Translator : PolterGlast

Proofreader :?John4891

Nozomu and Somia, who had left Zonne's store at that point, walked through the commercial district again.

“........”

Nozomu thought about the words he’d heard from Zonne.

Nozomu hid various things, including the information about him being a dragon slayer. He met Lisa and Ken just before going to the forest, and the wicked impulse that sprang up at that time caused him to ... Plus, Irisdina and the others were worried about him, but in the end, Nozomu couldn't tell them a thing. It wasn't hard to imagine that it hurt them.

(But, if I tell them ...)

Even so, Nozomu's anxiety didn't go away. It was like a fire that continued to burn, gradually growing larger and larger.

"Nozomu-san? What's wrong?"

"Eh? N-No, it's nothing."

Somia, who was walking beside him, spoke to him as she checked Nozomu's expression. Nozomu was lost in his own thoughts, but he acted as if nothing had happened.

"More importantly, Somia-chan. What are we going to do now? Looks like we still have time."

As Nozomu said, the sun hadn't set yet. Because the days were getting longer in spring, it seemed that the number of people walking on the streets hadn’t decreased.

"U~n. What should we do .. Eh? Something smells sweet ..."

"Hmm? This smell is ..."

A sweet scent patted the noses of the two who were walking down the street. When Nozomu and Somia turned towards the source of the scent, there was a small stall by the side of the road where several children had gathered.

"Hey, Uncle! Please give me that candy!"

"Ah, that's not fair! I'm trying to get that one too!!"

"Look look, don't fight. I will make everyone's share properly."

The stall was the candy shop that Irisdina and Nozomu had visited before. It seemed that the children were gathering for sweets just like when he visited before. Perhaps the shopkeeper was happy that the children were delighted, so he made candy crafts dexterously with a big smile on his face.

"It's done. Here you go."

"Uwa~! Thank you!!"

The children, who received their sweets, happily thanked the shopkeeper and ran merrily with the candy in one hand and disappeared into the crowd.

With a smile, Nozomu called out to the shopkeeper when he saw such a sight.

"Hello."

"Hmm? Oh! You were the student who helped me before. What are you up to today?"

The shopkeeper noticed Nozomu. He talked to Nozomu with a smile, but he never stopped making candy, and he continued to make delights that could be called an intricate and detailed work of art.

"I took a detour on my way home from school. Anyway, the sweets are as good as ever."

"Oh, thank you. This girl is ..."

Nozomu was still impressed by the excellent work of the shopkeeper, then he realized that Somia had become quiet before he knew it.

"Waa~~!"

As Nozomu turned to Somia, she gazed at the many candy crafts in front of her. Her eyes shone so brightly.

(By the way, didn't Irisdina-san say Somia-chan didn’t like sweets? ...)

Nozomu remembered when he visited this shop with Irisdina before. Irisdina said Somia had no eyes for sweets because if she ate too much, she would get cavities.

"That's right. Why don't you make candy craft again?"

".... Eh?"

Nozomu tilted his head at the shopkeeper's sudden words.

"How about you, young lady? You've never made candy before, have you? Why don't you try it?"

"Eh? Is it okay!?"

"Of course. I still have the ingredients, and you can use them for two people without any problems. Of course, you have to pay for it."

The shop owner proposed to Somia to make candy crafts with a slightly mischievous smile. Somia seems excited and interested in making candy crafts.

"Nozomu-san, let's do it!"

"... Alright. I didn't do well last time, so why don't I try it again?"

"It's decided. Then, please come here."

After the shop owner was satisfied with Nozomu's answer, he guided them to the counter.

"Then let's get started. You already know because you've done it before, right?"

"Yeah, first I do this ..."

Nozomu first set the pot with starch syrup inside it on fire. He added sugar and other ingredients as he boiled the candy, paying close attention to the heat so tat the candy wouldn't burn.

While stirring the pot, he checked the color and stickiness, and when he thought it was just right, Nozomu took the candy out of the pot, divided it in half, and gave one candy to Somia. Nozomu used the other one and formed it with two sticks.

"Wa~! Wa wa!"

"! Oops!"

It didn’t seem to go as expected. Somia was about to drop the candy on her stick, and Nozomu was struggling with the candy that was likely to hang on the ground because of its softness.

The stickiness, which made the candy easier to shape, was about to be worn out. It didn't let Nozomu and Somia shape it however they wanted.

Eventually, the heat contained in the candy escaped, and when it became hard, the two stopped their work.

"Wha, it didn't work."

"That's right. It has become something I don't quite understand. What was Nozomu-san trying to make?"

"Hmm? It was supposed to be a horse ..."

Nozomu made a horse, but in the process of making the legs, the candy hung down and it became a strangely long-legged horse.

"Mine is a cat, but somehow..."

On the other hand, Somia made a cat. However, the ears were also oddly long, and the shape of its face was also distorted.

"Ahaha. As expected, my first try won't work."

"Haha! That's true. I intend to take revenge for my previous failure, but it won't do with this long-legged horse."

Somia smiled while looking at her own candy craft, and Nozomu laughed as if he was enticed by her smile.

"Fufu, I still have the ingredients, but what are you going to do? Do you want to try it again?"

The shopkeeper asked if they wanted to try again.

""I will do it!""

The two responded to the shopkeeper's suggestion in unison. After that, they tried to make candy crafts several times, but all of their works were not clear at first glance what they intended it to be, and they raised their voices and laughed every time they failed.

Somia and Nozomu found it odd to laugh at their own work, but they still enjoyed it from the bottom of their hearts.

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

While Nozomu and Somia were enjoying candy crafts on the shopkeeper's recommendation, Somia's sister and the Beastman group that followed them observed Nozomu and Somia, who were struggling with candy crafts, while hiding in the shadows.

“...........”

"Hey Ai, you don't have to worry so much."

"... But a while ago, Somia was about to be touched by that old man."

Irisdina was probably talking about what happened at Zonne's fortune telling shop.

Irisdina, who found out that Somia's destination was the sexual harasser's store, was so worried about her sister that she gazed at the two standing in front of the store.

And when Zonne came out from the back of the store, Tima and Mars had an unpleasant premonition. As expected, the ero geezer tried to touch Somia in the same way as when he tried to sexually harass Irisdina.

"B-But Nozomu-kun managed to stop him ..."

"But she was about to be touched ..."

When Zonne tried to touch Somia with his fortune-telling as an excuse, Irisdina pulled out the rapier that hung on her waist and tried to charge towards Nozomu, Somia, and Zonne.

Mars and Tima stopped her by blocking her with their bodies. Even though Nozomu stopped Zonne with his attitude, which clearly showed that he would not hesitate to use his power, Irisdina's gaze towards Zonne had remained sharper.

After that, Zonne started taking the fortune-telling seriously. Somia listened to Nozomu and the old man's conversation, but Irisdina and the others couldn't hear their conversation. She took some distance because Nozomu turned his gaze towards her on the way to Zonne's shop.

Irisdina had an impatient expression again because she couldn't hear their conversation, but when she saw Somia had a clear expression and smile on her face, she understood that their conversation wasn't bad at least. Irisdina, who saw it, finally quenched her bloodlust. In a sense, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Zonne's fate was determined by Somia's mood.

"But it's quite bad, isn't it? It seems that Nozomu is aware of us, and Somia will eventually be aware of us too if we are too persistent, right?"

"T-That's right, Ai. More than this will be no good. Is it okay to be hated by Somia-chan?"

"Ugh~ !?"

Tima's words, "Is it okay to be hated by Somia-chan?" struck Irisdina's chest. Those words seemed to be enough to strike a wedge in her heart.

"I know you're worried about Somia-chan, but Nozomu-kun is with her, so it'll be alright."

"... Well, that ero geezer certainly couldn't get his hands on Somia because of Nozomu. If it's him, he would surely stand up for her. Also Arcazam has a good public order ... "

"... Uuu ~~"

Mars was in tune with Tima's words this time. Irisdina was advised by the two of them. Still, whether it was because she was worried about Somia or for some other reason, she groaned but didn't move. This made her more like a child.

When Tima looked at Nozomu and Somia, there were two kids who were engrossed in candy crafts.

Nozomu tried to make a craft with two sticks before the boiled candy hardened, but he had a difficult expression because it didn't work out the way he wanted, and next to him, Somia watched Nozomu, who was struggling against the candy craft, with a gentle smile.

Although it was impossible to hear their conversation due to the distance between them, the two of them making candy together had quite a pleasant atmosphere.

Irisdina looked at the two of them with a gaze like a lonely child. It was as if she was frustrated that she couldn't be there with them.

(... Ha~a, As I thought, Ai is not only worried about Somia, but it seems she is also worried about Nozomu who is dating Somia ...)

Tima sighed and looked at her best friend. Her best friend had a look she had never seen before. To her, Irisdina was her first friend, and her best friend after she came to school. But she had never seen Irisdina look like this before.

(So you are worried about the two of them?)

Tima knew that Irisdina was concerned about Nozomu, but she didn't know whether Nozomu noticed it or not. When she was with Nozomu, Irisdina's mood was definitely different from usual.

"Hey, should we end it here? At least it doesn't seem urgent anymore."

Tima was absorbed in her thoughts while looking at her best friend, but after hearing Mars' voice, she looked at him.

Irisdina was pondering Mars' words, but she suddenly asked Mars.

"...What will Mars-kun do if Ena-kun walks in with a man you don't know?"

"Huh? Why all of a sudden ..."

"What do you think?"

"I never thought about it ..."

Mars said he hadn't thought about it, but his averted gaze and clogging manner of speech exuded an emotion that contradicted his words.

"... I'm worried. About Somia and Nozomu ..."

Irisdina's face suddenly turned bright red and she started muttering something. No one knew what was going on in her mind. She suddenly glared at Nozomu in the distance, after which she quickly lowered her head down. And then she lifted her face again. She was now holding her head and starting to worry about something.

"... What are we going to do? This girl seems really confused."

"What should we do ..."

Even Tima, who had known her the longest, didn't even know what to do with her best friend in front of her.

At that time, Irisdina noticed a store on a section of the street.

"That's right, with this ..."

"Wait, Ai! Where are you going?!"

Irisdina rushed into the store without answering Tima's question. She quickly came out of the store, but Mars and Tima were stunned by her appearance.

"W-What is that?"

"Umm, it's probably Ai. I don't know why she is wearing something like that ..."

Irisdina entered the clothing store. The store sold not only everyday clothes, but also working clothes, and sturdy clothes for travel.

Irisdina came out of the shop wearing a hooded robe that covered her entire body, and the hood also covered her head, so others couldn't tell it was her at first glance unless they looked at her face. However, her appearance looked very suspicious.

Dressed in a robe, she walked straight towards the candy shop where Nozomu and Somia were.

"... No way, is she going to go see their situation in those clothes?"

“........”

Tima didn't seem to answer when asked by Mars. Nozomu, who noticed Irisdina going to the candy shop, looked at her with a surprised expression.

Irisdina approached Nozomu regardless. She seemed to be trying to talk to Nozomu disguised as a guest, but the hood on her head was moving unnaturally, and it seemed like the inside of Irisdina's head was chaotic. The movement of the hood became more intense, and Somia, feeling suspicious, came to their side.

Then Irisdina, who thought it was bad, grabbed the bag filled with candy that Nozomu presented, and she glanced back to tell Nozomu something.

"... Somehow, it's no good in many aspects. "

".... Yeah"

Mars and Tima who were hiding in the nearby bushes sighed at the same time.

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

Nozomu's POV

After we finished with the candy craft, we thanked the shopkeeper and gave him the payment. This time we walked to the central park. Perhaps the sun was about to set in the west, the surrounding area was gradually being dyed red.

"Ah! That was fun!"

"Yeah. To be honest, I was worried about what we should’ve done since we made too much."

I nodded at Somia-chan's words while looking at the bag in my hand.

As a result, the number of candies we made was quite the number.

If we heat the candy too much, it will discolor or lose its taste, so we can't remake it. We were worried that we made too much candy, but the shopkeeper took the extra candy and put it up for sale at a bargain price.

Even though the shape wasn't great, the taste of the candy itself didn't change, and besides, Somia-chan started to take the initiative to attract customers, saying, "We made it."

Seeing such a cute Somia-chan, I also tried to invite customers together with her.

Passersbys, who were called out immediately, started looking at her. She was talking to a variety of people, including those who had finished their work. An old man who was taking a walk, and lovers who were about to spend time together all came to check it out.

At first, they had suspicious expressions because they were suddenly called, but when Somia smiled and recommended the candies, they loosened their expressions and started looking at the candy lined up in the shop.

"But the candy is sold out. So there's nothing more to say."

"That's true, but I made Nozomu-san lose a lot of money."

Somia's facial expression was a little dark.

Sure, the candy itself was sold out, but because it was badly shaped, it was sold at a fairly low price, so I made up for the shortfall.

"It's okay. I've been earning extra lately, so I have a little more money. If it was the old man, he would say, "that's what reliable man looks like!"

Although reluctant, in order not to spoil the atmosphere as much as possible, I referred to that ero geezer.

"... Ehehe! As I thought, you are so kind, Nozomu-san"

However, Somia changed her expression. With her tongue sticking out, she smiled mischievously.

"...Somia-chan. Perhaps, did you do it on purpose?"

"Ehehehe!"

"Haa ..."

Somia-chan's smile brightened as if to affirm my words. I raised my hand immediately as I surrendered to her.? Apparently, I was made fun of by this little girl.

She did me good. Honestly, Somia-chan, who can trick a man at her age, made me feel terrified.

Somia-chan had the same glossy black hair and jet-black eyes as Iris. Although she was still a child, her appearance was enough to imagine how attractive she would be in the future.

(We~ll, both Somia-chan and Iris seem to have some trouble because of that.)

When we were at the candy shop, Iris came in wearing a hooded robe. I was quite surprised to see her appearance. She was ordering candy with a trembling voice.

I asked Iris what she was doing with a hushed voice so that Somia, who was nearby, couldn't hear us; however, she denied it with a dismayed voice, saying, "I-I'm... my name is not Irisdina."

When I tried to pursue it, she got angry and denied it more aggressively, and Somia, who was by my side, asked, "What's wrong?"

We quickly said the same words at the same time, "It's nothing!!", and I immediately wrapped the candy Iris ordered into a bag and handed it to her.

At that time, my hands suddenly clenched tightly, and I felt a piercing gaze coming from inside of her hood.

At that moment, even without words, I could tell her gaze was telling me, "Make sure there's no improper conduct!!"

.. What on earth were you talking about? Somia was still 11 years old. Love was too early for her, and this date was more like brother and sister than lovers.

"Nozomu-san. Why don't we rest there?"

"Ah~, alright. Let's do that."

She pointed to a bench in a section of Central Park. After we sat on the bench together, we took the candy out of the bag we had and put it in our mouths.

The sweet smell and taste spread throughout the mouth and seemed to permeate across our entire body.

Somia sat on the bench with her legs dangling, while her expression looked so delighted with the sweet candy.

Perhaps because she was doing something she had never done before, she was probably more tired than she thought.

"... Nozomu-san. Thank you very much for today."

"No, the feeling was mutual. It was fun and I enjoyed our time together. I got to try candy crafting again. The result ... Well, you already know."

Our eyes intersected, and we smiled at each other. Even though only a few words were exchanged, I could fully feel that today's date was fun.

"Um, Nozomu-san. Can you listen to my story?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

Somia-chan asked me again.

"About today's fortune-telling ... That ..."

".... Is it about your problems?"

Somia nodded in response to my question. Today's fortune-telling. Maybe it was about what the old man had told her earlier.

"I can listen to your story, but is that okay? I think Somia-chan's better off talking to Iris about it."

"Ane-sama is no good. Umm ... since it's about her ..."

It seemed she was worried about Iris. I nodded as if I understood. Somia-chan started talking about herself.

"As you know Nozomu-san. I want to be like Ane-sama ..."

"Yes."

Somia's dream was to be like her sister, Irisdina. I heard it from her the first time I met her in this park.

"Isn't Ane-sama so wonderful? She's beautiful, she's strong, and she can do anything ..."

I also nodded to Somia-chan's words. Of course, Iris was a very attractive girl. It seemed that the number of people who confessed to her at school was more than double digits, and her parents were nobles in Foskia. To top it off, she would be the head of the family in the future. It was hard to find flaws in her.

(Well, it seems regarding Somia-chan is a bit different ...)

I glanced at the other side of the park from the bench we were sitting on so Somia wouldn't notice. Although I couldn't see them, I could feel their presence from that place. They wouldn’t be able to hear our conversation due to the distance, but it looked like they were still following us.

"I love that kind of Ane-sama, and I'm proud of her, but ... I sometimes think about things that I don't like. I either envy her or she is very lucky. Of course, I understand that Ane-sama works really hard and does her best to be able to do many things .. Even so, sometimes that thought still pops into my mind.”

"... perhaps, what you're worried about is that?"

Somia-chan nodded to my words. Iris was a very important family member, and although her goals remained the same, she sometimes envied her overly outstanding sister. In addition, since she knew more than anyone else how much effort Iris had made, she may have hated herself for thinking that way.

"... But I think it can't be helped. I think everyone has feelings of envy for someone, and even sisters sometimes envy each other, right?"

“...........”

The answer that came out of my mouth was too common. To be honest, I didn't know how troubled Somia was, so I could only give such an ambiguous reply, and her expression remained stiff.

“........”

“........”

Silence flowed for a while. There was a bit of an awkward atmosphere, but Somia finally opened her mouth.

"I used to hate Ane-sama."

".... Eh?"

Her words made me doubt my ears because I had seen Somia love Iris more than anyone, and she even described Iris as her future dream.

"I've never seen my mother's face. She died shortly after giving birth to me, so I don't even know what she looked like. There's only a portrait of her in my father's room..”

“.........”

Somia-chan started talking about her past. I listened to her words in silence.

“My mother never hugged me, sang me a lullaby, or slept with me. Ane-sama often told me about my mother. She had the same black hair as us, and she was a very kind person ... "

It seemed loneliness and regret rose from her face as she continued to talk.

"When I think about it now, since I didn't know anything about our mother, Ane-sama wanted me to know about her as much as possible; however, at that time, I thought Ane-sama was making a fool out of me, or maybe Ane-sama was resenting me for robbing her of our mother ... "

“...........”

“That's why I didn't want to talk to Ane-sama or father. I loathe them. I hate them. I can only think like that.”

The candy bag that Somia had was squeezed with a crumpling noise.

"No one cares about me. No one worries about me. It was painful to stay at home because I thought so. That's why I left my home. "

"Eeh!?"

Somia's words made me let out a startled voice. Her household was one of the most well-known families in Foskia, and of course, she should’ve been well guarded. Moreover, Somia's age at that time was supposed to be in the single digits.

Even without all that, no matter how tightly guarded a place was, it was easier to get out from the inside than to get in from the outside; however, it still needed tremendous amounts of effort.

"But I was in the mansion all the time, so I didn't know where to go. Eventually, the sun went down and I had no choice but to stay in a corner of the city. It was cold, it was so cold that I didn't know what to do. Still, I didn't want to go home ..”

“........”

I was just at a loss for words for Somia-chan, who didn't try to go home even when that happened. How lonely she was. How much loneliness had been pushed into her petite body?

"And finally it started to rain. I desperately embraced my soaked clothes and tried to withstand the cold, but my body just quivered and didn't get warm at all. Eventually, when my consciousness became hazy, I heard a voice like someone was calling my name."

Somia-chan held her legs tightly. Somehow, I could see a girl who couldn't go anywhere while getting wet in the rain.

"At first I thought that was the case. I thought I wasn’t loved by anyone, and no one would find me."

Somia muttered, burying half of her face in her knees.

“But the voice that called out to me gradually became louder, and when I realized it, I heard the voice from the side. When I lifted my face, I saw Ane-sama who was drenched like me. She even came out of the mansion to find me.”

Somia-chan's face, which lifted after saying that, had a clear expression instead of the sad expression she had before.

"But back then, I said something like ‘Why did you come here?!’. Come to think of it, I said something terrible back then. Ane-sama said, ‘I'm here to look for you.’ Then she grabbed my arm and tried to take me home, but I still wouldn't go home."

Somia-chan let out a bitter laugh, remembering her disgraceful behavior back then.

“After that, there was a fight between Ane-sama, who was trying to take me home, and me, who didn't want to go home. Neither Ane-sama nor I wanted to listen to each other. I didn't hesitate to yell at some point."

“............”

“Like Ane-sama, my father came to look for me, and in the end, I was brought back to the mansion. After returning, both Ane-sama and my father gave me a scolding. At that time, I vented my feelings that had been held in my heart for a long time, in front of everyone. Why didn’t I have a mother! Why did everyone hate me! If you hate me, leave me alone! I cried and screamed. Then I was slapped by Ane-sama.”

Somia stroked her left cheek. Perhaps that was where Irisdina slapped her.

"I was angry and wanted to hit her back, but when I looked at Ane-sama, she was crying too. She was trying desperately to hold back her overflowing tears, but her tears didn't stop ...... Ane-sama was always laughing in front of me, but when I think about it now, I think she was also feeling sad because our mother died, but she couldn't show it in public, and she desperately tried to hide it, but what I’d said made her feelings overflow. "

Come to think of it, Iris was around 10 years old at the time, and it was natural for her to hold back her feelings when a member of her family died.

"After that, both Ane-sama and I cried and yelled at each other, and I fell asleep without realizing it. Then I fell in love with Ane-sama and wanted to be like her. Ane-sama desperately hid her sadness and kept smiling. I want to be like that. "

“............”

Having finished talking about it, Somia took a deep breath and stretched her back to loosen her stiff body.

"Ha~a ~. It was refreshing!"

"Hey, Somia-chan. Why did you tell me all of that?"

I frankly asked the question I wanted the answer to. Our conversation just now was like therapy, and at least it wasn't a story that could be easily spoken about.

"Hm~m. I don't know! I just want to talk."

"You just want to talk?"

"Yes! I want Nozomu-san to know more about me. When I thought so, my mouth naturally opened!"

She smiled as she said so. There was no longer a sad expression on her face, and she had her usual sun-like smile.

As expected, this child was as strong as Iris. She had the strength to care for someone even though she was troubled by something.

"... Somia-chan. I don't have any siblings, so I can't really understand your worries for Iris."

I had no siblings. My father, mother, and I were a family of three.

"But, I still feel a lot of envy towards other people."

But that didn’t mean I wasn't jealous of anyone. Every day, I was told that I couldn't get stronger because of my ability suppression, and even if I tried my best, I couldn't do what I wanted.

If there was no ability suppression. If I was stronger. Not that I never thought about those meaningless "what if" stories.

"I can't really put it into words, but in spite of that, you still love Iris, right?"

".... Yes"

Everyone had envy in their heart. I was also envious of Lisa and the others who became stronger and left me behind, and I felt sorry for myself who couldn't become stronger. Back then, I hid my envy with my promise to Lisa and many other reasons, but when I thought about it now, I certainly had such dark feelings.

In Somia's case, she had hurt Iris with her envious feelings before, so maybe she was super worried about that.

"Then isn't it alright? Somia-chan, you thought Iris would feel hurt because of that, right? That's why you did the fortune-telling and told me all about this."

She was a kind-hearted girl who loved her sister. She remembered that in the past, she hurt her sister with her own selfish beliefs. She was afraid that her sister would find out about her envy.

"... Yes. When my mother died, I remember that Ane-sama, who was always laughing, actually felt broken deep down ... Still, Ane-sama took good care of me. When I thought I would hurt her, I just couldn't talk to her ..."

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