Hey Norin, this is a quote I came across in the Doki Doki Mod: Another Moment With You. I quite liked it when I thought of this story and about Kyo and other villains. After googling the man, I found out he was a Russian Novelist. I know the world seems really crappy right now… but you know, there are still some good things to be found everywhere. No matter what.
I think it's important we never forget that going forward.
"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him." Fyodor Dostoevsky
"Don't disappear while I sleep… please don't be a dream." Sayori, Purist Mod
"Each person has good traits and bad traits. Ignoring one of them or favoring the other would not be love. I'm so attracted to you because you see me for who I really am. I want you to continue that." Sayori, also Purist Mod.
"No matter how much one might want it, the past will always remain in the past. So the only way forward is the future." MC, Purist Mod
"I want to say that I don't know what happens next. And we can't worry about the future. We have to focus on the present. And if you're in my present day, how bad could the future be?" - MC, Longer Roads Mod
"Home is where the heart is I guess." "Exactly! Wherever you are is home to me!" - Conversation between MC and Sayori, Longer Roads Mod
"Why do you do this to me?" "What do you mean?" "Why do you try to make me feel all flustered? It's like you're trying to make me speechless…" "Because the sight of you makes me speechless every day, so I have to return the favor." MC and Sayori, Longer Roads Mod.
"She used to tell me that it's not what's at the end of the road that draws us to it. It's who we find on the way that keeps us going." - Monika, Longer Roads Mod
"I can't guarantee that things will work out, but every day you try is another chance they will." - Quote from Mainly Fact on Youtube
I'm terrified at the thought of the world destroying another man who has the ability to love something so much and think for himself. You are only human. Even if there might be no excuse, learning and moving on to grow stronger and better is what Naofumi did, and it's what you should do too for yourself as much as anyone else. -MarineBean
Chapter Seventy-Four: It's Your Life
— Entry #9 —
And here, I thought I wouldn't be writing in this dumb thing again. And so soon after my last entry too.
A few days ago, the ████████████ sent out a recruitment notice to all████████████ to help slay ████████████.
That creature has truly grown into a nuisance during these last couple of months. It's been raiding ████████████ increasingly often now. Not only that, it has empowered four monsters that it calls ████████████ to do its bidding.
One of them destroyed a major source of investment I had ████████████ when it tried and failed to breach ████████████. Another ████████████, though it was a rather short-lived triumph on its part. The ████████████ younger brother as its ████████████ right away. The new ████████████ then proceeded to drive all the monsters out of his town. The last ████████████ have been wreaking havoc across other parts████████████. And that isn't including what ████████████ has managed to accomplish.
That ████████████ are really starting to become a threat ████████████ for world domination. ████████████ requested for us ████████████ to band together to assist the ████████████, who was ████████████ to save the world ████████████. Back then, I had no idea why he chose to hold off on announcing ████████████. Seemed like a foolish move if you asked me…
Thankfully, I am not one to keep all of my eggs in one basket. Despite the losses that I suffered from ████████████, I still have quite a bit to my name, so much, in fact, that I decided to have ████████████ and keep track of my lesser affairs while I'm gone. Since I have made her my ████████████, she even has the authority to show up in my place for ████████████ now.
I'm not afraid to leave her be for a while. She has proven herself to be trustworthy enough to not ████████████ while I'm gone. And she is smart enough to not mess everything up. Worst case scenario, she can always give me a call to discuss important matters if any come up.
Now, because of my ████████████, I'm going to have to play a support role in this endeavor. But I am fine with that. It's much more preferable to stay back and ████████████ throw themselves into danger in my place.
That's right, I ended up following up on ████████████. Not by choice, mind you. I would have preferred to deal with ████████████ by myself.
However, my... 'employers' have contacted me personally on this matter as well. 'They' told me that the ████████████ with quickly. It could prove to be a major obstacle in the way of the ████████████ years from now if it were allowed to ████████████. The ████████████ is not only the ████████████ in this world, but it also has humans loyal to it, as well as the ability to create ████████████ from amongst the living. If it were in control and summoned the other ████████████ by itself when the ████████████…
Well, that is why my 'masters' have told me to deal with ████████████ immediately. It's a no-brainer, but I wish 'they' had informed me about it sooner.
…
'They' have also ordered me to ████████████ if I get the chance. I'd have the perfect opportunity to do so as I could easily get close ████████████ under the guise of a 'support' ████████████. And since the war with ████████████ was going to impact my ability to ████████████, I thought, why not? And if I learned how it used magic to ████████████, that'd be an even bigger bonus for me when the time came for me to make my own bid ████████████.
So I decided to go along with their plan and went to meet this 'great' Hero everyone was talking about today. And ████████████ I'm writing in this damn thing again.
You see, I thought that if I integrated myself into ████████████, I could make a name for myself amongst the idiots there, and make it easier to ████████████ in attendance to boot. I could ████████████ in one fell swoop later on…
…
"Wow, mister! You look super smart! You must be the ████████████ that King Dad mentioned! I'm ████████████, nice to meet you!"
Those were the exact words the ████████████ said to me today.
The ████████████ is a little girl. Not even a teenager.
That was why████████████ had held off on announcing that her summoning was successful until now.
…
…
…
What the #$%& have I gotten myself into?
"Has that girl given out any info yet?"
"No, she refuses to speak to anyone."
Naofumi frowned at L'Arc and Therese as they walked down a long stone hallway together.
It was the day after the failed attack on Sickle's Dragon Hourglass. A few things had happened during that time.
The gates that the girls of Trash's former harem had brought crashing down during their raid had been temporarily replaced with a barricade. Efforts were being made to replace them, as well as to fix all the damage that'd been caused to the city.
It hadn't been too bad, fortunately. With L'Arc's castle being made of stone, the fire damage done to it wasn't very severe. And Therese and the others had managed to keep fighting in the streets from damaging the surrounding buildings too much. Miraculously, no civilians had been killed during the battle.
This was, thanks in part, due to Akane and Daitan's efforts to evacuate the people from areas of intense fighting.
It was still going to take weeks to repair all the damage though. Especially when it came to Kizuna's home.
The Hunting Hero's house was a mess. Last night had been entirely spent cleaning up broken glass in every room as well as patching up holes in the floor, walls, and ceiling.
Drapes were put up to cover the missing windows. The destroyed furniture had to be thrown out. The sleeping arrangements had to be redone so that none of the Heroes and their allies would be sleeping in a room with holes in the floor.
In all honestly, the clean-up felt more tiring than the battle they'd fought in earlier that day.
Kizuna was fortunate her house was so big. They could still stay there even after all the damage the front side had taken.
It'd be a while before the damage to the house itself was fixed though. And the entrance hall still looked like a war zone despite their best efforts to clean it.
It hadn't helped when Naofumi realized the holes in the floor were right above the Hot Spring in the basement.
He hadn't been the lucky one that made that discovery though. It was all thanks to Itsuki.
The Bow Hero had been checking the patch job on a section of the floor that morning to make sure it would handle his weight. But then he fell through, landing on Maya's lap while she and Aksel were bathing in the Hot Spring below.
On the bright side, the two had only been relaxing instead of having sex.
On the downside, they were still naked since they'd been in the Hot Spring. And Itsuki had landed on the raccoon girl's lap.
Naofumi had never seen Itsuki look so traumatized when he came racing back upstairs.
The Bow Hero was currently locked inside of his room, brooding once again.
As for the Shield Hero's family: Raphtalia, Filo, and Raph-Chan as well as Dou-Lon had been at the castle since early that morning after having breakfast at Kizuna's house.
Naofumi had been busy with other tasks before now. Like helping to heal L'Arc's soldiers and assisting with clean-up efforts inside the city alongside Daitan and Akane. He then went back to Kizuna's home to help clean up more of the damage around the kitchen so he could make lunch for everyone.
However, when lunch came and went and Raphtalia and everyone else still hadn't returned, the Shield Hero had decided to drop by the castle and see what the current situation was for himself. L'Arc and Therese were also on their way to get an update.
"That Male Bitch's 'retainer' sure is stubborn," Naofumi said through gritted teeth.
"Yomogi is not just Kyo's retainer, she is his childhood friend too. It'd actually be surprising for her to give up any information at all so soon." Therese replied with a sigh.
"... seriously, childhood friend? How the hell could anyone stand that piece of &^%$?" Naofumi snarked out loud.
L'Arc opened his mouth, closed it, and then looked to the side before replying in earnest. "Well, he wasn't always such a bastard."
"Mmm," Therese grunted weakly in agreement, looking similarly somber.
"Hmph, you all keep saying that, but I just can't believe it." Naofumi snorted dismissively.
"If you'd only met him when we had." L'Arc sighed.
The three continued to walk down the long hallways of the castle together.
…
…
"Have you considered torture yet?" Naofumi asked after a long pause.
"See, Therese! First Glass and now Shield Kiddo is suggesting it too! Maybe that's a sign that we should-" L'Arc began to say excitedly to the Gem Girl.
Slap! "Ow!"
"No! We will not slink to that level L'Arc!" Therese reprimanded the King harshly with another slap to the back of his head. "Don't you dare try to corrupt Master Craftsman any further with your antics!"
"Oh, come on! He's the one that suggested it!" L'Arc crossed his arms in frustration. Why did this always keep on happening to him whenever Therese was around Naofumi!?
"Good luck with that. I'd do it whether this boy wanted me to or not." Naofumi rolled his eyes.
L'Arc didn't speak and continued to pout like a little kid. This was so unfair! Why did he put up with this crap!?
…
When L'Arc didn't stop pouting, Therese held L'Arc's hand in hers as they walked.
Oh… yeah, that was why he put up with this. The dumb redhead's mood immediately began to improve at the action.
Hopefully, it'd be a few minutes before Therese started playing hard to get again. He'd enjoy the hand-holding either way though.
…
As the group of three walked through the hallway, Naofumi thought back on something that had happened the previous day after getting back from the battle.
"Rafu!"
"Hey, Raph-Chan! What are you doing outside?" Naofumi asked curiously.
"Rafu!" The familiar raised a paw and pointed at the two piles of melted… something on the ground outside the house.
At first, Naofumi didn't recognize what it was. Then, after he absorbed some of the remains into his Shield, he realized that they were the remains of mimic monsters. "Did they try to attack the house while we were gone?"
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan nodded her head happily. Then, she conjured an illusion of herself and Chris taking down the monsters.
Awwww, it was really adorable seeing Raph-Chan tear one of the monster's limbs from it. She was really growing strong under his care.
"Pen!" Even the illusionary Chris was annoying, trying to glare at him for attention.
Naofumi patted the real Raph-Chan on the head. Then, he picked her up and carried her through the destroyed front doors. He'd have to feed her an extra good dinner for this. As well as give her many pets and belly rubs. Not to mention, tail floofs.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan already couldn't wait.
In the midst of Naofumi's entrance, Hoshi, who had been busy drawing at one of the surviving desks, looked at him and then stood up quickly. "Oh, you're back! Is it over then?"
"Yes, we managed to win." Naofumi then looked at the bound Yomogi. "She hasn't caused any trouble since we left, right?"
"No. She hasn't woken up." Hoshi noted.
Naofumi knelt down to check on her, and, fortunately, the girl was still passed out.
"Alright. I'm going to take her to the castle's dungeons at the capital then. Raph-Chan can escort me while I-"
"Oh, wait, before you go. There's something else!" Hoshi reached into his weapon's gemstone and pulled out a curious-looking rectangular wooden box.
Right as he did so, a buzzing sound came from it. Naofumi recognized it as being the sound of a communication ofuda going off. "Raph-Chan and Chris found this on that girl's person roughly an hour or so after you left," Hoshi explained. "I considered answering at first but eventually figured that it might be better to let someone else do it.
"I'm not… particularly good at talking to others." He added despondently at the end.
"Rafu." Raph-Chan jumped onto the Ofuda Hero's shoulder and began nuzzling the boy's cheek.
Hoshi's mood immediately picked up, and he started to pet the floofy shikigami. The pair both looked happier within seconds.
Naofumi frowned as he took the box from Hoshi and opened it. Inside was a communication ofuda that looked like every other one.
He touched the paper slip with his finger without hesitation.
The voice that immediately came out was expected but still made the Shield Hero's blood boil.
"Yomogi! Finally, why the hell did you take so long to answer?! What happened?!" Kyo demanded an answer as he continued to frantically speak.
"The mimics that I sent to Sickle in advance went dark almost immediately after I ordered them to look for you when you didn't report on time and I still can't send the troops through the Hourglass! Was the raid unsuccessful?! Did you have to retreat!? Did you run into unexpected trouble? Answer me, damn it!"
…
"Hey there, Male Bitch." Naofumi spoke with cold disdain. "It's been a while. How's that arm of yours? Does the stump still hurt?"
…
…
"... You." Kyo's voice was heard again after a long pause, dripping with malice.
"Yes, me," Naofumi responded with equal intensity.
…
…
…
"Hm...hm...hmhmhmhm." The book hero chuckled. "Funny thing for you to ask me about my arm. I actually grew a new one recently and I'm better than ever!
"Ah, but forgive my rudeness! What about you, Shield Hero? How's that pet turtle of yours doing? You know, the one that you murdered with your own two hands.
"Is it still dead?"
…
…
Naofumi's expression took on a very dark look. "Finger or ear?" Naofumi finally spoke out after another tense pause.
"...what?" Kyo's smug tone of voice made way for one of confusion.
"Which part of your retainer would you like me to send to Luvar's capital first?" The shield hero elaborated with a deathly calmness about him. "Or would you rather I sent her back whole, inside of a body bag?"
…
…
"You...! You wouldn't dare!" Kyo raised his voice in fear. "Kizuna would never-"
"Kizuna isn't here right now." Naofumi interrupted him. "So, which one? Or would you rather have something else instead? Maybe an eyeball or a nipp-"
Naofumi's voice cut off as his eyes briefly passed over Hoshi and Raph-Chan. Both of them were looking at him with absolute terror. In the reflection of their eyes, the Shield Hero saw a twisted, dark figure holding the ofuda box. The gemstone of its shield pulsated with a red, menacing glow.
…
"You, if you do that to Yomogi, then I swear that I'll-" Kyo's voice began to come through the ofuda again, dragging the Shield Hero out of his thoughts.
"Just kidding." The Shield Hero changed his tone of voice to a mocking one. "It's not like you'd actually care if I did that anyway."
…
…
"...You are one sick bastard." Kyo spat out.
"Takes one to know one," Naofumi responded drily.
…
There was another tense moment of silence between the pair. As if one or the other was about to explode at any moment.
"Oh well." Kyo broke the silence again, his voice returning to the familiar mocking tone. "The assault has failed then, I assume? It doesn't matter anyway. This affair was mainly a field test to check out the performance of the new guardian beast hybrids that I developed. Did you enjoy fighting them by the way? They are quite ferocious, aren't they?"
"Rabid is the word that I'd use," Naofumi said, a bit of anger finally leaking into his tone again as his hand balled up into a fist. "I'll look forward to making you suffer when I find you."
"Huh?" Kyo grunted. "Wait, hold on a second, are you... are you angry at me on their behalf? Pfft, hahahaha! You clueless ape! You don't know anything, do you?! You think I forced them into this?! Those girls did it all willingly! They have no one to blame but themselves for what happened to them!
"Let me guess, did their animal transformations begin to take them over? I did warn them to keep a level head or else that could happen. Guess they didn't listen though, just like the rest of the test subjects." Kyo laughed in response.
Naofumi's face paled. "There's more of them?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Kyo chuckled maliciously. Naofumi's eyes narrowed at his words.
"Anyway, do what you will with those that survived. They are of no further use to me anyway." Kyo then added in a bored voice.
"... Were you telling them the truth when you said that you could bring Kenshiro's younger brother back to life?" Naofumi asked. He didn't know why, but he had to make sure.
…
"I'll look forward to seeing you all soon. Shield Hero." Kyo ignored the question. "Do be prepared to face off against a Demon Lord when you arrive."
…
"And if you do so much as touch a single hair on Yomogi's head, I am going to rip yours off and then skin your 'wife-friend' and daughter alive."
Before Naofumi could say anything else in response, the communication ofuda suddenly burst into flames, making him drop the box in surprise. It landed with a deafening clatter, the ashen remains of the ofuda spilling out of it onto the floor.
…
"Wow… that was really something, wasn't it?" Hoshi said awkwardly, standing off to the side with Raph-Chan in his arms.
"Yeah, it was." Naofumi picked the box up and absorbed it into his shield.
Raph-Chan leaped from the Ofuda Hero to Naofumi, nuzzling against his neck and cheek.
His coming wave of anger and frustration immediately receded back. Naofumi began petting her back while looking around the room.
"This place looks like a dump. Let's get started on cleaning up this mess before everyone else arrives. Someone else can carry this girl to the dungeons later."
"R-Right." And with that, Naofumi and Hoshi began cleaning the front of Kizuna's home together.
Naofumi shook his head and cleared it.
He hadn't imagined that being how he'd first get to talk to the Male Bitch after coming to this world. Nor did he think that was how the conversation would have gone.
He'd imagined they'd speak to one another on the field of battle. The Male Bitch would flaunt his superiority as per usual, and Naofumi would dryly roast him with one insult after another. He would have baited the bastard into fighting and beat him with both hands tied behind his back.
Having talked with him over an ofuda, however, and the way their conversation had gone…
The memory of his voice still made his blood boil.
What he'd give to be able to personally punch the Male Bitch in the face once or twice as Rishia had.
Picturing that moment of their earlier battle in his mind, Naofumi began to smirk again. Oh, how satisfying he'd remembered it being when Rishia had delivered all those punches to Kyo's face like they were on sale. His smirk widened even more when he remembered a punch that'd knocked a tooth out of his mouth.
Maybe when they battled him again, Rishia could deliver more of that kind of punishment to his face?
The Male Bitch clearly deserved it, after all.
"Hey, Glassy. How are things looking in there?"
Naofumi was abruptly brought out of his thoughts at the sound of L'Arc's voice.
They were now standing in front of a set of large doors. Glass was standing outside, her fans resting in her hands. A contemplative expression was on her face.
…
The spirit woman shook her head.
"That bad, huh," L'Arc said, his smile morphing into a frown.
"I would be angrier considering who they are. But…" The spirit woman sighed. "I can relate to what many of them are going through too well right now."
Naofumi found himself frowning again.
Right, what he was about to see wasn't any matter to joke about.
Glass looked at the Shield Hero. "I would suggest you not go in there… But Raphtalia was the one who landed the killing blow on that scum. And she has been trying to help them all out since getting here this morning. I believe you should be fine to go in."
"I couldn't care less about what they think about me… But I'll try not to aggravate them too much." Naofumi promised.
He'd only come here to check on his family anyway. He didn't have any plans on staying for long.
The spirit woman nodded, and she pushed the doors of the room open.
…
The sight that he was met with made Naofumi hesitate.
He was already rethinking his plans on leaving early after checking up on his party.
The surviving girls of Trash's former harem lay on cots in the medical ward of the castle.
And they looked absolutely destroyed.
It wasn't only the grievous injuries that gave off this feeling. All of them were bandaged or wearing casts thanks to the damage the loss of their half-beast transformations had done to their bodies. Some were missing one or more of their limbs. Girls like Tsugumi who had almost been completely taken over by their beast transformations were entirely bandaged from head to toe.
Many of these girls' eyes were full of tears. Muffled sobs could be heard from a few hugging pillows to their chests.
Others just stared at the ceiling, bodies unmoving as their chests slowly rose up and down. It was as if they were just existing. Not meant for anything but to lie there and do nothing.
They weren't dead. But they'd certainly lost the will to live after everything they'd gone through.
Suicide was definitely on the table for many of these girls. They had no hope left in themselves whatsoever. Even Naofumi could see it as soon as he'd entered the place.
"Oh, Gods…" Therese muttered to herself, putting a hand to her chest. Not even the waves and the war against the demon dragon had given her opportunities to witness such gruesome sights on such a scale.
L'Arc didn't speak. He was trying to keep his face stern since these girls had assisted Kazuki despite learning that he'd been responsible for Kenshiro's death and the death of so many others… but even he couldn't help but feel pity for those who'd been their enemy.
It was no wonder Glass said they hadn't reacted angrily to Raphtalia being there. They'd lost the ability to feel anything. Even rage.
Many of these girls were nothing more but empty husks now. And if they weren't helped, they'd wither away and die the worst death of all.
Not caring about anything anymore. Not even caring about whether they lived or died.
…
Tsugumi, the de facto leader of Trash's harem, lay on her side on one of the nearby cots, facing away from everyone. Naofumi saw Raphtalia sitting next to her, trying to coax her to eat the food on the tray she'd set by her nightstand. Naofumi began to slowly make his way toward her.
The leader of Trash's harem didn't talk back to Raphtalia. Nor did she eat.
The feathered girl called Sumi hadn't been the only one to perish. Trash had a far larger female following than any of them had thought. Of the group of at least a hundred girls that had led the attack on the Capital… only forty-two had survived.
Naofumi and the others hadn't been fighting to kill. These people were more valuable alive than dead for the info they could have possessed on Kyo and his plans. So of those who'd died, almost all of them had been at the hands of their transformed friends.
Those who'd lived were left with a deep sense of survivor's guilt and regret.
Naofumi saw out of the corner of his eyes that Filo, Raph-Chan, and Dou-Lon were there too. Filo and Raph-Chan tried to use their cuteness together to assist some of the women in eating or drinking… with only various levels of success.
The fact that even Raph-Chan in her cutest pose was failing to get a reaction from these girls really spoke volumes about the severity of their situation.
Dou-Lon was in his demi-human form. He walked amongst the cots, sitting down and talking with some of the girls. Trying to encourage them to eat, drink, or to even say something back.
Most didn't respond at all. Others turned their heads away.
One of them did cry a little at his kindness and hugged him for it. Dou-Lon gave her a small smile when that happened… though the smile would fall as he came across the next girl who was dead to the world and wouldn't respond to anything he did.
This place really was a place of misery. Naofumi felt his heart twisting inside his chest, and his shield's gemstone seemed to glow bright green in sympathy for these girls.
Even though they'd been their enemies yesterday, Naofumi felt the same as Glass.
He actually pitied the girls of Trash's former harem.
When he'd almost reached Raphtalia, he paused as he noticed something in the corner of the large room.
"So, how have you been Yomogi? Have things been going well in Luvar lately? Did you ever manage to make that salmon hot pot recipe that I gave you shortly before I disappeared?"
Kizuna was sitting next to the cot that held Yomogi. She was the least injured out of all the girls, as she hadn't had the same beast experiments done to her. She had a cast over her right arm though, and her skin still looked pale after losing so much blood.
The girl was awake. Unlike the others, she didn't look destroyed in the slightest. Yet she refused to address the girl's questions despite Kizuna's best attempts to talk to her.
"I remember you saying how Kyo really praised that dish since it was rich in nutrients that would stimulate brain activity. Kind of wish he would tell us what he thought about the 'taste' though, heh."
…
"Don't pretend like you're still my friend, you two-faced bitch." Yomogi finally replied coldly. "You aren't fooling anyone, especially not when you're allowing a bunch of otherworldly invaders to wander around your kingdom like they own the place.".
The green-haired girl's eyes landed on the Shield Hero as she said that, and her words were followed by a growl.
Kizuna's mouth tightened as she had no idea how to respond to that without sounding angry. But her eyes followed Yomogi's glare and she breathed in before addressing the girl again. "Yomogi, please listen to me. Naofumi and Itsuki aren't bad people, they're- Ah!"
The hunting tool's hero was cut off when the green-haired girl suddenly spat in her face, making Kizuna recoil back.
"Kizuna!" L'Arc shouted in concern and ran over to her immediately, closely followed by Therese.
The brown-haired girl looked dumbfounded at first before her expression shifted into that of hurt as she looked down at the furious Yomogi again.
"Damn it, I told you to not bother." The king bit on his tongue as he pulled a handkerchief out of his scythe and carefully cleaned his little sister's face. "Yomogi has her mind set about this already."
"You're damn right about that." Yomogi continued to glare at them, and the Hunting Tools Hero continued to sniffle while feeling a painful constriction in her chest.
"But- but it's just a misunderstanding." Kizuna protested weakly. "Yomogi doesn't know about what happened in Naofumi's world!"
"What's there to know?" The green-haired girl bared her teeth. "That Kyo risked his life going to a whole different hostile world to save ours, only for his friends to turn on him and try to kill him?" Her glare shifted at L'Arc and Therese near the end. The two looked at their former friend with hard eyes while trying to comfort Kizuna.
Glass, who'd still been standing by the entrance at that point, joined them as well. Hugging Kizuna tightly to her chest so her best friend would feel better.
"Is that what the male bitch told you is going on here?" Naofumi asked through gritted teeth. His fist was clenched at his side.
"No, he only gave me bits and pieces. He doesn't like to talk about his friends betraying him, go figure." Yomogi bared her teeth again. "But it doesn't take a genius like him to figure out everything that happened. But you know what's the funniest thing?" The girl then looked at Kizuna again with hatred.
"I would understand these three falling for such an obvious ruse, they are idiots who can barely follow the orders given to them. I would even buy Ethnobalt falling for it, since he can be rather gullible, despite being as well-read as he is. But you, Kizuna? I do not believe even for a second that you would believe these otherworld two serpent-tongued pieces of trash. You are far too smart and good at reading people for that.
"Which can only mean that you are genuinely in cahoots with them and want to kill us all and destroy our world. And for that, I despise you and curse your name a thousand times over! As soon as I kill those invaders, I will be going after you next, regardless of what Kyo said about not hurting you! Mark. My. Words!"
...
"I see." Kizuna nodded sadly, pushing Glass and the others away and giving her a grateful smile before turning to Yomogi again. "I understand why you are so angry, Yomogi." The girl then looked up with a determined look. "But you are wrong. Naofumi and Itsuki are good people. And I trust them explicitly. They mean exactly what they say. I can only hope that you will be able to see the truth of my words soon enough."
" #$% off, Kizuna." Yomogi grimaced again and turned her head away.
The conversation seemed to die at that point and Naofumi finally continued on toward his destination, pushing Yomogi's words to the back of his head. Raphtalia was looking gloomy on the opposite side of the room.
Her shoulders had fallen as she couldn't get Tsugumi to eat. So he hugged her from behind and breathed the smell of her hair deeply while ignoring the corner of the room where Yomogi was entirely.
"Hmmm, you still smell as good as ever," Naofumi whispered into Raphtalia's ear.
Raphtalia didn't respond or get embarrassed. She merely nodded her head while staring down at Tsugumi.
"Do you need a break?" He asked her worriedly. "You've been helping them out since this morning. I can take over if you need me to."
…
She gripped one of his hands and turned to look at him. Even though her face was sad, her eyes were resolute. "No. I don't want to leave them yet."
"Not when they're like this."
…
"Is it because you see yourself in them?"
Naofumi almost bit back on his tongue as he let the inappropriate comment slip out. However, instead of getting angry, Raphtalia just deflated visibly before his eyes.
"Is it that obvious?" She asked quietly.
…
Naofumi nodded slightly, with some hesitation.
"It's just... regardless of what that person might have done to others, he seems to have clearly cared about these women for them to go this far for his sake. And the more I think about it, I can't help but start to wonder if I would have been just as complacent as them if you'd suddenly started doing horrible things and hurting others." The half-tanuki pondered out loud.
"What? Raphtalia, don't be ludicrous! You would never allow me to-" Naofumi tried to protest.
"But I already have." The girl raised her voice slightly as she turned to face him. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes. "At the wedding when I- when I let those children die… I couldn't think of anything but you. I didn't care about them at that moment, because you were more important to me. And- and when you hurt Melty, I just stood there and watched. Because I was afraid that you would abandon me too if I spoke out."
"Even-" Raphtalia hiccuped. "Even when Fitoria t-took Filo, when she took my own daughter away, I didn't do anything! I just kept my head low and pretended like nothing was wrong!"
"How can I judge these people after that, when I'm no better than them!? When I'm just as spineless! When I would kill innocents for your sake, just as eagerly as them, if you ever ordered me to!"
...
"I... I understand, Raphtalia." Naofumi slowly, gently put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in, pushing his forehead against hers. "I disagree with you, but I understand. What you're saying, it's not something that I haven't noticed. But truthfully, I don't even know where to begin in addressing it. I would claim all responsibility, but I don't think that's what you want."
"No, no it's not." Raphtalia's breathing slowly returned to normal. She felt a soothing melody coming from the Katana at her side as if her weapon was attempting to comfort her. "Let's… let's talk about this later, okay? There are others who need help first."
"Of course. Let me stay and help too then." Naofumi nodded before picking up her hand and kissing it.
Raphtalia didn't look surprised at the Shield Hero's words. She merely gave him a small smile as he accepted what the right thing to do in this scenario was.
Dou-Lon really had been right before. Friend or enemy, no one deserved to suffer like this.
The two proceeded to go through the room together. Naofumi assisted with changing sheets. Preparing food for the girls. Replacing the bandages on some of them and using more healing magic where it was needed.
None of the girls talked to him. Hardly any acknowledged him or his actions. A few that looked more aware than the others stared at him as he helped them. Yet only one of them looked at him with any form of disdain.
They'd really been battered down that much before now.
He didn't let the one girl bother him. Nor did Raphtalia, or Filo, or Raph-Chan, or Dou-Lon, or L'Arc and Therese; as the latter two had joined in helping out after witnessing Naofumi start doing the same.
L'Arc had still been conflicted at first. His hands balled into fists.
Yet when Therese began to gently wipe away tears from a girl's face while speaking in a soft, comforting voice to her, he couldn't help it anymore. The King of Sickle grabbed a spare change of sheets off a nearby table and began assisting Naofumi.
At one point, to the Shield Hero's surprise, Akane, Daitan, and Hoshi entered the room as well.
Akane went and sat with Kizuna and Yomogi while the two boys followed Naofumi to assist him with his work too.
Well, Hoshi at least assisted with changing the girl's bandages. Daitan tried to help out by providing some humor at first. But…
"Hey, did you fall from heaven, cause girl, you could be an-"
Slap!
Yeah, he still wasn't that funny.
He at least got something of a reaction though.
"Seriously, check the mood of the room before something else comes out of that mouth of yours," Hoshi whispered to his fellow Hero after that.
"I was just trying to make a joke to help her feel better…" Daitan's head slumped.
He was forced to help Naofumi with the bedpans after that.
And Naofumi forced him to keep his mouth shut for the rest of his time there.
It was several hours after he arrived, and it was almost time for Naofumi to head back so he could get dinner ready for everyone when Naofumi and Raphtalia came to Tsugumi's bedside once again.
The layer of misery and depression still pervaded the room. But he couldn't say that he and everyone else there hadn't done their best to help out.
Even Daitan, after keeping his mouth shut, had done his part in alleviating their suffering the littlest bit.
Naofumi hadn't seen Tsugumi move at all during that time. She didn't move when Raphtalia helped her stand next to the bed, and she said nothing when Naofumi and Hoshi changed the sheets. She didn't open her mouth when Raphtalia tried to coax her to eat.
Yet, after Naofumi was finished changing the bandages around her head, her mouth finally did open.
"Why?"
Naofumi paused in his task. He had to look down at her face as if to confirm that was where the voice he'd heard had come from. It'd been dry, almost completely monotone, if not for the amount of pain held within it.
"Why…?" The girl spoke brokenly again. "Why are you helping us?"
"... I just feel like it," Naofumi answered plainly in response. "Do I need a reason?"
Tsugumi stared at him for a long moment. Raphtalia moved next to Naofumi, and Hoshi and Daitan moved back out of view to observe.
"You… you're our enemy. You killed… him. The one who saved us, the only person to ever care about any of us."
Naofumi didn't speak. He crossed his arms and frowned as the girl continued in her broken voice.
"Without… him, our lives are meaningless. We have nothing. We… are nothing." Tsugumi looked down at her limp, bandaged hands.
"What did he do for you?" Raphtalia asked softly. "What were your lives like before meeting that man to make you appreciate him so much? What has he done for you that'd make you stand beside him even after his death?"
Naofumi looked pensively, allowing Raphtalia to take the reins of the conversation.
Tsugumi's fist clenched. "Piss off." She said, a hint of anger reaching her voice as she turned her head towards Raphtalia.
As she was about to say more though, her voice died in her throat.
"I know what it's like," Raphtalia said, the most serious look ever on her face. "I know where you're coming from far better than you realize."
Naofumi nodded absentmindedly.
It was clear why this was so important to the half-tanuki girl.
It was just like this when he'd first met her in Belouka's slave tent.
It was just like this when they'd found Keel and the others inside Idol's cellar.
It was just like this when she'd failed to protect her village… those kids… from the Spirit Tortoise's minions.
"I know what it's like to have nothing. To be nothing. To just sit in a cell, a cage, with no hope whatsoever, merely waiting for the moment I'd die."
"That's why I'm here. That's why I'm trying to help you. I don't want anyone else to ever go through what me and my friends had to endure. Please believe me when I say that."
"Rafu." Raph-Chan landed on her shoulder. She nodded in agreement with her best friend.
…
Life left Tsugumi's eyes again. "You say you understand?
"For all I know, you aren't lying and you probably did come from the same situation as me."
…
"That isn't going to make me feel better though."
"That isn't going to make me want to continue living my life without him."
"..." Raphtalia began to tremble again. Her fangs began to show in her mouth. "How… could you care so much about such a piece of scum? How could you remain loyal to him after everything he did?"
"Attacking the populace because he wanted a weapon. Allowing him to kill his allies with a single command without even trying to speak up before that happened?!"
"To try and harm me and those I love all because the Katana chose me as its wielder instead of him! I can understand what you're going through right now, but I can't understand how anyone could value scum like him so much!?"
Tsugumi trembled in her cot. Raphtalia opened her mouth to continue her rant, but the girl's next words stopped her in her tracks.
"Do you think the thought never passed through my mind?
"That it didn't cross any of our minds at one point or another?"
…
Raphtalia shook her head.
The scarred, mauled girl continued to tremble in her bed. "I knew there were moments when I should have spoken up. When I should have tried to help him to change. When I should have left him since there was no doubt it'd lead to this.
"But… he was so kind to us. He treated us with love and care. And… when other girls did speak up when they saw him being cruel to others. When they tried to get him to change his behavior towards other people…"
"Those girls eventually left for one reason or another. And the lives that they returned to weren't happy ones.
"All of them were my friends. I didn't want the same thing to happen to me and the others." Her hand weakly lifted up and gestured to the others in the room.
Raphtalia became sad again upon seeing that. She was reminded once again of when Naofumi began hurting everyone around him. How she'd been too scared to try and speak up in their defense. How she'd blindly followed his orders, and hadn't tried to so much as stop him from burning every bridge he had until…
"If… if there was even a chance to bring him back. To ensure that all of them would be able to be happy again, then… … then… … …" Tsugumi huddled her hands to herself.
"I don't care about what happens to me anymore. Not only did I lose him, but I killed some of my best friends with my own hands. All because Kyo promised he would resurrect him.
"They will never live again, thanks to me.
"I don't deserve to live. Help them. They are the ones who deserve life. Not me.
"Please, just allow me to die in peace.
"It's more than what I deserve after everything I've done."
…
Tears leaked from Raphtalia's eyes.
She honestly had no idea what she could say to comfort this girl right now. What she could do to try and spark a reason to want to stay alive. Even if she did understand her situation somewhat, she was at a loss. And it didn't help that she still had so much fresh anger for Trash and for herself in her mind.
She may have accepted that she was now the Hero of the Katana, but it didn't make it any easier for her to move on from her past mistakes! She was far from becoming the perfect Hero her weapon thought she could become!
Naofumi rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him helplessly, not knowing what to do and silently pleading for him to help.
But what could he possibly do? He pitied these girls, sure, but it wasn't like he was anywhere close to forgiving them for siding with Trash.
But then, in moments like this, it was as if he could read her thoughts perfectly. And he understood every unspoken message she was giving him.
…
…
After another moment, seeing how Tsugumi hadn't moved at all after ending the conversation with Raphtalia, and with the latter's eyes pleading with him to at least try, the Shield Hero sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face.
"Well, if that's really the way you feel about it…" Naofumi turned the chair next to the bed sideways. He then sat down in it, rested his elbows on the back, and then rested his chin on his hands before looking down impassively at the dead-looking girl in the cot.
"... Then maybe you should tell the others to roll over and die too.
"After all, I bet they might listen to you if you told them to do that."
…
Her boyfriend's dry words stunned Raphtalia. At first, she was shocked at the cruelty of his words. She'd been harsh earlier too, yes, but she hadn't been that harsh.
Rage then boiled in her veins. She genuinely wanted to drag Naofumi from the room, slap him across the face really hard, and maybe even throw him out a window for good measure.
"WHAT THE HELL!? WHO THE &^%$ SAID THAT!? I'LL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!" Tsugumi turned over, a look of absolute rage on her face.
Naofumi smirked victoriously. "Well look at that, you do still have something that you care about after all." He said, gesturing to the other girls.
It was only then that Raphtalia saw why Naofumi had said what he'd said.
Tsugumi's shout had drawn the attention of most of them. Even some of them who'd looked dead to the world only moments earlier.
"OF COURSE I DO, YOU IDIOT! GODS, I SAID I'M THE ONE THAT DESERVES TO DIE! NOT THEM!" Tsugumi shouted in rage.
Had she not been so injured and bandaged up, she might have attacked Naofumi then and there with how furious she was at his suggestion.
"Alright then, tell me this." Naofumi's smirk dropped to a serious face as he leaned in close. "Do you really think that you rolling over and dying is going to help your friends out?"
…
…
…
…
The girl's mouth hung open. She had no words for the question he'd posed.
"Do know that I don't regret what happened to Trash. If I'd been capable of it, I would have killed him myself for what he'd done to me, my friends, and all those innocent bystanders in general.
"It takes one sick &^%$ to not only murder your entire family, but your hometown and countless others just because you wanted a stupid weapon. As horrible as his death was, he deserved far worse for his crimes.
…
"However, despite how horrible you're feeling about that bastard and what I did to him right now, that isn't going to change the fact that you're still alive. And that your friends here are still alive too." Naofumi said, his voice hard, yet still holding a touch of care in it.
He continued to stare down at Tsugumi as she looked up at him in shock. "That isn't going to change the fact that they look up to you. And that they care about what you're going through too. Honestly, do tell me, do you think that your dying will help them to feel any better? Are you not their friend as much as they're yours? Did they not stick around that &^*%%$^ for the same reasons you were?"
"I…" Tsugumi struggled to speak.
"Isn't that why you said you didn't speak up to that man? Why none of them spoke up to him either? Because you didn't want any of them going back to a horrible life like others from before? Because they didn't want the same thing to happen to you?!" Naofumi pressed. "Do you actually think they care so little about you that your death wouldn't affect them at all?!"
…
Tsugumi hung her head. Tears leaked out the corners of her eyes.
"Look. No matter how people treated you in the past, you still have each other. And without Trash or Kyo around to govern your lives, you're finally in a position to help each other out. To live the lives that you want, instead of blindly following someone else out of a sense of obligation and loyalty."
"You're obviously going to need to make up for the things you did first. I'm sure once you've all recovered and have processed all your trauma his Majesty here is going to have all of you work off your crimes." Naofumi's eyes narrowed at the ponytail girl before him. "But knowing him, he'll probably give you all a slap on the wrist and a waiver to do what you want in his lands since you're all cute girls in his eyes.
"Right, boy." Naofumi turned to look at L'Arc.
"Ki- Naofumi, urgh." L'Arc gritted his teeth at the nickname. "Obviously, I'm not going to enslave anyone. But I'm not planning on letting them off easy because they look beautiful!"
…
…
There was a long pause that made the Scythe King swallow. Even Therese didn't look like she believed him.
Come on Therese. He really wasn't that bad. He only flirted with the waitresses in bars because he wanted to make her jealous. He swore that was it.
He definitely didn't want to take any other girl to bed or anything like that.
Maybe the alleyway outside the bar? But not for anything more than making out.
"Well?" Naofumi asked when it took a while for L'Arc to respond. Therese's stare was only becoming more icy by the second.
"Well… I planned on having them help to fix the damage they caused to my city… But after that, I didn't plan on anything too drastic. Public work or military service, I guess?" L'Arc admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"Our world still has to fight the Waves after we've dealt with Kyo. And, to be honest, we need every pair of hands we can get." The Scythe King continued. "Though they've lost their weapons, there's no doubt they're strong enough to be able to assist as our previous battles with them have shown.
"It would also lessen the sentences I'd give them after the Waves are over. When we all survive this mess."
"... see? Case in point." Naofumi turned to Tsugumi again. Though he didn't see it, Therese's stare had become soft towards L'Arc again.
The Scythe King breathed a sigh of relief as Naofumi continued to speak.
"It's probably not what I'd do if I were in his shoes. But it's his country that'll have to deal with this should it turn out to blow up in his face like his attempts to make a working accessory."
"Hey!" L'Arc pouted.
"Naofumi, please tone it back a bit." Raphtalia finally told him.
"Alright." Naofumi breathed in deeply before looking at Tsugumi again. She was looking down at her hands. "My point is, don't just roll over and die because you let yourself be used by others.
"It's your life. If you're going to do something. Do it because that's what you want. Even if what you want is to one day get revenge on me. Just do it because that's what you really want and not because someone else that gave you something good ordered you to do it.
"Because otherwise, people like Trash and Kyo are going to keep on using you and your friends until all of you are dead."
...
...
"Or, they'll use you until you lose it and burn every bridge you have with others... Including the friends that genuinely care about you."
…
…
Naofumi's eyes clouded over for a moment, lost in memories that felt so long ago but were far too recent for him to be comfortable with. Raphtalia rested her head against his back, as well as a hand on his shoulder. The action brought him back to reality. "That's what I think, at least." He said, his face looking off to the side as his hand rested over his girlfriend's.
"After all, it's not like you have to take the word of the man who helped to kill someone that loved you."
Tsugumi said nothing in response.
…
Naofumi and Raphtalia eventually moved on to the last few girls. Hoshi and Daitan followed right behind the power couple.
"Naofumi," Raphtalia whispered in his ear as he was bandaging a girl's arm again.
"If it's about what I said, I'm sorry for being so harsh-"
Raphtalia shut him up with a kiss on the lips. He was actually surprised at the action, and it was over too quickly for him to try and return it.
She gave him a small smile as she pulled back. "Thank you, for what you said. It only continues to prove to my doubts that I made the right choice choosing to stand by you before. And it reassures me that I was right to say you are kind at your core."
Naofumi grumbled to himself. He swore he really wasn't that nice.
"If… remember, we promised to talk about stuff that was bothering us." He whispered to her. "If you ever need someone to talk to or listen, I'm here for you."
"I know… I just need more time to process some things." Raphtalia admitted. "I'll let you know when I'm ready."
Naofumi rested his forehead against hers. "I'll give you as long as you need."
The two were silent for a moment. Their breaths mixed with one another…
…
"Naofumi…" Raphtalia pulled back. He wondered if she was feeling better now or not. However, he was caught off guard by the deadly smile on her face.
"Y-Yeah?" He questioned.
"It might have worked out this time, but… I just want you to know that if you ever say such harsh things to someone else in this situation ever again…"
"I will not hesitate to throw you out of the nearest window."
…
Naofumi sweatdropped at how scary his girlfriend suddenly looked. It wasn't the hot sexy scary either, which somehow made it even more frightening than it already was.
"Do you understand?" Raphtalia continued in a faux-sweet tone.
"N-Noted. I-I'll make sure we're outside when that happens-" Raphtalia's smile somehow became even scarier at his words. It literally felt like something was crawling down his back.
"Actually, I'll be sure to watch my words in the future." Naofumi quickly chose to live instead of burying himself any deeper into the grave he was digging for himself.
Just like that, the scary atmosphere disappeared. Raphtalia gave him another smile and a kiss on the lips that he was able to reciprocate before she and Raph-Chan bounded off to help Filo and Dou-Lon on the other side of the room finish up.
At least he knew she was feeling better for the moment. Though, he was going to be there to listen when she was ready to talk.
…
Hoshi shuddered as he walked up to Naofumi. "That… that was scary."
"Yeah… I don't have anything I can add to that." Daitan admitted after gulping heavily.
"... though, the smile she was giving off there would definitely be useful for a Yandere character I have planned for my manga." Hoshi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Man, sex with her must be great if Naofumi here is willing to put up with that," Daitan said with an inappropriately pensive look. "You're so lucky man!"
Yep, Naofumi definitely had it there.
"Glass, please bury this idiot in the ground outside," Naofumi asked the nearby spirit woman. "I doubt L'Arc wants any more damage done inside of his castle right now."
"It'll be my pleasure." Glass didn't even hesitate as she grabbed the scrawny dirty blonde haired idiot by the ear and began to drag him out the doors.
"Wait- ah! I'm sorry, it was just a joke-! Please don't, this is getting really old!" Daitan pleaded for mercy.
"Should have kept his mouth shut." Akane sighed to herself.
Hoshi sighed to himself too. The Blunt Weapons Hero really needed to add a filter for his mouth.
Either that or admit he secretly had a fetish for domineering women planting his face deep into the ground or a wall.
…
It honestly felt like that idiot would never change.
A moment later, his job finally finished, Naofumi headed to the doors to leave. He was going to head back to Kizuna's house and prepare dinner for everyone after the long, exhausting day they'd had.
"You can't possibly mean any of what you said, you bastard!"
Naofumi stopped and turned at the sound of Yomogi's voice. The girl was glaring at him angrily.
"What?" The Shield Hero asked flatly.
"You're an invader in our world. All you want is to destroy it! You don't care about us or anyone else here!"
"I know your type! You're only using Kizuna and the others to your benefit! You're deceiving them and that's why they believe you're the good guys!"
"No, that isn't it at-" Kizuna began to say rapidly beside her.
"Is that what Kyo told you?" Naofumi asked, interrupting Kizuna mid-sentence. Unlike earlier, he continued after his first question. "Did it really look like I painted myself as a good guy there?"
…
The stubborn girl scowled in response but didn't say anything. Naofumi held his hands behind his back while staring back at her with the same flat expression from before. "I honestly have no idea what that guy has told you. But if you really had a single brain cell inside that head of yours, you'd know what he's claiming isn't anywhere close to the truth."
"Don't call me an idiot! I know what you're really after here! I will not rest until all the pain and suffering you inflicted on Kyo is returned upon your head tenfold!" Yomogi screamed at him.
Naofumi merely shook his head, continuing to look at the girl with contempt. "Right. Because Kyo is obviously in the right about everything. Just like Trash was to everyone else here."
He didn't bother to look at the boarish girl any longer. He turned back to the exit again. "I think you'll find that if there's anything I want, it's the exact opposite of what that Male Bitch has said about me.
"Besides, I'm not the one doing something that risks destroying the world Kizuna and her friends care about.
"I can't imagine what kind of monster would do something even knowing it could destroy those closest to him."
Naofumi walked out of the room after saying that. He didn't even bother to note Yomogi's retort to it.
He'd done what he needed to do there. His healing magic and his 'kindness' were no longer needed right now.
There were other things he now had to do.
Where he stood at the other end of the room, Dou-Lon was still smiling to himself.
"Ah, Sir Naofumi. You never cease to amaze me."
It'd only been a few minutes since the Shield Hero had left. Yomogi was still screaming her head off in her cot. But Dou-Lon and the others were almost done with their tasks.
Soon, L'Arc's medical staff would be coming back to take over for the night, after a long grueling day of treating the wounded soldiers elsewhere.
Hopefully, the help they'd provided here would make their jobs the littlest bit easier.
"Even now… Sir Naofumi's wisdom continues to surprise me." He said out loud again.
"He… that jerk amazes you?"
Dou-Lon looked up at the girl he was currently helping. If he recalled correctly, this was the same one he'd shown the act of mercy to alongside her friend Tsugumi.
"How could he not? He is the great Shield Hero, after all." Dou-Lon's smile turned into a grin.
"..." Mayori didn't say anything at first.
She, and almost everyone else there, had heard what Tsugumi had said. They'd listened to her conversation with the Katana Hero, and then the Shield Hero.
Their reactions were obviously mixed. Some were angry about how harsh he'd been to Tsugumi. Others had simply sunk back into their depression again. A few of them hadn't even cared that it had happened.
…
A few, like Mayori, were already pondering the words he'd said in their minds.
"He seems sort of average to me," Mayori said after a moment.
"... yeah, in some ways, he is." Dou-Lon agreed, much to her surprise.
"Isn't he a Hero from your world though?" She asked.
"He is." Dou-Lon agreed. "But as I've come to learn, he definitely isn't perfect."
The girl listened intently as the hakuko man continued.
"Sir Naofumi has made his fair share of mistakes. He even hurt me deeply with his words in the past." Dou-Lon's grin fell just a little, a sigh slowly escaped his lips.
"But he is a very good person at heart. Whenever he does make a mistake, he tries everything he can to make up for it. And when others are suffering around him, he will lend them a hand even if those people hate him for who he is."
This wasn't the first time Naofumi had done this. Even way back when he'd been peddling as a Night Merchant, he'd still helped with healing those that'd hated the Shield Hero.
Dou-Lon hadn't been around for it. But it'd been one of the things that'd come up in conversation with Miss Raphtalia while they'd been traveling together with L'Arc, Glass, and Therese.
"I don't know… he still seemed kind of harsh to me." Mayori looked down at the pillow she was clutching to her chest again.
"Yeah. But then, I think what he said was exactly what your friend needed to hear, no?" Dou-Lon asked.
Mayori looked up at the hakuko again in surprise. For some reason, the light of the evening sun shone through the window on him at that moment. Making his figure glow with an otherworldly light.
"You can't just live your life by what others dictate for you because of your race. Or the hand you were dealt. Or your life circumstances or geography or whatever you want to call it. I have no idea about your circumstances just like Sir Naofumi. But like him, I can speak from experience.
"It's your life to live, not anyone else's. You should have the freedom to stand up for yourself and for what you want and not live under the dictates of someone else. And it looked to me like your friend needed something like that told to her in strong words in order for her to listen."
…
Dou-Lon chuckled to himself. "Of course, if what you want is to murder others or do drugs or something like that, you should probably find something else you want to do with your life.
"It's your choice how you want to live, obviously, but making yourself or others suffer probably isn't the best way to go about it."
Little did Dou-Lon know that as he was rambling, Mayori continued to stare at him with growing awe.
"Anyway, is there anything else I can help you with?" Dou-Lon asked, clasping his hands together in front of him. He seemed happier that one of the girls had truly spoken to him at last.
"I-I…" The girl had to take a deep breath before she spoke again. "No, I'm good…"
"Alright. If you or your friends need anything else, feel free to let me know. There's not much else I can do besides train and wait for the day we invade Luvar so we can deal with Kyo once and for all. So I'll be more than happy to drop by and help in any way before that happens."
Mayori continued to stare at him, and Dou-Lon continued to smile. He felt happy that despite all the previous failures and disappointments, he'd been able to help alleviate the suffering of at least one person in this room right now.
Sir Naofumi's words had really struck a chord in the hakuko.
Even after he'd left, following behind Raphtalia, Filo, and the ever-lovable Raph-Chan as well as Therese and L'Arc, who'd had to leave to handle some things with his ministers, Mayori still stared at the spot where the hakuko had been standing.
Akane and Kizuna were still in the room. Trying to work together to calm Yomogi down. And Glass returned to the entrance, waiting to escort her best friend and the Jewel Hero back home.
Even as the sun gradually set outside, Mayori's gaze didn't move.
…
At some point, tears entered her eyes again. She hadn't even registered the nurses in the room who'd arrived to watch over them. She hadn't registered how the Heroes had left or anything else that'd happened during that time.
She didn't know what this feeling was in her chest. Gratitude? Appreciation?... Love?
...
Regardless, due to the Hakuko's kindness, Mayori was the first girl to finally grab the plate of food resting on her nightstand and start eating on her own.
Perhaps… even though she and the others hated him so much for putting them in this position with Kazuki's death…
Maybe there'd been a grain of truth in the great Shield Hero's words after all.
Author's Notes:
Man, what a place to end the chapter on. I almost feel a newfound appreciation for what I went through before writing this. I feel that I have a better understanding of mental health compared to before.
It sucked, yes, and I don't ever want to feel that low in my life ever again. So I'm going to do my best to live my life. And yes, I'll appreciate all the hands helping me along my way.
No omake for this chapter. But don't worry, the next chapter should have our normal shenanigans starting up once again :). Thank you again for waiting, and I'll look forward to seeing you all in two weeks!
Till Next Time
Allen