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“SORRY about that, you two,” Charles said, ducking his head through the door. By that point, they had already taken their baths and had been relaxing in Leo’s room for a while.
“Is Master August okay?” Lille asked.
“Yeah. He eventually fell asleep, from drinking too much,” he said, shuffling into the room and sitting down next to her. His voice had gone hoarse, and Lille could only assume he’d had a fierce argument with August. “Sorry about your room, by the way.”
“No, it’s fine. Thank you for bringing the living room sofa in here. I’ll be more than comfortable.” She smiled, patting the soft sofa she sat on. It was big, too, so she had no doubt that she’d sleep well.
“From my point of view, it’s not fine. I gotta put up with her all night,” Leo complained bitterly. He sat on his bed reading a book, his curly hair still damp from the bath stuck to his forehead.
“I don’t mind being with you, though…” she replied.
“Unlike you, I’m sensitive to these things. I can’t sleep with someone else in the room.” He pouted.
“I really am sorry, guys. This could’ve been avoided if I just let him stay in my room.”
“We all know that’s a no-go zone, so whatever.” Leo rolled his eyes.
If Master August were Leo’s teacher, he most definitely wouldn’t be allowed to talk back like that, Lille thought.
Charles simply scratched his head awkwardly and gave a strained smile.
“That was the first time I’ve ever seen you angry,” Lille remarked.
“Haha…” Charles laughed stiffly. “How embarrassing that you had to see that. He’s not young anymore, but he still doesn’t hold back on the drink. Whenever he comes here it’s like he forgets himself and drinks too much. That’s why I wish he wouldn’t visit.”
Despite spending all evening quarrelling with him, Charles’s words were permeated with a sense of care and consideration for August.
“You must really love Master August,” Lille said softly. Charles didn’t reply, but he sat up straighter.
“…My parents died young, you see,” he began after a moment. “The one who took me in was the principal of my academy at that time—Master August. In fact, I was about the same age as Leo is now.”
Lille was shocked to learn he was an orphan. Although she had been taken away from them, her parents weren’t dead as far as she knew. She recognized, then, just how significant it was that Charles called her his family.
“He was strict both in class and in our daily life, and had no consideration for my feelings whatsoever. Back then, I used to cry every day. I mean, I was a kid,” he said with a distant look in his eyes.
Lille patiently waited for him to continue. Leo had closed his book and was listening carefully.
“I ran away more times than I can remember. I would walk to my old house, where I used to live with my parents. Then, without fail, Master August would show up and take me back home. No matter how late at night it was or how well I covered my tracks, he always found me. He was an excellent teacher, but he didn’t seem to like children very much. At the time, I couldn’t understand why he bothered to look for me so hard.”
“But now you do?” she asked.
“…Yes. I think so,” he said solemnly, locking his fingers together. His faraway gaze was filled with a certain sadness. “In his own way, Master August loved me very much. I know it’s hard to believe given how tactless he is, but even now, I think he still sees me as that same child. Ever since he took my hand that day when he found me crying, he’s been looking out for me…”
Lille noticed that both Charles and August had the same lonely look in their eyes whenever they spoke about each other.
“I think Master August might be feeling lonely,” she noted gently. “Since you went so far away.”
“Huh? But it only takes a second to travel here using teleportation.” He raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“That’s not what I mean. It’s not just about where you live. It’s like…”
“No, no. I get what you mean,” Charles assured her. “Hmm… You may be right.” He sat deep in thought, plunging into his memories as if he were attempting to piece them back together.
✦ ✦ ✦
❁❁❁
THE next morning, Lille prepared some iced tea and a light sandwich for August. He had woken up late, and seemed grateful for the sandwich. Instead of eating, however, he kept pressing his hand against his head and groaning. He didn’t appear to have much of an appetite.
“My head’s pounding…”
“That’s to be expected after drinking such a huge amount. In the future, please be careful not to drink so much that it harms you. Now—drink this,” Charles said firmly, pouring a tonic infused with medicinal herbs into a glass. He set the cup down in front of August, whose face contorted upon seeing the liquid. It was the color of a bottomless swamp.
“Eugh. What an awful smell…” he complained. Nonetheless, he pinched his nose and downed the liquid in one unpleasant swig. “I do try not to drink when I’m alone. If I kicked the bucket all of a sudden, there’d be no one to come to my aid.”
“I wish you wouldn’t say things like that…” Charles sighed.
“I apologize for causing such trouble for you all. I was intending to stay a little longer, but I think it best that I leave today,” August said nonchalantly, placing his cup down.
“…Huh? Already?” Charles faltered for a moment, looking as though he had just heard something from his wildest dreams.
“What’s the problem? You didn’t want me to come here in the first place. You should be delighted to see me go.” August furrowed his brow.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to see you. It was just…,” Charles trailed off. Even though he clearly wished August would stay longer, he couldn’t bring himself to say so.
The same went for August; really, he wanted Charles to stop him from leaving, and that was why he was testing how Charles reacted rather than admitting his true feelings.
Why don’t adults say what they mean?
“P-Please wait!” Lille interjected. Leo shot her a glare that said “Don’t get involved,” and she responded with an apologetic glance. She felt bad for Leo, but she couldn’t bear to see Charles and August part in such a gloomy way. “I want Master August to stay a bit longer.”
Charles looked relieved that she had intervened, but August was frowning in confusion.
“For what reason? Wouldn’t you like your room back?” he asked.
“Well…with you here, Master Charlie doesn’t have to do everything by himself in class. Also…um…you remind me of my grandpa, so…”
“Grandpa…?” He blinked, bewildered. Lille realized too late that she didn’t even know how old August was; perhaps she had offended him.
“O-Oh! Sorry if that sounded rude,” she said, rushing to explain. “It’s just…my grandpa was a strict man, but he always doted on me. I loved him very much. When I see you, I remember my time with him, so I…I couldn’t help but wish you’d stay with us a little longer.”
“…I see. It sounds like he was very precious to you…” August murmured, stroking his beard uncertainly. Charles stared in amazement, unused to seeing him so affected. “If you insist, I suppose I can stay a while longer…” he said bashfully.
She beamed. “Thank you very much!”
“Heh. Just for you, I’ll plan a lesson that’ll test your limits,” he announced proudly. Lille could see hot steam gently rising from his skin, and she suddenly felt warm inside. That meant she’d cheered him up—probably, anyway.
“Oh, that sounds wonderful.” She smiled. “Actually…there’s something else I want to try with you, too.”