I’m Not Doing This With A Friend

✿

"…Leen?"

That someone, surprisingly, was Kun.

Carson stared at Kun, seemingly asking why he was there, and Fjord couldn't help but massage his forehead as if he knew what would happen next.

No one seemed to like his sudden appearance.

Rather than being surprised to meet him here, I raised my hand lightly and waved it a few times.

"What the hell are you doing here…"

"What do you mean? I'm out to catch monsters because of the club's performance. What brings you here?"

"I went out for a walk."

"Taking a walk to the monster's habitat? Wow, you're not really normal either."

"It's not dangerous because there are spirits. More than that…"

Kun glanced at the food we had brought, and then suddenly rubbed his eyes. He looked like he had seen something wrong.

Realizing that he didn't see it wrong, Kun's gaze was hazy.

"…You're enjoying your dinner, in the monster's habitat."

When Kun said that about us eating in the monster's habitat, I also recalled that only then.

Even when collecting the core, I did it without any tension…

I decided to think that a good thing is a good thing.

"Well, it's better than shivering in fear. Would you like to eat together?"

When I offered food to Kun, Carson quickly explained why he couldn't.

"Unfortunately, I only brought three dishes. There's no extra for you."

"Really?"

I don't think it's right to share what others have already used, but it's hard to cut down trees and make tableware…

Then I'll give you something you could eat with your own hands.

I pulled out a sandwich from the case that Carson was holding dearly.

He looks at the sandwich and Kun alternately anxiously.

"Leen, no way?"

‘Yes. That's it'

"We don't have any tableware, but if you don't mind, you could eat this, Kun."

Kun, who received the sandwich, blinked blankly.

"…Thank you."

Carson with his eyes wide open as he lost the sandwich, glared at Kun fiercely.

However, Kun didn't notice as he was fixated on the sandwich.

‘Why are you taking so much time to eat?'

When Kun showed no sign of bringing the sandwich to his mouth, the thought crossed my mind as to whether I had washed my hands before giving him the sandwich.

Maybe I didn't…

…It must have added a salty taste. It's acceptable if you don't want to eat it.

"Kun, if you feel uncomfortable, it's okay not to eat the…"

Just as I was about to say ‘it's fine', he put the sandwich in his mouth.

Oh, I see…

For some reason, I felt sorry even after doing him a favor. I glanced at him and ask timidly.

"What do you think?"

The question was whether it was salty.

Fortunately, there was no negative change in his expression as it didn't seem he felt any saltyness from the sandwich.

"It's just an ordinary sandwich."

"What?"

However, Carson must have been dissatisfied with Kun's reaction.

No, in addition to stealing his precious sandwich, he seemed angry at the harsh evaluation.

"Did you just call this ‘ordinary sandwich'?"

Carson jumped up and gave off a vicious aura as if he would grab Kun by the neck. At the same time, Kun's brows narrowed.

"Why are you making a fuss again?"

"Listen. The sandwich you just ate was made by ‘Leen‘ herself, and it was also made with Leen's father's ‘special sauce'."

A quake occurred in Kun's pupil, which seemed unlikely to be budge no matter what Carson said.

"That, now that I think about it, I think it has a special taste…"

Credibility was the word converging to zero.

"You have no taste. You don't deserve a sandwich!"

As Carson tried to steal the sandwich, Kun hurriedly stuffed the leftover sandwich into his mouth.

However, Carson didn't want to even allow the sandwich in Kun's mouth to get swallowed.

"Spit it out right now!"

"Hmm, yum, umm…"

"Leen, are you just going to watch?"

Fjord clicked his tongue looking at those two pathetic bastards.

Carson, who's trying make Kun spit out what's already in his mouth, and Kun shaking his head violently because he doesn't want to have it taken away again.

‘It's not dirty and cheap, it's true that it's childish.'

"You're still a kid."

Both of them and me too.

"You grow up fighting."

In fact, the biggest reason was that it was cumbersome to stop them. I'm thinking of stepping up if there's violence in their fight or use abusive language.

Because I always keep the line.

Come to think of it, if Carson is jealous because he likes me, why does Kun always bicker with him?

Pondering over the answer to the question

I saw it. The answer came out faster than I thought.

Oh, okay…

‘Carson always picks a fight with Kun!'

Besides, Kun was a person who didn't change his mind very well once he had a bad perception. Didn't I also experienced it?

Come to think of it, from their first meeting until now, Kun and Carson have never lost fire in their eyes as they glare at each other.

As expected, the first meeting was wrong.

In the first place, I shouldn't have neglected the two of them fighting. But back then, I also didn't like Kun either.

I ate while watching the children bickering, and my stomach got full.

Actually, I could have eaten more, but the monster subjugation was not over yet, so I decided not to be greedy.

When I was wiping my mouth with water on my handkerchief, Carson opened the subspace again.

"Have you finished eating? Now, I'm going to take out dessert…"

"This is enough for me."

Carson's long eyelashes fluttered as if he didn't understand her words.

"Why?"

"I don't think I could eat anymore because I'm full."

"But someone told me that everyone had a separate stomach for dessert."

I don't know where he lives, but he seems to have quite similar values to Jane

"It's a pity that you won't eat. But what's important is Lien's health…"

Carson disappointedly closed the subspace.

"Then I'll put the parfait topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup and the cream puff that's slightly frozen so that it's neither too soft nor too hard."

"I'll eat. No, let me eat it!"

I don't know about parfait, but what do you mean by a ‘cream puff‘?

If he had explained the menu in advance, of course I would have eaten it. Even if I threw up, I would have eaten it.

Carson looked a little embarrassed as if he didn't know I would want to eat it so much.

That's understandable. I didn't hate sweets, but I've never said it like this.

But when it comes to ‘cream puff‘, it's different.

Thin and soft puff pastry and full of cream.

It was my most favorite food in the world.

"I said it on purpose to make it look delicious, but I didn't know it would really come true. I'm happy that Leen will eat it for me."

Carson proudly took out the parfait and cream puff from the subspace.

I stared at the cream puff without even giving a single glance to the parfait.

‘One, two, three, four, five… Six!'

There were as many as six cream puffs!!

There are four of us in total, so even after each of us takes one, there are still two left.

It was when I was thinking about how to get my hands on one of the two remaining cream puffs.

Carson gazed at the two with contempt except for me and continued.

"I'm saying this just in case, but if you have a conscience, don't even think about touching the dessert. I brought them all for Leen."

"Hah! Caon…"

Upon hearing what Carson said, I slapped my forehead and called his name with a serious expression.

Then, Carson's face filled with worry.

"Huh? What's wrong? Is there anything you don't like about Leen?"

Fjord pointed out Carson's behavior in a tone of asking if I didn't know it.

"What do you mean? It's because of what you said. Leen's not as cheap as anyone else, so she doesn't eat alone."

I shook my head vigorously toward Fjord. And raised my thumb toward Carson.

"Don't be offended by Fjord's cunning tongue. You're right no matter what anyone says."

"…!"

Carson's face looked half the joy that I took his side, but why? I went back and forth because of the questionable half.

It wasn't just Carson who was confused.

Everyone didn't know what was going on, and they were busy looking alternately between me and Carson.

I looked at cream puff happily, not caring what they were thinking.

‘Cream puffs for me. All six of them!'

Can I not share something like that…?

With Fjord and Kun, my mouth comes first!!

There are things in the world that we are willing to share with, and things we don't. By that standard, the cream puff belonged to the perfect latter.

If it were theirs from the beginning, I wouldn't have coveted it, but behold!

Carson declared that it was definitely mine.

Before I put the dazzling cream puff in my mouth, I thanked Carson.

"Come to think of it, I'm late to say this, thank you so much! I'll eat this well. Of course, I enjoyed the previous meal as well."

I'm sure you didn't make this yourself like I did.

Anyway, he thought of me, ordered the chef, and put the finished food in the subspace himself, didn't he?

Carson stared blankly at me not knowing what he's thinking.

"I thought you were only interested in rare herbs…"

I briefly thought that his expression was somehow filled with joy even though I was busy eating the cream puffs.

‘Yummy~!'

This time, I shoved the whole cream puff into my mouth. It was a bit too big to eat in one bite.

But eventually, I put them all in my mouth and filled both cheeks to savor the taste.

I knew my cheeks were about to explode, but I could throw away my image for the cream puffs.

The yellow custard cream that burst out of the puff has taken over my mouth and delivered an ecstatic taste to the tip of my tongue.

It's a taste of happiness.

Carson put his arm on his chin and observed me openly. He's smiling as if he's feeling good.

"Is it good?"

I barely responded after swallowing the cream puffs I was eating.

"It's so delicious…"

"If I knew you would like it this much, I would have brought more."

Carson smiled with his eyes bent to a crescent shape.

He whispered sweetly, like a devil trying to corrupt an innocent person.

"Next time, I'll kidnap a famous patissier and bring you a bunch."

But I came to my senses when I heard the word ‘kidnap‘.

"That's a bit…"

‘I knew it was a joke.'

What kind of madman would kidnap a person just to feed a cream puff to the person he likes?

But for me, thinking about him, who would do anything for me, somehow made me feel like his joke shouldn't be taken as a joke.

"I'm just kidding. Aren't you overreacting, Leen?"

It was a slightly different, gentle voice than his usual, like a hungry beast.

I looked up at the sky to avoid his awkward gaze, but I saw something passing in the distance.

A black figure with black wings.

It was quite far away, so it was difficult to grasp it properly even with a good eyesight.

What's certain is that it was bigger than a crow and had a rather strange shape to be called a bird.

In the Lagras Empire, there was a myth that crows were bad luck.

I didn't believe in the myth. But I was also born and raised in the Empire, and was an inevitable Lagras person.

Usually, I would have suspected that nothing bad would happen today.

Now that I'm eating cream puffs, I just turned that thought over.

"Is there something, Leen?"

"What does Leen see, why does it matter to you? Don't pay attention."

Kun ignored Carson and followed my gaze, and also saw the black figure.

As a half-elf, he also frowned as if he couldn't see it well. Then, as if guessing its identity, he slowly said.

"Dog or bird…?"

I unconsciously interpreted the words and brought them out of my mouth.

"Dog, or a bird…"

‘What? Dog…?'