Chapter 22

After filling our stomachs, we wandered around, looking at the exhibits set up in various stalls and classrooms. Perhaps we were starting to get the hang of enjoying the festival. We strolled aimlessly, stopping at any store that caught our interest. Before we knew it, Wendy was no longer leading us, and we felt like the three of us were enjoying the event side by side.

Since we were nearby, we decided to take a look at the clothing exhibit that Everest and Ely were putting on. They had rented a classroom to promote the clothes Ely had made.

As we approached the classroom, we could hear the high-pitched voices of female students, and it was clear they were having a good time. We squeezed through the male students who were peering into the classroom from the hallway—probably because it was difficult for them to enter with only girls inside—and entered the room.

"Beautiful..."

A sigh of admiration escaped Wendy's lips. In front of her, Everest was walking down the runway in a beautiful dress, exuding confidence. Yes, it was a fashion show. This was something I had suggested. When we gathered to practice for the play, Everest and the others had mentioned that a mere clothing exhibit wouldn't be enough, so I introduced them to the concept of a fashion show. They immediately got excited and started planning.

The show featured two models taking turns wearing different outfits. Naturally, one of them was Everest, and the other was Ely's friend named Olivia.

"You know, all of you in your generation—especially the theater group—seem to be really talented," Wendy said.

"Perhaps it's because the leader is so excellent," I said with a knowing smile, and Wendy made a face as if she were exasperated.

"It's frustrating that I can't deny it."

"Indeed."

When the show ended, Everest came over to us. She had apparently seen us enter the classroom from the runway.

"How did you like our show?"

Everest asked me.

"I was reminded once again that beauty is a talent," I replied.

Everest, in a way that's hard to describe, has a presence that is captivating. From the way she walks to everything else, she naturally draws attention.

"Of course!" Everest said, puffing out her chest proudly.

"You know, if you're going to compliment someone, do it more clearly. You could say something like, 'You looked beautiful' or 'You looked cute.' Right, Altorcello? She looked incredibly beautiful. I was overwhelmed."

"I'm honored! Senior Dalton, are you touring with Roy today?"

"Yes, with Ruby as well, making it a group of three."

"Is that so... It's an unusual combination. But it seems to be working out well!"

Everest clasped her hands in front of her chest and looked at Wendy with sparkling eyes, making Wendy flinch.

"R-Really?"

"Yes! Senior Dalton looks more cheerful than usual, which makes her even more attractive."

"Thank you."

Wendy seemed flustered. I had thought Everest was the type to be envied by older girls, but she seemed to be quite well-liked. I had even heard that the serious student council president was very lenient with Everest. ...Just as I was thinking this, I spotted the student council president watching Everest from a distance. She was clearly a fan.

Since Everest and Wendy were deep in conversation and the classroom was full of female students, making it uncomfortable, Ruby and I decided to go outside first. I had dragged Ruby along, but I wondered if he had found it boring.

"Was it boring?"

"No, the staging was interesting."

The staging, huh. He has a unique perspective. Maybe it's because he likes writing novels.

We waited outside the classroom for a while, and then Wendy came out, looking around. When she saw us, she looked relieved.

We walked aimlessly again. As we moved from the exposed hallway to a small square, we saw a crowd gathered. At the center, a puppet show was taking place.

I had heard that Ruby likes puppet shows. I looked at his side profile, but he seemed to be acting normally and didn't appear particularly captivated. Earlier, when we were wandering around, he had been drawn to a classroom displaying modern literature.

"That club's puppet show is quite impressive," Wendy said, pointing.

"Is it?"

"They're sometimes invited to famous theaters. That's what one of them said. Look, the girl moving the puppet on the left. She used to be my friend..."

The fact that she said "used to be" suggested they might have had a falling out.

"Can I go take a closer look?"

"Sure, I'll wait here."

Wendy leaned against the stone wall separating the square from the hallway.

"Got it. Ruby, are you coming too?"

"Sure."

Ruby nodded.

Ruby and I pushed through the crowd to get a better view of the puppet's movements. As Wendy had said, it was impressive. The puppets moved freely, controlled by strings attached to the students' fingers, and the story unfolded smoothly. The movements were so fluid, it was as if they were real people.

Observing the connection between the students' fingers and the puppet's movements, I felt a sense of unease. I wondered if the puppets were a type of magical artifact, so I sent magic power to my eyes to confirm.

The strings were flickering. Magic power was being sent to the puppets intermittently. Indeed, the puppets were magical artifacts.

After the show ended, the club members started cleaning up. I approached one of the students who had been operating the puppets, going against the flow of the departing audience.

"The puppet show was interesting."

"Thank... Oh!"

She opened her eyes wide when she saw my face.

"Are those puppets magical artifacts?"

"Y-Yes."

"What's the mechanism? It looked like you were sending magic power through the strings."

"Wow, you're sharp. I don't know the details, but they're called magic strings. You can adjust the movements by controlling which strings to send magic power to... But I think you probably know more about it, right?"

The girl turned to Ruby.

"Is that so?"

"I know the mechanism."

When I asked, Ruby turned to me and answered. It seemed he knew things about Ruby that I didn't.

"Hey, are you two... close friends with Wendy?"

Before I could ask about the magic strings, the girl hesitantly asked us. She was glancing at Wendy over our shoulders.

"We're treated very well."

I answered, and Ruby nodded slightly.

"Is that so... I saw you guys eating lunch earlier, and Wendy looked happy. ...Did she say anything about me?"

"I heard you used to be friends."

"Oh..."

"Is it because of Liam Dalton?"

The girl lowered her eyes and nodded.

"...I'm the worst. It's not Wendy's fault."

"That's true."

The school is a small society, so I couldn't blame her for keeping her distance from Wendy. But I didn't want to say anything to comfort her. I just didn't like it.

The girl didn't say anything more. I turned away from her. Ruby, who seemed uninterested in her internal conflict, turned as if waiting for the conversation to end.

"Hey, where did she go?"

Wendy, whom we thought was waiting where we had parted, was nowhere to be seen.

"There."

Ruby pointed to the right. I saw Wendy sitting on a bench, talking to an adult woman. The woman, who exuded a strong presence, was Lily Livy—Ruby's mother.

"So, Ruby's mother is here too. But why is she with Senior Wendy?"

Those two being together was not a good sign. Wendy was in the position of being the sister of a student who had bullied Ruby.

I approached the bench at a quick pace.

"Oh, it's Roy. How are you enjoying the festival?"

Lily greeted me casually, as if nothing had changed since the last time we met. She probably didn't know that Wendy was Liam's sister.

"Yes, I'm enjoying it more than I expected. By the way, you're here too, Lily?"

"I just arrived a little while ago. I was wandering around, and I happened to run into Wendy, so we started talking. Right, Wendy?"

Wendy's shoulders twitched.

"Y-Yes."

Wendy seemed nervous. Lily, knowing about Wendy, had deliberately approached her, but what was her intention?

"Um... Are you two acquainted?"

"Yes. I came to the school once before because of the bullying issue, and Wendy apologized to me then."

"I see."

"But we only had a brief conversation then, so I'm glad to be able to talk to you today. It helps me gauge whether you're an ally or an enemy."

Lily stared at Wendy as if observing her.

"Um... Well..."

Wendy flinched. Lily's gaze, though not threatening, had a cold, clinical quality that was unsettling.

"She's an ally."

Ruby, coming to Wendy's aid, said clearly.

"Yes, I think so too."

Lily smiled, and the tension in the air dissipated.

Lily stood up and extended her hand to Ruby, who took it.

"Ruby, let's go."

"Okay."

"Wendy and Roy, it was nice to meet you. Please continue to be good friends with Ruby."

"Y-Yes."

"Of course."

Wendy and I answered, and Lily smiled gently. Then, the mother and son walked slowly into the school building, holding hands.

After they left, Wendy exhaled deeply and leaned back on the bench.

"That... was scary..."

Wendy said in a thin voice I had never heard before. She seemed to be completely drained from the extreme tension.

Since she couldn't move for a while, I sat down on the bench too.

"I think you made a good impression."

"Me?"

"Yes. Lily loves Ruby, so she likes those who are close to Ruby."

"Oh, you're right... She seemed nice to you from the start... How long have you known each other? You call her Lily so casually."

"We met recently, but she seemed to know about me. Apparently, our mothers are childhood friends."

"Hmm? But it makes sense."

"What do you mean?"

"Thinking about it, she seems like a researcher. And the fact that you call her Lily, and that your mother is her childhood friend, makes a lot of sense. They have a similar aura."

"You know my mother?"

"Of course. She's often in the news."

"Oh, right."

Lately, Elsa has been getting more media exposure, often described as the ace of the royal research institute. Her caricatures appear in newspapers and magazines, which is probably how Wendy recognized her.

"I've only seen her in pictures, but is your mother really like that?"

Wendy looked at me with interest. To me, she doesn't seem as cold as the media portrays her. Elsa is actually quite warm—wait, what am I thinking? Just because she showed a rare maternal side recently doesn't mean she's suddenly a good mother. Elsa is still Elsa.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Wow, she's beautiful. And you're not bad-looking either."

We were talking about the atmosphere, but somehow the conversation had shifted to appearance. Since it's true that my face isn't bad, I didn't deny it.

"Your intelligence isn't bad either, right?"

"The bad part is your cheeky personality."

"I'll admit that."

"Hehe. You admit it. But maybe that's why we get along. I have a pretty bad personality too."

Wendy laughed. She usually has a serious face, but it was refreshing to see this side of her.