The Reason I Keep Avoiding My Childhood Friend

The man, who seemed to be torturing himself for his mistake with a look that seemed like he was about to shout ‘how could I make such a mistake! Such an unscrupulous act!’, showed a determined face.

He must present an apology. I was wondering how to deal with this situation when I met the man’s eyes. The atmosphere was cold. I instinctively felt ominous. The man spoke solemnly with a hardened face.

“I am very sorry. There is no way to express this feeling. If you don’t mind, you can beat me until you feel relieved. Would you like to slap me again?”

Ugh! Why does the matter go this way!

The man said, ‘you can really hit me as much as you want’ and stuck out his cheek with a serious face.

I was even more embarrassed because it was not the first time in my life. I never thought there would be another person like this. I guess this guy wasn’t normal either.

I staggered back, feeling fed up.

“No. There was no malice, we had a mutual misunderstanding, so let’s just move on. I hope you will never again judge others based on their appearance.”

“No. My mistake is huge. I was a fool. These are not empty words. Hit me until your heart feels better!”

The man took my hand and looked like he was about to slap himself on the cheek. I flinched at the excessive appearance and stepped back.

He was a pervert in a different meaning than I thought. There was another person like Kir here. I don’t want to have a second Kir next to me in my life. I think I’ve barely escaped, but I didn’t want to get entangled with a strange person like that again.

“I am really fine. Then let’s pretend we both made a mistake. Let’s just pretend that didn’t happen. I’ll get going.”

I was obviously the one being apologized at, but I think I’ll have to run away. I waved my hand at the man and quickly turned around. Behind my hurried steps, I heard a man’s urgent and fierce voice.

“You don’t have to feel pressured! It’s okay, come here and beat me to your heart’s content!”

You really don’t do that! Don’t shout something like that!

I ran even more frightened by the man’s cry, not paying attention to the gaze around me. I ran desperately to somewhere I couldn’t hear the man’s voice. Fortunately, the man didn’t come after me.

After hiding from the man, I sighed and looked down at my palms. Do I have any strange abilities? Why does every man that gets slapped on the cheek by me ask for another blow? Seriously, I think I should research whether I have a strange ability.

* * *

I was excited to see the very handsome knight, but I couldn’t even see the princess I was looking forward to, and I met a strange man and got into an accident. It was Kir who greeted me when I returned to the mansion with such uneasiness.

“Welcome. Are you going to have dinner?”

I was completely distracted and completely forgot about Kir. However, Kir acted casually, putting my uncomfortable feelings to shame. As if he never said anything that disturbed my heart, and showing a normal attitude, I was able to deal with him on a daily basis as well.

“Yes, I will. But what about your father?”

“He hasn’t come back yet.”

“Are they going to be late?”

“They must be late because they went to the imperial palace.”

Kir said calmly, but I had a question.

“What about you?”

“I don’t have to get involved in the adults’ affairs.”

I don’t think so.

Kir was no longer the kid he used to be. He was slowly getting out of the position of a child and slowly becoming an adult. For Kir, meeting someone else of a similar level was important.

In particular, he would be the future Grand Duke. It was important to establish connections in the Empire. The Grand Duke must have brought Kir for that reason. But to be stuck in the mansion like this? I know that he had a selfish personality from the beginning, but I felt frustrated. It seemed that he was going to be nagged for being irresponsible.

However, I refrained from pointing out things one by one to Kir, who seemed to have grown up on his own during our separation, fearing that it would seem like an over-interference. I’m not Kir’s babysitter anymore.

Throughout dinner, Kir acted as if there was no gap of a year between us. As I inquired about the people left in the principality, the time passed in an instant. It was strange that the conversation was not awkward even though it had been a while. After all, I must have known Kirr for a long time.

“How is your study these days?”

The topic of conversation quickly shifted to my current story.

“It’s the same. It’s hard but fun. Everyone is kind. I am very cute.”