362 Relief at Last

“Is it true?! If we win, is it really all-you-can-squeeze?!”

“Wait, if we lose, does that mean we’re the ones getting squeezed?”

“How does that work for the guys and girls? Is the Academy even allowed to let that happen?”

No matter how hard I tried to deny it, I couldn’t suppress the sheer momentum of that one phrase. It was a ‘power word’ in the worst possible way.

I had nearly been turned into a human popsicle by Cynthia earlier, but now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, I was back to focusing on the production of our Cosplay Cafe.

Noblesse Magic Academy placed a high premium on student initiative. From what I remembered of my past, when we did things like this, we usually built everything from the ground up.

Shari, who was surprisingly handy, was also quite the artist; she was currently busy painting signs alongside Allen and Duke. As for me, I was occupied with a pile of costumes we’d ordered from various countries, scrutinizing each one for the cafe.

Cecil was slated to be an Elf and Carta was down for the Beastman Race, but there were still plenty of roles left to be filled.

“Vai-kun, what should we do with these ears?”

I was busy organizing supplies in the prep room when Luna, who was helping me, tilted her head and held up a pair of dog ears.

“Try them on for a second,” I suggested.

“Eh? O-okay.”

She’s petite and has a face like a hamster. Yeah, this definitely works.

While I was at it, I realized there was something I hadn’t properly communicated to her yet.

“H-how do I look, Vai-kun?”

“I think they look great. Also... thanks.”

“Eh? F-for what?”

“Malice being able to speak is thanks to the special training you did. Plus, Cynthia told me that the Black Ball was the biggest factor in taking down Teacher Coco. I wanted to give you my thanks for that.”

I wasn't entirely sure if the original Weiss had actually harbored feelings for her. It was possible he just felt a sense of empathy because she was also being bullied. Regardless, the Luna standing before me was a serious, kind-hearted person.

In a sense, his eyes hadn't been mistaken.

To her, the old me and the current me were one and the same. I couldn’t blame her if she thought I’d just had a sudden change of heart, but she had listened to my goals and accepted them. Because she believed in me, I felt even more like I couldn't afford to lose.

Luna stared straight into my eyes.

What is she thinking...?

“Hehe, you really have changed, Vai-kun.”

“What?”

“I’ve been observing you ever since the entrance ceremony, but it’s like you’re a different person now. The Vai-kun I first met would never have said such kind things to me.”

Kind? Was I being kind? I thought I was just acting like a normal human being. Though, granted, I recall reading that the original Weiss wasn't exactly ‘human.’

More importantly, the way she said she had been “observing” me rather than just “watching” was a bit unsettling.

Looking at her now, she seemed so refined and graceful. There was even a certain air of maturity about her—

“Vai-kun.”

Luna stepped toward me, radiating a suddenly bewitching atmosphere.

“—I really do love you. Love-love-love-love-love-love-love-love!”

Without warning, she lunged at me for a hug. I sidestepped her instantly, and a look of profound sadness washed over her face.

Ah, she’s still a total creep. Thank god. I was starting to get worried.