Chapter 526: A Reminder of How It Began
Chapter 526: A Reminder of How It Began
The evening sun cast a crimson glow over the entire street. I trudged my way home.
It was originally a lunch date, but shopping had taken time, and we’d ordered a full-course meal, so by the time we left the restaurant, the day had already slipped into evening.
And just as when we’d left the mansion, Sara was walking beside me, clinging to my arm.
But unlike this morning, it felt less like she was holding my arm affectionately and more like she was genuinely struggling to walk on her own and was just hanging on to me for support.
“Hic… sob… haa… hic… haaa…”
For the record, she wasn't crying. Quite the opposite, in fact.
She was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face.
“…Is it that funny?”
“Haa, haa, phew… Yes! Soooo! Funny!”
I tried to lower my voice to sound serious, but Sara just caught her breath and answered with a beaming smile.
How long has it been since I’ve seen you smile that brightly?
“Hey. Hey. How are you feeling right now? Huh? How does it feel? After being so confident… Pfft! Ahahaha!”
“Either tease me or laugh at me! Pick one!”
“Aha, haa… Sorry. Sorry. I’ll laugh, then. Ahahahaha!”
Argh! I oughta…!
Perhaps as payback for making her tag along on my date with Rachel, Sara was laying into me far more than usual.
No, it seemed like she wasn't just teasing me, but genuinely enjoying herself.
To be honest, I had no intention of getting angry.
It was my fault for making her come in the first place, and I could completely understand how she felt.
But I’m only human, and with Sara constantly prodding me like this, I started to feel the urge to strike back.
“You know… you had such a sour look on your face back at the restaurant…”
“Sorry. Sorry. Haa… But, Guwon.”
“What now?”
“You know, I’ve started to really like Rachel. I never knew her well since I only saw her briefly at the Guild, but she seems like she’d be fun to have around. Why don’t you try to win her over? Get her to join our clan. Oh, right, you got rejected, didn’t you? Sorry. Sorry. Ahahaha!”
“You’re really going to keep this up?! Just you wait! No matter what it takes, I’ll make Rachel my woman for sure!”
“Ahahahaha! The guy who just, haah, got rejected… pfft!”
No matter what I said, Sara just kept laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world, showing no sense of alarm whatsoever.
Well, thinking about it logically, I guess that makes sense.
The old saying about how any tree will fall if you chop at it ten times is a lie.
There are plenty of trees in the world that will never fall, no matter how many times you swing the axe.
And for a beautiful woman like Rachel, the odds of that go up exponentially.
Sara knew that, which was why she was acting this way.
“You think I can’t do it? I’m telling you, I can!”
“Sure. Go for it. Ugh, phew. I’ll cheer for you! You can do it! Our dear Saint! The legend of the Saint… kh!”
She’s really pushing it.
There’s a limit to my patience! If you keep this up, don’t think I won’t have anything to say back!
“…Hey. You know your behavior right now is a lot like Felicia’s, right?”
“……What?”
“My apologies. It was a joke.”
Hey, isn’t it a bit cheap to get all serious just because I fought back a little, when you’ve been having a field day teasing me?
Even if you hate Felicia that much.
“Well, anyway, I got to see something interesting, so I’ll consider today’s debt paid.”
For better or worse, the comment about her being like Felicia seemed to have an effect. Sara stopped teasing and spoke with a grin.
Though from the way she was pressing her lips together, it looked like she was having a hard time holding back her laughter.
“But to think you’d get rejected after walking in so confidently… hoop…! Mmph!”
In the end, she couldn’t hold it in and was about to burst out laughing again.
Of course, I stopped her before she could, clamping my hand over her lips.
Sara slapped my arm in protest, but I paid her no mind. I wrapped my arms around her from behind, kept her mouth covered, and continued walking.
“It’s not like I was completely rejected, you know? You saw her accept the ring, didn’t you?”
At my words, Sara struggled to pull my hand from her mouth, forcing it down to wrap around her stomach before speaking again.
So you’ll tease me like that, but you still want me to hold you?
“Phew. Aren’t you clinging to false hope? She probably only took the ring because it was expensive… Ouch! Hey! Guwon!”
As soon as she said that, I reached up and squeezed her breast firmly, causing her to blush and slap at my hand.
Of course, I didn’t yield to her attacks, instead kneading the handful of her breast as if to squash it.
Not that I’d actually crush it. That would only be a loss for me.
“You know, you won’t get anything good out of teasing me. You haven’t forgotten whose turn it is tonight, have you?”
As I spoke, I let myself get hard and pressed against her backside. Sara’s face turned an even deeper shade of red.
“Out here! Are you crazy! You’re insane! Hey! Guwon! Aren’t you going to stop?!”
“Did you stop when I told you to stop earlier?!”
When I said that in a low voice, Sara’s face paled slightly, and she began to tremble.
“W-wait, you’re joking, right? Seriously?! S-stop! I’ll do whatever you want later!”
“That’s a promise, right?”
Only after she said that did I let my erection subside and release her.
Sara had a look of instant regret, but the words were already out of her mouth.
“Y-you’re not going to do anything mean, are you?”
“We’ll see.”
“C-come on. My Oppa isn’t the kind of petty person who’d do something like that. I know it.”
“Trying to act cute now won’t do you any good.”
“O-Oppa~…”
Watching Sara, the tables now turned, cling to my arm and act cute, I thought back once more to what had happened with Rachel.
Sara didn’t know it, but I wasn’t lying when I said I wasn’t completely rejected.
There was a little more to the story that she hadn’t heard.
“…Excuse me? D-did I… just get rejected?”
When I asked in a bewildered tone, Rachel made a slightly troubled expression and glanced behind her.
There, she saw Sara, who had just spat out her tea and was now choking.
Sara. I know my rejection might have been unexpected, but you can’t just make it that obvious.
After confirming Sara’s state, Rachel turned her gaze back to me and quietly chanted a small spell.
A small, palm-sized wind spirit popped into existence and enveloped our immediate area in a shroud of wind.
Instantly, all the surrounding sounds vanished.
Only the sound of my breathing and Rachel’s came to dominate the space.
It seemed she didn’t want Sara to hear the conversation we were about to have.
Well, not just this conversation; she probably never wanted Sara to hear the confession in the first place.
“Of course you’re rejected. In fact, I’d like to ask you. Why did you think I would accept?”
“W-well, because you said before…”
“My feelings for you are genuine. I still like you, Guwon. And I’m happy you confessed to me.”
At my mumbling, Rachel replied with a slightly pained look.
“Then…”
“But. Even if it’s you saying it, I can’t just believe you when you ask me to be your concubine and promise to love me just the same. That’s only natural, isn’t it?”
“Ah…”
So that was it. Right. Of course. Thinking about it, that was the obvious reaction.
Where did I get the confidence to think she would meekly agree to become my concubine?
“Really… you looked so cool just a moment ago. You shouldn’t make a face like that.”
Seeing me dejected, Rachel wore another troubled expression.
She reached out and gently tapped the tip of my nose with her index finger before continuing with a soft smile.
“So, why don’t you try and make it so I can believe you?”
“…Huh? Make you believe me?”
“Yes. I can’t believe you right now, of course, but if you can prove that you’ll continue to cherish and love me like this… who knows? Maybe I’ll fall for you again?”
As she spoke, Rachel slowly slipped the ring off her left ring finger.
Then, she unwound the bracelet that was wrapped several times around her wrist, threaded the ring onto its cord, and fastened it around her neck, just like a necklace.
Because it was a makeshift necklace made from a bracelet, the cord was long, and the ring slipped down to disappear completely into her cleavage.
“I’ll hold off on wearing this ring for now. What’s with that face? Don’t have the confidence?”
Saying so, Rachel once again showed me her beautiful smile.
Seeing that smile, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.
She really got me good.
She’d spent the whole day lifting me up and then letting me fall, just toying with me, and at the very end, she knocked me down only to lift me up again.
I thought I was the one with the surprise ring, but she hit me with a perfect counter.
A moment ago, I was arrogantly thinking she was surprisingly innocent, but it seems I’m no match for her.
“No! Not at all! Don’t you worry! From now on, I’m going to pursue you and pursue you and pursue you every single day, and I will absolutely make you my woman!”
At my energetic declaration, Rachel seemed to get embarrassed again, blushing faintly and averting her gaze.
Seeing that, I honestly didn’t think it would take very long.
See? She really does like me a lot!
“Y-yes. Well, do your best.”
But perhaps feeling she couldn’t end things by showing such a moment of weakness, she looked straight at me again, a forced-looking smile on her face as she spoke.
“Ah, but if you take too long, who knows? I’m incredibly popular, you see. If you’re too late, another man might just snatch me away.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll never let that happen. No matter what anyone says, you’re my woman.”
“R-really… I told you, not yet.”
With that, Rachel quickly waved her hand as if to end the conversation, dismissing the spirit.
Naturally, the curtain of wind that had been blocking the sound vanished along with it.
I glanced over at Sara and saw she was busy calling a waiter to clean up the tea she’d spat out.
It seemed she hadn’t noticed that our conversation had been silenced for a moment.
“Phew. That was a wonderful meal. I had a really great time today.”
“Ah, no. The pleasure was all mine. I had a great time with you.”
“Fufu. I’m glad to hear that. Shall we get going, then?”
With that, Rachel stood up, linked her arm with mine again, and we left the restaurant.
By then, the evening glow was already painting half the sky.
“It’s already so late. Well then, Guwon. I’ll see you at the Guild next time. I really had fun today.”
“What? Are we parting ways just like this?”
It felt like a waste to say goodbye here, so I tried to hold on to her, but Rachel smoothly unlinked her arm from mine and stood squarely in front of me.
“Oh my? Does that mean you want to spend the night with me?”
“What? Ah, no. That’s not what I…”
“Fufu. I can’t. We’re not in that kind of relationship yet.”
Rachel put extra emphasis on the word “yet,” then smiled and stepped a little closer to me.
She leaned in, stood on her tiptoes, and gave me a light kiss on the cheek.
“See you later, then.”
Then she gently stepped away, gave a little wave, and walked off with light steps.
All I could do was stare blankly at her retreating figure until she had completely disappeared from sight.
After that, Sara, having finished cleaning up and realizing we were gone, rushed out of the restaurant, which brings us to now, on our way home together.
Sara seems to think I was completely shot down, but I still have plenty of a chance.
Of course, having been burned once, I can’t have the same unconditional confidence as before, but I’m filled with the resolve to make her my woman, no matter what it takes.
And since Sara herself egged me on to try and win her over, I can now go all out without having to worry about what she thinks.
Well, I have absolutely no plan on how to give her that “proof” she wants. But that’s something I can figure out as I go.
More importantly, for now…
“Tonight is going to be a long night.”
“O-Oppa? Guwon Oppa?”
I gave a wide grin to Sara, who was now desperately clinging to me.