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Nirei wondered.
What was his purpose here?
It was to become someone useful to Boufurin, to contribute, to protect the town he loved. He had once naively believed that he could achieve that, that as long as he tried hard enough, he would find his place, he would become an important part of this place.
And yet, only now did he realize a bitter truth.
He was nothing.
Small, weak, like a tiny mouse scurrying in the shadows, surviving on the crumbs left behind by giants. A pitiful, miserable existence.
He sniffled, his nose stinging. A bitter numbness spread through his mouth, leaving behind the cold, metallic aftertaste of blood. Nirei called it the seasoning of life—the worst flavor he had ever tasted.
His chestnut-brown eyes, once shining like the morning sun, were now nothing more than empty hollows, as if submerged in the lightless depths of the ocean.
Nirei wanted to cry.
Cry because of his helplessness, because of the overwhelming sense of uselessness that gnawed at him.
He felt so alone. So, he buried his face into his knees, letting his tears fall freely, ignoring the dull, throbbing pain from his wounds.
And before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
His heavy eyelids slowly lifted, feeling like lead. A sharp pain surged through his body like a raging flood, making him jolt awake.
"Ah! Sorry, did I wake you up, Nirei-kun?"
He blinked in confusion at Tsugeuga, then glanced around, trying to gather his thoughts. Once he confirmed that everyone was safe thanks to Kiryuu, he finally felt some relief. As long as they were okay, it didn’t matter what happened to him.
Suddenly, Suou waved him over. Nirei didn’t understand why, but he foolishly stepped closer.
“?”
Smack!
A flick landed squarely on his forehead, catching him completely off guard.
Kiryuu and Tsugeuga stared in shock, while Nirei froze, hands instinctively covering his forehead as he blinked repeatedly.
Why… Why did Suou flick his forehead?
Suou let out a sigh, his gaze carrying a hint of both frustration and concern.
"Seriously… The moment you ran off, I thought something had happened to you."
"You really shouldn’t act so recklessly."
That expression—both angry and worried—was something Nirei had never seen before.
It made him feel incredibly guilty.
"I… I’m sorry."
Back then, Tsugeuga had said their victory was thanks to him contacting their upperclassmen. He had said that Nirei had helped the group.
His heart felt lighter now, the weight that had been crushing him finally lifting, even if just a little. At least… he had done something.
"What about Sakura-san?"
Right. Sakura. He was worried about him—someone so important.
"Sakura-san."
He had looked at Sakura, but… why was Sakura avoiding his gaze?
Don’t do that… Please.
"Take care of yourself first."
"Sakura really is amazing."
Of course. That was exactly why… why Sakura had helped him, why he was still here.
"Just blame it on me!"
No! It wasn’t Sakura’s fault at all. Please, don’t blame yourself!
And at that moment, Nirei realized his role.
He took slow steps toward Sakura.
"I’m not saying you should rely on everyone for everything, but… don’t carry everything on your own."
It’s exhausting—like shackling yourself to an enormous boulder.
Nirei didn’t want Sakura to bear it all alone, because he had already promised to help him.
"Aren’t we friends?"
My role is to support you, Sakura.
"From now on, let’s share the burden together."
I will do my best. Because Sakura and everyone else are the reason I’m here!
_End_