WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 266: I Look Forward to Working with You (1)
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'What is going on?'
Illia Lindsay had accepted Airen Farreira's invitation.
She waited for her longtime friend with anticipation, romantic excitement, embarrassment, and worry all mixed across her face.
When she had first woken up, she never expected things to turn out like this.
All she had thought about was how to make up for her mistake and return to how things had been before, acting as though nothing had happened and without any awkwardness between them.
Of course, that was no longer the case.
Now, her mind was filled with thoughts of the date that was about to begin.
Her outfit alone made that clear.
'Do these clothes suit me...?'
She was not wearing a splendid dress like the one from the ball. But neither had she dressed solely for comfort, as she did when they traveled together.
She had chosen the prettiest clothes she could without looking as though she had tried too hard. Even so, she worried.
A faint touch of perfume.
Makeup applied lightly, as though in passing.
Even earrings she did not usually wear.
How would he see her like this?
...While she was lost in those thoughts, someone appeared.
It was the very person she had been waiting for.
"Illia."
"...Ah, Airen."
"It's been a while."
"Yeah, i-it has. It really has."
Illia's face reddened slightly.
It had not actually been a long time. They had met just yesterday.
It was a day she wanted to erase from her memory, but she could not pretend it had never happened.
Fortunately, Airen did not bring it up. He simply looked at her with a smile.
Illia did the same, looking back at Airen.
The face she had wanted to see.
No, his face looked even more wonderful than the one she had carried in her heart. As she wondered what she should say, Airen spoke first.
"Those suit you."
"Huh? What?"
"The earrings. I don't think I've seen you wear them before."
"Oh? Ah, um, yeah, just..."
Illia's face flushed bright red. Her thoughts became far more complicated as well.
What did that mean?
Was he complimenting her? Was he saying she was pretty?
Or did he simply mean the earrings suited her? Was she reading too much into it?
No, more importantly...
'He noticed right away.'
Something about her that was different from usual.
They were only small accessories, but she had agonized over whether to wear them, attaching all sorts of meaning to them. Airen had immediately noticed something she had cared so much about.
It felt a little unfamiliar.
Of course, she did not dislike it.
She liked it.
Enough that she could barely control her expression.
'...No, what does my face look like right now?'
Illia flinched. Then, in an instant, her expression vanished.
She could not remember clearly, but she had probably been making an incredibly strange face.
Embarrassed once more, she turned her head away.
Would Airen think she was strange?
No, more importantly, how long were they supposed to stay here?
Illia's worries were resolved before long.
A carriage was descending from the sky.
"..."
Strictly speaking, it was not a carriage.
An exceptionally peculiar Griffin with a parrot's head, and even a ribbon tied around its head, was serving in place of horses.
Unlike usual, the creature landed with gentle movements.
Perhaps because of Sorcery, the carriage trailing behind it also settled smoothly and came to a stop before Illia and Airen.
A moment later, Kiril Farreira jumped down from Cherry the Griffin's back, gave a courteous bow, and spoke.
"Hello. I'm Kiril Farreira, and I'll be responsible for getting the two of you around today."
"Allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Lulu."
"..."
"Shall we board the carriage, then?"
"Um..."
"Let's get in, Illia."
"Huh?"
Airen took Illia's hand as she once again wore a dazed expression.
He did not grab it roughly. He took it gently, careful not to make her uncomfortable.
Still, Illia had no choice but to follow him.
"Uh, uh..."
Before she knew it, she had been led inside, where she sat across from Airen in a luxurious yet comfortable seat.
"We'll be departing now."
"Departing now."
Kiril's voice and Lulu's voice rang out, and the carriage began to move.
Perhaps because the two Sorcerers were controlling it with such care, they felt none of the usual roughness.
"There's somewhere I wanted to take you, but it's a little far by carriage."
"..."
"Is this all right? Nothing uncomfortable? Ah, and sorry. I decided everything on my own without asking you first."
"...Not at all. You don't need to apologize."
Illia murmured softly as she gazed out the window.
It was strange.
This was not her first time riding a Griffin.
When she had flown to House Farreira's territory, she had seen the scenery outside often enough to grow tired of it. There should have been nothing new about it.
And yet, it was different.
Very different.
'If the old me was like the protagonist of an adventure novel, riding a Griffin to defeat the Demon King, then the me right now...'
Illia's gaze returned to Airen.
Riding in a Sorcery carriage driven by a Sorcery cat.
Flying through the sky with the person she held in her heart, someone more wonderful than anyone else in the world.
She felt as though she had become the heroine of a romance novel.
"Ah, we're here."
"Huh?"
Already?
Illia was startled.
She wanted to enjoy this atmosphere a little longer.
High in the sky, in this moment that felt as though only she and Airen were together, she wanted to savor it just a little longer.
Of course, she did not show those feelings.
There was no need to.
"Then, allow me to escort you, my lady."
"..."
Airen's tone was playful, but it did not seem to contain only playfulness.
Illia looked at Airen's face for a moment before taking his hand and stepping out of the carriage.
There was no need to worry. No need to feel disappointed.
Unlike in the fairy tales she had read as a child, nothing changed after stepping out of the Sorcery carriage.
'Still...'
He was still by her side.
As Airen walked beside her with a smile on his face, Illia did not let go of his hand.
And then...
"Looks like there was nothing to worry about."
"Yeah. Nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about, then."
Kiril, Lulu, and Brett, who had appeared at some point, watched the pair's retreating figures with pleased expressions.
* * *
Sebastino, a free city in Gerbera Kingdom, was famous for its arts.
Artists in every field, including painting, music, sculpture, and performance, could be seen everywhere. Thanks to those who came to enjoy them, autumn always made the city feel as though it were holding a festival.
Illia and Airen felt the same.
As they walked through the streets, the two found enjoyment in something other than swordsmanship for the first time in a long while.
"Should we go see that?"
"Whoa, they painted that portrait in a minute!"
"That music over there sounds nice..."
"We've watched a lot of street performances. Should we go inside somewhere?"
At first, Illia felt awkward enjoying the artists' district.
Even early in the date, her expression had been stiff, and she had merely followed wherever Airen led.
But that only lasted a moment.
Yesterday's embarrassing incident faded from her mind.
Kiril and Lulu, who had been by her side, disappeared.
And the moment she felt that she could fully enjoy the present without worrying about anyone else's attention.
From then on, Illia began to savor every moment with Airen completely.
The old Illia probably could not have done that.
She had hated letting others see her.
She had avoided allowing anyone to know what she did.
She had feared, more than anything, that others would discover her feelings...
If she had still been the person who could not trust anyone else, who could not even trust herself, and who walked such an unsteady path, then she could never have shown this side of herself, even before someone she liked so much.
But that was no longer who she was.
Illia stopped and looked at Airen.
Seeing her like that, the blond young man asked,
"What?"
His smile was as warm as sunlight.
Illia had studied that face more intently than any work of art she had seen all day, and then said with a quiet laugh,
"Nothing. I'm just happy."
She had not said it casually.
Unlike before, her whole face did not turn red, nor did her expression go blank. But her heart was trembling more than it ever had.
Even though she controlled her Aura and body as far as she possibly could.
She wanted to be honest.
She wanted to reveal her feelings, express them, and tell him. So she did.
But showing her feelings completely and accurately, without giving Airen any chance to misunderstand them, was still too difficult.
"Yeah. Me too."
Airen answered with another smile.
It probably did not mean much. He probably meant he liked the festive atmosphere and this relaxed time they had not enjoyed in a while. Not Illia herself.
That left Illia both disappointed and relieved.
'...I still can't do it.'
She murmured inwardly and began walking again toward dinner.
"Welcome. Thank you for visiting Vanglass. We'll begin by serving an aperitif."
"We'll pair a fine Sebastino wine with your appetizer. Please enjoy its deep flavor and clean finish."
"How about a glass of red wine with your steak? We just received an exceptionally fine bottle..."
"I'd like to recommend a cocktail to accompany dessert. It has citrus notes and a slight savory flavor..."
"You're Brett."
"...What are you talking about?"
"Enough. Go away."
"Excuse me, but who is Brett? My name is..."
"Brett, stop it."
"...How did you know?"
"Please, just go."
Strange. The disguise had been perfect.
The waiter, or rather Brett in disguise, muttered quietly and disappeared. The two sighed. There had been no way they could fail to recognize Brett.
Brett's obvious passion for drink over food and the occasional glimpse of Brett's distinctive tone and mannerisms were unmistakably those of Gerbera high nobility.
"Sorry. I don't even know why Brett is acting like that."
"No, it's fine. It was funny, though."
Illia said with a light laugh.
She meant it.
Before dinner, she had honestly not been in a very good state of mind.
Airen's sudden invitation.
Airen's slightly changed attitude.
The excitement and anticipation those things brought had shaken her heart mercilessly, to the point that she could not fully manage her feelings.
'Don't get the wrong idea.'
Illia forced her emotions to settle.
It was true that they had grown much closer than before.
Perhaps the moment she wanted most out of all the countless scenarios she had imagined when accepting his invitation might come today.
But thinking of the opposite possibility frightened her. She was terrified that her current happiness would shatter.
That was why Brett's absurd interruption had not upset her.
In front of the person she liked most.
Illia felt herself becoming smaller than ever.
'I'm nervous.'
Airen Farreira looked at her with deep eyes.
He kept looking at her. He could not stop looking.
Her nose, her lips, her ears, the earrings she did not usually wear, and her beautiful eyes that were looking at him.
She was beautiful.
She had probably been beautiful before as well, but she seemed even more beautiful now.
'Perhaps because my feelings have grown stronger than before.'
Having spent so long as a lazy young lord who put himself down, he felt much the same as Illia did.
But...
He could not back down today.
"Illia."
After leaving the restaurant, the two walked and walked until they finally stopped.
Illia looked around before meeting Airen's gaze again.
There were few people around.
Airen's face looked as though he had something to say.
The feelings she had kept suppressed began to rise again.
Two thoughts, 'Maybe' and 'It can't be,' pulled fiercely against each other.
Then Airen spoke to her.
"I like you."
"..."
"Not as a friend, but as a woman."
"..."
"I like you. A lot."
So there could be no misunderstanding.
He made his feelings clear.
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