"Ordinary Reincarnation" Volume 2 Chapter 34: The Shape of Family
Added 2023-06-11 22:04:22 +0000 UTCAs the sky broke, I returned to my world.
The sun had completely set and it was night, and there were no people in the schoolyard at all, so I assumed that everyone had gone home.
“Irena-san. Is your leg okay?"
“......Yes, I'm fine."
Irena said this with a frown as she soaked her bright white exorcist's clothes in blood.
It’s absolutely not okay.
The moment I thought so and tried to heal Irena's leg, she called a fairy spirit. The fairy entered the wound in her leg and slowly created a ripple of light.
It was Irena's "healing magicâ€
The wound on her leg was healed little by little, and after watching for a while, the wound was completely healed.
By the way, Irena has a wide variety of fairies.
I think she summons various fairies according to the magic of each of them.
I want to be able to do the same thing soon.
“Itsuki-san, I'm sorry for showing you the unsightly part.â€
“Uh, don’t worry. It's nothing.â€
After saying this, Irena-san, whose wounds have healed, gets up.
Then Irena-san picked up the fainted teacher instead of Nina-chan and looked at me.
“I am taking this person to the hospital, but would you please take Nina home?â€
“No, I won't take her home.â€
I declined instantly.
Irena widen her eyes in surprise.
“Irena-san, you should take Nina-chan home.â€
“Me? But then you’d have to go to…â€
Irena-san frowns in annoyance.
“In the first place, do you know why Nina-chan wants to become an exorcist?â€
“Nina? it's because she's a child and she's longing for a taste of righteousness. There's no deep meaning in that."
I almost put my hand on my forehead when Irena-san said that.
Hey! Is she really serious?
I held Nina-chan, who was lying on the ground, in my arms, and I let my head fall to the side.
“No, Irena-san. You’re wrong.â€
“What makes you think I’m wrong?â€
Irena-san really didn't seem to understand what the difference was.
That's why I was a little hesitant, but I decided to tell her instead of Nina-chan.
Why is Nina-chan aiming to become an exorcist?
If it were true, it would be better let Nina-chan tell her with her own mouth.
But if they kept crossing paths like this, it would be better for someone else to tell her. Of course, I know that this is unnecessary and I'm just being nosy.
But Nina-chan taught me magic.
She showed me the kind of mind I should emulate.
Is it strange that I don't want her to suffer?
“Nina-chan is trying to become an exorcist so that Irena-san will approve of her.â€
"For me?"
"That's right. Nina-chan said If she beats me, Irena-san will look at her. That's why she’s going to become an exorcist."
“That’s..."
Irena-san looked at Nina-chan, who was quietly raising and lowering her chest in my arms.
“Nina-chan told me about her shopping trip with you and she seemed to enjoy it. When I heard that, I thought to myself, Nina-chan really loves you.. Irena-san, you also tried to keep Nina-chan away from the exorcist life because you care about her, right?"
When I said that, Irena-san became silent.
“If that's the case, why don't you guys talk about it properly? Face it, if you talk it out, surely!â€
I thought of something as I said that to myself.
Could it be that Nina-chan's poor speaking ability was inherited from Irena-san?
No, this seems pretty likely.
Especially when they are trying to push each other to do what they want to do based on their mutual feelings.
But as I said this, Irena-san continued with a smile as if she had given up on the whole thing.
“Facing it? That's a cruel thing to say, Itsuki-san.â€
"......Cruel?"
“I have done terrible things to her. I've done it because I thought it would be good for her. I know that this is not an excuse, still, I thought it was for her sake that I did so.â€
Irena-san spun her words in a matter-of-fact manner.
But there was heat. A quiet, silent, hot heat.
It was like smoldering coals.
“A year ago. Her father was killed by a monster. Her father was killed in front of her eyes, and when I held Nina-chan in my arms, her whole body bathed in blood, her heart broken, I decided that I would protect her no matter what. For that, I was willing to lose my motherhood...."
“............"
“I sealed her memory and stopped teaching her magic. And I closed the information so that she would never set foot in the world of exorcism, so that she would never touch this world. Was that idea wrong?"
“That’s….â€
I don't know.
I don’t know how I'm supposed to understand such a thing.
I still don't understand a lot of things.
What do I know about people? I, who in a previous life only grew older, became an adult in name only, and died leading a life that was no different from the one before? How can I judge someone? How could I possibly do such a thing?
“I'm willing to suffer a grudge if it means protecting Nina. No matter how much this girl hates me, if she can grow up without dying, I will gladly accept it. Itsuki-san. I will still not face this girl."
I nodded my head at Irena-san, who looked as if she had let it all out.
I nodded and she continued.
"I’m not facing her......no......no....â€
I have never had children in my previous life or in this life.
I don't think I've lived a great life to be able to talk to other people's families.
But ...... I think.
Even so, there are things I can at least understand.
“Nina-chan doesn’t want to hate you, Irena-san.â€
“That’s…â€
Irena-san must have been thinking hard.
How can she protect Nina-chan?
How could she keep Nina from dying?
And then she came up with the idea of making Nina hate her too much, too clumsy. She’s just like Nina-chan in that way.
“I think that's why you and Nina-chan should have a proper talk. Why don’t you want her to become an exorcist? I don’t know why she wants to be an exorcist. There’s no way both of you will understand anything if you don’t face each other.â€
That was my real intention.
We have all these feelings for each other, but we waste them.
Why would you try to make it a surprise?
It's such a waste.
I don't know if my words got through to her or not.
But Irena-san's expression suddenly relaxed.
“I’m not a good mother if I’m being told such a thing by a six-year-old.â€
“............"
“Itsuki-san, you may be right. Maybe I should have listened to Nina-chan more.â€
Irena said this and then turned on her heel.
“Irena-san!â€
“Don't worry. I'll talk it over with Nina. But, Itsuki-san, you can't carry this person with you.â€
I was so shocked.
...... Well, yes, the teacher is an adult and may be difficult to carry unlike Nina-chan.
“I'll call an ambulance. Then I’ll take Nina home too.... so I'd like you to wait here.â€
“......Yes. I'll be waiting for you, Irena-san.â€
I let out a relieved breath.
I turned my back to Irena who was carrying the teacher, and I threw a few words at her.
“Come to think of it, if you didn’t want Nina-chan to get involved with the world of exorcism, then why did you tell her to marry me?â€
As I said this, Irena-san stopped and turned around.
“Because I thought you would protect the one you were marrying. I thought that if Nina married a man who was brave enough to face and exorcise a 'Sixth Rank' at the age of only five to protect his family, he would protect Nina no matter what.â€
“What made you ask me to come to England?'
“I thought that Nina would be more comfortable in the country where she was born and raised.â€
Irena-san's words made me chuckle.
I was reminded of what Nina-chan had said to me one day.
Something like “Mama only sees Itsukiâ€
But the reality was the opposite.
Irena only saw Nina-chan.
“Did you talk to Nina-chan about it?â€
“No, I haven't. I don't think so. I would never do that.â€
“Was it right to do it to me?â€
“Because Itsuki-san, you protected Nina without my shallow ideas.â€
“Nina-chan is my friend.â€
"......Yes, I know that.â€
With that, Irena-san leaves with the teacher.
I thought I had received more love than I could hold from my family when I came to this world.
But I am sure it was the same for Nina-chan.
With this thought in mind, I waited for Irena to come back.
As I waited, I thought from the bottom of my heart that it would be nice if the two of them could become closer and get along.