Chapter 168
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Not Quite a Sickbed Visit -7-
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Rarely, Chloe had an appointment and stepped out for lunch, leaving Seria alone with Rike for the first time in ages.
But there was no awkwardness between them.
Even when pretending otherwise, Rike always tuned in to their casual chats, so it never felt like Seria was just talking to a wall with no reply coming back.
Unusually taking the lead by offering to treat her to lunch today, Rike headed to a spot Seria knew well.
'The place we went to when we first met?'
It was the restaurant where she'd dragged Rike out—back when she was living next door in the dorms like a lifeless corpse, barely scraping by.
Only one semester had passed, but to Seria, it was a place stirring up nostalgia and a flood of mixed emotions.
"Shall we sit here?"
"Sure~"
Rike was still as quiet as ever, but this was from the time when she'd been especially listless and drained.
The memory flashed through Seria's mind: their impulsive trip to the Adventurer's Guild, running into Instructor Roman out of nowhere, and chugging that elixir on an even wilder whim.
Their seats were in a sunny corner with a view outside, just like last time—though different spots—the warm sunlight putting her in the absolute best mood.
"Thanks for the meal~"
And the menu she'd ordered was so similar, it felt deliberate, like Rike was intentionally calling back that day.
Compared to Chloe or herself, Rike still hadn't shaken off her light eater habits. Even with the appetizing dishes in front of her, she started with soup to warm her stomach.
"Seria."
"Yeah?"
In her usual flat tone, Rike dropped a bombshell out of nowhere.
"I really like you, Seria."
"...?"
The secret to her boundless energy and boldness without causing disasters was her knack for toeing the line just right.
Seria knew she had that gift.
So she didn't misunderstand.
Rike clearly wasn't talking about romantic love.
But Seria's small hand paused mid-meal anyway.
Hearing her friend say something she'd never expect even in a dream—even as a fellow girl—made her cheeks burn.
The straightforward emotion hit her simply, stirring pure embarrassment.
"You know I've been keeping a lot from you, right?"
"...Yeah."
Shed sensed it but never pried.
Where she went when she left the dorms, why she used the name Skadi, what happened during that stretch when she skipped first-semester classes.
The questions had piled up like a massive mountain.
But she always swallowed them down, afraid they'd strain their friendship like a taut bowstring.
Whenever curiosity made her mouth itch to ask, she'd force a topic change to distract herself.
"I hid it because I didn't want to worry my friends over nothing. I figured if it was pain I could bear alone, that was enough... But talking with Chloe made me realize my thinking was pretty narrow."
"Rike, narrow-minded...? "
It felt oddly off-putting, like a self-deprecating jab aimed at her too, but Seria focused and listened.
"Chloe found out my secret this time, so we ended up having a deeper talk than I planned."
"She found out?"
"Yeah. If I'd told you both without getting caught, I'd have done it together. Sorry if it feels like an afterthought—totally get it if you're upset."
Seria couldn't picture how her friends were faring without the academy. Had she bumped into Chloe at some dramatic moment? All she managed was a quiet hum.
"We're not kids anymore, so who I told first doesn't matter... but if you're only hearing this because Chloe found out, then yeah, I'd be miffed too."
"Sorry. That was the starting point, but the reason's different."
As Seria wiped her smile and turned serious, Rike responded with a warm one instead, gently taking Seria's paused hand.
Rike, who never initiated contact and hated skinship, approaching like this made Seria's lips twitch—the serious mood nearly shattered.
"...How's it different?"
Partially covering her mouth to hold the vibe, Seria asked. Rike spoke a bit slower than usual.
"Love without respect is no different from violence. I acted on my limited view, not knowing how it'd feel to you... That's how I thought until now."
"... "
"I tried cutting down possibilities to avoid any failures or mistakes. One slip could hurt someone I care about or lead to the worst outcome—that scared me. So I chose to shoulder it alone and hide it from everyone."
In Seria's worldview, what truly shifted a thinking, rational being's inner direction wasn't gradual erosion over time.
It was a short but massive event that hit hard.
She figured Rike's rapid positive change in that brief span had some huge trigger.
And that explained why even the subtly fragile Rike couldn't easily voice it.
"So your mindset changed... and now you're gonna tell me what happened?"
Her face might look the same as always.
But Rike fiddling with her hair nonstop—a rare tic—signaled inner turmoil and rising tension to Seria.
"Before I say it, please don't worry. I know feelings don't always obey, but just believe I'm in a happy place right now."
"...If you're truly happy, I will."
Before diving in, she drained the milky tea sloshing ambiguously in her cup.
Rike thought of her lover—the one who naturally brought a smile whenever she pictured him—blinked her green eyes, smiled at her, and spilled the secret.
"I'm... seriously dating Instructor Roman and living with him."
I don't even know what's going on in my own head.
Why can't I clearly see my true feelings, just like always?
I must have this gloomy, nasty side that denies and refuses to acknowledge what's inside me.
The closer I got, the heavier the bento box in my hands felt—like a lump of metal—making my steps speed up and slow down in turns.
The ever-sensitive Brother noticed after a few more paces, turning my way and waving.
"Sister. Come on in."
"Hello...!"
The young nun smiled and bowed to me; I returned a quick nod.
Her pure innocence twisted something in my heart.
A strange guilt that made it hard to meet anyone's eyes, even unconsciously.
Shame and humiliation washed over me for moving forward with such warped intentions.
"Thanks for coming. You didn't have to go to this trouble."
"But you still need proper care..."
Seeing Brother grin refreshingly, teeth flashing, felt like a gale ripping through my chest.
To stifle the smile creeping up helplessly, Chloe bit her lip out of habit.
No more chat to extend, Brother exchanged light greetings with the nun, then turned and led the way.
"Sorry for the hassle. Stealing a precious academy cadet's lunch break like this—it's no way for an instructor or adventurer to act."
"It's... absolutely not a hassle...!"
"Haha! Chloe's such a sweetheart."
He let out a hearty laugh at her squeezed-out words, then pushed open the thick door and stepped aside politely.
Standing still would be rude, so she accepted the unfamiliar male courtesy for the first time.
Murmuring not to mind her, she stepped in first and set the bento on the table. Brother came over and started unpacking it section by section.
"Ah! Let me do it while you sit...!"
"I'm not injured or anything—let's do it together. Treating you like a patient too would make me sad."
"... "
She'd tried to stop him in a fluster, but his large hands didn't pause, swiftly filling the table.
Everything was ready before she could even pitch in.
'That's not what I meant!'
A Platinum-rank adventurer doing such mundane chores.
Rike had warned her not to be surprised by how different he was from the empire's chauvinist men.
Shed vaguely sensed it herself, but feeling it up close in the same space hit different.
Scrape—
Brother returned to his seat, pulling out her chair on the way. Chloe bowed once, then hesitantly settled her hips down.
"Must be starving after trekking from the academy. Dig in."
"...You first, Brother."
Her awkward half-hearted gesture with both hands drew an amused smile from him as he reached right out.
"Thanks for the meal."
He picked up a fruit—the last thing by order—and nodded with a pleased hum after eating it.
Not that she'd cooked it, but watching someone eat what she'd prepared firsthand... she finally got the feeling.
Her sister making breakfast every day, saying it wasn't a bother and felt rewarding—she understood a bit now.
"Chloe, keep this from Eclair from now on. It's our secret."
"Huh?"
Standing from her hard-won seat, he fetched an ornate paper box and what looked like a metal tin from the corner, placing them on an empty table spot.
He set the beautifully flower-painted tins aside for now and opened the paper box, humming a tune.
"These are for the two of them... I asked the nun to prep them earlier since I heard you were coming today~"
"...!!"
Inside, fruit-topped tarts gleamed like jewels, sorted by type.
With a mischievous, boyish grin, Brother tempted her.
"We've had our proper meal, right?"
"Y-Yeah! Hehe..."
It might seem trivial to him, but sharing this big secret felt pretty nice to her.
Brother polished off the bento while she thought she should eat her rice before dessert, sharing the mealtime.
But in the end, Chloe couldn't resist the tarts' alluring shimmer.