Volume 2
Chapter 3
After school, Nozomu,
having finished his classes, had come to the central park of Arcazam.
This park was built
surrounding the academy, and on weekdays, students would gather there to chat,
while on holidays, various stalls would line up, making it a place of
relaxation for the citizens.
Nozomu had come to
this park simply to think.
Lying on a bench in
the park, he pondered the things he had thought about countless times.
His past self and his
future self. The words his master had left behind and the dragon's power within
him. His relationship with Lisa.
But no matter how much
he thought, Nozomu couldn't figure out what to do next. That was only natural.
He had only just begun to face the "present."
Looking back, he
didn't think things could stay as they were. But...
Nozomu recalled the
giant dragon within him. An existence that could swallow, devour, and destroy
everything. Even after the battle with Shino, it still boasted an overwhelming
presence within Nozomu.
Nozomu's face twisted.
His expression looked very painful to anyone who saw it.
He couldn't bring
himself to move forward, thinking about what would happen to him if that
overwhelming existence were ever known.
Solminati Academy was
established and maintained through investments from various countries on the
continent. The human resources cultivated at this academy would influence
future international affairs, so the academy was watched closely by the
governments of each country, and political maneuvering was constantly taking
place both overtly and covertly.
If a Dragon Slayer,
who hadn't appeared for hundreds of years, were to appear in such a hotspot...
For Nozomu, Tiamat was
not only a physical threat but also a spiritual wedge driven too deeply into
his heart.
"Nozomu-san, what
are you doing?"
As Nozomu was
agonizing over his thoughts, someone suddenly called out to him.
Looking to his side, a
girl of about ten years old, holding a black cat in her arms, was peering at
him.
"You looked like
you were having a really hard time, are you alright?"
The girl looked very
worried. Nozomu hurriedly composed his expression and smiled at the girl.
"No. I'm fine.
Somia-chan."
Her name was
Somiliana.
Nozomu's encounter
with her dated back to when he had barely managed to advance to the third
grade.
After somehow passing
the supplementary exams for the end-of-year tests and barely securing his
promotion, the academy closed for a while before the new school year began.
Nozomu went for a walk in town during his brief holiday.
He stopped by a stall
in the park in the citizen's district to buy lunch. What he bought was wheat
bread with vegetables and sausage sandwiched in it.
While strolling around
and eating the bread he had bought at the stall, a girl caught his eye. She was
looking up at a tree in the park, flustered.
There was no one
around the girl, and it seemed she couldn't handle the situation alone.
Reluctantly, Nozomu
went to the girl's side and called out to her.
"Is something
wrong?"
"Eh?"
The girl noticed
Nozomu's voice and looked at him. She was about ten years old, a beautiful girl
with glossy black hair neatly cut around her shoulders, and striking deep
jet-black eyes.
But her features were
still childish, befitting her age.
"Um, actually, I
was playing with Kuro-chan..."
The girl said, looking
up at the tree.
Nozomu also looked up
at the tree, and there was a black cat on a branch. Apparently, that cat was
the Kuro in question. The black cat was playing with something on the tree
branch.
"That's my
bracelet, but Kuro-chan really likes it. Jeez! Kuro-chan, give it backーーーー"
The black cat seemed
to like the bracelet a lot, ignoring the girl and playing with it.
"It can't be
helped."
Nozomu stuffed the
half-eaten bread into his stomach and began to climb the tree. The black cat
noticed him, its tail stood on end, wary.
"Quietly give up
and return that."
Nozomu climbed to the
height where the black cat was and tried to catch it, but it hissed at him,
"fushaaaaa," and resisted, swinging its claws.
"Hey!! Don't
struggle!!"
"Fugyaa!"
The cat resisted even
more and finally jumped at him. Unable to move properly on the tree, Nozomu was
scratched by the cat.
"Ouch-ouch-ouch!!!
You damn cat!!!!"
A great brawl unfolded
between Nozomu and the cat on the narrow tree branch. Being on the tree, he
couldn't move properly, and the cat scratched him as if to say, "I don't
care!"
Gradually, Nozomu's
balance was lost, the branch creaked and groaned, and finally, with a cracking
sound, the branch broke.
"Whoa!!"
"Nyan-nyan!!!"
Pulled by gravity,
Nozomu and the cat fell straight towards the ground.
But as expected of a
cat, the black cat quickly flipped its body in mid-air and landed neatly in the
girl's arms. In comparison, Nozomu couldn't regain his posture and crashed
awkwardly onto the ground with a pathetic groan, "bu-!", and curled
on the ground.
"Um... are you
alright?"
"…………Yeah……I'm
alright."
Nozomu forced himself
to reply, putting on a brave face, and somehow managed to stand up. She was
looking at him with concern, and Nozomu, recalling his earlier disgraceful
behavior, felt a little pathetic.
"More
importantly, is the bracelet okay?"
The black cat was
still playing with the bracelet in the girl's arms, but the bracelet itself
seemed fine.
"Thank goodness.
Thank you."
The girl seemed truly
relieved and smiled like a flower. At her innocent and pure expression, Nozomu
also returned a natural smile for the first time in a while. With Shino's death
and the loss of his place to return to, Nozomu's heart was tense, and he did
not even realize it.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I
haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Somiliana. My friends call me
Somia!"
"Ah, I'm Nozomu
Bountis. You can just call me Nozomu. Can I call you Somia-chan...?"
"Yes! Nice to
meet you, Nozomu-san!"
"Nice to meet you
too."
They introduced
themselves to each other, but then Nozomu noticed her clothes. Her clothes were
the Ekros uniform.
Ekros was an
affiliated school of Solminati Academy, mainly for children around the age of
ten.
The purpose of
establishing this school was to provide elite education to promising children
from an early stage to cultivate highly capable individuals. Children of
influential figures from various countries and children with rare innate
abilities from all over the continent gathered there to receive education.
"I see,
Somia-chan is a student at Ekros."
"Ah, yes! That's
right. I'm in the fifth grade this year."
Ekros was a six-year
school. That meant she had been receiving elite education for at least five
years.
Entering Ekros was
equivalent to having one's talent already recognized by various countries.
Nozomu thought that at least it was a world of difference from his own
perpetual dropout status.
"But Nozomu-san,
you're a Solminati Academy student, right!"
She asked with a smile
as bright as a sunflower spreading across her face.
"Yeah. Well, I'm
still a novice though. My rank is also the lowest, 10th tier."
"Is that so? Then
it's the same as me! I'm still not good enough either!"
Somia-chan stuck out
her tongue and replied shyly. She was a very expressive girl. Looking at her
smile, Nozomu felt strangely energized.
(Somehow, Somia-chan
seems like she'd get along with Ms. Anri.)
Nozomu recalled the
face of his homeroom teacher. Her laid-back personality and Somia-chan's sunny
disposition seemed to mesh well.
"By the way,
Somia-chan, do you have any goals? You said you were 'not good enough' earlier,
so I kind of got that feeling."
"Ah, yes! My goal
is my older sister!"
When he asked about
this "older sister," Somia-chan became even more talkative, and her
smile was like a 50% off super sale.
"My older sister
is strong," "My older sister is cool," "My older sister is
kind."
Apparently, the person
in question was quite capable, and it was very clear from the side that
Somia-chan deeply admired and longed for her "older sister."
At the same time, she
was equally worried about her, excessively so, wondering if she was pushing
herself too hard, if she was injured, or if she had been caught by a strange
man.
Judging from what he
heard, it seemed that her "older sister" was also similar, so they
were probably two peas in a pod.
"Come to think of
it, this black cat. Is it still playing?"
When Nozomu looked at
the black cat in Somia's arms, it was still playing with the bracelet. Looking
closely, he could see delicate decorations on the bracelet, and a small bell
with similar decorations was attached. Even to an amateur's eye, it was clear
that it was quite valuable.
"This bracelet
looks quite precious, but what is it?"
"Ah, this
bracelet is said to be a family heirloom. It's supposed to be something that
connects family bonds, and it's said that if you have this, you'll always be
able to reunite someday, even if you're separated."
"Wow, that's
quite a heartwarming tradition."
"Yes! It was
originally sleeping in the family warehouse, but my older sister gave it to me!
She said, 'So that our bonds will continue even if we have to leave
home.'"
She talked about the
bracelet with genuine joy. For her, it wasn't just the tradition but probably
the connection with her family that she longed for most. By always wearing the
bracelet with the tradition of bonds, she probably wanted to feel her family
close.
She had been chatting
happily, but then she remembered the black cat playing with the bracelet and
took it away.
"Oh, that's
right. Kuro-chan, that's enough, okay?"
When she took the
bracelet away, the black cat, still not satisfied with playing, flapped its
arms like a baby whose toy had been taken away, demanding, "Give it back,
give it back."
"Even so, it is
quite the mischievous male cat."
"Eh!"
"Because it took
its owner's belongings without permission, played with them to its heart's
content, and still isn't satisfied..."
"……Um…………"
Somia-chan seemed to
have trouble saying something.
"Um, Nozomu-san.
Kuro-chan... is a girl..."
"…………Eh?"
"Like I said,
she's a girl."
Surprisingly, this
black cat was female. Considering her mischievousness and the brawl she had
with Nozomu on the tree, he couldn't think of her as anything but a male.
(Usually, Kuro is a
name given to males, isn't it?)
"Um... why is her
name Kuro?"
"Eh? Isn't it
cute? It just, like, feels right!"
"…………I-I
see."
Apparently, her naming
sense was a little off.
"Oh, and I'm not
Kuro's owner, so I think she's probably a stray cat."
According to her
story, she had started seeing it around the Ekros school building occasionally,
and then they started playing together.
"Huh, so she's a
stray cat. She seemed really attached to Somia-chan, so I just assumed
Somia-chan was keeping her..."
The moment Nozomu
reached out his hand to Kuro as he said that.
"Shaaaaaa!!!!"
"Ouch!!"
Suddenly, Kuro
scratched Nozomu's hand.
"Oh! Are you
alright? Kuro-chan is finicky and really doesn't get attached to people she
doesn't like."
"Ouch-ouch-ouch.
Is that so?"
"Yes, all the
boys in my class were no good. But the girls are okay..."
(Isn't that just
saying she doesn't like boys...?)
Apparently, this black
cat only got attached to girls. Nozomu looked at Kuro while rubbing his
scratched hand. In her arms, the cat was docile, truly acting like a borrowed
cat.
When Kuro noticed
Nozomu looking at her, she turned her nose up at him with a "hmph"
and began to relax in Somia's arms.
(T-this little!)
Nozomu glared at Kuro,
but the cat in question completely ignored Nozomu as if the wind was blowing
past her. She was about to play with the bracelet Somia was holding again.
"H-hey, don't,
Kuro-chan!"
In a way, she was a
very cat-like cat.
After that, a great
brawl unfolded between Kuro, who wanted to play with the bracelet, and Nozomu,
who tried to stop her, and it goes without saying that the two of them (one
human and one cat) were scolded together by the ten-year-old.
This was Nozomu's
encounter with Somia. Since then, they had met several times in this park and
chatted about everyday things. Incidentally, a great battle between one person
and one cat would occasionally break out.
"By the way,
Somia-chan, it's almost your birthday, right?"
"Yes! I'll be
eleven soon!"
She said cheerfully,
flashing her usual smile, but the next moment, her expression clouded over.
"But, even though
it's my birthday, it looks like Father won't be able to come home."
According to her
story, her father was always busy and rarely came home. Her mother had already
passed away, and her only family was her older sister.
"B-but, my older
sister said she'll throw a birthday party for me!"
But Somia smiled
again, hiding her loneliness in her heart and acting cheerful.
(……She's a strong
child……)
Come to think of it,
when Nozomu was around her age, he would have relied on his parents more.
Looking at her composed demeanor, Nozomu was impressed and saddened at the same
time. Not having someone to rely on when you want to is a very painful thing.
Nozomu recalled his
own past. Isolated at the academy, unable to rely on anyone, looking away, he
was like a taut string that could snap at any moment.
How much was he saved
by his master's words, "Welcome back," and the embrace at that time?
He was able to recall
the forgotten affection of a person.
His frozen heart was
gently melted, and he was able to cry his heart out.
He realized at that
time that he wasn't "alone."
Thanks to his master
accepting him, he was able to accept her last wish.
He was able to talk
honestly, clash with all his might, and truly face that person.
And she taught him
something important... to move forward.
"Since it's
Somia-chan's birthday, I'll prepare a present for you too."
"Eh,
really!!"
She hadn't expected
Nozomu to prepare a present for her, and she asked with a beaming smile.
"Yeah, well, I
can't prepare anything grand, but I'll prepare something nice in my own
way."
"Yes! I'm looking
forward to it!!"
The shadow of the
earlier dark loneliness was gone from her face, and she was truly like the
"sun."
(Good. No one wants to
see such a good kid with a sad look on their face.)
Nozomu saw that smile
and relaxed his shoulders in relief.
"By the way, did
you have some business here today?"
Ekros's dismissal time
had long passed, and Nozomu didn't understand why Somia was still here.
"Yes, I came to
pick up my older sister today!"
(Her older sister...
the person she was praising so much when we first met? Come to think of it, I
never heard much detail about her older sister.)
Seeing her at the park
near the academy at the academy's dismissal time, her older sister might be
related to the academy.
"Somia-chan, is
your older sister at Solminati Academy?"
"Yes, my older
sister is also a student at Solminati Academy, just like Nozomu-san!"
"Huh? (Wait a
second.)"
Nozomu looked at
Somia's face. Glossy black hair, deep jet-black eyes, refined features. Nozomu
saw a resemblance to someone in Somia's face.
"Hey Somia-chan,
could it be that your older sister is—" "Somia, sorry to keep you
waiting."
Nozomu turned around
at the sudden voice, and his body completely froze.
Long, straight black
hair that reached her waist. Features so refined they didn't seem real, and
deep jet-black eyes. Her face was dignified, and her figure, blessed by the
goddess of beauty, seemed to emanate an aura that only the chosen could
possess.
It was Irisdina
Francilt, the top student in the third grade at Solminati Academy.
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