As soon as Lucia and I left the classroom, I spotted Casey idly staring into space in the hallway.
People passing by were watching the decorations from other classes.
“Hey, kid! Are you bored?”
“Who are you calling a kid?”
Calling her a kid made her mad.
My height may have surpassed hers now, but Casey still occasionally called me a kid.
“Looks like you have nothing to do. Want to join us for the festival?”
“Me?”
“Atlas?? With us??”
When I invited Casey to join us, Lucia was taken aback.
Of course, their relationship was still rocky because of their not-so-great first impression.
“… It seems like the person next to you doesn’t like it…?”
“Isn’t that okay, Lucia?”
“I…”
Lucia seemed hesitant, but I held her hand tightly and pleaded.
“Please, the kid still lacks a lot and needs my care.”
“Ugh… fine…”
I could tell Lucia reluctantly agreed, but I couldn’t leave Casey behind.
“See? It’s fine.”
“Who are you calling a dimwit!!”
Casey yelled angrily.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to come; she just didn’t like being called lacking.
“You might get stabbed again like that, you know.”
Casey glanced at Lucia, who was reluctantly agreeing, and said.
“Who would stab me?”
“Except for you, of course.”
“Are you really pretending not to know?”
“So are you going with us or not?”
“… I guess I’ll go.”
“Ugh….”
When Casey finally agreed, Lucia shot her a quick glare.
For a moment, Casey glared back at Lucia.
Looking back now, I think we should’ve just taken our time separately.
I couldn’t stand being in such a sorry state in front of them…
“Alright, then… should we head to Class 3 first?”
“Aren’t we going to Classes 1 and 2?”
“I already checked those out before they started, and there wasn’t much happening.”
It seemed that with Edgar and Zeke focused on preparing for the Hunting Festival, they hadn’t done much other than that.
Class 3 was decorated darkly, completely shut off from sunlight, which was the opposite of Class 5, which had been inspired by a bright cafe.
“Welcome! Wow, it’s Atlas!!”
As soon as I stood at the door, Nina, dressed in a uniform, waved to greet us.
There were other students around, but they were the girls who had been next to Perda before.
“I’ll tell Perda that I came.”
“Got it.”
The girl entered the classroom as soon as she saw me, leaving only Nina behind.
“Changed your outfit, huh?”
“Yeah, I was in pajamas earlier!”
When I had last been in Class 5, she had worn a casual shirt and blouse, but now she was dressed in a suit that made her look like a hotel staff member.
Though she looked elegant in her outfit, it seemed to have no effect on Nina, who couldn’t stop moving around.
“I thought you weren’t coming, yet here you are! How do you like it here? There’s no better place, you know. Enjoy!”
Perhaps she sensed my presence, for the door opened, and Nivas Perda walked out, arms wide open, dressed in a flashy golden suit.
While it was certainly symbolic, I couldn’t help but wonder where he managed to get that outfit.
“Why does your outfit look like that?”
“Hehe, it’s all about standing out. It’s the same for both of us, isn’t it?”
When I pointed out that his outfit looked strange, he fired back rather sharply.
I had gradually gotten used to it and had forgotten that I was also dressed quite amusingly.
“Welcome, this is a fun place where you go into rooms designated from the list, grab a drink, and have a good time. You know that, right?”
“Can’t believe the student council let something like this through.”
“Anyway, all kinds of sneaky stuff are banned, and only conversations are allowed. The president just stopped by; there’s no way they’d refuse me, right? Well, I have business to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
With that, Perda went back into the classroom.
It seemed the room was divided into smaller rooms using temporary walls.
I understood what kind of place it was, but for now, I wanted to experience it.
“I’ll be quick, so can you get someone less talkative?”
Lucia swiftly made a decision without even looking around.
“Then I’ll do it!”
“I said less talkative!”
It was a stretch to call Nina someone who was less talkative.
“I’m less talkative! Rainie keeps telling me to choose my words carefully every day!”
“That’s not being less talkative; that’s just lacking vocabulary.”
“Isn’t it different?”
“Fine, I’ll choose you, so lead the way.”
Nina took us deeper into the classroom.
For something hastily put together, the makeshift walls were quite well done.
We entered a dark hallway lit by candles and found ourselves in a room with an oval table in the center.
“Isn’t it interesting? I’ll go grab the menu for a sec!”
Nina, who had guided us to the room, dashed out quickly.
“Atlas… let’s get out of here… no matter how I look at it, this place isn’t right.”
As soon as Nina left, Lucia voiced her true feelings.
She clearly didn’t like the ambiance, which felt like entertainment venues.
To be honest, I was baffled as to why this was allowed in the first place.
“Still, since we’re curious enough to come in, it’s only polite to have at least one drink.”
“… Have you been to places like this often?”
“No, but one of my comrades frequented such places more than his own home.”
“Are you talking about Faract?”
“Yeah, that guy.”
Casey chimed in from the side.
He was someone who spent half of his knightly salary on places like this.
“That guy got married last year and doesn’t go anymore.”
“He had a few close calls while dating that made him break up, but he ended up marrying??”
“I heard he has a kid now.”
Hearing tales of the comrades from the knightly order I hadn’t seen for a while got interrupted as Nina returned.
“Sorry for the wait! Ta-da~”
Nina was wearing a very short and thin dark green dress.
In a way, it resembled the special leaf-made outfits the elves often wore in the forest, but it felt different.
It was a strongly suggestive imitation made to look more provocative.
“… What’s up with that outfit..?”
“It’s a hospitality outfit. Doesn’t it flutter beautifully?”
“… It does look nice, but… isn’t it too thin?”
The outfit was so thin that the curves of her body were clearly visible, and I felt like areas that should be covered were peeking out whenever she moved.
“It’s comfy and easy to move in! So, what do you want to drink?”
Nina showed me the menu she was holding in one hand.
The first and second pages contained a list of potential companions, and the following pages included available drinks.
Interestingly, there were stars drawn underneath each name of prospective companions, ranging from one to five.
When I saw the names with a lot of stars, I understood immediately.
The better the family background, the more stars they had.
“Hmm… Nina, I have a question.”
“What kind of question? I don’t know much, but go ahead.”
“Perda said he was going to offer services, and his face was on the menu just now.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Does that mean Perda also personally provides service?”
Nina smiled broadly and nodded eagerly.
“Of course! Nivas is amazing. Several professors just came here as guests.”
‘So that’s what it meant when she said the student council president came.’
Nina’s answer made me chuckle wryly.
The heir to five pillars… and the rights to have a private meeting with the clever Perda. I wondered just how much it would cost for that honor.
Dorothy probably misstepped on this.
It seemed that Class 3 was the one to watch out for during this Hunting Festival.
—————————————
On the morning of the first day of the Hunting Festival, Lucia was getting ready to head out.
Her room was filled with cute items amassed as a rebound against the repression from her family until now.
There were plush toy animals that made her happy when hugged, bright-colored dresses, and frilly gowns she had bought, all displayed prominently in her room.
Directly across, there were sharp swords and sturdy armor, along with neat, muted outfits brought from her family, creating quite a contrast.
It was just a matter of organizing things by their use, but it certainly wasn’t intentional.
In this contrasting space, Lucia gazed lovingly at two golden-furred teddy bears positioned atop a pile of stuffed toys.
One was bought during a trip downtown with Atlas last week, while the other was a gift from Atlas just this week.
The one she bought last week had dark crimson bloodstains on it.
It was a reminder of the time shortly after buying it when Atlas got pierced in the abdomen, splattering blood on the toy.
Now, a pristine new teddy bear stood beside the bloodied one, making the comparison even starker.
Not only was there blood, but there was also dust, rendering it a bit shabby. However, she didn’t want to dispose of it carelessly.
It held memories of shopping and choosing together with Atlas.
“We said we’d go again next time…”
As a token of gratitude for that teddy bear, Atlas had gifted her a decorative artifact.
It had a strap that could be attached to a scabbard or the collar of her clothes.
From what she could tell, it seemed to automatically activate some defensive magic.
Atlas was always practical, choosing not only for aesthetics but functionality.
When she pinned it to her usual attire, it seemed to suit her quite well.
She resolved to wear it with her clothes going forward.
“Ah..! Right, I have to hurry up…”
If she won the Hunting Festival, she would need to invite Atlas out this week.
Not realizing the hunt started the next day, Lucia began to pack her armor and weapons.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Lucia fiddled with the strap of the decorative artifact hanging beneath her sturdy collar.
The accessory Atlas had gifted her had a defensive capability, and since she thought today was the day of the Hunting Festival, she had packed it as gear.
The decorative strap hung at a suitable length and was perfect to fidget with.
In dim, pub-like lighting, Atlas lounged comfortably on a sofa with Casey and Lucia sitting beside him.
As Nina tried to naturally sit next to Atlas, they both found themselves unconsciously preventing her.
It was strangely synchronistic of Casey and Lucia’s thoughts.
Wouldn’t sitting next to him in that thin outfit be practically the same as being skin-to-skin?
“… Atlas, we’ve seen enough of Class 3 activities, so let’s get up.”
Lucia wasn’t too keen on having to be with Casey.
Despite Atlas saying it was fine, Casey ambushed him and, as a result, ruined Lucia’s weekend.
However, since the person involved, Atlas, was fine and even offered comforting words to Lucia, it wasn’t feasible for her to be entirely hostile toward Casey.
But currently, Class 3 was even less appealing to her.
Having lived solely in a mansion, it was Lucia’s first time in a place that resembled this kind of pub, although she knew from books that it wasn’t exactly wholesome.
She couldn’t understand how the student council permitted such a venue.
Thanks to Nina’s enthusiastic PR, Atlas chose her, leading to waiting in a room together, which also bothered Lucia since Nina came dressed so lightly.
She wanted to leave immediately, but since Atlas insisted on stopping by, it made sense to at least have one drink.
Although Casey hadn’t voiced her feelings, it was clear she was also displeased with the idea of Class 3’s planning.
With both of them expressing their discomfort, Atlas finally declared his surrender.
“Yeah, yeah… I should probably get up now. See you next time, Nina.”
“You just ordered one! You have to at least drink that before you leave!”
“I think I’ll be short on time right now.”
“Then… normally it’s not allowed, but since you’re special, I’ll keep this one bottle for you. Come find me later.”
As he was pulled out between Lucia and Casey, Atlas waved back at Nina.
“Are you seriously going to drink that alone because you feel it’s a waste? That’s something Faract used to do often.”
Atlas simply smiled without saying a word.
