Put It In, Take It Out
The unexpected remark made Sherry cough, her face turning bright red. “Cough! Cough!” She must have been so startled that she nearly choked on her food. Well, it wasn’t unreasonable for her to react that way. If someone suddenly asked when we were planning to have a baby, it would be strange not to be flustered.
“Master, let go! I’m going to kill that man today!”
Miroel flailed her arms wildly as if telling me not to stop her. For the record, I didn’t try to restrain her. She was doing it all on her own.
“Dad!”
At that moment, Sherry turned to Gray in a panic and spoke informally. She usually called him Father, but now she’d switched. Just how startled must she have been?
“Hmm?”
“We’re not dating or anything like that. We’re just friends!”
Gray looked puzzled by Sherry’s answer. Well, since I had been calling him Father up until now, it wasn’t strange that he misunderstood. In fact, I was the one who had led him to that conclusion.
“Daughter.”
“Yes, Father.”
She seemed to have calmed down a bit, as Gray’s title had returned to normal. Then, in a firm voice, he continued.
“There is no such thing as friendship between a man and a woman.”
“······.”
Sherry couldn’t bring herself to deny it. To put it bluntly, she had been harboring a one-sided crush on me all this time!
Ughhh.
Having this conversation right in front of the person involved made her face feel even hotter than usual. She rolled her eyes and glanced at me slyly. I was scratching my cheek with an awkward smile.
“Still, it’s too early for you to have a child. If you’re going to do it tonight, make sure you use contraception.”
After Gray’s words, an incredibly awkward silence settled between the two of us. Of course, Miroel was throwing a fit, but that wasn’t particularly important.
After finishing the meal, I entered the room I had been guided to. It was truly magnificent, befitting a noble’s mansion.
“Haa, I almost committed murder today without realizing it.”
Miroel wiped the cold sweat from her arm and let out a sigh. No, even if you attacked, everything would just pass right through you anyway. I asked, dumbfounded by her behavior.
“Are you that angry?”
“What? Of course I’m angry! Someone’s trying to steal my disciple!”
She puffed out both cheeks and shouted in fury. Hmm, I wonder how Miroel ended up like this. When she first appeared, she had such an imposing presence.
“Haa, anyway, I’m going to rest inside the bracelet for a while. I got hungry from getting so worked up.”
With those words, she slipped back into the Bow of the Beginning. That left me alone in the room.
Well, I have to leave tomorrow anyway. I should get some early sleep.
With that thought, I tried to go to bed. But at that moment—
Tap. Tap.
Across the door, Sherry appeared in my field of vision. I sat up again. Before she could knock, I spoke first.
“Come in, Miss Sherry.”
“Ah, um.”
She carefully opened the door and stepped inside. I asked her,
“What brings you here?”
“Ah, th-that is…!”
Sherry’s face turned beet red. Her eyes spun as she recalled what had happened earlier.
One hour earlier.
Sherry had been suddenly summoned by her father, Gray. Why is he calling me? The unexpected summons made her tense up despite herself. Even though she had earned his recognition, a father was still a frightening figure to her.
The moment she arrived at the head of house’s chamber—
“There’s no need to be nervous. Make yourself comfortable, my daughter.”
Gray spoke in a gentle tone. It was a voice she hadn’t heard from him in a long time. It felt somewhat awkward, but she nodded and sat down on the sofa.
Then he asked,
“Do you know why I called you?”
“I’m not sure.”
“It’s to talk about that man named Baran.”
Huh? About Baran?
“Did Baran do something wrong?”
“It’s nothing like that.”
Gray shook his head at the question. Then he continued.
“Daughter. What do you think of that man named Baran?”
“Th-that’s…!”
At the sudden question, Sherry’s face flushed. Seeing her reaction, Gray became certain. She saw Baran as a man.
“Daughter, do you know how you were born?”
“I don’t know.”
She tilted her head, never having heard this story before. Gray shuddered and rubbed his forearm as if getting goosebumps.
“Haa, to put it simply… your mother jumped me.”
“Pardon?”
The blunt statement caused her brain to freeze for a moment. Jumped him? What did that even mean? As question marks floated above her head, Gray answered.
“We were drinking together, and she pounced on me while I was asleep at night. That’s how you were conceived.”
“Ah·····.”
She never imagined the two of them had gotten together that way. Judging by Gray’s expression, he didn’t seem to have hated it, but it was still shocking nonetheless.
“Anyway, to get to the point, daughter—don’t let that boy Baran slip away. His character and ability are both outstanding. There must be a lot of women around him, right?”
“Yes····.”
Thinking of the women who gathered around him—Lillia, Luden, the Saintess. And the candidates Risa and Kanya. In fact, everyone around him, including herself, was female. In a way, they were all rivals.
“That kind of man naturally attracts women. So, to claim him first, the one who pounces the fastest wins.”
“So what you’re saying is·····.”
“That’s right. Tonight is your chance. You must pounce on him tonight. We don’t know what will happen if you miss this opportunity.”
After hearing his words, Sherry nodded with a determined expression. Then, without hesitation, she left the chamber and headed straight for Baran’s room.
Shaking off her thoughts, Sherry lifted her gaze forward. There stood Baran, his eyes covered with pure white bandages, staring directly at her. Even though his eyes were covered, she could feel him gazing intently at her.
“Miss Luden?”
Baran called her in a puzzled voice. Sherry had no idea what to do in this situation. She had come here after steeling her resolve, but now that reality was right in front of her, she didn’t know where to begin.
As a result, Sherry started with words of gratitude.
“Th-thank you, Baran!”
“Pardon?”
“I mean… thanks to you, I’ve gotten closer to my dad.”
“Ah… it’s nothing. It was only natural as your ‘friend.’”
He spoke with a kind smile. Normally, she would have let it slide. But for some reason, hearing the word “friend” today made her chest ache.
“Friend····.”
“Yes, we’re friends.”
He probably said it without thinking. But his words stabbed into her heart like a dagger. Normally, she would have pretended not to mind. But perhaps it was because of what Gray had told her?
“Baran, I’m sorry in advance.”
“Huh…?”
Before Baran could even process her words, Sherry grabbed his tie and yanked him forward. Then, standing on her tiptoes—
“?!”
She quickly pressed her lips against his. The unexpected kiss made Baran flinch in shock. He never imagined that the shy Sherry would launch a surprise kiss on him.
When he became flustered by the sudden kiss, Sherry slowly pulled her lips away. Then, in an embarrassed voice, she said,
“Good night, then.”
With those words, Sherry fled in a hurry. Baran gently touched his lips and thought to himself,
No, how am I supposed to sleep after this?
The next day.
I woke up early in the morning and quickly finished preparing. Well, saying I woke up was a stretch—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I barely slept at all. Sherry’s kiss from last night kept replaying in my head.
Come on, it’s not like this is my first kiss or anything!
The thought crossed my mind for a moment, but when I really thought about it, it wasn’t entirely wrong. I had never been in a relationship before, and technically, I was still a student right now.
When I stepped out of the mansion, Gray, Sherry, and finally Ari appeared at the front gate to see me off. Sherry, with dark circles under her eyes, asked,
“D-did you sleep well?”
It seemed she hadn’t slept either. I nodded with an awkward smile. Had he sensed the strange atmosphere between us? Gray smiled in a way I had never seen before.
It’s obvious that old man put her up to it.
Judging from what he said at dinner yesterday, he must have given Sherry some kind of instructions. Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to wear such a smug grin.
Just then—
“Did something happen between you two?”
Ari tilted her head, noticing the awkward air between us. The next moment—
“Ah!”
She suddenly looked like she had figured it out, a exclamation mark popping up over her head. Then she made a circle with one hand and repeatedly inserted and withdrew her index finger into it.
“You two did this, didn’t you!”
I really need to get out of here as fast as possible. Fuck.