I Don't Like Surprises, but Here They Come Anyway
I shuddered at the sudden surprise. “This, hey! Long time no see, Lady Ellice!”
With a chill racing down my spine, I slipped my arm from Shina’s grip and gave her a gentle push away.
“The guy who was chattering away so nicely until a moment ago… why is he suddenly stumbling over his words? Could it be that having me here makes you feel uncomfortable?”
“N-not at all! I’m so thrilled to meet you, Lady Ellice, it’s impossible to put into words! What did you have for dinner this evening?”
“Stop beating around the bush.”
Damn it—if dinner was the opening line, there was no escape route.
“That aside… you seem to get along extremely well with Lady Astorius. You’re hugging each other like you’re a couple. Are you two dating?”
“Ah, no! I-I’m just friends with Young Master Shion…”
“Normal male-female friends don’t hug like this, Lady Astorius. Did you study friendship in novels?”
Lady Ellice narrowed her eyes and asked Shina.
“I didn’t study it in novels! I just… maybe observed a little.”
Shina’s cheeks flushed slightly as she lowered her head.
“You’re far more delicate than I imagined.”
Lady Ellice watched Shina, then shook her head and muttered to herself.
“Ah, anyway. How did you two meet today, Lady Astorius?”
“Charlotte-unni called me. She said she had something to discuss and asked me to come to the dormitory.”
“……”
I stared silently at Charlotte standing far away in the distance.
Feeling my gaze, Charlotte shrugged and said, “Thinking about it, neither of you are the type to hide in a building during an attack. You’ll be fighting anyway, so having us together should make things much safer.”
Right, that made sense. Both Shina and Lady Ellice would never just cower somewhere during a raid. So… standing right beside me, watching me fight, felt like the right move.
“I was hoping to see you struggle, but…”
“……”
I gave Charlotte a cool, slit-eyed stare.
Though of course, slits were still slits.
I let out a long sigh and forced a smile. “Well, at least it’s good that I got to know Lady Chloe too. If I had…”
“I’m right here too.”
“Eh?”
I jumped at the sudden voice from behind.
Lady Chloe peeked out from behind Charlotte’s back.
“……You really shouldn’t talk about random people like that.”
“N-now I’m in real trouble. All of you, it’s getting cold out here. Come inside.”
Charlotte said that and quickly sat down in the chair at the head of the table as if fleeing.
I wanted to ask her what she meant, but I realized it was pointless and toddled into the dormitory after everyone else.
Shina, Lady Ellice, and I walked over to the table where Charlotte and Lady Chloe were sitting. Five people, one chair. This was awkward.
“The two of you sit down.”
“No. Young Master Shion, you sit. You must have been tired from traveling back to the family.”
“I rode in a carriage, so my legs aren’t that sore…”
“I’ll stand. You’re frail, aren’t you?”
“Hearing Lady Ellice say that when she’s even more delicate than me… as a man, it really stings!”
“Sigh, I can’t watch this.”
Lady Charlotte clicked her tongue while watching our little standoff, then opened the gap in the chair.
“You two sit there. Shion, you take my seat.”
With that said, Lady Charlotte stepped over the gap and sat down. I wasn’t sure what she was planning, but since she told me to sit, I did.
After a moment, Lady Charlotte returned from the gap in the chair.
“All set.”
She lifted a modern chair with wheels.
“……Lady Charlotte, you’ve finally become a thief? If you’re going to steal, why not a daring bank robber instead of a petty one like this…”
“What are you talking about? I’m only using it today and I’ll put it back. Don’t worry.”
Lady Charlotte set the wheeled modern chair on the floor and finally sat down.
“So? Tell me. Did you get a positive answer?”
I nodded vigorously. “Yes. Fortunately, Father trusted my words. But Lady Charlotte’s help might still be needed.”
“What kind of help?”
“On the day of the raid, Father said he would station the soldiers in one place. And if a real attack really does happen at the academy, Lady Charlotte would connect the academy and the Frelia family with magic.”
Lady Charlotte nodded at my explanation and muttered, “……Ah, right. Seeing the empire’s army come to the academy means the raid can be postponed to another day, and transporting them would cost a lot. That’s logical. I understand. I’ll do as you say.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
I bowed slightly to Lady Charlotte and scanned everyone once. “It would be best to move together before the raid. If something happens to one of us, the others who aren’t there might be helpless alone.”
“Then what happens after the raid?”
Shina asked me.
“We won’t help Megan Astorius or Lady Megan. Our level isn’t high enough to get close, but we won’t just sit around doing nothing.”
“Then…”
“We will fight my sister together.”
“……Y-yes?!”
At that moment, Lady Chloe, who had been quietly listening, jumped up and shouted.
“Why me?! What did I do wrong?!”
Ah, I wasn’t talking about you.
“Ah, not you, Lady Chloe.”
“Surprise! But you have a sister too? Pascal, you, and me. The Frelia family children are only three in total, right?”
Wait a second. Hadn’t I not told them that part yet?
I looked at Lady Charlotte. She closed her eyes and nodded. “I guess you should tell them yourself, so I didn’t mention it.”
“I see.”
Grateful for Lady Charlotte’s consideration, I opened my mouth.
“Um, everyone. I have something to say.”
Back when I told Lady Charlotte my past, I was terrified she might hate me. But now, I didn’t feel that fear at all.
If these people trusted me this much and were willing to stand beside me no matter what, I was sure they wouldn’t turn their backs on me even if they learned my secret. So I told them everything about my past without hesitation.
And the answer that came back?
“I don’t care who you are. Just stay Shion.”
Lady Ellice’s voice was cool yet warm.
“Uh… so Pascal is my only real brother? That’s a bit unfair.”
Lady Chloe, who was getting upset over nothing.
And.
“……It’s a bit shocking, but I think the one who was most shocked was probably Young Master Shion himself. Even as friends, it must have been hard to say. Thank you for trusting us and telling us.”
Shina smiled beautifully at me.
I really had good friends.
“……Everyone, thank you for accepting me as I am. Then I’ll explain our plan for the day of the raid.”
Feeling a slight sting in my eyes, I said.
“Our goal is to defeat Eve Cardena and her nameless brothers.”
***
Time flew by, and the day of the raid finally arrived—Meghan Astorius visiting Luin Academy.
I hadn’t been idle.
I had tried to think of countermeasures against the power Eve might possess, and whenever I had time, I’d take Charlotte to Earth to use the printer.
I printed countless A4 sheets with the words: “On Tuesday, a disaster will occur at Luin Academy. Students, please evacuate.” and scattered them everywhere in the academy.
Of course, no one would believe them. But what we wanted was for the students to gain at least a little vigilance. Once they were on edge, they might respond a little faster when the raid actually happened.
The only thing Charlotte and I could do for the students was that.
And as the day arrived, we started following each other around from the break.
Because of that, we received countless jealous glances from the male students, but we had no choice. The situation was the situation.
Time passed, and at lunchtime, we were about to eat and head to the cafeteria when the outside suddenly erupted in noise.
Was the raid already here? I rushed outside and saw something like Moses’ miracle unfolding.
A huge crowd parted like the Red Sea, cheering.
And in the center of it all, a man walked toward us leisurely.
“Our cute little sister, how have you been?”
Blue hair, sharp features, tall and slender—Megan Astorius.
Shina’s face flushed as she glared at her brother.
“O-niisan…! Don’t call me that out here!”
“Sorry. I got excited seeing Shina after so long. Are these the new friends you made?”
Megan scanned us and said.
At that moment, his expression suddenly hardened.
But then he quickly relaxed his face as if nothing had happened.
“Thanks to everyone befriending my little sister. Even if she looks cold on the outside, she’s soft inside. I’ll be counting on you going forward?”
“O-niisan!”
“Ahaha, just kidding.”
Megan laughed and waved his hand.
“By the way, what’s your name?”
He pointed at me and asked.
“It’s an honor to see the Hero Meghan Astorius with my own eyes, and now to have my name said by you personally! I am Shion Frelia!”
“I see. You can call me Shion. You can call me whatever you want, really.”
“I could never be so rude as to call you that, Hero Astorius!”
“Interesting friend.”
Megan laughed at me and continued. “Shion, I have something to talk to you about alone. Is the time okay?”
Megan Astorius wanted to talk to me? Ah, did he want to say something like ‘If you touch Shina, I’ll kill you’?
It sounded a bit troublesome, but since I couldn’t refuse his invitation, I had no choice but to nod.
“I’d be honored.”
“Good. Then Shina, I’ll borrow Shion for a bit.”
“……I don’t really need your permission…”
“It’s just proper etiquette. Then let’s go.”
“Yes!”
After answering energetically, I followed Meghan Astorius into the dim alley.
“Just a moment, in case someone is listening.”
He stopped me, closed his eyes, and slowly released mana, quickly creating a wall that cut off all external contact.
In an instant, Meghan Astorius and I were isolated from the outside world.
“So, what were you going to say…”
At that moment, a future began to unfold before me.
And in that future, Meghan Astorius.
“……!”
He swung his sword straight at my neck.