Senior and Junior (1)
Right before me stood the object of the entire academy's envy and adoration.
As always, she was beloved by young and old alike, answering every greeting with a radiant smile. Yet... at this precise moment, there wasn't a trace of a smile on her face.
When she had grabbed my arm and dragged me away, I'd simply assumed her kindhearted nature was acting up again.
"You can tell me now, can't you? Why did you lie to me?"
"..."
The corners of Renias's mouth—which I thought would remain perpetually curved upward in joy—were set in a tight, unyielding line. Her gaze stayed fixed on me, making it clear she had no intention of looking away until she got an answer.
No matter how innocent she might seem, or how cheerful and bright she appeared on the surface, she was far from oblivious. For Renias, this was a matter that had to be addressed.
No further questions followed. In the deserted dining hall, only the soft sound of our breathing filled the air. When I failed to reply, Renias spoke first.
"Senior."
Just that single word.
Yet that single title carried an unyielding determination to pry an answer out of me. In short, it was an urgent demand to speak up.
Is she talking about what happened at the banquet hall?
An unexpected situation had landed in my lap, but I couldn't just sit here like a sitting duck. Naturally, my best move was to play dumb.
"You mean how I accidentally fell asleep during lecture and couldn't make it? If that upset you, I'm sorr—"
"Senior!"
Her voice rose, as if to ask whom I took for a fool. Cutting me off without hesitation, she warned me that glossing over it with half-baked excuses wouldn't work.
She was hardly someone who lost her temper with others, nor did she harbor any malice toward me. But unless she got this off her chest, it felt as though something churning in her stomach would heave right up this very second.
"Senior... you didn't miss it because you were asleep. You sent me there because you already knew the upper classes were hazing the lower ones, didn't you?"
She had pieced together most of the truth, yet what she truly wanted was to hear it directly from his own mouth.
There were circumstances. Renias simply wanted to hear Junon say those words.
Her senior, however, was a seasoned liar. Knowing he would inevitably try to dodge the issue, she decided to strip away any room for excuses.
"I asked them myself at the banquet! What they said didn't match your story at all..."
"..."
Right. Something felt off back then. I finally grasped the root of Renias's strange behavior.
During the End-of-Term Evaluation, she had suddenly snapped, stubbornly clawing her way up that sheer cliff face before falling. Even while suspended where she couldn't dare look down, instead of trembling in fear, she had gritted her teeth and tried desperately to climb. I'd never figured out why she'd been so reckless.
Now, the reason had laid itself bare.
I had made a vague excuse about dozing off during a lecture, but I hadn't accounted for her boundless sociability reaching those students.
I guess I was too careless.
Worse, by throwing out an unprepared, flimsy excuse, I had ended up tripping over my own feet. Confronted by her unwavering resolve demanding the unvarnished truth, I finally waved the white flag.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any harm by it."
"I already knew that much."
"Is that so..."
Scratching the back of my neck, I averted my gaze. Knowing full well that my actions weren't entirely honorable, looking straight into Renias's eyes felt impossible.
At that, Renias opened her heart.
"Still... I'm actually glad I found out."
"Renias..."
"Thanks to you, Senior, I realized how distorted the academy has become, even if it was late. Even though I learned it far too late..."
Clatter.
"Ah! I-I'm so sorry!"
As she admitted having realized it too late, Renias's hands had gripped her teacup tightly. Putting too much force on the innocent porcelain had caused tea to spill over the rim.
Wiping the spilt liquid, Renias resumed the conversation.
"You wanted me to see it for myself, didn't you, Senior Junon?"
"Yeah. If those kids had been left alone, they might not have endured it."
In the end, I was only confessing now because I'd been caught red-handed using an innocent person for my own ends. I braced myself, thinking it wouldn't be surprising if this girl, whom I'd thought of as purely innocent, unleashed a torrent of resentment upon me.
Yet as I closed my eyes, prepared to swallow whatever blame she threw my way, Renias gently took my hand.
The very hand that had trembled with indignation until tea sloshed onto the table had returned to being warm, gentle, and worthy of the jewel of the academy.
"I don't think what you did was wrong. So please, don't feel guilty."
"It's not like I always do the right thing. Overestimating me isn't good for you."
"You're someone who can predict rain just by looking at a passing cloud. Would you ever do something like that without thinking? I'm sure you had a good reason."
"I'm... just an ordinary, untalented Class E student like the rest of them, you know?"
"Would an ordinary person try to lie during the End-of-Term Evaluation just to spare my feelings?"
"No, that was..."
Unsatisfied with words like ordinary and talentless, Renias brought her other hand over mine, clasping it between both of hers.
"At the very least, I don't see you that way."
Why did that single sentence feel so heavy—as heavy as the warmth of her two hands resting over mine?
I could have argued that she was mistaken, but I found myself unable to utter another word in protest. As my silence stretched on, Renias returned to her usual self, flashing a bright smile before pulling her hands back.
"Senior. May I ask you for one more favor?"
"Tsk... Let me hear it first. If it's something weird, I'm turning it down."
"Ahaha, it's nothing like that! Promise me you'll grant it first."
She extended her pinky, coaxing me to lock fingers. She clearly had something up her sleeve, making me reluctant to agree...
"Hmph. After tricking me and using me like that, you can't even grant me one tiny favor?"
"Ugh..."
Just look at those sparkling eyes.
I had tried to read her mood and wriggle out of it, only for her to guilt-trip me right back. Defeated, I had no choice but to offer my pinky. Looking thoroughly satisfied, Renias hooked her finger around mine and beamed warmly.
"See? You're far too kind, Senior. You can't even turn down a simple request like this."
"...Stop changing the subject. So, what is it you want?"
"From now on, no hiding things or lying in front of me, Senior. That's what this promise is for."
A small promise between an upperclassman and his junior.
It wasn't something impossible to keep, but...
Sorry. That's one thing I can't do.
For Junon, there were still far too many things left to hide.
Today, a certain prejudice was thoroughly shattered.
The notion that nobles only ate rare, luxurious delicacies while rigidly adhering to aristocratic etiquette and poise. Today. Right at this hour. Right before my very eyes, that illusion shattered into pieces.
"..."
"What's the matter, Senior? Do you not like the food? Should I order something else for you?"
"No, it's not that. It's just surprising."
"Mmh? Whash dish dat shupposh to mean?"
Even with her tiny mouth stuffed full of food, she managed to get her words out around every chew.
"Nobles usually frequent high-end restaurants and the like. You don't seem like the type."
After swallowing down the generous mouthful of meat she had been savoring, Renias replied.
"Ugh, Senior. Don't you know you'd get indigestion if you ate like typical nobles?"
"Indigestion? Why?"
Didn't those folks just sit in luxurious restaurants ordering ridiculously expensive dishes? I wondered what could possibly cause indigestion—until I heard what she had to say next.
Apparently, eating with nobles was sickening because they were so suffocated by notions of dignity, grace, and rigid etiquette.
"You can't make a sound, and you have to cut your steak into strictly measured bites and nibble on it like a bird. How can anyone swallow food like that?"
"Pfft... Is that how it is? I can imagine."
"Besides, I actually love hunting down delicious local eateries. Commoner food, with all its savory saltiness and rich spice, tastes so much better than aristocratic fare!"
Judging by her expression, she was utterly sick of high-society dining. Dining etiquette executed like clockwork, invisible rules of decorum that had to be upheld... Being unable to enjoy a meal the way one wanted in the midst of all that truly sounded miserable.
I did wonder how so much food could disappear into such a slender frame... Though maybe all that nutrition was concentrated in specific areas? Well, as long as she enjoyed the meal, that was all that mattered.
"Right, right. Food's food once it hits the stomach. Might as well eat something tasty so it puts you in a good mood."
"Oh! You really get it, Senior! Food being delicious is all that counts!"
I had worried she might order something exorbitantly priced that would make me uncomfortable to accept, but there had been no need. My junior surprisingly possessed a very sensible concept of money.
We finished off our satisfying lunch by ordering a fruit sorbet each for dessert.
"Thanks for the meal. That settles the remaining debt between us."
"Mmh... I think I'll need to consider that. Deceiving people is a bad thing, after all. Hehe."
"Renias... cut me some slack."
"Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it. You were barely eating at first, so I thought I ordered the wrong dishes."
"How could that be? More importantly, come here for a second."
"Huh? Why? Mmph—"
Pulling out a napkin, I gently wiped away a smudge of sauce clinging to the corner of her lips. The sweet-and-spicy sauce was vivid red, standing out so sharply against her fair skin that I simply couldn't ignore it.
"Getting food all over your face like a clumsy kid."
As expected, she was meticulous in some ways, but clumsy at heart.
Wait... was it just my imagination? Why did that spot look even redder after I wiped the sauce off...?
"Ah... Ahaha...! I'm so sorry, hahah... I-I had no idea... I'll wipe the rest myself!"
Jerking her head away, Renias hastily fumbled through her bag, pulled out a compact mirror, and checked her face.
Granted, there had been a fair amount of sauce on her face, but was it really something to get that flustered over? Well, whatever. People react in all kinds of ways.
Just as I stood up to tell her I'd be taking my leave, she spoke up.
"Where are you going? You need to register for classes."
Course registration. With the Start-of-Semester Evaluation over, class assignments were finalized. Now it was just a matter of selecting lectures fitting one's class rank, but...
"I won't be able to register for at least another three hours."
"Huh? Why?"
"Isn't it obvious? Course registration opens for the higher classes first."
Because academy staff had to process each student's registration individually, the procedure took time. Regrettably, students from the upper classes snatched up all the popular lectures, leaving those in lower tiers no choice but to wait their turn.
"Aha, so you haven't checked your results yet, have you, Senior?"
"Well, no."
It wasn't as if I had any shot at qualifying for Class C anyway, so why bother checking? Assuming that settled it, I picked up my uniform jacket to leave, but Renias grabbed my arm once more.
"You're in Class A, Senior. Just like me. Our registration slot opens shortly, so let's go together."
"What...? Did you misread it?"
"Oh, come on. Do you think I sought you out just to have lunch? I checked your registration window beforehand and timed our meal on purpose."
...?
......What?
Me? In Class A???
What kind of jaw-dropping nonsense was this???
"Senior? Are you listening to me properly?"
Renias pouted, airing her grievance, but my mind utterly failed to process it. Then again, she didn't look like she was lying. She wasn't the type to pull a prank with something like this, was she?
In that case, how on earth was I supposed to hear her words 'properly'?!