Between Friendship and Something More

“I heard you like cheesecake, so I chose this place. Is it alright?”

“Ah, it’s my first time here too. Have you been here before, Zeno?”

“No, it’s my first time as well. A friend recommended it to me. I truly hope it’s to your liking.”

Just then, the server brought out a whole cheesecake. My internal conflict lasted only a second; the sight of the glossy, rich cake made my mouth water instinctively. Fine, let’s just eat the cake and leave.

The moment I reached for the cake server, Zeno beat me to it. He carefully placed a slice on a plate and set it before me.

“You really worked hard on the presentation.”

“Thank you.”

I took a large, cautious bite. Wait, this is incredibly moist and delicious. The taste was so overwhelming I almost lost my reason. I polished off the slice in the blink of an eye. Zeno simply watched me in silence. It was only after I stared at the empty plate that my senses returned. I asked tentatively:

“Aren’t you eating, Zeno?”

“Ah, not really. I don’t care for sweets.”

“Then why…?”

Zeno served me another slice as he spoke.

“Because you like it.”

“…”

He’s being way too forward. Cold sweat began to pour down my back. The more he acted like this, the harder it became to figure out how to respond. I slowly set down my fork and opened my mouth.

“Um, the thing is—”

“Cecil, I feel at peace when I’m with you.”

“Pardon?”

“Maybe it’s because you remind me of Della. I felt like I had nowhere to settle my heart, but I feel I’ve finally found it.”

A faint smile appeared on Zeno’s usually cold, icy face. Even for someone like me, who was hardened against Michael’s visual attacks, it was a smile so beautiful it left me momentarily dazed.

“So, what I’m saying is, from now on…”

“Whoa! Look who it is!”

Zeno’s eyes widened instantly. I turned my head. A man with tanned skin and long, snow-white hair tied back in a ponytail was waving cheerfully toward us. The monocle he wore caught the light.

“Fancy meeting you here!”

The man wore the Owl Academy uniform, adorned with the sapphire brooch that symbolized the Magic Department.

“Is this why you asked for a recommendation for a cafe with good cheesecake yesterday? Is she a friend?”

“…”

Zeno said nothing. But the man continued breezily, unbothered.

“Haha, as blunt as ever, I see. It’s fine; I’m just here to buy a cake and head out. I have an assignment to finish.”

“…Is that so?”

“Ah, but Lord Zeno.” The man, who had been heading toward the counter, suddenly turned back. “Didn’t your fiancée come to visit this week?”

Fiancée? I snapped to attention. What did I just hear? Did he just say “fiancée”? I looked up at the man. Zeno replied:

“She didn’t come today.”

“Really? That’s surprising. I thought she’d come at least once a week. Your fiancée is so fond of you, after all.”

“…Nets.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going for real now~!”

The man called Nets brushed past me and mouthed a silent message:

‘You get what I’m saying, right?’

My hands began to shake. I stood up immediately.

“Wait, Cecil.”

In this world, same-s*x dating and marriage are allowed. Because of that, people with fiancés are careful whether they are with the same or opposite s*x. You don’t want to be misunderstood by your partner. But this jerk? Today, he hadn’t just invited misunderstanding—he had acted in a way that would make anyone certain of his intentions.

“Don’t ever speak to me again.”

“Cecil, first, let me explain—”

I covered both ears and yelled at the top of my lungs.

“I’m a dog, so I don’t understand human speech! Woof! Woof woof woof!”

In situations like this, acting crazy is truly the best defense. Even the legendary Zeno was left utterly speechless by the absurdity. Even after I sprinted out of the cafe, I didn’t feel safe, so I kept running for a long time. I only stopped once the Academy buildings came into view. Gasping for air, I wiped the sweat from my face.

“…Phew, I’m alive.”

I almost accidentally changed genres from a School Life story to a Romance Fantasy. The title would have been something like ‘My Fiancé Was Stolen by a Man Who Looks Like a Maltese.’ Long titles are popular these days, after all. And then the abandoned fiancée would tremble with betrayal and regress… I caught myself spiraling again.

“…Wow, I truly feel a sense of self-loathing.”

I banged my head against a wall. To be honest, in my past life, Romance Fantasy was the genre I read most after School Life stories. At first, I read them out of curiosity as to why they were popular, but before I knew it, I was hitting the ‘pay’ button.

I could understand why people enjoyed love quarrels. But that’s only fun when it’s someone else’s business; it’s not fun at all when it’s your own life.

And if you were born human and have reached this age, you should at least have basic manners. How can he flirt like that when he has a fiancée? If I ever get a fiancé, I’ll do my absolute best for that person—whether they were chosen by my family or by me.

The moment I made that vow, I felt strange.

“…A fiancé.”

Most students at the Academy have fiancés. Nobles have to marry early for the sake of their houses. The only ones without them were Michael and me.

Michael was mistreated by his family, and my house had been snatched away by my uncle, so even if we wanted to make a match, we couldn’t. I had never once been dissatisfied with that.

But what about Michael? Doesn’t Michael want to meet a good person and get married? I imagined it: Michael putting a ring on a fiancé’s finger and vowing his love. And me, standing beside him, offering my congratulations.

“…What is this?”

Why did my mood suddenly turn sour? I kicked a pebble. Then, a question I had always harbored bubbled to the surface.

Are we really just friends?

When we were young, I would have answered “Of course!” without hesitation. But at some point, that changed to “Probably?” And now? I didn’t even know what I was thinking. What should I do in a time like this? Ask Ronia? Or…

Should I ask Michael directly? If we’re really friends?

No. As always, the conversation would just end vaguely. But why do I keep wanting to ask him that when I already know the outcome? Is it because there’s an answer I want to hear? And if there is, what kind of answer is it?

As if possessed, I headed toward the training grounds used by the Swordsmanship Department.

Michael and I had been friends since we were very young. We didn’t meet at a party like other nobles; we weren’t loved enough to be invited to such places.

We met in a back alley of the town. I had gone out with my nanny and lost her because of my bad habit of overthinking. Michael had run away from home in a fit of rage after a fight with his father.

I had accidentally wandered into the alley while looking for my nanny, and Michael had entered that den of thieves with the intention of dying. But, he said that when he saw me shivering from the cold and hunger, he abandoned the idea of death.

I have no idea which part of my shivering form made him want to live, but Michael took my hand and led me out of the alley. He even found my nanny. That day, we parted ways after eating bread the nanny bought for us. Before we left, Michael told me we should meet often and play.

That was how we became friends.

We were always together. If we had entered the same department, we would have been attached at the hip 24 hours a day at the Academy, too. I kicked another stone.

Michael is my friend. Ronia is also my friend. But the feeling is different. I reached up and touched my face; it was still hot. I never got like this in front of Ronia, but in front of Michael, it happened almost once a day.

“Cecil, what are you doing here?”

I flinched, interrupted just as I was about to think seriously toward a conclusion. Michael, who seemed to be on cleanup duty, was looking at me curiously while tidying away wooden swords. I looked around hurriedly. I had been so lost in thought I didn’t even realize I had arrived.

“Did you come because you missed me?”

I stared blankly at Michael and answered reflexively:

“How did you know?”

I didn’t think I would actually say yes. Michael’s face flushed deep red. Neither of us said a word for a moment, then, as if by unspoken agreement, we began to tidy the training ground together. After finishing, we sat on the grass nearby.

The sky was already growing dark. Having nothing to say, I stared at the sky until my eyes ached. Then Michael asked:

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“No, not really.”

“You’re a bit strange today. Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Really?”

I shouldn’t tell him about today so he doesn’t worry. But my mouth was already moving.

“Yeah. Someone with a fiancée hit on me, but it was really no big deal.”

“…What?”

I simply can’t hide anything from Michael. I stared at the sky again as Michael asked:

“What happened?”

“I told him never to talk to me again and ran away.”

“If anything else happens, tell me immediately.”

“Yeah, I will.”

Still, Michael seemed uneasy and said it once more.

“Make sure to tell me.”

“I’ll tell you for sure, so don’t worry. You know me. If anything happens, I report every little thing to you from start to finish.”

As soon as I said that, I suddenly burst out laughing. Michael asked:

“What is it?”

“No, I just realized again that I’ve been bothering you since we were kids.”

“I’ve never once thought of it as a bother.”

“Still, I can’t depend on you forever.”

“I really don’t mind.”

After those words, we fell silent again. The conversation we just had was, by any measure, not one between mere friends.