17 - How to Escape the Reverse Harem Cliché
Chapter 17
For a brief moment at my question, a crack appeared on Orion's kind face.
It was the same earlier. At the checkpoint, before Orion had even registered my presence, he was being jostled by people clinging to him with a face full of exhaustion.
Orion's expression, which looked like it could explode if pushed any further, was a face I had never seen before.
“……Yeah, I’m doing fine.”
But now, as if nothing had happened, he had his usual bright expression. Of course, there was a slight hesitation before he answered.
Since he seemed reluctant to talk, I deliberately pretended not to notice and changed the subject.
“Aiden will probably be entering the academy soon too.”
“Pascianne’s Spiritual Body? Is the Spiritual Body also a Guide?”
“No. An Esper.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better for Laila to get tested as a Guide and come to the academy together?”
“No.”
Thinking that the Guiding had reached a certain level, I pulled my hand out of Orion's grasp.
He showed a slightly disappointed expression but quickly returned to a bright smile.
“If Laila doesn’t want to, then there’s nothing I can do.”
“Don’t you hate me at all?”
“Me? Why would I hate Laila?”
“……I’ve never even replied to your letters.”
My connection with Orion was one I needed to sever, if I planned to escape the original story.
But facing Orion, who hadn't changed at all since we were young, made it difficult. Perhaps it was because I hadn't seen him in so long, but I found myself becoming sensitive to even the smallest details.
“That’s why you stopped writing letters too.”
Was that it? My last words slipped out a little petulantly without me realizing it. I quickly cleared my throat and tried to avoid Orion's gaze, but he didn't miss the opportunity.
He took my hand again and pulled me towards him.
“Were you disappointed? That I didn’t write back. Were you waiting, Laila?”
“N-not really.”
“……What should I do. I’m so happy right now.”
At his words, I frowned slightly and looked at him, and he was genuinely laughing, his earlobes turning red.
What is this, are you a pervert? He’s happy about something like this… Honestly…
It was absurd, but Orion's reaction was also endearingly cute, so I bit my lip. This is because I can’t spit on a smiling face… He was… my favorite character once, after all.
I kept adding excuses in my head and looked at Orion, but he was still laughing.
“……Why are you laughing?”
“Because I’m happy.”
“…….”
“Because I’m overwhelmed that Laila thought of me, even just a little.”
At his words, I flinched and let the smile that had been on my lips fall.
I knew Orion's feelings. Anyone could see he acted like he was dying to have me.
His expressions had always been very revealing since he was young, and Orion never hid his. Rather, he revealed them as if he wanted me to know.
So, I knew he liked me.
But after I went to the academy, our contact was cut off, and I thought he would forget about someone like me once he met good people there.
……Orion shouldn’t like me. His life was supposed to be filled with other Espers and Guides, erasing Laila. He shouldn’t be involved with me.
I, who understood the saying "out of sight, out of mind" better than anyone, thought that if we were physically apart, he would forget about me quickly.
“……Do you still like me?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
“I like Laila.”
His eyes, which curved gently, felt strangely poignant, so I bit my lower lip.
Orion raised the hand he was holding and placed it on his cheek, closing his eyes.
“I waited, and I’m happy to see Laila again like this.”
“Don’t rub against me. Your rank is high, and if you touch me like this, I’ll collapse.”
Having nothing else to say, I made up an excuse about Guiding.
I used the basic common sense that a low-ranked Guide would collapse if they guided a high-ranked Esper, and although he was reluctant, he eventually pulled away from me.
“I think I need to go back now. My mother is waiting.”
“Laila. If you need a confirmation, I can give you the documents.”
“What?”
“The Inspection Stones at the checkpoint detect even the slightest Guiding. Since it’s a contact-based system where you touch the stone, you won’t be able to hide it completely.”
That was why I had intended to take the pill. Thinking it might hide it.
But I couldn’t tell Orion about the pill, so I listened to him for now.
“You need a certificate confirming you’re a regular person, not a Guide, right?”
The sharp-witted Orion immediately understood what I needed.
“I can issue the documents.”
“……How?”
“Even though I look clumsy, I’m a high-ranked Esper. In the academy, rank brings power.”
“…….”
“Even my father can’t treat me carelessly now.”
His adoptive father, Count Restro, used to be violent towards Orion whenever he could when he was younger.
Once, the Count suddenly stormed into our mansion and dragged Orion, who was staying with us, away without a word.
Startled, I secretly followed him and witnessed the Count beating Orion inside the carriage, and at that moment, everything went dark before my eyes, and I couldn’t do anything.
The Count, who struck the child who had nowhere else to be hit, seemed like a demon.
The reason was emptily trivial. Orion had said he didn't want to obey him and wanted to go to the academy. For such a reason, he was a person who resorted to violence even after coming to another family’s home.
The most horrific thing was that he exploited Orion's ability, Recovery, and beat him until he was on the verge of death. Even if he self-healed with his ability, the pain of being hit couldn't be cured…
However, even Count Restro couldn't treat an Esper whose rank was steadily rising carelessly. This is that kind of world.
“I can do that much for Laila. It’s not difficult for me.”
“But that’s forgery. Is it okay?”
Setting aside myself, the person directly involved, I was worried that Orion might get into trouble for no reason. But Orion smiled brightly and nodded.
“I can handle that easily on my end too.”
“…….”
“That’s the result I gained from this academy. Power and status.”
Orion, though the child of a Count’s family, was known as an illegitimate son, making him an easy target for everyone. If he were dealt with before being recognized as the legitimate heir, political rivals could be eliminated early, so Orion had been exposed to threats from both inside and outside since childhood.
But now, no one could touch him. Not even his father.
“Instead, can Laila give me just one thing?”
“If that’s Guiding…”
“Write me a letter.”
“…….”
“Even a short reply like yes or no to the letters I send, just write it in Laila’s handwriting.”
“That….”
“Actually, several letters I sent to Laila were returned. So… I became timid and petty, and I couldn’t write letters to Laila anymore.”
That was something I didn't know. It wasn't me who returned them.
They were probably lost, or the Count and his wife interfered a few times…
“I want to be a little greedy. I want to receive a reply written by Laila.”
At a deal that was so humble it could hardly be called greedy, I finally nodded.
Orion, then and now, always jumped into deals that were disadvantageous to him.
And I didn't dislike it that much.
\ \ *
In college, I hated giving presentations so much because of my stage fright. I would agonize over creating my class schedule, choosing only courses that had no presentation assignments in the course evaluations before registration.
But that all disappeared after I went through various part-time jobs and the tedious corporate life.
As the saying goes, "law of conservation of weirdos," there were weirdos everywhere I went, so after experiencing all sorts of difficult people, I became max-level in handling attention directed at me.
……Or so I thought.
“Um… Orion. Can you move over just a little?”
“There are many Espers near the checkpoint. I need to be close so they don’t find out Laila is a Guide. Guiding is still faintly emanating from Laila, so I need to absorb it immediately.”
I don't know why the walk back to the checkpoint with Orion felt so difficult.
I had known Orion since he was very young, so I had forgotten. He was the male protagonist, too. The countless gazes directed at me didn't sting, but made me feel shy.
It seemed I had completely forgotten Orion's presence because I had lived confined to the Count's mansion. As we walked, people who recognized Orion glanced and whispered.
Regardless, Orion's blue eyes were fixed solely on me the entire walk. Whether he was used to such gazes or didn't care, his clear eyes were directed honestly only at me.
“Stop looking.”
“Huh?”
“Walk looking forward. You’ll trip.”
“Was I only looking at Laila?”
“You didn’t realize that?”
At my shocked expression, Orion laughed. Then, he apologized and began to walk slowly, matching my pace.
Pretending to check that Orion was looking forward, I, this time, looked at Orion's profile.
What he said earlier wasn't an empty statement. He had indeed grown significantly taller in the time we hadn't met, and his once slender build had become slightly larger than that of an adult man. He was clearly a little kid as small as me…
His facial features, which had been merely soft and refined, had become thick and sharp. He was just as handsome now as he was then, but it felt strangely unfamiliar.
Was it the distance created by the long gap since we last met? He was familiar yet strange, so I scratched my neck, where goosebumps had risen.
