The Festival with Them
“Huuuuh…”
Finally, finally it’s over! Wheee! I’m finally free!
I clutched my head and stared at the thick bundle of papers on the desk in front of me.
The final hurdle for academy graduation. The most grueling assignment I’d ever faced.
I’d stayed up almost a whole week straight, but I’d managed to finish it successfully.
I hadn’t originally planned to rush it. I wanted to take my time, put in more effort.
But I had no choice but to speed things up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t get to see Karl more.
If I didn’t push first, Karl would never approach me beyond a certain distance.
He probably thought that was for my own good. That it was a way to keep our distance.
If my feelings hadn’t changed, that would have been the answer. I would have wanted it too.
‘But…’
But now it’s different. This time, I want to show him how I feel.
Just like Karl did someday, I want to be the one to confess this time!
“Hmm? You came earlier than I expected, Selena student.”
“Yes, Professor. Here.”
When I handed over the assignment, the professor stopped what he was doing and took a moment to look at it.
Actually, it wasn’t just an assignment—it was closer to a thesis or official report.
It was such a difficult and demanding topic. No easy task at all.
I’d heard that more than half of my classmates hadn’t even started on it yet.
“Hmm… I’ll have to look at it more closely tonight to know for sure…”
I felt a knot in my stomach. If he asked me to redo it, that would be a real nightmare.
If I had to start from scratch… there’s no worse nightmare than that! Please, Professor!
“Even after a quick skim, it feels like you’ve put in a lot of work.”
“A-ah! T-thank you, Professor!”
“It’s not even a compliment yet. I haven’t looked at it in detail. Anyway, you worked hard, Selena student. I was worried you’d submitted it too early, but even after a quick look, I can see you’ve put in real effort.”
Great. It’s finally here. I finally have time to spend more with Karl!
“Schlippen, Wilhelm, Alexander, and Joachim would be great if they were as sharp as Selena too.”
“…Huh?”
“Huh? Aren’t all four of you in the same graduating class as Selena?”
“Yes, but why are you asking that suddenly, Professor?”
The professor started with “You didn’t know?”
“I’m guessing those four will get a graduation deferral. They say they don’t have enough points because they couldn’t complete the required liberal arts I teach.”
“Eek… Is that even possible?”
“They say they mistakenly thought it was a mistake. Whether it’s true or they were just being careless.”
The professor clicked his tongue. I let out a sigh of sympathy too.
How on earth can one get a graduation deferral?
At least if they failed a test or neglected an assignment, I could understand.
Even if they didn’t attend well, I don’t know! Not having enough lecture points!
Other classmates would be laughing and chatting at graduation, but these four would just receive congratulations and then again…
‘…Wait a minute.’
Thinking about it, maybe the graduation deferral isn’t so bad?
I can stay at the academy as a student for a bit longer.
If I get a deferral too… I can live at the academy with Karl longer?
And since I’ve already done everything I need to, I’ll have plenty of time!
My eyes immediately went to the assignment the professor was holding.
If I ask for it back and don’t submit it by the deadline, what then?
It’s a required assignment for graduation. So it would definitely be a deferral!
What to do? Steal it? Or ask the professor for it?
“Hmm? Selena student. Is there a problem?”
“Yes? Ah, no. Professor. It’s nothing.”
“Then I’ll be going.”
In the end, I couldn’t get the submitted assignment back.
Oh no, this won’t do. If I graduate like this, it would be a shame…
There’s just a little over three months left. Then all semesters will end!
And next year, I’ll graduate and leave this place!?
I never imagined I’d want a graduation deferral this desperately.
My reason is still scolding me “Are you crazy?!”
But… I have no choice. Karl is finishing his first year now.
This is the academy. We can develop feelings for each other at any time.
If some other girl confesses to him while I’m away…
‘W-well, maybe apply as a grad student…?’
No! No! That’s not it! That’s not a graduation deferral!
No matter how close I can be to Karl, the academy isn’t it!
“Selena? Why are you shaking your head like that?”
“Hic! K-Karl?!”
W-when did you come?!
“Is something wrong?”
“No! Nothing! Nothing at all!”
It’s nice that Karl greeted me first.
It means the awkwardness that remained between us has been resolved.
I heard it’s hard for a man and woman to become lovers right away.
At first, just acquaintances. Then, people who talk a bit.
There, they became close friends, and at some point, finally…
“Selena?”
“U-uh? Called?”
“How’s the graduation prep. Going well?”
“Y-yeah! It’s going well.”
“That’s good. You worked hard. Hang in there, Selena.”
Is Karl cheering for me right now? Oh my! Thank you, Karl! I feel so energized!
But actually, I don’t want to graduate. Now that I have good feelings, what do I do!?
“Right. Selena. There’s an autumn festival coming up soon. You know about it?”
Autumn festival? Ah, right. There was that. I forgot for a moment.
Even without that, thanks to the Luzens war ending, it was said it would be held grandly again, right?
But why is Karl suddenly talking about the festival in front of me?
“Selena. U-um, if you have some free time, would you like to be together at the festival?”
“…Huh?”
Did I hear that wrong? Wait, I heard wrong, right? That’s… what?!
No way! I heard it properly! Karl is inviting me to be together!
‘…No way?! No way, no way?!?!?’
Maybe Karl still has some feelings?
So he might say to hang out with me during the festival…
“Actually, the Four Idiots are doing a cooking booth. I ended up helping there by chance.”
“?”
“But I’m a bit uneasy with just them. If I and you take turns helping, wouldn’t that be better?”
“…”
Yeah… There was a reason I rejected confessions from those four. I turned down all four!
Help me! You’re saying you get graduation deferral! But what’s this cooking booth thing?
It might be the first and last festival I can spend with Karl! Huuaaang!!
“If it’s hard to face those guys, you can refuse…”
“No! That’s absolutely not it!”
You never know. But those four might give you a break once… right?
*
“G-gonna help! Karl! It’s not because of those four! Remember that!”
Okay. Now there’s one excellent supervisor added.
Why invite Selena? Because of the Four Idiots.
I can’t always sit guarding the cooking booth.
I’m not some academy resident inspector and advisor.
Plus, those kids make it a bit better for me to offer…
Hmph. No. If selling to students, I have to do my best.
And the existence of Selena will surely light a fire in that spirit of doing my best.
Even if beaten, but still, the man’s instinct to look cool in front of a woman, right!
“Schlippen. Have you gathered all the preparations I mentioned?”
“Yeah. First, all the ingredients are ready.”
“The molds you showed. That’s your responsibility, Wilhelm, you said.”
By the way, the Gramstad Marquisate where Wilhelm’s family is settled is the land of famous blacksmiths.
In making things by pouring molten metal, there’s almost no one to catch up to.
“What do you think of our Gramstad Marquisate blacksmith technology, Karl. You’ve received it long ago.”
“Good. Then Alexander? You know how to set up tents, right?”
“Yeah. It was similar to what I did at the training camp.”
That’s right. It’s a very desirable attitude to apply military skills to daily life.
Even though I only did a bit of training camp life, my discipline is properly set!
“Finally, Joachim. Actually, your role is the most important. Can you do it?”
When I said that, Joachim couldn’t answer immediately and made a sound.
Then Schlippen, Wilhelm, and Alexander all looked at him.
‘They wouldn’t say they can’t do it as a man, right?’ full of energy.
“Y-yeah, I can. I have to.”
“Good. Actually, the most important for a restaurant is initial customer attraction. Your responsibility is heavy, Joachim.”
“I get it. I know everything… but, I don’t want to wear those weird clothes, Karl.”
“Hah. It’s our cooking booth’s character. Joachim. You must imprint it on the customers.”
“No…! If that’s the case, make masks too! Wearing weird yellow fish clothes below and just leaving the head! It’s too weird!!”
Sorry, Joachim. But that’s not possible. No matter what, your faces are weapons.
If you hide your handsome faces, girls won’t come, and when they see your broken appearance, curious boys will come too, so sacrifice for one stone two birds! Sacrifice!!
While they were all enthusiastically preparing for the festival.
“Karl student. Excuse me for a moment.”
The uninvited guest appeared in front of me again.
“…Why? What is it this time?”
“A customer has come.”
The Special Intelligence Agency agent I met face to face again guides me somewhere.
I grumbled to myself and followed, and there…
“Pervert Elf.”
“Eloise!”
Today, the elf wearing the ‘thousand pieces’ proudly stood there as always.
“What? Weren’t you supposed to go back to the homeland?”
“Yeah. I went and didn’t get to rest even once, and worked all night.”
“Mm.”
I knew what that ‘work’ was right away, even though it was all night.
She looks fine now, but a faint blood scent is still felt from Eloise’s body.
My nose, which has rolled in the battlefield for three years, can’t be fooled.
“You must have worked hard.”
“Ahahaha! What hard work. It was just a bit troublesome. More importantly… I came to tell you something.”
I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear it, but I have to.
In the end, I let out a sigh and had to say “What is it?”
“This time, they might be targeting the academy. It’s not exact, but the possibility has increased.”
“…”
“Any event you can guess?”
There is. It came to mind right when I entered the academy.
Since it’s so noisy and chaotic, even a terror attack might be missed in an instant.
“The festival is scheduled. The Luzens war has ended, so they’ll hold the autumn festival grandly again.”
“Then that’s it. Anyway, those guys do all kinds of poop on elf names.”
Even though they kidnap trains, there are some things they can’t do.
“Eloise.”
“Oh?! Calling by name? Yeah, yeah. Honestly, pervert elf was a bit like that!”
“Enough, what’s the reason the possibility increased?”
“Huh?”
“You seem to have something specific about the academy.”
Then Eloise and the Special Intelligence Agency agent looked at each other alternately.
Their eyes were exactly like “Can I tell?” and “I think it’s okay to tell,” right?
“Actually, Karl. I think some of the Luzens leadership are hiding in the Empire.”
…What?