CH 25

Relaxation

On that day, as soon as the last class was over, she was stopped by Zechs.

“Sheila, let’s go play in town now.”

“In town?”

Jornwerner apparently didn’t have much time because of his research, so today was the first time in a while that she had no plans after school. There was some homework to be done though, so it wasn’t that she had nothing to do at all.

“I’m not saying you have to, but your grades seem to be improving steadily, and it’s good to take a break once in a while.”

Cody smiled at her gently, too, and Sheila’s heart melt at once. She also thinks that she’d been working too hard lately. She was still a long way from being on par with everyone else, but sometimes she just wanted to forget all about her studies and relax.

Sheila nodded in agreement.

The three of them started walking hurriedly to the front door. They wanted to get home before the curfew, which was 8:00 p.m., so they had to hurry.

“By the way, we usually eat out when we go into town, did you bring any money?”

“Yeah. I get a little allowance in case something happens. As long as it’s not too expensive, I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

When she replied while peeking into her wallet, Zechs patted her on the shoulder in a good mood.

‘I know you’re looking forward to it, but please go easy on me a little.’       

“It’s a good, cheap place, so don’t worry about it. And, after all, there are certain benefits.”

“Benefits?”

“It’s a girl, you know, a girl. The girl who works at the diner is cute. There are a lot of guys who are after her.”

“Hmm.”

If anything, Sheila was more interested in walking around town more than girls.

The days passed by so hurriedly that she had yet to walk around the royal capital even once. She still only knew the view from inside the carriage.

It reminded her of the sweet treats that Felix fed her. She wondered if there were still plenty of gorgeous-looking and delicious foods in the royal capital.

As she was filled with anticipation, Cody gave a charming smile.

“I’m glad that Jornwerner-sensei was able to teach you, so you were able to make time to play like this. Good for you, class will be fun if you can understand it, right?”

“Yeah. I’m grateful, but I don’t want to say it was good.”

Cody blinked his chestnut eyes as he frowned at the memory of the intense exchange.

“Is Jornwerner-sensei harassing you in some way?”

“That’s right. We’re at peace because you’re acting as a barricade, you know?”

Zechs laughed lightly, while Cody’s expression turned serious. Sheila waved her hand hurriedly.

“No, no, he touches me and teases me by saying weird things. But I don’t think it’s harassment.”

The two men looked at each other with indescribable faces. This was a familiar scene to her.

Zechs scratched his sandy-colored hair in a cumbersome manner and exhaled.

“Sheila, be careful. I haven’t heard any rumors about him, so I don’t think he’s into that kind of thing.”

“That kind of thing?”

Tilting her head, she frowned even more.

“Haaa.…. Haven’t you ever felt anything when you saw those people hiding in the shadows?”

“Ah, I see it sometimes. I’ve wondered what they were doing, too.”

Every time she saw them in the corner of a hallway, behind a staircase, or in an empty classroom, she wondered what they were doing. But before she could find out anything, Cody and the others would back out, so she never found out what was really going on.

“It’s better for you not to be tactless enough to watch….. You might be traumatized by the impact.”

Cody’s advice added even more question marks in her head.

“What impact?”

“――You’re really thickheaded. They’re making out! Those people!”

Zechs shouted as if he couldn’t stand it any longer.

People on the street pass by, glancing at them suspiciously. In this case, Sheila and the others were probably considered part of the group. Cody, perhaps feeling uncomfortable, looked down in embarrassment.

“Umm, what do you mean? Why do guys make out with each other?”

Zechs’ words hadn’t yet fully penetrated. Sheila lowered her eyebrows as if at a loss.

Cody wanted to pretend to be a stranger, but he couldn’t abandon the unusually timid Sheila and said in an admonishing tone.

“…. You know, at the academy, there are only men, including the teachers, right? When placed in such a special environment, even among men, it is possible for them to develop an affection for each other. If two men are alone together in the shadows, you should assume that they are probably in love with each other.”

“Eh…. but, ah, how do you make love? I mean, isn’t it physically impossible?”

“Don’t make us explain it to you!”

Zechs turned pale and screamed again. Cody covered his face this time. It was a tragic scene that looked somewhat like he was crying.

An awkward silence fell, and we continued walking in silence for a while. The buzz of activity around us was deafening.

The hustle and bustle of the surroundings enveloped them, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the central street of the royal capital.

The smiling face of a flower girl, the bar call, bargain sales at a butcher shop. These things that would normally excite her heart were, on the contrary, painful in her current state of mind.

It was Sheila who mustered up the courage to break the silence.

“Um, Cody and Zechs, too? That…. you guys are my close friends.”

The complexion of the two people, who were about to recover, immediately turned pale again.

“Don’t misunderstand! Are you an idiot?! That’s why I said I was going to the bar!”

“Sheila, you really must stop with that misunderstanding. It’s not that I’m trying desperately to hide it or anything, it’s just that it’s really not it….. Don’t look at me with those compassionate eyes. Don’t smile benevolently or anything. Don’t give me that weird attention. Don’t nod like you know what I’m talking about. Don’t give me that “I’m rooting for you both” pep talk!”

A whirlwind of confusion ensued, and the place suddenly became noisy. However, since they were usually together, they were able to communicate with each other. The three of them managed to calm their feelings without any unwanted misunderstandings.

“…. I see, I’m sorry. You two aren’t dating, are you?”

Sheila breathed a sigh of relief as she adjusted her breathing, which had become rough for some reason. Even if the two of them were lovers, she would like to continue going out with them as before, but there would always be situations where she would have to be careful.

“But I didn’t know that the academy was like that….”

“Well, it’s only a small part of the story. We knew we had to tell you sometime, but you surprised us all of a sudden, didn’t you? But now that you know, you have to be careful from now on. You’re slender and have a woman’s face, you know. You can’t be sure that you won’t be attacked.”

“…. Yes, I agree.”

It would be twice as bad if she was attacked and her body was touched, and they found out she was a woman. Sheila nodded repeatedly with a thoughtful expression.

“No matter how feminine he looks, it only takes a few words to know that this guy is a man among men. They’ll lose interest in five minutes you know, five minutes.”

“…”

Being declared a man among men was also complicated. As expected of the late bride and spinster of the village of Denan.

Well, she was now convinced that she wasn’t attractive enough as someone who’ll make them lose interest in five minutes. Cody put his hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve come all this way for a break, so let’s put all this talk to rest. Is there anywhere you want to go?”

Zechs raised his hand with a lightning speed like never before.

“The diner! The signboard girl, Arin-chan! I desperately want to see her now!”

“I didn’t ask you, Zechs. Sheila, what are you going to do? If you want, I can guide you there first.”

After thinking for a moment, Sheila looked up.

“――I want to go to the pastry shop!”