NOVEL NEXT Chapter 67
Yurasia, who had been floating question marks on her face, suddenly popped up an exclamation mark! Then she sneakily licked her lips with her mischievous tongue.
Sure. She’s planning to drool and lie.
What a good attitude.
I leaned a bit closer to Yurasia and whispered very softly.
“You don’t have to be too nervous. I’m actually quite good at this kind of stuff.”
“Uh, you’re good…? Re-really good…?”
“Of course.”
“…Have you ever done it?!”
“Definitely.”
Yurasia’s blue eyes trembled flutter-flutter and she let out an excited sigh.
Her breath smelled like toothpaste, as if she had just brushed her teeth, mixed with her unique flower fragrance.
“…How many times?”
How many times?
I’ve told enough lies like this in my life.
“Well… I guess it’s a lot, so I haven’t really counted? Why count something like this? It’s nothing.”
“U-uh… um, um, a lot… not a big deal, right…? Isn’t it your first time, though? Why?”
Yurasia looked truly shocked as she pulled her upper body back.
“…W-when?”
“Why are you asking about that? How embarrassing. Anyway, you just have to trust me, and it’ll be easy, so no worries.”
“Oh my gosh…”
Now tears had started to well up in her eyes as she stared at me.
“…Why do you look like that?”
“Young lady. You’re not saying… you’ve done something even bigger than today, right? Like, in a bad way…?”
“Isn’t today a big deal?”
“…Huh?”
But her expression was quite strange.
It was like… looking at a younger sibling who has become an adult…?
No, wait, it seemed a bit darker than that.
Betrayal…? A very deep… betrayal?
Yurasia’s gaze became icy cold.
If she had knives in her eyes, I would have been sliced to pieces by now.
Why is she making that face?
“…With who?”
I can’t talk about my past experiences…
“Alone.”
“Gasp… Alone?! Is that a good thing? Or not… uh, um…”
After muttering some unintelligible words for a while, Yurasia squeezed her eyes shut and screamed, Aagh!
“You’re too… too early on this!”
“What’s wrong?”
“That kind of thing… you usually, uhm… do it when you’re an adult! No!”
“Is it really necessary?”
“Huh…?”
Yurasia’s face became confused again.
“Huh? Is it… really… not necessary?”
Her clear blue eyes were spinning around, her lips were quivering, and she swallowed hard with a gulp.
“Even though we’re the same gender, is this… um… still allowed, though…? Huh…? Well, even if it’s needed, is it… er… okay then… this time?”
“This time? It should be done when necessary.”
“…Ugh… How about instead! Let’s do it together, okay?!”
“Really…? This time is special, so we’ll do it together, or else it’ll just be me.”
“Urgh… that kind of thing! N-no!!”
Now she was practically pounding on my bed, making a clunk-clunk!
What the hell is going on?
Is suggesting a little lie so dramatic that it causes this much chaos?
I thought back, wondering if we were talking about something else entirely.
But no.
Yurasia isn’t the type to be confused about the current situation, and I’m sure I conveyed my meaning clearly.
So why is this happening?
“Did you drink or something?”
“Oh, no? I’m just… embarrassed…”
“Then why are you… Aah, forget it.”
Shaking my head, I shuffled over and grabbed a drink, as well as a notebook and pen.
“When the Knight Order arrives, I’ll write down what you need to say, adjusting a bit from what happened in the Labyrinth, so memorize it well. But don’t say it exactly as memorized; make it sound somewhat like the truth. Got it?”
“…Labyrinth? Adjusting?”
Yurasia’s expression became blank.
*
Yurasia maintained her bewildered expression throughout my explanation, but finally let out a resigned sigh and glared at me.
“…Young lady.”
“Yeah?”
“Um… never mind.”
Then she let out another big sigh and stood up.
“…So I can just say it like this?”
“Yeah. Doing this will help you puff up your chest a bit after graduating from the Knight Order.”
Of course, I don’t intend to let her go even after graduation.
“…Okay.”
“What’s up with that face?”
“Just…”
Yurasia still looked disappointed.
What’s the matter? Did I forget something? Her birthday? No, it’s not that.
Yurasia’s birthday is November 28.
Then what is it?
Is it because I didn’t congratulate her on reaching the 5th Rank?
Well… Arisa and Luna were like that too.
If you don’t acknowledge their achievements, they’ll sulk for a whole week and throw a tantrum over nothing.
Well… I don’t think Yurasia is the same as them, but still… she’s a girl, so…
Feeling awkward, I scratched my cheek and casually said, “So, do you want a present?”
“…A present?”
Yurasia perked up and tilted her head.
“For reaching the 5th Rank… I mean, you’re definitely capable of climbing even higher, but you’ve reached a level that humans refer to as the limit, so I thought… I’d give you a gift.”
“R-really…?”
“Yeah. Want me to get you a necklace again? All the magic that was carved into the last one has disappeared. This time, I’ll get you a better Artifact.”
Due to what happened previously, Yurasia’s necklace, which was an Artifact, lost its effectiveness.
If we combine Kaloso’s Create magic and Luna’s miracle, we could make a semi-permanent Artifact, but for now, we have to use disposable ones.
It’s a bit disappointing, but it’s not a big deal in terms of money.
Of course, this time, I’m paying with my own money, not the family’s.
The bounty from defeating creatures in the Labyrinth.
Since Fabiana and Silina said they didn’t want their share, an enormous amount for just a 17-year-old dropped into Yurasia’s and my hands.
I had thought about pushing Yurasia’s share towards her, but since she firmly refused, we decided to share it.
So I already had a rough plan on how to use it.
In the letter I’m sending to the family, I’ll include the expenses I’ve covered so far, and the rest I’ll use at the Academy.
It’s more than enough to feed and house ourselves for at least six months, so I won’t have to worry about buying macarons for Stella.
Well, if I buy a gift for Yurasia this time, it might change a bit.
Having just gotten up quietly, Yurasia sat back down on the bed softly, lost in thought for a while.
Then, glancing at me, she quietly said, “Instead of a necklace… hmm…”
“Can you take me to the fair when the ban on going out is lifted? Together… Just the two of us… I want to pick out a gift with you.”
“Really?”
“…Yes!”
Yurasia nodded her head and smiled brightly.
“Okay, then. We’ll do that.”
“Oh, right… After the ban is lifted, I plan to go home first before we go!”
“Oh, it’s about time to visit your home.”
Yurasia goes back to her family every two months.
She says there are just her grandmother and younger sister living there, and her grandmother was a famous adventurer in the past.
A 1-star Gold Medal. In other words, the 5th Rank.
Yurasia has now reached that, while her grandmother had faced fierce battles with high-level monsters, she lost her right arm and retired.
Anyway, she’s going to take care of her grandmother and 12-year-old sister.
I have no information about her parents. She doesn’t seem to want to talk about them, so I didn’t ask either.
“When will you be back?”
“Um, probably after classes this Thursday, I’ll leave and expect to return next Friday.”
So far, she has always come back in three or four days, but this time she seems to be staying longer.
I was about to ask why but kept my mouth shut.
Yurasia probably wouldn’t tell the reason anyway.
Plus, I didn’t want to add any unnecessary burden by asking about it.
However, Yurasia seemed to read my mind, as she smiled mysteriously and stepped closer.
“Why? Do you want me to come back quickly?”
“…No?”
Her cheeks puffed up in a sulk.
Yup, Yurasia surely has a rich emotional expression that makes just watching her interesting.
“…Young lady.”
“What?”
“Just, at times like this, please just agree with me, even if it’s a white lie…”
“Hmm… But if you say you want to come back quickly, it’s likely to be a burden for you, right?”
“…Uh? Is that so?”
“Yeah. I think that’s what you’d do. Anyway, it’s fine if you take your time. I was only curious about why it’s taking so long.”
For a moment, Yurasia’s expression became oddly subdued.
It was a rather heavy expression for her, but she always had that face whenever she prepared for her home visit, so it had become a familiar sight by now.
“…Are you curious?”
“I am.”
I lightly poked Yurasia’s nose and giggled hee hee.
“But I won’t ask. I won’t force you to spill it out. Whenever you feel ready to share, whether now or in the future, just tell me then.”
“W-why…?”
Why, huh?
Well, even I’m not sure.
“Because I trust you?”
“…Me?”
“Yeah.”
Without hesitation, my answer came out almost reflexively.
I trust Yurasia.
Among my family members, excluding my mother, father, and Uncle Kerian of course, she’s the first person I’ve had faith in.
So, I don’t want to pry too much.
Trust that is forced is bound to shatter someday.
“So there’s no need for unnecessary burdens. If you have worries you can’t share with others, talk to me anytime.”
Yurasia softly asked, her head down.
“What if that worry is something really difficult, so troublesome… something that just can’t be solved?”
I have no idea why she’s asking this.
If it’s something really, really difficult, troubling, and nearly impossible to solve…
Well, in that case, maybe I’d have to rebel against the Demon King.
That’s something I really have no idea how it will turn out, both for me now and in the future, but Yurasia’s worries likely won’t be like that.
Even if that is the case.
Just as Yurasia said a moment ago.
For now, I should probably agree with her words.
“Still, just tell me. I’ll help.”
“What if it’s a problem I can’t even handle as a young lady?”
“There’s no such thing in this world.”
“What if everyone in the world turns hostile…?”
“U-uh… In that case, I might consider it for a moment?”
Yurasia let out a hollow sigh as she looked up. Her face wore a hopeless expression to match her sigh.
Yet, I couldn’t help but giggle hee hee, and lightly flick Yurasia’s forehead with a snap.
“But still, I’m on your side.”
I couldn’t see how Yurasia’s expression changed upon hearing my words.
Because just then, a voice from outside interrupted our moment.
“Lady Eliaernes Eustetia.”
A gentle voice with a slightly higher pitch.
The voice of the head maid, Mikel.
“Someone from the Eustetia family has come to visit.”
“…Yes. I’ll be right out.”
Letting out a sigh, I stood up.
Outside the window, the orange glow of the sunset was filtering in. It’s still quite early until the Knight Order is set to arrive.
Someone must have come before the Knight Order. So Yurasia has no reason to be tired this early.
“I’ll call you later with a device, so just relax here.”
I gently patted Yurasia’s shoulder and stepped out of the room.
I wonder who has arrived?