A Depressed Kendo Player Possesses a Reckless Aristocrat

Founding (6)

The dawn where even the remaining starlight is swallowed by darkness.

As if the past time was a lie, the sky was filled only with jet-black twilight.

The cool air shatters along the rustling wind.

It was a night as deep as anyone could deny.

A time when everyone is past their tiring day, and gaining strength to live the next in their respective dreamlands.

But even at such a time, there was a girl still awake, tossing and turning.

“……”

Hair containing a soft brown hue.

Rachel lay still, blinking her eyes.

She felt like tossing and turning, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

It was because of the being holding her.

Snu-ffle… Snu-ffle…

The girl lifted her gaze toward the faint breathing sounds.

There, the young master was fast asleep.

His arm, spread wide, gently embraced Rachel’s body.

The two of them, in close contact.

Their body heat mingled softly. The touch of skin on skin gave rise to a strange sensation.

‘My heart… feels like it’s about to burst.’

Rachel unconsciously clenched her chest.

Her heart was beating frantically, so much so that it couldn’t be hidden by her thin pajamas.

What if the young master heard her heartbeat and woke up?

Rachel worried, somewhat seriously.

She repeated deep breaths, trying to regain some composure.

But…

‘What do I do… It feels so good, the trembling won’t stop…’

It was impossible to hold back the overflowing emotions.

The feeling of being held in the arms of the person she loved was a joy too overwhelming to express.

Rachel let out a heated breath.

There had been times when she’d shared light hugs with the young master, but…

This was the first time they’d laid in bed together like this.

A sense of fulfillment, unknowingly pressing down on her chest. The girl trembled, savoring it.

‘……Warm.’

She murmured, resting her forehead on his broad chest.

Sweet warmth emanated.

The cool, characteristic scent of winter wafted around her nose.

Rachel buried her face in the young master’s chest for a moment, inhaling the addictive fragrance.

It was a feeling she couldn’t control.

To think she had such a dark side to her.

The girl felt self-disgust, yet couldn’t let go of the boy’s scent.

‘I definitely vowed not to have any desires……’

Rachel knew it, clearly.

How lacking she was, to stand beside the young master.

A place she dared not even dream of reaching.

She’d been saved from death by the boy, learned what happiness was, and come to know love.

She shouldn’t dare to want more than that, it was presumptuous.

And so she tried not to hold onto any lingering regrets.

She simply wished for the young master’s peace.

Hoped that he would one day meet a woman he loved and find happiness like ordinary people.

‘…I was sure that’s how it was.’

The complicated thoughts continued, sharp thorns pricking her fingertips.

Her heart ached constantly.

Every time she received warmth from the boy like this.

She was happy, but a choking sadness made it hard to breathe properly.

Whenever she became so weak like this.

Rachel would drift into a hazy dream, imagining some future she could never have.

‘What would it have been like?’

If she hadn’t been a commoner.

Not a beggar who’d been freezing to death on the streets, without parents, but born a young lady of a noble family.

So she could have met his gaze from the same place as him.

If she’d been born with a fate that allowed her to understand his torment a little more and embrace his existence.

‘Could I… have told you I loved you?’

It was a meaningless hypothetical.

Life was already like a sheet of paper filled with time, and there was no space to write the word ‘if’ anywhere.

There was no role for the girl in this short play.

Her only permitted part was that of a minor character.

When the moment came for the boy to leave, searching for the person he loved.

The girl’s role was to smile, happy that she had stayed beside him for even a short while, and disappear with a humble dance.

‘…I just want the young master to be happy.’

That’s enough, I think.

A small monologue spilled from her red lips.

My heart was tattered, but it was also the only wish I held as a minor character.

-Rustle…

Rachel struggled to organize her chaotic thoughts.

Then, with a writhing movement, she burrowed deeper into the young master’s embrace.

Deeply.

Even deeper.

So that the boy’s warmth could completely saturate her.

‘Young master…’

Rachel quietly closed her eyelids.

She trapped herself in a prison of soft longing, a look of utter contentment on her face.

That’s how she lived the dawn.

*

Having passed through a night filled with pitch-black darkness, it was the time when the world, too, was finding its morning.

Sunlight, streaming through the curtains, tickled my eyes.

While I winced at the bright light, I eventually greeted the day, opening my bleary eyes.

Perhaps it was the lingering sleepiness.

My consciousness was hazy, like a fog had settled over it.

As I pressed my fingers to my forehead, a recurring headache throbbing there, I felt the warmth of a breath on my chest.

“……Ah.”

What came into my blinking vision was a head of brown hair.

I belatedly grabbed hold of my scattered wits.

My body had frozen up the moment I’d woken.

It was because of the girl right before my eyes. Rachel, who was taking soft breaths.

Rachel was asleep, nestled in my arms.

Her clear, luminous eyes were hidden behind her closed eyelids, her vibrant red lips were pursed together primly.

Her delicate breaths were like the softest, quietest tremors.

The girl was like the swaying foliage of the early dawn.

“……”

I simply stared at Rachel like that.

The sight of the girl, her face buried in my chest and her eyes closed, was as beautiful as a painting.

It felt like gazing at a serene landscape painting.

Peaceful, cool, and quiet.

I wished this moment wouldn’t break.

However, even the moments that felt like they’d last forever didn’t hold on for very long.

‘Wait, hold on a second…’

It was because of a rather problematic position we were in.

Whether it was from tossing and turning last night, our bodies were plastered together.

Naturally, the area of contact was bound to be wide.

Thanks to that, I was distinctly feeling some rather… awkward curves that were best left unmentioned.

I felt a bit of danger prickling at my skin.

‘Why the hell are we lying like this…?’

I remembered pulling Rachel into bed with me.

But she had clearly said she’d go back after I fell asleep, so why were we sleeping together?

My mind, reeling a bit, soon found the answer.

A glance downwards revealed my arm, imprisoning the girl.

Holding her this tight, there was no way she could’ve left. She must have fallen asleep like that.

‘……This is insane.’

What the hell was I doing yesterday?

A wave of belated shame made my face flush.

No matter how tired or out of it I was, shouldn’t there be a brake somewhere?

I wanted to tear my hair out right then and there,

but I held back, worried I’d only wake Rachel.

“Haa…”

A sigh escaped, a little off-kilter.

Slowly, I removed my arm and carefully raised my body, still tangled in the blanket.

Thankfully, Rachel didn’t wake.

My legs, a little wobbly, left the bed, touching the floor.

Only Rachel remained on the bed, looking disheveled.

I laid her down properly and tucked her in with the blanket.

The sight of the girl, sound asleep, was still captivating.

I almost lost my focus again, but I barely managed to pull myself together and turned away.

Too much had happened; my head was a jumbled mess.

I definitely needed time to clear my thoughts.

Muttering that to myself, I started to get ready to head to the training grounds.

*

“Yo~ Mad Dog!”

A frivolous voice rang in my ear.

Soaked in sweat and lying on the training ground floor, I lifted my head at the sudden call.

My gaze landed on Kim Tae-yang standing there.

He was dusting off his shoulder with a swagger, and he flashed a nasty smile when our eyes met.

“….Kim Tae-yang.”

“You’re here again today?”

He seemed to glance around, then plopped down next to me.

I furrowed my brow at the sudden display of chumminess.

But Kim Tae-yang just grinned and brushed it off.

“Your speech yesterday was awesome. I was so moved I almost cried.”

“That overreaction…”

“I’m serious! All the other students were probably stunned too. Plus, a Sentinel? What a cool name.”

“Hm.”

Sentinel.

The name was a little cheesy, but I didn’t think it was bad.

It had to have that kind of vibe, right?

I just gave a vague nod.

“Well, I’m glad you thought it was okay.”

“I don’t know what you’re planning with that group, but I’ll root for you for now?”

“What are you talking about? You’re joining too.”

“Huh?”

Kim Tae-yang wore a questioning expression like he was hearing it for the first time.

Where did this guy leave his brain?

I spoke again, sounding exasperated at his bewildered face.

“You’re coming in too.”

“I’ve never heard a single thing about this?”

“Of course. Because I never told you.”

“……?”

“Got a problem with that?”

I, instead, added a blatant air of nonchalance and tilted my head.

This guy was a fairly useful fighting force.

Objectively speaking, he could win maybe once or twice out of ten fights against me.

And since incidents requiring brute force were bound to happen frequently from now on.

At least during that time, he’d definitely be helpful.

And if he wanted to survive in this wilderness, being part of a group was better than being alone.

……It wasn’t like I was worried about him, so I pulled him in. Really. I swear.

“No, sir. How can you do this without even consulting me?”

“Then become a noble, if you’re so bothered.”

“According to the academy’s rules, all students have equal status!”

“Wow. There was an idiot who actually believed that.”

“Shit…”

Golden-Sun pouted his lips, looking like he was done wrong.

Seeing him like that, I did feel a little sorry for him.

Towards the guy grumbling and voicing his complaints, I casually tossed out a line.

“Being in Sentinel wouldn’t be all bad. It’ll be a bit of a pain, yeah, but in return, there will be benefits.”

“……Benefits?”

“Yeah, benefits.”

“Let’s hear them, then.”

Golden-Sun’s eyes sparkled at the word benefits.

I chuckled at his reaction and added an explanation.

“I’ll make you even stronger. I’ll spar with you every day from now on. I’ll beat you and beat you, remodeling you into a weapon so no one can even look at you…”

“Like HELL you will!!!!!!”

He’s not going for it.