Becoming Friends Without Friendship - (4)
Lydia recalled the lines from Morgan’s route that she had meticulously studied the previous night in the Library of Memories. As she read through the bizarre dialogue saturated with intense obsession and dependency, she once again found herself convinced that this truly was a degenerate adult game.
Never mind the fact that I’ve become a woman—actually hearing lines like that would probably make me choke on my own breath.
Yet among those lines, she had noticed one common thread.
“We who are lovers…”
“You who are my lover…”
“I who am your lover…”
“We who love each other…”
Thanks to the writer’s strange sense of responsibility, Morgan’s dialogue displayed a remarkably consistent pattern: an overwhelming desire to clearly define their relationship. Morgan harbored an enormous fixation on the formal definition of “relationship.” Just like the current Arty and Aria, she absolutely despised the vague state of “being together simply because they liked each other.” If someone tried to push emotions like sympathy or pure friendship onto her, she would immediately show a rejection response.
Lydia had reflected that psychology in her approach.
Morgan is the type who obsesses more over the “form of exchanging emotions” than over the actual feelings she holds toward the other person. If that same tendency applies to friendship, then phrasing it this way should be much easier for her to accept.
And so she had declared to Morgan:
I will use you, so you should use me as well.
We will become friends who use each other.
Morgan had frozen at this completely unprecedented declaration.
“…”
“…”
Friends who use each other. It was an incredibly simple, universal, and utterly materialistic relationship. Nothing more than peers exploiting one another… yet it was also a contractual relationship founded on equality. It was a contract Morgan had never experienced before in her life. She had always lived under inequality and contempt, being looked down upon and ignored.
That was why.
Morgan was shaken. Just like those red eyes trembling in the darkness.
“…”
“…”
Lydia saw hope in that silence.
But if things go this smoothly, she won’t be the heroine with the spiciest affection events. There needs to be some resistance—like a stray cat hissing on the street—
And sure enough, Morgan shook her head fiercely, as if to regain control of herself after that brief moment of weakness. Her face flushed slightly as she snapped back in a haughty tone.
“Hah! You’re obviously lying. If you say something like that to me, do you really think I’ll offer up my liver and gallbladder? Don’t get any funny ideas. No matter how lowly my birth, I know what I know…!”
“I do not expect devotion without compensation. This lady will simply give you the price you desire, and you will do what this lady asks.”
“…What exactly do you want from me?”
“When necessary, lend me your wisdom as a mage. And assist me by joining the party so we can clear dungeons together.”
“…”
The surprisingly reasonable request made Morgan’s eyes waver again.
“…”
The emotions swirling in her gaze were… suspicion, suspicion, and more suspicion. After thinking deeply, Morgan finally spoke.
“I won’t run trivial errands for nobles just because you call me a party member. I won’t accept requests to secretly poison someone, either. And I refuse to cast seals or curses.”
“This lady also has her own hands and feet. Moreover, I have no intention of ordering poisonings, seals, or curses. Let me repeat myself—I have absolutely no intention of making you do any of those things.”
“…”
Lydia spoke clearly and precisely.
“What this lady wants from you is the brilliant wisdom, magic, and insight that only a genius mage can provide. Besides, there is no one in the party who would make you do laundry or carry luggage. If anything, I worry that they would do those things for you if you asked.”
“Hmm…”
Morgan pouted.
“…And what’s the price?”
“I will provide all the materials needed for your Alchemy classes in the Magic Department. Furthermore, if you join the party, all materials obtained from dungeons will be distributed fairly. As friends who use each other, if there are any personal transactions you desire, I will accommodate them. Trivial requests, money, additional materials, protection—anything of that sort.”
Morgan’s mouth fell slightly open. She remained silent, as if she could not believe what she was hearing.
“…”
“…”
Lydia thought to herself without meaning to.
…Her teeth are surprisingly neat. She pays attention to cleanliness. But seeing how the inside of her mouth is ulcerated despite being in her late teens, her nutritional state must be terrible. Her lips are also torn from stress.
The condition of her mouth spoke more clearly about the situation than any dry game text ever could. Lydia made up her mind.
Once she joins, I’ll have to make sure she eats properly.
Morgan spoke in a trembling voice.
“Why are you offering such ridiculous terms? Do you even know how much a brass cauldron for alchemy costs in the Magic Department?”
“To have a genius mage as a friend, a reasonable price is necessary.”
“…”
At the words genius mage, Morgan’s face briefly melted into a foolish grin before she quickly composed herself. Her poker face was better than most nobles. Lydia chose not to point it out.
Once again, silence filled the room. But this time it was not the uncomfortable, tense silence from before. It was a silence filled with hesitation and anticipation.
Morgan cleared her throat and crossed her arms for no particular reason. She glared at Lydia haughtily as she tried to regain her composure.
“Ahem, ahem… Well, I suppose I’ll need to think about it a little more.”
“…”
Lydia let out a soft chuckle.
Crossing her arms and clearing her throat… Those are unconscious gestures meant to protect herself. Logically she already sees this contract as reasonable, but her pride is hurt at accepting it too quickly.
Lydia felt the need to drive the point home.
“You and this lady are equals.”
“…!”
Morgan’s fist clenched tightly beneath her arrogantly crossed arms. She drew in a sharp breath and her eyes widened. Her red hair swayed with the motion. It was the face of a child staring at something she desperately wanted.
“…”
“…”
Morgan continued her silence, then began tapping the desk with her fingertips or fidgeting restlessly. Her legs moved busily beneath her skirt. She paced back and forth in the same spot. Like a fish pausing right before it bites the bait, mouth agape…
“…”
“…”
Lydia, sensing that she had a big catch on the line, quietly admired Morgan’s appearance.
She really is beautiful, as expected of a heroine. She’s petite and slim, but her proportions are excellent. Still, unlike Aria, that sharp gaze and intense hair color would probably make Arty freak out if he saw her.
Well… In any case, the Arty of this world would never have to feel the full force of Morgan’s yandere power. If any signs appeared, Lydia planned to adjust things herself. Rather, seeing Morgan act this docile and innocent was almost cute. She really was like a little kitten.
Lydia let out a mental sigh of relief.
…Compared to how she actually cast poison, seals, and curses on others due to her obsession in the original story, her current behavior is genuinely innocent. It would actually be more calming if she showed a bit more of her vicious side here.
It was at that moment.
Morgan suddenly stopped in place. She walked over to her desk and began violently tearing up a sheet of stationery. It seemed like a trivial action, but Lydia immediately recognized what that paper was.
Is that the early-game back-alley experiment bait? As expected of an adult game, another filthy event nearly triggered.
Although adult circumstances prevented them from showing the heroines’ explicit scenes in the early stages, there were plenty of ways to make the player feel disgusted.
Morgan returned to stand before Lydia. With a trembling hand, she extended it.
“Don’t ever attach the surname Driach to the name Morgan. I only used it to enroll in the academy.”
“Understood. I am Lydia de Gallia. There is no need to call me Your Highness. Here, I am simply a student.”
Lydia took that warm, slightly damp hand and gave it a gentle shake.
“…”
“…”
They looked into each other’s eyes. Blue and red. Resolve and hesitation. Within those two pairs of eyes carrying such different emotions, each of them saw the other.
“…”
“…”
Lydia and Morgan had become friends who would use each other. There was no warm friendship or smiles in that relationship. Only an implicit trust. But this was precisely the kind of “relationship” that Morgan truly desired.
Morgan held her hand for a long time before carefully letting go. Her breathing had grown slightly faster, and the hand that had shaken Lydia’s was trembling faintly.
“…”
For the first time, she had gained a friend.
“…”
For the first time, she had made an equal transaction.
“…”
For the first time… someone had called her a genius mage.
“…”
Morgan unconsciously let out a shaky breath. Like a child taking her first steps, her eyes were wide as she tried to process reality. Then she looked forward.
There she was. Her first friend—Lydia de Gallia.
“!”
Embarrassed at having shown such a sloppy side of herself, Morgan slightly turned her head away. Then she deliberately spoke in a nonchalant tone.
“…Hmph. Fine. From now on, I’ll make full use of the princess’s assets.”
“Understood. This lady will also make full use of a genius’s brain. I shall pay a price worthy of it.”
“As if you could. What do you even know about what I want?”
Morgan let out a mocking giggle and spoke provocatively.
“For example, what if I told you to ‘kneel’ right here? Or demanded a ‘passionate lover’s embrace’? Would you still do it?”
“That is not possible.”
“Hmph, of course not. Well, I wasn’t really expecting anything anyway…”
Lydia shook her head lightly.
“This lady has also told her other friends not to kneel before others of their own will. That is the act of abandoning one’s own pride. Therefore, if this lady were to kneel, it would be a betrayal of them.”
“…?!”
“And.”
Lydia took one step closer. Morgan’s eyes widened slightly.
“!”
“This lady does not harbor any romantic feelings toward you. I only learned of your wisdom and talent through rumors from the Alchemy Guild. Therefore, I cannot possibly feel affection for someone I met for the first time today.”
“…”
“However…”
“…?”
Lydia gently embraced Morgan. With her height that was more than a head taller and her softly curved figure, she warmly enveloped Morgan’s small, frail body.
“…If you ever need a friend’s embrace like this, you may tell me anytime.”
“U-uh…”
Morgan’s eyes trembled. The warm body heat enveloping her, the fragrant and soft hair, the steady heartbeat against her chest…
Morgan!
Mom!
“Ugh…”
An unknown emotion surged up. Tears threatened to fall. They streamed down before she could stop them.
“…!?”
What is this? Stop. Don’t. It’s too warm.
Morgan instinctively felt fear. So she quickly pushed Lydia away.
“…Stop it.”
“Understood.”
“…”
Morgan roughly rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. Still covering her face, she muttered.
“…Forget that.”
“Understood.”
“…”
Stupid princess, saying “understood” over and over again since earlier… Damn it. Damn it…
Morgan practically shouted as she snapped her fingers, dispelling the illusionary barrier that had been trapping Lydia. The red thorns that had covered the shabby door slowly faded away.
“There! The contract is over. Get out.”
“Understood.”
Lydia turned and walked out without hesitation. But after a few steps, she paused.
“Morgan.”
“What.”
“My party trains together every dawn on the open field below the academy hill. Before classes begin, we all eat breakfast together. Once classes end, we gather at the field again.”
“So what?”
“Just saying. If you’re interested, you may come at those times. I will be there.”
“…”
“Then I shall take my leave.”
Lydia left. Morgan stood motionless with her back turned.
“…”
Stupid princess, doing weird things and then leaving. What the hell am I supposed to do?
But… she didn’t order me around. She gave me a choice… Is this what a truly equal relationship feels like?
Really… really… Are we actually friends now?
“…”
Morgan bit her lip. Stress surged through her. Because she had instinctively realized the truth.
Probably.
Tomorrow at dawn, she would find herself heading to that field on her own. She wouldn’t be able to help it. But strangely… she didn’t hate the idea.
“…”
We’re both idiots. You and me.