episode_0008

“Ugh.. I don’t look a bit strange or anything, do I? It’s the first time I’ve worn this outfit since I bought it back then..”

“Don’t worry, we chose it together, and you said you liked it when we bought it, remember?”

The outfit Lilith was wearing was one they had finally chosen after visiting shops here and there with Ropel over the past weekend.

As she usually wore her school uniform or simple clothes when meeting Mark,

this time, she planned to bring out an unexpected charm with an outfit that incorporated a slight bit of exposure.

“..But this outfit.. I didn’t realize it when I bought it, but now that I’m wearing it, it really is a bit revealing..”

Since she had never worn this style of clothing before, her face turned red when she saw herself reflected in the mirror.

“Oh, this much exposure is quite common these days. Besides, that outfit looks really good on you right now.”

“..Really?”

“Absolutely! If Mark were to receive a confession from you looking like this, he probably wouldn’t be able to refuse it!”

“Oh, stop it! Well, maybe not to that extent!”

Lilith laughed, patting Ropel’s back shyly.

“..Are you still nervous?”

“I guess I am, right..? Phew…. I thought this day would come someday..

But having to confess directly, it still doesn’t feel real.”

“It’s okay, you don’t need to be anxious at all, I told you?”

Ropel gently held Lilith’s hands and spoke to her.

From her fingertips,

“So, are you ready?”

“Yeah, of course. I can’t give up now.”

Lilith squeezed Ropel’s hands back as she replied

. . .

It was a slightly early weekend morning, and someone was standing in front of the fountain in the plaza.

“Not yet? It’s almost the time we were supposed to meet…”

He was Mark Visus, a promising student from the Academy’s Knight Department.

The reason he, who was usually quite busy, was out in the plaza like this was none other than a promise with his old childhood friend,

Lilith, and he was waiting for her.

He had 고민 (pondered) quite a bit before deciding to meet her.

Of course, if the situation had been the same as before, he would have accepted her invitation immediately.

There was a time when he, too, harbored feelings close to affection for her.

However, after entering the Academy, big and small changes occurred in his heart.

He discovered his hidden talent and received a lot of attention from those around him because of it, and

he also realized that there were many attractive women in the world besides her.

To him now, she was a childhood friend, but nothing more than that.

Although Lilith came from a reliable background as a noble family of the upper class, Tistina,

not just Tistina, but also the Serion family, which produced excellent knights, and

the Kshatriya family of the current Magic Tower Lord, were also keeping an eye on him.

Besides them, various prominent figures from the Academy and even members of the Imperial family were watching his every move.

It might seem arrogant, but he too had now become one of the key figures in the Academy, and

accordingly, his pride had also grown.

Perhaps that’s why he felt annoyed at Lilith, who was slightly late for their meeting time.

He already had several meetings scheduled with professors from the Academy recently, as well as other highly esteemed nobles, and

today’s meeting with her was something he made time for out of consideration for their long-standing relationship, since he hadn’t seen her much lately.

In other words, he was here for the meeting with her by making time that he didn’t have.

The fact that she made him, someone like that, wait, even though they had been together since childhood, felt slightly unpleasant.

He was just about to express a little dissatisfaction about her being late when she arrived.

“S-Sorry, Mark! I’m a bit late, aren’t I!”

Lilith’s voice was heard.

Following the direction, Mark turned his head.

“You’re late, Lilith. I made time despite being busy, you should be punctual..”

Mark, who was about to air his grievances, couldn’t close his mouth when he saw Lilith’s appearance.

“I’m really sorry! It took me a long time to get ready.”

“..Huh? No, no, that’s alright. But you.. you seem to have changed quite a bit..?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah! It’s a new outfit I bought the other day! But today is the first time I’m wearing it… Does it look strange?”

Lilith spun her body around in a circle.

Mark couldn’t believe his eyes.

Was the woman before him really the Lilith Tistina he knew?

Of course, Lilith was originally one of the famous beauties at the Academy.

However, she wasn’t used to dressing herself up.

The only clothes she wore were school uniforms or wide-fitting casual clothes.

That had its own familiar and simple charm, but it wasn’t stimulating.

But what about her appearance now?

Her top, to begin with, was different.

The sleeves were loose, giving off the lively and cute feeling she usually exuded, yet

the tight-fitting crop top, which was hidden by the baggy clothes she usually wore,

unabashedly revealed her captivating curves.

And what about the bottom?

The very short shorts showed off her healthy waistline and thighs just as they were, and

with the addition of mid-length stockings, even the parts where the flesh was pushed out by the pressure created a dizzying charm.

It was a perfect outfit, scoring 100 points, revealing all the charm she originally possessed and the charm that was hidden.

Seeing his childhood friend, with whom he had been close for so long, reveal a side he had never seen before,

he could only reply awkwardly, like a virgin facing a woman for the first time.

“N-No, no, it suits you, it definitely suits you! O-Oh.. you look really pretty today.”

“Really? Truly? Hehe..

Okay! It’s strange for me, the late one, to say this, but let’s hurry since I’m late! I’ve planned today perfectly!”

Lilith grabbed Mark’s hand and set off with excited steps.

“Please.. succeed well..!”

Ropel, who desperately wished for his friend’s love to be realized, also secretly followed behind them.

The date went smoothly according to plan.

They chatted while holding street food from the plaza that Mark might like.

They also went around shops selling equipment or tools that Mark would be interested in.

The plan, meticulously put together after thoroughly analyzing Mark’s preferences over a period of no less than a month,

seemed to have fortunately succeeded in hitting Mark’s heart.

Indeed, Mark’s face, which had been furrowed while waiting for Lilith, began to brighten from the moment he saw her, and

now he looked like he was beaming, as if the corners of his mouth were hooked on his ears.

Ropel looked at the two of them like that and felt foolish for having worried even a little.

Then he smiled. If things continued like this, it would only be a matter of time before Mark accepted Lilith’s confession.

He believed there would be no variables preventing the happiness she desired from being realized soon.

As the date reached its final stage, they entered a restaurant with a good atmosphere for dinner, and he felt relieved seeing them go in.

But there was just one thing

He had already messed up the most significant variable in making a confession,

Ropel at this moment had forgotten that.

. . .

Apart from the date going well, Lilith had felt a constant confusion in her heart since the date began.

Spending time alone with Mark, she felt that he also seemed to enjoy their time together.

This situation was probably exactly the situation she had dreamed of her entire life.

She should have been enjoying this moment, thinking that this was probably the happiest moment of her life.

That’s how it should have been.

But..

Her heart…

It didn’t mean that she wasn’t happy or felt uncomfortable during the time with Mark.

But.. she wasn’t as happy as she expected.

It was like how fruit tastes bland after eating a very sweet dessert;

now, this situation didn’t make her flutter or her heart pound, as if she had already experienced a greater joy beforehand.

To put it somewhat negatively… she even felt a sense of boredom.

Furthermore, when she came to her senses, Lilith found herself comparing every single one of Mark’s actions to Ropel’s.

If it were him, he would have been considerate of her like this here.

If it were him, he would have answered like this here.

If it were him, he would have held her hand like this here.

If it were him, he would have… smiled like this here.

Why..

Why does his image come to mind now?

Why do all the times spent with him come to mind now?

Why now..

Does she miss him so much?

…

Ah..

Was that it

Thinking back, Lilith’s heart had undergone a significant change over the past month.

Just looking into Ropel’s eyes made her smile.

She liked listening to Ropel’s voice.

She looked forward to the time spent with Ropel, and

just holding Ropel’s hand made her happy.

If it hadn’t been today,

if she hadn’t gone on a date with Mark,

if she had just been imagining that that time would be happier than any other time,

she might never have realized her true feelings throughout her life.

Since when?

The feeling of love that was firmly rooted in her heart, as if nailed there,

meanly enough, had already changed direction before she even realized it herself.

“Lilith..”

Finally, the man she had once had feelings for opened his mouth in front of her, who had composed herself.

Unbeknownst to her, the time had already reached the final stage of the date,

where only the confession step remained at the restaurant where they had dinner together.

Ironically, contrary to the plan, it was Mark, not her, who spoke first this time.

“It was really fortunate that we met today.

Honestly.. we haven’t been able to meet much lately, have we?

So, it’s about time.. I think I need to clearly confess my feelings.”

“..Huh? What are you talking about..?”

“Well.. come to think of it, you know we’ve known each other for quite some time, right? If I remember correctly, it’s been over 10 years..”

“Right?”

“So, about that, shouldn’t we… start dating?”

“Dating? With me?”

“I’ve been a bit busy lately and might have neglected you, but honestly, I liked you.

It’s not a bad offer for you either, is it? Since I’m famous at the Academy lately, your family won’t object.”

“Haha, so that’s it.”

Lilith replied with a smile.

Mark, seeming to understand this as acceptance, continued speaking excitedly.

“Of course, since I’m doing so well now, it’s possible that more women might come along later.

But I promise, my love for you will never change..”

“Mark.”

Lilith directly cut off his words, which she was now uninterested in.

It was quite funny.

She had thought that she would never want to hear those words from his mouth her entire life,

but now she was going to say them herself to him.

“Sorry, I think we’re just meant to be close friends.”

. . .

“..What happened?”

Ropel, who was waiting outside the restaurant, was puzzled.

Lilith and Mark came out of the restaurant.

According to the plan, Lilith should have confessed inside.

But the appearance of the two people now didn’t look like that of lovers at all.

“Surely.. Mark didn’t reject her? Lilith’s confession?”

However, there were many strange points if that were the case.

Nothing was flowing from her eyes; on the contrary, his face looked refreshed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

On the other hand, Mark’s steps as he left the restaurant seemed utterly listless, even giving off a pathetic feeling.

Ropel, his head full of questions, ran towards Lilith, who was standing stock-still in front of the restaurant, as soon as Mark disappeared from his sight.

“Lilith! What happened? The atmosphere seemed quite good… Surely Mark, that guy, didn’t reject you, did he?”

Unlike Ropel, who was filled with panic, Lilith, with a calm face, looked at Ropel.

Her expression was the brightest smile he had ever seen.

“That’s not it. But.. it is true that Mark and I didn’t become lovers.”

“What? That’s… Are you? Are you okay? You prepared for so long… What on earth happened inside?

Your friend is right here, tell me without any burden.”

It was like this before, but why does this man care so much about her?

Yet he still calls himself just a friend.

Lilith thought it was both heartwarming and quite annoying.

“Haha, about what happened… that’s..”

It’s a secret.

“..What?”

“Alright, instead of that, let’s go have some drinks!

I couldn’t have even one drink because of the date!”

“What the..? Ah! Alright! I’ll go in! Just go in!”

Ropel was pulled by Lilith and went into the restaurant with her.

He still wondered what had happened with Mark, though.

Many more things remained before her love would become even more moist and heavy, but

for her, who had spent a long winter after the first spring, a new spring arrived like this.