AEPOB 17

Chapter 17

My jaw dropped.

The face of the child before me was anything but ordinary. Seeing me belatedly cover my gaping mouth and stare at him with wide eyes, Kiki’s expression darkened.

“Abeli, are you sick somewhere?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Where did that grimy-looking kid go?

‘How am I supposed to react when a face with perfectly arranged features suddenly appears here?’

I wasn’t mentally prepared at all!

“No, you! You’re not supposed to look like this…!”

“A-Abeli?”

Ah, did I just say my inner thoughts out loud?

Even at his young age, he had a straight, prominent nose bridge and lips tinged with a faint reddish hue.

Especially those mysterious violet eyes looking straight at me—they captivated my attention instantly.

Even though his eyes were puffy and the area around them was red and swollen, it somehow created an illusion as if it were intentionally done, like idol stage makeup.

Although his features were rather stern for a child, even that added to his unique aura.

My life, which couldn’t even comfortably appreciate such a handsome face before me, was truly pitiful.

I let out a deep sigh.

“*Sigh*…”

Instantly, Kiki’s shoulders drooped. It looked as if he might burst into tears again at any moment.

I waved my hands frantically and hurriedly made an excuse.

“No, no! It’s not your fault, Kiki.”

“Then why are you like that?”

“Well…”

The trope of the male lead hiding his face being an incredible beauty is a longstanding classic cliché in romance fantasy.

‘There’s no way I can say that out loud…’

I was in a real dilemma.

*Sigh*, just a glance tells me he’s at least a supporting character level.

Why is this trial hitting me right when I decided to become friends with Kiki?

After much deliberation, I opened my mouth. It seemed like the situation might get more tangled if I wasn’t careful, so I decided to say what I honestly felt.

“……Because you’re too pretty.”

“Huh? But I’m a boy?”

Kiki tilted his head and furrowed his brows slightly. He seemed quite displeased at being called pretty.

“They say beauty doesn’t discriminate by gender. Anyone would feel good seeing something pretty.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Of course.”

“……Do you like pretty things too, Abeli?”

“Obviously!”

Only then did Kiki’s expression brighten as he lifted the corners of his mouth in a wide smile.

His quivering lips smoothly curved into an arch, and his once-empty eyes sparkled and gently curved.

Kiki’s smile, which I was seeing for the first time, was striking enough to be seared into my memory.

It felt as though the beauty that hadn’t fully revealed itself when he was like a rough gemstone was finally shining through.

Seeing Kiki finally making a happy face befitting his age made me feel both proud and bittersweet.

I forcibly pulled up my stiff lips and smiled so as not to ruin the mood.

Because my mind was troubled.

My plan to avoid the main characters of the original work was on the verge of going awry, so there was no way I could laugh freely.

But Kiki had taken the courage to approach me first, so I couldn’t treat him with prejudice.

‘What are the main male lead’s defining characteristics?’

First, appearance—checked.

Then, wealth……

“Kiki, do you happen to have any hidden money?”

At my question, which sounded like a thug demanding money, Kiki frowned.

But what could I do?

Verifying whether he’s the male lead is essential for me.

“I know it’s sudden. I just feel like we don’t know enough about each other.”

“……I don’t have any.”

“You don’t have some massive hidden ability, or turn out to be the heir of an enormous family, do you?”

At that, Kiki looked me up and down, then placed his hand on my forehead.

After quietly murmuring that I didn’t have a fever, he said,

“There’s nothing like that. Abeli, I think you really need to go home and get some rest soon.”

You’re pretty good at wrapping up the fact that you think I’m acting strange.

Anyway!

From Kiki’s answers, the conclusion seemed clear.

‘No wealth, no abilities, and not even a hidden lineage.’

Plus, Kiki’s personality was softer than I thought.

In the romance fantasy novels I’d read, the male lead—especially the obsessive, possessive type—never once showed tears in the story.

Ah, what a relief.

I’d already set my target, so I almost got into big trouble.

Finally, I could relax my stiff expression and show a genuinely bright smile.

“Kiki, you said you’d help me, right?”

Kiki nodded vigorously.

“So you’ll keep helping me by my side, right?”

“……Yes.”

“Then let’s be friends, Kiki.”

“Wh-what?”

Startled, Kiki opened his eyes wide and blinked.

I’d asked him to be friends several times before, but I guess he never expected to hear it at this timing?

I replied casually.

“Wasn’t ‘I’ll help you’ your way of saying let’s be friends?”

“That’s……”

Kiki trailed off and lowered his eyes.

But since he didn’t firmly say no, it seemed he wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea.

I decided to push forward. Persuading people was one of my strong suits, so I quickly picked words that might appeal to Kiki.

“You’ve saved me several times already. That’s something I should be grateful to you for my whole life. So let me repay you by being friends.”

“Whole life……?”

Oh, that seems to be working?

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I quickly grabbed Kiki’s hands with both of mine and nodded vigorously.

“Yes! For life!”

I did worry a bit about what would happen after I returned to my original world when I said ‘for life,’ but that was a distant future matter anyway.

Since we’d be seeing each other often anyway, and I’d made a handsome friend, it wouldn’t be so bad for Abeli either.

I pulled his hands so he would look at me, then looked up at him, hoping I looked as earnest as possible.

Say let’s be friends, quickly!

“……”

Perhaps my passionate feelings didn’t quite reach him, as Kiki just quietly looked down at me and didn’t give an answer for a long while.

I earnestly wished in my heart.

‘Please, please. Say let’s be friends.’

How long did I pray like that?

Finally, Kiki broke the long silence. He put strength into our clasped hands and said,

“Alright. Let’s be friends.”

His expression looked as though he had made a fairly resolute and big decision. Kiki’s clear violet eyes shone with sincerity.

At last, the words I’d so desperately wanted to hear flowed from Kiki’s lips.

I asked again, unable to believe it.

“Really, really?”

“Yes. Let’s be friends.”

Wow! Finally, I’ve made my first friend since possessing this body!

Kiki, who had always been sharp with me, also wore a comfortable smile as if he wasn’t in a bad mood.

I pulled Kiki into a tight hug, fully savoring the joy of us becoming friends.

A short while later, on the way home from the dreary riverside.

I was being carried home on Kiki’s back.

‘Now that the tension has eased, I should be able to put strength in my legs, but…’

Fortunately, his back, which I’d assumed would be nothing but bones, was quite solid. The ride was comfortable enough, so I was satisfied.

Kiki’s hair fluttered in the wind, tickling my cheek. I let out a small smile at the unusually soft texture.

I buried my cheek in Kiki’s back and broke the silence. It was to clear up the misunderstanding that I hadn’t been able to resolve due to timing.

“Kiki.”

“Yeah.”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but about falling into the water earlier…”

“……”

“It was because I slipped. I didn’t jump in on purpose.”

“I see.”

Despite my rambling explanation, Kiki just nodded without much comment.

“In case you might get any strange misunderstandings. And…… thank you for saving me again today.”

No answer came back.

But I didn’t feel bad.

The mere fact that Kiki had approached me first was more than enough for me to be grateful.

Just then, a warm breeze began to blow gently.

Having survived a near-death experience, succeeded in my mission, and even made a friend, my mind had settled, and sleep came crashing down on me like a wave.

Unexpectedly, Kiki’s back was also incredibly cozy.

I shook my head left and right to fight off the drowsiness, but it was no use.

As a last resort, I tried talking to Kiki, but I could barely string words together.

“Kiki, I’m…… glad I became friends with you. Really……ly.”

Eventually, unable to resist the weight of my drooping eyelids, I slowly closed my eyes.

Dark clouds were gathering over the southern region where Abeli lived. This was a sign that the rainy season, which would last for a whole month, was approaching.

Holtz, who had confirmed the dark clouds outside the window, hurriedly stepped outside.

He needed to bring in the laundry he had hung out to dry in the backyard before the rain started.

Seeing the laundry dried fluffy and soft in the sunlight lifted Holtz’s spirits. Just as a whistle naturally escaped his lips.

A familiar figure approached from a distance.

“Kiki?”

He had left medicinal herbs here not long ago, yet Kiki was already returning.