Chapter 8 Part 50
Translator : PolterGlast
The Guest House.
One of the school
facilities used for the opening ceremony. It is also where Nozomu lives now.
Returning to the guest
house, Nozomu entered through the main gate and went straight to the
residential section of the building.
When he opened the
door to the dining room, he was greeted by an appetizing aroma.
"Welcome home,
Nozomu, you're late."
"Yeah, I'm home,
Iris."
A black-haired girl
greeted Nozomu upon his return.
She was probably doing
some cooking. Irisdina stood in the kitchen, which is attached to the dining
room, wearing an apron over her regular clothes.
The bell of her hair
ornament, which adorned her, made a shrill and refreshing sound.
"The meal will be
ready in a minute, you can go wash your body first."
“A-, alright, thank you. I'll take you up on your offer
then..."
Nozomu and Irisdina
were currently living together in this guest house.
Considering their
special circumstances, this is a natural arrangement.
Of course, they are
not alone. Two teachers are living with them as supervisors.
The teachers who live
together with them are Inda, Jihad's second-in-command, and Anri, Nozomu's
homeroom teacher.
However, according to
Irisdina, they have not yet returned from the academy.
Incidentally, the
other Francilt family members are being taken care of at Madame Parline's
mansion.
The place where the
Francilt mansion used to be has literally been cleared, so Madame Parline took
care of them.
After cleaning off the
day's dirt and getting dressed in the simple bathroom provided, Nozomu went
straight back to the dining room.
"Sorry to keep
you waiting."
"Oh, just in
time. It's ready just now, so let's eat it right away."
Dinner was already
laid out on the table.
Bread, stew, and
salad. And a grilled wurst. It was a typical commoner's dinner.
Nozomu took his seat
and first put a spoonful into the stew.
Meat simmered with
animal milk and a variety of vegetables danced in the bowl.
The aroma of the milk
and melted vegetables stimulated his nose, and his throat naturally started to
salivate.
Nozomu gently put the
spoon into his mouth, trying to appease his stomach's urge to hunger.
"... It's
good!"
The spoon naturally
kept moving. Such words were unintentionally leaked out as the umami taste
spread in his mouth.
Seeing Nozomu's
reaction, Irisdina's mouth was smiling happily.
"Thank you. I've
never done home cooking before, so I was a little worried."
Irisdina said that
although she had learned about this kind of cooking, she had hardly ever
practiced it.
However, it turned out
to be quite delicious. The vegetables that melted in one's mouth went well with
the stew, which had a concentrated flavor.
Above all, the warmth
and comforting feeling of the stew naturally permeated into the body.
"Thank you for
the food. I'll wash the dishes."
"T-, thank you.
Well then, please."
After finishing the
meal, Nozomu began to put away the dishes. Meanwhile, Irisdina went to the
bathroom.
As she left the dining
room, Nozomu wiped off the stains on the dishes and rinsed them off with water.
After cleaning the
stains again with the soap provided, he wiped off the remaining water with a
dry cloth.
The soap was not the
soft one used on the continent, but a stiff, hard one.
It seemed to have been
recently made in the craftsmen district of Arcazam, and it was easy to use,
with little of the characteristic smell of something made from animal oil and
lime.
He then covered the
leftover stews and salads with a cover so that they would be ready to eat when
Anri and Inda returned home.
"Okay, we're
done..."
"Thanks for your
hard work. What will Nozomu do now?"
After a while,
Irisdina came out of the bathroom.
Her wet black hair and
nightgown were glamorous, and the way she brushed her hair back made his heart
skip a beat.
His heart thumped
loudly. Since they had started living together, Nozomu had been getting nervous
more and more often.
"U-, umm, there's
nothing more to do today. But I don't feel sleepy yet either... I think I'll go
for a little walk in the garden, just to freshen my stomach."
"Okay, let's go
together then."
"Aren't you
cold?"
"Don't worry, I
won't be out that long."
"Good
grief…"
Nozomu picked up a
scarf from a nearby coat rack and draped it over Irisdina's shoulders. He
thought it would be bad for her body if she got cold after taking a bath.
"Fufu~, thank
you."
After putting on their
coats, they went outside the guest house.
The garden, which had
been crowded with people during the opening ceremony, was deserted, and snow
was piled up here and there.
The frozen snow made a
crunching sound as they stepped upon it.
The cold winter air
caressed their bodies, which were burning from the bath and meal. For a while,
the two of them walked slowly side by side along the garden path, relaxing in
the pleasantness of the air.
"Iris, how's your
body?"
"No problems at
all. Rather, I'm in better shape than I was before. Even my hair is back to
normal."
Nozomu was concerned
about Irisdina, who had become a Dhampir, but she smiled cheerfully while
making a fist pump with both hands.
Although Nozomu was
relieved to see her energetic demeanor, he couldn't help but notice that
Irisdina's eyes had turned a dark purple-blue color.
"But the color of
your eyes is..."
Irisdina's hair
returned from white to black, but the color of her eyes did not completely
return to normal.
This was probably
because she had changed into a completely different race. This fact left Nozomu
with a little regret.
"Well, it can't
be helped. Besides, I'm glad. Thanks to this power, I didn't lose anyone I
cared about."
Irisdina, on the other
hand, was unperturbed and didn't seem to be bothered by her situation. She was
still smiling as she kicked the snow around her feet like a little child.
"Of course, now
that I've changed, things certainly won't be the same as they were
before."
"Did something
happen?"
"I am officially
no longer the next head of the Francilt family. In other words, I'm
disinherited."
"...……"
According to Irisdina,
since she is no longer a human being, she is no longer qualified to take over
the Francilt family.
Nozomu was taken aback
by her words.
"Hold on, there
is more to this story."
"Eh?"
Upon seeing Nozomu's
serious expression, Irisdina continued her story, looking a little flustered.
"The next head of
the family will be Somia. Along with that, I will serve the Francilt family as
counselor and regent."
"Somia-chan?..."
"Yeah, and this
idea came from Somia herself. Fufu~, surprising, isn't it?"
"... No, not
really. If it's Somia-chan, it wouldn't be surprising if she would voluntarily
consider succeeding Iris."
Nozomu's stiffened
eyes naturally relaxed as he looked at Irisdina, who smiled again and began to
play with the snow. This time, he was able to properly accept her words.
"Hmm, you seem to
be saying that you know Somia better than I do. I'm not going to let you get
away with that!"
"You're showing a
competitive spirit over such a thing?..."
Even after becoming a
Dhampir, Irisdina is still a sis-con as ever.
Nozomu couldn't help
but let out a chuckle at the sight of her unchanged character.
"Well, that's how
it is. When I heard this idea, I actually did not feel sad or frustrated, but
rather happy for Somia's growth."
This was the beginning
of a transition from being an object of mere protection.
This incident brought
about a big change in the two girls, Irisdina and Somia.
Such a change in two
cherished people. Nozomu was genuinely happy to see their growth.
The Francilt family will
undoubtedly face difficult times in the future, but there is hope for the
future. That's what he thought.
"Well, Father,
after much dismay, was being shaken down by Mena and Madame Parline
though..."
"Victor-san?..."
"When I told him
that I was going to be disinherited, he almost bit his tongue and cried tears
of blood. Seriously, Somia seems to be more dependable than him..."
"A-,
hahaha..."
But there were also
those who were more likely to remain the same. It should have been a good
thing, but Nozomu's body was drained of strength all at once.
Although Viktor has
been behind a lot of things this time around and must have a lot of
responsibility to bear, he seemed to have not changed his love for his
daughters.
"Well, that's how
it all worked out for us. So I have nothing but gratitude to you. Thank you for
coming to our rescue at that time."
Illuminated by the
moonlight of the night, Irisdina suddenly looked up at the sky.
"It's a nice
moonlit night. It's cold, but that's why the moon looks so beautiful."
As if drawn by her,
Nozomu also looked up at the moon.
The moon shining in
the sky illuminated the night sky with starlight.
Irisdina, perhaps
inspired by the cold but gentle moonlight that enveloped her, opened her mouth,
looking a little excited.
"That's right.
Now that we're here, why don't we dance?"
"Eh?"
"Such a nice
night. Wouldn't it be a shame not to dance?"
Nozomu's eyes blinked
at the sudden invitation to dance, and he looked up at the sky once more.
Indeed, it was a
beautiful night. A quiet, yet moonlit night that made one want to return to
one's childhood.
Nozomu, too, gently
held out his hand to Irisdina, as if inviting her to join him.
"I guess so.
Then, may I ask you to dance with me?"
"I gladly accept
your offer."
As if guided by the
overlapping hands, the two naturally began to dance.
In the starlit garden,
their shadows drew beautiful footprints on the snow.
Nozomu took the lead
with fluid steps, followed by Irisdina.
*Tap-tap-tap*,
*tap-tap-tap*, the tempo of the dance was fast, yet calm and elegant.
Their movements
overlapped each other without a single deviation. As if drawn by their
movements, their gazes naturally intertwined with each other's.
"It's just like
when we were practicing our dance in Francilt's mansion, isn't it?"
"Ah, that time.
Even though that was only the third time you danced, your dancing has improved
a lot."
"Is that so?
Hearing Iris say so gives me a lot of confidence."
Prior to the Opening
Festival. They smiled as they recalled their rush training at the Francilt
mansion.
Then they remained
silent for a while and continued to dance, surrendering themselves to each
other's breathing.
Not even the sound of
the wind could be heard. Only the sound of footsteps on the snow in the garden
of the guest house and the chime of the bells of the hair ornaments that rang
in the air.
After repeating the
same routine several times, Irisdina suddenly opened her mouth.
"Why did you come
to help me?"
"Because I wanted
to connect with everyone's-... no, with your dreams."
"My dreams?"
"You told me
about them when we were practicing our dance at the Francilt mansion at that
time."
"Oh, now that you
mention it. Fufu~, it feels like a long time ago."
Irisdina's dream was to
protect her family and the people she cared about, including Somia.
He didn't want her
dreams to be extinguished. Nozomu again clearly spoke up in front of her.
"My dream was to
do that after all. I want to support the dreams of my loved ones."
Nozomu's reason for
fighting. His reason to become strong.
It took him a long
time to realize it, but it has not changed.
Hearing his words,
Irisdina's mouth hung open.
"I see, so that's
how you managed to seduce Lisa-kun."
"Isn't it awful
to say I seduced her?"
"Not at all.
You're a playboy with no self-awareness after all. If I don't say something
like this to you, I can already imagine you helping anyone you want and getting
into trouble."
You'll eventually get
stabbed in the back on a moonless night.
Adding those words at
the end, Irisdina puffed out her cheeks with a pout.
In response to her
slightly dissatisfied expression, Nozomu showed his dismay by saying,
"Ha~~."
"Unfortunately,
I'm not good enough to be a playboy."
"I know. I said
so because I wanted to make fun of you."
The disgruntled look
on her face changed. Nozomu let out a deeper sigh than before at Irisdina, who
gave him a wide smile on her face.
"Iris, you're a
terrible person..."
"Well, I am a
cold-blooded aristocrat. Formerly though."
*Chuckle*
Both of them let out a
chuckle and continued to dance under the empty winter sky.
Eventually, Irisdina
stopped her dance.
Is something wrong?
Nozomu tilted his head
and looked into her face. Irisdina looked up at him with her purple-blue eyes
shimmering with anxiety.
"Hey, Nozomu,
why-... did you come to help me?"
Again, it was the same
question. But Nozomu knew right away what she wanted to ask.
He met her gaze and
mulled it over for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.
"Because I like
you... There's no other reason."
"...-again."
Irisdina's lips
quivered as she demanded to hear the words again, which came calmly but clearly
from her ears.
"Because I like
you."
Is that true? Is that
not a lie?
Her anxiety was
quickly dispelled by Nozomu's reiterated words.
What followed was a
surge of intense joy. Her whole body heated up, and her eyes could not look
away from him.
"Can I hear your
answer?"
A single tear spilled
from a pair of flickering purple-blue eyes.
"I-... I adore
you too."
The distance between
the two, which had been only slightly open, slowly closed and then overlapped.
Their hands were
gently entwined in a white chain that glowed with a faint light.
=================
We've caught up to the
latest chapter of the raw, wohoo~!
So only the side
stories are left now.
By the way, the next chapter would be the continuation of the Volume 7 side story that I skipped before.
Also, I want to let you know that I currently translating the LN version of the series. But for the time being, it will be Patron Exclusive Content.
