Chapter 35.2

Come to think of it, Gloria sunbae was always the first to pick a fight. But seen in another light, didn’t it mean that they were close? I mean, unless you were an out-and-out bully, you wouldn’t go out of your way to fight with someone that was indifferent to you. I felt a gaze on me and turned my head to find Noah sunbae standing still and staring at me. I asked him, smiling uneasily.

“What are you doing?”

Sunbae smiled, the corners of his elegant eyes curving. It was such a beautiful smile it shook my heart.

“I am just thinking that you look so pretty.”

……what did he just say?

I felt heat rise up my face. I held my flushed face between my hands and lowered my head. Soon even my hands became warm. I could feel my heart begin to beat abnormally fast all of a sudden. As I raised my head slowly, Noah sunbae was still smiling as brightly as he was a moment ago.

“……it’s sunbae who is beautiful.”

Those were the very words that flowed past my lips as I faced sunbae. I wanted to kill myself. I blinked my eyes for a few seconds.

“Ah…… thank you.”

Sunbae muttered in a shy voice, turning his head away. His long eyelashes trembled, his fair skin, so fair it was almost transparent, flushing at the same time.

Oh, I’m doomed.

I closed my eyes tightly and bit my lips.

He really is beautiful.

The thumping sound of my heart drummed loudly in my ears. I was worried that sunbae too would be able to hear it, but somehow, I felt that it wasn’t bad being alone with him.

* * * * * *

“Why are the two of you on such bad terms?”

“Hmm?”

“You and Noah sunbae, I mean.”

Hearing my question, Gloria sunbae blinked for a few moments, before bursting into laughter.

“Ah, that? Hahaha!”

“Don’t just keep laughing.”

I leaned my back on the bench and pouted. Gloria sunbae coughed, before she spoke.

“It’s nothing really. We’ve been this way since we were kids. Our first meeting was a complete shitshow.”

She played with my hair that rested on the back of the bench as she continued.

“I wanted nothing to do with him, but because of my father, we had marriage talks between our families……”

Gloria sunbae paused for a while and stared at me for a while.

“We feel nothing for each other, so fret not.”

“Ah, alright.”

I should have thought of that in the first place. With the two of them fighting like that everytime they meet, could there possibly be any other feelings between the two?

“Anyway, that was how we met for the first time. The moment I spilt tea on him, do you know what he said? He said he had no intentions of marrying me. All the while reading the book he brought with him.”

What a cheeky child.

Gloria sunbae held her stomach as she laughed.

“How funny is that? It’s hilarious, isn’t it?”

However, the sound of her laughter did not interrupt my imagination.

A young Noah sunbae. He must have been shorter and smaller in frame than he was now. His features would have looked much younger, and his voice must have been different, having not undergone puberty yet. I mumbled to myself in a stupor.

“……how cute.”

Gloria sunbae’s laughter came to an abrupt end.

“Yeah, why did I even think I could separate two peas in a pod?” [2]

She muttered depreciatively to herself. Then she asked.

“But are you really planning to give up? It seems you still have a lot of feelings left.”

“…… euk.”

I had nothing to say, as she was right. I chewed on my lips, with my head bowed.

“The way I see it, you are in way too deep.”

No way to refute that either. She was right again. I stared long at the wooden sword sunbae had in her hand, before trying to change the subject.

“Oh, sunbae, have you decided on swordsmanship now? To join the Royal Knights?”

Gloria sunbae shook her head calmly.

“No, the Holy Knights.”

“The Holy Knights?”

My eyes grew wide as an image of the world-renowned Holy Knights came to mind. The Holy Knights were the armed forces of the Sacred Temple, a noble and righteous group that guarded the Holy Empire and the goddess. I looked at Gloria sunbae again with my head tilted.

Noble and righteous…?

“You will look great in the white uniform.”

That was all I could say in the end. And I wasn’t lying either. At the moment, she had on just a white shirt, but she looked brilliant in it.

“Wow, isn’t that too much coming from you?”

As if she could read my thoughts, Gloria sunbae grumbled with pouted lips.

“No, really. I think the uniform will suit you perfectly.”

“Oh, really?”

Gloria sunbae smiled, her cheeks blushing. Then suddenly, her face grew serious.

“Hold on, what’s today’s date?”

“Today’s the 4th of August.”

“I see.”

I answered unconsciously, and right after, sunbae began to count on her fingers as if calculating something. Then she spoke.

“My birthday is the day after tomorrow.”

“For real!?”

I jumped up from the bench, freaking out.

“Oh no! I had no idea. What should I get you as a gift?”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t get you anything on your birthday either.”

“But still……”

I made a tearful face, but sunbae patted my shoulder, saying it was alright.

“You really don’t have to get me anything.”

Gloria sunbae began twirling some of my hair around her finger.

“Instead……”

“Huh?”

“Spend the whole day with me instead, on that day, alright?”

The corners of her eyes curved upwards, the deep blue of them filled with my image.

Notes:

[2] Two peas in a pod: , two beans stuck together. I think this is similar to the idiom of mandarin ducks used often in C-novels.