Spring Never Comes to Stolen Fields - Chapter 28

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Arsène

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Spring Never Comes to Stolen Fields ◈

Chapter 28: Yuri (3)

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I had a task.

No one had assigned it to me directly. It was a task I had set for myself.

I needed to study my Innate Magic.

There were two major reasons I hadn't been able to research it myself.

First, there was no one around me.

Back when I was always with Luna, Yan, and Master, that place had been my home, my family, and my whole world.

I had accidentally used it on Luna before I understood what this magic was, but once I learned its nature, I never even considered using it on Master or Yan.

I didn't know what kind of reaction it might cause, and I didn't want to tamper with the feelings of people I cared about.

Celia and Luna were the people closest to me now.

Using it on either of them was a double-edged sword.

It was clear that both of them had strong feelings for me.

The moment I lost control of my Innate Magic, there was no way to predict how it would change academy life, no, the academy itself.

If Luna ever snapped and took off my ring, I might have to say goodbye to this life altogether.

Second, I had no justification.

Using it on demons under Lady Amelia who had no connection to me wouldn't be a problem in itself, but it would create other issues.

They had no personal feelings toward me.

The prerequisite for Emotional Amplification was that the target had to hold some kind of emotion toward me, whether affection or resentment. There was no point using it on people whose feelings were zero in either direction.

I had once asked Yan for advice about it. He said I should instill fear by cutting off one arm at a time, so I told him I'd rather live without knowing.

I had no interest in learning that way.

Then, at just the right time, I found some excellent prey.

Yuri. It's you.

You're the one who'll help me.

"W-What... what do you want me to help with...?"

Yuri looked at me nervously.

A smile naturally spread across my face at the thought of getting a new test subject.

"It's not difficult. Actually, all you have to do is stay still."

She looked like she had no idea what I meant.

"What on earth is it?"

Watching her tremble even more after hearing my answer gave me a strange thrill.

"Don't tell me... you're going to... again...?"

Again? This had nothing to do with what I'd done before...

"You're going to start touching me..."

Yuri covered her chest with both hands.

I'm not interested at all, Yuri.

If I'd just said that, nothing probably would have happened. Instead, I said something weird.

"Uh... there wasn't much to touch, though..."

I should've thought before speaking.

Yuri suddenly lowered her head.

"...There is..."

She mumbled something under her breath.

"What did you say?"

"I've got enough there, you bastard!"

She pulled out her bow and aimed it at me.

I obediently raised both hands to show I had no intention of fighting.

We came all the way out here to become friends...

Things were good just thirty minutes ago...

They would've been better if I hadn't groped her chest.

Then I heard Cain calling for us from afar.

"Hey, Sirius! Come take a look at this!"

That unpleasant bastard was doing a great job today.

Perfect timing, Cain.

I wanted to send him a thumbs-up from the bottom of my heart.

When we returned to the hunting ground, Cain seemed to have caught a fairly large wild boar.

Several arrows were stuck in its hide. It must have taken multiple shots because the thing was so tough that one wasn't enough to kill it.

"Wow. Cain, that's impressive."

Yuri, who had returned with me, sounded genuinely surprised.

Cain puffed out his chest proudly.

"It's not that I don't shoot because I can't, you know."

Cain... Yuri just meant you did well for a beginner archer...

Yuri could've probably taken it down with a single arrow.

Seeing Cain so full of himself annoyed me for some reason.

Raven must have given up on shooting. She had set her bow aside and was sitting on a cut tree stump, blankly staring at the sky.

I suddenly became very curious about what Raven did during her free time.

Did she spend all day like that?

Yuri and I hadn't hunted yet, but Yuri looked like she'd already reached her mental limit for doing anything else.

Cain seemed to have had his fill of fun, and Raven didn't seem to have any particular thoughts on the matter, so I suggested we call it a day.

"Then let's stop here for today. Did everyone enjoy the day I planned?"

Yuri looked around at us as though wrapping things up.

Thanks to the deal I'd made with her, my satisfaction was through the roof.

Cain was grinning because he seemed to have enjoyed hunting, while Raven silently nodded.

Yuri seemed to let out a relieved sigh.

She seemed somewhat airheaded, but Yuri was a good person.

"Then let's head back. Cain, you can carry the animal you hunted yourself, right?"

"Of course."

Cain slung the wild boar over his shoulder, and we headed down through the forest.

By the time we reached the academy, the sun was already setting.

It was my first time leaving the academy, and I was a little disappointed by the destination itself.

There were forests in Homeron too, after all.

Since the Neutral Zone was located between every nation, anyone who wanted to could travel to any country, though it would take some time.

I wondered what Cain and Raven would prepare next.

I especially had no idea what Raven would suggest.

Once I reached the Dormitory, I threw myself onto the bed.

It felt like my fatigue was slowly melting away.

Cain said we should eat the wild boar he caught later and told everyone to gather in the dining hall after a while.

I thought the people cooking there might panic when they saw an animal that size, but that wasn't my concern.

Maybe Cain was actually a good person. He knew how to share, after all.

Sometimes I wanted to smack him upside the head, though.

After enjoying some time alone, I got up and left my room.

I was the last to arrive.

"Hey, Sirius! Hurry up already! Huh?"

Wow... I take back what I said about him being a good person.

Cain immediately started giving me a hard time the moment I arrived.

I made eye contact with Yuri, who was already seated. She flinched when she saw me.

Hey. I haven't even eaten you yet.

Raven was blankly staring at the deliciously cooked meat in front of her.

I thought I might finally see her without her mask this time.

"Looks like everyone's here, so dig in! There's enough for you to eat until you burst and still have some left over."

Judging by the size of the thing Cain had brought back, even one person could eat it for over a week.

I cut off a large piece and put it in my mouth, thinking how great it was to be in the human realm.

It tasted heavenly.

Before eating, Raven took off her mask.

The three of us held our breath as we watched.

We were probably all thinking the same thing.

Why does she hide that face?

Without her mask, Raven was an overwhelmingly beautiful woman by any objective standard.

Luna and Celia were obviously beautiful too, but Raven was beautiful in a different way.

She had the air of a refined young lady who had been raised with care.

She cut the meat into tiny pieces and moved her small mouth as she chewed.

Cute...

When everyone's gaze focused on her, she looked at us and tilted her head.

"...Aren't you all eating...?"

The chills that ran down our spines at those words brought us back to our senses.

"No, no. Raven, eat as much as you want."

I gave an awkward laugh and picked up my fork.

"Yeah, yeah! At that rate, when are you ever going to finish? Cut it bigger! Bigger!"

Cain agreed with me. You thought she was cute too, you bastard.

We ate meat until our stomachs felt like they would split open.

Thanks to Yuri's plan, our party had grown somewhat closer.

* * *

This was driving me absolutely crazy.

I'd endured the homeroom teacher's sharp stares to get Sirius into my party, yet Sirius had deliberately chosen not to pick me.

I thought the reason he avoided me was because I was obsessed with Yuwol.

Still, I decided to stop pressing him about his past or forcing the subject of Yuwol.

If I approached him that way, Sirius would only pull further away from me.

I couldn't think of any good way to approach him.

After class, Luna, that damn catlike bitch, guarded him like a sentry.

I'd never liked her from the moment we first met.

And when I thought back on yesterday, it irritated me even more. When I said I would take Sirius because I ranked first, Luna had casually brought up that she ranked first too.

Just how had she won Sirius over?

I even wondered if Sirius was being threatened.

Being alone in my room only made me feel worse, so I went out for a walk to breathe in the night air.

The wind outside did seem to make me feel better.

In the distance beside the dining hall, I saw two human-shaped figures.

As I moved closer, I recognized one of them.

It was the man who would become mine. Sirius.

A secret meeting at this hour? I assumed the other person was Luna, but it was someone entirely different.

The person under the moonlight didn't have Luna's silver hair.

That was... Yuri.

Since Yuri was a man, I thought nothing could be happening between them, but I froze where I stood.

Sirius was... licking Yuri's neck...