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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 56
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It's fine if you do this to me. But I hope you don't do it to others.
***
Slip.
As our clasped hands parted, her hand, which had been caressing mine, also drew away.
"..."
Even as I watched Glecia, seemingly satisfied, withdraw her hand from mine, I felt utterly bewildered.
"You really are different from me."
"...That's what I told you. Of course, your hand and mine are different. Men and women are different, so how could a hand that wields a sword be the same as one that wields a spear?"
"I thought so too. Still, I was a little curious about how exactly they were different."
Even as I watched her reply, as if genuinely curious, my own feelings were incredibly strange.
'Could I really call this pure innocence?'
She was clearly innocent. That must be why she acted so uninhibitedly, but from my perspective, being on the receiving end of her actions, I couldn't help but feel utterly strange.
She'd randomly asked for my hand, and when I offered it, she'd caressed it in a strangely intimate way with just a single phrase: 'I'm curious, just for a moment.'
Even for me, I couldn't feign composure and brush it off.
A charming woman my age was intimately caressing my hand, making physical contact; if I remained unperturbed by that, I wouldn't be a man.
Midway through her strangely intimate touch, I could only manage a foolish, awkward smile, unable to do anything else.
I was acutely aware of the unusually intense gazes directed at us from other tables. Even thinking back on it now, I felt heat rising in my body.
'Still... don't misunderstand.'
Glecia was performing such an absurd act, yet she held no romantic feelings for me. I didn't want to get unnecessarily excited on my own.
I needed to speak clearly to Glecia.
"Glecia."
"Yes?"
"If I were to do exactly what you just did to me, would you accept it?"
"...You mean holding hands?"
"Exactly. Even if you said you held my hand to check it, imagine if I suddenly grabbed your hand in return. Wouldn't that be incredibly strange? You, too, would naturally reject me."
I wanted to persuade her as rationally as possible.
It wasn't about my current feelings; if Glecia acted like this toward others, there would be many victims.
"Not really. If it were you, I wouldn't have rejected you."
"Right. Of course, you would have rejected me..."
I trailed off, naturally continuing my sentence before stopping short.
'...She wouldn't have rejected me?'
I had been trying to explain why it was inappropriate by putting herself in my shoes, but my words were completely cut off.
"Han Cheon-seong. Why do you think I would reject you? You accepted me just now."
Glecia, who countered as if nothing was strange, appeared utterly composed.
It was momentarily unbelievable that she could speak such heart-shaking words so unreservedly... while wearing such a guileless expression.
"You wouldn't reject me... Glecia. You wouldn't mind if I held your hand?"
"Rather than not minding, our conversation was already settled the day we first met at the cafe. I said I would accept the time I spent with you. So even if you tried to do to me what I just did to you, if I could understand it, I would calmly accept it."
Speaking calmly, she met my gaze with pure eyes.
Her clear blue eyes seemed to reflect nothing but sincerity, as if there were no other meaning... yet it was truly absurd.
'Haa...'
Swallowing the sigh that threatened to escape, I first calmed my mind.
Even I was flustered that my heart was wavering for Glecia.
I knew she had no romantic feelings for me, yet her actions and words kept leading my thoughts in that direction.
Truly... Glecia was the problem.
She constantly said things that could be greatly misunderstood. If I hadn't thought she had a pure and unique personality, my heart would have undoubtedly wavered to the extent that I'd believe Glecia liked me right now.
"First. Glecia, I want to clarify that I'm not speaking with any particular emotion right now."
"Understood. Speak."
I carefully opened my mouth, wondering how to caution her without making Glecia feel bad.
"First, while it's fine if you act that way toward me, I hope you'll consider the perspective of the person on the receiving end of your actions and words. Your way of speaking and acting tends to leave room for misunderstanding."
"...Room for misunderstanding."
"Exactly. There's too much room for misunderstanding. Just a moment ago, for instance, when you caressed my hand as if to examine it. If I were to truly act that way toward you, wouldn't you feel a little strange?"
Glecia stared blankly at her own hand at my words, and watching her, I felt a slight sense of relief.
'As expected.'
Even if she said she wouldn't mind, if I had truly taken Glecia's hand and caressed it, she would certainly feel strange too.
"Indeed... I think it would be strange."
"See? That's why. I think you need to refrain from actions like the one just now. While some might view your behavior positively, it can also lead to misunderstandings."
Such actions couldn't all be brushed off as mere innocence.
While I could understand and accept Glecia, if anyone else heard Glecia's words, a hundred out of a hundred would misunderstand.
'And... I don't particularly want to see that either.'
Even though we had no romantic feelings for each other, I didn't want to see Glecia, who had acted this way toward me, do the same to another man.
Then Glecia looked at me silently, appearing as if she had something to say.
"...Han Cheon-seong. Do you want to touch it too?"
When she blurted out such an abrupt question with innocent eyes, I couldn't even grasp the meaning of the words themselves.
"Touch what?"
Even as I spoke, the nuance itself felt incredibly strange.
"You're saying it's fine if I act that way, and that you'll accept it, but you keep bringing up how I held your hand. So I wondered if you perhaps wanted to touch my hand too."
Glecia cast a calm yet transparent gaze at me.
Staring blankly at her, I was momentarily speechless.
"..."
At that moment, I actually started to seriously reconsider if Glecia was truly innocent.
Perhaps Glecia harbored at least a hundred foxes within her. Otherwise, how could she pick and choose only words that would shake the listener's heart so profoundly?
And... I kept repeating to myself internally.
—Glecia doesn't like me.
So I was trying to forcibly suppress any foolish excitement, but now even that was in doubt.
'She's really not trying to tempt me, is she...?'
Amidst my doubts, I steadfastly regained my composure.
"It's not that I want to touch your hand or anything like that. Glecia. I'm just asking you to consider my position for once. To be honest, when you touched my hand, it wasn't fine... I felt truly strange."
Finally, speaking frankly and explaining everything, I thought she would understand now.
"Han Cheon-seong. Why... did you feel strange?"
However, Glecia, asking with curious eyes, always exceeded my expectations.
"...When someone else caresses and strokes my hand. I can't just remain unbothered. It just felt strange. Do I need further explanation for the word 'strange'?"
"No, not necessarily, but I was just curious about how you felt."
After that, Glecia naturally picked up her drink, and the peculiar feeling I had didn't dissipate in the slightest.
Even as I suppressed it, and kept telling myself it wasn't true, my heart wavered even more.
...So I eventually accepted it.
'Let's admit it.'
I was currently wavering for Glecia.
She was beautiful to anyone, and even her way of speaking and acting felt charming to me.
When Glecia's unique innocence infused her proud demeanor and speech, it created a charm that couldn't be found in anyone else.
So.
It was possible for my heart to waver now.
Rather than trying to deny it, I decided to calmly accept it.
Clink.
And looking at Glecia, who had set down her glass, I resolved to steel my heart even more.
Not to waver too easily.
"Han Cheon-seong."
"...Yeah?"
Even as I replied, meeting her gaze, she suddenly extended her hand to me.
A pristine, delicate hand.
I looked at it, wondering why she was suddenly offering her hand, and Glecia smiled faintly.
"If my sudden actions made you feel strange, I apologize."
"...That's fine. So, why the sudden hand?"
"It means you can touch my hand too, just like I touched yours."
She said, a little brightly, as she subtly extended her pristine hand to me.
"..."
Even as I stared at her hand, my heart inadvertently wavered again.
My heart foolishly wavered, making my earlier thought of not wavering easily feel utterly meaningless.
Gulp.
Even as I inadvertently swallowed, I wondered what kind of foolish situation this was.
Was it really true that Glecia didn't like me?
Could she truly act like this with no ulterior motives?
Amidst numerous doubts.
At this moment, Glecia's actions seemed nothing short of temptation.
A temptation infused with innocence, both incredibly subtle and overtly blatant.
Just as my hand twitched involuntarily.
I reined in my emotions.
If I were to thoughtlessly touch Glecia's hand now, the very reason I had painstakingly spoken to her would lose its meaning. I couldn't let that happen.
"Glecia."
"Yes?"
"These actions you're doing right now..."
As Glecia met my gaze with her clear eyes at my words, I reaffirmed my resolve.
I needed to properly caution Glecia.
Even this behavior she was showing me now would feel like a fatal temptation to anyone else. It was an action imbued with temptation, one that anyone would mistakenly believe meant she had feelings for them.
I had to set that straight now.
"Don't do it to other people."
I spoke with resolve.
Glecia, who had paused at my words, met my gaze, and I repeated myself.
"It's fine if you do this to me. But I hope you don't do it to others."
"...Why?"
"Because I can accept you, but others cannot."
Just as I said that, slowly moving to push Glecia's hand away.
"Student Han Cheon-seong?"
A cold, untimely voice sounded.
And I... knew exactly who would call me that.
My body instantly froze solid.