“…Can I ask what you mean by ‘danger’?”
A cautious voice came through. It was Rena Meyer.
On a weekend like today, hardly any students were keeping their rooms. The campus had salons for nobility, club activities, small gatherings, and tea parties. Nobles are nobles, even at a young age. It’s only natural to strengthen social ties and solidify one’s power base.
Those who don’t are likely to be the ones who don’t want to get involved with others in an unusual way, or simply don’t need to.
So it was fortunate that no one was around in the hallway. Even our conversation could be heard at this distance, despite our lowered voices.
Before turning the corner, I slowed down my steps. If I knew who Rena was talking to, it would make it easier to deal with.
“Syvlia Fanggriffon…”
But Rena’s conversation partner couldn’t seem to get the story out properly. It was as if they were hesitating about where to even begin. They knew about me, but it sounded like they were wondering if it was really okay to speak.
Hearing that voice gave me confidence.
I straightened my posture, and my footsteps echoed loudly in the empty corridor again with a clack clack.
“…Ah.”
A flustered voice from Mia Crowfield reached my ears.
As I turned the corner, I saw Mia Crowfield standing in front of a slightly ajar door. Rena’s face was nowhere to be seen; only her discerning gaze on Mia Crowfield was evident.
“Crowfield Young Lady.”
“…Miss Sylvia.”
As I spoke, Mia backed up slightly and bowed her head. I returned the gesture.
I thought we had grown a bit closer, but it seemed she was still hesitating to fully become friends with the person who killed her father. I understand. I said my reasons were different and even told her to come find me once she learned the truth, but the time for that realization isn’t flowing too fast.
“Crown Princess.”
Upon seeing my face, Rena came right out. The atmosphere was completely different from when she was dealing with Mia.
And by immediately closing the door, it seemed she was rather concerned about the state inside the room.
…But wouldn’t that make it glaringly obvious to Mia that she was suspicious of her?
Well, she seemed to be indifferent about that fact.
“As I mentioned before, there’s no need to call me ‘Crown Princess’ within the academy. Strictly speaking, it’s a violation of school rules.”
Among students, equality and not discriminating against each other was ‘basically’ the rules. It was a flaw that no one, from teachers to individual students, took seriously.
“But….”
“Crowfield Young Lady.”
“Yes, yes!?”
Mia flinched in surprise, nearly jumping at the sound of her name being called unexpectedly.
“Earlier, you called me ‘Sylvia’, did you not?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right?”
Before, she hadn’t even called me by my name properly. Now, it seemed she had started to call me that out of nowhere.
At least it meant her guard was slightly lowered.
“Have I ever said anything about that?”
“Uh, no, I suppose not?”
Mia, seemingly flustered by the sudden question, cautiously replied as she mulled over it.
I nodded at her and looked back at Rena Meyer, whose expression was still neutral but now had a hint of tension in it. Was she also wary of me?
“So, if you’re going to call me by name, it’s sufficient. There’s someone in Class A with the same surname as mine, so wouldn’t it be more efficient to simply call by name rather than confusion through family name?”
Moreover, the title ‘Crown Princess’ applied to both me and Alice.
“…Understood.”
It seemed Rena understood my words, responding accordingly.
Though her posture was still awkwardly stiff, it was a relief that she didn’t salute me the moment she saw me.
However, I could sense a bit of hesitation from Rena’s answer. Although her stance remained that of ‘attention’, there was an air of wanting to say something. No matter how much she tried to maintain her composure, it seemed she wasn’t as good at it as I was.
…Should I train that poker face a bit more? That way I can prevent her from breaking character before I do.
“Do you have something you want to say?”
When I asked, Rena paused for about three seconds before speaking.
“If so, could you also call me by just my name?”
She spoke without hesitation when it came to the subject.
“…Understood. If that’s what you want.”
For a moment, Rena’s eyes sparkled… but I decided to write it off as just my imagination.
I turned my attention back to Mia Crowfield.
“I-I don’t need you to go that far!”
Her reaction felt a bit hurtful.
Besides, I wasn’t even thinking of asking such a thing.
It felt somewhat annoying that while she called me Miss Sylvia, she claimed not to need to be called Mia.
What I really wanted to ask was, “What brings you here?”
“May I ask what you came here for?”
“That is—”
Before Rena could respond to my question,
“Th-that’s a personal matter!”
…Mia Crowfield shouted first.
“…”
“…”
In the moment of surprise, both Rena and I went silent, watching Mia Crowfield. Her face was slowly turning red. With her white skin contrasting her black hair, the reddening was all the more pronounced.
“Then, um, Miss Sylvia, why are you here?”
So she’s trying to divert the topic?
Honestly, I thought her evasiveness was quite poorly executed, but just a moment ago, I was able to glean why Mia had come here, so I decided to let it slide this time.
“I’m here to see Rena…”
I shifted my gaze to Rena. Her tense expression had stiffened even more. It seemed she was nervous about me approaching her directly.
“I had some personal matters to discuss.”
“…Personal matters?”
Mia looked back and forth at me and Rena, muttering. There was a flicker of understanding in her eyes, but honestly, I had no clue what she was really thinking. She probably thought I was concocting something suspicious again.
“Rena, you mentioned you grew up in a military family.”
“That’s right.”
As I spoke, Rena took on a standby posture, likely feeling proud in her own way.
This is the kind of era we live in. The notion of ethnicity was just beginning to take shape, and most countries were swept up in nationalism and militarism, with romanticism still in play, leading many to think that risking their lives to protect their country and its people was an act of heroism.
In this world, that kind of atmosphere would probably linger on much longer. Television hasn’t been spread around, radios were poorly developed, and most communication was wired. There was practically no way to portray the grim realities of war to the masses.
So it made sense for someone born and raised in a military family, one that had produced generals, to feel a sense of pride.
“Then, do you know how to handle firearms?”
“Of course.”
“Is that so?”
I looked back over to Mia.
“There are very few who handle firearms in noble classes. While anyone can pull the trigger if they have it, it’s rare for someone to use it as their primary weapon and wield it skillfully.”
In fact, in the game, party members using firearms were commoners. Like Roti, for example.
“So, I’ve come to check on your marksmanship, Rena. In case we need to collaborate with someone skilled in firearms, it might be beneficial.”
I sensed Rena taking a slight breath.
“…What do you think?”
I turned to Rena as I spoke.
“Would you consider going on a mission with me?”
“…”
Rena was quiet for a brief moment before saying confidently,
“I’ll go.”
Thanks to that, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief for now.
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