Volume 4
Chapter 13
"Yo, Irisdina."
In front of the
academy gate, Kevin found Nozomu and the others, who had just arrived at
school. His gaze, however, was fixed on Irisdina, paying no mind to Nozomu or
Mars beside her.
Irisdina noticed
Kevin's voice and turned to face him, but her expression was stiff in a
different way than when she had looked at Nozomu earlier.
Kevin approached
Irisdina and reached out to her, but she, noticing his hand trying to touch
her, smoothly evaded his grasp.
"Kevin. I don't
like people who try to touch me so suddenly and rudely."
"Heh, still the
same, I see. Well, I quite like that about you... how about it? From now on,
how about we—" "I'm afraid not, I'm with my friends now. It's a kind
invitation, but I'll have to decline."
Irisdina cut off
Kevin's words, speaking over him.
"Oh, friends...
huh..."
Reacting to Irisdina's
word "friends," Kevin for the first time shifted his gaze to Nozomu.
The face he turned to
Nozomu was a sneering, mocking grin, the same look Nozomu had always received.
That gaze clearly
conveyed contempt for Nozomu, and Nozomu's expression also hardened.
Seeing Nozomu's
reaction, Kevin glanced at his face once more, then lost interest and turned
back to Irisdina.
"Hey, why him?
There are countless people in this academy who want to team up with you, you
know? Well, no matter how many there are, I'm probably the only one who can
stand alongside you."
Without looking at
Nozomu, he gestured with his chin towards Nozomu and then stated his frank
opinion. From the perspective of those around them, Nozomu's reputation hadn't
changed, so it was understandable, but Irisdina's expression stiffened at his
harsh criticism.
However, someone else
spoke up to Kevin before she could say anything.
"…………You're
annoying, always chattering away, aren't you?"
A voice, suppressing
anger, came from beside them. It was Mars who moved before Nozomu could.
He was naturally
quick-tempered. His anger, fueled by his friend being insulted so much, easily
surpassed his already low boiling point, erupting in an instant.
"H-hey,
Mars—" "You're seriously making fun of my friend, aren't you?"
"—just a bit—" "It's what everyone in this academy thinks, isn't
it?" "—Listen to me."
Nozomu, who had been
thoroughly insulted, was also inwardly irritated, but his anger was completely
taken over by his friend, who had gotten angry faster than he could.
The two, ignoring the
person who was supposed to be the target of their mockery, grew more heated.
Both of them were originally proud and easily enraged, so their argument
quickly spread like wildfire in a field, turning into a raging inferno.
The students around
them gathered to see what was happening, but the space between the students and
Nozomu's group widened further, perhaps due to the pressure exerted by the two
intensely arguing individuals.
"What, has a
mediocre nobody, hanging out with the lowest of the low, become even more of a
nobody? What a pain."
"What did you
say!? You bastard!"
Mars and Kevin seemed
oblivious to their surroundings; Nozomu, who should have been at the center of
the conversation, was somehow left behind.
"You, too, ended
up getting rejected by Irisdina anyway, didn't you? It's pathetic, persistently
hitting on someone who clearly has no interest in you, even more so than a
nobody."
"…………Do you want
to die?"
As Mars reached for
the greatsword on his back, Kevin took a stance. Their aura and killing intent
mingled with the heated atmosphere, and a tense, volatile air began to drift.
"H-hey
Mars!" "Stop it, both of you!" "W-wait, don't,
Mars-kun!" "Eeek! P-please stop!"
Nozomu and the others,
perhaps realizing that fighting in such a place was a bad idea, called out to
the two, but they showed no signs of backing down. Meanwhile, the tension
between the two continued to escalate, threatening to burst at any moment.
At Solminati Academy,
fighting with weapons in places other than designated areas like training
grounds was, in principle, prohibited.
Mars's hand gripped
the greatsword on his back, and Kevin crouched low.
They couldn't be
stopped anymore.
As the surrounding
onlookers watched, ignoring Nozomu and the others who were desperately trying
to stop them, Mars and Kevin finally charged, and just as they were about to
initiate combat—
"Heeeeeey!
Sto-o-o-o-op that ri-i-i-i-ight no-o-o-ow!!"
With a strangely
drawn-out voice, a large amount of water assaulted the two who had charged.
"Whoa!!"
"Bufu!!"
The two were engulfed
by the large amount of water that assaulted them, and instantly, like drowned
rats, they were completely soaked.
Nozomu and the others
turned towards the voice, and a beautiful woman pushed through the onlookers,
approaching them.
"You mustn't~~.
You shouldn't fight in a place like this~~."
"A-Anri-sensei…"
It was Anri Var,
Nozomu's homeroom teacher, who had arrived.
Anri, who had come
closer to Mars and the others, glared at the two who had been about to fight.
She herself seemed
quite angry, puffing out her plump, firm cheeks, but she lacked any imposing
presence, and to outsiders watching, she didn't look angry at all.
Nozomu clutched his
head at her complete lack of imposing presence. The gentle aura she exuded was
completely out of place in this area, which had been filled with a tense atmosphere
just moments before. Not only Mars and Kevin, but even Nozomu and the
surrounding onlookers were completely defused.
"…………Haaah, this
has become troublesome. Well, see you later, Irisdina."
Kevin sighed, released
his stance, and turned on his heel, heading towards the school building.
Perhaps he didn't even notice Anri standing there, as he only spoke to Irisdina
when he left.
As Kevin left, the
surrounding onlookers also began to shuffle towards the school building.
Anri, perhaps
satisfied that the commotion had subsided, nodded repeatedly and then
approached Nozomu and the others.
"Good morning~~.
Everyone, are you all well today~~?"
"Good morning,
Anri-sensei. Well... we're fairly well."
Anri spoke, enveloped
in the same gentle aura as before. With a composed face, her appearance could
pass for a serene, sheltered young lady, but the gentle aura she constantly
exuded and her innocent smile, like that of a young child, made her demeanor
somewhat childish and unbalanced, yet captivating.
Nozomu and Irisdina
returned her greeting, but, affected by her innocence, their faces showed wry
smiles.
"Mars-kun, too~~.
No more doing things like that~~."
"Ah, yeah. My
bad..."
Perhaps still angry
only at Mars, she was pouting and upset.
Mars was also overwhelmed
by Anri's aura and could only give an ambiguous reply.
"Even so~~, thank
you for telling me about this~~, Shina-san."
"Eh..."
Nozomu briefly doubted
what he had heard. However, the voice that came from the side confirmed what
Nozomu had imagined.
"…No, please
don't worry about it, Sensei. I couldn't very well let such a commotion happen
here..."
Nozomu, who turned
towards the voice, saw the elf girl he had met yesterday.
A girl with long blue
hair, a black hairband, and a slender, lithe body, was looking at Nozomu.
"………………"
"………………"
Neither Nozomu nor she
said anything to each other. They couldn't say anything. Perhaps because of how
they had parted, it was awkward, and when their eyes met, they would quickly
look away.
As Nozomu was pondering
whether he should say something to her, a voice came from behind her.
"You're still as
serious as ever, Shina. When you see a commotion like this, you immediately
say, 'I'll go call the teacher,' and run off."
"Now, now. But
Mimuru, it would have turned into a big commotion if things had continued like
that, and I think she did the right thing..."
The voices he heard
were one familiar female voice and one male voice he had never heard before.
Nozomu and the others
looked towards the voices, and there was an energetic female Beastman with
tanned skin and cat-like ears and a tail, and a small boy wearing glasses with
a somewhat scholarly aura.
"Hmmmm. Tom is
defending Shina, huh~~. Defending another woman in front of your girlfriend...
Waaaah!! Tom, you cheater~~!"
"Eh!! Whoa, no!
What are you saying, Mimuru!!"
The two had started a
lovers' quarrel. The female student was pouting, and the small male student was
trying to appease her, but it clearly looked like a heartwarming playful
interaction between lovers.
"Mimuru. Don't be
foolish. Because Tom is like that, you'll always have him wrapped around your
finger. Now, Anri-sensei. It seems the commotion has subsided, so we'll be
taking our leave."
Shina said this with
an exasperated look, and she, too, urged the two bickering lovers towards the
school building.
Just before heading
towards the school building, Shina glanced back at Nozomu, but in the end, she
left without saying anything.
"Yeah! Shina-san,
thank you~~!"
Anri watched the three
heading towards the school building, waving her hand cutely. Afterward, she
approached Nozomu and the others.
"Nozomu-kun~~.
Are you alright~~?"
Anri spoke, peering
into Nozomu's face. She felt that he seemed unusual compared to his usual self.
At a glance, he just
looked a little unwell than usual, but she saw him as overlapping with his
image from a little while ago, when he was staggering around town with unsteady
steps.
"Eh, yes. I'm
fine."
Nozomu answered Anri's
question, but Anri still felt that he seemed somewhat absent-minded.
"…………Really~~?"
"Yes..."
Anri brought her face
even closer. Her slightly droopy eyes looked down more than usual, gazing at
Nozomu worriedly.
Her refined face was
so close that they could feel each other's breath, and the soft, floral scent
made Nozomu's heart beat slightly faster, but his expression remained somewhat
stiff.
"…………"
"…………"
The two stared at each
other in silence.
Anri remained worried,
and Nozomu's expression remained stiff as time passed.
Eventually, Anri let
out a big "phew" and moved away from Nozomu.
"I understand~~.
But Nozomu-kun, don't push yourself~~."
Saying only that last
word, Anri walked towards the school building. Seeing her slightly lonely back,
Nozomu's heart ached.
(……I'm sorry……Anri-sensei.
But I can't talk about that matter……)
Nozomu apologized to
her in his heart as he watched Anri's retreating figure. He couldn't say
anything despite her worry.
The internal conflict
continued to tighten Nozomu's chest again, but at that moment, Irisdina called
out to Nozomu from behind.
"Nozomu, were you
acquainted with her?"
"Eh?"
What Irisdina asked
about was Shina, who had called Anri.
Since Anri had been
talking earlier, most of the people present had been focused on Anri, Mars, and
Kevin, but she had keenly sensed the strange atmosphere between Nozomu and
Shina.
"N-no… well… She
was looking at you… so I wondered if something happened."
"Ah, yeah. Well,
I haven't really talked to her much... I mean, I was called out behind the
school building by my classmates once, right? She's the one who helped me
then..."
"I see,
huh…………"
"U-um."
Irisdina put a hand to
her mouth and began to think about something. She was absorbed in thought for a
while, but then she opened her mouth as if something was caught in her throat.
"No-Nozomu.
A-about that *clang, clang, clang* ah…"
Just as she was about
to ask something, the sound of the school bell echoed through the school
building. It was already time for morning assembly. At this rate, they might be
marked late.
"Ah~~!! I'm on
the other side of the school building, so I have to hurry!!!"
Saying that, Somia
started running in a great hurry.
The Ekros school
building she attended was built adjacent to Solminati, but it was a little far
from this spot. It would be a close call whether she could make it to her
classroom for morning assembly.
She was desperately
trying not to be late, but the sight of Somia running with a slightly large
bag, pattering along, was still cute and heartwarming, and a slight smile
returned to Nozomu's face.
"Fufu. Let's go
too. We'll be late if we don't get to class quickly."
"Yeah."
Nozomu urged them
forward and started walking, and everyone else also hurried to their
classrooms. Somia, whose school building was different, ran off in a great
hurry, but her heartwarming demeanor, even if only slightly, softened the tense
atmosphere that had been between Nozomu and the others.
***
"…………………Well,
Looks like I just saw something interesting this morning…………"
From the shadow of the
school building, Feo was watching the commotion from a distance.
It seemed to have been
chaotic in various ways, but what particularly caught his eye was Shina.
"But, I knew he
was friends with that Black-Haired Princess, but I never thought she was so
smitten with him~~. And it seems there's something going on with that
strait-laced Shina too... What in the world is happening?"
What intrigued Feo was
not Mars and the others, who were arguing loudly, but Irisdina's expression
when Nozomu was insulted, and the atmosphere that flowed between Shina and
Nozomu.
Irisdina's expression
when Nozomu was insulted was stern, and above all, it was unlike her.
Her usual calm self,
no matter how angry, would properly respond to the situation and then deliver a
reasoned reprimand, but her earlier self, for a moment, had her emotions
completely exposed, and she seemed to lack her usual composure and fairness.
Another thing that
caught his attention was that when Shina and Nozomu met eyes, Shina also
averted her gaze.
Feo, who had
previously eavesdropped on Nozomu being called out by his classmates behind the
school building, knew that Shina had helped Nozomu then.
However, she was by
nature a serious person. At least, considering the content of Nozomu's rumors,
she should have disliked Nozomu considerably, and he had also seen her
reprimanding Nozomu.
And at that time, she
hadn't averted her eyes from Nozomu.
"…………It's getting
harder to understand just by watching from afar~~. It might be time to take
action, huh..."
What was driving him
to this extent was the strong curiosity characteristic of the Fox-tailed tribe.
Feo liked anything
fun. He had entered this academy, thinking that if various people from all over
the continent gathered here, there would be something fun. But when he opened
the lid, it was just endless training and harsh, colorless days defined by
clear hierarchies.
When he had finally
gotten tired of such gray days and started thinking, "Whatever," he
found an intriguing target in Nozomu.
Now that we're here,
let's make the most of it and have fun.
With that thought in
mind, he had Nozomu's classmates take him to the back of the school building.
Shina getting involved was unexpected, but that had only made things even more
interesting.
"…………Well, I
guess I'll go hear what they have to say first..."
Muttering that, Feo
also began to walk towards his own classroom.
Incidentally, the
distance from the back of the school building to the classroom was longer than
from the main gate where Nozomu and the others were, and it was a mere side
note that Feo was marked late and had to listen to a lecture from his homeroom
teacher.
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