I’m Not Doing This With A Friend – Chapter 105

Author: Nikss

Instead, I was frozen in that state. I knew that Kun liked me.

I thought he might confess it to me someday. But I didn’t expect him to say it without any foreshadowing.

Besides, on the graduation trip, he gave me a bouquet and told me how he felt.

Wasn’t the bouquet meant to congratulate me on graduation, but to confess?

I stood there for a long moment before I came to my senses and opened my mouth.

The answer was already inevitable, so there was no point in stalling.

Not for me, not for Kun.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I can accept your heart.”

“…I see.”

Kun smiled as if he was rather pleased with my rejection.

“Actually, I know you’ll reject me, I just wanted to confess my feelings to Leen before I left for Abascanthus.”

“Kun.”

“There was one more thing I wanted to tell you…”

Kun’s face, which had smiled even when I said the words of rejection, twisted.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible due to the sheer stupidity of my behavior, I’m afraid, Leen.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I chose to keep my mouth shut, and awkwardly took the bouquet he handed me.

Since I rejected his confession, I should probably return the bouquet.

As if he sensed my thoughts, his voice broke, “Unless you hate me, please accept the flowers. I gave them to you before confessing, didn’t I?”

“…Yeah.”

Watching me take the bouquet of forget-me-nots, he spoke carefully.

“I don’t want to estrange myself from Leen over this, and if you don’t mind, could you write to me from time to time?”

Letters. There was no telling how long I would be in the Duchy.

“As long as I don’t get arrested for blasphemy for being as casual as I am now.”

But in the end, I couldn’t say no to his request. Because even though I rejected his confession, it didn’t change the fact that he was a dear friend to me.

I wanted to keep in touch with him as much as I did with my other friends.

Kun’s eyes widened as if he realized the graduation, but then he smiled bitterly.

“I’ve told you before, Leen is my savior. I’d be more upset if you were to change your attitude.”

“A friend.”

“…What?”

“Let’s say we’re friends, not benefactors. Isn’t that harder?”

“Friend. That’s not a nice word to hear today.”

Kun drew a warm smile to his lips.

“I’ve enjoyed our time together at the Academy.”

“I have also enjoyed having you as a friend.”

“…It’s not a nice thing to be called a friend.”

“Shame on you.”

Kun stared at me in disbelief before finally chuckling.

“I hope we can meet in Abascanthus next time, I have many things I’d like to show Leen.”

“I doubt I’ll be traveling to another empire as a petty citizen.”

Kun knitted his eyebrows together in an uncharacteristically pitiful fashion.

“Is that the least you can do to see your friend?”

“I thought you didn’t want to hear the word friend?”

“Now that I think about it, I guess it’s not so bad.”

Yikes… I lifted one eyebrow at his quick change of demeanor and smirked.

“Oh, and…”

“Yeah?”

Kun pulled a stem from the bouquet of forget-me-nots I was holding. Then he snapped off the flower and handed it back to me.

“Leen, can you put this in your pocket separately?”

“It shouldn’t be hard, but they’ll get crushed.”

“It’s okay.”

“If you don’t mind…”

I shoved the flower into my school uniform pocket, a little sheepishly.

Remembering back to the first time I met Kun, he was mad at me for cutting a flower.

At my expression, Kun said as an excuse, “I didn’t think it would fit in your pocket if it had a long stem.”

“Why do you want me to put it in my pocket?”

“Well…”

His gaze traveled somewhere behind me.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Kun curled his lip meaningfully and bowed slightly to me.

“Then, Leen. Until we meet again, be well.”

As I watched him walk away in the distance after our goodbye, it wasn’t long before Carson appeared.

“Sorry, kept you long, didn’t it?”

“Not really. I was just greeting the other kids.”

Carson smiled, glad to hear that, but when he saw the bouquet I was holding, he blinked and wiped his eyes.

His eyes soften as he realizes that I’m not holding the wrong bouquet.

“…Leen. Who gave you what you’re holding?”

For some reason, I feel a cold sweat break out on my back. I wonder if I’ve been caught cheating on him or something.

But then I realized that I hadn’t done anything wrong and decided to step out.

“Kun gave it to me to congratulate me on graduation.”

“Aha.”

Carson smiled. It was the kind of smile he had a habit of giving before he did something.

🍃

“I’m sorry…”

“Let go of this, Confucius.”

I forcefully yank the hem of my clothes out of Carson’s grasp by an inch. He winced and crossed his arms in the air.

“I did wrong…”

‘Ah. That’s crazy. Too cute.’

I fixed my momentarily unhinged expression and spoke firmly.

“No. You didn’t do anything wrong, Confucius, so just ignore me and go on your way.”

Right. I was now feigning anger at Carson.

The whole incident had started when Carson had reduced to ashes the bouquet of forget-me-not that Kun had given me.

At first, I was horrified, and I considered getting really mad…

But my anger melted away as quickly as snow as I watched him stumble over to me and apologize for what he’d done, looking flustered and embarrassed.

Besides, it wasn’t as if I didn’t understand. I would have been just as jealous if Carson was holding a bouquet of flowers from a girl who had a crush on him.

I think Kun had foreseen this situation and asked me to put the flowers in a separate pocket.

But the fact that I’m still feigning anger was…

“Leen, are you angry…?”

Carson’s blue eyes widen slightly as he asks cautiously.

‘I am. Because of that.’

Just to see the way his eyebrows knit together, his non-existent tail hanging limply.

‘Phew, that’s too cute.’

He’s about to cry, so let’s tease him a little longer. I wondered if there was something slightly wrong with my personality, but only for a moment.

If I saw that face and didn’t feel the need to tease him, that was even weirder.

“I’m not angry, and I’ve got a carriage to ride to the Duke of Lysianthus, so let me go.”

I strode on, brushing past Carson. Then he was at my side once more, swiftly.

“I’ve got you, Leen. Why would you bother with an uncomfortable carriage when you can travel in a flash with magic.”

“Don’t you understand?”

Panic flashed in Carson’s eyes at my firm reply.

He stops in his tracks, as if he’s been following me intently.

“…Should I use it after all? It was my secret weapon, but is it okay to use it now? No, you idiot, this is an emergency, and we can’t afford to waste anything.”

He mumbled something in a voice too low for me to hear, but finally, as if deciding something, he spoke up.

“Leen, do you happen to like croquembouche?”

“…What?”

The words flew out of her mouth, forgetting that she’d stiffened her tone to feign anger.

It was the last thing I expected to hear out of his mouth right now.

‘Croquembouche.’

It was a dessert consisting of a mountain of choux piled high and drizzled with caramel syrup to hold it together.

It would be cheating to bring it up here.

“I’m not going to ask you to take your anger out on me. I happen to know where it’s really good. I just want to eat it with you. Okay?”

He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind if he offers me some choux.

“Ha, that’s all I can do…”

It was over. Not only that, but I was so satisfied that I went on a date with Carson afterward.

Late into the evening.

I hadn’t realized how easy it would be to break down my iron walls. But the croquembouche from the dessert shop he took me to was fantastic.

It was enough to melt my heart.

By the time I came to my senses, I had already arrived at the ducal residence.

The capital mansion of Lysianthus was much larger and more refined than I had expected.

I’d call it moderately decorated and clean, not overly ornate. There were intricate magical patterns carved into the walls.

As I looked around the mansion curiously, Carson gave me a slight smile.

“Take your time looking around. This is where you and I will live together from now on.”

“…I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea.”

“Oh, come on. It’s not like I lied to you.”

Carson, who was shamelessly pursing his lips, added, “In a little while, my mother, who has sensed the flow of mana, will be here.”

“Oh.”

It was the way of the mage family. Somehow, I didn’t see any servants. Something about that was refreshing.

“And the Duke?”

“I don’t think he’s at the mansion, but even if he is, it doesn’t matter. You can ignore him.”

“…Ignore?”

I was about to ask if it was okay to talk to the Duke like that.

A magic circle appeared on the floor, and the Duchess appeared in front of us.

She opened her arms and said, “My new baby is here!”

‘…What do you mean, my new baby?’

I stood there, dumbfounded, then quickly bowed my head in greeting.

“Hello, I apologize for the late greeting. I’m Leen, starting today, I’m the Duchess’s companion maid.”

“Oh, no need to be so polite, you’re going to be part of the family now.”

With that, I was flustered. The word ‘family’ struck me as really meaning the same thing as ‘family’ in the sense of a genuine family, and not in the sense of a family in a typical employment description.

Somehow, the words came out in a more polite tone.

“You said you’ve been waiting for me to come, but I wonder if it’s too late…”

Then the Duchess clamped her hand over her mouth and exclaimed.

“My goodness, no one seems to give a crap about anything. My dear baby is so sweet. Don’t mind me, I’m fine.”

Oh, my gosh, she said baby again. I must have misheard the first time.

“Um, Duchess, being called baby is…”

The Duchess batted her long eyelashes at my point.

“You don’t like it?”

“Not that I don’t like it, but I think it’s misleading for others to hear.”

“Aha. I hadn’t thought of that. Certainly being called a baby is misleading.”

I was slightly relieved at her quick acceptance. She was not a woman of few words.

The Duchess turned to me and asked sweetly, “How about a daughter-in-law or daughter, Leen?”