Throughout the time they gathered in the central library following the boys to discuss the group project, Ruslan didn’t know what to do with himself from the tension.
Ever since Sarka had suggested accepting Ruslan, he hadn’t given Ruslan a single glance and was focusing on the assignment with an indifferent face, but Ruslan felt like every nerve down to each strand of fine hair was concentrated on Sarka.
When he thought about how the person he’d been searching for even in his dreams for 8 years was sitting right next to him, his head spun. His heart pounded from excitement and tension, and his palms were slick with accumulated sweat.
When his turn came around while they were taking turns reading the reference materials, Ruslan desperately steadied his trembling voice while trying not to stammer.
“……because of this, the classical literature scholar Worphrwoltas referred to this poem as……”
That’s when it happened. From somewhere, a “pfft,” a laugh burst out.
When he stopped and raised his head, the black-haired boy sitting across from him slowly repeated Ruslan’s pronunciation with laughing lips, as if mimicking it.
“Wo-orph-rwol-tas……”
In that moment, laughter close to irresistible burst out from the lips of the previously well-mannered boys.
Ruslan felt his ears suddenly flush hot.
Ruslan’s severely mangled southern dialect accent was always a laughingstock among Imperials.
Though foreign students’ Imperial language was always clumsy, Ruslan’s accent was especially unfamiliar and stood out since he had no opportunity to converse with peers his age, always holed up in the library reading gloomy books day after day.
The clumsy pronunciation that the black-haired boy exaggeratedly mimicked sounded pathetic and ridiculous even to Ruslan’s own ears.
His cheeks burned hot. Ruslan, as always, lowered his eyes and quietly waited for the laughter to stop.
That’s when it happened.
“……Stop it.”
Sarka’s low voice slipped through the boys like a blade cutting through their laughter.
It wasn’t a feeling of irritation or anger. Rather, it was closer to a soothing or gently chiding attitude.
Without erasing the hint of laughter, gently tapping like a ping pong ball. A light and ticklish voice.
But just as that light ball shattered the laughter, the boys instantly stopped laughing.
While Ruslan hesitated at that quick and immediate change in atmosphere, the boy who had mimicked Ruslan’s pronunciation obediently apologized with an awkward expression.
“……Sorry.”
The black-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and even made excuses for Ruslan’s pronunciation, as if he’d never mocked him.
“Imperial language isn’t Ruslan’s native language, so it’s natural that his pronunciation is different.”
“Yeah, sorry for laughing. We acted without manners.”
“I wasn’t laughing at Ruslan. Spencer, you… because you pronounced it like some idiot.”
“I said I’m sorry.”
The boys joined in the excuses one by one with awkward expressions. At the atmosphere of polite apologies, Ruslan also shook his head and hurriedly demurred.
“I, I’m fine.”
A brief awkward silence passed. After one breath, Sarka gently broke the silence again.
“……Whose turn is next?”
Soon the boy sitting to Ruslan’s left looked down at the reference materials and began reading the next sentence.
The atmosphere flowed smoothly again, and the awkwardness dispersed.
Among the boys concentrating again and proceeding with the group project, Ruslan felt his heart beating so fiercely it ached.
Only then did Ruslan realize that the attitude of these noble boys, whom he’d always felt were refined and mature, was Sarka’s creation.
Though most were well-mannered and courteous compared to other children, when you got down to it, these were also adolescent boys in their prime.
It was Sarka’s role to gently wipe away the mischievous laughter and childish pranks that occasionally burst out, tidying and arranging them neatly as if taming them.
With an indifferent attitude just like at the window on the 4th floor, naturally, as if this was something people with power were originally supposed to do.
While stealing glances at Sarka’s expressionless profile as he still didn’t give Ruslan a single glance and just quietly looked down at the book, Ruslan thought it wouldn’t be strange if his heart burst out at this rate.
When the group project came to an end and the boys dispersed, Ruslan watched for an opportunity and then carefully chased after Sarka, calling out to him as he walked alone toward the reading room.
“Um…… earlier…… thank you.”
At the small voice, Sarka turned around and made a puzzled face.
At his expression that seemed not to understand what he meant, Ruslan swallowed his dry saliva once and added in a trembling tone.
“Earlier, when, when ev-everyone was l-laughing…… th-thanks for stopping them.”
“Ah.” Only then did Sarka briefly make an expression of understanding.
Sarka silently stared at Ruslan for a moment, then asked in a still gentle manner.
“……Is that all you wanted?”
Ruslan swallowed his dry saliva.
Sarka’s attitude was kind. But it was a kindness that would soon flow away if he just stayed still like this. Indifferent kindness that was open to everyone and flowed meaninglessly before being forgotten.
If he didn’t somehow draw attention, if he didn’t reach out and grab hold, this boy would slip away and disappear before his eyes just like on the 4th floor.
Ruslan didn’t know what to do with the feeling of tens of thousands of sentences filling and circling his mouth, and before he knew it, he blurted out the most desperate sentence.
“I want to be f-friends with you!”
The sentence that suddenly popped out like a hiccup was truly out of nowhere. Ruslan grew pale from embarrassment at that absurd request even after spitting it out himself.
“……”
Sarka seemed to have lost his words for a moment and just quietly gazed at Ruslan while maintaining only a faint smile. Even in the midst of this, it was admirable to the point of respect that with remarkable self-control he didn’t wipe the smile from his lips or conversely burst into an awkward laugh.
After a brief silence, Sarka let out a small breath, then turned his head to check the book he was pulling out while lightly shrugging his shoulders.
“……Do as you like.”
That day, Ruslan carefully followed Sarka around while watching for cues.
Sarka didn’t particularly look after Ruslan or actively include him in the group, but he didn’t particularly give him the cold shoulder either and just tolerated Ruslan who was sneakily following him around.
Ruslan thought it was well-measured kindness, not excessive but not disappointing either.
He might inwardly think of him as one annoying leech that had attached itself, but Ruslan wanted to stick by Sarka’s side even a little longer, even if it meant being cursed at for being shameless.
He had so many things he wanted to ask Sarka if he got the chance in any way.
As if responding to Ruslan’s desperation, an unexpected opportunity arrived when evening came.
Even after the last class ended, when Ruslan tried to follow Sarka’s movements, Sarka stopped and looked back at Ruslan.
Perhaps thinking it was enough to drag around the poor guy only during class hours, Sarka, who had been silently watching Ruslan, declared indifferently.
“……I’m going to head toward the 5th Auxiliary Library now.”
“!”
To Ruslan, who froze with wide eyes, Sarka added quietly.
“……If you don’t have any particular business, it’s quite far to follow.”
It was a polite order to leave.
He probably chose a distant place that ordinary students rarely went to in order to peel off Ruslan who was gradually becoming annoying, but the moment that place name flowed from Sarka’s lips, Ruslan was already half out of his mind.
Lest he miss this opportunity, Ruslan clung desperately without considering the consequences.
“No, I, I want to go there! Le-let’s go together! I l-like that place!”
“……”
It would have been more dignified to cling to his pant leg and beg. Ruslan felt his nape turn red through and through. If only he hadn’t stammered.
Though he must have been quite annoyed with the commoner who was being tactless to the end, Sarka, who still didn’t erase his faint smile with admirable self-control, was silent for a moment then soon turned around without a word.
Following behind Sarka while braving the embarrassment, Ruslan felt his heart pounding wildly.
5th Auxiliary Library, 4th floor. Looking at Sarka’s profile as he sat reading a book in the rare book storage room, Ruslan thought his heart would leap out.
After arriving at the 5th Auxiliary Library, Sarka went up to the 4th floor without hesitation, then went out into the corridor and walked without glancing at any other room, familiarly opening the door to the rare book storage room.
Sarka, who crossed the room without hesitation, walked to the table right next to the window where Ruslan had been desperately searching for clues about Sarka a few days ago, banging his head, then smoothly pulled out a chair and sat down.
Watching Sarka begin reading his book indifferently as if it was his usual routine, Ruslan felt motion sick from excessive excitement.
A few days ago, even on the day when Ruslan was getting beaten to a pulp by Bruce’s gang, he could clearly see Sarka who must have been sitting in that spot in that manner.
Could there be clearer evidence than this?
Ruslan, who had been watching for cues, walked to the window where Sarka must have been standing a few days ago and stood gripping the window frame.
Since entering the room, Sarka’s attitude was that he wouldn’t care at all about whatever Ruslan did now.
While suppressing the numerous questions that were raging as if a storm had been generated inside his small body, Ruslan barely managed to open his mouth.
“……It’s really high here.”
At the voice that suddenly popped out, Sarka stopped reading his book for a moment and gave his attention to Ruslan’s direction, but didn’t give any particular answer.
He seemed to be waiting for Ruslan, who would feel embarrassed by this quiet silence, to leave on his own.
However, Ruslan continued to look down out the window of the rare book storage room like someone who wouldn’t have any sense even if it killed him, and kept chattering as if he’d discovered a very interesting fact.
“If you fell from here you’d die, right? You’d definitely die for sure.”
“……”
Sarka didn’t even look back at Ruslan anymore. He seemed to have concluded that it was enough to respond to the tactless clinging.
To Sarka who kept looking down at the book he was reading, Ruslan suddenly blurted out like throwing a short spear at a defenseless person out of nowhere.
“……A vampire would survive though.”
Sarka didn’t say anything, but Ruslan saw Sarka’s eyes that had been moving along the text suddenly stop.
Lest he lose that attention, Ruslan poured out words indiscriminately. Like shooting countless arrows at an opponent hidden beyond a wooden fence.
“Pure-blood vampires can tremendously enhance their physical abilities. They might be fine even after jumping down from here. Even ancient vampires didn’t walk but flew through the air with telekinesis. ……Isn’t that amazing?”
The sentences poured out in succession like someone who had dropped all sense in their mother’s womb were haphazard. If it had been an ordinary person, they would have been disgusted and not bothered to respond.
However, Ruslan caught Sarka’s lips changing subtly.
“……”
Sarka silently looked down at his book for a moment, then raised his head.
Their eyes met. Lest he lose that attention, Ruslan held the gaze as if clawing at it and looked straight at Sarka.
His eyes that had always been hazy while watching for cues gradually became clearer and shone blue, and his words gradually became faster and more distinct. Frükan’s characteristic dull pronunciation gradually began to take on a rough and strong accent.
“The Empire declared that vampires became extinct 200 years ago with the 6th demon-hunting expedition in the Miral Mountains as the last. Because it was a region suspected to have vampires remaining until the very end, with that declaration, the Western Continent accepted the extinction of vampires.
……But, did they really become extinct?”
“……”
“Vampires who haven’t fed on blood can’t be distinguished from humans at all by outward appearance. Then if there’s a vampire at our school right now, next to us…… it means we wouldn’t be able to notice, right?”
Sarka’s expression changed subtly. A faint, very faint smile rose. A strange and subtle smile, different from the polite smiles until now.
Sarka had lost interest in the book spread out on the table, and instead was staring intently at Ruslan like someone who had discovered something very interesting.
Sarka slowly opened his mouth and answered quietly.
“……That’s right.”
A soft voice mixed with a faint hint of laughter.
The conversation had begun.
