Chapter 55

### Chapter 55: A Chance Encounter (7)

* * *

#13

“Stella?”

“She said she’s not eating. She’s probably on a diet.”

...She could have just come and talked. Rubya, sitting on the sofa in the central lobby of the first floor, thought to herself.

“She was studying until just a while ago. She must have been tired. I told her we could eat later.”

“...I see.”

“Yeah.”

The invitation was declined. Yurie, holding the envelope in her fingertips, rustled it as she returned and plopped down next to Rubya with a thud. Her golden hair, not yet fully dry, spread out like a fan on the sofa. Yurie’s hair, which was quite long, took a while to dry completely.

Rubya remained silent for a moment, as if thinking about something. She shook her head inwardly and then asked Yurie,

“Do you want me to dry your hair?”

“Huh?”

Yurie, who had a candy in her mouth, tilted her head in confusion. It seemed that Rubya was offering to dry her hair with magic.

Although Yurie had not chosen to specialize in magic, she had learned a fair amount at the palace and was well-versed in daily magic. However, what Rubya was about to do was not a simple heat blast or a drying spell. It involved directly manipulating the moisture in the hair to evaporate it instantly, without making it dry and brittle. Yurie had experienced this once before and remembered the amazing result.

How much precise control of magic was required to perform such a spell? Yurie knew she couldn’t do it even if she tried a thousand times.

“Sure, why not. I’m kind of a joker anyway.”

It was a bit damp, but the lingering warmth after a bath felt quite pleasant.

Nodding at Yurie’s shrug, Rubya took a bread roll from the envelope and bit into it. The soft bread burst with creamy sweetness, enveloping Rubya’s tongue.

Yurie glanced at Rubya out of the corner of her eye. Eating such a high-calorie bread at this late hour... It didn’t seem like this was the first time. Rubya had once suggested having tea at this hour, and she herself had agreed.

Yet, Rubya didn’t seem to gain any weight. Her smooth, slender figure was proof of that.

‘Amazing...’

Perhaps it was due to the habits she had developed at the palace. For Yurie, a small act of rebellion at night was limited to eating a candy. She felt a renewed sense of admiration as she looked at Rubya’s lustrous hair.

Strands of light pink, tinged with the color of cherry blossoms, flowed like a long silk ribbon. When Yurie first met Rubya, she had thought she might be a noble lady from a famous family, a thought that would have been disrespectful to Rubya.

Of course, Yurie had no intention of harboring any prejudice between commoners and nobles. But if she had to be honest, Rubya seemed to fit the image of a noble better.

If Yurie had ever discriminated based on social status, she wouldn’t have become friends with Rubya in the first place. Frankly, Yurie preferred Rubya’s character and personality over the arrogant and domineering children of noble families.

‘She’s also incredibly beautiful.’

Perhaps that was the biggest reason.

Her long, slender legs, her mature and youthful appearance, and the occasional adorable and clumsy moments she displayed. In many ways, Rubya was the opposite of Yurie, and Yurie secretly admired her.

And, most importantly...

Yurie’s eyes subtly shifted downward.

Swoosh.

She then glanced at Rubya’s similar area. A new question formed in Yurie’s mind as she bit the candy.

...Does it all go there?

If so, it would explain why she could eat cream bread at night without gaining weight.

It was a very reasonable and logical conclusion, and Yurie felt a new sense of awe for her friend Rubya...

“Hey, Rubya.”

“...Yeah?”

Yurie, who had removed the candy from her mouth, held the glistening stick in her hand and asked with genuine curiosity.

“Has anything been bothering you lately?”

“...”

At Yurie’s words, Rubya paused for a moment. But she quickly composed herself and responded with her usual bright smile.

“...No? Why do you ask?”

“Just that you seem really tired lately. You looked tired when you came to find me earlier, and you said you didn’t get much sleep last time.”

Actually, it didn’t seem to have changed much. Dark circles still lingered under Rubya’s eyes. Despite her outward appearance, a closer look revealed occasional signs of deep worry in her face.

Yurie had thought it was just a coincidence today. But when Rubya suddenly knocked on her door after they parted in the lobby, and Yurie read something in her expression, she followed her back to the lobby.

“If you have something on your mind, you can tell me. We’re friends, after all.”

While she said it matter-of-factly, it was almost the first time Yurie had said such a thing to a new friend, and she felt a bit embarrassed as she turned her gaze away from Rubya.

“...”

Rubya, taken aback, blinked her eyes. She felt a warm feeling in her chest at Yurie’s concern, but she couldn’t tell her why she had been feeling this way recently.

She really couldn’t.

Because even she didn’t know why.

...Right.

She thought the biggest problem had been solved.

She had confirmed that Elio was back and alive. So, she shouldn’t need to keep looking for him anymore.

...Why can’t I sleep easily?

Why does my chest feel tight whenever I see the changed Elio, and why does my heart race when I’m close to him?

—Why does it bother me to see Elio with friends like Yurie and Stella?

Was it because she hadn’t reconciled with Elio yet?

Was that it?

Rubya recalled the incident on the path.

When asked if she had come to dislike him, Elio had said he didn’t dislike her, but he didn’t like her either.

However, Elio’s attitude today, when he approached her casually and spoke to her like a regular friend, suggested that while he didn’t hate her, he no longer cherished her as a childhood friend.

That...

That was probably the decisive reason.

Their desired relationship had diverged and become completely misaligned. Moreover, one side’s desire was purely selfish.

Wanting to beg for meaningless forgiveness from someone who no longer cared and to return to the past relationship...

...It was impossible.

So, from the beginning, she shouldn’t have dreamed of an impossible future. She shouldn’t have cared about where and when Elio studied with Stella, and she had no right to do so.

What did she slam the door so hard for? What did she see? How many shoes were in the shoe rack... She wanted to ask Yurie all these questions but had to suppress them.

So— Rubya smiled awkwardly.

“Um... Well, something is bothering me, but I’m still trying to sort it out, so I don’t know how to explain it... Hehehe...”

If Yurie had noticed, it meant there was definitely something wrong with her state.

It was better to be honest than to dismiss her concerns and say it was nothing.

“...I’m sorry, Yurie. I want to talk to someone, but... I need more time.”

“...”

A moment of silence followed.

Yurie gently rested her head on Rubya’s shoulder.

She quietly put the candy back in her mouth and said,

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“...”

“Instead, forget about those worries today. We came out to have fun, right? Isn’t that so?”

“...”

“...But, I’m glad you’re relying on me. I’ve always wanted to be there for my friends. ...So, whenever you need to talk, feel free to come to me. I might not be as smart as you, but I’ll try to help. Hehe.”

A light laugh escaped Yurie’s lips.

After a moment,

“...Yeah. I will. Thank you, Yurie.”

She added, “I’m glad you’re my friend.”

Me too. Yurie replied with a small smile.

In the comfortable silence,

...At some point, Rubya’s body, which was leaning against her, seemed to tremble slightly.

But Yurie didn’t ask.

Even when she saw that Rubya’s right thumb, covered by her left hand, was bitten and ragged, she tried not to dwell on it.

...It felt like the right thing to do.

#14

I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.

“Wait, wait. Just a moment.”

“Hmm?”

Cognitive dissonance is setting in.

I carefully disentangled Stella from my embrace. Her face was flushed, clearly aware that she had done something embarrassing.

Sure, we met about ten years ago, but that was a meeting from ten years ago. It’s not a natural act to hug and greet each other after growing up like this.

“You... are Alphen?”

In my memory, Alphen shouldn’t be here as Stella de Feltre, a proper lady and a woman—this confusion was the most overwhelming.

Of course, it’s natural not to recognize her.

Her name, family, and appearance are completely different. There’s no trace of Alphen in the current Stella.

Alphen had black hair and black eyes, and was a spirited and bold person, fitting the description of a man.

Her face was delicate even then, but her actions, tone, and demeanor were worlds apart from the born noble, Stella.

I couldn’t believe they were the same person.

“Um, yeah. I guess... I’ve changed a lot?”

Stella’s beautiful face, flushed red, fiddled with a strand of her silver hair.

...What did she just say?

What? A lot?

It’s way beyond that.

Who are you?

Are you really Alphen?

“No, what, uh, this, er...”

I wanted to believe Stella was lying, but if everything she said was true, I could understand why she called me to her room.

It’s a secret, a big secret. Something unimaginable for a noble lady like Stella.

Right, of course.

Who else would she confess such a shocking secret to, that she was a man in the past!

“I don’t understand right now.”

“...Yeah.”

“First, you are Alphen, right?”

“Yeah. It’s me, Elio. I didn’t expect you to remember.”

Me neither.

I just suddenly remembered.

“But your eye color and hair color are completely different.”

“...Something happened.”

“What happened?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

What could have happened?

...Did you undergo a sex change or something?

No, more importantly.

I asked Stella to confirm.

“What was your original hair and eye color?”

“Both were black, weren’t they...?”

Test 1 passed.

Moving on to the next.

“...What was the name of the mountain we climbed?”

“Eh... You remember that? I’m touched. It was just ‘the hill behind the village.’ That’s what we called it.”

No trap. Test 2 passed.

“Which season was it when we first met, and what constellation did you first explain to me?”

“Summer. And, Vega, Deneb, Altair. The ‘Summer Triangle.’ You remembered that too.”

“...”

Test 3 passed.

At this point, it’s pretty clear.

Alphen had no siblings.

Stella, who might have been Alphen’s hidden younger sister, said with a hint of surprise,

“I almost didn’t recognize you. You’ve changed so much since then. Your hair was black like mine... but your eyes haven’t changed. And you’ve grown so much, I have to look up at you. If it weren’t for your name, I wouldn’t have noticed.”

Stella carefully stood on tiptoe.

Even so, our eye levels didn’t match, and she had to strain her neck to look up at me.

“You’ve grown so much, Elio. You’ve really grown.”

“...”

I wondered if I should say the same to her.

Is this growth good? Is this the right direction? As someone who secretly hoped Alphen would succeed, becoming part of a noble family is certainly something to celebrate.

But, well. Hmm.

“Alphen...”

“...Yeah?”

“Alphen was... a boy, right?”

“...”

Stella lowered her tiptoes at my words.

Right. Alphen was a boy.

He had short hair, was taller than me, and had a bold and hearty personality. I have fond memories of playing all sorts of games with Alphen for about two to three months.

Of course, being the same gender made it easier to be comfortable with each other.

Even though we were young and didn’t care about gender, there were certain actions and things we did that we wouldn’t have done if we were of different genders.

Ah. Stella averted her eyes from mine.

And then,

“I’ve never lied to you...”

“...Huh?”

I froze at Stella’s words.

Lied, lied.

I thought to myself.

...Did Alphen ever tell me he was a boy?

No, he didn’t.

We just naturally played together. Why would we need to ask about something we already knew? It’s like knowing fire is hot without touching it.

I naturally thought of Alphen as a boy, acted accordingly, and Alphen, being the epitome of a man, had no qualms with our relationship.

A flash of realization hit me.

...Could it be.

...She was a girl from the beginning?

I stared blankly at Stella’s face.

“It wasn’t intentional... Yeah...”

Stella, or rather, Alphen, blushed and covered her cheeks with her palms, just like the first time we met.

“Growing up, I learned a lot... When I see you, it... yeah... brings back old memories...”

“...”

The reason Stella blushed when she saw me.

The inexplicable kindness.

Her seemingly shy but subtly bold attitude.

All the pieces started to fall into place.

‘This is crazy. Really.’

...No wonder. She always covered her lower body with a towel when we bathed.

We couldn’t even do it a few times.

We didn’t meet for long, and our schedules didn’t align well later.

But.

It was just to avoid being found out.

Haha.

‘...What kind of curse has been cast on my school life?’

In the midst of the overwhelming chaos, I felt dizzy.

* * *