Crossing the Wall (2)
A truly terrifying power. I'd never truly clashed with Ronari before, so I couldn't say for sure if this was her full strength. But one thing was clear: her resolve was unshakable. Even as I put in a real effort, she had me pinned without so much as twitching a toe.
Why the hell is she doing this…!
"You're always like that! Full of secrets. But whenever I try to get close and find out, you take a step back. Every damn time! But that doesn't work on me!"
"Hold on… Ronari."
"Hold on my ass! If you're gonna say it's for my sake, save the excuses! Why do you get to decide that on your own? I want to hear it! If you still don't get it, I'll spell it out for you right now. So listen up!"
Ronari declared,
"Whatever you're hiding, no matter how heavy the truth is…! I won't get hurt. I won't feel burdened. And I won't look away!"
"…"
Don't say any more. That was the thought that flashed through my mind. If I could, I'd have covered my ears. Or screamed. I didn't want to hear what came next.
But Ronari said it anyway.
"So…! You can tell me!"
"……"
I gritted my teeth.
…This girl, and that other one too—they don't give a damn about my resolve. Do they think I want to live like this? I'm human too. I have desires, and sometimes they make me impulsive. But I hold back. I know it's not my place. I know that even if I force myself to grab something, it'll slip away eventually.
She has no idea. She knows nothing, yet she keeps shaking me up like this. I resented her for it.
"…"
I reached out toward Ronari.
"…!"
I could feel her flinch in surprise. Her pressure intensified, crushing me harder, but I didn't stop extending my hand.
Then it happened.
-Crack…
The floor beneath my feet gave way.
"Ah…!"
I'd figured the floorboards might not hold up under Ronari's pressure. …But the fall felt too long. Weren't we on the first floor? Was there space below?
Ronari and I plummeted into the darkness.
The fall was completely unexpected, leaving Ronari Sharino utterly flustered. With no time to react, she plunged into the darkness. All she could see was the corridor ceiling receding above her. She had no idea what to grab or how to stop herself.
Ronari squeezed her eyes shut. The drop felt eternal.
Then something enveloped her. An instant later, the impact hit.
"Hngh…!"
The crushing shock squeezed her lungs, leaving her breathless. But she didn't feel the hard slam of the ground. Nor did it feel like hitting water.
As the shock faded, Ronari cautiously opened her eyes.
There was Ilsea Alerzar. Under the dim yellowish light, his face gazed down at her.
"You okay?"
For a moment, Ronari pondered the meaning of those words. You okay…? You okay…?
"Did you hurt your neck or something?"
"Eek…!"
The rough touch on her nape made her yelp.
"…Looks like you're fine."
Only then did Ronari start piecing together the situation.
"…?"
She still had no clue where they were. But somehow, she and Ilsea had fallen from the corridor to here—and she'd survived unscathed in his arms.
'In his arms?'
That's when Ilsea asked,
"Can you stand?"
Ronari didn't think twice about his question. Her mouth answered on its own before she could.
"Might be… a bit hard…"
"Right."
With that, Ilsea looked up while still holding her. Ronari followed his gaze. There was a small hole of light above—a gap they'd apparently fallen through. The corridor floor collapsing made sense, but a deep pit like this below? What were the odds?
Ilsea scanned the surroundings and clicked his tongue.
-Tsk
"…Of all places, it had to lead here."
Ronari looked around too. A dark stone passageway stretched out, lit sporadically by lanterns. Shallow water pooled on the floor.
Ilsea asked,
"Can you fly up there?"
Ronari glanced up again.
"The height…"
"We fell for about two seconds, so roughly twenty meters. The passage is a bit wider than a manhole."
"Hmm, probably not… I need some space to take off too."
"Hm."
Ilsea stared into the darkness ahead. Ronari saw nothing, but he seemed to spot something.
"…Can't just sit here waiting for help."
Ilsea said,
"Put your arms around my neck."
Ronari did.
"Tighter."
She did that too. With practiced ease, Ilsea shifted her onto his back.
"…"
And he started walking down the passage.
-Splash, splash.
He moved like he knew the way. Like someone who'd walked it many times before.
Ronari asked,
"Where is this…?"
"Academy sewer. Don't know the exact spot."
"You've been here before?"
"…"
Ilsea didn't answer.
'There is definitely something…'
Part of her wanted to pry, but given that she was the reason they were here, pushing her luck felt awkward.
"Sorry… I didn't think it'd end up like this…"
No response from Ilsea, as expected.
"…"
Ronari just buried her face in his nape. Amid the sewer's fishy stench, she caught his scent—like the handkerchief he'd used before. Even in this mess, it felt oddly comforting, stirring guilt. But saying 'I'm fine now, you can put me down' seemed off…
…And part of her wanted to stay like this.
Maybe start with thanks. He'd saved her from the fall, after all.
"Um…"
But before she could speak, Ilsea cut in.
"Belica,"
"…?"
"Belica probably went to Adelia."
He was explaining about Belica. Ronari perked up, listening closely—though her position made it easy anyway.
"You were there when Adelia challenged Belica to a duel."
"Yeah."
"Then you heard her conditions too."
"Oh…"
Ronari recalled it. She'd heard Adelia's demands clearly, even repeated at the Grand Arena.
"…Something about going to the ball together and joining her club, right?"
"Yeah. Belica probably agreed to those in exchange for convincing Adelia to go easy on me."
"So when Bel said she'd handled it…"
'That was how?'
Ilsea's silence affirmed her unspoken question.
"Is that club full of really bad people? Like, doing shady stuff…?"
"No. Adelia's not like that."
Figured as much.
"Then why demand that…?"
"Adelia said it herself. To keep Belica away from me."
"…"
It was true—Ilsea had been known as a delinquent since last year. The rumors started after summer break, when his family fell from grace.
Why did the Alerzar family collapse? Why did Ilsea turn delinquent?
Ronari didn't know the details. …Or maybe she'd just avoided finding out.
The Alerzar downfall was a taboo even among adults, and students seemed clueless too. Ilsea himself, who carried the truth, blocked all approaches.
Back then, he was like a sharpened blade—anyone getting close risked getting cut, whether with kindness or curiosity. His response was always the same. Many who approached him shattered on impact, and he got hurt too. His reputation plummeted far from the truth, twisting negative.
Ronari had been disappointed in him then. But seeing him now, she wondered: maybe the thorns he bristled with hid a brutal truth even he couldn't bear. One no one could help with, only pushing them further away.
Maybe that's why he'd kept distancing people since.
'…Could just be my imagination.'
Adelia, Ilsea, and Belica's ties probably linked to that truth.
Ilsea continued,
"Anyway, that's the mess Belica's in. My fault. So if you're gonna resent someone, resent me."
What kind of nonsense is that? Like she could just resent him on command.
"Bel would never blame you."
"…"
-Splash, splash. His footsteps.
"Ilsea."
Ronari said,
"Sorry."
"…Heard that earlier."
Ronari shook her head.
"No, not that. Earlier… I was stubborn. Saying you could tell me anything…"
"…"
"Sorry. You might not be ready. I shouldn't have assumed."
Ilsea replied,
"……You think saying sorry fixes everything?"
His voice carried an uncharacteristic emotion, startling Ronari a bit.
"You said it yourself. You won't look away."
Calming her surprise, she hurried to respond.
"Yeah."
"I'm not spilling everything now. But you made that promise with resolve, so I said it."
"…Yeah."
Answering, Ronari swallowed hard.
"So if the day comes when I bring it up again… then…"
Ilsea trailed off, falling silent. Ronari sensed deep resignation in his back, in the heartbeat against her chest.
He was slipping back into the darkness.
"…No. Forget it. Just nonsense."
As he shook his head, Ronari leaned her forehead against it, hugging him tighter.
"…?"
She had to hold on.
"I promise. Whatever your truth is, I won't turn away."
"…"
"I swear it on everything I have."
……
A faint light appeared ahead. Ilsea said nothing until it became the sunset outside.
Emerging from the sewer, they were behind a strangely unfamiliar building. It looked like an academy structure, but disused.
Ilsea set Ronari down on the grass.
"Thanks…"
"Yeah."
Breathing fresh air felt like living again. But Ilsea's expression stayed grim. Because of their sewer talk?
Worried, Ronari soon realized she was fretting over the wrong thing.
At the faculty office she'd gone to on her own, she found Ilsea choking in Professor Ruda's side grip.
"How long ago did I praise this punk, and he's already causing trouble…!"
-Grk… Ilsea's dying gasps.
"Professor! It was my fault, I swear!?"
Even as Ronari tried to pull her off, Ruda didn't budge.
"Ilsea Alerzar! What the hell did you threaten her with to make her spout this nonsense!?"