I escaped from the classroom and went to a deserted corner, kneeling down and taking deep breaths.
‘Why did I run away…’
In fact, there was no reason for me to run away at that moment.
If anything, as I had said earlier, a heroine who liked Evan had appeared, so from my perspective of wanting Evan to be happy, I should have been in favor of it, rather than running away like this.
It should have been that way…
Seeing the elf hugging Evan right away made an uncontrollable emotion surge within me, and fearing I wouldn’t be able to maintain my composure, I decided to escape from that spot.
‘Evan…’
It wasn’t just about Evan.
I wondered what Stella, Uriel, and the other kids in the class were thinking of me at that moment. That My Way elf likely wouldn’t care about me, but the others would surely be worried about my sudden exit from the classroom.
Especially… I never thought I would say this, but I felt that Evan, who liked me, might be the one most worried.
‘That would be the case…?’
He had said he liked me; it wouldn’t be possible that he would like the elf just because she hugged him.
Mirnel was pretty…
But if it were Evan, he wouldn’t be the type to jump at someone just for their looks.
I can’t be entirely sure, though…
…
No, what am I even thinking…?
‘Wouldn’t it be better if Evan liked Mirnel…?’
Just a little while ago, I was hoping to create a harem, so why was I having such thoughts?
I was so confused by the thoughts swirling in my head.
Come to think of it, the last time I clung to Uriel, I had involuntarily shivered.
Back then, I thought it must have been just my mood and brushed it off, but this time, it was almost undeniably recognition.
‘Do I… like Evan…?’
That makes no sense…
Well…
…
‘It doesn’t make no sense, but…’
Honestly, it was because I was a man that I still couldn’t admit it. If I were an ordinary woman, it would have been perfectly normal for me to fall for him by now, given how much I had received from him.
Where on earth would you find a woman who dislikes a man who rushes in to save her every time she is in danger?
Of course, I have a body that’s a bit far from being in danger, but regardless, if Evan doesn’t try to save me, the danger remains the same.
Moreover, just because I don’t die doesn’t mean I’m invulnerable. If I were to be kidnapped or incapacitated by magic, there is a possibility that I could suffer and live in pain forever, so there’s no reason to belittle Evan for risking himself to save me.
Above all, he is kind enough to always consider me in even the smallest things, never getting angry and always being accommodating.
Just looking at how others evaluate Evan, it’s only because he’s a hero that they can’t approach him; otherwise, there would be an overflow of female characters trying to win him over.
Of course, it’s a bit unusual that Stella and Uriel are not interested in him, but that only shows how charming he is.
So it wouldn’t be surprising if there was a girl who would quickly express her feelings for Evan, and I thought that someday Evan would like someone and start a relationship.
However, the problem was that the person Evan happened to fall for was none other than me.
Honestly, until that moment, I was simply at a loss on how to handle this situation; I hadn’t really cared about the fact that Evan liked me.
That was only natural since I wasn’t even aware that I liked Evan, so how could I notice it?
…
No, it might not have just been a feeling of being at a loss.
It was a strange joy to know that he chose me rather than someone else.
However, at that time, I hadn’t realized that I might like Evan, so I couldn’t even dare to think in that direction and simply hadn’t noticed the joy of being chosen.
As soon as I became aware that I might like Evan, all the thoughts I had until now started surfacing.
It wasn’t entirely certain.
I was just unable to distinguish whether I liked Evan or not.
But even that was enough to cause confusion.
I didn’t really want to recall why I had those thoughts or what I had been thinking, but those thoughts kept popping up in my head.
I leaned against the wall and let out a deep sigh.
‘I need to go back quickly…’
If I don’t head back soon, class will start…
I really don’t know why I’m here like this.
‘Ugh…’
Ideally, I wanted to go back right away, but it was difficult to control my emotions now.
If I returned now, I would surely end up showing not my usual self, but a confused version.
That would be fortunate, but if I were to run into Evan here…
“Aria! Where are you!”
“!!”
I screamed internally at the familiar voice and hid as if I were fleeing.
I slipped into an alley between the academy buildings to avoid being seen by Evan.
Just in case my appearance wouldn’t be visible, I adjusted my hiding position while using Divine Power detection, and fortunately, I managed to get through without being caught by Evan.
“Phew…”
I wondered what kind of face I would have to show if I were caught.
Once again, I checked the time through the clock tower using Divine Power detection. Fortunately, there were still about 20 minutes left before class started, so I should calm my mind as much as possible and head back.
‘Calm my mind…’
While calming myself down, I recalled Mirnel’s face.
I could not help but to recall the image of the elf Mirnel, one of the characters in the game, who hugged Evan as soon as she saw him.
With her green hair, pointed ears, and extremely cute face…
Of course, being an elf, it was only natural that she was beautiful, but Mirnel looked even cuter than that.
How could she not? She appeared as a party member and heroine in the game.
I, too, had customized my character to be pretty, but the food always looks bigger when it isn’t yours, doesn’t it?
“… ”
She was pretty, dammit.
Ugh, it’s because she’s an elf that this is frustrating.
Seriously, it’s just unfair.
*
Ten minutes later,
Evan, who had gone out looking for the runaway Aria, returned to the classroom empty-handed.
“Haah…”
For Evan, it was an incredibly frustrating situation.
He had just confessed to Aria that he liked her, and now he had shown her a scene of hugging another girl, so it was understandable that the shock would hit her hard, regardless of who she was.
Thus, even if she ran away after seeing him, Aria was not at fault.
What was wrong in this situation was merely his inability to push her away, and…
“… It was Mirnel, right?”
The elf girl before his eyes.
“Hmm, yes.”
“Is it customary for elves to hug upon first meeting?”
“Apologies, but if you disliked it, I would confess that. But don’t humans like it when a pretty woman hugs them? I find it hard to understand, given the lack of excitement.”
“That… it depends on the situation… but it would be embarrassing when everyone else is watching.”
“I don’t really pay much heed to others’ gazes.”
“Moreover, you’re openly saying that you’re cute…?”
As Stella spoke in disbelief, Mirnel turned her expressionless face to look at Stella.
“That was my evaluation when viewed from an objective perspective regarding my appearance.”
“Uh… no… that’s true, but…”
Mirnel was indeed beautiful.
Although she was somewhat small due to not having fully grown yet, it was hard to deny that anyone would call her beautiful.
It was to be expected since she was an elf, but her nonchalant way of stating it as if it was obvious left one feeling astounded.
“In any case… you suddenly hugged her, and Aria was surprised. You should apologize when you return.”
Evan let out a deep sigh as he spoke.
He also intended to apologize for causing such a commotion when he returned.
However,
For some reason, there was no response from Mirnel.
When Evan looked up, she was staring at him with a blank expression, as if questioning what kind of nonsense he was talking.
“Hm? That’s a rather incomprehensible statement, Hero. Isn’t it more unusual for someone to be shocked by something as trivial as a hug?”
“…”
“I understand that it’s not something one should do when meeting for the first time, but regarding that matter, shouldn’t you be apologizing to me rather than that girl?”
No way.
Evan smacked his forehead as he looked at the frustrating elf before him.
