The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
After the mock battle ended and we returned home.
Finia, who had watched the entire thing, timidly opened her mouth.
"Um, so… I think the reason Rain’s wounds healed might be… probably… because of the contract you made with me… maybe?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Ahhh! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for speaking out of turn like that!"
"It’s okay, I don’t think that at all."
"Seriously though, all the girls who gather around Rain are such strong personalities."
"Oh my, I consider myself quite normal?"
"In a way, Iris, you're the most intense one."
"Oh?"
Iris looked at me with an expression that said, "You don’t really think that, do you?"
I had absolutely no idea how to respond to that.
"Um… anyway, I’d like to hear more about what you meant, Finia."
Pretending I didn’t hear that, I decided to move the conversation along.
"Ah, yes. Um, well, um..."
Everyone’s gaze turned toward Finia.
Under the pressure, she began to panic.
"Aahhh, if my idea is wrong, they’ll all think ‘what’s this girl talking about?’ and get mad… ahhh!"
"Woof!"
"Eep!"
Sakura barked gently, as if to calm Finia down.
Then she licked Finia’s face affectionately.
"Ahaha, that tickles, Sakura-chan."
"Whine~"
"Ah… yeah. I’m okay now. I’ll… I’ll do my best."
Finia seemed to regain her composure, encouraged by Sakura’s support.
That said...
If she panics at every little thing, things could get tough going forward.
It might be worth finding a way to help Finia stay calm.
"Um, so… I heard this from Kanade and the others, but… apparently when humans form a contract with us Supreme Beings, they gain special powers. So maybe the reason Rain’s wounds healed is, well, um… it’s very unfortunate and regrettable, but… it might be because you made a contract with me… maybe?"
She ended with a question.
I’d really prefer if she could say it more confidently.
"Yeah, that makes sense. Rain doesn’t have any healing magic tools. I can’t think of any other possibility."
"No, Luna. It might be premature to jump to that conclusion. Knowing Rain, the healing power could just be another one of his ridiculous Tamer abilities."
"Hmm, when you put it that way..."
"Come on now. There's no way I’d naturally have a healing ability."
I chuckled wryly and waved my hand as the twins started seriously debating it.
I don’t think I’ve gone that far off being human...
But now I’m really curious how everyone sees me.
Lately, things seem to be getting weirder and weirder. Just my imagination, right?
"But still, healing powers are amazing! Nyaa, Rain, are you invincible?"
"Invincible? More like, Rain’s been steadily giving up his humanity, don’t you think?"
I’m kind of aware of that already, so please don’t say it out loud.
"But how strong is your healing ability, I wonder?"
Suddenly, Rifa spoke up.
Nina tilted her head a bit.
"How strong…?"
"I also have some healing power. It uses up blood, but I can heal minor wounds by myself. Rain, how far can you go?"
"...Are you suggesting an experiment?"
"Nononono."
Wait a second.
Nina, please don’t say scary things with such a cute face.
If we’re going to test the limits of healing, it means someone has to actually get hurt.
Start with a small wound and see if it heals.
Then gradually make it worse…
Oh no.
Just imagining it made me shiver.
"Well, it’s not something we can actually test. I’m very curious, personally… but we can’t go slicing up Rain-sama."
"...Then why do you look so disappointed, Iris?"
"I already said, I’m very interested, personally."
"Please, don’t be interested in that kind of thing…"
"Nyaa, I might be interested too."
"Me too."
"As am I."
"Sora as well."
"M-Me too."
"Same here."
"Me too."
"M-Me too..."
"Woof!"
"Everyone!?"
Everyone started agreeing all at once, and I began to fear for my safety.
I took a step back.
Kanade looked at me with a mischievous smile and crept closer.
"Hehehe… Rain, can we test it just a little?"
"Of course not."
"Pleeease?"
"Even if you ask cutely, still no. I’m not letting you experiment on me."
"Aww, I knew it was a no."
It seemed she wasn't completely serious about it, and when I refused, she backed off quietly.
"Why are you so concerned about this? I mean, yeah, it’s an amazing ability, but... we don’t have to go out of our way to test it."
"Because, because Rain, you always push yourself too hard. So if we knew how much healing power you had, we could feel a little more at ease... nyaah, I just want some peace of mind."
"...Ah..."
So that’s what this is about...
I couldn’t deny what Kanade said about me pushing too hard.
I tend to put my own safety second...
And prioritize other things first... or so I’ve been told.
Like when I tried to convince Elfin, and ended up burned nearly to death...
When everyone found out about that, they scolded me all night for being reckless.
I did reflect on it and felt sorry—but if something similar happened again, I’d probably still do the same thing.
It’s not logic. My body just moves on its own.
Everyone worries about me when I’m like that.
If I have healing abilities, even just a bit, maybe they can feel a little less anxious...
That’s what it really comes down to.
"So... everyone, I’m sorry. For always being reckless and making you worry. I really do feel bad about it. It’s just..."
"Your body moves before you think, right?"
Tania said, sounding exasperated.
"...Yeah. Sorry."
"It’s fine already. We’re kind of used to that about you, Rain. Honestly, it wouldn’t be you otherwise... and we’re prepared to stick with you through all of it."
"But if possible, we still want something to reassure us. When Rain’s in danger, Sora and the others feel this terrifying, crushing pain—like our hearts are being squeezed tight."
"At the very least... let us worry for you, okay...?"
"Yeah... thank you."
Everyone’s kindness made me really happy.
I felt like I was about to cry a little.
"Which brings us to this."
Tina grinned slyly.
"Since we do want to know properly, then just a little experiment should be okay, right?"
"No way, absolutely not!"
I take it all back.
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