After many twists and turns, we returned to the Imperial Academy and gathered in Professor Mahoff’s personal office.
“I’m sorry!”
I first bowed my head and apologized to Professor Mahoff and Cedric.
Countless thoughts passed through my head.
If they ask why I went to Roswell instead of Lucy, what should I answer? If they ask why I ran while shouting, what should I say?! My head was about to explode trying to figure out how to make excuses for answers I didn’t even know myself.
But what came out of Professor Mahoff’s mouth was something on a slightly different dimension.
“Mr. Mellans, are you perhaps a devout believer?”
“Huh?”
“Are you faithful to Jushin?”
“Uh…. No… I’m not?”
If asked if I was faithful, absolutely not. I frequently skipped weekend services and had never read through a holy text to the end even once.
“Any priests among your family?”
That was Cedric’s question.
“Uh… I don’t think so.”
As I fumbled, I suddenly remembered someone and quickly answered.
“My uncle! Count Cicero is a Jushin fanb… ah, no. He’s faithful.”
My uncle Count Cicero who married my aunt was a kind and sincere person so truly devoted to Jushin that you could attach the #devout_man tag to him.
“So… is that it?”
Professor Mahoff tilted his head with a somehow unconvinced expression, then soon nodded as if understanding.
“Right. I see. Then let’s meet in the next class, Mr. Mellans. Cedric, you also worked hard today.”
“Huh? That’s the end…?”
My head got even more complicated at the interrogation ending so simply, so I asked the professor back.
“I heard you were disciplined recently, do you want to be disciplined again?”
“N-no…!”
“Then shut your mouth. It’s annoying.”
“Yes.”
“…I have eighteen papers to read right now. I don’t have time to be writing incident reports.”
He muttered to himself and immediately gestured for us to leave. It seemed the rumor that he was forcibly teaching at the Imperial Academy to receive research support was true.
So that’s why you’re such a terrible teacher.
As I was nodding at the suddenly realized truth, Cedric pulled my arm first.
“Let’s go.”
“Y-yes!”
Coming out into the professor’s office corridor, Cedric asked me gently.
“Want to have dinner together at my dormitory?”
“No. Thank you, but I’ll go in first. Lucy is at my dormitory…. I need to clear up the misunderstanding too. I thought Lucy was a guy this whole time.”
It wasn’t just because of Lucy, but meals with Cedric were now somewhat awkward. Cesare had directly told me he’d prefer I didn’t get close to Cedric, so eating together was like that.
“Miss Lucy is surprisingly timid, yet she cleverly switched with you.”
“I bribed her.”
Yes. All I have is money.
“Was she… the type of person who could be bribed with money? Hmm, but why did you try to come to Roswell?”
“I wanted to see the chess match.”
I immediately pulled out the excuse I’d been thinking about.
“The chess match? On purpose? Even disguising yourself?”
“Well. I wanted to see Cedric-sunbaenim’s chess match.”
“…My match?”
“I heard you play chess incredibly well, but we’re in different grades and I had no chance to see it directly. And I thought you disliked me, so I asked Rossi, no, Lucy.”
Cedric had a somewhat unconvinced expression. At times like this, you had to act more innocent for others to believe you, so I said without changing my expression at all.
“I’m an Inseu, you see.”
“Inseu?”
“Personality trash.”
“Pfft.”
Cedric started the laugh-holding challenge again. Looking at him now, he really laughs a lot.
“Because I tore up Jaina Fellox’s invitation… I became an Inseu. So now the students really hate me.”
“Right. That incident.”
Cedric finally seemed to understand and let out a big sigh while offering me consolation.
“I’m sorry about the disciplinary matter. I also tried to give the lightest punishment possible, but Jayden made such a fuss…. And tearing up an invitation in a public place was clearly a big mistake.”
At his words, I just fidgeted with my toes weakly and replied.
“Still, that might be better.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I’m not going to accept their feelings anyway, rather than being ambiguously kind… it’s better to reject them firmly like that.”
“…Hmm. That might certainly be true. Miss Jaina seems to have completely lost her affection for you now.”
“Being ambiguously kind is a crime.”
Cesare’s face came to mind, the one who acted kindly to me while asking me to find him a partner. Bad bastard. Knowing I like him… deliberately preventing me from approaching….
Despicable, nasty villain bastard.
I shook my head vigorously to shake off his face.
“Anyway… thank you for today.”
“Come visit the chess club with Lucy sometime. I’ll show you.”
“Yes! Then have a good night!”
I bowed my head and headed to the dormitory.
* * *
Lucy, who had been in my dormitory, tremblingly received the leather suitcase from me.
“I-I didn’t mean to hide it… but you were misunderstanding so much….”
“What, don’t be scared about something like that. It’s fine. It’s my fault for misunderstanding.”
“I kept trying to tell you, but you kept cutting me off….”
“I was totally sure you were Rossi!”
“You came to the wrong dormitory…. Rossi’s room was on the floor below.”
At Lucy’s words as she smiled bashfully while adjusting her glasses, I realized I’d made a fool’s mistake again.
“I was really in a rush then, so I must have misunderstood without realizing.”
I quickly escorted her to the front of her dormitory. After bringing her to the door and turning to leave, Lucy called out to stop me.
“Um, Lionel.”
“Yeah?”
“We’re, still friends, right…?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you!”
Lucy pulled me into a hug and shouted.
“I don’t have many friends… normally I thought you were scary because you hung around with Yanox and Astol, but spending time with you, you were nothing like that at all and I was so happy.”
“Was I that scary?”
“More than scary, you were always only next to Yanox, so other kids couldn’t easily approach you either.”
No matter how much my sexual orientation was toward men, girls were still cute. When I patted Lucy’s head like that, she smiled slyly and said.
“I don’t think you maliciously tore up Jaina Fellox’s letter. You’re a good person. So even if you’re called an Inseu, cheer up. You’re not an Inseu. Never think you’re an Inseu. You’re not an Inseu!”
“…Mmm.”
Why are you emphasizing Inseu so many times, Lucy?
“Not-Inseu, Lionel. Cheer up!”
After shaking off the queasy feeling, I really said goodbye to her and walked out. It was already late at night. Looking at the countless stars floating, I ruminated on today’s events.
Ju Shinyoung said the artifact would appear soon. Not to be impatient.
And to be careful of Cesare Yanox.
But how do I be careful? When just recalling his name makes my heart pound like this. How should I be careful?
Damn Cesare Yanox.
* * *
Clap clap! Bravo! Wonderful!
I had no idea how many times I’d clapped throughout the day, but my blood circulation was so good I was going crazy. But I couldn’t help it. Every time Cesare came out after changing clothes, my hands immediately burst into applause and cheers as if motorized.
“Really! Really, no joke, you look so cool.”
“They all look the same to me, what.”
Cain was grumbling beside me while stuffing macarons into his mouth. This guy came to choose formal wear, demolished 5 plates of desserts, and in the end chose the formal wear on the first page, number one in the catalog book.
Since it was listed first, it must be number one or something.
Whether he wore feathered clothes or beggar’s clothes, I actually didn’t care. My only interest was Cesare Yanox.
“This waistline is better. The length is most stylish exactly up to here.”
“As expected, Mr. Mellans. You have an eye for it. This fabric also sells the best.”
I passionately discussed with the costume shop designer beside me, struggling to choose the formal wear that suited Cesare best.
Eventually Cain left saying he was going to the cafe first, and we spent a long time choosing clothes and were sprawled on the sofa taking a break, when suddenly Cesare asked.
“Are you looking for my partner?”
“Y-yeah…. I’m looking.”
Actually, I’m not looking at all. Finding Cesare’s partner was harder than I thought. No, rather than hard, it was more accurate to say I didn’t want to.
What person in the world would want to set up their crush with someone else?
“Lionel. You say you’re looking for a partner but you don’t even ask about my ideal type?”
“Ideal type?”
At the question he casually threw out, I could hear the sound of my pride cracking, but since I was also curious about his ideal type, I ended up asking him about it.
“What’s your ideal type?”
