8. A Sincere Apology

8. A Sincere Apology

“You want me to tell you about the North?”

“Yeah. I’m curious.”

There was still plenty of time before the lecture started. Golden Sun was using the free time to chat with me about various things.

The conversation was mainly about getting to know each other better.

It felt like a step towards becoming closer friends, and I couldn’t help but feel good about it, thinking this is how friends should be.

Golden Sun, who was being hugged, let out a hum, my tail swaying gently.

Priscilla is also a friend, but we don’t know each other well yet. Perhaps it’s due to Priscilla’s shy demeanor… Maybe one of us needs to take the initiative and reach out.

Alright, then next time I see Priscilla, I’ll be more proactive in getting closer.

Meanwhile, I was thinking about what to answer Golden Sun’s questions.

“The North…”

Even when asked about the North, I couldn’t recall much. Cold, ice, snow, snow, snow, snow. That’s about it.

But this is too obvious, so Golden Sun wouldn’t be curious about this. She’s probably asking about the Northern way of life… or something like that.

However, ever since I was reincarnated, I’ve only fought with my father and fainted. Even though I lived in the North, I didn’t really know much about it. On top of that, except for training, I was busy taking care of my younger sibling and rarely went outside.

What should I tell her? I groaned at my meager knowledge and pondered. My fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk.

Tap, tap.

Tap…

Ah, yes, I remember now.

All the common knowledge about the North that my younger sibling told me.

Isn’t this enough to tell Golden Sun?

Even though I haven’t seen or learned it myself, it should be of great help in satisfying Golden Sun’s curiosity.

“Since it’s cold in the North, to conserve warmth, people who are close often stay close to each other. Their personal space is small… Yes, they have a lot of physical contact.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Hearing my words, Golden Sun smiled and urged me to tell her more. She tapped my tail, which was wrapped around her, and continued.

“So, hugging each other isn’t strange… We even bathe together…”

“And?”

“We even wash each other’s bodies… When we sleep in bed, we hold each other and touch each other’s…”

However, my words were cut off before I could finish. It was because a man entered the lecture hall.

Judging by his medieval-style clothing, which was different from the school uniform, he was likely a professor.

“I’m sorry I’m late, everyone. Phew, someone overloaded the sparring ground’s magic tool and broke it. I was a bit late fixing it.”

The professor wiped the sweat from his forehead as he spoke. Hearing the word ‘sparring’ brought back memories of yesterday. I quietly asked Golden Sun.

“The sparring ground’s magic tool, that’s the one that creates the shield, right?”

“Yeah. I thought it was quite sturdy, so it’s strange that it overloaded.”

“Overloaded?”

What’s this ‘overload’ thing?

I knew the meaning of the word ‘overload,’ but I was curious about the relationship between the magic tool that creates a shield and overloading. Golden Sun replied.

“Magic tools like this break when they receive more impact than the shield can handle. That’s called overloading.”

Ah. So, hitting too hard and breaking the shield is called overloading. My body shivered at the thought.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

I think I cut the shield with my sword around yesterday, could it be that the broken magic tool…

…Well, if it’s not caught, it’s not a crime.

I decided to keep yesterday’s events a secret for the rest of my life.

——

The professor briefly introduced himself, explained the lecture content, and then disappeared as if he had never been there, saying he’d see us next time.

The moment the professor left, other students also gathered their belongings and rushed out. It was probably just my imagination that the students looked like they were being chased by something.

The lecture ended in less than 5 minutes.

I stared blankly at the empty lecture hall and then asked Golden Sun.

“…Is it over already?”

“Most lectures in the first week are just orientation.”

I had wanted to strike up a conversation with some other students, but the lecture ended much faster than expected, and in my surprise, I couldn’t catch any of the students who rushed out.

There’s no other way, I’ll just have to look forward to next time. Still, I made one friend, which was fortunate.

Golden Sun then extended her hand to me and asked.

“It’s still a little early, but do you want to go eat together?”

“I don’t mind…”

Just then, the image of a girl with red twin buns came to mind. She’s my friend too, so wouldn’t it be okay to eat together?

“Wait, can I bring my friend along?”

“No problem. Where is she?”

“Well…”

…Where is she?

I don’t know Priscilla’s lecture schedule. I don’t know when it starts or ends, and I don’t even know where she is right now. We share the same dormitory room, but that’s all.

Seeing my hesitation, Golden Sun said.

“Well, you can eat together later, right?”

“…I guess so. Let’s go.”

Next time I see Priscilla, I’ll definitely ask her for her schedule. With that thought, I walked towards the cafeteria with Golden Sun.

I returned to the dormitory much later.

——

Priscilla returned to the dormitory after her lecture. As it was almost lunchtime, she was getting ready to go to the cafeteria.

Suddenly, a white-haired wolf came to mind, but she shook her head to dispel the thought. Even as friends, there was no need to always eat together.

However, Priscilla’s actions were only half successful.

No matter how much she shook her head, Skadi’s image didn’t completely disappear, and parts of her body kept lingering in her mind.

Fluffy, voluminous, well-maintained, warm, and soft fur…

And that which had enveloped her all night and had kept her bound until this morning.

For some reason, the familiar, addictive, savory scent emanating from Skadi’s pure white…

“Nngh…!”

Priscilla lowered her head and covered her face. She was so embarrassed by the strange thoughts she was having that she couldn’t even lift her head, even in her dormitory room where she was all alone.

Nevertheless, Skadi’s tail remained in her mind.

“No, no! It’s just that…”

When cognition and action don’t match, rationalization always follows. Priscilla hastily continued her thoughts to justify her own feelings.

“I-it’s because I specifically want to eat with her that I’m having these thoughts. It’s not because I’m thinking about weird things like her tail! Yes, that’s right!”

Skadi’s mind is strange. Therefore, there must be many difficulties in eating. So, she, a good person, must help her by her side.

In that process, she would naturally get close to the tail, but that would only be a secondary result.

Having finished her rationalization, Priscilla began to wait for Skadi alone in her room.

…Waiting for her, who never came.

——

“Why are you only coming now!”

As soon as I opened the door, a piercingly high voice hit my ears. It was Priscilla’s voice, which I had become accustomed to, but I couldn’t stop my eardrums from ringing.

I gently folded my ears.

Priscilla continued to speak to me as if to express her grievance. Her stomach rumbled.

“I was waiting to eat with you, so why didn’t you come…!”

“Ah, I’m sorry about that. I wanted to eat with you too, but I didn’t know where you were.”

“Ugh…”

“I’m really sorry.”

Priscilla was even on the verge of tears.

Was she that sad about not being able to eat together?

I need to apologize… Seeing Priscilla on the verge of tears, I was reminded of an old incident with my younger sibling when I was little.

-Freya, I’m sorry, sister. I was wrong.

-Ugh…

-I’m really sorry.

I had done something wrong to my sister back then, just like now.

No matter how much I apologized to my sister, she pouted and kept her distance from me. It took several days of sincere apologies before she finally accepted them.

The common knowledge my sister told me the next day.

-Sister.

-Yes?

-Y-you don’t apologize like that! When you sincerely apologize to someone…

-When?

-You have to hug them tightly and give them a kiss on the forehead!

I had never actually done it since then because I hadn’t done anything wrong to my sister, but isn’t this the perfect situation?

“Priscilla?”

“Yes… Eek?!”

I strode towards Priscilla and pulled her towards me.

Priscilla let out a silly sound, “Uhe,” and was embraced by me. I gently wrapped her with my white tail.

Priscilla, who seemed bewildered, unable to follow the situation, I slightly lowered my head and whispered in her ear.

“I’m really sorry. It was my fault.”

And then.

— Peck.

Priscilla’s face turned bright red, and then she exploded with a “Pung-“. Since she said nothing, it seemed she had accepted my sincere apology.

If I hadn’t learned how to apologize from my sister, I would have been in trouble for a while. How fortunate. As expected of my sister, I’m always grateful.

Heh, I smiled and hugged Priscilla even tighter.