This Novel is not my Novel

After finishing the meal, we all moved together to the Carriage Waiting Area.

However, not everyone boarded the same carriage.

Since Helga and Vigdís had joined Helga's group of friends.

Thus, with two people absent, I wondered whether the conversation we had been unable to finish in the Campus Cafeteria would simply be buried as it was.

As if mocking such an expectation, Reisir opened his mouth as soon as he got into the carriage.

"Karvaldr. To finish the story we couldn't finish earlier..."

"Wait."

"Why?"

"Do you... really have to?"

"Yeah, I really do."

I carefully expressed my wish for him to just let it slide, but the response I received was a firm rejection.

He wasn't even speaking with a joking smile on his face.

His expression was beyond serious, bordering on stern, so I had no choice but to be aghast.

"Just what are you...! How serious are you about teasing me?!"

"Huh? Since when did I tease you enough to make you say something like that?"

"Don't play dumb! Constantly bringing up the word Ts-Tsundere... Asking whether I'm embarrassed, or teasing me about being affectionate and all that!"

"I don't understand. Even setting aside the expression Tsundere, why is asking about your emotional state or praising you for being affectionate considered teasing?"

"That is..."

I was speechless.

From a logical standpoint, the objection Reisir raised was extremely valid.

"Karvaldr. I just pointed out the parts you were trying to turn away from and gloss over."

"......"

"There were plenty of times I burst out laughing because your reactions were funny, but I never consciously decided to tease you."

It must be a lie. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

I remember his eyes shining and his face full of playfulness, so what kind of scam is he trying to pull?

'However..., what if those words are actually true?'

If Reisir had absolutely no intention of teasing me, then it meant I had gotten embarrassed all on my own and overreacted.

The moment I reached that conclusion, heat rushed to my face out of shame.

Of course, it wasn't that I was genuinely embarrassed, but rather that I was merely insisting on Karvaldr's unique character traits.

But other people wouldn't know that.

"T-Then... What is it that you originally intended to say?"

Was my appearance, trying to hurriedly change the subject, funny to him?

Reisir quickly turned his head away and let out a "Kuhk...!"

Still, perhaps to give credibility to his claim that he had never teased me, he swallowed his laughter and spoke.

"Karvaldr, about you. Wouldn't it be better to stop hiding your affectionate side from people you aren't close with?"

...Is he planning to tease me after all?

That suspicion appeared and vanished within 0.1 seconds.

Because I saw seriousness lingering in Reisir's eyes rather than playfulness.

If that's the case, then it means he offered that advice out of genuine concern...

"Didn't you encourage me before to speak affectionately to people? So why have you suddenly changed your opinion?"

For reference, the time Reisir made that remark was in Chapter 38, immediately after the Lobby Backbiting Incident.

"Because back then, I didn't know there were so many kids trying to use you. I heard the talk that Tryggdrik and Ríolíkin stuck to you because they wanted to use you, but it didn't really sink in. So I didn't realize your prickly tone and attitude were a means of self-defense."

"Does that mean you're warning me to be careful so I don't look like an easy target in other people's eyes?"

"Since I know you have a tender and affectionate personality, I'm worried."

"A useless concern. My tone and attitude, which you described as prickly, are not some means of self-defense but merely my innate nature, and the idea that I have a tender and affectionate personality is nothing more than your misunderstanding."

Even knowing it was useless, I snorted and denied his words to maintain my character traits.

As expected, Reisir didn't listen to my claims at all and continued with what he had to say.

"If the fact that you're a kind person becomes known, even more people than now will try to approach you. Among them, there will surely be malicious people who act pitiful to stimulate your sympathy."

"......"

I felt strangely as though I was being teased, so I was somewhat doubtful, but now I think I can be certain.

The protagonist of someone else's novel is attempting an Influence Event again after a long time.

Seeing that he still hasn't given up, he is unusually persistent.

"Karvaldr. I hope you don't waste your mental energy or suffer losses for the sake of people like that."

Listening to his voice, which was even tinged with desperation, the question, 'Just what kind of person does Reisir think Karvaldr is?' came to mind.

But I didn't have the courage to actually ask it.

Because it was obvious I would hear an incredibly embarrassing answer.

"Don't just let what I said go in one ear and out the other."

"......"

"Ah! In that sense, from now on, when there are a lot of people listening, I'll refrain from openly saying things like how shy you are or how affectionate you can be."

"Really?!"

...I wanted to say 'Oops.'

By the time I realized that I had unconsciously sounded far too delighted, it was already too late.

Yor touching her forehead and lamenting with a "Myaaa...", my face burning hot, and Reisir bursting into laughter happened almost simultaneously.

"D-Don't laugh...!"

"Pffft! S-Sorry... But, you were just too... Ahahaha, ack—!"

Since there was no telling when Reisir would stop cackling if left alone, I had no choice but to resort to a desperate measure.

The protagonist of someone else's novel only stopped laughing after I kicked him in the shin.

"Phew... Anyway, Ríolíkin, you cooperate too."

"I-I understand...!"

Ríolíkin's response was remarkably quick.

As if satisfied by that, Reisir nodded several times with a pleased expression.

Then he turned his gaze back toward me and said the following.

"I'll talk to Heli, so you tell Vigdís."

"...What did you say?"

"If it becomes known that you have a tender and affectionate personality, more people than now will approach you to use you, so tell her not to tease you thoughtlessly."

"Are you telling me... to say something like that with my own mouth...?"

"As expected, is it a bit embarrassing?"

"Don't tease me...!"

"Ahahahaha! Since I am a person with a conscience, I won't deny it this time."

Reisir readily admitted that he had said the above with the intention of teasing me.

However, seeing that he didn't respond to my remark telling him not to tease me, it seemed he intended to keep playing pranks whenever an opportunity arose in the future.

It's truly detestable beyond measure.

'Considering there isn't even a month left until the graduation ceremony, I feel somewhat empty...'

Getting used to something is frightening for this reason.

I tried hard not to give my affection away, but the affection the other party unilaterally dumped on me is already piled high in my arms.

It's so troublesome that it seeped into me on its own.

'Can't I just not withdraw from school and keep living this Academy life together like this...?'

Even knowing that the shadow of death would always hang over him from the day of the graduation ceremony onward.

That pleasant laughter, which was detestable beyond measure, had become so familiar that I unconsciously thought such a thing.

I couldn't bring myself to deny it.

"E-Excuse me, by the way... C-Can't Lord Yor just c-chase away most people with a look from her eyes?"

The absurd remark that popped out of Ríolíkin's mouth pierced through my reverie and reached my ears.

I wanted to snap at him and ask what kind of nonsense he was spouting, but I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut obediently.

Because...

"Yaong, myaong."

My lovely Familiar struck a majestic pose and nodded her head.

Since it was an appearance that affirmed Ríolíkin's words no matter who looked at it, how could I break the confidence of this cute baby dragon?

「 Line crossed → I step in → Everyone relieved 」

"Does that mean that if someone tries to cross the line, you will step in and stop them, so we should be relieved...?"

"Yaoong~!"

The phrase written on Yor's whiteboard this time was quite intuitive.

Thus, Reisir could interpret it without difficulty, but he soon ran into a limit.

It wasn't because his understanding was lacking, but because he lacked prior information.

"Then can you chase away that kid named Nidr too?"

「 Danger, Predicament 」

"......Huh?"

Last night, I held Yor and explained everything about what kind of character settings Nidr possessed.

Even the fact that while he currently puts on a cool-guy image, his true nature is petty beyond compare, and that once he develops an inferiority complex, he falls into corruption and becomes a lunatic who doesn't hesitate to commit murder.

Since Reisir didn't know any of that information, it was natural that he couldn't arrive at the interpretation: 'Nidr is a dangerous figure, so threatening and chasing him away first could put us in a difficult position.'

"Karvaldr, what did Yor write?"

"She sensed something dangerous about him through a Familiar's intuition. So I suspect it means that scaring him away might instead create a situation that puts us in danger."

"Myaa, myaa~."

When I improvised something about a Familiar's intuition on the spot, Yor immediately nodded and played along.

Indeed, my baby dragon was not only wise but also quick-witted.

"L-Lord Karvaldr is truly a-amazing...! H-How can you understand Lord Yor's c-complex intentions from just two words...? I-Is it because you're her master?"

Ríolíkin couldn't hide his admiration, acting as though it were simply marvelous.

On the other hand, Reisir's expression became quite serious.

He must be feeling some sense of duty to protect us from Nidr or something.

'Since I'm going to withdraw anyway after this semester ends...'

I embraced my baby dragon, who would never leave my side, and turned my gaze out the window.

Reisir, lost in deep thought, couldn't strike up a conversation with me.

Ríolíkin, perhaps sad about being ignored, let out a "Hing..." that didn't suit his appearance and slumped.

And so, the inside of the carriage fell silent until we reached our destination.

I will resume the narration from after we arrived at the stadium and took our seats in the Participant-only Area.

"Hi, Karvaldr. You're not on a date today, so it's okay for me to cut in, right?"

As you can see from the dialogue above, Nidr is speaking to me while acting friendly.

And he is doing so while sitting in the seat behind me.

'Yor is in my arms, and Reisir and Ríolíkin are sitting between us. The seat beside Reisir is empty, so why is he here?'

Naturally, I thought he would be most interested in the original protagonist, but was that not the case?

Does he intend to pester all three of us equally?

As I turned around while thinking about that question, the face of a supremacist disguised with a good-natured smile came into view.

Since I can't simply ignore him, I should react somehow.

Replying that it's okay is something I dislike even before considering character collapse, and replying that it's not okay makes me worry about the repercussions.

So, while I sat there with a reluctant expression, the original protagonist opened his mouth first.

"Acting friendly unilaterally while ignoring the other person's wishes is an extremely rude thing to do. You know that, right?"

It wasn't something that should be said by a person who earned the title of 'someone I eat with' only after persistently approaching me despite being pushed away again and again.

My sense of absurdity evaporated in real time at that double-standard remark from the protagonist of someone else's novel.

'Is Reisir's conscience detachable?'

Even though such a question arose, the thought of complaining or arguing didn't occur to me.

Compared to what the possessed body had done to Reisir, approaching me while suggesting that we get along doesn't even qualify as rudeness.

Unlike Nidr's approach, which was backed by all sorts of calculations, I cannot ignore the fact that Reisir tried to become close to me with sincere intentions.