Chapter 3: Precious Things
“Come to think of it, isn’t this the first time I’ve walked to school with you this early, Sia?”
“It certainly is.”
This was the day after our consultation.
Byleth, who had absolutely no way of knowing that he had been kissed again this morning, was passing through the main gate of Ravelwarts Academy with an energetic Sia.
“There are still very few people commuting. Coming to school at this time isn’t bad at all.”
“Will you be changing your commuting time from now on? I thought the earlier hour might be more convenient for your self-study as well.”
“No, just until Luna’s situation settles down. You’re busy every day, Sia, so I need you to take care of yourself too.”
Why were they at school so early?
It was because Sia had informed him of the rumor that Luna was being subjected to terrible harassment.
As her lover, Byleth wouldn’t be satisfied unless he could observe Luna for any changes in her demeanor, even if he couldn’t be present at the exact moment of the incident.
He knew it was meddlesome, but that was how worried he was.
“I am happy to hear such kind words, but my wake-up time remains unchanged, so it does not particularly affect me…”
“Haha, you can say it smoothly, but I won’t be deceived. Even if your wake-up time doesn’t change, arriving early means you have to pack your work into a tighter schedule, right?”
“Th-that is… well…”
“See?”
Sia turned her face away casually, looking rather uncomfortable.
It was a stark contrast to the confident figure who had been lining up words just moments ago.
“I know you’re worried about Luna too, Sia, but I want you to draw a line there and take care of yourself. I’ll cooperate with anything to make that happen.”
“A-Anything, you say!?”
“Yeah. For example, I could make time for breaks under the guise of an ‘order.’ Given your position, you probably worry about the eyes of the other household staff, right?”
“……”
Just as he gave a practical example, Sia’s expression, which had been sparkling with expectation, turned into something indescribable.
Far from being happy, she pressed her lips together and looked up at him with pleading eyes.
It was obvious that his suggestion wasn’t what she wanted, and to be honest, Byleth knew it would turn out this way.
“Of course, things other than breaks are okay too.”
“E-Even special things…?”
“As long as it’s within the realm of common sense.”
“Y-Yes! Thank you very much!!”
She must have received the answer she was hoping for.
Sia immediately returned to her sparkling-eyed self.
“For now, we’ll keep coming early for a week to monitor the situation, so just let me know whenever you want to refresh.”
“Then, I shall take you up on your kindness when the time comes!”
“You don’t need to worry about the timing, either. Just tell me whenever you like.”
“Understood!”
Nodding her head up and down vigorously, Sia turned her eyes toward the blue sky and made a slightly difficult face.
I wonder what I should ask for… She was probably already turning thoughts over in her mind.
Smiling wistfully at how her expressions and attitude conveyed everything as usual, they arrived at the school building.
This was where they would part ways for now.
“Well then, Sia. I’m going straight to the library.”
“Yes! It is not my place to ask, but please take care of Luna-sama. If anything happens, please let me know as well!”
“Understood.”
This morning, they had discussed “going to the library together,” but they reached the conclusion that if there were too many people, Luna might blame herself for not consulting them sooner.
“I’ll come to pick you up after school, so wait in the classroom.”
“I shall be waiting eagerly!”
“Me too.”
This was their final exchange.
He waved with a smile at Sia, who bowed deeply, and watched her off as she headed toward her classroom, looking back at him several times.
Once Sia’s small back disappeared from view—
“Hnn…”
He cleared his throat lightly and adopted a serious expression.
Hoping that Luna had arrived early again today, Byleth proceeded toward the library.
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It took a few minutes to reach the front of the library as usual.
It was his first time using the library in the morning.
How would Luna react?
Would he be able to see a happy face?
While imagining various scenarios, he reached out to open the entrance door, which was slightly ajar—perhaps someone had forgotten to close it.
“……Eh.”
From inside the library, he could hear a man’s voice raised in anger.
The rumor he had heard from Sia flashed through his mind.
(N-No way, on the very first day…?)
He had planned to spend about a week investigating the situation, so he was completely taken aback.
If the rumors were true, this was certainly possible, but it was still unexpected.
Byleth took a moment to organize his thoughts, but hearing the man’s voice again—proving it wasn’t a hallucination—snapped him back to reality.
(This is why I came to school early… So I could step in immediately if Luna was in danger…)
There was no time to space out.
Byleth moved into action immediately, opening and closing the library door without making a sound.
“——I told you, cut it out!”
The moment he entered, an intimidating male voice could be heard clearly from the second floor.
(……)
Ideally, he wanted to run up and help Luna right now, but he couldn’t say that was the entirely correct move this time.
[If Luna-sama can solve a problem like this on her own, Byleth-sama and Elena-sama can graduate without anxiety.]
[Even after graduation, there will be no cause for worry.]
[Luna-sama must be thinking seriously about the future as well.]
Having heard Sia’s thoughts last night, Byleth felt a strong conviction that she was right.
Since Luna hadn’t consulted him personally, perhaps the correct answer was to avoid sticking his neck in as much as possible.
“Listen here. Don’t you dare defy me with the lowly status of a Baron’s house.”
“Using the word ‘lowly’ is inappropriate. It is not my place to say, but this Academy upholds the school motto of ‘Equality.’ And this place falls under the Academy’s jurisdiction.”
(Thank goodness…)
Hearing Luna’s voice firmly retorting against the harsh words, Byleth felt a slight sense of relief.
“Because you act in a way that doesn’t match your status, not only do you have no friends, but you’re also pissing me off.”
“You are correct about that, but no matter what you say, I have no intention of changing my policy. It is necessary for me.”
While listening to their exchange, Byleth carefully ascended the stairs to the second floor.
Hiding behind bookshelves as he slowly closed the distance, he spotted the two of them in front of the reading space.
A well-built man, and Luna, who was holding a book in her arms as if it were something precious.
Did that man accost her after she selected a book from the shelves?
(Now that I think about it, that arrogant voice… I’ve heard it somewhere…)
It didn’t click immediately, but there was no mistake that this was the person rumored to be harassing her.
“Of course, I am aware that I am being rude to you. I understand that my response is ill-mannered. On that point, I will apologize to you as many times as necessary.”
“If you’re gonna apologize, then just accept this! You’re happy about it, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I appreciate the sentiment. However, I cannot accept this bookmark.”
(A gift…)
It wasn’t clear exactly how the man ended up raising his voice, but listening to the conversation, Byleth began to understand the situation little by little.
“I’m teeeelling you, stop saying such ridiculous things. I went out of my way to take time and choose this for you, you know?”
“Is that not simply for your own convenience? Besides… because it is a bookmark, That’s precisely why I can’t accept it.”
“Hah?”
“I haven’t told you this, but this bookmark is a treasure given to me by someone very precious to me.”
Luna placed the book she was holding on the reading desk, and with her now-free hands, she showed him two bookmarks: one from her pocket and one that had been sandwiched in the book.
(……)
They were a bookmark shaped like a feather, and a bookmark shaped like a four-leaf clover.
They were the ones he had given her as a present on the day they went out together.
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