nozomu's appearance
was ordinary that could be found anywhere. But somehow it brought forth a
burning heat from inside her chest.
"~!"
The heat that welled
up from deep inside Irisdina's chest quickly spread throughout her entire body.
Her heart pulsed like a fast bell, her fingers were on fire as she held his
hand, and she couldn't help but turn her face away.
Even though she turned
her face away, Irisdina's hand was still holding Nozomu's hand. If she didn't
let go, he might find out, but she couldn't.
"??"
He gave off a
suspicious vibe, but Irisdina couldn't look back.
Irisdina couldn't meet
his eyes. But she also couldn't let go of his hand.
"And also……"
Irisdina stammered.
But at that moment, Nozomu's mouth was agape, and let out a voice,
"Ah!"
"Nozomu?"
Irisdina turned around
with a wondering expression on her face. Nozomu, who was standing beside her,
didn't look at her, but in another direction for some reason.
As she followed his gaze, she saw a young man of the fox tribe with his ears wrapped in golden fur, popped up.
"Hmm~. Oh, don't
worry about me. Please continue... just think of me like a rock on the
roadside."
(How long has he been
there?)
A question arose in
Nozomu's mind. Thanks to Irisdina, there were several eyes directed at him, and
Nozomu was completely unaware of Feo's presence. Feo was watching Nozomu and
Irisdina with a smirk plastered on his face.
"Feo, how long
have you been there?"
"Hmm? I saw you
two walking into the guild together, so I knew I'd seen something interesting!
So....... If you'd like, there's a good inn over there..."
"Well then,
Nozomu, let's go"
"O-oi, Iris
..."
Apparently, Feo had
been watching everything from the beginning.
Nozomu was shocked and
sighed, but Irisdina leaves Feo behind and tried to head for the forest. By the
way, her hand was still holding Nozomu's hand.
"W-wait a minute!
It's just a joke!"
"Nozomu, I'm
counting on you today."
In a panic, Feo rushed
over and made an excuse.
However, Irisdina only
spoke to Nozomu and smiled, but did not pay any attention to Feo.
"Ignore!? You're
ignoring me!? Princess, wait a minute! Nozomu, say something!"
Feo clung to Irisdina,
who did not slow down at all. But when he saw that there was no result, he
clung to Nozomu instead. However, even if he tried to help Feo, Nozomu couldn't
do anything about it.
Nozomu's sigh faded
into the streets of Arcazam City.
He wondered how much
chaos there was just for today. Moreover, he had a feeling that there would be
more trouble ahead of him.
While feeling a little
nervous from the warmth of Irisdina's hand and a headache from the
trouble-attracting fox that clung to him, Nozomu prayed that he could get
through today safely.
===============================
For Lisa Hounds,
whenever she thought about Nozomu Bountis, she felt a stir in her heart.
She had a dream, and
he is the person who supported that dream.
The one who had once
said he would be with her, but now, feeling betrayed, she began to hate him
with the same hatred she had once held in her heart.
When she saw Nozomu,
what she saw in his eyes was always a scene of betrayal. The sight of him
cuddled up with someone else who wasn't her. And herself holding her own knees
in the room where no one comes to see her.
“…………”
In silence, Lisa
walked through the streets of the commercial district. Next to her was her
childhood friend and best friend who had supported her.
"Lisa? What's
wrong?"
"Are you alright?
You've been absent-minded lately..."
Camilla, who was
walking next to her, glanced at Lisa with a suspicious expression on her face.
Ken was also looking at Lisa with concern.
"I-I'm alright!
Sorry, I've been having trouble sleeping lately..."
"If you're not
feeling well, do you want to go back to the dorm?"
"Umm. Don't
worry, I was just thinking about something."
Lisa smiled as she
waved her hand. She behaved so, trying not to make them worry, but inwardly she
felt a rippling sensation in her heart.
She began to feel this
sensation when she heard that Nozomu Bountis, who had fought the Undead Dragon
after the special training, had been seriously injured.
Since then, she had
been experiencing this strange feeling whenever she thought of her former
lover.
At first, Lisa had
thought it was hatred for Nozomu. However, it wasn't the stirring sensation she
had felt before.
In the depths of her
heart, she didn't seem to be sneering at him, who had betrayed her.
She wondered what was
going on at .......
With that in mind,
Lisa turned her eyes to Ken, who walked next to her.
"Hmm? What's
wrong?"
As usual, Ken is
smiling at Lisa. The smile was the same as when they were together in Oire
village.
But for some reason,
every time she saw that smile, the ripples in her chest begin to rage as if
complaining about something.
"Ah~?"
At that moment, Lisa
saw Nozomu being pulled by Irisdina by the side of the guild building.
He was being pulled by
her dark-haired classmate.
In the next moment,
the ripples in Lisa's heart burst into bubbles. The feeling in the depth of her
heart that she had felt since this morning rose to the surface and hit her like
a tidal wave.
A scene flashed back
before her eyes. It was his back, standing in front of the Undead Dragon.
"Lisa ...?"
The voice of her best
friend who was supposed to be next to her was distant. Lisa could only stare at
his back as he disappeared into the guild.