Chapter 75
My gaze must have clearly asked, “What kind of nonsense is this?”
Rolled-bun hair girl just bit her lower lip once in embarrassment but didn’t cancel her request.
“I’ll say it as many times as needed. You seem close with the young master of the Lafland family. Could you arrange a personal meeting for me?”
“…….”
“You probably can’t easily leave the dorm either, so if possible, I’d like an answer today.”
“Lady Hur… Prut…”
“Fruling!”
“Yes. Anyway, are you serious?”
What kind of request is she making to a girl she nearly threw a teapot at? This isn’t just shameless—it’s audacious.
“Did you forget what happened between us?”
“…I-I’m really sorry about that back then.”
“You apologize very quickly. But what exactly are you apologizing for?”
“You know.”
“Just saying ‘sorry’ blindly doesn’t tell me what you’re apologizing for. Do you mean you’re sorry I’m alive?”
Rolled-bun hair girl’s face flushed deeply. She gritted her teeth and glanced around.
The other kids, watching, quickly averted their eyes. Only one person—the leader, Pasta—smiled gently, watching us.
Rolled-bun hair trembled but spoke.
“I’m sorry for calling you an orphan in front of others, for trying to discipline you, for nearly throwing a teapot… I apologize for all of it.”
“Surprisingly, you remember everything?”
“Of course. And if there’s something else you want, I can help with that too. For example, learning etiquette.”
“You should probably learn that yourself first.”
“…!”
Even with a red face and fists clenched tightly, rolled-bun hair didn’t back down. She clung desperately and asked again.
“It’s a request.”
“…….”
Something feels suspicious, doesn’t it?
I glanced to the side for a moment, thinking.
<Ah, the development is predictable.>
…Yep, just as I expected.
By the time the other noble girls started whispering, “What’s with Lady Fruling?” and “Did she really fall in love at first sight?”, I nodded.
“Alright, Lady Fruling. I’ll arrange the meeting as soon as Kai finishes class.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I’m so glad to have a chance to help a friend!”
“…F-Friend?”
“What’s wrong? We were at our worst just recently, right? Doesn’t that mean there’s a chance to get along better?”
Rolled-bun hair looked visibly annoyed but didn’t refute my nonsense.
“F-Friend….”
“Yay! Thanks! I’ll tell Kai later, so don’t go anywhere—understood?”
The other girls gave her envious looks. Meanwhile, I leisurely observed Kai below the stands.
Though his face still held a youthful look, his arms and legs had grown stronger than many adults, swinging the sword with ease.
Trying not to be distracted, I focused on his left eye—emerald-green iris sparkling like a gem in the sunlight. If he had embraced the dragon, it would surely move in a peculiar way.
Sometimes Kai waved at me, eliciting cheers and screams from the girls, interrupting my observation.
Still, unlike the duke’s eyes, his iris didn’t seem to wobble…
Finally, after twenty laps around the parade ground, the noble heirs gathered at the training field, and my older brother put away his sword, declaring training over.
“Alright, that’s it for today’s lesson!”
“Uh…? Sir Knight, we just barely… finished running!”
“You spent 30 minutes running twenty laps—what exactly were you supposed to learn?”
“This… this is unfair! Surely our fathers donated to the temple for this…”
“No teacher would make young noblemen run laps anywhere else, so today, you’ve received a rare lesson! And at least one of you actually learned something!”
He pointed to Kai, the only student, who smiled awkwardly.
“Well, so it seems.”
“…….”
“Anyway, the instructor didn’t lie, so nothing to complain about, right?”
If I had said that, I’d probably hear, “You’re just a commoner.”
But since Kai is from a well-known marquis family, the other boys didn’t argue—they just brushed dust off their clothes.
Time to really wrap up.
“Alright, students! Excellent work today! I sincerely hope you can face fire without retreating and achieve victory. Farewell!”
“Thank you… instructor…”
Tired eyes of the students. They don’t exactly perceive my brother as “fire,” do they?
They neither endured nor triumphed, just turned away, exhausted.
While my brother busied himself putting away training swords, I dashed to Kai. He immediately beamed.
“Sol! I really wanted to talk to you. You did too, right?”
“Sorry. Not really.”
“Ahaha, it’s fine! I like that you’re honest. So, we—ah, wait.”
Kai, approaching like a dog greeting its owner, suddenly stopped and shoved his gloves into his pocket.
“Sol, sorry, don’t come closer. I need to wash up first. I probably smell of sweat.”
“It’s okay. Even those who ran twenty laps look proud, right?”
“Y-Yeah, but still!”
Kai blushed, shy all of a sudden. Finding it cute, I stepped closer, making him flinch.
“Why were you fine before but only shy now?”
“Ahaha, revenge for always looming over my head!”
“If you come closer, I’ll kiss your forehead!”
No way.
I stopped immediately, and Kai’s eyebrows drooped.
“…You really hate it? Even as a joke?”
“No, I just didn’t think it was a joke.”
“Caught me.”
Kai pouted. That annoying little mouth! He’s cheerful in the original story, but was he always this mischievous? I’ll keep an eye.
If needed, I could even make him the second rescue target for the heroine, Seraphina.
But for now, there’s something else to do.
“Kai, listen for a moment.”
“Hmm?”
I whispered to Kai about the noble girls wanting a meeting, asking if he could come out.
He seemed to ponder.
“After six years, the first thing you bring up is a meeting without me?”
“Yeah, it sounds absurd. Even if you refuse, it’s fine.”
“You were asked to do this, right? Why are you doing it?”
“Seems I’m the only one in the capital who appears close to you.”
“…Really?”
Kai’s lips curled with amusement. Did that sound that nice?
“Alright. I’ll go to that meeting.”
“Thanks.”
“But from now on, you have to hang out with me sometimes, okay? I came to the capital without knowing anyone and expected to be really lonely.”
“Wasn’t it to make connections?”
“Technically, yes.”
Kai squeezed my shoulder and said:
“From now on, I can say I came here to see you.”
“The one worried about sweat smell, now saying that?”
“Ah! S-Sorry!”
He immediately released my shoulder.
He didn’t smell of sweat at all. Rather, the warmth of the sunlight he carried lingered.
“Don’t worry about it. Go wash up properly.”
“Okay! See you later!”
Kai hurriedly collected his things and headed to the training hall shower. Still such a sun-like kid. Despite the nerves, it’s oddly delightful.
But I can’t linger. I have work to do.
I glanced at the noble girls. Rolled-bun hair girl watched anxiously. I answered with my lips:
‘It’s done.’
She sighed in relief rather than joy.
The other girls wondered what to do with leftover cookies.
Normally, only the instructor wields the sword while nobles watch and snack.
The boys struggled to run twenty laps, so they barely received even offered cookies.
My brother shouted:
“Where do you think you’re dating at a holy school!”
“I-It’s not dating! I just saw someone struggling…”
“Struggling isn’t just one person! If you’re not sharing cookies with everyone, I won’t approve!”
“In the end, you just want cookies!”
“Cookies lead to muscle loss!”
“Fine! We won’t give them then!”
While my brother stood arms crossed sternly, the kids awkwardly greeted and dispersed. Passing by, he whispered:
“If some creep clings to you, tell me. I’ll check if they’re useful and get rid of them if not.”
“I think you should focus on your own love life.”
“Isn’t it more fun to ruin someone else’s romance than make my own?”
“….”
“…Just kidding.”
Sounds like a total lie, but okay. I also understand that feeling.
Now, it’s time to prepare to meddle in someone else’s romance.
The meeting time I gave to rolled-bun hair girl was the next day, Thursday late afternoon, behind the Prime Minister’s residence in a small park, at an old confessional.
By now, that girl must be excited to spend time with Kai, surely wearing her most beautiful dress.
She checks her makeup with a hand mirror, smiles, and opens the confessional door.
“Hello, Young Master Lafland. You must be surprised, but due to Lady Fruling’s personal matters, I am here instead…?”
“Hi, Pasta. You look nice.”
“P-Pasta! But Sol, why are you here? Where’s Young Master Lafland?”
Pasta’s eyes widened, glancing around. Only the two of us were inside the half-room confessional.
I slammed the door and asked her:
“So it really was you who wanted to arrange the meeting with Kai?”
“…….”
“I found it suspicious that Fruling suddenly got submissive. Given her personality, she’d grab my hair, not apologize just to meet a boy.”
“…W-What kind of novel are you writing! I just… got a chance for Fruling because of her circumstances—”
“Exactly what I did, then.”
I glared at Pasta Arsen, the girl reigning over noble female students at Gruner Vant Academy.
“You’ve been holding leverage over the school ladies, haven’t you?”
