Chapter 42. Because I Need to Be with You. Because I Want to Be.

***

Shortly after my duel with Luna and an unexpected confession, as I was trying to compose myself.

Just as I exited the student cafeteria, I coincidentally ran into Grecia.

And now.

I was facing a situation I hadn’t anticipated at all.

“Please, I’m begging you. Han Chunsung… stay with me. I’ll pay as much as you want.”

Grecia’s abrupt words made my thoughts come to a halt.

I couldn’t understand why she was acting this way, and above all, her words sounded too strange.

‘She wants to buy me with money…?’

While it was a welcome offer given my current situation, it came out of nowhere, so I couldn’t readily accept it.

As before and now, I felt that Grecia’s way of speaking had many issues. I needed to grasp the essence of what she was saying first.

Even now, she was saying things without hesitation that could easily be misunderstood if overheard.

“…”

With that thought, I found myself surveying our surroundings before answering.

And, as expected.

Thud.

I noticed Leonhardt with his striking blonde hair and Yumia with her red hair.

They were staring at us blankly from a short distance, as if they had overheard Grecia’s words just now.

…I unconsciously shook my head vigorously.

Whatever you’re thinking, it’s absolutely not that.

“Listen, Grecia, could you calm down a bit and speak slowly? Money isn’t the issue here. We need to return to our respective dormitories now, right? It’s too late today. I’ll make time after tomorrow’s lectures, so we can talk again then…”
“No! Please, Han Chunsung. I’m begging you like this. Just stay with me, even if it’s only for a little while.”

Click.

Grecia approached until she was close enough that I could feel her breath, grabbing my arm, and I blinked blankly for a moment.

‘Is this really the calm and indifferent Grecia?’

Her suddenly different attitude made me hesitate. But I could sense the sincerity in her eyes.

Seeing her desperate gaze, as if she absolutely had to be with me, I couldn’t outright refuse.

‘Even though I don’t know why she’s acting like this…’

I felt I needed to understand why Grecia was behaving this way.

But I could feel the stinging gazes of Leonhardt and Yumia watching us, making it impossible to continue our conversation here.

If we kept talking in this open space, I feared Grecia might drop another bombshell, so I needed to change our location first.

“Alright. I understand, Grecia. But somewhere else, not here… Is that okay?”

Speaking carefully as if to soothe her, Grecia looked straight into my eyes and nodded slightly.

As I started walking with Grecia, I felt strange.

A day that I thought would end with some rest…

What was about to unfold at its conclusion?

…

Step, click.

As Han Chunsung left with Grecia, Leonhardt, who had been blankly staring at their retreating figures, felt a peculiar emotion.

“Wow. Really… How can they not be in a relationship when she speaks so directly like that? Grecia is truly surprising, I didn’t know she had such a bold side. Seriously, saying ‘How much would it cost?’ It’s like she’s trying to buy Han Chunsung with money.”

As Yumia burst into laughter, Leonhardt, standing beside her, awkwardly nodded.

…Please, I’m begging you. Han Chunsung
…stay with me.
…I’ll pay as much as you want.

And for Leonhardt, every word Grecia had spoken echoed vividly in his mind.

Given the circumstances, he couldn’t help but realize.

Where Grecia’s heart was directed, how she viewed Han Chunsung…

“…Somehow, I feel a bit disappointed.”

He found himself saying this with a blank smile.

Perhaps he had already sensed it.

Right after the recent duel with Han Chunsung.
The moment Grecia approached Han Chunsung as soon as the duel ended. He had already known then.

But it seemed he had been deliberately ignoring the truth. Maybe his attempts to show more interest in Grecia and treat her with more kindness were….

“Leonhardt. What exactly are you disappointed about?”

When Yumia suddenly poked his side, I quickly shook my head.

“Just… it’s nothing.”

But my feelings probably weren’t that significant.

Clearly, my gaze was drawn to the two figures walking away together.

And even I could feel that there was some lingering attachment in my heart.

For me too, I thought I had met a truly special person in her.

But over the past few days, I knew better than anyone that I wasn’t in Grecia’s heart. So I hadn’t expected anything.

I had already prepared myself, thinking ‘I can’t be with Grecia’.

I couldn’t deny that I was attracted to Grecia and intrigued by her uniquely mysterious aura.

But now, seeing those two together, it was completely settled for me.

…The fact that I shouldn’t try to get closer to Grecia anymore.

One-sided feelings would only make the other person uncomfortable.

“It’s nothing… Well, Leonhardt… Is that really true?”

As Yumia glanced at me with a strange look, I smiled faintly and slowly opened my mouth.

“To be honest, I just wished Grecia would show us such emotional sides too. That’s what disappointed me.”

The words I was saying now were sincere.

Although she might not like me as much as I felt for her, I hoped she would get along well with everyone.

That’s why I deliberately approached her and tried to talk to her.

“Really… Is that really all?”

As Yumia asked somewhat persistently, I calmly met her gaze.

Red hair, red eyes, her distinct and proud features, slightly flushed cheeks.

Everything about her was red.

“How do I look in your eyes right now?”

So I found myself asking instead.

Do I look like I’m holding onto such great lingering feelings? How does it seem to her?

“In my eyes…?”
“No matter how I answer, I think it will depend on how you see it, Yumia. Your feelings towards me are what’s most important.”

When it comes to thinking about people, subjective values are incredibly important. So I believed that if Yumia saw me in a good light, that’s how it would be, and if not, then that’s how it would be.

“……Leonhardt.”

As she suddenly bit her lip and averted her gaze, I found myself staring at her blankly.

“Sometimes I feel… like you have a talent for rendering people speechless.”
“Yumia. Did I… say something I shouldn’t have? If so, I’ll apologize.”
“Forget it! It’s late today. Let’s just head back to the dormitories.”

As Yumia turned her head abruptly and started walking ahead, I smiled faintly and matched her pace.

In a way, isn’t every aspect of Yumia like this part of her charm that makes her shine?

Thinking that way, the strange feeling in my heart seemed to have largely dissipated.

And so, as they spent such different nights.

Each of their nights was growing deeper.

***

The place I took Grecia to was a park within the academy grounds.

Step. Click.

We walk through the park filled with fresh air, both of us silent.

“…”
“…”

Grecia was quietly walking beside me, perhaps thinking I had agreed to accompany her, and I didn’t want to rush into conversation either.

Even though I didn’t know why Grecia was acting this way, I thought it would be meaningful to have a proper conversation when both our hearts had calmed down.

Meanwhile, the night park that came into view had its own charm.

The soft moonlight dimly illuminated the earth, and despite the late hour, the park wasn’t too dark, bathed in moonlight.

‘The academy at night has its own appeal.’

I hadn’t noticed for the past few days because I’d been collapsing into sleep as soon as I returned to the dormitory at night, but the academy at night had its own charm.

At the same time, I couldn’t help but smile a little.

It had been so long since I’d walked the night streets with a woman, and it felt oddly nostalgic.

In this world, that is, in Groa, there were no curfew times in the dormitories. The rules restricting students weren’t that strict either.

However, the dormitories were clearly divided by gender. Naturally, entering a dormitory of the opposite gender was a major violation of the rules and absolutely forbidden.

So if I wanted to listen to Grecia, I had no choice but to do so outside, not in the dormitory.

‘Come to think of it, the academy regulations have some pretty loose points.’

They say it’s strictly forbidden to enter dormitories of the opposite gender, but honestly, if a student set their mind to it, there’s nothing stopping them from having secret meetings.

In reality, as time passed, various couples would inevitably form among the students, and romance took up quite a large proportion of Groa’s novel content.

It wasn’t for nothing that the academy wasn’t the main focus and there were several heroines.

Moreover, Leonhardt, the protagonist of this world, was clearly an alpha male, so it wouldn’t be strange for women to be attracted to him.

“…”

Thinking about it, this was one of the reasons why I liked the novel Groa.

Rather than an unattractive or ordinary protagonist being pursued by extraordinary and beautiful heroines, I preferred a protagonist with plausibility, confidence, and multiple heroines.

Moreover, since Leonhardt was kind, gentle, and cared for others, I felt it was okay for him to be loved by several heroines.

“Han Chunsung.”

My train of thought was interrupted by her voice.

“Yes, Grecia.”

While calmly responding, I wondered if Grecia would now give a proper reason.

“I think we should meet four times a week.”

…But it was another series of unexpected statements.

“…Four times?”
“No matter how I think about it, meeting you twice seems too little. That’s how I feel.”

…She was boldly demanding to meet more often in a firm voice. For a moment, as I met Grecia’s eyes, I couldn’t understand.

Her characteristic blue eyes looked so serious.

And she was looking at me as if I absolutely had to accept her request.

‘…Anyone watching would really think I’m her lover.’

Such an amusing thought crossed my mind involuntarily.

And because I knew that Grecia wasn’t acting this way because she liked me, the more I listened to her words, the stranger I felt.

“I’m sorry, Grecia, but that won’t be possible.”

So I could answer calmly.

“Han Chunsung. I really can give you as much money as you want. More than you think… I have a lot of money.”
“How much money do you… No, that’s not the point. Grecia. It’s not about money right now. Meeting four times a week is too much for my circumstances.”

Before entering the academy, I would have been happy to meet Grecia often, but now, after a few days since admission, my situation had changed a lot.

Building a friendship with Grecia is definitely good. It’s something that benefits me.

However, beyond that, I had to think about my own training.

I had just grasped a clue about my skill, and for the past few days, I had been growing at a crazy pace beyond my expectations.

As important as connections are, prioritizing my growth was the right thing to do now.

Starting from tomorrow, I needed to increase my contact points with Kali and make more use of her personal training room. Using various magical engineering items there for my training was the most important thing for me.

So, I can’t meet four times.

“…Why? Han Chunsung. Do you dislike me?”
“Why would I dislike you?”
“Then why? Why won’t it work? Han Chunsung. You just need to be with me. I can give you enough money so you won’t lack anything.”

As she spoke strongly, as if she had to meet with me more often no matter what, I was honestly perplexed.

She was speaking in a way that would make anyone listening misunderstand….

Even I was becoming confused about what Grecia was thinking when she spoke.

“First, Grecia. Before that, explain why you need to do this. That’s the order, right?”
“The reason…? It’s because I need to be with you. Because I want to be.”

Grecia, please… don’t say such strange things.

Swallowing my words inwardly, I unconsciously found myself avoiding Grecia’s gaze.

As she stared straight into my eyes and kept throwing what anyone would consider direct hits… I couldn’t bring myself to meet her gaze.

If a beauty like Grecia keeps talking like that…

Who wouldn’t… feel their heart flutter?