An Honest Request

Clatter.

Genea flinched at the sound of shattering glass and looked toward Agniele. However, the one who had caused the commotion seemed completely oblivious, his mind clearly elsewhere. Genea followed his gaze.

There, he saw Ensius and the Saintess. Nothing unusual was happening—it was almost exactly the same scene he had witnessed moments before.

“What’s wrong?”

Did he see something else?

Genea craned his neck like a meerkat to scan the surroundings, but after a moment, he grabbed the dazed Agniele by the shoulders and shook him. Only then did a flicker of reason return to Agniele’s hollow face. He first reached up and pulled Genea’s arms down.

“Genea.”

“Yeah, I’m listening.”

“The Saintess… I’m certain I heard she had a lover. Am I mistaken?”

“Huh? Wh-what?”

Genea’s jaw dropped. Hearing the Agniele stutter was enough to make him lose his own train of thought. He let out a dazed sound before even processing the question.

“Genea?”

Agniele’s brow furrowed as his anxiety spiked. He snapped his fingers sharply, making Genea flinch.

“The Saintess, right, um. The Saintess has a lover. Lancelot. I heard she’s in a relationship with one of Asgard’s Holy Knights.”

Genea finally provided the answer Agniele wanted and shook his head to clear the earlier image. Right, they say love makes people strange. Even if it’s Agniele, I guess he can stutter if it involves Ensius.

…Probably?

While Genea patted his cheeks to snap himself out of it, Agniele’s expression turned grim as he processed the information that confirmed his knowledge.

“Just what did you see to act like this?”

“Ensius and the Saintess… the distance between them seemed a bit close.”

“—Hmm? So what? Maybe there was a bug on her. Or there was some other reason. Why worry about something so trivial?”

Admittedly, Genea could see that they were indeed close, but they were clearly engaged in “healing.” So much so that even from a distance, the Saintess looked visibly more haggard than when she started. Since there was no room for doubt, Genea didn’t think much of it.

They were friends, but they were also a Saintess and her patient. Even if the location was a bit odd, if a Saintess cared for her friend so much that she treated him regardless of where they were, shouldn’t her character be praised?

“Besides, if rumors start, it would be bad for the Saintess. Even if they look close from here, they’re probably maintaining a proper distance in reality, right?”

“……I suppose?”

“Exactly. Anyway, I heard your faculty has an outdoor practical exam coming up. Is that right?”

Genea, having firmly dismissed Agniele’s overreaction, changed the subject. He had a gut feeling that if he let Agniele be, the man would drown in his own circular thoughts.

“Yes. I heard we are scheduled to divide into teams for a monster subjugation in the nearby region.”

“What are you going to do then?”

“……? I will move under the Academy’s instructions.”

Agniele tilted his head, looking like he couldn’t understand why Genea was asking something so obvious. Genea was momentarily speechless before remembering he was talking to Agniele. It was his own fault for omitting the subject.

“I meant that this exam is a great chance to get closer to him if you play your cards right.”

“With whom?”

“Ensius! Who else!?”

Genea lost his temper at the frustrating response and raised his voice, his face scrunching up. He quickly composed himself when a few nearby gazes drifted their way. Agniele, already used to Genea’s impressive emotional shifts, didn’t pay it any mind. Instead, he focused on what Genea’s words meant.

“Ahem.”

Genea cleared his throat and tapped the table like a knock to regain Agniele’s full attention.

“Even if it’s a practical exam, monster subjugation won’t be easy.”

“True.”

The Academy would set up the field like a noble’s hunting ground, but the essence of hunting monsters remained the same. There would be camping involved, too. It was an itinerary that high-ranking nobles would find particularly exhausting. If they were official knights, they’d have squires, but Academy students had no such luxury.

Unless he becomes a squire himself, Genea thought, but seeing Agniele still not catching on despite the clues, he pressed a hand to his forehead.

“Ensius has his illness. A monster subjugation exam will probably feel much more burdensome to him than to others, right?”

“Certainly.”

Even if he could handle the hunt, the camping would be difficult. Thanks to Genea pointing out a detail he hadn’t considered, Agniele fell back into deep thought.

“Think about it. You help him then. Doesn’t that sound like a great picture?”

“That is only natural. One of the purposes of the practical is for colleagues to join forces when difficulties arise.”

Why does he talk about ‘a great picture’ when referring to something so obvious? Agniele tilted his head the other way at Genea’s incomprehensible phrasing.

“……Are you trying to pick a fight with me right now?”

Genea felt a sudden surge of heat in his chest. Was this some high-level psychological warfare intended to make him angry? Or had he just never noticed how dense Agniele was until now? He felt the unfairness of being treated like the weird one and the self-loathing of wondering if he was overstepping.

“Why would I pick a fight with you, Genea?”

Faced with a face full of pure innocence, Genea let out a groan and collapsed onto the table.

Right. He knew. He knew Agniele wasn’t the type to pick fights, and he knew everything Agniele just said was sincere.

“For now…… no, never mind.”

Genea sighed and tried to explain what he meant, but eventually just shook his head and gave up. He doubted any explanation could change Agniele. Besides, even if the intentions were different, Agniele seemed likely to act in the way Genea suggested anyway, so maybe it was fine.

“Just… do your best. Give it your all.”

I give up… Genea lowered his head, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. To an onlooker, it looked like he was praying.

“Genea?”

Agniele frowned at the way Genea trailed off. He wondered what on earth was causing such a reaction. His heart softening at Agniele’s curious call, Genea slowly opened his mouth.

“If there’s one thing for certain, if you do well in this exam, you might get a chance to earn Ensius’s favor.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. So Agniele, make sure your preparations are perfect.”

Agniele nodded obediently. Even if the Academy controlled the area, unexpected problems could always occur. There was no harm in being thoroughly prepared.

“But Genea.”

“Yeah?”

The word ‘but’ sent a shiver of foreboding through Genea. Regardless, Agniele continued.

“The professor assigns the teams for the exam. The locations differ for each team.”

“Huh? Wh-what?”

“That means I don’t know if Ensius and I will even be in the same group.”

“…….”

“In that case, can the practical still be a good opportunity?”

Agniele finally voiced the question that had been bothering him since the exam was mentioned. He met Genea’s eyes and waited calmly for an answer.

Faced with those eyes—still as pure as white snow—Genea’s lips wobbled before he finally exploded.

“No! You should have said that first!”

What am I going to do with this blockhead! Genea lamented with a groan.

Agniele took both Genea’s advice and Lily’s somewhat irritable advice seriously and tried to follow them. As established, he was utterly inexperienced in romance. To him, it was only logical to follow the counsel of those more proficient in the field.

So, Agniele waited for the right moment. Specifically, he waited for a moment when there were few people around so no unnecessary eyes would be on them. Fortunately, that wasn’t a difficult condition to meet. Ensius wasn’t the type to rush out of the room as soon as a lecture ended.

He usually sat until the crowd dispersed—until the lecture hall grew quiet—before leisurely standing up to leave. There were days when he moved quickly, unable to resist Lily’s prodding, but usually, he lingered.

Thus, having confirmed Ensius was in attendance, Agniele did not leave his seat when the lecture ended. He only stood up once most students had gone and only two or three people remained in the hall.

“Ensius.”

Trying not to look rushed, he moved deliberately slow and called out to Ensius, who was still looking out the window. Those eyes—chasing some unknown thing—traced a steady path until they landed on Agniele.

The way he tilted his head and blinked those large, curious eyes possessed a beauty beyond that of any work by a master sculptor.

Thump-thump. His heart, which had been beating in a steady rhythm, suddenly hit a discord. Agniele ignored the pulse that was as sharp as an out-of-tune note and opened his lips.

“I would like to know more about you.”

Despite his nerves, Agniele remained as direct as ever.