A day had passed since the banquet, and things at Eternum Royal Academy had mostly gone back to normal.
Well, almost.
The Snow Festival was still going, which meant I had one more annoying thing left to do—
Choosing my five festival activities.
Every student had to sign up for at least five events, with no exceptions.
Didn’t matter if you were an exchange student, a noble, or even someone the royal prince.
I’d already spent time thinking about it.
Some events were just not an option.
Too much noble politics, too much-forced interaction, or just flat-out embarrassing.
After going through the list, I finally picked my five:
Firstly, Mana Volleyball and Mana Football, these a very self-explanatory, the only thing that is different is that you can use mana to kick or spike the ball.
Then, there was the "Magic Circles" – A competition focused on drawing, deciphering, and activating magic circles.
Speed, accuracy, and knowledge of runes were basically the win conditions.
Next, I chose the Weight Throw, which is also very self-explanatory, but we cannot use mana in this particular activity.
And finally...
Snowy Love – A… special event. It was a winter-themed, partner-based challenge designed to "bring people closer".
Honestly, I wasn’t thrilled about any of them—especially the last one—but compared to the other choices, these were the least annoying.
Now, all I had to do was officially register.
And just a few minutes later...
I arrived at the student council building and immediately regretted it.
The line was ridiculously long.
Students stretched out the door, all waiting to sign up for their festival events.
The energy in the air was buzzing—excited chatter, some laughter, and the occasional groan from someone impatient.
I frowned.
"…I should come back later."
I had patience, but I wasn’t about to stand in line, surrounded by excited students, just to write my name on a piece of paper.
I turned to leave—
And then, a soft hand grabbed my arm.
"Tee hee~! Hello, my dear Junior!"
I didn’t even need to look.
Violet.
Before I could react, she was already dragging me away from the line.
"Come, come~! No need to wait like everyone else when you have me, right?"
I sighed but didn’t resist.
It wasn’t worth the energy.
She pulled me past the other students making me feel the gazes of pure rage, past the student council members handling registration, and straight into the office.
With a playful smile, she guided me to her seat—the student council president’s chair—before casually sitting down, crossing her legs, and giving me a smirk.
"So~," she said, resting her chin on her palm.
"You’re here to sign up for the festival events?"
"Obviously."
She chuckled.
"Well, I am the president. I suppose I can handle that for you." She leaned forward slightly, blinking her eyelashes with the same playful smile.
"What are your picks?"
I listed them off.
When I got to the fifth one—
Violet’s smirk widened.
"The Snowy Love event?"
She arched an eyebrow.
"You sure about that one?"
I shrugged.
"The other choices were worse."
Violet leaned back, tapping her fingers on the desk.
"You do know what the Snowy Love event is about, right?"
"Yeah. A partner-based event. Random pairing. Winter challenges."
She giggled.
"Mmm. That’s the basic explanation."
Her smirk deepened, and she leaned forward, voice dropping to something more playful.
"But it’s not just about teamwork. The event is designed to create ’special moments.’ Romantic challenges, bonding activities… and let’s not forget, some tasks require a bit of physical closeness~."
I blinked.
I had read the event description, but I hadn’t thought too much about the details.
Violet’s giggle turned into a laugh.
"Ohoho~! Didn’t think that one through, huh?"
I exhaled deeply.
"I’ll deal with it."
She laughed even harder.
"Oh, I cannot wait to see who you get paired with!"
She finalized my registration, stamping the document with the official student council seal.
"Alright, Junior, you’re all set. But just so you know…" She leaned in slightly, her violet eyes glimmering with mischief.
"If you get paired with me, I expect you to take responsibility~."
I gave Violet a flat look.
"…Responsibility for what exactly?"
She giggled, leaning her chin on her hand.
"Oh, my dear Junior, don’t play dumb~. The Snowy Love event is designed to create special, heartwarming moments. Imagine it: a peaceful winter setting, cozy little challenges, holding hands, sharing warmth… maybe even—"
"—No."
Violet gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her heart.
"You didn’t even let me finish! What if I was going to say sharing a cup of hot cocoa?"
"Then you should’ve led with that."
She smirked.
"But you know that’s not all there is to it. Some of the past challenges have been pretty bold, you know. There was one year where pairs had to hug for warmth inside an ice cave. And another where they had to feed each other a special festival dessert. With their hands."
"…Still not that bad."
"Ah, but last year—" She leaned in closer, her violet eyes gleaming with mischief. "There was a mistletoe task."
I stared at her.
She grinned widely.
"…No."
"Oh yes~. The rules change every year, but the theme stays the same. ’Creating intimate winter memories~.’" She twirled a strand of her purple hair between her fingers.
"Are you sure you want to do this event, Junior?"
"I already signed up, didn’t I?"
I reply before letting out a small sigh.
"Ohoho~! That’s the spirit!" She clapped her hands together, looking far too amused by this.
"Still, you’re a bit too relaxed about this. I mean, what if you get paired with someone dangerous?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"Like who?"
"Oh, I don’t know…" She tilted her head playfully.
"Maybe the Second Princess?"
Mhm?
That wasn’t a problem at all.
It would simply feel weird.
She smirked at my normal expression, and then continued:
"Or how about Zeva? You know that professors can also participate in festivals, don’t you?"
"…That’s not concerning."
I’ll probably just run away from that place if I ever saw her.
She would probably stab me with her swords the second I looked at her.
"Then there’s Rose!" Violet continued, watching my reaction carefully.
"That cutie... can you imagine her in a romance-themed event? How adorable would that be?" she giggled.
"…You’re just listing all the people who would make this a problem, aren’t you?"
"Oh, absolutely~." She rested her chin on her palm again. "But let’s not forget the best possibility…"
She leaned in, her voice dropping to a teasing whisper.
"What if… you get paired with me?"
I sighed.
"And that’s the worst-case scenario?"
"Oh, it’s the best case—for me." She giggled.
"But for you? Who knows?~"
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"You’re way too invested in this."
She shrugged.
"Can you blame me? You never join these kinds of things. And now you’re suddenly throwing yourself into the most entertaining event in the festival? How could I not be excited?"
"…I’m already regretting this."
"Nihihi! Too late, Junior~! No backing out now!" She gave me a wink. "Just remember—if you do get paired with me, you’d better take responsibility."
"Hmn..."
I hummed in response.
But as I looked at her giggling expression, my lips couldn’t help but curl up slightly.
"Don’t worry... If I do get paired with you, Senior..."
"I wouldn’t mind taking responsibility."
Violet blinked.
Her smirk vanished.
"Wh—"
I walked out before she could respond.
Click...!
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[Violet’s POV]
Click...!
The door clicked shut.
I sat there, frozen.
For a good five seconds, my mind was completely blank.
Then, slowly, I leaned back in my chair, my fingers gripping the edge of the desk as I processed what just happened.
Did he just—
My face burned.
It wasn’t often that I lost control of my emotions.
I’m student council president, for goodness’ sake!
I handled noble disputes, festival preparations, school policies… I was calm, collected, and always one step ahead.
But that damn Junior—
He actually said that.
"If I do get paired with you, Senior... I wouldn’t mind taking responsibility."
I felt a shiver crawl down my spine, my grip tightening against the polished wood of my desk.
His words made me feel...
Spinning.
Burning.
Overthinking every word.
"...You wouldn’t mind, huh?"
I muttered under my breath, my lips curling into a small smile.
Was he teasing me?
Was he serious?
Did he say that just to mess with me?
I slapped my hands against my cheeks, trying to snap myself out of it.
No, no, no—this wasn’t fair!
I was supposed to be the one making him flustered.
I was supposed to be the one teasing him.
Not the other way around!
And yet—
I covered my mouth with one hand, biting down on my lower lip as another shiver ran through me.
"Fufu~..."
A dangerous giggle slipped out.
I leaned forward, resting my chin against my palm, my fingers tapping against my cheek as my thoughts spiraled into dangerous places.
"What if we actually got paired together?"
A peaceful winter setting… cozy little challenges… the two of us, stuck together in the cold, forced to work side by side.
Would he sigh in annoyance?
Would he act like it was nothing?
Or—
Maybe, the color that my eyes can see in his body would change?
Would I finally get to see him panic?
Oh, that would be delicious.
I imagined it now—Aestrea, standing there in his usual composed way, only to slowly crack under the festival’s… special circumstances.
A shared blanket?
A gentle, accidental touch?
Hah.
What if—what if he was forced to hold my hand?
A creepy little giggle slipped from my lips again.
Oh, I liked that thought.
I liked it a lot.
My mind spun faster, crafting scenario after scenario.
Scenario #1:
We’d get paired together.
He’d groan.
I’d smile.
Then, the festival tasks would force us into something ridiculously romantic.
Maybe we’d have to feed each other a festival dessert.
…Oh no.
Oh no.
I imagined him, sitting across from me, staring blankly as he held out a spoonful of sweet, warm pudding.
Would he sigh?
Would he roll his eyes?
Would he blush?
My fingers twitched.
Scenario #2:
Maybe we’d end up in one of those "snowed-in" challenges.
Just the two of us, trapped inside a winter cabin, a small fireplace flickering in the background.
Oh, that would be perfect.
He’d try to ignore me.
But, I’d make that impossible.
I could already see it.
The slow, creeping realization on his face.
The way he’d shift, uncomfortable, realizing there was only one blanket.
The way I’d slowly, deliberately, scoot closer—
"Oops~ Junior, looks like there’s not enough space. Guess we’ll have to share~."
Another giggle slipped from my lips.
I curled my fingers against my cheek, my smile stretching wider.
This was too much fun.
I never thought I’d want to be paired with someone for the Snowy Love event.
I mean, sure, I liked teasing people—messing with them, making them uncomfortable—but romance?
Not really my thing.
But this.
Aestrea.
He made it interesting.
He made me want to push him.
To see how far I could go before he finally snapped before he jumped on me...
I could already image what I’d say at that time...
Hehe.
I bit my lip again.
Ugh.
But why did he have to say that?
"If I do get paired with you, I wouldn’t mind taking responsibility."
Those words.
That tone.
He really was teasing me directly.
I love teasing people, but absolutely hate when someone teases me.
It just didn’t feel right.
I’m a genius, who alone, designed the entire Royal Academy’s Training Areas.
…And yet.
His words made a heat rise in my chest, something unfamiliar, something annoying.
Was it frustration?
Excitement?
I wasn’t sure.
But it didn’t matter.
What mattered now…
Was the festival.
I had to know.
Would we actually get paired together?
Would fate be kind to me just this once?
I grabbed my festival registration list and skimmed through it, biting my thumb in thought.
Pairings were random, sure…
But.
What if they weren’t entirely random?
I was the student council president, after all.
And the Snowy Love event was an internal school activity.
And I did have access to the registration data.
And, technically speaking, the pairings weren’t decided until tomorrow.
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So if someone were to, say…
Subtly adjust the list?
Gently nudge the results in a certain direction?
Wouldn’t that just be… fair?
I grinned.
A slow, creeping, dangerous grin.
Fate could be so unreliable sometimes.
So why not… help it along?
Just a little.
"Mhm..."
I hummed a small tune, flipping through the papers as my mind spun with possibilities.
"Oh, Junior… let’s see if you’re really ready to take responsibility."
Tee hee~.