Extra in a Romance Fantasy

22 – Festival (4)

And so, the day spent with Rachel came to an end.

The second day of the festival had arrived.

My appointment for today was with Ai.

As the meeting time drew near, I finished my preparations and left the dormitory.

However, just after leaving the dormitory, my steps, which should have taken me straight to our meeting place, came to an abrupt halt.

“Oh, hello…!”

…For some reason, Ai was waiting in front of the dormitory.

The meeting place was clearly elsewhere.

No, that wasn’t the only puzzling aspect.

“Did I mention my dormitory to her?”

I can’t recall it well.

It feels like I might have said something, or maybe not.

“Well, I must have mentioned it at some point.”

The dormitory isn’t such crucial information to be deliberately kept secret.

Perhaps I mentioned it sometime before.

Or maybe I’ve become quite well-known recently, and she heard about me through rumors.

“Why didn’t you wait at the meeting place?”

“Oh, um… I thought it might be easier to go together from here than causing unnecessary trouble…”

Hmm, listening to her, it’s not entirely incorrect.

Initially, it was a bit surprising, but upon reflection, it does reduce the hassle.

“Well, that makes sense. Shall we go then?”

“Yes, yes…!”

And so, Ai and I started walking side by side.

How long did we walk like that? I stole a glance at her, her distinctively deep-blue cropped hair swaying as she walked beside me.

Though different from Rachel in every way, Ai possessed a striking appearance as well.

A petite stature, a youthful face, and those distinctively large, innocent deep-blue eyes unquestionably drew attention.

She might seem a bit younger compared to her peers, yet nobody would deny her attractiveness.

Well, rather than calling her beautiful, she suits more the description of being cute.

It’s as if there’s an innocent and endearing quality about her that subconsciously prompts one to want to pat her head if watching her quietly.

Of course, acting on that impulse would be incredibly rude, considering her.

Since we had arranged this meeting, I hoped it would be a day she could enjoy in her own way. Matching her pace, I slowly moved my feet, wishing for it to be a day she could savor.

Today, unlike yesterday, I had my own somewhat prepared plan.

Well, to be honest, it’s not a plan worthy of the name.

I just had a rough idea of the course.

I focused on planning a course that avoids the booths I visited yesterday as much as possible and inserted reputable booths or performances heard through word of mouth at various places.

It seemed more natural to experience things I haven’t experienced before. Plus, showing lukewarm reactions wouldn’t be polite to the child I’m accompanying.

Well, I do have a desire to simply experience something new.

… Anyway, for now, it’s better to move according to the plan.

***

Since the dungeon incident, Ayra’s daily life has changed quite a bit.

More precisely, after transferring to the History Research Club.

Originally, she belonged to a club that studied and trained in swordsmanship.

However, it was more like she joined due to following the regulations rather than having a genuine interest in the club.

So, there was no hesitation when she transferred clubs.

Of course, her shift to the History Research Club wasn’t due to an interest in history.

It was purely because of a young man named Wade Heblon.

Wanting to repay him for the great favor during the dungeon incident, Ayra switched to the History Research Club for that purpose.

To be by his side, to protect him.

Investigating about him led her to know about the History Research Club for the first time.

While it wasn’t unusual for an academy to have various peculiar clubs, the History Research Club had suspicious aspects.

Questions like why it existed in a building no one used anymore and how the club was maintained with a minimal number of members unanswered.

However, Ayra didn’t pay much attention to those things.

They weren’t important to her, as there were other matters that concerned her more.

Namely, a woman named Rachel Eldred.

Rachel Eldred.

The famous Eldred’s concubine and the one who entered the History Research Club before Ayra.

And, like her, a woman saved by Wade.

While Ayra had heard rumors about Wade and Rachel even before joining the club, she didn’t know that she had joined a similar club.

So, after joining the History Research Club, she learned about this fact and felt an inexplicable frustration at that moment.

The stifling feeling’s origin was indiscernible, yet it was unmistakably far from pleasant.

However, that didn’t mean Aira distanced herself from Rachel.

Rachel, the woman, didn’t seem all that bad.

Since they were in the same club, Aira thought it best to build a friendly relationship.

But even that didn’t last long.

At some point, she began noticing cautionary signals coming from Rachel.

Aira relatively quickly grasped the reason.

Rachel harbored emotions verging on affection for Wade and began to perceive her as a rival.

It was an absurd misunderstanding.

Rachel was merely by his side out of pure intentions—to repay a debt of gratitude and protect him.

However, dispelling that misunderstanding wouldn’t be easy.

Merely explaining everything wouldn’t necessarily make them believe without a doubt.

How could this be resolved amicably?

In Aira’s contemplation, one thought flashed across her mind: ‘Is it really necessary to dispel this misunderstanding?’

Her goal was singular.

To protect him and repay her debt.

But protection didn’t merely entail safeguarding from physical threats or immediate dangers.

In a broader sense, it meant safeguarding him and his life.

Apart from blades and daggers, there were many dangers in the world. And one of them was ‘relationships with the opposite s*x.’

Meeting one man or woman could change or even ruin one’s life.

Hence, Aira was well aware, through books and the wisdom of ancient sages, that caution was necessary when encountering the opposite s*x.

Therefore, to genuinely safeguard his life, she might need to pay attention to such aspects.

That realization dawned on her.

And from that perspective, Rachel Eldridge seemed to be a woman worth keeping an eye on.

There were no flaws in her appearance, skills, or grades. However, observing how she was excessively guarded prompted Aira to conclude that she might possess a somewhat possessive inclination.

For his sake, Aira felt the need to be cautious of Rachel.

The somewhat fortunate aspect was that Rachel wasn’t overtly aggressive.

While it was evident she harbored goodwill towards him, she didn’t actively pursue him.

Aira momentarily eased her guard at that sight, but she soon had to raise her caution levels again.

A more dangerous individual appeared.

Estelle von Reinberg.

The next emperor of Reinberg, a tyrant acknowledged by everyone.

Such a person stood before him.

She was a woman who was even more dangerous than Rachael.

Literally someone who could ruin his life in an instant.

Of course, even though Ira’s guard was sharp, she was not in a position to actually do anything.

The opponent was someone unstoppable by Ira’s power.

In the end, Ira had to wait anxiously for the outcome.

Please, I hope he doesn’t fall for her scheme.

Maybe his desperation reached her, as she showed no sign of being swayed and seemed to rather dislike Estelle.

However, I still couldn’t completely relax.

At the moment, he seemed resolute, but if he were subjected to constant temptation, he might waver.

And the event that worried him was approaching.

The festival event.

Ira realized that Estelle and other women aiming for him would seize the opportunity of the festival stage.

The fact that this could be an extremely dangerous move.

How could he stop that? The answer to that concern came easier than expected.

He realized that he could protect him from danger by making an appointment with himself and occupying his time.

Ira went down that path to find him.

But at that time, Rachael had already made a move.

After going through various processes, Rachael ultimately couldn’t monopolize him, but it wasn’t a satisfactory result for Ira.

It was somewhat disappointing, but what’s already happened can’t be changed.

Ira decided to protect him well for the given day.

From what I heard, the festival is a chaotic event where many lovers are born and numerous mistakes are made.

I couldn’t let my guard down because I couldn’t know what danger would aim at him.

And the day of the promised meeting arrived.

Ira decided to wait for him in front of his dormitory instead of the promised place.

Because that way, she could meet him faster… No, because she thought it could prevent any unforeseen events.

She already knew where his dormitory was through investigation, so there was no problem.

After waiting in front of the dormitory for dozens of minutes, he finally emerged.

Upon spotting Aira, he appeared slightly surprised, but the astonishment was quickly overcome.

Then, they began walking side by side towards the festival area.

Midway through their steps, Aira raised her head to gaze at the young man.

The young man’s appearance was as usual.

With the usual expression, he walked as he always did.

There was no hint of tension in his movements.

Aira felt a slight sense of disappointment in that fact.

She couldn’t understand the reason for her disappointment.

However, she quickly dispelled that feeling.

It was the long-awaited festival day.

While the purpose was to protect him, it would be a disrespect if she didn’t fully enjoy it herself.

Knowing this, Aira had prepared a detailed plan down to the minutes for today.

However, she didn’t take out the plan.

Because she learned that he had prepared a plan of his own.

Even though he seemed indifferent, he was secretly paying attention.

He, too, was anticipating today in his own way.

Realizing this fact, the corners of Aira’s mouth curled up. Ironically, she was unaware of it herself.

Whether the issue was the heightened excitement or the constant fixation on him throughout the journey, Aira collided with the crowd of the festival.

Already petite and lightweight, she lost balance under the force of the crowd.

Her body leaned as if about to fall.

However, it wasn’t a significant problem for her.

Regaining balance lost in a moment was not a difficult task for her.

Aira moved her body to correct her posture.

At that moment, he noticed her predicament and turned his body.

His position was perfectly situated to block the path of her falling.

If she couldn’t recover balance and fell, she would seamlessly end up in his arms – such a perfect position.

Realizing this fact, Aira, who had casually envisioned that future in her mind—

Abandoned her efforts to regain balance and, in the next moment, embraced his arms just as she had pictured.

Due to the difference in physique, she had completely melted into his embrace.

His body heat enveloped her, and his scent settled on her.

“Are you okay?”

His voice came from right above her head.

He’s worried.

Then she should quickly detach herself and show that she’s perfectly fine.

Although she said that in her mind, she didn’t immediately leave his embrace.

“Miss Aira?”

Finally, after his worried voice echoed once again, she pulled away from his embrace.

“Sorry, I… lost my balance for a moment.”

“No need to apologize. But more importantly, is your body okay?”

“Yes, thank you…”

Aira nodded, slightly bowing her head.

“That’s a relief.”

With a relieved expression, the man nodded, and the two who had stopped began walking again.

She had only momentarily lost her balance, and her walking was perfectly fine now.

Outwardly, that is.

Aira maintained a calm exterior, while internally, she repeatedly replayed the recent situation, feeling the lingering warmth and scent that remained from him, and convincing herself that the pounding of her heart was just due to surprise.