The Princess Sitting Next to Me is a Sweet Girlfriend Only in Front of Me
In the end, we were a little late to homeroom, but there were no particular consequences.
It goes without saying that Fia is often late to homeroom anyway, and I’m usually cutting it close too, so the teacher probably just thought it was a coincidence.
The classmates’ reactions were no different from usual either.
I mean, if Fia and I had entered the classroom together, that might’ve drawn attention, but we staggered our arrival times somewhat.
Well, the fact that things are no different from usual means that there’s still someone who likes to pick a fight with me.
“Living quite the comfortable life, aren’t you? Commoner.”
Gourie calls me “commoner” deliberately, not as an afterthought or out of sarcasm.
The fact that he even bothers to address me makes me think he must have some free time on his hands.
That said, when dealing with Gourie, silence is golden.
If he’s going to flip out whether I respond or stay quiet, it’s better not to give him any reason to pin something on me.
“You have the right to sit there, yet you can’t even exercise that right. That’s why commoners are such fools and a bother.”
As always, this guy talks big but doesn’t deliver.
He’s the second son of Bafarsky, a fairly prominent figure in the military faction.
Though unrefined in appearance, he’s physically stronger than anyone else, and as a mage, he boasts slightly above-average skill.
But his personality is shortsighted.
On top of that, he has the nasty habit of interpreting others’ goodwill in the worst possible way.
To put it bluntly, his personality is terrible.
“Commoner, are you incapable of understanding my wise advice?”
…This isn’t good. He seems to be in a foul mood.
Normally, I could just ignore him, but today, that won’t work.
Specifically, the princess sitting next to me looks like she’s about to explode.
“…………”
With a sulky expression, she wasn’t looking at me or Gourie, but rather down at her desk.
From Gourie’s vantage point, he probably didn’t notice.
Even on a normal day, she holds back her frustration, but given that her own actions were part of the reason I was late today, it’s no wonder she’s feeling this way.
Still, what Gourie is saying now is reasonable, and I can’t deny it.
Since I’m staying silent, it’s impossible for her to defend herself when she was also late.
In that case, I need to somehow get through this sticky situation.
There are various reasons, but my circumstances have completely changed since yesterday.
I can no longer ignore Fia’s presence—neither practically nor emotionally.
Given that, the action I should take here…
“…My sincerest apologies. It’s entirely my fault. I’ll reflect on it and improve.”
An apology.
A very simple, ordinary apology.
“You…!”
Gourie is on the verge of exploding.
It’s only a matter of time before he grabs me by the collar as usual…
…but,
“Sorry, I was late to homeroom too.”
“…N-no, that’s not it! This was purely to educate the commoner…!”
Fia’s apology changed the situation.
Gourie didn’t intend to make Fia apologize.
Moreover, this whole tirade was meant to criticize my tardiness.
If I apologized and he still attacked me, it would strip Gourie of any legitimacy.
“Tch… Watch yourself.”
As long as Fia isn’t his target.
With no intention of attacking her, Gourie had no choice but to back off.
