Chapter 106 - Good Changes, Bad Changes
Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 106
EP.106 Good Changes, Bad Changes
“Do you… have any thoughts about having a girlfriend?”
At Tisha’s question, Kyle turned his head to look at her.
He didn’t respond with “What?” He didn’t say he didn’t hear her properly and ask her to repeat it.
Nor did he foolishly reply, “Well? I’ve never thought about it.”
“There’s something to learn even from a fool. The lesson is, ‘I shouldn’t be like that.’”
If he forgot that lesson and gave such an answer, he would be the same fool.
Having resolved to disregard the original storyline, there was nothing to worry about.
Why would she ask such a question? Please, let’s not act like an emotional cripple.
He subtly observed Tisha’s reaction. Though she tried to hide it, she was clearly anxious.
Having asked the question herself, she was nervous about not getting the answer she wanted.
It seemed as if she regretted asking, and that regret was clearly visible.
“A girlfriend.”
“Yes, yes. Kyle. So, what I mean is….”
“I’d like to have one. A girlfriend.”
“What?”
“If possible, I’d like to have one. I’ve heard that many students date during their time at the academy. They say relationships formed during school days are more tender and memorable than those formed in the real world. I’ve only been holding a barbell instead of a girl’s hand, so it’s even more so.”
If possible, he’d like to have one. At those words, Tisha’s expression changed several times.
She brightened at the “I’d like to have one,” but then looked flustered at the “if possible.”
It was natural, as his answer was neither entirely positive nor negative.
“But there’s one problem: I’m in a very awkward situation right now. Someone keeps trying to get close to me. Even though I tell them not to, they’re very persistent.”
“Oh, oh!”
At Kyle’s words, a woman’s image popped into Tisha’s mind.
The 5th Princess, one of the Empire’s top ten, Yurika Sebastian Lovisa de Lotringen.
It was probably her that he was talking about. No, it was certain. The person Kyle mentioned was the princess.
The princess he met at the café openly expressed her feelings for Kyle.
Or was it strange to call them feelings? There didn’t seem to be any tenderness in them.
From the start, it was odd for someone to declare they wanted to become someone’s possession.
‘Kyle doesn’t seem to have any feelings for the princess either.’
Just thinking about Kyle’s expression from a while ago confirmed it.
It felt like he was entertaining her because she was a princess, fulfilling a promise because he had to.
Not only Tisha but also Elga and the Saintess sensed it.
Only the princess kept clinging to Kyle, trying to have her way.
But the opponent was a princess. The emperor’s daughter. And one of the Empire’s top ten.
If she pushed more aggressively, nine out of ten times, it would eventually happen.
Even if Kyle’s personality wasn’t difficult, she was still a princess.
Becoming a member of the imperial family was an enormous privilege and a grand gift.
Even Tisha, who was just a commoner, understood that clearly.
It was an unparalleled honor, an unimaginable fortune, and no amount of flowery language could describe it.
For a noble to belong to the imperial family was harder than a commoner becoming a noble.
‘Could Kyle be contemplating becoming a member of the imperial family?’
As her thoughts reached that point, a sharp pain pierced her heart.
Maybe, just maybe, he could make a choice other than the princess.
She thought that if she tried harder, Kyle might look at someone other than the princess.
It would be difficult, the chances were low, but she didn’t think it was entirely impossible.
That’s why she had been dedicating herself even more to sorcery and paying attention to others’ views lately.
She had never been bothered by being called a ‘witch,’ but recently, even that had become burdensome.
She couldn’t help but think that every little thing could influence Kyle’s decision.
That was why she wore such an unreasonable outfit and made a brief appearance at the party.
‘Even so, is it inevitable? As a commoner….’
Although Kyle hadn’t given a definitive answer yet, it already felt like she was losing.
The fact that he was even considering it meant that the princess’s plan had partially succeeded.
As Tisha sighed inwardly, feeling the sting, she picked up a book.
“Because of someone, my girlfriend might feel uneasy. That’s what’s bothering me. That’s why I’m hesitant.”
At Kyle’s response, Tisha instinctively turned to look at him.
His answer meant that he wasn’t hesitant because the other person was a princess.
He was worried that his girlfriend might feel burdened because the princess kept clinging to him, and that’s why he couldn’t easily date that girlfriend.
It meant he valued and thought more about the ‘girlfriend’ than the ‘princess.’
‘Not because of the princess, but because he was worried about his girlfriend….’
The sadness that had been filling her heart suddenly disappeared.
The anxiety and nervousness vanished, replaced by a glimmer of hope.
“Then… if you were assured that your girlfriend wouldn’t feel uneasy, what would you do?”
“I’d think about it a bit. I’d worry a bit. But in the end, I think I’d date her.”
Hearing this, a blush appeared on Tisha’s face.
She hadn’t imagined she would actually hear the answer she had been secretly hoping for.
Kyle must have known the intention behind her questions.
The fact that he gave such an answer was quite positive!
“Kyle.”
After putting her shoes back on and tidying up her disheveled clothes,
she knelt on the floor and called out his name from across the room.
“The person who becomes your girlfriend will try to overcome that. She will definitely overcome it.”
“How can you be so sure? It will be very difficult.”
“Because you’re a boyfriend worth that effort, aren’t you?”
At Tisha’s response, Kyle smiled and replied.
“I’m not that great of a person.”
“You are great. You just don’t realize it.”
It wasn’t that he was ‘great’ in the literal sense.
Sometimes, small and seemingly insignificant things can have a big impact.
The warmth felt in small gestures, the heart that comes from tiny moments.
Isn’t it true that a person’s heart can be swayed by those small things?
“Am I great? At best, I’m just a bit more handsome and a bit more fit than others.”
Kyle joked, and this time, Tisha responded with ease.
“Kyle, you are handsome, aren’t you? And if you say your body is just a bit better, what about the other guys?”
“They need to try harder. With effort, everything is possible. The body doesn’t lie.”
Kyle, showing signs of slipping into a conversation about exercise, was quickly stopped by Tisha, who stood up slowly.
“Think about it, Kyle. About having a girlfriend. Some ‘someone’ will wait for your answer for a very long time, continuously. Continuously.”
With those words, Tisha said she would leave, holding a few books, and turned away.
Normally, she would have asked him to walk with her, but today, she said she would go first.
Probably to give him more time to think about having a girlfriend for that ‘someone.’
“Tisha.”
Kyle, pretending to know nothing, asked a question to that someone.
“I’m curious. Why would that someone want to be my girlfriend? That someone is already amazing. They could be anyone’s girlfriend.”
At Kyle’s question, Tisha smiled.
And as if it were the most obvious thing, she answered without a second’s hesitation.
“Because it’s you, Kyle.”
The thought that the blush on Tisha’s face was very pretty suddenly crossed Kyle’s mind.
Seeing her like this, the black dress and high heels suited her very well.
The way it harmonized with her purple hair was quite pleasing to the eye.
“So, think about it, Kyle. About having a girlfriend.”
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When Tisha parted ways with Kyle, her steps were relaxed and elegant.
But as she left the fifth floor and began descending the stairs, her pace quickened.
Eventually, she hurried down the stairs so fast that the hem of her dress fluttered.
Tap tap tap-.
Tisha, who quickly reached the first floor, didn’t slow down.
Her feet hurt because she wasn’t yet used to the heels, but she didn’t care.
There was something far more important and pressing that had just happened!
“Think about it, Kyle. About having a girlfriend. Some ‘someone’ will wait for your answer for a very long time, continuously. Continuously.”
Are you crazy, Tisha?! You actually said that?!
Kyle is definitely not a fool. He’s not a man who lacks awareness.
He must already know who the ‘someone’ she mentioned is. Who it is that will wait!
Yet, what courage had come over her, what embarrassment had she forgotten?
She had poured out all the words she had been holding in her heart, along with her worries.
“Huff, huff….”
Tisha, who had rushed into her room, threw herself onto the bed.
Normally, she would have immediately sat at her desk, opened a sorcery book, and started researching new spells.
But right now, no interesting sorcery could catch her attention.
‘I said it. I clearly said it. And….’
And she received an answer. Not the negative response she had feared.
But a perfectly normal and positive answer, that he also wanted to have a girlfriend.
‘It’s not that he’s conflicted because the princess keeps approaching him. He’s worried that his girlfriend might feel uncomfortable because of the princess. That’s why he’s hesitant.’
She understood Kyle’s dilemma. So, only one thing remained.
To assure him that his girlfriend wouldn’t feel any discomfort. That she could, indeed, endure it.
To give that assurance to her boyfriend, to Kyle.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, as if something had come to mind, Tisha quickly got up from her seat.
She then began to busily jot down something on a notepad.
– Kyle is thinking about having a girlfriend. –
– Giving assurance. Important (star mark) –
– No high heels, no overly revealing and elaborate dresses. –
“Hmm….”
After a moment of contemplation, Tisha drew a line through the last part.
Thinking about how Kyle had said she looked good and pretty, she wrote again.
– Usual attire, but occasionally dress up nicely! –