This Novel is not my Chapter 58: Use (3)

"Ah, right. Co to think of it, I haven't thanked you yet, have I? Thanks for helping rescue Helga safely."

As I silently glared at Reisir in resentnt, he suddenly brought it up.

Reisir is the original protagonist, so he would have been able to rescue Helga safely on his own.

So he shouldn't have needed my help.

"There is no need for thanks. Didn't I tell you earlier in the carriage? I ca here not to help you, but..."

"To avoid being frad as the one who instigated the kidnapping?"

"Yes, you understand well."

"Yeah. I think I'm starting to understand what kind of person you are."

It was an answer that made my brow furrow.

He's probably planning to treat like a tsundere and tease again this ti.

I can't keep getting dragged around by Reisir's word gas forever. So this ti, I absolutely must not get flustered and should respond calmly.

Having resolved myself, I approached the conversation with a sneering tone.

"What kind of nonsense are you planning to spout this ti with an opening like that?"

"I'm not trying to spout nonsense... Karvaldr, you know. Don't live like that."

"...What?"

I expected him to smile and tell to stop being so shy already.

But contrary to my expectations, Reisir looked at with a worried expression and made a harsh remark in a cautious tone.

'His expression and tone match, but why on earth is the content like that?'

With that single remark, my resolve not to be shaken instantly evaporated into thin air.

In the end, I could only stand there dumbfounded, blinking.

Was my reaction that amusing? Reisir even let out a gasp of admiration.

"Wow, that's an expression I've never seen before!"

"......"

"Oops, that's not it. I didn't an that in a bad way, so don't get mad."

"I am not angry. rely dumbfounded."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Stop with the pointless remarks and explain what you ant by that."

I quickly suppressed the bewildered expression on my face and feigned the original body's usual arrogant and prickly deanor.

At that, Reisir's eyes briefly glimred mischievously before he paused.

It seed he judged that now was not the ti for jokes.

"When I said not to live like that, I ant it would be better for you to simply accept a thank you."

Reisir began speaking cautiously again, his gaze steady.

The atmosphere was so serious that I wondered if he was trying to re-enter the influence event that had failed earlier because I stole his lines.

"Whatever reason you had for stepping in to resolve this incident, I... no, Helga and I were definitely helped. If it weren't for your advice, I would still be running around anxiously trying to find Helga. If you hadn't co here, I wouldn't have been able to use the rcenaries hired by Tryggdrik to my advantage, so I couldn't have wrapped this up so easily and quickly. I'm sure I would have been seriously injured too."

"Hmm..."

Now that he put it that way, he was right.

The original protagonist would have, of course, resolved this incident on his own.

Because of that conviction, I hadn't considered the hardship Reisir would have gone through in the process.

So I had concluded that Reisir had no need to thank , but I was mistaken.

I deserved to receive his thanks.

Even so, I couldn't say, 'I think you're right. I deserve to be thanked by you.'

Because imdiately agreeing with soone, let alone ekly accepting it, doesn't suit Karvaldr.

Acting as another person in daily life certainly isn't easy.

Feeling uncomfortable, I was wondering what Karvaldr would have said in a situation like this when Reisir started speaking again.

With an incredibly pitiful expression, no less.

"No one who has used you until now would have expressed sincere thanks, so it might feel awkward to hear soone say thank you. Still... no, that's precisely why I think you should accept thanks even for small things. If you refuse a thank you, others will use you without feeling any gratitude, let alone guilt, and at so point, they'll cross the line and end up hurting you."

Why do I have to listen to this lecture-like talk from a kid who's still wet behind the ears?

I'm well aware that you should imdiately filter out despicable people who don't express thanks after receiving help.

For all I know, even the original Karvaldr would have accepted a thank you.

I wonder what on earth Reisir's image of is like.

Surely he doesn't see as a tsundere pushover who gets used by others and can't even receive a thank you, right?

"And from now on, make sure you receive apologies properly too."

No, that's exactly what he thinks.

Now he's even added an inability to receive apologies to my list of supposed flaws.

"It seems you are misunderstanding ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) sothing about ..."

"A misunderstanding? Then why were you like that with Ríolíkin earlier? You were the one he used. Yet instead of receiving an apology, you made him apologize to and ended the conversation right there, as if that had been your only purpose from the beginning and you had no need for an apology."

The person Ríolíkin used was, strictly speaking, Karvaldr, this body's original owner. Not .

So the very idea of receiving an apology from him hadn't even occurred to .

It seed Reisir had been concerned about the part I had overlooked because of that.

"Besides, that bastard didn't even thank you! Even though you gave him the opportunity!"

I just let it go because I didn't think it was sothing worth being thanked for.

If Ríolíkin has decided to use as a ntal shield, then I plan to use him as a physical shield.

Since I've decided to keep him by my side, I should make use of him.

Since he's such a coward, I was a little worried whether he'd be able to move instead of freezing up in front of a monster.

But in the original work, he was the tanker for Karvaldr's Demon Realm Conquest Squad, so it should work out sohow, right?

I can't trust him too much, since he's a coward who would run away at a crucial mont.

'There's not much ti left until the graduation ceremony. It'll be faster to train Ríolíkin's ntal fortitude than this body's physical abilities.'

My calculation is that it'll be enough if he blocks just one attack when the boss monster's aggro is on .

After that, the awakened professors there will handle it sohow.

Just as they did in the original work.

As I was thinking that, Reisir muttered with a heavy expression.

"Why are you so calm...? It's your problem..."

Is it because it's the transmigrated body's problem, so it only feels like half my problem?

That thought briefly crossed my mind, but I quickly suppressed it.

Because there was soone right in front of getting emotional and worked up over sothing that was completely soone else's problem.

That's probably why I almost blurted out my honest feelings without realizing it.

"I don't know how I should react... No, it's nothing."

As a person with a conscience, I will correct myself.

At this point, anyone would say I didn't 'almost' say it, but simply said it.

Next to , Yor slapped her own forehead, once again using the gesture she had learned from Professor Radvisin.

"You..."

"It's a misunderstanding. It's not because I'm unfamiliar or awkward with others worrying about . It's just that you're saying such absurd things that I'm flabbergasted. As if I'm the type of person who can't ekly accept thanks and apologies and rejects them. Of course not. That was truly pointless ddling."

"......"

"In Ríolíkin's case, I simply overlooked it. Since he's so servile, I just assud he had, of course, said thank you or sorry."

"......"

No answer ca back.

The other person looked too sorry for to even speak.

"So... you don't believe ?"

"N-no. I believe you. Mhm, of course I do."

"......"

"......"

Judging by how solemn the atmosphere had beco, he definitely didn't believe .

Resenting myself for making so many slips of the tongue today, I irritably ran a hand through my hair.

Surely I haven't been influenced without realizing it, right? That would be troubleso.

"If you're done talking, I will be taking my leave."

"There's still more."

"......"

"It'll be really, really quick, so could you wipe that 'I'm about to die of annoyance' look off your face...?"

Instead of saying things like that, he should just quickly finish what he has to say if it's so quick.

There was no reason for to grant Reisir's request, so instead of relaxing my expression, I glared at him even more fiercely.

At that, Reisir's face stiffened slightly as he parted his lips.

"Um, from now on, about als at the campus cafeteria..."

"Is there a need to get my permission?"

"...There isn't?"

"......"

He had just been lecturing about not being able to accept thanks and apologies, yet here he was, unable to confidently claim his own obvious rights and instead being overly mindful of others.

Thinking that, I looked at Reisir with pitying eyes, then turned around without another word and got into the carriage.

Without even realizing that I was the one who had misunderstood.

"Karvaldr, what ti do you usually eat breakfast and dinner?"

Today was Monday, and it was now lunchti.

And sitting in front of was Reisir.

To think that the unfinished sentence after 'from now on, about als at the campus cafeteria' hadn't been 'is it okay?' but 'do you want to eat together with ?'

'In the first place, why do you have to talk like that and confuse people?! If you had just simply and clearly said, "Let's eat together from now on," I could have cut you off and refused, couldn't I? Or you could have at least finished your sentence properly instead of trailing off!'

I couldn't shake the suspicion that he had done it on purpose.

As I tried to cool my irritation by running a hand through my innocent hair at the thought of having been tricked by his wordplay, a voice ca from diagonally across from .

"If your hair is getting in the way while you're eating, would you like to borrow my hair tie?"

It was Helga, offering a scrunchie, what they call a 'gopchang band.'

The protagonist of soone else's novel hadn't just joined my table alone; he had brought his childhood friend along too.

Ignoring the hair tie she offered, I glared at Reisir.

"Helga wanted to thank you too."

"......"

"You'll accept it, right? The thank you."

If I say I don't need it, the misunderstanding will only deepen, and Reisir will launch into another long speech.

It's a perfect checkmate.

"...Say whatever you want."

I also knew that line might sound a little sulky.

But to maintain the character of the transmigrated body, this was the best answer.