Senior wants to go on a date with me, which means senior is interested in me, which means senior wants to be in a relationship with me, which means senior is proposing to me.
Ahhhh… Just thinking about it made Vita’s face burn bright red; she simply couldn’t calm down.
After hearing that El-senpai had invited her to meet up, her roommate Meris had specially helped her put on delicate makeup and sprayed her with the latest perfume popular among noble ladies.
Vita had refused her roommate’s borrowed clothes, but their academy uniforms were also kept in perfect condition.
Come on, this is El Regis’s latest gossip—who wouldn’t want a piece of that?
There were plenty of nobles in the academy, but even among them, El Regis stood out for his talent and character.
At the ladies’ tea parties, El was always a hot topic of conversation. Probably no one would refuse such a perfect lover.
Although Vita kept stressing that El-senpai had invited her out to discuss a serious matter, she still couldn’t resist her roommates’ enthusiasm.
Except for that one time, El Regis had never gone on a one-on-one outing with any young lady, not even for official business. Their curiosity completely overshadowed the faint trace of jealousy they felt.
“Come to think of it, Vita, you really trust me, don’t you? You actually agreed to come to Moonlight Forest with me,” El remarked.
In truth, the academy’s security was excellent, and with Flow-Reversal Magic in place, of course El couldn’t possibly do anything untoward—it was just a joke.
Vita snuck a glance at El’s straight nose and brilliant golden hair, her mind still filled with how handsome her senior was. She didn’t really process what El had said.
“Ah… Because El needed help, so I came.”
She felt a little silly, El thought to himself.
“Are you getting used to it, life at the academy? No one’s bullying you anymore, right?” On the way, El chatted with Vita.
“Mm, thanks to you, senpai… El, everyone’s actually very nice, and magic is really interesting. It’s just that I’m not very talented, so I learn really slowly.”
“Take it easy. When I first started, I wasn’t a natural at everything, either. Even if you don’t learn magic, you’ll still gain something from being at the academy.”
Senpai is so gentle, Vita thought, and it brought back memories of the day she first met El.
About ten days ago, at the welcome party for new students.
The Crystal Chandelier bathed the hall in soft light, wonderful music played as young men and women danced, laughter and conversation making the party lively—everyone seemed happy.
Except for Vita.
Her commoner background meant she was clueless about noble etiquette.
Most well-mannered nobles didn’t care about such things, but Earl Cliff’s daughter, Camilla, couldn’t stand it—especially since Vita had skin that made people jealous.
Camilla’s mockery left Vita humiliated, especially when she said, “A child with such poor manners probably doesn’t even have a mother.” Vita broke down then, tears streaming down her face.
Camilla still wasn’t satisfied and poured red wine over Vita’s hair.
Vita bit her lip hard, her face pale, the sharp smell of wine almost suffocating her. Her dignity was being trampled by so-called nobles.
No one stood up for her, of course; no one would offend a noble of high standing for a nobody like her.
But at that moment, a calm male voice sounded: “Camilla, what are you doing to my dance partner? Who gave you the right to humiliate her?”
It was El. He strode over to Vita, hands hovering in the air, and used magic to control the airflow, drying Vita’s hair and dress. He turned to Camilla and questioned her coldly.
Now things had gotten serious. What was once an ignored corner suddenly became the center of attention at the ball—everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over. Because El was there.
“She, she could never…” Camilla’s “your dance partner” hadn’t even finished before El interrupted her.
“Are you questioning me? Camilla, you truly make me ashamed—and you shame the Royal Magic Academy.”
El cut her off and made his meaning very clear. “Apologize to my dance partner and do to yourself what you did to her. If you do, I can pretend this never happened.”
“I…” Camilla was flustered, the stares of everyone around putting her under tremendous pressure.
In the end, she gave in. Camilla bowed to Vita. “Miss, please forgive my earlier offense. I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
Vita was shocked. The Camilla who just now was so arrogant was actually apologizing to her. Looking at the reliable figure in front of her, a feeling she couldn’t put into words sprouted in her heart.
Not enough—El signaled with his eyes. Camilla grit her teeth, picked up a glass of red wine from the side, and poured it over her own head.
“All right, everyone. The ball continues—please don’t mind that little episode just now. I hope it hasn’t ruined this wonderful evening.”
As El’s close friend, Karen reacted quickly, and his words, coming from someone of his status, were just right.
El looked at the young lady beside him—her eyes still red from crying, looking so pitiful. “Miss, might I have the honor of this dance?”
He reached out to Vita, and she grabbed his hand instinctively, maybe afraid he’d leave. “But, I don’t know how to dance…”
“Come with me.” El led her to the dance floor.
“Eh?”
El’s lead was gentle; they just repeated the basic dance steps, but what mattered in a dance wasn’t flashy technique—it was the person accompanying you.
Vita watched El’s profile, feeling like nothing else in the world mattered. She couldn’t help but get lost in the moment.
But then she snapped out of it, thinking someone like her could never be worthy of such an outstanding senior, and felt a bit down.
“I hope tonight hasn’t left you with a bad impression of the academy,” El suddenly said. “Most people aren’t bad at heart.”
“Camilla was just in a bad mood—her fiancé cheated on her, and the other woman also has gray-white hair, so she held a strong grudge against you.”
“But don’t worry, she’s reasonable and won’t cause you any more trouble in the future. If anything similar happens again, you can contact the Student Council—we won’t just stand by and do nothing.”
Vita snapped back to herself. “Then, senpai, can I have your contact info? I don’t know anyone else in the academy…”
“Of course.” El took out the Communication Stone issued by the academy and gently tapped it against Vita’s. As a blue light glowed, the two successfully added each other.
You’re really too gentle, senpai—at this rate, I won’t be able to stop myself, Vita thought. Even after the ball ended and she returned to her dorm, she was still floating in that dreamlike feeling.
“Vita, how was tonight? Wasn’t Regis-senpai super handsome?” That was Meris.
The ballroom was huge, so actually El hadn’t seen what Vita was going through—Meris had asked him for help, and that’s how El had found Vita.
“Hehe…” Vita was still giggling foolishly, lost in a beautiful fantasy.
“Hopeless. This girl’s a goner,” another roommate muttered.
Even though she got senpai’s contact info, for the next ten days Vita never dared to make a move. She could only lurk in the shadows, watching senpai from a distance, as if that alone was enough.
But it wasn’t, still not enough. Just when Vita couldn’t take it anymore, senpai actually reached out to her first and even asked her for help with something.
She was so happy—finally she had a reason to be alone with senpai, though she still didn’t understand what he wanted from her.
The moonlight was cold and clear, the trees dense. The forest was so quiet that even the rustling of leaves in the wind couldn’t be heard—just taking a breath here made your body feel so much lighter.
This was Moonlight Forest on the west side of the academy, already patrolled, with no magical beasts of intermediate rank or above—a natural area.
“We’re here.” El stopped walking.
Vita looked around curiously. In front of her, a clear spring shone silver in the moonlight. “El, what do you need me to do?”
“Wait a moment, let me check if there are any prerequisites.” El took out that manuscript and carefully read it over.