Why You Should Be Responsible For Him - Chapter 4 Part 4

“Wow, it’s hot.”

Perhaps due to Walton being in the southern region with the sea nearby, the humidity and temperature were significantly higher than in the capital. It hadn’t been long since I stepped out, but I could already feel sweat forming.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling the heat; Ash was vigorously fanning himself, his forehead furrowed under the scorching sun.

“Senior, I’m sweating a lot. Could you please unbutton one button of my shirt?”

“Bend over.”

“Thanks.”

As he bent down, the tightly fastened shirt button was revealed, extending all the way down to just below his neck.

It looks unbearably hot.

I raised my arm to unbutton it, but my bag got in the way. Only when Ash took it from me with a grin could I easily undo the tightly fastened button.

“Where’s our destination?”

“…You followed me without even knowing that?”

“You didn’t tell me.”

Ash responded with a cheerful smile.

“So, you just followed me without any idea where I was going.”

“Anywhere is fine as long as you’re there, senior.”

His tone was undeniably sincere, expressing his true feelings. Faced with his inexplicable attachment, I could only manage a wry smile.

I took out the map that Rose had enclosed and spread it out. Ash, looking at it together with me, soon exclaimed, “Ah…”

“It’s near the Raznia Beach. I know that place. I’ve been there a few times following my brother.”

Ash confidently started walking without hesitation. My bag, swinging in his hand, danced to a lively rhythm.

Does he really know this place?

I had my doubts, but he seemed so confident that I didn’t argue and followed him.

A few steps ahead, he suddenly turned around, looked at me, and then rushed back to stand by my side.

“Let’s go together.”

“We are going together.”

“I want to walk side by side with you, senior.”

“You have so many unnecessary fantasies.”

“It’s exciting, walking together. Don’t you like it, senior?”

This light-hearted emotion didn’t quite fit the scorching heat. It seemed like he was lying alone in a flower garden during spring.

“It’s unbearably hot, stop talking nonsense.”

“Ah…….”

I wiped away the sweat running down my chin with the back of my hand.

Panting, it’s really unbelievably hot.

But Ash is used to the heat, and he walks around unbuttoned without wiping a single sweat.

Suddenly, I looked at him and saw that his skin was very soft, unlike mine, which was covered in sweat. Feeling my gaze, he turns his head, a little stiffly, and looks down at me.

However, Ash, despite unbuttoning one button, walked confidently without wiping away a single drop of sweat.

“What.”

“Sorry, it’s hot, aren’t it?”

“You say?”

Ash placed his hand on my forehead, closed and opened his eyes gently. In an instant, a cool energy flowed vigorously like a strong stream from under Ash’s palm.

In a moment, a refreshing energy filled me from head to toe. Surprisingly, even the burning thirst disappeared in an instant.

“You, this guy…”

If there was such a good magic, he should have done it sooner! Was it only refreshing for me?!

“It’s a magic I cast almost every day without releasing… I momentarily forgot. I’m sorry, senior.”

Ash was sincerely apologizing. I rolled my eyes helplessly, and even though I wasn’t sweating anymore thanks to the spell, I took out a handkerchief from inside my bosom and dabbed at my forehead.

“Put it away!”

I swatted his hand away and asked Ash.

“Why did you ask me to unbutton when it’s not hot because of the magic? Are you training a puppy or something?”

“I would never dare to do that!”

Waving his hand, he showed a resentful expression.

“Just… it’s stifling. The sun is too dazzling.”

I had no idea what he meant. Realizing it wasn’t a precise answer, Ash gave a sheepish smile.

“Okay, okay. It’s not that important anyway.”

Following Ash’s brisk footsteps again, my bag lightly swayed in his hands.

* * *

“I wasn’t expecting this, but it’s better than I thought. I can see the ocean right out front.”

Actually, it’s not better than I expected, it’s better than I imagined, and I’m very, very happy with it!

I was expecting a small cottage, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a three-story mansion built right in front of the sea.

I’d heard that the Provas family’s wealth was in the top five among the highest nobility, However, I never imagined their mansion could serve as Rose’s personal villa.

Rose, I see you again. Our friendship forever. Forever.

Unlike me, whose eyes were wide open, Ash was perfectly calm.

No, rather, Ash seemed indifferent to the point of being nonchalant. As if saying, ‘What’s the big deal?’ It wasn’t as if he wanted to boast, ‘No, our home is better!’ Instead, in Ash’s eyes, it seemed genuinely unremarkable, almost as if he thought, ‘Doesn’t everyone have ten such mansions?’

“This room is the largest. It would be nice to sleep here.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll unpack your things.”

“Uh, go ahead.”

We got a room on the second floor, and while Ash diligently organized the stuff I’d packed, I went grocery shopping.

Indeed, it was a tour. The pantry was a sightseeing destination in itself. An array of sauces from around the world filled the shelves, and the vegetables were so abundant that it felt like someone had brought an entire pig and placed it there along with an entire field of vegetables.

In other words… there was a lot of variety.

As I walked through the food, I saw a narrow door that could barely fit one person.

What is this place?

I open the door to reveal a staircase leading down to the basement.

Ah, this is it.

“The wine cellar.”

My suspicions were confirmed: wines from all over the world were laid out so beautifully. My tongue must be in for a treat today.

I picked out a bottle and resisted the urge to pop the cork. For later. For greater pleasure.

When I came back upstairs, Ash had finished packing and was standing with his eyes fixed on the window.

“What should we do?”

“Let’s go to the beach.”

He answered as if he had been waiting for that.

The golden sandy beach and emerald waves looked beautiful like a painting.

But I said,

“I have to study.”

The sea is beautiful, yes. It looks big and refreshing. But I never had plans to study while gazing at it in the first place.

“It’s a shame you came all this way.”

Ash walked over and put his hand on the top of my head. The barrier of cold energy that had enveloped my entire body lifted in an instant.

“I’m content just to look at it.”

“All right, just dip your feet, okay?”

The sea, with its sparkling transparent light, looked refreshing. Thanks to Ash’s guidance, we found the villa sooner than expected, giving us some time before the scheduled study session.

Maybe I’ll go out for a bit. Sensing my hesitation, Ash caught my shoulder from behind and gently pushed me.

“I won’t disturb you when you study, Senior. For now, let’s enjoy ourselves a bit, just the two of us.”

It wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but I pretended to be reluctantly dragged along, perhaps due to the words I had already spoken.

* * *

But the moment I saw the ocean in person, I forgot all about that and was overwhelmed by it. I hesitated for only a moment, but I regretted my hesitation, for the ocean before me was so beautiful!

The transparent and clear emerald waves surged onto the land with a rustle, and the vast sea surface sparkled like scattered diamond dust.

“Senior, do you know how to swim?”

“No.”

“Then, I guess you need to hold on tight.”

“I’m just dipping my feet, what’s the… whoa!”

Ash slipped his arms behind both my knees and effortlessly lifted me up. Suddenly elevated, I clung to Ash in surprise.

“What are you doing?!”

“I just thought dipping only your feet is too unsatisfying.”

“I don’t feel unsatisfied at all! Ah! Hey!”

Ash grabbed me and rushed into the sea, holding me tightly.

Splash!

As the cold seawater embraced my entire body, all my nerves woke up, making me more alert and clear-headed.

Ash wiped my face, covered in seawater, with his palm, laughing. He, too, was letting the seawater drip down from below his chin.

“We’re all wet!”

“It feels refreshing, doesn’t it, Senior?”

“It’s freezing! Let go, won’t you?!”

“Well, well, if you move like that, you might regret it.”

Ash’s shoulder as I thrashed around vigorously. His body wobbled uncomfortably, and then, splash!

“Ugh!”

“Hahaha. Senior! That’s why I warned you about regretting it.”

I managed to escape from Ash’s arms successfully, but this time, I was soaked even worse than when I first fell into the water.

Unable to contain his laughter, Ash gently wiped my eyes with his thumb.

This guy, seriously…

In a fit of irritation, I forcefully pushed his chest. Ash, who was caught off guard, made a surprised sound and embarrassingly tumbled backward into the water.

“Splish!”

The strands of hair clung to my face as I rose, giving me the appearance of a water spirit emerging from the sea.

“I told you not to complain.”

Despite the cheerful words, there was a peculiar stubbornness in Ash’s gaze.

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, he took a step back.

“Hey, hey, don’t come any closer.”

However, it was too late to prevent Ash’s mischief.

Grabbing my waist, he exerted force, and we tumbled backward into the water with a splash. In the playful exchange, I secretly hoped he got a bit more soaked than I did. Laughter and joy resonated harmoniously amid the waves, with no room for intrusive thoughts, focusing solely on splashing water and playful antics.

I’ve been in the water for a while and suddenly my stamina has dropped significantly.

Haah, haah.

I can barely squeeze a handful of seawater out of my palm.

“We should get out of here, I’m going to catch a cold.”

I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve laughed without worry.

Suddenly, I asked myself this question. I took a long, hard look at my life and realized that it hadn’t been since my mom died. I was honestly a little surprised to realize that I could laugh out of pure joy.

Stretching out, I grabbed Ash’s hand and, with considerable effort, lifted my feet from the water to reach the land.

“Achoo!”

As we arrived at the cottage, a bout of coughing escaped. I wondered if I had caught a summer cold; after all, even dogs could get sick.

“Senior, hold on a moment.”

I was eager to go inside, shower, and change into warm, dry clothes, but Ash blocked my way. Following the previous instance, he placed his hand above my forehead, and with a swooshing sound—

The water that had seeped into my clothes turned into vapor, escaping into the air. My clothes, as if recalling their dry state, clung to my body, completely dry.

“Don’t want you catching a cold.”

“Hey… you can do magic like this?”

“If it helps you, there’s nothing I can’t do with magic.”

“I’ll admit, at least one of your spells is impressive… Wait a moment.”

In response to my unusual compliment, Ash’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. However, he looked puzzled when he noticed my hesitant lips.

“When I got caught in the rain and came to your room the other day, why didn’t you use this magic then?”

Ash raised an eyebrow.

“Well… this spell consumes a tremendous amount of magical energy, so I can’t use it whenever I want. Also, I wasn’t in the best condition that time…”

“Got it. Well, being able to use magic freely anytime, anywhere would be unfair for people like me.”

“Magic isn’t omnipotent, you know.”

Like most people, I had only a tiny bit of magical power, and my knowledge of practical magic was limited to the basics. I didn’t know who the past archmages were, which sorcerer achieved what in a war, or how magical tools influenced our daily lives. In short, I was ignorant when it came to ‘real-world magic.’ Since I had no intention of using magic in my life, there was no need to bother with things like spellcasting methods.