Chapter 159 「Intermission / Unaware」 (1/2)
Chapter 158 “A Strange Power / Mask, the Third” Chapter 160 Intermission / Settling Things
Translator: Ranzan
「Where is…this?」
He opened his eyes to an isolated, box-shaped fluorescent light on the ceiling. Surrounding that were white-painted walls with little adornment, different from a castle and more like an older apartment building that he had no record of ever seeing before.
「It was almost like that line from Evangelion…I’ve never seen this ceiling before.」
He could hear a girl’s voice beside him. A jovial happiness with words that one had to make jokes about. He found the owner of the voice after turning his head to look in her direction.
His eyes faced hers, and it was the body of a fairy that he finally found.
「Hera…」
「Yes, desu. You’re the only one for me, desu.」
「When did you get back?」
He awoke his body from the bed he had been lain down. He still had vertigo a bit, but it wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t get up.
「You came here yesterday, desu.」
「Yesterday?」
「Yes, desu. Everyone went back home while you slept, desu.」
「…how long have I been sleeping?」
「A whole day or so, desu.」
「…really.」
Taiyou opened his eyes wide after hearing this. He looked at hims body again, and he had on hospital gowns and not the black clothing of Leticia’s soldiers before he had fallen unconscious. After seeing all the bandages and gauze on his body, when he moved he could feel the pain return to his body.
He understood that the damage he had taken required a whole day of sleep.
「After hearing about your fighting, Taiyou, I think you shouldn’t get into overwhelming fights like that, desu. Like fights that require you use Super Armor to be worn, desu.」
「I think so too, and it’s something I need, and after reaching level 5 I wasn’t able to select Super Armor. Do you know when it will be available again?」
「I know but…even if it becomes available, you won’t choose it again, right?」
「Why?」
「Because you’d want a different skill, desu.」
「I see.」
Taiyou nodded and understood. He was a typical power character with talent in real leveling. If he were to select Super Armor, it would actually make him too powerful, so he knew by leveling everything to the max would allow him to get various other skills to pass the game fully.
His invincibility against ranged weapons now, and it’s ability to stop all flying attacks against him was still no match for Super Armor.
「Even so, leveling up without it is way more fun. Because of all the stuff that happened lately, my levelling was stopped, so I have to level up soon.」
「Yes, desu. I will help you, desu.」
「Yeah, please.」
While Taiyou was talking, the door opened a crack. He say the double-ponytailed face of Aoba peek inside.
「Aoba!」
「Natsuno-kun!」
She lifted her face to see what he looked like now, but as soon as she saw Taiyou awake, she flung open the door and came into the room.
She ran small steps up to him and faced him.
「So you’re okay?」
「What about you, Natsuno-kun? Are you okay?」
「Yeah, as much as you see here.」
As he said that, he hoisted himself up from his prone position and lifted the gurney he was on above his head. The bed was so heavy it seemed like a gimmick to him, but he was still able to lift it up quickly.
「Whoa! You don’t have to go that far. Put it down, down!」
Aoba was in a tizzy. Taiyou started to put the bed down in front of the worried girl.
After he put it down as she said, she relaxed and embraced him.
「Natsuno-kun?!」
「I’m glad you’re…okay.」
「Y, yeah」
「And, sorry. I wasn’t able to save you. Even though I had to do it myself, it seems that others did the job for me.」
「Natsuno-kun…」
「I’m really sorry…I promise, I’ll get stronger, and if the same thing just happens to occur again, I’ll be the one to save you myself.」
He embraced Aoba strongly. She could feel his emotions and wrapped her arms around his back as well.
A brief silence, a content calm.
Right after that, Aoba spoke again quietly.
「Jeez, this isn’t like you Natsuno-kun.」
「Why?」
「I just said this isn’t like you, Natsuno-kun.」
As she said that, she had her face buried in his chest so he couldn’t see her expression, but her tone seemed relieved.
「Isn’t like the normal me?」
「Yeah. Because you always talk about purposes and means. If someone completed your purpose of saving me, who did it…and what means they used don’t make a difference to you.」
「Uh…well…」
Taiyou couldn’t force out the words. It was just as Aoba said, that his personality would allow any means to achieve his own purpose.
Because he didn’t think of that, but his wife Aoba did, Aoba couldn’t give and excuse for why it happened either.
「But, I’m happy.」
「What?」
「Because I can feel that you were thinking of me as so important…I’m happy.」
「Aoba…」
「Natsuno-kun…」
He pushed her shoulders back so he could separate her face from his chest and see her again.
Then he quickly gave the close-eyed Aoba’s lips a kiss.
「Natsuno-kun…」
「Aoba…」
After the kiss, they locked eyes again, and like magnets drew together a second time.
「Kinda early to be doing this!」
「Whoa!」