“…What is everyone doing?”
At my call, Emily and Mary flinched, while Raphne lifted her head slightly.
Then, one after another, the other two put away the menus and revealed their faces.
“What brings you all here? Everyone’s wearing sunglasses…”
Of course, I’m wearing them too, but in my case, it’s to hide my identity.
Above all, wearing sunglasses indoors… it’s just plain weird when you think about it.
“Ken… the truth is…”
The first to try and answer my question was Mary.
Bang━!
But before she could reply, Emily jumped up from the table and interrupted.
“T-this is…! A-a celebration gathering!”
“A celebration… gathering?”
“Oh! That’s right! It’s a gathering to celebrate Raphne’s return…”
Emily added, only to have Mary sheepishly divert her gaze.
But still.
A celebration for Raphne…?
Raphne stared blankly back and forth at the two.
And then at the cake and drinks laid out on the table.
“So, this is… to help Raphne adjust since it’s her first time back at the academy in a year?”
“Y-yeah! Just like that! We’ve become really close starting today! Right, Raphne?”
“Uh? …Both of you are nice. Ken.”
Emily desperately grabbed Raphne’s hand, while Raphne awkwardly nodded in agreement.
I see.
They’re doing this for Raphne, who’s been out of touch for a year…
Sniff…!
“Ken…?”
“W-why are you crying?!”
“No, I’m… just grateful to everyone…”
In a way, both of them could be seen as having a bad relationship with Raphne.
Yet here they are, acknowledging her past and helping her to fit in at the academy.
Holding hands all friendly-like.
Honestly, as someone who was secretly worried about a fight breaking out, it was deeply touching.
I wiped my teary eyes chaotically and smiled at the three of them.
“Well then, today’s a special day with flowers blooming. How about we go flower watching together?”
Originally, it was something I intended to suggest to Raphne.
But today marks the day Raphne came back to the academy after a year and made her first friends.
I need to step up.
And the first to react to my suggestion was Mary.
“I-I want to go! Let’s go!”
With sparkling eyes, she raised her hand. It seems she really likes flowers.
After hastily organizing her cup and desserts and returning them to the café, Mary dashed over to me, wrapping her arm around mine and pulling me along.
“Come on, let’s hurry up! How about we have tea and dessert like a picnic?”
“W-what? Uh, the others…”
“Ah━! W-wait━!”
“Hey, wait, Mary, why are you just running off without me?!”
With Mary leading the way, Raphne and Emily quickly reacted, scrambling to clear the table.
After that, we laid down a mat at the picnic spot designated by the city and enjoyed tea and cookies while admiring the flowers.
Unlike the flower-lined promenade, this place was open fields with beautiful flowers scattered about, and other city dwellers were also spreading their mats to enjoy the flowers.
“Wow…! This one looks so unique. Ken, come smell it! The scent is amazing!”
“By the way, Emily’s pocket is filled with various snacks. Do you carry that much every day?”
“I-it’s just a hobby…! You never know when someone might need something to eat…”
We each enjoyed cookies and tea while happily admiring the flowers.
And in the distance, I could see Elise and Siegfried joyfully laughing together, cherishing their own time.
“Wow, Siegfried really loves flowers, doesn’t he?”
While admiring the flower field covered in white flowers, Elise asked Siegfried.
Since childhood, Siegfried had been training in swordsmanship to grow stronger, but he also loved taking care of flowers.
Of course, given that it was his only talent, I could understand that.
But there was a unique smile on Siegfried’s face whenever he looked at the flowers that wasn’t normally there.
Elise liked that smile.
His efforts in training in swordsmanship despite lacking talent were admirable, but when he smiled gently at flowers, her heart raced without even realizing it.
And in response to her question, Siegfried plucked a white flower and smelled it.
“Flowers struggle to sprout from tiny seeds and ultimately yield beautiful results. I’ve loved that struggling sight since I was a kid.”
Then he brought the plucked flower to Elise and tucked it behind her ear.
The beautiful flower contrasted wonderfully with her pink hair.
Thump.
Thump thump.
At his unexpected touch, Elise’s heart raced faster and her face flushed.
“And most importantly, you liked beautiful flowers the most. So when I take care of them, it reminds me of you, and it makes me feel good.”
“Ugh…”
Since childhood, it had been like this.
Self-conscious and fluttering over silly gestures.
And seeing that kind of action made her worry if he did the same with other girls.
She felt a greedy desire for it to be just for her.
“…You idiot. Fool.”
“…I guess I do seem foolish.”
It wasn’t that she truly thought he was foolish, but those mixed emotions made her get flustered and unintentionally spill harsh words.
She hated this side of herself.
So Elise turned her body and walked ahead along the path.
Feeling that if her reddened face was seen, she would be even more embarrassed.
‘…Did the effects wear off?’
Rubbing her cheeks with both hands, Elise pondered.
Thanks to the potion Ken had given her, she had been able to talk smoothly with Siegfried earlier.
‘Maybe I should have asked for one more.’
But with just one touch, her heart raced and her cheeks flushed again.
It was silly for her to think he was the foolish one.
“…Wait, Elise.”
“W-what?”
Just then, Siegfried, who had been walking ahead, turned and called out to Elise.
“Why? Are you worried I might get lost?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Then Siegfried pulled something from his pocket.
“…What is that?”
A small pouch wrapped in ribbon.
“It’s a present.”
“…A present? Out of the blue? Why?”
“…Why? Today is your birthday, right?”
Siegfried tilted his head, answering her surprised question.
“Ah!”
At that moment, the date came to her mind.
Thinking back, flowers had always bloomed around her birthday.
Elise, who had always been indifferent about her own birthday, had forgotten about it.
Then, Siegfried started rummaging through the present he had given her.
Inside was a necklace adorned with a small clover ornament.
Elise tried to hide her teary expression as she looked at the necklace and instead forced a smile, teasing Siegfried.
“What’s this~? If you give something like this to a girl recklessly, it’ll be misunderstood. You foolish!”
“…Misunderstood?”
“Yeah, like Siegfried is interested in her or something. Ahaha.”
“If that’s the case, it’s fine.”
He responded to her playful jab that way. Siegfried took the necklace from Elise’s hands.
He personally placed it around her neck.
“I only give these kinds of presents to you.”
“…”
And looking at the necklace hanging around her neck, he smiled faintly.
“You look good in it. I’m glad.”
Elise blankly stared at that sight, unable to hide her reddened face.
“Shall we head back then?”
“Uh, uh?”
“I’ve seen enough flowers and given you the present I wanted to give you.”
Turning his body as if to head back, Siegfried said.
“W-wait a minute…!”
Elise, snapping back to reality, hurriedly grabbed his hand.
Siegfried turned around in surprise.
“Are you worried I might really get lost?”
“No… let’s just look around a bit more.”
“But you’ve seen the flowers.”
“W-well, the stalls! There are stalls over there! I’m hungry!”
Elise wanted to spend a little more time on today’s date.
If it were her self just a moment ago, she would have followed Siegfried as he turned away.
But now that she had received a present, she felt a fluttering desire to prolong this precious feeling.
“…You really can’t be helped.”
“Ugh.”
Seeing her earnest expression, Siegfried smiled and patted Elise’s head.
And so, the two spent a little more of their precious time together, basking in warmth.
*
“Hmm~.”
After finishing her date with Siegfried, Elise returned to her dormitory.
Wearing his gift around her neck made her feel oddly good.
“I only give these kinds of presents to you.”
Remembering his words as he gave her the necklace made her feel even happier.
“Hehe…”
Worried she might mess things up, she was relieved that the date had gone smoothly.
Most importantly, they had a genuinely sweet time together at the end, making her even more satisfied.
‘It seems Siegfried doesn’t understand that kind of atmosphere.’
But as long as she felt excited and happy, that’s what mattered.
Basking in that joyful mood, Elise walked lightly down the darkening path.
Then, suddenly, she noticed something on the way.
“…A ring?”
She spotted a ring lying on the ground, glittering strangely.
“Wow… it’s pretty.”
Picking it up, she wondered if someone had lost it.
But looking around, she saw no one else on the street but herself.
‘…I should return it if someone’s looking for it.’
Captivated by the beautiful ring’s design, she absentmindedly slipped it onto her left hand’s ring finger.
“Wow! It fits perfectly!”
Seeing the beautiful ring adorning her finger, Elise couldn’t help but smile brightly.
Having received the necklace from Siegfried and finding this pretty ring, today felt like a happy birthday indeed.
With that thought, Elise returned to her dormitory with a light step.
*
About a week passed since Raphne returned to the academy.
“How about it? Isn’t that novel interesting?”
“Ah! Right! I read it, and it was so touching! Especially the part where the protagonist makes sacrifices for the lady…”
“Oh! Isn’t that a good part? Then afterward, the protagonist loses an arm, and…”
“Wait, wait! I haven’t read that far yet!”
Raphne and Emily had become close enough to exchange the novels they were reading.
When I initially brought Raphne to the academy, I was worried she wouldn’t fit in with the other students, or if the demon army would attack.
But thankfully, Raphne was adapting well to the academy.
It seemed she was getting along well with not just Emily but also Mary.
And thankfully, the demon army hadn’t shown any signs of appearing yet.
‘How peaceful….’
Up until now, I had been busy trying to break Raphne’s curse and looking after her while dealing with various incidents.
These days, my training with Siegfried was going smoothly, and Raphne’s condition had improved dramatically.
I was enjoying the serene youth at the academy.
“How about it, Ken? Do you want to read this?”
“Ah, right! You should give it a try. It’s a recommended novel.”
Raphne and Emily, happily discussing novels, offered me the book they were holding.
“A novel, huh…? Is it that interesting?”
Just as I took the novel Raphne was extending toward me, that moment came.
[ System: You are cursed. ]
“……Huh?”
[ System: Due to the curse, you will die in three days. ]
I received a death sentence.
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