.｡.:✧ Chapter 39 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hmm.”

The situation didn’t last long, but waiting for the knights Heini called and going through the investigation took longer than expected.

It was past midnight.

If the dean hadn’t said that I could skip tomorrow’s lectures, I would have played truant.

The ones who just fought had already gone back, and it was late because May and I, the main people involved, stayed until the end to talk.

Of course, knights were escorting us on the way back, just in case.

“Why did she do that?”

“Who?”

May, who had been curled up like a squirrel when we rescued her, now seemed completely fine, just like her usual self.

She scratched her head and rolled her eyes.

“Rin. She keeps saying she’ll wait; are you dating or something?”

“No… well, there’s a reason for that.”

“A reason? What is it?”

I wondered why she was so persistent, but I couldn’t just blurt out Rin’s personal feelings, so I kept quiet.

At this, May stuck out her lips in disappointment, and I chuckled at her reaction.

“Have you let go of everything now?”

Until today, May had avoided and refused to speak to me, which was why I asked. She seemed embarrassed by the question, avoiding eye contact.

“It’s not like everything’s resolved. I just wasn’t ready to apologize, that’s all.”

“What?”

I thought she couldn’t forgive me for using her, but suddenly an apology?

“I was wrong and too forceful. I think I deserved the punishment. Actually, I’m sorry for trying to get you expelled.”

“……Who are you?”

“What?”

“No, why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Did those thugs drug you? Knight sir! She’s acting strange!”

She frantically pressed her hands to her cheeks, looking around desperately.

The knights walking ahead and behind us approached, wondering what was happening. May, blushing, suddenly pushed me away.

“Forget it! I won’t apologize! Ptui ptui! I take it back!”

“Ha ha.”

Yeah, this was more like May.

The knights resumed walking, realizing it wasn’t a big deal. I put my hands in my pockets and walked along when May, gazing at the stars, asked.

“The festival preparations must be in full swing now.”

It was May.

The Aios Academy’s Thanksgiving Festival was in full preparation.

Many clubs had already started preparing, as I had heard here and there.

“Do you know what your class is doing?”

“How would I know? We haven’t even talked about it yet.”

I was puzzled by the sudden mention of the festival, but then May, rolling her eyes around, shyly asked in a low voice.

“Then I’ll use my wish.”

“……Huh?”

“Walk around with me during the festival.”

“……”

What should I say in response?

Although I was completely clueless about relationships, Eris’s proposal and Rin’s confession had given me some insight.

And this felt similar to those.

“Okay, guys, let’s go inside.”

“You’ve had a hard day. It must have been tough.”

Unable to say anything, we reached the dormitory. The knights told us to enter carefully and left.

May and I stood in front of the dormitory, unsure what to say.

May, too, kept her mouth shut, looking at me firmly and without shifting her gaze.

“You know.”

Scratching the back of my head, I finally spoke.

What I had to say was clear.

“I like someone else.”

“……”

May showed no change in expression, as if she had expected it.

“So I can’t date you.”

“Is it Rin?”

It was a logical suspicion, but I shook my head.

“No. Um, she’s not from the academy.”

“Are you dating?”

“……No, not exactly.”

“It’s a one-sided crush, then?”

“Well, you could say that, but it’s also not quite that.”

I had indeed received a proposal, albeit in a past life. I had feelings for her and planned to meet her again and make it work.

Thinking about it, it felt right to describe my feelings as a crush for now.

Then May snorted.

“Okay, got it. Keep the wish as it is. Walk with me during the festival. Stick by my side all day for one of the four days of the festival.”

“……Did I not communicate properly?”

Hadn’t I gently refused, clearly stating I liked someone else?

May, with a nonchalant expression, rummaged in her pocket for a candy, but someone who had been kidnapped wouldn’t have candy.

She just brushed through her empty pocket.

May replied with a tsk.

“Are you not going to try with the person you have a crush on?”

“……I will.”

I intended to earnestly appeal to Eris when I met her.

May, boldly nodding, said, “I’ll do it too.”

“…”

“What, it’s okay for you but not for me? That’s total hypocrisy.” [T/N: Chad May]

“No, it’s not that…”

What’s this?

I felt oddly annoyed, unable to properly respond to May’s forwardness, a first for me.

Sensing my emotions, May moved closer with a playful look. “You know…”

Instinctively, I stepped back, and May smiled more mischievously. “You’re surprisingly weak in this area, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“You act all tough and invincible in fights, but when it comes to love, you’re clueless.”

…

What can I do?

I’ve spent a decade in the forest, battling beasts. Even in my last moments, I failed to notice Eris’s feelings.

Feeling an odd unease as May stepped closer, I stepped back, holding out my hands. “Stop! Don’t come any closer!”

Despite my warning, May grabbed my wrists, spread them apart, and closed in, her face inches from mine.

Panicked, I turned away, but May whispered seductively in my ear, “Who asked you to save me so heroically?” [T/N: 0_0]

She let go and walked into the dormitory.

Standing there, fanning my heated face, I felt my heart race unexpectedly at her boldness.

‘How embarrassing.’

I thought I had made my refusal clear, but why did it end up like this? Sighing, I saw Sen, with bleached white hair, bounding down from the fourth floor of the dormitory.

I was aware of the day’s dangers, but thankfully, I survived without injuries.

“What’s going on?”

Pretending to be nonchalant, I asked Sen, who snorted dismissively, obviously having witnessed everything.

“…Just pretend you didn’t see it.”

Giving a subtle warning, Sen shrugged and walked off without a word.

“Thanks for today. I heard you led the resolution of the incident.”

“It was coincidence that I saved you. I would’ve been late alone. Thank Ares for acting first.”

“Okay, I’ll thank Ares and the others too.”

Sen looked up slowly, meeting my eyes. “Can I ask you something?”

“No, I’m going to sleep.”

Too tired for this.

Though the dean gave me a day off from lectures, I just wanted to shower and sleep.

But Sen ignored my reply and asked, “How are you so strong?”

“Didn’t I say not to ask?”

“I’m from the Chokugen Faction. We’ve been trained since we were four. I think I’m quite strong for my age in the continent.”

“Yeah, probably.”

Sen would definitely be among the top five strongest third-year students at Aios Academy.

“But you’re on a different level, like you’ve lived a life of only battle. You’ve reached a point we can’t at our age.”

…

She wasn’t wrong.

My strength was due to both my current rigorous training and my past experiences.

Ignoring her question, I walked past her into the dormitory.

***

Taking a quick shower, the hot water felt comforting after the busy day.

“This is happiness.”

Realizing I forgot to bring clothes into the bathroom, I dried off and changed.

Just as I was about to lie down, I noticed the bulging bedsheet on my bed.

As if someone was there.

“…”

Suspecting something, I grabbed my sword and pulled back the sheet.

“Zzz.”

Curled up, Rin was fast asleep.

***

Rin, who had finished her investigation first, waited for Daniel but eventually returned to the dormitory with Ares and his friends, as Daniel adamantly refused to join.

“Rin, are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I just used magic from behind, so I’m not badly injured.”

“That’s good.”

Ares was being overly kind to her.

Though he had been a good childhood friend with Daniel, she had always felt awkward around him.

She never felt this way when they were younger, but it started at some point. Fortunately, Ares didn’t seem to notice.

“…Tch.”

“Hm.”

Arni Duratan, the redhead girl, clicked her tongue, and Adriana, the mage, coughed, signaling why only Rin was being cared for.

She wondered why Sen and Hayun, who also had feelings for the same person, showed no reaction.

Sen, usually expressive, was uncharacteristically quiet, so she asked Hayun instead.

“Are you okay?”

“You seem relaxed.”

At Arni and Adriana’s words, Hayun smiled slightly. “I’ve moved on from that.”

“Hmm.”

“Is that so?”

There was nothing particularly bad for the two of them.

If Hayun, a strong rival in love, voluntarily stepped back, there was no need to dissuade her.

Still, given their shared history, they wouldn’t suddenly become distant, but their time together around Ares would probably decrease.

“But Elise didn’t come?”

Hayun glanced around, asking.

Elise, with her blonde hair and characteristic old-fashioned aura, was nowhere to be seen.

At that, Adriana gave an awkward smile, and Arni clenched her teeth.

“That girl, she said she didn’t want to get involved in dirty work and refused.”

“Really?”

“Well, even if she was here, I doubt we would have won.”

To everyone here, except Rin, today’s defeat was nothing short of a shock.

They were considered strong even at the academy, but still, they were defeated by a single thug.

It was more than a shock; it was a disgrace.

Especially for Arni Duratan, the eldest daughter of a famous swordsmanship family.

“Do you have any plans for this school festival?”

“Hmm? Not yet…”

While saying this, Ares actively approached Rin, making her sigh as she watched from behind.

Returning to the dormitory.

About to enter her room on the fourth floor, Rin suddenly remembered something as she touched the doorknob.

“Maybe there’s evidence?”

Daniel had said he liked someone else.

But there was no mention of that person at all.

Starting from their name, age, appearance, etc.

Nothing was told, but maybe there was something about that person in Daniel’s room.

Understanding the type of person one likes is fundamental.

Rin used a magic spell to silence her footsteps and went to the third floor, where the boys’ rooms were, and stood in front of Daniel’s door.

“Shadow.”

A black shadow extended from Rin’s fingertips, slipped through the door handle, and with a click, the door opened.

“Just a quick look and I’ll leave.”

There was still plenty of time before Daniel’s arrival.

Entering Daniel’s room, Rin began to feel excited.

Even her tired body started to feel energetic, and a faint smile formed on her lips.

Daniel lived quite modestly, so there wasn’t much to look through, and unfortunately, she didn’t find anything significant.

“I feel sorry.”

Realizing her failure, Rin suddenly became rational, understanding the enormity of what she had done.

In a hurry to leave, she stumbled and fell onto Daniel’s bed.

“Ah, Daniel’s scent.”

From that moment, something miraculous happened.

Lying on Daniel’s bed, surrounded by his scent, she felt as if they were together on the bed.

‘If I cover myself with the blanket, it feels like he’s hugging me!’

Excitedly wrapping herself in the blanket, Rin indulged in the situation unknowingly.

Happy moments always fly by quickly.

For Rin, it felt like an instant, but then the door opened, and Daniel entered.

Fortunately, he seemed too tired to notice and went straight to the shower.

‘I need to escape.’

She tried to hurry out but didn’t want to move.

While the rational part of her wanted to flee before he finished showering, her emotional side argued for just a little more time.

Eager to sleep, Daniel quickly finished his shower and came out.

‘I’m doomed.’

In the end, it was the victory of the emotional side that wanted to prolong the moment.

But for Rin, it was a defeat.

‘What should I do?’

Hoping Daniel would leave the room, she peeked out of the blanket.

“!”

There he was, in his birth state, looking for clothes to change into!

‘Ah…’

Feeling her nose bleed, Rin gave up.

“Just stop thinking and leave it all to fate,” she murmured, casting a ‘Sleep’ spell on herself.

‘Satisfied with the feast.’

She drifted off, savoring the scene she had just witnessed.

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