The dinner was a buffet style.
　As is to be expected of an inn famous for being popular among aristocrats.
　The dishes on the table were all extravagant.
　However, the high legged tables and chairs set up on the tatami mats are of Cirrus quality.
　The tatami mats dented in some places by the weight of the table legs invite an inexplicable sense of sadness.

　Looking around the venue, there are a few guests in lodging clothes, but most of the guests here are busy.
　I guess this place is a kind of social gathering place for them.

　By the way, I was wearing a black dress with red and white lines and patterns.
　It's not so strange to be dressed as a nobleman, even among the clientele who want to say they are aristocrats.

This is a gift from me. This is a gift from me, and it's not too shabby to wear a uniform on your big day, is it?

　The other day, Makina-san handed me these clothes with such words.
　It seems that she had been preparing them for some time.
　Hmm.
　As always, I can't help but admire Makina-san's care and precision.

　And as for our table........it was drawing a lot of attention from the surroundings.
　It was obvious that the reason for this was the women, except for me.
　In addition to the duo of Cecily and Currier-san, who were dressed for the meeting, there was even Isla-san and Rei-senpai.
　Of course, there might be the recognition of the Arkwright family or the Horns, but from the looks that were directed at them, they all seemed to have been hit by their glamour.
　Incidentally, the occasional jealous gaze mixed in with the others is all directed at me.
　..................
　Zeke, come quickly.

''Yes Kurohiko, is this correct?''

　Miss Cecily brought me my share of food.

'Oh, hi,'

　Hmmm.
　But a perfect choice you know what I like to cook?

　We are surrounded by a rectangular table, with Cecily-san and Currier-san on either side of me.
　Ray-senpai and Ira-san were sitting opposite us.
　The meal began with Ira-san's greeting at first, and after that the meal was progressing in a relaxed manner.

　When Ira-san came to my room and called me to join the others, I was nervous.
　However, although she laughed at me cheerfully, she didn't seem to be any different from the usual, especially to Cecily-san.

　Also, I didn't see any changes in Curie-san's behavior either.
　When we had a conversation after we sat down earlier, it was also normal.
　Even now, she's still bringing the food to her mouth nonchalantly.
　............
　Surprisingly, I may have been just too conscious of it.
　I was nervous about what I would look like when we met, but when we finally met, it was surprisingly normal.
　I can't say I was disappointed.
　But to be honest, I was more relieved.
　It's not like we're in a strange mood here.
　So for now, I'm going to be the same as usual.
　As I was thinking about this, Rei-senpai got up from her seat and approached me.

''W-what's wrong, Ray-senpai?''

　She leaned out from behind me, confused.

I'm sorry about earlier.

　I said.
　This 'just now' is, needless to say, the time of the rubdown.

I'm sorry I got too carried away with your reaction," he said, "but your reaction was so cute, I got carried away...

　He apologized, sticking his tongue out in a devilish way.

'Don't worry about it. I've had my... well... remorseful moments, too.
What's going on?

　Cecily asks smilingly.

'No, no, it's nothing--'

　I was about to say it, and I reconsidered.
　If I excuse myself poorly, it would be suspicious on the contrary.

''-- It's not that there wasn't one, but it's a secret between me and Ray-senpai. Isn't that right, Rei-senpai?
'What?　Yeah, you can keep it a secret but I think it's more of a weird misunderstanding the way you just said it, don't you think?
Oh, really?
Well but I'm not worried about Cecily. Is that right, Cecily?

　When Ray-senpai asked for a reaction, Cecily-san took a breath with a face like she had no choice.

''From the exchange you just had, I have a pretty good idea what happened. But please don't make fun of Kurohiko too much. He doesn't seem to be well versed in that area.
Haha, I just wanted to check it out, you know?　I wondered if it's actually all very calculated.
...isn't it?
Yeah, I guess not. Kurohiko is a natural in a roundabout way.
"Oh, I'm a natural?
Yeah, it's natural. Well...

　Senior Ray took a glance at Ira-san as he chewed his bread with a munching motion.

''But with this, I guess I can leave it to you.

　Huh?

Have I... been tested in some way without knowing it?
I felt bad about it. But I didn't want her to just let her instincts get the better of her, you know?
Well that was unfair, though.
Sorry, sorry. But I was nervous in my own way, you know?　After all, it was a once-in-a-lifetime trick. If you had stayed to the end you would have had to take responsibility for it, wouldn't you?
Please don't....

　Huh, I sighed.
　I see.
　Although I'm not sure of the true intentions, it seems that Ray-senpai intended to test whether I was a man to be confused by the color scheme.
　So that's why he was like that during the rubdown.
　At all, Senior Brother Lei is a bad person too.

"If a nice guy like Lei-senpai asked me out like that, I'd normally fall for him.
'Oh?　That's quite a nice thing to say, Kurohiko.
'Really?　Because.........isn't it true that senior Ray is a wonderful person?


　Lei-senpai lowered her eyebrows and gave an awkward smile.
　What is it........embarrassment?
　Sometimes it's unusual for this guy to be so normal and shy.

'Hey, what are you talking about?'

　Ira, with food particles at the edge of his mouth, asked with a strange look on his face.
　Ray-senpai finally sat up and headed to his seat.

'We were just talking about how Kurohiko could be a terrible guy.
'What?　Kurohiko isn't a terrible man, you know?
Haha, that's not what I meant. Hmm... but, well, I mean, in a way, it might be terrible.
?

　Ira nodded his head in question.

'Ira, you've got food particles on the edges of your mouth.
'What?　Really?
Come on, turn around.

　Senior Ray wipes Ira's mouth.

''Hmm.''
Yes, I got it.
Ha ha ha, thank you, Ray.

　Ray-senpai is kind of like Ira-san's guardian, isn't he?
　Whatever it was, it was a cheery sight.

　　　　　　　　　　*.

　A little after dinner, Zeke and his friends arrived.
　First thing I did was to run up to them.

'We've been waiting for you, Zeke!
I'm sorry, I've got some personal business to attend to.
'It's fine!　Good job, Mr. Hargis!
... hmm. Sorry I'm late.

　Neither of us were in uniform today.
　Hyrgis-san in particular looks somewhat fresh since I usually only see her in her uniform.

''Well, I'll show you to your room after I go through the formalities. Oh, would you mind if I left the Zeke one to Kurohiko?
I understand.

　I headed to the men's room with Zeke.

'Alright, let's get our stuff down and then we can go take a quick bath, Zeke.
It's worth a shot. You're right.

　So, once the boys and I had left Zeke's luggage in the room, we headed straight for the bath together.
　So--.

This is a nice hot tub you're right about Cirrus.

　Zeke says with a relaxed look on his face as he sinks into the hot water.

　We were two guys in the open-air bath.
　The sky is completely darkened by the sun.
　There are a lot of clouds today.
　The moon kept coming in and out of the clouds and hiding.

'Well, what was the urgent need?'
A man came to visit me unexpectedly. I couldn't leave the house.
So you're the most important person in the house.
Well, yeah.

　The reply was crisp.
　Is there some complication in the situation?

　I guess so.
　Let's change the topic.
　Um, what's the topic.........
　Ah, yes.

"Let me ask you something weird.
Say it.

　I was a little embarrassed, but I mouthed the question.

"Zeke, you know ... have you ever been in love?

　Zeke nodded.

'Yeah, there is.'

　I was surprised that he answered immediately.

'What?　Do you have one?
If anything, I'm still in the middle of a love affair.
Yeah, well...

　It was kind of surprising, I guess.
　..........
　Oh.
　That love interest could be........
　Zeke smiled to himself.

It's just a one-sided love for me. And it's probably going to remain a crush for a long time to come.

　There was a kind of mastery on his face.　
　I hesitated a bit before asking.

You've got a crush on me for a long time... is that what you want?
Yeah. I just want her to be happy, that's all.
I see.

　Then Zeke lifted the corner of his mouth with a grin.

'In case you're wondering, it's not Lady Cecily you're dealing with, is it?
Is that so?

　From the way we've just been talking I had a feeling it was Cecily.
　It seems like we've been dating for a long time.
　To be honest, I don't think it's any wonder that a man would fall in love with her if he was near her.


At this point, I have to ask you, Zeke and Cecily... what is your relationship?
'The Gil'es are a house that has served the Arkwrights for a long time.
Oh, yeah.
''Yeah. That's why the people of the Gil'es family are still like assistants to the Arkwright family. I'm sure that this is the reason why the relationship between the two families is still going strong. For better or worse, the Gil'es family is only a part of the Arkwright family.

　Oh.
　So you guys are close.

"And at one point, both families brought their children together.
That's Zeke, Cecily?
Yeah. I was dumbfounded at first. Even back then, Cecily looked as beautiful as if she'd stepped out of a painting.
You're not in love with her?
I was attracted to it, but I wasn't attracted to it. More importantly, I already had someone else in mind as a member of the opposite s*x.
Hmm?

　Maybe it's not like they were brought together years ago, right?
　Well, it's a nice surprise, Siegfried Gilreath.

It was a married woman.
Really?
Yeah.

　I'm in love with a kid and a married woman...
　Zeke.
　You're the one with the hidden treasure.

"I didn't know it was a married woman at first. I mean, she was so young. So when I found out that she was someone else's, I was shocked, even as a child. And I was in terrible agony at the time, knowing that I'd had some very bad feelings.

　What a hard childhood.

And then, one day, when I couldn't stand the pain any longer I suddenly told Lady Cecily of my troubles.

　I was listening to what he was saying.

Yeah, so?
"Lady Cecily didn't blame me or deny it. I was rather surprised that she wasn't even surprised, but she just smiled and listened to my problems. And then she said this. ''It's strange to blame yourself for falling in love with someone.''

　Zeke looked at the night sky with a sunny face.

Maybe it felt better to let my worries out. Since then, I've stopped hiding my feelings," he said. Of course, I didn't want to confess my feelings to my husband, but I just wanted to see him smile. I just wanted to keep smiling at him and keep seeing him smile. I was satisfied. I was happy to see her smile. But one day...

　Suddenly Zeke's expression clouded over.

'Her husband, he's dead.'
...What?

　Zeke's brow wrinkles.

'Killed by the Four Deadly Plagues.
"Oh--
Her husband was a man of the Order of the Holy Tree. One day, a city was attacked by the Four Deadly Plagues, so the Knights of the Sacred Tree were sent there. So the Knights of the Sacred Tree were sent there. The Knights of the Holy Tree were able to avoid being wiped out, but they lost their leader and deputy leader, and were devastated.

　You mean like Commander Sogut said.

One of the victims was ... her husband?
'Yeah. From then on, her smile was always a shadow of its former self. That's why I wanted to support her until she was able to smile from the bottom of her heart.
I want her to be able to laugh from her heart...

　For some reason, Currier-san's face flashed through my mind.

I don't know if my feelings have gotten through to her a little bit, but I have a feeling she's starting to open up to you, too. The smile has become more natural over the last few years. But ... she must have really loved him, her husband's death still lingers in her mind.

　Oh.

"The visitor you had today, by any chance?
Yeah, that's the guy.

　Huh, I let out a breath of admiration to the heavens.


'She's a reserved person, you know. She always leaves before it gets dark.
Yeah. But Zeke, is that what you want?
What?
It sounds like he's keeping his distance.
She's a widow.　I can't betray her husband, no matter how much he's no longer with us.
Zeke, you...

　Zeke snorted in realization.

'It's okay, I don't need her to bond with me as a man and a woman. But I want her to at least have a real smile on her face. As long as she has a happy smile on her face one day I'll be happy for that.

　What the hell.
　What a cool position that is!
　I'm pretty impressed.

"Oh, I'm... cheering you on!

　Firmly, I grabbed Zeke's hands.

"Oh, oh,
I don't know what I can do, but if there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know.
Phew, I'll take that as a compliment.

　I see.
　Zeke.........I had an image of him as being uptight, but he was actually a man in love.
　I leaned against a rock and looked at the moon absentmindedly.

'How.........amazing......is love?
What's going on?
'Well I was listening to Zeke's story, and I kind of thought so. I'm ashamed to say that I've never been in a relationship before...
Is that so?
Yeah. I've never been in love with anyone before.

　That's why, when Cecily said that to me earlier, I--

What about Miss Cecily, for instance?
D-Does, why are we talking about Miss Cecily all of a sudden?

　Huh?
　I didn't tell you that, did I?
　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who is confused.

I can't help but notice that there's nothing... you know what?　Perhaps Lady Cecily sees you as a romantic interest?
Wow, how do you know?
I've served you for many years.

　Oh, my God.
　Did this guy see through it?
　Nope.
　As expected of a single-minded love master.

　Zeke looked deeply moved.

'But I'm surprised. There was and still is no shortage of people who fall in love with Cecily, or who ask her to marry them, but I was surprised to find a man who fell in love with her. The man who had been by her side for so long was, after all, Lady Dearest, wasn't he?　So I knew this guy would have to be a very good man to find it attractive--

　Zeke glanced at me.

'An ambush came from an unexpected place.
I'm the one who's surprised. 'I'm the one who's surprised, because that Cecily.　There are plenty of people who are more ... well ... worthy than me.
'That lack of a suitable person is why Lady Cecily hasn't had any of these floating stories until now?
Yeah, right.
'Well, I suppose it's partly because my grandfather, Master Gaiden, who dotes on Lady Cecily, didn't want the man to get too close to him in a bad way.

　Cecily's grandfather was, I believe, the Holy King's swordsmanship instructor.

''In fact, if it weren't for Master Gaiden, your father, Lord Vadiaz, would have gone ahead with the matchmaking process with a powerful family.
...a lot of things.
Well, I'd still rather have you with me than marry off to a snobbish, aristocratic man like Cecily.

　I chuckle.

"It's kind of reassuring to hear Zeke say that. It's just, I--

　I looked up at the moon, which suddenly appeared on my face.

'I still don't know how I feel about my side of the family,'

　Zeke nodded with some kind of satisfied look on his face.

'I suppose. Well, we don't need to be in such a hurry to answer.

　It was a surprisingly easy reaction.
　Then we stood side by side, leaning against the rocks in silence, looking up at the sky.

''But you know what, Kurohiko?''

　It was Zeke who opened his mouth solemnly.

'I don't think Master Cecily would ever want you to choose just her,'
...What?

　Nicely, Zeke twists the corners of his mouth.

I'm sure she didn't expect her first love to turn out like this, but... well, she's the other guy. She's going to compromise in her own way, right?
"The other guy?　And the compromise... what are you talking about?　I mean, what the hell do you mean, you don't want them to choose just you--

　Zeke looked at me warmly.

I think it would be unwise for me to tell you what to do next. And there will come a time when you'll understand. Or perhaps I'd be happier, in a way, if I didn't know forever.
What's that tricky thing you said...
That could be it. That's a pretty good idea.

　Sullenly, Zeke looked at the night sky.

'Maybe it's because they're dull opponents that they're extraordinarily tempting to turn around...'

　When the clouds covered the moon again, we got out of the bath.

　　　　　　　　　　*

　After getting out of the bath, me and Zeke had to part ways once.
　According to Zeke, he had a message for Cecily-san that the Arkwright family had asked him to give her.
　So Zeke went to the girls' room where Cecily-san was earlier.
　I'm going to give Zeke a massage afterwards, so even if I go with him, he'll probably come back sooner or later.
　So I decided to head back to the men's room ahead of him.
　On the way back...

'What's the matter with the silence?　How rude--a sub-human!

　I heard some kind of hysterical-looking woman's voice.

'What?'

　I looked around.
　The corridors in this area are sparsely populated and somewhat dimly lit, so it would be easy to spot someone if they were there.......

''Ah.''

　There.

　When I looked, I saw someone in a recessed space in the middle of the corridor, who was being causally linked to two ladies of some sort.
　............
　Huh?

　Is that man who is being tangled up with you Mr. Hirgis?