Chapter 315: Friendship
“As a man and a woman… as I mentioned earlier, we are not yet in a romantic relationship, so in that sense, our relationship may not have progressed beyond that of schoolmates.”
“That’s not what I mean! I mean more in a physical sense! Even if you’re not lovers, you’ve already told him how you feel, so you’ve been making advances, right?”
“I was not particularly conscious of making advances… but I have conveyed my feelings to him several times.”
“Oh… then have you and Rodwell-kun at least… held hands?”
Nora Ashwell, her face flushed red with embarrassment, asked while desperately trying to suppress it, perhaps out of pride and a refusal to show Floria Florence any weakness.
Floria Florence shook her head.
“No, we have never held hands.”
“Eh!?”
Startled by that answer, Nora Ashwell raised her voice and continued.
“But you were placing your hands over Rodwell-kun’s just now, weren’t you!?”
“Yes, we have placed our hands together several times, but we have not held hands.”
“Th-then what else have you done with Rodwell-kun?”
“Let me see… I have embraced Lux-sama,”
“Embraced…!?”
“And we have lain together on a bed.”
“On a bed… together!?”
A man and a woman lying together on a bed.
From those words, Nora Ashwell seemed to imagine something.
Her face turned even redder than before.
Seeing that, Florence said,
“Just to clarify, we have not done anything like what you are imagining, Ashwell-sama.”
“…! H-how rude! I wasn’t thinking anything strange like you’re implying!”
Even though Floria Florence had not mentioned anything strange.
Floria Florence noticed the contradiction in Nora Ashwell’s words, since she herself had brought it up.
However, pointing it out now would only be like adding fuel to the fire, so she chose not to mention it.
As Floria Florence was thinking that, Nora Ashwell let out a sigh.
“Anyway, I understand the general situation now… but if you’ve even gone so far as sleeping beside him, shouldn’t you be more proactive?”
“More proactive?”
“Yes! You’re well-mannered and elegant, and that’s something I can lear— I mean, those parts are good! But maybe that’s backfiring, making you suppress your feelings and hesitate unnecessarily?”
“That was not my intention.”
She paused briefly, then continued.
“But… that may indeed be the case.”
“Not ‘may’… if I, the one who’s been watching you more than anyone, say so, then it’s definitely true!”
“More than anyone… so that is how you have regarded me.”
“…!?”
Perhaps reflecting on her own words just now,
Ashwell turned red with embarrassment and looked away from Floria Florence as she spoke.
“D-don’t get the wrong idea! When I say I’ve been watching you, I mean as a rival!”
“Understood… and thank you. Thanks to you, Ashwell-sama, I can now see what I must do going forward.”
Seeing Floria Florence smile gently as she said that,
Ashwell spoke in a small voice after a brief pause.
“…Call me… Nora.”
“…My apologies, what did you say?”
“I said, call me Nora!”
“I see… in that case, please call me Floria from now on as well.”
“…Fine. If you ever have trouble again, you can rely on me… Floria.”
“Yes, I look forward to your continued guidance… Nora-sama.”
Having deepened their friendship a little, the two walked together down the corridor partway, then returned to their respective lecture halls.
Lux-sama… as Nora-sama said, perhaps I had been hesitating about many things.
However, she continued in her heart.
As Floria Florence took the seat next to Lux and looked at him, she declared inwardly.
From now on, I will no longer hesitate about these feelings… I love you, and I wish to be loved by you.
For all eternity, I want to watch your happy face from closer than anyone else.
These feelings…