________________________________________
The following day.
“Which brings me to this.”
Father had summoned Kyle and me to his study, and without any preamble, he made an announcement.
“I intend to raise Kyle as a talented member of our knightly order.”
Dunn-dunn-DUNN—!
“Oh goodness.”
I stared at him, slack-jawed. And Kyle—
“So I get to stay with Aisha?”
Blissfully unaware of the grim future that lay in store for him, he blinked at Father with wide, sparkling eyes.
* * *
A few days later.
“Oh, Kyle’s in human form today. And his eye color is different again.”
“Hello. The old man said I have to take medicine every day.”
I learned more from Father about Kyle—that he was a Mage-Beast, half creature and half human; that he possessed the ability to communicate with creatures, and that this ability would one day become something tremendous.
And so—
“You’re going to your lesson today, right?”
“Yes.”
“What’s wrong with your feet?”
“My feet?”
“Someone put something on them.”
Kyle puckered his lips and tapped the floor with the toe of his shoe.
He was wearing a neat collared shirt and short trousers—and shoes, naturally, which he had apparently never worn before in his life. He looked slightly uncomfortable with them on.
“Those are shoes. You have to wear them when you’re living as a human, so get used to them. Understand?”
“Hmph.”
He turned up his nose, but nodded vigorously enough.
Hmm.
What should I do? Why does the thought of Kyle going to lessons make me anxious?
Kyle was like a child about to be let loose near deep water. I’d treated him like a baby kitten up until just a few days ago—there was every reason to feel that way.
Since it’s his first lesson, I’d better take him myself.
Clap!
I had been watching Kyle perform a puzzling tap-dance in his new shoes. I brought my hands together sharply to get his attention.
“Kyle. Pay attention.”
“Hm?”
“If someone asks you ‘Who are you?’—what do you say?”
“Hmm…”
Kyle went still and thought hard. Then he raised his eyebrows with great conviction and answered.
“I am the king of monsters.”
“—Eek—!”
This child is going to cause a catastrophe—
My triangular eyes narrowed into slits and I gave him a firm instruction.
“You cannot say that. Now, repeat after me.”
“Hm?”
“My name is Kyle. How do you do.”
I extended my hand in greeting. Kyle looked back and forth between me and my hand with an uncertain expression.
And then—
“…My name is Kyle. How do you do.”
He said it—and took my hand.
Shake, shake.
I swung our joined hands in approval. His eyes went wide, and the tips of his ears slowly, unmistakably, turned pink.
“Very good—! From now on, no matter who you meet, you have to greet them like that. Got it?”
“Why?”
“Because the lesson you’re going to today is ‘Aristocratic Etiquette and Character Development.’ It’s the first step. A person of good character has to start with good manners.”
“So if someone has no character, they’re a bad person?”
“Essentially, yes. That’s why, starting today, you’ll learn from your teacher. To find your character.”
“Oh.”
My impromptu coaching seemed to have done its job—Kyle’s face, which had gone vacant over the shoes, brightened with something that looked almost like motivation.
I’ll have to go with direct instruction for a while, I think.
“Now let’s go. Since it’s your first day, I’ll sit in.”
“All right.”
I took Kyle’s hand and pulled open the door to the first lesson room—
“Good morning, my lady. Our student Kyle is here as well, I see.”
The tutor greeted us with a warm smile and a bow.
And then—
“Dandelion?”
A familiar voice rang out inside the classroom.
Hm? The only person who calls me Dandelion is Lucas…
Surprised, I poked my head through the doorway—
“What are you doing here—”
Lucas had been about to say something with a pleased expression. But then his gaze landed on me, and on Kyle—and on our joined hands.
“That little—how dare he hold Dandelion’s hand! Hey! Who are you!”
Crash-bang—
He flipped over a desk without a second’s hesitation and came striding toward us in long, furious steps.
“How dare.”
Oh, right. Of course.
“He just—casually grabs Dandelion’s hand like that?”
Kyle and Lucas were in the same class. And this would be their first time meeting.
And Lucas doesn’t know Kyle yet—
“Lucas, it’s not like that—”
I started sweating and tried to hide my hand behind my back—
“Young master.”
A large figure stepped between us and Lucas.
“This is Kyle—he will be taking lessons alongside the young master.”
It was the tutor, wearing a politely composed smile.
“What? Kyle?”
Thanks to the intervention, Lucas’s march came to a halt. He crossed his arms and fixed Kyle with a scowl.
“What is he to me, to be in the same class? Is he family? A direct heir?”
“He is not a direct heir, but His Grace felt it would be beneficial for the two of you to take lessons together, given that you share the same coursework.”
“Father said so himself? Fine. That aside—”
Flash—
“Lucas, sir!”
The moment the tutor’s guard dropped, Lucas’s hand cut through the air with a quick, practiced stroke—and severed my grip on Kyle’s hand.
“…….”
He looked deeply, smugly satisfied. The expression of a man who had just demonstrated mastery.
“You—are you family? You’re not direct blood, so why do you think you can take lessons with me? What are you, a branch family? Some distant cousin?”
Kyle blinked his innocent eyes.
Then—
“My name is Kyle. How do you do.”
As if he hadn’t heard a word Lucas said, Kyle extended his hand in greeting.
“What? Excuse me!”
Slap—
Predictably, Lucas wasn’t having it, and knocked Kyle’s hand aside.
“…Oh.”
Kyle stared at his own hand, now floating in empty air, with wide, bewildered eyes.
But Kyle was only just getting started. This was, if anything, the opening act.
“Where did your character go? Did you lose it?”
“…What?”
“Aisha told me that people who don’t accept a handshake have no character. If you lost yours, you need to find it quickly. Go find it.”
“Are you done talking? You’re clearly someone who can’t be reached by words—”
“Young master?”
That was when the tutor stepped in again—this time, with a red sticker and a conduct report.
“For refusing Kyle’s greeting—” press. “And for using inappropriate language—” press. “That will be two demerit stickers.”
“Argh! Teacher!”
“In the classroom, you must address me with proper honorifics. That’s a third demerit, young master.”
“Ugh—Teacher—sir!”
Another sticker was slapped onto the report, and—
“What’s a demerit sticker?”
In the midst of all this chaos, Kyle pressed his ear forward and sidled up to the tutor with his curiosity fully engaged.
“Well… it represents lost character. You must earn smile stickers to win it back.”
“So Lucas doesn’t have any character right now? He’s a character pauper?”
“Hey—! I’m not a pauper!”
Lucas would shout; Kyle would look bewildered; the teacher would press down a demerit sticker. The same cycle repeated itself several times.
There’s clearly no place for me here.
I slipped out of the classroom without making a sound, feeling quietly pleased.
It seemed as though Kyle was adapting to his lessons just fine.
✦ ✦ ✦
Time passed, and Kyle began to settle into Krost Duchy.
First proof of that: Kyle and Lucas eventually reached a point where they could at least say hello to one another.
There was a turning point. I had been walking down the hall with Kyle to get him to class, when—
Dandelion. You’re still looking after that idiot?
Lucas had arrived early and was already in the corridor. Without warning, he shoulder-checked Kyle.
Lucas. Have you still not found your character? At this rate you’re going to get another demerit sticker.
But Kyle just looked back up at Lucas with bright, unbothered eyes, completely unaffected.
From Lucas’s perspective, it probably looked like a beam of supreme obliviousness had been fired directly at him.
…Hey! If you’re going to keep bringing up character, then you’d better call me Hyung!
Hyung?
Yes! I’m older than you! So why don’t you call me Hyung like a proper person? You lost your character too?
Understood. Hyung Lucas.
……?
Lucas’s eyes went wide with shock.
By the third day of knowing Kyle, Lucas finally understood something: Kyle was far simpler, and far more guileless, than he had assumed.
