34. Nightingale and Akane
――――BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!――――
I hurriedly stopped my hand at the sudden dull roar. A sound like rusted metal being forcibly twisted when welding.
“Wh, what is it!?”
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The sound came from beyond the door.
――――BAM!….BAM!――――
I looked in the direction of the sound, the only entrance to this room. The door, which I had closed tightly, bent inward with a bang, and the culprit of the impact sound appeared from beyond the iron door that had turned into scrap metal .
A familiar hero suit. I instinctively felt
“S-Suou-san! Why are you here?”
In a trembling voice, the words that I barely managed to utter sounded so powerless that even I wanted to laugh. It made me feel as miserable as if I had surrendered before the battle had even begun.
“…”
As expected, she ignored my words and entered the room without removing her shoes. Her footsteps were strong, and although her expression was blank, she seemed terribly angry.
“Don’t just barge into my room…”
I tried my best to maintain a sensible and reasonable attitude with what little self-respect I had left, but as if to prove my attempts to stop her futile, Suou stood before me, snatched the vial from my hand, and threw it on the floor.
With a loud crash, the vial shattered, and a blue-green liquid seeped into the carpet, releasing a faint, unpleasant odor that I couldn’t suppress with my abilities.
“What are you doing?”
Despite knowing it was pointless, I glared at her in defiance, my voice trembling with fear. I was well aware that in her presence, I was as weak as a mouse before a large carnivore, but even so, I didn’t want to give in to her today. Today was the first step in a new journey for Sora-san and me, the day when everything would begin for the two of us. To have it interrupted, even if the person responsible was Suou-san, was something I couldn’t easily accept.
Suou-san glared back at me, unfazed by my anger, and dropped the doorknob she had been holding onto the floor. In the split second that I was distracted by the dull thud, she had summoned a weapon from the void and gripped it tightly . Its sinister, menacing, and violent appearance seemed to perfectly match her nature. If I were to say such a nasty thing to her while she was holding it, my head and body would be permanently separated in an instant.
“This won’t do either.”
With a crack, the crescent-shaped ax flashed, and the bookshelf next to me was reduced to splinters in an instant.
“Y-yah!”
A gasp escaped my lips, and I held Sora-san tighter to my chest, my breath catching in my throat. I was devastated. I didn’t understand what she was trying to do.
“Don’t do that again.”
Suou-san looked down at me, her chest puffed out, and used the long handle of the weapon to forcefully jab at a clear file that had fallen out of the broken bookshelf.
“Suou-san! That’s…”
At first glance, it seemed like a meaningless action, but of course, I knew what was inside that file. It meant that I understood the reason behind her actions.
“Are you here to… take Sora-san away?”
As I spoke those words, Suou-san’s expression, which had been a mixture of pure apathy and anger, seemed to flicker with something complex, like ‘confusion’ or ‘jealousy’.
Inside the clear file was the marriage registration form with Sora-san’s and my names on it. Of course, we couldn’t get married with just that, so we were planning to take care of the rest of the preparations later, but I could only think of one reason why she would hate it.
“Suou-san, you like Sora-san too, don’t you?”
I felt my whole body stiffen as I realized that the greatest obstacle to our marriage was standing right in front of me. My voice trembled, my limbs grew rigid, and my brain raced to find an escape route, all due to the intense malice and hatred that Suou-san directed at me. She was such a threat, and yet, she had feelings for my Sora-san.
“Is that why you came here to kill me, the obstacle who’s keeping Sora-san’s love from you?”
Suou-san didn’t answer. But even without words, she continued to intimidate me with her sharp, hateful gaze. Normally, I would have felt nothing but terror, but for some reason, at that moment, her gaze felt strangely comforting, Despite my despair. Was it a natural instinct to find ‘comfort’ in the jealousy of a ‘stronger person’? If so, perhaps it was a bit unpleasant, like a vulgar, base woman crawling on the ground, full of nothing but pride .
“Even if you kill me, Sora-san won’t be yours. In fact, he’ll probably end up hating you for hurting me.”
Recognizing the monster before me as my romantic rival, I regained my eloquence. As a woman, I couldn’t afford to lose. Sora-san was that important to me.
“I don’t care if he hates me.”
But my sarcasm was cut short by her unexpected words.
“S-stop pretending to be strong. I can tell that you’re jealous of me.”
“….”
Though she didn’t reply, I didn’t miss the way her right hand tightened around the handle of her weapon.
“Don’t think you can win Sora-san’s heart with violence alone. With Suou-san’s power, it would be easy to imprison Sora-san somewhere or force him to do your bidding. But even if you do that, Sora-san will never love you.”
I felt like mocking myself for being so reckless, but my heart burned with a passion that fueled my words and sent my brain into a frenzy of emotions.
“He’s not interested in someone like you who can do everything on your own, a strong woman. Suou-san, you could live without him, so you can say things like ‘I don’t care if he hates me’, right? I couldn’t lie like that. The thought of Sora-san hating me makes me breathless and suicidal. That’s what love is. Yours is just a selfish desire, not love at all. You’re strong. You’ve saved many lives , and many ordinary people love, respect, and have hope in Philantroped, seeing you as a symbol of justice. But don’t think that means you can have everything. Sora-san isn’t the kind of person who would give in to your violence.”
Fear, excitement, superiority, a desire for destruction, pleasure. Unknown emotions surged through me like waves, pushing me forward and creating a strong sense of animosity toward the ‘evil’ woman before me, a sense of righteous heroism. Why did I suddenly feel so confident? I was overcome by a strange sensation, as if I were going mad.
“Please, give up, Suou-san. You’re not right for Sora-san. I’m the only one who deserves his love.”
As I uttered those final words, I took a breath, and the oxygen that had been lacking in my body suddenly rushed in.
“That was a long speech.”
“Huh?”
Certainly! Here is the translated excerpt, preserving the line breaks and atmosphere as requested:
—
I thought you’d either rage, grieve, or escape into denial. But Sōfū’s reaction was beyond my expectations.
“It’s just an excuse you make to be loved by the sky,” she said.
“What do you know? My love is so deep it can’t be summed up in a single word.”
It seems Sōfū found Sora unworthy, despite all the careful teachings she had given. She didn’t understand anything at all.
“I don’t care if I’m hated. I love the sky, and that’s all that matters.”
“That’s just bravado…!”
A whoosh, the sound of thick metal slicing through the air.
It took me a few seconds to realize that the sound was from the blade now pointed at my nose. Sōfū’s prized weapon halted mere millimeters from my face, which could have easily been mangled. I glanced up to see her looking at me with disgust, her face filled with loathing. It was so sudden, so natural, that I was struck with the fear that if she lacked even a bit more sense or skill, my head would have flown off.
Death.
I hadn’t intended to give her an opening, but before I knew it, the gleaming steel in front of me made me feel the real concept of death, causing me to involuntarily shrink back.
“Ah. Ah, that… uh…”
The fear of death cooled my overheated brain, my fingertips grew numb, and all I could do was raise my hands and look up at her pleadingly. If the earlier rush was a hunter’s instinct, this was the instinct of prey. To be eaten. To be trampled unilaterally. Surely, this is the figure of a powerless human who can only pray before a monster that doesn’t understand words.
“There won’t be a next time.”
I don’t know if my prayers reached her, or if my earlier words, “If you hurt me, Sora will hate you,” had actually worked, but Sōfū sheathed her weapon, took Sora from my lap, and gently carried him away like a princess, leaving the room.
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Beyond the broken door, trampled by the weight of two people, was the white wall outside the room. As I listened to the sound of her footsteps fading away, I finally regained enough sanity to realize my body was trembling.
As I collapsed in the messy room, having my beloved husband forcibly taken from me, I replayed the scene over and over in my mind. I couldn’t possibly drive her away by force. Even if I allied with other heroes, it was doubtful I could win against Sōfū alone. I knew she was a fierce woman, but I never imagined she would resort to such drastic measures. I want to believe that she wouldn’t hurt Sora, but who knows when her mask will slip.
In the end, the only solution is for Sora to reject her. She, like everyone else, misunderstands Sora’s kindness, thinking she can have him too. Outsiders’ words mean nothing to such a person. But surely, Sora, with his usual kindness , won’t do such a thing. The more I think about the growing uncertainties, the more I feel ashamed of my powerlessness and resent Sora’s overly kind nature. If I were stronger, would I not have to feel this way?
“Ah.”
I noticed a small, bruise-colored crescent moon on my left arm.
Again, I did it. When I try to restrain myself, I end up wanting to dig holes in my skin with my nails. It’s unconscious, but if it’s too extreme, I’ll worry Sora again.
“Worried again…”
If so, will Sora come to me instead of other women? If I push away the woman who hurts me, maybe Sora will come back to me on his own.
A vile thought crosses my mind, and I feel a shiver crawl up my spine.
“No. That’s wrong, Uguisu.”
I tell myself to shake off such easy thoughts. Sora’s worried gaze still burns in my mind, a drug-like comfort, pleasure, and exhilaration I’ve never felt before, making my heart race more than any romance movie. If I get hurt , Sora will pay more attention to me. Even if other women are waiting, he’ll prioritize me. Maybe if I’m weak enough to ask, he’ll clearly reject advances from other women.
Because Sora is kind. He’s kind and loves me the most. Right now, I’m safe, so he’s considerate of many girls, but if it comes down to saving only one person, he’ll surely choose me.
I stroke the healing, swollen scars on my wrist and remember the warmth of Sora’s embrace. It’s so sweet, I could melt. The fear and hatred towards Sōfū, the frustration at my own weakness, all fade away, leaving only one emotion to dominate me.
I want to be by Sora’s side more.
Amor desinteresado?