episode_0021

Time passed again, and the morning of the festival finally dawned.

The Academy was more lively than usual for the grand event called the festival.

Well, it was a natural thing.

Aside from everyone’s increased tension due to the festival, there were simply more people today than usual.

Today is a rare day when a large number of outsiders enter the academy.

Although this does not mean that it is completely open to the outside world, it was a special event in itself for such a large number of outsiders to enter the tightly controlled academy.

Bringing in a large number of people from outside would not be possible in a normal academy, but the festival was one of the few exceptions.

Because the scale of the festival is large, a lot of materials and people are naturally needed.

Since many of the academy’s students were nobles who were not accustomed to working hard, they had no choice but to bring in outside personnel.

Anyway, the point is that the festival has finally begun.

And that meant that the promised morning had dawned.

I left the dormitory, passing Jack, who was showing off his cool, and headed to the meeting place, passing by people who were full of excitement and anticipation for the festival.

“Ah.”

I was planning to come out a little early, but it seems the other person had the same thought.

A familiar woman with rosy hair was standing there.

Wearing the same school uniform as usual, in the same atmosphere as usual.

The promised partner, Rachel Eldred.

“… … .”

If you look at her like this, she is definitely an eye-catching woman.

Even though they are wearing uniform uniforms that are the same as those around them, they can still attract attention like this.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t, but most eyes here were glancing at her.

This may certainly be due to the fact that the red hair that goes over her shoulders and down her back attracts attention, but it may not be the only reason. No, rather, that would just be an additional part.

The reason why this much attention is drawn is simply because she is a beauty.

Like a carefully crafted work of art, a unique elegance can be felt in the well-balanced facial features.

The face alone would attract a lot of attention, but that’s not the only thing that stands out.

Her height, which is slightly taller than the average for women, and her elongated body are definitely one of her strengths.

Moreover, the curves of her body are also quite feminine.

So much so that it feels somewhat unbalanced with her elegant atmosphere.

Those reasons come together to attract attention like this.

… Well, the point is that Rachel is a beauty.

Especially if you’re a man, you can’t help but notice it.

After looking at her for a while, I started walking towards her.

Because I couldn’t leave her standing like that forever.

“I’m sorry. It’s late.”

He called her in a calm voice.

Naturally, her head turned towards me, and my image was reflected in her large eyes, which were a little lighter in color than her hair.

“No. It hasn’t been long since I came here too.”

Her gesture of greeting me with a slight shake of her head naturally exuded elegance.

As the daughter of a great noble, she must have received strict training in etiquette from a young age.

Rachel’s behavior was no different from usual.

Well, it’s just a promise to look back on the festival together.

“Then, shall we go?”

“Yes.”

At my suggestion, she finally took her feet away from her seat.

So we started walking side by side.

Towards the area where the booths are spread out.

We just walked without much conversation, but it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

When I think about it, did I feel this way when I first met her?

I met her by chance on the terrace, and I remember saying nothing because I couldn’t overcome the awkwardness. I also remember regretting it right after I said those words.

Fortunately, she continued the conversation and was able to escape the awkwardness.

It was an unintentional meeting and conversation, but it wasn’t bad.

It’s a passing relationship, but memorable enough.

However, my relationship with her did not end with a mere passing.

Because she appeared in front of me again. In the form of being a victim of dungeon practice.

I hesitated, but eventually helped her.

After that, I really thought it was over. But even that expectation was wrong.

For some reason, she joined the Historical Research Club.

Through that process, we have arrived at where we are now.

When I think about it this way, I realize once again that things in the world don’t really go as expected.

When I first met her, I never imagined that I would face a situation like this.

So to speak, she herself was unexpected to me, but I never regret helping her.

‘What is it?’

I think about returning my sentimental mind to reality.

I made an appointment, but didn’t have a specific plan in mind.

I decided that I wouldn’t be bored if I just walked around without making a plan.

First of all, the area where the festival is held is vast and there are many booths.

If you take your time and look around, you might not be able to see everything even if it takes 3 days.

In addition, there are attractions hired or planned by the Academy here and there, so even if you don’t have a plan, there won’t be a big problem.

So, organizing my thoughts, I continued walking.

***

Jump and jump.

Walk at your own pace.

That unremarkable act created a pleasant resonance in my heart.

Forcing down her natural excitement, Rachel slowly shifted her gaze to the side.

There, she saw Wade, a man walking side by side with her.

The man with black hair and black eyes, which is rarely seen, was walking with a calm expression as usual.

That profile made her feel even more excited.

We just stand side by side and walk without much conversation.

It was nothing special, but everything about this moment felt new to Rachel.

It was also a natural thing. This was the first time we spent proper time alone like this.

The reason I joined the club in the first place was to get closer to him, but joining didn’t mean any dramatic progress occurred.

Should I say that we just see each other every few days and exchange a few words?

Considering the original purpose, the progress was extremely frustrating, but Rachel, the person in charge, was satisfied with that level.

This was partly because I was worried that a too sudden approach might lead to bad results, but more than that, I simply enjoyed the time and process itself.

All that needs to be done is to narrow the distance slowly.

Let’s get closer to him, little by little.

Rachel thought so.

That thought began to change after someone new joined the club.

okay. Ira Librion, ever since she came in.

At first, Rachel also welcomed Ira.

Because Aira did not feel the unique gaze that others had.

Unlike others who approached her based on her family name, not her, Aira’s eyes did not change even after learning that she was Eldrid.

I was happy about that fact.

Maybe I could make a proper friend, I thought.

But those expectations were soon dashed.

Exactly. At the point when I noticed that Ira’s gaze towards the man, Wade, was unusual.

I recognized it instinctively.

Ira has feelings for him that go beyond a crush.

Although it seemed like she hadn’t realized it yet, Rachel felt a great sense of crisis.

The thought that things should not continue like this pierced my mind.

From then on, Rachel’s perception of Ira changed.

Not as someone who might become a friend, but as a competitor.

I don’t know if the child noticed something or if it was unconscious, but at some point he started to be wary of her.

A subtle atmosphere surrounding the man thus arose.

If it had ended there, it would have been better.

When the famous princess of Reinberg began to show interest in him, his eyes turned dark.

Although it still seemed like it was just an interest, it was still a very dangerous situation.

Because the opponent was Estelle von Reinberg.

I felt like I couldn’t sit still any longer.

So Rachel took action.

I boldly asked him if I would go to the festival with him.

I was so nervous that my heart was jumping out of my mouth, but fortunately he accepted my offer.

At that time, I was really happy. I thought I had a big opportunity.

… After that, when various things happened and the schedule was changed to one day, I honestly felt a little depressed.

Anyway, through that process, we got to where we are now.

Although it was different from what she expected, Rachel still planned to use today as an opportunity.

Through today, through the stage of the festival, I planned to greatly narrow the distance between me and him.

Actually, I was quite worried at first.

The only thing he had from the beginning was his family, but now he is in a state where it is as if he has lost even his family.

Is it really okay to not give up my feelings for him?

I wonder if it’s all just my own selfish greed.

However, Rachel eventually shook off her concerns.

I learned directly from him that you should not give up just because the situation is difficult.

So she decided to move on. To not have any regrets.

I will definitely achieve great results today.

She promised so.

… but.

‘Well, what should I do… ?’

Since she was young, she had been raised under the strict supervision of her parents, so much so that she had only had a single conversation with a man, let alone had any dating experience.

If you don’t have experience, there is a way to fill the gap by gaining knowledge from books, but in her case, popular novels and writings were banned on the grounds that they were not good for education, so her indirect experience with heterosexual relationships was through The Princess and the Prince in the Forest. It stopped at the level of the fairy tale that appeared.

There was no way that she, even with her overflowing will, would suddenly be able to skillfully handle this situation.

Although she tried her best, she could not take the next step.

It was in the meantime.

Her and Wade’s hands brushed.

That was something that could have happened if they were walking side by side.

“Hey… … !”

She made a rare noise and took a step back in surprise.

“Hmm? Are you okay?”

Wade looked at her with puzzled eyes.

“… Hmm, it’s okay.”

Thanks to the fact that I did my best to pretend to be calm, he nodded and turned his head again, and the two resumed their walk.

Rachel also appeared to be normal on the outside.

‘Cow, cow, hand…’ … .’

His mind was completely white.

So much so that the ambitious plan from just a moment ago was blown away in an instant.

To that extent, the contact from earlier was too stimulating for her.

This wasn’t my first time contacting him.

During dungeon practice, there was contact that was incomparable to touching, and I was even hugged.

However, not only was there no time at the time due to the circumstances, but more than anything, the feelings I had for the other person were different between then and now.

That’s why Rachel couldn’t come to her senses at all.

After that, she tried several times to somehow control her emotions and approach him, but those attempts were fruitless.

Instead, she was just embarrassed and her face got hot.

Rachel Eldred.

It was an unfortunate fact for her, but compared to her ambition, her heart was too pure.