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Chapter 6
“I was wondering if you’d worn something unlike yourself because of the heat, but now it’s a bit chilly.”
“Ah.”
You clueless bastard! The weather’s been hot lately, you know?! Now of all times, why would I have worn something like this?
I nodded, while inwardly sobbing my heart out.
“Th-thank you.”
Strangely, Hares even buttoned up the part around my chest so it wouldn’t show. I wondered why he was doing that.
Soon, Killian gave me a polite bow with his characteristic gentle smile.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Huh? ……Ah, yes.”
Remembering what he meant a beat late, I nodded.
As if to show off to Hares, Killian said that, gave him a brief nod in greeting, and then left the scene.
For a moment, silence hung between us.
Hares averted his gaze, then asked me in a somewhat wary voice.
“……Who’s that guy?”
I answered ambiguously. The truth, but not the whole truth.
“Just a guy I happened to meet here?”
“Is that so?”
Hares’ gaze as he coolly stared at Killian’s receding back was different from usual.
It was something I’d never seen before.
For a moment, his sharp, deeply sunk eyes made even me feel uneasy, and they seemed more uncomfortable than I’d expected.
“……So why are you meeting him tomorrow?”
“I just have something to talk about.”
“You suddenly have something to talk about with a man you just met? And you’re meeting him privately?”
“Well… wouldn’t you call it a date?”
I absolutely couldn’t tell him what happened with Killian. And for the context of my feelings towards Hares to be understood, that story would need to come out too.
This time, I was the one who subtly avoided Hares’ gaze.
He chuckled lightly and asked.
“Got a guilty conscience? Why are you avoiding my eyes?”
“Look at your own eyes. They’ve rolled back, you crazy bastard!”
Normally, I would have snapped at Hares, asking what he was staring at, but this wasn’t the him I knew, so I felt a bit intimidated.
I’d never seen him look so genuinely displeased before.
Because Hares had never once gotten angry with me.
“You’re saying my eyes look strange right now? Me?”
“Yeah, you look like you could kill someone. Me!”
“……Is that so?”
“You’ve been off having a great time dancing, so what’s the big deal if I find another guy?”
I hadn’t even held hands with Killian or put my arm around his waist.
Besides, Killian doesn’t even like me. Unlike how Eve is genuinely interested in Hares.
So whether you’re feeling like a friend is being taken away, or a family member needs protecting, I don’t want that.
Because I… I have no right to tell you to stay away from Eve.
The one with feelings has to worry about things the other person wouldn’t even think of, if they just spoke normally.
I was afraid of what you, who knows me so well, would think if I said I hated seeing you with Eve.
So I don’t even dare say that.
But you have the right, under the pretense of being some nonsensical ‘big brother,’ to stop me from seeing any guy. Because you have no romantic interest in me, after all.
That’s the gap between us.
I truly can’t go on without you, but you could have anyone other than me by your side at any time, even start a family and leave.
Yet, it’s you who stops me from seeing other men.
And every time you do, pathetically, because I love you, I desperately want to think of it as a ‘possibility’ or a ‘still undiscovered sliver of hope.’
Of course, I know all of this is childish thinking.
But… the seething emotions inside me haven’t settled yet.
And what Killian said was right too.
Probably, if I don’t change at all, our relationship won’t suddenly become drastically different. There’s no way Hares would see me the way I see him.
Just changing my appearance wouldn’t impress Hares much.
Anyway, since Hares seems to have no interest in me that way, trying something physical would be useless.
‘Well, from his perspective, he probably just felt like his little sister showed up in a revealing dress. That thought probably never even crossed his mind.’
My feelings for Hares are completely different from his for me.
My heart fluttered for a moment when he covered me with his jacket, but that act was just brotherly.
The kind where you don’t like others looking at your family member with lustful eyes.
Originally, Hares never liked me receiving attention from other men.
“There are more weirdos out there than you think. Tell me if anyone does anything strange.”
He used to say that.
In the past, he even personally chased away men who approached me with bad intentions.
“But wait, do you really think that guy’s asking you out? Aren’t you just misunderstanding?”
I decided to actively incorporate Killian’s advice. So I asked back, pretending to be nonchalant.
“If a gentleman personally invites me out, isn’t that essentially the same as asking for a date? Are you jealous? Because it looks like I might date first?”
At that, Hares’ jaw tensed momentarily.
Soon, he exclaimed as if dumbfounded.
“Hey, Piggy, you said you liked someone!”
“I’m the type who falls in love quickly. I just changed my mind.”
At this, Hares furrowed his brow in disbelief and asked.
“Love? You developed that kind of interest in that short a time?”
“He’s handsome. Has good manners. And he’s kind.”
“You judge those things after seeing someone for a while.”
“Well, seeing them for a while is also decided after meeting and getting closer first. I can decide after meeting him tomorrow.”
When I spoke coyly, Hares threw a warning in his low, drawn-out voice.
“Hey, you….”
I was thirsty, so I sipped my lemonade.
“Are you really going to go meet that guy alone? A man you don’t even know?”
“He’s not a stranger, so it’s fine.”
Even though Killian is a obsessive, obsessive-compulsive male lead, since he’s not interested in things he’s not obsessed with, I’d never heard of him harming unrelated people.
Even if we meet, he probably doesn’t intend to kill or hurt me.
“He is a stranger. Don’t you think I know your circle and social connections?”
Having said that, Hares then spoke to me in a strangely bitter voice.
“……Hey, come with me. To that appointment or whatever tomorrow.”
Eyes I couldn’t read were slowly observing me.
Why is he acting like that?
Of course, I thought it made sense for him to be shocked since he’d never seen me alone with a man before.
“Why would you crash someone’s date?”
“I know most unmarried men living in the capital, but I’ve never seen that guy’s face before.”
“So?”
“At least hold off until I can find out his reputation.”
For reference, Killian, for various reasons, still casts a confusion spell on his face in official settings, so people usually can’t remember his face.
Because of this, very few people know what he looks like, allowing him to roam around hiding his identity as he pleases.
“Just stop. Mind your own business! Don’t interfere with my date!”
When I raised my voice at Hares, who was sure to question me further, he looked pissed off too.
“Hey, I’m just worried about you!”
“Anyway. It’s obvious you’d only say bad things if you came along on my date.”
“Have you ever seen me care about what others think?”
Right. If he did, he wouldn’t drag his childhood friend as his partner to every party and social event, only to bicker childishly in front of everyone.
“If I tell you not to go, you shouldn’t go. I appreciate the concern, but how long do I have to let you vet every man I meet?”
“Honestly, I think it’s right for me not to do it, but you tend to attract a lot of strange guys.”
“What?”
“Did you think I hadn’t heard the guys talking? There were a few who asked to be introduced to you, but they were all weird, so I refused.”
He refused them on his own? How strange must those guys have been.
“Are you saying only perverts are drawn to me?”
“I’m not saying you’re the problem. There are dirty-minded bastards lurking in high society. I’m really just worried.”
“I understand, but that guy is fine.”
At my words, Hares shook his head.
“How can you know that? Neither of us does. So just let me come with you on the first date, at least. How about that?”
“You… I mean.”
The reason I say this, knowing the original story, is because there’s a particular reason I’m more upset today.
On the day they shared their first dance, Eve asked Hares out first.
As Killian said, Eve grew up in a very special environment, naive to the ways of the world. And now that she’s out, she finds everything fun and revels in the attention.
Then, she gradually develops feelings for Hares, the man she met.
So why does she end up with Killian?
‘Because this novel is a somewhat twisted R-rated novel!’
Killian is called a obsessive, obsessive male lead for a reason.
He even tries to secretly get rid of Hares later on. His obsession is that abnormal.
So if Hares goes on that date with Eve, he’ll fall into Killian’s sights. And the closer he gets to Eve, the more dangerous his life will become.
Of course, he doesn’t die in the end, but it’s not exactly a good fate.
That’s why, apart from my personal feelings, I wished Hares wouldn’t date Eve.
‘Of course, jealousy is the bigger reason, though.’
And here he was, saying I couldn’t go on a date with Killian tomorrow, while he was going on a date with Eve.
I asked him, my face full of resentment.
“Aren’t you the one with a date tomorrow, with Lady Rothesier?”
