13. Mysterious Friend
[Urie’s POV]
Two years have passed since I was acquainted with Haruto.
I, who was little uneasy that I might have been accepted to the Knight Order due to my status as a person from a Duke’s House, calm down very much when I am with Haruto who treated me informally.
Since then, I spent my lunch break with Haruto.
From what I heard, it seems like Haruto is living with His Highness Alex.
His Highness is the eccentric younger brother of the King, holding an incomparable talent as a magician but manages the garden for some reason instead.
I deemed Haruto suspicious during our fist conversation but we made progress fast and now, there’s not even a sense of discomfort left.
Then on one occasion, I received an invitation from Haruto to go to the festival together.
I’m sure Haruto doesn’t know the meaning of what he just did.
But I, who thought it was amusing, accepted the invitation.
I heard that Haruto will take care of his hair color using His Highness’ handmade magic potion.
For His Highness to go to that extent, it appears like Haruto is really loved.
On the day of the festival, a pretty girl talked to me as I was waiting at the palace gates.
When I took a closer look, it was actually Haruto.
His straight long hair was pale ash in color and his eyes were deep purple.
And above all, he was wearing a pink dress that prominently enhances his figure.
I took Haruto’s hand while secretly thinking that he will be a good ‘insect repellant’.
…Haruto unexpectedly had a strong grip.
When we reached the town, Haruto’s attractiveness made heads turn as we passed by people.
As if he was pleased, Haruto playfully held onto my arm.
Does having a little sister feel like this?
It’s not a bad feeling.
At any rate, I can’t believe Haruto is just a year younger than me.
When we stopped by the shooting booth, I unconsciously made some serious effort.
A lot of prizes dropped but I decided to only get the yellow stuffed bear Haruto has been shooting glances at.
We were going around the stalls for a while when…
“Do you know ringoame*?” Haruto asked.
Ringoame (candied apples) are very common in Japanese festivals.
“I don’t know,” I answered, and Haruto looked a little disappointed, speaking about how he bought them as a child when he went to festivals with his parents.
It was the first time Haruto talked about his family.
For some reason, he looked mature with that expression as if he’s staring at something that is very, very far away. I didn’t know what I should answer.
While Haruto was choosing a present for His Highness Alexei, I also did my own search.
I thought of giving him a present as apology for not knowing where to find “ringoame”.
Right then, I found a purple flower earring which Haruto mentioned he likes the best.
It has the same color as Haruto’s current eyes.
A smiling face suits Haruto more than that kind of matured expression.
I hope he could smile even just a little when he looks at this flower, I can’t help thinking that.
After the festival, rumors about me having a lover spread.
That is only natural after we walked around that much.
It increasingly held credibility when I did not deny the rumors and started wearing a bracelet the day after the festival.
When I was not called out by women for a while, I felt the corners of the mouth went up as the situation developed according to my expectations.