The Sweet Confession in the Silent Lecture Hall
In the now-quiet lecture hall, the only one moving was Aria. She extended both hands and placed the bag of sweets on Zeroa's frozen hand, then turned her head with a flick.
When everyone looked, Aria, feeling embarrassed, ran over with short steps and handed the bag containing sweets to Cesset as well.
"Eh? Eh? You're giving one to me too?"
"Yes... since it's Team 7..."
Cesset smiled shyly at Aria's embarrassed face. Giving sweets out of embarrassment because they had been in the same group during training. How utterly adorable.
Cesset, unable to bear Aria's cuteness, pulled her into a tight hug. Since Aria was much taller, it was practically like being carried. But Aria, trapped in Cesset's arms, only opened her eyes wide and couldn't move.
"Hey, I'm also in Team 7! Why don't I have any?"
Rai approached and asked. Aria handed him the bag too. Rai immediately unwrapped it, popped the sweets into his mouth, rolled them around, and sighed in delight.
"Oh, delicious. Did you make it yourself?"
"Sorry... I can't cook."
"What's there to apologize for. The thought behind it is what matters. I'll eat it well."
Among those who received sweets from Aria, Rai—who received them without any hesitation—now understood the situation, straightened up, and smiled as he watched the students come to their senses.
Rai rested his elbow on Aria's shoulder, shook the candy bag with a spiteful smile, and boasted to the students. Cesset, who had quickly joined in, hugged Aria's waist with a haughty expression and looked at the students.
"Zeroa, come here. Let's gather our Team 7 after a long time."
"Eh? Y-yes, yes."
When Rai called, Zeroa approached hesitantly. Unable to touch Aria's body, he kept coming and going to find a seat and finally stood beside Rai.
"Your seat is here."
Rai pulled Zeroa's tail and sat him in front of Aria. Somehow, Zeroa had ended up squatting with his legs spread in a bold posture. When Aria's hand landed on his shoulder, he flinched and froze.
With the wide-area provocation, the students looked at them with a mix of envy and jealousy. But since Aria was in the middle, they couldn't say anything. They quietly gave the thumbs-down to the most pitiful Zeroa.
With the threat of murder, Zeroa had a face like he was about to cry. But in truth, all his mind was focused on the shoulder where Aria's hand had touched.
"Ah, Rai-kkang, I'll give you one too."
"What? Just one? Give more."
When Cesset offered sweets, Rai—who still had a candy in his mouth—took it, immediately put it in, and boldly demanded more.
"If I eat one more, it's double the return gift."
"Since I'll give you the hair tie, even three thousand times is fine."
Rai, who had asked Leila unnecessarily about what Seria's Day was and had to endure a special lecture on basic knowledge every imperial citizen should know, had learned everything about the strange holiday unique to the Empire from start to finish.
Especially Seria's Day—he had learned it from the origins all the way to recent scholars' analyses, with blood in his ears.
"Eh-? You're giving such petty things? Then you'll have no popularity with girls."
"I don't want to hear it from you, so give it. This is delicious too. Did you make it yourself?"
"Yes, I made it with Philia."
While naturally eating the tart from the basket and chatting with the two, Diana arrived.
Unlike her usual bright and popular self, she had come all this way, and judging by the many sweets she had received from other female students, she had a full load of beautifully wrapped boxes and bags in both hands.
"Rai-kkang! I'm here. How have you been?!"
"Long time no see. Come, eat this—it's delicious."
"Why are you saying 'this is mine' like it's your own."
While listening to the conversation between the two, Diana laughed with a giggle and started rummaging through the boxes to find something for herself.
Since she had received so many, she couldn't find her own. After rummaging for a while, she handed a small but well-wrapped box to Rai.
Like before, Rai immediately opened it. Inside were many square chocolates. Even though the Empire had sugar in abundance, chocolate was still treated as an expensive ingredient.
Rai ate them without hesitation, chewing a few times, tasting them, and nodded.
"Milk chocolate? Where did you get it from?"
"I made it myself. Actually, since the chef knows the recipe, I secretly learned it. But how did you know Rai-kkang that it's milk chocolate?"
Diana said as if revealing a secret, put her hand to her mouth, and whispered softly.
Since chocolate was rare, not many people had tried it, so few could distinguish the type. Even rich people only knew it was "just chocolate." When Rai correctly identified it, Diana asked curiously.
Rai, who had grown up in the luxurious and pleasure-loving country of Keilen Kingdom that connected most nations and trade routes through the center, had luxury goods as everyday life.
Moreover, the Velukashiko Kingdom—the only country that produced cacao—had been one of the few allied nations of Keilen Kingdom during the war era, so chocolate had been easy to obtain.
"I ate a lot."
"Hng- Then choosing chocolate was wrong, huh. Have you never tried it? Next year I'll give you that."
"Well, I like all the sweet things, so it doesn't matter. Eating chocolate after a long time feels good. I'll eat it well."
"Yeah, eat a lot. Then I'll go."
After Diana appeared like the wind and finished her business, she left coolly. Rai greeted her with a hand sign and said to the students.
"Anyone else to give?"
Normally someone waited anxiously for someone to give, but Rai asked as if it were natural. Seeing that, Cuthbert and the male students approached nonchalantly.
"Since it's from the instructor, don't be rude, okay?"
"Right, how many?"
"Two. Only one more than Rai-kkang, so don't act superior."
"I received one from Aria."
At Rai's words, Cuthbert deflated immediately. The characteristic of unpopular men here appeared, and Bonita, who had given sweets to Cuthbert, saw his deflated look and erased the slight affection she had.
Cuthbert, who unconsciously kicked away the opportunity, had a gloomy expression when someone approached and talked to Rai.
"Here. There are people to give to."
With a soft smile, the princess Emilia said. The surrounding students naturally stepped back and made a private space for the two.
"It's a bit weak to call it thanks from that time, but I'll convey my gratitude."
Emilia received a luxurious wooden box decorated with gold from her attendant and handed it directly to Rai. It was rare for a royal to personally serve without going through the attendant, so the students were all surprised and stared, but Rai—who received it—looked at the box with a suspicious expression.
Rai, who hadn't eaten it yet and just stared at the box blankly like before, smiled at the princess.
"Royal gifts are said not to be eaten."
"First time hearing that. Where did you hear that?"
"Well, I've heard a lot about how there are many poisons, so be careful."
Among the royals, poisonings were frequent due to succession struggles, so no one ate anything given as a gift. Everyone knew this, but Rai nonchalantly said the fact that no one brought it up. The lecture hall froze.
Emilia's expression hardened for a moment, but she soon smiled brightly and said in a beautiful voice.
"No. If you spread such strange rumors, you'll be executed for poisoning, not just beheaded."
With her harsh words, the students looked at each other with glances. Emilia laughed softly.
"Oh, it was a joke. I guess I lacked sense."
"Anyway—I'll eat it well."
Rai shrugged his shoulders, opened the box, and picked up a cookie to eat. As expected from a royal gift, it was a luxurious cookie. It was the same as what he had eaten in the Keilen Kingdom soaked in luxury and pleasure.
Not just similar—it was the traditional confectionery of the Keilen Kingdom. The surrounding students, who were gorgeously decorated, didn't know what it was, but Rai, who was from the Keilen Kingdom, couldn't not know.
"This is a somewhat thought-out gift, but I hope it wasn't rude."
Emilia said cautiously with her usual smile but a somewhat uneasy gaze.
Rai shook his head.
"Delicious. It reminds me of my childhood."
"I'm glad. If you need more, let me know. I have someone who knows the recipe."
"Thanks, for worrying."
Emilia lightly greeted and left.
Unlike when Diana left, Rai ate only the cookies without saying anything. Cesset, who was curious, secretly approached and reached out to the cookie, but Rai slapped her hand.
"Is it unfair to eat alone? I ate your tart to my heart's content."
"Rebellion, you."
When Rai closed the box, Cesset, with her mouth pouting, went to Philia.
Philia, who had been in the lecture hall and quiet until now, sat in her seat as if she was there or not, blending in with the students.
"Are you still thinking about it?"
"Thinking about what?"
Philia acted like she didn't know and pretended not to know, but Cesset, who knew Philia was still hesitating, giggled and clung to her.
"You gave it to Zeroa easily, but why are you hesitating with Rai-kkang?"
"I haven't hesitated."
With a mischievous question, Philia turned her head with a stiff expression.
Because of Rai, the noisy atmosphere, Philia had already given sweets to everyone except him. She gave to all the instructors who came out in the morning, and in the lecture hall, she gave to Zeroa and other students.
Originally, Philia couldn't give it because Rai was in the staff room, so she missed the timing.
It wasn't a love confession or anything—just a gratitude greeting. But because Rai was too focused on, it felt like the timing was delayed.
Starting from Aria, who was praised by the students as a goddess, to Diana's rare chocolate, to the princess's sweets, the barriers seemed to get higher as the levels increased, making her prepared tart look shabby.
Normally she didn't care about such things, but on Seria's Day, for some strange reason, Philia couldn't understand why she was bothered by herself.
Cesset, who was watching Philia fidget with the last remaining sweets bag, smiled wickedly and called out to Rai.
"Rai-kkang! Philia has something to give, heup!"
"Cesset!"
Philia quickly covered Cesset's mouth. When the students noticed, she stopped moving in panic.
"Hu, huup, sup, haak haak— I almost died."
Philia, who came to her senses from the urgent hand movements, let go, and Cesset took a big breath and escaped.
"Philia has something to give!"
After escaping, she shouted loudly and ran away. In the silent lecture hall, only the sound of Cesset's footsteps running to the corridor was heard, and everyone stared at Philia.
"Ah, that..."
The atmosphere had become like a love confession, so Philia stammered in panic. Normally talkative, but suddenly her face heated up as she stared silently, she approached Rai with hesitation.
Philia, who thought she wasn't swayed by the atmosphere, regretted her trembling self at such a thing and handed the sweets bag to Rai while turning her head.
"This... I've been relying on you until now... It's a gratitude greeting."
With a red face wanting to be bitten, head turned not looking at the eyes, shoulders stiff, anyone would see a girl confessing love. The students, with a pounding heart, became spectator mode and held their breath.
"Philia is so cute..."
"She's handing it with one hand while turning her body in embarrassment. It's lovable that Philia has such a side."
The female students laughed "kyaa" and whispered.
Rai, who was staring blankly, received the bag, checked inside, and took out one to eat.
"Thanks. You said you made it with Cesset, right? This is delicious. You cook well, don't you?"
"A little... I do."
"A little, you say. A little."
"Her ears are red too. I want to bite it."
The auntie-like female students slapped each other's shoulders and wanted to die from happiness.
Even though he had eaten a lot from Cesset's basket, Rai ate deliciously and licked the crumbs stuck to his thumb and said.
"After all, this is the tastiest. Make it again later."
"Proposal? Proposal?"
"Make it again, it's a proposal."
The overly playful female students, receiving the attention from around, became quiet.
Philia's face heated up at the words "the tastiest," and she didn't know why she was like this, confused.
"Are you sick? Your face is too red."
"Kyaak!"
Rai, who approached with an expression as if he didn't know she was boasting about having a lot of female experience and was deliberately doing it, placed his hand on her forehead.
Philia, startled by Rai's cold hand, reacted nimbly with the movements repeated tens of thousands of times and threw a punch.
"Kuk-"
Rai, whose jaw was twisted by the sudden blow, fell flat. The students, who were watching the clean light hook blankly, clapped.
Philia, who grabbed Rai as if hugging the fallen Rai who expected it, was in panic, looked around, abandoned him, and ran out of the lecture hall.
"By force, to win love. Impressive."
"High score for wildness."
"It was a sophisticated punch that even Rai-kkang couldn't react to."
The students praised Philia one by one, abandoned the fallen Rai on the floor, and dispersed.
"..."
Aslan quietly looked at the small tart the size of a bean on his hand.
The sweets he received today was only one. It was all from Cesset, who openly aimed at return gifts to everyone.
Aslan, staring at the tart placed quietly in his hand, looked at Seiban, who received so many sweets that it was difficult to handle.
"Now you're saying it, are you not popular?"
Seiban, choosing his words at Aslan's question, rolled his eyes and thought for a moment, then answered.
"The results will tell, won't they?"
At Seiban's words, Aslan lowered his head.
The number of sweets he received was 0 except from Cesset. He became the 4th unpopular man in Team B.