Chapter 28 – part 2
As we left Reina’s small room and intended to return to the dorm, familiar figures could be seen near the entrance.
At that moment, being reminded of what happened the other day made a shiver run down my back.
The tall owner of a dark blond ponytail; the owner of the marshmellow melons. Though I think it can be questioned to make a judgment based on b.r.e.a.s.t.s, there is no mistake. When they noticed me, they walked over to meet us midway.
“Vito, chan?”
“…”
It’s Chiffon, and Ariade. It seems to me that they are confused to see me and Maribel together. Their faces are becoming stiff. No, actually I wonder if there are other reasons.
Like the thing with the rumor, or that they are nervous to be around the Dragon Building which is filled with Dragons, or various things.
“Uhm, we heard Vito-chan was here.” (Chiffon)(1)
“Vito, this is about the rumor but, … Is it true?” (Ariade)
Compared to Chiffon, what I heard from Ariade was a straight ball. I like that in her. But, it’s not a ball with a change of speed, it’s too straight so it left me mumbling. (2) It was a voice lower and softer than usual. And the atmosphere as if speaking with someone you meet for the first time it made me feel like running away. I said I was resting because I was feeling ill, yet I ended up disappearing just like that so I caused the both of them a lot of trouble. And the friends with whom I get along the best at the castle are Chiffon and Ariade. About the rumor, I think they were probably told something by a coworker. Thinking that, I feel that what I did to them is very inexcusable.
Particularly to Ariade, I ended up doing something very rude when I suddenly escaped. I’m, making the preparations to be yelled at.
“…I’m sorry to have kept silent.”
At my apology the two people lower their gazes.
I do not know what to do. Originally I wasn’t planning to stay in the castle, so regarding them I was thinking ‘if it’s just this much,’ while resigning myself (3). Because I thought it’d be rejected when they learned the truth. Because I was afraid that if that happened, I’d be confronted head on, and I wouldn’t be able to stand it. (4) So at that time, I ran away. But, it was thus made that I’d remain in the castle, so I should have made preparations for when we ended up meeting again. It was inevitable. But, I do not know what to do to. If I apologize, would that be fine? Or should I behave defiantly?
Maybe she grew impatient because we continued to stay silent, but Maribelle grabbed my arms, and hugging me to her chest, she dragged me away. Her arms have the making to be a boyfriend’s arms (5). By being pulled so suddenly I almost fell, but somehow I managed to steady my feet, and we briskly begin walking in a in a fast pace. When Ariade blocks our way in front, Maribelle raises the end of an eyebrow and makes a challenging expression. It’s the same domineering att.i.tude she made when I first met her.
“You guys, what’s your business here? If you have no other businesses then please leave. You are a hindrance.”
“Maribelle, I” (Vito)
“It’s fine, right? Lunch break is about to end, so let’s go to eat to Na.s.sau’s place quickly.”
Mr. Na.s.sau!! I want to eat! I want to eat his cooking by all means but…!!
It seems I’m losing to my appet.i.te, but right now is not the timing to be thinking such a thing.
“Wait a moment please. We have an issue to discuss with Vito, won’t you please not take her away as you please?”
Ariade’s cold gaze is directed to Maribelle.
“You guys have no business here. More over what are you to Vito?”
“How about you, what are you to her.”
“What am… I’m, I’m her friend!”
“Oh really now. We’re her close friends, and we also have been so from waaay before you. And what’s more Chiffon and I are even her roommates.”
“And so what! Because we’re sleeping together in the same bed!”
“Wha, …I, I’ve chosen clothes for her! And she looked very cute in them! It’s a shame you couldn’t see her!”
“That loses to Vito wearing my frilly negligee!!”
“I, I wanted to see that… that’s not it, —!!”
“Ugh… even I one day—!!”
Stop iiit don’t fight over meee!! …I had wanted to say this at least once. Or perhaps I should say I wanted to be born a man, huh, if I had the current situation would be a harem. (6) …It isn’t the time to be joking? Sorry. I wanted to escape from the current reality in front of my eyes. ‘Cause I’m scared, too scared. Now I understand the feelings of the men of action. (7) What you’re saying makes me happy and embarra.s.sed, but please don’t say it out loud. … Somehow I don’t like this. Though I do not want to see my friends fight because of me, since I’m afraid of these people who are shouting to each other by no means could I jump in to stop them. (8)
I heaved a small sigh, yet when I thought I heard the sound of a running nose nearby so I looked towards Chiffon’s figure, I was startled.
“Wait, calm down the both of you, Chiffon is crying.”
I wonder if their threatening att.i.tude and yelling made her scared. As I hurredly approach her in a panic, she says even while letting sobs out.
“…Don’t, fiiiight …Vi, Vito-chan suddenly went missing, and the rumors that are going around say that she’s a dragon or something, I don’t know what to do anymoree…”(9)
“Chiffon, don’t cry.”
Although my chest tightened at those words, I take out a handkerchief from my pocket and wipe the messy tears that overflow from her honey colored pupils.
“Uu, ee, Vito-chaan” (t/n: crying sfx xD)
“Look here, you should blow your nose.”
Zupiｰ.
“Thank, yoou.”
Oops, I have no more handkerchiefs. As I was in a panic by not having something to wipe the tears still flowing in a mess, a pale colored handkerchief presses softly onto the area around Chiffon’s eyes.
“…I’m sorry, I flew in a rage for a little bit. Forgive me.”
“U, uuhh…”
This time Ariade was wiping the tears and blowing her nose. She looks like a mother from here. She’s the same as always, very caring.
The tears stopped after a while, and somehow because of that the two stopped glaring at each other, that was helpful.
Did she calm down? Ariade who recovered her cool turned to me with a slightly sad expression.
“I just wanted to know, whether the rumor is true. So I came to meet you. That you are… that, a Dragon, I can’t believe it, but if it were true… honestly, I’d be scared.”
Is that so. Who would think that the person whom so far they thought to be their friend would turn out to be a Dragon who eats humans? It’s not very believable, but now in front of me I can see the relation we’ve had until now crumbling in an instant.
“But now, I realized when I met you, that it’s stupid that I was troubled.”
Are you saying that Anticlimactic also a good place I, and.
“I heard the rumor, and… I was wondering if you had changed, or if you had become a fearsome creature, I was really scared. But it was me the one who ended up changing my att.i.tude towards you who were being thrown all around by the rumors. (10) I’m sorry, about the other day. Because I ended up taking that kind of att.i.tude, you—“
Ran away.
That’s it. Because I couldn’t stand Ariade who was making those eyes at me, nor the inquisitiveness from the surrounding gazes, I ran away from the castle.
“Tell me Vito, you ‘saved’ my little sister, right?”
I saved her younger sister?
I heard the story of Ariade’s sister a long time ago. Also I know she was troubled over it. And I am involved with it as well. But I never mentioned that I saved her.
Without knowing why such a thing was said so suddenly, it made me blink.
“After that, I tried asking her again when she was in a good mood, and she said with a smile, ‘the Dragon saved me.’ I was surprised since she said something different until now. Besides it has been a long time since I saw her smile like that.”
“But, that is”
“My sister said so, so it must be true. I believe in my sister. And, —I want to believe in you as well.”
Ariade laughs with her usual smile.
“…As per usual I don’t know what you are thinking, but you are surprisingly bad at lying, you’re gentler than anyone, and you even empathically let me converse with you. You also saved my little sister. And, you are sweeter than anyone towards Chiffon. I noticed that, since you are the Vito I know, whether you are a Dragon, whether you are human, that won’t change.”
No! I feel tears coming, such a failure. (11)
“Now that I think of it since your common sense is a bit out of place, it’s not strange that you were a Dragon, or even another kind of creature. Yet it was odd that it was us the one who changed their att.i.tude, and we ended up hurting you. So if from now on we can continue as we have until now, ..that, I’ll be happy. ”
“Ariade… Thank you.”
I’m happy to be able to have wonderful friends. There’s no thing happier than this. Though it would not have been odd even if they persecuted me, they accepted me. Though it would not have been odd even if they rejected me, they smile gently towards me.
Surely Ariade was very troubled as well. So she came to see me trying to find the truth. I’m happy just with that already, but she even said ‘as we have until now.’ There’s nothing happier than this.
…No! I’m about to cry. But there are no more handkerchiefs.
Then from the side a handkerchief with a lot of pink frills was swiftly offered. Maribelle had offered me a handkerchief while facing the other way. Such a favor made me happy, and made me want to cry even more.
“But I think, that I’ll cause trouble to the both of you.”
“Like with the girls we work with, huh? Certainly it has been heard by a lot of people these few days. But I won’t cut my connection to Vito even in the slightest for such a small thing.”
“I’m also fine with it! I want to work together with you again!”
I think that it’ll be impossible to work. Yet those feelings made me happy.
“And besides Vito, you, aren’t Dragon-like at all.”
Ariade laughs and says the same thing that Maribelle says. Am I so un-Dragon-like to such an extent? Should I be glad or not? But I am very happy right now.
“Vito-chan, you, you won’t e, eat me, right?”
“I won’t eat you. Everyone, I won’t eat you.”
As if I could eat you. Even if you asked me to I won’t. Definitely!
Chiffon laughed as if she is relieved. Could it be she was worrying over if I’d eat her or not? Certainly it’s said that I’m a flesh-eating Dragon, but I won’t eat my important friends. Honestly I always want to sigh at this me so full of contradictions; however I can’t go on like this. I won’t get troubled over it now because I won’t find an answer even if I dwell in it.
“What’s more, I’m sorry to have charged at you.”
Ariade directs her line of sight to Maribelle. Chiffon says ‘You were jealous, right?’ and Ariade blushes at this. Is it fine for me to think, that I’m being loved even though I’m like this?
“… Hmph, it’s not like it matters to me anymore.”
Maribelle seems to be complaining somehow. But then I notice that her real feelings were heard in the previous quarrel, and she even lent me a handkerchief. I’ll wash it and return it next time.
She grabs my arm again, and forcefully pulls me.
“We’ll leave if your matters are finished. Not much is left of lunch break.”
Na.s.sau’s rice! It’s not negotiable! But, I feel it’s lonely to separate from the two of them here. Did she notice I was feeling that, Maribelle lets out a big sigh as she looks at Ariade’s, Chiffon’s and my face.
“… In any case, even if you guys want to follow, I will definitely not say it!”
You are a tsundere, I know.
The rear view of Maribelle rapidly walking away on her own is charming.
“Surprisingly she is also a good child. Really, rumors can’t be relied upon.”
I also nodded with a laugh to Ariade’s words.
Translator’s Lair~
DEM FEELSSSSssss…
Also, I’m sleepy as well, dunno why. So if there are sentences that makes no sense towards the end it’s cause the kitchen is too far away and the cup of coffee doesn’t want to prepare itself then fly over on its own no matter how much I will it to…
(1) chiffon & ariade’s speeches. Chiffon refers to Vito adding a –chan, while Ariade does not. Also, since Chiffon is more talkative, one can guess who is the one talking and keeping silent.
(2) I know naught of baseball, other than you play it with b.a.l.l.s and a stick. … ehem. There’s also a square place and… well, I know just the generals, not the kind of pitches nor anything technical. I wish the j.a.panese liked football (soccer) more than baseball right now ;-;
(3) a bit unsure about this one~ もともと城には戻る気はなかったから、彼女たちのこともこれっきりだと覚悟していた .
(4) mashoumen, 真正面 (not macho men xD). Can mean right in front, or to confront head on. Goo dictionary: She literally says that xD whether she meant that her embrace is safe or the like, or that maribelle has tough arms like a man’s… I guess it’s the former, lol. 彼女が彼氏にする腕の組み方だ。
(6) vito’s female harem – so she is aware of this! But what about Captain and Lance!?! btw, stefanos can just die xD the prince could be added too once he stops being a failure of a prince :3
(7) dunno how to express this better: 今なら修羅場の男性の気持ちがわかる i think she says she now understands how the men who fight in battlefields feel, but what the h.e.l.l does that have to do with anything? It’s because those men are pursued by lots of women or something?
(8) 怒鳴り合う – tentative Reading: okonariau. Apparently means to shout to each other. Not sure~ Chiffon says dragon in hiragana どらごん rather than the katakana that’s often used to write it. ドラゴン. Probably as a mean to differentiate that usually Dragon is used to refer to the country’s holy beast or important species, but here chiffon meant, like, a beast or something unknown.
(10) sayuusareru – sayuusuru: to be thrown left and right. Dunno how to make it sound better here… 左右されて. = でも噂に左右されて貴方に対する態度が変わってしまっていたのは私の方だったわ.
(11) urutto – urutto suru. うるっと To be about spilling tears; that tears are about to come out. Yahoo answers (jp):