Side Story :
Ever-Changing Iris-chan Part 2
Translator : PolterGlast
The area around
Arcazam has a fair amount of precipitation, so why does it snow in the winter?
With the sun rising in
the sky and illuminating the snow on the ground in white, Lisa walks down the
main street to the commercial district. Her aim is to go shopping.
People who are not
used to snow tend to stay indoors when it snows. However, Oire Village, where
Lisa was from, also experiences a fair amount of snowfall, so she had gotten
used to the snowy roads.
"Well, we don't
use that much firewood, so the rest is bread and ham. Maybe we could have some
pickled veggies?"
Since Arcazam was
built, there has been an increase in the use of magic in daily life. The
women's dormitory also has several heating tools that use magic. So, although
there is a fireplace, the amount of firewood used can be reduced.
"On a cold day
like this, how about a warm drink!? We have everything from wines of the
kingdom to sake of the north!"
"From fur coats
to boots and underwear, we've got all the clothes we need to keep the cold at
bay! Why don't you buy some to save on your annual firewood bill!?"
"Welcome,
welcome! We got some good meat in today! It's fresh as a whistle, and since
it's winter, it'll still taste good even after a week! Come and take a
look!"
Even in the cold
winter, their business spirit seemed to know nothing about cooling down.
They proceeded to
continue their business, stepping on the frozen snow as they finished their
purchases.
In the midst of it
all, Lisa caught a glimpse of a familiar blue-colored hair through a gap in the
crowd of people passing by.
Seeing her
acquaintance, Lisa instinctively called out to her.
"Ah, Shina-san.
O~i!"
Shina turned around
with a surprised look on her face when she was suddenly addressed by her name.
The blue-haired elf
girl trotted toward Lisa, looking a little embarrassed, as she was exposed to
the surrounding gazes.
"Lisa-san,
please, don't call my name so loud, it's embarrassing."
"Now, now, don't
worry. It's not like we don't know each other. So, Shina-san, are you shopping,
too?"
"Mou~... Yes, I
am."
Letting out a sigh,
Shina held up the bag in her hand and showed it to her.
The contents, however,
were different from what Lisa had bought.
There were candied
fruits, bottled tea leaves, sweets, milk, etc. They were clearly intended for a
visit somewhere.
"Shina-san, this
is...”
"Ah, yeah. I'm
going to visit Nozomu-kun's place..."
"Hee..."
Naturally, Lisa's tone
of voice became higher.
She was jealous ... In
front of the red-haired girl who exuded such emotion, Shina quietly smiled.
"Do you want to
go with me, Lisa?"
"Eh, is that
okay? But..."
"I know you've
been through a lot with Nozomu-kun, but now that you've already reconciled with
him, and you've helped me and Irisdina-san before, so I don't mind if you
do."
As a matter of fact,
it was Lisa who had been encouraging Shina when she lost her ability to
communicate with the spirits again.
Although they had not
spent much time together, they felt a strange kind of sympathy for each other.
Perhaps it was because
they were both attracted to the same person. Moreover, they had no animosity
toward each other, which was a strange thing.
"By the way,
where is Nozomu now?"
"He's still at
the guest house ..., no wait, he's in central park. I wonder if something
happened."
"...Wait a
minute, how do you know?"
"? Nozomu and I
are connected by the path, so I can easily find out at least where he is... Is
there something wrong..?"
Partner situation.
Especially if it is a partner with whom one has exchanged a blood covenant
ceremony, one can know every single thing about the partner. This is a normal
situation for an elf.
However, for Lisa, who
is a human, this is something that makes her feel a bit overwhelmed.
"Well, umm. It's
a little, you know... I'm aware that I'm a fairly demanding woman myself, but I
was just thinking that Nozomu might have it tough, too."
Of course, Lisa also
trusted Shina Yuriel's personal qualities.
In fact, when Lisa
gave her a blasting, Shina managed to overcome her own feelings of inferiority
and bitterness, and firmly chose to face Nozomu.
As a rival in love, it
was frustrating, but as someone who wished for her happiness, she was happy for
her.
The girl tilted her
head cutely and looked at Lisa, while Lisa quickened her pace.
"Well, he reaped
what he sowed, so I wonder how it will turn out?"
Because of their long
lifespan and the fact that they have a committed partner in the truest sense of
the word, the love of elves is synonymous with pure love. However, when the
partner is of a different race, there are times when the person to whom the
love is directed cannot endure such love. There are several well-known stories
about this kind of love that are told as tragic love.
So the two of them
decided to go to Nozomu to see him, and as a result...
"Just when in the
world did you and Irisdina-san have a child!?"
They witnessed Nozomu
on a date with Irisdina, who had turned into a little girl.
=====================================
When Nozomu was misunderstood
by Lisa, whom he ran into by chance in the commercial district, that he had a
child with Irisdina, he quickly calmed her down from her agitated state and
went to the Ushitotei to clear up the misunderstanding.
Fortunately, the first
floor was still being prepared and there were no customers in sight.
Nozomu explained the
situation to Hannah, who was in charge of the diner, and borrowed a seat, then
explained to Lisa and Shina that Irisdina had been turned into a little girl
under the influence of being a Dhampir.
"I'm sorry."
"Well, I do hope
I've cleared up the misunderstanding. Based on Iris' current appearance, she's
about six years old, you know? Given our age difference, surely you would
understand that that wouldn't be possible..."
"Oh well, I guess
you could say that the sight was so shocking that it knocked me out of my
wits..."
Nozomu scratched his
head and was relieved when Lisa bowed her head in front of him. Looks like the
misunderstanding has been properly cleared up.
If one were to
calculate their ages, it would mean that Nozomu's child was born when he was
about 11 years old.
At that time, he was
in his hometown village of Oire, and of course had never met Irisdina.
"With the way
things are going right now, it seems like it could be a possibility!"
"Umm, well, I
can't say it's not possible given our current circumstances, but unfortunately
I haven't done anything like that with Iris..."
"Eeh~~
Really~~"
Nozomu quickly shifted
in his chair to get away from Lisa, who was coming closer to him with a smirk
and a meaningful smile on her face.
Upon seeing his
reaction, Lisa's smile deepened and she lowered her gaze to Irisdina, who was
sitting comfortably on Nozomu's lap.
"Even so..."
"Hmm? What is
it?"
"She really has
turned into quite a cute little girl, huh..."
Without thinking, Lisa
reached out her hand to Irisdina's head, which had become smaller. Then her
hand was flicked off with a light sound.
"Yah~!"
"Oh no~, she
hates me."
It seemed that
Irisdina, who has been turned into a little girl, did not like to be touched by
anyone other than Nozomu. Even her eyes, which were fixed on Lisa, had a hint
of wariness.
Well, Lisa and
Irisdina were rivals in many ways. Especially when it came to Nozomu, their
rivalry remained unyielding. They have no intention of getting along with each
other, even in such an unusual situation as being turned into a little girl.
It might be because
she has been turned into a little girl that she no longer hides her wariness
toward Lisa.
Meanwhile, Shina, who
was observing the two of them next to Lisa, asked Nozomu.
"So, Nozomu-kun,
do you have any plan to bring Irisdina back to normal?"
"Iris will
probably be able to turn back to her normal state once she gets her magic
powers back under control. But I'm not sure when that will happen..."
After Nozomu told her
about Norn's diagnosis, Shina put her hand on her chin and thought for a
moment.
"I see. Do you
mind if I examine her for a moment?"
"Eh?"
"Since I am also
connected to Irisdina-san through you, perhaps I might be able to notice
something different from Norn-sensei."
In response to Shina's
suggestion, Nozomu gave a small nod.
"That's true.
Sorry, can you take care of it?"
"Yes, leave it to
me."
Upon hearing Nozomu's
request, Shina responded positively and stood up, walked around the table, and
moved to stand in front of him.
Shina bent down and
gently reached her hands out to cup Nozomu's cheeks.
"Wha..."
"Stay still. In
order to examine Irisdina-san through the path, I need to strengthen my
connection with you, the main root of the path. Nnn..."
Despite Nozomu's
agitation, Shina kept leaning closer to him and put their foreheads against
each other's. Their faces were so close that they could feel each other's
breath.
Perhaps without
knowing it, Shina's mouth was smiling, her cheeks had a hint of vermilion, and
even her breath seemed to be tinged with heat.
"Aaah! That's not
fair!"
"Muuu..."
Lisa voiced her envy
at the two, who looked as if they were about to kiss.
As for Irisdina, she
was tugging at Nozomu's clothes and expressing her dissatisfaction.
"Hmm... I
see..."
It took about a
minute. They separated their foreheads, which were attached to each other.
"Just as
Norn-sensei said, her body seems to be trying to get back to normal. Little by
little, Irisdina's magic is spreading throughout her body and she is beginning
to harmonize her soul with her body."
"I see, thank
you."
At least things are
moving in the right direction. Being able to confirm this, Nozomu let out a
breath of relief and thanked Shina for her help.
Then Lisa spoke up
again.
"Hey, is there a
quick way to fix it?"
"Well, since she
doesn't have enough magic power, the conventional way is to bring it from other
sources..."
"Come to think of
it, when I was in the process of strengthening my path with Nozomu-kun,
Irisdina-san's magic power was momentarily intensified."
"Huh? How?"
"... Hmm~~, could
it be..."
Lisa smiled
meaningfully, got up from her seat, and walked around the table to Nozomu's
side. Then, she took Nozomu's arm and hugged him.
"Ah!"
As Irisdina who was on
his lap let out a surprised voice, Lisa quickly brought her face close to
Nozomu's with a natural gesture.
The distance between
them was almost the same as Shina's earlier. Then she said something
outrageous.
"Hey, Nozomu, do
me a favor, will you go on a date with me right now?"
"Ha?"
"You know, I
worked so hard during that last incident. Can't I at least have that as a
thank-you?
"No! Don't!
Nozomu is my boyfriend!
As Nozomu was
processing the word "date" in his brain, Irisdina screamed something
akin to a screeching sound.
But Lisa was not at
all intimidated. Rather, she turned a provocative smile and began to flaunt
Nozomu's arm between her cleavage.
"It doesn't
matter even if he's not my boyfriend. It's not like there's something you lose,
right?"
"No, It's not
oka-, ouch~!?"
Nozomu finally came to
his senses and was about to refuse when an intense pain shot through his leg.
Looking closely, he saw that Lisa's heel was stepping on top of Nozomu's foot.
As she ground her
weight on his foot as if to tell him to shut up, Lisa turned an inciting
expression to Irisdina.
"Look, Nozomu
seems to be so happy that he can't even speak."
"I don't like it!
I hate it!"
Irisdina, on the other
hand, quickly became heated up in the face of Lisa's provocation. She brought
her body close to Nozomu's as if she were competing with Lisa's. However,
perhaps because of her childlike appearance, she gave the impression of being a
child's cute jealousy, and she seemed to be lacking in domination.
Understanding her
current situation, Lisa began to act even more provocatively.
She came up behind
Nozomu, put her hands around his neck, and hugged him.
"Hey, Nozomu,
what do you think? I have quite a good one, don't I? You know what I'm talking
about, right?"
"Li-, Lisa, neck,
my neck..."
While Lisa smiled
bewitchingly, Nozomu was tapping at her hand around his neck, his face turning
pale. Apparently, he was being strangled with a considerable amount of
strength.
"Muuu, muuuuu!”
Irisdina couldn't have
looked angrier, and then she glared menacingly at Lisa, bringing her face close
to hers.
Perhaps because she
has her face too close to Lisa's, Nozomu's face was in their blind spot, and
they did not notice that he was being strangled.
Lisa's provocative
smile deepened further as she reached her right hand inside Nozomu's upper
garment.
"Did you know?
Nozomu was very aggressive when we were dating, you know? Especially after we
came to this city, he wouldn't even allow me to sleep..."
"Bullshit, don't-
......-ghh!"
When Nozomu tried to
explain that he had been training all day and didn't have time for such a
thing, Lisa squeezed her left hand, which was still around his neck, even
harder.
"But he's my
boyfriend now! He told me we'd always be together!"
"You know that he
said that to me too, don't you? Although it was before we broke up. Hey Nozomu,
let's get back together. I'm sure we can make it work this time~~"
"No--------!"
Finally, Irisdina's
patience ran out.
The next moment, along
with her scream, a dazzling magical light overflowed from her body.
"I-......ris,
you're back ...... -ghh!?"
When the light
subsided, Nozomu's eyes were met with Irisdina's figure, who had returned to
adulthood.
However, perhaps because
of the unusual increase in power, her normal black hair has turned silver,
similar to Vitora, the main source of her power, and her entire body was
overflowing with black-silver magic power.
"Get lost, you
annoying pest!"
"Whoops!"
After returning to her
original form, she forcefully pulled Lisa away from Nozomu and hugged him
tightly as if to say she would not let Lisa have him.
"You've been
awfully selfish, haven't you?..."
"But you've got
your body restored, haven't you?"
"...-ah."
Irisdina finally
realized that her body had returned to normal.
How come?
Shina, who had been
standing by and watching the whole thing unfold, opened her mouth to answer her
question.
"You've done a
rather roundabout thing, trying to make her jealous in order to stimulate her
magic power."
"Oh, Shina-san,
so you knew it after all?"
"Your blatant
attitude was so obvious, I could recognize it in a heartbeat."
Magic power is a kind
of mental energy, and intense emotions are the priming force that draws out
greater magical power.
Obviously, Lisa
intended to provoke Irisdina's jealousy in order to stimulate her magic power
and restore her body to its original state. And Shina, too, was aware of her
intentions and did nothing to stop her.
However, there was
also damage along the way.
First, the dishes and
chairs in the restaurant were blown away by the eruption of Irisdina's magic
power.
And one more thing
.......
"But more
importantly, Irisdina-san..."
"What?..."
"It's time to let
Nozomu-kun go. He seems to have reached his limit."
"Huh?"
"...…"
"Aaah! I'm so
sorry!"
Nozomu had completely
fainted from being strangled by Lisa and hugged by Irisdina with all her
strength.
Irisdina hurriedly
freed Nozomu from her arms, but his face was pale from lack of oxygen. His
appearance was quite bad, even when seen from the side.
"And, yeah, I
think your clothes are a bit too revealing."
"Eh..."
And the last casualty
was the clothes that Irisdina was wearing, which were specially made by Mena.
The clothes she was
wearing have turned into rags down to her underwear, and due to her body's
return, they barely cover a part of her body.
Yes, Irisdina was
completely naked right now.
While exposing her
naked goddess-like body, Irisdina's expression turned bright red with shame
when she finally realized her current appearance.
"K-,
Kyaaaa~~!"
Then, while screaming,
she pulled the nearest thing at hand to hide her naked body. And the closest
thing to her was the unconscious Nozomu.
"Ggh..."
Nozomu, who was
embraced by Irisdina again, let out a cry of anguish.
The embrace of a loved
one. However, when it was with such force that he suffocated to death, it was a
different story.
His face began to turn
beyond blue and become purple. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate for him
that he had already passed out.
"Come on,
Irisdina-san, let go of Nozomu! How envious ... no, that's not it, I'm not
jealous of you!"
"Stop talking
nonsense, hurry up and help Nozomu-kun! What, Irisdina, you're too
strong!"
"Kyaa, Kyaa,
Kyaaaaa!"
Nevertheless, it was
still a life-threatening situation for Nozomu.
Lisa and Shina rushed
over to Irisdina and tried to pull Nozomu off of her, but the woman who had
turned into a Dhampir had tremendous strength in her arms, and her arms did not
budge.
The three of them
continued their scuffle until Hannah heard the commotion and came back into the
restaurant, where the four of them received a rare direct scolding from her.
"I hate you"
"What a
coincidence. Me too..."
"Come on, both of
you, just do your chores."
The four of them were
then forced to provide one night's unpaid labor for causing trouble at the
restaurant.
The three beautiful
girls were sent out to the front desk to serve the customers.
Throughout the work,
Irisdina and Lisa constantly glare at each other, and Shina warned them not to
stop working every time they did.
Nozomu, on the other
hand, was laid up in an empty room on the second floor. This was done by
Hannah, who was concerned about the fact that Nozomu had fainted.
"Oi Nozomu, what
the hell did you guys do?"
"Please, don't
ask... It was an unfortunate accident..."
Mars, who came to
check on Nozomu in between his work as the innkeeper, asked Nozomu what was
going on, but he was troubled as to how he should explain it.
"Oi Hannah,
what's going on here!? You've got three of these beauties working for
you!"
"I'm having them
work for me to pay for the mess they made in the store during the day. Don't
think anything strange just because they're beautiful. All three of them are
students at Solminati Academy. They can easily beat up anyone bad who enters
this store by themselves."
"Oh,
scary..."
The bustling noise of
the customers could be heard from downstairs.
Judging from how noisy
it was, the restaurant was probably crowded.
Three stunningly beautiful
girls were serving the customers. In a sense, it seemed to have an unparalleled
effect in attracting customers.
However, as for
Nozomu, he had been out cold for quite a long time and had a severe headache,
so his head was not working very well.
"Ah, I found
her!"
"Muu, I haven't
even finished the painting yet, and now she's back to normal!"
"-gh, Somia,
Father, and even Mena... Why did the three of you come here!?"
"We are here
because we were worried about our young lady who never returned home. But still,
I can't believe that the young lady is serving among the commoners..."
And now Nozomu heard
voices that made his head ache even more. It was an attack by the Francilt
family.
"Wha, Mena,
what's that outfit you pulled out of your pocket!?"
"It's a maid's
uniform. If you're going to be a waiter, I thought this outfit would be
indispensable. It's all right. I've already adjusted the length to suit
you."
"When did you
prepare such a thing!? Is this really a maid's uniform!? It seems strangely
lacking in fabric!"
"Ah, please wear
this when you are alone with Nozomu-sama."
What kind of exchange
was going on downstairs?
Nozomu pulled the
blanket over his head as if to escape reality.
"... Mars, can I
stay over tonight?"
"I'll tell them
you have a bad headache and can't move. You owe me one. You'll pay me back as
soon as you can, alright?"
"Keep my
word..."
As he exhaled in
relief, a sudden feeling of drowsiness came over him.
Vitora's assault. The
gaining control of his powers and his full awakening as a Dragon Slayer. And
then there is the life of close to house arrest. Perhaps he was tired, both
physically and mentally, due to the fact that so many things had changed.
"What are you
talking about, Mena! I will not allow such a thing while I am still alive!"
"You're being
unseemly, Victor! For God's sake, you should accept that Irisdina-ojōsama will
be happy as a woman! Now, young lady, put this on and storm into Nozomu-sama's
room!"
"T-, there's no
way I can wear this! Such a shameless thing..."
"Oh, may I have
it, then? I might be able to use it to seduce Nozomu."
"Who's going to
give it to you, Lisa!?"
Nozomu could even hear
a sigh of dismay from Mars, who was on the other side of his blanket-blocked
field of vision.
As I thought, I've
reached my limit.
Nozomu stuck his face
out from between the blanket and the futon and asked for his best friend's
help.
"Mars, can I ask
you to stop Viktor and the others?"
"Ha~a... you owe
me two."
A simple but reliable
reply.
After watching him go
behind the door of the room, Nozomu covered himself with the blanket again.
Then he fell asleep to
the sound of his best friend's angry voice echoing from downstairs, and the
sound of fist fighting.
=================================
*Rustling, rustling
.......*
Amid the slumber, he
woke up to a pleasant sensation.
The moonlight shining
through the window illuminated the shadows that look down on him.
In the darkened room,
it would be difficult to discern a person's face. However, Nozomu's eyes,
well-trained in the forest, adjust to the darkness in just a few seconds. He
caught sight of the face of the person looking down toward him.
"Oh, are you
awake?"
"Shina-san?"
An elf girl was
staring at him with eyes filled with a gentle light, while her glittering azure
hair shimmered in the moonlight.
