Though the laugh sounded a little incredulous, it wasn’t a bad reaction.
It’s more ridiculous because I wasn’t completely wrong, right? That’s why the laughter keeps slipping out, right?
Watching Hale cover his mouth with the back of his hand as he laughed, I added one last thing to put a period on the conversation.
“I know I was wrong today, but what if something like this happens again?”
Hale wiped away his tears even though I hadn’t even finished speaking yet.
Was it really that funny? I didn’t think so, but I didn’t back down.
“If I want to prevent something like that from happening again, I need this! Even if I can eventually use pheromones, I can’t use them on normal people, so I need to know how to defend myself physically!”
“Alright.”
The unexpectedly quick agreement made my eyes go wide. I thought I’d have to persuade him a bit more.
Maybe not wanting to miss this chance, Hale knelt on one knee and grabbed my shoulders.
“But I won’t go easy on you.”
“Hmm?”
“When I teach someone, I don’t cut them any slack. Not even for my daughter.”
…Dad, why do your eyes look like they’re sparkling? It’s just my imagination, right?
“Heehee, sounds fun!”
“Better laugh while you still can.”
It sounded like he was trying to scare me, in case I tried to slack off. Do I look like a kid who’d fall for that?
Come on now, we both know better!
As I burst out laughing, Hale joined in. After a long while of laughing together, he was the first to stop.
“Senika, I think you’re right. Part of this is my fault too.”
“Right?”
“So I’ll personally teach you everything.”
…There’s no need to go that far, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. He looked so proud of me that I couldn’t ruin the mood.
I just nodded instead. It didn’t necessarily mean I was completely on board, though.
Still, I did want to learn properly. If I’m going to do it, I want to be better than Jaius.
“Dad, I wanna be better than Jaius!”
“…Did that guy show you something?”
“I just happened to see it in passing.”
The moment I mentioned Jaius, Hale’s expression sharpened.
He always gets weird when Jaius comes up. I still don’t know what exactly he dislikes about him. Even when I say he’s not a bad guy, Hale won’t listen.
Sometimes I wonder when he’s ever going to grow out of it.
“He didn’t just happen to show you. He did it on purpose.”
“Huh?”
He said it so quietly and quickly that I didn’t catch the last part.
When I asked him to repeat it, he just shook his head like it was nothing and opened the office door for me.
“Come to me when you’re ready.”
* * *
A new day began.
I waited until midday just in case Hale called me, but there was no word. Which means… it’s playtime!
Once I start training, I’ll probably be so exhausted that I’ll fall asleep early.
After lunch, I headed to Shirea’s room.
“Shia!”
I knocked on the door and called her name. Just like last time, I could hear the sound of someone moving hurriedly on the other side.
Soon, the door slowly opened.
“Hey, Sen.”
Shirea, who always looked perfectly composed, opened the door looking a little disheveled.
Just like before. The last time I visited, her hair was sticking out too.
“What’s going on?”
She didn’t expect me? I thought she would’ve.
Yesterday, things ended abruptly when Joshua showed up, so there were still unresolved questions. Like how exactly they got caught by those thugs—stuff that felt too important to just ignore. I figured Shirea felt the same way. That’s why I came but maybe I misjudged?
“I wanted to talk about yesterday.”
“Ah…”
“Can we talk inside?”
“Uh…”
Shirea hesitated, which was unusual. Why?
“No?”
“…What about the others?”
“Oh, I went to their rooms before coming here. They said they were too tired. Erisen said to ask you instead.”
Honestly, I don’t fully believe the “tired” excuse. I get the feeling they just didn’t want to talk about yesterday.
Rizley hasn’t even shown his face.
Hearing that, Shirea let out a small sigh.
“Ah! Then, Shia, wanna go to the garden? You haven’t been yet, right?”
“The garden?”
“Yeah! I designed it myself. It’s really pretty!”
“Alright, let’s go.”
She agreed easily, and we headed toward the main building.
When we arrived at the garden, Shirea looked around slowly, taking it all in. Her lips parted slightly, and her cheeks turned a soft peach color.
Her sea-colored hair shimmered like ocean waves under the sunlight pouring through the windows.
“Wow…”
She looked like a forest fairy. If I had a camera, I’d be snapping photos like crazy. Too bad I didn’t.
“It was kind of disappointing that we couldn’t go outside again because of what happened yesterday.”
“Really? This place is making you feel better though, right?”
“Yeah, it is.”
A gentle curve formed at her lips, and it made me proud.
“This would be the perfect spot to talk!”
In the middle of the garden, there was a swing, and near a sunlit window stood a white gazebo.
Rita and Joshua had built it for me as a place to lie down and rest.
We sat there comfortably, and I opened the conversation.
“So, how did you get caught by those guys yesterday?”
“Ha…”
The smile that had gently spread over Shirea’s face vanished instantly. Her brow furrowed tightly.
“It was all because of that useless male.”
“Huh?”
“They chased us relentlessly. We were running and finally found a place to hide, but that guy kept trying to do unnecessary things.”
“Unnecessary things?”
What kind of nonsense was he trying to pull? Did he try something reckless?
Erisen, what did you do that made Shirea this upset?
“I told him not to use pheromones on humans, but he kept trying to attack them with it. I tried to stop him, but we started raising our voices, and that’s how we got caught.”
That was the most words I’ve ever heard Shirea say at once. It doesn’t really match her usual image, huh?
Anyway, the reason they got caught was just what I’d suspected, so I found it hilarious. I barely held back my laughter.
“…Sen, do you think this is funny?”
“Huh?”
Guess I didn’t hide it that well. Shirea asked with a serious expression. I quickly wiped my face clean and shook my head.
“Hmm? No, not funny at all. I’m super serious right now.”
“…”
She clearly didn’t believe me, but being the sweet person she is, she let it slide.
“It must’ve been hard, being stuck with Erisen.”
“You didn’t have any trouble with that guy?”
“Rizley took good care of me.”
“Well, obviously. Anything else?”
Since when did being nice to me become a given? I think Shirea has some misconceptions. I’ll have to correct that someday.
But what did she mean by “anything else”? There wasn’t really…
Oh, wait. There was but… should I tell her? It involved Rizley too, so I wasn’t sure.
“So there was something.”
Shirea caught on to my hesitation immediately.
Ugh. This is why it’s annoying having someone perceptive around… but it’s Shirea, so I can’t be mad.
“What kind of trick did that guy try on you?”
“Nothing happened.”
“Seems like something did.”
“No, you’re just imagining it, Shia.”
I’d decided not to tell her. Which meant I had to be firm in denying it.
After I kept insisting, Shirea gave up questioning. She probably figured she was mistaken.
Alright, now it’s my turn to ask questions. When we were outside yesterday, Erisen asked Shirea something.
“It’s a good plan, but… doesn’t the Habrael family hate humans?”
He asked if they hated humans and I remember Shirea didn’t deny it.
Which means I have to ask: why did she become friends with me? Why did she ask to be friends?
I sat up straighter and asked.
“Shia, I’ve got a question.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you become friends with me?”
“What do you mean? I don’t get it.”
She really looked like she didn’t understand the question.
“You hate humans, right?”
“…”
“But I’m human. Or… did you not know I was human when you asked to be friends?”
“…”
“Did you keep hanging out with me just because it would’ve been awkward to take it back?”
No answer came. That could only mean one thing—everything I just said might be true.
I hoped she would say I was wrong but at the same time… I kind of wanted the truth.
Of course, Shirea had no way of knowing what I was thinking. She stayed silent for a long time, and the anxiety in my chest kept building.
We hadn’t been friends for long, but I thought we’d grown close in that short time and since she was my first real friend, it meant a lot to me.
“…I don’t really know.”
“Huh?”
Her answer caught me completely off guard but I couldn’t blame her. Shirea looked genuinely confused, even on the outside.
She sighed a few times, as if trying to find the right words.
After some restless glancing around, her face finally stilled and she began to speak.
“Since I was born, I’ve always hated humans. Even now, thinking about what they did to the dragonkin in the past still fills me with rage.”
“…”
“But… strangely, you seemed different. You weren’t like the humans I knew and you really weren’t.”
She must’ve meant because I’m half-dragon.
So… she only liked me because I’m only half human?
Then Shirea looked up and locked eyes with me.
“I don’t dislike you. I actually… like you. Even after I found out you were human, that didn’t change.”
“…”
“From the very beginning, I wanted to protect you. That’s why I approached you first.”
“Oh…”
“I didn’t tell you all this because… well, you’re human. I figured it would just make you feel bad.”
