TDSM 06

Chapter – 6

“What did I even do wrong….”

If anything, I was the one who should’ve been apologizing endlessly.

While I wasn’t with them, the kids had written down everything that had happened to them, one by one.
They even left messages saying that they would wait for me as long as it took, until I finished sorting out my feelings and stopped avoiding them—so I shouldn’t worry.

The fact that they hadn’t approached me at all during that time was also their consideration.
They thought I needed time alone to think.

I read their handwriting over and over again, savoring every word.

Before I knew it, the sun had risen outside the window.

Spending the long night thinking about everything they had left behind, I began to see—vaguely at first—the direction I needed to take.

Unrequited love truly was hopeless.

I had been so consumed by the despair of having to give up on Ignis that I’d forgotten about the kids who were just as precious to me as those feelings.

Right.
The truth was, every single one of them was just as important to me as Ignis.

…So the path I needed to take was only one.

I didn’t know how long it would take to reach it.
But knowing that there were people willing to wait for me made my heart feel lighter, and I started to believe that if I took things one step at a time, I could bring about a good change.

A smile formed on my lips for the first time in a while.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“Huh?”

“You looked like you were about to give everything up not too long ago. I was worried.”

“…Was I?”

Airi met my eyes and smiled.

“Yes. Because you’re very important to me, Lady Renia.”

“Thank you for saying that, Airi.”

I was better now.
Because I was almost at the answer I’d been searching for.

I had decided to completely give up on Ignis.

It had taken me quite a long time to reach that decision.
By now, the weather had grown warm enough that the days were almost hot.

If there were people who were willing to wait for someone as insignificant as me until the very end, then I thought it might be okay to remain by Ignis’s side as just a friend.

Of course, it still hurt a little.

But no matter how I thought about it, this was the best choice.
I didn’t want to lose precious people by being consumed with pointless jealousy. And I absolutely couldn’t make a decision that might, even by mistake, lead me into dark magic and cause innocent people to die.

The long, precious time I’d spent with them all played a huge role in allowing me to reach this conclusion.

“I can do this.”

I murmured to myself, then opened the door and stepped outside.

The air drifting in through the window felt refreshingly clear.

It was the starting point of something new.

As I stepped outside, I spotted Ignis in the distance, walking alone.

I let out a small breath and approached him, one step at a time.

Soon, I stopped in front of Ignis, who looked at me with surprise. When I reached him, I looked up and smiled brightly.

“Hi, Ignis.”

“……”

Ignis’s eyes widened, then he returned the gentle smile I liked so much.

“Hi, Renia.”

…Success. I spoke casually.

Now this part mattered.
From now on, Ignis and I were friends.

Let’s be really friendly.

“The weather’s insane today, right?”

“……”

…That was way too friendly all of a sudden.

I should at least give him time to adjust.

Kind-hearted Ignis tried not to show his confusion and accepted my words calmly.

“Yeah. The weather’s insane.”

Isn’t he too kind?

“What are you two doing?”

Aiden approached us with his usual flat tone.
Behind him were Adam, Sierra, and Lilliana.

Fidgeting awkwardly, I apologized to them.

“I was going to talk to you once everyone was together.”

“……”

“I’m sorry about everything.”

A brief silence followed.

Then Lilliana broke it with her innocent voice.

“Did something happen to us?”

“Yeah. Did it?”

They acted as if nothing had happened at all.
Gratitude welled up in my chest, threatening to turn into tears again.

Clenching my eyes shut to hold them back, I spoke—not with apology this time, but with thanks.

“Thank you.”

A warmer-than-usual breeze brushed against my hair.
At the same time, my chest fluttered with excitement for this new beginning.

It really did.

“…Someone help me.”

My eyelids grew heavy, my lashes brushing lightly against my cheeks.

Along with the fear that I might fall asleep, my consciousness slowly faded.

“Renia, don’t close your eyes!”

Even Lilliana’s urgent voice ringing in my ears couldn’t stop my eyes from closing completely.

“Aiden! Do something!”

“There’s nothing I can do here.”

“Then what do we do?!”

Lilliana grabbed my cheeks with both hands, her voice trembling.

“Renia hasn’t even been attending class properly, and she hasn’t prepared for exams at all!”

That was true.

While I was busy digging myself into an emotional hole… exams had been steadily approaching.

And now, having failed to prepare in advance, I was paying for it by staying up for days, desperately cramming.

At the moment, I was studying for exams in a quiet, breezy garden with everyone except Ignis.

Back in my previous life, we’d called this “cramming,” hadn’t we?

Aiden stood up, supporting my drooping head with one hand and gently patting it as if urging me to wake up.

Surprised by the sudden contact, I opened my eyes slightly and looked at him.

Aiden held a small round object out in front of me.

“What’s this?”

“A fatigue recovery potion.”

“Oh, it looks just like candy.”

I rolled the potion around in my mouth for a while, impressed.
It felt like my head was clearing up for no reason at all.

Smiling at Aiden, I ruffled his hair affectionately.

“You’re the best.”

“When I gave it to you earlier, I just said it was candy.”

“…Lilliana, shh.”

“What? You said it was a fatigue potion.”

Lilliana hugged me tightly and glared at Aiden with hostility.

“Aiden, lying is bad.”

“Honestly, you…”

Maybe it really was all about mindset.

Just like how I felt refreshed even though what I’d taken wasn’t actually a recovery potion.

And similarly, now that I no longer wavered like before and truly thought of Ignis as just a friend, I’d managed to sort out my feelings for him quite a lot.

Watching Aiden and Lilliana bicker, I thought again that giving up on my feelings for Ignis back then had truly been the right choice.

“Be quiet, you two.”

Sierra spoke up from the side, clearly having reached the limit of her patience.

Adam, sitting next to her, nodded in agreement.

“She’s right. Let’s focus. Aiden.”

“Lilliana, seriously…”

Aiden let out a helpless laugh, then turned his gaze back to the open book in front of him.
Even though he was busy managing the infirmary, he still had to take the exams.

I followed suit and returned my attention to my book.
Just as I thought things might finally quiet down, Lilliana spoke again.

“Hey, can I say just one thing?”

“I was just about to concentrate.”

“No, really. It’s short.”

“What is it?”

“Just that Ignis isn’t around today either.”

“…You just don’t want to study, do you?”

At Sierra’s words, Lilliana gave her trademark innocent smile.

Sierra shook her head at the sight.

“Ignis disappearing at times like this isn’t anything new. Why bring it up now?”

True enough—Ignis really was diligent.

From the moment exams approached until they were over, he devoted all his attention to studying.

The only times I ever saw him during this period were when we happened to have overlapping classes and went to take the same exams.

And this time, his preparations had been delayed because of me, which made seeing him even rarer.

Why did I do that to him?

There was actually one more thing I owed the kids thanks for.

Not long ago, I’d planned to tell them honestly why I’d been so troubled on my own.

But just as I’d resolved to tell them everything, ironically, they refused to hear it—saying I looked too exhausted and didn’t need to explain anything.

And of course, I’d cried again while clinging to them.

Lost in thought, I spoke with firm resolve to the people around me.

“Guys, from now on, I’ll really treat you all better.”

“All of a sudden?”

“No, it’s just… I suddenly felt that way.”

After that, the conversation Lilliana had sparked continued on as usual.

…Guys, but seriously, when are we actually going to study?

“Did you do well on your exams?”

At Sierra’s question, I smiled softly at her, then turned my gaze up to the wide blue sky.

“I bombed them.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It means I did terribly.”

Honestly, if someone like me—who hadn’t attended class properly and started preparing later than everyone else—had done well… then everyone in the world would’ve done well.

“The swordsmanship class isn’t a written exam, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then at least do well on that one.”

“I will.”

Ignis and I both took swordsmanship, and starting this term, the exam would be practical rather than theoretical.

For the past two years, we’d only taken written exams on swordsmanship theory and history, so this one strangely lifted my spirits.

Everyone else had chosen classes that aligned with their respective departments.

Still, I had trained alongside Ignis all this time.

Since it came to this, I’d pour everything I had into the swordsmanship exam.

Clenching my fists with determination, I headed toward the testing grounds.

And there, waiting, I finally saw Ignis.