Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no “Kokoro”--Chapter 3[LN] Volume 1: .4

This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.

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Volume 1 Chapter 3.4

Old Wound that Hurts Part 4

Translator : PolterGlast

A few days later, it was time for Nozomu and Somia to meet.

They sat next to each other under the shade of a tree in a tree-filled area not far from the central park's lawn area.

"But, are you sure you're okay with this? For you to be with me on your lunch break like this..."

"Yes, I've already told my friends and they understand, so it's fine. Rather than that, let's have a talk!"

"Well, if you say so, Somia-chan..."

Sometime after their first encounter, they met and talked like this in Central Park during their lunch break.

However, Nozomu was not good at conversation, and it was mostly Somia who did the talking. He was more of a listener.

Coincidentally, on Somia's thigh, who was sitting on the ground, lay the black cat that had led to their encounter.

"You know. I asked my sister to tell me more about that person..."

"And what did she say?"

"Then she told me it was getting late and I needed to get some sleep so I could grow up well. Geez, I'm not a child anymore~~!"

Nozomu listened to her stories as he watched Somia, who was stroking the neck of the mischievous cat lying on her thigh.

Most of her stories were about her sister, who was six years older than her.

She had her own sister as her role model. She was the kind of girl who never stopped smiling, but when she talked about her "sister", she smiled 50% more than usual and talked happily.

"My sister is strong." "My sister is cool." "My sister is kind."

Her sister seemed to be a person of outstanding character and ability, and from the way her face broke into a smile as she spoke, it was clear that Somia truly adored and admired her "big sister".

But at the same time, perhaps because the two sisters came to Arcazam together, her sister sometimes got overly worried just like a mother. A few days ago, when they stayed up late at night, she even told her to go to bed early.

"No, Somia-chan, you're ten years old. You're still very much a child in terms of age..."

"Wha!? Not you too, Nozomu~san!"

"No, it is a fact-......"

In the human society of the Arcmel Continent, one would be considered an adult at the age of fifteen. In fact, Somia’s stature was smaller than that of her peers, and her age made Nozomu believe that it was appropriate for her to be treated as a child.

Perhaps sensing Nozomu's inner thoughts, Somia puffed up her cheeks like a puffer fish. Nozomu smiled wryly upon seeing the girl's behavior but decided to give a follow-up.

"I don't think your sister meant it like that, Somia-chan."

"Yes, I know."

The look of dissatisfaction on her face turned into a wide smile.

"Somia-chan, you really like your sister, huh?"

"Yes! She is my role model and my goal!"

Somia spoke clearly and straightforwardly about her dreams and aspirations. Despite what she said about her sister earlier, she didn't seem to have changed her mind at all about her dreams. Her figure was a little too dazzling to Nozomu, who had been sinking to the bottom of the barrel, an everlasting failure.

"Come to think of it, Somia-chan, you talk a lot about your sister, is she also a student at Solminati Academy?"

"Ah, yes! That's right. She's in her second year now. You're also a student at that school, aren’t you, Nozomu-san? What's life like at Solminati Academy?"

"Well, that's, umm..."

Somia's question made Nozomu feel as if there was lead piling up in his stomach, and he became lost for words. He exhaled heavily, as if he was being tied to a chain and dragged to the bottom of the water, suffocated.

"Well, I wouldn't say it went well. As you can see, Somia-chan, my rank is the lowest."

Nozomu showed Somia the nameplate with his name written on it with a faint, self-deprecating smile on his face. The plain nameplate, colored jet black, was evidence that he was one of the lowest-ranking students in the school.

It would not make a good impression among the people in the school, let alone among outsiders who know nothing about the school.

"I see. In that case, you're just like me. Unlike my sister, I still have a long way to go!"

However, contrary to Nozomu's expectations, Somia replied shyly with a carefree smile while sticking out her tongue. There was not a hint of unnaturalness in her expression, as if she was deliberately trying to fit into the conversation. She truly and sincerely understood her own lack of power and at the same time firmly accepted it.

Nozomu's face, which had been filled with self-deprecation, was now colored with surprise. And then, due to Somia's sunshine-like smile, the miasma that had been drifting in Nozomu's chest gradually dispersed.

(She's a very strong girl, huh ……)

Even if she hadn't reached adulthood, and even if she was still only as small as Nozomu's waist. But her small body seemed so big to Nozomu.

At that moment, Kuro, who had been lying on Somia's thigh, lay on its back and began to snuggle into Somia's arms.

On Somia's right wrist, where Kuro was snuggling to, was the bracelet that the black cat had stolen twice.

"I assume that your bracelet hasn't been stolen today."

"Yes, indeed, the school let me wear it in class, so I tried to wear it as much as I could."

Nozomu peeked sideways at Kuro, who was scratching the bracelet with its claws. Upon closer inspection, he could see that the bracelet was delicately decorated and had a small bell-like ornament with a letter engraved on it, which he had never seen before. Although he did not know exactly what material was used, even his amateur eyes could tell that it was quite valuable.

"That bracelet looks quite valuable, just what is it?"

"Ah, this bracelet is something that has been handed down in my family for generations. It's said that it's something that connects my family's ties, and it was said when we keep this with us, even if we go our separate ways, we'll surely meet again someday."

"Hee, that's quite a nice saying."

"Yes! This was originally stored in the storage back home, but my sister gave it to me as a birthday present last year! It has become a reminder to me. No matter how tough the circumstances might be, it'll be okay. Our bond remains strong."

Somia seemed to be very happy to talk about it.

For her, the lore was one thing, but perhaps more than anything, she was happy to have an actual object representing her family's connection to her.

"Oh, while we're at it, you said you got that bracelet for your birthday last year, when is Somia-chan's birthday?"

"Oh, it'll be soon actually. My father is out of town right now, so he won't be able to join, but my sister is throwing me a party this year too, so I'm really looking forward to it!"

"I see... Good for you Somia-chan."

"Yes!"

Somia's full smile brought a smile to Nozomu's cheeks as well.

However, the smile he had on his face was somewhat gloomy. Nozomu used to have people to celebrate his birthday with, but now he had no one.

The loneliness that tormented his heart from within subconsciously clouded his smile. Somia, noticing the shadows clouding Nozomu's smile, involuntarily fell silent.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"N-no, it's nothing. But, Kuro-chan sure is still after the bracelet, huh? Kuro-chan, cut it out!"

Somia, feeling a glimpse of the loneliness that Nozomu harbored, inadvertently tried to mend the situation and used Kuro, who was still playing with her bracelet, as an excuse.

With a somewhat overly dramatic gesture, she raised her arm and peeked at Nozomu while keeping her bracelet away from Kuro.

The black cat, perhaps still not satisfied with it, now stood up on its hind legs and started to flail its paws like a baby having its toys taken away from it.

Meanwhile, Nozomu, oblivious to Somia's state of mind, sighed at the black cat's refusal to let go of her bracelet.

"But then again, he's quite the muscular male cat, isn't he?"

"Eh?”

"I mean, he takes your stuff without your permission, even though he's been playing with it so often he still hasn’t had enough fun..."

"No, umm..."

Somia's eyes were sweeping through the air as if she was having a hard time saying something. As Nozomu tilted his head towards Somia's reluctance to speak, she finally opened her mouth with an embarrassed expression on her face.

"Umm, Nozomu-san. Kuro-chan is a female..."

"...... Wha?"

"As I said, she’s a female."

Hearing the word "female", Nozomu involuntarily fell silent. This black cat turned out to be female.

The bravado and quarrels Nozomu had with it made him think it was a male.

"W-why name her Kuro then? Isn't it a name one usually gives to males?"

"Eh, isn't it a cute name?"

Nozomu couldn't say anything else at Somia's blunt words.

Apparently, her naming sense was a little out of this world.

"Besides, I’m not Kuro-chan's owner, and I think she's probably a stray cat."

According to her, she started spotting her around the Ecross school building from time to time, and then they started playing together since then. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that this cat did not even have a collar on.

"She's a stray cat, huh? She seems to be very friendly and has beautiful fur, so I thought she was being taken care of by Somia-chan..."

In fact, Kuro had beautiful fur for a stray cat. While thinking so, Nozomu tried to touch her fur by reaching out his hand, but...

"Sha~!”

Nozomu had indeed gotten used to it and quickly dodged the claws, but judging from the way its tail fur stood up and its fangs were visible, it seemed that Nozomu was not liked by this cat at all.

"Are you okay, Nozomu-san? Kuro-chan is quite a delicate cat and doesn't really like those who displease her."

"... Is that so?"

"Yeah, all the boys in my class are no good. Girls are fine though..."

(Isn't she just not good with males?...)

Apparently, this black cat only took a liking to girls.

While she bared her fangs at Nozomu and threatened him, she remained still in Somia's arms. As Nozomu stared at Kuro, the black cat cast a glance at Nozomu, but immediately turned away and began relaxing in Somia's arms.

In turn, she stretched out her paws and tried to playfully toy with Somia's bracelet again.

"Oh gosh. Don't, Kuro-chan!"

She played with Somia's bracelet with her paw, not caring about Somia's words. In a sense, this was a very cat-like demeanor.

"Ah, by the way, Somia-chan, what did you have for lunch?"

"Umm, I was supposed to eat with my sister today. I suppose she'll be here any minute now."

"Well, I guess it's time for me to leave now. ......"

"Ehh, why? Let's eat together."

"No-no. Your sister doesn't know me, right? For a stranger to suddenly join in is a bit..."

"It'll be alright. Nozomu-san is my friend, and I'm sure my sister will understand."

"Even if you say so, I will still refrain myself from-...."

Nozomu was about to refuse once again when suddenly a calm and dignified voice passed between the two of them.

"Somia, so this is where you are."

Somia was the first to react to the resounding voice. Her expression turned into a smile as she recognized the owner of the voice.

"Ah, Ane-sama!"

"Oh, your sister is here-... eh?"

"You are……"

The moment Nozomu looked past Somia, who was getting up and running beside Nozomu, there stood Irisdina Francilt, whom he had met the other day in the Spasim forest.

In Irisdina's hands were two lunch boxes.

Nozomu was surprised to see someone unexpected, but Irisdina also had a surprised expression on her face as she embraced her sister, who was running towards her.

"What a surprise. I never would have thought that the new friend Somia was talking about would be you..."

"Umm, Somia-chan, is she your sister?"

"Ah, right. I forgot to tell you that my last name is Francilt!"

"... No way."

As if to confirm Nozomu's concerns, Somia responded so in an innocent manner.

Francilt. This is a very reputable noble surname within the Forsina Kingdom, the same as Irisdina.

If one were to think about it, such a beautifully decorated bracelet is quite valuable and not something an ordinary person can afford.

Her glossy black hair also matched their traits, and moreover, the fact that her sister was six years older than Somia meant that her sister would be around 16 years old. She would be about the same age as Nozomu, which would correspond to Irisdina's age.

(I should have noticed that ---!)

In fact, when he first met Somia, Nozomu almost thought that she was resembling Irisdina, but his mind stopped functioning due to exhaustion from the intense training, and he did not notice the fact that they were sisters.

After that, Nozomu forgot all about it, and here he was.

He was overcome with a strong feeling of dizziness as he stifled the urge to scream, remembering all of his casual conversation with such a high-ranking noble.

"Ehh? Ane-sama and Nozomu-san, you are acquaintances?"

"Ah, yeah. I don't know if I could say we are acquaintances, but we do know each other ..."

While rubbing his temples, Nozomu somehow managed to accept the current situation.

"Nozomu-kun, would you like to have lunch with us?"

"Umm, together with Irisdina-sama too?"

" Like I said the other day, you don't need to call me by an honorific. In Arcazam, such a status doesn't mean much anyway."

"Haha..."

Although Arcazam was originally built with the contributions from various countries, the status of one birth was not being given much importance in the academy due to the purpose for which it was established.

Irisdina waved her hand in a carefree manner and handed Somia one of the lunch boxes she was carrying.

"Here, Somia, it's time for lunch."

"Thank you, Ane-sama."

"Would you like to join us, Nozomu-kun?"

Nozomu's eyes widened involuntarily upon hearing Irisdina's unexpected words.

Indeed, Somia was inviting him, but he had never imagined that the black-haired princess would also invite him.

Irisdina is a popular student among both men and women because of her caring and reliable personality, as well as her good looks and great capabilities. Naturally, she must have received countless dinner invitations, and would definitely not pay attention to a lowly student like Nozomu.

Although they had met by chance, Nozomu was still a little taken aback by the sudden invitation.

Besides, since they were now in the tree-filled area, their view of others was blocked by the trees, but if they were to move to a more open lawn area, they would immediately become the talk of the town.

Since Nozomu was being watched in so many ways at school, he didn't want to do anything that would make him stand out.

"Umm, I'm sorry, but I'll have to refrain-..."

"Let's eat together, Nozomu-san. Come, come!"

Nozomu immediately tried to refuse the invitation, but before he could finish his words, Somia grabbed his arm and blocked him out by covering his words with hers. Nozomu was then led out of the tree-filled area by Somia without even understanding the situation.

"Hmm... are you not good with noisy area, Nozomu-kun?"

"Umm, sorry, but the lawn area is a bit..."

"Then let's eat here. I don't mind eating somewhere quiet. What about you, Somia?"

"As long as my new friend, Nozomu-san, is with us, anywhere is fine!"

Somia, who had been pulling Nozomu's arm, was finally stopped and told him to sit down. The sisters sat down slightly in front of Nozomu, who remained confused, in a natural manner.

"Nozomu-kun, you had your lunch with you, right?"

"Yes. I bought some earlier."

After saying so, Nozomu lifted the paper bag lying at his feet. He had three slices of black bread with some vegetables and dried meats sandwiched in between. They were the cheapest foods available in the stall.

"Nozomu-san, are you sure that's enough?"

"Yeah, I don't have that much money in my pocket. Oh, by the way, Irisdina-san, is Tima-san going to join us?"

"Well, after morning class ended, she was summoned by Jihad-sensei. She told me to go ahead and have lunch without her, so I came here to look for Somia."

Jihad-sensei is the Headmaster of this Solminati Academy.

Jihad Raundel. He is one of the strongest swordsmen on the continent who played an active role in the disaster caused by the large-scale migration of demonic beasts that occurred 20 years ago.

The great migration of demonic beasts that occurred on the Arcmel continent 20 years ago had spread to the northeastern part of the continent and had resulted in the catastrophe that came to be called the [Great Invasion].

Hundreds of thousands of people died in this [Great Invasion], and numerous refugees flooded the neighboring countries.

Various countries across the continent took the situation seriously and cooperated, dispatching their armies to defeat the invading demonic beasts, which somehow succeeded. But the casualties from this disaster were so severe that several countries collapsed.

Countless casualties and refugees fleeing from the destroyed and devastated countries caused a rapid deterioration of security in various surviving countries. As a result, countries across the continent suffered astronomical damage as a result.

The Solminati Academy was built to train the human resources lost in the [Great Invasion], and Arcazam was built to further promote and integrate the technological research regarding Qi-jutsu and magic that had been conducted independently by various countries until then.

"So you don't have to worry about her. Anyway, let's eat."

Prompted by Irisdina, the three began to eat leisurely.

In Irisdina’s and Somia's lunch boxes were beautiful sandwiches of fresh ham, eggs, and colorful vegetables sandwiched between fine white bread.

The food itself is nothing fancy, but the chefs' attention to detail is evident in the way each sandwich is wrapped in a paper napkin to prevent hands from getting dirty from sauces and other ingredients.

Among these, what caught Nozomu's eye the most was the embroidered stitches on Irisdina's lunch box.

The strangely cute puppy embroidery sewn into the luxurious fabric made him smile. Nozomu couldn't hide his surprise upon seeing the unexpected items belonging to Irisdina, who usually exuded a somewhat dignified atmosphere.

"Hmm? Is something wrong?"

"No, well, I just noticed something a little unexpected..."

"Fufufu, Ane-sama really likes dogs, you know? But I think cats are much cuter though."

Surprisingly, Irisdina seemed to be a dog person. Since her younger sister was a cat lover, Nozomu thought that her sister would also like cats, but it seemed that the siblings' preferences were different.

On the other hand, her older sister, who heard the matter spoken of by her younger sister, looked a little dissatisfied and frowned as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Somia, I understand that you're a cat lover, but dogs aren't that bad either. Especially puppies, whose cuteness is a treasure that nothing in the world can compare to."

"... Eh, that's what you're not happy about?"

As for Nozomu, he thought Irisdina would be dissatisfied with being exposed as a dog person, but surprisingly, for Irisdina, she was rather dissatisfied with being told that dogs are inferior to cats in terms of cuteness.

"Of course, Ane-sama. I know you like dogs, but I still think cats are the best! Right~ Kuro-chan~."

Somia, on the other hand, while acknowledging the cuteness of puppies, was still not willing to give up what she thought was the best.

While stroking Kuro's throat which was still on her lap, she proudly puffed out her chest with a snort and a challenging smile.

"No, that’s not true. The way puppies follow you around, wagging their tails, is just so adorable, you can't help but hug them!"

"Ane-sama, look how cute this cute Kuro-chan is! Like the way she purrs when you stroke its throat, isn't it just the cutest!?"

And so the dog-cat discussion began. Was it dogs or was it cats that were really cute? Neither Irisdina nor Somia would yield at all, and they tried to debunk their opponents by devising various theories.

When Somia described the healing effects of cat gentleness, Irisdina countered with the healing effects of dog compassion being a social animal.

When Irisdina brought up the history of dogs and humans and said that they were the most reliable human partner and that it was cute to see them always cuddling up to each other, Somia responded that cats were the cutest when they were being pampered because they were less reliant on people.

Although both of them used various approaches in their arguments, they could not reach a clear conclusion because the eventual conclusion came down to a very subjective sense of cuteness.

And of course, neither of them would concede their own opinion to the other.

"U-, umm..."

Nozomu, who had been completely left out of the never-ending discussion between the two sisters, could only utter such words.

They both kept talking about how cute dogs and cats were, but it was almost time for afternoon classes to start.

"Ah, sorry, we got carried away there. Somia, we shall continue this discussion at another time."

"Yes, this will make it the 357th cat and dog meeting we've had, I guess we'll have to wait until the next meeting to settle this matter."

"No, Somia, this is a dog and cat council."

The heated discussion between Somia and Irisdina came to an end, and the three went back to eating. Nozomu nearly sighed over the fact that they'd had this discussion 357 times.

"So, if I may ask, how did Nozomu-san and Ane-sama meet?"

After the dog-cat discussion was over, Somia's interest next shifted to to Nozomu's encounter with her sister.

With a sparkle in her pitch-black eyes, she asked about Nozomu's meeting with her sister, seemingly interested.

"Well, we met by coincidence..."

"Somia, I think I've told you a bit about him. He's the one who saved my life when I was caught off guard by a demonic beast in the forest. He was the one who cut the Mad Bear in two with a Qi-blade that he had formed in less than a second."

While Nozomu was flustered, not knowing how to answer, Irisdina answered Somia's question smoothly and concisely.

Somia, perhaps unable to hide her excitement at learning that Nozomu was the person whom her dear sister praised as someone great and the very person that her sister had been talking about recently, leaned forward and brought her face close to her sister's face.

"What? The great person Ane-sama was talking about is Nozomu-san!?"

"Yes, that's right. Tima was close to being attacked, but thanks to him, she was saved."

Irisdina's voice, as she recounted the incident, seemed to be unfazed, but instead was filled with admiration and excitement that could not be hidden.

Influenced by her sister's words, Somia's eyes began to emit a strong tinge of admiration as she looked at Nozomu.

"T-that's not true. In fact, I have [Ability Suppression], and my grades are the lowest in the school..."

On the other hand, Nozomu, perhaps unable to accept such praise from Irisdina and Somia, turned his gaze away from them.

Upon witnessing the sign of negative emotions, which was rather too strong for humility, Irisdina put her hand over her mouth as if she was deep in thought.

"Hmmm, that's strange. How can you make such a Qi blade and still be in the bottom?"

"I've never used it in the academy because it's too poweful. Besides, because of my [Ability Suppression], any physical strengthening I do would only have little effect, and my Qi is so low that I can count on one hand the number of times I can use that Qi blade."

Nozomu added that this also assumed that he would not use any other Qi-jutsu at all.

"In other words, if you were to use body strengthening, you could only fire one or two shots with that Qi blade, huh? If that's the case, why don't you join a party?"

"No one wants to team up with me."

Irisdina frowned upon hearing Nozomu's words. Nozomu felt uncomfortable facing that sharp gaze of her.

"Is it because of [Ability Suppression]?"

"......Yeah."

The slight pause in the reply brought about a moment of silence between Nozomu and Irisdina. But that silence clearly told her that this wasn't the main reason why Nozomu couldn't party with anyone.

"I don't know if this is the right thing to say, but it's not always just about prowess that is needed in battle, is it? Since you are so familiar with the Spasim forests, don't you think there would be many people who would want that knowledge?"

"… What makes you think so?"

"After you left us, you went deeper into the forest, didn't you? That simply means you spent that night in the forest. Spasim forest is a very dangerous forest infested with demonic beasts. It's not a place where a person without sufficient knowledge and abilities about that forest would be able to stay."

Actually, Nozomu spent the night in Shino's hut, and that area was almost impossible for demonic beasts to enter. After all, it was a place where a dragon-class adventurer resided.

Nevertheless, Irisdina was right, Nozomu had spent countless nights in the Spasim forest than he could count. That was because Shisho sometimes threw him out into the forest at night in the name of practice.

"Is your break-up with Lisa the main reason why you're not joining any party? Or is it due to your classmates' animosity? Or is there any other reason?"

Irisdina's question, which struck at the heart of the matter, pierced deep into Nozomu's heart.

A dull pain and bitter taste filled his mouth, and Nozomu fell silent.

At the same time, the image of Lisa looking at him with cold eyes, his classmates throwing cursing words thoughtlessly at him, and his current situation who could only hold his knees in front of them, all came back to his mind.

His vision became distorted and the surrounding sounds became more distant.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't know about the truth of the rumors and I'm not willing to make assumptions about things I'm not sure about-..."

"...... If you'll excuse me."

Before Irisdina could finish her sentence, Nozomu stopped her and stood up from his seat. His subconscious escape from reality, which had already become a habit, refused to listen to any more of Irisdina's words.

"Sorry Somia-chan, I'll be heading back first."

"Ah......"

Somia watched anxiously as Nozomu walked away, but eventually looked to her sister for help. Somia couldn't understand why Nozomu suddenly got up from his seat, but she thought that her sister might know the reason.

"Ane-sama ……”

"Somia, you may not aware of this, but Nozomu is not well-liked by the students at the academy. And it seems that because of his poor grades, they treat him like he doesn't belong there."

"Such a thing..."

Somia, upon learning of Nozomu's current situation, looked sad.

(I said that to Somia, but I'm sure that's not all there’s to it...)

Irisdina, who has had her fair share of experience with people's ill will in aristocratic society, could not believe that Nozomu was simply being ignored.

His attitude clearly showed glimpses of distrust and insecurity toward others. In fact, she could see the traits of a person who had actually been subjected to malice and had his heart broken.

(I didn't think enough about his circumstances either. I shouldn't have gone that far...)

At the same time, it can be said that Irisdina's actions were a little too hasty in closing the distance to such a person.

"I went a little too far. I might have done something bad..."

Irisdina had a pained expression on her face. As for her, she just wanted to get to know a little bit more about him. She wanted to know about the blade of Qi he had used to save her best friend in the forest, and how he had acquired such great skill. Also, if possible, she wanted to ask him about the rumors that had spread in the school.

Even though Nozomu himself might not take it well, all she wanted to tell him was that she was not willing to believe mere rumors.

But Nozomu's rejection was more than she had anticipated.

"Ane-sama, I think it would be best for you to clear up the misunderstanding..."

"I know. I'll make sure we have a good talk the next time I see him..."

Nodding at her sister's suggestion, Irisdina brought the remaining sandwich to her mouth.

The lunch, which was usually very delicious, strangely felt bland and tasteless, it was as if she was chewing on sand.

◆

After leaving Irisdina and Somia behind, Nozomu, with a frown on his face, was on his way to the academy.

The pain that he had forgotten in those rigorous training returned.

A choking sensation as if his throat was being clogged and his heart was beating fast.

Actually, part of him wanted to return to make sure what Irisdina wanted to say to him, but due to his habits, he needed to go and train to distract himself from the pain.

Two parts of him collided deep in the heart.

Nozomu had no intention of leaving that place, but the pain from the old wounds made him understand that he had to leave.

Lisa wasn't the only one who gave up on him when the rumors broke.

All of them, even those who had been friends with Nozomu, rejected and discarded him without a second thought.

Painful memories flooded back, and he gritted his teeth to hold them back.

At that moment, an unexpected figure entered Nozomu's line of sight.

One man and two women were enjoying lunch under the shade of a tree.

One of them was Nozomu's best friend, Ken Notice.

The other was Camilla Vecknose, a female student with reddish-brown-colored hair that was roughly cut at the shoulders. She was a student who befriended Lisa when she entered this school and was one of Nozomu's friends when they were in their first grade.

"So, how are your year-end exam preparations going?"

"I don't think there will be any problem. Besides, I don't think you need to be too worked up about it..."

And the other one is an attractive-looking female student with her crimson-colored hair tied back.

The moment he saw her, Nozomu's chest throbbed.

She is Lisa Hounds, the woman who had attracted Nozomu's affection the most in his life. There was self-confidence in her charming eyes.

Usually, Nozomu would have turned away the moment he saw her. But he was so perturbed by Irisdina's words that he was too late to notice her.

"Ah...”

Lisa's eyes caught Nozomu's figure standing there, her eyes widened and then filled with the color of resentment and anger.

Due to the sudden change in Lisa's expression, Ken and Camilla followed her gaze and then noticed Nozomu. Camilla's eyes widened and turned into the color of resentment, just like Lisa's. And Ken's eyes widened in surprise as well.

"...... It's been a while, Nozomu."

Ken was the first to greet him.

He had a smile on his face, but it was somewhat tinged with nervousness.

Nozomu also subconsciously closed himself off in front of his former best friend.

He was the one who Lisa had started dating with after she broke up with Nozomu. Nozomu tried to maintain his composure, but his heart just won't stop pounding.

"Y-, yeah... It's been a while, both of you too..."

"Don't talk to me like we're close. Or rather, why are you still attending this school?"

Camilla, on the other hand, looked at Nozomu with a gaze filled with disgust and spat out words of contempt at him.

She was one of the people who had rejected Nozomu the most when rumors about him began to spread.

Nozomu, intimidated by her hostility, turned his attention to the woman he cared about the most.

"... What do you want?”

Lisa's cold, devoid-of-color eyes glared at Nozomu.

The depth of his chest was creaking. A feeling of suffocation struck Nozomu, as if his throat was chained shut, and he was unable to speak.

When the rumors first began to spread, Nozomu tried many times to convince her of his innocence, but she and others around him rejected him. However, his heart gradually froze due to the repeated rejection by her and others around him, and before long, he was unable to even raise his voice.

And in the end, his desire to clear up the misunderstanding was bound by the chains of resignation and aversion to the pain, which seeped deep into his heart.

However, Irisdina's earlier words inadvertently made those chains loosen a little. Even though a resistance appeared when the lid of his subconsciousness was about to be opened. His heart, which was usually swayed by pain and agitation, temporarily shifted in the opposite direction of what it normally did. It was similar to the way a spring that had been subjected to a strong force tried to return to its normal position.

Once again, he wanted to talk to Lisa properly...

"How have you been? Umm-..."

His will to clear things up peeked out slightly from the back of Nozomu's mind.

However, what he finally managed to muster out of his strained throat was something completely different from what Nozomu had intended to say.

The will that peeked out from the surface of the water immediately shrank and sank into the darkness, like a piece of driftwood chained to a weight, leaving a gaping hole deep in his chest.

And with a blank expression on her face, Lisa said something to Nozomu.

"Don't come any closer. I don't want to see your face, so get out of my sight."

Lisa's words, reminiscent of a sharp spear, pierced Nozomu's heart.

His whole body stopped and his thoughts came to a halt. It was as if his senses were disconnected from his whole body. The pain of being crushed was far, far greater than usual because of the desire to clear up the misunderstanding.

In front of the stiffened Nozomu, Lisa quickly turned her face away and stood up.

" If you won't go away, then I'll just go somewhere else."

Just like that, Lisa turned around and walked away.

As Nozomu was staring at her back while being petrified, he suddenly felt a powerful shock in his chest.

"Ugh!”

Nozomu was pushed away and involuntarily fell on his butt. When he looked up, Camilla was looking down at him with a furious and enraged expression.

"There's no way Lisa will ever listen to you after all this time, you traitorous bastard!"

Camilla spat at Nozomu, and then quickly followed after Lisa.

Ken, with a somewhat mixed expression on his face at the sight of Nozomu's slumped figure, turned on his heel without saying a word.

Nozomu was left alone, could only keep his head down, unable to stand up.

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