Volume 3
Chapter 6
Nozomu and Irisdina were walking together again along the bustling street. In their hands were the candies that the owner of the candy shop had given them as a thank-you for their help. When they ate them, the moderate sweetness melted on their tongues, and a sweet aroma spread in their mouths.
"This candy, the
craftsmanship is amazing, but the taste is also good."
"Yes, Somia-chan
would probably be happy if we brought some back."
"Yeah, but that
girl has a sweet tooth. I'm worried about her getting cavities."
Showing her side as a
sister who was like a mother while smiling with the candy in her mouth, she
looked strangely cute, and Nozomu's cheeks also relaxed like hers. Nozomu, who
had been stiff as a board at first, had now loosened up a little.
"Irisdina-san,
was it okay for you? The candy, I mean."
The candy she was
licking was a clumsy one that couldn't even be called a craft. It was the one I
had made.
"Yes. Besides,
isn't this your first creation? Are you sure you won't regret me eating
it?"
"Ah, yes, of
course, it's fine. The taste probably won't change, and it would be a waste to
throw it away just because it didn't turn out well."
"I see! Then,
since you went to the trouble, I'll have a taste!"
Irisdina took a bite
of the misshapen candy with a relieved look. Nozomu glanced sideways at her,
eating the candy deliciously, and continued walking down the increasingly
crowded street.
"Ooh! Pretty
young lady over there! How about getting your fortune told?"
"Hmm, what is
it?"
"Um, a fortune
teller?"
When they turned
towards the voice, there was a small shop on the side of the road, with
"Fortune Telling" written largely on the shop sign. Inside the shop
was a white-haired old man with a white beard, who was smiling at them...
"Hmm, I'm Zonne,
and as you can see, just a humble fortune teller."
"Hmm, fortune
telling, huh…………"
(Is this really a
fortune teller's shop?)
What made Nozomu
suspicious was the appearance of the shop. The small shop was strangely overflowing
with things.
On the desk were
crystals and cards that seemed to be used for fortune telling, and a pot full
of thin wooden sticks was placed haphazardly. The walls of the shop were
covered without any gaps with what seemed to be talismans from the East and
accessories for warding off evil, and there was even a ram's skull for some
reason. It no longer looked like a fortune teller's shop but rather like a
suspicious occult organization or a religious group's recruitment center.
Besides, the old man's aura was somehow strange. Nozomu felt the same aura from
the old man as from someone he knew well.
"Old man. What
kind of fortunes do you tell?"
"Anything. From
the future to tomorrow's weather, tonight's dinner, and even a lover's
infidelity, I'll tell you everything accurately!"
(The content of the
fortune telling is way too random!! Or rather, can you even tell about cheating
with fortune telling!? It would be terrible if you were accused of cheating
based on something like that!!)
Nozomu was at a loss
about where to even begin to question him, but Irisdina, who was surprisingly
curious, seemed interested.
"Now then, young
lady. Won't you give it a try?"
The old man had been
persistently inviting Irisdina since a while ago.
(This old man is clearly
ignoring me!!)
The old man's gaze was
completely fixed on Irisdina, and he didn't care about Nozomu in the slightest.
"Well, whatever.
It looks interesting, and since we're here, let's try it. What about you,
Nozomu-kun?"
"Ah, I'll—"
"Now then! Shall we begin!" "—pass..."
(...I'm sure of it.
This old man is the same type of person as my master....)
Nozomu swallowed the
complaints he had about the old man, feeling the same aura from him as from his
own master, Shino. Old people of this type wouldn't listen to anything you
said, letting it go in one ear and out the other. He had thought there weren't
many such outrageous people, but it seemed the world was small.
"Now then, show
me your palm."
Taking Irisdina's
hand, the old man took out a loupe and began to look at her palm, but his face
was clearly grinning, and his touch was strangely lewd.
"...So, old man,
what are the results?"
"Hmm, it might
take a little longer~"
The old man continued
to stroke Irisdina's hand in the middle of the street with a grin on his face.
Nozomu's anger gauge was rapidly rising at the old man's actions.
"Hmm, I can't
quite see it~. Now then, let's try the other hand—" "Divine
Punishment!!!" "Gah-haaa!!"
(Ah, crap. I forgot to
hold back…………)
Unable to endure
Zonne's actions of trying to touch Irisdina further, Nozomu struck the back of
his head with a hand chop. Since this type of old man wouldn't stop with words,
Nozomu finally resorted to force. Incidentally, perhaps because Shino was on
his mind, Nozomu struck the hand chop with all his might…………
"W-what are you doing!
To an old man!!"
But seeing that he
could complain loudly, this old man seemed to be completely fine. Nozomu
inwardly decided that he would never hold back against this old man again, nor
would it be necessary.
"What are you
saying, you perverted geezer!! You're old enough, how about thinking a
little!!"
"What are you
saying, brat! Once a man sees such exquisite beauty, it's only natural to want
to touch it! And a true man will try to obtain that beauty no matter what! A
weakling like you probably can't do anything anyway, so I was just touching it
in your place! You can go now, it's too good for a snot-nosed brat like
you!!"
"Who's a
weakling! You walking obscenity!! Take that 'nature' of yours and throw it in
the toilet with your dentures!!"
Nozomu had already
cast aside any semblance of restraint towards the old man and had started a
shouting match in the middle of the street. Perhaps because the old man had
said the same thing to Nozomu as Shino, there was a strange intensity in his
voice as well.
The two were
exchanging insults loudly when a voice like a clear stream cut in between their
argument.
"…………By the way,
old man, how long do you intend to hold my hand?"
Irisdina's voice
itself was quiet and so clear that anyone would be captivated by it, but Nozomu
felt a chilling pressure that made cold sweat trickle down his back. A smile
could be seen on her refined face, but her cheeks were twitching, and she
clearly looked angry.
"Ah! N-no, it's
over now. Hahahaha..."
The old man, receiving
the full force of her pressure, seemed to feel even more danger than Nozomu.
His face was pale, and his voice was trembling. His eyes darted around, as if
trying to escape somehow, but he couldn't get away because she was holding his
hand.
"Is that so? Then
let me do a fortune telling as well."
"Um... I
respectfully decline..." "It's alright. The result is already out.
...The result is karmic retribution." "Fwoh!!"
Crack
Some strange sound
came from the old man's hand that she was gripping.
"O-ow, ow ow.
Y-young lady, i-it hurts a little…………"
"…………………………"
Creak, creak!
The sound of something
being squeezed by a vise gradually grew louder, and along with it, the old
man's pale face turned purple. The old man, realizing that he could no longer
escape on his own, threw away the blustering attitude he had just had about the
nature of men and desperately began to plead with Irisdina.
"S-sorry! I did
it on a whim!! Please, young lady!! Don't squeeze any harder! My hand will
really break!!"
However, Irisdina
didn't accept the old man's pleas. With an icy smile, she applied even more
pressure to the hand she was gripping.
Creak! Snap!!
(Ah!!)
"Fwoh-oh-oh-oh-oh!!"
Finally reaching his
limit, Zonne collapsed with a sound that suggested his bones were in serious
trouble. Foam was coming out of his mouth, and his eyes were rolling back. From
the side, he looked like he was headed straight for a coffin, but the cause was
entirely the old man's own doing, and even Nozomu couldn't bring himself to
feel sorry for him.
(This old man... he
definitely won't learn his lesson even from this....)
Nozomu recalled his
own master, Shino. Her swordsmanship was undoubtedly top-notch, but in her
daily life, she was strangely childish and didn't listen to people. She truly
lived by her own rules, and when you went against her, she would throw a
tantrum, just like the old man who was on the verge of death in front of him.
(But master... even
so, taking away my weapon and leaving me in the forest wasn't right, was
it....)
Nozomu's shoulders
slumped as he remembered his past punishment. He had once had a shouting match
with Shino, and as a result, his weapon was taken away, and he was left in a
forest teeming with demonic beasts overnight. It was dusk at that time, but the
surroundings quickly darkened, and Nozomu couldn't see anything in the dark
night, terrified by the howls of the demonic beasts.
If he had been
attacked at that time, he would have had no means of defending himself and
would have had no choice but to run. In fact, he had an experience where he was
attacked by a demonic beast around midnight when the day changed, and he barely
managed to escape with his life.
"Well then, the
sermon for the mischievous old man is over. Shall we go now?"
"Ah, yes, let's
go..."
Nozomu, who had been
lost in his past trauma, was brought back to his senses by Irisdina's voice,
and the two returned to the city, leaving Zonne slumped over on the desk. All
that remained was the pitiful old man who had ruined himself with lust... or so
one might not think at all.
When the two returned
to the main street, leaving Zonne behind, the sunset was gradually darkening,
and the curtain of night was beginning to fall.
"Fufu, but that
was unexpected. I never thought Nozomu-kun could shout so loudly..."
Perhaps because she
had seen an unexpected side of Nozomu, who usually didn't raise his voice,
Irisdina chuckled, resting her hand on her chin.
"Ah, no. That old
man looked a lot like a mean old lady I know. Because of that, I felt like I
didn't need to hold back, or rather, if I did, I'd be the one who got hurt..."
Nozomu looked away and
scratched his head as he muttered, recalling his earlier disgraceful behavior.
"I never thought
you could raise your voice like that."
"Irisdina-san
neither. I didn't think you'd willingly go into such a suspicious shop."
"Ah. Um…………"
Not wanting to lose,
Nozomu counterattacked. He himself hadn't expected Irisdina to willingly enter
such a suspicious shop. Perhaps embarrassed by Nozomu's pursuit, her cheeks
turned red, and her gaze wandered.
The two, looking away
from each other with red faces, were enveloped in a strange silence.
"W-well, I guess
I saw an unexpected side of Irisdina-san too, so let's call it even…………"
Trying to break the
awkward silence, Nozomu spoke to Irisdina, but she frowned and looked at him.
"Um...
Irisdina-san?"
"By the way, I've
been wondering, why do you always use polite language with me? You speak
normally to Somia, don't you?"
Irisdina frowned with
her dignified eyebrows and pressed Nozomu, but Nozomu didn't understand what
was going on.
(She's frowning... she
looks angry, but why?)
"N-no, it's just
sort of a habit…………"
She turned away and
began to think about Nozomu's words.
"…………Hmm, at this
rate, the distance between us will be greater than with Somia. People say,
human relationships can be understood by how people address each other, so
alright! I call you by your first name too, so let's drop the honorifics with
each other from now on."
"Hah!!"
"That's right, no
polite language either. You and I are the same age and classmates, so no polite
language. Ah, my name might be difficult to say, so please use my
nickname."
"Eeeh!!!"
She crossed her arms
and rested her hand on her chin, seemingly lost in thought for a while, but
then suddenly told him to call her by her first name from now on. Moreover, she
suddenly told him to use her nickname.
"Ah, what should
I call you by your nickname?"
"You can just
call me Ai, like Tima does."
(…………Isn't that a
little too difficult for me? It feels like we're skipping not just two or three
necessary steps, but a whole bunch……)
"Um…………"
"That's right!
It's good that you're thinking about it. Either way is fine. Now, won't you
call me?"
Irisdina-san, looking
amused by Nozomu's flustered state, grinned and told him to call her by her
nickname. What's more, she told him to come up with the nickname himself.
Judging by her teasing smile, she was clearly enjoying Nozomu's reaction.
Unlike her unwavering
demeanor at the academy, Irisdina was changing her expressions rapidly and
peeking into Nozomu's face. It was a scene that could get him killed if her
followers saw it, but Nozomu's head was already full.
(Because, that's the
"Black-Haired Princess." Of course, I've come to realize recently
that she's not the aloof person we thought she was, but a girl of the same age
who laughs, cries, and gets angry just like us...)
Nozomu admired her,
like toward his first love Lisa, and for Ken, who could stand beside Lisa.
Her dignified manner
and the strength to face Del and Hanna-san and the others head-on without any
deception about the recent incident, which should have been inconvenient for
her family. He purely respected that strength and had a liking for her as a
person.
"A-ah... I-I
understand. A-Ai...ris-san..."
After all, calling her
"Ai" suddenly felt too daunting, and since his heart wouldn't be able
to take it, Nozomu decided to call her "Iris-san."
"Yeah, please
treat me well, Nozomu. And you don't need the 'san' either."
It was probably a
commonplace way of addressing someone, but she smiled happily nonetheless.
"A-ah.
Ai...ris…………"
In the end, the
"san" was also gone, and Nozomu ended up calling her by her first
name...
"Fufu! Well then,
shall we go look for Somia and the others now?"
"Wha-!
E-eh!"
Saying that, Irisdina
took Nozomu's hand and suddenly started running. Nozomu, suddenly feeling the
soft touch of her hand, panicked and was dragged along by her, completely at
her mercy.
The setting sun was
about to sink below the horizon, and the first star began to twinkle in the
sky. What the two lights, day and night, illuminated was her, pulling him along
with a beaming smile, and him, stumbling but somehow looking happy.
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