blueteamnovel Chapter 256
Chapter 256
Chapter 256
"Hmph!"
Luna, leading the way, turned to look at us.
"Tch!"
After making an indistinct noise, she turned her gaze forward again.
"Ptui!"
Then, she kicked a stone and let out another strange snort.
"Hmph!"
With a repetition of strange behaviors and the sounds 'Hmph, Tch, Ptui!', she continued to look back.
Luna's odd actions showed no sign of stopping.
By about the twentieth repetition, I decided to make an assumption.
'Could she be... upset?'
It was hard to believe. Always bold and spirited—that was Luna.
The idea of her being upset was unimaginable. In fact, Luna had never shown signs of being upset before.
'She would have bitten or beaten me up, that’s more likely.'
The word 'upset' didn't exist in Luna's vocabulary.
"Hmph!"
Luna looked back again.
Watching her, I laughed, and then I realized.
"What are you looking at? Never seen a person before?"
...Luna was indeed deeply upset.
Yes, Luna was clearly expressing that she was upset with every fiber of her being.
Being not prone to getting upset easily, it took me a little longer to notice.
Alright, I got it—Luna was upset. But...
'Why is she upset?'
The problem was that I didn't know why.
All we had done in Area 1 was defeat Amonga—there was no reason for her to be upset about that.
It was a real mystery.
If it weren't for my quick perception, others might still be unaware of it.
"Hmph, Tch, Ptui!"
This wasn’t good. We were soon to reach Area 2.
In this game, a 'Confusion' status effect exists, where confused characters cannot be controlled and act randomly before ending their turn.
Opponent’s skills or provocative dialogue, and in special cases, can trigger the 'Confusion' status.
'And right now, that's exactly what’s happening to Luna.'
One of those 'special cases'.
When there's a serious argument within the party, occasionally, the 'Confusion' status effect occurs.
'Luna’s specs are pretty good. Normally, she could handle fighting without much issue...'
Kroga’s 'Wind Spear' is a skill that can knock out allies in one hit.
If Luna doesn’t listen to me once the battle starts, it could lead to a disaster.
'That means, I need to find out why Luna is upset and cheer her up before we reach Area 2...'
Not knowing the reason was the issue.
'Calm down. Let’s piece together the puzzle.'
The puzzle of the character Luna unfolded in my mind.
Piece by piece, I fit the scattered puzzles together.
Combat, Teron faction, Amonga, time, and Rezé.
Suddenly, a small puzzle was completed.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I could see it.
Luna, slightly lowering her shoulders, was kicking stones with her feet.
'So, that was it?'
It was a tricky problem, enough to make even me, a master of 'Luna studies', ponder.
But fooling this great detective Zero was impossible.
The truth is always singular!
I hurried over to Luna’s side.
"Keke, Luna. I understand now. I've got it 100%."
"...What do you mean?"
"About why Luna is upset."
"Who, who’s upset?"
"Keke, aren’t you? Then let’s say you’re just a bit grumpy."
"...It's the same thing."
Luna pouted her lips, no longer hiding that she was upset.
But I knew then. Luna's mood had already lightened.
"Hmph, not upset, just a bit annoyed then. Well... lucky you figured it out now."
"Keke, you could’ve shown it a bit more. I almost didn’t catch on until the end, you know?"
"Sorry. Anyway, don’t do it again."
Luna lightly punched my forearm.
She was returning to her usual self. Good. It was time to deliver the final blow.
"Keke, not from now on, but starting to correct it immediately."
"Ah, I'm so happy."
"...?"
"To see the usually kind Luna showing such a cold attitude. Ah, the kind Luna is good, but... this icy demeanor isn't bad either."
Blood trickled from Yuridia’s nose.
I discreetly moved away from her.
Pervert. And one that enjoys being mistreated at that.
Sharing the same space with such a pervert was too much for a normal person like me.
"Hmph!"
Luna, far away, met my gaze once again and swiftly turned her head away.
Was it because she saw me?
Yuridia, wiping her nosebleed with a handkerchief, nudged my side.
"Hmph~ So that's it. You were wondering why Luna was behaving like that... She was grumpy? And it's because of you, Zero. To upset the kind Luna... What did you do wrong this time?"
Doesn't she think she could be the one at fault?
And 'kind Luna'? That's something that doesn’t exist in this world.
"Keke, I haven’t done anything."
"My goodness... That’s it. You've made a huge mistake."
"...?"
"You're so clueless you don’t even realize what you've done. There’s nothing more serious in a relationship than that... This is serious."
Indeed, Yuridia was right.
Not knowing why she's upset makes it impossible to figure out what to do, ending up just watching her.
Of course, it’s not like we are in a romantic relationship, but it was clear I needed Yuridia’s help now.
"Listening to you, Miss Yuridia, it seems I am at fault. Could you help me?"
"Hohoho! Finally, a chance for Yuridia, the romance genius, to shine. Okay, why don't we start with what happened in Area 1?"
*
"...and that’s what happened. Why do you think Luna is acting like this?"
I had explained what happened in Area 1 in relatively great detail.
And Yuridia’s response, with a smile, was.
"Hm~ I'm not sure?"
A romance genius, really! But what if she doesn’t know!?
"Keke, when the romance genius says that... I am deeply disappointed."
"Hmph~ It’s a fact that I am a romance genius, you know? I just didn’t have enough information."
"...Information?"
"Yes. For example... stories about secret physical affection between you two?"
Yuridia leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Ah, I see. She just wanted to hear some juicy stories?
I pushed Yuridia’s face away with my hand.
"Hmph!"
Luna, who was watching us from atop a hill, turned her face away. Her lips were jutting out, visibly even from a distance.
As I looked at her through my fingers, Yuridia hummed.
"Hmph~ So that was it. I thought Luna was too cool for that. But love has a mysterious power, doesn’t it?"
"Do you understand why?"
"Well, roughly."
Her tone was firmer than before. It seemed she really had figured out why Luna was upset.
"Keke, could you share with me? I would like to reconcile with Luna."
"I'd rather not."
"...?"
"It seems more fun to watch... But figuring it out on your own will be more helpful for both of you. Trust me, I am a romance genius."
Telling would be more helpful, I thought.
As frustration built up, I scratched my head, and Yuridia gave a sly smile.
"If I may give you a hint... it's related to something Luna is obsessed with."
Something Luna is obsessed with? There aren’t many things.
The Lester family, friends, food, getting stronger, and...
'Nothing else?'
It wasn’t that I didn't know Luna well; there was just nothing more.
That was everything about Luna, her entire world.
As I was pondering Yuridia’s hint, a moment arrived.
Boom!!
A deafening explosion rang out, and a large crater formed in the field.
As the dust slightly settled, everyone in Area 2 could see it.
Glowing ominous eyes amidst the dust.
"A demon...! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
It had begun. The seventh turn, and the second battle with a demon.
--TL Notes--
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at /MattReading
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