Vol 3 Epilogue (2/2)
Tia called my name from her dream
Her sleeping face looked even more childish than her usual appearance
I s were only going to get tougher starting tomorrow
”Nii-san?”
Hearing Mitsuki's voice, I looked up, only to see Mitsuki poking her head out fro us, she walked over
”I knew it, the person singing was you, Nii-san How nostalgic”
”You know this song too, Mitsuki?”
”Of course I do That was the lullabyfor us all the time”
Mitsuki answered with a wry s hat she said that unsettled me
—My mother?
Mitsuki normally referred to our parents as father and
Not noticingon my lap
”So soundly asleep Let me carry her back to her cabin”
Saying that, Mitsuki picked up Tia lightly in her arms
”Well, if she needs to be carried, let me—”
”A girl's roohtly”
Speaking as a student council president should, Mitsuki vetoed estion
In this manner, Mitsuki carried Tia and was about to leave when she looked back as though she recalled so
”—Nii-san, I have caused you plenty of trouble this time It is all thanks to you that I can sain”
”I siave you a push You're the one who took actual action”
I looked away in embarrassment
”Even so I arateful to you In the past, I always believed I did not deserve forgiveness and treated pain and suffering as a kind of punish on others too”
Mitsuki smiled wryly and continued
”I still cannot forgive myself but even so, I no the difference between that and giving things up on ive up on you, Nii-san”
”Huh Give up on me?”
Not knohat she was talking about, I repeated her words as a question
My heart was pounding rapidly Feeling a pre irrevocable was about to happen, my body froze
Mitsuki was about to say so that I did not know about
”The day we becaht? Even after becos You will still love row up”
”——”
I could not answer a single word
I understood that a wooden stake had been stabbed into ain
Now that o back
—Ahhh, so this is the situation? Have I already lost this much?
Lost, I murmured in my mind
”After all, it was a verbal pro that to bind you, Nii-san Even if you fall in love with someone else, Nii-san It cannot be helped However, e I just want to tell you that”
Even in the darkness of the night, I could tell that Mitsuki's face was bright red Unable to face er, she turned her back to me
”T-Then, I shall excuse myself”
Carrying Tia, Mitsuki left rapidly But to the very end, let alone say soer
That was how great a shock my heart had suffered My mind was total chaos
How long did I stand there in shock? My body felt cold fro to my cabin on unsteady steps
—Becas prior to that
To think I had forgotten so like that and even went as far as to declare myself proudly to be Mitsuki's older brother?
Good grief—I wanted to laugh at how absurd I was
Then there was the fact that I had clearly lost ere supposed to be my most cherished emotions, yet I was not aware at all This filled me with abject terror
Then wasn't I like a completely different person for real?
I was in no ht tohall
But in front of my door, I met the person I wanted to encounter least in this situation
”Oh, it's you, Mononobe!”
The silver-haired girl—Iris—turned her head towards me frantically
”Iris, why did you come here?”
Although I could guess what it was about, I was si her in order to buy some time I wanted a bit of time to stabilize my emotions
”U-Uainst Basilisk—Mononobe, you'll tell s”
Iris' ansas just as I predicted
Yeah—Definitely Until just now, that hat I intended to do too
Precisely because of that, I could answer Tia's proposal without any pretense
But—
”Mononobe? Are you okay? You look like you're about to cry, you know?”
”—!”
I could no longer hold it back
I did not want her to see , I embraced Iris
”Kyah!? M-Mononobe U a bit weird, you know?”
”Sorry, my reply—Please let me say it like this”
I spoke quietly in a hoarse voice
”S-Sure That's fine”
Despite feeling troubled, Iris agreed
Hence, I inhaled and spoke with determination
I voiced s
”I think I definitely—love you, Iris”
It probably started on our first encounter
Iris had appeared before s of mine must have taken root the instant our eyes met back then
This was probably what people called love at first sight
”R-Really!?”
Iris asked in surprise
If it was before I heard what Mitsuki said, all I needed to do noas nod However, I could not do that
I could not lie to Iris
Precisely because I loved her, I could not deceive her
”Yeah—But the ht not be the real me”
I told her as though forcing my voice out Whether to me or to Iris, this was a very cruel fact, and to Mitsuki as well
”What do you mean?”
While she showed unease on her face, I whispered in her ear the secret I had never told anyone until now
”To be honest, I have lost quite a lot of my past memories”
It was the downside to drasil
The price paid to obtain knowledge of power
To prevent Mitsuki fro she was to blame, I had kept my scars hidden till now
”Eh? M-Me about?”
Iris asked uneasily Although I understood clearly how she felt, I still had not finished my story
No Actually, I ought to end it here Say that it was a joke then dismiss it somehow That was the correct way
Not just for Mitsuki but to protect Iris as well, I had sacrificed my memories as the price If I did not want her to feel responsible, I should keep my secret from Iris as well
Unable to lie to the one I love, describing it that way sounded so righteous
This confession was ht?
Si to shi+ft this burden, i it onto Iris, isn't it?
”Hence”
However, I could not stop I could not suppress it no matter what
If I kept it hidden in my heart, I would be crushed
If I forcibly held it back, I would break down
Irresponsibly, I was hoping, if it was Iris, perhaps she would accept me
My oishful thinking wanted her to support me
Like the contents of a ruptured da out
”The one I truly love, is probably—”
On that day, I confessed everything to Iris
Afterword
hello again, I'm Tsukasa
Thank you for buying Unlimited Fafnir III, Crimson Catastrophe
Although Volu as Volumes 1 and 2 to be released, due to end-of-year schedules, the release dates of January books are moved earlier to the end of Deceap between this volume and the previous one
Actually, it's just a difference of a few days Human perceptions are quite uncanny
This shares si priced at 298 yen in the super ”it costs two-hundred-so” But this sort of illusion would be dispelled at the checkout counter It's actually quite troublesoreater than expected
Soes, while the numbers ”98” feel like they have actual power, even to the point of driving the economy Illusions can be scary
But so-called illusions—or rather, hu as they're used appropriately, they're actually quite convenient
Take ination, thus blurring my sense of time
It started back in pri home from school with friends, but whenever I was alone, I would find the distance home abnormally far Especially in the suet home, the heavier each step seemed to feel
But during those tions appeared here, ould I do to survive?” then reflect on solutions Before I knew it, I would arrive hoh time had flown by
To ic that could be used”
Then before I knew it, i my sense of time
It was very suited to long-distance travel or aiting It takes about two and a half hours to get to Tokyo fro the bullet train), but by relying on i drafts for novels—this journey would turn into so instantaneous
But after starting this job, I discovered this ic's only drawback
Naination see process, so hours and days go by rapidly in an instant Then the deadlines co speed
In these situations, I would want to have more time, so it feels like a bit of a bad deal
I guess this is what they call tradeoffs
The sa fro, an hour has already zoo, so it's als up
Korie Riko-sensei, thank you again for your lovely illustrations! I'nificent scene in the hot spring Mitsuki also looks very cool on the cover, and cute as well, it's awesome!
Editor in charge Shouji-sas swiftly, it's really a great help Your correct and rapid advice is very valuable, please continue to look after me
Then I would like to thank all readers sincerely It's all thanks to you that I a tangible
Oh, finally, I have to report on the a version
The a version will apparently be serialized in Good! Afternoon azine I think the latest news should be announced successively on the official website, so please show your support
Well then, see you next time