[What is it, you seem pretty dissatisfied? Does it not sit well with you that Nagumo-kun is popular?]
[......It’s not like that]
Shizuku called out while poking fun at him, Kouki’s expression seemed to have been ill-humored and replied bluntly.
[......Being able to create something this amazing…..and being insanely strong…..why is it that he’s able to act so nonchalantly like that. …..Why was he so easily able to abandon them….]
[........]
It appears that Kouki is still not comfortable with Hajime’s judgement to not fight god and abandon this world. If he himself had that much power then he’d go off and save the world from god himself…...while he was thinking about that, Shizuku completely understood what he meant.
[......He’s probably already chosen]
[chosen?]
Shizuku’s reply which she muttered made Kouki turn his glance at her again. While Shizuku was looking far into the distance, she took her time to choose her words.
[He is…..probably not as free as he appears? Perhaps, even though he looks calm, I think he’s probably always “frantic”. He’s always “frantically” trying to survive with his important people]
[.......]
[He’s already said it too right? You don’t do something because you’ve gained power, because you want to do something you use power. Right now what you’re feeling is the “difference”, it wasn’t something that he had from the beginning. “Incompetent”, “Good-for-nothing”, while being told such things, he crawled up from the bottom and obtained it. …..Literally, what he obtained at the end was determination and resolution. Not In order to defeat god, nor save the world. It’s much simpler, it’s for those who are close to him…..it’s completely different from us who “because we can, we will”. That’s why, even if hes being told “because you can, then do it”, he won’t easily nod and agree with it. Because, he didn’t obtain power for that purpose, if he looks the other way and loses his most important things then he’d obtain nothing out of it….]
[.....I don’t really understand]
[U~n. Though it may be a bit different, look, in order to become the boxing world champion I worked hard, since you’re strong, wipe out all the evil in the town! saying something like that just doesn’t work out?]
[Mu….when you say it like that…..but, what’s on the line are the lives of the people of this world]
Midway in, Kouki stubbornly refuted Shizuku while his eyebrows were in a 八 shape.
[Ma~a, not being able to leave behind people in need is one of your good traits but…..that’s only Kouki’s senses of value so you shouldn’t force them onto Nagumo-kun]
[.....What’s with that, do you have his back on this?]
[What childish things are you saying. I’m simply talking about people in general? Besides, I’m sure you haven’t forgotten it, somehow or another Nagumo-kun has saved numerous people including us. It was the same for the town of Ulu as well, Kaori also said that he saved the Ankaji dukedom too. It seems he also wiped out the hidden organization that took part in human trafficking at Fuyuren and he also rescued Myu who was a Umininzoku child and returned her to her mother too. …...As for us, I don’t think we’ve done much to save the people from this world?]
[That’s……]
[Surely for himself…..he’d only act for those who are important to him such as Yue and them…….fufu, thinking about that, eventually he might “Take the opportunity” to send god flying away?]
[What’s with that, that pitiful god….]
While thinking of such silly things, Shizuku laughed as she thought that it was possible in the future if it was Hajime. Kouki had a complicated expression but, he didn’t have the strength to deny Shizuku’s words so he tsukkomied and stopped at that. For a while, a time of silence passed by. Shizuku guessed that Kouki was thinking while carrying conflicted feelings within himself again and decided to not say anything.
Then, at that time, Feruniru which had flown in a straight course and fixed speed suddenly went off course. Kouki and Shizuku were wondering what happened since if they just flew straight they’d reach the Empire.
[.....Did something happen?]
[For the time being, shall we go back inside]
The two nodded in consent and quickly returned into the ship.