Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: A Hard-to-Refuse Touch
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*Click.*
Leaving the Esildereun family training grounds, my heart felt incredibly light.
“Karite, I’ll say it again, but congratulations.”
I didn’t even know how many times I'd congratulated her as I glanced at her side.
“...Yeah. Thank you.”
But Karite's reaction, blushing shyly each time, was just adorable. Even though I genuinely meant to congratulate her, there was a strange sort of fun in it, almost like I was teasing her.
*Glance.*
Karite, who glanced at me as if embarrassed, slowly opened her mouth.
“You don't have to congratulate me so much. I'm grateful, but it's a little embarrassing."
“It's something worth celebrating. You've just taken the first step, and all that's left is to grow from here."
“...Still, it's really embarrassing.”
A small laugh escaped me at the sight of her face, red as a ripe apple.
“Alright. I'll stop now."
Even as I said it, her reaction was so delightful that it made me want to keep teasing her.
“I was planning to relax for the rest of our time. Karite, what do you want to do?”
I naturally asked for her preference. There were just over three hours until my next appointment.
So, I wanted to spend a little more time with Karite until then.
“Hmm. What about you, Han Cheon-seong? Isn't there anything you want to do? A place you want to go with me, or something you'd like... If you tell me, I'd like to do it too.”
When she asked for my preference instead, I thought for a moment and recalled the rabbits we'd seen together last time.
The rabbits that had quickly eaten the hay and disappeared. Even though it was before she confronted Leteia, Karite had seemed particularly bright at that moment. That scene had been quite memorable for me too.
“Then, shall we go see the rabbits?”
“Rabbits? That sounds nice. Yes! Let's do that.”
Her delighted response made it easy to decide on our next destination.
* * *
*Screech.*
As I pushed the door open and entered the wide space, the interior of the animal lounge came into view.
The interior was so brightly decorated it seemed almost too cute for academy students.
And beyond that, it was packed with people...
“Maybe it's because it's the weekend, but it seems crowded…”
Karite paused and looked at me, and I couldn't help but nod.
“Yeah. It's more crowded than I expected."
Perhaps because it was the weekend, the facility, which was separate from the main academy building, was bursting at the seams with people.
It felt like there were far more people than animals to see. I could even see students in various uniforms from different classes.
Which I guess meant the place was very popular.
‘They're really all girls.’
While it made sense that the gender ratio of people coming to see animals would be overwhelmingly female, this still felt a bit much.
Then again, considering other recreational facilities, male students probably wouldn't go out of their way to come to a place like this.
“Oh... isn't that Han Cheon-seong?”
“I think so.”
“Who's the girl with him?”
When I even spotted some female students who recognized me, I hesitated as we walked through the room.
They were wearing the red uniforms of B-Class, but to me, they were all complete strangers.
Yet, they seemed to know who I was.
‘Just how far have the rumors about me... spread?’
For students from another class to recognize me... I wondered just how widespread it was. Still, I spoke first.
“Karite. Let's go see the rabbits right away.”
“Ah, okay.”
Without paying them any mind, I walked on with Karite, who replied blankly.
My skin was far too thick by now to shrink back from some whispers and stares.
‘I built up a tolerance back when those baseless rumors about me and Luna were going around, anyway.'
I could now easily ignore that level of whispering.
*Thump, clack…*
As we passed by countless people.
*Glance.*
*Peek.*
I had to admit my thinking was changing a little.
There was something I had overlooked. The problem wasn't that a few people recognized me.
Just as the term 'mob mentality' suggests, when one person does something, others tend to follow.
When a few female students recognized me and started glancing or whispering, even the ones who didn't know me started looking my way, wondering what was going on.
“...I'm realizing it all over again, but you're really popular.”
As Karite, pressed close to me by the massive crowd, whispered this, a dry laugh escaped me without my noticing.
“I don't think you can call this popularity.”
Even as I spoke, I felt uncomfortable.
‘If I'd known it would be this crowded, I wouldn't have come at all.’
But as they say, it's always too late for regrets. There was no turning back now.
*Thump.*
When Karite was suddenly pushed by the passing crowd, I naturally steadied her.
“Thanks…”
“It's nothing.”
As I replied, I tried to grab the person who had pushed Karite, but they were already lost in the dense crowd.
"...What kind of people."
They were already too far away to catch.
“Hah. I'm sorry, Karite. It's a bit hectic, isn't it?”
“No, why are you apologizing? But you're right, there are definitely too many people.”
As she spoke, Karite's eyes were wavering slightly.
She still seemed unfamiliar with crowded places, and I wondered if I had pushed her too hard by bringing her here.
‘It definitely wasn't this crowded last time…’
I wondered if some kind of rumor had spread in the last two weeks, because the crowd had grown so much.
After some twists and turns, we finally reached the rabbit hutch and were able to buy some hay to feed them.
“Oh my gosh. They're so cute.”
Seeing Karite marveling in front of the rabbit hutch, a small laugh escaped me.
“Here, Karite. Some hay.”
“Ah, thank you! Can I give them the hay first?”
“Of course. I don't mind.”
As I readily yielded to the clearly excited Karite, my feeling of guilt seemed to ease a little.
Karite didn't seem to be in a bad mood.
‘Cute animals really are a universal favorite.’
It's true in the real world, but here in Groa, cute animals were basically a cheat code.
I like animals too, but girls especially have a soft spot for cute things.
*Rustle.*
As Karite held out her hand with the hay into the hutch, I naturally found myself looking at the rabbits inside.
The rabbit enclosure was divided into roughly two sections.
The hutch we'd approached seemed to have different rabbits from the ones we saw last time.
*Sway, sway.*
Even though Karite was waving the hay for all to see, strangely, not a single rabbit approached.
‘What the?’
This isn't right. I glanced at Karite; her face was still full of expectation as she waved the hay in her hand.
As time slowly passed, I was the one who started getting nervous.
Despite her continuous waving of the hay, the rabbits' reaction was lukewarm at best.
Were there more people feeding them because of the crowd? The rabbits in the hutch did look rather full.
“What should I do? I think the rabbits don't like me.”
When Karite finally spoke in a dejected voice, I shook my head with an awkward smile.
“There's no way. It's just unusually crowded today. It's probably because a lot of people have already given them hay.”
“...You really think so?”
“Yeah. I'm sure of it.”
To convince the gloomy-looking Karite, I took some hay and extended my own hand into the hutch.
*Sway, sway.*
I naturally waved the hay, just as Karite had done a moment ago.
“See? Even when I wave the hay, the rabbits don't come to me, right?”
The moment I was about to say that what just happened was perfectly normal.
*Whoosh!*
...To the point where my words became meaningless.
A pure white rabbit came hopping swiftly towards my hand.
‘No way.’
Even as I looked at the white rabbit, I couldn't believe it.
*Nibble, nibble!*
But when it started skillfully munching on the hay in my hand, I was at a loss for words.
“Han Cheon-seong. Why did it… for you?”
Karite asked, staring at me blankly.
“W-Well, I don't know.”
Of course, I had no idea why either.
'Does this even make sense?'
I was dumbfounded as to why this had happened. I belatedly opened my mouth.
“It just... happened, I guess. Karite, why don't you try reaching out to the rabbit?”
“Now?”
“Yes, now. It's distracted by the hay. The rabbits probably won't be too wary of a person's hand.”
I wanted to console Karite somehow.
“Okay. I'll try.”
Thankfully, Karite seemed to have found some courage and slowly extended her hand. I prayed earnestly.
‘Please, just stay still.’
For the rabbit, distracted by the hay, to accept Karite's touch. Fortunately, my wish was granted.
*Stroke.*
Karite's hand, stroking the rabbit ever so carefully.
As her pale hand gently petted the even whiter rabbit, I felt a sense of relief.
“...Hah. This feels so nice.”
Seeing Karite smiling so brightly, her earlier gloom completely gone, a smile broke out on my face as well.
“See? Why would a rabbit be picky about people? It's accepting your touch right now because it likes it.”
“You're right. I was being a little silly. Ahaha…”
As I shook my head at Karite, who was smiling awkwardly as if embarrassed by my words.
*Nibble, nibble!*
Before I knew it, the hay in my hand was all gone. I expected the rabbit to leave immediately, but it just stayed there, accepting her touch.
“...Han Cheon-seong. The rabbit isn't running away.”
Looking at the surprised Karite, I was just as amazed.
“Yeah. This is a first for me, too.”
Then it occurred to me that this rabbit's eyes seemed a bit more docile than the others.
Karite was so carefully placing her hand on the rabbit's back that I wondered if she was even touching its side. Without thinking, I reached for the rabbit's forehead.
*Stroke.*
As I gently pressed and stroked its forehead with my index finger, the rabbit surprisingly lowered its head and accepted my touch.
“Wow. H-How did you do that?”
Looking at the astonished Karite, I felt like I was finally petting the rabbit properly.
Karite's eyes were sparkling as if she wanted to do the same, but I didn't really have any advice to give.
“...I guess this rabbit is just a gentle one. And rabbits generally like being petted on the forehead.”
*Stroke, stroke.*
The rabbit's eyes were half-closed as my index finger gently stroked back and forth on its forehead, which was quite cute.
Then, suddenly, I saw a pale hand layering over mine.
"I want to do it, too."
I blankly accepted Karite's gentle request, but.
'Wait.'
...Why was she placing her hand over mine? For a moment, I was completely flustered.
*Stroke.*
Stroking the rabbit's forehead with our strangely overlapping fingers. I was so taken aback by this new experience that I was speechless.
"Wow. I'm so happy right now!"
As Karite nonchalantly smiled with her eyes at such a close distance, I found myself nodding along.
'Well... if she's happy, that's what matters.'
Her hand felt soft on mine, but suddenly, I found it embarrassing to meet her gaze.
Karite certainly didn't seem to be doing this intentionally.
That's why there was something about the way she touched me that made it difficult to refuse.
A strange kind of touch that felt perfectly natural to accept.
"…"
*Stroke!*
Then, as Karite pressed her hand down on mine with a little more force, I flinched in surprise.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing."
Karite, however, asked as if nothing was out of the ordinary, and I had no choice but to quietly accept it.