Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 8

by Ryo Shirakome

  “Oh no...” she muttered. Realizing she’d let her true intentions show, Altina hurriedly corrected her posture and wiped the smile off her face. She then got to her feet and hesitantly held a hand out toward Shea.

  “Th-Then, if I asked you to be my friend, would you?”

  “I don’t know why you’re wording it like a love confession, but... sure, I don’t see why not. Sheesh, you really are a handful.” Shea shook her head in mock exasperation and gripped Altina’s outstretched hand.

  Altina beamed. Though things had developed in an unexpected direction, everyone present was glad to see things end well. Especially Altina’s maids.

  “Huh?” Shea made to pull her hand back, but then tilted her head when she realized Altina was still gripping it tightly.

  “Umm, Altina-san? I kind of want my hand back...”

  “Please, just call me Altina. I’ll call you Shea as well. Th-That’s normal between best friends, correct?”

  Five seconds after becoming friends, Altina had already upgraded Shea to best friend. Maybe I made a mistake by agreeing to be her friend. She’s got a dangerous aura around her. Shea thought to herself, cold sweat pouring down her forehead. Her initial misgivings proved to be correct. Blushing, Altina asked Shea a rather odd question.

  “S-So, Shea. What technique will you use on me next?”

  “Come again?”

  “I want to be humiliated and degraded by you. It’s only by feeling such pain that I can experience your warmth... Since we’re best friends, surely you don’t mind me requesting more, do you? I want you to toy with me more and more.”

  Shea forcibly pulled her hand away and backed up all the way to the room’s corner. Her entire face was drenched in sweat.

  “S-Since when did we become best friends!? And I knew it, you really are just a pervert!”

  “I am not! I simply wish to enjoy the few days I have with you before you leave on your journey!”

  “Then why did you ask me to toy with you!? Normally, you’d ask me to play with you, right!?”

  Seeing Altina’s confused expression, Shea’s bunny ears stood on end. Crap, she’s one hell of a masochist. She turned to Hajime, her eyes pleading for salvation. “You said I was special to you, right? That means you’ll save me, right?” Her expression seemed to say.

  Hajime gave her an unbelievably gentle smile and spoke calmly.

  “That’s the Shea I know and love. In sickness and in health, you’ll suffer through the same experiences with me.”

  “That’s the wrong way to use that line! What happened to that heartfelt confession earlier!?” Tears welled up in Shea’s eyes. She’d wanted to get closer to Hajime, but that hadn’t meant she’d wanted to share these kinds of experiences too. She could do without knowing how it felt to have a perverted masochist following her around. However, it seemed Hajime wasn’t going to help her out of this one. So much for being special.

  Altina slowly advanced toward Shea, who was cowering against the wall. It was clear from her expectant smile that she wanted Shea to continue what she’d been doing. Even if Shea tried to force her way past, that would just make Altina happy. Strength wouldn’t get her out of this situation. And so, Shea decided to make a tactical retreat.

  “I-I can’t stay in the same room as this pervert!”

  Shea flung open a nearby window and dashed off with the speed of a fleeing hare. It seemed she intended to hide until things calmed down. However, considering the flags she’d raised there was no guarantee she’d be able to safely escape.

  “Aaah! Where are you going, Shea!? Wait for meee!”

  Altina climbed out of the same window and chased after Shea. For some reason, her speed got quite a boost when she was running after her new best friend. Shea freaked out when she turned around and saw Altina gaining on her. She activated all of her body strengthening skills and fled at top speed, leaving a huge dust cloud in Verbergen’s main streets as she ran. However, Altina was still somehow able to keep up, and before long Shea’s screams echoed throughout every corner of the beastmen capital. With the exception of Hajime and a few others, those remaining in the dining hall were too dumbfounded to even comment.

  “Hmph... This was such a good chance for Shea, too,” Yue muttered to herself. Hajime smiled ruefully and shrugged in response. Their little exchange finally brought one of the other girls back to her senses, and she staggered over to Hajime.

  “Hajime-kun... Did you mean what you said? Truly?” The temperature in the room plummeted, and Kaori’s usual demon illusion appeared behind her. She swayed back and forth, like a ghost from a horror movie. Furthermore, she cast shadows in all directions, though the room’s only light source was above her. The light vanished from her pupils, giving her an extremely intimidating aura. As expected, Kaori had something to say about Hajime’s confession to Shea.

  “I noticed you were being nicer to Shea than usual, but... she’s become special to you? Really? Since when? How did it happen?” Though Kaori’s voice was calm, the darkness in her eyes made it clear she was anything but. Hajime scratched his cheek awkwardly, searching for the right words. Finally, he met Kaori, and Tio’s, gazes and gave them both a serious look. They, in turn, waited patiently for his reply.

  “I’m not sure how exactly to say it, but... well, I could tell even a while back that while Shea wasn’t as important to me as Yue, I definitely had feelings for her. And since Yue seems to want this too, I’ve decided to be more honest with myself about those feelings. It’s not like anything special happened or anything.”

  “D-Does that mean you love Shea too?”

  “To be honest... I’m not sure. I feel like love isn’t quite the right word. Still, I do know she’s important to me.”

  Hajime wasn’t lying, he really wasn’t sure how to quantify his feelings for Shea. With Yue, whenever she attempted to seduce him he could feel his heart start to race and a fierce lust well up within him. But he didn’t feel any of that with Shea. And so, while his feelings for Yue burned with a red-hot passion, his feelings for Shea were something far more gentle. If he had to encapsulate it somehow, it was that he treasured her.

  Ironically enough, it was Yue, the quiet, unassuming girl, he felt a fiery passion for, while Shea, the bright cheery mood maker of the party he felt a soft, gentle affection for. Strange as it was, he felt contrasting things for these two contrasting girls. And whatever those feelings were, he knew they ran deeper than simple love. He just didn’t know what words to express them in, which was why he was having so much trouble answering Kaori’s question. He knew he was being selfish, wanting to monopolize Shea without even a clear answer of what exactly his feelings were. But at the same time, he couldn’t bear the thought of her being with another man.

  After hearing Hajime’s honest feelings, the room fell silent. Most of the peanut gallery had their mouths full of sweets, while Yue and Tio watched Hajime gently. Shizuku’s expression was hard to describe, while Kaori, the one who’d precipitated this, simply spoke words of acknowledgment.

  “...I see. Alright, I understand...” Kaori nodded to herself, then, inexplicably, smiled at Hajime. Naturally, she was still jealous. And of course, she hadn’t sorted out all of her feelings just yet. But Shea was Kaori’s precious friend, a comrade she could entrust her life to. Knowing that her friend’s greatest wish had finally come true made her genuinely happy. At her core, Kaori was just that kind of person.

  It’s not like agonizing over it will do me any good... Kaori thought. She herself was surprised at how easily she’d accepted Hajime’s answer. Hajime, too, was amazed by the fact that Kaori formed such a genuine smile in this situation. However, Kaori had learned back in the Sunken Ruins of Melusine that getting jealous and wallowing in depression would get her nowhere. She already knew that Hajime’s feelings for Yue would never change. Her greatest worry had been that Hajime would never think of her as someone more than an important comrade. However, Shea’s success had just proven that wasn’t the
case. Meaning that she still had a chance too.

  “Hajime-kun.”

  “Yeah?”

  Kaori grinned, her fearless smile a spitting image of Hajime’s own.

  “You better prepare yourself.”

  “.....”

  Hajime knew perfectly well what she meant, which was precisely why he was so troubled.

  “Seriously, you all are too good for me. I don’t deserve any of you...”

  “Ah...! Fufu.” Kaori chuckled, her smile returning to a normal one. At the same time, she felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. Hajime’s troubled expression was similar to the one he’d had right after they’d cleared Haltina’s labyrinth. Thank goodness, the old Hajime-kun really is coming back.

  Kaori’s smile grew wider. A second later, though, something smacked right into her forehead with a meaty thwack. The object, a soup-stained piece of bread, slowly slid down Kaori’s cheek. Still smiling, Kaori turned toward the direction of the throw. Sitting there was Yue, dipping another piece of bread into her soup to prepare her next projectile.

  As usual, she was the culprit. Yue looked up at Kaori and harrumphed. It was obvious from her expression that she didn’t think Kaori stood a chance at winning Hajime’s heart.

  “E-Excuse me, Yue? But what was that for? Mind telling me?” The room’s temperature plummeted once more, and Kaori’s demon reappeared.

  Unconcerned, Yue replied.

  “I can allow Shea. But not you, Kaori. Give up and go home.”

  She flicked a second piece of bread at Kaori. This one landed right on her eyebrow. Yue had a pretty good throwing arm. Kaori let out a bestial hiss, and leaped onto Yue, knocking her off her chair. The two of them rolled across the ground as they wrestled with each other. “Hmph! Bring it on, bitch.” “Screw you, Yue. I’ll make you eat dust!”

  Soon enough, the pair were grappling with each other in earnest. However, a dining hall such as this wasn’t a suitable place for their struggle. The pair rolled toward the wall, floated up into the air, and rolled right out the window Shea had left through earlier. Altina’s maids watched on, dumbfounded.

  As always, Yue and Kaori were on the same wavelength. It was hard to tell if they were best friends or worst enemies. At the very least, Yue was the only one who could rile Kaori up, while Yue was the only one who enjoyed tussling with Kaori. Fights like these were an everyday occurrence.

  “Now then, Master. Seeing as you’ve finally made Shea your own, why not add another member into your harem and accept my boundless love, which is deeper than the ocean floor and higher than Divine Mountains’ peaks.” Tio pressed her breasts against Hajime and winked at him. She certainly had more than enough sex appeal. All the other men present had popped boners from her provocative display.

  However, Hajime remained unaffected.

  “Kaori might still have a chance, but you definitely don’t.”

  “Ah!? Haaah... Haaah, such a harsh rejection... Truly only you can be this cruel, Master! You know just what I like! Haaah... Haaah, unbelievable!” Tio shivered, then hugged herself and started fidgeting restlessly. Compared to her earlier seduction, the way she looked now should have been far sexier. However, the guys’ boners all withered as they looked at her. Her expression ruined any arousing effects her actions may have had. The servants all backed away, disgusted.

  Shizuku, who’d been standing awkwardly by the staircase this whole time, couldn’t help but think about how Hajime had casually let slip that Kaori might eventually be special to him.

  In that case, Hajime wouldn’t mind adding yet another person to his harem too, right...? Wait, no, what am I thinking!? Who exactly was I hoping that one extra person would be!? It definitely wasn’t me, that’s for sure! I’m just glad Kaori’s finally getting what she wants, that’s all!

  No one noticed Shizuku’s agonizing, as they were too busy being creeped out by Tio. Hajime simply sighed and shook his head, while Shea’s screams and the sounds of Kaori and Yue fighting echoed through the city.

  Verbergen’s morning had started out quiet and peaceful, but now that peace and quiet was nowhere to be seen.

  A few hours later, at dusk. The setting sun cast its dying rays through Haltina’s trees, giving everything an orange tinge.

  “Ugh, that was horrible...”

  A tired wail could be heard from a plaza a short distance from the city center. The plaza had a fountain in the center, ringed by chairs carved from tree stumps. Normally, it was full of beastmen looking to relax. Right now though, there were only two people there. Hajime and Shea. Despite all the assistance Hajime, Shea, and Kaori had given Verbergen, the city was still far from fully restored. Most beastmen were busy helping reorganize Verbergen’s army, or rebuilding the city’s infrastructure, or spending time with their freed friends and family. No one had time to lounge around a plaza. Yue, Tio, Kaori, Kouki, and all the rest were busy either helping the beastmen with their restoration efforts, training or preparing for the upcoming journey.

  Exhausted, Shea slumped onto the table in front of her. The reason for her exhaustion was, of course, Altina. “Playing” with her new elven friend had been quite the ordeal. Altina had chased Shea around all day until Ulfric had finally come to collect her. The day had been mentally taxing to the extreme. Ulfric, too, had taken quite a bit of mental damage when he’d seen what his granddaughter had become.

  Hajime looked up from his transmutation work and chuckled at Shea. She raised one of her drooping ears and slapped it down on the table in protest.

  “Quit laughing! I was really scared, you know!?”

  “Don’t be like that. Shouldn’t you be glad you made a new friend? You should just toy... I mean, play with her.”

  “You’re not fooling anyone. Can she really be called my friend if all I do is toy with her? Haaah, now I know how you must feel every time Tio comes begging to you. Like, I don’t mind being this adored, but... it’s just so tiring.”

  Her bunny ears drooped again, and Shea deflated as if losing strength. She’d gone from being a worthless rabbit to a noodle rabbit. “You said it,” Hajime said. He knew Tio wasn’t only interested in him because she was a pervert. In her own way, Tio loved Hajime just as much as Shea and Kaori. It was for that reason that the way she chose to display her affection tired Hajime out so much.

  Hajime’s smile grew kind, and he reached out to stroke Shea’s bunny ears. Shea twitched a little as his hand brushed against her fur, and she lifted her open ear and rubbed it against the back of Hajime’s hand. Hajime relaxed as his hand was sandwiched between twin tufts of fur. He stroked her ears in silence for a while.

  As time passed, the shadows lengthened, plunging the plaza into twilight. Hajime found he liked this quiet, gentle time between evening and night.

  Face hidden by her blue hair, which was shimmering in the twilight, Shea quietly whispered a question.

  “Hajime-san... About what you said during lunch... Does that mean...”

  She trailed off, embarrassed but hopeful. It was obvious what she was trying to ask. Even Hajime wasn’t that dense, after all. And so, he rose from his seat, went over to Shea’s side, and sat down next to her.

  Shea twitched, her expression still hidden by her hair. However, Hajime looped his arm around Shea’s back and hugged her tight. At that, she went red as a tomato. Her eyes lit up with desire, and she turned toward Hajime, seeing that his expression was the gentlest he’d ever given her.

  “Shea, you said it yourself. The future’s not set in stone. Well, you were right.”

  “Ah...”

  Those were the words she’d said when she’d first begged Hajime to take her with them on their journey. It was what she’d said when Hajime had told her there was no chance he’d ever return her feelings. It had been both her prediction as a Diviner and a declaration of her resolve.

  “Shea. I won’t insult you by asking if your feelings have changed.”

  Asking things like “Are you really okay with someone li
ke me?” or “Are you fine with me even though I have Yue?” would just be an affront to Shea’s feelings.

  “You’re irreplaceable to me, Shea. I don’t want to hand you over to anyone else.” Those words were selfish to the extreme, but they were also the words Shea had wanted to hear the most.

  “Now that you’ve become special to me, I won’t ever let you go. I hope you’re ready.”

  “...Yes! Oh yes! After all, I’ve finally become someone special to you, Hajime-san!”

  Near the end of their journey, Shea had finally gotten what she’d strived for. An elated smile spread across her face. It was far more dazzling than any of her other smiles. Anyone who’d seen Shea’s smile just then would have been completely smitten, regardless of race or class. And Hajime was no exception. Before he knew it, he’d drawn his face close to hers... and was kissing her on the lips.

  “Mmm... Fwaaah...”

  Trembling with joy, Shea opened her lips to accept him.

  Her breath came in hot gasps, and her body felt light, like a giant ball of cotton candy. Everything seemed so hot for a moment that she worried she might melt.

  “Hajime-san...”

  The two of them broke apart. Shea looked down bashfully, her normal cheery demeanor subdued. Hajime found that reaction of hers unbelievably adorable. Her charm was the complete opposite of Yue’s, but it was just as potent. Shea’s pink lips parted, and she stuck her tongue out a little. It was clear from her expression what she wanted. Hajime closed his eyes, rest a hand on Shea’s cheek, and kissed her again.

  “Whoa, they’re actually gonna keep going! O-Out here, in public...”

  “H-Hey, Suzu! They’ll hear us if you’re that loud!”

  “You’re yelling just as loudly, Shizuku-chan! If you don’t quiet down, Hajime-kun’ll know we’re here!”

  “Shut up, all of you. Don’t ruin Shea’s moment.”

  A bunch of familiar voices distracted the pair. Shea’s bunny ears shot up and she hurriedly pushed Hajime off her, before turning to the direction of the voices. The group of eavesdroppers seemed shocked that Shea had noticed them, as one of them lost their balance and screamed: “Hey, idiot, don’t push me!” In a perfectly cliched manner, a figure fell out of one of the flower beds that rimmed the plaza.