Male Lead, Don’t Push, Pull!

“Thanks.”

I didn’t even bother turning down Kyle’s help.

“Mhm,” Kyle replied.

Pulling myself out of the opening, I shook the dirt off my clothes.

The cool breeze was a welcome relief from the heat.

“Shall we go then?”

As the one responsible for getting this evening’s dinner on the table, I led the way confidently.

The Academy and the town center of Arene were fairly close together.

It wasn’t long before a well-traveled road emerged from the bushes, and we soon found ourselves in a busy, bustling shopping street.

“Mom, what’s for dinner tonight?”

“Tonight’s dinner is our David’s favorite stewed vegetables.”

“I don’t like stewed vegetables….”

By the way, it was still early evening, so there were quite a few people.

“Vivi.”

“Hmm?” I turned my head at the sudden voice.

Kyle held out one hand and gestured casually down the street.

“There’s a lot of people, so it’s dangerous. Here, take my hand.”

Hmmm….

I don’t think I’d ever be in danger on the streets, no matter how crowded they are, as an almost-adult.

But I didn’t want to turn Kyle down, just as I didn’t turn him down when passing through the doghole.

“You’re right, we shouldn’t risk that,” I agreed as I took the hand he held out to me.

I guess I’m the most dangerous one here.

***

“Ah, that was good!”

An hour later, we walked out of the restaurant, patting our stomachs in satisfaction.

We’d ordered four different main dishes, not to mention appetizers, dessert, and drinks.

It would have been impossible for me to do this on my own, but with Kyle being a big eater, I was able to try everything I wanted.

I don’t get to go out very often, and it was a nice day, so I wanted to try all the things I’ve been craving.

“Did you eat well, Kyle?”

“Yeah. I ate well thanks to you.”

I nodded, smiling at the textbook response. It’s always rewarding to buy Kyle something more to eat.

It’s also nice to see that he’s eating well.

Does all that height come from the amount of food he eats?

I consider myself an average eater. With a height that barely approaches average, I seriously thought about my portions.

“What are you thinking?”

“Do you think my short stature is because I don’t eat enough?”

“Well, Vivi is on the small side.”

“What. You think so too?”

I should probably start drinking milk now. But I’ll be an adult on my birthday later this year and drinking milk now won’t make me taller….

“I think being small is cute, though.”

I blinked at Kyle’s out-of-the-blue comment. Before I could react with anything, Kyle held out his hand to me.

“Let’s go back.”

We held hands on the way here, so should we hold hands on the way back?

The casual way he held out his hand made him look so confident and unafraid that I couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

I grabbed Kyle’s hand.

We took a slow stroll back to the academy, feeling a little full from our outing.

“By the way, Vivi seems to have a particular fondness for that place. Is there a reason?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s just that the roasted chicken they sell at Cornell’s is my favorite….” I leaned in close to Kyle and whispered, “That’s Cornell’s husband’s restaurant.”

“Oh, come to think of it, the store is called….”

“That’s why I often stop by and help him with the sales.”

You think it’s just my cuteness that makes me so popular with my unnies in the kitchen?

It’s all due to hard work. If you want to be seen anywhere, you have to be seen by someone who’s in charge.

“She always says that her husband makes her feel bad and that she hates him, but the truth is that they have a really good relationship,” I continued in a low voice, just in case anyone was listening.

“I guess they do, if you put your wife’s name on your shop.”

“Isn’t that, right? And you know what, once upon a time, Cornell saw him in the mirror….”

I was in a good mood and rambling, but then I stopped. Well, let’s not talk about this.

I turned the conversation around instead.

“Oh, more than that, Kyle. Yesterday, the professor asked me to-“

I flinched.

There was a pause. Kyle tilted his head, a gentle look on his face as if to ask what was wrong.

“Professor Valentine?”

“…He said he’d look over the thesis and that I should bring it to him when it was finished.”

“That’s good, Vivian, because he’s a renowned scholar.”

“Ahaha. Right?” I said, smiling cheerfully, but my heart was beating like crazy.

Kyle’s hand, gently at first, slowly weaved its way through my fingers, and eventually, and eventually his thick knuckles gradually filled the gap between my fingers.

Thud.

Thud, thud, thud.

God, my heart is beating a drum.

What should I do?

I must have thought it was too easy.

The callused hand that had always held the sword gripped my hand tightly. I could feel a searing heat between our interlocking palms that I couldn’t ignore.

My face must be redder than the well-cooked chicken we had eaten for dinner just now.

This… this is not my imagination, is it?

Ever since our trip to the Tower of Helios, Kyle had often been touching me more intensely than before.

It was nothing more than a squeeze of my hand, but….

The vibe I felt through our interlocked palms was different.

“‘Ahaha. Kyle. Let’s take a break over there!”

Suddenly embarrassed, I pointed to a bench in front of a fountain set up in the central square.

Kyle sighed as I released his hand and ran towards the bench first. But eventually, he slowly made his way to my side.

I didn’t like the awkwardness, so I started babbling.

“It’s cool by the fountain, but why don’t we go get some ice cream?”

“What flavor do you want? I’ll get it.”

“No. Today is the day I buy, so I have to buy everything, including dessert! ……..Wait, what?”

I fumbled fruitlessly in my pockets for my wallet, my eyes widening. There was nothing in the pocket where my wallet should have been, except for an empty candy shell.

“What’s wrong, Vivi?”

“Oh, my God. Kyle. I must have left my wallet at the restaurant.”

Apparently, I had paid the bill and left it on the table and forgot. 

I was freaking out, so Kyle said, “I’ll go get it.”

“What? No, that’s okay, I’ll go to the kitchen tomorrow and tell Cornell.”

“Then maybe someone else will take it. You just got out of the restaurant, so it’s probably still there.”

“Oh….”

“Wait here for a bit,” Kyle laughed softly, then turned and walked back the way we’d come.

I stared after him in silence, then sighed loudly when Kyle’s figure disappeared completely from view.

“Ha.”

Funnily enough, I felt my racing heart calm down a bit.

I stayed still and looked down at my hand where Kyle’s fingers had been intertwined.

Interlocking fingers… it’s more than that, right? It’s not an innocent gesture.

We’re not like children anymore.

“Haha, it’s getting hot.”

My face soon heated up enough that I had to fan myself.

In an effort to distract myself from the complexity of my feelings, I turned my attention to the people passing by.

As summer progressed, the sun set later and later, but by now it was so late that people were hurrying home.

As I stared at them, I jumped up from my seat at the sight of a silver-haired woman out of the corner of my eye.

“Sienna?”

I hadn’t spoken the name in a long time.

It wasn’t the time of the original story, and there was no reason for her to be in Arene, which was merely a small town with an academy.

But somehow, I couldn’t help but think that what I saw was Sienna.

After all, silver hair is not a common trait, and it’s only seen on a few chosen clerics, including the heroine, Sienna.

Mesmerized, I slipped out of my seat and followed my opponent.

The silver-haired figure in the distance was walking with another man in deep robes. The person next to her muttered something, and the person who was supposed to be Sienna adjusted her robe.

It hid the brilliant silver hair, but I was already half-convinced it was Sienna.

Let’s catch up to her and talk to her.

I swallowed hard and was just about to call out Sienna’s name.

“Huh?”

Sure enough, the alleyway bent to the right, and I couldn’t see Sienna where she should have been.

I looked around in a panic. As far as I could see, there was no room for a person to disappear in an instant.

“Am I seeing things?”

But it really looked like Sienna.

I sighed in frustration, and then realized I was deep inside an alleyway. Unlike the brightly lit central square, it was dreary and dark.

Though Arene had a good public security system, I shouldn’t stay in a place like this for long.

At that moment, a hand grabbed my shoulder as I turned to leave.