This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.
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Volume 1 Chapter 3.4
Old Wound that Hurts Part 4
Translator : PolterGlast
A few days later, it
was time for Nozomu and Somia to meet.
They sat next to each
other under the shade of a tree in a tree-filled area not far from the central
park's lawn area.
"But, are you
sure you're okay with this? For you to be with me on your lunch break like
this..."
"Yes, I've
already told my friends and they understand, so it's fine. Rather than that,
let's have a talk!"
"Well, if you say
so, Somia-chan..."
Sometime after their
first encounter, they met and talked like this in Central Park during their
lunch break.
However, Nozomu was
not good at conversation, and it was mostly Somia who did the talking. He was
more of a listener.
Coincidentally, on
Somia's thigh, who was sitting on the ground, lay the black cat that had led to
their encounter.
"You know. I
asked my sister to tell me more about that person..."
"And what did she
say?"
"Then she told me
it was getting late and I needed to get some sleep so I could grow up well.
Geez, I'm not a child anymore~~!"
Nozomu listened to her
stories as he watched Somia, who was stroking the neck of the mischievous cat
lying on her thigh.
Most of her stories were
about her sister, who was six years older than her.
She had her own sister
as her role model. She was the kind of girl who never stopped smiling, but when
she talked about her "sister", she smiled 50% more than usual and talked
happily.
"My sister is
strong." "My sister is cool." "My sister is kind."
Her sister seemed to
be a person of outstanding character and ability, and from the way her face
broke into a smile as she spoke, it was clear that Somia truly adored and
admired her "big sister".
But at the same time,
perhaps because the two sisters came to Arcazam together, her sister sometimes
got overly worried just like a mother. A few days ago, when they stayed up late
at night, she even told her to go to bed early.
"No, Somia-chan,
you're ten years old. You're still very much a child in terms of age..."
"Wha!? Not you
too, Nozomu~san!"
"No, it is a
fact-......"
In the human society
of the Arcmel Continent, one would be considered an adult at the age of
fifteen. In fact, Somia’s stature was smaller than that of her peers, and her
age made Nozomu believe that it was appropriate for her to be treated as a
child.
Perhaps sensing
Nozomu's inner thoughts, Somia puffed up her cheeks like a puffer fish. Nozomu
smiled wryly upon seeing the girl's behavior but decided to give a follow-up.
"I don't think
your sister meant it like that, Somia-chan."
"Yes, I
know."
The look of
dissatisfaction on her face turned into a wide smile.
"Somia-chan, you
really like your sister, huh?"
"Yes! She is my
role model and my goal!"
Somia spoke clearly
and straightforwardly about her dreams and aspirations. Despite what she said
about her sister earlier, she didn't seem to have changed her mind at all about
her dreams. Her figure was a little too dazzling to Nozomu, who had been
sinking to the bottom of the barrel, an everlasting failure.
"Come to think of
it, Somia-chan, you talk a lot about your sister, is she also a student at
Solminati Academy?"
"Ah, yes! That's
right. She's in her second year now. You're also a student at that school, aren’t
you, Nozomu-san? What's life like at Solminati Academy?"
"Well, that's,
umm..."
Somia's question made
Nozomu feel as if there was lead piling up in his stomach, and he became lost
for words. He exhaled heavily, as if he was being tied to a chain and dragged
to the bottom of the water, suffocated.
"Well, I wouldn't
say it went well. As you can see, Somia-chan, my rank is the lowest."
Nozomu showed Somia
the nameplate with his name written on it with a faint, self-deprecating smile
on his face. The plain nameplate, colored jet black, was evidence that he was
one of the lowest-ranking students in the school.
It would not make a
good impression among the people in the school, let alone among outsiders who
know nothing about the school.
"I see. In that
case, you're just like me. Unlike my sister, I still have a long way to
go!"
However, contrary to
Nozomu's expectations, Somia replied shyly with a carefree smile while sticking
out her tongue. There was not a hint of unnaturalness in her expression, as if
she was deliberately trying to fit into the conversation. She truly and
sincerely understood her own lack of power and at the same time firmly accepted
it.
Nozomu's face, which
had been filled with self-deprecation, was now colored with surprise. And then,
due to Somia's sunshine-like smile, the miasma that had been drifting in
Nozomu's chest gradually dispersed.
(She's a very strong
girl, huh ……)
Even if she hadn't
reached adulthood, and even if she was still only as small as Nozomu's waist.
But her small body seemed so big to Nozomu.
At that moment, Kuro,
who had been lying on Somia's thigh, lay on its back and began to snuggle into
Somia's arms.
On Somia's right
wrist, where Kuro was snuggling to, was the bracelet that the black cat had
stolen twice.
"I assume that
your bracelet hasn't been stolen today."
"Yes, indeed, the
school let me wear it in class, so I tried to wear it as much as I could."
Nozomu peeked sideways
at Kuro, who was scratching the bracelet with its claws. Upon closer
inspection, he could see that the bracelet was delicately decorated and had a
small bell-like ornament with a letter engraved on it, which he had never seen
before. Although he did not know exactly what material was used, even his
amateur eyes could tell that it was quite valuable.
"That bracelet
looks quite valuable, just what is it?"
"Ah, this bracelet
is something that has been handed down in my family for generations. It's said
that it's something that connects my family's ties, and it was said when we
keep this with us, even if we go our separate ways, we'll surely meet again
someday."
"Hee, that's quite
a nice saying."
"Yes! This was
originally stored in the storage back home, but my sister gave it to me as a
birthday present last year! It has become a reminder to me. No matter how tough
the circumstances might be, it'll be okay. Our bond remains strong."
Somia seemed to be
very happy to talk about it.
For her, the lore was
one thing, but perhaps more than anything, she was happy to have an actual
object representing her family's connection to her.
"Oh, while we're
at it, you said you got that bracelet for your birthday last year, when is
Somia-chan's birthday?"
"Oh, it'll be
soon actually. My father is out of town right now, so he won't be able to join,
but my sister is throwing me a party this year too, so I'm really looking
forward to it!"
"I see... Good
for you Somia-chan."
"Yes!"
Somia's full smile
brought a smile to Nozomu's cheeks as well.
However, the smile he
had on his face was somewhat gloomy. Nozomu used to have people to celebrate
his birthday with, but now he had no one.
The loneliness that
tormented his heart from within subconsciously clouded his smile. Somia,
noticing the shadows clouding Nozomu's smile, involuntarily fell silent.
"Hmm? What's
wrong?"
"N-no, it's
nothing. But, Kuro-chan sure is still after the bracelet, huh? Kuro-chan, cut
it out!"
Somia, feeling a
glimpse of the loneliness that Nozomu harbored, inadvertently tried to mend the
situation and used Kuro, who was still playing with her bracelet, as an excuse.
With a somewhat overly
dramatic gesture, she raised her arm and peeked at Nozomu while keeping her
bracelet away from Kuro.
The black cat, perhaps
still not satisfied with it, now stood up on its hind legs and started to flail
its paws like a baby having its toys taken away from it.
Meanwhile, Nozomu,
oblivious to Somia's state of mind, sighed at the black cat's refusal to let go
of her bracelet.
"But then again,
he's quite the muscular male cat, isn't he?"
"Eh?”
"I mean, he takes
your stuff without your permission, even though he's been playing with it so
often he still hasn’t had enough fun..."
"No, umm..."
Somia's eyes were
sweeping through the air as if she was having a hard time saying something. As
Nozomu tilted his head towards Somia's reluctance to speak, she finally opened
her mouth with an embarrassed expression on her face.
"Umm, Nozomu-san.
Kuro-chan is a female..."
"...... Wha?"
"As I said, she’s
a female."
Hearing the word
"female", Nozomu involuntarily fell silent. This black cat turned out
to be female.
The bravado and
quarrels Nozomu had with it made him think it was a male.
"W-why name her Kuro
then? Isn't it a name one usually gives to males?"
"Eh, isn't it a
cute name?"
Nozomu couldn't say
anything else at Somia's blunt words.
Apparently, her naming
sense was a little out of this world.
"Besides, I’m not
Kuro-chan's owner, and I think she's probably a stray cat."
According to her, she
started spotting her around the Ecross school building from time to time, and
then they started playing together since then. Upon closer inspection, he
noticed that this cat did not even have a collar on.
"She's a stray
cat, huh? She seems to be very friendly and has beautiful fur, so I thought she
was being taken care of by Somia-chan..."
In fact, Kuro had
beautiful fur for a stray cat. While thinking so, Nozomu tried to touch her fur
by reaching out his hand, but...
"Sha~!”
Nozomu had indeed
gotten used to it and quickly dodged the claws, but judging from the way its
tail fur stood up and its fangs were visible, it seemed that Nozomu was not
liked by this cat at all.
"Are you okay,
Nozomu-san? Kuro-chan is quite a delicate cat and doesn't really like those who
displease her."
"... Is that
so?"
"Yeah, all the
boys in my class are no good. Girls are fine though..."
(Isn't she just not
good with males?...)
Apparently, this black
cat only took a liking to girls.
While she bared her
fangs at Nozomu and threatened him, she remained still in Somia's arms. As
Nozomu stared at Kuro, the black cat cast a glance at Nozomu, but immediately
turned away and began relaxing in Somia's arms.
In turn, she stretched
out her paws and tried to playfully toy with Somia's bracelet again.
"Oh gosh. Don't,
Kuro-chan!"
She played with
Somia's bracelet with her paw, not caring about Somia's words. In a sense, this
was a very cat-like demeanor.
"Ah, by the way,
Somia-chan, what did you have for lunch?"
"Umm, I was
supposed to eat with my sister today. I suppose she'll be here any minute
now."
"Well, I guess
it's time for me to leave now. ......"
"Ehh, why? Let's
eat together."
"No-no. Your
sister doesn't know me, right? For a stranger to suddenly join in is a
bit..."
"It'll be
alright. Nozomu-san is my friend, and I'm sure my sister will understand."
"Even if you say
so, I will still refrain myself from-...."
Nozomu was about to
refuse once again when suddenly a calm and dignified voice passed between the
two of them.
"Somia, so this
is where you are."
Somia was the first to
react to the resounding voice. Her expression turned into a smile as she
recognized the owner of the voice.
"Ah, Ane-sama!"
"Oh, your sister
is here-... eh?"
"You are……"
The moment Nozomu
looked past Somia, who was getting up and running beside Nozomu, there stood
Irisdina Francilt, whom he had met the other day in the Spasim forest.
In Irisdina's hands
were two lunch boxes.
Nozomu was surprised
to see someone unexpected, but Irisdina also had a surprised expression on her
face as she embraced her sister, who was running towards her.
"What a surprise.
I never would have thought that the new friend Somia was talking about would be
you..."
"Umm, Somia-chan,
is she your sister?"
"Ah, right. I
forgot to tell you that my last name is Francilt!"
"... No
way."
As if to confirm
Nozomu's concerns, Somia responded so in an innocent manner.
Francilt. This is a
very reputable noble surname within the Forsina Kingdom, the same as Irisdina.
If one were to think
about it, such a beautifully decorated bracelet is quite valuable and not
something an ordinary person can afford.
Her glossy black hair
also matched their traits, and moreover, the fact that her sister was six years
older than Somia meant that her sister would be around 16 years old. She would
be about the same age as Nozomu, which would correspond to Irisdina's age.
(I should have noticed
that ---!)
In fact, when he first
met Somia, Nozomu almost thought that she was resembling Irisdina, but his mind
stopped functioning due to exhaustion from the intense training, and he did not
notice the fact that they were sisters.
After that, Nozomu
forgot all about it, and here he was.
He was overcome with a
strong feeling of dizziness as he stifled the urge to scream, remembering all
of his casual conversation with such a high-ranking noble.
"Ehh? Ane-sama
and Nozomu-san, you are acquaintances?"
"Ah, yeah. I
don't know if I could say we are acquaintances, but we do know each other ..."
While rubbing his
temples, Nozomu somehow managed to accept the current situation.
"Nozomu-kun,
would you like to have lunch with us?"
"Umm, together
with Irisdina-sama too?"
" Like I said the
other day, you don't need to call me by an honorific. In Arcazam, such a status
doesn't mean much anyway."
"Haha..."
Although Arcazam was
originally built with the contributions from various countries, the status of one
birth was not being given much importance in the academy due to the purpose for
which it was established.
Irisdina waved her
hand in a carefree manner and handed Somia one of the lunch boxes she was
carrying.
"Here, Somia,
it's time for lunch."
"Thank you, Ane-sama."
"Would you like
to join us, Nozomu-kun?"
Nozomu's eyes widened
involuntarily upon hearing Irisdina's unexpected words.
Indeed, Somia was
inviting him, but he had never imagined that the black-haired princess would
also invite him.
Irisdina is a popular
student among both men and women because of her caring and reliable
personality, as well as her good looks and great capabilities. Naturally, she
must have received countless dinner invitations, and would definitely not pay
attention to a lowly student like Nozomu.
Although they had met
by chance, Nozomu was still a little taken aback by the sudden invitation.
Besides, since they
were now in the tree-filled area, their view of others was blocked by the
trees, but if they were to move to a more open lawn area, they would
immediately become the talk of the town.
Since Nozomu was being
watched in so many ways at school, he didn't want to do anything that would
make him stand out.
"Umm, I'm sorry,
but I'll have to refrain-..."
"Let's eat
together, Nozomu-san. Come, come!"
Nozomu immediately
tried to refuse the invitation, but before he could finish his words, Somia
grabbed his arm and blocked him out by covering his words with hers. Nozomu was
then led out of the tree-filled area by Somia without even understanding the
situation.
"Hmm... are you
not good with noisy area, Nozomu-kun?"
"Umm, sorry, but
the lawn area is a bit..."
"Then let's eat
here. I don't mind eating somewhere quiet. What about you, Somia?"
"As long as my
new friend, Nozomu-san, is with us, anywhere is fine!"
Somia, who had been
pulling Nozomu's arm, was finally stopped and told him to sit down. The sisters
sat down slightly in front of Nozomu, who remained confused, in a natural
manner.
"Nozomu-kun, you
had your lunch with you, right?"
"Yes. I bought some
earlier."
After saying so,
Nozomu lifted the paper bag lying at his feet. He had three slices of black
bread with some vegetables and dried meats sandwiched in between. They were the
cheapest foods available in the stall.
"Nozomu-san, are
you sure that's enough?"
"Yeah, I don't
have that much money in my pocket. Oh, by the way, Irisdina-san, is Tima-san
going to join us?"
"Well, after
morning class ended, she was summoned by Jihad-sensei. She told me to go ahead
and have lunch without her, so I came here to look for Somia."
Jihad-sensei is the
Headmaster of this Solminati Academy.
Jihad Raundel. He is
one of the strongest swordsmen on the continent who played an active role in
the disaster caused by the large-scale migration of demonic beasts that
occurred 20 years ago.
The great migration of
demonic beasts that occurred on the Arcmel continent 20 years ago had spread to
the northeastern part of the continent and had resulted in the catastrophe that
came to be called the [Great Invasion].
Hundreds of thousands
of people died in this [Great Invasion], and numerous refugees flooded the
neighboring countries.
Various countries
across the continent took the situation seriously and cooperated, dispatching
their armies to defeat the invading demonic beasts, which somehow succeeded. But
the casualties from this disaster were so severe that several countries
collapsed.
Countless casualties
and refugees fleeing from the destroyed and devastated countries caused a rapid
deterioration of security in various surviving countries. As a result,
countries across the continent suffered astronomical damage as a result.
The Solminati Academy
was built to train the human resources lost in the [Great Invasion], and
Arcazam was built to further promote and integrate the technological research regarding
Qi-jutsu and magic that had been conducted independently by various countries
until then.
"So you don't
have to worry about her. Anyway, let's eat."
Prompted by Irisdina,
the three began to eat leisurely.
In Irisdina’s and
Somia's lunch boxes were beautiful sandwiches of fresh ham, eggs, and colorful
vegetables sandwiched between fine white bread.
The food itself is
nothing fancy, but the chefs' attention to detail is evident in the way each
sandwich is wrapped in a paper napkin to prevent hands from getting dirty from
sauces and other ingredients.
Among these, what
caught Nozomu's eye the most was the embroidered stitches on Irisdina's lunch box.
The strangely cute
puppy embroidery sewn into the luxurious fabric made him smile. Nozomu couldn't
hide his surprise upon seeing the unexpected items belonging to Irisdina, who
usually exuded a somewhat dignified atmosphere.
"Hmm? Is
something wrong?"
"No, well, I just
noticed something a little unexpected..."
"Fufufu, Ane-sama
really likes dogs, you know? But I think cats are much cuter though."
Surprisingly, Irisdina
seemed to be a dog person. Since her younger sister was a cat lover, Nozomu
thought that her sister would also like cats, but it seemed that the siblings'
preferences were different.
On the other hand, her
older sister, who heard the matter spoken of by her younger sister, looked a
little dissatisfied and frowned as she took a bite of her sandwich.
"Somia, I
understand that you're a cat lover, but dogs aren't that bad either. Especially
puppies, whose cuteness is a treasure that nothing in the world can compare
to."
"... Eh, that's
what you're not happy about?"
As for Nozomu, he
thought Irisdina would be dissatisfied with being exposed as a dog person, but
surprisingly, for Irisdina, she was rather dissatisfied with being told that
dogs are inferior to cats in terms of cuteness.
"Of course, Ane-sama.
I know you like dogs, but I still think cats are the best! Right~
Kuro-chan~."
Somia, on the other
hand, while acknowledging the cuteness of puppies, was still not willing to
give up what she thought was the best.
While stroking Kuro's
throat which was still on her lap, she proudly puffed out her chest with a
snort and a challenging smile.
"No, that’s not
true. The way puppies follow you around, wagging their tails, is just so
adorable, you can't help but hug them!"
"Ane-sama, look
how cute this cute Kuro-chan is! Like the way she purrs when you stroke its
throat, isn't it just the cutest!?"
And so the dog-cat
discussion began. Was it dogs or was it cats that were really cute? Neither
Irisdina nor Somia would yield at all, and they tried to debunk their opponents
by devising various theories.
When Somia described
the healing effects of cat gentleness, Irisdina countered with the healing
effects of dog compassion being a social animal.
When Irisdina brought
up the history of dogs and humans and said that they were the most reliable
human partner and that it was cute to see them always cuddling up to each other,
Somia responded that cats were the cutest when they were being pampered because
they were less reliant on people.
Although both of them
used various approaches in their arguments, they could not reach a clear
conclusion because the eventual conclusion came down to a very subjective sense
of cuteness.
And of course, neither
of them would concede their own opinion to the other.
"U-, umm..."
Nozomu, who had been
completely left out of the never-ending discussion between the two sisters,
could only utter such words.
They both kept talking
about how cute dogs and cats were, but it was almost time for afternoon classes
to start.
"Ah, sorry, we
got carried away there. Somia, we shall continue this discussion at another
time."
"Yes, this will
make it the 357th cat and dog meeting we've had, I guess we'll have to wait
until the next meeting to settle this matter."
"No, Somia, this
is a dog and cat council."
The heated discussion
between Somia and Irisdina came to an end, and the three went back to eating.
Nozomu nearly sighed over the fact that they'd had this discussion 357 times.
"So, if I may
ask, how did Nozomu-san and Ane-sama meet?"
After the dog-cat
discussion was over, Somia's interest next shifted to to Nozomu's encounter
with her sister.
With a sparkle in her
pitch-black eyes, she asked about Nozomu's meeting with her sister, seemingly
interested.
"Well, we met by
coincidence..."
"Somia, I think
I've told you a bit about him. He's the one who saved my life when I was caught
off guard by a demonic beast in the forest. He was the one who cut the Mad Bear
in two with a Qi-blade that he had formed in less than a second."
While Nozomu was
flustered, not knowing how to answer, Irisdina answered Somia's question
smoothly and concisely.
Somia, perhaps unable
to hide her excitement at learning that Nozomu was the person whom her dear
sister praised as someone great and the very person that her sister had been
talking about recently, leaned forward and brought her face close to her
sister's face.
"What? The great
person Ane-sama was talking about is Nozomu-san!?"
"Yes, that's
right. Tima was close to being attacked, but thanks to him, she was
saved."
Irisdina's voice, as
she recounted the incident, seemed to be unfazed, but instead was filled with
admiration and excitement that could not be hidden.
Influenced by her
sister's words, Somia's eyes began to emit a strong tinge of admiration as she
looked at Nozomu.
"T-that's not
true. In fact, I have [Ability Suppression], and my grades are the lowest in
the school..."
On the other hand,
Nozomu, perhaps unable to accept such praise from Irisdina and Somia, turned
his gaze away from them.
Upon witnessing the
sign of negative emotions, which was rather too strong for humility, Irisdina put
her hand over her mouth as if she was deep in thought.
"Hmmm, that's
strange. How can you make such a Qi blade and still be in the bottom?"
"I've never used
it in the academy because it's too poweful. Besides, because of my [Ability
Suppression], any physical strengthening I do would only have little effect,
and my Qi is so low that I can count on one hand the number of times I can use
that Qi blade."
Nozomu added that this
also assumed that he would not use any other Qi-jutsu at all.
"In other words,
if you were to use body strengthening, you could only fire one or two shots
with that Qi blade, huh? If that's the case, why don't you join a party?"
"No one wants to team
up with me."
Irisdina frowned upon
hearing Nozomu's words. Nozomu felt uncomfortable facing that sharp gaze of
her.
"Is it because of
[Ability Suppression]?"
"......Yeah."
The slight pause in
the reply brought about a moment of silence between Nozomu and Irisdina. But
that silence clearly told her that this wasn't the main reason why Nozomu
couldn't party with anyone.
"I don't know if
this is the right thing to say, but it's not always just about prowess that is
needed in battle, is it? Since you are so familiar with the Spasim forests,
don't you think there would be many people who would want that knowledge?"
"… What makes you
think so?"
"After you left
us, you went deeper into the forest, didn't you? That simply means you spent
that night in the forest. Spasim forest is a very dangerous forest infested
with demonic beasts. It's not a place where a person without sufficient
knowledge and abilities about that forest would be able to stay."
Actually, Nozomu spent
the night in Shino's hut, and that area was almost impossible for demonic
beasts to enter. After all, it was a place where a dragon-class adventurer
resided.
Nevertheless, Irisdina
was right, Nozomu had spent countless nights in the Spasim forest than he could
count. That was because Shisho sometimes threw him out into the forest at night
in the name of practice.
"Is your break-up
with Lisa the main reason why you're not joining any party? Or is it due to
your classmates' animosity? Or is there any other reason?"
Irisdina's question,
which struck at the heart of the matter, pierced deep into Nozomu's heart.
A dull pain and bitter
taste filled his mouth, and Nozomu fell silent.
At the same time, the
image of Lisa looking at him with cold eyes, his classmates throwing cursing
words thoughtlessly at him, and his current situation who could only hold his
knees in front of them, all came back to his mind.
His vision became
distorted and the surrounding sounds became more distant.
"Don't get me
wrong, I don't know about the truth of the rumors and I'm not willing to make
assumptions about things I'm not sure about-..."
"...... If you'll
excuse me."
Before Irisdina could
finish her sentence, Nozomu stopped her and stood up from his seat. His
subconscious escape from reality, which had already become a habit, refused to
listen to any more of Irisdina's words.
"Sorry
Somia-chan, I'll be heading back first."
"Ah......"
Somia watched
anxiously as Nozomu walked away, but eventually looked to her sister for help.
Somia couldn't understand why Nozomu suddenly got up from his seat, but she
thought that her sister might know the reason.
"Ane-sama ……”
"Somia, you may
not aware of this, but Nozomu is not well-liked by the students at the academy.
And it seems that because of his poor grades, they treat him like he doesn't
belong there."
"Such a
thing..."
Somia, upon learning
of Nozomu's current situation, looked sad.
(I said that to Somia,
but I'm sure that's not all there’s to it...)
Irisdina, who has had
her fair share of experience with people's ill will in aristocratic society,
could not believe that Nozomu was simply being ignored.
His attitude clearly
showed glimpses of distrust and insecurity toward others. In fact, she could
see the traits of a person who had actually been subjected to malice and had
his heart broken.
(I didn't think enough
about his circumstances either. I shouldn't have gone that far...)
At the same time, it
can be said that Irisdina's actions were a little too hasty in closing the
distance to such a person.
"I went a little
too far. I might have done something bad..."
Irisdina had a pained
expression on her face. As for her, she just wanted to get to know a little bit
more about him. She wanted to know about the blade of Qi he had used to save
her best friend in the forest, and how he had acquired such great skill. Also,
if possible, she wanted to ask him about the rumors that had spread in the
school.
Even though Nozomu himself
might not take it well, all she wanted to tell him was that she was not willing
to believe mere rumors.
But Nozomu's rejection
was more than she had anticipated.
"Ane-sama, I
think it would be best for you to clear up the misunderstanding..."
"I know. I'll
make sure we have a good talk the next time I see him..."
Nodding at her
sister's suggestion, Irisdina brought the remaining sandwich to her mouth.
The lunch, which was
usually very delicious, strangely felt bland and tasteless, it was as if she
was chewing on sand.
◆
After leaving Irisdina
and Somia behind, Nozomu, with a frown on his face, was on his way to the
academy.
The pain that he had
forgotten in those rigorous training returned.
A choking sensation as
if his throat was being clogged and his heart was beating fast.
Actually, part of him
wanted to return to make sure what Irisdina wanted to say to him, but due to
his habits, he needed to go and train to distract himself from the pain.
Two parts of him
collided deep in the heart.
Nozomu had no
intention of leaving that place, but the pain from the old wounds made him
understand that he had to leave.
Lisa wasn't the only
one who gave up on him when the rumors broke.
All of them, even
those who had been friends with Nozomu, rejected and discarded him without a
second thought.
Painful memories
flooded back, and he gritted his teeth to hold them back.
At that moment, an
unexpected figure entered Nozomu's line of sight.
One man and two women
were enjoying lunch under the shade of a tree.
One of them was
Nozomu's best friend, Ken Notice.
The other was Camilla
Vecknose, a female student with reddish-brown-colored hair that was roughly cut
at the shoulders. She was a student who befriended Lisa when she entered this
school and was one of Nozomu's friends when they were in their first grade.
"So, how are your
year-end exam preparations going?"
"I don't think
there will be any problem. Besides, I don't think you need to be too worked up
about it..."
And the other one is
an attractive-looking female student with her crimson-colored hair tied back.
The moment he saw her,
Nozomu's chest throbbed.
She is Lisa Hounds,
the woman who had attracted Nozomu's affection the most in his life. There was
self-confidence in her charming eyes.
Usually, Nozomu would
have turned away the moment he saw her. But he was so perturbed by Irisdina's
words that he was too late to notice her.
"Ah...”
Lisa's eyes caught
Nozomu's figure standing there, her eyes widened and then filled with the color
of resentment and anger.
Due to the sudden
change in Lisa's expression, Ken and Camilla followed her gaze and then noticed
Nozomu. Camilla's eyes widened and turned into the color of resentment, just
like Lisa's. And Ken's eyes widened in surprise as well.
"...... It's been
a while, Nozomu."
Ken was the first to
greet him.
He had a smile on his
face, but it was somewhat tinged with nervousness.
Nozomu also
subconsciously closed himself off in front of his former best friend.
He was the one who
Lisa had started dating with after she broke up with Nozomu. Nozomu tried to
maintain his composure, but his heart just won't stop pounding.
"Y-, yeah... It's
been a while, both of you too..."
"Don't talk to me
like we're close. Or rather, why are you still attending this school?"
Camilla, on the other
hand, looked at Nozomu with a gaze filled with disgust and spat out words of
contempt at him.
She was one of the
people who had rejected Nozomu the most when rumors about him began to spread.
Nozomu, intimidated by
her hostility, turned his attention to the woman he cared about the most.
"... What do you
want?”
Lisa's cold,
devoid-of-color eyes glared at Nozomu.
The depth of his chest
was creaking. A feeling of suffocation struck Nozomu, as if his throat was
chained shut, and he was unable to speak.
When the rumors first
began to spread, Nozomu tried many times to convince her of his innocence, but
she and others around him rejected him. However, his heart gradually froze due
to the repeated rejection by her and others around him, and before long, he was
unable to even raise his voice.
And in the end, his
desire to clear up the misunderstanding was bound by the chains of resignation
and aversion to the pain, which seeped deep into his heart.
However, Irisdina's
earlier words inadvertently made those chains loosen a little. Even though a
resistance appeared when the lid of his subconsciousness was about to be
opened. His heart, which was usually swayed by pain and agitation, temporarily
shifted in the opposite direction of what it normally did. It was similar to
the way a spring that had been subjected to a strong force tried to return to
its normal position.
Once again, he wanted
to talk to Lisa properly...
"How have you
been? Umm-..."
His will to clear
things up peeked out slightly from the back of Nozomu's mind.
However, what he
finally managed to muster out of his strained throat was something completely
different from what Nozomu had intended to say.
The will that peeked
out from the surface of the water immediately shrank and sank into the
darkness, like a piece of driftwood chained to a weight, leaving a gaping hole
deep in his chest.
And with a blank
expression on her face, Lisa said something to Nozomu.
"Don't come any
closer. I don't want to see your face, so get out of my sight."
Lisa's words,
reminiscent of a sharp spear, pierced Nozomu's heart.
His whole body stopped
and his thoughts came to a halt. It was as if his senses were disconnected from
his whole body. The pain of being crushed was far, far greater than usual
because of the desire to clear up the misunderstanding.
In front of the stiffened
Nozomu, Lisa quickly turned her face away and stood up.
" If you won't go away, then I'll just go somewhere else."
Just like that, Lisa
turned around and walked away.
As Nozomu was staring
at her back while being petrified, he suddenly felt a powerful shock in his
chest.
"Ugh!”
Nozomu was pushed away
and involuntarily fell on his butt. When he looked up, Camilla was looking down
at him with a furious and enraged expression.
"There's no way
Lisa will ever listen to you after all this time, you traitorous bastard!"
Camilla spat at
Nozomu, and then quickly followed after Lisa.
Ken, with a somewhat
mixed expression on his face at the sight of Nozomu's slumped figure, turned on
his heel without saying a word.
Nozomu was left alone,
could only keep his head down, unable to stand up.
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