For You 66

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#66

Just as I left the alley and stepped onto the main street, Rikin was startled and pulled my body. However, before Rikin could completely move me, I collided with someone who was walking ahead. Fortunately, I didn’t fall thanks to Rikin who grabbed me from behind.

I quickly straightened myself and was about to apologize to the person I had bumped into.

“Ana.”

If only it hadn’t been Persis.

As soon as I saw Persis, I slowly turned my head to look at Rikin. I widened my eyes to convey my message: what the hell is going on, did you tip him off about this? Rikin shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. He seemed to have no idea either.

“Hm? Andelion? What brings you here?”

Just then, a familiar voice was heard from behind Persis. When I turned to check, there stood Iria, dressed in casual clothes for the first time in a while.

* * *

Persis, Iria, Rikin, Andelion. The four of us had now become entities that were mentioned together at school. Not only had we solved the notorious political science assignment, but we had also earned the teacher’s recognition. One of us was a prince, another was the child of a family famous for martial arts, and another was a young master.

Even we didn’t find it awkward to be together anymore. It seemed that spending several days together preparing for the assignment had become a habit of sorts. The problem was that today, it wasn’t just the four of us.

In the noisy restaurant, only our table was beyond quiet—it was silent. Pretending to look at the menu, I lowered my head with a gloomy face and glanced at Yutis sitting across from me.

He seemed to be in a very bad mood. I never thought I would be able to read someone’s hidden feelings to this extent, but now I could properly read Yutis.

In fact, when I had asked earlier if it was okay for me to have a meal with Persis, Iria, and Rikin, Yutis had firmly whispered, “I’m uncomfortable,” so I knew that Yutis found the other three difficult to deal with.

Actually, I hadn’t planned to have a meal all together like this. After parting with Rikin, I had intended to wait for the two of them near the meeting place, but suddenly Persis and Iria had disrupted all plans. When the two spotted me, they immediately asked why Rikin and I were there. I wanted to ask the same thing, but they were so insistent that I didn’t have a chance to ask.

Rikin subtly suggested that we stop this and go somewhere to eat, and on our way to the restaurant, we joined up with Yutis who had been waiting at the meeting place.

That’s how this uncomfortable situation came about. It was suffocating just to order food, to the point where I felt like dying.

After taking my eyes off Yutis, whom I had been observing, I looked at Persis and Iria sitting side by side. Seeing the two sitting together filled me with satisfaction. So they had been talking and meeting in places I didn’t know about. That’s truly fortunate.

I had worried about what would happen if their relationship deviated from the original story, but it was all my needless concern. As expected, a protagonist is a protagonist. Iria had been gradually getting closer to Persis in places I didn’t know about, creating her own future.

While I felt satisfied, I also felt a bit lonely at the thought that my help wasn’t really needed. Humans are such fickle creatures. Though I hadn’t really done anything properly, I felt regretful that I couldn’t directly witness them growing closer in places I didn’t know about, and I felt isolated.

Since Persis and Iria being together was the best gift for me, I decided to happily accept this moment of them being together. Additionally, what was slightly fortunate was that I could see that Persis and Iria were somewhat reluctant to sit next to each other.

They had become close enough to go out on the streets together or to continue walking together after running into each other outside school, but they didn’t yet seem to welcome being together. There was plenty of time to watch the emotions bloom between them. That is, if my experiment related to the clum in my possession ended properly.

Thinking about Persis and Iria, who would gradually grow closer while filling in each other’s shortcomings, my heart swelled with pride as usual. Suddenly, my stomach throbbed. It seemed my nerves were on edge at the thought of moving around here and there today. It would be better to choose food that was less salty for today’s meal.

“Lord Andelion, would you like this?”

Just then, Yutis, who was sitting across from me, recommended one of the menu items. It was a dish where well-boiled meat and roasted vegetables were dipped in sauce. The sauce was slightly spicy, making it one of the dishes I would choose when I missed food from my past life.

I had been planning to eat something mild because my stomach hurt, but when Yutis selected the food, my mouth watered. It had been a while since I had eaten something spicy. Wouldn’t it be nice to have just a little? The desire to at least taste it rose up, and I couldn’t resist.

“Ana’s stomach isn’t feeling well, so that’s not great. Isn’t there something else?”

Rikin, who was sitting next to me, asked while looking towards the menu. I could sense Yutis’s eyes becoming fierce even without directly looking. I silently looked at the menu, pondering what to do between these two.

“It’s a delicacy you always enjoyed.”

Though I couldn’t eat it often. I remember that whenever I said I wanted this food, Kara would give me a cold look. In the end, I would close my mouth without saying anything. Then Kara would sigh as if she had no choice and prepare this food for the next meal.

“I know you like it, but you’ve been looking unwell lately. Are you sure you want to eat this?”

Rikin’s words seemed somewhat persuasive, as Yutis couldn’t say anything and tightly closed his mouth. The more coldly Yutis withdrew, the more difficult it became for me. I felt sorry for treating Yutis too harshly, and the situation was worsening rather than improving.

I had to say something to dispel this sharp atmosphere. Just as I was pondering what to do, Iria brightly smiled and pushed the menu she was holding towards me.

“Then I’ll order this! We can share mine. Since your stomach isn’t feeling well, don’t eat too much. How about that?”

“Who’s sharing food with whom…!!”

“Your Highness, let’s not be petty. Nothing’s going to happen just because we share some food. Let’s put it in the middle and each take some. Is that okay?”

After stopping Persis, who was about to get angry, Iria presented a solution that would resolve the situation at once. I nodded vigorously and agreed.

As expected, Iria was Iria. She finds wise solutions in any situation. This must be Iria’s strength that I could never possess. I didn’t know she could subdue even the disgruntled Persis in one go. Watching Persis who, despite their bickering, couldn’t refute Iria any further and frowned, I felt like their future was naturally unfolding before my eyes.

After the difficult food decision was made, our table was once again enveloped in silence. In times like these, it’s usually Iria or Rikin who changes the atmosphere, but with both of them keeping their mouths shut, the situation showed no signs of improvement.

Should I have said I wouldn’t eat and just return to school? But if any one of them had held me back, I would have been dragged to the restaurant anyway, so it was better for me to go along willingly.

Of course, I would have fiercely rejected Rikin’s proposal, as I still had something against him for following me to the alley and wanted to get back at him somehow.

I wish the food would come out quickly. This place didn’t have the concept of pre-meal bread, so there was no service food that came out first. Water was free, so I gulped it down, thinking I should at least drink this.

“So, what’s going on with our prince and junior being alone together?”

At that moment, it was Rikin who broke the long silence. He casually asked what I didn’t dare to voice aloud.

The water I had just taken into my mouth went down with a gulp. It was inevitable that my eyes, which had been rolling around, naturally turned towards Persis and Iria. Yutis was the only one at this table who wasn’t curious about why the two were together.

Upon hearing that question, Iria and Persis looked at each other somewhat awkwardly. Indeed, they were starting to understand each other bit by bit. They say familiarity born from dislike is the most powerful. Watching these two grow closer made my heart race and the corners of my mouth tremble.

“Well, we just met around here. Right?”

“Yes. We met around here.”

There was no one here who could believe that story.

I silently turned my gaze sideways. There was no point in probing further, as they didn’t seem likely to speak honestly.

“And you, senior, why are you with our Andelion?”

Iria spoke to Rikin with her arms crossed. It was a trivial statement, but its impact was tremendous. As soon as Iria finished speaking, the gazes of others sharply focused on her. Even Yutis, who hadn’t been paying attention to the people around him, looked at Iria.

Especially Persis, who glared at Iria fiercely, as if he could stab someone with his eyes if he tried hard enough.