The situation had come where I had no choice but to accept thanks, but I wasn’t about to lend my hair tie just for that.
So, after tucking one side of my hair behind my ear, I picked up my chopsticks.
Perhaps sensing I had no intention of lending it, Hailga slipped the hair tie onto her own wrist and gave an awkward smile.
“I heard from Reysir. Thanks to you, I was rescued quickly and safely, right? I’m grateful for your help.”
Her tone was calm and gentle as she expressed her gratitude.
To clarify in advance so no one accuses me of character break later on, that composed attitude was entirely an act.
In other words, it was all pretense.
‘Her original personality only shows when she’s alone with her longtime friend Reysir — a tomboyish streak — but in front of others, she plays the dignified noble lady, right?’
I kept Hailga’s character from the original story in a corner of my mind as we talked.
“So you’re really saying thank you.”
“Well, you did help me.”
“You’re Reysir’s longtime friend, aren’t you? So naturally, you’d harbor some resentment toward me, yet you accept having been helped by me quite well.”
This whole incident had been resolved while she was asleep under the influence of sleeping pills.
Even if she heard about it from Reysir, she wouldn’t really feel like she was helped by me.
And, when you think about it, her being kidnapped was because the original owner of this body had made Reysir a target for bullying, wasn’t it?
Although original readers treated Hailga as a ‘cowardly protector who neglected her friend’s bullying for self-preservation.’
But was she really portrayed as cowardly in the original?’ Not really.
‘Did she not care for Reysir?’ Far from it.
She knew any interference on her part would be useless and would only make her own safety a bargaining chip, allowing Reysir to be bullied more severely.
Then Reysir would suffer the bullying without even minimal resistance, all while blaming himself for putting his friend in danger.
So, she had no choice but to be cautious.
‘Considering Tridrick kidnapped Hailga this time, that was a wise move. If she hadn’t acted that way, similar incidents would have happened many times already.’
In the end, the very thing Hailga had been wary of finally happened.
No matter how much Hailga played coy in front of others, I couldn’t shake the feeling she was giving in too easily.
At the very least, shouldn’t this vessel have brought up past misdeeds, showing an attitude like, “I will thank you, but what you did was only right?”
But Hailga only spoke simple words of thanks, without any extras.
So I doubted if she was really grateful.
‘Was it really necessary to come all this way just to say thank you? Lending a hair tie feels like excessive kindness.’
These doubts kept swirling in my head, so I couldn’t let it go.
I just casually brought it up.
“Wow… I said you wouldn’t take thanks at face value, and you really don’t, huh…?”
Hailga mumbled this in surprise, unable to hide it.
Reysir looked at me with pity, saying, “See? What did I tell you?”
The misunderstanding that I had been used all my life and therefore couldn’t simply accept thanks grew stronger.
‘Can’t even ask what I’m curious about…? Even if suspicious, should I just keep quiet?’
I thought there was no problem since I didn’t refuse the thanks, but apparently not.
It was unfair, but arguing would only make me lose.
Besides, quite a few people at this table were watching me while pretending to focus on their meals.
‘If I raised my voice now, what would happen?’
I didn’t want any more attention, so I let it go.
As I thought that and picked up a piece of bulgogi with my chopsticks, Hailga gave a belated answer to my earlier question.
“That’s right. Honestly, I don’t have good feelings toward you. But gratitude is gratitude. Above all, Reysir—the victim— not only forgives you but wants to be your friend… When he was bullied, I couldn’t do anything. Now I have no right to interfere.”
She sighed deeply after saying that.
So, it seems she really does dislike Karvald.
That actually put me at ease.
Because having just Reysir, who’s overly friendly and eager to get close, is already enough.
‘Or should I say two people, including Vigdis…?’
I glanced sideways at Vigdis, who had quietly taken the seat next to me.
After Reysir and Hailga sat opposite me, Vigdis stealthily slid over to sit beside me.
She had clearly said before she didn’t like Reysir.
I wanted to ask what she was thinking, but since Vigdis didn’t start a conversation, I left her alone.
By the way, there was one more person at the table. As you might expect, it was Liolikin.
By the time the food he ordered arrived, Yor and Vigdis were already seated beside me.
Because of that, Liolikin tried to sit next to Yor, but Yor snarled fiercely and refused.
So Liolikin moved over to the empty seat next to Reysir as if driven away.
Generous Reysir seemed uncomfortable with Liolikin but didn’t kick him out.
Liolikin just wanted to appear as part of the group and didn’t particularly mind not sitting next to me.
That’s why I didn’t include him among those “overly eager to get close by showing excessive affection.”
He only cared about others’ perceptions.
And since I had no intention of becoming close with him, it was fine.
“…Anyway, I want to put the past behind us. I heard you had your reasons?”
Just as I thought she had finished, Hailga added that line.
I wanted to say, “Having reasons doesn’t justify bullying others,” but the words stayed stuck in my throat.
I knew she didn’t mean it that way.
If I hadn’t possessed Karvald’s body, I might have actually said those words aloud.
‘Is it because Senna, the creator of this world, never experienced bullying in school that everyone treats this issue lightly? Or is it because the origin of this world is a novel, so anyone can be forgiven if they have a plausible excuse? Or maybe Hailga is just respecting Reysir’s wishes…’
My thoughts were tangled, but I had to hide it.
So I glared at Reysir naturally, so my stiff expression wouldn’t seem out of place.
“I had no choice but to explain that you’re not a bad person.”
Reysir, instead of thinking my expression strange, reacted as if a guilty conscience was pricking him.
Even if I meant to defend him, I had brought up his personal affairs without permission.
Whether Hailga knew that Karvald was being used by Tridrick and Liolikin like a doormat didn’t concern me.
‘On top of that, I probably rambled about the biased, distorted info that I’m a tsundere too.’
I intensified my glare.
But he smiled wryly and repeated the question I deliberately didn’t answer before.
“By the way, Karvald, when are you going to tell me what time you eat breakfast and dinner?”
He really wants to eat with me that much.
If eating alone in the cafeteria is so uncomfortable, he could just join Hailga or make some new friends.
“…Why do you insist on eating with me?”
“Because I want to be friends with you.”
“So why specifically me?”
Since I had let Reysir grab my collar and had helped rescue Hailga, rumors that Karvald wasn’t bullying Reysir would spread fast.
That means other students wouldn’t avoid Reysir anymore.
Reading the early parts of , the academy sections, I hoped the protagonist would enjoy the school life I couldn’t.
It was a kind of vicarious satisfaction.
After a long time, those memories and feelings resurfaced.
Reysir had only about two and a half months left before dropping out.
If he wanted to enjoy his school days even for that short time, he couldn’t stay like this.
It was frustrating and painful that I couldn’t tell him this.
“I want to ask why, actually. Is there any reason I shouldn’t be friends with you?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know? You were bullied by me all last semester. Now if you’re desperate to be friends, how do you think others will see you? They’ll mock you for having no pride, think you’re a sycophant like Tridrick trying to cling to power. If you’re not trying to use me for your gain, then there’s no reason to risk such rumors.”
If you want to play friend, do it with someone else. That’s better for you.
That was the point I was making.
But he seemed to have misunderstood.
“Karvald, so you’re saying you didn’t want to be friends until now because you were worried others would ridicule me…?”
“Don’t twist my words however you want.”
“If that’s not what you meant, what else could it be?”
I reviewed what I’d just said.
Only then did I realize my mistake and panic, while Reysir urged me, “Well? Hurry up and answer.”
“J-just… if you want to make friends, it’s better to find someone other than me…”
“How is that different from what I said?”
“……”
If this had been a calm, written conversation that I could revise multiple times,
I wouldn’t have made such a mistake.
I regretted my impulsive words, swallowing my disappointment.
‘Now I’m just a tsundere with good self-awareness and added inferiority complex…’
It’s all because of Reysir’s persistence.
‘How many times have I told him I don’t want to be friends?’ Since “no” didn’t work, I had to come up with other reasons, leading to this mess.
All of it.
As I inwardly resented Reysir, a murmured voice came from beside me.
“If that’s the case, Kar shouldn’t be worrying about others…”
That was Vigdis.
She was pointing out how I kept my distance from her but still maintained our engagement.
‘Karvald is so desperate for his fiancée’s attention that he’s grateful even when she occasionally speaks to him,’ must have been the rumor she referred to.
I couldn’t let Reysir hear that.
I didn’t want to reinforce the tsundere image any further.
Besides, I wanted to change the subject, so I treated Vigdis’s muttering as if she had addressed me and spoke.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, Vigdis, why are you sitting next to me?”
“W-what’s the problem with that? We’re engaged, so it’s normal to eat together.”
“Didn’t I promise not to interfere in your relationships from now on? So I was just wondering if you should be making friends and eating together.”
Unlike Reysir, I couldn’t just brush Vigdis off.
I tried to hint she should eat elsewhere, but her expression noticeably soured.
“But… everyone’s already formed groups of close friends…”
“Ah! I know what you mean! It’s like the others don’t avoid me anymore, but they don’t really want to include me!”
Ashamed of admitting she had failed to make friends, Vigdis explained in a mumbled, hesitant voice.
Reysir happily empathized…
Trying to join an already-formed group.
‘Wait! Reysir, you were just avoiding the difficulty of making new friends by clinging to someone with none—me…?’