Underneath the Silhouette -
Chapter 97: A Flair for Drama
Chapter 97: A Flair for Drama
Eirin couldn’t bring herself to meet Shade’s gaze, even after the accidental, disorienting press of their lips. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic, thunderous drumbeat so loud she feared the others could hear it as well, broadcasting her mortification to the entire room. The air crackled with a strange, undeniable tension.
"Can’t you please put on some clothes now, Shade?" Calixta finally exclaimed, her hands flying to her temples, a look of exasperated bewilderment on her face as she gestured wildly at Shade’s nakedness.
Link, ever the pragmatic one, moved quickly, effortlessly helping his friend. Meanwhile, Eirin remained rooted on the sofa, a statue of mortified silence, acutely aware of the wide-eyed stares of her friends, their expressions of a mixture of shock, amusement, and a burning, unasked question.
"Ei... don’t tell me... you actually like that brute... romantically?" Coleen whispered, her voice barely a breath, thick with disbelief. Her wide eyes, usually sparkling with mischief, welled with tears that threatened to spill, reflecting the innocent pain of a perceived betrayal.
The question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications, twisting the awkward silence into something almost unbearable.
"Do you hide it because you think I won’t be able to accept it?" Coleen continued, her voice trembling, a tear tracing a path down her flushed cheek, painting a clear picture of hurt. Her hands fidgeted nervously with the hem of her skirt.
"Such overreaction," Shade muttered.
Eirin blinked rapidly, thousands of times it felt, her mind reeling from the onslaught of accusation. The sheer absurdity of the idea, of her and Shade in any romantic light, snapped her out of her daze.
"No! I don’t like him! No way! I have no romantic feelings for him!" Her denial burst forth, loud and emphatic, perhaps a little too forceful, laced with a desperation to extinguish that preposterous notion immediately. Her hands flew up, palms out, as if to physically ward off the suggestion.
Trixtan burst out laughing, a booming, theatrical sound that filled the room, reverberating off the walls. He even knelt on the floor, clutching his stomach, his shoulders shaking with unbridled mirth, tears streaming down his face from sheer amusement. He seemed to take a perverse delight in the burgeoning drama, like a connoisseur savoring a fine, ridiculous wine.
"I don’t even understand what this is all about," Trix gasped between choke of laughter, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye," but it’s making me laugh so hard. You guys have a talent for comedy!"
Coleen, enraged by the unexpected turn of events and Trix’s unhelpful amusement, quickly launched into a detailed, breathless explanation of the nymph’s curse and the supposed "true love’s kiss" prophecy. Her voice rose and fell with resentment, punctuated by frustrated gestures.
As Coleen spoke, Trixtan’s eyes gleamed with increasing amusement, the story clearly delighting his dramatic sensibilities, a spark igniting behind his wide, curious gaze.
"Doesn’t that mean that you two are fated for each other?" Trix exclaimed, finally recovering his breath, his voice still brimming with delight, a playful mock-horror in his tone. "Damn, I thought Bright Goodwin was the one stealing my idol, but it was indeed Shade Cromwell after all!" He playfully wagged a finger at Shade, who simply scowled in return, unamused.
Eirin didn’t even want to talk about it anymore. She bit her lower lip, a wave of great frustration washing over her. Her cheeks burned. ’He stole even my second kiss! I mean—it was an accident but still! The universe just loves to embarrass me!’ she thought, the memory burning in her mind, replaying the awkward, unintended contact.
"I’m back!"
The door creaked open, catching everyone off-guard, breaking the tension like a thrown stone shattering a mirror. It was Pierre, his usual calm demeanor radiating competence, followed by his younger sister, Sapphire, a small notebook and pen clutched tightly in her hand, her eyes wide with uncontainable curiosity.
"What did I miss?" Pierre asked, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic scene, already distributing containers of food to the surprised group, his movements efficient and unhurried.
"A lot," Coleen deadpanned, her earlier tears already forgotten, replaced by a surge of frustration as she glared at Sapphire, as if the other girl were personally responsible for all the day’s woes.
"Anyway, why is Eirin being linked to our Shade Cromwell if she’s not his girlfriend?" Trix giggled, resting his chin on his palms, his expression like a teenage girl thrilled by juicy gossip, eager to pry.
"When did I become yours?" Shade’s usual voice, but rougher and deeper, cut through the chatter, sending a chill down Eirin’s spine.
Pierre and Sapphire’s eyes widened, then practically bulged from their sockets. There, standing beside Link, was Shade Cromwell, his usual, surly teenage appearance, tall and brooding, his dark hair falling over his eyes. The magical transformation, the ’nymph’s curse’ was clearly undone.
"Did you get your true love’s kiss?" Sapphire couldn’t hold herself back, practically lunging at Shade, pen in hand, as if to jot down every detail of the fantastical event, her face light with an almost manic glee.
"True love my ass!" Coleen blurted, her voice filled with venom, a harsh retort that shattered the lingering fairytale notion of the teenage boy’s transformation. Her nose wrinkled in disgust.
Trix immediately turned to Coleen, his earlier amusement fading, replaced by a look of surprise. "Coco? Where did you learn such crude and vulgar—?" His eyes landed on Shade, a look of dawning realization crossing his face, before he sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "You should stay away from Shade from now on," Trix declared, patting Coleen’s head as if she were a small child to be protected from a corrupting influence.
"That wasn’t real, the kiss. True love, or any of that. Maybe it was the nymph’s way of making fun of Shade—because there’s no way Eirin is in love with him," Coleen stated, her voice filled with a deep, emphatic certainty, her chin jutted out in defiance, as if daring anyone to contradict her.
"Then, what if it was Shade Cromwell in love with Eirin Luxfield?"
Everyone turned in Calixta’s direction after she said that, leaving Coleen’s mouth open in surprise, along with Sapphire’s mouth hanging open, a comical picture of shock, her pen forgotten in her hand.
"So you mean to say that Eirin and Shade kissed!" The words were out before Sapphire could stop her mouth, echoing loudly in the sudden quiet.
Coleen’s brow immediately shot up, and she lunged at Sapphire with unexpected ferocity. "It was you! You were the one who kept telling everyone that Shade needs a true love’s kiss! Now you’ll tell everyone that Ei and Shade kissed, and everyone will—!" Her words dissolved into a frustrated shriek.
Calixta and Pierre reacted swiftly, instinctively pulling Sapphire away from the enraged Coleen, preventing a full-blown physical altercation. Calixta wrapped an arm around Sapphire, while Pierre put a restraining hand on Coleen’s shoulder.
"You know what will happen to Eirin! Those girls are obsessed with Shade because he’s good-looking! They’ll bully Eirin’s soul out!" Coleen screamed, her voice shrill with anger, as Trixtan, with surprising strength, forcibly pulled her further away from Sapphire.
"Coco, calm down," Trix whispers to Coleen. The scene reminded him of how Coleen and Sapphire would clash even when they were younger. "You promised you’ll be good to Sapphire, didn’t you?"
Eirin watched the escalating chaos, a bucket of guilt poured over her. She approached Coleen, her hand reaching out, a calming presence amidst the storm. "Coco, calm down," she said, grabbing Coleen’s arm. Her touch was a small anchor.
Coleen pouted, her face still streaked with tears, but she quickly suppressed them, her anger flickering out like a dying flame. She then dived into Eirin’s arm, hugging her tight, seeking comfort and reassurance.
"What the hell is happening?" Shade blurted out, confused by the emotional storm raging around him, his dark eyes wide with bewilderment.
Link clapped his hands once, a crisp, sharp sound, a habit he’d evidently picked up from their professor, a subtle signal for order. "I think that’s enough. We should eat now," he said, his voice firm, restoring a semblance of control to the chaotic scene.
Eirin sat beside Coleen, eating quietly, while casting wary glances at Sapphire, who was now huddled in a corner, visibly drowning in guilt over the unintended consequences of her gossip, occasionally peeking out from behind Pierre’s shoulder.
"The sports festival’s just around the corner," Link said, attempting to steer the conversation into safer territory, hoping to diffuse the lingering tension.
Eirin turned his way, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "Sports festival?" She wondered if it was the same normal high school event, comparing it to her former school back in the Infirmus. She turned to Coleen, but noticed how her friend’s lips were tightly pursed, an expression that showed her reluctance, perhaps even dread, to talk about the upcoming event.
"You know, the same event you guys hold back in your school, but with a simple twist," a wide grin stretched across Trix’s face as he explained, sensing an opportunity for more entertainment. "Of course our academy is special, with students having special abilities. It’s a prime time to showcase those abilities!" He winked, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
So, it was something that would greatly involve the use of Flairs, Eirin realized, a shiver of apprehension running through her. After everything that had happened today, the bizarre curse, the accidental kiss, the revelation of Shade’s temporary transformation, she wondered how she would even begin to ask Shade Cromwell for his help.
In the middle of their friends excitedly discussing all the thrilling, potentially dangerous things that could happen during the sports festival, Eirin’s mind drifted to when she’d be able to approach Shade, when she’d find the right moment to ask for his help with her training again.
"Oh, right, about our training," Pierre suddenly mentioned, snapping Eirin back to attention, pulling her from her thoughts. "Do you want to resume it today, or would you prefer tomorrow?"
Eirin glanced in Shade’s direction, her mouth opening to reply. "I—"
"I don’t think she wants to resume her training with you at all," Shade cut Eirin off smoothly, a knowing smirk playing on his lips, as if he were onto some grand secret, delighting in the dramatic reveal.
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