Episode 58
When Eugene saw me standing up from my seat, he opened his wrinkles in his forehead and stared at me as if he was surprised.
Then he snorted and lowered his head down.
Even so, I was embarrassed because he had never laughed at me so openly as this time, so I was excited, pointed it out, and screamed.
“Hey, what are you doing? I said I’d give you the best I can, but is that funny? Huh?”
“No, I didn’t laugh at you.”
But Eugene’s lips were still raised.
“Then what? Why are you snorting?”
“No, I mean, I didn’t laugh at you.”
Eugene waved and looked up at me with his two blue eyes.
“You were worried about a lot of people coming until now, but I’m grateful for saying that in front of me.”
At that moment, I’m going to say something. But, I shut my mouth again.
Grateful?
That guy, to me?
“Hey, but it’s already eleven o’clock. We have to practice tomorrow, so shouldn’t we go now?”
Eugene said, taking his watch out of his pocket.
“Huh? Uh yeah….”
“Let’s clear the chairs and go. You have to take care of your physical strength.”
With no way of responding to the word ‘grateful’, which appeared unexpectedly, Eugene finished preparing to go out with the chair tidy.
When I left, the moon was floating and the surroundings were quiet.
It felt as if I and Eugene were the only living creatures in that vast space.
“But what are you going to do with your outfit? Have you decided anything?”
When I asked Eugene, who walked silently, he looked back at me and replied.
“I haven’t thought about it yet. Why?”
“Because we’re going to be on stage. You shouldn’t wear things that don’t look good on you.”
“Well……I don’t think you or I will end up wearing something so weird, but let’s talk about it before the show.”
As he said so, Eugene lowered his head and began to walk forward.
“Do you have something in mind?”
“…… I’m fine these days.”
“Really? If you hide it on purpose or something, I won’t let it go.”
Even though half of his face looked dark because it was night, I could tell at a glance that he was frowning.
“No. You saw it. I used the blue flame magic often during practice. But I’ve been fine these days.”
“It’s when it appears, but I’m asking in case there’s another problem.”
In the end, I stopped walking and talked to Eugene.
“You’re weird today.”
Then he also stopped and answered back.
“What?”
“And the jacket, too, you, somehow very…… attentive.”
“Ha, does that mean I don’t usually?”
“Well, you’re not the type to hear that you’re being attentive, are you?”
“You really…..”
Eugene was furious when he heard me, but that’s where it was over. I knew. Now he’s no longer seriously picking a fight with me.
“Well, thanks for your attention. In many ways.”
“Don’t slip away by saying so.”
That’s how Eugene glared at me.
“The day your eyes got weird, they looked pretty serious. There’s nothing good about that happening many times. Don’t hold it to yourself and tell someone else.”
There was no irritation in Eugene’s voice bringing up the words.
After all, it seemed like he was genuinely worried.
“…okay.”
“Yes. It’s alright if you knew.”
And for another time there was silence.
All I could hear was the sound of me and Eugene’s footsteps, and the sound of the wind brushing against the leaves.
“Hey, Spade.”
“Yeah.”
“These days……you told me that I was more careful than usual.”
“Uh. I felt that way. Why?”
To my question, Eugene turned his head and looked down at me, and asked in a low voice.
“You, do you think you know why I do this?”
At the very moment, his blue eyes glistened like stars on the day.
I felt that my eyes were blue at the time of the hour, so I felt like I was going to get sucked into it for a while.
His bright blue eyes were like the blue sapphire and like the eyes of a wolf crying in the snow.
Come to think of it now, I think it was then that I felt strange.
At that time, I took his words without a hitch.
“Well, I don’t know, because we’re a little less fighting than in the old days?”
Eugene shook his head slightly at my words.
“That’s not wrong, but it’s not the perfect answer.”
“Is that an answer?”
“Yeah.”
The remark made me think more and then open my mouth.
“Because it’s a performance soon, do you have to take care of…..”
“No.”
“Because you’re in a good mood today?”
“I wasn’t in a bad mood, but no.”
After agonizing over the answer, I soon turned my head towards Eugene.
This enigmatic strange question was also a problem, but it made me wonder if it was much more original than that.
“But why are you asking me that?”
In my words, Eugene looked at me with his eyes squinted.
To be honest, I couldn’t tell what kind of emotion the expression represented in his face.
“… you really don’t know?”
“Yeah.”
Eugene turned his head to my monotonous answer.
And soon a voice was heard from the silver head, which seemed to be softly shining in white under the moonlight.
“Okay, I understand.”
The more I heard it, the vaguer it was.
“What, why did you ask?”
“You don’t have to know.”
“What’s that? Tell me.”
But Eugene remained tight-lipped and did not answer.
‘You’re a bad-tempered bastard.…….’
I grumbled my arms inside, but Eugene still didn’t answer.
In the meantime, I arrived at the dormitory.
Today, I felt as if I walked slower than usual and had more conversations with Eugene than before.
“Good night, see you tomorrow.”
It was the moment when he was about to make a brief greeting and enter the women’s dormitory, which was not unusual.
We always would greet each other around here, and return to each other’s dorms without any further conversation.
But that day was a little different.
“Wait, Spade.”
Suddenly, at the voice calling me back from behind, I looked back casually.
Standing at the foot of the stairs, Eugene was calling me, slightly wide-eyed, glowing blue.
“Why?”
“Just one thing before I go back, I want to talk to you.”
It was a big deal.
“I’ve always been the one who never looked back after saying hello.’
“What is it?”
I turned around and asked him again, but he didn’t open his mouth immediately.
He bit his lips tightly for a while, and only after a deep breath, he opened his mouth.
“Do you have a partner for the ball?”
He was probably going to ask if I would dance at the ball right after the performance.
It would have been difficult to skip the ball if there was anyone who asked me to dance with him even if I wanted to rest a little after the performance.
‘Oh, that’s why he wants to ask me what I’d do.’
I don’t know who you are, but that’s great, applying for Eugene’s partner.
‘Well, he’s pretty good-looking. He would have been very popular if he had a good personality.’
As expected, his face was the best. If he’s been asked for a partner,
“Well, someone did come in, but in conclusion… I’m not sure if I’ll accept it.”
It was right. Cassius has applied for a partner twice, but I haven’t given him the answer that he can dance with me.
Not only am I not good at dancing, but I also wondered if I could dance properly after the performance, and I talked with Erica to watch the people dance together.
“I was supposed to hang out with Cassius after the dance, but I’m not going to dance, so I’m not sure I can say I accepted his partner request, right?’
“Not sure?”
“Yeah.”
Eugene stood still, with his head down and fists in both hands.
“Maybe, if you don’t partner with him….”
“Huh?”
It was a low whisper, but I could hear it.
‘What if I don’t don’t partner with him?’
Why are you saying that all of a sudden?
When he frowned at the question passing through his head, Eugene suddenly raised his head and looked straight at me and said in a slightly cracked voice.
“Well, can you be my partner?”
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