Chapter 29
How did Vita Shamal come to fall for Emily?
First of all, Emily was beautiful.
She had lake-blue eyes, soft, straight silver hair, and an elegant, mature bearing.
Surely that wasn't all?
Emily Swan was kind, and everything she said and did was exemplary.
In short, Emily was a schoolgirl like a swan, but Vita had fallen for her because of one particular incident.
After everyone else had gone home.
Vita remained alone in the classroom, trying to cool his anger.
“Damn it, again…”
He had lost again. It was the day Carlisle Schultz had taken first place from him yet again.
Just then, Emily Swan happened to enter the classroom. It seemed she had come to retrieve the bag she'd forgotten after finishing her club activities.
Perhaps she had been concerned about him as she slung her bag over her shoulder and was about to leave the classroom again.
Emily Swan approached him. A fresh scent of acacia suddenly filled his nose.
“Is something wrong…?”
Of course, Vita was flustered.
After all, he was somewhat awkward around girls, and to be honest, he wasn't particularly close to Emily either.
So Vita chose to hide his report card beneath his hand for no particular reason.
At that, Emily slightly shook her head and asked Vita,
“Is it because you came in second?”
Emily Swan smiled at Vita, whose eyes had widened.
“It's written all over your face. I mean, Vita, you're incredibly competitive even normally.”
“H-how…?”
How had she known?
“We're classmates, after all. There are ways to tell.”
Emily smiled.
“I know you always stay behind to study, and you run the hardest in every PE class, too. I think that kind of competitiveness is pretty great.”
Vita bit his lip.
“But if I still lost in the end, it means nothing.”
“Of course, you could think of it that way, but…”
Emily, who had thought for a moment, continued.
“Things in the world aren't always decided entirely by the result. If you grow by making an effort, isn't that enough?”
“Grow…?”
“You just have to be better today than yesterday, and tomorrow than today, right?”
After saying that, Emily wore a faint smile, as if even she found her own words a little silly.
“I guess I overstepped a little. It's just that Vita looking so down was kind of cute.”
“C-cute…?”
Vita normally hated those words more than anything.
“Anyway, goodbye! Don't be too discouraged. See you again tomorrow.”
“Y-yeah!”
As she left after giving him a bright farewell, his mind went a little blank.
Somehow, he felt as if his anger from moments ago had eased.
‘You just have to be better today than yesterday, and tomorrow than today, right?’
Emily's line, which sounded just like a famous quote from an anime, sank straight into his heart, and he suddenly realized something.
‘Right.’
Vita rekindled his determination. He couldn't keep getting discouraged like this, after all.
‘Next time, definitely…!’
He would beat that Carlisle bastard.
In the sunset-lit classroom, Vita Shamal's face reddened slightly for a moment.
‘But Miss Emily…’
Had she always been that beautiful?
Just now, I mean. Wasn't she exactly like the heroine in an anime who comforts the protagonist? That was how it felt.
‘I don't like being called cute, but…’
Somehow, if Emily was the one saying it, it felt all right.
-It's just that Vita looking so down was kind of cute.
Could it be that Emily Swan's type was cute-looking people?
And afterward, Vita ended up imagining something outrageous.
[I like you, Vita.]
In that imagination, Vita held Emily's hand, and they gently embraced each other.
They shared a thrilling kiss, then got married.
They built a happy family with a handsome son who resembled him and a pretty daughter who resembled Emily.
Thump—thump—
‘Huh… huh?’
That was how simple the reason Vita had fallen for Emily really was.
***
[I-I like you—!]
Maybe that was why he had gone charging ahead afterward.
They say a confession is something you make after confirming things at the end.
Vita had launched a confession attack on Emily, the sunny heroine who had comforted him when he was depressed.
-V-Vita…?
Without much interaction, without even going on a single date.
He had nurtured his feelings alone and then immediately confessed one-sidedly.
So Emily, taken aback, had clearly misspoken.
-Um… sorry.
-My type is someone a little more manly…
Boom—
Back then.
He had been so shocked by Emily's words.
But thinking about it now, he had been the one at fault. Vita let out a sigh.
“Ha—”
In other words, now that he had realized the truth, he was in a woman's body. It left him feeling strangely regretful.
Even so, if he reminded himself of one fact that was still clear:
‘As I thought, I…’
I like Emily Swan.
In a romantic sense. As a man and a woman.
Because the feelings from back then were still vivid in his mind. The trembling emotion he'd felt when confessing to Emily.
He had never felt that kind of trembling even once with Carlisle Schultz.
Probably. Definitely.
That was what he thought.
‘Yes, that's right!’
It had to be right.
Because he had originally been a man.
And now that Emily Swan had returned to the academy,
Unfortunately for Vita, Emily was in a different class.
But it was the class right next door. Since Vita wanted to become friends with Emily if possible, he decided to work up his courage!
It was also a step toward setting himself straight after being so shaken lately.
“Look at this, Emily.”
“Oh, that's pretty.”
And so, before first period began,
Vita slowly approached Emily, who was surrounded by friends, shuffling forward awkwardly.
‘Miss Emily really is incredibly popular.’
She had the feel of the academy's idol. The attention from those around her was a little burdensome, though.
“E-Emily!”
He managed to speak to her. Emily looked startled to see Vita.
“Huh, Bianca?! What brings you here?”
“Would you like to have lunch together?!”
Perhaps it was a rather abrupt, reckless request.
Huh? All of a sudden?
That was exactly the expression on Emily's face.
“Ah… well.”
Come to think of it, Vita hadn't prepared any excuse. Fidgeting awkwardly, he confessed honestly.
“Because I want to become friends with you…”
At that, Emily looked somewhat surprised, then nodded.
Thinking about it, Bianca was Vita Shamal's twin, someone she felt she owed an apology of sorts.
And since Emily herself had thought she'd been rude just yesterday, she readily accepted.
“Hmm, should we? All right, then.”
***
And that was how it came about.
‘I'm going to have lunch with Emily.’
Vita's entire face was filled with a smile.
“Heeey, Your Majesty. Something good happen?”
By now, Vita had practically given up on being called that title.
Shasha, his deskmate, asked, and after thinking for a moment, Vita answered honestly.
“Yeah, well…”
At the story that followed, Shasha looked aghast.
“Huh? Really? With Emily Swan?”
This time Vita was the one flustered.
“What? Why…”
Was there some problem?
“Then what about Carlisle?”
He had completely forgotten.
Hmm, what should he do?
He had to keep his promise. Should he eat with both of them?
Suddenly, a fact came to Vita's mind.
He already knew, actually. He knew who Emily liked.
‘It's probably that Carlisle bastard, right?’
Somehow, he was sure of it.
It was a little unpleasant.
In any case, it would be difficult to go back on a promise he'd already made, and he also had to eat lunch with Carlisle Schultz.
‘A promise is a promise, too.’
Besides, Carlisle had recently given in on one thing—the lap-sitting, at least.
In the end, Vita couldn't turn his back on either of them.
He couldn't turn his back on either his promise to Carlisle or this chance to finally become friends with Emily Swan, so he made a choice.
‘Let's all three eat together—!’
It was a little strange, but
While he was at it, it might not be a bad idea to show Emily that he was better than Carlisle Schultz.
He knew the rumor himself, after all.
He was sure that Carlisle knew it too—the fact that Emily Swan liked him, at least.
‘But even so, the reason he hasn't dated Emily is…’
It had to be that, right? Because he wasn't interested in her?
There was absolutely no other explanation.
The academy's number-one beauty.
A girl with impeccable character and conduct, a good personality, decent grades, and a considerate nature.
Emily Swan liked him, and he still hadn't dated her?
“…What a spoiled bastard.”
Vita mentally chewed out Carlisle, but really, it wasn't a bad thing for him.
Carlisle would surely be cold to Emily, while Vita could do the opposite and earn points with her.
And then lunchtime finally arrived.
Vita went to find Emily and asked for permission in advance.
“Hey, Emily. There's one problem…”
“Yeah? A problem?”
“There's someone I always eat lunch with…”
In other words, was it all right if Carlisle Schultz joined them?
At that, Emily's expression changed from moment to moment.
What was this supposed to mean?
More than anything, Emily felt a little disappointed.
‘So they really did eat together…’
She had heard roughly as much, but were they really that close?
But she had already heard what Carlisle had said. At least, Emily thought well of him.
Bianca Shamal's first impression had been quite good, after all.
‘So let's not jump to conclusions based on a misunderstanding.’
Since Bianca had said it herself, Emily chose to believe her for now.
“But, Bianca… are you really okay with that?”
This was the strange part.
“Yeah, why?”
“You told me before, remember? That you had someone else you liked…”
Bianca Shamal probably didn't know just how relieved Emily herself had felt inside at those words.
Emily's words left Vita feeling flustered.
He couldn't say that the person was Emily herself. For now, he fumbled out a vague excuse.
“I lost a competition. As the price, that bastard made a demand like that.”
“R-really…?”
Even so, the two of them…
And eating lunch together every day…
‘It is a little strange.’
Emily smiled awkwardly and nodded for now.
Of course, Vita had already spoken to Carlisle Schultz as well.
“The person you're bringing…”
Carlisle frowned, looking as if he had something to say.
“Long time no see, Carlisle.”
“Yeah, long time no see…?”
They knew each other?!
“We're childhood friends.”
A gentle voice came from beside Vita in response to his question.
No, seriously?!
Emily's unexpected statement left Vita's mind blank.
***
Emily Swan had joined the rooftop where it had always been just Carlisle and Vita.
‘Ugh, this is awkward.’
Vita regretted it inwardly. The situation felt even more awkward than he had expected.
“R-right! How did you two meet?”
Emily answered Vita's question with a smile.
“I met him by chance while accompanying my father on his business trips.”
Carlisle was a little more straightforward.
“Her father sponsored the orphanage where I grew up. This is Emily's father.”
“Ah—”
Vita soon understood the whole story.
He had heard not long ago that Carlisle Schultz had grown up in an orphanage.
‘So their connection began at that orphanage.’
Of all things, they were childhood friends. So my Emily was that Carlisle bastard's childhood friend?
I really don't like it. I'm even starting to feel jealous.
Meanwhile, Vita was impressed.
‘As expected of Emily.’
She had been so considerate of Carlisle in that brief moment. She had clearly gone out of her way not to reveal that he had grown up in an orphanage.
Emily definitely looked somewhat surprised now, too.
“She already knows anyway.”
Carlisle's unconcerned remark earned an awkward smile.
“Oh, really? You already told her…”
It couldn't help but be awkward. The two of them had already noticed each other's feelings.
Emily knew Carlisle's feelings, and Carlisle knew Emily's.
Only one innocent person in the middle tilted his head.
‘They're supposed to be childhood friends, but things feel kind of awkward.’
More than that, Vita's eyes were drawn to the lunchboxes.
“Wow, this is amazing!”
He was genuinely impressed. It was such a girlish lunchbox—in short, a lunchbox straight out of an anime.
“Emily, you're good at cooking, too.”
“N-no! You're making me embarrassed saying it like that.”
With Carlisle sitting right in front of her, Emily was a little flustered by the unexpected compliment. If he praised her so openly, was she supposed to say it was embarrassing?
“Um, Bianca… you don't bring a lunchbox?”
Emily changed the subject. It had actually been bothering her from the start, since Bianca was only eating bread.
Vita answered Emily while chewing.
“Mornings are busy, and it's more of a hassle than I expected.”
Emily's expression suddenly turned somewhat stern.
“You shouldn't do that, Bianca. If you're a girl, you need to eat properly.”
As she said this, she placed her lunchbox in the center.
To be honest, she had deliberately acted a little stern just now. Bianca Shamal aside, Carlisle, her childhood friend, also ate nothing but bread, and she had felt rather uncomfortable eating alone.
“It's all right. Let's share mine today.”
“R-really?”
Vita's mouth fell open at the unexpected windfall that had rolled his way.
“Carlisle, you too…?”
“I'll eat if there's any left.”
Emily felt a little relieved inside at Carlisle's answer.
‘Phew, thank goodness.’
At least he hadn't refused.
A crisp autumn breeze blew by. It had been awkward at first, but the mood gradually eased as they ate a modest lunch together.
“By the way, you two. How did you end up becoming so close? Was it because of that time…?”
Vita reacted to Emily's question first.
“Him and me? We're not close at all.”
Munch, munch—
What should she make of this? He was a girl with quite an appetite, wasn't he?
Emily was a little flustered by how enthusiastically she was eating.
‘Oh, no… Carlisle needs some, too…’
But her personality was far too gentle for her to say it outright.
Emily fretted inwardly while smiling outwardly.
“If you always eat lunch together, doesn't that mean you're close?”
“Huh? No.”
That was the second denial.
Emily felt a little relieved.
As expected, Bianca Shamal didn't seem particularly interested in Carlisle, just as she had said herself.
Then Carlisle suddenly dropped a bombshell.
“I think otherwise.”
That much was fine.
“I even want to date her, but it's really not easy. She's a girl with a picky palate.”
Vita and Emily were rendered speechless at the same time.
Vita's face soon turned as red as a tomato.
“Ghk! Cough—!”
Choking, Vita spat the food out of his mouth.