Ch.153152. New Semester (2)

# 152. New Semester (2)

‘Why are those two acting like that..?’

Luna and Leo.

Despite not being strangers to each other, they were quite awkward together.

Still, they seemed capable of some conversation, as they were talking to each other.

Of course, from where we were sitting, we couldn’t hear what they were discussing.

“What are those two talking about?”

“I don’t know, I can’t tell.”

I wasn’t particularly interested in their conversation, but these guys seemed to be.

For whatever reason, the students in our class were perking up their ears, trying their best to eavesdrop on that conversation.

‘But those two really don’t match.’

From their appearances to their vibes and personalities, they were mismatched in every possible way.

While I was thinking this, Raicle, who had been watching them intently, asked me:

“Can’t you go over there for us?”

“Suddenly? Why me?”

“Just…”

“But that doesn’t seem necessary.”

While we were talking, Luna was, for some reason, gradually approaching us.

With quite a serious expression on her face.

“Um… could you meet me alone after classes are over today?”

“Uh… sure, but why?”

When I asked for the reason, Luna continued with a nervous sigh.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Okay… where should I go?”

“By the back entrance of the main building…”

This conversation seemed likely to cause considerable misunderstanding among those listening around us, but I reluctantly accepted her proposal.

“Alright… I got it.”

“Thank you.”

With those words, Luna returned to her seat, and I stared blankly at her retreating figure.

But that daze didn’t last long.

Once Luna was far enough away that she couldn’t hear us, Chris and Raicle spoke up.

“Hey, what was that just now?”

“Yeah, I thought you two weren’t close.”

“We’re not…”

“Then what was that about?”

“I don’t know either…”

I had no idea what she wanted to talk about or why she was saying this now.

‘Something to tell me… what could it be… she could just say it now.’

Still, the fact that she specifically asked to meet separately suggested it was either quite important or something that shouldn’t be known to others.

Though she did tell me where to meet…

“Hey, can we go and listen in secretly?”

“How could we? She specifically asked to meet alone.”

“If it’s a confession, turn her down. You have a conscience, right?”

Raicle’s words almost sounded like, “You’re not thinking of building a harem, are you?”

But I didn’t think it was anything like a confession to begin with.

Probably.

“That’s obvious. I don’t want to get beaten to death by Her Highness.”

“That’s a relief. But you’re… quite popular, aren’t you?”

“Not really.”

I stood up from my seat as soon as I heard the bell signaling the end of homeroom.

Then, looking at those still sitting, I said:

“Aren’t you going to prepare for first period?”

***

First day of the new semester.

‘It’s rather uneventful.’

Despite it being the first day, there was nothing special, and classes proceeded as usual.

Some students complained about professors conducting regular classes on the first day, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Hours passed without incident, and eventually, we reached the “after classes” time Luna had mentioned during homeroom.

‘What could she possibly want to talk about…’

Having finished even the closing homeroom, I was walking toward the back entrance.

Alone, as Luna had requested.

‘She’s already here. But somehow… this feels a bit unsettling.’

Luna had already arrived and was waiting for me.

When I got there, I sensed some presence nearby, but I ignored it and greeted Luna.

“You came early?”

Unlike me, who had lingered in the classroom for a while before leaving, Luna seemed to have come here immediately after the closing homeroom.

Luna began speaking after confirming no one was near me.

“I just got here…”

“That doesn’t seem right, but I’ll believe you. More importantly, what did you want to talk about that made you call me here?”

“Well…”

Luna suddenly bowed her head deeply and continued.

“I’m sorry…”

“Sorry?”

“Yes… about last time… you almost died because of me.”

“Ah…”

I hadn’t been thinking about it at all, but apparently Luna had.

She hadn’t mentioned it since then, so I thought she wasn’t concerned about it, but I was mistaken.

“You don’t really need to say that…”

“Still… I acted foolishly and you got hurt… I’m sorry, and thank you… for saving my life.”

Thank you for saving my life.

A phrase I’d heard countless times before.

Yet, even after hearing it hundreds of times, it never got old.

‘That phrase still feels good…’

Certainly, risking your life to save someone is dangerous and difficult.

It’s not something I particularly want to do, and sometimes I don’t even feel the need to.

But when I hear words like these, I feel that need.

“I just did what someone had to do.”

“For something like that, it seemed like only you knew at the time. You even ran at full speed because you thought I was in danger.”

“How did you know that…”

Luna knew even the unnecessary details.

She couldn’t have told me herself, so Riel or Aelin must have informed her.

“It might be late, but… thank you, really…”

“Is that what you called me here for?”

“Yes… I wanted to say it on the day you saved me, but…”

It seemed she couldn’t easily bring it up then because I appeared too angry.

And of course, Luna was also in shock from what had happened.

“I wasn’t really angry then. I was momentarily upset, but that was all. It was just because the princess was next to me.”

“What did Her Highness say?”

Luna seemed to think I had been scolded because of her.

“She usually isn’t like that, but she seems to be acting differently lately.”

I wasn’t sure if the situation had changed or if she had changed, but things were slightly different from before.

Not that it mattered much.

Speaking of her, there was something I was curious about.

“By the way, why did you speak like that this morning? Everyone was watching…”

“Oh… that. I originally thought you were angry with me and was scared. But you’re quite close with Leo, right?”

It was a questionable statement, but not untrue.

If I wasn’t close with Leo, then no one in this world was close to him.

“So I asked him, and he just told me to go talk to you now…”

So that’s why the atmosphere between them had been so awkward.

‘Indeed, they probably wouldn’t interact otherwise.’

Still, Leo had given Luna some pretty good advice.

If she hadn’t heard that and kept worrying alone, she would have remained in that state.

“That wasn’t bad advice.”

“But doesn’t that put you in a difficult position…?”

“You know about that?”

Since rumors spread from person to person like wildfire, she might already know about what happened this morning.

I offered some comforting words to Luna, who seemed more troubled than I was.

“It’s okay. She’s not the type to make a big deal out of it.”

“Your face brightens up whenever you talk about the princess.”

“Of course, because she’s someone I like.”

Though I said that, I wasn’t actually aware if it was true.

I might not have paid attention, or it might have been so natural that I just didn’t notice.

“You’ll be like that someday too, probably.”

“Probably?”

“Yes, probably. After all, you have to find someone while you’re here, right?”

“That’s true… Wait, how do you know that?”

Indeed, Luna had never told me about that.

Of course, it was something anyone could figure out with a little thought.

“The fact that you came here without having found someone means you intend to find them here.”

“I guess that’s a reasonable assumption.”

“Good luck. If it’s someone I know, I might be able to help, so call me if you need to.”

I actually wanted to introduce her to people, but Luna might not want that, so I didn’t bring it up.

“Okay, I will.”

As this conversation was about to conclude, Luna asked me one more question.

“So, are you going straight to training now?”

“Yes, everyone else should be there already.”

“Could you… let us join too?”

That “us” seemed to include the girl named Nyx who had been by Luna’s side since that night.

Of course, I didn’t care whether “us” meant one person or two.

The problem was…

“That’s not for me to decide.”

“Oh… don’t tell me?”

“You’ll need permission from our party leader.”

“That sounds difficult…”

“She’ll probably allow it?”

She allowed it with Rachel, so she’d likely allow it this time too.

Especially since Luna was the princess of Persia, with whom we had recently formed an alliance.

“But I can’t say for certain.”

The atmosphere was slightly different from last time, so I couldn’t be definitive.

As I headed toward the dueling grounds where our party members would be, I continued:

“I don’t think I can speak on your behalf this time. You’ll have to handle it yourself.”

If I recommended her, it might backfire, and Luna seemed to understand that.

“I understand… I’ll try my best.”