[V10C13] Wah Wah

“Cyril-sama, this is terrible! Terrible! Thule, where is Thule?!”

“Calm down.”

Cyril crossed his arms and scolded Monica, which led to her straightening her posture. Forgetting all about the inner turmoil that had dominated his mind only moments ago, Cyril put on his usual stern face.

“What is the issue with Thule?”

“Well, um, you see, Dragon Slayer Mage-sama has a magical tool for finding dragons…”

“…Dragon Slayer Mage?”

Cyril had never heard of such a title before.

He furrowed his brow as Monica grabbed the front of her robe and took a few deep breaths. Perhaps that allowed her to calm down a bit.

“Silas Page-sama the Dragon Slayer Mage was recently chosen to join the Seven Sages, and he possesses a magical tool for locating dragons. He is currently near the Jade Chamber, and the range of his device can apparently reach the palace courtyard… Phew.”

Cyril finally understood the situation.

Earlier today, he had bumped into Raul in the courtyard and engaged in a conversation. Thule and Pikeh had also been present, disguised as weasels. Presumably, Monica had heard about this from Raul and began a frantic search for Thule.

“In that case, you may rest assured. Thule is currently strolling around town with Pikeh.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to bring them to the social gathering, so I told them to spend some time in town.”

Of course, they couldn’t afford to let their guards down with the Dragon Slayer Mage so close. It would be prudent to keep an eye on his movements, while instructing Thule to stay away from the palace for the time being.

As Cyril contemplated possible countermeasures, Monica breathed a sigh of relief.

“T-Thank goodness…”

She lowered her eyebrows and smiled, but in the next moment, her expression tensed as if remembering an additional problem.

Monica glanced up at Cyril for a moment, then immediately lowered her head and started fidgeting with her fingers.

These awkward gestures filled Cyril with a deep sense of unease.

──Could it be that she saw through his inner turmoil from earlier?

That was clearly impossible, and Cyril knew it. Yet the anxiety from the possibility caused a sudden chill to run through his entire body.

As Cyril grew pale, Monica finally spoke up in a hesitant stutter.

“Um, C-Cyril-sama… At Howard-sama’s mansion in Rainfield, I, um, did something really rude…”

Her words caused Cyril to recall the peculiar behavior she had displayed after getting drunk. Monica had been fixated on paw pads for some reason, then suddenly discarded her robe…

“…!!”

Cyril recalled the brief flash of skin he had witnessed, and the blood rushed to his head. He found himself speaking before he knew it.

“I saw nothing! Nothing at all!”

“…Huh?”

Monica froze with her mouth open, looking up at Cyril. Feeling awkward under her stare, Cyril averted his eyes while desperately trying to calm his thumping heart.

“You… saw nothing?” Monica continued in a whisper.

“Yes, nothing at all.”

“I-I see.”

Monica let out a sigh of relief, and Cyril shared a similar sentiment.

Surely, Monica had been incredibly embarrassed at the possibility that Cyril had seen her undressed. It was a good thing that they managed to clear up this misunderstanding.

＊　＊　＊

Monica internally cheered.

(Cyril-sama didn’t see it! Hooray… Hooray…!)

Ryn and Elliott had suggested that Cyril witnessed her improper behavior and was angry at her. But if Cyril himself denied it, then it was probably just a misunderstanding.

After all, if Cyril had truly witnessed such a scene, he would have surely scolded her. Monica could easily imagine him going, “What is the meaning of this! A former student council officer of Serendia Academy must behave properly at all times!”

(Cyril-sama isn’t angry! He didn’t see me embarrass myself! Thank goodness!)

Just that realization made Monica feel relieved to the point of shedding tears. No matter how much she tried to steel herself, it was still painful to get scolded by someone she liked.

The Thule issue was fine for the moment, and Cyril had not witnessed the incident in Rainfield. With both of her worries resolved, Monica let out a sigh of relief.

It was then that Monica looked up at Cyril again, noticing that his hairstyle was different from usual. He usually tied it at the back of his neck, but it was now secured a little higher with a small ribbon.

(A slightly different Cyril-sama…)

Monica found this sight precious for some reason, and inadvertently began staring. Noticing her gaze, Cyril awkwardly placed his right hand behind his neck.

“My cousin messed with my hair…” Cyril muttered, immediately untying the ribbon and his hair tie. Then, he quickly tied his hair at the back of his neck, just like usual.

“You’re undoing it?” Monica asked.

“Yeah.”

Cyril narrowed his eyes and smiled. However, the slight lowering of his eyebrows made it seem like either a bitter smile, or one of self-deprecation.

“…I prefer to keep things the same,” he mumbled, tucking the ribbon into his pocket.

This made Monica feel a slight sense of loneliness, as if Cyril was distancing himself from her. Wanting to close that tiny gap, Monica impulsively opened her mouth.

“I-I like both… since…”

Only after she began speaking did she realize it: Cyril was not comfortable with comments about his appearance.

Because they make him look handsome? Or cool? Such shallow praises might make Cyril feel uneasy.

“Both of them are… um…”

Monica began stumbling over her words, causing Cyril to raise an eyebrow.

Internally, Monica was at a loss. If she couldn’t praise his appearance with such widely-accepted compliments, then how could she do so? Perhaps there was a way to convey her personal opinion in a way only she could?

Gathering the extent of her limited vocabulary, Monica finally came up with something.

“I like both the usual Cyril-sama and the different Cyril-sama!”

Monica froze and went silent. Cyril went silent too.

After sharing in the silence for about ten seconds, Cyril put on a serious face and replied, “Is that so?”

This was the expression and tone Cyril used when receiving reports in the student council room, so Monica simply nodded and answered “Yes” in a similar tone.

“Thank you for your warning on the Dragon Slayer Mage’s magical device. I will be careful in the future.”

“Right.”

“Well then, see you later.”

“Yes, please excuse me.”

The two turned their backs to each other and walked off at a brisk pace.

Once Monica turned the corner, she squatted down and wrapped her arms around her head.

(Waaaah!)

Whenever Monica got emotional, she generally calmed herself by diverting her attention to mathematics or magical formulas, but for some reason, none of them came to mind. Her mind was completely occupied with the sounds of “Waah!” and “Uwah!” echoing repeatedly.

After screaming internally for a short while, Monica turned bright red and began trembling.

(Why! Why am I such an idiot! There had to have been a better way to say it!)

Following a series of insults toward herself, Monica took a few deep breaths.

Fortunately, Cyril had responded as usual, which meant that he did not interpret her words with any deeper meaning. Monica prayed that he would treat those words as a joke, or perhaps forget them outright.

(It’s fine, Cyril-sama acted completely normal. Everything is fine… Yeah, no problem.)

Monica pulled her hood deep over her eyes to conceal her flushed face, then walked away trying to make as little sound as possible.

The next order of business was to hurry back and inform Raul and Isaac that the problem with Thule had been resolved. She needed to avoid thinking about other things at the moment; otherwise, she might trip. But at that moment…

“Higyah!”

Monica promptly tripped over her robe and tumbled to the ground.

＊　＊　＊

After parting ways with Monica, Cyril turned the corner and promptly froze in place.

Right now, the only thought in his mind was “Waaaah!”

Following a series of internal screams, Cyril finally recalled human language and began admonishing himself.

(She was simply conveying her admiration towards a senior, without judging me by my hairstyle. There was no deep meaning in that statement. Calm down, stay composed…)

Cyril slapped his own cheeks to gather his bearings, then pursed his lips and marched back to the room of the social gathering.

(I am Monica’s role model. Showing any weakness and embarrassing myself is out of the question! I must stay on guard at all times, and handle everything with complete composure!)

There was still some time before the start of the social gathering, but the venue had more people than earlier. It was only a matter of time before it began.

Cyril’s cousin Curtis, who had been chatting with other officers, noticed Cyril’s return and waved a hand to him.

“Oh, you changed your hairstyle back? After I went through all that trouble to make you stylish… Hmm? What’s this? Your cheeks look a bit red.”

“I felt myself getting careless, so I slapped my cheeks to remind myself of my duties.”

“…So there are people who actually do that, huh? Well, are you okay now?”

“Yes, I am the same as always. I will now greet the other officers.”

Cyril excused himself in a stiff tone, walking off towards the higher-ranking officers.

While sending him off, Curtis muttered, “…You’re moving your right arm and leg at the same time again, Cyril-kun.”

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