“Yeah, I guess.”
Shea shrugged her shoulders, and Hajime smiled awkwardly. She looked up at the sky again and saw a glimmer through the fog.
By sheer coincidence, the fog had grown thin in the area above them, and the light of the moon reflecting off the water drops in the air had become visible.
“Hajime-san, Hajime-san. Can you come with me for a second?”
“Hm? Sure.”
Ears flapping wildly, Shea started leaping her way up the large tree. Hajime lithely followed after her, using the tree’s hollows and branches as hand and footholds.
They kept going until they broke through the foliage at the top of the tree. Normally the top of a tree had only thin branches, but here a number of them had twined together to create a cavity sturdy enough to seat people.
“The reason we buried Mom here was because this was her favorite spot.”
“I see, so this was like her secret base.”
The two of them picked their way over to the natural sofa and sat down next to each other.
“Look up there, Hajime-san. You can see it pretty well tonight!”
“Hm? Whoa... This is... amazing.”
The fog above them had thinned out considerably. They could see the sea of clouds that lay beyond the mist. The fog was dense around where Hajime and Shea were sitting, but it thinned out sharply above that. What little remained reflected moonlight from all different angles, making it appear as if the veil of fog was shimmering. Seemed almost like someone had thrown a million jewels into a pure white sea.
“You barely ever get to see it this well. But this view used to be Mom’s favorite. We’re pretty lucky the fog was thin today.”
“Don’t give me that cliched crap.” Hajime was certain of it. Somewhere up from heaven, Shea’s mom had performed this miracle for her. It was her reward to her daughter for hanging in there so long. Hajime explained as much to Shea, and her bunny ears flapped back and forth in a mixture of embarrassment and joy.
For a long time, they just sat there and stared at the sparkling mist. Then suddenly, Hajime turned to Shea. Her hair was shining as brightly as the sky above. The pale blue strands fluttered in the wind and caught the moonlight perfectly. As he stared at her profile, Hajime idly thought back to when he’d hugged Shea and Yue in front of Gahard earlier. In truth, he’d done it almost unconsciously. But before he’d realized it, they were both in his arms.
He could still say with absolute confidence that Yue was the only one he thought of as “special.” But the reason he’d hugged Shea as well was most likely because— Hajime cut off his own train of thought and smiled forlornly to himself. He finally realized how selfish he was being.
Though he kept telling himself no one could be as important to him as Yue, he still wanted Shea all to himself. He had no idea when it had happened, but he knew now that he cared a lot more about Shea than he thought. Enough that he’d unconsciously hugged her alongside Yue.
While no one would ever matter more to him than Yue, he could no longer deny what he felt for Shea. And now that he’d admitted it to himself, he couldn’t pretend he didn’t have these feelings. In which case, shouldn’t he at the very least treat her the way she wanted? After all, she’d worked so hard to stick with them, even when she’d barely had any strength at all.
“U-Umm, Hajime-san? Is something wrong? You’ve been staring at me so long it’s getting kind of embarrassing...”
As Hajime returned to his senses he realized Shea was blushing and fidgeting awkwardly. Her bunny ears were drooping too, though they occasionally perked up in Hajime’s direction every few seconds.
Hajime smiled and stretched out his hand. He reached over to Shea’s ears and patted them gently.
“H-Hajime-san?”
“Hey, Shea. Can you do something for me?”
“You’re... asking me for a favor? Of course! I’ll do anything!”
Surprised, Shea still eagerly jumped at the opportunity to pay Hajime back.
“Uh, it’s nothing that grand. I just want to lay down for a bit. Is it cool if I sleep on your lap?”
“You don’t even have to ask. Here, you can use it whenever you want.”
“Thanks.”
Shea looked a little disappointed for a second, but then smiled and patted her thigh, inviting Hajime to lay down. Hajime smiled again and rested his head on her legs.
Since Shea was in a mini-skirt, as usual, his head was touching her bare thighs. Their warmth and softness enveloped the back of his head. A sweet scent, similar to the one Yue had, wafted across his nostrils.
“Fufu, I know Yue-san does this all the time, but I feel kind of bad for Kaori-san and Tio-san.”
“It’s just a lap pillow, you don’t have to feel guilty about it or anything.”
“Jeez, you can’t say stuff like that. Those two are working so hard to get you to fall for them, Hajime-san. A lap pillow, or even spending time alone together like this is really important to them. Really, why don’t you just give up and fall in love with them already?”
“I don’t suppose I could convince any of you to give up yourselves?”
“Nope~”
“Figures.”
Shea gently brushed Hajime’s hair. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of her fingers on his scalp. At the same time, he ran his fingers through Shea’s hair, as if to return the favor.
The moon shone bright overhead. Despite her happy-go-lucky attitude, the mysterious light of the moon suited her oddly well. The stronger its light, the brighter her hair and smiled shined. Anyone who saw her now would have fallen in love at first sight. The two of them snuggled closer, enveloped in a wreath of fog illuminated by the gentle light of the moon.
Had anyone seen them, they would have likely clutched their heart and gone HNNNNNNGH. That was just how cute they looked. In fact, right now the two of them were surrounded by an atmosphere similar to the one Hajime and Yue created when they were together.
Sadly, Shea herself didn’t realize that she’d finally achieved what she’d always watched jealously before. After all, she was still a worthless rabbit in the end. Regardless of whether or not she realized it though, the atmosphere was there. The two of them sat there like that until the thick fog rolled back in, and blotted out the sky of artificial stars.
Let us turn back time to a short while before Hajime threw Liliana back to Heiligh via his portal. Back when it was still evening, a good hour or so before dinner.
A single girl walked across the palace courtyard, toward the mess hall. She had chestnut-colored hair, slit-like eyes, and a brace of daggers hanging from her coat— Yuka Sonobe. After Eri’s unexpected betrayal, the death of one of her classmates, and Kouki’s departure, many of her classmates had almost given into despair. It was only thanks to her stellar leadership that they were still holding on.
Yuka didn’t really see herself as a leader, but now that Kouki was gone, she had filled in the void he had left naturally. Not only was she the one all the students went to when they needed help, she was also assisting Heiligh’s soldiers in rebuilding the city, and resolving any disputes that cropped up. She was also helping shore up public safety, and many of the students looked up to her as a role model. It wasn’t just the students either. The new pope, the queen, and even the prime minister came to Yuka for advice. On top of that, she served as the head of the pope’s guard whenever he needed to leave the palace.
“Haaah, I’m hungry...” Yuka had spent the past few days running around the palace and was starting to get exhausted. Her stomach growled loudly, complaining about the inadequate nutrients it had been receiving recently. No one heard that, did they? Yuka blushed and glanced around her. To her chagrin, there was someone nearby.
“Ahaha... Are you going to get dinner, Sonobe-san?”
“Ugh, you heard that didn’t you, Ai-chan-sensei?”
Aiko walked out of one of the nearby buildings and into the courtyard. Though Yuka looked embarrassed, Aiko j
ust smiled gently. In truth, Aiko was on her way to get dinner as well. The two of them walked side by side and chatted about recent events.
“You look pretty worn-out, Sonobe-san. Are you sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard?”
“I’ll be fine. I just never thought kids could be so demanding.”
“What happened?”
According to Yuka, all the children that had been orphaned in the recent demon invasion were being taken care of by the church, and the new pope had asked for her help in comforting them. Of course, Yuka had had absolutely no idea what to say to kids who’d lost their parents or relatives. She was barely 17 years old herself. However, despite her protests, the new pope had dragged her into the capital’s church and gathered all the kids. Once he had their attention he’d said, “Alright everyone, I brought the super-pretty super-strong Apostle of God here for you!” It had been quite an ordeal.
The speech Hajime had drafted and Liliana had delivered had hidden the truth from the citizens, and so most of them still believed that Yuka and the others were Apostles of God. And so, all the children had looked up to Yuka with reverence.
“S-So what did you say to them in the end?” Aiko asked, trembling slightly as she imagined the pressure Yuka must have been under.
Unfortunately, Yuka looked off into the distance and replied dimly.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Yep, nothing. I couldn’t think of anything to say. ‘Cheer up?’ ‘Your dead parents are watching down on you from heaven together with Ehit?’”
Now that she knew the truth, those words sounded too hollow to Yuka’s ears. She couldn’t bring herself to say that to the kids. And so—
“I juggled instead.”
“You... juggled? As in threw balls in the air and caught them?”
“Well technically it was ten of my knives, but yes.”
“That sounds terrifying! What prompted you to do something like that!?”
Yuka tore at her hair and looked tearfully up at Aiko.
“I had no choice! I couldn’t think of anything to say, and they were all looking at me like I was their last hope! So then I totally lost it, and before I knew it I was juggling!”
“Oh my!” Aiko exclaimed, and shivered a little, thinking about how that must have felt.
“What did the kids think?”
“They totally loved it!” Yuka got so swept up in the excitement that she started adding more and more knives. Once she’d exhausted the 20 she carried on her, she’d added the nearby cutlery shop owner had suddenly started throwing in knives of his own, and by the end of it she’d been juggling a full 100 knives at the same time.
It had been quite a spectacle, seeing her throw knives several meters into the air, and catch each one with unbelievable dexterity and grace. She’d gone so fast that she’d looked like a knife-spewing fountain. Thanks to that, the kids had forgotten their sorrow for a while and watched with rapt attention. Her job wasn’t Acrobat for nothing.
Yuka’s impromptu performance had attracted kids from all around the neighborhood, and she’d had a huge crowd watching before long. However she couldn’t find a way to bring the show to a close, and she kept on being badgered by the kids to keep going.
“That sounds like... quite the ordeal. My condolences, Sonobe-san.”
“Thanks...”
Aiko smiled sympathetically at Yuka, who was hanging her head in exhaustion and decided to change the topic.
“Simon-san sure is a troublesome person to deal with, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, I’m a little worried that our new pope is such a proactive old man.”
The new pope that Yuka was referring to was none other than Simon Levellair. He had originally been a bishop in the central church before he’d been banished for speaking out against beastman discrimination. Then, at Liliana’s request, he had returned. He was an odd man, one who liked to play pranks and run away from responsibility whenever the opportunity presented itself. More often than not, his granddaughter Sibyl was forced to chase after him and drag him back to work. Despite being over 70 years old, he ran faster than anyone thought possible for his age.
However, he had proven himself worthy of Liliana’s recommendation. Unlike the old pope Ishtar, he was no fanatic. On top of that, he was a very tolerant leader.
“Oh yeah, didn’t you go to Simon-san for advice before too, Ai-chan-sensei?”
“Huh? Oh... yes, I suppose I did.” Aiko seemed reluctant to reply. When Aiko and Yuka had first met Simon, they hadn’t been aware that he was one of the candidates to be pope. They were only brought together by coincidence, but as they kept talking to him, both of them naturally started trusting him enough to open up about the worries they held deep in their hearts. Much to their surprise, he’d had very useful advice for both of them. Afterward, when they’d seen him ascending the altar to accept the pope’s scepter, they’d both exclaimed, “Wait, he’s that old man from before!” That was when they’d learned they’d both consulted him about their problems.
Seeing Aiko’s hesitation, Yuka tilted her head and replied casually.
“I guess you’ve got your own issues too, huh Sensei?”
“Of course I do. I may be your teacher, but I still have a lot of learning to do myself. All I’ve been doing since we got here is making mistakes and worrying about everything.”
Aiko knew this wasn’t the kind of thing she should be burdening her student with, but she ended up saying it anyway. She smiled bitterly at Yuka, and Yuka smiled bitterly back.
“Sorry for always making you worry about us.”
“Huh?” Aiko replied with a blank look.
“Huh?” Yuka replied with the same blank look.
“Aren’t we the things you’re worried about?”
“Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes you are! I mean no, you’re not!”
“Which is it!?”
In a sense, it was true that one of her students was what was causing Aiko all this worry. However, it was a very personal worry, directed toward one male student in particular. But of course, what Yuka had been asking was whether or not it was all her students as a whole who were worrying her.
Accidentally agreeing to that had stung her consciousness, so she’d denied it right after. However, her muddled responses only made Yuka more confused. I can’t let her find out how I feel about Nagumo-kun! Aiko desperately tried to find a way to change the subject.
“By the way, what was it you were worried about, Sonobe-san!? I’d like to help you out as well! Go ahead, tell me what’s bothering you!”
“Why do you sound so desperate!?”
“I’m not desperate! You’re just imagining things! Regardless, that’s enough about me! Hurry up and tell me what you’re worried about!”
“B-But I already found a solution.”
“Couldn’t you like, make it a problem again?”
“Do you even realize what the words coming out of your mouth are right now, Ai-chan-sensei!?” It was obvious to Yuka that Aiko was forcibly trying to change the topic. What kind of crazy thing did you talk to Simon about, Ai-chan-sensei!?
As usual, Aiko’s efforts only resulted in her going around in circles. Yuka realized she’d need to get Aiko to stop panicking before she made any sense.
“Ai-chan-sensei! Calm down!” Yuka gathered her resolve and slapped Aiko on the face.
“Hawawa!” Aiko exclaimed, and slumped to the ground. And after a few seconds, she finally came back to reality and spoke up.
“Sorry, Sonobe-san. That was very unbecoming of me.”
“I-It’s fine. I’m sorry for hitting you.”
They both fidgeted awkwardly. After Yuka helped Aiko up, she decided to tell Aiko what had been bothering her in an attempt to smooth over the awkward atmosphere.
“Umm. So you know how Nagumo’s helped me out a lot, right?”
“Huh!? Y-Yes?”
Aiko twitched when the word Nagumo came out of Yuka’s mouth. However, Yuka was
too embarrassed at revealing her own feelings to notice.
“So I was wondering how I could repay him for everything he’s done...”
“I-I see. That’s what you asked Simon-san for advice with?”
“Yeah, basically. In the end though, he just helped me realize I don’t need to do all that much. I’ll just treat Nagumo to my family’s—”
“Your family!? You’re going to introduce him to your parents!? What are you thinking, Sonobe-san!? Y-You can’t do that! As your teacher, I absolutely cannot condone any illicit sexual relationships!”
“You’ve got it all wrong! I was just saying I wanted to treat him to my family’s western-style cooking!”
“So you’re planning on making fall for you by going through his stomach!?” Aiko bore down on Yuka, her eyes spinning. And in response—
“Ai-chan-sensei, calm down!” Yuka ended up slapping her again.
Aiko slumped to the ground once more. After a few seconds, she finally came back to reality and apologized.
“Sorry, Sonobe-san. That was very unbecoming of me.”
“I-It’s fine. I’m sorry for hitting you.”
Another awkward silence descended between them. Yuka helped Aiko up and decided to change the subject again in an attempt to dispel the gloomy mood.
“Ai-chan-sensei. I know that you’re dealing with a lot right now, so if it’s okay with you, why not share your worries with me? I’m here for you, so don’t push yourself too hard.”
“...I really am sorry for acting out like that.”
The evening sun cast their entwined shadows far to the east. It was a touching moment, seeing student and teacher together like that. Though it was difficult to tell who was the teacher and who the student.
Afterward, Yuka took Aiko’s hand and led her to the dining hall. Since it was still a little too early for dinner, the hall was mostly deserted. They’d decided to eat a little early mostly because of how insistently Yuka’s stomach was grumbling for food.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 8 Page 6
