Volume 6
Chapter 12
In a room in the boys' dormitory, Nozomu, the owner of the room, was preparing for school briskly. Outside, the sun had not yet fully risen, and the town was enveloped in a faint darkness. He put on his uniform and fastened his katana to his waist. His preparation was clearly too early, but there was no sluggishness in Nozomu's movements typical of just waking up. It seemed he wasn't half-asleep.
"Alright..."
After checking his
appearance and steeling himself, Nozomu left the dormitory with a bag
containing the breakfast and study materials he had prepared beforehand. After
leaving the boys' dormitory, he took a different street than the usual one he
took to Solminati Academy. He walked down a street he normally wouldn't, and
headed toward a certain building. It was a place he had been unconsciously
avoiding for the past two years.
***
A while after Nozomu
left the dormitory, and as the morning sun began to illuminate the city, Lisa
was about to leave the girls' dormitory with Camilla, as usual, to head to the
academy.
"Lisa, are you
okay?"
"Uh, yeah... I'm
fine."
Camilla called out to
Lisa, who was walking next to her. Lisa replied that she was fine, but her face
didn't look okay at all. She probably hadn't slept a wink last night. Lisa had
dark circles under her eyes and looked pale.
After being led back
to her room by Camilla, Lisa was hit with a terrible headache. There was a
painful sound like a hammer hitting a pot next to her ear. Nozomu's face, from
when he had grabbed her hand, came back to Lisa's mind. The pounding in her
head mercilessly beat down on her psyche. Groaning, Lisa curled up, and
Nozomu's words, "I didn't betray you," repeatedly echoed in her ears.
She desperately tried to erase Nozomu's face and voice from her mind, but they
wouldn't disappear. As if calling for help, Lisa reached out into the depths of
the darkness. She was like a lost person seeking light.
However, what she saw
at the end of her outstretched hand was not Ken, who had supported her for two
years, but Nozomu, who was still facing the corpse dragon in that forest.
"Lisa, you
clearly don't look okay. Why don't you take the day off?"
"I'm really fine.
I just didn't get much sleep, and I'll rest if I really feel sick..."
Camilla's face twisted
in pain as Lisa, despite saying she was fine, tried to walk toward the
dormitory entrance. Lisa, with her pale face, was trying to act as if nothing
was wrong, but she was clearly exhausted. Seeing Lisa like that, Camilla was
overcome with an unpleasant feeling, as if her chest was being clawed at. The
events of last night came back to Camilla's mind.
If you want to
resent me, you can resent me all you want. You can call me whatever you want.
But if I don't know about Lisa right now, I can't do anything!
The look in Nozomu's
eyes when he said that so straightforwardly was the same as it had been two
years ago... No, it was much more mature and emitted a much more powerful light
than it had back then. And then came the words that were spoken after that. The
story about the root cause that had driven Lisa and the others to this point.
Normally, she would have dismissed it as a ridiculous story, but now, it felt
like a small bone stuck in her throat, causing a persistent feeling of
discomfort. Nozomu's eyes and that story stirred up Camilla's chest even more.
The truth that had been so obvious to her seemed to be peeling away now like a
cheap plating.
Suddenly, Camilla
looked at Lisa walking next to her, and saw her with her eyes wide open in
surprise.
"Lisa? What's...
huh?!"
Camilla tilted her
head, wondering what was wrong. She followed Lisa's gaze, and there, she saw
the very person who had created the cloudiness in her chest. Nozomu Bountis.
"Morning, you
two."
Nozomu greeted them
with a wave of his hand. His appearance showed no signs of being bothered by
what had happened yesterday.
"Uh, good...
morning..."
"............"
It was like being hit
in the head with a hammer. Camilla was so astonished that all she could do was
somehow return the greeting. As for Lisa, she couldn't even reply and was
completely silent. It felt as if they had gone back two years in time. In the
corner of Camilla's eye, she saw Lisa biting her lip tightly. Lisa, who was
looking down, had wavering eyes. Camilla couldn't understand the true
intentions behind those eyes.
At that moment, a
blond youth they knew well walked toward them from behind Nozomu, who was
standing in front of the dormitory gate.
"Lisa, Camilla.
Morning... what?!"
"Ken..."
Ken, who was about to
greet Camilla, noticed Nozomu's presence and his face twisted. His eyes
narrowed, and he glared at Nozomu as if to kill him.
"What are you
doing here..."
A low, heavy voice was
directed at Nozomu. But Nozomu's expression didn't change at all, even when he
was met with Ken's hostility.
"It's my freedom
to use whatever route I want to get to school. Sometimes these things happen
along the way."
There was no need to
go past the girls' dormitory to get to the academy from the boys' dormitory. It
was clearly a long detour, and it was obvious that he had come to see Lisa, but
Nozomu said such a thing with a nonchalant expression.
"Don't be
ridiculous. You, who isn't worthy of Lisa..."
"It may be true
that I'm not worthy. The fact that I ran away and turned my back on her for two
years hasn't changed. But what about you?"
"What..."
"You swore you
would protect Lisa. Was the promise you made back then to make her look like
this?"
Lisa, who was looking
down, had the exact same sickly face she had shown at this very spot yesterday.
When they looked around, they saw that the female students in the dormitory
were looking at them, wondering what was going on. Looks were being directed at
them from the windows, the entrance, and all over the street. Under those
unreserved gazes, Lisa's face became even paler.
"You two, stop it
this early in the morning."
The atmosphere between
Nozomu and Ken was the worst it could be. A dangerous aura was beginning to
fill the air, as if it could explode at any moment. Camilla, sensing that this
was not good, stepped in to stop them.
At Camilla's
mediation, Nozomu immediately backed down. He opened a path for them and moved
to the side of the street.
"But..."
"Just come on,
let's go."
Ken, who didn't seem
to agree, was about to say something, but honestly, a loud fight in front of
Lisa in this state was out of the question. Interrupting Ken's disgruntled
words, Camilla took Lisa and started walking.
"Hmph... Lisa,
are you okay?"
Ken gave Nozomu a
glance and walked next to Lisa. Worried about Lisa, who was still looking down,
he called out to her in a gentle, concerned voice. Ken tried to touch Lisa's
hand to encourage her, just as he had been doing since Nozomu's betrayal.
"!!"
"Huh?"
But the moment his
hand was about to touch her finger, Lisa flinched in fear and distanced herself
from Ken. Ken's face changed to an expression of disbelief.
"Ah,
s-sorry."
"I-it's okay.
Don't worry about it. I surprised you, didn't I? Let's get going to the
academy."
"Y-yeah..."
Lisa hurriedly
apologized to Ken. Ken waved his hand as if to say it was okay, but to Camilla,
his voice sounded strangely strained.
Camilla and the others
continued to walk to the academy side by side. Nozomu was walking on the
opposite side of the street, in line with them. Camilla caught a glimpse of
Lisa glancing at him. It was as if she was concerned about the distance between
them, which was even greater than it had been yesterday.
"............"
Nozomu didn't say
anything. He just walked straight ahead. There was no hesitation in his stride,
which was like that of a large tree with deep roots in the ground. Camilla felt
a strange sense of impatience welling up inside her as she watched him, who was
different from the Nozomu who had always looked down.
The four of them
continued to walk to the academy, capturing the gazes of the students who were
on their way to school.
***
"What? What’s
going on?! That!"
"............"
As expected, Shina and
the others, who had just come out of the girls' dormitory to head to the
academy, also saw Nozomu and the others. While her friend, who was in a state
of confusion, was looking at them in a fluster, Shina was staring intently at
Nozomu's retreating figure.
What came to her mind
was the sight she had seen when she had connected their magic circuits
yesterday. Last night, she had seen all of what happened between Nozomu and
Lisa. Since then, she had felt a tight pain and a strange lump in her chest.
Her hands were naturally clenched. Was it a sense of guilt for connecting their
magic circuits in secret? Or was there another reason?
"Hah..."
Shina let out a big
sigh and changed her mood. She herself had no objection to cheering on Nozomu
as he tried to move forward. No, she would gladly lend him her strength.
Because for her, that would be the greatest way to repay him.
"Huh? Wasn’t Nozomu-kun
with Irisdina-san yesterday... huh?"
"Mimuru, let's
go..."
The feelings she
didn't understand were still in the depths of Shina's chest. But because she
was connected to Nozomu with contract magic, she could also clearly see his
feelings. She had also seen how Tiamat, who was nesting inside him, had tried
to take him over.
Right now, he was
facing his past wounds, just like she had. And the Dragon's impulses were also
beginning to intensify.
So, now that Nozomu
was running forward, Shina once again swore in her heart to watch over him and
support him from one step behind.
"Well, for now,
let's keep this wildcat in check. She's getting a little too noisy..."
With a wry smile, Shina
grabbed Mimuru's hand and secured the wildcat girl, who was likely to cause
trouble, in advance.
When she saw Nozomu
walking next to the red-haired girl, her chest ached again. But a smile
naturally formed on Shina's lips. The exhilaration she had felt when she had
talked to him while being wrapped in the light of the Moonlight Bugs back then,
she could still remember it vividly.
"Huh? Shina, why
are you so calm... wait a minute! Why are you restraining, mmph...!"
Ignoring Mimuru's
words, Shina covered Mimuru’s mouth and started walking as if dragging her. Her
eyes were still fixed on his back.
***
Around the time, the
four were walking through the streets of Arcazam. A black-haired girl and a
little child, a blond male student, and a brown-haired female student with
shoulder-length hair. They were heading to the beautiful white stone main gate
of Solminati Academy.
The girl's black hair
shimmered in the morning sun, and the little child was smiling cheerfully. The
blond male student was asking the brown-haired girl something with a difficult
look on his face. She was shyly answering his question slowly.
The group of Irisdina,
Somia, Tima, and Mars walked toward the academy, gathering all the gazes of the
students around them.
The scorching sun was
gradually getting stronger this season, but the early morning was still quite
cool and comfortable.
But the black-haired
girl, Irisdina Francilt's expression was a little gloomy. While holding down
her hair that was fluttering in the wind, she was staring intently at the
street in front of the main gate.
What was occupying her
mind right now was the commotion that had happened between Nozomu and Lisa and
the others last night. The image of Nozomu, who had agonized and suffered, and
had even been attacked by the Dragon within him, but still acted for the sake
of that red-haired girl, was stuck in her mind.
Perhaps worried about
her, Tima called out to Somia.
"Hey, Somia-chan.
Is something wrong with Ai?"
"No, I don't
know. My sister has been like this since this morning, completely spacing
out."
Somia, Tima, and Mars
all tilted their heads repeatedly, but Irisdina herself didn't seem to notice.
She seemed to be completely preoccupied with Nozomu.
Without noticing the
three of them looking at her with a strange expression, Irisdina was muttering
something to herself.
"Could it be that
he still feels that way? Is he still... No, that's not it. Then why would he...
No, no, but still..."
Irisdina was putting
her hand to her mouth and nervously fixing her hair. At first glance, she might
have looked like a maiden waiting for her loved one. However, because she was
muttering to herself at a volume that could be heard by those around her, to
Somia and the others, it looked as if she was talking to an invisible person.
"I wonder what's
wrong? It's rare for Iris to be this restless..."
"Right? At
breakfast, she kept putting jam on her bread, and when we left the mansion, she
was wearing her shoes on the wrong feet..."
"That's a serious
case..."
She was a person of
immediate decisions, and she was flawless. She was intelligent and talented,
and she had almost never broken her dignified posture in public like this.
Well, she had started to show some girlish gestures toward a certain person
recently.
"It's true that
the reason Nozomu came to this academy was her..."
Somia's ears caught
his name, which had come out of Irisdina's mouth. The young girl was convinced
that he was involved after all.
"It seems my
sister is worried about Nozomu-san after all..."
"But they cleared
up their issue the other day, and there haven't been any signs of that between
them recently..."
But as Tima said,
Nozomu and Irisdina's relationship had been quite good recently. Irisdina had
tried to form a party with him, and Nozomu's reaction when he agreed wasn't bad
either.
"That's true. If
something happened, it would have been after school yesterday..."
Somia and the other
two put their hands on their chins and thought about it, but since they didn't
know what had happened, there was no way they could figure out the cause. They
looked at Irisdina again. Irisdina was still repeating strange behavior,
crossing her arms restlessly and letting her gaze drift into the air.
"B-but, I
shouldn't be losing either... I-in any case, things went well with Eldor-kun
and the others, so if things go well, I might be able to do something about the
rumors about him that have been spreading in the academy..."
"Let's just ask
her. Sister, are you okay?"
"Huh? S-Somia? Is
there something bothering you?"
Irisdina, who had been
lost in thought, came back to reality at Somia's call. Although she was
surprised by the sudden call, her expression showed no self-awareness of how
she had been seen by those around her. Somia was at a loss for words due to the
mismatch between her previous behavior and her current expression.
"Well, if you ask
whether it’s bothering me, it does bother me..."
Somia couldn't bring
herself to say, "I'm worried about your strange behavior and appearance,
sister." She tried to sound vague as she looked at her sister.
"Um, sister.
You've been looking a little unwell since this morning... Huh, is that
Nozomu-san?"
Somia, who was about
to start the conversation by asking about her sister's state this morning, saw
the figure of their well-known benefactor behind her sister, walking toward
them.
"Huh?!"
Irisdina turned around
as if she had been shot. But the next moment, her eyes widened at the sight
that came into her view. Tima, who followed her gaze, was also speechless at
what she saw.
In their line of sight
was Nozomu, whom they had just been talking about. But what surprised them was
the sight of Lisa, Ken, and Camilla walking alongside him, albeit a few steps
away.
"Um... What in
the world is going on?"
"I, I don't
know..."
"Something really
must have happened..."
Somia, Tima, and
Mars's faces were twitching in surprise. Irisdina was frozen like a statue. The
students who were on their way to school also had their mouths wide open and
looked as if they couldn't believe what was happening in front of their eyes.
At that moment,
Somia's eyes caught sight of some people she knew among the students who were
on their way to school.
"Oh, Mimuru-san! Shina-san!"
"Oh, Somicchi!"
Mimuru replied to
Somia, who was waving her hand and shouting as she ran toward them.
"Um, what in the
world is going on here?"
"I don't know
either! But... Ah, Irisdina-san. If you don't mind, could you explain..."
Mimuru, who had caught
sight of Irisdina behind Somia, called out to her to ask for an explanation.
"............"
But Irisdina's gaze
was not on Mimuru, but was fixed on Nozomu and the others walking ahead.
"Um, this Mimu-chin
wants an explanation~"
Mimuru put her hands
together in front of her chest and looked up, making a cute, fawning voice. She
also wagged her tail to try and get Irisdina's attention. But as expected, Irisdina
didn't hear a word Mimuru said. After a few seconds of silence, Mimuru
awkwardly straightened her posture, surrounded by a chilly atmosphere.
"S-Shina~, say
something~"
Mimuru clung to Shina
like a child. Shina seemed to react to her voice and looked at Mimuru.
"............"
Mimuru opened her
mouth to ask Shina, who had finally turned to face her, but Shina's gaze
immediately shifted to Irisdina, who was next to her. Then Shina shrugged her
shoulders and looked at Nozomu again.
Mimuru, who had been
ignored even by her best friend, was surrounded by an awkward atmosphere.
"Um... What in
the world is going on here?!"
Mimuru's scream echoed
through the city illuminated by the morning sun. In the end, Mimuru and the
others had to go to school with a sense of frustration, without getting any
answers.
***
As expected, the story
about Nozomu and the others had become a rumor throughout the academy by
lunchtime. However, Nozomu's own reputation hadn't changed much in other
classes, so the content of the rumor was that Nozomu was once again trying to
get with Lisa Hounds.
Naturally, the gazes
directed at Nozomu became even harsher than usual. Some students even muttered
things loudly enough for him to hear, and every time, the veins on the
foreheads of Nozomu's classmates, especially Mars and Jin, throbbed. Mars's
anger, in particular, was immense, and he was giving a murderous glare to any
student who said something careless.
However, Nozomu, the
person at the center of the rumor, didn't seem to mind at all and was going
about his daily life as usual, which made his classmates tilt their heads. The
same went for Mimuru and the others. Mimuru, in particular, had witnessed an
unbelievable sight first thing in the morning, but she couldn't grasp the situation
at all. When she tried to storm the 10th-class classroom during break, her best
friend stopped her, and time ran out.
Feo, who was a big
talker, just said, "Well, a lot of things happened~," with a grin,
and didn't want to talk about it. In reality, Feo was teasing Mimuru, who was
anxious because she couldn't grasp the situation, but she was originally a very
curious person who couldn't sit still, so there was no way she could endure
this kind of torture.
As a result, as soon
as the morning classes were over, Mimuru jumped out the window, ditched Shina,
and attacked Nozomu. Nozomu, who was "captured" (not a typo) under
the pretense of eating lunch as usual, ended up being interrogated by his
friends.
"So?! Nozomu-kun,
what in the world is going on with the rumor that's spreading in the
academy?!"
Nozomu was now sitting
in a chair in the infirmary. His friends had already finished their lunches,
but Nozomu couldn't even eat his bento as Mimuru pressed him for answers.
Behind Mimuru was Tom, who hadn't known about the situation this morning at
all.
Shina was holding her
head for some reason, but Mimuru, with her wild curiosity and fearlessness,
pressed Nozomu for answers with a fiery passion.
"And what about
that thing this morning?! What was that all about? I had a perfect view of that
shocking sight from the dormitory?!"
Around them were not
only his friends from Solminati but also Somia from Ecross. It seemed they were
able to eat lunch together today.
"Well, a lot of
things happened yesterday..."
Nozomu scratched his
head and gave a vague answer to Mimuru's question.
"Yesterday? I
thought you were on a quest with Irisdina-san yesterday? So why did things turn
out like that?!"
"Mimuru, your
voice is too loud..."
Tom tried to calm
Mimuru down, but it didn't have much of an effect.
"Hey, I was there
too, you know?"
"Shut up, you
fickle fox! Ninety percent of what you say is a lie, so it's not a suitable
piece of evidence!"
"Huh? Do I look
like a really unreliable person?"
Feo, who had been left
out of the party, raised his voice in protest, but he was bluntly cut off.
Well, it was Feo who had been teasing Mimuru, so it was only natural that he
wouldn't be trusted.
Leaving Feo, who had
slumped his shoulders, Mimuru's gaze caught Irisdina.
"And something's
off with Irisdina-san, too..."
"Huh? Y-You think
so?"
Irisdina, who had been
suddenly brought into the conversation, let out a choked voice. Mimuru's
suspicious gaze pierced Irisdina.
"No, I can't
believe you when you say nothing is wrong in that state..."
Mimuru's gaze shifted
to Irisdina's hands. While everyone else had almost finished eating, a
half-eaten sandwich was still held in her hand.
"Sheena's mind's
elsewhere, too..."
"Huh?"
Mimuru's eyes were now
on Shina.
"I finished
eating, you know?"
Shina held up the
wrapper that had contained her lunch, as if to emphasize her point. But
Mimuru's eyes narrowed as if to say, "Something's suspicious."
"Your
mouth..."
"Huh...?!
Oh!"
Mimuru poked her own
mouth while giving Shina a half-closed-eyed glare.
Shina tilted her head,
wondering what she meant. She put her hand to her cheek, and there was red
ketchup on it.
Mimuru had noticed.
During lunch, Shina had been glancing at Nozomu.
While watching Shina
hurriedly wipe the ketchup from her cheek with a handkerchief, Somia asked her
sister with a puzzled look.
"Sister. Everyone
seems to be curious, but did something really happen yesterday?"
"Um... Yeah. How
should I explain it..."
Irisdina put her hand
to her mouth in hesitation, and her gaze drifted. Her gaze, which had been
wandering in the air, finally caught Nozomu.
"Um..."
Stared at by Irisdina,
Nozomu scratched his head, wondering what to do. He noticed that Shina was also
staring at him. He felt a choking sensation in his throat from their looks,
which seemed to be pleading for an answer.
Mimuru, who had been
watching the situation, decided that it would be quickest to ask Nozomu, and
pressed him again.
"Now, Nozomu-kun,
spill the beans!"
Mimuru's rough breath
blew on Nozomu's face. He noticed that her hair was standing on end and her
tail was sticking straight up. Since her hair was rustling even though there
was no wind, it seemed that she was so excited that Ki was leaking from her
body.
Nozomu had a rude
thought that she might turn into a beast if he left her alone.
When Nozomu looked at
his friends around him, they were all silently giving him a look that said,
"We're curious."
"Well, fine.
There's no need to hide it anyway..."
Although a lot had
happened, Nozomu himself had no intention of hiding it from them. He let out a
big sigh and slowly began to tell Mimuru and the others about the events of
yesterday. He talked about encountering Lisa and the others after the quest,
being rejected and having them run away when he tried to talk to them, chasing
after Lisa with the left-behind Camilla, and telling Lisa a little bit of the
truth from two years ago when he finally caught up to her.
But Mimuru, who had
been listening to the story, tilted her head with her arms crossed.
"Hmm. But
Nozomu-kun, you told Camilla everything, didn't you? Why didn't you tell Lisa
everything?"
"I think so too.
Hey, Nozomu, wasn't it better to just tell her everything, like you did with
us?"
Nozomu hadn't told her
that there was a person who had framed him, and that it was Ken. That part
bothered Mars and Mimuru and the others. Mars and the others complained that he
should have just told her everything right there and then.
"Well, it's not
like I didn't think about it. In fact, when I was chasing Lisa yesterday, I was
planning on telling her everything."
Nozomu scratched his
head, recalling the events of yesterday. Indeed, when he was chasing the
runaway Lisa, he had confessed everything that had happened to Camilla.
"But I thought
that even if I forced myself to get close to Lisa at that time, it wouldn't
solve anything. I think the situation with Mars and Iris was different from the
situation with Lisa yesterday."
"What do you
mean?"
Mars tilted his head.
He had thought that Lisa and Nozomu would also tell each other their true
feelings, just as they had been able to understand each other by clashing with
each other.
Nozomu looked at Mars,
who was staring at him directly, and slowly opened his mouth.
"It's true that
at that time, I felt I had to tell you everything about myself out of regret.
You felt that way too, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"I think that
only works when there's a will to understand each other."
Mars nodded at
Nozomu's question.
The reason Nozomu and
Mars were able to understand each other was because they both wanted to face
each other again and took action. It was because of that feeling that they were
able to tell each other their true feelings and understand each other.
"It's different
with the current Lisa. She was turning away and not listening. I found out
yesterday, but even if I try to clash with her, she'll just run away."
What was important was
the feelings for the other person, and acting on the will to understand each
other. But the current Lisa had completely turned away from the desire to know
the other person. If Nozomu tried to push her, it would just make her more
timid and stubborn.
But even that would be
fine. Lisa's fear yesterday, and Tiamat, who had suddenly applied more pressure
than ever before. Deep in Nozomu's heart, a concern welled up that if he wasn't
careful, things could get even worse.
"So, what are you
going to do?"
"I'll get closer
step by step, little by little, and have her get to know the current me. I'll
slowly unravel the misunderstanding. That way, maybe Lisa will gradually start
to listen to me."
So, Nozomu decided to
get closer to Lisa little by little. The distance between the two of them that
had been created over the past two years was far. Just as Nozomu had no idea
about Lisa's current situation, Lisa only knew the fake Nozomu that Ken had
shown her. That was understandable. Because her memories of the young Nozomu
had all been overwritten.
"Is that why you
did that this morning?"
Nozomu nodded slightly
at Mars's words.
"First, I have to
get her to at least listen to me... From the way things I felt yesterday, I
think Camilla will listen. She didn't reject me when I went to the dormitory
today, either... And then there's what to do about the rumors that have
spread?"
If he could get rid of
the rumors that had spread in the academy, he might be able to get the people
around them on his side. There was no guarantee that his voice would reach
Lisa, but Nozomu thought it was better than doing nothing.
"...Specifically?"
"Um..."
Nozomu looked off into
the distance as if he was stumped by Mars's question.
"So you haven't
thought of a concrete plan yet."
"Honestly, yeah..."
It seemed that even
though Nozomu had set a goal, he hadn't thought of a concrete way to achieve
it. Mars let out a sigh and slumped his shoulders.
It was true that a
considerable amount of time had passed since the rumors about Nozomu had taken
root, and Nozomu didn't have an alibi for that day. It was extremely difficult
to find clear evidence, and it wouldn't be easy to overturn this rumor...
"Hey, Mars, do
you have any good ideas?"
"Huh? M-me?!
Um..."
Mars was flustered by
the sudden question. He racked his brain for an idea, but no solution to the
problem came to him at all. It was a complete fog.
Nozomu also thought
about it, but he also couldn't come up with a good idea. A mischievous kid who
would rampage without caring about the people around him, and a boy who was
withdrawn and turned his back on the people around him. Although their
directions were the opposite, it was impossible for two people who had
distanced themselves from the people around them to suddenly come up with a
good idea when they started paying attention to their surroundings. It was a
case of wasting time on a bad idea is as
good as doing nothing.
"N-Nozomu, can I
talk to you for a second?"
"Hmm? What is it,
Iris?"
Perhaps seeing the two
of them continue to agonize over it, Irisdina, who had been silent until now,
spoke up.
"Regarding the
rumors, I have a suggestion. Why don't you and I team up and take on some guild
quests together for a while, like we did yesterday?"
"It's fine to
take on quests, but... Um... What do you mean?"
"I-I
mean..."
Nozomu had no
objection to taking on quests with her, but he honestly didn't know how that
would help get rid of the rumors. The moment he was about to ask for her
reasoning, a woman rushed into the infirmary.
"I found you~!
Nozomu-kun, Mars-kun, can I have a moment?"
"Anri-sensei? Is
there something you need?"
"Yes~! I have
some very good news~!"
The woman who rushed
into the infirmary was Nozomu's homeroom teacher, Anri-sensei. Although she
always had a smile on her face, Nozomu thought she looked even happier than
usual today.
"Mars-kun,
Nozomu-kun, and everyone who was in a party with Nozomu-kun during the special
comprehensive exercise, you're to gather at the training grounds in the
afternoon~!"
"Sensei, why the
training grounds? We were supposed to be finished with our academic classes
today..."
As Nozomu said, the
10th class' classes for the day were only academic classes. Unless it was a
practical training session or a magic experiment, there were no classes that
used a large space like the training grounds.
Why the training
grounds? And the fact that she was specifically naming certain individuals
instead of all the 10th graders didn't make sense.
Nozomu and the others
tilted their heads repeatedly. But the moment Anri's next words pierced their ears,
Nozomu and the others were thrown into a vortex of astonishment.
"For the
afternoon class, Nozomu-kun and the others will be participating in the joint
class with the 1st and 2nd classes~! Oh, and students from other grades will be
there too, so make sure to get fired up~!"
"H-huh?!"
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