"In short, you're just looking for a fight, right?"
Yuji also stepped forward, his face etched with clear displeasure and anger.
He knew perfectly well that his classmates didn't see him as some kind of monster.
He knew he couldn't change people's preconceived notions, and frankly, he didn't much care about them either. But… what the other person had said still pissed him off.
Because those words hadn't just insulted him; they'd insulted the bond he shared with the other three, tarnishing what they had.
And most importantly… Seele was in the same boat as him. Even if the words were aimed directly at him, if Seele got hurt because of them, he could never forgive that.
"If I beat this big guy, you take back what you said."
Yuji Itadori looked straight at Mai.
That actually caught Mai by surprise, and a more genuine smile touched her lips. "Fine. If you do, I'll take back my words and apologize to you."
"Don't think for a second I'll just accept an apology, you jerk," Nobara snapped, her hostility undimmed as she brandished her hammer. "I'm going to pound you until you beg for mercy."
Yuji wasn't comfortable fighting a girl, but she had no such reservations.
"You? A first-year?" Mai showed no sign of backing down. A revolver had somehow appeared in her hand, and her gaze was pure provocation. "Is that all you've got?"
So it's really going to come to a fight after all?
Amber felt completely at a loss.
'If you don't want to see them fight, then just stop them.'
Noting Amber's hesitation, Dark Amber chimed in.
'Stop them…'
Amber was stunned for a moment.
'For you, stopping them should be a piece of cake. Well, maybe not trivial, but none of them are a match for you. It might take a tiny bit of effort, but you could do it easily.'
Dark Amber knew exactly why the girl was hesitating.
She'd long since figured out Amber's personality.
Even though she possessed power far beyond the others, she had no real awareness of herself as someone strong.
She bound herself by the rules, cared about others' feelings to an excessive degree, and unless it involved a matter of principle, she'd rather suffer herself than use that power to 'negotiate.'
'But… would it really be okay to stop Yuji and Nobara? They've both made up their minds to fight. If I interfere, wouldn't that be forcing my will on them?'
'Sighhhhhhhhhh…'
Dark Amber's sigh felt heavy enough to expel all the air from her lungs.
'Wha… what is it?'
Amber believed she wasn't as dense as Fu Hua, so she could tell Dark Amber disapproved of her reasoning.
'You don't want them to fight here, do you?'
Dark Amber asked.
'That's true…'
'Then them choosing to fight, doesn't that mean they aren't considering your feelings?'
Dark Amber pressed.
'Huh…? But I didn't say anything…'
Thinking that far, Amber realized something.
'Right. You haven't said anything, and you're already hesitating. You're so strong, yet you're acting like a coward.'
Dark Amber's tone was full of exasperation.
But Amber stuck to her point. 'But telling them would mean changing their minds, wouldn't it?'
'Changing their minds might make them uncomfortable, but not changing them makes you uncomfortable. Between those two, which do you think they'd choose?'
'…They'd choose the first one… But them changing their minds for me… that would make me a bit uncomfortable too…'
'…That's not discomfort, that's… being overwhelmed. Ugh, simply put, it's because you don't have many friends that you're handling this friendship with such excessive care.'
Dark Amber never imagined she'd end up playing life coach; it was enough to make her head smoke.
'If they're just friendly to you, it's no different from a nurse or an online acquaintance. But them caring too much makes you feel overwhelmed and uneasy.'
'But really, there's no need for that. The reason they treat you this way is because you deserve it. You don't need to treat their care as something so fragile. Just catch it with confidence and grace.'
As a being whose essence was that of a Lahmu, Dark Amber never thought she'd one day be responsible for handling a young girl's emotional issues.
It was just her luck that the Herrscher of Sentience wasn't around, and that other old fossil's parenting style was purely observational—she'd be the first to step in if something went wrong, but if nothing happened, she'd probably just say 'You'll understand when you're older' and call it a day.
Hearing these words, Amber knew the other her was right.
She was just being pathetic…
Seeing that Amber was starting to waver, Dark Amber didn't expect to instill a stronger sense of self-awareness in her all at once.
That was a more advanced lesson. Instead, she struck while the iron was hot. 'Don't just sit there wallowing. Isn't there something else you should be doing?'
'Should I stop them?'
Watching the two sides already starting to fight not far away, and seeing Megumi Fushiguro standing beside her watching the show, Amber felt conflicted.
'Of course. Taking the first step is often the hardest part, but once you do, you'll find it's not as difficult as you thought.'
Dark Amber said, 'You don't want your two little followers to get hurt, do you?'
Although Amber felt that if the two were determined to fight, it must be because they valued something more than their physical well-being, she still nodded. Then, Undine's Tale materialized in her hand.
Megumi looked at the girl beside him in surprise.
"Fushiguro-senpai, I'm going to stop everyone."
Amber said.
"Alright. You handle Itadori and them. I'll take care of Kugisaki," Megumi Fushiguro had no objection. He nodded, summoned his Divine Dogs, and ran towards Nobara's position.
Amber, meanwhile, appeared directly between Yuji and Todo. The scythe in her hand swept down between the two, the cursed energy wrapped around it creating a wind pressure so intense that the two, who were about to grapple, instantly sensed the danger and instinctively dodged apart.
"The exchange event hasn't started yet. It's probably better to avoid pointless fights right now."
Amber glanced at the two men she'd now separated.
"I… don't mind either way. If Seele-chan says so." Yuji Itadori was still stewing over Mai's earlier words, but he knew this wasn't the place for a brawl.
Besides, if the girl herself said so, he had no intention of going against her wishes to fight on her behalf. The last thing he wanted was to make her dwell on those words even more.
"Impressive power. You can't achieve that level with cursed energy reinforcement alone," Todo Aoi looked at Amber with newfound interest.
"I thought you relied on that Special Grade curse, but it seems you're a monster like Geto, too."
Unfortunately, he couldn't empathize with monsters. He only felt the urge to challenge them, especially when the monster was a young girl.
But the other one was different.
Shifting his gaze back to Yuji, a wide grin spread across Aoi Todo's face.
"Since the Special Grade has intervened, it seems our soulful clash must end here for now… But the official exchange event is in two days! When that time comes, let's 'cook' to our hearts' content! My Brother!"
"Huh?"
Yuji was a bit bewildered by the other boy's sudden, inexplicable burst of enthusiasm, but he didn't dislike the energy.
"Alright, fine. But just so you know, I'm definitely winning when the time comes. And you'd better apologize then!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.