I’m Not Doing This With A Friend

“Fjord?”

 

“…Oh, I’m sorry I was talking to you. Actually, I- I need to go to the bathroom since a while ago.”

 

“Why did you hold it in? Just go.”

 

“Haha, that’s right. Then I’ll go to the bathroom for a minute.”

 

I stared at Fjord’s back as he scuttled out. His ears seemed a little red for some reason.

 

He must have hated his brother so much that his ears would turn red in anger just thinking about him.

 

As I felt sorry for him and clicked my tongue, feeling the bitterness that Fjord felt. I was accustomed to lying straight on the sofa, lost in thought.

 

The reason why he doesn’t want to use Caon even though he was the best support right next to him as the heir of Duke of Lisianthus, was because he thinks of him as a real friend.

 

That’s why I couldn’t help but think he’s good.

 

Wait a minute! Come to think of it, was that also the reason why you got a girlfriend you didn’t even like?

 

I think you’ve dated quite a lot of girls since you said you got confused with others’ names seven times…

 

Wow, obviously he’s trash, A trash!

 

I reflected on what he had done and quickly changed my mind. As expected, there seemed to be no other man like Carson.

 

ꕥ

 

I fell asleep while waiting for Fjord, who went to the bathroom, and Carson, who hadn’t returned to the club room.

 

To be more precise, it would be right to say that I slept as usual, regardless of whether they came or not.

 

How long has it been, since I woke up feeling someone’s presence? I tried to open my eyes to see who it was, but I went back to sleep thinking it would be Carson or Fjord since it was in the club room.

 

But before I could fall asleep completely, I heard Carson’s voice in my half-asleep state.

 

“How the hell am I supposed to survive during vacation?”

 

A voice that seemed lower than usual. And it was a voice that showed the gloomy emotion as it was.

 

“I’m so used to seeing you every day. I’ve barely endured not being able to see you on the weekend.”

 

After walking around for a while, he lightly touched the tip of my finger. It was more like a contact rather than a touch. …that timid man.

 

Seeing his desperate appearance makes me weak for no reason. I know I shouldn’t feel this way.

 

Even though I know I shouldn’t get any closer from here.

 

Just a little. Let’s just allow a little bit more. Friends can do this much.

 

Right? I eventually opened my eyes wide after rationalizing myself.

 

As if he didn’t know I would open my eyes suddenly, Carson got up from his seat in shock.

 

Bang!

 

The chair he was sitting on swung nicely.

 

“Uh, when did you wake up…?”

 

He quickly turned his head in the opposite direction and spoke. Somehow it’s like he doesn’t want to make eye contact with me.

 

“Caon.”

 

“Yes.”

 

I gently placed my hands on Carson’s cheeks. He flinched big time, but there was no sign of rejection.

 

Only his face was burning red. Leen tightened her hands so that his head would face her forward.

 

Then, this time, he stared down as if closing his eyes as low as possible.

 

At the extreme cuteness, I tried to laugh without realizing it. Because he’s a really difficult person to make eye contact with.

 

His long eyelashes tickled as if they were touching my thumb. I brush my finger across his eyelashes for nothing. Then his eyelashes trembled as if in response to my touch.

 

“I’m not going home this vacation.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

“So if you’re bored, come visit me at the academy.”

 

At least once. It would be okay to hang out with him once in a while during the long vacation.

 

Carson frowned for a while, then understood what I was saying in the middle and his face brightened in an instant.

 

He replied happily with a flushed face. “Okay!”

 

However, with the expression on his face that looked too naive, I felt somehow uneasy.

 

“…But I’m sure you won’t think about following me at home, Caon.”

 

For a moment, silence passed between the two of us.

 

…I didn’t want to go home.

 

Only a few more seconds later did Carson pull his lips up and laugh. “Haha, of course not.”

 

Deeply distrustful of his apparent response, I hastily added a condition.

 

“I’ll correct it. I’ll only deal with you for one day, so come to me when you really can’t stand it.”

 

“Then…!”

 

As if Carson had received a very unreasonable offer, he made an expression like it was unfair and he was also shocked.

 

“It’s no use making a face like that.”

 

This time, he kept his mouth shut as if it was an offer that was difficult to accept at once.

 

“Caon, answer me.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

He reluctantly accepted reality at my urging and opened his tightly closed lips. I stroked his pink hair as a prize.

 

“Good boy.”

 

The expression of disappointment on Carson’s face quickly relaxed.

 

At times like this, I think he’s more like a dog than a cat. Should I call him a rich puppy?

 

ꕥ

 

Fortunately, Arena Academy operated dormitories during vacations. I was going to stay in the dorm, but I wasn’t busy, so I helped Jane pack her things.

 

Jane waved her hands saying it was okay, but Leen helped her little by little, making an excuse that she was bored.

 

I asked, folding her clothes. “Come to think of it, Jane, which area do you live in? Was it far from the Academy?”

 

Jane answered my question by squeezing clothes into her bag. “My hometown is at the southern end.”

 

The Arena Academy was located relatively close to the central capital. If it was the southern end, it was definitely a distance that could be said to be far.

 

“But I think I’ll be spending a few days in the capital. I came to the academy in a hurry without even saying hello to where I was originally working.”

 

“You seem to have a good relationship with the people you worked with.”

 

“Yes, I’m a little cautious to say in detail, but I worked as a maid of honor for a high-ranking noble lady. She was a really nice person.”

 

I looked at Jane with a surprised expression.

 

Jane was an aristocrat. Maid and maid-of-honor are different. To become a maid of honor to a high-ranking aristocrat, you have to be at least a noble lady.

 

“There’s nothing you need to worry about. I took a leave of absence from school because I had to earn money because my family was in a bad situation. It’s not even a famous family.”

 

Ah, right. She said that a good opportunity happened and she went back to school. Has her family situation improved? If so, that’s a great relief, I’m happy for her.

 

But suddenly I had a question in mind.  Why did Jane enter the academy urgently?

 

You said you went to the academy until the first semester, so you could have slowly taken your time from the second semester.

 

Jane opened her mouth hesitantly as if she could see through my thoughts.

 

“Leen, actually…”

 

As I raised my head to look into her eyes, Jane’s eyes became hazy.

 

“Oh, nothing.”

 

Somehow it looked like a guilty face. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I didn’t want to see Jane’s face like that.

 

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask you that. But if there’s anything you want to confide in, feel free to tell me. I’ll listen.”

 

Jane’s eyes moistened. She looked like she was really about to cry.

 

“You really…”

 

Leen smiled kindly at her.

 

ꕥ

 

The time that I thought would only flow slowly passed faster than I thought.

 

This week went by in the blink of an eye, as Leen was doing herbal research or experiments on Jane that she was afraid of doing her harm.

 

As expected, the idea of ‘what if the vacation doesn’t end forever‘ was a useless thought.

 

Of course, at first, I felt the absence of other people greatly.

 

She didn’t have Jane who was always babbling by her side, neither Carson, whom she teased once a day, nor Fjord, whom she taunted with her flamboyant wit, and teasing funny anecdotes.

 

The herbal research that began to soothe her empty heart like that, once started, she fell into a trance and could not escape, deeply immersed in it.

 

If they saw me with dark circles under my eyes, the three of them would have said something like this,

 

-‘Leen, herbs are good, but could you take care of your health first…? Recovery magic? Oh, yeah. I’ll be there for Leen to cast a spell on her!’

 

-‘Healing using herbs? I don’t think it’s for healing, but killing…’

 

-‘Ahh! Leen. What’s wrong with your face?! Oh my, you should be banned from using herbs for a month!’

 

I laughed a little at their voices which seemed like I could hear clearly.

 

But now, somehow, I was in a state of getting out of my herbal research. Because it was the anniversary of my parents.

 

My parents’ grave was in a village not far from the Academy. It was a village where I lived with my parents when I was a kid, so I set up a place for them…

 

It was fortunate that it was close to the academy. I took my time to prepare and went to my parent’s place by carriage.

 

However, strangely, the village we arrived at was different from usual, and it was noisy and lively.

 

The village held a festival once a year, but this time the days seemed to overlap.

 

I stayed in the village for a day, went to an inn, unpacked my luggage, and went out to the shopping district.

 

The festival was in full swing, so I could see everyone laughing and talking with one another.

 

When I was young, I remember holding my parents’ hands and enjoying the festival.

 

But now, there was no one to celebrate the festival with me.

 

I headed to the flower shop with a slightly depressed heart. The village festival here has nothing to do with me anymore.

 

How far did I walk like that?

 

On the way to the flower shop, I saw a jewelry store, and I glanced briefly at the glass display case.

 

There was a diamond the size of a fist on the display. Surprised by the size, I exclaimed ‘Oh’  in a small voice.

 

However, upon closer inspection, there was a very small ring attached to the bottom of the diamond.

 

Do you think that if you attach a round metal like that, it becomes a ring…?

 

“Pftt…”

 

I laughed at the man who made that ring in my head.

 

Wow, who would buy something like that? It felt a little bit funny.

 

ꕥ

 

Leen impulsively bought more flowers than usual at the flower shop.

 

It was because this one looked pretty and that one also looked pretty.

 

She didn’t pay much attention to ordinary flowers that were not medicinal plants. But little by little after Carson started giving me flowers often.

 

Little by little, she began to take an interest in flowers to the extent that she didn’t even know herself. It was such a small change that she didn’t even notice.

 

Eventually, Leen went back the way she came with an armful of flowers. There were too many, and someone could barely see her head.

 

I could have gone straight to the tomb, but I had to stop at the inn where my luggage was to forget the potion I brought with me for weeds.

 

As I was walking so hard, I found a man standing in front of the jewelry store that gave a loud laugh earlier.

 

The man appears to be in his late 20s. It was a man with silver hair. What’s noteworthy here is that he was a very handsome man.

 

The outfit was simple, but the man had a glamor that couldn’t hide his elegance. He seemed to be an aristocrat who came to enjoy the festival pretending to be a commoner.

 

Leen glanced at the man for a moment, then lightly shrugged her shoulders and tried to pass him by.

 

If it hadn’t been for the man’s faint voice she heard.

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