BXBX NOVEL [Ln] Volume 3: Chapter 2.3
Smoldering Fire Part 3
Translator : PolterGlast
Shortly before Irisdina stormed into the stall where Nozomu and the others were working on selling candy, Tima was once again reminding her best friend, who was peeking at them from the shadows.
"Hey Ai, there's no need to worry so much."
"But just now, Somia was about to be touched by that old man. That piece of filth ......!"
"B-but Nozomu-kun managed to do something about it, didn't he? ......"
Irisdina, recalling the earlier incident at the fortune teller's shop, let the flames of Qi rise from her whole body.
Nozomu was focusing on protecting Somia, so he did not notice them, but Tima and Mars were frantically trying to stop the siscon sister from storming into the fortune teller's shop.
"But, isn't it time for us to stop this? Nozomu knows we're here, and if we're too persistent, Somia is going to notice us, too, you know?"
"T-that's right, Ai. It's no good to go on like this. Do you want Somia to hate you?"
"Ugh!"
Do you want Somia to hate you? This one sentence drove a wedge into Irisdina's heart, which was in an out-of-control state.
"Uu, uuu, u~~"
The siscon sister cowered in place as her out-of-control state of mind was filled with conflict. She repeatedly glanced toward the stall, looked down, shook her head, and groaned.
(Ha~a, I knew it, Ai is worried about Somia-chan, but she's also curious about Nozomu-kun, the man with whom Somia-chan is going on a date with......)
Tima had noticed that whenever Irisdina looked at the stall, she would stare not only at Somia, but also at Nozomu. And every time she did, she also unconsciously reached for the hair ornament he had given her.
Tima exhaled heavily and looked at her best friend, who was still holding her head in an ongoing state of agony.
For her, Irisdina is her first friend and companion since coming to this school, but she has never seen her sulking like a child like this.
(Is that how much she is curious about Nozomu-kun? There is also the matter involving Shina-san as well......)
Shina Juliel. An elf girl who suddenly became friends with Nozomu.
Irisdina revealed her jealousy for the first time when she sensed the relationship between Shina and Nozomu.
That was the appearance of her best friend, whom Tima had never seen before. She was both surprised and a little happy to have learned about another side of her.
"Hey, I think we're done here. At least it doesn't seem to be a big deal after all."
"......Mars-kun, how would you feel if you saw Ena-kun walking around with a guy you don't know?"
"Ha? What are you saying all of a sudden? I couldn't care less about-......"
Ena Dickens is the younger sister of Mars and the mascot girl of his family's inn and tavern, the [Ox-head Pavilion]. She is a bold girl who always speaks out against her brother, who is a troublemaker.
To him, she is in many ways an overbearing younger sister, but she is certainly an important member of the family.
In fact, the way Mars stammered out his words as he turned away clearly showed the opposite emotion from what he just said.
"I am worried. What if Somia and Nozomu-......"
Irisdina's face suddenly turned red and she stiffened, looking down. And then she began to mumble and let out some sort of incomprehensible voices.
"......What should we do? She is totally screwed up."
"What should we do, you say?......"
Frankly, Tima herself also wanted to ask him the same thing. About what to do with her best friend in front of her.
At that moment, Irisdina's gaze caught a clothing store near the central park.
"Ah, right, that would do......."
"Wait, Ai, where are you going!"
Irisdina did not respond to Tima's call and rushed into the store.
She emerged from the store not long after, and Mars and Tima were stunned by her outfit.
"Hey, what's that?"
"Umm, that's probably Ai. I don't know why she's dressed like that though......"
She wore a long, full-length coat and cloak that covered her entire body, and a deep-fitted hat. Irisdina, who has completely dressed as a suspicious person, went straight to the stall where Nozomu and the others were working.
"...... Don't tell me, are you going to go check on them while dressed like that?"
Tima was at a loss for words at her best friend's outrageous behavior.
Nozomu, who noticed Irisdina, was staring at her with a dumbfounded expression. She was completely exposed.
In fact, after just a word or two of conversation, she began to shake unnaturally and reveal her agitation.
He was becoming more and more suspicious. Then Somia, who was tilting her head, appeared.
Thinking that her sister's appearance would cause problems, Irisdina grabbed Nozomu's bag of candy, brought her face close to his, and then returned as if running away.
"......What a disaster."
"......Un."
The two slumped their shoulders while sighing in the shadows where they were hiding.
◆
After enjoying a little work experience, Nozomu and Somia thanked Shina and left the stall with candy in their hands in exchange for a paycheck. They moved from the commercial district to the central park and took a rest on a bench. As the sun began to set, the area around them slowly began to turn red.
"Haa, that was fun!"
"Somia-chan, you were so energetic. You even made your own candy in the end."
"Yes! Though it turned out a little weird."
As she said so, Somia took out a piece of candy from a bag in her hand.
It has a round face with strangely sharp eyes and a slightly protruding nose.
Nozomu could tell that it was made to resemble an animal, but he had no idea what kind of animal it might be.
"What's this? A bear?"
"No! It's a cat!"
A cat. Nozomu blinked his eyes upon hearing that word. It certainly resembled a cat.
"What kind of candy did you make, Nozomu-san?"
At Somia's request, Nozomu also took out a piece of candy he had made.
It has a long torso and thin arms and legs. The face at the end of the extended neck is also small.
"Is it a goat?"
"It was supposed to be a horse ......."
This time, Somia blinked her eyes.
Seeing each other's misshapen candies, both of them burst out laughing.
"Pfft......."
"Fufufu~!"
After a hearty laugh, the two sat down side by side on a park bench and exchanged candy with each other to try it.
"Mmm~~, delicious!"
"It has a slight fruit flavor, and it's sweet, but not too sweet. Yes, I think I like this."
The moderate sweetness and fruity flavor soaked into his tired body and healed him of the fatigue of his work.
Perhaps Somia was feeling the same way, she smiled brightly at the sweetness of the candies as she swayed her feet next to Nozomu.
"......Nozomu-san. Thank you very much for today."
"It was fun for me too and I got to experience candy-crafting. Though the result is-...... well, it is what it is."
Nozomu and Somia looked at each other, and a gentle atmosphere flowed between them.
This date has become a very pleasant memory for both of them.
"Hey, Nozomu-san. Can you listen to my story?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"It's about what I asked the old man in today's fortunetelling, umm......."
"It's about something that's been troubling you, isn't it? I don't mind if you want me to listen to it, but are you sure it's okay if it's me? Maybe you should talk to Iris about it......"
"No, I can't talk about this to my sister. Umm ...... my trouble is about my sister, so-......."
Apparently, what troubled her has something to do with Irisdina. After Nozomu nodded in understanding, she began to speak her mind in a hushed tone.
"Nozomu-san, you knew, didn't you? You knew that I wanted to be like my sister.....".
"Yeah."
Somia's ambition is to be like her older sister, Irisdina. Nozomu has heard this when he first met her in this park.
"Ane-sama is a very nice person, isn't she? She is beautiful, strong, and can do anything......"
Nozomu nodded as he listened to Somia's words. It is true that she is a very attractive woman.
She has a beautiful look and is skilled in both literacy and martial arts. There are many people who admire her at the school. Moreover, her family is one of the most prominent figures in the Forsina Kingdom, and she is their heiress. To put it bluntly, it's difficult to find her flaws.
(Well, except when it comes to Somia-chan......)
Nozomu turned his attention to a corner of the park so as not to be noticed by Somia.
The presence of Irisdina and the others still had not disappeared. Although they were nowhere to be seen, their pursuit was still going on.
"I love her and I'm proud of her, but sometimes I think bad things about her ...... I am jealous of her and think it would be nice to be her. Of course, I know that to reach such a lot of achievements, my sister has worked very hard, but sometimes I still find myself feeling that way."
"......Could it be, that's what's been troubling you?"
Somia nodded her head slightly in response to Nozomu's words. It seemed that Somia sometimes felt a twinge of jealousy toward her sister, who was so talented.
"Hiih!"
A loud voice suddenly resounded, causing Somia's shoulders to tremble. Reflexively turning toward the voice, she found Irisdina standing up from the shadows and pointing at her, trembling and wincing.
"Wha-wha-wha...... No~zo~mu~~!"
"Wait-, wait a minute ...... gue~!"
Rushing in a straight line toward Nozomu, she grabbed his shoulders with both hands and began to squeeze them tight. Her nails dug into his shoulders, and Nozomu, unable to bear the pain, began to flail about, but Irisdina's hands, perhaps using reinforcement magic, were completely unfazed.
"Didn't I tell you!? I told you to make sure there were no mistakes......."
"Y-yeeess......."
"Then what was that all about? ......"
"Well, that was- ...... gya~~! Ouch, ouch! Iris, please let me go!"
"No way. If I let go, you'll run away. Now, shall I have you explain it to me properly? ......"
Her eyes shot piercing glares and her voice resounded with vindictiveness from the depths of the abyss. His flesh was tightened by so much force that a scream escaped from Nozomu's mouth. But then a savior voiced her voice.
"Ane-sama, it is you who should provide an explanation to me. What is the meaning of this? I told you not to follow me, didn't I?"
"Ah, no, umm ......."
Being glared at by Somia, Irisdina suddenly began to panic.
"Moreover, you even got Mars-san and Tima-chan involved ....... Ane-sama, which one of you is in the wrong?"
"N-no. That's because I'm worried about you, Somia-......"
"No questions asked."
From there, Somia's sermon time began. Nozomu, who had escaped from the restraints, watched them from a little distance and took a piece of candy out of the bag and threw it into his mouth.
Irisdina turned her eyes to him as if seeking help, but Nozomu deliberately averted his gaze and pretended not to notice. She is completely to blame for this incident, so he decides to let her receive a good lecture from Somia.
"Yo, Nozomu."
"G-good evening."
In the meantime, Tima and Mars, who had been hiding in the shadows, appeared and walked up to him.
"Good evening. It looks like you've had a hard time too."
"Yeah. That Irisdina, she didn't want to listen to us at all ...... -eh, so you noticed us after all?"
"Yeah. But Somia-chan didn't seem to notice, and I knew that if I told her, the date would be ruined at that point. I kinda understand how Iris feels, so I wanted her to at least keep an eye on her from a distance......"
"Ahaha......."
A dry laugh escaped from Tima's mouth for what must have been the countless times today.
"Good grief. Ane-sama, what are you thinking!"
"Uuu......"
While Nozomu and the others were having such a conversation, Somia's sermon gradually heated up.
Before they knew it, Irisdina was forced to sit upright on her knees in front of her little sister and slumped her shoulders.
Although there was no trace of her usual dignified appearance, Nozomu's cheeks relaxed at the sight of the two. Somia's worries seemed to have eased up, albeit a little.
"Ah, I know. Since Ane-sama did something like this, I need to punish you for being such a bad sister."
"P-punishment!?"
"Yes. In the first place, I was the one who asked him out on this date. And since Ane-sama took it out on Nozomu-san, who was only invited by me, it is only natural that you have to apologize to Nozomu-san."
"W-what do you want me to do?"
Iris nervously waited for Somia's words. She looked like a criminal waiting to be sentenced to death.
"It's easy. Please form a party with Nozomu-san at the next Special Comprehensive Exercise."
""...... Eh?""
With the sudden mention of this, Nozomu and Irisdina let out a shocked voice.
"As I recall, you can start on the second day, right? Nozomu-san, is that okay? By the way, Ane-sama has no right to refuse."
"Well, I don't mind, but ......"
Nozomu turned his attention to Irisdina. For some reason, she blushed and turned her face away.
"Ane-sama, you're fine with this, no?"
"Y-yeah! Sure! T-then, Nozomu, I'm looking forward to working with you ......"
"L-like wise....."
Nozomu was at a loss for words as he shook hands with Iris, who reached out her hand to him, but her face was still red and her hand was trembling for some reason. The only one watching this scene with a smile on her face is Somia.
(I've been pushed around by this girl from the beginning to the end today ......)
Could it be that she had been planning to do this from the very beginning?
Such a thought crossed Nozomu's mind. Then he noticed that the sun was beginning to tilt to the west.
"Sorry, Somia-chan. Looks like the sun is about to set......"
"Ah, right. I'm sorry, Ane-sama has done something unnecessary. Well, I guess that's it for today. Well then, Nozomu-san, I'm going to take my sister with me. Come on, Ane-sama, let's go."
After thanking Nozomu once again, Somia took her sister by the hand and headed back toward the mansion.
"Well then, I'm gonna head home too. It was a disaster of a day......."
"A-hahaha ....... Nozomu-kun and Mars-kun, I'm sorry about today."
"You shouldn't be the one apologizing. The main culprit is that siscon after all."
"U-un. See you later."
Tima apologized with an apologetic expression, but Mars' follow-up helped to lift her spirits a bit, and while waving her hands, she headed back home.
"Nozomu, what are you going to do now? Do you want to have dinner at my place?"
"Sorry, I'm heading home, too. I have some business in the Spasim forest."
"Business? Now? The sun is setting already, you know? Well, you're familiar with that forest, I'm sure you'll be fine......"
Nozomu gave a vague smile at Mars' words and turned on his heel.
Feeling eyes on his back, Nozomu left the place and did not return to the dormitory, but headed out of town to a place a little further into the forest from the street. It is a secluded place that is not often visited by the Adventurers.
That was the place he had mentioned in the letter he had given to Lisa. However, the person who was there was not her whom Nozomu had invited.
"What a nice person you are, Nozomu, to summon Lisa to a place like this."
Ken Notice, Nozomu's childhood friend and Lisa's current lover.
He tossed the letter with his hand and spoke to Nozomu in an unfriendly manner.
Nozomu frowned at the appearance of someone different from the person he had called for.
End of Chapter 2
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