EDM 69

“What kind of answer is that?”

“……”

“If you like me, then you like me. What’s with ‘I probably like you’?”

“If you don’t like it, just pretend you didn’t hear it…”

“I can’t do that.”

Overwhelmed by the constant warmth touching his cheeks, Kafka finally gently pulled away from Soren and pushed him back. Soren seemed slightly disappointed but appeared to judge that there wouldn’t be much gain from clinging any further, so he obediently let Kafka go.

“Why are you looking at me with that expression?”

Kafka, quietly looking up at Soren, seemed somewhat melancholy. Soren chuckled softly while tidying his disheveled hair.

“I told you.”

“……”

“That I didn’t know what I might do, and that crying and regretting later would be useless.”

“I thought you meant you were going to beat me up.”

“Me hit you? As if.”

Soren answered somewhat smugly. Just moments ago he had been angry as if he might stab someone to death, but his attitude had changed like flipping a palm, it was so absurd that words wouldn’t come out.

Seeing his smiling lips as if he was in a good mood, it felt somehow like being scammed. The sense of defeat, as if he had fallen for cheap provocation and ruined everything.

“I didn’t intend for this to happen between us.”

“Strictly speaking, you said you liked me.”

“That and this are different…”

“Should I have held your hand first?”

Soren muttered quietly. Kafka sighed and leaned against the wall, looking dejected.

As he slowly crouched down and sat, Soren also bent down and sat with him. When he lowered his head to look at the ground, he felt Soren rest his head against the top of his.

“You’re heavy.”

“I know.”

“Since when have you been this clingy?”

“Don’t you think I was holding back?”

He really wouldn’t let up on a single word. Kafka decided to give up on meaningless verbal sparring. There was no point in whining when what was already done couldn’t be undone.

As he quietly stared at the bare ground, his thoughts gradually organized themselves. He had expected to regret it enough to want to die, but surprisingly his mood was refreshingly clear.

He no longer thought about growing distant from Soren and returning to being just an extra. That was only natural, this was his first kiss in both lives combined. He had even kissed the person he had feelings for, which was enough foundation for audacious thoughts.

‘Wouldn’t it be okay?’

Could it be that in the original “Knight of the North Wind,” he and Soren had ruined the world with some trivial love affair? Perhaps being in a romantic relationship might not be a problem at all.

Wouldn’t it be fine as long as he didn’t join the hero party? If he remained as Soren’s lover and quietly stayed here waiting for him to return as a hero, wouldn’t that be okay?

The person I like likes me back. The moment he realized their hearts were connected, it felt like his whole body had exploded.

After all, this place was a third world, neither a novel nor a webtoon. In that case, there might be no need to say harsh words and hurt Soren’s feelings to refuse the relationship.

The world won’t end just because he stayed by Soren’s side for a while.

Ridiculous thoughts filled his head. It was greed that needed no qualifying adjectives.

Even knowing this, he couldn’t quite regain his reason. How could he reverse a spark once it had caught fire? Having already kissed, Kafka could never return to how things were before.

‘I’ve ended up digging my own grave.’

Even if he told Soren to pretend today never happened and return to being friends, nothing would change. It would be fortunate if the situation didn’t get worse due to half-burned emotions and lingering regrets. In that case, there was only one way. To humbly acknowledge and accept that he had made an irreversible choice.

‘There must be another route.’

A way to achieve a happy ending without him having to leave Soren.

Kafka raised his hand and gently stroked Soren’s hair resting on top of his head. The long, fine blonde hair softly tangled between his fingers. Soren let out a very faint laugh, seeming to enjoy the touch.

“Soren, get up for a moment.”

“I don’t want to because I feel like you’ll suddenly run away if I let go.”

“I won’t run away, and I have something to give you, so get up quickly. My back is starting to hurt…”

Finally, Soren removed his leaning body and stood up from where he was sitting. He extended his arm and took Kafka’s hand to help him stand comfortably.

“What are you trying to give me?”

“It’s nothing special…”

Kafka handed Soren the subspace pouch he had been keeping in his robe pocket. Soren immediately opened the pouch and took out a bottle containing recovery potion. He swirled the liquid inside, looking puzzled about why Kafka was suddenly giving him potions, then suddenly widened his eyes as if he had realized something.

“…Don’t tell me you made this?”

“Medeio helped me.”

“So that’s why you were following him around all this time?”

“To make that.”

“……”

“And the private lunch that day was because of Aisha.”

“Aisha? Why?”

“Medeio said he likes Aisha.”

Silence flowed. After being quiet for a moment, Soren banged his forehead against the wall, saying he was indescribably ashamed.

“So I was the only one acting like an idiot…”

“Pretty much?”

“You should have said something earlier…”

“Did you give me the chance?”

Kafka leaned his shoulder against the wall again. Soren’s face, pressed against his forehead, was bright red all the way to his ears.

All of this situation seemed so absurd that laughter burst out. Kafka let out a hollow laugh by himself, then made an “ah” sound and pressed his forehead.

“So tone down your temper from now on. Don’t get irritated right off the bat and handle things more calmly.”

“If I can’t control my temper again, then I’m really a dog.”

“Don’t worry. If you become a dog, I’ll take care of you.”

“That’s… kind of tempting.”

Soren lifted his head and laughed heartily. Kafka watched him quietly and burst into laughter again. The excitement shooting up from his chest exploded like fireworks in his head. Had there ever been a time since his reincarnation into this world when he was as happy as this moment?

“Let’s go in. It’s almost curfew.”

“Can’t I sleep in your room tonight?”

“That won’t work. If we get caught, we’ll be cleaning side by side.”

“Ah, I really hate the dormitory… I need to graduate quickly.”

Whispering voices echoed through the quiet back courtyard. Even though dusk had fallen with the setting sun, warm wind passed through their hair.

Spring was coming to an end. Although they hadn’t managed to go on a single picnic due to various events, Kafka didn’t particularly feel regretful.

* * *

“You two are really disgusting to look at.”

Medeio, who had been examining the potion in the bottle, couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up. It wasn’t without reason, Soren was stuck to Kafka’s back like a shell and had no intention of separating.

“Are you jealous?”

“Are you crazy?”

“It’s okay, Medi. Someday new love will come to you too.”

“Do you want to die? Come out to the dueling ground.”

At Soren’s smugly teasing voice, Medeio finally stood up abruptly from his seat. As for Kafka, he was just annoyed by Soren clinging to his back. Regardless of his feelings of affection, annoying was still annoying.

It had become early autumn and graduation exams were right around the corner. To briefly summarize what had happened during this time: Aisha had successfully awakened as a Sword Master, Soren and Medeio had become close enough to use nicknames…

“What are you going to do if you go to the dueling ground? Can you beat me?”

“Ah, I really should have just pretended not to know back then, come hell or high water…”

Medeio had confessed to Aisha and been cleanly rejected.

Aside from that, the days had been plain without major ups and downs. Since rumors of dating among male students would be troublesome in various ways, Soren and Kafka had started dating secretly, and only Medeio, who had played the role of a bridge (though not quite), knew about this fact.

Therefore, even though he was now dating Soren, his daily life hadn’t changed much. Just as always, they ate meals together, spent free time together, and during leisure hours went on dates to nearby villages or Lake Saskina…

Such a life continued. To be honest, the days were so peaceful that one might wonder if the Demon Lord would really resurrect.

“If you’re going to fight, go outside and fight. You’re too noisy and I can’t concentrate.”

Kafka scolded the two immature ones while checking the potion’s concentration. Medeio turned his attention back to his research notes, saying he didn’t want to deal with them anymore, while Soren was busy clinging to Kafka from behind again.

“Soren, it’s hot. Move away a bit.”

“Why are you going through the trouble of making potions in this weather? You could just buy them.”

“He’s spoiled by happiness, spoiled by happiness. I’m pouring my heart out, and that’s how he repays me.”

Medeio muttered quietly. Of course, it had no impact on Soren, so he paid no attention and rested his chin on Kafka’s shoulder while turning his gaze to the potion bubbling in the pot.