Chapter 152: Distant

Haru woke up at noon.

At the worst possible moment.

Not for him, of course. The Saint had just entered the stable, and the first thing he saw was Haru waking up from a particularly comfortable nap.

In his hand, he carried a tray of food from the cafeteria. It was almost as if he’d known Haru hadn’t eaten lunch and had predicted he’d find him in exactly that situation: waking up peacefully, without the slightest sign of having carried out his punishment.

Haru looked at him.

The Saint looked at Haru.

Haru looked at the tray.

’Shit.’

His first idea was to pretend he was working. Maybe grab a bucket, a broom, or anything else that could serve as evidence of his dedication to cleaning the stables.

But that would only make things worse. It would look like a desperate attempt to cover up the fact that he hadn’t done a single thing.

’No.’ He needed a better strategy.

And at that moment, Haru decided to turn to what the Japanese did best.

He threw himself to the ground, prostrated himself before the Saint, and shouted:

"GOMENASAI!!!"

Exactly.

Apologize. Nobody was better than the Japanese at the art of saying sorry.

The Saint opened his mouth to say something.

"GOMENASAI!!!"

"I..."

"GOMENASAI!!!"

"Wait..."

"GOMENASAAAAAIIIIII!!!"

The Saint pressed his hands against his temples.

He had absolutely no idea what Haru was saying, but one thing was obvious: the boy was apologizing. And with an enthusiasm that was starting to become concerning.

"Gomenasai..." the Saint murmured to himself, trying out the word.

He sighed.

Truthfully, he’d already expected to find Haru doing nothing. The boy was hungover, after all. And he was a Saint, not an executioner...

He bent down and placed the tray beside the boy.

Since Haru seemed determined to remain in that position, the Saint decided not to push the matter.

’Whatever he’s trying to do, it’s working.’

And he left.

Haru remained prostrated for a few more seconds, just to make sure the danger had passed.

Then he raised his head.

Silence.

He looked at the door. Nobody.

"Hehehehe..."

He stood up, dusted off his clothes, and picked up the tray.

"Gomenasai, my ass!"

And he started eating.

The smell of manure was still there, but Haru had already lived in the stable at the Valtherion mansion. Besides, food was food.

When he finished, he set the tray aside and left the stable.

The fresh air hit his face.

He stretched his arms above his head, rolled his shoulders, and stretched his back. The hangover wasn’t nearly as unbearable anymore, and the nap had done wonders for his mood.

"Ah..."

He found a nearby tree and sat in its shade.

Finally, a moment of peace.

He needed to think.

Ever since arriving at the Academy, it seemed like he couldn’t go a single day without something absurd happening. Tests, spirits, the Forgotten General, Lilith, Chronia, Recurrence... And now there were even more questions about the other Gamers.

The Academy had barely even gotten started.

At this rate, he’d die before figuring out half of what was going on.

’It’s time to get stronger.’

He looked at his hand and slowly clenched his fist.

Yeah. He needed to improve. He couldn’t keep relying on luck, information he’d stumbled upon by chance, or abilities he didn’t even fully understand.

He needed to train, investigate the system, and prepare for whatever came next.

But first... He had to finish his punishment.

Haru let his head fall backward.

What a shitty life.

"DAAAAAAD!!!"

The scream nearly made him fall out of the shade.

Haru turned his head.

A small figure came running toward him, white hair bouncing with every step.

"Yukihime?"

The girl approached at full speed.

Haru opened his arms and crouched just in time to catch her. Yukihime threw herself against him, hugging him as tightly as her little arms would allow.

He ran a hand through her hair.

"What’s wrong, little one?"

Yukihime pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes.

"I heard you’re getting expelled!"

Haru blinked.

’Which son of a bitch spread that rumor so quickly?’

"I’m not getting expelled."

"But they said..."

"It’s a long story."

"A drunken story, from what I’ve heard." The voice came from behind Yukihime.

Haru looked up.

Isabela and Kira were approaching.

Isabela walked with her usual impeccable posture. She wore a light-blue dress with an elegant cut that flowed with her movements without restricting them, its sleeves decorated with small silver details and a delicate ribbon holding back part of her red hair.

The sunlight accentuated her fine features, and there was something about the way she walked, chin raised, shoulders straight, gaze confident, that made it seem as though even that patch of ground belonged to her.

She was beautiful in a way that didn’t need to demand attention. Her elegance was in the details, in her intelligent expression, and in the natural way she maintained her composure even when she was about to lose her patience.

Kira, on the other hand, seemed to belong to another world.

Her simple dress, in shades of green and brown, had been chosen more for freedom of movement than appearance. A small braid held back part of her hair, while the rest fell freely over her shoulders.

There was an almost animal-like vitality in her gestures, a constant curiosity in her eyes, and a disregard for conventions that made it impossible to mistake her for a noblewoman.

She didn’t need to behave like Isabela to be charming. Her spontaneous smile, open expression, and the way she seemed to notice everything around her gave her a beauty of her own, as natural as it was unpredictable.

At that moment, however, Kira was strangely quiet.

Isabela didn’t have time to say anything else. The moment she got close enough, she grabbed one of Haru’s ears and yanked it hard.

"OW! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS, WOMAN?!"

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!"

"Calm down! Calm down! I just woke up!"

"AND YOU THINK THAT MAKES IT BETTER?!"

"Technically, yes. I was sleeping. I wasn’t doing anything wrong!"

Isabela pulled his ear even harder.

"YOU WERE DRINKING!"

"But that was yesterday! It’s over now..."

"AND YOU ALMOST GOT EXPELLED!"

"But I didn’t!"

"AND YOU STILL HAVE THE AUDACITY TO TELL ME TO CALM DOWN?!"

Haru tried to free his ear.

No luck.

Yukihime watched with wide eyes, while Kira covered her mouth with one hand, hiding a small smile.

"Isabela, please. We’re civilized people having a civilized conversation..."

"CIVILIZED PEOPLE DON’T SHOW UP DRUNK IN A STABLE."

"I wasn’t drunk in the stables. I was drunk at the guild and then in my room. The stable part was just an administrative consequence."

Isabela froze for a moment.

Haru immediately realized he’d made a mistake.

’...I shouldn’t have said that.’

She finally released his ear, only to start pointing a finger in his face.

"DO YOU HAVE NO COMMON SENSE AT ALL?! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU DID?! What would’ve happened if you’d been expelled? And what if the Academy decided to hold me responsible for hiring a personal guard who can’t even stay sober?!"

"But it’s not your fault..."

"IMAGINE IF MY FATHER HEARS ABOUT THIS!"

Haru shut his mouth.

Isabela took a deep breath, but it didn’t seem to help much.

"AND NOW EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT YOU!"

"Me?"

"YES, YOU! Do you know how many people came to ask me if it was true that my personal guard had been found drunk? How many times I’ve had to explain that no, you weren’t expelled, that yes, you’re still my guard, and that no, I don’t make a habit of hiring drunkards?!"

Haru looked away.

"Well, technically..."

"DON’T FINISH THAT SENTENCE!"

He looked back at her.

Isabela’s cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyes bright with indignation, and her hands clenched at her sides.

"And the worst part is that now I’m known for this, too! ’Isabela Valtherion, the noblewoman whose guard was found drunk!’ That’s what I’ll hear in the hallways! And what if someone decides to turn this into a scandal? What if it reaches my family’s ears? What if..."

She continued.

And continued.

And continued.

Haru tried to pay attention for the first few seconds. He really did. But somewhere between the social consequences, the reputation of House Valtherion, and the possibility that his employment might be questioned, his mind began to drift away.

’She talks a lot when she’s angry.’

"...AND ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"

Haru snapped back to the present.

Isabela was staring at him as if she were about to commit a crime.

’Shit.’

There was no time to think.

Haru threw himself to the ground and prostrated himself before her.

"GOMENASAI!!!"

Isabela fell silent.

Yukihime looked at her father. Then, as if she’d just learned a secret technique, she knelt beside him and prostrated herself, too.

"GOMENASAI!!!"

Haru felt his heart swell with pride.

’That’s my girl! She’s a fast learner!’

Isabela looked from one to the other and blinked.

"...What are you two doing?"

"Gomenasai!" Haru repeated without raising his head.

"I’m talking to you!"

"Gomenasai!"

"HARU!"

"GOMENASAI!!!"

Isabela opened her mouth, then closed it.

She looked at Yukihime, who was still kneeling beside her father, completely convinced she was doing the right thing.

The situation was so absurd that Isabela didn’t even know where to begin.

"WHERE DID YOU TWO LEARN THAT?!"

Haru didn’t answer.

He couldn’t risk it.

Kira, who had remained silent until then, burst out laughing.

She tried to hide it, but ended up laughing even harder when Isabela shot her an indignant look.

"Don’t laugh!" the noblewoman protested.

Kira turned her face away, pressing her lips together. Her shoulders were shaking.

Haru remained prostrated. After all, the strategy was working, well... More or less.

Some time later, the four of them were sitting beneath the tree.

Yukihime sat beside Haru, leaning against his arm. Isabela still looked irritated, although she’d regained her composure. Kira sat on the other side, knees bent, her gaze wandering somewhere across the grounds.

Haru took a deep breath.

There was something he needed to tell them.

"I want you to trust me."