Volume 3
Chapter 3
"I'll ask you one more time. What were you guys doing in a place like this?"
The girl spoke while
looking over everyone present. Her voice held the coldness of an ice spear, yet
conveyed her quiet anger.
The next arrow was
already nocked on her bow, the string taut, ready to be released at any moment.
Furthermore, the
nocked arrow emitted a faint light, indicating that some kind of magic had been
cast upon it.
I recalled the arrow
that had just shot past my eyes. Considering that a single arrow had swept away
multiple spells, albeit low-ranked ones, it was clear that if this girl
released the finger holding the arrow, my classmates would be blown away like
leaves.
"W-what...?
I-it's nothing important... r-right?"
"Y-yeah, that's
right. W-we were just playing around a little..."
They probably
understood what I was thinking. The classmates who had been tormenting me paled
and backed away.
"In the first
place, combat activities outside of designated areas should be prohibited. Do
you all want to be expelled from this academy?"
The girl said with a
smile. It was a lovely smile, like a flower blooming in a lovely field, but the
pressure I felt from it was considerable, giving a glimpse of her abilities. It
was certain that she was an opponent far beyond the reach of 10th-class
students.
"L-let's
go..." "Y-yeah..."
They muttered and
quickly left. With their departure, the girl also released the magic and
lowered her bow.
"Thank you, you
saved me."
I went over to the
girl to thank her, and I was surprised again when I faced her.
The girl was, in a
word, lovely. Long, straight, slightly blue-tinged hair, and azure eyes. Long,
toned legs, a slender figure, and surprisingly fair and refined features.
From her appearance, I
felt a vitality like the grasses spreading across a vast blue field.
Her looks rivaled
Lisa's and Irisdina's. And the long ears peeking out from her long hair. A
characteristic of the elves, one of the races living on the Arcmel Continent.
Elf
A race said to have
received the most blessings from the spirits, known for their long lifespans
and generally refined appearances.
But what they were
most famous for was their ability to sense spirits.
By sensing the spirits
around them, they could receive various blessings, such as seeing and hearing
distant events.
They originally lived
in a nation called "Nebula," centered around the Foschia Forest in
the northern part of the continent, but it was destroyed by the invasion of
demonic beasts during the Great Invasion ten years ago, and they have been
wandering ever since.
"...You don't
have to worry about it. I just happened to be passing by."
She said not to worry,
but her expression was stern, and her gaze was no different from the one she had
directed at the classmates who had been tormenting me earlier. I was a little
bewildered by her expression.
"U-um, thank you
again. I'm-" "I know. You're Nozomu Bountis, right?" "Huh?
Why do you know my name...?"
"The rumors from
noon. I think everyone who was at the academy today knows."
…………That's right. The
incident with Irisdina during the day had already spread throughout the
academy. It wasn't strange that she knew.
"I'm Shina
Juliel, a third-year student in the second class. But the reason I know you
isn't because of the rumors from noon. It's because of what you did to Lisa-san
when you were a first-year student."
As she said that, her
eyes became even harsher.
"In the first
place, if you hadn't cheated on Lisa-san, they probably wouldn't have been so
forceful."
That one sentence tore
at my chest. When I was dating Lisa, I was certainly told various things by
those around us, but there was no violence like lynching. That started after
Lisa broke up with me.
"This time, they
may have been the ones who started it, but you need to realize that the cause
lies with you in the first place."
After telling me that,
she turned on her heel. She probably had no more business with me, as she
headed straight back to the school building.
I stared straight at
her back.
(I knew it. I knew
that a long time ago.)
I had understood long
ago why the attitude of those around me had become even worse.
I myself had never
cheated. I had always thought of Lisa, and she was the only woman I could think
of being by my side.
But the rumor that I
had cheated had already become a fact for the people in this academy.
If it were around the
time the rumor started, it might not have been this bad, but as time passed, it
had become ingrained as the truth in the minds of the academy students.
The reason for that
was probably because I had only thought of escaping through training back then
and hadn't tried to resist the rumor. If I had resisted back then, if I had
loudly proclaimed, "I didn't do such a thing!" perhaps my relationship
with Lisa wouldn't have become so complicated.
But I ran away. I
didn't try to correct the wrong perceptions of those around me.
…………This is also something
I've been running away from...
"…………I knew it. I
knew the reason was my 'escape.' I knew the reason was that I didn't try to
face those around me..."
Only my voice, spat
out as if to discard something unpleasant, echoed in the back of the school
building.
At that moment, I
suddenly noticed someone's presence. Someone was looking at me. The presence
itself was weak, without hostility or killing intent, and it disappeared
quickly.
I felt that gaze from
the bushes at the back of the school building. When I peered into the bushes,
there was a piece of paper with an incomprehensible pattern drawn on it,
attached to a tree.
"Hey, Nozomu! Are
you alright!"
When I looked towards
the voice, I saw Mars running towards me. I looked at the paper attached to the
tree one more time, then put it in my pocket and started walking towards my
friend.
***
"……I see. Looks
like he's not as weak as they say. That guy."
On the rooftop of the
school building. The starting bell had already rung, and in this place where no
one should have been, was the male student with golden ears and a tail. The
male student who had been watching Nozomu from afar during lunchtime.
He was probably using
some kind of far-seeing technique. A magic circle was drawn at his feet,
emitting a magical light. A talisman floated in front of him, glowing faintly
in the same golden color as his fur.
Normally, the back of
the school building should have been in shadow and not visible, but he seemed
to have been eavesdropping on the exchange between Nozomu and his classmates
earlier using this technique.
"But he puts up
quite a fight, doesn't he? Even against 10th-class students, to hold out like
that against ten of them... I tried separating him from that ruffian to see
what would happen, but it turned out to be surprisingly interesting. Well,
Shina's interference was unexpected though..."
It seemed that this
man was the one who had used the male students to lure Mars away from Nozomu
and leave him alone. The figure of Nozomu facing Shina was projected before his
eyes.
"But I don't get
it. His skills weren't bad, but he's not strong enough for the Black-Haired
Princess to take an interest in... Is there something else going on?"
The student scratched
his head vigorously while continuing to watch Nozomu's figure reflected in his
eyes.
"Hmm, maybe I'll
observe a little more."
Saying that, he
extinguished the magic he was using and returned inside the school building,
but because the deactivation of the spell was slightly too early, he didn't
notice. He didn't notice Nozomu's heartfelt confession. He didn't notice that
Nozomu had noticed his magic and found the talisman he had placed.
***
After classes ended
that day, Mars and I were at Ox Head Inn. Irisdina-san and the others, who had
asked us to join them after school, were also there. No one was staying at the
inn at the moment, and a "Preparing" sign hung at the entrance of the
shop. Only we, Hanna-san, and the others were inside.
Amidst that,
Irisdina-san was the first to speak.
"First, please
allow me to apologize to your parents. I am truly sorry for putting your sons in
danger due to our Francilt family's circumstances this time."
Irisdina-san lowered
her head deeply as she apologized.
For the Francilt
family, increasing the number of people who knew the truth about that incident
would not benefit the family, but Irisdina-san said,
"Even though our
family tried to cover up that incident, I want to explain what I can and
sincerely show my apologies."
And she explained the
incident, including the secret agreement with the Wajiart family from 300 years
ago, to Hanna-san and Del-san.
At that time, she was
as composed as ever, meeting Hanna-san and Del-san's gazes directly.
I was purely
captivated by that figure. Because I didn't possess that straightforward
strength...
She seemed prepared to
be scolded by Hanna-san and the others for involving Mars and me, but...
"What, you can
actually stand up for yourself to protect a cute girl!? You're capable after
all!"
Saying that, Hanna-san
started slapping Mars's back with a smile. Tima-san, who had been protected at
that time, looked down with a red face, but she nodded slightly. Frankly
speaking, she was quite cute...
"Ouch! What are
you doing!!"
Mars in question
didn't notice Tima-san's reaction and was grumbling at Hanna-san, probably
because it hurt quite a bit. However, his face was red, and anyone could see he
was embarrassed, which made Hanna-san even more cheerful.
"Honestly, I wish
my brother were always like this. I still can't relax. He has too many past
offenses, after all..."
Ena-chan was as
merciless as ever towards Mars, but her cheeks were undeniably relaxed. Even
though she usually spoke harshly, she was probably happy to hear her brother
being praised...
"Oh, right.
Nozomu-kun. Do you still have time? I'd like you to stay with us a little
longer..."
"Ah, I don't
mind. What are we going to do?"
"It's nothing
much. Since we have this opportunity, why don't we all take a little stroll? I
haven't been to this part of the commercial district much."
"Okay~! I
agree~!"
"Me too... I'm
fine with it."
Somia-chan answered
Irisdina-san's suggestion cheerfully, and Tima-san also agreed.
"Well, I guess
it's alright. I can guide you around this area..."
"I can't. I have
preparations for the evening..."
Mars agreed, but
Ena-chan said regretfully that she couldn't go. Ox Head Inn was a restaurant
during the day, but it became a bar at night. She needed to prepare for that.
"It's alright.
Ena, go ahead."
Hanna-san encouraged
Ena-chan to go with them.
"Eh, but the
preparations..."
Unlike Mars, she was
serious. She was probably hesitant to leave her work to go play. A small voice
escaped her lips.
"We'll be fine on
our own. You should go since your friends are inviting you."
"...Y-yes!"
Hanna-san said to Ena
with a warm smile. She had been hesitant at first, but she came over to us with
a smile, perhaps encouraged by Hanna-san's smile.
"I'll go to keep
an eye on my brother! Please take care of me, everyone."
"Yeah,
sure." "Please take care of us~!" "Yeah, my pleasure."
"Why do you need to keep an eye on me...?" "Come on now...
please take care of me too, Ena-chan."
***
The six of us walked
side by side along the path in the commercial district. The sight of such
attractive, beautiful girls walking together was quite conspicuous, and
passersby directed various gazes towards them.
Their reactions to
those gazes varied.
Irisdina-san was
completely unfazed by the countless gazes, maintaining her dignified composure.
Tima-san was still
embarrassed by the attention, looking down and blushing the entire time.
Somia-chan seemed to
be enjoying going out with everyone, not caring about the gazes around her, and
was full of smiles.
Ena-chan couldn't
ignore them as much as Somia-chan, but she was smiling alongside her.
Mars glared back at
the gazes directed at him, causing the others to look away.
"Hahaha... even
so, this is quite a group..."
A wry smile escaped my
lips at their diverse reactions.
The commercial
district had many shops lining the streets, as various goods were transported
from different countries. Handicrafts and lacquerware from the East, tea sets
and clothing from the West, textiles and spices from the Central Continent, and
bottled fruits from the South.
Also, traveling
merchants were diligent in their trade, setting up stalls and repeatedly advertising
their goods. It was lively, and just walking around seemed enjoyable enough.
Irisdina-san and the
others looked around various stalls and shops, chatting happily. Watching them,
I felt anew that even they, who seemed like unreachable figures at the academy,
were just girls.
Come to think of it, I
had never walked around the city like this since coming to this academy. I was
always absorbed in training and work, and after being dumped by Lisa, I
immersed myself even more in training.
Even though I had
lived here for over two years, there were many things I didn't know... no,
perhaps it was that I hadn't tried to know...
As I walked along,
lost in my thoughts, my arm was suddenly pulled, and I was dragged into a back
alley. The one who pulled me in was none other than Irisdina-san.
"Wh-what's
wr-" "Shh."
She covered my mouth
with her white finger as I tried to speak, taken aback by the suddenness of it.
She gestured without making a sound for me to look at the opposite side of the
road, and when I looked, there were Ena-chan and Somia-chan.
Ena-chan also seemed
to have been pulled in without understanding anything and was looking around
with wide eyes.
"…………Um, what's
going on?"
I spoke to
Irisdina-san in a low voice, as she seemed not to want me to raise my voice too
much.
"What, I just
wanted to leave Mars-kun and Tima alone together."
"Umm, why?"
"Tima is not good
with boys, so I wanted her to get used to it a little bit. Besides, she seems
more comfortable with Mars-kun and you than other boys... and more importantly,
Tima seems to want to thank Mars-kun, but she's shy. So I took a slightly
forceful approach."
I see, so she forcibly
left them alone. Somia-chan was probably in on it too. When I looked at
Somia-chan, she was waving her hand with a smile.
"……I see. So,
what shall we do?"
I didn't think it
would be right to follow Mars and Tima around no matter what, and she probably
wouldn't do something like being a busybody after going to the trouble of
leaving them alone. But to my surprise, she said something unbelievable.
"Well then, shall
we go on a date, just the two of us?"
"……………Huh?"
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