Date? (3)
Yusoha's face flushed a deep crimson, and even Eclipse couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Was this really the same girl who had always carried herself with such unshakable confidence? Yusoha, acting completely out of character, kept her head bowed for a moment before timidly grabbing the edge of Eclipse's sleeve.
"L-let's take a break for a second."
"Alright."
Yusoha sat down on a nearby bench, her mind racing. …What the hell is this? Of all people, she had shown such an embarrassing side to Eclipse—the one person she least wanted to see her at her worst. She gently covered her face with her hands, making sure the sunglasses hid everything. But did she realize? The fair, milky skin peeking out from above her black t-shirt was already burning bright red.
Eclipse watched her and let out a quiet, hidden laugh. How could he not? This was Yusoha—the woman who had always been so strict with herself, who charged into battle without a trace of fear. Even against the Orc King, she had rushed in without hesitation, even after he had exhausted every ounce of his power to protect her. And yet here was that same brave woman, screaming her lungs out at a monster jumping out of a movie screen.
The more he thought about it, the harder it was to hold back his laughter. Eclipse quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. But even that couldn't stop the strange, wheezing sound from slipping between his fingers.
Naturally, Yusoha heard it.
"…Is it that funny?"
She glared at him with a distinctly annoyed expression. She already felt mortified enough about her shameful display, and now Eclipse was laughing at her like he was mocking her.
But from Eclipse's perspective, the sight was nothing short of adorable.
"Haha. S-sorry."
Through the slightly lowered sunglasses, he could see her sharp, narrowed eyes. Yet the venomous glare she had worn when she first summoned him was gone. Her eyes were still sharp, but… that was all. No matter how fiercely she glared with that beet-red face, it only came across as an advertisement saying I'm embarrassed.
When Eclipse tried his best to stifle his laughter, Yusoha asked in a thoroughly sulky voice, "What exactly was so funny?"
"Nothing. You were just so cute in that moment that I laughed without thinking. I wasn't trying to make fun of you."
"…What?"
For a second, Yusoha's eyes widened in pure disbelief. Cute? Who? Her?
"Oh dear. Do you dislike hearing things like that too?"
"N-no…"
The sharp edge in her wide eyes had completely vanished, replaced entirely by embarrassment. It couldn't be helped. Aside from her family, no one had ever said something like that to her before. She had always been expected to be perfect. She could never allow herself to be looked down on. Naturally, the circle of people she felt close to had remained small. Romantic friends? She didn't even have same-gender friends, so what was the point of talking about the opposite sex? Her relentless efforts had left no room for such idle distractions. She had wanted to stand alone, and she had succeeded in doing exactly that. Though she looked weak by Eclipse's standards, she had still reached A-class Awakened before he appeared.
Because of all that effort, there had been no space in her life for anything extra. So whenever Eclipse casually tossed out those little comments, she couldn't help but blush. In short, she had zero resistance to them.
Moreover, Eclipse's appearance was so striking that it wouldn't be strange to call him the most handsome man of the century. It was only natural that Yusoha would lose her composure.
"Don't… say things like that so suddenly."
"If it made you uncomfortable, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to tease you. I'll be more careful from now on."
"Ah, no. You don't have to go that far…"
When Eclipse apologized with genuine sincerity, Yusoha answered in an uncharacteristically tiny, mouse-like voice.
Why am I acting like this?
She couldn't understand why she was behaving this way. In the past, she hadn't been conscious of it, but ever since Eclipse had revealed his face, these situations kept happening. The problem was, Yusoha didn't particularly welcome them. At this rate, she was no different from the princess he had once served. Her attitude had completely changed the moment she saw his looks. No matter how little experience she'd had with the opposite sex… this couldn't be the version of herself Eclipse wanted to see.
Yusoha shook her head once and forced herself to calm down. That's right. Today, they had come out to find Eclipse's hobby. She couldn't keep acting like this. She needed to take the lead and find something he would enjoy. She had already discovered one thing for sure—horror movies. What would come next was anyone's guess. Once someone started feeling fun, turning that into a full-blown hobby happened in the blink of an eye.
It took quite a while for Yusoha's flushed face to return to normal. Eclipse waited patiently without saying a word.
"Eclipse. What do you want to do next?"
"Hmm… I'd like to look around the school a bit more."
"The school? Why?"
"I simply want to see the place you once attended. There's no deeper meaning."
"So you're asking for a tour?"
"Yes."
"But it's been a while since I've been here too, so a lot has changed…"
"That makes it even better. There will be things you haven't seen either. To begin with, I'm already satisfied just having found one hobby. I've also discovered which desserts suit my taste. That's more than enough."
"I see…"
"Rather than forcing ourselves to find a hobby right now, touring the school seems like a better idea."
"Really?"
"Yes. Besides, since this is the Awakened Academy, we might find talented students you'd want to recruit during the graduation exam or bring into Hwanryeong later."
Yusoha nodded at Eclipse's words. It was a reasonable point.
"That makes sense. Then shall we start with the school tour? If you have any questions or want to do anything while we're looking around, just tell me."
"Understood."
* * *
After that, the two of them toured the Awakened Academy. Yusoha reacted with even more amazement than Eclipse at the changed interior and newly expanded buildings.
"…Wow. This place has changed so much? How much did they expand it?"
"Has it changed that much?"
"Yeah. There used to be nothing up there before."
"Interesting."
"Next, let's check out the training center too."
"Training center?"
"Yeah. You asked earlier if there were any useful kids, right? Those kinds of students are usually training hard at the training center around this time. That's what I used to do."
"I see. Understood."
As the two wandered around the school, rumors about them had already begun to spread inside. The real problem had started when they visited the movie theater. Their appearances weren't something that could be fully hidden by oversized sunglasses. Above all, the brilliant golden hair Yusoha had gained after awakening her mana was so striking that anyone with a keen eye could easily recognize her.
In other words, the suspicion that the pair might be Yusoha and Eclipse began to grow within the community.
And now, as the two entered the training center, more eyewitness accounts flooded the community. Given how students couldn't resist gathering around famous Awakened, the training center became packed in an instant.
"…Huh?"
Upon entering the training center, Yusoha couldn't help but let out a bewildered sound at the sight of students filling the space to capacity. The students began rushing toward her and Eclipse, shouting excitedly. They called out to the pair with cheers and excitement.
"…I didn't expect this. Where did we get recognized?"
"Who knows. It was probably because of your hair color."
"…Should I start dyeing it from now on?"
"I don't think that's necessary."
"True. But it looks like your school tour is completely off the table now… What do you want to do?"
"Can't be helped. Honestly, instead of wandering around aimlessly, watching the students here seems more enjoyable anyway."
"Well then… I guess I should clear the area first."
Yusoha, who had been staring blankly at the scene, began clapping her hands a couple of times. At the sound, the students turned to her as if enchanted. Yusoha took off her sunglasses and wore a faint smile.
"Hello everyone. I didn't think we'd get caught like this. How did you all know?"
"Your hair color!"
At a female student's shout, Yusoha lightly twirled a strand of her side hair and said, "Ah, yeah. It is pretty noticeable, isn't it?"
"Yes!"
"What brings you here?"
"What else? I just came by the school after a long time and wanted to see how much it had changed. I also wanted to show Eclipse around. Oh, and… the graduation exam is coming up soon, right?"
"Yes!"
"I wanted to meet the students who will be taking the graduation exam. It's about that time."
"Then…"
"Right. Other guilds are already starting to approach students, so there's no reason I can't do the same, is there? And conveniently, we're in the training center."
At Yusoha's words, the students looked at her with sparkling eyes. If they could make a good impression on her right here, they might have a chance to join Hwanryeong. That hope was clearly shining in their gazes.
Yusoha deepened the smile on her lips. The sight of her juniors was rather cute. And she had every intention of living up to their adorable expectations.
"So, from now on, I'd like to have some simple sparring matches with all of you. The better you perform, the more likely you'll stick in my memory, right?"
At Yusoha's smiling declaration, the students swallowed hard, staring at her with burning desire.