Yune Raising Affection as Naturally as Eating
Yune Raising Affection as Naturally as Eating
After I'd circled the riding grounds a few times, giddy with excitement.
Oddly, the professor and my classmates couldn't quite meet my eyes for a while after that, but still, the lecture ended with me bonding with the horse.
"Ahem. Hrm. Well then, we'll conclude today's lecture here. Starting next time, I'll be teaching you Dressage in earnest."
It's only natural for the first lecture to end early, but riding Einhorn was so unexpectedly fun that I licked my lips in regret.
As I stood there, my dismounted classmates hesitantly shuffled toward me.
The first to dash over was Laura, a young lady from a baronial house.
"Yune? I'm sorry to say this, but actually, that horse..."
"Halt. Keep your distance. If you dare look at Lord Yune with those eyes one more time, my horn shall skewer your eyeballs."
"...Eeek!?"
But Einhorn blocked their approach with the same cutting sharpness she'd shown the stable hand.
'...Is she serious?'
I'd let it slide earlier because I was too flustered, but this time I was determined to fix that nasty way of speaking. I dismounted from Einhorn's back and gave her rump a smack.
-Smack!
"H-hah!?"
"No bad words! Apologize to Laura right now!"
"N-no, Lord Yune. What on earth did you just..."
"Apologize~!"
-Smack!
"H-haaah!!?"
I'd only tapped her lightly, just enough to scold, with barely any force, yet Einhorn flinched and made an oddly startled sound.
Afterward, Einhorn hesitated and then apologized to Laura.
"...I-I suppose it isn't entirely beyond me to apologize, female."
"Are you at it again? Want another smack on the hindquarters?"
"Y-Yune. I'm fine! Really, I'm fine!!"
I wasn't entirely sure if that could be called an apology, but I'd been able to enjoy today's riding lecture thanks to Einhorn. And Laura, the person involved, kept waving her hands to say it was enough, so I couldn't really scold her further.
Laura bobbed her head as if thanking me for my concern, then carefully opened her mouth.
"More importantly, about that horse, you see... Ah, earlier in the stable, it looked massively large, but now it's about the size of a pony?"
She'd seemed to be mulling over what to say, her lips twitching several times, before asking if the horse's size had changed.
It felt a bit anticlimactic that she'd built it up so much just to say that, but I casually offered my guess.
"Really? Isn't it just that I'm big, so she looks relatively smaller?"
"Pfft. I adjusted my body to suit you, Lord Yune."
"What, you can even do that?"
It seemed my guess was completely off the mark. I mean, a horse that can freely alter its body? How was I supposed to guess that?
"For your sake, Lord Yune, I could pluck a star from the heavens. What's a mere feat like this? I'm not overly fond of it, but I can even take on a human form. Shall I show you?"
"Ah, no. I'm good."
I shook my head at Einhorn, who claimed she could even assume a human form and offered to show me right then and there. I really didn't want to see the horse I'd been riding turn into a person.
Einhorn seemed a bit deflated by my refusal. Laura gave an awkward laugh and scratched the back of her head.
Just as the conversation hit a lull, a staff member who'd been eyeing us from nearby smoothly approached.
It looked like they'd taken all the other classmates' horses back to the stable while we were chatting, and now only Einhorn was left.
"Young Master, if you'll excuse..."
"I'll walk back on my own four legs, so keep your hands off."
But when the staff member tried to touch her, Einhorn snorted and shook her head fiercely, telling them not to touch.
Then Einhorn looked at me with oddly moist eyes.
"Lord Yune. It grieves me deeply that the time has come for us to part. The thought that I must wait seven nights, yearning for only you, fills me with the deepest sorrow."
'Bleh, so cheesy.'
Outwardly a horned horse, yet Einhorn spoke with more greasy flattery and at greater length than many noble young ladies. I almost frowned.
But then I remembered that I'd had such a fun time today thanks to Einhorn carrying me, and I smiled with gratitude.
"It's okay, I'll make time to come practice on the weekend! Oh, right, will you help me with riding practice on the weekend?"
"Ohhh! I shall await you with joy!"
"Okay! ...Ah, right. What should I call you? Einhorn isn't a name, it's your species."
"Hm? You may call me whatever you please..."
"Einhorn... is a bit hard to shorten smoothly. Yuni-corn? Yuni? Yeah. Yuni has a nice ring to it. Can I call you Yuni?"
"...It's a name somewhat similar to yours, Lord Yune, so it's a tiny bit embarrassing. But if you are fine with it, my lord?"
"I'm fine with it!"
And so, after giving the pet name Yuni to my partner who'd be helping me in riding lectures from now on,
I smiled and waved my hand.
"Alright, Yuni, see you on the weekend~."
"Yes. I shall wait with bated breath for the day we meet again. May you go safely, my gentleman."
After exchanging farewells with Yuni like that, I stretched my arms wide and left the riding grounds.
I was excitedly bragging to Chloe, who'd been waiting by the entrance, that I'd been extremely manly today, just like a legendary knight. As we were heading back toward the Noble Hall,
-Whoosh.
'...The wind?'
A breeze blew in from behind my back and I impulsively turned around.
"...Honestly. You're so adorable."
When I looked back, someone in white clothes was staring intently in my direction. Though she was already too far away to see clearly.
"Ah, was that Einhorn...?"
"Do not speak so casually to me, female."
-Whack!
"Gyaaah!!?"
"Spare me the theatrics. It's likely not even fractured. More importantly, go and learn everything about Lord Yune, who was riding atop This Horse just moments ago, in meticulous detail. It is an order."
'...Didn't she just kick someone with a hind leg back there? It's too far, I can't see well.'
But I quickly decided it was none of my business and turned back around.
Chloe, who had been looking behind with me, turned and asked.
"Are you acquainted with that beastkin?"
"I couldn't see her that well—she was a beastkin? The only beastkin I know are you and Flare."
"And yet, she was staring intently at you, young master... even rubbing her bottom."
"Maybe you just saw it wrong? Why would a person rub their own butt. More importantly, let's go grab lunch already. Today's the day we finally check out the student cafeteria!"
"Hmm. Understood."
* * * * * *
The academy has two dining facilities.
One is the noble-exclusive restaurant in the Noble Hall, where chefs are on standby at all times to prepare top-quality dishes with fresh ingredients.
And the other is the student cafeteria, operating in a separate dining building.
The student cafeteria originally had a rather poor reputation, but after the Kaiserin turned the Academy upside down, its reviews changed dramatically. In a positive direction, of course.
So today, the student cafeteria was packed with crowds. There was no need to go anywhere else when they offered good quality food at cheap prices with no markup.
-Buzz buzz.
"...A noble?"
"He's cute..."
But right now, the student cafeteria was filled with an odd stir.
Because Yune had walked into a space full of commoners.
"Chloe, so many people! Guess we'll have to wait a bit to eat."
"...Shall I ask someone to give up their seat?"
"Nope! No cutting in line!"
It was only natural that all eyes were drawn to Yune as he entered the cafeteria, his red cape—marking him as a noble—fluttering behind him.
Soon, a few who recognized Yune's identity widened their eyes in surprise.
"...Isn't he the youngest son of the Northern Grand Ducal House? The one who just enrolled."
"Ah... The one said to become the Vice Student Council President?"
Yune's identity spread through the cafeteria on a wave of whispers.
One of the three new students with the highest peerage rank among all currently enrolled academy students—not just this year's intake.
The precious treasured youngest son of the Northern Grand Ducal House. The flower of high society and the bloom atop the cliff. A being so far above commoners he might as well be in the clouds: Yune.
People murmured secretly, puzzled that such a person had come to where commoners ate.
"What's he doing here?"
"From the sound of it, looks like he came for lunch...?"
"I mean, why would a young noble lord come here?"
Among those whispering, a middle-aged woman curled her lip.
'They come around sometimes. Nobles who make a fuss about being curious what commoners eat.'
She recalled an incident from her time as a mercenary.
While escorting a young nobleman during a festival, he'd made a scene because he was curious about the festival foods commoners ate. She'd bought him a few decent-quality skewers, but he took one bite and spat it right out. Then he looked at her with a faintly contemptuous gaze, as if to ask how she could eat such garbage.
After that day, she'd grown to thoroughly dislike young noble lords.
So much so that she'd enrolled in the academy this time to quit escort work—like noble guard duty—for good and find a stable job in the capital.
'Since that guy is far more high-and-mighty, he'll no doubt spit it out the second he takes one bite. No regard for how precious the food is. Tsk.'
She internally griped as she watched Yune intently.
And she wasn't the only one glaring at Yune with displeasure.
Commoners who held antipathy toward nobles were all eyeing Yune with disapproval.
But Yune, oblivious to the cold gazes around him, gestured animatedly to order two servings from a server.
Soon, tray in hand, he sat face to face with Chloe at a nearby table.
Then Yune scooped up a generous forkful of food from his plate...
"Thank you for the foo~ood."
-Nomf. Chew chew.
And promptly stuffed a huge bite into his mouth.
Yune's cute lips began munching up and down right away.
The mercenary had expected Yune's expression to crumple horribly any second and watched the scene coldly.
"Mhmmmmmm~."
"Does it suit your palate, young master?"
"Mhm, mm! Fhoo helung oo! (Yeah, yeah! Chloe, hurry up and eat too!)"
Completely contrary to her expectations, Yune's face was brimming with happiness.
At the sight of him clearly thinking the food was genuinely delicious, the mercenary's eyes widened in bewilderment.
'...!? No, I mean, the food quality here is decent, but... Is it really that good? Compared to what he normally eats, this has to be way worse.'
Not frowning was one thing, but Yune was blissful, as if savoring the greatest delicacy under heaven.
She wasn't the only one surprised; exclamations of astonishment burst out from around them.
But Yune, unaware of the growing commotion, just kept grinning from ear to ear as he continued his meal.
His beaming, innocent face didn't look like an act in any way. She felt her own long-held prejudice against young noble lords beginning to blur and fade.
'So not every young noble lord is a clueless brat. There are also pure and adorable ones like him, literally a model boy....'
Soon, she and the others who'd been viewing Yune unfavorably began to reconsider.
That Yune, the one slated to be the next Vice Student Council President, might be a better young lord than they thought.
And above all else,
-Chew chew. Chew chew.
'Aw, he eats with such gusto. Cute.'
What Yune did was just as cute as how he looked.
And that's how Yune earned quite a bit of goodwill from the commoner students simply by eating a meal.