It was the first time I was leaving the academy alone with Sylvia.

She had been hurt by people so much that she kept her distance even from me, whom she considered close.

The fact that such a Sylvia approached me made me feel not too bad, as it seemed to be proof that we had become closer.

Of course, I felt a bit uneasy about putting off the issue with Helena… but that wasn’t a problem that could be easily solved just by worrying about it.

I probably also wanted to clear my head a bit because I was feeling complicated.

“…?”

As I headed towards the academy’s main gate where I was supposed to meet Sylvia, I blinked slowly and kept looking around.

For some reason, the academy’s main gate was bustling today. Given the many students attending the academy, it wasn’t unusual for students to gather in one place.

Even so, it felt like there were particularly many people today. This feeling intensified as I got closer to the main gate.

“…Oh.”

“Felix!”

And finally, when I arrived at the academy’s main gate, I could see the reason.

Sylvia was the cause, waving at me with a bright smile, breaking through the crowd surrounding her.

Her golden hair waved more carefully than usual. It flowed smoothly, and the light makeup she rarely wore made her beauty shine even more.

The pure white dress matched well with her pale skin, but its style was so eye-catching that it was hard to know where to look.

The neckline was slightly low, revealing a bit of collarbone, and the waist was tightly cinched to accentuate her feminine lines. At the same time, the length that covered only half of her thighs meant that her long, smooth legs were almost entirely visible.

Faced with Sylvia’s bold outfit that she would never have worn normally due to people’s stares, I could only stand there blankly, blinking my eyes.

Sylvia smiled broadly again at my dazed appearance. Somehow, she seemed satisfied with my reaction, and I came to my senses, exhaled deeply, and waved back.

“…Hello.”

“Um, does it look strange?”

Sylvia, who had strode towards me without caring about the eyes gathering on her, approached me and asked in a low voice.

All the men who heard her question shook their heads vigorously, denying her words. At the same time, they glared at me as if they would kill me if I said otherwise, so I had no choice but to reluctantly shake my head.

Of course, apart from that, there was nothing strange about Sylvia’s appearance.

I don’t know what wind blew to make her dress up like this when she usually stuck to the academy uniform. Still, a pretty girl wearing pretty clothes couldn’t help but be beautiful.

“It suits you well.”

“Heh… that’s a relief.”

At my words, Sylvia looked at me with a light laugh.

Her appearance and smile were so beautiful that if someone who didn’t know her received them, they might think, ‘Does she like me?’

But I wasn’t fooled by her smile. Because her name was Sylvia. Rather, because it was her, it could have been a situation where one might misunderstand, but if that were the case, she wouldn’t have rejected Felix’s confession.

Since I hadn’t seen any signs of that while being with Sylvia until now, I was able to not misunderstand.

Instead, I just asked her with a playful smile.

“What wind blew today for you to dress up like this?”

“…W-well, I wanted to feel good since it’s been a while since I went out?”

“I see.”

After all, Sylvia is a woman too, and sometimes she might want to dress up and go out. But whenever she dresses up and goes out, all eyes gather on her, so she probably couldn’t even if she wanted to.

Agreeing with Sylvia’s words, I quickened my pace, smiling awkwardly as I still felt the fierce gazes fixed on me.

“…Shall we go quickly?”

“Hm? Oh… yes!”

Sylvia, who finally noticed the situation seeing my awkward appearance, nodded with a mischievous smile.

Yet she stuck close to my side, seeming determined to tease me.

But more important than Sylvia’s pretty appearance or teasing was protecting my life, so I hurriedly led her out of the academy, almost as if escaping.

“Where shall we go first?”

Feeling the stares decrease somewhat after hurriedly leaving the academy, I asked Sylvia with a sigh of relief.

Sylvia answered with a bright smile, without even thinking about my question.

“The Evergreen Night’s Feast!”

“…The Evergreen Night’s Feast?”

“Yes! I’ll treat you!”

I paused for a moment at Sylvia’s words.

Evergreen Night’s Feast was a bit on the expensive side, and it might be a bit burdensome for Sylvia.

But that wasn’t a big problem since I could pay for it. I didn’t have much intention of letting Sylvia treat me anyway.

I hesitated because it was a place I had recently gone with Helena. It felt awkward to go to a place I had been with her, especially when I had wronged her.

But I didn’t think bringing up Helena when I came out with Sylvia was polite.

Moreover, Sylvia knew that Helena and I were a bit strained, and she was considerate of my feelings.

“…Alright, let’s go there.”

“Yes!”

“But isn’t it a bit burdensome for you?”

“It’s okay. I’ve been saving all my pocket money.”

Knowing that Sylvia’s family wasn’t very wealthy, I asked her casually, but Sylvia answered calmly with a smile.

“You saved hard, didn’t you?”

“This is what I save for, you know!”

“…What kind of occasion is this, Sylvia?”

At Sylvia’s nonchalant answer, I asked playfully with a smile.

It was a trivial question, but Sylvia hesitated at my question and looked at me uncomfortably. Her blue eyes looking at me were shaking strongly as if there had been an earthquake.

Looking at her quizzically, Sylvia smiled awkwardly and hurriedly answered my question.

“Ahaha…! Um, when hanging out with friends? E-eating delicious food?”

“…If you get flustered like that, it makes me feel like I did something wrong.”

As I burst out laughing at Sylvia’s flustered stammering, she seemed relieved and started playfully venting by punching my shoulder.

I moved on, taking Sylvia’s painless punches. Sylvia, who had been venting her non-anger by doing so, started to move along with me again, smiling broadly.

Glancing at her, I casually said.

“I’ll pay for the meal, so eat without worrying.”

“Why…?”

At Sylvia’s low question, I scratched the back of my head, pondering how to answer her.

Saying ‘because I have more to spare than you’ might hurt her pride, so I chose my words carefully.

“Well, I treated Helena last time. If I don’t treat you too, it feels like I’m discriminating?”

“…You went with Helena?”

“Yes, the food was delicious.”

Sylvia blinked for a very brief moment at my casual words and asked. Fortunately, she didn’t seem upset by my words, but she seemed to have fixated on a different part.

Since going with Helena wasn’t a problem, I answered naturally, and Sylvia nodded, humming.

“I see~.”

“…Why?”

Feeling an inexplicable unease at Sylvia’s drawn-out tone, I asked back, but she shook her head lightly.

“No, I just heard that you two went to eat something delicious without me.”

“…Sorry. That’s why I want to treat you this time. Is that okay?”

“Yes, of course! Who doesn’t like free stuff?”

“…If you like free stuff too much, you’ll go bald.”

Sylvia’s mood was shattered briefly, but soon returned to normal, so I could joke around feeling relieved.

“I have plenty of hair, so I’m fine!”

Sylvia also just played along with my joke as usual.

“Most bald people say that too.”

“Ugh! You want to die?”

As she poked my shoulder again, I chuckled and quickened my pace, and Sylvia, with slightly shorter legs than mine, also sped up to chase me.

My mood, which had been a bit down due to the situation with Helena, also felt much better thanks to Sylvia.

Meanwhile, Helena…

“…You, what are you doing?”

She was facing Pamela, who was looking at her blankly.