Graduation Dance Party
At last, today was the graduation ceremony.
After the graduation dance party, the graduates would immediately begin their first jobs the very next day—no time off. Their freedom ended with the party.
The four of us decided to match our dresses in different colors.
Senior Elena wore cobalt blue. Senior Chloe chose a reddish orange. Belle’s was lemon yellow. And mine was black and white in a monochrome pattern.
The design was made by me and Mrs. Goodman.
Since we girls in the Knight Department had plenty of bruises and sword scars, we made sure to keep the neckline and sleeves modest.
The dress was A-line with a round neck and three-quarter sleeves. A single slit ran up the left thigh, and glossy fabric was covered in lace, leaving the neckline, arms, and slit area sheer. In other words—just a hint of teasing charm.
When Mrs. Goodman saw the design sketch, her merchant’s eyes gleamed. No doubt a “subtle allure” trend would sweep the capital soon.
Well, not that I minded. It meant more design royalties for me.
The graduation dance was to start in the evening, so we took baths, dressed, and had our makeup done at the Lampail estate in the capital.
Since we weren’t sure we’d have time to eat during the event—even though light snacks would be served—Abe prepared bite-sized sandwiches for us.
From the mansion to the academy, we traveled by carriage bearing the Lampail family crest. When we arrived, Teachers Brian and Hector were waiting, dressed much sharper than usual.
“Ohh, you four look stunning. When I see you like this, you actually look like proper ladies.”
“We’re proper ladies even when you don’t see us like this.”
“Teacher Brian, that’s terrible!”
“Should I tell your wife all sorts of things about what you said?”
“Oh no, my cute kids will end up hating me…”
Senior Elena, Senior Chloe, Belle, and I all fired back at him until Teacher Brian froze.
“My apologies! … Wait a second—Joan, Belle, the way you said that makes it sound like you know my family?”
“Huh? Of course we do.”
“Yes! Kiki and Lala are adorable.”
“W–what, how…?”
“Teacher, have you forgotten where I’m from?”
“… The Lampail family.”
“So there’s no way I wouldn’t know. You used to serve under my father, remember?”
“Hahaha! As expected of the Lampail family.”
“Right? Teacher Hector, you should hurry up and get married too. Your girlfriend’s still waiting… at the bakery.”
“… You’re kidding.”
Teasing the teachers as we went, we made our way to the hall.
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When we entered, the graduates and their guests were already dancing in the center of the hall, eating light food at tables, or chatting over drinks.
With the women’s colorful dresses, the place looked like a field of blooming flowers.
“So then, I’ll leave it to you all,” said Teacher Brian cheerfully as he and Teacher Hector walked off. Apparently, the teachers had to both keep the graduates from getting too wild and entertain the guests.
“So, what now, Elena?”
“What do you mean, ‘what now’? We can’t exactly go around inviting people ourselves. This isn’t a regular evening party.”
Belle and I had never attended a formal ball, but according to Senior Elena, at such events, anyone without a fiancé could freely invite someone of the opposite sex to dance and chat. But tonight’s stars were the graduates. We were only supporting characters.
As the four of us were talking, Teacher Hector returned with several male Knight Department students in tow.
“Oh good, you’re still here. You can start by dancing with these guys.”
The ones he pointed to were Vee, Senior Noah, Senior Kazul, and another I didn’t know by name.
“I brought the top four graduates. Figured you wouldn’t know who to pick, so maybe start by matching rank order—top male with top female, and so on. Let’s see… the valedictorian was… Kazul, right?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
Later I heard that Vee, who had always held the top spot in exams, lost by a very narrow margin to Senior Kazul.
If I got to dance with Senior Kazul, my face would probably burst into flames… I wanted to, but I didn’t want him to think I was weird, so I just looked down.
While I was still worrying about it, Senior Kazul made his choice.
“Miss, would you grant me this dance?”
He extended a hand to me with perfect manners.
“Wha—h-hey, Kazul, that’s not what we—”
“Shall we, Miss Joan?”
“Eh!? Ah! Y-yes…”
Vee started to protest, but I didn’t hear the rest—Senior Kazul was already escorting me onto the dance floor.
“U-um, I’m not very good at dancing… I might step on your feet…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m not great either. Besides, these shoes have reinforced toes—no harm done if you do.”
“Ah ha, ha ha… I’ll try my best not to.”
Even though he claimed he wasn’t skilled, Senior Kazul’s lead was steady and graceful. At first I was stiff with nerves, but his gentle tone soon helped me relax.
“You’re doing great, Joan.”
“Oh no, it’s only because you’re leading so well. Um, but… why me?”
I asked what had been on my mind even as we kept dancing.
“Hmm… no special reason. I hadn’t picked anyone, but when I stepped forward, you looked down, and everyone else was looking at you.”
“Eh? They were looking at me?”
“Yeah. You didn’t notice? But don’t worry—they were smiling.”
Senior Elena and the others had known since last year that I liked Senior Kazul. They said the look on my face whenever I talked to him in the cafeteria was exactly that of a girl in love…
What do you think about this chapter?
