by Geli Cake
Is that what this is about?
I chuckled and said, "I won't leave for that reason. There wasn't a time limit on our contract."
I wasn't hired because Haylan was a child. I was hired to be his friend.
After spending several months with him, I understood why Christine worried about Haylan. He was someone who experienced loneliness more intensely than others. Unlike his sensitive personality, he was excessively oblivious to his own emotions, to the point where he didn't even realize he was lonely.
"So nothing will change?"
"…Wouldn't it be a bit weird to kiss you once you grow taller than me?"
Kissing Haylan all over his face had become a habit, and Haylan seemed to have adjusted to it. But it would become difficult once he grew up. It would only make things awkward.
Should I refrain from doing it from now on, just in case…?
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing…"
He quickly averted his gaze and submerged himself in the water up to his nose.
'Why is he upset?'
His expressions weren't very expressive, but when he was sulking, he showed it easily. I tried to lighten the mood with jokes and small talk, but Haylan remained silent.
Why was he acting like this? His mood swings were so unpredictable.
"Is it puberty…?"
At my mutterings, Haylan splashed water at me in annoyance.
Splutter…
I wiped my face with my hand.
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
Haylan was acting strange. Not only did he seem unusually absent-minded today, but earlier, when I tried to hand him something…
"Just leave it there."
Thwack, he swatted my hand away coldly. Did I say something wrong? I wasn't the only one who noticed. The others were also glancing at Haylan and then at me. In the end, I came to a conclusion.
'It's definitely puberty.'
There was no other reason for him to suddenly act like this. And this morning's incident as well…
Who should I talk to about this? My lips were itching to tell someone, so I paced around my room before checking the time. It was almost midnight.
I waited for Lena in the library, where we usually met. As soon as I heard the sound footsteps, I turned my head.
"Just listen to me!"
There are no eternal secrets in the world. My lips were itching to talk, so I broke my promise to Haylan in less than a day. It was my bare minimum conscience that I was confiding in Lena, who wasn't a living person. He couldn't spread rumors even if he wanted to, since there was no one to spread them to.
"So I accidentally saw it, you know? And perhaps because of that, Haylan keeps avoiding me. Is this… puberty or something?"
"You, why did you…"
Lena looked dumbfounded. He sighed repeatedly and replied curtly,
"How would I know? Figure it out yourself!"
"Why are you reacting like that?"
"Like what?"
"What's wrong with thinking about it together? I'm seriously concerned!"
"…Worry about yourself instead of such useless things."
He stepped closer, reached out, and pressed his finger against my lower lip.
"What's your reason for acting like nothing happened?"
"...."
I scratched the back of my neck.
How could I forget? Lena had suddenly licked my lips. Unable to accept that fact, I pushed him away and instinctively ran outside.
Aaaaaaaaagh! I ran through the hallway and all the way out to the garden, where I stood for a while, watching the fireworks and getting some fresh air, before returning to my room. I took a short nap, and when I woke up, it was already morning.
It wasn't that I had forgotten. I had been thinking about it constantly, and Lena was right. I had thought he would return to his usual self if I pretended nothing happened.
"I quite like you."
Lena said.
I figured… That's why he kissed someone who was just sitting there, right? I'd be a total idiot if I didn't notice, right?
"What do… you think of me?"
At his seemingly troubled expression, I almost answered without thinking. Even though I knew silence was the best answer in this situation… But I was quite the chatterbox, and in the end, I couldn't contain my curiosity and asked,
"Why do you like me?"
I couldn't understand. I wasn't exceptionally beautiful like Lena, nor was I particularly intelligent. I wasn't rich or incredibly kind either…
I was the embodiment of ordinary. So, to have someone like me say they liked me… I doubted their judgment. Why did Lena like me?
Lena was lost in thought for a while before finally continuing,
"I liked your gift."
"...."
"I found it funny how you talk back to me even though you're scared of me…"
"And?"
"...And."
Was that all?
Lena rolled his eyes for a long time, thinking, before asking me in return,
"Do you think I'm making up excuses right now?"
I stared at him blankly and nodded slightly. Yeah… Those were ridiculously weak reasons to like someone.
"I don't know. I've been interested in you from the beginning, even though you're not particularly special. You are…"
His amethyst-like eyes blinked slowly. I was so focused on his words that I felt like I would freeze at his every gesture.
"…the only person who sees me for who I am."
"...."
I was once again reminded that Lena was a romance novel enthusiast. To utter such cheesy lines from an internet novel with a straight face… But the problem was, I didn't feel like cringing or laughing at him at all. Was it because of his face?
At his words, I fidgeted my toes inside my socks. I didn't like Lena in that way at all, but it felt good to know that he genuinely thought positively of me.
I was a bit of an attention seeker, so I tended to like people who found me pretty or liked me. I was always desperate for affection.
"So, I'll try my best to win your heart."
Lena said, looking down. There he goes with the face attack again… I desperately tried to avert my gaze, attempting to defend myself against his attack.
'Anything but that reason…'
I swallowed my words. I felt a pang of guilt.
I couldn't accept it, especially for that reason.
The reason I'm the only one who can see him is because I'm the player of this game. Whatever his identity is, he's a character who exists because of me. Once he serves his purpose, he'll disappear in an instant, as if he never existed.
And I would be the only one who remembers his existence. That thought scared me a little.
"I want to remain comfortable friends with you, Lena, just like now."
"Are you rejecting me without even thinking about it?"
"What if I am?"
"What if I don't want that?"
Well, what should I do?
"I said let's try together."
"Trying is good. But do it alone. I'm not interested in men."
At my firm words, Lena chuckled and asked,
"Have you ever dated a woman?"
"...."
How did this guy know?
I was momentarily speechless, wondering if "Forever Alone" was written on my forehead, and raised my hand to wipe my face.
"I never asked you to accept my feelings. I'm just interested in you, and I'll continue to act as I feel. You can use me to your heart's content in the meantime."
The word "use" made me tilt my head, and I forgot what I was going to say in response. Lena continued in an indifferent tone,
"You still need me, right?"
And his next words were enough to make my jaw drop.
"You're too careless. Like sometimes you talk to yourself while looking into space… There's something there, isn't it?"
"...Huh?"
"Your attitude towards me changes completely after you do that, it's strange that you think I wouldn't notice."
How long did you think I would pretend not to know?
I couldn't respond to Lena's knowing words.
'Is he talking about the system?'
Panicked, I blinked rapidly and glanced at the system window.
'What is he talking about?!'
The system was only visible to me and no one else could perceive its existence. My heart suddenly pounded in my chest.
[Main Quest Occurred! ??'s Proposal]
As if it knew I was talking about it, the system window popped up right between Lena and me. But I couldn't read the text inside.
Because Lena's purple eyes, visible through the translucent window, were staring fixedly at me, as if piercing through me. I felt like he would figure everything out the moment I looked away.
"There's a saying in books, 'where the body goes, the mind follows.'"
"...Huh?"
"You understand, so why are you pretending not to? You were thinking about me all day yesterday too, weren't you…?"
He smiled slightly, making assumptions before I could even say anything.
"With just a single kiss, I occupied half your day. It's the same for me. I couldn't stop thinking about you all day."
"...."
"I won't ask what you're looking at… or how you're using me. You wanted to hide it, didn't you?"
Lena said.
[?? has been added to the Character Encyclopedia.]
['Library' and 'Player's Room' have been removed as safe zones.]
"...?!"
Removed as what?
I inadvertently looked at the system window, not even realizing my gaze was wavering, and then realized my mistake. Lena had grabbed my chin and turned my face towards him.
"I'll do anything you ask, except for the things I don't want to do."
He slowly followed my gaze and looked directly at the system window.
"In return, will you do something dirty with me?"