Chapter 8 Part 6
Translator : PolterGlast
Well, they had a lot
going on along the way, but it did not take them long to arrive at the Francilt
mansion.
However, when they
passed through the mansion's gate and opened the front door, their expressions
suddenly changed.
"What does this
mean……"
"A-,
hahaha..."
Irisdina's mouth hung
open in a grimace, while Nozomu smiled dryly.
Beyond Nozomu and
Irisdina's line of sight were the figures of their friends including Mars. And
beside them were the figures of Mena and Victor.
"I was going to
attend the school's course at first, but Tima invited me..."
"I-, I was told
by Victor-san that the mansion was spacious and that I could use it for
practice or whatever I wanted..."
"I heard that
it's not only Nozomu-kun but Mars-kun who has never participated in the opening
party before. Then it would be a better experience if we had a lot of people
practicing for the dance!"
"My apologies,
young lady. Master seemed to have found out from the way young lady behaved
that you will practice your dance with Nozomu-sama...'
With Victor's chest
puffed out and his voice raised, Mena bowed her head deeply in the back.
It seemed that the
head of the household had called all of their friends to get in the way of
Nozomu and Irisdina.
Irisdina inadvertently
pressed her temples at her father's unexpected interference.
"Hee~, so this is
Irisdina's mansion. Isn't it as luxurious as the party venue at the opening
party?"
"I mean, is it
really okay for us to come too?"
Moreover, among the
members who received the invitation, there were also Lisa and Camilla.
Lisa turned her
attention to the luxurious furnishings of the mansion, while Camilla was
scratching her cheeks somewhat apologetically.
Behind them, Victor
grinned meaningfully at them.
"Are Tom and the
others here to practice dancing too?"
"N-, no, I was
pulled here by Mimuru when I was in the workshop..."
When Nozomu asked Tom
what had happened, it seemed that Mimuru had forcibly taken him out of the
workshop at Victor's invitation.
On the other hand, Shina
was alone, away from the bustle, with her hand over her mouth, pondering
something.
"What about
Shina..."
*Mumble mumble
mumble......*
"I-, Is she okay?
It seems she's acting really strange...."
"Somehow, she has
been like this since morning. It seems her mind is not here..."
According to Tom,
she's been lost in her own thoughts ever since she arrived at school in the
morning and hasn't responded at all.
Nozomu turned his
confused gaze to Shina and called out to her anyway.
"O-, O~i. Are you
okay?"
"*Mumble
mumble*... Uwa~! W-, why are you here, Nozomu-kun !? Or rather, why am I in
Irisdina's mansion !?"
"Gosh, how long
have you been lost in thought?"
The moment Shina saw
Nozomu's face as he peeked in, her cheeks reddened and she began to move
restlessly.
Seeing this, Nozomu
tilted his head even more.
"Umm. Ai, I'm
sorry."
“I guess it was just a
bad timing…”
"No, I did
something thoughtless..."
Tom and Tima looked
apologetically at Irisdina, who was groaning as if holding back a headache.
On the other hand,
Victor, the main culprit, and the two troublemakers did not seem to feel any
guilt.
"We'll prepare
dinner for you. And I've offered to prepare rooms for the ladies, so you don't
have to worry about returning home. As the head of the Francilt Household,
let's treat them well!"
"Iya~, I'm so
lucky to be allowed to stay in such a mansion! What matters most is your
friends, after all!"
"Hurray for the
luxurious dinner! As expected of a magnanimous family head!"
"""Hahahahaha!"""
Irisdina involuntarily
clenched her fists as she stared at the three of them who were laughing
hysterically.
Right now, she
furiously wanted to punch the three in front of her.
At that moment, the
front door of the mansion was rudely opened and a middle-aged woman entered.
"Good grief,
Victor's rudeness hasn't changed, has it?"
A well-dressed lady
entered the mansion.
She was dressed in a
luxurious, well-tailored dark brown coat and neck warmer and exuded an
overflowing sense of elegance.
"Wha~ !?"
The woman glanced and
let out a sigh of dismay at Victor, who was laughing
Victor, on the other
hand, was very surprised with his eyes wide open at the sight of the
noblewoman.
It was a very unusual
sight for him, who was usually calm and dignified except when it came to his
daughter.
The lady entered the
mansion without reserve.
It was Victor's maid,
Mena, who approached her. On behalf of the Master who was rigid with
astonishment, Mena asked the lady who suddenly visited what she wanted.
"Madam
Mazarinette Parline, what brings you to this mansion?"
Mazarinette Parline.
Like Irisdina and
Victor, she is a member of the Forsina aristocracy and a successful
businesswoman.
"What? A pretty
girl asked me to come over and watch her dance. She said she had someone she
wanted to dance with."
Mazarinette smiled at
Irisdina as she said so.
"It's been a long
time, Irisdina. You are becoming more beautiful."
"Thank you, Madam
Parline. You look as beautiful as ever..."
Picking up the skirt
of her uniform, Irisdina also smiled back and bowed reverently.
Her smile was not the
same as the kind of smile one would wear in aristocratic society to avoid being
taken advantage of, but it was a smile filled with affection. It was clear that
Irisdina and the noblewoman were very close, and they had known each other for
a long time.
"It's been a long
time, Somiriana. You've grown up a lot, haven't you? I can't wait to see what
the future holds."
"Thank you!"
Somia, like her
sister, returned the courtesy gracefully, and Mazarinette patted Somia's head
with a big smile.
Apparently, this noble
lady was also acquainted with Somia.
The noblewoman's gaze
then turned to Nozomu, who was standing next to Irisdina.
"So, are you the
boy Irisdina was talking about?"
"Yes, he is my
friend, Nozomu Bountis."
"N-, nice to meet
you. Iris, who is this person..."
"She is a friend
of my father's. She has been a great help to me in the social world since I was
a child, and she runs a dance hall and theater in my home country as well. She
herself was a famous dancer, and she also educates the dancers of the theater
she runs. If you want to learn how to dance, she is without a doubt the best in
Arcazam."
Madam Parline is an
active businesswoman among the nobility, but she especially excels in the arts
and art-related matters.
This is due to the
fact that she used to be a dancer, and she also operates and manages several
theaters in the country, especially the one in the royal capital of Forsina,
which is so popular among the nobles that it is called the "Palace of the
Red Rose" because of its size and elegance.
The theater also has
an established reputation for its stage productions, which not only accentuates
luxury but also highlights the individuality of the dancers, attracting many
people.
She is truly a woman
who can be called the mother of the arts.
"I received a
letter from Irisdina this morning, asking me to teach a friend of hers just the
basics of dance. So here I am."
"Thank you for
taking time out of your busy schedule to grant this sudden and impolite request
of mine."
"It's okay. I
originally came to Arcazam because I had some business to attend to, and there
was nothing for me to do until the opening party. Besides, I wanted to meet the
rumored Nozomu Bountis."
"Eh? Me?"
Nozomu looked
surprised when Madam Parline told him that she had come to see him.
He probably did not
understand why a noblewoman who was friends with the Francilt Household would
come to see him, a commoner.
Madam Parline, seeing
Nozomu's expression, deepened her smile.
"Ah~, a
non-standard student who crossed blades with that Jihad Raundel. I saw him go
on a rampage at the martial arts garden. So I'm curious."
"No, it was more
like a one-sided beatdown rather than a crossed blades..."
"The fact that
you can match up against a hero with that "jaw drop" in his hands is
already out of the norm... I see, you're quite the "misaligned"
boy."
"U-, umm..."
With a sigh escaping
from her deepened smile, Madam Parline stared at Nozomu.
Nozomu involuntarily
shuddered at the amused and unfathomable gaze, as if she were a child who had
found something interesting.
At the same time,
Nozomu sensed several strange gazes directed at himself. There were eyes
watching him from outside the mansion.
There were probably
two of them. They were being vigilant, but not yet hostile.
Nozomu's line of sight
was instantly directed to the outside of the mansion.
Madam Parlan, who had
been watching him, nodded her head in satisfaction and waved her hand as if to
say that she had enough.
At the same time, the
gazes directed at Nozomu disappeared. It seemed that this lady had tested
Nozomu for a bit.
Nozomu's face
distorted as he felt slightly uncomfortable.
Perhaps, the owner of
the gazes were this lady's escorts. The fact that Mars and the others did not
seem to notice the gaze directed at them from outside the mansion showed that
they were quite skilled.
Nozomu was a complete
stranger, and it was understandable that she would be wary, but there was no
way Nozomu would feel comfortable being stared at with the aim of testing him.
Mazarinette, on the
other hand, glanced at Nozomu and turned her attention to Mars and the others
without seeming to be particularly concerned.
"Some of them are
kind of out of the schedule, but that's okay. So, as their instructor, I'm
going to give them a crash course in etiquette, manners, and the like."
"Eh? Is that
really okay?"
"You guys are
friends of Irisdina's, aren't you? It doesn't matter if I teach another one or
two, I don't mind."
The dance lesson
started in this way, but within ten minutes after the start of the lesson,
Madam Parline's scolding began to fly at them.
"No, no, no, no,
no. Your hands are facing the wrong way. When you escort a woman, you must take
her hand from the bottom. If you take her hand from the top, it means you're
forcing her to go with you!"
"Y-, yes!"
"You're too
tense, big guy. A good dance is to relax. If you're so rigid, women won't be
able to dance with peace of mind."
"W, well, that's
true..."
"A-, auu~~"
"The wildcat over
there, you pulled the man too much. And also you're too attached to him. If
you're going to go to a party, at least be a lady. I don't accept undisciplined
pets."
"Eeh!?"
"Hoh~..."
At first, Nozomu and
Irisdina, then Mars and Tima, and lastly Mimuru and Tom were supposed to dance,
but Nozomu had problems before he even started dancing. The pair of Mars and
Tima was too stiff due to the tension and looked like poorly made string
puppets.
And Tom was blushing
like a tomato as Mimuru stuck to him with her blatant sex appeal. This was
another disastrous result of not being able to practice dancing.
In the end, Nozomu and
Mars broke up before they had a chance to dance with their first dance partner.
The other members were shuffled around and ended up dancing with completely
different partners.
"Shina-san,
please take care of me!"
"Yes, likewise,
Lisa-san."
"Umm,
Camilla-san, please take care of me."
"I'm not very
good at dancing, but I'll do my best."
The pair of Lisa and
Shina and the pair of Tom and Camilla created a rather calm atmosphere.
Shina and Lisa have
been building a friendly relationship, albeit gradually, since the recent
incident, with occasional small talk.
Tom and Camilla have
not had much contact with each other, but their relationship was not bad to
begin with, and as long as they take care of each other, they are fine.
"Why are you
separating me and Tom! I won't agree to this~!"
"Are you
dissatisfied with me?"
"Unsatisfactory!
Undesirable! Unacceptable!"
"T-, this damn amateur..."
On the other hand, the
one who was frustrated was Mimuru, who was separated from her lover.
In her case, the
problem was not due to her inexperience, but rather the fact that her feelings
for Tom were too strong.
Mimuru had no interest
in any other man but Tom, and even if she were to find another man, she would
repel them as if they were poles on a magnet.
However, since a party
is a social gathering place and literally a place for socializing, so it is
possible that she may dance with other men.
Therefore, Madam.
Parline had no intention of listening to Mimuru's complaints.
"What's the
matter? You've been complaining since a while ago."
"B-, because
..."
"Is the man
you're in love with a cheap guy whose feelings will change with a few minutes
of dancing with the opposite sex? Or are you the one who is a cheap
woman?"
"Of course
not!"
"Then, keep quiet
and work on your lessons. Your appearance will reflect the value of the man you
fall in love with. It's not ladylike to expose your unsightly behavior to any
kind of humiliation."
"Gununununu ....
A-, alright then! I'll do it!"
On the contrary, Madam
Parline used Tom as a pretext to provoke Mimuru. As a result, Mimuru was
inspired to do the lesson for Tom's sake and began to perform a splendid dance
with Feo.
Both Feo and Mimuru
had good reflexes by nature, and Feo was quite good at adapting to his partner
because of his personality. Once they engaged, they were able to dance very
smoothly.
Nozomu and the others
let out a breath of admiration for Madam Parline's skill in taking the reins of
the capricious wildcat girl.
"Amazing. She's
got that Mimuru completely in the palm of her hand..."
"Yeah, if it were
us, there's no way we can do such a thing."
"Hey, focus!
You're the ones with the most problems. You don't have time to look at the
others."
"Y-, yes!"
"I know!"
"Then, I'll be
Irisdina and Somia's partner..."
"Victor, you're
in the way. Get out of here."
"Aren't you
treating me too harshly!"
And when Victor tried
to talk to Irisdina and Somia who were available, he was treated as a
distraction and sent to the corner of the room.
The reason for that
was because he wasn't invited to this lesson in the first place, and he was the
one who caused Madam Parline a lot of trouble, so it was only natural that he
would be treated badly.
"Master, I
brought the documents that were left in the room. Since this is a good
opportunity, let's finish them here."
As a result, Victor
had to continue struggling in the corner of the hall with the documents that
Mena had brought from the office.
Victor, who was left
out of the group, turned his eyes pleadingly toward Irisdina, but she turned
away and completely ignored him.
He was so shocked as
if he had been hit on the head with a war hammer, and began to weep tearfully.
"Ane-sama, please
dance with me!"
Meanwhile, Irisdina,
who had some free time on her hands, was asked by Somia to be her dance
practice partner.
Somia, who had quickly
extended her hand, looked up at her sister with sparkling eyes.
"I don't mind.
Well, I guess I'll still play the male role..."
In this case, it would
be Irisidna who played the male role.
Since the ratio of men
to women was inevitably biased towards women, it would be inevitable that women
must pair up with other women when trying to practice dancing.
In fact, the female
pair of Lisa and Shina were dancing well, switching roles with each other.
Irisdina herself had
played the male role in dance practices many times.
She had also been
asked to dance at small parties, not only by the opposite sex but also by the
same sex.
On such occasions, she
would naturally play the male role and lead her partner. She naturally knew the
tricks of playing the male role.
Taking Somia's hand,
Irisdina escorted Somia with very natural movements.
She led her to the
open space in the hall with gentle, flowing, natural movements, while keeping
pace with Somia's steps.
Then, gently placing
her hand on her partner's back, she slowly began to dance, swaying her natural
body and matching it with her partner's breath.
The gestures were
completely seamless and perfect in every way.
"Ane-sama, you're
so cool!"
"Somia, as a
woman, I'm not very happy to be told that I'm cool in a male role..."
However, no matter how
perfectly she could play the male role, whether she was satisfied with her own
performance was another matter.
Due to her nature,
Irisdina looked strangely good even if she played the male role, but for her
who was concerned about her masculine tone and atmosphere, her sister's
evaluation made her feel complicated.
She let out a huffing
sigh as she moved her body while keeping an eye on Somia's movements.
At that moment, a
gentle chime resounded in Irisdina's ears.
Irisdina turned her
attention to the source of the sound. The bell, a birthday gift from Nozomu to
Somia, was shining on her right wrist.
"Somia, you wear
that bell all the time, don't you?
"Ah, yes!
Nozomu-san gave it to me, so it would be a waste if I didn't wear it!"
Somia smiled a big
smile like the sun.
It was a simple bell
that seemed somewhat inappropriate for a woman of noble birth to wear.
However, the bell was
Somia's first present from the man she loved like an older brother, and it was
proof that her future, which should have been stolen from her, was still
connected.
Somia's smile
naturally made Irisdina's cheeks loosen as well.
"I see. As I
thought, it suits you so well."
"Is that so!?
Thank you, Ane-sama!"
Perhaps because she
was happy to be praised, Somia smiled 30% brighter than before.
She looked so happy
that everyone who saw it might skip a beat at any moment.
While feeling a little
envious of such a sister, Irisdina, while relaxing her cheeks, quietly peeked
at Nozomu, who was receiving instruction from Madam Parline.
Nozomu was still
learning the etiquette of dancing, struggling with the scolding from the lady.
He had now moved from
escorting a lady to ensuring a standing position for the dance, but he was
still not very good at it and had not yet reached the point of dancing.
It was a shame that
she couldn't have a dance lesson alone with Nozomu, but Irisdina didn't mind
about it now.
In fact, at this point,
80% of the purpose of her request for dance lessons with Nozomu had already
been accomplished.
Her goal was not only
to give dance lessons to Nozomu, who had no dance experience.
Another purpose was to
bring Nozomu and Madam Parline together.
Madame Parline is a
well-known businesswoman, and her influence is second only to that of the
Francilt and Fabran Household in Forsina.
Just being
"acquainted" with her would be enough of a weapon for the current
Nozomu.
(Well, I can only do
this much...)
Irisdina, who couldn't
use spirit magic, could hardly help Nozomu when it came to controlling Tiamat's
power.
She thought that she
could do something for Nozomu by using her connections to build up his support.
Originally, Nozomu did
not have many connections outside the school other than Irisdina and the
others. She was hoping to help him in any way she could.
As a result, it could
be said to be quite successful.
From Irisdina's point
of view, the first impression that Madam Parline had of Nozomu did not seem so
bad.
Lady Parline is by
nature quite decisive, and she is a strong woman who is not afraid of the King
if necessary.
She has high
self-esteem and always keeps things in perspective.
To some people, the
way she instructs Nozomu may seem quite coercive.
However, behind her
words, Irisdina could sense that she was thinking about Nozomu's growth.
Above all, Madam
Parline, who was teaching Nozomu, seemed to be "having fun" from
Irisdina's point of view.
Naturally, the smile
on Irisdina's cheeks deepened with joy.
(Unfortunately, I
won't be able to practice alone with Nozomu at this rate...)
With gushing joy and a
little disappointment in her heart, Irisdina continued to escort her sister.
When she asked Madam
Parline for dance lessons, Irisdina knew that she and Nozomu would not have
much time to practice alone.
Moreover, the number
of participants in the lesson had increased several times due to Victor's
unnecessary actions. In this situation, there was no way she could be alone
with Nozomu.
(Oh well, it can't be
helped. I still have plans after this, and instead of dance lessons, let's just
look forward to the actual show, shall we?)
A feeling of
disappointment remained in her heart. However, when she thought about dancing
with Nozomu in the actual show, the feeling of disappointment was reversed. At
once, it turned into a burning sense of anticipation.
"Nozomu, you owe
me two dances. Fufu~. I'll make sure you pay me back in the actual show."
With a smile that
coincided with her naturally leaking words, Irisdina was thrilled to dance with
her loved ones in the not-too-distant future.
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