The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 38

Lunchtime, the magic arts classroom was completely empty.

There was Airei.

Sharin Sazaris.

Isabel Luna.

The three of them stood still, facing each other.

The issue was, I, Hanon, am one of those three.

From outside the window, the cheerful voices of children could be heard.

It was the sound of the kids returning after lunch.

In the silence that passed between us.

It was Isabel who broke that silence.

“……Why are you two together?”

Isabel’s best friend, Sharin.

Isabel’s rival, me.

And when everyone else went to lunch, we deliberately met, eating bread and chatting together.

This scene was enough to stir up complex feelings in Isabel.

Even I, who believe it’s not right to link everything in life to romance, could easily understand how this situation might look.

“I was invited.”

It wasn’t me, but Sharin who answered Isabel’s question.

The stiff look on her face from hearing my words earlier had disappeared.

Instead, she pointed at me, having returned to her usual self.

“For the upcoming team match, she asked me to join her team.”

Isabel’s eyes widened at Sharin’s words.

She was genuinely surprised, as if she hadn’t considered I’d make such a proposal to Sharin.

“…Were you two close enough to propose teaming up like that?”

Most of the time Sharin and I meet is in the evening.

During that time, Isabel is usually focused on her training.

She didn’t know what Sharin was doing in the evenings.

So she had no idea that, during that time, Sharin had been meeting me to teach me magical engraving.

“Yeah, Hanon really likes me.”

What on earth was this nonsense?

I stared at Sharin in shock and then turned away.

Isabel was also looking at me with her mouth slightly open.

Clearly, she misunderstood.

Her rival supposedly liking her close friend…

It was enough to make her look like that.

“Are you… are you serious?”

She seemed to genuinely believe this.

“That’s nonsense.”

I firmly denied it, and Isabel pursed her lips, looking back at Sharin.

Sharin only gave a lazy smile, saying nothing else.

‘This girl.’

Through this conversation, Sharin indirectly hinted at her relationship with me.

Our bond is close enough for her to make jokes like this.

Usually, Sharin doesn’t get along closely with others.

True to her fickle nature, one moment she seems friendly, and the next, she’s changed entirely.

That was Sharin.

So the only person she could genuinely call a friend is Isabel.

And now, Sharin has someone else close enough to joke around in front of Isabel.

This must have been a huge shock to Isabel as well.

Especially since that person is me, her rival.

For Isabel, this was a series of shocks.

“Uh, ah, uhh…”

Maybe that’s why Isabel seemed to have broken down.

When I glared at Sharin, she glared back at me.

Her eyes were smiling, but her gaze was cold.

Ah, she’s angry.

For Sharin, her father is a subject that stirs her emotions.

But I had no other option, either.

To progress smoothly from here, I needed to perform well in the team competition.

And to achieve that, I needed Sharin.

‘I’m desperate here too.’

It would be hard to expect Sharin to understand.

“I, I came here to propose a team to Sharin as well.”

Just then, Isabel came to her senses and got to the point.

Like me, Isabel had heard about the team competition from Beganon earlier.

The reason she arrived later was probably because I had no one to consult about forming a team, whereas Isabel had plenty of people around her, and it took her longer to talk to everyone.

The problem is, it’s likely that Sharin would lean toward Isabel, her best friend.

“Sorry, but I proposed first.”

“But it’s Sharin’s choice whether to accept.”

Knowing this, Isabel didn’t intend to back down either.

Moreover, I sensed a strange competitiveness from Isabel.

I could feel her determination not to let her rival take Sharin away.

This is troubling.

If Isabel is serious, there’s no way I can win.

I glanced at Sharin.

Sharin alternated between looking at Isabel and me with a thoughtful expression.

“Alright.”

Then, having made her decision, she raised her hand toward me.

“I’ll team up with Hanon this time.”

“What?!”

Isabel looked utterly shocked.

But Sharin didn’t seem to have any intention of changing her mind.

Isabel staggered and then turned away.

“Sharin, you fool.”

Calling Sharin a fool, Isabel left, engulfed in sadness.

I hadn’t expected her to choose me.

This choice was a surprise to me as well.

“I didn’t think you’d pick me.”

“You kept your promise to me.”

My promise with Sharin.

That was that, in exchange for her helping me, I would be a reason for Isabel to live.

“I know you chased after Isabel first a week ago.”

She knew, then.

Sharin had also come to the city wall to look for Isabel.

It seems she saw me there.

“That’s my way of repaying you. And about my father…”

Sharin’s hair swayed slightly.

“I’m a little angry. I don’t know how much Hanon knows, but you spoke freely.”

Seeing this, I quietly bowed my head.

“I’m sorry.”

I lowered my head and apologized deeply.

* * *

It was decided that Sharin, our most reliable force in the rear guard, would join us.

All that’s left is to fill one more spot in the rear and assign a healer.

The rear guard position was filled more easily than I expected.

“Hanon, how about you let me join your team?”

The next day, after the morning class, Card approached me first with a proposal.

“Why are you asking to join my team all of a sudden?”

“Well, since Sharin joined, there’s no better team out there.”

Sharin’s power is exceptional.

It made sense that others would want to flock to our team upon hearing this.

But for Card to hear about it so quickly… His ears really are sharp.

‘Not surprising, given his position.’

Knowing his circumstances, it was only natural that Card would have a keen ear for information.

“Anyway, my magic isn’t suited for firepower. It’s better for me to join a team with solid firepower.”

Card is a utility-type mage.

I know this well since I had once recruited him during the Blazing Butterfly strategy.

With Sharin and Card on the team, our lineup would be extremely well-balanced.

“Hmm.”

As I hesitated, Card’s eyes sparkled.

Seeing a big guy like him sparkling like that was annoying, and I frowned.

“By the way, what about your usual team?”

Card usually has a team he works with regularly.

When I asked him about it, he sheepishly rubbed around his nose.

“One of the girls on the team confessed to me, so I left.”

I looked at him with exasperation.

But Card had a look on his face as if he was the one being wronged.

“I can’t help it. I just want to stay free without dating anyone! And it’d be awkward to stay in the team and mess up the vibe.”

“Doesn’t it feel like trash is talking here, Princess Sweet Potato?”

As Card acted like some tragic hero, Seron, who had approached at some point, looked at him with disdain.

In response, Card winked at Seron.

“If you confess, I might consider it.”

“Shut up before I rip your mouth open.”

Seron bristled like a cat, a clear expression of disdain, showing she didn’t want anything to do with Card.

Kard, amused, looked back at me with a grin.

“Of course, I’d turn her down since I’d rather stay friends with Hanon.”

“You want to die? Why would you assume I’d confess to you?”

Seron looked as if he was about to hit Card but glanced at me.

“And seriously, don’t even think about it, Princess Sweet Potato. You’re not allowed to like me, alright?”

Oh, great.

“Sorry, but, see, I prefer tall, handsome guys. And Princess Sweet Potato? You’re far from manly. No way.”

“Yeah, don’t worry. Starting today, I won’t even see you as a person.”

As I rolled up my sleeves, Seron let out a mock scream and pretended to run away.

The fact that we can joke around like this shows I must have been hanging out with these guys for a while.

“So, what were you talking about?”

Since this morning’s class was a training session, Seron, who had been getting special instruction from Professor Beganon, arrived late.

So she didn’t know what Card and I were discussing.

“I’m joining Hanon’s team.”

“Ugh, no thanks.”

Seron already looked disgusted.

I tilted my head at that.

“Why don’t you like it?”

“Why don’t I like it? Having someone like him on the team will just mess up the vibe.”

“Why are you even worried about that?”

I asked her honestly, with a hint of curiosity.

Seron blinked, then tilted his head, mirroring my expression.

“Well…”

Seron started to say, but then her eyes grew wide.

“Hey, hey, no way, Princess Sweet Potato, right?”

“Yep, I’m definitely not Princess Sweet Potato.”

“Oh, come on. Besides, without me, you won’t find anyone for the front line, right?”

“Our rear guard is already set with Sharin.”

Seron’s mouth fell open.

A second-year, top student in magic studies.

When she heard the name of the one called a genius of the century, her reaction changed immediately.

“Sha-Sharin Sazaris? W-why her?”

“Because I have a knack for recruiting talent.”

I’ve already managed to recruit Aisha the Iron Maiden of the Greatsword, Poara the Spirit Lord contractor, and Saint Sirmiel.

Seron had no reason to doubt me this time.

“With Sharin on the team, plenty of people will be clamoring to join as the front guard.”

It wasn’t widely known yet, but it wouldn’t be long.

Soon enough, we’d have a line of people wanting to join as front guards.

Realizing this, Seron opened and closed her mouth wordlessly.

“So… what about me?”

“That’s what I’ve been asking. Why are you so worried about our team?”

I smiled gently.

As I did, Seron’s face began turning a shade of red.

It finally dawned on her.

Seron slowly reached out and grabbed my collar tightly.

“P-Princess Sweet Potato, please don’t do this.”

“Seron, wouldn’t it be better to find a team sooner rather than later?”

“Oh, come on, I’m sorry! I’ve been doing well lately, haven’t I? My skills are decent too; c’mon, seriously.”

“With those skills, any team would be happy to have you.”

Seron started to look teary-eyed.

She sniffled and clung to my collar with both hands.

“Potato… no, Hanon, please. I have nowhere else to go. Please? Please?”

“Seron, when you’re making a request, it’s polite to be respectful.”

“S-Sorry! Please, please let me join the team!”

“Your head’s too stiff. And what’s with that voice?”

“Please! Let me join, please!”

Seron lowered her head deeply, trembling.

Watching her, I reached out and patted her head.

“That’s how you ask. Good job.”

The other students looked at us with strange expressions.

But I didn’t care.

At this point, as one of the three ‘troublemakers’, we’d been looked at weirdly enough already.

“Uuugh, aaaaaah!”

At that moment, Seron jerked her head up, looking at me with tear-stained eyes and shook my collar.

I’d teased her too much.

She was broken.

But she didn’t want to leave the team, so she just glared at me, breathing hard, without saying anything.

“Seron, if we get first place in this team event and make a big impact, your parents might reward you with more allowance, right?”

Seron’s shoulders twitched.

She was usually quite lavishly funded by her parents.

For her, an allowance was a lifeline.

“With Sharin, top ranking is practically guaranteed.”

Seron carefully straightened my collar, her eyes glistening with renewed hope.

Not long ago, Seron had been praised by her parents after our adventure in the Gray Forest.

Rumor had it she even got a raise in her allowance.

If we did well again, the odds of another increase were high.

“I-I’ll work hard.”

“Good, let’s aim for first place together.”

Seron was finally on board.

Card whistled, watching us.

“Your training skills are getting better by the day.”

Training, my foot.

This is just effective communication.