episode_0105

After a two-hour break from the bathroom and resuming our lesson, lunchtime finally arrived.

“Ruan. Shall we go for lunch now?”

“Yes. Let’s do that. There’s a delicious pasta restaurant in the shopping district. How about there?”

“Sounds good to me. But won’t it be a bother?”

“What’s the problem with moving a bit to eat something delicious? Then, let’s shower and meet here in front.”

“Okay! Take your time showering.”

Isis told me to take my time showering, but she herself dashed towards the shower room as fast as the wind.

She probably considered that women take longer to shower than men.

‘What should I do then?’

I don’t know exactly how long Isis will take, so I can’t decide whether to rush or take my time as she suggested.

After pondering, I decided to just act naturally without overthinking it.

It’s not like a big problem will arise if one of us has to wait anyway.

So, after ten minutes, I finished showering and came out to the promised spot, looking around.

Isis was nowhere to be seen.

“Still not here, I guess?”

Her long, straight hair would require considerable effort to manage, commensurate with its beauty, so it wasn’t entirely surprising.

As I leisurely watched people pass by, Isis appeared shortly after.

“Ruan! I’m sorry! Did you wait long?”

“No, I just got here myself. By the way, your outfit suits you well.”

“Oh, really? Thank you. You look great too.”

Isis smiled sweetly at my compliment.

She was currently wearing a rather ordinary outfit of a white shirt and jeans, but perhaps because her figure was so good, she exuded enough charm to make it hard to look away.

In particular, the line from her slender waist to her wide hips was a work of art.

She seemed capable of bearing several children with ease.

“Shall we go now? Just follow me.”

“Ah, okay! Please lead the way.”

“……”

Facing her silver eyes, which seemed to gaze at me trustingly, I hesitated for a moment.

Feeling frustrated by the very fact that I was hesitating over something like this, I simply thought, ‘Screw it,’ and took Isis’s hand.

She was startled.

“Ah! Ru, Ruan?”

“You might get lost, you know.”

“…I’m not a child.”

“Still. There are a lot of people, so we should be careful. Let’s go.”

“Uh, okay. Got it.”

Isis replied obediently, bowing her head deeply. It seemed she was embarrassed, feeling like she was being treated like a younger sibling despite being the older one.

I grasped her soft hand and led her towards the pasta restaurant.

On the way, countless gazes fixed on us.

“Oh, look over there.”

“It’s the chairman, isn’t it? And next to him is…”

“It’s his younger sibling. Their sibling bond seems strong.”

“It’s a bit different from the rumors, isn’t it? I heard he was a good-for-nothing that even his family gave up on.”

“They say he’s changed recently, though.”

Since rumors spread about me being a rapist and a transmigrator, my image has actually improved.

This is because as time passed, the truthfulness of the rumors became doubtful, and opinions emerged wondering if the rumor about me being a good-for-nothing was also exaggerated.

The defense from Abel’s group and my classmates also played a part.

‘But it doesn’t really matter.’

At this point, if I make even one mistake, it’s obvious they’ll switch their stance and say, ‘See? That guy was useless all along.’

Ignoring the whispers of the people, we soon arrived at the pasta restaurant.

“This is it. Do you like it?”

“Yes. I like that it’s not too flashy but still has a nice atmosphere. Let’s go in.”

The inside of the restaurant was quiet.

It wasn’t empty of customers, but most of them were older, so they were quiet and dignified.

‘This is why I chose this place.’

After being guided to our seats and placing our orders, we chatted while waiting for our food.

The topic was the incident at the clock tower.

“Ruan. Do you know how scared I was?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You mustn’t do that again, okay? You absolutely must call your older sister.”

“But I couldn’t help it then, could I? If I had gone to call Nunim, the bomb would have exploded, you know?”

“W-Well, that’s true, but… hmm…”

Isis hummed, finding it difficult to counter my logical retort. After pondering for a moment, she pulled a badge from her pocket.

“Ruan, take this.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a badge that student council executives carry. It has a call function, you see? I’ve set it up so it only connects to me, so if anything dangerous happens, call me. Okay?”

The badge was small and easy to carry.

After examining the badge for a moment, I voiced the question that came to mind.

“But are you allowed to give this away? Isn’t it student council property?”

“It’s, it’s fine! I can just process it as lost.”

“No, that’s even worse, isn’t it? Aren’t you abusing your authority as the student council president?”

“Ugh!”

When I hit her with the facts, Isis winched and let out a small groan, as if her conscience was pricked.

But then, like a cornered rat biting a cat, she puffed out her chest even more confidently and scolded me.

“Th-Those things are not for you to worry about, Ruan! You just quietly carry the badge. Understood?”

“Even so, this is a bit too much…”

“Don’t talk back! Understood, or not?”

“…Understood.”

“Good, that’s a good boy.”

When I finally submitted after resisting, Isis smiled contentedly and stroked my head.

My mood felt strange.

‘Could she be getting revenge for last time?’

I thought her reaction wasn’t that bad back then, so I assumed it was fine, but it seems she harbored it secretly.

While being stroked, I decided to resolve one of my worries with this opportunity.

“By the way, Nunim. I have a favor to ask.”

“Hmm? What kind of favor?”

“Uh… you know Abel, right? My friend.”

“Of course. He was the first friend to tell me when you disappeared. But why him?”

“You mentioned that when we’re dispatched to the front lines a month from now, several squads will form one team, right? Can you make it so I’m on the same team as Abel then? By using your authority as the student council president.”

“What? That’s…”

As soon as she heard my request, Isis’s face hardened.

Even if it was a request from a cherished younger sibling, it seemed such underhanded methods were not allowed.

Just as I was about to give up, disappointed, an unexpected question came back.

“Could it be because of Veronica?”

“Huh? Veronica?”

“Yes. Considering how you stared at her intently last time, you’re interested, aren’t you? Did you fall in love at first sight?”

“……”

I was speechless for a moment.

Looking at Isis’s serious eyes, I could tell she wasn’t joking. She genuinely believed I wanted to make contact with Veronica.

‘What on earth is this?’

Not just me, but even Ruan Friuli before the transmigration, though he might have indulged in pleasure, he would never have shown it in front of Isis. I couldn’t understand why she was making such a misunderstanding.

When I was dumbfounded and remained silent for a while, Isis misinterpreted it as affirmation.

“So it was true? Ruan, Veronica already has a fiancé. Did you know that?”

“Of course I know that— No, but I don’t particularly like that person, though?”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to deny it like that. More importantly, it’s a relief you know. It would be best to get your feelings in order quickly. Veronica has a very good relationship with her fiancé.”

Isis wasn’t listening to me at all.

I don’t know why a person who is usually so intelligent becomes so narrow-minded only at times like this.

Is there some serious problem?

‘There’s no choice.’

Simple persuasion doesn’t seem to work, so I’ll have to apply shock therapy that she can’t possibly ignore.

“My type is someone like Nunim.”

“I know it won’t be easy. But— …Huh? What did you just say?”

“I said my type is someone like Nunim. It’s a bit rude to say this, but honestly, Senior Veronica’s figure is rather lacking, isn’t it? I prefer voluptuous over slender.”

“Ah, ah, ah… what?”

Isis, sputtering like a broken robot, unconsciously looked down at her own chest.

Her ample breasts were large enough to burst the buttons of her white shirt if they were just a little bigger. Even now, they were stretched taut, testing the durability of the fabric’s threads.

Isis’s face rapidly reddened.

Realizing that she had misunderstood due to my half-confession, she bowed her head deeply.

“I-I’m sorry. For making such a strange mistake.”

“No. It’s fine.”

“…Thank you for understanding.”

Isis expressed her gratitude and subtly wrapped her right hand around her left shoulder.

Her chest was hidden by her arm.

An awkward silence descended, and just as the quiet was about to settle, I quickly changed the subject.

“So, can you grant my favor?”

“Uh, huh?”

“The front-line dispatch. Is it possible for me to be on the same team as Abel?”

“Ah… O-Of course. Leave it to Nuna. I just need to pull a few strings.”

Perhaps she was flustered, or perhaps she felt sorry for her strange misunderstanding, but Isis, who usually despised corruption, readily accepted the request.

She might regret accepting such a thing later.

So, I needed to seal the deal quickly before she came to her senses.

“Thank you. I’ll trust only Nunim, then.”

“Okay! Don’t worry.”

We exchanged gazes filled with trust.

Just as one situation concluded, the pasta arrived, and we were in the middle of eating.

‘Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?’

Isis, who had been primly enjoying her food, suddenly became restless, rolling her eyes from side to side. Whenever our gazes met, she would startle and typically bury her nose in her plate.

There’s definitely something going on.

“Nunim. Do you perhaps have something you want to say to me?”

“Ah! Wh-What are you talking about? A favor? Well, I do have something I want to say, but…”

When I opened the door for her to speak, Isis smiled as if it was a good opportunity, yet pretended to be surprised.

Her pretense was rather cute in its own way.

“Just speak comfortably. Nunim also granted my favor, so I can do at least that much for you. So, what is it you want to say?”

“Oh, really? If you say it like that, then I can’t help it. Do you happen to know that His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday is next weekend?”

“His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday? I know that. So?”

I naturally knew about His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday party this year, as it even appeared as an episode in the game.

During the summer break, after experiencing matters related to the Viscount Scotty family, the Crown Prince, with whom he became acquainted, sent an invitation, and Abel attended as a partner with Uni.

There, he also significantly closed the distance with young ladies from noble families like Alisa and Skadia.

Anyway, bringing up this topic means…

“It’s good that you know. As you’re aware, His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday party will be held, and I have to attend, you see? But I don’t have a partner. Ruan, would you perhaps be able to accompany me as my partner?”

“Me?”

“Yes. I don’t know any other young masters, and it would be a bit difficult to find one now. I can feel at ease with Ruan.”

Isis explained, giving an awkward laugh as if apologizing for asking such a troublesome favor.

‘So that’s what it was.’

Just the fact that Isis Friuli was looking for a partner would naturally cause a stir everywhere.

Countless people would approach, and choosing a suitable person from among them would be difficult, no matter how careful one was.

Because if the guy she chose as a partner spread any strange rumors, it would be a headache.

‘A partner…’

I wanted to avoid attending troublesome events like imperial parties as much as possible, but I also didn’t want to leave Isis with another man.

Anyway, it wasn’t a bad offer, as it would be more convenient to be close to Abel’s group if I wanted to keep an eye on them.

I nodded.

“Well, then I can’t refuse. Understood.”

“Really? Are you sure it’s okay?”

“What’s not okay about it? Anyway, so we’ll be attending together as partners?”

“Yes! Thank you. My younger sibling is the best after all.”

Isis, looking satisfied, stroked my head once again.

And, a week passed in an instant.