It's You Again? (2)
Sighing, Silia glared at me and muttered, "Why does he have to show up everywhere I go?"
With that, she turned and headed toward the kitchen area. But instead of speaking right away, she hesitated for a moment before finally placing her order.
"...Um, I'll have the same thing I had a few days ago."
The old man who had gone into the kitchen poked his head out, smiling warmly at her.
"Got it. I'll whip it up right away, so just wait a bit."
Hey, old man. You always nag me nonstop, but look at how different you are with her.
Well, I suppose it's impossible not to smile when you see Silia's face. Her features were as meticulously crafted as if a sculptor had poured his heart and soul into every delicate line—sharp, refined, and perfectly balanced. Those obsidian-black eyes, the elegant slope of her nose, and her tightly pressed pink lips all combined to create a beauty that looked like it had stepped straight out of a painting. Her jet-black hair cascaded luxuriously past her shoulders, swaying with every movement.
Honestly, it was an absurdly beautiful face. It made me wonder if some god had messed up the stat distribution when creating her. Then again, being a half-vampire and half-human, it would probably be harder for her not to be stunning.
Anyway.
After finishing her order, Silia glanced around before—without any hesitation—sitting down right next to me. As I paused mid-meal and stared at her, she spoke up.
"Hey, what are you looking at? Just eat your food. There's no other seat, so I'm sitting here. That's all."
I didn't even say anything. And there were plenty of empty seats since the place wasn't crowded. So why sit next to me and say something like that?
Still, it didn't really matter, so I continued eating. Then Silia spoke again.
"Hey, so... what happened with your father? Did you fight or something?"
So that's why she had such a bad reaction back at the hospital when the topic of fathers came up. She had deep scars when it came to family—especially fathers. That must have been why her expression soured when I mentioned being disowned. It had been bothering her this whole time.
But she quickly waved her hands in front of her face.
"Never mind. If you don't want to talk about it, don't. I shouldn't have asked. Just finish your meal."
Silia was someone who had been abandoned by her father and carried many deep wounds because of it. On the surface she acted tough, but I knew better. She was more fragile and affectionate than anyone. I knew that all too well.
Her unhealed wounds would fester, new scars would carve themselves into her, and in the end, she would never reunite with her family before meeting a miserable death.
Knowing all that about her... maybe it was okay to say just one thing.
I set my spoon down for a moment and spoke bluntly.
"We just didn't see eye to eye. Jeron and I were pursuing completely different things. That's why we went our separate ways."
"...Is that so? Sounds like you two never got along, even before."
"Pretty much."
"By the way, with your hand like that, can you even eat properly? Not that I'm worried about you or anything. I'm just... purely curious, that's all."
Did she really need to add all those disclaimers just to ask a question?
"It's not bad enough that I can't use a spoon. It just throbs a little, that's all."
"Hmm. I see."
As she said that, she kept glancing at my hand while subtly licking her lips. Was it just my imagination?
Anyway.
After that, the conversation died out. We continued eating in somewhat awkward silence until the old man emerged from the kitchen carrying a freshly made bowl of soup and rice. He set it down in front of Silia, who was sitting beside me.
"It's hot, so be careful."
"Okay."
After serving her, Joseph turned his gaze toward me. His eyes were deep and meaningful, and the corners of his mouth were slightly lifted in a smirk. He stared at me so intently I genuinely wanted to punch him.
Why is he looking at me like that?
Once the old man returned to the kitchen with a sly grin, Silia immediately began devouring her food. She kept brushing her hair back as she ate at an incredible speed. No—this wasn't eating. This was straight-up vacuuming. Even though it was served in a boiling-hot earthenware pot, she was demolishing it at a terrifying pace. At this rate, it was like a vacuum cleaner sucking up rice. She was inhaling it so fast I was worried she'd burn herself.
I ate pretty quickly myself, but this was on another level.
As I watched her, Silia—cheeks puffed out like a squirrel—suddenly looked my way. She swallowed everything in one big gulp and spoke.
"Hey, what are you staring at? Haven't you ever seen someone eat before?"
It wasn't that. I just thought the way she ate—like a little squirrel—was kind of cute, so I kept watching without realizing it. Maybe I had stared too obviously.
Anyway.
I leaned forward slightly, reached out, and gently brushed a grain of rice from her pink lips.
"Don't eat so messily. Slow down or you'll get indigestion."
Her beautiful face instantly turned bright red. She exploded at me.
"Hey—what, what the hell are you doing?! Are you crazy? Do you want to die?!"
"I said don't eat with food all over your pretty face. Slow down. No one's chasing you."
Her face grew even redder. It looked like steam was about to rise from the top of her head. Then, tomato-red, she added,
"Hey, whether I eat fast and get indigestion or not—what does that have to do with you?"
Why is she getting so angry? I was just worried about her.
"It doesn't have anything to do with me. But I'm saying it because I am worried about you."
"Ha, that's ridiculous. Who do you think you are, my mom? Nagging me about how I eat."
"..."
"...Anyway, finish that and come outside for a bit. I have something to say."
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Just come outside. I'll wait for you out there first."
With that, she finished the last of her food, went to the kitchen to pay, and left the restaurant.
I didn't know what she wanted to talk about, but it seemed best to hurry. I quickly finished my own meal, gathered both our bowls, and brought them to the kitchen.
The old man, who was washing dishes, looked at me and said,
"Brat, you might end up getting stabbed with a knife if you're not careful."
"The food was good. What are you talking about?"
"If you're done eating, just get out of here already."
"Will do."
I had no idea what the old man was on about, but I headed outside anyway.
When I stepped out of the shop, I saw Silia leaning against the building wall in a slightly crooked pose. The sight was so picturesque that I stared blankly for about three seconds. She, who had been looking up at the sky, turned her head toward me. Then she suddenly grabbed my left wrist and began dragging me somewhere.
"Where are we going all of a sudden?"
Startled by her abrupt behavior, I asked, but she only tightened her grip.
"Shut up and just follow me."
Where the hell are we going? Can't you at least tell me?
But her expression looked extremely serious, so I didn't press further. We continued walking through the crowd, heading toward some unknown destination.
As Silia pulled me by the wrist through the streets, I began to hear the murmurs of people around us.
Scum like that existed no matter where you went. Talking trash so openly even though we were right there.
I didn't care if people insulted me. Whether they cursed me behind my back, ignored me, or did whatever—they could do as they pleased. I could just ignore it. I could just endure it.
But when someone spoke that way about my friend, for some reason, it really pissed me off.
So, irritated by the bastards badmouthing Silia, I stopped walking.
"Wait here for a moment."
I gently let go of her hand and approached the ones having their vulgar conversation. As I got closer, they started backing away, but I grabbed them. Placing a hand on each of their shoulders, I spoke.
"You two. I've memorized your faces. If I hear that kind of dog barking near my ears again, I won't let you off so easily next time."
"S-sorry... I won't do it again."
"I understand... s-sorry."
"If you understand, then get lost."
The moment I finished speaking, they fled like their lives depended on it. I turned away from them and walked back to Silia, who was standing quietly. Standing in front of her, I carefully brushed aside the hair covering her eyes and said,
"Don't pay them any mind. Just ignore what trash like that says."
Silia's cheeks were slightly flushed as she replied,
"...You don't have to tell me that. I don't care about guys like them anyway. You're just butting in for no reason. And don't touch my hair... it feels weird."
But even as she said that, her face seemed to hold the faintest trace of a smile. Was it just my imagination?
Anyway.
Silia grabbed my wrist again and added,
"Hmph. Don't think I'm grateful just because you did that. Don't do it again. Whatever. Hurry up and follow me."
"Understood."
As we continued forward with Silia leading the way, a warm breeze began to brush past us. It felt like a gentle, warm wind was blowing.