"Kamazaki here gives some people nicknames if she finds the real names too long or the nicknames cute. So please excuse her and her weird name-calling."
Yukikama Kawarasuri, or King, took the time to clear up Kamazaki's nature of names, and the latter began to whistle while avoiding eye contact with everyone else. However, she soon muttered under her breath:
"Well, excuse me for finding cuter names for everyone…"
"Hey, I heard you, you know."
"No, you didn't."
"I'm literally sitting right next to you."
"Hmph."
Kamazaki pouted while King simply looked at her and sighed.
This quick back-and-forth conversation between the two made Shizaki wonder about the trouble that King would've gone through trying to put a hold on Kamazaki's attitude as a friend. So much of a person boiling with excitement must have been tiring for him for sure, but…
He seemed like he was handling it pretty well.
If Aya was anything like Kamazaki…well….even he couldn't imagine that-
"What are you imagining, Shizaki?"
"E-Eh? Nothing."
She might truly be able to read minds. Scary.
"Oh, by the way…!"
Kamazaki's face lit up as she now stared ahead and spoke, with the masked young man who was sitting in a casual manner with his legs crossed being her new center of attention.
"Hey, Neo-kun~, are you some legendary main character in the novels that I read where he hides his true power like his and is like…super-duper strong? Are you set to defeat the Demon King or somethin'?"
Neo let out a small laugh and shook his head.
"That's a good one! I can assure you though…it's nothing like that. I'm just here to fulfill my destiny, I would say."
Shizaki's eyes narrowed as Neo lowered his head with a "Sorry I couldn't meet your expectations".
Fulfill his destiny, huh?
Interrupting the conversation was a voice from the front of the carriage, by the person in the drivers' seat.
"Everyone! The sun is setting, and unfortunately we're nowhere close to settlement right now, but I believe we can rest right in here before we go again on the road tomorrow.""
The passengers looked at each other. The carriage was big for them to rest in, but it was probably going to be uncomfortable.
Neo then proposed an idea.
"...What about Sekoto Forest? It's right beside us, on our right."
"Huuuuh!? Don't tell me you plan to sleep there for the night? I'd rather sleep on the side of the road!"
Kamazaki immediately stood up and voiced her disagreement, but…
"Huh, why not? I'm down. We'll make a nice campfire."
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, Yukikama…! Wait a min-listen! Hey!"
King paid no mind as he immediately headed for the entrance of the vehicle and hopped out afterwards. As Neo followed suit, Yukino bit his lip, and Aya scratched her cheek, thinking.
What should I do?
King then poked his head through the outside of the window, right where the back of Kamazaki's head was and whispered.
"Boo."
"Kyahhh!!!"
"Bwahahaha!! What a scaredy-cat!!"
"Grrr!! You fucking asshole!!"
Effortlessly dodging a right fist from her in response, he backed up and grinned.
"If you wanna sleep in there, no problem. But the forest has been pretty chill in recent years, Kamazaki. Sure there was a fire incident here just a few days ago, but we've travelled past the burnt side.…"
"Ugh…e-even so…leaving the carriage to sleep out there is…"
Being scared stiff, Kamazaki now held herself in her delicate arms and cautiously looked at the forest. Shizaki also stared ahead, but finally decided to relay his feelings.
"The forest….is still huge and beautiful if you think about it. I've read that there's no wild animals there, and it has been patrolled pretty heavily from time to time by adventurers and Royal Guards. We should be safe there."
"Are you sure, Babyface?"
"I'm sure-hk, my name is Daizen Shizaki!"
"Hmm…That's it! If Babyface says it's safe, I'll come along!"
"Did you just hear what I….ah, she quickly left."
Just what about my face resembles a baby?
A bit embarrassed by the nickname, he followed, but Aya stopped him."
"Hm? What's up, Alexandriya?"
He saw a slight change in her usual blank face, with her eyebrows furrowing a bit and her face tightening up.
She wants to say something.
".....No, it's nothing. If you're going, then I'll come along."
".....Alright."
Both of them got out, and the nervous Satou Yukino also left while King began to speak once again.
"Besides, this is perfect adventurer practice. We might be doing a mission where we have to rest out in a forest at night like this, who knows. What do you say, carriage-man?
Sasurasaki Kiyotai, the carriage-rider, pulled his black hat down on his head tightly, and adjusted his glasses as his long, yellowish hair moved about in the calm wind.
"S-Sure, I guess. You guys will have to go without me though, I need to stay close to my Timberwolves here. I will be waiting here for you guys in the morning, don't worry. Just make sure and get here as soon as the sunlight is visible."
"Thanks!"
Soon, everyone descended into the depths of the forest, as evening was quickly turning into night.
***
A fire was finally lit in the pieces of logs and wood gathered, and the six passengers settled down around it.
"Really…I still have the creeps about this place. What if there's someone dangerous here?"
Still concerned, Kamazaki looked over her shoulder, and Shizaki lightly bit the inside of his cheek.
However, King laughed it off.
"If there really is a dangerous person here, I'll protect you…not."
"D-Damn you…"
Not caring to engage in a rebuttal, the young woman still looked a bit tense, looking at her surroundings from time to time.
Alexandria Aya then spoke up.
So…what should we do now? Sleep?"
"A little too early for that, don't you think?"
"Glad we think alike, Neo-kun. Let's go exploring!"
On hearing Neo's opinion, King blurted out those words, but Kamazaki immediately rejected it with louder than usual shout.
"Oh, hell nah!! Oh, heeeell naaah!! I object!!"
"Um, I wasn't thinking about exploring though, you guys. It might be best to stick together here instead of venturing out into the forest. Even though it might seem to be safe, we still need to be cautious."
King's hopes were quickly diminished, and Kamazaki felt relief. His smile turned into a frown of instant boredom and her frown turned into a smile of joy.
"Haah…so…what, we sing or sumthin'?"
"Y-Yeah, right, what do you wanna start off with? Kumbaya?"
"Well, why don't you propose an idea to us, Scaredy-san?"
"D-Dumbass! I already said I'm not s-scared!"
"Like hell you ain't, you doofus!!"
"Like hell I am, you dumbfuck!!!"
Shizaki could not help but smile at the constant antics and swearing of those two.
They don't look like siblings, but they definitely act like they are.
His gaze then wandered a bit and then caught the glance of Satou Yukino, the half-elf that was at the opposite end of the fire from him. Yukino seemed to flinch and quickly averted his eyes in slight embarrassment.
Then, after about a couple of seconds, Shizaki realized something.
In a sense, he's like me, huh.
Feeling the need to start a conversation with him, Shizaki stood up and walked to where Yukino was sitting. Everyone else looked on, wondered what was going on.
Sitting right next to him, Shizaki opened his mouth to speak in a calm and quiet tone.
"Um....Yukino-kun?"
"Y-Y-Yes?"
"Almost more than four hundred years ago, the Elven race in Aldranza single-handedly changed the tide in the Inter-Continental war against Dragonia with your Elven Arts and Spells. I've read about it."
"O-Oh…you're…right…"
Kamazaki nearly forgot about her fears and quickly jumped into the discussion.
"Yeah, yeah, that's true, I've heard about it…"
"U-Um…um…"
The group looked intently at Yukino, who found it hard to form the words to speak. However, Shizaki only had one thing to say.
"Your race has stayed in hiding in mountainous regions and forests and are faced with constant prejudice when you do decide to show your faces to others due to the events during the war and the result afterwards, but despite that…well, you're here. You left your secluded area, and what's more, you're planning to become an adventurer by passing the Royal Selection which many people will attend."
"A-Ah, well-"
"I don't know the crazy reason behind you wanting to choose this path….but I think you're incredible."
"Huh?"
Yukino, hit with something he did not expect to hear, faced the smiling blue-haired boy. He stared at his captivating purple eyes as he tried to comprehend what he had just said.
I-Incredible?
"You…reminded me of myself, in a way. You'll still definitely be hated by many, but I wish you well in your endeavors. Who knows, maybe we'd end up in the same adventuring party if everything goes well in the Royal Selection, and I'd do my best to help you in whatever way I can if we teamed up."
After being in a state of shock for a while, the half-elf's pointy ears twitched as he averted his eyes and tried to not blink.
{"You don't belong here anymore, Satou Yukino. We've kept you with us for too long, but enough is enough. Go and live the life that you seek. Maybe your vision will help restore our reputation. You're the best of us, Satou."}
You were wrong, mom.
Yukino, for the first time ever, faced Shizaki and smiled, making the latter's eyes slowly widen.
"Thank you, Shizaki-kun. I'll do my best."
There are still good people, mom. People like dad.
Everyone, including Bella Kamazaki, instantly felt a little bit more light-hearted, and as Shizaki felt content and smiled with gladness.
"Alright then, let's introduce and explain Magic Affinities!!"
"Sounds good!"
"I'm going first!! I'm going first!!"
"Settle down, Miss 'Pick Me'."
-----------------------------------------
(Chapter 8: The Bond Between Us.)