A Chosen Hero Who Doesn't Want to Be a Hero

I put down my pitcher carefully and drank back my cold chocolate drink, which I hadn't even touched since I poured my pitcher for my best friend, who seemed to like my chocolate drink. "You already know that Shanon is one of my students, Beth. And I believe that our status will never change. I don't make cooking classes in order to find a partner..."

"But to teach other young food wizards to be successful food wizards in the future. Yes, Marleen, I am really aware of that. That's why I think you are too serious about the things you do, Marleen. Just take it easy..."

"Are you done talking? If you are finished with your talking, I need to excuse myself because I want to go to my room. I'm tired now."

My best friend rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah. I'm not going to talk about her anymore. Huh... why am I still friends with a guy as rigid as you?"

While she was taking a deep breath with such a deep regret that I didn't understand, Beth finished her drink and asked me to fill it with a new one. Reluctantly, I poured the remaining cold chocolate into the glass one last time.

"Thank you. By the way, are you sure you don't want to come with me to the festival next week?"

I shook my head slowly, "I am pretty sure about it. Moreover, I've already put my students off until the festival ends, so I plan to spend the holidays quietly at home and do nothing until my vacation is over."

"That's even better. So there's one more reason for me to take you there. Please, I want you to come with me to the festival. It's good to get some fresh air while you are still on your vacation instead of staying at home and doing nothing at all."

"Hell no." I refused as I finished my drink and poured the last of my cold chocolate into my glass. "You know that I have absolutely no interest in festivals like that. It's too noisy. I'd rather spend my time sleeping instead of going there..."

"Come on… come with me to the festival later, okay? Perhaps you can get a lot of new inspirations for making new dishes. Or maybe a new boyfriend or girlfriend. If I see from what you look like you, I'm sure that you should be able to have a boyfriend or girlfriend in the near future. Your look is good, your future career prospect is good as well as your look."

"I already told you that I'm not interested in going there. Why are you still forcing me to accompany you to the festival?"

"Shit. I thought you'd change your mind if I asked you to go because earlier Shanon asked you to go to the festival with her and you immediately turned her down without a second thought."

"Never mind, Beth. Let's not talk about that anymore. That's impossible for me to be her boyfriend, not even once."

"Even though there's no prohibition against going out with your own students. Tch, you're really stiff as a person."

"So what about my other students? If later they start thinking that I prioritize Shanon too much because of her status as my girlfriend later, things can be more complicated. And I still want to survive with this small business of mine..."

My friend pursed her lips in annoyance at my answer. I admitted that Beth is cute, but for some reason, I have absolutely no interest in making her, my girlfriend. In my opinion, I think we are more suited to developing as friends than as lovers.

"So you're here to stay at my house or talk about how I'm almost in my thirties and still don't have a person I love so far?"

"Oh right! I almost forgot it! Wait for me here, okay? I'll take my things outside. And don't go anywhere, okay? Remember, wait for me here. Watch out until you dare to lock your house before I come back!"

"I won't go anywhere, Beth. Please hurry up. I'm really tired..."

She immediately ran out of my house after she heard my answer to her request earlier. She surely has a lot of hidden energy, huh, I mumbled when I saw her running with such enthusiasm. Even though I'm already tired of tidying up all the things in the kitchen and taking my time teaching my students privately. Especially considering that Shanon, one of my students, almost destroyed my class and even my house many times. It looks like I have to figure out a way to keep the resulting dish from exploding on a large scale, at least. I will go bankrupt if she keeps failing in my private class sooner or later.

And again, it seems today is really a very tiring day for me. I feel like I want to rest in my room and spend the rest of my day sleeping. Fortunately, because tomorrow is a day off, I don't have to worry about the subject matter I have to prepare to teach in class or things related to my cooking school, although that doesn't mean I can escape from my new obligation to teach Shanon, one of my students who came to my house earlier, with our private classes and various additional lessons to fill my vacation time, which was not as free as I thought before.

Then, after waiting a while, Beth finally came back with her two carry-on suitcases and two medium-sized bags tucked over her trunk. This scenery in front of me, without any doubt, was more than enough for me to make me widen my eyes and get up from my seat earlier.

Gosh, is she planning to stay at my house for a week or planning to move her whole house into mine? Why is she carrying so much stuff just to stay over at my place for a week?

"Beth.. are you planning to stay over at my house or are you planning to move house? Why do you have so much luggage?"

"I don't know. I brought this much stuff without realizing it.

"Here, let me help you carry some of your luggage."

I was getting ready to pull out one of the suitcases that Beth gave me when I started to feel my right hand, which somehow felt so stiff it was hard for me to move. That's weird, I thought when I tried to pull one of my best friend's suitcases with my right hand and the result was still the same as before, it felt stiff and it was difficult for me to move my right hand freely. It's unusual for my right hand to feel stiff and numb like I'm currently experiencing.

Could it be because I was too tired to teach Shanon in the private class I just held today? That could be so, I muttered to myself as I tried to move my right hand a second time, and the result was the same. I then tried to do the same with my left hand, and strangely, my left hand didn't feel the same as I felt from my right hand.

"What's the matter, Marleen? Are you okay?"

Beth, who seemed to notice my concern, was now right in front of me with her face turned toward me, as if to make sure I was okay. I then hide my worries about what I'm going through right now by putting a smile on my face, to let her know that she has nothing to worry about me.

"It's nothing. I just feel that the suitcase you're carrying is too much and I'm having a hard time pulling it out with both hands." I replied while pointing my right hand, which was still stiff as before at my best friend's suitcase, and trying to act normal by pulling my best friend's suitcase, which was actually not that heavy with both hands. But unfortunately, my attempt to pull my best friend's suitcase failed, because I couldn't even make the object no taller than my knee moves a few centimeters from where it was before.

"Is that so? Hmm, it looks like you're right when you said I brought too much stuff here. Maybe next time I'll bring less stuff than I have now."

"Hm, for some reason, I doubt your statement earlier, considering this isn't the first time you've brought so many suitcases to my house." I quipped as I shifted my body slightly to the right side of Beth's suitcase, giving my best friend a chance to pull her suitcase back from me. "Why don't you just move your whole house over to mine?"

Beth just laughed when she heard my sarcasm earlier and ruffled my hair, which I'm sure must be a mess by now. "All right, all right. Next time, I will make sure not to carry this much stuff. Also, today you must be really tired. So it's only natural that you can't help me carry one of my suitcases."

"But still, I feel my pride will be destroyed if I don't help you carry some of your luggage to the room I have prepared for you. After all, you are my guest today and for the next few days."

"Never mind, Marleen. I have absolutely no problem with that. As for my luggage, I can still take care of it. My room is in the usual place, right?"

I nodded slowly, letting the now cheerful Beth walk into the room I had prepared on the second floor of my house. When I saw how she was able to carry her things with ease without difficulty, I somehow felt a little jealous of her. If only I had as much strength as she did, maybe I could help carry some of his stuff a little, instead of letting her carry all his stuff to the room I have prepared for her by herself, though I'm sure she can do it without needing my help.

However, I feel it is my duty to make her feel comfortable during her stay in my house, because for me, she is the only friend I have who doesn't care about caste, and she respects me not because of my status and caste, but because she sincerely wants to be friends with me. Because of that, I feel grateful in my heart for being allowed to befriend a woman as great as Beth.