The story about the peach that could elevate someone’s Rank was immediately brought to the others, and the conclusion came quickly.

It was decided that I should give it to the person I wanted to.

“After all, It’s something you earned, Itsuki,” Renji-san said, sitting beside me on a lounge chair by the open-air bath.

The lounge chair in question was a special kind, reclining backward when you lean against it—popular among sauna enthusiasts. Or so my father told me.

Today was the last day of our trip, and we had come to the hot springs for one last sauna session. When I asked Renji-san who I should give the peach to, his response was immediate and straightforward.

“You should give it to someone you care about. But if you ask me… I think it would be best if you gave it to Nina.”

“Not Aya-chan?” I asked, surprised.

“Aya already has her at her side, doesn’t she?”

I had assumed Renji-san would suggest giving the peach to Aya. Instead, his unexpected proposal made me glance at him in surprise. But Renji-san didn’t seem to notice or care about my reaction, as he casually raised a curious question.

“In this case, whose Rank would increase?”

“Aya-chan’s or the Ice Princess’s?”

“Exactly.”

The bathhouse was nearly empty, with only the cool breeze brushing past us.

The heat from the sauna was gradually leaving my body, and I felt the temptation to let my mind drift. Still, Renji-san’s question lingered—if Aya ate the peach, whose Rank would increase?

That was a good point. But more than that…

“What about you, Renji-san? Don’t you want it?”

“No, I don’t. I’ll be fine without it,” he said, laughing as he refused.

“As you get older, you start worrying more about the future of the kids than yourself. I’ve survived this long, but… who knows what lies ahead for you all?”

“…I guess that’s true.”

Renji-san leaned forward, adjusting his chair back to an upright position with a clattering sound, and let out a short sigh.

I understood what he meant. No one knows when their time will come.

“That’s why, Itsuki, I think one of you kids should eat it.”

“Me too?”

“Yes, you as well.”

Renji-san’s response caught me off guard—it was entirely different from what the blacksmith had said.

“If you eat it and become a Seventh Rank, you might become strong enough to exorcise even more monsters. And that could end up saving more people. It’s worth considering.”

“…Yeah.”

“You don’t seem convinced.”

“It’s just… even if I gain more magic power, I won’t be able to use it all.”

“Must be nice. I’d like to say that someday too,” he replied with a dry chuckle, not sounding particularly envious.

It tied back to what he had said earlier—he cared more about the kids than himself.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is this: the peach is a reward you earned through your own efforts. You get to decide how to use it. No adult is going to criticize your choice.”

I nodded silently.

I understood that. Renji-san, my father, even Irena-san wouldn’t object if I ate the peach myself. Irena-san might push for Nina to eat it, but she wouldn’t force it or try to take it from me.

I trusted them to be that kind of people.

“All I want is for you kids to be happy, Itsuki. If the peach can help with that, eat it. If not, you can even throw it away.”

“…Throw it away?”

“Sure. The important thing is that you—Aya, you, Nina—find happiness. That’s all that matters.”

Renji-san shrugged, stood up, and looked me in the eyes with a gentle smile.

“So, take care of Aya for me, okay?”

“…Yeah,” I nodded, unable to do anything but agree to his request.

That said, the question of who to give the Sanctuary Peach to had almost been decided from the beginning. Not just Renji-san, but my father and Irena-san had also suggested it should go to one of the kids. I didn’t want it, which narrowed the choices further.

It had to be either Aya, Nina, or Hina.

But Hina was a Second Rank and didn’t need to be pushed into the exorcist world. Her magic training was basic, meant only for self-defense. Forcing her into this dangerous world wasn’t right. More magic meant more risk of monster attacks.

That left Aya or Nina.

As Renji-san mentioned, Aya had the Ice Princess by her side. Even if Aya’s own Rank was only Third, with the Ice Princess, she effectively operated as a Sixth Rank. Most monsters wouldn’t be able to kill her.

With those considerations, the answer became clear.

“…Are you sure I should have it?” Nina asked, staring at the peach I held out to her.

“Yes. I think you should be the one to eat it,” I said.

Nina looked at the peach in confusion before glancing at Aya, who stood beside me. This was a decision we had discussed together.

If Aya had wanted it, I was ready to split the peach and share it between the two of them. But Aya had shaken her head and said, “I don’t need it.”

That’s why we brought it to Nina.

Even so, Nina hesitated, shifting her gaze between the peach and Aya.

“This peach can increase someone’s Rank, right? Are you really okay with not eating it, Aya?”

“Yes. I don’t need it. I have more important things to focus on,” Aya said with a soft smile.

Her expression reminded me of Renji-san’s earlier, and I thought to myself how alike they were as father and daughter.

While I was lost in those thoughts, Nina took a deep breath, gently accepted the peach from my hand, and held it to her chest.

“Thank you, Itsuki, Aya,” she said, her voice filled with gratitude.

“If you’re both saying this, I’ll take it.”

With those words, Nina brought the peach to her lips.

It was small enough to fit in her palm and soft enough that she didn’t need to bite—it disappeared in a single swallow. After a few moments of chewing, she gulped it down and then spoke again.

“Thank you. For not giving up on me, Itsuki, Aya.”

“…You’re our friend,” I replied simply, and Nina smiled bashfully.

“I’ll become stronger,” she declared, clenching her fists tightly as if to embody her resolve.

Her face betrayed no sign of the intense emotions she must have been feeling.

“I’ll make sure nothing like that amusement park or the school ever happens again.”

It was, without a doubt, the moment she was reborn. Enjoy more content from empire

“I’ll get strong enough to live up to your expectations, Itsuki, Aya. Strong enough to defeat any monster.”

Truthfully, I hadn’t realized it until now.

That people didn’t need to die to be reborn.

“I’ll get stronger.”

Nina smiled, and the girl who had been broken by monsters, who had cried and lost her magic, was no longer there.

In her place stood a budding exorcist—strong and unwavering.

It felt like a moment worth celebrating. Yet, I held back the correction I wanted to make and instead spoke to them both.

“Let’s head back. It’s time to return to Tokyo.”

Nina had said she would “become stronger.” But I disagreed.

She didn’t need to become stronger—she already was.

Despite her trauma, she had chosen to become an exorcist.

Even when she felt abandoned by her mother, she never gave up.

From the moment I met her, Nina had always been dazzlingly strong.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep