Can Praise Make Even Yune Dance? (2)
Can Praise Make Even Yune Dance? (2)
The next day, the artifact I ordered obviously hadn't materialized overnight, so the second day of dance practice began.
That was fine. I hadn't learned anything yet, but dancing seemed like it might actually be pretty fun.
'Now that I think about it, I'd be dancing with women and leading them handsomely. Isn't that the peak of manliness?'
My negative thoughts about dancing had done a complete one-eighty. I cheerfully welcomed Sir Max.
But my bright expression soon darkened into despair.
"Now, young master. The first dance we'll learn is called the quadrille."
"Okay! Heehee. I'm looking forward to it."
"Good. Then, would you take my hand first? Before we change clothes, let me give you a feel for it."
"Ugh."
...Right. In this world, dancing usually involves two or more people. Naturally.
So to practice, I needed at least one partner. Sir Max volunteered himself for the role.
But,
"No."
"...Young master?"
"I said no!"
I declared a firm boycott.
Being held in the arms of a middle-aged man to dance? A physiological impossibility.
* * * * * *
Our argument ran parallel for a long while.
"You cannot practice dancing alone."
"Does it have to be you, Sir Max? I'll call my personal attendant, Chloe. I can just ask Chloe to be my dance partner, right?"
"That won't do. You learn more easily when your partner dances well, and to begin with, I cannot allow the young master to be held in the arms of a commoner woman."
"I don't mind..."
"I do. I am here to turn you into a proper debutant. The moment rumors spread that you practiced dancing in the arms of a woman, a commoner no less, unpleasant gossip will follow you everywhere."
"I don't care what rumors spread, and if we just keep quiet, no one will know anyway."
"Regardless, it is unacceptable."
It was me, who would rather die than dance with a man and wanted to call Chloe instead, versus Sir Max, who absolutely refused to let a commoner woman be my partner.
The two conditions seemed irreconcilable...
But after a moment's thought, I came up with a brilliant idea that would satisfy us both.
"Then if she's not a commoner, and dancing together wouldn't cause scandal, that's fine, right?"
"That's right."
"Heh. Wait just a moment."
* * * * * *
A short while later, I returned with Albert.
"So this is why you called me? To help with dance practice?"
"Yep!"
"You suddenly insisted I come help, so I wondered what it was. You're at that age now, huh. Time really flies... Feels like just the other day you were lying in bed whining all day."
My sister wore a deeply moved expression. I stood beside her and flashed a triumphant grin at Sir Max.
"See? Practicing with my sister is fine, isn't it? Dancing with family is nothing, and my sister is a dancer too!"
"Well, yes, but... My apologies, Lady Albert. You must be terribly busy with official duties."
"It's fine. If anything, being Yune's first dance partner is an honor."
But Sir Max's words weren't admiration for my cleverness—they were an apology to Albert.
Tch. So much for my brilliant scheme.
"But why me? Mar is a better dancer."
"Really? That's unexpected. Mar looked like she'd be terrible at dancing."
"She'd be hurt if she heard that... I'm not bad, but compared to Mar, who's the martial type, I can't move as well. Mar's lines when she dances are really fluid."
"Yeah? Then Mom must be the best dancer, right? She's the strongest."
"Does that follow? Now that you mention it, I've never seen Mother or Charl dance. Maybe they're surprisingly good."
"Hmm... Well, whatever. Mar is too tall anyway. I like Albert better since you're shorter."
"Oh? Well then, sure."
We chatted idly for a bit about which family member was the best dancer. Sir Max simply smiled and listened, then stepped in as the conversation wound down.
"Then... if Lady Albert is agreeable, shall we begin right away? Lady Albert will lead, and the young master will follow."
"It's only natural for the woman to lead. What dance will we do? The waltz is a bit difficult for me personally."
"We'll be doing the quadrille."
"The quadrille? That brings back memories. Understood."
* * * * * *
After that, we spun and danced under Sir Max's instruction. Before changing clothes, we'd try it once, and while I changed, he'd think about how to proceed with the lessons—or something like that.
It's originally a dance for four couples, but he said you can practice with just one pair.
"Yune, are you okay? Is it uncomfortable?"
"Not at all. Super comfortable. Just what I'd expect from Albert."
It was a little awkward since we were just going off verbal instructions, but for a first attempt it was fairly successful. Thanks to Albert leading well.
Sir Max also looked rather pleased.
"You've never danced before, yet you didn't step on my toes and didn't miss a beat. Truly, young master. You're remarkable! A dance prodigy!"
"Really? Hehe."
"...?"
There I was, thoroughly satisfied by the praise.
For some reason Albert gave me and Sir Max an odd look, but I paid it no mind. She was probably just surprised that the teaching and learning went better than expected.
"I think I could do even better next time. Can we try once more?"
"Hoho. To think the young master would be so enthusiastic. I almost feel sorry for the other debutantes making their debut alongside you. You'll dance so brilliantly, the young ladies' eyes will surely be fixed on you alone."
"I wouldn't go that far... Pffhehe."
"...Yeah! Doing this well on your first try, only a genius could pull that off! Our Yune is the best!"
The torrent of praise continued. Albert, too, soon began extolling my genius.
-Thwup.
-Thwup.
Even while praising me nonstop, the two of them kept raising their thumbs toward each other for whatever reason.
I was about to ask what that was about,
"Um, just now that..."
"Young master? Shall we change clothes now and dance properly?"
"Huh? Ah, yes."
Sir Max thrust something white into my hands, so I couldn't finish my question and just took the clothes.
"Then a servant to help you change..."
"Ah, that's fine. I change clothes by myself."
"Is that so? In that case, just come back after you've changed."
* * * * * *
A little later.
I returned from my room, changed and hesitating. ...In a white, skin-tight bodysuit.
"Do I really have to wear something like this...?"
"Of course. To properly observe the body's movements, it can't be helped."
I wanted to ask the gods how the Middle Ages had such tight-fitting fabric, but Sir Max explained it was precious material woven from magical crops, so I quietly shut my mouth. If it's magic, there's no arguing.
Still, the embarrassment was unavoidable. I clasped my hands in front and awkwardly covered my groin.
"Still, it feels like everything's showing..."
"It's not bare skin, so what's the problem?"
"Yune, it looks great on you!"
"Indeed! The young master suits any outfit, and you pull off this attire perfectly! Truly, you are destined to be the future star of high society!"
"Yeah, yeah. Our Yune, how can you be so handsome and pretty~."
"...Hehe."
Thanks to being bombarded with compliments about how good I looked, my shame subsided a little.
'Yeah. This isn't an embarrassing outfit. It's more like the Masked Ranger from Ryu Si-u's world. Totally a manly-man outfit.'
"Well, if there's no choice."
After somehow rationalizing away the inner sense of wrongness and embarrassment, I took my sister's hand and began to dance.
* * * * * *
Albert von Nordkirchen. Third daughter of the Northern Grand Duchess. Her rare day off was being trampled by a small, adorable creature named Yune.
But she showed no sign of displeasure. To the contrary, she liked it. Being her cute little brother's practice partner brought her a sense of fulfillment beyond mere relaxation.
But a faint unease stirred in the heart of the woman who hadn't danced in a long while.
'Ahh... I need to find a suitable man soon, too. But I'm too busy to attend social gatherings.'
As a child, rather than taking interest in men, she had devoted herself to study.
At the Imperial Academy, her strategy and tactics major was crawling with women, so she had no ties with men.
After graduating early and returning to the North, she'd been frantically busy preparing to take over command from the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Army.
So she was a woman who, far from dating, had never even held a man's hand. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd danced with a man like this.
A fiancé? After her father Jürgen was embraced by mana, Erengard had focused solely on raising her daughters strong, and afterward had been wholly preoccupied with her one and only sickly son Yune—she'd never have bothered arranging such a thing.
Erengard simply figured her daughters would find their own mates in time, just as she had found Jürgen. That hands-off approach resulted in Albert reaching nineteen without ever properly holding a man's hand.
Fortunately, unlike the sons of noble houses who often married almost immediately after graduating the Academy, Albert faced no major issues even if her marriage was delayed. But the hunger for romance was unavoidable.
"Sis, how am I doing?"
"Hmm? Ah, yeah. Our Yune dances well~. A total genius."
But her reverie was soon broken by Yune's voice as he spun while holding her hand.
To boost Yune's motivation, she and Sir Max had reached a tacit agreement: 'praise Yune no matter what he does.' And in accordance with that, Albert had begun showering Yune with compliments.
Seeing her one and only little brother smile sweetly at her, Albert felt a corner of her heart grow warm.
'Sigh. Isn't there a man somewhere who's small, cute, and lovely like our Yune... If there were, I'd propose marriage right away.'
...And at the same time, a slightly criminal thought sprouted.
'Maybe just Yune... No, no. That's a crazy thought!'
She shook her head sharply to dispel the delusional notion. Looking down at Yune, who was staring at her as if asking what was wrong, she thought:
'Yune is a boy, so I have to protect him.'
And so Albert spun and danced with Yune. On and on, until Yune's stamina ran out.
Thus, the memory of her first dance with a man after reaching adulthood became a joyful recollection, saturated with Yune's sweet scent.
* * * * * *
After dancing for a long while, my full stamina was completely depleted.
"No more..."
"Hmm. About an hour. Truly, Lord Yune, you danced remarkably long for a first-timer!"
"Yeah! Our Yune is amazing!"
When I collapsed spread-eagled on the floor, dripping sweat, the two of them showered me with praise about how impressive it was to dance that long.
I wore a satisfied smile.
'Huh, this is more doable than I thought? Not as gay-feeling either. And it's fun.'
But my satisfaction aside, I didn't have the strength to lift even a finger. As I lay limp on the floor, my sister crouched down and looked at me with concern.
"Yune, are you okay? Want me to carry you to your room?"
'Whoa, that angle is really something.'
Because she'd only been lounging at home, my sister's clothes were light and airy. Crouching near me in that outfit meant I caught glimpses of her thighs, cleavage, and so on...
But I had no energy to be embarrassed, and in the first place, I was in an even more mortifying getup.
I decided not to point out her unguarded posture.
"Yeah. Take me to the bath. Call Chloe too."
"Got it."
Then my sister lifted me up. One arm under my knees, the other supporting my back—the so-called "Princess Carry" pose.
'No matter how I think about it, this doesn't seem like manly-man behavior...'
So I was delivered to the bathroom, cradled in my sister's arms in a princess carry. Along the way, the servants we passed smiled fondly at the sight—just the cherry on top of my humiliation.
It was the most embarrassing moment of the day.