His and Her Past (3)
"Ugh... I don't look weird, do I? It's my first time wearing this since we bought it..."
"Don't worry. We picked it out together, and you said you liked it when we bought it."
The clothes Lilit was wearing were the outfit she had finally chosen after browsing various shops with Rofel last weekend.
Since she usually wore her school uniform or plain clothes whenever she met Marc, she had decided to go for a twist this time.
She hoped to show off an unexpected charm by wearing something slightly revealing.
"...But this outfit... I didn't realize it when we bought it, but now that I have it on, it really is a bit revealing..."
Having never worn this kind of clothing before, her face flushed red as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
"Oh, come on. This level of exposure is pretty common these days. Besides, it looks really good on you."
"...Really?"
"Of course! If you confess to Marc looking like this, there's no way he could ever reject you."
"Oh, stop it! It's not that big of a deal!"
Lilit laughed and playfully smacked Rofel on the back in embarrassment.
"...Are you still nervous?"
"I guess I am... Sigh... I always knew this day would come, but actually confessing to him myself makes it feel so surreal."
"It's fine. There's absolutely no need to worry."
Rofel said, tightly holding both of Lilit's hands.
At their fingertips, a subtle warmth passed between them.
"So, are you ready?"
"Yes, of course. I can't back out now."
Lilit replied, squeezing Rofel's hands in return.
Early on a weekend morning, someone was standing in front of the plaza fountain.
"Not here yet? It's almost time to meet..."
He was Marc Visus, a promising student of the Academy's Knight Faculty.
The reason he, who had been incredibly busy lately, was out in the plaza was none other than to wait for his childhood friend, Lilit, for their scheduled meeting.
He had agonized over the decision to meet her for quite some time.
Of course, if things were as they had been in the past, he would have agreed to meet her immediately.
After all, he too had once harbored feelings close to love for her.
However, after entering the Academy, his heart had undergone various changes, both big and small.
He had discovered his hidden talent, which brought him a great deal of attention from those around him.
He had also realized that there were plenty of other attractive women in the world besides her.
To the current him, she was a childhood friend, but nothing more.
Although Lilit possessed the solid backing of the high noble Tistina family,
other prestigious houses—like the Serion family, renowned for producing elite knights, and the Kshatri family of the current Magic Tower Master—were already eyeing him.
In addition, various prominent figures in the Academy and even members of the Imperial Family were keeping a close eye on his progress.
It might sound arrogant, but he had now become one of the key figures in the Academy, and his pride had risen accordingly.
Perhaps that was why he felt annoyed at Lilit for being slightly late to their meeting.
He already had numerous meetings scheduled with Academy professors and other high-ranking nobles.
He had only carved out time for her today out of sentimentality, since they hadn't seen each other much lately.
In other words, he had gone out of his way to make time for this meeting.
To keep someone like him waiting—even if they shared a long history—felt slightly insulting.
He was just thinking about complaining to her about her lateness when...
"S-Sorry, Marc! Am I late?"
Lilit's voice rang out.
Marc turned his head toward the sound.
"You're late, Lilit. I went out of my way to make time for this, so you should have been punctual..."
Marc, who was about to voice his complaints, froze with his mouth wide open the moment he saw Lilit.
"I'm really sorry! It took me a while to get ready."
"...Huh? No, no, it's fine. It happens. But... you look a bit different today?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah! It's a new outfit I bought recently! But it's my first time wearing it... Does it look weird?"
Lilit spun around in a circle.
Marc couldn't believe his eyes.
Was the woman standing before him really the Lilit Tistina he knew?
Of course, Lilit had always been one of the famous beauties at the Academy.
However, she had never been one to dress up.
Her wardrobe consisted entirely of her uniform or loose, baggy casual clothes.
While that had its own friendly, modest charm, it wasn't particularly stimulating.
But what about her appearance now?
Her top was completely different.
The sleeves were loose, retaining her usual lively and cute vibe, but the tight crop top clung to her chest, revealing the seductive curves that had always been hidden beneath her baggy clothes.
And what about her lower half?
Her extremely short shorts put her healthy waistline and thighs on full display.
Paired with mid-calf stockings, the slight bulge of flesh pressed over the tops of the socks added a dizzying allure.
It was a perfect, hundred-point outfit that brought out both her existing charms and her hidden appeal.
Faced with a side of his lifelong childhood friend he had never seen before,
he could only stammer like a virgin dealing with a woman for the first time.
"N-No, not at all! It suits you perfectly! You... you look really beautiful today."
"Really? You mean it? Hehe... Well, it's a bit weird for me to say this since I'm the one who was late, but let's hurry! I've planned out today perfectly!"
Lilit grabbed Marc's hand and set off with excited steps.
"Please... let it succeed...!"
Rofel, who desperately wanted his friend's love to bear fruit, secretly followed them.
The date seemed to go smoothly, just as planned.
They chatted while eating street food from the plaza that Marc would like,
and browsed shops selling gear and tools that might interest him.
The plan, which had been crafted after thoroughly analyzing Marc's tastes for an entire month,
fortunately seemed to hit the mark.
Indeed, Marc's face, which had been crumpled with annoyance while waiting, had brightened the moment he saw Lilit,
and now he was grinning from ear to ear.
Watching the two of them, Rofel felt foolish for having worried at all.
He smiled. If things kept going like this, it was only a matter of time before Marc accepted Lilit's confession.
There wouldn't be a single variable to disrupt the happiness he wished for her.
He felt relieved as he watched them enter a restaurant with a nice atmosphere for dinner, the final stage of their date.
However, there was one thing.
Rofel had forgotten one crucial thing:
he had already ruined the single biggest variable in this confession.
Regardless of how well the date was going, Lilit's mind had been in turmoil ever since it started.
Spending time alone with Marc, and seeing him enjoy their time together.
This was the exact scenario she had dreamed of her entire life.
She should have been enjoying this moment, thinking it was the happiest time of her life.
She really should have.
And yet...
Her heart...
It wasn't that she found her time with Marc unhappy or uncomfortable.
But... it didn't make her as happy as she had expected.
Like fruit tasting bland after eating a sweet dessert,
this situation didn't make her heart flutter or race, as if she had already experienced a far greater joy.
To put it bluntly... she even felt a sense of boredom.
Furthermore, before she knew it, Lilit was comparing Marc's every action to Rofel.
If it were him, he would have been considerate of me like this here.
If it were him, he would have answered like this here.
If it were him, he would have held my hand like this here.
If it were him, he would have... smiled at me like this here.
Why...
Why was his face coming to mind right now?
Why was she remembering all the time she had spent with him?
Why...
did she miss him so much right now?
...
Ah...
so that was it.
Looking back, Lilit's heart had undergone a massive shift over the past month.
Just looking into Rofel's eyes made her smile.
She loved hearing Rofel's voice.
She looked forward to meeting Rofel,
and holding his hand alone made her happy.
If it hadn't been for today,
if she hadn't gone on this date with Marc,
and if she had just kept fantasizing that this moment would be the happiest of her life,
she might never have realized her true feelings.
Since when had it been?
The emotion called love, which had been firmly nailed into her heart,
had spitefully shifted its direction before she could even notice it herself.
"Lilit..."
Before her, as she finally sorted out her feelings, the boy she had once loved spoke.
Without her realizing, they had reached the final course of the date—
the confession stage at the restaurant where they had dinner.
Ironically, contrary to the plan, it was Marc, not her, who spoke first.
"I'm really glad we met today.
"Actually... we haven't been able to see each other much lately, right?
"So, I think it's time... to make my feelings clear."
"...Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well... we've known each other for a long time, right? If I recall, it's been over ten years..."
"Right."
"So... why don't we start dating now?"
"Date? You and me?"
"I've been a bit busy lately and neglected you, but the truth is, I've always liked you.
"It's a pretty good deal for you too, isn't it? Since I'm quite famous in the Academy now, your family won't object."
"Haha, is that so?"
Lilit replied with a smile.
Taking this as a sign of acceptance, Marc excitedly continued.
"Of course, since I'm doing so well right now, there might be other women around me in the future.
"But I promise you, my love for you will never chan—"
"Marc."
Lilit cut off his words, which she no longer cared about.
It was truly funny.
These were words she had once thought she would never hear from him,
but now she was the one who had to say them.
"I'm sorry, but I think we're really just close friends."
"...What happened?"
Rofel, who was waiting outside the restaurant, wondered in confusion.
Lilit and Marc walked out of the restaurant.
According to the plan, Lilit should have confessed inside.
However, the two of them did not look like a couple at all.
Did... Marc reject her? Lilit's confession?
But there were too many strange things for that to be the case.
No tears fell from her eyes; in fact, her face looked refreshed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
On the other hand, Marc's steps as he left the restaurant looked completely drained of energy, even pitiful.
His mind filled with questions, Rofel ran up to Lilit, who was standing right in front of the restaurant, as soon as Marc disappeared from sight.
"Lilit! What happened? The atmosphere seemed pretty good... Did that bastard Marc reject you?"
Unlike the panicked Rofel, Lilit looked at him with a calm face.
Her expression was a brighter smile than ever before.
"It's not like that. It's just... we didn't become a couple."
"What? But... Are you okay? You prepared for so long... What on earth happened in there?
"I'm your friend, I'm right here. You can tell me."
Just like before, who did this man think he was to care about her this much?
And yet, he still called himself just a friend.
Lilit found that fact both delightful and incredibly spiteful.
"Haha, what happened... Well..."
"It's a secret."
"...What?"
"Anyway, let's go grab a drink instead!
"I couldn't have a single drop because of the date!"
"What do you mean...? Ah! Fine, I'll go! We can go in!"
Rofel was dragged along by Lilit as they entered the restaurant together.
Though he still harbored questions about what had happened with Marc.
Although there were still many events left before her love would grow damp and heavy,
for her, who had spent a long winter after her first spring, a new spring had arrived just like this.