You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 43

Puzzled, I placed my hands on the table and slowly stood up. Then, I walked forward, step by step.

Even as I approached the door, it remained tightly shut, not opening. Gulping, I gently grasped the cold door handle. The sound of my pounding heart echoed in my ears.

As I turned the handle downward, a click sounded, and the door gradually opened. Through the slightly ajar gap, I surveyed the outside. There was no one there…. Rolling my eyes, I tried to close the door by pulling it inward, but this time, it abruptly stopped, refusing to shut. Huh? Thinking something was blocking it, I applied more force and pulled again, but it didn’t budge at all.

What is this?

My eyes darkened coldly. The door’s sudden refusal to close seemed highly suspicious. It felt as if someone on the opposite side was holding the door. Pressing my lips tightly together, I gripped the door handle firmly, exerting more strength. Then, taking a deep breath, I swiftly yanked it.

As expected, the door didn’t move an inch. Oh? I secretly raised one corner of my mouth.

Eyes sparkling, I instantly reversed the force I had been using to pull and pushed hard in the opposite direction. The door rapidly swung open, accompanied by a sharp cry of “Ack!” from the unidentified person holding the door on the other side, followed by a dull thud. It sounded like something had collided heavily with an object.

Startled by the unexpectedly loud noise, my shoulders flinched. Could it be…? The familiarity of the voice filled me with an ominous feeling, and I hurriedly took a cape from the coat hanger next to the door, wrapping it around my body.

Swallowing hard, I clenched my fists and brought them to the center of my pounding chest, cautiously approaching the open door. Leaning my upper body forward, I peered behind the fully open door.

“Ugh…”

Sprawled on the corridor floor was none other than Arthur Barthes, Karhan’s younger brother.

“Gasp! Wha- What the heck!”

Unable to conceal my bewilderment, I spoke with wide eyes. Upon hearing my voice, he opened his eyes, which had been scrunched in pain, and glared at me. His gaze was so fierce that cold sweat seemed to trickle down my back.

“Are you okay…?”

His forehead was so red and swollen that it looked extremely painful, prompting me to ask while slightly biting my tongue. Judging by his inability to continue speaking, he didn’t seem okay. Why did he have to block the door…? With sympathetic eyes, I extended my hand towards Arthur, who was sprawled on the corridor floor.

He alternated his gaze between my outstretched hand and my face, then clenched his teeth tightly. Reaching out his arm, he grasped my hand. His hand was drenched in sweat, perhaps due to being highly tensed about something. Without showing any reaction, I helped him up.

Once standing, Arthur abruptly released my hand, which had served its purpose, and lowered his head, vigorously brushing off his soiled buttocks and knees with irritation. He continued dusting himself off for a few seconds before slowly straightening his back. His protruding lips made him appear quite sulky.

He glared at me with narrowed eyes.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

I responded, but Arthur didn’t utter his next words. He merely moved his lips, shooting me a terrifying glare.

No, I’m the one with a grudge here, so why is he glaring at me like that? I twitched my eyebrows. If he was acting this way because he had just fallen, it felt a bit unfair. It was Arthur who had initially held the door in a frightening manner, refusing to let go.

I also puckered my lips and subtly shifted my gaze. As I looked past Arthur at the long corridor stretching behind him, a youthful voice reached my ears.

“I’m going into your room for a bit.”

Without waiting for a response, he slightly brushed past me, who was standing in front of the door, and strode into the room. Hey, hey, hey! The audacity of entering someone else’s room without permission left me dumbfounded, and anger surged to the top of my head, but I suppressed it with great effort.

Endure it, endure it. He’s in the turbulent teenage years, after all! I nodded my head and clenched my trembling fists, trying to control my rage.

Closing the door and turning around, I found Arthur already seated at the tea table as if he were the owner of the room. A brief glance in my direction suggested he had something to say to me.

“What’s the matter?”

The honorifics I had used when we first met had long since disappeared. I had no desire to show courtesy to Arthur, who had left a scar on me, and he didn’t respect me either, so I felt this was appropriate. Above all, wasn’t I a friend of Arthur’s older brother, Karhan?

Clenching my fists tightly, I approached the chair with confident strides and sat down. Arthur and I found ourselves face to face.

Arthur glanced at me, our eye levels now similar, then lowered his gaze to the table. He raised his head again, fixing his eyes on me. He repeated this action a few times, moving his lips. The sight was so frustrating that I let out a sigh.

“I’m busy.”

The snacks are coming. I need to eat them.

The time for replenishing sugar after working hard was crucial. I stared at Arthur with a solemn expression. Upon hearing my words, Arthur began to chew on his lips. His red lips turned white, looking slightly painful. Keeping his eyes downcast on the table, he closed them tightly and spoke.

“…Sorry.”

In the quiet room, an apology, laden with suppressed emotions, reached my ears. I couldn’t help but leave my mouth agape. With wide eyes, I stared at Arthur, who was seated in front of me. He couldn’t even meet my gaze and had his head hung low, focusing solely on the table’s patterns. Through his short hair, his bright red ears were visible.

So, he came to apologize to me.

One corner of my mouth curved up slightly. Tilting my head a bit, I raised one hand and brought it close to my ear. Then, with the most despicable voice I could muster, I said, “Ah… What should I do? My ears have been having trouble hearing since my wrist was pulled last time….”

You’ll have to put in some effort, sir.

I narrowed my eyes and lifted my chin as high as possible. I briefly considered stuffing my cheek with my tongue to make it protrude, but I refrained, unsure of how it would be perceived in this country. As I crossed my legs and swung them back and forth, his tightly sealed lips twitched.

“I’m showry.”

I heard him speak through gritted teeth. I made a dramatic expression and grasped my wrist.

“Oh my, it hurts!”

Slightly lifting my sleeve, I revealed the bruise that was still imprinted. Although considerable time had passed since this injury occurred, the bruise had transformed into an increasingly peculiar appearance as time went on. With the intention of pricking his conscience, I rolled up my sleeve completely, not hiding it.

Arthur buried his face in one hand. When I sarcastically raised my eyebrows, implying that his reluctant apology was regrettable, he couldn’t even look at me properly.

The reason I was acting so petty was simple. I knew that Arthur’s reason for coming to apologize to me wasn’t because he “regretted” his wrongdoing, but because Karhan had reprimanded him. Of course, he might have acknowledged his mistake to some extent, but I found him annoying and didn’t want to forgive him easily.

Oh, it hurts so much. Unless someone poked my wrist, I wouldn’t even notice the injury, but I deliberately spoke as if I wanted him to hear it. At my words, his already lowered head sank even further. The ear not covered by his hand was slightly red. Thinking that further provocation might anger him, I covered my sleeve. The wrath of a middle school student is terrifying….

As I stopped teasing and quietly sealed my lips, he seemed to calm down a bit, as evidenced by the sound of his small sigh. His bright red ears also gradually regained their original color.

Arthur lowered the hand that had been covering his face. His extremely distorted expression revealed how perplexed he was. I noticed his tightly furrowed brows, pursed lips, and twitching cheeks.

“I said I’m sorry….”

Once again, it was an apology filled with suppressed anger and embarrassment. I narrowed my eyes and looked at Arthur. Then, I opened my mouth.

“Are you apologizing because of me or because of Karhan?”

Upon hearing the question, Arthur’s hand flinched slightly. He lowered his gaze again, staring at the table. After a brief moment of losing focus, his eyes returned to me.

“It’s because of my brother… and I also thought about it a lot before coming.”

It was an honest answer. I nodded slightly at his mention of having thought about it a lot. Feeling that I had teased him enough, I thought it was time to accept his apology. Placing my elbows on the table, I rested my chin on my palm.

“Well then, treat me nicely from now on.”

If only I had a toothpick in front of me, I would have pompously picked my teeth with it. Perhaps moved by my demeanor, veins bulged in Arthur’s clenched fists, and his hands trembled slightly. As silence enveloped us, a knocking sound echoed from the door. This time, it was truly snack time.

“Yes~”

I answered cheerfully in a loud voice, and a servant entered, holding a tray with one hand. The snack he brought was covered with a silver lid, concealing its contents. I could only assume that a beautifully decorated treat lay beneath. Giggling with a “Hehe,” I welcomed the approaching servant.

Standing in front of the table, the servant lifted the silver lid, revealing a plate filled with fragrant bread. On a pretty plate with a blue floral pattern against a white background, generously browned bread was piled high.

Some loaves had cross-shaped slits, while others were densely sprinkled with a sweet-looking white powder. They all seemed freshly baked, exuding a crispy texture and warmth even to the eyes.

“You eat some too.”

I’ll make a special concession for you.

I began munching on the bread, enjoying its rich flavor. The crispy and soft interior delighted my taste buds as I chewed.

“Ish delishush!”

I smiled with my eyes while chewing. As I grabbed a large piece of bread with one hand and stuffed it into my mouth, I heard a deflated laugh from the person in front of me. This is what life is, youngster.

From that day onward, Arthur and I became nothing more than acquaintances. He no longer glared at me as he did before, nor did he look at me with kindness in his eyes. Above all, he seemed to avoid me, so we rarely encountered each other, leaving no time for conversation.