Why You Should Be Responsible For Him - Chapter 1

I hate Ash Kindroper.

“Senior! Please don’t go! Can’t you stay a little longer? Just half a day! No, even just half of that.”

“Senior.”

It’s not personal resentment or anything.

“Senior, please.”

“Right now, my precious time has been wasted for 2 minutes and 1 second because of you. 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds, 5 seconds …….”

Originally, we’re not close enough for personal conversations.

“I’ll pay you! I’ll pay!”

I stopped my steps, which were about to leave abruptly, and tension ran tight behind me.

“I’ll pay you twice the tuition fee.”

“What?”

At Ash’s absurd words, my center of gravity tilted awkwardly to one side.

“…Four times.”

“Ugh! You think everything can be solved with money! It won’t work. I need to fix your narrow-minded mentality!”

“Yes! Please scold me!”

As I sat back down, Ash’s voice dispelled the gloom and brought back my awareness.

“Why do you like scolding so much?”

“I don’t like it! I’m reflecting!”

Who reflects while smiling so brightly?

“Lower the corners of your mouth.”

Ash quickly changed his expression.

I leaned my elbows on the table and called out to him with a serious tone. I couldn’t see his eyes through the bushy hair that covered half his face, but I could feel him staring at me.

“It’s not good to try to solve everything with money. Imagine if such a corrupt mindset is prevalent in our society. How devalued would human worth become? There are many things far more valuable than money. For example… love, friendship, courage, hope, things like that.”

Ash listened intently, nodding his head.

“…But you’re still not accustomed to learning such things. In the academy, you’re my junior, but once you step outside, you’re the prince who spends money recklessly. How can you change in an instant when you’ve lived your whole life like that? So, I won’t scold you too much just because you spend a little money on me.”

Saying this as if sparing a person’s feelings, Ash responded with a touched expression.

“Yes! Thank you!”

“And Ash, do you know who is worse than someone who thinks money is everything?”

“…Someone who steps on a peacefully sleeping puppy’s tail?”

“That makes sense. That’s certainly a bad person. But someone worse than that is… someone who tells lies. I don’t want to make you into a bad person who lies. So, make sure to pay the three times tuition fee as promised.”

“Yes, I don’t lie!”

I patted Ash’s unruly blonde hair with satisfaction.

“Well, since you want it, let’s extend our lesson a little longer today, shall we? Where were we……. Was it the part about the days immediately following the death of Emperor Obet?”

“Shortly after the death of the 9th Emperor, Emperor Obet, an army of barbarians invaded the capital and threw the country into chaos. His Majesty Helkarn, the 10th Emperor, led only two hundred soldiers to the crumbling capital and drove the barbarians away!”

Sometimes when I stroke his head like this, Ash takes it too far and tries to show off his ‘good deeds’ or ‘good behavior.’ Like now.

“…Ash, wasn’t that part scheduled for tomorrow’s lesson?”

Too much.

Ash’s white nape turned red in an instant.

“…I studied in advance.”

I have doubts. I wonder if my Imperial History lectures are really helping Ash. Sometimes, during tutoring, I get this unpleasant illusion that I’m presenting an assignment in front of the professor.

Without receiving any response, I just looked at Ash. His long fingers fidgeted awkwardly, and then he lightly tapped my back of the hand.

“…Did I do well?”

I reached out and patted Ash’s head again.

“You did. You’ve been teaching perfectly.”

Ash, seemingly embarrassed, lifted the corners of his mouth and laughed.

“We can cancel the class for tomorrow. We have to stick to the scheduled progress. Take a good rest tomorrow, and let’s meet again in two days.”

Bang!

Ash, as if struck by lightning, opened his eyes wide and stiffened.

“No! I don’t know! It was cheating! Teacher, no, Senior! Let’s meet again tomorrow, please!”

Ash stood up, holding onto the hem of my clothes, and hugged me. When a well-built guy clings to you, your body sways.

“Hey, hey, hey, get off me.”

“Please, Senior. No, Teacher.”

Ash’s voice is dry, as if he’s about to burst into tears. I’d only meant it half-jokingly, but his sobbing made me feel a little embarrassed.

“Stop, don’t cry. If you cry, I’ll leave.”

“I’m not crying!”

Ash forcefully hugged my waist with both arms and buried his face on my shoulder. I tried to pull away, but it felt like a futile attempt to move a massive mountain.

Futile effort.

Now completely accustomed to Ash’s childish tantrums, I called out to him with the most affectionate tone possible.

“Ash, if you don’t want to get hurt in the lower back, could you please let go right now?”

As if not allowing even the slightest gap, he clung to me, and I distinctly felt him shiver.

I thought my waist would finally be free, but… the arms around my waist pulled me even more strongly.

“Hey!”

“Being hit by Senior hurts a lot, but… it hurts incomparably more when you leave. Please don’t go.”

“I’m not going! I’ll come for the class tomorrow!”

It’s not like the world is going to fall apart if I leave, but Ash always clings to me like a person facing the end of the world.

When the word I’m not leaving comes out of my mouth, he loosens his grip on my arm that seems like it will never loosen, takes a step back, and then stares at me.

The strands of hair revealed a bit of the charming forehead… I thought strangely.

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

“You said lying is bad…….”

“Yeah.”

Watching him grin without any hesitation, I sighed deeply, not bothering to hide it. How did I end up dealing with this guy I dislike, getting involved and causing a commotion…….

Just a month ago, I couldn’t have imagined having more than a couple of words with Ash Kindroper. There was absolutely no connection or similarity between us, not even as much as an ant’s leg.

Well, a month ago, that was certainly the case.

* * *

“Yveline!”

Amidst the bustling crowd gathered at the main entrance of the academy, a familiar face popped out. I stopped in my tracks, heading for my dorm.

“Haa… I thought you’d leave without even saying goodbye!”

“Are you leaving right now?”

Rose nodded her head eagerly, and her double-braided hair swayed heavily with a bang-bang-bang sound.

Rose’s hair, as red as my name, was usually a wakame of thick hair and overflowing, but today it looked like she’d put some effort into it. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure the arm that combed it out was going to be sore the next day.

The fact that Rose, who never brushes her teeth and sleeps so soundly, has brushed her hair means that today is indeed a vacation day. When the bell rang to signal the end of the exam, I didn’t even realize it, but when I saw Rose’s hair, I immediately recognized the word vacation. The excitement of leaving the dormitory of the academy and seeing my family back home was palpable.

“Everyone feels the same …….”

Rose’s gaze dropped below my face. To be precise, she saw the thick stack of books, such as ‘The Ancient Mystery That Never Unravels,’ ‘The Importance of Rational Thinking and Decision-Making,’ or ‘Asset, Debt, Capital, Financial Analysis,’ that I was barely holding with both arms.

“Yveline, except for you.”

“I prefer staying here and studying.”

“Count Rovensdi would worry about you.”

“His not as idle as an older brother who worries about a stepsister.”

“But you’re still a Rovensdi. Yveline Rovensdi.”

At Rose’s words, I burst into laughter. Hahaha!

“Are you serious?”

Rose, who was usually chattering away, closed her mouth firmly.

It’s natural to be embarrassed to answer. Everyone knows I was abandoned by Count Rovensdi, even if you ask a blind old man.

Rose rolled her eyes at me.

Anyway, acting cheeky.

While still smiling, I playfully tapped Rose’s sparkling enamel shoes with the toe of my shoe.

“If I enter the Rovensdi mansion, I’ll be living on the verge of freezing to death with cold rice and sticking to the sticky, yellowish rotten rice.”

I spoke cheerfully, but Rose’s complexion worsened.

“…….”

“Rose, don’t worry about it. Being a Rovensdi is not crucial in my life. Even if I suddenly can’t use the surname ‘Rovensdi,’ it won’t bother me at all.”

“Then why don’t you come to our mansion…….”

“I’ll pass. I’m more attracted to studying comfortably in the empty academy than going to your family’s mansion.”

Actually…with the vacation now here, it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to change the scenery and study. However, I firmly refused the Provas mansion, the home of the Rose family, as it was a terrible choice.

Last summer vacation, I stayed at the Provas mansion for a week, and the kitchen skills there were so terrible that I couldn’t eat a decent meal. It was so awful that I thought it would be much tastier to suck on my toes all day.

“Yveline, if that’s the case, well… I can’t help it. Though I am very sorry.”

Trying to appear as understanding as possible, I gestured for her to go outside the main gate.

Don’t drag me into that devilish kitchen.

“Go on.”

Rose’s body was facing the main gate, but there seemed to be lingering regrets as she kept glancing in my direction.

Go, go. I’m not going!

“Aaah!”

Thud! Rose’s suitcase fell to the ground. It wasn’t filled with iron, but the sound was surprisingly loud.

“Watch your step!”

I quickly ran towards the fallen Rose. After bumping into someone, Rose wobbled to her feet and rubbed her buttocks.

“Hey, are you okay?”

A deep, melodious voice stimulated my ears. However, the tone was quite indistinct, and even though it was clearly spoken by one person, the voice felt strangely alien, as if it belonged to two people.

“Huh? Uh, yeah!”

“…I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine! It’s because I wasn’t looking properly ahead.”

The man who bumped into Rose was tall. You’d have to crane your neck quite a bit to see his face properly.

“I should have been more careful…….”

“It’s okay!”

“I apologize.”

It was clearly Rose’s carelessness that led to the incident, yet the man kept bowing repeatedly, apologizing. His bushy blond hair, which covered his eyes, flapped ruefully in the air.

“It’s okay.”

“You almost fell over because of me…….”

One continued to apologize, and the other continued to forgive, in a situation that seemed to repeat endlessly.

…What’s with this sitcom? I’m so busy.

Unable to turn away from Rose and unable to leave the scene, so I stepped in between them. Standing in front of the immature and naive man, he trembled with surprise.

…Someone needs to slap him or something.

“Yeah, you. Ash Kindroper. From now on, be careful even with people who walk while looking back. Pay attention and don’t lose focus.”

Although I felt Rose lightly hitting my forearm, I paid it no mind and continued to look at the man.

In contrast to the courteous bow he gave to Rose, the man responded with a somewhat passive attitude, nodding his head once before quickly walking away to the other side. His long legs made a brisk sound as he walked away.

“Yveline! Your words were too harsh. What if he cries?”

“…It’s not like he’s a child.”

Besides, I don’t think it was that harsh.

Nevertheless, Rose’s nagging advice continued for a few more minutes until the voice of a butler looking for Rose was heard. Only then did Rose grab her suitcase.

“If you happen to meet him later, apologize to Ash or something.”

Nodding, I waved my hand in farewell to Rose.

Once Rose disappeared back into the crowd, I lowered the arm I had been vigorously shaking.

“Apologize for what.”

I really dislike Ash Kindroper.

With his unmanaged messy hair, irritatingly timid personality, annoying childishness, and indecisive foolish gestures, he had every aspect I disliked about a person.

I belatedly watched the empty street where Ash Kindroper had passed. Even though it was now deserted, just a few minutes ago, people’s attention had been magically drawn to Ash.

He was undeniably a famous figure at the Royal Academy. Even Rose, who had no acquaintances except for the hamster we raised, could instantly mention his name.

Despite the fact that social hierarchy didn’t strictly apply within the academy, it couldn’t completely erase the fact that Ash Kindroper Penterion was the youngest prince of this country.

Moreover, among all the academy students, Ash was unmatched in magical abilities. Not only that, but his broad shoulders and physique stood out prominently amid the frail magic novices. His distinct facial features, even with his messy hair, added to his fame.

I hugged the book in my arms a little tighter, turned my back, and headed toward the dormitory.

Ash. Ash Kindroper was not only a person with all the aspects I disliked, but he was also an unfortunate individual inherently possessing what I so desperately longed for – talent, wealth, and honor.

“When we meet, you say?”

I chuckled while contemplating Rose’s words.

Why do I have to see that annoying guy again?

Every time I see him, I feel frustrated and unjust.

…and yet, frighteningly enough, I had to encounter Ash again the next day.