The Hero Creation Classroom of a Reincarnated Ordinary Person: After Reaching My Limit As An Adventurer, I Reluctantly Opened A Classroom In The Countryside To Earn Money For The Future, And My Student Became The Strongest - Episode 85

Sana was found quickly.

She was standing under the tall cherry tree in the courtyard of the Kujakumiya family’s main mansion.

Her back was turned, so I couldn’t see her expression.

“Sana!”

I ran through the light rain and hurried to her side.

“Sana…”

She slowly lifted her face and looked at me. Her black hair, wet from the rain, shone beautifully, but her expression was a little dark.

She looked away from me and gazed up at the cherry tree.

“…It’s beautiful, isn’t it? This is called a cherry tree. There was one at the Seiran mansion where I lived before.”

“…Yeah, it’s beautiful.”

I looked up at the cherry tree too and answered her.

“Seiran is a bit gloomy… at night, it has a different kind of beauty. But… cherry trees in the rain are beautiful too.”

“…Yeah.”

“Teacher, I wasn’t really part of the Kujakumiya family. I was a sacrifice brought here from somewhere else. I thought I was chosen, but the one who chose me was a god called Ohisashi… no, a monster.”

“……”

The cherry tree didn’t shelter us from the rain at all.

Fine rain kept falling on us.

“But that’s why I met you, Teacher, and Eve, and Mu… That’s why I think… what I did wasn’t all bad. The days I spent with all of you were definitely happy.”

“Is that so…”

“But… it’s still sad. All the effort I put in was wasted.”

“……”

The rain grew heavier.

The sky darkened as night approached, and the drops grew larger, soaking us cold.

“Being the daughter of the Kujakumiya family… was just an illusion in the end… There was no one like that anywhere.”

The sound of the rain pounding the ground echoed loudly, but Sana’s voice was clear and reached me.

“Even the Kujakumiya family I wanted to belong to… was just an illusion…”

The heavy rain shook the cherry blossoms.

A single petal was knocked off.

Not fluttering gently, but falling instantly, weighed down by the rain until it disappeared from sight.

“No, maybe even I… was just an illusion.”

The sound of the pounding rain felt like crying—like a wail of grief.

I took a deep breath, cold air filling my lungs.

The cherry tree above, blurred by the rain drops in my eyes, was hard to see clearly.

I closed my eyes and lowered my face.

Rain dripped from my lids and ran down my cheek.

“You’re not an illusion.”

Even with my eyes closed and the rain pounding around me, I could feel her presence right next to me.

“Sure, the daughter of the Kujakumiya family, Sana, and the Kujakumiya family itself were illusions. But,”

I spoke clearly and firmly, so she could hear me over the heavy rain.

“The days you lived, the effort you put in—that’s not an illusion.”

The rain started to ease up.

“It was a short time. People might say it wasn’t very long. But during that time, I saw you working so hard, closer than anyone else. That was no dream or illusion—it was reality.”

I opened my eyes and faced Sana.

She looked at me, soaked from the rain.

I met her eyes and spoke, hoping my words would reach her.

“You did your best. You worked hard. You really did… you did your best, Sana.”

“…”

“Maybe hearing this from someone like me doesn’t mean much, but still—”

I felt a sudden impact on my chest.

The girl, wet from the rain, was in my arms, pressing her face to my chest.

Though the rain had lessened, it still fell gently.

“I… I…”

“You don’t have to force yourself…”

The rain-soaked branches dropped the water they had collected from the cherry blossom petals.

With that, the rain stopped. The evening darkness began to take over the surroundings.

In the silence, Sana’s voice sounded strangely loud.

“I… I just wanted… I just wanted to be recognized by my father! That’s all! That’s all I wanted!”

“Yeah… I know… That’s what it was…”

A tear fell from Sana’s eye. It followed the pull of gravity, slowly dropping down.

“I… I tried to be accepted by him… I tried to be loved by him… I tried to be worthy of him…”

“You really tried… You tried your best. You did well. You did great, Sana.”

“Uwahhh! Aaaahhh!!”

She screamed, looking up at the sky, tears streaming down her face as cherry blossom petals, swaying in the post-rain breeze, drifted by.

Ah, the rain really was strong today.

I could hear the noise coming from the mansion.

Tsukasa must have sent in soldiers by now.

Ever since we first met in Navara, Tsukasa had been wary of Sana.

It was likely because she was from the Kujakumiya family.

To keep the Seiran royal family from realizing that the Kujakumiya family was about to be caught.

The royal family probably had some evidence of the Kujakumiya family’s wrongdoings beforehand.

And it seems our timing to visit the Kujakumiya family coincided with the royal family’s plan.

The Kujakumiya family’s fate is sealed. They’ll vanish like a mirage.

“…Hey, Sana.”

After pouring out my feelings, I turned to speak to Sana, who was starting to calm down.

“Come live with me.”

“…Huh?”

Sana looked up at me with red eyes.

Seeing this side of her, usually so graceful, made me smile faintly.

“You don’t have anywhere else to go, right? So, stay with me for a while. Okay?”

“Is… that okay?”

“Of course it is.”

I couldn’t possibly leave Sana alone in this situation.

With that thought, I smiled at her. She brought her arms in front of her chest, then…

“Yes… thank you, teacher.”

She gave me an awkward smile, but it wasn’t forced. It was a genuine smile, with no sign of strain.

I led Sana toward the exit of the mansion. As we walked down the hallway, there were quite a few soldiers from Seiran inside, making it a bit noisy. However, no one said anything to me, perhaps because Tsukasa had already briefed them.

“…Endy-sama.”

At the entrance of the Kujakumiya residence, Tsukasa was standing. From his demeanor, it seemed like Renya and Takeru had already been taken away.

“Thank you for your cooperation this time.”

“Eh… I didn’t really do anything.”

I told Tsukasa that, and he lifted his head.

“I’m sure you’ve already noticed, but I’m here to capture members of the Kujakumiya family. There’s a message from King Ryuga. If you find out that this incident involves the Kujakumiya family, please pass it on. Should I tell you?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“…’Though we haven’t fully united yet, formally, they are my subjects. The Kujakumiya family has done something truly unforgivable. Through Agart-sama, we’d like to compensate for the damages to the classroom.’ That’s what he said.”

“I see.”

“He also mentioned that he would like to personally apologize to show sincerity, but…”

After thinking for a moment, I shook my head.

“No need for him to come all the way here… But if they’re going to pay compensation, I’d appreciate it if it wasn’t just for the classroom.”

According to Agart, King Ryuga still hadn’t fully unified the country. So, I didn’t think it was fair to pin all the blame on him for the actions of the Kujakumiya family. Besides, Agart would probably handle things like this.

As far as I was concerned, if they just reimbursed the damages to the classroom and gave me some money, that would be fine. No need to bring the king out just for an apology.

Tsukasa nodded, saying, “Understood,” and then turned his gaze to Sana.

“Currently, we are protecting the potential sacrifices that the Kujakumiya family had been keeping watch over… as for your young lady—”

“!”

Sana flinched and hid behind me. Seeing this, I stepped forward to protect her.

“I will protect Sana. Let Seiran King know that… you’re not going to punish her just because she’s connected to the Kujakumiya family, are you?”

“Of course not. From what we’ve gathered from the girls, we know they have committed no crime. I will pass on your words to King Ryuga.”

“Thanks.”

It seemed my intentions had been understood clearly. Tsukasa had no more to say and gave a small bow before departing.

I also nodded lightly, saying “Thank you,” to which he responded briefly with, “No, it’s nothing.”

He’d likely be busy from now on, acting as Ryuga’s representative, working on dismantling the Kujakumiya family.

Turning on my heel, I led Sana out of the entrance.

“Ah, Endy.”

“Sensei, we’ve been waiting for you.”

Just outside, Eve and Mu were waiting. They quickly noticed Sana but, out of consideration, they quietly stayed back. It was probably a relief for Sana as well.

“Shall we head home?”

Just like when we arrived, the three of us made our way home. The rain had stopped, and surprisingly for Seiran, the night sky was clear, with stars shining brightly.