EULE 55

Chapter 55

Jailyn’s weak reply prompted Lionel to offer words of comfort.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll explain everything to you.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Come on, we’re on the same team. Of course I’ll help. Since it’s the first day, how about we just run ten laps around the training grounds?”

Lionel smiled gently as he made what he considered a “light” suggestion. Knowing next to nothing about physical training, Jailyn simply nodded, trusting Lionel’s words.

If he had known what kind of hell awaited, he never would have agreed so easily.

After a long while, Jailyn barely managed to stumble out of the training ground.

His whole body was drained, his legs trembled, and he had no strength to head back to the clubroom. He couldn’t even ride his bike.

It was already too late anyway. He had spent longer than expected with Lionel, and the sun was already setting. Even if he went to the clubroom now, the chances of meeting Stephan were slim.

In the end, Jailyn once again failed to talk to Stephan that day.

When he reached his boarding house and lay down on his bed, he agonized for a while before logging into the community.

[Jailyn] Hi, Stephan.

No reply came, even after a long wait. Was he so busy he couldn’t even check the messages? Or did he simply not want to talk with him?

Jailyn felt his spirits sink. Still, he kept typing.

[Jailyn] You’ve been doing well, right? Busy these days? I feel like I haven’t seen you much…

[Jailyn] Let’s meet tomorrow, okay? I’ll be waiting in the clubroom when I don’t have class. Please drop by if you have time.

Jailyn waited for the notification sound until he fell asleep, but the reply never came.

The next day, muscle pain wracked his entire body. Coupled with a restless night waiting for Stephan’s reply, he was utterly exhausted.

Even so, Jailyn forced himself to wake up early and trudged toward the student center where the clubrooms were. Today, no matter what, he had to talk to Stephan.

When he opened the clubroom door, the voices inside instantly fell silent, leaving only an awkward stillness.

Though it was still early, both Stephan and Adrian were already there.

Stephan, who usually greeted him first, stayed quiet. Uneasy at the unusual mood, Jailyn gave a hesitant greeting.

“H-hi. You’re all here early.”

“We didn’t come early. We’ve been here since yesterday.”

It was Adrian who replied.

“Huh? Y-you mean you slept here?”

“Yeah.”

Jailyn’s eyes widened at Adrian’s answer.

“W-why?”

“It’s hot.”

Only then did Jailyn notice Adrian lying on the sofa he himself had designed.

Adrian had rushed over to the clubroom right after class yesterday and collapsed there, planning to stay until his mana mutation ended.

“I-I see.”

Even as he spoke with Adrian, Jailyn kept glancing at Stephan. But Stephan still didn’t so much as look his way.

Jailyn edged closer and tried again.

“St-Stephan, hi.”

“…Hi.”

At last, Stephan acknowledged him, but his reluctant tone made it obvious he didn’t mean it.

He kept his head down, shuffling through blueprints on the table. Stephan’s continued cold shoulder left Jailyn flustered.

What do I do…?

Clearly, Stephan was upset or disappointed with him. Jailyn had never seen him this frosty before and had no idea how to handle it.

Feeling the heavy tension, Jailyn carefully spoke again. He had no choice but to keep trying, since he couldn’t figure out the reason for Stephan’s behavior.

“St-Stephan, is something wrong?”

“No.”

He cut the words short and fell silent. The Stephan who used to chatter away about his day was nowhere to be seen.

At that moment, Adrian, who had been buried in the sofa, lifted his head.

“He’s sulking at you.”

“I am not!”

The moment Adrian spoke, Stephan shot up indignantly.

“Oh please. Right before Peanut showed up, you were whining about how upset you were.”

“W-what? I never said that!”

Exposed, Stephan lost his icy facade and began stammering.

“And you rushed here at dawn because you said you wanted to wait for Jailyn. As if someone as lazy as you would come early for no reason. Stop bothering me and just sort it out between you two.”

“That’s not it! I was just worried about you, that’s why I came early! It’s definitely not because of Jailyn!”

As they say, strong denial is as good as a confession. Adrian smirked knowingly at Stephan’s obvious feelings.

“Yeah right. Stop sulking and tell Peanut. You can whine to me all you want, but when it comes to him, you clam up.”

“T-that’s…”

Uncharacteristically, Stephan slumped his shoulders. Jailyn, flustered by his reaction, watched him closely. Something was clearly wrong.

“Stephan, did I… do something wrong?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Looking deflated, Stephan lowered his head over the table.

“If I did, tell me, okay? I-I’ll fix it. I don’t really know unless you tell me.”

Jailyn hovered nervously by his side, but Stephan kept his lips sealed, almost as if to protest in silence.

Annoyed by the stalemate, Adrian cut in.

“It’s not your fault. He’s just sulking.”

“I said I’m not!”

“What else would you call it? Before you came, he was like, ‘Jailyn probably doesn’t even see me as a friend, boo-hoo!’ Then you walk in and he acts all cold. Who does that?”

Adrian even mimicked Stephan’s whining voice in his usual flat tone, which only made it more absurd.

Jailyn thought it was a bit much, but kept that to himself.

“Aaaaargh!”

Stephan screamed and lunged at Adrian on the sofa.

But the words were already out, and he was no match for Adrian’s strength.

Pinned down, Stephan shouted bitterly.

“What’s wrong with you! How could you say that in front of Jailyn!”

“Who else should I say it to if not him?”

“That’s not what I meant… Argh!”

His face flushed red as he sneaked glances at Jailyn.

“N-no, it’s fine! Stephan, I think of you as a really good friend.”

Hearing that, Stephan instantly deflated.

Adrian released him, and Stephan sat up on the sofa, finally meeting Jailyn’s eyes.

“But… I don’t know anything about you. I didn’t even know you were afraid of monsters. I didn’t know Lionel was helping you. I didn’t even realize the committee was being held until the day of.”

“I-I only found out an hour before myself. It’s not your fault.”

“There were signs before that. If I’d just checked the community more, I could have told you sooner. You would have been prepared… but I didn’t.”

Stephan’s face darkened as he stared at the floor.

“N-no, it’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself.”

“And you were just studying with Lionel, but I… I badmouthed him to your face, saying he never studies and only causes trouble.”

“N-no, it’s my fault. I should’ve told you sooner… I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”

“I didn’t even realize it was you. I just complained behind your back. Then when the committee came, I didn’t even help you. How can I call myself your friend? I don’t even deserve to be one!”

Stephan’s voice broke as he started hitting his own head in frustration.

Startled, Jailyn rushed to grab his arm.

“N-no! It’s my fault for not saying anything. You’re my first friend, so I didn’t know what to do. I should have told you, but I was embarrassed. If I had, you—you would’ve understood, because you’re my friend.”

When Jailyn saw tears welling in Stephan’s eyes, his own tears began to fall too.

“W-wait! Really? I’m your first friend?”

“Yeah.”

Jailyn nodded, voice trembling. A memory of his childhood with Lionel flashed through his mind, but Lionel didn’t count.

Lionel was someone he had feelings for, someone he could never consider “just a friend.”

So yes—Stephan was his very first friend.

Being with Stephan made even the smallest things enjoyable: walking across campus, having tea in the cafeteria, chatting idly in the clubroom, even eating meals he once considered nothing more than a necessity.

All those little moments that had never seemed fun before became joyful with Stephan by his side.