TWCT 30

Chapter 30

 The Creaking Wheel

The forest fell silent again as dawn approached.
Charred trees, soil stained with blood.
Most of the surviving soldiers had been placed under control, their fighting spirit extinguished.

“…So, it’s finally over, huh.”
Someone murmured and dropped to their knees.

I sheathed my sword and exhaled deeply.
My whole body felt heavy. More than the battle itself, the weight of my classmates’ gazes pressed down on me.

◇

“Takamiya… your power, really…”
A fearful voice began to speak, but Renji glared sharply and silenced them.

“If you have time to complain, be thankful. Without him, we’d all be dead.”

No one could argue with that.
Yet the atmosphere did not clear.
The looks directed at me were filled with fear and confusion.

◇

“Yuto-kun.”

Misaki stepped closer.
Though her face showed fatigue, her eyes looked at me with intensity.

“Thank you… really.”

Her words were small, yet clear.
A strange warmth stirred deep in my chest.

“…It’s nothing. I just couldn’t leave you be.”

I answered curtly.
But Misaki said nothing more and simply smiled.

◇

(…I see)

Rine, who had been watching that exchange, squinted slightly.
Misaki’s expression, tone, and gaze—
It wasn’t hard to read what was hidden there.

(But… she doesn’t realize it herself. Yuto is oblivious.)

Rine didn’t speak, simply standing calmly beside us.

◇

Meanwhile, a little distance away—

“Hey, isn’t something weird?”
“What do you mean?”

Two boys whispered to each other.
They had noticed that Takuma, who had led the charge in yesterday’s battle, had been acting strangely.

“He… somehow ended up in the back. And he was strangely close to the soldiers, right?”
“…Yeah, that’s true.”

The seeds of doubt were still small.
But they were beginning to spread, slowly but surely.

◇

“…So, what do we do now?”
Renji looked over everyone.

“If we stay here, more pursuers will come. We have no choice but to move.”

Everyone nodded at his words.
Yet their hearts were not united—fear and suspicion mingled within them.

◇

As dawn broke and pale light filtered through the forest, I sighed inwardly.

(…They’ll never accept my power anyway. But there’s no turning back now.)

And behind us, quietly, steadily—
The shadow of betrayal was beginning to spread.

Afterword

Thank you for reading this far!

In Episode 30, I depicted the aftermath of the battle, the “doubt among classmates,” and the scene where Rine notices Misaki’s feelings.
Meanwhile, some have begun to notice Takuma’s unnatural behavior, gradually spreading an unsettling atmosphere.

As the betrayal starts to take shape, Yuto’s path will face a major turning point.
Please look forward to what comes next!