No Friends...?
No friends…?
“Looks like you’ve been out playing again today.”
In Eve’s memories, her grandfather’s words always began that way.
“I told you last time. Friends are nothing but empty illusions. They’re tools meant to serve you. Don’t waste your time on tools. Tools exist so you can save time, not spend it.”
Day after day, without fail.
“If they don’t obey, dispose of them. If they’re useless, throw them away.”
Until her ears ached from hearing it.
“…Are you even listening to what your grandfather is saying?”
The endless stream of words poured down on her.
“You are a member of this family. This duchy, this empire, and even this world. You must treat all of it as nothing more than the courtyard of our estate.”
“……”
“Use everything you encounter along the way. Discard what is useless. Things like friendship, life, or love—those worthless, empty concepts—are not factors you need to consider.”
Eve’s silent, obedient posture as she sat there listening without a word had finally gotten on her grandfather’s nerves.
“…By the way, what is that clump of grass hanging around your neck?”
It was… something I made with my friend earlier…
That was the answer she gave, but she realized too late that she had made a mistake. Her grandfather’s face had already twisted in disgust.
“Confidence! I told you to speak loudly! How old are you that you still mumble like that?!”
He huffed and puffed for a long moment before speaking in a low voice.
“Useless.”
Whether he was talking about the granddaughter before him or the flowers that had been viciously torn apart, she couldn’t tell.
“Never make anything like ‘friends’ in front of me again.”
Those cold words pierced her heart like a blade.
“If you do, I will dispose of them myself, right then and there.”
Eve knew all too well that those wrinkled lips had never once spoken empty threats.
From that day on, she stopped meeting children her own age.
*
It had been two months since I met Eve.
Her health had mostly recovered, and she was finally starting to adjust to her new life with some real energy. I thought the time had finally come.
“Eve! You’re going on a school tour tomorrow, right?! Wow~ That’s amazing! You must’ve been so bored staying here all by yourself. There are only adults around. You have to go play with your friends and have lots of fun!”
Upon hearing the news, Caramel chattered excitedly while ruffling Eve’s hair in every direction. Normally, Eve would have been basking in the touch like a contented cat, but today she only gave a gloomy little nod.
Caramel immediately stopped petting her and turned to glare at me with both eyes narrowed.
“Why does Eve look so down?!”
…Why are you glaring at me?
I answered her defensively.
“It seems like Eve isn’t all that eager to go to school.”
“School? Why? Did she say she doesn’t want to?”
“I’m not sure. That’s why we’re only doing this one-day trial tour.”
“Hmm… Well, it’s pretty common at her age. I didn’t want to go to school either.”
“If it were just that, I’d be relieved…”
I could only look at her with worried eyes.
That night, Eve tossed and turned again. Her breathing was unsteady. Her movements were awkward. It was completely different from how she used to fall asleep the moment she closed her eyes.
Wondering if she had another fever, I placed my hand on her forehead, but she didn’t feel particularly warm.
“Are you feeling sick anywhere?”
She shook her head.
“If you keep your eyes wide open like that, you’ll never fall asleep.”
I tucked her blanket all the way up again and turned on the nightlight to a faint glow.
…Is the school tour really worrying her that much?
I kept the question I couldn’t bring myself to ask buried in my heart.
It was only a few days ago that I learned the real reason Eve was under more stress than necessary. I had told her several times, “If you really hate it, you don’t have to go,” but Eve stubbornly shook her head and insisted.
“……”
Eve closed her eyes while breaking out in a cold sweat. As always, I gently stroked her hair until she finally fell asleep.
The uneasy atmosphere continued into the next morning. Something was different. Eve, who always woke up before me, showed no sign of wanting to leave her blanket. If I hadn’t mentioned breakfast, she might have stayed buried there all day.
“……Can I… not go to the shop today…?”
After hesitating and fidgeting for a while, Eve finally asked.
“I do take one day off a week. It’s irregular, though. I’m self-employed, after all.”
“……….”
“Do you really not want to go? To school, I mean.”
I asked her carefully.
“You don’t have to worry too much. If you don’t want to go, I won’t force you.”
“……”
“Just think of it as spending one day playing with the friends you’ll meet for the first time. How does that sound?”
At the word ‘friends,’ Eve flinched visibly. For a brief moment, her expression was mixed with fear. I didn’t miss it.
“It’s okay. I’ll watch over you from a distance.”
…Nod.
Only then did Eve tightly grasp my hand.
Recently, instead of trailing behind me like she was monitoring me, Eve had started walking beside me more often. Though today was the first time we actually held hands while walking.
The destination wasn’t too far from home, but not particularly close either. About a ten-minute walk. On the way, I bought her a warm cocoa to lift her spirits and held it to her lips.
When we reached the school gate, a young teacher was waiting to greet us. She had long, flowing red hair and a neat, refined appearance. At first glance, words like calm or elegant came to mind, but the beads of sweat on her forehead gave her an unexpectedly lively energy.
She first looked at Eve and smiled softly, then her eyes met mine and widened in surprise.
“…Is something wrong?”
“…Ah… Aah! No, no, not at all! You must be Eve, here for the school tour, and her guardian, right? Please come in!”
What was that? Did I imagine it?
“We’ll be in your care today. …Come on, Eve. Say hello to the teacher.”
“Hello…”
“Hello~ You’re Eve, right? I’ll be counting on you today.”
Guided by the teacher, Eve and I slowly toured the school.
Children born in the empire begin attending school at a certain age. The age requirement is rather loose, attendance isn’t strictly mandatory, and the definition of ‘school’ itself is somewhat vague, but still.
The school we visited today was one of the most ‘ordinary’ ones among them.
“Our school places the greatest importance on freedom. It might sound a bit harsh coming from an adult, but the time when children can become friends and study together regardless of social status is actually very short.”
If someone asked whether such a free academic atmosphere could truly exist under a monarchy, I would honestly tilt my head in doubt. If I were the emperor, I would have shut this place down long ago… But since this is the world of an otome game filled with villainesses and romance fantasy tropes, it feels a bit loose in that regard.
“Don’t the children from different families fight when you mix them all together?”
“Oh, don’t even get me started. They fight like crazy.”
The teacher let out a deep, exhausted sigh.
“Kids are so sharp. They argue about how much someone’s parents earn per month, how expensive their clothes are, or even whose father works under whose father… They form factions and fight! Sigh! Even listening to it makes my heart drop sometimes.”
“I… I see.”
“They pick up everything the adults say.”
Her honest, unfiltered answer made me smile bitterly. She continued.
“But I know. If not now, they won’t even have the chance to fight, make up, and play together.”
With a slightly softened expression, she gazed at the children in the distance.
“So watching them fight sometimes, make up, and study together… I think that might be my greatest joy as a teacher.”
Please wait a moment.
With those words, she opened the door to the noisy classroom and stepped inside.
Clang, clang, clang!
She rang the small bell on the desk with practiced ease.
“Attention!”
…She shouted, but the noise didn’t settle down all at once. The teacher shrugged as if she had expected it. She probably hadn’t hoped it would work on the first try.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
This time she rang it repeatedly.
“If you don’t pay attention to the teacher, you’ll get a demerit~ Who wants to be on duty next week~”
“Leon!”
“Hey, you traitor! Teacher! He was talking too!”
It was exactly like the elementary school I attended in my previous life…
“Alright, everyone! Today we have a friend I’d like to introduce to all of you!”
“A friend?”
“Is it a transfer student?”
“Wow! So they’re joining our class?”
“Transfer student! Transfer student!”
“It’s not that. She’ll just be playing with all of you for today~”
The teacher calmed the children down, but they quickly started chattering again anyway. Whether it was a girl or a boy, where the boy should sit if it was a boy, that their class was finally getting a transfer student—the sudden flood of excitement made Eve, who had been waiting in the hallway, shrink back in fear for a moment.
“Come on in, Eve.”
Even at the teacher’s gesture, Eve couldn’t easily take a step forward. I gently stroked her hair.
“It’s okay, Eve.”
“……”
“When we go home, let’s eat something delicious together.”
“…Okay~”
Eve answered reluctantly and cautiously stepped into the classroom.
The moment Eve appeared, the previously noisy children finally focused their attention.
“Whoa, she’s so pretty!”
“She looks just like a princess living in the imperial palace!”
“H-hmph… She’s not bad, I suppose! O-of course, she’s not as good as me!”
The girls were the first to squeal with excitement. Some students held their breath, while others stared at Eve with dazed eyes.
Eve, who had been painfully thin and haggard when I first met her, had now gained weight appropriate for her age. She was a genuinely pretty and adorable little girl. One of the few things I could proudly boast about.
“Idiot. The one living in the imperial palace isn’t a princess, it’s an imperial princess. Don’t you even know that?”
One of the boys snickered and teased them for making a fuss, but even he couldn’t take his eyes off Eve.
“Quiet down~ Everyone. Next is basic magic class, right? The teacher in charge will be here soon, so please prepare for class~ And, Nina.”
“Yes.”
“Since this is Eve’s first day, could you show her around?”
“Understood, teacher. I’ll take care of it.”
The girl called Nina answered in a mature manner and approached Eve. Eve looked visibly flustered by how suddenly Nina closed the distance. But when I nodded at her from the hallway beyond the window, she finally followed carefully behind Nina.
…It was a better start than I had feared.
My role was simply to trust Eve and wait for her, even if only from a distance.