Chapter 90

### Chapter 90: Change (4)

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#7

The early morning air cooled his sweat.

He was running at a steady pace on the track. His body was hot, a pleasantly warm feeling. He was wearing his training gear, running as usual in the early morning.

The breeze was cool and refreshing, making it a perfect day for running. His gaze suddenly drifted to the sky, where the dawn had not yet faded. Looking at that vast emptiness, it felt as if all his complicated thoughts were erased like a lie.

He slightly lowered the zipper of his hoodie. The heat escaped, and the breath that had been lingering in his throat was finally expelled. Thud, thud, thud. In the steady rhythm, his field of vision swayed up and down, and something began to resurface in his empty mind.

'Am I not trying hard enough?'

I don't know.

In the early morning, he wakes up sharply and goes out to exercise. After breakfast, he goes to the lecture hall if he has a class.

If not, he either exercises or studies in his room. On days when he has a swordsmanship class, he starts practicing with a sword early in the morning. He did the same today, slowly reviewing what he had learned in the training ground, which is open 24 hours a day.

His arm tingled from a wrong strike during training. Still, he could feel his body improving day by day.

Gabriel said I was diligent. Honestly, I don't know. I do think I'm working hard, but now I'm not sure. I have a vague feeling that I'm not putting in all the effort I used to. This thought has been lingering in my mind since I talked with Yusuf yesterday.

Yusuf is working part-time for money. In contrast, I have no financial worries. Full tuition waiver, full scholarship until graduation, and the benefits of being an Epic Class allow me to use luxurious facilities for free.

Moreover, I received a large sum of money as compensation. Unless I have an absurdly big dream, I might not have to worry about money for the rest of my life.

Anyway, Yusuf gave up something for something. If he had tried to have everything, he would have faced big problems. Therefore, he couldn't have everything.

If you want something, you have to pay the corresponding price. That's obvious, but I wanted to keep too many things.

Is it greed? Or overambition?

A trouble-free school life, the future after that, and the relationships with the girls I'm involved with now—I don't want to give up any of them.

"Huff, huff..."

Is it okay for me to be here, doing this? I can work harder. I don't run until I collapse from exhaustion. I need to attend the upcoming lecture. It's only natural.

Thud, thud. He increased his running speed. His heart rate rose quickly, and his breathing became faster. He ran as if he were sprinting. In the past, he would have collapsed from exhaustion after one lap.

Now, it's different.

He can endure higher limits, and if he falls, he can get up again, making his body stronger. Despite having such an unfair body, why...

"!"

His feet tangled at the intersection. He lost his balance and stumbled. He quickly put his hand on the ground and rolled a couple of times to break his fall. He lay flat on the track.

The sky, now bright with the morning, was visible. He wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

Swoosh.

A shadow fell over him. A water bottle was pushed in front of his head. Chestnut hair fell down.

Bent knees and waist. It wasn't the same training gear as his, but the familiar pink cardigan caught his eye.

"Ah, try it. Ah."

Raelin was unscrewing the cap and saying this.

"...If I drink it like that, it will choke me."

Out of breath, he cut his words short and sat up. Raelin handed him the water bottle wrapped in a towel.

Bowing his head slightly, he took it, and his palm felt refreshingly cold. Ice water? Does she always carry this around? No idea where she got it from, but he gratefully took a drink. He tilted the water bottle and poured it down his throat. His hand kept shaking, and the water trickled down his chin.

He emptied about half of it in one go and exhaled.

"...I feel better. Thank you, senior."

Raelin smiled.

"If you're grateful, call me 'sister.'"

"...No."

"Hey, why not!"

It's embarrassing.

"...What's going on here?"

"Huh? I came to see our cute junior."

"..."

"Really! I woke up pretty early today and saw you outside. You were given a card key, but you weren't in the circle room. Instead, I saw you working out here early in the morning, so I thought I'd give you some cool water in case you were tired."

"...Did you sleep in the circle room? You can't see here from the dormitory."

"Yeah, I slept there. Why?"

"...No reason."

She said she sleeps there when she's bored. It was true.

"You're working hard, our Edgio. Good job, good job."

Raelin was now behind him, massaging his shoulders. No, I smell like sweat. He subtly moved away, but she hummed and massaged his shoulders again. He was out of breath and found it hard to move, so he just let her.

"...I'm not the only one doing this, you know."

Early morning exercise is not uncommon. Many seniors exercise in other places. The campus is vast, and there are multiple training grounds. It's unnecessarily large for the number of students. What's the real reason? What prestige does the sign of the empire's future carry...

"No. You seem to be working especially hard, which is nice to see. I keep thinking, 'You're really cool.' Yeah."

Raelin, with a cheerful smile, pressed his shoulders.

He raised his hand briefly.

"I'm fine now. Thank you."

"Ah, I'm just doing it because I want to."

He finally managed to get her off, and Raelin, looking disappointed, suddenly said:

"Hey, junior."

"Yes?"

"What were you thinking about so deeply?"

"...Did it show?"

"Of course, a serious expression is cool, but you looked too serious. Your rhythm was off, and you fell, so I thought you were distracted while running."

"...You're not wrong."

She has a subtle sharpness.

"Would you be curious about what I was thinking, senior?"

Raelin's face, a mix of curiosity and concern. If I don't tell her, she'll stick to me like glue. If Raelin nods, I'll think of a suitable response.

"...Maybe about me?"

"..."

"...Just kidding! Don't make that face! I'm really hurt?!"

Her ridiculous answer and exaggerated reaction made it even more awkward.

After a moment, Raelin continued, clearing her throat.

"...Well, if you're not curious, it's a lie. But helping a junior with their problems is a senior's duty, right? I think so, but I don't know what you think. ...I, I'm a fool, but I can at least listen to your story."

Raelin, rolling her eyes and scratching her cheek.

Despite her appearance, she is a senior two years older than me. While her actions are slightly untrustworthy, ...

"It's not serious."

He took a short breath and said.

"Senior, you just said I'm doing well and working hard. But I don't really think that way."

"Uh, uh?"

"Of course, I try to work hard, but I don't know what I'm doing it for. My primary goal is to graduate with excellent grades, but that seems insufficient. I have many issues to deal with. Trying to solve them all at once is overwhelming. I feel like I might fall at any moment, and it's unsettling. Something like that?"

Raelin blinked and replied.

"...Isn't that a serious concern?"

"Is it?"

Sweat trickled down. He frowned and brushed his hair back. Raelin looked at him for a moment, then tilted her head and said:

"Puberty, maybe...?"

"..."

"Is it not? During puberty, everyone tends to ponder life or fall into deep thought... I did too..."

Isn't it a bit late for puberty? No, I've already gone through it. In my middle school days, I was, well, what can I say. Sometimes, I did and said things that I couldn't even bear to see with my own eyes. Thinking about it now, I sometimes feel embarrassed. Now, it's something more complex. Maybe a second puberty. I don't know, really.

He suddenly asked:

"Senior, you're a noble, right?"

"Um... yeah? Aren't you a noble too?"

Not all nobles are the same, but Raelin just asked that. In the Frontier, social status doesn't play a huge role. Outside, it's a different story. Raelin is the daughter of a respected baron. In contrast, I...

"My family declined."

"Ah."

Raelin fell silent.

To prevent the atmosphere from getting awkward, he said:

"It's fine. We're all getting along well as a family. In fact, we're better off than before."

"R, really? That's a relief..."

Raelin looked genuinely relieved, sighing deeply.

It's not like she made a mistake. She seems to genuinely care about me. She can be a bit draining, but I feel grateful at times like this.

They didn't bring up the topic of nobility again. If they continued, it might lead to things he shouldn't say in front of others.

Raelin, groaning, said:

"About your concern..."

"Yes."

"Um, um... No matter what you think, if you're not satisfied, it could be a problem... But at least, if the people around you see you working hard, it's not the worst, right?"

"...Is that so?"

"Of course. You're doing incredibly well. I think you're a very diligent and kind junior, and I want to help you more personally... I think you're doing well enough. What you need now is probably confidence. Don't worry, you're doing well. I want to tell you that."

In the end, it was a word of encouragement, not a solution.

"And don't live like you're being chased! Life is too short to only do exercise and training. Take some time to relax. How can anyone live by only doing what's set? Taking appropriate breaks also improves work efficiency."

That was somewhat reassuring.

But, it sounded familiar. I was dazed, staring blankly at the sky.

"..."

He stroked his chin and slowly nodded. She can say some surprisingly accurate things.

He turned to Raelin, still on the track.

"Indeed. Thank you. You're a senior, after all."

"Um, um."

Raelin blinked at his smile.

"Ugh."

He stretched briefly and got up.

"I drank enough. I have to go to a lecture, so I'll be off."

"Already? When is your lecture?"

"9 AM."

"There's still plenty of time!"

"I need to prepare in the dormitory."

As he said this and was about to leave the track,

"Junior."

"Yes?"

"If you need a hobby, why not try clothes with me—"

"No."

"......Hiiing."

#8

The literature general education class this morning was one I took with Miu. The swordsmanship class after that was the same.

—We will start now. Please discuss freely.

The morning class involved reading a designated book and discussing its content.

"Same group? Let's do our best."

"......Ah, ah. Yeah."

I was in the same group as Miu. It was a one-on-one setting, so there were only two members: me and Miu. We sat at the same table and opened the book. While being in the same group as Miu was fine, there was a slight issue with the selected book.

[ Our World, Just You and Me / Yucremian ]

"......"

"......"

Um, um...

Indeed, it was awkward.

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