Chapter 26 - Volume 3

School Arc – Chapter 7

Since that day, I went back and forth to the library. It’s fine to think me a forever alone with a lot of free time on her hands. It’s a sacrifice I have to make.

The best news was that Lily came to the library the next day and the day after that for me, and we talked about a lot of things there.

At the beginning, it was mainly about campus life and lessons.

It seemed that Lily really did have a considerably tough time, she said she couldn’t keep up with the subject matter in class in particular.

That’s natural. On top of not having any foundation before now, since she was made to skip over four years, making her try to understand the lessons of a fifth year student was a mistake.

「Since the teachers have come to think that there is no way I can follow what they’re talking about, they don’t even call my name or ask me questions during class」

Lily said this with mixed feelings.

It’d also be troubling if she were given advanced questions, but to be completely neglected was probably not fun. She’s pretty strong-willed despite how she looks.

「That… makes you want to change their opinions of you, huh?」

「Yes」

That’s a good answer. Although I also personally like students who have the will, even as the dorm head, the other party should be worthy of help.

「For history, if it’s alright with you, I can teach it to you. If you grasp the huge course of events until you reach the current lessons, it should be fine even if we set aside the memorization of the trivial details. For language class, I think there’s no other way but to earnestly read books, though… ah, no, first, we need to make the choices, right? Since it’s difficult to hasten all the courses in parallel, we should focus on the subjects you’re interested in…」

While talking, I considered the things I ought to do myself after this.

First, was a means that could be used more effectively during a subject’s class period. Things like only listening during a perplexing class would be a waste of time, and it could even chip off her will to learn. Since I can’t do anything about this on my own, I guess I have no other choice but to discuss it with the teachers.

At any rate, not being able to spare time during the day for Lily’s sake was tantalizing.

So that she doesn’t make the same mistake I did, I mustn’t make it known to others that I’m too concerned about it, otherwise, she’ll be kept at a distance from friends.

For that reason, we can’t make the bold move of visiting each other’s rooms in the dorm (it’d be impossible to do this without the other students seeing).

Still, sneakily having clandestine meetings was fun in its own way.

It was fun to map out various learning programmes too.

Even the idle chats we had together in our spare time was fun.

Though I said idle chats, since I didn’t know what kind of topic would catch her interest, for the time being, I tried talking about Wolf or Shade – her 『capturable targets』 . Since they had caught her interest based on her reaction during the game, and because those two come up often in topics even in the female dormitory, I thought it was an easy starting point.

But, even though she seemed to be enjoying herself listening to what I said, she didn’t show any particular interest in them. I don’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

The most impressive thing, from what Lily told me, was what she said about her dreams.

Wanting to ensure that children won’t have their freedom unjustly restricted even if the child endowed with magical powers comes from the masses like her, seems to be her dream. For that reason, she wanted to enter the association.

It was a fine dream and, if such children who were currently suffering damage because of that existed, it was a problem that could not be ignored.

Even though I left that aside, I had a devil of a time thinking about the question this subject raised.

One of which was about her past. When she said『have their freedom unjustly restricted』, I thought, ‘could she be talking about her own personal experience?’. In fact, when talking about her past, she doesn’t talk much about her family in particular.

There was no mother at home. She doesn’t like her father too much. That… was everything she said about her family.

When I asked whether I could call her Lily, she said this while slightly at a loss for words.

「Thank you very much… in my introduction at class, I did say 『my nickname is Lily』. But, honestly, no one calls me by that name anymore. In the past, Mother used to call me this, though」

As she said it, she gripped the pendant on her breast. Perhaps for her, it was a memento of her mother.

Please don’t show me such a tearful-looking face. Otherwise, I’ll tear up as well.

By the way, after this, I cheekily got her to call me 『Lycoris』, with a promise to do so when nobody was around.

Regarding the things I was made to consider from Lily’s conversation, there was another one, this was about my own future.

Was… there likely a time that I seriously thought about my future? Although I ought to be embarrassed as someone who was at her final year in school, I dare say, there wasn’t.

Vaguely, there were times that I thought, ‘Surely, it’ll likely turn out like this’ or something. However, from there, I didn’t have a dream or anything I’ve made my mind to do.

Before arriving in this school, the future was a matter of when I’d enter the school.

Before Lily arrived, the future was a matter of when the timeframe of the game would start.

After that? What I wanted to do? What kind of life I wanted to live? I should think about them.

Another day, and again there was a terribly thrilling event.

A little bird, who had a nest in a forest at the outskirts of the school, paid Lily a visit. At that moment, the words that filled my head were like this.

W-what is this, it’s so heroine-like!!

「Oh. For you to come as far as this place to find me, you sure are tenacious. Lycoris, I’ll introduce you. This little one is a child that accompanies me during lunch」

Saying that, Lily opened the library’s window, a single lapis lazuli-colored little bird flew in. After the little bird circled the room, it settled on Lily’s shoulders.

「This little one seems terribly accustomed to people. If you give him breadcrumbs just once, henceforth, he’d continuously come back with demands at lunch time」

It seems she’s been eating a sandwich or whatever else for lunch outside. I suppose it was a given that I didn’t see her in the cafeteria at lunch time. I eat lunch inside the school building, and was also generally together with Wolf or Shade.

However.

A golden-haired young girl in a blue dress eating lunch under the bright rays of sunshine. A lapis lazuli-colored little bird swooping down on her shoulder with a flutter and flapping of wings.

I-it’s so heroine-like.

Although she feels more like a heroine from the World Masterpiece Theatre rather than a heroine from an otome game, at any rate, it is a scene that ranks high in my internal『Heroine behavior ranking』.(1)

With great excitement, I looked at the little bird, but, it ended up flying away to avoid me. That was just typical. Sorry for getting carried away.

Just like that, time passed by in a blink of an eye.

Every single day was enjoyable for me, I felt fulfilled.

On such a day, I had a realization as I was having a discussion in preparation of the dance lessons, which was on the day after tomorrow, with Lily. It was the first after the school term started, in other words, it was the first joint gender dance class for her. Lily was fretting over whether she might end up making a mistake in that place.

Huh? And so, I felt a deja vu of some kind.

Don’t tell me, could this be… Wolf and Lily’s encounter event?

(1) It’s an anime , though I was seriously tempted to put it as Disney Princess to make it understandable for those who don’t know this anime.