‘Yuno Astario is into boys’ was the rumour that started circulating around the school the day after Maro’s misunderstanding.
“Look, it’s him. The third son of the Astario family.”
“Now that I think about it, is his main weapon also a spear… because of that?”
“I heard he’d attack you if you so much as even met his gaze, so I’d watch out if I were you.”
No no, come one, you’re all wrong. You’re wrong, I tell you, wrong.
I sighed. That was what happened every time I stepped out into the corridors.
Still, I somehow didn’t feel as hurt as I thought I would be.
He’s incompetent, he was suspended, he massacred his classmates, he likes boys.
Haha. It almost feels like I’ve just gotten another title.
“…”
……Well, I guess it is unreasonable after all. I wonder what’s going to become of me.
As I was lost in thought, Athena, who had been floating along behind me, leaned into my field of vision from the side while fidgeting to herself.
“Y-Yuno-san… ehmm, umm.”
“Yes, Kami-sama! How may I help you?”
“Do you… prefer boys?” she asked me, her red eyes moistening.
“––––”
I was half-expecting that, to be honest. I guess I should resolve this misunderstanding.
“No I do not, Kami-sama. I love girls,” I answered sincerely, and–
“Right, of course you do!” she interrupted my thoughts, her eyes glittering again.
She’s really cute today as well.
Anyway, that should have settled things. I hope.
And so, I walked out of the academy’s main entrance.
My destination was the neighbouring Saint Ferris’ Girls’ Academy.
I did my usual gulp and shudder of nervousness as I passed through the pure white gates and into the academy grounds.
◆
“…Mm.”
Thinking to myself that the place smelled as nice as usual, I walked down the corridors of Ferris Girls’, letting my memory guide the way. The strange glances the students I passed by gave me gave me a slight feeling of unease.
“Is that… him?”
“Lloyd-sama’s… companion.”
Hahaha. It seems like it’s spread all the way here too.
––I’m gonna beat the crap out of Maro.
Then came Athena’s voice as if to pacify my thoughts that were growing more and more violent.
“Yuno-san, are we here today?”
“Yes. We have joint classes with Ferris Girls’ today.”
That day was the first one with joint activities with Ferris Girls’ since the training camp in the forest.
Apparently we were going to be going to each other’s classes based on the date, and so that day, the Magic Knight Academy’s students, i.e. me, were going to Ferris Girls’ for classes.
“Moon class… Moon class…”
Luna was in Moon class, located on the second floor of the four-storey building.
I didn’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but the name of her class really fit her nickname of ‘The Solitary Moon’.
“Flower class… Bird class…”
I was carefully looking at the signs on the doors decorated with copious amounts of gold and silver colour as I walked down the hallway, eventually reaching Moon class’ classroom.
Just as I had been expecting, the order of the classrooms was Flower, Bird, Wind, and then Moon, making Luna’s classroom the one at the very end of the hallway.
“Then, Yuno-san, I will go on a walk until classes are over. You see… I was thinking of using this opportunity to look around and see the sights…!”
“All right! Don’t go following weird or strange people around, okay?”
“Alright!” she said full of confidence, then floated away.
…Will she be okay? Being too overprotective isn’t good either, but I’m still kinda worried about her getting lost.
I watched as a passing group of girls called out to her.
“Ara, Athena-sama! A good day to you!”
“And a good day to you too!”
…Well, she is known as the beautiful goddess here, so she’ll be alright… I hope.
And I feel more at ease than if she had stayed in the Magic Knight Academy.
Anyway.
In front of me was the door to Moon class’ classroom. Luna’s classroom. Where I hadn’t been even once before.
I was anxious and nervous. And curious.
I could hear the elegant laughter of the girls inside leaking through the door.
An as-of-yet never-before-seen paradise lay before me––
“Excuse me,” I said in a low voice, tried my best not to let my nervousness show, and opened the door.
A sweet fragrance attacked me.
And at the same time as that––
“““………”””
The girls’ previously-lively conversation stopped.
I was glad I’d taken the effort to control my expression beforehand, because I suddenly felt rather shy.
…Wait, their stares are somehow different to the ones I got back at the Magic Knight Academy…?
I can’t quite put it into words, but they felt kind of… passionate? Feverish?
‘What’s going on here?’ I wondered to myself as I looked around the classroom in search of Luna.
––Found her.
It had been quite easy, actually.
‘The Solitary Moon’ was sitting in the back of the classroom next to the window with a bored look on her face.
She seemed to be demonstrating her solitariness without much care for her nickname, like she always did.
Or if I had to put it into words, the other students were consciously giving her a wide berth as they spoke amongst themselves.
It was the same as what had happened to me at the Introductions.
“…Excuse me,” I said, sitting down in what I assumed was my seat, next to Luna.
Her purple eyes turned towards me.
“…You’re rather popular,” she muttered.
“Popular?”
“No, I’m just talking to myself. Anyway, I have one question I’d like to ask you, if that would be all right?” she asked, looking me straight in the eyes and smiling mischievously as she tilted her head.
“Eh, uhh, sure.”
Her silvery-white hair shook a little.
“––Do you like boys?”
…It might just have been a coincidence, but I thought I felt the air in the classroom change in an instant.
“No, I do not. That was a misunderstanding,” I said, and heard sighs from amongst the other students present, for some reason.
Why?
“I see. What a pity.”
What is?
“But as they say, there can’t be smoke without a fire, so what in the world happened?”
“Well, Lloyd-senpai pushed me down all of a sudden while saying things I don’t really understand––” was as far as I managed to get before the chills hit me.
“So he is a bottom.”
“Just as I thought.”
…You guys?
I racked my brains as hard as I could to try and figure out the meaning of those and similar whispers that reached my ears.
“Fufu… don’t worry. I can assure you their impressions of you haven’t worsened a bit.”
“…Is that so?”
“It’s amusement to them. We only have female students here, so a lot of people are always on the lookout for entertainment. And then came the Rumours about you and Lloyd März. Isn’t it natural for them to be interested?”
No. It isn’t natural.
“No, but, like, we’re talking about me here?”
Somehow, somehow I began to understand the meaning of the glances they had all been sending my way.
Still, I was none other than Yuno Astario.
I knew very well what people thought of me.
In fact, at the Introductions, nobody other than Ein had come anywhere near me.
“So what? You are my knight. And you don’t look too bad either. Even if you are a bit uncouth.”
…I’m honoured.
“And anyway, Lloyd März is someone who even has his own fan club. And then comes the rumour about you two. Fufu… it’s rather amusing, if you get what I mean.”
As expected of Lloyd-senpai. But I guess it makes sense. He is rather handsome.
But still… I see now. I guess the rumours didn’t turn out to be as malevolent as I was expecting.
“…I see.”
Still, I wasn’t very happy about it.
However, I also knew there was not much point in frantically trying to defend myself any further than I had already done.
I would just resolve the misunderstanding slowly and steadily, in such a way that Athena wouldn’t get a bad impression of me, was what I decided to myself as I answered the girls’ gazes with a smile, causing many of them look away with red cheeks and most of the rest smile back.
“……Hm?”
–– And that was exactly why I noticed it.
There was a girl glaring at Luna and me with open hostility.
I had already seen her once before.
She had golden twintails and green eyes.
–– She was none other than the girl who had set the goblins on Luna.
“My Lady, whose the twintailed blonde?” I asked, causing Luna to narrow her eyes with a cold smile.
“Cecilia Orford–,” she said, then suddenly leaned in towards me. Instantly, my nostrils were filled with her faint but sweet smell. Ignoring my being startled, she continued on in a happy tone of voice. “– and she’s my benefactor.”
Sponsored Content
