Chapter 5

“You startled me by whispering in my ear all of a sudden, Haidiera.”

Letting out a sigh of relief while scolding her, the big girl sitting next to me shrank her shoulders.

“S-sorry… I have a bad habit of misjudging distances…”

Her messy black hair jutted out everywhere due to lack of proper management.

Her bangs covered half of her face, making it hard to read her expression except for her mouth. Even though her bust was significant for her height and frame, she curled up like a cocoon, so it didn’t show much over her clothes.

Honestly, she wasn’t very refined, so it was hard to even consider her a lady from a noble family. This clumsy girl was Haidiera Aisidel.

For someone who seemed to exude a dark aura that might stain the surroundings, I gently said to her in a soothing voice,

“No, I mean… there’s no need to apologize. Even if your voice is quiet, it doesn’t mean I can’t hear you, so I think you could just take a step back and talk.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah, and by the way, since you’re a noble, you might not know this, but there are strange people out there who like it when women whisper in their ears, so it’s best not to do that casually with guys.”

“Wha…! Are you saying that the Duke Erto is one of them?! How could I…”

“You’d get excited over something like that?!”

“Huh?! M-my…?!”

Her curly black hair shot up like it was shocked, looking as if it had turned into a giant chinchilla frozen in place.

Hmm… maybe what I just said could be misinterpreted.

I cleared my throat awkwardly and tried to calm her down.

“No… I meant that act itself, and it’s not that I dislike your voice. You get what I mean, right?”

Then, like a colossal chinchilla freed from ice, she leaned toward me and asked in a hurried tone,

“S-so, what do you think of my voice…? If you don’t dislike it, does that mean you think it’s good?”

No, why is she suddenly being so clingy? She’s misjudging the distance again.

I averted my eyes from the long-haired ghost in front of me and mumbled something.

“Uh, well, I guess? It’s low and calm, so I bet there aren’t many who dislike it? If I had to choose—I’d say I like it?”

As soon as I said that, her pale lips, hidden under her bangs, turned up slightly.

With a satisfied look, she gazed toward the dais, synchronizing her hands as if grooming herself. Hmm… grooming chinchilla?

“Hoo, hooh… I understand… I’ll cherish your precious opinion, Duke Erto. Hehe.”

I’m not sure why she’s chuckling, but if it makes Haidiera happy, then that’s good enough.

Having strayed off topic for a bit, I circled back to the original question.

“So, what were you looking at that you thought was beautiful?”

“Well… who do you think?”

Though I couldn’t track her gaze because of her bangs, at the end of where she was looking, there was a silver-haired girl dancing the sword dance gracefully.

“With both martial and artistic talents, Duke Bruerd is truly the person who fits perfectly with the word ‘perfect,’ don’t you think?”

…

At that moment, an image of the sunset flashed through my mind, but I nodded casually.

“Um… yeah, I suppose.”

“If someone of such high caliber were to get involved, then it’s only natural that there would be some struggles, right?”

“Struggles, huh…? It wouldn’t be a lie to say there are none.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I just think about whether I can be someone worthy of someone so amazing.”

Honestly, I had no idea how I could ever compare with them.

Coming from a noble background, Tirisia was a well-born aristocrat, while I was a commoner with significantly less talent.

Yet, I didn’t feel inferior, oddly enough.

I just wondered if the things I shared with her brought sufficient happiness.

It would later become clear that it hadn’t been enough.

After briefly alternating her gaze between the dais and me, Haidiera nodded slightly.

“I see. But Duke Erto is a really good person, I assure you.”

“Thanks, Lady Aida.”

“Hehe, why do you talk like that?”

“You should ask yourself that.”

“Hehe… hehe…”

While Haidiera was giggling wickedly while grooming her hands, she took a deep breath and suddenly scooted closer to me.

We were now close enough that our thighs touched.

“Is your, um, body okay now? Resting for three days is quite a serious illness, isn’t it? I heard it was just a fever.”

“I’m fine. Right now, my chest hurts more from losing to Rusika.”

“It’s not like it came out of nowhere; how did you end up having such a bad fever on such a good day?”

I fed her the excuse I had prepared in advance.

“Uh… I guess I overdid it with my training at night. I collapsed the next morning.”

“Is that so… Don’t push yourself too hard, and take care of your body.”

“Got it. Thanks for worrying about me.”

“Well, Duke Erto is my only conversation partner, so of course I worry…”

“It’s been a while since the semester started; why not try talking to some others too?”

At that, Haidiera shook her long black hair and shrank back.

“I-I can’t! I’m like mold in a greenhouse!”

“Mold?”

Not a flower?

“I wish others would come to me first…”

“Well, here’s my take.”

I turned my body and lifted my left hand towards Haidiera, who was huddled next to me.

“D-Duke Erto?”

“I think the reason others are hesitant to approach you is because of those bangs.”

As I said that, I pushed her bangs aside as if opening a curtain—

“Hoo?!

Her amethyst eyes, clearly surprised, made eye contact with me.

“…”

“…?”

After a brief moment of eye contact,

“Whaaaat?!”

Haidiera let out a bizarre scream and retreated to the end of the bench.

“W-what’s wrong?”

“I-I-it’s a question I wanted to ask!”

She flailed like a chinchilla washing its face, brushing her bangs down while stomping her feet.

“Y-you’re staring so boldly into a lady’s eyes! What would you do if love sparked or something?!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Watch yourself! If you’re already taken, being so flippant with your words is dangerous!”

“Ah… yeah… I mean… I got it. Calm down.”

Huff—huff—heaving heavy breaths like an ox, Haidiera waited until her breathing calmed down before I continued my sentence.

“So, what I meant is, it’s easier for people to approach someone when they can see their features clearly.”

“Ugh… Are you saying I should expose my face to the world?”

“Usually that’s how it goes.”

“W-what if I really don’t want to?”

“If you truly don’t want to, then there’s not much you can do, but wouldn’t it be better to practice a bit as you prepare for social life after academy graduation?”

“Is that so… I’ll take Duke Erto’s precious advice to heart…”