Join Me in Dancing – The Academy Ball
With my partner, let’s dance. The Grand Ball.
Seria’s Day and the most cherished festival of all the empire’s citizens.
Though the name is nothing more than a plain word—maedo hoe, the Grand Ball—people call it that without any embellishment or decoration. It is the event where couples who have exchanged Seria’s sweets and return gifts publicly confirm their love, so it is also a place to see countless fresh-faced couples.
And for those poor souls who have not yet won a partner, it is their final lifeline.
Even if you did not receive sweets on Seria’s Day, or gave them away but never received a return gift, or were turned down when asked for a partner, or never asked, there was still one last chance remaining.
Many had already faced their share of trials, and statistics showed that the rate of couples forming between those with wounds was actually higher than the rate of partners being assigned before the ball. Of course, this was born of fleeting emotions and the mood of the dance, so the couples formed rarely lasted, but if they could be happy for even this one moment, that was enough.
Seiban entered the hall alone in a splendid yet restrained tuxedo. Although his striking looks meant any outfit would have sufficed, the one he wore seemed tailored exclusively for him.
When Seiban’s eyes met those of female students who had no partners, he gave a light nod of greeting.
The girls blushed at his playful grin while the boys glared at him like axemen.
Many partnerless students had arrived early and claimed seats, but Seiban moved through the noisy crowd with a strange sense of emptiness until he found a spot with open space around one central figure.
“Hey, you didn’t run away this time, did you?”
“I never ran away.”
Aslan glared at him with murderous eyes, but Seiban laughed brightly and stepped closer.
“Last year my father called me back.”
“Y-yes, that must be it.”
Aslan tried to make an excuse, but Seiban waved it away with a cheerful grin and scanned the hall.
Seiban’s broad shoulders meant he knew most faces in the hall.
“Where’s Delen?”
“I haven’t seen him. He said he couldn’t leave the house today.”
“Why… ah…”
Seiban fell silent as memories of Delen’s tale—of being “fed his first experience” by his maid entourage—flickered through his mind. Even at the academy the same maids followed him, so a man could easily picture what chaos might be unfolding back at his rented house right now.
Aslan, sensing the same thought, simply gave a quiet nod without speaking.
Seiban, feeling awkward, glanced around once more and noticed Cuthbert and Vollin slumped on the sofa provided for rest, looking utterly defeated.
In the bright hall, that corner felt like a patch of darkness had fallen.
“Why do they look like that?”
Seiban pointed at the two with bowed heads and necks.
They were supposed to be the ones moving the most energetically at the ball, yet they looked pitiful.
“Anyone who gets hit sixteen times in a row like that ends up like this.”
“… … But it’s only been half an hour since the start. How can it already be sixteen?”
“They were standing at the entrance, reaching out hands every time a partnerless girl entered. I thought they were here to check invitations, but they never even looked at faces— just held out their hands.”
“That’s actually impressive.”
Seiban thought love was simple. If you confessed to one hundred people and only one said yes, it was possible. Keep trying no matter how ugly the truth, and success would come. Cuthbert and Vollin had tried that method.
It wasn’t a good method, but Seiban expressed his condolences to those two for having the courage to attempt it.
He looked around for someone else to ask.
“By the way, how did you end up here alone when your senior Jona is still around?”
“Women take forever to prepare. If the senior comes, I’ll have to go back. So before that, I’ll stamp my face on as many as possible.”
Aslan, who wanted to charge forward but couldn’t, watched from afar. Seiban gave a gentle smile and a nod to the female students there.
“You still haven’t been hit hard by Senior Jona.”
“If you don’t get caught, it’s like it never happened. I haven’t been caught yet.”
Aslan, remembering Jona’s fierce possessiveness and the cute face, took a swig of wine. He thought if his friend was found dead in an alley, it would definitely be Jona’s doing.
“Peter and Piara, who are both suspicious of virgins and proud of their status, came together as partners. They haven’t been caught either. Oh—Zeroa-kun is surprisingly popular.”
“Even though his face looks innocent, that guy knows how to charm girls well.”
Seiban laughed as he watched Zeroa dancing with Mia. Aslan added something.
Seiban tilted his head. Seiban knew Zeroa was honest and kind, but he wasn’t sure the guy’s male appeal was that strong. Aslan told him the truth.
“Besides Mia, when you go to the city there’s that adventurer girl Cindy. He just says he’s giving her magic lessons, but you can see everything right next to him.”
“Oh-ho—innocent face, yet a scoundrel. Interesting. By the way, I heard Meiri was interested too.”
“Meiri?”
Aslan was surprised when the name of the ice-cold beauty Meiri from the same class was mentioned.
“Yeah, it seems they got closer during the mounted tournament… Even if she acts cold, he keeps being kind. Maybe she fell for it?”
Seiban spoke lightly, but Aslan’s face darkened.
“But why is there no one around me… What am I doing?”
Aslan pointed at Seiban’s hand covering his eye and glared.
“No, even with your eyes covered you’re still handsome. Want me to throw some hot sauce in your eyes so you’ll wander around with your eyes shut? Popularity might shoot up.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Seiban swatted his hand away irritably, then turned his gaze to the food table and chuckled.
“Our homeroom instructor seems uninterested in women.”
Rai had not left the food table since entering the hall. Behind him, Philia approached. Her red dress with bare shoulders accentuated her snow-white skin and the elegant updo revealed her beautiful neckline.
Everyone in the hall stared at her—popular yet unadorned.
Cuthbert and Vollin gaped at her in a daze, and Philia smiled faintly at Rai, who was staring back.
“Aren’t you going to praise me?”
“Um… your chest looks tight.”
Rai lowered his gaze. Philia’s brows furrowed. The dress revealed the full, proud swell of her chest.
The women around her wore similar expressions of disappointment; the men nodded subtly with blank faces.
“You’re pretty. I like big chests.”
“If only the second part hadn’t been said, I might have felt better.”
“Was the first part okay?”
“That too—leave it out.”
Rai chuckled and turned back to the food. Philia stood beside him, watching him fill a plate, but her lips kept trembling as if holding something she wanted to say.
She wanted to ask him to dance, but Rai had already rejected her once. The rumor was already strange enough; what would people say if they danced together?
Rai didn’t care about rumors, and Philia didn’t want to care, but she knew why he was holding back and couldn’t bring it up.
She was giving him space so he wouldn’t suffer from silly gossip.
After their casual chat, Philia moved to the corner wall. Alone and lonely against the wall despite her beauty, she looked pitiful.
“Phili-phili-phili, you’re so pretty yet a wallflower.”
Cesset Eliza approached in a pink dress matching her hair and leaned against the wall with her.
Like Philia, her dress had bare shoulders, but her cuteness far outweighed any sexiness.
“I went all out to prepare you. You can’t just stand there.”
“Sorry…”
With no money at all from her family, Philia had relied on Cesset to make this possible. For the Philia who didn’t care about such things, Cesset and Rin, plus the maids from the house, had worked together to make her the star of the ball.
Even though they had put in far more effort than her, Cesset glared at Rai’s back when she saw Philia looking down.
“Hmm… no matter how I look, Philia is so pitiful. That guy isn’t husband material.”
“… … I’m not interested.”
Her cheeks flushed as she looked away, but the words lacked conviction.
Cesset was too cute for her own good, but she needed to cheer Philia up.
“So stubborn you rejected our Philia? I can’t forgive you. Ah, I don’t accept dance requests.”
“No, not you…”
“Yes, if you want to dance with Philia, tell me through me. I won’t accept it. Go away.”
“No, why are you…”
“I’m the manager. Senior McKellen. I’ll pass the message to Philia. Just wait for now.”
McKellen, the male student, glanced between Philia and Cesset, then left with a troubled look.
Cesset, having chased away a fly, returned to lean against the wall and looked up at Philia.
“Want to dance with Rai-kkang?”
“… … Yes, I do.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Philia spoke bravely. Once she had decided, she looked straight at Rai and walked toward him.
“No no no no, wait wait wait.”
But when Cesset grabbed her, Philia was pulled back to the wall again.
Seiban, watching with a confused expression, shook his head at her and smiled.
“You’re not dancing because of rumors? Rai-kkang rejected you.”
Seiban had come with her but hadn’t spoken to Rai at all. Philia was curious how Cesset knew, yet she nodded anyway.
“Then leave it to me, Cesset Eliza. The Sexy Cutie Very Berry Sweety Pure Mage will show you an amazing magic. Love is Magic!”
The moment Cesset finished speaking, she ran to Rai and shouted.
“Rai-kkang! The number one hitter, Cesset Eliza is coming in!”
“… What are you saying?”
“I ate dinner at home and now I’m dancing. What are you doing at the Grand Ball?”
Her voice carried through the entire hall.
Cesset dragged Rai by the arm and raised her hand.
“Music cue! Please play an exciting song!”
The musicians, already playing, looked flustered by the demand but exchanged glances and switched to something faster.
“Good, good. Faster would be nice, but this will do.”
Cesset shook her hands near her eyes, then shrugged.
“What kind of dance is that?”
“True dance doesn’t follow any form. Rhythm and passion are enough to make it dance.”
Seiban’s movements were more like festival dancing—energetic and free—than the formal partner dance. Even without touching, the energy overflowed, and every spin made her dress flare to reveal white calves, yet her cuteness far outweighed sexiness.
“What are you doing? Not dancing? Body-checking? Did you get shy and think dancing in front of people is embarrassing?”
“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t let it make you shrink.”
Rai, unable to leave now that everyone’s eyes were on them, danced with her, matching her style. His own dance was also festival-style, yet he had enough rhythm to look good.
People watched with smiles, clearly enjoying the pair.
When the music ended and Cesset wiped sweat from her forehead after wildly shaking her body, Rai shrugged and tried to slip away.
“Number two hitter, Diana Deschubella!”
“Who are you again?”
From the crowd, Diana raised her hand and took Rai’s arm, pulling him back inside.
Wearing a cobalt dress that matched her blue hair, Diana danced with Rai with a bright, happy smile.
Though their bodies touched like lovers, the happiness on Diana’s face made the atmosphere feel completely different.
“Wow—Diana is one thing, but Rai-kkang dances amazingly well too.”
Both were skilled, so the crowd praised them as they watched.
“May I be the third hitter?”
She spoke timidly, but no one could refuse the sixth princess Emilia.
When Rai was about to go to her, Philia stepped forward. Seiban pushed her from behind; Philia looked Rai straight in the eye with fierce intensity.
“Dance with me.”
“You’re challenging me to a duel? Why so serious?”
Rai chuckled and took her hand first.
He bowed slightly, then pulled her close and began to dance to the music.
“Just follow my lead; I’ll make up the rest.”
Though she had learned a simple dance for etiquette, Philia wasn’t good at it. She nodded and let his hands support her waist.
“… … It’s enviable.”
From the sofa, Vollin said in a dying voice while Cuthbert bit his lip.
“Ranking second, third, and fourth—damn it…”
“Don’t cry. We weren’t going to dance with you anyway.”
“I’m not crying.”
Vollin glanced at Cuthbert with teary eyes and stayed silent.
Zeroa, watching the dance with Rai and Philia from the crowd, felt something and turned toward the window.
“Light…?”
Zeroa tilted his head, then went to the balcony to check outside.