□ Dormitory (Sakura Amagi )
I managed to get Tōma -kun, who was staggering from the shock, back to his room.
Afterward, I thought about staying with him, but he asked to be left alone, so I ended up coming back.
He looked so lonely…
I didn’t think things would turn out this way.
It’s awful—just too cruel.
The situation is so bad.
Is it because I invited Tōma -kun to the party?
When I returned to my room, Eriina was waiting for me.
“You’re not thinking this happened because you invited him to the party, are you?”
“Uh…”
She saw right through me. As expected of my best friend.
“How was Tōma -kun?”
“It felt like his mind was all over the place? I think he was mostly just overwhelmed.”
“I see.”
“After that, Shiraishi-san corrected the principal, who had completely misunderstood the situation, and made him realize what was actually going on. Shiraishi-san seemed to grasp everything accurately. Apparently, she’s acquainted with the announcer from Tokyo TV, and politely saw them out.”
“I see. But this will get out, won’t it?”
“It might already have.”
“What will Tōma -kun do?”
“Do you mean… like transferring schools? I don’t think that’ll happen.”
“I don’t want that…”
“Yeah…”
I feel like crying.
We’ve only just gotten closer, and I want to fight alongside him more.
In my whole life, I’ve never met anyone as trustworthy as Tōma -kun.
He’s always calm, says he’s an introvert, but he’s kind, funny, and strong.
Tōma -kun says I’m strong, but that’s only because he’s there.
Because he easily provides all kinds of support and healing, I can fight without hesitation.
An “all-in-one”? I’ve never heard of anyone like him.
He even said I could use his mana transfer if I ever needed it. Is there anyone else in Japan who can do that?
There’s no one else who can use levitation and teleportation so casually.
That’s why I could fight.
I don’t want to be apart from him… I really don’t.
“I absolutely don’t want to be separated from him.”
“Me neither.”
Hearing her words, I lifted my head. What I saw was the wistful expression of my best friend.
“We’ve already fallen for him, haven’t we?”
“Yeah…”
Eriina feels the same way.
I’ve always known.
I like Tōma -kun, and Eriina likes him too.
It makes me uneasy, and seeing Tōma -kun getting along with Eriina makes me a little jealous. But she’s my best friend.
“Why don’t you try telling him how you feel?”
“He’s kind, so maybe he’d stay… Is that selfish?”
“I don’t think so. You’d regret it more if you didn’t say anything.”
If we can all be happy together, that would be wonderful.
Polygamy has been legal in Japan for 10 years now. All that’s left is for Tōma -kun to accept it.
He’s kissed me, we’ve gone on dates, and we can talk about anything.
We’ve naturally grown closer, and someday, I thought… we could…
But I can’t just wait anymore. I don’t want him taken away, and I don’t want him to leave.
“But what about me?”
“Huh?”
Eriina looked surprised at my words.
“Did something happen? Did he say anything when you walked him back?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“Because… I’ve always made Tōma -kun suffer.”
“What?”
“You’ve noticed too, haven’t you? Tōma -kun can’t withstand ‘Mana Release.’ Or maybe he is withstanding it… but he’s constantly taking damage, isn’t he?”
“…Sakura.”
“That magic of Tōma -kun’s—it probably transfers the damage he’s taken to his opponent. Back then, his entire body was covered in burns and bruises. He might have even had fractures. But the dragon hit by his magic showed the same reaction as someone exposed to high-density mana—it couldn’t even think straight.”
I was shocked.
I’d thought there was no problem at all.
I thought he could nullify its effects, like the “Mana Resistance” Eriina acquired.
But that wasn’t it.
He was… literally enduring it.
Even though it must have been so painful.
Once I realized that, his strange actions started to make sense.
Like when he stopped the Archdemon’s self-destruct attack.
He staggered and nearly collapsed.
At the time, I thought he was desperately trying to prevent the attack.
But that was just what I wanted to believe.
Looking back, he was already faltering before the Archdemon even attacked.
Why?
It can only be because my “Mana Release” was affecting him.
There were nights when he suddenly stopped replying. It was always on days we had exploration exercises.
He must have endured and then collapsed into bed.
And I never noticed.
I even made thoughtless comments, like “Did you go to bed early last night?”
I was the worst.
I might not only have been hurting him—I might have been pushing him to his limits.
And then to tell him I love him…?
“You’re overthinking this. Don’t, Sakura.”
“But…”
“No buts. If Tōma -kun really was affected by ‘Mana Release,’ then why do you think he kept quiet and endured it?”
“Huh?”
“…Don’t you get it? You two really have no sense of your own worth. He endured it because he wanted to stay with you. Maybe he was confused at first, but after teaming up with you, he looked like he was having fun.”
“…Really?”
“You know it’s true, don’t you?”
“…”
“Talk to him properly, okay? This won’t just end like this.”
“Yeah.”
Having a best friend is the greatest. She’s so kind, I feel like I don’t even deserve her.
We talked late into the night and eventually fell asleep together.
