Chapter 50

The owner of the gaze was, as expected, Hans.

I turned my head in Hans’s direction and smiled.

Of course, it was directed at Sena, who was following behind him, not him.

Seeing my smile, his expression brightened, and he opened his mouth.

“Remia, earlier…”

“I said I was going, so why did you come, Sena?”

I lightly interrupted.

Where to?

Sena gave an apologetic, bitter smile.

“I was going to wait, but Hans asked me to come along.

If it made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”

Again, it’s you.

Annoyance surged, but I managed to keep the smile on my face.

“Right, that…”

“It’s okay!

Since you’re here, why don’t we take a walk in the hallway?

I’ve been sitting for a while, and my body feels stiff.”

“That, sounds good…?”

Seeing Hans stuttering and faltering made me feel a bit better.

I didn’t even give him a chance to speak and stood up, taking Sena’s hand.

Sena seemed to sense the strange atmosphere between us and looked bewildered.

“Re, Remi…”

“Then it’s decided.

The break is short, so let’s just take a quick walk nearby.”

Ignoring his outstretched hand, I led Sena out of the classroom.

Sena glanced at Hans but didn’t resist and followed along.

She really is a good kid.

I also glanced at Hans and sighed.

He was still standing there, staring at me.

He looked pitiful.

At least he has the decency not to follow, but why can’t he just not come at all?

What am I saying?

It would be much easier for him if he just didn’t care.

How did he become so clingy?

It’s beyond understanding, it’s just sad.

***

As we walked down the hallway, Sena kept mumbling, probably thinking about what happened earlier.

She seemed hesitant to ask, not wanting to make me uncomfortable.

It is uncomfortable, but with Sena, it’s not a big deal.

“If you’re curious, you can ask.”

“Ah, was it that obvious…?”

“Yes, very.”

Sena fidgeted with her fingers, embarrassed.

But she must have been curious because she didn’t hesitate to speak.

“Then, are things not good between you two?

It seemed like you were ignoring him earlier.”

“Not good.

Haven’t you heard about me from Hans?

I doubt it was anything positive.”

“I’ve heard a few times, but Hans seemed quite favorable towards you, Princess.

He said he didn’t approach you because he thought it would make you uncomfortable…”

Sena put her finger to her lips as she spoke.

She seemed to be recalling past memories.

“When I started approaching you, Princess, Hans’s words influenced me.

He said you were sharp and strong enough to live alone, but also lonelier than anyone.

But the Princess I saw was not that strong, which made me curious.”

So that’s the difference in perception from when we met in the shopping district.

I knew it, but it was completely off.

Ironically, what connected me and Sena was our meeting on the stairs and Hans’s misunderstanding.

For that, I should be grateful.

I smiled and gave a simple summary.

“About a third of the reason my family fell is because of Hans.”

Sena flinched and froze.

Whatever she imagined, the reality was much worse.

I didn’t want to see her shrink back, so I continued in a more casual tone.

“The remaining two-thirds are shared equally by me and my parents.

So, it’s just me being selfish and disliking him without any real right to do so.

Sena, just treat him kindly.

He’s not a bad person.”

“…I see.”

Sena didn’t ask any more questions.

She must have realized it wasn’t something to dig into.

She really is a good kid.

Seeing her awkwardly checking my reaction made her even cuter, so I pinched her cheek and played with it.

She asked what I was doing but didn’t push my hand away.

I couldn’t help but smile at her.

After parting with Sena, when I returned to the classroom, there was a note on my desk.

Some people around me seemed to have read it, whispering and giving me uncomfortable looks.

I only read the first line, ‘To Remia Adelian,’ and the last line, ‘From Hans DiCardi,’ before tearing it up.

Seeing the letter go straight to the trash made the whispers around me grow louder.

My good mood quickly hit rock bottom.

***

After that, Hans’s persistence continued.

Sena seemed to understand my feelings and didn’t approach me during breaks anymore.

But wherever I went, I could feel his gaze, and we ‘accidentally’ ran into each other more often.

It’s like he’s stalking me.

That’s even worse.

During lunch, when I was eating with Sena and noticed him glancing at us from nearby, I really wanted to flip the table.

If Sena hadn’t been there, I probably would have.

I deserve praise for my patience.

I didn’t want to cause her unnecessary worry.

I didn’t want to ruin what seemed like a decent relationship between them just because of me.

But perhaps because I was being so lenient, Hans still seemed unable to get the hint.

He kept writing letters, and the frequency was so abnormal that tearing them up became a chore.

Once, I tore up a letter in front of him.

He looked shocked, probably thinking I had read it all.

What a delusion.

But he didn’t look like he was giving up, so I started to worry about what he might do next.

How did things get so tangled?

I was supposed to be living a peaceful life, properly befriending Sena and not being bothered by anyone.

But because of Hans, I felt as tired as before.

As I stared into space with tired eyes, Sena, who had been talking to me, tilted her head.

“Princess, are you listening?”

“…Ah, I was lost in thought for a moment.

Can you repeat that?”

Sena pouted.

Of course, with a pouty expression but a kind tone, she repeated herself.

“Princess, really. I asked if you had joined any voluntary clubs.”

“I haven’t. I thought it wasn’t mandatory, is it different now?”

“Not really. The school rules changed while you were away. Something about developing war capabilities. Anyway, it’s mandatory now. The professor in charge will come to explain soon.”

As soon as I heard the explanation, I could feel my face souring. If a voluntary club is mandatory, it’s not voluntary anymore. What should I do? I really don’t like this.

I couldn’t even fix my expression and stammered out a reply.

“That’s, um, a bit troublesome. I’m not confident about doing well in club activities.”

“I thought you’d say that!”

“Is that an insult…?”

“Just an objective observation. Anyway, I’ve prepared something for you, Princess.”

Sena pulled out a sheet of paper filled with writing from her desk drawer. The large letters at the top caught my eye.

“New Club Creation?”

“Yes! If existing clubs are inconvenient, we can just create a new one for the two of us. A place where you can feel comfortable.”

“That sounds good, but don’t you already have a club you’re in?”

“Of course. I’m the president, after all.”

Sena said it so matter-of-factly that it took me a few seconds to realize something was off.

“Wait, if you’re the president, that’s a problem. What about the club you were originally in?”

“It’s fine. I was just handed the presidency after the previous president abandoned it. I can just abandon it too and pass it on to a junior.”

“…Don’t do that. It’s rude.”

“I thought you’d say that, so I already quit.”

“……”

Was she always like this? Every time a new side of her I didn’t know about was revealed, it felt like my illusions were being shattered.

Seeing my lukewarm reaction, a flustered Sena slightly lowered her head and looked up at me. Her sulky expression almost seemed like she was trying to be cute. Just as I was figuring her out, she seemed to be figuring me out too.

“Are you not going to do it…? Then I’ll just be an irresponsible person who quit the presidency for no reason…”

“You already seem like an irresponsible person…”

I sighed deeply. There’s no winning against her.

When I nodded in agreement, Sena tossed aside her sulky expression and cheered. Her somewhat fox-like demeanor kept showing, making me feel complicated. Sena smiled prettily, just the way I liked, and continued.

“I thought a lot about what kind of club would suit you, Princess, since you dislike meeting people and find everything bothersome.”

“Are you subtly insulting me now?”

“After much thought, I concluded there isn’t one!”

“That’s definitely an insult.”

“Just an objective observation. So I thought it’d be best to do whatever you want.”

I get that it’s objective, but it’s so blatant that it hurts.

Anyway, it seemed like she was leaving the choice to me, so I started to think carefully. Honestly, if Sena had just decided, I would have gone along with anything without complaint.

Ah, if I choose a club that involves outdoor activities, it might be physically demanding. It’s better to just go along with what she’s suggesting.

“If it’s what I want…”

“Actually, we’re just making it to hang out. Just pick something to use as an excuse.”

“Hmm…”

As I was thinking, something occurred to me, and I asked her.

“By the way, can we even create a club with just the two of us? Isn’t there a minimum number of members required?”

“Of course there is! You can’t create a club with just two.”

“What are you talking about…?”

“Haha, it’s four, but it shouldn’t be a problem. We can just pull two members from an existing club and fill the rest as ghost members.”

She’s really resourceful.

I felt a bit sorry for Sena’s former club’s next president… no, current president.

“Your former club is so generous… I feel like we’re being really rude… What was the club’s name?”

“Equestrian Spear Club.”

“…?”

Sena tilted her head at my gaze. The answer was so unexpected that I unconsciously looked at her with doubt.

Equestrian Spear? It’s not cooking, crafts, or even magic. It doesn’t suit Sena at all. I’m not even sure if it’s a real club.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because it doesn’t suit you…? Putting aside that you’re a mage, Sena with an equestrian spear…?”

Hearing my doubts, Sena raised her index finger and began to explain.

“I told you before. It’s about developing war capabilities. The point is for students to freely gather and engage in war-related activities. Naturally, only war-related clubs are allowed.”

“Uh… Then it’s not really a club, is it? It feels like all my illusions are being shattered.”

“Exactly. Because of that, existing clubs were forcibly renamed. The cooking club became the Combat Rations Club, the photography club became the War Correspondent Club, and others were similarly changed.”

“…Everyone’s having a hard time.”

Why is everything suddenly about war? Hearing about my parents’ rebellion still being active made me nervous.

Whether it’s related or not, there’s nothing I can do, so I tried to shift my thoughts. What I should be worried about now is that there’s no club I can join.

What should I do?

If I have to do something war-related that I’m good at, should I develop some kind of combat tea ceremony etiquette? Like serving tea during a duel to distract the enemy… Ugh.

My head hurts.

I guess I need to think about this for a while.