As I trudged home, I couldn’t help but notice how my previously good condition vanished.

My footsteps felt heavy, and as I passed by a building, my face reflected in the glass window was one layered with deep concern, unmistakable to anyone who looked.

A sigh escaped me unknowingly.

This state of mine was certainly problematic.

Once I got home, Yoon Si-woo would be there.

Even without me, he had a lot on his shoulders.

I already felt terrible for forcing him to live with me, and I didn’t want to burden him any further. So, I rubbed my stiff cheeks with my palms to force a smile.

My face may have looked a bit squished from being pressed, but it was better than just a moment ago.

…This should be unnoticeable, right?

I hoped earnestly as I made my way back home.

“I’m back.”

“Ah, Scarlet! Did you have a good time?”

“…Yeah, nothing out of the ordinary.”

As I opened the door, Yoon Si-woo greeted me from the couch in the living room as if he had been waiting for me.

It felt like he sat there in the same position before I left…

I replied a bit flustered, and I could see his expression slightly hardening.

That reaction made it clear that I hadn’t controlled my thoughts properly.

It was my mistake. When talking to Yoon Si-woo, I should have focused with all my might.

“…Did something happen outside?”

“…Just a little. It’s really nothing for you to worry about. Let’s eat dinner quickly; you must have been waiting for me.”

I hastily dodged the question and changed the topic.

Yoon Si-woo wore a slightly concerned expression at my words, but fortunately, he let it slide without saying more.

After quickly setting the table for dinner and sitting across from Yoon Si-woo, something struck me.

“By the way, didn’t you say your leave was until today?”

“Yeah, I have to return to the unit tomorrow. I got an extended leave this time due to special circumstances, but normally I only get one day off a week.”

“…I see. That means I’ll be alone for the next week…”

I knew this already, but facing the reality made me feel uneasy.

His absence meant I wouldn’t be able to relax at home as I did today.

Yoon Si-woo, noticing me mumbled with my head down, asked with a silly grin as if joking.

“Haha… Why the reaction? Do you not want me to go?”

“…If I say no, it would be a lie.”

“Eh? R-Really? I was joking…”

Yoon Si-woo looked at me with surprise, glancing at my reaction.

…What’s that supposed to mean?

Should I have said how I was happy I could dominate the house by myself?

In the midst of the silence, Yoon Si-woo asked me seriously.

“…Hey, Scarlet. You really have something on your mind, don’t you?”

“…”

When I stayed silent, unable to respond to the difficult question, Yoon Si-woo opened his mouth again.

“You told me to not hesitate when I can help, right? I’m a bit embarrassed saying this, but I’d do anything I can for you. So, if there’s anything I can help with, don’t hesitate to ask.”

And then he smiled.

“We’re friends, after all.”

Those words choked me up.

The term ‘friend’ that Yoon Si-woo uttered felt so heavy for me.

I recalled a time when my father had spoken about true friendship.

He had said that true friends do not weigh the pros and cons against each other.

Perhaps that’s why my father did everything he could to help a friend when they were in trouble.

And yet, he had been betrayed by a trusted friend.

But my father never once spoke a negative word about that friend.

Maybe it was because he continued to see that person as a friend until the end.

I could understand my father’s feelings well enough.

But what about the opposite?

If that person who betrayed my father had truly thought of him as a friend and had relied on him during desperate times, I didn’t want to be a friend like that.

I knew.

I also desired a relationship that transcended the economic benefit of friendship.

But, in the past and even now, I was more of a person who received help from others.

Even if I didn’t want it, those who became close to me wanted to help me after seeing my circumstances.

That’s why I made an effort to refrain from accepting help unless it was absolutely unavoidable,

and if I did receive help, I tried my best to repay it in any way I could.

I did not want to take receiving help or relying on someone for granted just because they were my friend.

I didn’t want someone who helped me to suffer like my father.

So, I held back.

The inner desire to cling to Yoon Si-woo, wishing he wouldn’t go anywhere and stay by my side to assure me.

Suppressing that desire, I smiled at Yoon Si-woo and said.

“Thanks. But it’s okay.”

For now, it was fine.

I could endure somehow.

But how long I could go on like this, I had no idea.

*

“I’ll be off. Take care of the house for me this week.”

“Sure, leave it to me. By the way, I’ll fold your laundry and put it on your bed.”

“Ugh… I’ll do my own laundry…”

“It’s fine, it won’t take long. Travel safely.”

Early in the morning, after having breakfast with Yoon Si-woo, I saw him off and set out for school.

I was already worried about how the others would react.

Mei had texted me not to worry, but honestly, the moment I step into the classroom, it would be obvious that all eyes would be on me.

Even if it was declared not guilty, it was no different than being summoned to court in reality; it’s hard for others to ignore someone who had been through something like that.

That said, calling everyone together and saying, “Hey guys! I just got back from being kidnapped by a witch and got interrogated as a suspected traitor!” wouldn’t be something I could casually chat about either.

What should I do? As I walked and pondered, I found myself at the Academy before I knew it.

Nervous, I gulped at the classroom door and, with a sense of ‘whatever, let’s just do this,’ I swung the door open widely.

What greeted me was the attention of the entire class trained on me.

With squeezed eyes in anticipation of the countless questions to come, I braced myself, but

“Hello, Scarlet.”

“Good morning!”

What came back, contrary to my expectations, was simply a normal greeting.

Responding to those greetings in a daze as I took a seat, I felt the gaze of the students that had been on me slowly fade away.

Just as I was feeling a bit relieved by their usual reactions, I caught onto something odd after a while.

“…Hey, did you see the broadcast yesterday?”

“…Huh? Oh, you mean that? Yeah, I saw it.”

The chatting students were unable to focus on their conversation with each other.

Wondering what was going on, I observed for a moment before finally catching on to the situation.

Could it be that those kids were deliberately trying hard not to look at me?

Curious as to why they were acting like that, I tilted my head and then got up from my seat to find Mei and ask.

“Hey, Mei? What’s going on here?”

“…Seriously, everyone is terrible at acting.”

Mei let out a heavy sigh before answering my question.

“…Well, you went through quite a lot, right? So, considering you must’ve been stressed, last week we all agreed that when you came back, we wouldn’t bring up anything bad. It seems like it’s too obvious how that’s turning out.”

Taken aback by her words, I replied.

“…So, nobody’s actually worried about me? About the interrogation?”

“Why? Did you think we’d ignore you just because you were summoned for something like that?”

…To be honest, I was a bit prepared for such a scenario, so I nodded.

Mei saw this and rolled her eyes before pointing at the class.

“Scarlet, without you, I could’ve been killed by that witch. Everyone owes you their lives. So, do you think it’s reasonable for us to do something like that against you over some accusations? And listen.”

She paused and shot a fierce glare at the kids.

“If I catch anyone acting like that, I won’t let it slide, so don’t worry.”

“…Okay, I understand.”

Feeling slightly intimidated by her fierce demeanor, I replied.

But this is moving. I can’t believe everyone acted that way for me…

As I looked at the kids with teary, touched eyes, they seemed to be blushing awkwardly, possibly having eavesdropped on Mei and my conversation.

…These kids are just too sweet.

“Ah, S-Scarlet! Good morning!”

Just then, Jessie, who had just arrived at school, spotted me and gasped, greeting me.

She looked entirely tense, that much was obvious.

…Could it be because of what I said about treating me normally?

When I stared at her silently, Jessie averted her gaze and mumbled.

“W-why… why are you like this? G-Good morning, right? Nothing’s different than usual!”

“…Jessie, you can stop now. It got exposed just now.”

“Whaat?! Really?!”

Her shockingly poor acting was so unbearable that Mei whispered to her, and Jessie, visibly relaxing, dropped her shoulders.

For a moment she looked me in the eye, and then, tears started welling up in her eyes as she ran towards me, crying.

“Waaah… I was worried after hearing the story… It’s all fine now, right? Nothing happened, right?”

“…It’s okay, Jessie. I’m fine, so stop crying.”

“Hiccup… I’m so glad to hear you’re okay… I thought something terrible happened to you like your brother…”

It seemed I had caused quite a bit of concern, as Jessie struggled to stop her tears.

After patting her head for a while, she finally managed to calm down and lifted her head to look at me with a beaming smile.

“Ehehe, Scarlet is so kind. Truly foolish. There’s no way this kind Scarlet could be involved with something bad like a witch.”

With utterly unsuspicious eyes, she looked straight at me.

With a perfectly innocent smile, Jessie said,

“If you were, I would have killed you myself, but it’s impossible, right? Hehe.”

So, I couldn’t bring myself to nod.