There, standing in the middle of the tent, was Rena. She was in the midst of undressing, her fingers hesitating on the delicate fabric of her lingerie, frozen in shock at the sudden intrusion. Her wide eyes locked onto mine, her body stiffening as the realization of our situation set in.
"You… Y-You…" she stammered, her voice barely a whisper as she tried to process the situation. Her lips quivered, and the color in her cheeks deepened to a vivid red.
Of all the tents I could have stumbled into, I had somehow chosen hers. The absurdity of the situation struck me, but there was no time to dwell on it. Before Rena could fully react or let out a sound that would surely draw attention, I moved quickly.
"Kyahmmm!"
Her startled cry was muffled as I pressed my hand firmly over her mouth. Her body tensed, and in her panic, she struggled, causing us both to lose our balance. We tumbled backward, her lithe form collapsing onto the ground with me falling on top of her. Despite the chaotic descent, I kept my hand securely over her mouth, stifling any further outburst.
"Mmmph!" She protested, her muffled voice a mix of fear and shock.
"Quiet," I hissed, my voice low and urgent. "Do you want to ruin everything with a scream?"
My words seemed to sink in as the realization of our precarious situation dawned on her. After a moment, her struggles ceased, her body going still beneath mine. The closeness of our position was suddenly all too apparent, her nearly bare skin warm against me, her rapid breathing tickling my neck.
The thin fabric of her underwear left little to the imagination, and I could feel the heat radiating from her, her body trembling slightly under the weight of the tension between us.
"H...How long?" she managed to ask, her voice barely more than a shaky whisper.
I didn't respond, my attention sharply focused outside the tent. I could hear the faint rustle of movement, the muffled voices of Ayaka and Akane approaching. They were close—too close. If I didn't act quickly, the situation would spiral out of control.
"Hide somewhere," I said.
Rena nodded quickly, her eyes wide with understanding. She gathered her clothes in a hurry, slipping away from under me and diving beneath a nearby table, the fabric of her lingerie brushing against the floor as she concealed herself.
Just as she disappeared from sight, the tent's flaps parted, and Ayaka and Akane entered. Their eyes scanned the interior until they landed on me, their expressions shifting from determination to shock. The sight of me there, in that tent, caught them completely off guard. They had been searching for me, but now that they had found me, they seemed at a loss for words, their initial resolve faltering.
"What do you want?" I asked, my tone cold, cutting through the thick silence.
Ayaka opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a stammered, "H-Hmm…" Her usual confidence was nowhere to be found, and she looked to Akane, whose anxious eyes flicked between me and the ground.
"If there's nothing," I began, moving to brush past them, eager to avoid any further complications.
But just as I was about to leave, I felt a sudden tug on my arm. Turning back, I saw Ayaka clutching my sleeve, her eyes glistening with uncertainty and a hint of desperation.
"Y-You… You are N-Nathan… Onii-chan, right?" Her voice was trembling as she asked.
Only my gold eye was visible now, glinting from beneath the shadowed tent as I stared at Ayaka. The urge to conceal my identity was strong; revealing myself could unravel everything.
A Hero named Nathan.
If the Divine Knight got wind of my survival, it would undoubtedly raise suspicions—not just among them, but also among my former classmates. And if word reached them, it would complicate matters even further. They would begin to see me as a real threat, something I had tried to avoid at all costs.
I had hoped to eliminate them while keeping my identity shrouded. It would have been easier that way—cleaner at least until I became strong enough to contend the strongest among them. But now, as I looked at Ayaka and Akane, I questioned the need for such secrecy. What was the point of hiding from them, especially after everything we'd been through?
With a deep sigh, I decided to cast aside my mask of anonymity. Slowly, I removed the mask that covered my face.
"Yes, what do you want?" I asked.
Both Ayaka and Akane gasped in unison, their eyes widening in shock as they took in the sight before them. My face had changed significantly since the last time they had seen it. I had grown older, and the trials I had endured—especially the transformation after absorbing Khione's divine energy—had altered me in ways they could never have imagined.
My features were sharper, more mature, and there was a hardened edge to my expression that hadn't been there before.
Yet, despite the changes, my face wasn't completely unrecognizable. There were still faint traces of the boy they once knew. I was certain that if Siara and Sienna, especially, were to see me, they would recognize me without hesitation.
"O-Onii-chan... it's really you..." Ayaka muttered, her voice trembling with disbelief. She stared at me as though I were a ghost, her mind struggling to reconcile the person before her with the memories she held.
"Onii-sama... I... am..." Akane's voice faltered, her words catching in her throat. She looked at me, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and anxiousness, and when our gazes locked, she flinched as though she had seen something she couldn't comprehend.
Both of them—Ayaka and Akane—still called me the same names they used to, like they were holding on to some fragile thread of the past. Despite everything, it felt strangely comforting to know that they still saw me as their dear brother, even after all these years.
Seeing no immediate danger or reason to linger, I prepared to leave. "Nothing, then," I said, turning to exit the tent.
But before I could take a step, Ayaka's hand shot out, gripping my arm with a firmness that surprised me. Her grip trembled slightly, but there was a desperate strength in it. "Please, Onii-chan... Please..." she pleaded, her voice breaking with emotion.
Her plea stopped me in my tracks. Reluctantly, I turned back and stepped further into the tent, signaling my willingness to hear them out. I stood silently, waiting for them to find the words they so clearly struggled with.
"A... About what happened, about what I said... I... am so... sorry... Onii-chan...
I..." Ayaka's voice quivered as she spoke, her hands clenching into tight fists that trembled with regret and her face pale. She was likely referring to that last, painful day—when she and Akane had walked away from me, leaving behind words that had cut deeper than any blade.
"Onii-sama... I am sorry... We really don't see you like that... You are... our only family... please..." Akane added, her voice barely above a whisper, heavy with the weight of guilt.
Her eyes were downcast, unable to meet mine as she spoke, her entire being radiating sorrow and repentance.
They were asking me to forgive their words, to let go of the past that had driven a wedge between us. But the truth was, there was nothing for me to forgive. Their words, their actions on that fateful day, held no weight in my heart now. The burden of guilt they carried was their own, not mine.
I remembered that day clearly—the day their mother, my stepmother, died. It was a moment that should have been filled with grief, with tears and mourning. But my reaction had been nothing. No tears fell from my eyes, no sorrow touched my heart, and I offered them no comfort when they needed it most.
Instead, I had stood before them, a hollow shell of the person they once knew. My face had worn a smile, but it was empty, devoid of any real emotion. My eyes, which should have mirrored their pain, were cold and lifeless. And then, with a voice as flat and unfeeling as the expression on my face, I had spoken the words that had spoiled everything.
"Don't worry, I will be there for you. You can forget your mother now."