Chapter 40
“Can we really go this far?”
“Haha, don’t worry about it. I had a good time too.”
My hands were full of shopping bags.
It feels like I just bought enough clothes for the next three years, regardless of the season.
“And didn’t the shop owner give you half of those for free?”
That’s true as well.
‘It’s a waste if someone like you doesn’t wear clothes like these, oppa!’
She said that while handing me all kinds of flamboyant clothing.
Of course, I tried them on.
Is this what it felt like to be the main character in those old dress-up flash games?
‘I thought it would take about ten minutes.’
When I snapped back to reality, two hours had already passed.
“That was exhausting…”
“Surprising. Don’t men enjoy shopping for clothes?”
Reina tilted her head.
“Well, as long as it doesn’t stand out too much, I’m fine.”
“That’s unusual.”
It’s strange to be in a world where not liking clothes shopping as a man is considered unusual.
I still can’t get used to this world.
“Come to think of it, you do seem different from most men.”
“Do I?”
“How should I put it… You feel more like a woman?”
“…That’s a compliment, right?”
“Who knows? It depends on how you take it. But.”
Reina gave a slight smile and brushed her hair back.
A cozy restaurant.
Soft classical music played, mingling with the sweet scent of wine.
Lifting her glass, she spoke.
“I don’t mind. That part of your personality.”
“…….”
Seriously, what’s going on with her?
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Suit yourself.”
As we exchanged small talk, the food we ordered arrived.
Two medium steaks, perfectly sized, accompanied by bread and soup.
‘Oh.’
The sizzling sound was quite appetizing.
“Go ahead.”
“Then I won’t hold back…!”
I picked up my knife, my mouth watering.
***
So far, based on my investigation of Lan.
He was more unusual than I thought.
‘He’s a man, but he doesn’t act like one.’
There were none of the timid or sensitive traits typically seen in men in his tone or behaviour.
In fact, there were moments when he seemed more feminine than I did.
‘Fascinating.’
Reina mused as she took a bite of her steak.
‘He’s clearly an extraordinarily handsome man.’
But being around him didn’t feel uncomfortable, rather, it was calming.
Isn’t that what men are supposed to be like?
Prone to sulking, taking half a day to cheer up, overly jealous, and exhausting to have by your side.
‘Like flowers filled with poison and thorns.’
They’re beautiful to look at, but the moment you try to possess or break them, you suffer for it.
A poisonous flower.
That’s why Reina wasn’t fond of men.
She had siblings to take care of, and a family to revive.
There was no time, or interest, to spend on just one man.
But Lan was different.
Rather than seeking to be cared for, he preferred to care for others.
Rather than being a burden, he chose to lighten the load.
‘He’s more like…’
She felt as if she had found a friend, someone she could truly connect with.
A friendship that transcended gender.
For the first time, she didn’t feel exhausted by having a man by her side.
‘Huhu.’
Even though this meeting was arranged at Sir Karen’s request.
With someone like him, it felt like they could easily grow closer.
“Eat up. The steak is well-cooked.”
Reina casually jabbed at her steak with a fork, popping it into her mouth.
Although the northern way of eating would involve tearing meat off the bone,
she knew that was not appropriate in a restaurant like this.
“Yes, then…”
Lan picked up the outermost fork and knife.
“Thank you for the meal.”
He carefully sliced a piece of steak and put it in his mouth.
“Mmm!”
A happy smile spread across his face.
He tore the bread into small pieces, dipped it into the soup, and ate quietly, avoiding making any noise as he chewed and swallowed.
“Ho…”
Reina watched him curiously.
‘His table manners are flawless.’
He performed every gesture with the refined etiquette expected of someone from a high-ranking family.
For Reina, it was something she knew but didn’t bother to follow because it was too tedious.
“This is delicious. Really good.”
Lan adhered strictly to the rules.
It seemed like second nature to him.
‘How?’
Lan wasn’t from a high-ranking family.
Nor was he the child of a nouveau riche or local nobility.
So how could he possess such natural table manners?
‘Suspicious…’
Just as a seed of doubt began to sprout in her mind,
“…Professor, are you just going to watch or are you going to eat too?”
Lan pouted as he looked at her.
That’s when she realized.
She had been staring at him the entire time.
“Sorry about that. I spaced out for a moment.”
“You’re not tipsy from just one glass of wine, are you?”
“Hah, in the Northern Region, this level of alcohol is like drinking water.”
Reina turned her gaze away and sipped her wine.
‘That wasn’t like me.’
Without realizing it, she had been watching Lan’s eating habits the entire time.
‘Still…’
It wasn’t completely baseless behaviour.
How should she put it?
‘He’s always acted very feminine.’
But when it came to eating, his actions were undeniably ‘masculine.’
An unexplainable feeling surged within her.
It was what some call ‘unexpected charm.’
“Mmm~! The heat control here is amazing.”
“The chef here is said to be from a volcanic region. People from there are skilled with fire.”
“No wonder. I’d love to learn their techniques.”
“…Do you cook?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m particularly good, but I do enjoy it.”
Cooking, huh.
Reina imagined Lan cooking.
‘Thank you for your hard work today! I made your favourite fried dish.’
Welcoming her home with an apron on…
“This is ridiculous…!”
Thud!
Reina slammed her head onto the table.
“P-Professor…?”
“Don’t mind me… I was just swatting a bug.”
“Why would you swat a bug with your head?”
She tried to shake off the improper thoughts crawling into her mind.
‘What am I thinking?!’
Lan was someone that Sir Karen had his eye on, and he was her student, after all.
And just a moment ago, she had thought of him as a good friend.
‘I still have a long way to go in training my mind!’
Think of the family.
Think of the day the name of Winter burned into the flames!
Remember the final moments of her family buried in the cold snow!
‘For the glory I will one day rebuild.’
To focus on some young man was nonsensical…
“Oh, there really was a bug.”
Lan noticed the small red mark on her forehead and picked up a napkin.
“Next time, just use your hand to catch it. You’ll break the table like that.”
His small hand touched her forehead.
Their bodies drew closer, their faces inches apart.
His black hair and eyes gleamed like obsidian.
His white face, framed by slightly long eyelashes.
A faint, sweet scent lingered (the wine).
Flustered!
“A… Uh…”
For some reason, she felt blood rushing to her face.
Her body had been feeling weaker, losing strength, ever since earlier…
Snatch!
She grabbed his hand and took the napkin.
“That’s enough… I can clean it myself.”
No matter how much she rubbed her forehead,
the burning heat would not fade.
***
After filling themselves up at the restaurant,
they ended up having dessert at Reina’s suggestion.
“Cake, huh?”
“It may not seem like it, but I’m quite fond of it. You get sugar and calories at the same time.”
“Well, that’s quite the practical reason.”
They each ate chocolate cake and whipped cream cake.
Midway through, Reina suddenly asked,
“By the way, you’re on the list for the ‘Festival of Stars,’ along with Elma.”
The Festival of Stars.
It was one of the major events held at the start of the school year.
It symbolizes one of Polaris’s core values—three key words:
Succession.
Growth.
Awakening.
The festival represents ‘Succession.’
“Senior Elma must think highly of me. She was the one who suggested it.”
There’s a condition for participating in the festival.
The top five students from the third and fourth years each choose a first-year student to form a pair.
So, there are a total of 10 teams.
That means 20 people participate in the festival directly, while the rest are spectators.
“Elma is certainly capable. In terms of pure grades, she’s the most fitting for the top spot.”
She also holds the position of vice president of the student council.
If it weren’t for Fernia being the likely candidate for the next emperor, Elma would probably be the president by now.
“To catch her eye, that’s quite impressive.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Professor.”
“Ahem…”
After all, it was Reina who had asked Elma to keep an eye on him.
Because of her, Lan could participate in the festival with ease.
After finishing their dessert, they finally parted ways.
“Phew.”
The schedule ended up being longer than expected, but it wasn’t all bad.
He got new clothes, ate a nice meal.
‘More importantly,’
Fwoooo-!
He had recharged quite a bit of cold energy.
‘There are so many uses for Qi with attributes.’
While spending time with Reina, he had been slowly gathering Qi.
“Productive, indeed.”
Although he didn’t know the exact date,
he could sense it.
‘It’s soon.’
The next fateful event—‘The Distortion.’
And to claim the reward from winning the Festival of Stars.
“I feel like I’m using you, Professor. Sorry?”
He couldn’t afford to waste even a single day.
He chuckled quietly as he gathered the frost and ice that had formed in his hand.
—
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