Arifureta Vol 8 Chapter 4 (1/2)
also wanted to try driving it herself. Yue even said, “Hyahha—!” but Hajime decided to absolutely stop her as he felt the mood would become awful. Also, beside Hajime was the three or four year-old Myuu putting her head out of the window at Yue’s side, as she steadily climbed from Yue’s lap with sparkling eyes. Pointing her hand towards s.h.i.+a, who began to stand while steering with one hand, Myuu began pleading to Hajime.
“Papa! Papa! Myuu also wants to do that!”
“I already said you can’t.”
Sitting on Yue’s lap, Myuu, whose wish was denied began to whine and said, “No! Myuu wants to!” to Hajime. So as to not let the whining Myuu fall from the seat, Yue hugged her from behind and scolded her with, “…don’t whine!” “Uu~” Myuu raised a cute groan and Hajime showed a face as though to say it couldn’t be helped towards the depressed Myuu.
“Myuu. I’ll drive it with you later, so be patient.”
“Ehh~? Really?”
“Mhm. I won’t permit you to board it with s.h.i.+a… but it’s okay if it is with me.”
“So, Myuu can’t drive it with s.h.i.+a-oneechan?”
“Mhm, absolutely. Just look at her. This time she’s making a strange pose while steering. Though something come to my mind… I absolutely won’t let you get on the vehicle with someone who drives dangerously.”
Standing above the steer, s.h.i.+a raised an American-like laughter while making a strange pose where her right hand’s fingers spreaded and hid her face while her left arm hung down with the shoulder slightly raised. As he stared at s.h.i.+a who made Joke-like pose, Hajime pointed at Myuu. ‘Don’t copy s.h.i.+a, okay?’, he said.
“To begin with, I don’t want you to get on the two-wheeler because it’ll be dangerous… should I make a child seat? The materials will be… mumble, mumble.”
“Yue-oneechan. Papa is mumbling. How strange.”
“… Hajime papa is just worried about Myuu… unexpectedly overprotective.”
“Fufu, does it mean Master is an unexpectedly indulgent person? Hmm, this gap somehow… haa, haa.”
“Yue-oneechan. Tio-oneechan is panting.”
“… It is an incurable disease so just ignore her.”
Serving as Myuu’s conversation partner, Yue patted Myuu’s head, who was gazing up at her.
Only a little time had pa.s.sed since they started traveling with Myuu, but Hajime had already given up about Myuu calling him, “Papa.” At first, he used every possible means to change the way she called him, but Myuu began to tear up every time, and her trembling eyes silently appealed, “Is it bad? Does Papa hate Myuu?” Even Hajime, who was capable of beating the demonic beasts in the abyss to a pulp could not win against Myuu, just like how he could not go against Yue. Resultantly, he could not change it and it was established that he would be called “Papa.”
As he allowed (he gave up) her to call him “Papa,” Hajime began to worry about Myuu. Even now, it could be said he was being overprotective. s.h.i.+a is a shameless rabbit while Tio is a pervert, so I must protect Myuu until she returns to her mother! or so he thought. During the time when he begins to be too meddlesome, Yue was the one who became the stopper, as well as the one in charge of teaching Myuu about common sense, and that’s the current composition of Hajime’s party.
Because Myuu was glued to Hajime, Yue couldn’t flirt with him, and she became somewhat dissatisfied, but she felt it could not be helped since she had also come to adore the cute Myuu.
While silently firing her magic towards Tio, who was panting and concentrating on her delusion in the back seat to silence her, Yue was covering Myuu’s ears since it would be bad for her education. Thus, with Hajime who was still mumbling about making the seat for Myuu, and s.h.i.+a on the two-wheeler with only the rear wheel touching the ground, I must keep calm! Yue made an empty resolve.
Hajime’s party were currently at the Post Town, Holad.
Normally they would just pa.s.s through here, but because of a request from the head of Fhuren branch Adventurer Guild, Ilwa, they must stop on their way here. Even so, it didn’t take too much time as they pa.s.sed here along their way to «Guryuu-en Great Desert».
Hajime walked towards Holad branch guild along the main street with nostalgic gaze. Riding on Hajime’s shoulders, Myuu noticed his state and used her small hand to tap on Hajime in curiosity.
“Papa? Did something happened?”
“Nn? Ah~, well, I’ve come here before… though it’s only been four months, it feels like years to me…”
“… Hajime, are you okay?”
Yue, whose hands were affixed on Hajime’s arm, had a complex expression while looking at him anxiously. Hajime shrugged and his atmosphere returned to the usual in the next moment.
“Ah, there’s no problem. It’s just that, I was absorbed in my emotions because it’s been such a long time. I remember that everything started here… After a night spent in tension, fear, and even desperation, I went to the dungeon on the next day… and then I fell.”
“…”
Hajime felt that in a way, that day could be called a fateful day. His monologue made Yue and the girls listen to him in a serious mood. Yue was silently looking at Hajime. And Tio asked Hajime questions out of curiosity.
“Hmm. Dost Master want to return to that day? After all, there’s the case of Master’s companions, too, right? Though Master hast his own circ.u.mstances… After all, thither’s not only those whom hast hurteth master, right? Was thither not someone master got along with?”
Because Tio’s relations.h.i.+p with Hajime’s party was still shallow, she would sometimes frankly ask about things she should be careful about even though she knew what was going through Hajime’s mind. It was because she didn’t want to only become a travel companion, so Tio put forth great effort to truly become a comrade in Hajime’s party. Although she was a pervert, in a way she favored Hajime.
That’s why Hajime listened to Tio’s question without being bothered by it. Thus, he exhaled and recalled the midnight tea party under the moonlight. With the unpalatable tea, there was the white negligee and black hair which reflected the moonlight, whose owner swore to protect him, and at the last moment, she stretched her hand out towards him with a bitter expression as her companions pinioned her…
Unexpectedly, he felt a trembling hand on his arm which made him regain his senses. When he looked at the source, Yue was looking straight at him with strong, resolute gaze, and her trembling hand tightly grasped Hajime’s sleeve.
Hajime matched Yue’s gaze and returned to silently gazing at her with a soft and gentle gaze.
“Certainly, there was someone… However, even if I could return to those days, I will still tread on this path of mine.”
“Heh~, why?”
Although she knew the answer from Hajime’s expression, Tio still asked with a slightly amused expression. Without averting his gaze from Yue, Hajime used his other hand to gently grasp Yue’s hand which was grasping his sleeve. Yue had a faintly smiling expression, and her cheeks were slightly dyed in red.
“Of course… it’s because I want to meet Yue.”
“… Hajime.”
In the town of Holad, «Orcus Great Dungeon» made it possible to raise level quickly while selling the magic stones within the safety margin. Thus, Adventurers, Mercenaries, and Kingdom Soldiers gathered, together with a lot of merchants as their partner in business. The town displayed serious hustle and bustle. Naturally, the main street of such a town would have increased bustle.
Within the main street where a lot of people were doing their activities, Hajime and Yue suddenly halted and were looking at each other. They created their own world without minding their surroundings. They reached out to each other’s cheeks, and their atmosphere looked like they were about to kiss at any moment. Though they had somewhat gathered a crowd around them, and they were showered by gazes filled with curiosity and jealousy, Hajime and Yue didn’t notice them at all. They could only see each other.
“Tio-san, did you hear that? It isn’t “you” that Hajime-san wants to meet, is it? It’s only Yue-san. Once again, they created their own world. They don’t even care about their location and situation. And we can only watch them from the side, can’t we?
I feel it is about the time that such an atmosphere should be created between me and Hajime-san. Even though I’m always prepared to receive such treatment, it always pa.s.sed me by, and to be treated as a regrettable character… No, I understand, you know? I know Yue-san is special. I yearn for a relations.h.i.+p just like those two, that’s why I want to stay together with them.
What I mean is, it’s natural Yue-san is special and I feel it’s a good thing. Rather, Hajime-san who neglects Yue-san is not Hajime-san. If that happens and Yue-san becomes sad because of it, I’ll be the one who beat Hajime-san to a pulp.
However, it is a however, kay? Recently, Hajime-san has become slightly dere~ I wonder if it’s about time I climb the stairs to adulthood~ I expected that, but it didn’t come true. No matter how special Yue-san is, wouldn’t it okay for Hajime-san to look at me a little more? It is shameful for a man to refuse a woman’s offer.
Even though it was easily understood that I welcomed him, he sloppily answered with a composed face to ignore it, this dimwit!, I thought so, but I never thought of complaining. I just want to flirt! Then, doing this and that on the bed! Even the hardcore play he did with Yue-san! I thought of those! So, what does Tio-san, the representative of all perverts, think!?”
“Sh-s.h.i.+a. This one knows thou hast saved up thy resentment, but calm down. Rather, the one who shouted while not paying attention to the location is art thou. Also, to casually speak ill of this one in the end… To be treated as a pervert in such a public place, haa, haa, made everyone look at this one with cold gazes… Haa, haa, ngh, ngh.”
In the middle of the main street, the rabbit-eared girl shouted she wanted to do erotic things while speaking ill of the perverted beautiful woman whom began panting due to the atmosphere. The people who had gathered due to their curiosity were taken aback and they backed away.
“Papa~, s.h.i.+a-oneechan and Tio-oneechan are…”
“Myuu. Don’t look at them. Just act as if we don’t know them.”