I’m Not Doing This With A Friend

I was on my way back to class with Jane after lunch. With a very deep and weighty discussion.

"Yuck! Leen, you prefer sat flavored tomato?"

(N: Sat taste = taste of vomit water )

"Yes, it's better off than tomato-flavored. It's a bit of a shocking taste."

"Think about it, Leen. What does sat flavor taste like? It's terrible just thinking about it."

"But I thought it would be edible if it looked fine on the outside."

"If it tastes good, wouldn't it be all that matters? Even people with the same reason…"

"What?"

"Oh, no, just a slip of tongue."

Jane hurriedly smacked her lips, closing her mouth. She seems to be trying to escape the situation.

But I've already heard it.

I had a playful smile around my mouth.

"Well, does that sound right to you?"

"Yes?"

Then, leaving behind the embarrassing Jane, I walked away. 

Soon after, there's a voice calling from behind, 

"Come with me, Leen!"

Just by hearing her voice naturally draws a smile to my lips.

Last week, I didn't talk to anyone until it was club time.

Oh, of course, I didn't, because I didn't have a friend to talk to.

I've been overly satisfied with my school life since Jane came to school. 

It was a big change in my everyday life at school because now I have a friend to talk to.

When I was walking in such a fresh mood while humming. Suddenly, something pink popped up in front of me.

"Oh, hello Leen!"

Pink-head? It was Carsion that emerged out of nowhere with teleport magic.

I stared blankly at Carsion, who suddenly popped out of the empty space, and thought.

‘He's really handsome.'

But why did he suddenly appear in front of me? Except when he came to the dorm before, he never visited me separately.

"Goodbye."

"Ye-yes?"

"…"

Carsion blinked and stared at me with an innocent expression as if that was all he came for.

I asked, tilting my head at an angle.

"Wasn't there something you needed to say?"

Then Carsion gazed at a distant place with a confused expression.

"Ah, by any chance, um."

How long has it been since he said that? He didn't open his mouth to answer me after a long time.

I'm starting to feel sorry for Jane, who was next to me.

"What. Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing! I'm sorry for taking your time!"

With a slight frown on my brow, Carsion was startled and quickly disappeared from my sight.

You look so surprised. I felt like I had done something bad, so I felt embarrassed.

"I don't want to bother you…"

I was staring at the place where Carsion disappeared with my arms folded, and Jane spoke in a quivering tone next to me.

"Are you serious, Leen?"

"Hmm?"

When I looked at Jane with her face asking what I was talking about, she stared with confusion and we made eye contact. She sighs deeply.

"No, nothing."

"That's bad."

I lightly shrugged my shoulders and moved my feet again. By the time I almost arrived in class.

"Leen!"

This time it was Fjord.

Fjord was breathing heavily from running with all his might. He barely managed to talk, while breathing hard.

"I'm running out of time, so let me get to the point! Did you bring cookies today?"

I have cookies, but I don't have any cookies for you.

"No."

"Really? Then take this!"

Then Fjord nodded as if he knew what my answer would be, and he handed a gift box he was holding into my arms.

"What's this…"

"For reference, I didn't get it as a gift, I bought it myself, so don't get me wrong! I really want you to bring this to the club room, will you do me a favor? I'm not just asking you to give it to Carsion, that wrecked fool, but please. I'm begging you like this. Huh? I don't want to suffer from him again."

Out of bewilderment, I was going to ask what this was for, but even before I could even speak, Fjord cried out begging.

I guess I only bought Carsion a cookie because I thought he'd be disappointed if I didn't give him one.

And as soon as Fjord's words were over, I could hear a group running from afar. It sounded as if heaven and earth were shaking.

"There you are, Fjord!"

Fjord looked troubled hearing someone's shouting his name.

"Ugh, already?"

Behind Fjord were a large group of schoolgirls running combatively. I could also see some male students running along.

Fjord put his hand on my shoulder and nodded with a tragic face asking for a favor.

"Then I'm off!"

Then Fjord furiously approached the group of girls and clashed with them.

And after wiping off his disgusted expression, Fjord takes their cookie one by one with a friendly smile.

At the awesome sight, I exclaimed with admiration.

"Wow, you're popular."

"He's handsome, good at studying. He also has a good personality. Besides, everyone doesn't have to say it out loud, but his family was also a prestigious marquis, so there's plenty of reason to like him, right?"

Fjord came from a Marquis Family.

I blinked and looked at Jane.

"Rather, Caon, which seems to be more popular, looked relaxed, because, unlike Fjord, he's running away by teleporting."

"Carsion…"

Jane rolled her eyes for a while, picking her words, and barely opened her mouth.

"I guess he was so annoyed at being aggressively chased a few years ago. Don't bring anything like this to him."

"Really?"

Well, he would have been sick of people chasing him like that.

But I guess it's okay if he gets angry once again.

If I took the cookies that Fjord gave me, and gave them to him, he might also hate it, no matter how much I was the one that handed him the cookies.

I'm worried, it's not like I really wanted to give him a cookie.

I walked away, thinking insignificantly.

* * *

"Leen, do your best! Let's meet in the dormitory later!"

"Yes, Jane I'll do my best."

I waved my hand while listening to Jane's encouragement with unknown meaning.

Jane joined a club, managed by her major course, the Costume Design Department.

Fortunately, it seemed that she returned to the club she belonged to before going back to school and was not randomly assigned to other weird clubs.

It means that we have to break up during club time.

But there was a strange thing.

Jane bid me farewell as if I was standing at a crossroads between life and death whenever it was club time.

It's really weird.

As I watched Jane disappear, I straightened my gaze and opened the door of the club room.

But as soon as I opened the door, the cherry blossom-colored hair popped out.

"…Carsion?"

"Leen!"

He stood in front of me with arms wide open as soon as the door opened.

I questioned his conduct for a moment and moved away from the door.

"I don't know where you're going, but have a safe trip."

"I'm not going anywhere. I've been waiting for you."

"Huh? I see."

I slipped under his open arms and entered the club room. Then, naturally, I put my bag down to the side and started choosing a blanket.

What blanket should I use today?

Light blue blanket? No. Today, I feel attracted to the pink blanket.

Okay, let's go with this.

"Hey…"

When I decided on which blanket to use for today with a stern heart, I heard Carsion's voice. 

Unlike before, he spoke in a very cautious tone.

"What?"

"Leen, do you know what day it today is?"

I picked up the pink soft blanket and looked at Carsion, who was still standing at the door.

His face was as red as usual.

…Ah. Looking closely, something was different. His eyes were particularly red, and his pupils were moist.

It's like he's about to burst into tears soon.

Looking at his face, my conscience began to poke.

No matter how tactless I was, I couldn't really know what he wanted.

I just pretended I didn't know anything.

Come to think of it, all these blankets that I chose after careful consideration were given by Carsion.

"I don't know, but I heard it's Cookie Day."

I felt like I needed to say something, so I said it. It sounds like an excuse, but it's okay because it's not a lie, I rationalized myself.

"Huh? Oh… You didn't know?"

Although he thought it was fortunate, he looked a little bit disappointed.

I couldn't keep staring at his face and looked away.

Ugh…

"I wouldn't have brought it if I knew about it. Professor said it's forbidden to bring snacks to school for a week."

"Ah, I see…"

Carsion's voice sank further.

I lay down on the sofa, trying to ignore his voice, then covered myself with a blanket and closed my eyes tightly.

However, even when I closed my eyes, Carsion's moist eyes continued to flicker in my head, and his sullen voice kept repeating in my ears.

Because of the sleep that never came, I gently pulled down the blanket.

I was curious because the club room was so quiet.

I'm just going to check what Carsion was doing for a second…

Carsion could be seen, squatting in a corner and burying his face in his knees.

Ahh!

I sprang up from the sofa.

I walked to the place where I had put my bag and quickly opened it.

"…Leen?"

Carsion called out my name in a questionable voice, but I silently put my hand into the bag without answering. 

Then I took out the cookies that I had kept since morning. 

It wasn't the cookie Fjord gave me, it was the cookie I bought myself with my money.

I walked quickly to Carsion who looked confused at my actions.

"Don't get me wrong. This is a friendship cookie. Friendship cookie!"

Emphasizing that it was a friendship cookie, I put the cookies in Carsion's hand, and Carsion's eyes grew as if he couldn't believe it.

"This… you're giving me this? It's for me?"

"Don't like it too much. Once again, it's just a friendship cookie."

"But I didn't know it was Cookie Day earlier.."

"I picked it up on the way."

Despite my ridiculous excuse, Carsion smiled with his eyes bent in a crescent shape. He embraced the cookies preciously.

"Thank you."

He looked happy.

What? It's just a piece of cookies.

When I was pouting my lips after seeing Carsion's reaction, the door to the club room opened. Naturally, my gaze turned to the door.

Fjord, who entered the club room, was carrying a large sack that seemed overwhelming to drag.

"Wow, Fjord. Did you get all that?"

Fjord scratched his head awkwardly in my exclamation.

"Since they couldn't give it directly to Carsion, I've been asked to deliver this to him."

"Don't think about passing it on to me, you should take care of everything you received."

Fjord frowned at his rejection faster than the speed of light.

"When would I finish throwing this all away? You should help me."

I doubted my ears for a moment.

… Throw away what?