Chapter 16: The Path to Friendship

What should ‘I’ do now? What was my goal?

Until now, it had been avoiding a bad ending.

Fortunately, she had become ‘Sayoreinne’ before the second semester, when she would start making enemies. While most people still disliked her, it wouldn’t escalate to the point of being killed, enslaved, or sold to a brothel.

Indeed, after a week of keeping a low profile, others had left her alone, allowing her to live peacefully. At this rate, she could achieve her initial goal.

She could, but… she didn’t want to anymore.

The feeling ‘she’ had been suppressing, ignoring—loneliness. She didn’t want to feel it anymore.

She didn’t want to show weakness or loneliness to those who hated and tormented her.

She wanted to make friends.

She wanted to laugh, get angry, cry, and enjoy life with good people.

She wanted to be happy.

That was her new goal.

“But how do you make friends…?”

The academy cafeteria had separate sections for students, faculty, and staff, so Sayo and Ahrin couldn’t eat together inside. However, there were a few tables and chairs near the entrance for outdoor dining, a shared space where they could eat together if they brought their food outside.

Ahrin had learned about this from other staff members yesterday, so they were having lunch together today, Saturday.

Sayo, a light eater, finished her meal quickly and looked at Ahrin, who was happily munching on bread.

“Uh, mmmph. Munch, munch, gulp. Cough, cough.”

Ahrin choked, realizing mid-sentence that her mouth was full. Sayo handed her some milk. Gulp, gulp.

“Chew and swallow slowly. It’s okay if you take your time answering.”

“Yes… what were you saying, Miss?”

Ahrin, licking the milk off her lips, looked like a little animal.

“…How do you make friends?”

“…Huh?”

Sayoreinne had never had friends. She spent most of her time confined to her room or her mother’s room, or being bullied by her half-siblings. She’d had no opportunity to meet other children her age.

When she finally had the chance at the academy, her unpleasant personality only made enemies. The two sycophants who showed her some favor weren’t real friends, so Sayoreinne had genuinely never had a friend in her life.

Juseong had friends until high school. But he was already introverted, and being neglected by his family and constantly failing had made him even more withdrawn and depressed. The few friends he had were mostly acquaintances he’d bonded with over video games.

Even those friends drifted away after high school, losing contact completely.

He had no friends in college, spending his years there in listless solitude. After seven or eight years of isolation, the only ‘friend’ he made was that online gamer. His social skills were barely better than Sayoreinne’s.

So Sayo was at a loss. It wasn’t about starting new relationships from zero; it was about befriending people who already had a negative impression of her.

Accepting this, Sayo swallowed her pride and sought advice from Ahrin.

“No way, someone like Miss doesn’t have friends? That’s—”

Ahrin found it hard to believe that someone from such a prestigious family, beautiful and kind(?), wouldn’t have friends. But then she recalled the hostile Sayo she’d first met, the Sayo with the unsettling smile, the Sayo who had been so frightening and irritable recently. Perhaps it was possible.

Sayo’s reputation among the Marquisate staff was terrible.

While Miss was kind to her, she could have been treating others at the academy with her usual disdain and hostility.

Regardless, Miss wanted to make friends, and Ahrin had to help. Perhaps this would make Miss rely on her more, like her even more…

“Trust me, Miss! I’ll help you. You want to know how to make friends, right?”

“Please.”

Ahrin, kind, cute, energetic, and proactive, surely had many friends. Her advice would be helpful.

Sayo waited expectantly.

“Well…”
“…?”

But then…

“Uh…”
“……?”

And then…

“Umm…”
“………?”

Ahrin’s face sank lower and lower.

‘Why isn’t she saying anything?’

“Ahrin?”

“Yes…”

“Are you going to tell me or not?”

“…”

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Your face looks flushed.”

“…Never…really…tried…to…make…friends…” Ahrin mumbled, her face crimson, her head bowed.

“I can’t hear you. Ahrin, lift your head.” Sayo was getting impatient, but she waited.

Ahrin slowly lifted her head, her lips trembling.

“N-now that I think about it… I, I don’t really know how to make friends either…” she stammered, each word a struggle.

Sayo stared at Ahrin’s flushed face, speechless. What was with the sudden loss of confidence?

Ahrin had grown up in an orphanage, surrounded by about ten children her age who were like close friends. They had naturally become close, relying on each other and living together in the same space.

With her kind and friendly nature, she had never encountered a child who disliked her. She always avoided conflict and had never been in a serious fight.

After leaving the orphanage, she had gone straight to the Marquisate, having no opportunity to make new friends.

The Marquisate, seeking a dim-witted servant for Sayo, had brought Ahrin, a girl of suitable age from the orphanage, provided her with two weeks of perfunctory training, and assigned her as Sayo’s personal—lady’s maid. Having gone straight to the academy with Sayoreinne after that, Ahrin had no relevant experience to share.

Therefore—

“Um… well, don’t you just naturally become friends by spending time together?” was all she could offer. While that might work for her, it was clearly not applicable to Sayo, who needed to improve her negative reputation. She wasn’t that kind of person.

“…Most of us have been here for a semester already. How are we supposed to ‘naturally’ become friends now?” Sayo said, frowning slightly.

“I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s my fault for snapping at you. I apologize.”

Silence fell between them as they finished their breakfast.

Who did ‘I,’ who hated loneliness, want to befriend? Would anyone do?

She asked herself. The answer came quickly.

She wanted to befriend those she liked. Who did she like?

This answer came easily, too.

There were five people she was drawn to, people she wanted to be close to.

Emelly Stield, Euru Minorus, Nell Soltren, Leia Kitakamul, and Ryu Sowol.

The protagonist and the four female heroines. Juseong’s influence was likely the strongest factor here.

Even without Juseong’s influence, they were the most beautiful and charming girls in the academy, as befitting main characters. That alone was enough reason to want to befriend them.

‘So who should I approach first?’

‘Am I already friends with Euru? I’m not sure, but I think we reconciled after the incident… We’ll probably become friends soon. Then…’

Suddenly, she felt a strange disconnect, thinking so strategically. She didn’t want to make friends—build relationships—in such a calculated manner. Whose influence was this?

Slurp

She saw Ahrin happily eating cake and drinking tea, a blissful expression on her face.

The first person ‘she’ had come to care for in this world.

The first person who cared for ‘her’ in this world.

There had been no calculations involved.

“You have something on your face.”

Sayo wiped the cream from the corner of Ahrin’s mouth with her finger and then licked it.

Sweet.

Seeing Ahrin’s flustered and embarrassed expression made her smile.

‘Stop overthinking it. Just do it.’

Her heart started to pound.

Feeling that pleasant flutter, Sayo looked forward to Monday.