The Next Morning
I went to Viola's house in the morning to train.
Even after arriving at her house, I still had to wait for her to wake up.
All I could do was sit on the porch and wait.
…
While I was walking earlier, I thought: even in this different world, I'm still the same person.
After all, a person's nature and personality don't change easily.
And that includes me.
Or at least, that's what I thought.
The truth is… I don't really know myself that well.
I just keep thinking about things, and instead of finding answers—what I get are more questions.
Isn't that stupid?
Yeah, of course it's stupid. And I know that.
As usual, even if I don't change… time definitely does.
Before I knew it, it's already been more than two weeks since I came to this world.
"Time really is terrifying."
"Eh? What are you talking about?" a voice came from behind.
I turned around. Viola was standing there with a sleepy face—clearly just woke up.
"It's nothing," I answered as usual.
"Oh right, you took quite a while to wake up. I've been waiting for you."
"Ehehe, sorry, sorry. I was exhausted after taking on a difficult mission yesterday."
Her face looked a little guilty, so I guess she wasn't lying.
"I see."
I stood up, picked up my wooden sword, and pointed it at her.
"How about we start now?"
…
A few minutes later.
Haa... haa... haa...
Damn, this is exhausting.
"Are you enjoying your defeat, Mr. Clement?" she said teasingly.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm enjoying it," I replied flatly.
"You're no fun," she said, annoyed.
Do you really think cheap provocation like that could make me angry?
…
After training, I went back to the inn as usual.
Prepared my gear, ate, then headed to the guild.
Nothing had changed—honestly, I was starting to get tired of this monotonous life.
But… I didn't know how to change it.
If only I knew how…
…
Once I arrived at the guild, I took a request and went out to complete it.
The request I picked was to gather medicinal herbs.
It was the easiest one, and besides, I felt a bit tired today.
…
After reaching the forest, I started searching for herbs in the usual place.
But it seemed I'd harvested too much before, since only tiny ones were left.
"Looks like I'll have to find another spot," I muttered, seeing the place that used to be full of herbs now almost empty.
Yeah, I should let them regrow for a while.
…
I searched around the area, but only found small ones.
I wasn't sure if they were ready to pick.
Damn it, I usually see tons when I'm not looking for them—why can't I find any now?
Did the people from the guild take them all?
I wandered around the forest until noon, but still found nothing.
"Is this what they call being unlucky?"
So I decided to head back and try again tomorrow.
After all, this request didn't have a deadline.
So I returned to town empty-handed.
For some reason, just thinking about it made me feel frustrated.
…
At the city gate, I saw Viola talking with someone.
I decided not to bother her, but when I got closer, she seemed to notice me.
"Hey, Clement-san, did you just finish your mission?"
"Yeah. Guess I'm not lucky today—I couldn't find the target items."
"I-I see, but you shouldn't give up! Sometimes things like that just happen." she said, trying to cheer me up.
"Yeah, I know. I just feel frustrated about it," I replied.
…
I went silent for a while, making the atmosphere awkward.
But she decided to break it.
"O-oh right, Clement-san, let me introduce you—this is my party member, Clare."
I looked at her party member—a black-haired girl.
"Yo, so you're Clement," she said, walking closer. "Like she said, I'm Clare. Nice to meet you."
She offered her hand.
I shook it. "Yeah, nice to meet you too."
Then she spoke again.
"Oh yeah, did you know Viola talks about you a lot when she's with us?"
"She said you were super weak when you first met, but after two weeks of training, you've become a completely different person."
…Did I hear that right?
I was never a different person. I'll always be the same.
I looked at Viola and saw her getting flustered for some reason.
"Ahahaha, what are you saying, Clare?"
"There's no way I was talking about someone like that, right, Clement?"
How should I even know that?
"Y-yeah." I just agreed.
They seemed close. But it felt strange—she had a party, yet every time I met her, she was alone.
Was that just coincidence? …No, stop overthinking it.
"Well then, I'll be going now. See you, Viola. You too, Clare."
…
After that, I headed back to the inn.
On the way, I saw many people with their own relationships.
Honestly, I was jealous.
I wanted to know what it felt like to have connections—friendship, love, or maybe family.
Before coming to this world, I had already thrown away every relationship I had.
Yeah… I was never good at keeping them.
…
Not long after, I arrived at the inn.
I entered my room and lay down on the bed.
"Today was such a tiring day."
Because of the exhaustion—both physical and mental—I quickly fell asleep.
…
I woke up in the middle of the night.
Even after sleeping for so long, my body still felt heavy.
So I got up, trying not to fall asleep again.
Then I left my room and went downstairs.
The place was quiet.
"Guess everyone's asleep. Well, it's late anyway."
Feeling hungry, I decided to go to the guild.
…
That night was so silent. The air was cold and biting, and only a few people passed by.
But somehow, I felt comfortable in that silence.
Before long, I arrived in front of the guild and pushed open the door.
Inside, the atmosphere was the complete opposite—lively and loud.
Many adventurers were partying with their friends or party members.
It was the kind of scene I hated the most—because in the middle of all that noise, I always felt alone.
I found an empty table in the corner and sat down, waiting for the waitress.
"Sir, may I take your order?" she asked politely.
"Yeah. I'll have soup and bread. Just water for the drink."
It wasn't that I couldn't drink alcohol—it was just too expensive. I needed to save money.
"Alright, please wait a moment."
A few minutes later, my order arrived.
"Here's your meal, sir," she said with a warm smile before walking away.
I started eating. It tasted ordinary, but enough to fill me up.
After finishing, I just sat there, watching others laugh and talk.
The longer I looked, the stronger my jealousy grew.
I'm such a pathetic person, aren't I?
While everyone else enjoyed themselves, I sat here, envying their happiness.
"How annoying."
That was what slipped from my mouth whenever I saw others being happy.
I couldn't stand happiness I couldn't feel myself.
"Life really isn't fair, huh?"
I knew it was wrong, but blaming "life" made me feel a little calmer.
Just a little—not enough to make me happy.
I rested my head on the table, lost in useless thoughts, until—
"Hey Clement, it's rare to see you here."
I lifted my head.
"Oh, it's you."
Then lowered it again.
"What's with that reaction? Can't you answer me properly?" she said, sounding annoyed.
"Haa… so what do you want?" I replied tiredly.
"Nothing, really. I just saw you alone, so… I thought I'd keep you company."
Her tone was cheerful.
"I see… I guess I should thank you for that."
"It's fine, I wanted to anyway," she said, a little shyly.
"I see…"
We fell silent for a moment.
Then she spoke again.
"S-so, Clement-san… how was your day?"
The classic question.
"Yeah, it was a good day." I lied.
"You're lying."
I was surprised she noticed. Usually, no one cared enough to call out my lies.
"No, why would I lie?"
"You said your day was good, but you're not fine, are you?"
That was the first time someone truly cared.
"…"
We went silent again.
"Yeah, I lied. Sorry."
"It's okay," she said with a gentle smile.
"Besides, I'm not mad about it."
"I'll be honest—it was a tiring day," I said with a faint smile.
"Oh right, Viola… I want to ask you something."
"Sure, go ahead," she replied, still smiling.
"I want to know… why do you care so much about me?
We've only known each other for two weeks. Even before that, you already showed concern for me."
"Ah, that's—"
Before she could finish, I interrupted.
"Also… did we meet by coincidence? Or was it on purpose?
Did you know about me before we met?
Or were you just there by chance?
And why… why do you care so much about me!?"
Slap.
A loud slap hit my cheek.
I looked at her—tears streamed down her face.
"Idiot… why would you say something like that!?"
I turned my gaze away, unable to look at her.
Damn it.
I really am an idiot—speaking without thinking about others' feelings.
I wanted to say sorry, but for some reason, no words would come out.
Damn… what's wrong with me.
The warm atmosphere from before turned completely silent.
And it was all my fault.
…
...
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