Chapter 2

“Then how can I make you like me instead of dislike me?”

“……”

“See! You won’t even answer when I ask!”

“I’m not your teacher. I have no obligation to answer all your questions.”

“Who said I wanted you to be my teacher? I’m asking about you, so you should tell me.”

“…Hoo. We’re not communicating at all.”

Noah shook his head and went back to his documents. Ariel blocked his paperwork with her palm.

Noah shot her a look of annoyance, but Ariel met his gaze without backing down.

“There’s no harm in being friends with me, right?”

“There’s no benefit, either.”

“How can you say that? You know how valuable it is to be close to me! How can you pass up such a good opportunity?”

“If I pass it up, things just stay the same. I don’t lose anything.”

At those words, Ariel suddenly had an idea. If Noah didn’t want to be friends because he wouldn’t lose anything, she could create a situation where he would.

But she couldn’t think of a good way. It had to be something simple she could do right now, and strong enough for Noah to really feel the loss.

Noah was working, so disrupting his work was the best option, but even that wasn’t easy. Taking his pen would just make him borrow another, and stopping him from using documents or carrying them was too harsh.

“So just give up and go. Everyone can’t work because they’re paying attention to you.”

“How can they not work because of me…”

Now Ariel noticed the office members’ gazes. Normally, they wouldn’t care if she came or went, but today they seemed especially focused on her and Noah.

They had just turned back to their work because of Noah’s words, but it was obvious their ears were still tuned to Ariel and Noah.

“Fine, then!”

Ariel moved right beside Noah and declared to everyone,

“I’ll stay here until you agree to be friends with me!”

If her presence kept everyone from working, that was a perfect way to disrupt things.

“You’re not a child. Do you think you’ll get your way just by being stubborn?”

“You never know until you try!”

“…Do whatever you want.”

As soon as Noah finished speaking, Ariel sat down on the floor. There were chairs in the office, but it was more important to make Noah notice her.

She stayed close enough for Noah to hear her breathing and movements, determined to disrupt his work.

Thus began their battle of nerves. Ariel stayed right there, and Noah glanced at her from time to time but never spoke.

Eventually, the office members became restless, suggesting Ariel try again later or asking Noah to let it go just this once. But unfortunately, neither of them was the type to give in.

In the end, the members gave up and returned to work, and with nothing else to do, Ariel simply watched Noah.

Noah, even while working silently, answered others’ questions diligently. Of course, he always spoke directly, stating when something was wrong, and sometimes mixed in a sarcastic tone.

He wasn’t particularly kind, nor did he hold a high rank, yet many people relied on him. This was proof of Noah’s competence.

Ariel didn’t deny this either. Setting aside personal feelings, Noah was exceptionally skilled in administrative matters. If Noah were a noble and had entered politics, perhaps even the Kingdom would have changed.

“Sir Noah, about the basis of this case… I just can’t find a solution…”

“That’s because the precedents are complicated. It’s better to start with the statutes.”

“Then, starting with the biggest damages…”

“Here, this. You need it, right?”

Listening to Noah’s conversation with another knight, Ariel stood up and immediately took out the relevant materials from behind, handing them over. The knight looked surprised at Ariel’s sudden action but soon nodded and accepted the book.

Suddenly, Ariel felt someone’s gaze and turned her head—Noah was looking at her. His expressionless stare seemed to be asking for the reason behind her actions.

There was no special reason. She simply helped because she knew what was needed and had nothing else to do. It wasn’t anything impressive.

“It wasn’t hard.”

“Of course. You’re at least the Deputy Commander of the Court Knight Order. At least.”

“Why do you say ‘at least’ twice?”

Ariel voiced her dissatisfaction at Noah’s sarcasm, but Noah acted as if he hadn’t heard.

“If you can do something productive, why not sit down and work?”

“What? What are you talking about! I could never do that! I’m in the middle of a battle of nerves with you!”

“I’m saying you should spend this unproductive time doing something else.”

“What’s wrong with handing over some materials! Fine, I won’t help anymore. I’ll just sit quietly.”

“Why are you…”

Noah stopped mid-sentence and let out a long sigh. Ariel, annoyed by the sound, sat back down on the floor and turned her head away.

She really didn’t like it. But if it was for her family…

“Ugh…”

As the sun set and the sky turned a deep red, Ariel groaned. She clenched her fists and bit her lip, but it was getting harder to endure. Her body trembled occasionally, and cold sweat beaded on her skin—she felt she might lose consciousness soon.

It felt like she’d reached her limit.

“D-Deputy Commander? Are you alright?”

“…I need to use the restroom.”

The urge had come a while ago, but Ariel had held it in, determined to get an answer from Noah. But even Ariel’s strong will was powerless against nature.

“T-That’s serious. You should go quickly…”

“I won’t go. I can’t.”

Ariel managed to calm her twitching body and stared at Noah. This time, Noah couldn’t ignore her and spoke.

“At least go to the restroom.”

“I still haven’t heard your answer.”

“Are you really going to throw away your dignity for something like this?”

“‘Something like this’! It may not mean much to you, but it’s more important than my dignity!”

“What kind of person are you…”

Noah stopped again and sighed.

“Just go.”

“I said I won’t.”

“I get it, just go.”

“What do you mean, ‘I get it’…”

Ariel paused, then realized what Noah meant and raised her voice.

“Really? You said you get it? You said you’d be friends with me? Everyone here heard it! They’re witnesses!”

“Yes, so hurry up and go.”

Ariel got up awkwardly, repeatedly confirming with Noah. Noah, growing tired of answering, waved her off to go quickly.

Only after seeing that did Ariel feel relieved enough to dash to the restroom.

After a brief time, Ariel returned to the office, feeling comfortable.

“…What?”

Noah was gone.

⚔

At first, Ariel didn’t believe it. She thought Noah had gone to the restroom or stepped out for work. Next, she thought there must have been a mistake. She waited, thinking Noah would come back.

But even after the sunset faded, darkness settled, and the moon rose, Noah didn’t appear.

That wasn’t all. After that, Noah began openly avoiding Ariel. For a while, Ariel wandered around asking about Noah’s whereabouts, but no matter how much she searched, she couldn’t catch a glimpse of him.

At first, Ariel was annoyed that Noah hadn’t kept his promise, so she searched for him persistently. But as days passed, her annoyance faded, leaving only the strong desire to meet Noah.

“Ah, Sir Noah!”

About a week later, something unexpected happened—Noah came to Ariel on his own.

“Finally! After you disappeared like that, do you know how much I…”

“I understand. So please stop.”

Noah’s voice cut off Ariel’s words, sharp and cold. His neat attire and tidy appearance were unchanged, but the way he pressed his hand to his head and frowned showed he wasn’t in a good mood.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Something? Yes, something happened, which is why I came to you. So please stop bothering me.”

“What? Who’s bothering you? Who in their right mind would dare bully someone in the Court Knight Order…! Tell me! I’ll send them straight to h*ll!”

“And who do you think is the cause of this harassment?”

“Who? Well, I don’t really…”

Unable to guess, Ariel tilted her head. Then, seeing Noah’s gaze fixed on her, she hesitantly spoke.

“Me…?”

Instead of answering, Noah described what he’d been through.

“Every time the members meet me, they list your strengths. They say you’re simple but not a bad person, reckless but skilled, thoughtless but somehow living just fine.”

“Uh… That sounds more like an insult than a compliment.”

“It’s like they’re trying to brainwash me, all of them talking about you. What kind of harassment is this? When I’m working, resting, eating, even washing! Even whispering in my ear when I’m sleeping—what is that?”

Noah’s voice started cold, but gradually grew louder, until he was nearly shouting. It seemed he’d really had a hard time.

Ariel didn’t know how things had come to this, but the atmosphere made her feel she should apologize.

“S-Sorry…?”

Noah frowned and asked,

“Do you even know what you’re apologizing for?”

“…Sorry, not really.”

“I figured. You’re not the type to manipulate the members or come up with such a scheme. You’d sooner grab my collar and shout at me.”

“What did you say?”

It was almost as if Noah was provoking Ariel to grab him by the collar.