Pretending To Have A Girlfriend?

Outside the window, magical streetlights gradually lit up, one by one.

It had been quite some time since I first received Noona’s help.

When I asked if she was having a hard time, she reassured me that moving mana wasn’t a big problem.

“Shall we try again?”

As I nodded, Lily Noona covered the back of my hand with her own hand and infused mana into it.

Now, such skin contact felt natural and obvious.

Blue lights started swirling around Noona’s hand.

Once again, I couldn’t feel anything.

Except for the first time when my hand moved, I hadn’t achieved any significant results during this long period.

Even when I tightly closed my eyes, trying to sense something within my body, nothing happened.

The only sensation I felt was the warmth of Noona’s hand covering mine.

Whoosh.

The blue lights hovering around Noona’s hand disappeared.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and asked me, “Did you still not feel anything even this time?”

I shook my head.

“No, nothing at all.”

I felt like I was sitting on a thorny seat.

I felt sorry for Noona.

She was struggling alone, solely for the sake of my hand.

But even though I failed so many times, she, instead of getting frustrated, encouraged me.

“It’s okay. We can try again.”

“Why is it like this, really...”

Although she said we could keep going, I was losing confidence.

The movement of my hand felt like nothing more than a fleeting dream.

Since it was directly related to my hand, even small obstacles made me anxious and frustrated.

I anticipated that it would be difficult, but even that was an understatement.

Because the ‘difficult’ word could be used only when there was progress.

Even if I kept trying, it felt like I was going in circles and not making any progress at all.

How many times has it already been?

I let out a sigh, “...Haah...”

“Wait a moment.”

Noona got up from her seat and brought me a glass of cold water. At the same time, she naturally sat down to my left instead of in front of me.

“Starchis, drink this and calm down.”

“...It’s difficult.”

“I know, but your mind needs to be calm in order to feel the flow of mana. Perhaps it’s challenging because you’re restless and irritated.”

She gently patted my back.

Her hand swept up and down my back, soothing me.

“Can you feel the blood flowing inside your body? No, right? It’s as difficult as that... It’s not strange that you still haven’t felt anything.”

“Was Noona the same way?”

“It was exactly the same. No, Starchis is actually better. It took me several days to feel the first sensation. But Starchis felt it on the first try, didn’t you?”

As I drank water, encouraged by Noona, I regained my composure.

If this doesn’t work, I’m done anyway.

Where is the time to complain?

I just have to do it.

“No matter how long it takes for you, I’ll help you, so don’t worry and take it slowly. Alright?”

Her appearance resembled that of my brother.

Mature yet warm.

She was genuinely offering me a lot of comfort.

“Yes, I understand. Thank you, Noona. Let’s try again.”

“But before that...”

Sitting beside me, Lily Noona turned my left hand upward and held it in her hands.

Then she inserted her fingers between mine, intertwining them.

My hand was stiff, so it wasn’t a perfect match.

And though it was just holding hands, it felt strangely itchy and awkward.

“...Noona?”

The natural skinship that was there a moment ago began to prick my conscience once again.

“Noona, that I-”

“I know, Starchis.”

“Yes?”

“But still, trust me. Maybe the area where our hands touch is the issue. When we hold hands tightly like this-”

While speaking, Noona gripped my hand tightly, not allowing it to escape.

Since I couldn’t move my hand, I couldn’t take it back either.

There was no gap between our hands.

“It might work better. Since there hasn’t been any progress so far, we should try new methods.”

With her other hand, she brushed her hair aside.

The line from her white nape to her collarbone was dizzying.

‘What are you thinking?’

I closed my eyes.

I keep feeling pathetic.

I don’t think it’s obvious, but if Noona were to know my thoughts, what would she think?

Wouldn’t she see me as trash, reacting to every little stimulation even though I have a girlfriend?

At that moment, I felt I heard Noona’s giggle, so I opened my eyes and looked at her, but she had a serious expression.

“Have you sorted out your thoughts?”

Noona asked.

“Yes. I’ll try to believe. Let’s give it another try.”

“Hmm. Close your eyes and concentrate.”

As she spoke, I closed my eyes again, and I felt her hand gripping mine a little tighter.

Sweat started to form on my hand, making it slightly damp.

“Haah...”

Although it couldn’t be seen, I thought Noona was using mana based on her sigh.

And at that moment...

Huh...?

I felt a strange sensation in my body.

I was about to get excited because it had been a long-awaited response, but I suppressed my excitement, just like when fishing.

If I get too excited now, I might not feel this sensation again.

There are no second chances.

I felt the flow slowly.

From my left hand to my left shoulder, to my heart, to my neck, and back to my heart.

It was a peculiar feeling.

-Twitch.

My pinky finger on my left hand moved.

It felt like a smile was about to burst out, but I held it in once again.

I wanted to move my left hand so badly, but I couldn’t do much since it was held by Noona.

Naturally, I tried moving it while still being held.

I clenched my hand as if holding a weapon.

And Noona’s and my fingers intertwined, holding hands.

“Ah...!”

Then, Noona released our intertwined fingers.

My left hand froze once again.

I opened my eyes, surprised by her reaction.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

“No... um...”

She crossed her arms and covered her mouth with one hand.

She seemed to be making an effort to appear calm.

“I was surprised...! When your hand moved... Did you feel the flow of mana again?”

I was also surprised.

Once because of her reaction, and once because of my hand’s movement.

“Yes... I felt a response. Maybe Noona was right.”

“Haah... Hoo... Alright.”

With our hands interlocked, I succeeded at once.

And the more hopeful thing was that even after her hand let go, there was a momentary tingling sensation around my heart.

I was told that I would be able to feel this flow without Noona’s help after some time.

Now that I had grasped the feeling, it was time to continue.

“Noona, even though it was weak I felt mana even without your help. Let’s try again when the momentum is on our side.”

“Ha... Haa... Um, yes?”

I extended my hand to Noona.

However, she still seemed unsettled and quickly stood up, breathing heavily.

“S-Starchis. Can you wait for a moment before we continue? I need to use the restroom.”

“Yes?... We’ve been doing this all day, and now that I finally felt a response, I’m sorry, but can we try once more before you go?”

There was nothing more regrettable than stopping someone who wanted to go to the restroom, but I was desperate.

I wanted to feel the current flow one more time.

“I-I’m sorry. Please wait a little longer?”

However, without even listening to my words properly, Noona rushed to the restroom with awkward steps.

****

Luss was wandering through the city.

A mix of good and bad feelings coexisted within her.

She felt joy about Starchis waking up. No matter how many days had passed, she still was so grateful and excited that he was walking in the world.

But on the contrary, the reason for her bad mood was also him; she didn’t have a reason to meet him or see him.

Party Maenbal would be inactive until Starchis recovered. If he didn’t get better, it would dissolve. The fact that he might not achieve his dream was too regrettable.

Another thing that greatly bothered her was Lily.

Lily, because she was a magician, had the privilege of being able to meet him regularly, unlike Luss.

It wasn’t only Luss who had vowed to snatch Starchis...

She felt annoyed when she thought about Lily approaching him.

She worried about what she might instill in him, how innocent Starchis might be deceived, or whether she would cast a spell on him.

Various things troubled her.

“The Starchis Treaty” had been abolished for a long time, so maybe she would try to initiate sexual contact. She hated that idea.

In her heart, she wanted to barge into Lily’s house, but when she thought of herself being unable to do anything and just standing there, it seemed too pathetic, so she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Hello?”

Luss spoke to a stranger.

Pink hair and pink eyes.

“I’m Luss. And your name...?”

“...Why the name?”

Despite many things happening, Luss still maintained her habit. She would ask for the name only if the person matched what she was looking for.

“Just wanted to be friends.”

Even putting on a friendly smile seemed natural now. Since she had hidden her expressions in front of Starchis, it wasn’t difficult anymore.

Searching for Elza remained the same, but the reasons for searching had changed.

Due to Elza not visiting him, Luss’ impression of her hit rock bottom. Whatever the reason was for not coming, she didn’t want to accept it.

If curiosity had occupied a significant part of her mind when she was searching for Elza before, now it was due to a darker, secretive emotion.

If Elza’s feelings for him were merely limited to liking him, she wanted to tell her to stay away from his side.

Or maybe she felt the need to at least see her face before attempting to steal her boyfriend.

“...I’m Kaitlyn.”

The woman in front of her spoke cautiously.

Although Luss had asked, she had a feeling that the woman in front of her wasn’t Elza.

The atmosphere emanating from her and Luss’ own intuition told her so.

-Bam!

At that moment, two large figures appeared and grabbed the woman named Kaitlyn from behind.

“Miss!”

The woman was startled and jerked away from their hands, sticking close to Luss’ side.

“Wh-who are you?”

The two figures, disappointed, examined the woman’s face.

“Oh... Sorry. We thought you were our Miss because of the similar hair color...”

One of the figures spoke.

“By any chance, have you seen a woman with pink hair, pink eyes, average height, and... an average body shape in this place?”

Another figure asked.

Luss repeated his words in her mind.

‘Pink hair, pink eyes, average height, average body shape…?’

The person in question resembled the person she had been searching for for a long time.

Luss slightly moistened her lips. Her interest was piqued.

“What’s her name?”

“Well... um, can you just tell us if you’ve seen someone like that? We apologize, but can you tell us only that?”

“Aren’t you looking for someone? If I don’t know the name, how can I find her?”

“We’re the ones looking for her. We just need the information.”

“Tell me her name. I’ll help you.”

The figures exchanged glances.

Although Luss didn’t know the reason they weren’t speaking, they didn’t seem to have the luxury to cling to it.

It seemed like they would tell her if she pushed a little further.

“Tell me. I won’t go around openly talking about it. It’ll be helpful.”

One of the figures nodded, and the other let out a sigh before approaching Luss.

He bowed his head and quietly whispered the name in her ear.

“...Rose. Her name is Rose.”

“Oh, I see.”

Her interest dwindled.

Her heightened intuition had indicated that there was something this time, but it turned out to be a dead end.

“Rose... I understand.”

“You’ll help us?”

To be honest, ever since she heard the name Rose, she just wanted to pass by and leave. But hearing that a delicate-looking woman called “Miss,” was missing, her kind-heartedness held her back.

She wasn’t cruel enough to turn away someone in a dire situation.

And if she found this young lady who was presumed to be a noble, she could potentially incur a debt.

Just like Stion borrowed an A-class item from a noble and saved Starchis’ life, Luss also thought that if she had a debt with a noble, it might help Starchis in the future.

“If I find her, you’ll owe me, right?”

When Luss spoke, the figures nodded their heads clumsily.

****

“Finally!! It’s over!”

Rose gasped for breath and removed the hood of her cloak.

She finally freed herself from her escorts.

She jumped around in joy.

Life in the grand mansion felt suffocating to Rose.

No matter how spacious the house was, living there for a lifetime made her crave novelty.

Especially for someone like her, who read many books and learned about the outside world, there was no place as dull as home.

So occasionally, Rose would carry out escapes like this.

Once she succeeded in escaping, the same method wouldn’t work the next time, so she had to find new ways each time. But for Rose, who had a sharp mind, it wasn’t that difficult.

Rose took a deep breath and murmured to herself.

“Ah... fresh air.”

-Wheeeng!

Flies buzzed around.

As she had ventured into a dirty alley, the fresh air was far from reach, but it still felt refreshing to her.

Rose surveyed the alley she had entered.

Although everything felt invigorating and freeing, honestly, without her escorts, she was slightly scared.

But since it was the city center, there wouldn’t be any problems if she screamed.

The only things to be cautious about here were the old men throwing curses.

Still, for someone who had lived only at home, venturing into the city alone was always a scary, tense, and thrilling experience.

But even that fear felt like an adventure to her.

Adventure.

Rose thought it was a truly wonderful feeling.

When she thought of adventures, there was someone that came to mind.

That person was truly someone who experienced adventures straight out of books.

Unlike Rose, who nervously ventured into the city, that person fought against monsters.

She had many questions about whether those things weren’t scary, when the most challenging adventure was, and if there were any interesting stories.

Looking closely, Starchis resembled not only the protagonist of her favorite novel but also these adventure novel characters.

Even though she wanted to meet him and hear his stories so badly, she held back.

Since her request was delivered to Stion, Rose thought it was only a matter of time before she received a message about Starchis’ visit.

“Let’s go.”

Rose flipped her hood back on.

She had a goal for today.

“Hee hee...”

That item from her favorite novel.

She had painstakingly found out where it was sold.

After buying it and wandering around here and there, eating what she wanted, she had planned to go back home without fail.

However, just as she was about to leave the alley, a shadow appeared in front of Rose, who was immersed in her imagination.

“...?”

A woman stood there.

Black hair, black eyes, and a sword at her side.

Despite the eerie atmosphere, that woman was one of the most beautiful women Rose had ever seen.

Rose quickly gathered her courage and took a step back.

Her hands naturally came together in front of her chest.

Her eyes quickly lowered.

She didn’t know who she was, but she hoped to pass without any problems.

However, it seemed not long after starting her adventure, she had already encountered a crisis; the woman didn’t move aside.

Rose tried to slip through the narrow gap next to the woman, but she stepped forward, blocking Rose’s path again.

“...Why? Why are you doing this?”

Finally, Rose asked.

Even upon seeing her again, admiration arose.

She wondered if there could be any person who wouldn’t be captivated by such beauty.

“What’s your name?”

The black-haired beauty asked Rose.

“Um, isn’t it polite to introduce yourself first?”

Though Rose was taken aback, she didn’t want to appear shallow and immediately responded. It also made her feel proud for some reason like an adventurer overcoming difficulties.

“Politeness?...”

The black-haired woman chuckled as if she didn’t expect to hear the word here. Then she smiled and placed her hand on Rose’s shoulder.

“I’m Luss.”

Then she uncovered Rose’s hood, revealing pink hair and pink eyes.

“You don’t seem like you belong in this atmosphere, Miss Rose… It’s you, isn’t it?”

Rose was surprised by Luss’ words. As it turned out, she was someone who came to find her.

She thought she hadn’t done anything to give herself away.

Rose began to storm her head.

Yes, upon further thought, she hadn’t given any indication that she was a noble yet. The only reasons Luss could be so confident that she was Rose were the color of her hair and eyes.

She shouldn’t be caught here!

She hadn’t been wandering around for long, and she hadn’t achieved today’s goal yet.

Eventually, she shook her head.

With a brazen expression, she said, “Rose? I’m not.”

The rigid atmosphere that emanated from Luss softened.

It felt like she was looking at an adorable creature.

“I suppose you’re right. Well then, Miss, there are people looking for you. It’s dangerous, so let’s go quickly.”

Luss attempted to escort her by gently pushing her back, but Rose resisted.

If she went along with this, she would be caught.

“No, it’s not me! Why are you doing this?”

“...Are you really not Rose?”

“Do you know me? Why do you keep calling me Rose if you don’t know?”

“What’s your name then?”

“...My name is...”

Rose quickly began to think of a name.

It wasn’t so easy since she was so nervous. However, her maid’s name, which she uttered dozens of times a day, instantly came to her mind.

She didn’t think twice and uttered it again.

“I’m not Rose! I’m Elza!”

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