Volume 5
Chapter 9
".........Uwah!"
In the boys' dormitory
of Solminati Academy in the early morning. The owner of this room, who would
usually be waking up from a deep slumber by the morning sun streaming through
the window, had sprung awake again likely from a nightmare. His face was as
pale as a sick person's, and the shirt he was wearing was soaked with sweat
from his entire body, sticking to him.
"Ugh!!"
He, Nozomu Bountis,
pressing his mouth, rushed to the washroom, holding back the nausea from the
unpleasant feeling of his shirt sticking to him and the nightmare he had just
seen. He washed his face with cold water.
".......Haa."
After taking off the
shirt sticking to his whole body and wiping himself with a wet towel, his
complexion improved slightly, indicating he felt a little better. However, dark
circles were clearly visible under his eyes, suggesting he hadn't rested at
all.
(.....Lately, the
intervals between seeing that dream have been getting shorter.)
Nozomu thought about
that nightmare, pressing his throbbing, sleep-deprived head. Until now, he
would see that red dream about once a week, but recently, the intervals had
gradually shortened and become more vivid, surely eroding and exhausting
Nozomu's mind and body.
(What should I do? At
this rate......)
Nozomu's heart was
growing impatient.
(Should I tell Iris
and the others about the Dragon Slayer? But...)
If he told Iris and
the others, this anxiety might lessen a bit. What came to Nozomu's mind was the
sight of him slaughtering the Triclops in the forest. At that time, Nozomu was
certainly consumed by rage, but he still wielded the power of the Dragon Slayer
of his own free will. The anger, indignation, and hatred that he had tried not
to see within himself, but which certainly existed. He willingly carried out
the slaughter just to vent those feelings.
"!!"
Remembering that time,
Nozomu just couldn't bring himself to tell Iris and the others about the Dragon
Slayer. He had been shown what would happen if the immense power he had
absorbed turned against them. And the fear that they might reject him if they
found out about his actions in the forest slowed his steps. The ever-growing
Tiamat, his potential rampage, and the fear of rejection were already
intricately intertwined, leaving the exhausted Nozomu helpless. Nevertheless,
Nozomu put on his uniform, grabbed his bag, and left his room for the academy.
Because only when he was with them could he forget this fear, even with his
anxiety and terror.
(How convenient... In
the end, I'm just running away, aren't I?)
That's why Nozomu went
to the academy. Even if he himself realized it was an escape.
***
When Nozomu saw
Irisdina and the others on his way to school, they were all already gathered.
"(Phew...) Good
morning, everyone."
Nozomu took a breath,
trying to hide his inner anxiety, before greeting them.
"Oh, good
morning......"
"Y-yeah."
"O-Ohayou.
Nozomu-kun."
"Yo,
Nozomu!"
" "
"Good morning, Nozomu-kun." " "
His friends,
confirming Nozomu's presence, returned his greeting, but the replies from
Irisdina, Mars, and Tima were somewhat awkward. At their behavior, Nozomu
became anxious, wondering if they had noticed his unease.
"Ah, Nozomu-san,
good morning!"
Somia returned a
cheerful greeting, oblivious to Nozomu's inner anxiety. Seeing her demeanor,
she didn't seem to have any questions about Nozomu's earlier behavior, so he
returned her greeting with a slight sense of relief.
"Good morning,
Somia-chan. By the way... is something wrong with everyone?"
"Mars-san and
Tima-san have been like this since we met here today, you know? As for
Nee-sama... well, I think she's fine."
Nozomu tilted his head
at Somia's vague reply and first turned his gaze to Iris.
"Iris, are you
okay? You seem a bit different than usual..."
"Ah, yeah. I'm
fine. I'm not feeling unwell, and there's no particular problem. Yep."
Nozomu called out to
Irisdina, but she insisted there was "no problem." Indeed, her
complexion wasn't poor, nor was she unsteady on her feet.
"...Is that so?
Mars and Tima also seem strange, is something wrong?"
"Nah,
nothing."
"U-Um. My body's
fine, really."
Nozomu, worried about
the two with the strange atmosphere, asked about them, but Mars and Tima both
insisted "nothing" was wrong, giving no clear answer.
"Hey, Nozomu.
About yesterday, can I ask you something?"
"Huh? What's with
the sudden question?"
As Nozomu pondered
what to do, Feo suddenly called out to him. Despite the peculiar atmosphere
lingering among Nozomu and the others since morning, the fox-tailed boy in
front of him ignored it with a cheerful smile. Nozomu had often been at Feo's
mercy and had many difficult experiences because of him, but his carefree and
laid-back nature dispelled the strange atmosphere that was developing, making
him a lifesaver at that moment.
"Yesterday, we
decided to team up for the special joint practice, right? So, can I join Nozomu
and the others' training? There are only a few days left until the practice,
but I want to get used to each other's pace, you know."
Nozomu nodded at Feo's
proposal. Indeed, when forming a party, it's necessary to understand your
partner's strengths and weaknesses.
"...That's true.
That is certainly necessary. Is it okay with everyone else too?"
"Yes. In order to
reconfirm our comrades' abilities, it's necessary to train together."
Shina, who was in the
same party, also approved of Feo joining the training. Nozomu looked around at
his other friends; they all nodded in agreement, with no one opposing.
"Alright! It's
settled then. Everyone, please treat me well from now on."
Feo, satisfied with
Nozomu's and the others' answers, greeted everyone present again.
"With Feo
joining, our mid-range will be stronger. I can focus on the rear, and Tom and
Mimuru can also focus on their roles..." "Oh, sorry Shina. On the
second day, we're planning to team up with other people." "Eh?!"
Shina was
contemplating their formation with Feo participating, but Mimuru's sudden
statement made her gasp in surprise. When Shina looked towards Tom, he also
nodded silently, seemingly agreeing with Mimuru on this matter.
"Because, it's a
chance to team up with people from other ranks, right? To gain various
experiences at this opportunity, shouldn't we each try teaming up with different
people?"
Hearing Mimuru's
words, Shina nodded as if remembering something. One of the initial goals of
training with Nozomu and the others was to overcome their party's weakness,
where roles tended to become fixed, by gaining experience through training with
various people. Considering that, Mimuru's judgment was correct, and it was
extremely beneficial for gaining the necessary experience.
"You're right.
Indeed, Mimuru's suggestion is better. In that case, I'll step back..."
Shina, having
reconfirmed their objective, immediately began revising the formation in her
head.
"So, Mars-kun and
everyone, could you team up with us on the second day?"
"Huh? Me?"
"Eh? Me
too?"
"Yeah. Is that
okay?"
"Uhmm......"
The two, meeting
Mimuru's gaze, showed a slight hesitation, but they didn't seem to object to
forming a party itself. However, Tima seemed more concerned about Irisdina,
showing a gesture of observing her. She usually teams up with Irisdina, so she
seemed to be seeking her usual partner's opinion.
"Uhmm, let's see,
yeah. I-I think it's fine."
Irisdina, through
Tima's gaze and their interaction, glanced at Nozomu as if having something on
her mind. But in the end, she couldn't say anything to Nozomu and ended up
agreeing to team up with Mimuru and the others as if being swept along.
"Haa, Nee-sama,
it can't be helped then..."
Somia slumped her
shoulders at her sister's indecisive attitude. She sighed and slumped her
shoulders, but as if resolving something, she gazed fixedly at Nozomu.
"Eh? Um... Somia-chan,
do you need something?"
Nozomu, who was met
with Somia's intense gaze, asked her what was happening. Everyone else around
them fell silent at her extraordinary aura, and before they knew it, they were
all focused on the small 11-year-old girl.
"Nozomu-san. It
might be rude to say this suddenly, but could you spare some time after school
today?"
"Um, today? As I
just said, the special joint practice is soon, so I was planning to prepare for
it with everyone today..."
Nozomu implied that it
would be difficult due to prior plans, but Somia still looked straight at him.
Nozomu didn't understand what Somia was thinking, but he knew she wasn't going
to back down.
"Umm......"
"Somia,
Nozomu-kun has plans, "Is it okay, Nozomu-san?" Somia..."
Nozomu agonized over
what to do. Seeing his hesitation, Irisdina tried to admonish Somia, who showed
no signs of backing down, but Somia still wouldn't yield. As the atmosphere
between the two sisters gradually grew heavier, it was Feo, who was supposed to
be teamed with Nozomu, who spoke.
"Hmm. I don't
think it's a problem. It looks like Somi-cchi's business is quite important, so
why not let her have her way today, Nozomu?"
He told Nozomu to
humor her for today.
"Eh?"
"Hold on, Feo.
You just asked him to team up with you, aren't you being a bit
irresponsible?"
Shina voiced her
disapproval of Feo's words. Being earnest, she believed that since he had
offered to team up, he should do everything he could, and suddenly abandoning
the training they had just promised was unacceptable.
"Now, now. Shina,
you saw Somi-cchi's eyes just now, didn't you? At the very least, she
understands that she's asking for a lot. Despite that, she really wants Nozomu
to accompany her."
Feo made a gesture as
if holding back Shina, who was pressing him.
"I understand
that, but......"
Shina fell silent at
Feo's words. She also understood from Somia's earlier demeanor that it was a
serious matter, so she couldn't press too hard. Feo nodded at his other
partner's reaction and then turned to Somia again.
"That's how it
is. So, Somi-cchi, don't worry about us; you can take Nozomu for today."
"O-Oi, Feo—
"Thank you! Nozomu-san, is it okay?!" "...Alright. So, what's
the matter?"
Nozomu, who had raised
a bewildered voice, gave a wry smile at Somia, who was staring at him with
sparkling eyes, and agreed to accompany her after school. But when he asked her
what she wanted again, Somia dropped a huge bomb.
"Please go on a
date with me after school today!!"
Upon hearing Somia's
words, time stopped for everyone present. Nozomu and the others, who had been
dumbfounded, gradually understood the words that had entered their ears, and
their faces changed to expressions of astonishment.
" " "
"Huh? Eh? EEHHH~~~!!" " " "
And then, loud screams
echoed. The small birds chirping in the trees by the roadside, basking in the
early morning sun, simultaneously took flight, wondering what was happening.
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