Donovan was the son of the sword instructor in their village, someone whose talent always shone brightly, unlike the mediocre Keyzier.
Donovan frowned, seeing his best friend just staying silent. "Hey Keyzier, why are you daydreaming?"
Keyzier jolted. "Ah... n-nothing, Novan!" He hurriedly hid his loose change, ashamed to look pathetic in front of his old friend.
But Donovan's eyes were sharp. He sat next to Keyzier, pressing him. "Answer me. Why are you alone here, Key? Where is your shiny armor? Where is that arrogant Argus?"
Keyzier's defense crumbled. There was no point in lying to Donovan. Slowly, Keyzier told everything he had experienced to Novan—from the expulsion at the tavern, Rasya's insults, to how he had to strip off his own clothes.
Donovan's face turned crimson. His jaw hardened. The story made Novan furious at Argus and his party. He stood up immediately, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.
"Those bastards..." he growled. He intended to go to Argus's party and teach them a lesson but was held back by Keyzier, who hurriedly pulled the hem of his cloak.
"Why are you stopping me, Key? Isn't their behavior outrageous? They treated you like trash!" Donovan shouted passionately.
Keyzier shook his head weakly, smiling wryly. "Forget it, don't think about it. They are the S-rank party ini this capital. If you attack them, you'll become a wanted criminal. Besides, right now, I've become a solo adventurer. I want to prove I can live without them."
Donovan looked at his best friend for a long time, then sighed deeply, trying to calm his emotions. He sat back down, this time with a different look—full of determination.
"Hey Key, how about we form a party together?" he offered suddenly.
Keyzier jumped. "A-Are you serious? You? With me? You must be Rank C or B by now, right?"
"Of course I'm serious! I'm not an adventurer yet, and rank doesn't matter. You are skilled in swordsmanship and your knowledge of magic is vast, you even memorized all the monsters' weak points. I admire you so much!" said Donovan sincerely.
Keyzier laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head which didn't itch. "Hahaha, you're exaggerating, Van! That's just basic knowledge."
Donovan looked straight into Keyzier's eyes, his face very serious, leaning in a little. "I'm serious! I really admire and like you, Key!"
Silence fell for a moment. The wind blew gently, carrying dry leaves falling between them. Keyzier's face heated up. Those words sounded... ambiguous.
"Like? You say you like me?" asked Keyzier, making sure his ears weren't deceiving him.
"Yes, I've liked you since we were little!" answered Donovan firmly, without the slightest hesitation.
Keyzier's brain short-circuited. His face went pale and then drastically red. He scooted back slightly, staring in horror at his childhood friend.
"W-WAIT, ARE YOU ACTUALLY A HO—..."
[SMACK]
The sound of a loud slap echoed in the park. Donovan's hand landed smoothly on the back of Keyzier's head.
"WHY DID YOU HIT MY HEAD, NOVAN?" screamed Keyzier, holding his throbbing head.
"Of course I hit you because of that disgusting expression of yours!" Donovan retorted, just as loud.
"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU SAID YOU LIKED ME!!"
"I like you because I-..." Donovan tried to explain, but the panicked Keyzier cut him off.
"I apologize if our childhood memories have made you become deviant like this, Novan. And I'm not..." Keyzier rambled, imagining strange scenarios.
[SMACK]
This time the second blow landed harder.
"WHY DID YOU HIT MY HEAD AGAIN, NOVAN?"
"STOP ACTING DISGUSTING LIKE THAT, YOU MORON!" Donovan yelled in frustration. Veins bulged on his temples.
"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU CONFESSED YOUR LOVE TO YOUR OWN CHILDHOOD BEST FRIEND WHO IS A MAN!!" Keyzier accused back, still misunderstanding.
Keyzier's loud words made the people around them stare. Mothers carrying groceries covered their mouths in shock. Some other adventurers whispered while pointing.
Moreover, their position was truly exactly what people were thinking. Keyzier sat on the bench with a panicked red face, while Novan squatted in front of him with one knee touching the ground, as if he were proposing.
"It's not like that, you idiot! Because of you, people here are misunderstanding us because of our sitting position!" hissed Donovan, realizing their embarrassing situation. He hurriedly stood up, dusting off his knees.
Keyzier looked around, saw the strange looks from people, and tried to process it, then finally understood.
"It's all because of you suddenly saying nonsense! You used ambiguous words!" protested Keyzier.
Donovan sighed deeply, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Key, your stupid behavior is still the same as before! I'm a little relieved! At least Argus didn't take your stupidity away."
Keyzier snorted, but his heart calmed down a bit. "So, why do you like me? Explain it properly this time."
"I like you because you are my best friend, my childhood friend, and I already consider you my own brother!" Donovan explained firmly.
"How can you like me though?" Keyzier was still fishing, his face innocently annoying.
"You moron!" cursed Donovan. "I like your personality and also your trait of always being straightforward when I make a mistake. Since we were little, when everyone praised me, only you dared to scold me. I never doubted you, and even now, that feeling remains the same! A feeling of brotherhood, stupid!"
Keyzier fell silent. A sincere smile slowly carved onto his lips. He remembered their past in the village, running on the hills, practicing with wooden swords until the sun went down.
"Actually, I'm the same, Novan," said Keyzier softly. "Since we were little, you always protected and helped me when I was in trouble. Since then, I have liked and admired the unyielding determination you possess."
Keyzier's eyes gazed into the distance. "At that time, I thought, could I be like you? Strong and shining? But, after you said that, I feel relieved. It turns out you are still the same you from before! You haven't changed even though since we're little."
"Of course, Keyzier, you dummy. I am still the same me." Donovan reached out his hand, an official invitation. "So, do you want to form a party with me and adventure together? Let's show the world, and that Argus, who the real trash is."
Keyzier stared at that hand. The hand that would pull him out of the abyss of despair. His spirit burned again. He didn't need the S-rank party. He needed a best friend who believed in him.
Unconsciously, his volume rose drastically due to the overflowing joy.
"OF COURSE I WANT TO. BECAUSE I ALSO LIKE AND ADMIRE YOU, NOVAN..!!!"
Silence.
An awkward silence blanketed the city park. The people who heard Keyzier say that very loudly turned to watch the two of them again. Some young girls looked shy and whispered enthusiastically, while some older men shook their heads.
"Oh, how sweet..." whispered a passing woman.
Donovan's face changed from touched to absolute horror. He covered his face with one hand.
"Oh my god, your stupidity is really making me FRUSTRATED....!!!!"
[SMACK]
"NOVAN, WHAT DID I DO WRONG FOR YOU TO HIT ME FOR THE THIRD TIME???"
"PEOPLE..!! LOOK, PEOPLE ARE GETTING WEIRDED OUT AFTER HEARING WHAT YOU SCREAMED, YOU MORON...!!! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE WEIRD RUMORS SPREAD!"
Donovan immediately dragged Keyzier away from the park, leaving the crowd still staring at them with question marks. Although Keyzier's head still hurt from his best friend's smack, he smiled broadly. His new adventure, the real one, had just begun.