Chapter 8 Part 32
Translator : PolterGlast
Time went back a bit,
around the time when Nozomu and Lisa was leaving the decoration store that Lisa
frequented.
Shina and Mimuru were
on their way back to the girls' dormitory from the academy.
They walked out of the
school's main gate and walked side by side through the central park surrounded
by trees covered with fallen leaves.
The season was already
approaching winter, and it could have started snowing at any moment.
The land is originally
blessed with enough rainfall to form forests.
It was inevitable that
rain would turn to snow as the temperature dropped.
Winter is just around
the corner. The air in the city is cold.
And even as they
walked through the central park, there was a chilly, tingling atmosphere.
Mimuru, who was
usually so vigorous in her speech and behavior, had lost her energy, and her
ears were twitching restlessly, as if she were checking on her best friend next
to her.
On the other hand, the
beauty walking next to her kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead, her elegant
mouth clenched into a straight line. Her whole body was giving off an
atmosphere that told people not to talk to her.
“Hey, Shina. We should talk to Nozomu after all. It's
not good to keep silent."
After a long period of
silence, unable to bear it any longer, Mimuru finally opened her mouth. The
content of the conversation was about the problem her best friend was facing.
The current Shina was
under the influence of the [Soul-Sealing Chains] after the blood contract she
made with Nozomu, and it was difficult for her to use her magic properly, let
alone spirit magic.
As for Shina, it was a
secret that she had intended to keep hidden for a long time. However, her
great-grandfather and her prospective fiancé, who visited her at the opening
festival, made it known to Mimuru.
Since then, Shina's
best friend has been giving her hard time, telling her that she should talk to
Nozomu about it at every opportunity.
"Mimuru, didn't I
already tell you? I can't put any more burden on him now..."
However, Shina
dismissed Mimuru's suggestion in a single word.
Shina had previously
been told by her best friend to tell Nozomu about the problem she was facing,
but even then, this elf girl dismissed Mimuru's advice flatly.
She even tearfully
pleaded with the impatient Mimuru to stop trying to talk to Nozomu herself.
"You call it a
burden, but I think it's worse if you keep quiet about it. And It would be even
worse if everyone found out about it later!"
Mimuru, too, backed
down for a moment in the face of her best friend's tears. But after some time
had passed, she had made up her mind again, and today she showed no signs of
backing down even when Shina tried to talk her out of it.
She showed an angry
expression on her face, with her tail standing on end and her fur bristling up.
"Usually you
thoroughly hide anything that might cause you to catch fire, but why only at a
time like this do you have such a good argument..."
"I guess that
means you also think that what you're doing isn't really a good idea."
“…………”
Shina was caught off
guard by her own words, which she had intended to use as an excuse, and she
involuntarily fell silent.
Mimuru was usually so
careless in her own words and actions that she seemed to have no sense of her
own thinking, and she repeatedly got what she deserved, but there were times
when she showed an unusual level of sharpness and rationality in her thinking
when it came to love.
Shina involuntarily
averted her eyes from her best friend, but her behavior provoked Mimuru even
further.
"Don't look away!
Hey, Shina. This is your chance. If it's now, you can slip in between the two
of them."
Despite her teasing
words and actions, Mimuru had always been supportive of Shina's feelings for
Nozomu.
Her best friend, who
was so uptight and somewhat in a desperate life, and the trouble brought on by
her vengeance.
Although their
relationship was at one point cracked when Tom, her lover, was hurt, in the
end, a stronger bond was formed between the two.
A boy named Nozomu
Bountis was the trigger that led to this.
Contrary to her flippant
behavior, Mimuru felt indebted to Nozomu, and she wanted her best friend to
find happiness, even if it might seem like it was none of her business.
Mimuru's head was
always all about love, but that was why she would not compromise in any way on
that path, and she could not overlook her best friend's behavior of trying to
keep her happiness away from herself.
"... I don't
really care about that kind of thing. In the first place, I didn't come to this
academy for such things."
As if to escape from Mimuru,
who was looking straight at her, Shina quickened her steps even further.
She did not want to
talk any more. It was an action that truly expressed her feelings.
Therefore, Mimuru did
not back down.
She grabbed Shina's
hand as she was about to leave, and tried to force her eyes to look back at
her.
"... Could it be
that you're scared?"
"... What do you
mean?"
"To fall in love
with someone. To keep pursuing the person you love. To give up everything for
the sake of the person you love. The very act of falling in love."
Mimuru's sharp words
pierced her heart from behind.
Her heart was pounding
wildly. In contrast, her hands and feet turned cold, as if she was suffering
from frostbite.
Shina gulped down her
spit to endure the shaking of her body, and denied Mimuru's words with a
trembling voice.
"No, that's not
true."
"That's a lie.
Because, Shina, you are running away. You're running away from telling the
people you love that you love him."
"... I don't
understand what Mimuru is talking about."
Shina tried to shake
off Mimuru's hand as if she was brushing off a cobweb.
However, there was no
way that Shina, with her slender arms, would be able to break free of Mimuru's
hands.
On the contrary,
Shina's resistance, which was out of character, made Mimuru more determined.
"Then you do
admit that you like Nozomu. So you are running away from him, but you still
like him, right? Of course you are. Otherwise, you would not have done the
blood covenant ritual. That's what such stubborn Shina was trying to say, isn't
it?"
"So what!"
In response to
Mimuru's vehement words and actions, Shina raised her voice.
"Yeah, you're
right. Certainly, I'm attracted to him. But what am I supposed to do!? I can't
help him any more than this!"
She did not tell
Nozomu what the blood covenant ritual meant to the elves.
An act that she hoped
would give Nozomu the opportunity to learn spirit magic. At the same time, she
did not want to put a mental burden on him at this most difficult and important
time.
However, that act had
a more negative impact on her than she had anticipated.
Right now, Shina could
not sense Nozomu's presence through the path. In fact, she could no longer even
sense the presence of the spirit, perhaps due to the gradually increasing
influence of the [Soul-Sealing Chains].
Previously, Shina had
lost the ability to contract with spirits due to the trauma of losing her
sister, but she had never lost the ability to sense the presence of spirits at
all.
Now, however, she was
unable to sense even the small spirits lurking in the shadows on the side of
the road.
Although the path had
been closed before by his unique ability, at that time, even his presence did
not disappear. But now she could not sense even a fragment of that connection.
(I can't feel anything
anymore...)
Up until now, she has
never wavered in her feelings, even when Lisa and Irisdina would get agitated.
This was because she
had a "contract" with Nozomu, a bond that no ordinary human being could
ever form.
This bond gave her the
pride of knowing that she could always be of help to Nozomu, and the comfort of
knowing that he was always next to her.
But now the benefits
of the power of that contract have been completely reversed.
The sense of assurance
that had always lit up her heart has been turned upside down, transforming it
into something that plunged her into anxiety and loneliness.
She could no longer
sense the spirits that had been with her since childhood, nor the person she
loved. This was fatal for an elf who lives under the soul connection of a
contract.
Moreover, she had once
lost her connection with the spirits and regained it.
Having lost and
regained something precious, the sense of loss when it was lost again was
extraordinary.
It brought Shina an
intense sense of helplessness, and along with the guilt of not being able to
tell Nozomu about the blood covenant ritual, it caused her to feel extremely
depressed.
"'The current me
can't be of any help to him ... If anything, I'll be dragging him down."
"That's why it's
not good! Because it didn't convey anything to Nozomu!"
On the other hand,
Mimuru's voice became even louder in response to Shina's words.
These words speak
volumes because Mimuru has always been vocal about her feelings and conveyed
them to the people she cares about.
From her point of
view, Shina's actions were completely against what she had done. It would be
more hurtful for the other person to be kept at a distance without being made
aware of it. After that, the distance between them will grow wider and wider,
and in the end, the distance between them will be so wide that they will never
be able to recover it.
If one were to calm
down a little and think about it, one would understand.
However, the current
Shina has fallen into a state of powerlessness and guilt, and is unable to
objectively look at herself and her surroundings.
"Rather than the
current me, Irisdina-san and Lisa-san are more-..."
A negative mind would
perceive everything in a negative way.
The same was true for
the relationship between Nozomu and Lisa.
The woman who has
regained her bond with him and herself who has lost it. Such an image of
herself inevitably made her feel miserable.
"Why are you
bringing up those two!? What happened in their past is none of Shina's
business! You love him, don't you!? Regardless of the contract or the fact that
you lost your power, if you love him, tell him you love him! Don't run
away!"
And then, the worst
sight flashed into Shina's eyes
"~……"
"That is Nozomu
and... -huh, ehh!?"
A long bench was
placed at the edge of the central park. There are two persons, a man and a
woman, wearing the uniform of Solminati Academy.
Judging by the fact
that the clothes they are wearing are Solminati Academy uniforms, it is clear
that they are students of the academy, but the problem is that they are the man
and woman that Shina had mentioned earlier.
Furthermore, Lisa sits
on the lap of the flustered Nozomu, cupping his cheeks in her hands and
bringing her lips close to his so that their bodies are in close contact.
Shina's eyes widen.
Her vision whirls
around and her mouth goes dry in the blink of an eye.
"~......!"
What followed was
intense anger.
Her mind which had
been so negative just a few moments ago, suddenly reversed itself, and her
stunned gaze became tinged with the color of fury.
It was definitely a
feeling of jealousy.
Elves rarely feel
jealousy toward their partners, as long as they are deeply connected to the
person they truly love in the depths of their souls.
However, the current
situation has left her with a sense of loneliness that ordinary elves rarely
experience.
And the feelings of
jealousy spread quickly through her weakening mind.
Perhaps noticing
Shina's gaze, Lisa quickly pulled away from Nozomu before she could let her
lips touch his.
She snatched a few of
the bells that Nozomu was holding, and with a smile, she waved her hand at him
and disappeared into the bustling streets.
"This is ... that
the two of them are ... -eh, Shina!"
Shina chased after Lisa,
ignoring the voice of her best friend coming from behind her. Mimuru also
rushed after her best friend, who ran off.
(What-, what are you
up to, what are you thinking!)
Driven by the feelings
of jealousy swirling in her chest, Shina weaved her way through the crowd.
(Even though he's at a
critical moment right now!)
Her thoughts were
already incoherent and incomprehensible.
While telling Mimuru
that she should stay away from Nozomu, she opposed the girl who was trying to
close the distance with him.
However, she was
unable to notice such a thing due to her narrow-mindedness caused by jealousy.
In the meantime, Shina
has caught up with Lisa.
No, Lisa turned into
an alley and stopped to wait for Shina and Mimuru.
A little later, Mimuru
caught up with them.
"I'm not sure if
it's bad timing or what. Peeping isn't a good thing to do. Don't you think so,
Shina-san?"
Lisa, who had noticed
Shina and Mimuru peeping at her from the beginning, turned around without
showing any particular agitation.
Shina glared at Lisa,
who had a smug expression on her face, revealing her feelings of jealousy.
Why are you trying to
distract Nozomu? She put such feelings into her gaze and struck Lisa with it.
Lisa, on the other
hand, dismissed Shina's silent protests with a smile and rang the bell in her
hand.
It was the bell that
Lisa had snatched from Nozomu. Shina's gaze turned even more fierce as she
watched.
"This bell was
made by Nozomu. You're jealous, aren't you?"
"... I'm not
impressed."
"About what
exactly? I just told someone whom I love that I love him. It's better than
being reserved about it."
"You're not going
to distract him..."
"I would never do
that. He was about to lose track of himself again, and I was just giving him a
little advice."
Lisa continued with
her words, "Well, it's true that I wanted to kiss him, and if I could have
wished, I would have rented a private romantic room for us to share and sleep together."
Her tone of voice
spoke in a joking manner. However, Shina sensed that Lisa was really hoping
that her words would come true.
With jealousy swirling
deep in her heart, she bit her back teeth involuntarily. Her cheeks stiffened
and the sharpness of her eyes increased.
Lisa was puzzled by
Shina's unusual behavior.
From her point of
view, the elf girl in front of her was the closest to Nozomu, and she thought
she was the smartest and most understanding of him.
"Can't you see?
He was obviously getting impatient. Maybe his training with that old man isn't
going as well as he thought. At least, that's what Nozomu believes"
"I know that.
That's why..."
I know that without
being told. Therefore, Shina did what she could do.
She performed the
blood covenant ritual, which is sacred to the elves, and arranged for him to be
able to sense the presence of the spirits.
But as a result of
that act, she literally lost everything she had.
The sense of
insecurity and loneliness that came back to her like a wave quickly calmed her
raging envy, and now, in turn, froze her heart.
"So what?"
As Lisa turned her
questioning eyes on Shina, the elf girl crossed her arms as if hugging herself
and looked away. As if she was trying to escape Lisa's gaze.
Shina's gesture of turning
her head away made Lisa suspicious.
"It's weird. I
thought you and Nozomu were a lot closer than me and him."
"~……"
A shadow shot across
Shina's face. Lisa's eyes, which had spotted the shadow, were as sharp as those
of a cat that has found its prey.
"But it looks
like I will be able to catch up with you. You're in the lead right now, but you
seem to be more flustered than I thought. Or is there a reason you can't take
the initiative?"
Reasons for not taking
the initiative.
The moment she heard
those words, the shadow that shot across Shina's face suddenly darkened.
"I guess I'm
right on the money. To be honest, I'm aware that I'm being unfair. In fact, I'm
grateful to you and to Irisdina-san."
Lisa was neither
heartless nor ungrateful.
After the battle
between Ken and Nozomu, who had been captured by the Abyss Grief, she was
nearly crushed by guilt over the comatose Nozomu.
At that time, it was
Irisdina who reprimanded her and Shina who provided what could be called a
glimmer of light.
Lisa is grateful to
both of them.
However, there is one
thing she still does not want to give up.
She wants to become a
great adventurer. And if she could, she would like to once again pursue the
unknown on this continent with him.
That is the driving
force that drives her today. A never-ending flame of passion lit deep in her
heart. That was the reason why Lisa Hounds would not give up.
"Even so, I don't
want to regret it this time, my dreams, my love ... Well, if you can't stand to
watch it happen, then feel free to take the initiative, okay?"
The red-haired girl
quietly and persuasively uttered those words to Shina.
So, she blasted Shina
with a declaration of war, who was still in hesitation.
Behind her provocative
smile, she was hiding her gratitude.
And then, with a
somewhat complicated expression on her face directed to the silent Shina, she
turned on her heel and disappeared into the alleyway.
Mimuru also gazed at
Shina, who was unable to say anything, with a somber expression on her face.
At that moment, a
hoarse voice, filled with some dignity, flowed through the alley.
"Shina..."
"Triforium-sama...
Why are you here?"
In a corner of the
alley where no one was supposed to be.
As if a fog had
lifted, two elves appeared in front of Shina.
