My Childhood Friend Told Me to Go Marry the Most Beautiful Woman in the Kingdom, So I Seriously Started Improving Myself—and Somehow Ended Up Making Women Fall Hard - Chapter 28 & 29

Chapter 28: Results and Growth

Side: Nagi

Ever since starting my journey, mornings had become frightening for me.

Night was quiet, and it let me hide.
But when it became bright, the light didn’t hide me at all.

For the first time since traveling, I felt afraid of greeting the morning.

But there was a morning that wasn’t scary.

The day I fell asleep while hugging someone.

Big brother was there, and even though the bed was small and cramped, the warmth made me feel safe.

Not my father. Not my mother.

Big brother’s scent felt special—gentle, warm.

That was why opening my eyes felt frightening.

Because this moment might end.

That thought scared me in a different way.

That beautiful woman with the big chest might take big brother away.

I didn’t want to lose.

“I want to grow up faster.”

In a voice that couldn’t reach him, I made that wish.

Enough to support big brother.

Nagi wanted to become a beautiful, grown-up woman—just like my mother.

♢

When morning came, big brother’s eyes stopped on Nagi.

He froze.

He looked shocked.

He even held his breath.

Seeing that face hurt me—just a little.

Did I do something wrong again?

Did he start to dislike me?

Did I scare him?

Big brother is kind.

And that’s why it’s scary when the eyes of someone kind change.

Nagi looked down at her chest, then at the reflection, and remembered my mother’s face.

I look like her.

I have an adult body now—just like my mother did.

But inside, I’m still Nagi.

I’m still scared.

Still embarrassed.

Still weak.

Everything inside stayed the same—only my body grew up first.

…Because I thought I didn’t want to lose big brother.

Last night, Nagi asked him.

“Big brother… do you like women like that?”

He said Commander Adelheid.

Strong. Beautiful. Important.

Red hair. Red eyes.

Someone no one could stand against.

She stopped the scary knight at the gate.

She saved me.

Nagi is scared of her.

Even so, I didn’t want her to take big brother away.

If someone like that stood next to him…

Big brother might leave Nagi behind.

I know this.

Big brother won’t stay here forever.

I heard him say “leave.”

I heard “three days.”

I heard “the next knight order.”

I didn’t understand every word.

But the parts I did understand stabbed straight into my chest.

Big brother would be gone soon.

I was sure of it.

And that certainty was terrifying.

Because it was scary, my body chose speed on its own.

I want to grow up faster.

Children are protected.

Children are targeted.

Children are taken.

But adults can protect others.

They can hold a blade.

They can speak back.

They can choose.

I want to grow up faster.

I want to stand beside big brother without feeling ashamed.

I don’t want to be left behind.

I want to grow up faster.

That was why the wish came true.

Why it came true too soon.

Now I understand.

This was the result of an oni-folk becoming an adult.

Nagi likes big brother.

That realization was scary.

If I say I like him, it feels like he’ll be taken away.

If I say it, it feels like I’ll become weak.

But I can’t run anymore.

Nagi traveled and learned something frightening.

People with gentle smiles can be scary.

Some pretend to help—and then take you away.

Some pretend to hug—and then put a collar on you.

That was why human warmth became frightening.

But big brother is gentle—and he only keeps giving.

To save my life, he gave Nagi a place to live.

He let Nagi into the city when I had no travel money.

He let me stay at an inn, slept beside me, did nothing cruel, and gently patted my head.

He registered Nagi as an adventurer and gave me the spirit Inazuma.

He simply waits for me.

He quietly places water nearby.

He looks away when he should.

Even when I don’t say I’m cold, he puts a coat over my shoulders.

And yet—he’s kind, but he isn’t soft.

“I won’t leave right now.” “During my leave.” “Until you can control your power.” “I won’t spoil you.”

He’s already kind enough, so not spoiling me feels strange.

He doesn’t spoil me—but he also doesn’t abandon Nagi.

That kind of kindness was something I had never known before.

Because I didn’t know it, my heart started moving on its own.

It reaches out on its own.

It gets scared on its own.

It feels like it might cry on its own.

I don’t want to lose him.

But Nagi can’t stand beside him yet.

That’s when I realized it.

Is this gratitude?

Because he protected me?

Because he saved me?

No.

If it were gratitude, I could repay it.

I could repay it with training.

With results.

But this—I don’t know how to give anything back.

My chest feels hot.

When I hear big brother’s voice, I calm down.

When I hear his footsteps, I feel safe.

When I imagine him leaving—it becomes hard to breathe.

So this is liking.

This is what liking feels like.

I don’t want big brother to be taken away.

I don’t want to be unable to stand beside him.

I don’t want Nagi to be missing from the place where he smiles.

Commander Adelheid is scary—not just because she’s strong.

She’s scary because big brother said he respects her.

Respect feels close to liking.

Because it’s close, it scares Nagi.

Big brother is kind.

And kind people don’t make Nagi special.

That’s why it’s scary.

Big brother said: “The one I like is someone who doesn’t run away.” “Someone with their own will.” “Someone who can support each other together.”

Hearing that let me breathe again.

Nagi isn’t strong.

Nagi isn’t bon-kyu-bon either.

But I can choose not to run.

Even if I’m scared, I can keep breathing.

Even if I feel like I might lose control, I can try to stop myself.

For the first time, I learned that this is how you get closer to someone you like.

Mom once said this.

When an oni reaches adulthood and meets certain conditions, their body grows all at once.

That growth is proof of being recognized as an adult.

Nagi didn’t understand those conditions before.

That’s why I panicked, let my lightning run wild, and cried.

But now, I think I understand.

The condition isn’t just strength with a blade.

It isn’t just the power of lightning.

It isn’t the number of monsters defeated.

It’s the heart that wants to treasure someone.

It’s the heart that wants to protect someone.

The heart that doesn’t want to be left behind.

The heart that wants to become an adult because of that.

I didn’t want to grow up just to gain results.

It was because big brother would leave.

Because I wanted to stand beside him.

The moment I realized that, my body grew up first.

It’s embarrassing.

It’s scary.

But it’s proof that Nagi’s heart chose something for the first time.

This must be the proof of an oni becoming an adult.

My feelings for big brother.

I like him.

I’m scared—but I like him.

Let me say this quietly in my chest:

I won’t let go.

I’ll become Nagi who can stand beside big brother.

But I won’t bind him.

The spirits said they hate being bound.

Binding big brother would be wrong.

So I’ll stay by his side in a different way.

When big brother is in trouble, I’ll help him.

I’ll stand next to him.

When he smiles, I’ll be there too.

So Nagi takes another breath.

I won’t rush.

I won’t take.

I won’t run away.

Because I like you—

Please let me stay by your side.

Chapter 29: The Weight of What Was Lost (4)

Side: Rina

When the summons bell rang, I stopped walking—just for a moment.

The palace corridors were cold.

The sound of my shoes echoed against the polished stone floor, leaving nowhere to escape. 

It felt like rumors of failure, people’s gazes—everything—was riding on that sound and chasing after me.

I wasn’t finished yet.

I told myself that, and stood before the door.

An old wooden door. The metal fittings were dark with age.

Heavy. 

Two knocks.

“Excuse me.”

The reply was short.

“Come in.”

The air inside the room was dry. 

The scent of medicinal herbs. Old paper. Ink.

Stacks of documents on the desk, and a well-used staff beside them.

The only witch among the court magicians—Elder Lohengram.

Among the royal magicians, she was famous as an instructor.
She was also my superior.

Her back was straight. Her white hair was tied neatly.

Though aged, her eyes alone were sharp—like blades.

I bowed deeply.

“Rina Carhoi reporting.”

The elder remained seated and looked at me.

Silently. Closely.

There was no warmth in that gaze.

It wasn’t the look of someone about to praise me. Nor someone about to comfort me.

“You failed to present the results of your magical research.”

With that single sentence, something creaked deep in my chest.

Failed to present?

That wasn’t right.

The summoning had succeeded. The magic circle, the mana control, the procedure—everything had been perfect.

My effort had truly succeeded there.

The only thing that failed… was the luck of forming a spirit contract.

“If you fail the exam one more time, consider your position as a court magician apprentice revoked.”

A flat voice.

Cruel words spoken without emotion.

But to me, it felt like the ground was disappearing beneath my feet.

I swallowed hard.

“…Yes.”

I could answer.
At the very least, I had to answer properly.

The elder slid a single sheet of paper across the desk.

“For the next exam, you may choose. Spirit summoning, or a different line of research. However, failure will not be tolerated. Is that clear?”

A different research topic…?

Up until now, I had devoted myself entirely to magical theory and spirit summoning.

And now, after all that—another subject?

Show results?

“…Yes.”

“Understand that this is your final chance.”

I straightened my back.

Top student. Prodigy. A promising future.

Those labels would be stripped away.

In this palace, that was the same as death.

“…Understood.”

I lifted the corners of my mouth just a little, making sure my voice didn’t shake.

The mask of a perfect noble lady. The mask of a perfect mage.

I wouldn’t break.

The elder, clearly uninterested in my expression, returned her gaze to the paperwork.

“That will be all. You may leave.”

And that was it.

No comfort. No advice. No explanation.

Only the fact that I had failed.

I bowed, then left the room.

♢

The moment I stepped into the hallway, my breath caught.

The air felt thin. My chest hurt.

The sound of my own footsteps felt unnaturally loud.

…Why?

Why did I fail?

Why did the spirit refuse the contract?

Luck? Something that vague deciding a royal exam?

What about my effort? What about my research?

I was the top student.

There was no way I should’ve made a mistake.

And if I had, there had to be a reason.

You expect me to move on to the next exam without knowing that reason?

Don’t be ridiculous.

If I fail the next one, it’s over.

I clenched my fists, letting my nails dig into my palms to keep myself together.

That was when it happened.

Whispers drifted in from behind me.

“Hey, did you hear?”

“Yeah, yeah. You mean that Hort Rubel—the Second Knight Order’s favorite, right?”

Hort?

He’d been rumored to be favored by the Second Knight Order and showing real talent.

“Well, apparently… someone saw him somewhere else recently.”

“Huh? Wasn’t he being courted by the Second Order’s commander?”

“No, this time it’s… they say he was walking with an oni-folk woman.”

What?

For a moment, my mind went completely blank.

I stopped walking.

What did they just say?

Hort… walking with an oni-folk woman?

“And that’s not all. That oni-folk woman was apparently with a spirit too.”

“A spirit? No way. After the Second Knight Commander, now it’s an oni-folk spirit user?”

“It’s true. There are even rumors that a mage girl was with him, accompanied by a water spirit shaped like a fish. They say he was being stared at by four demi-human women.”

“Wow… just hearing that makes him sound like a playboy.”

“Apparently not. People say he’s very sincere and kind. Lady Irene mentioned that he treated her well back when they were classmates.”

“Heh… so he’s actually that good of a man.”

A dull sound echoed deep in my ears.

Hort… a good man?

I couldn’t move.

Spirit contract.

That phrase stabbed into my chest.

I had succeeded in spirit summoning.

I was sure of it.

And yet, I was rejected.

Rejected—and yet Hort had a spirit?

He made a contract?

Why? Why?

When we researched together, spirit summoning worked.

That magic circle, the chant, the support—everything worked when Hort was there.

No—that’s wrong.

I was the top student. I was the one at the center.

Hort was just support.

He didn’t matter.

…Support?

The man who was supposed to be “just support” now walking around with a spirit?

With an oni-folk woman?

Right after I was rejected?

Heat rose deep in my chest.

Anger. Jealousy. Impatience.

And one feeling I didn’t want to admit.

Fear.

For the first time, I thought clearly.

I want answers from Hort.

The reason I failed. The reason I was rejected.

Tell me—why are spirits gathering around you?

Everyone looks at me.
Everyone says my research is amazing.
Everyone knows I work harder than anyone else.

So I should be right.

I’m right—and yet, only the results won’t follow.

That’s why I should ask Hort.

Hort would know.

Hort would be able to give me an answer.

Because he was always by my side.

Because he lived for my sake.

My head swayed.

What about everything Hort did for me…?

That thought surfaced for just a moment—then I crushed it.

No. That doesn’t matter right now.

I’m a court magician apprentice.

The next exam is my last chance.

I need a reason. I need a method.

And the one who knows the answer—is Hort.

I quickened my pace.

The cold stone floor of the corridor only fueled my impatience.

Hort.

What do you know?

Tell me.

Tell me why

I failed.