Chapter 148 - An Answer Only You Can Reach

♪♫-

And the music began to flow again. It was a rhythm that was dignified yet calm, not passionate enough for spirited dance moves.

The paired people standing in the hall began to show off their respective dances. Each one was disciplined, and their movements could be described as elegant.

After all, whether they were knights, nobles, or cadets, only those familiar with high society were present.

However, from the moment they started dancing, and as the music continued to flow, the crowd's gaze was fixed on one place.

The place where their gazes were directed was, without a doubt, Rain Enlight and Arien Ortega. Their pair.

Their dance lines were certainly not that exquisite. Rain had only learned to dance a few days ago, and Arien, though a quick learner, had also crammed.

Nevertheless, their dance was beautiful. More so than anyone else here.

Why was that?

Such concentrated attention would normally distract the subject, but there was no sign of agitation from the two themselves.

They were just concentrating on their dance moves, enjoying the dance itself.

And even in the midst of that silent dance, Arien was constantly thinking.

About her inference—that the first time she felt joy with Rain was when they were watching the street band.

It didn't take long for that conclusion to be reached.

‘I was right after all.’

It was just as she had guessed. Arien had asked Rain to dance to vividly recall the feelings of that time.

‘I want to dance joyfully like that too.’

It was the result of an unconscious expression of what Arien had thought at that time.

The dancer whose movements were somewhat clumsy, yet looked happy.

The girl could finally understand. That Arien herself had longed for such 'humanity'.

But, the joy didn't just stem from that.

What had made her happiest, more than anything else, was the boy who had stood with her while watching the street performance.

-Because not everyone performs hoping for perfection.

-Because not everyone watches a performance hoping for perfection.

The boy's calm voice, which filled the void in her poor understanding of humans, echoed in her ears.

And now, that same boy was dancing with her, holding her hand. He was, as usual, completely engrossed in what was right in front of him.

When her thoughts reached that point, Arien had another realization.

‘The first time I felt joy was when I saw the street performance, but it wasn't just because of the street performance.’

What truly made the girl happy was not the performance itself, but the person she was with.

That was none other than Rain Enlight.

Upon this realization, Arien revised her previous conclusion.

‘I wanted to dance with him.’

And from that conclusion, Arien established a new hypothesis.

‘Wanting to dance with him means that I thought it would bring joy. From this, I can infer⋯⋯ I seem to feel joy when I am with Mr. Rain.’

I am happy when I'm with Rain. That had been a premise for a while, but she couldn't help but re-examine it.

And from that review, her thoughts expanded further.

‘I want to continue being happy in the future.’

And⋯⋯.

‘So, I want to be with him in the future too.’

The final conclusion the girl reached was something like that.

Even if the relationship had started from calculation, that feeling was an undeniable truth.

As the feelings left in her subconscious were put into words, Arien made a decision.

That there should be no more lies in order to stay together in the future.

Therefore, she would tell Rain what she had been hiding.

***

Although I had many worries before the actual dance, I was surprisingly handling it quite smoothly.

Serene's advice from last time was a great help, after all.

I answered calmly. In the beginning, I might have had difficulty answering because I was concentrating, but now it was possible because it had completely sunk into my body.

“Actually, I have something I've been hiding from you, Mr. Rain.”

The words that Arien, who had been silent, brought up were rather puzzling.

Something she's hiding? Even if that were true, why so suddenly?

Since she was someone who always thought before she acted, it must have been a conclusion she had reached⋯⋯ but it was still hard to guess.

“⋯⋯Do you remember? The day we first met.”

“Ah, I remember. It was in Professor Albert's lecture.”

Arien nodded and looked into my eyes. Her deep, sky-blue eyes sparkled under the light of the chandeliers.

“I was quite proactive back then, wasn't I? You might not know, but I'm not usually like that. But I acted that way only at that time. Why do you think that was?”

Well, I did know that you don't usually act like that.

Putting that aside, I fell into thought for a moment.

“⋯⋯.”

The difference between me and the other characters in the original work.

And the unique characteristic that only Arien possessed in Arche.

“Origin Magic⋯⋯ is it because of that?”

That was the answer I came up with. That was the only difference between me and the others.

“Half correct. 50 points, Rain.”

Arien graded my answer with a straight face. 50 points, not a very good score.

“It's true that Origin Magic was the trigger. But it wasn't of my own will.”

Not of her own will. I quietly continued to listen to Arien's words.

And what followed was rather shocking.

“My father and creator, Tyrion Ortega, told me. To get close to you, who has an aptitude for Origin Magic.”

“⋯⋯!”

“He said if I did, he would tell me about my past. It was a deal like that. I have no memory of my past.”

Hearing that, I could finally understand Arien's actions up until now.

The only subject Arien, who was detached from everything, was interested in in Arche.

Her own past.

The person holding that past was the Magic Tower Master, Tyrion Ortega. And in the original work, Tyrion Ortega was portrayed as a character even more obsessed with Origin Magic than Albert.

‘Though he doesn't have much of a role and is only hinted at as a villain in the sequel.’

Thinking of it that way, it made sense. He used that as leverage to give Arien such an order.

“⋯⋯I see.”

After hearing the story, I nodded my head calmly. The long-standing question of 'why did Arien approach me?' was finally explained.

However, Arien's expression didn't look so relieved.

Although she was a girl who always maintained an expressionless face, I knew from the time we had spent together that there were various currents within that expressionlessness.

“⋯⋯Aren't you angry?”

“⋯⋯?”

“It’s the same as me using Rain for my own purpose. I thought you might be quite angry.”

Hmm.

“I'm not sure.”

I shrugged lightly while dancing. I didn't think it was something to be angry about.

“I just think of it as a trigger.”

“A trigger?”

“The trigger that led to us becoming friends.”

If it weren't for this reason, it would have been difficult for me to become close with Arien.

I would have had to struggle somehow to narrow the distance with the exceptionally cold Arien from the original work.

Considering I didn't have to go through all that trouble, well.

Another reason was that Arien didn't have any malicious intent.

The reason why Arien accepted the proposal was also quite understandable.

‘The fact that the Origin Magic-obsessed Tyrion is watching me is rather creepy, but⋯⋯ I probably couldn't have avoided it.’

Well, the thought of that inhumane Magic Tower Master coveting my magical properties was scary, but I probably couldn't have avoided it in the first place.

Even if this hadn't happened, Tyrion would have reached out to me someday. Thinking of it that way, I had used the situation quite conveniently.

“If I think of it as having met you thanks to that, it doesn't feel like such a bad thing.”

“⋯⋯.”

I calmly conveyed those words to Arien.

No reply came back from the girl. Only, Arien's face looked a little more relaxed than before.

That was a sufficient answer between her and me.

It probably meant the same thing as 'thank you'.

♪-♩-♫-

While we were having such a conversation, the music was unknowingly heading towards its finale.

Arien and I continued to dance to the flowing melody, and we were finishing the dance without a single mistake.

And, before the last melody flowed out.

“By the way, Rain, I told you before the music started, right?”

“Hmm⋯⋯?”

“I said I would show you the answer to the question of when I started to feel happy when I'm with Rain.”

Hearing those words, what Arien had said before the dance started flashed through my mind.

-I'll show you the answer after the dance is over, Rain.

I had a lot to think about, but hearing those words, I was able to recall it immediately.

“Ah, that's right. So the answer is⋯⋯.”

“Fufu.”

Arien didn't give an immediate answer to my question. She just showed her characteristic laugh, unnaturally but beautifully.

And I was able to find out the answer not long after.

♪-♩-♫-.

The beautifully flowing melody finally announced its end. The end of the music, and that was the end of the dance.

When the dance was over, Arien and I let go of each other's hands and separated. It was to follow the etiquette of exchanging greetings with one's partner.

But at that moment.

Chuck.

Instead of bowing to me according to etiquette, Arien showed a different action.

The girl's left hand was on her hip. And her right hand on the opposite side was raised up, with her fingertips slightly bent sideways, giving off a somewhat cheerful feeling.

It was just like the stylish finishing pose of the dancer I had seen once before.

-What on earth is that⋯⋯.

-What is the Ortega's daughter doing?

I heard murmurs from the surroundings. It was understandable, as this action was far beyond the common sense of etiquette.

A dancer's finishing pose at the end of an elegant dance. Who would imagine that? No, in the first place, they probably wouldn't even know that street dancers made such poses.

But one person, me, could understand. The meaning of that action.

“⋯⋯Aha, ha.”

It was truly, a perfect answer to the question Arien had mentioned.

“⋯⋯Haha, hahaha⋯⋯!”

Seeing that, a slow, but joyful laugh burst from my lips.

The sight of Arien, aloof but dignified, yet somehow quirky.

How could I hold back my laughter seeing such a sight? It was by no means a laugh of ridicule.

It was truly, an expression of pure, unadulterated joy.