episode_0084

Winter is fast approaching.

Time passes and passes and it is already December.

A cold wind blows through the collar of my coat. The sunlight feels warm but a little chilly at the same time. I hold my breath for a moment as I look at the clear sky. Soon, my breath turns to white smoke.

The first snowfall had finally begun. Carlyle was alone in his room, drinking warm tea, when he called someone and watched the first snowfall together.

‘It was a pretty good time.’

These days, I date often.

We watched a movie together at a nearby movie theater, and afterwards, we walked together for a long time, holding hands. I also remember vividly how we sat down on a bench while walking near a park and just looked at each other’s faces.

His cute girlfriend, Bianca Shamal, had a swollen nose like Rudolph. Her breath was coming out of her mouth, her cheeks were slightly flushed, but she still didn’t leave his side.

The day we had our first date at the Churauni Aquarium, definitely after that night.

It feels like our relationship has become stronger.

Now, the distance between the two people has completely converged to 0. It was like that from the beginning, but there is less awkwardness and the other person feels more comfortable.

So, they hold each other’s arms, their shoulders touching. Just being like this makes me chuckle. The two people who are tightly clinging to each other in the cold winter scenery share warmth with each other.

-But it’s a little cold…?

Carlyle briefly cupped his hands together at those words and blew warm breath on them. Then he cupped the other person’s soft cheek from his ear to his jawline with his hands.

-What if this happens?

The other person’s answer is heard with a slightly flushed face.

-… It’s warm, very warm.

In that state, the two people stared at each other intently and finally locked lips.

The lips that touched felt so hot and moist that they overlapped softly over and over again.

Under the glow of the scarlet streetlights, in the cool winter air.

The delicate bird kiss shared while our bodies touched each other is something I will never forget for the rest of my life.

His girlfriend Bianca is so cute and pretty, and at the same time, so affectionate. She is such an affectionate woman that she accepts everything about him.

Carlyle liked that.

Even the amethyst eyes that sparkled in front of him, the eyes that were usually fresh and bashful, and even the fact that her small and soft body was hugged by him. Everything was good, and Carlyle’s heart was filled.

“Ah, Carlyle-!”

A clean and clear voice.

A soft and warm voice like a spring breeze enveloped the cold winter air. That was what Carlyle felt.

Someone is running towards Dodo. He looks cute, like a rabbit that found a carrot.

Do you think you’re that good?

I was worried for a moment that I might slip and fall on the snow.

Bianca Shamal is a bit of a slacker, you see. Carlyle’s prediction was not wrong.

“Uh… Aah… !”

Bianca Shamal almost fell over, but was held in Carlyle’s strong arms.

“Oh, thank you… ”

“Thank you, what.”

Carlyle chuckled.

“Why are you so bad at being a girl?”

He puffs out his cheeks for a moment at my seemingly harsh words. He hears something unexpected.

“… So, you said you would stay by my side for the rest of my life.”

The face was slightly flushed.

Even though she was his girlfriend, Carlyle was speechless at the cuteness of Bianca Shamal.

Then isn’t that okay?

Huh? Huh?

Because you are asking with your eyes.

Her shy glance and slightly raised cheeks steal my attention.

Eventually, Carlyle nodded slightly while washing his face dry.

“Cook-”

Then he hears laughter. Only then does Carlyle realize what he has been through.

“Did you know that you would be hit?”

Bianca Shamal laughs, tapping her elbow. Even her playful smile is cute and feminine. It’s a sad sight.

Ps …

Carlyle smiled naturally.

“You’ve grown a lot, my girlfriend.”

In the past, I would have been embarrassed by my own words. Or I would have been annoyed.

On the contrary, it feels like he is reacting to the word ‘girlfriend’ that he just said.

He slowly interlocks his fingers while wiggling his hands. He lowers his head slightly and shows his reddened earlobes.

“… Hmm, hm. It only takes one or two times.”

Bianca Shamal is wearing a white fur hat that Carlyle himself bought her last weekend.

A soft, white fur hat.

Long, blond hair flows down beside her, and underneath is a thick, red padding.

When I look to the side, I see expectant eyes.

Carlyle knows what his opponent wants, and he grants it.

“You’re so pretty today too.”

My earlobes are getting redder. Probably not because of the cold, as I expected.

Bianca Shamal mumbled and spoke to him, her small lips moving.

“… You too.”

Because it means cool and good. Carlyle chuckled and guided the small hand.

These days, the two of them always go to school together.

Interlocking hands and walking in sync.

“Is today the career counseling day?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“It looks like it snowed a lot over the weekend.”

Everywhere in the city was dyed in white, beautiful purity.

People in thick clothing walk briskly. Among them, two people face each other, smile, and chat while walking along the pure white road.

The air was definitely cold, but my heart was incredibly warm.

***

It’s finally over.

The long, long school life was coming to an end.

Short black hair, bright golden eyes.

Tall and masculine features.

Carlyle couldn’t tell what his own face looked like right now because it didn’t feel real.

“Thank you for your hard work, Carlyle.”

The homeroom teacher smiles.

As it was a separate space, only Carlyle and his teacher were there.

Counseling has been done every semester so far.

“Finally the last consultation-!”

But what the homeroom teacher is saying now while clapping is the reality we are facing.

‘It’s really over now…’

The teacher looked puzzled when Carlyle, lost in thought, did not respond.

“Well, Mr. Carlyle. You’re not feeling so well, are you…?”

“Ah, that’s… ”

Carlyle Schultz answered.

“… I don’t really feel it.”

However, the homeroom teacher still looked quite embarrassed, so Carlyle ended up revealing his true feelings.

“… My thoughts are also increasing.”

After saying that, he made a puzzled expression on his face, wondering why he had said that. Maybe it came out naturally because he had been really thinking deeply about it recently.

At least the homeroom teacher in front of him feels like an adult. Even Carlyle knows this because he has experienced it for a semester.

He’s a kind and thoughtful teacher, so I don’t feel like I’m being blocked off, and I don’t know why, but I think he might listen to my worries seriously, so I might have said it.

“Oh, I see.”

The teacher tilted his head and then spoke with a smile.

“That could be true, but if it’s Carlyle County, I don’t think you have to worry too much.”

That might be the case.

Carlyle’s own grades are the best in the academy. And not just any grades, they’re the best overall.

His report card is in his teacher’s hands.

“With these grades, you can go to Carlyle, any college you want.”

Actually, that’s it.

It didn’t feel real.

During that time, Carlyle himself, of course, worked tirelessly.

Orphaned and raised in an orphanage, Carlyle spent his childhood there wishing for only one thing.

A fence where you can settle down, a loved one and a home.

I was overcome by a burning desire to have it someday.

To achieve that desire, he had to become successful.

‘…because I have nothing.’

The precocious Carlyle Schultz knew this fact all too well from a young age, so he ran away from the orphanage on his own at the age of fifteen and has done everything he has ever done.

Work hard during the day and study hard at night.

Then one day, I really thought that I was going to die. I put in that much effort.

Fortunately, his head supported such efforts and he was able to achieve results.

When I feel like this huge next turning point in my life has arrived, I can’t help but pause.

In fact, Carlyle had been thinking that he wanted to grow up quickly. In a corner of his heart, he was proud that he was already an adult.

‘But, I…’

It’s ironic, though.

After meeting Bianca Shamal, after meeting a woman who could truly make his dreams come true, my thinking changed a little.

“… Can I do it well?”

He was still immature. He was not an adult yet.

Lately, Carlyle has been picturing a future with Bianca Shamal.

A future where Bianca Shamal is the wife and I am the husband. A future where we go through together as a couple. I knew what responsibility it was to go through that process.

In that future, you have to do well.

Absolutely, unconditionally. No compromise whatsoever.

[So, take responsibility.]

To keep the promise he made to Bianca Shamal that day, who cried and clung to him.

I want to keep my words that I told him to stay by my side without worrying about anything.

Because I have to do well. Of course, I am not in a state where I feel completely free from pressure.

If we keep this in mind from now on and work hard to envision the future, we can both seize a happy future.

I can’t make you suffer. I want to cherish the relationship that I had with difficulty. I want to make you happy. I can’t make you regret the decision you made to choose me.

She is a woman who has grown up preciously. Because she is a woman who has grown up being loved.

You can tell that fact even if you look at it from the side.

But would Bianca’s parents really allow her to be an orphan? Wouldn’t she look bad? If so, what efforts should she make to make herself look good?

Still, I am a little worried. Ironically, it was only after Carlyle found love that he began to realize his own shortcomings.

I told him about my worries without realizing it. The teacher, who had been smiling silently, spoke to him.

“Well, maybe. If the teacher has seen it, you can do it well.”

Of course, I am confident, but it is perhaps natural that I am not sure.

“It’s not strange that Carlyle-kun is worried. After all, he’s still young and immature.”

If it were the old days, Carlyle would have been furious at the teacher’s words now. When he was in the orphanage, he hated hearing this kind of talk the most.

But now it’s different. I don’t want to deny it.

“I know the situation of Carlyle County very well, but… You’ve done well so far, so why don’t you be confident?”

A word of caution.

Carlyle couldn’t figure out whether someone wanted an adult to tell him or confirm something.

A worry he can’t tell his girlfriend, Bianca. Because he always wants to look confident only to Bianca.

And in fact, there was another reason why Carlyle continued to worry.

“Thank you, teacher.”

My heart was made strong. In fact, Carlyle Schultz already knew the answer.

“If it’s the best university I can go to with my grades… ”

The conversation continued. The teacher gave career advice with a serious expression.

“But, Carlyle County. Have you found out everything about that university?”

Of course I know.

Maybe I should take some time off from Bianca.

“The university includes compulsory study abroad programs.”

“Yes, I know.”

Carlyle made up his mind.

‘It’s still in the future, but…’

I will not turn away from the best path to success. A university with a science curriculum, where the best talents from all over the country gather.

“If you don’t do well, you might not be able to graduate.”

“I know that too.”

The challenge of success involves taking risks. Carlyle knew this from a young age.

I hesitated a little because I already knew in my head that it would not be an easy challenge. But I can do it. I have to do it. Because I know that I can do well if Bianca Shamal is by my side.

“Yeah, good. If you’re the best talent in our school, you should have that kind of confidence.”

The homeroom teacher laughed.

That’s how Carlyle Schultz’s application for admission ended.

***

My girlfriend is cute. And she’s also pretty.

More than just cute and pretty, she is also kind and affectionate.

He only looks at himself the whole time. It is clear that Carlyle thinks of the other person more than he thinks of himself.

That’s why Carlyle was so full of energy these days. Even when he was having a hard time at work, he would smile when he thought of Bianca’s face.

Taking a break. When I open my phone, there is a picture there.

They have a cute expression on their face, holding their little fists together, or even, very occasionally, a yearning expression on their face.

-Cheer up, today too!

The texts that always follow make me chuckle.

It’s no exaggeration to say that just seeing his girlfriend’s texts really gives him strength. That’s why Carlyle finished his part-time job safely today too.

“Thank you for your hard work, Carlyle.”

“I’ll go, store manager.”

Today, downtown cocktail bar Milliore successfully closed its evening business. The manager was smiling from ear to ear, saying that it was packed with female customers.

The reason for this is known to both the store manager and Carlyle. He is the one who is particularly busy among the clerks, and he always refuses requests to take pictures.

-I have a girlfriend.

At those words, the female customers looked disappointed, but that did not stop them from coming to the store.

“But, that… ”

A voice was suddenly heard. Carlyle, who was about to change clothes and leave the store, stopped walking for a moment.

“Yes, sir.”

“Isn’t your girlfriend jealous?”

In the store manager’s opinion.

The two of them looked like they could not live together.

Well, the part-timer these days, a young and handsome man, always brings his lunch box and eats it.

How surprised I was when I first saw the lunch box.

It was a very cute lunchbox that showed a lot of sincerity.

There were so many side dishes, so he must have been really busy. Thinking about it, the store manager thought that maybe his girlfriend sometimes prepared it for him. But now, she’s been doing it every day, without missing a single day.

We’ve all seen Carlyle always holding his phone when he’s resting, and a faint smile on his cold features that make women go crazy.

“I would be jealous of a girlfriend like that.”

Carlyle also smiled slightly at the playful question, accompanied by a hearty laugh.

“That’s why you’re not bringing it.”

How much of a passion it was to come here once these days. Carlyle was sweating profusely trying to dissuade the other person.

“Ah- Is that so?”

Both men laughed.

“Anyway, let’s go in.”

“Yes, sir.”

The steps I take as I leave the store gradually become lighter.

The direction to go home is to the right, but Carlyle’s steps naturally went in the opposite direction.

-I’m going now.

I texted my partner. I felt better today because it ended a little early.

-Oh, already?

A reply comes right away. I can feel the embarrassment.

-Walk a little slower!

A message like a request.

It’s not hard to see why they’re confused.

I heard Bianca Shamal is learning makeup these days.

There was one time last time when he just laughed.

I couldn’t help but laugh because my makeup looked a little awkward.

-Why are you suddenly putting on makeup?

I never wear makeup except when I’m on a date. Carlyle asked me this question knowingly and quite mischievously. It was inevitable that he would pinch my side.

But I’m still happy.

It’s so cute how she tries to look pretty to her boyfriend.

As I laugh out loud, my steps slow down a little. I want to hug the other person as soon as possible, but if it’s a favor, I have to do it.

These days, after work, Carlyle always heads to Bianca’s house.

I feel like the day is over only after I return the lunch box I received during lunchtime and hug that soft body tightly. A phone call isn’t enough. It’s hard to give up the feeling that all the hardships of the day are gone.

So today too, the two of them stood under the streetlights, in front of Bianca Shamal’s house.

They notice each other’s faces, smile softly, and embrace each other.

“Ah, Carlyle… !”

Bianca Shamal ran to him and hugged him right after she found him. Then, Carlyle’s nose could smell the sweet and fresh scent of fruit and the scent of the other person’s body.

Hoho, it’s a cold winter day with steam coming out, but it’s warm when we hug each other.

“The lunch box didn’t cool down much… ?”

I can hear a whining sound.

Bianca, who had buried her head in his long coat, slowly moved her slender fingers against his chest.

It felt like a kind of affection and a sense of dependence, so Carlyle smiled. He hugged the other person in his strong arms and whispered to her while cooing.

“Yeah, not really.”

“I told you to bring it. It’ll get cold if I give it to you at lunch.”

“There’s no need to do that.”

A very faint squeaking sound reached his ears.

“I want to go there.”

“Yeah, where?”

“I was thinking of going to the place you work part-time.”

Instead of answering, Carlyle kissed her on the forehead.

“I’m cold.”

It’s best to change the subject. You’re so cute, I don’t think I can stand it any longer.

“Can I come into the house?”

Of course, to Bianca’s house. There’s no way the other person wouldn’t know what the hidden meaning is. The breath exhaled from her arms felt slightly hot. The other person hesitated for a moment, but soon nodded.

“… Yeah, okay.”

The two had a rather warm night that night.

Beyond warm, it might have been hot.

Because we hug each other’s bodies and feel each other’s warmth.

“… I’m having a hard time.”

“Tell me you love me.”

“… I did it for you earlier.”

There was no reason why it was good to see a shy face, and so I hugged it even more, and it was undeniable that it was a really warm winter.