174 – The Secret of the Delinquent
“So…. Want to be your friend?”
The guy summed up the long-winded request in one line and asked back.
Then he reacted violently, frowning as if he had heard a terrible noise.
“Do you want to die? When did I say that!”
“Didn’t you mean that?”
“I told you to pretend to be friends, who begged a skinny guy like you to be friends!”
After all, that’s it.
As I realized that I had correctly understood the content, questions naturally rose.
Why? I never imagined that I would hear such a request from this guy.
To pretend to be friends in front of the person’s parents, not even other people.
“You should at least tell me the reason. Why do I have to go all the way to your house and introduce myself to your mother as a friend?”
It’s not physically difficult to do a favor, but it was an ambiguous request until I understood it. How do you know how to unknowingly admit a friendship and how it will come back later?
How much more is Jean Granger’s family. I don’t remember it ever appearing in the original.
A sudden event like this was also never mentioned in the work.
Granger scratched his head before answering with a sigh.
“Her mother found out about the last incident because the academy sent a home letter. I keep asking if it’s a serious problem, so I’m telling you to pretend you’re my friend and talk about it moderately.”
Soon, questions about the truth of the revealed incident were resolved, and absurdity flooded in.
Is that why? Is it right to ask me, the victim of the incident?
Anyway, thinking about it, I guessed why this scene didn’t appear in the original.
Since Granger’s summoning of the dragon in the first place was the butterfly effect caused by my existence, so are the family correspondences that followed.
I thought about what to do for a while. Actually, there is no reason to ask for a favor, but I was curious about what Granger’s family would be like, who had never appeared in the film.
“Okay. Can’t you just take my side in moderation?”
“Still, I can understand why it’s because I’m skinny. If you talk nonsense for no reason, you will be left behind?”
Is the attitude of the person asking for it correct?
I belatedly regretted sticking out my tongue at Rachel’s rough temper that could be evaluated as spicy.
I think I accepted it for nothing. Would you accept me if I refused even now?
The answer was so obvious that I had to sigh.
***
After class, as promised, I headed to his house with Granger.
The two of us walking down the road to school were not as awkward as we thought.
“No. Stupid! Just don’t even mention it!”
“Then why are you calling me? Just tell me it was an accident!”
“You don’t have to tell me you were there!”
“Because I am also a victim!?”
···On the contrary, the difference of opinions has not been narrowed, and the fever is only rising.
The confrontation between the guy who told me not to mention the incident at all and just ignore it and tell him that it was just an accident and that it was okay because I, the victim, forgave him.
Of course, the initiative was on my side.
“Am I just leaving? Are you okay though?”
“Kuu…!”
By the time I succeeded in making Granger shut up, it was after I had reached my destination.
‘It’s simpler than I thought.’
I don’t remember hearing the name of the Granger family.
In other words, even if you are from a commoner or a noble family, the probability of coming from a prestigious family is low.
Before opening the door and entering, Granger turned around and glared at me, then hesitantly warned me.
“You only have to answer appropriately to what your mother asks, so don’t be silly. Got it?”
For some reason, the guy’s red eyes tremble slightly. It’s not clear, but the emotion contained in it seemed to be anxiety.
After that, the door slid open and the guy announced his return.
“Mom. I’m here.”
“Jin. You are here.”
At the calm voice coming from inside, we slowly approached it.
Then, when I found a woman sitting in the living room drinking her tea, I was involuntarily amazed.
His white hair was long enough to reach the floor.
The woman who closes her eyes and savors the scent of her tea reveals her elegant beauty while being antique like a painting.
She turned her head and opened her closed eyes slowly as if she felt our presence.
The enchanting golden eyes stared at me quietly, then slowly folded.
It was a shocking beauty that made my heart flutter in an instant. It’s to the point where I wonder if I’m really a married woman with grown children. Now that I know it, it’s not my mother, but my sister, isn’t there a twist?
“Is that the friend you talked about last time next to you?”
“Yes. If you hear from him, don’t bother worrying anymore.”
“Okay. I’m sorry to bother you.”
He still tickles at his mother. Even so, it was only the way he spoke, but he didn’t seem to show his temper openly. If that was the case, you wouldn’t have asked me like this.
“I’m sorry I bothered my friend.”
“No. She thought her mother was so beautiful that she came rather well.”
“Oops. So?”
A stinging pain in her side as she threw out her sincere words of flattery.
Granger opened her eyes and gave her a savage warning with his mouth.
‘Do you want to search?’
Looking at the glinting eyes, it seems that he is not joking but serious.
Feeling the threat to her life and swallowing her dry saliva, fortunately, my mother came to talk to her first at good timing.
“What is your friend’s name?”
“Oh, I am Cro Morris. Please feel free to call me.”
“Tsk.”
She clicked her tongue a little and let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the pitying guy.
“Cro seems like a really nice and upright friend. It’s not like this, but her son’s friend came over for a long time, and I have to treat her.”
“It’s okay if you don’t bother.”
“It’s okay. In fact, this is the first time she has brought her friend since Jin entered the academy. Shouldn’t we celebrate this special day?”
This person. Although she smiles kindly, she is the type who is secretly assertive.
Anyway, this is the first time since entering the academy, did you have a friend you brought with you before?
“Jin. So, why don’t you buy a cake from the store right in front of you?”
“Ah, why do you do that? It’s enough to just brew some tea in moderation.”
“It’s been a while since I pulled something sweet. Can’t you?”
“…Okay. You can buy it.”
The disgusting Grainger instantly calmed down. To be staring at him tremblingly at an unexpected appearance.
“Thank you! Then, Mom will be talking to Crowe, so she can go at her leisure.”
The bastard left the house leaving a warning to the end with his eyes.
In the living room where only the two of us were left, I sat on the opposite side and talked to my mother.
“That, mother…?”
“Oops. You can just call her noona.”
No. If I did, I might be torn to death by him.
“I heard roughly what Jin said. I know what your mother is worried about, but I just wanted to tell you there’s really nothing wrong with it.”
She told her story, which she had prepared in advance, deciding that there was no need to hesitate.
Simply put, it was a moderately made-up story that I was the victim who was there, that everything that happened that day was an accident, and that I had become friends after receiving his sincere apology.
It was a bit of a chore to call you by your first name awkwardly because you were deliberately pretending to be close. I thought it was pretty neatly finished.
Fortunately, she seemed relieved after hearing what I had to say.
Seeing the slight trembling of her hand as she lifted the teacup while sweeping her chest, she must have been nervous inside.
“I see…. I’m so glad I was very worried that it might be something serious.”
“Jin was also worried that his mother wouldn’t be worried about it.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t trust my son so much. In fact, I was worried for nothing, even though I knew it couldn’t be the case.”
Unexpectedly, the relationship between mother and son in the Granger family seemed very close. It makes me wonder how such a brat grew up under such a mother. Besides, it’s just absurd to be a docile sheep at home again.
“Jin is naturally sociable, bright, and gets along well with everyone. Yes?”
“… Huh? Uh, well Yes···?”
These are expressions that contradict the Grainger’s tendencies I know.
Did you pretend to be that kind of son at home? Is that why you warned me like that before you got home?
“Besides, it’s a bit rude to say things like this, but my son is quite big and handsome like a man. So, of course, I thought I was doing well without any major problems at school.”
“·······.”
No, no matter how much, this isn’t much.
I thought it would be because the personality I mentioned earlier can be made up and each individual has a different opinion, but no matter how hard you try to understand the appearance, there is a strong sense of disparity.
How big? If I had grown up, I wouldn’t have thought that I looked like a woman in the first place. I’m not kidding, he was so small and delicate that I was worried that he would break if I hugged him tightly from behind. I didn’t even have to talk about my appearance.
Isn’t he looking at his son with a too distorted perspective?
I can roughly understand what you mean, but I also thought that it was a little too much.
I changed the topic thinking that there was no need to continue the uncomfortable topic.
“By the way, is Jin an only child? If you have an older sister or a younger sister, it would look like her mother and be pretty. hahahaha.”
“·······.”
It was a joke to lighten the mood, but her reaction was somewhat strange.
The smile on his lips remained the same, but the atmosphere felt cold and subdued. It was to the point where I felt chills just staring at me without any response, let alone an answer.
···Did I touch the bomb?
I came to the conclusion that I should avoid the seat first, trying to calm my embarrassment.
“Ha ha ha! Would it be okay if I take a look at Jin’s room!? It’s between men!”
“Sure. I’ll be making tea that goes well with the cake Jin is bringing, so take your time and look around.”
“Yes!”
I ran out of the living room as if I was running away and took refuge in Granger’s room.
It was only after closing the door that the tension eased and a deep sigh leaked out.
By the way…
The room is very empty. If it weren’t for the clothes hanging on hangers, I wouldn’t have mistaken it for an empty room.
In a desolate room where nothing can be found except for the bare minimum furniture necessary for living.
“Ah.”
Then I found the only trace, a small picture frame on the desk, and approached it.
‘Is this a family photo?’
There were a total of three people in the picture.
A mother younger than now, hugging the two people on either side in the middle.
And the ones on either side were pretty young looking kids.
I was staring blankly at the photo, but I stopped at a strong sense of incongruity that I couldn’t get over.
‘What is it…?’
There is something strange about this picture.
The moment I tried to take a closer look by lifting the frame.
“What are you doing there?”
Gringer, who entered without showing any signs of popularity, was standing behind me.
His gaze was fixed on the picture frame I was holding.