Volume 2
Chapter 6
Ena led the way to a corner of the commercial district. This area was a gathering place for merchants and others from various countries, and to accommodate them, there were inns scattered everywhere, ranging from luxurious establishments favored by major merchants to cheap lodgings for baggage carriers and other lowlifes.
The inn Nozomu was
brought to have a sign that read "Ox Head Inn." From the looks of it,
the first floor was a dining area, and the second floor had rooms for overnight
stays.
"This is the inn
we run, 'Ox Head Inn.'"
Ena said this and
disappeared into the entrance of the shop. Nozomu followed her in, and a
well-built woman wearing an apron greeted them.
"Oh, welcome
back, Ena-chan. Did you find Maru-bou?"
"I'm back,
Hanna-san. He was causing trouble for other people again, so I gave him a good
scolding. Oh, and this person is the one my brother caused trouble for."
"Oh, is that so?
I'm sorry, our idiot son caused you trouble. I'll treat you to make up for it,
so please wait a moment."
"No, I didn't
mind it that much, and she told him off properly, so I don't mind it
anymore."
"Good, then make
yourself comfortable. Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Causing trouble for
people again!! Get over here!!"
"Ouch ouch ouch
ouch!! Let go!! Hey!!"
The woman called Hanna
grabbed Mars by the ear and disappeared into the kitchen. After that, a loud
thwack sound, like someone hitting their head with a pot, echoed throughout the
inn.
***
After a while, Hanna
returned carrying a tray. On the plate on the tray were bread, nicely grilled
meat, and a salad.
"Here you go. Our
Ox Head Inn's specialty, hole rabbit steak and salad. This is an apology for
that idiot's trouble, so it's on the house."
Saying this, Hanna
placed the dish in front of Nozomu. The aroma of the nicely grilled meat and
the overflowing juices stimulated Nozomu's appetite. It was already lunchtime,
and Nozomu himself was feeling hungry.
Hanna urged him,
"Go on, eat," so he reached for the food, thinking he should partake
since she had kindly prepared it.
Hole rabbits were
rabbits that lived in the forests and grasslands of this area, living in holes
they dug in the ground, as their name suggested, and were mainly hunted for food.
The hole rabbit steak
was tender because it had been well-pounded before grilling, and it had a good
aroma, perhaps from being grilled with sake or something similar. The meat
juices were rich, and it was delicious even on its own.
The accompanying salad
and bread went well with the meat, and it seemed like he could eat endlessly by
mixing them with the meat juices.
"Thank you for
the meal. It was really delicious!"
When Nozomu, who had
finished eating in no time, expressed his gratitude, Hanna and Ena smiled with
happy faces.
"No, don't worry
about it! We were the ones who caused trouble. Besides, it makes it worthwhile
to cook when someone enjoys it so much."
"That's right. It
was originally that foolish brother's fault. Nozomu-san, you don't need to
worry about it. Suddenly calling you out and attacking you... what was he
thinking?"
"That idiot is
being properly disciplined by my husband right now so he won't do it again, so
can you please forgive him?"
"Well, I don't
mind it anymore, so it's fine..."
Nozomu was indeed
angry about being suddenly attacked, but after witnessing Ena's brutal
psychological attack of loudly exposing his past shames, he thought that was
probably enough.
"Is that so...
I'm glad... Ena-chan, sorry to trouble you, but my husband will be preparing
for the evening soon, so could you help him out?"
"Eh... oh, yes, I
understand."
Ena-chan, noticing
that Hanna-san seemed to want to say something, took the empty plates and
disappeared into the kitchen.
"...Nozomu, was
it? There's something I'd like to talk about... is that alright?"
"What is it that
you'd like to talk about?"
"It's about those
two, Mars and Ena-chan. What do you think of them?"
"Hmm?"
Nozomu tilted his
head, not understanding the meaning of the question. But when he looked at
Hanna-san, her eyes were serious, and it didn't seem like a situation for
jokes.
"...Well... I
only just met Ena-chan, so I can't really say, but she seemed like a very
mature girl. It's probably largely due to Mars's influence, though."
Regarding Ena, Nozomu
didn't know her well since he had just met her, but he thought she had grown
into such a mature girl because of the ill-behaved Mars.
"As for Mars...
honestly, I don't really understand him. He didn't think well of me, and he
didn't try to hide it. But... it was around the end of the second year, I
think, that I felt his attitude was somewhat strange."
In the mock battle at
the end of the second year, Mars had been pushed to the brink of defeat by
Nozomu.
Since then, Mars had
stopped showering Nozomu with the usual insults and jeers.
Nozomu himself had
noticed the change in Mars's attitude, but he didn't understand the reason for
it.
However, Hanna-san,
having heard about the mock battle, muttered as if she understood.
"Is that so... I
knew it."
"Knew what?"
"I knew something
was off with that boy. But after hearing your story, Nozomu-kun, I understand
the reason."
"The
reason...?"
"Yes, well... you
know. But I'm relieved. It seems that boy still has someone he could be friends
with."
"...Huh? What do
you mean by that?"
Hanna-san spoke
happily, but Nozomu was puzzled by her words. Considering Mars's reactions to
Nozomu up until recently, even though he had become quieter lately, it didn't
seem like they could be friends, at least not to Nozomu.
"Well, that boy
didn't say he disliked you coming here, you know. Maybe, just maybe, he doesn't
think badly of you anymore?"
From what he had
heard, Mars had apparently never brought his cronies or the rough crowd he associated
with to this shop. Nozomu was surprised by this.
(At least he seems to
know that what he's doing is wrong, so maybe he's not as bad a guy as I
thought...)
At least for Nozomu,
who had been tormented by Mars and his gang, Mars's actions to keep his family
from being involved in his misdeeds seemed new, and he felt like he understood
Mars a little better.
***
Going back in time,
while Nozomu was eating Hanna's cooking, Mars and a stern-faced giant were
facing each other in the kitchen.
The giant man's name
was Dell. He was Hanna's husband and the owner of the inn.
Mars had just finished
being lectured by Hanna, and he had finally been released from the scolding
when Dell finished cooking and his wife went to deliver it to Nozomu.
However, Mars had a
large bump on his head from being hit with a frying pan by Hanna, and it seemed
to hurt quite a bit, as tears welled up in his eyes.
"Honestly, you...
how long are you going to keep doing this?"
"………………"
The innkeeper was
dumbfounded after hearing what Mars had done to Nozomu. Even Mars thought he
had gone too far, so he could only remain silent.
"Has your recent
strange behavior been because of him?"
"……………………"
"Judging from
your demeanor, you probably lost to him... what was his name again? Nozomu-kun?"
"What!!"
Mars was surprised
that the truth had been spoken. He hadn't told anyone about his mock battle
with Nozomu.
"How many years
do you think I've been acting as your parent? Even if you're frustrated about
losing—" "That's not it!" "Then why are you getting so
worked up?"
"...I just wanted
to know the reason why he got so strong..."
Mars muttered, looking
away. Dell sighed at his demeanor.
Mars had trouble being
honest with Hanna and Ena. He probably had his pride. There was a sense that he
was the one who should be protecting them.
However, there were
times when he would speak honestly to Dell to some extent. For Mars, Dell was
an irreplaceable family member, a "reliable father," and in a way,
one of his goals. Even if they weren't related by blood...
"Then why don't
you just say so honestly? Wouldn't it have been easier to just ask him about it
from the start?"
"………………There's no
way I can ask him that now. Besides, he probably just thinks of me as a
worthless delinquent anyway..."
As expected, Mars
couldn't suddenly be honest with someone he had been insulting all this time.
Well, that was probably a normal reaction.
"So, you do
realize you're a delinquent?"
"Are you making
fun of me?!"
"No, but
honestly, when I always see you, I wonder if you have some kind of electric
jellyfish swimming around in your head..."
"There's no way
that's true!!"
Mars's face turned
bright red as he denied it, but Dell felt a little relieved seeing that.
Mars had associated
with rough crowds before, but he had never brought those people to this shop.
He was probably
worried about them. Considering that Mars hadn't objected to Ena bringing
Nozomu to the shop, even though he had caused trouble, Dell understood that
Mars acknowledged Nozomu in some way.
By the way, an
electric jellyfish was a type of magical beast that lived in the sea, drifting
along with the currents and paralyzing its prey with electricity generated from
its long tentacles before eating them.
They could be as large
as an adult, but since they had no means of moving, they could only drift in
the sea and were not considered very dangerous.
Dell was happy that
Mars had made a friend, and therefore, he made sure to tell him to do what he
needed to do properly.
"…………At least
apologize properly for what you did."
"Ugh, y-yeah, I
know…………"
Dell's expression
naturally softened as he watched Mars, who looked awkward and averted his gaze
but listened properly.
***
Having been thoroughly
treated to a meal, Nozomu thought it would be rude to impose any longer and
decided it was time to leave.
"Thank you for
your hospitality. The meal was delicious."
"It's nothing.
More importantly, come again. You ate quite heartily, so it made it worthwhile
for us to cook."
"Nozomu-san, my
brother might cause you trouble again, but please bear with him."
Dell replied with a
smile that didn't suit his stern face, and Ena also bowed and thanked Nozomu.
"Hey, Mars. You
properly see Nozomu-kun off. You're the one who caused him trouble."
"I know…………"
Mars replied to
Hanna-san's urging in a lazy tone. Then, after thanking Hanna-san and the
others, he set off on the way back to the dormitory with Mars.
On the way back to the
dormitory, the two remained silent. Mars had only ever insulted Nozomu, and
Nozomu had never had a proper conversation with Mars, so it was only natural.
In the midst of such
silence, it was Mars who spoke first.
"Uh... sorry...
about everything until now."
Mars awkwardly
apologized to Nozomu.
"No, I don't mind
it anymore. (I can't bring myself to hurt someone who was already so thoroughly
berated.)"
Nozomu recalled Ena's
fierce psychological attack at that time and Mars, who had been utterly
devastated by her.
After such a verbal
onslaught, Nozomu couldn't bring himself to pursue the matter any further.
"…………Hey, you
weren't thinking something weird just now, were you?"
Perhaps sensing
Nozomu's uneasy atmosphere, Mars questioned him.
"No, I was just
thinking that it's not very humane to further blame someone who was just completely
torn apart by their own sister..."
"You bastard! You
were thinking after all!! Or rather, you actually remembered that?!"
"Well, it's kind
of hard to forget something with that much impact..."
"Forget it!
Forget it right now!! Forget it immediately!!!"
"Whoa, hey! What
are you doing?!"
Mars, flustered and
approaching him hastily, and Nozomu, flustered by Mars, felt a slight closing
of the distance between them.
(This feels kind of
nostalgic. I hardly ever talked to anyone like this except for my master.)
The two walked along,
bickering loudly.
Their figures from
behind looked to anyone like nothing more than close, mischievous friends.
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