But that night, I couldn’t sleep a wink.

The next morning.

I arrived at the academy with heavy dark circles under my eyes.

“Phew…”

“What’s wrong, Si-en?”

I, exhaling deeply, collapsed onto the desk. Leonhardt began to mutter as I laid down.

“Is it because of Acid that you’re like this?”

No, it’s not.

“Is Acid not protecting you well lately?”

That’s not it either.

“As your older brother, I’m telling you, you two don’t suit each other.”

Perhaps because I met a friend of the same age. I looked at the strangely talkative Leonhardt with bewildered eyes and opened my mouth.

“It’s nothing… Oh, wait a moment?”

“Why.”

“Come to think of it, where’s Acid?”

As soon as I heard Leonhardt’s words, I unintentionally pulled back my neck and looked around. Indeed, Acid was nowhere to be found.

“It’s almost time for class to start…”

After chasing after Burger, the math genius boy, and his admirer Martin, I had become somewhat neglectful of Acid.

Whether it was because I didn’t pay attention, or for some personal reason, today, Acid completely skipped the first class, even though I was in the classroom.

“It feels weird without Acid.”

…Maybe I had become too accustomed to Acid.

Feeling an emptiness in my chest, I whispered to myself.

“He’ll come during lunchtime.”

“Oh, right? Under the oak tree.”

“Yeah!”

Today, we decided to have lunch under the oak tree instead of the cafeteria.

Leonhardt, who stared at me intently, smiled widely and nodded.

It meant he was fine with it.

Meanwhile, Acid had briefly stepped outside the classroom.

Lately, he felt that his emotions were malfunctioning like a broken faucet. Like water flowing smoothly from a broken faucet, it felt like emotions were constantly pouring out of his heart.

Was it because of Si-en, whom he had become neglectful of these days?

‘Si-en-nim might be busy, so she could be ignoring me. But why do I keep feeling this way?’

With his gaze firmly fixed downward, he walked through the corridor and stopped.

Whether it was already break time or not, girls were chattering lively by the window.
However, what caught his attention wasn’t the presence of the girls. It was the voices of the girls chatting about the name ‘Si-en’ by the hallway windows.

“There’s a loyal dog to Lady Si-en.”

Unconsciously, he hid against the corridor wall.

“Oh, that commoner? The healer.”

“Yeah, right. At first, I thought he was in love with Lady Si-en. They seemed so close.”

At the mention of ‘in love,’ his heart momentarily skipped a beat. Even though he didn’t have the age or knowledge to fully understand the meaning of the word, it strangely stuck in his mind.

Biting his lips, he leaned against the corridor wall. Unaware that Acid was eavesdropping, the girls laughed and continued.

“Oh, come on. Lady Si-en has an interest in other geniuses?”

It was a different feeling than before.

Confirming the fact that Si-en wasn’t interested in him through a third party’s words felt worse than realizing he had been abandoned by Ted, his fellow man.

“Well, maybe Acid is just an employee!”

Under normal circumstances, hearing such words should have made him feel good. People cherished and loved Si-en.

They acknowledged him as Si-en’s retainer.

However, his chest didn’t swell with happiness but rather uncomfortably throbbed.

“Should I make a move on him?”

“Really? Since he’s a commoner, if I tease him a bit, he might fall for you right away.”

Listening to the girls’ laughter as they looked at each other, Acid thought. It didn’t matter how these girls treated him. There was only one thing important to him.

‘I am just Si-en’s employee.’

Thinking like that, a heavy, suffocating feeling added to his heart.

‘Why do I feel this way?’

As if desperately wishing to occupy a place in Si-en’s heart.

As if expelling the consciousness in my mind, Acid vigorously shook his head. His silky hair brushed against his face, clearing the dark parts of his heart.

‘Yes, I am just Si-en’s employee. What more can I ask for?’

Si-en had saved him from a life in the slums. He couldn’t dare to ask for anything else. Slowly, he clenched his fists and turned towards the area near the oak tree.

Before the separation into leveled classes, it was to follow Si-en’s orders. She had told him to come near the tree and read a book there; after the leveled classes ended.

In order to faithfully follow that command, he approached the oak tree in the center of the academy. Near the oak tree, he saw a little lady with familiar pink hair.

Unconsciously, Acid shouted with a smile on his lips.

“Lady Si-en!”

However, there was no response. Perplexed, Acid quickened his pace. When he was close to the oak tree, he had to stop.

The tree branches cast a shadow on Si-en’s face.

With closed eyes, she held a book in her hands and was nodding off. The mountain breeze blew, causing Si-en’s pink hair to flutter.

It looked like a scene from a painting.

Acid couldn’t approach her and could only watch her from a distance.

Before he realized it…

“Oh? Acid!”

Si-en spotted him.

As if finding him during his impoverished childhood, today, too, she initiated the conversation.

Smiling brightly, Acid suppressed the strange sensation trying to surge within him.

“Yes, Lady Si-en.”