Volume 8 Side
Story 4
The
Ever-Changing Iris-chan Part 2
Since Arcazam has a fair amount of precipitation, it inevitably snows in the winter. As the sun rose in the sky, illuminating the snow-covered ground in white, Lisa walked down the main street toward the Commercial District. Her goal was shopping. People unaccustomed to it tended to stay indoors when it snowed. But since Oire Village, where Lisa was from, also got quite a bit of snow, she was relatively used to snowy roads.
"Let's see, we
don't use that much firewood, so... bread and ham. Do they have pickled
vegetables?"
Since Arcazam was
built, the technology for utilizing magic in daily life had increased. The
girls' dormitory also had several magical heating tools. So, while there was a
fireplace, they could get by with less firewood, which was a blessing.
"How about some
warm liquor on a cold day like this!? We have everything from Kingdom Wine to
Northern Spirits!"
"From fur coats
to boots and underwear. We have good clothes to ward off the cold! How about
it, madam? Why not buy some to save on your annual firewood bill!?"
"Welcome,
welcome! We got good meat in today! Freshness guaranteed, and since it's
winter, it'll still be delicious in a week! Please take a look!"
Arriving at the
Commercial District, the voices of energetic merchants echoed. It seemed they
didn't know the meaning of cooling down their business spirit, even in the cold
winter. Crunching on the frozen snow, Lisa went about her shopping. Amidst
this, she caught a glimpse of familiar blue hair through the gaps in the
passing crowd. Seeing an acquaintance, Lisa called out reflexively.
"Ah, Shina-san.
Heeeey!"
Called suddenly by
name, Shina turned around with a surprised expression. Exposed to the gazes of
those around her, the blue-haired elf girl trotted over to Lisa, looking a
little embarrassed.
"Lisa-san, wait,
don't call out so loudly, it's embarrassing."
"Now, now, it's
fine, isn't it? It's not like we're strangers. So, are you shopping too,
Shina-san?"
"Geez... Yes, I
am."
Sighing, Shina held up
the bag she was carrying. However, the contents were different from what Lisa
was buying. Candied fruits, jars of tea leaves and sweets. And milk. Clearly,
these were for a visit somewhere.
"Shina-san, is
this...?"
"Ah, yeah. Just
going to see Nozomu-kun..."
"Hehh..."
Naturally, the end of
Lisa's sentence pitched up. How envious...
Faced with the red-haired girl radiating such an emotion, Shina smiled quietly.
"Do you want to
come along, Lisa-san?"
"Eh, can I?
But..."
"You and Nozomu-kun
may have had your issues, but you've reconciled, and both Irisdina-san and I
have been indebted to you before. So, I think it's perfectly fine."
"Then, maybe I'll
join you."
In fact, when Shina lost
her ability to communicate with spirits again, it was Lisa who encouraged her.
Although they had spent very little time together, the two of them felt, for
lack of a better word, a strange sense of mutual empathy. Perhaps it was
because they were drawn to the same person. And yet, strangely enough, they
held no hostility toward each other.
"By the way,
where is Nozomu now?"
"If it's him,
he's still at the Guest House... no, wait, he's in Central Park. Did something
happen?"
"...Wait a
minute, how do you know?"
"? Nozomu-kun and
I are connected by a link, so I can tell immediately where he is... Is
something wrong?"
The status of a
partner. Especially with someone with whom she had exchanged the Blood Pact Ritual, she could know every
detail. This sensation was normal for an elf. However, for Lisa, a human, it was
something that left her speechless.
"No, yeah. Just a
little... I know I'm pretty 'heavy' myself, but I just thought Nozomu must have
it rough~~."
Of course, Lisa also
trusted Shina Juliel's character. Even when she encouraged her up, Shina had
chosen to overcome her own inferiority and pain and face Nozomu properly. As a
love rival, it was frustrating, but as someone who wished for his happiness,
she was also happy. Glancing at the elf girl tilting her head cutely, Lisa
quickened her pace.
"Well, he sowed
the seeds, so... will he manage somehow?"
Due to their long
lifespans and having partners with whom they truly communicated, elven love was
considered synonymous with pure love. But when the partner was of a different
race, there were times when the recipient couldn't handle that love. There were
several famous stories told as tragic loves regarding that point. While doing
this, the two headed to Nozomu to meet him... and as a result...
"When on earth
did you make a child with Irisdina-san!?"
They witnessed Nozomu
on a date with a toddler-fied Irisdina.
***
Nozomu, having been
misunderstood by Lisa, whom he accidentally ran into in the Commercial
District, as having made a child with Irisdina, calmed her down from her
excited state on the spot and headed to the Ox-Head Pavilion to clear up the
misunderstanding. Fortunately, the dining hall on the first floor was still in
preparation, and there were no customers. Nozomu explained the situation to
Hannah, who was minding the shop, borrowed a table, and explained to Lisa and Shina
that Irisdina had turned into a toddler due to the influence of becoming a Dhampir.
"I'm sorry."
"No, well, it's
good that the misunderstanding is cleared up, but... the current Irisdina looks
about six years old, no matter how you look at her, right? You should have
figured that out just by considering her age..."
"No, well, how
should I put it... I simply lost myself to a sight that was a little too
shocking..."
Seeing Lisa bowing her
head in front of him, Nozomu scratched his head but sighed in relief. It seemed
the misunderstanding was properly cleared up. Calculating the age, she would
have been born when Nozomu was about 11. That was when he was in his hometown
of Oire Village, and naturally, he hadn't met Irisdina yet.
"B-But! With the
current Irisdina-san, it seems possible!"
"U, no, looking
at this situation, I can't say it's impossible, but unfortunately, I haven't
done that sort of thing with Iris..."
"Ehh~~
Really~~?"
As if trying to escape
Lisa, who was slyly grinning and sliding closer with a suggestive smile, Nozomu
smoothly slid his chair back. At his reaction, Lisa deepened her smile even
more and looked down at Irisdina, who was sitting primly on Nozomu's lap.
"Still..."
"Nn?
Whaaat?"
"My, you really
have gotten quite cute..."
Lisa instinctively
reached out to pat the now-small Irisdina's head. But that hand was repelled
with a light slap! sound.
"No!"
"Oh my, I'm
disliked."
Apparently, the
toddler-fied Irisdina disliked being touched by anyone other than Nozomu. Her
eyes looking at Lisa also held a hint of wariness. Well, Lisa and Irisdina were
rivals in many ways. That remained true even now, especially regarding Nozomu;
neither would yield. Even in this abnormal situation of toddler-fication, she
didn't seem inclined to get friendly. Or perhaps, precisely because she was a
toddler, she wasn't hiding her wariness toward Lisa. Amidst this, Shina, who
had been watching the two next to Lisa, asked Nozomu.
"So Nozomu-kun,
do you have a plan for Irisdina-san to return to normal?"
"Probably if
Iris's magic power increases. But I'm not sure when..."
When Nozomu conveyed
Norn's diagnosis, Shina put a hand to her chin and thought for a moment.
"I see. Can I
examine her a little?"
"Eh?"
"I'm connected to
Irisdina-san through you, so maybe I can notice something different from
Norn-sensei, who is a doctor."
At Shina's proposal,
Nozomu nodded slightly, as if to say 'I see'.
"You're right.
Sorry, but can I ask you?"
"Yes, leave it to
me."
Shina replied readily
to Nozomu's request, stood up, went around the table, and moved in front of
him. Then she slowly leaned down and gently reached for Nozomu's cheek.
"Wai..."
"Stay still. To
probe Irisdina-san through the link, I need to strengthen the connection with
you, the source. Nn..."
Ignoring the flustered
Nozomu, Shina leaned in and pressed her forehead against his. Their faces close
enough to feel each other's breath. Perhaps it was his imagination, but Shina
seemed to have a smile on her lips, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her
breath seemed hot.
"Aaaah!
Unfair!"
"Muuuuu..."
Creating an atmosphere
where it seemed they might kiss, the two made Lisa raise an envious voice. Irisdina,
for her part, was tugging insistently on Nozomu's clothes and making her
displeasure apparent.
"Nn... I
see..."
About a minute passed.
Shina separated her forehead.
"As Norn-sensei
said, her body seems to be trying to return to normal. Irisdina-san's magic
power is gradually spreading throughout her body, beginning to harmonize her
soul and body."
"I see, thank
you."
At least, she was
heading toward recovery. Able to confirm that, Nozomu sighed in relief and
thanked Shina. Then, Lisa spoke up again.
"Hey, is there a
quick way to fix her?"
"Well, if magic
power is lacking, bringing it from somewhere else is the standard
method..."
"Come to think of
it, when I was strengthening the link with Nozomu-kun, Irisdina-san's magic
power spiked for a moment."
"Eh? Why?"
"...Hmm~~, could
it be."
Lisa stood up with a
meaningful smile, trotted around the table to Nozomu's side. Then she suddenly
took his hand and hugged it.
"Ah!"
While Irisdina on his
lap let out a surprised voice, Lisa brought her face close to Nozomu with a
natural movement. The distance was almost the same as Shina's earlier. And she
said something outrageous.
"Hey Nozomu, I
have a small favor, want to go on a date right now?"
"Ha?"
"Because I worked
really hard during the incident the other day, you know? I deserve at least
that much in return, right?"
"No, no! Nozomu
is my lover!"
While Nozomu was
processing the word 'date', Irisdina let out a scream-like shout. However, Lisa
didn't flinch at all. Rather, she directed a provocative smile and began to
show off by sandwiching Nozomu's arm in her cleavage.
"It doesn't have
to be a lover. It's not like you'll lose anything, right?"
"No, it's not
goo... Ouch!?"
Just as Nozomu came to
his senses and tried to refuse, an intense pain assaulted his foot. Looking
closely, Lisa's heel was stepping on the instep of Nozomu's foot. While
grinding her weight onto his foot as if to tell him to shut up, Lisa directed a
provoking expression at Irisdina.
"See, Nozomu is
so happy he can't even speak."
"He's not happy!
He hates it!"
Meanwhile, Irisdina
heated up at once in the face of Lisa's provocation. She pressed her body
against Nozomu to counter Lisa. However, perhaps because she was toddler-fied,
her appearance gave a strong impression of a child's cute jealousy, and lacked any
real spirit. Understanding her current situation, Lisa began to take even more
provocative actions. She went behind Nozomu, wrapped her arms around his neck,
and hugged him.
"Hey Nozomu, how
is it? I have quite a bit too, right? I think you know..."
"L-Lisa, neck, my
neck, choking..."
While Lisa smiled
bewitchingly, Nozomu, his face turning pale, was tapping her arm wrapped around
his neck. Apparently, she was strangling him with considerable force.
"Muuu,
muuuuuuuuu!"
Irisdina, wearing an
expression of utmost anger, brought her face close to Lisa as if to intimidate
her, glaring. Perhaps because she was too close to Lisa, Nozomu's face was in
her blind spot, and she didn't realize he was being strangled. At such an
Irisdina, Lisa deepened her provocative smile even more, and slid her right
hand into Nozomu's jacket.
"Did you know?
Nozomu was very aggressive when we were dating, you know? Especially after
coming to this city, he wouldn't even let me sleep..."
"Don't lie...
gue!?"
As Nozomu tried to
explain that he had been busy training all the time and had no such time, Lisa
put more strength into her left hand that was strangling him.
"But, he's my
lover now! He said we'd be together forever!"
"He told me that
too, you know? Before we broke up, though. Hey Nozomu, let's date again
starting now. I'm sure it'll work out this time~~"
"NO--------!"
Finally, Irisdina's
patience snapped. The next moment, with a scream, a dazzling magic light
overflowed from her body.
"I... ris, come
back... gue!?"
When the light
subsided, what leaped into Nozomu's eyes was Irisdina, returned to an adult.
However, perhaps because her power was abnormally heightened, her usual black
hair had turned silver, resembling Vitora, the source of her power, and
black-silver magic power was overflowing from her entire body.
"Let go already,
you nuisance!"
"Oops!"
Returned to her
original form, she forcefully pulled Lisa off Nozomu, and hugged him tightly as
if to say she wouldn't hand him over.
"You've been
acting quite selfishly..."
"But, your body
is back, right?"
"...Ah."
There, Irisdina
finally realized her body had returned to normal. How on earth? To her question, Shina, who had been watching the
course of events nearby, opened her mouth.
"Stoking jealousy
to increase magic power, you did something quite roundabout."
"Ah, Shina-san,
you knew after all?"
"Your attitude
was blatant, so I noticed immediately."
Magic power is the
energy of the soul, and intense emotions become the trigger to draw out greater
magic power. Apparently, Lisa intended to restore Irisdina's toddler-fied body
by stimulating her jealousy to heighten her magic power. And Shina didn't stop
her because she realized her intention. However, there was some damage. First,
the dishes and chairs in the store were blown away by the eruption of
Irisdina's magic power. And one more thing...
"More
importantly, Irisdina-san..."
"...What."
"Please release
Nozomu-kun. He seems to be at his limit."
"Eh?"
"Kyuu..."
"Aaaaaah! I'm
sorry!"
Strangled by Lisa and
hugged with full force by Irisdina, Nozomu had completely fainted. Irisdina
hurriedly released Nozomu from her arms, but his face was pale from lack of
oxygen. The sight was quite bad even from an outsider's perspective.
"Also, I think
that appearance is improper."
"Ah..."
And the final damage
was the clothes made by Mena that Irisdina was wearing. The clothes she was
wearing had turned into rags, underwear included, due to her body returning to
normal, barely hiding her shoulders and parts of her body. Yes, the current
Irisdina was naked. Exposing her goddess-like naked body, Irisdina's
expression, finally realizing her appearance, dyed bright red with shame.
"K-Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!"
And screaming, she
pulled whatever was at hand to hide her nakedness. And the closest thing to her
was the fainted Nozomu.
"Gue..."
Nozomu, hugged by
Irisdina again, leaked a groan of anguish. An embrace from his beloved. But
when it was delivered with enough force to cause suffocation, that was another
story entirely. His face started to turn purple, passing blue. Was it fortunate
or unfortunate for him that he had already fainted?
"Wait
Irisdina-san, let go of Nozomu! How envi— no, I mean, jealous!"
"Stop talking
nonsense, let's help Nozomu-kun quickly! Wait, Irisdina-san is too
strong!"
"Kyaa, kyaa,
kyaaaah!"
Nevertheless, it
didn't change the fact that his life was in danger. Lisa and Shina hurriedly
jumped on Irisdina and tried to peel off Nozomu, but her arm strength as a Dhampir was tremendous, and her arms
didn't budge. After that, the scuffle between the three continued until Hannah
returned to the store upon hearing the noise, and the four received a rare
direct scolding from her.
***
"I hate
you."
"What a
coincidence. Me too..."
"Both of you,
just work."
And the four were made
to work for free for one night for causing trouble to the store. The three
beautiful girls were driven to the hall to serve customers. During work,
Irisdina and Lisa were constantly glaring at each other, and Shina admonished
the two who stopped working each time. Meanwhile, Nozomu was laid down in a
vacant guest room on the second floor. A measure by Hannah, worried that he had
fainted.
"Hey Nozomu, what
on earth did you guys do?"
"Please, don't
ask... It was an unfortunate accident..."
Asked about the
situation by Mars, who came to check on him between inn work, Nozomu was at a
loss for words on how to explain.
"Hey Hannah, what
happened today!? Gathering three such beauties!"
"They messed up
the store during daytime prep, so I'm having them work in lieu of repayment.
Just because they're beautiful, don't get any funny ideas. All three are
Solminati Academy students. They can easily beat up a bad guy who enters this
store alone."
"Ooh,
scary..."
The noise of customers
cheering could be heard from downstairs. Judging from the noise, the dining
hall must be packed. Three eye-catching beautiful girls were serving. In a
sense, it seemed to be extremely effective for attracting customers. However,
Nozomu currently had a severe headache, perhaps because he had fainted for
quite a long time, and his brain wasn't working very well.
"Ah, I found
Ane-sama!"
"Muu, you
returned to normal before the painting was finished!?"
"Geh, Somia and
Father, and even Mena... Why did the three of them come here!?"
"It is due to our
concern for Ojousama who has yet to return. Even so, Ojousama mixing with
commoners to serve... it doesn't feel like a matter for others alone."
Here, voices that made
Nozomu's head hurt even more could be heard. It was an attack by the Francilt
family.
"Wait, Mena, what
are those clothes you took out from your pocket!?"
"It is a maid
outfit. If she is to serve, this outfit is essential. It is fine. I have
already adjusted the length to fit Ojousama."
"When did you
prepare such a thing!? Or rather, is this really a maid outfit? I feel like
there's strangely little fabric!?"
"Ah, when wearing
this, please do so when you are alone with Nozomu-sama."
What kind of exchange
was unfolding on the first floor? Nozomu pulled the blanket over his head as if
escaping reality.
"...Mars, can you
let me stay here tonight?"
"I'll say you
can't move because your headache is bad. That's one favor. Pay it back soon,
okay?"
"I'll try..."
Breathing a sigh of
relief, sudden drowsiness attacked him. Vitora's attack, mastering his Ability
and fully awakening as a Dragonslayer.
And life in a state of near confinement. Perhaps he was tired in both mind and
body because too many things had changed.
"What are you
saying, Mena! I won't allow such a thing while I'm alive!"
"You're
unsightly, Victor! Accept that Irisdina-ojousama will grasp her happiness as a
woman already! Now, Ojousama, wear this and charge into Nozomu-sama's
room!"
"L-Like I can
wear this! Such a shameless thing..."
"Ah, then can I
have it? It might be useful to captivate Nozomu."
"Like I'd give it
to you, Lisa-kun!"
An exasperated sigh
could be heard from Mars on the other side of the blanket blocking his vision.
This was the limit. Nozomu poked just his face out from the gap between the
blanket and mattress and pleaded with his best friend.
"Mars, can you
stop Victor-san and the others too?"
"Haa... That's
favor number two."
A response of just one
word, yet a reassuring one. After seeing him off as he went beyond the door,
Nozomu covered himself with the blanket again. And while listening to the angry
shout of his best friend and the GOI~~N!
sound of a fist echoing from downstairs, he drifted off to sleep.
***
Rustle,
rustle... In his slumber, he woke up to a pleasant sensation. The moonlight
shining through the window illuminated a shadow looking down on him. In the
dark guest room, he couldn't see the face well. However, Nozomu's eyes, trained
in the forest, adapted to the darkness in just a few seconds. He caught the
face of the person looking down.
"Oh, you're awake?"
"Shina-san?"
Scattering moonlight
with her sparkling blue hair, the elf girl was looking at him with eyes filled
with gentle light.
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