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

Volume 4 Chapter 7.5

Seeds of Rekindling Part 5

Translator : PolterGlast

She just kept running. As if to escape the urge to rip out her own chest.

With her ragged breathing, she headed for the medical facility of the Gloaurum Institute, where he slept.

She opened the front door with a force that could have destroyed it and dashed into the white corridor.

"Oi, stop right there!"

"Irisdina-kun? Wha, wait!"

The facility's staff members widened their eyes upon seeing the beautiful dark-haired girl running at such a high speed, but Irisdina paid no attention to them. She ignored the guards who tried to stop her, and even Inda's voice as she passed by.

The room was shrouded in silence. On the bed, Nozomu was still sleeping peacefully.

He was breathing softly as usual.

"Haa, haa, haa, haa... Nozomu."

Irisdina walked over to the bed, not bothering to calm her rough breathing.

As his name leaked out of her mouth, it melted away into the quiet of the hospital room.

*Creak, creak* ....... Her heart was creaking. She squeezed her chest and bit her lip as if to endure the pain that ran through her. The white hands turned even whiter and wrinkles were carved into the clean uniform.

"Come on, wake up. You've been sleeping a little too much, you know? If you don't get up soon, you'll have a hard time keeping up with the class."

The aching did not subside. Instead, it seeped out of her chest like a leaking rain.

With a hoarse voice, she shook Nozomu, who was lying on the bed. But there's no reply......

"Somia, Shina, and the others are worried about you, too. And, and......."

The smile that she managed to put on her face was distorted into an ugly smile. Trying to escape the pain that stirred in her chest, she kept rocking the sleeping Nozomu. Although she tried to hold back her tears, her uncontrollable emotions continued to overflow.

"Wake up, please wake up......! Let me hear your voice......!"

Her mind replayed the memory of her childhood, when she clung to her mother, who had passed away and become a mere husk.

The image of her mother on her deathbed and the image of Nozomu sleeping overlapped. Exceeding her limits, Irisdina's eyes became moist and a single tear trickled down her cheek. She could not suppress it anymore.

"Gu~. Uu....... Uuu......!"

Tears flowed like a broken dam, and Irisdina clung to Nozomu's chest. She squeezed the futon so hard that she could almost tear it off, buried her face in it, and sobbed incessantly.

With a dry clicking sound, the hair ornament Nozomu had bought for her detached, and tears streamed down to wet Nozomu's chest. When she raised her face, she saw his sleeping face right beside her.

His face has no particular distinguishing features. But when he smiled, she felt warmth from the bottom of her heart. But now.......

"Hic, hic ....... Nozomu......."

Bringing her face closer and gently touching Nozomu's cheek, she pressed her own lips against Nozomu's.

First kiss.

She recalled the time when they fought the Cracked-Crown Giant Centipede. Shina kissed Nozomu to calm him down when he went out of control.

Just wanting Nozomu to wake up, Irisdina kept pressing her lips against his.

However, her wish was in vain, and Nozomu's eyelids did not open.

The hair ornament that fell on his chest caught her attention.

It was the gift he had bought her the first time they walked the streets together.

The pain that was just welling up deep within her chest suddenly disappeared. All that remained was a gaping hole and a fierce chill.

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

Irisdina gently raised herself up and left the hospital room in a daze.

She walked through the corridor with unsteady steps and went straight outside.

It was already dark outside. A chilly breeze caressed her cheeks.

"Ai!"

"Tima......?"

Suddenly, she was hugged from behind. The familiar voice of her best friend was calling out Irisdina's name.

Even though the name was being shouted in her ear, the voice sounded somewhat distant.

"Why are you here......?"

A question came out of reflex amid her not-so-well thought process. Tima did not answer but kept hugging her as if wrapping her from behind.

"I'm okay. I'm ...... perfectly okay."

She repeated the same words as if parroting them back, but her choked voice had no power, no persuasive power at all. Tima's arms tightened as if to comfort Irisdina, who looked as if she would break at any moment.

"Don't worry, everything is fine .......uu~"

The warmth rekindled Irisdina's frozen emotions.

At the same time, the tears that should have dried up began to well up again. Tima shifted her body and wrapped Irisdina's face in her chest as if to hide the sobs that were beginning to leak out.

"Uuu~, aaa~ ......"

Wrapped in the warmth of her best friend, Irisdina began to weep again.

The surrounding people cast their eyes at her to see what was going on, but she was no longer bothered by such things.

"Guu~, uu~! Hic......aaa~!"

"Ai......."

Tima just kept hugging the weakened Irisdina and accepting her raging emotions.

How anxious had she been? How much vexation had she been holding back?

Her heart was nearly breaking at the thought of the person she loved not waking up, and she was jealous of that person's former girlfriend. She tried desperately to suppress those emotions ...... but failed.

Her best friend, the one she could always count on. The only time she showed such weakness was when the butler of the Waziart family almost took her sister's soul, which was dearer to her than her own life.

She must be so attracted to him that she felt so stirred emotionally like this.

(Ah......)

In the midst of all this, the sound of footsteps rushing toward them came from the end of the hallway.

When Tima turned her eyes toward the direction of the sound to see what was going on, Inda, who should be observing Nozomu's condition, came running toward them. As Tima tilted her head at the somewhat desperate figure of Inda, she was hit by a strong chill.

"W-What!?"

A powerful surge of source elements. It was coming from the forest area of the central park. It was originating from the place where Lisa and the others had just been.

A chill went through their entire body. They looked at each other and ran toward the source of the power.

†

"U-Umm......."

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

Lisa and Camilla. The two cousins remained silent as they faced each other.

Camilla's gaze wavered as she searched for the right words to say, and Lisa remained downcast, not even looking at the other party's face. In the silence, the only sound was the night wind rustling the trees. Camilla was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry......."

The words of apology were so faint that they were drowned out by the sound of the wind, but they carried a heavy toll as though she was squeezing them out of her mouth.

The moment Lisa heard it, she became furious.

"~! Why, Why now......!"

Her face turned bright red and she reflexively grabbed Camilla by the collar.

For two years she had been deceived, and as a result, she kept humiliating the person she loved with her own hands.

Her guilt and remorse toward Nozomu whom she had hurt indelibly. Lisa went straight to slam Camilla's body into a nearby tree with all her might.

"Ugh ....... I know that no matter how much I apologize, I will never be forgiven. I did something that cannot be undone. To you, Lisa, and to Nozomu, as well......."

"It's too late, everything, everything is ruined! Everything!"

Camilla choked up at the impact on her back, but continued to speak.

Lisa, on the other hand, couldn't have been more devastated, her eyes widening and filling with tears as she pushed Camilla further into the tree. The magic power in response to Lisa's fury envelops her body, naturally enhancing her physical abilities. Camilla's body began to creak and scream.

At that moment, a cold, sticky sensation spread across her abdomen.

"Ah......."

Lisa dropped her gaze and saw a red stain that had seeped out from under Camilla's clothes and stuck to Lisa's uniform.

That was where Lisa had stabbed her. The disgusting sensation of her hand piercing flesh came back to her and she reflexively pulled her hand away.

Camilla crumpled to her knees. But her face was still firmly facing forward, looking up at Lisa.

"Hey Lisa, do you remember? The first time we met at this school. At first, I used to give everyone I met the cold shoulder. I came to this city to hide myself after all......"

Fear has imprinted on her since childhood. The only person she could rely on was her mother. Because she grew up in such an environment, Camilla has always been lonely.

Fortunately, her mother gave her letters and the necessary knowledge. However, her loneliness became even stronger when she came to Arcazam. Although her grades were high, she was naturally isolated from the other students in her class.

In this situation, it was only Lisa who approached her.

"I recognized you right away. You're uncle's daughter. You had eyes just like his. Kind, strong, and full of curiosity......"

From then on, the two became close enough to be called best friends.

Because Lisa did not know her father's origins, Camilla could not tell her that she was her cousin. But how much support did she receive from Lisa, who had the same eyes as her beloved uncle and had no hesitation in becoming an adventurer?

Her personality has not changed, as she is inevitably wary of strangers. She has always been afraid to talk about her origins. Still, thanks to Lisa, Camilla's world has gradually grown. But .......

"I'm the one who blinded you. If it helps you get back on your feet, I'll do anything. So......"

Camilla, sitting on the ground, stared at Lisa with pleading, yet strong-willed eyes. Lisa averted her eyes away from such a gaze.

Camilla had the resolve and strength to do so, which scared Lisa, and at the same time, she felt miserable about herself for being so shaken up.

"Lisa, wait......"

"Stay away from me!"

Camilla reached out for her, but Lisa unintentionally shoved her away. The impact further opened up the wound in Camilla's abdomen. The crimson color spreads. The sensation of stabbing someone is getting worse.

Lisa's face froze and her body trembled upon seeing Camilla involuntarily hold her lower abdomen. She then tried to turn on her heel as if to run away .......

"Please, don't run away. It's fine if you want to hurt me. But please. Don't run away......"

Camilla's fading plea stopped her in her tracks. When Lisa turned around fearfully, Camilla stood up on shaky legs and slowly walked over to her. Then she extended her hand and hugged Lisa.

"Ah......"

"It's okay, everything will be okay......"

Camilla hugged Lisa with her weak hands and slowly, really slowly, began to stroke Lisa's hair. Her gentle movements were like a mother comforting her daughter. Lisa's eyes widened and her trembling body slowly began to relax.

"I'm so sorry. And thank you......"

Upon hearing these quiet, gentle words in her ear, Lisa finally reached her limit, and tears trickled down from her eyes. Emotions overflowing like a raging stream. She began to weep in an inarticulate voice.

"U~, ~......"

No matter how hard she clenched her teeth and tried to suppress the tears, they wouldn't stop. The pent-up emotions that had accumulated in the depths of her chest were being washed away. For a while, Lisa just kept crying.

However, at that moment, a low, raspy third-party voice drifted into their ears.

"Found, you ......."

The voice made them turn around reflexively. From the depths of the darkness peeking through the trees, a figure emerged.

It was a blonde-haired young man wearing the uniform of the Solminati Academy. His entire body was drenched with water, and his face was downcast with no expression visible. However, there was a strange aura emanating from his entire body.

A black shadow like a mirage. It covered Ken's entire body and swayed like a mirage every time he took a step forward.

"Ken......"

As Lisa was stunned by the appearance of her childhood friend, who appeared with a strange aura, a jet of pitch black source element suddenly erupted from Ken's body. The murky source element, reminiscent of the muddy stream of sewage, swirled and rose into the sky.

Ken, who had been downcast, raised his face. His wide, crimson eyes fixed on the two of them.

Then, an arrow flew from the sky. Shina, who had been waiting nearby, rushed to their aid.

The arrow was easily knocked down by Ken's arm, which was swung carelessly.

Meanwhile, Shina's eyes widened at the strange presence that Ken was giving off. It was the presence of an abominable being that she herself knew very well.

"This is that evil beast's...... both of you, run!"

Camilla, reacting to Shina's voice, took Lisa's hand and ran away.

However, as if to block their way, a huge white wall of light rose up from the ground.

The translucent wall towered in a circle, trapping Ken, Camilla, and the others inside.

"This is, a barrier!? (Raz, can you hear me!?)"

(Shi-jou, what the hell is going on?......)

Suddenly, black source elements erupted from Ken's body and swallowed the three of them in an instant.

End of Chapter 7

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