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A calm chapter before the storm
? I want more Keito! The way paragraphs are split in Japanese bother me a little
 I might start changing how they’re split in the future.
Translator: Tian
Editor: noodle
It has been several months since I entered this school– several of months of living in the dorms. Time passed in a blink of an eye, but maybe I had just prepared myself well.
“As expected, my home is the best~” I mumbled. I sprawled out on my bed and lost consciousness as soon as I got home.
The dorms are very convenient and leave nothing to be desired. I have no complaints about the food either; meals are delicious and the nutritional balance is perfect. I’m quite partial to dorm life but it’s just no match for my own home.
My kind parents are here and servants that are like family are too. The cooking that I’ve been familiar with since I was young gives me a feeling of comfort, unlike the dorm’s food. Just as Keito had said before vacation started, his house was a mess–as if a storm had passed through–and he worked hard to tidy up with his dad while grumbling out complaints.
It’s been only 10 days since my vacation began, but the days were peaceful, just like they were before I entered the academy and met the capture targets.
If I have a complaint, it’s the frequency of which I have to attend parties, but Primella is often there with me so it’s not much of a problem for the time being.
Just yesterday at a meeting for nobles, I enjoyed chatting. At that time, an appointment was made for my greatest wish.
“Maria-chan, it’s your friends!”
“Yes, you can let them in!”
Hearing my mother from my room, I checked myself checked my appearance and then opened the door. I normally look neat
 Well, I had help cleaning up my appearance, so I knew it wasn’t a problem, but I couldn’t help being nervous.
“Welcome you two. I’m glad you came.”
“Good day to you, Maria-chan.”
“Excuse my intrusion~”
After all, today was the first day I had ever invited female friends to my house. I almost never invited Keito to my room. But, should I even group him with my friends? “Childhood friends” is a category higher than friends after all.
“Well then, relax and enjoy.”
“Thank you, mother.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
After saying farewell to my mother, Primella and Eru entered my room and reacted as expected.
“Huge!!”
Eru’s offhand remark put me in a nostalgic mood. I also thought that in the past
 Even now I often questioned if my room is too large. Though, compared with the size of my house, I have come to think that the size is proper—perhaps I’m getting influenced.
“I prepared some black tea, please sit.”
A little while ago, Ann had prepared a tea set. Maybe it’s because of my room’s interior, but rather than a girl’s only party, it seemed like we were having a tea party. Well, that’s not wrong but
 I just wanted to play with my friends, but now it feels pretentious.
“Still, this sure is an amazing house. It surpassed my imagination. Or rather, it blew it away.”
“But it suits Maria-chan.”
“Ah, I thought so too. It fits her gorgeous image perfectly.”
“N-not at all, though it doesn’t feel like I’m getting praised.”
I know very well that my gaudy face suits a stately mansion like this. After all, when I returned, I was immediately told that I’ve “become more like the head of the house.” Even though it’s only been several months since I was gone!
A child’s development sure is amazing~ I do love my father, so my reaction looked a little mixed. It’s not that I hate it but, the closer I get to that perfect form, the more mixed feelings I have.
“Y’know, Maria’s room is just as I imagined! It’s simple and not flashy but feels nice.”
“Simple is cute~”
It’s because of Mariabell’s bad example of what not to do that my design is simple. My room and my clothes prioritize functionality.
People enter and exit places like the hallway, parlor room, and my father’s study regularly so they’re decorated with a look suitable of a noble’s dignity. But, my room is only seen by the servants and my friends.
“I thought that visiting Maria’s house would make me see her nobleness in a new light but
 Yea, Maria is Maria.”
“On the contrary, she tries harder to seem like a Lady at school.”
At least let me relax in my own house, or else I’ll get tired.
“But, at parties, Maria-chan looks really dignified and pretty you know! It’s a different feeling from her at school~ she was the center of attention you know.”
“Eh, sorry, I have no memory of such a thing.”
Center of attention? What do you mean, I don’t know of such a thing happening, are you talking about a different person?
Primella seemed to be enjoying my earnest confusion. What was different? We were supposed to be in the same place, but maybe the dimension got distorted?
Primella’s eyes were sparkling and a little vacant. Primella, please return to us.
“Maria-chan is a beauty, she doesn’t act arrogant, and her manners and greetings are perfect
 When she’s standing silently, she looks like a painting.”
“Aa
 That’s true, her face and gestures are beautiful too.”
This is torture. Praising me this much
 How much money did you receive?
No wait, Eru’s praise was a little questionable with the way she emphasized “my face and gestures are”
 The way she said it sounds like my insides are no good, not that I deny it.
“Her greetings are so formal and reserved that it makes it hard to talk to her though.”
“How rude!”
Lifting me up then dropping me like this, when did your statements become like that! Who indoctrinated you guys? Who did this to my oasis?
“It’s because your manners are too perfect, so you seem like a goody two shoes.”
“That
 I can’t deny it.”
My manners, skills, and knowledge are all things I learned from my observation of Mariabell as a role model and then fixed. I don’t have much experience, but I use my status to make it seem like I do.
Depending on where or how I use my status, it might seem like I don’t have enough experience though.
“Honestly, it’s tiring so I don’t like putting on airs. I’m happy if Primella will chat with me.”
“Me too. Those kinds of showy events
 mentally tire you.”
Although Mariabell had loved parties and the like, they don’t suit someone like me. Attending those kinds of events is a responsibility of a noble lady so I can’t say that I don’t want to go but, I have absolutely no intention of going out of my way to participate.
“We’ll have to endure until school starts again.”
Well, for me, parties are way safer than school. There are too many capture targets there. My personal demons.
There is a possibility of meeting the three of them at a party but I have the ultimate shield called my father. For example, even if they try to talk with me, as long as my father is there, they can’t make any careless remarks. At least, that one guy who always tries to show off his standing can’t.
“Come to think of it, Maria-chan, Heine-chan said ‘thank you’.”
“Heine
.?
Who? Someone who Primella and I would both know would be a classmate but I’m sorry to say that I have had extremely little interactions with my classmates. I don’t want to know the reason why, but it’s probably because my face is scary.
“She said if I mentioned the test of courage pairs during the school excursion you would know but
.”
“Aaaaah, that girl! I got it.”
“Thanks to you, they’re heading towards a good course. She was very happy. It seems like she was too shy to say it directly.”
“Fufu, that’s good. Will you tell her it was my pleasure?”
“Okay, got it.”
I see, it went well. Her Suspension Bridge effect strategy. I envy her sweet adolescence, but I’m happy she had good results.
Heine-chan, may you be happy with your fiancé for many years to come.
“Is this about her progress with Towa?”
“Seems like it because she’s been brooding over various things.”
“You two knew?”
“Heine-chan is in the handicrafts club after all.”
“And, her fiancĂ© is in the track and field club. Heine is always worrying about Towa.”
My my, what a small world—is what I’d like to say but if you’re a student at school this is normal maybe. I’m the only one with an extremely small world. Primella and Eru are both in clubs so I’m sure they have many friends.
“I can’t imagine having something like a fiancĂ© at all.”
“Me too. I’m not a noble so there’s no plans to arrange for one.”
“I don’t know anything about a fiancĂ©, let alone love.”
What’s this? It’s a girl’s conversation. This is girls’ talk. Unfortunately, it seems that not one of us has something of substance to say.
If only if there were a girl who had a fiancĂ© or a first love here. At our age, this might be a normal thing though, I don’t know.
To be honest, I can’t imagine myself liking anyone else like that.
I have personally witnessed Mariabell’s failures. She viewed love as a stepping stone towards happiness so I can’t think of it as something that will bring happiness.
“Me too, I have no idea at all.”
“Right
 Right now, talking with Maria-chan and Eru-chan just the three of us is more fun.”
“We have no interest in boys huh.”
The two of them laughing looked dazzling.
Now, I have friends. That’s already plenty of a miracle for me. Something like love is just a dream within a dream and having a fiancĂ© is a matter for the far future. I do long for a happy love but if I wish for anything more, it feels like both will disappear.
I felt like if this moment, now, continued forever, that would be nice.
×　×　×　×
It was the time when the sky was dyed red by the sunset.
Until my mother called for us, we hadn’t noticed the color of the light shining into my room because we were so absorbed in our chatting.
Even though we take the same lessons in the same classroom and occasionally spend time together during breaks and days off, we didn’t run out of things to talk about. When we noticed, the sweets and tea had run out.
“I had fun today, please come again.”
“Thank you for having us. The sweets and tea were delicious.”
“Thanks for having us until so late.”
“I’ll contact you both again.”
“Yes! Ah, I’ll send you a souvenir.”
“Me too.”
“Okay, I look forward to it.”
I sent them off at the gate where a carriage came to pick them up. I then absentmindedly remembered my complete lack of plans in the future.
The two of them have plans to travel while I have nothing special planned. Most likely, my vacation will end with me playing with Keito as usual at this rate.
I’m not particularly discontent with that and I’m looking forward to the promised souvenirs.
“Welcome home, Maria-chan.”
“Mother, did something happen?”
I only went to the gate but our grounds are so large that it takes a good amount of time to do just that. After seeing Primella and Eru off at the entrance, I was thinking of returning to my room. Were you waiting for me
 sorry mother. I have a bad premonition.
“There’s a letter for you, Maria-chan.”
“A letter?”
With this timing, the letter couldn’t be from Primella or Eru. We were together just now after all. It’s a little sad to say but, besides those two, I have no idea who it could be from. Well, Keito and I are close enough to exchange letters but we live on the same property so it would be a waste of resources to, right?
Then
 Who? I could only think of someone I hate.
Heart pounding, I took the letter and checked the sender. Written in beautiful letters, was a name beyond my expectations.
“Nerieru
.?”