Chapter 240: Raidou and Izumo (1/2)

Chapter 240: Raidou and Izumo

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Nvm, I somehow managed to finish it! Here it is!

And so…with spiralling eyes as if in a trance, Izumo talks infinitely about his homeland, himself, among other things.

He was clearly afflicted by the status ailment ‘Confusion’. There was no way he would be able to logically explain things to me in such a state. He was providing me a chaotic situation here.

Putting it bluntly…I have stopped listening since a while ago.

In the middle of his talk about a muddy blind love that was comparable to dramas, he talked about the folklore of Lorel and about the history of the city as an interval, but even if he returned to the drama from before, anyone would have a headache already.

But there have been a few moments when he said some important things as if nothing.

No matter how much of a headache this induces and how much saliva he is spitting out, I wouldn’t have grown at all if I were to let the important information slip away.

Now then, I will just listen on the surface and nod at given moments, and at times, I brought tea as I wait for him to finish his talk.

Just saying but, I actually have a rough understanding of what he is talking about.

…

Well, it is that. The discord between Tokyo and Kyoto, and that discord heading into a disastrous direction is something that happens even in parallel worlds, probably.

It seems like Naoi and Kannaoi have a bad relationship similar to that.

Next, about the problem with the family of Izumo: the Osakabe household, whose homeland is in Kannaoi, had divided quite a long way in the past, and as a result, the Ikusabe household was born.

Ikusabe works as the sword and shield of Naoi, and as a branch family, they have been serving under another household somewhere and steadily increasing their influence.

And so, in the present day, the influence of both households has become equal, and when the topic of having a relationship of equal standing was brought out, it didn’t go well and became a muddy start.

The branch family that was cut off had gained power in order to be recognized by the main family, but they laughed at their efforts. Well, it is probably something like that.

I am not the type that watches dramas all the time, and honestly, I don’t find these kind of things interesting.

…In Japan, there’s the classic called Tale of the Genji, so it is probably popular for the general populace though.

In my days in middle school, I got interested in it and read it till the end, but well, I didn’t understand what was so good about it.

The most I found enjoyable was how I could understand the atmosphere of the lifestyle the nobles had at those times.

I had read The Pillow Book around that time as well, and I remember that I got engrossed in studying things like the solar calendar, the lunar calendar, and the Tenpo calendar.

Well, I learned things like: until when Japan used the Tenpo calendar , and that the old lunisolar calendar of Japan is called the Gregorian calendar.

Even if I knew that, it didn’t affect my test scores much.

I was simply satisfied learning it and I don’t have a single regret about it.

My time is finite, and if I find something that interests me, I think it isn’t bad to try and understand it without hesitating.

Whether those things are information about a certain delineated time in Japan, the bow, games and manga at times, and games where beautiful girls appear…

Rather than hesitating without doing anything, this is definitely not a waste.

Since coming to this world, there have been points that have been useful, and looking at Lorel which is the place where the Japanese culture has sprouted, there might be some use to it as well.

Ah, Izumo’s breathing is rough.

His face has finally returned to normal. Maybe it is over?

Well well, I have gone and reminisced my past while I waited.

“Fuh…fuh……”

“You have talked a lot. Drink some tea and calm down.” (Makoto)

“Thank you…very much.” (Izumo)

“Seriously, it really makes me feel pathetic to have a student of mine worrying about me.” (Makoto)

No matter what he spoke of, I responded with a safe follow-up.

“That’s not it!” (Izumo)

“It is. The fact that you are worrying about me means that the labyrinth looks a lot bigger than I am, right?” (Makoto)

“…No, I didn’t say anything like that, and I don’t think that way either.” (Izumo)

“And about your family as well. If you wish for my help and ask for it, I don’t mind lending a hand. But I…don’t have any intentions of interfering in problems that you yourself are trying to resolve.” (Makoto)

“Yeah.” (Izumo)

“I don’t plan on changing that stance of mine, and I also think of it as my own way of keeping a line as teacher and student. But…it seems like that ended up cornering you even more. Sorry.” (Makoto)

“No! I didn’t intend to cause any trouble to Sensei, and even when you didn’t ask me to, I went and threw it all onto you like this… It is embarrassing. I heard rumors that Sensei and Sairitz-sama had met at the Academy festival, and since then, it has been piling up bit by bit.” (Izumo)

“It is true that I got acquainted with her at that time. Right after, that unfortunate event occurred and made our relationship closer though. Regarding that, it doesn’t really have anything to do with you or your family.” (Makoto)

There’s no need to lie.

And in reality, not even the I of Izumo is involved in my relationship with the Lorel Empress.

“Thinking about it normally, that would be the case, but…when I am alone, I end up thinking about a lot of bad directions it might take… I know that’s not a good habit though.” (Izumo)

So Izumo had a habit of being delusional.

In my high school days, I was also the type that would keep my problems to myself and pile them up, so I can’t say much about others.

It is definitely better to consult with someone else, and yet, for some reason, I ended up trying to resolve it myself with my narrow perspective.

Moreover, you get stubborn about that one decision of yours.

I wonder why that happens?

Even when I look back at it, I don’t understand it well.

“From now on, confide with your friends. After one consultation about it, you actually feel more at ease. This time, you managed to do it with me, so it is not something you can’t do.” (Makoto)

“Hahaha, right.” (Izumo)

“I think they will be reliable, you know. Jin, Daena, Misura, Amelia; if it’s related to money: Sif and Yuno are the solution…well, the latter one is probably not a good idea to rely on though.” (Makoto)

“Yeah.” (Izumo)

It looks like Izumo has relaxed. He directed a smile at me and drunk his tea.

His eyes that were going round and round have returned to normal as well.

He probably felt relieved now that he spilled what he had to.

“And so, if a student of mine relies on me, even if it is troublesome, I don’t intend to refuse. I don’t have any intentions of encouraging it either, but if you are troubled and need my help, don’t hesitate and come to me. So that it doesn’t bother you, I will ask for a fitting remuneration and accept it as a job.” (Makoto)

“…The work payment for Sensei…would be on the level of a small country’s budget, right? I won’t be able to pay it.” (Izumo)

“Of course, as long as you have the intentions of paying, I am willing to make it free of interest and no time limit. This is a privilege of my students.” (Makoto)

“First time I have heard of this.” (Izumo)

“Must be. I have created it just now for you.” (Makoto)

“…”

“And so, Izumo, what do you want to do?” (Makoto)

“Eh?”

“I have understood that your family has a lot of issues and that your position is delicate. And that you are worried about me regarding the matter with the labyrinth.” (Makoto)

Or more like, that’s all I could understand.

Because you know, Izumo’s talk was jumping around like a conversation between high school girls.

“…”

“If you want to, I can bring you with me and have you guide me in the labyrinth? Or do you want me to stand at your back as you talk with the Ikusabe household or the Osakabe household?” (Makoto)

“Ah, that’s…” (Izumo)

Izumo’s expression changes into a mix of surprise and agitation.

Why?

I thought I brought out the plan that can resolve things the quickest though.

“My only business there is with the mercenary group, and I have also heard about the dungeon from Sairitz-sama. Knowing that, I judged that there would be no problems. So if even with that you are still uneasy, I don’t mind bringing you with me. I did hear all you had to say after all.” (Makoto)

“…No. If it’s Raidou-sensei, it is probably -no, it will definitely be alright. About my family…if Sensei were at my side, I feel like I would be able to settle as much as I wanted by speaking.” (Izumo)

“I see…” (Makoto)

Hm? Did he change his mind?

I somewhat felt that.

Looking at his state, he most likely won’t be holding it to himself, so it should be fine.

“But I will be doing it myself. One day…at a near future. Definitely.” (Izumo)

“I see. I don’t know how long I will be able to teach you, but you still have plenty time left in the academy. Being troubled can become a step for growth. Be troubled as much as you want, together with your friends.” (Makoto)

“…As I thought, Sensei is really amazing. Even though you look like you are the same age or younger, you really do make me realize the difference of our time.” (Izumo)

“Just so you know, my age is exactly how it looks, okay? If you want to tell someone that you feel that person has lived for several hundred years, you can tell that to Shiki.” (Makoto)

Because that’s exactly the case.

“There you go again. Please don’t deceive me with your jokes. What I meant with ‘difference of our time’ was not the length of it, but the depth. One year, one month, one week, one day, one second; the depthness of that time was most likely different through its very roots. At present, I am trying to do my best to make that time as dense as possible though.” (Izumo)

“…”

I feel like I am being quite overestimated once again.

As a teacher, that’s not really so bad.

It is not good to be seen as someone that can conveniently help them out, so I let them know beforehand that I will be receiving a recompense for it, but well, they probably won’t be relying on me that often.

I am a teacher, not a convenient tool.

“I am truly sorry for today. Well then, I will be taking my leave!!” (Izumo)

Izumo bows his head firmly, and without waiting for me to see him off, he ran off by himself.

“He let it all out and resolved a variety of things with that, huh. This is a lot better than having him return dejected. And so, Shiki, in the end, just what was that boy talking about?” (Makoto)

I call Shiki who was close.

He laughed as he came out.

“I didn’t expect him to be so cornered. That was a slight miscalculation of mine. Being that troubled about something so stupid might be a privilege of the young.” (Shiki)

“Stupid, you say. You really don’t show mercy.” (Makoto)

“And in truth, he did fall into his own delusions regarding the labyrinth and Waka-sama’s power, and I don’t think there’s any worth in asking about the background of the labyrinth from the people of Lorel who worship this labyrinth like a divinity.” (Shiki)

“They see it as divine and worship it huh. I haven’t heard that in this world but, it brings back memories.” (Makoto)

“Worshipping something that’s not the Goddess or the Spirits?” (Shiki)

“Yeah. In Japan, there are times when people deified and worshipped things that bring harm in order to appease them. I have heard that it is mostly things like curse Gods or Gods that don’t have good compatibility with people. A custom to appease them. Now that I am in a world where magic exists, I wonder how it works? There probably would have been different viewpoints.” (Makoto)

I stopped using the word ‘wicked God’.

That’s probably the influence of coming to this world.