In the few days after reconciling with Mars, the way the class treated Nozomu changed considerably. The one who had disliked him more than anyone else, Mars, had started talking with him often.
Students of the tenth rank were basically treated as dropouts by students from every other class. It was one of the drawbacks of Solminati Academy's thorough meritocracy. The outlet for those who were treated as dropouts had been Nozomu, who was perpetually at the very bottom.
But when Mars, who despite being in the tenth rank possessed strength comparable to the top of the year, began speaking with Nozomu, the ones who had previously insulted him could no longer lay a hand on him. As a result they adopted a stance of simply not getting involved with Nozomu.
Mars also began keeping his distance from his previous hangers-on and started always pairing with Nozomu during practical classes.
Naturally that meant Nozomu spent longer periods of time with Mars, but…
"I'm so happy!! Nozomu-kun and Mars-kun have become friends!!"
It was lunchtime in the infirmary. Today as well Nozomu had been kidnapped by Anri-sensei and was eating lunch together with her in the infirmary. Mars, who had been nearby, had also been one of her targets and had been captured in the same way. Anri-sensei's energy level was already at its climax from the start, and she was scattering an even more cheerful atmosphere than usual around her.
"Haa… thanks…"
Nozomu felt a little put off by how high Anri-sensei's energy was, but he could tell she was purely happy, so he was honestly grateful for those feelings.
"…Hmph."
Mars was stuffing his lunch into his mouth with a sullen expression.
"Now, now. Anri is happy, you know. That Nozomu-kun and Mars-kun became friends. Anri was worried not only about Nozomu-kun but about Mars-kun as well."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Anri said Mars-kun is an awkward but kind boy."
"Because~~ Mars-kun reevaluated Nozomu-kun at the end of second year and properly reflected on what he had done to him, right~~?"
"......"
"There's no way a boy like that could be a bad kid~~."
As Anri-sensei said that, a smile spilled across her face as well, and she had hit exactly what Mars had been thinking. That surprised even him.
Well, if one always looked at her fluffy atmosphere it would be hard to notice she was actually a sharp person. Nozomu had previously been pointed out by her to some degree about the confrontation between himself and Sino at the end of second year and the changes that had occurred in him because of it. That was why he was not as surprised as Mars when Anri-sensei pointed out the change in Mars's heart.
"......"
Mars was looking away, but his face was red, making it obvious he was embarrassed.
"Fufu. …By the way, Nozomu-kun, what are you making right now?"
Norn-sensei, who had finished her lunch early, spoke to Nozomu, who was working on something on the desk. Nozomu had taken out a full set of crafting tools on the infirmary desk and was making something.
"This? It's a birthday present for a friend."
"Oh! Is that so? Who are you giving it to, and what is it?"
Norn had thought that at this academy the only friend Nozomu had was Mars, so she was a little surprised, and she also felt interest in what Nozomu was making, which was why she asked.
"I'm giving it to an Ecross student I met recently. As for what it is, I can't tell you. That's something she should be the first to know."
Setting aside the present he was currently making, Nozomu figured there was no need to hide anything about Somia, so he talked about their meeting and such. Both Norn-sensei and Anri-sensei were greatly surprised.
"My! To think you're acquainted with a young lady of the Francilt family. You can't be underestimated, Nozomu-kun."
"What are you so surprised about?"
Mars did not seem to understand, but the Francilt family was one of the most important houses that had served the large nation of Forsina in the western continent since its founding. Moreover, during the Great Invasion ten years ago, Forsina had been quick to dispatch its army against the herds of magical beasts. That army later became the core of the allied forces that were formed, and it became a major driving force in repelling the Great Invasion. It was also the nation that had proposed the founding of Solminati Academy to the various countries, making it an extremely large presence on this continent.
Meeting the daughter of such a distinguished family among distinguished families was something most people would never have any connection to.
"Even if I say acquaintance, I only found out she was from the Francilt family the other day. When we first met I never imagined she was from such a distinguished house. Well, I didn't mind, but she seemed a little concerned that she had been hiding it."
While saying that, Nozomu continued moving both hands and kept making something.
"Considering her upbringing, it's only natural, I suppose."
Well, distinguished houses probably had their own worries unique to them. When Norn looked at Nozomu's face as he worked, a faint smile was spilling across his expression.
(Yes. With this it should be fine.)
He was probably so happy he could not help it when he thought about handing the present to the recipient. Watching Nozomu like that made even Norn feel happy, and a natural smile spilled across her face as well.
After school, Nozomu and Mars were heading toward the outer edge of the city. Ever since they reconciled, they had been sparring there roughly once every two days after classes.
"In the end I still couldn't beat you last time either… As expected, with my current strength I'm still not enough to be your opponent…"
"......"
The results of their sparring so far showed Mars with the higher win rate. Nozomu could corner Mars to the very brink, but because he was not using offensive qi techniques such as "Phantom Void," he inevitably lacked a finishing blow. Nozomu's offensive qi techniques still had high lethality as always. That was because he used limited qi efficiently while also making sure to finish the opponent for certain. It came from the life-and-death exchanges with magical beasts he had been through in the suburban forest (or rather, that Sino had forced him through), and it had been necessary for survival. But when it came to academy life or mock battles the story was different, and those highly lethal techniques had to be held back. However, since Nozomu did not have a large quantity of qi, holding back inevitably meant lowering the density of the qi used in the technique, but then the technique became insufficient to finish the opponent. It was a dilemma of lowering the density and then not producing enough power to finish the opponent. Furthermore, even though it had improved somewhat, the influence of Ability Suppression was still large, and the effects of auxiliary qi techniques such as physical reinforcement and Instant Footwork remained low. As a result he was still insufficient when facing someone of Mars's level.
"…Even so, the fact that you've beaten me several times is already strange…"
"Is it?"
Mars muttered in response to Nozomu's line, but Nozomu's reaction to that was indifferent. If one thought about it normally, there was no element that would let Nozomu win against Mars in a one-on-one. The difference in physical ability and quantity of qi between Nozomu and Mars was clear, and on top of that Nozomu had almost no magical power so he could not rely on magic either.
Yet the fact that he was winning, even if only occasionally, against Mars, who should originally have been in a higher class, indicated just how high-level his skill was at this academy.
Of course Nozomu himself had no awareness of that. The standard for swordsmanship that Nozomu held was his own master, Sino. That was because almost all the opponents he had sparred with until now had been her.
This was caused by how narrow Nozomu's circle of acquaintances had been until now. If there had been even one friend at the academy willing to spar with him, things might have been a little different. When a monster-like powerhouse like that became the standard, there was no way he could accurately measure where his own strength stood compared to those around him.
In addition, Nozomu himself had a tendency to underestimate his own strength. This was caused by Ability Suppression and the results of the mock battles until now. Under the influence of Ability Suppression he always lost in power during exchanges, and on top of that he had almost never won a mock battle. Because of that, Nozomu was in a state of having "gotten used to losing" in a certain sense.
(This guy… even though he's sealing those vicious techniques, what is he saying?!!!)
In fact, Mars had once been shown Nozomu's "Phantom Void," and when he saw it he had felt a chill and trembled.
The released qi blade had passed right in front of Mars's eyes in the blink of an eye and cleanly bisected the large boulder that had been the target without any difficulty.
An unbelievably compressed and honed qi blade. Its flight speed was extremely fast, so much so that Mars could not even see the afterimage of the qi blade that had passed before his eyes. And the control needed to create a blade of that level took only about half a second.
If that blade were released toward him, in that instant he would be bisected along with his defense before he could even dodge.
(Haa~~. Looking back, my loss back then was already decided, huh.)
Mars was remembering the time at the end of the second semester when he had been cornered by the man in front of him, but if the technique released at that time had been this one, he would no longer be in this world.
(Well, a technique like that couldn't be used during class anyway.)
Just as he was accepting the reason Nozomu had never used qi techniques for offense until now, three girls walked toward them from ahead. When one of them saw Nozomu she waved her hand widely. When Nozomu waved back, the three came over.
"Hello! Nozomu-san."
"Hello, Somia-chan. You're with your sister today."
"Yo, hello Nozomu. It's been a while… or maybe not that long."
"H-hello…"
The ones who had walked over were Irisdina-san, Somia-chan, and Tima-san. Tima-san still seemed to have trouble with this side and remained a little withdrawn as usual.
"Come on, Tima. You have something to say to Nozomu-kun, don't you?"
"U-um."
"???"
Prompted by Irisdina-san, Tima-san stood in front of Nozomu. Apparently she had something she wanted to say to him.
"U-um! I'm sorry about the time in the infirmary!"
"…Eh? What about it?"
"Umm, I… I took a rude attitude toward Nozomu-kun… because I had heard the rumors…"
When she said that she let her shoulders droop. She looked so dejected that the people watching felt bad for her. She must have been bothered by that time quite a bit.
"Sorry about that, Nozomu-kun. Tima is a little bad with males. Because she had heard the rumors about you she ended up being a bit on guard."
"…Ah! That time? It's fine. You properly apologized now, and if you had heard the rumors about me it's only natural…"
Indeed, if one had heard the rumors about Nozomu it was only natural. If one heard rumors that he had been dating one of the top female students of the year yet had cheated and then been dumped, no one would form a good impression of him.
When he heard Tima's story, a sharp pain stabbed deep in Nozomu's chest.
(…As expected… it still hurts…)
He had made friends and no longer felt it as much as before, but whenever it came back to him on a whim the pain still ate away at Nozomu's heart.
(…I… am still running away after all. Every time I remember Lisa it's like this…)
Nozomu had not overcome the heartbreak with Lisa or the contempt he had suffered until now. He had simply met Somia and Irisdina and the others, reconciled with Mars, and as new human relationships formed, the opportunities to remember those things had naturally decreased. That was all.
"Um. Nozomu-san. Who is this person?"
Nozomu had fallen silent without meaning to, but Somia-chan noticed Mars standing next to him and asked.
"Ah, this is Mars. He's my classmate."
At Nozomu's introduction the three looked at Mars, but Mars was staring at Irisdina and the others with his usual sullen face.
"…What?"
"Hiu."
Tima-san let out a small scream at Mars's intimidating presence, but Mars seemed to dislike that and his gaze grew even sharper.
Tima-san grew even more frightened at that expression of Mars's, but Mars's expression hardened further, and seeing that expression made Tima-san shrink even more, creating a vicious cycle.
"Mars, calm down. What's wrong?"
"…Nothing…"
Mars answered Nozomu's question as if nothing was wrong, but in truth he did not like Tima's frightened attitude.
She was an A-rank student, higher than the B-rank Mars. There were almost none of those at this academy, and the rank was only given to powerhouses who surpassed even Mars.
Yet the sight of her being frightened of a B-rank like himself was something Mars, who made strength his creed, could not accept.
But Tima knew nothing of such a creed of Mars's. To her, the well-built Mars who was known as a delinquent was an object of fear even greater than magical beasts.
"A-ah, that's right. About Somia's birthday party, I was hoping Nozomu-kun could come as well if possible…"
When an unpleasant atmosphere threatened to form between Mars and Tima, Irisdina brought up the topic of Somia's birthday party toward Nozomu in order to change the atmosphere of the place, and Nozomu answered.
"Umm. Is that all right? If it's the birthday party of a young lady of the Francilt family, then famous people from various places should be coming. Is it really okay for someone like me to go to a place like that?"
The Francilt family was a distinguished house whose name was known throughout the nations of the Arkmel continent. If it was the birthday party of a young lady from a place like that, important figures from various nations would probably come. Nozomu thought that for a mere student like himself to join among them might be a bad idea. On top of that, unpleasant rumors about him were circulating even at Solminati Academy. But Irisdina herself spoke as if she did not mind at all.
"It's fine. To begin with, this birthday party was only going to be held among family and close people. And Nozomu-kun is Somia's friend, right? There's no problem."
Irisdina laughed off Nozomu's concerns as if they had nothing to do with anything. There was no lie or falsehood in that expression. She truly thought that way and had decided to do things that way. At that smile Nozomu also decided to participate.
"…Understood. I'll participate."
"Is that so! That's good. Somia was looking forward to it too."
"Yes! Because Nozomu-san said he would prepare a present!"
She spread both arms as wide as she could and beamed with a full smile. The bracelet on her wrist rang with a clear chime.
Both Irisdina and Somia smiled with satisfaction, confirmed the date and place of the birthday party, and parted ways for the day.
On the way back, Mars and I walked while thinking back on what had just happened.
"What about you, Mars? Are you going to participate?"
"…I was invited too, more or less. I'll at least participate."
Mars had also been invited by Irisdina-san. As my friend, an invitation had been extended to him as well.
"Still, you were really aggressive toward Tima-san."
Mars's attitude toward Tima-san had clearly been strange. Mars was quick to become emotional, but his attitude toward her had been close to the way he used to treat me.
"…People like that piss me off the most. Even though she's strong, why is she so timid…"
"…What scares a person is something only that person can know. It's not like you don't understand that either…"
"..."
What was painful for a person was something only that person could know. For her it was something different from Mars, but Mars's expression remained hard, and until they reached Bull Head Inn his face stayed the same.
"…Tima, are you all right?"
"...Yeah…"
I tried to comfort my best friend who still wore a dark expression, but her face did not look good. Tima had been born with high magical power, and because of that she had been avoided by the people around her. In particular she had not received very good treatment from boys her own age. In addition, her appearance had apparently been refined since childhood, and because of that she had continuously been subjected to various gazes from many people. Envy, awe, jealousy, hatred. For her, who had not yet been able to handle her own magical power well, those gazes had become a psychological burden stronger than anything else. As a result she had developed a strong aversion to the public eye, especially toward males, and the instability of her emotions had also led directly to insufficient control of her magic. Even though she overflowed with more magical talent than anyone, she simply could not control it well.
"Well, Nozomu-kun doesn't seem to mind, and that boy… Mars-kun, was it? I'll somehow deal with him as well."
"That's right! He said he's Nozomu-san's friend, so I'm sure it'll be fine!"
"…Yeah… sorry, Ai, Somia-chan…"
"Tima, if possible I would rather hear 'thank you.'"
"That's right! At times like this you say 'thank you'!"
I answered in a somewhat teasing manner, while Somia answered with a full smile.
"…Yeah, thank you, both of you."
At our replies a smile appeared on Tima's face, but in the end her expression never truly cleared, and we had no choice but to head off on our respective ways home.