I believe I should deliver some unexpected news to my dear readers.

That news is that the point from which I begin this narration is already one week before the start of the semester.

And to add one more detail, I have already returned to Valhalla Academy.

Readers who have made it this far are likely feeling bewildered, one question naturally coming to mind.

What happened to the Award Ceremony?

The answer is probably exactly what most of you are expecting, but to be perfectly clear—

Yes. That's right. I skipped it.

The Award Ceremony was an unnecessarily grand and tedious affair.

Watching the Emperor drone on through his speech was unbearable, and Fjodora's explanation of the Skill Window covered information I already knew, making it painfully dull.

Nothing happened that would have interested my dear readers.

And since I didn't speak to anyone, there was no progress in any of my relationships either.

Because I desperately avoided Reisir to keep him from talking to me. Thanks to that, Ríolíkin couldn't approach me either.

I had begun to feel uneasy that the original protagonist's favor toward me had not merely reached a high level, but had completely exceeded its limits.

To the point that I was starting to question whether it was even possible to distance myself from him anymore.

So, hoping to lower his favorability even a little, I ignored Reisir throughout the entire Award Ceremony.

Some readers may be thinking, Only now?

But isn't there a saying that the best time is the moment you realize you're already late?

For once, I chose to believe that saying.

In any case, I did absolutely nothing during the Award Ceremony.

I merely collected an Artifact and a medal.

It wasn't even material suitable for a peaceful slice-of-life chapter, so skipping it was unavoidable.

The same was true of my life at Austri Ducal Castle.

Study. Training.

Study. Training.

An endless cycle of the two.

If I had to name one unusual event, it would probably be Ragfrid volunteering to teach me a strategic board game herself.

I could hardly increase the number of people aware of my memory loss just to learn a board game.

Especially when she justified it by claiming she had spare time because outings should be avoided due to the anomaly.

And after the games ended, she proposed reviewing the moves while speaking silently so I could practice lip-reading.

Given the logic and efficiency of the arrangement, I had little choice but to accept.

Even so, it did not result in any significant change in our relationship.

Ragfrid possessed absolutely no talent for shortening emotional distance through kind words.

And I had no obligation to accept a complete stranger as family merely to ease her guilt.

As for Valtraus and Hárðr, their attitudes never changed at all, so I barely saw them.

I believe that adequately summarizes everything that has happened so far.

Therefore, let us proceed from the present.

At the beginning of this chapter, I mentioned that I had returned to Valhalla Academy.

However, before heading to the dormitory, I stopped by the library.

There was a reason I had come back to the academy this early, a full week before the semester began.

I needed to borrow a particular book that could not be found anywhere else.

How a Repentant Villain Saves the World.

That was the title of the book I borrowed.

And also the title of my third novel.

The novel that, due to the death of my original self, will remain unfinished forever in the world where I once lived.

For those who may be misunderstanding, let me clarify in advance.

I did not borrow this book because I wanted to indulge in nostalgia while rereading a novel I never finished.

There is a reason.

A reason my dear readers will undoubtedly accept.

However, the explanation would take far too long.

I intend to tell you after I return to my dormitory room.

Which means—

A situation has arisen that prevents me from returning to the dormitory immediately.

"...Karvaldr?"

"...!"

The moment I finished submitting the borrowing request and reached for the library door—

I came face-to-face with someone who, according to the original novel, absolutely should not have been here at this time.

I did sense a presence...

After all, this was a person who had desperately clung to someone else's hands.

Who had said things like I'll never meet another benefactor like you in my entire life and I absolutely can't afford to lose you.

For someone like that to quietly withdraw from the academy and disappear on his own would have shattered all plausibility.

That was why I did not panic.

I calmly hugged Yor and maintained my composure.

Is he being influenced more by plausibility and his character traits than by the original plot...? Like how he kept following me around after I possessed Karvaldr's body, insisting we become friends...

Before his withdrawal application had been approved—

While he was still officially a student at Valhalla Academy—

The possibility that he had come to the library to read a stack of special character novels was probably nonexistent.

"The semester doesn't start for another week. You're here early."

Or perhaps not.

Perhaps it was possible.

The expression and tone Reisir used when speaking to me were so cautious that I found myself confused.

He looked as though there was something he desperately wanted to say, yet couldn't quite bring himself to do it.

Was it related to his withdrawal?

"You too."

"Ah! I've actually been here for about a month already. Looking for books that might help with reconstructing my territory. And I wanted to inspect the auditorium where the anomaly occurred."

"I see. Then go ahead."

I stepped aside, clearing the library entrance I had been unintentionally blocking.

Yet Reisir did not enter.

Instead, he remained in the hallway and gently closed the door.

Then, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, he continued speaking.

"Karvaldr, why did you come so early?"

"I just... wanted to borrow a book. But shouldn't you be going inside?"

"The library isn't going anywhere. I can visit later. I haven't seen you in a while, so I wanted to talk."

Then he hesitated.

"...Would that be a burden?"

"You're asking me that?"

My eyes widened before I could stop myself.

More surprising than Reisir being here at all—

Was the fact that after not seeing me for such a long time, he wasn't pestering me to spend time together.

Instead, he was speaking with unmistakable caution.

"You look genuinely surprised. I suppose I've been approaching you far too casually this whole time..."

What was wrong with him?

His shoulders drooped.

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

A shadow lingered in his expression.

The difference from his usual self was so great that it felt surreal.

Beyond confusion, I felt anxiety creeping in.

"If you don't mind... I'd like to move somewhere else and continue our conversation. Is that alright?"

Seeing him behave with a timidity that would have put Ríolíkin to shame, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.

So I nodded and followed him out of the building.

Once we sat on a bench in a secluded section of the academy paths, I immediately asked:

"Did something major happen during the break?"

"Something huge happened."

Reisir gave a faint smile.

"I have a friend who's incredibly precious to me. Even though he doesn't consider me a friend."

"..."

"He spent an entire official event avoiding me."

Anyone could tell he was talking about me.

"So I asked another friend why he might be acting that way. They said he probably felt burdened because I was being too overbearing."

That sounded suspiciously like Ríolíkin's opinion after witnessing Reisir's behavior firsthand.

"When I returned home, I asked another friend. She suggested it might be because his father dislikes me. When I heard that, it seemed plausible. After all, he's the beloved youngest young master of a prestigious family, while I'm..."

"That is absolutely not the reason."

The second friend was probably Helga.

Regardless, I couldn't help interrupting.

Rather than looking relieved, Reisir's expression darkened even further.

"Since you're denying that so strongly, then it really is because I was being a burden."

"..."

"I'm sorry. I was so focused on expressing my own feelings that I never considered how they might be received."

I think I made a mistake.

Avoiding Reisir at the Award Ceremony hadn't lowered his favorability.

It had lowered his self-esteem.

Had he spent the entire vacation brooding over that day?

What am I supposed to do...? He looks genuinely hurt...

The guilt hit me immediately.

But this wasn't a situation where I could fidget nervously and show it.

I slightly raised my chin.

Forced an arrogant expression.

And spoke in a commanding tone.

"Your current submissive attitude is equally burdensome. Correct it immediately."

"Then you won't run away anymore?"

Reisir's golden eyes flashed.

The light within them felt closer to a sudden strike of lightning than a sparkle.

Surely this fox-like protagonist wasn't deliberately pretending to be dejected—

Just to trick me into saying that I wouldn't avoid him again?

Still... even if he's acting, he probably wasn't completely unaffected...

I had no desire to investigate the truth.

Because regardless of whether he was acting or sincere, my answer had already been decided.

"...We'll see."

I answered as honestly as I could.

"I'll have to observe you for a while before deciding."

"Does that mean that if I want us to remain close, I have to treat you well?"

"You don't need to make any special effort."

To be honest, I wasn't entirely unhappy that the self-proclaimed friend who had attached himself to me intended to remain at the academy.

In fact, part of me felt relieved.

The problem was that an even greater anxiety accompanied that relief.

Because I had no idea what consequences would result from the original protagonist remaining at the academy and diverging from the original storyline.

"Karvaldr."

Reisir hesitated.

"You feel burdened when I act indebted to you or behave submissively, right?"

"Correct."

Had he truly escaped the curse-like fate of losing everyone around him one by one?

Or would he simply suffer through another life filled with despair, only in a different place?

Or perhaps his withdrawal had merely been delayed, and he would eventually leave the academy anyway? 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"So you want me to treat you as an equal?"

"If a hierarchy absolutely must exist, I would prefer to be the superior."

"Pfft."

Reisir immediately covered his mouth.

"Ah. Right. Of course. Naturally."

"...Are you laughing at me?"

"No, no. I was just happy to be talking comfortably with you again."

How nice it must be to live so carefree.

While someone else's mind was overflowing with worries, he remained completely oblivious.

Still, perhaps it was better for one of us to be at peace than for both of us to suffer.

Then—

"Fine. Just behave normally. That's the most like you, and the least burdensome. I've grown rather accustomed to it."

"Understood. Then, as you wish, I'll continue treating you like a tsundere and teasing you."

"...?"

The statement was so absurd that I couldn't even become angry.

I merely blinked.

Reisir watched me with a broad grin.

"You said it yourself when we were riding in the carriage after meeting Her Royal Highness the Princess. You told me, 'Just treat me like a tsundere as usual and tease me for being embarrassed.'"

"Th-That was because you were saying ridiculous things about being thrilled and excited! I only meant that it was preferable to that nonsense! I absolutely was not asking you to treat me that way!"

"But it means you aren't burdened or annoyed when I joke with you like this."

"I said it was relatively better! I never said I liked it!"

"But you don't hate it."

"Can't you see that I hate it right now?!"

"Ahahahaha!"

Reisir burst into his familiar, carefree laughter.

Back in Chapter 38, I had described it as a sight that appeared only a handful of times in the original novel.

Only now did it occur to me how accustomed I had become to seeing that mischievous expression.