Chapter 320 There's a snowworks festival?
Winter Break Arc.
(POV: Lumiere)
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Elise's eyes widened.
Her voice came out as something barely audible, a whisper, like someone who'd just been shot and was about to croak.
"S... So many eyes," she confessed, her words trembling. "It's too much, Lumila."
Though her body fought against her, Elise managed to regain her composure.
Lumila extended a helping hand, pulling her "sister" to her knees.
"You should've only focused on making our snowman look better," Lumila told her.
Elise's hesitation was palpable as she gathered her thoughts.
"I wanted to, Lumila," she finally spoke, both with shyness and honesty. "But sometimes, you take these contests too seriously. It becomes less about having fun and more about winning. And this time it wasn't even a contest."
Lumila's face contorted. "So, y... y... you're saying I'm boring?" she questioned.
Elise's cheeks burned crimson as she stammered to find the right words. "N-No, Lumila," she replied, her voice somewhat like a squeak. "You're not boring, but sometimes it feels like the fun gets lost in the pursuit of victory."
"Huh?" Lumila said.
"Y... Y... You're really fun but also very boring sometimes!"
Ah yes, there it was.
The mega flop that every socially awkward individual experiences during conversations.
Lumila's face paled, her body collapsing onto the snow from her kneeling position. Elise panicked, rushing to Lumila's side. "Are you okay?" she asked frantically, worry etched in her every word.
Meanwhile, Aidan, his patience exhausted, yawned and declared his departure. "I'm off to the library," he announced casually, being his usual indifferent self.
I raised an eyebrow almost immediately, "What for?"
Aidan's lips curled into a half-smile as he replied, "I plan on indulging in a few good books. With this break, the library should be much emptier now, so I'll be able to catch up on a some fun topics..."
"Oh, alright."
He slotted his hands into the pockets of his coat and walked off, a thud sound forming with every step of his that sunk into the snow.
"Have fun," I told him.
"Whatever." He walked away.
Yeah, he'll definitely be failing my classes.
Ravenna, her hands trembling from the cold, carefully crafted the final adjustments on the snowman. She delicately etched the letters L & R into the snowman's chest. Intrigued, I approached her.
"Those initials, what'd they mean?"
"I thought you'd catch it quickly to be honest..."
"Eh, no, I obviously don't know everything."
"It stands for Lumiere and Ravenna, it'll be the proof of our bond or like the proof that we made this together..."
Hm, well, to be frank, I only "reluctantly" added a face for the snowman so I'm not sure I can really say I helped make it. Even Elise made more contributions to building it than I did... Well, before she cracked under social pressure.
"Well, whatever makes you happy I guess."
"No," Ravenna gently shook her head. "You still don't get it do you."
"Hm?"
She paused for a moment, her gaze drifting into the distance, before turning to me with a serene smile gracing her lips.
"This snowman, this brief glimpse of joy and connection, it's something I've missed since I've been sealed, but now, it holds a sacred place in my heart. By immortalizing our initials, I hope to preserve this memory forever, regardless of the passing seasons."
For some reason, that felt beautiful... To beautiful...
I'd like to say I haven't changed, but I guess I have. Usually, I'd have been the one to commemorate something so... "sacred".
When did my personality come to this?
I scratched the back of my neck, considering her words. "You're right," I admitted. "Still, we can't predict how long the snow will be around since it's caused by mana phenomena. Eventually, summer will come, and this snowman-san will melt away."
Tenderly, I patted the snowman on its snowy head.
"Hah, I guess the snowman's existence was doomed to be ephemeral from the start..."
She didn't look happy.
I guess I shouldn't have said that.
Ravenna rose to her feet, her eyes brimming with determination.
"Until then, let's cherish every moment with snowman-san and forget about the uncertainty that lies ahead."
"All righty then," I responded with a nod, falling into step beside her.
Together, we made our way over to Lumila and Elise, our footprints leaving subtle imprints in the pristine snow.
Observing Lumila, still recovering from her earlier distress, I couldn't resist asking, maybe as a way to spite her.
"Is everything alright, Lumila? You look a little..." I grinned. "...pale."
With a posture brimming with newfound confidence, Lumila dressed herself as well as her hair.
"That pathetic state of mine that you just witnessed some minutes ago will never occur again. It was a one time thing. That's the last time you'll ever see me like that, so you better not bring up that topic..."
Her tone carried came with her usual stickler personality.
"W–what topic?" I inquired, easily feigning innocence.
I could see the surprise flicker in Lumila's eyes, an unspoken realization that I'd chosen to cooperate with her rather than delving into her vulnerability.
She cleared her throat, adjusting her glasses to regain composure. "Alright," Lumila finally acquiesced, a subtle nod indicating her acceptance of our unspoken agreement.
We were about to continue on our way, but then, Lumila suddenly turned to me with a look of remembrance. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you something," she said.
I arched an eyebrow, already curious. There was never a time she had something to tell me unless it was say I was either incompetent or simply not suited for a certain thing. "Tell me what?" I prompted.
Lumila leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "There's going to be a festival called the Snowworks Festival," she revealed.
"Th... Then why'd you say it... Like it's a bad thing...?"
"Hm, I thought it'd be more exciting that way."
"The Snowworks Festival?" I repeated. "What's that all about?"
"It's like fireworks, but instead of using fire, they use snow magic to create breathtaking displays. It's a way to celebrate and promote the beauty of the winter season."
I nodded, beginning to understand the allure of such an event.
"Sounds intriguing," I commented.
Ravenna, who was listening, seized my arm with excitement.
"We absolutely have to go, it sounds amazing," she exclaimed.
I smiled, unable to resist her smile, it was partly too overwhelming.
"Sure, why not?" I agreed. "Count us in."
Lumila added, "The festival is going to be held at night, so many students from our school will be heading to Argentia to witness it. The festival itself runs for three days, so I guess even if you miss today's own, there's always the next..."
I nodded, mentally noting our plans for the day. "That works for us. We'll join you guys after we finish up here."
Lumila shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't really care either way. I'm just telling you because it'd be proper to have our professor with us."
I chuckled at her bluntness. "You do you, Lumila," I told her.
As Ravenna and I bid farewell to Lumila and Elise, Ravenna tugged at my sleeve. "So, where are we heading next?" she asked curiously.
I glanced at her with a warm smile. "We're going to Argentia," I announced. "At least there, we have a better chance of having fun and meeting fewer people we know."
Ravenna raised an eyebrow. "And why's that a bad thing?"
"Well, I'm kinda scared that your Curse Skill could activate at anytime and that might not be good..."
Now, I know carrying her to a populated place wasn't the best idea either.
But aside from my luck factor, there's a higher chance that people that make more of a forceful contact with us might trigger her annoyance and her skill might just kick in. Or maybe even excitement, but oh well.
Like earlier today, Gunther. That bald... Idiot...
"You're ashamed of me, aren't you..."
Ravenna's sad voice strained out.
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