Chapter 5
Even here, I could feel it again—kids remembered “Brentio” more than my actual name, that’s how much fear my family inspired.
This time, though, that fear worked in my favor.
Just moments ago, these punks had been acting all rough, but now, in front of small and precious little me, they were trembling.
“Why is the young lady here…?”
I crossed my arms and looked at each of them in turn.
Every time my gaze landed on them, their eyes darted away and dropped to the ground.
“Exactly. Why do you think I came all the way here?”
Maybe it was because they’d realized my father wasn’t behind me, but one of them dared to lift his head.
It was their leader—Raki.
“This has nothing to do with you, young lady, so if you could just go on your way, I’d appreciate it…”
“Oh, but I can’t do that.”
Don’t get me wrong—I didn’t say it in a scary tone.
After all, I was dealing with kids.
Right now, I probably had a fresh smile on my face, one that looked like a spring leaf.
Alright, class is in session. Time for a little lesson, boys.
“Well, well. The supposedly upright and broad-minded noble heirs turn out to be nothing more than thugs, ganging up on a single kid… I wonder what your parents would say if they found out.”
Sure enough, at this age, the biggest weak spot for young nobles was their “parents.”
For nobles, who lived their lives preserving appearances, something like this was a shame that could never be forgiven.
“If you get lost right now, I’ll overlook it just this once. Up to you.”
Faces in the group turned pale.
The only one still managing to act calm was Raki.
“Oh, scary. You’re frightening the kids.”
“…”
“Just walk away while I’m being nice.”
A leader who loses authority falls quickly—
especially in childish little “games” like this.
So it was only natural that Raki would struggle to preserve his pride until the end.
But their little “game” wasn’t my business, and Raki’s pride was even less so.
“I think I already told you—leave.”
“And why are you getting involved? Over some worthless brat…?”
For Raki, this must have felt absurd.
So I gave him a neat, clear answer.
“He’s my friend.”
“…What?”
Even Jeff, who’d been trapped in the middle of the group, looked genuinely startled, his blue eyes widening like a spill of watercolors.
Seeing his Why would you call me that? expression, I repeated for Raki’s benefit, slowly and clearly:
“My friend. A very close one, in fact. How many times do I have to say it before you get it?”
“And why would you be friends with trash like that—”
“I only make friends with people who are good-looking and cool.”
The eyes of Raki, who had been pretending to stay composed, wavered noticeably.
They were now full of a strange mix of defeat and jealousy.
I delivered the final blow to his shame-reddened face.
“So? Do you still have business with my friend?”
When Raki gave a signal, the second-in-command stepped forward and handed over a sphere.
I could feel the distinctive energy of mana from inside it.
If I hadn’t sensed that, I might have mistaken it for a piece of crushed trash… but on closer inspection, it was a magic portal.
Magic portals were used for transportation, required enormous amounts of mana, and were very expensive.
But—
Is it even possible to crush one like this?
Unless you had an extraordinary amount of mana—a gift extremely rare even among nobles—it shouldn’t have been possible.
In other words, none of the kids here could have done it.
If someone could, the Mage Tower would have already recruited them as a precious talent—they wouldn’t be hanging around here.
And yet… Raki pointed a finger at Jeff.
“This little bastard broke my magic portal.”
…My smaller and more precious muse did what?
Jeff, you really do get misunderstood a lot.
Last time, you were accused of being a thief just because you broke a jar…
And now they’re saying you broke a magic portal?
If that were true, his hands would be like King Midas’s—only with magic.
Did these guys think I was stupid?
“So… you’re telling me he broke your magic portal?”
I swept my hair back with a laugh of disbelief, and Raki’s face flushed bright red.
The rest of the group, realizing what I meant, also blushed in embarrassment.
“So you’ve been ganging up on one kid like a pack of dogs over that?”
“…!”
The moment I confirmed it, Raki’s expression turned wild with anger.
His ears flushed red as he shoved my shoulder with a finger, finally revealing his thug side.
“Just because you’re the daughter of the Brentio family, you think you can do whatever you want, huh? If you don’t want things to get ugly, leave. Now.”
The atmosphere instantly turned tense, and even I felt a chill at his murderous glare.
Just as he was about to shove me again—
My muse picked up a brick.
But before he could use it, Raki’s body suddenly lifted into the air.
It was Cayman, gripping the back of his neck.
Of course—it had to be a Brentio knight.
No one had even heard Cayman’s footsteps before he grabbed Raki.
Face flushed and veins bulging, Raki glared at me, still dangling helplessly.
Completely unbothered, Cayman approached and politely asked,
“Young lady, is there a problem?”
Wow, Cayman… that expression—
it’s the same cold calm you have right before you cut down an enemy commander.
Raki, whose neck was in his grip, had turned pale.
That should be enough of a warning.
No need to go as far as—
“We were just talking.”
The moment Cayman let go, the group scattered like frightened rats.
He, too, vanished quietly afterward.
When I turned my head, Jeff—who had been hidden in the crowd—was now fully visible.
Who could possibly think of bullying a kid this cute—
…Okay, that sounds like I’m saying it’s fine to bully someone if they’re not cute, so let me rephrase.
Who could possibly think of bullying a kid this kind?
And no, that doesn’t mean it’s okay to bully mean kids either. You know what I mean.
Anyway, the important thing right now was Jeff.
For some reason, his expression had been sour for a while.
I could have assumed it was because he’d just been bullied—
but the way he was looking at me was oddly sharp.
Almost as if he thought I’d been one of Raki’s gang.
I really thought I’d get a “thank you” this time…
Did I do something wrong again?
There were so many things I wanted to say to my muse when we met again,
but now, there was only an awkward tension between us.
And what was with those eyes—like a leopard ready to pounce?
Wait… was he mad because I called him my close friend?
Why, though?
When someone says you’re their friend, you’re supposed to be touched to the point of fainting!
This boy defied my expectations every time.
Now his gaze was sharper than ever, like he’d scratch me if I got too close.
He stared at me for a moment, then just walked right past.
“Hey!”
He stopped, as if realizing I was calling him.
For a brief second, there was surprise on his face—but it vanished instantly.
Unbelievable.
“What, cat got your tongue?”
“What?”
“I helped you, and you’re just going to walk away without saying a word?”
Not that I needed to hear a thank you… but still.
“I never asked you to help.”
His cheeks puffed up—clearly, he was mad at me.
But since he wouldn’t say why, how was I supposed to know the reason?
Then, in a small murmur, he said:
“…The magic portal. I did it.”
What? Did I hear that right?
You did what?
I didn’t know much about magic, but… this little boy breaking a magic portal?!
That was front-page news!
If this got out, offers from the Mage Tower would flood in.
Your future’s looking bright, my friend.
An adorable mage, no less.
Of course, Raki’s gang would never admit it out of embarrassment.
And even if it got out, who would believe a commoner kid could use magic?
Honestly, I didn’t quite believe it myself.
That kind of power was supposed to only appear in certain noble families…
How did this happen?
Well, all I had to do was keep my mouth shut, and it would stay our little secret forever.
There was no need to hesitate over what to do.
Before the Mage Tower could get their hands on him, I’d claim Jeff for myself.
I wasn’t about to let them lock up my muse in a tower.
“How about… we be friends?”
I held out my hand to him first.
In both of my lives, I’d never made such an offer before—but I was confident.
He’d owed me twice now…
If he had any conscience, he’d be grateful to me.
And really, where would he find a better friend than me?
But—
Jeff just stared at my hand, then took a step back.
“…You don’t not want to be my friend, do you?”
Publicly, there was no one who would dare push me away.
It was just that I was so out of reach most people couldn’t even approach.
But Jeff was nothing like the others I’d met.
He was a proud little kitten, confident and aloof.
That’s why I expected him to accept my offer without hesitation.
Yet my hand just hung there awkwardly, as he continued to show no reaction.
And then, he finally said—
“Why?”
