Chapter 386: Leo Karumi [20]

"Hey, Leo! Dammit—you’re going to get us both in trouble!"

"Nathan, where are you going? Come back here and serve this beautiful mistress!"

"Eh, but—!"

"Now!"

"...Yes, ma’am."

Leo slipped through the curtain without even sparing Nathan a glance. Behind him, Nathan sulked—unable to follow even if he wanted to.

The resting area was much dimmer than the café floor, though still bright enough to see. Leo’s eyes immediately found Lea.

She was sitting on a wooden crate with a bowl of strawberries in her lap, half her mouth stuffed, cheeks puffed out as she stared at her phone.

Startled by the sudden presence, she looked up—and froze, still chewing, looking exactly like a squirrel caught mid-theft.

"Fwghath—"

"Swallow first," Leo cut in, exasperation weighing down his voice.

She obeyed. After a few hurried gulps, she let out a relieved breath—then coughed, lifting a hand to cover her mouth.

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked. There was a hint of shyness in her tone, and she sat curled in on herself as she looked up at him.

The question caught him off guard.

’...Why am I here?’

But he gathered himself fast and answered calmly, like it was obvious.

"Nathan said you weren’t feeling well, so I came to check on you."

Lea stared at him like he’d said something unreal.

"You were... worried about me?"

Leo opened his mouth to respond—then decided against it. He frowned and tilted his head, genuinely confused.

’Was I worried about her?

Was she someone I had to worry about?’

...Apparently.

There were only a handful of people Leo worried about, and somehow Lea had become one of them.

But... how? Why?

Truthfully, she’d always been more annoying—and more persistent—than the others. All through middle school, she’d show up once, twice, sometimes three times a month, asking for his help. And every time, he’d shut her down.

This time was different. This time, he’d agreed. After all those years, he’d finally decided to lend a hand—right at the end of what everyone kept calling an "important Chapter" of their lives.

For most people, anyway.

For Leo, it was just moving on to high school. And as for the curriculum, and whether he’d be able to handle it academically... he’d already been studying ahead two years ago. High school wasn’t going to change much. It wasn’t going to be a challenge.

So when did he start putting

her

on that short list?

It hadn’t even been that long since they started spending time together—and most of that was because of the end-of-year festival, but...

’Is it because she trusted me with her most vulnerable secret?’

Since then, Leo could tell he’d started seeing her differently. Trusting her more, even if he didn’t like admitting it.

He pressed his lips together, the thoughts flashing through his mind in seconds. Lea watched him with an anxious gaze—one that also looked, strangely, like anticipation.

"I... guess?" he said.

"You guess?"

She blinked, clearly thrown off. Then, almost immediately, she clapped both hands over her mouth and looked down. Leo saw her shoulders start to shake.

"Pfft—hahahaha!" she burst out, loud and bright, her laugh somehow sweet even when she tried to hold it back.

Now Leo was the one frozen in place, staring at her without moving.

When she finally calmed down, she wiped at her eyes, set the bowl and her phone aside, and looked up with a warm smile.

"You really are weird, Leo," she said, giggling softly.

"Are you mocking me?" Leo asked, sharper than he meant.

Lea shook her head, still smiling—cheerful, almost glowing as she stood.

"No. I’m just really happy to know you’re worried about me."

She stepped closer, excitement spilling into her voice.

"Does this mean we’re friends now?"

"Friends?"

She nodded quickly.

"Yeah! If you worry about me, that means we’ve become close enough to be called friends, right?"

Leo pinched his chin and thought for a moment, struggling to shape his expression into something firm. But when he met her eyes—so innocent, so openly excited—he couldn’t bring himself to deny it. He sighed, giving in.

"Yeah... I guess we’re friends."

"Finally!"

She pumped both fists in the air like she’d just won something.

"Is it really that exciting to be friends with me?" Leo asked, honestly not understanding her energy.

Lea leaned forward, her voice rising with urgency.

"Of course!" she said quickly. "Do you know how many years I’ve been trying to be friends with you? It’s like that impossible character you can never beat so you can get them in your party—but you keep trying anyway. This means I finally won! Who knew all I had to do was open up to you and land the final hit?"

Her eyes practically sparkled as she spoke, like she was translating everything into some game she’d played a hundred times.

But Leo’s mood soured. His face darkened.

"So this was all just a game to you?" he said quietly—low enough to sting, harsher than he’d intended.

Hearing that made Lea stop moving altogether. She looked at him in a panic.

"N-no!" She waved her hands in front of him.

"That’s not what I meant at all! Please don’t misunderstand! I don’t see this as a game, and I don’t see you as some villain character I have to beat! My feelings—and my effort to be friends with you—are one hundred percent real!"

At her heartfelt confession, Leo’s face relaxed on its own.

"I see," he said simply.

Lea exhaled in relief, grateful she’d cleared up what could’ve turned into a terrible misunderstanding.

"...If you wanted to be friends with me that badly, why didn’t you just ask?"

Lea’s expression twisted as she stared at him in disbelief, her eyes practically screaming,

Are you serious?

Her lips twitched before she answered, trying—poorly—to keep her emotions in check.

"You mean ask you—the guy who’s rude to everyone on the first sentence, who’s made multiple students cry with words alone, who acts like he dislikes every human being on the planet, who has a god complex, who doesn’t want to hang out with anyone—"

"Alright, I get it. I get it," Leo cut in before she could keep going. Rubbing his temples, he looked at her again, still confused.

"If there are that many negatives about me, why bother being friends with me at all? Or is it because I’m a genius, and you’re hoping you’ll get some benefit out of it?"

Lea shook her head and smiled again.

"Nope." She pointed at him.

"Because you’re kind."

Leo blinked a few times. His expression soured—again—but before he could respond, someone pushed through the curtains.

"Leo! At least eat what you ordered!" Nathan snapped, stalking in with an angry expression. He held Leo’s plate of parfait like it was evidence in a trial.

"My class spent a lot of time, love, and money on everything here, and you’re letting it go to waste! Screw the other two, but you—do you think money and delicious food grow on my back?!"

Both of them turned to him.

"Ah..." Leo said.

"I guess."

"You guess?!" Nathan barked.

"Listen here, you handsome piece of sh—"

"Nathan!" Lea suddenly dashed toward him, delighted.

"Leo has finally decided to be friends with me!"

"Huh?"

Nathan went completely still.

Lea stood in front of him and lifted her hand high, waiting.

It took him a second, but then he snapped out of it and slapped her palm with a sharp high-five.

Both were smiling and giggling.

"Ah—right, Lea," Leo called, and she turned back to him.

"Hmm?"

Leo studied her face.

"You still haven’t answered my question. Why did Nathan say you were feeling ill?"

"O-oh. Yeah... that." She averted her gaze, suddenly nervous for some reason.

"I-I’m alright. Really," she said quietly.

Leo narrowed his eyes, unconvinced.

"Are you sure? You do look pale."

If she was in pain and trying to hide it, that wasn’t good.

"That’s just because the lighting is terrible in here," she insisted quickly, forcing a bright smile.

"Really. Believe me."

"..."

"I’m one hundred percent fine."

"...Alright." Leo backed off, but his tone stayed firm.

"But if something’s wrong, you should say so."

At his obvious concern, Lea nodded—slightly dazed, but touched.

’I wonder if her illness will ever be cured...’

Leo thought.

And if no one else could...

...Could he?

"Hey..." Nathan’s voice cut in, quieter now—almost sulky.

"You’ve never shown that kind of concern for me, Leo. And Lea, I know you wanted to be friends with him, but... hmm." He pouted, cheeks puffing a little.

"As I thought—I wasn’t imagining things. You treat him like a real friend, unlike how you treat the others you call your friends. Leo, you are much kinder to her as well..."

Lea reached out, about to say something, but Nathan was quicker. He turned and ran through the curtains.

Lea took a step after him, but Leo’s voice stopped her.

"Leave him. He’ll be cheerful again in about an hour."

"But..." she said softly, staring at the curtain with a guilty look.

"I still feel kind of bad..."

Leo shrugged.

"Trust me. Either you try to console him for an hour, or he gets over it by himself in an hour. There’s no point wasting your energy."

She pressed her lips together.

"...Alright."

Then, still thinking about what Nathan had said, she looked back at Leo with curiosity.

"What did he mean about us getting even closer later today?"

Leo scratched the back of his head, staring up at the ceiling with his usual aloof expression.

"Ah... yeah. About that..."