CPBF 7

Chapter: 7

Finally, I felt like I’d taken a step closer to him.

I hoped it wasn’t just my imagination.

Watching Sis walk away, I silently wished…

“…….”

Why did I suddenly feel so strange?

There should have been no one else in this space now that Sis was gone, yet I somehow felt like I wasn’t alone.

I’d always been pretty sensitive to people’s presence.

So much so that if someone suddenly rushed at me from behind, I could react immediately and defend myself.

I picked up a branch, tip-toeing toward the spot where I sensed a presence.

Whoever it was, if they had eavesdropped on our earlier conversation, it would be extremely awkward. The story could change drastically.

After all, surviving would be almost impossible without the advantage of knowing the future.

“I might have to kill that person to survive. But… could I really kill someone? No, I have to steel myself. After all, this person doesn’t exist in reality. I have to kill them to live. But… could I even kill someone with a measly branch like this?”

All sorts of thoughts raced through my mind as I rushed toward the presence I’d sensed.

By coincidence, it was the same tree I had hidden behind earlier.

At the tip of the branch I raised, I saw a familiar face on a pale neck.

“…Bin?”

Was I about to kill the person I absolutely shouldn’t have?

I had almost walked straight into a death-ending scenario…!

Clutching my startled heart, I asked,

“Why are you here? Weren’t you waiting for me?”

“I waited, but you didn’t come… so I came to find you.”

Bin’s eyes were wide with surprise too.

I lowered the branch.

“How much did you hear?”

“…Everything.”

The answer was exactly the same as before.

Damn! This is a disaster.

The man Sis likes is very likely Bin…

And now the one person I absolutely shouldn’t have been overheard by has found out!

The trouble I’d feared had come true.

Now it was only a matter of time before the story completely fell apart, and I ended up dead because I didn’t know the future…

“I said I wouldn’t tell. So… why does Bin know my thoughts?”

The Sis in my imagination glared at me as if to kill me.

I’d only just taken a step forward, and now it was all pointless…

I couldn’t help feeling resentful toward Bin, and a blunt tone slipped out of my mouth.

“If you’re smart, you’ll know what to do with what you just heard.”

“Of course. I don’t have a hobby of spreading other people’s secrets.”

“I’ll trust you… because it’s you.”

I meant that as “Since we’re both gay, I trust you to respect boundaries,” but taken at face value, it sounded like I was praising his outstanding morality.

No wonder Bin’s expression looked a bit strange.

“You usually just say I’m cool or that you like me, but this is the first time you’ve said something like that.”

“Now I’ll only say things a human can say to another human, so don’t worry.”

“That works for me. Please do that.”

“Why did you want to see me?”

I plopped down onto the ground as I asked.

My dress got dusty, but I didn’t care.

Bin glanced at my dress hem and sat down too, naturally keeping some distance.

“Coercion.”

Bin blurted out the word.

I tilted my head, puzzled.

“What?”

“I told you I’d do that thing to you, right?”

‘Don’t order me around, Bin Ortega. I’m not yours.’

‘…I never thought of it that way.’

‘I do. Even though I say no, you keep insisting.’

‘Coercion…’

Ah. He was talking about what happened earlier.

Surely he hadn’t come all the way here to apologize for realizing his mistake now, so what could he be trying to say?

Bin continued.

“I’ll admit it. You’re right. For whatever reason, I forced my situation too much on someone who didn’t want to draw a sword.”

“So… what do you want to say? You didn’t come all the way here just to say that.”

My slightly cold reaction made Bin hesitate.

His wandering eyes glanced at the branch once again.

“So now it’s not coercion… I want to persuade you. I need you.”

He seemed to realize immediately and added a clarification.

“I mean, I don’t need you personally, I need your skills. Please don’t misunderstand, it would be unpleasant.”

“I’m not misunderstanding. You’re just making me feel unpleasant too.”

“Good. Anyway, I brought something that might interest you.”

Bin pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket and placed it on the ground, right next to my branch.

I used the branch to drag the paper closer.

Bin watched me intently.

“What is this? A ticket?”

“Yes. It’s a lecture ticket for youths, hosted by the Imperial Knights.”

“Why would this interest me?”

“You can watch a sparring match between active knights, and some applicants will even get personal guidance.”

…Sparring? Personal guidance?

Honestly… no, I was extremely tempted.

Not just sports, but watching real swordsmanship that could actually kill someone!

It was something I had always dreamed of. And getting guidance from an active knight? Incredible.

“You were afraid of drawing a sword, right?”

Bin didn’t even need to say it; he understood my mind.

As the young duke of Ortega, he’d been trained to read people’s emotions—it was nothing difficult for him.

In short, Bin was perceptive.

“How about now? Are you still afraid?”

He didn’t say it aloud, but his sharp senses probably noticed my keen interest just by looking at me.

A faint smile spread across his face.

“I don’t think so.”

“…….”

“You already swung at me once, too.”

Bin lightly tapped the tip of my branch and whispered.

…I realized I had even tried to attack him without noticing.

I hadn’t let go of the branch even until now.

I looked at my hand holding the branch. Naturally, it wasn’t shaking at all.

But my heart… was racing wildly, like finding an oasis in the desert or grabbing a rope dangling off a cliff.

And there was no fear in it.

“…I want to go. But…”

“But?”

“Is it really okay? Just you and me.”

‘The Crown Prince would obviously be jealous… Does he know you’re doing this?’

I meant it like that, but Bin frowned, seemingly misunderstanding.

“Do you think I’m giving myself to you? Don’t misunderstand—it’s not a date request.”

“It’s not that…!”

“And it’s not just you and me going. His Highness will be there too.”

Oh-ho…! So he’s using me as an excuse to hide their little date?

Normally, I might be annoyed, but they were kids, and a favorite couple, so it just felt cute.

Moreover, it was an opportunity.

A chance to show my feelings to the Crown Prince, with whom I had little contact!

So yes, I have no feelings for Bin.

And if I could simultaneously earn the Crown Prince’s favor so he wouldn’t want to execute me later… that’d be perfect.

Though probably nearly impossible…

“Then I’ll go.”

“Do you think we could spar there too?”

“That… I don’t know.”

“Try to make it possible later. You’ll need to take the graduation exam anyway.”

Ugh. Right, the graduation exam. Failing it would mean repeating the year…

It was already painful enough to take lessons with kids, but if I couldn’t hold a sword, I’d be stuck in the elementary class forever.

Being trapped in Dr. Saint’s hospital or the elementary class…

No matter what I did, I seemed doomed to be trapped.

“…Okay. I’ll try.”

“Good. I’ll look forward to it.”

After that, there was silence between us.

Awkward air settled as we just sat there.

Why doesn’t he just go home?

“…Anything else you want to say?”

“The words you said to Sis earlier… did you really mean them?”

“What words from earlier?”

“That it’s perfectly natural for a person to like another person.”

“Yes. I meant it.”

“……I see.”

At that age, Bin probably struggled with whether it was right to date the Crown Prince.

He was still young, his values weren’t fully formed, and no one had told him it wasn’t wrong.

Come to think of it… am I the first one he’s confided in?

…Is this okay?

“If your parents say it’s wrong… does that mean your parents are wrong? I mean… regarding you and Sis’s parents.”

He pretended it wasn’t about him, talking about Sis instead.

Though mature for his age, he revealed his childish side here.

That was so cute I couldn’t help but smile.

Bin looked back at the tip of the branch.

“Yes. I meant it. Whether male or female, humans are lovable. Forcing someone to only like the opposite sex is strange.”

“Lovable?”

“Yes. You, me, Sis… everyone is lovable. Oh, and don’t misunderstand what I mean by ‘lovable,’ okay? Please don’t mistake it—it’s unpleasant if you do.”

I replied as nastily as I could, with a hint of vengeance.

Then I heard a faint deflating sound…

…It was laughter.

Not just anyone—Bin Ortega laughed.

Not sarcastically, nor to hide his feelings, but genuinely. I hadn’t seen him truly laugh since I took over.

“I’m not misunderstanding.”

His voice still carried a soft hint of a smile.

Now Bin wasn’t looking at the branch. His deep blue eyes were fully on me.

A pure, gentle smile settled on the face of the boy at that age.