"Haa..."

"Why the sudden sigh? Is something bothering you?"

I had let out a sigh without realizing it after remembering what had happened yesterday, and the original protagonist of someone else's novel immediately picked up on it.

The last time—

That is, back in Chapter 63—

because it involved one of the original supporting characters, I had confided my worries to the original protagonist.

This time, however, I had no intention of doing so.

No matter how much of a protagonist he was, it had already been proven that he couldn't intervene unless Plausibility was satisfied.

More importantly, this wasn't the sort of problem I could push onto someone else and ask them to solve.

Since I couldn't reveal either my circumstances or the contents of the original novel, it was impossible even to seek advice.

If I wanted to consult someone...

There was a person who was destined to die soon.

That person currently believed she had caused me trauma.

Because of that belief, she had declared that she would help me overcome it.

She blamed herself so heavily that if I failed to show her that I had recovered, she would probably die carrying deep regret.

However, in order to show her the version of myself she wanted to see, I would have to open my heart to her.

And if I did that, then when I eventually heard news of her death, it would hurt far too much.

That was why I couldn't open my heart.

...I'd have to explain all of that, wouldn't I?

I could invent some fictional terminally ill character and tell a modified version of the story without revealing that it was Skati.

But...

Worrying about the regrets a dying stranger would carry was, if anything, completely out of character for me.

The responses would be obvious.

You're too softhearted.

You're too affectionate.

You care too much.

There were simply too many reasons why I couldn't confide in Reisir.

"Nothing is wrong. And even if something were, I wouldn't tell you. So stop taking a pointless interest in me."

"You take plenty of interest in other people's affairs. Yet when it's directed at you, it's pointless?"

"When have I ever...? That's... um..."

I instinctively wanted to argue back and ask when exactly I had ever taken an interest in other people's business.

Unfortunately, too many examples immediately came to mind.

I was forced to stop halfway through.

Feeling heat rise to my face, I glared at Reisir with pointless resentment.

The detestable protagonist of someone else's novel burst out laughing.

"Pu-hah!"

...Go ahead and laugh while you still can.

Starting next year, the number of things you'll be able to laugh about is only going to decrease.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, my irritation disappeared.

Instead, a strangely solemn feeling settled over me.

"I don't know what's troubling you, but at least you're talking to Yor about it, right?"

Perhaps my expression had given him the wrong impression.

Reisir looked genuinely worried as he asked.

"...What if I am?"

"Then that's a relief. It means you're not carrying everything by yourself."

"Nyang, nyang."

At Reisir's words, Yor planted both hands on her waist—or whatever part of a dragon corresponded to a waist—and nodded proudly.

Just from that attitude alone, anyone could tell.

I had shared every worry and anxiety with Yor.

Honestly, I never intended to go that far...

Yor had only been born a few months ago.

No matter how wise my beloved familiar was, she was still a baby.

I hadn't wanted to burden her with my negative emotions.

Before she was born, I assumed my familiar would have intelligence only slightly above an ordinary animal's, so I ended up venting in front of her. But Yor is far beyond that level...

I never wanted to become the kind of adult who expected maturity from a child.

The kind who demanded understanding and comfort.

Because I knew better than anyone how burdensome that could be for the child.

Yet Yor, remarkably enough, always tried to share my burdens willingly, regardless of my wishes. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Whenever I kept things bottled up, she would start meowing and scolding me.

"Nyang, nyang."

Naturally, I couldn't understand the actual words.

They were cat sounds, after all.

That didn't mean I couldn't tell I was being lectured.

As a result, instead of letting my worries pile up inside, I found myself speaking them aloud.

All while stroking the smooth scales and soft mane of the dragon in my arms.

If Yor hadn't existed... I wonder how I would have endured all this.

Holding my precious baby dragon close, I spoke.

"If you're thinking of extracting my worries from Yor, give up. She doesn't reveal my secrets carelessly."

"Myaang, myaang!"

"I wasn't thinking that at all. I was simply worried that you might be suffering alone without anyone to rely on."

The question why would you worry about that? rose to my throat.

I swallowed it.

The answer would obviously be:

Because we're friends.

And since I would have to deny that answer, I saw no reason to start another pointless argument with the protagonist of someone else's novel.

About a minute or two after I ended the conversation with my usual dismissive "Hmph" and turned my head away—

Knock, knock.

Employees entered the room, placed our drinks and food on the table, then quietly left.

For those readers currently wondering:

Employees? What employees? Where are they?

Allow me to explain.

At the moment, it isn't just me, Yor, and Reisir sitting here.

Vigdís, Ríolíkin, and Helga are here as well.

I omitted that fact because it wasn't particularly important.

A moment ago, they had simply been chatting among themselves.

Then Reisir reacted to my sigh, our conversation turned serious, and the others silently switched into observation mode.

As for why we were gathered here in the first place—

Those with good memories have probably already guessed.

This was the celebration gathering Reisir proposed back in Chapter 115 to celebrate Ríolíkin's achievement.

The location was a room café.

Since it catered primarily to noble students, it prioritized satisfaction over cost efficiency.

Given the nature of the academy's commercial district, that couldn't really be helped.

Still, the fact that he didn't rent an entire party room means Reisir has corrected his overspending habit.

For the record, everyone agreed to split the bill evenly today.

And with that, the explanation portion is over.

Returning to the present—

"..."

I defended my iced Americano from Vigdís.

The narration may seem sudden, but there was a reason.

Vigdís had just tried to subtly switch her drink with mine.

Because of that, I nearly violated Clause Four of the Broken Engagement Contract and blurted out:

What do you think you're doing?

"Please don't misunderstand...! I wasn't trying to poison you. If you don't believe me, I can drink it right now."

"I never suspected poisoning. Explain what you were actually trying to do."

"I was trying to secretly switch my decaffeinated coffee with Kar's regular coffee."

"Why?"

"Because Kar has insomnia. Yet you still ordered caffeinated coffee. I thought it might be better if I secretly switched them..."

I genuinely had no idea how her thought process worked.

Normally, wouldn't someone recommend decaffeinated coffee first?

Of course, even if she had, I would have immediately rejected the suggestion and ordered whatever I wanted.

"It's unnecessary meddling."

"Ah... I figured you'd say that, which is why I tried to switch them secretly..."

Rather than arguing her case, Vigdís immediately wilted and folded.

My brief joy at protecting my precious caffeine lasted only a moment.

"Karvaldr. Since your insomnia leaves you tired, it's understandable that you crave caffeine. However, if you keep consuming it, you'll only have more trouble sleeping at night. Wouldn't it be better to exercise some restraint and break the cycle?"

The persistently irritating protagonist of someone else's novel stepped in to support Vigdís.

"If decaffeinated coffee isn't acceptable, how about trading with my chamomile tea instead?"

I take it back.

Apparently Reisir had also been planning to replace my drink.

Vigdís had simply acted first.

Unlike Vigdís, who lacked the forcefulness to push her opinion through, Reisir would never back down once he started.

"...Vigdís."

"Ah, you've decided to switch with my decaffeinated coffee? Excellent choice."

I surrendered my beloved caffeinated beverage into Vigdís's hands and accepted the decaffeinated one instead.

I could always drink a proper coffee after returning to the dormitory.

That was the compromise I settled on.

I took a sip.

The caffeine-free coffee tasted bitter.

"Since ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Vigdís is engaged to the Tsundere Young Master, it's natural for her to worry. But Ray, you..."

Helga glanced sideways at Reisir and spoke in a detached tone.

I disliked that title immensely.

Still, arguing would accomplish nothing, so I remained silent.

"I'm Karvaldr's friend. Is it strange for me to worry about a friend's health?"

"Nothing strange about it. But I'm your friend too, you know? One who's known you much longer than the Tsundere Young Master."

"Heli, are you... perhaps sulking? Because I've been paying attention to my new friend and neglecting you?"

"Yeah. Am I not allowed to?"

"Uh...? It's not that you're not allowed, but..."

Reisir visibly panicked at Helga's absurdly straightforward answer.

Seeing that reaction—

"Ahahaha! I'm joking, I'm joking~! It's not like I've been paying much attention to you either. Ever since I entered the academy, I've been busy playing with all the new friends I made too."

—Helga burst into cheerful laughter, as though she'd never looked aloof at all.

That didn't mean she was completely unaffected.

Even if half the comment had been a joke, the other half likely contained genuine loneliness.

Reisir seemed to realize that as well.

A sheepish expression crossed his face.

"Still, sorry. I'll pay more attention to you from now on, Heli. And if you're ever worried about something, you can always tell me."

"Oh, enough already~. It's not like I deserve that much attention. Honestly..."

Helga snorted dismissively.

Yet she couldn't hide the satisfied smile spreading across her face.

Apparently, she liked his answer quite a bit.

By the way... even if it's just an expression...

Isn't "receiving a bow while lying down" a little strange in this world's setting?

Using "let's eat rice" as a synonym for "let's have a meal" was already odd enough in a world where rice wasn't even the staple food.

But in a world where the concept of a formal bow didn't even exist, should an expression like receiving a bow while lying down exist at all?

Then again, an extra had fallen to his knees and repeatedly slammed his forehead into the ground back in Chapter 37.

Perhaps it wasn't entirely implausible.

"I-I...! L-Lord Karvaldr is always number one...! N-Now and foreverrr...!!"

Just as I found myself seriously analyzing the internal consistency of a world whose setting was obviously held together with string and hope—

Ríolíkin, who had spent the entire conversation searching for an opportunity to join in, suddenly raised his voice.

Considering that today's gathering was nominally being held in celebration of him, it seemed he had finally decided he wanted some attention.