Chapter 35. Milia Is Acting Strange

***

ㅡMilia’s attitude is strange.

Luna had been strongly feeling this way for the past few days.

It felt like the Milia she knew wasn’t quite herself.
But she didn’t know why.

She just had an intuition that Milia had changed a little.

Surely… her attitude towards me should be the same.
Milia and I should be the closest of friends…

In her thoughts, Milia smiled brightly.

“By the way. Luna, I thought the academy’s written exam would be easier, but don’t you think it’s more difficult than expected?”

“…You’re right. Now that you mention it, Milia. I think so too. Even the answers we just compared… were quite different.”

Luna nodded gently as she responded.

Honestly, she thought it was easy while solving it, but when they compared answers, her opinions differed from Milia’s to a strange degree.

…And usually, the result was that Milia was right. Milia was so wise that it amazed Luna.

‘The answers to the problems I solved seemed clear, but I guess not.’

As she was trying to understand, her gaze unconsciously turned to the side.

“We might need to work harder from now on.”

Under her black bob cut, Milia seemed to be pondering about the exam.

That too was the ‘diligent Milia’ Luna knew.

So diligent that it reminded Luna why she viewed Milia positively, even as a friend…

But. It felt strange.

Luna was clearly still with Milia now.

But something kept feeling off. Something nagged at a corner of her mind.

Though nothing seemed particularly different from usual, Milia seemed to be changing little by little.

Even when Luna spoke to her, Milia seemed to respond as usual, but it felt like she was brushing her off indifferently.

‘Something… Milia is strange.’

They had certainly cherished each other and spent 8 years as unparalleled friends.

Yet, spending time with Milia was enjoyable and comfortable.

That’s why, to spend time together with Milia. Hadn’t she even directly lowered her assigned class from the entrance exam?

But in reality, it felt like Milia didn’t want to become closer to her.

“Milia.”

“…Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Even now, when Luna called her, Milia took 0.5 seconds longer to look at her than before entering the academy.

As if she was thinking of something else. Luna couldn’t understand it.

She cared for Milia so much like this. But she kept feeling that something had changed.

She wished Milia would respond warmly to her words like before… but it didn’t feel that way.

The more she thought about it, the more disappointment built up in her heart.

And there was a reason she could guess.

When she felt Milia’s gaze sometimes going to a completely different place. As she naturally recalled that, she unconsciously clenched her fist.

It was mainly directed at one man.

A man with dark black hair and black eyes slightly different from Milia’s… that really unpleasant man.

‘His name was… Han Chunsung, right?’

The voice of that man who left his seat saying I was too dirty to be near when he looked at me yesterday was still clear.

A commoner without even a family name. How could I forget that man who didn’t know his place and tried to sit next to me?

And honestly, I couldn’t believe the widespread rumors about the duel.

Leonhardt, who even gave a congratulatory speech as the top scorer in the entrance exam. It was still incomprehensible that that commoner had drawn in a duel with him.

‘What nonsense is that?’

Even if they really tied in the duel, I thought Leonhardt must have gone easy on that man or let his guard down. Anyway, I thought he must have been careless.

Thinking about it. I really disliked that Leonhardt man too.

To draw with a Common grade, did he take the duel lightly? Then she slowly shook her head.

She didn’t want to think about that man anymore.

Now she just needed to spend time happily with Milia. Even if she felt hurt, if she treated Milia better, Milia would surely accept her.

Thud.

Suddenly hearing footsteps nearby, her gaze went blankly.

And she frowned.

‘What…?’

Why.
Why is that man here?

Han Chunsung appeared so suddenly.

“Excuse me. Do you have a moment?”

Then he spoke in an overwhelmingly gentle voice, so different from when I met him at the entrance ceremony… even I couldn’t adjust for a moment.

It really felt like goosebumps were rising on my arms.

‘What kind of trick…!’

Just as she was about to open her mouth.

Grab!

Suddenly, Milia urgently grabbed my arm. At that, I couldn’t say what I was about to.

Because that was always Milia’s characteristic action to stop me.

“Yes! It’s fine. You’re Student Han Chunsung, right?”

Then… she looked at that man with such a bright smile. Suddenly my boiling heart sank as if frozen.

‘Why.’

…Why is Milia smiling so brightly?

And to the man I dislike the most at that.

I couldn’t understand… why she was showing such a radiant smile that she rarely showed even to me.

No, I didn’t want to… understand.

***

“Yes! It’s fine. You’re Student Han Chunsung, right?”

Chunsung was momentarily surprised by Milia’s very bright response.

“…Yes, that’s right. You’re Student Milia, correct?”

Though her name would obviously be right since it was written on her nametag, Milia still nodded with a radiant smile.

“Yes, that’s right. You can speak comfortably. Seeing that you left the classroom so early, it seems you must have finished the ethics exam well too.”

As she looked at me with a gentle yet strange gaze, I unconsciously blinked.

‘What is this…?’

Why does this first impression feel so good?

I thought it wouldn’t be easy to even properly continue a conversation, given the sudden approach, though not as much as with Luna.

But the feeling I’m facing now isn’t like that.

Rather, it feels easy, you could say.

For now, I spoke casually at her words to be comfortable.

“Then I’ll speak casually. Milia, you can call me comfortably too. Actually, I don’t have any big business, just… We’ve been assigned to the same class. I’d like to build a friendship. If you have time, I was wondering if we could chat together, would that be okay?”

Even as I spoke calmly, I glanced at Luna.

With her arm held by Milia, Luna had a dumbfounded expression that looked ridiculous yet incomprehensible.

‘Why is she so docile again?’

Thinking it was strange and expecting an answer, Milia immediately nodded.

“Ah. Friendship… Then I think that’s a really good idea too.”

Seeing Milia respond positively, I met her gaze.

“…”

Even as I met those eyes tinged with a completely different pale blue than mine, it was quite strange, you could say. Because she accepted my words so easily. I was curious about her intentions to the point of wondering.

Whoosh.

But not long after our eyes met, she avoided my gaze, and I unknowingly paused.

‘Did I. Make some mistake?’

Wondering why she avoided my gaze, Milia’s appearance suddenly caught my eye anew.

In the original work, she appears as a supporting character who receives almost no attention, overshadowed by the heroine Luna, but seeing her up close like this, her beauty was extraordinary.

When I saw her from afar, I felt drawn to her cute impression with black bob-cut hair. But now seeing her up close, the tear mole under her right eye was really intriguing.

You could say it gave a strange sensuality along with cuteness. There was a strange charm that instantly changed her impression.

‘What am I thinking right now….’

I immediately erased that thought and opened my mouth.

“Then shall we move together? I heard there’s a nice cafe in the academy. I think it would be good to chat there.”

Even as I spoke, I absolutely didn’t give Luna any attention.

For some reason, the flow wasn’t bad. So, I had to keep this flow going until the end. By hearing all the answers to my questions from Milia now.

“Cafe? I think that would be fine for me too. Right. Luna. Is that okay with you too? Hm? It’s okay, right!?”

And as Milia immediately turned to Luna and repeated her words, I suddenly thought it was all over.

I should have led the flow as it was to the cafe, but if she asked Luna’s opinion at the last moment… wasn’t the answer already decided?

‘She’ll refuse.’

Even as I swallowed a sigh inwardly, I felt deep regret.

I don’t know how many more opportunities like this will come in the future. It felt like I had missed a golden chance.

The reason was that although the two were said to be best friends, Luna should be seen as having more practical decision-making power than Milia.

Right away, there was the background of the Vermont Count family that Luna belonged to, and there were many reasons why Milia usually accommodated her.

As I gave a desolate look like that.

How should I put it.

“……”

Luna, who I thought would refuse right away, was silent.

Instead, she looked dazed, as if she had lost her soul.

“U-Um. Luna? Not just me, but another student is waiting now.”

As Milia, who seemed flustered at that appearance, called her again and urged an answer, light seemed to return to Luna’s eyes.

Whoosh!

As Luna immediately looked at me. My heart felt like it was dropping for a moment.

Really… how can a person’s eyes be so fierce?

“…Alright. Let’s do that.”

Immediately after, Luna answered in an extremely subdued voice.

And I was about to turn around thinking ‘as expected’.

“…Huh?”

Now I felt dumbfounded in reverse.

For a moment, I doubted my ears.

‘Not… a refusal?’

No, did I hear that right?

“Then Student Han Chunsung? I think we can go to the cafe together like this.”

At Milia’s gentle voice smiling as if pleased, I opened my mouth in a dazed state of mind.

“…Call me Han Chunsung comfortably.”

At my words, Milia nodded happily and naturally turned her gaze to Luna.

I followed her gaze blankly.

Surely not.

“Lu, na.”

Uttering her name one syllable at a time and immediately turning her head, I doubted this reality the moment I saw Luna like that.

Rustle.

Gently pinching my thigh, the pain was felt all too clearly.

‘No, how is this reality?’

Tap.

As I stood beside Milia, who walked ahead first, she looked at me brightly, smiling as if finding it interesting.

While receiving Milia’s friendly gaze like thatㅡ strangely, my gaze went to Luna who was silently walking beside her.

Just what…

‘What is this situation?’

There was more than one or two things beyond my understanding.