Chapter 193 - Conspiracy (9)

Someone opened the door of the small theater and entered.

The students resting in the dimly lit audience seats were aware of the calm visitor but didn't outwardly show it.

Damian stood in the aisle of the audience seats, looking around.

Luna silently stood up from her seat. With her light blonde hair, she was easily noticeable.

Everyone was paying attention to how she would react.

Luna went to Damian and they talked in inaudible voices.

Then Luna quietly led Damian towards the prop room. It was a spacious area sometimes used for receiving guests.

The surrounding students who were carefully observing this scene opened their mouths after Luna and Damian disappeared.

"Is that really Luna?"

"It seems like she spoke at least twenty words."

"That's a new record."

Luna rarely talked with female students and never communicated more than a couple of words with male students.

This habit, combined with her mysterious abilities and appearance, made her seem like a protected species.

In this context, some male students couldn't help but be surprised by her unusual behavior towards Damian.

They let out complaints mixed with disappointment.

"She's only ever said 'move' to me until now. What's this about?"

"What's going on?"

"The sparring evaluation must have made a big impact."

"Ah, because of that time?"

***

Luna sat me in a small wooden chair that looked like a theater prop and heated water in a kettle with magic.

Without a word, she took out a teacup, handed it to me, and poured tea.

"This isn't necessary. I'll be leaving soon."

"Still... you're my first guest."

Luna sits across from me. Props were scattered around, but around where we sat, there was a small resting space, perhaps for entertaining guests.

"Um... You seem to be doing well in the Drama Club. I've been seeing that wolf friend of yours often lately, so I wondered if something was happening—"

Luna suddenly interrupted me, "...I didn't order it."

"...What?"

Luna cut me off and slightly avoided my gaze as she drank her tea with both hands. I didn't come to judge right or wrong, and she hadn't particularly caused any problems, but was I mistaken in thinking there was an air of feigning innocence?

Luna observed my reaction and continued, "No, nothing. More importantly... what brings you here?"

"I came to visit, partly to start pretending we're close."

She nods twice, as if satisfied.

"I see... Then, can I visit the Art Club too...?"

It was an unexpectedly proactive response.

I imagined in my head how Zenia and Haley would react to seeing a Drama Club member. It seemed fine, but since Haley was sensitive before and after the ball, I needed to be careful.

"Yes, but since the seniors don't welcome Drama Club members, come occasionally when there aren't many people around."

"I saw those Art Cluc seniors... in the infirmary before."

Luna covered her mouth with one hand and laughed silently as if something funny had happened.

"They're very energetic people. They're all good, but the Art Club is strongly cohesive while being hostile to members of other clubs."

"I can imagine..."

"How's the Drama Club? Do you get along well with members from other departments?"

"Yes..."

"...Trisha is in the same club too, right? Do you two get along well?"

Luna blinked at me, pondering for a moment before slowly shaking her head.

"..."

It was an honest answer.

"I see. I thought it might be because your personalities are so different."

She nodded silently. It felt like she was acknowledging that their personality differences were too great.

"I just thought it would be good if my few friends had some level of friendship with each other since we might have to do group evaluations like the circulatory system class again."

Luna's gaze dropped slightly. Thinking her mood might have worsened, I was about to change the subject when she said, "That... the two of us should be enough."

"..."

"Just looking at ability... that's how it is."

It wasn’t wrong. Luna and I achieved the highest score in the circulatory system practical evaluation.

I hesitated for a moment because I wondered if Trisha was such a bothersome presence to her.

There was no guarantee that Luna hadn't written Trisha's name on the list of uncomfortable people in the circulation system assessment. These two had opposite tendencies.

Just in case, I immediately asked about Trisha, "How is Trisha doing in the Drama Club?"

Luna thought for a moment and then calmly said, "She gets along well with everyone. She's energetic... dedicated to her roles and diligent."

Luna, who had only said good things, seemed to have something on her mind as her expression somewhat sank.

Sensing something strange, I probed deeper.

"...Is something happening with Trisha?"

The main purpose of my visit to the Drama Club was to find out about this issue.

Luna hesitated but eventually nodded.

"...Yes."

"Will you tell me?"

Luna nodded again.

"There are people bullying Trisha."

For a moment, I felt my blood boiling. Suppressing my anger, I asked, "Do you know who?"

"Yes... but it's not just one person."

***

I heard about Trisha from Luna.

"Trisha could have told the club president separately... but she doesn't seem to want that."

Luna had already seen through those who hated Trisha through her spirits.

There were three people in the Drama Club who were maliciously bullying Trisha.

The reason Luna couldn't readily report their bullying behavior was because Trisha didn't want that.

I was furious to the core, but I couldn't act recklessly.

This had a high possibility of turning into a faction fight among the girls.

There were only three whose hate actions were visible on the surface, but there might be those who tacitly agreed below the surface. There were no winners or losers here. There were only hurt people. There might be more people involved than Luna mentioned, and my intervention might not solve the problem.

If a professor or someone from another club intervened to take sides, it might even worsen the situation.

I had experienced something similar in the past at the Akates Temple. It was a conflict between Lisa and the other girls, where Lisa was in the position of a one-sided victim and had a perfect advantage in the tug-of-war of right and wrong, but she couldn't win.

Those children just hated Lisa. She was the only one there with special abilities and came from a prestigious family. She was noticeably beautiful and had a lot of greed and jealousy.

So she was hated by everyone, and there was no ending where everyone could be happy.

When I, who had maintained good relationships with everyone, took Lisa's side, they expelled me from the group as well.

Trisha's situation might be similar.

I finished my meeting with Luna and came out of the small theater. She escorted me to the front of the small theater.

"Thanks for telling me. Go back in now."

Luna hesitated in front of me for a moment. 

Perhaps she has more to say?

"Dami… an."

"Yes?"

"The ball... have you decided on a partner?"

"Not yet."

"I, I... haven't decided either."

Luna left those words and ran back into the small theater as if escaping.

"..."

It felt like there was more to say as if the conversation was cut off in the middle.

Still, even this much was enough to understand what kind of intention Luna was trying to convey.

If Luna attended the ball, there was no one else but me who could be her proper partner.

I was grateful that she opened her heart to me, but on the other hand, the pressure weighed heavily on me.

Feeling stifled, I stood still on the spot and sighed.

Someone would achieve what they wanted, and someone would be disappointed.

Is it possible to have an ending where everyone is happy here?

***

We practiced dancing in a small clearing prepared in a corner of the Eternia campus.

"What women fear most at a ball is becoming a wall flower."

Lilith answered my question while correcting my steps, patting my thighs with her palm. She was a strict teacher when it came to teaching.

"Wall flower?"

Lilith matched the rhythm again, entrusting her body to my movements.

"It refers to women who wait for an invitation from their desired partner but end up not receiving any invitations and spend the ball sitting quietly. They're called wall flowers, sitting still until it's almost over."

"That's sad."

"No, most of it is self-inflicted. There are cases where no one invites them, but most of the time, it's because they set their standards too high and reject all invitations until their desired man comes, and end up alone."

"What happens to the wall flowers after that?"

"What do you think? Those girls probably go home and cry their eyes out."

"Have you had such an experience?"

"I don't know how you'll see it, but I've always been a wall flower at Eternia."

This was a bit of an unexpected confession, as she didn't seem like that type.

"You must have been waiting for someone great."

"It's the opposite. I was waiting for an insignificant person. I have no desire to advance through men. To rise from my position, there's practically no one except royalty."

"You seem to have an open mind."

"Yes, I'm this open, but that person didn't even say a word to me, let alone propose to be together. He would chat with other girls, but he was cold only to me."

"How did you feel when he made you a wall flower and you saw that?"

Lilith slowly matched her steps and raised her head, looking up at me with sharp eyes.

"I wanted to kill him. I really wanted to kill him."

It was chilling to hear such words coming from a face that seemed so pure and innocent.

"..."

Hearing Lilith's experience, the images of Cecil and Luna, who had left subtle signals for me, flickered before my eyes.

What would happen if they became wall flowers? Luna would be greatly disappointed as it was the first time in her life she had opened her heart... and Cecil might completely break away from Candy.