“My, my purity… has value in itself… right?”
Chatter-chatter!
With tears welling in her eyes, she keeps trying to persuade me, trembling with desperation to an almost ridiculous level.
What on earth does she think of me?
Well, it’s not like she has a very good impression of me…
“So, um… let’s sit down and… talk…”
“Senpai.”
Sniffle, sniff!
“Uh, um…?”
“I’m here to help you sleep.”
I cut her off because I couldn’t take any more. Only then does Yeon Minha stop crying and stare at me blankly.
After a moment of silence, it seems like she has grasped the situation to some extent, and her lips tremble as she speaks.
“…So… it can’t be far away…?”
“Correct. It can’t.”
“But… I’m sure in the dormitory…”
“One wall is fine. But my guest room and here are quite far apart. I can’t just hang onto the window all night, and I can’t stroll around the hallway either.”
“Wha-what then… hic, hic…”
Tears are gathering again, but Yeon Minha’s face is as red as a tomato.
She wraps herself up in a blanket so snugly that now she only shoots me a resentful look.
“How dare… this is… sexual harassment…”
“Did I sexually harass you? You did it to yourself, Senpai. And what will you do if I did?”
Choke! Huh…
Her sheer audacity makes me want to snap back, but her timid reactions make me soften inside.
I give up on replying and sit down at the table, letting out a big sigh.
“Haa… I’m not doing it. We have a contract, remember? And if you thought that way, why did you leave the window open?”
“It was… an order… and if I didn’t open it… you have no idea what I might do…”
“Senpai, what do you think I am?”
“Well, uh…”
“Honestly, just say it. It’s an order.”
Yeon Minha, trembling, ducks her head. When I urge her again, she turns her head slightly and awkwardly parts her lips.
“Pervert… lecher… sob…”
Silence…
Her wayward perception is quite pitiful. I admit I’ve treated her a bit roughly, but I don’t recall crossing any boundaries in that direction.
…Now that I think about it, it seems the image of a monster has been projected onto me…
“I have no interest in your body at all. I even dislike touching it. So please stop worrying unnecessarily.”
“What do you mean… my body is quite beautiful…!”
In a moment of indignation, she tries to retort, but realizing it was an inappropriate statement, she cuts herself off and buries her face in her blanket.
Self-love is a word that doesn’t relate to me at all, but she doesn’t seem like a person who would have that.
“Is that enough? So hurry up and sleep. You look quite worn out from the trip to the south.”
“Y-You’re watching me so how can I… even so… in the same room…”
“This isn’t the first time, so what’s the issue?”
“It’s not the first…? W-wait… then…”
As if realization dawns on her, Yeon Minha’s eyes go wide as she stares at me.
“That time… wasn’t it when you came in the morning?”
“I was right next to you all night.”
Mentioning the story from the day after I completed my first request, Yeon Minha lets out a sound as if steam is escaping from a kettle.
I was about to say I knew all her habits and quiet snoring, but thinking of her pride, I decide against it.
“Is that enough? So stop lingering and lie down.”
Yip…
With a somewhat coercive tone, Yeon Minha finally unravels her tightly wound blanket and modestly lies down.
But she still doesn’t fall asleep. I feel her glancing at me repeatedly from the direction I’m sitting.
“A-are you not going to sleep…?”
After taking a deep breath as if making a significant decision, she hesitantly asks.
“Rather than just sitting there… it would be better to lie on the floor…”
“I’m fine for about two days without sleep.”
Yeon Minha keeps negotiating. It seems the thought of her sleeping while I stay awake makes her uneasy.
But once I fall asleep, my powers escape my will and spread everywhere, making it impossible to project within this space.
On the way here, I solved the problem by camping out a little distance away from Yeon Minha, but now that’s not an option…
“I, I can also… stay awake for a night…”
“With those heavy eyelids? You hardly seem alert.”
“Haa… Haa…”
Suddenly, her blush from my comment is so endearing that I can’t help but feel a little embarrassed myself.
It seems like she’s become quite fond of sleep over the past ten years, getting lost in sweet dreams and almost never being the first to wake up in the mornings.
“…Why are you doing this… It’s not helping me, nor is it the opposite…”
Time passes, and peeking out from her blanket, Yeon Minha asks her question.
All my efforts to help her get some good rest feel fruitless. She shows no intention of drifting off alone.
After contemplating how to respond, I think that maybe answering some questions could help improve our relationship slightly.
“I told you before. For my benefit and my benefactor’s.”
“Your benefactor is… Heukryeon?”
“Yes. So I’ve simply chosen what I think is best in this situation.”
“…I guess. Heukryeon is definitely different from Paecheon. So I’m just a moment…”
Considering her pride, I refrained from mentioning the headmaster’s request.
But suddenly, seemingly understanding, Yeon Minha’s expression turns to one of grievance as she yells out loud.
“Then, you should’ve said that from the start…!”
“Honestly, I doubt you would’ve accepted my request just because I was honest. Right?”
“Huh, huhhh…”
With a pouting and resentful expression, Yeon Minha bows her head. Just when I think it’s all over, she hesitates and starts asking more questions.
“…You seem to be quite close with Sa Jaehyeok…? Judging by how ‘enthusiastically’ you’re carrying out your tasks…”
Today, her curiosity seems endless. It feels like she’s emphasizing certain words for some reason.
Should I see that as a good sign?
“…I owe my life to him and his sisters.”
“What, was there some reason behind that…?”
“Yes. If it weren’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be here today. They are good people. Not at all like the rumors.”
“Really… And I remember you seemed like you lived in the countryside… er, the outskirts… your hometown felt like that…?”
I can sense no malice in her questions. But her pure curiosity feels like it’s drowning me.
Thoughts I buried deep inside, bubbling up like bloop bloop bubbles, float back to the surface.
There was everything I had ever wanted back then.
Yet now, those memories have crumbled like sand I tried to grasp, turning into recollections that will never return.
“…It was more than that. Honestly, it’s not even comparable.”
“Really…? You must have had a hard time… living in a place like that…”
Still, there’s no malice in her tone. From the perspective of a noble lady, that might seem like an obvious conclusion.
But…
“…That was the happiest time of my life.”
Her voice naturally carried a hint of nostalgia, and Yeon Minha gazed at me, slightly shocked.
As if asking when I felt that way, a heavy silence envelops the guest room once again.
It’s not the atmosphere I wanted at all.
“This conversation is done for now. But can I ask you just one thing?”
“What, what is it…?”
I decide to change the subject entirely.
“If this request succeeds, how much will it help your standing?”
“…It’ll help quite a bit. Transport requests usually carry additional points, and agricultural areas are among the long-term projects selected by the council, so there’s a certain symbolical aspect to it…”
“Then can you catch up with Yeon Baek Seoyeon?”
“That’s… impossible.”
Suddenly, Yeon Minha’s expression turns sour, looking a bit disheartened.
“That girl… she received the Silver Medal of Valor for last year’s subjugation results, so she must have an immense advantage. Unless I get a Gold Medal or something, catching up all at once would be tough…”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Transport escort is an important task but not at that level. Plus, because of the mental contamination, I haven’t been able to go beyond the cradle… this is actually my first external job…”
With that in mind, she does seem quite capable. If she hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t have known at all.
From this angle, it seems that the mental contamination acted as a strong shackle on her.
“…You’ll be able to finish it well.”
“Uh, uh…?”
“Now sleep. If the spot is uncomfortable, I’ll turn around to the window side. I’ll leave around dawn, so don’t worry.”
“Uh, okay…”
Before long, Yeon Minha’s drowsy eyes flutter shut. Soon, the only sound filling the dark room is the deep, slow breathing of someone.
What I said to Yeon Minha is also my hope.
The unnaturally peaceful atmosphere feels more like a mental hurdle.
I sincerely wish this uneasy peace lasts until we leave the south.
