Chapter 6 Part 12
Translator : PolterGlast
A
room in the boys' dormitory. Nozomu, the owner of the room, was briskly getting
ready for school.
Outside,
the sun had not yet risen, and the city was enveloped in dim darkness.
He
put on his school uniform and put his katana on his waist.
It
was obviously too early to get ready, but Nozomu's movements didn't have the
sluggishness characteristic of a sleepwalker. It seemed that he was not
sleepwalking.
"Alright..."
After
checking his appearance and showing his spirit, Nozomu left the dormitory with
his bag containing his breakfast and study materials that he had prepared
beforehand.
After
leaving the boys' dormitory, he turned into a different street from the one he
usually took to get to Solminati Academy.
He
walked down a street he didn't normally take and headed towards a building. It
was a place he had avoided for the past two years.
==============================
A
while after Nozomu left the dormitory and when the morning sun began to
illuminate the city, Lisa was about to leave the girls' dormitory to go to
school with Camilla as usual.
"Lisa,
are you okay?"
"Y-yes...
I'm okay"
Camilla
called out to Lisa, who was walking next to her. Lisa replied that she was
fine, but her face didn't look like she was okay.
She
must not have been able to sleep at all last night. She had dark circles under
her eyes and her face was pale.
When
Camilla took her back to her room, Lisa had a terrible headache.
She
had a painful sound ringing in her head, like a pot being hammered in her ear.
Lisa's
mind remembered the look on Nozomu's face when he grabbed her hand. The shock
that rang through her head was relentless, hammering away at Lisa's spirit. She
shrank back, groaning as Nozomu's words, "I didn't betray you,"
reverberated in her ears.
She
desperately tried to drown out the image and voice of Nozomu in her head, but
it didn't seem to go away.
As
if calling for help, Lisa reached out into the depths of the darkness. It was
as if she was a lost person seeking light.
However,
what she saw was not Ken, who had supported her for two years, but Nozomu, who
was still facing the Undead Dragon in the forest.
"Lisa,
you're not okay by any means. Why don't you take a rest for today?
"I'm
really fine. I just couldn't sleep. If I can't bear with it anymore, I'll take
a rest ..."
Camilla
distorted her face painfully as Lisa said she was fine and tried to head for
the entrance of the dormitory.
With
a pale face, Lisa tried to act like nothing's wrong, but she was clearly
exhausted.
Seeing
Lisa like this, Camilla felt an unpleasant sensation as if she were being
scratched deep in her chest.
The
events of last night came back to Camilla's mind.
(If
you want to hate me, you can hate me as much as you want. I don't care how many
horrible words you throw at me. But if I don't know about Lisa's condition now,
I can't do anything about it!)
When
he said that, Nozomu's eyes were the same as they were two years ago. No, he
was much more mature than he had been two years ago, and his eyes shone with a
powerful light.
Furthermore,
the words that he told them after that. The story of the culprit that had
driven Lisa and Nozomu to this point.
In
the past, Camilla would have dismissed his story as ridiculous, but now she
continued to feel uncomfortable, it was like a small bone stuck in her throat.
Nozomu's
eyes and his story stirred Camilla's heart even more.
The
fact that she had taken it for granted now seemed to be peeling off like an
insignificant piece of cheap plating.
When
Camilla turned her attention to Lisa, who was walking next to her, she saw her
eyes widen in surprise.
"Lisa?
What's wro-......eh!?"
Camilla
tilted her head, wondering what was going on. As she followed Lisa's gaze, she
saw the person who had created the ripples in the depth of her mind. It was
Nozomu Bountis.
"Good
morning, both of you."
Nozomu
greeted them with one hand raised. He didn't seem to care about what had
happened yesterday.
"Y-yeah.
Good morning ..."
“…………”
It
was like being hit in the head with a hammer. Camilla was so shocked that she could
only manage to reply with a greeting. Lisa couldn't even say a word back and
was completely silent.
It
was as if she had returned to two years ago. At the edge of Camilla's vision,
she saw Lisa biting her lips tightly.
Her
eyes, which were downcast, were shaking. Camilla didn't know the true meaning
behind those eyes.
At
that moment, a young man with blond hair whom they knew well walked up from
behind Nozomu, who was standing in front of the dormitory gate.
"Lisa,
Camilla. Good morning ... wha!?"
"Ken..."
Ken
was about to greet Camilla, but his face distorted when he noticed Nozomu's
presence. He lifted the corners of his eyes and slammed Nozomu with a killing
gaze.
"Why
are you here ..."
A
low, heavy voice was directed at Nozomu.
However,
Nozomu's expression did not change at all, even with Ken's hostility right on
his face.
"It
doesn't matter what route I take to school, doesn't it. There are some things
that happen along the way."
There
was no need for Nozomu to go through the girls' dormitory to get to the school
from the boys' dormitory. It was obviously a detour, and it was obvious that he
had come to see Lisa, but Nozomu said it in an aloof manner.
"Don't
screw with me. You're not worthy of Lisa..."
"Maybe
I don't deserve her, because it doesn't change the fact that I ran away and
turned my back on her for two years. But what about you?"
"What……"
"It
was about the promise I made to Lisa. At least that's what made Lisa look like
this, right?"
The
expression on Lisa's face was exactly the same as the one she had shown him
yesterday in this place, a sickly expression.
He
looked around and saw that the girls in the dormitory were looking at him to
see what was going on. In the windows and doorways. They were staring at him
from all over the street.
Lisa's
face grew even paler as she received such unreserved gazes.
"Both
of you, stop it. This is still early in the morning.
The
atmosphere between Nozomu and Ken was at its worst. The atmosphere around them
was filled with a dangerous atmosphere that could explode at any moment.
Camilla, sensing that this was not a good situation, intervened to stop them.
Camilla
interceded, and Nozomu immediately backed off. He made way for the girls and
moved back to the end of the street.
"But
..."
"Come
on, let's go."
Ken,
who didn't seem to be convinced, tried to say something, but honestly, a loud
quarrel in front of Lisa who was in such a state wouldn't be good.
Camilla
interrupted Ken's dissatisfied words and began to walk away with Lisa.
"Fuh~...
Lisa, are you okay?"
Ken
glanced at Nozomu and stood next to Lisa. He was worried about Lisa, who was
facing her head down and approached her with a gentle, concerned voice.
In
an attempt to cheer her up, Ken tried to touch Lisa's hand. He did what he had
been doing since she felt betrayed by Nozomu.
"~!!"
"Eh?"
However,
the moment his hand almost touched her fingers, Lisa shrank away from Ken as if
she was frightened.
Ken's
face turned into an expression of disbelief.
"Ah~,
I-I'm sorry."
"I-it's
okay. Don't worry about it, I didn't mean to scare you. Let's go to the school
now."
"Y-yeah
..."
Lisa
hurriedly apologized to Ken. Ken waved his hand as if he didn't mind, but
Camilla noticed that his voice sounded strange.
Camilla
and the others continue to walk to the school. Nozomu was walking alongside
them on the other side of the street. Camilla's eyes caught sight of Lisa, who
glanced next to her.
It
was as if she was worried about the distance between them, which had grown even
further than yesterday.
“…………”
Nozomu
didn't say anything. He just walked straight ahead. There was no hesitation in
his gait, reminiscent of a large tree with deep roots in the ground.
Camilla
felt a strange sense of impatience welling up in her as she looked at Nozomu,
who had changed. Nozomu had been looking down until recently, but he was
different now.
The
four of them continued walking towards the school while keeping the eyes of the
students glued to them as they walked to school.
==================================
"What
does that mean! That is!"
“…………”
Naturally,
the appearance of Nozomu and the others were visible to Shīna and the others
who came out of the girls' dormitory to go to the school.
Shīna
stared at Nozomu as he walked away, looking sideways at her best friend, who
was confused and shaken about what was going on.
The
scene that came to her mind was the one she had seen yesterday when she had
connected the magic path with him.
She
had seen the whole thing that had happened between Nozomu and Lisa last night.
From
that moment on, she felt a squeezing pain and a strange lump in the inside of
her chest. Her hands were clenched naturally.
Was
it guilt for having connected the magic path in secret? Or was there some other
reason?
"Fuu..."
Shīna
let out a big breath and tried to change her mind.
She
herself has no objection to supporting Nozomu as he tried to move forward. No,
she would gladly lend her support. It would be the best way for her to repay
him.
"Ehh?
Nozomu-kun was with Irisdina-san yesterday?"
"Mimuru,
let's go ..."
An
unfamiliar feeling still lingered deep in Shīna's heart. However, as she was
connected to Nozomu through contract magic, she could see his feelings clearly.
The Tiamat nesting inside of him had tried to take over him.
Now,
he was facing the wounds of the past, just as he had once done. And the
dragon's impulses were also beginning to intensify.
So,
now that Nozomu was running forward, Shīna vowed once again to watch over him
from behind and support him.
"Well,
I'll just keep this wildcat in check for now. As expected, she is too worked
up..."
With
a bitter smile on her face, Shīna grabbed Mimuru's hand and secured the wildcat
girl in advance, who was likely to cause a commotion.
When
Shīna saw Nozomu walking alongside the red-haired girl, she still felt a pain
in her heart. However, a smile naturally appeared on Shīna's lips.
The
elation she must have felt when she talked to him while being surrounded by the
light of the moonlight bug at that time. Even now, she could remember it
vividly.
"Eh?
Shīna, why are you so nonchalant about it... Wait a minute! Why are you holding
me down? Hmph-......!"
Ignoring
Mimuru's words and sealing her mouth. Shīna stepped forward while dragging
Mimuru with her. With his back reflected in her eyes.
===================================
At
that time, four students were walking through the streets of Arcazam. They were
a black-haired girl, a young child, a blonde-haired boy, and a girl with
shoulder-length brown hair.
They
were headed for the beautiful white main gate of the towering Solminati
Academy.
The
girl's black hair shone in the morning sunlight, and the young child smiled
cheerfully.
The
blonde-haired male student was asking the brown-haired girl something with a
difficult expression on his face. She was answering the question slowly while
smiling.
Irisdina,
Somia, Tima, and Mars walked towards the school, attracting the attention of
all the students around them.
In
this season, the sunshine was gradually getting stronger, but it was still
quite cool and comfortable in the early morning.
But
the girl with black hair. Irisdina Francilt's expression was somehow unhappy.
While
holding her hair back from being blown by the wind, she stared at the street in
front of the main gate.
What
was occupying her mind at the moment was the commotion that had occurred
between Nozomu and Lisa last night.
Nozomu
was troubled, suffering, and even attacked by the dragon inside of him, but he
moved for the sake of that red-haired girl. The image of Nozomu had always
stuck in her mind.
Tima
called out to Somia, perhaps because she was worried about her best friend's
condition.
"Hey,
Somia-chan. What's wrong with Ai?"
"Umm,
I don't know. Ane-sama has been like this since the morning"
Somia,
Tima, and Mars were all nodding their heads, but Irisdina, the person in
question, didn't seem to notice. It seemed that she was completely distracted
by Nozomu.
Irisdina
just muttered to herself, unaware of the three staring at her with suspicious
faces.
"Could
it be that he's still......? He still thinks of her as....... Otherwise, he
wouldn't be there....... No, no, I can't be sure yet......"
Irisdina
put her hand over her mouth and restlessly fixed her hair. At first glance, she
may look like a maiden waiting for her beloved partner.
However,
because she was muttering to herself in a voice loud enough to be heard by
those around her, it seemed to Somia and the others as if she was talking to an
invisible person.
"What's
wrong? It's unusual for Ai to be this restless..."
"Yes,
that's true. She had put jam on her bread the whole time she was eating
breakfast, and when she left the mansion, she was wearing the wrong shoes on
the left and right ..."
"That's
quite serious ..."
She
is quick and decisive in everything she does. She is smart, brilliant, and
beautiful, but she rarely loses her dignified behavior in public like this.
Well,
lately she has been showing various girlish gestures to a particular person.
"Sure,
she's the reason Nozomu came to this school, but ......"
Somia's
ears perked up when Irisdina blurted out Nozomu's name. The young girl was
convinced that he was involved after all.
"As
I thought, it seems that Nozomu-san is the one she's worried about..."
"But
last time she gets rid of the stalemate between her and Nozomu-kun, and nothing
bad has happened between them lately..."
However,
as Tima said, the recent relationship between Nozomu and Irisdina was quite
good. Irisdina also tried to party with him, and Nozomu's attitude when he
agreed wasn't bad at all.
"Surely.
If anything had happened, it would have been after school yesterday..."
Somia
and the other put their hands on their chins and thought about it, but they
didn't know what was going on, and they couldn't possibly know the cause.
The
three of them turned their attention to Irisdina once again. Irisdina was still
muttering and doing strange things, crossing her arms and letting her gaze
drift in the air.
"B-but
I shouldn't have lost yet... A-anyway, I'm sure Eldor and the others will be
able to find a way to get rid of the rumors about him that have spread
throughout the school..."
"For
the time being, let's try to ask her. Ane-sama, are you okay?"
"Eh,
S-Somia? Is there something on your
mind?"
Irisdina,
who was lost in her own thoughts, came back to reality when Somia called out to
her.
She
was surprised to be called out suddenly, but her expression showed that she was
not aware of what she looked like to the people around her.
Somia
was at a loss for words because of the mismatch with her previous appearance.
"Well,
it could be said that I'm curious about something...."
Somia
can't really say it directly that she's worried about her sister's strange
behavior and appearance. She looked at her sister while slurring her words
somehow.
"Umm,
Ane-sama. You look a bit unwell since this morning... -eh that is?
Nozomu-san?"
Somia
wanted to start talking about her sister's behavior this morning, just to check
her out. However, Somia noticed the figure of her benefactor she knew so well
behind her sister and ahead of her.
"Eh~……!?"
Irisdina
turned around as if she had been hit with something. But the next moment,
Irisdina's eyes widened at the sight that came into her eyes.
Tima,
who was following her gaze to see what was going on, was also stunned when she
saw what she saw.
They
were looking at Nozomu, the man they had just been talking about.
But
what astonished the girls was the sight of Lisa, Ken, and Camilla walking
alongside him, albeit a few steps away from him.
"Umm
....... What does that mean?"
"I-I
don't know..."
"It
looks like something serious really happened ..."
Somia,
Tima, and Mars were all surprised. Irisdina was frozen in place like a stone
statue.
The
students in the vicinity who were on their way to school also looked as if they
couldn't believe what was happening in front of their eyes with their mouths
hanging open.
At
that time, Somia's eyes caught sight of someone she knew well among the
students on their way to school.
"Ah,
Mimuru-sa~n! Shīna-sa~n!"
"Oh,
Somiacchi!"
Mimuru
replied to Somia, who rushed to them, waving her hands and shouting loudly.
"Umm,
do you know what does that about?"
"I
don't get it either! But ... Ah, Irisdina-san. If you'd like, could you
explain..."
When
Mimuru caught sight of Irisdina behind Somia, she called out to Irisdina to get
her to talk.
“…………”
However,
Irisdina's gaze was not on Mimuru but remained glued to Nozomu and the others
walking ahead of her.
"Umm,
Mimu-chin'd like to hear your explaination~"
Mimuru
looked up at Irisdina with her hands crossed over her chest as if peeking in,
and made a cute, flirtatious noise. She also flicked her tail in an attempt to
attract Irisdina's attention.
However,
as she thought, Irisdina's ears did not hear Mimuru's words at all. A few seconds of silence. Mimuru awkwardly
straightened her posture, surrounded by a blank atmosphere.
"Shi-Shīna~,
please say something~"
Mimuru
clung to Shīna as if she were a child.
Seemingly
reacting to her voice, Shīna turned her eyes to Mimuru.
“…………”
When
Shīna finally turned her head, Mimuru tried to open her mouth to speak, but
Shīna's gaze was immediately drawn to Irisdina, who was next to her.
Shīna
then shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention to Nozomu again. Mimuru
was being ignored by even her best friend. A strange, uncomfortable atmosphere
filled the place.
"Umm
... what the hell is going on~?!"
Mimuru's
cries echoed through the city lit by the morning sun.
In
the end, Mimuru and the others were unable to get any information out of her,
and they had to go to school in an agonizing mood.
==============================
Sure enough, the story
about Nozomu and the others had become a rumor throughout the school by noon
that day.
But since Nozomu's own
reputation hadn't changed much in the other classes, so the content of the
rumor was that Nozomu was approaching Lisa Hounds again.
Naturally, the stares
directed at Nozomu became more severe than ever.
Some of the students
even whispered in a voice that he could hear, and every time they did, a
bulging vein appeared on the forehead of Nozomu's classmates, especially Mars
and Jin.
Mars, in particular,
was furious, and he would look at any student who spoke carelessly as if he
were going to kill them.
However, Nozomu, the
person at the center of the rumors, didn't seem to care at all and went about
his daily life as usual. And it caused his classmates to tilt their heads.
It was the same for
Mimuru and the others. Mimuru, in particular, had witnessed a ridiculous scene
first thing in the morning but was completely unable to grasp the situation,
and when she tried to storm the 10th classroom during the break, her best
friend got in the way and she ran out of time.
Feo, who usually had a
loose mouth, grinned and said, "Well, a lot of things happened," and
refused to talk about it.
In fact, Feo was
teasing Mimuru, who was frustrated because she couldn't grasp what was going
on. But there was no way that she, who was naturally curious and couldn't sit
still, could stand such a situation.
As a result, Mimuru
jumped out of the window as soon as the morning classes were over, shaken off
Shīna, and attacked Nozomu.
During the lunch
break, Nozomu was captured under the pretense of having a meal as usual and was
surrounded by all of his friends for questioning.
"So!? Nozomu-kun,
what is the meaning of the rumors that are now spreading around the
school!?"
Right now, Nozomu was
sitting on a chair in the infirmary.
His friends around him
had finished their lunch earlier, but Nozomu hadn't even been able to eat his
lunch, and Mimuru was pressing him for an answer.
Behind Mimuru was Tom,
who had no idea what had happened this morning.
Shīna was holding her
head for some reason, but Mimuru's curiosity was out of control, and with her
courage, she rushed towards Nozomu.
"And also, about
this morning! What is going on? There was a shocking scene in full view in
front of the girl's dorm!"
Around him, Nozomu
could see not only his friends from Solminati but also Somia from Ecross was
there. Apparently, they were able to have a meal together today.
"Well, there's a
lot of things going on yesterday..."
Nozomu was scratching
his head and slurring his words at Mimuru's question.
"Yesterday?
Yesterday, you were teaming up with Irisdina on a request, right? So why are you in such a mess now!"
"Mimuru, your
voice is too loud ......."
Tom was trying to calm
Mimuru down, but it was not having much of an effect.
"Hey, I was there
too, you know?"
"Shut up, you
whimsical fox! Your words are 90% couldn't be believed, so they are
inappropriate to use as evidence!"
"Eh? Could it be
that all this time I was seen as a very untrustworthy person?"
Feo, who had been
removed from the party, raised a voice of protest, but he was cut off.
Well, it was Feo who
made fun of Mimuru, so it is natural that he is not trusted.
Mimuru's eyes caught
Irisdina while leaving Feo with her shoulders dropped.
Feo, who had been left
out, raised his voice in protest but was swiftly cut off. It was only natural
that they didn't trust him since he was the one who made fun of Mimuru.
Mimuru's eyes caught
Irisdina's as she left Feo, whose shoulders slumped, alone.
"Somehow,
something's wrong with Irisdina-san..."
"I-Is that
so?"
Irisdina, who was
suddenly mentioned, made a choked sound. Mimuru's suspicious gaze pierced
Irisdina.
"No, even if you
told me nothing is going on..."
Mimuru's eyes shifted
to Irisdina's hand. Even though everyone else had almost finished their meals,
she still had a half-eaten sandwich in her hand.
"Shīna's mind
isn't with us either..."
"Eh?"
Mimuru's eyes were
turned to Shīna this time.
"I'm done eating,
aren't I?"
Shīna held up the
package that contained her lunch as if to remind Mimuru, but Mimuru's eyes
still felt something was suspicious.
"Mouth……"
"E ...
Ah~!?"
While staring at Shīna
with half-closed eyes, Mimuru poked her in the mouth.
Shīna tilted her head,
wondering what was going on. Mimuru put her hand on her cheek and saw red
ketchup on it.
Mimuru had noticed
that Shīna had been glancing at Nozomu during the meal.
As Mimuru watched
Shīna hurriedly wipe the ketchup off her cheeks with a handkerchief, Somia asked
her sister with a curious look.
"Ane-sama. It
seems that everyone is curious about it, but did something happen
yesterday?"
"U-umm ... That's
right. How should I talk about it..."
Irisdina put her hand
over her mouth and let her gaze drift as if she was lost in thoughts.
Her gaze, which had
been wandering through the air, finally caught Nozomu's figure.
"……Let me
see……"
Irisdina stared at
him, and Nozomu scratched his head, wondering what to do. The next thing he
knew, Shīna was also staring straight at him.
Their expression that
seemed to appeal to him made Nozomu feel as if he were choking.
Mimuru, who had been
watching, thought it would be quicker to ask Nozomu, so she rushed towards him
again.
"Come on,
Nozomu-kun, tell us!"
Mimuru's rough breathing
blew in Nozomu's face.
He noticed that her
hair was also standing and her tail was standing up straight. The way her hair
was swaying even though there was no wind, it seemed that she was overexcited
and it was leaking from her body.
A rude thought crossed
Nozomu's mind that she might turn into a beast if left alone like this.
When Nozomu looked
around at his friends, they all gave him a silent "I'm curious"
expression.
"Well, alright. I
don't really have any intention of hiding it anyway..."
It was true that
various things had happened, but Nozomu himself had no intention of hiding it
from his friends. He let out a deep breath and slowly recounted the events of
yesterday to Mimuru and the others.
He told them that he
had encountered Lisa and Ken after the request, that he had tried to talk to
them, but they had rejected him and run away, that he had chased after Lisa
together with Camilla, who had been left behind, and that when he had caught up
with her, he had told her a little of the truth about what had happened two
years ago.
However, when Mimuru
heard the story, she folded her arms and tilted her head.
"Hmm~. But you
told everything to Camilla, didn't you, Nozomu? Then, why didn't you also tell
Lisa everything about it?
"I think so too.
Hey, Nozomu, wouldn't it have been better if you'd at least told her everything
like you did with us?"
Nozomu didn't tell
Lisa that there was someone who had framed him and that it was Ken. This was
something that stuck in the minds of Mars and Mimuru.
Mars and the others
complained that he should have told Lisa everything right then and there.
"Well, it's not
that I didn't think about it. In fact, when I went after Lisa yesterday, I was
going to tell her everything."
Nozomu was scratching
his head and remembering what happened yesterday.
It was true that he
had confessed everything that had happened to Camilla when he was chasing after
Lisa, who had run away.
"But I knew that
I couldn't solve the problem by forcing myself on Lisa. I think our situation
was different from Lisa's situation yesterday."
"What do you
mean?"
Mars tilted his head.
He was sure that Nozomu would tell Lisa everything how he really felt, just as
they had been able to understand each other by hitting each other.
Nozomu looked at Mars,
who was staring straight at him and slowly opened his mouth.
"Indeed, at that
time I knew that I had to tell you guys everything about myself properly out of
regret. I'm sure you feel the same way, right?"
"Yeah"
"That's why I
think it can only happen if there is a will to understand each other."
Mars nodded in
response to Nozomu's question.
The only reason why
Nozomu and Mars were able to understand each other was because they both wanted
to face each other again and took action. It was because of that desire that
they were able to reveal their true feelings and understand each other.
"The current Lisa
and the others are different. They won't look at me and listen. I found out
yesterday that even if I tried to confront them, they would only run
away."
The important thing is
to have feelings for the other person, and to act based on the intention of
wanting to understand each other.
But right now, Lisa
has completely turned away from her desire to know the other person. This means
that no matter how hard Nozomu tries to push, he will only make the other
person shrink and become stubborn.
However, that's not
all. The way Lisa was frightened yesterday. And then there was Tiamat, who
suddenly put on an unprecedented level of pressure on Nozomu. Inside of
Nozomu's mind, there was a fear that if he was not careful, it would be even
worse.
"Then what are
you going to do?"
"I'm going to
take it one step at a time, little by little, and I'll let her get to know the
current me. I'm going to clear up any misunderstandings little by little. Then
maybe Lisa will start to listen to me little by little."
Therefore, Nozomu
decided to get closer to Lisa little by little. The distance between them that
had opened up over the past two years was quite far.
Just as Nozomu didn't
know anything about Lisa's current situation, Lisa only understood the false
Nozomu that Ken had shown her.
It was reasonable. The
image of Nozomu in her mind had been completely painted out.
"So that's why
you did what you did this morning..."
Nozomu gave a small
nod at Mars' words.
"First of all, I
need to get her to listen to me even a little... Based on yesterday, I think
Camilla will probably listen to me. When I went to the girl's dorm today, she
didn't reject me... And then there's also the matter of dealing with the rumors
that have spread?"
If he could dispel the
rumors that had spread throughout the school, he might be able to get the
people around him on his side.
There was no guarantee
that this would get through to Lisa, but Nozomu thought it would be better than
doing nothing.
"……Have any ideas
come up?"
"Let me
see……"
Due to Mars's
question, Nozomu turned his gaze to the distance, as if he was stuck.
"So you haven't
come up with anything yet?"
"To be honest,
yes……"
Apparently, Nozomu had
set his goal but couldn't find any concrete means to achieve it.
Mars sighed and
dropped his shoulders heavily.
It was true that a
considerable amount of time had passed since the rumors about Nozomu became
established, and Nozomu had no alibi for the day.
It would be extremely
difficult to find clear evidence, and it was not easy to overturn this rumor...
"Hey, Mars, you
got any ideas?"
"Eh~, m-me!? Well
..."
Mars was bewildered
when he was suddenly asked about his opinion.
He pondered what he
can do to help, but he couldn't see any way to solve the problem.
Nozomu was lost in
thought, but he couldn't seem to come up with a good solution either.
They were two types of
different people. One was a kid who used to run wild without caring about what
others thought, and the other was a boy who used to run away from his
surroundings.
Even though they were
opposite from each other, it would not be easy to come up with a good idea.
Even if the two of them, who had distanced themselves from their surroundings,
suddenly tried to turn their attention to their surroundings. It was just like
doing something useless.
"No-Nozomu, can I
have a word?"
"Hmm? What is it,
Iris?"
Irisdina, who had
been silent until now, opened her mouth as if she couldn't bear to see them
continue to worry.
"As for
dispelling the rumors, I have a suggestion for you. Why don't you team up with
me like you did yesterday and we can take on some guild requests together for a
while?"
"I don't mind
taking requests, but ....... Umm, does…… it have something to do with
dispelling the rumors?”
"I-I
mean..."
Nozomu had no
objection to accepting the guild request with her, but he honestly didn't see
how it will help in dispelling the rumors.
Just as he was about
to ask her why she thought so, a woman burst into the infirmary.
"I found you~.
Nozomu-kun, Mars-kun, do you have a minute~?"
"Anri-sensei? Do
you need something?"
"Yes~. I have
very good news~!"
It was Anri, Nozomu's
homeroom teacher, who came running into the infirmary.
She was smiling like
usual, but to Nozomu, she looked even happier than usual today.
"Mars-kun,
Nozomu-kun. Also, the students who teamed up with Nozomu-kun in the special
training will meet at the training grounds this afternoon."
"Sensei, why the
training grounds? We're supposed to be done with the lecture for today..."
As Nozomu had said,
today's classes for the 10th class were only lectures. Unless they were going
to do some practical training or a magic experiment, there was no class that
used a large space like the training ground.
Why the training
ground? Moreover, the fact that they invited specific individuals rather than
the entire 10th class didn't make sense.
Nozomu and the others
were still puzzled. But when Anri's next words pierced their ears, they were
thrown into a whirlpool of astonishment.
"For the
afternoon class, Nozomu and his party members will be participating in a joint
class between the 1st and 2nd class. Also, students from other years will be
there, so keep your spirits up!"
"H-haa!?"