Chapter 46
Vita and Carlisle.
And Emily Swan, too.
A midterm study group with all three of them.
Vita could hardly focus on studying.
With Emily and Carlisle sitting so close together, something kept bothering her.
A furtive glance-
Before she knew it, she kept looking over at them.
“Ah, I get it.”
“You understand now?”
“Um, a little?”
Carlisle explained things with considerable kindness and earnestness, and Vita was reminded anew that the two were childhood friends.
Her lips pushed out. For no reason, she ended up drawing circles with her pen on the random workbook and getting lost in thought.
‘…What is this?’
An uncomfortable feeling.
No, that wasn't it.
Rather than uncomfortable, it was a remarkably strange feeling that was difficult to explain.
‘…It’s definitely because of Emily.’
That was what Vita thought.
With Emily—the girl she had a crush on—constantly beside Carlisle, it was getting to her.
So Vita blurted it out without thinking. First, a little nervous, she took a sip of coffee through her straw—slurp—.
“Hey, Emily-! I can explain it better than that guy.”
She meant it, too.
Carlisle was capable, but when it came to teaching, he didn't seem to have much talent. After listening to his explanation just now, Vita was almost certain.
“You don't really understand it, do you? Be honest with me for once.”
At Vita's words, Emily glanced to the side, then nodded.
“I guess I don't understand.”
“No, it's not that. I'll explain it to you, so why don't you come over here for a moment?”
“Hmm… should I?”
When Emily Swan moved to sit beside her, the tightness in Vita's chest finally eased.
With just Carlisle left, she felt strangely reassured and at ease.
After all, it had been a long time.
This was a rare chance to get closer to Emily, the girl she had a crush on.
‘But that Carlisle…’
He was only getting in the way. That, Vita thought, was why her heart had felt strangely pricked earlier.
Without Emily noticing, Vita glared at Carlisle for a moment. Her gaze was full of reproach, but Carlisle Schultz merely smirked. Then he looked at the two girls with interest.
“I'll teach you, Emily.”
“Yeah, okay. Bianca must be good at math…?”
“I'm pretty confident, at least!”
At least in math, she was barely any different from Carlisle!
“Ask me anything, Emily.”
“Oh, really…?!”
“That problem from earlier was hard because Carlisle's method was difficult, so I'll show you a different approach.”
It took longer than Carlisle's method, but she explained a way to solve it using only the basic concepts.
“Oh, wow… It's easier to understand than I thought.”
Emily's admiration made Vita's shoulders rise with pride-
Sometimes they chatted and asked each other about problems,
and before long, a good deal of time had passed as they studied diligently.
Emily suddenly stood up.
“Um, guys. I'm going outside for a bit.”
“Oh, where are you going…?”
When Vita asked, Emily came over and whispered coyly.
-…I'm going to the bathroom!
Then, once she had stepped away again,
“Well, while I'm at it, I'll get another coffee, too. It might take a while.”
Emily smiled brightly, and Vita nodded hurriedly and eagerly. She'd blundered.
“Ah—have fun!”
A girl like Emily somehow seemed elegant even on a trip to the bathroom. Once Emily stepped away for a moment, only Carlisle and Vita remained in the cramped room.
But Vita didn't feel like making conversation with him.
The exams were next week, and he was unmistakably her rival.
‘And earlier, with Emily…’
They had been getting along so well that Vita didn't like it, so she stayed silent for now.
Besides, in a situation like this, with just the two of them left, it was impossible to predict what sort of scheme that Carlisle guy might try.
‘Lately, he keeps saying weird things about the two of them having something going on.’
So Vita decided to strike first, addressing Carlisle Schultz.
“No nonsense whatsoever.”
She kept her eyes on her book, as if to say she wouldn't tolerate any of it.
‘Whatever he says, I'll ignore every last word…!’
That was Vita's resolve, but it was shattered in no time.
“Heh…”
By the single remark Carlisle Schultz tossed her way after laughing.
“Why are you so pretty today?”
Vita raised her head.
“…Huh, what?!”
A single sentence completely disarmed her.
***
From Carlisle's perspective, though, it was absurd.
[I'm busy today, so no contacting me or talking nonsense!]
That morning's text message.
“So that's how you're going to play it…?”
Carlisle's eyebrow twitched briefly, of course, but a smile tugged at his lips.
“Playing hard to get again.”
Bianca Shamal acting this way wasn't anything new. Carlisle already had an unshakable conviction.
There was no chance he'd fail to win Bianca Shamal over by the end of the semester. He thought he was already halfway there.
He had also realized that, just as he treasured Bianca Shamal, she felt much the same about him.
‘Because I'd messed up that time.’
He had made one mistake. He had ended up making her cry. The girl he liked had cried because of it. Still, it had allowed him to realize her feelings.
Carlisle thought Bianca Shamal simply hadn't realized her own feelings yet—that she just hadn't admitted them.
“What on earth could the reason be…”
He couldn't understand it, but what he needed to do from here was clear. He would simply have to work to make Bianca Shamal realize it.
-You can come to this café.
As it happened, his childhood friend Emily Swan seemed to be giving him an unexpected helping hand.
He'd wondered about the motive behind suggesting that the three of them study together, and for some reason, Bianca Shamal didn't seem to know that he would be there, either.
None of that mattered to Carlisle.
What mattered most was that he could see the girl he liked today, too.
So, after accepting Emily's suggestion, Carlisle arrived at the café.
‘……’
And when he saw Bianca all dressed up, Carlisle was rendered speechless.
Why was she becoming more feminine with every passing day? Her peach-colored knit top and white pleated skirt were quite a sight.
Really, if only.
If only his childhood friend hadn't been beside him, she was so adorable and cute he might have pounced on her right then and there.
A sharp glare-
And he thought she had been cute when she showed jealousy earlier, too.
And now, this situation.
“Why are you so pretty today?”
“…Huh, what?!”
The one remark had left the girl flustered.
“I said you're pretty. Today.”
Carlisle chuckled. In contrast, her face grew redder and redder, like a tomato.
“…There you go spouting nonsense again.”
She seemed determined to ignore him.
But since Carlisle had gained something earlier, he asked teasingly.
“Were you jealous earlier?”
Because Bianca Shamal's unfeigned jealousy had been plain to see.
Bianca was left speechless by his question.
Her smooth reddish-gold hair was tied into a side ponytail.
Her slightly flushed cheeks, the lips she was biting, and her lightly upturned amethyst eyes gave her the adorable charm of a prickly kitten.
“…You've got to be kidding me, seriously.”
Still, that aside.
This woman simply refused to admit anything gracefully, not even once.
So the two of them began bickering again.
-You said we had something going on.
-When did I ever say that?
-Just admit it already.
-I'll make this clear while we're on the subject: I have no intention of that. And I absolutely won't fall for you.
-We'll have to wait and see.
Their conversation had the feel of bickering, yet there was a subtle atmosphere that could make a listener's heart flutter.
And as the conversation continued-
‘……’
Emily was leaning against the door, silently listening.
Holding the coffee she'd bought, her expression was confused.
***
“Guys, did you miss me?”
When Emily returned,
the two who had been bickering had stopped talking.
“Oh, you're back?”
Carlisle turned his gaze to the workbook, while Vita cleared her throat and took little sips of coffee.
From Emily's perspective, it was painfully obvious.
She wasn't sure whether to call it lovey-dovey, but the two of them had been shamelessly cozy together the entire time.
Their conversation stopping as soon as she came in made Emily hesitate slightly. It somehow made her feel like she had become an intruder.
But one was her friend, and the other was the person she had a crush on. If she had to rank them, the latter mattered far more, but Bianca Shamal was her friend.
Bianca had approached her so readily, and was so astonishingly innocent, that the two had become close very quickly.
Emily considered her a friend.
‘Yes, so…’
For now, she couldn't let herself show that she was confused.
So Emily forced a smile onto her lips.
“Did you two happen to talk about anything interesting? Without me, I mean.”
It was a playful tone, but Vita, feeling inexplicably guilty, became a little flustered.
“Huh? No?!”
Something interesting, with Emily deliberately left out?
That was absurd.
“That guy was spouting nonsense…”
Though Emily had spoken playfully to lighten the mood, Vita's serious reaction flustered Emily instead.
“Ah, I know! I was joking, Bianca.”
She wasn't entirely free of hurt feelings.
But neither of them had actually done anything wrong, so she couldn't hate them. Still, there was something Emily absolutely had to confirm.
So she hesitated for a moment before finally managing to speak.
“Bianca, do you…”
She could be bold enough to ask with Carlisle right beside her only because she needed to confirm it.
“Do you think of me as a friend?”
At the completely unexpected question, Vita's expression wavered.
‘S-suddenly?’
Did she think of her as a friend?
She didn't think of Emily as merely a friend. If anything, she thought of her as something more.
But she couldn't reveal that here.
So Vita answered, putting her genuine feelings into it.
“Of course. You're my friend.”
Because I like you, Emily!
“I'm happy we've grown close enough to meet like this even on weekends. I really mean that.”
Not merely as a friend, but as something more. I really like you, Emily.
Vita expressed those feelings through her voice.
Perhaps Emily sensed at least some of that sincerity. The slight stiffness in her expression somehow relaxed.
“You really mean that…?”
“Yeah, really.”
Emily came to a decision.
The Bianca she knew was quite innocent. It hadn't been long, but she knew that from what she had seen and felt so far.
Even when compared with the ‘Bianca Shamal’ she had judged up to now.
In her tone and her expression.
Every part of it showed genuine sincerity, so Emily was able to settle her thoughts, for the moment.
“I see. So that's how it is.”
Though many thoughts crossed her mind, for now she would simply smile as if nothing had happened.
“I just wanted to ask. I feel the same way.”
“Oh, really…?”
When Emily smiled kindly,
pure-hearted Vita was reassured that their feelings were mutual,
but Carlisle Schultz, of course, suspected Emily had a reason for acting this way.
But, to be honest,
he also found it rather remarkable that the two had become this close in the first place.
He had no intention of inserting himself between Emily and Bianca. If it was their business, they would resolve it themselves—and judging by the look of things, they'd resolved it well.
“E-Emily…?”
By then, the two had even embraced.
Unlike the flustered Vita, Emily whispered something significant into Vita's ear.
-Sorry, Bianca. I suspected you for a moment.
In a voice so quiet Carlisle couldn't hear.
Emily had briefly wondered whether Bianca Shamal was deceiving her.
[Could it be that you… like Carlisle?]
She had effectively confessed her own feelings for Carlisle indirectly.
Bianca had clearly denied it, said they weren't dating, and even said she liked someone else.
And even after saying all that, it was Bianca Shamal who had first suggested that the three of them eat lunch together, Carlisle Schultz included.
So Emily had to make sure.
‘…I'm pathetic.’
Even as she thought that,
she had spent all this time merely watching from the sidelines, petty and cowardly. She had no right to interfere in their circumstances.
So Emily felt a little guilty as she honestly confessed.
-You know, I do too…
Only now, at this moment, did she finally make up her mind.
It wasn't mutual—not yet, at least—so there was still a chance.
She knew it was probably already too late and that she might look pathetic. But this time, she didn't want to run away, either.
-I won't lose without a fight.
Feeling somehow lighter, and having steeled her resolve anew,
she could smile as usual.
***
This took place after the three-person study session ended.
They had probably spent about three hours together.
“See you at the academy, then!”
Emily smiled brightly as she said goodbye, so Vita waved. She also soon parted ways with Carlisle, who had a busy part-time job to get to.
-I'll contact you in a little while.
-No, don't.
Vita said that, but
she already knew the contrarian wouldn't listen.
‘But what was that supposed to mean…?’
As she walked, Vita kept pondering it.
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't figure out her intention at all.
Emily's whisper remained utterly cryptic.
“Excuse me, by any chance…”
While walking, she nearly had her number asked for about three times, but Vita had a prepared excuse.
“I have a boyfriend…!”
And then.
Ta-da!
The photo Carlisle had sent in a text some time ago.
It was a photo they had taken together when they went to Wizney Park.
They looked like a real couple, and she'd almost deleted it, but somehow couldn't bring herself to.
“Oh, I see…!”
Besides, whenever she did this, the men always recoiled in horror and backed off.
At least at times like this, he was useful.
Well, it wasn't true, but whatever was convenient was best, right?
So Vita got home and started studying hard. Wearing a headband she'd written on by hand, of course.
[Take down, Carlisle!]
‘This time, I'll win no matter what!’
The world of competition was cold and ruthless, after all. Vita kept thinking of ways to interfere with Carlisle. Unlike in the past, he was paying plenty of attention to her now, and they even had each other's contact information.
‘Any man with something dangling between his legs…’
There was one thing that came to mind.
‘No man alive dislikes something sexy…’
Yes, that's it! This would be effective enough to distract him!
Having made up her mind, Vita searched on her phone and even tried out some slightly awkward selfie poses. The first picture seemed too tame, as expected. She had even deliberately put on somewhat feminine clothes. She tried smiling, too, but
when Vita actually looked at the photo, she shook her head.
‘No, this… I need to go further.’
And her expression, how should she put it? She really didn't like it. Wouldn't it make it seem as though she liked him?
For some reason, dissatisfied, Vita stuck out her lips, searched again, and tried several poses.
‘L-like this…?’
Or this?
‘Is this really right…?’
She kept wondering if she really had to go this far, but when it came to winning a competition, she could use means like this.
Who was Vita Shamal? She had originally taken a strange drug to become a woman in order to win a competition. Compared with that, this was positively adorable.
She looked diagonally upward as she did it. She lowered her pants a little more, then used one finger to pull open the front of her top and show her cleavage. This much would stir up the imagination without being outright lewd.
“Ngh…”
When she actually looked at the photos she'd taken, Vita's face reddened, and she hesitated for a moment.
Forget it.
She sent the photos she'd taken to Carlisle.
Now she just had to ignore his messages.
If it worked, great; if not, there was nothing she could do.
Of course, Carlisle would study after his part-time job too, since he was a guy who liked her. Even if she only distracted him, it would be reward enough.
So Vita sent the photos and studied hard, completely unaware of what was happening.
Ding-
A brief break during his part-time job.
‘……’
What Carlisle decided to do after seeing those photos—and how, in another sense, he had achieved his goal as well.