Volume 3 Chapter 2.3
Smoldering Fire Part 3
Translator : PolterGlast
Shortly before
Irisdina stormed into the stall where Nozomu and the others were working on
selling candy, Tima was once again reminding her best friend, who was peeking
at them from the shadows.
"Hey Ai, there's
no need to worry so much."
"But just now,
Somia was about to be touched by that old man. That piece of filth
......!"
"B-but Nozomu-kun
managed to do something about it, didn't he? ......"
Irisdina, recalling
the earlier incident at the fortune teller's shop, let the flames of Qi rise
from her whole body.
Nozomu was focusing on
protecting Somia, so he did not notice them, but Tima and Mars were frantically
trying to stop the siscon sister from storming into the fortune teller's shop.
"But, isn't it
time for us to stop this? Nozomu knows we're here, and if we're too persistent,
Somia is going to notice us, too, you know?"
"T-that's right,
Ai. It's no good to go on like this. Do you want Somia to hate you?"
"Ugh!"
Do you want Somia to
hate you? This one sentence drove a wedge into Irisdina's heart, which was in
an out-of-control state.
"Uu, uuu,
u~~"
The siscon sister
cowered in place as her out-of-control state of mind was filled with conflict.
She repeatedly glanced toward the stall, looked down, shook her head, and
groaned.
(Ha~a, I knew it, Ai
is worried about Somia-chan, but she's also curious about Nozomu-kun, the man
with whom Somia-chan is going on a date with......)
Tima had noticed that
whenever Irisdina looked at the stall, she would stare not only at Somia, but
also at Nozomu. And every time she did, she also unconsciously reached for the
hair ornament he had given her.
Tima exhaled heavily
and looked at her best friend, who was still holding her head in an ongoing
state of agony.
For her, Irisdina is
her first friend and companion since coming to this school, but she has never
seen her sulking like a child like this.
(Is that how much she
is curious about Nozomu-kun? There is also the matter involving Shina-san as
well......)
Shina Juliel. An elf
girl who suddenly became friends with Nozomu.
Irisdina revealed her
jealousy for the first time when she sensed the relationship between Shina and
Nozomu.
That was the
appearance of her best friend, whom Tima had never seen before. She was both
surprised and a little happy to have learned about another side of her.
"Hey, I think
we're done here. At least it doesn't seem to be a big deal after all."
"......Mars-kun,
how would you feel if you saw Ena-kun walking around with a guy you don't
know?"
"Ha? What are you
saying all of a sudden? I couldn't care less about-......"
Ena Dickens is the
younger sister of Mars and the mascot girl of his family's inn and tavern, the
[Ox-head Pavilion]. She is a bold girl who always speaks out against her
brother, who is a troublemaker.
To him, she is in many
ways an overbearing younger sister, but she is certainly an important member of
the family.
In fact, the way Mars
stammered out his words as he turned away clearly showed the opposite emotion
from what he just said.
"I am worried.
What if Somia and Nozomu-......"
Irisdina's face
suddenly turned red and she stiffened, looking down. And then she began to
mumble and let out some sort of incomprehensible voices.
"......What should
we do? She is totally screwed up."
"What should we
do, you say?......"
Frankly, Tima herself
also wanted to ask him the same thing. About what to do with her best friend in
front of her.
At that moment,
Irisdina's gaze caught a clothing store near the central park.
"Ah, right, that
would do......."
"Wait, Ai, where
are you going!"
Irisdina did not
respond to Tima's call and rushed into the store.
She emerged from the
store not long after, and Mars and Tima were stunned by her outfit.
"Hey, what's
that?"
"Umm, that's
probably Ai. I don't know why she's dressed like that though......"
She wore a long,
full-length coat and cloak that covered her entire body, and a deep-fitted hat.
Irisdina, who has completely dressed as a suspicious person, went straight to
the stall where Nozomu and the others were working.
"...... Don't
tell me, are you going to go check on them while dressed like that?"
Tima was at a loss for
words at her best friend's outrageous behavior.
Nozomu, who noticed
Irisdina, was staring at her with a dumbfounded expression. She was completely
exposed.
In fact, after just a
word or two of conversation, she began to shake unnaturally and reveal her
agitation.
He was becoming more
and more suspicious. Then Somia, who was tilting her head, appeared.
Thinking that her
sister's appearance would cause problems, Irisdina grabbed Nozomu's bag of
candy, brought her face close to his, and then returned as if running away.
"......What a
disaster."
"......Un."
The two slumped their
shoulders while sighing in the shadows where they were hiding.
◆
After enjoying a
little work experience, Nozomu and Somia thanked Shina and left the stall with
candy in their hands in exchange for a paycheck. They moved from the commercial
district to the central park and took a rest on a bench. As the sun began to
set, the area around them slowly began to turn red.
"Haa, that was
fun!"
"Somia-chan, you
were so energetic. You even made your own candy in the end."
"Yes! Though it
turned out a little weird."
As she said so, Somia
took out a piece of candy from a bag in her hand.
It has a round face
with strangely sharp eyes and a slightly protruding nose.
Nozomu could tell that
it was made to resemble an animal, but he had no idea what kind of animal it
might be.
"What's this? A
bear?"
"No! It's a
cat!"
A cat. Nozomu blinked
his eyes upon hearing that word. It certainly resembled a cat.
"What kind of
candy did you make, Nozomu-san?"
At Somia's request,
Nozomu also took out a piece of candy he had made.
It has a long torso
and thin arms and legs. The face at the end of the extended neck is also small.
"Is it a
goat?"
"It was supposed
to be a horse ......."
This time, Somia
blinked her eyes.
Seeing each other's
misshapen candies, both of them burst out laughing.
"Pfft......."
"Fufufu~!"
After a hearty laugh,
the two sat down side by side on a park bench and exchanged candy with each other
to try it.
"Mmm~~,
delicious!"
"It has a slight
fruit flavor, and it's sweet, but not too sweet. Yes, I think I like
this."
The moderate sweetness
and fruity flavor soaked into his tired body and healed him of the fatigue of
his work.
Perhaps Somia was
feeling the same way, she smiled brightly at the sweetness of the candies as
she swayed her feet next to Nozomu.
"......Nozomu-san.
Thank you very much for today."
"It was fun for
me too and I got to experience candy-crafting. Though the result is-......
well, it is what it is."
Nozomu and Somia
looked at each other, and a gentle atmosphere flowed between them.
This date has become a
very pleasant memory for both of them.
"Hey, Nozomu-san.
Can you listen to my story?"
"Hmm? What is
it?"
"It's about what
I asked the old man in today's fortunetelling, umm......."
"It's about
something that's been troubling you, isn't it? I don't mind if you want me to
listen to it, but are you sure it's okay if it's me? Maybe you should talk to
Iris about it......"
"No, I can't talk
about this to my sister. Umm ...... my trouble is about my sister,
so-......."
Apparently, what
troubled her has something to do with Irisdina. After Nozomu nodded in
understanding, she began to speak her mind in a hushed tone.
"Nozomu-san, you
knew, didn't you? You knew that I wanted to be like my sister.....".
"Yeah."
Somia's ambition is to
be like her older sister, Irisdina. Nozomu has heard this when he first met her
in this park.
"Ane-sama is a
very nice person, isn't she? She is beautiful, strong, and can do
anything......"
Nozomu nodded as he
listened to Somia's words. It is true that she is a very attractive woman.
She has a beautiful
look and is skilled in both literacy and martial arts. There are many people
who admire her at the school. Moreover, her family is one of the most prominent
figures in the Forsina Kingdom, and she is their heiress. To put it bluntly, it's
difficult to find her flaws.
(Well, except when it
comes to Somia-chan......)
Nozomu turned his
attention to a corner of the park so as not to be noticed by Somia.
The presence of
Irisdina and the others still had not disappeared. Although they were nowhere
to be seen, their pursuit was still going on.
"I love her and
I'm proud of her, but sometimes I think bad things about her ...... I am
jealous of her and think it would be nice to be her. Of course, I know that to
reach such a lot of achievements, my sister has worked very hard, but sometimes
I still find myself feeling that way."
"......Could it
be, that's what's been troubling you?"
Somia nodded her head
slightly in response to Nozomu's words. It seemed that Somia sometimes felt a
twinge of jealousy toward her sister, who was so talented.
At the same time, she
hated herself for having such feelings. This turned even stronger because she
had seen her sister's efforts up close.
Having come into
contact with Somia's feelings, Nozomu put his hand over his mouth and pondered.
He wondered what he could do to lighten the burden in her heart. At that
moment, Somia suddenly opened her mouth.
"You know, I used
to hate my sister."
"...... Eh?"
For a moment, Nozomu
couldn't believe his ears. It was an unthinkable statement coming from the girl
who now loves her sister so much.
"I have never
seen my mother's face. She died soon after giving birth to me, so I don't even
know what she was like. All I have is a portrait of her in my father's room at
home ......"
Nozomu listened
quietly to Somia as she began to speak somberly.
"She never held
me in her arms, sang me lullabies, or slept with me. My sister used to tell me
stories about our mother. She had black hair like us and was a very kind
person."
As she continued to
recount her memories, Nozomu could see the loneliness and ...... regret on her
face.
"Looking back, I
think my sister just wanted me to know a little bit about our mother. But at
the time I thought she was making fun of me for not knowing our mother. Or
maybe she resented me for taking Mother away from her......"
"That's-......"
"That's why I
tried not to talk to my sister or my father. If they hate me, I must hate them
too. That was the only way I could think of."
The bag of candies
Somia was holding crumpled with a crunching sound.
"No one would
care about me. No one would be worried about me. That thought pained me so much
that I ran away from home."
"......Eh?
Eeehh!?"
A surprised voice
escaped from Nozomu's mouth.
She is the daughter of
one of the most prestigious families in the Forsina Kingdom. Naturally, the
mansion must be heavily guarded.
Moreover, Somia was in
the single digits in age at the time. Indeed, it might be easier to get out
than to get in from the outside, but it was still an impressive feat for her to
be able to do that.
But I had always
stayed inside the mansion all that time, so of course I had nowhere to go. Even
after the sun went down, all I could do was just sit there in a corner of the
city. It was so cold, so cold that there was nothing I could do. Even so, I
couldn't bring myself to go home......"
The loneliness of a
cheerful and innocent girl.
Although he had heard
a little about it from Irisdina before, he found himself at a loss for words
again.
He wondered how much
loneliness she had been suppressing in her small body.
"And finally, it
started to rain. I was soaked to the skin, trying desperately to hold my
clothes in my arms, and somehow trying to stand the cold, but my body was still
shivering and I couldn't get warm at all. Eventually, as my consciousness began
to fade, I heard a voice calling out to me, someone calling for me."
Before she knew it,
she was hugging her swaying legs tightly together.
Seeing this, Nozomu
caught a glimpse of a girl drenched in the rain, unable to go anywhere.
"At first, I
thought it was just my imagination. Because I thought that no one loved me and
no one would be looking for me".
Somia's body swayed as
she held her knees.
"When I raised my
head, I saw my sister, soaking wet just like me. She ran out of the mansion
alone to look for me."
The disappearance of
the two only daughters of the family head would have certainly caused a great
deal of commotion in the Francilt family's main residence.
"But at that
time, what I said to her was, "What are you doing here!?". Even when
I think about it now, it was a terrible thing for me to say."
After that, it was a
battle of words between the older sister, who wanted to take Somia home, and
Somia, who stubbornly refused to do so.
Recalling her own
hideous behavior at the time, Somia gave an "ahahaha" ...... with a
wry smile.
Eventually, they were
found by their father and Mena, who had come looking for them as well, and
taken back to the mansion to be scolded.
"At that time, I
told them everything I'd been holding in my heart in front of everyone. Why
Mother is not here!? Why does everyone hate me!? If everyone hates me, then why
don't you just leave me alone!? I was crying and yelling at them. Then my
sister, who was being scolded beside me, slapped me as hard as she could."
Somia slowly caressed
her left cheek. That must be where Irisdina slapped her.
"I was so angry
that I decided to slap her back, and when I looked at my sister, she was crying
too. She was desperately trying to hold back the tears that were overflowing,
but the tears still didn't seem to stop ...... She was always smiling in front
of me, but when I think about it, she must have been sad for a long time after
our mother's death. But she couldn't let it show, so she tried her best to hide
it, but when I said those words, the things she had been hiding
overflowed."
When one thinks about
it, Irisdina was about 10 years old at the time.
No matter how
ambitious she might be as the next head of the family, it would be natural that
the death of her own family would be painful for her.
"Afterward, I and
my sister cried and yelled at each other, and before we knew it, we were all
asleep. And the feeling of hating her disappeared before I knew it ......"
Gradually, since then,
Somia came to like Irisdina.
And she wanted to be
like her.
After finishing
telling everything, Somia exhaled heavily and stretched her back to relax her
stiff body.
"Haa~~. I feel
refreshed!"
"Hey, Somia-chan.
Why did you tell me this story?"
Nozomu frankly
expressed the question he felt. For Somia, both the concerns and the story she
just told are the core of who she is. It was not something one could easily
talk about with others.
"H~~mm. I'm not
sure! I just feel like telling you about it."
"Just feel like
telling me about it?"
"Yes, I wanted
Nozomu-san to know more about me. When I thought so, I naturally started
telling you!"
She smiled as she said
so. Her face did not have the stiff expression that had been on her face just a
few minutes ago, but her usual sunshine-like smile.
And then Nozomu
thought to himself. He knew that she is a strong girl just like her
sister......
"......
Somia-chan. I don't have a brother, so I can't really understand your worries about
Iris. But ...... I've had plenty of times when I was envious of someone."
Nozomu himself
harbored some envious feelings inside him.
He was envious of Lisa
and the others who were getting stronger and stronger, and he also felt sorry
for himself for being left behind.
At the time, he
covered it up with various reasons, such as his promise to Lisa, but now that
he thinks back on it, those dark feelings were definitely there.
(Somia-chan must have
been so distressed because she had hurt her sister with her envy before.)
"I don't know if
I have the right to say this myself, but you still care about Iris, don't
you?"
"......
Yes."
"If so, I think
everything will be fine. I mean, Somia-chan, you thought that if you told Iris
about it, she might get hurt, right? That's why you did the fortune-telling,
and that's why you told me."
She is a sweet girl
who loves her sister. So she was afraid of letting her sister know that she was
envious of her. Because in the past, she had hurt her sister with her
selfishness, and it had left a deep impression in her memory.
"Yes. After our
mother passed away, my sister was forcing herself to smile, holding back her
sadness, and taking good care of me. When I remembered how I had hurt her, I
couldn't bring myself to tell her ......"
Somia looked down as
she let out a depressed voice.
"Then it's gonna
be okay. No matter how much you envy Iris, the most fundamental feeling in your
heart is that you love your sister."
"A-......"
She couldn't talk
about it because she didn't want to hurt Irisdina. Then that is proof that her
sister is the most important person for her more than anyone else.
Hearing such words
from Nozomu, Somia suddenly raised her head with her eyes widening.
"Yes! I love my
sister!"
And Somia clearly
stated once again that she loves her older sister.
Her face, illuminated
by the evening light, shone like the brightest star.
"Alright! It's
getting dark soon, shall we go home?"
"Ah, wait a
minute. There's still something."
Nozomu was about to
lift his hips, but Somia stopped him. Apparently, she still had something to
say to him.
"Eh, what is
it?"
She turned to Nozomu
and took a deep breath.
The atmosphere was as
if she was about to make a major decision in her life, and Nozomu's back
naturally straightened.
"......
Nozomu-san, you saved my life when my soul was about to be taken from me. I
still haven't thanked you properly for that time."
"Eh? But you did
already thank me for that though ......"
She was no doubt
referring to the incident involving Rugato of the Waziart family. However,
Nozomu was already invited to the mansion afterward and received a formal
thank-you and a gratuity. In fact, Irisdina even gave him the crest of the
Francilt family, which is a bit too heavy for a commoner to carry.
"Yes, that is
true for the Francilt family. But now I want to thank you personally."
Nozomu thought that
was enough, but it seemed that it was still not enough for Somia.
The quiet, yet strong
light of determination in her eyes stared straight at Nozomu. He didn't know
what made her so determined, but Nozomu didn't want to let her determination go
to waste.
"I understand.
Since Somia-chan is determined to do so, I'll accept it."
"Ah ......
yes!"
Somia's voice burst at
Nozomu's approval, and she stood up on the bench perch.
Eleven-year-old Somia
and seventeen-year-old Nozomu. Their eyes were at the same level now.
"Um, please don't
move."
"Hm? What in the
world is she about to- ......"
Just when he was about
to tilt his head at the nervous Somia, Somia's hands were gently placed on
Nozomu's cheeks.
And then, Somia's face
came close to cover his entire field of vision.
"N-......"
Immediately after, a
soft sensation spread across Nozomu's lips.
Nozomu's thoughts went
blank at the sudden turn of events, and he was simply dumbfounded.
"Ehehe~. I kissed
you."
"E-eh?"
"That's my first
kiss. It's the first time I've ever done it on the lips."
The soft sensation
disappeared, followed by Somia's mischievous smile in Nozomu's field of vision.
Even though she was
illuminated by the setting sun, her face was clearly tinted in vermilion, and
it made Nozomu realize how much she resembled her older sister.
"...... You look
a lot like Iris, after all."
"Is that so? If
you say so, it must be true!"
"Aaaaa
-------hhh!"
"Hiih!"
A loud voice suddenly
resounded, causing Somia's shoulders to tremble. Reflexively turning toward the
voice, she found Irisdina standing up from the shadows and pointing at her,
trembling and wincing.
"Wha-wha-wha...... No~zo~mu~~!"
"Wait-, wait a
minute ...... gue~!"
Rushing in a straight
line toward Nozomu, she grabbed his shoulders with both hands and began to
squeeze them tight. Her nails dug into his shoulders, and Nozomu, unable to
bear the pain, began to flail about, but Irisdina's hands, perhaps using
reinforcement magic, were completely unfazed.
"Didn't I tell
you!? I told you to make sure there were no mistakes......."
"Y-yeeess......."
"Then what was
that all about? ......"
"Well, that was-
...... gya~~! Ouch, ouch! Iris, please let me go!"
"No way. If I let
go, you'll run away. Now, shall I have you explain it to me properly?
......"
Her eyes shot piercing
glares and her voice resounded with vindictiveness from the depths of the
abyss. His flesh was tightened by so much force that a scream escaped from
Nozomu's mouth. But then a savior voiced her voice.
"Ane-sama, it is
you who should provide an explanation to me. What is the meaning of this? I
told you not to follow me, didn't I?"
"Ah, no, umm
......."
Being glared at by
Somia, Irisdina suddenly began to panic.
"Moreover, you
even got Mars-san and Tima-chan involved ....... Ane-sama, which one of you is
in the wrong?"
"N-no. That's
because I'm worried about you, Somia-......"
"No questions
asked."
From there, Somia's
sermon time began. Nozomu, who had escaped from the restraints, watched them
from a little distance and took a piece of candy out of the bag and threw it
into his mouth.
Irisdina turned her
eyes to him as if seeking help, but Nozomu deliberately averted his gaze and
pretended not to notice. She is completely to blame for this incident, so he
decides to let her receive a good lecture from Somia.
"Yo, Nozomu."
"G-good
evening."
In the meantime, Tima
and Mars, who had been hiding in the shadows, appeared and walked up to him.
"Good evening. It
looks like you've had a hard time too."
"Yeah. That
Irisdina, she didn't want to listen to us at all ...... -eh, so you noticed us
after all?"
"Yeah. But
Somia-chan didn't seem to notice, and I knew that if I told her, the date would
be ruined at that point. I kinda understand how Iris feels, so I wanted her to
at least keep an eye on her from a distance......"
"Ahaha......."
A dry laugh escaped
from Tima's mouth for what must have been the countless times today.
"Good grief.
Ane-sama, what are you thinking!"
"Uuu......"
While Nozomu and the
others were having such a conversation, Somia's sermon gradually heated up.
Before they knew it,
Irisdina was forced to sit upright on her knees in front of her little sister
and slumped her shoulders.
Although there was no
trace of her usual dignified appearance, Nozomu's cheeks relaxed at the sight of
the two. Somia's worries seemed to have eased up, albeit a little.
"Ah, I know.
Since Ane-sama did something like this, I need to punish you for being such a
bad sister."
"P-punishment!?"
"Yes. In the
first place, I was the one who asked him out on this date. And since Ane-sama
took it out on Nozomu-san, who was only invited by me, it is only natural that
you have to apologize to Nozomu-san."
"W-what do you
want me to do?"
Iris nervously waited
for Somia's words. She looked like a criminal waiting to be sentenced to death.
"It's easy.
Please form a party with Nozomu-san at the next Special Comprehensive
Exercise."
""......
Eh?""
With the sudden
mention of this, Nozomu and Irisdina let out a shocked voice.
"As I recall, you
can start on the second day, right? Nozomu-san, is that okay? By the way,
Ane-sama has no right to refuse."
"Well, I don't
mind, but ......"
Nozomu turned his
attention to Irisdina. For some reason, she blushed and turned her face away.
"Ane-sama, you're
fine with this, no?"
"Y-yeah! Sure!
T-then, Nozomu, I'm looking forward to working with you ......"
"L-like
wise....."
Nozomu was at a loss
for words as he shook hands with Iris, who reached out her hand to him, but her
face was still red and her hand was trembling for some reason. The only one
watching this scene with a smile on her face is Somia.
(I've been pushed
around by this girl from the beginning to the end today ......)
Could it be that she
had been planning to do this from the very beginning?
Such a thought crossed
Nozomu's mind. Then he noticed that the sun was beginning to tilt to the west.
"Sorry,
Somia-chan. Looks like the sun is about to set......"
"Ah, right. I'm
sorry, Ane-sama has done something unnecessary. Well, I guess that's it for
today. Well then, Nozomu-san, I'm going to take my sister with me. Come on,
Ane-sama, let's go."
After thanking Nozomu
once again, Somia took her sister by the hand and headed back toward the
mansion.
"Well then, I'm
gonna head home too. It was a disaster of a day......."
"A-hahaha .......
Nozomu-kun and Mars-kun, I'm sorry about today."
"You shouldn't be
the one apologizing. The main culprit is that siscon after all."
"U-un. See you
later."
Tima apologized with
an apologetic expression, but Mars' follow-up helped to lift her spirits a bit,
and while waving her hands, she headed back home.
"Nozomu, what are
you going to do now? Do you want to have dinner at my place?"
"Sorry, I'm
heading home, too. I have some business in the Spasim forest."
"Business? Now?
The sun is setting already, you know? Well, you're familiar with that forest,
I'm sure you'll be fine......"
Nozomu gave a vague
smile at Mars' words and turned on his heel.
Feeling eyes on his
back, Nozomu left the place and did not return to the dormitory, but headed out
of town to a place a little further into the forest from the street. It is a
secluded place that is not often visited by the Adventurers.
That was the place he
had mentioned in the letter he had given to Lisa. However, the person who was
there was not her whom Nozomu had invited.
"What a nice
person you are, Nozomu, to summon Lisa to a place like this."
Ken Notice, Nozomu's
childhood friend and Lisa's current lover.
He tossed the letter
with his hand and spoke to Nozomu in an unfriendly manner.
Nozomu frowned at the
appearance of someone different from the person he had called for.
End of Chapter 2
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