Chapter 86
Chapter 87
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Does Luena Like Me?
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Me.
With my childhood friend.
With the girl who's been by my side, seeing everything there is to see since we were kids.
"You have to act with romance in mind?"
That nonsense had reached the level of high art.
Of course, protecting Luena had to come first,
but I had no intention of crossing the line of friendship under that pretext.
Luena's feelings weren't something to be handled lightly.
I firmly rejected Melissa's proposal.
But the response I got was completely different from what I'd expected.
Instead of trying to persuade me, Melissa tilted her head with a look like she was staring at something bizarre.
"What are you talking about? She likes you."
"...Huh?"
"What's with that reaction? It's obvious just looking at her, and you seriously didn't know until now?"
Melissa clicked her tongue in disbelief.
Her gaze scanned me from head to toe.
The corners of her mouth drooped lower than usual.
I didn't need to peek into her heart to know.
She genuinely believed that.
📡 Telepathy: Melissa Inner Thoughts "Celen, that guy... he's really hopeless. He's sharp to the point of being annoying about everything else, so why is he so dense about his own stuff? Does he think he's Marian?"
"Apologize."
"...Huh? Apologize for what all of a sudden?"
"...No. Nothing."
For a moment, irritation flared up, and I snapped at the thought I'd just peeked into.
No...
Even so, comparing me to Marian crossed the line.
I grumbled inwardly once more and turned my gaze away.
📡 Telepathy: Melissa Inner Thoughts "Ah, aah...! Now the puzzle pieces fit perfectly."
"I didn't cling to Luena that much this round. But I wondered why she always seemed to resent me. Turns out it was all because Celen was involved."
"Yeah, yeah. When she talked to Celen or right after, her mood would subtly sink, or she'd get sharp with me."
Luena had acted like that?
Come to think of it, Marian had just said something like this a moment ago.
"Oh, when I asked Celen to lend me something and he said no, I asked Luena, and she gave it to me kinda reluctantly."
"Again?"
"Yeah... And when I got snacks from Celen or wheedled him for some... I ate off him so much that maybe... Aaaah──?!"
No way...
Was that why she'd suddenly screamed?
Recalling the situation, had she realized then that Luena liked me?
"If that's true... then I was slower on the uptake than that blockhead?"
No.
That couldn't be.
I wanted to deny it, but the thoughts I'd been rejecting were losing strength in a weird way.
I didn't think of myself as thick-skinned,
but their consistent reactions were getting harder to ignore.
I forcibly sorted out my chaotic mind.
And then─
I calmly sank into thought.
To judge if Luena really liked me.
She likes me.
Luena likes me...
"What do people usually do when they like someone?"
For an instant, my mind went completely blank.
This time, it wasn't from fluster.
Literally.
For real.
I had almost no references to draw from.
Thanks to my youngest brother, any interest in romance had evaporated,
and I'd resigned myself to dying alone.
So, when it came to dating, I was basically clueless.
You don't know what to do when you see them.
Your face turns bright red.
Your heart races like crazy.
That was the extent of my basic, textbook knowledge.
Judging by those standards─
Luena had never really reacted like that to me.
We'd known each other since childhood.
Being conscious of each other would have been weirder.
"If my face had been red for over ten years straight, if I'd been at a loss and my heart pounding nonstop... that wouldn't be liking someone; it'd just be an illness."
If that state had continued indefinitely,
we couldn't have maintained our childhood friend relationship for so long.
Those standards yielded no answers.
They were too fleeting and short-term for a bond spanning over a decade.
No matter how I thought about it, those benchmarks felt off somehow.
"In that case..."
I decided to recall behaviors typical of long-term lovers.
We'd never dated,
but the time we'd spent together was longer than most couples'.
But─
"...This is truly uncharted territory."
I had no interest in romance myself,
so I should've gathered examples by observing others.
But aside from my youngest brother, everyone around me had sworn off dating.
And even his examples...
Were just memories of a woman who'd mistaken me for him grabbing my hair and throwing a fit on the street.
"This is driving me crazy."
A sigh slipped out amid the frustration.
After studying history for over ten years,
it felt like being suddenly handed a math exam.
I pressed my temples.
I cleared my mind again, flushing out all the dizzying thoughts.
"Right. I had the wrong benchmarks from the start."
The truth about us existed only between us.
Not swayed by their words,
nor judged by universal, objective standards.
I decided to go through each memory of Luena that I recalled, one by one.
Luena.
Luena Eliad.
Her expressionless face would light up with a smile when she saw me.
Even with people around, her gaze lingered on me more than anyone.
She talked more around me,
never clung to others but naturally closed the distance with me.
When I briefly left a room or office and returned,
my eyes would meet Luena's, who was always looking toward the door.
When I visited the mansion.
And when I left it.
Luena would stop whatever she was doing to see me off or greet me.
Since we were kids.
Up until now.
Without a single change.
It had repeated like the most natural thing in the world.
So... I hadn't thought of it as special.
"Wait."
Suddenly, a crucial clue flashed through my mind.
It was─
Luena's inner thoughts, which I'd given up trying to read long ago.
📡 Telepathy: Luena (Past) Inner Thoughts "I like, like, like. I like it so much. I'm so happy Celen's by my side. I'm thrilled. I'm happy. Please, just like this, stay by my side forever and ever."
She'd repeated "like" over and over,
so I'd dismissed it as just being happy to be with me.
"That wasn't... what it meant..."
Heat rushed through my entire body.
My heart pounded so hard it felt like my vision was spinning.
The inner thoughts hit me with a completely different meaning now, throwing my mind into chaos.
The Luena in my memories
kept giving me the same answer.
She likes me.
Definitely.
Me.
Probably.
Since a very long time ago.
With my thick skin utterly shattered, I turned to the two of them.
Marian was still nodding,
and Melissa had her arms crossed, gazing steadily at me.
Her face said, Now do you get it?
"...Damn."
I let out a sigh and ran a hand over my face.
I had no choice but to admit it.
This time, I was beneath that blockhead.
Another sigh escaped.
This one carried a slightly different nuance.
Self-mockery.
Resignation.
And resolve.
I slowly raised my head.
Both their gazes fixed on me.
I patched up my broken facade, straightened my posture.
"Fine..."
My voice was calmer than I'd expected.
Probably because I'd already reached a conclusion in my head.
I opened my mouth, looking at Melissa, who was still watching me intently with arms crossed.
"So, what exactly do you want me to do? How should I interfere with the events?"
"Simple. Probably just do what you did this time."
Melissa uncrossed her arms and took a step closer.
Her voice was calmer and more serious than usual as she continued.
"We'll tell you all the designated events. All you have to do is naturally step in by Luena's side every time one happens."
"...Step in?"
"Yeah. Call her name like last time, or if the compelling force kicks in stronger, use other means. The key is breaking the compelling force."
I nodded slowly at Melissa's words.
Then the quickest solution popped into my head, and I spoke.
"Hey."
"Yeah, what?"
"Saying I should become Luena's capture target is just another way of saying I should be her love interest, right? ...So, why not just confess to her right now?"
"Hah──?!"
Melissa stared at me in absolute shock.
I tilted my head at her.
Wasn't it the most obvious solution?
If our goals aligned, there was no reason to take the long way around.
Wasn't it the simplest, surefire way to skip all the events?
But─
Melissa clearly didn't see it that way.
After scanning me up and down repeatedly, she pressed her forehead and said,
"Hey... Just a minute ago, you were all 'I won't cross the friend line, I don't want to treat Luena's feelings lightly,' and now─ your own feelings for confessing are─."
"I like her."
"...Huh?"
"I'm confessing because I like her."
I stated it firmly and waited for Melissa's response.