This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.
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Volume 1 Chapter 5.4
With a Legacy in one's Heart Part 4
Translator : PolterGlast
The emotions that
welled up in Irisdina's chest at the unexpected reunion were both joy at
finally seeing each other and frustration that she had been made so impatient.
However, she had been
too busy between the end-of-year examinations of the second grade and her
promotion to the next grade to have a chance to meet with Nozomu.
A heavy atmosphere
filled the infirmary.
Irisdina smiled at
Nozomu, but her eyes did not look like she was smiling at all.
Not only Nozomu, but
even Anri, who usually displayed a cheerful attitude, was silent in the face of
the silent pressure.
"O-, oi, Nozomu,
you know each other? And you, what the hell did you do?"
"Nozomu-kun~,
what on earth had you done? I won't get mad, so please tell me~."
Mars tapped Nozomu on
the shoulder and looked at him suspiciously. Anri also questioned Nozomu in a
hushed tone of voice.
What came back to
Nozomu's mind was that she had asked him about the rift between him and Lisa
and the circumstances in which he did not want to be mentioned, and he had
unintentionally raised his voice and walked away from her.
When he thought back
on it, he realized that she had not said or done anything specific to condemn
him, but that he had simply gotten mad and walked away on his own accord.
No matter how mad he
was, it was not the kind of attitude one should have toward a stranger.
"I think I have
behaved in a way that might have offended her a little ......."
Nevertheless, this
hardly seemed like a good reason for Irisdina to be so angry.
It was true that
Nozomu's attitude was not commendable, but Nozomu and Irisdina were not friends
in the first place.
Nozomu and Irisdina
barely know each other. They have no relationship of mutual trust, and Nozomu
believed that they were not in a position to have an emotional relationship
with each other.
On the other hand,
Irisdina's cheeks twitched every time Nozomu and the others whispered to each
other.
"Umm, Ai, we have
an injured person right now......"
At that moment, from
behind Irisdina, her best friend, Tima Lime, called out to her. She was lending
a shoulder to a female student who appeared to be injured.
"Ah, sorry.
Right. Norn-sensei, we have an injured person. Could you please treat
her?"
"All right.
First, have the injured student sit down in that chair."
Hearing her best
friend's voice, Irisdina's anger instantly subsided.
Prompted by Norn, Tima
helped the injured student sit down in a chair.
The female student was
bleeding considerably from her hand and arm, and Norn quickly began examining
the injured student.
Nozomu also offered to
help, taking medicines and bandages from the shelves and arranging them on the
examination table.
He, too, has been a
frequent visitor to the infirmary.
He has a general idea
of what kind of medicine is needed for what kind of injury and where it is
kept.
"What happened ～～?"
In behalf of Norn, who
was treating the injured student, Anri-sensei was asking Irisdina and Tima
about the circumstances.
Apparently, while they
were practicing magic during lunch break, the magic they were about to use went
out of control.
"Hmm, the
bleeding is certainly bad, but fortunately there's nothing wrong with the bone.
The muscles also seem to be fine. For now, I'll use a healing magic and some
medicine. If the discomfort persists after a few days, please do come
back."
After saying so, Norn
quickly patched up the wound with a potion and healing magic.
As Nozomu watched
Norn's work, his eyes met Tima Lime's.
As soon as her eyes
meet Nozomu's, she instantly looked away and hid behind Irisdina.
Nozomu, who had heard
from Irisdina that Tima was not good with men, smiled wryly upon witnessing her
behavior.
On the other hand, it
was Mars who frowned at the sight.
He was sending a glare
to Tima and Irisdina as he crossed his arms.
"Hiih~......"
Tima let out a small
shriek due to Mars' intimidation, but Mars did not seem to like her frightened
appearance, and his gaze became even sharper.
Tima became even more
frightened by Mars's obviously displeased expression, and a negative cycle
ensued in which Mars's expression became even more severe.
"Mars, chill out,
man. What's wrong?"
"Nothing
......."
Nozomu jabbed Mars
with his elbow to warn him, but the color of Mars' gaze remained the same. He
was clearly feeling displeased toward Tima.
Displeasure toward
Tima. The reason for Mars' displeasure toward Tima was her frightened attitude
itself.
She is a rank A
student, which is higher than Mars' rank.
She is a rare
individual in this school and is definitely one of the best in the third grade,
which is a sign of a talented student.
Mars also has a great
sense of pride in his strength.
Therefore, despite
being ranked A, which is the highest rank in this school, he can't tolerate the
sight of Tima being scared and shrinking away even though she is one of the best
students in the school.
However, Tima was
unaware of Mars' beliefs. To her, Mars, who was much bigger than her and known
as a delinquent, seemed even more terrifying than that of a demonic beast.
Irisdina, on the other
hand, although she wasn't as angry at Nozomu as she had been earlier, seemed to
be looking at him as if she wanted to say something.
(Tima-san is still
afraid of me, but what about Irisdina-san? What could she possibly be up to?)
Nozomu inwardly tilted
his head at Irisdina's unreadable intention.
While there was a
sensitive atmosphere on both sides, the injured female student was finished
being treated.
"This should be
fine. You need to rest for the time being."
"T-, thank you
very much. Umm, thank you for the seniors as well ......."
The female student
thanked Norn for treating her and Irisdina and the others for carrying her
here, and bowed deeply.
"Yeah, don't
worry about it. As Sensei said, it would be better for you to rest and refrain
from practicing magic for the time being."
"Y-, yes!"
The girl who raised
her voice was looking upwards at Irisdina with a sparkling gaze.
Looking closely, the
underclassmen, who seemed to be the friends of the female student, were also
giving Irisdina admiring gazes from outside the infirmary.
Meanwhile, Irisdina
once again bowed her head to Norn, who had treated the female student.
Although they were not
acquaintances, Irisdina was still thanking the person who had treated the
injured, even though she also helped by bringing her to the infirmary.
Watching her like
this, Nozomu was reminded once again that she is indeed someone of outstanding
character, and that she is admired by many students.
The injured girl then
returned to the classroom with her friends who were waiting outside the
infirmary.
"Nozomu-kun,
thank you for helping out as well."
Once the underclassmen
were gone, Irisdina approached Nozomu as if she had been waiting for that
moment. The anger from earlier seemed to have all but disappeared.
"Well, I just
happened to be there too ......."
Being thanked so
suddenly, he scratched his cheeks in embarrassment.
As if drawn by
Nozomu's behavior, Irisdina also smiled a little.
The air that had been
heavy between the two of them just a few minutes ago became a little lighter.
"...... I don't
know if it's alright for me to ask this, but can I talk to you for a
minute?"
Perhaps encouraged by
the lighter atmosphere, Irisdina looked a little hesitant, then asked to have a
private chat with Nozomu.
"Umm, is it okay
if we talk right here?"
"No, if possible,
I'd prefer to talk in a place where no one else is around ......"
"Then you can use
the storage room. The storage room is a closed room for storing
chemicals."
Norn pointed to the
chemical storage room adjacent to the infirmary.
Nozomu opened the door
to the storage room, wondering what she wanted to talk about.
When Nozomu entered
the room, not only Irisdina but also Tima entered the room with him.
Apparently, she too wanted to talk to Nozomu about something.
The room, which could
only be accessed from the infirmary, has shelves tightly placed on all four
walls and inside the room, where various medicines such as disinfectants,
potions, and antidotes are stored. There are no windows or other openings in
the room to prevent deterioration due to sunlight, and the room is lit only by
a magic lamp.
This magic lamp is one
of the magical tools developed in Arcazam. This device, which provides lasting
light, is more stable in light intensity than the lanterns and candles used
until then, and is less susceptible to deterioration, among other innovations.
Magic lanterns themselves have been made and used in various countries, but the
cost per unit is relatively high and they are not suitable for mass production.
For this reason, even in Arcazam, they are only used in very few facilities.
In the pale light of
the magic lamp, Nozomu, Irisdina, and Tima were facing each other. Irisdina was
the first to open her mouth.
"Umm, I want to
apologize to you."
"...... eh?"
"It is about what
happened when we had lunch together. For asking you such rude questions without
taking your situation into consideration ...... I'm sorry."
Nozomu was perplexed
when Irisdina bowed her head deeply.
For his part, no
matter how unwilling he was to be asked about a situation he did not want to be
reminded of, he was aware that it would be rude to walk away abruptly.
In the first place,
she was about to conclude her words by adding that she didn't care about the
rumors. Rather, it was Nozomu who walked away, having misunderstood the
situation, who should be the one to apologize.
"W-, well,
umm...... If anything I should be the one who apologizes. I am sorry for being
rude. Although you were just trying to talk to me nicely, I made a one-sided
assumption and walked away......"
For a few seconds,
Nozomu was petrified, but when he saw Irisdina who kept bowing, he quickly came
to his senses and hurriedly made an apology.
"Glad to hear you
say that."
"Once again, I'm
really sorry."
In response to
Nozomu's apology, Irisdina lightly waved her hand as if to say, "It's
fine".
Irisdina, too, was
aware that she had stepped on someone's sensitive side.
Since further
discussion could lead to a watering down of the issue, both parties accepted
each other's apologies.
After the conversation
with Irisdina, Nozomu's gaze shifted to Tima.
"So, what about
you, Tima-san?......"
"I-, I wanted to
apologize too ....... Even though you saved me in the forest, I behaved in a
way that could have offended you ......"
Tima also wanted to
apologize to Nozomu.
Perhaps feeling
guilty, Tima's shoulders slumped and she became depressed to the point that it
was obvious for others to see. Irisdina put her hand on Tima's shoulder as if
to support her best friend.
"Forgive her,
Nozomu-kun. Tima is a little uncomfortable with men. At the time, she was a
little defensive because of the rumors she had heard about you."
"Yeah. I don't
mind. I received your proper apology just now, and it's understandable if
you've heard the rumors about me ......"
Indeed, if one had
heard the rumors about Nozomu, it would be understandable. No one would have a
good impression of him if they heard rumors that he had cheated on his
girlfriend and then she dumped him, even though he was dating a famous female
student in his grade at the time. At the same time, Nozomu remembered Lisa's
attitude, which had not improved, and felt a pain deep in his chest.
(As I thought, it's
still painful ......)
Nozomu's surroundings
were beginning to change, albeit gradually.
Although he was
saddened by the death of his master, he made new friends.
Unlike before, he now
has a homeroom teacher at the school who properly looks out for him. Little by
little, more and more people began to see him as he is now, not as the image of
Nozomu spread by rumor. However, the memories of his former lover and the
countless verbal abuse he received from them still haunt him, along with the
pain he still feels.
(I'm still running
away, after all. Every time I remember all the things I've turned away from,
this is what I feel ......)
Actually, Nozomu has
not completely gotten over his broken heart and the wounds of having been
scorned up until now. It's just that as he met Somia, Irisdina, and the others,
reconciled with Mars, and formed new relationships, he naturally had fewer
opportunities to remember the pain.
"...... What's
wrong?"
"No, it's
nothing. Shall we go back?"
Irisdina made a
pondering gesture as she watched Nozomu's back as he walked back to the
infirmary, but she did not ask him any more questions due to the previous
matter.
When they returned to
the infirmary, Mars, Anri, and Norn were waiting for Nozomu and the others.
"You're back,
huh?"
"Nozomu-kun,
could you introduce them to us?"
"Alright, this is
my classmate, Mars Dickens. The brown-haired one is my homeroom teacher,
Anri-sensei."
"Nice to meet
you~."
"Thank you, it's
nice to meet you too."
"Hmm ......"
Anri responded to
Nozomu's introduction with a big smile and a friendly tone of voice. She
already knew Irisdina and Tima, but had never met them before due to the
different classes they were assigned to.
Mars, on the other
hand, was looking at Irisdina and Tima like a stray dog with a pouty smile on
his face.
He was not at all interested
in them. It was just the everyday Mars.
"I see, he seems
to be a fellow with a rather strong temperament."
"U-, ummm."
Even under the
intimidating gaze of Mars, Irisdina was able to nonchalantly pass it off with a
cool face and respond with an elegant reply.
Nozomu would like to
mention that she is indeed a black-haired princess, but unfortunately, there is
someone present who is not very fond of such rough men. Of course, it goes
without saying that it was Tima. Not only is she not good with men to begin
with, but Mars is rather large in stature and has broad shoulders.
The way Mars shoved
his hands in his pockets, spreading a sour expression in all directions, was
completely typical of a delinquent.
Sure enough, Tima hid
behind Irisdina's back again to avoid Mars' gaze.
"Hiiih......"
"Mars......"
"Tch."
A negative interaction
between Mars and Tima was about to restart, and Nozomu reproached Mars.
Mars took his gaze
away from Tima, and with an aura of displeasure emanating from his entire body,
he moved away from them and sat down near the window.
A heavy atmosphere
once again flowed between Nozomu and Irisdina and the others.
"Ah, right.
Nozomu-kun, actually there is a birthday party for Somia coming up soon."
Irisdina tried to
change the atmosphere in the room by bringing up another topic of conversation.
The content was about Somia's birthday party. Nozomu was surprised at the
abruptness of the topic but remembered something he had heard from Somia
herself before.
"...... Ah, come
to think of it, Somia-chan said something like that too."
"Some of Somia's
classmates will be among the participants, and we'd love to have you there
too."
"Umm, if it's a
birthday party for the daughter of the Francilt family, there will be a lot of
distinguished figures coming from various places, right? Are you sure it is
okay for me to go to such a place?"
The Francilt family is
a distinguished family that is well-known throughout the Arcmel Continent. If
there would be a birthday party for the daughter of such a family, the leading
figures from various countries would probably come.
Nozomu thought it
would be a bad idea for him, a commoner, to attend such a party.
Moreover, Nozomu has a
bad reputation at the Solminati Academy.
However, Irisdina, on
the contrary, laughed off Nozomu's groundless fears as if she did not mind.
"Fufufu, I don't
mind. In the first place, I was planning to invite only my family and close
friends to the birthday party this time. Moreover, Nozomu-kun, you are a friend
of Somia's, aren't you? There's nothing to worry about."
There was no lie or
deception in her expression as she put her hand over her mouth and smiled. From
the bottom of her heart, she was asking Nozomu to come and join the party.
"So, will you
join us?"
"...... I
understand. I will participate."
"Great! Thank
goodness. I'm sure Somia will be happy to hear that."
Hearing of Nozomu's
decision to join, Irisdina's smile deepened.
And her gaze suddenly
turned to Mars, who was standing next to Nozomu.
"Then, what about
you, Mars?"
"......
Ha~a?"
"E-,
ehh!""
Irisdina's sudden
words made Mars let out a dumbfounded voice, and Tima looked surprised.
He had no idea what
she was getting at. Such a gaze from Mars was directed at Irisdina.
Mars just a few
moments ago directed a gaze that tinged with hostility toward her friend.
Normally, she would not have invited such a person to her sister's birthday
party.
"What are you
saying? Are you serious? I've never been friends with your sister, not to
mention you guys. Besides, I've never met your sister even once."
"Well, yeah,
you're right. You've never met her, but you seem to be a friend of Nozomu-kun.
So, I don't think it's strange for me to invite you to the party."
Irisdina's expression
did not show any dislike toward Mars.
She just had a
meaningful smile on her face.
Perhaps finding her
composure annoying, Mars scowled.
"I see. I'm sorry
to disappoint you we are not friends. Besides, I'm not suited for such a
classy, aristocratic party."
"Well, I suppose
you're right. I've heard a fair amount of rumors about you, Mars Dickens-kun.
Although I've only spoken to you briefly, you certainly seem to have the
personality to cause trouble wherever you go. But ......"
Irisdina's gaze glanced
at Nozomu.
"Why are you with
him on your lunch break? If we were to think about it, normally, this would be
a very unlikely combination."
Considering Mars'
personality, there was no way he would be hanging out with Nozomu, the
lowest-ranked student in his grade. But in reality, they spend the most
precious time of the day, lunchtime, together like this.
One of the most
obvious things about a person is his or her hidden temperament, which cannot be
seen at first glance. And one of the most obvious expressions can be found in
friendships. People instinctively tend to make friends with people who are
similar to themselves or who share the same goals. This means that Nozomu and
Mars, two people with very different personalities and appearances, have something
in common or can relate to each other.
Indeed, from
Irisdina's point of view, Mars has a rough personality.
However, unlike Tima,
who was trembling at her back, Irisdina, who as an aristocratic lady had dealt
with a thousand different types of aristocrats in the social world, sensitively
sensed the shadow of Mars's hidden temperament behind his rough mannerisms.
"You may be as
brazen as you look, but I think you are at least a principled man, no?"
In response to
Irisdina's words, Mars' gaze finally turned hostile.
Basically, Mars has
the temperament of a lone wolf who does not like to be over-interfered with by
others.
At the same time, the
hostility shown by Mars indicated that Irisdina's point was correct, and Nozomu
was surprised at her insight into his temperament in such a short period of
time.
"And you're so
easy to understand. Just like a lone stray dog......."
Furthermore, Irisdina,
having seen through Mars's temperament, threw a provocative word at him.
"...... You sure
talk a lot, aren't you?"
"If one doesn't
talk, it's impossible to socialize. Besides, It's inevitable because of my
birth. Of course, you can refuse this invitation if you want."
Irisdina lightly
brushed off Mars' hostility with a smile.
"Moreover, she
firmly left the choice in Mars' hands, as if she didn't think in the slightest
that she could talk him out of it and force him to come."
"Tch......"
As expected, even Mars
could not say anything in return and had no choice but to avert his eyes and
shut his mouth.
To begin with, Mars
has a very straightforward personality.
It was impossible for
him to win a verbal and mental confrontation with Irisdina, who had by far the
widest circle of friends and had experienced many social interactions as an
aristocrat.
"Ah, and also. If
you come, I'll do my best to welcome you. You can look forward to the food as
well."
After saying these
words, Irisdina left the infirmary together with Tima.
"Mars, are you
going?"
"There's no way
I'm going!"
Mars answered Nozomu's
question without hesitation, dismissing it with lightning speed.
Nozomu shrugged his
shoulders in response to Mars' obvious answer as if to say, "I knew you'd
say that."
"But then again,
you've been glaring at Tima-san for quite some time."
Mars' attitude toward
Tima was clearly excessive.
He was always prone to
emotional outbursts, but his attitude toward her was similar to that toward
Nozomu in the past.
"That girl sure
makes me irritated. She's such a wimp even though she has a powerful talent
......"
"Being strong
doesn't mean one will not be afraid of anything. Sometimes people would feel
afraid because they had obtained a power that was too strong to control. She
has such powerful magic powers. She might have been through a lot in the past
because of that."
Norn spoke in response
to Mars's words, which he blurted out as if to vent. Mars was silenced by her
words.
(Too powerful of a
power, huh? ......)
Nozomu also felt a
deep sense of empathy and anxiety toward her words.
Without realizing it,
the hand clenched on his chest tightened its grip.
The invisible chains
that clung to his body made a creaking, grating sound inside Nozomu's tightly
clenched hand.
◆
After school, Nozomu
and Mars made their way to the Ox-head Pavilion.
Lately, Nozomu has
been having dinner there more frequently.
Usually, he cooked for
himself to make ends meet, but now that he has become friends with Mars, Ena
and Hannah were willing to give him a discount.
Of course, Nozomu felt
bad about simply accepting the discount, so he sometimes helped out with the
dishes, shopping, transporting goods in and out of the store, and as a result,
they have begun to build a good relationship in which they support each other.
"Onīchan, what
are you getting yourself into now!?"
Ena's angry voice
echoed inside the sunset-illuminated Ox-head Pavilion.
It was because Ena had
noticed Mars returning home with a grim face so she questioned him and found
out about his interaction with Irisdina back at the infirmary and how he had
glared at Tima.
"Why are you so
quick to snap at people, Onīchan!?"
"Shut up! Why the
hell are you making such a big deal out of this!? It's none of your
business!"
"Of course it is!
What were you going to do if Hanna-san and the others got in trouble
again!?"
"Umm ......"
Mars and Ena were
arguing and quarreling. Nozomu, who was sitting at the same table as Mars, was
completely excluded from it, not knowing what to do, and could only scratch his
cheeks.
"You don't have
to worry about it. It's a daily routine for both of them."
"Hanna-san......"
Hanna appeared from
the kitchen at the back of the store and placed a plate of food and a glass of
milk in front of Nozomu.
"For them, a
fight like this is just like a skinship. Tomorrow, things will be back to
normal, so there's no point in worrying about it."
Hanna pushed her chin
forward as if telling Nozomu to look in that direction. Ahead of her gaze were
several customers who had frequented the restaurant, but all of them only
smiled wryly as they watched the commotion in front of them.
"Why do you
always do such unnecessary things, Onīchan? By any chance, are you falling in
love with Tima-san? How childish of you to try to get her attention by being
mean to her!"
"I never even
thought of that! Don't fabricate my feelings on your own!"
Contrary to the
relaxed atmosphere of their surroundings, their argument heated up even more.
Their argument was so loud that the windows of the inn shook and ripples
appeared in Nozomu's glass of milk. To put it bluntly, the ruckus was so loud
that one could be convinced that two demonic beasts were fighting against each other.
(But the customers
remain unfazed ...... How could it be?)
Even in such a
situation, the surrounding customers' behavior did not change. Seeing that the
military police did not rush to the scene even after all this commotion, it
seemed that even the military police were aware of the quarrel between the
siblings.
What was even more
surprising was whether it was the local residents who were able to act normal
in the midst of such a huge commotion, or whether it was the siblings who had
managed to make such a scene seem normal.
*Crash*
As Nozomu was dismayed
by the reactions of those around him, a loud noise suddenly rang out from the
quarreling pair.
"W-, what!"
Nozomu looked in the
direction from which the sound came and saw Ena lifting a chair from the
counter and slamming it down on the floor.
"W-, what the
hell are you doing!?"
"I've realized
that no matter what I say to Onīchan, it's completely pointless! In this case,
It's better for me to use force to get you to understand. Prepare
yourself!"
Ena gripped the legs
of the chair with both hands and postured herself with her eyes fixed on the
floor. Her posture was strangely elegant.
"Teyaaaa!!"
Ena swung the chair
down toward Mars' head. Mars quickly dodged the chair, but his face twitched as
the chair ran past him at high speed, right in front of his face.
"A-, Are you
trying to kill me!?
"If I were a
little slower, you would have cracked my head open!"
Nozomu inwardly agreed
with Mars' desperate plea.
The wooden chair was a
good choice, but a blow to the head with the corner of the chair could have
been serious if it had hit the wrong part of the head.
And if one were to
look closely at Mars, who had just barely evaded the chair, one would see a
hint of raised Qi coming from his body. It seemed that he even used body
strengthening to avoid Ena's blow.
(...... Wait a minute.
Does that mean, even with body strengthening, Mars was just barely able to
evade it?)
Nozomu felt a strange
sense of uneasiness, and upon closer observation of Ena's condition, he could
feel a hint of raised Qi from her body. It seemed that she was using body
strengthening without even being aware of it.
(Huh? I'm pretty sure
I heard that Ena-chan didn't have any combat experience, like how to use
physical strengthening, or anything similar ......)
According to Hanna and
the others, Ena had never learned any combat techniques or anything similar.
However, as a matter of reality, one could clearly sense a hint of Qi from her
body.
Seeing how she was
unconsciously strengthening her body, even though she had not received any
particular combat training, she might have considerable talent, just like Mars.
Or rather, Nozomu
would like to tell her not to hit her family with such enhanced physical
abilities.
No matter how bad Mars'
conduct might be on a daily basis, what she did was still too much.
(Albeit
unintentionally, if Mars couldn't dodge it, he would have ended up dead for
real ......)
"Wait a damn
second! You keep telling me not to be violent on a regular basis, but you resort
to violence yourself!"
(Well, that's a
reasonable statement coming from Mars, who was almost killed ......)
Right now, Mars was
completely hunched over.
Ena is currently
fourteen years old, not tall by any means, and has the body of a very ordinary
girl.
However, the Qi she
was radiating now was completely dominating the place. If things went on like
this, Mars might really be killed. Nozomu thought that would be bad, and raised
his voice to calm Ena down.
"W-, wait,
Ena-chan. Even though Mars is such an inexcusable delinquent, I think what
you're doing is indeed a bad idea ......"
"Don't get in my
way, Nozomu-san! This is the only way to rehabilitate Onīchan! Maybe the shock
will turn him into a decent person!"
"No, no, no!
Before that, Mars' head will be rendered unusable! Let's calm down for a
second!"
While Nozomu was
desperately trying to calm Ena down, he looked at Mars, who was vigorously
shaking his head up and down as if agreeing with Nozomu's words.
As expected, Mars also
realized that Ena's current state was not good.
"No, I won't back
down! If I don't do something to Onīchan here, I will surely regret it!"
"No, no, no!
Instead, you'll regret it if you really do something about him!"
Ena once again raised
the chair and tried to pounce on Mars, but Nozomu tried to stop her by pinning
her down from behind but was almost shaken off by the strength of Ena's
strengthened body.
"Wha, she is so
strong!"
Nozomu of course also
used body strengthening, but Ena's body strengthening was completely without
any adjustment, perhaps because she was doing it unconsciously.
Meanwhile, Mars had
completely lost his will to fight back and was stuck in a corner of the room.
From the side, it was
just like a scene of domestic violence.
AS if a child was
being violently beaten by a violent father, and the mother was trying to stop
it. Needless to say, the violent father is Ena and the child is Mars. The wife
who is trying to stop it is Nozomu.
On the other hand, the
customers, who were supposed to be present at the scene, have gotten used to
it, and were laughing heartily with a mug of sake in their hands.
From their point of
view, it seemed to be a comedic performance in which the actors were cast in
the wrong roles. The performers themselves, however, were quite serious.
In the end, Mars was
hit in the head by a blow from Ena's chair, but Nozomu tried his best to
prevent it from happening.
And because Nozomu
defended Mars desperately, the power of the blow was dampened. Mars managed to
avoid being beaten to death.
Nevertheless, he was
completely knocked out and Hanna dragged him straight to his room.
Ena, who had just
purged Mars in the name of rehabilitation, was completely unperturbed by her
actions and returned to serving customers.
(Alright, let's never
make Ena-chan angry ......)
Witnessing such a
scene in the Dickens household, Nozomu made a clear mental note of one rule
that he must not forget.
However, the reason
Ena had become so agitated was because of Mars, who had been causing her a
great deal of stress on a regular basis, so in the end, it was also his own
fault.
◆
Nozomu was lost in
thought as he walked back to the student dormitory after leaving the Ox-head Pavilion.
"Somia-chan's
birthday party, huh? What should I give as a present? ......"
Naturally, a birthday
party meant giving presents.
The face of Somia,
whom he had met in the central park, surfaced in Nozomu's mind. Remembering her
smiling face and cheerful smile, he wondered what would be a good gift to give
her.
"Come to think of
it, she had a rather distinctive bracelet on."
The bracelet she said
her sister had given her was a rather expensive item, but more than that, Somia
seemed happy that it was a gift from her dear sister.
The value of a gift is
not determined solely by the monetary value of the item. If he were to think of
it that way, it was likely that Nozomu might be able to handle the present.
"I hope I can
still make it in time."
With the evening
twilight already descending, Nozomu turned on his heel and began to walk in the
opposite direction from the dormitory.
The destination was
Shino's hut in the Spasim forest.
After running through
the forest in the darkness, he finally arrived at the hut and began rummaging
through it.
"Oh, there it
is!"
Among the items found
on the shelves was a single bell.
It originally belonged
to Shino and was one of her personal trinkets.
It was made of brass,
small in shape, and made a quiet chiming sound when shaken.
"Umm, I wonder if
I can make something similar with the tools in this hut. Excuse me, Master. Let
me use some of your possessions."
He stripped the brass
parts from the unused tools found in the hut and threw them into the fireplace
to heat them up.
He made two metal
balls to serve as the beads and four hemispherical parts, enclosed the beads
within the hemispherical parts, crimped them together, and glued them. Then, he
borrowed an indigo-dyed sash of Shino and braided it into a bracelet shape.
Finally, the bell and bracelet were attached to each other with thread.
Nozomu shook the newly
completed bell as a test. The bell, which made a rather irregular sound, was
not as good as the one he had used as a sample bell.
"Hmm, I guess I
couldn't succeed in making it the first time. Let's try it again."
After saying so,
Nozomu once again threw the brass into the furnace.
In the end, he
repeated the process of making bells until dawn that day but never succeeded in
making the bells he wanted.
When the morning sun
shone on the hut, Nozomu had no choice but to head back to the school.
He spent the rest of
the day working on the bell and struggled with the brass parts until the day
before Somia's birthday party.
