Vol 3 Chapter 5 (2/2)

Having finished dinner, not knohat to do with our free tiathered at the hotel’s theater room

Seeing Mana-awaited opportunity like that, we just made a wry smile

I’d say it comes from the hate she holds for Zonmi

The DVD package ht from the human world, that has the title “Dokidoki☆Zoo, reeked of a B-series movie

The plot of the movie was simply the feination? I’ve heard the na zombies with heavy armament

Frankly speaking, the story line is unlike any other I’ve seen, but… Strangely, the lack of plot twistsinstead

By cutting on the plot, the action scenes of the fe point becoained in quality

… The only big blunder is that, since each ti her sides while signaling Zoner, we couldn’t concentrate on the movie

Since it’s a public facility, Zone, but… It would be fearful if a zombie☆panic happened in the real world

“? Now that I think about it, where has Iris gone to?”

The e

Around the shocking scene where theout a strange voice, running over the zo out, I realized that Iris had disappeared unnoticed

“… Now that you mention it, I can’t find her”

“If you mean Iris-chan, it seeo”

“Really!?”

“Yeah But she looked like she didn’t felt well, I wonder if her tummy hurt…”

“Sorry I have to… Go to the toilet for a bit”

“Eeh!? Isn’t it right now at the best part!?”

“Aah It seeot myself carried away and ate too much for dinner”

“Haru… Are you all right? Since yesterday you ate only those weird things…”

“Aah Thanks for your concern I’m fine”

With those words, I left the room

I’m curious about how theelse

But, is that so?

My goal for this trip is “to know Iris”

To understand her… I feel like I can'tthat feels amiss

I honestly don’t have a clue about where Iris could have gone, but… She one very far away

If I search thoroughly, I may find her

Makingcorridor

× × ×

I ed to determine Iris’s whereabouts very fast

After a quick search, I could see the curtain at the end of the corridor fluttering with the wind

When I went through the , there was Iris, leaning her body on the balcony’s banister

Iris, her hair let down straight, gazed at the scenery while lost in her thoughts

Surrounded by a wondrous aura under the ht, Iris looked more mature than usual

With that sight, that looked as if it had been taken straight out from a scene in a movie or a drama, my heart unconsciously started to beat faster

“Iris!”

As if she had noticed my presence beforehand, Iris looked back in silence without showing the slightest surprise

“… Why art thou here?”

“That’s my line! Why did you leave by yourself…?”

“No reason If pushed, I just wanted to feel the nocturnal breeze”

“… That’s a lie, isn’t it?”

“…”

“I… Want to know your true feelings Look… I’m an idiot If you don’t put it into words, I won’t know”

“Thou wantest to know s… Thou sayest?”

Iris eyes became sharp

Froe of sadness… Once again, it ether different from the one we had

“And what dost thou plan to do with me?

As I warned thee before, I don’t take ye as “comrades” nor “friends” Since the start, I had no need for such things”

“…”

Iris didn’t consider us as “comrades” nor “friends”

Those words have honestly been a shock to me, but… I could think otherwise

If she doesn’t regards us as “comrades”… From now on I should make her consider us as such

“In that case… LetWhy do you, with such obstinacy… Reject us?”

“… That’s”

“At least I… Have always thought of you as a cherished comrade

That’s hat I saypushy, but… Can’t I, at least, make that clear to you?”

As I asked with a serious tone, right after Iris slowly opened her mouth

“Gaining so, that’s the same”

“… What does that mean?”

When I asked, Iris, lifting her eyes to the starry sky of the Netherworld, started telling me with a calm voice

“In the Netherworld there doesn’t exist such concept as eternal

Therefore, if so else must be lost

Maybe thou still dostn’t know, but so irreplaceable to me—that I believed would eternally continue, si

If that radiance was to be lost—I didn’t have a need for it since the start”

“But, that’s not how life…”

“Life is not fun… Didst thou want to say so of the like?”

“… A?”

“Since the start, e forbut rubbish Therefore… I don’t need things like comrades… That’s the answer to thy former question Does it please thee?”

“…”

I’d say that those were her honest thoughts Each and every word she said had an emphasis that makes me think so

“Although, incidentally, I’ll tell thee”

Iris, turning back,

“The reason I sneaked out fro, I found it revolting”

“…? That sort of thing?”

“The atrocity of an unilateral extermination of a race

Of course, I tried to comprehend it That’s just a fictional tale…

Nevertheless, I ended up recollecting bad things When my kin was exterminated by the Black Tamers—about that day—“

Just by saying the nas steadily beca

“About that day… Even now I can clearly recall it

The choking stench of blood The screa for help And, above all… The powerless ”

Aah Now I understand

Iris, due to that senseless massacre, her fas, she lost it all at once

That’s why, she’s beco

Since she fears she’ll lose so as such

Then, for that, she’s erected a wall between us

“Now, dost thou understand?

What I want is to obtain strength to exert revenge for ic power… I’ll be over with thee already I believe just in one thing—th”

“Aah I understand your thoughts well”

“… Is that so? If thou understandest, henceforth abstain from useless conta—“

“In other words… If I keep living without dying, can I become your friend, Iris?”

“… Wha!”

Before my question, Iris rose a disarrayed yell

“Thou, didestn’t thou comprehend not one of my words!?”

“… A and losing so, that’s the same’ that you said?”

“… I see Thy words hold some truth

However,lack as a hypothesis

That is, who shall guarantee thou shalt not die?”

“Ahaha That’s fine Since I won’t die”

“That’s why… Show me thy foundation for that…!”

Before the open irritation of Iris, I just said

“Because you will protect me!”

“… Hah!?”

An extra-large question mark floated above Iris’s head

“that is, didn’t you say it yourself, Iris? You only believe in your strength That’s hen I’ons theyou by my side, how could I die?”

“… Nu! Thou, art not thou e that nonsense? U-usually shouldn’t our stances be reverted?

Thou who art male… Shouldest not protect ?”

“… Nope I don’t find it so Because I, in exchange… When you are in a pinch, I’ll run by your side and protect you!”

“…”

“At least I… I regard you as someone precious… On the level of my own life

I proht now, but one day… I’ll beco is not an option… Won’t you reconsider not needing friends?”

“… Dost thou really think like that?”

Iris glared at me with an inquisitive look

“Of course So… Iris Stay with me forever”

I said while extending my hand to Iris, as if to shake hands

… That’s fine There are s I want to say to you

Even so, I wonder ifIris’s heart… But that’s another matter

So, did I?

I think it’s not difficult to change the sense of values of another person with one’s oords

So, in just minutes… In the span of tens of s they’ve fostered for all their lives

Needless to say, like Iris… The childhood trauma that twisted their beliefs is not superficial

“Let me think about it for a bit”

How much time has passed?

Iris, who had her head hung in silence, sighed and muttered that

“… Understood”

I’d sayuntil now has backfired

As expected,out of ordinary

Let her think about it for a bit… Isn’t it?

However, if I think of how Iris hen I met her… Isn’t it a bit of improvement?

“… It see a bit too much”

As soon as she said that, Iris left the balcony, as if running away from me

Though I was curious about what face Iris would put after my once-in-a-lifetime confession…

I couldn’t check Iris’s expression as she ran aith quick feet

References and Translation Notes

Jump up↑ These kind of lotteries consist in as hboring ones by random strokes At the top, the results are written, then covered with so (so that anyone knohere is what) Then, each participant chooses a line (in some cases, the can add an additional stroke each), then follows the path down-up, giving priority to the side strokes Once everyone has reached the upper part, the results are uncovered

Ju or inside an elevator… (/MODE SARCASM OFF)

Ju reptile from the dinosaur era Not a dinosaur

Jump up↑ As referenced in vol1, that’s fried stuff, mainly chicken

Jump up↑ ”Dokidoki” are just heart throbs

Jump up↑ Not very sure, but it may be because Airi (愛理) is written with愛 (love) and 理 (reason) while Manami (愛美) is written with 愛 (love) and 美 (beauty)