Silent Night
Nobody said anything as Zousa quietly walked off.
Freyana stayed there, continuing forward with her story.
『...He was the most precious thing I had.』[Freyana]
She clutched him closer, wrapping her arms around his body.
『He was… so warm. And… he was a little awkward sometimes, but in a really cute way.』[Freyana]
She had lost most of her energy, completely drained from her earlier outbursts.
『And sometimes he would...』[Freyana]
She trailed off, no longer speaking.
『...No, nevermind… It's not talking about my experiences with him that I want… Can you all tell me more about him? I had never had the chance to see him outside of school.』[Freyana]
They were all suddenly shocked to find that they were to share their experiences with him next.
『...He's the little brother I never had.』[Sarena]
She looked at Nova with sad eyes.
『...He was a brat that listened to my advice without a second thought. He called me teacher, mentor. Before long, he was my little brother.』[Sarena]
She couldn't even look at any of them directly.
『I'm Lady Night. The only member of my house. My family casted me out as an illegitimate child, in the hopes of raising a male heir.』[Sarena]
She covered her eyes with her hand.
『Of all the people I knew, he was the most troublesome. But that was a nice change- someone that actually needed and wanted me in their life. The family I had never had.』[Sarena]
A tear leaked out from between her fingers and her cheek.
Mune seemed like he had something to say.
『...He didn't fear me or revere me, but he didn't disrespect me or act arrogant.』[Mune]
Mune sighed, sitting himself down.
『...I dragged him along because someone I knew from third year recommended him to me.』[Mune]
He looked back on that time like it was years ago.
『...I made him take the jump on many things, but he always ended up exceeding my expectations.』[Mune]
Mune let his sword dissolve into particles of mana.
『A junior to take care of, to a reliable partner, to a younger brother.』[Mune]
He took another Stardrop and put it in his mouth.
『...Bitter. He always found a way to do something, no matter how crazy. If he was freefalling from a few hundred feet in the air, he'd make Wave circles and use them to slow down his fall. If he was fighting a giant, he'd somehow manage. If he fought a giant water monster, he'd use his weapon to...』[Mune]
He started to get a bit emotional.
『...If he fought a demon… he'd exorcise it and save the person being possessed.』[Mune]
His voice was clearly quivering.
『...The giant could have killed you in a single hit, and you stayed to make sure everyone lived. You took on powers you could not yet control...』[Mune]
They all wallowed in an agonizing silence.
The clashing of steel could be heard in the background.
...…
Zousa held his tanto, facing a group of people.
『You fool! What are you doing?!』
『...Paying back a favor.』[Zousa]
He cut down the man that had just asked him that before moving onto the next one.
They were a group of assassins that were after Alex's life.
『...If he isn't around to protect his loved ones, I'll have to shoulder the seeds that I have sown.』[Zousa]
Using the tanto, he proceeded to clash with each of them.
Occasionally, he would receive an injury, but nothing serious enough to warrant any healing.
Although he wasn't healing instantly from the injuries like when he had the demon inside of him, he still regenerated at a rate visible to the human eye.
Without any more talking, he quickly put down the assassins, one by one.
Their screams faded off into the silent night.
And while the others crowded around Nova…
They could not see the faint twitch of Nova's eyelids.