Vol 3 Chapter 2 (2/2)
Perhaps Mitsuki vieorking as the student council president as a kind of atonement
”Mitsuki—What were things like for you in the three years after coard?”
”What were things like?”
”Yeah, I'd like you to tell ard”
When I made such a request, Mitsuki showed a troubled expression
”Too s happened, where should I start? This is not soht”
”In that case—Oh right, I hope you can tell irl as your best friend, Mitsuki”
I made my decision and said to Mitsuki
Mitsuki gasped and quietly started at my face After ten-odd seconds of silence, Mitsuki asked in a calm tone of voice
”Is that what you s?”
”Well, one of them”
I nodded in adhed deeply
”Sigh And to think I wondering what it was about I see now Nii-san, aument with Lisa-san?”
Hearingup the uessed my motivation
”I didn't mean to eavesdrop”
”You need to mind your own business”
Mituski relared coldly at me
”Like you, Mitsuki, I's within my power But even if I want to intervene, I can't even stand on the same arena unless I understand shi+nomiya Miyako as a person first So Can you tell me about her?”
I looked into Mitsuki's eyes and conveyed my wish to her directly
”Frankly speaking, I a up this matter, because by this point, all of it has turned into painful memories”
”Really”
Since I did not want tome disappointed, Mitsuki continued hesitantly:
”—B-But if you could agree to one deht be able to try hard to recount it”
”Really? I' as it's my power”
I agreed without a second thought Aardly, Mitsuki asked in a quiet voice:
”Then May I hug you, Nii-san?”
”Hug?”
”Yes, by hugging you, Nii-san, I think I will be able to e”
I did not expect this suggestion, but having said that I illing to do anything, I could not falter Besides, as siblings, there should not be any reason to feel concerned about this kind of thing Althoughabnormally, I decided it would be fine
”S-Sure”
I answered hoarsely With her face bright red, Mitsuki said ”T-Thank you” in a barely audible voice
Inside the roo on the same bed
”Nii-san”
Mitsuki called h the paja ht arm
I could feel the sensation of her petite but beautifull-shaped breasts on ht arm recklessly
”I feel so calm now This should be fine”
Leaning her cheek against ht shoulder, Mitsuki spoke with a shtly In contrast to Mitsuki, I felt quite unsettled
”Okay, can you tell me now?”
To prevent her froher to start
”Very well Let us begin with hoetyphoon was leaving She arrived in Midgard teeks after me”
Mitsuki closed her eyes and spoke nostalgically
”My first impression of her, how should I describe it? She was superior to me on all accounts Of course, she was quite beautiful in face, but the light eht to me It made er sister”
”By Haruka-san, you mean shi+nomiya-sensei?”
I confirmed with her and Mitsuki nodded with a chuckle
”Yes, back then, shi+nomiya-sensei was every student's idol! Perfectly flawless in all respects, she has always been oal since back then”
”Wow, it's almost like the current you, Mitsuki”
”W-What are you talking about!? How could I compare to her!?”
On my end, this was not flattery, but Mitsuki still denied it with her face red
She shi+fted her body slightly I felt a definite sensation of softness from her bosom in contact with my arm
”I don't think it's entire out of the question”
While worrying whetherred, I replied
”Of course it is! Seriously, I a back to the main subject! Simply stated, Miyako was very siirl”
Mitsuki spoke in embarrass than her, I found it iine
”A girl like that—Because ere both japanese and of siinning, I was very nervous but Miyako was a cheerful, lively and straightforward person, so we becareat friends very quickly”
Mitsuki's voice carried nostalgia It must have been a very happy time for her back then
”However She quickly surpassed me in both academics and the control of dark matter, which I found it a little hard to accept Of course, since I arrived teeks earlier than her, I had gone through a phase of hard work, but ulti better than me without exception I was a bit jealous of her talent”
Ss from back then
”Woas she that a? But from the it sounds, rather than best friends, wouldn't that normally make her your rival? Especially with your competitive personality, Mitsuki”
After hearing lared at me unhappily
”I am not that coainst Miyako, but how should I put it? Miyako felt strong affection towardsaway my tiny hostility completely”
”Strong affection?”
”P-Please do noth ere joined at the hip We even slept in the same bed like this at some point”
Although I doubted whether those were truly feelings of friendshi+p, I held ue Since I did not know shi+noe her
”Perhaps that could be described as Miyako's only flaw She oftenme above all else That time, it was also for this reason that—”
Mitsuki bowed her head gravely after saying that
”You mean The time when 'Purple' Kraken attacked?”
”Yes, it was just as , a siren suddenly blared We were infor”
Perhaps because she had reached a sad scene, Mitsuki huggedherself close to rance with faint sweetness
”Now that I think back, the situation was not quite right on that day She seeaze where there was nothing to be seen Most likely, her dragon ed color by that point But because Miyako's dragon mark was on her back, she did not notice immediately”
Mitsuki spoke regretfully Back then, no one knew that there was a link between the dragon onification However, had they discovered the symptoms earlier, perhaps a different future would have resulted That was probably what Mitsuki thought
”There were already plans back then to use the Ds' powers as truon Subjugation Squad was established with Haruka-san as the captain Miyako and I were part of it too, hence we head to the frontline Falling into the Kraken's trap on our own”
Hearing what she said, I felt puzzled Since the dragons' aims were unknown at the ti back then
”Was the situation so urgent that it was necessary to send a newly established force to fight?”
”The Kraken advanced with frightening speed There was no tiard coardsormr were all swept away by antie to stall for tiard and our coht”
There was a rich sense of reality in what Mitsuki said Midgard must have been in chaos at the time As one would expect, Mitsuki and her coht the Kraken with resolve
”But when the Kraken entered visual range, just as ere starting to attack, I noticed Miyako's dragon low, clearly visible even through her clothing Then with a shocked face, she said that the dragon's target was her”
”Now that you mention it, back when Leviathan approached, Iris also felt its will”
I recalled what had happened roughly a o Perhaps soon and the selected D
”Miyako tried her hardest to persuade us that the Kraken was pursuing her Heating up, her dragonit and the rest of us had to hurry and run However, at the ti nonsense because she had lost her mind”
Mitsuki see her eyes, she leaned her forehead forcefully on my shoulder
”It couldn't be helped I'd probably draw the same conclusion too”
”But At least as her best friend, I should have believed in her without hesitation But I failed to say anything at all Just as ere perplexed, the situation had already gone beyond the point of no return, because the Kraken's tentacles had spread out in a do up the entire area”
Mitsuki's voice wavered slightly
”After seeing the tentacles approaching to attack us, Miyako turned her gaze at htly before her chest then rushed out alone She probably believed that at this rate, ere all going to be crushed to death by the tentacles”
Mitsuki spoke with her voice and body tre
”Miyako attacked the Kraken's purple eyeball while rushi+ng at it, but her offensive was completely deflected by the tentacles of mithril She had nowhere to run—Then after that”
Mitsuki was finally at a loss for words
”—Stop, thank you, it's already enough”
I could not bear to watch, so I asked her to stop I already knew the gist of what happened next The two Krakens, including the dragonified shi+nomiya Miyako, were killed by Mitsuki with antimatter projectiles
shi+nomiya Miyako on Otherwise, she would not have charged the Kraken on her own
”Miyako really always ht have been able to defend her by relying on everyone She probably rushed out alone to prevent er”
Mitsuki said every ith a weeping voice
If possible, I really wanted to stroke her head and coht arm while my injured left arm could not move As a result, I could only remain motionless and silent
Thus, I waited until Mitsuki's e stopped Then I said:
”Mitsuki, I now understand what happened between you and shi+nomiya Miyako Thanks to that, I can be certain now”
”Certain?”
Mitsuki stared at
”Yeah, Mitsuki, you're the one who feels the rin over what happened to shi+no hard despite the pain without avoiding it There's no need for you to suffer Lisa's condemnation”
To observe Mitsuki's reaction, I deliberatelyLisa
”P-Please hold on! This is neither here nor there! Miyako was dear to Lisa-san too, which is why she has the right to reproach me!”
Mitsuki frantically defended Lisa, I knew it—Things were like that
The truth that I had heard from Firill She said that Lisa did not actually hate Mitsuki
Hence, I caht
”The right to reproach you Mitsuki, have you ever sought Lisa's forgiveness?”
”That sort of thing I have not Because I have done soivable”
Mitsuki shook her head I see This hy the proble exasperated, I asked Mitsuki:
”Last tions as atoneht? But based on what you just said, even if you defeated all the dragons, Lisa still won't forgive you, right?”
”Of course not, because they are unrelated matters”
”Sigh”
I sighed deeply
”N-Nii-san, why are yousuch an exasperated expression?”
”Of course I' a little considerate for Lisa?”
”Eh?”
Mitsuki looked at et it at all
”To stay angry persistently because of one incident, to persistently hate so, you know? If you were truly considerate for Lisa, then create an opportunity for Lisa to forgive you, how about that?”
”B-But I do not knohether she wants to forgive me either, that would be too shameless”
”Whether it is shameless or not, that's for Lisa to decide Even if you end up angering her, it's not like it's the first time”
Although I continued to persuade, Mitsuki still reaze wandered
”But”
”Mitsuki, do you really refuse forgiveness that much?”
”O-Of course not!”
With a drae in expression Mitsuki yelled
”In that case, you will ask Lisa toiveness This is an order”
”Order? My rank is higher than yours, you know?”
Mitsuki glared at me with displeasure
”But I'ht?”
”What do you mean by that? That is too tyrannical!”
Mitsuki pouted unhappily
”Then are you going to use your authority as a superior officer to negate my order?”
”No, I will follow it, because I hate the idea that others thought I were escaping”
Mitsuki answered after a few seconds
Hearing her reply, I exhaled in relief
”As expected of ”
”Muu Say whatever you like”
Mitsuki closed her eyes defiantly but continued to hug o
”Do your best I support you”
After whispering softly to Mitsuki as about to sleep, I closed my eyes too
During our long conversation, drowsiness had already arrived quietly at the fringes of h Mitsuki's body warmth and softness felt so attractive, I see this drowsiness
”Thank you, Nii-san”
—Just before entering the realm of dreams, I seemed to hear those words
Part 4
”Nii-san, rise and shi+ne, Nii-san”
The nextmy shoulder
”Hmm?”
I rubbed ot up Mitsuki pulled me by my arm
”Come, hurry over, we have arrived”
”Arrived where?”
Still half asleep, I could not recall instantly why Mitsuki was in the room Neither could i remember where this was
But after Mitsuki brought me to theside and I saw the expansive view beyond the glass, my drowsiness was instantly swept away
”Wow”
Only an island in the scenery of the sea yesterday, it was apparently a volcanic island Beautifully triangular, thefrom it There were almost no plants on the island while the sides of the mountain were covered by what seemed to be black rocks solidified from lava
The shi+p see the island's periradually came into view
”When the operation was drafted and a reconnaissance team was sent here, a simple pier had already been constructed Until Basilisk approached, ill remained moored there”
Mitsuki looked ahead along the shi+p's direction and explained
”We'll be living here for now Can we go on the island?”
”You o ashore freely, but there are forbidden places including the area near the volcano's ”
Saying that, Mitsuki left theand returned to the bedside, picking up her pillow
”You're going back to your cabin?”
”Yes, there is still time before breakfast, which is why I would like to take a shower first Uered on my body”
Mitsuki looked away shyly
”I-I see, then I'd better take a shower too”
Feeling conscious of the scent fro my nose closer to sniff when
”Stop, d-do not do that! It is sexual harassment!”
Her face bright red, Mitsuki frantically stopped me
”S-Sorry”
”Please enter the bathroo, anyone who does that is a pervert!”
”—Understood I'll take a shower right away, I promise you”
Because I did not want er sister to think of me as a pervert, I instantly promised her
”Cross your heart, hope to die?”
Blushi+ng, Mitsuki reain
”Yeah—Anyway, enough about ht's promise?”
Asking Lisa what it would take to forgive her—I checked with Mitsuki to confirotten
”Of course How could I be the student council president if I were that forgetful?”
Mitsuki answered with displeasure and rapidly walked to the cabin's exit But when she stopped when she gripped the door handle Quietly, she said:
”But I think that Lisa-san will definitely not forgive me”
”Even if that's true, it's still progress cos on your own”
”Indeed—You have a point”
Mitsuki smiled wryly and quietly left the room
Then I walked to the bathroom to keep my promise with Mitsuki
During theafter breakfast, we received a booklet which contained a map of the island and various reminders
Thinking this rese, I opened it up to have a look, only to find introductions to various attractions on the island, featuring especially cute illustrations
—So!
I ridiculed in my heart
I checked the copyright page to find that shi+noether In accordance with her reputation of flawless perfection, she apparently had talent in drawing too However, e of her was shattered She turned out to be an unexpectedly humorous person
There were various places on the s were placed near these locations to restrict entry because of poisonous volcanic gases
At the end of exa the this overhead view of the island that was about to beco symbol
As aeven had a special feature written on a separate page to introduce it, even providing detailed explanations of the water composition and effects The words of skin beautification were bolded for emphasis There also seemed to be restorative effects for the sick and injured
—Lemme check it out some time before the battle
Thinking that, I shi+ftedin front of the whiteboard in the conference roo about the contents of the booklet in her hand
Mitsuki was not acting unusually in any way, but sitting diagonally in front ofat Mitsuki with an indescribable expression It seemed like a chaotic mixture of emotions
Perhaps Mitsuki had talked to Lisa already This was very likely, seeing as Mitsuki was not the type to procrastinate on what needed to be done
I could not guess the outco at the two of them
I'll knoay once I ask Mitsuki later—I thought that to myself but did not expect the answer to arrive unexpectedly early
After theended, just as I was about to exit the conference roorabbed my arm from behind
”Hold it right there, Mononobe Yuu I have a few things to say to you”
Lisa was speaking with an angry expression and immediately closed the conference roolared at ated:
”You said so unnecessary to Mitsuki-san, didn't you?”
”H from this, you and Mitsuki already talked?”
Hearing ry
”I kneas your ! Otherwise, Mitsuki-san could not possibly have asked ive her!”
”I sis from your side”
I revealed what I had done truthfully There was no reason for s
”What W-Why did I come up in your conversation?”
”Uh, because you don't actually hate Mitsuki, right?”
I revealed the truth I had heard from Firill
”T-That is—W-Why would you know that in the first place?”
”I didn't know, but I got it from a trustworthy source”
”I see now, it was Firill-san? I never expected even for her to have a part in this—”
Lisa tossed her hair in agitation
”Then thatall the way until now that you haven't forgiven Mitsuki, because she craves punishment herself”
”Ooh”
Lisa was unable to retort I concluded that uess was correct
”But doing that must sadden you, Lisa, because you actually hold Mitsuki quite dear, but to keep reproaching her—”
”I do not need you to worry aboutas her 'punishuilt, I shall persist in it”
With ar indeed I was thoroughly impressed with her kindness and fortitude, but this ti counterproductive
”—Yes, that definitely was necessary in the beginning Thanks to you, Lisa, I think Mitsuki was saved quite substantially But don't you think that you're being overprotective if you keep treating her that way even after two years have passed?”
”O-Overprotective!?”
Lisa widened her eyes, her expression looked like she had heard so unexpected
”Yeah, Mitsuki has already decided to confront her guilt She believes that fighting dragons incessantly is her responsibility Isn't this single 'punishh for Mitsuki?”
”B-But”
Lisa stam if that was really okay
”Say—How did you reply to Mitsuki's question of ould it take for you to forgive her?”
”Because it caive her any reply I still have not responded yet”
Hearing her say that, I reached out and grabbed Lisa's shoulder with ht hand
”Kyah!? W-What are you doing?”
Lisa shrank away in fear while I said to her:
”If that's the case, you'd better consider it carefully If you're worried about Mitsuki, set a condition for her, because I'm sure she'll clear any kind of trial no matter what it is”
”H-How confident you are Aren't you too biased in favor of your sister?”
Blushi+ng slightly, Lisa remarked with sarcasm
”As the older brother, believing in the younger sister goes without saying”
”Hmph, in that case, I will think of a very difficult condition Even if it causes Mitsuki-san distress, it will be your fault!”
Saying that, Lisa shoved me away and quickly exited the conference room
”Hmm, did I provoke her too much?”
A bit worried, I walked into the corridor as well I her head out from behind a nearby pillar
”Good work, Mononobe-kun”
”Don't tell me you heard our entire conversation?”
Hearing me say that, Firill nodded in confession
”Yes, I was eavesdropping outside Then because Lisa came out, I hid”
Fearing that things were noard between Firill and Lisa, I felt apologetic to her
”Oh, uuessed that you're the one who advised me”
”This is fine, I don't h”
”Eh? But nothing's resolved yet?”
I was surprised at Firill's response Currently, Lisa was still at the stage of deciding the condition required to forgive Mitsuki
”Even if it's not resolved yet, the situation has definitely ress A result will probably coive you a reward”
”No, it's okay I didn't do much”
Although I would feel bad accepting a reward I did not deserve, that was not the entire reason In addition, I had a sense of foreboding, pro me to refuse Firill's offer
”No need to be shy I will prepare a present you'd enjoy Look forward to it”
But Firill ignored what I said and declared that
Watching Firill laugh ”hehehe” suggestively, I prayed intensely introublesome—
Part 5
After our life at the volcanic island started, I realized that it was actually quite siard
Every day started with breakfast in the s, ent to the conference, otherwise, there were indoor lessons After lunch, ent on the island for practical training or listened to status reports on the war against Basilisk After that, I tutored Tia on homework, ate dinner then went to bed
If there was anything different froirls Due to living together on the saether became habitual and usual
Although the matter between Mitsuki and Lisa was still unresolved, the two of them went back to normal on the surface
What worried ly unsettled as the days went by, and Firill, as going to prepare some kind of present for me
I knew the reason behind for Iris' uneasiness Or rather, I should call it specific urging
Just earlier, she was saying tofor the ”continuation” of our conversation on the first day
On my side, I wanted to fulfill that promise too but after the incident with Firill, Mitsuki's supervision becah Mitsuki only spent the night in ent little sister made frequent visits to my room, I could not find the opportunity to do it
However, I had also heard many times that Tia wanted to sneak off toprecautions onto complain about All thanks to her, I was able to sleep in peace
Then after these norirls orried me—Firill—made a move
During a lunch break, I left the dining table to go to the washroom and Firill chased after me
”Mononobe-kun, I've prepared the reward”
”W-What is the reward?”
I gulped and asked The reason why I was reflexively on guard was because I remembered her prank last time Another one like that would be more than I could take
”Here, for you”
”Huh?”
Seeing the small slip of paper in her hand, I frowned It was apparently paper cut out fro on the faintly lined paper
”One day hot spring coupon Expires today?”
I read out the words on it and Firill nodded to confirm
”Yes, you know there is a hot spring on the island, right?”
”Yeah, the handbook covered it”
I answered, perplexed
”I've already tried it, a wonderful place But I'ht, Mononobe-kun?”
”Yeah, because everyone on this shi+p is a girl apart fro”
Since I knew that hot springs were very popular with girls, I knew I had better not go for now and give up a long tio However, Firill smiled and presented her handwritten coupon
”Indeed That's precisely why this one day coupon was born You can enjoy the hot spring as much as you like today”
”Meaning that the hot spring is for my exclusive use today?”
”So exists for you, Mononobe-kun”
Saying that, Firill stuffed the coupon in to my hand
”Enjoy it well”
”O-Okay Thank you I never expected to receive such a considerate present”
Precisely because I expected a preposterous reward beforehand, I felt quite touched now The thoughtful handwriting on the coupon instantly gave
”Fufu, you should thank ”
Firill touched her hand to her lips, ss very humorous
Thinking about it after the fact, I realized it was an impish smile
But is, I failed to discern Firill's true intentions and si
After dinner that day, I immediately took a towel and left my cabin
Walking off the shi+p's gangway ladder and arriving on the volcanic island's shore, I felt slightly unsteady onshi+p for a while, it felt unstable on solid land instead
But that disrupted sense of balance soon recovered Stepping on hard rock, I
The volcanic island was dark at night With the starry sky as the backdrop, I could see the black, towering silhouette of the conicalaround the pier and along the route to the hot spring, ht Just by following the lighting, there was no need for a map
It was less than fivethose regularly spaced lights, I arrived at a shore surrounded by rocks It looked like an inlet on first glance, but I could see white stea inside
According to the explanation in the handbook, the hot spring flowed out from inside the inlet Because the inlet was connected to the sea, its outskirts had seawater but the inner side did not contain salt because it was isolated by the rocks
As soon as I approached, I was struck by the distinct s's water was a cloudy milky color I could not see the bottom, but it was probably not very deep
Just to be on the safe side, I checked out the surroundings Apart from me, there seemed to be no one else present