272 – About Her Love -4-

Time flies swiftly.

The seconds race ahead, not waiting for Shuen’s decision, caught between friendship and love.

Of course, Shuen.

– I hate it!

– Ah…

– I can’t hate you!

– Yes…?

– If love was to happen just by listening to a commoner’s words, it would have happened long ago!

– Wow…

– Why are you laughing? I’m being serious here!

– Just didn’t expect you to say that, I’m taken aback.

– It’s fine since I have no friends anyway! I’m okay!

Shuen kicked away the method I had suggested. She stubbornly insisted that love isn’t something given by a commoner, but something to be won on one’s own.

Though I agreed with some points.

– Still, I won’t do a public confession as the commoner said. I don’t want to trouble Senior Mikhail…! That seems to be the right thing according to the commoner. Ohoho!

She was a bold woman.

Much more than I thought.

After that day, Shuen came to look for me at the convenience store, even when there were people around. She used to avoid coming when others were present, not wanting to get tangled in rumors, but now that her limit was gone, she started coming without caring about others’ gazes.

– Commoner!

– Aren’t you going to call me by my name anymore?

– I never did in the first place!

– That’s true.

The rumors grew day by day, and everyone passing by the convenience store cursed me as a thief, but Shuen, accustomed to such attention, ignored their words to some extent.

Though she was somewhat conscious of it.

“Ugh… Commoner, is my popularity piercing the heavens again today?”

“Yes?”

“Nobody’s coming into the convenience store. Blocked by the aura of nobility…!”

“Puhaha! Mr. Shuen, do you know what that’s called?”

“King’s charm?!”

“No. It’s an overactive imagination.”

“Ughhh!!!”

Today, as always, Shuen sat across from the convenience store, eating expired lunchboxes, casting sharp glances at the students passing by the store, gauging their reactions.

Even for Shuen, accustomed to being the center of attention, such interest was hard to bear.

“Ohoho… This girl. It seems my popularity has reached its peak. At this rate, becoming an academy superstar is just a matter of time!”

“Mr. Shuen, your hands are shaking.”

“It’s just your imagination.”

Shuen’s positively delusional thinking felt quite remarkable in many ways.

“But what is an academy superstar?”

“Ohoho~ It’s the dream of a girl who has been planning since high school. Do you see?”

Shuen rummaged through his bag and pulled out a worn leather notebook. The frayed leather, as if proving the passage of time, seemed to hold much attachment, and I smiled as I boldly opened the notebook he presented.

-✩Creating the Imperial Superstar Shuen✩

‘…’

-Thud.

I felt second-hand embarrassment at the cringeworthy content and closed the notebook, handing it back to Shuen.

“Ohoho… Surprised, commoner?”

“It’s not easy.”

“This has been my plan since I was 15. Someday at the academy talent show, I’ll sing and make many friends…”

“Stop…!”

I covered the boastful Shuen’s mouth and grimaced. If he spoke any more, I felt like I would burst into real laughter.

“Okay, I get it, please stop. If you say more, it’s like seeing a forgotten dark history…”

“Of course, even a commoner like you must have dreamed of being a popular star…!”

She was a girl with big dreams in many ways.

The academy thief didn’t seem easy to catch. I knew who it was but didn’t want to interfere, and it wasn’t a significant incident anyway.

What I was curious about was the recent news about Mikhail and Shuen.

Now, Shuen, just like in the novel, had chosen the same assignment as Mikhail and was patrolling the academy with him every evening.

I couldn’t help but question the recent developments of the intriguing Shuen. Isn’t it time for ‘Superstar Shuen’ to take a backseat to a ‘Heart-fluttering Love Story’?

“Speaking of which, Miss Shuen. How is your grand strategy of wooing Mikhail going?”

“Ah… Senior Mikhail?!”

With a hint of disappointment, Shuen stuffed her notebook into her bag and retorted bluntly.

“It’s going well. More importantly, my grand dream…!”

“Let’s save that story for another time…”

I shook my head at Shuen’s stubbornness to talk about her dreams at such an odd moment.

“You’ve been working on assignments with Mikhail lately, haven’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Doesn’t your heart race…?”

“Commoner. That would be arrhythmia!”

“What?”

Shuen said to me with a serious expression.

“If your heart races like it’s going to burst, that’s arrhythmia! It means you could collapse at any moment.”

“Don’t you feel that way, Miss Shuen?”

“Huh?”

“Like your heart flutters when you see Mikhail.”

“Hmm…”

Shuen looked at me with a giant question mark over her head.

“Don’t you feel anything?”

“Huh?”

“From any angle, I think he’s handsome. I’m too nervous to speak, though.”

“If it’s not your heart fluttering, then what is it?”

“My heart isn’t fluttering. It’s beating perfectly normal.”

She was a woman beyond my understanding.

I added another discarded lunch box to the table and shut Shuen up. Perhaps this woman wasn’t running after Mikhail because she liked him, but rather because she enjoyed the chase.

“Ohoho! Commoner, I think I might have arrhythmia!”

“…Yes.”

“Just looking at the discarded lunch box makes my heart go…! Thump-thump!”

“Ugh…”

“Is this what love is?!”

“No, it’s not. Just eat it.”

I murmured softly as I looked at Shuen.

‘Right, being nice is all that matters.’

It was comforting to think of a vast cosmos field in my head.

***

Another night has come to the Academy.

Shuen, having changed from her academy uniform into a dress, was striding energetically to the promised place, her breath visible in the air.

“Let’s do well today.”

The dress trailing on the floor followed Shuen’s steps.

In the distance, I could see the silhouettes of students gathered for an assignment. Students who had come together to catch the thief stealing from the academy recently.

Members of the Misamo club were there.

Fellow students from the magic department were there.

And then.

“Oh, Shuen, long time no see.”

There was an uncomfortable senior to face.

A girl with many freckles waved lightly at Shuen, then scanned her from legs to neck and let out a snicker.

“Your dress… you look pretty?”

“Thank you.”

“Did you dress up for Mikhail?”

“…”

Shuen didn’t respond to the girl’s words. The tone alone made it seem like it wasn’t meant in good spirit.

‘I’m not a fool.’

Vienna.

As a third-year senior, she was the one who publicly humiliated Shuen during the ranking contest in her first year, second semester.

She deliberately got hit by an avoidable spell, yawned, and said, ‘This year’s freshman is doomed.’ Embarrassing her.

‘Her name is like an unfinished sausage… so presumptuous.’

She was a girl I didn’t like.

Of course, she was thoroughly defeated by Histania Hanna, but Shuen, who believes that nobles should take their own revenge, was biding her time with the unfinished sausage.

Vienna ground her teeth in frustration as she watched Schuen ignore her words. It was humiliating to be disregarded in front of others. With her sensitive nature, Vienna tried to speak again to restore order, but…

“Hey, when your senior is speaking…”

She was abruptly silenced by the late arrival of a man, as if struck dumb.

“Sorry! Am I late?!”

With his brilliant silver hair.

And a youthful voice.

Mikhail greeted everyone with an awkward smile.

“The professor asked me for some help, so I got held up. My apologies.”

Upon seeing Mikhail, the students gathered on the fifth floor gasped. After all, they were there because of him.

Vienna, who had created a tense atmosphere, now greeted Mikhail with a bright smile as if nothing had happened.

“It’s okay~ We’ve just gathered now.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I ran all the way here thinking I kept you waiting for a long time.”

“Ahaha! Why did you run? Everyone here is junior to you, and you’re only 10 minutes late.”

“But still, a promise is…”

As Schuen listened to their conversation, he muttered under his breath, ‘A commoner making a noble wait for 10 minutes… If it weren’t for Senior Mikhail, severe punishment would be in order.’ He would have been in danger if Ricardo hadn’t warned him to watch his words.

Schuen covered his mouth with his hand, almost letting slip his thoughts, and silently nodded in agreement.

-Nod.

“Shall we go on patrol today as well?”

Stretching, Mikhail began to divide the patrol areas for the day. Who would take the first floor, and who would take the fifth.

The tension peaked as everyone played rock-paper-scissors to decide their patrol partners.

And then.

-Rock!

-Scissors.

Schuen and Mikhail ended up in the same group.

“Ohoho… I’m partners with Senior Mikhail!”

“That’s right. We were partners last time, and this time too. Looking forward to working with you today.”

“Ohoho… Yes.”

Schuen was in high spirits.

He was paired with Mikhail, after all.

He thought today was going to be a good day since everything was going smoothly from the start.

-Ugh, so annoying.

-Again? Why is it always me who can’t?

Under the sharp gazes of those dissatisfied with the unwanted outcome, Shuen couldn’t show her pleasure.

‘A game is a game, after all.’

The grumbling team members lingered with annoyance on their faces, hesitating to leave. Perhaps hoping for a chance to ask for a change.

The worst among them was Vienna.

Vienna blatantly ignored Shuen and spoke to Mikhail.

“Mikhail, can’t you be in a group with me today?”

“Huh…?”

“I had some trouble during the last fencing lesson and wanted to ask you about it.”

“Oh… Really?”

“Yeah. Can’t you just pair up with me?”

“Well…”

Vienna coaxed the troubled Mikhail, slowly voicing her thoughts.

“Honestly, you know too, who the culprit is.”

“What do you mean? Has a witness appeared?”

“Playing dumb again. That’s the problem with you, Mikhail; you’re too nice.”

“…No. It’s not that.”

“We can’t catch them without evidence, but we roughly know who the culprit is, don’t we?”

“…”

Vienna looked down to the lower floor and spoke curtly.

“The person who stays late at the academy.”

“…”

“And the one who feels no allegiance to the academy.”

“…”

“The one desperate for even a small amount of money because of the fines. Look~ The culprit is practically saying ‘I’m right here.’ Isn’t that so?”

Vienna smirked as she spoke.

“All we need to do is find that evidence. Just cobble together something to pin Ricardo as the culprit.”

Mikhail’s expression hardened.

And then…

“What the hell!”

Schuen’s hand moved faster.