Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Aftermath in Saintmaria (5)
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“That was a delightful meal! Let’s meet again!”
“Yeah, sure. You just focus on getting better. You look a little pathetic, honestly.”
“Hmph, don’t you worry! This sturdy body is one of the few advantages I have!”
Hahahaha!
After the meal, Victor left with a hearty laugh, supported by his companions.
I never knew a person could be so loud. My overworked eardrums still felt numb.
Of course, in a way, he was the savior who saved everyone in Saintmaria.
He had many likable qualities, so I certainly didn't dislike him. But his energy was a bit much.
As a classic introvert, this kind of thing is a bit overwhelming for me.
With that thought, I secretly sucked on a piece of candy inside my mask and stood beside Alice.
For the record, this was a candy given to me by Victor's assistant, a cool beauty who looked great in an office outfit.
She said something about how nice it was to see me eat meat so heartily. If she was offering, I wasn't going to refuse.
“Sigh, that really hit the spot. How long has it been since I last ate expensive meat to my heart's content without worrying about the cost?”
“Haha... I think the staff might be shedding a few tears, though...”
Alice said with an awkward smile to Raven, who was patting his stomach as if to declare it a thoroughly satisfying meal.
The amount of meat the two of them had just consumed, excluding the bones, was several kilograms.
If you converted that to money... yeah, even a rough calculation would show it was a staggering financial loss.
Naturally, since they'd devoured it all without paying, Alice's conscience seemed to be pricking her a little.
Well, thanks to these two fighting and bleeding yesterday, there were no casualties.
Considering the future value gained by protecting the hotel's image, it might have actually been a small price to pay.
Anyway, as we left the restaurant and walked down the hallway, feeling the pleasant lethargy of a full stomach...
Raven, who was walking ahead, glanced back at Alice and asked.
“Want to grab some coffee? I'm a little thirsty.”
He usually avoids coffee, saying it's too bitter. What's up with him?
Alice, blinking in surprise, waved her hand slightly and said.
“I'm fine. What about everyone else?”
“Hmm, I think I could use some.”
“Ah, then I'll wait over by that table.”
“...!”
The group heading to the hotel's high-end café consisted of four people, excluding Alice and me.
I didn't particularly want anything to drink, so I decided to wait with her outside the café.
The table we chose had a refreshing view of the ocean.
The winter sea, visible beyond the clear glass window. It seemed to clear the mind.
I wonder what thoughts came to her as she gazed at the sea.
Alice, resting her chin on the table, muttered softly to herself.
“This is nice. It's a bit of a shame it's not summer, though...”
“...”
“Hm? Why? Ah... you're saying we can just come again in the summer?”
“...!”
“Ahaha! You're right. This isn't the only time. Next summer, and winter... it would be nice to spend them with everyone.”
She laughed until she almost teared up, then gently stroked my head.
Thankfully, my heartfelt gesture seemed to be enough to comfort her.
After our brief exchange, a period of quietly gazing at the scenery followed.
It was a bit disappointing not to hear the crashing waves, but the sight of the white surf breaking was a magnificent view that could hold you mesmerized.
“Ah, found you, Alice!”
But this moment, which felt like it could last forever, was shattered by a sudden outsider.
Who's this intruder ruining the mood?
Turning my head toward the voice, I saw her: Tamamo, the beautiful fox-girl.
“Oh... Tamamo?”
“Yep, it's me. And the one next to you is... Yuria, right? Nice to meet you.”
“...”
Hello.
I bowed my head to Tamamo, who had greeted not only Alice but me as well.
We hadn't been formally introduced, but it seemed my name had somehow reached her.
But Tamamo didn't seem to have any business with me.
She gave a small wink, then looked at Alice and scratched her cheek, looking somewhat troubled.
Huh, now that I look closer, there seems to be someone behind Tamamo...
“Ahaha, Alice. Good afternoon. Well... the thing is, Nera really wanted to apologize, so...”
“I-I'm so sorry!”
Whoosh!
The pitch-black shadow that had been clinging to Tamamo's back shot forward at an incredible speed.
And that shadow stuck to the floor in front of Alice like gum, assuming a posture of full prostration.
Looking closer, it was a girl dressed head to toe in black.
She wants to apologize... Yep, must be the head of the academy's disciplinary committee.
She was poisoned by the rage gas yesterday and unintentionally hurt Alice.
That has to be it. Well... seeing her plastered to the floor like that, you can tell she's sincere.
“Uh, umm... excuse me...?”
“I woke up in the infirmary and heard everything! That I was intoxicated by some strange gas and ended up hurting you, Miss Alice! Even if I was being controlled, the fact that I committed a sin is undeniable! So... as penance, please mess me up completely!”
“M-Mess me up?!”
The head of the disciplinary committee, Nera, cried out in a tearful voice while stuck to the floor.
She seemed quite overcome with emotion; every time she shook her head, her hips wiggled along with it.
Hmm, she has a rather nice figure, so honestly, looking down from above, it was a bit suggestive.
Perhaps because of that, Alice, who has no tolerance for lewd things, was so flustered she couldn't even speak properly.
Soon, she looked at Tamamo with trembling eyes, as if asking what to do.
Tamamo, pressing a hand to her forehead, slapped Nera's bottom with her palm as if she had no other choice.
“...?!”
“Kyaa!”
“Get up, quickly. You're making Alice uncomfortable. I get that you feel sorry, but what's the point if you just make the person you're apologizing to feel awkward?”
“O-Oh... I'm sorry...”
Looking up at Alice with teary eyes, Nera cautiously got up from the floor like a puppy testing the waters.
Hmm... in a way, Alice was the savior who stopped her from creating more victims.
So perhaps such an exaggerated reaction wasn't so strange. A bit vulgar, though.
And as time passed, her emotions finally seemed to settle down.
Nera approached Alice, looking quite timid and completely different from when she was under the influence of the gas.
“I'm sorry... And th-thank you... I heard you protected people alongside the president...”
“Haha... W-Well, it just kind of happened.”
“I-It's amazing, even though I can't sense any significant magic power from you! Do you have some kind of special secret...?!”
Crack.
For a moment, silence fell over the table.
Alice froze like a statue, her awkward smile plastered on her face.
Tamamo's mouth gaped open in horror.
“Y-You idiot! What are you saying right now!”
“Ugh!”
Coming to her senses, Tamamo smacked Nera on the back of the head and bowed to Alice in apology.
For Alice, any talk about magic power was a taboo subject.
Think about it. For Metahumans, magic power was a kind of identity.
Now that they had lost their homeland to the Invaders, it was the only thing that distinguished Metahumans from humans.
Alice suffered from a congenital condition that left her unable to wield magic.
What Nera had just said was roughly equivalent to telling someone with one arm that their piano skills are amazing—a dangerously insensitive remark.
“S-Sorry, Alice! This kid... she's a little lacking in common sense...!”
“Ahaha, it's fine. She didn't have any bad intentions; she was just genuinely impressed, right? In that case, I should be the one thanking her.”
“Th-That's right! To be honest, I think I've come to admire you, Miss Ali— Mmph!”
“Just be quiet for a second! Ugh... It's been so long since I've seen Alice...!”
However, perhaps because Alice understood that Nera wasn't trying to pick a fight but was speaking from genuine admiration...
...she quickly regained her composure and was able to smile and reply that it was okay.
Meanwhile, it was Tamamo who was fidgeting and on the verge of tears, worried that she had been rude.
Watching Tamamo and Nera, who seemed quite close, Alice suddenly asked out of curiosity.
“Tamamo, how's academy life? Are you enjoying it?”
“...Yeah. It's fun, in its own way. Though becoming the student council president was completely unexpected.”
“Hmph, is that so? It would have been fun if we could have entered the academy together. That's a little disappointing.”
“That's...”
As she said that, Alice glanced over at me, who had been listening quietly beside her.
I tilted my head, not understanding the meaning behind her gaze.
A faint smile playing on her lips, Alice turned back to Tamamo and continued.
“Still, I think I like how things are now. I've gained so many precious people I never want to lose.”
Her eyes were filled with a sense of relief, as if she had finally shaken off the faint inferiority complex or lingering regrets that had been building up for some time.
I wonder what Tamamo felt seeing Alice like that.
Tamamo stared at her blankly for a moment, then returned a light smile of her own.
“Yeah, I'm glad. I've always genuinely wished for your happiness, Alice.”
And so, after exchanging a few more words with Alice, Tamamo and Nera left.
It seemed the academy's student council president and head of the disciplinary committee had other urgent business to attend to.
“We're back. This the table? Wow, nice view.”
“Right? The ocean seen from up high is something else.”
In the meantime, they had gotten drinks to go from the café.
The group that had gone to the café approached, each holding a cup with a straw in it.
A latte, a soda, a smoothie... a variety of drinks that highlighted their individual personalities.
Soon, Raven sat at the table, sipping his latte and gazing at the ocean view.
Then, without even turning his head toward Alice, he spoke in a casual voice.
“So, any plans for what's next? They said everything's running normally except for the facilities that were damaged yesterday. If there's something you want to do, we can go there.”
His voice sounded somewhat indifferent,
but if you listened closely, the words were quite considerate, though he tried to hide it.
It seemed he was still mindful of what happened yesterday evening.
After all, she had made it abundantly clear before the trip how much she was looking forward to having fun with everyone.
As an adult, he must have felt a little sorry for abandoning her like that.
And it seemed she saw right through his intentions.
Alice's eyes widened, and then she broke into a bashful smile and replied in a cheerful voice.
“Yes! That sounds great!”
Her smile was as brilliantly clear as the sun,
as if it held a magic that could lift the spirits of anyone who saw it.
Our vacation was only just beginning.