Vol 1 Chapter 23 – Crossing Paths【Vol 1 — A Happy Childhood】

Nothing’s going right.

“Ah, dammit. What the hell is this?”

Elena is avoiding me.

That much was certain, beyond any doubt.

It wasn’t like we had been together 24/7 to begin with.

Elena often plays with the village children and such.

When we were little, I used to get strangely bullied because I only hung out with Sophia and Aria.

I once told Elena that she should play with various other kids.

She seemed to accept that obediently.

So it’s not like I was with Elena every single day.

However, regardless of that, Elena is avoiding me.

What was last night about?

For someone who merely eavesdropped on my conversation with Alicia, her behavior was somewhat strange.

Was being rejected by me that much of a shock?

No, that might be part of it, but even so, last night’s Elena was strange.

No matter how shocked she might have been, she was impossible to talk to.

If anything, it felt closer to despair.

And the cause of that isn’t just the broken marriage promise…?

That’s when I remember something.

“Come to think of it…”

Elena’s strange behavior yesterday wasn’t the first time recently.

Yes, a bit before that. That time.

The day Elena crawled into my futon and slept with me—

In other words, something has been going on with Elena for a while now…

“Damn…”

I couldn’t help clicking my tongue.

“…I should’ve noticed sooner.”

It’s almost noon.

After finishing breakfast, Elena went to her room without saying anything.

I was too afraid of getting the same reaction as yesterday, so I couldn’t talk to her.

But…

I really should exchange proper words with Elena.

I decided to head to Elena’s room.

◯

“Elena…! You’re in there, right? Please, open up.”

“…”

I call out repeatedly in front of the door. But there’s no response from inside.

She’s definitely in there.

There’s no lock on Elena’s room door.

Yet the reason I’m just standing in front of the door isn’t out of consideration for Elena.

If I could get inside, I’d jump in no matter how much she rejected me.

I looked at the wooden door before me.

—a barrier.

A magic circle woven from complex red, green, and blue light covered the door’s surface.

This is the type of exclusion barrier. Anti-monster defensive barriers fall under this category too.

Elena is a magic prodigy.

She started learning magic from Father Lucas when she was seven, and her talent rivals or even surpasses that of Sophia or Aria.

Seriously, the girls around me are all way too high-level.

In contrast, I’m slightly below average.

Somehow, the situation is almost laughable.

Well, putting that aside. The level of magic Elena constructs already far exceeds what I can handle.

In short, I can’t break this barrier.

Therefore, I have no choice but to convey it through words.

“Hey, Elena! Let’s have a proper conversation once. I’m sure you’re misunderstanding several things!”

“…Hey, onii-chan.”

“Elena!?”

I finally got a response.

It was a faint, weak voice, but it was definitely Elena’s.

“Onii-chan… doesn’t want to marry Elena, right?”

“…Why do you—”

“Hey, please. You were the one who said to talk properly, right? Please… answer honestly.”

From that voice alone, I could tell Elena was on the verge of tears.

What should I answer?

I came this far on impulse, but I can’t even see the path to the right answer.

No, even so, I understood one thing: if I lied here, it would definitely be ‘over.’

“I don’t want to marry you, Elena. But—”

“…!”

I heard Elena gasp beyond the door.

Immediately after, I heard the sound of a window opening with force.

I quickly realized what she was trying to do.

This is the second floor, but for Elena, who can manipulate magic that freely, jumping down without injury would be trivial.

“That idiot…!”

I moved away from the door, rushed down the stairs, and burst out of the house.

I looked around under the eaves.

Far down the paved road leading to the village street, I saw a tiny, distant figure.

Spotting Elena running away, I turned my feet in that direction.

“That idiot…!”

I muttered once more and ran.

◯

—No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…

Rejection, something dark, enveloped Elena.

The swirling vortex of hot emotions spun round and round, suddenly freezing and making her shiver, then burning hot as if scorching her body.

She had noticed Will chasing her from behind.

He really is kind.

Kind, kind, so kind, so lovable, she never wants to leave his side for a moment.

That was how it should have been, yet now it had turned into rejection.

Elena used magic to deceive Will’s eyes.

By now, he must be running in the completely opposite direction, thinking he was chasing Elena.

Strange, strange, strange.

Why am I pushing my brother away?

Even though Will is coming after me.

—So kind…

She wanted to indulge in that kindness with all her might, but if she did, everything would end.

Because that’s just him being kind, not for Elena’s sake.

At that moment, Elena doesn’t exist in his heart.

She doesn’t want to admit it. No, she doesn’t want to, it’s scary.

Why…

—I don’t want to marry you, Elena—

“…!”

A sharp pain ran through the bottom of her chest, and in that moment, her foot tripped.

Elena, running along the riverbank, fell and hit her knee hard.

No good, no good, no.

Rejected even by her brother. Denied by him.

Because of that, she had been okay.

That was her only emotional support.

If only her brother, no, only her brother was fine. Only her brother was good.

Because only her brother affirmed her, she could maintain herself.

Her brother would affirm even someone as creepy as her.

With different colored eyes left and right,

somehow different from everyone else,

with different values.

Not normal.

For Elena, her brother had been everything since birth.

She had tried to meet all of his expectations.

As long as her brother affirmed her, that was enough.

And yet… it’s no good, it’s gone.

…This is impossible, I can’t bear it.

But even if rejected—even if hated is worse.

She absolutely didn’t want to be hated by Will.

So Elena must not cause trouble for Will.

To avoid being hated by her brother, she couldn’t stay by his side. But she wanted to stay by his side.

She doesn’t want to be hated. She can’t bear any more of this. And yet.

“…”

Round and round, swirling, complex and distorted emotions.

Smoldering within young Elena’s chest, that which was—

“Ah, what are you doing in a place like this, monster?”

At that voice mixed with ridicule, Elena raised her face.

Three boys were there, looking at her with scornful gazes.