Volume 5 Chapter 69 The End Of The Festival, Huh
The third day of the Souten Festival became a tragedy that would go down in university history.
In the midst of the bustling cultural festival, suddenly over a hundred people fell into an unexplained state of unconsciousness.
Fortunately, there were few secondary injuries thanks to the presence of people nearby.
Either way, panic spread throughout the university. The cultural festival, which was supposed to be filled with smiles and happiness, instantly turned into a hellish echo of screams.
Due to the large number of members from the Anti-Demon Special Forces on security duty, emergency medical treatment was carried out quickly, but of course, the cultural festival was canceled.
For a while after that, the university was closed off.
The cause of all this was me.
"..."
In a room of the Anti-Demon Special Forces' Seijo branch, I sat there, lost in thought. Lisha and Kanami were each in their own rooms, maintaining and reading magic tools.
By attending that university, I caused a tragedy that involved many people. In the first place, when I gave up on collecting the coins, there was a possibility that it would turn out like this.
It seems that the people who faint due to Kushina's magic are gradually waking up, although it varies from person to person.
The fact that there were no deaths is the only consolation.
Since then, we have been staying at the Anti-Demon Special Forces' Seijo branch without going home for a few days.
Kagami-san took the news of a traitor within the Anti-Demon Official headquarters seriously and asked us to stay in the place where she trusted the most.
The Anti-Demon Special Forces continue to investigate and deal with the aftermath and the underlying connections, treating Kushina's actions as an artificial spiritual disaster.
I don't know why Finn, who is Asteris human beings, and and Kushina were connected.
But Kagami-san and the others should be the ones to investigate.
As I was thinking about such things, there was a knock on the door.
"Sorry, can I come in?"
"..."
The ones who entered the room were Kagami-san, Tsukiko, Lisha, Kanami and Sharla.
Oscar-san was apparently forcibly recalled to his home country due to being involved in the commotion, so he isn't here.
Sharla is cooperating in the research to unravel Kushina's magic. Or rather, she probably finds it really troublesome and annoying, but I asked her to do it.
Lisha and Kanami sat next to me, and Kagami-san and the others sat across from us.
"I'm sorry. We've been unable to handle things properly and have been neglecting you."
"That's okay. I'm the ones who should apologize. It's my fault that things turned out like this."
As I tried to bow my head, Kagami-san stopped me with her hand.
"That's not true, Yuusuke-kun. It may be true that the God-Demon War is an event from another world. However, now that humans involved in it have appeared, this is also a problem for the Anti-Demon Special Forces. Above all, this spiritual disaster is completely our fault. You don't have to worry about it. I'm really sorry."
"But fundamentally, it happened because we were there."
Kagami-san shook her head.
"The victims shouldn't blame themselves for the cause of the incident. The ones to blame are the humans who committed the crime. It's the responsibility of the parties involved and the organization. You protected and fought for people. I won't let anyone say that was wrong."
"..."
I couldn't say anything.
Even though it shouldn't be like this, why does this person affirm me so much?
Seeming tired, Kagami-san massaged her temples while speaking in a frustrated tone.
"More importantly, there's one more thing I want to ask. What was it again? Your true identity, um..."
"Oh, I'm sorry. That's where it started, right?"
She must heard it from Tsukiko. Well, there's no point in hiding anymore. It would be faster to show her than to tell her.
I activated 'My True Name' and donned the silver armor. I still get nervous about using magic in front of people, but Kagami-san is someone I've always been indebted to. I can't deceive her any longer.
Kagami-san muttered to herself after watching for about two seconds.
"Oh, I see... I see. Why didn't I notice? It all makes sense when I think about it."
"I apologize. It's because this magic itself has a concealment effect."
"Oh, I see. I see, that's right."
Kagami-san nodded repeatedly without making eye contact for some reason.
Well, it's surprising, isn't it?
Kanami, who is next to me, has a gentle smile as if she understands everything. What's with her?
After a brief pause, Kagami-san raised her hand.
"Sorry, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I need to cool down for a bit. Lisha-chan, Kanami-san, and Sharla-san, can you come here? I have something to discuss."
"Oh, yes, understood."
"I understand."
Lisha and Kanami stood up.
"I'm fine staying here."
"It's okay, it's okay."
Kagami-san forcibly made Sharla, who refused, stand up and left the room. Is it just my imagination, or has she become more accustomed to handling her in the past few days? Perhaps she's used to dealing with difficult children on a regular basis.
Only Tsukiko and I were left behind.
It seems like I've made her feel uneasy.
I released the activation of the magic and sat back down.
"..."
"..."
Tsukiko looked at me with unreadable eyes. Since entering this room, her gaze hasn't left me.
That's right. We haven't had a proper chance to talk since that day. The word that should be said here is one.
"I'm sorry. I've been hiding something important from Tsukiko for a long time. I was a hero in a different world. I told myself that there was no point in telling my family or anyone else."
If I had told her when we started dating, our relationship might have been different.
It may not mean anything now.
Still, like she revealed everything to me, I wanted to tell her too, I thought so.
"That"
I heard Tsukiko's voice, who I couldn't see her face.
"Was I the only one who talked about your identity on Earth...?"
Huh? What does that mean?
There are quite a few people who know that I used to be a hero, but if I think of them as pure Earthlings, yeah.
"Except for Kagami-san, only Tsukiko, yeah."
"I see"
When I raised my face to the concise answer, Tsukiko, who had been looking at me until just now, turned away.
"What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing. I just wondered why you told me."
"That is——"
Why is that? I got Lisha to affirm my existence and I was able to acknowledge myself. It was definitely a trigger.
At the same time, I felt that I had to tell Tsukiko naturally.
I wonder why. A few months ago, it would have been a nostalgic feeling, but what about now?
As a comrade, as a friend, as an ex-lover.
None of them fit well.
In the end, the destination I arrived at was,
"I wanted you to hear it, I guess."
That's probably how it turned out.
I wanted to tell Tsukiko and wanted her to hear it.
'I... I don't want you to hurt anymore. Even if it's selfish, even if it means separating from Yuusuke in the end.'
Tsukiko's words come back to me.
I don't know if this is the answer. Maybe there is no correct answer.
"In the different world and here, I chose to fight. Because I thought that was what I should do. Even if it's dangerous, even if it's a mistake, I want to live proudly."
She probably won't be satisfied with these words. I didn't want to betray someone who genuinely worries about me. But still, in order to continue on my own path, I will take up the sword as many times as necessary.
I managed to hold back the gaze that seemed to drop, and somehow kept looking forward. The silence weighed heavily.
"──I understand."
How much time has passed, Tsukiko turned to me again.
There was her natural smile that I hadn't seen in months.
My head shook with a strong impact, as if I had been hit hard.
That's right.
How many times did I go in circles just to see that face? Nervously, making mistakes, each time I lightly smiled as if to say it couldn't be helped.
"I will also support you. Not as an Anti-Demon Official, but as Isumi Tsukiko, I will be Yuusuke's support."
That may have been a future that could have happened at that time. A scenery that I will never see again. Until we got here, maybe we took a long detour.
"Oh, please."
"Then, be prepared. I won't allow you to give up halfway."
We naturally extended our hands and shook them together.
Once a relationship is broken, it cannot be restored to its original state. However, by acknowledging the brokenness and starting over, we can create something new again.
Since nobody knows what the correct answer is, we will remake it over and over until we are satisfied.
And I thought that was fine.
* * *
Bang! The door opened.
"Ah!"
Tsukiko hurriedly let go of my hand.
The soft sensation still remained in my hand.
What should I do about this? It's making me embarrassed for some reason.
When we looked at the door, Kagami-san, who had just left, along with Lisha and the others, entered.
What's going on?
"Your conversation is over, right?!"
"Uh, yes. Thank you very much."
"..."
Sharla walked over and sat next to me.
No, stop it. Kagami-san was about to speak, right? And for some reason, I feel like I'm being stared at from the front. That's strange, didn't something similar happen during the cultural festival?
"A-anyway, I came here today because there is an important matter to discuss."
Well, there are certainly many things that need to be talked about. For now, I gave up on being close to Sharla and turned towards Kagami-san.
"Is it an important matter?"
"Yes. Even with all the piled up work, I have been thinking about all of you."
"Thank you."
When Kagami-san said that, it felt different.
So, what is the topic in the end?
After building up for a while, Kagami-san shouted in a high tension tone, as if releasing stress and fatigue.
"You're moving!"
...Huh?
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