Chapter 92 – ９２ – Suzu's Position

Sports Festival Arc

Sunday.

I had come to the shopping mall with only Suzu.

We spent some time browsing through various shops, and then we stopped at a cafe inside the mall to take a break.

“Suzu. How was it?”

“I had a lot of fun looking around. Thank you, Naru.”

I had ordered a black coffee, and Suzu had a herbal tea.

After we each took a sip, I asked for her impressions of the day so far.

“And thank you, really. Since I lost the Duel on Friday, you invited me on a date as a gesture of kindness, didn’t you?”

I had asked her how she felt, but… it seemed Suzu had already figured it out, including why I hadn’t invited Ichi and Marie.

In that case, trying to play it off would only make her worry more.

“You caught on, huh? Yeah, that’s right. Though, based on this, maybe that much consideration wasn’t actually necessary?”

“That’s true. It probably wasn’t. Losing the Duel on Friday was within my expectations—or rather, it was only natural. Once I knew who my opponent was, the outcome was predictable. But even if it wasn’t necessary, it doesn’t change the fact that it makes me happy. I’m very glad I got to spend time alone with you for the first time in a while, Naru.”

“I see. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

And so, we spoke honestly with one another and put the matter to rest.

After that, we spent a while chatting about various casual topics.

“Still, what did you mean by it being ‘natural’ that you lost the last Duel?”

“It’s simply a matter of compatibility. My Magic Capacity is on the lower side among the first-years, and it takes at least a few moves before I can put out significant firepower. If the opponent can simply dodge and weather those moves—like Sweed did in his debut match—that’s one thing. But when the opponent launches a rush at a speed I can’t handle from the very first move, like the last one did… it’s inevitable.”

“I see…”

The conversation naturally shifted toward Suzu’s recent Duel.

We touched upon how the academy had intentionally paired her with such an opponent as a lesson to ensure she understood the challenge.

Since the academy is a place for educating Duelists, it seemed that these kinds of calculated matchups were quite common.

However, Suzu seemed to already have a vision of how to deal with it.

If that’s the case, unless Suzu asks for my help, the right move for me is to simply watch over her.

“…”

“…”

We continued talking for a bit longer…

Eventually, once we ran out of notable topics, both Suzu and I fell silent.

Normally, this would be the timing to finish our drinks and resume browsing the shops.

But today, it seemed Suzu still had something to say.

She seemed to be agonizing over how to put it, or perhaps performing a final mental check.

So, I simply waited.

“…Naru.”

“What is it?”

“I love you. I’ve felt this way since we were little. That’s why, as your childhood friend, as your lover, and as your wife, I want to keep staying by your side.”

The words that spilled from Suzu’s lips were nothing less than a confession.

“I see. I figured as much.”

“Yeah, I do. That said, considering your current and future position, I imagine you’ll have to give the role of legal—or rather, documented—wife to Ms. Morikuni. And including Ichi and Marie, you’ll effectively end up with four wives.”

“Well, yeah, I suppose so…”

What followed was an implicit declaration that she wouldn’t cling to the status of an official wife.

Even if it was due to the duties of a Duelist and national policy, having the woman be the one to say this… no, perhaps it’s more problematic that the man is the one bringing it up.

Actually, the correct answer is that it’s a problem regardless of who says it.

In any case, if that is Suzu’s intention, then the official status is no longer something I can interfere with.

“The conversation drifted a bit, didn’t it? Um, right. I’ll give the official position to Ms. Morikuni. I’m fine with a private position. After all, to fulfill my desire to love and support you, Naru, that’s actually more convenient.”

“Yeah.”

“So, Naru. I’ll always be by your side. As long as you don’t reject me, I’ll always be there.”

“Thank you, Suzu. So, this is my answer. There is no way I would ever reject you. I want you to keep supporting me from now on.”

“Naru…”

Because of this, I should respond to Suzu’s feelings as sincerely as possible.

I won’t reject her.

Well, I’ll scold her if she goes too far, and I’ll probably restrain her to keep her from overdoing it, but that’s different from rejection.

And so, or rather, because of that, I continued.

“Suzu. But I think you already know…”

“Yeah. I know. No sacrificing oneself. Right? Just as you are, Naru, I won’t go as far as sacrificing myself to protect you or everyone else. If you tried to save me by sacrificing yourself, I’d be more sad and angry than happy.”

“If you understand, then that’s enough. Suzu, you are precious to me. But I am also precious to myself, and now Ichi, Marie, and Ms. Morikuni have also entered the circle of things I hold dear. I can’t rank them. I just don’t want the people I care about to save me by sacrificing themselves. We need that boundary for the future. I wanted to make that clear again.”

It seems Suzu and I are truly on the same page.

If such a time ever truly came, I can easily imagine that I would agonize and suffer intensely, and that even if I survived, the trauma would haunt me—but this one line is something that must absolutely not be crossed.

“Naru… you said I’m precious…”

“Hmm? Yeah, I did.”

“Naru…”

Suzu’s eyes seem to have lost focus.

I mean, sure, I did say she was precious to me, but…

“Naru thinks I’m precious… ehehehehe…”

“…I guess I’ll wait for her to come back.”

Hmm, once Suzu gets like this, she doesn’t come back for a while, so I have no choice but to wait.

In the end, Suzu didn’t return for about an hour. During that time, I ordered and ate a piece of cake, had several refills of coffee, and placed a takeout order for cakes for Ichi, Marie, and Suzu (who had missed out on eating). I also sent a message to Ms. Morikuni and replied to a message from the ‘Silk Cloud’ company.

Once Suzu finally returned, I picked up the takeout cakes, and we headed back to the Inui Dormitory together.

Suzu’s love is heavy, but setting that aside, it seems Naru has his own set of problems.