Kouki, Shizuku, Suzu, and Kaori stiffened up as he asked that. Yue didn’t answer right away. She knew just how important this question was to Hajime, so she made sure to consider all the possibilities. Using her vast knowledge as the world’s best mage, along with the information she’d just received, she went through thousands of simulations in her head, trying to think of a spell that would do the job. After exhausting all the possibilities, she muttered something dejectedly.
“...I’m sorry.”
“I see...”
So it’s impossible after all. Then again, if all you needed to get to a different world was evolution magic and spatial magic, the Liberators wouldn’t have had such a hard time doing it. Lyutillis had said the Liberators had created three concept magic spells. The first had been the spell the Compass of Eternal Paths was imbued with. Magic that pointed its wielder toward whatever they desired. The remaining two were likely a spell to allow someone to travel between worlds, and a spell to defeat the gods. In other words, unless Hajime reached a level where he could use concept magic, teleporting between worlds would be impossible.
Yue looked down, depressed at failing to meet Hajime’s expectations. However, Hajime looked kindly down at her and ran his fingers through her golden-blonde hair. Startled by the sensation of his fingers on the back of her neck, Yue looked back up at him.
“Don’t look so down. I didn’t really think it was gonna be possible anyway. All that means is we’ve gotta get the last remaining ancient magic, so don’t make that face,” Hajime said with a smile.
Yue had seen Hajime’s smile so many times she could recreate it from memory, but it still managed to make her heart skip a beat. There was something different about this smile. It was gentler, warmer, and deeper than any smile Hajime had ever made before. In fact, it wasn’t too different from Lyutillis’ smile earlier.
“Yue?”
“... Mmm.”
Yue took a few deep breaths to calm her pounding heart. Then, she returned his smile with one as radiant as his. The two of them gazed into each other’s eyes. A second later, Shea, who’d been as captivated by Hajime’s smile as Yue, returned to her senses and tried once again to grab Hajime’s attention.
“Ahem! Hajime-saaan, Yue-saaan, are you two done flirting? The shortcut leading back down to the forest has shown up, so I think it’s about time we get going.”
Hajime and Yue turned around at Shea’s cheery voice and saw that a new magic circle had appeared in another corner of the garden. Shea was likely right in assuming it was a shortcut back to the ground. Hajime then turned back to Shea and tilted his head in confusion. For whatever reason, Shea, along with Kaori and Tio, was blushing as they looked at him. Before he could ask what was going on though, Kouki interrupted him.
“H-Hey, Nagumo. If what that woman said is true... once you can use that concept magic or whatever...”
“Yeah, we’ll be able to go home. Well at the very least, this compass will be able to show us how to get there.”
“I see...” Kouki bit his lip, his expression a mixture of hope and frustration. Ryutarou, Suzu, and Shizuku all looked torn between happiness and trepidation as well. It looked they wanted to ask something, but were holding themselves back from doing so. Their worries stemmed from the fact that they still hadn’t finished finding a way home, and the only one among them likely to successfully get all seven ancient magic was Hajime and his party.
“U-Umm, Nagumo-kun? Once you find a way back, will you... you know...” Suzu faltered, unable to finish her question. However, Hajime knew what she was trying to ask. The reason she was so hesitant to ask it was because she knew how cold Hajime had been to them when they’d first reunited. It was entirely possible that Hajime would just take his own comrades along when he found a way back and leave everyone else behind.
Normally, Suzu was the bluntest out of all of them, but when it came to important things like this she had a hard time getting the right words out. Regardless of whether that was a character flaw or not, it was still preferable to blindly believing that Hajime would bring them all back with him. At the very least, Hajime found Suzu’s question commendable.
“Don’t worry. So long as there are no restrictions like a maximum number of people I can teleport, I’ll take everyone back with me.”
“I-I see. Ehehe... Thanks, Nagumo-kun.”
“Anyway, considering how worried you guys sound... I’m assuming you weren’t granted the ancient magic?”
“Ugh!?” Kouki, Ryutarou, and Suzu hung their heads in shame. With evolution magic, they would have been able to upgrade all of their stats. Of course, since evolution magic was still ancient magic, it would take an enormous amount of mana to use, and at most, they’d be able to do something like use Limit Break without the exhaustive side effects. Still, it would be enough to let them conquer the first part of the Great Orcus Labyrinth without any trouble at all. In fact, they’d probably be able to make a good amount of headway through the true Orcus Labyrinth as well.
The fact that they didn’t sound at all confident in their ability to handle another labyrinth meant that they hadn’t earned the right to receive Haltina’s magic. Among Kouki’s party though, there was just one person who didn’t seem as worried and was looking away awkwardly while trying to think of something to say.
“Yaegashi... Well, looks like you got the magic at least.”
“Ah...! Umm... yes, it looks like I can use it.”
“C-Can you really, Shizuku!?”
“Seriously!? Nice going, girl!”
“I knew you could do it, Shizushizu! That’s why you’re my waifu!”
She had managed to conquer the trial of pleasure, the illusory ideal world, and even the test of reversed emotions. It was little surprise that she’d been accepted as one who’d cleared the labyrinth. Though her combat contributions had been few, she’d shown that she had the mental fortitude to handle ancient magic.
Suzu was overjoyed for her friend, while Ryutarou seemed equal parts impressed and jealous. Kouki, on the other hand, had a smile on his face as he praised Shizuku, but he seemed troubled by something, and there was a shadow behind his eyes. Worried, Shizuku kept stealing glances at him.
“At any rate, let’s head back to Verbergen and rest up. I think that cockroach fight traumatized me. I don’t think I’ve ever been in such a mentally draining fight. Plus, I’m still exhausted after using Limit Break... I need Yue to heal me.”
“Fufu... Just leave it to me.”
“Hajime-san, if you want healing, why not use my fluffy bunny ears?”
“Healing’s literally my job, Hajime-kun! Let me take care of you! I’ll do anything and everything you need! And by anything, I mean absolutely anything!”
“Oho, are you really that tired, Master? Very well, I shall be your chair. Feel free to sit on me as much as you please. No matter how my bones ache, I shall endure for your sake.”
Hajime’s expression grew serious, and he glanced at each of his party members in turn. Shea, Kaori, Tio, and Yue. He seemed to be confirming something. And once he was finished, he looked up at the sky, confirming something within himself.
At that, Shea and the others tilted their heads, confused. But after a few seconds, Hajime looked back down and gave them a troubled smile.
“Ah...” Kaori gasped. The smile he was wearing now was one she thought she’d never see again, one she’d almost forgotten. Tears welled up in Kaori’s eyes as old memories resurfaced.
Yue, Shea, and Tio were also surprised, though less so. They were used to seeing Hajime’s fearless, arrogant, and heartless smiles, but they’d never seen a smile like this. Though it was slight, Hajime had changed over the course of his journey. It was hard to describe in words, but it was almost as if he’d grown kinder, while remaining just as sharp and aggressive as before. At least, that was what it seemed like to Yue and the others.
The person he’d been before being summoned to Tortus and the person he’d become after s
uffering in the abyss had started to fuse together. As he was now, he was equal parts merciless and kind, and oddly enough, Yue and the others found the combination unbelievably attractive.
“What’s wrong, guys? Don’t we need to hurry back so you can all heal me?” Hajime said, and with that, he turned around and headed for the magic circle.
Kaori rubbed the tears out of her eyes, and Shizuku smiled and laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder. Nostalgia rimmed their pupils. Both of them were glad to see the old, nice Hajime returning.
“Mmm... I understand now.”
“Yue...”
Yue took hold of Kaori’s hand and smiled gently at her. As for what exactly Yue had understood, the others knew without having to ask. It was the reason why Kaori had fallen for Hajime in the first place, back in Japan. Yue and the others only knew Hajime after his transformation, but Kaori had known him before it too. And now that the two Hajime’s had begun to merge, everyone felt as though they were on the same page when it came to understanding him.
“Hey, what are you guys waiting around for?” Hajime asked quizzically as he turned around. He’d already activated the magic circle.
Yue and the others shared a knowing smile, then ran after him. Suzu, Ryutarou, and Shizuku were in high spirits as well, having finally found a way back home.
There was just one among them who had to force himself to look happy. Thus, the group’s adventure within Haltina came to a close. With renewed hope in their hearts, the party returned to Verbergen.
Chapter IV: A Changing Heart
A quiet dawn illuminated the streets of Verbergen. Shortly after the sun crested the horizon though, the cries of birds shattered the silence. Leaves rustled as the other forest creatures began to stir, the sounds mingling together to form a familiar forest symphony. But while the forest’s capital was peaceful, a small clearing on its outskirts was not.
“Taaah! Hmph! Haaah!” Each cry was accompanied by the sound of something whistling through the air. A streak of black cut through the mist once, twice, and then a third time. The black streak was a katana being swung down with impeccable discipline and control. Its wielder’s movements were polished to the extreme, and her trademark black ponytail swung back and forth in a steady rhythm as she continued her practice swings. Her sharp figure looked mystical in the early dawn light. Her katana danced gracefully through the air, cutting down any leaf unlucky enough to fall in its path. Droplets of sweat glistened on her skin, making it clear that she’d been at this for hours already.
The girl, Shizuku, paid no attention to the hundreds of sliced leaves littering the ground around her. Her attention was focused entirely on maintaining her form and connecting each swing with the next.
“Ah!” Suddenly, her eternal dance faltered. Her arms wobbled, and her swing missed the leaf she’d been aiming for. As the leaf twirled to the ground, Shizuku lost her balance and twirled around herself. Fortunately, she managed to keep herself from falling, but she needed to stick her sheath in the ground to do it. Shizuku smiled bitterly at herself.
“Haaah... Haaah... Ahhh, jeez!” She shook her head in irritation, and her ponytail swung back and forth.
“Calm down. I need to calm myself down.” Shizuku fixed the image of a serene spring in her mind and took a few deep breaths. The first thing she’d learned when she’d picked up swordsmanship was how to meditate. She’d used this method to calm herself down so many times that it had turned into something she did automatically anytime she felt herself losing her cool. However right now, the image of a certain boy kept popping into her mind, ruining her meditative trance.
“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” With a primal scream, Shizuku swung her katana down in an attempt to smash the face that had appeared in her mind.
No, no, no, this is DEFINITELY not what it seems like! The serene spring vanished from her mind. Her thoughts were a swirling tempest of emotions, and she was having a hard time thinking clearly.
Actually, what does it even seem like!? I’m totally calm, aren’t I? So it shouldn’t seem like anything! She was the furthest thing from calm right now, as evidenced by the fact that she couldn’t string a coherent thought together.
Shizuku had been practicing here since before dawn, and she’d repeated this pattern of getting distracted and forcibly calming herself down only to get distracted again dozens of times now. It seemed as if she’d started practicing to get rid of the something clouding her thoughts rather than that something coincidentally getting in the way of her practice. There was, of course, a good reason for why Shizuku had gotten up in the middle of the night to practice.
After returning from Haltina’s labyrinth the day before, the party had returned to Verbergen to rest. After dinner and a bath, Shizuku had gone to bed like everyone else. But for some reason, she’d found herself unable to sleep. She’d tossed and turned for hours on end until finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. And so, even though it was only 2 o’clock, she’d grabbed her katana and ran off into the night.
The cause of her insomnia was the same boy who’s figure had appeared in her mind and interrupted her meditation earlier.
“Haaah! Taaah! Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Her yells grew wilder, and she swung her sword with abandon. The more she tried not to think about it, the more she found herself dwelling on what had happened in the labyrinth. Specifically, on what had happened when she’d been trapped in the dream world. Her supposed ideal illusion had been so embarrassing that she turned bright red simply thinking about it. She refused to believe that was something she’d actually desired, but the dream’s contents were too shameful for her to talk to anyone about it.
How come he of all people had to be the one to...
“Ryaaaaaaaaaaaah!” But the thing that nagged at her the most was the final trial. With her emotions reversed, she’d found those disgusting black cockroaches lovable, and that had certainly been traumatic, but that wasn’t what truly bothered her. The biggest problem was that she’d found the boy currently on her mind utterly detestable. She’d hated him more than anything else.
Which means that I actually...
“Noooooooooooo! He’s just a friend! That’s aaaaaaaaall!” Her strokes were so haphazard they couldn’t be called practice swings anymore. Shizuku was acting totally out of character. Her katana groaned in protest as she slashed about wildly.
Normally, this was around the point that Shizuku would attempt to calm herself down again, but she was so flustered that she continued cutting at the image of the arrogantly grinning boy her mind had conjured. The moment she’d cut his illusion down, another one appeared, this time with the same gentle smile he’d had after conquering the labyrinth.
“Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
Incidentally, the Yaegashi-style had no such battle cry. In fact, Shizuku had never once screamed die when fighting before. Shizuku knew her father and grandfather would be ashamed of her if they saw her now, but she was too far gone to care. She ignored their imaginary glares of disapproval and swung with even more force. Her classmates would be shocked if they saw her flailing recklessly like this. She was acting nothing like her usual composed self.
She kept up her practice session for another few hours, occasionally calming herself down for a few minutes, but always getting flustered again in the end. She desperately tried to deny the feelings burgeoning within her, but no matter how hard she pretended they didn’t exist, Haltina’s trials continued to haunt her.
Eventually, exhaustion dulled her emotions, and she was able to regain a modicum of composure. And after arguing internally with herself for a few minutes, she finally convinced herself that these strange emotions were a product of the trust she’d placed in him when things had gotten dicey in the labyrinth. From now on, she wouldn’t lose her cool whenever she thought of him. Everything was back to normal.
“Phew...” With a calm breath, Shizuku returned her katana to its scabbard. She closed her eyes, letting the crisp morning air cool her sweat. Her damp hair
clung to her face, making her look more alluring than usual.
Suddenly, a voice from behind interrupted her thoughts.
“You really are diligent.”
“Hwhat!?” Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. That voice was one Shizuku recognized well. Judging by her flustered response, her attempt to act normal around him already failed. She whirled around to see Hajime, the boy who’d been on her mind this whole time, standing behind her. Whether it was because he hadn’t wanted to interrupt her training or simply because he wanted to mess with her, he’d kept his presence hidden until now.
“Nagumo-kun. Don’t surprise me like that. It’s not nice to spy on people either.” Shizuku steadied her pounding heart and glared at Hajime, but he was far too amused by her earlier reaction to care.
“Hwhat? Really? Pfft...”
“Ah!”
Hajime tried to hold back laughter as he repeated Shizuku’s words. Shizuku’s glare grew sharper, but the blush spreading up her face made her hard to take seriously. She seemed to realize that herself and yelled.
“What. Do. You. Want!?”
Hajime chuckled at the anger in her voice. However, he didn’t want to tease her too much, so as an apology he pulled a towel out of his Treasure Trove and threw it to Shizuku. It was only after she caught it that Shizuku realized she was still drenched in sweat. She looked away in embarrassment and wiped herself down. Hajime leaned against a nearby tree and answered her question.
“I didn’t really come for anything in particular. I woke up early and thought I’d get some training in. Then, I spotted you while looking for a place to train and came to see what you were doing. From the looks of it, you’ve been at this for a while. I’m impressed you’re training so hard right after that grueling labyrinth run.”
“Th-This is just my normal routine. Also... I couldn’t sleep, so...”
“Well, it was your first labyrinth and all. I don’t blame you for being too excited to sleep.”
“Y-Yeah.” She certainly had been too excited to sleep, but for a completely different reason. She averted her gaze, and Hajime gave her a puzzled look. Shizuku wasn’t acting like her usual self. His gaze flustered her even further, and she started fidgeting uncomfortably. Finally—
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 8 Page 24