Ryuu Kusari No Orishin No Naka No Kokoro
Chapter 2 Part 3

After school, Nozomu, who finished his school studies, came to the central park of Arcazam.

The park is built around the school. On weekdays, students will spin thrilling adventure stories. During the holidays, long lines formed for the various stalls to be opened. It is also a place for people to relax.

The reason Nozomu came to this park was simply to think.

As he lay on the park bench, he thought of something he could not get rid of.

About his past and his future. His relationship with Lisa, the words left behind by his master, and the dragon power within him were still unresolved.

But no matter how much he thought about it, Nozomu still did not know what to do. Of course, that's natural. He's just starting to see "now".

Looking back at his escape from reality, he didn't think it was okay to just let it go.

But…

Nozomu remembered the giant dragon inside him. An entity that can swallow, eat, and destroy everything. Even after the battle with Shino, Tiamat still had an overwhelming presence in Nozomu.

Nozomu's face was distorted. His expression looked extremely painful even when seen by others.

When he learns that Tiamat is not dead but alive within him, he cannot imagine how this will change his life.

The Solminati Academy was established and maintained with investments from every country on the continent. As students trained in the school will grow to influence the international situation in the future, the school attracts the attention of the respective governments of the countries, and political bargaining is always done in public and in the shadows here.

If a dragon slayer who had not appeared for hundreds of years appeared in such a hotspot…

To Nozomu, Tiamat, being pushed into his soul, was too heavy a burden both mentally and physically.

"What are you doing, Nozomu-san?"

Suddenly a voice called out to Nozomu as he thought of his problem.

Looking to the side, a girl of about 10 years old was peeking at him with a black cat on her arm.

"Your facial expression tells me that you're troubled, are you okay?"

The girl looked very worried. Nozomu hurriedly fixed his expression and smiled at the girl.

"Un. I'm fine, Somia-chan."

Name's Somiliana.

The meeting between Nozomu and him goes back to the time when Nozomu managed to rise to the third year.

Nozomu goes for a walk in the city on a short vacation when the school is closed temporarily due to the transition of second grade students to third grade, and third grade students to fourth grade. After somehow passing an additional exam of the year-end exam and progress was decided, he stopped at a food stall in the park to buy lunch. He bought whole-grain bread with vegetables and sausages sandwiched between them.

As he was walking around and eating the bread he had bought from the food stall, he saw a girl nervously staring at a tree in the garden.

He had no one, and he seemed to be unable to do anything by himself.

There was no other choice but for Nozomu to go over to the girl's side and call her out.

"What's wrong?"

"Eh"

The girl noticed Nozomu's voice and looked at him. She was about 10 years old and had shiny black hair trimmed on her shoulders, a beautiful girl with jet-black eyes.

His facial features are still soft and cute, suitable for a child his age.

"Well, I'm actually playing with Kuro-chan…"

The girl said so and looked at the tree.

When Nozomu looked up at the tree, there was a black cat on the tree branch, and it seemed like this "Kuro-chan" was a black cat. The black cat was playing with something on a tree branch.

"That's my armband, Kuro-chan. It doesn't suit you. Please give it back, Kuro-chan."

Maybe black cats really like armbands. He chose to play with the arm ornament on top of the girl.

"That's inevitable"

Nozomu stuffed the half-eaten bread into his mouth and started climbing up the tree. The black cat raised its tail and felt cautious when looking at it.

"Return it quietly."

Nozomu climbs to the same height as the black cat and tries to catch the cat, but he threatens her with "Fusha" and swings his paws to fight back.

"Hey! Don't fight!"

"Fugia!"

The cat fought back further and finally jumped towards him. Unable to move in the tree, Nozomu is scratched by a cat.

"Aw aw aw!!!! This fucking cat!!!"

A great fight between Nozomu and a cat takes place on a narrow tree branch. He couldn't move because he was in a tree, and the cat just scratched at him as if saying, "That's none of your business!"

Nozomu gradually lost his balance. The branches squeaked, gradually unable to withstand its weight, and finally broke. The branch broke with a sharp sound!

"Life!!"

"May!!!"

Drawn down by gravity, Nozomu and the cat fell head first to the ground.

However, as expected of a cat, the black cat quickly turned in the air and went into the arms of the girl. Compared to that, Nozomu did not regain his posture and fell to the ground awkwardly. He crouched on the ground with a pitiful groan, "Muh!".

"…E, ermm...are you okay?"

Nozomu managed to get up while holding him back and replied, ". Un. I'm fine."

She looked at him anxiously, and thoughts of his embarrassing behavior suddenly jolted in her mind, and she felt sad.

"More importantly, is the arm decoration okay?"

The black cat was still clinging to the arm ornament inside the girl's arm, but the arm decoration itself didn't seem to matter.

"Thank God. Thank you." Thank you."

The girl looked relieved from the bottom of her heart, and she smiled like a flower. For the first time after a while, Nozomu returned a natural smile to his innocent and pure expression. Ever since Shino died and she lost her place, Nozomu's heart became tense without even realizing it.

"sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I'm Somiliana. My friends call me Somia!"

"I'm Nozomu Bountis. It's okay with Nozomu. Somia-chan... May I call you that?"

"Yes! Please treat me well, Nozomu-san!"

"Together here, treat me well."

Although they introduced themselves to each other, Nozomu noticed her clothes. He's wearing an Ecross uniform.

Ecross is a school affiliated with Solminati Academy, and most children around 10 years of age attend school.

The purpose of the establishment of the school is to educate children with great potential early on to develop human resources that have higher abilities. Children from all over the continent and children with rare abilities were gathered and educated here.

"Somia-chan, you're Ecross's student right?"

"Yes! Thatvs right. I'm in fifth grade this year."

Ecross is a 6th grade SD school. That meant he had been educated for at least five years.

Entering Ecross is equivalent to his talent that has been recognized by many countries. Nozomu thought that there was a ten thousand year skill difference between the two of them.

"But Nozomu-san, you're a student at Solminati Academy right?"

He struck her with a smile like a sunflower.

"Un. Well, I'm an inexperienced guy. My journey is long. I'm under 10th grade."

"Is it like that? Then it's the same for me! The journey is long too!"

Somia answered timidly, sticking out her tongue. She is a very expressive girl. When he saw her smile, Nozomu also mysteriously became excited.

(Somehow, Somia-chan seems to fit in with Anri-sensei's personality)

Nozomu saw the face of his class teacher inside him. Anri-sensei seems to have a relaxed personality and the same sun-like smile as Somia. Her relaxed personality that could only be described as bright was replicated in Somia-chan. In short, they were like two identical gears, just spinning together.

"By the way, does Somia have a purpose? You said 'the journey is still long', so somehow I feel you have it."

"Ah, Yes! My sister is my goal!"

When asked about her "sister", Somia became more talkative, and her smile shone 50% brighter.

"One-sama is strong!"

"One-sama is cool!"

"One-sama is good!"

The person in question seems quite capable, and Somia-chan also loves her "Ane-sama" from the bottom of her heart. It was obvious that he missed her.

At the same time, Nozomu felt worried. Worried that he will be overwhelmed, injured, or captured by a strange man.

As far as she heard from the story, she seemed to be similar to "Ane-sama" - her, so they were really brothers.

When Nozomu saw the black cat in Somia-chan's arms, the black cat was still playing with its arm ornaments. He took a closer look and found that the arm ornaments were beautifully decorated and also had small bells decorated in the same way, and anyone, even with untrained eyes, could not see them, you can see its great value.

"The decoration of this arm seems to be quite valuable, but what is it?"

"Oh, this arm ornament seems to be passed down from generation to generation. It seems to have become a tradition, and it is said that if you have this, you will definitely be able to meet again someday even if you part ways."

"Hee, that tradition must have made you very happy."

"Yes! It used to collect dust in the warehouse, but ane-sama gave it to me! I hope our bond will continue even if we leave the house."

He happily talked about the ornaments of his arm. He cares for his family above all else, and this little tradition of his. He wanted to feel his family's bond by always wearing the traditional arm ornament.

He talked about it, but then he remembered the black cat that was clinging to the arm ornament and he picked it up.

"Oh, right. Kuro-chan is enough."

When he picked up his arm ornament, the black cat flicked his arm like a baby whose toy was taken away as if saying, “return, give it back”.

"Although that's the case, it's a very naughty male cat."

"Gee!"

"Because he took his owner's belongings and played a lot with him, and he still hasn't played enough …"

"… Um ………"

Somia-chan tried to say something.

"Sir, Nozomu-san. Kuro-chan is a girl………"

"………Eh?"

"That's why I told you, she's a girl."

This black cat is a female. It was very naughty, and he was fighting with Nozomu on the tree branch, so he could only think of him as a man.

(Usually, Kuro is the name given to men)

"Um... why call him Kuro?"

"Well, somehow I find that funny, don't I?

"…i saw."

It seems that his naming sense is a little wrong.

"Again, I'm not the owner of Kuro-chan. I'm sure this kid's abandoned."

It has been told in stories that she was seen around the Ecross school building from time to time, and then Somia-chan started playing with her.

"Hee, so he's a stray cat? It seems like she really likes Somia-chan, so I wonder if Somia-chan is trying to nurture her." Nozomu said.

At that moment, Nozomu reached out to Kuro.

"Sha!!!"

"Aah!!"

Suddenly Kuro scratched Nozomu's hand.

"ah! Are you all right? Kuro-chan is very difficult to please and it is difficult for her to accept people."

"Aw aw aw. Is that so?"

"Yes, there are no boys in my class doing their job. But girls are okay…"

(Are only boys bad ..)

For some reason, this black cat seems to only like girls. When Nozomu looked at Kuro while rubbing his scratched hands, he was still in his arms and was exactly like a stray cat.

When Kuro saw Nozomu staring at him, he turned around and started to relax inside Somia's arms.

(I-this cat!)

Nozomu glared at Kuro, but Kuro ignored Nozomu completely. He tried to reclaim Somia's arm ornament again.

"Wait a minute, don't do that, Kuro-chan!"

In a sense, it is a very cat-like behavior.

After that, a violent fight between Kuro, who tried to play with arm ornaments, and Nozomu, who tried to stop him, ensued. After a while, the two get along well when Somia mediates between the two of them.

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It was the first meeting between Nozomu and Somia. After that, they met in this park a few times and chatted lightly. Sometimes there is a decisive big battle between one person and a particular animal.

"By the way, Somia-chan. It's almost your birthday, isn't it?"

"Yes! I'll be 11 soon!"

She said so happily with her usual smile, but the next moment her happy expression faded.

"But, it looks like my father won't be back even if it's my birthday."

According to the story, his father was always busy and rarely came home. It seemed like her mother was dead, and she only had an older sister as a family.

"But Ane-sama is going to have a birthday party for me!"

Somia smiled again, hiding the loneliness in her chest and behaving cheerfully.

(. He is a strong boy.).

When Nozumu thought about it now, he would be more pampered by his parents when he was his age. Seeing him behave well, Nozomu was impressed and sad. It was painful not to have anyone to spoil her when she wanted to.

Nozomu remembered about himself. He was isolated at school. He can't count on anyone. He averted his gaze, and his mental state was so weak that it could break like a tight thread.

At that time, how many times had he been saved by the words "Welcome Back", and the embrace his master gave him?

He is able to remember the love of those who have forgotten.

Her frozen heart gently melted and was able to cry as hard as she could.

He realized that he was not alone.

Thanks to his master's acceptance, he was finally able to accept that person's wish.

He was able to speak earnestly, fight with all his might, and take that person seriously.

And he taught her something important.

"If Somia's birthday, maybe I should give you a present too"

"Eh, are you going to do that for me?!" he asked with a big smile. Initially, he did not expect Nozomu to prepare a gift.

"Yes, I can't prepare a big one, but I'll prepare a good one."

"Yes! I'm looking forward to it!!"

There was no shadow of loneliness on his face this time, it was like "the sun".

(i'm happy. No one wants to see a good girl with a dark expression.)

Nozomu saw her smile and felt relieved.

"By the way, isn't there something to do today?"

The Ecross Academy had already closed and the students should have gone home already, so Nozomu did not understand why Somia was still here.

"Yes, Ane-sama will pick me up today!"

(Talking about her sister, who was praised by her when I met her, I have never heard of her sister in detail.)

Seeing her in the park next to school after school, her sister might have a relationship with the school.

"Somia-chan, is your sister at Solminati Academy?"

"Yes, Ane-sama is also a student at Solminati Academy, just like Nozomu-san!"

"Hey"

(n, wait)

Nozomu looked at Somia's face. He had shiny black hair, jet-black eyes, and a neatly arranged face. Nozomu looked at the shadow of someone on Somia's face.

"Hey Somia-chan, maybe your sister…"

"Somia, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

When Nozomu turned to that sudden voice, Nozomu's body was completely petrified.

Long straight black hair that extends up to the waist. With deep jet-black eyes, his appearance was too neat and unrealistic. Her face was dignified, and her limbs, blessed by the goddess of beauty, seemed to reveal an aura worn only by the chosen ones.

She was Irisdina Francilt, the top third grade student in Solminati Academy!