-625- The unbearable feelings

In the campus, there was a main road that ran from north to south.

This extensive road was called the main street, serving as a vital artery connecting various lecture halls, dormitories, and the cafeteria. During lunch breaks, it would become packed with students rushing out.

However, at the moment, it was class time, and all students were obediently in their respective subject classrooms, making the main street appear deserted and devoid of anyone.

Rozen and his group left the Automaton Physics building and walked along this road.

After a while, the group stopped.

It all started with a remark from Yaya.

"How long are you planning to hold her hand, Rozen?"

Yaya said this with a smile, following behind Rozen. However, for some reason, a chill ran down Rozen's spine upon hearing her words.

Immediately, Rozen reflexively let go of Hinowa's hand and came to a halt on the main street.

"Ah..."

Hinowa also came to a stop, following Rozen's lead. Seeing Rozen release her hand, she felt a mix of reluctance and disappointment.

"Young Miss!"

At this moment, Subaru and Mutsura caught up.

This was the same as before; regardless of who took Hinowa away, these two would always catch up in no time. Their protective instincts were evident.

But now wasn't the time to joke around.

"Alright, tell me," Rozen folded his arms and looked at the three members of the Izanagi clan. He asked directly, "How did you end up here?"

Upon hearing Rozen's question, leaving aside the others, Hinowa seemed a bit hesitant and stammered, even blushing slightly.

Seeing Hinowa in this state, and regardless of the others, Yaya, who stood closer to Rozen than usual, seemed to have a sense of unpleasant premonition. Her eyes lost focus and turned completely black.

Two girls—one appearing extremely shy, the other exhibiting an overwhelmingly gloomy demeanor—made Rozen feel like he was caught between ice and fire, making his body slightly itchy and numb.

In this situation, Subaru and Mutsura finally had the opportunity to speak.

"We've heard about the Akabane clan's situation," Yuge Mutsura said, looking at Rozen. "You must've been through a lot, Nuragami."

Mutsura's words made the atmosphere heavy for everyone present.

Well, there was no other way, was there?

When they last met, both sides were still vying for dominance over each other in the Izanagi residence. They even agreed to surprise each other the next time they met. However, unexpectedly, when they met again, everything had changed.

Particularly, the three members of the Izanagi clan were deeply affected. After all, even if Hinowa wasn't counted, back in the day, Subaru and Mutsura had a strong aversion to the Akabane clan. Subaru had even clashed with Rozen to prevent Hinowa from marrying into the Akabane family. Now, the Akabane family had been decimated, leaving only Rozen and Raishin. How could the Izanagi trio not be affected, having had connections with them in the past?

With these emotions, even Subaru, who used to be fiery, calmed down and looked at Rozen.

"We've already met Raishin."

"You've met Raishin?" Rozen was a bit surprised.

In this situation, Hinowa finally seemed to have collected herself, and like when she was a child, she cautiously spoke up towards Rozen.

"Raishin-sama is traveling and training with a master swordsman. During this time, he even visited the Japanese military camp to spar with the soldiers. Upon hearing this news, we went to meet Raishin."

It was through this meeting that the Izanagi trio saw Raishin.

"Is that so?" Rozen said with a hint of nostalgia. "And how is that guy now?"

"How else could he be?" Subaru shrugged and said, "In pursuit of revenge, he's chasing power like a maniac."

Upon hearing this, Rozen fell silent.

Seeing this, Mutsura added a bit more context.

"We asked the adults to take us to the Japanese military camp to meet him," Mutsura sighed and continued, "To be honest, at the time, I couldn't believe it was Raishin. He was already covered in wounds, lying on the ground, having shed who knows how much blood. Yet, he got up like he was possessed, continuing to fight the much older military officers. Even though the officers were using automatons, he fought back with just a sword. He was truly reckless."

"But in the end, Raishin emerged victorious," Subaru looked at Rozen and spoke in this manner, "Even if it's hard to believe, Raishin truly managed to cut a high-ranking military officer's automaton in half with just a single blade. The injuries he sustained were said to have accumulated from ten previous battles."

This told Rozen how much effort and strength Raishin had put into seeking revenge.

"Raishin is not the same Raishin as before," Subaru said, his gaze fixed on Rozen.

Because...

"The young miss is very worried, worried that you'll become reckless like Raishin, so worried that she'll hide under the covers crying every day until her eyes swell!"

Subaru's voice grew louder and ended up almost shouting this statement.

This caught Rozen off guard, and he abruptly turned to look in Hinowa's direction.

"I... I don't cry every day!"

Hinowa responded, sounding somewhat shy and worried, but her eyes were sneaking glances at Rozen.

Just this display made Rozen realize that Subaru's words were true.

This left Yaya, who was clinging to Rozen, at a loss for words.

As for Subaru, he continued to explain.

"We heard that you spent some time with the top puppet craftsman in Japan, Karyusai, but after the night of the clan's destruction, you suddenly disappeared without a trace. No matter how we searched, we couldn't find you. Even Karyusai had no idea where you went, and there was no way to contact you. You were gone for a whole two years."

Subaru tightened his fists, glaring at Rozen.

"We decided to come here for our studies because last year, through investigations by the Foreign Ministry, the young miss learned about that person's whereabouts. Knowing that you would sooner or later appear before that person, if you were still alive, she decided to use becoming a Wiseman as an excuse, obtained the clan head's permission, and came here. Of course, me and Mutsura had no choice but to follow."

That was the reason why Hinowa and her two companions appeared here.

In other words...

"You being here is all because of me?"

Rozen asked, somewhat lost for words.

"Even though we came here just to follow the young miss," Mutsura scratched his head and admitted with a shrug.

This left Rozen unsure of what to say and could only look at Hinowa, rendered speechless.

However, Hinowa didn't seem to be bothered by this.

"Nuragami-sama."

Hinowa, showing some worry, confirmed with Rozen.

"Did you participate in the Night Party to seek revenge against that person?"

Upon hearing Hinowa's words, everyone present shifted their gaze to Rozen.