Chapter 17
“Anyway, the library’s big enough with three floors. Apple and I will stay on the second floor.”
I smiled and continued explaining.
His face still flushed, Luca covered half of it with one arm.
Getting a cohabitation offer from that face made the memory of the water torture start to fade.
Luca tried to recall the sensation and memory of being water-tortured, but…
Damn it, her face was too pretty.
His eyes darted around before he calmed down. He stayed silent, lost in thought.
“Am I supposed to live with you because I’m your lackey now?”
“Huh?”
I was a bit taken aback.
Come to think of it, when he was floundering in the water, he did say something about being my doormat.
I was about to say he didn’t have to be my lackey, but I closed my mouth.
‘If he’s my lackey, I have a reason to keep him in the library. To avoid pointless fights, this might be the better approach.’
“Yeah… I guess so.”
“…”
Luca, slouched on his mattress, propped his chin and thought deeply.
Soon, he tilted his head and asked.
“What’s the point of gathering lackeys? Planning to play gangster at the academy?”
“What?”
Luca spoke with a sarcastic tone.
“Hey, I don’t do drug deals. I don’t want to kill people for money without reason, and I’m not into human trafficking either.”
“…?”
“I don’t want to live off protection money either. If I was going to survive on that, I wouldn’t bother working hard.”
He nodded toward a pile of well-prepared beast hides, claws, and teeth. They were items he’d dried to sell at the night market later.
“If I was going to live recklessly, I wouldn’t have scraped together pennies to come to the academy.”
“…”
There was a reason Luca hadn’t joined any gang since arriving at Lemaos.
Joining a gang meant following the leader’s orders to extort protection money or steal wallets from weaker students.
Well, some gangs had recently cleaned up their act a bit.
“Princess, don’t expect blind loyalty. I’ll pick and choose which orders I follow.”
I let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.
“…Ha.”
Hey, man, why would I do drug deals, assassinations, or human trafficking at the academy!!
That cheeky Luca was completely seeing me as a villain.
All I wanted was to avoid getting dragged into pointless fights. Just to get through school without getting beaten up, graduate safely, and land a cushy, high-paying job.
“Fine, pick and choose as you please. For the record, the Ebenkera Family doesn’t deal in human trafficking or drugs. We’re actually on the side that cracks down on it.”
“Huh, really?”
Luca rubbed his chin, giving me a skeptical look, and Apple mimicked him, also looking at me suspiciously.
Wait, Apple, what’s with you?
“Ugh, I’m not saying I’m some saint, but I’m not that bad!!”
“Hmm…”
“Mm…”
“Apple, seriously? After all I’ve done for you.”
“Ah, ah, I know! Miss, you’re kind at heart… Well, not bad, more like dangerous… Eek! Sorry! My bad!”
Apple’s reaction made everything even more suspicious.
Ugh, whatever. I got what I wanted anyway.
I successfully won Luca over, and since he voluntarily became my lackey, I could make him fight my battles whenever minor skirmishes popped up.
Now I could mostly avoid the power struggles of hot-blooded, superpowered teens.
Clicking my tongue in dissatisfaction, I went up to the second floor to finish unpacking.
✦ ✦ ✦
My body ached, and I was so tired that I fell asleep as soon as I lay on the bed.
The pain felt like someone was beating me with a club, so I couldn’t sleep deeply and only dozed lightly.
‘Maybe moving around a bit will help?’
I got up from the bed. Looking out the window, it seemed like dawn. The night air was cold, but not as bad as sleeping in a tent.
I hadn’t realized how grateful I’d be to sleep under a roof.
‘She’s still sleeping under my bed.’
I bent down and looked at Apple, curled up tightly under the bed.
Training was just an excuse; she oddly loved sleeping under beds. She was particularly stubborn about it.
‘Should I get a bunk bed?’
Scaredy-cat Apple. Always trembling.
‘What did I do wrong?’
I pulled a strand of hair she was nibbling on out of her mouth, and she frowned, probably feeling empty. It was funny, and I let out a small laugh.
As I climbed back into bed and pulled the blanket up to my chin to sleep again, I heard something.
Clink, clink.
A small noise kept coming from downstairs. It was subtly annoying, making it impossible to sleep.
‘What the heck are they doing?’
Suddenly curious, I got out of bed and went down to the first floor.
✦ ✦ ✦
The orange glow of a lantern warmed the darkness.
The lantern’s distinct kerosene smell and the musty scent of books added coziness to the cold night air.
I saw a boy’s back under the lamplight. His worn heart-patterned cat dress was tinted warmly by the lantern’s glow.
He was diligently making something, his arms and hands busy. He seemed sleepy, his head occasionally drooping.
‘I used to wear clothes like that when I was little.’
Maybe because of the dress he was wearing, I suddenly felt like a kid again.
“What are you doing?”
“…!! You scared me! Make some noise!”
Luca clutched his pounding chest, his shoulders shooting up.
“I didn’t mean to startle you. Sorry.”
“…”
I smiled gently and sat next to Luca. He glanced at me warily, like a cautious cat.
“W-What. Why.”
“What are you doing instead of sleeping?”
“Uh… Um… I don’t know.”
Smack!
Luca suddenly slapped his own cheek, muttering “idiot” under his breath.
“Sorry, what were we talking about?”
“This is the third time I’m asking, but what were you doing?”
“Yeah, sorry for making the precious princess’s mouth tired.”
He smirked sarcastically.
“There’s a night market in Lemaos later. I was organizing stuff to sell there.”
Luca showed me small beast teeth strung with twine, beast fat, and well-dried beast hides.
The teeth made a clinking sound.
“Wow, you caught and prepared all this?”
“Yeah.”
“Impressive. They’re in great condition. You must’ve taken good care of them.”
Luca’s eyes widened, as if he’d heard something unexpected.
His ears turned bright red.
“Wanna sell it and give me the money? I’ll let you keep 20 Aurum.”
“Huh? How does that work? I was just genuinely complimenting you.”
“…”
“You must have a hard enough time making ends meet, so don’t say stuff like that.”
“…Ugh.”
Huh? He seemed a bit sulky for some reason.
Luca’s thought process was as unpredictable as Apple’s, hard to pin down.
I gazed at the lantern, burning kerosene and glowing brightly.
Since we were new housemates under the same roof, I wanted to talk more and get closer, but I couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Want some help?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
“I’m awake and bored anyway.”
Luca, who’d been tinkering and sneaking glances at me, suddenly giggled.
“Hey, just talk casually. We’re the same age, and hearing you be so polite is funny.”
“Being polite is my principle.”
“…Do whatever you want, princess~”
He’s been using weird nicknames since earlier.
Who’s the one dressed like a princess?
“By the way, your pajamas are super cute.”
“Oh, right, damn!!”
Luca suddenly grabbed his dress tightly, as if to hide it.
“It’s n-nothing! This is my taste! I love heart-patterned cat lace dresses!!”
“Really? I didn’t know.”
I really didn’t. His taste is unique.
“Don’t misunderstand! I didn’t pick this up from some random place!”
“…”
Oh, so the taste thing was a cover.
I knew the origin of that dress from Luca and Kelnor’s earlier conversation.
Was he more embarrassed about picking it from a trash can?
Given he does odd jobs, money-related topics might be a sensitive spot for him.
“It looks like it. It suits you, Luca. Come back and sit. I’ll help finish your work. Don’t refuse.”
“…”
Luca, tightly gripping the dress with both hands, sat back down beside me.
Since he was just sitting there, I looked over what he’d done. Some beast teeth needed tying, so I picked up the twine and finished stringing them.
One, two, three… Ten seemed to make a set.
Luca, who’d been watching me silently help, spoke in a subdued voice.
“Actually… I picked it up from a trash can.”
“I see.”
“…”
I replied nonchalantly.
When I glanced sideways, I saw Luca’s face and shoulders flushed bright red.
His head was bowed, hiding his face, but I could somehow imagine his expression. Was he sweating because the dress had a warming spell, or was it something else? A drop of sweat hung at his chin.
He glanced at me with his silver eyes, head still lowered.
His face was visible. An expression stained with shame.
Gripping the dress tightly with both hands didn’t hide it, yet he foolishly clutched its hem. His hands, rough for his young age, were red too.
Wrinkling the childish dress’s print, he moved his lips slightly and spoke softly.
“Why. You grossed out ‘cause I’m a beggar?”
His voice was heavy and damp, his trembling silver eyes casting a gloomy light.