Ch.233233. A Wish in the Snowy Winter (7)

Despite being on the cheek rather than the lips, the impact of the girl’s kiss, which had strongly stirred the hearts of men, was tremendous.

Until her soul, which had fled her body upon realizing what an absurd thing she had done, returned to her body, a series of sincere beatings continued from the men who had been watching.

How many men had feelings for her, the academy’s idol and the jewel of the empire?

For them, the man who received Renias’s kiss had become a public enemy, regardless of the outcome of this expedition.

I was literally beaten to a pulp. Until the girl’s runaway soul returned to her body.

I realized that when a person gets beaten like that, they might make zombie-like sounds—another way to die, I suppose.

Sigh. Anyway, it was truly a terrible time.

When Renias came to her senses, she was startled by the group beating and immediately scolded those who were still not satisfied,

“I-I… I didn’t know it meant that…”

After fleeing together with all her might, she returned to her silver rabbit mode, shyly scratching her cheek.

When I told her to take it easy, that’s not what I meant. It seems Renias understood it completely differently.

‘A kiss… on the cheek.’

The soft sensation of her membrane touching my cheek is still vivid.

At this rate, we wouldn’t be collecting stickers according to the map on the pamphlet, and might cause even more trouble… We needed a break. Both of us. Renias too.

“Let’s… rest a bit. Let’s not talk about anything else.”

“Okay…”

***

A nobleman is being dragged away.

Though without handcuffs, he was essentially being escorted without being able to resist the man.

“Hey! Let go of me!”

“Let go of what? You’re someone who needs to be quietly investigated.”

The nobleman glared and struggled again.

Still acting as if he had done nothing wrong at the parade.

“Lord Jake, aren’t you misunderstanding something? What am I being investigated for! What do those naive kids know!”

“Sigh. As I’ve told you many times, Levrant Academy students can temporarily serve as vigilantes. In that respect, those children’s words are more than valid.”

“That’s absurd…!”

“Based on the circumstances, you were the one violating the empire’s laws, however minor. If you resist further, I’ll subdue you by force and take you in.”

When Jake revealed his intimidating presence as a threat since words weren’t getting through, the nobleman finally walked along without complaint, sweating nervously.

‘I’ve confirmed he’s being escorted away. But he’ll probably be released soon.’

Once upon a time, when nobles caused position troubles and acted tyrannically, they would have received severe sentences after being taken in.

But what about now? It’s merely a minor altercation during the parade.

For now, there are no issues regarding the victims’ safety.

Nobles inevitably flaunt their status, resort to force, or impose restrictions and act tyrannically due to their supremacist ideology.

In the process, the weak are often found injured. Even if not, they’re typically extorted or obstructed.

To punish them, evidence based on such incidents was necessary.

But in this parade, no evidence has emerged.

There are no actual injuries, and no one claims to have been robbed or obstructed. The numerous witnesses on the streets testify to this.

Occasionally, there are cases where thoughtless individuals or immature noble youths cause trouble, but these are fewer in number.

Moreover, some genuinely repent, claiming they didn’t know better.

‘That’s why it’s so ambiguous.’

Even if they’re punished after being taken in, they’ll either be released with a warning or, at most, face a period of probation even with the harshest penalty.

Looking at the circumstances, these incidents are just minor frictions.

‘The problem is that they’re occurring everywhere.’

While there are plenty of witnesses at the parade, the nature of the offenses isn’t particularly severe.

That’s what bothered Jake.

“Stop talking nonsense and just follow me quietly.”

“Argh! I’m telling you I did nothing wrong! It’s that person’s fault for bumping into me…!”

“What nonsense. If you get dragged and injured, it’s not our fault! We won’t treat you either.”

In the distance, Dahlia, who’s leading the disciplinary committee in place of Ophelia, is walking over, scolding the nobleman being escorted.

‘Indeed. Something feels off.’

Jake sensed that it wasn’t just what he had observed and approached his sister-in-law.

“Dahlia. Leave the escort to the disciplinary committee. I need to talk to you for a moment.”

“With me? Um… alright.”

After entrusting the escort to the disciplinary committee, Dahlia showed a face full of certainty instead of bewilderment.

“Are you also feeling strange about the incidents happening all over the parade, brother-in-law?”

“Yes. I was just escorting another guy who was caught by students.”

“…What about the nature of the offense?”

“Only minor ones. There was one immature fellow who demanded rent from a street vendor, but he naturally got more than he bargained for.”

“Sigh. It’s the same over here… Except for one thoughtless person, it was just trivial disputes.”

While no major incidents had occurred during the parade, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

As these minor incidents pile up, something unpleasant might happen.

“I’m asking just in case, but what about their origins?”

“Mostly Mirpark. Otherwise, from the southern part of Shute or the easternmost district of Algenib.”

“Then it seems Marquis Flocan is plotting something. What could his intentions be?”

Frustratingly, this lock is an empty one.

While Marquis Flocan is always marked as the leader of the noble faction in the empire, no matter how much they dig, they can’t find even a speck of evidence.

Whenever they try to catch his tail, they only find a severed one.

They always suspect he’s plotting something, but they never know when, where, or how he’ll act.

“For now, let’s proceed with a rotation system. If we place requests with the students and add some page ranking points, it should be fine.”

“Right. Phew…”

Causing such incidents at the parade clearly indicates an intention to influence something.

The only option for the two was to strengthen security to deal with the incidents occurring at the parade.

***

The side effects are too severe.

My goal was to have a good time with Renias, but the repercussions from one couple’s game were too intense.

Of course, I didn’t explain it clearly… and it was a mistake Renias made due to a misunderstanding, but that’s not the issue.

The problem is that something else has emerged.

‘It seems unlikely we’ll collect all the stickers today.’

Knowing that awkwardness increases in such situations, I suggested playing a different game, but if I touch Renias now, she’ll probably revert to a hiccupping silver rabbit.

I probably couldn’t guarantee my own reaction if we played a couple’s game with even more skinship.

After all, my cheek is still warm where Renias’s lips touched.

“Senior… are you… angry?”

As I was trying to compose myself, Renias hesitantly looked at me.

“It was a mistake. Why would I be angry about something like this?”

“Really…?”

“It was a mishap that happened by mistake, what can we do? Everyone has different perspectives and thoughts… um… anyway, yeah.”

If I were my usual self, I could have summarized it clearly, concluded it to alleviate any worries, and even patted her head, but I can’t do that now.

Suddenly, Renias leaned on my shoulder and confessed.

“I’m cold, senior.”

Ah, right. I had forgotten about that.

But… is it okay for me to hug her now?

I couldn’t be as confident as before because the cheek kiss had left me feeling unlike myself.

“Aren’t you… going to wrap your arm around me…?”

“…”

But how could I refuse when she’s urging me like that because she’s cold?

I wrapped my arm around her slender waist again. Strangely, it felt as awkward as when I had awkwardly held her waist a few hours ago.

“I… don’t want to become awkward with you over something like this, senior.”

“I don’t think there’s anything to be awkward about…”

“You say it was a mistake, but you’re not even looking at my face properly, senior.”

I thought she was just being cautious, but she had noticed everything.

It seems the awkwardness was felt by me alone, not by both of us. Or perhaps she had another reason for showing such courage.

‘But I don’t want to become awkward with Renias either.’

It’s not just because she’s helping me.

It’s because Renias’s character and personality have held me back many times when I was about to race ahead without brakes.

If I, who returned from the past, had only accelerated and gone berserk to avoid repeating the same mistakes, I would have probably collapsed by now.

Yes, she was always by my side during important moments.

When I distanced myself from the Tembris party, the only human relationship I maintained, and became completely isolated, it was always this silver rabbit who approached me, making me feel like I wasn’t alone.

It was also this kind junior who first helped me spread the word about what was happening in the academy’s shadows.

When I was shaken by a variable that appeared after I had been accelerating, she bravely listened to my request and headed to the Cutelli Count’s house.

Even when I realized my inadequacies and was frustrated, she actively stood up for me.

Renias was already a person who occupied the largest portion not only in my human relationships but also in this life.

I immediately moved my arm and embraced her again.

“Ah?”

“You’re right. If we keep this up, we won’t be able to collect all the stickers.”

“Senior.”

“I’m sorry for being awkward. Thanks to that, we’ve just wasted time.”

“Hehe. Finally, the original Junon senior is back.”

Renias now shows a happy smile.

That smiling face is really pleasant to see. She may be loved by all, but aside from that, I think her smiling face itself is very beautiful.

Doesn’t it make the viewer happy too?

That’s probably why my worries always disappear. When I see that bright smile full of purity, all my complicated thoughts evaporate.

“Oh, but can’t we collect more stickers today?”

“Probably not, since it’s evening. But there’s still something left.”

“What’s left—whoa!”

“Up we go.”

“S-senior? Why are you suddenly lifting me up like this!”

“It might not be visible at your height. Watch carefully in the direction my finger is pointing.”

“Huh? There’s nothing there…”

The place I pointed to was just the empty sky.

But in just a few seconds, bright lights began to turn on one by one.

“Wow! It’s beautiful!”

A bright night market illuminating the evening had opened.

Still, I think… your smile is prettier than that night market, Renias.