A Proposal and a Question
“…So, I’ll end today’s lecture here.”
No sooner had the professor’s calm voice faded than the bell rang, as if on cue.
“Those with questions may come forward. Dismissed.”
With a rhythmic scratching sound, the chalkboard covered in complex formulas began to be erased, and students stood up one by one to pack their bags.
Eline, who had been sitting by the window, finished her notes, tucked her books away, and rose from her seat.
12:20 PM.
The time displayed on the large clock outside the window. Since he was always waiting for her at the library, Eline felt she had to get there first today. She stepped out of the lecture hall and began to walk down the hallway.
She felt sorry for keeping him waiting, and if she hurried, she could see him for just a little bit longer.
Tap, tap.
She decided to pick up her steady pace just a little.
“U-um, excuse me, Eline!”
She stopped dead in her tracks.
Turning her head slowly at the unexpected call, she saw two girls looking at her with anxious expressions.
“What is it?”
Familiar faces, though they weren’t close. Why were they talking to her now, of all times, when they never had before?
“O-oh, hi. Do you know us? Haha, this is Ian, and I am…”
“I know. Rui.”
When Eline called her name, the light green-haired girl jumped in surprise.
“Oh… you know who I am?”
The girl looked as if she might jump for joy at having her name spoken by someone she idolized, but Eline didn’t pay it much mind.
“Where are you headed?”
“The library.”
“A-are you busy?”
“…”
Eline continued to look at them with a blank expression, and Rui’s face fell, as if she were being crushed by the atmosphere.
“Rui.”
Ian, who was standing beside her, grumbled as if she couldn’t take it anymore, and Rui hurriedly lifted her head.
“Oh, right. Yes…”
The girl named Rui took a deep breath and began to speak to Eline slowly.
“Next month, at the end of the month… you know the Seonghwaje is coming up, right?”
The Seonghwaje. It was a tournament-style competition hosted by the academy. Unlike the regular evaluation exams, it was an event-based competition, so it didn’t carry much weight in terms of prestige, but many students cared about it because it was reflected in their grades to some extent.
“And?”
“This time, Serean and Tirion said they’re participating. They’ve even formed their own teams.”
She knew. The news of two promising talents—who were often grouped together with Eline—entering the tournament had stirred up the atmosphere, but it hadn’t caused a single ripple for Eline herself.
“I know.”
At her indifferent reply, the two girls exchanged glances before looking back at Eline.
“…You might not know, but both Ian and I… we’re quite desperate. We have to place in the top ranks in this tournament.”
At Rui’s words, as she fidgeted with her fingers, Eline could guess why they had approached her.
“So, I was wondering… could you join us? We won’t hold you back. We’re Alpha Class students, too…!”
Eline scanned their eyes for a moment. Rui’s trembling gaze and Ian’s expression—which looked indifferent but was clearly anxious—spoke volumes about their situation.
Unlike the top-tier students whose positions rarely changed, the students in the ambiguous middle ranks were fighting fiercely to keep their Alpha Class status.
However,
“Sorry.”
“…Ah.”
Eline felt no immediate interest. For one thing, she hadn’t participated in the last two years, so it was only natural. Since she was only going to get busier from here on out, there was no merit in participating in such a tournament, so she politely declined.
“O-oh… I’m sorry, Eline.”
Rui looked crestfallen, but she soon managed a faint smile and nodded.
“Thank you for listening to us.”
Ian patted Rui on the shoulder, but she glanced at Eline once before turning away.
“See? What did I tell you?”
“Hey, you really…!”
Eline watched them bicker for a moment before quietly turning away and resuming her walk.
The Seonghwaje.
She brought the thought to mind once more, then immediately brushed it away.
An Alpha Class student I’d never even spoken to before had approached me. The reason was to ask me to arrange a meeting with Eline.
“Why are you asking me to talk to Eline…?”
Rui, who had been fidgeting with her light green hair, struggled to open her mouth. “We heard that… Lutes, you are Eline’s partner…”
So, they were asking me because of that.
“Have you tried talking to her directly?”
“Yes… I did once… but I wanted to try talking to her again.”
Eline, who always sat there with a blank expression, was truly intimidating.
“Is there… any way? We won’t make it uncomfortable for her…”
Hmm.
While I pondered what to do in response to Rui’s desperate request, I was also struck by the realization of Eline’s status. Even the other Alpha Class students couldn’t easily approach her.
“Then, please tell me the reason first.”
“T-the reason?”
“Yes. Even a rough idea is fine. That’s the only way I can ask Eline.”
As I spoke calmly, Rui began to agonize, her fingers twitching.
“C-can I go first?”
“Ah! No, I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!”
She jumped in surprise and waved her hands frantically to stop me, and I could hear the sigh of the girl behind her from here.
Rui eventually hesitated, then, as if making up her mind, clenched her fists and opened her mouth.
“You know about the Seonghwaje, right?”
“The Seonghwaje?”
I was caught off guard by the sudden topic, but searching my memory, I recalled it was an annual academy tournament held every April. However, since it was an event-based competition, it had a low priority, and I remembered it not being very well-known.
“Yes, I know it.”
“We need to form a team, but Eline rejected us. But we really need her…”
“Why do you need Eline?”
“…That is.”
Frustrated by the lack of progress in the conversation, the girl behind her stepped forward.
“Because we can only reach the top ranks if Eline is there.”
It was a sincere yet mercenary answer. If Eline joined their team, it would become a strong team—it was a logical conclusion, really.
Actually, what surprised me more was that when I saw her from a distance, I thought she was a boy because of her short hair, but…
Her voice is a girl’s.
It turned out she was a girl. She stared at me intently, then suddenly frowned.
“Seeing you up close, I understand it even less. Why on earth did someone as dim-witted as you become Eline’s partner?”
And then, she picked a fight.
“Ian!”
Rui was horrified and hurriedly tried to stop Ian, but Ian didn’t care and continued to glare at me with clear displeasure.
I wore a look of genuine confusion, and I couldn’t even think of a retort.
I don’t know that myself.
“I asked why you need Eline, didn’t I? Isn’t it obvious? We need to place in the top ranks and get good grades. Do I have to explain this to a Beta Class student like you?”
Is that so?
Well, from my perspective, it was just a passing tournament, but for top-tier students where grades were truly critical, it might be a sensitive issue. But regardless of that,
“…Do you know me?”
“What?”
“We’re meeting for the first time today, so it’s a bit baffling that you’re suddenly picking a fight. Have you ever seen me before?”
As the atmosphere turned hostile, the color seemed to drain from Rui’s face, and she looked back and forth between us.
“I’m sorry, Lutes! I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you. Ian, you apologize too! It’s rude to act like this when you’ve just met!”
As she pulled on Ian’s sleeve to stop her, Ian frowned in annoyance and let out a sigh.
“Rui, this isn’t right. Let’s find someone else instead of Eline.”
“B-but.”
Despite Rui’s attempts to dissuade her, Ian scowled and eventually turned around to walk away first.
“…Ah.”
Rui looked distraught, unable to catch Ian as she walked away, and simply stared after her in despair.
Only after she disappeared from view did Rui open her mouth, her voice wet with tears.
“I’m sorry. She’s really not that kind of person…”
“…Well, it’s unpleasant, but you don’t have to apologize, Rui. Anyway, it’s an important tournament?”
Rui nodded weakly, but seeing her so dejected, I scratched my head.
I was just trying to clear my thoughts, so what was this?
“Well… would you like to keep talking?”
“…Yes, thank you.”
She managed to lift her head and look at me. Her eyes were still filled with apology, but there was a desperation beneath it.
“Ian and I… our grades this year are very important. Even if we can’t win the whole tournament… we have to place in the top ranks to maintain our Alpha Class status during the mid-term evaluation.”
I see.
“I know it’s a stretch. But… we’re desperate, so we have to ask like this… I’m not asking for much. Just if you could let us talk to her…”
Even though she knew it was an unreasonable request, she looked up at me desperately. In truth, just because she asked me didn’t mean it would definitely happen. One way or another, Eline had been the one leading things for the past few days.
I just followed whatever opinion she put forward.
Since it was a format where I adjusted to whatever time Eline set…
…
“First of all, I have to say, it’s probably going to be difficult.”
“…Ah.”
“Eline might feel burdened if a meeting is arranged so suddenly… and above all, even if she already refused once, if I bring it up through a third party, Eline might be displeased.”
Rui couldn’t refute my words. No, she might have known it all along but chose to ignore it. From Eline’s perspective, if she had already refused, having someone demand a conversation through a third party would certainly not sit well with her.
“I… suppose so. I’m sorry…”
Rui wore a gloomy expression, but she forced herself to nod and offered a faint smile.
“Thank you, Lutes… for listening, even though it was so sudden…”
“It’s nothing. I’m the one who should be sorry for not being able to help.”
Rui finished her final farewell, turned around, and trudged away. Her retreating figure looked so pathetic that I felt sorry for her, but there was nothing more I could do.
I’m unnecessarily worried now.
I shook my head lightly and turned toward the dormitory. I had to worry about what Eline was going to say tomorrow right away.
Lunchtime.
Today, I had to steel my heart.
“I have something to say.”
Since Eline said she had something to say.
As soon as the bell rang, I rose from my seat in time with the students’ footsteps and began to walk slowly.
What will she talk about?
As I pondered that, I arrived at the library, and Eline was already sitting in her usual spot. Eline, sitting there with her eyes closed and quietly feeling the breeze, looked as if she were lost in deep thought.
As I took a light breath and approached, Eline must have sensed my presence, as her eyelashes fluttered and she slowly opened her eyes.
“Did you wait long?”
“No, I just got here too.”
She said that and naturally tapped the seat in front of her with her hand.
A silent signal to sit down.
Until a few days ago, I would have spent the time assigning impossible meanings to every single one of her gestures and not known what to do with myself, but now, I naturally sat across from her in response to Eline’s gesture.
I must have gotten used to it a little.
Once I sat down, the cool breeze coming through the window began to feel more noticeable, and for a while, we enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere, feeling the wind without a word between us.
“…Lutes.”
“Yeah.”
And finally, Eline opened her mouth.
What would she talk about? I started to feel incredibly tense.
“What is your dream?”
…?
“Dream…?”
It was a question that was far from what I had expected.
“Yeah.”
Confusion washed over me at such a vague question, but I soon tried to organize my thoughts calmly.
A dream—was she perhaps asking about my future?
I had never thought about it seriously, but it had already been decided.
“After graduation, I’ll probably go back to the territory and follow my older brother to help manage the family estate…”
“Not that.”
Eline’s blue eyes were looking at me calmly.
“I’m asking what you *want* to do.”
“…”
It was a philosophical question.
A question about what I wanted to do—it was perhaps the first time in my life I’d ever been asked that, and it was a question I hadn’t been able to easily answer for myself.
Because I had lived my life just going with the flow.
Because there was already a path laid out for me.
As I couldn’t answer easily, only the sound of students chatting and tree branches brushing against each other in the wind filled the space between us.
Eline let out a faint sigh and gently took my hand.
The small yet warm sensation traveled through my body.
“Lutes.”
“…Yeah?”
“Do you have any thoughts about moving up to the Alpha Class?”