The Guest House.
One of the school facilities used for the opening ceremony. It is also where Nozomu lives now.
Returning to the guest house, Nozomu entered through the main gate and went straight to the residential section of the building.
When he opened the door to the dining room, he was greeted by an appetizing aroma.
"Welco ho, Nozomu, you're late."
"Yeah, I'm ho, Iris."
A black-haired girl greeted Nozomu upon his return.
She was probably doing so cooking. Irisdina stood in the kitchen, which is attached to the dining room, wearing an apron over her regular clothes.
The bell of her hair ornant, which adorned her, made a shrill and refreshing sound.
"The al will be ready in a minute, you can go wash your body first."
“A-, alright, thank you. I'll take you up on your offer then..."
Nozomu and Irisdina were currently living together in this guest house.
Considering their special circumstances, this is a natural arrangent.
Of course, they are not alone. Two teachers are living with them as supervisors.
The teachers who live together with them are Inda, Jihad's second-in-command, and Anri, Nozomu's horoom teacher.
However, according to Irisdina, they have not yet returned from the academy.
Incidentally, the other Francilt family mbers are being taken care of at Mada Parline's mansion.
The place where the Francilt mansion used to be has literally been cleared, so Mada Parline took care of them.
After cleaning off the day's dirt and getting dressed in the simple bathroom provided, Nozomu went straight back to the dining room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Oh, just in ti. It's ready just now, so let's eat it right away."
Dinner was already laid out on the table.
Bread, stew, and salad. And a grilled wurst. It was a typical commoner's dinner.
Nozomu took his seat and first put a spoonful into the stew.
at simred with animal milk and a variety of vegetables danced in the bowl.
The aroma of the milk and lted vegetables stimulated his nose, and his throat naturally started to salivate.
Nozomu gently put the spoon into his mouth, trying to appease his stomach's urge to hunger.
"... It's good!"
The spoon naturally kept moving. Such words were unintentionally leaked out as the umami taste spread in his mouth.
Seeing Nozomu's reaction, Irisdina's mouth was smiling happily.
"Thank you. I've never done ho cooking before, so I was a little worried."
Irisdina said that although she had learned about this kind of cooking, she had hardly ever practiced it.
However, it turned out to be quite delicious. The vegetables that lted in one's mouth went well with the stew, which had a concentrated flavor.
Above all, the warmth and comforting feeling of the stew naturally perated into the body.
"Thank you for the food. I'll wash the dishes."
"T-, thank you. Well then, please."
After finishing the al, Nozomu began to put away the dishes. anwhile, Irisdina went to the bathroom.
As she left the dining room, Nozomu wiped off the stains on the dishes and rinsed them off with water.
After cleaning the stains again with the soap provided, he wiped off the remaining water with a dry cloth.
The soap was not the soft one used on the continent, but a stiff, hard one.
It seed to have been recently made in the craftsn district of Arcazam, and it was easy to use, with little of the characteristic sll of sothing made from animal oil and li.
He then covered the leftover stews and salads with a cover so that they would be ready to eat when Anri and Inda returned ho.
"Okay, we're done..."
"Thanks for your hard work. What will Nozomu do now?"
After a while, Irisdina ca out of the bathroom.
Her wet black hair and nightgown were glamorous, and the way she brushed her hair back made his heart skip a beat.
His heart thumped loudly. Since they had started living together, Nozomu had been getting nervous more and more often.
"U-, umm, there's nothing more to do today. But I don't feel sleepy yet either... I think I'll go for a little walk in the garden, just to freshen my stomach."
"Okay, let's go together then."
"Aren't you cold?"
"Don't worry, I won't be out that long."
"Good grief…"
Nozomu picked up a scarf from a nearby coat rack and draped it over Irisdina's shoulders. He thought it would be bad for her body if she got cold after taking a bath.
"Fufu~, thank you."
After putting on their coats, they went outside the guest house.
The garden, which had been crowded with people during the opening ceremony, was deserted, and snow was piled up here and there.
The frozen snow made a crunching sound as they stepped upon it.
The cold winter air caressed their bodies, which were burning from the bath and al. For a while, the two of them walked slowly side by side along the garden path, relaxing in the pleasantness of the air.
"Iris, how's your body?"
"No problems at all. Rather, I'm in better shape than I was before. Even my hair is back to normal."
Nozomu was concerned about Irisdina, who had beco a Dhampir, but she smiled cheerfully while making a fist pump with both hands.
Although Nozomu was relieved to see her energetic deanor, he couldn't help but notice that Irisdina's eyes had turned a dark purple-blue color.
"But the color of your eyes is..."
Irisdina's hair returned from white to black, but the color of her eyes did not completely return to normal.
This was probably because she had changed into a completely different race. This fact left Nozomu with a little regret.
"Well, it can't be helped. Besides, I'm glad. Thanks to this power, I didn't lose anyone I cared about."
Irisdina, on the other hand, was unperturbed and didn't seem to be bothered by her situation. She was still smiling as she kicked the snow around her feet like a little child.
"Of course, now that I've changed, things certainly won't be the sa as they were before."
"Did sothing happen?"
"I am officially no longer the next head of the Francilt family. In other words, I'm disinherited."
"...……"
According to Irisdina, since she is no longer a human being, she is no longer qualified to take over the Francilt family.
Nozomu was taken aback by her words.
"Hold on, there is more to this story."
"Eh?"
Upon seeing Nozomu's serious expression, Irisdina continued her story, looking a little flustered.
"The next head of the family will be Somia. Along with that, I will serve the Francilt family as counselor and regent."
"Somia-chan?..."
"Yeah, and this idea ca from Somia herself. Fufu~, surprising, isn't it?"
"... No, not really. If it's Somia-chan, it wouldn't be surprising if she would voluntarily consider succeeding Iris."
Nozomu's stiffened eyes naturally relaxed as he looked at Irisdina, who smiled again and began to play with the snow. This ti, he was able to properly accept her words.
"Hmm, you seem to be saying that you know Somia better than I do. I'm not going to let you get away with that!"
"You're showing a competitive spirit over such a thing?..."
Even after becoming a Dhampir, Irisdina is still a sis-con as ever.
Nozomu couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the sight of her unchanged character.
"Well, that's how it is. When I heard this idea, I actually did not feel sad or frustrated, but rather happy for Somia's growth."
This was the beginning of a transition from being an object of re protection.
This incident brought about a big change in the two girls, Irisdina and Somia.
Such a change in two cherished people. Nozomu was genuinely happy to see their growth.
The Francilt family will undoubtedly face difficult tis in the future, but there is hope for the future. That's what he thought.
"Well, Father, after much dismay, was being shaken down by na and Mada Parline though..."
"Victor-san?..."
"When I told him that I was going to be disinherited, he almost bit his tongue and cried tears of blood. Seriously, Somia seems to be more dependable than him..."
"A-, hahaha..."
But there were also those who were more likely to remain the sa. It should have been a good thing, but Nozomu's body was drained of strength all at once.
Although Viktor has been behind a lot of things this ti around and must have a lot of responsibility to bear, he seed to have not changed his love for his daughters.
"Well, that's how it all worked out for us. So I have nothing but gratitude to you. Thank you for coming to our rescue at that ti."
Illuminated by the moonlight of the night, Irisdina suddenly looked up at the sky.
"It's a nice moonlit night. It's cold, but that's why the moon looks so beautiful."
As if drawn by her, Nozomu also looked up at the moon.
The moon shining in the sky illuminated the night sky with starlight.
Irisdina, perhaps inspired by the cold but gentle moonlight that enveloped her, opened her mouth, looking a little excited.
"That's right. Now that we're here, why don't we dance?"
"Eh?"
"Such a nice night. Wouldn't it be a sha not to dance?"
Nozomu's eyes blinked at the sudden invitation to dance, and he looked up at the sky once more.
Indeed, it was a beautiful night. A quiet, yet moonlit night that made one want to return to one's childhood.
Nozomu, too, gently held out his hand to Irisdina, as if inviting her to join him.
"I guess so. Then, may I ask you to dance with ?"
"I gladly accept your offer."
As if guided by the overlapping hands, the two naturally began to dance.
In the starlit garden, their shadows drew beautiful footprints on the snow.
Nozomu took the lead with fluid steps, followed by Irisdina.
*Tap-tap-tap*, *tap-tap-tap*, the tempo of the dance was fast, yet calm and elegant.
Their movents overlapped each other without a single deviation. As if drawn by their movents, their gazes naturally intertwined with each other's.
"It's just like when we were practicing our dance in Francilt's mansion, isn't it?"
"Ah, that ti. Even though that was only the third ti you danced, your dancing has improved a lot."
"Is that so? Hearing Iris say so gives a lot of confidence."
Prior to the Opening Festival. They smiled as they recalled their rush training at the Francilt mansion.
Then they remained silent for a while and continued to dance, surrendering themselves to each other's breathing.
Not even the sound of the wind could be heard. Only the sound of footsteps on the snow in the garden of the guest house and the chi of the bells of the hair ornants that rang in the air.
After repeating the sa routine several tis, Irisdina suddenly opened her mouth.
"Why did you co to help ?"
"Because I wanted to connect with everyone's-... no, with your dreams."
"My dreams?"
"You told about them when we were practicing our dance at the Francilt mansion at that ti."
"Oh, now that you ntion it. Fufu~, it feels like a long ti ago."
Irisdina's dream was to protect her family and the people she cared about, including Somia.
He didn't want her dreams to be extinguished. Nozomu again clearly spoke up in front of her.
"My dream was to do that after all. I want to support the dreams of my loved ones."
Nozomu's reason for fighting. His reason to beco strong.
It took him a long ti to realize it, but it has not changed.
Hearing his words, Irisdina's mouth hung open.
"I see, so that's how you managed to seduce Lisa-kun."
"Isn't it awful to say I seduced her?"
"Not at all. You're a playboy with no self-awareness after all. If I don't say sothing like this to you, I can already imagine you helping anyone you want and getting into trouble."
You'll eventually get stabbed in the back on a moonless night.
Adding those words at the end, Irisdina puffed out her cheeks with a pout.
In response to her slightly dissatisfied expression, Nozomu showed his dismay by saying, "Ha~~."
"Unfortunately, I'm not good enough to be a playboy."
"I know. I said so because I wanted to make fun of you."
The disgruntled look on her face changed. Nozomu let out a deeper sigh than before at Irisdina, who gave him a wide smile on her face.
"Iris, you're a terrible person..."
"Well, I am a cold-blooded aristocrat. Forrly though."
*Chuckle*
Both of them let out a chuckle and continued to dance under the empty winter sky.
Eventually, Irisdina stopped her dance.
Is sothing wrong?
Nozomu tilted his head and looked into her face. Irisdina looked up at him with her purple-blue eyes shimring with anxiety.
"Hey, Nozomu, why-... did you co to help ?"
Again, it was the sa question. But Nozomu knew right away what she wanted to ask.
He t her gaze and mulled it over for a mont before slowly opening his mouth.
"Because I like you... There's no other reason."
"...-again."
Irisdina's lips quivered as she demanded to hear the words again, which ca calmly but clearly from her ears.
"Because I like you."
Is that true? Is that not a lie?
Her anxiety was quickly dispelled by Nozomu's reiterated words.
What followed was a surge of intense joy. Her whole body heated up, and her eyes could not look away from him.
"Can I hear your answer?"
A single tear spilled from a pair of flickering purple-blue eyes.
"I-... I adore you too."
The distance between the two, which had been only slightly open, slowly closed and then overlapped.
Their hands were gently entwined in a white chain that glowed with a faint light.
=================
We've caught up to the latest chapter of the raw, wohoo~!
So only the side stories are left now.
By the way, the next chapter would be the continuation of the Volu 7 side story that I skipped before.
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