Chapter 178 - Reunion

"Iris, Iris...Come on, it's not hard to find a blue-haired girl, is it?"

Inspecting every figure that came into view once reaching the busy center of the village, Ren scouted for the precious companion of his. 

Most of the primorelves seemed reserved; watching him with their nosey gazes but never actually coming out to say a word to him as they passed by. He chalked some of it up some of them just being busy with their clear responsibilities; running shops, transporting goods, tending to crops--but he could still feel a distinct feeling of not belonging. 

Still...It's probably better to just ask someone than to look blindly, Ren thought. 

The best bet he decided on was to ask the primorelf running the humble fruit shop at the first corner, approaching the stand as it displayed a plethora of fruits he had no way of discerning--except the micahberries, of course. 

"Anything catch your eye, Sir?"

The shopkeeper asked with a faux smile only meant to draw in potential customers, or better yet--coin. It was impossible for Ren to decipher the age of these short, cave-dwelling elves. While the elf possessed gray, fluffy hair that circled into a bountiful mane, the clear, wrinkle-free skin and vibrant eyes told otherwise of his locks. 

"Urr, have you seen a girl-- a human girl, with bright, kind of wavy, blue hair?"

As soon as Ren asked this, a frown came over the shopkeeper's expression as his shoulders slumped and his hands parted. 

This guy is really that sad over losing a customer? Ren thought. 

"You mean "Iris", right?"

"Oh, you know her?"

Ren asked with a raised eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest as it felt almost uncanny to hear the shopkeeper speak her name so suddenly. 

"She's famous 'round here now, of course I know who she is--she saved this village. You're a friend of hers, I take it?"

"Hmm, I'd like to think we're a bit more than friends, but yeah!"

Answering with enthusiasm, it seemed to only serve as fuel to the shopkeeper's slight, not-so-subtle disgust of the non-customer. 

"Last I saw, she was headed back to Dr. Kerull's place to check on that Macheo bastard."

"That "Macheo Bastard"--the hell is that?"

"Hey, more information will come after you buy something! Shoo on now, I've got real customers to give my attention to!"

As if he were a pest, the shopkeeper motioned with his hands for Ren to leave, flicking his hands as he rolled the bristle between his lips. 

"Alright, alright--just tell me where this "Dr.Kerull" lives and I'll be on my way…"

Pushing further for another bit of information, it looked as if the greedy primorelf was about to explode, his tan complexion shifting to a light red hue before he gave in to the young man's demand. 

"...Just east of 'ere, tucked behind some trees--it's a lone cottage, you can't miss it. Now out of here with you! Don't come back till you're ready to buy something!"

"Thank you!"

Ignoring the clear impatience of the shopkeeper, Ren gave him a smile and a wave before bursting off once more, heading towards the aforementioned place of interest. 

He felt like a rebellious child, running through the thick foliage, swatting away the intrusive branches, going into a place he shouldn't access--it was the simple things that spurred on a smile for him. 

It didn't take long for him to come into view of the cottage; speed came effortlessly with continuous usage of reinforcement--he chalked this up to a residual effect of the basic magecraft. 

A couple, soft knocks against the door were immediately met with a response as the door was pulled open on the other side. 

"Oh--Ren."

"Iris."

Face to face with her again, they both came over with a bit of fluster on their cheeks, shooting their gazes down in unison. 

Before he could follow up with another word, he was met with a tight embrace from the girl, feeling her slender arms wrap around his torso, bringing him into a close hold. 

Even as welcome as the feeling of being held by her slender arms was, it wasn't a painless experience; his ribs felt compromised just by the slightest pressure. 

"Ouch, ouch, ouch...I'm still a bit sore, Iris."

Ren chuckled weakly, wincing a bit before returning the embrace, instead gently petting her head. 

"I was so worried about you...You're really here now. You're here."

It was as if she needed to say it out loud to make it a reality; keeping her face hidden against his chest. Though the closeness hurt him all over his body, he didn't mind it in the least--all of that pain was dulled by the warm, ticklish sensation that came with being in close contact with the girl. 

"...I am."

Although he'd like to say they were close before being separated within Purgatory, this felt like a new level. A hug was had here and there, but to have her buried so closely and intently in his chest, holding onto him as if never wanting to let go--his fluttering heart didn't exactly know how to handle this. 

"Why're you here anyway? I heard this is a doctor's place, so…Are you injured or something?"

"No! I mean...I'm alright, Ren, really."

"That's good to hear…"

Ren gave a smile to the girl as she looked up at him, finding it hard to maintain eye contact with those lapis jewels staring back at him with their glistening refinement. 

"I'm here because, well...Someone else is hurt, because of me…"

As she explained her reasoning for being there, Ren could see her beautiful pupils come over with a sense of guilt, her fingers holding onto the silky fabric of his stygian cloak. 

"Did you lose your temper again and hit someone?"

"I don't do that! And no!"

Iris responded, giving Ren a soft hit to the sternum--which completely negated her own words. As soon as she replied with the playful punch, the girl immediately regretted it, watching as the young man keeled over. 

"Ah! Are you okay? I forgot you're still hurt…"

"I'm perfectly fine...Radiant, even."

Giving her an "O-K" sign with his fingers, Ren was hunched over, holding his chest as even the slightest touch sent his bruised body into a stupor of pain. 

Completely worth it. She's so cute when she's worried like that! Ren thought. 

"Did you use reinforcement or something when you hit me?..."

Still feeling the effects of the "light" hit, Ren gently caressed his chest, wincing a bit as he gave a dry chuckle to the guilty outlander. 

"Are you two going to continue to be an absolute racket to the ear out here?"

The sudden existence of a third speaker startled Ren, who focused his gaze on the primorelf standing in the doorway--a taller one of their kind, adjusting his glasses with a less than pleased expression held towards the two humans. 

"I have a patient who needs all the rest they can get; this constant chattering is doing absolutely no assistance--it is detracting from his recovery, even."

"Sorry, Mr.Kellur."

Iris apologized, fiddling with her fingers--she didn't handle disapproval very well; this was even more so prevalent with those older than her. 

So this is the doctor of the village, huh? Guy has a stick in his ass, that's for sure, Ren thought.

"Ah, so he's still asleep?..."

"Were you actually hoping to wake him with this commotion?"

"No…"

Ren only watched as Kerull and Iris exchanged words, having to resist speaking up to the abrasive doctor as he knew it was likely just a misunderstanding. 

"Who even is it?"

Finally deciding to ask after being left out of the loop for so long, Ren placed his question down between the doctor and the girl. A complete silence fell between them as the question was posed; furthering the curiosity the young man held. 

"It's this "Macheo" person, right?"

"...How do you know that?"

Iris seemed utterly surprised to hear the name come from Ren's lips. Seeing that expression from her, Ren felt as if he had played a trump card, holding a half-smile before continuing, "Well, as it would so happen--I have a few friends here and there."

As much as he tried to turn the topic into something light, he could see the existence of "Macheo" was a sensitive subject for the girl. A glance at the Doctor further cemented this, who returned his look with a slight shake of his head. 

"I almost killed him...I was fine with doing it too, it would've been done but--"

"But you stopped. You saved him. I've told you this a dozen times, Iris."

The old, wise doctor assured the girl with a slight sigh, adjusting his glasses once more as if repeating words that were set to playback. 

"Almost killed, huh?"

Ren said with a smile that was devoid of joy; merely curving his lips as he knew this exact feeling she lamented. 

"Ren?"

"I know what you're going through...The same thing happened to me. I almost did it; I almost took the life of another person. I would've done it--I consciously made the decision, but I stopped. It wasn't because I chose to stop out of the goodness of my heart, I just...I just had to."

As he shared this with her, he didn't break the line between their gazes, giving her a single pat on the head before Iris nodded once. 

"...I want to know."

"Huh?"

"I want to know what happened to you, Ren. You're...completely different. It's easier to point out what remained the same about you rather than what changed--you're just so different now."

Although Iris spoke with some passion to her voice, Ren couldn't help but feel his heart sink into his chest when hearing this. 

"I'm really that different to you?..."

Turning his gaze to the side, he felt as if the girl was staring at someone else--a man she didn't recognize as "Ren Nakamura". 

"No...I didn't mean it like that, Ren. You're still "Ren"--it's just...You've matured. Also, your hair!"

The sudden change in tone from her took him by surprise as he felt his hair be compromised by her curious grasp, he was helpless as she fiddled with his snow-white, colorless locks right in front of the old primorelf. 

"Urr...Yeah, I definitely can understand the confusion there. I think this happened because I awakened my innate ability."

Ren told her, just now realizing as he spoke those words that this was the first thing he should've told her about. 

"...Innate ability, you really--"

"Are you two just going to stand out here all day and chat? You're going to make the villagers think I'm some sort of rambunctious home for chattering lunatics!"

"Ack--"

Iris was completely interrupted by the prickly doctor, who finished his words with a long, drawn-out sigh before walking through the threshold to his cottage. 

"Are you going to come in or what?"

"I thought you wanted us to leave."

Ren followed up the doctor's offer with a raised eyebrow, not knowing how to read the practitioner of healing. 

"I've come to the conclusion that young Macheo has likely acquired enough rest; I'd like to have my home back to himself--that much is clear after having my ear nearly talked off this entire time."

"So he's finally relieved?!"

Iris sounded joyful at this news--as if a weight had been lifted straight off of her chest. Before she could speak anymore, a sharp glance from Kerull halted their words, guiding the two inside of the cottage and down onto the lounge-supporting couches waiting in the main room of the home. 

"I'll make some final adjustments on the boy's new arm then he's off to go; he's in your hands now, Iris. It was your choice to save him--you'll have to deal with the potential consequences if need be."

"I know."

The doctor seemed satisfied with her succinct response, nodding his head before disappearing into the next room--leaving the two companions to themselves. 

"Macheo, huh? A boy, huh…"

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing…"