Rainy Days, Merlin, and Black

"Whoosh-"

A muffled rumble of thunder sounded faintly in the distance as rain fell steadily on the shed's windowsill, pattering against it. The sound shut everything else out, making the room feel like a space apart from the world.

I wasn't really surprised by Sirius's question. After discovering that I couldn't change the outcome no matter what I did, I'd given up trying and couldn't be bothered to dwell on the details anymore.

Still, I'd thought Sirius wouldn't ask that question, considering how bad our relationship was.

[Sirius romance event triggered. Normal choices temporarily hidden.]

[Sirius suddenly asked why I knew so much about Black...]

[1. Say it's because you like him.]

[2. Hug him without a word.]

[3. Burst into tears and beg him not to pressure you anymore.]

My mouth, which I'd opened to speak, hung open. Worse still, why had a romance event triggered?! And what the hell was that last option? Was I in the pathetic loser group or what?!

With time paused for the choices, I couldn't even pace around in frustration.

I'd already felt a faint sense of danger before, worried that eventually none of the choices would be ones I could pick. But I'd always thought that would at least happen later on, right? Wouldn't I be fine as long as I didn't enter an individual route? Now I really wanted to slap myself across the face. The first option this Romance System gave me was a confession-did it seem like the type to take things gradually?

It wasn't as though I'd planned to give Sirius a serious answer, but these options weren't among the ones I'd considered either!

[No response for an extended period. If no choice is made within ten seconds, the system will select an option at random.]

If seeing the options had only given me a headache, now I was on the verge of a breakdown. Why did a Romance System have a time limit on its choices?! Did it think it was a chase sequence in a horror game?!

[Ten, nine, eight...]

Seeing that the countdown had started, I had no choice but to pick one.

[1. Say it's because you like him.]

Sirius stood a few steps away from me. I'd thought he would only ever look at me with impatience and disdain, but I'd never imagined there would be a time when he'd gaze at me so seriously.

Wind blew in through the shed window, gently stirring his hair, which was a little longer than that of other boys his age. For a moment, I had the illusion that he was meant to have always looked at me with that same quiet, focused gaze.

I couldn't possibly hug him at a time like this, and I couldn't possibly burst into tears either.

So I smiled at him and answered in the most casual tone I'd used in my life.

"Because I like you, Black."

"I've liked you from the very beginning, so I know you. And of course, the Black family too."

I didn't think either of us would take those words seriously.

After all, our relationship was that bad.

[Sirius's affection -20]

The notification that his affection had dropped sounded just as I'd expected, though it was a little too much of a deduction. Had it already gone past 100?

Still, it was only natural. Someone he hated had confessed to him, and in a mocking tone at that. Given my relationship with Sirius, I figured he'd probably raise his fist the next second, so I quietly gripped the wand in my sleeve.

To my surprise, Sirius didn't come over and hit me. He simply stood there in silence.

"Whoosh-"

All I could hear was the rain.

"You really are the most insufferable person."

Only after a long while did Sirius move. He walked straight toward me, and just before I was about to act, he said those words in my ear, then plunged into the curtain of rain.

★Sirius's monologue: "Love at first sight"★

Sirius Black had never lacked admirers.

Even before he entered Hogwarts, quite a few girls, and even boys, had confessed their feelings to him openly or in more subtle ways.

"Handsome," "dashing," "debonair," "clever," "accomplished for his age."

People never held back their praise for him, and whenever he heard those compliments, he couldn't help sneering.

Though he did think he was quite handsome, some people's descriptions were rather exaggerated for a child. At first, the compliments had made him happy, until he realized that many people were merely praising the Black family behind him.

He hated the Black family.

His mother's suffocating upbringing made him want to escape every moment, and the stricter the ever-increasing rules became, until living under them was almost like being in prison, the more he wanted to rebel.

Bloodlines, Dark Magic, the family's honor.

-They were all ridiculous.

He actually liked Regulus very much, but Regulus was his complete opposite. They got along well enough when discussing other things, but once the subject turned to the Black family, they were bound to have nothing to say to each other.

"Everyone in our Black family has been in Slytherin."

His mother had said that to him the day before school started.

"You must get into Slytherin too."

More than once, Regulus had looked at him with longing and envy. Regulus envied him, though he didn't really understand what there was to envy.

"The mistress has always loved you dearly," the ugly Kreacher had told him. "You broke the mistress's heart."

"Is that so?" He had merely sneered and flung himself onto the sofa.

"That's wonderful."

He loathed everything about the Black family and wanted to get away from everything connected to Black, no matter what it took.

-Until he met Merlin on the train.

He had actually noticed Merlin at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Her dark hair and eyes stood out among the light-haired crowd. She stood there alone, surrounded by an indescribable air of loneliness.

He found himself watching her, and by the time he came to his senses, he had followed the girl onto the train. To avoid looking like some kind of stalker, he quickly changed course and headed in another direction.

Then they met outside the same compartment.

The girl passed him without giving him so much as an extra glance. He could only see her profile, and after he sat down, his attention was quickly drawn to James, his new friend beside him. It wasn't until after the conflict that he saw Merlin's face straight on for the first time.

A delicate, slightly haughty face, and eyes filled with an inexplicable resilience and stubbornness.

At that moment, he felt his heart pounding wildly and erratically.

Sirius didn't understand why.

Merlin had the black hair he hated most and black eyes like those of the Black family, and she was a beauty with equally delicate features, even if her style was completely different. The stubbornness in her eyes was almost identical to Walburga's, especially when she was facing him.

She should have been the person he hated most.

Yet he had inevitably fallen for Merlin the moment he saw her.

It shouldn't have been that way.

"Merlin!"

Professor McGonagall called her name, and when Merlin stood up, he realized his gaze had never left Merlin. It annoyed him.

"A boy from the Black family, are you? You really are just like the rest. I think Slytherin would suit you very well."

That was what the Sorting Hat had said to him.

In that moment, it was as though the whole world had collapsed. The things he had always resisted, loathed, and fought against had never truly left his soul. He argued with the Sorting Hat for nearly five minutes, and only after he said he would burn it if he went to Slytherin did it finally decide he had commendable courage and call out Gryffindor.

Everything was a mess. The Sorting Hat thought he belonged in Slytherin, yet he had fallen in love at first sight with Merlin, who looked so very much like a Black.

He should have hated her, just as he hated all the Blacks.

"Your friends are my friends. Of course we should go over together."

Merlin said this cheerfully to Evans in front of him. He glanced at Merlin and saw her gazing at Evans with joy and warmth in her eyes, as though she were looking at the most precious treasure in the world.

If only she would look at him that way.

He could actually feel that Walburga loved him, but unfortunately, that love was too crazy. Like fire, it would burn anyone who came close. At first, he had pleaded for his mother's care and comfort. Later, he gradually grew numb, and after that, he did everything Walburga hated to rebel against her.

"You spent so long, only to discover in the end that you were still a member of the Black family. How you felt in that moment..."

He covered Merlin's mouth.

Sirius hated Slytherin, hated the Black family, and hated everyone and everything similar to them.

But he liked Merlin.

-Sirius Black refused to admit it.

─────

[Author's note]

★Notice★

As the story progresses, certain achievements' [monologues] may be unlocked to help you learn more about the other characters. [Monologues] can only be viewed after topping up.

★Side quest reminder★

*Congratulations on obtaining Sirius's monologue, "Love at first sight."