Chapter 2

“What the… sound was that?”

At my sudden declaration of support, Tirisia stared at me blankly.

“What do you mean?”

I shook my hands up and down sincerely, flashing a smile.

“I mean it literally. I’m cheering for you and that guy’s relationship.”

“Uh…? Huh…?”

Tirisia replied, her jade eyes filled with confusion.

“No… Huh…? Erto… why aren’t you angry? I… I’ve betrayed you… Wait a second… is there some misunderstanding…? Erto, why…”

It seemed she genuinely couldn’t comprehend my actions.

“Tirisia.”

I let go of her hands and grabbed her shoulders, unsure of how to respond.

“That’s not it. I’m not mistaken about anything.”

“Then why…”

“Honestly, I’m shocked. I’m still confused, and if this is a bad nightmare, I wish someone would wake me up.”

“Ah…”

“But,”

Heaving a sigh, I looked back up at her porcelain face, my smile turning a bit sour.

“Even so, how could I possibly hate you?”

“Er…to…”

“We’ve known each other since we were five. We’ve been dating for over a year now. Right?”

“Uh, yeah…”

“If I were to resent you, our relationship would be over right then. As lovers and as friends.”

“But…”

Tirisia seemed about to argue, but I shook my head to interrupt her.

“I can’t do that. I don’t want to make our time together meaningless. Since you’ve decided to leave me, we can’t continue as lovers anymore, but at least I want to remain friends.”

“Erto… I…”

My grip on her shoulders tightened.

“To think that the time we’ve built together would become nothing… that’s just too empty. Don’t you think?”

“…”

After contemplating with a pained expression, Tirisia nodded.

“Of course… I probably don’t have the right to say this, but… the truth is… I don’t want to completely become strangers with Erto…”

“Really?”

“But is it really okay? I’m afraid being by my side might hurt you more…”

As she said this, her jade eyes were tinged with guilt and a hint of hope.

To meet that flicker of hope, I declared with a bright smile.

“I’m really okay. We’re just going back to how things were before we dated. As childhood friends and best buddies. Just think of it as rewinding a little bit. I’d rather cheer you on than lose you completely over this.”

At that, Tirisia’s face lit up with joy.

“Erto… yes, I want to stay friends with you.”

“Exactly, that’s what matters. Our feelings are mutual.”

“Yup, thanks… and I’m sorry, Erto…”

The corners of Tirisia’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, perhaps from the mix of emotions swirling inside her.

This is awkwardly ironic,

it feels like I’m the one comforting her.

Now that we’ve said most of what we needed to, it seems better to send her back.

“Let’s leave it at that for now.”

I patted Tirisia’s shoulder gently and took a step back.

“Now really, go back, Tirisia.”

At that, Tirisia snapped back to attention, raising her hand as if to grab my arm.

“Ah… but Erto, you look unwell. Is there anything I can help with?”

She looked reluctant to leave, but what I really wanted from Tirisia was to just leave me alone for now.

“I think I need to rest alone for a bit. It’s alright, you should stop slacking off and head back.”

“But… if you’re hungry, I could whip something up…”

“What?”

Heh—

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

It’s understandable since Tirisia’s cooking skills are inversely proportional to her looks.

“Haha, silly! Who always prepares the lunches? I’ll manage on my own. Don’t worry.”

“Ah… okay… got it.”

“Then I’ll head in now. See you tomorrow, like usual.”

“Yeah… rest well, Erto.”

Scrreech—

As I closed the front door after stepping inside,

“Ah,”

Something that popped into my head made me swing the door back open.

“Tirisia!”

“Huh? Yes!”

And then I said, looking at my ex-girlfriend standing right by the entrance.

“I’m seriously going to cheer for you!”

That was truly a sentiment from the heart.

“I genuinely hope you’ll be happy. Go for it!”

“…”

Tirisia, her eyes wide open, soon beamed a faint smile.

It was the first bright expression I’d seen from her in three days.

“Thanks… I’m so glad Erto is my childhood friend.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow!”

“Yup!”

We waved goodbye to each other and finally shut the front door.

Thud—

The sunlight pouring in was completely blocked, leaving only darkness in the entryway.

“…”

Leaning against the door, I stood still for a moment.

Click, click, click—…

As the sound of her heels faded away, silence fell completely in the dark.

Gradually, my legs felt weak—

Thud,

I collapsed from the door to the floor beneath me.

Alright, looks like I managed to keep up my bravado somehow.

“Haa—”

Letting out a deep, rotten breath I’d been holding, I cradled my face in my hands.

“A wound… a wound.”

Tirisia said.

That being around her would only leave me with more wounds.

That’s half true and half false.

If I hovered around her, I would undoubtedly witness everything with my own eyes.

I would helplessly watch the one I love frolic with another guy.

Yeah, I’d go through countless wounds, much worse than now.

That’s just obvious.

Feeling my heart being torn apart is unavoidable.

But,

Those who have died can’t be killed again.

No matter how many wounds I may face from now on, they mean nothing.

Because I’m already—‘done.’

There’s no way I could maintain my composure like this while facing Tirisia.

Sadness and anger had evaporated away somewhere.

Something within me must have been irreparably broken.

I could assure myself of that.

I’ve clearly lost my mind.

Perhaps when I slipped into a deep slumber, I died and was reborn.

I feel like I’ve been stripped of the chance to express the natural emotions of a human, like being bleached of feeling.

So perhaps there’s no reason for me to linger around Tirisia, but—

One thing,

Just one thing remains deep within my emptiness.

What had rooted deep at the bottom of the abyss was—curiosity.

‘I want to know.’

It was the path Tirisia chose, and it was the man she chose.

I don’t know where it started or what process it went through.

But at the very least, if I was by Tirisia’s side, I could at least bear witness to the end.

So I wanted to drop everything and only desire that conclusion.

What truly makes Tirisia happy,

If the path she chose for herself was a path so filled with joy that even I would have to acknowledge it,

As a corpse, I would gladly cheer for her.

That’s why I could sincerely say everything.

Be happy, please.

Tirisia.

You have to be happy.

That’s my remaining wish, and my love for you.

“Please… I’m begging you…”

So there I sat, leaning against the entrance, repeating that same line for quite some time.

*

The mornings at the Academy arrive quite early.

Since a student’s duty is diligence, the Academy starts its day earlier than most workplaces.

And for me, my day starts even earlier.

Bee-beep—bee-beep—

I jolted awake while hitting the noisy alarm magic tool.

“Yaaawn—”

I sprawled out on my bed, stretching my limbs, then sprang up with the momentum of my legs.

“Hup.”

If it were a usual morning, I would have felt chronic fatigue, but considering I’d just had a full three days of sleep and another night’s rest, lying around was becoming more tiring.

“What a ridiculously refreshing morning.”

If the world were reset and started anew, would it feel like this?

A brand new day that I’ve never experienced starts from today.

But for now, the first order of business was handling immediate tasks according to routine.

That obviously involves getting ready for the Academy.

Whoosh—

After washing away a few days’ worth of grime in the bathroom, I shaved off the scruffy patches on my chin.

Afterward, I cleaned up and headed to the kitchen, preparing two serving sizes of lunch boxes.

Of course, the lunch makers are Tirisia and me.

Tirisia, being the noble daughter of the prestigious Bruerd family, could have her servants prepare luxurious meals anytime, but she has preferred my lunches for a long time, so I’ve taken it upon myself to prepare her lunch as her childhood friend and boyfriend.

Now that the boyfriend title is gone, this lunch has been a tradition maintained since childhood, and until we come to a mutual agreement, I intend to keep it going.

Preparing both lunches and changing into my uniform, I headed to the Bruerd mansion as per my usual routine to wait for Tirisia.

“—Ah.”

As I stood in front of her mansion, what I witnessed was—

“Haa…”

Tirisia passionately kissing her boyfriend in the shaded area just outside the gate.

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