Chapter 71 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: A Midnight Misunderstanding
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Deep in the night.
Creeak-
Leo cautiously opened the window of his room.
Whoooosh-!
A cold blizzard raged outside.
[It's cold! Close the door!]
Kiruan, who was shivering in front of a candle with a handkerchief wrapped around him like he was huddling by a campfire, was horrified.
"Stay awake and wait for me."
Leaving those words behind, Leo exited the room through the window.
The place Leo headed for was none other than the other high-end hotel where the second-year students were staying.
"Just as I thought, he's on the move."
Meanwhile, Lunia, who had been monitoring the Lumerne dorms from her own window, wore a meaningful expression.
"My intuition was right after all."
Without hesitation, Lunia opened her window and stepped outside.
A short while after Leo and Lunia left their rooms.
Click-!
"Leo and Miss Lunia, to-together…?"
Another window opened, and Eiran peeked out.
Eiran, who had mustered the courage to join Seirun today, was staying here at Herdium's suggestion instead of at home.
And while struggling to sleep due to nervousness, she happened to witness Leo and Lunia secretly leaving their lodgings.
"What's going on? Why are Leo and Miss Lunia…?"
Eiran pondered the sight of the Lumerne class representative, who for some reason kept drawing her eye, and the Seirun class representative, who was intimidating but also an object of admiration, leaving the hotel late at night.
"D-don't tell me! A tryst?"
The rich imagination of an adolescent girl who loved tales of heroes ran wild.
She covered her reddened face with both hands, not knowing what to do.
'Engaging in such an improper relationship as students…!'
Having smoothly jumped to the wrong conclusion, Eiran hurriedly got dressed and went outside.
Arriving at the hotel where the Seirun second-years were staying, Leo stood on the roof.
Then, concealing his presence, he strengthened his grip and dug his fingers into the wall.
Crunch-!
The hotel wall caved inward.
Using this method to descend, Leo sensed the presences inside the hotel.
'It seems Seirun rented out this entire place as well.'
There was no presence felt inside.
'Are the students on the third floor?'
As it was already late at night, the Seirun students were already asleep.
Climbing down the wall to the third floor, Leo checked the interior through a window.
'Nine in total. One is missing.'
Leo narrowed his eyes after confirming the number of sleeping second-years.
He then opened the window of a room that had luggage but was empty.
Click-
The unlocked window opened with ease.
Leo, perched on the windowsill, took off his snow-covered shoes to avoid leaving footprints and stepped onto the floor.
He then confirmed the name 'Lauta' written on the school uniform name tag hanging on the wall.
'He snuck out of the hotel, just as I thought.'
"Hey! What are you doing here?"
At that moment, Lunia, with a thoroughly flustered expression, spoke to him from the window.
"And what are you doing?"
Leo, who knew Lunia had been secretly following him, asked back with a relaxed face.
"Is that what's important right now? What are you going to do if you get caught sneaking into the second-years' hotel! Get out, now! Before you're discovered…!"
Lunia took off her shoes and approached Leo to drag him out.
Leaving the dorms without permission and trespassing.
Furthermore, considering they were from different schools, getting caught would not end with a simple disciplinary action.
Thud-! Crash-!
"Oof!"
Startled, Lunia, who was approaching Leo, accidentally kicked a table leg.
The table fell to the floor, making a loud noise.
Lunia, having stubbed her toe, felt tears welling up in her eyes as she instinctively grabbed her foot.
A moment later, an irritable knock-knock- was heard.
Lunia, whimpering and clutching her foot, looked toward the door in alarm.
'Gasp? It's not locked!'
If someone were to open the door and walk in now, they would be caught red-handed.
Leo also narrowed his brows at the sight.
"Hey! Lauta! What's with all the noise in the middle of the night! You think you're the only one here? Let us sleep!"
An annoyed male student's voice was heard.
Leo quickly left his shoes outside, closed the window, and grabbed the wrist of the frozen Lunia.
He then pushed her toward the inside of the bed, pulled the covers over himself, and pulled Lunia in close.
"Hey! What are you—!"
"Shh!"
Leo placed a finger on the lips of the blushing Lunia, who was about to say something.
"Are you ignoring me!"
Creaak-!
The door swung open irritably.
Lunia felt her heart stop.
The distance between the door and the bed was considerable, so if they lay with their backs to the door, it would be hard to tell that two people were in the bed unless someone came closer.
"Still ignoring me even after I came in? Right! The great sir from the advanced class is too good to even speak with a nobody from the intermediate class, is that it?"
The male student, seeing the person in the bed still under the covers and not even showing their face, jumped to his own conclusions and slammed the door shut irritably.
A moment later, Lunia threw off the covers, her face and neck flushed crimson, and quickly moved away from Leo.
"You didn't have to hold me that tight!"
Leo got off the bed and replied to Lunia, who was protesting in a small voice.
"If we weren't that close, he would have seen there were two people."
"That might be true, but!"
'Agh! Why is this guy so calm!'
"Whatever! I don't care! Anyway! If you tell anyone about this, you're dead!"
Leo burst out laughing at Lunia, who was threatening him with a clenched fist, and headed for the window.
"Seriously! Why did you even come here!"
"To find Lauta."
Lunia paused at Leo's words.
"This is Lauta's room?"
"Yes. He secretly left the hotel. He's undoubtedly headed for the Fairy Forest."
"Why?"
Lunia wore a look of incomprehension.
"You'll know when we get there."
"Wait. You're going to the Fairy Forest at this hour?"
"Yeah. You should go back to the hotel first."
"…"
Lunia crossed her arms and pondered.
"You think Lauta is involved in this incident, don't you?"
"I do."
"You're wrong. That's absurd."
Even if he was an annoying upperclassman, Lauta was still a Seirun student.
From Lunia's perspective, it was unpleasant for a student from another school to associate a Seirun student with Tartaros.
But it was certainly strange for him to secretly go to the Fairy Forest at this hour.
"So I'll go with you to confirm it. As the first-year representative of Seirun, I must clear the suspicion cast upon a student from my school."
"Do as you please."
Leo put on his shoes and climbed onto the roof.
Lunia followed him up.
"Alright, let's go then."
The two left the city and arrived at the entrance of the Fairy Forest.
Upon reaching the entrance, Leo stopped and let out a small sigh.
"Are you going to keep following us?"
"Huh?"
Lunia was taken aback by the sudden question.
Rustle-
Eiran emerged from the rustling bushes.
"Eiran? When did you start following us?"
"I've been following along with you."
"What?"
From the moment Leo knew Lunia was following him, he had also sensed Eiran's presence.
'Eiran isn't the type to tattle.'
If Eiran witnessed them sneaking out, she was the type to worry about it alone rather than report it.
That's why he had left her be, but since she kept following, he had to ask why.
Lunia approached Eiran.
"Eiran. Why did you come all the way here? Quickly, go back to the hotel…"
"N-no…!"
"Huh? What did you say?"
"N-no, you can't! An improper relationship between students is not allowed!"
"…"
Lunia stared blankly at Eiran, who was shouting urgently with a beet-red face.
"What are you talking about?"
"I saw you! I saw you and Leo sneak out of the hotel and secretly enter another hotel room!"
"Eiran! Wait! Just listen to me. That was…"
"O-of course, Miss Lunia is beautiful! A-and Leo is very handsome! I think you two look good together, but! You're still only first-years! To shamelessly engage in a… a physical relationship…!"
"Ah! Seriously! It's not like that! Hey! Leo! You better explain yourself, now!"
Unable to listen to the runaway delusions any longer, Lunia yelled and looked toward Leo.
Seeing Leo clutching his stomach and laughing, a vein throbbed on her forehead.
"You're laughing! You're laughing?! You think this is funny?!"
Leo stopped laughing as Lunia yelled and grabbed him by the collar. He loosened her grip and spoke to Eiran.
"Eiran. You've misunderstood. Lunia and I are not in that kind of relationship."
"I-is that really true?"
"Yes. That place was the Seirun second-years' hotel. We went in for a moment because there was something to investigate. Besides, we came out right away."
"Ah…"
Eiran let out a gasp of realization.
A moment later, she covered her face and crouched on the ground.
"I-I'm so embarrassed."
"Phew. Seriously. I'm starting to feel embarrassed too."
Lunia, fanning her face with her hand, smiled at Eiran.
"By the way, did you follow us to stop us because you thought we were having an improper relationship?"
"I-I'm sorry. Were you offended?"
"No. It's just surprising. It's not like I'd ever let romance get in the way of my studies, but if that were to happen, wouldn't that be a good thing for you?"
At Seirun, where the rivalry between students was much more intense than at Lumerne, an opponent losing focus on their studies was a good thing.
"No. Not at all. Miss Lunia is the best student, so I want you to always be the best."
Lunia was slightly surprised by those words.
'This is what she was thinking?'
As a member of a top noble family, Lunia had always been brimming with confidence.
At the same time, she also felt a sense of boredom.
Among the Seirun first-years, there was no student who could be considered her match.
That's why when Eiran, who had been in the intermediate class, shot up to her level in an instant, she had been delighted to have a rival.
When other students gossiped about Eiran, she had only scoffed.
She never thought her rival would be swayed by the words of such losers.
'Come to think of it, Eiran was always alone.'
Lunia felt ashamed of herself for calling Eiran a friend but never paying her any mind.
"Eiran."
"Yes?"
"Why didn't you come to school? You weren't really sick, were you?"
At Lunia's question, Eiran hung her head low.
"Unlike everyone else, I didn't attend school with the serious goal of becoming a hero. I went with a light heart, simply wanting to see hero-like people up close."
She admired heroes, but she had never pictured herself becoming one. She just enjoyed watching them.
"I started to think that for someone like me to attend the academy was a disservice to those who seriously dream of becoming heroes…"
"A disservice? That's ridiculous. That kind of thinking is a disservice to your own efforts."
Rising from the intermediate class to become the second-ranked student in the entire school was by no means an easy feat.
In fact, Eiran had been the center of attention.
But being introverted and timid, Eiran was scared of that attention.
The envy and jealousy from her classmates that began to pour in along with it were also a burden.
Feeling utterly alone, she had fled back to her family home.
After hearing Eiran's words, Lunia let out a deep sigh and said.
"I want you to keep coming to school."
"Wh-why?"
"Because you're my friend."
Eiran's expression was one of surprise.
"W-we were friends, Miss Lunia?"
"Ha?"
"Weren't you… annoyed with me?"
"Pfft."
Hearing a chuckle from behind, Lunia shot Leo a glare.
It seemed what he'd said earlier about Eiran not thinking of her as a friend was true.
"We are friends, you hear? So don't pay any attention to the nonsense other kids say and come to school! I need you!"
"You need me?"
"Yes. That's right. I want you to continue competing with me as a friend and a rival."
At those words, Eiran's bewildered expression brightened.
Seeing her smile, Leo let out a smirk.
"Kids grow up so fast."
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