It Was to Gain Momentum. (4)
It was a beautiful scene.
Two women of exceptional looks, smiling as they chatted about something—the picture was practically made for it.
The daughter of a count. And the daughter of a duke.
Two people who, outside of a social gathering, would never have exchanged a single word were walking shoulder to shoulder in close conversation.
Each held men's clothing in her hands, and they matched their steps with an outward air of friendliness.
Anyone who came near enough, however, might have thought otherwise.
Because—
"You seriously think that outfit suits a professor?"
"Of course I do. A handsome man could wear a rag and still pull it off."
"Well, that thing looks worse than a rag."
"No, no. My lady, your eye for fashion is just terrible…?"
Like master ventriloquists, the two of them kept their smiles perfectly in place while talking as if they were tearing each other limb from limb.
Maintaining elegance and dignity on the surface, at all times, was a matter of pride.
Thus it had become something of a specialty—the fundamental grace expected of the Empire's noble daughters.
Only recently, Elia had been blinded by jealousy, growling like a stray dog in the streets—but the past was the past.
Unless she was being giddy and love-struck over Professor Niger, she always carried herself with the poise befitting a count's daughter and the youngest professor at the Academy.
"Honestly. Even as a gift, there's no way that professor would ever wear something that gaudy."
"Wow…, how can a duke's daughter be so behind on the trends? This is what's fashionable in the Empire these days."
"Ha. Everyone's lost their minds. Petty little things, blinded by vanity."
Vanity, she said.
It wasn't wrong.
The outfit I was holding was, admittedly, quite spectacular in its extravagance.
Which is to say, under normal circumstances, it was a style I would never have picked for myself.
And yet—
"But just imagine it. Professor Niger, wearing something like this."
Imagining him in it, even something that gaudy somehow became its own kind of scenery.
Clothes are all about the person wearing them, after all.
If it were Professor Niger draped in it, it would look rather beautiful.
"Mm…, that makes me nauseous."
Ah, come on.
"Stop joking around and take this seriously."
"Fine. If I'm being honest, I truly dislike it. The style reminds me of certain young lords I can't stand the sight of, that's all."
"It's not that bad."
Bellatrix glanced at the outfit and scrunched her face in undisguised disgust.
She looked so thoroughly repulsed that it felt awkward to press her on it, frankly.
I smiled bitterly at the thought.
"Hmm…, if you feel that strongly about it…, maybe we should look for something else?"
"Please. How about this one I'm holding? Seems reasonably decent to me."
With that, Bellatrix held out the garment she'd been carrying.
Clean, simple, unremarkable.
"That's—too. Too reasonable…. It doesn't feel like a gift at all."
"What's so special about a gift? As long as the recipient likes it, that's all that matters."
"Every word of that is technically correct…, but I still don't want something so plain. It's too ordinary."
To be fair, with a face like his, he'd look perfectly handsome even in that—but if we were giving him a gift anyway, I wanted it to be a little more stylish.
He wore his priest's robes every day regardless, so whatever we gave him should be something suited to a special occasion.
I wanted to dress him in something he would never spare a second glance for under normal circumstances.
"Hmph. Then I suppose I'll search a bit more as well. Let's find a suitable compromise."
"Yes, ma'am~"
After that, the lady and I spent a long while picking through clothes together.
"How about this one?"
"Mm, it's not bad, but does the professor really need to dress so lavishly? He's not even nobility."
"But something too plain is—"
"Which is why the one I picked should be more than enough."
"Every single outfit you pick is ordinary, my lady."
"Ordinary is good. What's the point of standing out in other people's eyes? That face alone already draws enough attention."
Our disagreement showed no sign of shrinking.
But time was the answer.
After wandering around together, picking through this and that for so long, at some point we found ourselves looking at similar things.
"This much should do, shouldn't it?"
"Mm, I can live with that much. It might even go well with the accessories I picked out, come to think of it."
"Oh, what's this? A rather flashy bracelet and brooch. What a surprise."
"Let's just say I realized this argument wouldn't end unless I compromised a little."
"Ahaha~ Look at you!"
"I was being serious, you know…."
Bellatrix and I burst out laughing, facing each other.
I was laughing at how exhausted the lady looked; she was probably smiling with the relief of finally being done with this long ordeal.
Smiling, we had our hard-won gift wrapped up.
The lady and I stepped outside the building, and I twisted my stiffened body into a long stretch.
As I did, the words spilled out of me.
It seemed about time to head back to the Academy.
"Phew…, all right! Shall we head back to the Academy, then?"
"Hm. Do you perhaps have a lecture left?"
I hadn't anticipated her question.
"No, nothing like that? Why? Is there something else you'd like to buy?"
"No, nothing of the sort. I was thinking we might stop by a café."
I hadn't expected her to suggest going to a café together, either.
"Eh? With me?"
"…What is with that sly expression and tone of yours? They say people grow to resemble those they like, but your rudeness seems to have become just like the professor's."
"No, no! It's just—I never dreamed you'd be the one to ask me first, that's all."
"Hmph. If you don't want to come, forget it."
"I do! I'd love to. Let's go to somewhere nearby!"
"…By all means."
I answered with a shy smile.
Truthfully, I was delighted.
Because I'd gone this many years without a single female friend.
I despised the other noble daughters, with their affected, calculating airs.
I despised the young lords who kept pestering me because of my pretty face.
I despised them even more because they were ugly on top of it all.
The commoners never dared meet my eyes, and the royals were eyes I had no desire to meet.
And so—
The lady was the first person ever to approach me without some mercenary motive, without a trace of sly intent.
My steps toward the café felt unusually light.
Ah, of course, for all these lofty feelings, I had been the one to approach Professor Niger first with sly intentions.
But that was simply the crime of being too handsome.
He's far too handsome not to scheme over, isn't he?
Hehe.
Seated in the café, the lady and I chatted away at our leisure.
Small things.
And yet stories that somehow drew the interest.
Though naturally, my interest and attention were fixated entirely on Professor Niger.
Bellatrix's voice carried on.
"So the conclusion is that it isn't actually the professor's real birthday."
"That's right. Most priests of the Elohim Order come from orphanages, you see. And Professor Niger said he was the same."
"Then how was this birthday decided?"
"It's the day he was taken in by the temple. The children at the orphanage count the day they were brought to the temple as their birthday. Ah—but this is something I heard back in the old days, when I used to chase Professor Niger around."
"…How very commendable of you to share."
Even at her exasperated expression, I remained unbothered.
Whatever the past might have been, the present was happiness itself.
The embarrassing history of my past could stay nailed into some corner of my mind.
We talked the time away without noticing it passing.
The lady laughed far more than I'd expected.
Granted, it was neither a giddy laugh, nor a laugh of happiness, nor even one of particular enjoyment.
But contrary to her first impression, she wasn't utterly stone-faced after all.
"Mm, don't you think we get along better than we thought?"
"Honestly. I thought we got along from the start."
"What you thought was that I'd be fun to tease."
After all, up until today, we'd been a little awkward with each other—and busy growling.
More precisely: her, mischievously needling me for her own amusement, and me, snarling back on account of my jealousy.
"Oh, you knew?"
"You told me yourself when you came asking for my help. And even if I was briefly blinded by jealousy back then, you didn't think I'd miss that?"
"Mm, fair enough. Professor Elia, you truly are fun to tease."
At her freshly mischievous remark, I gave a wry smile.
"Hmph, you're awfully mischievous for your age."
"Coming from you, that's rich. I hear you put on a baby act at the temple recently."
No, hold on a moment.
"What—no! Who told you that?! There's no way Professor Niger would ever mention something like that!"
"Beati, that child did. I nearly died of secondhand embarrassment listening to her. Did you really feel the need?"
"N-no! Forget about that!"
"As if I could forget. From where I stood, the most shocking part was seeing Professor Niger curse."
Damn it.
Recent embarrassments can't just be nailed into a corner somewhere.
Wait, though.
What did the lady just say?
"Hold on. Professor Niger… cursed?"
"Mm, quite naturally, too. You didn't know? What I heard was 'crazy' and a certain curse word."
Good heavens.
"Wow…, you witnessed such a rare sight all by yourself…? I'm so jealous…."
I was so jealous.
Professor Niger, cursing.
Was there any sight more novel, more breathtaking than that?
"Ha…, truly, you're a hopeless case as well."
Though, at my reaction, the lady looked rather alarmed.
And so, at a somewhat late hour,
the lady and I set our steps toward the Academy.
Then, out of nowhere, her voice reached me—a little troubled in tone.
"But tell me. What do we do if the gift isn't enough either?"
"Uh, hmm…, oh come on, Professor Niger isn't that terrible a person. Probably…?"
"'Not that terrible,' is it? He's bewitched you thoroughly, hasn't he. This from a man of the cloth who curses."
"Ahaha…."
About that…
I honestly can't say, either.
Ahaha….