Chapter 249

*Clank!*

Hiresia, having finally emptied the last dessert plate, dropped her spoon and fork with a clatter.

Her expression was…

Halfway to losing her soul.

“…”

“…”

“I-I survived.”

“Cough, cough!”

“W-Water.”

“H-Here!”

I quickly poured cold water into Hiresia’s empty glass.

She gulped it down.

Her complexion slowly returned to normal.

I held my breath and cautiously observed her.

I had been relentlessly pushing forward, but now that it was over, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

*Clank!*

The elf senior put down her glass.

Her gaze was fixed on the ceiling.

She spoke softly.

“If you have something to say, say it now.”

“Huh?”

I blinked, confused.

And then she dropped a bombshell.

“The professor told you to break up with me, didn’t she? That’s why you’re doing this, to dump me.”

“Cough, cough, cough, cough!”

I choked on air, caught off guard by her unexpected words.

I felt like I was going to throw up.

“It’s okay. I was prepared for this, so just tell me.”

W-What do you mean it’s okay?

My ears were trembling!

…And it wasn’t even true!

I quickly patted myself on the back to calm my coughing and said,

“No, no. Absolutely not! Never!”

“…Really?”

“Yes, 100% real!”

The elf senior’s trembling ears finally calmed down.

She looked relieved.

But then she glared at me.

“Then why did you make me eat that?”

“Well, as I explained earlier…”

“Hmm.”

“…It’s true.”

“It’s true?”

“…Yes, it’s true.”

“You sound unsure.”

“It’s true.”

“Hmm. Alright. I’ll believe you.”

“Thank you.”

There had been a major misunderstanding at the end, but it seemed like things had worked out.

I was relieved.

It was completely dark outside now.

The cozy lighting created a romantic atmosphere.

It was the perfect setting for a couple to have a heartfelt conversation.

…But because of what had just happened, I wasn’t sure what to say.

I silently observed Hiresia.

She was resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

The lighting made her look even more beautiful.

My heart skipped a beat.

My gaze instinctively drifted downwards, and I saw the cleavage revealed by her see-through dress.

H-Her bust was bigger than I thought… No!

I quickly looked away, my face burning.

…It was hard to control my gaze.

It was then.

Hiresia spoke softly.

“Now that I understand you, it’s your turn to understand me, right?”

Her expression was serious.

“Yes, that’s right.”

I nodded seriously.

She wasn’t just saying that for confirmation.

What was she trying to say?

“Then let me tell you something.”

“Yes.”

“…”

“…”

Hiresia hesitated, as if she was having trouble finding the right words.

Was it that difficult to say?

I wondered, my eyes filled with curiosity.

She spoke again.

“I told you I’m going back to my hometown next week, right?”

“Yes.”

“How about you come with me? If you do, I’m sure you’ll be able to understand me.”

“Huh?”

My eyes widened in surprise.

The elf senior’s hometown was the Forgotten Forest.

I had played this game countless times, but I had never set foot there.

Because it was forbidden to humans.

And she was asking me to accompany her?

This wasn’t a casual request.

It was something special.

That’s why she had hesitated before bringing it up.

So I didn’t answer immediately.

“The Forgotten Forest.”

“Yes.”

“I heard that even elves, let alone humans, are forbidden from entering…”

“That’s right.”

Hiresia confirmed.

It meant that it was truly the land of the World Tree and a select few high elves.

It was the most forbidden of forbidden lands.

“It sounds like a sacred place.”

“Sacred is a term used by the church. We call it the Forest of Life.”

“Ah, I see.”

I had learned something new.

But that wasn’t important.

I asked directly.

“…Am I allowed to enter such a place?”

“Normally, no. But… as my guest, it’s possible.”

Huh?

Did she just hesitate for a moment?

Was it just my imagination?

No, it couldn’t be.

…Her ears were twitching like a rabbit’s, senior.

I chuckled inwardly and asked again.

“Um, what exactly do you mean by ‘guest’?”

“M-Meaning?”

Hiresia’s face flushed bright red.

It was obvious now.

I had hit a nerve.

…What did she mean?

I stared at her intently.

“Yes, meaning. The exact meaning.”

“Wh-Why are you asking?”

“Because I want to know. I need to know to make a clear decision, don’t I?”

“I-Is that so?”

“Yes, it is. So please answer me.”

“Ugh, a-alright.”

Hiresia surrendered, unable to withstand my pressure.

I waited for her answer, my ears perked up.

“A-A guest is a guest…”

“Would you like some more pineapple pizza?”

I smiled.

“Eek?”

The elf senior flinched.

…She really was afraid of pineapple pizza.

“N-Not that…”

“Ah, I’m just kidding. How could I do that to you? But it would be sad if it wasn’t a joke.”

“Sob.”

The threat of pineapple pizza seemed to have worked.

She spoke hesitantly.

“A-A guest like family…”

…For a moment, I thought it was an insult.

Because my mind was still stuck in the corporate world, where “family-like” was often a euphemism for something negative.

But it had to be a good thing, right?

Wait.

Family…?

I blinked rapidly, realizing something.

“Senior.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Do you mean a special guest, like family, or…”

“…”

“…”

*Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp.*

Hiresia suddenly grabbed her glass and chugged down the water.

*Clank!*

She slammed the glass down and said in a frustrated voice,

“Ugh, seriously! I even ate that poisonous pineapple pizza!”

“…”

P-Poisonous was a bit much…

I was shaken, my favorite food being insulted like that.

“I understood you so much, so you better understand me without complaining!”

…It seemed like the small ball I had thrown had come back to me as a bigger one.

No, it wasn’t a small ball, it was a huge one.

Both the pineapple pizza and my visit to the Forgotten Forest were huge deals.

Empathy and taking responsibility for my actions.

It seemed like I had to deal with the situation I had created, regardless of my schedule.

“…Calm down, calm down. Now that I think about it, you’re absolutely right.”

“Hmph, right?”

“Yes, yes. So I’ll gladly accompany you to understand you better.”

“Hmph, y-you should have said so earlier.”

It was practically forcing her to accept my offer, but Hiresia couldn’t hide her joy.

It made me even more certain that I was right about the meaning behind her words.

Well, it didn’t matter much, since I had already decided to go all the way with her, no matter what.

Anyway.

“Senior.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for eating my inadequate food today.”

“Hmph, of course you should be grateful. I ate that poison.”

“…”

It wasn’t poison!

“The food was… questionable, but I’m glad I was able to say what I wanted to say.”

Ah, so that was it.

She had probably been thinking about it for a while, and she had seen this as an opportunity.

My actions had unintentionally provided her with a chance.

Thinking about it that way, it seemed like today’s events weren’t entirely bad for the elf senior.

I was slightly relieved.

Of course, I still felt guilty.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

I replied with a smile.

And so, our eventful first dinner date came to an end.

* * *

I applied for a special leave the next day.

Because next week was fast approaching.

It would be processed in time.

As the best academy, their administrative system was very efficient.

“Now then.”

I sat down on a bench in the courtyard, lost in thought.

I needed to organize my thoughts.

“First, the clear condition failed.”

I had managed to fulfill one of the difficult conditions, but it wasn’t enough to clear it.

It meant there were more conditions to meet.

It was disappointing, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything.

I had to be content with the fact that my relationship with the elf senior seemed to have deepened after that chaotic dinner date.

And there was one more thing that had resulted from that dinner date.

Accompanying her on her trip home.

My first visit to the Forgotten Forest.

“Something’s off.”

I narrowed my eyes.

It wasn’t the visit itself that bothered me.

It probably wasn’t a dangerous place.

But.

“The timing…”

I had prevented Regina’s blackening, but she wasn’t the only one who could blacken.

Hiresia could also blacken.

Her personality would change completely.

To the point where it was hard to believe she was the same person.

I remembered her becoming so cold and distant that it was difficult to even talk to her.

The problem was that I didn’t know the cause.

It was only natural, since I had never been close enough to her to know.

But the timing…

I could make an educated guess about the timing.

Of course, I couldn’t be sure.

But I could narrow it down.

And coincidentally, next week, the week of Hiresia’s trip home, fell within that timeframe.

Was it just a coincidence?

That she would be away from the academy during that time?

And normally, no one would be able to accompany her.

“It’s highly likely…”

I came to a conclusion.

This was an event.

A special event.

An event that I could only participate in because I had successfully built a deep relationship with Hiresia.

It all fit too perfectly.

“I need to be prepared.”

I didn’t know what would happen, when, or where.

Maybe nothing would happen.

But one thing was certain: I had to be prepared.

I stood up, my mind made up.

* * *

My safe house, which also served as my base of operations.

This time, three of us were gathered there.

Regina, Hiresia, and me.

Hiresia looked nervous.

She fidgeted with the teacup in front of her.

I also waited anxiously for a positive response.

After experiencing countless multi-pronged bad endings, it was an automatic reflex.

*Sip.*

Regina calmly took a sip of her coffee.

She looked like she wanted to smoke, but she seemed to be holding back in front of Hiresia.

*Clank.*

“I’ve thought about it carefully.”

When Regina said she had thought about it carefully, it meant she had really thought about it carefully.

“…”

“…”

We held our breath, waiting for her to continue.

“And I’ve come to the conclusion that you can’t control people’s hearts. Ah, I apologize. I should add, high elf hearts as well.”

“Ah.”

Hiresia’s expression softened.

My expression also relaxed.

It was clear that a positive response was coming.

“So I’ll accept your relationship. And I’ll even cheer for you. I can’t help but want to cheer for Lady Hiresia.”

“Sob, P-Professor!”

Hiresia burst into tears and rushed into Regina’s arms.

*Hug.*

She hugged Regina tightly.

…This was a rare sight.

“Sob, I-I’ll cheer for you too! I-I want to cheer for you too, Professor!”

…Wasn’t this a reversal of roles?

Regina chuckled, unable to contain her amusement.

As expected of the elf senior.

This wouldn’t have worked with anyone else.

In fact, I couldn’t even imagine such a heartwarming scene with any other woman…

“Thank you.”

I expressed my gratitude sincerely.

Huh?

Regina looked at me with an odd expression.

“Of course. I rushed over here so you two could enjoy your trip.”

“Hic!”

“C-Cough, cough!”

“I’m just kidding.”

“S-Sorry, h-hic! Sorry, hic!”

“Cough, cough, cough!”

“No, it’s really okay. I was just kidding. But it would be better if you told me in advance next time.”

“I-I was going to, hic! I-I swear, hic!”

“Cough, cough, cough, cough!”

…There had been a commotion at the end, but it had all worked out in the end.

Really…