Chapter 5 – Growing Closer
“Hey,”
“…”
“Heyyy,”
“Hm?”
The next day. In the classroom this morning.
As usual, I was zoning out in isolation when a voice called out from beside me.
When I slowly turned around, Elena was there fidgeting with the choker around her neck, looking restless.
“Oh, good morning, Elena.”
“G-good morning.”
“…”
“So, is that all you have to say?”
“Huh? Good morning?”
“If you say it twice, you’re greeting me twice, you know… Haa…”
Elena let out a sigh from her slender lips and glanced at me in exasperation.
She looked unsatisfied, but I couldn’t figure out why.
“You’re planning to brush it off again like yesterday, aren’t you? Sorry, but I already heard. How you gave Alan advice.”
“Oh, that.”
“It’s not just ‘that.’ If you gave him advice, you should have told me yesterday… Then maybe I would have praised you for it…”
–She mumbled quietly.
But I could hear her voice.
“Sorry. You’re right, I should have mentioned it since he came to me for advice first.”
“Do you really think that? Your words feel kind of empty to me.”
“No, I mean it…”
(She’s sharp… Actually, I didn’t know he was Elena’s brother, so I couldn’t say anything…)
It’s not that I deliberately didn’t mention it. I had no choice.
“Um, can I ask you something? How was Alan at home…? Does he seem okay? I know this is hard to ask, but did you have to be harsh with him at all…?”
“Don’t worry. Far from being hurt, his eyes were sparkling as he praised you. I was more troubled with how to respond.”
“I see. I’m glad to hear that.”
Relieved by her report, my cheeks relaxed a little.
Yesterday, I had reflected on how I [should have chosen my words more carefully].
The uneasiness in my chest was cleared away.
“Hey… Um, Byleth?”
“Hm? You’re kinda starting to sound like Sia.”
“If you’re teasing me, I’ll hit you.”
“Sorry!”
“Anyway… thank you. For listening to my worries and then going out of your way to find Alan so you could advise him…”
In a manner I suppose you could call typical of her, she conveyed her gratitude in a somehow embarrassed, dismissive tone.
But I didn’t understand part of what she was thanking me for.
“Um, what do you mean?”
(I don’t remember going to look for Alan-kun or anything… We just happened to run into each other after all…)
“You’re still going to pretend you don’t know? But it’s useless. You had no other reason to be in the library, right?”
“…”
(I went to the library to return some books and because I had business with Luna…though)
“Hey, have you always just spent your time like that? It’s okay not to be quiet if you’ve been praised,” she said.
(What do I do? I can’t follow with jokes…this is serious.)
If I continued being vague, the conversation would definitely go off track.
For now, I’ll grasp what I understand and try to have a meaningful discussion.
“When you said [if I’ve been praised], I didn’t give advice to get thanks. I don’t feel the need to tell others,” I replied.
(Back then I was just desperate for her not to say [“You understand me, right?”])
“Hmm. That’s quite an excuse, but wouldn’t you need to let others know in your case? With rumors going around, why put on airs?” she challenged.
“Ahaha, you make a good point there.”
” Jeez…… “
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(With all these nasty rumors following me, maybe I should be more vocal about the good things I do…)
I meant it as just a natural thought, but as the eternally rumored Byleth, it was like taking a punch of reason straight to the gut.
“Anyway, I should let you know my father has taken notice of you.”
“Why’s that happen?”
“Because he heard how you gave Alan sagely advice. Not just that – he asked me, [What kind of man is Byleth-kun? Please tell me more about him] He’s never asked me something like that before.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Sounds kinda scary.”
“Don’t worry, I…gave you a good recommendation, so be grateful.”
“I appreciate it, but you didn’t have to make me stand out. It would’ve been better if you said bad things about me.”
Elena’s father reigns at the top of the earldom.
There’s nothing more frightening than catching the eye of someone like that. When I honestly put my feelings into words, she looked at me with wide eyes, seeming surprised for some reason.
“Wha, you really are smart, huh.”
“Huh?”
“That’s what Father said too. [If you tell him this and he tries to downplay himself, he must be an even wiser man] I guess capable people tend to avoid standing out because they get assigned more work and responsibility.”
“No way, that’s not true.”
“Supposedly, the wiser someone is, the more they have a learning attitude and are always trying to take in new things. That was Father’s words too.”
“Uh, I see…”
(But it’s not like I’ve been trying to take in anything new or whatever… This is all just misunderstanding.)
Just listening to this, I feel an uncomfortable, eerie sensation like she’s seeing right through me.
“If everything lines up with what he said, I’m supposed to report back… But for it all to be true…”
“No really, I’m not that smart or anything.”
“Supposedly, the smarter someone is, the more they have an attitude of learning and are always trying to take in new things. So that’s why they feel that way. Or so Father says.”
“Uh, uh-huh…”
(So why does the conversation flow that way!?)
I’m not constantly taking in new things or anything like that. It’s all just misunderstanding.
“Anyway, there’s no point in you denying you’re smart. You were able to give Alan specialized advice, after all.”
She spoke as if it were obvious, without a shred of doubt in her own view.
“Can I ask you something? What exactly is your father planning to do…after hearing back from you?”
“I can’t even imagine, but maybe arrange a political marriage? They call it that, don’t they?”
“Huh? who?”
“You, of course.”
Elena pointed her slender finger this way. And then–
“With me,”
she said, pointing to herself as if it were the most natural thing.
“Huhhh!?”
“What was that reaction? Are you dissatisfied with me or something? I’ll have you know, I’ve been proposed to by plenty of nobles.”
“No no, that’s not what I meant.”
The idea of a political marriage didn’t feel realistic to me after reincarnating here.
“Are you really okay with that, Elena? I’m nothing but nasty rumors. You should oppose it.”
“Don’t…underestimate me. If you’re so smart, you should be able to read between the lines…”
“No, I really don’t get the implication here.”
Elena puffed her cheeks in a sulky way, flushing red. I calmly retort, as this is truly incomprehensible.
“I don’t want to say…”
“If you’ve made a mistake, take responsibility and speak up.”
“Oh, fine…”
Since it involved others, she obediently acquiesced to my demand.
Elena crossed her slender arms and glanced around, blinking rapidly.
“I, I may have…joked to my brother that…[I’ll allow proposals from anyone who helps Alan]. And Father happened to hear about that joke… Ever since you advised him, Alan’s really taken a liking to you, it seems.”
“Oh man, so basically it’s Elena’s fault, huh.”
“It’s Alan’s fault! If he hadn’t told Father…!”
“The one who started it is most at fault, right? Self-sacrifice like that shouldn’t be praised.”
“You don’t have to blame me that much… I only said it because I wanted to help Alan that badly…”
Pouting her lips in a somewhat sulky way, Elena stopped crossing her arms and started twirling her beautiful red hair around her finger.
“Well… I think it’s really noble of you as his sister. I like that spirit of yours.”
“…”
“Oh wait, it’d be embarrassing if you just ignored me there.”
The moment I pleaded eye-to-eye, Elena, who had frozen up with wide eyes, started moving in her normal manner again.
“Do, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not like I said that hoping to get praise from you or anything. So don’t misunderstand.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
(Somehow, this attitude really suits Elena best…)
While some might call it haughty, for some reason I don’t find it unpleasant at all. That’s her incredible trait.
“Hmmm… Anyway, here! This is for you!”
“Hm?”
With the abrupt change of topic, Elena reached into her pocket and held out three wrapped packages to me.
“What’s this?”
“……Chocolate.”
She told me curtly, still looking displeased.
“For now, thank you for yesterday… Helping Alan out. If you like how they taste, I’ll bring more next time.”
“Ahaha, you don’t need to thank me so much for that.”
“Hmph!”
With that snort as her last remark, Elena sat down next to me.
The chocolate she’d given me had melted a little from being warmed by her body heat.
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