"…And with that, I'll bring today's lecture to a close."
The moment the professor's unhurried voice trailed off, the bell rang out as if on cue.
"Anyone with questions, ask them separately. That's all."
The sound of chalk tapping against the board filled the room as the complex formulas were erased, and students began rising from their seats one by one, gathering their things.
Elline, seated by the window, finished her notes, tucked her book away, and stood.
*12:20.*
The large clock outside the window read that time.
He always arrived at the library first and waited for her—so today, at least, she wanted to get there before him. With that thought, Elline stepped out of the lecture hall and started down the corridor.
She felt a little guilty for making him wait.
And if she hurried, she could see him just a little longer.
Step. Step.
She decided to pick up her pace, just slightly.
"H-hey, Elline!"
She stopped.
At the unexpected call, she turned slowly. Two girls stood there, watching her with anxious expressions.
"What."
Familiar faces—but not people she was close to.
They'd never spoken to her before. Why now, of all times?
"U-um, hi, do you know us? Ha-ha, this is Ian, and I'm—"
"I know. You're Rui."
The moment Elline said her name, the girl with light green hair startled visibly.
"You… you know me?"
Having her name spoken by someone she'd looked up to sent the girl nearly bouncing with delight—but Elline didn't pay that much mind.
"Where are you headed?"
"The library."
"O-oh, you're busy?"
"…"
Elline continued to watch them with the same blank expression, and Rui's face fell again, her earlier excitement deflating.
"Rui."
Ian, standing beside her, muttered impatiently, and Rui quickly lifted her head.
"Oh, right, yeah…"
Rui took a slow, deep breath, then began to speak.
"At the end of next month—the Spring Festival Tournament. You know about it, right?"
The Spring Festival Tournament.
A festival hosted by the academy.
Over three days, it featured a variety of events, one of which was the tournament itself. Unlike the regular assessment exams, it was more of an exhibition competition—its prestige wasn't particularly high—but since it did factor into grades to some degree, plenty of students took it seriously.
"So?"
"This time, Sereen and Tirion both said they're entering. They've already put together their own teams."
She already knew.
News of the two rising stars entering the tournament—both often mentioned in the same breath as Elline—had stirred up excitement around the competition. But for Elline herself, it had barely registered.
"I know."
At that flat reply, the two girls exchanged a glance before looking back at Elline.
"…You might not know this about us, but I—and Ian too—we really need this. We have to place in the upper rankings this time."
Rui fidgeted with her fingers as she spoke, and Elline could already see where this was going.
"So… would you be willing to enter with us? We won't hold you back—we're Alpha Class too…!"
Elline studied their eyes for a moment.
Rui's gaze, trembling with nerves. Ian's expression, feigning indifference but betraying a quiet anxiety. Both spoke plainly of how much this meant to them.
Unlike the top-ranked students whose positions rarely shifted, those in the murky middle of the rankings fought fiercely to hold onto their spots in Alpha Class.
But still.
"Sorry."
"…Oh."
Elline simply wasn't interested.
Partly because she hadn't entered in the past two years to begin with—so it was only natural. And partly because, at a time when things were only going to get busier, there was no real reason to take part in a competition like this. She declined, politely.
"O-okay… I'm sorry, Elline."
Rui's shoulders drooped with disappointment, but she managed a faint smile and nodded.
"Thank you for hearing us out."
Ian patted Rui on the back, shot Elline one brief glance, then looked away.
"See? I told you."
"Hey, you're seriously—!"
Elline watched the two of them bicker for a moment, then quietly turned and walked on.
*The Spring Festival Tournament.*
The thought surfaced in her mind once more—and she let it go.
* * *
An Alpha Class student I'd never spoken a word to came up to me.
The reason: they wanted me to arrange a chance for them to talk with Elline.
"Why come to me just to talk to Elline…?"
Rui, fidgeting with a strand of her light green hair, forced herself to speak.
"Because… we heard that Rutess is Elline's partner…"
So that's why they came to me.
"Have you tried talking to her directly?"
"Yes… I did once, but I wanted to try again."
Elline, always sitting there with that expressionless face—she was genuinely intimidating.
"Is there… any way you could help? We won't make it awkward…"
Hmm.
Faced with Rui's earnest plea, I turned it over in my mind—and at the same time, I found myself newly struck by just how much weight Elline carried.
Even students in the same Alpha Class couldn't bring themselves to approach her easily.
"Then tell me the reason first."
"The… reason?"
"Yes. Even roughly is fine. I need to know before I can ask Elline."
I said it plainly. Rui began worrying at her fingers, thinking it over.
"…Can I go ahead?"
"Ah! No, I'll say it! I'll say it!"
She startled and waved her hands frantically to stop me, and from somewhere behind her came the sound of a sigh.
Rui finally seemed to steel herself—she clenched her fist and opened her mouth.
"The Spring Festival Tournament… you know about it, right?"
It was a somewhat out-of-nowhere topic, and I was caught off guard, but thinking back—it was the festival held inside the academy every April.
"Yes, I know."
"We're planning to enter the tournament there…"
Right, there was a competition at that festival, wasn't there.
Though if I remembered correctly, it was more of an exhibition event, so it wasn't considered particularly important—the recognition wasn't all that high.
"So we need to put together a team, but Elline already turned us down. The thing is, we really need her…"
"Why do you need Elline specifically?"
"…That's—"
Apparently fed up with the conversation going nowhere, the other student stepped forward from behind Rui.
"Because having Elline on the team is what gets us into the upper rankings."
It was an honest answer—and a mercenary one.
If Elline joined their team, they'd be a strong team. Straightforward logic, really.
But what surprised me more than that was—from a distance, with the short hair, I'd assumed she was a boy, but…
*Her voice is a girl's.*
She was a girl.
She looked at me steadily, then suddenly furrowed her brow.
"Seeing you up close makes it even harder to understand. Why would someone as dull as you end up with Elline?"
And just like that, she picked a fight.
"Ian!"
Rui recoiled in horror and rushed to stop her, but Ian paid no attention, still glaring at me with open displeasure.
She looked genuinely baffled—and honestly, I couldn't find a rebuttal.
*I don't know either.*
"You asked why we need Elline, right? Isn't it obvious? We need good grades, and that means placing high. Do I really have to spell that out for someone from Beta Class?"
I suppose.
From my perspective, this was just some tournament in passing—but for students in the upper rankings where grades truly mattered, it might be a sensitive issue.
Still, that was separate from this.
"…Do you know me?"
"What?"
"We've never met before today, and you're picking a fight out of nowhere. It's a little jarring. Have you ever even seen me before?"
The atmosphere turned tense. Rui's face drained of color as she looked back and forth between us.
"I'm so sorry, Rutess—we didn't mean to put you in an awkward position. Ian, you apologize too! It's rude to be like this when you've just met someone!"
She grabbed Ian's sleeve and pulled, and Ian clicked her tongue, exhaling in irritation.
"Rui, I don't think this is going to work. Let's find someone else instead of Elline."
"B-but—"
Despite Rui's protests, Ian's expression hardened, and she turned and walked away.
"…Oh."
Rui stood there helplessly, watching Ian go, unable to stop her—just staring after her in a daze.
Only once Ian had disappeared from view did Rui speak again, her voice thick and wavering.
"I'm sorry. She's really not usually like this…"
"…Well, it wasn't pleasant, but you don't need to apologize, Rui. Anyway—this tournament really matters to you?"
Rui gave a weak nod, but seeing her so deflated, I scratched the back of my head.
I'd just been trying to sort out my own thoughts, and now this.
"Well… can you keep talking?"
"…Yes. Thank you."
She managed to lift her head and look at me.
Still apologetic—but underneath that, I could feel the desperation.
"Ian and I… our grades this year are really important. Even if we can't win the tournament, we need to place in the upper rankings to keep our spots in Alpha Class at the midterm evaluation."
I see.
"I know it's a lot to ask. But we're desperate—that's why we're asking like this… We're not expecting much. If you could just give us a chance to talk to her…"
She knew it was a stretch, even as she said it—and still she looked up at me with that pleading expression.
The truth was, even if she asked me, it wasn't as though I could guarantee anything.
Either way, Elline had been the one taking the lead these past few days.
When she had something to say, I followed along.
She set the time; I adjusted to fit.
…
"Let me be upfront first—I think it'll be difficult."
"…Oh."
"From Elline's perspective, having a meeting arranged out of nowhere could feel like pressure. And more than that—she already said no once, and now you're asking again through a third party. That's going to feel off to her."
Rui couldn't argue with that.
Or maybe she'd known all along and pushed past it anyway.
From Elline's point of view, she'd already declined—and now someone was coming at her through a middleman demanding another conversation. That wouldn't sit well with her.
"…You're right. I'm sorry…"
Rui's expression fell, but she forced herself to nod, managing a faint smile.
"Thank you, Rutess… I know it was sudden, and you still listened…"
"Not at all. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help."
Rui said her last goodbye, turned, and trudged away.
Her retreating figure looked so forlorn it was almost painful to watch—but there wasn't anything more I could do.
*Now I'm going to be thinking about this.*
I gave my head a small shake, turned, and headed toward the dormitory.
What I needed to focus on right now was what Elline had to say tomorrow.
Lunchtime.
I had to brace myself today.
*I have something to tell you.*
That was what Elline had said.
The moment the bell rang, I rose from my seat along with the flow of students and started walking, unhurried.
*What is she going to say?*
I was still turning it over in my head when I arrived at the library—and there was Elline, already seated in her usual spot.
She sat with her eyes closed, quietly letting the breeze wash over her, as though lost in some deep thought.
I took a quiet breath and approached. Elline must have sensed me coming—her lashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Were you waiting long?"
"No, I just got here too."
She said it simply, then reached out and tapped the seat across from her.
A wordless invitation to sit.
Just a few days ago, I would have been quietly overanalyzing every little gesture she made, not knowing what to do with myself—but now I sat down across from her without a second thought.
I suppose I'd gotten used to it, at least a little.
As I settled into my seat, the cool breeze drifting through the window became more noticeable, and for a while we sat in comfortable silence, neither of us saying anything, just letting the air move around us.
"…Rutess."
"Yeah."
And then, finally, Elline spoke.
Here it comes. My nerves started to tighten.
"What's your dream?"
…?
"My… dream?"
It was a question that had nothing to do with what I'd been expecting.
"Yeah."
The question was so open-ended it threw me off—but I steadied myself and tried to think it through.
A dream. She probably meant the future.
I'd never thought about it seriously, but in a way, it had already been decided for me.
"After graduation, I'll probably go back to the domain. Follow my brother, help with family matters…"
"Not that."
Elline's blue eyes rested on me, calm and still.
"I'm asking what you want to do."
"…"
A philosophical question.
What do *I* want to do—it might have been the first time anyone had ever asked me that. And it wasn't a question I could easily answer even for myself.
I'd been living along whatever path was laid out in front of me.
There had always been a road already set.
When I couldn't find an answer, the only things filling the space between us were the distant chatter of students and the soft sound of branches brushing in the wind.
Elline let out a quiet breath and gently took my hand.
A small, warm touch that traveled through me.
"Rutess."
"…Yeah?"
"Have you ever thought about moving up to Alpha Class?"