269 – About Her Love -1-

“…”

Shuen was in a bind.

“This is serious…!”

Because she had left her wallet.

For Shuen, who couldn’t concentrate in class when hungry, this was a matter of life and death.

“It’s dangerous…!”

Having managed to enter the convenience store, Shuen, who had forgotten the all-important money, was frantically moving before my eyes.

‘Hmm…’

I smiled awkwardly as I watched Shuen, digging through her bag like a 21st-century robotic cat searching for her wallet.

‘She’s a worrisome person in many ways.’

She should have given up by now, but Shuen, who had been treasure hunting at the cashier for over ten minutes, seemed to have quite a few problems.

Proud and strong-willed.

As if she could handle anything on her own.

Shuen muttered to herself as she rummaged through her bag.

“Ugh… What should I do…”

“…”

“I’m sure I brought my wallet… Oh no!”

“Excuse me.”

“Ugh… Shuen, are you an idiot?! What are you going to do if you left your wallet on top of the lunchbox?”

I watched Shuen talk to herself, a forced smile on my face, as I carefully picked up the triangle kimbap she had placed on the counter.

And then Shuen, startled, grabbed my hand.

-Grab!

“What are you doing?!”

I explained to Shuen with an awkward smile. Without money, you can’t buy food.

“Don’t you have any money?”

“But…”

“It’s unfortunate.”

“Ugh… It’s the same one Mikhail senior picked out… Keep it for me! I’ll bring the money right now!”

I asked Shuen with a bitter smile.

“It takes about 30 minutes to walk from here to the dorm, an hour round trip. Can you make it back during lunchtime?”

“How would you know that! Are you some kind of corporate spy?”

“Not a spy, I’m a dropout.”

“Ah… I forgot.”

“How do you know that?”

“Squeak!!! It’s a secret!”

I burst into laughter at Shuen’s flustered expression and continued to question.

“So, can you make it back?”

Shuen hung her head in dejection and said,

“It’s impossible.”

“Right. Then maybe you could borrow some money from a friend…”

At the mention of a friend, Shuen’s face turned pale, and she looked at me with wide eyes, her lips quivering.

“Ohoho… Ohoho..”

Shuen was just staring at the ceiling, for no particular reason.

For a long while, Shuen gazed at the triangle kimbap in my hand with a gloomy expression. It was as if she was looking at an ex-lover she couldn’t leave behind, her eyes filled with sorrow. I smiled awkwardly and sighed at the sight of her.

‘I do want to feed her.’

It seems one can’t help but have a soft spot for a pretty girl. Of course, it’s not because of the size of her treasure pouch.

“How about we do this?”

“My body is off-limits!”

“Heh…”

Shuen hugged herself and took a step back.

“No need.”

I shook my head at Shuen’s petulant demeanor and cautiously voiced my opinion.

“Instead of your body, how about you borrow some money from me, or we eat some expired lunchboxes together?”

“To…together, have a meal?”

Shuen’s eyes sparkled as she reacted more to the idea of eating together than the keyword ‘expired.’

“Could you step back a little?”

“Oops, sorry! I was just startled…”

“Haha… Anyway, I can’t just give away food for free… Eek!”

I placed an about-to-expire convenience store lunchbox on the table and said to Shuen,

“It’s food that would be thrown away anyway, so I thought it might be good to eat it together.”

“Are we throwing away this much…?!”

“Our boss believes taste is the essence of food, so he sets short expiration dates… Anyway, it’s not spoiled, so there won’t be any stomachaches or anything. Of course, if you get sick or something, don’t blame me.”

“Gulp…”

“If you’re uncomfortable, I can’t help it, but still, a free lunchbox isn’t bad, right? I was feeling lonely eating alone anyway, so it would be nice to eat together,”

“Is that really all it takes?”

“Huh?”

“If I eat with you, you’ll give me that lunchbox for free?!”

“Oh, yes.”

Shuen’s lips curled into a sly smile as she covered her mouth and let out a noble laugh.

“Ohoho! What a mistake I’ve made! Every commoner dreams of dining with a noble like me, and I forgot to realize that! I’ll graciously eat with you…”

“Then, I’ll eat alone.”

“Wa…wait a moment!”

Shuen looked at me with her hands in mine, her eyes filled with a pitiable light.

“Let’s eat together…! I’m sorry.”

Really.

“Puhaha!”

She was a woman you thought you knew until you didn’t.

*

Shuen’s heart was in turmoil, unsure of which rhythm to follow.

The man before her was the one who had tormented Mikhail-senpai. Simply put, he was someone she, harboring feelings for Mikhail-senpai, should not be involved with.

The words she heard from the seniors proved it, and she knew it herself. Although she hadn’t directly experienced this man’s notoriety, the bad reputation that still circulated in the academy seemed to be no lie.

Moreover, even Mikhail-senpai, the kindest person in the world, disliked this man.

Shuen had harbored negative feelings towards Ricardo. She didn’t know why Mikhail-senpai would come to this convenience store…

Watching Ricardo bustling about, Shuen wondered what kind of person he really was.

“Do you like pork cutlet? Or do you prefer inari sushi?”

“I like inari sushi…!”

“Then I’ll prepare that for you.”

There seemed to be some ulterior motive, yet he didn’t reveal it. Rumors had been rife about his nasty character, but he showed no reaction even when cursed at right to his face.

– That guy must have no conscience, showing his face around here like that.

– I wish he would just drop dead, but since Mikhail goes there often, the place doesn’t go under.

– Honestly, it’s convenient though. The prices are good and cheap.

Even with such talk, the man continued to ring up sales and serve customers as if nothing bothered him.

What could he possibly be scheming?

– Quietly…

“It’s strange.”

Shuen couldn’t easily shake off her suspicions about Ricardo. She couldn’t get a read on what kind of person he was, and of course, she wasn’t fond of him. After all, she had her prince, Mikhail-senpai.

– Beep-beep────!

Ricardo, returning from the magic stone-powered aircraft with a heated lunchbox, sat down exclaiming, “Wow, it’s hot.”

Seeing the steam rise from the lunchbox, Shuen swallowed hard and looked at Ricardo.

“Please, have a seat.”

“…”

“As someone who’s also on the payroll, I can’t offer you anything fancy, but it should still be edible.”

“Thank you.”

Shuen pouted her lips and took a seat, then slowly picked up a spoon and began to eat her lunchbox.

When was the last time she had shared a meal with someone?

*Sigh…*

In the forbidden camaraderie of Misamo, she couldn’t make friends, and a slip of the tongue during the entrance ceremony meant she hadn’t made any friends either.

*Slurp.*

Shuen sipped the soup and smiled faintly.

“Is it good?”

To Ricardo’s caring question, Shuen replied as if letting the words flow.

“Yes…”

“Right?”

“No! It’s just commoner’s food, so it’s not very tasty!”

“Ha-ha! I see, I see.”

Realizing her slip, Shuen looked up at Ricardo and asked. Habitual words always seemed to drive people away.

“Are you not upset?”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“No… It’s just that I kept calling you a commoner. That… does that upset you?”

“Oh…”

Ricardo waved his hand with a vacant smile.

“It’s not incorrect.”

“Huh?”

“And you didn’t mean it in a bad way, right? It’s not like you genuinely dislike it or meant to upset anyone.”

Shuen timidly bowed her head and said,

“That’s true…”

…

Holding his spoon, Ricardo, frozen like ice, soon shook his head as if he found it truly amusing.

“You’re really an interesting person.”

…

“It’s alright. There are people who speak far worse than you, so I can take this as humor.”

“There are people worse than me?”

“Yes. There’s someone who calls me ‘pauper,’ or ‘dirtbag,’ or ‘wheelie dirtbag.’ Compared to that, you’re mild.”

“Does that person have any friends…?”

“None.”

“…”

Shuen silently ate her meal, thinking she should change her tone.

*

After that day, Shuen started looking for me every lunchtime.

-Jingle.

“Hey there, commoner!”

She’d come carrying a two-tiered lunchbox tower, and sometimes she’d forget her wallet and we’d end up eating together.

Of course.

-I’ll buy the drinks!

-Oh…

-Here’s the money!

-Didn’t you say you didn’t bring your wallet?

-…I just found it!

Her acting wasn’t great, but still.

Anyway, the days Shuen came looking for me became more frequent.

-Ohoho… Commoner. Today, I’ve specially packed a lunchbox! It’s far too lavish for a simple commoner like you, but I’ll allow you to eat it!

She was an interesting person.

After being rejected by Mikhail in the novel, she was not the quiet girl who only studied magic, but one with a strong personality. Of course, I’m not sure how I appear to Shuen. Well…

“You cook really well.”

“Ohoho~! I do cook quite well!”

“That’s impressive.”

“Don’t just eat the spaghetti, try the braised potatoes too!”

I didn’t seem to come off as a bad person.

Touched by her genuine kindness, I smiled softly and nodded at her words.

After that, Shuen and I got to know each other well enough to share our names.

And then.

I cautiously brought up a conversation.

About Her Love.