Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no 'Kokoro'-

[LN] Volume 4: Chapter 1.3

Volume 4 Chapter 1.3

A Fresh Start Part 3

Translator : PolterGlast

After finishing her lunch at Ox-head Pavilion, Shina left the restaurant ahead of the others.

Her destination was the school's library. When she reached the library, she pulled out a random book from a random shelf and opened the cover to hide her face in a corner of the bookshelf.

She tried to trace the series of letters on the page, but the content of the book did not seem to sink in at all.

A pain...... ran through the depths of her chest. A sigh naturally escaped from her mouth, her face tensed up, and she bit her lip.

She knew why she couldn't concentrate.

And her spirit friend who was always by her side has disappeared before she knew it. He must have given her some time alone. She was a little grateful for that. Because she didn't want anyone to see the current state of her.

"What the heck am I doing......"

A whisper echoed in the dim shade of the bookshelf. The scene at the Ox-head Pavilion from earlier flashed through her mind.

Irisdina's usual noble atmosphere seemed to disappear, and her face was tense. What was peeking out from the depths of her eyes, which were shaken with anxiety, was the faint feelings she had for him.

Irisdina's face as she gazed at Nozomu, shaking with emotion, was so beautiful that one could not help but admire it. Even Shina, who is of the same sex, couldn't help but gasp.

Shina herself knew. The feelings that Irisdina had for Nozomu. In the battle against the [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede, she had used contract magic to connect Nozomu's and Irisdina's spirits.

But when she witnessed it firsthand, she felt an inexpressible emotion tighten deep within her chest.

"Why, am I not that happy about it......"

Unintentionally, words of dissatisfaction slipped out of her mouth, and she hated herself for that, and let out an even heavier sigh. She repeated such a thing over and over again until she came to the library from Ox-head Pavilion.

As if to refresh her mind, she returned the book on the table to the shelf. As she wandered aimlessly through the forest of bookshelves, Shina's eyes caught sight of the entrance to the corridor leading to the closed shelves.

"That's......."

That was the place where Nozomu had saved Shina, who at the time was still being ridiculed and teased as a [withered-leaf ear]. Unexpectedly, her body staggered toward this place.

The empty passageway was deserted. The pain in her chest increased from the loneliness.

"What are you doing?"

Someone called out to Shina.

When she turned around, a familiar wolf girl was staring at her with a doubtful expression.

"Karanti-.......san."

"I don't mind if you call me without an honorific. Besides, I feel a little guilty when you call me so......."

The girl named Karanti scratched her cheeks a little awkwardly. She was the girl who used to harass Shina maliciously.

The wolf tribe originally lived in the eastern part of the continent, but they had a feud with the elves during the [Great Invasion] 20 years ago. Because of this, they had been persistently pestering Shina, who had lost the ability to sense spirits at the time. She was also the one who was harassing Shina in the library leading to these closed shelves.

However, the feud was resolved after the battle against a demonic beast called Abyss Grief, and the wolf tribe that had been harassing her apologized to her. Since then, they have been able to have normal conversations.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Nothing, just doing some research and looking for materials......."

Shina's gaze wandered off in the direction of the day after tomorrow, and Karanti squinted at her.

"Hmm. So, what kind of book is it?"

"Just something related to magic......."

"That's very vague. What kind of magic?"

"T-That's......."

"...... Well, never mind. I just found the right person for it, so let's ask her instead."

As soon as she said so, Karanti took Shina's hand and started walking.

"H-Hold on......!"

"What? You don't want to study with me? Well, it's understandable considering what I've done in the past......"

"No, it's not like that. Besides, you've saved me twice......"

"The one being saved is me, though. Let's go get the materials, then."

Regardless of Shina's dismay, Karanti led her briskly through the

open-shelf section.

Reluctantly, Shina pulled and held a few books randomly from a random shelf along the way. Next to her, Karanti was picking up some books as well. The two then headed straight to the reading area.

When they arrived at the reading area, Karanti walked over to the trio, who stood out from the others.

"It's been a while, Tima Lime-san. May we sit here?"

"Umml, yes?"

There was a girl with light yellowish green hair who had just been with her at the Ox-head Pavilion earlier, and one dark-haired female student wearing Ekross uniform, a school affiliated with Solminati Academy. And a mature woman in a maid's uniform, which was out of place here.

The Ekross girl was seated at her desk with a book open, looking serious as she studied. The maid stood beside her, as if watching over her, and gave her a gentle gaze.

"Tima-san, so you're in the library, too? And that girl over there is Irisdina's-"

"I'm Somiliana Francilt! Long time no see, candy lady!"

When Shina, who recognized Somia's face, called out to her, Somia replied in a cheerful voice.

"......Candy lady?"

"Well, we met once when I got a miscellaneous request from the Adventurers' Guild. Anyway, who is this person.......?"

Shina's gaze now shifted to the maid standing by Somia's side.

"I am Mena Manat. It's been a while, Shina-sama and Karanti-sama."

Mena bowed reverently, and Shina and Karanti also responded with a bow.

Polite yet impeccable demeanor. They had seen her before. She was the skilled swordswoman who protected Somia when they were fighting the [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede.

After greeting Mena, Shina turned her attention back to Tima and Somia.

"So why are you two here?"

"I'm studying. Tima-chan also happened to meet me here, so we are studying together."

"Well, umm. I'm studying, as well, I guess......?"

While smiling at Tima's usual shyness, Shina peeked at the book she had opened out of curiosity. The contents of the book were related to wind magic and control techniques for strengthening magic, and there was also a stack of books related to Qi-jutsu.

Shina could guess what Tima was researching and her cheeks relaxed involuntarily.

"I see, it's related to Mars-kun......."

"Ue!?"

Tima let out a silly voice. What she was researching was the super-advanced technique [magic-Qi combination technique] that Mars was trying to master.

"I don't mean to startle you. More importantly, how are things going? Even though it is not as powerful as Nozomu-kun's [power], I don't think the technique that Mars is aiming for is going to be achieved overnight."

"Yeah, we don't have a clear picture yet. But, Mars-kun, he's been a little less reckless lately."

"Well, after what happened, he must have mixed feelings about it."

Tima nodded her head slightly at Shina's words.

Mars has a strong attachment to power due to his childhood experiences.

In fact, he had feelings akin to admiration for Nozomu's superior Qi-jutsu and hidden power, while at the same time harboring mixed feelings about his own desire to reach that same realm.

Mars discovered a method to catch up with Nozomu, the magic-Qi combination technique. By fusing magic and Qi-jutsu, which by their nature oppose each other, this technique drastically increases the effectiveness of both.

However, two weeks ago, during the Special Comprehensive Exercise, Mars was so impatient that he used a technique that he could not fully control against the [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede.

As a result, Mars put his friends in a predicament, and a fatal rift developed between him and Nozomu.

Fortunately, everyone involved was unharmed, and the rift that had developed between the two was able to be repaired, but if the buttons had been pushed just a little bit wrong, the situation would have been fatal.

"But still, it's very kind of you to come all the way to the library to help him with his research."

"I-I don't mind ...... I just, umm...... I thought it would be nice if I could be of help......."

Shina was impressed but somewhat envious of Tima, who kept on moving her pen while looking down with a fidgety look on her face.

"Hey, why do you care so much about him?"

"Eh?"

"I know Mars-kun is not a bad person, but he can be a little rough around the edges sometimes. He seems like the type of guy you would rather avoid, so I thought it was a little strange that you liked him so much."

Shina found herself asking Tima a direct question.

Hearing the word "like" made Tima's slightly flushed cheeks turn bright red at once.

"W-W-What do you mean by like!?"

"...... Did you really think no one noticed it?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious, after all."

Karanti, who had been standing next to Shina, watching and listening to what was going on, couldn't help but voice her agreement, and Somia and Mena were also nodding their heads in agreement.

"A-Auu......"

Tima held her vermilion-stained face in her hands, writhing in agony for a while, but eventually, she took a deep breath and slowly opened her mouth, as if conceding.

"At first ...... I was so scared of him, you know? The first time I saw him, he suddenly glared at me, and Mars didn't have a good impression of me, either. I'm a gloomy person after all......"

She confessed while looking up at the ceiling as if looking far into the distance.

Tima herself has the highest level of magical power in the whole continent, but her character is timid. She herself does not like her self-deprecating personality. That is why she admires dignified women like Irisdina and dislikes men with strong personalities and rough language like Mars.

"But when Rugato-san came and Somia-chan's life was in danger, it was Mars-kun who saved me."

An irreplaceable family of a dear friend. A girl who was like a sister to Tima as well. Hearing this, the girl next to her was scratching her cheeks in a slightly embarrassed manner.

A high-ranking envoy was trying to extract Somia's soul. It was Mars who blocked the magic bullet that pounced on Tima and knocked it away. The very person who she thought that he disliked her

The sense of unity she felt at that moment. Since then, every time she thought of him, there would be a warm feeling that would seep into the depths of her body. Sometimes it stirred her heart violently, and at other times it gave her warmth as if she was wrapped in cotton to the tips of her hands and feet.

"I can't say it well, but it bothers me a lot......"

Tima cannot honestly put these feelings into words. It's also in her nature to take a step back from others. But there is no need to put it into words.

Her cheeks were stained with vermilion. Above all, when talking about Mars, she never once looked downward. She was shy and would tend to look downward when talking to other people.

Even if she wasn't aware of it, her demeanor clearly conveyed her thoughts and feelings.

"I see......"

While Shina's envy was being fueled once again upon seeing Tima like this, a familiar loud voice was heard.

"Yahho~, Shina. Tima-san, Somicchi, and ...... Karanti? What a very unusual line-up."

It was Shina's best friend, Mimuru, who called out to her.

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