CH 95

Today is the day when the teams are finally announced.

I had been restless since last night, wondering if I could be on a different team from Claire. And since I had enjoyed a normal date with Claire after meeting my brother, I was conflicted about whether I could really turn Claire’s affections to someone else.

But I can’t let them destroy me. That’s why I’m nervous about being on another team with Claire.

When I arrived at the school, I found a crowd of people at the bulletin board as usual.

In past years, only about 100 students from all grades participated in the event, but this year there seemed to be a lot of people. As usual, I had to wade through the crowd to get to the front of the line.

The paper was divided into two groups, the red team and the white team.

This was different from previous years when the teams were smaller and more numerous. I was upset to see that we were divided into two halves, but I stared at the paper intently.

In large letters, Claire was the captain of the red team. Alice’s name was written in large letters as the captain of the white team. Below that, the names of the generals were written, with the Red Team’s familiar names being Kiku and Yusuk, and the White Team’s Mist’s name and mine.

I looked away and felt a sense of relief.

I was fortunate enough to be Claire’s enemy. I had a plan to destroy the team from within when I was on the same team as Claire, just in case, but it was difficult to execute, so I was glad to be her enemy.

Now, I looked back to see the strength of the enemy and our team.

Claire’s team has a lot of names I haven’t seen before, while mine has a lot of names I’ve seen before.

So, the second and third years are mostly on the other side, while the first years are mostly on our side. It’s hard to say, but it’s highly likely that they are inferior in terms of strength.

Also, I could not find Alfred’s name anywhere on the paper. It was strange that Kiku and Yusuk were participating in the event.

Well, I guess it’s a good thing that one obstacle has been removed.

As I continued to read, at the bottom of the page was a note that said, “Students above the rank of general should hold a meeting in their respective salons after school.”

So, I headed to the classroom, feeling very depressed that I would be meeting Mist and Alice after school.

＊＊＊

When I opened the door to the classroom, my classmates’ gazes gathered, and the room fell silent. Then they looked away somewhat awkwardly.

What is this reaction?

I was puzzled, but slowly made my way to my seat. Then, Claire came up to me with a wobbly gait, as if she was about to fall. Her usual lustrous hair was disheveled and unkempt.

“Chris…….”

Claire looked at me with red eyes and called my name.

Yeah. I got the gist of it. The reaction of these classmates and Claire’s were probably due to the fact that Claire and I were on different teams.

But still. It probably hasn’t been more than a few minutes since they saw the results…….

“Chris. I…….”

When I saw Claire’s face, which looked like she was about to start crying, I felt guilty for being so happy earlier and decided to encourage her.

“It’s going to be okay! We’re on a different team this time, but there’s always next year!”

“But……”

“Besides, I’d like to fight Claire for real at least once!”

“What? Oh, yeah! Chris! Well, then I guess I’ll have to!”

Claire regained her energy.

After all, Claire had been told to really go for it by someone she thought might be stronger than her. Claire, who had suffered in finding a marriage partner because of her own strength, would be happy if the person she wanted to marry told her so.

I’m getting used to dealing with Claire.

My classmates looked at me like I did a good job. I guess they couldn’t stand to see her in such a state, regardless of whether they were on the same side in the mock battle.

Now I can concentrate on the mock battle without worrying about Claire.

＊＊＊＊

After school, I came to Alice’s salon as instructed, the room was so simple that it was hard to believe it was a room for royalty, with only a large long desk in the center and chairs surrounding it.

I didn’t want to get in trouble with Mist or Alice, so I took a seat at the end of the room, away from them.

A few moments later, when the chairs were occupied by the generals, Alice, who was sitting at the head of the table, opened her mouth.

“I would like to begin the meeting now.”

“One moment, please! Lady Americia!”

Just as I thought it was finally about to start, the man sitting next to me stood up and objected. He pointed at me and continued.

“There is a rumor that this person is in a close relationship with Lady Claire Alcala! I don’t think this person should be allowed to participate in the meeting!”

It’s getting troublesome again…….