episode_0086

Clang!

The cheerful sound of a bell is heard as the cafe door opens.

And the smell of coffee tickles your nose.

The atmosphere was also better than most cafes.

‘In this nice place.’

Why do I feel like I’m in a portrait studio?

It’s been about 10 minutes since I sat down.

No one spoke first.

My father looked at me and then turned his gaze to Ilya, who was standing next to him. Ilya, who was extremely nervous, flinched at the sight of his gaze and shook his shoulders.

At that sight, my father drank his coffee without any reaction.

widely.

And the moment I put the coffee cup down on the saucer.

Father opened his mouth.

“Since when?”

“…It was when I was in Seoljiri-k following the princess.”

“Yeah… It’s been longer than I thought.”

“Yes.”

That was where our conversation ended. Even though I knew we would continue the conversation someday, this meaningless silence was enough to make Ilya and I nervous once again.

Father drank his coffee again in this uncomfortable silence.

Half of the strong espresso in the cup disappeared without a trace.

I swallowed dry saliva because I was having a hard time adjusting to the atmosphere. I thought this would happen, so I kept it a secret…

shit!!

Why didn’t I think of that?

If you think about it even a little, it’s obvious that the restaurants Steven would recommend would be ones that his parents frequent.

It could be me overthinking things.

I fell for Steven’s scheme.

Of course, I don’t think Steven did this out of bad intentions.

It doesn’t hurt if you hit it quickly. Steven must have done this because he wanted to tell his parents quickly so that he wouldn’t get in trouble, even if he did get in trouble.

But the best thing is that it doesn’t fit.

Of course, I planned to keep Ilya a secret from my parents for the rest of my life.

I don’t think there was a more recent day than today when I felt resentful of Steven. I wish he had at least said something, if only he had.

Of course, if you had told me, I would never have come here.

…There was a reason I didn’t tell you.

It was Steven who knew me strangely well.

“What are you thinking in such an important situation, Logs?”

“…I was waiting for my father’s words.”

“Okay, so what do you think I’m going to talk about now?”

“…”

If I had known that, I wouldn’t have worried about this.

I pretended to be deeply troubled by my father’s question. I had to think of an excuse quickly.

Actually, I didn’t think about anything. Anything but the same bombshell words!

But no good excuses came to my mind.

Living with this uncommon race here.

Something I kept a secret from my parents for a long time.

And even secretly taking her to the academy to live there.

It wasn’t easy to come up with an excuse that could explain all of this at once.

There’s nothing we can do now.

Even if I got scolded, I had to lead the conversation in a way that would cause me to get scolded as little as possible.

“Father, actually…”

“Honey! Why are you scaring the baby!”

I cheered at the sight of my mother slapping my father’s shoulder.

‘As expected from Mom! Thank you!!’

“If you scare me like that, I’ll have to answer everything!”

“But here, let me make it clear…”

“What does it matter if she decides to do it? You said you’d support her!”

“That’s that, but I think it’s right to take this matter seriously.”

I was listening carefully to my mother and father’s story, but suddenly they started fighting over something.

The story that was the exact opposite of what I was worried about came out of the two poems.

“Marriage is like that! I wouldn’t have thought about it before doing it, he’s my son.”

“If I were marrying the daughter of someone I know well, I wouldn’t have said anything. But since it’s this race, I just wanted to tell you that it’s a bit too early.”

“…What are you two saying?”

“Logs, you stay quiet. Mom will take care of it.”

“Okay, just a moment.”

“Logs. Leave it to Mom.”

My mouth was momentarily shut by my mother’s charisma. But if I didn’t explain myself here, it would be more dangerous than before.

“…I, Ilia and I are just master and servant.”

“…”

The two people’s eyes looked at Ilya.

“Really?”

Ilya nodded cautiously with a face that was somehow reminded of his mother’s question. Was it because you hated being misunderstood by me that much?

I don’t hate it…

“Logs, are you using such a pretty girl as your servant?”

“Yes, mother, what else could there be?”

The mother muttered in shock at the sight of Logs’ unwavering eyes.

“If the inheritance goes down…”

My mother placed one hand on her forehead and continued speaking.

“I never thought I would become so oblivious…”

Logs and his father, who had not heard her words, which were like a lament, asked his mother again.

“Huh? What did you just say, Mom?” / “What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

My mother, who pushed us away with a forced smile, thought to herself.

‘Even this aspect is similar…’

I don’t know how many more there will be in the future though.

Girls who like logs will have a hard time.

Somewhere, their mother, who felt inexplicable sympathy for them, quietly cheered them on, saying, “Fighting!”

“Then logs.”

“Your father.”

“Are you really saying that we have no relationship?”

“Yes.”

“…Then come back, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t have time to… talk. I had a lot to do as soon as I got back…and I have final exams coming up soon. I was going to tell you when I was done.”

“I understand. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“None.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re doing well on your own, judging from how I’ve been working next to you.”

‘Your words are true.’

I smiled at my father’s words. Honestly, I thought I was the real master.

Although it wasn’t Ilya’s own will.

“Logs.”

My father paused for a moment, looked at Ilya, and then looked at me.

“Do your night work in moderation. No matter how much you like that, you are now a full-fledged student of the Troos Academy.”

“…”

It’s embarrassing to just say that to the listener.

But honestly, it feels unfair.

If I had done that, it wouldn’t have been this unfair.

But I’ve never done it, and what’s more, I’ve never had a girlfriend.

What kind of nerve would I have to do something like that?

First of all, I have a lower body that goes crazy just by feeling ‘that’ sensation.

This must all be because of the mangnat.

I neither argued nor agreed with what my father said.

“I know it’s difficult, but I think you understand.’

I nodded vigorously.

“Okay, then. It’s time. Logs, go back to the Academy before it’s too late.”

“Okay.”

When my father got up from his seat, I also got up from my seat.

The mother caught Ilya, who got up after her.

Ilia, who was watching the back of Logs as he left, calmed his trembling legs and turned his gaze to Logs’ mother.

Mother gently stroked Ilya’s head and whispered softly in her ear.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“…yes.”

Ilya looked at his mother leaving and held her head with both hands.

That day, Ilya discovered another gentle and warm emotion other than love.

***

On the way back from playing with Ilya.

The beautiful sunset scenery caught my eye. It was a difficult day, but it was also a fun day.

At the end of that day, I planned to go home, take a bath, and sleep.

My perfect plan was destroyed by one word from my teacher.

-Principal Logs is looking for you.

The teacher, without even telling me the reason, took me to the principal’s office. When I checked the teacher’s expression, I could tell that this nonsense was definitely not a good thing.

Ominous thoughts were running through my head.

And the first thought that came to my mind was, ‘What did I do wrong?’

I remember living like a pretty good model student.

That arrogant thought made me smile bitterly as the things I had done came to mind one by one and my doubts were resolved.

Did you get caught by the black magic you used last time?

Or maybe a personal training room? Or maybe even Wilde?

Even without this, there were too many things to guess.

‘Live a little better!’

Where did my dream of reforming myself go, and now I was a total troublemaker.

If the scale of the problem had been that of a third-rate villain like a punk, I wouldn’t have worried about this. However, all the problems had the same destructive power as a bomb.

In other words, these were acts that would never end with disciplinary action once they were discovered.

So I was as careful as possible.

I don’t know how the teacher found out about this.

Being called to the principal’s office means that all my sins have already been exposed.

I have no intention of evading the issue.

This is not something I did out of karma, as if I was misunderstood by my father, but something I did with my own will and with my own hands.

It was now best to be prepared to accept any punishment.

I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and muttered softly.

‘Please, just excuse my expulsion.’

***

Arriving in front of the principal’s office, I opened the door carefully.

“Here you go, Logs Avance.”

The first person to welcome me was the principal. And then he followed.

“Are you a loser?”

Ada greeted me. Of course, his expression was not one of welcoming me at all.

I looked at the principal, trying to avoid the glares from Adele.

The principal smiled and told us that our relationship with Adele was funny.

“Today, I plan to give you a very big task.”

First of all, I was relieved that it wasn’t because of something I had done.

And the next emotion that came was despair.

‘I’m so tired right now that I must have heard something stupid.’

A huge amount of work? Why are you asking me to do this and not the chief?

Even if there’s a chief there, where!?

Just tell me to die.