ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!-Chapter 252: Walking Forward ( )

Midnight.

Hazuki lay quietly on the grass in the orphanage courtyard, arms folded under his head, eyes half-open as he stared at the night sky. The stars were clear tonight. No clouds. Just quiet wind brushing the treetops.

Ridan floated down beside him, landing softly like mist taking shape.

Hazuki blinked, glancing sideways.

"...I thought spirits couldn’t land on the ground."

"For regular spirits, yes," Ridan replied, his voice calm. "But I’m an ancient spirit, remember?"

"Hmm." Hazuki gave a small nod and returned to watching the sky.

They stayed like that for a while. Just the two of them. The night wasn’t cold. It was the kind of silence that didn’t press. Just drifted.

"So what next?" Hazuki asked quietly.

Ridan didn’t answer right away. His form drifted slightly upward, then floated parallel with Hazuki. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

"You said your dream was to sightsee the world, didn’t you?" he said eventually.

"Yeah." Hazuki’s voice was steady. "I’m still new to this world. Haven’t seen much."

"If you just stay here," Ridan said, "you’ll get bored. And waiting eight years for Ellyn to grow up will feel even longer."

"...True."

"There are a lot of races you haven’t seen yet," Ridan added, tone even.

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes."

Hazuki closed one eye, hand resting over his stomach.

"Beastkin races, yeah, I’ve seen a bunch... But none as beautiful as Ellyn. Elves? Just that brat, Elvia. Humans? Well, that’s me."

Ridan said nothing.

Hazuki breathed slowly, letting silence settle again.

"You know, Hazuki..." Ridan’s voice drifted softly through the night air, a little smug, a little teasing.

Hazuki shifted slightly on the grass, still lying on his back. "...What?"

"There’s more out there," Ridan said, floating a little higher, like he was watching the stars too. "Dryads. Mermaids. Giants. Dwarves. Even more races you’ve never seen."

Hazuki blinked once, then turned his head.

"For real?"

Ridan gave a lazy spin midair. "Mm-hmm. For real."

Hazuki’s brows lifted, just a little. "Oh... now I’m kinda excited."

The corners of his mouth turned up.

"Good," Ridan said, drifting closer.

"So we leave when?" Hazuki asked, arms folded behind his head, eyes still on the stars.

"I don’t know... don’t ask me. It’s up to you."

Ridan floated gently above the grass, spinning in a slow circle like a lazy breeze caught his misty form.

Hazuki hummed in thought.

"Hmm... since the deal for the kids’ protection is already done, the lord promised to send patrols here, and we don’t really have much to do anymore..."

He paused.

Ridan stopped mid-spin. "How about tomorrow?"

Hazuki turned his head to the side, thinking it over.

"Tomorrow, huh?"

"Yep," Ridan said with a little bounce in his voice. "The faster the better. New towns, new places, and maybe... new trouble."

Hazuki sighed.

"Yeah... trouble always finds me anyway."

Ridan grinned. "Exactly."

"Besides," Ridan began with a smug tone, spinning a little in the air, "maybe—maaaybe—while sightseeing, you’ll find a good gift for your future bride."

Hazuki raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Now that you mention it... I did already buy that bridal gown she picked out in the capital."

"Yep!" Ridan chirped, grinning wide. "Now it’s time for the rest. Shoes! Tiara! Bracelet! Ring, man! Ring!"

Hazuki scratched his head. "I mean... I can buy all that with my current savings. Got over a hundred gold, already."

Ridan floated lower, eyes narrowing in mock offense.

"What’s the point of just buying whatever’s convenient? You gotta find the best one during the journey. A story behind it. Something memorable!"

Hazuki stared at him. Then slowly nodded.

"...Yeah. That’s true."

The wind rustled the trees softly around them.

"Alright," Hazuki muttered, arms folding behind his head again. "We leave tomorrow."

Ridan grinned.

"That’s my Hazuki!" Ridan beamed, spinning a quick loop in the air.

Hazuki side-eyed him.

"Hmm? You kinda look excited."

"Who doesn’t!?" Ridan huffed, puffing out his chest mid-float. "Sealed inside that cave for over a thousand years, man! Of course I want to see what the world looks like now."

Hazuki chuckled, lying back down.

"Oh... that’s true."

He yawned, staring at the night sky for a moment in silence.

"Well," he said quietly, "we move tomorrow. Maybe after checking on the kids one last time."

Ridan hovered above him, arms behind his head as he stared at the stars too.

"Sounds good," he said with a little grin.

"Better start walking before fate kicks us in the ass again."

Hazuki squinted at Ridan.

"Hmm? Fate?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ridan froze mid-spin.

"Ah—nothing! Just talking to myself!" Ridan waved it off a little too quickly.

Hazuki sat up slowly, stretching.

"You’re weird, Ridan."

"Hah? If I’m weird, then you’re weirder!" Ridan shot back, puffing his cheeks.

"Who the hell talks to a floating spirit, feeds orphans like a doting uncle, refuses brothels, and still sleeps on couches?"

Hazuki scratched his head, then shrugged.

"Me, apparently."

"Exactly. We’re a team of weirdos." Ridan crossed his arms mid-air and nodded proudly.

"Spirit and idiot human. The unbeatable combo."

"Oi." Hazuki narrowed his eyes.

"Kidding, kidding~" Ridan spun lazily again.

"But hey... we’re both still alive, right?"

Hazuki looked back up at the stars, his expression relaxed.

"Yeah... we are."

Hazuki laid back on the grass, hands behind his head, eyes fixed on the moon above.

The stars blinked softly, but his mind was far elsewhere.

Ridan floated nearby, spinning in the air slowly like a lazy wind chime.

"So? How you gonna plan for your farewell tomorrow?" he asked with a wide grin.

Hazuki exhaled lightly.

"I don’t know... just be casual," he said with a shrug.

"Oho~? No cry-cry? No sobbing, tear-filled hugs? No ’Uncle please don’t go~’?"

Ridan teased, dramatically mimicking a kid voice.

Hazuki didn’t answer right away.

"No," he finally replied, calm and flat. "I don’t do that."

"Hoo~ Someone is serious~" Ridan drifted closer, playful tone softening slightly.

"Didn’t think the cold-hearted act was still up."

Hazuki stayed silent.

An old memory stirred.

His grandfather, strong and worn like old bark, always sat with straight back and heavy voice.

"Be a man!"

"Don’t cry over something that’s already done!"

"Stay strong!"

Hazuki blinked. His hand subconsciously gripped a patch of grass next to him.

He didn’t hate those words.

He didn’t even blame his grandfather.

It was just... that’s how he grew up.

No tears. No whining. No letting people see what’s inside.

Just walk forward.

So even now... saying goodbye?

He’d rather just keep walking.

Hazuki’s gaze never left the stars.

The words echoed, carved deep into his memory—louder than the chirping of night insects, sharper than the night chill on his skin.

"Crying is for weak-hearted people! You shouldn’t cry for something so small."

That was what his grandfather said.

Not kindly. Not gently. But with the iron of a man who lived too long in a world that gave nothing without pain.

Hazuki was sixteen back then.

His grandmother had died two years before—quietly, without warning.

And then came the old man.

The last family he had.

Lying on that futon. Chest rising shallow. Breath sharp. Eyes fierce, even in his final moments.

"Don’t you dare cry! I didn’t take you in so you can be weak!"

"You know who should cry!? Hah!?

Them! Out there! The ones with pampered lives! The ones who never had to fight just to eat!"

Hazuki had stood frozen, fists clenched, lips tight.

His eyes burned.

His jaw hurt from clenching.

But he never let the tears fall.

"Just remember this, Hazuki," the old man had said, voice already fading.

"Be strong. For yourself."

"And don’t become one of those crybabies thinking tears solve anything."

Then... silence.

Hazuki never cried. Not then. Not even now.

And when the world felt too heavy?

He just walked forward.

Back on the grass, he blinked.

"...I guess I’m really leaving tomorrow," he said.

Ridan, hovering nearby, had gone unusually quiet.

"...Yeah," the spirit murmured.

Hazuki turned his head to the side, toward the orphanage house, the moonlight casting soft light on the wooden structure. Some kids were still giggling softly behind the curtains. Probably sneaking food or teasing each other under the blanket.

"...They’ll be okay, right?" Hazuki asked.

Ridan didn’t answer right away.

Then: "Yeah. They’ll be okay. You gave them enough to stand. And more than enough to remember you by."

Hazuki nodded, slowly, once.

"Good."

Then he yawned, and lazily shut his eyes.

"Let’s sleep. Got a long road tomorrow."

Hazuki stood with his hands in his pockets, the moonlight outlining his back. The wind brushed his hair gently as he looked up at the stars—calm, grounded, yet distant.

"...You sleeping outside?" Ridan finally asked, trying to keep it light.

"No." Hazuki replied simply, his tone casual, but his eyes... weren’t.

He stepped forward, just once, then stopped.

His gaze still upward. Still locked on that silent sky.

"...Thank you, Grandpa."

His voice was low, steady.

"You raised me strong...

You picked me when everyone else left me.

You didn’t need to... but you did."

"You raised me to be a responsible man. Not weak-hearted. You taught me what’s right, and what’s wrong. How to stand when the world tells you to fall."

He tilted his head back further. The sky stretched endlessly above—deep, dark, and full of stars.

"I won’t forget."

A long pause.

"I hope... I really hope... I won’t be crying."

Then, silence again.

A long, respectful silence.

Hazuki turned, walking slowly back toward the orphanage building, leaving behind the night, the stars, and the weight of his thoughts.

He didn’t wipe his eyes.

There was no need.

They hadn’t watered.

Not even once.

( End Of Chapter )

Follow current novℯls on f(r)eewebnov𝒆l