Chapter 145: Cheerleading Squad (1)

-“Uh, um, Sion… are you really going to do it? Seriously?”

From behind Sion, who was heading toward the classroom, Exia asked anxiously.

“A performance, right? That means dancing or singing in front of everyone? You’re really going to do that? You, of all people?”

“Why not? I have two arms and two legs, all in working order.”

-“I mean, physically, it’s not impossible, but…”

Just how does this person’s sense of shame work?

Does she not feel even the slightest embarrassment about singing and dancing in front of everyone while in a woman’s body?

Even though I am originally a woman, just imagining having to do something like that in front of a crowd makes my face turn bright red.

But for some reason, Sion showed no sign of concern.

She simply shrugged and said,

“Well, I don’t know exactly what a cheer squad is, but isn’t it something like a military band?

Judging by the phrase ‘boosting morale through performances,’ that seems about right.

If that’s the case, I can handle it just fine. You don’t need to worry.”

Though she wasn’t sure about the modern era, 500 years ago, when Sion was active on the battlefield, military bands were quite common within army units.

When war broke out and people’s spending habits became more conservative, wandering bards had no choice but to seek refuge in the military to make a living.

And in reality, songs played by well-trained bards had the effect of enhancing physical abilities.

Since the interests of both groups aligned well, it was common to see bards in the army during wartime.

There were even tales of certain battlefields where the chorus of bagpipes was louder than the sound of cavalry hooves.

Since Sion understood the sports festival as a kind of mock tactical training, she naturally assumed that the cheer squad was something similar to a military band.

And, in fact, she wasn’t entirely wrong.

If you trace its origins, modern cheer squads did evolve from military bands.

It’s just that the transformation along the way was far greater than Sion imagined.

Much, much greater.

Of course, at this point, Sion had no way of knowing that.

“That aside, how should I handle this now…”

Sion placed a hand to her mouth, deep in thought.

“As a hero, I have my reputation to consider. If I voluntarily step up for an entertainer’s role, I’ll surely draw some critical stares.

The best scenario would be for someone else to force me into joining the cheer squad, making it seem like I had no choice but to go along with it…”

-“You’re coming up with something strange again. Who in the world could even do that?

From first-years to third-years, everyone is too busy watching your every move.”

Forget encouraging her to join the cheer squad—there were barely a handful of people who could even bring themselves to talk to Sion.

It wasn’t just that she radiated an aura of untouchability; more importantly, anyone considered “unworthy” who approached her with impure intentions would immediately be dragged away by the shadowy student organization for ideological re-education.

There was a reason her circle of acquaintances within the academy was limited to just four people of royal status.

Yet, Sion smiled faintly, as if she had no concerns about that at all.

“That’s not a problem. There’s one person, isn’t there?

Someone who would go absolutely crazy over the mere suggestion of my interest in this…”

As she spoke, Sion recalled the face of a certain pink-haired, utterly devoted lesbian girl.

A perfect candidate to exploit in this situation.

That afternoon, after class.

“Onee-sama~ What are you looking at? Something interesting?”

“Oh, Princess.”

The moment classes ended, Isabella ran up to Sion, hugged her from behind, and rubbed her cheek against her.

It was a routine occurrence that played out every day.

Smiling, Sion waved the pamphlet in her hand.

“I was just looking over the sports festival event guide that Lady Lavender handed out during lunch.

Since we’re all required to participate in at least one event, I was checking to see which ones caught my interest.

There are quite a few fun-looking ones.

Like the cavalry battle, where several people carry one person while moving around, or the three-legged race, where two people tie their legs together and run…”

Sion casually glanced at the last section of the pamphlet and muttered as if in passing,

“Or this cheer squad thing, maybe.”

Her strategy was simple—subtly express interest in the cheer squad in front of Isabella, prompting her to excitedly exclaim, “Then why don’t you join?!”

Since she was absolutely infatuated with her, there was no way she’d miss this golden opportunity.

She’d definitely get overly excited and jump at the idea.

Then, Sion would play coy, act embarrassed, and pretend to be hesitant before eventually giving in, making it seem like she had no choice but to participate.

A perfect plan.

Or at least, that’s what she thought.

But…

“…R-really?”

For some reason, after checking the pamphlet, Isabella had the exact opposite reaction of what Sion had anticipated.

Not excitement, but hesitation and anxiety.

Oh, you’re so diligent, as expected.

You’re already checking out the events for the sports festival.

But isn’t there no need to rush?

We only have to finalize it three days before the event, right?

There’s still plenty of time to think about it slowly~ Ahaha…

“…?”

Sion frowned slightly.

What’s with this blatantly unnatural reaction?

“I’m just looking out of curiosity. Why are you reacting like that?

Would deciding early cause some kind of disadvantage?”

“Uh? Oh, uh… yeah! A disadvantage, totally!

If you decide on your events too early, the information could leak somehow and end up in the hands of the opposing team.

Since the event selection for the sports festival has a bit of a strategic aspect, it’s better to decide as late as possible.

Especially for someone like you, who’s a key… asymmetric asset to the team.”

“Hmm…”

It wasn’t an unreasonable excuse.

If she were in the opponent’s position, she’d definitely send in some throwaway participants to block off an event if they knew a strong competitor was participating.

Sion’s presence was practically the equivalent of a gun in an elementary school rock-paper-scissors match.

No matter who she faced, she would win.

Yet, despite Isabella’s explanation making sense, Sion still felt uneasy.

The excuse itself was logical, but the way she said it was suspicious.

There was no real reason to be that flustered.

Was there something she was hiding?

Maybe I should press her a little more.

“Well, even if what you say is true, just looking ahead a bit should be fine, right?

It’d help me figure out which events I’d be most effective in, and which ones wouldn’t be worth bothering with.

Or maybe…”

Sion glanced at the pamphlet.

“Something like this cheer squad also looks pretty fun.

Performing is basically about boosting the energy of the sports festival by singing or dancing in front of everyone, right?

I think it could be an interesting experience to try at least once. It’s not something you get to do often.”

As she spoke, Sion carefully observed Isabella’s reaction.

If she was really the princess Sion knew, then throwing out this bait would definitely get a reaction.

There was no way she wouldn’t react when Sion of all people was talking about singing.

Even if she opposed it, saying something like “Only I get to hear you sing!”, she would at least show some kind of passionate response.

It was impossible for her to just pass over it indifferently.

And yet…

“Oh, uh… yeah, I guess so.”

Isabella responded unenthusiastically, turning her head to the side.

She looked like she wanted to get out of this conversation as soon as possible.

“…..”

The moment Sion saw that expression, she was sure of it.

Isabella was hiding something.

There was something she couldn’t tell Sion, which was why she was acting so strangely.

Of course, now that she had figured out that much, there was no such thing as keeping a secret from her.

Sion quietly cast a spell in her mind.

Detect Thoughts.

A thin, blue thread connected her and Isabella.

Following that thread, Isabella’s thoughts began to flow into her mind—along with an overwhelming wave of panic that made even Sion flinch.

‘Oh, oh no no no, what do I do?!?! If this keeps up, she’s gonna find out!!!

Isn’t there some way to stall until it’s confirmed? Can’t those twins barge into the classroom or something??’

Find out?

Find out what?

Sion stared at Isabella in silence for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth.

“Princess.”

“Y-yeah?”

“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”

“!?”

Her twin-tails shot straight up into the air.

Wait, they could move like that?

Interesting.

But now wasn’t the time to be fascinated by bizarre physics.

Sion narrowed her eyes at Isabella.

“Whatever it is, spill it. Now.

I’ll go easier on you if you confess right away.”

“H-hide something? Me? No, I would never—”

“If you keep pretending, I’m really going to get mad.”

“…..”

It was over.

At this point, there was no way for Isabella to escape.

She immediately dropped to her knees and bowed her head to the ground.

“I-I’M SOOOORRY!!!!!

I secretly signed you up for the cheer squad under your name!!!!

I just really, really wanted to see you in a cheerleader outfit…I’m sorry!

Please forgive meeee!!!”

And there it was.

A bombshell confession.

Sion looked down at the princess, who was groveling on the ground, in complete disbelief.

One single thought filled her mind.

‘…Is she actually insane?’

She was truly something else.

In many, many ways.