I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend

  ◍ ◍ ◍ Rudrick, who was cooling his face with his hand as a fan, looked the same as the last time I saw him. However, when our eyes met, he was a little surprised, but the way he looked at me was clearly different from before. He must’ve remembered the promise he made to me, and he must have been working hard for it. It just felt like my heart was pounding for no reason. “Then…” My mother, who was about to enter the mansion, looked back on both of us. It was obvious what that gaze meant. As usual, the mothers would talk to each other, and we would go out alone. If nothing had happened before then, my mother asked once again the action that would be taken. ‘Are you sure you’re going to be okay?’ She must have asked because she was worried about leaving us alone after a long awkward atmosphere. But I was able to speak with confidence. “We both have work to do.” I naturally held Rudrick’s hand. Looking at him, asking like ‘Don’t we?’. Rudrick smiled shyly and nodded his head. My mother, who was more at ease with our appearance holding each other’s hand, looked proudly as if she were looking at a grown child and entered the mansion with the Duchess of Bouser. Staring at their backs for a moment, I looked back at Rudrick and spoke brightly. “Shall we go then?”  ◍ ◍ ◍ Even so, we didn’t usually do anything special. The schedule was changed from time to time as desired. To be precise, I did exactly what I felt like. No matter how much I asked Rudrick, ‘What do you want to do?‘, he only answered with, ‘Do whatever Dahlia wants to do‘, and he avoided answering the question. But now I won’t be able to give him that answer. Because he knows for sure now that I’ve been frustrated by it. However, even if I asked ‘what do you want to do?‘ like before, there would be no specific answer. Because as he says, he doesn’t really know what he wants to do. No one ever asked him that question. I decided to try and understand him, so I asked a slightly different question this time. “What do you like to do?” As soon as we came into the room, Rudrick looked puzzled at my question. Rudrick, who was shaking his head and thinking seriously, soon smiled and blurted out his words. “I don’t really know…” Then he looked at me and said, ‘Don’t you know that well?’ Well, that’s not wrong. I knew a long time ago that I didn’t know what Rudrick liked. That’s why I even suggested that we get to know each other. But what I was asking had a completely different meaning. I pondered for a moment, then changed my words and asked again. “Then… What’s your favorite activity so far?” “Was it about something good?” “Yes, there must have been at least one thing that you enjoyed doing, or something that was fun to do.” When I told him more specifically, Rudrick nodded as if he understood and soon fell into deep thought. He frowned and was contemplating, with the most serious expression in the world, but he couldn’t answer for a long time whether he had anything in mind. Being impatient for no reason, I first opened my mouth thinking it would be better for me to point out something. “For example, a sword.” But Rudrick’s response was lukewarm. “That’s not really…” “Not good?” “Yes.” Rudrick, who answered immediately, really seemed to think so. That’s why I feel more confused. “Aren’t you good at it?” “Aren’t I good at it…? I’m just doing it because I’ve been doing it since I was a kid…” “You’re just doing it? Don’t you know what you like?” “Yeah, just.” I suddenly remembered a person who liked it even though he couldn’t do well in it, and I became dumbfounded. ‘Father…!’ How would my father react when he hears these words from Rudrick? Wouldn’t that be the time for him to give up the obsession with swords? As I remembered my father’s proud expression, who proudly said, ‘Confidence comes from the sword,’ I bitterly wiped away my tears. Maybe I should keep this story a secret for the rest of my life. And Rudrick, who looked at me bewildered, blinked his eyes. Then he lifted his head as if he remembered something. “Oh, I just remembered one thing…” Before I knew it, I had forgotten all the pity for my father and looked at Rudrick with twinkling eyes. “Really? Wh-what was it?” “Um, that’s… a little embarrassing…” What the heck was it that you’re being so shy and didn’t know what to do? For some reason, I had a feeling that I had to hear it no matter what, so I stared intently at Rudrick, and he looked elsewhere, but in the end he carefully opened his mouth. “Mother…” “Yes.” “When my mother combs my hair…” My mouth slightly opened. “Hair?” Rudrick wiggled his fingers and nodded his head. “Well, that’s, uh… My mom likes combing my hair. She used to brush my hair when I was a kid… I thought that it was the best time before…” Then he glanced at me as if looking into my eyes, but I couldn’t answer anything as I looked at Rudrick like that. It’s because I was distracted by an idea that just came to mind. ‘Oh, so.’ There’s a question I’ve always had whenever I’m looking at Rudrick. ‘Why are you growing your hair?’ In the original story, Rudrick had short hair, but there was no information in the book that he once had long hair. Even when the book described his childhood, it only came out like ‘He was small and timid’. So there are some things I didn’t recognize when I first met Rudrick. I thought he was a woman with straight hair that reached to his waist. Then there’s only one answer left. It was just that Rudrick liked that hairstyle. ‘Really?’ But it’s also unclear. Because he really hated it when I mistook him for a girl. I think that’s where I started to question it. He was probably often mistaken for a girl because of his pretty face and long hair. It seemed like he was under a lot of stress because of it. If it were me, I would have cut my hair short to avoid the misunderstanding, and it seemed even more strange that there was no sign of that. ‘But that was the real reason.’ Because his mother likes brushing her son’s hair, and he likes his mother brushing his hair too. It was because the time he spent with his mother was precious. “Does she still brush your hair?” I asked with a friendly smile. But Rudrick’s face turned a little gloomy. “Not much these days…” “…” “Then, my dream is to become a hairdresser from today!”, I said in a firm, determined voice. “What?” “Don’t worry. I’ll try all kinds of hair styles and comb them until you grow up.” Rudrick blinks, staring blankly, then soon he bursts into laughter. “What’s that?” I smiled proudly because the face that said that seemed genuinely amused. Then, slowly sitting down with Rudrick, I asked him, thinking that we should dig up more of this. “And then?” “Huh?” “Any more?” Rudrick looked up at the ceiling and answered. “You came to the capital…?” “And?” Rudrick blushed slightly. “…meeting Dahlia.” “It’s not an activity.”, I politely replied to his story. “Ah, that’s right… Then hanging out and playing with Dahlia…?” “Really?” Only then did Rudrick nodded blankly as if his soul left his body when I smiled broadly. Before I knew it, I reached right next to Rudrick, and lowered my head and put my lips near Rudrick’s ear. Rudrick’s shoulders shrugged on their own, and I looked at him and whispered softly. “I like it too.” It goes without saying that Rudrick’s face instantly blushed. As I stared at Rudrick, who couldn’t say anything and was completely frozen, I blew into his ear for a moment. “Hey!” Only then did Rudrick come to his senses and quickly fall off from where we were sitting. I looked him in the eye and grinned. “Why are you so frozen, how cute?” “Hey, that’s, it’s, uh, D-dahlia…!” Now Rudrick, who was stuttering with his face red to the end of his neck, looked falsely accused. Then I didn’t think he would come so far away from me as if he would keep his distance for the rest of his life. It’s difficult if he acts like this. I raised my hand, licking my lips. “Okay, I’m sorry I was wrong. Come here.” “…” “Are you sulky?” “…” “Do you want a kiss?” “I’ll go.” Rudrick, who snapped back, came a few steps closer to me, though not as close as he was before.