Glad We're Friends
Cecily, her face flushed red, covered it with both hands and hung her head low. I patted her back gently and murmured some words of comfort.
"What, is it that embarrassing? Everyone messes up sometimes."
"...I jumped to conclusions on my own, tried to set this serious mood, and now I'm mortified..."
"It's fine. Honestly, you had me a little tense there. Kicking out Ilene and getting into that deep talk—it was pretty cool, actually."
"Aaaah..."
Truth be told, she wasn't entirely off base. I'd shown signs of recovery potion dependency myself back in the day. Sharp observation, even. But that was ancient history, and she had no clue. She didn't know I'd been the hero once, or that I'd fought in the war. No way she'd suspect the little girl beside her was that hero—or that I'd ever been hooked on those potions.
Cecily's embarrassed look was kinda cute. Made me want to tease her more. I leaned in with a mischievous, playful tone.
"...Cecily, are you actually kinda dumb? No normal girl would chug weird potions like that."
Not that I hadn't, but still.
"W-Well... yeah, that's true..."
"Plus, I live with Yuria. You think she'd just sit back if I was popping those things left and right?"
"...No words."
I kept poking at the deflated Cecily to pass the time. Who knew she was such a pushover character? Teasing her was weirdly fun.
Eventually, Ilene finished cleaning up and came back. She walked in on the scene: gloomy Cecily and me ribbing her relentlessly. Must've been a fresh shock for Ilene. She'd been the one getting lectured nonstop without a chance to fight back, and now here was Cecily taking it from me. Coming right after her own scolding? Double the impact.
Ilene grabbed me and demanded, "How the hell did you pull that off?!"
I fought back a bubbling laugh and filled her in on everything.
"So, Cecily..."
I laid it all out in detail: what Cecily had said, her suspicions and the whole process, right up to the conclusion. Cecily squirmed in embarrassment the whole time, too mortified to shut me up—she just stomped her feet.
"Kh-huh... mmph... hee..."
Ilene struggled to hold in her laughter. I clenched my jaw and powered through to the end.
"That's how it went down. What do you think?"
I asked for her take once I'd spilled it all.
"Cecily, are you actually an idiot?"
Ilene lost it after hearing the story, bursting into roaring laughter.
"Wait, you kicked me out for that?!"
"Well... yeah... kinda."
"I thought you two were having some heavy talk! I was worried for nothing!"
Hold up—Ilene had picked up on the weird vibe and actually gotten concerned? Not just dodging a lecture?
Cecily's face burned even redder, practically steaming from her head.
"She's always been like this," Ilene said. "Jumps to wild conclusions and goes off the rails."
"Really?"
"Yeah. No cure for it! Even Yuria couldn't fix this one."
Ilene suddenly paused, like something clicked. After a beat, she continued.
"...Noel, you don't know about this, do you? Want me to tell you about the time Yuria and Cecily fought?"
Cecily's head snapped up in shock. Seeing that, a sly grin spread across Ilene's face. Now I was dying to know. What could make her react like that? Yuria and Cecily fighting? Impossible to picture.
"Super curious! Spill it!"
"It's hilarious, so basically what happened was..."
But my curiosity went unsatisfied. The door flew open with a bang. All eyes turned that way. A familiar silhouette stood in the doorway. It sharpened into Yuria.
She stepped inside and scanned the room: Cecily's beet-red face, me and Ilene teasing her. She'd probably overheard her name too. Her expression twisted as she pieced it together.
"...Noel. Ilene."
My spine straightened. Every nerve in my body prickled.
"Noel, care to explain what's going on?"
"Uh, well..."
I glanced sideways. Ilene was trembling. No—shaking outright.
Cecily lunged at Yuria, throwing herself into her arms.
"Yuriaaa..."
Nestled against her, she whimpered, "So, Noel and Ilene were..."
"Hold up."
Ilene cut her off, pointing a shaky finger at me.
"Noel started it."
Ilene threw me under the bus. No hesitation, straight betrayal. We did this together!
***
The church front yard felt cozy and atmospheric. A spring breeze wafted from the woods behind, carrying the faint scent of freshly budding cherry blossoms in the cool evening air. Full bloom was right around the corner—I could already picture it.
And right now, in this perfect spot, I was on my knees.
"I don't think I did anything that wrong."
My knees ached. I shifted ever so slightly for comfort, but Yuria caught it and chopped the back of my head with her hand.
"Ow..."
"Noel, this wasn't the first time you've met Cecily today, right?"
"First time."
"And you're already making her cry?"
"...Doesn't that mean we're close now?"
As if to prove it, Cecily had been fidgeting anxiously behind her this whole time.
Cecily pleaded with Yuria. "Um, Yuria? Maybe cut her some slack now?"
Ilene chimed in from the side. "Yeah, give it a rest. She seems sorry."
...Ilene, you were in on it. Why aren't you getting punished?
I glared at her. She was the mastermind who got me into this. Traitor.
"...Get up for now. I need to prep dinner."
The second permission hit, I sprang up. Yuria eyed my eager bounce with disapproval.
"Sigh... Well, at least you two seem to have hit it off."
"Yeah. Cecily and I are tight now."
"Hey, what about me? I wanna be friends with Noel too!"
"Not friends with traitors."
"Harsh."
No way I'd get chummy with Ilene. Better if we never crossed paths again. Ideally, she'd get shipped off to the neighboring village guild.
But something else piqued my interest: whatever was roasting over that bonfire.
"Who brought that?"
Four chickens sizzled on spits over the flames, dripping fat and filling the air with mouthwatering aroma. I wanted to dig in now.
"I did. Should've grabbed more if I knew you and Yuria were coming."
"Ilene brought them?"
"Yup. Saw 'em cheap this morning."
...Maybe getting tangled with her today wouldn't be so bad. Friends for a day? Sure.
"Fine, friends for today."
"Friendship fees are steep..."
Roast chicken made a solid fee. Generous enough to barely qualify Ilene.
She'd better appreciate my mercy.
"Be grateful I even bother."
"...So, can I touch you then?"
"Huh?"
Ilene snuck behind me. As I turned, her hand slipped under my collar, right at the nape. Ice-cold fingers hit my back—goosebumps exploded everywhere.
"Gyaaah!!"
I jolted away. She yanked her hand back, grinning ear to ear. My freakout amused her.
Couldn't let her have all the fun. I grabbed her hair and yanked.
"Heyheyhey!! Let go!"
"Nope! Can't hold back anymore!"
"Let go! I said let go?!"
We tussled like that for a while, a sweaty, exhausted mess by the time we calmed down.
Yuria gave a curt assessment. "No matter how you slice it, you two look like friends."
Too wiped to argue. I shot her a pouty glare instead.
Cecily, who'd been chilling by the fire, piped up. "Glad you two are getting along."
A one-sided friendship was official now. Me against the world.
I dragged my tired body to the fire and plopped next to Cecily. Her small hand pressed against the cold ground, looking ready to freeze.
Without a word, I laid my hand over it. Two hands stacked on the dirt.
"Hey, Noel."
"Yeah?"
"I'm happy we're friends."
She said it so straightforwardly, with a smile brighter than any I'd ever seen.