CH 162

Tenma, I haven’t confirmed it before, but I think I need to ask about it at least once.

Because of that guy, I have fallen into doubt, but that’s exactly why I need to ask.

We…… were best friends, right?

No, even if we weren’t best friends, we were at least friends, right? Both of us never asked each other, “Let’s be friends!” but we were friends, right?

If you were to say, “No?” then my previous life’s self would feel shocked but do my best to not show it in my expression, then with a composed face, I would say, “I see.” We then would continue to chat as if nothing ever happened. Yep, I could easily imagine that.1

But my current self was a lovely girl!

That’s exactly why I could speak my true intentions without the pride of a man hindering me.

If you say we weren’t friends, I’ll cry, okay! I’m gonna cry so hard that you’ll be taken abaaaaaaccckkkk!!!

“I’ve faintly noticed since I first met him, but I got convinced a while ago――The fact I could never get along with that guy!!”

The normally soft, fresh green eyes were ablaze with the color of anger.

As Sophie expressed her anger, Marcus wasn’t surprised at all and gave a perfunctory reply, “Fu~hn?”

“Well, I don’t mind that. But is it okay to say that when the person in question is right behind you?”

Behind Sophie, there was Gerald, who stood calmly without moving. Even though Sophie said such a thing, there was not even a twitch seen on his face.

“Even when I told him directly, all he would say are variations of ‘I’m terribly sorry’ or ‘I’ll do my best’ or ‘it’s unacceptable’!!”

“The heck, isn’t he completely treating you in a clerical manner?”

That’s funny~ laughed Marcus, which made Sophie puff her cheeks as an expression of her anger.

When Marcus, who was on duty taking care of the horses early in the morning, saw Sophie come to him with an expression filled with killing intent, he wondered what happened, but now he listened to it, it turned out to be a trivial thing.

“Ojou-san, you sure have been energetic since morning.”

As Sophie sensed that Marcus wouldn’t sympathize with her anger, she pouted and glanced sideways.

“Okay then. ――Gerald-sama, could you wait here for a moment?”

“…Where are you going?”

“To the restroom.”

With a smile, Sophie didn’t wait for Gerald’s response and left with steady footsteps.

Gerald could hear, “He sure is a man without delicacy,” from her leaving figure, so he stopped his feet. Even then, his head was trying to calculate the route from where he was to the restroom, but Marcus immediately said, “Oh, that’s right,” and talked to Gerald.

“You came just at the right time. You see, could you tell the ojou-san to stop taking care of the horses?”

Marcus’ words made Gerald’s thoughts disperse. Marcus said that casually, but it wasn’t something that could be understood instantly by Gerald.

“Taking care… of a horse?”

“Aah.”

If Gerald was a little dull, he might foolishly ask, “Who is it again?” But even in the long history of the academy, there was only one person who qualified as “ojou-san” and as for a quirky “ojou-san” that might take care of a horse, only one person who came to Gerald’s mind.

“…Is Sophie-sama taking care of the horses?”

“Didn’t I say that just now?”

To Marcus’s blunt reply, Gerald felt suffocated before managing to squeeze out a rough voice.

“Tsk! Even being the bearer of the purple star, she is an aristocratic young lady, you know!”

“Of course I know that. It can’t be helped, you know? Do you seriously think that we, who are mostly commoners, could actually stop that aristocratic young lady? That kind of thing is supposed to be your duty as a fellow aristocrat, okay?”

As a matter of fact, they couldn’t stop her not because she was an aristocratic young lady but because she was a wondrous girl named Sophie Linier, but when Marcus told him off sarcastically, Gerald awkwardly turned his gaze away.

“There are some things that occur because you, the person in charge of escorting her, didn’t do your duty properly. Besides, I think you could only say such a thing at this opportunity.”2

“?”

Hearing Marcus’ words, Gerald’s blue eyes squinted. That beautiful, sculpture-like face would make others feel uncomfortable if his expression changed a little, but Marcus didn’t seem to care and looked in the direction where Sophie left.

“Rather, is it okay for you not to chase after ojou-san soon?”

When Gerald frowned as if not to ask him to do such an untactful thing, Marcus snorted as if making fun of Gerald.

“Are you becoming that dull because the other party is a woman? I don’t think ojou-san will return no matter how long you wait for her.”

“…What?”

“That ojou-san is escaping from you. That’s what her face seemed to say as she left earlier.”

“!”

Gerald turned back in the direction where Sophie left. Now he thought about it, that wasn’t the direction where the restroom was. It should be in the opposite direction.

Gerald immediately understood that Marcus’ behavior of talking to him right after Sophie left was on purpose, but arguing with him was a waste of time. He quickly switched his thoughts and proceeded to run. As Marcus saw Gerald’s leaving figure, he snorted once again.

“I guess even the reputed Gerald Forsius is helpless.”

As Marcus laughed at how both Sophie and Gerald thought of each other as a troublesome existence, he turned around and spoke to a bush.

“So, are you really intending to run away from him――Ojou-san?”

“As expected of Marcus! You actually read my behavior!”

The black-haired girl came out from the bush while making noise.

Even though she had a moody expression stuck on her white face earlier, she now had a joyful voice of a child that successfully pulled off her prank.

“Aah, you had the same expression as my juniors who wanted to run away from the mountain exercise since they hated it.”

“Oh my, I think I could get along well with them. I’d love to invite them for tea next time.”

Sophie said without feeling guilty at all.

“I could help to some extent, but I don’t recommend you running around from Gerald.”

She was an unusual purple star and a woman to boot. It would be too late if something occurred. For that matter, Marcus thought most matters could be resolved with Gerald on her side, but Sophie pouted.

“Despite what you said, it seems Marcus does like Gerald.”

“What’s with that? That sounded like something that might invite misunderstanding.”

“A charismatic man with few words is popular with men, right?”

Marcus felt a sense of trust toward him that Marcus could be relieved if Gerald was there. Although the compatibility between Gerald and Sophie was the worst, the sense of security was a different matter.

“Well, I’m a commoner after all. Gerald is considered a decent one who would listen to commoners’ words. If it were another noble instead, they would treat you like garbage just because you forgot to refer to them by their title.”

“Treating others like garbage just because another person forgot to refer to them by title seems weird as a human being though… But that kind of conversation made me hate my childishness since it made my heart hurt.”

When Sophie put her hand on her chest and expressed pain, Marcus observed her once again.

The girl who was granted the greatest star in the nation didn’t ignore him, listened to his words, and didn’t deny his opinion.

Even though Sophie accepted Marcus, who was a commoner, why did she treat Gerald Forsius, a high aristocrat, who had more than he did, like that? Everyone would be curious about it.

“Ojou-san, why do you act like a child when Gerald is involved?”

“…Marcus, I realize how disappointing I was, but your words contain strong killing power. Please think of me as a lovely girl and treat me gently.”

“Would a lovely girl pick a fight against a paladin?”

The flowing retort seemed to make Sophie feel uncomfortable after all, so she mumbled as to make her excuse.

“At least I’m well aware I’m doing something childish. But just today, just for today. I’m just thinking of going to the library to calm my mind…”

“It’s okay then. But if you keep showing such an attitude to Gerald, you might be mistaken for liking him, you know?”

“…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Heh?”

For Sophie, whose mind usually turned quickly, it took her an unusually very long time to form her response.

“Like him? What’s with that? Why did it end up like that??”

“Wouldn’t a kid often do it like that? It’s the thing where they like to bully the one they like. I think the young masters of the gold star and silver star might think that way, you know?”

“Bully the one they liked? Why?! Wouldn’t one usually treat the person they liked kindly?!”

“I told you, a kid does it like that.”

Even as Marcus emphasized the words, Sophie didn’t seem to get the message.

Showing bad behavior contrary to the supposed goodwill was something Sophie never had, be it in her previous or current life. Especially in her previous life, she wasn’t even in an environment where she could do so.

However, the problem wasn’t how the fact actually was――

“Does that mean, in Marcus’ eyes, that’s what I’m doing?”

But the fact she might receive such a suspicion.

Sophie, who felt more heartbroken than the slander she received so far, staggered in shock and muttered with a dark expression.

“Would Gerald forgive me if I did dogeza right now?”

“What is dogeza?”

“……A kind of apology.”

“Apology? I don’t think you need to. You’re going to the library to calm your mind, right? Even if you go to apologize to Gerald now, I’m sure you will be in a bad mood in no time and return to the starting point again.”

His sharp prediction was exactly what might happen, so Sophie couldn’t deny it, and Marcus, who took that as affirmation, said to get going. Apparently, he was going to escort Sophie to the library.

“But Marcus, aren’t you supposed to go along with the mountain exercise today?”

When Sophie asked, it seemed Marcus himself had forgotten about it, so he put his hand under his chin and thought about it.

“Well then, we could just pick up Luca along the way. Ojou-san will go to the library with Luca. Then I will go find Gerald and tell him that ojou-san is in the library. That wouldn’t be a problem, right?”

As Marcus took the responsibility of doing the follow-up about Gerald and made the arrangement, Sophie’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. However, that expression soon turned into a mellow smile.

“I do find my little brother and little sister cute, but I wouldn’t mind an onii-chan like Marcus.”

Seeing the glimpse of the personality that made the students of the copper star like Marcus, Sophie said that from the bottom of her heart, but the person in question took his time thinking and then shook his head.

“Ojou-san as a little sister, huh………… I don’t like it somehow.”

“Why?! I think I could be a cute little sister!”

Where does such confidence come from? ――Marcus was about to make such a retort, but his feeling of “I don’t like it somehow” that leaked out of his mouth was somewhat vague like a thin layer, so he kept a lid on that thought.

But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why he didn’t like it, so Marcus stared at the girl who stood shorter than him.

“…Yep, I don’t like it after all.”

“Don’t say it twice! It pains my heart!”

There are many shocking things today, muttered Sophie, and Marcus muttered while tilting his head, I wonder why?