Arifureta After III Tortus Travel Journal ⑱
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AN: Forgive me for being unable to update within a month.
Finally my writing work for the publication is settling down so I update this.
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The summary until last chapter
- Used Neu○lyzer New! and incited the people of Ur.
- The owner of water fairy inn, the demon king respected him.
- While looking around the room, oh? Yuuka was……
- It has to be investigated!
↑ Here right now
The “Is it possible that Yuuka will become the dark horse investigation meeting” started.
When looking at Yuuka who was flustered when Miyasaki Nana teased her about Hajime, of course Yue and others would want to confirm various things.
And so at the corner of the room,
「Hajime-san, are you listening?」
「Ah, yes.」
Hajime thought while sitting with seiza posture. There was Remia in front of him showing a smile that gave off pressure like a demon king. She was staring straight at Hajime with eyes that weren’t laughing in a distance where their knees touched each other.
「Honestly, the action and words of Myuu recently is intolerable. As her papa, don’t you think that the words ‘it’s legal if it’s not found out” is not good?」
「Ah, yes. I think it’s not good.」
「Look, even now she is wearing sunglasses even though we’re indoors. Please observe, it’s like she is a small gangster.」
「No, equating sunglasses indoor=gangster is a bit hasty――」
「What is?」
「No, it’s nothing.」
Remia talked tediously and fervently. She must be really worried about Myuu whose words and actions lately became stylish. Her frustration that seemed to have piled up was spat out from Remia’s mouth like a flood.
Because she was Remia-san who usually always gave a gently and soft atmosphere, so Hajime listened to her obediently with a docile expression thinking that he had to hear her.
Seeing the shocking scene of the godslaying demon king kneeling on the floor while being lectured, the new pope Simon and Liliana exchanged glances and understanding 「This is absolutely cannot be shown to other people」 and swore to keep this great secret together.
Putting that aside, as for the flustered Yuuka……
「Nn~」
「……uu」
Yue and Kaori groaned for some reason. It was like they were reaching the conclusion ‘Ah, this is seriously a dark horse! The second Shizuku-chan!’.
Rather it was the opposite.
Shizuku and Aiko opened their mouth and muttered with an expression of calm understanding.
「Well, of course it is……」
「Indeed. I too still didn’t manage to sort out my feelings……it’s a pathetic story but, for me to be unable to have enough talks with Sonobe-san and others……」
The past playback in front of their gaze――the time axis that was before Nana’s remark 『You won’t be able to steal away Nagumo-chi from the other world’s beautiful girl!!!』 toward Yuuka――within that playback there was Yuuka and others looking somewhat dejected.
Actually, the remark before was originally Nana putting on a brave face in order to change the room’s gloomy air, perhaps she was trying to forcefully change the air in consideration of Yuuka and Taeko. That seemed to be the case.
The reason for that was because the time axis of this past was after Hajime and others left――in other words it was after Shimizu died.
The circumstance at that time and the sentiment of Hajime and others had been talked in their greeting with Phos. That was why the people here could watch this objectively.
But, for Yuuka and others, the situation was an unbelievable incident that happened in front of their eyes. They were a related party.
『Nagumo-chi……he was scary.』
Those words that leaked out from Nana’s mouth were their honest feelings and sentiment for themselves, Atsushi and others in the adjacent room. A classmate killed another classmate. It was only natural for them to feel like that.
It didn’t matter even if they felt indignation toward the reckless action of the person called Shimizu that left no room for sympathy. No matter how much they understood in their head that they would undoubtedly die at this time if Hajime and others weren’t there, someone they knew was killed in front of them. Scary is scary.
『Nagumo……he has changed completely……』
Yuuka also leaked out what was inside her heart. She didn’t refer to his appearance or strength, but his heart. About his way of living as a human.
『Even though before, Nagumo-chi was someone who was always acting flippantly.』
『How should I say it, he was like an incompetent? He wouldn’t object at all no matter what Hiyama’s group did to him.』
『Thinking back now, I never even saw him angry.』
The three talked about the Hajime that they knew bit by bit. The Hajime that Yuuka and others talked about was a young man who was thoroughly unrelated with violence. Rather than exerting violence, he would rather be in the receiving end of violence. He would endure it with a smile. Letting it go over him. He was a boy that was like a willow.
While lending their ears to that conversation, Kaori, Shizuku, and then Aiko narrowed their eyes nostalgically. Sumire and Shuu also narrowed their eyes and looked toward the corner of the room. The lecturing had stopped without them noticing. Hajime and others were also watching the past projection. Hajime noticed the gaze of Sumire and Shuu and shrugged.
The projection continued playing and after a while, Yuuka and Nana and also Taeko continued to be silent to sort out their feelings.
Like that, due to the atmosphere that was too heavy, Nana who was fundamentally not a deep thinker and had the tendency to get carried away easily became unable to endure it and gradually made bright comments, and at the end it was leading to the comment from before.
The projection cut off there. Tomoichi and the people of Yaegashi family made a conflicted expression, while Kaoruko and Akiko made a difficult expression.
「Well, that’s only normal. Thinking back of what I did, them not harboring any feelings of avoidance is surprising instead.」
「Hajime-kun……」
The words that Hajime directed toward the parents caused everyone starting from Tomoichi to look conflicted.
「Bu, but, after this, I noticed Hajime-kun’s true intention and then I also explained it to Sonobe-san and others!」
「No, Aiko. It’s not like you need to give any follow up.」
Hajime smiled wryly at Aiko who was arguing vehemently. He killed someone. For everyone to accept that like it was alright, that was the true horror instead. Them harboring fear inside their heart or perhaps even harboring a feeling of rejection wouldn’t be strange at all, rather that was normal. Hajime explained that.
Hearing that, everyone’s expression became even more conflicted. Hajime deepened his wry smile and added even more words especially toward the parents.
「I have no intention to act like a saint. I don’t have the slightest wish for everyone to think well of me. I also don’t feel like proclaiming how and what I did was justified every time. For me at that time, I did so because it was necessary. No more and no less.」
He would accept what happened as the result of his deed. He did what was necessary toward the troubles that were falling toward him. That was all.
The parents looked at each other after Hajime finished like that. At the end they looked at Sumire and Shuu. The two were looking at their son like he was a hopeless child, even so they would still accept him. Seeing the two’s expression like that, the other parents let out a long sigh.
There were a lot in their mind but, it would be fine if they talked it out calmly later. It looked like they dealt with it like that.
This trip wasn’t a trip to discuss about the right and wrong of Hajime’s methodd and passed judgment. They only wanted to know more about someone who might become their family, what was he thinking and what had he done during his fierce travel. They wanted to accept him fully knowing him. They participated in this trip with such intention.
And then, it wasn’t just limited toward Hajime, but also toward their own children.
That was why, the parents closed their mouth and let out the tension from their shoulders before nodding.
「Anyway, with this you guys understand right? Stop it already with the distrust about Sonobe.」
Seeing everyone coming to a grip with their emotion in their own way, Hajime urged them to finish with this observation.
Indeed, seeing from the scene just now, it wasn’t necessary to consider the Yuuka-chan is a dark horse theory.
But however, some people put a halt to it……
「……Muu. What do you think, Kaori-san.」
「Objection! From the attitude of Yuuka-chan after the final battle, I think that it might be too premature to judge it from just this scene!」
「……Nn. Objection accepted-」
「You two, read the mood.」
With an expression that said ‘What is this demon king who won’t read the mood is saying~’, Yue and Kaori ignored Hajime completely. No, it wasn’t just the two. Liliana also raised her hand while stepping forward.
「Yes-! I also think so! The action of Yuuka-san after returning to the palace……it was nothing but suspicious!」
Of course, Aiko also speak with a face like a detective hypothesizing the criminal with one hand supporting her chin.
「Certainly. That time too when Liliana-san took advantage of Hajime-kun’s travel to head to the empire and she got thrown back into the palace’s dining hall using “gate”……she looked displeased hearing about the story of Hajime-kun in the empire! Especially when it came to parts like the dancing together, she was looking at Lily-san with a terrible stare!」
The voice that resounded contained conviction like when a detective said ‘You’re the culprit!’.
Then similarly Tio joined her arms and hid her mouth behind them. She pointed out while making that intentional midair Gendo○ pose.
「Speaking of that, Pope Simon hath mentioned it just now――『That was because I received the consultation from the princess after I learned that the one talked by “miss Yuuka” and Aiko-dono was Hajime-dono.』.」
「Ah, now that you mentioned it he said that! Yuuka-san consulted about Hajime-san to Simon-san……it can only be that kind of talk! Simon-san even told Hajime-san to get castrated!」
Shia said 「There is only one truth desuu!」 while looking at Simon. Simon averted his gaze and shut his mouth.
「I haven’t fallen so low that I will just blabber about what other people consulted me with!」
「Just now you blabbered about what I discussed with you wasn’t it!?」
A sharp tsukkomi from Aiko. However, Pope Simon kept his gaze directed toward far beyond and suddenly began to pretend to be senile saying 「Heh? Why am I over here……」. It was a well-known fact that he was a high spec grampa who could vanish like a gust of wind, so it was too hard to believe.
「……Pope Simon.」
「Wha, what?」