Free Web Novel"You're making upsetting remarks today too, and I even wished you a happy birthday. At least ask me how I'm doing."
In Reisir's hands was an unsharpened practice spear.
It didn't seem like he had deliberately come looking for me after hearing I was here. He had probably just come to train as usual, spotted me, and struck up a conversation.
"I never asked you to wish me a happy birthday."
"But weren't you at least a little happy?"
"Not at all."
That was the truth.
When I heard those words from Reisir, I felt no happiness whatsoever.
My mind was a tangled mess. Even now, whenever I think back to that moment, a heavy guilt weighs on my heart.
"You're not lying because you're embarrassed, are you?"
"......"
"You really weren't happy?" freewёbnoνel.com
"Why would I be happy to hear you wish me a happy birthday?"
"Well, if you put it that way, I don't really have anything to say..."
When I demanded a logical basis, Reisir avoided my gaze with an embarrassed expression.
He must have said it without thinking too deeply, so that reaction was only natural.
'By the way... why did he even talk to me?'
Reisir had never spoken to me without a reason before.
Today's meeting might have been a coincidence, but he must still have had something he wanted to say to me.
Just as I reached that conclusion and was about to ask what he wanted...
"Um, hello? My name is Vigdís Sjalfráði. You're Reisir, right? This semester, you sparred with Kar in the first martial arts class, and last semester, I heard Kar bullied you?"
"Ah, yes. That's right."
Vigdís showed interest in Reisir.
Don't tell me she's already fallen for him? Just like that, without any reason?
'No, that's not it... It's not as though there was no trigger at all. They've both been using the public training grounds since last semester, right?'
Even if they had never spoken directly, they must have seen each other every time they came here to train.
Besides, since they had both suffered from Karvaldr's bullying, they must have felt some sympathy for one another.
So she became aware of Reisir's presence, started stealing glances at him while he trained, and gradually developed a positive impression of him.
That feeling slowly deepened into love without her even realizing it. If that was how it happened...
'The plausibility is sufficient. In terms of timing, it may still be at the stage of a favorable impression rather than love, but it's only a matter of time.'
In the original novel, there was no narration saying, 'Vigdís had feelings for Reisir since their academy days.'
But I couldn't rule out the possibility that Author Senna had intended it as background setup and simply omitted it because there had never been a suitable opportunity to mention it.
"It's nice to meet you. You're the fiancée Karvaldr was obsessed with, right?"
"Yes, that's me. Though I'm not being obsessed over anymore..."
"That's a relief. I'm not being bullied anymore either."
"That's good for you too, Reisir."
By the way, I couldn't help wondering about the content of this conversation.
Since when did this place become a support group for Karvaldr's victims?
Should I also lament the considerable suffering I endured after possessing Karvaldr's body?
"I heard you're older than us, so... would it be alright if I called you 'Senior'...?"
"Ah, no... You can just call me by my name. And speak casually too, we're classmates..."
"Alright then, Vigdís, you can drop the formalities too. And speak casually."
"I'm more comfortable and used to speaking formally... But for the title, I'll just call you... Reisir."
Vigdís hesitantly permitted casual speech, and Reisir readily accepted.
I can let Reisir's reaction slide because that's simply his personality.
It's Vigdís's behavior that bothers me.
'Is she really attracted to Reisir?'
For someone in that position, her first words to him had essentially been, 'Are you the person my fiancé bullied?'
...but if I interpret it as her making a blunder while nervously trying to establish common ground...
...then it wasn't entirely strange. No, it was still incredibly strange, but since it didn't seem malicious, it had to have been a blunder.
"But Reisir, have you decided to become friends with Kar...?"
"We're not friends yet. Maybe because he feels guilty about the past, Karvaldr keeps trying to put distance between us."
Reisir's remark left me speechless.
Since when was I avoiding Reisir because I felt guilty about the past?
No wonder he kept clinging to me and pestering me to be friends no matter how many times I pushed him away.
So that was why.
Because he had misunderstood things so badly.
"I know the bullying was pretty severe... And yet, Reisir, you still want to be friends with Kar?"
"Yeah. I got an apology, and after talking to him calmly, I realized he has a lot of good points. And it seems like we have similar tastes too."
Have we ever had a calm conversation?
Reisir always got worked up and yelled, while I only ever responded with nervous irritation or sneering remarks.
But by tastes, he must mean our taste in novels, right?
"And I only found out by chance a few days ago, but he surprisingly has a gentle side too."
"Ah... yes... He really does."
As Reisir subtly gestured toward my baby dragon, Vigdís nodded in agreement.
Come to think of it, both of them had seen me being gentle with Yor.
"You already knew? Well, I suppose that's natural, since you're his fiancée."
"W-well, yes..."
"Even though Karvaldr's obsession was severe, he must have been gentle when the two of you were alone."
"W-well, maybe he was, or maybe he wasn't..."
Vigdís trailed off with an evasive answer and looked at me.
Her gaze resembled a distress signal.
I understand.
This situation—having to tell her ideal type that she gets along well with another man—couldn't possibly feel pleasant.
'Because of Clause 3 in the contract, I can't interfere with Vigdís forming relationships with other people. But since she's asking for help first, it should be fine for me to step in, right?'
I also felt uncomfortable just standing there awkwardly doing nothing.
Especially since 'Karvaldr' was the only topic the two of them had in common, which meant I kept becoming the subject of the conversation.
"Reisir. Didn't you have some business with me when you started talking to me?"
"Business? I don't have any."
"...You don't?"
"Nope."
I had been about to tell him to finish his business and leave.
But Reisir's answer was so unexpected that I couldn't say the lines I'd prepared and could only stare blankly.
"Then did you strike up a conversation because you were interested in Vigdís and wanted to use me as an excuse to talk to her?"
"Why would I be interested in someone else's fiancée and use her fiancé just to talk to her?"
If I answered, 'To save Vigdís from the villain named Karvaldr,' I wonder how the two people in front of me would react.
A small curiosity arose, but I didn't bother voicing it.
Because I had a feeling they would misunderstand me and think I was asking out of low self-esteem.
"If you had no business with me, and you weren't interested in my fiancée, then why exactly did you talk to me?"
"Just... because I saw you?"
"...What?"
"I came here to train, saw you, and just started talking."
"......"
This wasn't some mountaineer's mindset of climbing a mountain because it existed. Did he really talk to me simply because I was there?
I couldn't understand it at all. For a moment, I was speechless, and a hollow laugh escaped me.
Taking it as encouragement, or perhaps simply not noticing, Reisir spoke to me again in a friendly tone.
"By the way, this is really unexpected! I never thought I'd see you here. Why are you here instead of using the personal training grounds you rented for such a high price?"
Should I snap back and ask what business it was of his?
No, that would be a bad move.
The question Reisir asked was something other people might also wonder about.
'If Vigdís gets asked the same question when she's alone, would she be able to answer properly? Wouldn't she just stammer and accidentally reveal that these meetings are only for show?'
For that reason, I «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» decided it would be better to establish a model answer right here and now.
"...I had no choice. I thought Vigdís would feel uncomfortable if I asked her to train together in an enclosed space."
"I don't know whether to call that considerate or just you suffering the consequences of your own actions."
Reisir clicked his tongue at my answer while I subtly glanced toward Vigdís.
Vigdís's eyes widened briefly, then she looked embarrassed before suddenly tilting her head with a confused "Huh?"
She must have been surprised, thinking I was being considerate toward her.
Then she probably remembered that we had decided to train here in order to show other people that we were getting along well.
She must have realized something related to the conversation we had yesterday.
I unconsciously analyzed the changes in Vigdís's expression and the thoughts behind them.
Then I realized Vigdís's reaction wasn't what mattered right now, so I shifted my gaze back to Reisir and glared at him as I spoke.
"It seems I misjudged things. After all, with Yor here, it can't really be said that we're meeting alone... and because I ran into you, I ended up wasting my time."
"You're partly responsible for the conversation dragging on too. You could've just said, 'Hello,' and returned my greeting. Then the conversation could've ended right there. Even if we talked a bit more, we would've just wished each other luck with training."
I wanted to argue that his reasoning was absurd, but as I listened, I realized he wasn't entirely wrong.
If the conversation had ended quickly like that, Vigdís wouldn't have had the opportunity to start talking to Reisir.
But casually returning a greeting like that would go against Karvaldr's personality.
The biggest problem was that if I had done so, Reisir would've considered me even friendlier.
"Wouldn't everything have been fine if you hadn't spoken to me in the first place?"
"Well, that's true, but...!"
"If you admit that, then don't ever speak to me without a reason again. No, don't speak to me even if you do have a reason. It is utterly unpleasant to hear your voice."
"......!"
At my words, Reisir's eyes widened with a wounded expression.
I belatedly realized my words might have been too harsh, but I couldn't take them back and apologize now.
So Reisir would get angry and yell at me again today.
As I recalled the familiar pattern and considered covering my ears, an unexpected reaction came instead.
My opponent asked me a question in a subdued voice.
"Why... do you keep acting like you hate me?"
"I'm not acting like I hate you. I genuinely hate you."
"So... why?"
"People don't necessarily need a reason to hate someone, do they?"
"......"
Reisir stared at me silently and bit his lip.
Seeing a reaction so unlike his usual self made it feel as though a heavy stone had dropped into my chest.
I never thought I would feel this way, but I wished he would just yell at me and get angry instead.
I think that would've made me feel more at ease.
"Alright, I understand. I'm sorry for being annoying until now... No, wait, why am I even apologizing? You're the one who started bullying me when I was minding my own business."
"......"
"Anyway, I won't talk to you anymore, so..."
"......"
He trailed off, as though he didn't know how to finish the sentence.
With a hurt expression on his face, Reisir abruptly turned around. Judging by the way he strode off, he intended to leave the public training grounds.
Even though he had clearly come here to train.
"Vigdís."
"Y-yes?!"
"Starting next week, it would be better for us to meet at the personal training grounds instead. That way, we won't be interrupted like we were today."
I deliberately raised my voice so Reisir could hear.
I still hadn't managed to give him the key to the personal training grounds, so I couldn't stop him from using the public training grounds either.
