Fortunately, Yuki forgave with a heart as vast as the ocean.
“…Is this how I should say it?”
“Yeah.”
When I asked cautiously, Yuki gave a thumbs up.
“This isn’t even close to the level of bowing down to receive a greeting, though?”
“Don’t slander Yuki. Yuki is such a good person.”
“Mhm.”
“…You’ve never said anything like that to !”
Da-eun voiced her frustration.
It wasn’t unusual for Da-eun to go on a rampage, but this ti it seed like there was more sincerity mixed in.
Usually, it was about 30% sincerity and 70% playfulness when she spoke, but this ti it felt like the ratio had flipped.
“That sandbag, I’ll pay as much as I need! So please talk to kindly...!”
Da-eun shouted as though she was about to open her wallet right there.
She was saying she’d pay for the swordsmanship lesson, but why was she insisting on giving money?
I couldn’t understand Da-eun at tis.
Actually, pretty often.
I turned my back to Da-eun, who was struggling.
“Are you really sure you don’t want it?”
“It’s not like I’m desperate for money. If you obsess over the little things, you’ll lose sothing big.”
“Is that why you made say that?”
That whole “heart as vast as the ocean” thing she said earlier.
Yuki shrugged her shoulders in response.
“That’s the minimum compensation. I can’t just take everything without giving sothing back.”
“Is this really compensation?”
“Kana’s complints are rare. They’re worth that much.”
I don’t think being rare necessarily makes sothing valuable.
Still, it wasn’t harmful to , and in fact, it was sothing that benefited , so I didn’t bother arguing.
I should accept it humbly since I was the one who caused the trouble.
“It’s a misinterpretation! If it were Kana, you would’ve shalessly said, ‘So what?’! That cat-like attitude is Kana’s charm...!”
“Da-eun, so you think of like that, huh? Good to know.”
Did she really think of as that rude?
...Though, I wasn’t entirely unwilling to accept that possibility.
When I was in Celia, especially during my ti in the Knights, I’d charge forward if I didn’t like sothing.
I thought it was irrational, so I’d charge, but I knew full well that I might have seed rude to others.
After Grasis’ fall, I beca a bit more subdued, but my temper didn’t die completely.
...But still-
I thought I’d been pretty accommodating to Da-eun.
For instance, when Da-eun broke a plate while broadcasting last ti, I didn’t act shalessly but apologized properly.
And after that, since it was my mistake, I helped clean up.
As people who know have often said, I’m not great at expressing my emotions.
I agree with that, so I have no intention of denying it.
So I understand that even when I speak sincerely, the other person might not interpret it that way.
...I understand, but...
“….”
Pouting—
Why does this feel so annoying?
“Hmph.”
Instead of trying to find an answer, I turned my head sharply.
“Ugh… I’m sorry! I was wrong…!”
“...Don’t talk to . Don’t touch . Go away.”
“Ugh! Please, not that...!”
“Haha…”
Do-hyun, who had been watching us, let out a dry laugh.
It wasn’t who spoke to him, but soone else.
“Still can’t believe it?”
Yuki, who had been watching from a distance like Do-hyun, asked casually.
Do-hyun’s response was ‘No.’
“I can’t believe it, but I can’t not believe it either. I don’t want to end up like that.”
As he said that, Do-hyun pointed to the sandbag that had been split in two.
Then, when our eyes t, he subtly bent his finger and pretended not to care.
“Should I really split it in two?”
“Ahem! Anyway, I’ve seen clear evidence now, so I can’t deny it. I thought it was just a ga, but it turns out it’s another world. Isn’t that sothing you only see in manga?”
“Fiction never manages to catch up with reality.”
“I bet the person who first said that didn’t expect sothing like this.”
Do-hyun, who had figured out the situation thanks to my explanation, responded.
“…So, Kana?”
He couldn’t have forgotten the conversation from just a few minutes ago, so he must have known that I was younger than him.
It seed like my actions in Celia left a strong impression on him, because Do-hyun was being unusually cautious and deliberate in his attitude toward .
“Yeah.”
“What can I do?”
“…Huh?”
What kind of question was that?
As I was thinking about the intention behind the question, the person who gave the answer was none other than the one who asked the question.
“Don’t you have sothing to ask ?”
“Uh?”
Even after hearing the answer, I still couldn’t understand what he ant, so I tilted my head again.
“There’s nothing.”
If I had to say sothing, it’d be that he shouldn’t go blabbing to others, but I figured he should know that without saying it.
And if I was going to ask for sothing, I wouldn’t have explained everything upfront.
“Then why…?”
“It’s just how I feel.”
It seed that he misunderstood, thinking that I showed myself and told him the truth because I had sothing to ask.
I never thought that way.
The reason I revealed myself to him was more out of impulse—no, it was outright impulsive.
If I had to give a small reason, it would be that Yuki knew him.
“Let ask you the opposite. What help can you offer ?”
“Uhm…”
At my question, Do-hyun hesitated and didn’t open his mouth easily.
He must have realized that there wasn’t much he could offer.
From what I rember, Do-hyun was good among the players, but not exceptional.
To put it another way, he was excellent, but not extraordinarily outstanding.
Maybe if he trained more, he could be helpful, but right now, he wasn’t likely to offer any physical assistance.
After thinking hard, Do-hyun finally ca up with an answer.
“…Money?”
“To bribe a girl with money? This is going to spark so controversy.”
“…I didn’t an it like that. That’s really trashy.”
The condemnation ca flying, as if it had been waiting.
With pure and blind criticism, Do-hyun’s face turned red.
“No, when did I bribe her with money! You know that wasn’t what I ant, right?”
“When did you not try to bribe ? You just did.”
“I don’t know about that?”
“No…!”
Do-hyun, caught between the two won, pounded his chest in frustration.
Yuki and Da-eun glead with excitent as they tore into their prey.
But aside from that, Do-hyun’s response surprised a lot.
‘Money.’
I also thought that the most he could offer was money.
But knowing the right answer and being able to say it are two different things, aren’t they?
Especially when you don’t know the person well, offering money out of nowhere is not easy.
Could it be that he’d use money to save the world if it were possible?
What surprised was that.
He didn’t seem like the type to be so self-sacrificial.
Even though I hadn’t asked for help.
“If you have that much money, can’t you give so? I need a new sandbag anyway, this worked out perfectly.”
“…Why would I give you money?”
“If you had believed sooner, Kana wouldn’t have ruined the sandbag like that. So the fact that the sandbag broke is partly your responsibility.”
“Stop talking nonsense. Honestly, who would believe it imdiately in that situation?”
“I believed you right away.”
“You’re a madwoman, so of course, you should be an exception.”
Did Yuki really think that?
I think she believed sooner than Da-eun and Do-hyun... but wasn’t she just as confident as this?
I had my doubts, but I didn’t voice them.
“So now, are you going to join the training too?”
“…What? Training? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“You know what the situation is now. If you want to protect yourself when things go wrong, you need to prepare in advance.”
“…Oh.”
At Yuki’s words, I couldn’t help but murmur a little in admiration.
That was actually a pretty reasonable point.
Do-hyun, who had been looking confused just a mont ago, seed to agree, as he wore a thoughtful expression, similar to mine.
He forgot to refute and beca lost in thought.
After a while, Do-hyun broke the silence.
“…If I train from now on, can I see results?”
The words were clearly directed at , so I blinked quietly.
“Probably not nothing.”
“Your tone implies it’s not completely impossible, but also that the results won’t be much.”
“Well, it depends on how you do it.”
Isn’t it strange to give a definitive answer when you don’t even know what kind of person they are?
I’m not particularly sorry, but honestly, I don’t have much interest in him, even after exchanging nas.
And besides, I don’t even know how much ti we have left.
“…I never thought I’d worry about my safety in Korea.”
With a deep sigh, Do-hyun’s eyes clearly showed the conflicting emotions he was feeling.
It looked like he was torn between hoping that his peaceful life wouldn’t be disrupted and the need to prepare just in case.
There were probably a few other thoughts as well.
…But wait, didn’t I forget sothing?
I quickly figured out what I had missed.
‘...I never promised him anything.’
The reason I help Da-eun train is obvious.
For Yuki... it was because she piqued my interest.
But for Do-hyun, he’s neither close to nor did he stimulate my interest.
It was odd, but I didn’t voice my thoughts since he was so seriously contemplating it, and I didn’t want to disturb him.
“….”
It took a long ti for Do-hyun to speak again.
Unlike when he imdiately responded just a few minutes ago.
“I…”
“I’ll leave now. If we et again, we’ll see each other later.”
“Ugh…”
Do-hyun, showing clear signs that he didn’t want to leave, dragged Yuki out of the gym.
The parting words they left seed to convey ‘I hope we don’t et again,’ but maybe that was just my feeling.
As soon as the gym door closed, Da-eun ca closer and asked.
“Do you think it’ll be okay?”
...I told you not to talk to .
I swallowed the words I was about to say and replied.
“He said he’d do it, so what can we do?”
I didn’t want to convince soone who didn’t want to be convinced, especially if I had to deal with the inconvenience.
“Anyway, if you do it halfway, it won’t help much.”
After a long hesitation, Do-hyun told .
He appreciated the offer but declined.
But did he know?
I never actually made him an offer.
In short, what he said about worrying if I’d get upset was pointless.
So, when Do-hyun left with Yuki, I stopped caring about him.
“That’s fine.”
“…I told you not to touch .”
I pretended not to notice as Da-eun approached, trying to stroke my head.
Da-eun, pretending not to notice, tried to stroke my head, and I slapped her hand away just as it reached .
“…Hehe. Are you still sulking?”
“…I’m not sulking.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at Da-eun.
Then, just as I was about to swipe her hand away again, I stopped when I heard what she said next.
“I’m sorry~ You know what Kana likes the most, right? I’ll give it to you, so forgive . Okay?”
“….”
That...?
Could it be...?
“Is it... the thing I think it is?”
“Yeah. That thing.”
She kept saying “that thing,” and the conversation was actually making sense.
Well, that makes sense, because between Da-eun and , there was only one thing we both understood when we said “that thing.”
It’s incredibly delicious, but because it’s so expensive and the quantity sold each day is limited, I can’t buy it often...
The famous handmade chocolates made by a renowned artisan.
“…Two pieces.”
“Two... two pieces? That’s a bit…”
“Two pieces.”
If you don’t like it, then don’t have it.
I firmly made it clear there was no room for negotiation, and Da-eun let out a groan.
“…Ugh, fine! I’ll give you two pieces! So let’s pretend what happened earlier didn’t happen. Got it?”
“What happened earlier?”
“…Kana is becoming more shaless as ti goes on.”
With a slightly tired look, Da-eun patted my head.
Her hand, which usually brushed my hair softly, was a little rougher than usual.
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