Chapter 339
Chapter 339
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 339
>Chapter Title: Buried in the Ground
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That day, the four of them buried a time capsule in Principal Schwartz's hideout.
"But... is this really okay? Burying it here like this..."
"It's fine. When the building goes up later, we can just dig it up."
"Ah."
The "Ah" came from Damian. He'd gained enlightenment from Aster's response.
"As expected, my friend's smart."
"Right?"
"If only you were a bit taller."
"Wha?"
By their third year, Damian had overtaken him in height again. Aster had grown some, but Damian had the edge.
Anyway.
"So we just come back in ten years, right?"
"Pretty much."
"Then... what time in ten years...?"
Damian answered.
"Graduation!"
"Graduation... ceremony?"
"Yeah, we'll meet up at the academy graduation ten years from now. 'Cause Zenby couldn't have one. We'll all watch it together and dig up the time capsule."
"...New Prototype Version 3?"
Aster was genuinely surprised by the thoughtful suggestion considering Zenby. At the same time, there was no reason to refuse.
"But there's one thing we didn't think of."
"What?"
"Isn't this a restricted area not open to outsiders?"
"...?"
Damian tilted his head.
Evelyn added an explanation.
"You know how there's areas academy students can go to, and areas open to outsiders? But on the way here, I saw this is a restricted one."
"So?"
"So what do you mean 'so'? How are we supposed to get in here in ten years?"
It sounded reasonable at first glance.
If the others weren't Aster, Damian, and the demon-possessed Zenby.
"We'll sneak in. We won't get caught."
"We're already sneaking around now, so what's to worry about."
"Hmm... but we're graduates, so even if we get caught, they'll understand, right?"
"...Ah."
This "Ah" was from Evelyn.
She wasn't one to shy away from means or methods, but her talents leaned more toward commerce. She was expanding her thinking to everyday life through the other three.
And so, they buried the time capsule in the hideout's front yard and tamped down the earth evenly.
Then, they all stared at the spot for a moment together. As if by promise, silence settled over the four.
Zenby spoke first.
"Thanks, everyone. You must've been busy, but you prepared so hard."
No one replied.
They were all just happy.
Evelyn spoke next.
"In ten years, we'll all meet up..."
Evelyn closed her mouth.
She swallowed the words that had risen to the tip of her tongue.
She didn't finish the sentence, but everyone knew what she meant.
Whether these four could really gather in one place ten years from now.
As the saying goes,
Ten years can change a river's course, wear down mountains. If even vast nature bends to time, how much more so people.
In the academy, they wore the same clothes, shared the same space, learned the same things—but the moment they left, reality hit differently.
One was heir to a top continental noble house, another a merchant born of trading blood.
One a commoner with administrator parents, another a Black-White Slums stray.
Without the academy, would these four have ever met?
...No, impossible.
What you see shapes what you think. Changed thoughts harden into values.
And those values become walls.
Yes, values were walls.
Evelyn, who'd grown up around merchants, mercenaries, nobles, commoners—a whole cast of humanity—knew this bone-deep.
That's why she worried.
Whether ten years from now, these four could stand side by side like this.
But.
"It's fine."
Aster said.
"Everyone's equal before my fist."
...How reassuring.
Damian spoke next.
He posed a question.
"But... we won't see each other anymore?"
"Huh?"
"Only at ten years?"
"Tha...t's..."
Evelyn started to answer thoughtlessly, then tilted her head.
"No, right?"
"Right? It's not, right? I thought we had to wait a full ten years. It's not that, right?"
"Right? No?"
As Evelyn answered, she took in Aster and Zenby with her eyes. Naturally, they both signaled "No."
Once everyone had answered, Damian grinned brightly.
"If it's hard to meet all together, we can meet one-on-one and hang out."
So.
"It's not a total goodbye."
Yeah, that's it.
For now, with Zenby... at graduation, they're parting, but it's not a complete farewell.
The meetings continue.
Not in the same form as at the academy, but not a full goodbye.
That's why Damian could smile.
"We'll see each other again."
...Damian's way of accepting farewell.
* * *
The four who buried the time capsule decided to hold a farewell party in the hideout. Or was it a farewell party?
"We'll do Zenby's proper send-off separately before he leaves. Today, we just hang out."
"Good idea!"
They sure clicked at times like this.
"Everyone brought food, right?"
"I have some here."
Damian was first to pull out food.
"This is..."
"Jerky. Feels like an adventure."
It really was one of his recent favorites. Because it evoked the real feel of adventure.
The memories from... Baharmut.
But.
"Then you'll just eat jerky, Damian."
Damian raised his middle finger.
The meaning was clear.
Evelyn made several attempts to break it after that. Once the commotion died, they showed their prepared foods.
"I brought this. Been craving sweets lately."
Zenby had brought a whole cake from the cafeteria—not a slice, a full one.
"Looks tasty. What about you, Aster?"
"Yeah, same."
"...No, what did you bring?"
"Me?"
Aster pulled a box from his subspace.
"This is..."
"Just snacks and stuff."
But for some reason.
Evelyn furrowed her brow and tilted her head. Her eyes sharpened quickly, like a furious bird of prey.
"This box... feels familiar. Must be my imagination, right?"
"No idea."
"Wait... this, this..."
Evelyn's face grew fiercer, and for good reason.
"This is my snack box!"
"Oh, was it? Didn't know."
"No, I was wondering where the one I set aside for the office went—Aster? What the...!"
"You seem really mad."
"Of course."
Evelyn glared daggers, interrogating Aster. Or trying to. Why? What kind of stunt was this?
But Aster had a way to snuff out her rage cleanly.
"Why'd you do that to me?"
"...Pardon?"
"Second Black-White Slums land deed."
That one line sufficed.
"Wha... friends share, right? It's fine. I bought a new snack box."
Her face flipped, smiling kindly.
She knew.
Who'd come out worse if they argued over stolen goods. And how fast Aster's fist was.
"So what'd you bring?"
"Oh, me? I brought some stuff too."
What Evelyn pulled from her subspace was a snack box much like Aster's, same contents.
"Oh, right! But drinks..."
"Here."
Aster took drinks from a temperature-preserving artifact in the hideout's corner.
"But... is it okay to just pull all this out and eat and play here?"
"Of course."
Because.
It all belonged to Principal-senpai anyway.
And so, a modest party began.
The four ate their brought foods and chatted. When bored, someone pulled out cards or a board game for a match.
Sometimes petty arguments broke out.
Usually Damian and Evelyn.
"No, look? I played Ace of Spades three turns ago? Right? And you shuffled the turn before last?"
"Yeah, but?"
"But why do you have Ace of Spades now? Makes no sense? Roll up your sleeves, quick."
"Evelyn lacks trust."
"No, the problem isn't lack of trust..."
"Evelyn, I get it. But the world is beautiful. It gets more beautiful when we trust each other."
"Wha...!"
No money on the card game.
Just friendly play.
...Whatever.
For the record, three Ace of Spades appeared in that game.
Not cheating—Damian, Zenby, and Evelyn had all brought the same deck type.
And so, the four sat in the hideout till late night.
...Until the moon hung high.
The boisterous space fell quiet.
The silence... was heavy.
But not solemn.
In that odd atmosphere, Evelyn spoke.
"Zenby, safe travels. We'll see you off properly before you go... but still."
"Thanks. Evelyn, it was fun hanging out. Let's never meet again."
"Promi... Huh?"
"Kidding."
"...You are kidding, right?"
"Maybe not."
Evelyn raised her middle finger.
Zenby just laughed haha.
Damian spoke right then.
"Zenby, have fun out there. I'll miss you."
"Thanks. Damian, it was fun with you. Thanks."
"Good to hear."
Aster couldn't stay silent now.
"Stay healthy."
"Yeah."
Aster and Zenby shared no more words. They'd said all they needed earlier.
After the round of goodbyes.
Evelyn spoke.
"In ten years, what'll we all be doing?"
"I'll be off on an adventure."
"An adventure...?"
Zenby explained.
"He means running away from home."
"Ten years from now, I'll be of age."
"Will you?"
"Maybe not."
He knew himself. That it was running away.
With Evelyn opening the topic of "Ten years from now...", they exchanged various thoughts.
The conclusion?
"I'll still go on that adventure."
Damian wanted adventure.
"I... want to send Chancellor to art school. And Mom and Dad happy."
Zenby wished for family happiness.
"I'll be rich."
Evelyn, naturally, wanted money.
After everyone shared, eyes turned to one.
"What about you, Aster?"
To Evelyn's question, Aster gazed out the window, seeming thoughtful.
"Me..."
His wish for ten years hence.
Aster answered.
"Wrote it in the time capsule. Check in ten years."
The three jeered.
"What kind of answer is that."
"Should've said 'friend gets taller.'"
"Aster, I get it. You're shy."
Aster clenched his fist lightly.
Still, not a bad feeling.
Anyway.
"To check that, we'll have to meet in ten years for sure."
Adding one more reason for the four to gather, the party ended.
...Memories buried in the ground.