Volume 4 Chapter 4.5
With the Strength of Our Bonds Part 5
Translator : PolterGlast
After leaving the
martial arts garden, Nozomu and Jihad were transported not to the school
infirmary, but to the medical facility of the Gloaurum Institution. The reason
is that the medical facilities and personnel are better equipped here.
"............"
In front of the
treatment room where the two were transported, Irisdina was pacing right and
left with a restless expression on her face.
The other colleagues,
her sister Somia, her follower Mena, and her teachers Anri and Norn, who had
rushed to her side in concern, were also there.
"Ai, calm down.
It's all right."
"Damn right, he's
not even fainted."
"I know, I know
that......!"
"Ane-sama......"
Somia's heart ached
upon seeing her sister in agitation, while Mena quietly watched them both.
Eventually, the door
to the treatment room opened and Fadrey and the doctors in charge of the
treatment came out.
"The treatment
went well. They will both be fine now."
As soon as she heard
that the treatment was over, Irisdina rushed into the treatment room.
She looked nervous,
but what greeted her eyes was.......
"Gosh, I was
completely defeated. Wasn't it a little crazy that after all that setup, sensei
could still counterattack?"
"Are you one to talk?
How can you run around so freely in an environment where even I can't move
properly?"
"I've always been
handicapped by Ability Suppression, you see ....... So, I had to figure out in
a split second the best move I could make at any given moment."
"And that's the
same for me. It is my nature to be in an environment where I have to fight
back, no matter how injured I am. By the way, do you feel any pain or
discomfort?"
"No, not at all.
How about you, Jihad-sensei?"
"No problem. It
will take some time, but I hear it will heal without any side effects. As
expected of Fadrey-dono......"
Nozomu and Jihad were
in a relaxed mood.
The two sat on the bed
used for medical treatment and talked in a relaxed manner.
Irisdina, who had been
tormented by impatience and anxiety, froze with a blank look on her face at the
unexpected situation.
"Hm? Oh, Iris,
thank you for your help. I am fine now."
Nozomu noticed
Irisdina and called out to her in a cheerful tone. However, she was silent.
Eventually, her surprised face changed to a blank expression, and anger began
to ooze from her entire body. Sweat beads trickled down from Nozomu's forehead.
"U-Umm, Iris-san.
What's wrong? Why are you silent-...... whoa!?"
The next moment,
Irisdina grabbed a piece of cloth from a nearby table and threw it with all her
might toward Nozomu. While Nozomu was surprised, she grabbed a bottle of
disinfectant that was nearby and swung it at him.
"Hold on, Iris?
What are you-!?"
"Shut up! Don't
you even aware how worried we are!?"
The disinfectant
passed over Nozomu's head as he reflexively lowered his head and crashed into
the wall. It made loud noises, and a pungent odor wafted through the air. In
the midst of all this, Irisdina's outbursts did not stop.
She kept throwing
whatever items nearby at Nozomu, who was in a state of panic.
" Careful! They'll hit me! Hey guys, please stop Iris!"
Tweezers, gauze,
bandages, and other small items flew one after another. Unable to move from his
bed, Nozomu shrank back and called out to his friends behind Irisdina for help.
But they take one
glance at the flustered Nozomu and the angry Irisdina, and only let out a big
sigh.
"Well, this is
just-......"
"Nozomu-kun, as
expected, this is a little-......."
"Nozomu, they say
that even dogs won't interrupt a quarrel between a husband and wife."
While Mars and Tima
looked dismayed and Feo teased, Nozomu's eyes caught Irisdina's figure, who was
about to throw a bucket of water this time.
"W-Wait......!"
Before Nozomu could
raise his voice, Irisdina threw the bucket at him. The bucket arced down on
Nozomu's head, splattering its contents.
"A, A,
Achoo!"
A few minutes later,
the treatment room was filled with a strange atmosphere. Nozomu sneezed, water
dripping from his body, and Irisdina turned away at the edge of the room, her
cheeks puffed out.
Mars and the others
looked down at the drenched Nozomu with vague expressions on their faces.
Incidentally, Jihad,
who was being treated with him, is no longer in this treatment room. He was
taken away with his left arm hanging by Inda, who came to confirm that his
wounds had been treated.
"Now then,
Nozomu-kun, I have confirmed the results of the medical examination with
Fadrei-dono. For now, just listen to what I have to tell you."
Norn told him the results
of the medical examination. Bruises of various sizes and torn muscles. His
overall body functions, including internal organs, were severely weakened.
Frankly speaking, it was more difficult to find an unscathed part of him.
"I think you
already have an idea of the cause, the last sword drawing technique was
particularly bad. The consumption of Qi was extreme. It was an outrageous act
of drawing out more Qi from your already empty body. As a result, the harmony
of your whole body's movement was momentarily disrupted, and you damaged your
own body in the process."
It must be a matter of
[Phantom・Flash]. In conjunction
with the drawing technique, his muscles were strengthened to an extreme degree.
It is a technique that draws out the maximum power that the user can produce by
synchronizing them. This technique indeed enables the user to perform the [best
sword strike for the user], but if the user fails to control his or her Qi even
a little bit, it can lead to self-destruction.
In fact, when Nozomu rolled
up his sleeves, pain shot through his entire body, and his arms were discolored
purple in several places due to internal bleeding.
In the worst-case
scenario, the muscles throughout his body could have been ruptured, and
everything from bones to internal organs could have been destroyed.
"Yes, no doubt
about it. That technique does have a huge risk after all."
Nozomu's reply was
curt, even though he clearly understood the danger.
Inda's expression
turned sour upon hearing the flat tone of his voice.
"That's why
Shishō, Jihad-sensei, and everyone in that class are truly a bunch of crazy sh*ts."
"Look who's
talking......"
Shina's shoulders
drooped and Mars and the others looked rather more subtle. As for Irisdina, the
corners of her eyes were lifted and her whole body began to radiate more anger.
Coupled with her fine
doll-like appearance, the intensity was so great that her best friend Tima, who
was nearby, involuntarily took a half-step away from her.
"I've been
thinking about it for a while now, but Nozomu-sama is pretty much the same. In
essence, you are comparable to those muscle-brained fools, you know?"
"Wait, Mena-san,
aren't you being a bit excessive?"
"Not at all. It
is a fair assessment."
Mars and the others
nodded in unison at Mena's words. Nozomu, being outnumbered, was scratching his
cheeks while letting his gaze drift in the air as if fleeing. Amidst all this,
Norn once again warned Nozomu.
"In any case, you
should refrain from using that technique. It is too risky."
"But as I am
usually unable to dominate with my own strength, I really need Shishō's
techniques in times of emergency."
"I know.
Considering your [circumstances], I can't tell you not to use that technique.
But you didn't have to go that far in the first place, did you?"
"I agree, you
were being too reckless! You could have gotten yourself into an irreversible
situation!"
Following Norn's
words, Irisdina closed in on Nozomu with an angry expression on her face.
Her sudden loud voice
made Nozomu's eyes widen involuntarily.
"S-Sorry. When I
was exchanging blows with Jihad-sensei, it made me feel nostalgic. It was like
when I was training with Shishō."
"But that doesn't
mean you can be reckless!"
Where did her usual
calmness go? She scolded him, leaning forward so much that her face was almost
touching his.
The other members of
the group were also shocked. Her current behavior was so unusual.
"You even covered
yourself in so much blood, again......"
And then, her agitated
emotions suddenly dropped at once. Her eyes began to moisten with tears, and
she began to clutch her eyes and whimper.
[A~a~. You made her
cry~~.]
"Awful, just
awful~~"
"Wha!"
Mimuru and Razward's
teasing voices rang out, and Nozomu panicked for a moment, but their light
words were soon replaced by a heavy silence.
Seeing Irisdina, who
usually maintained a dignified expression, reveal so much emotion, it was easy
to see how worried she was.
That's why Nozomu
could only bow his head.
"Umm, sorry,
Iris. I made you worry."
"......I hate it.
I won't forgive you."
Seeing Irisdina's face
contorted in pain, while acting sulkily like a child, Nozomu felt a pain as if
he had been shot through the chest.
"You even pushed
yourself too hard recently. Why do you always make me worry? ......"
The image of Nozomu
lying on the ground came back to Irisdina's mind.
Although nearly
manipulated by Tiamat, Nozomu was able to overcome the illusion, and was
severely wounded as he fought off one of the [Six Bad Omens].
Weakened body and
consciousness that would not return. He was in danger of losing the light of
life at any moment.
And even though he
managed to wake up, his five senses, including sight and hearing, were affected
for some time afterward.
The fear of that
moment came back and tightened Irisdina's heart. Then she turned her face down,
holding her arms like a frightened child, her eyes wet with tears.
"Maybe this is
just an excuse. I've been running for a long time, haven't I? Not only from
Lisa and the others, but from this school as well."
Nozomu, feeling pain
in his heart over her appearance, felt he had to at least convey his feelings
to her, so he slowly opened his mouth while looking directly at Irisdina, whose
face was still downcast.
"At that time,
the students of this school were all watching. Now that I had decided to face
them one more time, I didn't want to run away from that."
It was a place where
many people were watching. The previous Nozomu would have shut himself up in
his shell and done nothing because of the scornful stares and mindless words of
those around him. He would not have tried to do anything.
"That was why I
went at Jihad-sensei with everything I had."
Nozomu turned his gaze
to Anri, adding that he was surprised when she told him about this mock combat.
She was smiling and giving the V-sign.
"Besides, there's
that false rumors that Ken has been spreading again. I can't just let it slide
like it did before. I also needed to act before those unfounded rumors took
hold again."
Rumors that grow over
the years tend to take on a life of their own.
And the rumors, which
were never proven to be true, are somehow recognized as the truth and come to
be accepted as such. In fact, Nozomu's bad reputation in the past illustrates
this point.
It is not easy to
dispel these rumors, which cannot be proven or disproven. But, on the other
hand, because there is no proof, many others just assume it, and the root of it
remains vague.
And the only two
elements that support Nozomu's bad reputation are [incompetent] and [a man who cheats
on his girlfriend]. This mock combat could be the catalyst to blow one of them
out of the water.
"Therefore, I
used the techniques Shishō taught me without hesitation. Well, it was also
largely because I remembered the hand-to-hand combat I had with her. So,
um......"
"...... Let me
just wipe that head of yours for now."
"Eh? Wmph!"
Shina threw a towel at
Nozomu's head, who was peering at Irisdina's expression.
As she wiped his head,
which was still dripping with water, she glanced at Irisdina.
"There's no need
to sulk like that. Surely, it was necessary, considering what's to come."
"I
know......"
Irisdina slowly nodded
to Shina, who shrugged her shoulders.
"Besides, it
wasn't a bad idea for him to let loose a little bit this time around. And it
reminded him of the time when he was with someone he cared about."
For Nozomu, who had
usually avoided using Qi-jutsu at school, this was the first time he could use
it to the fullest extent of his ability. Just like when he was training with
his master.
Irisdina also recalled
how fondly Nozomu spoke about his memories of his master. That is why it is
understandable why he went all out.
Still, she couldn't
shake off the choking feeling in her chest.
"Umm, sorry for
making you worry again......"
Irisdina began to feel
a bit guilty in front of Nozomu, who kept bowing his head apologetically. She
still had some anguish in her chest, but nevertheless, she was able to hear his
true intentions from his own mouth.
"...... No, I
should apologize as well. It's true, that Nozomu's reputation at the academy
had hardly changed at all. Considering that, your reasons are valid."
Of course, that
doesn't mean Irisdina herself hasn't done anything so far.
Many people wondered
why she was with Nozomu, and some actually questioned her about it. Each time,
Irisdina denied Nozomu's bad reputation, but even so, she has not yet been able
to overturn people's perceptions of Nozomu that have been ingrained over the
past two years. Aware of her own helplessness, a shadow casts over Irisdina's
face now.
"Iris, thank you.
For worrying about me......"
However, Nozomu's
voice gently dispelled that shadow.
Irisdina's face
rapidly heated up as Nozomu smiled in relief.
*Thump*...... her body
trembled, and a tightening sensation in her chest assaulted her. It was
different from the anguish she had felt earlier when she was worried about
Nozomu's condition, and was accompanied by a sweet numbness that resembled
euphoria.
"I-It's fine!
Don't worry about it!"
"Hmm......"
Her gaze wandered, and
she unintentionally raised her voice. Shina, who was watching Irisdina like
that, frowned.
Not amusing. With
these emotions welling up inside her, Shina put strength into the hand that was
wiping Nozomu's head.
"Ouch, ouch!
Shina-san, it hurts!"
"......Hmph!"
Ignoring Nozomu's
complaints, Shina finished wiping his head, then turned away with a pout and
walked away from the bed. Mimuru and Razward were grinning at her, but when
Shina glared at them, they hurriedly looked away and scuttled back.
"Speaking of
which, you said you felt nostalgic, but were you and your master's bouts really
as extreme as that?"
"We didn't do
anything that extreme, though. There were times when she would shoot [Phantom]
at me with precision enough that I could just barely avoid it. And when it came
to [Breaking Strike], she would go easy on me to ensure that I didn't
die."
As Mars inquired in
order to change the subject, Nozomu recounted his tearful memories with his
master. He smiled as he watched everyone's cheeks twitch.
"Also, although
Jihad-sensei did use the [Jaw Drop], he was quite lenient with me up until the
middle of the match. He didn't even hit me directly with that stupidly huge
Qi-blade......"
"Is the problem
even on such a level!?"
"Well, if you're
going to have a mock combat with someone of Shishō's class, you've got to be
prepared for that."
Irisdina and the
others were utterly flabbergasted by Nozomu's words. Once again, they realized
the reason why this mock combat was so abnormal.
"Anyway, it's getting
late today. I think that's it for today, Irisdina and everyone should go home
now. I'll stay here tonight and keep an eye on him."
"I understand.
Norn-sensei, I leave him to you. Well then, Nozomu-kun, you should behave
yourselves."
"At least stay
quiet until your injuries are healed. Don't make a fuss."
"Come on, I'm not
a child......"
"Also,
Nozomu-kun, you will be hospitalized for a few days. You'll be kept under
observation for a few days. So, let's just go straight to the hospital
room."
Nozomu was
dissatisfied with Irisdina and Shina's words. Norn took his arm and stood him
up. The way she held his arm tightly looked more like a prisoner being taken
away than an injured person being assisted.
"U-Umm, I can
walk on my own......"
After ignoring his
protests, Irisdina and the others took one last glance at Nozomu, who was being
taken away to the hospital room, and then headed back to their respective
homes.
Their faces were
radiant, the complete opposite of when they arrived here.
‡
I hide to the
side of the hallway to avoid being seen by his returning companions.
It will be
difficult to talk to him here. But I still have to face him.
I have to
correct my mistake. His words in the treatment room come back to me in the
depths of my ears.
If it were the
current him, for Lisa, I'm sure he'd be able to-......
Determined, I
tossed my red hair with a hint of gray.
End of Chapter 4
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