This Novel is not my Chapter 75: Let’s Play! (6)

As expected, the photo experience shop was an instant photo studio for taking four cut photos.

The only problem was that our group, including one dragon, consisted of six mbers.

Furthermore, one of the humans was Ríolíkin, who boasted an enormous build.

In order to fit everyone into the small four split fra, it was inevitable that we had to squeeze together.

Since it was everyone's first ti taking photos, the process of posing and framing the shots was eventful.

Even so, far from getting annoyed, everyone found it incredibly fun.

Laughter burst out several tis, and those monts were captured and printed as photos.

The people in the photos were smiling brightly as if they were having a great ti.

Except for one person. .

It wasn't that no one urged to smile while taking the photos.

Rather, everyone said at least a word asking to lift the corners of my mouth.

But I couldn't do as they asked.

That would be character collapse.

'Besides, I've been arguing this whole ti that I'm not friends with them, so taking a picture huddled together while smiling happily is way too contradictory, isn't it?'

Although I couldn't smile the way everyone wanted.

Still, I tried my best not to spoil the atmosphere.

Even if I only showed reluctant cooperation with a sullen expression, I didn't openly frown in displeasure or storm out of the photo booth.

"It would've been nice if Kar smiled too..."

Vigdís looked at the printed photo with regret.

No matter how much she said that, there was nothing I could say to her.

I couldn't exactly suggest we take the photo again because I'd smile this ti.

So I stayed quiet when Reisir suddenly cut in and started spouting nonsense.

"But rather than Karvaldr standing out alone, doesn't it look more like he's pretending to be indifferent while actually enjoying himself? So isn't it kind of okay?"

"Now that you ntion it...! It really does look like that!"

Those two must seriously be blind.

I gave Vigdís and Reisir disbelieving looks, then sharply turned my head away, refusing to respond to such nonsense.

Unlike , who had completely shut my mouth, the others seed to have plenty to say about the photos.

Everyone kept exchanging impressions about them all the way to the board ga cafe.

Then soone said that if we ca out to hang out again next ti, we should take photos then too.

But I just let it go in one ear and out the other.

Because I thought today would be the first and last ti I hung out with this group.

"Does anyone have a board ga they want to play?"

Upon arriving at the board ga cafe, Reisir looked around at everyone and asked the question above.

Naturally, I, along with Vigdís and Ríolíkin, who had never been to such a place before, had no choice but to remain silent.

Although each table was provided with a booklet containing board ga nas and simple explanations.

Since Yor was among us, we had to exclude gas where speaking was essential, but there were no explanations regarding that.

For that reason, Helga, who had many friends, chose the board ga.

She called over an employee, gave them the na of the selected ga, and also ordered drinks and snacks.

Since the food took ti to prepare, we listened to the employee explain the rules of the board ga while we waited...

'Isn't the ga package design way too modern?'

I guarantee that board ga exists in reality.

Probably the gas we didn't choose as well.

Although ntioning real product nas positively in a novel usually isn't a problem.

Since it isn't an important elent for story progression anyway, I'll just skip ntioning the ga's na.

While I'm at it, I'll also omit the scene of us playing the board ga, so readers, please imagine it yourselves.

"We really lost track of ti playing, right?"

As we left the board ga cafe, Reisir asked everyone for their impressions in a cheerful voice.

Then Helga, Vigdís, and Ríolíkin all agreed that it had been fun.

Yor also agreed by owing and nodding her head.

"Karvaldr, what about you? Was it fun?"

"Not really."

...Although I answered like that.

To be honest, I did find it fun.

'Why on earth was it fun? No, wait. A board ga is sothing made to be enjoyable, isn't it? So what was fun was the board ga itself, not playing with them. Let's not get confused.'

As I struggled to rationalize it, Reisir spoke to again.

"But for soone who says that, you were extrely imrsed while playing. You even showed subtle competitiveness."

"If there hadn't been penalties on the line, I wouldn't have tried so hard."

"Even if you call them penalties, they weren't that serious. Eating # Nоvеlight # spicy food or drinking sour drinks, getting a forehead flick, singing, saying 'I love you' to everyone, adding 'ng' to the end of every sentence for ten minutes... What else was there again?"

Reisir refuted my words and recited the roulette penalties as they ca to mind.

From his perspective, they might have been trivial punishnts, but from mine, they were significant enough.

Especially the singing.

As you could tell from the way Reisir casually ntioned it just now, I safely avoided the singing penalty.

It's not that I didn't receive any penalties at all, but the extent of it was downing a calamansi drink in one shot and getting flicked on the forehead a few tis.

Truly a relief.

"Stop talking about the past and guide us to the reserved restaurant."

"Changing the subject again? Is it really that hard to just admit it was fun?"

Reisir, who said those words, wouldn't know, but for right now, uttering that simple and easy word was incredibly difficult.

But I couldn't reveal that fact, so I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.

At my reaction, Reisir sighed, "Phew," and shook his head from side to side.

Then he threw out these words.

"Well, fine. Soday you'll be able to be honest too."

"......"

As long as I have to live as 'Karvaldr,' wouldn't that be impossible?

I didn't voice that thought either and subtly avoided his gaze.

Whether Reisir was waiting for the "soday" he spoke of to arrive, he didn't say much more for the mont and started walking.

The restaurant we arrived at was different from the one we visited for lunch, but it was similar in that it was a private room restaurant with separate spaces for each table.

The food prices were also quite expensive.

Even so, considering the allowance my possessed body received, the price was re pocket change, so I deliberately chose the most expensive item on the nu.

'That way, my guests can comfortably choose whatever they want to eat without worrying about the price.'

After everyone finished ordering, conversation about the board gas we had played earlier flowed back and forth.

Since we hadn't stuck to just one ga but switched between various ones, there was plenty to talk about.

Add the topic of penalties on top of that, and the alti beca much noisier than lunch.

'No one seems to be getting tired.'

Listening to their conversation wasn't boring, but I was getting tired nonetheless.

Not getting swept up in the atmosphere while also not ruining it.

It was because I stayed tense while trying to maintain that ambiguous balance.

Just as I was thinking it would be nice if nothing troubleso happened before we finished the al and returned to the academy.

Of all things, Helga brought up a topic related to .

"By the way, how did your titles for each other end up like that?"

"Huh? Why our titles?"

"Senior calls the Young Master by the nickna 'Kar,' but the Young Master only calls Senior by na."

"Ah...! Th, that's..."

Vigdís showed obvious bewildernt and looked at with eyes pleading for help.

She reacted as if she had never expected to receive such a question.

Since it couldn't be helped, and I had anticipated this, I had no choice but to answer.

"It seed Vigdís developed trauma from calling her by a nickna, so I decided to refrain from doing it."

"Trauma...? ...?"

"Are you perhaps unaware?"

"Huh? What does that..."

"Even though you used to cower whenever I called you by a nickna."

"I did...?"

One would think she'd realize I was making up a flimsy excuse.

Far from nodding and agreeing, Vigdís looked bewildered, her gaze asking what on earth I was talking about.

If she had ti for that, it would've been better for her to look at the faces of Helga, Reisir, and Ríolíkin, all tinged with puzzlent, and put on a pitiful expression.

'To be this out of sync.'

I clicked my tongue inwardly and moved my leg beneath the table, lightly tapping hers.

Only then did Vigdís understand my intention and change her attitude.

"Ah...! Th, that... Th-that's right...! Kar calling 'Disil' and being obsessed with was still scary... Now he's not obsessed anymore, but...? Still, the mories from back then ca up?"

"Yes. I thought so."

"B-but I feel like I'm getting okay now...? If you keep calling by the nickna, wouldn't I get used to it...?"

Changing her attitude was good, but the direction was wrong.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Th-that is... Kar is my fiancé... right? But going from calling by a nickna back to calling by na is... a bit... It's not common, so I feel like other people might find it strange..."

"What others think isn't important."

"You know it's important to ...?"

Whether it was Vigdís or Disil, to , they were rely 'character nas' that both referred to her.

I had no intention of assigning excessive aning to it just because one was a nickna.

But since there was no guarantee the other person would feel the sa way, it was right to refrain.

It was the way of the world that even if I stayed still, the distance would shrink if the other side approached.

"Later. When I beco certain that no matter what happens, there is no possibility of becoming obsessed with you again, then I'll use that title again."

"If that's the reason, then isn't it okay to call by the nickna already...?"

"Not yet."

"Ah... okay..."

Vigdís nodded with a very reluctant expression.

It was a reaction that seed to ask, 'How long are you planning to milk that excuse?', but since other people were listening, she decided to let it slide.

Back when we were writing the broken engagent contract, she would get frightened and tense whenever I ntioned the word "obsession."

It had only been a month and ten days since then, but it seed the effect had already worn off.

That ant Vigdís had shaken off her fear of obsession, so it was good for her, but.

For , it was simply regrettable since I had lost an almost universally useful excuse.

"Karvaldr, you...! You say such incredible things so casually?!"

While I was internally congratulating myself for writing the broken engagent contract, Reisir suddenly blurted out complete nonsense.

"What nonsense are you suddenly spouting?"

"What's with that reaction?"

"......?"

"If I explain what you just said in simpler terms, it ans you like Vigdís so much that you can't control yourself. You're afraid that with one small trigger, those feelings will overflow and you'll beco obsessed with Vigdís again and hurt her. So you're saying you hesitate to even call her by a nickna?"

I had rely conveyed my intention that I didn't want to call her by a nickna because I didn't want to grow any closer to Vigdís than necessary.

I had no idea how that had transford into such an absurd statent.

That couldn't be called simplifying it.

Rather, it had been twisted. No, beyond twisted, it had been completely rewoven into sothing with an entirely different aning.

"Oh my, oh my...!"

As if believing Reisir's faulty interpretation was the correct answer, Helga looked back and forth between Vigdís and with a blush on her face.

Ríolíkin also let out an "Oh..."

It seed Reisir's words sounded quite plausible.

But still...

"Th... that ant that...?!"

Surely Vigdís wouldn't just accept Reisir's faulty interpretation at face value?

We had even written a broken engagent contract, so how could it possibly an that?