EDM 8

“What would you like to drink? I’ll buy.”

“That’s okay.”

“I called you here for my own needs, so I should buy. What do you like? Coffee? Smoothie?”

“Coffee is fine. Something hot.”

“Stay seated here. I’ll go order.”

After finishing her words, Maria headed straight to the counter. Though it didn’t seem proper to sit comfortably alone, Kafka also didn’t want to show the people around him ordering drinks side by side with Maria, so he sat quietly in his seat.

After waiting for a moment, Maria returned carrying a tray with two drinks. Black coffee in a white mug and a smoothie made from blended strawberries.

“I brought cream and sugar just in case. Do you need them?”

“I do. Thank you.”

Actually, he didn’t need them. He just didn’t want to waste what she had thoughtfully brought. Kafka tore open the cream and sugar packets, poured them into his coffee, and stirred with a stirrer. The nearly black coffee turned light brown and gave off a sweet aroma.

“…”

The two sat facing each other for a while, just drinking their beverages. It was awkward to immediately start talking about the main topic, but they also had nothing to say if they were to make small talk.

“How is His Grace doing?”

Maria was the first to speak. Asking about parents’ well-being was a very appropriate topic for families who knew each other well. Kafka nodded to indicate they were doing well, then asked the same question. Maria also smiled awkwardly, saying there were no problems.

“Though I am worried that he’s been gaining too much weight lately.”

“Really? When I saw him last time, he seemed fine.”

“That was already 2 years ago. You don’t go home much even during breaks.”

I see. Only then did he realize he hadn’t returned home for nearly 2 years. Maria sighed, saying he would be shocked if he saw her father.

“Alcohol is the problem anyway. He always enjoyed it, but lately it’s excessive.”

“He must be feeling lonely after retirement.”

“Well, that’s true, but… still, this crosses the line.”

Maria shook her head. Kafka laughed it off appropriately. Silence settled again. Kafka took a sip of coffee, and Maria slightly lowered her gaze while biting the end of her straw.

“So, what did you want to tell me?”

Since they had observed appropriate courtesies, it seemed good to get to the main point now. At Kafka’s words, Maria said “Ah,” rolled her eyes slightly, then hesitated for a moment. It seemed difficult for her to bring up the topic.

It appeared she wanted to ask for some kind of favor. Kafka’s eyes widened slightly again. After all, what could there be that would make Maria, an honor student and future great mage material, want to ask a favor of someone like Kafka Sonder?

“Well, you see.”

“…”

“Recently.”

Maria, who had difficulty starting, hesitated for a moment. Her cheeks were even slightly flushed as if she was embarrassed to bring up the topic. Kafka’s expression became strange. He deliberately lowered his gaze, pretending to drink coffee. Watching Maria uncharacteristically hem and haw made him anxious.

“…There was a big fight in the swordsmanship department, right?”

“You mean Aisha and Ibelonoia?”

“Yes, that’s right. There was some trouble between those two.”

Maria let out another awkward laugh. Kafka was the same in just smiling. The two exchanged hollow eye-smiles for a moment.

“After that, I thought Aisha and Ibelonoia’s relationship would be bad.”

“I thought so too.”

Of course, it was a lie. Having read the webtoon and knowing the future, Kafka knew that the two would become close and even fall in love with each other.

“But it seems like they’ve gotten closer.”

“Right! I don’t know how it happened, but they’ve been getting along really well lately!”

As if she was going to say the same thing, Maria agreed with a slightly elevated tone. It was the first time he had seen her, who was always calm, raise her voice like this. As if surprised by the loud voice she had unconsciously raised, Maria covered her mouth slightly and coughed.

“Ahem, so.”

“So?”

“It’s better to become friends than to remain bitter enemies. Isn’t it good for Aisha too?”

“Well…”

It wasn’t wrong. Though he wasn’t entirely happy thinking about how Soren’s importance in Aisha’s life would increase while he became relegated to leftovers.

‘How miserable…’

Kafka sighed inwardly and looked at Maria again. She was still coughing awkwardly as if embarrassed. Her purple eyes glanced toward Kafka. With her hands clasped together hesitantly, it seemed like the real main point was about to come out.

“Anyway, so what I’m saying is.”

“Go ahead.”

“Actually, I also want to build a friendship with Ibelonoia…”

Ah. Only then did he remember a fact he had forgotten. Though her presence was somewhat faded due to being overshadowed by the love line with Aisha, Maria definitely liked Soren. From her academy days, from the very day he first transferred.

Simply put, it was love at first sight. Only then did Kafka understand Maria’s true intention for approaching him.

“Could you ask Aisha to somehow arrange a meeting just once?”

So this was it. It was the moment when all questions were resolved. Kafka pretended to be calm and took another sip of the remaining coffee in his cup.

“It’s not difficult.”

At Kafka’s words, Maria’s face brightened. However, she couldn’t help but become a bit dejected at his following words.

“But it might not work out well.”

“Why…?”

The purple eyes wavered. She seemed worried that perhaps Soren and Aisha had already developed into that kind of relationship. Kafka pretended to drink coffee again, avoiding Maria’s earnest gaze. It was because his conscience was pricked for pretending not to know even though he knew Maria’s unrequited love wouldn’t be fulfilled.

“Actually, Ibelonoia and I don’t get along.”

So he tried to refuse in a roundabout way. Anyway, Soren and Maria would naturally build a friendship according to the original story’s flow. It would be different if things were dragging on when the time came, but there was no need to take the initiative to build bridges for them.

“So, even through Aisha, I’m not sure if he’d listen if I got involved.”

“I see…”

Maria became noticeably dejected. Soren was about to apologize and put an end to the refusal. However, Maria didn’t allow it. After briefly hanging her head, she suddenly raised it and looked at Kafka earnestly with her hands clasped together.

“Still, couldn’t you help just once?”

“But…”

“You never know. And wouldn’t it be good if you also reconciled with Ibelonoia with this opportunity?”

Yes, let’s reconcile and all become friends. Maria made a desperate move. Kafka’s expression became openly reluctant. It was because he didn’t particularly want to build a friendship with Soren. The reason was simple.

‘I might ruin the original story by getting involved unnecessarily.’

What good could come from a foreign element meddling around? Therefore, despite Maria’s earnest gaze, Kafka firmly shook his head.

“First of all, I have no intention of getting along well with Ibelonoia.”

Kafka decided to clearly establish his reasons before refusing. Given Maria’s and his own personalities, he thought there might be room to get entangled if he started with words of refusal.

“Ibelonoia feels the same way.”

Kafka’s eyes briefly looked into space as he said this. He was thinking of Soren. That hostile attitude for unknown reasons. Anyone would be unable to think of building friendship in the face of such coldness. Unless they had some peculiar personality, but unfortunately for Maria, Kafka was extremely normal to the point of being somewhat boring in his sexual orientation.

“So I can’t grant your request. I’m sorry.”

“Th-then would it be okay with just the three of us, Aisha, me, and Ibelonoia?!”

A hint of panic crept into Maria’s voice. The ‘Kafka Sonder’ she knew was a spineless good person who usually didn’t know how to refuse. It was just that, as a person with mana deficiency, he rarely had occasions to receive requests.

Anyway, such a firm refusal was unexpected. Therefore, Maria unconsciously kicked back her chair and stood up, bringing her face close to Kafka’s. Her boisterous behavior drew the attention of those around them. The strange combination of the magic department’s top student and the magic department’s bottom student.

“Really, isn’t there any way? I’m sincerely asking you!”

“Termina, please calm down first…”

Kafka blocked the overly close distance by inserting his palm between Maria’s face and his own. A belated regret washed over him, if he had known this was what she wanted to talk about, he should have just said he had no time and fled.

‘Is it just my imagination?’

Both Soren and Maria. Somehow, whenever he got entangled with the main characters from the original work, uncomfortable situations seemed to arise…

Of course, following this logic, there should also be problems with Aisha, but perhaps blood relation provided some kind of buff. Kafka indeed thought he was a foreign element in this world. It was exactly like this, never passing by smoothly whenever he encountered the main and supporting characters.

“Oh my, sorry.”

Maria coughed and sat back down. Her face was slightly red, perhaps embarrassed by her momentary excitement and unseemly behavior. She twirled her short hair that came down to her ears with her index finger and briefly lowered her gaze.

“I got a bit excited without realizing it. How embarrassing.”

“It can happen. Anyway…”

Hmm. Kafka pondered for a moment. Actually, it wasn’t an impossible request to fulfill. All he had to do was give Aisha some sweets and ask her to arrange a meeting just once. Unless Soren and Aisha were having a secret romance, they were still just friends.

But Kafka didn’t want to do anything that might affect the original story, even if it was as simple as breathing. If he intervened carelessly and Maria ended up becoming Soren’s lover, how could he take responsibility for that?