"Hey, Helmut! Did you enjoy it? My victory!"
Asuka descended from the stage, waving cheerfully. Even up close, his disguise was flawless, leaving no room for criticism.
Despite wearing a long-necked dress to conceal his Adam's apple, his transformation was astonishing. His face alone, radiating pure innocence, said it all.
"Who did you vote for?"
"You."
"Knew it! I knew you'd choose me!"
Asuka's smile broadened. Helmut refrained from mentioning that he had bet 3,000 marks on him.
'A pity. Just one more vote would have done it.'
The 3,000 marks had turned into 1,500. Or was it the other way around? Had there been one more vote for Sian, 1,500 marks would have been reduced to zero. Looking on the bright side, it was a favorable outcome.
Helmut complimented him, "Your hard work paid off."
"Well, this was nothing for me!"
Winning, regardless of the competition, seemed to have uplifted Asuka's spirits.
Thanks to this, the host who had irritated him earlier seemed to have narrowly escaped his wrath, pushed to the fringes of his consciousness.
A second-year from the fencing department interjected, "Wait, Helmut. What did you do about your girlfriend?"
Asuka inquired, "Girlfriend?"
"The girl you came with, though I'm not sure why she's considered your girlfriend."
Asuka's eyes widened in surprise.
"What? You came with a girl? For real?"
"Yep! I heard you were with a girl all day today!"
Sian joined the conversation, whip in hand, as if interrogating Helmut. He had already enjoyed whipping several applicants.
Given the non-lethal nature of the whip and Sian's lack of strength, it was more annoying than painful. However, the applicants seemed to enjoy it, revealing a peculiar penchant.
The excitement of winning was dampened by this scene, prompting Sian to add, "Dealing with these weirdos is tough."
Helmut succinctly replied, "She's gone now."
As everyone's attention was diverted, the 'girlfriend' in question had quietly left after expressing how much she enjoyed the day.
The fact that she left a farewell was more surprising than her unannounced departure.
Asuka narrowed his eyes, his cross-dressing enhancing the impression of a nagging girlfriend.
"Gone? So, you were with a girl! What's the relationship?"
"A girlfriend? I had no idea! When did you two start dating? You hardly ever go out on your own."
Sian joined in with a skeptical look.
"Really, a girlfriend? I had no clue! Was it an introduction by Instructor Ethan? Or someone from before you joined the academy?"
Helmut lightly denied, "No, not like that."
"Then what? Why were you together?"
"We just met by chance...? I was bored."
"It doesn't sound like you to lure someone into spending time with you just because you're bored."
Asuka's observation was astutely critical. Sian raised his finger as if having an epiphany.
"She must have been quite attractive to catch your interest."
That was true. Helmut nodded.
"Pretty."
"What? Did you get her contact info? Which academy is she from?"
"If you think she's pretty, how beautiful must she be? Who is she?"
The barrage of questions from an excited Sian and Asuka surrounded Helmut, who chose not to respond further.
His silence was heavy. He was not one to be forced into conversation. Eventually, Asuka burst out in frustration.
"Ah, forget it! Who is she that you're keeping your mouth shut? Did you meet a princess or something?"
"Let's change and head back. My feet are killing me from these shoes."
Sian grumbled.
"You should do something about that whip! Thinking you could win with that."
"Coming from someone who almost had a breakdown performing an apple slice trick to impress."
"Whatever, we'll see next time."
"Fine, we'll settle this later."
After exchanging fierce glances, they asked Helmut to wait and disappeared into the dressing room.
The festival was drawing to a close after three days of celebration. The grand finale, a fireworks display, was imminent.
Helmut glanced at the spot where he had been sitting, his expression unreadable.
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Meanwhile, Alea stopped in an empty academy building, confirming there were no pursuers.
Touching the bracelet, she noticed the loosening of Hecate's magic.
Not even 24 hours had passed, but the magic was already faltering, not due to hasty craftsmanship—Hecate, a grand mage, wouldn't make such a mistake.
'A date with a boy, huh.'
Hecate must have had a reason for sending that message. It was a hint.
Alea had met the conditions, weakening the magic enough to unravel it. Annoyingly, things had gone according to Hecate's wishes.
'From now on, any gift from Hecate, whatever it may be, will be ignored and destroyed.'
With determination, Alea infused magic into the bracelet, erasing Hecate's recent enchantment. The bracelet regained its original function.
Soon, a beautiful silver-haired boy stood in her place.
Contemplating whether to discard the cumbersome mask and wand, Alea decided to keep them.
'It's time to return to the dormitory.'
She was eager to resume her magical research.
"Ah, the prize money and the victory! I'm on cloud nine!"
Asuka exclaimed, chugging a beer. Without his makeup, he looked strikingly different.
They had secured a prime spot on the third floor of the academy's cafeteria, perfect for viewing the fireworks. The fencing department students had reserved it for them.
Sian, too, sipped his beer with a contented look.
"After spending the whole day in makeup, it better have been worth it. Helmut, what did you do today?"
"I watched a puppet show."
"Really? I wanted to see that too. Heard it was a proper horror show. Scary, huh?"
Sian's eyes sparkled.
"It was decent, not scary though..."
As Helmut began to deny, he suddenly hesitated.
"Scary?"
Sian asked casually.
"What, was the girl with you clinging to you in fear?"
"Maybe."
Helmut avoided giving a direct answer, keeping details about the girl he had been with to himself.
Just then, the person in question appeared.
"You're here."
With his arrival, it felt as though dozens of lights brightened the dim space. It was Alea, clad in a white robe.
Asuka and Sian realized that had Alea participated in the cross-dressing contest, the outcome would have been instantly decided in his favor.
Ignoring Sian and Asuka, Alea directly addressed Helmut with a casual tone.
"Did you enjoy the festival?"
"Yeah, it was alright."
Helmut had sought them out, partly to catch the fireworks and also to clarify something.
Although Alea appeared calm, his heart raced.
Asuka retorted sharply, "Did you spend all day cooped up again today? Why live so boringly? Helmut even had a date with some mystery girl."
"Date?"
Alea casually asked as he took the seat beside Helmut, who promptly denied it.
"That wasn't it."
"Well, no matter. Look, it's starting."
Alea pointed towards the sky as magical energy stirred.
With a series of loud bangs, the night sky was adorned with dazzling fireworks.
Asuka and Sian marveled at the show, appreciating the efforts of the magic department. The fireworks were impressively detailed, including depictions of the academy's dean and a dueling scene.
"Look at that! It's a flower!"
"Is that? No way, that's our dean!"
"So detailed! And that's a duel! They've got the movements down!"
"Wow, that's a spirit of light."
"It must've been inspired by you."
The spirit of light cheekily fluttered through the sky, perfectly replicated in the fireworks display.
The festival concluded with a display that could have graced the empire's celebrations, thanks to the unnecessary yet impressive talents involved.
As everyone was engrossed in the fireworks, Alea stole glances at Helmut, harboring a glimmer of hope.
Despite maintaining their distance, something had changed between them as they watched the fireworks together.
Their eyes met.
"..."
Alea hesitated, struggling to voice his thoughts in front of Helmut, reminiscent of his struggles as a girl.
"About the girl you were with earlier..."
Before Alea could continue, Helmut interrupted.
"It's nothing. Just someone I happened to walk with for a bit. Is there a problem?"
His tone was casual, his dark eyes unshaken.
'He didn't notice, after all.'
Mixed feelings of disappointment and relief washed over Alea, followed by frustration.
'How can he be so oblivious? Look at the face; it's almost identical! Despite his good eyesight, how can he not see?'
While most would question Alea's gender or at least suspect a familial relation, Helmut's artistic sense was questionable. Even upon their first meeting, he had remained unfazed.
Thus, questioning Helmut's facial recognition abilities seemed reasonable.
Alea suppressed his irritation, accepting the situation.
"It's nothing."
If Helmut was unaware, that was enough. Alea forced a smile.
As Helmut returned his gaze to the fireworks, Alea did the same.
The final night of the festival deepened. Helmut frowned slightly as he looked up.
'Cross-dressing, huh.'
It seemed best to pretend ignorance, especially considering Alea's evident anxiety about the matter. The only lingering question was:
'What's Alea's natural hair color?'
That curiosity remained. Though unaskable, it intrigued Helmut, who decided to let it be for now.
'Eventually, I'll find out.'
Alea overlooked a few key details.
First, Helmut had never introduced himself by name, yet Alea had naturally addressed him without hesitation.
'Alea is surprisingly careless.'
He thought.
Second, Helmut rarely called anyone a friend, even jokingly. Even Asuka had struggled to be acknowledged as such.
Who was truly oblivious would require further investigation.
Thus, Helmut and Alea's relationship seemingly reset after the festival day, except for a slight awkwardness in their interactions.
However, this was quickly overcome, thanks to their lengthy cohabitation as roommates.
The following week, Helmut made good on a postponed dinner with Instructor Alan, and they occasionally spent holidays together.
As their relationship remained stagnant, time flew by swiftly.