Chapter 42.2: Yufia Queensroad <2>

If you hadn’t gotten close with me, he surely wouldn’t have been hurt like this.

A kind person like him is being hurt because of me.

“(Because of me… Because I got close with Shion… If only I hadn’t gotten close to him───)”

It was at that moment.

“───Just kidding.”

“………Huh?”

“How about that, are you satisfied now?”

I heard Shion’s voice—so nonchalant and different from before.

“Wha-what? Wh-what do you mean…?”

“Hmm? Didn’t you all want to see me upset?”

“Eh, Kurosaki-kun, what are you saying…?”

“Is that so? Then, were you planning to isolate Yufia—someone you personally can’t stand?”

“………!!!”

“(………!!)”

“……Maybe that’s it. I wish it weren’t so, though.”

“Hey, wait, Kurosaki-kun, what have you been saying since a while ago?”

“I don’t really understand what you’re trying to say, Kurosaki-kun…”

“Don’t play dumb. You actually know what I’m trying to say.”

“I—I don’t understand…!”

“Is that so? Then I’ll say it clearly.”

After a brief pause, Shion declared:

“───Yufia would never say such a thing. Stop spouting such stupid lies.”

“………!!”

“(………!!!)”

“N-no, it’s not a lie! Hey, it’s not a lie, right!?”

“That’s right, I heard it too! Yufia-san, you were really making fun of Kurosaki-kun!”

“Is that so? Then when? Where?”

“Th-that was… y-yesterday! After yesterday’s practical class, in the changing room!”

“In the changing room yesterday, huh… Hey, I’ve never once seen Yufia talking with you all; were you actually close?”

“There’s no way she could be friends with such a horrible girl!”

“Exactly! That girl was already disliked in your previous class for saying awful things, and even after moving to this class, you barely talk to her!”

“So, did Yufia suddenly come up to you all after yesterday’s practical class?”

“Y-yeah! Queensroad-san suddenly started talking to us… I mean, what’s that about!?”

“What’s it about? Haha. It’s absurd, isn’t it?” Shion let out an exasperated laugh.

“W-what’s so funny?!”

“Hey, think about it carefully. You guys, who hardly ever talk to me and aren’t even close, suddenly start rambling about me teaching magic and, in fact, secretly making fun of you? It’s completely unnatural to believe such baseless talk, isn’t it?”

“!!”

“Even if you’re lying, you might as well come up with something a bit more coherent.”

“……!!”

For a moment there was no response from the girls, but after a while, I heard soft, sniffled sobs.

“Sob… It’s awful, Kurosaki-kun…”

“That’s right…! We only spoke for your sake, Kurosaki-kun, and yet you’re being treated as a liar…!!”

“For me? I appreciate that. Then I’ll tell you one good thing.”

Unfazed by the girls’ accusations, Shion continued:

“If you think you can turn white into black with your tears, then cry until you’re satisfied. But if you believe that pretending to cry will get you whatever you want, you’re gravely mistaken.”

“……!”

“What’s wrong? Are you done with your crying act?”

“……!! What the hell! You’ve been going on about lies and crying acts since a while ago…!! On what basis are you making these accusations?!”

“Isn’t it evidence that we’re lying and that Queensroad-san isn’t making fun of Kurosaki-kun?!”

“There’s no concrete evidence, but there is reason.”

“W-what?!”

“First of all, your acting is terrible. The content is a mess, and the lies are transparent. Second, I know Yufia isn’t that kind of person. Those two reasons alone are enough for me to believe in Yufia over you.”

“H-how is that enough? Tell me, how can you be so sure that Queensroad-san isn’t like that?!”

“Exactly! Even you, Kurosaki-kun, have only just started talking recently! There’s no way anyone truly believes I can become the world’s strongest magician!”

“Whether she’s truly a good person, huh… Well…”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Shion continued:

“…For example, if I said my dream was ‘to become the world’s strongest magician,’ what would you think?”

“Eh? Wh-what, all of a sudden…”

“What would a failure like you say? That’s impossible—know your place. You’d at least admit you don’t think there’s any chance, wouldn’t you?”

“Th-that’s not…”

“You probably wouldn’t say it out loud. But in your heart, you must think so. Even if not that far, you certainly don’t believe it could ever happen.”

“It’s not just you. There’s no doubt that my parents and everyone around me are good people. Yet not one person truly believes I can become the world’s strongest magician. Even if they verbally encourage me, deep down they know it’s impossible.”

“I know, I do—”

“……….”

I couldn’t tell what expressions the girls had, but they seemed to be listening to Shion in silence.

“But Yufia wasn’t like that.”

“(!)”

“When I said I was aiming to become the world’s strongest magician, she truly supported me. She said from the bottom of her heart that I could do it.”

“She said the same thing the first time I mentioned it.”

“Coming from someone as talented as she is, it wouldn’t be surprising if she found my still-practicing first-level magic pathetic and laughable. But she never looked down on me—instead, she told me, ‘Your focus is amazing,’ which really surprised me.”

“You guys, who hardly ever talk to me, wouldn’t understand, but that’s just the kind of person she is.”

“When I talk about stories, she feels sorrow for the misfortunes of the characters and genuinely rejoices in their happiness. When she hears a story about overcoming hardships and achieving a happy ending, she always says, ‘That’s great…’ and smiles with relief.”

“Yufia Queensroad is that kind of pure, kind, and compassionate person.”

“……….”

“I know Yufia is that kind of person, which is why I can tell your story is nothing but a fabrication.”

“Th-that’s just because Kurosaki-kun is being fooled by her act, isn’t it?!”

“Exactly! In the end, it’s just what Kurosaki-kun thinks, and you don’t really know her true feelings!”

“……Yeah. Even if I say I can see through people’s lies, it’s hard to convince a third party. Unfortunately, I can’t give you any more reasons to believe in her.”

“L-look, see! In the end, there isn’t any real evidence—”

“──It’s just that,” Shion interrupted the girl’s words.

“If Yufia is really fooling me with an act, then she must be incredibly good at lying.”

“───At the very least, compared to you guys—”

“――～～!!”

“Th-that’s enough!!” A loud, angry voice resounded throughout the building.

“I went out of my way to say that for you, Kurosaki-kun!! I won’t be responsible if you end up getting hurt later!!”

“Thanks for the advice. I’ll take it in spirit.”

“……!! L-let’s go!!”

“Yeah… that’s right, let’s go home! …Really, you don’t know, Kurosaki-kun!! We didn’t say any lies!!”

With that, the two girls bolted out of the classroom in a state of high excitement.

“(!)”

Hurrying along, they didn’t seem to notice me crouched in the shadows of the hallway.

Feeling a bit relieved by that, I then heard the voice of Shion—the only one left in the classroom.

“……Even so, Yufia is incredibly slow…”

As if nothing had happened earlier, Shion muttered in a completely nonchalant tone.

I could tell from his footsteps that he was gradually approaching the hallway.

“Do you need to revise your assignment? Well, that works out fine for today───”

Right after he stepped into the hallway, our eyes met.

“…………Ah—um…”

“………uh… …”

Seeing me crouched there, silently sobbing, Shion seemed at a loss for words.

“…Um, did you, by any chance, overhear that?”

He must have guessed by the look on my face.

I wanted to respond properly, but couldn’t find the words and could only nod through my tears.

“Where did you hear it from?”

“……uh, …”

“………From the beginning, huh.”

Though I could only contort my face and couldn’t reply properly, Shion seemed to understand.

“Hey, Yufia, maybe you can’t just not care, but it’s not your fault.”

He came over to me and gently touched my shoulder.

“It may hurt to be disliked or met with malice, but I think it’s not you who’s being hated—it’s just that people are put off by your family background or your talent, those superficial things.”

“Because Yufia, you’re kind. The real you is never someone who would be hated by others. I, who know you, can vouch for that.”

“…Sh-Shion… I…I…”

“So, don’t cry so much.”

“Ugh… sniff…”

Shion comforted me gently until I finally stopped crying.

Even though he was earnestly trying to support me, I wasn’t crying because I was sad about being disliked by my classmates.

The tears of regret over my own cowardice for not intervening between them had already dried up.

I was simply overwhelmed with joy that Shion believed in me—so happy that tears flowed endlessly.

Yet even when I tried to speak, my words were choked by sobs, and I couldn’t properly express myself. I just kept crying uncontrollably by his side.

……

……

…

Shion stayed by my side until I calmed down, occasionally rubbing my shoulder and back gently.

I had so many things I needed to say to him, but I couldn’t find the words. In the end, I barely managed to speak that day, yet Shion silently saw me off all the way near my home.

I owed him so much—for doubting whether he would believe me, for not being able to do anything when he was being harshly criticized, for believing in me, for calling me kind, for comforting me when I was inconsolable.

There were so many things I needed to apologize for and thank Shion for.

I decided that, even if it took time, I would properly put into words everything I wanted to tell him the next afternoon after school.

───But that afternoon… the next day…