Conflict (2)

Conflict (2)

“… Lord Deren. Are you inside?”

Just as I was about to start researching spatial expansion magic.

This time, Sien’s voice is heard from outside the research lab.

With people coming one after another, I briefly answered, wondering if today was some special day.

Sien then asks me in a rather calm voice.

“May I open the door?”

“Go ahead.”

At my brief reply, Sien enters nonchalantly, then continues speaking while slightly glancing at me.

“You don’t need to mind me. … I don’t want to disturb you, Lord Deren.”

For someone who claims not to want to disturb me, she keeps glancing at me, seemingly trying to subtly attract my attention.

I couldn’t help but smile a little at the discrepancy between her words and actions.

I tried to calm myself down and nodded.

“Alright.”

“……”

Sien seemed to become sulky after being shot down.

She started looking at me with a somewhat disappointed expression.

I was about to tell her it was okay to interrupt, thinking that her thoughts were unpredictable.

‘In an hour… let’s do it.’

I had a backlog of research to do, and I was feeling drained due to the Heaven God Cult, Espin, and the Rumi incident.

I decided to speak to her after organizing my thoughts while doing some research.

As I was thinking this and about to continue my research.

“… Then, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

Sien, who had been looking at me with her lips pursed, tied her hair up, revealing her pale nape.

‘… She’s certainly pretty.’

Sky-blue hair that you couldn’t see on Earth except through dyeing.

Normally, such hair color would feel out of place, but.

‘I’m not sure if it’s just because she’s pretty or if it suits the atmosphere well.’

I couldn’t help but be momentarily captivated, thinking only that it was beautiful.

As I was silently watching this, thinking that this must be what it feels like to be enchanted.

Sien seemed to notice my gaze and met my eyes with a bright smile.

“……”

Then, she turned her gaze away with an awkward smile, her ears turning red.

Seeing this, I continued to watch silently.

I shook my head lightly and decided to focus on my research.

*

After finishing some of my research, I stretched to take a breather, and like last time, I noticed Sien sleeping.

At first, I thought about waking her up.

‘Training and student council duties must be quite exhausting.’

Thinking it would be better to let her sleep more rather than waking her up, I was about to cover her with my coat again.

“… Lord Deren.”

But before that, Sien slowly opened her eyes.

Reaching out slowly to grab the hem of my clothes, she spoke to me in a somewhat gloomy voice.

“… I really want to go on a date.”

“A date?”

When I asked back, Sien nodded like a rain-soaked puppy and calmly said.

“It might sound foolish, but I want to go on a date with you so much that I even dreamed about dating Lord Deren last night.

Hearing that, I hesitated for a moment, then replied, thinking I didn’t know how to answer.

“I see.”

“… Yes. Of course, if you’re busy… it might not be possible…”

Sien glanced at me cautiously while saying ‘it might not be possible’.

It seems she wanted to go so badly that she didn’t want to hear me say no.

Looking at Sien like that, I inwardly chuckled and spoke while placing Luna, who was in my arms, on the desk.

“It’s late tonight, so how about we go for a walk instead of a date?”

“A walk, you say?”

I nodded in response to that question.

Sien seemed to be fine with just going out with me, as she quickly nodded and energetically stood up from her seat.

Then, looking at me with a somewhat bright expression, she urgently said to me.

“We don’t have much time left to return, so let’s go quickly. If we’re too late, Father might worry.”

Thinking that I’ve never seen Sien this urgent before, I nodded.

Sien gripped my hand more tightly and led me outside.

*

It’s still cold as summer hasn’t arrived yet.

I put my coat on Sien and thought as we slowly strolled through the park.

‘A park, huh.’

I’ve often looked down at it from the mansion, but this is the first time I’ve come down here to walk around directly.

Just as I was lost in thought, thinking that I’ve certainly been living diligently since coming here.

Sien hugs my arm tightly to her chest and says to me.

“I’m cold.”

It would have been more convincing if she had taken off the coat I just put on her, but it was just amusing to hear her say that while still wearing the coat.

Still, the warmth of her arms wrapping around mine felt nice, so I decided to leave it be and nodded.

“I see.”

“Yes. So, Lord Deren, please stay close to me so you won’t be cold either.”

It seems like we’re already as close as we can be, so how much closer does she want?

Thinking that Sien’s request was a bit excessive, I lightly flicked her forehead.

Sien blinked, staring at me intently, and then smiled softly and spoke.

“Lord Deren, being like this reminds me of when we were young.”

I couldn’t say anything in response to those words.

Because childhood belonged to ‘Deren’, not ‘me’.

So I just silently looked at Sien, and she continued speaking with a soft smile, as if longing for her childhood.

“I remember when I was young, Lord Deren bandaged my knee when I fell.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. At that time, Lord Deren was also young, so the bandaging was a bit clumsy and came undone soon after… but I feel like that bandage Lord Deren wrapped for me still remains in my heart.”

Then Sien stretched out her bare leg forward and smiled brightly.

Soon after, she slightly lifted her skirt with her snow-white hand and said to me.

“I haven’t been able to tell you until now, but I’m really grateful… no, I’m still grateful. It’s a memory that gives me strength even now.”

At those words, I could only silently look at Sien and fall into thought.

The reason Sien likes me… no, Deren.

It’s because I was reminded once again that it was due to the actions of the ‘real Deren’ in the past.

‘… This is troublesome.’

As I was biting my lip, wondering how to deal with Sien.

Sien, as if remembering something, whispered to me with a smug expression.

“Oh, Lord Deren. I’ve treated the doodle you made last time so that it won’t be erased by magical solution.”

By doodle, she probably means the ‘idiot’ written on her chest and the ‘fool’ on her thigh.

Feeling flustered by those words, I quickly looked at Sien.

Sien continued speaking to me with a still playful expression.

“Since it has come to this, you must take responsibility. If others find out about this writing on me, I won’t be able to get married despite being a virgin.”

I tried to say something in response to those words, but…

Before I could, Sien embraced me, pulling me close as if nestling into my arms, and whispered in a small voice.

“Of course… I belong to Lord Deren. So there’s no need to worry about that.”

A calm confession.

As I looked at Sien, thinking that the emotion I clearly felt was heavier than usual.

Sien, seemingly becoming more and more embarrassed, her face turning increasingly red, spoke to me.

“Ah…! I-It’s a joke. You don’t need to worry too much, as it can be erased anytime using another magical solution.”

Not knowing how to respond, I just kept my mouth shut.

Sien looked at me like that and smiled brightly, then said to me.

“Still, I’d like you to take responsibility. Because I want to walk together with Lord Deren forever.”

At those words, I could no longer hold back, so I took a deep breath and spoke briefly.

“Sien. Perhaps I’m not the Deren you knew.”

Thinking it would be better to speak directly rather than beating around the bush, I tried speaking outright.

But Sien seemed to interpret it differently from what I intended, smiling and saying.

“I know.”

“That’s not what I mean. I am…”

Just as I opened my mouth to speak more precisely.

Sien stood on her tiptoes, raising her body, and lightly pressed her lips against mine as she spoke.

“… It doesn’t matter if Lord Deren is not the Lord Deren I knew. Even if you’re not the Lord Deren I know, my feelings won’t change.”

“……”

The soft sensation felt on the lips and the sweet scent lingering at the tip of the nose.

Standing there blankly for a moment, forgetting everything I was about to say due to that sensation.

Sien, with her earlobes turning bright red, speaks to me.

“So, that…”

As if overwhelmed by shame and embarrassment in the middle of speaking.

Unable to finish the last words, she just bows her head deeply.

While I was looking at Sien like that, wondering what I should really do.

“… Hiccup.”

An out-of-place sound is heard nearby.

Greatly surprised by that sound, I immediately look around.

I see Espin hiding in the bushes and Rumi on the verge of crying.