Chapter 299: Between Lover and Pet Dog (5)
Chapter 299: Between Lover and Pet Dog (5)
Just as I was about to reflexively call out to her—Senior Elsie.
"Right, I'm sorry. I was wrong... That's why I'm going around apologizing. Not that it'll make my sins disappear, though."
The girl’s voice drifted out, thick with suppressed humiliation.
I held my breath at her blunt tone.
I couldn't believe it.
This was Senior Elsie we were talking about.
She was a woman whose temper was second to none. Instead of an apology, it would have been normal for her to be spitting out curses by now, unable to contain her rage.
But not only had she bowed her head before a commoner, she had actually delivered a proper apology.
It was a feat bordering on a miracle.
Did Lupin actually have a talent for teaching?
However, the lingering warmth of that impression didn't last long.
Before I could even process the sentiment, a thunderous roar erupted from the man’s mouth.
"……Don't make me laugh!"
Senior Elsie flinched, her shoulders trembling as she squeezed her eyes shut.
Her posture suggested she was already growing accustomed to being screamed at.
"Do—do you have any idea how many nightmares I've had since then?! Every time I walked down the street, I had to look over my shoulder! Terrified that your gang might be there...!"
"……I'm sorry."
Even against the man’s surging torrent of words, Senior Elsie merely whispered her apology again.
The man seemed dazed by her submissive attitude.
His body shook violently for a moment before he finally turned his head away.
I could understand how he felt.
Senior Elsie’s methods were famous for being particularly cruel.
Furthermore, her specialty was using her family’s influence to neutralize her opponents. It was a level of intimidation that a commoner with no connections could never hope to withstand.
Under such pressure, anyone would eventually break.
Whether it was their body, their mind, or both.
The very person who had left those deep scars on his soul was now standing before him.
She had shown up out of the blue to apologize, acting as if she had spent all this time in deep reflection.
It must have felt absurd.
And he likely had no intention of forgiving her.
That was undoubtedly why the man’s voice turned deathly cold.
"……Get lost."
There was a faint trace of moisture in his tone.
The gaunt man took off his glasses and hurriedly wiped away his tears. Perhaps the pain he had endured was flashing through his mind once again.
With her head still bowed, Senior Elsie offered one more apology.
"I'll say it again, I'm sorry... If you want, I'll come back as many times as—"
"I told you to get lost!"
It was then that the man roughly shoved Senior Elsie.
"Ah!" With a small cry, Senior Elsie tumbled onto the ground.
I reflexively winced at the sudden turn of events.
The rumors said she had changed, but could Senior Elsie really endure even this?
It seemed the man was struck by the same question.
For a split second, his eyes were flooded with terror.
But contrary to his fears, there was no retaliation from the fallen Elsie.
She simply struggled to pick herself up, her movements unsteady.
Watching her, the man stammered out a final warning.
"D—don't ever show your face in front of me again... and don't even think about being forgiven! You left a wound on me that will never heal..."
That was his final word.
The man turned and began to walk away with staggering steps, not stopping until Senior Elsie was out of sight.
And then, he locked eyes with me, where I was hiding behind the building.
It was a staggering coincidence.
The backyard of this secluded building was open in all directions. Unless he had specifically chosen this path, the chances of him running into me were low.
And yet, our gazes met.
I could only call it a prank of fate.
There was zero possibility that the man had come looking for me on purpose.
I could tell just by how his face instantly turned pale.
He was clearly terrified of me.
In a certain sense, I was an object of fear even greater than Senior Elsie.
After all, I was the man who had a record of crushing the Princess's escort knights in the middle of Central Avenue.
Not only that, I had even laid hands on the Princess herself. By now, there wasn't a soul left in the Academy who expected me to act like a rational human being.
To cross me was to risk ending up in the temple's Concentrated Healing Room.
Furthermore, though the details were unknown, the Princess appeared to be supporting me from the shadows. No one in their right mind wanted to oppose me.
In a way, I was the upgraded version of Senior Elsie.
Whether it was in terms of skill, the perceived cruelty of my methods, or the background backing me up.
Of course, it was a reputation I found quite unfair.
I had never once attacked someone first.
Usually, it was a matter of self-defense, and I had never used violence against a powerless commoner.
My confrontation with the Princess only happened because there were circumstances that demanded it.
But I couldn't expect everyone to understand the nuances of my situation.
Therefore, it was only natural for the man to fear me more than Senior Elsie.
Add to that the rumors already rampant throughout the Academy about my "special" relationship with Senior Elsie, and he had every reason to be scared out of his wits.
The man’s body shook as he took a step back.
Tearing up, he shook his head desperately.
He looked as if he had just come face-to-face with a demonic beast out of legend.
"I-It's a misunderstanding... A misunderstanding...!"
"……Forget it."
I let out a deep sigh as I gave my answer.
The man, of course, continued to steal glances at me with eyes full of distrust.
He was quick on the uptake.
In truth, I wasn't in a good mood.
Seeing Senior Elsie get shoved and fall right in front of me sparked a surge of emotion that defied logic.
But I knew.
I knew I couldn't act on it.
Struggling to calm my heart, I feigned as casual a voice as possible.
"You're the victim here... Just go."
Human emotions were truly fickle.
Now that I had grown fond of Senior Elsie, I felt a genuine urge to take her side blindly.
I decided to keep that selfish impulse in check.
Of course, that didn't stop my heart from aching.
Poor Senior Elsie.
No, I shouldn't be feeling sorry for her, so why did that pity keep bubbling up?
I watched Senior Elsie in silence until long after the man had scrambled away.
Only after a significant amount of time had passed did she shakily stand up.
Scowling deeply, she brushed the dirt off her clothes.
Then, she let out a string of foul language, just like her usual self.
"……Ugh, that little shit. For a guy, he's got a heart the size of a pea."
But because her words were laced with an undeniable sorrow and humiliation...
I couldn't say anything for a long time.
I simply withdrew quietly, out of respect for her pride.
*
The next day, I eventually went to see Reto.
I was reluctant to disclose the intimate details regarding Senior Elsie, but I needed a reliable advisor.
Reto was more than capable of fulfilling that role.
As expected, he had already heard all the rumors about her.
When I sat down across from him and let out a sigh, he clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"Tsk, tsk. Why did you let things get so tangled up?"
"……I didn't know I was such a pathetic guy either."
"Then let me tell you now. You're incredibly pathetic. You're a piece of trash who goes around leading people on when you can't even handle the consequences."
Reto delivered his ruthless assessment as he always did.
I didn't even have the energy to get angry.
I simply raised my hands in surrender.
"Fine, it's my fault... So, what should I do, Reto?"
"What about your heart?"
The counter-question came instantly.
It was a question I couldn't answer.
I felt as if I had been blindsided.
Reto’s light green eyes stared at me intently. With a serious gaze, he asked again.
"I'm asking how you feel. You need to know that first, don't you?"
But there was no way an answer would suddenly pop out when I hadn't been able to find one despite days of agonizing over it.
After hesitating for a long time, I let out another long sigh and spoke.
"To be honest, I'm not really sure..."
"No one is ignorant of their own heart."
Reto said this as he nonchalantly looked away.
He flipped a page in the book he was reading.
His attitude suggested he didn't care one way or the other.
"They either hide it, delude themselves, or just look away... If you don't know your own heart, who will? That's the kind of nonsense only girls obsessed with romance novels believe. Well, I suppose that's the interesting part of human psychology..."
Reto’s eyes flicked back toward me.
Unable to say anything in response to his critique, I simply stared down at the floor.
"You don't have the luxury of running away anymore. If you were a person who was rotten to the core like me, it would be one thing, but you're a half-baked person who's bound to keep suffering."
"……Then what?"
"You have no choice but to lay your heart bare."
Reto spoke as if he were stating the obvious.
He continued to flip through his book as he gave me his sincere advice.
"Can't you tell just by looking? That senior is being sincere... So you have to respond with sincerity as well."
After much deliberation, I decided to take Reto’s advice.
Just as I always had.
Reto was right.
No one could run away from the truth of their heart.
Not me, and not Senior Elsie.
So, the time for me to make a choice had arrived.
In the end, I had no choice but to steel my resolve.
It was time to face Senior Elsie’s sincerity.
And my own.