"Ah, damn."
Instead of responding, Andrew silently let out a rough sigh.
Of all the times to run into him, it had to be when he was with Sally.
Andrew didn't want Theo and Sally to run into each other.
That gaze Sally had when she looked at Theo during the 2v2 tournament...
Andrew still remembered it vividly.
'This is bad.'
As proof, the pupils of Sally's eyes somehow seemed to twinkle as she looked at Theo.
"Hello, Theo."
Sally was the first to greet Theo, looking at him.
Although Sally's eyes didn't actually look different, they seemed somehow different in Andrew's view.
Theo accepted Sally’s greeting.
"Nice to see you, Sally.”
"Oh my, remembering my name. Thank you, Theo."
"We competed against each other once. I wouldn’t forget."
"Ah yes, you were truly amazing back then. I didn’t expect it. You instantly negated Andrew’s Fire Field."
"I didn't know whether it would be possible, given Andrew's powerful magic, but fortunately, luck was on my side."
Theo modestly downplayed himself while lifting Andrew up.
That relaxed demeanor only intensified Andrew's anxiety.
"You’re quite different from the rumors, Theo."
Sally smiled warmly at Theo.
That smile only deepened Andrew’s unease.
'She’s showing that smile to Theo.'
Sally usually had a bright and cheerful smile, but through Andrew’s eyes, it seemed vastly different.
"Rumors?"
Theo questioned Sally's words.
Finally, Theo revealed his true colors.
The rogue has started taking an interest in his precious girl.
'Theo, I admit that guy is cool. But after Aisha, I can’t lose Sally too!'
Of course, Andrew had never 'had' either Aisha or Sally.
But being dominated by anxiety, simply watching Theo and Sally talk was hard for Andrew.
His pupils began to flutter wildly.
Sally, with wide eyes, spoke as she looked at Theo.
"Oh, please don’t misunderstand~. It’s just that since you don't talk much and adhere well to noble etiquette, there is talk within the Knight Department that you’re quite cold.”
Sally explained delicately to ensure Theo wasn’t offended.
The explanation was also very diluted.
Whenever Theo showed himself in the Knight Department, he showed more affection than normally seen from him to Irene, who was famously known as the ‘Cold-hearted.’
This created rumors.
Also, after Theo was spotted hanging out with Siena and Aisha, more rumors circulated, such as his dream being to build a harem empire.
Theo, unaware of the fact, spoke.
"That's not incorrect."
"To me, it seems incorrect. Theo, you seem quite kind."
"Is that so?"
"Yes!"
Sally continued to beam warmly at Theo.
'Ki-kind...? Him...?'
Andrew’s mental defenses began to crumble at the sight.
However, Andrew, a competent student who ranked 9th in the first year of the Hero Department, quickly hypnotized himself.
'No, no. Pull yourself together, Andrew Jackson.'
Today, he had asked Sally out on a date for the Academy Festival.
They had eaten together, enjoyed desserts, and watched festival performances together.
Isn’t this practically like being in a romantic relationship?
Initially, if she wasn't interested in him, Sally wouldn’t have accepted his invitation.
Even if Theo is a fantastic guy, she wouldn’t easily abandon her boyfriend.
"Ahem, hem."
Andrew cleared his throat, steadying his mind.
Theo, having lost interest in Sally, looked at Andrew.
"By the way, Andrew, I asked what brings you here?"
"Can't you tell, Theo? I came to sign up for the beauty contest."
"You too?"
"?"
Andrew found the statement “You too?” a bit odd but decided not to dwell on it.
There are only a few reasons why a guy would sign up for a beauty contest.
“Obviously, I came to register on behalf of Sally."
It’s not uncommon for boyfriends to register their girlfriends for beauty contests.
Blatantly proclaiming, 'I’m pretty~' can be somewhat off-putting, so the boyfriend sacrifices himself to do it.
The aim can also be to boast, 'I’m with such a beautiful girl. Jealous, aren’t you guys?'
Theo’s expression darkened a bit at Andrew’s words.
“...Hmm.”
“What’s wrong, Theo? Didn’t you come to sign up Aisha and Siena on their behalf? I don’t see your fiancée around.”
Andrew said, having spotted Aisha and Siena standing at a distance.
However, Theo’s response was not what Andrew anticipated.
“No, I intend to participate.”
Theo shook his head.
Andrew laughed.
“Hahaha. Your jokes are good, Theo. It’s surprising that you can joke.”
“No, I’m serious.”
Theo’s expression was dead serious.
“...”
Andrew’s mind plunged into confusion.
Inside the Knight Department classroom where Theo, Aisha, and Siena were just a moment ago.
Having completed his application, Theo received skincare and hair styling from Aisha.
Tap, tap, tap, tap─
Aisha held a pad in her hand and quickly tapped Theo's face.
Her well-practiced hand movements were smooth.
“Hmm. As expected, there's no real need for skin tone correction, and there are no blemishes to cover. Indeed, the heir of the Waldeurk family has excellent skin.”
“Then isn’t there no need to do this, Aisha?”
“No, no. Theo, the smallest details are so important. The purpose of this work is to make your facial features more distinct even when viewed from a distance. The beauty contest is the most popular event after the top three, so there will be many spectators.”
Theo nodded slightly at Aisha's logic.
“Do as you wish.”
“Yes, just trust me. But honestly, there's not much more to do. Your lips are naturally red, so not touching them will look more natural······ and that's it for the skin!”
In less than three minutes, Aisha finished tending to Theo's skin.
Theo, looking into the mirror, spoke.
“Is it over now?”
“No, the important part starts now. A man’s hair is paramount! Naturally, the man who will become the heir of the Waldeurk family knows this, right?”
Aisha pulled a magical hairdryer and a roller comb out of her bag.
Unlike modern hair dryers, the magical dryer doesn’t need to be plugged into an outlet.
Whiiiiing──
It operated immediately upon pressing the button.
“Men look great with swept-back hair. I've only seen your hair swept back when you were younger, so let's try it again after so long.”
“Will I be able to win like this?”
"Oh, if only you utilized your assets a bit more, life would be so much easier."
“······Do as you wish.”
“I was going to do so anyway. Actually, when you applied for the beauty contest, Theo, I saw the list of participants. There were more unconventional beauties than traditional ones. So, let’s go traditional."
Aisha lifted Theo’s front hair at the roots, giving it volume.
Just like when she was tapping with the cushion, her hand movements were smooth and confident.
“Hmm.”
Theo looked in the mirror.
His normally androgynous appearance now gave off a more masculine vibe.
“Wow─ You should always style your hair like this. It’s much better.”
Aisha, having finished the hair styling, flashed a proud smile.
“Does it suit me?”
“Yes, I told you, a man’s charm is in his hair, right? Why do you always wear it down?”
“It's annoying.”
Since the knowledge of the 'real' Theo remained in his mind, he could handle hair styling easily.
He could even leave it to Amy.
But the reason he doesn’t is solely out of inconvenience.
While training, sweat inevitably ruins any hairstyle.
Aisha responded with a tinge of displeasure.
"...That's quite unlike you. You choose and apply a different perfume for going out, don’t you?"
"I can't help it."
It cannot be helped.
From the first day he inhabited this body, he had been severely scolded for not spraying on perfume.
‘Hmm, come to think of it, that's strange.’
Now, I have control over [Twisted Noble's Dignity] to a certain extent.
But he's still not in control when it comes to his body's smell.
To the point where he can feel the ‘real’ Theo’s disdain for emitting a smell in front of others.
Hence, he showers at least three times a day.
Why is that?
'Well, wondering now is useless. It doesn't seem to be anything important anyway.'
Quickly shaking off the concern, Theo looked at Aisha.
"By the way, Aisha, I have something I'm curious about."
"What is it?"
"Why don't you participate in the beauty contest?"
At Theo's question, Aisha paused for a moment to consider her response.
“Everyone knows I’m pretty, so there’s no need to go out of my way to prove it.”
Aisha gave a plausible answer.
However, that was not the real reason why Aisha did not participate in the beauty contest.
