Episode 127: Brakes “Farewell, My Friend”
We decided to go to the School Cafeteria for dinner, partly to calm down. Lucretia needed to change back into Rouge and switch from the girl’s uniform to the boy’s uniform, so I went out into the Dormitory corridor first to wait for her.
The moment I stepped into the corridor and closed the door,
“Haa…”
I couldn’t help but sigh and slump down on the spot.
That was close. My Reason (Brakes) was almost completely shattered. Being alone with Lucretia in a room, sitting on the same bed, was just too destructive.
I got caught up in the strange atmosphere and even kissed her forehead. I was relieved that Tia didn’t seem to mind, but this is normally a case of sexual harassment, isn’t it?
Tia, for her part, seemed to be trying to tell me something with a lot of enthusiasm, and I don’t know what would have happened if Tia’s stomach hadn’t growled…
Anyway, I’ll try to keep my spirits up, as Lily advised. I must avoid committing an irreversible sin by being swept away by a momentary impulse. Not just for my own sake, but to protect Lucretia too…!
“S-Sorry to keep you waiting, Hugh.”
About five minutes later, Rouge came out of the room. The familiar silver hair, the boy’s uniform. I couldn’t help but sigh in relief. I’ll keep quiet, because if I said that I feel more at ease with her in that form, she’d probably get upset.
“Let’s go?”
“Y-Yeah.”
I headed to the School Cafeteria with Rouge, who seemed a little nervous.
Perhaps because the timing was a little off, I didn’t see Lily and the usual crowd in the School Cafeteria. There were a few classmates, but none that I usually talk to. We sat at a table by ourselves and silently ate our dinner.
Normally, we would talk about our studies or the events of the day, but today just didn’t feel like that kind of atmosphere… Whenever our eyes met, Rouge would blush, lower her face, and munch on the bread in her hands.
After dinner, we returned to our room and spent our time as usual. I sat at my desk to do my homework and prepare for tomorrow’s classes, while Rouge lay on my bed reading a book she had borrowed from the library.
Yeah, it’s just like always. It’s so normal that it’s scary that I’m no longer questioning the fact that Rouge has occupied my bed.
While occasionally feeling a gaze on my back, I finished my homework and preparations in about two hours. I’ve been able to keep up with classes since I made it a habit to study after dinner. At this rate, I won’t have as much trouble with the next test as I did last time.
…Now then.
“Uh… Rouge, it was my turn to take a Shower first today, right?”
“A-Ah! Y-Yes! That’s right.”
When I asked, Rouge nodded frantically while sitting upright on the bed.
“Then I’ll go first.”
I grabbed my towel and change of clothes and headed to the changing room. I closed the door and locked it from the inside. I don’t usually do this, but I don’t know what Rouge might do today. If she were to barge in while I was showering, my Reason would probably disappear. It’s better to be careful, just in case.
I can’t help but think that she should consider my feelings a little, but I guess it can’t be helped…
I’ll just have to make Prince Lucas the next king as soon as possible and get engaged to Lucretia. Then I won’t have to put up with this kind of restraint. To that end, I need to talk to Lily and Idiot about that matter…
After showering and brushing my teeth, I returned to the room to find Rouge sitting on my bed with a towel and change of clothes. I hope it’s just my imagination that she looks a little nervous.
“I’m going to take a Shower!”
As I entered the room, Rouge ran into the changing room, passing me. Should I just go to sleep before she comes back? No, that would be too cruel…
It’s not like I want to avoid her. In fact, if I were allowed, I’d like to get closer to her, but the current situation, where it’s become like a game of chicken, is just strange.
I think we should have a proper talk. But to do that, I have to tell Lucretia how I feel. That’s the same as confessing to me, and if that’s the case, I want to confess in a proper way.
The confession timing is next month. Lucretia’s birthday is about two and a half weeks away.
Until then, I need to understand Lucretia’s feelings as much as possible and continue to endure without crossing the line. I can endure… I should be able to. Probably, maybe…
I decided to wait for Rouge to come back, for now. I sat on the bed and glanced at the book that Rouge had been reading, which was placed near the pillow.
The title is “Black Dragon Drefon”…? Is it a fairy tale or a children’s story?
I picked it up and flipped through the pages, and the content was a bit difficult for children. It was written more like a history book.
It seems to be a book that describes in detail the process of a young, brave Adventurer defeating a Black Dragon named Drefon, who made a Dungeon his lair, in a certain region located in the western part of the Kingdom of Reese, across Reese Lake from the Royal Capital.
Is it a work of fiction written in the style of a history book? Or is it a real history book that records actual events?
…I somehow feel like it’s the latter. I didn’t care much when I was in the Pnosis Territory, but this world is properly a fantasy… It wouldn’t be surprising if there was a Black Dragon.
The book concludes with the Adventurer who defeated the Black Dragon Drefon being granted a peerage by the king as a reward, and that being the current Marquis House Drefon. According to the year in the text, it seems to have happened about two hundred years ago.
For a mere Adventurer to become a Marquis as a reward, defeating the Black Dragon must have been a considerable achievement… If that’s the case, it feels like a major event that wouldn’t be surprising to find in a textbook, but I don’t think there was any such description in the history textbook. If there was a thrilling word like Black Dragon subjugation, it should have left an impression.
If that’s the case, is it still a work of fiction? Hmm…
I’m curious, so I’ll ask Rouge when she comes out of the Shower… As I was thinking about that, my mind went blank at the sight of Lucretia returning.
What jumped into my eyes was sparkling golden hair.
And hiding her flushed skin was a light green negligee. The fabric was so thin that the silhouette of her limbs could be seen, and the off-shoulder design, which exposed her shoulders, created a sense of loveliness and sexiness.
She looked like a fairy, and I couldn’t help but cover my mouth with my hand. No, she’s too cute…!
She’s not just wearing it because summer is approaching and she’s changing her nightwear to something thinner… It seems that she wouldn’t let me get away with just kissing her forehead.
“H-How is it? Does it suit me?”
“A-Ah. It suits you so well. You’re cute.”
“Yay, Hugh praised me. Ehehe~”
I felt like my affection for Lucretia, who was jumping up and down with joy, was about to explode. Should I just hug her and shout that I love her right here and now? …No, no! Calm down, me!
If I confessed here on impulse and she accepted, our relationship could progress to the point of no return in one fell swoop. One step at a time, one step at a time.
“S-Shall we go to sleep soon, Tia?”
I called out to her and slipped into the futon. If I stayed awake any longer, my Reason might really fly away. It’s better to go to sleep quickly… But things didn’t go as planned.
I felt someone standing near my pillow. When I looked, Lucretia was hiding the lower half of her face with a pillow, looking down at me with a somewhat expectant, navy blue gaze.
“Is it okay if I sleep with you…?”
“…………Please do.”
I pondered for a long time and accepted. I couldn’t say something pathetic like “No, because my Reason will fly away,” and more than that, Tia suffers from nightmares when she sleeps alone. There’s no way I could refuse knowing that.
Tia’s expression brightened, and she placed her pillow next to mine and got into the futon. The sweet scent, similar to osmanthus, smelled even stronger than usual, perhaps because she had just taken a bath. When I turned off the light, the scent felt even stronger.
“Fufu. Sleeping with Hugh in this form makes my heart race.”
“Y-Yeah…”
I couldn’t give Lucretia, who said that in a whisper, a satisfactory answer. I’m just not in the mood for that. Please don’t say things that make me conscious of you! I’ve been stepping on the Reason (Brakes) with all my might since a while ago!
“I was happy that Hugh kissed me on his own. It was a little disappointing that it was just on the forehead, but… I’m glad it was my first. So…”
Tia paused for a moment, then,
“I’d be happy if everything beyond a kiss was my first too.”
–I heard the sound of Reason (Brakes) breaking.
“Tia!”
Unable to resist the overwhelming impulse, I rose up to cover Tia’s body,
“…snooze, snooze.”
I noticed Lucretia was breathing peacefully in her sleep, and returned to my original position.
It doesn’t feel like she’s pretending to be asleep to deceive me. Tia is truly sleeping with complete peace of mind. She trusts me.
“…………haaa.”
I exhaled alone in the darkness, unable to cope with the rising emotions.
It looks like it will take me a while to fall asleep tonight.