Arifureta Chapter 143 (2/2)
Perhaps because the pain of her body had vanished, and she felt for real that she had escaped death, this time tears of relief overflowed froh to ascertain his existence, it was as though she could see nothing else but Hajime shi+zuku’s hand slowly reached out at Hajime’s cheek However, just before her hand touched, her expression warped painfully and her hand drew back
Furthered by Hajime mustn’t happen, she weakly pushed on Hajime’s chest and tried to take distance She rubbed away her overflowing tears with her sleeve and averted her face completely from him
Looking at shi+zuku’s state that was obviously strange, Hajiuessed that she was considerably hulance at white shi+zuku who crossed sith the crossbits using her white katana that should have been broken but now had been recovered and opened his mouth
“Come on, all your wounds have been recovered coe match Beat her quickly”
“a Bu, but, I… I cannot win against that, so…”
shi+zuku looked at Haji an excuse That appearance from shi+zuku that he had never seen before etting hu the four of Kouki’s group that she was the strongest mentally, so honestly, this was unexpected
The white shi+zuku took advantage of the crossbits’ opening and gradually closed the distance There was noin a half following pattern, it see that
shi+zuku showed a frightened look fro white self
It wasn’t like herself That appearance was really not like her at all Possibly, this was her true… Hajime frowned at the scared shi+zuku that couldn’t stand up and an to stare at her with an extremely serious face
“Na, Nagumo-kun? Err, that fellow is…”
“Yaegashi+ Don’t worry”
“Eh?”
shi+zuku was flustered toward the approaching eneht with a serious face athered in her face
In front of such a shi+zuku, Haji from his ‘Treasure Warehouse’
That was…
“Now, take this This is the ‘Masked Pink—Mark II’ I made for you”
“… Nagumo-kun?”
While giving a scornful look and feeling angry towards why that thing caot her weak ned pink full facethat showypushed at her real body, even the white shi+zuku reflexively stopped in vigilance
Giving white shi+zuku a glance, Haji the Masked Pink–Mark II persistently at shi+zuku
“Nagu around! That fellow is co here!”
“Excusearound at all here Listen well, if you wear this powered up Masked Pink then your perception ability will be increased by three tiainst that”
“Wh, what a pointless high-spec like usual…”
“Now you want it right? If you are saying that you cannot ithout this, then take it without reservation”
“I don’t need it! I can win even without wearing that kind of thing! Rather, if I wear that kind of thing I’ll be fighting like enerate for the second ti!”
With a cramped expression, shi+zuku fiercely objected at Haji his prized item with a serious face shi+zuku rubbed at her te a headache
That gesture and her tone were just like her usual self Haji at him even now and easily stored the Masked Pink–Mark II back into his ‘Treasure Warehouse’ And then, he said to the dumbfounded shi+zuku
“That’s right You can win, even without this kind of thing”
“-, I, I am…”
Even whilefroot provoked by Haji that, Hajime added more to his words
“Yaegashi+ Don’t forget That thing is certainly another of your faces, but it’s not everything there is to you It’s nothing ative eashi+ shi+zuku in front of ht?”
“The thing… possessed by me…”
Memories overflowed in shi+zuku’s brain That was her farew The tiroup The time when the person they helped thanked them from their heart, how she was able to meet Kaori exactly because of that painful tis that were hard to throay that she couldn’t forget, filled arentleness
Just why she couldn’t remember even a little of those until now… the ansas obvious That was due to the whispering voice she was hearing since they stepped foot into this great labyrinth little by little guiding her consciousness
Light of deterht was flowing into shi+zuku’s four limbs
“You giving in to the words of that kind of fellow, is also the proof that you are properly facing it After all, a real good for nothing will only beco that What’s left, is what do you want to do? That’s all You are just too serious Just accept it more irresponsibly, irresponsibly After all, for the ti if you just survive then later on you can deal with it no matter how many times, anyway you like it”
“Nagumo-kun…”
‘By the way, I’ his shoulders, at the sa tih already
While feeling the gaze of shi+zuku staring at him, Hajime leaned on the ice wall and crossed his arht at her Hajime himself didn’t do it intentionally, but surely those words were the ones that shi+zuku wanted the most
“I’ll be watching here”
“…”
“You can just keep challenging it until you win As long as I’m here you won’t die I won’t let you die It’s fine”
“… that’s… the clincher” (TN: The s someone around, esp in personal relationshi+ps)
Those last words ords that were only inside her mouth that didn’t reach even the ear of the person herself Naturally, it shouldn’t reach Hajih, what kind of expression would he ined it, and then she leaked out a chuckle thinking that surely he would make a troublesome expression
And then, she thought that surely Aiko-sensei and Liliana were also like her without a doubt, to fall in love with this kind of nasty ely a with her
It felt like the her until just noas all lie She stood up with a light leap as though her body was like a feather And then, she hugged the black katana that was a present fro still false ie with a determined expression
With her back toward Hajime, shi+zuku asked silently, but with sweetness somewhere in her tone
“… You will be looking, right? At me”
“Yeah”
“You will protect ht?”
“Yeah”
“I see Then… I’”
“Ou Go get her”
Her lost blood wasn’t recovered back In truth, even now she felt like fainting from blood loss But, her steps were far more certain even compared to when she first entered this space
She faced her false i with a sheathed blade
{Really, flirting in front of the eneood face you have there}
“Is that so? This is thanks to Nagureat if we can do that”
{My,your best friend And then, to your rival in love you…}
“Let’s stop this unproductive talk There is noI’ll survive, thenelse will start from there”
{…}
That unshakable shi+zuku shut up the white shi+zuku And then she noticed how her strength eakening little by little In other words, shi+zuku are of her own ean to accept that…
“Perhaps I will have a dispute with her, that I will ht even scorn ive up I’ll show you that I can haul in the best result for e it no ive up”
{In the end, you are going to be a fighting woman then?}
“I guess But, seventeen years, I have been living that long like that until now so it’s too late already Certainly, I have lived until now by stifling down various things, but what I obtained as the result of that, is also an i that I cannot abandon already And then, I believe that surely fros… Because it see woer than me”
{Until the end, it’s still an indirect reason like, ‘because he is an important person for Kaori’ you know? No doubt about that}
“Even so, right now, I don’t mind”
shi+zuku softly lowered her waist, she lightly drew back one of her feet with the other foot bending forward, taking the stance of quick sword draw
“I don’t have any extra strength left One attack I’ll put everything in this one attack Endure this if you can”
{Fufu, I see Whathe appeared at Someone who is there at the essential ti like that existed only inside stories}
Presence emitted from shi+zuku sharpened to the utue due to the , certainly, she could only put her everything in one attack It was exactly an attack where she staked her all
For an instant, the white shi+zuku directed a wry s on the ho revived shi+zuku like a phoenix at the eleventh hour Surely that whisper was also so that shi+zuku undoubtedly felt
The white shi+zuku also similarly dropped her waist and took the stance of a fast draw
The pressure rapidly swelled up The determination to beat the opponent emitted like it would cut apart the other by itself came from both sides respectively Different fro space
shi+zuku’s heart was cal inside a deep forest Because on her back, she felt a large presence Because she understood that he was looking straight at her Because she believed that when the unlikely event happened, he would protect her
“――fuh”
{Haah!!}
They stepped in simultaneously
Their ponytails fluttered like falling stars, shi+zuku and white shi+zuku crossed each other
And then they stayed un the other
And, at that time, a rustled sound could be heard, shi+zuku’s ponytail was undoneThe string that fastened her hair was cut Was that because of the sword slash, or perhaps it was deteriorating due to several battles…
In thethe air, the one sheathing her katana… was shi+zuku
chin The moment the pleasant small sound of the sheath resounded, the white shi+zuku slipped off sure swayed and blurred beforein the air Its face looked from the side seemed to smile broadly in satisfaction
Right after that, shi+zuku’s body stumbled to the side, and she cru slackened down due to being freed froue and nervousness
But, shi+zuku didn’t strike the hard ground
“Splendid As always, that’s admirable swordsmanshi+p” (TN: The kanji used in the ad in love)
“Nagumo-kun… fufu, you can also proceed to fall in love from there you know?”
“What are you saying?”
“My, that’s unfortunate”
Hajiround
After shi+zuku cracked that joke, a third path different froe shi+zuku passed and the path Hajime came out from melted out from the wall
“Yaegashi+, you have difficulty in walking?”
“It see can be done about the blood loss so I need regeneration ht now… and so Nagumo-kun, take care of me okay?”
“Aa?”
“Carry me in your arms okay?”
“… Yaegashi+, did you change a little? Like you have no reservation anymore, or you became shameless…”
Toward shi+zuku who spread open her ar to be carried in his araze at her shi+zuku leaked out a chuckle while enjoyably swaying her downed straight black hair
“I’htly more honest Rather than that, let’s quickly link up with everyone else That’s right Nagueneration ic I wonder? You had included that function in the black katana too but the effect is insignificant”
Haji that indeed it wasn’t guaranteed that anything would happen until they linked up with Yue and others, so he responded to her request because it would be better if she recovers quickly shi+zuku made a further request while he took out material from the ‘Treasure Warehouse’
“While you are at it, can youwas cut It’s better if it’s cute Sort of like that snow crystal you gifted for Yue and the others”
“… What a de loose on various things, huh?”
Even while coht “Well, let’s make it for the success celebration too” He used a pearl-like crystal with a faint radiance which had high affinity witha hairclip from that It was like countless fruits in a row, or perhaps like drops ofon a leaf, a row of beautiful jewels
“It’s pretty…”
“Here, it’s fine like this right? Let’s go quickly after you wear it”
For a while, shi+zuku stared ecstatically at the regenerative hairclip created in less than a minute, but she then tied her hair in a ponytail in panic after Hajime called out at her
“… How do I look?”
With her cheeks reddened, shi+zuku looked up at hi that Haji was strange
“… It’s falling far short of the real regeneration eneration ic in it to work on the flesh you see”
“… That’s not what I’h”
Of course, Haji hiave Hajime a déjà vu It was just like, yes, it was exactly the same like the atmosphere Aiko showed him at the God mountain… yes
Even while sighing deeply at Hajiuess it cannot be helped” shi+zuku shrugged her shoulders before slowly holding out both her arms It ordless, and the second request for a carry
Anyway, it was definite that shi+zuku couldn’t ravity stone from ‘Treasure Warehouse’, but shi+zuku beat him to the punch
“If you are planning to crucify me like before then I’ out froumo-kun’s rumor as a seriously ill patient”
“…”
Of course, it was patently obvious what kind of sickness shi+zukuat His hair, eye patch, artificial ars
Hajiravity stone In this case, Haji carried like in a stretcher It seemed that she persistently wanted to be carried by arms
This unusual selfishness of shi+zuku was increasingly spurring the bad premonition in his chest However, they also couldn’t stay here for er He also wanted to be spared from a lethal wound by shi+zuku, so reluctantly Haji his back in front of shi+zuku’s eyes
“Muu, it’s better if it’s princess carry, but… it can’t be helped”
‘What is it that couldn’t be helped’, sealing such a retort at the botto to the utht and soft sensation transhtly entangled her arhtly as possible
Hajie and began walking silently He guessed that surely this passage was also connected to the space of another person
There, a whispering voice reached hi voice of the labyrinth It was shi+zuku’s voice that containedinto his ear in a posture where she put her head on Hajime’s shoulder
“Hey, Nagumo-kun”
“Hm? What?”
“Did you listen to the conversation between me and the other me?”
“No, I was too far, the voices of you tere also small”
Hajime shook his head toward shi+zuku’s question shi+zukua little about so And then, she showed her palain
“This hand, it has hardened froht, this is not a hand of a woman”
Hajime didn’t understand the intention of the question and his expression turned dubious, but for the tiaze toward the palm of shi+zuku in front of his eyes Certainly, the skin of her palm looked thick and hard That was the proof of theher skill
“If you said, that a soft hand without a single scratch is a ‘woman’s hand’, certainly this hand doesn’t look like that”
“…”
“But, I think it’s a good hand”
“… Really?”
“Yeah Co heavier than a chopstick, this hand is far prettier”
“…”
Hearing those words, shi+zuku’s exposed pal her palth of her arer
“Nagu to save me”
“It’s not like I was co to save you That was just a coincidence”
“Fufu, that other me said it It was like a story in a book Even that time in Orcus and the time in the palace was also like that Were you actually choosing the ti?”
“Don’t talk stupid Each time, I was just barely… no, that ti Anyway, there was nothing worse for the heart compared to those times I want more surplus time for that here”
shi+zuku leaked out a chuckle at the fed up Hajime
“You see On the inside, I airlish you know? Actually rather than sword art, I wanted to play house, I yearned for so like a princess that is protected by the cool boy Even at Haltina Great Labyrinth when I was pulled into the dream world, I was a princess that experienced a love story with a knight Though as expected, that was really a painful story that I cannot tell to anyone”
“Certainly, that must be painful”
shi+zuku s that” while poking at the head of Hajime who expressed his honest impression without mercy
“Well, you are wondering what I want to say, right? Because I auer, that’s what I , also when you told rateful”
“… You are exaggerating If Yaegashi+ died…”
“Kaori will be sad, right? I know that Those times weren’t for me, you did those for Kaori’s sake”
shi+zuku cut over Hajin of self-depreciation in what she was saying She was really just saying the truth, her air was quite indifferent
Certainly, it was like that, but the way shi+zuku said that it was like he was being seen through that “If it is for Kaori’s sake you will do anything right?”, that made him dissatisfied that he added some correction
“… 80 percent is because of that”
shi+zuku was puzzled If he said that around 80 percent was for Kaori’s sake then…
“And the re 20 percent?”
“Well, that’s because Yaegashi+ is a good fellow, see? I’ to actively try to forsake you”
“…”
Unexpectedly, if shi+zuku was in a pinch, then Haji to proactively reach out his hand to her Understanding that such feelings existed inside Hajied with heat
And then she buried her face into Haji a bomb just like her best friend was prone to do
“Nagumo-kun, I want to quickly meet up with Kaori Not just Kaori, but I want toto say to theu to happen, but I want to try being a little more honest and clash ahead”
“Is that so? If that’s the case then, let’s qui… oi, Yaegashi+, just now, you”
“Nagumo-kun, I’m a little… tired Protect me… properly… kay”
In Hajiradually It see her body to Haji it was a deed that was exactly the same as her best friend
Haji his hold on shi+zuku while continuing to walk silently Inside his heart, he was holding his head wondering “How does it become like this?”
Not noticing how the cheeks of shi+zuku becaht red like an apple…