Ch.43A Moment of Leisure (5)

Lael sighed softly as she rested her head on Crow’s shoulder.

‘I knew this would happen.’

Somehow, she had an ominous feeling that Derin and Crow would meet, and sure enough, she found them sitting together cozily on a bench.

She felt jealous.

While she had to be careful about even brief meetings because of their professor-student relationship, Derin, who appeared later, could meet him whenever she wanted.

Though she understood this logically, her heart felt differently, which was why she had slipped between them to interrupt their time together.

‘But staying like this might cause trouble for Crow, right?’

If someone happened to see them, they might suspect some kind of deal between them.

Having composed herself, Lael sat up.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yes, I should. Staying like this would cause you trouble.”

She wavered momentarily at his question that seemed to ask her not to go, but her mind was already made up.

Instead, thinking a small mark might be acceptable, she leaned forward slightly and kissed Crow on the cheek.

When her lips separated with a small smacking sound, Crow looked bewildered.

She wondered how he would react if she kissed him on the lips, but that would probably be too soon.

A kiss on the cheek could be seen as just being affectionate.

Lael turned her body swiftly toward the Academy and said, “See you at the Academy, Professor.”

* * * * *

What just happened?

Lael got up as if to leave and suddenly kissed me on the cheek.

There was even a smacking sound.

A fierce flame of confusion rose in my previously calm mind.

Is this how people normally express their feelings when they like someone?

No, more importantly, is it okay to just kiss someone on the cheek when we’re not even in a relationship yet?

Derin, as if sensing something had happened, opened her drowsy eyes and said, “I fell asleep…”

“I woke you up. Sorry.”

Derin slowly shook her head.

“It’s fine. But what happened? Why is your face so flushed?”

“It’s nothing…”

In terms of overall skinship, a kiss on the cheek might be minor, but to me, it felt enormous.

I hadn’t even held hands with a woman, let alone been kissed on the cheek.

Of course, I had held hands with my master, but that was different since it wasn’t romantic.

Derin reached out and touched my forehead.

She was probably checking if I had a fever since my face was red.

“You don’t seem to have a fever.”

“I’m really fine.”

After what just happened, I kept finding my eyes drawn to Derin’s lips.

‘I can’t keep looking.’

She was genuinely concerned about whether I was sick, while I was having impure thoughts, which made me feel guilty.

“You’re not lying, are you?”

“Of course not. I’m really fine.”

“Then why do you keep avoiding eye contact?”

Derin questioned me accusingly, but I obviously couldn’t answer.

How could I tell her that I kept staring at her lips?

Derin, who had been glaring at me with drowsy eyes, suddenly noticed something and looked surprised.

As if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

“What’s that… on your cheek…?”

“My cheek…?”

I hurriedly raised my hand and wiped where Lael had kissed me.

It was red.

Some kind of red pigment came off on my hand.

Ah…

“It was Lael…?”

Derin’s voice turned cold, and I suddenly felt a murderous aura.

I slowly nodded.

There was no point in hiding it. After all, Lael was the only one who would kiss my cheek.

Scratching her head with a crumpled expression, Derin seemed to make up her mind and stared intently into my eyes.

“Here I go.”

Huh?

Derin’s face suddenly moved toward mine, and when I turned my head in surprise, her lips touched my other cheek and then pulled away.

Oh, so that’s what she meant by “Here I go.”

“I-I did the other side. And I’m not wearing anything on my lips, so you don’t need to worry.”

She hung her head, seemingly embarrassed by her own actions.

What did these girls eat today?

Why are they being so forward…?

It’s not about whether I like it or not—I’m just too surprised.

It would be unreasonable to expect a warning, but there should at least be some kind of atmosphere first. Both of them did it out of nowhere, so I don’t know how to react.

Another awkward silence fell between us, and finally, unable to bear it any longer, I spoke up.

“Should we go somewhere?”

“Y-yes. Anywhere is fine.”

* * * * *

After spending quite some time with Derin and returning home, I carefully asked my master during dinner.

“Master, this is about a professor I know. He says he’s come to like two women at the same time. What do you think about that?”

To be precise, it’s about me, and I don’t exactly like them yet, but still.

My master, who had been eating an omelet, gently put down her spoon and said,

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I don’t know about women, but men of certain positions often have multiple wives, which isn’t strange.”

Indeed, as my master said, it’s not uncommon to see noblemen with several wives.

But that only applies to nobles.

Commoners usually end up with just one wife.

With two wives, there would be more children, and their earnings wouldn’t be enough.

So it’s not a crime or anything like that, but what I’m curious about is how women feel about it.

As if sensing that my curiosity wasn’t satisfied, my master continued.

“It depends on how much those women love that man. If a woman can’t give up on him even if another wife appears, then it continues to the end. If not, it ends there.”

“I see…”

As I nodded, my master, who was about to pick up her spoon again, suddenly stared into my eyes and said,

“Don’t tell me… you…!”

“No, absolutely not.”

I shook my head vigorously.

I don’t know about the future, but right now, absolutely not.

“Are you sure? You know what happens if you lie to your master, right?”

“I’ll die…?”

“Since you seem to understand, let me ask once more. You really don’t like that fox and that cat, right?”

Though she referred to them as a fox and a cat, she was clearly talking about Lael and Derin.

“Don’t worry. I don’t.”

“…Really? That’s a relief.”

Only then did my master seem relieved, sighing deeply before picking up her spoon again to resume eating.

By the way, it seems my master really dislikes Lael and Derin.

She said she wouldn’t interfere just this morning, but she’s already forgotten and is reacting like this.

Well, it means she cares about me that much, so I feel good about it.

“By the way, you smell nice today. Did you visit a flower garden or something?”

“Do I smell like flowers?”

I moved my head around, trying to catch the scent.

‘Oh, it’s true.’

It wasn’t strong, but there was a faint flower scent on me.

My master, who had been sniffing repeatedly, tilted her head as if something had occurred to her.

“The cat… It smells exactly like that cat.”

Momentarily taken aback by her remarkable memory, I tried not to show it outwardly. Then I spoke as calmly as possible.

“I met Derin today. The cat you mentioned.”

Flower scents exist abundantly in nature, and I could have lied to brush it off, but I didn’t.

Trust is more important than anything else.

It’s a hundred times better to talk about it now than to disappoint her later when she finds out.

Seeing my master’s expression gradually change to shock, I added an explanation.

“We just met. It’s not like I have feelings for her or anything. The question I just asked was about another professor…”

Come to think of it, I had already lied once.

Maybe she’ll forgive me if I act cute?

“Ahem! Anyway, I understand what you’re thinking, but it’s definitely not that.”

“I haven’t said anything yet, you brat.”

“I’m explaining before you say anything. That way, there won’t be any misunderstandings between us.”

My master shrugged once and began eating her omelet quickly with a dissatisfied expression.

I thought I had explained it in a way she could understand, but I don’t know what she’s so dissatisfied about.

After a while of hearing the clattering of utensils against dishes, my master, who had already emptied her plate and taken it to the kitchen, said as she entered her room,

“I’ll be resting. Call me if anything happens.”

“Yes, you worked hard today.”

SLAM.

The door closed roughly, and I flinched for a moment.

Wondering if the omelet tasted bad today, I scooped up a full spoonful and tasted it.

‘That’s not it.’

What’s strange is that she usually leaves the empty dish behind, but today she took it to the kitchen.

What’s going on…?

My master’s behavior is truly puzzling.