TEASER
Volume 4 Chapter 1.3
A Fresh Start Part 3
After finishing her
lunch at Ox-head Pavilion, Shina left the restaurant ahead of the others.
Her destination was
the school's library. When she reached the library, she pulled out a random
book from a random shelf and opened the cover to hide her face in a corner of
the bookshelf.
She tried to trace the
series of letters on the page, but the content of the book did not seem to sink
in at all.
A pain...... ran
through the depths of her chest. A sigh naturally escaped from her mouth, her
face tensed up, and she bit her lip.
She knew why she
couldn't concentrate.
And her spirit friend
who was always by her side has disappeared before she knew it. He must have
given her some time alone. She was a little grateful for that. Because she
didn't want anyone to see the current state of her.
"What the heck am
I doing......"
A whisper echoed in
the dim shade of the bookshelf. The scene at the Ox-head Pavilion from earlier
flashed through her mind.
Irisdina's usual noble
atmosphere seemed to disappear, and her face was tense. What was peeking out
from the depths of her eyes, which were shaken with anxiety, was the faint
feelings she had for him.
Irisdina's face as she
gazed at Nozomu, shaking with emotion, was so beautiful that one could not help
but admire it. Even Shina, who is of the same sex, couldn't help but gasp.
Shina herself knew.
The feelings that Irisdina had for Nozomu. In the battle against the
[Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede, she had used contract magic to connect
Nozomu's and Irisdina's spirits.
But when she witnessed
it firsthand, she felt an inexpressible emotion tighten deep within her chest.
"Why, am I not
that happy about it......"
Unintentionally, words
of dissatisfaction slipped out of her mouth, and she hated herself for that,
and let out an even heavier sigh. She repeated such a thing over and over again
until she came to the library from Ox-head Pavilion.
As if to refresh her
mind, she returned the book on the table to the shelf. As she wandered
aimlessly through the forest of bookshelves, Shina's eyes caught sight of the
entrance to the corridor leading to the closed shelves.
"That's......."
That was the place
where Nozomu had saved Shina, who at the time was still being ridiculed and
teased as a [withered-leaf ear]. Unexpectedly, her body staggered toward this
place.
The empty passageway
was deserted. The pain in her chest increased from the loneliness.
"What are you
doing?"
Someone called out to
Shina.
When she turned
around, a familiar wolf girl was staring at her with a doubtful expression.
"Karanti-.......san."
"I don't mind if
you call me without an honorific. Besides, I feel a little guilty when you call
me so......."
The girl named Karanti
scratched her cheeks a little awkwardly. She was the girl who used to harass
Shina maliciously.
The wolf tribe
originally lived in the eastern part of the continent, but they had a feud with
the elves during the [Great Invasion] 20 years ago. Because of this, they had
been persistently pestering Shina, who had lost the ability to sense spirits at
the time. She was also the one who was harassing Shina in the library leading
to these closed shelves.
This is just a teaser.
The full chapter is currently only available for my Patrons.
This chapter will be available for free on May 2, 2024.
