Chapter 35: That’s… a lie, isn’t it…?! Are you telling me a flag just broke?!
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Finally released, Kazuma grumbled to himself as he led Momoko and Sakura Hakanai back to Ivy.
“Honestly…! You didn’t have to get that angry.”
“Rather, shouldn’t you be glad it ended with just that?” Momoko countered.
“I just stated the facts, you know?”
“That might be so for you, Kazuma-san, but from the perspective of us ordinary people, we’d like any budding threats to be nipped in the bud quickly.”
“I get that, but as of now, there’s no suspicious movement, so I don’t think it’s a problem.”
“You can tell that much?”
“The two I’ve Marked haven’t made any noticeable moves from their fixed location. They’re probably holed up in their hideout, having a strategy meeting or something.”
“In that case, why not just take care of it quickly?”
“Like I said earlier, I’m busy with their training and developing my personal Powered Suit right now, so it’s fine to leave them be.”
“Even knowing that victims are still appearing because of the Ivera Church?”
“Let me be clear, I’m no saint. If people close to me are in danger, I’ll help them, but I couldn’t care less about the vast majority who aren’t.”
If someone was in trouble right in front of him, he’d help, but Kazuma wasn’t such a do-gooder as to help people on the verge of death in places he didn’t know about.
In the first place, many Japanese people were probably like that.
If a disaster occurred in a region where they didn’t live, they might express concern, but fundamentally, they were indifferent.
There were only a very few who would donate money or provide material support.
Japanese people were often thought to be full of compassion, but in reality, they were callous.
“Even though you have all that power…” Momoko murmured.
“Even with this much power, I’m not omniscient or omnipotent. I can’t save every single person in the world. More importantly than that, protecting those within my reach with all my might is what matters to me.”
“That’s right~. Who cares about the rabble, right?” Sakura Hakanai chimed in.
“You’re part of that rabble too, so even if you were dying, I wouldn’t save you.”
“Ah, how mean~!”
It was unclear whether he was joking or serious, but Kazuma stated that he wouldn’t help Sakura Hakanai even if she fell into a crisis.
Hearing that, Sakura Hakanai pouted as if dissatisfied, but it was unknown if she truly felt that way.
Since she seemed to be enjoying even this situation, Sakura Hakanai’s true intentions probably couldn’t be deciphered even with Momoko’s Mind Reading.
“Kazuma~~~!”
The first one to greet Kazuma upon his return to Ivy was Alicia.
She ran towards Kazuma like a large dog and dived straight into his chest.
“Whoa…! Sorry for being late, Alicia. I got caught up talking about various things, and it dragged on.”
“I don’t mind at all. I was having a nice long talk with Shar. More importantly, there’s something I’m curious about.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Is it true you pushed Shar to the brink of hell multiple times?”
“Probably, yeah. Though I didn’t intend to.”
“I heard, you know? You said it was self-defense training, but her arms and legs were torn off.”
“I thought it would be better for her to get used to it if she’s to make the most of her abilities.”
“Uh-huh. I get the logic, but what are you doing to a girl?”
“No, this was for Shar’s sake.”
“That’s your side of the story, isn’t it, Kazuma? Did you really consider Charlotte’s feelings? Wasn’t she crying terribly?”
“…She was, in the beginning.”
Gradually, Alicia’s tone became colder, and her expression clouded over.
“You know, I’ve had a similar experience. When I was little, because I developed the Gifts of Telekinesis and Barrier, I was separated from my parents and forced into torturous training every day at a facility. I was whipped with an electric whip countless times and cried so much. So, I understand Shar’s feelings very well. Moreover, in Shar’s case, the one doing it was Kazuma, whom she trusted, so I think it was even more painful for her.”
Just as she said, Charlotte was protecting herself by, among other things, creating a second personality.
The second personality emerged during combat, so she wasn’t aware of it, but if she were to find out, she would likely scold Kazuma seriously.
If things went badly, she might even get fed up with him and decide never to see him again.
“Kazuma, I understand that you truly are thinking of Shar. But there’s a limit, isn’t there? I think I could endure it because I’ve had similar experiences in the past, but Shar has always been away from conflict, so there’s no way she could endure it…”
“Guh…”
Alicia’s lecture seemed to have hit home hard, and Kazuma became dejected.
He had done it thinking it was for the best, but as Alicia said, from a third party’s perspective, Kazuma’s actions were likely the height of monstrous cruelty.
After all, he had abducted and confined her for decades using Space-Time Magic, on top of subjecting her to training that could be called torture.
That said, Charlotte’s Combat Power had also improved, so it wasn’t as if everything was bad, but the price for it being so enormous was something to consider.
“More importantly,”
Alicia turned her face from Kazuma to Momoko.
Momoko tilted her head, surprised that Alicia had suddenly turned to her.
“Is there something you need from me?”
“At the school festival, I thought you were a rude woman, but I’ll change my mind. I respect you for keeping your sanity despite being put through Kazuma’s wringer just as much as Shar.”
“Ah, about that. The premise is fundamentally different between Charlotte and me.”
“What do you mean?”
“As you said earlier, Charlotte trusted him. I trusted him too, but if anything, it was in a negative direction. I was certain nothing good would come of it. That prediction hit the mark splendidly, and I worked myself to the bone solely to make him pay. That’s all there is to it.”
“Even so, I respect you. Anger is the simplest and most powerful emotion, but it also cools easily. Yet you kept it burning for decades, didn’t you? That’s something an ordinary person couldn’t do.”
“Being told that makes me feel a bit embarrassed. However, as I said earlier, I’m someone who has only thought about making him pay, so I’m not the kind of person who deserves respect.”
“Fufu, if you say so, then I’ll leave it at that.”
After chuckling softly, Alicia extended her hand to Momoko, offering a handshake.
Seeing this, Momoko glanced at Alicia’s face, understood what she wanted, and accepted the handshake.
“Let’s get along from now on.”
“Yes. Likewise.”
The two exchanged a handshake with smiles.
There must have been something that resonated between them.
There was no doubt they would spend their lives together as friends from now on.
“Shall I comfort you?” Sakura Hakanai offered.
“Don’t need it…” Kazuma mumbled.
Sakura Hakanai approached Kazuma, who was hanging his head dejectedly beside this moving scene, intending to comfort him, but she was lightly brushed off.
However, the spirit he had before was completely gone.
It seemed Alicia’s lecture had been quite effective.
(Did Alicia come to hate me…?) Kazuma thought.
Alicia was the one with whom he had developed the best atmosphere since returning to this world, but because of this incident, Kazuma became convinced he was now hated by her.
(Hmph… Well, things like this have happened many times! Gotta stay positive! From now on, I’ll treat Alicia as a friend!)
Kazuma, who had fantasized about reaching the ‘finish line’ with Alicia when he was in America, was forced to realize he had messed up yet again with this incident, and decided to redefine his relationship with her.
Even if he called it “redefining,” it wasn’t as if he was cutting ties with her.
He would simply return to being good friends, just like before.
Kazuma vowed to himself never to misunderstand their relationship again.
“Oh, right. Kazuma! I realized from the last incident that I’m still lacking, so I want you to train me too!”
“Alright. But my training is tough, you know?”
“Just, please don’t make it the same level as Shar’s, okay?”
“Yeah. That part will be fine. Alicia already has combat-type Gifts like Telekinesis and Barrier. So her training will be different from Shar’s.”
“Then, I’ll be in your care!”
“Leave it to me.”
Suddenly, Alicia felt a sense of unease.
Kazuma’s demeanor was the same as usual, but it felt as if he were somewhere far away.
“H-Hey, Kazuma…”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, no, um. It’s nothing.”
“I see. Let me know if anything comes up.”
“Yeah…”
Alicia, who felt a slight wall-like presence, shut her mouth tightly and couldn’t bring herself to follow Kazuma’s retreating back.