Chapter 56 – Awards (2)
Don’t you think about that sometimes?
When things go so well, there is a case of doubt at least once.
I can’t understand it with my own head, so I’m trying to convince it somehow with an outside excuse.
My current situation was exactly like that.
It felt like I was back to normal now, but the world didn’t seem to allow me to leave it alone.
I stopped by school without hesitation and had to stop by one more place.
I wasn’t sure if the person I needed to see was there or not, but I ran anyway.
Fortunately, there was someone I needed to meet.
“Are you here?”
He didn’t react much, probably because he already knew I was coming.
“How do you feel?”
His nonchalant demeanor made his words a bit blunt.
“What kind of person in the world does things like this without talking to the person concerned.”
“I did it out of regret because you didn’t seem to think so much.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I was originally going to talk about last weekend.”
“By the way, weren’t you on a trip then?
It was true that I was having a good time, so I couldn’t open my mouth any more.
Because to me, the person in front of me was a person who had no choice but to be in an uncomfortable relationship.
“I personally thought you were overrated.”
It was the first time in my life that I had received such a favor, so I was dumbfounded.
“It seems that the people at the academy were also impressed by your thesis.”
“Or is there no way your thesis will be nominated for an award?”
He tried to end the story by saying it was nothing.
“Oh, do you have a suit?”
“There may be.”
I had a suit, but it was quite old.
The last thing you wore was probably the last thing you wore at a funeral.
Since then, it’s been in the closet and never seen the light of day.
He looked at my face and seemed to make a rough judgment.
“Are you free today?”
“I don’t have any plans after that, but…”
“Then let’s go somewhere with me.”
###
The place he followed was a dressmaker.
It was such a store that anyone would have to spend a lot of money to get a suit here.
Of course, it seemed that this kind of place would not match anyone just because they had money.
“Come in.”
Of course he would be used to this, but I wasn’t.
“Is there a master?”
“Are you here?”
The owner, who seemed to be quite old, came out from the inside.
He looks just like an ordinary old man, but the number of suits he made would be frightening.
“Are you a repairman?”
“Oh, I’m here today to match this friend’s suit.”
“Are you looking for something else?”
Two pairs of eyes bloomed on me.
The suit I bought was off-the-shelf, so I knew nothing about it.
“I guess this is the first time.”
The owner brought a tape measure to organize and measure at once, as if he had met countless people like me.
After the size work was finished, he seemed to be contemplating which fabric to use.
But before that, it seemed that my answer was needed.
“Where are you going to write?”
Are the suits used in different places different?
When I couldn’t come to my senses in the world I was new to, he spoke instead.
“One for all seasons and one for banquets.”
“All right.”
“Is there anything new these days?”
With that said, he and the tailor went inside together.
Left alone, I had nothing to do, so I decided to sit in a nearby chair.
A voice came from inside.
It wasn’t that loud
‘This is the first time I’ve come here for a reason other than my own since the head of the family first came here.’
‘Is it. If I had a son, he would have come at least once.’
‘How are your daughters?’
‘It’s fine. That looks good.’
‘Then I’ll do it.’
‘Excuse me, but who is that young man?’
‘He’s a friend I like.’
‘It’s the first time I’ve seen the head of household talking to you with such words today.’
‘He was my second daughter’s private tutor, but now I personally like his research, so I take him with me.’
‘I don’t think it would have been easy to satisfy the head of household, but he seems to be an amazing young man.’
‘How long can I finish it?’
‘Until next week.’
‘Next week, it’s the week with the Academy Award.’
‘As always, bring it home.’
‘All right.’
Two went in, but one came out.
“Did you wait long?”
“No.”
“Then let’s go.”
I don’t think he told me where he was going, but since it had already happened without me, I decided to adapt and follow him.
###
The place he followed was a restaurant.
A familiar restaurant that I have been to several times.
It was a place I wanted to visit several times in my life, but it was already the third time in two years.
“Have you been here before?”
“I’ve been here for dinner with the professor.”
He couldn’t say that he had ever seen his first daughter.
He knew that the moment he said it, it was going to be really weird.
He ordered a meal and was waiting for it to come out.
“Seeing this, I am very lucky.”
Sometimes it feels like his words are twisted one beat at a time.
I don’t know if it’s because he entered politics or because he’s an aristocrat, but he often had to think twice to understand the meaning.
“Why?”
“Because you can preview the Academy Award nominations.”
He had never shown it to him or provided a copy, so perhaps Seria showed it to him.
It was a strange thing considering the relationship between her father and daughter, but I thought it was so and decided to move on.
“Have you seen it?”
“Seria showed it to me once. It was a great thesis.”
Strictly speaking, it was a thesis that could not be said to be purely my thesis.
Although I was close to completing my parents’ legacy.
“So that’s what you mean.”
He began to lower his voice as if he were making a secret proposal.
I couldn’t even guess what he was going to say, so all I could do was wait for him to say it.
“Do you have a copy?”
It was a surprisingly non-trivial question.
All I had to do was make a copy, and considering the favors he had given me, it was unreasonable not to give them.
“I’ll get you a copy later.”
“If possible, I would like you to sign it as well. Then it will be a little more special.”
Out of curiosity, I decided to ask him.
Little did he seem to feel at ease.
“Does the copy have any special meaning?”
“You can’t have the original, can you?”
Those who devoted their lives to research would be treated like their children.
So, I usually take it for the rest of my life.
“Take care of the original copy. Surprisingly, something like this sells for a high price.”
Still, he said that there were occasional auctions, perhaps due to financial problems.
A knock was heard and a waiter brought food.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you for this food.”
###
The meal was always the same every time I came, but it was delicious.
Of course, the situation was not always comfortable, but the memory that it was always delicious did not go anywhere.
He called the waiter in the middle and ordered a bottle of wine and asked if I would like a drink too.
I said I would drink a little.
Two glasses were placed and dark red wine poured silently.
It was quite a high-quality wine, but it tasted pretty good.
“It’s a southern mountain.”
He added some explanation.
I think most of the nobles I’ve seen ignore this if they don’t know about it.
Suddenly, I was curious.
What does this person honestly think of me?
Of course, given the attitude he’s shown me and the courtesy he’s given me in recent months, it’s reasonable to view it as positive.
Still, it was the heart of a person who wanted to hear it directly.
“My lord.”
“Why but.”
“Why are you treating me like this?”
He was silent for a moment, then opened his mouth as if he had decided on a direction.
“Didn’t I tell you?”
“Your thesis is a breakthrough. Since magic has been studied logically and rigorously, no one has analyzed it from this point of view.”
“What’s the waste of money when you can talk to the author of such an innovative paper?”
It was a world I couldn’t understand.
However, my brain, already soaked in weak intoxication, was spitting out the next words.
“I know there is a sponsorship relationship with the research.”
Research is also money.
So, it was a reality that nobles supported a lot in this way.
However, it was a case of a public relationship, and there were few cases where it came to the private part like this.
“It just seemed like the favor was too personal for that.”
“Is there another reason I don’t know about?”
After I said it, I knew what I was talking about.
It would not be strange even if this favor disappeared immediately.
Of course, there was no problem in living without it, but curiosity took the risk of getting rid of it all.
“You’re right about what you said a while ago. It’s a public matter.”
“You asked why it was personal? That’s surprisingly simple.”
“Didn’t you raise Seria’s grades?”
There seemed to be a big difference between what I thought and what he thought.
“You seem to think it’s just with that, but it’s not a simple matter.”
The people in this family seemed to have a knack for seeing me through.
“You know, since you’ve been a member of our family for several months.”
“I don’t know what kind of reality it is, but the nobles of the system are very sensitive to this.
“How can I express it? Yes, it is similar to a kind of chess piece. A proxy war would be more appropriate.”
He, too, seemed to be a little drunk, and began to talk a little more comfortably about things I didn’t know.
“When you first came, as you know, Seria’s grades weren’t very good.”
Nothing will be remembered for as long as what you have experienced physically.
“The problem was, paradoxically, that Carolyn’s grades were really good.”
“It doesn’t matter if there is a slight difference in grades. Her twins can’t either.”
“I explain it with magic to help you understand. If you apply the same magic power in the same environment with the same structure, can the result be different?”
The answer was no.
It wasn’t a problem to have a little error, but it couldn’t make a big difference.
“It looks like you understand it roughly, so I’ll continue talking. What do you think will come out if you substitute that for a person?”
“What’s the matter with the person involved? I don’t think I’ll be able to say that.”
“That’s not wrong either. Just don’t be too naive.”
Is there something more than that?
“Everyone laughs when you see them face to face. How are you these days, how are things going? And that applies to the people on the other side as well.”
“The problem is, the moment you don’t see his face, all kinds of words come out. It’s good, isn’t it ruined after eating together?”
“Then what can you say in this case?”
I couldn’t possibly guess, so I responded with silence.
“They’re asking if they’re parents.”
It was his words that he said this in a way that was pure.
“I ate with someone I don’t know. It’s an aristocratic society where people don’t know whose child they are.”
“And do you know why that word comes out?”
“Biologically, males have no way of identifying their own offspring in the female’s womb.”
It was darker than I had imagined, and it was a soggy story.
“The moment you prove that you are not there, you are self-destructing. Why are you doing this alone?”
Saw his face
He looked like he had aged 10 years compared to before he started talking.
Perhaps the story we were talking about just happened.
“But now, with your help, everything is gone. That’s why I’m doing you a favor.”
“And that’s why I didn’t block the trip.”
Sareh was heard at the sudden change.
“I don’t know if you thought I wouldn’t know, or if you thought I was acquiescing even though I knew.”
“I agree with you.”
Did you already know everything?
It seemed that all the thoughts I had been thinking about on my own had no meaning.
A lot of thoughts and lines started to disappear from my head.
“…Since when have you known?”
Those who already had everything were just doing post-processing.
“It was before last summer that I found out about Seria’s feelings.”
“It’s only been a few months since she noticed that something had changed.”
“How did you know?”
“Still, it’s a face I’ve seen for over 10 years, so there’s no way I wouldn’t know. Now, wake up.”
