Chapter 128

R‍e​​a‌d​ ​o‍n‌ ‍Ka‌t​Re‍a‍d‌i​n‌g‍C‌a‌​fe​

And so, the promised time arrived.

Well, to be precise, there was no promise made.

It was all Carlos deciding things on his own.

A promise without consent is just one-sided coercion.

If I firmly refuse now, it’ll be over, but…

“Lucia, think again. Why are you following that guy?”

Frey’s expression turned cold as she spoke, clearly frustrated.

I smiled brightly. I understand her feelings. 

Following Carlos, a troublemaker from Class D who’s already labeled as a problem child, without even knowing what kind of person he is—of course, someone as cautious as Frey would oppose it.

“Don’t be like that. It’s probably nothing serious.”

“How can you be so sure?”

[I agree! I’m against it too!]

Alice quickly wrote on her notebook and showed it to me.

Despite the hurried scribbling, the handwriting was neat and cute.

One body, but two personalities. Both had things they wanted to say, but there was only one mouth. Switching every time they wanted to speak would be cumbersome, so Frey spoke while Alice wrote.

Originally, it was nearly impossible for two personalities to share a body simultaneously.

Whether it was Alice or Frey, when one took control of the body, the other could only watch from within.

But as their supernatural abilities grew, they became more adept at handling the body.

Now, Alice (or Frey) could draw a circle with her left hand while drawing a triangle with her right.

“I’ve heard bits and pieces, so it’s fine.”

“From that gloomy girl in Class D? Can you even trust her? They might be in cahoots!”

[I don’t like that girl! She looked at me with weird eyes!]

Hehe, I expected this, but the opposition is strong.

Even after explaining Regina and Seri’s situation, Frey didn’t seem convinced.

She agreed outwardly because it was me saying it, but she didn’t hide her suspicion.

I decided to use the same method I used to calm Frey down this morning.

I slipped my hand under her armpit and lifted her up gently.

Her light body was lifted effortlessly and nestled into my chest.

“Ah, wait, that tickles…!”

I rubbed my face against her cheeks.

So soft and nice.

Golden strands mixed with blue as she shook her head.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll be back soon, so focus on writing your reflection paper, okay?”

Alice’s punishment was decided: she had to stay after school and submit a reflection paper.

I thought she’d get penalty points, but it turned out much better than I expected.

Probably because Alice had been saving people during the cherry blossom festival, which worked in her favor.

Maybe the pros and cons balanced out, resulting in just a light punishment of submitting a reflection paper.

“You…sigh, fine.”

Basically, Alice is very weak to my words. The same goes for Frey, her other personality. Because she feels guilty toward me, she becomes very submissive in front of me.

Realizing I wasn’t going to change my mind, Frey let out a deep sigh and grumbled.

“I wish I could go with you…damn it, if only Eugene was here…”

“Hehe, want to visit Eugene in the hospital later?”

“…Hmph.”

She clicked her tongue but didn’t say no.

Considering Eugene’s extended hospital stay was partly her fault, her conscience probably wouldn’t let her refuse.

She must feel indebted to Eugene, who took a beating without fighting back.

“See you later.”

After saying goodbye, I left the classroom.

It was already after school.

I stroked my index finger as I walked.

I had a significant share in why Alice had to write a reflection paper.

I wanted to stay by her side and help her write it.

But Alice is too dependent on me.

Sadly, she needs to learn some independence.

I don’t want to spoil Alice.

She needs to develop independent thinking and judgment if she’s going to date Eugene later, right?

It’s essential for their relationship.

And while I did make a bad joke, it was her who lost control without considering the situation.

She needs to sincerely reflect!

Lucia, you need to be firm!

Parenting books say that spoiling a child too much ruins their habits!

Pondering the empty seat beside me, I headed to the place where I met Carlos this morning.

I thought about going to Class D, but I was sure Carlos would be waiting there.

“You came.”

I was right.

Carlos was staring blankly at the sky.

He seemed to be watching the floating clouds.

Ah, that cloud. It looks like a butterfly.

“What were you looking at?”

“Butterfly.”

“Pretty, right?”

“White.”

“Didn’t you say you’d come to get me?”

“Waited here.”

Short, clipped answers.

Now, let’s guess the omitted parts.

(A butterfly-shaped cloud).

(Yes, it’s pretty. The cloud is) white.

(I thought you’d pass by if I stayed) here, so I waited.

I’m still not fluent in Carlos-language, but I think this is roughly what he meant.

Carlos glanced at me once, then turned around.

The Hunting Dog walked ahead with steady steps.

His long legs carried him forward with each stride.

“Where are we going?”

“Little sibling.”

“Got it.”

So, we’re going to meet his little sibling?

Then the destination must be the orphanage.

I’m starting to guess why they want to meet me.

Recalling what Regina told me, I followed Carlos.

Matching Carlos’s fast pace, we quickly reached the academy’s gate.

Carlos, who showed no consideration for the person following him, suddenly stopped after passing the gate.

“What’s wrong?”

His blue-gray eyes glowed faintly through his ash-gray hair.

Carlos turned to look at me and said,

“Far. Slow.”

“Huh?”

The ash-haired boy strode toward me.

A huge shadow suddenly loomed over me.

Carlos, who had been staring down at me, abruptly reached out his hand.

“Kyaa?!”

Ah, such a girly scream.

Well, I am a girl. Lucia is a fresh, young girl.

What’s the big deal, really?

It’s not like I haven’t made embarrassing sounds while self-harming before.

For a moment, a strange thought crossed my mind, but I quickly pushed it to the corner of my brain.

I decided to set aside the random thoughts popping up and focus on the current situation.

“W-what are you doing?”

Carlos placed one hand on my back and the other behind my knees.

Holding me in that position, he lifted me up, and I ended up cradled in his arms.

To put it simply.

It was a princess carry.

“…”

Carlos didn’t respond.

Or maybe he did.

He might have been answering in his mind.

Either way, since I couldn’t hear it, the result was the same.

“Hold on tight.”

That was the only sentence he uttered.

With those words, Carlos started moving.

At first, it was a light pace.

But the acceleration came in an instant.

Cold air brushed against my cheeks, and the surrounding scenery blurred.

As I tried to tame my wildly fluttering golden hair, I attempted to interpret Carlos’s words.

(The distance is) far. (At your current speed, it’s too) slow.

…(So I’ll carry you and run. It’ll be much faster).

(Make sure you don’t fall off) Hold on tight.

That’s probably what he meant.

It’s comfortable and cool, but being carried by a guy feels pretty unpleasant.

It’s too noticeable. Even Eugene hasn’t done this for me.

Seriously, isn’t this a complete lack of consideration for a girl?

Is the (former) Hunting Dog of the Family a complete jerk?

Thinking about it, it’s true, so it’s not even an insult.

I accepted it cleanly.

Let’s just think of it as riding on the back of a big wolf.

Yeah, thinking of it that way makes it kind of fun.

◈

“…Running all of a sudden, did he notice us?”

Her braided hair flew wildly in the wind.

Adjusting her crooked glasses, Arin grumbled.

The boy carrying the girl was quickly disappearing into the distance.

“That’s cool. I want to do that too.”

Anastasia hopped like a rabbit as she spoke.

Even though she was jumping with both legs together, her speed was impressive.

Despite the stares from the people around her, she didn’t seem to care at all.

“Class rep, that.”

“Got it. I’ll do it for you later.”

“Princess, ride in my arms.”

“So you want to be the one carrying… Got it.”

The reason they were chasing Carlos and Lucia was because of Alice’s request.

She didn’t know what kind of sweet talk had convinced the naive Lucia, but she had decided to follow the troublemaker from Class D.

Unable to stay by Lucia’s side because she had to write a reflection paper, Alice couldn’t hide her anxiety.

She wanted to throw the reflection paper aside, but thanks to Angelica’s consideration, it ended with just that. If she abandoned even this, the homeroom teacher wouldn’t be able to cover for her anymore.

Plus, she wasn’t confident she could escape Angelica’s watch. Angelica was a powerhouse on par with a vice-captain of the Celestial Corps. She was a stronger supernatural than Alice.

Unable to protect Lucia directly, Alice decided to ask for help from others.

For Alice, who had a narrow social circle, the people she could ask for help were limited.

With Eugene and Leo hospitalized, there were only two people left.

“That guy, he’s touching Lucia’s body so casually…”

Arin muttered to herself.

Even while running fast, her breathing and voice remained steady.

She was the daughter of the captain and vice-captain. Her talent was undeniable.

After a few real battles, she had achieved a high level of success, though not as much as Eugene and Leo.

“Is he close to Lucia?”

For a moment, she thought that, but Arin quickly shook her head.

According to Alice, the gray-haired boy and Lucia had just met today.

To touch a girl’s body so casually upon first meeting.

He’s definitely a dangerous person. Alice’s worries weren’t unfounded.

“Let’s hurry and catch up. We might lose them.”

“Okay, princess.”

What would Eugene do if he found out about today’s events?

Arin recalled the boy who became timid in front of Lucia.

He was always confident in front of others, but turned into a fool in front of the girl he liked.

If Eugene saw Lucia and the troublemaker from Class D like this…

“…”

Arin slapped her forehead.

It was to hide the involuntary smile that crept up.

I shouldn’t be thinking like this.

But it seems a little fun.

No.

Actually, a lot of fun.

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Meanwhile, Eugene says that he feels uneasy for some reason.

Alice (Frey) is diligently writing her reflection paper.

She says she can’t write well because she is worried about Lucia.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Like mother, like daughter.

On the bright side, we get more side character screen time! Woohoo!