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

Chapter 8.28

The morning classes were over. In the third year, first class. At the edge of the classroom, a voice filled with quiet sorrow, sadness, and exasperation drifted by.

"Ai, what do you mean?'"

In the classroom, which was supposed to be a temporary relaxing period after being released from the tension of class, only that one corner of the room was filled with a cold, bottom-chilling atmosphere.

The voice belonged to Tima Lime.

Her usual gentle and calm atmosphere had disappeared, and her eyes were filled with a fierce anger.

"Like I said, I'm going to be busy for a while."

Irisdina replied coldly, yet a tingling heat was felt in the pit of Tima's stomach.

Irisdina tone of voice was devoid of any emotion.

The cold expression on her best friend's face made Tima feel as if she were looking at an intricate doll, and the sense of helplessness caused even more heat to erupt from the pit of her stomach.

Meanwhile, Irisdina, the person in question, brushed aside her best friend's anger like a gentle breeze and turned away, ready to leave the classroom.

"~! Ai, wait!"

"I'm sorry, but I have something I have to do. I don't have time to be stuck with you. Well then..."

Without waiting for Tima's reply, Irisdina left the classroom.

She never returned to the classroom that day.

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

After school, Nozomu was visiting the craftsmen's district with Anri.

In return for his help in organizing the opening festival and assisting Ecross' class, he was promised a place where he could rent a furnace to make a bell for Irisdina.

But Nozomu's expression was not good as he walked through the craftsmen's district.

(Just forget about it.)

The words that Irisdina had clearly thrust into him were repeatedly passing through his mind. Anri, wondering about the frowning Nozomu, looked into his face.

"Nozomu-kun, what's wrong~?"

"Actually, Iris told me that she didn't want the bell anymore..."

Nozomu hesitated for a moment in response to Anri's question, but then he honestly told her what had happened.

At the opening festival, Irisdina had requested a bell from him, but now she had told him she didn't want it any more. She told him that she would keep her distance from him from now on.

In fact, Irisdina did not make any contact with Nozomu except during their way to school, and when he went to check on her at lunchtime, she had already disappeared from the classrooms.

When he talked to Tima, who was in the same classroom, he found that she had left the classroom as soon as the morning classes ended.

Tima also had tried to talk to her, but Irisdina did not seem to listen to her at all.

Remembering what had happened, Nozomu's hearts began to ache.

"~..."

"Then, do you want to stop?"

Concerned about Nozomu's frown, Anri peeked into his face.

Her questioning caused Nozomu to momentarily fall silent.

"......"

The pain running through his chest further aggravated the frustration that Nozomu had been feeling.

Irisdina is not the only problem he is dealing with at the moment.

The fact that he shows no signs of being able to control his own unique abilities. More than anything else, the fact that he went out of control in a fit of rage and turned his blade against the people he cared about has been eroding Nozomu's mind.

"... No, I'll make it. Even though Iris said she didn't want it, I still want to make it and give it to her."

However, despite being consumed by painful frustration, Nozomu clearly stated that he would make the bell he promised.

Indeed, Irisdina said she did not want it, but Nozomu still wanted to make the bell.

This is Nozomu's stubbornness, selfishness, and pride. Once he made a promise, he wanted to be able to fulfill that promise.

Certainly, he was saddened by the rejection and felt a sense of tightness in his chest.

However, even Nozomu is not the same person who used to keep running away. Even he, who is not very sensible, understands that the reason Irisdina rejected him so much was because she did not want to get him involved in her problems.

That was why Nozomu was determined that he could not be swayed now.

(If you want to give a woman some peace of mind, give her some leeway.)

In the corner of his mind, he remembered the noblewoman who had taught him how to dance and how to be a gentleman.

Nozomu and Irisdina, both of them were under pressure from each other's ordeal, and Nozomu was now trying desperately to keep up the pretense that he couldn't be swayed.

(Anri-sensei doesn't seem to be blaming me...)

Nozomu looked back at Anri's face, smiling with all the strength he could muster.

As a school teacher, Anri might be able to warn him. Nozomu thought so at first.

Anri was aware of the Francilt family's situation and of Nozomu's position in the school. As a classroom teacher, there was no way he did not know about it.

Naturally, Jihad would have told her to keep Nozomu away from the Francylt family.

However, Anri did not even warn Nozomu, but instead offered to help him make the bell.

Jihad must not think well of Anri's actions.

That made Nozomu feel bad, but at the same time, he couldn't have been more grateful.

"Un~, good boy, good boy~"

Anri showed not a hair's breadth of pain or heartache, on the contrary, she began patting Nozomu's head as if she were complimenting a younger brother who is much younger than she is.

Nozomu was surprised by her unexpected reaction, but he involuntarily turned his head away in embarrassment.

"Anri-sensei, please stop."

"Good boy, good boy~~~"

"Haa..."

Nozomu tried to escape from Anri's hands by moving his body, but Anri's hands were attached like suckers of an octopus and would not leave Nozomu's head.

Nozomu, embarrassed with the situation, asked Anri to stop, but the repetitive patting and stroking did not seem to be ending.

The warm and gentle gaze of the people around him was making Nozomu feel uncomfortable, but he decided to let Anri pet him for a while.

"Nozomu-kun, how was the opening festival~?"

"I was so bewildered because it was all new to me. I was just honestly being dragged through the stream ... But I didn't expect the Waziart family to show up. And ..."

"I'm not talking about that one, I'm talking about the many people from outside of the school that you were able to meet and talk to~. Nozomu-kun, you are already in the third year~, have you found anything about your future~, about what you want to do~, or anything~?"

After the stroking was over, Anri asked him about his thoughts on the opening festival.

Surprisingly, what Anri was concerned about was not the issue regarding his power as a Dragon Slayer or the problems between the Francilt and Waziarlt families, but purely about Nozomu's future.

"... As usual, I'm not really sure. I have resolved my dispute with Lisa, so if you ask me what I want to do in the future, I honestly can't think of anything yet. I have been approached by people from various countries, but I have no desire to serve in any country or anyone ..."

Nozomu may have moved on from the past, but he still has not figured out what he would like to do in the future.

The current situation with Tiamat and other problems piling up is making it difficult for him to think about his future.

"Why did you decide to become a teacher, Anri-sensei?"

Nozomu suddenly asked Anri why she was teaching at Soluminati Academy.

It would be hard to imagine from her usual silly behavior, but she is a capable A-ranked teacher.

If she had looked for another path, she would have had plenty of options.

"Hmm~, after all, when I see a child working hard, I feel like I want to do something for him or her."

In response to Nozomu's abrupt question, Anri began to speak eloquently, while placing her index finger on her cheek in a cute manner.

She thought that becoming a teacher was the best way to support kids who are doing their best.

"You know~, for me~, instead of fighting monsters~, I like to see everyone sparkling~. It's as if they're stars, twinkling."

"I see, twinkling, huh?"

Anri puffed out her chest as hard as she could while spreading her hands wide.

Passersby were looking at Anri, who was spreading her hands, as if they were looking at something strange.

Some of the men were glued to her ample breasts, which were pushed up against her coat.

But Anri didn't seem to mind all of the stares. It was as if she herself was shining.

No matter how much embarrassment or shame she may have felt, the way she acted in accordance with her own feelings was very attractive, even to Nozomu.

"But my parents were against it~. They would say, 'what were you thinking~? There's no way a woman can do it alone~.' Something like that~"

"Is that so?"

“Yeah. But I told them I had enough of it and ran out."

Nozomu was a little surprised to hear Anri say it in such a casual manner, but she let out a wry smile, as if she were an innocent girl.

Perhaps she also came from a very wealthy family.

While Nozomu was thinking about this, Anri came close to him again.

"Hey, Nozomu-kun. Would you like to try to become a teacher here at the academy?"

"… Eh?"

Nozomu was at a loss for words at Anri's sudden suggestion.

"I'm not sure if there is anyone else besides you in this school who has mastered the katana technique~. Nozomu-kun is a master of Mikagura-style~, and I would like to see you stay at the academy~."

Indeed, Nozomu's skill with the katana is something the academy would like to have at its fingertips.

There are hardly any people in the school who have mastered the Eastern martial arts.

Moreover, because of his circumstances, he has mastered the art of breaking out of a crisis with a small amount of Qi.

If he can successfully train his fighting techniques and pass them on to others, he will be a very powerful force in the fight against demonic beasts.

However, due to his training method, which literally means to engrave the techniques into his body, Nozomu is not very good at teaching others, but this will naturally improve as he gains more experience.

In fact, Henri had heard that the students in the first year that Nozomu taught had begun to show remarkable improvement in their physical training.

Education is something that is planned and implemented over a span of several years or even a decade or more.

From this point of view, Anri was confident that Nozomu's talent as an educator was not so bad.

"… Sorry."

"It's okay~. I think it's best for you to do what you want to do~."

However, Nozomu's response to Anri's words was not a good one. She herself understood that Nozomu had not yet come up with an answer for his future.

The situation surrounding him was too complicated and unpredictable.

"Nozomu-kun, when push comes to shove, I think you should be free to do as you wish~."

"But I still have a lot to deal with ..."

Remembering his own situation, Nozomu's expression turned cloudy.

The powerful power that he had come to hold inside of him, his own personal growth that had yet to occur, the surveillance of the dragon race, the unsettling circumstances around him, and the rejection of the people he cared about.

Nozomu felt helplessly confined by the sense of being left behind in his fast-changing surroundings.

"I honestly did not anticipate the burden that is pressing down on both of your shoulders. As a teacher, there is not much I can teach you..."

A shadow fell for a moment over Anri's cheerful expression.

Even her usually languid speech was cut off in a somewhat sad tone.

She is a teacher who really cares about her students. At the same time, she is also saddened by Nozomu's current situation.

He has struggled desperately and stood up, but now he is faced with even greater difficulties.

The sudden change in the reactions of the people around him, leaving him behind, was like a muddy river that had gained momentum after a long rainfall, and was about to swallow him up.

On top of that, Anri is truly helpless when it comes to the matter of Tiamat. She is not able to teach him the arts of the spirits, and many of his problems are impossible for her, a mere teacher, to solve.

"Even so, I can tell you this: The important thing is not what you should do, but what you want to do."

So, at the very least, she gently cupped Nozomu's cheek with her hand and told her student not to lose sight of his own will.

Nozomu's eyes widen at Anri's sudden action.

What does Nozomu really want? Even Anri doesn't know.

However, it is because of his strong feelings that this boy stood up for one of his childhood friends, enduring life-threatening training and mindless abuse. That is an undeniable fact.

"Perhaps, Nozomu-kun already has the answer, and that's why you stayed in this school and trained so hard. It's just that right now, it's a little difficult to see the answer..."

When Anri removed her hand from Nozomu's cheek, she tapped him on the chest, gently, as if to indicate that the answer was already there.

The beautiful woman then turned away, sprinkled with the scent of sweet honey, and began to lead the way.

"Let's go, Nozomu-kun. To do what you want to do right now."

Looking back at her, her usual innocent expression was gone, and she was smiling in a more mature and charming way than ever.

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

The place Nozomu was brought to by Anri was a single blacksmith shop located on a small street in the commercial district.

From the back of the workshop, which doubled as a store, could be heard the sound of metal being struck.

The door to the store was left open, perhaps to let the heat from the furnace in the workshop escape, and the hot, sweat-soaked air stung his skin.

"Is this the place?"

"Yes, it's the store I've been visiting since I was a student~! Wandall-sa~~n, are you there~~?"

As if visiting a neighbor's relative's house, Anri strided into the store.

Nozomu also followed her for the time being, but the moment he went through the open door, a voice cursing as if thunder had struck at close range jumped into his ears.

"You idiot! You broke it again!"

"I-, I'm sorry~~!"

The volume of the voice was so loud that Nozomu involuntarily grimaced and covered his ears.

He looked in the direction of the angry voice and saw a small dwarf with a rich dark brown beard, wearing an apron and holding a forge hammer in one hand, his face flushed with anger.

Dwarf.

A type of demi-human who is skilled in handling metal and lives mainly in caves.

They were forced to leave their homeland, the Underground Kingdom, during the Great Invasion, and are now part of the Sumahya Union.

But what surprised Nozomu more than anything else was a red-haired girl who was bowing before the dwarf in question.

"... Lisa?"

"No-, Nozomu!"

It was Lisa, Nozomu's childhood friend, who was bowing her head in front of the dwarf.

When she saw Nozomu enter the store with Anri, she stood up in a panic and patted her skirt, knocking off the soot that was on it.

"Gosh, I've been caught in a weird moment ..."

Blushing, Lisa's eyes swam with embarrassment.

On the other hand, the dwarf who had been scolding her stared at Lisa with a scowl as he suddenly stood up and adjusted his appearance.