Chapter 10 – How to Spend Vacation

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠When she opened the door to the professor’s office, all she had felt was a lighthearted lack of tension.

Up to now, her school life had often included being called into the professor’s office at the end of the term to receive separate praise about her grades.

But what she heard this time was far outside her expectations.

Whose sparring partner?

“Professor. Vacation is about to begin.”

Diana replied with effort, trying not to lose her composure.

The corners of her mouth twitched as she forced herself to put on the most polite expression possible.

“Yes. But didn’t you decide to remain in the dormitory this vacation, Miss Everhart?”

“That is true, but……”

At the professor’s calm words, Diana trailed off.

Normally, she always returned to her hometown during vacation, but this time she had changed her plans.

She had decided to remain in the dormitory in order to prepare more perfectly for the next semester.

She intended to review the areas where she was lacking and even learn in advance what they would be studying next semester.

“We decided to give Black an additional exam opportunity.”

While she was furrowing her brows trying to take in the flood of information, the professor continued.

“He missed all of the practical exams because he was ill. It wasn’t as though he skipped them on purpose, so we ought to give him a chance. And as it happens, Black also recommended you as the person he’d like as his sparring partner.”

“He recommended me personally?”

Diana’s expression stiffened in an instant.

After that, the explanation followed that the faculty had agreed because, in their eyes, the two of them had the most similar grades, so it would be best to pair them together, but that did not really reach Diana.

“Yes, I know this is not exactly something you’d be eager about, Miss Everhart. You two are always competing for first and second place, so of course you might not be inclined to agree right away. So we decided to process Black’s side as an additional exam and count only seventy percent of the grade. You won’t end up suffering any unfair loss, so please help him this time.”

The professor, taking her silence to mean something else, added that in a soothing tone.

The eyes curving kindly behind his glasses looked infinitely benevolent.

After that, Diana left the professor’s office only after listening at length to the importance of cooperation and teamwork.

‘What is he thinking?’

Diana walked toward the dormitory faster than usual.

“Hm? Diana. Where are you going?”

“Dormitory.”

Her friends called out to stop her as she passed by, but she only quickened her steps.

“Huh? That’s the direction of the boys’ dormitory!”

She heard the voice behind her, but it did not matter in the slightest.

But all that awaited Diana was an empty room.

The door was locked, and there was not the slightest sign of anyone inside.

“Where did he go?”

Just as she turned away with gritted teeth, irritated that she had come for nothing, a familiar metallic sound rang out from beyond the hallway window.

Clang, a sharp colliding sound.

It came from the training ground.

On the day before vacation, the only person she knew who would be making that kind of noise at the training ground was Raymond Black.

“……”

And when she hurried after him to the training ground, almost running, Diana came to a stop without realizing it.

In the middle of the wide training ground, Raymond was swinging a sword alone.

A precise and solid trajectory with no unnecessary movements at all.

The tip of the sword cutting through the air finely sliced through the wind.

His upper body, soaked in sweat, stood out clearly beneath the setting sun.

The lines of muscle running from his shoulders to his arms pulled smoothly each time he swung the sword, and the muscles of his back repeated precise contractions and relaxations with every movement.

The balance and restraint that only a body trained over a long period could possess rose and moved before her eyes.

Each time he inhaled, his broad, firm chest slowly swelled and then sank, and whenever the sweat flowing down beneath his collarbones dripped to the floor, Diana nearly forgot why she had come here at all.

‘His body really is beautiful.’

Without realizing it, she swallowed.

‘No. This isn’t the time for this.’

Only when Raymond finished his final motion and started walking toward the locker room did Diana suddenly come back to her senses.

“Hey! Wait a minute!”

Diana quickly chased after him.

She must have been in such a hurry that the moment he opened the locker room door and went inside, she also pushed the door open and followed him in without hesitation.

“Raymond! I need to talk to you about……”

And then she froze.

Raymond turned to look at her with his top already removed.

At a much closer distance than before, his body appeared even more vivid beneath the lamplight.

Broad shoulders, a firm chest, sweat running along the muscles.

The heat from just after exercising still remained and rippled over his skin.

“Wh-why are you undressed!”

For a moment, Diana forgot the situation and let out a startled scream.

“What?”

But Raymond did not so much as twitch a single eyebrow.

Rather, he only swept back his wet hair with one hand and looked at her calmly.

“Now you’re even chasing me into places like this?”

“……I-I’m not chasing you!”

Diana’s voice jumped up a beat too late.

“Ha.”

At her reaction, Raymond silently pointed with his chin toward the sign by the door.

<Men’s Locker Room>

The moment she read the words, Diana’s face turned red in an instant.

“No, I did come after you, but I, that’s not…… not why……”

“What is ‘that reason’?”

Raymond asked while looking down at her emotionlessly as she stumbled over her words.

“Th-that…… wait! Don’t come any closer!”

At that moment Raymond took one step toward her, and Diana reflexively stepped back.

The firm muscles before her eyes were far too distinct, and it felt as though her gaze might keep slipping to strange places.

Before she got swept up in it, she first needed to calm down.

“……”

Fortunately, when Diana covered her face with both hands, Raymond also stopped walking and quietly stayed where he was until she calmed herself.

“……But why are you so prickly every single time?”

However, as he observed Diana, Raymond did not have no questions at all, so he suddenly raised one eyebrow crookedly and spoke.

“What did I do!”

Diana protested, still unable to meet his eyes.

“I just don’t understand. You were the one who first drove a wedge between Everhart and me……”

“What?”

At the sudden mention of her own surname, Diana lifted her gaze and looked at Raymond.

“No, Hailey…… Everhart.”

In that moment, Diana saw Raymond’s gaze waver in an uncharacteristic way.

She did not miss that brief flicker.

When he put Hailey’s name in his mouth, his pronunciation clearly faltered.

As though even saying her name required caution.

‘What a grand love story.’

Swallowing a dry laugh inwardly, Diana slowly folded her arms and straightened the posture that had fallen apart.

It felt as though the heat that had been burning in her cheeks only moments ago cooled in an instant.

“So now I think I understand why you separated me from her.”

Raymond spoke calmly, like someone who had found the answer to a simple problem.

“That must be why you barged into the dormitory and even kissed me before coming at me.”

“When did I ever come at…… you.”

“I know you act this recklessly because you like me, but if that’s the case, then shouldn’t your attitude be different too? Shouldn’t it be that you keep worrying, that your heart sinks at every tiny reaction, that you have to be careful with every single word, and keep clinging to every little meaning all day long?”

Raymond’s gaze slowly swept over Diana’s face.

“Shouldn’t you be restless, tormented, and anxious because you can’t hide it no matter how much you try?”

“……”

For a moment, Diana forgot what to say.

She wondered if he was mocking her, so she examined Raymond’s face, but his expression held only calmness and a faint question, like someone pointing out a fact that was far too obvious.

‘What. Don’t tell me he……’

Before that unwavering gaze, Diana suddenly realized one thing.

Apparently, to Raymond, love consisted entirely of the feelings he had long held for Hailey.

So naturally, he believed that if she liked him, she too should be restless in the same way.

It was remarkably passionate and simple.

She was almost curious about how long he had liked her sister.