Regarding Her Love -4-
Time flies by. The seconds ticked onward relentlessly, refusing to wait for Shuen's decision as she agonized between friendship and love.
Of course, Shuen...
"I hate it!"
"Ah..."
"I can't hate you!"
"Pardon...?"
"If my love had come true just by listening to some commoner's advice, it would've happened ages ago!"
"Wow..."
"Why are you laughing? I'm being serious!"
"I was just surprised. Didn't expect you to say something like that."
"I don't have any friends anyway! It's fine!"
Shuen had kicked away the method I suggested with her foot. Love handed to her by a commoner wasn't real love, she declared—she'd seize it herself, stubbornly, on her own terms. She agreed with a few of my points, though.
"Still, no public confession like you said, commoner. I don't want to put Senior Mihail in a tough spot...!"
This was where the commoner was right. Ohoho!
She was bolder than I'd thought. Far bolder.
After that day, Shuen started coming to the convenience store even when people were around. She'd always avoided it before to dodge weird rumors, but now it was like her limits were off—she didn't care about prying eyes anymore, since she had no friends anyway.
"Commoner!"
"Not even calling me by name now?"
"I never did!"
"True enough."
The rumors grew bigger by the day, and everyone passing the store cursed her as the thief. But Shuen, used to such glares, mostly ignored them. She noticed a little, though.
"Ugh... Commoner, is my popularity piercing the heavens again today?"
"Pardon?"
"No one's coming into the store. Blocked by my noble aura..."
"Pfft haha! Do you know what that's called, Shuen?"
"Conqueror's Haki?!"
"No. Overactive imagination."
"Eek!!!"
Today, too, Shuen sat across from the store, eating discarded bentos while shooting sharp glances at passing students, gauging their reactions. Even for her, accustomed to stares, this level of attention was hard to bear.
"Ohoho... This girl's popularity is at its peak. At this rate, becoming the academy's megastar is just a matter of time!"
"Shuen, your hands are shaking."
"Just your imagination."
Her ability to think positively was impressive in all sorts of ways.
"By the way, what's an 'academy megastar'?"
"Ohoho~ It's the dream this girl planned since upper academy. Want to see?"
Shuen rummaged in her bag and pulled out a worn leather notebook. The frayed cover spoke of years of attachment. Smiling, I took the proudly offered notebook and flipped it open.
✩ Making Empire Megastar Shuen ✩
'...'
I snapped the notebook shut, feeling secondhand embarrassment from the chuunibyou contents, and handed it back to Shuen.
"Ohoho... Surprised?!"
"Not easy."
"This is the plan I made at fifteen. Someday, I'll sing at the academy talent show and make tons of friends..."
"Stop...!"
I clamped a hand over Shuen's proud ramble, face twisting. Any more and I'd burst out laughing.
"Okay, just stop. Please. It's like unearthing forgotten black history..."
"As expected of a commoner—you dreamed of stardom too...!"
She was a girl with big dreams, in every sense. The academy thief showed no signs of being caught anytime soon. I knew who it was but had no desire to meddle, and it wasn't some grand incident anyway.
What interested me was the latest on Mihail and Shuen. True to the novel, she'd picked the same assignment as him and was patrolling the academy with him every evening. I voiced my curiosity about her thrilling updates, pointing out that 'Cosmic Megastar Shuen' could wait—'Heart-Pounding Love Story' came first.
"More importantly, Shuen. How's Operation: Seduce Mihail going?"
"Ah... Senior Mihail?!"
Shuen regretfully stowed the notebook and grumbled curtly.
"It's going well. But more importantly, my grand dream...!"
"That later..."
I shook my head at her stubborn fixation and changed the subject.
"You're doing assignments with Mihail lately, right?"
"Yep."
"Doesn't your heart go doki-doki...?"
"Commoner. That's arrhythmia!"
"Pardon?"
Shuen said it with dead seriousness.
"Heart pounding like it's gonna burst? That's arrhythmia! You could drop dead anytime."
"Doesn't happen to you?"
"Huh?"
"Your heart must race seeing Mihail."
"Hmm..."
Shuen stared at me, a giant question mark over her head.
"No thoughts at all?"
"Nope?"
"He's handsome from every angle. You're trembling too much to speak, but..."
"If that's not a racing heart, what is?"
"My heart's not racing. Perfectly normal."
Impossible to figure her out. I set another discarded bento on the table to shut her up. Maybe she didn't like Mihail at all—maybe she was just drawn to his good looks.
"Ohoho! Commoner, I think I have arrhythmia!"
"...Sure."
"Seeing these bentos, my heart's going...! Doki-doki!"
"Sigh..."
"Is this love?!"
"No. Just eat."
I muttered softly, watching her.
'Good as long as she's pure.'
It helped to imagine a vast cosmos field in her head.
The academy night arrived again. Shuen, changed from uniform to a dress, huffed determinedly as she strode to the meeting spot.
"Today's the day I nail it."
Her trailing dress hem followed her eager steps. Far off, silhouettes of students gathered for the assignment. To catch the recent academy thief.
Misa fan club members were there. Same magic department students too.
And.
"Hey, Shuen. Long time no see."
A troublesome senior. The freckled girl waved lightly at Shuen, then raked her eyes from legs to neck and snickered.
"Nice outfit...?"
"Thanks."
"Dressed up for Mihail?"
"..."
Shuen ignored her. The tone wasn't friendly.
'I'm not an idiot.'
Vienna. A third-year who'd publicly humiliated Shuen during her first-year second-semester rankings match. She'd deliberately taken an avoidable spell, yawned, and said, 'This freshman class is doomed.'
'Looks like half-eaten sausage... Cocky.'
Shuen didn't like her. Sure, Vienna had gotten wrecked by Histania Hanna later, but Shuen believed nobles avenged themselves. She was sharpening her knife for that half-eaten sausage.
Vienna ground her teeth at Shuen ignoring her in front of everyone. Her prickly personality flared; to regain face, she opened her mouth again.
"Hey, when a senior talks to—"
A late arrival shut her up like she'd swallowed honey.
"Sorry! I'm late, right?!"
Glorious silver hair. A clear voice. Mihail grinned sheepishly in greeting.
"Professor needed help, so I was delayed. Sorry."
The fifth-floor corridor students gulped at Mihail's appearance. That's why they'd gathered—for him.
Vienna, who'd soured the mood, beamed brightly now.
"No worries~ We just got here too."
"Really? Good. Thought I'd kept you waiting and ran like hell."
"Ahaha! Why run? They're all juniors, and you were only ten minutes late."
"Still, a promise is..."
Shuen muttered under her breath as they chatted.
'Making a noble wait ten minutes... If not Senior Mihail, it'd be severe punishment.'
If Ricardo hadn't warned her to watch her words, she'd have blurted it. She covered her mouth, nodding silently.
*Nod.*
"Shall we patrol then?"
Mihail stretched and started dividing sections. Who takes first floor, who fifth. Rock-paper-scissors for pairs created peak tension.
And.
*Rock!*
*Rock.*
Shuen and Mihail paired up.
"Ohoho... Senior Mihail and I are partners!"
"Yeah. Same last time, same now. Let's do well today too."
"Ohoho... Yes."
Shuen felt great. Paired with Mihail. Things going smoothly from the start—she figured it was her lucky day.
Until.
*Damn it.*
*Again? Always me who loses.*
Sharp glares from the dissatisfied pierced her. Shuen couldn't show her joy.
'Fair game's fair.'
The grumbling group dawdled, hoping for swaps. Worst was Vienna.
She openly ignored Shuen, pleading with Mihail.
"Mihail, pair with me today?"
"Huh...?"
"Something from last sword class I wanna ask."
"Oh... Yeah?"
"Just pair with me?"
"Well..."
Vienna coaxed the troubled Mihail, laying out her thoughts slowly.
"You know who the thief is, right?"
"What? A witness?"
"Playing dumb again. You're too nice, Mihail."
"...No, it's not that."
"No evidence, so can't catch 'em. But you know roughly."
"..."
Vienna glanced downstairs, lips curling sourly.
"Someone here late at night."
"..."
"No attachment to the academy."
"..."
"Desperate for pocket change from fines. See? Thief's screaming 'I'm right here.' Right?"
Vienna snickered.
"We just need evidence. Fake some, pin it on Ricardo."
Mihail's face hardened.
And then.
"You fucking bitch!"
Shuen's hand moved faster.