The first year grounds, located in the west of the school. The place where Lisa and I had decided to come in hopes to find some keys.

Walking in front of Lisa, I was taking the lead. We tracked a familiar well-managed pasture that was very pleasing to the eye. A scene we had seen so much last year.

“It's nostalgic.” Muttered Lisa. She switched her head to browse the area with her curious sights, enjoying and yet looking for keys.

“I don't really know about that.” I blurted out. I don't have time looking at things around last year. Yes, it was a hectic year for sure, one that I didn't want to experience again if possible.

There were plenty of first-year students that were walking amongst us. Perhaps it was their free period, they all strolled with a smile on their face, spending time with their friends.

Friends huh...? I wonder, if I live a normal life, perhaps I'll able to make them..? Nah... I threw the thought of making companions. I doubt I could create one myself.

“Did you remember something funny, perhaps?” Noticing the subtle change in my mood, Lisa asked me from behind.

This girl was quite noticing things, in fact, she was the one that discovered the keys. But once she was set on looking to something, here sight became narrow, it was the same reason why the enemies earlier had her good.

“Is it funny? Ha! Maybe it is.” I brushed my hair even though it was not particularly itchy.

“I'm not sure if I'm following—oh, that's a key, right?” Cutting her sentence with a point of her finger, we looked at the fountain that had a golden gleam behind the infinite rain of water.

The sizzling sound of liquid became louder as we near ourselves to it.

I submerged my hand into the cold water, snatching the dormant key below.

“How did you even see this,” I said to Lisa as she gawked at me drying the metal with my clothes. I know that doing this would only stain the fabric, but I didn't have any choice either.

“I don't know,” Lisa replied, whipping her fan gently. “I just see something that's glowing, and that's that. Right, you haven't found a single key, yet.”

“Is the last one really necessary?”

“It is.” She snickered at me.

I ignored her mean demeanor and slipped the key into my pocket. This is difficult on its own.

I didn't think that I could do this without the help of Lisa, who had an excellent dynamic sense.

“Well well, look who it is.” A sarcastic voice rung through the place. Walking with dignity, the girl who had been fighting against Rito the other had come.

Her red twintails swirled around as she ceased her gait, two cutlasses hung on her waist on both sides.

Crossing her arms in displeasure, she glared at Lisa. “What are you doing here?”

“It's none of your business,” Lisa replied coldly. You didn't have to be a detective to deduct that the two of them were not friendly.

I could see imaginary sparks that blasted through their eyes.

“You're here too.” And when she finally addressed me, her voice relaxed a little.

“Yo,” I answered. She's not angry at what happened in the past?

I really thought that she would at least sneer at me for defeating her, but I was wrong.

What's her name again? I conserved my hush as I didn't know how to address her for a moment, while Lisa had her mouth working yet again.

“So, what do you want? You didn't approach us on the whim, aren't you.” When Lisa spatted that, the girl went panicked, though so slight that I am not sure if Lisa herself picked that.

“O-of course, hey you!” She quickly thwarted her gaze from Lisa to me, her lips moving yet there was no sound.

“How about it, is my advice any useful to you?” I gave her a saving throw since her pitiful appearance made it hard for me to look at her.

“A-actually, yes. It really helped me a lot and Rito praised me for doing good.” She seemed happy when she was talking about Rito.

If only Lisa has even the tiniest of that happiness.

Lisa was glaring at me, like, for real. She was very angry to hear that I assisted this girl—a girl who she didn't like—and had her complimented by Rito.

“Hmph. So what? Rito and I fought together earlier, alone.” Lisa smirked at the squirming girl condescendingly.

Just what are the two of you fighting for?

“W-well! We do it too! A lot!” The girl shouted at the top of her lungs, attracting notoriety from the passing students.

Yet the girl had no awareness of it, she continued her words. “We did it before you even come!”

“Did it?”

“What is she saying?”

“Come... Did she mean cum...?”

“My, how scandalous.”

“Look, that guy isn't even fazed when two beautiful girls are fighting for him.”

What!? Now, looking at this situation logically, a young man and two girls glaring at each other was not something that would give others a good idea.

The piercing gaze was prickling my skin. It's not like that! And much to my demise, Lisa was not noticing any of the attention we gathered, either.

“It doesn't matter when it happened, what mattered the most is the quality of it.” Lisa offered her rebuttal with a lash of her fan.

“First time is special because its the first!” The girl exclaimed, her hand went down, turning into a fist, scowling at Lisa.

“Wow... So first time huh...? And a beauty at that.”

“Just by looking at that guy, he's not very well-kempt isn't it? I wonder what house does he belong to.”

“How did he manage to pick the cherries of those maidens? I am interested...”

Wait! Let me explain! I wanted to scream, but I swallowed them along with various retorts that I wish to say towards the spectators.

Clasping my hand in distress, I seized their eyes, then I cough, preparing to speak. “This is not a place to speak this VERY personal information, right?”

Perhaps they finally cooled their heads, the started gazing around. It didn't take that much time for them to realize what they had done.

The two went lull with faintly blushing face. It was because the onlookers formed a circle around us, gossiping to themselves.

“H-hmph!” Still, the girl decided to act tough. “I have no longer any business here, I'll take my leave.”

She passed through us while fumes were coming out from her ears. Now that the girl had left, urged the embarrassed Lisa to walk.

“We still have to find the keys,” I said, beginning to my stride and not even waiting for her reply.

All I could hear was her sounding footstep as she followed me. We exited the area and arrived at somewhere peaceful.

“Just what happened to you earlier, that's not the normal you.” I sternly told Lisa while staying alert for the possible place where keys might hide.

“I... I lost my cool when she bragged about her experience with Rito.”

“Forgive me, but I suddenly lost it when she told me that Rito complimented her,” Lisa replied dejectedly.

Hhmm...? Oh, right, it's normal. I thought.

“That's natural.” I changed my view to the other side, then to another, before settling it to her. “That's jealousy you're experiencing. Normal stuff, no need to worry.”

The word “jealousy” occurred alien to her, repeating it, gaping her disturbed mouth. “This is jealousy...? It's unpleasant, how do I get rid of it?”

Is she for real? You could not just get rid of the emotion, you couldn't even control them, they just come and go whenever they like, but I doubt she would understand it even if I explained it to her.

“Nothing you can do about it. It's just the proof that you love Rito since you don't want others to be praised by him.”

Was that able to demystified her sentiment? I hope so since I couldn't do any more than that.

“So this is a proof huh? I'm not sure how to take that.” She mumbled, I almost didn't hear it if I wasn't paying attention to her.

“Not knowing what to do is fine, too. Sometimes, you have to let things resolve their own.” I added.

“Where did you learn those intelligent-sounding words?”

I experienced them first hand.

“I just read it from a book you know, a book.” My excuse was barely passable, but she took it quite well, saying, “I don't know that you read books as well.”

Sorry, the longest thing I've read is the menu on the tavern that I usually go to.

“F-from time to time, I would read them.” My voice was trembling. Please let the conversation die, I'll run out of lie if this continues!

“So, who's your favorite author?” Lisa was really delighted when talking about books. She neared her distance to me.

“T-that...” I paused. The grassy field rippled from the unexpected wind above, and it gave me an idea. “It's Airy... Yeah, his name is Airy, maybe you don't know him since he's not that famous, but his work is good, I guess.”

I was hoping her to not know the Airy name since it was not real, and was created by me. A blatant lie to help me get out of this pressuring moment.

“Airy! You know Airy!? I love all of his work...! Oh, sorry...! I'm quite excited talking about this topic since no one I know is really into books...”

What the... IS THAT REALLY HER!? She really looked like a normal girl just now! From the way she pressed her chest with her palm and expressing shyness with a clasp on her cheeks.

If I didn't know any better, I would believe that this girl was not the icy noble that I had met days ago!

Though she has a weak flush on her cheeks, she was peering at me with expectant eyes.

“Well... I like that book...”

“What do you mean about that, Elric? Please be more specific.”

I tried to pull the same trick I used on Rito on her but it failed. Now I was left but to randomly guess some title, which I would one hundred percent fail.

How can a small white lie lead up to this?

“My favorite is about, you know. That dragon.” I mumbled, almost incoherently.

“Dragon? Do you mean? Airy is known for writing stories about dragons, Elric, please be specific.” She replied, her lips turning into a wonderful smile.

Damn you, Airy! Who in the right mind would write dragons all the time! Cursing the author inside my mind, I scoured for the best words I could say right now.

“T-the about the dragon and the knight...” I nervously checked her to see if my answer was somehow correct. And seeing her satisfied face, it appeared that I was right.

“The Lonely Dragon and the Cheerful Knight. I couldn't agree more, it was also one of my favorites.” She told me all proud as if she herself wrote the novel.

“Y-yeah, it's really something.” I couldn't bring myself to tell her that it was all a lie, not with that soft face of her.

“So, what's your favorite scene?”

The part when you shut up. She was raising the hardness now! If this continued, she would know that I am lying! And I didn't want that! It was too embarrassing!

“The battles...?”

“Hhmm? But it's not an action novel—”

“—Of wits! I mean the battles of wits! Of course, there's no fighting in that novel. I read it after all.” If anyone but Lisa was here, they would definitely see through me.

“Indeed, I love how characters interact with each other.” Lisa then chuckled, probably recalling the moments she had read in the novels, then she added. “I wish a true friendship like that.”

“Right.” Any more of this and I would explode. But perhaps, this was the retribution of the gods of orders, or even curse from the dark gods. Because Lisa didn't stop talking during the entire time we were together.