"...I have something to talk about, so could you come outside for a moment?"
Isn't it inevitable to get excited when the person you like brings up such a topic?
As Scarlett turned and walked out of the classroom, Yoon Si-woo thought to himself.
She walked briskly without waiting for him, heading towards the back of the school building.
He shook his head to dispel the scene from his fantasy that was about to surface and quickly followed her.
"...What did you want to talk about?"
He asked, his face flushing with anticipation.
"It's nothing much, I just wanted to ask you something."
But she opened her mouth calmly, her usual expressionless face.
Of course.
He felt a bit embarrassed for getting so worked up over nothing, but after regaining his composure, he asked her about the matter.
"I was late yesterday. Did you say anything to Sylvia before I came in?"
"...What did Sylvia tell you?"
"I did hear something. So, what did you say to her?"
Her stern gaze made his heart sink.
He recalled what had happened with Sylvia yesterday.
Just like most of the girls he had met, Sylvia also had a crush on him.
He wasn't cold to people who had a crush on him, but yesterday, after seeing how Scarlett was doing with his own eyes, he had lost his temper and ended up saying something that could hurt Sylvia.
He often saw girls fighting over him, harboring resentment against the one he favored. He feared that after hearing something from him, Sylvia might have lashed out at Scarlett.
Perhaps she had said something terrible, like calling her a "cheap girl who didn't receive proper upbringing" or a "slut who spreads her legs for anyone."
If Scarlett had heard such things... it wouldn't be strange for her to suspect that he had told Sylvia something that could damage her reputation.
But he hadn't said anything like that.
He wouldn't say anything that could tarnish the reputation of someone he liked.
Feeling wronged, he waved his hands and replied.
"I really didn't say much! I just told Sylvia to stop accepting macarons from you!"
As he said this, he saw Scarlett's face turn cold.
She listened to him and then asked in a small voice.
"...What did you just say?"
"...I told Sylvia to stop accepting macarons from you..."
She clenched her teeth and growled.
"Why... why did you do that on your own...?"
Her expression twisted.
She was angry.
He understood why she would feel that way.
But he knew the truth.
He knew that Sylvia wasn't giving her macarons out of friendship.
He knew that Scarlett was doing this to earn money.
He couldn't just stand by and watch her live like that.
"Because buying macarons for Sylvia every day must be a burden for you."
He wanted to ease her burden.
He wanted her to stop doing such things.
He wanted her to value herself more.
"So, why do you get to decide that on your own...?"
Her words made him feel a bit resentful.
He didn't want to raise his voice at her.
He just wanted to do everything for her.
"I just... I did it for you-!"
"If you really cared about me-!!!!"
She shouted, hearing his thoughts slip out.
It was the first time he saw her shout like that,
and the first time he saw her cry and contort her face.
He had braced himself for her anger, but her reaction was more than he could bear.
She took a step closer and continued.
"Please..."
Her plea, in a voice so small compared to her previous shout, seemed to pierce his heart even deeper.
She took another step closer and said.
"Please..."
Her tears streaming down her face, she looked him straight in the eye, and he found himself stepping back.
But she grabbed the collar of his shirt before he could move further.
The slight resistance he felt could have been easily shaken off, but it felt so heavy.
Her tears fell onto the collar she was holding.
Her words hurt him as much as her tears.
"Please, don't pay attention to me anymore..."
It was the truth.
With a small whisper, the voice of the Sword of Humility, she turned and ran away.
He hadn't done it to see her cry.
Yoon Si-woo stood there, rooted to the spot, until the tears on his collar dried.
*
The weather was clear, but Yoon Si-woo's mood was gloomy.
Even when Lucy tried to comfort him, it didn't help much.
His mood remained bleak.
The only ripple in his emotions came when he saw Scarlett smiling as he entered the classroom.
She was usually expressionless, except when she smiled in front of Sylvia, but today she was smiling from the morning.
The other students were just amazed to see her rare smile, but he couldn't accept it as is after seeing her cry yesterday.
Feeling uneasy, he remembered her words from yesterday, telling him not to pay attention to her, and sat down with a heavy heart.
The first class was a sparring session.
As the names were called one by one, Yoon Si-woo grew increasingly anxious.
And as he suspected, Eve called out his name.
He sighed, knowing it would be awkward to face Scarlett after what happened yesterday.
Wearing protective gear, he glanced at her and saw that she was still smiling as if nothing had happened.
He thought she might not care, but when they faced each other, he realized she did.
She slightly lowered her gaze, avoiding eye contact.
In a fight, reading your opponent's gaze is crucial, and this showed that she was deeply affected by what happened yesterday.
The only thing he could do was to end the sparring session as quickly as possible.
"Ready... Start!"
To finish quickly, he lunged forward as soon as the sparring began.
She also seemed eager to end it quickly, as she charged forward without hesitation.
She was fast, but he was faster.
Using his ability to summon and wield the Sword of Humility, he swung it at her.
She dodged the horizontal swing by crouching down.
Her agility in exploiting the opening created by his attack was impressive, but it was a pattern he had seen before.
Knowing this, he wouldn't fall for it.
He put away the Sword of Humility and drew the Sword of Protection to create a defensive barrier.
Her fiery attack was strong, but not enough to break through his defense.
As her attack was blocked, he switched swords and swung at her again.
He thought this would end it.
He intended to stop just before hitting her.
He didn't expect her to block the incoming sword with her hand.
Blood splattered.
By the time he forced himself to stop the attack, the sword had already cut into her hand.
It was a close call; her hand could have been severed.
And she was still smiling, without any change in her expression.
She's broken.
Seeing her casually wipe the blood from her face, he wondered how much pain she must be used to.
Suddenly, he remembered her crying and contorting her face in pain yesterday.
If she was so used to pain, for her to cry like that yesterday, it must have meant that what he did to "help" her had caused her immense hurt.
What was I thinking?
I just imposed my thoughts on her.
Feeling guilty, he was about to apologize when she said, as if reading his mind.
"Don't worry about it."
"Please, don't pay attention to me anymore..."
The words she had said while crying yesterday.
It was as if she was telling him that he didn't even deserve to apologize.
Yoon Si-woo couldn't say anything to her.
Author's Note:
This was Yoon Si-woo's perspective, filled with 2500% guilt.
I think it's okay for handsome male characters to suffer a bit.
By the way, do you know what day it is today, Jolinsaram28?
I'm grateful that Jolinsaram28 always reads my stories.
So, I prepared this event to celebrate April Fool's Day.
If your nickname doesn't appear, you should avoid drawing attention in the comments, right?
Let's just talk about the story.
The fan art drawn by Saebae is now uploaded to the fan art board. If you're reading this alone in bed at night, be prepared before you go to see it!