By Zephyria 
It was a truly strange request.
‘Hmm.’
Although I was puzzled, I generously turned around and spread my arms instead of bothering to ask why.
It’s true that it’s a strange request, but it was also true that it wasn’t that difficult to grant if the other party was Zeon. It would be annoying if he started whining next to me if I refused.
Zeon smiled shyly and slipped his arms under my arms to hug me. He was taller than this body, so he bent his waist a little and approached me.
I could feel the warmth of his body spreading through my clothes. The guy who was hugging me as if he was just hanging on gave his arms a little more strength and whispered in a voice mixed with laughter.
“My lord. You are too small.”
“This body is a bit small.”
“And you are warm.”
“Then would I be cold instead of warm? I’m not a corpse.”
Zeon let out a burst of laughter at my murmur.
“Yes. I hate corpses. Please continue to live.”
“…You’re stating the obvious.”
I sighed softly and wrapped my arms around him in return. I remember that when I wanted to comfort someone, I would usually hug them like this and pat them.
“You’re saying a lot of strange things today. Why is that? If there’s something you’re worried about, feel free to tell me. I’ll be happy to listen. Hmm… perhaps you’re lonely?”
Come to think of it, Zeon lived without getting married because he was taking care of me when I was Mephisto. Even after I died, he didn’t seem to have a partner because of the Contract of Eternity, which stated that he would dedicate his heart only to his master.
Even though the Demons of Valihard have long lifespans, they are no different from ordinary humans in that they fall in love, form couples, and have children… and live like that.
I’m not interested in such things and don’t know much about them, so I can’t properly empathize, but I thought it would be a shame if he couldn’t have what he wanted because of me.
“It’s not that. It’s just….”
I took my chin off his shoulder and lifted my head at his hesitant voice. His face, which was looking down at me from the widened distance, was somehow uneasy. He seemed to be agitated, and he also seemed to be anxious.
Then he shook his head.
“No. Let’s just stay like this a little longer.”
I stared at his softly smiling face for a moment. I felt like he was hiding something. I don’t know what it is. Maybe I’m just being overly sensitive.
He’s not the kind of guy who would hide something from me anyway.
That’s when it happened.
The moment I felt an approaching presence and my attention was drawn to it, a voice with a honey-like, sweet and silk-like soft baritone rang in my ear.
“Ray.”
I turned around, thinking it was familiar, and it was Ardian. He seemed to be enjoying the ball more sincerely than anyone else until just now, so I guess that business is over now.
As I turned around, the arms that had been hugging me naturally loosened. Zeon also quietly released his arms from my waist and turned to face Ardian.
“So you were here. I’ve been looking for you.”
Ardian glanced back and forth between Zeon and me with a subtle look, then moved closer. He went straight to me without hesitation, attached something he took out of his pocket to my chest, and took a step back.
I expected it, but it was Eternity Fire after all. Come to think of it, he said he worked hard to get it to give it to me….
“I won’t take it back even if you say you don’t want it.”
That’s when I was about to open my mouth to look at him. Ardian, who quickly snatched the opportunity to speak, refused my refusal before I could even say anything.
“After all, you’re the only one I want to win over.”
I tried to move my lips again, but no words came out of my mouth. I was at a loss. His behavior of constantly stimulating emotions I didn’t know was swaying me too much. I don’t like the fact that I keep wandering around because I don’t know how to react. It was even more so because I couldn’t even be sure if his words and actions were true.
I frowned sullenly.
He hid two golden eyes as dazzling as Jade Disks embedded in the night sky between his deep and dark eyelids and chuckled softly. His white and slender fingers that reached out brushed my cheek and fell away.
Zeon, who had been watching from the side, suddenly frowned. A deep worry had settled around his eyes, and I wondered why. He looked at the floor with a more dejected face than before when he received my gaze, then lifted his head again.
“Then… I’ll go first, Raymond.”
It seemed that he was trying to avoid the situation because the story was likely to continue.
He didn’t have to.
As Zeon, who had bowed his head once, left, Ardian, who had been quietly watching his retreating figure, turned to look at me again and faintly raised the corners of his lips.
“You were… watching the Meteor Shower with Zeon?”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, the Meteor Shower was falling. When I turned my head to the sky, I could still see the swarm of stars falling in a semicircle.
Only then did I notice that the quiet garden, devoid of any human presence, had become bustling with people who had come to watch.
“I originally came out to relax, but it’s gotten noisy.”
“Oh, I see.”
Ardian, drawing out his words, then looked up at the sky. As the murmurs of the humans watching the Meteor Shower felt like a massive barrier, Ardian muttered as if in passing,
“I hope you don’t do that kind of thing with other guys.”
That kind of thing?
“What are you referring to?”
When I asked back out of pure curiosity, Ardian looked down at me again and tilted his head.
His breath, quietly breaking over my face, was too close. By the time that thought crossed my mind, it was already too late.
I couldn’t stop the soft flesh of an unfamiliar sensation from gently touching and then leaving the spot next to my lips.
“This kind of thing.”
Without realizing it, I took a step back.
I was utterly dumbfounded by the surprise attack.
Whether I did or not, he narrowed his eyes and smiled as always. His face looked satisfied, which made me inexplicably angry.
Besides, when I thought about it, he had done most of the things that he had previously asked permission for in a note, but which I had refused.
In the end, he had achieved everything he wanted.
The more I thought about it, the more absurd it was.
“Then I’ll be going now. The night air is chilly, so be careful not to catch a cold.”
Ardian left after saying just that.
Left alone, I shook my head with a sigh that finally burst out. When dealing with him, my energy was somehow completely drained. An unpredictable being was truly a difficult opponent.
Slightly weary, I went back at the appointed time and sat down.
The humans, who had increased in number in just a short time, were each embracing a partner, creating a subtle atmosphere as they watched the Meteor Shower.
I took off the Brooch that Ardian had pinned on my chest and placed it on my palm.
-After all, you’re the only one I want to win over.
I still know very little about him. It could be a scheme to achieve his goal after making me lower my guard.
However, a consistent attitude usually inspires trust in others.
It was definitely because of that. Perhaps, it was because I was leaning towards the idea that he had no other intentions, or if he did, they were unlikely to be bad intentions.
‘He likes me…’
I looked up at the sky with the Brooch.
‘If that’s really the case, I’m curious. What kind of emotion is liking someone?’
As starlight permeated the solidified transparent coagulant, which had been hardened to permanently contain the embers, the red embers sparkled with a vivid and beautiful color as if they were about to flicker at any moment.
☠
Even the week after the festival, the children seemed unable to shake off the lingering feelings. The classroom was so noisy before class that I thought the festival hadn’t ended yet.
Of course, there were two more decisive reasons why the school was particularly chaotic and hectic today than the lingering feelings after the festival.
“I heard a Meteor Shower fell last week, did you see it?!”
One was that the Meteor Shower fell during the ball.
“No wonder there weren’t many people in the lobby!”
“Wouldn’t you have wanted to take a look at least once?”
“It was very noisy from about halfway through the ball.”
“I was too busy eating then… Ah, what a waste!”
Tom made a face, looking very disappointed.
Still, many of the children had captured some of the scenes from that time on Video Orbs and were sharing them with each other to soothe their disappointment.
Anyway, that was why one side was noisy with stories related to the Meteor Shower.
“That person sitting over there!”
“Wow, it’s really him. What should I do?”
One side was noisy with onlookers from other classes who had come to see Ardian.
That was the second reason.
I turned to look at the noisy entrance. After this ball, children from other classes and other grades who had become aware of Ardian’s existence were camped outside the classroom, saying they would see the ‘Prince.’ The headmaster’s policy was to aim for a place that was equal for everyone, regardless of status, race, age, or gender, but it seemed that it turned out like this when the other party was royalty.
The reactions of the A class students were rather unique.
At that moment, Melicsa, who was sitting near the entrance, listened to the words of a student who came up to her and whispered, then turned to look at me with a troubled face.
“Hey, Ardian! Someone outside is asking for you!”
Eventually, Ardian, who couldn’t ignore the situation, glanced at the entrance with a shallow sigh and got up from his seat.
I quietly watched his progress towards the entrance. As Ardian poked his head out the door, small screams were heard like a chorus. Listening closely, I could hear the sound of Ardian talking to someone.
“Ardian-nim… Um, would you accept this?”
“Ah. Thank you. It’s a pretty flower, just like my senior.”
“Oh my, ah! You can speak casually…!”
“No. I don’t want to break the school rules.”
The corners of his lips, rising with a smile, were slightly visible.
The way he looked was very similar to how he acted towards me, so I had to pause and think for a moment. If that was the case, it was the same as Ardian saying he liked them too.
‘But it’s strange.’
Based on indirect experiences, the person you like is usually one. In a social convention where monogamy is applied, someone who indiscriminately lavishes love on many people must be a strange being.
‘Ah.’
So, he’s just originally that kind of guy… Through the conclusion I drew, I gained a deep realization.
‘So that’s what it was.’
Everything about liking me or whatever was all nonsense.