Chapter 88 - From Primroses To Dandelions

"They're late," Hartigan huffed.

He, along with Belle, has been waiting by the entrance of the school gymnasium for almost half an hour already. It's where the Acquaintance Party is being held, and going by the loud noises and the blaring music, it's already in full swing. Fallon has just arrived a moment ago, but to their surprise and confusion, Lady hasn't come with him. Weiss hasn't appeared yet either. 

"Just where are they?" asked Hartigan, already getting annoyed. 

"Good question," Fallon replied cooly, shrugging.

"You don't know too?" 

"I can go and check." 

"Right. I'll go with you."

"No. Both of you should go ahead. I'll be back quickly."

Hartigan frowned as Fallon walked away. 

His patience is beginning to run thin. He did not ask to come with him because he thought he would take too long. His concern lies on a different matter. 

"You think Lady's with Weiss right now?"

And there it is.

He hates how Belle can read him so easily. But it's not like Hartigan can deny it.

"I have no clue. But they're getting quite too chummy lately..." he grumbled, crossing his arms as he leaned his back on the wall behind him. 

"What's with that guy, anyway? He just popped out of nowhere and started taking her all around the place. Does he think he's got the upper hand just because they're in the same class? She's our friend for a longer time."

"Oh, dear, look at you getting all jealous…" she teased, giggling as he huffed again in exasperation.

"I already told you, didn't I? You've got to make your move before something like this happens. You know just how Lady is, right? If it wasn't for her father and cousin acting like her guard all the time, she would've already had tons of suitors."

"Easier said than done. How can I do that if I'm not even sure of what she thinks of me? I might end up ruining what we have right now - which I've really worked hard for, by the way. Do you have any idea how troublesome it is to befriend my rival?"

"Drama queen."

"I'm being serious, Belle!"

"You're just thinking too much."

He was about to make another retort when the door suddenly burst open from the inside. Startled, both of them turned to look at the entrance. That was when they were greeted by three all-too-familiar faces.

"Oh! Boss!" 

It was Chester, Erwin and, Kyle – aka the former CHEEKY TRIO.

Their friendship is still going strong, it seems. All of them are in the same class again – with only their retired squad leader missing. They're no longer as childish as they were back in primary school. But they still sure are immature.

"Hey there, boss! Been a while…!" Chester greeted, walking closer then stopping upon noticing Belle. 

"I thought Ms. Belle was supposed to be off-limits?" 

"Moron. We're not dating…" Hartigan deadpanned.

"We're here with our friends. They haven't come yet, though. We're waiting."

"You mean Lady's here…?!" Erwin chimed in, seemingly thrilled.

"That's great! We can all hang out together again!"

"No, hold on. If she's here, then does that mean…" Kyle muttered, paling at a realization.

"Fallon's here too?!"

At that, all three of them went stiff then sighed wistfully.

Belle was amused by the sight but did not say a thing. They seem to be afraid of Fallon to this day, which was quite funny. It was a wonder how Hartigan managed to get close to Lady in the first place.

'Well, I guess he did work hard indeed.'

--- 

If only Weiss could, he would stay this way with Lady forever.

As he stares down at her sleeping face with a smile on his own, he feels like he has everything he ever wants and needs. That may sound too much, but that is the truth. He never felt like this towards anyone before, and he knew he would never feel it again to someone other than her.

Yet, as much as he wants to fully enjoy this moment, he knows he can't.

For one, Fallon is going to kick his ass. He promised to return with Lady after showing this place to her, but as it turned out, they ended up playing around for a while longer. Then, there's Hartigan. He's not sure how and why, but he's getting on his nerves these days. It's just that the looks he keeps giving him are a little bit unsettling. 

And so, begrudgingly, Weiss sat up and shook Lady awake. 

"It's time to go, Lady. We'd taken too long-"

"WHERE?!"

Out of nowhere, her eyes flew wide open. 

She bolted up so fast that he's struck nonplussed. It's as if she wasn't actually sleeping. She then scurries back in her feet and starts looking around for something he's got no idea about. 

Weiss tried to pull it together, knowing quite well that Lady won't act this way for no reason.

"Lady? What's the matter?" he asked as he chased after her over the field of flowers.

"What flowers are these, Weiss?!" she asked back in a hurry, pointing below them.

"Uhhh… Primroses?"

"They're not dandelions?!"

"What's with dandelions?"

"I have to find a place full of them! Do you know where it is?!"

That's an oddly specific question. She's clearly worked up about it as well. He gets worried whenever she's being this restless.

"Calm down. You have to explain to me what's going on first," he told her softly, putting both of his hands on top of her shoulders to keep her in place.

"Y-You see, I-I just remembered," she sputtered, finally sobering up as she realized that what she had just done was embarrassing. 

"Can you tell me what it's about?"

"Well, ummm… It's about Sarah."

Her again. Of course, it'd be her.

It's always her that's making Lady act this agitated. Weiss is beginning to think that he doesn't like this after all. 

She thought more about her than she thought about herself. It wasn't fair, especially when Sarah didn't even see her as someone good. She hated her, in fact.

Weiss has to understand, though. This is what will make Lady happy – 

Or so she kept telling him.

"Alright. What is this about? Tell me," he questioned, holding her hands this time.

"The truth is, I wrote this certain scene in the story. It takes place in a setting similar to this – just that the detail that stands out the most is the field of dandelions. I have a feeling that it's tonight because there's a party going on, and it just so happened that it's the first school party that Sarah has attended. This is like one of the main events," she explained in all seriousness.

"Well, if it's indeed her first party here, I think that's just about right – since she just enrolled in this academy this year, and this is the first party that the middle school students can join."

"You think so too, right?! Then, it's really this evening!"

"What is?"

"The heroine's secret rendezvous with one of the male leads!"

Weiss blinks at that. 

Twice. Thrice. 

It's not that hard to see where this is going. It's more than obvious. 

"Come on, Weiss! Let's go see it!"

Just as he thought.

What happens next is already predictable too. Since he's so weak to those puppy eyes of hers, he has no choice but to follow through with her antics and lead her to that field of dandelions she's gushing on about. He can't believe that they're just really going to barge into someone else's date. She seems pretty excited about the idea, so she must have a plan in mind. 

And usually, it's no good.

"Why do we have to go and see it, anyway? You said you wanted the story to flow as naturally as possible, right?"

"Don't worry~! We're just gonna check if things are going well~!"

"How about the others? They're waiting for us!"

"This won't take long! Just a glimpse is enough!"

They had to pass through a couple more sections of the garden first before reaching the location. It took a while since that place was massive and the area around them was supposed to be off-limits. Not everyone was allowed to enter this part of the academy. 

That makes Weiss wonder just who is this male lead that Lady has mentioned. 

At the very least, one of his parents must be part of the faculty staff if he has the privilege to roam around these gardens. Otherwise, he must be a member of the Student Elite Society, which he thinks is more likely for some reason.

"There they are!" Lady chirped, pulling Weiss closer.

They hid under the bushes – just a good few meters away from the heroine and the male lead. Although they can hear them clear enough from this distance, they can't see them without risking getting found. So, all they can do is listen.

"This is definitely a bad idea," he sighed.

"Shush," was all she said.

"We're technically eavesdropping on them."

"I know."

"Do we have to?"

"Yes."

Right now, all that Weiss can do is hope that Lady won't pull out another stunt again.