"Haaah..."
I let out a sigh, running my fingers over my lips.
This idiot.
I should have done something, whether it be accepting or rejecting.
I inwardly lamented, grabbing my head.
All of this was because of Luna.
Promising to answer Luna later, then getting engaged to Rie?
What a trashy move.
I couldn't study properly last night, nor could I sleep.
It was thrilling to think I had kissed Rie, but it was difficult to explain how things ended up like this.
Should I just accept this?
Or should I go there right now...
I shook my head.
I didn't have the confidence to reject.
"Seriously..."
Another sigh escaped me.
"Just give me some time to think..."
Suddenly confessing, and even sealing it with a kiss.
It was as shocking as a truck with broken brakes coming at you.
As I was wandering, lost in thought.
"Rudy Astria, why are you walking like that?"
Hearing my name, I turned my head.
"...Astina?"
In my line of sight, Astina was smiling.
"It's been a while."
Astina greeted me with a warm smile.
"Why are you... Wait, what?"
Astina was in her school uniform.
It didn't seem like she came for just a short visit.
"I'm allowed here, aren't I? Why are you making that expression?"
"I thought you were busy with something else... When did you arrive?"
"Just now. I saw you and called out."
Astina should have been undergoing her 3rd year practical period.
She was supposed to be receiving education as a successor.
I was expecting her around the start of the second semester.
Astina leaned slightly forward, narrowing her eyes.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"You must be busy with student council work and preparing for the finals. You have dark circles under your eyes."
"Yes... I guess so."
The reason for the dark circles was more because I didn't sleep properly last night.
But being busy was part of the reason, so she wasn't entirely wrong.
"So, how's your studying going?"
"It's not bad, just the usual."
"Then you must be working hard."
Astina said with a bright smile.
It made me happy to hear such a positive evaluation even when I said it was just the usual.
This feeling of complete trust wasn't bad.
"Where are the others?"
"...Others?"
"Luna and Rie. You're always with one of them, aren't you?"
"L-Luna and Rie..."
"Let's go see them. We can at least take a short break from studying for finals to see each other, right?"
I couldn't answer that.
How can I face Luna and Rie in this state?
Astina looked at me with scrutiny.
"…What have you done?"
"W-What do you mean... Why would you say that..."
"Hmm…"
Astina stroked her chin, pondering.
"Well, let's head to the student council for now."
"Yes... I understand."
Good.
The student council was a safer bet.
Rie had mentioned that she's been busy studying and hasn't been to the student council lately.
Luna rarely attended student council meetings, so the chances of them both being there were slim.
I headed towards the student council room with Astina.
Astina, returning to the academy after a long time, looked around with a pleasant smile.
"It feels familiar, even though it's only been half a year."
"Well, half a year isn't that long, after all."
"True, but it felt longer to me."
I chatted with Astina as we walked down the corridor.
Then, from afar.
"Oh, isn't that Rie?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Spotting Rie at the end of the corridor, I gasped.
Why was she there?
"Rie."
Astina called Rie's name with a smile and approached her.
Rie turned her head at the sound of her name.
"Astina?"
She looked at Astina with wide eyes, as surprised as I was to see her.
Just as her expression began to soften into a friendly smile, our eyes met.
"Ah."
Rie looked more shocked seeing me than when she saw Astina.
And then...
"Rie?"
Rie quickly turned around.
She began to run as soon as she turned.
"Huh?"
Without looking back, Rie sprinted away into the distance.
Astina, stunned by the sight, looked at me.
Avoiding her gaze, I pretended to be clueless.
"What did you do?"
"I-I didn't do anything."
"..."
Astina looked at me suspiciously.
She soon turned her attention away and said,
"Alright, let's head to the student council."
We continued walking and soon arrived near the student council room.
Voices could be heard from inside.
"So... I think Rie has a better chance. She has a good status and they tease each other a lot."
"You think? But I feel Rudy Astria might prefer Luna. Just from watching Rudy..."
It was an odd conversation.
Why were they discussing this?
Astina, listening at the door, turned her head.
"Oh... What an interesting conversation. Rudy Astria?"
Her eyes were sharp.
Astina wore an expression I'd never seen before.
She gritted her teeth, glaring at me.
"I, really... I didn't do anything..."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})It wasn't true that I didn't do anything.
I brought up the topic first to Luna.
The issue was that it was between me, Rie, and Luna.
So why were other people talking about it?
Astina, with a fierce expression, opened the student council office door.
"Whoa..."
"Who's...?"
Inside, there were Kuhn, Emily... and even Locke.
I'd heard Kuhn and Emily's voices from outside, but I hadn't known Locke was there too.
Upon seeing Astina, Locke's eyes widened.
"...Hello."
Locke greeted Astina politely.
Astina gave a smirk and nodded.
Her smirk held the fierceness I'd seen earlier.
The atmosphere was so tense, it felt like walking on thin ice.
Any outcry wouldn't have been surprising.
"Who, who are you...?"
Kuhn asked Astina with a confused look.
Anyone would be taken aback if a stranger showed such hostility.
I followed Astina into the student council office.
"Oh, Rudy...?"
"Ah."
Emily and Kuhn were visibly shocked upon seeing me.
Of course they would be.
They were in the middle of conversation.
They probably never imagined I'd suddenly appear.
Considering both Rie and I had mentioned we might not visit the student council for a while.
"Guys, greet Astina."
I said, glancing sternly at them.
Both Emily and Kuhn avoided my gaze, looking around uneasily.
Their wandering eyes finally settled on one person.
Locke.
They looked at the silent Locke as if pleading for help.
Noticing Emily and Kuhn's cues, Locke carefully spoke.
"...Did you perhaps hear?"
"Hmm... What are you talking about?"
"Ah."
Though her words suggested ignorance, Astina's gaze turned ice-cold.
Locke quickly deduced the situation.
"Astina, it's a pleasure to meet you, but I have other matters to attend to. I need to urgently meet a professor who's called for me."
Normally, Locke wasn't very talkative, but today, he spoke rapidly and at length.
"It's curious how, as soon as I arrive, you suddenly have something urgent?"
Astina looked at Locke, her head tilted, as if intrigued.
"It was something I had planned to do. I just dropped by to help some juniors. Now, I must..."
"Lo... Locke?"
Both Kuhn and Emily desperately called after the swiftly departing Locke.
Ignoring their calls, Locke disappeared like the wind.
"...Hmm. If they're gone, then so be it."
"…Ah, hello. My name is Kuhn…"
"I'm Emily, a first-year student. I'm not from the student council... I just came to help with some work…"
Kuhn and Emily hesitated on how to greet Astina.
It was understandable.
They already knew about Astina.
After all, they had occasionally asked questions about her to me and Rie.
We had described her as a good and charismatic person.
But seeing Astina now, she exuded even more charisma than before.
The two first-year students were too overawed to show their spirit.
It wasn't that they had done anything seriously wrong, but they had been talking about the student council president behind her back, which must have felt a bit unsettling.
In this situation, seeing Astina made them even more terrified.
Astina alternately looked at the two, who were losing their composure.
"The main instigator seems to have already run away... So, it's settled."
Astina relaxed her gaze and gave a gentle smile.
"Yes, I'm Astina Persia."
Seeing her expression, Kuhn and Emily seemed to relax.
It appeared they concluded she wouldn't cause them any trouble.
I knew Astina's personality well.
Such an expression meant...
"Alright."
Astina walked over and sat down in the president's chair.
"So, what were you two talking about?"
Emily and Kuhn's faces turned pale.
"It's like leaving a fish store to a cat."
Astina sighed.
Not that she thought she should be neglecting her heir studies and sticking around the academy.
Studying to be the successor was necessary.
What was more frustrating was Rudy, who stood confidently.
He seemed to be giving off an air of innocence, as if he had done nothing wrong.
He wasn't entirely wrong.
The two had debated whether Rudy suited Rie or Luna.
The problem was that such a conversation had taken place.
There was no reason for such a conversation to happen.
No smoke without fire.
Astina was certain that something had happened.
Especially the incident where Rie ran away just now.
Her face looked happy when she saw Astina.
Which meant, after seeing Rudy behind her, Rie chose to flee.
Astina assessed the situation coolly.
She had spent a long time away from Rudy.
They were in different grades, so they didn't spend much time together.
This couldn't continue.
Rudy was so oblivious that she had let things slide.
She hadn't anticipated the situation developing this way.
"Rudy, what are you doing after the finals?"
Astina turned her head and looked at Rudy beside her.
"Nothing special."
"Then clear your schedule."
"What time?"
"Let's have a meal."
Astina said that and was about to leave the student council room.
Something suddenly came to her mind.
Rudy's last birthday party.
Astina turned around and glared at Rudy menacingly.
"If you bring everyone like last time... I don't know what I might do."
"Oh, understood..."
Emily, who was next to them, widened her eyes in surprise.
Turning her head to look at Kuhn, she saw that he too had a shocked expression.
The two exchanged glances, thinking,
'T-There's no way... right?'
'T-That couldn't be.'
The two felt uneasy.
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