Volume 4 Chapter 1.3
A Fresh Start Part 3
Translator : PolterGlast
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.
However, the feud was
resolved after the battle against a demonic beast called Abyss Grief, and the
wolf tribe that had been harassing her apologized to her. Since then, they have
been able to have normal conversations.
"So, what are you
doing here?"
"Nothing, just doing
some research and looking for materials......."
Shina's gaze wandered
off in the direction of the day after tomorrow, and Karanti squinted at her.
"Hmm. So, what
kind of book is it?"
"Just something
related to magic......."
"That's very
vague. What kind of magic?"
"T-That's......."
"...... Well,
never mind. I just found the right person for it, so let's ask her
instead."
As soon as she said
so, Karanti took Shina's hand and started walking.
"H-Hold
on......!"
"What? You don't
want to study with me? Well, it's understandable considering what I've done in
the past......"
"No, it's not
like that. Besides, you've saved me twice......"
"The one being
saved is me, though. Let's go get the materials, then."
Regardless of Shina's
dismay, Karanti led her briskly through the
open-shelf section.
Reluctantly, Shina
pulled and held a few books randomly from a random shelf along the way. Next to
her, Karanti was picking up some books as well. The two then headed straight to
the reading area.
When they arrived at
the reading area, Karanti walked over to the trio, who stood out from the
others.
"It's been a
while, Tima Lime-san. May we sit here?"
"Umml, yes?"
There was a girl with
light yellowish green hair who had just been with her at the Ox-head Pavilion earlier,
and one dark-haired female student wearing Ekross uniform, a school affiliated
with Solminati Academy. And a mature woman in a maid's uniform, which was out
of place here.
The Ekross girl was
seated at her desk with a book open, looking serious as she studied. The maid
stood beside her, as if watching over her, and gave her a gentle gaze.
"Tima-san, so
you're in the library, too? And that girl over there is Irisdina's-"
"I'm Somiliana
Francilt! Long time no see, candy lady!"
When Shina, who
recognized Somia's face, called out to her, Somia replied in a cheerful voice.
"......Candy
lady?"
"Well, we met
once when I got a miscellaneous request from the Adventurers' Guild. Anyway,
who is this person.......?"
Shina's gaze now
shifted to the maid standing by Somia's side.
"I am Mena Manat.
It's been a while, Shina-sama and Karanti-sama."
Mena bowed reverently,
and Shina and Karanti also responded with a bow.
Polite yet impeccable demeanor.
They had seen her before. She was the skilled swordswoman who protected Somia
when they were fighting the [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede.
After greeting Mena,
Shina turned her attention back to Tima and Somia.
"So why are you
two here?"
"I'm studying.
Tima-chan also happened to meet me here, so we are studying together."
"Well, umm. I'm
studying, as well, I guess......?"
While smiling at
Tima's usual shyness, Shina peeked at the book she had opened out of curiosity.
The contents of the book were related to wind magic and control techniques for
strengthening magic, and there was also a stack of books related to Qi-jutsu.
Shina could guess what
Tima was researching and her cheeks relaxed involuntarily.
"I see, it's
related to Mars-kun......."
"Ue!?"
Tima let out a silly
voice. What she was researching was the super-advanced technique [magic-Qi
combination technique] that Mars was trying to master.
"I don't mean to
startle you. More importantly, how are things going? Even though it is not as
powerful as Nozomu-kun's [power], I don't think the technique that Mars is
aiming for is going to be achieved overnight."
"Yeah, we don't
have a clear picture yet. But, Mars-kun, he's been a little less reckless
lately."
"Well, after what
happened, he must have mixed feelings about it."
Tima nodded her head
slightly at Shina's words.
Mars has a strong
attachment to power due to his childhood experiences.
In fact, he had
feelings akin to admiration for Nozomu's superior Qi-jutsu and hidden power,
while at the same time harboring mixed feelings about his own desire to reach
that same realm.
Mars discovered a
method to catch up with Nozomu, the magic-Qi combination technique. By fusing
magic and Qi-jutsu, which by their nature oppose each other, this technique drastically
increases the effectiveness of both.
However, two weeks
ago, during the Special Comprehensive Exercise, Mars was so impatient that he
used a technique that he could not fully control against the [Cracked-Crown]
Giant Centipede.
As a result, Mars put
his friends in a predicament, and a fatal rift developed between him and
Nozomu.
Fortunately, everyone
involved was unharmed, and the rift that had developed between the two was able
to be repaired, but if the buttons had been pushed just a little bit wrong, the
situation would have been fatal.
"But still, it's
very kind of you to come all the way to the library to help him with his
research."
"I-I don't mind
...... I just, umm...... I thought it would be nice if I could be of
help......."
Shina was impressed
but somewhat envious of Tima, who kept on moving her pen while looking down
with a fidgety look on her face.
"Hey, why do you
care so much about him?"
"Eh?"
"I know Mars-kun
is not a bad person, but he can be a little rough around the edges sometimes.
He seems like the type of guy you would rather avoid, so I thought it was a
little strange that you liked him so much."
Shina found herself
asking Tima a direct question.
Hearing the word "like"
made Tima's slightly flushed cheeks turn bright red at once.
"W-W-What do you
mean by like!?"
"...... Did you
really think no one noticed it?"
"Well, it's
pretty obvious, after all."
Karanti, who had been
standing next to Shina, watching and listening to what was going on, couldn't
help but voice her agreement, and Somia and Mena were also nodding their heads
in agreement.
"A-Auu......"
Tima held her
vermilion-stained face in her hands, writhing in agony for a while, but eventually,
she took a deep breath and slowly opened her mouth, as if conceding.
"At first ......
I was so scared of him, you know? The first time I saw him, he suddenly glared
at me, and Mars didn't have a good impression of me, either. I'm a gloomy
person after all......"
She confessed while
looking up at the ceiling as if looking far into the distance.
Tima herself has the
highest level of magical power in the whole continent, but her character is
timid. She herself does not like her self-deprecating personality. That is why
she admires dignified women like Irisdina and dislikes men with strong
personalities and rough language like Mars.
"But when
Rugato-san came and Somia-chan's life was in danger, it was Mars-kun who saved
me."
An irreplaceable
family of a dear friend. A girl who was like a sister to Tima as well. Hearing
this, the girl next to her was scratching her cheeks in a slightly embarrassed
manner.
A high-ranking envoy
was trying to extract Somia's soul. It was Mars who blocked the magic bullet that
pounced on Tima and knocked it away. The very person who she thought that he
disliked her
The sense of unity she
felt at that moment. Since then, every time she thought of him, there would be
a warm feeling that would seep into the depths of her body. Sometimes it
stirred her heart violently, and at other times it gave her warmth as if she
was wrapped in cotton to the tips of her hands and feet.
"I can't say it
well, but it bothers me a lot......"
Tima cannot honestly
put these feelings into words. It's also in her nature to take a step back from
others. But there is no need to put it into words.
Her cheeks were
stained with vermilion. Above all, when talking about Mars, she never once
looked downward. She was shy and would tend to look downward when talking to
other people.
Even if she wasn't
aware of it, her demeanor clearly conveyed her thoughts and feelings.
"I
see......"
While Shina's envy was
being fueled once again upon seeing Tima like this, a familiar loud voice was
heard.
"Yahho~, Shina.
Tima-san, Somicchi, and ...... Karanti? What a very unusual line-up."
It was Shina's best
friend, Mimuru, who called out to her.
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