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Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 8 Chapter 3.3

「Huh?」

Seeing me jumping towards him, Tetsu-kun immediately grabbed the handle of his sword. He tried to quickly unsheathe his sword, however it stopped half way out. As I approached Tetsu-kun I grabbed his right hand before the blade had completely come out of the sheath.

「Ugh.」

Our faces were so close that our right cheeks were almost touching. Tetsu-kun was about to pull out his sword with his right hand, and I blocked it with my own right hand.

「As a swordsman, isn’t it fatal to be unable to draw your sword?」

「True enough.」

In an instant, I bent his body backwards. I avoided a blow from Tetsu-kun, who had raised his sword with just a flick of his wrist. As I put some distance between me and Tetsu-kun, I couldn’t help but grin.

「I see. If you can’t pull the sword out, you can still pull the sheath back to get the sword out of it.」

Tetsu-kun holds the drawn sword in front of him.

「Are you okay with approaching?」

「Even if I wait, you are unlikely to make the first move.」

「Yeah, saying it that way is kind of misleading though.」

「So don’t interpret everything I say like that. You’re the real creep.」

Shut up. You are the one who stopped the alliance and gave up on me, so don’t banter me with this conversation. I cursed him in my mind, and once again remembered that Tetsu-kun was serious about fighting me. To get the <<sword of Nanana>>. To help Yun-chan.

That’s why I’m thinking about what I should do now. I don’t think of myself as a champion of justice who can make everyone happy. I can only do what I can do, and I don’t intend to do more. I only have one goal: to obtain the <<sword of Nanana>>. I will use it to find the person who killed Nanana-chan.

「Never lose sight of your purpose, no matter what the circumstances. Always keep in mind the best path. This will be your guidepost for the future you should walk.」

「? Huh? What’s that?」’

「A family motto.」

A family motto to help you never lose sight of the path you should take, no matter what the situation.

「Let’s go.」

Tetsu-kun closes the distance and launches a slash. I feel it as I instinctively dodge it and the many slashes that come down.

Ah, I see. Predicting the trajectory of the next slash, I close the distance. As expected, I dodge the sword trying to cut me, and punch Tetsu-kun in the face.

「Ooof.」

I threw the second punch into his stomach and learned my lesson. Punching a friend feels really shitty.

Tetsu-kun stumbles and swings his sword in retaliation, but it is easily dodged.

「What’s wrong? You’re moving really slowly.」

「Shut up.」

「Is that going to help Yun-chan?」

「Shut up! Shut up!」

Her reaction turned my speculation into certainty. At the same time, I felt anger towards the thing that was controlling Yun-chan’s body.

「Shall we finish this?」

I scatter things that were in the pouch attached to my waist all over. What are they? They are small smoke bombs scattered on the ground, emitting white smoke as they spin around.

「Dammit, where did you get that from?」

「I bought it from gang Tetsu-kun. I heard about it from a friend.」

I underestimated the smoke, there was billowing white smoke quickly covering the entire room. I faded away into the smoke.

***************************************

As smoke billowed all around, Tetsunoshin sheathed his sword and sat down. He placed his hands on the sheath and concentrated his energy. No matter how Juugo would attack him, he would be able to cut him down with a single slash.

「What’s wrong? You seem to be moving really slowly.」

As Juugo’s words echoed in my head, I remembered what had happened earlier. I couldn’t put enough strength into the hand gripping my sword. I couldn’t slash with all my strength. I couldn’t swing the sword all the way through.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts. I need to concentrate, and when he gets within range, cut him without hesitation.

Who? Juugo? Really? Can I really cut him? Can I really cut Juugo in half? Can I kill my comrades, my friends? To help Yun-chan…?

Dammit, don’t hesitate!! I’ll save Yun no matter what! I’ll do anything to save her! I’ll cut down my friends if I have to! I’ll even bare my fangs at my big sister!

Even though he had come to that conclusion, even though he knew it was a revelation of his heart, his hands were trembling as he gripped the sword’s sheath.

Am I…..confused?

Suddenly, a memory of a past mistake comes to mind. He was misled by the words of his enemy, doubted his allies, and betrayed those he cared about in the worst way possible. A sin that can never be forgiven.

And then I lost everything.

The justice he upheld was leaving his irreplaceable friends… and not being by the side of those he cares about…

Am I going to lose that again?

As if to suppress the doubts that crossed his mind, he gritted his molars and tightened his grip on the sheath. Will it be repeated again?

Will I scream again that I can’t forgive myself? Will I cry again? Will I howl again?

「That is….. not what I want.」

I will never make that mistake again. This time, this time I will definitely protect it.

「This time I won’t hesitate.」

I exhale slowly, as if to expel the evil thoughts lurking in my mind from my body. I focus on what I need to do now.

White smoke fills the surrounding area. The moment Juugo uses the smoke screen to attack, I will slash him. I simply cut him down.

「…………..」

However, no matter how much time passed, Juugo showed no sign of attacking.

Eventually, the smoke that had filled the room slowly cleared…

Juugo was nowhere to be seen.

「Did he run away?」

I let out an unexpected sigh. And then I felt a sense of relief that I hadn’t had to cut down Juugo. Realizing that that thought crossed my mind I tightened my grip on my sword.

「Next time I’ll definitely kill you.」

With determination in his heart, Tetsunoshin sets off. However…

「Hmm?」

Suddenly, Tetsunoshin puts his hands on his hips as he was left speechless. It was because the cloth bag hanging from his waist containing the broken piece of the key was missing.

Tetsunoshin realized something.

「Juugoooooo.」

It turns out that Yama Juugo had pick pocketed Tetsu.

 

4

 

「Sorry, Tetsu-kun. Unfortunately, I’m no samurai, nor a champion of justice. I’m just a thief.」

When did it happen? It was when he punched Tetsu-kun in the stomach and then he pulled it out from his waste as he stumbled back from it. Actually, Tetsu-kun, you shouldn’t let such important things hang carelessly from your waste.

By the time the smoke started to fill the air he was already heading down the hallway, so this should have bought us a lot of time.

Whatever the case, that’s what I decided to do.

「OK, let’s go.」

And then I started running as fast as I could.

**********************************

「Looks like we’re the first ones here.」

Protected by Ageha’s <<humpty dumpty>>, Ageha and Tensai walked leisurely, undeterred by the traps that came their way, and finally reached the innermost room. The space between the doors was a fairly large hemispherical space, and there were several other passageways in addition to the one Ageha and Tensai had just come through. They seemed to be paths that led from other entrances. Among them was one passage whose entrance was blocked. It was easy to guess that this was most likely the door leading to the treasure chest.

The two of them arrived at the blocked passage and Tensai immediately began investigating.

「What do you think, little mouse?」

「Hmph, it looks like this is where the key is supposed to go.」

There is a strangely shaped recess in the center of the single door blocking the entrance.

「Will that broken piece of the key fit here? Well it doesn’t look like it will fit.」

「The five fragments are probably pieces of a three-dimensional puzzle. By combining them correctly, the key is completed. Insert it here and the door will open.」

「Oh, a 3D puzzle? Can you solve it, little mouse?」

「In fact, it’s already solved.」

「Already…? But there are only two pieces here, yours and mine.」

「Well, I can see the shape of the puzzle I need to complete from the depression right here. Is there anything else I need?」

Tensai continued to examine the entrance to the blocked passage as she spoke calmly. If her words were to be believed, it seemed that Tensai had already solved the three-dimensional puzzle in her mind.

Ageha was no longer surprised; she was now dumbfounded.

「Well, the little mouse is useful.」

「Is that meant to be a compliment?」