The Ice Princess continued to cling to me tightly, not letting go. I gently patted her back.

“Have you been doing well?” I asked.

“That’s what I should be asking you,” she replied. “I’ve been observing everything from within Aya.”

With that, the Ice Princess finally let go. I realized that while I knew Aya and the Ice Princess shared a connection, I hadn’t quite grasped how it worked.

“You can see everything Aya sees?” I asked, curious.

“Yes, everything Aya experiences, I do as well, and it’s mutual. Right now, she’s aware of this conversation.”

I waved my hand in front of her eyes, testing to see if Aya might respond. Of course, she didn’t react.

I thought I’d ask Aya herself when she returned, but the Ice Princess turned toward Nina-chan.

“I suppose this would be our first meeting, wouldn’t it? The girl from the remote island,” she said.

“…W-Who are you? You’re not Aya, are you?” Nina asked, her voice quivering with surprise as she stared at Aya’s altered appearance.

Realizing I hadn’t explained this part yet, I began to speak, but the Ice Princess introduced herself first.

“I am the Ice Princess, a ‘Sixth Rank’ monster,” she said.

“…What?! Why is there a monster inside Aya?!” Nina screamed, clutching my hand with such force that it hurt.

How should I even begin to explain? I turned to Nina, trying to figure out where to start.

“Well, it’s a long story…” I began.

“There’s no need to soften it,” the Ice Princess interrupted. “I became a monster because of him,” she said, pointing straight at me.

Nina’s gaze shifted to me, her eyes wide with confusion.

It wasn’t exactly untrue, though it was misleading. I took one of the treasures out from my chest pocket and held it out for her to see.

“This… this is what she means.”

The treasure was the crystallized magic of a monster I’d exorcised a year ago during our summer training camp. Nina’s eyes were drawn to the crystal in my hand.

The Ice Princess continued, “That man was named Harunaga Akino, a creature steeped in the worst parts of humanity. Although it’s not him here—only his essence carried forward in the form of a parasite.”

Nina blinked, still struggling to process everything. The vending machine’s low hum filled the silence around us, as there was no one else in the room.

After a pause, the Ice Princess continued, “I was made into an experiment—a stepping stone in his path to becoming a monster.”

“…Then why are you inside Aya?” Nina asked, her voice strained.

“I was saved, by her… and by Itsuki.”

The Ice Princess’s answer didn’t seem to fully satisfy Nina. Her face looked pained.

“I know of your circumstances, Nina. Aya has told me about you. It’s because of that understanding that I wanted to speak to you.”

“…I’m not a monster,” Nina replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

“But your life was twisted by one, was it not?” the Ice Princess asked calmly.

Nina froze, and for a moment, she simply shook her head.

“…No. It wasn’t the monster’s fault,” she said, her voice unsteady.

Nina’s hand was trembling as it gripped mine, her body visibly fighting a deep, internal fear. She gathered her resolve and continued.

“It was because I was weak.”

“Nina-chan?” I said gently, startled by the weight of her words.

“If I hadn’t laughed at Papa, if I’d had more talent as an exorcist… if I had a reason to be alive…” Her voice cracked, her grip tightening on my hand.

Nina’s words spilled out in hot, painful bursts of emotion.

“If I had been stronger, if I had more talent… none of that would have happened,” she insisted.

“No… it wasn’t your fault, it was the monster—” I tried to say, but she cut me off.

“If it were you, Itsuki, you wouldn’t have ended up like me!” she cried.

I wanted to refute her words, to tell her that it wasn’t a fair comparison. But I couldn’t. Deep down, I knew it was true. If it had been me, I likely would have been able to resolve it. Maybe not without casualties, but the monster would have been exorcised.

I

had

exorcised monsters, after all.

So should I tell her that? Should I tell her that we’re different, that there’s no point in comparing herself to me?

No, that wasn’t what she needed. I knew that much; the last thing she needed was a misplaced, hollow reassurance.

“…I… I didn’t have the talent to be an exorcist. I had no value,” Nina whispered.

“Don’t say that, Nina,” the Ice Princess admonished her gently.

But Nina’s words only grew more frantic.

“Only Itsuki ever saw me, only Itsuki ever taught me how to fight. I thought that if I taught him fairy magic, he’d keep looking at me. I thought it would be enough if it were just him… but then…” Nina’s voice broke.

She struggled to continue, but she couldn’t hold back.

“Then I saw Itsuki learning magic on his own, getting stronger. If I were the one to stay behind at the swordsmith’s, then maybe he would’ve had his sword made. That would have been my value… but, but…” Her hand and voice trembled more and more.

I wanted to tell her it was okay, that she didn’t have to do any of this for me. But I knew it wouldn’t be enough to make her believe it.

“I wanted to stay with Itsuki. I know it’s selfish… I know I should’ve stayed, but I didn’t want to go, even though that’s the only way I can be of use to him,” Nina said, her voice raw and desperate.

Then, with all the strength she could muster, Nina forced out her final words.

“I… I don’t even understand my own feelings…”

Nina’s body trembled as she began to cry quietly. I placed a comforting hand on her back, gently stroking in an attempt to soothe her.

The Ice Princess looked at Nina and said, “Nina, I am on your side. And not just me—Itsuki and Aya as well. We’re all here for you.”

“…Then what should I do?” Nina asked, her voice choked with tears.

“Cry,” the Ice Princess said softly.

The Ice Princess’s response surprised us all.

“Let your sorrow flow out with your tears. Cry as much as you need. And when you’re done, look around you. There will be people here reaching out to you, right, Itsuki?”

“Yes, exactly,” I replied, nodding.

“I’ll always be on your side, Nina-chan.”

“And mine too, right?” the Ice Princess added, a small smile playing on her lips.

“…I’m here for everyone,” I replied, slightly embarrassed.

That’s just who I was—I didn’t want to see anyone close to me suffer, nor did I want to lose them.

“So, Nina, let yourself cry as much as you need,” I said.

The Ice Princess’s words were kind in a way I hadn’t expected, and as if her purpose was fulfilled, she vanished, leaving Aya-chan back in control.

Aya-chan gently stroked Nina’s hair as she cried.

“When you’re sad, it’s best to let those feelings out little by little, or else they’ll just keep building up inside. So let it out, Nina-chan.”

Then, she wrapped her arms around Nina and held her close until she calmed down. When Nina’s tears finally subsided, Aya-chan turned to me, her cheeks slightly flushed.

“Itsuki-kun, you know… you can always come to me if you ever need help too,” she said, a bit shyly.

“Thank you, Aya-chan,” I replied, grateful.

“I-I only did the same for Nina-chan, that’s all…” Aya stammered, face red as she hugged me tightly too.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep