“I look better after having my hair cut, don’t I? Thank you, Sister.”
“Ooh, you’re really cool~! Our Heinri.”
‘Haha, you stupid kid.’
I glanced at Sislin to signal ‘quick, quick’ and cleared the hair from the floor.
There wasn’t even a single strand of silver hair.
Fortunately, Heinrich didn’t notice because he was looking in the mirror.
‘Perfect crime.’
Sislin and I looked at each other and nodded resolutely.
I felt like we were in sync. Then I suddenly thought of this.
Just like how they were with me, wouldn’t it be great if Heinrich and Sislin could get along?
“Hmm…”
After thinking deeply, I raised my index finger slightly and opened my mouth.
“Guys, have you ever heard the saying ‘A friend of a friend is a friend.’”
“…”
Sislin looked at me quietly while Heinrich opened his mouth to pretend to be smart.
“Of course. It means that the friend of someone close to me is also my friend.”
“Wow, that’s right, our Heinri!”
Clap, clap! As I praised him, Heinrich’s nose rose.
I smiled brazenly and grabbed the wrists of the two children, making them hold each other’s hands. As if they were shaking hands.
“Well, then, how about we get to know each other? You’re both my friends, so you’re friends.”
“……”
“……”
For a moment, the expressions of the two boys were crumpled at the same time.
Heinrich’s expression was ‘outright disgusting’ and Sislin’s expression was ‘subtle contempt’.
‘…Do you hate it that much? Children?’
But if they stayed like this, wouldn’t the relationship continue to be bad? Then, at what time would it get better?
‘At times like this, there’s a need for a sure Ojakgyo bridge that connects in the middle!’(TL/N: Ojakgyo is the setting for Korea’s most famous love story, in which a couple is forced to live on either side of the Milky Way, only to be reunited when magpies form a bridge.)
I said vigorously.
“You can unexpectedly be good friends!”
“Sister, I told you. I’m not friends with filthy bastards.”
When Heinrich looked at Sislin as if he was a leftover dog bone, Sislin looked at him as if he was a whining fly.
“I don’t want to be friends with that silver tray head either.”
“What!? Silver tray head?”
‘Ah, both of you can’t do this!’
If the situation was like this, I had no choice but to pull out my trump card. The two had very different personalities, but they both had one thing in common.
‘Which is…’
‘They both follow me very well!’
“But, Sisl and Heinri are my favorite friends! If we don’t get along well…’
I put on a somber expression.
“I think I’ll be sad.”
“……!”
Heinrich, who was shaking his jaw like a cat, was startled by my words. It was like seeing the owner crying out loud.
Heinrich made an expression while saying, “Ugh.” Then, as if he had no choice, he let out a long sigh and took Sislin’s hand first.
“……”
Sislin, who looked at me with agitated eyes, held hands with him in the same way.
“If that’s what Sister says, there is nothing I can do…”
“Do not be sad. Annette.”
Seeing the two little boys shaking hands, I smiled inwardly.
‘Fufu. I’m sorry, kids.’
It was acting. Just acting.
Was this one step closer to a happy ending?
With a fresh and happy expression on my face, I tightly wrapped my two hands around the joined fern-like hands of the kids. Then up and down, shake shake! I shook our hands vigorously.
“Yeah, from now on, we’ll help each other and get to know each other better!”
‘Oh, I’m so proud.’
‘Am I mistaken if I think that things are going smoothly?’
“Okay, then you two can talk. I’ll go take a look at Julien’s constant runny nose!”
It would be nice to have a time of reconciliation between just the two of them. Then they would get to know each other better. Since they’re still young.
Young children usually become friends quickly after quarreling.
I waved my hands and smiled softly.
“Then, see you guys later at the dormitory!”
Then, I went out of the hideout, humming a song I heard at the temple.
After Annette left.
The boys, who were quietly glaring at each other, suddenly let go at the same time, as if throwing the other’s hand away.
Heinrich growled.
“If you pretend to be friendly, I’ll kill you, beast.”
Sislin was formidable, too.
“You, go away.”
It was the site of the disastrous collapse of the poorly constructed Ojakgyo Bridge.
* * *
The next day.
“Well, it seems like there are many ripe apples on the apple farm. Today is a farmer experience day!”
Miss Mislin smiled brightly. She, who had red hair and freckles on her face, specialized in outdoor experiential learning.
The apples, managed by magic, were ripening beautifully and deliciously as if they had already received the autumn sun.
They gave off a sweet and refreshing apple scent.
“Our Trees, you have to pick them till you feel that it’s hard. Okay?”
“Yes!”
“Oh, and it’s forbidden to pick with abilities or magic!”
The teacher gave a firm warning and left.
‘Wow, the apple is so pretty.’
I smiled happily as I picked up each ‘ruby’ and put it in the basket.
Personally, I really enjoyed this class. I was always studying subjects that hurt my head in the classroom, but when I took classes outdoors in the sunlight, my heart was refreshed.
The children seemed to be having fun, and the bright laughter kept coming out.
Uhm? But Julien was standing next to me, doing nothing.