311 – You know me, right? -1-

“Ahem…!”

In many ways, it seemed that Mikhail had grown up well. Not just in a lewd sense, but I believed he had matured both mentally and physically.

I swear on my conscience.

“Um…”

I could tell in the darkness.

The fact that Mikhail’s face had turned as red as a ripe peach.

I glanced at Mikhail, gauging his reaction, and spoke in a shy voice.

“Um… it must have been hard to hide.”

“Ah…”

Mikhail shyly nodded and cautiously opened his mouth.

“I wrapped it with bandages…”

“Ah… I see.”

“I think it’s gotten bigger lately, so I wrap it with two bandages…”

“You don’t have to explain so specifically.”

“I was worried you might be curious…”

“…”

How long did we spend in awkward silence in the dark?

– Rumble…

A faint vibration began to resonate from the ceiling. As dust fell in small clumps, Mikhail looked at me with trembling eyes, pouting his lips.

“What should we do… the ceiling again.”

“Shh.”

“Yes…?”

“Just a moment.”

Mikhail, with his eyes tightly shut, stared at me intently, his eyes reddening. I almost laughed at the sight of Mikhail, his will to live burning brightly, but I refrained from laughing, fearing it would embarrass him further.

I offered a small smile and said to Mikhail,

“I think my friend has arrived.”

“Friend?”

“I told you, I called a friend.”

“How can they come when we’re trapped…”

“There’s always a way.”

I winked at Mikhail as I spoke.

“Telepathy.”

– Pababababak!

– …Thump!

Mikhail clutched his chest, as if his heart was aching, and his face turned red. The most important thing for an inspector is heart health, and seeing Mikhail already in trouble made me think of some good medicine.

‘I should send him mandrake tea.’

About a minute had passed since I sent a hopeful message to Mikhail when a loud shout echoed from the ceiling.

– Saint!!!

Mikhail looked up at the faint sound and muttered softly.

“Did you just say Saint…?”

“…”

“You just said Saint!!!”

“…Ignore it.”

With a puzzled expression, Mikhail had a giant question mark hovering above his head as he nodded heavily and gazed at the ceiling.

– Pabat…

With the sound of stones dropping, the soft light of dawn filtered in from above.

“It seems it’s already dawn.”

“…It does.”

Light.

As a tiny glimmer of light crept into my darkened vision, Mikhail reached out and felt its warm glow.

“It’s warm.”

“It seems the rain has stopped.”

“Thank goodness.”

A small smile crept onto my face at the sound of the approaching digging, ‘Pababat.’ Under the gradually widening light, Mikhail looked at my face and beamed a broad smile.

“We can go out now!”

“Aren’t you a bit too happy? I guess you didn’t want to be alone with me.”

“No, it’s not that… Honestly, I think it would be okay to stay a bit longer…!”

“Saint!!!”

At Hans’s voice echoing from above, I forced a smile.

Now, all I have to do is go out, and it will be over.

“Hah…”

My heart was not so light due to one worry.

“Miss.”

I couldn’t think of what to say to the miss; I had no excuses. I needed to explain why I was late for bath time… It was a headache.

Especially, the future was the problem.

Even if it wasn’t today, there would come a time when I had to introduce Mikhail to the miss, so I needed to find a way to explain it as rationally as possible.

The issue between the miss and Mikhail was a rather sensitive topic for me to intervene in.

The fact that Mikhail was a woman.

And the miss’s negative perception of Mikhail. There were too many things that couldn’t be wrapped up as mere memories from the past.

If the miss found out that Mikhail was a woman…

-…I’ll kill her.

I was afraid because it seemed like it would hurt her deeply.

Honestly, even if the miss were to see Mikhail now, I didn’t think any good words would come out. It had been almost three years since the two had been apart, and I still hadn’t mustered the courage to resolve the lingering feelings between them.

I had just started to resolve a bit of it, but the miss…

“Ugh… that’s scary.”

Just imagining it was terrifying.

With a worried expression, I looked up at the sky.

“Well, somehow it will work out.”

At this moment, I couldn’t picture how to resolve it. I set aside my complicated thoughts for a moment and smiled softly at Mikhail under the faint light seeping through.

“My friend has come.”

“…”

“Don’t be surprised. It’s a friend that Misa knows too.”

“Yes.”

“It may be a relationship with bad memories, but still, she’s not such a bad person…”

– Bear?

“Uh?”

I raised an eyebrow at the familiar face of the bear peeking through the hole.

‘Why are you here?’

– Goooaar!

And Mikhail.

“Ah… Hello. I’m Ricardo’s friend. Misa.”

– Bear bear.

“You have quite a lot of fur. You seem to have a very warm presence.”

– Bear.

“Can I touch you?”

– Bear bear.

“Thank you.”

“Misa, that friend of mine is my pet.”

“Ah…”

She mistook Gomtang for my friend.

As Gomtang burrowed into the ground to create an exit, Hans’s voice echoed from above.

“Saint!”

A smile crept onto my lips at the familiar voice. I had asked him to come quickly, but I didn’t expect him to arrive this fast. If only I could figure out how to address him as ‘Saint’…

But then.

“…”

‘Who is that person?’

I squinted and focused on the silhouette of a woman peeking above the pit.

It would be troublesome if she were a pagan.

She was sitting in a chair.

Nodding off to sleep.

And had white hair.

‘Hmm?’

Wait a minute…

Since Gomtang and Hans came here…

Could it be…?

With a sudden sense of foreboding, I looked up at the sky with trembling eyes and asked Hans.

“Hans.”

“Ugh… Saint! I was worried…! It’s all my fault for not wrapping things up neatly. Please, kill me!!”

“Shh.”

“Khuh-heup… Kkeoit.. Kkeoit…”

“Hans.”

“Yes? Saint.”

“Is that person up there…”

“Yes.”

“Is she our lady?”

“That’s correct.”

“…?”

“I was trying to sneak her out, but I got caught. The Saintess asked me to bring her along, so I did.”

“Ha…”

Mikhail was looking at Hans with trembling eyes. He still hadn’t heard that the lady was here. Mikhail was only surprised to see Hans.

With his trembling eyes wide open, Mikhail eventually nodded slowly, as if to reassure himself, murmuring softly, “Ricardo said it would be fine, so it should be fine.” Not knowing that there was a greater danger above, I glanced at Mikhail, who wore a carefree expression, and turned my head away.

—Paaan…

“Hey, Misa.”

“Yes…?”

“Don’t be surprised, just listen.”

—Nod.

“What do you think Misa would feel if she saw our lady?”

“Olivia?”

At the mention of the name Olivia, Mikhail made a sour expression and awkwardly lowered his head.

She still had no idea how to treat Olivia. As someone who had to hide her gender to keep a secret while being forced to relive unforgettable memories, Mikhail seemed lost on how to approach the lady.

After being asked the question, Mikhail clenched his fist tightly and said, “I don’t know.”

I spoke softly to Mikhail. “Do you think it can be resolved well?”

“No.”

“Then run away.”

I swallowed hard at the sharp gaze I felt from behind Hans.

“The lady is here.”

Mikhail’s expression hardened.

*

We emerged from the pit, stretching our limbs as we breathed in the fresh air.

“Ahhh!!”

“We’re alive…”

The air was so refreshing, better than any tonic, that a small smile crept onto my lips.

—Bam.

But I couldn’t smile in the face of that sharp gaze.

The young lady, flaring her nostrils, glared at Mikhail and spoke in a pouty voice.

“Who are you?”

Mikhail glanced at me, took a deep breath, and replied to the young lady. He thought it wasn’t the right time yet. Fortunately, it seemed she hadn’t caught on.

“Ah… I’m Misa.”

“Misa…?”

“Yes.”

The young lady glared at Mikhail intensely, then nodded slightly, concluding her assessment.

“Wow…”

I thought I was going to die.

The young lady, still flaring her nostrils as she gazed intently at Mikhail, soon rolled the wheels of the Pexri No. 1 towards me and shouted.

“Ricardo!”

“Yes.”

“Yikes!”

“Haha… I’m sorry.”

“Why did you have fun without me!”

“Is that what you’re angry about?”

“Yeah.”

“Next time, let’s go deeper together.”

“Sounds good.”

The young lady’s anger dissipated in an instant.

She looked at Mikhail and murmured softly to me.

“Ricardo, you know, that guy.”

“Yes.”

“Bring him to our mansion.”

“What?”

“He’s hurt.”

The young lady shot a glance at Mikhail.

“His condition is serious.”

“You’re a doctor, then?”

“Yeah. He’ll faint in three seconds, I bet.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. That’s the feeling I get.”

I appreciated the young lady’s kindness in many ways, but still, bringing Mikhail to our mansion…

– Thud.

“Hm?”

The young lady shrugged as she looked at the collapsed Mikhail.

“See? I told you it was serious.”

“Wow.”

“His magic is all drained, and his legs and arms are fractured. His ribs must be broken too.”

“I kicked him once…”

“He started it, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Then you did well.”

With a satisfied smile, the young lady nodded and glanced at me.

“Hey, Ricardo.”

“Yes?”

“Is he your friend, Ricardo?”

“Uh… for now, yes.”

“Mm… is that so?”

The young lady murmured softly, her cold eyes fixed on Mikhail.

“Well, I understand for now.”

*

– Blink.

Mikhail awoke in an unfamiliar bedroom, his brow furrowed in response to the throbbing pain.

The effects of the drug that lengthened his hair lasted “about seven hours.” With the thought that he still had some time left, Mikhail clenched his fists.

And then.

“You’re awake?”

His heart raced at the sight of a familiar woman looking down at him with a cold voice.

Olivia.

With her white hair, Olivia sat in a chair, gazing down at Mikhail.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Olivia spoke to the awake Mikhail.

“Hello.”

“…”

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Olivia’s expression was colder than ever.

“You know me.”

“…”

“I feel like I know you.”