I Made a Friend!
Hey, I made a friend!
After leaving the temple, there were all sorts of little things, but nothing major happened.
The most notable was when I got back to the dorm and Ainshel grabbed both my hands tight, pleading, "Please, take better care of yourself."
For a debut as flashy as mine, it was a pretty boring first day.
But I didn't mind much.
Rumors take time to spread and settle in, after all.
Time usually isn't on my side, but not this time.
The gossip that started today would be even tastier by tomorrow.
"Hehe."
Grinning in bed at the thought of tomorrow's reactions, Ainshel— who was tending to me— asked, "Miss… did you have fun?"
I turned to look at her, and her face was a perfect picture of worry.
Why? No need to guess. I had a pretty good idea.
I felt bad for Ainshel, really, but seeing her fret over me was… satisfying.
If she didn't care, she wouldn't look at me with such pity.
"Yeah. Not the most fun I've ever had in my life…"
Her expression stiffened for a second at that.
"But it was definitely in my top five."
"I see…"
"Met a bunch of people, swung my sword as much as I wanted, and even made a friend… maybe."
With every word, her face grew more ambiguous— was she smiling or about to cry?
"Yes… you had fun. That's good, then. As long as you enjoyed it…"
She couldn't bring herself to argue since I'd said I had fun.
To ease her mind a bit, I added some reflection.
"Sorry for pushing myself in the excitement. But when they insulted my family, I just got so mad…"
Her face brightened a little at that.
"…The Duchess would be sadder about you getting hurt than any insult to the family. So, from now on, could you please… hold back just a little?"
"Yeah. Promise."
I stuck out my pinky, and she struggled with the size difference but hooked hers around it anyway.
"You promised, okay?"
A promise like that? Easy to keep.
No one would dare mess with me from now on anyway.
Not that I planned to stop drawing my sword.
Sorry, Ainshel.
I thought it silently and drifted off to sleep.
"Urgh…"
The next morning, my body screamed in protest.
Cecilia's blessing had worn off.
"Miss, your complexion looks awful… Was it because you overdid it yesterday?"
Depends on the perspective, right?
But I knew what she meant, so I shook my head.
"No. It's more that the saintess's grace ended."
Normal priests just dull the pain a bit, but Cecilia erased it completely.
So the backlash hit hard.
Yesterday, I could breathe deep no problem. Today? One inhale and I'd be coughing up a storm for sure.
Withdrawal symptoms, exactly like this.
I wanted to run to Cecilia and beg for another blessing, but I held back.
Partings make reunions sweeter, after all.
"Thanks, Ainshel. You've been helping me nonstop since yesterday."
I had classes, so with her support, I somehow got ready and headed to the academy.
"Helping you is my purpose and my job, Miss. I pray nothing happens today."
"Ehehehe…"
I brushed it off with a laugh and made my way to the classroom.
—That girl's the one who beat Lorenzo…
—Her? A Sword Master? No way.
—Don't lie, how could someone that frail…
—It's true! One swing and…
I savored the whispers and stares on the way.
Mm, just as I thought.
Rumors need a day to ripen.
Pretending not to hear, I perked up my ears to catch every word from passing students.
Except those rude ones chatting among themselves without glancing my way.
Everyone else showed interest somehow— curiosity, fear, pity.
Those reactions drowned out my body's complaints enough to keep going.
"Ilisha."
By the time I reached the classroom, everyone was staring.
Including Reinhardt.
Of course. This is how it should be.
I barely kept my shoulders from puffing up, staggered to my seat, and collapsed.
"Haa, haa… whew…"
Catching my breath.
The walk from dorm to the student hall was farther than I thought— I was winded just getting here.
This body's stamina was even worse than mine as a guy back then. Not surprising, but still.
Thinking I'd be panting like this every day made my head spin.
And after spring comes summer— sweat city.
Ugh, the worst.
Grumbling inwardly, I kept my ears tuned to the room, gathering intel on what they were saying about me.
Until Reinhardt called my name.
"Y-yes?"
My surprised squeak was a bit dumb, but I hadn't expected him to call me.
Not that his attention shocked me.
After yesterday, I'd figured he'd notice me.
I just thought he'd watch from afar or observe closely if he did something.
Not call out my full name like that.
"You can just call me Ilisha…?"
Still, he hated being called "Your Highness," so I sniped back a little.
"Is that so. Noted. Now, can you answer my question?"
Never listens properly, does he.
Grumbling inside, I brushed it off as just the walk from the dorm.
"You can draw an Aura Blade, and yet?"
He brought up yesterday's feat.
"…What are you getting at?"
"Ilisha. One question. Is that frailty real? Or fake?"
What kind of question was that? Typical of him, though.
"…It's real. Just getting here was tough."
"So that weak body drew an Aura Blade and swung a sword at speeds I couldn't even see?"
"You don't have to be healthy to draw an Aura Blade. And yeah, I swung it."
I amplified my physicals a bit with ether, but no real magic.
Just pure, quick draw.
This body's endurance sucks, but short bursts of strength? Pretty good.
Northern blood runs deep, even if it's decayed.
"…Is that even possible?"
As I gathered breath to answer, a cough hit. He watched silently.
"A body that struggles to breathe draws an Aura Blade and shows off Quick Draw Sword Technique, yet walking from dorm to here is too much? What kind of bad joke is that?"
"Ehehe. I wish it were."
Now I got why he was like this.
He sees the world in strong and weak, so a strong-yet-weak me broke his brain.
With that, Reinhardt finally shut up.
All class, he brooded with a sour face, clearly overthinking because of me.
Good. Ponder me. Only look at me, Your Highness.
Even at lunch bell, his questions lingered— he vanished right away.
Others headed to the cafeteria in groups, so I wondered if I'd go with Ainshel and the guards again.
Then—
"What're you doing?"
Lucia strode over and loomed, asking that.
"…Wondering what to eat?"
She looked like a bully picking on the new kid, but nah. Well, kinda.
After yesterday's truce, I wasn't too worried.
More curious why she came.
Her crew watched from their seats, just as puzzled.
"You don't have anyone to eat with? Like friends? Even as a parachute into the academy, you'd know some faces beforehand, right?"
She sounded genuinely baffled at my solo lunch.
Yeah.
No malice.
But sometimes, innocent words gut you.
"…No one to eat with. Always stuck at home, never got chances to make friends."
So I decided to gut her back.
Plus, I wanted to see her reaction.
She froze, staring down at me.
Then her face darkened slowly, lips chewing as she muttered soft.
"Really none…?"
Not meant to be heard, so I played dumb and asked why she asked.
"N-no. I was gonna ask if you wanted to eat with me since you don't have anyone. Not 'cause I pity you! Just… yeah. We said friends yesterday, right? So! Don't get the wrong idea."
Her flustered rambling was gold.
A bit pitiful, but no guilt. Not lying— no real friends anyway.
"Then… can I eat with you?"
I tilted my head, and she made the awkwardest tough-girl face.
"Huh? Y-yeah, I said yes. Damn, what? Get up already— people are waiting."
Yeah, this'll do.
Curious, too.
Wonder what eating with a friend feels like.