Love Rival
“Wh-Why are you here…?”
When Elina-san suddenly appeared in the hallway of the sword tournament, I began to say that in surprise, but Elina-san hugged me and said,
“It’s been a while~! Have you been doing well? My work was tough, but since I thought of it as being for Lux, I managed to hang in there~!”
“Uh, um! B-Being hugged all of a sudden like this, it’s, well…”
“I know Lux gets embarrassed, but I’ve been holding back all this time, so Lux should put up with it at least a little too!”
“Eh, ehhh!?”
While I was bewildered by Elina-san like that, she hugged me with such a joyful expression.
…There was no way I could forcibly push Elina-san away when she was like that.
“Lux’s body, even through the uniform, I can feel how much it’s been trained like a real boy’s body, and I really love that.”
“I-Is that so? But there are plenty of people with bigger, more trained bodies than mine…”
“Geez~! I don’t care about other men~! It’s because it’s Lux that it’s good!”
Saying that, Elina-san kept hugging me, but then showed me the beautiful face under her hood, tilting her head as she spoke.
“Hey, Lux? Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“Uh, um… I am happy, but getting hugged so sudde—”
Just as I was about to continue, Elina-san hugged me even tighter and said,
“Thank you~! I’m happy too, Lux!”
Not knowing what to do about Elina-san hugging me like that, I simply stayed in her embrace for a while, until she finally let go of me and said,
“I’d really like to hug you more, but since Lux still has more matches after this, I’ll be satisfied with just this much for now… Oh, that’s right! Lux! There’s something I want to ask, is that okay?”
“A request…? What is it?”
Since I wanted to grant Elina-san’s wish if I could, I asked her back, and she said,
“After the sword tournament ends today, can I come over to Lux’s mansion?”
“Eh…!? Y-You mean Elina-san coming to my house!?”
“Yeah! Remember at the end of the luxury cruise ship party, I said, ‘Can I invite you to something like this again? Next time, in a place where we can really be alone!’ Right? So I know you’ll be tired after the sword tournament, but that’s exactly when I’d like to be together with you… Or even if not, I still want to be with Lux.”
When I looked at Elina-san, who said the last part in a calmer tone, I understood that she truly wanted to be with me… I had been surprised at being hugged so suddenly, but at the cruise ship party I only got to spend a little time with her, and more than anything, I also wanted to talk with Elina-san a lot.
“Understood, Elina-san… But inside the mansion we might not be completely alone, my attendant may come to where we are. Is that alright?”
“Yes, of course! If a kind master like Lux worked so hard in the sword tournament, I’m sure your attendant will want to congratulate you a lot too!”
“Thank you, Elina-san! If that’s the case, then I’ll be happy to welcome you as well!”
“Yay~! Then maybe I’ll save hugging you more for that time~”
“Eh…!? H-Hugging me more, could it be that at night too…”
As I said that in agitation, Elina-san pulled away from me, waved her hand, and said in a loud voice,
“Then I’ll see you again tonight~! I’ll be cheering for your matches after this, so do your best!!”
“…Yes! I’ll do my best! Thank you for cheering for me!”
After I gave my thanks, Elina-san left the area… Today Elina-san seemed more excited than usual, which left me a little bewildered, but…
“I’ll do my best moving forward, including for Elina-san’s cheers.”
At the same time that I gained another reason to work hard, I felt deeply grateful in my heart to Elina-san for cheering me on.
Elizalina’s Side
After meeting Lux, Elizalina returned to the royal family’s box and continued to watch the matches, but matches without Lux in them no longer caught her eye, and her mind was filled entirely with Lux.
Lux, so cool, so cute, so kind, so strong… I love him~! Ahh~! I love him~! I’ll be able to see Lux again tonight~! Hurry up and let it be Lux’s match already~!
That was all Elizalina kept thinking about… until.
“Fourth match, the two participants from Duke households, Floria Florence and Albert Grayson, proceed promptly to the center of the arena.”
When she heard the name Floria Florence, she stopped thinking about Lux for the moment and shifted her attention back to the arena.
Florence… the woman who proposed marriage to Lux.
She hadn’t heard it directly from Lux, but while feeling guilty, Elizalina had managed to make him reveal the information that the one who took advantage of his purity to propose marriage was the top scorer on the academic exams.
When the two whose names had been called stepped into the center of the arena, Elizalina’s eyes did not go to the man, but rather to the blue-haired woman.
So that’s Floria Florence… The Florence family, even putting aside the royal family, is among the highest-ranked in lineage alone, and this Floria Florence is said to be exceptionally gifted even among the Florence family’s history, and her sword skills are recognized by Rezamiliana-onee-sama herself… Sigh, I know it can’t be helped that Lux attracts women, but she seems like an opponent who will be troublesome in the future.
To grasp the strength of her love rival in advance, Elizalina resolved to pay close attention to this match.