Chapter 78
Chapter 79
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Me, the Key? (1)
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A harmless and bright smile.
An expression so familiar, one she showed only to me.
"Ehehe."
"...Ruena."
"Yeah?"
Ruena tilted her head.
Looking puzzled, she turned her gaze in the direction I was staring.
Soon, Aron's and the crown prince's figures were fully reflected in her eyes.
For a moment, it felt like my breath had caught.
A split-second mistake that plunged me into an irreversible quagmire.
In my mind—
Words I hadn't acknowledged,
Words I didn't want to acknowledge, repeated endlessly.
"But I'm certain. The childhood friend you know will change. ...In half a month, due to the compulsion I mentioned."
"That's the terror of compulsion, kid. Even if minor details keep changing, the core events stay roughly the same."
『...This guy's a real lunatic. More than that, I told you that method doesn't work. I tried it last time. No matter what I did, she woke up.』
『Yeah. That girl does listen to you well. For now.』
Compulsion.
The predetermined plot.
An unchangeable fate.
An ominous prophecy that the Ruena I knew would cease to be.
Those words, in that brief instant—
Ravaged my mind chaotically, infusing it with the poison of anxiety.
Cold sweat trickled down.
Unknowingly, my fist clenched tight.
Even as I suppressed the absurd thoughts, the anxiety continued to grow in form.
I shook my head desperately to shake off the anxiety.
No.
That couldn't be.
The future was never linear.
Countless branches and possibilities existed,
And the accumulation of minute changed factors altered the future.
I knew that better than anyone.
Since age five, I'd seen others' futures,
And for years, I'd stolen others' futures daily from behind my father.
I knew well how common it was for futures to change,
And how detached from reality the illusion of a fixed ending was.
Ruena and I had been childhood friends for over ten years.
In that long time—
Much had built up, and much more had changed.
There was no way some trivial compulsion could render meaningless the time we'd accumulated.
Above all, I believed.
In the Ruena Eliad I knew.
A fool,
A clumsy handful.
But—
In crucial moments, she was stronger than anyone.
So please.
I hoped she wouldn't be swayed by that compulsion or whatever it was.
I looked ahead again.
Aron and the crown prince were still discussing something.
As expected, Aron Brendina showed no intention of backing down.
"No. I'm not giving up. ...Because I promised."
True to her words of not giving up,
Aron Brendina stood before the crown prince as if it were the most natural place.
As if it were her destined spot.
The look in her eyes as she gazed at the crown prince,
The shy smile on her face as she looked at him,
All seemed so natural, so blissfully happy.
'Did that girl... know how to smile like that...?'
She had always been curt.
Few words, hardly any expression changes.
For such an Aron Brendina to wear a smile like that, shy and all...
Her words about liking the crown prince.
Her vow that even if he forgot her,
She would choose him again and again.
All those words... didn't seem empty at all.
And moreover—
The crown prince's expression had softened too.
Just moments ago, he'd looked rigid, even bored.
It was as if spring sunlight shone only on the two of them,
A cozy, subtly sweet atmosphere flowed between them.
'That can't be part of the compulsion too, can it?'
If it was compulsion—
It felt too natural, creating a sense of incongruity instead.
If that was truly compulsion,
'Then Ruena might get swept up in that flow too...'
Another ominous thought wormed its way in.
Desperately hoping it wasn't so inside, I held my breath waiting for Ruena's reaction.
A moment later—
Ruena's voice came from beside me.
"Crown Prince, Your Highness..."
"......"
"When are they going somewhere else? It's much faster that way."
A familiarly nonchalant sigh leaked from beside me.
A completely unexpected, ordinary reaction.
Unable to respond, I blankly stared at Ruena.
Then, barely managing to speak, I asked,
"...What?"
"Huh? Oh, over there."
Ruena pointed at the crown prince with her finger.
More precisely—
She pointed at the stairs behind the crown prince.
Pointing at the stairs, Ruena let out another short sigh and continued.
"Going up those stairs is way faster. Just a short walk after, and the classroom's right there."
"...Y-yeah."
"Sigh... Like you said, Celen, that way's noisy, so we can't go. Why are they talking right in front of the stairs? Go somewhere else if you're gonna chat."
I stared at Ruena, still dazed.
Aron,
The crown prince,
Their relationship.
Her calm attitude and voice showed she couldn't care less.
No matter how I looked—
Ruena's sole concern was optimizing her path.
It was... definitely a normal reaction.
Perhaps eroded by anxiety over compulsion and all,
Ruena's response felt unreal instead.
I couldn't even think of what to say for a moment.
In the end—
Dazed, I mumbled like an idiot.
"...Yeah. Right."
"Huh? Celen? What's up with you all of a sudden?"
"...No. Nothing..."
Ruena tilted her head, peering intently at my face.
'Ah, I'm screwed.'
I had to act like it was nothing.
But my expression had already half crumbled.
I hurriedly straightened my gaze and tried to don my iron mask again.
At that moment—
Ruena firmly grabbed my dazed hand.
"Huh?"
"What're you doing. Let's go, Celen."
Ruena said that with a beaming smile.
The same smile as always.
The one she gave only to me...
So terribly familiar...
Ruena's signature cute, lovable smile.
Why was that?
Just moments ago, everything had been in turmoil.
My expression,
My heart,
Even my thoughts.
All churning wildly, not my own.
The instant I met Ruena's smile—
Like waves calming, everything grew still and serene.
As usual, I quickly redonned my iron mask.
Then, acting nonchalant,
I gripped Ruena's hand a bit firmly before letting go.
"Don't do this at the academy."
"Eyy, it's 'cause you were spacing out, Celen."
"I wasn't spacing out, just thinking for a sec."
"Thinking?"
"Yeah, something like that."
I brushed it off vaguely and hurried my steps.
For now, even if compulsion seemed uninfluential,
I couldn't ignore that it might rear its head again anytime.
'Can't let my guard down.'
Thinking that, I quickly left the scene.
Just as the classroom came into view—
Ruena, following behind, cautiously tugged my clothes.
No way.
Ominousness dominated my mind.
Calming my trembling heart, I turned casually.
"What."
"Celen."
"...Yeah."
"I'm hungry."
Her utterly usual remark deflated me.
Sighing, I pulled a cookie from my pocket.
Ruena smiled brightly in thanks as she took it.
Unwrapping it,
Munching on the cookie.
All so exactly like always that I felt silly for being tense.
A laugh bubbled up.
I pressed my lips tight to barely hold it back.
No matter how I looked, she was the Ruena Eliad I knew.
For some reason...
I felt like I could breathe again.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The first event Melissa and Marian mentioned.
Days had passed since then.
Ruena remained exactly the same as always.
Weak in the mornings,
Still a handful,
Wouldn't even think of waking without me.
'No matter how I look, she's the same as always.'
Just in case—
Was she secretly getting engaged to the crown prince without me knowing?
Such worries led me to visit the Eliad mansion over the weekend.
The Eliad mansion was,
Expectedly, exactly the same as always.
The silent servants,
Grand Duke Kasian glaring murderously down at me.
I could tell without asking.
Whether talks of marriage with the crown prince were happening.
'...Yeah. Definitely the same as always.'
Yes.
Too same as always.
The only difference from the Ruena I knew was that initial gaze.
Ruena without that gaze—
Was indistinguishable from the usual Ruena no matter where or how I looked.
'Looks like compulsion isn't in effect.'
I wasn't the only one thinking that.
Usual lunchtime.
On my way to the canteen to buy a drink for Ruena.
"Celen—!"
"...Yeah."
A familiar voice.
But an urgent demeanor.
It was Melissa.
She rushed toward me, panting heavily.
"...Yeah. What."
"Ruena, huff, Ruena...! Any changes since that day?"
"Nope?"
Melissa's eyes widened.
Soon, something novel flickered in her gaze.
Different from her usual cynicism and pessimism.
A desperate earnestness,
Even anxiety uncharacteristic of Melissa.
'What's this? Why's she so anxious? Did Ruena change in some way I don't know...?'
As wild guesses swirled and I tried to sort my confusion,
Melissa, looking resolved as she gazed at me, spoke up.
"Celen."
"Yeah."
"...You might be the key."
Saying that, Melissa stared straight at me with eyes near certainty.