Kamian made a clicking sound with his tongue.
“When you play with other people’s sincerity, there are always misfortunes.”
“I don’t want to hear those words from a demon.”
“Even demons do not engage in playing with someone’s heartfelt emotions.”
“I was at a loss for words. It had been amusing, almost uproarious, to tease and jest until Kamian spoke in that manner, causing me to reflect on the truly wicked deed I had committed.
I pressed my lips against his shoulder and mumbled, ‘I’m sorry,’ but my pronunciation was muddled, and Kamian likely didn’t comprehend.
“However,” I began, hesitatingly.
“Yes?” he inquired.
“Upon further reflection, had you confessed to me while shedding tears, I would not have stopped at mere mockery. It seems I am inclined to imagine painting your tear-stained face, presenting one painting per household in the village as a token of repentance, composing a song with the words you uttered and having Sherry and Tom sing it.”
…Indeed, this rascal was a step ahead of me. With that thought in mind, I playfully nipped at his shoulder, and a delightful burst of laughter erupted above us.
“…Isn’t now the time for laughter, though? My legs are starting to cramp, so if you could hurry…”
“Leave it!”
Just as Kamian was about to grab the doorknob, a foreboding cry resonated from behind. I sighed deeply, yearning to enclose my head within my hands. It was Leo.
“Leave it, for a moment… [huff, huff]”
He had rushed over, his breath ragged. Ignoring Kamian’s attempts to enter, I firmly grasped his sleeve.
Leo had come to get a response from me. I merely had to bid him farewell, assuring him that I had no intention of following him to the capital.
Leo seemed surprised, his expression tinged with displeasure as he alternated between pointing at me and Kamian.
“Why are the two of you behaving like this?”
Suppressing the prickling sensation with all my might, I calmly spoke.
“There are circumstances. By the way, Leo, I pondered your words from yesterday, and…”
“What circumstances? Huh? What kind of circumstances, Liv?”
I managed to relax my contorted face, disregarding Leo’s inquiry with ease.
“It seems going to the capital is beyond my capabilities. I haven’t even graduated from the academy yet…”
“Liv, come here. You told me to hug you if you wanted to be hugged. Come.”
Leo stretched his arms wide, approaching me. At the moment his knee lightly brushed against my thigh, the ants that had been feverishly racing on my lower limbs began to emit a radiant glow, scattering in every direction.
“Ouch!”
Something is aching at the back of my throat. Without even the chance to wipe away the stinging tears, I pushed Leo’s chest with one hand. And then, I poured forth my words in a torrent.
“Leo, I’m truly sorry, but I can’t go with you. Farewell, have a good time in the capital, and let’s meet occasionally when I visit the village.”
However, Leo, undeterred by my blatantly unamused expression, persisted in his explanation, displaying an unyielding determination even in this moment.
“Liv, just listen to me for a moment.”
I was in no mood to leisurely entertain Leo’s story. My legs were itching uncontrollably, testing the limits of my patience. If this continued, there was a possibility that I would end up whimpering, collapsing to the floor, and pounding on my legs in agony.
“Let’s go inside now. Kamian and I are in a bit of a hurry.”
Leo’s face became zinc-like, revealing his perplexity.
“What? Hurry?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“….”
“Kamian, let’s go to our room quickly. I can’t bear it any longer.”
As I spoke, gasping for breath, a young, laughter-filled voice resounded from above. “Sure,” it said. With that, we turned our backs on Leo and walked towards the door once again. At that moment, the resolute man of determination, Leo, darted towards us like an arrow, blocking our path with both arms. This prompted me to pound my forehead against Kamian’s chest, a deep sense of dismay overwhelming me.
“Li, Liv. What’s that supposed to mean? What can’t you bear? Huh?”
Kamian made a clicking sound with his tongue.
“When you play with other people’s sincerity, there are always misfortunes.”
“I don’t want to hear those words from a demon.”
“Even demons do not engage in playing with someone’s heartfelt emotions.”
“I was at a loss for words. It had been amusing, almost uproarious, to tease and jest until Kamian spoke in that manner, causing me to reflect on the truly wicked deed I had committed.
I pressed my lips against his shoulder and mumbled, ‘I’m sorry,’ but my pronunciation was muddled, and Kamian likely didn’t comprehend.
“However,” I began, hesitatingly.
“Yes?” he inquired.
“Upon further reflection, had you confessed to me while shedding tears, I would not have stopped at mere mockery. It seems I am inclined to imagine painting your tear-stained face, presenting one painting per household in the village as a token of repentance, composing a song with the words you uttered and having Sherry and Tom sing it.”
…Indeed, this rascal was a step ahead of me. With that thought in mind, I playfully nipped at his shoulder, and a delightful burst of laughter erupted above us.
“…Isn’t now the time for laughter, though? My legs are starting to cramp, so if you could hurry…”
“Leave it!”
Just as Kamian was about to grab the doorknob, a foreboding cry resonated from behind. I sighed deeply, yearning to enclose my head within my hands. It was Leo.
“Leave it, for a moment… [huff, huff]”
He had rushed over, his breath ragged. Ignoring Kamian’s attempts to enter, I firmly grasped his sleeve.
Leo had come to get a response from me. I merely had to bid him farewell, assuring him that I had no intention of following him to the capital.
Leo seemed surprised, his expression tinged with displeasure as he alternated between pointing at me and Kamian.
“Why are the two of you behaving like this?”
Suppressing the prickling sensation with all my might, I calmly spoke.
“There are circumstances. By the way, Leo, I pondered your words from yesterday, and…”
“What circumstances? Huh? What kind of circumstances, Liv?”
I managed to relax my contorted face, disregarding Leo’s inquiry with ease.
“It seems going to the capital is beyond my capabilities. I haven’t even graduated from the academy yet…”
“Liv, come here. You told me to hug you if you wanted to be hugged. Come.”
Leo stretched his arms wide, approaching me. At the moment his knee lightly brushed against my thigh, the ants that had been feverishly racing on my lower limbs began to emit a radiant glow, scattering in every direction.
“Ouch!”
Something is aching at the back of my throat. Without even the chance to wipe away the stinging tears, I pushed Leo’s chest with one hand. And then, I poured forth my words in a torrent.
“Leo, I’m truly sorry, but I can’t go with you. Farewell, have a good time in the capital, and let’s meet occasionally when I visit the village.”
However, Leo, undeterred by my blatantly unamused expression, persisted in his explanation, displaying an unyielding determination even in this moment.
“Liv, just listen to me for a moment.”
I was in no mood to leisurely entertain Leo’s story. My legs were itching uncontrollably, testing the limits of my patience. If this continued, there was a possibility that I would end up whimpering, collapsing to the floor, and pounding on my legs in agony.
“Let’s go inside now. Kamian and I are in a bit of a hurry.”
Leo’s face became zinc-like, revealing his perplexity.
“What? Hurry?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“….”
“Kamian, let’s go to our room quickly. I can’t bear it any longer.”
As I spoke, gasping for breath, a young, laughter-filled voice resounded from above. “Sure,” it said. With that, we turned our backs on Leo and walked towards the door once again. At that moment, the resolute man of determination, Leo, darted towards us like an arrow, blocking our path with both arms. This prompted me to pound my forehead against Kamian’s chest, a deep sense of dismay overwhelming me.
“Li, Liv. What’s that supposed to mean? What can’t you bear? Huh?”
