Chapter 99 - Social Distancing (5)

Before the late-night training session on the sixth day, I had warmed up as usual and arrived at the training ground, but…….

“……”

“……”

For some reason, the atmosphere was strange. Khan and Elwin had arrived first as usual, but the atmosphere, or should I say, it felt like their gazes were pricking me.

……For some reason, I felt like Khan and Elwin had been giving me these cold looks more often lately.

Before, their gazes were a little more…… hmm, filled with respect.

“Rain-ssi.”

“Rain-ssi.”

Anyway, as I was watching them, they called my name, with no one being the first.

“W-what is it.”

What. You guys are scary.

What's wrong.

“……”

“……”

Elwin and Khan had called my name at the same time, and at that moment, they looked at each other, somewhat surprised.

I wondered if they didn't have the same business, but…… shortly after their eyes met, they nodded as if in understanding.

What, what kind of communication just happened.

Did you use telepathy or something?

“First, sit up straight. We have a lot to talk about.”

While I was lost in such confusion, Khan spoke.

With a voice filled with a pressure I had never felt before.

“……Yes.”

Was I overwhelmed by that voice? I nodded and sat on a chair in the training ground as politely as possible.

“……??”

I sat down as told, but I had no idea what was going on.

They seem angry, but what are they angry about?

I couldn't even guess. I haven't done anything lately?

“……he said.”

“Really……!”

After making me sit like that, they were whispering something among themselves.

Khan, who heard the story, showed a horrified expression once, and Elwin, who heard Khan's story, also showed a horrified expression once.

‘What is it.’

Anyway, after a short while, Elwin approached me and opened his mouth.

“There’s a lot to say, but I’ll just ask one thing.”

“Ah, yes.”

“……Didn’t you tell the parties involved that you had to keep your distance from the other women for a while?”

Ah.

So that was it.

“That is correct.”

“……”

Hearing my answer, Khan made a complicated expression and then covered his face with his hand.

And he muttered.

“Why does a usually good head malfunction whenever it gets involved in things like this……”

“……”

Is it that serious?

Well, I mean…….

Sorry about that, then.

***

After that, well, it was the expected course of events.

Rain received all sorts of lectures and heard about the consequences of his actions…….

And then, Serene and Yuna joined for the usual late-night training.

What do you think happened?

“You…… idiot, are you an idiot!!”

Thwack, thwack, thwack-!

Not long after, along with Yuna's shout, the sound of Rain being beaten echoed in the late-night training ground.

“If you had just told me, I would have understood, so why!!”

“W-wait a minute. I have my reasons……!”

“Shut up!! I really thought you……”

Thwack-

“……Thought what about me, miss?”

“……I don't know!!”

Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack-!

Yuna was pummeling Rain with her fists, and Rain was somehow minimizing Yuna's attacks while showing his displeasure.

“So it ends up like this in the end……”

Elwin touched his forehead. Perhaps it was because the hope that Rain would move in a healthy direction in such matters had disappeared.

“Ahaha……”

A girl with shimmering blonde hair and emerald eyes. Serene was scratching her cheek and laughing awkwardly beside them.

“……Still, isn’t it a relief that we found out now? If it had gone on longer, it could have gotten more serious……”

“That’s true, but……”

Elwin let out a deep sigh and looked at Serene.

“……?”

And he tilted his head in a rather puzzled manner, because unlike the others, Serene did not seem to show any feelings of surprise or bewilderment about this incident.

“You don’t look very surprised?”

Elwin asked Serene directly, with that question in mind.

And the answer that came back from Serene was.

“Ah, I kind of figured it would be like that.”

“You figured it would be like that……?”

Without caring about Elwin’s somewhat surprised expression, Serene calmly smiled and continued to speak.

“Ahaha, Rain-ssi suddenly started keeping his distance, so I wondered if something was wrong…… and he was plagued by such and such rumors during the semester, wasn't he?”

“That’s…… right.”

“And I saw him sticking with you, Elwin-ssi and Khan-ssi, while keeping his distance from us…… so I thought, yeah, that must be it.”

“……”

Elwin couldn't help but show an impressed expression at her words. He knew she was a smart person, but he was wondering if she was this smart.

“I thought you might have thought that something had suddenly gone wrong with your relationship……”

“Ahaha.”

To Elwin's words, Serene waved her hand and replied.

“There's no way Rain-ssi would do that, right?”

“……”

“I know he’s a person who knows his manners. And I haven't done anything to be disliked.”

“That's true……”

It wasn't wrong in general, but Elwin couldn't help but feel something strange in those words.

‘For some reason, it feels like her trust is heavy…….’

But Elwin soon shook his head.

‘It must be my imagination.’

And seeing Elwin like that, Serene continued to speak.

“And if you think about it, we didn't meet that infrequently. In fact, we probably met about the same amount or even more than during the semester, you know?”

“Ah, come to think of it, we did meet quite often. What a coincidence.”

Come to think of it, that was true. He had run into Serene by chance quite often over the past six days. He had heard that from Rain as well.

However, to those words, Serene smiled again and waved her hand.

“Ahaha, it wasn't a coincidence.”

“Pardon?”

“I knew his intention, so I thought it would be good for both of us if I overlapped our paths just enough so that the story wouldn't leak out.”

“……You knew his route?”

“Rather than knowing, I just predicted, and…… I also found out by seeing him directly?”

Serene continued to speak calmly, with her usual gentle smile.

“……”

And at those words, Elwin felt a chill run down his spine.

And a phrase that rose to the tip of his tongue.

-Wouldn't that be a form of stalking, perhaps……?

……That phrase rose up, but Elwin couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

“Umm……”

After brushing it off like that, Elwin slowly turned his gaze towards Rain.

“……Does getting involved with him make people change in strange ways……?”

And he muttered while tilting his head.

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

Serene, who seemed to have not heard the small mumble properly, asked again, but Elwin just brushed it off.

‘A premonition of turmoil…….’

He thought to himself.

***

Anyway, this incident ended in that way.

To think that Yuna had properly noticed that I was keeping my distance.

‘In the original , she was the type who didn't notice people's inner thoughts well…… that’s unexpected.’

And to think that another rumor like that would start with Arien.

Arien clinging to me. It was a rumor that was close to a delusion.

Considering I hadn't heard it, it seemed to be an early-stage rumor.

Anyway, in this case, I could see that my thinking was short-sighted in many ways.

There was something fishy about it, but to think it would spread this much.

I'm realizing it anew, but in these matters of conduct, my experience was severely lacking.

‘Unlike combat experience, this is an experience I can’t gain through my regressions.’

“Haa……”

I let out a deep sigh. Then…….

“Is something wrong? Rain.”

Arien, who had been quietly reading a book across from me, asked back.

That's right. It was now the seventh day after the end of the semester. I was studying with Arien as always.

“I was reflecting on my conduct in this incident.”

“Aha.”

At my words, Arien nodded lightly.

“I had no idea. To think that Rain was avoiding me.”

“……”

I lowered my head slightly.

Well, I had nothing to say.

“Even the usually gentle and warm me is very angry.”

“……”

This is the joke you used last time, right?

But is it really a joke this time?

The situation…….

As I fell into such confusion, Arien once again showed a dejected expression like before.

“Since you don’t seem to remember, I’ll point it out for you. I reused the joke I used before.

The usually blunt and cold me……”

“No, I know, but……”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

……I'm dizzy. Was it really a joke again?

I've said it before, but it's hard to understand…….

Perhaps this dizziness was proof that things were back to normal.

Scratch, scratch.

Anyway, we continued to study.

Well, it was just doing our own things and exchanging questions.

And a short while later, Arien broke the silence between us again and opened her mouth.

“I will confirm again. The reason Rain avoided me was to reduce the rumor that Rain and I might be in an affectionate relationship, correct?”

What a random topic.

“……That’s correct.”

“Hmph.”

Hearing that, Arien tilted her head for some reason.

“……?”

This kind of reaction from Arien was rare.

Is there a problem?

“Your reaction is strange.”

“Strange?”

“I was just wondering if you had any thoughts on the question I just asked.”

“Thoughts……”

As I said that, Arien looked straight into my eyes and opened her mouth.

“I didn’t particularly dislike that rumor, so I just thought it would have been fine to leave it as it was.”

“……”

Wait, what did you say?

“……Pardon?”

I looked at Arien with a somewhat surprised expression, but Arien's expression remained unchanged.

Just her usual calm expression.

“There’s something more important than that. I was thinking of teaching you Origin Magic soon, how is your time?”

“I would be grateful…… no, what did you just say……”

“Then let's set a time.”

“Pardon?”

Doesn't it feel like she's glossing over it?

No, there's no way she'd be that sly already. Arien.

Should I think I…… misheard?

Is that it?

Umm.

I don't know.

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