The serious participation begins.
Evangeline rubs her eyes.
A smile appears on her face.
“Oh, wow. It’s Shinozaki Ichiro. What brings you to seek out a girl?”
Shinozaki Rin spots Evangeline.
Their relationship wasn’t really that close.
They were in the same group during summer school, just acquaintances.
Nothing more, nothing less.
‘But I owe her.’
Yet, Rin couldn’t ignore Evangeline.
She owed her something.
Up until now, she had secretly suffered from her terrible cooking skills.
The first person to compliment Rin’s cooking was Evangeline.
[It’s very delicious! As expected from Shinozaki Ichiro! You’re quite skilled in Korean cuisine!]
Rin hears Evangeline’s voice from that day echoing in her mind when they ate her Kimchi Stew on the deserted island.
It could be seen as a trivial compliment, but to Rin, it had transcended into a heartfelt debt.
“I have something to say.”
“Uh, what is it that you want to say?”
Evangeline’s eyes tremble.
Suddenly.
Rin grabs both of Evangeline’s hands.
Rin’s eyes sink heavily.
“Miss Stewart, you are quite the charming lady. At the very least, far more than Haru. Unlike what Haru says, you are definitely not bland. But if you keep sitting back, relying on the fact that we are your benefactors, you might not even get a chance to appeal to Deok-Sung, whom you admire.”
Concern seeps into Rin’s voice.
“Miss Stewart needs to be a bit more proactive and think a little more about herself.”
Rin speaks in a serious tone.
Evangeline bites her lip.
Her fair cheeks tremble slightly.
“…Shinozaki Ichiro. I am aware of that much.”
Evangeline grasps the collar of her clothes.
She gives a wry smile.
She wasn’t dumb enough not to realize what her actions could lead to.
Evangeline was definitely not foolish.
“But… still, you and the others are my benefactors and the benefactors of our motherland. I can’t just treat you casually…”
“Miss Stewart. What I want from you is neither consideration nor kindness.”
Rin cuts off Evangeline’s words.
“Nanda.
“It’s about competing against different rivals under the same conditions. Not just me, but Miss Bonaparte, the washboard, and Miss Kamiya would think so too. In that sense, paying too much attention is actually a foul that disrupts a fair race.”
Evangeline shut her mouth upon hearing Rin’s words.
Her lips trembled.
Deep down, Evangeline knew her own feelings.
Feel free to call her ‘golden love fool.’
At first, it might have been a trivial incident.
The feeling of being saved, that simple trigger, had now snowballed into an emotion that she couldn’t erase.
Evangeline was not without her own desires.
She wanted to stand by the side of the person she liked.
She wanted to be in that person’s heart.
Just like any girl her age, those desires lived in her heart.
She had merely suppressed those desires until now.
Especially since her rival had been her savior along with her Motherland.
She couldn’t let jealousy burden her benefactor.
But still.
Evangeline bit her lip.
“Really… Is it okay for the girl to do that, even if she doesn’t respect or consider you all?”
Evangeline’s gaze turned to Rin.
“Yes. Miss Stewart. That’s the way to respect not only me but others as well as yourself. From now on, do it for no one but yourself.”
Rin knew better than anyone.
The truth that honestly expressing one’s feelings was the way to respect oneself.
“…”
Evangeline lowered her head.
Her cheeks trembled.
It was okay to do that.
The moment she affirmed her unconscious desires, all the feelings she had been desperately suppressing surged in like a tidal wave.
If it was okay to do that…
She wanted to stand by his side.
She wanted to be loved by him.
For no one but herself.
With her decision made, Evangeline lifted her head.
Clenching her fist, she declared, “If Shinozaki Ichiro said so, then I will do it!”
Seeing that, a smile crept across Rin’s face.
She finally felt like she had repaid a bit of the debt in her heart.
“Oh, and don’t take Haru’s words too much to heart. She’s just that kind of kid by nature.”
Rin said awkwardly with a smile.
Although others might not know, Rin, who had known Haru for the past ten years, knew her character very well.
Though she spoke in strange jargon, she was still just as cocky as ever.
“If it bothers you that much, I’ll apologize on her behalf.”
“No, no! You really don’t have to!”
Rin bowed her head as Evangeline waved her hands.
“There’s no need for Shinozaki Ichiro to apologize on my behalf! I’m okay. And above all…”
Evangeline trailed off.
“An apology only carries meaning when one does it personally.”
“Well, that’s true. Then I’ll talk to Haru about that. See you.”
Rin lightly patted Evangeline’s shoulder.
“Stay strong, Stewart.”
“Got it!”
As Rin walked away, Evangeline’s face brightened considerably.”
Evangeline’s expression lightens as she watches Rin leave.
It feels like a weight has been lifted off her heart.
“That was great! With Shinozaki Ichiro’s support, from now on… I’ll seriously try to appeal to Kim Deok-Sung…”
The moment she imagines Kim Deok-Sung’s face, Evangeline’s face flushes red.
Thump, thump.
Her heart races.
From the moment she resolves to really show her charm and decides not to suppress her feelings anymore, her heart keeps pounding.
“Wow, wow, wow… What should I do…?”
Just then, as Evangeline fidgets in place,
“Evangeline unnie.”
She hears a familiar voice by her ear.
Evangeline turns her head.
There stands a beautiful girl with black and red two-tone side tails, Haru.
Her face, unlike usual, is devoid of mischief.
Haru’s red eyes are fixed on Evangeline.
“Um… I’m really sorry about earlier! Haru messed up… It wasn’t my intention…”
Haru scratches her head and offers an awkward smile.
Her face turns red.
“Haru is just… No, I won’t make excuses! I’m really sorry for saying something harsh!”
Pat.
Haru bows her head, putting her hands together.
Evangeline’s face looks confused at that sight.
“Did you come to apologize to the girl after hearing Shinozaki Ichiro’s words?”
“Rin unnie? No, no! I’ve never met Rin unnie! I came straight after finishing my hot spring bath.”
Haru shakes her head.
Evangeline pensively rubs her chin.
Since Haru showed up right after Rin disappeared, it probably means they didn’t have enough time to meet.
Haru’s claim of coming straight after is believable.
“Are you genuinely apologizing?”
“Yeah! I really am sorry! Nishi-shishi-shi…”
Haru gives an awkward little laugh.
Seeing that, a smile spreads across Evangeline’s face.
Thinking about it, Haru is actually two years younger than her.
“Alright! Just this once, I shall show some grace!”
She can let it slide this one time.
Evangeline thinks so.
“Really? Thank you so much! Eva unnie!”
Hug.
Haru pulls Evangeline into an embrace.
Caught off guard, Evangeline finds herself in Haru’s arms.
As she separates from Haru, she says,
“And I will never be a bland person! I’ll prove it in front of Kim Deok-Sung, so Kurosawa should be ready!”
Evangeline places her hands on her hips, wearing a proud expression.
“Heh?”
Haru, watching her, smiles.
“Nishi-shishi-shi. Good. Eva unnie’s challenge, I’m totally ready to accept anytime.”
“You’ll see!”
Evangeline gives a nonchalant declaration of war to Haru as she turns to leave.
Her mind is set.
Now, only action remains.
*
Before finishing a proper hot spring bath, I got kicked out and headed towards the accommodation.
What I heard in my ear was the sound of a ping pong ball bouncing.
Tap, tap.
The ryokan’s ping pong room.
I see Yuji and Ishihara dressed in yukata, holding ping pong paddles and playing.
A scene of ping pong is visible.
The ping pong ball bounces into the air.
But seriously, why does everyone play ping pong only at the ryokan?
Is it the official sport of the ryokan?
“Eeeek! Ishihara! You’re amazing!”
“Kurosawa is cool too, right? He’s so handsome!”
“Kurosawa looks like a real prince!”
Around the ping pong table, a cloud of extra girls gathered to watch Yuji and Ishihara play.
Ishihara was so popular that he even had a fan club in the original story, and Yuji’s looks seem to have recently bumped up his popularity too.
One’s a prince, and the other’s a beast?
What a ridiculous light novel world.
Anyway, there’s no point in trying to act like I don’t know anything.
Just as I was about to pass by without acknowledging them…
“Oh? Brother?”
“Kim!”
Tap.
The ping pong sounds stopped, and Ishihara and Yuji’s voices could be heard.
With that, the gaze of the extras turned toward me.
“Eeeeeek! It’s the Black Beast!”
“Is it really the Black Beast? No way!”
“I heard he shamelessly walked into the outdoor bath while the girls were bathing?!”
“They say his body is amazing!”
The extras’ chattering has become completely habitual.
When did news of me entering the bath spread like that?
Unbelievable.
Ignoring it seems to be the right move here.
With that in mind, I quickly distanced myself from the ping pong area.
Safely away from the murmurs of the extras, I arrived at the ryokan hall.
There, equipped with a vending machine, tables, and chairs, I found…
“Hmmmm…”
Beatrice was struggling with a bottle of Ramune she had apparently gotten from the vending machine.
What’s she doing with that Ramune?
“What the heck…”
As Beatrice mumbled to herself, our eyes met.
“Eek!”
She gasped in surprise.
Since I had nothing else to do, I sat down and decided to talk to Beatrice.
“What’s going on?”
“I-I am not struggling to open this ridiculous bottle of soda I got from the vending machine! Why would the Scarlet Saint bend the knee to such a trivial drink…”
Clearly, she was struggling to open the Ramune bottle.
But to be fair, it can be a bit tricky the first time you see Ramune.
“Let me see.”
“I shall never succumb to such a trivial trial…”
As I spoke, Beatrice turned red and hugged the Ramune bottle close to her.
“Fine, if you don’t want to drink it, whatever.”
“…But, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to let a lowly human experience a fragment of the great trials I endure. They ought to feel honored to behold the Scarlet Saint. Human.”
With her typical exaggerated flair, Beatrice handed me the Ramune.
The moment I pressed down on the cap to drop the marble into the neck of the bottle…
-CHIIIIIICK!
The sparkling soda exploded out, splattering sticky liquid all over my yukata and hands.
What the heck.
Did she shake it or something?
Now I really have to go wash up.
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