Chapter 45: Conditions for a just cause to be valid.

The student council assistance ended up lasting until well after dark.

She must have been far more focused than she realized; when Mirania returned, the fresh pot of tea that had been prepared for her was already stone-cold. Feeling bad, Violet hurriedly drank it at the end, but even cold it was still perfectly delicious.

“Sorry for keeping you so late.”

“It got dark, huh… but you really helped us out a lot.”

“No, I’m just glad I could be useful.”

The two who had finished their share of the work looked like the tension had drained from their shoulders.
Or rather, they were simply exhausted.

Yet piles of paperwork still waited for them; they had only stopped because they were keeping Violet company.

“We’ll double-check the rest ourselves, so you can head home now. Your ride…?”

“I think it’s waiting at the main gate.”

“Good. It’s dark; I’ll walk you there.”

He tapped the corners of the documents to align them, set the fountain pen on top as a paperweight, and stood.

While Violet blinked at Mirania’s unexpected offer, Claudia said nothing, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and was already back in work mode.

Mirania casually said “Be right back” and moved to escort Violet. Only then did she finally process the situation.

“N-No, really, the gate is only a few minutes away…”

It was true the academy grounds were needlessly vast, but it still wasn’t far enough to warrant being walked there.
Above all, they weren’t close enough for that kind of treatment.
She understood they were desperate for help and couldn’t afford to be picky, even if it was her.
But who would ever imagine being seen off safely inside the academy grounds?
And they still had work left. She wanted them to use that effort to get home sooner themselves.

“There’s still a fair distance from the entrance to the gate. Better safe than sorry.”

“That’s true, but…”

The academy’s security was formidable, yet “formidable” didn’t mean “perfect.”
It was nearly impregnable from the outside, but enemies within were another story.
To outsiders it was just “that rich-kid school,” but inside it was a boiling pot of status and factions.
A stalker driven by infatuation or lust would be obvious enough, but there were worse things; caution never hurt.

“Listen, Violet. We’re the ones who kept you here. We just want peace of mind; that’s all.”

“Exactly. If you refuse, the only thing left for me is to tail you like some creep, and I’d really rather not.”

It was obvious they were saying this to convince her.
Any further back-and-forth would just waste time; unproductive in the extreme.
Violet hated making people go out of their way for her, but she hated inconveniencing them even more.

“…Then, may I ask you to walk me?”

“Of course.”

She asked timidly, as though she were the one imposing.
Mirania answered with a beaming smile, smoothly took Violet’s bag, and placed a hand at her waist; or appeared to. In reality his fingers never actually touched her; only the two of them knew that.

(This kind of consideration is exactly why he’s so popular, isn’t it?)

The thought felt out of place, but she found herself staring at Mirania’s profile.
He noticed and met her eyes, but only smiled gently without a word.
This must be what people meant by “perfect gentleman.”
Even though she was the one receiving the treatment, she felt like a complete bystander.

Just as they were about to leave the salon, a voice called from behind and stopped her.

“Violet.”

“Yes?”

“Sorry for dragging you into this so suddenly today… thank you.”

“Eh…”

He immediately looked away, but in the bright room she could clearly see his fair skin flush red; right to the tips of his ears.

(Today really has been full of surprises.)

A calm corner of her mind noted idly.
One unexpected thing after another, but it wasn’t a bad day at all.

“…Thank you as well.”

Claudia had correctly read her expression earlier and invited her here.
To him she might have been no more than a “cat’s-paw” helper, but to her it had felt like a lifeline keeping her away from pain.

The one who should be grateful was her.

She bowed to Claudia, who clearly didn’t understand why he was being thanked, and left the room.

––––––––––

clack-clack-clack. click-click-click.

Two sets of footsteps of different weights echoed down the silent corridor, creating the illusion that the entire school was empty.
Of course that wasn’t true; at the very least Claudia was still back in the salon.
Yet the sheer size of the building made even the presence of others feel distant.
There were probably butlers somewhere if she looked.

Neither spoke.
The awkwardness of silence felt preferable to the effort of making small talk; both Violet and Mirania seemed to agree on that.

Though they matched pace, the difference in stride meant Mirania naturally walked half a step ahead.
Violet followed diagonally behind, staring straight forward and trying to empty her mind.

Honestly, being alone with Mirania made her nervous in a completely different way from Claudia.

To him, she was the selfish noble girl who had hurt his best friend.
He had no way of knowing how that love had ended.
Claudia probably suspected something, but even to his best friend he wouldn’t gossip about someone else’s love life.

Above all, Violet had never confessed to Claudia, nor been rejected.

They walked in silence for several minutes.

As they neared the gate, she finally spotted the car waiting beneath the darkening sky, its lights still bright, and her shoulders relaxed.

“Um, I’m fine from here.”

“Your ride?”

“Yes.”

“All right. I’ll head back then. Take care on the way home.”

She accepted her bag, bowed to Mirania as he waved lightly, and turned away.

Going home felt heavy, but staying with Mirania any longer would have been its own kind of unpleasantness.
Perhaps the most peaceful moments of her day were inside the carriage to and from school.

(I hope they don’t ask why I’m so late…)

She had the excuse of helping the student council, but she didn’t want to say anything unnecessary.
Claudia and Mary-June already knew each other, after all.

Still, her parents had never shown voluntary interest in her whereabouts.
Whether she came home late or (hypothetically) didn’t come home at all, they probably wouldn’t even notice.
She felt the same way, so she had no complaints, but if Mary-June worried unnecessarily, Violet would be forced to make excuses.

Mary-June was the only family member who genuinely cared about her and tried to include her in family moments, yet Violet couldn’t properly accept that kindness.
It wasn’t Mary-June’s fault, nor really Violet’s; the environment was simply wrong.

The scenery began to move slowly past the window.
Violet gazed at it, mentally preparing for whatever awaited when she got home, and let out the smallest of sighs; quiet enough that even the driver wouldn’t notice.