I’m Not Doing This With A Friend Chapter 95

 

Kun stood in the distance, and eventually, he walked away.

 

But I didn’t chase him. I just slipped in between Jane and Hans and mingled.

 

When Hans asked me where Kun had gone, I shook my head. Fortunately, Hans was oblivious to this.

 

“Aha. I see Kun was late to the party, too.”

 

Jane didn’t ask me anything, just smiled broadly and kept the conversation going.

 

The time passed quickly, as if we were just playing around. Carson and Fjord ate quickly, even at mealtime, and then they went back to hunting.

 

When they returned, Kun acted as if nothing had happened.

 

“Is he just pretending to be okay, or has he really made up his mind…”

 

I don’t know what he was thinking.

 

The designated monster hunting time came to an end, and the long-awaited tallying time arrived.

 

The fight between Fjolo-club and Leli-club had really become a class-wide bet. Many people were trading cores with each other and with Fjord.

 

Some cheered, ‘Leen, I’m betting against you, so take care of yourself!’

 

And if I told them, they should be good friends instead…

 

“There’s nothing I can do about it.”

 

So I didn’t even try to capture one. Of course, even if I had, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome.

 

Several people participated in this meaningless contest. Most of them seemed to be predicting Fjolo-club’s victory.

 

Even the one who bet against me said that he thought I would lose in the end.

 

They seemed to think that because a lot of the swordsmen were on Fjolo-club’s side. There was Carson on the Leli-club side, but he was outnumbered.

 

It was a pretty good prediction, given the circumstances.

 

If you compare the cores we received, Fjord got three cores, but I only got one and a half.

 

Given the difference in scores between low- and mid-level cores, I didn’t know what the outcome would be if we were similar or slightly different.

 

However, if the difference was almost twice as large, the outcome was obvious even without looking.

 

When the game was close enough to be seen with the naked eye, Fjord stood in front of me, looking triumphant.

 

“I’m sorry, but I’ll take the merit award, Leen.”

 

I looked at him and clapped my hands together.

 

“Wow. That’s great. Awesome.”

 

“Are you ready for the detention?”

 

I asked, a blank question mark on my face at the unfamiliar words.

 

“What are you talking about? I never did that.”

 

“Of course not, I just made that up.”

 

Fjord had the good sense to say that he would add punishment at will.

 

“Where’s your conscience, at least pretend you’re lying.”

 

Then Fjord changed his tune, “Don’t you remember our conversation earlier, Leen, about how the loser was supposed to be punished?”

 

You’re too late, dude. I asked, hoping to hear what the punishment was.

 

“What was the punishment, because I don’t remember?”

 

“Standing on your knees with your hands up for five minutes.”

 

What… How do you do that?

 

“…Is that even possible?”

 

“Why would they penalize someone for something they can’t do?”

 

“Then let’s make it official.”

 

Fjord’s expression changed at my suggestion of punishment.

 

“Really?”

 

“You said you’d do it.”

 

“Leen. Even if we haven’t counted the Carson thing yet, it’s not worth it.”

 

“Don’t do it if you’re feeling pressured.”

 

He shook his head, but I guess he figured I had nothing to lose, so he accepted my offer.

 

I asked, “So the loser actually does the punishment?”

 

Again, a grin formed on my lips.

 

“Okay.”

 

When I laughed, Fjord shivered as if he’d gotten a chill.

 

“Why are you suddenly nervous? There’s no way you can reverse that.”

 

I put my hand on Fjord’s shoulder and said,  “You shouldn’t gamble later, Fjord.”

 

In fact, at lunch, Carson had shown me the cores he’d collected. He told me how he’d gathered it in a short time, and that it amounted to half a sack.

 

All from high-level monsters. He’d been on a slaughter spree, quite literally.

 

He’d probably gathered more than a sack, since he’d been hunting longer after lunch.

 

By the time Fjord rumbled through it, his pupils were quivering.

 

As if on cue, Carson approached us, dragging the sack behind him.

 

“You crazy bastard, you brought a sack all by yourself!”

 

Fjord rushed out and opened Carson’s sack. He checked the sack and breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“Phew. All low- and intermediate-level cores.”

 

What? Did I see something wrong earlier?

 

I shouldn’t have bet with Fjord if I knew this would happen…! Puzzled, I looked at Carson.

 

“Caon. Wasn’t that a high-level monster core you showed me at lunch?”

 

“Oh, that’s just something I grabbed when I had a few minutes to spare.”

 

Carson pulled another sack out of subspace as if it were no big deal.

 

Thud—

 

“Here’s the real thing.”

 

It was a moment of mixed emotions for me and Fjord.

 

At the same time, Fjord and I opened the sacks Carson had pulled out. Sure enough, the sacks were filled with the cores of high-level monsters.

 

I looked up at Carson in silence.

 

“Caon, did I ever tell you something?”

 

“About what?”

 

“That you’re the best.”

 

Carson laughed slowly, his eyes folding into crescents.

 

“Have I ever told you, this is exactly the third time I’ve heard that from you.”

 

Nothing more happened after Carson handed over the cores to me. I was, of course, given the honor of naming the person who would receive the award of merit at graduation.

 

“Leen. Name the recipient of the Achievement Award.”

 

At Professor Walter’s urging, I looked around the assembly. The kids from Leli-club are looking at me with wide eyes.

 

…Hmm. They all seem to think I’m going to get it.

 

Forgive me, but I don’t want to be the center of attention by accepting the award.

 

I didn’t want to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Not after graduation, when I have to run away from Rex Begonia.

 

I smirked and said,  “The person I would nominate is…”

 

🍃

 

After the nominations, I expected to be sent straight to my dormitory to sleep, but to my surprise, there was one thing left on the agenda.

 

A campfire.

 

The students settled into a large circle around the fire.

 

Crackle, crackle—

 

Watching the fire crackle was incredibly calming. Then, out of nowhere, upbeat music started playing.  It was like a recording.

 

It was a popular song, and the students were singing along like nobody’s business.

 

Some even came forward and danced. Seeing the smiles on their faces, I realized that it was finally starting to feel a little like a graduation trip.

 

A series of games followed, led by the stern-faced instructor who had scolded them in the morning.

 

He was said to be between an angel and a devil, but by the end of the day, he was an angel.

 

His demeanor changed 360 degrees when it came time to tally up the monster cores. He said it was the highest score of all time.

 

The games were mostly fun, except for a few small fights in a couple of games. For example, he’d punch the guy next to him on the shoulder…

 

I happened to be next to Carson and Kun, so it was quite a sight to behold.

 

They weren’t just rubbing shoulders, they were trying to figure out how to dislocate them effectively.

 

They even went out and elbowed him in the shoulder.

 

Oh, and it turns out that Fjord had a bet with me, so he performed the punishment in front of everyone.

 

True to his word, it was possible to stand on your hands and knees.

 

How he did it, I’ll leave it to your imagination. I’ll leave it to you to imagine how.

 

Suddenly, sad music interrupted the atmosphere.

 

The instructor looked around at the stunned students and spoke.

 

“Did you have a hard time catching the monster today?”

 

The students looked at him with unspoken affirmation.

 

While I had been playing all day, the others had been hunting hard to keep from starving.

 

“Think about your parents back home. It must have been an even harder day for your parents.”

 

I frowned, shouldn’t she have asked me if I had parents first?

 

“Do you know how much your parents sacrifice for you?” 

 

The instructor began, followed by, ‘Filial piety isn’t just about the heart. Although he didn’t mention it, he would go on and on about the blood and sweat of the poor…’ even at meals.

 

I shook my head in disbelief. How could anyone shed a tear for saying that?

 

Trying to stir his emotions by asking the students if they wanted to see their parents.

 

No one expects you to shed a tear for saying that. They’re just trying to be sentimental by saying they miss their parents.

 

After today, winter vacation begins. That means we get to go home and see our families.

 

…Though I’m supposed to be in the dormitory-like always.

 

But something was off about the atmosphere.

 

I was sure everyone would be snorting like me. I looked around and realized that everyone was red-eyed and sobbing.

 

Even Jane, who was always so supportive.

 

At this point, I couldn’t help but question my sensitivity. I wondered if I should fake sadness now.

 

Out of the corner of my eye, Carson smiled at me.

 

“You look beautiful, Leen.”

 

I smirked, even though the words were completely out of character for the situation and the mood.

 

“You too.”

 

🍃

 

After a round of tears from the students, the campfire was over. It was time for sleep.

 

I yawned and was about to head back to my quarters when someone tugged on my sleeve.

 

“Caon?”

 

“I was wondering if you needed a bed.”

 

With that, summoning a subspace, I realized he had indeed brought a bed.

 

…Oh, my goodness.

 

When I realized he was serious, I quickly declined.

 

“It’s barely big enough for a normal person to lie down on.”

 

Carson chuckled and said, “I knew Leen would say no, but I’ll just enchant it for you, since you’ll be cold if you sleep there.”

 

Tap—

 

“Is this good?”

 

With a snap of his fingers, I felt the air in the quarters instantly warm.

 

As if that wasn’t enough, Carson pulled a thick blanket from the subspace and draped it over my shoulders.

 

“Here, let’s put this on. The blankets here are too thin.”

 

Someone had set up living quarters in subspace. I thanked him in a stilted tone.

 

“Thank you, Caon.”

 

He flushed slightly, looked pleased, and said, “Good night, then, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Taking his leave, I stared after Carson as he walked away.

 

I thought it would be a little more gritty, but as he gave me what he had to give and turned quickly away, I felt a twinge of regret.

 

Then, as if reading my mind, Carson whirled around.

 

My heart pounded as if I’d been caught spying. He must have eyes in the back of his head.

 

When he made eye contact with me, he smiled brightly and waved. Then he kept walking backward.

 

I nagged him that it was dangerous, but he kept walking until he was no longer visible.