Chapter 168

Chapter 168

The hallway of the Dessert Research Clubroom.

I’m sure I came back after just a day, but why does it feel like it’s been so long?

My brain is now fully recognizing this place as home.

Anyway.

“Did I leave the lights on?”

The current time is 2 a.m. Yet, the hallway was brightly lit.

As I opened the door and entered.

“Oh!!! Brother’s here!”

Elena greeted me loudly.

At the same time, Danya and Lina, who were sitting on the bed and chair, turned to look at me.

“... Aren’t you all supposed to be under curfew? Why are you still here?”

“The curfew? The student council secretary handled that! By the way, where have you been, brother? You just made us food and suddenly disappeared! Sister Danya was really worried about you!”

“N-Nyah! Who was worried!”

Danya quickly turned her head away, with dark circles under her eyes.

Lina, who quietly approached, looked up at me and said.

“I was really worried, Ian.”

Then, Danya quickly rushed over to stand next to Lina.

“I-I was worried too, Nyah.”

... What’s going on with you two? Are you doing a skit?

Anyway.

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

I instinctively patted Danya and Lina on the head.

It feels like this has become a habit.

Neither of them seemed to mind.

“And me! I’m the one who dealt with the curfew issue, Brother!”

As she chewed quietly, the room became peaceful, filled only with the sound of gentle head pats.

Not a bad kind of peace.

Sometimes, these kinds of ordinary healing moments are important.

At that moment.

— Sniff Sniff!

Suddenly, Danya’s nose twitched.

As she sniffed near my chest, her eyes narrowed.

The genre shifted from a peaceful healing moment to a thriller.

“What were you doing, Nyah?”

“Hm?”

“Who were you with? What were you doing?”

Gone was the “Nyah”, replaced by Danya’s icy stare.

Feeling the chill, I quickly pulled out the souvenirs I had brought from the palace.

◆

At the Deus Church Lichten branch.

In the room called the residence of the saint candidate, but more like a prison.

The spacious, luxurious, and dimly lit room was filled only with the sound of someone biting their lip.

The girl with long, dark hair, so long it almost hurt her eyes, was Aria, the saint candidate.

Though it was the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep, she alone wandered in the dark, unable to sleep.

How many days had it been since she last slept?

Aria stared blankly at her hand.

In it was a figure shaped like a hero.

It was a piece from the board game [Chronicles of the Hero] that she used to love as a child.

Therefore, it had been more than two days since she had last slept.

After all, it was two days ago that she received this.

— Squeeze.

Aria clenched her already numb palm.

Her hand was now so pale it was turning blue.

Yet, she couldn’t release the figurine.

In this vast, luxurious space, it was the only thing that made her feel connected to Ian.

“Ugh!”

And at the same time...

It was also the item she had mercilessly thrown away onto the street.

With both hands gripping the figure tightly, Aria bent her back like a curled shrimp, unable to stop herself from doing so out of overwhelming regret for her actions.

“S... S... Sorry...”

“Hehehe!”

Though Aria had retreated slightly at Ian’s silly comment, she couldn’t help but think.

‘Maybe with my chest size, it would be fine.’

That day, her face turned as red as a beet at the thought.

◆

The memories with Ian were the only reason Aria was able to come out of her shell, even just a little.

She had been admitted to a public school in Istan.

Even though it was a public school, it was rare for commoners to attend.

— I asked my family for help! You’re smart, Aria, so I know you’ll do well!

It was thanks to Ian’s help that this was even possible. Despite her negative thoughts, Aria resolved to give it her best.

‘I-I can do well too!’

She didn’t want to let Ian’s support go to waste.

With countless hours of practice and self-encouragement, she finally entered the school.

Surprisingly, Aria adapted to school more easily than she had anticipated.

Though she still stuttered when speaking, her efforts and her pure-hearted nature endeared her to others.

She didn’t have any close friends, but there were plenty of kids who at least greeted her.

For Aria, that alone was enough to make her happy.

She dreamed of something good.

‘Maybe I can make friends too.’

She thought.

But Aria’s dream went no further than that.

It all changed when the exams and performance evaluations began.

Ian was right.

Aria was a genius. She excelled in nearly every subject.

She was so talented that not only her peers but even students in higher grades couldn’t compete with her.

In everything, except for her ability to control mana, she was unmatched.

And that was the problem.

— “... What’s this? Were you just pretending to be dumb the whole time?”

— “She’s so creepy.”

— “Look at that gloomy fringe. She’s probably laughing at us behind it.”

Jealousy, envy, and unfounded criticism rained down on her.

Her stuttering and her shy demeanor were now seen as deceptive, part of some act to appear harmless.

“Uh, h-hello?”

Even when she tried to greet others.

“Ah, hello? Th-th-th-that’s r-right! Hahahaha!”

That was the response she got.

‘It’s just a misunderstanding.’

Aria gripped the figure hero tightly in her hand for courage.

And she tried again.

But the next day.

And the day after.

Everyone continued to mock her.

It was despairing.

She wanted to give up.

The world wasn’t like Ian.

Yes.

“... Ian.”

So, for Aria, there was only Ian.

The only person who had ever accepted her was Ian, that boy.

Her dependence on him grew.

The more others mocked her, the stronger her attachment became.

Every moment without Ian felt gloomy.

“Ian.”

Even during break time, when she pretended to sleep with her head buried on her desk.

“Ian, Ian.”

Even when she secretly ate her lunch alone. Aria would repeat Ian’s name over and over.

She had to imagine Ian, who was likely receiving tutoring from his family, just to endure it all.

If she could endure, they would meet.

One day.

Just one day a week.