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Episode 11: A Friend Of A Friend Is A Friend
“I look better after having my hair cut, don’t I? Thank you, Sister.”
“Ooh, you’re really cool~! Our Heinri.”
‘Haha, you stupid kid.’
I glanced at Sislin to signal ‘quick, quick’ and cleared the hair from the floor.
There wasn’t even a single strand of silver hair.
Fortunately, Heinrich didn’t notice because he was looking in the mirror.
‘Perfect crime.’
Sislin and I looked at each other and nodded resolutely.
I felt like we were in sync. Then I suddenly thought of this.
Just like how they were with me, wouldn’t it be great if Heinrich and Sislin could get along?
“Hmm…”
After thinking deeply, I raised my index finger slightly and opened my mouth.
“Guys, have you ever heard the saying ‘A friend of a friend is a friend.'”
“…”
Sislin looked at me quietly while Heinrich opened his mouth to pretend to be smart.
“Of course. It means that the friend of someone close to me is also my friend.”
“Wow, that’s right, our Heinri!”
Clap, clap! As I praised him, Heinrich’s nose rose.
I smiled brazenly and grabbed the wrists of the two children, making them hold each other’s hands. As if they were shaking hands.
“Well, then, how about we get to know each other? You’re both my friends, so you’re friends.”
“……”
“……”
For a moment, the expressions of the two boys were crumpled at the same time.
Heinrich’s expression was ‘outright disgusting’ and Sislin’s expression was ‘subtle contempt’.
‘…Do you hate it that much? Children?’
But if they stayed like this, wouldn’t the relationship continue to be bad? Then, at what time would it get better?
‘At times like this, there’s a need for a sure Ojakgyo bridge that connects in the middle!’
(TL/N: Ojakgyo is the setting for Korea’s most famous love story, in which a couple is forced to live on either side of the Milky Way, only to be reunited when magpies form a bridge.)
I said vigorously.
“You can unexpectedly be good friends!”
“Sister, I told you. I’m not friends with filthy bastards.”
When Heinrich looked at Sislin as if he was a leftover dog bone, Sislin looked at him as if he was a whining fly.
“I don’t want to be friends with that silver tray head either.”
“What!? Silver tray head?”
‘Ah, both of you can’t do this!’
If the situation was like this, I had no choice but to pull out my trump card. The two had very different personalities, but they both had one thing in common.
‘Which is…’
‘They both follow me very well!’
“But, Sisl and Heinri are my favorite friends! If we don’t get along well…’
I put on a somber expression.
“I think I’ll be sad.”
“……!”
Heinrich, who was shaking his jaw like a cat, was startled by my words. It was like seeing the owner crying out loud.
Heinrich made an expression while saying, “Ugh.” Then, as if he had no choice, he let out a long sigh and took Sislin’s hand first.
“……”
Sislin, who looked at me with agitated eyes, held hands with him in the same way.
“If that’s what Sister says, there is nothing I can do…”
“Do not be sad. Annette.”
Seeing the two little boys shaking hands, I smiled inwardly.
‘Fufu. I’m sorry, kids.’
It was acting. Just acting.
Was this one step closer to a happy ending?
With a fresh and happy expression on my face, I tightly wrapped my two hands around the joined fern-like hands of the kids. Then up and down, shake shake! I shook our hands vigorously.
“Yeah, from now on, we’ll help each other and get to know each other better!”
‘Oh, I’m so proud.’
‘Am I mistaken if I think that things are going smoothly?’
“Okay, then you two can talk. I’ll go take a look at Julien’s constant runny nose!”
It would be nice to have a time of reconciliation between just the two of them. Then they would get to know each other better. Since they’re still young.
Young children usually become friends quickly after quarreling.
I waved my hands and smiled softly.
“Then, see you guys later at the dormitory!”
Then, I went out of the hideout, humming a song I heard at the temple.
After Annette left.
The boys, who were quietly glaring at each other, suddenly let go at the same time, as if throwing the other’s hand away.
Heinrich growled.
“If you pretend to be friendly, I’ll kill you, beast.”
Sislin was formidable, too.
“You, go away.”
It was the site of the disastrous collapse of the poorly constructed Ojakgyo Bridge.
* * *
The next day.
“Well, it seems like there are many ripe apples on the apple farm. Today is a farmer experience day!”
Miss Mislin smiled brightly. She, who had red hair and freckles on her face, specialized in outdoor experiential learning.
The apples, managed by magic, were ripening beautifully and deliciously as if they had already received the autumn sun.
They gave off a sweet and refreshing apple scent.
“Our Trees, you have to pick them till you feel that it’s hard. Okay?”
“Yes!”
“Oh, and it’s forbidden to pick with abilities or magic!”
The teacher gave a firm warning and left.
‘Wow, the apple is so pretty.’
I smiled happily as I picked up each ‘ruby’ and put it in the basket.
Personally, I really enjoyed this class. I was always studying subjects that hurt my head in the classroom, but when I took classes outdoors in the sunlight, my heart was refreshed.
The children seemed to be having fun, and the bright laughter kept coming out.
Uhm? But Julien was standing next to me, doing nothing.
“Julien, is apple picking classes boring?”
When I asked, Julien stretched out a plump bracken-like hand and held it out towards me. With an apple on top.
His sky blue eyes twinkled.
“Tea-we-cher said to pick it until it’s hard (the teacher said to stop picking when you feel it’s hard).”
Julien covered his forehead with the back of his tiny hand and made a sound, “Phew.”
“Tirwed (tired).”
‘Huhu, how cute.’
Oh my, did one of our babies have a hard time picking?
I raised a fist and shouted loudly.
“Then, I’ll pick them and give them to you, too!”
“Yes!”
I worked quite hard to get Julien’s share. Whenever apples piled up in the basket, I felt somewhat satisfied.
Rubbing my nose, I thought,
‘Hey, maybe I’m a pretty talented farmer?’
I was truly a model student who was good at everything except awakening. Fufu.
While picking apples and praising myself, I saw Sislin staring at the apples.
It seemed that even the philosopher who made a great discovery wouldn’t make such a troubled expression like him.
(TL/N: Isaac Newton and gravity.)
…Was picking apples something to think about so seriously?
Still–
‘My baby, are you adjusting well to class?’
I felt strangely proud.
Until a few days ago, he couldn’t even eat properly in the cave, but now, he was participating in class!
Even for outdoor activities.
I felt like he needed infinite encouragement, so I went next to him and smiled.
“Is it going well?”
“Yes.”
I checked Sislin’s basket.
It was a basket where only pretty things were selected and collected. So it was like a jewelry basket.
“Wow, Sislin, you picked really pretty apples.”
Sislin looked at me silently and bit his lips.
“…Because I like pretty things.”
“……!”
‘Why are you looking at me like that, you Gwanggong kid.’
As expected, even at 11 years old, he had the Gwanggong buff, which had the effects of making one’s heart flutter.
“Hmmmm. I want the prettiest apples here. Let’s have a match! Whoever has the prettiest apple wins!”
“Okay.”
Sislin laughed softly.
I did not spare a storm of praise.
“Sislin is really good at picking apples. You’re cool.”
“Sister, is it cool to pick apples well?”
At that time, Heinrich suddenly broke in and asked.
As if he had no intention of doing apple picking experience learning, he picked out a ripe apple and was eating it.
“Of course, that’s cool!”
‘So, can you be a little more diligent in class?’
“…I see.”
All of a sudden, Heinrich threw the apple he was holding and turned around. He seemed to have muttered the words, “Everyone is dead.”
…I felt like I made a big mistake.
‘Still, it would be better than an insincere attitude in class.’
It was when I was muttering to myself inwardly.
I found Sislin climbing the highest tree and picking apples.
It was a special farm managed by cultivation magic, so it was a place where apple trees grew as high as bamboo.
“…Sislin, he’s serious about winning.”
Then I couldn’t lose either.
I did my best to pick the prettiest apples.
After a while…
Sislin jumped off a tall tree.
“Ah! It’s dangerous!!!”
I was genuinely frightened of him getting hurt, but Sislin landed safely after jumping off a tree several times my height.
‘Oh, is that the class of the Awakened?’
‘I’m a little saddened by my talent for picking apples.’
While I was feeling a little gloomy, Sislin came straight up to me and held out his hand to show me what he had picked.
“…Wow.”
For a moment, I forgot that I was sad and just admired it.
The apple that sparkled in the sun’s glow was really pretty.
The red, smooth surface was even shiny.
The scent was strong and very sweet. To the point where my mouth was watering.
This was the only option for ‘the prettiest apple!’ The match ended in a victory for Sislin, no matter who looked at it.
Couldn’t an extra like me beat an Awakened even in apple picking?
With a little gloom, I said,
“…It’s really pretty.”
“Take it.”
“What?”
The boy looked at me silently. With red eyes like the essence of summer.
“This is the prettiest apple here.”
I remembered what I said earlier, ‘I want to have the prettiest apple here.’
So he picked it for me?
This pretty apple that was close to the sky like a star…
“But if you give me this… Won’t Sislin lose the match?”
At that time, the boy’s face had a smile that was as soft and light as the leaves of early summer.
“I’m okay with losing.”
“……”
“I will lose everything to Annette from now on.”
At that friendly voice, my heart melted like cotton candy.