Ch.176176. After-Party (2)

The warm sunshine of the resort brings sweet relief to the students who have exerted themselves, and to the veterans who once struggled in the Great Sheet Subjugation.

Though autumn winds make the southern regions somewhat chilly, this place still retains the lingering heat of summer.

The beating sun. The salty scent. The humid breeze blowing gently.

These few days by the sea were the perfect gift—a well-deserved reward for all their hardships.

“What’s wrong, Aris? Why are you just sitting there? We came all the way to the beach.”

“…”

“Are you worried about running into them here too?”

Senia’s question was spot on. With the faction war over and everyone enjoying their vacation here, the chances of meeting Junon were high.

But that wasn’t all.

“I’m wondering if I even deserve this.”

“Deserve what?”

“I treated an innocent person so badly. Should I really be enjoying myself like this…?”

How would that person feel seeing her having fun as if nothing had happened after cornering them like that?

She felt like they might come looking for her at any moment to confront her. Wouldn’t they have every right to be indignant?

“I can’t do this. I’m going back.”

Aris thought she shouldn’t show her face here, considering what she’d done.

Now that she knew what atrocities her past self had committed, her guilt was only growing deeper.

But Senia quickly grabbed Aris’s hand and advised her again.

“You don’t even have a definite answer yet.”

“But still…”

“If you worry that much, Junon will feel uncomfortable and leave instead. Besides, they’re already here.”

“What? Where…?”

“Over there.”

Senia pointed to a parasol where Junon was sitting.

As Aris’s pink eyes turned in that direction, she could see black hair partially hidden behind the parasol.

“Since when… have they been there?”

“They came after you told the kids to go play. So I’d say they arrived around the same time we did.”

That meant they might have already crossed paths. She’d been sitting here for quite a while.

“But Aris, if they were really bothered by you, they would have approached you first.”

“…Why?”

“Because unlike us, Junon remembers everything.”

Someone who remembered the entire past had arrived in the present.

Perhaps they could have spoken of past events, blamed her, scolded her.

Yet they didn’t approach. Even though they could have, even though it wouldn’t have been strange for them to do so.

“It means that’s not what they want. They have a proper character and righteous mind. Just like you said.”

She had pondered how to repay this enormous debt.

But she owed nothing less than a life—her own life and her comrade’s life.

She had realized that no matter how she tried to repay it, this debt would never disappear, and had curled up under her blanket in frustration.

She didn’t know.

She didn’t know how to repay it or what they wanted.

But at least she quickly judged that what they wanted wasn’t this kind of confrontation.

“Teacher Aris, what are you doing there?”

“Perfect timing! We’re one person short! Come join us!”

If she went to the beach, she would definitely enter Junon’s line of sight.

She knew this in her mind, and it frightened her, but…

“Come on, stand up.”

Nothing would be resolved by just sitting there.

Aris took Senia’s hand and stood up, walking into Junon’s field of vision of her own accord.

And then, as always. Naturally. Calmly.

She returned to her true self.

“Teacher is amazing at dodgeball, are you guys going to be okay?”

“Everyone here knows Teacher Aris is a klutz!”

“I bet Teacher Aris will end up hitting her own teammates instead of catching the ball.”

“What did you say, you little brats?”

—Hahaha!

No one approaches children as warmly as Aris does.

Watching Aris like this, Senia smiled contentedly.

She glanced briefly toward Junon, but he was still just yawning indifferently.

‘Now the problem is…’

Erika.

***

Even as autumn was approaching, this resort was still in summer.

Everyone was relieving their stress. They were finally letting go of the fatigue accumulated during the Great Sheet Subjugation.

“Try to catch this one!”

“Ooooh!!!”

“Thought you couldn’t catch it? Ha!”

“Ooooooh!!!”

The male students’ gazes followed a person rather than the ball.

Usually in beach volleyball, people would watch the ball, but… this was the beach after all.

The sight of female students in swimsuits was clearly stirring the hearts of the young men.

“Haha… these guys.”

Among them, only Junon let out a deflated laugh.

Well, it wasn’t hard to understand. It wasn’t unnatural for male students to be drawn to female students.

They had once focused on their studies, and with major incidents happening one after another, they hadn’t had the luxury for romance.

Thanks to that, the scene before them was all the more valuable to these guys.

…Of course, their frivolous conversations continued.

“Of course it’s Aris with her fiery personality and skills, what are you talking about?”

“You don’t get it. These days, cool beauties with good style like Senia are the trend.”

“The big sister type with leadership, Michelle is the best. You fools.”

“You idiots. It’s not all about the body. Cuteness is supreme! Charlotte is the best!!”

They were bickering among themselves, each championing the merits of their preferred person.

‘Well, they are all quite beautiful.’

It struck him anew that each member of the Tembris party was remarkably beautiful.

With such people playing beach volleyball in swimsuits, it was no wonder this was happening.

Back then too, whenever attention was drawn to them, each one boasted considerable popularity.

He still remembered it.

The cheers and applause that poured out when Tembris returned.

They would all chant the names of the Tembris members one by one, except perhaps for Cain who always went his separate ways.

In fact, there were probably people waiting to see if Cain would show up today, having heard rumors.

‘And I was always asked why I was among them.’

Even now, watching them while recalling those times, not much seemed different, and Junon smiled bitterly to himself.

“Ah, senior just smiled.”

“…Lenias?”

He turned his gaze at the sensation of something poking his cheek.

Even in broad daylight, silver hair that seemed to glow on its own came into view.

And Junon immediately regretted speaking.

“It’s, it’s Lenias…”

“Wow… it really is!”

“Where! I want to see too!!”

“Uh… everyone…?”

But the star of this beach was already determined.

“Please calm down, everyone. You might get hurt.”

—Woooah!!!

Now as before, the one with the most overwhelming popularity was Lenias, who smiled awkwardly while waving her hands in protest.

“Will Miss Lenias wear a swimsuit too?!”

“Wh-what?”

“We’re at the beach. We’re at the sea! So I was just wondering…”

Everyone seemed to be anticipating it. Meanwhile, Lenias suddenly glanced at Junon.

‘…Why is she looking at me?’

One might think that if she wanted to show off her swimsuit, that would be fine, but Junon soon realized why Lenias was hesitating.

“Don’t pressure her, you guys.”

Junon gestured for the crowd that had gathered around Lenias to back off.

Lenias was probably feeling burdened.

Even at the Sheet Subjugation banquet, whenever crowds gathered, she would stick close to him just like now.

‘To make an appropriate excuse… this would work.’

He could use their common point about clothing.

“She’s always been uncomfortable with exposure, so she doesn’t even wear dresses often. She might not be wearing a swimsuit.”

At that, Lenias’s fans, who had been pushed back and were starting to complain, began to understand one by one.

“Come to think of it, she doesn’t wear dresses much. So that’s why.”

“Oh… sorry. We didn’t know…”

“I’m sorry for pressuring you, Miss Lenias.”

Still, this angelic girl’s mere existence would be enough to satisfy them.

“It’s okay. I didn’t say anything myself… anyway, please don’t blame yourselves.”

“Of course not, are you guys going to blame yourselves?!”

—Absolutely not!!

As the crowd that had gathered to see Lenias dispersed one by one, the surroundings had become quite noisy.

It wasn’t Lenias’s fault, but being such a celebrity inevitably caused such situations.

‘There are more than before.’

The Sheet Subjugation was, frankly speaking, a failure.

They might have somehow succeeded in stopping the Plague’s Shanbereshu, but this was still the same path as the past.

They had tried to achieve a different result, but it was of no use.

However, the number of surviving third-year students was clearly greater.

Tembris was intact, and although most of the Imperial forces hadn’t recovered their strength, this number seemed sufficient to prepare for what was to come.

This force must be maintained.

The Empire must become even stronger to prevent the same situation from happening again.

‘For that… at least that.’

Clenching both fists, Junon made a resolution.

This time, he would make the first move.

“Senior? Where are you going?”

At this resort beach, only he ironically wore a serious expression.

Lenias was the only one who saw his determined face.

***

The students who had been warming and cooling their bodies in the chilly water under the blazing sun now faced the night.

If daytime was filled with water play and beach sports, nighttime was for barbecue parties and campfires.

The smell of charcoal and meat from all around replaced the scent of the sea, and the warmth of the sun was substituted by the light of the bonfire heating the night air.

The evening’s fervor was gradually heating up with the campfire.

But amidst the rising atmosphere, Lenias couldn’t just enjoy herself.

‘Junon senior is… gone again.’

He always tries to avoid such gatherings.

That’s his personality, and he seems like someone who has always been that way.

Having observed him for quite some time now, Lenias could guess where Junon might be.

“Hehe, found you!”

He was standing alone on the deserted beach, hands in his pockets, staring at the sea.

When was he ever not like this? It was obvious he would be wrapped up in some strange worry again.

‘I’ll surprise senior~!’

She approached very quietly, making sure Junon wouldn’t notice.

But even when she wanted to tease someone, this girl somehow made mistakes in such situations.

“Ah, achoo!”

Failed. As if to prove this, her silly hair stood up awkwardly.

“…Lenias?”

Junon turned around immediately upon hearing the sneeze. Her plan to sneak up and surprise him had failed spectacularly, perhaps because this girl happened to be a rabbit.

Feeling awkward, Lenias swallowed her disappointment and immediately trotted over to Junon.

“What are you doing here? Everyone’s having a barbecue party.”

“Well, I’m just…”

“You’re going to say you don’t really care for barbecue parties again, aren’t you?”

At least she wasn’t clumsy in this aspect, and she had guessed correctly.

“I grilled some skewers myself especially for you. Eat them.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“Delicious food should be eaten right away! I grilled these specially for you, so you’d better eat them.”

She then held up a well-grilled skewer to Junon’s mouth.

Since his junior had thoughtfully grilled it for him, he felt obliged to eat it.

“…I’ll enjoy it. Lenias.”

With words of thanks, he patted her head as he always did.

Urged to eat before it got cold, he immediately took a bite of meat. Then another. He ate the piece in the middle, and finally the last piece.

The well-browned meat entered Junon’s mouth.

If he looked like he might leave even a little, Lenias would immediately narrow her eyes and glare at him.

Having shared meals with him quite a few times, she knew exactly how much he could eat.

Only after he obediently finished all the meat did the conversation continue.

“Were you thinking complicated thoughts again from the time you went off alone until now?”

Whatever the reason for that expression earlier.

Lenias asked quite directly.