Chapter 141
“Ughhh, my whole body hurts.”
“Did you do that today by any chance…?”
“Yeah. Thanks to it, there’s not a single part of me that doesn’t ache—especially my waist.”
On Friday evening, during the girls’ gathering they hadn’t had in a while, Mie barely managed to walk on her trembling legs while groaning dramatically.
Understanding her pain, Selina silently encouraged her.
“It was completely different from what I imagined. I thought it’d just be about stepping properly, but I didn’t expect my waist, shoulders, neck—even my head—to need that much strength….”
The reason for Mie’s complaints was the dance class that the entire academy had to attend.
After her second lesson today, she grumbled that all her romantic fantasies about balls had been completely shattered.
“Do you think I dance well?”
“You’ve got the basics down, I guess… but that’s about it. I can’t say you’re dancing well. I suppose we should be grateful you’re not stepping on your partner’s feet. How about you guys?”
“My professor said there’s nothing left to teach me, so I’m acting as a partner for beginners now. By the way, my partner is Theodore.”
“That’s surprising. I thought Theodore would already know how to dance.”
“He’s never learned before. But once you teach him one thing, he understands ten—so he’s really rewarding to teach. Even the professor said it’s been a long time since they’ve seen such a prodigy.”
“Hm, then Chris must be—”
As Mie’s eyes narrowed and her expression cooled, Sylvia burst into laughter.
“Chris’s partner already has a lover. Thanks to that, Chris gets death glares every single time.”
“Oh? I’d like to see that sometime.”
As if nothing had happened, Mie’s face brightened instantly. She really was easy to read. No wonder Sylvia noticed so quickly.
“I still don’t understand why everyone has to take this class. They should go easy on people who aren’t even attending the ball….”
“Becky, are you not going to the ball?”
Ignoring her surprised friends, Becky replied flatly.
“I hate that kind of thing. Even if I go, I’ll probably dance just one song.”
“You said you wanted a boyfriend. How can you skip such an important event?”
“There’s no guy at the academy who fits my taste. And thinking about it, having a boyfriend sounds way more annoying than I expected.”
Becky glanced around—excluding Mie—with a meaningful look.
“S-still, Becky, maybe you should think about it again. Since the entire academy is attending the ball, there m-might be at least one guy you like….”
“Hmmm, if you say so, senior….”
Thankfully, Becky seemed to at least half-listen to Asta.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Asta turned to Selina.
“S-Selina, how about you? Are you getting used to dancing?”
Selina avoided Asta’s gaze. Next to her, Sylvia burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha! You know, Selina stepped on Sylvester’s foot four times!”
“What?”
“Hahaha! Is that true?”
Unlike the flustered Asta, Becky laughed just as hard as Sylvia. As girlish laughter echoed all around, Selina’s face flushed red.
“People are allowed to be bad at dancing!”
“But you’re still at the stage of just doing the basic steps, and you already stepped on his feet.”
Selina puffed up her cheeks and sulked, recalling yesterday’s dance lesson.
‘Aaaah! Aah! I’m sorry, Sylvester…!’
‘…Selina, I guess there are things you’re bad at too.’
Even Sylvester, who had initially said it was fine, had eventually stiffened up. That said everything. She could barely face him afterward.
At this rate, she worried she wouldn’t even finish learning the basics before the masquerade ball began.
“So Selina, that means Sylvester is your partner, right? Didn’t Theodore say anything?”
While the others laughed, Mie whispered to Selina.
“He just said we should definitely dance together at the ball.”
“…Really? Knowing Theodore, I thought he’d be insanely jealous.”
“He was at first, but….”
Selina gave an awkward smile.
At the beginning, Theodore had clearly disliked the idea of her being paired with Sylvester—enough to spark a silent rivalry—but after seeing her actual skill level, he seemed a bit relieved.
Now that I think about it… that’s kind of annoying.
Sure, she stepped on Sylvester’s feet a few times, but it didn’t seem serious enough to justify such a change in attitude.
“Anyway, there’s about two weeks left until the festival. Have you all prepared the dresses you’ll wear to the ball?”
“Huh?”
Unlike the others, who looked confused at Sylvia’s question, Asta’s face brightened.
“I-I placed my order a few days ago. It should arrive before the ball.”
“Which boutique did you order from, senior?”
“Gold Ribbon Atelier. Th-they have lots of pretty designs, and the clothes are really c-comfortable.”
“Really? That’s too bad. If I’d heard earlier, I would’ve ordered there. I commissioned Whiteria Atelier instead—people say their reputation is the best overall.”
Sylvia and Asta continued chatting animatedly about dress designs and accessories.
The remaining three were completely left behind, unable to follow the conversation at all.
Realizing they’d been talking only among themselves, Sylvia turned around—and froze when she saw the others’ blank expressions.
“Don’t tell me you guys haven’t ordered your dresses yet?!”
“Uh… do we need to custom-order dresses?”
“Well, we can’t exactly go wearing our uniforms….”
Speechless, Sylvia could only flap her lips before sighing deeply and running a hand through her hair.
“I should’ve told you sooner… It’s a ball—of course you need a dress. You can’t attend wearing everyday clothes.”
“If y-you haven’t ordered yet, you need to hurry. O-or you won’t get it in time.”
“Let’s see… there’s still some time. Let’s at least place the orders now. If we do it today, it’ll be just barely in time for the festival.”
Sylvia jumped up and tried to drag Selina, Mie, and Becky along, but the three only looked uncomfortable.
Mie quietly slipped her hand away, prompting Sylvia to tilt her head in confusion.
“Why?”
“Aren’t dresses… expensive?”
“They’re a bit pricey, but not that—ah!”
Sylvia suddenly covered her mouth, realizing something important.
No matter how “cheap” they were, that was by noble standards. As commoners, the three simply didn’t have the means to buy expensive dresses.
“With the money we have, we can’t afford the kind of dresses you or senior would wear.”
“I-I’m sorry….”
“It’s fine. You don’t need to apologize.”
Becky waved it off casually. Mie stroked her chin thoughtfully.
“So we still need to find something to wear to the ball… What should we do?”
“What do commoners usually wear?”
“Senior, you attended the ball last year, right? Don’t you know what people usually wear?”
Asta, who had been just as restless as Sylvia, flinched slightly and tried to recall last year.
“I think most people wore dresses too. I didn’t really pay close attention, so I don’t remember clearly….”
“So other commoners dress similarly, huh.”
“If they’re attending the academy, doesn’t that mean most of them are well-off enough to afford a dress?”
“Well, if I ask my dad, I could probably manage somehow. It’d still feel like a waste, though.”
Becky agreed, complaining that with the money for a single dress, she could buy materials for three magic tools.
Selina herself could afford a few dresses without trouble. The real issue was Mie.
She had entered the academy solely through sponsorship and didn’t have the luxury to buy a dress.
Meow~
[If it’s dresses, how about that place?]
Luna, who had been quiet, padded over.
That place?
[You know, the shop you and Mie visited before entering the academy. The one where you saved a clerk who was about to die.]
“Oh—oh!”
Selina suddenly remembered saving a woman from a dangerous future. She shouted, and everyone turned to look at her.
“…What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“Mie! Do you remember that place?”
“Which one?”
“You know—when we were preparing for enrollment, we bought clothes there. Don’t you think they might have something suitable for the ball?”
Mie’s eyes widened, then gradually relaxed as her memory returned.
“They do! They have that kind of clothing!”
“Figures.”
“I can’t believe I forgot—I haven’t been there in so long. I remember they sold dresses! They were a bit pricey, though.”
“Then we’ll get our dresses there.”
“It’s not a huge shop, so we’ll probably have to go in person to place the orders.”
Becky cut in between the excited Selina and Mie.
“What is it? You found a good shop or something?”
“Becky, come with us to get dresses. It’ll be cheaper than high-end boutiques.”
“Hm… if I have to buy a dress anyway, going doesn’t sound bad.”
“Tomorrow’s the weekend, so we’ll get an outing pass and go to the capital.”
Everything was decided in a flash, leaving Asta and Sylvia blinking.
“O-oh, you found a place? That’s a relief.”
Asta relaxed, reassured they’d get their dresses in time, while Sylvia pouted slightly, looking sulky.
“So we’re all going to the capital tomorrow?”
“We have to, if we want to order dresses.”
“I wanna go too!”
“Huh?”
“I wanna go as well!”
“…You already have a dress.”
When Selina replied awkwardly, Sylvia looked hurt.
“You’re going to leave me behind all bored? I wanna come along and look around too. What about you, senior? Want to come?”
“M-me?”
Asta jumped when her name was called, then soon flushed red.
“If you’re all okay with it….”
“See? Senior’s coming too!”
“Well then….”
“It’ll be fun if we all go together. Let’s eat lots of good food while we’re there.”
“Yes! Yes! If we go, I’ll treat everyone!”
“Ohhh, so Sylvia’s paying? Let’s see—what restaurants are good in the capital?”
What started as a simple dress-shopping trip quickly turned into a capital food expedition.
Selina, who had planned to go quickly and return quickly, felt dazed as the plan spiraled out of control—but soon smiled faintly.
This kind of time isn’t so bad.
Shopping with friends… tomorrow was bound to be a little different.
* * *
“Wow, this is my first time here.”
“Becky, what’s that? It smells amazing.”
“That’s the most famous street food on Therion Street! Should we buy one?”
“Wait, let’s get the dresses first.”
Amid the noisy chatter on bustling Therion Street, Selina stood there holding Luna, wearing a half-resigned expression.
Progress was slow thanks to Sylvia and Asta asking about everything they saw—but the real reason her exhaustion doubled was—
“Sylvia, did you come here just to eat?”
“That’s not it! Brother, what are you doing here?!”
Unexpectedly, their group had grown.
That morning, while waiting for the carriage to Therion Street, they’d run into the male members and somehow ended up coming together.
“Selina, you look tired.”
“Huh? Ah… a little.”
“Did you not sleep well? Or have you been pushing yourself too hard lately?”
Theodore looked at her with concern. Feeling embarrassed, Selina changed the subject.
“Why are you guys in the capital anyway? We came to buy dresses.”
“I honestly don’t know….”
At her puzzled look, Theodore quickly added,
“I got dragged along suddenly. I don’t even know why we’re here.”
“Tough luck, wasting a golden day off.”
“Yeah. But since you’re here, I don’t mind. It feels like a date.”
Selina blushed and lightly smacked him. Theodore chuckled and took Luna from her arms.
“I’ll hold Luna. It’s easier for you while shopping, right?”
“I’d appreciate that. She’s heavier than she looks.”
“Meow!”
[How rude! Who are you calling heavy?!]
“If your arms start tingling later, tell me. I’ll switch with you.”
[M-meow! Don’t ignore me!
