Chapter 188
Someone suddenly appeared in front of her as she barely managed to leave the Dance Club building, hugging the basket with both arms. Then they abruptly took the basket from her and said, "Why are you struggling alone?"
It was Damian who appeared in front of her. Trisha's face lit up.
"Damian!"
Despite her warm welcome, Damian held the basket in one hand and looked at the Dance Club building with a grim face for a moment.
"What's wrong, Damian? Did something happen?"
As Trisha stared at him with wide eyes, he turned his head back and said, "What errand is this?"
"I collected the clothes the Dance Club borrowed!"
"You're carrying all this by yourself?"
Damian's tone was quite serious. Though she could have complained, Trisha answered calmly, "It's okay! First-years take turns doing chores like this."
"...I'll carry it for you."
"Let's carry it together, one side each!"
Trisha stood next to Damian and grabbed the basket handle together.
Damian walked silently for a while, lost in thought, then said, "Do the Dance Club people dislike you because you're in the Drama Club?"
"I rejected their offer to join the Dance Club at the beginning of the semester and joined the Drama Club instead. Well, I'm a pretty and good Drama Club member, so I should endure it!"
"...By the way, this is perfect timing. Since we met, let me ask you. What exactly did you tell Cecil about me?"
Trisha avoided Damian's gaze and said, "I didn't... say much."
"So what did you say?"
"I just said we eat together, hang out, and sometimes even share a bed!"
Damian closed his eyes tightly for a moment and then opened them.
"Is that all?"
"And! I also said that while we were playing, you, you, um, accidentally touched my sensitive spot."
"...What did I touch?"
"My sensitive spot!"
When she shouted loudly, other students passing by looked at them strangely.
Damian said, sounding wronged, "Is your wrist the most sensitive?"
"Not there! You touched there anyway. Dummy."
"When?"
"When we were playing in the water before!"
"Playing in the water?"
"When we saw the unicorn! When we fell into the water together, you touched my body while flailing around!"
Damian stared into the distance silently for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. His attitude suggested that the body touching wasn't the important part.
"Don't say strange things to Cecil anymore."
"Why! I didn't lie. And I let you off easy. If I had told my family about what you did, you would have been in big trouble. They really wouldn't have let it slide."
"Right, thank you so much."
Seeing Damian's indifferent attitude, she felt inexplicably annoyed.
"...Hmph."
Damian sighed deeply and changed the subject.
"By the way, are you getting along well with the Drama Club people?"
"Yeah, but these days everyone's talking about ball partners instead of club activities."
"Partners?"
"Everyone's ignoring classes and talking about that wherever you go. Who became partners with whom. Who got rejected. Who betrayed whom. They're just talking about these things!"
"Really?"
"They keep bothering me too. Asking who my partner is. Who I want as a partner. They ask every day! It's so annoying."
As she said this, Trisha glanced at Damian. When he looked at her without much concern, she turned her head away again.
"Trisha, who are you going with?"
"I don't know. I'm not keen unless it's someone I'm close to. I don't know how to dance well, so I hope we'd be in sync!"
"..."
"You must be worrying a lot too, Damian. You'll have to take off your mask at the ball, so you probably don't have anyone close!"
"I'll have to think about it. I'll need to... learn how to dance too."
"Teach me too if you learn how to dance!"
"I'm in a position where I need to find someone to teach me."
By now, the two had arrived in front of the Drama Club’s small theater building. Trisha took the basket from him and went to the door alone.
"I'll take it from here! Outsiders aren't allowed to enter the Drama Club freely! Take care!"
She didn't give him time to say goodbye separately. She entered the small theater, leaving Damian standing there dazed.
As soon as she closed the door, carrying the large load alone, a male classmate from the Drama Club ran up to her.
"Trisha!"
He stood in her way, fidgeting.
"Icarus, hello!"
"T-this, let me help you. It's heavy, right?"
"I'll just accept your kind thoughts! Can you move aside?"
"Don't be like that, let me help you, Trisha."
Icarus suddenly took her load. It seemed heavier than he expected, and he staggered for a moment, but he pretended to be calm, smiled, and walked ahead.
"We're going to the costume room, right?"
"..."
Trisha followed him reluctantly with a sour face.
They moved to the center of the costume room located behind the small theater stage and put down the basket. He caught his breath and glanced at Trisha, trying to start a conversation.
"Did you carry this heavy thing alone?"
"No! A friend helped me. Well, I'm going now!"
As Trisha tried to leave, he urgently called out to stop her, "W-wait, Trisha!"
Trisha turned around abruptly.
"What?"
"During the 'Aesthetics of Deviation' play. How was my acting?"
She answered somewhat indifferently, "Um... it was pretty good."
"I thought our chemistry was good. Don't you think?"
"Um, I guess so."
"So... do you have anyone in mind as your ball partner?"
Trisha blinked quietly for a moment, then answered with a bright smile, "I'm going with a friend!"
***
After sending Trisha off, I was heading to the Art Club greenhouse.
I decided to think slowly about the matter with Cecil since there was still a lot of time left.
It was too early to jump to conclusions about Trisha's problem in the current situation.
Next is... meeting Sion, but honestly, I don't know what to do when I meet her. How should I call her out? Would Sion come out if I called her in a friendly tone like a friend?
It might be better to send a challenge for a real sword fight.
Meanwhile, I stopped for a moment where I could see the greenhouse in the distance. Thanks to the transparent glass walls, I could look inside even from afar.
The atmosphere inside, felt from a distance, was clearly different from usual.
Judging by all the other members gathered, it was the Art Club activity time, but I was concerned about an unfamiliar figure pacing inside.
Sensing something unusual, I approached the greenhouse more closely, staying on high alert.
And when I saw the figure of Art Club President Haley through the glass window, I couldn't believe my eyes.
She usually kept her blonde hair tightly tied back as if bothered to style it, but this time she had let her hair down, combed it neatly, and even wore a jeweled headband.
The luxurious dress with lots of frills that looked difficult to move in was a bonus.
Her usual casual, effortlessly styled appearance was gone, replaced by that of a noble family's young lady.
And next to Haley stood an old man wearing an imperial tunic with shoulders puffed up as if filled with air and a narrow waist.
It looked as if Haley was welcoming an important guest from far away.
Curious about this very different appearance, I carefully opened the greenhouse door and stepped inside.
Then Haley pointed at me and said, "Ah, here he comes. That's the new junior who joined the Art Club."
Usually, she would have just yelled, "Hey, First-year!!"
What on earth is going on?
The old man next to her stroked his donkey-tail-like mustache once, raised his chin high, and looked at me disapprovingly.
He glared at my face with a frown as if he had some grudge against me, then opened his mouth.
"There's a saying about keeping men and women separate. Don't you think that a vigorous young man suddenly entering this place full of ladies might create cracks in the quiet and scholarly atmosphere that has been maintained so far?"
Haley smiled gently and spoke in an uncharacteristically calm tone, "Junior Damian is also an unparalleled talent who trained under the Archmage Silveryn. He knows how to strictly separate public and private matters and leads the way in creating a studious atmosphere more than anyone, so he has rather become my role model."
Perhaps thanks to the mention of Teacher’s name, the old man cleared his throat and nodded in agreement.
"Ahem, Silveryn's disciple. I didn't recognize such an esteemed person."
Meanwhile, Vice-President Zenia, sitting in the back row, gestured towards me.
I nodded to Haley without saying anything and sat next to Zenia.
Zenia, too, wasn't in her usual revealing clothes, but wore a modest and calm white dress.
What on earth is going on here?
The Art Club’s atmosphere was also different from usual, heavy and solemn.
I leaned slightly towards Zenia and spoke quietly, "What's going on?"
"..."
Zenia just stayed still, her focus fixed on one spot, without answering.
Looking at Zenia's condition again, I realized she wasn't normal either.
Her face was flushed red. She was taking short breaths as if about to suffocate.
"...Senior?"
Only then did Zenia grit her teeth and answer with difficulty, "Don't, don't talk to me. I feel like I'm going to die laughing."
Zenia looked precarious as if a disaster would occur if she were nudged.
Soon after, Haley said to the old man, "...It's almost time for Art Club class. As you know, Eternia strictly limits observation by outsiders, except for a few invited guests."
"Ah, of course. I will report to the head of the family exactly as I saw. Ladies of the Art Club, Miss Zenia, and Miss Haley, who are like a bouquet of roses to the Empire, thank you for your precious time. Well then."
"Please give my regards to Father."
The old man bowed to Haley in the imperial style and then left the greenhouse.
The greenhouse remained quiet even after the old man left. Only after several minutes had passed, when his departing figure was no longer visible through the glass windows, did Zenia burst into laughter that she had been holding back.
"Puhaha!"
Zenia held her stomach and lay face down on the floor, bursting into laughter close to wailing. Seeing this, Haley clenched her teeth.
"Huhuhu, r-rose of the Empire, kekeke."
"Is that crazy bitch cracking up?"
"Kekeke. Huhuhu."
Zenia couldn't breathe. Haley roughly undid the shoulder straps of her dress and yelled at me, "Hey! First-year! Bring a stick. I'm going to crack that bitch's head open."
***
After the situation calmed down and while Haley went to change back into her usual clothes, I heard the full story from Vice-President Zenia.
"Haley's family is one of the most prestigious in the Empire, and they're so strict about their daughter's education that it's jaw-dropping."
Apparently, the family regularly sent retainers to check on Haley's condition as she lived alone far from her hometown.
"They're dead serious about home education and especially about boy problems. No physical contact with boys before an engagement is arranged. Being alone with a boy is also forbidden."
If Haley hadn't been accepted to Eternia, she would have been sent to an all-girls school.
"And of course, dancing with boys is forbidden too. The family knew it was ball season and deliberately sent a retainer."
"...What?"
"They're saying they'll provide a dance teacher dressed as a man, so don't have contact with boys at the ball. Haley's done this every year."
It was unexpected. I vaguely imagined that Haley, with her free-spirited and lively personality, had grown up in a family with liberal tendencies, but it was the opposite.
I understand why Haley was particularly irritable today.
"Is Senior Zenia okay? It seemed like your family was close to Senior Haley's."
"Me? My family is fine, but the situation is bad in another way. Want to see this?"
She stretched out one leg. Her right foot was blackened.
"What happened?"
"I got a bit injured during the sparring evaluation."
Looking at her condition, it seemed difficult for her to even walk properly, let alone dance.
"..."
Zenia looked closely at my facial expression as if finding it strange and said, "Huh? What's with you, First-year? Why do you look so disappointed? Is your heart breaking because your senior got hurt? Huh?"
It was disappointing. The fact that these two were in a bad situation meant that learning to dance from my few connections, the Art Club seniors, was out of the question.