episode_0038

＂Shasha! So, like… was my attitude really that weird all this time？”

After finishing their meal and receiving Deron’s farewell, Shasha returned to the dormitory and asked me a question.

Today, I learned a lot of new things.

Among them, the most shocking thing was that my actions, which I thought nothing of, were perceived as so strange.

“…Do you want me to be honest?”

“Well, you don’t have to say anything.”

Just the fact that those words came out already hinted at what was to come, but there was no need to dwell on it and get depressed.

“Lia is fascinating.”

I tilted my head at Shasha’s abrupt remark.

Fascinating, what could that mean?

It didn’t seem like a good thing, but it didn’t seem bad either, so I just blinked my eyes.

“…Even though you may lack common sense in everyday matters.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Since having common sense could be taken as a compliment, I smiled brightly.

“…It seems like you not only lack sexual common sense but are completely devoid of it.”

“…It would be hard to find someone as knowledgeable as me in that area, right?”

That’s not true at all.

This is a misunderstanding.

In a reality where the internet exists, there are countless ways to satisfy sexual curiosity, and as a healthy male, I knew them very well.

I knew much more about sexual matters than the people in this world, so there was no lack on my part.

“I know a lot about that stuff!”

“Huh?”

Shasha muttered to himself and then looked at me in surprise at my response.

“Really…?”

“Yes! There are probably few people who know more than me, right?”

Shasha’s eyes trembled slightly, as if wondering if I had said something strange, but it didn’t seem like that was the case.

Since Shasha had first mentioned that I lacked sexual knowledge, I decided to refute it.

I guess it’s okay to talk about this a little.

“I can guarantee that I may not be the best in the world, but I could be considered top-tier in the kingdom!”

“Hehehe…”

Shasha looked slightly flustered, and I felt triumphant at having won.

This wasn’t something to discuss in front of a child, but then again, it wasn’t something a child should say in front of me.

I reached out and gently stroked Shasha’s fluffy hair.

Shasha, no matter how smart you are, you can’t beat an adult on this topic.

“…Yeah.”

Blushing, Shasha glanced at me, and I felt a bit warmer towards them.

“But, you know, since we’re on this topic, do you have a guy you like, Shasha?”

It might be a bit of a strange question to ask a 10-year-old, but it wasn’t a serious question, just a light-hearted joke.

“No.”

What’s with that subtle pause just now?

“…You do?”

“…Huh, no?”

This is definitely a yes.

I was just joking around, trying to tease Shasha, but now that they actually said yes, I didn’t know how to react.

“Uh, um… I’ll cheer you on?”

Scratching my cheek, I gave a half-hearted cheer.

I said I would support them, but it didn’t seem like it would be good for me to interfere.

Regretting bringing up the topic, I tried to crawl into my bed, but Shasha grabbed my wrist firmly.

“Why, why?”

Why are you killing the mood like this, Shasha?

With a stern face, they held onto my wrist with a strength stronger than mine.

It’s kind of scary.

“…Help me…”

“…Huh?”

“…Help me.”

“…You want me to help you?”

Although their expression was hidden by their hair, their voice was trembling, so I sighed inwardly and sat down next to Shasha.

I wasn’t running away, but when I confirmed that she had sat next to me, Shasha let go of my wrist.

As I lifted my face, I could see that it was flushed red.

＂…You seem to know a lot about this kind of stuff, don’t you？”

“I’m not sure what you mean by ‘this kind of stuff.’”

Shasha, who always acted smart and cut straight to the chase, made me realize that the situation might be more serious than I thought, so I stiffened my expression.

In a hesitant, mumbling tone, Shasha began to speak.

“…I’ve developed feelings for someone, but I don’t know how to approach them.”

Well, it’s fortunate that nothing bad happened, but I never expected this kind of question.

Since it seemed like a light-hearted love advice from a 10-year-old, I could respond casually, but if this was a matter in the prestigious academy with a higher social class than us commoners, I needed to be a bit more cautious.

“…Well, first, you should find out what that person likes, right?”

“…What they like?”

“Yeah, if you know what they like, you can study that topic and continue the conversation.”

Honestly, I had never been in a relationship in real life.

But, I hadn’t wasted my years, so I had picked up a few things here and there.

I was just spitting out those things.

“Do you know what that person likes?”

“…Books.”

Ah, it must be someone she met in the book club.

Before joining the book club, she had never mentioned anything like this.

It was easy to deduce that it was related to someone she met in the book club.

But books…

“Just because they like books doesn’t mean they all like the same thing. There are various genres.”

“Well, they seemed to like novels.”

“In that case, why not start the conversation with a recent novel they’ve read?”

Sharing common interests was the basis of all conversations.

“…H-How should I start the conversation?”

Shasha stuttered like she did when we first met.

It was embarrassing now, but it seemed like she was sincerely asking for my help, so I decided to take it seriously.

But first.

“Let’s take it slow, one step at a time… What kind of person is it?”

“Huh?”

“If they’re a bad person, I won’t help you.”

After all, Shasha was only 10 years old.

No matter how smart she was, she was still a child, innocent and pure.

And I knew that there were too many people in this world who took advantage of that innocence and purity.

Shasha was a child and my friend.

I didn’t want to see her get hurt.

“…I don’t think they’re a bad person.”

“What if you say that, and they turn out to be…?”

“No! Not a bad person? What if they’re not?!”

Who on earth was she talking about? I wondered if it was one of the characters I knew, so I asked, and Shasha reluctantly told me.

He was the head of the book club.

The head of the book club.

He wasn’t a character in the novel, but just hearing about him made me suspect that he was quite a character.

He was the kind of guy who would hit a noble if he didn’t like them, even though we were commoners.

“…Is he… not kind but friendly?”

“No, he’s fierce.”

“…Then maybe he’s fierce but kind?”

“No, he’s fierce and fierce…”

“Or maybe, is he good-looking…?”

“…He’s decent-looking.”

I didn’t know what ‘decent-looking’ meant.

In the end, he wasn’t kind or good-looking, and he wasn’t even of high status.

So, I realized that there was only one thing left for me to do.

I had to find out what the head of the book club was like behind Shasha’s back, or maybe even meet him in person and have a conversation.

I wasn’t Shasha’s guardian, just a friend, but if a friend was falling for a strange guy, it was my duty to help her out.

“I have a feeling I know what he’s thinking, and it’s not what Lia is thinking….”

＂…Huh？”

When Shasha tilted her head at Shasha’s words, she blushed and muttered in a small voice, pointing her finger.

“T-the… today, the director helped me….”

“Helped you?”

“I was being harassed… but the director appeared and scolded them….”

Ah, that’s what it is.

The man who rescued the woman surrounded by villains.

It didn’t really resonate with me, but it was a classic way of falling in love that was widely accepted.

“He’s not a bad person?”

“…Yeah. Probably.”

Does Shasha know how uneasy it is when you add “probably” to that?

Anyway, if that’s the case.

It’s a problem that I can check separately later, so for now, let’s move on.

“…Who were they?”

“…Huh?”

“…Who harassed you?”

If most people know that Shasha is close to the prince, there must be a reason why she was targeted even though she knows that.

Shasha probably thought that she couldn’t complain to the prince because of their influence.

But I was by Shasha’s side.

I knew how to easily resolve situations like this.

“Shasha.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s report it to the prince.”

Ultimately, this is what being friends is all about.

They might have thought they were bothering a mere commoner, but I’ll make sure they know that they actually targeted the prince’s friend.

“I don’t plan on going through this the hard way.”

There’s no need to confront them one by one.

When there’s an obvious easy way out, why make it difficult?

And eventually, those guys will be grateful.

Bad behavior needs to be corrected early on.

I’m just giving them that opportunity.

I chuckled with my arms crossed.