I’m Not Doing This With A Friend

Fjord didn't wear his earplugs when he was with us.

In fact, until Kun came in, there was nothing in his ears.

It's probably because the surroundings are noisy.

"He's got earplugs on, so he'll be fine. Look, he doesn't even turn to look at what we're talking about."

At that time, I met Fjord's eyes, who had just turned his gaze from the book. I quietly turned to glance at Carson and glanced back at Fjord.

Looking back at Fjord, his face crumpled.

‘Why did you take your eyes off the book just now?'

Fjord also protested with a rotten expression, perhaps because it was unfair. ‘Why can't you just look at me freely?'

Oh! I didn't know we could talk with our facial expressions.

Leen took a step as they chatted with facial expressions.

"I'll be back."

Then, Carson grabbed my sleeve this time.

"If you're not going to do it here, take me with you."

"…?"

I stared at Carson, wondering if I said something wrong about going out.

"It's not that I won't come back. I'm going for a while."

Kun, who was watching what we were doing, stopped in front of me, and blocked me away from Carson.

"You're making such a fuss just because we're going out for a while. Carson, your actions only seem to be trying to bind Leen."

Carson's eyes looking up at Kun rose. Kun looked back at him and continued talking.

"You look like a pitiful husband.."

"What? A pitiful husband?"

As I was about to mediate between the two of them, thinking that there would be a fight, Carson suddenly smiled wide and patted Kun on the back.

"Thank you for thinking of me as a husband. We're not married yet, does that look like that?" ᶜᵃʳˢᵒⁿ

It was like a dog ‘X' way that only listened to the words he wanted to hear.

Kun looked at Carson with an expression of ‘What's wrong with this guy?'

"What marriage? You two have nothing to do with each other."

"How can you be sure that Leen and I are not in a relationship?" ᶜᵃʳˢᵒⁿ

"Are you two in private?"

"No." ᶜᵃʳˢᵒⁿ

"Then, are you in the pre-dating stage?"

"No." ᶜᵃʳˢᵒⁿ

"It doesn't sound like you're in a relationship." 

When Kun said something mercilessly with facts, Carson, who he thought would get angry, smiled at him.

"You're probably the one who's really nothing. Leen, you are just a patient, he's nothing, right?"

Kun couldn't say anything, only his eyebrows twitched.

‘Well, our first meeting wasn't very good, so why would I like him?' ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

Even though the misunderstanding was resolved, there was no particular good feeling.

Carson raised one corner of his lips.

"By comparison, I was confirmed to be ranked similar to Leen's 27th eyelash. Maybe it's even higher."

Why are you proud of that? ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

"That's… I'm a bit jealous."

This time, I looked at Kun with a really bewildered face.

Why are you jealous of that?

Feeling tired in an unexpected atmosphere, I separated the two.

"I got it for now. I think Caon is really good, and Fjord…"

Looking at Fjord, he took off his earplugs and shook his hand as he watched the situation.

"I'm fine too. It's scarier when the two of you go out and only me and Carson are left."

"…Since you said yes, let's just check here."

A look of dissatisfaction crossed Kun's face for a moment. But he soon erased it and nodded.

"Yes."

I brought a chair and sat Kun down.

And I held out my palm and said, meaning to put his hand up.

"Hand."

Ah! Come to think of it, isn't this too much of a command to a dog?

"Sorry. I didn't hear what you just said…"

I was going to tell him to do it. Suddenly, something was on my hand already.

It's a hand other than Kun. I turned and looked at the owner of the unrequested hand.

"Caon?"

Why? I was looking at Carson in confusion, and he's eyes met mine. He smiled with his eyes folded beautifully as if there was something wrong with him.

Face…

The moment I met that face, I lost my mind and couldn't say anything. I quietly took Carson's hand and lowered it.

"Caon. Don't look here, turn around and do what you have to do." ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

Then, Carcion looked shocked.

"What if he looks at you when I'm not looking?"

"At least nothing that you're worried about will happen, so do as I say." ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

"Yes…"

When I said firmly, he quickly lowered his tail and turned around. Carson brings a magic book and unfolds it.

On the surface, it looks like he's reading a magic book, but in fact, his ears must be focused on us.

Still, I thought I could take a breather by turning my gaze elsewhere.

When I reached out my hand again to ask Kun for his hand, he hesitated and soon held out his hand.

"Do you have hand tremors?"

In fact, he was a drunkard in the Empire, but couldn't drink at the academy, so he had withdrawal symptoms.

"I don't…"

"Then why are you so nervous?"

But it wasn't Kun who answered my question.

"What? Nervous? You're nervous because you're in front of Leen…!"

"Caon!"

It was Carson who shut his mouth at once. But if we went on like this, it seemed that the examination, which would be finished soon, would take hours.

I rummaged through my bag and pulled out an item. These were the earplugs that Carson gave as a gift while making Fjord's earplugs.

I don't know why I, who was always there, received more earplugs than Fjord who received one.

Anyway, I've never used this, so it should be fine. Without thinking, I approached Carson.

"Caon. Stay like that until I take it out."

And without saying anything, I put them directly into both ears.

Carson's ears, which I touched, turned red.

Looking at such a Carson satisfactorily, I went back to the Kun.

Kun looked alternately at Carson and me, and spoke in a shivering tone.

"Carson listens to Leen very well."

"Well… it's like that." ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

After giving a rough answer, I stared at him again to ask for his hand again.

Kun fumbled and opened his mouth.

"Thanks to that… treatment, my condition has improved a lot, but I'm still sweating."

"So?" ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

"Isn't it dirty…"

With a face that doesn't know what to do. Is that why he was trembling?

I grabbed Kun's hand which was wandering in the air. Then, I answered casually, looking at the condition.

"It's not dirty."

Certainly, his hands were moist so I could see why Kun was wary of me. But the truth was that it wasn't dirty.

Some of the patients who visited my mothers in the past had very serious hygiene conditions.

Compared to that, sweat was really nothing.

At the end of my words, no other words were heard from Kun. I focused on examining his condition, so I didn't know what expression he was making.

By the time I finished looking at his condition, Kun had spoken.

"…The payment for treatment."

"I don't need it." ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

"I've been thinking about it, but I think it'll be burdensome for me to keep putting the money Leen refuses."

"You know it well." ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

"So, Uhm… Is there anything else you want?"

"Well you know…" Leen shifted her gaze from looking at his hands and looked into Kun's eyes.

‘Oh. I knew that gaze.'

Among those who received grace from my mother, those with eyes like that didn't fall apart until they returned the favour either way.

‘Should I get paid now? What do I need?'

Come to think of it, if I want to distribute sweat suppressants through Hans, I have to make them in advance. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have one extra hand.

"Then, can you help me until I get rid of your disease?" ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

Kun's expression widened as I asked for help.

"What can I do to help you?"

Kun looked motivated.

"The hyperhidrosis treatment I gave you. I plan to distribute it." ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

"Distribution of the medicine…"

As if thinking of something, a smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

"Leen is such a good person."

"I'm trying to make money." ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

"Still, I think you are a good person."

At this, Kun seems to have misunderstood something.

"I don't plan on giving it away for free. I'm going to sell it as expensive as possible." ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

"But there will definitely be people who will be saved by Leen's treatment. Just like me."

That's right. You can enjoy dry armpits and chills in the sweltering summer. I looked at Kun strangely.

"I didn't see it that way, but you look at the world in a very positive way." ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

Then Kun burst into laughter.

"I've heard that from time to time."

"So, can you help me?" ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

"Sure. I think it's related to medicinal herbs, I'll be quite helpful in that field. It's because I'm half-elf."

"…Really?" ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

My eyes naturally turned to look at his ears. It looks normal, not sharp.

He explained as if he had noticed what I was thinking.

"My appearance resembles His Majesty and is close to humans…"

"Instead, I inherited my mother's powers and dealt with the spirits well."

‘So that's why you were very angry when I plucked the flower. Because the elves valued nature as a friend and cherished it.'

Leen pictured his family tree in her mind.

The second prince of the Abascanthus Empire, Kun, was not a son of the Empress.

He was the only son of the Queen, who said she went missing when Kun was three years old.

"For your information, my mother isn't missing. She still meets me regularly."

"…?"

"My mother was frustrated with the Imperial Palace. Especially since she had to hide that she was an elf in an unfamiliar environment."

As if Kun was telling a pleasant story, he drew a wide smile.

"His Majesty, who felt sorry for my mother, so he gave her freedom after treating her as missing."

"Isn't that confidential?" ᴸᵉᵉⁿ

Kun shrugged as if it was nothing.

"It's such a secret to the benefactor."

It felt like if I became his benefactor twice, he would tell the whole story of the Empire"s important things.

"Well, even though I said it's a secret, most of the nobles of our Empire know this. They just don't say it out loud."

‘Aha! That's why you said it without hesitation.'

"Anyway, you said that you liked it too, so after the club time ends tomorrow… Ah. Come to think of it, what kind of club are you in?"

Kun laughed again.

"As you know, I'm a patient. I submitted a medical certificate and was allowed to take a break from club time."

Oh my! There was someone who sucked more honey than me.

"What's your club grade?"

"They said it would go into the average value of all grades."

"…Nylon patient."