But in her heart, there was a hidden, faint desire that made her want to show herself off in front of Yuriko.
Simultaneously, it made her feel a surge of excitement from the possibility.
Just thinking about that scene caused Carmilla’s breathing to grow a bit heavier, and the gaze she directed at Yuriko became tinged with more desire.
‘No, no. I have to restrain my instincts. If I really do that, I’ll end up fallen just like Mother!’
Carmilla warned herself in her mind.
“Carmilla, where is the bathroom?”
Yuriko asked.
It wasn’t that she needed to relieve herself; rather, her underwear was accidentally wet, and now it felt a bit sticky.
“Go out and turn left, you’ll see it.”
Yuriko arrived at the bathroom.
Thinking that since she was already there, she might as well use it.
‘Phew, I’m so pathetic. I actually couldn’t control myself…’
After wiping the water stains clean with some tissue, Yuriko felt her bottom was much more comfortable.
She washed her face in the sink to calm herself down.
Walking out of the bathroom, she heard some noise outside.
It seemed like Carmilla’s father had returned.
As she passed the living room, Yuriko saw Carmilla’s father.
Different from what she had imagined, he was an ordinary middle-aged man.
Actually, saying he was ordinary wasn’t quite right.
Carmilla’s father’s looks were still better than most people’s, but he didn’t meet Yuriko’s expectations, so he seemed somewhat plain.
Carmilla’s family members looked quite ordinary, so how did Carmilla end up so beautiful?
Moreover, their features didn’t even look that similar.
‘Was it a genetic mutation?’
Carmilla’s father noticed Yuriko and looked a bit confused as to why there was a strange, beautiful girl in his house.
“Who are you, and why are you in my house?”
Facing Carmilla’s father, Yuriko put on her “good girl” act and said, “Hello, Sir. I’m Carmilla’s friend. I came over today to study with her.”
“I see. Do you want to stay for dinner?”
“There’s no need to trouble yourself. I’ll be leaving in a little while.”
“Oh, all right then.”
Having said that, Carmilla’s father picked up Cole and sat down on the sofa.
He seemed quite close to his son.
Seeing that he had no intention of continuing the conversation, Yuriko had no choice but to return to Carmilla’s room.
“Carmilla, I just saw your dad,” Yuriko said to Carmilla after entering the room.
“Did he say anything to you?”
“No, I just felt his attitude toward me was a bit cold. Do you think he dislikes me? It’s probably because I didn’t bring a souvenir, right?”
“In Yuriko’s experience, shouldn’t an invitation to stay for dinner involve a bit of back-and-forth after she declined? “
Then she would either reluctantly agree or politely refuse again.
“How could he not even ask a second time?”
“Was this really the way to treat a guest?”
“Ah, don’t take it to heart. It’s not that Papa hates you. He just doesn’t care much about me, which is why he treated you like that.”
“He doesn’t care? But Carmilla, you’re clearly so beautiful and talented. How could any father not care?”
Yuriko was truly puzzled.
Even if Carmilla’s father had a preference for boys, it shouldn’t be this severe.
Her daughter had been accepted into the top Academy in the world!
For an ordinary family at the bottom of society, this was a massive achievement that brought honor to the ancestors!
Hearing Yuriko say this, Carmilla only gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
“He wasn’t like this before. It’s just that some things happened later that changed him. Anyone would have become like this if they had gone through what he did.”
“But I’m already very grateful that he was able to raise me. This is good enough.”
Yuriko could tell there was a story behind this.
Something had happened in Carmilla’s family that caused her father’s attitude to deteriorate rapidly.
‘What exactly could have happened to make a father so indifferent to such an excellent daughter?’
‘It couldn’t be that Carmilla was actually the result of her mother’s affair, could it?’
Carmilla didn’t take the initiative to say what had happened back then, and Yuriko didn’t push.
No matter what it was, it was certainly a past Carmilla didn’t want to mention.
It was better not to touch her wounds.
The room fell silent as the two sat on the bed without speaking.
Yuriko looked at Carmilla.
There was a hint of loneliness on her face, which made Yuriko think of the scene she had just witnessed in the living room.
Her father’s attitude toward Cole could be described as doting; even his voice was gentle as he coaxed him.
Seeing a scene like that, Carmilla must feel lonely.
Growing up lacking a father’s love, she must be envious.
Yuriko wanted to comfort her, but she didn’t know what to say.
‘If only I were a master of words.’
After thinking it over, Yuriko decided to speak from her own perspective.
“Even though I don’t remember anything about my parents, I can understand how you feel. When I was a wanderer, it was the children I escaped with who supported me. After my sister found me, I experienced the feeling of being pampered.”
“Carmilla, you must have had many friends before, right? Were you close?”
Carmilla didn’t know why Yuriko was suddenly asking this, but she nodded anyway.
“Yes. We often gathered to chat between classes.”
“Then, when you found out your friends failed to pass The Trial, did you feel empty inside?”
“A little…”
Carmilla lowered her head.
When she found out her last friend had failed the test, she had indeed felt lonely.
Although she could make new friends, unless you counted anyone you could exchange a few words with as a friend, actual friends weren’t that easy to find.
Yuriko placed her hand over the back of Carmilla’s hand and said to her, “I only made it this far because of the support of my companions. Without them, I’m afraid I would have given up on myself long ago. So, I was thinking, maybe what supported you until today was friendship.”
“If you feel empty, Carmilla, you can look for me anytime. It might sound arrogant, but as your friend, I’ll take care of you, even doing the part your family should have!”
Carmilla stared blankly at Yuriko, unable to speak for a moment.
Yuriko awkwardly withdrew her hand and scratched her chin.
She had spoken those grand words on impulse.
Now that she thought about it, she felt a bit full of herself.
“Um, I guess I was being too arrogant. Just pretend I never said it…”
“No,” Carmilla shook her head and grabbed Yuriko’s hand in return.
“I’m just a bit overwhelmed. I didn’t expect you to be willing to go this far for me, Ruri. In my eyes, you are more than qualified to do so.”
This was the first time Yuriko had been actively held by a girl.
Clearly, there was no strength in that small hand, and Yuriko could have broken free with a gentle pull.
However, it felt as though the weight of 1,000 pounds was pressing down on her arm, leaving her unable to move.