There He Goes Again
There He Goes Again
After lunch with Chloe.
I walked with Chloe to the lecture hall for the upcoming Etiquette Studies, a mandatory course for nobles.
The Crown Princess and Kir were off taking their separate heir-apparent curriculum, so for once I was walking into the classroom alone.
"Chloe, I'll be off now, okay? And don't just stand outside the lecture hall waiting for me—go take a walk or something. If anyone asks, just say you're running an errand for me."
"But..."
"It's fine. This is the Academy, not the estate. You don't have to guard me the way you do back home—there are people everywhere keeping an eye on me."
"...Understood."
"Yaaawn... I'm gonna finish this up fast and grab a nap. See you later~."
After telling Chloe to take it easy while I was in class, I sauntered over to the lecture hall.
'...Come to think of it, because of what happened this morning, do the others think I'm some unmanly guy who gets carried around by a girl just because his legs are sore? Sigh. This won't do. I'll just have to show them how manly I am.'
* * * * * *
While Yune was cooking up such ridiculous plans—
The lecture hall for Etiquette Studies, one of the mandatory courses for noble freshmen.
Everyone already there had been craning their necks, waiting for someone.
What they were waiting for wasn't the etiquette professor. It was Yune.
'His fiancée carried him in her arms this morning. Why on earth would that happen? He said his legs were sore—what were the two of them doing that early?'
'The Crown Princess said she'd even bring Lady Kirschblüte into the Student Council. I absolutely must ask Lord Yune what kind of conversation went on in the council room.'
Some were curious about the cause of the morning's commotion,
'Yune told us we could speak comfortably with him. Would that really be all right...?'
'So many things happened this morning that I didn't have the presence of mind, but I can approach him casually now, right? His fiancée isn't around either.'
Others were scheming how to get closer to Yune, the only male student in the new cadet class.
Their motivations differed, but one fact remained the same: they were all desperately waiting for Yune.
And as if to answer their hopes,
-Step.
'...He's here!'
Yune suddenly appeared at the door where everyone's attention had been fixed.
'Why does he have that posture, though?'
One hand stuffed into his pocket, a confident smile on his face—Yune.
He meant it as a "manly" pose to make up for the sight of him being carried in Kir's arms that morning, but...
His small build combined with a posture that seemed distinctly feminine created an imbalance that only made him look cuter. Every woman watching thought the exact same thing.
'...What is this adorable creature?'
Still unaware that his classmates were staring at him like a kitten, Yune's blue eyes darted around the room.
After giving the lecture hall a quick scan, he unhesitatingly walked toward one particular spot. The very front seat. Sunlight poured particularly strongly through the window there, so no one wanted to sit there, and someone had reluctantly taken it after gauging the room's atmosphere.
The person sitting there was Laura, a young lady from a rural baronial house.
The pitiful girl who had almost—no, who had let a few drops slip—while trying to hold it in during the Academy entrance ceremony banquet.
Her eyes went wide as she saw Yune heading her way.
'...!? Is he coming toward me? Why? Did I somehow offend him? I couldn't control my expression because I was holding it in yesterday—did he take it to heart? Does he think I scowled at him, a mere second daughter of a baronial house, when he greeted me?'
Even among baronial houses, her family was so weak that a single word from Yune could reduce it to dust. That was why she really didn't want to get tangled up with the child of a great noble house like Yune.
But Yune, oblivious to her feelings, strode right up to her and spoke.
...In front of everyone.
"Hey. Um... Laura, was it?"
'He even remembers my name! This is really serious!!'
Yune had dredged up her name from his memory of last night's banquet.
At his words, she nodded frantically, flustered.
"Y-Yes. Lord Yunes von Nordkirchen."
"I told you yesterday that you could speak comfortably. I'll say it again—you can just call me Yune. It'd make me feel bad if I'm the only one calling you Laura."
"E-Even so..."
"Never mind. Anyway, is the seat next to you taken? If not, can I sit there?"
"...Excuse me?"
And then came the question—asking if he could sit next to her.
Her face nearly crumpled from the shock, but she barely managed to control her expression. The child of a great noble house had asked if he could sit beside her, and it was all too obvious what would happen if she grimaced.
'...No, I mean, there are so many seats around us, so why me of all people!?'
"This seat gets a lot of sunlight. I'm afraid it might not suit someone with skin as delicate as yours, my lord."
She had phrased the plea—"please, for heaven's sake, go to another seat"—as kindly as she could.
But Yune puffed out his chest boldly and declared, still clueless about her real feelings.
"A manly man thing! I don't care about that!"
"M-Manly...?"
Yune grinned, hand over his chest.
Even the girl, who had been frozen with fear, felt her heart pound for a second at his confident little display—it was that cute.
On top of that... completely unintentionally, that pose openly flaunted the utterly masculine contours that were so different from a woman's.
She lost her words and swallowed hard.
'...What is this adorable creature?'
Seeing her dazed expression—she definitely didn't seem to dislike it—Yune smirked and plopped himself down beside her.
"Pardon me, then~."
"...!!"
Yune sat down next to her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Only when his distinctive powdery scent wafted over did she regain her senses and try to stand.
"Oh, no. If you like this seat, then I'll give it up—"
"That would make me feel bad. And the professor's about to come, so just stay put. Unless... you don't want to sit with me?"
"Th-That's absolutely not the case..."
"Then it's settled. Ah, the professor's here."
But with Yune stopping her and the professor arriving just then, she couldn't bring herself to stand.
Stuck sitting next to Yune for the lecture, she screamed inwardly under the piercing stares from her classmates.
'...Why, why is this happening to me!?'
* * * * * *
Amidst this misfortune, a stroke of luck—the Etiquette Studies lecture ended fairly early.
But for the girl sitting next to Yune, it wasn't particularly lucky.
Because the reason the lecture ended early was,
-Thump.
-Zzz... Zzz...
Yune, who had been nodding off because he'd overeaten the sandwiches Chloe gave him, couldn't beat the boring lecture and fell asleep.
...With his head resting on her shoulder.
'Hieeek!? H-His cheek is touching my shoulder!! Wow, it's so soft... and he smells really good... This is a boy?'
The baron's daughter, now holding up the sleeping Yune's head with her shoulder, wasn't the only one taken aback.
The classmates observing Yune from behind.
And even the female professor at the front, who had been droning on—all of them were stunned by the sight.
"...!! Ha, haha. That will be all for today's lecture."
On seeing that, the professor wrapped up the remaining lecture at super-speed.
Only after the class had fully ended did she cautiously glance around.
-Staring.
'Everyone, everyone here is looking this way...'
A countryside baron's house at that. It was not every day that the youngest son of the Grand Ducal House was sleeping soundly with his head resting against the shoulder of a mere second daughter, not even the heir. Attention from all around was fixed on her and Yune.
When the stare made her flinch and jolt her shoulder, Yune, who had been fast asleep, finally stirred.
"Mm, haa... I dozed off. Sorry."
"N-Not at all..."
Confirming that the lecture was over, Yune rubbed his eyes and apologized to her.
Soon he stretched, then looked at her again.
"Thanks for letting me sit with you today! So what I wanted to say... Huh?"
But then he noticed the countless gazes and scanned the room.
After looking at the baron's daughter beside him and the classmates openly staring at her, Yune belatedly realized his mistake.
'Ah... I put her in a tight spot.'
-Murmur.
"Sorry. Looks like I made things awkward for you."
"... N-No."
Yune, with a rank far above hers, had fallen asleep leaning on her shoulder. If he pretended not to notice and left like this... she would be stuck enduring the glares of the other nobles. Who did she think she was to sit next to a great noble's son who already had a fiancée?
Even Yune could easily anticipate that much, so he got up to resolve the situation.
-Scrape.
With everyone's eyes back on Yune,
he immediately headed toward the nearest viscount's daughter.
"...Ahem. Rena? Did you sleep well after last night?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes... I can call you Yune too, right?"
"That's what I keep saying, right? So, about me last night— I was talking to my mother and fell asleep on the sofa. I dozed off just like that. Anyway... Ah, Terina. You know what? They say there's a health office at the Academy, and the holy water there..."
Soon Yune flopped down onto the desk and started chatting indiscriminately with the classmates around him.
At first, everyone's eyes went round, wondering what he was rambling about, but then—
"Right, Paula! You said you're a gourmet, didn't you? What did you eat for lunch?"
"M-Me? I ate at the student cafeteria..."
'He even remembered me, and I'm from the Noble Faction...?'
"Really? How was it? I wanted to go too, but I just made do with a sandwich for lunch. Oh, do they have cookies or something on the menu?"
Because Yune started talking to everyone equally, regardless of rank or faction,
the students' awareness soon shifted from the obscure baron's daughter who had lent Yune her shoulder to the only male student who was chatting with them—Yune.
-Crowding in.
Hoping Yune might talk to them too, the classmates gradually gathered around him.
And as if to reward that hope, Yune pulled off the feat of speaking to every single one without missing anyone.
In the process, all the things they'd been curious about were revealed.
"So, the Crown Princess is trying to turn the Student Council into a neutral body? And you were going to join because of that?"
"...Ahem. Something like that! Kir joined to help me out in turn."
...Some parts weren't entirely accurate, but still.
Yune chatted with everyone for nearly thirty minutes. It was possible only because he had such an affectionate, outgoing personality.
Thanks to that, by the time the chatter ended, Yune's classmates felt much more at ease with him.
'I always thought all noble sons were prickly... but to think the youngest of the Grand Ducal House would be this warmly approachable.'
'I wondered why he kept getting scooped up into his family's and fiancée's arms—he's just incredibly affectionate... If I can get close to him, maybe he'll even link arms with me sometime?'
"Yaaawn. I'm sleepy, so I'll be heading out! We have History tomorrow morning, right? See you then~."
Once Yune confirmed that the looks directed at him now held favor, he waved his hand lightly, smiling.
Then, one by one, he gave each classmate a smiling glance as he slowly walked out.
Finally, he stopped before the baron's daughter, Laura, who was still sitting awkwardly and watching him. Passing her, he murmured so quietly that only she could barely hear.
"I've redirected their attention for now, but if anyone says something or gives you a hard time, tell me right away."
"...!!"
"I look forward to working with you, Laura. See you tomorrow."
Yune shot her a furtive grin as he passed by.
Seeing that, Laura felt her wariness toward him melt away like snow.
'...Goodness. So there's a boy like him after all.'
Drunk on the charm of a noble son unlike any she had ever met, her cheeks flushed.
She wasn't the only one. There were plenty of people with their mouths hanging open as they watched Yune's departing back.
...And so, unintentionally, Yune succeeded in the remarkable feat of beguiling a third of his classmates on his very first day at the Academy.
If Kir or Yune's family had witnessed it, they would have sighed and said, "He's at it again..."