HRB 86

That heavy gaze contained many emotions.

Even in a drunken state, they were too blatant and intense to misunderstand. It was something that couldn’t be tied together into one feeling.

Eddie, preoccupied with the music box issue, belatedly recalled what he had been worrying about and subtly avoiding Ketron until just moments before.

He had agonized over his relationship with Ketron to the point of racking his brain, but as soon as he saw the music box, he completely forgot about it, only to belatedly remember the problem. He found himself absurd. The sweet taste of the alcohol was instantly forgotten, leaving only bitterness on the tip of his tongue.

Eddie hastily gathered his muddled thoughts.

“Of course, I may be Ket’s precious person, but~”

Eddie sipped sparingly from the glass, now only containing a single drink, trying to appear nonchalant. Or rather, he hoped he sounded that way.

“Still, those kinds of things, those kinds of words, are for girls. If you keep doing that, I might…”

Eddie, about to say he might misunderstand, realized that was another form of deception and ended up clutching his head.

Misunderstand what? No matter how oblivious he was, after what happened that day, seeing that look in his eyes now, there was no way he could pretend not to know, no matter how hard he tried.

There was no way he couldn’t know what kind of feelings Ketron had when he looked at him!

His head already felt like it was about to explode, and now it felt like someone had set it on fire. His mind was burning.

Before he could even consider his own feelings in the face of that gaze, which was practically a heartfelt confession, a question arose in Eddie’s mind without him even realizing it.

Is this okay?

…Isn’t this going against the flow of the damn Part 2?

Eddie’s heart pounded with tension, as if he expected to hear the sound of gears misaligned at any moment. Even if he did, he probably wouldn’t even notice it over the sound of his own heartbeat.

Maybe this situation isn’t that important. As long as he doesn’t deviate from the major story arcs, like winning the tournament, it might not have a big impact on Part 2.

For example, even if Ketron dates someone, it’s fine as long as that person doesn’t cause him to make important choices.

But the original story is a male-oriented fantasy, so if he ends up dating me, won’t the genre change? Is that okay?

In the first place, can I even end up with Ketron?

Eddie almost let out a hollow laugh at that thought, barely managing to stop himself.

Ah, he’s already screwed up at the point where he’s having these kinds of worries. He felt like he was suffocating from his own stupidity, wanting to be with him so badly but only worrying about ‘is this okay.’

Why did I accept you that day? Why did I want to teach you how to kiss? Why didn’t I scold you even though I knew you were lying?

Why did I even find that side of you endearing?

All of that clearly pointed to one thing, but he pretended not to notice the vague feelings. He didn’t try to understand them and just tried to bury them.

Eddie’s eyes clouded over.

Eddie shook his head. Shaking his drunken head only made it throb.

And so, his mouth opened without filtering his words.

“…Anyway, I won’t be in your ending…”

Ketron looked puzzled. He had to stop, but his mouth wouldn’t stop.

“I won’t be there.”

The day of the tournament.

Eddie wasn’t in the only ending scene from Part 2 that he could confirm.

He didn’t know if he was alive, dead, or had left in some other way, or if he was just running the inn perfectly fine without being mentioned.

The spotlight was definitely on Ketron and the people around him, but Eddie’s story wasn’t there.

If Eddie had developed a deep relationship with Ketron, wouldn’t he have appeared in the ending?

No, in the first place, unless the genre of this story changes, there’s no way the story of Part 2 would accept Eddie…

“Ah.”

Eddie finally came to his senses after thinking that far and looked up. He saw Ketron’s stiff face.

Eddie, you idiot. How much did you blurt out?

“What does that mean?”

Eddie hurriedly shook his head at Ketron’s question.

“No, it’s nothing.”

It couldn’t be nothing. It was already far beyond the line that Ketron could pretend not to notice.

Even so, all Eddie could do was deny it. Shaking his head made his head throb. He seemed to have drunk too much of that damn alcohol.

He stupidly revealed his own fears. And he was tricked by the alcohol into saying it. How could someone be so pathetic?

“…”

Ketron pursed his lips and looked at Eddie.

It was as if the lively atmosphere in which they had been happily chatting, passing drinks back and forth, though mostly Eddie’s glass was being filled, had never existed. A cold atmosphere hung over the table.

“Eddie, you.”

Ketron, who had been choosing his words for a long time, slowly opened his mouth.

“Why do you always think alone, worry alone, and come to conclusions on your own? You never try to tell me anything.”

He always had a face that was clearly troubled, a face that looked like he was in pain, repeating thoughts over and over, but he never opened his mouth to Ketron.

Ketron had told Eddie everything, but Eddie didn’t tell Ketron anything and kept trying to handle everything alone.

It was like that on the day of the tournament, and it was like that when he met the Demon King. Even though he knew, Ketron waited.

He waited for Eddie to trust Ketron and tell him everything on his own.

“Am I wrong to think that you say it’s okay to stay by my side if I want to, but you act like you can leave at any time?”

“No, that’s not—”

“If that’s not it, then what is it?”

“…”

“You still don’t intend to tell me, do you?”

Ketron stopped talking and took a deep breath. It was as if he was barely holding back his anger.

“You think too much.”

Eddie’s heart sank. Even though he hadn’t raised his voice, it felt like he was being scolded loudly.

By Ketron, of all people.

But Ketron didn’t seem to be trying to blame Eddie. The moment their eyes met, the moment he realized that the emotion in his eyes was only worry, Eddie confirmed it once again.

The day Ketron would blame Eddie would never come. Just like Eddie wouldn’t.

Ketron hesitated for a moment after meeting Eddie’s eyes, then opened his mouth.

“You know now that there was no curse that day, don’t you?”

“Ket.”

“You know that I was purely horny for you, don’t you?”

Eddie pursed his lips. How could he not know? He had noticed that there were no traces of a curse on Ketron that day, and his head had been so complicated.

He had thought and thought about what that meant.

But in the end, Eddie couldn’t bring himself to confront Ketron about it. There were various things that happened afterward, but he avoided it because he was afraid of what Ketron would say.

“Can I interpret the fact that you didn’t blame me even though you noticed, in my own way?”

It was obvious in what direction he would interpret it.

“…No.”

Eddie immediately denied it. Don’t interpret it however you want, however it suits you. But even so, he couldn’t look Ketron in the eye.

He couldn’t be confident in the face of these feelings.

How could he say that you are the protagonist of this world, but I am a stranger who doesn’t know when he will leave?

How could he say that I don’t know what will happen to me in your ending?

Even if Eddie exists in that ending.

How could he say that he doesn’t know if Eddie will be able to exist in this world after the ending?

How can I promise you a future with that kind of thing?

How can I say that I want to be with you?

How can I be so selfish?

But Ketron didn’t seem to have any intention of letting Eddie go at that point. He moved closer to Eddie, who was sitting one seat away.

His outstretched arm hugged Eddie without hesitation.

Eddie, who was hugged tightly against his solid chest, blankly blinked his eyes, and Ketron whispered closely into Eddie’s ear.

“Even if I have to be abandoned by the world one more time, I’ve become such an idiot that I’d rather that than be abandoned by you.”

Eddie’s eyes widened. But Ketron didn’t give Eddie a chance to recover from the shock of those words and continued.

“How can you think of leaving me when you’ve made me collapse without you?”

Sweet reproach poured into his ear.

He hadn’t been thinking of leaving, but Ketron seemed to think that what Eddie had said meant that Eddie wanted to leave his side.

So he was telling him not to do that.

He was telling him not to leave him and to stay by his side.

No, he was telling him to stay by his side.

The truth that had burst out without being able to control the overflowing emotions wasn’t really new. What had he said the day he kissed his wrist?

“If you leave me, I don’t know what I’ll do either.”

He wanted to tell himself, who had simply brushed off that statement, thinking, “Why is this guy saying things like that as if he’s threatening me?”

That’s not a threat.

“So stay by my side.”

What was contained in those words, which had continued as if it were obvious, was not a threat, but a complete sincerity.

The point where he could have remained simply as the protagonist’s helper had already passed long ago. Without him even knowing it.