A Banished Failure Survives in the Borderland and Becomes an S-Rank Exorcist

"Nh... uhh..."

Midnight. I wake up strangely asleep today. [M] Looking at the clock, the time is past two o'clock. It happened at a very halfway time. But for some reason, it's strangely eye-catching. I don't know what happened... but somehow I decided to go out in a mood.

……

Looking up at the night sky, the stars were shining there. The only sparkling star in the world dominated by dusk. In my opinion, I looked up at the night sky several times for the two years I spent at dusk. There was someone familiar with the past.

"... Sofia?

"... Julia?

I always use a ponytail with short semi-long hair, but it seems fresh now that I have solved it. But that's not the only difference. Tears were falling out of her eyes.

"... ah, ahahahaha. I saw something embarrassing."

"... what happened?

Sofia wipes her tears off with her sleeves.

I don't know if I can step in... I thought she had something before. They tried me, and I thought I was strangely frightened by the raid, and I saw them happily killing monsters. To be clear... Sofia is emotionally unstable. She's always a bright girl. But when it comes to monsters and dusk, the balance is strangely endangered. I was worried about her. We still have a short day to meet. [M] Still, I... think I'm a dear friend.

So I decided to step in a little bit today.

"... nothing else... uhh, uhh... uhh..."

Sofia kept crying. I watched it in silence next door. [M] No, technically, I was looking at the sky. I don't take a serious look at a woman's crying face. That's why I waited next door until I stopped crying.

"Calm down?

"Yeah... thank you, Yulia..."

"I see... then I'll go."

Stand up. Everyone has something they don't want to talk about. No matter how close you are, everyone has something they will never tell anyone. It's on me, it's on Sofia. That's why I'm leaving. Because it's not easy to get into people's minds.

"... aren't you listening?

"Why are you crying?

"... yeah"

"Can I ask you something?

"If you're going to be Julia... that's fine..."

I sat next to her again and decided to listen to her in silence. [M]

"Hey, why did you try to approach Julia since I first met you... you know?

"No...."

Sure, Sofia was quick to fill the distance. Unlike Shelley, we didn't meet in advance. That said, Sofia seems strangely familiar to me... and I've been watching. I remember her eyes wide open the moment I entered the classroom. [M]

"Julia looks just like oniichan... very, very similar."

"Do you have a brother?

"Yeah. Very nice, dependable, cool, and... very strong oniichan. Yulia has a similar face and a similar kind personality. So... since I first met you, I can't help but see Julia as your brother. I've been watching him since he was a kid... like that brother..."

Looks like my brother... well, I understand the argument. But what does that have to do with why she wanted me to be a Premium vs. Mage?

"I knew Julia... originally. I came home from dusk and watched a game with Shelly. At that time, I thought. Oniichan is back. Oniichan has always dreamed of becoming a premium anti-magician. That's why... I've been laying Julia with oniichan for so long. No... yes, I wanted to guess. I wanted to think... that my brother is back... so if Julia becomes a Premium vs. Magician... oniichan's dream will come true... and Julia will kill a lot of monsters who took away my brother because of her strength... if she becomes a Premium vs. Magician, she will kill them more and more... she's wrong... but that's all I could think about anymore, and I couldn't keep myself..."

……

I understood with those words. Sofia's brother went missing at dusk. Every year, many people go missing at dusk. The same goes for the students, but above all the military. It's not uncommon to go to a dangerous area and never come back. I'm also one of the missing people... but I'm back. She must have found hope in that. A classmate who resembles his brother. It also has considerable strength. When I saw him, I remembered my brother and wanted to assume that he was there.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to fall into PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) due to the death of a person who went to dusk or someone important at dusk. Sophia might be one of them...

"But Julia was Julia. It wasn't Oniichan who fought for everyone in that raid, and even though he was bleeding, he was fighting for humanity. It's me, you know. Reason understands. Oniichan... is dead... because Julia is special... I know... but I can't give up. That's why I want to meet oniichan one day... and make the demon tribe that took oniichan stronger... to get rid of dusk. More than anyone, more than anything... haha, this is a common story... I'm sorry, I've been complaining a lot. No, it's not like me. Ahahahahaha!!

Is that a common story? If you are asked, you will answer yes. Such stories are common in the world where dusk was born and where the demons ruled. The people you care about are gone. I'll be taken away by that dusk. I hear a lot of stories, and there are a lot of victims. Still... I had a word to say.

"It's a common story... maybe, but the pain... only the parties know. Sofia's been suffering... the pain is real. It's not a good question to have a common conversation. Besides, it's not like Sofia. Certainly Sofia is a bright and active person, but that's not why she doesn't feel sad about anything. Man is sad if he is sad. If it's fun, it's fun. The way you look like that person changes depending on the time."

"Julia...."

I don't understand words of encouragement. As I said myself, the pain is only known to the parties. I'm not Sofia, and I don't know what it's like to lose oniisan. Still, listening to her grief... I can take it. That's why I was with her. [M]

I'm not Sofia's brother. [M] It is not a substitute. Still, I wanted to be with her as a friend.

"... Julia is really similar... but after all, Julia is Julia."

"What do you mean?

The next moment, Sofia lays on the ground. And I look up at this starry sky in large letters.

"Ah, compared to this starry sky, I... the world is so small..."

……

"I've been worried. I said I'd wait for my brother to come back one day. That hasn't changed even now. But maybe it's time for me to move on... Julia isn't your brother. And I'm me....."

I was just like Sofia. It's been stagnating forever. I went to dusk, got stronger and came back... but Dan and I were still sleeping deeply. Now, I've thrown away all my clues and moved forward... but it took me a while to get there.

"I made up my mind. I'll try harder. When oniichan returns, you'll be a fine opponent. And... I want to do everything I can to make this dusk go away."

"... that's right."

After all, humans can only obey their own decisions. Ultimately, if someone else wants to say it, they need to proceed at their own will.

"... eh?

At that moment, a warm feeling comes to my cheek. [M]

"Fufu, thank you! Good night, then!

As I stared at Sofia leaving... I looked up at the sky again. There was still a starry sky.