episode_0328

As I spent time eating chocolate, customers started arriving one by one.

I swallowed dryly as I watched dozens of helicopters descend from the sky or vehicles begin to stop right in front of the castle.

“Amy. Grandpa’s friends are coming.”

He hung from the railing of the central hall terrace and pointed to the people below.

Instead of answering, Amy simply stroked my head.

“There are children too.”

“Oh…”

I nodded to Shine’s words.

Shine Rain and I, the three of us, hang side by side and swing our legs back and forth.

A small breeze blows, making my hair flutter pleasantly.

As Shine said, Grandpa’s friends didn’t come alone.

Most of them were accompanied by people who appeared to be their family.

“Oh. There’s Appleton too.”

At that moment, Rain, who had been looking down, stretched out his hand and pointed to a place.

As I followed her hand, I saw that Appleton was indeed walking towards me.

Appleton.

my friend.

She, who always wore her hair in pigtails, was letting her hair down and hanging long.

A completely different atmosphere than usual.

I was dumbfounded at her more mature appearance.

I wanted to raise my hand and say hello to her.

I wanted to let her know that I was here.

But I kept those feelings tightly suppressed.

Everyone came to celebrate my grandfather’s birthday, so what would it look like if I got up there and made a fuss?

I had to appear to be a quiet and good child.

There is no way I can tarnish my grandfather’s honor.

“Hoo.”

As I sighed and stepped down from the railing, Rain tilted his head and asked.

“Aren’t you going to say hello?”

“Yeah. If you come up this way, I’ll come find you then.”

As some time passed, the party venue began to fill up with people.

I watched them from behind the thick curtains.

There were a lot of people who looked like Grandpa’s friends, but there were also a lot of people who looked like Amy’s age.

I wonder which of them are my grandfather’s friends.

Surely, all the people there?

The guests who came to the party venue began to enjoy the party by eating and drinking.

A party that started early even though there was no main character.

They began to move naturally, as if this wasn’t the first or second time this had happened.

Some people were dancing to the softly flowing music, and children who looked to be around my age gathered together and started talking to each other.

“Jeff, do you want to go too?”

Amy said to me, leaning against the terrace railing and drinking wine.

I shook my head.

If I leave here now, I’ll definitely be the center of attention.

“Is there an Appleton there too?”

I bit my lip at Amy’s words.

Appleton was smiling happily as he chatted with the children gathered around him.

I was jealous.

And then I started feeling annoyed for no reason.

I thought with a small sigh.

Why am I getting annoyed?

Appleton.

She is my friend.

My friend.

The first friend I made.

It made my heart boil as I watched Appleton and the other kids chatting happily.

ah.

It was jealousy.

I was jealous of other kids.

I took a hand mirror out of my pocket and looked at my face. It was the same face that Shine sometimes showed me.

Same expression as Shine.

The face that Shine would show whenever she got jealous became my expression.

My friend should only see me.

Why do you guys have so much fun playing with them?

I’m getting angry.

He stamped his feet and glared at the children.

“Jeff. You don’t look so good.”

I sighed at Shine’s comment and touched my face.

smile.

You have to smile.

To look like a good kid.

So that my grandfather’s honor will not be tarnished.

“Are you going to stay here?”

Shine walked forward and asked me.

She walked out naturally, as if she didn’t care about what other people thought.

I glanced behind me and saw Amy nodding as if telling me to hurry up and go.

Rain was already walking next to Shine.

My feet don’t move easily.

As soon as Shine appeared, people’s attention began to turn to her.

She looked confident as always, garnering people’s attention.

I took a deep breath while looking at the sight, then closed my eyes tightly and turned to Shine.

As soon as I step out onto the terrace, people’s eyes start to fly at me.

The murmur of people rings in my ears.

It seemed like they were making fun of me.

It seemed like they were gossiping that he was the adopted child of the Ferman family.

It seemed like I could hear whispers that they weren’t real family.

But it wasn’t.

I realized that all those sounds were just hallucinations coming from my own ego.

But it was hard.

I felt burdened by people’s gaze.

“Jeff.”

At that moment, the buzzing sound in my ears disappears as if washed away.

Shine came to me and held my hand.

Small, delicate hands.

My mind becomes clear as the hand that holds me tightly opens.

I looked around.

No one saw the scar.

I was just looking at this place in admiration.

The gaze was friendly.

The worries I had been harboring in my heart just flew away so easily.

The problem that I had been groaning about without anyone knowing has been resolved.

The steps become lighter.

A smile returns to my lips.

Before I knew it, I was walking towards Appleton with a confident gait.

“Oh. Jeff.”

Appleton waved at me with a somewhat bashful look on his face.

My heart flutters at the sight.

Huh- A strong wind came out of my nose.

Pretty and cute.

Although pigtails suit her, she looks even more attractive with her hair down like this.

As I stared blankly at her, my body moved naturally and I grabbed Appleton’s hand.

I grab Appleton, who was among the children, and pull him towards me.

Immediately after that, he opened his mouth and said what he wanted to say.

“It’s mine.”

At those words, silence fell upon the room.

My voice was not small, and even though I was a little far away, it seemed like many people heard me.

“Je, Jeff?”

Shine, embarrassed, looks at me and opens her mouth.

I looked at her expression and began to think about what I had said.

It’s mine.

mine.

So, I meant that you are my friend.

That’s right.

I was trying to tell him not to do whatever he wanted because he was my friend.

However, many words with omitted meanings were causing misunderstandings.

It was only then that I realized how what I had said could be taken.

“Oh! No. My, my friend!”

Appleton’s face turns red at the belated cry.

She hid behind me with her head bowed, as if she was very embarrassed by the situation.

The expressions on the children’s faces as they talk to Appleton become strange.

“Who are you?”

That was when.

Among the children who were not saying anything, a short girl suddenly jumped out and spoke to me.

Light pastel-toned hair sways.

The hair looked soft, as if cotton candy had settled on it.

Her plump lips were covered in pink lipstick, making them sparkle.

“Cotton, cotton candy…?”

As I muttered absentmindedly, the girl who had come forward frowned.

Even that looks cute.

My heart is pounding.

What should I do?

I want to make friends again.

I wanted to make this girl my friend.

I looked back at Shine.

“Shine. Shine.”

“Yeah.”

“I want to be friends with him.”

Maybe it was because the distance was close.

As if she heard me, the cotton candy girl spoke to me with a disgusted expression.

“I don’t like it!”

“If you don’t like friends, a cat is fine too. Shine, I want that cat.”

I made a Prince cat.

If it’s Shine, she’ll turn that cotton candy girl into a cat for me.

Shine seemed taken aback by my words, her expression crumpled and she took a step back.

I let go of Appleton’s hand and straightened my clothes.

In order to become close, self-introduction was essential.

This girl didn’t seem to know who I was, so I thought I’d introduce myself.

“I’m Jeff.”

As my grandfather told me, I lifted my skirt slightly and bowed my head in greeting.

Did I do it right?

I raised my head slightly to look around, and the cotton candy girl took a step back, looking embarrassed.

“Yes, I don’t care what your name is! Give me back my friend Appleton!”

ah.

I smiled slightly at the cotton candy girl’s words.

You were Appleton’s friend.

I thought we could become close more quickly then.

If you’re Appleton’s friend, you might as well be my friend.

Right, Appleton?

And I personally really liked this cotton candy girl.

I want to fill the necklace.

I thought it would be really great if we went for a walk with a leash on together with Prince.

Meow meow.

I thought I could already hear the cat meowing.

As I was imagining the scene of Prince and Cotton Candy Girl taking a cat walk, the child standing behind her grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear.

Whisper, whisper.

Because the voice was so small, I couldn’t hear it properly, but Grandpa Perman’s name and Amy’s name came out intermittently.

The cotton candy girl’s face turned pale when she heard those words.

Where did that confident, confident figure disappear to? Now, he was crouching like a scared cat, watching me closely.

I don’t like this kind of atmosphere.

I couldn’t stand being in this kind of relationship with a kid I wanted to be close to.

“What’s your name?”

“My, my, my name is…”

I walked slowly past Shine and towards the cotton candy girl.

The hair looked so fluffy and soft that I wanted to touch it.

As I approach with my hand outstretched, the cotton candy flutters and runs away.

“Ah.”

“Ar!”

“Arr?”

“Yes! It’s Ariya!”

beautiful.

beautiful.

I rolled the name of the cotton candy girl in my mouth.

Cute and soft texture.

I liked it.

I wanted to make that girl Arra into a cat.

He grabs Ar’s hand, who is pale and exhausted, and drags him to Shine.

Ar hesitated and resisted, trying to pull his hand away, but he couldn’t free my hand.

The meaningless resistance looked so cute.

An ordinary girl who hasn’t trained can be this weak.

“Hee, heeek…”

Arga is dragged in, screaming in frustration.

I approached Shine and held out my Ar.

“Shine!”

“Uh…”

“Please!”

Ar said he didn’t want to be friends.

It was a slightly hurtful remark, but the cat was still an option.