“What?!”
“….”
“You and Kyle! You’re dating!?”
“Temporarily.”
“Elin, I’m not dreaming right now, am I!?”
“No.”
“Really?!”
I told my friends about what happened yesterday.
They started going on and on about how we even went on a date.
Is it really that weird…?
What kind of person was I to them, anyway?
“Elin, just slap me once.”
“Really?”
“Hurry up! This might not be real!?”
“Then….”
I was about to stop Elin but hesitated.
I could see how Louise would react, but honestly, I didn’t mind if Louise turned out to be the one scheming against me.
*Thwack!!!*
“Ugh!!!”
“….”
“Oh?”
Did Elin not consider her own strength relative to Louise’s body?
She was shocked after striking me.
Logically, she’s the vice commander of the knights… Isn’t it a given that there’s a gap in strength?
“Ugh… I’m dying… Elin, are you trying to kill me?!”
“No, but you asked me to hit you…”
“No! I meant to hit softly!”
“This is soft, you know?”
Does Louise view knights as mere water balloons?
If it were me, I would never ask a knight to slap me.
I once saw Elin training with the knights and…
*Bang!!!!!!!!!!*
“Alright, bring in the next scarecrow.”
“Yes!”
*Bam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
Not just any old wooden scarecrow.
They wrapped it in steel plating and even put on a shield…
It was reduced to splinters.
Seeing that made me think, ‘What the heck was that?!’
Sure, it’s a world with mana, so it’s not impossible…
But I was still super shocked.
The scarecrow didn’t just bend like a bow; it folded in half!
“Geez….”
“See? Why did you ask for that?”
“I didn’t know….”
“Idiot.”
I smiled at Louise.
Seriously, why did you plot against me like that?
“So… you’re ‘temporarily’ dating Kyle?”
“Yup.”
For now, it’s temporary.
Just something to try out.
I’m not really serious about it yet.
“And you even went on a date yesterday?”
“Yup.”
“Really…?”
“Yup.”
They just don’t get it.
I said it was true, but they kept asking.
It was honestly baffling.
“We went out to eat, bought clothes, walked together. And… we even held hands….”
It wasn’t anything super special.
We just did the same old date routine we’d done before.
We were still a long way from doing what real couples do.
We were just starting the couple act.
“By the way, what’s made you suddenly start dating? You were acting all tough before.”
“Ah.”
Well, that’s true.
I didn’t see it coming either.
Who would’ve guessed Kyle would confess to me?
Even I didn’t know.
Oh, but maybe Kyle did know.
He had such a strong sense of certainty after all.
“Well, I suppose that could happen. What’s the big deal?”
“That’s true, but….”
“Either way, it’s not like we’re seriously dating. It’s just temporary, so why is it such a big deal?”
“….”
“….”
“This is why rookies who haven’t dated can’t understand.”
So stubborn.
Kyle was way more progressive about my requests.
Unlike those two who spent all day in the castle wielding magic and swords.
Or maybe Kyle accepted me better because he’s younger?
He’s definitely younger than the three girls sitting here.
“Sophia.”
“Ah, Kyle!”
As we kept talking, Kyle passed by and called me.
We weren’t in a completely sealed room.
It was a place designed to sip tea and spend time, accessible whether you were a VIP or not.
There were no doors, so you could easily come and go, and there were no windows.
A very open space, indeed.
“What were you doing?”
“Ah, just chatting with some friends.”
I ran into Kyle while he was passing through the first-floor hallway, but it wasn’t a problem.
I was technically unemployed right now.
Well, to be precise, my job was Kyle’s temporary girlfriend.
I’d promised Kyle that I wouldn’t work while we were “trying out” being a couple.
So there wasn’t really a problem.
“Um… I was just about to head somewhere. Want to join?”
“Sure.”
I didn’t know where we were going, but if Kyle was inviting me, it must be a good place.
I stood up.
Sorry to the friends I was talking with, but right now I was Kyle’s girlfriend.
“Hey, have fun with Elin. I might come back if I can.”
“Yeah, go away?”
“Why do you say that? Anyway, Elin, make sure to relax with Louise.”
“…Yeah.”
I dashed towards Kyle, leaving the table behind.
I couldn’t keep Kyle waiting for no reason.
“Sophia.”
“Yeah?”
As I stood in front of him, Kyle called out to me again.
Why was he calling me again?
Did I do something wrong?
“You aren’t wearing the same outfit as yesterday.”
“Oh, that?”
I didn’t wear the outfit from our date.
I was in my usual attire, just a shirt without the blazer.
I thought about putting on the blazer but decided against it.
Wearing a blazer made it feel like I was working.
I wasn’t a workaholic, and I didn’t want to always be working.
Of course, working as Kyle’s servant was enjoyable.
He treated me really well, after all.
“Why did you wear it yesterday but not today?”
“Um… it’s the kind of outfit you wear on a date, right? Since we’re not really dating, wearing it for no reason might get it dirty, and that would be a hassle.”
What if I spilled tea and stained it?
It was a nice outfit, but it wasn’t that important to me.
“So, where are you headed today?”
“I just wanted to spend time with you.”
“Huh?”
“I want to be with you, Sophia.”
“Um….”
How am I supposed to respond to Kyle’s sudden confession?
I still haven’t figured that out.
It’s not me; it’s Kyle who’s strange.
How can a person say such things so easily?
Honestly, it’s too much.
I’m left flustered by a single phrase from him.
“Did you not want to be with me?”
“No, not at all….”
How am I supposed to respond to that?
I made sure to teach him to be polite and considerate, but does he not know how to handle this kind of situation yet?
I recalled a line from an anime I once saw.
“The king cannot comprehend the hearts of people.”
Of course, Kyle isn’t really at that level.
Just saying that for the sake of it.
“So, how did it feel?”
“Um….”
That was a tough question to answer.
If I said I wanted to be with him, wouldn’t that make me sound too needy?
I thought of several answers, but none came out easily.
“Umm….”
Wait, maybe I was overthinking it.
I could just respond lightly.
It might be a bit embarrassing, but we’re basically dating now, right?
There’s nothing wrong with a couple saying slightly embarrassing things to each other, is there?
“Yeah, I missed you. Ah, not like that, I mean I wanted to be with you.”
I blurted that out.
What was I thinking with that response?
Why did I even say that?
That was so embarrassing!
I shouldn’t have said anything weird…
“…”
“…”
The atmosphere just became super awkward.
Neither of us could say anything now.
Was my response really that strange…?
I didn’t think it was that bad.
“Anyway! I just wanted to spend some time together. You weren’t doing anything important, were you?”
“Just chatting with the girls a bit.”
“Then I’m relieved.”
Well, honestly, girl talk isn’t really a big deal.
We all got along without jealousy or envy, so it was something special.
The real girl talk can be terrifying.
One slip of the tongue and you’re all alone in the group.
Ah, but that’s not my story.
Just when nobility got too casual with each other, if they slipped up, the next Monday you’d find curses written on the errant girl’s desk.
But hey, she was the one who used to annoy me, so I just laughed.
“Oh, by the way, do you like couple rings?”
“Couple rings?”
“Yeah. Not anything flashy like the ruby ring I showed before.”
I didn’t dislike couple rings per se.
But I’d have to have someone to wear them with first.
“I’ve never done it, so I wouldn’t know.”
I didn’t find them good or bad.
“Then would you like to try it out this time?”
“What kind?”
What kind of couple rings was he talking about if it wasn’t something like the ruby ring from last time?
“What I mean is, don’t expect too much. It’s just for fun.”
“Okay.”
I wasn’t expecting much anyway.
We were just temporary couple partners.
Kyle isn’t stupid enough to give something extravagant to a girl he’s just casually trying out with, right?
Especially not to someone like me.
“That’s fine. I’ll be happy with whatever you give me.”
Oh, not whatever…? If it’s from Kyle, I’d probably appreciate most things.
But don’t give me something weird, like a reptile’s corpse.
I was never fond of gross things during my adventurer days either.
Not loving gross things is just normal.
“Sophia, would you mind closing your eyes for a moment?”
“Sure.”
I closed my eyes as Kyle asked me to.
What kind of ring was he planning to give me?
Maybe a cute, innocent flower ring like a child’s?
Or a candy ring?
*Slurp….*
I felt something being slipped onto my finger.
It felt warm, but the material felt cold.
Metal…?
What could it be?
“Alright, you can open your eyes now.”
“Okay.”
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
