Light Daily Life (4)
Though he considered both Muerangde and Philia the Blood friends, Marei felt far freer with Gilia Marita than with the golden-haired vampire girl who kept her distance whenever he tried to approach, or with Philia, who bound him in chains of obligation. Surrounded by women who seemed intent on pouring something into him and others who constantly praised his beauty, he found it genuinely delightful to simply talk without any hidden motives or expectations.
“Ah, would you like to come to my house on Tuesday? I asked my mother, and she said it would be fine.”
“Really? Truly?! Wow!”
Gilia looked as though she had received a birthday present, her joy overflowing. She was the kind of friend who gave him the same warm, familial feeling he had known back in the countryside—though “relative” was the more accurate term. Inviting her over felt only natural.
Gilia nodded vigorously and rushed forward to hug him tightly.
“P-please let go a little… If you squeeze so hard, I can’t breathe…”
“Sorry, sorry! Wow, meeting Lady Labella… wow…”
Gilia kept exclaiming in disbelief, as if her good fortune were too much to accept. Marei wondered why meeting Labella would bring her such happiness, then recalled how Gilia had asked about Loren the previous week and decided to mention that as well.
“Come to think of it, I was invited by Lady Loren on Friday and went to the Governor’s Castle.”
“The Governor’s Castle…?”
“Yes.”
Even as a distant relative, bearing the Pawen name carried weight. Gilia let out a small, wry laugh. Though the Marita family was already separate from the main Pawen line, the fact that the Governor—who had never once replied to her—had personally invited the boy before her eyes was remarkable.
“How was it? What did you think of Lady Loren?”
“She seemed… frightening.”
“Why?”
“Just… the way she looked at me, the way she spoke…”
“What did she say?”
“She didn’t really say anything specific… I just felt scared.”
Confronted with Gilia’s relentless “Why? Why? Why?”, Marei found himself at a loss. He could hardly admit he had grown aroused at the sight of a body far more mature and sensual than Labella’s, nor could he mention how Loren had touched his chin and told him to visit often. None of it could be said.
“What did you do there?”
“We just had a meal and some tea. Then she had to leave for work, so I didn’t get to talk with her for long…”
“I see…”
Gilia looked even more disappointed than Marei had felt at the time. With nothing more to discuss, they drifted into light conversation about restaurants and snack shops near the academy before naturally shifting into a study atmosphere. The silence between them felt oddly delicate. Neither Gilia nor Marei possessed the social skill to keep a conversation flowing, so the quiet study session was perhaps inevitable—though it did not last long.
“I should get going. I have a military studies meeting.”
“Isn’t the meeting on Friday afternoon?”
“We gather whenever we have time to study or prepare for entrance exams. You don’t have anything like that, do you? Ah, who’s your mentor? Since we’re just grouped together, it’s more like a club than a strict mentor-mentee system, so I can’t really say. Rumor has it it’s Senior Philia… is that true?”
“No. Senior Shasha recommended me, so I’m working with someone named Celine.”
Gilia’s brow furrowed slightly, her brown eyebrows twitching.
“Celine… Celine… You don’t mean Celine Ferdinand? Really? She has a rather bad reputation… Wouldn’t it be better to switch?”
“I didn’t think there was anything strange about her… I don’t believe we should judge people by rumors. Rather than being a bad person, she simply doesn’t suit me. Thank you for worrying. The Celine senior I’ve met seems like a good person, even if the rumors say otherwise.”
“Well, that’s your decision. I have a dinner appointment, so I’ll head out first. The prospective soldiers seem to enjoy eating together. Hehe, see you next time, cousin.”
Gilia rose, waved broadly, and disappeared beyond the building. She appeared restrained, yet there was something tomboyish about her—an adult air mixed with childishness. Being near her felt comfortable in a way different from being with Labella and the others, simply because she seemed like herself.
As Marei packed his books, thinking of heading to lunch, his vision suddenly went dark. He stood up in surprise, but still saw nothing.
“Who is it?”
“Is it Philia?”
“How boring. You should at least pretend to think about it. This makes it embarrassing for me.”
The hands covering his eyes withdrew, and color returned to the world. Turning around, he found Philia smiling despite her sulky words. She looked faintly pleased; the tips of her elf-like pointed ears fluttered open and closed.
“How did you find me?”
“I had time, so I came to your classroom. The atmosphere there was a bit strange, though… The kids were excitedly telling me you were with Gilia Marita.”
Philia pointed to a window on the side of the building. Students were pressed against the glass, watching Marei and Philia. Embarrassed, Marei hurriedly gathered his bag and lowered his head, which only made Philia cover her mouth and chuckle.
While straightening his coat, Philia wore a faint smile.
“Are you acquainted with Gilia?”
“I know of the Marita family as the root of the Pawen line in social circles—a useless family head’s castle, or something like that. I’ve never met the young lady herself. She’s not the heir, just the third or fourth daughter. I don’t even remember. There are too many people one needs to know.”
Truly, I’m no genius, Philia muttered softly, her gaze turning cold as she looked at the seat Gilia had occupied.
“……I wanted to spend time with my fiancé. I even turned down meal invitations from the other student council members. Are you going to leave this pitiful princess all alone, Marei de Pawen?”
“L-let’s eat together!”
Philia closed one eye and burst into laughter. Marei’s mouth opened and closed before he pressed his lips shut. Had he made a mistake without realizing it?
“I’m not laughing at you.”
“Huh? Then how…”
“It’s written all over your face. I just laughed because you’re cute. I thought about how you might answer slyly, and that seemed fun too.”
“Slyly?”
Philia nodded. At Marei’s still-confused expression, she let out a small sigh. A strange hesitation lingered at the corners of her eyes.
“Hmm… Do I need to give an example? Really, just once. So… hmm… Ah, this should do. Listen carefully. ‘Oh, I could never leave such a pitiful princess unattended. As a gentleman, I would gladly welcome you, Philia the Blood.’”
“Pfft. You actually thought of something like that?”
“Agh…! This is why I didn’t want to do it!!”
Looking annoyed, Philia began lightly pounding Marei’s chest with her fists. Feeling the weak force behind them, Marei smiled and gently took hold of her shoulders.
“Shall I try?”
“Honestly… What do you take me for…? Being with you makes me feel like a child again…”
Philia exhaled softly. Her red eyes glanced at Marei before quickly looking away.
“Still, just a little, only a tiny bit…! I-I might have missed you.”
The vampire princess’s crimson eyes remained fixed on the ground.
“Ahem…! Oh, I could never leave such a pitiful princess unattended. As your fiancé, I gladly accept, Philia the Blood.”
“……Cute.”
Philia let out a small laugh. The slight tilt of her head and the index finger covering her lips looked incredibly seductive.
“I worked up the courage to say it, and you call me cute… You should at least say I’m cool.”
“Mm, cool.”
“You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
“No, you really were cool. And cute. I want to see it again.”
“Really?”
Philia nodded.
“Ahem…! Oh, such a pitiful…”
“Hahaha, stop. Stop, Marei de Pawen. How far do you plan to make me laugh? It was a joke, just a joke. You were cool, cute, and lovely. Yes, giving everything someone asks for isn’t a good habit when you’re playing hard to get.”
“That’s too much, Philia…”
Philia, who had spoken sternly, lowered her head and gently stroked Marei’s back before lightly patting his waist.
“Shall we eat outside? I know a decent restaurant.”
“I spent too much last week, so I need to save this week… Would the academy cafeteria be all right?”
Philia tilted her head, wondering if she had misheard, and looked at Marei again.
“You get an allowance?”
“Ah, yes.”
“How much?”
When Marei named the amount, Philia’s mouth fell open in surprise. For the young master of a noble house—let alone the Pawen family—it was far too little. Compared to children of other noble families, it was barely enough for lunch at school. One could almost say Labella de Pawen’s intent was malicious, implying he should eat dinner at home. There seemed to be something odd about Labella’s approach to heir education.
“Director Labella is something else… This goes beyond frugality into outright stinginess.”
“I was given a card for when I really need it, but I don’t want to use it unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Marei thought of the beautiful gold-embossed card sleeping in his wallet. From what Labella had said—that he could take it out when in trouble—he suspected it was no ordinary means of payment.
“Well then, shall we eat something reasonable? Come on, let’s hurry. I couldn’t eat properly this morning because of my little sister, so I’m starving.”
Philia took his wrist and began walking, her small frame hiding an unbelievable strength that pulled Marei along.
“W-wait, slower, Philia!”
“Lunch break is shorter than you think, Pawen.”
Philia smiled brightly and quickened her pace. Following her steps, they soon arrived in front of the academy cafeteria—only to pass it by.
“Didn’t we just pass the cafeteria?”
“We did.”
“Wait a moment, Philia. Where are we going? We’re heading toward the school gate, aren’t we?”
“Correct.”
Philia’s red eyes sparkled with mischief. Marei tried to stop her with force, but he could not escape the vampire princess’s grip.
“We’re not going to a restaurant!”
“I know, I know.”
Philia lightly brushed past his refusal and merely smiled.
“Th-then where are we going?!”
“Who knows? Where Marei wants to go?”
Philia licked her lower lip and casually interlocked her fingers with his. The subtle yet proactive skinship made Marei swallow unconsciously. Walking a step ahead was a girl of similar height. Between strands of silver hair glittering under the sunlight came a strangely sweet scent, and her alabaster skin still looked pathologically pale, almost like a work of art.
“M-me…?”
“Yes. You’ll know when we get there. Where do you think it is?”
“I-I don’t really know…”
Philia smiled mysteriously. The warmth filling his hand felt so comforting that he wanted to have her—just like Labella. Marei steadied his racing heart and followed behind her.
“……Is it here?”
“Why? Didn’t you want to eat at a reasonable price, Marei de Pawen?”
Philia grinned mischievously in front of a restaurant converted from a mobile vehicle. When she had said “where you want,” he had wondered what she meant, but the honest answer that came to mind was a quiet motel. Marei lowered his head, unable to hide his embarrassment.
“What? What were you thinking?”
“I-I don’t know.”
Philia poked his side with her elbow, clearly amused. The two received their food and silently devoured their sandwiches before their conversation resumed.
“What were you thinking?”
“……I don’t know.”
“They say boys are always thinking about ‘that.’ Are you the same, Marei?”
He wanted to say it was a misunderstanding. Though the main interest of boys his age was indeed “that,” it was an exaggeration to say they were always thinking about it. Of course, Marei’s own daily life was filled with exactly what Philia meant… Yet faced with Philia’s relentless teasing since earlier, he had been unable to properly resist—until an idea struck him. He finally lifted his head and met the vampire girl’s gaze.