episode_0041

＂That fool….”

Shasha couldn’t deny the words that came out of her mouth.

Ria, that guy was truly a fool.

Not just because he was bad at studying and good at nothing else.

With a face that couldn’t help but attract attention, it was natural for him to act so distractedly.

He acted as if he didn’t know about it.

Whether he was clueless or just shameless, I don’t know, but one thing was certain.

“You’ve suffered because of choosing the wrong friends.”

Nana, Shasha, both of us definitely chose the wrong friends.

To think that guy is my friend.

My face felt hot for some reason.

Even though Ria was the one making the mistake, why do I feel embarrassed？

“…The prince must have suffered a lot too….”

Looking at me like that, Shasha spoke with a half-resigned, powerless voice.

Since I had no other choice, I just nodded my head.

“To live with someone who thinks and acts so recklessly….”

Living with someone who lives so freely and unpredictably.

Just thinking about it made me tired, so I wiped my face.

“…But he’s kind.”

“Yeah, he is kind.”

Ria didn’t mean to say he was bad.

Ria is kind.

To the point of being foolish.

When he demanded my military support at that time.

I really thought about pulling out Ria’s tongue.

Even though I had considerable affection for Ria at that time, personal feelings should not be involved in military operations.

No matter what feelings I had, if something was wrong, it had to be dealt with seriously.

That’s why I warned him.

My words were definitely sincere.

However, Ria succeeded in saving Princess Astel with a strange belief.

At the moment of failure, his tongue would be pulled out, and in some cases, he would not back down from dealing with issues that could be punishable by death under the pretext of saving others.

It wasn’t just about being kind.

Even if you have unwavering confidence in information from an unknown source, most people would just give up if they had to risk their lives for someone they had just met.

Ria pushed forward, whether he was kind or foolish.

“You need to take care of yourself.”

“Yeah…. I was really surprised when I saw you calmly close your eyes instead of avoiding the flying boulder last time.”

Come to think of it, that did happen.

To be able to endure terrible punishment to save others, but to calmly accept your own injuries.

He seemed like a broken person in some way.

“So, I want to stay by your side.”

“…Huh?”

Looking at Shasha with a sudden confession, Shasha continued shyly with a smile.

“Even though it’s tiring…. You’re kind and cute, right?”

“…Well, yeah.”

Being kind and looking like that is excellent.

But I’m not sure if that’s a reason to stay by someone’s side.

As if reading my thoughts, Shasha continued.

“If you take care of others in such a considerate way, but neglect yourself….”

“…There is that aspect.”

“…So, because you need to take care of yourself up close, I want to be by your side.”

I understand what she’s saying.

Like a child placed on the riverbank, she wants to take care of you by your side because she can’t stand the anxiety.

“How is Ria doing in the room?”

Just talking about Ria, suddenly I became curious.

It’s something I could ask directly, but the way you see yourself and the way others see you are completely different.

And since I couldn’t step foot in the women’s dormitory, I was curious about what Ria was doing.

“What kind of image does Ria have in the prince’s eyes?”

If you were to ask me what kind of image Lia gives off, it’s a bit difficult to put into words.

＂…She looks pretty decent, but does she make you sigh when you see her？”

“…Do you dislike Lia?”

“If you dislike her, you shouldn’t have hung out with us in the first place.”

Lia’s presence always made me feel annoyed, with my fists clenching and sighs escaping involuntarily.

But it’s not that I dislike her.

Rather than disliking her, it’s more accurate to say that I enjoy her company as a friend.

Just being around her makes me sigh involuntarily.

And watching Lia’s antics unfold was actually quite entertaining.

“I like it because it’s fun.”

Yes, that’s it.

Without delving into complicated reasons, the reason I became friends with Lia was simply because it was fun.

I would overlook her occasional rudeness, or her annoying habits, and lightly scold her with a tap on the head or a tug on the cheek.

I shrugged my shoulders in response, and Lia, with a bright smile on her face, began telling me about her daily activities.

She mentioned how she couldn’t dry her hair properly without my help, how she was serious about studying, and how she recounted the events of the day in a cute manner.

Unexpected stories.

But listening to them, I found that her vivid descriptions were not boring at all.

I observed Lia, who was talking non-stop with a bright smile.

Her black eyes looked directly at me, and her fluffy hair swayed with every gesture she made.

It was a sight I hadn’t seen before.

Shasha was usually quite intimidated by me.

Although we didn’t have a bad relationship, due to our difference in status, Shasha found it difficult to interact with me easily.

When Lia wasn’t around, we would either not speak to each other or exchange only necessary words, creating a tense and heavy atmosphere.

It was quite amusing to see Shasha talking so animatedly about the topic of ‘Lia’ alone.

“Aren’t you jealous?”

“…Jealous?”

Suddenly, Shasha blinked as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’ in response to my question.

“You will be the closest to Lia at the academy.”

“…Is that so?”

This was certain.

Shasha was Lia’s first friend and roommate.

And that meant that Shasha was closer to Lia than anyone else.

“Lia may hear some unpleasant things, but she is also adored by many nobles.”

“…Is that so?”

“And she is close to me too.”

“Yes.”

Shasha nodded calmly at my words, and I casually teased her with a joke.

“Aren’t you jealous?”

While Lia is adored by nobles and close to me, Shasha interacts openly with both nobles and me, making her more of a friend of a friend.

It’s too early to use the term ‘friend.’

In terms of human relationships, Lia is far ahead of Shasha, so I brought up this topic.

“I have no thoughts on that.”

Shasha’s eyes remained steady.

It meant that there was no hint of falsehood in her response.

“And Lia is quite adorable, isn’t she?”

“…Adorable?”

“She is cute.”

“…Hmm.”

Honestly, I was expecting a light-hearted response, but I was left speechless by her unexpected answer.

I didn’t know what to say.

“But I should make it clear.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I am Lia’s first friend.”

“…I see.”

I tried to provoke a sense of jealousy in Shasha towards Lia, but her response was so unexpected that I just chuckled lightly.

“Anyway, let’s go grab lunch.”

“…Oh, already.”

As we chatted, the class had ended without us noticing, and lunchtime had arrived.

I glanced around casually.

There were several gazes directed towards us, and among them, I could clearly sense some malicious intent.

It must be the gazes coming from those who are tormenting Shasha, as Ria mentioned.

I looked in the direction where the gazes were coming from.

Two viscounts and one baron.

I know the basic information about their family names, personalities, and such.

But detailed information didn’t come to mind.

I couldn’t have forgotten important information.

So, in other words, it’s a story about a relatively unimportant family with nothing special to offer.

With a furrowed brow, I glared at the pitiful beings.

I can’t step in and fight for them.

But I can show my discomfort.

If they have any sense left, they won’t dare to touch Shasha from today onwards.

…But, what is that guy doing over there？

Having given enough warning, before heading to the restaurant, I looked at Ria.

Ria was suddenly surrounded by nobles.

＂Huh.”

For a moment, I couldn’t understand what was happening, but judging by the bright expressions on the faces of the noble guys, Ria, and Seina who was beside her, it didn’t seem like a bad thing.

“…Are they approaching because I’m not there?”

Ria was quite popular.

She smiled warmly at everyone and was kind without any distance.

Some saw her as sinister for being like that, but most students harbored a liking for her.

However, I was almost always by Ria’s side, making it difficult for others to approach her easily.

It was assumed that they gathered around her when I momentarily stepped away.

I glared at Ria.

She still had that warm smile – though the sound wasn’t clear, it seemed like she was enjoying a conversation.

“…She’s acting up.”

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I silently observed.

Ria must have felt my gaze as she turned to look at me, flashed a bright smile, and then continued her conversation with the guys naturally.

“…Was she smiling at me?”

It was a mutter, but a response came back.

“…What are you talking about? She was smiling at me.”

Shasha muttered nervously.

…It felt oddly strange.