Stories in the Quiet Part 4
Ten to fifteen minutes later, Ruko groaned back to consciousness. A thin branch had fallen perfectly across his face."Gahh!… Why… always my face…?" he muttered, eyes half-lidded with irritation. He slowly sat up, rubbing his cheek, then frowned deeper. "At this point… everything in life just wants to hit me. Left, right, up, down… even when I'm sleeping." The frustration bubbled up. Ruko clenched his fists and suddenly threw a small tantrum—kicking at the grass, muttering curses under his breath—but the moment passed quickly. There was no one around to see it. Just him… and the quiet stretch of forest beside the mansion's outer wall. "…Ehehehe." Embarrassed by his own outburst, Ruko leapt over the wall in one clean motion and dashed inside. He moved fast—almost cartoonishly—until—THUD. He tripped on the stairs and faceplanted hard. "Awi!…Yeah. Bad luck day," he mumbled into the floor. After a few seconds, he pushed himself up again, dusting off his clothes. His body felt sore, his patience thin.
"I'm done. No more people." Without another word, he headed upstairs. To the balcony. The evening air greeted him first. Cool. Quiet. Peaceful. Ruko walked over and sat on the wooden railing that lined the edge—the protective barrier keeping anyone from falling off. His arm rested lazily across it as the breeze brushed against his face. For once… Nothing bothered him. The noise of the house felt distant. The world slowed. "…Finally, some peace for this life." he exhaled. His eyes drifted to the sunset. Orange light stretched across the sky, soft and calm. For a moment—He was at peace. Then—Noise. Fighting. Shouting. "…Of course I wouldn't get it," Ruko muttered flatly. He didn't even turn around. "Not my problem. No way." He stayed seated, ignoring it completely. Footsteps approached. Ruko didn't react. Kazuma stepped onto the balcony, glancing at him. "…So you ran away too, huh?" No answer. Kazuma walked over and leaned against the same wooden railing. "The girls are a headache." Still nothing.
Kazuma smirked. "…Yeah, I figured. I'll just chill here for five minutes." Silence stretched. Then Kazuma spoke again—But Ruko cut him off. "Just talk." Kazuma blinked. Ruko didn't look at him. "I've been listening to stories all day. Got beat up for it too. So if you wanna talk… just talk." Kazuma studied him for a second, noticing the bruises, the calm… the slight exhaustion. "…Alright." He sighed. Kazuma folded his arms. "Our party… is a mess." Ruko didn't react. "Aqua first. She's supposed to be a goddess… but she's broke, drinks too much, attracts trouble, cries when things go wrong… and still somehow keeps us alive." Ruko nodded slightly. "…Yeah. I've seen that." Kazuma continued. "Megumin—one spell. Explosion. Once per day. Refuses to learn anything else. Like... who wouldn't wanna learn nothing new." "…She told me," Ruko replied calmly. Kazuma twitched. "Darkness… can't hit anything. At all. She just stands there and just takes damage." "…Yeah," Ruko said. "But she ended up scratched me earlier."
Kazuma paused. "…Wait—what?" "And she broke my back." Kazuma stared at him. "…How are you alive?" Ruko shrugged lazily. "I use earth magic. For it to hold my legs by fixed my spine. And passed out twice." Kazuma burst out laughing. "Your life is messed up." Ruko didn't deny it. Kazuma sighed, calming down. "…Even with all that… we're still together." He looked out at the sunset. "…It's like a weird family." Ruko finally glanced at him. Kazuma scratched his cheek. "I complain a lot… but I still stick around." Ruko stared for a moment. "…I didn't expect that from you." Kazuma froze. "…Don't make it weird." He coughed and continued. "People think I'm a terrible leader. A creep. But I'm just trying to keep things from going completely wrong." Ruko nodded slightly. "That's true." "If your not here. Well... we wouldn't or you wouldn't met the girls in the first place." Kazuma glanced at him. "…What about you?" Ruko stayed silent.
Kazuma looked forward again. "My goal? Is just simple." "…A quiet life." Ruko's eyes narrowed slightly. "…Same." Kazuma laughed lightly. "Yeah, except we keep getting dragged into chaos." Ruko smirked faintly. "…Worse for me." Kazuma continued. "I handle debts, destroyed property, stupid quests… all because of them." "…You chose them yourself though," Ruko replied. Kazuma sighed. "…Yeah." He paused. "…And Aqua?" Ruko raised an eyebrow. "What about her?" Kazuma smirked. "She's like a pet." Ruko slowly turned his head. "…What?" "She is quite high-maintenance. Loud. Annoying. But also useful." Ruko made a shocked expression. "…I didn't expect that f4om you bro." Kazuma laughed. The wind blew again. Kazuma's tone softened. "…Even with all that… I got attached to her somehow." Ruko didn't respond. Kazuma looked at him. "…You're the same." Ruko froze slightly. "…Am I?" Kazuma smirked. "Yeah. You act like you don't care… but you're always there."
Ruko looked away. "…Tch. Like that got nothingto do with me." Kazuma stretched. "My luck sucks too. Always puts me in weird situations." "…Same," Ruko muttered. Kazuma nodded. "But… I still enjoy it." Ruko stayed quiet. "…Even the chaos." That made Ruko think. Their lives… Really were similar. But different. Kazuma suddenly wrapped an arm over Ruko's shoulder. "…Don't let it drag you down." Ruko blinked. "And listen—" Kazuma smirked. "I don't care what anyone says. Even if you don't have the same color has me…" He paused. "…You're still my twin little brother." Ruko's eyes widened slightly. A small spark flickered in them—Then— "…Oi." His expression twisted. "Did you just call me different because of my skin?" Kazuma froze. "…Wait—that's not—" Ruko snapped. "Racist!" Kazuma panicked. "I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT—" "THEN APOLOGIZE OF WHAT YOU SAID!" "I-I'm sorry OK." "Hmph... you'll could've do better than that, but that's ok to me." "I'm glad though... oh!... please don't say anything to the girls about this—"
Suddenly—CRASH. The door burst open. The girls fell in a pile. They had been listening. Kazuma twitched. "…You all heard that?" They nodded. Ruko sighed. "…Well I know they would." Ruko turned and held out his fist. Kazuma looked at it. Then smiled. Fist bump. Immediately—The girls rushed in. "Ruko! What's your dream?" "Yes I'm Ruko and what?" Kazuma smirked. "…Yeah. Good question." Ruko froze. "…Dream?" Silence. He thought. And thought. And thought— "…I don't have one." The air froze. "…What?" they asked. Ruko turned to them calmly. "I don't have anything I want." They stared. "…Say that again." "I don't have a goal. Nothing to live for. Or a reason to have certain life style that is differentfrom everyone else. All i ever do is go on quest, get myself into trouble with society that I cause more destruction and fear." "...So I'll say it again..." Everyone look at Ruko till— "I have no goals or dream." Ruko's eyes is cold and empty with no reason of what goals or dreams. Silence. Heavy silence.
Kazuma frowned trying to change the mood in the atmosphere. "…Then what happens when you die?" The girls glared at him. "What kind of question is that?!" Ruko answered anyway. "…Reincarnate, I guess." They blinked. "…And then?" Ruko smirked slightly. "…Save some beautiful girls from a dungeon or something." Everyone froze. Kazuma slowly grinned. "…And then?" The girls leaned in. "What happens next?!" They started bombarding him with questions. Ruko groaned. "Shut up—" Suddenly— "Come on spill the beans—" THUD. Kazuma kicked his back. Ruko flew off the balcony. "…BOMBOCLAT AGAIN?!" he shouted mid-air. SMACK. Face-first into the ground. The group rushed down. "…You good?" Ruko lay there. "…Yeah." They nodded. "…Alright." And just like that—They left him there. Ruko stared at the night sky. "…This is Meaningless." His voice was quiet. "…This life of nothing wortha effort." The grass felt soft beneath him. The earth… Warm. Comfortable. "…Guess this is my bed now." His eyes slowly closed. And once again—Ruko fell asleep. Outside. Alone. Under the fading sky.