Extra in a Romance Fantasy

21 – Festival (3)

Time flowed once again, and finally, the morning of the festival dawned.

The academy was livelier than usual, welcoming the grand event of the festival.

Well, it was only natural, given the circumstances.

Aside from the increased excitement due to the festival, today was notably busier than usual simply because of the larger number of people.

Today, unusually, outsiders flocked to the academy in large numbers.

Though it wasn’t complete external openness, the fact that such a large number of outsiders entered the tightly controlled academy was a special occasion in itself.

Bringing in external personnel in large numbers was an unusual occurrence in the usual academy setting, but the festival day was one of the few exceptions.

The scale of the festival required a significant amount of materials and manpower.

Due to many academy students being unfamiliar with physical labor, being nobles, external help was inevitably brought in for such tasks.

Anyway, the festival had finally begun.

And that meant the morning of the promised day had dawned.

Passing by the elaborately dressed Jack, I left the dormitory and headed towards the promised meeting place, passing by those filled with the festivity’s liveliness and anticipation.

“Oh.”

I had intended to come out a bit early, but it seemed the other party had the same idea.

A familiar figure with radiant chestnut hair stood there.

Wearing the usual school uniform, exuding the same atmosphere as always.

My promised partner, Rachel Eldridge.

“….”

Looking at her again like this, she was undeniably a striking woman.

Wearing the same standardized uniform as everyone else, she still managed to attract attention.

It wasn’t just because of the red hair that flowed down to her shoulders and beyond; it was certainly a factor, but not the only one. Rather, it might be just an additional detail.

The gathering gazes weren’t solely because she was a beauty; it was as if she was a carefully crafted piece of art, with a sense of grace emanating from her well-balanced facial features.

Even just her face could capture many glances, but that wasn’t the only noticeable thing.

Slightly taller than the average woman, her elongated figure was undoubtedly one of her strengths.

Moreover, the curves her body traced were distinctly feminine.

In a somewhat unbalanced harmony with her graceful demeanor.

All these reasons combined made her the center of attention in this manner.

Well, in short, Rachel was a beauty.

Especially for men, it was hard not to be captivated by her.

After gazing at her for a while, I began to approach her.

It wasn’t a role I could keep her in for too long.

“Sorry. I’m late.”

I called out to her with a calm voice.

Naturally, her head turned towards me, and in her slightly lighter-colored, large eyes compared to her chestnut hair, my figure reflected.

“No, I haven’t been here for long.”

As she lightly tilted her head, a natural grace flowed from her welcoming gestures.

Being from a noble family, she must have received strict education in etiquette from a young age.

Rachel’s demeanor was no different from her usual self. Well, it was just a promise to stroll through the festival together.

“Shall we go, then?”

“Yes.”

At my suggestion, she finally lifted her foot from the spot. And so, we began walking side by side.

Heading towards the area where booths were spread out.

There was no special conversation; we simply walked. Yet, the time spent together was far from tedious.

Come to think of it, was it not the same feeling when I first met her?

Encountering her by chance on the terrace, I remember blurting out some awkward words to overcome the discomfort. Memories of regretting those words immediately after.

Fortunately, she continued the conversation, easing the awkwardness.

It was an unplanned encounter and conversation, but not unpleasant.

A passing connection, but one that left a memorable impression.

However, the connection with her did not end as a fleeting encounter.

She appeared in front of me once again, this time as a victim of dungeon training.

I hesitated, but in the end, I helped her.

I thought it was truly the end after that. Yet, even that expectation was defied.

For some reason, she ended up joining the historical research club.

Through such twists of fate, we find ourselves here now.

Thinking about it this way, I realize once again that life doesn’t always unfold as expected.

When we first met, I could not have imagined facing such a situation with her.

In a way, she herself is an unexpected presence to me, but I have no regrets about helping her.

“Whatever.”

I return my thoughts to reality, breaking free from my contemplation.

Although we made the promise, I didn’t think about a specific plan.

I judged that simply wandering around without a plan wouldn’t be boring.

After all, the festival area itself is vast, with a multitude of booths.

If you leisurely look back, it might take three days to see it all.

Moreover, there are attractions hired or planned by the academy scattered everywhere, so even without a plan, there shouldn’t be a big problem.

With that thought in mind, I continued walking.

***

Step by step.

I walk, matching my pace with my thoughts.

This ordinary act created a pleasant resonance in my heart.

Suppressing the naturally rising excitement, Rachel subtly shifted her gaze to the side.

There, walking side by side with her, was the guy, Wade.

The man with rare black hair and black eyes, as usual, walked with a calm expression.

His side profile made her feelings even more exhilarating.

They just stood there, walking side by side without any special conversation.

Nothing extraordinary was happening, but everything in this moment felt new to Rachel.

It was natural. This was the first time they had spent proper alone time together.

Originally, joining the club was to get closer to him, but it didn’t lead to any dramatic progress.

They just saw each other a few times a week, exchanged a few words.

Considering the original purpose, the progress was frustrating, but for Rachel, it was satisfying enough.

She was afraid that a too sudden approach might lead to undesirable results, but she found joy in the time and process itself.

The distance could slowly be narrowed.

Little by little, inch closer to him.

That was Rachel’s thinking.

Her thoughts began to change when a new person joined the club.

Yes, Ayla Librion, since she entered.

At first, Rachel welcomed Ayla as well.

There was no peculiar gaze from Ayla that others usually felt.

Unlike others who approached based on her family, Ayla’s gaze didn’t change even after knowing about Eldrid.

That fact made her happy.

Perhaps she could make a real friend, she thought.

But that expectation crumbled not long after.

Precisely when she noticed Ayla’s gaze toward Wade was peculiar.

Instinctively, she recognized it.

That Ira harbored emotions beyond mere liking for him.

Even though he seemed oblivious to it, Rachel sensed a looming crisis.

The thought that things couldn’t continue like this stabbed at her mind.

From then on, Rachel’s perception of Ira changed.

No longer as someone who could potentially be a friend, but as a rival.

Whether Ira consciously noticed something or it was unconscious, from a certain moment, she started to be cautious around her.

A subtle tension surrounded the two men.

If it had ended there, it would have been better.

When the renowned Princess Hohenberg began to show interest in him, everything went dark before his eyes.

It seemed to be just an interest for now, but even so, it was an incredibly dangerous situation.

The opponent was Estelle von Hohenberg.

She couldn’t afford to stay silent any longer; that’s what she thought.

So, Rachel took action.

Boldly, she suggested that they go together to the festival.

Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might leap out of her mouth, but fortunately, he accepted the proposal.

At that time, she was truly ecstatic. She thought she had seized a significant opportunity.

… After various incidents that led to a change in plans just a day later, she did feel a bit gloomy, to be honest.

Nevertheless, through such twists and turns, she arrived at the present.

Though it turned out differently than expected, Rachel still saw today as an opportunity.

Through today, through the stage of the festival, she planned to significantly narrow the distance between them.

In reality, she had hesitated a lot at first.

She, who originally had nothing but her lineage, now found herself in a state almost equivalent to losing even that lineage.

Could she really continue harboring feelings for him?

Were all her feelings just selfish desires, she wondered.

However, in the end, Rachel laid bare her thoughts.

She learned from him that giving up due to a difficult situation was not an option.

So, she decided to move forward, to avoid any regrets.

Without a doubt, today would yield great results.

That’s what she promised herself.

… However.

“Well, what should I do…?”

Due to her upbringing under the strict control of her parents since childhood, she not only lacked any dating experience but also had very few instances of even conversing with a man one-on-one.

While it’s possible to fill the void with knowledge from books when lacking experience, the novels and writings that could have served this purpose for her were also prohibited in her education, deeming them unsuitable. Thus, her indirect experiences with romantic relationships were limited to fairy tales featuring princesses and princes in the forest.

For someone like her, claiming to have an abundance of willpower, navigating such a situation skillfully was virtually impossible.

She racked her brain as much as she could, but she couldn’t progress to the next step.

And then, it happened.

Their hands brushed against each other.

It could be a common occurrence when walking side by side, but…

“Ah…!”

She let out a rare sound, startled, and stepped back.

“Hmm? Are you okay?”

Wade looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Um, I’m fine.”

Thanks to her effort to calmly respond with all her might, he nodded gently, turned his head again, and their steps resumed.

Rachel appeared outwardly unchanged, but internally…

“H-his, his hand…”

Her mind was in a blank state.

Her ambitious plan from a moment ago flew away in an instant.

The recent contact was too provocative for her.

This wasn’t the first time she had contact with him. During dungeon training, there were touches that didn’t even compare, and they had even hugged.

But back then, the situation was different, and more importantly, her feelings towards him were different now compared to then.

So, Rachel couldn’t regain her composure.

Even after that, she tried several times to suppress her emotions and make attempts to approach him, but those attempts bore no fruit.

If anything, she ended up more flustered or with a flushed face.

Rachel Eldridge.

It was a regrettable fact for her, but despite her ambitions, her heart was far too pure.