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

Chapter 3 Part 1

Arcazam boulevard in the early morning.

Many students were walking along this street leading to the main gate of Solminati Academy.

Among the large number of students, there were two male students.

One is Nozomu Bountis, a boy with a katana on his waist. A male student with the lowest overall grade in the third year of Solminati Academy.

The other is Mars Dickens, a large boy with a greatsword on his back. Like Nozomu, he is in the third year, and although he has the ability, he is a student in the lowest class because of his poor behavior.

As they walked toward the school, students who were also attending school were talking about a rumor.

"Hey, did you hear that? It seems that a magic item went out of control at Irisdina-san’s mansion."

"Yes, I heard. It’s a big fuss in town, but I’m glad that no one was injured or died."

A few days after the Francilt Family turmoil. That turmoil began to be heard in different forms at Solminati Academy and Arcazam.

A magic item that was in Francilt’s mansion went out of control. The mansion was completely blocked by barrier magic, and the human beings inside were trapped.

However, the magic item caused it was destroyed by Irisdina-san. It was said that the situation had settled down ...

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

Nozomu’s POV

"Nozomu, the incident at that time, somehow it becomes a strange rumor. .......... This rumor, do you think it was circulated by the Francilt Family?"

Mars came to me with a small voice that can’t be heard by the surroundings.

"I don’t know. Irisdina-san herself may not mind that this matter will be going public, but the Francilt Family, I don’t think the people around her will remain silent."

The case a few days ago was something that the Francilt Family didn’t want to be known about. Perhaps in order to deceive the truth, it is possible to make up something like that.

"......... But, it’s all right now, at least because Somia-chan was safe."

"Well, yeah"

Mars replied to agree with my opinion.

I don’t really understand the inside of the Francilt Family or the obligations of the aristocrats. I fought at that time simply because I wanted to protect my friends.

I once thought it was no good, but as a result, I was able to see her smile again.

However .............

"Somia-chan, I wonder if she’s alright ... I hope there are no aftereffects."

Even though she immediately returned to her original state, she was once pulled out of her soul. Moreover, a suspicious magic tool is fused with her soul. Nozomu is worried about the side effects.

"From the doctor’s story, it seems there is no problem ... As I thought, are you worried?"

"... Yeah. I’ll ask if I have the chance next time."

Even with that incident, Solminati Academy itself is still teaching as usual.

The morning lesson is a magic lesson by Norn-sensei.

The content is about additional magic applications. Nozomu himself couldn’t neglect it even if he couldn’t use magic, as he managed to advance in the written test.

By the way, Mars, who is good at practical skills, is not good at this kind of lesson, so he is groaning during the class.

Mars himself has a lot of magical power, but It is difficult content for Mars, who is a musclehead, because lessons about magic use his head, such as the construction of techniques, interference between attributes, etc.

In the classroom at noon after the morning lesson was over. Classmates are having lunch as they please.

Since their reconciliation, Mars and Nozomu have often eaten together unless there is something to do.

"Nozomu, what are you going to do for lunch?"

"I bought it for the time being. What about Mars?"

"I have a lunch box I brought from home."

With that said, Mars raises a package containing the lunch box.

Nozomu remembered the rabbit steak he had eaten before. The lunch box of the owner of that Ushitotei would be quite delicious.

(Let’s eat at a suitable place for the time being ...)

"Mars, where do you want to eat....."

"Excuse me, Nozomu Bountis are you there?"

"Eh"

He was called by a voice that he has been hearing a lot lately, so when Nozomu looks at the person who spoke, there are two beautiful girls there.

One is Irisdina Francilt, a girl with jet-black hair, perfect limbs, and an aura full of confidence.

The other is Tima Lime, a girl who had her brown hair trimmed neatly on her shoulder and looked as good as Irisdina.

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

The classmates in the classroom were all petrified.

Certainly, talented girls like her didn’t have to come to the lowest 10th classrooms, and that never happened.

What made the classmates even more confused was .............

"Hey. Didn’t she call his name just now?"

"Aa, aa. I heard that too."

"Why does he know the black-haired princess ..."

The name she called was Nozomu’s name. If you think about it normally, you can’t imagine that Nozomu, a mediocre at the bottom of the year knows a beautiful girl at the top of the year.

Nozomu is completely frozen in a situation that he had never expected.

Looking around the classroom, Irisdina sees Nozomu and comes to him with a smile. The classmates pave the way like people watching a royal parade.

While everyone is paying attention to that, she .......

"Good afternoon. Have you guys already had lunch? If not, why not eat together with us? "

She threw a bomb called as meal invitation.

"""" What’s that? """"

A moment later, the classroom exploded.

" ... This became a huge commotion ... "

Mars muttered as if he was amazed.

In such a commotion, Nozomu hurriedly gave his consent to Irisdina and escaped from the exploding 10th-class classroom with Mars and others.

With her words, the Classmates who were in the classroom literally screamed.

Irisdina has many men and women longing for her because of her appearance, her talent, and her personality, and there is no end to those who wish to have a relationship.

However, she never received their feelings, and she is a "Flower on a high peak" (TL: something out of one’s reach).

We came to a corner of the courtyard. Four people started eating at this place, but .............

"He’s definitely the 10th-class dropout."

"Why does she know that lowest?"

The eyes of the passers-by first went to Irisdina and then to Nozomu and Mars, obviously, they glare at Nozomu with a "Why is this guy" look.

Some people struck lines of sight full of deathly curses.

The line of sight to Nozomu is particularly terrible, most of them purely hostile.

If you think about it, in the sense of students, neither the classroom nor the courtyard is related.

(Th, there’s no taste!)

“................ Chi!”

Even Nozomu, who was accustomed to negative gazes such as resentment, is in a difficult situation now. He doesn’t even know the taste of what he is eating now because of the hostile gaze that pierces him. Mars is frustrated by their unreserved annoying gazes.

"... I’m sorry. I suddenly rushed into the classroom ..."

“............Sorry. Was it annoying?”

The two who noticed the strange expression of Nozomu and Mars apologize.

"N, no. I was just surprised by the sudden thing."

"I, it’s bad. But it’s not your fault ..."

It is certainly not their responsibility. Nozomu and Mars hurriedly apologize to Irisdina and Tima.

Nozomu thought it is a good opportunity, so he asks Irisdina what he had been interested in since the morning.

"By the way, how is Somia-chan?"

"Aa, no problem. She is still going to Ecross today."

Nozomu considers the surroundings and listens only to what he wants to hear. He couldn’t hear anything devious, as the incident was supposed to be a rampant magic item.

She has her soul extracted, albeit temporarily.

When he met her the next day, nothing seemed to happen, but he didn’t know what would happen after that, so Nozomu asked about Somia, but it seemed to be okay.

The anxiety has not disappeared because the Furnace of Spiritual Flame could not be taken out from Somia’s soul, but for the time being, Nozomu feels relieved, strokes his chest, and resumes eating.

After eating with four people for a while, Irisdina asked Nozomu as she remembered something.

"... By the way, what will Nozomu-kun and Mars-kun do after school?"

"Well, I don’t have any plans today, so I’ll train ..."

Nozomu has never missed training.

He had been training recklessly to escape from the fact that he was once dumped by Lisa, but for whatever reason, the training that had been going on for more than a year and a half has become a habit. Also, for Nozomu, who has a low basic ability, it is of utmost importance to fills the gap and sharpen his skills through his daily training.

"I see ... if it’s okay, would you like to go out with me after school today? I want to thank you for that time ..."

Irisdina asked Nozomu to take some time after school. She wanted to thank Nozomu with any form of gratitude expression.

Her father wiped out the case with the Waziart Family, even the fact that the mansion was covered with barrier magic, and has completely changed the truth.

As a result, it became impossible to formally thank Nozomu and Mars as the next head of the Francilt Family.

That’s why Irisdina wanted to thank him at least as an individual.

To him who helped her important little sister .............

"Thanking me... you don’t have to worry about it."

"That’s not the case. You did that much .... I think I’ll at least give you my feeling of gratitude, will you accept it?"

Irisdina spins her words to ascertain what Nozomu’s state is like.

(Nozomu-kun ... looks like he’s all right today ...)

Irisdina was also concerned about Nozomu herself. When she asked him about his power in the fight against Rugato, he was obviously strange.

(There is a reason why he is hiding his own power)

Realizing that, Irisdina couldn’t tell her father about Nozomu’s hidden powers.

“............ I understand. What about Mars?”

"Why do you ask me? This should be what you receive right? In fact, you were the one who stopped that old man."

After Nozomu accepting Irisdina’s words, Mars asks, "Why am I?"

For Mars, it was Nozomu who actually stopped Rugato, so he thought it would be a mistake to receive her gratitude ...

"No, you too. At that time, you were protecting Tima, so Nozomu-kun came in time."

"Th, that’s right. If Mars-kun wasn’t there at that time, I would have been hit by that magical bullet’s rain. If that was the case, Somia-chan would have been taken away ..."

Irisdina and Tima deny Mars’s idea. It was Nozomu who stopped Rugato, but he would never have earned the time needed for it without Mars.

"............I know"

Mars accepted that fact and decided to go out after school.

Eventually, the bell that signals the end of the lunch break rings, and the students begin to return to the classroom for the afternoon lesson.

Nozomu and the others also begin to return to their classroom, but there is a shadow staring at their back.

"Hee, isn’t that interesting?"

A male student came out from behind the school building. His mouth is smiling happily.

"Did they think that there will be no one who envies them to eat with that Black-Haired Princess and Four-Scale Concerto, that lowest and naughty boy ~"

The boy looks like a child finding a new toy and looks at Nozomu and others returning to the classroom.

"Well, I found a fun thing in this unpleasant school for the first time in a while. You’ll entertain me to the fullest."

The boy checks the situation of Nozomu and Mars again, then turned his heels. His head and hips, walking away in the opposite direction of Nozomu and others, has stunning golden ears and tails.