-Whiiing-.
The rooftop at this time felt a bit chilly.
Well, it was autumn.
The warm days would soon pass, and the harsh winter was coming.
For people in the city, modern civilization’s technologies like heaters and heating mats made the winter less harsh, but when the lush plants stilled their growth and the animals went into hibernation, the wild predators and monsters still had to struggle to survive.
Therefore, the animals busily moved around from autumn to prepare for the coming winter.
And now.
Being here taking an exam was not so different from the animals preparing to survive the winter.
Helena felt the chilly wind as she flipped through her book.
Originally, there was never a quiet day during the Academy’s break time, but today felt especially loud.
The common topic of the exam among the students led to even more conversations than usual.
Even though she had brought earplugs, the noise still penetrated through.
In such an environment, it was hard to concentrate even if she tried to focus on her book.
Because of that, Helena found herself inevitably seeking out the Academy’s rooftop, a place that no one else would go on days like this.
As expected, it was quiet and isolated, perfect for studying alone.
It was a bit chilly, but surely a brief exposure to the wind wouldn’t make her catch a cold.
“Anyway… there are only foolish kids.”
Helena muttered under her breath.
What was the point of trying to match the answers from the already taken exam?
It would be much better to spend time preparing for the next one instead.
Well, it was only because the other kids wasted their time that she could rise above them.
Thinking that way, she didn’t feel particularly like the other kids were in the wrong.
If it’s something you can use, it’s best to take full advantage of it.
Just around then, as Helena continued studying.
-Clack, clack.
She heard the sound of shoes ascending the stairs.
‘Huh? Is there someone in a place like this?’
Helena felt a bit strange but thought that as long as they weren’t noisy, it didn’t matter. So, she once again lowered her gaze to her book.
However, she couldn’t ignore the voice that soon followed.
“Right, there shouldn’t be anyone here. After all, who would want to go through the trouble of finding the rooftop on an exam day?”
It was Luke’s voice, muttering to himself.
‘Why is Luke here?’
Helena gasped, and suddenly stood up.
As he said, no one would want to go through the trouble of finding the rooftop at this time.
But isn’t there a saying?
The thoughts you have are thoughts that someone else in the world has also thought.
So, it’s not strange for someone to share the same thoughts.
However.
Of all the people to have the same thought, it had to be Luke!
Helena hurriedly looked around and hid behind the wall.
She grabbed her braided hair with each hand to prevent any loose strands from sticking out and pressed it close to her face.
Then, she concentrated on the sounds coming through her ears.
-Clank, screech. Clack, clack.
The rooftop door opened, and Luke stepped in.
“Hmmm-.”
Luke took a deep breath.
“Look, Liv. The autumn sky is remarkably clear, no matter the era.”
“…”
Luke mentioned the name ‘Liv.’
That’s strange; the footsteps she heard were definitely just one set.
Who on Earth is Liv?
While Helena pondered this question, Luke continued to mumble.
“On days like this, ogre beetle larvae are easy to catch. The freshly caught larvae during this season are quite delicious. They give you a good boost. Should I stop by the forest after the exam?”
Helena recalled the ogre beetle larvae she had seen in a documentary some time ago.
The thick, finger-length larvae, disgusting just to look at, were so horrifying that even though she knew they were merely a fictional creation, she couldn’t bear to keep watching and changed the channel.
And yet, he eats such things!
Against her will, Helena imagined the texture of those larvae being chewed in her mouth.
Although she was an elf who had never chewed on meat, only foods mimicking the texture of meat with beans or mushrooms, the thought of it made her feel nauseous.
In moments like this, her vivid imagination was akin to poison.
‘Ugh…’
She could only hope her suppressed feelings of nausea didn’t reach Luke’s ears.
By the way, why eat bugs?
Is there really nothing else to eat?
No, there are so many things you can eat in the world; why would you choose to eat bugs?
Elves wouldn’t even touch food containing animal magic— it was utterly incomprehensible.
Or could it be that beastkin children casually eat insects?
Is this another difference in races?
She had no idea.
She could only inwardly blame Luke for putting such thoughts in her head.
However, the horror didn’t stop there.
“Hahaha, really? You want to try it too? But what to do? You don’t have a mouth, do you?”
Luke said, laughing as if it were delightful, but to Helena, it sounded quite dreadful.
No mouth?
What on earth does that mean?
Helena recalled a scene from a horror film she had secretly watched with her dad long ago.
It was the horrifying sight of a poor victim caught by a terrifying monster, their eyes and mouth sewn shut.
It was such a horrifying thought that Helena couldn’t help but tremble.
She felt as if she wanted to rush out and ask Luke what he meant by that.
But if she did…
If she did…?
‘Huh? Why am I hiding?’
Panic struck her, and she had hidden, but now she didn’t even know why that was.
It was true that right after realizing she was the kind of girl that was close to being Luke’s ideal type, it made her reluctant to meet him.
But that didn’t mean there was a reason to avoid him like this.
Luke probably had no idea she overheard him, and as long as she didn’t show that she had heard him, nothing would happen.
So, she didn’t need to hide from the beginning.
In fact, acting like this now was weirder, wasn’t it?
It felt like she was eavesdropping…
‘Okay, I’ll just casually walk out now…’
It was just as she was about to move.
“Hm? This is… the notebook I gave to Helena. Why is it here?”
Helena froze in place.
She hurriedly thought back to what she had packed.
In retrospect, she didn’t remember packing the items she had been studying.
It seemed she must have left them behind when she hid.
Cold sweat began to trickle down Helena’s back.
And Luke didn’t miss the sound of her presence.
“Helena? Are you there?”
“…Uh, yes?”
———
Luke looked at Helena, who was shyly stepping out, and laughed heartily.
“Hahaha, why were you hiding there?”
“I-I was just… hahaha…”
Helena couldn’t bring herself to say it was because she discovered he was gay, and instead laughed along with Luke.
“Were you that surprised to see someone come up to the rooftop?”
It wasn’t just anyone— it was Luke who surprised her.
Helena slightly bowed her head bashfully and muttered quietly in response to Luke’s question.
“I-I didn’t think someone would come up suddenly…”
“Is that so? Well, it could happen.”
Luke nodded, as if he understood.
Usually, kids would hide when startled by something.
After all, isn’t that what wild animals do?
There’s even an expression that suggests wanting to hide in a mouse hole.
So, if one is too startled, wanting to hide is an instinct.
However, wasn’t Helena someone who was usually shy but also bold and stubborn?
If someone were to come up, she would shout, “This is my spot!” rather than hiding, or so she thought.
Luke seemed a bit puzzled as he said.
“However, I didn’t know you had that side to you. I thought you’d always be so confident.”
“Is that so…?”
Helena scratched her cheek and averted her gaze at Luke’s remark.
In fact, she thought that if Luke hadn’t been the one to come up, she probably wouldn’t have hidden.
Then Helena suddenly remembered something.
Luke’s ideal type was a confident girl, just like Renie Arinseia.
This means…
‘Should I act in the opposite way and make Luke disappointed in me?
Though she couldn’t do anything about her red-tinted hair and striking appearance due to school regulations, at least she could work on being bold and strong-willed.
Honestly, it seemed like a pretty good idea.
“What are you thinking about so much?”
“Uh? No, it’s nothing! I was just thinking about the exam!”
Helena responded, startled by Luke’s sudden question.
Luke thought Helena looked a bit strange today, but he figured it was natural for children to behave differently depending on their mood, so he nodded.
“Well, if that’s the case, I’m relieved.”
“Hohoho…”
Helena only half-heartedly smiled, trying to laugh less confidently than usual and more meekly.
Suddenly, she realized Luke was hugging a teddy bear.
“That’s right, that teddy bear you got as a birthday present, isn’t it?”
“Oh, right. You remember?”
Remember?
Helena had always had a keen interest in plush toys.
To be honest, she really loved teddy bears.
Not just loved, but it was more accurate to say she adored them.
“…You brought the teddy bear to school?”
“Indeed. Hehe, isn’t it cute?”
“That…”
Luke raised the bear’s paw and waved it back and forth as if greeting her.
It was indeed cute.
Helena, who always cuddled a plush toy while going to sleep.
There were more than three stuffed animals on her bed, and the top of her dresser was fully decorated with them.
Even her study desk had a small stuffed animal sitting on it.
“Well, it’s cute, but…”
Helena muttered while glancing at Liv.
So much so that she found someone who could share her affection for plush toys, which made her a bit happy; however, when she realized that that person’s ideal type was herself, it became slightly overwhelming.
What on earth would happen if her affection for plush toys increased her attraction to him?
“So, is the bear’s name Liv?”
“Yes, that’s right. So you were listening after all?”
“I-I wasn’t eavesdropping…”
“It’s okay. I’m not trying to blame you. I just asked.”
Luke lightly laughed, saying it was no big deal he had overheard.
At those words, Helena felt a bit relieved.
Eavesdropping was, honestly, something that weighed on her conscience.
Once was enough of that.
Thinking this, as she glanced at Luke, Helena finally realized that the mention of “no mouth” referred to the teddy bear, which calmed her down.
Of course, stuffed animals wouldn’t have mouths.
It was merely her misunderstanding.
She’d never considered Liv could be a teddy bear.
After all, it was inconceivable that Luke would play with something like that, especially to the extent of bringing it to school.
Perhaps the talk of eating larvae was also a misunderstanding of some sort?
He must have been talking about playing pretend or something.
‘What on earth was I imagining?’
Helena let out a deep sigh.
No matter how beastkin were, they surely wouldn’t eat something like that.
