50.
The next day.
When I opened my eyes in bed, someone was looking down at me.
Black hair falling down, emerald green eyes.
“Uh…”
“You were going to ask how I got in, right? I know everything. Kallen let me in.”
Hmm.
If I say that, I would have nothing to say in return.
“Could you move over a bit? I want to get up.”
Raina smiled at my words.
“Nope.”
“…”
I thought she was joking, but her expression was serious.
The reason… Well, I had a rough idea.
“First, apologize.”
“You know what you did wrong, right?”
“I’m sorry for not saying anything to you.”
“…”
Raina let out a deep sigh at my words, then moved aside. Only then could I get up.
“Alright. Since you seem to have a vague idea, explain it to me. Convince me.”
“…And if I can’t?”
“I’ll stay here. I won’t eat or drink anything and won’t move until Adrian tells me what’s going on.”
#### Translation:
She puffed up her cheeks and turned her head, folding her arms as she spoke. She was really determined to do so, so I shook my head.
“Reina, I’ve said it before…”
“Adrian.”
Her finger poked my forehead.
“You tried to shoulder everything alone again. This time, it could have been a big problem. Oh, if I say this, you’ll say it again, won’t you? ‘It was for you, no, for all of you.’ But what does ‘for all of you’ even mean? Did you really think we wanted that from the beginning?”
There were tears in Reina’s angry eyes.
“Do you regret it? No, I don’t regret anything.”
She said that.
“It’s already all over. The family is not my concern. I have my own power, and as long as I have Adrian by my side, that’s enough.”
“…”
“But Adrian keeps pushing himself like that, not telling me anything, just saying it’s for you. It’s frustrating.”
Reina placed her hands on her knees and tilted her head slightly with a sad expression.
“Adrian, we’re supposed to walk together, right? Holding each other’s hands, sometimes pulling each other, sometimes comforting each other through thorny paths.”
To those words.
For some reason, I couldn’t say anything in response.
“…”
“So tell me. What you’re hiding from me, and what plans you have. Everything. And then, be prepared for punishment.”
“Punishment?”
“The punishment for worrying me. How could I… if I suddenly got kidnapped… It won’t do. Today, I’ll definitely punish you. But first, let’s talk. Go ahead, tell me everything.”
Really, is it okay?
I hesitated. But his innocent eyes and trust…
“Alright.”
I couldn’t ignore that.
I revealed all the hidden thoughts.
“hehehehe.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“No, it’s just… It’s exactly the same as I guessed. I’m so glad that Adrian was thinking the same thing as me. Thank you for telling me, Adrian.”
She stretched her arms and yawned.
“Well then, shall we go and receive our punishment? Be prepared.”
* * *
Punishment.
To be honest, I had imagined something terrifying.
“Is this the punishment you’re giving me?”
“That’s right.”
When I heard “punishment,” I thought of things like standing with my hands up, or walking around in a crouch.
“Reina, this doesn’t seem like a punishment.”
“Wow, what did I do to deserve this?”
Each holding a book, they headed towards the self-study room.
Since today was a day without classes, in a certain sense, one could say it was a reward…
“Isn’t this the promise we made before?”
“Adrian seems to be misunderstanding something.”
Pushing up her glasses that hung on the bridge of her nose, Reyna said.
“Isn’t this enough?”
Saying so, Reyna walked ahead with a nonchalant hum.
Really.
After studying for about two hours in the self-study room, Reyna pulled me along and went back outside.
Since then, we didn’t do much.
We went shopping together, had meals together… If there were no lectures, we did these things almost every day.
Except for one thing.
Except for shopping.
“Oh, this is a new item of clothing, isn’t it?”
“I think this one suits you better than that.”
“Is this Adrian’s taste?”
“No, the one you chose is too revealing. Even though summer is approaching, isn’t it a bit too much?”
Of course, there was also that reason, but it was also because this was the kind of clothing I always bought when the skin system was open.
“Then let’s buy this. Ah, come to think of it, it’s already May? It’s almost the season for casual clothes, and summer vacation is approaching, so we should also check out swimwear.”
“There are still final exams left.”
“Ugh, but…”
“And ask your friends, like Kellina Relvrian, not me.”
“Well, I see. So we’re supposed to confirm it at the beach, right?”
What’s this?
Why is going to the beach an established fact for me?
“I never said I was going. Besides, when was it confirmed in the first place?”
“Why are you so embarrassed? Just say you’re going. Anyway, there won’t be anyone at the Wolfgang territory beach.”
“…”
“Why are you standing there dumbfounded? Come on, let’s go. The punishment isn’t over yet.”
After that, we went shopping again, and again.
The never-ending hell of shopping.
So, this is what the punishment was. I understood perfectly.
Reyna held six shopping bags in her hands, while I also walked down the street with three bags in each hand.
“Reyna, do you always buy so many clothes?”
“Because the season is changing. The clothes I had before didn’t fit anymore. Not to mention, I bought clothes for Adrian to wear too, right?”
“It was partly forced.”
“Well, that’s also a punishment, so bear with it.”
Is that so?
Is even that a punishment?
I committed such a serious crime.
Reyna continued to sing, despite the shopping bags not being heavy.
“What a happy time.”
“Is it?”
I’m sorry, but I feel like I’m going to die here.
“Adrian, shall we take a break for a moment?”
“Please.”
He found a nearby bench and sat down. I sat down next to him.
Late afternoon. The time the sun sets.
The sky was tinged with red, and a dusky light swallowed the sky.
After a moment of silence, she spoke first.
“Adrian.”
“Speak.”
“I hope Adrian doesn’t bear the burden alone. Certainly, the path Adrian must walk is difficult. However, if Adrian walks alone, it will be so.”
Looking up at the red sky, she said.
“That’s why I worried. Regardless of the path Adrian walks, I will walk alongside him. I don’t regret choosing you. So, if you have any worries about telling me everything today, let them all out.”
“Did you know?”
“If you don’t know the state of your fiancé, you’re not qualified to be a fiancé, right?”
She smiled gently, looking at me.
This smile and words were natural, something that could never be seen in the original “Reyna Von Wolfkang” route that had progressed hundreds of times.
“I dare say, Calen Snow White, Milize, and the juniors of Evnis and Erhan, etc. If Adrian asks, they will all take off their shoes and help Adrian.”
She said, tapping her fingers.
“You’re not alone. So, don’t try to walk alone.”
…True.
That’s right.
If they have chosen to follow me, I must do everything in my power to make them stand by my side.
Isn’t that the right thing to do?
Even if Reyna is defying her family to walk with me.
I, too, should do something that I won’t regret even if she turns away from her family and comes to me.
“Reyna Von Wolfkang.”
“Yes? Why are you suddenly calling me that?”
“Sorry, but for now, this is all I can do. But I’ll make sure to give you something better later.”
“What do you mean, Adrian?”
Instead of answering, I took out what I had been holding close to my heart.
“This is a ticket…?”
“It’s something similar.”
[Loot Ticket for Lower-tier Equipment]
Received as a reward for Act 2.
At this time, the equipment that can be obtained is only of lower quality.
So, it’s not likely to be anything incredibly good.
I lightly tore the ticket.
[Used a Low-Grade Equipment Draw Ticket!]
[Drew a Low-Grade Equipment!]
[Calculating······.]
[Congratulations!]
Along with a fireworks effect visible only to me, the torn ticket shone and transformed into a pair of bracelets.
“The t-torn ticket turned into a b-bracelet? Is it a ticket inscribed with a summoning spell?”
“Something similar.”
Half blue, half sky blue.
Bracelets with cloud-shaped engravings.
“I’ve never seen this before, wow······.”
Its function is as follows.
From Noble mtl dot com
Sea (海) and Cloud (雲) / (★★)
A bracelet containing the sea and clouds.
Slightly enhances the wearer’s magical recovery ability.
An item that remembers magical waves.
*) Special Effect
Magical Transfer (魔力轉移).
Once every three days, the user can transfer a maximum of ‘2’ of their magical power to a ‘trusted’ individual. The duration is one hour.
“So, it’s an item that allows the transfer of magical power to a trusted target?”
“That’s right.”
“Wow······. It’s amazing, being able to transfer magical power….”
Adrian and I each wore a bracelet on our left and right arms. Faint traces of magic intertwined between the two bracelets.
“Ah······. Thank you, Adrian.”
“What, shall we head back now? Since we lost anyway. Starting from tomorrow, we’ll have proper classes again, right?”
“That’s true.”
On the way back.
“Oh, Adrian, I just remembered about yesterday’s presentation······.”
“Hmm, how was it? I’d like to hear your thoughts.”
The man and woman walked side by side, sometimes laughing, sometimes having serious conversations.