Chương 91: True Heart Part 2
Shizuku's carotid artery. But it had been a pure fluke that she'd been able to dodge it
at all. Her stiffened muscles hadn't been able to support her, and she'd slid to the
ground. That was the only thing that had saved her from instant death.
Shizuku clapped her hand to her neck, but blood continued spilling between her
fingers. Even if the cut had missed her artery, neck wounds bled a great deal.
The fear of death washed over Shizuku, and she nearly drowned in despair. Though
she did her best to remain composed, the hand holding her katana started shaking.
Her copy looked disdainfully down at her. This time it decided to hit Shizuku in her
most sensitive spot. Her Achilles heel. It said coldly, "Hey. You were really happy back
then, weren't you?"
"Huh?"
Still holding her neck, Shizuku looked up in confusion.
"When Nagumo-kun came to save you. I know, since I'm you. That was the most
dramatic moment of our lives, after all."
"What are you trying to say?"
"In that desperate situation… you'd completely given up. You'd accepted the
unreasonable death waiting for you. You didn't believe there was anyone out there
who'd gallantly jump in to save you anymore. So when he'd jumped in and
overwhelmed the enemies that had given you so much trouble, you were smitten. His
crimson mana and broad back had you completely captivated."
"N-No, I—"
This was the one thing Shizuku couldn't bring herself to accept. Something horrible
would happen if she did, so of course she tried to object. But of course, her objections
were meaningless against a copy of her own heart.
"It was the same when Kaori was killed. If you weren't aware of it yourself then, I'll
spell it out for you. For the first time since coming to this world, you'd clung to
something other than yourself. You'd clung to Nagumo-kun. He'd told you to believe
in him and wait. And unlike everyone else, he kept his promise. Just like you believed,
he saved your best friend and your own heart. After that moment, you desperately
tried to hide your feelings from yourself… but you can't deceive yourself any longer."
"No, stop. I don't…"
Shizuku had lost all will to fight. She no longer had that aloof, intimidating aura around
her either. All she could do was shake her head in denial like a child. She couldn't even
put up a facade of strength. The walls that had protected her heart crumbled like an
eggshell. After laying her heart bare, her copy mercilessly stung her with the words
she couldn't bear to hear.
"You and I… We love Nagumo-kun."
"Ah…"
Shizuku trailed off, unable to speak. She was still shaking her head, causing more
blood to spill out of her neck. But her thoughts were in too much turmoil for her to
notice that. These were the only feelings she absolutely refused to accept. Because she
knew she wasn't allowed to have them.
If she admitted she loved Hajime, that would be the same as betraying Kaori. She'd
been so mentally cornered that she couldn't even argue back, but her copy wasn't done
with her yet. It offered one last remark, like a funeral prayer.
"You fell in love with your best friend's crush. You traitor."
"...…"
Shizuku crumpled to her knees. Her spirit was shattered. She no longer had any will
left to resist at all. That was how damning those words had been.
For most people, regulating their emotions was impossibly difficult. Those who could
control them completely were abnormal. Naturally, emotions such as love were no
different. In fact, they were even harder to control because they had no logical basis.
Which was why even if Shizuku did fall in love with the same person Kaori did, that
alone could hardly be called a betrayal.
However, her copy, or in other words a manifestation of her own negative emotions,
had claimed it was betrayal. And that meant Shizuku's naturally serious disposition
had trapped her into thinking it really was. It was because she was so thankful to Kaori
for sticking with her through the worst times of her life that anything even remotely
resembling betrayal pained her so.
She cared so much for Kaori that even liking Hajime felt like something unforgivable
to her. Especially because she'd already shown Hajime so many sides of her that she
hadn't intended to. Her genuine smile, her pathetic crying face as she clung to him
begging for help, the pouty look she normally reserved for Kaori, her relieved sleeping
face, her spaced out face… The fact that she'd done all that without telling Kaori made
her feel even more guilty about it.
"What's worse, you even attacked Shea. Do you want to know why? Why neither Kaori
nor Yue, but Shea?"
"I…"
"The answer's simple. It's because you were jealous of Shea. You knew you stood no
chance against Yue from the beginning. Even if you attacked her, you'd just be
destroyed. And of course you'd never want to direct your jealousy at Kaori. So you
picked Shea because she was the easiest to be jealous of. After all, she'd just been
accepted as Hajime's lover. What a cowardly woman."
"...…"
Shizuku could no longer avert her eyes from the truth. The enemy standing before her
wouldn't allow it. No matter how she tried to argue against her copy's barbed words,
she was shot down. The strength drained from her limbs, while her copy continued to
grow in power.
It dashed forward, using No Tempo to make its movements unpredictable. Shizuku
didn't bother to react. Though even if she'd had any fighting spirit left, she wouldn't
have been able to react to such fast movements. The copy's kick hit Shizuku squarely
in the stomach, and she flew into the air.
"Agh!?"
Screaming in pain, she flew in a wide arc. A torrent of cuts rained down on her. Shizuku
instinctively raised her katana to defend herself, but she was too exhausted to guard
against them all.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"
Her body was riddled with gashes. Her copy then slammed down on her with its
sheath. Feeling as though she'd just been hit by a dump truck, Shizuku flew backward
into the wall behind her. The force of the impact crushed the ice around her. The air
was driven from her lungs, and it felt as though all the bones in her body shattered.
Everything hurt, and her body was at its limits.
Shizuku slid limply to the ground, her back resting against the broken wall. Blood
pooled all around her, creating a puddle in the floor. She already looked dead.
Vision blurry, she looked up to see her copy walking over to her. She couldn't move a
muscle. And the mental damage she'd suffered had drained her of the will to even try.
"Looks like this is the end of your pathetic life. The whole time you willingly kept
drawing the short straw. This only happened because you were stupid enough to keep
denying yourself the things you wanted."
Shizuku couldn't answer. She didn't have the strength to. However, a faint flicker of
fear lit up within her eyes.
"Any last words? I'll carve them into the ice for you. All of these spaces are connected,
so if you're lucky, maybe someone else will clear their trial and come here to see your
last will."
"...…" Shizuku said nothing. But a single tear rolled down her cheek. The tiny bead of
light fell down her chin and created a small stain on her lap.
Shizuku couldn't tell why she was crying. Was she afraid of dying? Despairing that her
future had been stolen from her? Frustrated that she hadn't been able to argue back?
Sad because she'd never see her friends and family again? Or all of those reasons
combined?
Shizuku's copy looked down at her and silently pulled back its katana. It held the other
hand holding its sheath forward as if drawing an imaginary bow. The point of its
katana was aimed directly at Shizuku's head. The white katana was every bit as sharp
as Shizuku's black one. Meaning piercing a human skull was a simple matter for it.
Shizuku would die instantly, without feeling pain. That was the final mercy her copy
was willing to afford her.
Bloodlust started radiating from Shizuku's copy. It was time to deal the finishing blow.
But the moment Shizuku saw her death readying itself in front of her, something
welled up within her. She opened her mouth, and without caring about appearances,
muttered her true feelings.
"I… don't want to die… yet…"
"...…"
For once, those weren't words she'd said for someone else's sake. They were her true,
honest feelings.
She didn't want to die yet. She wanted to see her comrades, her family, and her best
friend again. She wanted to see the man she'd fallen in love with again. But she could
no longer stand on her own. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Which
was why—
"Save me… Someone please… save me…"
She begged to be rescued, crying like a baby. Her whole life, Shizuku had been relied
on, clung to, and asked favors of. And her whole life, she'd answered everyone's
expectations. No matter how much it pained her she'd always smiled and said, "Don't
worry, leave it to me."
This was the first time she'd cried, the first time she'd actually asked someone else to
save her. But she couldn't keep going on her own.
She'd always wanted to be the princess who others protected, but because everyone
had relied on her, she'd kept polishing her skills until she'd become the knight who
protects others.
Little wonder she'd ended up playing that role in her last year of high school. Shizuku
knew her best friend had gotten angry on her behalf. But even so, she hadn't been able
to change herself. And in time, she'd gotten so used to being the one to draw the short
straw that she'd come to accept it as natural. But in truth, she still—
"What a shame. It's too late now. You should have said those words ages ago."
At the very end, she'd been able to be honest with herself, but her copy was merciless.
It lowered its stance and thrust its katana forward.
Shizuku squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the razor-sharp blade to pierce her
brain.
...…
...…
...…
"Impossible…"
The death she was waiting for never came. When she'd shut her eyes, Shizuku had felt
the wall at her back vanish, but right now she was more interested in why her copy
sounded so shocked. Timidly, Shizuku opened her eyes. The first thing her eyes saw
was—
"H-Huh?"
"Jeez, I can't believe it'd send me here at just the right time. Was the labyrinth aiming
for this or something?"
Her copy's white blade, millimeters from her face. And holding onto it was a familiar
mechanical arm. That mechanical arm was what had stopped the copy's blade from
running Shizuku through. Shizuku's eyes went wide, and she looked over her shoulder.
It was him.
"N-Nagumo-kun?"
The boy she'd fallen in love with. The one she always dreamed of when on the verge
of death. It was unbelievable, but also somehow natural. Hajime's appearance wasn't
just a delusion. The wall at Shizuku's back had vanished, revealing a passageway. It
was from that passageway that Hajime had appeared. It was also his hand that was
holding Shizuku up. Still, Shizuku couldn't bring herself to believe it. She stared
blankly at Hajime, whose face was inches from her own.
"Tch, you look dead."
Hajime looked down at Shizuku with a frown, then shot her copy a bestial glare.
Shivering, the copy tried to retreat to safety, but before it could move, crimson sparks
ran down Hajime's prosthetic arm. A second later, there was a high-pitched whirring,
and his arm started vibrating at a high frequency.
"You little—"
The copy hurriedly tried to pull the blade out of Hajime's grip with all its might, but
its decision came too late. Faced with the full might of Hajime's oscillation, the copy's
katana started to crack. With a metallic screech, Hajime crushed part of the blade,
snapping it in half. Then, he pointed his prosthetic limb at the copy. With a faint
whirring, a panel in his palm slid back to reveal a dark grey muzzle.
"You get out of here for a bit."
"Ah!"
The copy's expression stiffened. A second later, an explosive slug shot out of Hajime's
hand and slammed into the copy's stomach. Crimson shockwaves spread out from the
point of impact, and the copy was sent flying. Hajime then summoned a few Cross Bits
from his Treasure Trove and sent them after it. He had no intention of killing Shizuku's
copy, but he did need to buy some time. The seven Cross Bits worked in perfect
coordination, keeping the copy occupied.
As the sounds of battle grew further away, Shizuku turned around and examined
Hajime's face properly. She still couldn't believe this was real. Blood loss had made her
thoughts dull, and some part of her kept telling her she wasn't worthy of a miracle like
this.
If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up… Shizuku was terrified of waking up to find a
world without Hajime. While she was thinking to herself, Hajime pulled a test tube out
of his Treasure Trove. He ripped the cap off with his teeth and poured its contents into
Shizuku's mouth.
"Mmmpf!?"
"Don't spit it out. You better drink it all."
Surprised at the foreign liquid that was suddenly filling her mouth, Shizuku
instinctively started to gag. However, Hajime put his hands around Shizuku and held
her in place, forcing her to drink. He absolutely would not let her spit this out. It was
one of his precious few remaining vials of Ambrosia. Hajime was going to make her
drink this even if he had to shove it down her throat with his bare hands. He glared
harshly down at Shizuku, and her protests grew weaker. In fact, she stiffened up
completely. Not only had Hajime just hugged her, but his face was also close enough to
kiss if there wasn't a vial in her mouth. Shizuku could feel his warmth, and that calmed
her.
She obediently swallowed the vial's contents and stared intently at Hajime's face. She
looked like a baby drinking from a bottle. But she was too busy drowning in Hajime's
eyes to be worried about how she looked. She wouldn't look away, not even for a
second. She wanted to keep staring into those eyes forever.
Eventually, she downed the vial's contents, and her wounds vanished as though they'd
never existed. Unfortunately, the Ambrosia couldn't replace the blood she'd lost, so
she was still weak. However, she was now lucid enough to realize this was indeed
reality, and that if Hajime had come another second later, she would have died.
"Is it really you, Nagumo-kun?"
"Do I look like anyone else?"
"B-But why… How are you here? I thought I…"
"Calm down. After I cleared my trial, I started going down the passage that appeared,
and ended up here."
"Th-Then you really…"
The tears that had stopped before once again started spilling down Shizuku's face. But
this time, they were tears of relief. Hajime was taken aback. This was the first time
he'd seen Shizuku cry. He was so stunned that he didn't even react when Shizuku
reached out to touch his face. She looked up at him as though he were the only thing
in the world, and tried to touch him to confirm he was really there. But the moment
before her fingertips brushed his cheeks, she trembled, then stopped. Expression
twisting in pain, Shizuku pulled her hand back. Then, realizing being hugged was
something she couldn't allow, she pushed Hajime off of her. She wiped her tears with
her sleeve and looked away.
Hajime guessed Shizuku's strange behavior was a result of what her copy had done to
her and smiled knowingly. He turned to see that the copy had already regenerated its
katana, and was starting to beat back his Cross Bits.
"Alright, your wounds are all healed up. It's time for your revenge match. Go beat that
fake up."
"Ah. B-But I… can't beat her, so…" Shizuku gave Hajime an imploring look, knowing she
sounded like she was whining.
Oh god she didn't just get beat up by her copy, she had her heart completely shattered!
Hajime looked up at the ceiling in resignation. He'd always thought Shizuku was the
strongest out of Kouki's party, but it seemed he'd been mistaken.
Shizuku's copy had started weaving through Hajime's Cross Bits and was steadily
closing the distance between it and Shizuku. Hajime knew there was no point in
clearing Shizuku's trial for her, so he'd set his Cross Bits to move in a somewhat
predictable pattern, but he hadn't expected the copy to see through it so quickly.
He looked back at Shizuku, and she was clearly cowering away from her copy. Seeing
her curled up in a ball like this, Hajime narrowed his eyes.
This isn't like her. This isn't like her at all. But maybe this is who she really is… Hajime
scratched his head awkwardly, then gave Shizuku a serious look.
"N-Nagumo-kun? Umm, she's getting closer…"
"Yaegashi. Don't worry."
"Huh?"
Shizuku could feel the blood rising to her face as she met Hajime's gaze. That serious
look was enough to make her melt and forget all about how scared she was of her copy.
Now that she'd had the truth thrust in her face, she couldn't help but notice how much
she liked Hajime. Even though she knew these feelings of hers were a betrayal, she
couldn't help but feel excited.
Hajime ignored the oddities in Shizuku's reaction and pulled something out of his
Treasure Trove.
"Here, take this. I made this Pink Mask Mk. II for you. It'll keep you safe."
"…Nagumo-kun?"
Seeing that mask was enough to make Shizuku forget how infatuated she was with
Hajime, and how badly she'd just been beaten up. She glared at Hajime, and even her
copy was so stunned by this turn of events that it stopped advancing toward Shizuku.
However, Hajime remained completely serious. He pushed the needlessly elaborate
full-face pink mask onto Shizuku. Then, he smiled and gave her a thumbs up.
"Nagumo-kun! This isn't the time to be messing around! She'll be here any second!"
"How rude. I'm not messing around. Listen up, I've used sublimation magic on
everything I've made, including this pink mask. Listen and be amazed. Putting this on
will triple your reflexes and perception. With this, you'll be able to beat your copy."
"Wh-Why did you make it so strong?"
"You love cute things like this, right? Go on, take it. After all, you're the only one fit to
wear this pink mask, Yaegashi—"
"I don't need it! I can win even without that embarrassing piece of crap! Hell, I'd rather
fight to the death than wear that thing! I don't ever want to be treated like a weirdo
again!"
Shizuku vehemently pushed the mask back into Hajime's hands, then rubbed her
temples in frustration. Her exasperated expression and mannerisms were just like her
old self.
Hajime grinned at the revived Shizuku and tossed the Pink Mask Mk. II back into his
Treasure Trove. Shizuku gave him a blank look and he said, "That's exactly right. You
can win even without this."
"I-I…"
Realizing she'd been had, Shizuku grimaced. Ignoring her reaction, Hajime added,
"You have to remember, Yaegashi. That fake might be a part of you, but it's not all of
you. It's just a Frankenstein monster of all your worst traits. The Shizuku Yaegashi in
front of me is the one who has all the parts that really matter. Right?"
"I have all the parts that really matter…"
With that, other memories surfaced in Shizuku's mind. She remembered how every
time she'd achieved something, her family had been there celebrating wholeheartedly
for her. She remembered the joy she'd felt at helping people in need. She remembered
how grateful the people she'd saved had been. She remembered the fun times she'd
spent with Kouki and the others. She remembered the time she first met Kaori. All of
those moments were irreplaceable, unforgettable memories too.
Her life hadn't been all hardship. There had been good things too. The smiles she'd
given others hadn't all been lies.
How could I have forgotten about all of this until now? The answer was simple. The
whispers the party been hearing since entering the maze had been manipulating them
to forget. It felt as though a ray of light had opened up in the dark clouds that had been
covering Shizuku's heart. More and more continued opening up until the dark clouds
had receded entirely, and she was bathed in sunlight.
Determination burned anew in Shizuku's eyes. And that determination gave her
strength.
"The fact that your copy's words got to you is proof that you're trying to overcome
yourself. Only failures try to power through with pure stubbornness… Anyway, you
take things too seriously. You've gotta learn to loosen up sometimes. Remember, as
long as you're alive, you can always find a way to make things work out."
"Nagumo-kun…"
"Just so you know, I'm one of those failures that powered through with pure
stubbornness," Hajime added with a self-deprecating shrug. He then started recalling
his Cross Bits. They'd bought enough time.
Sensing Shizuku's gaze on him, Hajime got to his feet and leaned against the wall,
folding his arms. He then faced Shizuku properly and told her the words she wanted
to hear most, though of course he didn't know that.
"I'll be watching over you."
"Ah…"
"You can keep trying as many times as it takes to win. As long as I'm here, you won't
die at least. I won't let you. Don't worry."
"And that's why I fell for you…" Shizuku muttered those words so quietly even she
didn't hear them. Naturally, neither did Hajime. But Shizuku couldn't help but wonder
what kind of expression he might have made if he had. Knowing him, he'd probably just
look annoyed… Shizuku thought to herself with a grin.
This must have been how Aiko-sensei and Liliana felt too. Something's gotta be wrong
with us if we all fell for the same taciturn, insensitive guy… Shizuku got to her feet, her
body feeling lighter than ever before. She then hugged the black katana Hajime had
given her close to her chest. After taking a moment to prepare herself, she turned to
her copy, her expression cool and aloof.
As she stared down her nemesis, Shizuku asked Hajime quietly, without turning
around, "You promise you'll watch over me?"
"Yeah."
"And if the time comes, protect me?"
"Yeah."
"And if I feel like I can't go on anymore, you'll help me get back on my feet?"
"Guess I'll have to."
Shizuku smiled faintly. Spring had come, and it was time for the ice to thaw. Her broken
spirit reignited, bright and soft as the sun, but as unyielding as iron.
Shizuku took a deep breath. Her chest welled up with emotions she couldn't express
in words. So she trusted the tone of her voice to express them instead and simply said,
"I'll be going then."
"Go for it. I'll be waiting."
Shizuku's wounds had been healed, but she was still dizzy from blood loss. Honestly,
she was having a hard time standing. Despite that, her footsteps were far surer than
they'd been when she'd first stepped into this room. She faced off against her copy. It
was waiting silently for her, its katana sheathed.
"I can't believe you'd start flirting in front of the enemy. I have to say, you've got some
nerve."
"Really? Well, you can thank Nagumo-kun for that. Also, we weren't flirting. Though I
do wish we were."
"Oh my, so you're going to betray your best friend after all? Not only that, you're going
to turn her into your rival…"
"Let's stop the pointless chitchat. There's no point in asking the same questions over
and over. I'm going to get out of this alive and see Kaori again. Once I do, I can figure
out where I want to go from there."
"...…"
Seeing how unfazed Shizuku was, her copy fell silent. At the same time, it noticed its
power was waning, meaning Shizuku had finally accepted the feelings she'd tried to
lock away.
"Maybe we'll fight, maybe Kaori'll be shocked speechless. Maybe she'll hate me. But—
"
Actually, how would things go? After all, Kaori's the one who kept telling me to be more
selfish. She's the one who said she'd love nothing more than to see me be more honest
with myself. Now that I think about it, I thought I was protecting her this whole time, but
maybe she was the one protecting me. She really did have the right idea about who
should play what roles back during that play.
Shizuku's heart felt lighter as she remembered her best friend's gentle smile. She
could almost feel Kaori pushing her forward.
"I won't give up. I'll find a way to get the things I want. Even if I have to fight you over
and over, I won't give up."
Shizuku wouldn't compromise anymore. She'd treasure her best friend's feelings and
her own. But in order to do that—
"In the end, that means you'll have to keep fighting."
"That's right," Shizuku said with a nod, "But you know," she added with an awkward
smile, "It's true that I suppressed parts of myself this whole time, but those
experiences taught me a lot. And I gained so many irreplaceable things because of it."
If she'd chosen not to fight at all, if she'd chosen to become nothing more than a
sheltered princess, she wouldn't be where she was now. Of course, she still admired
that kind of lifestyle. But she didn't need it anymore. She wouldn't doubt herself again.
After all—
"Even if I have to keep fighting, there's someone way stronger than me who'll protect
me."
Shizuku's copy sighed in exasperation and shook its head.
"You know he's only protecting you because you're an important friend of Kaori's,
right? That's all."
"That's fine. For now, anyway."
Shizuku breathed out and dropped into an Iaido stance.
"I don't have much strength left, so I'm going to bet it all on this one attack. Let's see if
you can withstand it."
Unlike when she'd been fighting earlier, Shizuku's spirit was as sharp as her blade. But
it was also true that she only had enough physical and mental strength left for one big
attack. It was an all-or-nothing gamble.
"Fufu. I applaud your determination. But I have to say, he always finds a way to show
up at just the right time. He's there when you need him, where you need him… I
thought people like him only existed in fairy tales."
The copy smiled bitterly. Indeed, Hajime had shown up at just the right time and had
said all the right things to get Shizuku back on her feet again. Since the copy was a
mirror of Shizuku's own heart, those thoughts were ones Shizuku herself had
pondered.
The copy dropped into a stance identical to Shizuku's and prepared to draw its katana.
Both of them prepared to unleash their final attacks. Their willpower alone was sharp
enough to cut through each other. The cold air trembled between them.
Shizuku's heart felt as calm and still as a spring in the deep forest. The reassuring
presence behind her filled her with strength. She knew Hajime was watching over her.
And she believed that even if the worst were to happen, he'd protect her. Shizuku and
her copy dashed forward simultaneously.
"Hmph!"
"Haaaah!"
Shizuku and her copy clashed, their ponytails splaying out behind them. This time
there were no sparks, no sounds of metal hitting metal. The two passed each other
quietly and stood there with their backs to each other.
A second passed. There was a faint whoosh, and Shizuku's ponytail came undone. Her
hair tie fluttered to the ground in two pieces. Proof that her copy had cut it. However,
it was Shizuku who still had the strength left to return her katana to her scabbard. Her
hilt made a satisfying clink as it hit the sheath.
At the same time, her copy staggered. The top half of its body slid off its bottom half,
and it vanished in a puff of light. As it faded away, Shizuku could have sworn it smiled
in satisfaction.
"Ah…"
A second later Shizuku's legs gave out underneath her. Now that the adrenaline rush
was gone, she no longer had the strength left to stand. But she never hit the ground.
"Nice job. Your swordsmanship's as amazing as always."
"Nagumo-kun… Fufu, it's fine if you fall for me, you know?"
"In your dreams."
"Alas, what a shame."
Hajime gently laid Shizuku onto the ground. As the two were joking around, a third
passageway, separate from the ones Shizuku and Hajime had come from, appeared in
the wall.
"Yaegashi, can you walk?"
"It seems not. I think I need to rest for a bit. Actually, that won't fix the blood loss, so
unless you've got restoration magic handy, I don't think I'll be able to move for a
while…"
Shizuku stroked her chin thoughtfully, then reached out to Hajime with both arms.
"So if you would be so kind, Nagumo-kun."
"Huh?"
"Carry me."
"Yaegashi, is it just me or did your personality change? I feel like you suddenly got a
lot more shameless."
Hajime hadn't expected Shizuku of all people to ask to be carried. Giggling, she brushed
a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.
"I've decided to be more honest with myself. Anyway, don't we need to hurry and meet
up with the others? Oh, I know. If you don't want to carry me, how about making an
artifact imbued with restoration magic? I know the katana you gave me is enchanted
with a little, but it's not enough."
Confused by Shizuku's sudden change, Hajime nevertheless decided to comply with
Shizuku's request. There was no telling what as going on with Yue and the others, so
it was probably best to hurry. As he started pulling materials out of his Treasure Trove,
Shizuku tacked on another request.
"Could you make it a hair ornament? As you can see, my hair tie's snapped. Oh, and
make it cute. I want something like those crystals you gave Yue and the others."
"You sure are demanding. I know I said you needed to loosen up, but I wasn't expecting
this."
Well I guess it can be her reward for clearing the trial. Hajime thought absently to
himself and started transmuting.
Red sparks ran down his arms, and he fashioned a hair clip for Shizuku. The design on
the clip was one of numerous leaves dancing gently in the morning mist. He'd crafted
it out of a pearl-like ore that had a high affinity to magic, so the clip glowed faintly in
the room's dim light.
"It's so pretty…"
"There you go. Good enough, right? Put it on and let's go."
Hajime had made the hair clip in under a minute and it was by no means a masterpiece,
but Shizuku was captivated by it. He threw it carelessly to her and got to his feet.
Holding in the desire to stare at it forever, Shizuku bunched her hair up into a ponytail
and put the hairclip on.
"What do you think?"
Blushing slightly, she looked up at Hajime. Okay, yeah, there's definitely something
strange about how Yaegashi's acting.
"It's nowhere near as good as actual restoration magic, but it should be able to heal
you."
"That's not what I was asking."
Of course, Hajime knew what she was actually asking. But right now, he was getting a
dangerous sense of de ja vu. Shizuku looked exactly like how Aiko had back when he'd
saved her from the church. His instincts were screaming at him to change the topic
fast.
Sighing at Hajime's feigned denseness, Shizuku shrugged her shoulders and once
again reached out to Hajime with both arms. It was a silent appeal to be carried. One
way or another, she'd get Hajime to carry her. And since it was a fact that she couldn't
move for a while at least, Hajime knew he had to oblige. Sighing, he pulled a gravity
stone out of his Treasure Trove.
"If you try to carry me on that cross one more time, the moment we get out of here I'm
telling everyone about your middle school years."
Shizuku cut him off. Of course Hajime knew without asking what part of his middle
school years Shizuku was referring to. She looked from his hair, to his eyepatch, to his
prosthetic arm.
"...…"
Hajime silently returned the gravity stones to his Treasure Trove. For a moment, he
entertained the idea of carrying her on a bunny-shaped gravity stone or something
cute like that, but he discarded the notion when he saw Shizuku's glare. There was
only one answer that didn't end in him dying of embarrassment later.
He had a bad feeling about Shizuku's newfound selfishness, but there was no point in
just standing around doing nothing.
She's got a lot scarier mental attacks than this labyrinth… Sighing, Hajime turned his
back to Shizuku and squatted down. It was obvious he was doing this reluctantly.
"Mrr, I wanted to be princess-carried… but oh well."
Hajime decided it was best not to say anything and lifted Shizuku onto his back. He did
his utmost to not think about the two soft mounds pressing against him.
However, Shizuku wrapped her arms around Hajime and stuck even closer to him.
Hajime silently got to his feet and started walking down the new passageway that had
appeared.
Chances were another one of his comrades was waiting for him at the other end. He
was hoping it would be Kaori, so she could take this transformed Shizuku off his hands.
As he walked, he heard a whisper in his ear. But it wasn't the labyrinth this time. The
voice was soft and sweet. And he could feel the heat of Shizuku's breath on his ear.
She'd laid her head on his shoulders and was whispering to him.
"Hey, Nagumo-kun."
"Hm? What's up?"
"Did you hear what I was saying to my copy?"
"Nope. You were too far away, and you weren't talking that loudly."
Hajime shook his head.
"I see…" Shizuku murmured. She lapsed into thought for a few seconds, then suddenly
thrust her hand out. She turned it around, showing her palm to Hajime.
"This hand's full of calluses, right? It was like that before too, but I got a lot of new ones
after coming to Tortus."
Hajime had no idea where Shizuku was trying to go with this, and he looked at her
hand with a puzzled expression.
"I bet you don't think it's a girl's hand either, huh?"
Her voice was like a small bird's. She wasn't embarrassed, but she seemed afraid to
hear Hajime's answer. Still, she'd worked up her courage and asked.
Hajime took a good look at Shizuku's hand. As she'd said, the skin on her palm was
thick and hard. It was proof she'd spent years upon years perfecting her swordsmanship.
"If a soft, unblemished hand is a 'girl's hand,' then yeah, I guess it's not."
"...…"
"But I prefer a hand like this."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's a lot prettier than a hand that can't hold anything heavier than a pair of
chopsticks."
"...…"
Shizuku suddenly felt embarrassed and she balled her hand into a fist to hide her palm.
At the same time, she hugged Hajime tighter.
"Nagumo-kun, thanks for coming to save me."
"It wasn't on purpose. Things just ended up that way."
"Fufu, my copy said something like that too. How you're like a hero from a fairy tale.
Back when you saved us in Orcus, and in the palace, you always showed up at just the
right time. Are you sure you're not doing it on purpose?"
"Don't be stupid. Every time something happens, I just barely make it in time… Hell, in
Kaori's case it was actually too late. Anyway, it's bad for my heart, so really I'd rather
make it before things get that bad rather than just on time."
Though Hajime always appeared overwhelmingly strong and in control of the
situation, in truth he was just desperately running around trying to keep things from
falling apart. At every major conflict, if he'd made even a single misstep, he would have
ended up losing everything.
If showing up at the last minute every time is what makes a hero, then I don't wanna be
one. Seeing Hajime's annoyed expression, Shizuku giggled.
"Personally, I think it's cool. You always come in at the last minute and gallantly save
the heroine. You know, I actually really like girly things."
"Yeah, I know. Kaori told me all about you."
After Kaori had parted with Kouki's party in Horaud, she'd spent an entire day happily
telling Hajime about her best friend. Honestly, Shizuku kind of wished Kaori would
respect her privacy more, but Kaori's desire to tell the world about Shizuku was hard
to hold back.
"Sheesh, that girl…" Shizuku muttered to herself.
"Well, that's how it is. I'd much rather have been playing house than practicing
swordsmanship as a kid, and I always wanted to be the princess who got protected by
the cool knight. When we were sent to our ideal dream worlds back in Haltina's
labyrinth, that's what I dreamed about."
Of course, she was too embarrassed to tell Hajime who the knight had been in her
dream. Blushing, she quickly moved on from that topic.
"But even I thought it was too cringy to tell people."
"Yeah, that is pretty cringy."
"This is where you're supposed to be tactful," she said with a pout before continuing,
"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I'm really grateful to you for always showing up to
save me when I'm in a pinch, Nagumo-kun. When you said you'd watch over me and
make sure I don't die, I was really happy."
"You're exaggerating. Besides, the reason I can't let you die, Yaegashi, is—"
"Because if I died, Kaori would be sad, right? I know."
Shizuku finished Hajime's sentence for him. Her tone wasn't self-deprecatory, though.
In fact, it was surprisingly light.
After all, she knew it was true. If she died, Kaori would be devastated. She'd probably
have ended up the same way Shizuku had when Kaori died.
Naturally, that was something Hajime would never allow. He would do everything in
his power to protect Kaori's happiness. That was why he hadn't even hesitated to give
Shizuku one of his precious Ambrosia vials, of which he'd only had five left.
However, Hajime couldn't say with confidence that he'd saved Shizuku solely for
Kaori's sake.
The things he'd gained during his journey, and the future he was working toward had
softened his heart. Furthermore, his journey was nearing its end. On top of that, this
labyrinth had reminded him of his true feelings. There was no doubt that he was a
monster. And he didn't regret becoming one. Even now, he had no intention of playing
the hero and saving people he didn't know.
However, he knew now that his old way of living was flawed. Whether someone was
an enemy or not, whether a course of action was rational or not, whether something
was needed or not, the world wasn't so simple that it could be split into those two
categories. Nor would Hajime find happiness if he simply abandoned everything and
everyone that didn't benefit him.
He might not have been consciously aware of it at the time, but that was why he'd
allowed Kouki and the others to join him. It was also why he'd decided to leave Liliana
powerful artifacts to protect her, and told Shizuku he wouldn't abandon her.
And now that he'd become aware of the changes he was undergoing, he didn't feel like
lying to Shizuku. I guess being honest about my feelings isn't so bad once in a while.
Besides, if I clam up here… I'll look like a tsundere. And the last thing I want is people
thinking I'm a tsundere. No one likes dude tsunderes anyway.
Thus, Hajime decided to correct Shizuku.
"It's true that it was partly for Kaori's sake, but not completely. I'd say it was only 80%
for her."
Shizuku blinked in surprise. For a second, she didn't comprehend what Hajime was
saying, but then it hit her. She always had been quick on the uptake. Her chest grew
hot, and she felt a faint glimmer of hope. If the reason Hajime had saved her was only
80% for Kaori's sake, that meant the remaining 20% was—
"So what about the other 20%?"
"You're a good person, Yaegashi. So I'm not going to abandon you."
"...…"
It wasn't the nicest way of putting things, but Shizuku understood. She understood
completely. Somewhere inside Hajime's heart, Shizuku existed too. She wasn't just
another random person to him, but someone he'd be willing to save.
Squealing to herself, Shizuku buried her face in the nape of Hajime's neck. She was
blushing to the tips of her ears. Of course Hajime grumbled about how she was tickling
him, which killed the mood. So in retaliation, Shizuku whispered, "Nagumo-kun, I want
to hurry up and meet Kaori. Not just her, but Yue, Shea, and Tio too. And then—"
Shizuku paused for a moment to gather her courage. In order to hide her
embarrassment, she said it as casually as possible.
"I'll tell them that I fell in love with you, Nagumo-kun. I don't know how they'll react,
but I've been thinking I should be more honest with myself."
"I see. Then I guess we better meet up with them soon so… Hold on a second Yaegashi,
what did you just—"
Hajime was so surprised he came to a halt, but before he could finish his question
Shizuku whispered, "Nagumo-kun, I'm tired. I'm going to close my eyes for a bit so…
protect me… okay?"
The soft sound of Shizuku's breathing reached Hajime's ears. It appeared she'd fallen
asleep. Dropping a bombshell of a confession and then just leaving was a strategy
reminiscent of a certain hotheaded healer. They really are best friends, huh?
"...…"
Hajime frowned, furrowing his brows. He opened his mouth to say something, but
when he turned around and saw Shizuku's expression, he thought better of it. Sighing,
he just smiled wryly to himself and resumed walking. Shizuku cracked open an eyelid
and stealthily observed Hajime.
Does he know I'm just faking it? Feeling emboldened, Shizuku decided to act a little
more selfish. She wanted to tease Hajime, since he always looked so unfazed. And so,
just as Yue often did to him, she playfully bit his neck.
"Whoa!? What the heck are you doing, Yaegashi…!? Yaegashi?"
Shizuku said nothing. After all, she was supposed to be asleep. She'd just accidentally
bit him in her sleep. She kept repeating that to herself and did her best to feign sleep.
After a few seconds, Hajime muttered, "You're hopeless…" and sighed to himself.
Since Shizuku had her eyes shut, she couldn't look at Hajime's expression. But she had
no trouble imagining it. After all, she'd seen his exasperated face so many times before.
Despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop herself from grinning. But even so, she
continued feigning sleep. Wait for me, Kaori. I'm going to show you just how selfish I can
be. For the first time in her life, Shizuku felt free. She hugged Hajime just a little harder,
savoring the feeling.
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực