“Haum.”
The situation didn’t take too long to progress, but waiting for the knight squad that Haini called and undergoing questioning took longer than expected.
Thanks to that, it was already past midnight.
If the Dean hadn’t told me I could skip lectures tomorrow, I would have played hooky.
The kids who had just fought had already gone back, and since I, along with May, were the main ones left to talk, we ended up staying late.
Of course, to be on the safe side, the knights were guarding our way back.
“Why is that person like that?”
“Who?”
When she saved him earlier, Lin was curled up like a squirrel, but now May, looking just fine, was scratching her head and rolling her eyes.
“I mean Lin. She keeps saying that she’ll wait, is she like, dating someone?”
“Not really… I mean, there are certain circumstances.”
“Circumstances? What kind?”
I wondered why she was being so persistent, but I couldn’t just spill Lin’s personal feelings, so I kept quiet.
May pouted, saying it was boring, and I chuckled at her.
“Are you all good now?”
Up until today, May had been avoiding me and not saying a word, and now she seemed shy, avoiding eye contact.
“Good? What’s good? It’s just that I wasn’t ready to apologize.”
“What?”
I thought she hadn’t forgiven me for using her, but suddenly she’s apologizing?
“I was the one who did something wrong and forced the issue. I think I’ve been punished for it. I’m really sorry for trying to get you expelled when you did nothing.”
“…Who are you?”
“What?”
“Why is she acting like this all of a sudden? Did the thugs drug her? Knight! This girl is acting strange!”
She really pressed her cheeks with both hands, looking around in panic.
Knight guards walking in front and behind us were curious about what was going on when May blushed and suddenly pushed me.
“That’s enough! I’m not apologizing! No way!”
“Kuhuh.”
Yeah, that’s the May I know.
The knights started walking again, thinking it wasn’t a big deal, and I stuffed my hands in my pockets while May looked up at the stars.
“We’re going to be busy preparing for the festival soon.”
It’s already May.
It’s the season when preparations for the Aios Academy’s Thanksgiving festival are in full swing.
I’ve heard that clubs with a lot to prepare for have already started getting ready.
“Do you know what your class is planning?”
“How would I know? We haven’t talked about it yet.”
I was wondering why she brought up the festival out of nowhere when May started looking around, lowering her head and hesitantly asking.
“Then I’ll use my wish.”
“…Huh?”
“Let’s go together at the festival.”
“…”
What should I say here?
I’m completely clueless about romance, but I’ve caught on to a bit from Eris’s proposal and Lin’s confession.
And this felt similar to them.
“Hey guys, you should head in now.”
“Great job today, it must have been tough.”
I was walking without a word when we arrived at the dorm. The knights told us to go in carefully and turned back.
Standing in front of our dorm were me and May.
A situation where I didn’t know what to say.
Following my silence, May also kept her lips tightly shut and was looking directly at me with focus and determination.
“Uh, you know…”
Scratching the back of my head, I finally pulled in my breath.
What I had to say was clear.
“I have someone I like.”
“…”
May showed no change in expression, as if she had expected that.
“So I can’t date you.”
“Is it Lin?”
It was a somewhat rational suspicion, but I shook my head.
“No. Um, she’s not from the academy.”
“Are you dating her?”
“…No, not really.”
“It’s one-sided then?”
“Well, you could say that, but it’s also not totally that.”
I was technically in the position of having been proposed to.
Of course, it was in my past life, but I have feelings for her, and I want to see her again and make things work.
Thinking like that, it seemed appropriate to label the feeling as a crush.
Then May scoffed.
“Okay, fine. But keep that wish. Stick by my side for the entire festival that lasts for four days.”
“…Did I miscommunicate something?”
I had clearly refused in a roundabout way by saying I liked someone!
May, however, dug around in her pockets for candy, ready to eat it, but how would a kidnap victim have candy?
She just brushed her empty pockets with her hand.
May made a popping sound as she replied.
“Aren’t you going to try and win over the one you have a crush on?”
“…I will.”
I was planning to put in some effort to appeal to Eris when I meet her.
Then May nodded boldly.
“I’ll do the same!”
“…”
“You’re allowed but I’m not? That’s so unfair.”
“No, it’s not like that…”
What the heck?
I was feeling oddly annoyed since it was the first time I felt pushed back by May, but I couldn’t give a proper reply.
Maybe May was sensing this emotion as she approached, looking amused.
“Hey, you.”
Unintentionally taking a step back, May grinned mischievously.
“Seems like you’re weak to this kind of stuff?”
“What?”
“Yeah, usually you act like you own the world and are super strong in a fight, but when it comes to romance, you’re totally clueless.”
“….”
What can I say?
I spent ten years battling Magical Beasts in the forest. I hadn’t even realized Eris’s feelings until the very last moment.
I felt strangely uneasy as May took another step closer, so I stepped back and raised my hands.
“Stop! Don’t get any closer!”
I warned, but May grabbed my wrists, pulling me sideways and slipped through the gap.
Since I was slightly taller, I found myself looking down at her as our noses almost touched.
Involuntarily shocked, I turned my head away, but then May came closer and whispered in my ear.
“Who told you to save me so heroically anyway?”
She swiftly let go of my hand and disappeared into the dorm.
I was fanning my hot face with my hand, and exhaled.
I used to think of her as just a kid, but now that she was being so proactive, I was unknowingly flustered.
‘This is embarrassing.’
I thought I had clearly rejected her, so why was this situation unfolding?
Just as I sighed reflecting on that…
From the fourth floor of the dormitory, a platinum-haired girl, Sen, jumped down energetically.
I was aware that it had been a pretty dangerous situation today, but at least we survived, right?
There were no wounds or anything.
“What’s going on?”
Feigning indifference as I crossed my arms, Sen let out a deadpan pfft.
It seemed she had seen everything that just happened.
“…Just pretend you didn’t see.”
As I subtly warned, Sen just shrugged her shoulders as if uninterested.
“Thanks for today. I heard you led the investigation.”
“Finding you was just coincidence. If I’d gone alone, I’d have been late. It was thanks to Ares moving first, so make sure to thank him.”
“Yeah, I will. I’ll thank Ares and everyone else.”
Sen slowly raised her head back up and met my gaze after nodding.
“Can I ask you one thing?”
“No, I’m going to bed.”
I was already too tired.
Thanks to the Dean, I didn’t have to go to lectures tomorrow, but I just wanted to wash up and dive into bed.
But she ignored my answer and kept talking.
“How are you so strong?”
“Didn’t I tell you not to ask?”
“As you know, I’m from the Chokugen Faction. We’ve been training since we were four years old and have grown strong together. I think I’m among the strongest of my age on the continent.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
In reality, if you asked who the strongest third-year student at Aios Academy was, Sen would definitely be in the top five.
“But you… you’re on a completely different level. It’s like you’ve lived your whole life in combat, already reaching a level that’s unattainable for us at our age.”
“…”
That wasn’t wrong.
My strength, of course, had come from rigorous training in this body, but my experiences from the past also played a huge role.
“…”
Having said I wouldn’t answer, I simply ignored her and walked past her into the dorm, and she didn’t pursue me.
Once back in my room, I quickly took a shower.
The hot water felt refreshing as if it was soothing my body that had been busy all day, bringing a smile to my face.
“This is happiness.”
I realized I hadn’t grabbed any clothes to change into since I hurriedly entered the bathroom, dried myself off with a towel, and slipped into some clothes.
I was about to jump onto the bed when I found something sticking up in the blanket.
As if someone was hiding there.
“…”
No way, right? I stealthily grabbed my sword and opened the blanket.
“Koo.”
Curled up in a ball, Lin was asleep.
*
Meanwhile, Lin had finished her investigation earlier and kept waiting for Daniel, but since he flatly rejected her, she returned to the dorm with Ares and his entourage.
“Lin, are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I just used magic from behind, so I didn’t get hurt at all.”
“Thank goodness.”
Ares was being overly nice, which felt awkward for Lin.
He was a good friend to her as they were childhood friends with Daniel, but things had felt strange for some time now.
She didn’t feel this way when they were younger, but it seemed to have become awkward over time, although she didn’t show it.
Fortunately, it seemed Ares wasn’t aware of the awkwardness.
“…Tch.”
“Cough.”
The girl following behind, Arni Duratan, clicked her tongue while the mage Adriana cleared her throat, giving hints.
They were implying why only Lin was being cared for, and then it struck her why Sen or Hayun, who liked the same guy, weren’t reacting at all.
It felt out of place to see Sen, who was usually so expressive, keeping quiet and wearing a straight face, so she asked Hayun.
“Are you okay?”
“You look like your expression is relaxing.”
Upon Arni and Adriana’s remarks, Hayun smiled gently and replied.
“I stopped thinking about that stuff.”
“Hmm.”
“Is that so?”
It wouldn’t be too bad for the two of them.
If Hayun willingly stepped back, there was no need to stop her.
They shared a bond from hanging out together, but the chance to crowd around Ares would likely diminish.
“By the way, where’s Elise?”
Hayun casually looked back and asked.
Elise, with her usual regal blonde aura, was nowhere to be seen.
Adriana laughed awkwardly while Arni bit her lip in frustration.
“That girl refused, saying she doesn’t want to get involved with dirty affairs.”
“Is that so?”
“Even if she was here, I don’t think we would’ve won anyway.”
Not only Arni but all the students remaining here, excluding Lin, could only express the shocking defeat faced today.
Even though they were touted as strong at the academy, they were defeated by a mere thug boss despite coming at him in numbers.
That was more than a shock; it was pure humiliation.
Especially for Arni Duratan, the daughter of a prestigious swordsmanship family.
“Do you have any plans for the upcoming academy festival?”
“Hmm? I don’t have anything special yet…”
As she watched Ares actively approaching Lin from behind, she sighed.
Once they returned to the dorm, Lin, who was about to enter her room on the fourth floor, suddenly remembered something.
“…Could there be evidence?”
Daniel said he liked someone other than her.
But strangely, he hadn’t said anything about that person.
From name to age, to appearance, he hadn’t mentioned a single detail.
Could there be something about that person in Daniel’s room?
Understanding someone’s ideal type is basic knowledge.
Lin used a sound-reduction spell as she headed to the third floor, the boys’ area, and stood in front of Daniel’s door.
“Shadow.”
A dark shadow extended from Lin’s fingertips, slid through the door crack, and click, the door unlocked.
“Wait, I’m just going to take a quick look.”
There was still a lot of time before Daniel would arrive.
Thinking this way, Lin stepped into Daniel’s room and felt her heart racing.
Her previously tired body suddenly felt invigorated, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
Since Daniel lived quite modestly, there was not much clutter to check through, but unfortunately, nothing caught her sharp eye.
“Sorry about this.”
As the realization of failure hit her, Lin came to her senses and recognized that what she was doing was pretty outrageous.
Panicking, she tried to leave quickly, but stumbled and fell onto Daniel’s bed.
‘Ah, the smell of Daniel.’
At that moment, a strange thing began to happen.
Lying on Daniel’s bed, his scent wafting around, made her feel like they were together in bed.
‘If I cover myself with the blanket, it’s like he’s hugging me!’
Excitedly, Lin wrapped herself snugly in the blanket, unknowingly getting swept up in the situation.
But as the pleasant moment passed all too quickly, the door opened, and Daniel walked in.
Luckily, he looked tired and didn’t check properly; he just went straight to the bathroom.
‘I-I should escape.’
She tried to dash out, but her body didn’t want to move.
The logical part of her screamed that she needed to get away, but the emotional part reasoned that she had a bit more time until he was done showering, so it should be okay.
As Daniel, who wanted to sleep, quickly finished showering and came out…
‘Crap, I’m done for.’
In the end, it was the emotional side that had won the argument.
But ultimately, it was Lin who ended up losing.
‘What to do?’
Thinking Daniel might not come back for a while, she peeked out from the blanket.
“…!”
Is he looking for some clothes in a completely natural state, just like he was born!
‘Ah…’
Feeling blood rush to her face, Lin gave up.
Then, she murmured to herself to stop thinking and entrusted everything to the deity while casting the ‘Sleep’ spell.
‘Thank you for the meal.’
She savored the moment.
