V1C4 Part2

Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr

This Grandia is a special district that isn’t in any territory. It’s the only town on this continent where the four countries line up shops in the same land.

However, most of the customers at Blaze-owned stores, are still from Blaze. Which is precisely why, they are given considerations to a little overdoing.

Claude disappears into the back of the store, and Kyrie leaves with an unsteady gait.

Looking over the students who make loud noises, Haruto suddenly, wondered if Iris was also doing a closing party at this time.

Since they’re Absolute. I’m sure, they’re doing a tea party or something.

Like that, when he thought so, a cat came near his feet.

A long fur, pure white cat.

“——This guy is”

When he squatted down, he quickly pulled out the paper tied to its collar.

As he put the paper in his pocket casually, the cat disappeared before he knew it.

Looking towards the way out, it was about to exit through the open door. As if to follow after it, Haruto also headed for the exit.

“Oy~, where are you going? Haruto”

A student near the exit called out to him.

“I drank a little too much. I’m going to breathe in the air outside.”

“Already!? What kind of pace are you drinking at!”

Leaving behind a laughing voice, Haruto went outside.

While walking on the stone pavement, he takes out the paper hidden inside his pocket.

The sender, and the name of a place were written there.

Haruto ran through the city full of waterways, and headed to the place which was designated.

〇 〇 〇

At a large bridge over the grand canal, Canal Grande——the Memphis Bridge.

On both sides of it, there are a lot of small shops. There is a sidewalk further outside the shopping street, which overlooks the Canal Grande.

Beautiful consumer buildings were lined up on both sides of the gently curving river, and many ships were floating in the river.

It’s one of the best views of this Grandia.

A girl who colors the magnificent view even more beautifully, was leaning her body on the handrail, and gazing at the river surface.

“Iris”

“…… Haruto-kun”

She looked back at him with her silver hair fluttering.

Her figure, is more beautiful than the scenery behind her.

Iris, floated a relieved smile.

“I’m glad …… you received the letter properly, Haruto-kun.”

“Ah, Iris’ familiar passed it over at a nice timing. But, isn’t Absolute also in the middle of their closing party?”

“Yes. Rather than waiting after it’s over, I wondered if it will get in the way……”

Casting her eyes down, Iris who looks embarrassed was very cute.

“……I see. Luminous and Horizon would have gathered somewhere by now.”

“Francette said that it’s near the store where the Absolute were having their closing party. That’s why, if we go beyond the Canal Grande, perhaps no one will find us ……”

“Understood. Let’s cross the bridge”

As Haruto and Iris quickly crossed the bridge, they felt a little relieved.

“So, where are we going?”

Iris frowned in a troubled way.

“Picking a place, is important, right?”

That’s true, Haruto thought. They’ll discuss about Sazaku and Prospero, and about the Demon King’s half body. They don’t want people to hear their conversation.

“It’s our first commemorable date …… it’s my first time going to a shop ……”

“……”

It was far from the pretext that he was thinking.

“I,indeed…… Iris, where do you want to go? We can go anywhere.”

Thinking about it, Iris wouldn’t have the chance to play alone in the city. This is a long-awaited opportunity. I want to fulfill her wishes as much as possible.

“That is, uhmm, I heard about it from a Horizon girl talking the other day …… there is a shop I’m a little curious about, but……”

“Let’s go there. Do you know its location?”

“No, but I can tell if it’s the name of the shop. It’s called Hell’s Kitchen.” (TN: You read that right)

…… Hell’s Kitchen?

That’s a very, devilish name.

Perhaps, it’s a place where we can get information about darkness magic and the demon king’s half-body.

The date she said must’ve been a joke, and as I thought, Iris had been thinking about it seriously, too.

“If you know that, then it’s just fine. If we ask someone, we’ll know right away.”

Sure enough, they quickly found the store they were looking for.

“……Is this it?”

It’s a small store facing the square just across the bridge.

A fancy white and pink sign that says Hell’s Kitchen is there. And then, an incredibly sweet scent drifted through the air.

“I heard that it’s a crepe shop ……”

Indeed, it was a crepe shop. The menu was lined with chocolates, caramel, bananas, strawberries, and countless toppings.

Once again, it was far from what I expected.

By the way, there are no seats, only takeout.

“But, this……is it really a crepe specialty store? There is no entrance.”

“I heard that this place is specially for takeout. Rather, let’s eat around that area.”

There were also benches in the square, and some women were actually eating crepes they had bought in there. It certainly seems to be a popular shop.

“Anyway, we’ve come all this way. So, let’s buy some”

“Yes…… uhmm”

Iris squirmed and glanced at Haruto as if she was having trouble saying something.

“What is it? If you have something to say, say it clearly.”

“……After all, it’s my first experience.”

Ah, I see.

Since she’s a princess. She has never bought food in such a commoner-like store, and she didn’t seem to have any experience in buying food in the first place. When it comes to things that is close to eating in standing like this, it would be a hurdle for Iris.

“I’ve never bought …… stuff for myself. ……”

“It’s from there!?”

Nevertheless, she tentatively had her wallet. However, all it contains are high-denomination bills, so she feels bad about using it in a store like this. Haruto pulled out a coin from his wallet and gave it to Iris.

“Anyway. Why don’t you order one and buy it for yourself?”

“Ye,yes! This me is still the leading magician of the Absolute Empire! I’ll get it done!”

After much deliberation, Iris selected, all of the toppings.

Haruto initially said, “I don’t need it.”, but Iris had a sad look on her face, so he asked for the same.

After placing the order and paying, Iris turned her sparkling gaze to Haruto.

“I did it, Haruto-kun! I, was able to shop!”

“I,indeed …… that’s great.”

When Haruto complimented her, she snorted and had a rough proud look. He can’t help but think that Iris is cute.

“Look, it appears that your order is ready. Make sure you get it.”

When the shop staff handed her the crepe, Iris’ smile changed to a dubious one.

“Err…… is this, really a crepe?”

While holding a crepe with fresh cream and fruit which was being wrapped inside it with both hands, Iris stared at it with wondering eyes.

“What is with that this is not a crepe look?”

“It was different from the crepe I know, so ……”

“Which part is different?”

“It’s usually on a plate, and it’s round and looks like a galette, with fresh cream and fruits on top of it, but……”

“Because this is for the commoners. Besides, while shopping and enjoying oneself, they’ve tried to make it easy to eat as one does that. Well, try some.”

“I see…… You won’t need a knife and fork to eat this. It’s a little, ill-mannered, but …… thanks for the meal”

That what she said, but she just stared at the crepe in her hand.

“Improper imitation like this in public …… Is it okay?”

Thinking that it couldn’t be helped, Haruto let himself first tried it.

——Sweet!?

It’s not that I don’t like sweet things, but this is quite intense.

Iris also took the plunge and bit into it with a small mouthful.

“This is …… violently sweet, alright.”

As to whether a girl would think so, Haruto felt a little relieved.

However,

“It’s like its pursuing only a sweet but rough, strong impact that has nothing to do with delicacy …… Plus, all the flavors of the toppings got mixed up……”

While sandwiching comments that can be taken as complaints, the princess eats continuously in haste.

“What is this …… this feeling of peculiarity ……”

She completed it in the blink of an eye.

Girls are amazing , like that, Haruto rolled his tongue. And then Haruto, bought an additional espresso, and somehow swallowed the violent sweetness.

“Haruto-kun, thank you. I was able to do a lot of new things today.”

“It’s not a big deal for me, you know.”

“That might be the case for Haruto, but it’s a big thing for me. Once again, I was reminded …… that I don’t know the world.”

“Well…… if it isn’t necessary, you’ll have a chance to know it”

“Haruto-kun is kind, isn’t he”

“Is that right?”

“There are some people who turn blue simply because they don’t know the way people live and the common sense.”

If it had been before, Haruto might have thought so as well.

However, after getting to know Iris, he changed his mind a little. Of course, if it was a politician or a government official, if they don’t know how the commoners live, they can’t discuss about it.

Nonetheless, there are some people who naturally don’t know it too.

Aristocrats have the social etiquette of noblemen, which is something that the common people don’t know, and even if they know it, they won’t understand its meaning or value.

However, it’s an essential conduct to survive in the aristocratic world. As he talked to Iris, Haruto came to understand that.

Iris murmured as if to confess.

“Moreover…… some time ago, I was asked to say a speech at the after party of the test, but …… while being stirred by everyone, I’ll defeat Blaze, and unify the Absolute —— that’s what I said”

Haruto also remembered doing it, so he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“ But those words, are just to uplift everyone’s morals, right? When asked like that, I feel that it is not only that …… After all, I think it would be a lie to say that I don’t hate the Blaze Republic. The Empire’s rule of the continent …… such idea hasn’t change in me that it’s the best thing to do.”

Iris looks up at Haruto’s face with reservation.

“But then, for what reason am I talking to Haruto-kun like this? Is this feeling of loving Haruto-kun a lie? When I think about it, I don’t understand why ……”

“You’re overthinking it”

Haruto throws a word of comfort at her, but Iris continues to spit out what was stuck in her heart, as if she was confessing.

“I want to get along with Haruto-kun normally. Dating like this, holding hands, tightly squeezing, without worrying about anyone’s eyes —— But every time we do that, the world would be one step closer to ruin……”

“Iris”

“It won’t be just a betrayal of the Empire. It’s betrayal of the whole world…… I know it will lead the world to ruin, but I still want to be with Haruto. When I was thinking about how to do that, suddenly, frightening things floated in my mind.”

“——Iris, it’s okay already.”

Tears came to Iris’ eyes, and her beautiful eyes shimmered even more beautifully.

“If this feeling was due to the Demon King’s half body (Juliet) …… If it wasn’t my true feelings, but a fake, I would——”

Haruto suddenly, held Iris’ hand.

“……Haruto-kun”

“Calm down, Iris”

“But…… besides, if you held my hand, a Northern Demon (Tempest) will also ……”

“That sort of thing, I’ll do something about it.”

Iris didn’t further argue. When she felt the temperature of Haruto which is holding her hand, her heart mysteriously calmed down.

“Actually …… I’ve also, told the guys to defeat the empire at our closing party. It’s just like the words from your mouth, and then I’ve meet Iris in this way. In the first place, we are fighting with the Northern Demons (Tempest), and have gathered to save the world. Meeting Iris, would summon the Northern Demon (Tempest). The contradiction was also of the right moment. We have no chance to be close.”

“I know, right …… if so, as I thought——”

“But, that can’t be it, you know. Humans, can’t be so easily separated.”

Haruto with a faraway look, stares at the square.

In there, children are running around and playing. Parents are staring at them with a smile, and anxiety sometimes.

“When I was a kid, I lost my family.”

“That was …… an absolute soldier ……”

To the shocked Iris, Haruto shook his head.

“But, I killed those guys. It was the flames when the Demon King’s half body woke inside me. So, as for revenge, it’s already over. Really”

“That…… became your hatred for the whole Absolute.”

It was the same with Iris.

It’s from that day when she was attacked in her birthday party.

“But, it doesn’t feel like I can hate Iris. With that, I suddenly remembered it. The people who took care of me when I was a kid. Those guys, well, I couldn’t speak well of them. They are people who were doing shady business, and criminals.”

“That was …… you had a painful childhood ……”

To Iris with a pitiful look, Haruto responds with a bitter smile.

“Not really. It was fun, you know. Those guys were weird fellows, and even though they’re doing all sorts of bad things, they were kind in strange places. Although they can take their lives without hesitation, they helped children and old people in need, and even avoided stepping on ants under their feet A man who cheats others out of their money, can be a good father at home*.” (TN: Proverb)

“……That, seems to be a bit inconsistent”

“That’s why I thought. Human beings can be dirty, but beautiful, and contradictory creatures in the first place. There’s no one who’s completely separated by walls. Therefore, whether I hate the empire or want to save the world, I who like Iris, am not strange.”

“Haruto-kun ……”

Iris’ face became brighter.

With a happy face, Haruto is also glad.

“Right now…… I, like you”

“……!!”

She thought that it was over, but there was a post-festival* . She was too embarrassed to say that she likes him or even facing him. (TN: Idiomatic expression meaning ‘after the excitement is over’)

Haruto stood up after letting go of Iris’ hand.

“Le,let’s go now. Besides, there will be a Northern demon (Tempest) somewhere.”

“Yes. Because it’s our responsibility. We have to defeat it. ”

With a super happy face, Iris stands up.

Just then, a parent who was letting her children play screams.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!? So,somebodyyyyy!!”

Behind the child, a Will-o-wisp was approaching as it floats.

When Iris rushes out in the wind, and passes behind the child, she slashes off the Will-O-Wisp between the opening.

When the mother hugs her child, she thanks Iris many times.

As Iris returns to Haruto, she smiled with a slight embarrassment.

“Since it’s our fault…… I’m bothered that she said thanks”

“It’s not our fault. It’s is because of the Demon King’s half body.”

“That’s true, but……”

Then, at that moment, a scream was heard from the other side of the building, instead of the square.

TN: Follow me on for support!!

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