Chapter 30

### Chapter 30: Recollection (1)

* * *

#1

“This is delicious, Yurii. You should try it.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“It’s like jelly, and it has a unique flavor. Each one seems to have a different taste. The one I just ate was melon.”

“Really? Then I’ll… *nom*.”

Epic Class Dormitory, 2nd Building.

In the dimly lit lobby of the 2nd Building, where only a faint, reddish light was on, Rubya and Yurii were having a late-night rendezvous on the sofa.

In truth, it was just a casual late-night chat and snack session.

Yurii, who had always lived within the palace walls and followed a strict sleep schedule under the guidance of King Artna, had never experienced sitting and chatting with a peer at such a late hour.

It could be considered a small act of rebellion.

Her heart fluttered slightly, as if she was doing something a bit naughty.

Thinking that coming to Frontier was a good decision, Yurii put the yellow jelly Rubya had given her into her mouth.

A moment later.

Yurii's expression twisted.

“*Yuck*, shh!”

The jelly Yurii ate was a tangy lemon flavor.

However, since Yurii wasn't good with sour things, she stuck out her tongue and kept swallowing the saliva that naturally pooled in her mouth.

She couldn't spit it out because Rubya had given it to her, so she grumbled and finally swallowed it with a gulp.

“You don’t have to force it… if you don’t like it.”

“…*Ugh*, no. I need to learn to eat everything. Picky eating is bad.”

Despite her words, the aftertaste was quite strong.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Yurii, still sitting on the sofa, swung her legs and asked Rubya.

“Rubya, when are you going to sleep tonight?”

“Huh? Are you sleepy?”

“No, not at all. I’m fine, but you look really tired. I was just going to say that if you’re sleepy, you can go to bed.”

Rubya’s eyes widened.

“Is that so?”

Though she looked no different from her usual self, the shadows under her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

She might be having trouble sleeping. Yurii thought so.

Since it was Rubya who suggested this late-night meeting first, claiming she couldn’t sleep, Yurii thought it was likely.

“Ahaha, yeah… I am a bit tired, but I’m not sleepy. I wonder why.”

Rubya scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.

As Yurii said, she was a bit tired. But she couldn’t sleep, so she had casually suggested a late-night tea time, something Yurii had always wanted.

They had already been sitting on the lobby sofa, chatting for about thirty minutes.

“Maybe you had a bad night’s sleep once? When your sleep pattern is disrupted, you might not be able to fall asleep unless you’re extremely tired.”

“Is that so? Hmm, that could be it…”

While briefly pondering the reason for her recent insomnia, Rubya suddenly muttered.

“By the way, I didn’t see Echio today.”

“…”

Another Echio topic.

Regardless of whether Yurii showed a slightly annoyed expression, Rubya recalled Echio, who hadn’t been seen all day.

Echio’s routine was very monotonous, so whenever there was a free moment, he could be found near the 3rd Building’s gym.

However, today, he didn’t appear in the 1st Building’s male dormitory or the gym, and it seemed he had left the Epic Class grounds entirely.

Of course, it wasn’t unusual. It was the weekend, after all. He could have gone far by tram to play with a friend named Gabriel.

Yurii, who had been watching Rubya’s thoughtful face, suddenly spoke.

“Do you like him that much?”

“Huh, huh? What, what?”

Seeing Rubya’s flustered face, Yurii chuckled.

“It’s all over your face. I’m thinking about that annoying boy all day.”

Rubya blushed and waved her hands.

“No, no. I’m just worried about him…”

“Sure, sure, I believe you.”

Yurii, laughing mockingly, continued.

“What’s there to worry about? Frontier is a perfectly safe place. Nothing dangerous would happen unless he trips and falls on his own.”

“Umm, yeah, but…”

As Rubya trailed off, Yurii added.

“And, I think I know where he went.”

“…Really?”

Yurii nodded.

“Yes. A few days ago… was it Thursday? We had the same class. There was this really amazing female professor who called him out. After class, she asked if he could talk to her for a bit. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the door was open, so I heard a bit of their conversation.”

“Professor… yeah… what did she say?”

Recalling the conversation, Yurii said.

“I’m not sure, but it seemed like they were making some kind of appointment. It was probably on Saturday… oh, today. I think he went to meet that professor. I’m not entirely sure, though.”

The professor who called Echio after class was Nadia Helania, who taught Super Sensory Theory to Yurii and other students.

At first, Yurii was shocked by the professor’s bizarre appearance, but after a few encounters, she got used to it… or rather, she found it quite surprising every time.

…Well, what can I do?

I’m still young, you know?

Though there was no one around except Rubya, Yurii grumbled to herself.

Anyway, Nadia was a new professor who had recently joined the Epic Class faculty.

It was said that she was brought in as a distinguished professor due to her remarkable achievements at Frontier… which is why her personal laboratory was located outside the Epic Class grounds.

Where was it again? It was in the 4th Academic District, wasn’t it?

Then.

*Wheeeeee*——!!!

“*Squeal*!”

“*What*?!”

Startled by the sudden, loud alarm that echoed through the lobby, Rubya and Yurii, who were sitting on the sofa, screamed.

“*Huff*… *huff*…”

Yurii’s heart raced. Her hands trembled as she heard the cold, emotionless announcement.

—To all students of Frontier, we urgently inform you that at 5 minutes past the current time, an unexplained terrorist attack and fire occurred at the 4th Academic District’s Lunatic Hall. There is a risk of the building exploding in a chain reaction. Students who are currently out are advised to return to their dormitories immediately, and faculty members of the 4th Academic District are to…

*Buzz* *Buzz*…

The dormitory quickly became chaotic. A few girls in their pajamas rushed to the lobby to check what was happening. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the upper floors where the seniors lived.

Rubya, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, looked up at the ceiling from where the announcement was coming and placed her hand on her chest, trying to calm down.

“Terrorist…? Fire? Explosion? At Frontier? Really…? Has something like this happened recently?”

“…”

“Yurii? Is something wrong?”

“…”

Rubya, who had been looking up at the ceiling, suddenly swallowed hard with a serious expression.

#2

‘Don’t look away. This is you.’

#3

*Whoooo*——

…

A strong wind blew.

Autumn leaves fell.

I stepped on them, making a rustling sound. It was strangely addictive. I thought it would be a comfortable sound to fall asleep to if I recorded it with an artifact and played it all night.

Jingling the items in my pocket, I basked in the warm noon sun. The autumn wind was cold, balancing it out. That’s why I liked autumn the most after winter.

The sky was high and blue. As I walked towards the shop I had reserved, I suddenly looked up at the clouds floating in the vast sky.

I felt a bit scared.

I was currently very worried, but the high, blue sky was indifferent to my complex feelings, just flowing by…

“Sigh.”

Another sigh escaped me.

Lately, I’ve been sighing a lot. I had a lot to worry about and a lot to think about. It’s been like this for a while.

Graduation from the academy was just around the corner.

I was a very diligent and consistent student, so my grades had maintained a surprisingly similar number compared to my first year. I was probably the only student in the Lorson Academy who had been consistently failing.

…Ah, except for the written tests.

That was my only pride.

Anyway, if this continues, I will definitely have to repeat a year.

Or rather, it will be a forced repeat due to failing.

I hadn’t been absent, and my practical evaluation scores were just terribly low.

I heard that students who had collected failing grades would be gathered for an additional exam, and if they failed again, they would be forced to repeat the year… but I didn’t have much confidence in passing.

Thanks to Mu’s enthusiastic guidance over the past year, I had achieved a small success, but it was so small that it wasn’t noticeable.

…Yeah, thanks to Mu’s guidance.

Thinking of Mu made me feel a bit uneasy.

The reason wasn’t much.

…Or maybe it was a bit different this time.

It had been a year since I started dating Mu.

We had known each other since the end of the first semester of my second year in the middle school, so our relationship had been going on for almost two years.

I thought it had been a long time. Had I really seen her every day without fail? I could probably draw her portrait with my eyes closed. Of course, I couldn’t guarantee the quality…

It was mid-November.

Unfortunately, time passes.

It passed and passed until today.

…Today was Mu’s birthday.

November 19th.

The first birthday I would celebrate with her as a couple.

Last year, I gave her a gift as a senior, but this time, it had to be different. One of the reasons I was so worried lately was related to Mu’s birthday gift.

So…

I don’t know.

…For some time now, it had become difficult to spend time with Mu like before.

To be precise, I wasn’t sure how to describe it.

Mu seemed a bit different.

It wasn’t that her affection had changed. She still liked me a lot and wanted to see me whenever she had free time. We still met at the back garden stairs as usual. Our daily routine hadn’t changed.

That was the problem.

…Mu wanted our relationship to progress further.

She had started to openly show her desire for a more serious and affectionate relationship, rather than the current stagnant one.

“Sigh.”

Another sigh.

I understood Mu’s feelings. I knew them better than anyone.

But it was difficult.

It was impossible.

Mu had always been attached to me, saying she liked me and loved me. I had sometimes given in to her requests and told her I liked her.

…But I never said I loved her.

“Sigh.”

This was the third sigh.

That was the main worry I had lately. I knew about Mu’s dedication and had tried to reciprocate in various ways.

I didn’t dislike Mu at all; in fact, I liked her. I wanted to reciprocate her love, but it wasn’t as simple as that…

Saying I loved her when I didn’t would be a terrible thing to do. I knew that better than anyone. Such words are only truly valuable when they come from the heart.

Anyway.

For that reason, a few days ago.

I had to let Rubya go.

And I had to accept Mu.

…That was right.

I just had to keep going straight. The street was wide and empty, so there was no risk of bumping into anyone. I closed my eyes gently and walked slowly, making a rustling sound on the fallen leaves.

My feelings for Rubya and.

Mu’s current affection for me.

Mu was a good junior.

She was pretty and cute.

I no longer denied it.

Sometimes she teased me, but I knew it wasn’t out of malice. When I saw her laughing at my silly appearance, I couldn’t help but smile.

She was a bit whimsical, but she was definitely a kind and affectionate girl. That was a fact.

Moreover, she showed her love only to me, not to any other boys. Sometimes I felt suffocated by her heavy love, but… as I said, it wasn’t out of malice. She genuinely cared for me, which allowed her to act that way.

I understood Mu’s feelings.

I still didn’t fully understand why she liked me, but I had learned a lot about her. I understood why she acted on her feelings after hearing about her painful past.

I understood her desperate desire to let go of Rubya and focus only on me.

Of course,

Anyone can understand things intellectually.

…Another sigh escaped me.

Today was a weekend.

So I had planned to meet Mu outside.

It was called a date.

Though it felt a bit embarrassing, there was nothing wrong with couples going on dates.

On the contrary, we had to be more confident.

Of course, I had no intention of openly announcing my date with Mu to anyone.

Anyway.

Since it was Mu’s birthday, it was natural for us to go out together.

Just yesterday.

I made a plan with Mu, who still seemed a bit upset.

But before that, I had spent a sleepless night, thinking and rethinking, and finally came up with that difficult sentence.

—Wait there. …Tomorrow will be the happiest day for both of us, with a significant meaning.

—…What?

How red my face was then.

Don’t say it’s cringy. I had my reasons. Mu, who didn’t expect such words from me, first widened her eyes and then laughed out loud.

Mu shed a few happy tears and smiled.

If a senior says such things, she would be extremely excited, she said.

…I also smiled slightly in front of Mu.

“Let’s go.”

After opening my eyes and walking for a short while, I found the sign of the shop I had reserved and entered it without hesitation.

The air was filled with a metallic scent. I carefully examined the items on the display and spoke to the shop owner, who wore a monocle.

“…I’m Echio Krahn, and I ordered something two days ago…”

“Please wait a moment.”

The shop owner, without asking any questions, went inside and came back after a while with a small box. I confirmed the contents with a short exclamation and closed the box.

And…

*Slip*.

I slowly