After they finished breakfast, they walked toward the school, taking in the beautiful scenery of the pastel-colored city. Shia glanced at Beret and seemed as if she wanted to say something.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, um… I’m sorry…” Maybe because she thought Beret had been offended, she immediately apologized and turned away. However, when Beret looked at her from the corner of his eyes, he saw her glance at him again, intertwining her fingertips and feeling restless.
“You looking at me again.”
“Ah…”
“Haha, it’s okay. I understand that I’m giving off a different impression than usual. Sorry about that. I’ve always left you behind and went ahead by myself.”
“N- no, not at all!”
Usually, Beret walked as if Shia didn’t exist and left her behind. It was as if he expected her to walk fast and match his pace.
However, things were different today. He was walking shoulder to shoulder with Shia, matching her small steps.
“Um, Beret-sama.”
“What is it?”
“Please don’t worry too much about me. It’s okay, really. You don’t need to be concerned about me. And this morning, I made a big mistake…”
“I already told you this morning, didn’t I? It’s okay because things break eventually. I’m not angry, and you don’t need to dwell on it. I know that you’re very sorry about it.”
“…”
“And I don’t think it’s a nuisance to match your pace. I really don’t.” Did I reassure her too much? I suddenly feel embarrassed. Beret looked away, and out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Shia looking relieved, her mouth slightly curved up happily.
“I have to get used to it quickly…” Shia was probably the one who felt Beret’s change the most.
Beret could hear her muttering clearly. “Right. Please take care of me.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t have to be so surprised.”
“Y-yes!” It was evident from her straightforward personality that Shia was bad at lying.
The words “Did I hear that right?” were written on Shia’s face, but she didn’t seem upset. Rather, she had a heartwarming expression on her face
“Hey, Shia. I know it might be awkward to ask this now, but can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Between the old me and the current me… which one do you prefer?”
“Huh!?”
Even though Beret knew it was a difficult question to answer, he couldn’t help but be curious. “Won’t you tell me?”
“…” Shia was silent for a moment as if she was trying to avoid answering. But maybe because she thought it was an order, she answered with a slightly embarrassed tone, mumbling, “W- well… I like the current kind Beret-sama more.”
“I see. That’s good to hear.” If Shia had said she preferred the previous Beret, then Beret might have frozen from the shock. He had been worried that she would feel disgusted by him, but it seemed like it was unnecessary. He felt relieved and turned his attention to the surroundings. He had been curious for a while.
Students who wore the same academy uniform as they did were glancing at them. They looked at Shia with pity and Beret with disdain. It wasn’t a mystery why- they likely had heard bad rumors about him due to his past actions.
“Sigh. I know it’s my fault, but I wonder if I can do something about all this bad attention I’m receiving… What do you think, Shia?”
“Sss-” Shia had a troubled expression with her brows furrowed and her eyes lowered. She let out a small breath and mumbled her answer. She thought it would be rude to just honestly say that there was nothing, but she looked cute just standing there.
“Haha, sorry sorry,” Beret said. Sorry, that was a mean question. I can’t believe how supportive Shia is of me and tries to not make me feel bad, even though I’ve been treating her harshly and have a bad reputation.
“For now, let’s do our best… for all kinds of things.”
“Oh, um! Please don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure to let everyone know that ‘you were guiding me for my sake’.”
She completely believed the lie I told her to cover up my reincarnation, and she’s showing me such a cute, beautiful smile. Beret felt guilty and was worried that Shia might be tricked by bad people.
“W- wait a minute. Shia, can you refrain from saying that?”
“Eh?”
“Because if you say that, it might seem like I’m ordering you to defend me. It might lead to rumors like ‘Beret’s ordering her to say that’, so it’s better not to.”
“Nnn… I understand.”
Yes. It was something that only Shia, who was pure and close to Beret, would believe. It was unlikely for anyone else to believe the lie.
“T- then, if there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”
“Really, thank you.” Beret wanted to pat Shia’s head as she seemed like a small animal trying to support him wisely, but he refrained from doing so. Although the people around him had a bad impression of him, he was extremely relieved to have Shia on his side. Well, for now, it’s best to live quietly to not trouble anyone… Rather than trying to fix the bad rumors, it’s better to just let it calm down, Beret concluded. It was difficult to fix his reputation. Now that he had been reincarnated, he was afraid of attracting so much attention.
Beret and Shia continued walking for about 10 minutes and arrived at the school, which was like a caste. The school’s grade was huge with lush greenery, fountains, and flowers adorning the landscape. The pathways were made of stones, and 4 guards stood at the main gate.
It would be difficult for someone who didn’t live in this world to think of it as a school. However, it was indeed an academy many famous nobles attended.
“Well, I’ll be going this way.”
They entered the academy and reached a fork in the road. Shia was a high school freshman, while Beret was in his 3rd year of high school. They had to go to different classrooms.
“Oh, Beret-sama. I just have one thing to confirm…”
“Hm?”
“What would you like for lunch today? I’ll get it for you in advance.”
“Ahhh. About that, I can handle it myself from now on, Shia. You can spend your time with your friends and do whatever you want. We’re at a school, so enjoy your school life. You’ve been working hard, and I’ll ask you to continue to do your best in the future, but for now, consider it a reward for your efforts.”
It’s good to reduce Shia’s workload as I feel bad for making her run errands, and besides, there won’t be bad rumors about it, Beret thought.
“…” Unaware of what Beret was thinking, Shia stood there, frozen, with her eyes wide open.
“You’re surprised like that again.”
“I- I’m sorry…”
“Haha, it’s okay.” This was also caused by the past Beret, so the only thing he could do was laugh it off. “So please understand.”
“Understood.”
“Well then, see you after school.”
“Yes!”
And with that, Shia and Beret parted. As Beret climbed the stairs of the academy, Shia watched him until he disappeared from her sight.