I Became Close to the Villain - Chapter 5

Translator: Zimming

Towel, where’s the towel. I went around looking for a towel, and luckily I found it with the servant who was carrying the towel basket.

“Ah, Kelly!”

“Young miss? I just went to the garden to pick you up, but turns out you’re here already.”

“Yes, I’ll take one of these!”

I picked up the biggest and thickest towel from the towel basket.

“Yes, take as much as you like.”

I smiled at the puzzled Kelly and ran down the stairs.

Behind me, Kelly said,

“don’t forget to take a bath!”

I arrived safely at the place where Idris was at.

“Idris!”

Fortunately, he remained at the place.

The soaked boy sat leaning against the door. Outside the door I could see the heavy rain.

Hmm…my friend got wet, but the whole scene was very picturesque.

“I got the towel!”

I crouched in front of him, and covered him with a towel before he could say anything.

“Vianne, wait.”

Eventually he held my hand gently and I put down the towel.

His hair was disheveled, I burst into laughter at the sight.

“I’m sorry, I think I use the towel too roughly…”

“Yes, I’ll just do it myself.”

Idris laughed and took the towel from me.

Then he kindly wiped the water on my hand with a corner of a towel that wasn’t wet yet.

The damp and dark place felt somehow cozy.

“Bring an umbrella and go.”

I said while pointing at the spare umbrellas placed on the side.

“Okay.”

Idris replied gently, returned the towel to me and added,

“Thank you, Vianne.”

“Huh?”

***

Idris would always stare at me when he had nothing to do.

At first, he gazed at me awkwardly because of curiosity.

But now, he usually gazes at me blatantly.

“Idris, you didn’t catch a cold, right?”

I asked him because he was wet from the rain two days ago.

Idris nodded.

“What about you?”

“I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief.”

He always said those kind words with a beautiful face, I was about to exclaim so but I stopped.

I just can’t see why he was a villain in the book. Maybe the settings were wrong.

“Is Liliel not coming today?”

Idris looked around and asked.

“Liliel went out into town to get something. It’s only both of us today.”

I layed down on a mat laid on the ground.

The sky looks amazing today.

“Idris, are we friends?”

I asked him, whenever I was in doubt, I always check like this.

“You said we’re friends.”

“Yes, but do you think so too?”

“You’re my friend.”

He answered immediately, fortunately, I might have a chance of survival.

“Really?”

I asked back again.

Idris laughed as he picked a fallen leaf on my hair.

“Yes, how many times are you going to ask? You’re my best friend.”

I lifted myself up and hugged him.

Idris was a bit panicked.

“….why do you like me so much?”

He gazed at me, and asked as if he couldn’t understand me.

I felt a bit guilty, I approached him at first to survive.

But when I met him, he turned out to be a nice guy. Now I wanted to be friends with him because I wanted to.

“You’re nice, that’s enough. There’s only a few of people like you in the world.”

“Me……?”

“Yes! Have more confidence in yourself!”

“Okay.”

Idris looked at me and accepted my reasons.

I lay down on the mat again, Idris continued to stare at me.

I looked up at the sky for a long time and turned my head, but he was still looking at me.

Now I’m used to it, but I’m still curious. Why did Idris stare at me whenever he had a chance?

Should I just ask? I don’t think he’ll annoyed by me asking weird questions.

“Idris.”

I called him while lying down.

“Huh?”

“Is there something on my face?”

“No?”

“But why are you looking at me like that?”

“……ah.”

Idris looked a little surprised.

“No reason.”

“Huh?”

He explained while looking at me.”

“No reason, I felt comfortable seeing you.”

“Is that so……?”

What does it mean to be comfortable? Did I look nice?

I don’t think so. Kelly, the maid, was sad because I could hardly gain weight and gave me a lot of meat.

Or does my face give him a sense of psychological stability?

“With you, there’s not much to worry about.”

Idris kept saying so.

Oh, it wasn’t because of my face.

“I see…”

“Time flies fast.”

“Huh?”

I was responding to him, but I didn’t actually understand it.

It was the first time I’ve heard this from someone else.

“Sometimes I feel like you have to look closely at yourself on how much you shine.”

“Wow. I really don’t know what that means.”

I blurted out the words I wanted to say a long time ago.

Idris replied something totally unexpected,

“Your light, magic.”

“……what do you mean? Magic?”

‘Why did he say that?’

I frowned.

Magic?

I’m only an extra with nothing. I wouldn’t have had magic.

“……you didn’t know that?”

“No, what’s that?”

I sat up straight.

Idris pointed to where my heart is at.

“Your body is full of magic, Vianne.”

“What?”

“Wait, don’t be surprised. If you’re surprised, you’ll be sick again.”

When I widened my eyes and raised my voice, he stopped me.

I tried to calm myself down like he told me.

“Do I have something like that on my body? How do you know that?”

“The first day we met, the medicine bottle you gave me.”

“The miraculous orange syrup?”

“In my eyes it was white. I heard the medicine was magical, so I thought if something glowed white, it has magic.”

“Huh?”

“I could see your body glowing with white light. You can actually make it invisible according to your will, but otherwise you’re always glowing bright even during the day.”

I was very confused.

Is there a magic that only some people can see others magical qualities? I’m not sure about the details of the novel, but he might be right.

“You seemed weak, and I thought maybe it was because of that magic. I’ve been looking for the cause. But you didn’t even know it existed…….”

“I don’t know how to see things like magic, Idris.”

“Is that so?”

“……but why didn’t you tell me sooner? If I were you, I would have asked me immediately because I was curious.”

“I thought I’d ask. But, you said you had a secret, so I thought it was this. I kept my mouth shut on purpose.”

“Hmm. The secret is something else though.”

I avoided his eyes nervously.

I’m an extra, aren’t I? What if I have a magic? What happens if I do that?

“Then what should I do? Is this all right?”

“About that, I didn’t…”

“Right, you wouldn’t know…”

Far from being a mage, he doesn’t even know how to use his powers.

Then what should I do?

Like Idris said, what if I’m weak because of the magic?

I won’t die because of Idris, but now, my life span was getting shorter because of my own power?

“Let’s look for information about it.”

Idris suggested to me calmly.

“……should we? Tomorrow, we’ll go somewhere where we can get information about the magic.”

I couldn’t tell my parents where this information came from. If I tell them Idris told me, they’ll find out that I’ve been seeing Idris secretly.

It was a difficult situation in many ways.

I’ll keep it a secret from my parents for the time being, until I come up with a good excuse.

“Tomorrow?”

“Liliel will go get a wig, hat or something for you. I’ll bring you to the city tomorrow.”

I informed him of my plan.

“Why all of sudden?”

“We were always in the mansion. Let’s get some fresh air for the first time in a while.”

“……alright.”

“You don’t want to? You don’t have to go if it’s like that. I’m not forcing you.”

He quickly said that he was not forced.

“No, I’ll go. I wanted to go out at least once.”

Idris chose to join us.

***

“Ta-da, look at this.”

What Liliel confidently took out was a black wig.

“How is it? Isn’t it nice?”

“……do you like the shape of that hairstyle?

Idris looked at it with reluctance to wear it. I put my thumb and index finger in my chin and looked carefully at the wig.

“It’s a little bit…unique.”

“Oh well, he has a very short hair, so this should be enough to cover everything.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s certainly not my taste.”

Idris said so, but whether he was satisfied or dissatisfied, he will wear it because I’ve already spent money on it.

We set off to the city.