I really like you.
“A-actually… meeting you, Young Lady Joan… helped me become more positive. B-before I met you… the other noble girls said… all kinds of things to me… b-but… Young Lady Joan, you changed me. T-to me… Young Lady Joan is… an irreplaceable… d-dear friend. I-if you’re okay with it… I’d like to always… remain… your f-friend…”
“Belleeeee! Thank youuuuu!!”
Belle’s courage-filled words shattered my tear ducts…
“Uuuh… Joan, d-don’t cryyy…”
And Belle’s tears came too…
Once Belle and I finally stopped crying, Young Master Eric spoke up.
“I, too, will never betray Young Lady Joan or House Lampail… I’m also indebted to Young Lady Joan for bringing Belle out of her gloom. And more than anything, I don’t want to lose Gene as a friend.”
“… Eric, you’re the best friend ever!”
“Thank you, both of you. I’m so glad I got to hear your answers… Alright, enough with the heavy talk. How about we all have a BBQ tonight for the first time in a while?”
“““Yaaay!! Meat time!!”””
The three of us raised our fists in celebration—
“Gene, Joan, Vince? We have guests, you know?”
Mother said with a smile. Of course, her eyes were not smiling at all…
“““We’re sorry…”””
＊＊＊＊＊
—At the stables.
“Snowy.”
(Welcome back, Joan.)
“Yeah, I’m home~ Today I brought my dear friends. This is Belle. And this is Young Master Eric, Brother Gene’s friend.”
(Oh my, sorry for the less-than-elegant setting. I’m Snowy, Joan’s familiar… Joan’s a bit of an anomaly, but please be kind to her.)
Snowy dipped her front legs in a polite bow.
“I’m Belle. I-it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Belle bowed her head to Snowy.
“I’m Eric… She really just looks like a beautiful white horse.”
(Ehehe, beautiful, you say… Thank you.)
“Young Master Eric, would you like to ride her, if it’s okay?”
“Huh? Are you sure?”
“Yes. Belle, you’d like to ride too, wouldn’t you?”
“I want to!... If Snowy is okay with it.”
(My, what a kind girl… Joan, you have lovely friends.)
“Right? I’m proud of them.”
Belle blushed bright red as she listened to our conversation with Snowy
Thinking about weight balance, I rode with Young Master Eric, and Brother Gene rode with Belle. Belle had finally reached the point where she could talk to Brother Gene without stammering.
Starting with a gentle walk, Snowy spread her wings and lifted into the air.
“Whoa. W-we’re flying…”
“This is just the beginning. Snowy, take us up.”
(Leave it to me~)
Snowy gently flapped and ascended into the sky.
“So beautiful…”
It was right during magic hour, and the gradation between the sunset and the night sky was stunning. Flying through it with Snowy, we circled near the edge of Crimson Woods and returned to the mansion.
“Joan, thank you.”
“For what? Did I do something to be thanked for?”
“For Belle. Like she said, she can smile now because of you… To be honest, I was wary at first.”
“At first?”
“You know, back when we met at the café in the royal capital?”
“Oh right, that’s true.”
“That time, you didn’t make fun of Belle for her unusual hobby of training. She’s always been mocked by other noble girls… but you didn’t just refrain from mocking her—you told her to let them say whatever they want.”
“I mean, no one wants to be mocked for their hobbies.”
“There’s no other noble lady who’d say something like that. But because of that, she’s not afraid to be herself anymore… it really is all thanks to you. Thank you.”
“Hmm~ You’re welcome?”
“Why are you making that a question?”
“Because I just said what I thought… But if Belle can be herself even outside, then I’m glad.”
“Heh… yeah. That’s why I like you.”
Wha—wha—WHAT!? Young Master Eric!?
W-wait, if I think about it, the way we’re riding right now—he’s back-hugging me!
I can feel Young Master Eric’s chest muscles against my back… This is bad. This is so bad!
And when he speaks right next to my ear… I’m sure my face is bright red…
“W-what do you mean?”
“I mean, I’ve always thought this—your way of thinking. I really like it.”
“Eh? Oh… my way of thinking…”
“Hm? Something wrong?”
“Hyah… N-no, nothing at all. Ohohoho.”
“…?”
I think Snowy sighed a little, but right now I’m too focused on trying to keep my composure.
If the redness doesn’t fade before we land, Brother Gene is definitely going to tease me…
Even as I was thinking that, Brother Gene called for us to come down. He said if we were going to fly, it should be during magic hour.
It’s true—I’d like Belle to experience it too. Brother Gene might actually understand a girl’s heart better than I thought.
Anyway, I’m just glad no one noticed how red my face was.
While Brother Gene and Belle were flying, Young Master Eric asked to see Pearl in her original form, so I had her return to it.
“Whoa—she really is huge. Awesome, so cool!!”
“Right!? She’s super cool, super cute, and fluffy—like, super fluffy!!”
(Why did you say fluffy twice?)
“Because it’s important!!”
(Ah, I see.)
Don’t just “Ah, I see” me, Pearl!
It is important! Fluffiness is everything!!
Just having something fluffy makes life better.
Once Brother Gene and Belle returned, we said goodbye to Snowy and went back to the living room—only to find that Brother Noel and Vee weren’t there.
When I asked Nancy, she said they went to the training grounds. Apparently, they’re sparring with Zoey.
Whaaat!? That’s not something you want to miss!
If not now, then when!? Now’s the time!!
What do you think about this chapter?
