A Da...te? (2)
"No, seriously, I told you I don't need 'this kind of thing'...!"
"Eisel, I think you don't quite get it. When it comes to dates, creating a novel, exotic atmosphere is of the utmost importance."
"Sigh..."
Despite Blanc's friendly coaching, Eisel could only let out a heavy sigh.
"Hehe, look at you being all shy... Let me see."
Blanc said, stepping closer to Eisel, who was staring into a full-length mirror.
Eisel, who had turned her head to avoid Blanc's gaze in the reflection, was blushing furiously, clearly embarrassed by her own appearance.
"This is so much better than that drab Academy uniform."
Blanc remarked as she smoothed down Eisel's hair.
From the dress she wore to the ribbon tied in her hair.
It was more than enough to completely transform her image.
"As expected of our Social Director."
Blanc gave a thumbs-up and a wink to the Social Director of the Black Hand. He was one of the people Blanc had summoned specifically for Eisel.
"Heh... I have the latest trends of the continent memorized down to the last detail. I brought something sophisticated without being overly antique, but..."
Wearing a satisfied smile, the Social Director twitched his 'gentlemanly' mustache and stepped toward Eisel.
"But Miss Eisel's unbelievable ability to pull it off... It is ecstatic, thrilling... Perhaps it was my mistake to even attempt to estimate her aesthetic value. To fail to fully capture her beauty, her charm... Oh... this is a grave error. Please, forgive me..."
The Social Director, utterly captivated by Eisel's appearance, bowed his head in deep reverence.
Blanc waved her hand dismissively.
"It's fine. It's her first date, so going too overboard wouldn't be good anyway."
Meanwhile, Eisel was tilting her head and spacing out, looking thoroughly displeased about something.
How can it suit her so perfectly...
Blanc and the Social Director paid little mind to her reaction. They simply assumed that since this was likely Eisel's first time dressing up like this, she was just feeling awkward and embarrassed.
"It suits you, Eisel. You've become such a lovely girl."
Blanc tapped Eisel on the shoulder as she stood before the mirror and whispered to her.
"...Lovely."
Eisel softly repeated Blanc's words to herself.
"Would I lie to you?"
"Why are you going to such lengths for me?"
At Eisel's question, Blanc tilted her head to meet her eyes.
She's asking this only now?
Blanc stared back at Eisel for a moment before speaking.
"I owe my position as Branch Manager largely to you. Why wouldn't I do this much?"
Eisel nodded and mumbled a quiet, "Thank you..."
Blanc, not missing her words, beamed brightly.
Now, it was time to head to the meeting place.
Eisel's eyes were filled with anxiety, as if she had a million things weighing on her mind.
"...Don't worry, just go. If you're the Eisel I know, you'll do great."
Blanc patted her reassuringly.
Once Eisel left, Blanc and the Social Director headed to the rooftop of a nearby high-rise building.
Reaching the roof, the Social Director pulled a magical telescope from his breast pocket.
This was an incredibly valuable tool normally reserved for the Black Hand's official 'operations.' Using it to spy on an Academy cadet's date was an absurd extravagance, but Blanc's authority as the Southern Branch Manager was absolute.
Click.
Unfolding the magical telescope, the Social Director peered through the lens, tracking Eisel as she walked down the street in the distance.
They planned to move across the rooftops to keep watch on Eisel's date.
To make sure she was doing well... was merely an excuse.
This was pure recreation, a form of entertainment.
Working in an information guild meant constantly seeing things one wished to unsee and learning things one wished to unlearn.
For people like them, the fresh, innocent love story of a young girl was a soothing balm, a pleasant distraction.
Blanc quietly recalled her very first meeting with Eisel.
Back then, Eisel had felt like a completely different person.
Bursting in on Blanc out of nowhere with invaluable information, Eisel had struck her as deeply bizarre.
There hadn't been a single trace of emotion in her eyes.
Blanc couldn't begin to comprehend what kind of hardships this petite girl must have endured to have her emotions so utterly eroded.
And yet, that very same girl...
...was now capable of blushing and agonizing over love.
Blanc thought to herself:
Eisel deserved to be a little happier.
It was a small, selfish desire—a wish to project the happiness she herself had lacked in her own youth onto Eisel.
At that moment, the Social Director, who was still observing Eisel through the telescope, spoke up.
"...Damn it."
A question mark practically materialized on Blanc's face.
For a curse word to slip from the mouth of the notoriously gentlemanly Social Director, something major had to have happened.
"What is it?"
Blanc asked, her brow furrowing.
"...My apologies, Branch Manager. I was simply so taken aback... I believe it would be best if you saw for yourself."
Shaking his head, the Social Director handed the telescope to Blanc.
"What could it possibly be..."
Muttering under her breath, Blanc took the telescope and pressed her eye to the lens.
She spotted Eisel immediately.
She looked as lovely as ever.
Eisel was talking to a man standing in front of her.
The man's feet came into view first.
Blanc tilted the telescope slightly upward to check the man's face, and her mouth fell open.
"Oh..."
Only then did they understand why Eisel had insisted she didn't need 'this kind of thing' despite all their efforts to dress her up.
The mystery of why her partner wouldn't be swayed by her looks was instantly solved.
The face of the man viewed through the lens...
...was covered by a white blindfold.
Blanc lowered the telescope and pinched the bridge of her nose.
The words Eisel had spoken earlier flashed through her mind.
"...We are in the same class."
"Yes, it seems Miss Eisel's partner is Cadet Zeto, the blind swordsman who made a name for himself during the joint class... This is a problem."
They were, after all, members of an information guild.
They possessed at least basic profiles on the cadets who had distinguished themselves during the joint class.
"Sigh... You're right. This is a problem."
All the effort they had put into dressing Eisel up had been rendered entirely meaningless.
Eisel hadn't told them who her partner was, but Blanc could understand why she'd want to keep it a secret. After all, the Black Hand was an information guild.
Blanc had no intention of passing even the slightest detail about Eisel to the guild, but it seemed she hadn't earned that level of trust from Eisel just yet.
"Then... what about the 'fireworks' we prepared..."
The Social Director spoke up hesitantly, gauging Blanc's reaction.
At this rate, the 'special event' they had prepared for Eisel's date was as good as ruined.
Blanc clicked her tongue in disappointment but kept her eyes on Eisel.
Eisel's expression had brightened considerably, suggesting the conversation was going well.
"Well, at least Eisel will be able to see them..."
From here on out, it was entirely up to her.
Perhaps because it was the weekend, the streets of the Academy City were bustling with people.
Normally, Academy cadets wore their uniforms whether it was a weekday or the weekend.
I used to do the same, but...
It was just more convenient.
The only times they wore anything else were when they left the Academy grounds, opting for comfortable clothes or robes to avoid drawing attention.
The shortness of the dress made me self-conscious.
It was my first time wearing something like this.
As I walked, I kept checking my reflection in the shop windows to make sure the ribbon wasn't crooked.
"Whoa..."
"Who is that?"
"Isn't that Eisel Ludwig?"
For some reason, unlike usual, everyone's eyes were drawn to me.
Did I really look that strange to them?
It suits you.
You look lovely.
Blanc, who had provided the clothes, had said those things.
I understood what she meant, but because I wasn't used to it, I felt incredibly awkward, at least in my own eyes.
Even if it were true, it meant absolutely nothing to Zeto.
To him, physical appearance held no value.
Still, this meant Blanc hadn't dug any deeper into my background, for which I felt a small sense of gratitude.
A date.
Having an official meeting with Zeto like this was a first, even including all my past regressions.
I hadn't even met him yet, but my entire body was trembling.
How do I normally walk again...?
Now, even my stride felt unnatural.
After taking a few more steps...
...the clock tower chimed, signaling the appointed hour.
And there, in the distance, I saw him.
...I thought he'd wear his uniform.
Zeto, now in my line of sight, looked quite different from his usual self, just like me.
He wore neat, casual clothes that gave off a clean impression. His hair, which usually fell naturally, had been styled and swept back.
My chest tickled.
To be completely honest, Zeto was exceptionally handsome.
I mean, just looking at how other girls flock to him...
Usually, whenever my thoughts drifted to that, I would get irritated... but not today.
"Zeto, have you been waiting long...?"
I called out to him as I approached.
"No, I just arrived myself."
He smiled as he spoke.
Immediately after, Herald, who was inside his shop, let out a hearty laugh upon hearing Zeto's words.
The meeting place was right in front of Herald's shop.
"Bwahaha! 'Just arrived' my foot... He's been standing out there for thirty minutes, asking me what time it was every five minutes. I was wondering who on earth he was waiting for, and it turns out it was you, Eisel?"
At Herald's teasing, Zeto scratched the back of his head.
Since Zeto didn't carry a watch, he had set the meeting time based on the clock tower's chimes... but it seemed he had arrived early to wait for me.
This was why I couldn't bring myself to be annoyed.
The fact that he had dressed up for me, that he had been waiting for me, filled me with a deep sense of security.
It was a small thing, but it made me incredibly happy.
As we stood there, my eyes drifted to Zeto's hair.
Perhaps because it was his first time styling it, or because he couldn't see a mirror, it was slightly messy.
If I just tucked that stray strand back, it would look perfect.
I stepped closer to him.
"Hold still for a moment."
Zeto was much taller than me, so I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach his hair.
Zeto stood perfectly still, waiting for me.
I successfully tucked the stray strand of hair back into place.
"......There."
Naturally, my gaze drifted to his face.
"Oh..."
Only now did I realize just how close our faces were.
Zeto's lips were suddenly all I could see.
It felt as if we were on the verge of a kiss.
"Thank you."
Zeto's gentle voice sounded right in front of my nose, and as he spoke, he suddenly caught my wrist.
Then, he leaned in and sniffed my wrist.
"Is this perfume...? It's a subtle scent that suits you well, Miss Eisel. It smells similar to the scent of the 'Obsion' flower I smelled before..."
His seamless, natural actions made my face burn.
The perfume was another part of the 'makeover' Blanc had prepared.
I had chosen the one made from Obsion.
'Heh... How did you know that one was the most expensive?'
Blanc had teased me when I picked it.
Of course Zeto recognized it instantly.
His sense of smell was incredibly sharp, after all.
But having him openly sniff my wrist—and by extension, my body—was deeply embarrassing.
Quickly pulling my wrist from his grasp, I instinctively hid it behind my back.
Turning my head away, I spoke.
"...S-Shall we go then?"
Everything was to break Zeto's curse.
And to win his love.
Watching them from inside the shop, Herald paused in wiping down a table and muttered to himself.
"Ah, youth. To be young again."