I’m Not Doing This With A Friend

I felt like I was 10 years older in one day, dealing with only good people like Carson and Fjord, and then dealing with potato-girl and the overly self-centered bastard.

Potato girl's arrogant denial of her nickname was cute, but the self-centered bastard who couldn't understand a single thing was really…

"I don't want to see him again!"

But was it because I made a firm statement that I didn't want to see him?

Or was it because my passive, Spout of Doom has been activated?

It was not long before I met him again.

Really, soon…

✤

As always, Carson arrived at the club room first and was waiting for Leen and the others.

Carson, who would usually rummage through magic books with an indifferent face, was smiling today for some reason.

"From today on it's the real Leen… Oh, I really love it."

Carson stomped his feet, holding something in his hand and repeating the words happily…

How much time had passed, the club room door opened and Fjord entered.

"Here I am…"

As soon as the door of the club room opened, Carson was startled and hid what he was holding inside his uniform jacket.

Carson let out a sigh as he saw who had come in.

"Oh it's just you? I was surprised, I thought it was Leen."

"Why are you so surprised? Haven't you seen Leen?", Fjord asked, tilting his head at the unanswered response.

"It's not a big deal."

Carson waved his hand as if telling Fjord not to ask anymore.

But if he tells him it doesn't matter, it only makes Fjord more curious.

Fjord approached Carson.

"What?"

"Go away."

If it wasn't really a big deal, Carson would have been able to show it to him, but looking at his reaction, it was clear that there was something he was hiding.

Fjord smiled brightly, as if he had realized something.

"What's that? What are you hiding? Oh, what's wrong with the boy who always acts like a stone? Show it to me too!"

As Fjord approached him closer and closer, Carson frowned.

"What?"

"Oh, why don't you show it to me? It's not worn out."

"When you see with your dirty eyes, it doesn't wear out, it rots."

"What?"

As if offended by Carson's remarks, Fjord stopped walking.

"Ha! You won't let me see it because I'm dirty? Just wait for Leen to come and I'll blow everything up because I saw you looking such a stuff in the club room."

Knowing that Carson's only weakness was Leen, Fjord threatened him without hesitation.

At the threat, Carson smirked. It was an eerie smile.

"Tell me again. The diary you wrote today will be your tomorrow."

Fjord immediately shut up.

If someone else had said it, he would have snorted and sarcastically told them to make such threats into reality. But when Carson said that, it felt really sincere.

Fjord, knowing the preciousness of his life, thought it was a pity that this method had to be sealed.

He opened his lips as if he had remembered something to change the subject.

"Oh, that's right. Did you hear that Leen won't come to the club today?"

"What?"

Carson jumped up from his seat and grabbed Fjord. He looked anxious.

"Why? Was she sick?"

As if he knew this would happen, Fjord lifted his hand and spoke calmly.

"She's not sick. Maybe…"

"Maybe?"

Fjord said, taking advantage as Carson was worried about Leen, put his hand into Carson's inner jacket.

Boom!

But Fjord's efforts were in vain.

Carson, noticing that Fjord's hand was on the inside of his jacket, grabbed his wrist and pushed it against the wall.

"You dare to use Lern's name to fool me?"

Fjord was caught by Carson's hand, and he couldn't even raise his throbbing head, only letting out a small groan.

"Ugh, I thought my head was about to break."

Then he gazes at Carson with eyes looking at a monster. There was a mixture of admiration and fear in his eyes.

‘Why are reflexes and strength so good for a wizard?'

Then suddenly, Carson licked his lips like a madman and burst into laughter.

"Hoo~" (Fjord breathes)

‘I knew he was crazy at first, but this time I thought that he really enjoyed it.' Fjord stared blankly at Carson.

Carson smiled arrogantly.

"Do you want to see it? Shall I show you?"

"You said you won't show it?"

Seriously, I was caught up in the thought of whether or not I should consult a doctor for Carson.

That was then and Leen opened the door and entered the club room.

"Sorry for being late, I left something behind, so I'm going to stop by the dormitory…"

Leen didn't finish her sentence well. It was because she saw Carson and Fjord in a strange pose and her head stopped.

A Fjord with both hands bound to the wall pressed by Carson.

Carson had a somewhat perverted smile, and Fjord had a somewhat resigned expression on his face.

A perfect situation to be misunderstood. Leen lips opened without realizing it.

"…homo or what in the world was… gay thing."

(N: The author literally said 게이- gay.)

Then she stiffens and looks around then steps back. Leen closes the door as if nothing happened, like she didn't see anything.

Thud-

"Argh!"

"Ahhh!"

As soon as Leen closes the door and leaves, Carson and Fjord push each other away at the same time.

They immediately ran to Leen, who seemed to have misunderstood something.

Eventually, Leen, who had been caught by the two, had to sit on the sofa and listen to the two men's explanations.

But Leen couldn't erase all the suspicions, and the club room somehow became awkward.

"…I respect your tastes."

Leen looked at the two with pitiful eyes.

Fjord swept his hair seeing the expression on her face. He vomits out her enthusiasm as if frustrated.

"That's not what really happened! Carson was hiding something inside his jacket and didn't show it, so I wasn't trying to steal it from him!"

"So why would you want to pick on someone else's privacy?" Carson raised one eyebrow.

"If you hadn't reacted strangely, I wouldn't have dug in like that."

"If you want to see something so naughty, look hard at what's under your bed. Because what I had wasn't such a thing."

Leen gazed at Fjord with a strange look at Carson's words.

Fjord then shook his head desperately in denial.

"Yes, it's not what you think it was."

Leen walked over to Fjord and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Fjord."

"Yes?"

"What are friends for? If you have something good, let's share it."

In an instant, silence fell in the club room.

When the atmosphere became strange with what she said, Leen looked around and opened her lips slowly.

"…Just kidding."

However, the time for Carson and Fjord that had stopped did not return. Realizing that it was already too late to make an excuse, Leen decided to be brazen.

"Do you have anything to say?"

"Oh, nothing."

The two turned their heads to the other side at the same time as they came to their senses. At that, Leen raised her eyebrow and brought up a different topic.

"What have you two been up to during the vacation? How have you been?"

It was a normal greeting, but Fjord sighed deeply.

"Well, every day was a war. I'm exhausted from fighting with my brother. I feel like I'm going to live here."

Carson's gaze, which had been fixed on Leen, turned to Fjord.

Carson heard that Fjord had confided in Leen. But he didn't know that Fjord would bring it up so casually.

"Even here, there’s always a war with Carson."

"So, I was just curious. I didn't know that this place would be any better. How does my brother's ability improve every year?"

Carson, who also confirmed that Leen was fine, fixed his eyes on her again.

He was not interested in whatever Fjord did during the vacation.

"How was your date with your girlfriends?"

Leen's mischievous question, Fjord's face grimaced, as if the question was unfair.

"The one who broke up with me before was the last one. And although it changes often, I've never been an octopus who dated many at the same time. What do you think of me?"

"Trash…?"

"I didn't mean to, but I was nice when I was in the temple."

"Yeah, sure."

Leen replied roughly, ‘I'll pretend to admit it because it's annoying.' As her reaction was lukewarm, Fjord clenched his fist and added,

"And… I'm not going to date someone I don't even care about anymore."

Somehow, Leen thought, ‘I could feel his sincerity.'

From a trash that couldn't be burned, he evolved into a trash that's recyclable.

It means that her evaluation of him has not changed much. As Fjord seemed to have finished speaking, Leen shifted her gaze to Carson.

"Caon, what about you? You're better off with ‘it'?"

Carson shook his head with a very serious expression.

"Still, the real Leen was much better."

"What are you talking about? What's that?"

Fjord asked, frowning at the words that only the two of them seem to know. Leen crossed her legs as if it wasn't that important.

"It's just something…" As Leen paused, deciding whether to tell him or not.

Fjord, furious, frowns and waits for her to finish her words.

A smile suddenly appeared on Leen's lips as he met Fjord's curious eyes. It was a signal that her playfulness had started. 

"Secret."

"Oh, you're not going to be like this too, are you?"

Fjord's expression crumpled, and his mouth shriveled. He looked at Carson with his pleading eyes.

"What are you looking at?"

However, Carson had already finished plotting with Leen's wink, but only responded with a smile.

‘Yeah, what could I expect from you?' Fjord's gaze turned to Leen again.

Even if it doesn't seem like it, Leen's prank won't last long if he pretends to be offended.

"If you don't want to tell me, give me a hint."

"Well…"

Leen thought about what hint to give for a moment and chose a word that could be misunderstood with the intention of making Fjord more curious.

"It's a deep secret and…"

"What?"

“It's also something that could replace me, which he couldn't see me during vacation.”

"You, have you already touched the property of adults…?"

"Oh. It's an adult's exclusive possession. Don't act like a kid who knows everything, Fjord."

Then Fjord's pupils began to tremble…