There Is No Hidden Villain in This Novel – Chapter 119

Author: nicotine

I decided to politely decline the ‘juice’ offered by a completely drunk Hae Yuna.

Why did I, an expert in deviation, choose to refuse?

‘First of all, from my perspective, getting it on with Ryuseong is the greatest deviation of all.’

Besides, just looking at the clumsy preservation magic cast on it, I could see how it would play out.

‘They’re going to get caught by the professors today.’

It’s like I’ve reserved a fun spectacle. The thought of giggling while watching the students get scolded by their teacher made me feel a thousand times better than drinking alcohol.

So, I have no need for Hae Yuna’s special secret recipe ‘juice’!

Anyway, the conclusion was that there was no such thing as a Buddha possessed by a wicked thing, or a Buddha glaring at sentient beings. Feeling let down, I shook my head and pulled Ryuseong’s hand, leading him out of Seokguram Grotto.

Should I be relieved that the Buddha statue was fine, or should I burst out laughing at myself for almost being fooled by such a thing?

As I was on a nice, quiet walk alone with Ryuseong in a somewhat uncomfortable mood,

‘…If the Buddha statue isn’t the problem, then what the hell is this feeling?’

My thoughts just won’t stop.

Ryuseong had mentioned feeling unsettled before, and now it seemed I was feeling it too.

‘Or is it not? Was this my daily life originally?’

Actually, it seems like it was before the transmigration.

This is a feeling mixed with ominous premonition, intuition, and discomfort, but if I had to pin it down, it feels like a ‘gaze’ containing all of these things.

So this feeling, is a feeling that arises because ‘someone’ is watching me.

‘Come to think of it, I think I always had this feeling at Are-A too.’

Right. I always felt this when I was attending the academy. The academy was an environment where everyone watched me, and Cassis de Millang was a being who stood out in everyone’s eyes.

To me, who was a third-generation chaebol in my previous life before transmigrating, the dark emotions underlying the admiration directed at me were even a given. That’s why I didn’t even know this was strange. To the point where the trigger for realizing that a dark gaze was unpleasant was, of all things, an impulsively decided field trip.

‘Dungeon.’

Remember when I went to the dungeon under the pretext of a field trip to build up my reputation? At that time, Ryuseong was the only member from the academy who was with me. None of the professors or students from Are-A Academy came along. So I got used to a state without ‘this feeling.’

‘You could say a sort of reset happened because I went through so much hardship there.’

Then, coming back to the academy, it felt new all over again.

The ‘malice’ directed at Cassis de Millang.

Is that why? Why Ryuseong has been acting strange lately?

‘His strange affection and inscrutable behavior might also be because…’

If he had felt such a gaze directed at me, his head would have had reason to be complicated.

‘Alright. Let’s say the mystery of the inscrutable Ryuseong is now solved.’

But the gaze is not yet resolved.

To describe the sensation this gaze gives me, it is a tickling, a shiver as if a bug is crawling up my body, a gaze felt on the back of my head, the touch of greed enveloping me, the feeling of being a piece on a chessboard. I’ve brought up all sorts of analogies, but it was hard to explain properly.

Come to think of it, this kind of unpleasant gaze was always following me back then, wasn’t it? No wonder the nasty personality act came so easily and comfortably at school. I really thought my personality was just that rotten, so it fit me like a glove. Yes, yes. As expected, I’m a good person…

‘Is there some scoundrel making moves at school?’

Well, it would be strange if there wasn’t. But there’s no way a trivial small fry with no influence could evoke this kind of sensation in ‘Cassis de Millang.’ And considering I had barely been conscious of it until now, it might be a more secretive or powerful guy than I thought.

“What are you thinking about?”

Just then, Ryuseong gently asked, shaking my hand that he was holding. I held back a smile that was about to break out.

‘Why are you asking so cautiously?’

Now my rose-colored glasses are so severe that every little thing seemed lovely.

‘Yes, you should be this lovely. If you are a being I love so much that I would willingly give my life for you, you should also be this sweetly lovely to me.’

Sometimes, I wished time would stop in these small moments. Too much happiness is scary, and this kind of small happiness seemed just right for me.

But time flows, it doesn’t stop, and it doesn’t wait for a trivial creature.

Perhaps if the world were to stop for one person, it would be for Ryuseong.

‘Because you are not some trivial creature.’

I suddenly became curious. Does Ryuseong also wish for time to stop? Does he wish for a single moment to be eternal, as much as I am happy right now?

The answer came right away.

‘No.’

Ryuseong would not.

He is a person who keeps moving forward. He is a hero. He can be a protagonist because he is a person who doesn’t stop even when he’s beaten to a pulp.

Amazing, cool, and,

‘I’m envious…’

Wishing for a moment to last forever means there is an underlying fear. The plea of ‘I want to stop time’ was a struggle born from knowing that this happiness would never come again.

I know. I am weak. That’s why if I must break down at some point, I am praying to be dignified in front of it.

But I don’t think I can be dignified in front of judgment. Ryuseong ruined me like that. And then Ryuseong will succeed on his own.

That’s why even when Ryuseong was just a character made of text, I loved him.

Then, Ryuseong said.

“Look here.”

I looked in the direction he pointed with his fingertip. The wind blew. Soon, something white shimmered in my vision, and snowflakes scattered. No, was I mistaken? This was not the frost-cold snow of winter, but the warm petals offered by the cherry blossom trees of spring.

So Ryuseong wanted to show me this scenery.

We were walking the same street, so why didn’t I know until now?

It’s a fine day to think of you.

‘It is truly spring. The magic that bewitches people…’

Looking at his ascetic face that wouldn’t have any lewd thoughts, while all sorts of thoughts fill my head alone, I guess it really must be spring.

Something is sprouting, life is growing, and stirring people’s hearts…

There was nothing that could stir me, but now, something as trivial as a season stirs me.

—Perhaps, because of Ryuseong, who is looking at me as I fail to answer for so long.

I felt a surge of ill temper for no reason.

‘I wish you were stirred too…’

If one doesn’t answer for this long, the other person might feel anxious or bewildered, but those eyes, looking only at me with unwavering, upright eyes.

Those clear blue eyes… they drive me crazy, so Iわざわざtelepathically whispered.

[XXX XX XXXXX to you.]

Of course, it was a lewd and debauched remark that Ryuseong would find repulsive.

“Are you crazy?”

Ryuseong immediately glared at me, and my mood improved. Looking into the deep blue eyes that love me gives me a puppy love akin to pain, so I preferred it when he glared at me. I chuckled and looked at Ryuseong. Should I tease him a little more?

“Were you surprised? That’s why I didn’t say it or whisper it, but sent it telepathically… Do you perhaps prefer everyone to know our private affairs?”

I intentionally brought my mouth close to his ear and whispered softly. Because I know what effect my ticklish breath would have on him. Ryuseong, who had moved slightly away from me, had a look of disbelief on his face.

“No, you… Never mind. What more can I say.”

Tsk. It would have been great if he had continued to be flustered or snapped back at me, but now Ryuseong seems to have developed some immunity to me and quickly regained his composure. He’s no fun. If it weren’t for his face, I could have just given him a good scolding.

Still, we walked side by side without letting go of each other’s clasped hands.

The cherry blossoms fluttered pleasantly, and it felt just like we were on a date, just the two of us. The fact that something like a season had shaken me was not pleasant, but this trivial moment was quite pretty. As we continued walking like that, Ryuseong suddenly let go of my hand, stepped away for a moment, and looked around. It seemed he was trying to check if anyone was around. He widened his senses and scanned the area, and after confirming that there was no one, he came in front of me and stood facing me again.

‘What is it? Is he going to talk about something serious?’

Of course, Ryuseong was always serious and on the serious side. But seeing him this cautious after coming out of the dungeon, I thought maybe he wanted to talk about that ‘unsettling feeling’ together…

Then, peck.

Ryuseong bent his body, gently held my chin with one hand, and softly kissed my lips. His slightly rough but soft lips pressed against mine for a moment before pulling away.

I froze on the spot. But Ryuseong, as if nothing had happened, straightened his body and started walking again.

As I stood there for a moment, Ryuseong, who was walking towards the gathering place after free time, glanced back and said.

“Aren’t you coming?”

What’s wrong with him? What’s been wrong with him lately? Not s-x, not a kiss, but just a peck? He’s doing something this ticklish?

‘Is he crazy…?’

It’s so frustrating.

Because I feel like I lost to both the season and Ryuseong.

‘It’s frustrating, you jerk…!’

I caught up to him in one stride, and Ryuseong grasped my hand and smiled.

It was a white day with cherry blossoms fluttering.

A quick note here, Georges Bontemps is still attending Are-A Academy.

…Perhaps that’s the problem.