Chapter 12: Confession

The confirmed results of the midterm exams were announced the next day.  

“I did it…”  

Marie, checking her report card, smiled with overwhelming emotion and clutched it tightly to her chest.  

“With this, I can finally achieve it…”  

The one thing she had dreamed of ever since entering the academy.  

It was none other than gaining the recognition of her older brother, Damian.  

Born out of wedlock, Marie had grown up with Damian as her only ally.  

Her goal had been to earn the approval of her brother, who had somehow grown cold toward her over time.  

If she could do that, surely they could go back to how things used to be—getting along well together.  

But…  

For some reason, as Marie confirmed her target grades, her cheeks flushed, and she felt her heart pounding.  

Until now, her desperate goal had undoubtedly been Damian.  

Yet, despite achieving good grades,  

another man’s face kept flashing through her mind instead of Damian’s.  

Gulp.  

Marie buried her face on her desk, hiding her reddened cheeks.  

“I’m really… doing this, aren’t I?”  

With the moment looming right in front of her, she began trembling uncontrollably.  

“I’m going to… confess.”  

Not reconciliation with Damian.  

It was a confession to Emil that now dominated her thoughts.  

How strange.  

Her relationship with Damian, her family, had always been her top priority.  

Since when had this changed?  

When had Emil grown so large in her heart?  

…Was it from the beginning, when he approached her to join a study group?  

Or perhaps when he stood up to Damian on the rooftop?  

…Or maybe it was the moment he collapsed after being hit by Malcolm.  

At some point, Marie realized she was constantly thinking of Emil.  

“I like him…”  

Even now, as she looked at her report card,  

Marie rested her head on the desk, her cheeks flushed, thinking of Emil.  

Perhaps because her heart was so full of Emil, when she called out to Damian during lunch later that day, saying, “Brother,” she felt no trace of nervousness.  

Of course, there was excitement—the thrill of possibly being acknowledged.  

But no fear.  

Back when she had shown him the results of a quiz, she had been terrified.  

Now, though, she wasn’t afraid at all.  

Why was that?  

Even as she pondered this, Emil’s face floated into her mind again.  

“Here… these are my midterm grades.”  

Marie handed her report card to Damian.  

Damian took it with an impassive expression and reviewed it.  

“What kind of reaction will he have?”  

This moment—  the one she had dreamed of for years, imagining over and over—was finally unfolding before her eyes.  

In her daydreams, Damian had sometimes smiled brightly, other times glared coldly.  

But either way, it didn’t matter to her.  

That’s what Marie thought.  

Then—  

“You’ve changed, Marie.”  

Damian folded the report card neatly and handed it back to her as he spoke.  

His words were completely unexpected.  

“Are you talking about my grades?”  

“No, I mean your vibe.”  

Marie tilted her head in confusion at Damian’s remark.  

At that moment, Damian gave a faint smile.  

It was a smile she hadn’t seen from him in a long time.  

“Your grades are impressive, but I like this change in you even more.”  

“…Uh, what part do you mean?”  

“You’ve always clung to me too much ever since we were kids.”  

“Oh…”  

“It feels like that’s changed, and it’s nice to see. I’m prouder of that than your grades.”  

From her brother’s mouth came the praise she had longed for so desperately.  

But it wasn’t because of her grades.  

It was her changed demeanor.  

Marie, who had once blindly chased after her brother, no longer did so.  

And Damian, who had pushed her away before, now smiled and patted her head, saying,  

“Good job.”  

They grew closer.  

She had finally achieved the scene she’d dreamed of.  

“Sniff… Th-thank you.”  

Tears flowed naturally.  

But unlike before, these weren’t sad tears shed in longing for Damian’s attention.  

They were tears of joy.  

Damian looked at Marie with a warm expression and said,  

“Is this thanks to that guy from before?”  

That guy.  

At those words from Damian, Marie swallowed hard, her cheeks flushing again.  

Damian, as if he understood something, turned and walked away.  

“He’s a good friend. If you invite him over to the house sometime, we can have a meal together.”  

Clunk.  

The door closed, leaving Marie alone on the rooftop.  

Damian was gone.  

Normally, that fact would have left her feeling empty and anxious deep down.  

But now—  

Thump, thump.

“Ugh…?”  

Marie raised a hand to her chest, clutching it tightly, her face flushed.  

The emptiness that should have been there was instead filled with warmth.  

Even now, Emil’s face lingered in her mind.  

“All that’s left now… is the confession.”  

***

A confession.  

Telling Emil how she felt.  

When she first realized her feelings for Emil, Marie had resolved to confess to him.  

She had definitely made that decision…  

“But… how do you even confess?”  

The moment she tried to act on it, Marie’s mind spun into chaos, her ability to think clearly slipping away.  

The strongest emotion surging within her was anxiety.  

The unease she used to feel toward Damian was now directed at Emil.  

“Is it okay to confess…? What if he rejects me…? What if he hates me…?”  

Countless worries that hadn’t crossed her mind when it was just a vague goal now loomed before her.  

They blocked her path.  

In truth, there was no guarantee her confession would succeed.  

But even so, Marie wanted to express her feelings.  

“It’s okay…”  

So she tried to calm herself, reassuring herself inwardly.  

“It’ll be fine.”  

Her basis for this was her memories with Emil.  

The warm smile he’d given her, the encouraging voice that cheered her on when she was anxious.  

“Emil definitely… sees me in a good light too.”  

Drawing on those memories, she dispelled her worries.  

“Hoo…”  

She wanted to become Emil’s lover.  

She wanted him to be hers alone.  

To make that happen, she had to confess.  

If she didn’t, nothing would change.  

“Okay…!”  

With a small voice, Marie steeled her resolve and stood up from her seat.  

It was after school.  

Today, the midterm results had been released.  

Most study groups were taking time to celebrate their hard work and support for one another.  

Marie’s study group was no exception.  

So she moved to the annex building, heading toward their meeting spot.  

Slide…  

With a trembling heart, she opened the classroom door. There, the usual members were seated.  

“Oh, Marie~! How’d the exams go?”  

Sierra greeted her brightly with a cheerful smile.  

Emil, already knowing her results, smiled warmly at her.  

“Malcolm… isn’t here.”  

Her childhood friend was absent from his seat.  

It was something she’d expected, though.  

He hadn’t been participating in the study group lately, so she figured he wouldn’t show up today either.  

But right now, Malcolm wasn’t what mattered.  

Calming her racing heart, Marie smiled as naturally as she could and approached them.  

“Yeah! They went totally fine!”  

She casually took the seat next to Emil.  

After that, light chatter flowed, mostly centered around Sierra.  

The conversation revolved around congratulations and checking grades.  

“But how did you do this time, Sierra?”  

Marie asked something she’d been curious about during the exchange.  

After all, Sierra had always thrown herself into studying, declaring each time, “I’m going to take first place this time!”  

In response to Marie’s question, Sierra grinned and showed her report card.  

“Ta-da!”  

She looked proud.  

Marie checked the ranking section of the report card.  

There, the number “2” was clearly written.  

“Wow, amazing! Second place again! …Oh.”  

“Yeah, I did well, but I failed.”  

“Oh, no, it’s fine, Sierra. You’ll definitely get first next time!”  

“Haa… I wonder…”  

Sierra let out a small sigh at Marie’s comforting words.  

Then, with a slightly dissatisfied smile, she glared at the guy sitting next to Marie.  

“There’s just someone too unshakable standing in the way.”  

Startled, Marie glanced beside her.  

Emil, now the target of both girls’ gazes, gave an awkward smile, looking a bit uncomfortable.  

“Emil got first again… That’s incredible…”  

Of course, she’d expected Emil to do well.  

But to take first place yet again—it was almost too impressive.  

“Can someone like me… really confess to him?”  

Marie suddenly felt the gap between herself and Emil.  

Anxiety began creeping back into her mind.  

“No, no…!”  

She shook her head lightly, brushing those worries aside.  

She couldn’t hesitate.  

She had to take a step forward with courage.  

Someone as amazing as Emil could easily be taken by someone else if she didn’t act.  

“Um…! Since we all worked so hard together this time…! How about we do something to celebrate?”  

As the conversation started winding down, Marie brought up an idea she’d prepared in advance.  

“To celebrate? Like what?”  

Both of them looked at her with curious expressions.  

“How about we go out for dinner? I know a good place. What do you think?”  

Marie answered as naturally as she could.  

Then—  

“Hmm… Dinner, huh…”  

Hearing her response, Sierra smiled with a subtle expression.  

What’s she thinking? Marie wondered.  

“Sorry, I don’t think I can go.”  

Sierra apologized with a playful grin.  

“Huh? W-Why not…?”  

“Yeah, I’ve got a prior commitment. I’m really sorry… It’s not that I don’t want to go, but it’s something really important…”  

“Oh… I see.”  

Marie’s face fell at the unexpected response.  

If Sierra can’t go… then Emil might not either…?  

If her plan fell apart, she wouldn’t be able to confess today.  

But then—  

“Instead! You two should go!”  

“Huh…?”  

Sierra said brightly with a cheerful smile.  

She gave Marie a knowing look and a subtle grin.  

It was a gaze that seemed to understand something.  

Marie felt a quiet wave of emotion.  

Sierra…  

She realized it right away.  

Sierra had picked up on her feelings and was stepping aside to give her a chance.  

“Well, good job everyone, and I’ll head out first! Let’s all go together next time! Bye!”  

With that, Sierra waved at them with a mischievous smile and left.  

Marie and Emil, left standing awkwardly in the hallway, waved back at Sierra.  

Then, they quietly turned to look at each other.

“Shall we go?”  

Emil, meeting Marie’s eyes, smiled gently and said so.  

“Uh, y-yeah…”  

Thanks to Sierra’s help, they naturally ended up going on a date, just the two of them.  

That realization made Marie feel her heart pounding wildly.  

Now, I-I really have to do it…?  

Steeling herself,  

having run countless simulations in her mind,  

Marie left the academy with Emil and headed to a restaurant downtown.  

The meal was excellent.  

It had to be.  

Last weekend, when she should’ve been focused on studying, she’d taken the time to scout out a good place.  

“I didn’t even know a place like this existed.”  

“Is it good…?”  

“Yeah, I like it.”  

“Hehe, that’s a relief…”  

Seeing Emil enjoy the food she’d ordered, Marie smiled shyly.  

After that, the two of them chatted happily about various topics.  

“So, I even got praised by my brother.”  

She didn’t forget to mention what had happened with Damian.  

After all, Emil’s help had played a big part in that.  

When she told him things seemed to be improving with Damian, Emil genuinely rejoiced for her.  

Seeing that reaction,  

Marie caught a glimmer of hope.  

It’ll be okay…  

Of course, a slight unease still lingered, but with the pleasant conversation and the warm atmosphere, as they went on this date and she observed Emil, she didn’t feel like he’d reject her.  

“There’s something on your cheek, Marie.”  

“Huh? Oh…!”  

Feeling Emil’s gentle touch as he wiped her cheek with a napkin, Marie thought her heart might burst.  

It was becoming unbearable.  

I like him…  

She wanted to tell Emil these pounding feelings right away.  

I like you… Emil.  

And she wanted to hear it from him too.  

I like you…  

She wanted to hear that he felt the same way.  

So, after dinner, on the way back to the dorms that evening, as they walked together under the moonlight, Marie stopped Emil.  

“W-Wait a sec…”  

She grabbed his clothes with her hand and lowered her head.  

Her racing heart and burning face made it impossible to look at him directly.  

But—  

“I… have something I want to say to Emil.”  

No matter how embarrassed or nervous she was, she couldn’t hold back these feelings any longer. 

Summoning her courage, Marie lifted her head.  

“What is it?”  

Emil was still looking at her with that kind smile.  

Even though it was a dark evening under the moonlight, his smile was so dazzling it was hard to meet his gaze.  

But Marie didn’t look away.  

Holding back the tears that threatened to spill from her nerves, she forced her mouth open.  

“Th-This time… Emil helped me so much.”  

“Yeah.”  

“So… I’m really grateful. Thank you…”  

“It’s no big deal.”  

But the true feelings she wanted to express wouldn’t come out.  

This isn’t it…?  

Her cheeks flushed, and she clenched her trembling hands tightly.  

This wasn’t what she meant to say.  

Of course, she was thankful to him,  

but that wasn’t the message she wanted to convey.  

So, one more time.  

Marie took a deep breath, closed her eyes tightly, and shouted—  

“So I… I-I like you, Emil!”  

She blurted it out loudly, worried he might not hear.  

After shouting,  

I said it…!  

Realizing there was no turning back, Marie kept going without hesitation.  

“I like how kind Emil is to me…! It’s not sudden…! I’ve felt this way for a while now…”  

No response came from Emil.  

Is he waiting for me?  

Thinking that, Marie poured out every bit of her heart.  

“So…”  

Just one more line.  

If she could take this one step, that would be it.  

“So… I want to be in a good relationship with you, Emil…”  

Thump, thump, thump.  

Her heart raced like never before.  

Her face burned, and her eyes reddened with tension.  

She was overwhelmed with the urge to run away, but she couldn’t.  

She had to hear Emil’s answer.  

And then—  

“Marie.”  

Emil gave a soft smile in response to her heartfelt confession.  

That smile made Marie feel a flicker of hope.  

It worked, she thought to herself prematurely.  

But—  

“I’m sorry, I don’t think that’s possible.”  

“…Huh?”  

The answer that came back was cruel, far from what she’d hoped for.  

***

Author’s Note:  

Thank you for reading!  

If you enjoyed it, I’d appreciate a like, bookmark, and comment!  

Comments especially give me a lot of motivation to keep writing! Thank you.