The surrounding is full of green with spruces all around them. The party's on the first floor of the Great Dungeon. They're on their way back to Yocht kingdom. While Brian and his men preparing the carriage, the 4 Heroes are taking a rest inside the first floor.
The air and atmosphere inside the mountain-like floor are refreshing their minds, that they can feel just being there alone is enough to erase their fatigue. A fresh breeze grazing them as they looked the people on the floor that is having fun.
Some of them are barbecuing, some of them lying down on the plain grass while feeling the cool breeze, even children are inside the dungeon playing with each other. The place was way too peaceful to be called a Great Dungeon.
"I-I'm sowwy."
One little girl is sobbing while arguing with her friends. The girl is looking down desperately holding her tears from falling down that her top lips are turning into U shape and she looked so cute.
"I won't play with you anymore.."
One boy said it while looking away from her. The boys are the little girl friend that's sobbing, the reason they're arguing's the girls slipped, and unintentionally push the little boy. And it made two mud balls the boy carried to broke into pieces.
"You shouldn't say that."
A girl on her teen took a step closer to them while saying that. The girl trademark is her hair that's done in a ponytail, her trademark is swaying because of the breeze. It was Shizuku.
The little boy noticed Shizuku and face her.
"But! Because of Yei, our mud balls is..."
The little girl name is Yei, the girl still sobbing even now while trying to apologize to the boy. But, the boy still mad, he said to Shizuku while looking at the broken mud balls.
"Well, let's forgive her. If you do that, I'll make you something even better."
Shizuku squat down to equate her gaze with the boy as she said so. Then, she displayed a smile to make the boy open his heart. The moment the boy looked at the smile, he doesn't have any doubt. Instead, he asks,
"What? What is this something better?"
The boy said it with his eyes sparkling from excitement. This made Shizuku pat the boy head and,
"First, let's make up with your friend."
"Aa," the boy leaked out such a voice, and face Yei, "I'm sorry Yei, I went too far."
When Shizuku interacting with the little boy and girl. Arata walks closer to Runa who's sitting under a tree and tried to have a chat with her.
"Shizuku is nice as always, she always stretched her hand for the weak."
The moment Runa heard the word "weak," she already realized the content of what Arata wanted to talk about. But she doesn't show it and replied with,
"Is that so?"
Runa answered Arata with no change of expression that gives off the impression of being cold.
"At first, I thought the reason Shizuku approach you was because you are weak." he paused for a moment he took his eyes off from Shizuku and face Runa, "Seemed like that's not the case."
"What are you trying to say?"
Runa's aware of how she was being looked down inside the castle, so when Arata stating it frankly doesn't make her react at all.
"No, I wanted to know. Why are you always acting cold toward us?"
"Cold? Us?"
Arata said it to Runa while displaying curiosity on his face. Runa's pissed at how frank Arata said his bad impression of her. But her face doesn't show her pissed side, She faced Arata and said.
"Is that how it looked like to you?"
"Yeah."
Arata straightforwardly answered it with his expression still filled with curiosity. But at that time,
"Runa! Can you come over here?"
Shizuku is waving her hand to Runa while calling her. Runa waves her hand and nodded.
"I'll do my best to not show it."
Runa stands up while clearing the dirt on her pants. And walk toward Shizuku. But on the other side, Arata's pissed off at Runa's reaction. He clicked his tongue and say something with a quiet voice.
"That's not what I want to hear."
"Hm?" Runa looked at Arata and ask him "Did you say something?"
"I said, that's not what I want to hear."
Arata yelled at Runa that made Runa unintentionally leaked "Ha?" from her mouth. Arata heart's filled with dark emotion, he himself couldn't tell what emotion it was because this is his first time feeling it. The emotion is murky and dark, it's something that almost human have. It was jealousy.
The fact that Runa's able to defeat the monster that remained unscathed after receiving his best attack made Arata jealous. That's not all of it, the moment he looked how Shizuku's attitude to Runa made this feeling grew even stronger inside him, because all this time from his childhood, it was his first time seeing that expression of Shizuku.
"Why... Why are you always act like that toward me? Did I do something wrong?"
Arata yelled just like a child that's throwing a tantrum. This made Runa display how much a pain in the ass Arata is. And the person noticed that,
"What's with that face? Here I want to get along with you!"
"Ha? What's that?" Runa paused for a moment and sighed "Get along? what are you saying when you're the one that kept our distance?"
"Keeping distance? Aren't you the one that keeps your distance from me?"
"Please, you're such a pain. You don't even realize it? You looked down on me, because I AM WEAK, and keep your distance right?"
"I've never said something like that!"
"The hell, you said it right in front of me just now. And the moment you said Shizuku always stretched the hand for the weak, then what is that? would you please explain."
"I... I just wanted to tell you Shizuku good side." Arata dodged the first part of what Runa said.
Arata keeps yelling at Runa. But as always Runa always has her cool while replying Arata. All this time, Runa's aware of how low she was being looked inside the castle. That's why there's a need for her to search for another way to contribute to the party, and that's why she locks herself inside her room or sometimes go to the library.
And at that moment when Shizuku approach Runa. Actually, Runa's saved, she can feel it lighten her burden. While everyone at the castle is looking down at her, Shizuku alone looked directly at Runa eyes. Everyone looked down at Runa is none other because of how incompetent she was with her bow even though she's an archer.
Even her personal maid is looking at her with her cannot be helped face while serving Runa. This made Runa desperate. If this goes on, everyone will look down at me Runa thought. In another world where war is occurring, in another world where she knows no one, in a word where her friends and family don't exist. And she was so desperate to go home because of her mother condition. And Shizuku appeared just like an angel to her. She released her from the shackle of fear that's holding her.
Runa herself doesn't know what will happen if Shizuku doesn't approach her. Maybe even now she was still a burden to the party. The fact she can defeat the Ruby golem's because of Shizuku support and power. If Shizuku weren't there next to Runa Runa for sure will fainted due to magic exhaustion, If Shizuku and Runa were happened to not become a friend, Runa will not have the ability to manipulate electricity.
That's why Runa is friendly to Shizuku, that's why Runa is nice to Shizuku, and Shizuku something attracts inside Runa her . Both of them needed each other, so it's fine for both of them to have a good relationship. as a friend.
And Runa don't care about those who looked down at her, Runa's aware of how childish it was. But the fact that she doesn't get any thanks or something like that when she defeated the Ruby Golem still hurt her as if her effort is meaningless at their eyes.
Runa mindset already changed to, "As long as there is one person that understand, then it's fine.".
"Runa! Arata! Stop it! Why are you arguing!?"
"Ah my bad, I teased Arata-san a bit too much," Runa said it while facing Shizuku, then she turned her body and bowed to Arata. "Please forgive me, I went too far."
"..."
But there is no respond from Arata, he just bit his lips while holding his dark feelings inside his chest.
"Guys! The carriage is ready, let's turn to the kingd.... What happened?"
Brian came to pick them up but, he stops his word middle way when he noticed the awkward atmosphere. After that, they leave the Great Dungeon quietly and went back to the Yocht Kingdom.