Kays Translations

Chapter 34: The Shape of Family

As the sky broke, I returned to my world.

The sun had completely set and it was night, and there were no people in the schoolyard at all, so I assumed that everyone had gone home.

“Irena-san. Is your leg okay?"

“......Yes, I'm fine."

Irena said this with a frown as she soaked her bright white exorcist's clothes in blood.

It’s absolutely not okay.

The moment I thought so and tried to heal Irena's leg, she called a fairy spirit. The fairy entered the wound in her leg and slowly created a ripple of light.

It was Irena's "healing magic”

The wound on her leg was healed little by little, and after watching for a while, the wound was completely healed.

By the way, Irena has a wide variety of fairies.

I think she summons various fairies according to the magic of each of them.

I want to be able to do the same thing soon.

“Itsuki-san, I'm sorry for showing you the unsightly part.”

“Uh, don’t worry. It's nothing.”

After saying this, Irena-san, whose wounds have healed, gets up.

Then Irena-san picked up the fainted teacher instead of Nina-chan and looked at me.

“I am taking this person to the hospital, but would you please take Nina home?”

“No, I won't take her home.”

I declined instantly.

Irena widen her eyes in surprise.

“Irena-san, you should take Nina-chan home.”

“Me? But then you’d have to go to…”

Irena-san frowns in annoyance.

“In the first place, do you know why Nina-chan wants to become an exorcist?”

“Nina? it's because she's a child and she's longing for a taste of righteousness. There's no deep meaning in that."

I almost put my hand on my forehead when Irena-san said that.

Hey! Is she really serious?

I held Nina-chan, who was lying on the ground, in my arms, and I let my head fall to the side.

“No, Irena-san. You’re wrong.”

“What makes you think I’m wrong?”

Irena-san really didn't seem to understand what the difference was.

That's why I was a little hesitant, but I decided to tell her instead of Nina-chan.

Why is Nina-chan aiming to become an exorcist?

If it were true, it would be better let Nina-chan tell her with her own mouth.

But if they kept crossing paths like this, it would be better for someone else to tell her. Of course, I know that this is unnecessary and I'm just being nosy.

But Nina-chan taught me magic.

She showed me the kind of mind I should emulate.

Is it strange that I don't want her to suffer?

“Nina-chan is trying to become an exorcist so that Irena-san will approve of her.”

"For me?"

"That's right. Nina-chan said If she beats me, Irena-san will look at her. That's why she’s going to become an exorcist."

“That’s..."

Irena-san looked at Nina-chan, who was quietly raising and lowering her chest in my arms.

“Nina-chan told me about her shopping trip with you and she seemed to enjoy it. When I heard that, I thought to myself, Nina-chan really loves you.. Irena-san, you also tried to keep Nina-chan away from the exorcist life because you care about her, right?"

When I said that, Irena-san became silent.

“If that's the case, why don't you guys talk about it properly? Face it, if you talk it out, surely!”

I thought of something as I said that to myself.

Could it be that Nina-chan's poor speaking ability was inherited from Irena-san?

No, this seems pretty likely.

Especially when they are trying to push each other to do what they want to do based on their mutual feelings.

But as I said this, Irena-san continued with a smile as if she had given up on the whole thing.

“Facing it? That's a cruel thing to say, Itsuki-san.”

"......Cruel?"

“I have done terrible things to her. I've done it because I thought it would be good for her. I know that this is not an excuse, still, I thought it was for her sake that I did so.”

Irena-san spun her words in a matter-of-fact manner.

But there was heat. A quiet, silent, hot heat.

It was like smoldering coals.

“A year ago. Her father was killed by a monster. Her father was killed in front of her eyes, and when I held Nina-chan in my arms, her whole body bathed in blood, her heart broken, I decided that I would protect her no matter what. For that, I was willing to lose my motherhood...."

“............"

“I sealed her memory and stopped teaching her magic. And I closed the information so that she would never set foot in the world of exorcism, so that she would never touch this world. Was that idea wrong?"

“That’s….”

I don't know.

I don’t know how I'm supposed to understand such a thing.

I still don't understand a lot of things.

What do I know about people? I, who in a previous life only grew older, became an adult in name only, and died leading a life that was no different from the one before? How can I judge someone? How could I possibly do such a thing?

“I'm willing to suffer a grudge if it means protecting Nina. No matter how much this girl hates me, if she can grow up without dying, I will gladly accept it. Itsuki-san. I will still not face this girl."

I nodded my head at Irena-san, who looked as if she had let it all out.

I nodded and she continued.

"I’m not facing her......no......no....”

I have never had children in my previous life or in this life.

I don't think I've lived a great life to be able to talk to other people's families.

But ...... I think.

Even so, there are things I can at least understand.

“Nina-chan doesn’t want to hate you, Irena-san.”

“That’s…”

Irena-san must have been thinking hard.

How can she protect Nina-chan?

How could she keep Nina from dying?

And then she came up with the idea of making Nina hate her too much, too clumsy. She’s just like Nina-chan in that way.

“I think that's why you and Nina-chan should have a proper talk. Why don’t you want her to become an exorcist? I don’t know why she wants to be an exorcist. There’s no way both of you will understand anything if you don’t face each other.”

That was my real intention.

We have all these feelings for each other, but we waste them.

Why would you try to make it a surprise?

It's such a waste.

I don't know if my words got through to her or not.

But Irena-san's expression suddenly relaxed.

“I’m not a good mother if I’m being told such a thing by a six-year-old.”

“............"

“Itsuki-san, you may be right. Maybe I should have listened to Nina-chan more.”

Irena said this and then turned on her heel.

“Irena-san!”

“Don't worry. I'll talk it over with Nina. But, Itsuki-san, you can't carry this person with you.”

I was so shocked.

...... Well, yes, the teacher is an adult and may be difficult to carry unlike Nina-chan.

“I'll call an ambulance. Then I’ll take Nina home too.... so I'd like you to wait here.”

“......Yes. I'll be waiting for you, Irena-san.”

I let out a relieved breath.

I turned my back to Irena who was carrying the teacher, and I threw a few words at her.

“Come to think of it, if you didn’t want Nina-chan to get involved with the world of exorcism, then why did you tell her to marry me?”

As I said this, Irena-san stopped and turned around.

“Because I thought you would protect the one you were marrying. I thought that if Nina married a man who was brave enough to face and exorcise a 'Sixth Rank' at the age of only five to protect his family, he would protect Nina no matter what.”

“What made you ask me to come to England?'

“I thought that Nina would be more comfortable in the country where she was born and raised.”

Irena-san's words made me chuckle.

I was reminded of what Nina-chan had said to me one day.

Something like “Mama only sees Itsuki”

But the reality was the opposite.

Irena only saw Nina-chan.

“Did you talk to Nina-chan about it?”

“No, I haven't. I don't think so. I would never do that.”

“Was it right to do it to me?”

“Because Itsuki-san, you protected Nina without my shallow ideas.”

“Nina-chan is my friend.”

"......Yes, I know that.”

With that, Irena-san leaves with the teacher.

I thought I had received more love than I could hold from my family when I came to this world.

But I am sure it was the same for Nina-chan.

With this thought in mind, I waited for Irena to come back.

As I waited, I thought from the bottom of my heart that it would be nice if the two of them could become closer and get along.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter