"...I'm not saying another word."

"Sorry, sorry. I honestly wasn't trying to tease you. I was just happy because you kept saying exactly what I wanted to hear."

"Hmph."

Reisir apologized and piled on excuses, but it was completely ineffective.

My heart hadn't softened in the slightest.

I simply kept my lips sealed and answered with a snort.

Despite my cold reaction, Reisir continued chuckling for several more seconds before speaking again.

"Karvaldr. You were extremely wary of Nidr, weren't you? To the point where you were stressing yourself out over him."

"..."

At the protagonist of someone else's novel's remark, I frowned.

Did he know I was so concerned about Nidr that it was causing me stress?

And was that why he had thoroughly crushed him in the finals?

However—

There's no way Reisir would do something like that just to give me one more thing to worry about, right?

Reisir had probably handled the problem in his own way.

He knew better than anyone how ugly Nidr became when consumed by an inferiority complex.

So he mercilessly shattered the pride of someone intoxicated by his own superiority and accustomed to looking down on others.

"So I figured you'd be curious. About what I talked about with him during the match. About why I didn't simply subdue him and instead ended it with an attack strong enough to knock him unconscious."

In other words, the reason Reisir had sat next to me was so he could answer my questions if I asked them.

Which meant I had misunderstood entirely.

Not only had I congratulated him and praised him, I had even thanked him.

For a brief moment, embarrassment washed over me.

Fortunately, rational thought quickly came to my rescue.

Don't be embarrassed. Think about this calmly.

There's no way Reisir sat down here with absolutely no desire to hear congratulations or compliments from me.

Though he probably wasn't expecting thanks...

Surely, after hearing everything he wanted to hear, he had simply switched topics so he could enjoy watching me realize what had happened.

No matter how I looked at it, he was a fox-like individual.

"Why are you suddenly glaring at me like you're dissatisfied with something?"

"...Hmph."

"Are you really planning to keep that promise not to speak another word? How long exactly?"

The more he behaved like this, the more I wanted to remain silent forever.

Unfortunately, that wasn't realistic.

And there were things I genuinely needed to discuss with him regarding Nidr.

After some consideration, I arrived at a compromise.

"Yor. Tell Reisir that I need to focus on watching the matches, so I have no intention of speaking until everything is over."

"Myaang~!"

My baby dragon cheerfully accepted the task and meowed at Reisir.

To his credit, he understood the message perfectly.

Although he wore a dumbfounded expression and let out a hollow laugh, he eventually surrendered.

"Then let's talk later."

After saying that, Reisir finally fell silent.

And thus, after a convenient scene transition—

 The time was the evening of that same day.

The location was a private dining room in an upscale restaurant.

Reisir had brought us here to celebrate winning the tournament and receiving the prize money.

Personally, I would have preferred returning to the Academy and enjoying cafeteria food in peace.

Unfortunately, he hadn't merely made a reservation.

He had ordered a full course meal in advance for every member of the group.

At that point, refusing the invitation would've been difficult.

"Reisir. If you keep spending money like this every time you receive a windfall, you'll ruin yourself someday."

The tournament champion's prize money was substantial.

That was only natural in an academy attended primarily by the children of noble families.

Even so, I couldn't help feeling concerned that the protagonist of someone else's novel had developed dangerously loose spending habits.

Especially because I was partially responsible for them.

"Are you worried about my future right now?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Why would I worry about your future? I'm saying that buying a weapon appropriate for your level would be far more sensible than wasting prize money on food that disappears a few hours later."

"Yeeeaah... I'll try living a more financially responsible life from now on."

"Good. That's the correct attitude."

Feeling satisfied with his answer, I nodded.

Unfortunately, that satisfaction lasted only a moment.

Because the protagonist of someone else's novel immediately started talking nonsense.

"And I'll save the rest of the prize money, add some of my allowance to it, and buy a really good weapon. So please don't even think about buying one for me. That would be too much of a burden."

"What...? Why would I buy you a weapon?"

"Exactly. There's no need for you to. That's why I'm telling you not to."

"No, that's not what I mean. I never had any intention of doing that in the first place."

"But my weapon looked so shabby that it kept bothering you, right? Enough that you wanted me to replace it as soon as possible."

"N-No! Whether you use a good weapon or not has absolutely nothing to do with me! Honestly, this is absurd. How does your brain even arrive at conclusions like that? I genuinely cannot understand it."

Despite my desperate defense, not a single person at the table appeared convinced.

Ríolíkin looked at Reisir with open envy.

"T-To think Lord Karvaldr worries about you... T-That must be nice."

Meanwhile, Helga and Vigdís began their own discussion.

"Big Sister Vigdís. What did you think of the Young Master's comments?"

"He seems very concerned."

"Right?"

"About both Reisir's future and his weapon."

"Exactly. I wasn't imagining it. He claims he isn't worried, and then immediately starts giving advice about replacing weapons. It's completely transparent."

Apparently, everyone interpreted my words as textbook tsundere concern.

Even though all I had wanted was to stop the protagonist of someone else's novel from developing terrible spending habits because of me.

But what was I supposed to do?

I couldn't exactly tell him to save money without elaborating.

So I had mentioned buying a proper spear as an example of sensible spending.

Even if I explain all of this, readers will probably conclude I've been completely consumed by the tsundere archetype.

How unfair.

Nobody wanted to escape this cursed image more than I did.

"Still, the Tsundere Young Master wasn't wrong."

"Please stop calling me that."

Helga ignored my protest completely.

"Just looking at the weapons used by the participants in this tournament, most of them were obviously expensive. Ray, your spear is literally the same kind issued to soldiers in our territory, isn't it? You might think a weapon is a weapon as long as it works, but as your family and your friend, it made me uncomfortable throughout the entire tournament."

She spoke with complete seriousness.

Which somehow made things worse.

The fact that she could use such an embarrassing title without intending to tease me at all filled me with profound shame.

At that moment, all desire to defend Helga's father vanished completely.

However, as a responsible narrator, I should explain the situation.

Baron Djúpr Vitnir hadn't neglected to buy Reisir a proper weapon because he was stingy.

In fact, he had offered to purchase one as a gift when Reisir entered the Academy.

Reisir was the one who stubbornly refused, insisting that his current weapon felt fine in his hands.

Part of it stemmed from the gratitude—and corresponding sense of indebtedness—he felt toward Djúpr for everything he had already received.

Another reason was simple.

He had never used a truly high-quality weapon before.

Since he had never experienced the difference firsthand, he had convinced himself that all weapons were basically the same.

As a result, he constantly prioritized cost-effectiveness.

There's actually an original story arc where a master blacksmith later gifts him a weapon and completely shatters that misconception...

Of course, that happened long after Reisir left the Academy.

By then, our connection would be completely severed.

We would be strangers.

Deciding not to dwell on it, I returned my attention to the present.

"Anyway! The point is this." Helga pointed at Reisir. "If consideration for others becomes excessive, it only makes them uncomfortable. Would the Tsundere Young Master have brought up your spending habits otherwise? He noticed you reserved an expensive restaurant because of him."

I am not a Tsundere Young Master.

And I have never worried about Reisir's spending habits.

Those words rose to my throat.

Then I swallowed them.

Because it was painfully obvious that if I argued now, I would immediately be told to stop overdoing it myself.

So I chose the wiser path.

I quietly ate my food and waited for the storm to pass.

"...I'll be more careful in the future."

"Besides, Dad's the one who's buying your weapon. If he tells you to keep the prize money as spending money, you're going to refuse, aren't you?"

"Well... accepting help when I already have money feels a bit..."

"We're family. Have you ever considered how sad Dad would feel if you acted like that?"

"..."

For a moment, Reisir fell silent.

Then he lowered his head.

"No. I was only thinking about the burden I feel. I didn't consider Lord Djúpr's feelings."

His apology was hesitant and sincere.

Watching it unfold felt strangely refreshing.

After all, this was a scene I had never witnessed in the original novel.

Which led me to a realization.

The only person capable of defeating the original protagonist with pure facts and logic was Helga.

Did that mean Author Senna had removed such a dangerous character from the story at an early stage?

If so, it was an unforgivable mistake.

"You know Dad sent extra money and told us to celebrate with friends if you won the tournament. I'm paying for today's meal with that money, so don't refuse this either."

Then she added quietly,

"If you really think of Dad and me as family."

"Okay. I'm sorry. I was wrong."

Reisir immediately surrendered.

"So please don't misunderstand. I do think of you and Lord Djúpr as family."

The moment he raised the white flag, Helga visibly relaxed.

Like someone finally having a troublesome tooth pulled.

To her, Reisir was unquestionably family.

Watching him constantly act like a lodger and go out of his way not to inconvenience anyone must have frustrated her for years.

By the way, I had planned to ask about Nidr the moment we arrived at the restaurant...

Truly, life inside someone else's novel never allowed a person to see even an inch ahead.

I had merely commented that Reisir shouldn't spend money recklessly.

Yet somehow it had evolved into an emotional family drama starring Reisir and Helga.

Because of that, I still hadn't managed to bring up the actual subject I wanted to discuss.

Still.

The family drama had reached a heartwarming conclusion.

As an author who specialized in healing stories, I found it immensely satisfying.

I'll ask once the meal is almost over.

I'd rather not ruin such a pleasant atmosphere by bringing up the original villain too early.