TVJA 55

Chapter 55  

“……”

No way.

I had checked with my own hands—there were still more than ten balls left in the box.

Who would’ve thought the one to come out through that 1-in-36 chance would be gold?

To beat the lowest odds and pick the final golden ball… that was practically a talent in itself.

Maybe the luck stat I had wasn’t lucky at all—maybe it was unlucky.

“What did you get?”

A curious voice rang out beside me. It was Shuhaden.

“I got the same golden ball as you and Lord Kyler. Isn’t that amazing?”

That soft, cotton-candy-like voice clearly belonged to Noel.

“What about you, Lady Yuria?”

“What color did you get?”

They had quietly gathered around me, eyes twinkling with expectation.

Feeling pressured, I stepped back from the two of them and awkwardly smiled as I hid the golden ball behind my back.

“Haha… I think something went a little wrong…”

“Something went wrong?”

It was then that a pitch-black hand suddenly shot out behind me—where no one had been standing a moment ago.

The hand gripped my shoulder tightly, as if afraid to lose me, with strength pressed into every joint of the fingers.

Over my shoulder, I could see the familiar black leather half-gloves.

…Leather gloves?

Wait a minute—if they’re black leather gloves, it can only be Kyler.

So the scars didn’t heal after all?

I told him to get proper treatment.

Did he just neglect it after I left?

The sudden surge of emotion made me turn toward him roughly. His midnight-black hair softly brushed against my cheek.

And then I met his dark, sapphire-blue eyes.

A color that stood in stark contrast to the bright, clear blue sky—it sent a shiver down my spine for no good reason.

“What exactly went wrong?” he asked.

Had Kyler gotten taller while I wasn’t looking?

I had to tilt my head back quite a bit just to properly see his sharp features now.

“You scared me, Kyl—”

“The only thing that’s wrong here is you, Yuria.”

He cut me off sharply, his tone cold.

His raised eyebrow made him look pissed.

“Your expression, your tone, your actions—everything’s off.”

He twisted his lips into a sneer as he added,

“It’s like you’re purposely avoiding me.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You.”

He frowned like he was ready to counter everything I said, as if nothing I said would sit right with him.

What’s wrong with him?

Did he hit puberty early or something?

His sudden change in attitude left me grimacing.

“That’s ridiculous.”

As I muttered blankly, Kyler stared at me with a hardened face and exhaled quietly.

“You really don’t get it, do you?”

His words left me wide-eyed and confused.

“From earlier, you’ve been avoiding my gaze like a dog that needs to poop. And now you don’t even want to be around me.”

He gripped my wrist roughly, keeping me from backing away.

“You were even trying to throw this away.”

In his left hand was the shiny golden ball.

“You get tired of me just because we didn’t see each other for a bit?”

“……”

“You promised to stay with me forever.”

Kyler’s shocking declaration made both Shuhaden and Noel’s eyes go wide.

“Is that true?!”

“Really?!”

Their eyes pierced through me again, making me almost tear up.

Hey, now I’m going to get misunderstood!

“I did NOT!”

I had to say something—this was just unfair.

“I said we’d be friends forever, not together forever, okay?”

I don’t know when “let’s be friends forever” turned into this cheesy line straight out of a player’s playbook.

“…And I never tried to throw the ball away, either. Don’t twist my words.”

Okay—maybe, just for a second, I considered swapping it with someone else. But that was only a fleeting thought. I had no real intention of going through with it.

That’d be breaking the rules anyway.

Besides, the group—minus Kyler—was actually pretty decent.

To use modern terms, this was practically a guaranteed 50% viewership.

The problem is Kyler.

I didn’t even know why I kept being so hyperaware of him, but my eyes just kept drifting in his direction.

Did he smear honey all over himself or something?

I tapped my chin with a serious look. Kyler, now beside me, muttered quietly with a hint of shock in his voice.

“As a friend…?”

He dragged the words out, puzzled, then muttered so softly only he could hear:

“Then for me, a friend is just…”

Just then, fireworks exploded to signal the start of the hunting festival.

Boom! Pop!

Thanks to the loud noise, I couldn’t hear what Kyler said.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“The Hunting Festival of the Blue Violets has begun!”

And then came the booming voice of the host.

Ding.
{System: Kyler Francis’s affection has increased by 7. Current Affection: 25.}

“Lady Yuria, look! The hunting festival started!”

Noel, next to me, gripped both my hands with excitement and started bouncing like crazy.

She looked just like a puppy going out for its first walk.

“All participants must return to this point within the time limit. Any participants found outside the designated hunting zone will be disqualified. Cheating or rule-breaking will also result in disqualification, so please be mindful.”

Whether she heard that or not, Noel’s expression was nothing short of blissful.

Maybe she was the one with flowers blooming in her head—not me.

“Should we go for rabbits and squirrels? Oh! Maybe small birds too!”

Noel chirped excitedly.

“Sounds good,” I replied, forcing a crooked smile.

I didn’t have the energy to worry about Kyler’s dark expression anymore.

“Shall we get moving now?”

Shuhaden, who had been quietly surveying the surroundings from a distance, gently took my arm and smoothly pulled me to his side.

“Ah.”

Before I knew it, I was stuck between them—hands held by Noel, my body leaning toward Shuhaden—and sweating nervously as I glanced back.

Kyler was staring at us blankly from afar.

“Kyler.”

“……”

“Aren’t you coming?”

He finally began walking at a leisurely pace.

“You go ahead.”

“Why?”

His answer came in a flat tone.

“Because I’ll be watching your back.”

It sounded like something a knight would swear to a princess.

What the heck was that?

My heart stirred for no reason, and my face heated up.

I ended up yelling.

“Don’t try to sound cool! Just don’t get lost this time, or the wild boars will get you again!”

Of course, I had no idea the affection meter above Kyler’s head had turned purple just moments ago.

“I’m not saving you this time.”

“Shuhaden.”

She suddenly stopped walking and called my name.

“Yes, Lady Yuria.”

I responded simply, smiling out of habit with my eyes lowered.

“You’re following along fine, right?”

She must’ve been worried about me, the one lagging behind. She kept talking to me as we walked.

“Don’t worry.”

Fortunately, the path to the hunting grounds was straightforward.

White flags were planted at regular intervals along the way, so even if you got lost, it wasn’t a big deal—just follow the flags.

“That’s a relief…”

She moved so confidently that she looked like someone who had been here before.

Without hesitation, she led the way… until she suddenly stopped right in front of the hunting grounds entrance.

Because of that, the kids trailing close behind bumped into her like sausages on a string.

“L-Lady Yuria?”

“……”

“Did you forget something…?”

Noel rubbed her reddened forehead with teary eyes.

“Just a sec.”

Yuria reached deep into her pants pocket, rummaging around for something.

“I have something to give you.”

To give? If it fit in that tiny pocket, it had to be something small.

“For us?”

All eyes turned to her with anticipation.

“Yeah.”

Looking bashful under their gaze, she gave a tiny nod and pulled out something shiny.

“Found it!”

A round jade-colored ring.

Doesn’t look store-bought…

It had tiny dents and grooves in it. A vintage design, maybe… or to put it harshly:

…Did she just find it lying on the road?

Anyway, it was rough enough to make me think that.

Still, I couldn’t exactly show my disappointment—not when it was a gift.

Apparently, Noel felt the same; her expression looked a bit sour.

“This one’s for Shuhaden. And this one’s for Noel.”

She handed out the rings proudly.

“You must really believe in superstitions, huh?”

Noel giggled, nudging me and whispering playfully. Unsure of how to respond, I just nodded.

Well… it is kind of cute.

“And this one’s…”

Her hand trembled slightly when she turned to Kyler, and she awkwardly looked away.

“For you.”

Her pale, dough-like hand reached toward him, and his blue eyes locked onto it.

“Not gonna take it?”

Her face flushed under the intensity of his stare.

“Why do y—”

Just as Kyler opened his mouth—

“Thank you.”

I cut in before he could answer, slipping between them naturally.

“Shall we go?”

“Huh?”

“There’s not much time left.”

“R-Right.”

Of course, that was just an excuse.

There were still over nine hours left in the festival. More than enough time to nap and still place well.

“True, but…”

Yuria pouted slightly as if about to argue.

“We could’ve at least chatted a bit on the way.”

“Well, that’s fair.”

Honestly, the real reason wasn’t time.

It was that the look in Kyler’s eyes as he stared at her… seriously ticked me off.

Wait a sec… why am I even upset?

“Shuhaden?”

Her voice called to me from a distance, but I couldn’t move.

Why?

My head spun with questions I couldn’t answer.

Them getting closer… that should be a good thing for me, right?

He hated going outside. I was the only friend he had—the one he’d run into by chance in the library.

So I had thought… wouldn’t it be nice if he had other friends too?

Then why… why does it bother me now?

Is it a twisted wish to be his only important person?

Or am I just being selfish?

But then again, when Noel or someone else touched Kyler, I didn’t care. Actually…

Every time Lady Yuria’s gaze met his, every time she smiled sweetly at him, blushed, or looked away as if burned—

“…It pissed me off.”

Yeah, I was mad.

I didn’t know exactly why—but I was.

And when Kyler looked at her like that too, I couldn’t deny it anymore.

Something deep inside me squirmed like heat haze.

It wasn’t petty adult jealousy. Nor was it childish rivalry.

To be precise, it was more like the faint, hopeless yearning of a sprout with no roots.

No matter how much water or fertilizer you gave, a sprout without a stem couldn’t grow.

The ending had already been decided.

Sprouts without love to root them eventually dried up and died.

“What did you just say?”

Yuria mumbled, blinking at me.

“Nothing.”

Unfortunately for her, I was a better actor than she thought—thanks to the way I was raised.

That’s how I managed to play the nice guy and bring that annoying lost Noel back last time.

All for Lady Yuria’s sake.

Putting on my usual bright smile, I said,

“Some mud splashed on my new shoes.”

When she looked down at my lips, I made sure to stain my clean, new shoes with mud and smiled even wider.

“So I got a little annoyed.”