Is the Friend of a Friend a Stranger? - Chapter 18.2

As he had said earlier, it was something he could know if he asked others. She thought that the only reason he waited quietly was to hear the full story of the incident from her mouth.

“Buckley, Jifael, and Wilden did it.”

“The three of them?”

“Yeah. At that time, there was a score bet between them and Michelle in the training room.”

Heston frowned for a moment, as if recalling something.

“Is this what Owen is involved in?”

Sylvia’s heart shrank with tension. It seemed that Heston would find out everything at any moment and question her. No, even if he didn’t, just him asking, ‘Why would Owen do that?’ would make her heart start to pound like it was going to burst. However, Heston lowered his shoulders as if he was satisfied.

“So, Owen has been protecting you all this time. Looks like he has been taking care of you instead of me, since I’ve been going around lately.”

He looked relieved, like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Sylvia felt a little dumbfounded hearing him say that as if it was nothing. His expression even contained a feeble gratitude towards Owen.

Trying hard to suppress the feeling of wanting to grab her hair, she spoke while pretending to be fine.

“You said there was training in the main building. Don’t you have to go?”

“Ah.”

The great Heston, forgetting about training. How surprised they would be if others knew this. With that thought in mind, Heston lowered his head and picked up the towel she had dropped earlier in surprise, which suddenly came into view.

Sylvia quickly grabbed the towel, thinking that there would be sweat on it.

But, however he might have interpreted it, Heston did not let go of the towel, holding it tightly.

“Are you going to train again? You don’t have to do this. I won’t put you in danger.”

“No, that’s not why…”

Sylvia explained with a burning face.

“It’s not because I doubt your skills, but because I think I’ve depended on you too much until now. I’ve been thinking that you might be pushing yourself too hard to protect me.”

“Did it look like I was pushing myself too hard?”

He frowned as if his pride had been hurt. Sylvia waved her hands.

“No. But if I learn something like this, you’ll be less likely to get hurt.”

“Sylvia.”

He calmly called out her name. Whenever he called her like that, she would always succumb.

When she raised her head, she met his eyes, serene like the sea.

“Even if one of my arms is torn apart, I won’t put you in danger.”

Her face heated up at the quiet words. Heston had no idea how heartbroken she was hearing these thoughtless words.

“Because you keep doing this…”

Something made her feel like she was choking. She wanted to confess that every time he did this, it became more difficult for her to give up on him. But Heston put his hand on her head, not knowing her feelings at all.

“It’s better to think that I shouldn’t send a single one behind me. I don’t want to be dealing with a monster while thinking whether you will be able to avoid it.”

“Aren’t you the one who can’t believe me? I’m not that terrible. I avoided it very well just earlier.”

She grumbled for no reason to hide the swaying feelings inside her, and knocked over the hand that was resting on the top of her head.

“It’s not a matter of believing or not. You don’t have to do that. And I have tremendous confidence in your support skills.”

“That’s because I’m good at it.”

“That’s right. You’re the best. So, let’s go. I have to go to training.”

He spoke as if he could only get to the place where the training was happening if she got out of there.

Sylvia sighed and nodded.

“Then give me that.”

“Ah, yes.”

As she reached for the towel, he handed it to her as if he had forgotten about it. It was fortunate that it wasn’t damp.

Heston turned off the lights in her stead, cleaned up, and closed the door of the training room. As Sylvia followed him out, she suddenly remembered and asked,

“By the way, did you know? That Sommers is related to Count Bronowitz.”

She belatedly thought that Heston might have somehow known beforehand. Whatever the case, the two were best friends. But Heston only shook his head.

“No. I heard it for the first time too. Owen doesn’t talk much about himself in the first place.”

“Even so, you never asked him? You’re friends.”

“Well, he would have told me if it was necessary, and if he did, I would have listened.”

He explained his indifference casually.

‘He would have told him if it was necessary.’

Heston didn’t seem to think that there would be conversations that couldn’t be had even if necessary. No wonder. It would not be necessary in his case.

As she stared at his firm back, he turned his head as if wondering why she wasn’t coming. Sylvia went after him, with a smile on her face as if it was nothing, and stood next to him.

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