WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 203: Fireworks

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"L-Lord Viktor? This is..."

"Student Viktor... What does this ring mean...?"

"Viktor."

They were rings I had given them as tokens of my usual gratitude.

Yet everyone's reactions were strange.

'Wait.'

The girls either stared blankly or flushed red.

My own brain stopped right along with theirs.

Countless thoughts flashed through my mind.

Before long, I was able to reflect on my thoughtless actions.

Whatever the intention, it wasn't normal for a man to give a ring to a woman.

'Ah.'

This was a scene that could lead to a serious misunderstanding.

I hurried to explain myself.

But someone spoke before I could.

"N-no, everyone, this is..."

"Viktor."

The princess.

You were in your original form rather than that of a bat.

There were hardly any people around this park.

It was a perfect spot for fireworks that Javert had told us about.

Explosions echoed endlessly against the black backdrop.

Whenever flowers bloomed in the night sky, our surroundings repeatedly brightened and darkened.

"Y-Your Highness."

"What does this ring mean? Are you asking this princess to date you?"

"Huh?"

"I never imagined Viktor would be the one to confess first."

"Y-Your Highness... It's not like that. I..."

"If it isn't, then what? Surely you aren't giving rings away for no particular reason. To women, no less? Twice, even?"

"......"

I had no choice but to swallow my explanation.

She had struck right at the heart of the matter.

'Viktor, you crazy bastard.'

What the hell had I done?

I could only resent the me from three minutes ago.

No wonder I was still an orphan. Even a highly educated Academy student like me was hopelessly dense about romance.

I tried to regain my composure.

Then the princess's next words were enough to break me all over again.

"Then who will you make your primary wife?"

"Ghk, guh, wh-what...?"

"Why are you reacting like that? Of the six people you gave rings to, there must be one you intend to take as your lawful wife."

"Lawful wife..."

"Have you not decided? Or do you not intend to have such a distinction as a primary wife? That choice would be very like Viktor too. I like it."

"......"

I froze, dumbfounded.

The princess's words had leaped far ahead of where my thoughts were.

Rings, dating, primary wife... I had to take a moment to process those unfamiliar words.

Even then, the princess was looking up at me.

Her red eyes held nothing but the image of a masked boy.

"Um, well..."

Thump, thump, thump.

My heartbeat had grown louder than the bursting fireworks.

With all that noise filling my ears, I could only keep opening and closing my mouth.

"......"

"Viktor?"

Thump, thump.

Then, when the night died and my heart became my entire world...

"...Pfft."

The princess suddenly burst into laughter.

A bright white smile spread across her face.

The pressure she had been putting on me until moments ago vanished, and she was back to her usual self.

"I know. I know it wasn't a gift given with such special meaning."

"Yes...?"

"Viktor is dense when it comes to things like this."

"Did you know from the beginning?"

"How could I not? I've always been by Viktor's side, watching only Viktor."

"......"

"I only wanted to tease you a little."

Perhaps because this was the second time she had been attacked with a ring, the princess seemed to have caught on long ago.

"Well, the ring I gave Your Highness last time broke, so I wanted to give you a new one..."

The ring I had put on her finger during the Lunar Eclipse.

That ring had been consumed just after Blue Night while restoring my battered body.

The spirit's power inside it had drained away, and even its remaining form had shattered into particles of light.

The princess smiled as if she had known that as well.

"Yes, it seems you noticed this princess had been concerned about it."

"I often saw you touching your ring finger."

"I'm happy. It was something even I hadn't realized."

"Because we're always together."

"Your instincts are usually so sharp. Why do you become such an idiot whenever it concerns feelings?"

Well, it was because I hadn't even held a woman's hand in my previous life.

I had neither the money nor the peace of mind for that.

I muttered with a strange sadness.

"And I wanted to express my usual gratitude to the others as well."

"You needn't explain any further. They must all know."

The princess lightly bumped her forehead against my chest.

Her warmth reached me through my thin shirt.

"Viktor is an idiot."

"...I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Even that side of you feels like Viktor."

"Yes."

The princess giggled as if she found it amusing.

Her hair, so close to me, carried the scent of flowers.

The girl met my eyes.

For some reason, I found it hard to breathe in front of her.

"Still... You've gotten the girls' hopes up, so you must take responsibility."

"Responsibility? How...?"

"The rings. Put one on each of them yourself."

"...That much, I can do as many times as you want."

I approached the others.

Then I hesitated for a moment.

"Um, which finger should I put them on...?"

"Shouldn't you think of that much on your own?"

"...Yes."

The first person I approached was Ranne.

I opened the case and took out a silver ring adorned with decorations.

"S-Sir Viktor..."

Ranne was trembling unlike herself.

She was trying to act normal, but she couldn't seem to keep a poker face.

Her cheeks were bright red.

Her violet eyes spun in circles.

Carefully, I wrapped my hand around her slender fingers.

"Eep..."

"......"

My hand hesitated for a moment, but I soon made up my mind and put the ring on her finger.

Her left ring finger.

The silver band slid onto her thin finger.

Whether she was embarrassed, happy, or both, the girl's face was so red that it looked ready to burst.

"Thank you for everything, Miss Ranne."

"Sir Viktor..."

"I look forward to working with you from now on as well."

"Y-yes! M-me too...!"

Alice was next.

Her shoulders had been trembling even before I took her hand.

"Miss Alice."

"Y-yes... No, yes! L-Lord Viktor..."

"You are always a great help to me. Thank you for always staying by my side."

"T-that's what I should be saying... Sob, thank you for staying by my side..."

The girl was even tearing up.

Just like before, I put the ring on her white finger.

"Inspector."

"Student Viktor."

Then came Javert.

Her expression was as blank as usual.

Yet her face had heated up so much that it seemed to match her red hair.

"Thank you for everything."

"I'm always grateful to you too, Student Viktor."

Her voice tried to remain calm, but the thoughts coming through were nothing of the sort.

[No... My heart is going to burst...]

[I'm happy. Happy. So happy.]

[If I don't hold it in, I think I'll cry like Alice...]

It wasn't an honest reaction.

Caitlin was much the same.

"W-what, what, what is this? Why are you coming over to me too?"

"Miss Caitlin. Please stay still."

"No! W-wait..."

"Thank you for everything. I don't know how fortunate I am to have you, Miss Caitlin."

"Ah, aaah..."

Her well-tanned bronze skin grew even redder.

Crackle, crackle.

Static crackled around her as though current were leaking from her.

Caitlin bowed her head deeply and avoided my gaze.

Rin, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

"Lady Rin."

"Put it on."

"Yes."

"Mm, it's pretty."

"Thank you for always being with us."

Rin stared at the ring as though she didn't have any particular thoughts about it.

Still, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

It was an expression she showed only very rarely.

I smiled along with her and stroked her blue hair.

"Now, you're the last one."

"...Your Highness."

Carmilla.

Lastly, I placed a ring on the girl's left ring finger.

"Someday, I would like to hear words related to this ring directly from Viktor's lips."

"...Yes, I'll try."

It was fortunate that I was wearing a mask.

I must have been making a pathetic face right then.

Before I could even finish feeling relieved, the princess gently grasped the edge of my mask.

Click.

It came off before I had the chance to resist.

I stiffened and looked down at her.

"Y-Your Highness...?"

"So you can make an expression like that. I thought you were always composed."

"Well... Even if no one is around, the mask..."

"Stay still. We can't kiss if you're wearing this, can we?"

Smack.

Her lips briefly touched mine before drawing away.

The feeling of her soft lips disappeared in an instant.

That follow-up attack finally broke me.

The other girls also watched that enchanting scene while holding their breath.

"Pfft, were you surprised? By this princess's beauty?"

Everyone seemed to have had their eyes drawn to her without realizing it.

A heavy heartbeat erased the world.

Thump, thump, thump.

'Is it because she awakened...?'

Since her last awakening, Carmilla had been drinking a certain amount of my blood at a time.

Perhaps it was because of that, but the girl had recently taken on a noticeably more mature air.

Her eyes had turned completely red.

She could be as innocent as a child, yet unexpectedly show this mature side of herself.

"The night is deep. I think it's about time we returned."

"...Yes, I think that would be best."

Fireworks exploded.

Beneath that night sky, I walked with the girls.

* * *

A few days later.

I suddenly became the Academy's biggest superstar.

"Student Viktor! Is it true that you're dating five women at once?!"

"Five? Five, five, five...!"

"How does it feel to become the Academy's greatest womanizer?!"

"Most of them are children of noble families. Aren't you afraid of revenge from their families?!"

Voices flooded toward me.

I stood at the center of that spotlight.

"......"

Ah.

Good grief.

Footnotes:

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