“So, during the vacation, I ended up with a tail, huh? But it’s not easy to wash a tail with wool shampoo…”
“Yeah, I see. That must be tough.”
As I was replying vaguely to the words I heard, Mary asked with concern.
“Luke, do you have something on your mind? Your expression hasn’t been good since earlier.”
“Ah, did it look that way? I’m sorry if I’m worrying you.”
I thought I was managing my expression just fine, but it seemed it wasn’t very bright in the eyes of others.
Luke awkwardly smiled and tried to reassure Mary.
However, Mary was quite perceptive.
“Could it be… did you fight with Shirud earlier?”
“How did you know?”
“Well, it’s obvious. You and Shirud’s relationship today is so different from usual.”
Even if someone were clueless, they would have noticed something was off.
The chilly atmosphere between the two, in stark contrast to their usual vibe, was subtle enough to be noticed from afar.
Luke nodded in agreement with Mary’s words.
“Yeah, you’re right. Shirud suddenly got mad at me.”
“Shirud? Why was he upset? Did he say why?”
Luke shook his head.
“No, he didn’t mention anything, so I’m not sure, but I think it might be because I failed to fulfill a bet we made during the vacation… If not that, I don’t really think I’ve done anything wrong to Shirud.”
“What? Did you two meet during vacation?”
Mary looked at Luke with a knowing expression.
“It was a coincidence. We ran into each other while watching a solar eclipse at the beach, and so we made a fishing bet.”
A chance meeting between a boy and a girl at the beach, followed by a bet!
Mary, intrigued by the story, started chattering excitedly.
“A coincidence? That sounds like a fateful encounter! So what happened? Who won the bet?”
“I lost.”
“Hmm, so Luke isn’t very good at fishing, I guess.”
“I wouldn’t say that…”
Luke held back his words.
It seemed troublesome to explain the whole story, and he thought that talking about the whale shark that resembled Tigalodon would stray from the topic.
“Anyway, I lost the bet, and I promised Shirud I’d grant him one wish, but I totally forgot about it. I feel like I need to apologize…”
“Then just go and say you’re sorry, right?”
Mary shrugged, as if she couldn’t understand.
No matter how much he thought about it, he didn’t think Shirud would reject Luke’s apology.
But Luke sighed and replied.
“However, it really seems like Shirud is upset. Even if I call out to him, he completely ignores me.”
If it were a class activity, being in close proximity would give him a chance to talk, but after lunch, they had activities outside the class like music, PE, and magic practice.
Because of that, whenever Luke approached, Shirud would move around, ignoring him and treating him almost like a ghost.
Luke had never seen a child who rejected him this much in the past, so he found himself in a difficult position.
“I really don’t know how to apologize to Shirud.”
In this situation, how should he offer an apology?
An apology is useless without someone willing to accept it.
But with the recipient behaving like that, even if he forced himself to apologize, it would never be accepted.
After hearing Luke’s words, Mary finally nodded as if she understood.
“So that’s what you were worried about.”
It made sense why Shirud had been radiating such a cold aura since earlier; there was a reason for it.
Shirud really was being petty. Was he sulking over something like that?
Mary crossed her arms and thought for a while, making a pondering sound before suddenly exclaiming.
“Wait! What if you try doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“This!”
Mary clasped her hands together and slightly tilted her head upwards as she spoke.
“People are weak to ‘upward gazes.'”
“Upward gazes…? Do you really think that will help?”
Luke made a face of disbelief.
He had never heard of people being weak to upward gazes before.
Seeing that Luke was confused, Mary nodded and replied.
“Yeah, I heard it somewhere, and it really works well! When you apologize like this while looking up, most people just accept it!”
“What? Is that really true?”
Was there some magical power in that gesture?
How could such a simple act be a way to ask for forgiveness?
Luke was even more perplexed.
So Mary provided a specific example.
“Really, it worked when I broke my grandma’s favorite vase during the vacation!”
“Hmm…”
But it didn’t seem like Mary was lying to him.
Thinking it over, it actually made some sense.
An upward gaze means lowering one’s body, and bringing hands together shows sincerity.
After all, don’t people put their hands together when they pray?
Moreover, Mary had lived in this era and culture as a child for a much longer time than he had.
From Mary’s perspective, it must have been valuable advice that she was sharing with him.
Luke not hearing about the ‘upward gaze’ probably had to do with a generational gap.
However, one problem remained.
Shirud was shorter than him, so how was he supposed to look up at him?
Would bending just at the waist cause Shirud to think he was treating him like a kid and get mad again?
Shirud seemed to be unsatisfied with his height, typically growing slower than his peers due to his elven heritage.
After thinking for a moment, Luke came up with a simple solution and nodded.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try. Thank you, Mary. If it goes well, I promise to repay you.”
“You don’t need to repay me… just let’s hang out at my house later! I felt so bad that we didn’t get to contact each other during this vacation.”
“Haha, I’m sorry about that.”
Seeing Luke’s expression ease a bit, Mary suddenly asked, a curiosity popping into her head.
“By the way, what did Shirud ask for in return for winning the bet?”
“Nothing in particular. He said it was a secret.”
“Hmm, now I’m curious! What could it be?”
Mary looked at Luke with interest and continued.
“So what were you going to do for Shirud as a bet?”
Luke shrugged, as if it were nothing.
“Nothing much. I thought maybe I could get a kiss on the cheek, but he seemed to dislike that, so I dropped the idea.”
“…Wait, what did you just say?”
Mary was shocked.
“You said you don’t like anyone! So why did you think to do that with Shirud?”
“Why do you think I did…? Was I supposed to have a reason…? It was just what we agreed to. Ah, Mary. If you still think a kiss means something like that, then…”
“I-I know that now!”
Since the last school trip, she had asked her parents how babies are made, so she understood that kisses didn’t lead to babies.
But still, a kiss…!
“Does it make sense to ask someone you don’t even like to kiss you?”
“No, I never actually said I dislike Shirud, did I? I care about that kid a lot. Of course, Mary, it’s different from what you think when I say ‘like.'”
Luke asked back with a perplexed expression.
To be honest, it would be a lie to say that he wouldn’t find a talented 11-year-old student who had reached the third circle adorable.
In the past, someone with such magical talent was rare.
From the perspective of a teacher teaching that child, it didn’t make sense for him to dislike Shirud.
“Hah…”
Mary put her hand to her forehead.
Now she thought she understood why Shirud was mad.
Luke seemed to be completely unaware of other people’s feelings.
“I’ll tell you. The reason Shirud is angry with you right now is…”
—–
After school, Shirud was summoned to the back of the school by Mary’s call.
She said there was something she wanted to tell him, and if that was the case, why not just say it in class? He couldn’t understand why she would call him to such a place.
Maybe because it was close to the girls’ dormitory?
As he pondered such trivial thoughts while looking at his phone, he suddenly heard footsteps from the side.
Shirud turned his gaze in the direction of the sound and muttered in annoyance.
“What is it, Mary? Why did you want to meet here…”
However, what Shirud saw was not Mary.
It was Luke Irushi.
The very girl he had been deliberately avoiding all day.
Did she really summon him to this place?
What on earth could this mean?
Luke opened his mouth towards the surprised Shirud.
“I called you because I wanted to apologize.”
Shirud quickly turned his shocked expression into a blank one.
Of course, why wouldn’t he? He wasn’t going to fall for Luke’s words or actions even once.
Shirud attempted to walk past Luke.
“Wait, just hear me out.”
Luke grabbed Shirud by the arm.
Shirud felt that the grip Luke had was not as strong as before.
That very thought made him want to shrug it off without hesitation.
“What’s with the sudden change? We’re not that close. You said you didn’t like anyone,” he scoffed.
Luke looked at the hand that was pushed away in surprise, but then stepped closer again, pulling on Shirud’s wrist to turn his body around.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how you felt.”
“What feelings?”
“You must have felt betrayed since I said, ‘I don’t like anyone.’ But that was a misunderstanding.”
“…A misunderstanding?”
– Thud.
Luke immediately fell to his knees, lowered his gaze, and clasped his hands together.
Shirud, taken aback by Luke’s sudden action, froze, barely able to think of escaping the situation.
“Wh-What are you doing all of a sudden?!”
Luke kneeling? It was a sight beyond imagination right before his eyes.
Moreover, although the area was deserted, it was not completely empty of people.
Feeling the gaze of several onlookers made him sweat from embarrassment.
It seemed as if he could feel stares that looked down on him.
But Luke ignored all that and began to speak from that position.
“Shirud, I never hated you. No, on the contrary, I like you.”
At Luke’s first words, Shirud felt his foggy mind clear in an instant.
“What… what are you saying…? What does that mean, liking me?”
“Yeah, the form may be different, but it’s a clear fact that I like you.”
Then what about the conversation he had with Mary this morning?
He distinctly remembered Luke saying that he didn’t have a ‘liked person.’
Luke doesn’t lie, so he thought that was the truth…!
Luke continued speaking while looking into Shirud’s eyes.
“Boys among boys, you are the one I like the most. To me, you are a special child.”
“….”
Shirud went blank at Luke’s sudden confession.
As Shirud remained silent, Luke continued his speech.
“And I also want to apologize for what happened at the beach last time. I didn’t know you were taking it that seriously.”
“….”
“So, I want to fulfill the bet now, even if it’s late. Tell me your wish.”
At Luke’s words, Shirud slowly opened his mouth.
“Then… you should come to school more often. Without you… well, it’s kind of boring…”
Luke looked at Shirud with wide eyes.
“Is that really enough?”
“Y-Yeah…”
Shirud muttered quietly, avoiding Luke’s gaze.
Luke stood up, brushed off his knees and the hem of his clothes, and offered his hand to Shirud as a sign of reconciliation.
“Okay, thanks for accepting my apology, Shirud.”
“Yeah.”
Luke was quite surprised.
That it actually worked.
He had gained some valuable wisdom for living in this world.
He shook Shirud’s hand and said, “So, will you help me with signing up now?”
“…You mean you still haven’t done that?”
