19. 8 Years Old When I Become an Adult
19. 8 Years Old When I Become an Adult
"Friend, friend... won't you lend me a hand for a moment?"
"I've already made the room cool."
"No, no... maybe I should just open the window and make the room hot? My side feels so cold today......"
"Sigh...."
My friend of over 10 years has gone absolutely crazy over some boy she just met.
Even though I clearly told her it's not happening.
It was absurd how she kept trying to link us together.
To the point where I seriously wanted to kick her out of the house just so I could rest in peace.
"Seriously, what's with you going after someone 11 years younger? If he's 11 years younger, when we entered the Academy at 17... he would've been 6? Ugh.... that's a wet-behind-the-ears kid."
"......But he was handsome?"
"No, ugh...."
Putting aside whether he's handsome or not, that's not the point.
When I was 17 in this life, he was 6. When I become an adult, he is 8.
"Do you seriously consider that as a romantic interest?"
"It's not like I'm 40, that much is......."
"......You're turning thirty in two years."
"No, but for now, my skin is still fine...."
"30 in two years."
"......Plus, with a body like this, isn't it enough for men to like me......."
"30."
"......."
I was asking how she could see an 11-year-younger kid as a man.
But she kept answering the question of whether she would look like a woman to him.
I made sure to teach her the reality.
Because it's the truth.
Because this is reality.
A 28-year-old woman and a 17-year-old... no matter how I think about it, it's a crime.
Sometimes with older-woman/younger-man couples, especially with a significant age gap, people say the older one "stole" the younger one, like they snatched a kid.
But putting that aside, 17 is a minor, and an 11-year gap... no matter how I think about it, it just wasn't for me.
"You...! You! You bitch, just because your skin is a bit clean and firm!"
"Well, our species is a bit different."
"Is this the composure of the haves......?"
"It's not that, it's just that an 11-year age gap is a no-go, no matter how I think about it. You know well enough that I have no interest in men or dating in the first place."
It's been like that for years, ever since the days I attended the Academy with this bitch.
Logically, it was a bit of a stretch for me, who used to be a man, to like men.
I even thought women would be better.
But liking women while in a woman's body felt weird in its own way, so nothing happened.
I've lived like that for 28 years, and I plan to keep living like that.
There wasn't any variable that would make me want to change my perfectly fine situation.
"That may be true, but... but...!"
"But."
"The quietest cat is going to start dating before me......!"
"......Sigh."
She's been saying this for days, and the reaction is always the same.
Of course, she's probably joking, but there's likely some truth to it too.
Still, it was absurd.
"By the way, being a Snow Woman is definitely nice. Being able to live like this every summer."
"Though I have to use more mana thanks to someone."
"Eh, you're only using a tiny bit more mana than usual. It's not like you'll run out, right? Your mana pool is huge."
"That doesn't mean it's not tiring."
"You have to use air conditioning in the summer anyway."
"That's true."
Like my friend said, I had to use cooling, and it was beyond just 'needing' it; it was essential.
Basically, a Snow Woman's body... extreme heat was a real problem, and summer was hot.
If I tried to endure it in that state, it would be genuinely dangerous.
Of course, since I could create snow or ice directly, I could relatively easily drop my body temperature that way.
If I were a person... no, a Snow Woman with insufficient mana.
I would never have been able to walk outside in the summer.
But since I was a Snow Woman with quite a lot of mana and a fast recovery rate.
"Sigh... I think it would be fun if I lived as a unique species like you."
"What are you saying? You're a noble."
"Hmm, that's true, isn't it?"
"I've thought about this since before I opened the convenience store. Money is better than any special Snow Woman ability."
"Praise your financier, Skadi."
"Shut up. You virgin."
"......You're a virgin too."
An issue that arose because a kid happened to come into the house.
I had already sent that kid Noah back to the dormitory well enough, and we chatted while enjoying the cake Noah brought.
Since it was the middle of summer, it was hot.
So we rested in the house that we'd made super cool, avoiding going outside as much as possible.
*
"By the way, Noona, did you originally live with your friend?"
"Sigh...."
"Ah, um. When I went to Noona's house last time, there was definitely no one there. So I only intended to... hand over the cake, but things just ended up like that."
"......."
The next morning, the 17-year-old boy who couldn't even properly enjoy his vacation came to find me again today.
And with a slightly more worried expression than usual.
Perhaps he understood that I was angry because he came to visit yesterday.
"Sigh...."
"I thought it was right to apologize in case I caused too much trouble for Noona. I said it yesterday too, but... I wanted to apologize properly when it was just the two of us."
"......."
Looking at Noah, who was saying that with his head bowed, I was reminded of the conversation I had with that bitch of a friend yesterday.
Seeing an 11-year-younger kid as a romantic interest?
It was definitely a stretch.
He looked awkward, but it was clear he had thought a lot about how to apologize.
That appearance made me feel even more certainly that he was just a kid.
In fact, if I thought about it objectively for a second, he hadn't made any mistakes, and all the mistakes and faults were entirely 28-year-old Vivian Evermore's.
Even so, he was worried I might dislike him.
That's probably why he came to apologize early in the morning like this.
Of course, I didn't particularly dislike it, and it just made me think that the boy in front of me was a more diligent kid than I thought.
"Noah, can you come closer?"
"Yes?"
"Never mind. Just do as I say."
"...Yes."
He, who usually visited without a care in the world, looked quite gloomy.
I didn't particularly like how his expression was more intimidated than usual because he was overthinking it.
Kids in their prime are much better off being brighter and more energetic.
As long as they don't play energetically in my convenience store and break glass bottles for no reason or spill cup noodle soup... that's fine.
Other than that, I didn't think the sound of kids chatting and playing normally was noise.
"Eh?"
"A boy shouldn't be apologizing for such useless things. You didn't do anything weird, and there's no need for that."
"......."
I said that while flicking his forehead with my finger.
He really didn't do anything wrong.
There was no need to apologize like this, and I didn't like seeing him intimidated.
I smiled and spoke honestly.
"You don't have to try so hard to act like an adult. I scolded my friend severely after you left. You don't have to feel so sorry. I told you, right? It was my friend who knew I was washing up, it was my friend who opened the door, and it was my friend who kept saying weird things to you."
"Still, it felt like Noona was very tired."
"Ah, that's just because the weather is hot. I'm a Snow Woman, you know. It's hard when it's hot."
"Ah... ah......."
"That's also the reason why I keep the inside of the convenience store this cool."
"Whew.... then that's a relief. I was worried that Noona might be very angry."
As he continued to talk, Noah's expression returned to a comfortable one, and I felt much better too.
He was a kid who didn't usually show any intimidation when talking to me.
But today he had shown such a gloomy appearance.
It was better that he returned to his usual self.
"Ah, so is Noona going to keep living with your friend?"
"That's not it, she's just staying with me for a bit during the vacation. Why? Did you like her or something?"
"...Yes?"
"I'm joking, why are you getting so serious?"
It was absurd that a 17-year-old kid was apologizing to an adult much older than him for something so trivial.
The reason he ended up apologizing was because of another adult.
And even that reason was absurd.
"Did you eat breakfast?"
"Iris made me a sandwich. I ate that, and stopped by for a moment."
"For a moment?"
"Yes, I decided to hang out with Iris before training in the afternoon."
"Hmm...."
If it's Iris, she was definitely that black-haired girl from back then.
She was also a friend from the same hometown.
Besides, in my memory, it seemed like the girl had quite a crush on Noah.
Since she's a girl 11 years younger than me.
She was much fresher and cuter to look at than some noble lady (28) who was currently lying on the cool floor of my house.
"Then you're going to go meet her again now?"
"Yes, I was with Iris and just stopped by for a moment. Plus, I don't think I'll be able to come see Noona because of training in the afternoon, so I came to visit."
"Pfft, there's no need to go through the trouble of coming all the way here."
"I wanted to apologize, and I wanted to see Noona."
"Sigh.... at your age, you should meet your peers more often. How long are you going to keep doing this...."
He was a truly frustrating kid.
Of course, one day he'll realize it well enough.
That a cute, bright, and energetic childhood friend with firm skin right next to him is honestly better than an... ahjumma who is much older.
Unlike me, that girl named Iris clearly seemed to have feelings for Noah.
Wouldn't it be the natural course of events for that to lead to such a result?
"Sigh...."
Of course, he'll probably keep doing this for a few months... for a while.