Chapter 6 Part 19

Translator : PolterGlast

While Jihad and Inda were dealing with the letter from Mekria, Nozomu and the others were in the courtyard of the school.

In the courtyard, many students were already sitting in their favorite places, enjoying their lunch. The cafeteria adjacent to the courtyard was crowded with students trying to satiate their appetites, and the buzzing noise could be heard outside.

Finding a suitable shady spot, they sat down on the ground and opened the lunch box they each had brought, and their lunches, full of individuality, spread out like an exposition.

Irisdina and Somia had soft white bread with ham and cheese inside their lunch boxes.

Shīna and Tima's lunches were very similar to Irisdina's, with round doughnut-shaped bread, fruit, and salad, but since they were a small eater, their portions were much smaller than Irisdina's.

On the other hand, Mars, who has a large body, might need to eat more, so he brought two lunch boxes, one with a large loaf of bread and the other with side dishes.

The side dishes he brought were cold, but they were served with a nice variety of vegetables. It was probably leftovers from Ushitotei.

Mimuru and Tom were spreading out a large lunch box. The others asked if Tom had made it, but surprisingly it was Mimuru.

The lunch, which was full of colorful ingredients even when cold, almost made others drool just by looking at it.

The only thing that bothered Nozomu was why Tom's face looked so pale.

By the way, Nozomu and Feo's meal was still the same cheap black bread.

Feo hadn't been able to get out of his poverty, and Nozomu, a hardworking student, didn't have much money to begin with.

The amount of bread was not enough to satisfy him, but that was not a problem.

He chewed on a piece of dry, tasteless black bread.

*Chew~, chew~*

The hard and dry black bread was hard to swallow, especially today's bread, which seemed harder to eat than usual.

Nozomu wondered and slowly chewed the bread to soften it before swallowing. Even so, a choking sensation lingered inside of his throat, and he frowned.

Previously, Jihad suddenly visited the classroom at the end of the afternoon class.

While Nozomu was stunned by his sudden visit, Nozomu was taken out by Jihad and thrown directly into the newly restored martial arts garden for combat training. Before he could ask Jihad what was going on, he was hit with the Jaw Drop.

Feeling his life was in danger, Nozomu resisted with all his might. It could be said that he ran for his life.

However, despite his desperate resistance, Nozomu was thrown into the air, knocked down, and ended up screaming like a frog.

"Haa..."

A sigh escaped from Nozomu's mouth. At the same time, he recalled the combat training he had just gone through and vented his resentment in his mind, saying, "That dumb middle-aged man ......."

Jihad's image in Nozomu's mind has been getting worse lately. Well, at best, he was getting used to it. At worst, Nozomu was becoming less reserved.

"Nozomu, are you okay?"

"You don't look so good..."

"Well, it's been a while since I trained with Shishō now ..."

Irisdina and Shīna were staring at Nozomu with a sad expression, perhaps because they were worried about Nozomu who seemed to be exhausted.

Nozomu smiled at them and waved his hand, but then let out a big sigh again.

Combat training with Jihad was now held every few days.

Normally, direct guidance from such a superior instructor or teacher was only allowed for higher ranked students, such as first-class, but for Jihad to directly train him was an unusual situation.

The reason why this happened was obvious, though.

"Well, I guess it's because Nozomu went wild in combat training at that time."

"In fact, there was no one else in our grade who made Jihad-sensei pull out Jaw Drop except Nozomu-kun..."

"In other words, Nozomu reaps what he sows."

Due to the words of Feo, Tima, and Mars, Nozomu's shoulders slumped.

Apart from that, he has no regrets about showing off his katana techniques in front of Jihad, Lisa, and the other underclassmen, and he was glad he did so.

In fact, the rumors that Ken had planted throughout the school were starting to die down, and some of the underclassmen were actively talking to Nozomu.

Some of the underclassmen who were still unsure about the requests they would be able to do in the forest would come to Nozomu to ask for his opinion, and Eldor would occasionally bring a wooden sword and ask Nozomu to spar with him.

Nozomu was happy that his knowledge was useful, and when he had free time, he answered questions from the underclassmen and even had a light spar with Eldor.

Nowadays, Nozomu's reputation among the underclassmen was on the rise, and only a few students look at him with disdain.

When he left the dormitory in the morning, the underclassmen greeted him in a pleasant manner, and Nozomu found himself smiling back at them.

Nozomu had always been despised, but his surroundings had changed drastically in the past few years.

However, the thought of continuing the combat training with Jihad reminded Nozomu of nostalgic scenes, which naturally made his eyelids feel hot.

"Jihad-sensei, I thought he was a little bit more decent~"

Although Nozomu's impression of Jihad has changed a bit recently, Jihad is an intelligent man by nature.

He is extremely knowledgeable, and although he holds a great deal of power within Solminati Academy and Arcazam, he is also a man of reason and integrity.

He is definitely a person who is respected by many countries and is a pillar of the Solminati Academy.

However, there is no doubt that his opportunities to wield his sword have dwindled as he has been busy teaching and serving as a window for the council that governs the city.

Jihad is a genuine swordsman by nature. With so many inexperienced students and so few opportunities to wield his sword, perhaps he was happy to have Nozomu who could compete with him.

Now Jihad had started to set up combat training with Nozomu every few days.

Because of this, Nozomu has had to risk his life many times, just like he did when he was training with Shino.

"Certainly, it may be too much, but I think that's how much they value Nozomu."

"Also, thanks to this, no one doubts Nozomu's ability anymore, right? The students who used to yell at Nozomu these days don't even make eye contact with us."

As he repeatedly did combat training with Jihad, Nozomu's abilities became known throughout the school.

Now, no one doubted Nozomu's skills.

The rumor that he was a cheating bastard was still controversial, but most of the students who had despised Nozomu up until now had begun to avoid him. After they found out that the person they had mocked until now was more powerful than they had imagined, they fear Nozomu's retaliation.

However, Nozomu had no intention of retaliating, nor was he able to do so. He was too occupied with Lisa, Ken, and Tiamat to worry about anything else.

"Nozomu-kun, how are you these days?"

"About what?"

"Umm... about that dragon. As expected, it's still..."

"Yeah, I had that dream again today..."

His battle with Tiamat in the dream world. The dragon was still running rampant, trying to take over him in a fight that had been happening periodically since he had fought the Metal Dragon and confessed everything to Irisdina and the others.

Each time he was overwhelmed, he had visions of his own death over and over again. Even so, he had been able to wake up in the real world without being eaten by Tiamat.

Nevertheless, the mental burden was not light.

If they looked closely, they could see dark circles under Nozomu's eyes, and his complexion was not good. To be honest, Nozomu had a hard time concentrating in the morning class, and even now his mind seemed to have a haze in his head.

Nozomu's pale complexion was partly due to the intense combat training with Jihad, but it was probably more due to the mental tug of war with Tiamat.

(And lately, I feel like there's something wrong with that guy...)

Tiamat had been trying to kill Nozomu with a clear intent to kill him, but recently Nozomu had noticed a change in his behavior.

His eyes were lit with anger, just as they always were. However, there seemed to be some other emotion swirling inside of his eyes.

However, Nozomu still did not know what it was.

While he was deep in thought, Nozomu took another bite of the dry black bread.

"Here, Tom! Eat your fill."

"U-un...."

Suddenly, in the corner of Nozomu's vision, he saw Mimuru holding a sandwich in her hand.

The way she snuggled up to Tom and took care of him, there was none of her usual mischievousnesses, and from any point of view, they looked like a pair of lovers who get along well.

But why? Tom's eyes were swimming as he stared at the sandwich Mimuru had offered him.

Nozomu called out to Tom, who had been acting strangely since a while ago.

"Tom? What's wrong?"

"N-no, it's nothing!"

Nozomu tilted his head at Tom's behavior.

He looked into Mimuru's lunch box to see if there was anything odd about it but found only neatly cut sandwiches inside.

"It's made pretty neatly."

"Of course it is. It's for Tom!"

"I'm surprised ... I can't believe that a peeping addict like you has such culinary skills."

"...... What are you getting at?"

The sandwiches were made with such care that Nozomu and Mars couldn't help but marvel at them, which was hard to imagine given her usual behavior and actions.

Mimuru glared at Mars, who had unintentionally expressed his true feelings, but it was understandable that he would let such words slip out.

In fact, his friends around him were looking at him with wide eyes and surprised expressions on their faces, though they didn't say anything.

"Yeah, it's surprising. It smells good, and it looks delicious."

Perhaps it was because he had been living in poverty lately and hadn't been able to eat well, Feo was looking at Mimuru's sandwich hungrily.

"W-what do you want? I don't mind, but I will ask you to give me your money."

"You're going to charge me!?"

When Mimuru took out a slice of sandwich and asked for money in return, Feo couldn't help but shout. But Mimuru tilted her head as if to say, "What are you talking about?

Apparently, she would charge money for her food for anyone but Tom.

"Now, now. It's okay, isn't it? We're all eating together, so why not share it?

"If that's what Tom wants, then fine, but Feo, you should be grateful."

"Oh, as expected Tom! You know what I'm talking about!"

Feo's mouth was agape with frustration, but he immediately felt better when Mimuru shared the sandwich with him due to Tom's approval.

After getting their approval, Feo replied in a good tone and grabbed the sandwich in Mimuru's hand.

Mimuru's mouth twitched a bit in frustration, but she let out a sigh as if she had no choice but to offer the lunch box in her hand to everyone.

"Can we have some too?"

"Yes. I don't make that much, though."

Even though from her earlier impression she was somewhat dissatisfied, she must have been honestly happy to be praised for her cooking.

Contrary to her slightly dismissive tone, Mimuru had a smile on her face.

"Alright then,?bon?appétit~."

"I think I'll go ahead and have a bite."

"W-well then ... I'll also..."

"Eh? Wha..."

Somia, Irisdina, and the others were also curious, and they reached out into Mimuru's lunch box and picked up a slice of sandwich each.

Nozomu was concerned why Sheena was looked shocked, but since it was a good opportunity, Nozomu also took a sandwich from Mimuru's lunch box.

The meat in the sandwich was thick, and the appetizing smell of the spices used in the sandwich was enticing to the nose.

It was hard to imagine from her usual words and deeds, but the taste seemed to be quite promising as well.

"Does everyone really want to eat it...?"

While everyone took a slice of the sandwich each, Shīna was the only one who did not take the sandwich.

“Eh, is Shīna really don't want to take one?”

"Y-yeah. I can't eat much ..."

The bread that Shīna had brought for lunch still showed no signs of having been eaten except for a few bites. Considering her slender body, she was probably a small eater and ate slowly when she ate.

Shīna waved her hand apologetically.

Feo didn't show any sign of being concerned about her at all, and he chewed on the sandwich she had taken from Mimuru.

"Hehe, well then, let's get to it... Guhaaaa!"

"....Eh?"

The next moment, Feo suddenly screamed and fell to the ground, burying his face in the grass and his body convulsing, rendering everyone present speechless.

"Aa, you've done it again..."

"... Shīna, what do you mean?"

Shīna was looking up at the sky with her hand on her forehead, and Nozomu called out to her timidly.

"Mimuru can cook, but sometimes she mixes things that taste ridiculous. The only way to be sure is to try it. Moreover, it doesn't look and smell like ordinary food, so the only way to be sure of it is to try it ... "

"""........." "

Nozomu was shocked when he heard Shīna's words, and he fearfully checked the sandwich in his hand.

The smell and the ingredients in the sandwich were no different from an ordinary sandwich, but because of Shīna's words, he felt as if he had been exposed to a dangerous thing.

Irisdina and the others were also speechless at the tragedy that had suddenly occurred in front of them.

At the edge of Nozomu's field of vision, Mimuru was saying to Feo, who has suddenly fallen to the ground, "How rude of you to suddenly scream and fall down!". She was pouting and angry. Looked like she didn't understand why Feo had collapsed.

"Well, whatever. Here's one for you, Tom!"

"T-thank you. I-I'm very happy ..."

Mimuru left the fallen Feo with a single word, "Whatever." and leaned back to Tom as if nothing had happened.

In her hand was a sandwich that Nozomu and his friends had just deemed as a dangerous substance.

Mimuru's tail was moving as if expecting Tom's reaction. The way she gazed at her lover with a glittering gaze was purely that of a maiden in love.

"Come on, eat it!"

Mimuru leaned in even closer as she made a sweet-like voice.

The innocent look in her eyes, which was different from her usual smirking and teasing expression, showed how much thought she had put into preparing Tom's lunch.

Seeing Mimuru like this, Nozomu and the others couldn't push her back even if they knew that the sandwich in her hand might be deadly. Not to mention Tom, who felt that pure love was directed at him.

The eyes of Nozomu, Irisdina, and the others, met with Tom's eyes.

With sandwiches in their hands, Nozomu and the others closed their eyes tightly, made up their minds, and bit into them all at once.

At the same time, an indescribable taste, the opposite of the appetizing aroma, spread in their mouths.

It was, in a word, an explosion of taste.

The bread was white but somehow salty, and the vegetables had a nauseating bitterness and astringency. The meat sandwiched between the bread and vegetables had an intense sweetness and sourness that was somehow insistent on their tongue.

It was a miracle sandwich that condensed all the flavors that a person can feel. In an instant, Nozomu's face turned bright red, and in the next moment, his face turned pale.

"Nozomu-kun? Hey!?"

Nozomu lost consciousness as he listened to Shīna's voice, which seemed to be panicked as his consciousness went blank.

======================================

As usual, the cafeteria of Solminati Academy is as crowded and noisy as ever at lunchtime.

Beyond the eyes of the three students having lunch at a table in one corner of the cafeteria, there were Irisdina and the others in a panic and rushing towards Nozomu, who had collapsed in the courtyard of the school.

Camilla, one of the three, poked at the food in front of her and glanced sideways at her best friend and classmate next to her.

The spoon in her hand was lowered and the hot soup had cooled completely.

"Lisa"

"Eh! W-what is it!?"

"Your soup's getting cold."

"....Ah"

After Camilla called out to Lisa who was in a daze, she resumed eating in a hurry. However, Lisa frowned a little, as if she didn't enjoy the soup that had gone cold.

Next to Lisa, Ken was also eating in the same way.

"Lisa, what's wrong?"

"N-no... It's nothing..."

Lisa responded to Ken's question with a stiff expression.

Ken had the same smiling expression as always. But lately, when Camilla saw that smile, a strange feeling began to grow rapidly inside of her mind.

Lisa, too, felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort and unease at Ken's recent smile, and her responses were somewhat awkward.

Lisa and Ken were like misaligned gears. Silence lay between them. The distance between them seemed like a canyon with no end in sight.

Camilla remained silent and watched them as they continued their awkward conversation.

"Hey, that is..."

"T-that person is ..."

Camilla's ears heard voices in the midst of hustle and bustle around her.

Camilla looked in the direction of the voices and saw two underclassmen looking at Lisa, Ken, and her.

"That person is Lisa-senpai, right? Nozomu-senpai's ex-girlfriend..."

"The one Nozomu-senpai betrayed? But that rumor is a hoax after all, right? Then as expected it was......."

Rude gazes were directed at Camilla and the others.

The words that came into her ears made Camilla conscious of it. It was the same for Lisa, who was sitting next to her.

Lisa's lips quivered. She was looking down and her face was hidden by her bangs, so it was impossible to see her expression.

What the underclassmen were talking about was the rumor of Nozomu and Lisa that had recently risen again in this school. But this time, the rumors were completely different from the ones that had been circulating before.

It used to be about Nozomu who was described as a maniac who cheated on Lisa and dumped her, but lately, some of the underclassmen were saying that the whole rumors were lies and that Lisa had given up on Nozomu and dumped him instead because he had developed Ability Suppression.

Curiosity and speculation, suspicion and disbelief. Such rude gazes were directed at Lisa.

"... Sorry, I'll go back first."

Lisa, who was concerned about what the underclassmen had just said, silently put down the spoon in her hand and left her seat.

Her voice was clearly weak and lacking in power.

"Lisa, I'm coming with you."

"N-no, it's okay. Sorry..."

Lisa walked out of the cafeteria, stopped Ken with one hand as he tried to come with her.

The smile on her face when she refused Ken was somewhat fake.

"~ !!"

As soon as Lisa was out of sight, Ken glared at the underclassmen who had been whispering about her.

The rage that emanated from Ken's entire body was instantly sublimated into a pitch-black hostility and slammed into the underclassmen.

In the face of such dense intimidation, the underclassmen who had been glancing at Camilla and the others shivered, got up in a panic, and left the cafeteria with pale faces.

"How annoying. Underclassmen these days are really..."

"Stop it, Ken!?"

They were neither in a training ground nor in the middle of a deserted forest. They were in a student cafeteria where many students gathered.

Perhaps reacting to Ken's hostility, Camilla and Ken were now attracting the attention of the entire cafeteria.

No, it wasn't hostility, it was closer to bloodlust. The atmosphere in the cafeteria was tense.

It was literally the intention to kill the other person.

To direct one's murderous intent in a public place like this, was more than just a violation of etiquette.

In fact, the other students who were eating around him were frowning and glaring at Ken with displeasure.

"....Hmph."

However, Ken took a glance at them and showed no sign of regret or remorse.

He snorted as if he had done nothing to apologize. He looked convinced that he had done the right thing.

The expression on his face, which was without hesitation, stirred the swirling frustration in Camilla's chest.

"Ken, follow me for a minute."

"Hm, what?"

"Just follow me!"

Stirred by her own frustration, Camilla left her seat and urged Ken to follow her.

She grabbed Ken's hand, who was wondering what was wrong, and forced him out of the cafeteria.

If she stayed in the cafeteria as it was, she wouldn't know what he'll do next.

While being driven by such anxiety, Camilla ignored Ken, who seemed to want to say something, and walked quickly out of the cafeteria.

Camilla took Ken to a quiet corner of the corridor, away from the hustle and bustle.

The sunlight shining through the window illuminated her skin.

Once they arrived at this desolate place, Camilla reproached Ken in a harsh tone.

"What's wrong with you!? Suddenly released such bloodlust on a group of underclassmen in such a place!

It was true that there were problems with the underclassmen who talked about such ugly things in public, but even so, Ken's attitude was too domineering.

Moreover, the irreverent attitude he showed to the students around him afterward was also unbelievable. There was no need to be so hostile to students who have nothing to do with him.

Even now, Lisa was in a state of instability and unrest.? Under such circumstances, Ken's attitude might cause unnecessary antipathy and push Lisa further into a corner.

No, Ken had already been getting angry whenever Lisa made a hurtful expression after hearing the rumors, and it was causing a bad reputation from the surroundings.

And because of Ken's hostility to the students around him, the students around them began to look at them more and more harshly, which started a vicious cycle.

As a matter of fact, after Nozomu had demonstrated his abilities, even the classmates who had stood beside Lisa, recently stopped talking to her.

"They hurt Lisa, so they deserve it."

However, Ken didn't listen to Camilla's words. Instead, he looked even more hostile to the underclassmen who hurt Lisa, and his handsome face was distorted.

Due to his attitude, Camilla's eyes narrowed sharply as she stared at Ken. Her gaze was tinged with strong suspicion.

"You've been acting strange lately. You've never vented your frustration on your surroundings like that before."

Due to Camilla's sharp gaze, Ken also squinted his eyes.

But soon he let out a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders. In the next moment, the fury was gone, and Ken became his normal self.

"Weird? What do you mean by weird? We need to protect Lisa, don't we?"

"You know ... if you spread such anger into your surroundings, you would attract unwanted anger from everyone.”

The tone of Camilla's voice, which was stifled with anger, was the opposite of Ken's flat tone.

Her shoulders were trembling, and her eyes were fixed on Ken. It was as if she was trying to figure out what was hiding behind Ken's eyes.

Even though he saw Camilla behaving in a blatantly suspicious manner, Ken's expression did not change at all, and even a smile appeared on his lips.

The flames of anger inside of Camilla's heart were rapidly growing as she saw his face as if nothing he was doing was wrong.

However, Ken's answer to Camilla's complaint was something that left her speechless.

"What are you talking about, Camilla? We have to get rid of anyone who hurts Lisa, right?"

"~ !?"

The color of his eyes was cold as he smiled gently, and the flat tone of his voice convinced Camilla that Ken was serious about his words.

Ken's words and deeds seemed to have nothing but Lisa, and it sent a sensation down Camilla's spine like an icicle had pierced her spine.

She couldn't move a finger, as if her whole body was frozen, and she couldn't find the words to say anything.

"Nozomu indeed seems to be getting stronger, but in the end, we're the only ones who can protect Lisa."

"You ... what are you saying ..."

Ken's hollow smile deepened, and unpleasant premonition rapidly swelled up inside Camilla's chest.

The figure of Ken, who was supposed to be there, lost its reality as if it were a scene seen through a glass.

The words spoken by him sounded like unknown words to Camilla's ears.

Nozomu's words came back to Camilla's mind.

Nozomu never lost his temper, even when he was pushed down and shouted at.

More importantly, his words to Lisa, who was upset, were much calmer.

(I've been running away. If I really cared about Lisa, I should have kept talking to you, no matter how much you cursed me or hit me at that time.)

(I thought what I did was the best for you, but I ran away and didn't want to face you. I thought that if I continued to train diligently, you would someday believe that the rumors were not true. It was stupid, wasn't it? I want you to see me even though I ran away and wouldn't face you...)

Nozomu's words flowed like a meteor. At the same time, a chill ran down Camilla's spine, freezing her whole body.

At that time, Nozomu had indeed denied having an affair.

The words "I didn't cheat on you!" suddenly felt true, and at the same time, the facts that she had believed in the false rumors until now turned out to be as flimsy as a piece of paper.

The fact that Nozomu had betrayed her was replaced by the truth that it was Ken who had betrayed her, and everything she had believed until now was completely reversed, like the two sides of a coin.

"Such a thing ... Then I ..."

Camilla could only stand stunned as if heaven and earth were reversed and she was crashing into the dark night sky.

Ken smiled at her as she cowered in front of him as if she had lost herself.

"I will definitely protect Lisa. For that reason, I have to get rid of Nozomu... Isn't that right, Camilla?"

The words that he said as if they were natural only irritated her more and more. Camilla's face, which had been dumbfounded by the fact that she had been deceived until now and by hearing Ken's words, which were no longer anything but delusional, suddenly became tinged with anger.

"~! You ...!"

"Don't look at me like that, I'm sure you'll cooperate. Because we are "friends". "

(Friends)

That word stabbed Camilla in the chest. Camilla's hands stopped moving as if they were frozen in place.

Yes, she had been dancing around Ken's lies, cursing and harassing Nozomu. She tried to help Lisa get back on her feet, but in the end, she had stalled her progress instead.

And it was an undeniable fact that Camilla has helped Ken to tear the relationship between Lisa and Nozomu to irreparable shreds. This fact began to torment her to the point of helplessness.

Her outstretched hand drooped helplessly.

Before she knew it, her nails were digging into her tightly clenched hands, and she was shaking her shoulders in guilt.

At that moment, the bell rang. In the corridor, she could see students returning to their classrooms after finishing their meals.

"It's time. Let's get back."

Ken urged her to go back to the classroom and turned his back to her and started walking. Ken's words, which had not changed in tone at all, were still felt empty and slipped through Camilla's ears like nothing.

As Ken began to walk away, Camilla remained downcast and motionless, even as the students looked at her strangely as they returned to their classrooms.

Her lips were bitten tightly and her clenched fists had somehow turned red with oozing blood.

It was as if it was her repentance.

===============================

In the infirmary, filled with the scent of chemicals, a beautiful woman sat on a chair and exposed her beautiful legs, looking at the boy lying on the bed in front of her, and put her hand on his forehead in amazement.

"So, how did you end up here ..."

Norn, the responsible person in the infirmary, sighed and ran his pen through the record book while listening to the st-->>

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