episode_0106
by fnovelpiaClang! Crash!
The warehouse door of my precious cafe flew open, causing tables and chairs to be smashed, but at this moment, I couldn’t care less about such trivial matters.
A horrendous situation was unfolding right before my eyes, where the breaking of tables seemed like a minor issue that could be overlooked.
"What are Mir Ryuin and Mei Luina doing here?”
“······.”
“······.”
Adaamas, who had just broken down the warehouse door and called out the names of two people who shouldn’t be here, Mir and Mei, stood facing them.
Mir and Mei remained silent, unable to offer any rebuttal to Adaamas’ absurd behavior, while I could do nothing but stare blankly at the three of them.
It was a complete disaster.
What is this?
In all objectivity, organizing the current situation was not a difficult task.
If I could just get Adaamas, who suddenly appeared and was causing trouble for Mir and Mei, out of the picture, everything would return to normal.
And I was the only one who could handle the situation here, so it was my responsibility to step in.
But I couldn’t do it. No, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“······.”
“······.”
When Adaamas called Mir and Mei by the names of Mir Ryuin and Mei Luina, I felt a sense of relief as if a tangled thread within me had been unraveled since the moment I met the two of them.
Even though we had just met, they felt familiar to me, and despite not being one to show interest in others first, I couldn’t help but be drawn to them and felt compelled to not just stand by and watch.
I couldn’t understand why I was feeling these emotions towards people I had just met, but upon hearing Adaamas’ words, I realized the reason.
Yes, they weren’t strangers from the start. They were people I had spent quite a long time with.
My dislike towards the three S-rank individuals stemmed from the things they had done to me.
I was completely fed up with their disregard for human life, and even though I had put effort into healing them, I still couldn’t stand them.
Well, it was only natural that I still disliked them since they only did things I disliked and never did anything I liked.
In other words, if it weren’t for the past events, there was a possibility of forming a good relationship.
Being the most talented individuals in the world, with looks that matched their abilities, Mir Ryuin and Mei Luina possessed a charisma that could attract people just by standing still.
I was just a plain and ordinary person who was unknowingly drawn to them by their immense talent and power.
I wondered what Mir and Mei thought as they smiled and laughed, oblivious to their true identities.
As a murky and cold emotion slowly crept up from my chest, swallowing my heart bit by bit, Adaamas was seen waving her hand towards Mir and Mei, who were standing still.
“Why are you keeping your mouths shut? Did you think I would let it slide if you stayed silent? Fine, let’s see if you’ll keep your mouths shut now.”
Crack!
As Adaamas’ hand passed over the heads of the two, a sound like shattering glass rang out, and Mir and Mei’s bodies shimmered briefly.
“Now, do you feel like opening your mouths?”
And then, Mir Ryuin and Mei Luina appeared in the places where Mir and Mei had been.
Adaamas had forcefully dispelled the transformation magic that had been cast on the two by raising her hand and breaking the spell.
Her epic ability, ‘Monstrous Strength,’ must have made this possible.
Anyway, the transformation magic was broken by Dain Adamas, and now the expressions of the two who had completely revealed their identities were so serious that even the most oblivious person could tell they were screwed.
Their pale faces, stiff expressions, and trembling pupils were as serious as a shivering bamboo tree.
Seeing those expressions that seemed to say they didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t help but think how ridiculous it all was.
Why did they make such faces? How easy did they think it would be to deceive me?
More than being angry, I was dumbfounded, so I just stood there silently, not saying anything.
My gaze naturally fell on the three people who were there, and as a result, it was only a matter of time before Mei Luina, who was avoiding Dain Adamas’s gaze, met my eyes.
"······.”
“H-huh······!”
Mei Luina, who had tried to avoid Dain Adamas’s gaze and met mine, was startled like a deer meeting a tiger and quickly lowered her eyes.
Seeing her like that, my anger finally surpassed my bewilderment.
“Why are you just standing there with your mouths shut when everything has been revealed and there’s nothing left to hide? What were you doing here, you perverts······.”
“Hmph.”
The sticky and overwhelming emotions that had been slowly rising seemed to envelop my heart completely.
This meant that I was ready to speak to those babbling idiots in front of me.
“······.”
“······.”
“······.”
The moment I let out a short breath, Dain Adamas’s words abruptly stopped, and the gaze of the three people, including her, focused on me.
Receiving the gaze of the three heroes who saved the world, the most powerful awakeners, didn’t feel as significant as I had expected.
There was no sense of intimidation or reverence coming from the difference in status. It was just······ disgusting.
All three people in front of me.
“Damn it.”
So I cursed at them. I thought there was no better word to use in this situation.
The gazes of the three people focused on me began to tremble, and fear was slowly creeping into their eyes.
Seeing that, it felt like the disgusting and unpleasant things were filling my chest, making me feel even more repulsed.
Just the fact that there was something in common between them and me made it hard to endure.
So I finally cursed at them and told them to get lost.
The annoyance and anger surged, but that was the only thing I had to say to them.
I didn’t want to engage in conversation with them right now.
But if they had the social skills to listen, they wouldn’t have done such a thing in the first place, so naturally, they ignored my words with various reactions.
“H-huh. S-Stay, Stei······?”
Mei Luina called my name with unbelieving eyes, trembling voice, and a pleading look.
“Th-there, Stei, I-I can explain everything! S-so, just give me a moment to······.”
Even in this situation, Mir Ryuin seemed to think she could control me and was babbling about a futile hope that I wouldn’t entertain.
“W-why me?! I-I didn’t deceive you like those two did?!”
Dain Adamas looked genuinely surprised, expressing her innocence.
Even in this situation, they were so quick to make choices that went against my will, showing no respect for me. Their behavior hadn’t changed at all from before.
May Lina, despite deserving to be scolded, acted like a pitiful protagonist, while Mir Ryuin, logically knowing that there was no reason for me to engage in conversation in this situation, still expected me to talk to her, and Dain Adamas was insisting on her innocence, completely forgetting the mistake she had just made.
They were still selfish and still authoritarian.
There were many things I wanted to say to them and many things that needed to be said, but right now, there was only one thing I needed to say.
"I’ll say it one last time. Leave.”
From the depths of my heart, filled with something sticky and repulsive, emerged a pure sincerity that made the faces of the three pale.
They seemed to realize that this was not a situation they could just brush off, their faces showing uncertainty and indecision.
They hesitated, their lips trembling a few times, their eyes darting back and forth, until finally they couldn’t meet my gaze any longer and left the shop.
“······.”
Alone in the partially broken shop, I finally understood what this sticky and repulsive feeling filling my chest was.
It was, surprisingly even to myself, a clear sense of betrayal.
0 Comments