31 – Spring Rain (3)
The rain didn’t stop even after four days had passed.
It was almost a week before I realized that I could feel a sense of depression due to the consecutive rainy news. Being under the overcast sky all day was more exhausting than I thought. I used to fall into such a mild depression right before exams, but this time it was unusually severe.
Shoaaa…
“…”
Meanwhile, the sound of rain echoed again. Now, even my heart seemed to be locked in those persistent raindrops. Suppressed fatigue. Emerging distractions. Gloomy weather and trivial incidents. All of it rushed towards me like waves, crashing over my body. If I wasn’t careful, I felt like I might be swept away to an unknown island in that gloomy wave.
It felt as if someone was dragging my legs. If there was no one around, I might have gone back to those days. Fortunately, I had someone who would throw me a tube of hope.
“Yuna.”
“Yeah?”
In response to Ellen’s voice, I involuntarily smiled. Sometimes, just hearing someone’s voice could be a source of strength.
“What time did you go to bed yesterday?”
“Why?”
“Well, it feels like I’m asking for a reason.”
“Oh…”
Understanding the intention belatedly, I chuckled disappointingly. I hadn’t checked the mirror in the morning, but there was probably a dark shadow under my eyes.
“At least I didn’t stay up all night. I just went to bed a little late.”
“How late are you?”
“Just late.”
“Hmm…”
Normally, Ellen would have made one of his typical jokes, but this time he didn’t. Instead, he looked at me with a worried expression.
“Are you working too hard? Is it necessary to go to such lengths?”
“Yes. It is. I have an exam in two days, so I need to work hard.”
“But it seems a bit excessive.”
“It is excessive. Especially compared to how casually you approach things. It’s not like I’m used to staying up all night.”
“But you must be tired.”
“That’s true, but…”
When I agreed, Ellen closed one eye tightly as if contemplating. Then, with a mischievous expression, he suddenly reached for the collar of his shirt.
“Should I show you my chest to give you strength?”
“What… What? You…!”
Even in this situation, Ellen somehow managed to surprise me and laughed at my blushing face. I glared at him and then quickly stood up.
“Enough, we have the next class, Magical Practice. Let’s get ready.”
“Oh, money came in.”
“What? Really?”
“No, just kidding.”
“Argh…!”
I couldn’t help but let out a faint scream. But as soon as our eyes met, Ellen couldn’t help but smirk and laugh.
“Then I’ll go first. See you later.”
“Yeah. Later, Yuna.”
As always, Ellen smiled and shook hands with me. I was about to shake hands back, but I just raised my hand briefly and quickly turned away. The melancholy that had lingered suddenly subsided, replaced by a bright smile filling my mouth.
But that smile didn’t last long.
He was not there when I turned around. There were no friends, no one to lean on emotionally. Only those looking at me with a guarded gaze.
Come to think of it, it was only natural. A sudden villainous character like me wouldn’t have friends. It was my inevitable fate, not being born with it or suddenly finding myself in the middle of life.
But it was all trivial. I had decided from the beginning. To make Yuna happy. To avoid all bad endings and make her happy. Meeting Ellen in the process could be considered unexpected luck. Now, what I had to do was enjoy that luck and happily head towards a happy ending.
I just had to do my job well.
With that in mind, I embraced my scattered emotions tightly.
“Sigh…”
The dressing room after the end of the practice was silent. It was unusually challenging today, but usually, the dressing room atmosphere was quiet. The original didn’t explain why, but perhaps it was because nobles and commoners shared the same place.
From the perspective of nobles, they probably didn’t want to show their bodies to commoners. Still, the dressing room couldn’t avoid the strict orders of His Imperial Majesty. Nobles used the deeper areas. There was an implicit rule that commoners used the lockers near the entrance, but there were no other physical boundaries. Maybe this awkward atmosphere was formed due to the invisible wall between nobles and commoners.
Ah, that’s why there could have been a scene of accidentally opening the dressing room door and seeing Elise. Because commoners used the lockers on the side. It was a small privilege of the possessed to directly find out the background of their favorite novel. If Alan were to peek, it would be quite difficult. After all, he had to come all the way in. But for some reason, I felt like he could somehow manage it.
…
Again, I thought about him.
A quiet sigh escaped me. But it wasn’t deep. It wasn’t fresh anymore. I couldn’t deny that Alan had taken up too much of my life. It was only natural. It was indeed happening. I even found a bit of comfort in that fact.
I didn’t know before, but having someone else to consider in my life wasn’t as bad as I thought. Whether it was family or friends. Or…
Well, whatever.
With that in mind, I groped the lower part of the locker to find the school uniform skirt.
But what I touched was only the cold emptiness of steel.
“Uh…?”
For a moment, I was taken aback, my mouth agape. However, I quickly regained composure and, with a stern expression, searched the locker here and there. Yet, there was still nothing tangible in my hands. After futilely fumbling around for a while, I had to admit.
The school uniform skirt to change into was missing.
“…”
It felt as if a chilling sensation penetrated to the bone. Behind me, noble young ladies, already changed into their clothes, were gradually leaving. As the space emptied, the forgotten chill seeped in, pressing against the unattended practice uniform pants.
Could I have placed the skirt somewhere else? An unreasonable possibility crossed my mind. Of course, it was absolutely impossible. I wasn’t insane, and there was no reason for that to happen. However, there was only one remaining possibility.
Someone had stolen it.
And there was only one person who could be the culprit.
I desperately wanted to deny the possibility, so I conjured up absurd delusions. Maybe other noble young ladies took it. Or could it be that troublesome elf who took it? However, all these stories were implausible, and the remaining logic and reason in my mind dismissed them all. In the end, only one name remained in my head.
…
I simply couldn’t admit it.
I wished it were really someone else. I hoped that it wasn’t someone who played such a childish prank on me. I didn’t want to get involved with the person who once gave Yuna a bad ending.
But avoiding confrontation didn’t hide the truth.
“Oh, Yuna? Haven’t you left yet?”
“…”
Elise’s kind voice came from behind. In an instant, my expression froze coldly.
I turned around with the frozen expression and slowly approached her.
“Elise.”
“Yes?”
As I called her name, she responded cheerfully. However, everyone else, excluding her, was looking at us with extremely tense expressions. Elise, glancing at the others, replied with an even warmer voice.
“Is there any problem, Yuna?”
…”
But I couldn’t easily open my mouth. At this point, I couldn’t show a conflict with Elise in front of all those people. I answered with the calmest expression possible.
“No, Elise, why are you still here? It seems like you’ve changed your clothes.”
“Oh, I usually tidy up after class ends. The janitors do it too, but it’s still our responsibility.”
Perhaps because she was the protagonist. Despite everything, her actions were still a manifestation of goodwill. I nodded subtly towards the people around us and said softly.
“If others stay, it might be inconvenient, right?”
“Well, it’s not really…”
Elise seemed to hope that people would stay, but when I shot a glance, most students quickly left.
“…So? Yuna, why haven’t you left yet?”
As the disappearing figures of students caught my eye, Elise asked in a slightly colder voice. Perhaps due to people leaving, a hint of kindness had disappeared from her face.
“Elise.”
“Yes?”
“You always tidy up before leaving, right?”
“Yes, always.”
“So, before wearing the practical uniform for the experiment, did you also tidy up?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever seen an unattended school uniform skirt then? The size…”
“It seems like you’ve lost it. The school uniform skirt.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Elise interrupted me and leaned against the nearby locker. Then, deliberately tilting her head, she asked.
“Why are you asking me about that? It’s Yuna who lost it.”
“I’m just asking if you’ve seen it. Since you’re the one handling the aftermath…”
“Are you suspecting me? That I stole it?”
“…”
By now, the tone made her intentions clear. It wasn’t a simple inquiry for facts. If it were, she would have just overlooked it. But she was talking as if she wanted to fight with me right now.
And that was the last thing I wanted to deal with in this lifetime.
“No, it’s not like that. I’m just asking.”
“It doesn’t seem like just asking, Yuna.”
“Don’t misunderstand. I…”
“It’s not just asking, is it? Stop hiding and tell me. You’re accusing me of stealing.”
“…”
Unknowingly, I clenched my fist tightly. Elise didn’t even bother hiding her hostility anymore. Doubts were starting to creep in. Was it really right to endure all this without wanting to fight with her, no matter what?
“Calm down, Elise.”
“I am completely calm. It’s you who can’t calm down right now.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Does it look like it? Right now, you’re trying to turn the blame on me somehow. Aren’t you?”
With those words, she spat at me as if it were a mistake, raising a cloud of dust towards me. In that moment, the stress that had been building up burst out, seeping through my lips.
“…Did you steal it?”
“In the end, it comes to this, doesn’t it?”
“At first, I didn’t think that way, but slowly, I’m starting to consider it. Is it you? Did you play such a prank?”
“What are you asking? You already think it’s me.”
“Now…”
“Is that so?”
Elise took a step closer to me and almost touched my face as she leaned in towards me.
“Even though you’re already trying to find fault with me.”
“Elise.”
“Something seemed off for the past few days. And even after it happened, you still haven’t come to your senses?”
“I don’t know why you’re acting like this. Step back.”
“But I don’t want to.”
“…”
I had to stay rational.
But at this moment, I couldn’t just stay still anymore.
“Then move aside. I’ll find out myself.”
“Oh.”
I pushed her roughly and strode towards the place where Elise’s locker was. Then, in a slightly irritated voice, I said:
“Open it. Now.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Just open it for me to check. There’s nothing to hide anyway.”
“So you’re suspecting me in the end, aren’t you? Is that it?”
“No, so just open it quickly.”
“Why? Is it because of the umbrella incident back then?”
“Umbrella…? What… You weren’t involved in that too, were you?”
“Oh, I didn’t know. I spoke too much for no reason.”
“Did you steal it?”
At that moment, there was a feeling as if something inside me had snapped. Elise looked at me like that and answered with a smirk.
“If I say yes?”
“…!”
“Well then, what are you going to do?”
…”
I looked at Elise’s face, speechless. There was no kindness left in her expression. She was giving me a malicious smile, as if daring me to slap her on the cheek.
Just looking at that expression, my hand trembled involuntarily. Of course, I had to endure it. It was too late now to risk everything. No matter what anyone said, the girl in front of me would eventually become the prince’s wife and the woman who used that position to slit Yuna’s throat. So I had to endure it.
Rationally, that was the right thing to do.
But I couldn’t stand it. The thought that I couldn’t endure it any longer crossed my mind. If she said another word, I felt like my hand would go up no matter what. And Elise, being so clever, already knew that I was in such a state. She chuckled and slowly opened her mouth to throw a word.
“Yuna…”
“Ah, what is it? Where are my underwear?”
…
?
However, before Elise’s voice could be heard, a muffled voice came from the opposite corner. We both turned our heads simultaneously to look at the direction of the sound. There, a girl with a disapproving expression was rummaging through the locker.
“This again. Ugh, so annoying.”
“Gulero?”
…
Until now, why haven’t I noticed that imposing presence at all? I called her name while pondering such a question. However, Gueiro mumbled to himself, as if he couldn’t hear my voice.
“I can’t take it anymore, seriously.”
She suddenly stood up and grabbed the cabinet door next to her. It was clearly locked, but as soon as she exerted a bit of force, there was a sound of metal breaking, and the lock mechanism was torn apart as the door opened forcefully.
Bang!
“It’s not here.”
“Uh… What are you doing?”
Elise, seeing that, was quite confused and cautiously spoke. Gueiro finally turned his head to look in this direction.
“Uh, Yuna… and who else was it. Anyway, a commoner, right? Hey, have you seen my underwear? It keeps disappearing.”
“What? That’s unlikely…”
“I think it’s someone among the people here. I’ll put an end to it today.”
“Wait a moment…”
Bang!
Elise opened her mouth again, but Gueiro completely ignored her and forcefully opened another cabinet door. She glanced inside, then suddenly approached this way.
“Miss, but if you keep breaking things, there will be trouble. Hey, earlier I overheard that you’re cleaning up. Can you open this?”
“What? No, I…”
“Before that, try opening yours first. I’m not suspicious, but we should start with what belongs to people. Open it, just once.”
“I… I…”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
Elise hesitated, and Gueiro approached her with a thumping sound. For a moment, a giant shadow loomed over our heads. Elise, who had lost her previous relaxed expression, swallowed hard and stepped back.
“N-no, it’s not that…”
“Or should I open it? Why are you acting like this? It’s making me suspicious.”
“W-well…”
“Why? Could it really be you?”
In that moment, Gooero’s expression hardened and a deep shadow descended. Others might have thought it was just a furrowed brow, but for someone seeing it for the first time, it felt bone-chillingly terrifying. Elise also seemed to feel a similar emotion, hesitating and stepping back.
“…Hmph.”
And then, she turned around and fled out the door.
Overwhelmed by Gooero’s presence, I couldn’t even consider catching her, while Gooero scratched her head and watched Elise run away. And then, as the sound of her fleeing footsteps faded into the distance, she reached out her hand without saying a word.
But the direction her hand reached for was not the locker door, but above it. Gooero felt along the ceiling with her hand, and pulled out something that had been hidden. Soon, the familiar sight of a school uniform skirt appeared in her hand.
“This is Yuna’s, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. Thank you, Gooero.”
“Ah…yes. You’re welcome.”
Gooero awkwardly handed me the skirt with a strange tone. As I accepted it, she poured out her words as if making an excuse.
“Well, I actually knew from the beginning, but I somehow felt like I was interfering…I’ve never mixed up my words before, and I couldn’t possibly do that.”
“Oh, I see.”
“It wasn’t for no reason that I interfered, right? I was just wondering if that was the case.”
“Oh, no. Not at all. Thank you, Gooero.”
“Ah…yes. Well, it’s nothing.”
She seemed embarrassed to hear the words of gratitude and kept scratching her head. Seeing that familiar gesture, I couldn’t help but regain a little smile.
“Gooero, you don’t need to look for underwear, right? You said you lost it.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing…”
Gwero absentmindedly scratched the back of his neck and casually uttered a word.
“I’ve never had my underwear stolen.”
“What?”
“Isn’t that Ellen guy being quite annoying?”
Instead of answering, she threw an absurd question. Somehow, it seemed like I roughly understood what it meant. She probably wanted help since I knew her, but she had to make up some excuse.
She feels more like a middle-aged man than a girl. As I laughed again, Gwero awkwardly bowed.
“Well… then, I’ll go first. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No, it’s okay. Thank you, Gwero.”
“Really?”
She asked with slightly narrowed eyes. And her gaze went towards Elise’s locker.
The moment I saw that, the calmness in my heart sank again. Although I managed to get through this time, Elise was becoming a much bigger variable than I had thought. Now I realized that ignoring her might not be the only solution.
“Yes, it’s okay.”
I replied in a quiet voice. And I added a word to her and myself.
“I’ll handle it.”