I Thought It Was a Lie
"I... really... pretty?"
Lumi's trembling voice spread into the night air. Ain looked at her for a moment. The red flush gathering at the corners of her eyes, her fingertips quivering, and above it all—her gaze fixed straight ahead, on the verge of crumbling yet never once averting.
...Is she reacting that strongly?
He thought to himself, but he already had a rough idea. If it was the first time in her life she'd ever heard those words, such a reaction wasn't unreasonable. Ain rose from the bench. They were closer than he'd expected. Just a step away. The campus was dark without streetlamps, but the moonlight was bright enough that Lumi's face came into sharp focus. Her silver hair, shimmering with a blue aura, swayed lightly in the night breeze, and her pale lavender eyes glistened with moisture. No hair hiding her face as usual, no hunched shoulders. The wrist and collarbone peeking from her robe gleamed faintly under the moonlight.
Ain opened his mouth slowly.
"Lumi."
Her shoulders twitched slightly. Ain hesitated for a second. He had a vague sense of what his next words would mean to this girl. But that didn't mean he could hold back from saying what he saw.
"...My eyes must be a bit weird, I guess."
Lumi's eyes widened slightly. Ain shrugged and continued. He couldn't give a detailed explanation. Possession or whatever—it wouldn't be something this girl could understand right now. But he wanted to convey his sincerity.
"No matter what people in this world say, at least to me— you're just pretty. That's it."
Lumi's lips parted. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but no voice came out. Ain added,
"Isn't that enough?"
"...Pardon?"
"No matter what others say, I think you're pretty. At least one person sees you that way— isn't that enough?"
It was an utterly simple logic. So simple it left no room for rebuttal. Lumi stood there blankly. Her face showed no clue what to say, what expression to make. It was the moment when the walls she'd built up over a lifetime cracked from a single, straightforward phrase.
She tried to speak. About her past— why it was so hard to believe those words, why she was this flustered. The "ugly" taunts she'd heard since childhood. The pointing fingers on the streets. The family elders who never even mentioned her looks, just told her to "at least build some skills." But no voice came.
Instead, tears threatened to spill. She held them back. Gritting her teeth, clutching the hem of her robe tightly with both hands.
Ain glanced up at the sky once. He didn't rush her even seeing she couldn't continue. He just stayed quiet, giving her time to sort herself out.
A moment later.
"It's late. Head back to the dormitory."
"...Yes."
Her reply was soft, but her steps were surprisingly steady. Lumi walked toward the dormitory without looking back. Her gaze a bit higher than usual, shoulders a little straighter. After a few steps, she hesitated once— her shoulder twitched as if to turn, but she kept going without stopping.
Ain watched her retreating figure quietly.
...Did I say it too casually?
He didn't fully grasp yet how much weight words about appearance carried for people in this world. He'd just spoken as he saw it, but to the listener, it seemed like a life-upending event.
Got to be more careful.
Ain quietly resolved as he returned to his room. Lying on the bed staring at the ceiling, the day's events flashed by like a montage. The moment he first saw Lumi at the entrance ceremony, their brief library chat, and just now on the bench. Three encounters with the same person in one day.
...From tomorrow, I really need to live quietly.
He made his final vow as he closed his eyes. How long it would last, even he didn't know.
The next day, things started changing little by little.
The shifts were subtle. In the mana theory classroom, Lumi sat two rows closer to the front than usual. In the hallways, she didn't hunch her shoulders when they passed. The habit of completely hiding her face with her hair lessened too.
Above all— she didn't run away.
Before, she'd bow her head and dart off another way the instant they crossed paths. Now, she paused briefly, gave a small nod, and only then continued on.
It was a huge change. At least for her.
Ain took it lightly: Oh, she's greeting me.
But this small shift between them caught more eyes than expected.
Rize von Arhart. The lady of the Arhart family, wielding subtle influence among the freshmen. She had an instinct for distinguishing "prey" from "her territory." And lately, she'd noticed Lumi's changing demeanor.
Lunchtime. Cafeteria.
Lumi ate alone at her usual corner seat. Ain was at a table across the room, spooning his soup. No direct connection between them.
Yet the air felt different somehow.
Rize stood from her seat. The two girls who followed her rose too. The three approached Lumi's table with leisurely steps.
"Lumi."
Lumi's spoon stopped.
"You've been weird lately."
Rize's voice held more curiosity than malice. At least on the surface. She plopped down across from Lumi casually, crossing her arms.
"The girl who used to crawl into any hole she could find is actually showing her face now? Did someone give you some courage?"
Lumi didn't reply. She just set down her spoon and stared straight ahead. Before, she'd have bowed her head, but not today.
That reaction only irked Rize more. Her eyes narrowed.
"You, don't tell me..."
Her gaze quickly scanned the cafeteria. And stopped.
On Ain.
"...Ah, I get it."
A small smile curled Rize's lips. The expression of a child who'd found an amusing toy. She tilted her head slightly, scanning Lumi up and down. Like appraising an unfamiliar object.
"Hanging around that handsome commoner lately got you all full of yourself?"
Rize's finger tapped the table. A light, rhythmic motion, but it carried an odd pressure at the fingertips.
"But you know, it's really weird. Your face hasn't changed at all. It's still... just that face."
Rize's entourage snickered. Soft laughter leaked from nearby tables too.
Lumi's hand twitched faintly. But she still didn't lower her head. Only her hands, set down under the table, trembled slightly.
Rize seemed to savor that reaction as she slowly reached out. Her long fingers plucked up a strand of Lumi's hair. The jeweled ring on her finger rubbed it slowly, unpleasantly so.
"That commoner— does he have unique tastes... or some ulterior motive?"
Then her hand dropped from the hair—
Snap.
With a sharp sound, Rize grabbed Lumi's hair. Playful or serious, it was hard to tell. But the surrounding tables had already gone silent. Some students covered their mouths, holding their breath. No one intervened.
No one wanted to tangle with a noble lady, and no one felt reason to help Lumi. They all turned away, pretending not to see or hear.
Ain watched the scene from afar. Spooning another bite of soup.
...What a hassle.
His mind stayed cool. Getting involved would never end. Especially with a noble lady. He'd vowed to himself multiple times to live quietly. By that logic, finishing his meal and leaving was the right move now.
Lumi seemed used to it too, and with no one coming to her aid, this must be the academy's daily routine. In a scene where no one even glanced her way, there was no reason for him alone to jump in.
Ain set his spoon on the plate. As he started to stand—
That instant.
Rize yanked Lumi's hair back. Lumi's face was forced toward the ceiling. A grimace of pain. Yet she bit her lip, not uttering a single cry. As if it were the most natural thing, utterly familiar, she endured.
Ain saw that expression.
And— his body moved before his thoughts caught up.
One second to rise from the chair. Three seconds to cross between tables.
"...Huh?"
Before Rize could react, Ain's hand clamped her wrist. Firmly. Precisely. Her jeweled ring pressed into the back of his hand.
The cafeteria air froze in an instant.
The hand gripping Lumi's hair was forced open. Disheveled silver strands with their blue glow spilled white over her shoulders. She wore a dazed expression, still processing what had just happened. Her pale lavender eyes trembled wide, staring up at Ain's profile.
"...That's enough. You'll scar her face."