The Villainess in the Romance Fantasy Is Strange - Chapter 60



60. Not a confession, but a proposal (3)

10 p.m., training room at the Elebeth family home.

If it were normal, he would have come out in rough clothes and a light heart, and would have devoted himself to training, but today, he was dressed unusually carefully and barely swung his sword, just looking around.

The reason I’m sweating it out in this training room where I should be sweating profusely is because this is all part of a plan that Venus and I made together.

For the past three days, Leah has been coming to see me at this time and giving me some medicine.

So, if you pretend to swing your sword in the training room like this and wait while pretending not to care, Leah and I will naturally be alone.

Today’s plan is to greet Leah warmly when she comes, accept the health supplement she gives me, and drink it. After chatting with her, I’ll find a chance to set the mood and get to the main topic.

“……good.”

Let’s do it, really.

He patted her cheek twice to bring her to her senses, then took out his wooden sword and swung it vigorously.

Boohoo-!

Although the movement was without any technique, the sword cut through the air beautifully, drawing a graceful trajectory.

Because of the great progress I made day by day, I became a perfect swordsman to the point where I wanted to praise myself without thinking. But honestly, I didn’t care about swordsmanship practice because all my nerves were being used to listening to someone’s footsteps.

Training, swordsmanship practice. You can do those things whenever you want. Even if you fail, you can make up for it later.

If the teacher had repeatedly emphasized that we must practice every day without fail, it would have been a harsh remark. But I guess he would let it slide today.

From noble mtl dot com

This isn’t a confession, it’s a proposal. If you make a mistake, it will be a dark memory that will last a lifetime.

If you haven’t seen each other in a few days, then it’s okay, but you can’t let anything happen that could lead to a book being caught. No matter what happens, absolutely… … !

“Phew… … .”

Let’s calm down.

I put my hand on my chest and took a deep breath.

But for some strange reason, instead of relaxing, the back of my neck became even stiffer. It was as if someone was grabbing my head and forcing it upright.

I’m not even nervous when dealing with dragon hatchlings, but why do I feel so nervous just from saying these few words?

Yeah, let’s not be nervous. I’m not going to die or anything, so there’s no need to be nervous about asking her to marry you.

“… … Hmm.”

No, isn’t it natural to be nervous?

If you think about someone bringing up the subject of marriage in the near future, wouldn’t it be normal for your heart to pound and your head to spin like I do now, not just for me but for anyone else?

Of course, there are people who aren’t like that. But I’m a small and narrow-minded person, so my heart keeps pounding.

I just clenched and unclenched my fist for no reason, wiping the cold sweat from my forehead.

“… … I’m more nervous than during the interview.”

I wasn’t this nervous right before the final interview for the firefighter exam, or even on the first day of my fire scene dispatch. I’m not joking, I’m more nervous right now than I was then.

──Cain, are you nervous?

“Yes, I’m nervous.”

──… … Hehe, I guess so. But there’s no need to be so nervous. You know that, don’t you? The baby has a great crush on you.

“… …Is that really so?”

──Yeah, trust me. Even if you get a 70-point proposal, the baby will happily accept it. So, tell her your true feelings without holding back.

After hearing Venus’s confident words, I felt a little less tense. This is why mental care is important.

Realizing a new fact that everyone already knew, I expressed my gratitude to Venus and took up my sword.

That was when.

Squeak-.

“Cain, are you here?”

The moment I had just adjusted my posture and turned my gaze toward the door, coincidentally the door opened wide and a familiar high-pitched voice was heard.

I opened the quaint wooden door and the person who called my name was, of course, Leah.

She had pink hair flowing down to her waist, and she smiled as soon as our eyes met.

“Oh, there it is.”

For a moment, I froze, and watched as Leah approached me at a brisk pace before finally coming to my senses.

In Leah’s hand was something that looked like a mug, and inside was filled with a dark brown liquid. It was probably the medicine she had brought for me.

“Okay, Cain. I brought you some medicine.”

Chuck, Leah held out the mug.

I took the mug and nodded slightly.

“thank you.”

“Yeah, it’s good for your health, so drink it all up. Okay?”

“… … Over there, Lady Leah.”

“huh?”

I called, but I don’t know what to say to open the conversation.

I mean, I have experience with things like confessing.

I know this sounds like an excuse, but firefighters suffer from chronic manpower shortages, so they can’t use their vacation days or annual leave as they please. That’s why I’ve never had a girlfriend or had a fling like everyone else does.

So, if I stutter or make mistakes from now on, it’s not my fault, it’s the fault of the society that made me this way.

“… … .”

I slowly raised my head after thinking absurd thoughts.

Leah, with her characteristically shining blue eyes, is staring at me intently.

“Why are you calling, Cain?”

“……that is.”

Was I such a dumb person?

If I had known I would be such an idiot and not be able to even bring up the subject, I would have accepted when my friends offered to introduce me to a girl.

Although such belated regrets have just begun to creep in, it is impossible to turn back time that has already passed.

After making up my mind, I opened my mouth.

“Miss Leah. I… … .”

“Oh, wait a minute. Should I drink all the medicine first? I heard that it’s more effective if you drink it before it cools down.”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

… … First of all, let’s take a step back. I need to drink the health supplement.

The day before planting.

Before I told Leah how I felt, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to relax.

The bitter taste and faint sweetness characteristic of health supplements containing a lot of medicinal herbs mixed together and prickled my nostrils… … .

To be honest, I don’t even know if the medicine is going into my nose or mouth because all my attention is focused elsewhere.

I just instinctively gulped down the medicine and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Leah quietly watched me drink the medicine, then snickered and said.

“Hey, Cain. Are you drinking it without any complaints now?”

“Have I ever complained to you, Leah?”

“Yeah, don’t you remember? Three days ago, I brought you some medicine, but you said it didn’t seem to have much effect.”

“……ah.”

Listening to Leah’s words, I think I vaguely remember it.

How dare you say such a big deal when you just bought something expensive to drink.

After bowing my head to reflect on my past self, I expressed my gratitude for the drink.

“After eating it a few times, it’s a bit bitter, but is it now edible?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Since good medicine tastes bitter, you should continue to drink what I give you, right?”

Leah, smiling charmingly, took a step forward, reached out, and gently stroked my hair.

I looked down at Leah, holding the mug in my hand, and met her gaze.

Her eyes met mine and she nodded her head slightly as if telling me to answer quickly. I nodded as if I was possessed by something and muttered that I understood.

“… … .”

I really feel like I’m a puppy being raised by a girl who is a head smaller than me, as I nod my head obediently while getting petted.

At this rate, I can’t deny the comment I once heard from Leah, ‘You’re like a big puppy’…

It felt good to have soft fingers touching me, but separately from that, I couldn’t stay still because I felt like my male pride was being slowly chipped away.

I gently grabbed Leah’s wrist, recalling the advice I had heard from Venus: ‘Women are strongly attracted to males who can lead them… …!’

“Hey, Leah.”

First, take a deep breath.

He let out a breath so small that Leah couldn’t hear, then slowly started to speak.

“that.”

“huh?”

“that is.”

“Huh?”

“……hmm.”

“… … ?”

I tried to speak ambitiously, but the words were stuck in my throat and wouldn’t come out.

Leah tilted her head in confusion as she watched me just moving my lips like an idiot. I became even more nervous at that and just blinked my eyes quickly.

… … Calm down, Cain.

You’re the one who single-handedly defeated the Dragon Hatchling. And now, why are you so scared of just saying a few words?

“… … .”

I must have been quite nervous, because I kept repeating the same thoughts over and over again before I finally came to my senses.

Hmm, that won’t work.

It’s too burdensome to get to the main point right away, so I’ll say something else first and then come back when the timing is right.

“It’s the hunting day.”

“Yeah, hunting day?”

“I was drinking with Leah one night. At some point, I fell asleep.”

“Um… . Yeah, right?”

“Did I, by any chance… commit an inappropriate act toward Lady Leah while I was asleep or drunk?”

I asked this question partly to change the subject, but I was also curious about something else.

It’s not that I don’t remember the details of that day because the film broke in the middle.

I clearly remember up until the middle, that is, until our lips touched slightly and then parted. After that, I have no memory at all of the time after Leah started to secretly tease me. I’m not trying to make excuses for the accident, I’m really saying this.

Given that Earl Macmillan was talking about responsibility, I’m not sure if something happened that night, but it seems likely that Leah told her father about it.

I don’t know the details, so I can’t figure out what’s going on.

It’s been a bit burdensome and I’ve been trying to sort out my thoughts, so I haven’t been able to bring it up. Although it’s a bit late, I think I should look into it more since I’ve brought it up.

At my question, Leah’s eyes became blank for a moment. Then, as if trying to gauge my expression, she looked me up and down and asked cautiously.

“Cain, do you remember anything?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, but I don’t remember very well.”

“If you don’t remember well, how much do you remember?”

“Well, that’s it. Leah and my lips… … .”

Can I say that I reached it?

After hesitating for a moment, I thought it would look even stranger if I kept it a secret since we both knew it anyway, so I just told the truth.

“I remember barely touching each other.”

“After that, don’t you remember anything?”

“yes.”

“… … Really? Nothing?”

Why is your voice so quiet?

Although I was a little hesitant, I answered obediently for now.

“Yeah, well….”

“Huh, really? I don’t remember anything… … .”

Leah, who seemed neither to like nor dislike it. She smiled with a really strange expression.

He opened his eyes slightly and looked straight at me.

“… … Then, you forgot that you just touched my body?”