This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.
---------------------------------------------
Volume 1 Chapter 5.2
With a Legacy in one's Heart Part 2
Translator : PolterGlast
Walking down the
school corridor after class, Mars was thinking about Nozomu's behavior.
"That guy ......
has changed."
He remembered the way
Nozomu had glared at him when he had attacked him, showing his intent toward
being involved in the attack.
The previous him would
not have done that, he would have just turned his head down and turned away.
Mars has no idea what
the hell happened to Nozomu during the short time he was away from school.
"But just what
kind of training did that guy undergo?"
Putting aside the
unanswered question for the time being, Mars recalled the combat training that
had just taken place.
Mars, who was trying
his best to maintain a blank expression, was actually admiring Nozomu's
movements, which were practically one against four.
He moved efficiently,
moving in the blind spots of his opponents and always keeping a one-on-one
pattern, and he did not get flustered by friendly fire coming from his allies,
but immediately judged them to be his enemies and acted accordingly.
Moreover, in that
situation, he sensed Mars' sudden and unforeseen attack and immediately moved
to evade it.
Mars was quite
certain. He believed that he would not be able to handle attacks from as many
as four people in a suppressed state like Nozomu's, nor with his current self.
Mars was certain that
Nozomu had a very broad vision and excellent danger perception sense.
"He is quite used
to combat. Where did he get that kind of experience?"
The only places in
this city where one could gain experience in battle were the academy and the
forests surrounding the city.
There was nobody at
the academy willing to help Nozomu, so the only option left was the Spasim
Forest.
He might be taking on
subjugation requests from the guild, but it was doubtful whether the guild
would allow him to take on a subjugation request since he could not form a
party.
The guild would tend
to make a decision on whether or not to allow someone to accept a request based
on their rank, but as for the students of Solminati Academy, the guild would
often take the school's side into consideration.
In order for a student
to receive a request from the guild, such as subjugation requests, the student
must hold a certain rank or be in a party with several other people.
Since the Spasim
Forest was originally an unexplored forest, high-ranked demonic beasts
sometimes appear there.
The school wanted to
avoid losing valuable candidates, so this kind of arrangement was made.
"...... Is that
guy perhaps going into the forest all by himself?"
The only other place
where one could gain real combat experience is the forest, but it would be
reckless for a student to enter a forest infested with demonic beasts alone,
and no one would do such a thing.
Even though there are
no powerful demonic beasts near the town, this is not a guarantee, and there
have actually been cases where travelers have been attacked.
But otherwise, it
would be hard to explain the movements of Nozomu, who was obviously accustomed
to actual combat.
"...... Shall I
go and check it out?"
Mars walked quickly
down the corridor, searching for the person he was looking for, with a certain
determination.
◆
After school, Nozomu
immediately returned to the dormitory, got ready, and went outside.
He was going to
Shino's hut, because his training as a Dragonslayer had to be done in a place
where he would not be seen by the public.
He headed for the
Spasim Forest, moving swiftly through the streets of the town.
On the way to the
forest, however, Nozomu felt a strange presence in the street.
He felt someone's eyes
on his back.
He had felt someone's
eyes on him since he left the dormitory, but the fact that it did not stop even
after he entered the town meant that someone was definitely following him.
"......
Who?"
At first, he thought
it was someone who did not think well of him at the school, but he did not feel
the malice or hostility, like a sharp arrow, that was often included in such
stares.
Also, the number of
stares he felt was small.
When someone harbored
malicious intent, they would usually be in a group, and there would be a large
number of stares, but this time, there was only one stare that was following
Nozomu.
"I'm sure I could
shake it off if I went into the forest, but ......"
Nozomu could not think
of anyone in particular who might be after him at the moment.
However, he himself is
a Dragonslayer, which means that it is as if he is carrying a bomb of a very
dangerous magnitude.
The fact that the gaze
was neither hostile nor harmful, but rather observant, made him wonder if he
had been discovered as the Dragonslayer. He had such a bad premonition.
"...... I guess I
have no choice but to confirm it."
If he were to shake
them off poorly, it could be troublesome later. Taking them to Shino's hut in
the forest would also be a problem.
With this in mind,
Nozomu decided to leave the main street and proceeded to a small street in the
commercial district.
He passed through the
intricate alleyways, avoiding the miscellaneous loads placed there, and
continued onward.
Once through the
narrow alley, Nozomu emerged into an open space. Ahead, a huge wall stood tall.
Arcazam is surrounded
by walls to prevent the invasion of demonic beasts and other creatures that
inhabit the surrounding forests.
In addition, the
buildings of the town are built at a considerable distance from the walls in
order to provide a place to deploy troops and store supplies in case of a
large-scale invasion.
Arriving at the outer
edge of the town, Nozomu slowly took a turn toward the path from which he had
come.
The owner of the gaze
had followed Nozomu all the way to the path, despite the fact that Nozomu had
detoured onto it.
The shadows created by
the twilight light concealed the exit of the path in darkness.
Trying to ascertain
the identity of the person who might be somewhere beyond, Nozomu kept his eyes
fixed on the path and relaxed all the muscles in his body, ready to move at any
moment.
His breathing naturally
grew shorter, and the corners of his eyes narrowed.
A large figure emerged
from the pathway, perhaps sensing Nozomu's presence.
"You ......"
"I knew it. You
noticed."
The one who emerged
from the shadows of the pathway was Mars, carrying a greatsword on his back.
"What kind of a
plan are you having by following me?"
"I just want to
confirm something."
"Confirm
something, you say? What are-...... ~!"
Mars drew the
greatsword from his back and suddenly came slashing at Nozomu. Nozomu quickly
drew his katana and struck the belly of Mars' greatsword, then turned and moved
to the side.
"What the hell
are you doing all of a sudden!?"
"Nothing. I just
want you to answer my questions."
"Then why are you
pointing your sword at me!?"
While holding his greatsword,
without saying a word, Mars slashed again at Nozomu, who was raising his voice.
Mars' body was already
enveloped in Qi, and he was clearly ready for battle.
Nozomu was surprised
by the sudden attack, but in the face of the impending battle intent directed
at him, he immediately switched his mind and strengthened his entire body with
Qi.
"Sei!"
Mars made full use of
his enhanced physical abilities and unleashed a barrage of strikes that one
would not expect from a greatsword user.
Slash from above,
cleave to the side, and reverse slash. Three consecutive strikes, without even
a pause for breath, came at Nozomu.
It was not a barrage
of hand strikes, but a powerful slash with enough power packed into it. This
alone demonstrated the high level of Mars' ability as a great sword user.
A series of blows with
a heavy weapon such as a greatsword is a very advanced technique. With a
half-baked physical ability, the weight of a greatsword will cause one to be
swept away, making it impossible to deliver a flowing barrage of blows.
However, Nozomu easily
overcame Mars' serious barrage of strikes.
He avoided the first
slash by turning his body to the side, and the next one by ducking.
He also took the final
reverse slash by angling his katana against the oncoming blade, and at the same
time, he took a step forward diagonally.
He flexibly maneuvered
the vector of the force he received and guided Mars' blade to the ground.
"Guh!"
The greatsword he had
swung struck the ground, and a powerful impact was delivered to Mars's arm.
Nozomu then stomped on
Mars' greatsword, which had struck the ground, with his left foot, pinning it
in place.
As Mars's face
contorted from being pinned by his foot, Nozomu readied the katana he was
wielding.
But before Nozomu's
katana could be swung, Mars released his hand from the greatsword and
concentrated his Qi into his fist to create a mass of wind.
"Ooooo!"
With a yell, Mars
released the wind generated in his fist at close range to Nozomu.
*Bam!* A deafening
explosion rang out in his gut, pushing Nozomu's body backward.
[Qi-jutsu・Wind Clump Fist]
Originally, it is a
wind attribute Qi-jutsu, in which a fist gathers wind into a single mass to
enhance its striking power. However, as in the case of Mars, it is a highly versatile
technique that can also be used to release the gathered wind mass and blow the
opponent away.
The released wind
pushed Nozomu's body back a few meters, and once again, the two separated from
each other.
Mars pulled out his
greatsword, which was driven into the ground, while Nozomu lowered his stance
and pointed the tip of his katana toward his opponent.
Neither side moved and
they both glared at each other.
Both remained
motionless with their weapons at the ready. Only time flew by.
Staring at Nozomu, who
pointed the tip of his katana at him, Mars once again admired the skill that he
possessed.
(I see. As I thought,
in terms of pure swordsmanship, he's better than me......)
Although Mars was
overwhelmingly superior in terms of his physical strength and Qi, he was unable
to land an attack.
Furthermore, even when
he tried his best to launch a barrage of blows, they were either dodged or
parried, and on the contrary, he was nearly defeated.
Based on the previous
combat training, Mars understood once again the difference in skill between him
and Nozomu.
That was why he wanted
to know.
He wanted to know the
reason why the man in front of him was able to reach such a level of skill with
the disadvantage of [Ability Suppression].
Because he felt that
if he could know the reason, he also could become stronger.
More, and more
stronger......
"Phew......"
Mars exhaled one big
breath and put his greatsword back on his back.
He dissipated the Qi
he had been kneading, indicating that he had no more intention to continue the
fight.
"Sorry for
suddenly attacking you."
Nozomu also sheathed
his katana, wondering why Mars had suddenly lost his desire to fight.
"I want to ask
you something. How did you acquire such skills?"
"...... You mean
about katana?"
"Yeah
......."
Nozomu was a little
relieved that he had not asked about the Dragonslayer, but he still kept his
eyes on Mars. He was suddenly attacked without warning, so he was not able to
let his guard down quickly.
However, it was also
true that he did not feel the hostility and malice that he had been subjected
to previously from the current Mars.
After a few seconds of
silence, Nozomu slowly opened his mouth.
"...... I had a
master. I've been training under her since the first grade."
"Can I meet
her?"
"No, it's
impossible. She's already passed away."
"I see ......
What kind of training did you undergo?"
Nozomu, for the time
being, gave a brief summary of the training he had received from Shino.
About his training
with bare hands, about his jogging through the forests infested with demonic
beasts, and about his combat training in which lethal techniques would be used.
Nozomu spoke in an
unwavering and flowing tone. On the other hand, Mars' eyebrows gradually lifted
as he listened, and he let out a dumbfounded gasp.
"How are you
still alive?......"
"Yeah, I wonder
why."
Involuntarily, tears
welled up in Nozomu's eyes.
He recalled his
master's affectionate discipline, which was rather overly strict.
"I'm convinced
now. Your unusual swordsmanship, precise movements, and good judgment were
cultivated under that master, weren't they?"
In response to Mars'
words, Nozomu gave a small nod with an indescribable expression on his face.
His fighting style was rooted in the katana-jutsu that Shino had passed down to
him.
Furthermore, the
experience of being continuously attacked by demonic beasts while being forced
to jog incessantly through the forest also played a major role in developing
Nozomu's keen sense of tactics.
The same was also true
for his movements during group combat training. He always moved to avoid being
surrounded and instead created a one-on-one situation.
This was something he
learned while fighting Wild Dogs and other demonic beasts that hunt in packs.
And so was the
mind-boggling combat trining against Shino.
Fighting against her,
who possessed extraordinary strength, did not allow for even a moment's
carelessness.
If his actions were
even slightly careless or his judgment was delayed, he would immediately be hit
in the vital spot and either faint in agony or be knocked unconscious and then
roused by a lethal blow.
The experience of
repeated suffering was etched into his bones every day.
Being in such an
environment, his judgment and ability to perceive danger were developed, even
if he did not want them.
But for Nozomu, it was
an experience that, when he recalled it again, made him break out in a cold
sweat.
"So, why did you
follow me? Don't tell me you came slashing at me just to ask me that?"
Nozomu stared at Mars
with a frown on his face.
In his gaze, there was
a clear anger that he would not tolerate any lies or silence.
He had been followed
and then suddenly attacked out of nowhere. Nozomu's reaction was only natural.
At the same time,
however, Nozomu was wondering whether or not Mars knew his secret yet.
Nozomu had become a
Dragonslayer, something that had not existed for the last several hundred
years.
If this secret were to
spread, it would surely cause trouble. Now that his master, the only one who
knew he was a Dragonslayer, was passed away, he would have to carry this secret
with him alone.
Hence, he was very
paranoid about the possibility of his secret being exposed.
"Ugh, well, umm
...... What was it again?"
On the other hand,
Mars, who was pressured by Nozomu's gaze, scratched his head awkwardly and let
his gaze wander. There were feelings of hesitation and guilt in his eyes, but
he showed not the slightest intention to open and reveal his mind.
(Mars, he does not
know that I am a Dragonslayer, does he?)
This assumption, which
was almost certain, came to Nozomu's mind.
Considering the
character of Mars, it was hard to believe that this man would be so reluctant
to speak out on matters involving swords and strength.
Nozomu was relieved
that he was not yet discovered to be a Dragonslayer, but he also tilted his
head at Mars' unusual behavior.
In the midst of all
this, Mars opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind ......
"W-, what I want
to say is- ......"
"Aaaaah! What are
you doing, Onīchan!"
A loud voice
interrupted Mars' words and resounded around the outer edge of the area.
Nozomu looked in the
direction from which the voice came and saw a girl with a distinctive, piercing
look on her face running over toward Mars.
"-Geh, you!"
Mars' face twitched in
surprise. If one were to look closely, one would see that the girl running
toward him had a face that was very similar to Mars'.
"What were you
trying to do, Onīchan!? Bringing a stranger into a deserted place like
this!?"
"I-, I didn't do
anything! And why are you here!?"
"When I was
shopping for supplies for the store, I saw you walking down the street with a
frown on your face, and assumed you were going to do something crazy, so I
followed you. Then, sure enough, here you are, trying to rob someone
......"
"That's not true!
Why am I even trying to rob someone!?"
The girl raised her
eyebrows and spat with her finger pointed at him.
On the other hand,
Mars refuted it as if he was offended, but his eyes were wavering with
agitation and sweat was forming on his forehead in spite of the loudness of his
voice.
In fact, what Mars did
to Nozomu was indeed almost like a street robbery. This girl, who called Mars
her brother, was also looking at Mars with skeptical eyes as if she didn't
trust his words.
It seemed that this
girl was Mars' younger sister, and she also had the guts not to be intimidated
by this bad-behaved older brother.
"Considering all
the things Onīchan has done so far, of course, it's a natural conclusion! Do
you have any idea how many times I and Auntie have bowed our heads to people
who have been inconvenienced by you, Onīchan!?"
"Ugh!"
Indeed, Mars had been
regarded by those around him as an unruly delinquent.
He should originally
be in a higher class, but the fact that he was still in the tenth class showed
how bad his daily conduct was.
However, even the
worst delinquent in the grade was weak against his younger sister, and he had
been constantly being criticized by her since a while ago.
Even if he refuted her
to some extent, he was immediately shut down with a good argument.
Surprisingly, Mars
seemed to be aware of his own bad behavior.
Therefore, he
eventually became unable to even argue with her, and a one-sided verbal attack
by his sister followed.
"Because of
Onīchan's violent behavior, I've been banned from my favorite restaurant!"
"Because of Onīchan, kids my age in the neighborhood treat me like I'm
their boss!" "I spent all day and night apologizing to the neighbors
because of you, Onīchan!" And so on.
The stories kept
coming out, so much so that Nozomu wondered how they could have made it this
far.
Whenever a story was
mentioned, Mars would respond with, "Ugh!" or "Uph!" and
groaned in agony, as if he had been stabbed in the chest with an invisible
spear.
Eventually, the girl's
preaching shifted to Mars' shameful tale of the past.
For example, "Your last bed-wetting was much later than mine", or "You wanted to ride a horse, so you jumped on a carriage horse and the horse was startled and went wild. All the men in the neighborhood came out to catch it."
Before he knew it,
Mars' dark past had been exposed.
Perhaps because of the
disclosure of his past disgrace, Mars finally lost his patience and put his
hands on the ground, and hung his head down. Even though he deserved it, even
Nozomu felt sorry for him.
The girl who had
harassed Mars so much came to Nozomu and bowed to him as soon as she saw that
Mars had been destroyed.
"I am terribly
sorry. My foolish brother has caused you trouble."
"Ah, no, it's
fine ...... Will your brother be all right?"
"Yes. My brother
won't be sorry if I don't do this. And because of him, I've been through a lot
of trouble. I think this is the least he deserves."
"I-, I see
......"
Nozomu was so
overwhelmed by the girl's boldness that he could not say anything more.
Nozomu was also angry
at Mars for suddenly attacking him, but he was completely overwhelmed by the
anger of the girl who had just destroyed her own brother, no matter how bad of
a delinquent he may have been.
"Ah, I'm late to
introduce myself. My name is Ena Dickens and I'm the younger sister of the dead
guy over there."
"Hello. I am
Nozomu Bountis, Mars' classmate."
As if reminded, they
introduced themselves to each other, but Nozomu's tone was a little stiff,
perhaps because of the presence of his classmate lying on the ground at his
feet.
However, unlike Mars,
Nozomu was greeted courteously and politely, showing that she indeed was a very
well-mannered young girl.
"I am very sorry
for the trouble my brother has caused you today. I would like to apologize for
that, so if you don't mind, would you please come to our store? We run an inn
with a bar, so we can at least treat you to dinner."
Nozomu declined the
offer of apology, saying he didn't mind, however, Ena was very insistent,
saying, "Now that we have caused you trouble, we have to make a proper
apology."
Having been asked this
much, it would be bad for him to refuse the offer so forcefully.
"All right, I'm
in for a treat. So, what about Mars?"
Nozomu glanced next to
Ena and saw Mars lying on the floor, convulsing.
The way he had been so
arrogant at school seemed to be a lie.
"Ah, right.
Onīchan, get up now, you're in my way for goodness sake!"
Ena mercilessly kicked
Mars.
Mars reflexively
hopped up and said, "What the hell are you doing?", but then was
disheartened by the glare of his sister.
Ena then led the way
to the Dickens family's store.
The place that Ena
guided them to was a corner of the commercial district.
This is where
merchants from various countries would gather and stay while completing their
business negotiations. Therefore, there are inns of various sizes for the
merchants to spend the night in, ranging from high-class inns for major
merchants to cheap inns for menial laborers such as cargo transporters.
The inn to which
Nozomu was brought had a sign hanging above the door that read [Ox-head
Pavilion]. The first floor of the inn is a restaurant, and the second floor is
where the rooms for the overnight stay are located.
"This is the inn
that my family runs, the Ox-head Pavilion."
Ena said so and went
in to the entrance of the restaurant.
Nozomu followed her
and was greeted by a well-dressed middle-aged woman wearing an apron.
"Oya~, welcome
back, Ena-chan. Did you find Maru-boy?"
"I'm back,
Hanna-san. He was causing trouble for other people again, so I gave him a good
scolding. Oh, and this is the person who was troubled by him."
Nozomu bowed his head
as he was being introduced by Ena.
Apparently, this
middle-aged woman named Hanna was the landlady of the inn.
"Oh, is that so?
I'm sorry, my foolish boy has caused you trouble, and I'd like to treat you to
dinner to make up for it, so wait a minute."
"No, she already
apologized for the trouble, and I don't really mind ......"
"Thank goodness,
but it's true that we did cause you trouble, so please just give me a minute.
Hey, Maru-boy, what are you doing causing trouble for people again!? Come here
for a minute!"
"Ouch, ouch,
ouch! Let go of me!"
After guiding Nozomu
to an empty seat, Hanna wrenched up Mars' ear and took him to the kitchen.
After the two disappeared completely, a thumping sound, as if a pot had been
banged on someone's head, rang out throughout the inn.
As Nozomu was breaking
out in a cold sweat, imagining what had taken place, Hanna, who had disappeared
into the back of the kitchen earlier, returned with a tray.
On a plate on the tray
was toasted bread with a buttery aroma, grilled meat, and a side dish of salad.
"Here yo go~.
Ox-head Pavilion's signature dish, a Hole Rabbit steak, and an assortment of
salads. This is our apology for the trouble that foolish boy caused you, so
it's on the house."
Saying so, Hanna
placed the dish in front of Nozomu.
The aroma of the
grilled meat and overflowing juices on the stone plate stimulated Nozomu's
sense of appetite.
It was already dinner
time.
Nozomu himself was
feeling quite hungry after all the physical exercise he had done during
training and other activities.
However, the food
served to him was luxurious, something that he, as a poor student, could not
normally afford to eat.
When Nozomu was
hesitating about whether he could eat it or not, Hanna urged him, "it's
fine, just eat it".
Nozomu was hungry, so
he eagerly reached for the food.
As the name implies,
Hole Rabbits live in the forests and grasslands around the area, digging holes
in the ground for their survival.
They are highly valued
as a food source and are caught in traps and sold.
For the time being,
Nozomu cut the meat in front of him with a knife and fork into appropriate
pieces and brought them to his mouth.
The rabbit steak was
very tender, as if it had been well tenderized and grilled, and had a nice
aroma as if it had been grilled with alcohol and some other spices.
The juices from the
meat were so rich that it was enough to keep one's appetite going.
The accompanying salad
and bread also went well with the meat and could be eaten as much as one wanted
by mixing them with the meat juices.
After finishing one
dish after another, he realized that there was not a single piece of meat, not
even a drop of gravy, left on the plate.
"Thank you for
the food. It was really delicious!"
Nozomu, who had
finished the meal in no time at all, thanked them, and Hanna and Ena both
smiled joyfully.
"Don't mention
it. We were the ones who put you through all that trouble. Besides, it was
worth it to see you enjoy the food so much."
"That's right. To
begin with, it was that foolish brother of mine who was the cause of the
problem. What was he thinking to
suddenly appear and attack someone like that? ......"
"Right now, my
husband is giving that fool strict discipline so that he won't do such a
foolish thing again, so could you please forgive him?"
"Well, I myself
don't mind it anymore, so it's fine ......"
He was angry at being
attacked out of the blue, but after seeing Ena's aggressive mental attack of
"loudly revealing his past shame", even Nozomu was reluctant to
pursue Mars any further.
He was also unaware
that Nozomu was a Dragonslayer, and he was satisfied as long as the matter was
settled.
"I see, that's
great. Ena-chan, sorry, but it's almost time for more customers to arrive, so I
need you to help my husband."
"Eh ......, ah,
yes, I understand."
Perhaps she still has
something to say, Hanna asked Ena to clean up the empty plates and sent her
back to the kitchen.
"...... Your name
was Nozomu, am I right? There's something I'd like to talk to you about ......
can I?"
With a slight hesitation,
Hanna glanced around and made a gesture as if she was mindful of her
surroundings.
"Yes. What is
it?"
"It's about them,
Maru-boy and Ena-chan. What do you think of them?"
Nozomu tilted his
head, not understanding the meaning of the question.
On the other hand,
Hanna looked at Nozomu with a somewhat serious expression on her face. The
well-dressed landlady's gaze made Nozomu think once more with his hand on his
chin.
"...... Let's
see. I can't say anything about Ena-chan since I just met her earlier, but I
thought she was a very well-behaved girl. I think Mars probably had a big part
to do with that."
As for Ena, Nozomu
didn't know much about her, partly because he had just met her. However, it was
easy to imagine that she had grown up to be such a well-mannered child under
the impact of the bad-behaved Mars.
"As for Mars,
...... I honestly don't know anything about him. He didn't think well of me,
and he didn't even try to hide it. However, I had a feeling that his attitude
toward me had been somewhat changing recently ......"
Although Nozomu
himself had noticed a change in Mars' attitude after the combat training at the
end of the second school year, he did not know the reason for it.
However, when Nozomu
told Hanna about the combat training, Hanna muttered to herself, as if she had
understood something.
"I see ...... I
knew it."
"What do you
mean?"
"I knew he had
been acting a little strange lately, but after hearing the story from you, now
I know the reason why."
"The reason, you
say?"
"Well, yeah. But
I am relieved. To think that there would be someone who still could become a
friend to that boy."
"...... Eh, what
does that mean?"
Hanna-san sounded
happy, but Nozomu had doubts in his mind about her words.
Although he had become
calmer recently, he did not think they could be friends, at least not
considering the way Mars had been treating Nozomu.
"You know, that
boy didn't say no to you coming here, right? I don't think he's ever going to
talk about it, but he wants to be friends with you. He's been behaving pretty
badly in all these years, and the boy himself has no experience apologizing to
anyone, so I guess he doesn't know how to apologize ......."
From what Nozomu heard
from Hanna, Mars had never even once brought his cronies or any of the other
riffraff he had been associating with to the inn. This surprised Nozomu.
Nozomu's mind recalled
Mars' behavior at the outer edge of the town.
When Nozomu blamed him
for attacking him, he seemed to be awkward and hesitant to say something. Perhaps
he wanted to apologize to Nozomu for all the bad things he had done.
(Does he at least know
that what he was doing was wrong? Maybe he's not as bad as I thought?)
At least for Nozomu,
who had been severely bullied by Mars and his cronies, his actions to keep his
family from being involved in his doings seemed new.
Also, having seen a
side of him that he had not known at the school, Nozomu could no longer simply
say that Mars was a delinquent who could not feel people's pain.
◆