Ding dong ding dong.
The bell rang throughout the school building, signaling the end of fourth-period class.
Next up was lunch break.
“Phew, it’s finally over.”
As he closed his textbooks and notes, he let out a big sigh and leaned back in his chair.
“You… you really took the class seriously. Everyone around was surprised,” Elena remarked.
“Well, if I caused any trouble, I might have been stabbed with a pen,” Beret replied. Now that Beret’s personality had changed, he didn’t dare to cause trouble during class. Not anymore. Still, he joked lightly to avoid making her feel uncomfortable.
“Hmm? Was it just my imagination, or was ‘stabbed with a pen’ directed at me?” Elena asked.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Oh, really? I’m sorry for misunderstanding.”
“It’s fine.”
“But if that’s the case, you can relax. No one attacks demons.”
“Who’s the demon?”
“Hehe, it’s because you said something rude first.”
After Beret said that he was behind the school’s motto of “all students are equal”, the distance between Beret and Elena had considerably shortened.
So much so, in fact, that Elena invited Beret to sit next to her every class.
“Oh… if you put it that way, that’s true.”
“Hmm. It seems like you really weren’t referring to me. I really could have stabbed you with a pen, you know?” Elena deftly twirled the white pen in her hand and pointed the tip at him.
“Sorry.” Beret jokingly raised both of his hands in surrender.
Elena smiled gently, as if to say “It’s fine.”
“By the way, there’s something I wanted to ask you,” Elena said.
“What is it?”
“What about lunch today…? Since Shia won’t be here from today.”
“Oh, I’ll just take it easy.”
“What do you mean.”
“I mean just taking it easy.” He couldn’t tell Elena that he was considering skipping lunch.
There was one reason he was skipping lunch. Even in the classroom, everyone keeps their distance. There are even more people in the cafeteria… I just don’t have the mental fortitude…
The moment he arrived at the cafeteria, he could imagine everyone dispersing like startled spiders. He was sure that he was exaggerating, but the possibility made it hard for him to step in casually.
Some might question why he let Shia go free, but there was an answer to that. She worked so hard for me, I wanted her to have a good time as soon as possible.
That was all there was to it.
“So I’m curious about that ‘taking it easy.’ Could it be that you… don’t know how to use the cafeteria? You always had Shiya bring the food to you.”
“I do know, of course. You just look at the menu and place your order.”
“Correct… so what exactly are you trying to hide?” Putting her hand on her slender chin, Elena thought for a few seconds and suddenly looked up. “Beret. If you don’t mind, would you like to have lunch with us?”
“Huh?”
“I’ve already told Shia that I’ll have lunch with her today, so you don’t need to worry.”
Certainly, if Beret went to the cafeteria with Elena, the Princess Benihaha, and Shia, who was warm and gentle, his presence would be less noticeable. He would be able to have an easier time there.
Despite that, however, Beret still shook his head. “Thank you for inviting me, but I’ll pass. I just told Shia that she could do as she wanted, so she’d be surprised if I was there.”
“Well, she’d be surprised, but she’d also be happy, right?”
“Huh?”
“N- no?” Elena’s eyes widened, puzzled. She wasn’t joking and truly didn’t seem to understand.
Beret decided to tell her his thoughts.
“No, it’s not like that. Even though it’s strange for me to say this about myself, I don’t understand why she’d be happy.”
“Pffft.” Elena suddenly puffed up her cheeks.
“Huh? No, I mean, I don’t understand why she’d be happy to be around me, even if it was with Elena, who’s a good friend of hers.”
“Huh? Hehe, wait a minute. Don’t say such self-deprecating things like that with a straight face.”
“Like I said, you’re laughing so much.”
“I’m really sorry. Hehe.”
Beret felt like they’d had a similar conversation an hour ago.
Even though she was teasing him, her ability to continue to laugh elegantly was a sign of her good upbringing.
“Cough, cough. I’m okay now.”
“Is that so?”
After clearing her throat to calm down, Elena returned to her serious expression, although her face remained red from laughing so hard. “I’m sorry for intruding on your opinion, but I think Shia will be happy with you now. Seriously. She looked so happy this morning.”
“Even if that were the case, it would still be a hassle for her. Since I’ve given her freedom, I want her to feel at ease.” That was what Beret felt.
“… You… you’ve really changed. Ah, maybe you noticed how cute Shia is and fell in love with her or something?”
“No. More than liking her, I respect her.”
“Re- respect?”
“Yeah. Because she’s amazing, isn’t she? Even though she’s two years younger than me, she gets up early every morning, prepares everything, and does her schoolwork. No matter what complaints I give her, she doesn’t get discouraged and keeps working hard, and she’s always cheerful. I can’t do the same, even if I think of it as just work.”
“…”
“Hey, Elena? Don’t look at me like I’m a monster.”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it… Just now, from what you said, for a moment I thought someone other than Beret was talking…”
“Are you going to the hospital? I’ll accompany you.”
“What a rude thing to say… It was obviously a figure of speech.”
“Yes, yes.” Beret brushed it off lightly, but he had broken out in a cold sweat.
“But I understand now. If you’re that determined, then there’s nothing I can do.”
“That’s right. So please enjoy yourself without me.”
“Yes, please rest assured. I’ll make sure it’s a fun lunch.”
“You’re confident.” Beret made a casual remark, which turned out to be a mistake.
“Of course. I intend to make sure Shia knows about this conversation.”
“… Ah, hey, you can’t do that.”
“Hehe, too bad. You can’t tell me what to do,” Elena smiled amusingly, showing her white teeth. “Well then, I’ll go ahead, Beret. I’m looking forward to Shia’s reaction.”
Without waiting for a response, she left the classroom with light steps.
“Sigh. I hope she doesn’t take those words seriously, but since it’s Shia… She’s definitely going to take them seriously. I just hope she doesn’t become distant.” That was all Beret wished for. Now, should I go to the library and kill some time…? There shouldn’t be a lot of people there at this time.
Beret soon took his mind off of it and moved toward his next destination.