NOVEL NEXT Chapter 308 - Two Days Before the Opening Ceremony
Two Days Before the Opening Ceremony
“Hey Urbano! We’re studying this afternoon. Want to join us?”
I’ve decided to stop agonizing over it and help! Help Licht and Urbano! So I spoke to Urbano. I smiled at him, who seemed troubled, and he blushed and went silent. Maybe because he’s not used to me yet? It’s already a good sign that he’s not hiding behind Licht. Maybe he’s opened up to me a bit, thanks to our letters.
“Eeeh…? Another rival…?”
Asuka was furrowing his brows at the appearance of another boy his age, but I’m going to ignore him for now. Having more rivals is a good thing. Because we can motivate each other!
“Then Licht will also be able to train in the afternoon, right? We promise we won’t leave the Ortus base, so it’s safe. If it’s okay with you, Urbano…”
Urbano, at my suggestion, looked up in surprise. Those deep blue eyes really are beautiful. He immediately looked away, so I wasn’t able to properly see them though. Disappointing.
“C-Can I… study with Meg…?”
“Of course! Hey, Licht! It’s okay, right? I’ll tell Father-sama if you want!”
But Urbano was okay with it. I happily grabbed both of his hands in joy. Yay!
“Shouldn’t you be asking me if I’m okay with this? Well, I guess it would be good for Urbano too, to experience new things. I’ll leave it to you then. I’ll contact him, but make sure you do too, Meg.”
“Okay! Urbano, let’s work hard together!”
“H-Hey, I’m also here, you know!? I won’t let you two be alone!”
Asuka, pouting, suddenly interrupted as I was happily holding Urbano’s hands. That’s right, he wants attention.
“Of course I wouldn’t leave you out, Asuka. Urbano, this is Asuka. I’d be happy if you could study with us too.”
“…Uh…”
It seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce him, but Urbano, who’s still a bit shy, took a step back, looking uneasy. I’m relieved that he’s repeatedly nodding, because it means he’s not against it. It’s fine to just gradually get used to us. That’s what I thought, but…
“What? You have a problem with studying with me?”
“H-Hey, Asuka!”
Asuka, seemingly unable to hold back, rested his hands on his hips and approached Urbano. Pl-Please stop! You’re scaring him!
“It’s fine for you to study somewhere else, Urbano, if you don’t want to. I was planning to study with Meg from the start. You’re the one who came later, so if you have a complaint, then you should be the one to move!”
Ugh, come on! Why does he always try to pick fights with boys his age!? If this continues, then Urbano’s going to get even more scared—!
“I’m going to happily study with Meg!”
“I-I don’t want to. I’m not leaving. I’m going to study with Meg.”
That’s what I’d been worried about, but I was so surprised by Urbano’s firm rebuttal that my eyes widened.
“H-Hmm? Well, I’m sitting next to Meg!”
“Then I’ll sit next to her, on the other side.”
“Hmm! You really hate me that much!?”
Why is he getting even more upset!? Just as I was wondering if I should step in, Urbano, with a gentle gaze, said,
“No, I want to… become friends with you too, Asuka. But I thought… you didn’t like me.”
H-How incredibly kind…! It’s hard to say because he’s a different race, and they grow at different speeds, but he should be younger than me. I’m so surprised that he’s able to think like that! He has a big body, and a big heart! This is touching.
“…Urbano, are you actually a good guy?”
“I don’t know, Asuka should be the one to decide that.”
“Then you’re a good guy! Okay, let’s be friends! But I’m not going to lose to you, when it comes to Meg, or studying!”
“I’m not going to lose either. Nice to meet you, Asuka.”
And Asuka’s so honest. Where did all that annoyance from earlier go? At any rate, I’m relieved that it seems like they’ll be able to get along. I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to study.
Urbano’s really grown, huh? It’s incredible. It’s like that time when he was crouching in the corner of the Demon Castle nursery school never happened. Maybe he’s back to his usual self. I’d be happy if that’s the case.
“It looks like it’ll be fine. I’m sure it also helps that he’s with children. It looks like Urbano’s steadily taking one step forward at a time.”
“You’re right. I was incredibly surprised.”
I agreed with Licht, who’d said that, looking relieved. It’s true that it might still be difficult for him to be around adults… but he’s improved so much, compared to before. I’m sure it’ll be okay.
“And as I thought, you’re incredibly popular.”
“Eh? Me?”
“Don’t you think so? Um, Schlie-san, was it?”
Licht, crossing his arms, then turned to Schlie-san, who’d been watching over us. Why Schlie-san?
“You’re right. As far as I know… those two, over there, and also… a boy from Annulus.”
“Ah, I think I saw him yesterday. The one with creamy hair?”
Schlie-san, even though he was suddenly asked, instantly understood and answered. He’s talking about Goot, right? I’m starting to lose track of what we’re talking about.
“Isn’t this going to be a problem… when she grows up? It’s already like this, even now.”
“You’re right, it’ll probably get even more troublesome as she grows.”
“…She’s adorable now, though.”
Even more troublesome…? Hmm, puberty? So… demi-humans also experience it? I wonder if I will… It’s very possible because I know what’s right, but I can’t control my heart. Eh, don’t you think experiencing puberty, even though you’re mentally an adult, is torture? How terrifying… puberty’s scary.
No, I should stop thinking about it. Because I’m already struggling enough. I’ll worry about it when the time comes. But first, I need to tell Father-sama about Urbano. “We’re going to the Demon Castle base during dinner, is that okay?” How about that?
“Shou-chan, please.”
『No problem at all! I’m off!』
Shou-chan, who always has more than enough magic power, zipped off to deliver my message. It’s helpful that I don’t have to worry about its magic power, but it also makes me wonder if I’m giving it too much. I’ve been thinking about this a lot.
It did say that it wouldn’t have any issues with receiving too much… but I wonder if it’ll ever experience something like a stomachache? Or maybe end up having too much magic power, like me. I’m sure there’s a limit to how much I can give it at once… that’s what I’m a bit curious about.
Come to think of it, Shou-chan suggested Summoning magic before. That it’s perfect for me because it uses a lot of magic power. But in the end, I still don’t know what it is, because all it said was, “You’ll be able to summon an amazing person!” I was a bit intimidated because of the “amazing person” part, so I put it aside without investigating. I need to properly think of a solution myself, instead of just always relying on Schel-san to release my magic power at the High Elf Village.
“Well then, I’ll leave Urbano to you.”
“Yes, we’ll take good care of him.”
It seems like the adults finished talking while I was deep in thought. Seeing how Licht handled it, it really makes me realize he’s an adult. I’m sure I was like that too, when I was Megu, but I barely remember now. I just remember apologizing over and over, and that my stomach hurt. No, that’s actually something I want to forget, but human memories are so inconvenient.
“Urbano, did you eat lunch?”
“Y-Yeah… at the food stalls…”
“That’s nice! We also ate at the food stalls last night! Those meat buns were so deliciouus.”
Ah, huh? So they’re called meat buns. It’s my first time hearing that. It’s easy to understand, but I wonder if it’s also Dad who spread that. I’m sure it is.
Urbano, at Asuka’s words, then started listing all the things he ate, and Asuka gave his opinions. …Urbano’s also a big eater. Or rather, is that normal? Am I the one who doesn’t eat enough? I want to believe we’re just on opposite ends of the spectrum. Well, at any rate, I’m glad it seems like those two will be able to become friends.
“Now then, Meg and Asuka, go get your lunch. Urbano, why don’t you take a seat? Shall we start studying?”
“U-Um, o-okay.”
It looks like he’s still nervous around Schlie-san. But it’s already a huge improvement, that he was able to properly respond. It hasn’t even been that long. He’s trying to move forward, isn’t he? It makes this onee-san so happy!
Now, this isn’t the time to be moved. I’ll quickly eat lunch, so that I can study with Urbano. We went together, and they were serving rice balls and tonjiru! It looks so delicious!
“…You’re eating all that?”
“Eh? Is that all you’re eating, Meg?”
We unintentionally said that as we stared at each other’s trays. I have one rice ball and a small bowl of tonjiru. Asuka, on the other hand, had a plate piled high with rice balls, so many that you can’t even count them, and a bowl of tonjiru that’s the size of a ramen bowl.
“…Pfft! We’re always having this conversation!”
“Fufu, that’s true. It’s about time we got used to it.”
Asuka eats a lot, and I don’t. It’s not going to change, so we can’t be surprised by it anymore!
But when we returned to the table, laughing, Urbano’s eyes widened when he saw Asuka’s tray, so I guess he really does eat a lot, more than other children. I knew it!
“Hey Schlie, the tournament’s starting the day after tomorrow, right? Are the preparations going to be done in time? Everyone’s so busy, so I was worried.”
Asuka asked that as he diligently stuffed his face. I-Is he even chewing? I’m sure he’s eaten about ten, by the time I finish one. That’s amazing.
“They’ll be done in time. They’re just busy checking everything and confirming that all the participants have checked in… and apparently, the Demon King’s bombarding everything with all kinds of magic to check the limits of the magic tools.”
Schlie-san, trailing off there, looked at the venue. I also looked. I didn’t notice anything unusual… hmm? It glowed red! Hmm? But I can’t sense any magic power.
“It seems like there are no problems with its function. It doesn’t react at all, even though the Demon King’s been attacking it all day, yesterday and today.”
“Eh? He’s been attacking it all day!?”
“No, I’m sure he’s also doing physical attacks. Of course, he’s not using his full power. I’m sure he’s holding back, considering the abilities of the participants.”
“Even if you used your full power, it wouldn’t break, so it’s fine,” Schlie-san said with a smile, but… that’s terrifying! Even Schlie-san, at full power, is terrifying!? And Father-sama’s even more terrifying, that he can use that level of power all day without any problems.
Apparently, the red glow is part of the Protective Barrier magic spell. It’s good that you can’t feel anything, but it would be a problem if you weren’t able to see that you’re being attacked, so they made it visible. I see. And the color of the light changes, based on the strength of the attack. Eh? Red’s the maximum? …Heh~.