The air in the terrace garden had grown very quiet.
Both of them looked somewhat embarrassed.
Only a gentle harp melody from somewhere unknown remained, as if it could make the midsummer breeze beneath the night sky flow along with it.
Hughberlian tried to remain composed, but her pursed lips kept trembling slightly. Whenever she recalled what had just happened, she felt as though tears were about to spill from her eyes.
She had actually done that in front of Iketerite Academy... No, it would probably spread throughout the entire Hutton Kingdom.
Hughberlian didn't dare imagine how Iketerite Academy was reacting now.
But she was certain that what had happened between her and Lanchi would be spread and distorted all over the school. After all, Dean Loren's scandal was a lesson from the past.
She and Lanchi were always like this.
Most of the time, they could get along perfectly well.
But sometimes, when something happened suddenly and they realized that "their relationship wasn't like that" or that "they might have crossed a line—or perhaps they hadn't," it was as if breathing and blinking had suddenly become manual tasks. They couldn't even manage the most basic things.
Normally, they could talk about anything without thinking, and they didn't need to care that the other was of the opposite sex or anything like that. In short, they had always been very close.
Fortunately, on the summer terrace, the view of the night was broad and open. Apart from each other, there were plenty of things in sight to distract them.
Finally.
"Lanchi."
Hughberlian spoke.
Her eyes were lowered.
"Hm?"
Lanchi looked at Hughberlian beside him.
Usually, at a time like this, he would wait for Hughberlian to calm down a little before comforting her. This time, however, Hughberlian had spoken first.