The This and That After the Reunion
While the sound of Kouki’s desperate voice subduing the silence, the person whom the words were directed to pretended as though he didn’t hear anything and walked towards Shia’s side, beside the collapsed Meld.
Thinking there was no longer a need to protect Kouki’s party, Yue also walked towards Hajime and Shia. “Ahh, One-sama!,” Suzu’s shout, whose heart was just like a small old man, came from behind her.
“Shia, how’s Meld’s condition?”
“It was almost too late. He would not survive if we were even a little slower… I used “Holy Water” as instructed, but… was it really okay to do that?”
“Ah, I was indebted to this person. Besides, the hole Meld left would be too big in a lot of ways. It’ll be especially problematic if someone weird took over the training of the Hero’s party. Well, seeing their current state, it looks like Meld was unable to finish their training properly… but it isn’t a mistake that he is a man of character. He is a person who will cause regret in various meanings if he died.”
Kouki was currently glaring at Hajime. Supported by Ryuutarou, he walked towards Hajime accompanied by the other classmates. Shia was asking him for the reason of using Holy Water on Meld. Incidentally, what he meant by “someone weird” was the person from Church of the Saints such as Ishtal.
“… Hajime.”
“Yue. Thank you for listening to my request.”
“Nh.”
Yue had arrived at the time he was still speaking to Shia. While gently patting Yue’s cheek who was looking up at him as she called his name, Hajime conveyed his gratitude. Yue’s gaze expressed, “Don’t mind,” while delightedly narrowing her eyes. Naturally, Hajime’s gaze softened and the two were watching each other.
“… You two, please read the mood… Come on, return to your senses! Everyone are almost gathered here!”
Hajime and Yue began to create their own world which could already be called a disease for them. Thus, Shia clapped her hands and retorted to make them return to their senses.
Apparently, the glares coming from Kouki with different meaning had increased and Hajime noticed it. Especially a glare coming from different direction than Kouki and the others. It made him feel a chill running down on his spine.
“Oi, Nagumo. Why did you kill—…”
“Hajime-kun… even though there’s much I want to ask, how’s Meld-san’s condition? From what I see, the injuries had been closed and his breathing is also steady. But, he should’ve been mortally wounded…”
Kouki’s words to press a question onto Hajime was interrupted by Kaori, who came and knelt by Meld’s side with a serious expression and asked Hajime the details of Meld’s condition.
For a moment, Hajime felt the chill in his guts from Kaori’s gaze, but thinking it was just his imagination, he decided to answer Kaori’s question.
“Yeah, that’s because… I used a rather special medicine. The liquid type that will instantly heal a person completely even if the person was dying.”
“S-Such a medicine, how come I’ve never heard of it?”
“That is because it was once only a legend… and no one would be able to obtain it, normally. That’s why, Yaegashi, you need to be healed by magic. And here is the potion to recover magic power.”
“Eh, yes… Thank you.”
Being called by Hajime, Shizuku received the potion and slightly stammered while she said her gratitude due to the gap between the current Hajime and the Hajime in her memory. Hajime didn’t especially mind Shizuku’s reaction and he gave another magic power recovery potion to Kaori. Kaori caught the potion bottle and drunk the content after she said her gratitude to Hajime. With the Lipovitan-like taste spreading inside her mouth, her energy gradually recovered. The classmates should be immediately healed as long as Kaori recovers.
For now, Kaori and the others breathed sighs of relief because they understood there was nothing to worry about in regards to Meld. Then, Kouki once again opened his mouth.
“Oi, Nagumo, I am grateful about Meld-san’s matter, but why did y—…”
“Hajime-kun. Thank you for saving Meld-san. Also, thank you… for saving us.”
Thus, he was once again interrupted by Kaori. Kouki now wore a truly subtle expression. However, Kaori completely not noticing Kouki’s expression since she was looking straight at Hajime. Even though she received a severe shock from Hajime’s changes, there were things she wanted to say. She walked up until she was right before Hajime to say her gratitude about Meld’s matter and how he saved them.
Afterwards, while grasping her skirt with both hands, guh, the things she wanted to say were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t say anything and her tears began to fall. Although she was sobbing, she didn’t look away from Hajime as though to confirm the him before her was not an illusion. Hajime silently returned Kaori’s gaze.
“Hajime-gun… dank God, gusuh, dat you’r alive. Dat time, I am sorry… hic… dat I couldn’t protect you… waaa.”
Amongst the classmates, the girls held warm gazes because they could guess Kaori’s feelings. Some of the boys also had warm gazes, but Kondou and some others had bitter expressions, while Kouki and Ryuutarou were dumbfounded since they could not understand Kaori. The most dense protagonist on earth, Kouki, and the muscle for a brain, Ryuutarou, made it hard for Shizuku and it could be seen in her eyes.
With troubled expression, Shia said, “Uh, by any chance, is she a new rival?,” while Yue was looking at Kaori with the usual silent and expressionlessness.
The Kaori before him was crying which messed her face, and Hajime wore an indescribable expression when he realized Kaori had been worrying about him since the day he fell just as Endou had said.
The truth was, he had told Yue once about his circumstance along with the story about Kaori, but that was when they were still in the abyss, and he had completely forgotten about Kaori until he met Aiko and the others in Ul. That’s why, he was gradually feeling guilty because she thought of him this strongly.
After sporting a troubled and at lost expression, Hajime answered Kaori’s words with a bitter smile.
“…What to say, looks like I’ve made you worried. I am sorry for not immediately telling you about it. Well, just as you see, I am alive… so there’s no need to apologize… Also, umm, please don’t cry.”
Hajime said while looking at Kaori with the same gentle gaze when he was worrying about Kaori and said, “Please protect me.” Upon seeing his gaze, Kaori felt her chest being filled with the memory of the night when they exchanged the promise. Inadvertently, Waahh, she cried and jumped into Hajime’s chest.
At a loss of what to do about Kaori who was crying while clinging on his chest, Hajime held up both of his hands. If it was another classmate, he would have mercilessly threw the person away since he would feel irritated and use yakuza kick to make the person unconscious. However, the pure and never changing goodwill which was the same even before he fell into the abyss made him incapable of treating her coldly.
But with Yue by his side, he couldn’t embrace another woman and could only hold up his hands as though someone had pointed gun’s muzzle at him, becoming a half assed respond since he just let Kaori cry. It was truly not Hajime-like.
“My best friend is crying! So, hug her!,” was what Shizuku’s gaze who was beside him was saying, but it was hard to move because Yue was also watching him in silence. Being helpless, he lightly pat Kaori’s head to stop her after a while. Really, Hajime had became a good for nothing.
“…Fuu, Kaori is really gentle. She even cry in joy from her classmate’s survival… However, Nagumo killed a non-resisting person. We need to talk. That’s why, that’s enough and you should get away from Nagumo.”
“You, read the mood!,” was what some of the classmates criticized Kouki with their gazes. Even in such time, this boy was still unable to be considerate to Kaori’s feeling. While glaring at Hajime mixed with condemn, he tried to pull Kaori away from Hajime. Maybe it was simply because he didn’t want others to touch Kaori or because the caution he held from being beside a murderer… or maybe both.
“Wait, Kouki! Isn’t Nagumo-kun the one who saved us? How can you said such things?”
“But, Shizuku. That woman already lost her spirit to fight. There’s no need to kill her. So what Nagumo did is something I can’t allow.”
“See here, Kouki, can you cut it out already? To begin with…”
Kouki’s objection was rebutted by Shizuku. The other classmates were flustered since they didn’t know what to do, but Hiyama’s gang who never liked Hajime began to support Kouki.