The place Ena guided them to was a corner of the commercial district. Merchants from various countries gathered here, so inns of all kinds stood everywhere so those people could stay the night, ranging from high-class establishments favored by major merchants to cheap lodgings used by porters and laborers.
The inn Nozomu was brought to hung a sign that read "Bull Head Inn." From the look of it the first floor was a dining hall, while the rooms for overnight stays were on the second floor.
"This is the inn our family runs, Bull Head Inn."
With that, Ena disappeared through the entrance. When Nozomu followed her inside, a solidly built woman wearing an apron came out to greet them.
"Oh, welcome back, Ena-chan. Did you find Maru-bou?"
"I'm home, Hanna-san. He was causing trouble for someone again, so I scolded him properly. Ah, and this is the person my big brother caused trouble for."
"Ah, is that so. Sorry about that. Our idiot boy went and made a mess for someone. Wait a bit and I'll treat you as an apology."
"No, I don't really mind, and she already spoke to him for me, so I'm not holding it against him anymore."
"That's good to hear. Then just take it easy. Hey! What do you think you're doing!! Causing trouble for people again!! Get over here!!"
"Ow ow ow ow!! Let go!! Hey!!"
The woman called Hanna grabbed Mars by the ear and dragged him straight into the kitchen. A moment later a loud "Goon!" that sounded exactly like someone being hit on the head with a pot rang through the entire inn.
After a short while Hanna returned carrying a tray. On the plate sat bread, a nicely browned piece of meat, and a serving of salad.
"Here you go. Bull Head Inn's specialty, hole-rabbit steak with a salad assortment. This is an apology for the trouble that idiot caused, so no charge."
Hanna set the food down in front of Nozomu. The aroma of the seared meat and the juices overflowing from it stimulated his appetite. It was already lunchtime, and Nozomu himself was feeling hungry. Hanna urged him with "Just eat already," so he reached for the food she had gone to the trouble of preparing.
Hole-rabbits were rabbits that lived in the forests and grasslands of this whole area. True to their name they dug holes in the ground to live in, and they were mainly hunted for food. The hole-rabbit steak had been thoroughly pounded before cooking, so it was tender. Whatever alcohol or seasoning had been brushed on while it cooked gave it a pleasant aroma, and the juices were rich enough on their own to make the meal go down easily. The salad and bread that came with it also paired well with the meat, and mixing them with the juices made it seem like he could keep eating forever.
"Thank you for the meal. It was really delicious!"
Nozomu, who had finished everything in no time, offered his thanks, and both Hanna and Ena smiled happily.
"Nah, don't worry about it! We're the ones who caused the trouble. Besides, seeing you enjoy it that much makes cooking worth it."
"That's right. The original cause was that foolish brother of mine. You don't need to concern yourself, Nozomu-san. Suddenly calling someone out and swinging a sword… what was he even thinking…"
"That idiot is being properly disciplined right now by my husband so he won't do anything like this again. Can you forgive him?"
"Well, I'm not really holding it against him anymore, so it's fine…"
He had certainly felt anger at being suddenly attacked, but after watching the brutal mental assault of Ena publicly exposing all of Mars's past shame, Nozomu felt that was more than enough.
"Is that so… good. …Ena-chan, sorry, but my husband is about to start the evening prep, so can you go help him?"
"Eh… ah, yes, understood."
Noticing that Hanna seemed to want to say something, Ena took the empty plates and disappeared into the kitchen.
"…Nozomu, was it? There's something I'd like to talk about… is that all right?"
"Something you want to talk about?"
"About those two kids, Mars and Ena-chan. What do you think of them?"
"Hm?"
Nozomu tilted his head, not understanding the point of the question. But when he looked at Hanna, her eyes were completely serious, and the atmosphere did not allow for any joking around.
"…Let's see… I only just met Ena-chan, so I can't say much, but she seems like a solid girl. Probably largely because of Mars's influence."
As for Ena, Nozomu had only just met her so he did not know her well, but he thought she had grown into such a reliable girl because of the badly behaved Mars.
"As for Mars… honestly I don't really understand him. He never thought well of me, and he never tried to hide that. But… around the end of second year, I started sensing that something about his attitude was off."
In the mock battle at the end of second year Mars had been driven to the brink of losing to Nozomu. From that point on Mars had stopped showering Nozomu with the usual verbal abuse and mockery. Nozomu himself had noticed the change in Mars's attitude, though he had never understood the reason. When Hanna heard about the mock battle, however, she murmured as if it all made sense.
"I see… so that's what it was."
"'That's what it was'?"
"I knew something was off about that boy's behavior. But after hearing your story I understand the reason."
"The reason…?"
"Yeah, well… you know. But I'm relieved. Turns out there was still someone that boy might be able to become friends with."
"…Eh, what do you mean by that?"
Hanna spoke happily, but Nozomu found the words questionable. Even if Mars had calmed down recently, looking at how he had reacted to Nozomu until now, it was hard to believe they could become friends.
"Well, that boy didn't say he disliked you coming here. Probably, at this point, he doesn't think badly of you anymore."
From what he had heard, Mars had never once brought his hangers-on or the rough crowd he associated with to this shop. That surprised Nozomu as well.
(At the very least he seems to understand that what he's doing is wrong, so maybe he's not as bad a guy as I thought…)
For Nozomu, who had been constantly tormented by Mars and his hangers-on, the fact that Mars made sure his family was not dragged into his actions felt fresh, and he felt he understood Mars just a little better.
Turning back the clock to the time when Nozomu was eating Hanna's cooking, in the kitchen Mars faced a giant of a man with a stern face. The giant's name was Del. He was Hanna's husband and the master of this shop. Until a moment ago Mars had been receiving a lecture from Hanna. Only after Del finished cooking and his wife went to deliver it to Nozomu had Mars finally been freed from the scolding. However, because Hanna had hit him on the head with a frying pan, a large bump had formed, and it must have hurt quite a bit, because tears were floating in his eyes.
"Honestly… how long do you plan on doing this kind of thing?"
"......"
When the master of the inn heard what Mars had done to Nozomu, he was thoroughly exasperated. Mars himself thought he had gone too far this time, so he could only stay silent.
"Was the reason your behavior has been strange lately because of him?"
"......"
"Looking at you, you probably lost to him… Nozomu-kun, was it? You lost to that boy, didn't you?"
"Wha!!"
Mars was shocked that the truth had been hit so accurately. He had never told anyone about the mock battle with Nozomu.
"How many years do you think I've been acting as a parent to you two? No matter how frustrating it is to lose, why get so worked up if that's not the case?"
"…I just wanted to know the reason he was able to get so strong…"
Mars turned his face away and muttered. Seeing that, Del let out a long sigh, "Haa…" Mars had trouble being honest with Hanna and Ena. He probably still had his pride. Somewhere inside he carried the awareness that he was the one who protected them. With Del, however, there were times when he could speak fairly honestly. To Mars, Del was irreplaceable family, a "reliable father," and in a way one of his goals, even if there was no blood connection…
"Then why not just say so honestly? You could have simply asked him that from the beginning."
"......How am I supposed to ask something like that at this point? Besides, he probably just sees me as a worthless delinquent anyway…"
Apparently even Mars could not suddenly become honest with someone he had thoroughly insulted until now. That was a normal reaction, after all.
"So you did properly understand that you're a delinquent."
"Are you making fun of me?!"
"No, watching you all the time I honestly start to wonder if electric jellyfish have taken up residence in your head…"
"There's no way that's true!!"
Mars denied it with a bright red face, and seeing that, Del felt a little relieved. Mars had associated with rough types until now, but he had never brought those people to this shop. He had probably been thinking of his family. Looking at the fact that, even though he had caused trouble, Mars had not objected when Ena brought Nozomu here, Del understood that Mars had acknowledged Nozomu.
Incidentally, electric jellyfish were one type of magical beast that lived in the sea. They drifted along with the ocean currents, using the electric current generated by their long tentacles to paralyze prey before eating them. They were about the size of an adult, but since they had no means of moving on their own they could only drift through the water, and they were not considered particularly dangerous.
Del was happy that Mars had found a friend, and for that reason he made sure to thoroughly impress upon him what needed to be done.
"…At the very least, properly apologize for what you did."
"Ugh, I-I know…"
Even while awkwardly looking away, Mars properly listened, and Del's expression naturally softened.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the meal, Nozomu decided it would be bad to impose any longer and prepared to take his leave.
"Thank you for having me. The food was delicious."
"It's fine. More importantly, come again. You ate so well it made cooking worthwhile."
"Nozomu-san, my brother may cause you more trouble, but please look after him."
Del answered with a smile that did not quite match his stern face, and Ena also bowed and thanked Nozomu.
"Hey, Mars. You properly see Nozomu-kun off. You're the one who caused the trouble."
"I know…"
Mars answered Hanna's urging in a reluctant tone. After thanking Hanna and the others, Nozomu set off on the road back to the dorm together with Mars.
On the way back to the dorm the two of them remained silent. Until now Mars had only ever insulted Nozomu, and Nozomu had never exchanged a proper conversation with him either, so it was only natural.
In the middle of that silence, the one who spoke first was Mars.
"…Uh… sorry… for all the stuff up until now."
Mars apologized to Nozomu with an awkward expression.
"No, I'm not really holding it against you anymore, so it's fine. (I can't exactly pile more punishment on someone who already got torn apart that thoroughly.)"
Nozomu remembered Ena's intense verbal assault and the completely shredded Mars she had left behind. After that kind of verbal beating, he simply could not bring himself to attack further.
"…You weren't just thinking something weird just now, were you?"
Perhaps sensing the uneasy atmosphere, Mars pressed him.
"No, I was just thinking that further attacking someone who already got completely destroyed by his own little sister would be questionable as a human being…"
"You bastard! You really were thinking it!! And you remember it that clearly?!"
"Well, something that impactful is hard to forget…"
"Forget it! Forget it right now!! Forget it immediately!!!"
"H-hey! What are you doing?!"
Mars rushed at him in a panic while Nozomu flailed in response, but somewhere inside Nozomu felt that the distance between himself and Mars had shrunk just a little.
(Somehow this feels nostalgic. Outside of my master, there was almost no one I could talk with like this.)
The two of them walked along, noisily arguing the whole way. Anyone looking at their backs would have seen nothing but a pair of close, troublemaking friends.