Kaze stood in Yuuji's room. In front of him were 3 different pair of suits of similar style with different arrangements, lying on the bed neatly.
"Well?" Yuuji crossed his arms over his chest. "Pick one."
"Yuuji… is this really necessary?" Kaze asked nervously, noticing the glare in Yuuji's eyes.
"Of course! Do you think I'm going to allow you to head off to a formal event wearing something like… this?" Yuuji gestured at Kaze from head to toe.
Right now, Kaze was in the sort of predicament where his 'formal attire' didn't even qualify as an attire in itself. If anything, Kaze looked more like someone ready for a wild party than attending a formal function. In Yuuji's experienced eyes, Kaze was already making fun of himself for his poor choice of clothing.
At this point, it wasn't even funny how small Kaze's wardrobe was. His entire room was literally empty, with the number of books and schoolwork he had piled on the table. Out of everyone's room, Kaze was the most minimalistic by default, and he wasn't even trying.
That was why Kaze was in such a predicament. The moment Yuuji saw Kaze dressed in such shady outfit when he asked for Yuuji's opinion, he dragged Kaze over to his room. It was typical for someone like Yuuji to have multiple suits and formal attire ready just in case. As such, Yuuji was going to lend one to Kaze out of pity, especially not when everyone in school was going to be attending such an event.
With the three outfits before him, Kaze's lack of fashion sense came back to bite him yet again. It had been proven time and time again that due to Kaze's upbringing, he didn't have the tastes that most of them acquired from living in the capital itself. When Yuuji presented to him such dazzling outfits, Kaze immediately started sweating bullets out of pure anxiety from making a selective choice on his own.
The first outfit in front of him was a fully white tuxedo. It didn't have any fancy cuts or design around it, making it somewhat formal-casual. The only downside that Kaze felt from wearing something like that was it being easily dirtied. What's more, it was sure to capture the attention of most people since white was something very clean and appears right away among the other colours. For someone like him, who was bound to get messy instead of being elegant, it could not be a worse match for him. All in all, Kaze understood the appeal it brought but certainly wasn't going to suit his style.
What the second outfit present was nothing short of a classical suit. With its light blue-ish overcoat and white inner shirt, the tie contrasted well with the colour of the overcoat. The pants matched the overcoat's colour, giving the appeal of a well-manner suit that anyone could wear for any formal event. It was going to be suitable for him if he chose this, without a doubt, since it required the least hassle.
For the third oufit, it was perfect replica of what Yuuji had on. Probably a spare, Yuuji didn't seem to mind if Kaze chose that and wore matching outfits with him, the only difference being the colour. For very obvious reasons, Kaze was going to have to reject this unless he wanted to be teased for being matching with Yuuji.
"Alright, this one," Kaze sighed, taking the middle one. "How do I wear this?"
"Yeah, start with the insides," Yuuji gestured, giving Kaze some instructions. "Wear the rest, I'll teach you about the tie."
With a bit of hassle, Kaze finally looked like he was attending a formal function. The outfit he had on could not fit any better to his body size, which was quite a surprise for Kaze himself. Perhaps Yuuji had already thought this out when choosing the suitable clothes for him.
"Much better," Yuuji smiled with a satisfied nod. "Alright, time for you to leave. I need to get ready with my suit too."
Heading out of Yuuji's room, Kaze headed over to the living room to wait for the others. Since he was already ready, all he had to do was leave the house together with everyone else to the gathering.
"K-Kaze?"
From behind, Lunaria had just exited her room as well. She seemed to have sensed him passing by and decided to leave her room after staying in there for a little too long.
"W-Woah, Lunaria…" Kaze widened his eyes when she stepped out from behind her door. "Your outfit…"
Lunaria had tied her hair into a very low ponytail, accompanied with a crossing braid at the end of her head. Wearing a black dress that contrasted with her hair colour, her back was left entirely exposed all the way to her tail, creating a very different sexual appeal that she usually didn't have. With her wings free to move around from how her back was exposed, she was showing more of her dragonkin features with this dress.
Moving on to the front design of her dress. It dropped down from her shoulders to the middle, giving it a surprisingly lower cut that Kaze would have thought, causing it to show off a bit of Lunaria's cleavage as part of the appeal. Falling down to her hips, the rest of the dress was simply a gentle flow down without frills or any fancy design. It was simple yet enchanting.
"How do you like it?" Lunaria asked, stepping up right in front of him with a shy smile on her face. "It took me a lot of consideration to wear this."
"A-Ah, um… it's very unexpected," Kaze admitted, quickly looking away as he found himself staring at her cleavage. "Also… y-you're bigger than I thought…"
"Ehh? You only realized that now?" Lunaria giggled, accepting his somewhat lewd remark. "I suppose it's because I either wear very loose outfits or the clothing itself restricts the area around my chest. Now that I'm wearing a dress meant to emphasize my curves, I can see why you say that."
"Y-You… aren't mad?" Kaze timidly glanced back at her glamorous smile.
"Why would I? If you meant about your comment for my chest, then I don't see why you should be punished for being honest," Lunaria simply answered and walked past him. "Come on, let's sit down and talk."
As Kaze followed absentmindedly behind her, he was able to observe her tail moving ever so slightly along with the way her hips swayed. Since she had her back exposed directly to him now, he managed to see for the first time how her wings were connected to her back. It was still folded up neatly, but it provided him with a better view.
If anything, now he was starting to worry about how the other students would react when seeing someone like Lunaria. Anyone could tell that Lunaria would very easily charm most of the guys present at the event, especially when everyone was at the peak of their maturity. There was bound to be certain sorts of emotions that couldn't be kept in check from their hormones raging out of control.
"Lunaria…" Kaze addressed her softly once they were at the couch of the living room. "Are you… not afraid of being ogled?"
"I am, of course. But at the same time, I believe it's important for someone like me to make good use of my charm once in a while," Lunaria thanked him for his concern. "If the other people are going to judge me for how I dress or stare at me with perverted eyes, let them be. The only pair of eyes that I care most for staring at me are going to be everyone in this house… along with y-you."
Kaze gulped at the last part of her sentence. Lunaria must have said something she didn't intend to, for her cheeks grew red as soon as she finished her words. Even though he perfectly caught what she said, he was a little hesitant to believe what this hundred-year-old dragonkin was saying.
"You… are trying to charm me?" Kaze widened his eyes a little, interpreting her words carefully. "Um... you have already successfully captivated me, I suppose."
Blushing even more at his words, Lunaria's smile crumpled out of the pure embarrassment she felt from his words. It was a wonder how, at this point, that Kaze was still able to say such embarrassing words with a straight face. Perhaps he was too dense to realize that normal people would normally not be able to admit their feelings that easily.
With an awkward silence hanging between the two, there was only the occasional footsteps sound that came from above along with the sound of the floorboard creaking.
Lunaria's mind trailed back to the events of the afternoon. Considering what she just did in her bedroom while thinking of Kaze earlier, she couldn't feel more guilty about facing him innocently. At this point, it wasn't funny how far her feelings had crossed over the danger zone for Kaze. Even if Lunaria was now fully aware of how she felt for Kaze, the same stinging pain and frustration still lingered within her.
She tilted her head ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of Kaze sitting next to her. When her eyes met his face, her heart started to thump even louder, causing her fingers to twiddle nervously. It was like she was afraid to sit next to him, as if he would attack her suddenly.
It didn't take long for everyone else to get ready. Once they were all suited up, they left for school yet again.
Unlike the day before, the school was set up in a different manner of exposure. With the decorations and magical lights that floated around the air, it showed off the effort made by the school in order for the gathering event to be a success.
Students of the higher-end noble houses all showed up in carriages to flaunt their exclusiveness. Dawned in over-the-top outfits that looked as though they were dressed to meet the King himself, it was quite the strange sight for anyone who wasn't aware of the event that was ongoing.
For Kaze's group, they simply set off by foot even though they had two royalties with them. It was rather ironic that Yuuji himself was also dressed in a simple suit instead of following after the example of some of the nobles, which supposedly was to be more extravagant.
When they arrived at the venue, everyone seemed surprised to see how much the place had been tidied up. Unlike this morning where it was just a normal festival decoration, it now looked more like the entrance to a mansion or something. The use of illusion magic along with some lighting really helped to change the atmosphere of their school.
It was no exaggeration to say Kaze's group stole the spotlight the moment they showed up. No matter how dazzling or glamorous everyone looked with their attire, their group's beauty and appearance exceeded the others effortlessly.
Chris and Irene were the iconic duo within the group. With Chris being the gentleman and Irene being the playful lady, they linked arms together and walked into the hall. The next that followed was Mitsui and Yuuji. As cousins apart, it was only suitable for them to enter the hall together. Even though they weren't linking arms but only walked side by side, the elegance that was established from them being royalty was easily shown.
Following that was Sera, Rena, Shoko and Albert. As funny as the combination was, it just so happened that they were talking with each other that they ended up entering the hall together, walking past the partition of students who made their way for the previous 2 pairs.
Sera and Rena being elves exhibited their charm from their outfit, weaved together with silk and materials found only within the forest of Yvel. Their hairs were tied in a similar fashion, wrapped into a neat bun on their heads along with intricate hairpins and braids around it. With their already gorgeous figure that was further accentuated by their dress, it made sense that they stood out even more than their ordinarily dressed selves any other day.
As for Shoko and Albert, they received stares for different reasons. They certainly didn't have the charm that the others exhibited, but they were special in their own way. With Albert's usual tall and stoic statute, his personality was further emphasized by the choice of clothing he had on. His slick hair had been gelled and combed back into his signature ponytail, his sharp features showing from the style of clothing.
Shoko, as a foxkin, didn't have the same fashion tastes as those of the humans. What she wore was something similar to man's outfit. She preferred to look 'smart' instead of 'pretty', giving off a tomboy-ish aura as Shoko herself never liked to look girly. Wearing an overcoat and a tie, the set she had on was completed with slick dark pants and shoes. She even had on white gloves and carried a cane along with her, making her someone different who stood out among the girls.
Finally, the ultimate duo of the group was, without a doubt, Lunaria and Kaze.
Lunaria was self-explanatory. Her presence alone charmed the entire hall, with many captivated by her the moment they laid their eyes on her. The choice of outfit she had was the perfect ratio between beauty and sensuality, which was further heightened by the elegance that she demonstrated only during formal events. Instead of acting like a student right now, she was more of a princess than ever, representing the nation of Aravel itself.
Kaze, on the other hand, with his new suit to help cover the guise of him being a mere countryside boy, walked next to her with such slim confidence that it felt like his cover was going to crack at any time. It was hard enough to maintain such a straight look on his face with so many people staring in disbelief at him, even more so when he had someone as gorgeous as Lunaria next to him.
Meanwhile, Lunaria seemed like she was already used to this sort of reception, bored even. The only thing that kept her spirits high through this was the fact that Kaze was by her side. Even though he hadn't asked her hand for the dance later, it was good enough that he was dressed for the event. For that, she had Yuuji to thank. Lunaria didn't know what to do if Kaze wore something pathetic to such an event.
"This is bad~ people are staring at us a lot," Irene shivered, looking around nervously while clinging to Chris' side. "How can we enjoy the event with such intense stares?"
"Give it a break. People will quit sooner or later," Chris chuckled and patted his girlfriend's head. "Besides, we aren't the ones attracting all the attention."
The group made their way through the crowd within the hall to the food section. Since it was a buffet, there was already a long line of students waiting for their turn while going in a U shape, from platter to platter. While the main event was simply social interaction, people were here for dinner too.
Kaze and the others lined up accordingly and stacked up on food before making their way to an emptier part of the hall. Since they would be standing together and eating, it only made sense to pick a place where people wouldn't bump into them all of a sudden. It helped that there were tables all around the place, enabling them to place their plate or drinks while chatting if they felt tired from holding it all the time. The only bad thing about events like these was that there were rarely any places available for sitting other than the chairs lined up at the side of the hall.
For Yuuji, Lunaria and the other nobles in their group, this was something they were already accustomed to as it was to be expected. The students were to be treated formally during such an event for the Moon Festival, so it came as no surprise when this was the arrangement within the hall. For Kaze, however, he found it strange that this was the way of eating and socializing. Shouldn't there be tables and chairs all over so people could get up and swap seats?
"Quite the fancy design, don't you think?" Shoko asked Lunaria and the others, gesturing to the hall. "A lot of effort went into the decoration."
"Spatial magic was used to expand the space slightly too," Lunaria nodded with a smile. "The principal and some of the teachers must be involved in the temporary reconstruction of the hall."
"Rena and I didn't do much, other than setting up the decorations or clearing the area," Sera added in. "We were also amazed to find out that so much work had been done after we left."
"Props to the Student Council and the other people who were involved," Yuuji raised his glass slightly as a salute. "Lunaria, how much work were you involved in?"
"Other than requesting the help of certain people and going through the list of food, I would say I helped to plan the budget spent too," Lunaria listed off some of the things she was involved in. "It's not much, but still something that is important since everyone in the Student Council is involved."
"You guys really went all out for the Moon Festival itself, huh?" Kaze felt surprised by the effort put into it. "It almost feels like you have infinite budget."
"Not really. We had to pinch pennies to make it work, but it somehow went alright," Lunaria giggled at his comment. "The principal seemed very happy to help out with donations from some of the noble patrons."
"Yo~!"
An enthusiastic cheer came from behind the group. Turning around, they saw Frey approaching them with Yu Quan following after. Both were also dressed in formal attire, with Frey dawned in a dress and Yu Quan in fancy robes along with bamboo sandals.
"Oh wow, you guys look amazing," Frey praised the group, who were seemingly stunned to see how different she looked when dressed up properly.
"Likewise, Frey," Lunaria addressed the number 2 of the school politely. "Here with Yu Quan, I see?"
"Yes. I couldn't find Ken-chan and Ryuu-chan, so I will settle with Yu-chan," Frey giggled, nudging Yu Quan lightly.
The appearance of the two quickly caused gasps and whispers to emerge from around them. With the addition of two already famous people to their circle, it was clear that this sort of reaction would appear. Frey and Yu Quan both shrugged it off, having had their share of attention before they got immune to it.
"What sort of outfit is that, Yu Quan?" Rena asked the number 1. "I haven't seen it before."
"Ah, it's something from my hometown," Yu Quan bowed politely and showed off the intricate design and detail that went to create the fabric around his body. "It took a lot of work to make this specific one, since it was made for formal events like these."
"I find it weird how your outfit is so different from the rest, yet somehow works," Frey mused at Yu Quan. "I guess you are right about the event part."
"It looks really comfortable, not going to lie," Shoko stared at it with great interest. "But isn't the thickness of the fabric making you feel really hot?"
"Well, it is designed for it to be flexible to move around in and really airy," Yu Quan answered with a light chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm wearing another layer of clothes inside in case you are wondering if the airy feeling will make me feel shirtless."
Just like the others, Yu Quan also had his sword hanging by his side. It was optional whether or not one would bring their weapon with them since it wasn't used for anything, so they had the choice of bringing it out of habit or leaving it due to the hassle. Kaze and Yuuji were in a similar manner, swords hanging by their sides. For Chris, who used the giant sword, found it too much a hassle and came without a weapon.
The girls generally had no choice when it came to the weapon option, since their dresses hadn't had the option of hanging their sword or staff, depending on the personal weapon itself. As such, most, if not all, of the female students in the hall only had a look of elegance on them. The same applied to Frey, who wore a long dress.
With a drink in hand and food depleted, the group chatted together for a little longer while learning more about the two who were currently at the top of the school. It was safe to say that while they certainly attracted attention, at the same time no one dared to approach their group due to the invisible social bubble they had created that made people feel bad for interrupting them or joining their conversation. Unless one of them left the conversation they were in, even then only would they hesitate to approach.
It wasn't long before Kaze separated from the bunch. The whole social aspect of speaking together took a toll on him, as he wasn't experienced with this sort of encounters. Taking a break for a moment, he headed over to the bar counter set up at one end of the room to get a drink.
"Water, please," Kaze stated to the student working behind the counter, who passed him a glass of water.
Taking the glass with him, Kaze walked aimlessly around the hall.
Despite him taking up the attention earlier, no one paid him any mind right now due to Kaze blending in easily with the crowd. It was clear that Kaze stood out the least among all of them, considering how average-looking he was. Combined with the pathetic and uninteresting display he put up in the morning, it was no wonder he lacked the attention being received and was fine with it.
"Kaze," Lunaria tapped his shoulder lightly from behind.
Turning around in surprise, Kaze found Lunaria standing there with a concerned look on her face.
"Oh, Lunaria. Why are you here?" He asked her softly, bringing her around the hall instead of standing in place to talk. "I thought you guys were talking."
"Yeah, I stepped out after realizing you left," Lunaria followed closely next to him, understanding that he wanted to avoid attracting attention to them. "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"Kind of," Kaze made a slightly glum look. "This whole socializing thing got me tired. I'm not used to this, as you can probably tell."
"We have only been here for like, an hour," Lunaria giggled at his reaction. "The night is still young Kaze. I think you should take this chance to get acquainted with other people."
Sighing at her reaction, the two took a casual stroll through the crowd of students in the hall while chatting. Most had already formed small groups of their own and were busy interacting, hence why no one noticed Kaze together with Lunaria. Even so, it was still quite crowded and noisy from how many students were around.
After a bit, Kaze felt it appropriate to take this time to ask Lunaria about the dance.
"Lunaria, can I ask you something?"
"Mm, what is it?"
"Um… if you are free, or unoccupied, is what I meant to say. I… wanted to ask if you- !!"
Kaze came to a halt when he found a familiar face metres away from him and Lunaria. Lunaria stopped, wondering what he was doing and following his gaze. The confused look on her face was quickly replaced with a stony look, especially when she realized what he was looking at.
Right in front of the two was Bryle, along with some of his friends and the other students.
Bryle immediately took notice of Kaze from the corner of his eyes and turned around. His grip tightening around the glass, Bryle and Kaze stared right at each other, both having similar reactions of surprised and annoyance.
"Kaze…"
"Bryle…"
Bryle's gaze shifted to Lunaria by Kaze's side, causing him to tilt his head backwards a little to stick out his chin. It clearly showed Bryle was not happy with the two being so close to each other.
Instinctively, Kaze stood in front of Lunaria and gently pulled her behind him with one hand, as if trying to protect her from anything that was coming.
Bryle was the first to make the move. Taking a step out of his group, his friends followed after him as he came up right in front of Kaze.
"Kaze, was it?" Bryle forced a smile to show on his face, though his eyes showed a different emotion entirely. "Fancy seeing you here, of all places..."