The Kids Have Changed - Chapter 24

Though I had used a term that was definitely not from this world, Julien and Carol didn’t even mention it.[1]

But Julien changed the subject, and the incongruous feeling quickly went away.

“Oh, but why aren’t you two attending the charity party today?”

“It’s tedious. I have no interest in something like that.”

“Sharon doesn’t want to go.”

Carol and I, who answered in unison, looked at each other and burst into laughter. We had to persuade Madame DeJoue that we didn’t need to go since we hadn’t turned 15 yet.

“……I wish I could skip it, too.”

“You can’t.”

At my words, the prince laughed as if he knew I would say that.

“You don’t really care as long as your body is comfortable, huh?”

It was such an accurate rebuttal that I couldn’t respond. I smiled. Fortunately, Julien did not look sad.

“Get up, both of you. Since you came all the way here, you might as well look around. There are quite a few sights worth seeing.”

Julien stretched like a slender leopard and stood up. The hand that he extended to me was hard, with calluses embedded in them like medals.

This was evidence that his life wasn’t easy.

I put my hand on top of Julien’s.

Carol’s hand rested on his other hand.

“Recognize this glorious day, for this great Carol held your hand.”

…Was she chuuni?[2]

“Huh?

Suddenly surprised by the soft grip in my hand, I turned my head. Julien was staring at me with a gorgeous, glowing face.

“Concentrate. Don’t think about anything else.”

His smiling face was so beautiful that I could only nod dumbly.

“Okay…”

***

Julien fell deep into his thoughts.

As he and Carol thought, Sharon was oblivious.

“No… It’s not that she’s oblivious, but that she doesn’t care.”

His brows furrowed. Sharon sweetly gave him what he wanted, but there was no depth in her actions.

“Carol is getting impatient.”

It was a subtle change, but he and Carol, who were both quick and clever, were being left behind.

Sharon was elegant and adorable, like a drowsy cat under the spring sun. But as transparent as her emotions were, her true self was still hidden.

With a smiling face, she was coldly cutting them off.

‘I am different from you. I am a stranger.’

That was what she seemed to say.

Of course, since she was a good person, Sharon may hesitate out of affection for Carol and himself… But that wasn’t enough.

“It’s annoying.”

Today was the same. The eyes that occasionally stared into the air were so transparent that it seemed like they were crying.

Today, they were at the exhibition hall that served as the venue for the charity event.

Sharon took the lead, and Carol and Julien followed a little bit behind her.

***

“You feel that Sharon’s strange too, right?”

“I always feel it.”

She was oblivious, and true sincerity… She also lacked. He didn’t notice it when he was young, but he gradually became aware of it.

“So… Are you going to leave things like this?”

After hearing the word ‘Sharon,’ Julien became a little interested in what that annoying girl had to say.

“Just tell me what you’re getting at. I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Oh? Is that something my fiancé should say? I wouldn’t even eat together with you if I didn’t need you…”

“Likewise! Duke’s daughter? You couldn’t even read theology books until a while ago!”

“You can live without something like that. Shitty idiot.“

Carol’s lips jutted up.

She couldn’t refute it because it was true. If Sharon didn’t want it, Carol would never have read a theological book all the way through.

In this world, Carol only believed in Sharon.

“Hey. Finish what you were saying. Don’t piss me off.”

Carol scoffed at Julien, who spoke to her as if she were an annoyance.

“You saw it just now, right?”

“What?”

“Clearly, you asked her to live with you, but Sharon ignored you without noticing,” said Carol, twirling her hair with her fingers.[3]

“Do you think that’s all?”

“No.”

Even though Julien obviously grabbed her hand, Sharon was not flustered at all.

“…It can’t go on like this.“

With a cute and cocky face, Carol stroked her chin.

“She doesn’t notice things, and she doesn’t have any affection for this world. And though she pretends that it isn’t there, she gives off an air of being different. If it continues like this… Don’t you think it wouldn’t be weird if she suddenly disappeared?”

Carol and Julien’s misunderstanding, not knowing that Sharon herself had no intention of leaving, grew deeper.

“…What are you trying to say?“ he asked flatly.

“I think we need to make our contract more concrete now.”

“What contract? Since when were we in such a relationship? ”

“Ahh… You really make me want to swear. Really. I’m holding myself back because I’m kind and patient. I’m talking about being allies! We just need to be allies!”

Carol and Julien’s faces crumpled at the same time. Allies. They both felt like they heard, and uttered, the scariest word in the world.

“Fuck.”

They pretended to be good and cute in front of Sharon, but they were very straightforward with each other.

“I think we need to prepare. Because as it stands now, there is nothing we know or can do. So, you have to become the emperor.”

“What?”

“Doesn’t the power of magic only obey the emperor?”

“…That’s something I already thought about.“

Like staring into space blankly, or looking cold, as if separated from the world.

As if nothing mattered to her…

Sharon didn’t expect anything nor wanted anything. So, Julien and Carol were often troubled. No, not often. They were troubled every day.

“Jewelry, pretty dresses, or delicious food. Sharon isn’t interested in anything. She stays in the background, as if nothing would be different if she disappeared. But I can’t do anything by myself. I can’t use a sword, I can’t inherit a title, and I can’t marry Sharon. So I need you.”

“Do you want me to hold Sharon by your side? Why me?”

Carol laughed coquettishly. Her dark green eyes shone deeply out of her narrowed eyes.

“Because you don’t want to let go of Sharon either. Am I wrong? You must have thought about it, too.”

“…”

Julien bit his lips.

“Point.”

He acknowledged it.

Now he knew the warm touch and the preciousness of the people next to him. He didn’t want to lose Sharon either.

Because of her, he felt as if the world was livable now.

Also, she always seemed anxious, as if she would leave at any moment.

If Sharon disappeared…

The mere thought made Julien’s stomach churn.

“Fine. So what do you want me to do?”

“I have to think about it slowly. For now, it’s enough that you’re on my side. My mother was anxious because she couldn’t take her away from me.”

“Your mother? Since when did she become your enemy?”

“…It’s not like that. Anyway, we have to find a way to stop our little liar, Sharon, from leaving.”

Sharon lied like it was part of her diet. ‘I will not go anywhere,’ ‘I will always be there…’  Carol could tell that it was a lie just by looking at her shaking pupils or the way she fiddled with her right earlobe.

It was also an obvious lie that Sharon didn’t look at Carol and Julien as puppies.

‘She’s such a liar. Even though she told me not to lie.’

Carol pouted.

“…So, a temporary alliance?“

“Fine. You’d better not betray me. If you betray me, you’ll be kicked out from your position as crown prince.”

“Ha. The same goes for you. If you betray me, you won’t be a duke’s daughter, but cow shit.”

Carol and Julien smiled wryly as they faced each other.

They really tried to like each other, but it was impossible.

‘Where did this person come from, to be so similar to me? How annoying.’

They both thought the same thing at the same time.

Unfortunately, Sharon, who was distracted by their appearance, did not know.

The clever, serpentine, and spider-like natures of Carol and Julien had not changed.

Rather, they had evolved into a more stealthy form so that they would look good in front of Sharon.

Two of the most dangerous people in the world held hands.

That was the first change.

***

Julien gritted his teeth. Thinking about it again, Sharon’s lack of sense was at such a level that he thought something was wrong with her.

Even Carol said, ‘It’s obvious just looking at your eyes. You love Sharon,’ but the person concerned did not know.

There were several reasons he couldn’t confess honestly, even though he was frustrated.

First, he was engaged to Carol.

Whether he wanted it or not, that fact put a damper on his wishes.

Second, Sharon didn’t see Julien as a man, so he couldn’t confess blindly.

Doing so would be a risky shortcut. It was dangerous to push through a one-way street.

Third, Sharon was oblivious and lacked sense.

Even if he made a confession, there was a high probability that Sharon would overlook it, just saying, ‘Oh, I like you too.’ She wouldn’t understand what kind of feeling he held for her.

He sighed. “Haaaa…”

Suddenly, the road ahead of him looked dark. Tomorrow, the first day of spring would begin. The new year was supposed to be bright.

However, as Sharon did not become any less oblivious over the past seven years, it seemed that she would continue being like this next year as well.

“Damn it.”

***

The new year had dawned.

The Empire, which had already reached spring, bloomed beautifully in the warm weather. The flowers in full bloom everywhere and the warm light blue sky were enough to put anyone in a good mood, but with the addition of Carol’s upcoming birthday, the mood became skyrocketed.

Carol’s birthday was on the 23rd of spring. It was about 5 days from now.

In this world, the 15th birthday was a little special.

In Korea, it was a most fearsome time when kids contracted the illness called “chuunibyou.”

Well, it was a special time here in a similar sense. The secondary sex characteristics would begin to show, and a child would enter the path of becoming an adult.

“Sharon, does this suit me? Or is this better?”

How many times had she already changed her dress, acting cute?

“It’s cute… All of them suit you…”

My heart became like that of a groom who looked at the dozens of wedding dresses as the bride tried them all on.

“Tsk. I don’t want to look shitty compared to Sharon!”

“My lady! Where did you learn to talk that way?”

Seeing the scolding Madame Berna glare at me, I naturally looked away.

This was why Madame Berna didn’t like me. Madame DeJoue, who was sitting next to me, also stared at me with suspicious eyes.

“Hehe.”

“As I thought…”

Madame DeJoue sighed, but she did not add anything else, as if she had already given up on me. She was tired of nagging.

“Hmm… I think the first thing I wore was the prettiest. Right, Sharon?”

…For real?

I needed an explanation of why I wasted nearly 4 hours in the dressing room.

I stared at Carol in amazement. I told her to just go with the first one!

“Hmm? Huh? Or should I try that one, and that one again?”

“That’s going over.”[4]

It took at least 20 minutes to change her outfit.

Wasn’t it time for her to grow a conscience?

“Then what should I do?!”

Fortunately, Carol, who has been with me for a long time, understood me even when I said nonsense.

“…The first one you wore is the prettiest.“

“Yeesh, Sharon! You have to tell me exactly what about it is prettier, so I can make a decision!”

Ha ha ha ha ha.

Seeing how she handled herself, I thought she was all grown up, but…

Just wear whatever.

I couldn’t say that, though, because adolescent girls are sensitive.

If I go that way, it’ll come back to bite me.

She wasn’t too extravagant, nor did she want so many jewels that it would bankrupt the family.

She wasn’t the same as the old Carol. Yes, let’s take comfort in that.

“The green on this dress matches your dark green eyes. In that sense, it’s the best fit. However, the reason I said that the light green dress you wore first is better is that it looks refreshing. It makes your ashen hair seem more attractive. It looks very lively.“

In the end, I had to tell her what she wanted to hear as I lay down on the couch.

In fact, for me, who was ignorant about these kinds of things, it was like she had asked if I could notice a difference after she cut her bangs.

~~~

[1] I changed a line in the previous chapter: “I’m really strong and healthy!” to “My bones are as strong as Godzilla’s!” so that it’d be more accurate to the source text. I thought Sharon was just being weird again.

[2] Chuuni as in chuunibyou, which is a Japanese term but the one people are more familiar with. It’s also called the middle school syndrome, when kids in the 2nd year of middle school start acting like they have special powers or are super important.

[3] This is referring to when Julien said that Sharon would be OK with anything so long as she was physically comfortable. In other words, he has the means to make her comfortable.

[4] Over, as in going overboard. A Korean slang term. (I’m going to try to be more careful with these since the author seems to like pointing out their strangeness.)