Chapter 77
On a night of heavy rain, Haruto sat opposite Ronóva at the small table in her room. Strangely, Ronóva's head was tilted slightly to the side as she stared at the floor, deliberately avoiding eye contact with him.
"H-hmm… I want Yomi to attend school in your nation," Ronóva said, her narrowed eyes revealing a faint exhaustion. "Let her stay there. It's close."
"Huh… you want Yomi to stay with me, basically?" Haruto asked, slightly surprised, though he was not against the idea. "Why the sudden change of heart? You said you wanted her here."
"It's for… the best," Ronóva replied in a tone that made it sound as though her body was physically present, while her mind was somewhere else entirely.
"For the best?" Haruto repeated softly, his eyes narrowing as he studied her condition. She kept avoiding his gaze, carrying herself like someone whose mind had been completely drained.
"Yeah…" Ronóva answered in the same distant tone.
Thunder cracked behind her from outside the glass door overlooking the balcony, the sudden flash of lightning briefly illuminating the room and revealing the seriousness settling into Haruto's eyes.
"Ronóva… did something happen?" Haruto asked calmly, without an edge in his voice.
Her eyes widened slightly at the question before quickly returning to the same expression she had been wearing.
"No, Haruto… everything is fine," Ronóva replied blankly.
Haruto's eyes widened, not because of her tone, but because she had called him by his name.
(Something is definitely wrong. She never calls me by my name. It's always 'darling' or something.) Haruto thought, worry quietly entering his expression.
"You're my… wife," Haruto said as he rose slightly over the table and reached out to touch her chin, gently trying to turn her face toward him. "We've been together long enough for me to know when something is wrong."
Halfway through his attempt to bring her into view, Ronóva slapped his hand away. The sound echoed sharply through the cold room as she quickly rose to her feet and stood in front of the glass door, her back turned toward Haruto.
Haruto was momentarily stunned, staring at the hand she had slapped away with slight shock in his eyes. After a moment, his hand slowly lowered to his side as he stood upright as well.
(As her partner, I have to help with any problems she faces, right?) Haruto thought as he slowly walked toward her, carefully stretching a hand toward her shoulder.
"Hey… talk to me. Please, look at me," Haruto said softly as he tried to reach out to her.
"Don't touch me!" Ronóva shouted, pushing Haruto away hard enough to send him into the table. "Just don't… Leave!"
Ronóva's eyes widened at the words that had escaped her mouth. She immediately turned around to apologize to Haruto, but he was already gone, leaving her standing motionless in the middle of the room.
"Oh no… what have I done?" Ronóva whispered, her voice carrying a faint trace of pain as she fell to her knees. Another flash of lightning illuminated the room, followed by the distant rumble of thunder.
Outside the room, Yomi leaned against the door with tears gathering in her eyes, tightly hugging the doll Haruto had given her.
"Why are Mommy and Daddy fighting?" Yomi asked softly as she slid down the door and curled into herself, burying her face against the doll.
"Everything will be fine, right, Princess Nova?" Yomi whispered to the doll as thunder from outside filled the hallway, white flashes of lightning briefly spilling across the walls.
(Why am I always the…) Haruto thought absentmindedly.
On Planet Earth, Haruto stood in front of Velmaria's doorstep, pressing the doorbell as he prepared to take care of his twins for the day.
For a while, Velmaria had already opened the door and was talking to Haruto about something that seemed serious, though he could only hear the words Ronóva had said to him before.
"I'm sorry, Haru, but I can't trust you to take care of our children. You're a danger to them," Velmaria said softly, her voice carrying a painful hesitation. She stopped and lowered her gaze, guilt evident in her expression.
"Oh… okay…" Haruto replied absentmindedly.
Velmaria looked up in complete shock, only to see that Haruto was already making his way toward the gate with slightly unsteady steps.
"Hey, what's wrong? I didn't mean to…" Velmaria said as she stepped forward and reached out to stop him, her hands hovering uncertainly before she finally pulled them back.
(I've never seen him like this…)
Haruto continued walking without turning around.
(Everything is becoming too much. I just want all these feelings to stop.) Haruto thought, his throat dry as he struggled to keep his emotions under control.
(Ronóva hates me. My own blood sister, Yuna, hates me. Velmaria doesn't trust me. I can't even see my twins…)
His thoughts became increasingly tangled as he lowered his gaze.
(It's all so stupid. Why does everything have to feel this heavy?)
Haruto closed the gate behind him, unaware that Velmaria was already running after him. When she pulled the gate open again, however, Haruto was gone.
She stood there in confusion, looking from side to side as she tried to understand how he could have disappeared so quickly. The sidewalk was empty except for a few supercars passing along the road.
Haruto appeared inside his bedroom and fell face-first into his pillows, a quiet groan escaping him as his body finally relaxed against the mattress.
(Why am I acting tired even though tiredness doesn't apply to me anymore?) Haruto wondered as he lazily slid off the bed.
The only source of light in the room came from a small table lamp, its glow falling across an open book with a pen resting between its pages. Haruto's shadow passed over the light as he walked toward the door.
(Ronóva doesn't hate me. We just need a little space, right? So I'll give her that.)
Haruto nodded to himself after settling on that conclusion before leaving his bedroom and making his way toward the kitchen for some snacks.
As he passed the living room, whose door was slightly open, he unintentionally glanced inside and saw Yuna and her friends enjoying themselves.
Because he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, Haruto walked straight into Kuroha. Instinctively, he caught her before she could fall, his hands briefly steadying her around the waist.
"Sorry there," Haruto said, looking at her with a calm expression. "I wasn't paying attention."
"Oh, no, it's fine," Kuroha replied, her cheeks turning a soft pink as she smiled awkwardly at him.
"Glad to hear it," Haruto said with a slight smile before loosening his hold and stepping back.
(She really does have a narrow waist… second only to Ronóva, of course.)
"Sorry, girls. I gotta go to the bathroom for a bit," Yuna said from inside the living room.
The moment she opened the door and saw Haruto and Kuroha standing together, however, her expression shifted.
"What are you two doing together?" Yuna asked softly, confusion entering her voice as she stepped toward them.
"We just happened to walk into each other. Sorry to make your friend wait," Haruto replied over his shoulder as he began walking down the illuminated hallway. "Take care, Kuroha. Hope to see you again."
"Huh?! Yeah…" Kuroha answered nervously, watching him leave.
Yuna's eyes narrowed slightly with dislike as she walked over to Kuroha.
"Ahahaha… he's so nice, huh, Kuroha?" Yuna said, putting on her usual cheerful expression and forcing a happy tone. "Okay, then. You should head back. I'll go to the bathroom."
"Oh, okay," Kuroha replied before turning around and returning to the living room, completely unaware of the tension beneath Yuna's smile.
Meanwhile, Haruto was already busy in the fancy kitchen. He took a bag of chips from a shelf filled with all kinds of snacks and placed it beside the bread he was preparing.
After pulling a butter knife from the drawer, he began spreading butter evenly across the slices. However, he soon sensed a presence behind him and let out a quiet sigh before placing the knife down.
"What's up? Do you need something, dear sister?" Haruto asked as he turned slightly toward Yuna, a plain smile resting on his face.
"Stay away from Kuroha and all my friends," Yuna said firmly as she stood at the entrance, her expression serious.
"Mmm…" Haruto responded, a faintly annoyed expression crossing his face as he turned his back to her and continued spreading butter across the bread.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, brother!" Yuna snapped, her frustration growing as one of her fists tightened at her side.
"Do you think I want to do something to your friends, especially Kuroha, since you only mentioned her name?" Haruto asked calmly as he finished buttering the two slices.
"Of course I do. I know what you like, brother. You… you—"
"If I wanted to do something, I would've already done it. You should know that better than anyone," Haruto interrupted with a faint smirk as he placed cheese onto one of the slices. "What would I even gain from those Pointless Things?"
"Pointless things!? Take that back!" Yuna snapped, lowering her gaze as she clenched her teeth in anger. "They have names."
(Whatever.) Haruto thought as he finished preparing his bread, tucked the bag of chips beneath one arm, and held the sandwich in his other hand.
Without saying anything, he walked toward Yuna and passed her, stopping only a single step behind her.
"I'm the true heir of the family. You're just an ant here, dear sister. So if you try to fight with me, nothing's going to happen."
Haruto gave a slight smirk before continuing down the hallway, leaving Yuna standing frozen in place.
A soft laugh escaped him as he walked away.
(Oh man… Big Sis is totally going to beat me up for saying that to Yuna. But whatever.)
With that thought, Haruto continued toward his bedroom, leaving Yuna alone in the kitchen.
At the Academy in the Satoria Federation, Haruto stood at the front of the classroom while his students sat quietly at their desks, their attention gradually settling on him.
"Now then, my diamonds in the rough. After who knows how many delays, you and the Solmaria Kingdom will finally fight the heroes," Haruto announced with a smile.
"I can't wait! It's gonna be so much funnn!" Amara exclaimed brightly, throwing a fist into the air with excitement.
"So, Teach, when are we going to fight them?" Kaito asked curiously from his seat near the front of the class.
"That's going to be on Friday," Haruto answered happily.
The small class immediately became lively as the students began talking among themselves, even though there were only eight of them.
"What, Friday?! But why? We're having a festival! How are we supposed to enjoy it when we're supposed to attend a tournament?" Aya asked, clearly frustrated by the timing.
"Ahaha, don't worry. You can still attend the festival, and the tournament will happen later in the day," Haruto reassured her, casually waving his hand.
"Whoa, for a second I thought I was going to spend the entire festival stuck in a boring class," Shizuku said as she leaned back in her chair.
"Man, that hurts as a teacher," Haruto muttered to himself, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward smile.
"Well, anyway, guys, let's begin class. I've got a special lesson for you all that can help you during the tournament," Haruto said casually.
The students immediately turned their attention toward him.
"I've already taught you all how to use mana for things like strengthening your bodies and other applications," Haruto continued as he turned toward the whiteboard, resting one hand against his hip.
(With extreme effort and discipline, we can finally use all seven elemental magics through our great teacher's instructions.) Takumi thought as he listened carefully to every word Haruto said.
"Now, for our special lesson, I'm going to help you obtain your own summon creature, something that can aid you if things start getting troublesome," Haruto explained.
"Summon creature…?" Ayame repeated in confusion. Since she had never heard the term before, she raised her hand slightly. "Sorry, Teach, but what is a summon creature?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Have I told you about that yet?" Haruto asked, slightly surprised. "Let me enlighten you, okay?"
[Haruto explaining Summon Creatures]
"Ohhh."
The entire class nodded with a better understanding of the concept, while Renji immediately began taking notes. The others soon followed, copying down what they considered important.
"The Academy doesn't offer summoning classes or anything like that, so this is something that only you guys are going to learn," Haruto said.
(Maybe I should make this an actual class.)
A while later, they stood upon their private training ground atop a massive mountain with a flat summit, its grass evenly cut across the entire area.
Haruto and his students stood in front of a massive white magic circle, faint white light flickering across its intricate patterns.
"Alright, everyone, listen closely. One at a time, you'll step inside the magic circle. All you need to do is sense the link, just like how you sense mana," Haruto explained.
"I'll go first."
Takumi stepped confidently forward, though beneath his composed exterior, he was completely nervous for some reason he couldn't quite explain.
(He's so cool…) Aya thought happily, clasping her hands together as she watched Takumi with admiration.
The entire class moved closer, eager to get a better look at what was about to happen. Haruto remained behind them, watching from a short distance and deciding to intervene only if something went wrong.
(I'll have to put some effort into helping them. At their current level, they probably won't be able to be chosen by a summon creature on their own.)
"Hmm, Teacher…"
Kuroko stood nervously in front of Haruto, her head lowered as she nervously played with her fingers.
"Oh, Kuroko. I didn't see you there. Is something wrong?" Haruto asked curiously as he observed her body language and expression.
"It's not about school or anything. I just want to know if you know what's wrong with my sister, Ronóva," Kuroko said softly.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know. I did ask her what was wrong, but she pushed me away, so I guess she just wants a little time to herself," Haruto replied gently, his eyes shifting slightly to the side.
"Why are you even doing this? You're her lover. When a girl says she needs space or something, it always means the opposite," Kuroko said with slight frustration. "Idiot… why did my sister have to choose you…?"
"Huh…?"
Haruto was caught off guard by her words, especially by the final sentence. His throat tightened slightly.
"Do you even know anything about her, huh?" Kuroko asked, her fist tightening at her side. "You totally don't understand her at all."
(…Right now, I can't even argue back, so I guess it's all true. Thinking about it now… what do I actually know about Ronóva?)
Haruto lowered his eyes, becoming lost in thought.
"TEACHER!"
Amara's scream suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts.
Haruto turned toward her just in time to see a gigantic ink-black horse with a long mane falling across its face, one of its hooves raised as it was about to come down on Amara.
In an instant, Amara vanished from beneath the creature as Haruto appeared with her safely in his arms. The horse's hoof crashed into the ground, leaving a massive impact and sending a powerful shockwave across the training ground.
The other students raised their arms to shield themselves from the force as Haruto carried Amara to a safe distance and carefully set her down.
He immediately turned back toward the dark horse as a deep roar echoed across the mountain.
(Shit. I put too much mana into the magic circle. This thing's gone completely berserk.)
Haruto's eyes narrowed as he watched space distort around the creature under the pressure of its immense magical power.
He rose to his feet and faced the dark horse directly. Dark lightning struck around the creature, crackling through the air as though dancing around its enormous frame.
"So, it's a Nightmare Horse," Haruto said as he slowly floated into the sky. "Not a problem. It's just strong, about as strong as I was back in my Spider King state."
In a flash, a beam of energy struck the Nightmare Horse before it could even react.
The beam drove the creature into the ground, and when the light finally disappeared, the horse lay unconscious.
"It's down," Shizuku said, her voice slightly subdued by how easily Haruto had ended the confrontation. They had barely been able to approach the creature because of the overwhelming magical power radiating from it.
"It's only unconscious," Haruto explained as he landed beside Shizuku. "There was just an overuse of something, so when it wakes up, it shouldn't be acting violently anymore."
"If you say so, Teach. But Takumi seems to be unconscious too," Renji said, pointing out that Takumi was already slumped over his shoulder.
Haruto turned toward them.
"I'll take care of that. The lesson will still continue," Haruto said as he took Takumi from Renji. "Let him rest at the side for a while."
The Nightmare Horse then began dissolving into dark clouds of energy, its form disappearing completely before the remaining darkness rushed toward Takumi.
The energy entered Takumi, settling within him and waiting for the moment the Nightmare Horse would be called upon again.
The next seven hours passed with the class continuing their training until night gradually settled over the Satoria Federation, leaving Haruto and his students exhausted enough that even the usually energetic atmosphere around them had quieted considerably.
After leaving the academy, Haruto walked through the streets of the Satoria Federation alongside his students, the warm organic lights shining through shop windows and spilling across the roads while only a handful of people remained outside beneath the darkening sky.
The streets were unusually quiet compared to the daytime, with most citizens already returning home for the night, while colorful posters advertising the upcoming festival remained attached to walls and street posts throughout the peaceful city.
Haruto glanced around at the familiar scenery, realizing that it had been several months since he had properly sat down and eaten a normal meal, considering how rarely he actually felt the need to eat anymore.
His gaze eventually settled on a small ramen shop farther down the street, its warm interior light standing out against the cool darkness surrounding the building, and without much hesitation, Haruto changed direction toward it.
When he stepped inside, an elderly man behind the counter looked up from what he had been doing and immediately raised one hand apologetically.
"Sorry, kid. We're about to close. Come back tomorrow."
Haruto stopped near the entrance, his expression falling slightly as he looked toward the counter, clearly disappointed by the timing.
Before he could say anything, however, the old man seemed to recognize his voice, and his expression changed almost instantly as he stared at Haruto with widening eyes.
"Wait... that voice..."
A bead of cold sweat formed along the old man's forehead before recognition fully settled in.
"Your Majesty!"
Haruto blinked, slightly surprised by the sudden change in attitude, while the old man hurriedly straightened himself and gave an apologetic bow.
"I'm terribly sorry! Please, sit anywhere you like!"
Haruto looked at him for a moment before simply nodding, deciding not to question it, and walked toward one of the seats beside the large window overlooking the quiet street.
The old man quickly returned behind the counter and forced himself to calm down before putting on a welcoming smile.
"Welcome to Mr. Ramen Shop. What can I get for you?"
Haruto rested one arm against the counter while considering the menu, though his decision did not take particularly long.
"Your most famous ramen. Family size."
The old man immediately nodded.
"Two minutes!"
He hurried into the kitchen and began preparing the ramen himself, moving quickly through the process since he was apparently the only person working at the shop that night.
While waiting, Haruto turned toward the large window beside him, watching the cold mist drifting through the streets outside while the warm light from the shop reflected faintly across the glass.
The contrast between the quiet night outside and the warmth surrounding him made the small restaurant feel strangely comfortable, and as Haruto rested his cheek against one hand, his thoughts inevitably returned to Ronóva.
He still could not get her out of his mind.
Haruto stared through the window for a while longer, his expression becoming slightly distant as he thought about everything that had happened between them.
"I should see her again."
He paused for a moment before quietly answering his own thought.
"Yeah... I should."
A few minutes later, the old man returned carrying an enormous bowl of steaming ramen, setting it carefully in front of Haruto alongside a pair of chopsticks.
"Here you go. Enjoy."
Haruto looked down at the massive portion in front of him, the steam rising gently from the bowl as the rich aroma filled the small shop.
"How much?"
The old man waved his hand dismissively.
"On the house."
Haruto raised an eyebrow, but before he could respond, the old man continued while pointing toward the wall behind him.
"I just have one request. Would you mind taking a picture with me? I'd like to put it up there."
Haruto followed his gaze toward the wall, where several framed photographs had already been displayed, each one apparently belonging to someone the old man considered special.
Among them were photographs of Fuyume and Lunara.
Haruto looked at the collection for a few seconds before a soft giggle escaped him, his expression easing as he glanced back toward the old man.
"Sure."
After finishing his meal and taking the requested photograph, Haruto eventually stepped outside the ramen shop and continued through the streets beneath the deep night sky, leaving the warm glow of the restaurant behind him as the quiet nation settled further into sleep.
The streets had become almost completely empty by then, with only the gentle lights from houses and shops illuminating the roads while the distant sounds of the city had faded into a peaceful nighttime silence.
Haruto took a slow breath of the cool night air as he continued walking through the empty streets, the warmth of the ramen shop gradually fading behind him while the soft lights of his sleeping nation stretched quietly along the road ahead.