T Y D O T S F

118

"......sage?"

"What's going on here at this hour?"

Sage came into the pavilion where I was sitting.

It seems I'm not the only one who hasn't slept yet. Sage was still in his casual clothes at this hour.

Are you very busy with work these days?

Although I had only been in the North for a short time, I had heard stories.

I know that Sage is already taking steps to succeed to the position of the next head of the family.

He leaned back on the sofa opposite me.

"Do you have any concerns?"

"Um, no? Nothing. It's nothing."

"okay?"

"huh."

I nodded my head loudly, saying, "It's really nothing." Then Sage rested his chin on his hand and said, "Ugh." The way he was looking at me was secretive.

"Usually when you say something like that, it's nothing special."

"......."

"I guess you're quite worried."

... ... shiver. I twitched my fingertips. I had hit the nail on the head.

No, but Sage's lips turned playful as he shut his mouth tightly, missing the timing to answer.

The lips that went up in a curved line looked particularly happy.

But if you get caught several times, you'll start to find ways to hide it.

I smiled calmly, pretending nothing happened. On the other hand, my head was busy spinning.

How can I get through this situation safely?

It would have been difficult if I had gotten involved and started talking too much.

Sage is a master at getting people involved!

"It's nothing, really. I couldn't sleep, so I was just looking around."

"Oh. Was that it?"

He replied, "Let's see what else you have to say." His extremely relaxed attitude, as if he was just trying to see what I had to say, was incredibly annoying.

I nodded stubbornly.

"Yeah, I was just about to go in."

"It looks like it hasn't been that long since it came out."

"......."

"You're really going in already? Aren't you going to look around any more?"

... ... Are you doing this knowing exactly when I came out? I slumped my shoulders that had been straight.

"You're funny."

"huh."

Sage answered immediately as if it were a given.

It was a complete defeat. I was heartbroken, but I took a deep breath. Okay, there's no need to get emotional about this.

But I couldn't hide my sullen expression. My lips naturally pout. I looked at him with eyes full of discontent.

At that moment, Sage's hand, which had been looking at me silently, gently touched my cheek.

Oh... ... ? What is this situation?

My eyes widened in surprise. I jerked back in embarrassment, and Sage's hand stopped moving.

Sage looked surprised, just like me. His face was swollen with confusion.