Chapter 87: CH 87

“So, what’s the big deal about touching my cheek? I don’t think it’s something to be so surprised and wary of. Did you get your hands dirty and try to wipe it on my face?”

Even though I said it in a playful way, it didn’t seem like it was taken lightly by Kir. His eyes reddened. It looked like the crying that had barely subsided was about to burst again.

“No. I didn’t put anything dirty.”

“Then you can touch me.”

I generously gave him permission, and Kir hardened like a person who heard things that he shouldn’t. Seeing how careful he was even breathing, he seemed to be moved.

His fingers, which had hardened like a block of wood, grew tense. And he stroked my cheek like he was touching it naturally. The part that touched my skin became warm. As we shared the warmth, Kir’s hand movements became more comfortable. Slowly, his palm stroked my cheek.

When he started touching it, it felt strange. His small palm felt oddly large. It’s a nonchalant behavior of a 9-year-old kid, but I suddenly became nervous. An unknown heat seemed to spread across my cheeks.

I wanted to tell him to stop, but the corner of Kir’s mouth went up slightly. I couldn’t stop Kir when he had that happy expression as if he was touching something ecstatic.

As if feeling someone else’s warmth for the first time in his life, he couldn’t take his hand off my cheek. I couldn’t hide the feelings that something big would happen if he let go of his hand. So I couldn’t stop Kir, so I had no choice but to pretend that nothing was wrong.

***

I guess I saved Kir’s energy for no reason. Kir’s resurrection was really quick and amazing.

The day after I said that I would not quit studying with him for a year, Kir’s energy came back to life. As if he had never been so depressed, he returned to the active little boy he used to be. Kir, who overflows with self-confidence and is selfish.

The number of violent acts has decreased significantly, but it has not completely disappeared. Little Kir, who is more riotous as if to release what has been suppressed for a while, is back. Of course, the grace period is only one year, so he has to study. However, he didn’t go dry like a person desperately driven to the edge of a cliff like back then.

Still, I have to say his class attitude is much better than when he was doing it alone. And to my surprise, his efficiency went up rather than when he was so obsessed with studying.

Perhaps there were mistakes in the past that he had learned a lot. These days, instead of reducing the amount of studying, he definitely studied.

The result of the experiment was that if you study with pressure, it seems to be less effective even though you are desperate. Besides, this spoiled kid has really taken advantage of his favors again. As if he had never become so strange in the first place, he behaved wildly.

“You worked hard, so you should be rewarded. I studied hard yesterday and the day before too! We have to play today!”

He used what I said to make it harder to argue. Kir was clever enough to remember that, and would look for opportunities to play in his free time.

The cheery little boy was scary in a different way. Of course, I know that a mentally weak kid like Kir needs to release his stress from time to time, so I played with him as much as he could.

But the kid’s power is amazing. When I played with him, several times I wondered why I ended up struggling. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have just let Kir dig the ground.

I arrived at the Grand Duke’s residence and got out of the carriage. For some reason, today Kirr came out to meet me with a sparkling mischievous look.

“The teacher suddenly can’t come today.”

“Then don’t send the carriage.”

As soon as I arrived, I heard the news that the class was cancelled, so my expression turned grim, but Kir grabbed my hand. This was the behavior that changed after touching my cheek that day.

The guy who used to be careful with everything he touches with his fingers, now touches me very well. It seems like he’s behaving unusually when he’s being told to act like kids, so I didn’t particularly stop him, but these days he seems to be particularly attached to me.

“Why? Where are we going?”

I walked, half dragged by Kir’s quick steps.

“Let’s not study, let’s go play.”

Kir’s face was filled with elation. I sighed, “Do you want to play again?”, but except for the days when he insisted on playing like this, Kir worked hard as well, so I had to put up with it. In fact, there is no day when he doesn’t want to study more than the day when he suddenly take a break. Maybe that’s why I felt like he wanted to stretch out for no reason.

“What are you going to play?”

Kir’s smile at me was evil. That moment I hesitated at his full smile. Kir whispered in my ear.

“Let’s run away.”

“What?”

He was proposing to separate from Knight Henry, the escort knight.

In fact, this prank was not the first time. A year ago, when he was a perfect idiot who didn’t know how difficult the world was, Kir reached the peak of his selfish behavior. At that time, he often separated from the escort knight while we played with each other.