Episode 162
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 162
Two years later.
The area in front of Minerva's main gate was bustling with a massive crowd. A tremendous number of visitors poured through the wide-open campus gates.
As if fascinated by the sight of the first graduation ceremony, this year's freshmen wandered around, admiring the lavishly decorated school grounds.
“Gasp, there he is!”
Spotting the tall, handsome man in his graduation gown, a female student fussed, nudging her friend in the ribs.
Surrounded by people offering their congratulations, Evan Sylvester was nodding lightly, engaging in conversation. The student sighed dramatically and muttered.
“Such a shame…”
“What’s a shame? He was always out of our league anyway.”
“We-ell, that’s true, but…!”
“And doesn’t he have a girlfriend?!”
“That’s also true, but…!”
Pouting with a ‘hmph,’ the student scanned the visitors with curious eyes before muttering with a puzzled expression.
“But why isn’t she here? That senior!”
“Oh, the one who dropped out?”
“Yeah! Minerva’s first-ever dropout! I heard that Campbellton senior beat them to the punch by dropping out before he could get expelled, but who knows if that’s a joke or not… Anyway, I was so curious what she looked like. You don’t think she’s skipping today, do you?”
The other student, who was usually nonchalant about everything, looked up from her book and let out a small laugh. In the distance, a woman in a green dress could be seen rushing over in a flurry.
She poked her friend—who was intently searching for the person of interest—and said playfully.
“She really looks like the type to drop out.”
“What does someone like that even look li— Hmm, you know, you’re right.”
The woman’s brown hair fluttered under the bright blue sky. She seemed to be lost, unable to find Evan yet.
But it was the man who spotted her first. The moment they saw Evan’s face break into a heart-melting smile upon seeing his lover, the two students froze.
“…Wow.”
“They’re going to get married. They’re definitely getting married.”
Having heard the famous love story of Minerva’s greatest troublemaker and its top prodigy a few times, the two freshmen were certain. At the very least, Senior Evan is definitely thinking about marriage. No doubt about it.
Since she was a visitor who had dropped out, people who knew her were flocking to her from all over. The freshmen watched in amusement as the woman dealt with the people approaching her in a fluster.
*
As soon as she arrived at the school, Elysia had to endure a few smacks from a fuming Siene. She… she hit me? This pipsqueak? This tiny thing? She was bewildered by the sight of Siene, who had even taken a running start to forcefully pummel her, despite being so much shorter.
Before she could even process her bewilderment, a tirade erupted.
“You…! How could you be late on such an important day?!”
“Sorry, sorry. I ran into a pervert on the way here and had to catch the bastard—”
“What?! So what did you do to him?!”
“Well, let’s just say… it’s not a story I can tell in polite company…”
Elysia trailed off, smiling as she handed Siene a bouquet of pink roses. “Hmm,” Siene hummed, as if contemplating, and eyed the bouquet with a critical gaze. Elysia chuckled and patted her shoulder.
“Congratulations on graduating.”
“What’s the occasion? You actually bought a pretty color?”
“I’ve developed an aesthetic sense from being around you. And someone might have given me a little tip…”
A tip? Pink eyes, similar in shade to the roses Elysia brought, blinked twice with innocence. When she saw Elysia’s sly grin, her face turned bright red. Oh, no way…!
“Your boyfriend is quite… meticulous. Maybe because he’s in the same field as you, but his attention to detail is beyond descrip—”
“Shut up.”
“Give him a real chance. He’s someone who supports you and your work completely, right?”
Siene’s eyes narrowed at the words, which seemed to have been uttered with someone else in mind.
As if belatedly noticing her gaze, Elysia cleared her throat lightly. Just then, Lucian, having found them at the right moment, naturally wrapped an arm around Siene’s shoulders. Elysia grinned playfully and said.
“You two make a pretty picture.”
“Leaving school has made your way of speaking even more delinquent.”
“I’ve always been like this. Congratulations on graduating to you, too. No flowers for you, since you’re another woman’s man.”
Lucian raised an eyebrow at Elysia’s joke and retorted firmly.
“I don’t accept flowers from other men’s women, either.”
“Ha… It feels like just yesterday you were crying your eyes out over a ruined artwork, and now you know how to act all serious in front of your girlfriend. You’ve grown up so m—”
“Shut up!”
“Pahaha!” Elysia burst out laughing and gave a little wave. She wasn’t clueless enough to stick around and be a third wheel to the picture-perfect couple.
As Elysia turned to walk away, something suddenly latched onto her shoulder. Looking down with a puzzled expression, she saw the top of Siene’s silver head, hugging her tightly.
“What’s this? All of a sudden.”
“…ank you.”
“What?”
“I said thank you for congratulating me! And that I hope we see each other often!”
Siene, her face bright red, shouted before quickly pulling away. Elysia burst out laughing as she watched Siene’s retreating back, practically dragging Lucian away as if fleeing. She’s still so weird…
Swaaa— With the sound of wind rustling through the leaves, her brown hair fluttered.
The notification window that would have appeared in the past—‘Favorability with Siene Reve has increased’—did not pop up. Two years ago, she had neutralized all the systems that controlled this world, turning it into a completely independent one.
There were no more artificial events, no more destiny. The war that had seemed fated to continue had been in a truce for two years now. The lives of the people in this world were now governed solely by perfect free will.
However, the crime rate had inevitably risen. Not everyone makes ideal choices when given freedom. Some make foolish choices, while others make choices full of malice.
It seems unpleasant things are an inevitable consequence of freedom. But did that make the past, where everything was under control, the right way? Elysia didn’t think so.
So, she simply did her best. If there were people who harmed others and negatively impacted society with their wrong choices, she would catch them and set them straight… It was imperfect, but she believed it was, in fact, the most ideal form.
She looked up at the brightly shining sun and muttered.
“The weather’s nice…”
Suddenly, she thought of someone and stopped in her tracks. There was one person who might have graduated today. Someone everyone had forgotten, but who had certainly existed…
Elysia looked over the cheerful crowd with a blank expression, then sighed at the afterimage of red eyes that surfaced in her mind. This was no time to dwell on the past. She had to find Evan quick—
“Sisteeeer!!!”
“Right, I was wondering when you’d pop out…”
Whining, Adrian threw his arms around her, his eyes welling up with tears. “Gack!” Elysia coughed, thumping his shoulder repeatedly to signal him to let go.
It felt like a large dog her own size was crushing her. She scanned Adrian, who wasn’t wearing a graduation gown, and clicked her tongue. On the verge of tears, he mumbled.
“Did I… did I make the right choice?”
“Congratulations on becoming the professor’s bootlicker.”
Adrian had recently become a research student for advanced studies. The professors weren’t about to let a talent who had written such an outstanding graduation thesis just walk away.
And since he was passionate about his studies, persuading him was quick and easy. And so, Adrian’s graduation was postponed, and his life as a research slave with no end in sight began…
“Should I cancel the research program right now?”
“I doubt you can… Once you’re caught, there’s no escape. Just be a good little bootlicker.”
“Gyaaaah!!!”
She patted the screaming Adrian’s shoulder and chided him.
“Stop being such a baby, you’ll do great anyway… By the way, where’s Senior?”
“He’s been staring only at you for a while now. You must be really out of it… to not even notice.”
At Adrian’s words, Elysia whipped her head around and froze, spotting Evan, who had indeed been watching her the whole time. Seeing her unusual expression, Adrian asked in a curious voice.
“What is it?”
“Uh, no, it’s just, Senior looks really…”
Handsome.
She couldn’t bring herself to say the word, swallowing it back down her throat.
As Elysia stood there staring blankly at him, the man strode over. His neat face was suddenly right in front of hers. He gave her wide eyes a light kiss and pouted.
“Am I the last on your list?”
Elysia was so stunned she didn’t even notice all the eyes focused on them, and could only stare blankly at Evan. He gently tapped the tip of her nose with his finger and whispered.
“Your popularity is a real problem.”
“Why are you so…”
Dazzling today? …is what she almost said. Biting her tongue to stop the stupid question, Elysia handed him the bouquet she was holding. Evan took the bouquet—a mix of blue roses and pink baby’s breath—and held her hand.
“Shall we take a little walk?”
After excusing themselves from Adrian, they walked slowly through the campus. He deliberately pretended not to notice Elysia staring up at his face more intently than usual. If he brought it up, his lover, who couldn’t handle embarrassment as well as she let on, would probably jump up and run away.
After walking for a few minutes, Elysia’s eyes widened when she realized they had arrived at a familiar place.
“Oh, this place is…”
“Let’s go in.”
As they entered the greenhouse located in the center of the school, the scent of greenery mixed with the humid air tickled her nose. It seemed to have been newly tended for spring, as colorful flowers were in full, glorious bloom.
Walking through the greenhouse filled with a myriad of colors, Elysia let out a soft laugh.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Do you remember we first met here? You completely misunderstood the situation back then.”
The tips of the man’s ears turned red. Not missing it, Elysia giggled and sat down on a nearby bench that had just caught her eye.
“I cursed you out so much back then… I thought you were a real weirdo.”
“And now?”
Evan knelt on one knee, resting the hand holding the bouquet on her lap as he looked up at her. His already handsome features, now framed by flowers, were devastatingly effective. Ah, why does he look so handsome today?
Biting her lip, she quickly averted her gaze and answered.
“You already know, so why ask…?”
“Right now, I love you so much that you’d want to run away if you knew the full extent of it.”
Flinch. He squeezed her trembling hand and smiled, his eyes curving.
“I’ve wanted to say this ever since I saw you wandering around with those flowers, looking for me.”
“…”
“Thank you, for loving me too.”
Elysia tilted her head with a mischievous expression and retorted.
“Hmm, I haven’t said I love you yet—”
“Is there anyone else for you to love besides me?”
At his shamelessly confident reply, Elysia was left speechless and just laughed lightly. He stood up and bent down slightly. His handsome brow furrowed in thought as he scanned the flowers in the greenhouse.
Soon, as if he’d found something, he plucked a single flower and placed it in her hand, whispering.
“Let me stay by your side, always.”
“Of course. That was always the plan.”
“I knew you’d say that.”
As they faced each other, their eyes were filled with a deep trust for one another. He slowly leaned in and kissed the woman who was tightly clutching the blue bindweed he had given her. As if she had been waiting, her eyes fluttered shut.
Life is a mixture of many different stories. One day you can be despairing like the protagonist of a tragedy, and the next, you can be as dignified as a hero from a myth. You might be terrified like a character in a thriller for a moment, only to return to a romantic comedy.
A woman whose book of life, when opened, was filled with nothing but cruel incidents, and a man whose book was filled with nothing but a well-tended love story. Now, paints of various colors were bleeding onto the pages of each other’s single-hued books.
And this mixing was a most welcome thing for them.
Beware the Mixing of Genres, THE END ?