278 – About Her Love -10-

The sky is blue.

“…”

And so was Shuen’s hair.

‘I like it…’

For the first time, spending time with senior Mikhail. Sitting at the same table with someone I admired, eating together—it felt like a dream come true.

Of course, we had eaten together at the academy before.

-You must have been hungry, you’re eating so fast.

-Ugh, ugh, ugh! (It became a habit!)

Eating in the restroom had become a habit, so I soon excused myself from the table. Shuen, sitting and watching Mikhail, held her fork upside down and thought,

‘Today’s the chance! The lovey-dovey life of Shuen and senior Mikhail!’

With someone I cherish, in a place so dear. At this moment with Mikhail, it feels like a dream to Shuen.

I’m not sure how to express this feeling accurately, but one thing is certain—it was sweet.

‘Hehe…hehehe!’

I couldn’t help but let out a sly laugh.

As Mikhail served pasta onto Shuen’s plate, he asked,

“How’s life at the academy? Seems manageable?”

“Ohoho… It’s so much fun! The studies are easy, and that thief… well, the burglar’s been caught, so yeah.”

“Right… It’s good that an innocent person wasn’t caught.”

Mikhail’s expression darkened for a moment, then he shook his head and smiled.

“Eat up. I’m paying, so order more if it’s not enough.”

“No way! I’ll pay!”

“Nah, I invited you, so it’s on me.”

Shuen gazed at Mikhail thoughtfully. He’s so handsome.

‘Even the commoners are good-looking, but Mikhail has a different charm… Oh my! What am I thinking!’

Shuen shook her head, dispelling the thoughts.

‘Begone, thoughts!’

-…Don’t be scared.

‘…No, just a little longer.’

Shuen smiled faintly, remembering Ricardo’s encouragement.

The conversation flowed without pause.

As if it had never been awkward. Mikhail shared his stories with Shuen, telling her academy secrets and life hacks she hadn’t known.

-Did you know? There’s a huge flower garden behind the academy.

-Really? That’s news to me.

-Haha… It’s natural you didn’t know. It’s a place known only to a few in the academy. It came into being after I enrolled, about three years ago.

-Who made it?

-Seems so. It’s filled with canary flowers.

-Oh…

Mikhail promised to take Shuen there later, then picked up his fork.

“Let’s eat.”

“Yes!”

Shuen listened intently to Mikhail’s story, and Mikhail led the conversation accordingly.

I thought Mikhail was a person hard to approach, hidden behind his name, but as we talked, I realized he was just an ordinary person.

Shuen liked that.

This moment, right now.

If there was just one thing that bothered him.

-Thump…

For some reason, his heart kept hurting. It had been aching ever since he met the commoner in the public restroom.

The commoner’s laughter echoed in his head, and the bright, cheerful expression of the commoner, slightly detached and laughing, wouldn’t fade from his mind.

-Try laughing.

-Hehe?

-Haha! Not like that.

His heart didn’t ache when he saw Senior Mikhail. Instead, it felt as comfortable and fun as meeting a friend of the same s*x. His heart kept throbbing, but Shuen couldn’t figure out why.

“It’s strange.”

Shuen looked around the cafeteria, searching for someone. He felt disappointed and his heart fluttered at the absence of the person who said they would be watching from the side.

“Have I contracted a terminal illness?!”

His heart was racing so fiercely, he wondered if it was arrhythmia.

“Ugh…”

It wasn’t an unpleasant pain. Just.

-Thump thump.

His heart was beating stronger than usual.

Mikhail, seeing Shuen with his hand on his heart, asked cautiously,

“Shuen, are you in pain somewhere?”

“Huh?”

“You look pale.”

“Ah… No, I’m not.”

“Is that so?”

Shuen thought to himself.

It’s nothing serious.

He thought it was just a side effect of suddenly receiving too much stress. Thinking too much can sometimes lead to overload.

“It’s nothing serious…”

Shuen shook her head, dispelling her reverie.

And so time flowed on.

Following Senior Mikhail, she explored the market.

Wandering the streets, watching the circus.

Spending a fun time at the night market over beers in the evening.

Alone, to the point of feeling a tinge of regret.

As the dreamlike time repeated and their time together lengthened, the bright sun in the clear sky began to set. And the occasional sight of the commoner began to fade.

Up until the market visit, the figure of the commoner was visible from afar.

-Ohoho… Next time, I shall take the young lady to a restaurant that’s too much for a commoner to handle…

[Shuen, you shouldn’t speak like that.]

-Not that…! Next time, let’s go eat something delicious again. I’ll treat you next time.

The commoner who had helped with the paper airplane had disappeared from sight and was now nowhere to be seen.

Having been watched by the commoner gave her the courage, but now that she had gotten closer to Senior Mikhail, the disappearance of the commoner cast a shadow of regret on Shuen as she walked the streets.

Under the dark night sky where the sun had set, Shuen began to search busily for the commoner. Wondering if perhaps he was here. It was almost time to confess to Senior Mikhail, but with the commoner’s figure nowhere in sight, Shuen clenched her fist.

‘Where have you gone?!’

You said you’d watch over me.

With the commoner’s silent disappearance, Shuen lost the flow of the conversation, and Mikhail paused his words for a moment and called out to her.

“Shuen.”

“…”

“Shuen!”

“Yes?!”

Startled, Shuen turned to Mikhail who asked if she was looking for someone.

“Did you have someone to meet?”

“No? Not at all?”

“You’ve seemed to be looking for someone for a while… Is there something important going on?”

“Ah… No! The most important thing for me is the time I spend with Senior Mikhail!”

“Ah…”

Shuen exclaimed ‘Ah!’ as she gauged Mikhail’s reaction, seemingly having voiced her feelings without realizing.

“…Shuen?”

Shuen closed her eyes tightly and pondered.

It seemed the time had come.

People were bustling by, and in the midst of this street, where no one seemed to listen carefully to her voice, she thought an opportunity had presented itself.

The buzz of alcohol was rising too.

For some reason, she couldn’t fathom, Shuen’s lips began to quiver, thinking now was the chance. If not now, she felt she could never muster the courage.

“Sigh…”

With a serious look, Shuen gazed at Mikhail and said,

“Excuse me, Senior Mikhail…!”

“Hmm…?”

“The truth is… The truth is I’ve got…!”

Mikhail looked at Shuen with a heavy expression and carefully placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Stop.”

“What?”

“Stop it, Shuen.”

“What do you mean? I was about to say something really important…?”

A deep sigh flowed from Mikhail. A foreboding feeling made Shuen’s eyelids flutter, and Mikhail continued without waiting for her.

“Listen, Shuen.”

“…”

“I want to stay just friends, like close juniors and siblings.”

Mikhail spoke without waiting to hear Shuen’s confession. As someone who had heard confessions dozens of times, he could read the situation.

Sensing what Shuen wanted to say, Mikhail cautiously started to speak to her, who was on the verge of tears.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something, that’s why I made plans today.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry, but I just had to ask.”

Mikhail struggled to speak, silencing Shuen.

“Shuen… What do you think about Ricardo?”

“Why would a commoner…?”

“I’ve seen you getting along well recently, so I wondered if there was a connection.”

“A connection? No, but why are you asking about a commoner? Today was supposed to be about us…”

-Clench.

Mikhail spoke with a trembling fist and a shaky gaze towards Shuen.

“Did Ricardo say anything strange about me? Like he’s annoyed, or feels neglected by me… Did he mention anything like that?”

Shuen shivered at Mikhail’s trembling gaze, unable to comprehend why he would ask such a question.

To think that after setting the mood, this would be what he’d say… An emotion she hadn’t anticipated began to rise within her.

“No… Ugh.”

“Shuen…”

“No… *sob* You promised to spend today with me. You promised we’d eat together and have fun.”

“It’s really important to me, that’s why.”

“This moment, right now, is important to me!”

Shuen clenched her fists and vented her frustration. What is this? Is this something you say to someone who couldn’t even confess properly and got rejected?

“You should’ve asked at the academy! What kind of act is this, making me feel so embarrassed!”

“…I’m sorry.”

“If you dislike that commoner so much, you should ask him directly! Why are you asking me!”

At Mikhail’s question, which seemed to probe the movements of an enemy, Shuen was at a loss for words and just stared blankly at him.

“No, I’m sorry Shuen, I misspoke. I was just curious about how that guy was doing.”

“…I hate everything.”

“Shuen!”

Shuen pushed Mikhail away and started running blindly. She didn’t know where to go but wanted to shake off this stifling feeling.

“aaah!!! I hate everything! I hate the commoners! I hate Mikhail! Why am I just a side character?!”

“I want to be the protagonist too! Even if just for a minute like a triangle kimbap, I want to be the protagonist! Why am I the only one treated like this?!”

“Everyone’s a fool, an idiot, a worthless dog!”

-Thump…

Her heart raced wildly.

-Thump. Thump.

An unknown pain began to surge. Even in this moment, why was that man’s face coming to mind? Shuen swallowed her tears and stumbled forward.

“Disappear from my head, commoner!”

-Thump… Thump…

“Haaah!!!”

After running for a while.

“Huh…”

Wiping her tears, Shuen stood under the dimly lit alleyway, her expression blank.

“Where is this place?”

In an unfamiliar path, a dimly lit space.

In an alley that seemed like it might harbor ghosts, Shuen sniffed and swallowed, a question mark forming in her mind.

“Girl… It feels like you’ve reached the end of life… But it’s just a feeling, right?”

The moment Shuen, who had just stopped her tears, awkwardly turned to leave the alleyway.

“Kyaa~~”

The swaying voices of men echoed before her eyes.

“Miss, you’re pretty?”

“Got some time? Come play with us. You’re here because you’re lonely, aren’t you? Did your boyfriend dump you?”

Faced with more than five thugs, Shuen stepped back awkwardly, laughing. It was her first time in such a situation.

“No… I just took the wrong turn…”

-Bang!

One of the thugs kicked a fallen bucket towards Shuen as he leaned in.

“Ah? We’re good.”

“What…?”

“We’ll do much better than your boyfriend?”

“What kind of indecent talk is that…? I… I don’t know about such things.”

“Puhaha! How cute.”

Shuen, hindered by the ruffians, drew a shaky breath and gathered her magic. She could easily defeat a few thugs. Though scared, she had no one else to rely on in this place, so she clenched her eyes shut and shouted.

“Power of the earth…! Grant strength to this body…!”

-Tightly…!

“Hey hey hey… wait a minute!”

“Bro, I think this girl’s a magician.”

“Ah crap. Let’s get out of here!”

As Shuen’s outstretched hand twitched, the ruffians burst into ‘puhaha’ laughter and began to jeer.

-Whoosh…

‘What the…?’

“Puhahahat! What are you doing? Trying to use magic? Ah crap, I’m scared.”

“Huh…? Why isn’t the magic working.”

“How should I know…! You b*tch!”

In the moment the assailant, knife in hand, reached out towards Shuen, she murmured with a sudden realization.

“Ah… I drank that liquor.”

Shuen couldn’t use magic when she drank. Sensitive to alcohol, her control over magical energy was lost with its consumption.

Just as the thugs’ brutish hands tried to seize Shuen’s dress amidst the scattering magic.

“Hmm… You live quite interestingly, Miss Shuen.”

A dust cloud rose, and a red glow began to cast over Shuen’s eyes.

“Didn’t I say I would protect you?”

The smiling man asked Shuen.

“How do you feel after the tea? A bit relieved?”

-Thump. Thump.

“Damn son of a—!”

“Step on him! He’s alone!”

Shuen didn’t hear the voices of the ruffians. Now, only the voice of the man before her filled her ears.

Shuen asked Ricardo with a trembling voice.

“Commoner… I think I have arrhythmia.”

Her heart was pounding wildly.

-Thump. Thump.

Ricardo said with a laugh.

“You’re a migratory bird.”

“What?”

“Whoever it is you’ve taken a liking to. It seems you’ve fallen in love.”

-Thump.

“Ah…”

Shuen replied with a bright smile.

“It seems so.”