I’m a Second Male Lead in a Romance Fantasy, but I Don’t Like the Female Lead

After the meeting with Seol-ah ended rather poorly, the weekend passed like an arrow. Before I knew it, Monday was approaching as I spent time organizing my thoughts in my room and going out to eat with Hestia.

The Academy’s library is open all year round, 365 days a year. It’s usually frequented by many students, and during exam periods, it’s so crowded that it’s hard to find a seat. But it’s only been a week since the new semester started. On Sunday night, the library had very few visitors except for a small minority.

And that small minority included Hestia and me, who had followed her. The review of this week’s lessons and the preview of next week’s, which had begun in the afternoon, was now wrapping up as evening approached. Hestia gestured to me that we should get going.

As we left the library, I stretched with all my might. Having concentrated on studying for quite a long time, my entire body screamed in protest.

“Ugh! I really hate Mondays.”

“Really? I wish Monday would come quickly.”

Hestia responded to my natural complaint as if she couldn’t understand it. She seemed to genuinely look forward to Monday. In fact, she had acted as if she didn’t know what to do with her time during the weekend. It was also her suggestion to study in the library until this hour. As someone who would be happy just resting and doing nothing, she’s a type I can’t understand.

“Do you like classes that much?”

“It’s a life where we can receive good lessons from good teachers in a good environment. There probably won’t be a better learning opportunity in our lives, right?”

“A student’s duty is to complain about not wanting to study.”

“You say that, Mikhail, but you work hard too.”

As she said, I was quite diligent. It’s partly because it’s only been a week since we enrolled and I still have the motivation to try hard, and partly because there’s nothing else to do besides studying.

“Actually, it’s not a problem for us even if we just get a diploma.”

While students aiming for advancement might desperately twist their bodies for high grades, it’s different for people like me and Hestia. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to graduate with good grades, but even if we barely meet the credits and just get a diploma, no one would make an issue of it.

“Do you really think so?”

However, Hestia, born a model student, doesn’t seem to think that way. She glanced at me.

“Then why would I be in the library until this hour?”

“Hmph, I was almost disappointed.”

She smiled with satisfaction at my answer.

“What does Mikhail plan to do after graduation?”

“Well, get married?”

“To whom?”

“There’s someone. A pretty, smart, and kind woman.”

“Who might that be?”

“Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“After hearing this all week, I’ve gotten used to it now.”

Hestia spoke proudly, puffing out her chest. Though not much time has passed since we first met, her attitude has completely changed from when we first met. Since I told her I liked her, her cautious attitude toward me has completely disappeared, and she regularly wants reassurance of my love.

“Mikhail, what do you like about me so much?”

Whenever we’re alone, she asks questions like this at every opportunity. Why do you like me, what do you like about me—these kinds of questions. Honestly, it’s just cute, but I suddenly recalled my conversation with Seol-ah yesterday.

Her question about what I could see in a woman I’d only known for a short time. Though I answered that I fell in love at first sight looking at her face, the truth is I’m not sure. Liking someone doesn’t necessarily need a reason. But the feelings I have for her are dubious as being emotions that flared up from love at first sight. Rather, it feels more like liking a childhood friend I’ve known for a long time.

“Mikhail?”

Perhaps I was lost in thought for too long, as Hestia tilted her head and brought her face close to mine. The answers that usually came promptly were delayed today.

“I’ve told you before.”

“It’s a phrase that feels good no matter how many times I hear it.”

Hestia smiled mischievously. But her emotions, as Seol-ah said, are closer to greed than affection. She wants to receive all of my affection for herself alone. Thinking about it, she has rarely expressed affection to me directly.

“You’re pretty, smart, and kind.”

“Thank you.”

She smiled broadly. It’s what I say every time she asks, but whenever she hears my answer, she makes this pleasantly happy smile. And then I melt away as if I’d never had such worries.

I don’t know. Seol-ah has poisoned my mind. Isn’t it fine to just be happy like this? Her words have added unnecessary worries.

Let’s think positively. It’s true that Hestia has a personal fondness for me, if not affection, and her possessiveness isn’t a bad thing in terms of affection. If I keep pushing like this, won’t she eventually open her heart to me? Actually, considering she allowed me to massage her a few days ago, it might be soon.

-grumble

In the midst of thinking about Hestia, a cute sound came from her stomach. I tried to pretend I didn’t hear it, but since Hestia maintained an awkward silence, seemingly embarrassed, I had to forcibly break it.

“…”

“What should we eat for dinner? It’s dinner time anyway.”

We had left the library to eat dinner during the evening hours. I asked for her opinion on where to eat as naturally as possible.

“Hestia?”

“Let’s just go anywhere…”

Hestia answered with her face completely red. Her voice was quiet, and her fingertips fidgeted, showing that she was quite embarrassed about letting me hear her stomach growl. I don’t even mind it.

“I really don’t mind, so there’s no need to be so embarrassed…”

“Stop! Don’t say another word!”

Hestia jumped up and covered my mouth with her hand. It seems my concern is rather burdensome to her. I was about to stick out my tongue to lick her palm but refrained, thinking I might really get hit.

“You won’t bring this up again, right?”

“Mmph…! Mmph!”

At Hestia’s cold voice, I quickly nodded. With her still covering my mouth, my voice couldn’t be conveyed to her as proper speech. All I could make was muffled sounds.

“Phew! I nearly died.”

“Such exaggeration. Honestly, you could have freed yourself if you wanted to.”

My airway, blocked by her hand, opened up. She gave me a slight scolding at my joke. In truth, as she said, I could have freed myself if I wanted to, but I didn’t particularly want to. This kind of minor skinship is a source of everyday vitality.

“So, really, is there nowhere you want to go?”

“No. I really am fine with anywhere.”

The hardest answer in the world is “anything is fine.” I started wracking my brain over her “anywhere is fine” response. I recalled the cold stare from a female friend in my previous life when I took her to a simple kimbap restaurant after she said anything was fine. As a result, it took quite a lot of time and effort to soothe her sulking.

Of course, if Hestia says anywhere is fine, she truly means anywhere is fine. Unlike that woman then, she wouldn’t get angry or sulk at me for taking her just anywhere. She probably wouldn’t even complain if I dragged her to the student cafeteria. But I can’t accept that. One such mistake is enough.

In truth, I don’t know any good places. The letter I sent to the Duchess left yesterday, and it would take a week to receive a reply. Instead, I decided to trust my experience and intuition. If we go out at this time and enter any restaurant with many customers, we shouldn’t fail.

“Then let’s go out for now.”

I took Hestia’s hand and headed outside the school gate.

The shopping district on Sunday evening was busier than I expected. It seemed like everyone didn’t want to waste a single moment of the first weekend of the new semester, as student gatherings could be seen everywhere.

I felt Hestia’s hand fidgeting in mine. Perhaps she has something she wants to say? I looked at her face. She seemed flustered by my sudden eye contact and averted her gaze.

“W-what is it?”

“Don’t you have something to say?”

-grumble

At my question, a thunder louder than before rumbled from Hestia’s stomach. She seems hungrier than I thought. Perhaps her fidgeting was an expression of wanting to enter any restaurant quickly and eat.

“Did you skip lunch by any chance?”

“Shut up.”

She ignored my question with unusually harsh words. However, judging by her reddened earlobes and her hand still fidgeting in mine, her harsh words were undoubtedly a defense mechanism to hide her embarrassment that had crossed the line.

I decided not to open my mouth again to provoke her shame. Instead, I forcefully opened the door of a restaurant right next to us, quite filled with students.

“This place looks delicious. Don’t you think?”

“…”

She didn’t answer my question. I didn’t particularly demand an answer either. If I tease her more, I might really get hit.

Following the waiter’s guidance, we headed to a nice spot on the second floor with a view of the window. It was an excellent seat, not too noisy, with a clear view of the street right in front. The waiter winked at me, saying to call him when we decided on our order. I should give him a tip when we pay later.

“What do you want to eat?”

Even with her embarrassment, Hestia didn’t keep her mouth shut at this question. She stared intently at the menu for a moment, then seemed to make a decision and handed the menu to me.

“Have you chosen?”

“I’ll have the oil pasta.”

She adopted a cool and calm attitude as if the earlier stomach growl had never happened. She seems to have changed her strategy, thinking there’s no point in continuing to be embarrassed. I decided to go along with her strategy.

I called the waiter and ordered food as naturally as if nothing had happened.

“One oil pasta and one mushroom risotto.”

After the waiter took our order and left, Hestia and I chatted as if nothing had happened. Both she and I tried our best to act as if we weren’t concerned. Honestly, it wasn’t that I was concerned; I just found it cute and wanted to tease her, but I held back because she seemed more embarrassed than I expected.

Shortly after, the food we ordered arrived. Hestia’s eyes sparkled when she saw the food. She must have been quite hungry. Could she really have skipped lunch? She put the pasta in her mouth very elegantly and gracefully, but also very hastily.

“Mmm! This is delicious.”

She looked very satisfied. Soon, her pasta deconstruction show began. Once, twice, and three times. Each time her fork headed toward the plate, the pasta visibly disappeared. I quietly watched her eat.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

Hestia must have noticed my gaze, as she put down her fork for a moment. Then she looked at my plate. I had eaten a hearty lunch at the student cafeteria, so I wasn’t that hungry. Naturally, more than half of my risotto remained on my plate. She compared her plate to mine, then with a flustered expression, quietly put down her fork and wiped her mouth.

“I’m full. Yes. I should leave some.”

She must have recalled the growling sound from her stomach earlier. We had pretended not to notice, acted as if nothing happened, but if she eats so quickly and with such enthusiasm, there’s no point in having tried to hide it!

Isn’t that what she might be thinking? I nearly burst into laughter at Hestia’s transparent reaction.

“Just for your information, I wasn’t hungry at all. I’m naturally a bit fast at eating.”

She tried to make excuses. But based on her reactions so far, even a three-year-old child could tell that she had skipped lunch and was now very hungry. But I didn’t like that she was needlessly conscious of me and leaving food.

“Hestia looks prettiest when she’s eating.”

I suddenly praised her eating appearance profusely.

It’s something I’ve thought every time I’ve had a meal with her, but contrary to her outward appearance, she really enjoys eating. Looking at her expression when eating, she smiles very happily. Literally, she eats bountifully and deliciously. If she had made an eating broadcast, wouldn’t she have been very popular? With her appearance too.

And she was a bigger eater than expected. Even after eating dishes that I found quite substantial, she showed no signs of being full. I wonder where all that food goes in her slender body. Well, there is one place I can guess, actually.

I deliberately corrected my gaze that was naturally heading toward her chest.

Intrigued by my sudden compliment, she cautiously asked back.

“Is that… so?”

“I’m telling you it is. Just watching you eat makes me feel full. It’s really cute. Charming.”

“I am a bit like that. My grandmother used to tell me similar things.”

Hestia started to shrug her shoulders at my thoughtless compliments. I added a reasonable reason to clinch it.

“And it’s a waste to leave food like that.”

“Yes, that’s right. It would be a waste to leave it.”

Hestia nodded in agreement and began to inhale the pasta on her plate again with a very happy expression. I had to try hard to suppress the laughter that was about to burst out. She is sometimes pure in strange aspects. It’s a side of her that can’t be inferred from her usually sharp appearance.

I quietly watched her looking as happy as if she were eating the most delicious dish in the world, then picked up my spoon. Seeing her eat so deliciously made me feel hungry too.