"……."
"Ugh……."
Jiles Smore kept hiccuping, not even realizing I was there.
I quietly observed him and came to a conclusion.
Let's just pretend I didn't see anything and go back.
Coming all the way into the forest like this means he doesn't want anyone to see him crying.
Especially if it's me, of all people, he'd feel more than just shame, but humiliation.
It would be best for both him and me if I just pretended I didn't see anything and disappeared.
I definitely know that in my head.
"Hoo……."
I stared endlessly at Jiles Smore, who couldn't even cry out loud, desperately trying to stifle his sobs even after hiding so deep in the forest.
Somehow, he looked very lonely.
He looked so lonely.
'Lonely, sob…….'
Like me in the past.
Me in the past, who couldn't cry out loud and barely swallowed my sobs.
Me, who was filled with loneliness on the cold, frozen road.
Because I know that loneliness and solitude better than anyone else, I couldn't possibly ignore him.
Squeak.
When I came to my senses, I was approaching Jiles Smore.
Squeak.
"……!!"
Jiles Smore, who belatedly realized my presence, snapped his head up.
He stared at me with a blank expression for a moment.
His eyes were so swollen that they were almost slits.
Maybe that's why he didn't recognize me right away.
"Y-You, y-you……!!"
Realizing who I was belatedly, he jumped up from his seat.
"W-What, wh-what, how are you here—"
To help him, who couldn't even speak properly with his face flushed red, I explained first.
"I went to the library to borrow a book, but it was off-limits. I was just going to take a light walk and go back, but……."
I heard you crying.
Showing consideration, I didn't bother saying the unspoken words.
But Jiles Smore seemed to know immediately what I had swallowed back.
His face turned as red as a tomato.
"D-Damn it. Of all people……."
Jiles Smore muttered a curse with a flushed face.
He seemed incredibly ashamed of being seen crying by me.
The shame turned into anger, and he glared at me as if he were going to kill me.
But that was only for a moment.
"Ha……."
He slumped down as if he had given up on everything.
He stared blankly at the ground and then chuckled to himself, muttering.
"It must be funny."
Is it formal or informal?
He knows that I have officially become a Lordbell, but he doesn't seem to know how to treat me yet.
And then he's sneakily looking at me, which is ridiculous.
But he definitely couldn't treat me as casually as before.
He muttered with a disgruntled expression.
"……If you don't have a hobby of watching people cry, then just leave……."
As he said, I don't have a hobby of watching people cry.
Especially people who hide away like this and cry alone in secret.
But…….
Squeak, squeak.
Instead of turning around, I moved closer to him.
"D-Don't, don't come closer……!"
Startled, he got up in a fluster.
I grabbed the hem of his clothes as he was about to run straight into the forest.
He looked at me with a bewildered expression, held by my hand in its white glove.
"Let, let go of this……!"
He tried to quickly pull away from the grabbed hem, but it was no use.
I know now, this man…….
"Eek……! Why won't it come off!"
'He's so weak.'
The man who used to seem like a giant, huge and scary, was now struggling to shake me off.
Looking closely, he didn't have any muscles at all, his frame was rather thin, and he was skinny.
Well…… he's been living in the library, looking at books his whole life, so he wouldn't have had time to train his body.
But even considering that, he seems a bit too weak.
More than anything.
"Let go of this……!"
I got stronger.
I didn't realize it because I've only been dealing with Aen, Banshees, or monsters.
Seeing him struggling and unable to shake me off, I realized how much stronger I had become.
Ah, first.
"Eeeek! Let go!"
"Okay."
Since he told me to let go, I let go.
But Jiles Smore didn't expect me to suddenly let go, and he couldn't control his own strength, saying "Huh? Huh?" and falling backward with a thud.
To make matters worse, the ground was relatively less covered in snow and was hard.
Snap.
There was a sound like something breaking.
"Ughhhhh……."
Jiles Smore, who had fallen on his back like an overturned frog, made a dying sound.
'That's not what I intended to do.'
I was just going to say that he didn't have to run away, but unintentionally, I ended up knocking him down.
"Aheuk……."
"Are you okay?"
When I cautiously approached and asked, Jiles Smore narrowed his eyes sharply.
"Does this look okay?! That's why I told you to let go, cough!"
He was about to get up and argue right away, but he grabbed his waist and fell back down.
"My back, my back……."
It seemed like he had hit his back the wrong way when he fell.
"……I'll help you."
Thinking about the past, I want to just leave him, but after all, he got hurt because of me.
And if I leave him like this, he might be found buried in the snow tomorrow as a frozen corpse.
I held out my hand to him.
Jiles Smore looked at my hand with a complicated expression.
He hesitated for a while and then took my hand.
I pulled him up with all my strength.
With one hand holding mine, he barely managed to lift himself up, leaning on the bench.
"Heo, heok……!"
After a long struggle, he finally managed to sit back down on the bench.
By the way, it seems like he sprained it much more severely than I thought.
This won't do.
"Wait here for a moment. I'll go get someone."
The moment I was about to leave the forest to ask for help.
"N-No! Don't go!!"
He urgently grabbed me.
"……?"
Why is he grabbing me when I'm going to get someone to help him?
"W-What if you abandon me……."
"……Pardon?"
What is he even saying?
I stared at him speechlessly, and he realized he had said something pathetic, and his face turned red.
But his mouth kept moving.
"H-Honestly, that's how it is…… you know. What kind of loyalty do you have to help me? You could just pretend you didn't see anything……."
He said everything he wanted to say in a voice that was getting smaller and smaller, rolling his eyes as if he was trying to gauge my reaction.
"Ha."
I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of Jiles Smore's appearance.
Following that, I smiled brightly at him and said.
"You shouldn't think that everyone is the same as Lord Jiles Smore. At least I don't abandon or discard people in trouble."
"……!"
Jiles Smore's shoulders trembled at my words, which clearly alluded to him.
His feelings were hurt, but he couldn't argue, so he pursed his lips.
After quietly looking at Jiles Smore, I let out a deep sigh.
I could feel his body flinching.
'I have no choice.'
I plopped down next to him.
He looked at me with a bewildered gaze.
What? You told me not to go.
Since you won't let me go get someone to help you, I have no choice.
"I'll stay by your side until your back gets better."
Is this okay?
I asked with my eyes.
Jiles Smore hesitated and then cautiously parted his lips.
"Th-Thank you……."
I wasn't expecting him to even say thank you, so I looked at him with a slightly surprised expression.
His face, which I thought couldn't get any redder, was now blazing like a fire.
Feeling burdened by my gaze, he quickly turned his head and asked a question.
"B-But, why did you grab me?"
His tone had become a bit more polite in the meantime.
It seemed like he was sincere about saying thank you.
Why did I grab him?
'Well…….'
It was to tell him that he didn't have to run away, but there was actually a simpler reason than that.
But is it okay to tell this man that?
He's going to be very offended.
"Please tell me."
For some reason, Jiles Smore looked determined. He seemed to have a strong will to listen.
Why?
I don't know why, but since he wants to hear it so badly, I have no choice.
"I don't like it when you look lonely."
"……Excuse me?"
Jiles Smore's eyes widened at my answer.
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