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chapter 37
“Wow, that’s really May’s sister, right? Right, right?”
“……Yeah, that’s her.”
Luna, a first-year student in Class A of the Academy’s Magic Department, calmly responded to Claire’s excitement. Honestly, there wasn’t much reason to be surprised.
‘She can even use teleportation magic.’
Scoring full marks on a simple Academy-level quiz would be a piece of cake for her.
…Although she couldn’t help but notice the second-place score of the crown prince. How difficult must that exam have been?
‘I want to meet her soon.’
Luna’s heart raced with anticipation. Her reaction, uncharacteristic of her usual calm demeanor, was barely noticeable on the surface.
She glanced at May.
“May, so when are you going to… May?”
But May, who had been devouring snacks earlier, reacted strangely.
“…….”
She didn’t even notice Luna calling her and continued staring intently at the grades posted on the wall.
Her dazed expression was oddly chilling for a moment.
“May!”
Just then, Claire called out to May.
“Huh? You called?”
“Yes! I’ve been waiting for you this whole time!”
As Claire scolded her playfully, May gave an embarrassed smile.
“Sorry. I was just happy to see my sister doing so well.”
“Well, that’s something to be proud of! Ah, if only I had a sister like that… I’m stuck with nothing but disobedient younger siblings. Ugh.”
Cheerful Claire teased May as she spoke.
“Anyway, I’m really looking forward to having lunch with your sister today! Are we meeting at the restaurant entrance?”
“Hmm. Not exactly.”
May’s smile seemed subtly pleased despite the troubled expression on her face.
“She seems to be coming this way.”
Luna felt a bit puzzled by May’s uncertain confidence. It seemed like she knew more than she was letting on.
‘Well, maybe she usually comes from this direction.’
No matter how great Canis Escliff was, that was her—May—not Canis.
The sense of déjà vu seemed to be a continuation of the strange feeling Luna had felt earlier.
Perhaps it was just the lingering unease from May Escliff’s appetite, which had emptied her wallet earlier. Just thinking about it made her stomach turn.
“Here she comes!”
As May had predicted, Canis appeared shortly afterward.
“There you are, May. Are these your friends?”
“Hello! I’m Claire Rex!”
“……I’m Luna Ainser.”
Unlike Claire’s cheerful greeting, Luna’s voice trembled slightly at the end. She was probably feeling like a fan seeing a celebrity.
‘I only said that to cover myself.’
Looking back, she might actually have been a fan.
All the talk about a dark-element magician who could teleport was probably just an excuse. In reality, she simply wanted to see that ridiculously beautiful genius magician up close.
“I saw your match before—it was amazing! How have you hidden that talent until now?”
“I wasn’t really hiding it.”
Canis accepted Claire’s excitement with ease. Then his gaze shifted, and he made eye contact with Luna.
His red lips drew a perfect curve. Luna’s eyes wavered.
Against his almost transparently clear skin, those lips were the only vivid color—and, despite the situation, seemed somehow extremely alluring.
How had someone like him earned the reputation of being the Academy’s official troublemaker?
Even someone like Luna, who didn’t care about rumors, had heard about it. That alone said a lot.
And yet, not a single rumor suggested he was ugly. He was far too handsome for that—
“Miss Ainser?”
“Y-yes?”
“Oh, you seemed a bit dazed earlier. I just wanted to check if you were okay.”
“……I’m fine.”
Luna turned her gaze away, unable to face him.
This was really difficult. She had planned to ask him how he had taught himself dark-element magic alone… but now, her carefully planned fan encounter was turning into something entirely different.
At the arena, he had seemed small as a dot, so she hadn’t realized just how close and real he was.
Luna was so dazed that she didn’t even notice the way May was watching her.
From walking down the corridor together to sitting at the table with a plate of the Academy’s luxurious meal, it all felt like a dream.
It was a sensation she had never experienced before.
‘Is this… love?’
No, it couldn’t be. The last time she had seen him up close, she hadn’t felt this way. It was the same close encounter, just for a brief moment.
The difference this time was that she knew Canis Escliff was a dark-element magician. That was it.
Luna turned her gaze to Canis sitting across from her. She listened quietly as Claire chattered beside him.
When would she have the chance to speak? Just as Luna pondered this, Canis turned his head.
“Really? Miss Ainser, you’re a dark-element magician?”
Luna froze. Canis, seemingly unaware of her reaction, asked with a look of genuine curiosity.
“So, do you like our May?”
“No, I don’t.”
Without realizing it, Luna answered immediately.
“So, do you like our May?”
“No, I don’t.”
The rapid denial made him slightly embarrassed. He hadn’t asked without reason.
‘She was a character in the original story. I didn’t realize it at first.’
Luna Ainser.
She was the only dark-element magician in the original story, and because of that nature, she was the third genius to walk the path of magic alone without a mentor.
The first and second? That would be the male lead Daen and the sub-male lead, a younger brother named Claude. Among female characters, Luna was the strongest.
The reason I knew a bit about her was that in the original story, Luna was a helpful ally to the heroine.
She had taken an interest in the heroine simply because of healing magic.
Though called “healing magic” for convenience, it was classified as light.
Typically, white magic is the opposite of dark magic, but this world was different.
The highest-element magics shared similar forms in their spells or magic circles.
Currently, the owner of healing magic wasn’t me—it was May.
Naturally, Luna was expected to develop a strong liking for May…
‘Not yet, it seems.’
She would probably like her soon. Even though the story’s plot had changed, Luna’s personality wouldn’t have.
“Ah, I mean… I like her as a friend. That’s what I meant.”
“Alright.”
I felt a little pity for Luna, who was trying to explain. It was understandable that she felt burdened denying feelings in front of a senior.
But I knew the original story. Eventually, she would obviously follow May around happily. So her denial was just a form of acting stubborn.
‘She’s serious about magic, too.’
Even the original male lead, Daen, was like that. It was a really unique setup for an Academy story.
Usually, Academy heroines just play around without studying and still score high, right?
For reference, the protagonist drops out around Chapter 100, leaving other Academy characters sidelined, which often enrages readers—also part of the trope.
Anyway, it was clear that if written well, the genre could be very engaging.
But then…
“Uh, um…”
Why are you here?
I had planned to finish eating and get to the next classroom early, but Luna hurriedly grabbed me as I tried to stand.
‘Could it be she’s interested in me, not May? Because I’ve grown stronger?’
But in the original, she showed no interest in Daen at all. Seeing her so excited in contrast to that made me feel conflicted.
“What’s wrong?”
“Earlier, I said I was a dark-element magician, right?”
“That’s right.”
I nodded calmly.
She realized I was a character from the original story when she heard that.
After hesitating and glancing nervously, she spoke in a very timid voice.
“Um… Escliff-senpai, you can also use dark-element magic, right?”
