Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 226
Chapter Title: Bedlam
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It was a coincidence.
Seeing Han Cheon-seong's table as I entered the dining hall, noticing he was with another woman I didn't know...
And so, my approaching them... I suppose that was also a coincidence.
After all, I hadn't intended to do any of it.
I simply found myself walking over and speaking to Han Cheon-seong.
“...”
And now, here I was, having joined them for dinner.
Our eyes met frequently.
Not with Han Cheon-seong.
But with the woman sitting directly across from me.
From her black uniform, I gathered her name was Millia and she was a C-Class cadet. Her black hair, a different shade from Han Cheon-seong's, and her peculiar gaze drew my attention.
I sliced a piece of cheese.
As I lightly brought it to my lips, I found her gaze strangely displeasing.
As for why it displeased me, I had no clear reason.
Unlike Han Cheon-seong, who had tried to refuse my request to join them, she had welcomed me. And throughout the meal, she hadn't said or done anything to offend me.
"Come to think of it, how did you two become close?"
"We ran into each other a few times before enrolling in the academy."
I answered.
"...So you became friends quite naturally?"
"I wouldn't say it was natural. I was the one who approached Han Cheon-seong and spoke to him first."
As I answered calmly and met her gaze, I saw her nod in understanding, her black hair swaying faintly.
And that was strangely...
*'Different.'*
She felt a little different from the other cadets.
*Glance.*
As the thought crossed my mind, I glanced beside me and saw Han Cheon-seong, eating in a manner clearly different from his usual self.
His movements were unnatural as he looked back and forth between Millia and me. It was obvious even now.
"...That's right. That's how we started."
He awkwardly added to my answer, and I could feel him tense up whenever his gaze landed on Millia.
"So you've continued to meet since then?"
"You could say that."
While answering, I looked at Millia again.
Her gaze seemed to ask if that was all, and as I met it, a strange feeling tickled my heart.
*'Indeed...'*
At first, I met with him to understand him. Using that as a pretext, our meetings continued until... we had become friends.
After that, my mindset changed to one of understanding a friend, and my feelings shifted.
Rather than obsessively trying to assign meaning to his every action to understand him, I now wanted to understand him as an extension of meeting a friend.
"Then you must be an even better person than I thought, Glacia. To continue a connection from before the academy... and to keep meeting without regard for class divisions."
"Well... that's, true, but."
As Han Cheon-seong responded to her words with a faint laugh, a chuckle escaped my lips as well.
The meaning behind his laughter was clear in just a few words.
"Oh... Han Cheon-seong. Did I say something strange?"
"Not at all. It's just that Glacia and I have a slightly different situation."
He shook his head and met my eyes, and I nodded in return.
What Han Cheon-seong said was true.
Millia seemed to have a high opinion of me, but the reality of our relationship was not like that.
In the beginning, I had approached Han Cheon-seong wanting to understand him, and he, in turn, had made a small demand of me, saying we needed to meet often for that to happen.
It wasn't as Millia said; I hadn't approached him with good intentions.
I had clearly looked down on his Trait and had only approached him because I couldn't understand his contradictory behavior.
"Because in the beginning, I was the one who made a demand of Han Cheon-seong."
The words slipped out, and I calmly realized it.
That my attitude back then was clearly wrong. That it was no way to treat another person...
I had come to realize that by meeting Han Cheon-seong.
"A demand?"
"...Hey, Glacia, if you say it like that, it sounds really strange."
Seeing a surprised Millia and a greatly flustered Han Cheon-seong, I wanted to say exactly what I felt.
Our relationship now was not the same as it was back then.
"There's nothing strange about it. I demanded that Han Cheon-seong meet with me, and he simply accepted."
I looked at Millia as I clearly explained our past relationship.
"I'm not that good of a person. If anyone else had a Common Trait, I wouldn't have approached them."
“...”
"And I didn't demand he meet me without any conditions."
"Wait a minute, G-Glacia?"
"And so, Han Cheon-seong. You made a demand of me too. Just as you accepted my demand, you made one of your own."
Just as I had wanted him to meet me, Han Cheon-seong had demanded money from me as compensation.
When I think about it, that was definitely our relationship in the beginning.
And while that arrangement continues even now, its fundamental meaning has completely changed.
*'Because now, we're clearly friends.'*
And I believed it was a relationship that went a little further than just ordinary friendship... and I continued to meet with him.
I still pay him because I want to understand him, but I've noticed something else has changed as he's continued to meet with me.
He no longer tries to demand money from me. Instead, whenever I step up to pay for meals or other expenses, I can feel him trying to help me in other ways.
"Millia? I hope you don't misunderstand what was just said. The demands I made, and the ones Glacia made of me, weren't anything that serious. It's the kind of thing that can happen between close friends."
Watching Han Cheon-seong speak so urgently, I let out a soft laugh.
It made me feel it even more.
That our relationship was no longer one of simple exchange.
"...A simple friendship."
Then, seeing Millia muttering blankly, I opened my mouth.
"No, it's not simple."
The relationship between Han Cheon-seong and me wasn't that simple. That needed to be corrected.
"Then... Glacia. What is your relationship with Han Cheon-seong?"
I froze for a moment at her question.
Saying we had a 'not-simple friendship' felt... a bit strange.
Our relationship certainly wasn't simple, but just calling it a friendship felt too weak.
With that thought, I looked at Han Cheon-seong.
"...Han Cheon-seong."
Seeing him sigh even as I called his name, I found myself asking as well.
"What are we?"
***
A conversation with no beginning and no end.
And caught in the middle, Cheon-seong couldn't keep up with the pace of the conversation.
"What are we?"
Glacia asked, staring intently into his eyes.
She seemed to have absolutely no idea how her words might be interpreted.
He sighed, finding the situation utterly ridiculous.
*'She's dumping this on me.'*
She had created this chaotic mess of misunderstandings and now expected him to clean it all up.
And knowing her actions held no malice, he could only let out a dry laugh.
He had no idea why she had so stubbornly insisted on joining them in the first place, nor why she was acting this way in front of Millia.
And yet, he had to answer now.
Millia, staring at him blankly with a look of disbelief.
Glacia, staring intently as she deferred the answer to him.
Caught between their gazes, he took a breath and tried to compose himself.
*'Keep it simple.'*
In truth, back when his own feelings were in turmoil, Glacia had been the first to speak.
She had defined their relationship, stating they were friends and nothing more, demanding they continue meeting under that premise.
So there was no room for temptation.
He knew Millia was misunderstanding their words, but he opened his mouth, trying to sound as calm as possible.
"We're close friends. It's true, as Glacia said, we used to meet in exchange for compensation, but now we're just meeting as good friends."
“...!”
At his words, Millia's eyes widened even further, and she blinked in surprise.
*'Wait.'*
...No way.
Could it be that a relationship with 'that kind of meaning' exists in this world too?
He thought it was impossible, but if Millia was this surprised, then...
There was only 'that.'
"M-Millia? Just so you know, Glacia and I never had an unhealthy... that kind of strange relationship."
...Even as he said it, he wasn't sure what he was talking about.
But it felt like something he had to say.
"Right, of course...? Sorry, I think I overreacted without realizing it. I'm sorry."
Just as he was nodding, greatly relieved by Millia's awkward reply.
"Hm? What's an unhealthy relationship?"
Glacia blinked, looking puzzled. Seeing her eyes, which held not a hint of understanding... he simply shut his mouth.
The 'that kind of relationship' that he and Millia were thinking of.
He had no desire to spell it out.