“Viola, have you been avoiding Johann lately?”
“Me? Why? Not at all!”
Viola protested in a tone higher than usual, flustered by Elisa’s sudden question. Elisa smiled faintly at Viola’s reaction and said.
“Just like I thought, Viola…”
“Just like you thought? What do you mean?”
“You like Johann, don’t you?”
“N-no, I don’t…”
As if to prevent her from escaping, Elisa grabbed her hands and locked eyes with her. Opposite of her usual self, the assertive action made Viola shrink away like a scared mouse.
“But Viola, isn’t it true you’re consciously avoiding him?”
“…”
Struck by a direct hit, Viola looked away from Elisa’s gaze. After a moment of silence, Elisa let go of her hands and spoke.
“I’m fine, but how about being honest with Johann? It’s better than just staying silent, right?”
“You’re okay with that?”
“Yeah?”
A brief silence fell between them. Viola gulped a few times, finally managing to speak.
“Isn’t the situation kind of… strange? Like, your crush getting closer to a bunch of girls?”
“Hmm, I don’t mind. It is an odd situation, but everyone accepted it.”
“I still don’t get it…”
It was shocking to be granted permission to date a guy with multiple girls. Johann was impressive for being accepted, but the girls who permitted it were just as intriguing.
“Viola, you don’t need to worry too much about that.”
“Having a non-traditional relationship for the first time does feel a bit… well, weird.”
Viola held conventional views on relationships, so the idea of becoming part of Johann’s harem felt unsettling. Even if she set aside other factors, there was no guarantee she would be loved among so many women.
Who knew how things might turn out now, but based on Johann’s behavior, it seemed the number of girls would only grow.
“Then how about we go on a normal date?”
“Wh-what?”
“It’s not that hard, right? For you Viola, going on a date with a decent guy might not be a bad idea. I can set it up, of course. You go on a date, and if it goes well, you can date him! That way, things won’t be awkward.”
“N-no, no, no, no, no… what are you talking about?”
“I’ll set it up, how about you just try one date?”
“Wait, really? You?”
Was there a guy that Elisa knew? How could someone who struggled to talk to boys suggest that? Viola looked at her suspiciously.
“Viola, I’m gonna get mad…”
Elisa lightly slapped Viola’s arm. Instead of hurting, it felt refreshing, leaving Viola unsure whether to tell her to stop or just let it be.
“Fine, I’ll do it.”
‘I have no idea. But I guess I’ll know once I try it.’
Though not as popular as Elisa, Viola wasn’t extensive with her social circles, so she felt unable to refuse the first offer from her friend.
“Okay, so when are we doing this?”
“When are you free?”
‘Free, huh?’
Viola recalled her schedule.
Research, research, research, assignment, research.
She realized she had been consumed by her studies. She would continue to bury herself in research even during breaks if left with nothing to do.
Despite her research being really important, as the old professor had said, focusing solely on it wouldn’t yield results.
‘Alright, let’s just try it out.’
“Um, how about this weekend?”
“Saturday or Sunday?”
“Let’s go with Sunday.”
“Look forward to it!”
‘Who on earth is she planning to bring?’
Viola mused as she watched Elisa leave with her plate.
—————————
“Para, have you ever been on a date?”
“What?”
Para’s pen, spinning wildly above, flew through the air and hit the desk behind her. Panicking, she quickly retrieved it and grabbed Viola’s shoulders, shaking her frantically.
“Say that again!”
“Why are you freaking out?! I just asked if you’ve ever been on a date!”
“Are you kidding me?! Coming from you, who showed no interest in dating?! Wouldn’t you be surprised?!”
“Not that I’m not interested!”
‘She hasn’t shown any interest until now!’
Para fought the urge to yell and leaned closer to Viola. As her friend’s face came into view, Viola’s cheeks flushed, and she quickly pulled back, stammering.
“Why are you acting like this?”
“Which mouth is saying that~”
“Ugh, you!”
Para grabbed Viola’s makeup-free lips and shook them up and down. Tears welling in Viola’s eyes didn’t stop the excited Para.
“You have a date coming up, right?! Who is it?!”
“I don’t know! My friend said she’d set it up just once…”
“You accepted without knowing who it is?!”
Viola didn’t have the chance to ask properly, and her words fell back down her throat due to her overwhelming surprise.
Para clutched her head, feeling as if ice water had been dumped inside her brain.
“Viola! When is the date?!”
“It’s on Sunday!”
“You start learning how to do makeup and what to wear from today!”
“Wear?”
“Yes! Let’s go shopping for clothes together!”
“Can’t I just wear something decent?”
“We’re going!”
Para’s shout reached a peak, drawing the attention of everyone in the classroom. Yet, she didn’t care about their stares and continued her passionate tirade, holding onto Viola’s shoulders.
“Clothes are super important! Just changing your outfit can completely alter your impression! Whether you wear a dress or casual clothes makes the atmosphere entirely different! So be quiet! We’re training starting today!”
“Um, but I need to study…”
“Shut up! With a date around the corner, is studying more important? You can study any time, but dating becomes harder as time passes! Do you want to grow old as a spinster?! Especially since the Alchemy Department is notorious for being in the bad side of the dating market?!”
“Could you lower your voice…?”
“Am I supposed to lower it?! Right, Myura?”
“Of course! As a dating pro, I’ll teach you precisely what you should do on your date!”
“What? That sounds fun! Let me join!”
“Me too!”
‘This is bad…!’
Surrounded by a growing number of female students, Viola regretted saying anything at all. But regret usually comes too late.
Facing the eager expressions of her classmates, about to drag her off to a clothing store, all she could do was nod her head.
————
“Let’s start by styling your hair! Stay still! I’m going to slather my special nutritional serum all over your hair!”
Myura smugly pulled out a flask filled with a rainbow liquid from her waist.
Seeing its terrifying appearance, Viola nearly jumped out of her seat, but the other two girls pressed her shoulders down, forcing her to stay put.
“Th-that’s been safety tested, right?!”
“Of course! There might be a little side effect…”
“What?!”
“Don’t worry! It’s no big deal! Now, shall we apply it~!”
Myura let the serum drip from her hand and began to spread it slowly onto Viola’s hair. As Viola’s hair, which had been reasonably maintained, became damp, she felt an itchiness starting to rise.
“Is this really safe? This feels super itchy?!”
“Hmm, yes! It’s going to make your hair shiny and healthy! It might grow a little fast though.”
“Are you making creepy remarks since a while ago, or is it just my imagination?”
“Who knows~? Just look in the mirror right in front of you!”
Myura forcibly turned Viola’s head to face forward and continued to soak her hair with the serum. With no choice but to watch her hair get drenched, Viola couldn’t help but feel a rising sense of dread.
‘Is this really alright?’
After several minutes of being treated, Viola suddenly felt that her hair seemed longer than usual.
“Not bad hair quality~!”
“Wait, doesn’t it seem like it’s gotten longer?”
“Who knows? It’s just your imagination!”
“No, it’s definitely longer!”
While her hair had always been long, the reflection in the full-length mirror showed that Viola’s hair now reached the floor.
“It’s okay! We can just cut it!”
“Are you sure you can cut it properly?”
“Whew, how about we change your hairstyle while we’re at it?!”
“Absolutely not!”
“No, we have to! To appeal to interest, your hairstyle has to be attractive!”
“Stop this immediately!”
“Sorry, but from here on out, you’re leaving it to us~”
“We’ll make you irresistible to the boys, look forward to it~”
“I’m not your toy!”
Viola’s scream echoed throughout the room.
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