If You Cheat, Just Don’t Tell Me - Chapter 13

“Did you have some change of heart or something?”

“Where?”

I briefly questioned in response to Misha’s words.

“Um… at the dress shop I often go to study.”

“That place where nobles come and go? What kind of man was she with? About how old was he?”

“Hmm… He was wearing something like a neat black official suit, and age-wise. He looked about one or two cycles older than us.”

I pictured the man’s characteristics as described by Misha.

…What the hell, you made that serious face and got me all worried for nothing.

“Idiot. That’s Freya’s attendant. Think about her family background. She wouldn’t go out alone, right?”

“…Oh.”

I’ve seen Freya’s attendant a few times myself. Since he doesn’t come into the school, maybe Misha had never seen him before.

Well, Misha’s a commoner, after all. She probably doesn’t get the feeling of having someone constantly accompanying her in daily life.

“Dicca, your family’s the same way! But expecting Misha to figure that out when she sees someone walking alone right in front of her is asking too much!”

“Shut up! That’s got nothing to do with me!”

“Ah… Sorry, boss. Seems like I jumped to conclusions.”

As I retorted to Alta who was teasing me, Misha apologized.

I wasn’t really angry to begin with, but seeing Misha hanging her head dejectedly made me even less inclined to raise my voice.

“Well, if you’ve never seen it before, it can’t be helped. Nobles and commoners have different ways of thinking and living.”

“…But looking at you, boss, I wouldn’t think that.”

“Don’t use me as your standard.”

“Normal nobles don’t ride motorcycles around and get into fights in the night district like Dicca does!”

I silently punched Alta for saying unnecessary things. I heard him yell “Ow!” but I ignored it, ignored it.

We still don’t really know what will become of us in the future.

Even so, we laugh together, believing that there must be a bright future ahead.

That’s the reason we’ve gathered.

Freya was still skipping school somewhat frequently, but on the days she came, she acted the same as always.

She attended classes seriously, was friendly with everyone, and was well-liked by both students and classmates. Even though she publicly declared herself engaged to an outlier like me, her popularity never waned.

That was probably due to her own efforts, and her Spirits family background likely had some influence too. This is a school where many students from families that care about such things attend.

“Dicca, you’ve been attending classes quite seriously lately. You used to skip all the time.”

During the break between classes, Freya approached me as I sat at my desk gazing blankly out the window, saying this with a puzzled expression.

“Did you have some change of heart or something?”

…Well, before, no matter how much Freya scolded me, I’d skip when I felt like it. Maybe it’s natural for Freya to find it strange but that aside, has this girl forgotten what she said? Or was she just not that conscious of it?

“It’s because you told me to come to school.”

“…Huh?”

Freya’s eyes widened at my words.

So she really doesn’t remember what she said, huh? I thought.

Saying something like this isn’t really my style, but if I decided to face Freya properly, then I should tell her. Freya’s oddly slow to catch on in these situations too.

“If I’m coming to school for your sake, then skipping class and leaving you alone would be pointless, right?”

“…Hwah!?”

Freya let out a strange scream and gradually began blushing. Whether it was because of the scream or something else entirely.

“Ah, um… that is saying thank you the right thing to do at a time like this?”

“…Why are you asking me that?”

“T-that’s true too! …Oh my, what am I saying?”

Freya flapped her hands as if trying to cool her heated face.

Seeing this uncharacteristic side of Freya made me find it somehow amusing, and I chuckled quietly, suppressing my laughter.

“Hey, don’t laugh!”

Freya raised her voice, but my laughter didn’t stop.

The people watching our exchange from a distance stood frozen with dumbfounded expressions.

…Well, this isn’t so bad.

—I was thinking that way, until.

“Is Freya Spirits here?”

It happened on an otherwise ordinary day.

A man came to our classroom looking for Freya.

Peering through the classroom door, he was dressed in the uniform showing he was a student at our school like us. His flawless skin that seemed untouched by hardship, his neatly styled golden hair, his tall slender build, and his gentle friendly smile made him exactly the kind of “noble prince” that female students imagine.

He was someone even I, who could hardly be said to attend school regularly, had heard of.

“Why are you coming to a place like this? ”

“Oh? There you are. I’d like to have a word with you, could you come with me?”

Lucius Fidel. The heir of the Fidel family, which owns the top financial guild in this country.

While his family background and appearance made him extremely popular with female students, he was also a man about whom I’d heard no good rumors regarding his relationships with women. For some reason, he was calling Freya out.

Normally, Freya would never agree to such summons. She wouldn’t ignore them, but she’d politely decline with words appropriate to the other person’s status.

Yet with Fidel, she showed no particular sign of refusal and went along with him.

‘…I’ll be right back. So please behave yourself, okay?’

Freya and I were in different places at that moment, so we couldn’t exchange words.

But as Freya followed Fidel, she glanced at me for just a second and moved her lips as if saying that.

Seeing that, I unconsciously settled back into my chair from where I’d half-risen.