Chapter 7 Part 2: Renatus and inviting Bradley to his room.

Translator: Michiko

Then today’s study session began. 

Bradley appeared to be in a better mood now that the notebook was restored to its previous state. He looked as lively again as he did at yesterday’s study session. 

Renatus was relieved to see it.

(The efficiency of studying varies depending on one’s mood as well…)

Today’s study session was also fun. It felt very luxurious to spend time together like this every day, even if it was only for a limited time. 

My body moved spontaneously, wanting to relax my muscles after sitting for so long. I folded my hands together and extended my arms upward to stretch them. 

I felt eyes on me and looked over to see Bradley looking at me.

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“Sldyvwp…esd’v usw vyjl sqq uswa xypj kd uswa assx?”

Jayezlu ypjle nwakswpzu.&dcpr;

R bye nsdpkelale vbyv R xktbv cl ypjle ycswv vbl xypj obld R bye kdhkvle bkx vs xu assx.&dcpr;

Jlnywpl R oswze yzps cl nwakswp kq R olal kd bkp rspkvksd. Zsw oswze oydv vs jdso obyv uswa qaklde zssjle zkjl.　&dcpr;

‘R’x alzymkdt kd xu assx yde ulv R esd’v vyjl xu xypj sqq’ xyu tkhl sqq y pkxkzya kxralppksd vs vbyv sq ‘Lsv vyjkdt y byv sqq yzz vbl vkxl kdessap’ qasx bkp rskdv sq hklo.

“R’x psaau. Rv’p y jkde sq qynl vbyv nyddsv cl pbsod.”&dcpr;

“Ebyv es usw xlyd…”

R elnkele vs psxlobyv vlzz vbl vawvb.

“My face is very unsightly.” 

“Unsightly?” 

“…Yes. You can think of it as…I was born with an unnatural defect.”

It was more than just unnatural, to have scales that grew out of one’s face, it was not human. 

Even Clarence, who adored me so much, had fainted with fear. I was sure Bradley would find it creepy too.

“I…”

Bradley paused in his speech and made eye contact with me.

I pulled back slightly. 

It was because I was horrified by Bradley’s gaze. Eyes filled with a gloomy light. And yet, it hid a will so strong that it could even be described as stern. 

His ferocity was reminiscent of a wild beast. 

I could not avert my eyes away from his gaze like I was some captured prey.

“No matter what Renatus looks like…my current feelings won’t change.”

His eyes may be like that, but his tone was the same as always. 

Bradley conveyed his feelings like he was piecing together something important.

I wondered if Bradley’s eyes were filled with anger or something similar, thinking, ‘Does he think I judge my friends based on something as superficial as their face?’ 

Did he feel as though I didn’t trust him?

I did trust Bradley. 

After all, he was the novel’s protagonist. And he’s a kind child in real life, too. I had only known him for a short time, but I had become very fond of him in no time at all. 

He would naturally value essence over appearance. 

　 

“Bradley… I know you don’t judge people by their faces. It’s just that I’m weak. I don’t want anyone to know how unsightly I am—”

I was weak. 

If I sensed even the slightest bit of disgust from someone I loved dearly, I was sure it would be very painful. 

The incident with Clarence still had a strong influence on me, even though it had been over a decade ago.

“…I’m sorry.” 

“Bradley…” 

“Everyone has a part of themselves they want to hide. I have one too.”

Bradley hung his head. I couldn’t see his face very well so I wondered if he was feeling down again. 

He had done nothing wrong. 

I was very happy that he was frank with me.

(I want to express my gratitude for our friendship…Is it okay to hug him like I did before?)

Renatus reached out to Bradley and hugged him tightly, just as he had done in the library.

“It’s natural that you want to know more about the person you want to get along with. So I’m rather happy about you having that feeling.” 

“Renatus…” 

“Thank you, Bradley. I knew you were a wonderful person.”

Bradley’s face twitched slightly in response, but Renatus didn’t see, as Bradley was taller than him. 

Bradley’s arms wrapped around Renatus’ back. 

Bradley hugged Renatus back, unlike at the library. It was warm and comfortable in his arms.

(He is a wonderful…friend.)

I was sure he wanted to comfort me since I was worried about my bare face.

Feeling the gentle warmth, I nestled my cheek against his chest.

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TN: This is a reupload as the original one got accidentally deleted. Thank you to ScarletCat for informing me about this. Today, I passed JLPT N1. It’s all thanks to translating jp bl novels I guess. I am looking for an editor and a co-translator to help me with this project. Please dm me in Discord if you’re interested. This will be on hiatus for a while so check out my other translations. They’re all fluffy and light-hearted reads. But don’t read BLP on an empty stomach. It makes me super hungry while translating it.

Enjoy reading. Have a good day.